Aya sighed in relief, as the younger girl returned the hug, the teen's dress becoming wet with tears that didn't seem as heavy as before. Thank goodness, the little pinkette had calmed down. However, the situation turned for worse, as the figure of a teen with a sword appeared, along with another shilouete not far behind. At the same time, noticed through a distortion of light caught in the corner of her eye, a translucent barrier started to form from the sky above them, slowly coming down over the plaza.

 Aya gulped, the hand that earlier comforted the little girl in her lap came to rest upon the handle of the black battle-axe. If it wasn't bad enough, shadowy figures started to appear from the alleyways, low, canine growls and light, demented chuckles coming from the new arrivals. There were seven of them. Six of them seemed to be a variety of dogs, but they had this unnatural quality to them, as if they didn't truly exist, along with a savagery that wasn't usually seen upon such a creature. Same for the last arrival of the strange sextuplet, an older man with a clashing expression of empty eyes and a mocking grin. The Thug was holding a battered baseball bat that seemed to have several nails poking out of it. Aya's and the young pinkette's phones started to ring, and if she heard right, the other teen's phone, almost at the same time as the arrival of the new figures. Aya opened her bag and reviewed the messages on her phone, noticing some text messages about a Pact and a "Strife Perimeter". What truly caught her attention was the newest message that had probably just appeared on the other two's phones as well.
---
New mission received!
[b]
Defeat the 7 Enemy Programs

Success: Your Continued Survival
Failure: Deletion
[/b]
---