Rangers Endgame

Chapter 126: New Assignment

YAKERU:

Its gargantuan silhouette loomed over him, eight violet eyes seething with unbridled hunger. The stench of iron choked his lungs, and its crushing gaze buckled his knees. The raw pleas of Riku clawed at his ears, and the silent resignation of Hiroto tugged at his insides.

His bones quaked under the weight of unbearable pressure, fissures tearing through the marrow and shredding the very fabric of his muscles. He tried to scream, but no sound came. The earth trembled as the beast lurched forward with impossible speed, plunging him into the jaws of death.

Then, his eyes snapped open, skin glistening with sweat and panicking lungs heaving for air. The awakening world seeped through his bedroom window with dappled morning light, and singing birds helped calm his nerves. His blurred ceiling streaked through his curtain of dark hair as he steadied himself. Pulling himself from his mattress to sit on the edge of his bed, he waited for his vision to focus.

His hair swayed as he loosened the knots in his neck, eyes moving to his forearm. With an elbow resting on his knee, he let his gaze wander the length of his scarred arm.

The burns he'd gotten after searching for Kenji faded along his forearms and biceps, courtesy of the Ripper. The self-inflicted punishment he suffered during the Clan Skirmish that carved up and through his shoulder. And of course, the wounds from that dreaded mineshaft still lingering within the bowels of his subconscious.

Tremors still ran through his hands.

Air came in jagged breaths as he slid his hands under his hair to cradle his forehead. After staying like that for a while, he withdrew his hands, his fingers threading through his hair. Curious, he inspected a lock.

Now that he was really looking, his hair had grown out more than what he was accustomed to. "It might be around the time for a cut."

Lifting himself from his bed, he stole a black hairband from his sister's room and tied his hair back into a relaxed bun with a bang hanging freely on one side of his face. Taking a roll of bandages left over from his previous missions, he wrapped his hand and forearm, sealing away the trigger of his trauma to hopefully mitigate his episodes.

He made himself decent and headed downstairs, where the scent of seasoned eggs called to him. As usual, Akari was there making plates. As she turned to set the table, she stopped when her eyes met Yakeru's. They then went to his hair and trailed down his arm.

"Going for a more edgy aesthetic?" she teased, setting down his breakfast. "I was wondering when you'd hit that phase."

He simply sat at the table to eat, and she did the same.

"I'm meeting the others at the guild today," he said abruptly before taking a bite.

She bit her cheek in contemplation as she studied him again. His brow raised, and for a second, he thought she was going to be against it. But after coming out of the Sotiri Raid relatively unscathed, he wasn't sure.

"You're so impressively resilient it annoys me." She looked at him in consideration. "How'd you sleep?"

He took another casual bite. "Fine."

Her narrowing gaze easily cut through his lie as he started picking at his food nervously.

"By now, you're familiar with the toll of this career. And even though you hide your struggles for my sake"—she shot him a knowing look, which he carefully avoided acknowledging—"I'm willing to let you continue doing what you love. All I ask is that you be more honest with me."

"If I did that, you'd definitely rethink me going out on missions," he countered swiftly.

She cocked a brow, giving him a wry look. "So you ??? lying."

He froze, eyes averting in deep regret. "You really don't have to stress about it."

"Kid, you and I both know how hard this job is, so I'm beyond grateful that you have friends who have supported you since the beginning. And now you have Itsuki by your side, too." She emphasized his name, making no room for debate. "But when it comes to being with family, keep your sister in the loop too, okay?" She laid a tender hand on his bandaged arm.

"I don't want to burden you."

"The moment the guild handed you an ID card, your burdens have been my burdens."

He silently considered her words before relenting with a guilty smile. "Okay then."

She smiled softly and pulled him into a comforting hug, and he leaned into the warm embrace. They stayed like that for a while until she tilted her face to look at something behind his head. He felt her touching the bun, then the band, and her voice turned accusing.

"Is this mine?"

*****

After donning his armor and departing from his home, Yakeru found himself navigating the Capital streets. The blue skies were a stark contrast to the last time he'd been here.

Pushing open the guild's doors, he was greeted by the familiar lively hub of activity: clinking tankards, jovial laughter, and conversations mixed to create a boisterous atmosphere. Stepping into the lobby, the smell of ale embraced him as he trod past the rangers looking over the new missions on the board.

His periphery caught some glancing his way, but he paid them no mind as he approached the familiar faces he spotted in the crowd. He recognized that cascading silver hair from anywhere. To her left was the conjurer he'd befriended even before his first time at the guild. And to her right, sipping on a mug of foaming gold liquid, sat the man he hadn't seen since their encounter with those wolves.

As Yakeru drew closer, Fuyumi was the first to notice him. She opened her mouth to say something but seemed to hesitate when her eyes went up to his hair and trailed to the bandages half-concealed by his armor.

