After speaking with Joker, Rider took a moment to survey the immediate area. It was a fairly basic city street, in all respects; but ahead of him and to the right was a larger clearing, that lead to the large museum that formed the centerpiece of these ruins. The building was the color of ivory, faded and aged from the years of neglect. It was once surrounded by beautiful patches of well-maintained grass and flowers, but there was hardly any remnant of them left now. However, this left a rather wide space of flat terrain open. Perfect for battle.<br/><br/>Satisfied with this decision, Rider turned back to the street, and was about to continue the search when one of Joker's cards whizzed by his ear. The exceptionally sharp object embedded slightly into the wall next to him, keeping it in place, but in only a few moments, it was resting between his fingers as he examined it. Notched onto the edge was the word 'Wolves.' He furrowed his brow and sighed. That was<span style="font-style: italic">another</span>point in favor of the worst case scenario; there really wasn't any time to spare.<br/><br/>After sticking the card into his pocket, Rider rounded the corner and made his way down the street, peering into each building as he passed and keeping an eye out, particularly for the Breakers who called for assistance. Considering the size of Behemoths he had seen in the past, it surprised him that their quarry hadn't yet made an appearance; that either meant that the fight was over, or the other Breakers had somehow managed to hide from it. If the latter was the case, it was of the utmost importance that they were found immediately, before anything<span style="font-style: italic">else</span>found them.<br/><br/>After a few minutes of searching in vain, Rider came to another crossroads. This one was just like all the others, with one notable exception; a trail of small crimson puddles carved a path through the street, their shade making it evident that they were relatively recent.<span style="font-style: italic">Shit.. Gehna don't bleed.</span>Rider lifted a hand to his ear and pressed the button to activate his communicator. In a hushed whisper, he spoke; "Found a trail of blood around the southwest corner.. Head over here ASAP." Without another moment's hesitation, Rider quickly and quietly stepped over to the puddle and began following it in the direction it seemed to lead. A while later, just as the trail was beginning to thin out, a nearby noise caught Rider's attention. A low, menacing growl came from around the corner in front of him, and he immediately flattened up against it, for all the good it would do.<br/><br/>Whatever happened here, it left one of the Breakers injured and bleeding; and because of that, they not only had to worry about the Behemoth, but also a pack of Varlus. These beasts are as close to wolves as the Gehna get; they hunt in small packs and have an incredible sense of smell, but they also have no sight whatsoever, instead lacking eyes entirely. They were about the size of a fully grown wolf, and their skin was a sickly mixture of browns and reds. Despite this appearance, they were physically strong creatures, capable of taking down a fully grown man on their own without much effort. Of particular note to any would-be opponent were the sharp spines along their back; when passive, those spines lay flat against them, almost looking no different than the rest of their bodies. When they're hunting, however, the spines raise and harden, forming a deadly line of razors.<br/><br/>Carefully peering around the corner, Rider scouted their numbers. As far as he could see, there were only 3; whether the others were dead, in a different area, or this was simply one of the smaller packs, he couldn't say.<span style="font-style: italic">Shit..</span>He slowly backed away from the corner, furthering himself from the Varlus, before raising his hand to activate his communicator again.<span style="font-style: italic">"Approach with caution, everybody; there's a pack of Varlus here,"</span>he whispered, the urgency of their plight plain in his voice.