Holy guacamole. A hundred reviews? All for MEEEE? You guys are the best T.T Seriously though, I wouldn't be able to keep up this fic, let alone my crazy update schedule, without you guys. So much love!

#

There was something to be said for the empire's efficiency in creating madness. And that 'something' consisted almost entirely of swear words.

The three of them had dived out of the way of the giant's massive sword, and things had only gotten crazier from there. Caedus and Aria were facing off against the beast, its low speed the only thing keeping them alive as they alternated dashing in and slashing its legs. It hadn't staggered yet, and Cor had his own hands full with the dozens of daemons and MTs that were trying to gore them.

Aria's swords bit into the iron giant's leg, and it took one step back, but then she was diving aside again as its sword came down on where she'd been standing a few seconds earlier. Caedus dashed in and slashed the other leg, only to leap away from a hobgoblin a second later as the creature broke past Cor's overwhelmed defenses.

"Look out!" the marshal cried, rushing to engage the goblin as the giant made a great sweep with its sword that would have taken Caedus' head off if not for the warning. The hunter dropped to a crouch, leaping under the giant's own defenses to strike at its stomach.

Aria jumped back, turning from the giant to deal with an arachne that was dead-set on her life. The creature knocked her onto her back and she rolled, lashing out with both swords to cut several of the spider-thing's legs out from under it before rolling away.

As she came to her feet, one of the arachne's forelegs sparked with electricity and struck out. Aria screamed as the shock ran through her, driving her to her knees as her whole body could do nothing but twitch. She was defenseless!

"No!" Caedus all but appeared beside her, his katana carving a great gash through the arachne's chest. There was blood dripping from a wound near his left shoulderblade, but he still swung his sword again to decapitate the beast. "Aria, get up!"

Her muscles were still spasming, slowing her down, but she forced herself up. A look over her shoulder showed Cor now distracting the giant, but they couldn't keep this up. They'd be overwhelmed.

An axe came within an inch of her face, and she barely staggered back to avoid a fatal blow from the next strike, which instead swung down and left a gash in her thigh. Forcing her muscles to work, she slashed, removing the robot's weapon arm with one sword and then its head with the other.

"We have to run! Trap them inside!" Cor's words were a command, though his voice was distorted by pain, blood running down one side of his face from an injury somewhere in his hairline.

"What about the giant?! It's blocking the door!" Caedus barked back as he parted from Aria a bit so they could deal with two different MTs closing in on them.

Aria saw a shock trooper staggering towards them. "Get behind something!"

Caedus and Cor didn't argue, cutting their way through daemons and MTs alike to duck behind one of the overturned vehicles nearby.

Aria lunged for the shock trooper, bringing both swords down through either side of its chest. It jerked back, body sparking, and she sheathed her swords in order to grab it. Pivoting on her uninjured leg, she hurled the thing towards the iron giant and then bolted, sliding to make it underneath another vehicle just as the trooper detonated.

The explosion killed several of the smaller daemons, and the giant staggered to one side, dropped to its knees. The door was clear.

"Run!" Cor shouted, but it was hardly needed. All three of them dashed for the exit, Aria a bit slower as she dragged herself out from under the truck.

They made it out just as the giant was getting up, and Aria pulled the door shut behind them. As she backed away, it bulged outward, struck by incredible force. A bellow reached their ears, the daemons raging at losing their prey.

"We're lucky they're not that bright," Aria gasped, leaning over to catch her breath.

"Not lucky enough." Caedus pressed his hand to the gash in his shoulder. "Gotta get back to Taelpar. We're not safe yet."

The other two nodded, calling their chocobos and forcing themselves into the saddle. The three birds needed little encouragement to set off at a sprint, fleeing the overrun base as fast as they could move.

—

No one spoke as they treated their wounds, as they entered the all-hours diner for a dinner that the tipster didn't question.

Finally, sitting at the table after finishing their food, Cor stared out at the still-dark sky. "It could be happening everywhere the empire has daemons."

"It could be happening everywhere, period," Caedus answered, his face grim. "More darkness means more daemons, and if they really spread by infecting other creatures..."

"Then we're in eight different kinds of shit," Aria finished, pressing her face into her hand. She froze midway through rubbing her forehead, though, looked up. "Ignis and the guys are heading for Gralea."

Cor's eyes widened for a second before his face returned to a determined set. "If it's this bad here... they have to be warned."

Aria pulled out her phone without needing further prompting, beginning to text even as the two men continued to talk.

Caedus sighed. "I'll give Dave a call when the sun rises. All the hunters need to know about this."

Cor nodded. "I'll alert every member of the Crownsguard that's not dead. If the nights keep getting longer, we need to start making a plan to keep people safe."

Even with her focus on her phone, Aria was listening. She almost laughed.

Keep people safe. Right, where's gonna be safe when the whole world gets overrun by daemons? she wondered.

#

Don't worry, you'll find out what Aria texted next chapter.