That made them easier to talk to.
Kratos and Eurika moved through the lower district, asking casually, listening carefully.
"Did you hear anything strange a few nights ago?" Eurika asked an older man sweeping outside his shop.
He frowned. "Loud noise. Like thunder. But when I came out, nothing was there."
A woman across the street nodded. "Same. Shaking. Then quiet."
"No alarms?" Kratos asked.
"No," she said. "Nothing on the broadcasts."
They followed the pattern.
The farther they walked, the quieter the streets became.
Eventually, the buildings thinned into a cluster of abandoned houses, half-collapsed and overgrown.
Eurika stopped.
"...This is it."
The ground was uneven, cratered like something heavy had struck it repeatedly.
Kratos stared. "It looks like a meteor hit."
Eurika crouched near a broken wall.
Dark residue streaked across the stone.
She touched it once, carefully.
"...That's blood," she said. "Not human."
Kratos's jaw tightened. "Parasite."
They stood in silence.
Then Eurika spoke slowly.
"That means someone fought one here."
Kratos turned to her.
"And if that happened the same night Jusuke disappeared..." she continued, "maybe he followed them. Maybe the parasite killed him, and whoever was fighting chased it."
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Kratos exhaled. "Then why don't we remember any of it?"
Eurika looked down at the blood again.
"We know we were with Jusuke," she said. "He posted the picture."
She thought harder.
"...What if the higher-ups erased our memory?"
Kratos frowned. "Why would they"
"What if they didn't want panic?" Eurika pressed. "What if there's a hero protecting us, and they don't want people to know?"
Kratos shook his head. "That still doesn't explain Jusuke."
Before Eurika could answer...
The ground shifted.
Something moved behind the ruined houses.
A wet, dragging sound.
Kratos reached for his weapon. "Eurika.."
Too late.
The parasite burst from behind the structure, its body twisting and reforming as it screamed.
Kratos struck first, landing a solid hit, the creature reeled, but its flesh thickened immediately, absorbing the blow.
"Not good. Kratos run!" Eurika shouted.
A blade-limb lashed out.
Kratos was thrown through a wall.
He didn't get back up.
Pain screamed through his side as he collapsed inside the remains of an old house.
"Kratos!" Eurika shouted.
She ran.
The parasite chased her, tearing through debris with terrifying speed.
She ducked behind a corner, pressed against a wall, holding her breath.
The creature's shadow loomed.
Closer.
Closer...
A massive impact shook the street. A blue light shined illuminating the entire area.
The parasite was obliterated in a single strike.
Its body collapsed into steaming goo.
A tall figure stood in the dust.
Roxer.
His hammer rested on his shoulder as he smirked.
"I am Roxer the Hammerian," he declared. "A man gifted with ultimate power."
He glanced at Eurika.
"All others are inferior."
Before she could respond.
Another parasite screeched nearby.
Inside the ruined house, Kratos heard it and tried to move.
Couldn't.
Then a blade of wind sliced through the building.
The parasite was split cleanly in half.
Jah Jah stood outside, sword humming faintly.
"Hey, nerd," he called. "Come out already. I killed the little termite for you."
Kratos coughed. "I... can't move. My wounds are too severe."
Jah Jah laughed. "Damn. That's embarrassing. Getting hurt by a base parasite is a really bad look."
He glanced around.
"Good thing no hot babes were around."
Sirens approached.
An ambulance truck pulled up as soldiers rushed out, lifting Eurika and carefully pulling Kratos from the rubble.
As they were loaded inside, Eurika looked back at the street.
The destroyed houses.
The blood.
The pattern.
Roxer surveyed the damage, impressed.
"They must've been fast," he said. "Looks like the parasites were chasing them all over."
Jah Jah nodded. "Yeah. Whoever it was... ran really well."
The ambulance doors closed.
And the street fell silent again.