Rangers Endgame

Chapter 86: Back To Work

After the distributor was thrown behind bars within the confines of Blackveil Prison, Kiyoshi and Haruka met with the council to relay their discoveries. The councilmen leaned over the crescent table, listening intently. The Sentinels answered to the best of their abilities the seemingly endless stream of questions that followed after their report.

The distributor was generous enough to include additional details after revealing the location of their operation. The Savior had gradually grown his number of followers since two years ago, when production first began. It was only when he developed the second version of the elixir that he began to see a jump in attraction.

Those who survived the second version of the elixir went on to abandon their roles as rangers in favor of serving under the Savior. The distributor referred to them as 'the Second Grades', pawns. The Third Grades weren’t necessarily stronger, but their control over radiance surpassed their predecessors and retained their intelligence, which included the Savior and his lieutenants.

He'd built an underground system beneath Sotiri Village that consisted of interconnected caverns. This is where they stored the elixir in what they called the Vault. As to where this Vault was located specifically, they didn't know.

The fact that the distributor was willing to disclose so much gave the councilmen assurance. However, this only made Kiyoshi more anxious, interpreting the distributor's willingness to give up information fairly easily as confidence.

"Well done Sentinel Kiyoshi and Sentinel Haruka. I expected nothing less." Rei praised.

"We must make the necessary preparations in the meantime." The bearded councilman said to his right. "If what the distributor had said holds true, we cannot afford to dally."

"Although Sentinels are our greatest strength, the rest of our forces will be inadequate for a possible raid." A councilman with a large fur coat warned. "Not to mention they likely have the advantage in numbers."

The other councilmen nodded in agreement. If third grades were theoretically equal to if not stronger than Sentinels, they'd still have to worry about the sheer size of the enemy.

"Permission to speak, councilmen?" Haruka asked before they could spiral into a debate on what actions they should take.

"Granted." Rei approved.

"Might I suggest enlisting the guild's clans?"

The councilmen looked at one another.

"To assemble rangers from various clans would take time. Most of the time they're on expeditions in the mid to outer rim. After the incident in River Town, the enemy surely knows we're onto them. Who knows how what kind of preparations they would've made in the span it takes for to rally forces." The councilman in the fur coat explained.

"Yes but unfortunately we're limited on options." Rei pointed out. "For a successful raid, we'd need to enlist all the help we can manage. Even if that entails an arduous process."

"I agree," a balding councilman said. "If we aren't meticulous, it will lead to failure."

"Aye."

"Aye."

"Very well." Rei looked back at Kiyoshi and Haruka. "Have Sentinel Sokuba inform the Guild Master."

*****

The following morning, Yakeru stirred awake to the aroma of eggs wafting through the air. He never found a need to buy one of those pricey alarm artifacts the residents of the Capital often used. Akari's masterful cooking always managed to gently rouse his senses without fail—her meals were one of his many joys in life, a joy that was nearly stripped away had he lost the Clan Skirmish.

It was still a surreal feeling. Although he prepared as much as possible, he never thought it'd be enough to beat, let alone match, the Fiends. But here he was, still enjoying the comfort of his own home and continuing his work as a ranger.

He lifted himself from his bed, letting out a deep yawn while loosening the knots in his joints and muscles he still felt from the Clan Skirmish. Washing his face and throwing together an outfit, he made his way to the dining room where he found Akari setting the table.

"The Great Medalist has finally risen from his slumber." She teased, her voice exaggeratedly grand. "Shall I interest you in breakfast?"

He rolled his eyes, taking his seat at the table. "When are you gonna stop calling me that?"

"When it stops annoying you." She smirked playfully, sliding him his plate of scrambled eggs lightly coated with cheese and a side of buttered bread toasted to golden perfection and sliced fried thorn berries.

Joining him at the table, they began to eat. He melted in his seat as the right balance of spices mingled with his taste buds.

"You never fail to impress." He took a bite of his toast.

"Flattery won't stop me from calling you the Great Medalist." She swiftly shut down, all too familiar with her brother's tactics.