Itsuki followed her gaze and found the youth taking a seat at their table. As he did, however, Itsuki's far side came into view, and Yakeru's eyes caught on his arm. A metallic prosthetic with glowing runes etched into its alloy caught the light as he turned and patted Yakeru on the shoulder.

"You seem to be doing well, kid." Itsuki smiled, but when Yakeru didn't respond, he presented his prosthetic. The runes flared as he flexed the simplistic fingers. "Neat, right?"

Yakeru blinked and realized he'd been staring. "Yeah. Daisuke's products really are impressive."

Like Fuyumi, Kenji gave Yakeru a once-over as well. "Are you going for a new look?"

Yakeru shook his head as he made himself comfortable. "You know I'm not one to fuss over appearances." He then turned his attention to Fuyumi, who hadn't said a word since he'd arrived, which wouldn't be that out of the ordinary. "What did I do this time to be subjected to your infamous glare?" He asked jokingly.

She snapped out of her trance, her lips quirking as she rolled her eyes. "I'm not glaring. You just look different, that's all."

They chatted for a bit to catch up, mostly to fill in Itsuki on what happened during the Sotiri Raid. He leaned in attentively, soaking in every detail from Yakeru's battle with the Second Grades and Fuyumi's confrontation with the Third Grade.

"Didn't know you were so good with kids." Itsuki teased her, pretending not to notice her warning glare.

As they bantered, Yakeru noticed another group watching them from a nearby table. Three rangers in leather armor and armed with swords stole looks at the kid behind the facade of an engaging conversation. When his cold gaze flicked to their table, however, they flinched and whipped their heads around.

Yakeru then turned his attention to a mission sheet Kenji had been inspecting periodically. "Already found something for us?"

Kenji adjusted his glasses and slid the sheet to him. Still relaxed in his chair, Yakeru looked it over.

[Scouting Assignment]

B-rank

Location: Alyco Cliffs, Mid Rim

Description: Unusual activity has been sighted. Wildlife have been vanishing without a trace. Rangers needed to identify the cause and then relay information to the guild.

Yakeru rested his cheek in his bandaged hand as he reread its description. "Wildlife going missing..."

Fuyumi went into a contemplative trance, her eyes glued on the sheet from across the table. "When I was trapped in the underground passages during the raid, I found a room with research that suggested something...anomalous was disrupting the ecosystem in the Outer Rim." The others focused on her, hanging on the grim tone in her words. "I'm positive that was why we ran into that behe—" she caught herself as she looked at Yakeru, sympathy threatening to peel away the indifference on her face before she cleared her throat. "Anyway, it might have something to do with these disappearances."

The three rangers considered this new information. It was a possibility, but even so, they'd only be scouting the area. And reporting the issue afterwards meant the guild could send an appropriate team to the Mid Rim to solve it.

As Yakeru was about to hand the sheet back, he stopped himself. 'Wait.'

He read the mission rank again, then looked at Kenji with confusion. The corner of Kenji's mouth curled gradually, finding amusement in his expression.

"So have you finally noticed?" He asked, his smirk never leaving his face.

Yakeru's cool settled back over him as he leaned back and shook his head disbelievingly with closed eyes. "Let's see it."

Kenji reached into his back pocket, intentionally letting seconds drag on for dramatic effect. Afterwards, he whipped out his brand-new ranger ID card and presented it proudly to the table. And with it, a brand new rank.

Yakeru nodded in approval at the newly promoted conjurer. "Congratulations."

"Apparently, the survivors from the infirmary attack informed the guild about what I did." His initial confidence faded as he scratched his head bashfully.

"Regardless, you deserve it."

Itsuki sipped the last of his drink and slid a generous tip next to the glass. "Well then, whenever you three are ready."

Kenji pocketed his card and shot up from his seat a bit too eagerly. "Definitely. Oh, wait. We should prepare something first, right?" His question was more directed towards the most experienced of the four.

"As you can imagine, the Mid Rim is a step up from what you're probably used to, so yes," Itsuki replied. "Fortunately, our Fiends outpost is on the way to Alyco Cliffs, so it works out perfectly."

Yakeru rolled up the mission sheet and stood, Fuyumi and Itsuki following suit. "Let's get a move on."

As Yakeru pushed his chair in and started walking, the others trailing behind him, the rangers who'd been watching him grabbed their things and rushed to their feet. Just when he thought they couldn't be more obvious, they abruptly intercepted him.

Wearing a chagrined smile, the red-haired leader of their pack stepped forward. "You're Yakeru, right? From the Clan Skirmish?"

When Yakeru responded with disinterested silence, the oblivious ranger continued. "I'm terribly sorry to approach you this way. You see, my buddies and I have just recently been promoted to C-rank after the raid and would like to venture to the Mid Rim. I think it would be safer and beneficial for us to group up with experienced rangers such as yourselves. If it's not too much to ask, we'd like to join you." His smile turned nauseously friendly. "How bout it?"

Yakeru was already walking past him. "No."