The corner of the park that they had settled down in was shaded by the overcast of an adjacent building. The grass was green but not healthy; yellow spots were littered across the turf along with bare patches of hard brown dirt while bits of trash lay around sporadically. It was mostly children that hung around the area they were in, and all of them huddled around a pair of kids facing off against each other in a game that was controlled by their Implants.

Standing in between the two young players were two small robots no taller than a foot could be seen angled toward each other. Gurk brought up his projection so that he could watch the game going on while Ven, Itzel and Janus stared at his projection. Ven pointed at various parts of the screen, trying to explain what was going on as fast as he could before something else happened that would take his attention away.

"And that attack was called Wyvern's Claw!" Ven said with awe. On the screen, Janus could see a robotic, dragon-like creature swoop down and graze a humanoid robot that held two guns in its hands. The massively detailed robots on the screen looked like more serious versions of the smaller, big-headed robot figures that accompanied the children.

"Oh, interesting," Janus remarked.

"I hope I can get one," Ven said as he continued to stare at Gurk's screen. "Then I can be a pro Cyber Rivals player."

"I thought you wanted to be a Rumble Circuit Broadcaster?" Itzel asked jokingly.

"I'll do both," Ven replied without taking his eyes off the battle. He and Gurk were too entranced by the two robots dueling one another to notice that Janus and Itzel had moved away from them. Itzel had taken a seat on an empty section of grass and stretched out her legs while balancing the upper-half of her body with the palm of her hands as she took in the scenery. Janus plopped down right beside her, sitting crisscross. He noticed a dandelion jutting out of an overgrown patch of grass and plucked it out of the ground.

"Not a fan of Cyber Rivals?" Janus asked as he twirled the weed with his thumb and pointer finger.

"No. It's a kid game. And as you can plainly see, I'm no child."

"Gurk is into it."

"Yeah, well. He's basically an overgrown kid. He's been saving up to get of those things, but he always ends up blowing his money on something stupid. Like cauliflower."

"Or loaning a friend some money to lose in a Ranked Match," Janus said quickly. He found himself smiling as he made the joke, but he as soon as he looked towards Itzel and saw the scorn on her face, regret immediately kicked in. "I was just trying to make a joke, Itzel. I didn't really mean it.

"Don't make me hurt you."

"Sorry."

A breeze passed between the two, gently pushing their hair to the side. Janus tossed the weed he plucked to the side and closed his eyes, embracing the cool gale.

"This wasn't a half-bad idea, Janus," Itzel said. "Sometimes it is nice to just relax for a minute."

"I had almost forgotten what resting is like."

"You were busy back in Oregon?" Itzel asked as she tiled her head towards him.

"Yes. Between school and my internship, I had no time for myself. Work. Study. A bit of sleep. And sometimes there would be a bit of eating in there, too."

"Sounds like a blast."

"You get used to it. It would have been worth it, though. Or at least that's what they say. My career was promising, but I wasn't happy, you know? Didn't want to live my life on such a tight schedule. I knew what I was going to be doing for every hour of my life for the next three years. I was starting to feel more like a machine than a person."

"Almost like you were working in the Refinery Sector, huh?"

"That's an apt comparison. Although I'd rather do what I was doing back in Oregon than work in a Refinery."

"Fair enough."

"But this..." Janus let out a yawn and straightened out his legs. He leaned backwards, resting his head on his forearms. "Is kind of nice. If you look past all of the monsters that want me dead, being an Exterminator isn't too bad. I set my own schedule. I get to roam around the city. Pay's a bit rough, but I guess that's the cost of freedom."

"You say that now. But just wait until it becomes your entire life," Itzel replied, keeping her eyes focused on the other people within the park. It was nice and quiet; most of the other park-goers were focused on their own activities and conversations. "You don't know if you'll be able to pay your bills. Or if you'll even be coming home ever again."

"Okay, what you say is true. Maybe being a physicist isn't all that comparable to being an Exterminator. But I still stand by my point that being free to do whatever I want, whenever I want is a pleasant change of pace."

Itzel flicked back a long strand of brown hair that had blown in front of her face. "You've worked pretty hard over the past day. I'll let you have your little moment of rest and relaxation for now. But once we're done hanging out here, it's back to doing what we set out here to do."

"Fine by me." Janus closed his eyes, taking in the sensation of another cool wind. "But don't act like you don't deserve a moment to kick back. Same with Gurk. Even Ven. Life's not all about making progress," Janus looked toward Itzel with open eyes. She continued to stare of into the distance as if she was distracted by something. "You hear me Itzel?"

"Huh?" She blinked twice as if she had just broken free from a trance.

"Something on your mind?"

"A lot of things. Stuff I told you about already. Just because it's a nice day out doesn't mean my worries are going to go away."

"I know. But that doesn't mean that they can't go away for an hour or so."

"I wish it were that easy for me, Janus. I really do."

Itzel looked towards Gurk and Ven. They were still caught up in the excitement of Cyber Rivals to pay her any attention. A sudden buzzing on Janus' wrist caught both of their attention. He activated his Implant and saw that it had automatically brought up his Tracker. A single scan of the area revealed a red blip right next the center.