"Worth a shot."

Even after finishing their meal, they continued conversing for another thirty minutes.

"So what's the plan for today?" She asked, collecting the dishes.

"I'm going to head to the guild."

She paused midway as she was placing the dishes in the sink, her hands trembling slightly. The horrific state she found him in after the Misranked Mission Incident was still fresh in her mind. "You're...taking Itsuki with you, right?"

He sensed the change in the air when he heard her usual confident voice crack. After everything that'd happened to him, it was becoming increasingly obvious to him that the pressure of anxiety was weighing down on her more often. It hurt to see his sister, usually lighthearted and playful, gradually descend into a pit of trepidation.

"Of course. I'm sure there's still a lot I could learn from him."

She released most of her tension with a breath as she resumed washing the dishes. Soon after, they heard a knock at the door and Yakeru creaked it open to reveal his mentor's scarred face on the other side, armored from the neck down.

"Speak of the devil," Yakeru said.

Itsuki smiled in mock flattery. "Oh? Were you two just talking about me? I'm touched."

"Please, you're hardly a topic for discussion," Akari shouted from the kitchen around the corner.

"Good morning to you too, Akari," he responded, looking back at Yakeru. "I hope I'm not intruding but I thought we'd get to do some on-field training. What do you say?"

Fuyumi, Kenji, and the others were still taking a couple days off from missions after the Clan Skirmish so they'd need to party up with another freelancer. Though, Yakeru didn't mind too much.

"Sure, since you're already here. Come inside and give me a minute to get ready."

Excusing his intrusion as he walked inside, Yakeru ushered him to the living space before making his way to one of the back rooms to gather his equipment.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Akari asked her guest from within the kitchen.

"That's alright. I'm not staying long." He replied, glancing around the house's spotless interior.

Noticing the swords on a weapon rack beside on the far wall of the living space, he was hit with a wave of nostalgia. There he found a familiar sword Akari used to wield during their expeditions. The black oxide layer on the disfigured blade sent a flood of memories through his head.

It was one of her favorite swords she used to slay the Magma Serpent within the Fire Glades. Though the boss' crushing presence paralyzed most of their party, including him to an extent, she was the only one who had the steel nerves to draw her blade. He always admired that about her; stepping into battle with an elegant flair and a boundless courage that accentuated her confidence.

"So what's today's training looking like?" Akari asked curiously, leaning against the entryway to the living room.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he replied. "I was thinking I'd take him to hunt in the mid-rim. He is a B-rank now so it'll do him no good if he limits himself to the inner rim."

Akari went silent for a moment, her anxiety threatening to rise again. "Oh...okay."

Sensing this, he turned to face her, his expression tender. "Don't worry. I'll lose a limb before I let something happen to that kid. You have my word."

She mustered a small, appreciative smile. "Just because you have a reliable contact doesn't mean you should give up appendages willy-nilly. I expect you to come back safe too."

He nodded in agreement before shifting subjects. "So, you still tell him those bedtime stories?"

"You know I don't have content for 'bedtime stories' anymore." She smiled to herself. "I really enjoyed seeing the way he beamed at those stories. But they were also a way to teach him lessons from my own experience. Lessons that I can only hope have been ingrained into his head by now. Even if he might've been a little too young to truly grasp the morals." She looked down at a small scar on her forearm she'd gotten so many years ago from a particular expedition.

"Well, that kid's lucky to have you, that's for sure."

"We both are."

Minutes later, Yakeru returned clad in his behemoth armor set. As she pulled her little brother into an embrace, she shot Itsuki a look that said 'Don't let anything happen to him or else...'. Itsuki nodded in response and before long, the two said their goodbyes and set off to the Capital.

Itsuki and Yakeru chatted lightly during their short journey. Although Yakeru wasn't very interested in the trivial topics, he figured it was a good opportunity to learn more about the mid-rim—his training grounds.

Aside from the obvious—stronger monsters—the terrain would be slightly more treacherous due to the drop in human presence there. However, Itsuki assured him that he'd choose a mission that would take them on a somewhat even path with limited hostile beasts.

Routinely walking through the Capital's gates and arriving at the guild, the atmosphere was the same as before. Drunks in the bar section on the far end of the lobby spouted nonsense while those who crowded the mission board tapped their chins or discussed with their party which monsters to slay this time.

As the two stepped inside, Yakeru began to notice eyes shifting in their direction. Tables murmured as an uncomfortable number of gazes tracked them to the mission board.

"I guess this is what's to be expected," Itsuki whispered as Yakeru tried to ignore the stares.

While his mentor browsed the board for a suitable mission, Yakeru pretended to do the same but the prodding of gazes began to annoy him. Glancing over, he caught the eye of a few tables before they snapped their eyes away, continuing their idle conversations.

However, there was one table that stood out to him. Although Yakeru locked eyes, the man didn't so much as flinch. Instead, he kept staring from his table, his features unreadable, as his buddies engaged in idle chatter. The man was around his late twenties and wore scratched light metallic armor that protected his chest, shoulders, forearms, and shins. The leather underneath was layered over a thin veil of chainmail and a curved sword hung from his hip.

"This looks good," Itsuki said, pulling Yakeru out of his trance, as he pulled a sheet from the board to show the boy. "This could be something."

[Hunt: Crystal-fanged Weaver]

B-rank

Location: Stone Cloud Valley, Mid Rim

"I'm not sure I'm familiar with Crystal-fanged Weavers," Yakeru admitted.

"They're hybrid type monsters," a voice sounded from behind them, startling Yakeru. He whipped his head back to find the same man who was sitting at the table not even five minutes ago now standing behind him, looking nosily over his shoulder at the mission sheet.

Yakeru could barely process his words as the man's eyes flicked up and down.

"You're Yakeru from the Clan Skirmish, right? I was rooting for you. Your skills are absolutely incredible." He put on a charming smile, a contrast from his empty expression earlier.

Itsuki stared at the man with a quizzical look. "And you are?"

The man chuckled awkwardly, scratching his head. "Sorry for not introducing myself. I'm Daichi," his two other friends joined him on either side of him. "And these two guys are my party members."

"I'm Haruki. A C-rank swordsman," the short blonde man to his left introduced himself.

"And I'm Kai. A B-rank conjurer," the tall brown-haired man to Daichi's right said after. "It must be our lucky day! We've been looking for a Crystal-fanged Weaver mission for a while now."

"Oh?" Yakeru found it odd how they didn't browse the mission board like the rest of them. Instead, they suddenly jumped at the opportunity to join their party—at least that's what they insinuated.

"Sorry fellas, but we only need one other member." Itsuki politely declined.

Kai's overly vibrant expression flattened slightly and his shoulders sagged when hearing this. Haruki wasn't as lively as Kai but the sigh slipping through his mouth told them he was also disappointed. Daichi on the other hand wasn't fazed.

"I insist. I'm an A-rank myself, and judging from your impressive showcase during the Skirmish, I assume you're around A-rank yourself. We've partied with a lot of rangers in the past, all of different shapes and sizes, so I promise we won't be a burden." He put on a friendly smile.

Itsuki looked at Yakeru. Ultimately, this was the kid's big training session so having another A-rank, even another B-rank, would be beneficial if something were to happen.

Even if they hadn't done anything wrong, their invasive characters was still a bit off-putting to Yakeru. His mind drifted back to a time when Akari had just come home from an adventure, and she'd delved into a story about her travels that involved creatures that changed their appearance based on their environment.

He tried to recall the story, but the memory was far too ancient that it had lost its form.

He didn't bother piecing together the fragments. It was one of many silly moments with his sister which had no relevance anyway.

Nodding to Itsuki, Yakeru turned back to the three men and responded. "Fine. If you have such experience, I suppose it couldn’t hurt.” He sighed, already walking ahead.

The three men, especially Kai, lit up like children which almost made him regret his decision.

"Whoo! I get to see both of you in action." Kai exclaimed, following behind them.