"Essencima?" Janus said aloud. He looked around but saw no creatures. Instead, he could see a few others in the park activate their Trackers as well. The sudden commotion made everyone in the park that wasn't an Exterminator begin to panic. Adults ran towards their children in the playground area, sweeping them off their feet as they made a break for the park's exit. The match of Cyber Rivals was cut short, making Gurk hoist up Ven on his back before regrouping with Janus and Itzel. There were shouts of frustration and fear as the crowd of the park-goers thinned. Others remained adamant and stayed where they were at.

A large black puddle emerged in the center of the park. It bubbled and steamed as its perimeter expanded. Those with Trackers remained focused on the sudden liquid that came in from nowhere. Those that weren't Exterminators soon changed their mind and headed towards the nearest exit, leaving only a few adults remaining inside the park. Janus angled his entire body forward, looking at the bubbling pool with both fear and awe.

"Is an Essencima spawning?" Janus asked Itzel.

She nodded. "It's a big one too. Don't think it's an Ogre, but definitely something dangerous." Itzel then faced Gurk. "Get Ven somewhere safe, Gurk!" With her thumb, she gestured towards the park's exit. Without saying a word, he lifted the child and carried him underneath his arm once more and made a dash for the exit.

The sound of boiling a liquid permeated throughout the area. Thick black bubbles bulged out of the cesspool-like puddle, releasing a dark black steam as they popped. The putrid scent of rotten sewage was brought straight into Janus' nostrils by a passing breeze. Both he and Itzel blocked their noses with their hands but kept their eyes on the revolting pond before them. Amidst the sludge, a large mass began to form. It slowly rose out of the ground, dripping as it began to take shape. It was long and elliptical, with one side raising high above the other.

"Could we take it out now? Before it forms?" Janus asked Itzel. He took the stance that Itzel had showed him early.

"You want to go in and touch that gunk?" Itzel replied, not taking her eyes from the forming Essencima.

"What about a Serrated Gale?"

"Worth a shot." Itzel lowered her fist in preparation for an uppercut. "Serrated Gale!" Itzel sent a projectile soaring towards the bubbling mass, only to have it be completely absorbed.

"At least we've got other Exterminators here to back us up," Janus said as he quickly counted the other people in the area. He could see four others staring at the creature that was slowly taking shape. A pair of sharp gray horns jutted out from one side of the figure.

"That's just more competition. And I bet you they're all rookies, too. Just means they're something else we've got to worry about. If Gurk wasn't protecting Ven right now, he'd be able to back us up instead of a bunch of novices that’ll get in the way."

"You don't think six Exterminators could take out this one this Essencima?"

"Depends on what it is. But by the size of it, I don't think it's something that a novice should be confronting.”

The creature now took a more distinct form. Four legs could be seen between the gaps in the sludge that cascaded down the Essencima's sides. The creature had a long head that rose upward, shaking it back and forth to fling off the excess gunk that coated its face. Bright yellow eyes stared at one of the other Exterminators that stood on the other side of the pool. He staggered backwards, tripping over himself as the bull-like creature stepped out of its puddle. It then angled its long head downwards, pointing its long and curved tusks at the Exterminator. From behind, Janus and Itzel watched as its rear hind leg kick up, like it was getting ready to rev up. It bent down, putting its weight on the back legs. The man got up to turn around and began running in the opposite direction.

"These guys don't know what they're doing!" Itzel exclaimed, clenching her fist. "They've never dealt with a Tauria before!" She threw another Serrated Gale and watched it dissipate on impact, leaving the bulky creature unfazed. It kept its attention fixated on the man that was running in a straight line towards the park's entrance on the other side. "Running in a straight line only makes it easier for them to build up speed!" she called out, but the fleeing man didn’t hear her.

Janus watched on as the other Exterminator looked behind him. The Tauria took off, knocking away another Exterminator with its massive horns, sending her flying to the side. It continued onwards, accelerating at an incredible pace. In less than a second it had caught up with its target, wedging the man between its pair of horns. There was a shout of terror as the creature began flailing about, keeping its captive pinned against the ground as it tried to crush him against the ground.

Itzel and Janus both ran forward towards the Tauria as fast as they could. Itzel tossed one more Serrated Gale as she sprinted. This one caused the monster to flinch, but not enough to take its attention away from the hapless man that it had in its grip. "Go get Gurk!" she shouted as she pointed towards the perimeter of the park. "He'll help me out while you watch Ven." Janus nodded and made sharp turn in the direction of the Gurk and Ven. As he fled, he could hear the cries of the novice Exterminator. He waved at Gurk, gesturing for him to enter the park by waving his hand. The crocodile placed the child to the side and entered the park, meeting Janus in the middle.

"You help Itzel out. I'll watch the kid."

Gurk nodded ran as fast he could towards Itzel. She was at the monster's side, trying to chip away at it with more of her projectiles. Janus' could feel his heart race as he heard the cries of the pinned individual slowly fade. He slowly moved towards the safety of the fence beyond the park, staring at the scene behind him. It didn't take long for him to be next to Ven. He pulled him behind him and watched the battle ensue from between a pair of metal bars.