Rangers Endgame

Chapter 97: The Day Before

Yakeru stood in the same field. Aoi ignited her wand and pushed a steady supply of healing into him. He felt for his muscles, his power reaching for them. Embracing them tenderly, he recalled the sequence he'd practiced and gave them all a squeeze.

His muscles jumped at his command and his form flashed forward, shearing the grass in his path. As he rapidly approached the bed of leaves, he redistributed his radiance across his legs evenly, reinforcing them to absorb the intense backlash of stopping.

His feet carved trenches as his speed diminished enough for his form to blur back into existence. The rushing winds whipped past as he skipped awkwardly to a stop. Though the technique needed refinement, an ecstatic grin spread across his face.

"I'm still upright." He turned to Aoi, her eyes were wide with surprise. "Before, I was trying to stop my momentum without a prerequisite. When you stop yourself from walking or running, your muscles usually have the strength needed to brake. But it’s something you don’t think about. Before I was relying on my body’s natural strength to stop myself, which wasn’t enough. Enhancing my legs to stop the brunt of that speed seems like the missing piece."

Her tether of radiance severed during his explanation as she fumbled with her words. "I couldn't see you...like a phantom."

Yakeru cupped his chin thoughtfully as he muttered, "Phantom, huh?"

As the days trickled by, he became more familiar with the technique, honing it to a passable level of proficiency. The sequence of muscles he needed to trigger and come to a stop after artificially activating them became easier. However, there was something he still needed to try that he still hadn't done.

"Aoi. For this next part, I'll need you to stop healing." Yakeru said as he mentally prepared himself.

"What? But wouldn't that dampen your progress? And you'll get hurt..." She worried.

"If I'm to use this out on the field, I need to know exactly what my limitations are without a safety net."

Though she wanted to argue, she could only nod in understanding as she holstered her wand.

Moving to his starting point, he infused his legs. However, upon his radiance clinging to his muscles, he immediately felt the strain without Aoi's support. But he didn't let that stop him.

Letting his muscle memory guide him, he absently fired the precise amount of energy into his legs in the right sequence. Wind slashed at the radiance reinforcing his body as he blinked through space, the intense inertia tugging at his insides.

Replicating his method to stop his momentum the best he could, he briefly flared with light golden flames as he rerouted his radiance to spread over his legs. Although he successfully skipped to a stop, searing pain shot through his lower half the instant he released his radiance.

He dropped to one knee, teeth gnashed as Aoi quickly withdrew her wand. Already funneling her rejuvenating power through her conduit, he held out a hand to stop her. She hesitantly complied, annoyance flashing across her face.

"Once," Yakeru said abruptly. "I can only use it once."

As his breathing smoothed, he wobbled to his feet. His legs howled in protest as he tested to see if he could at least walk. Afterwards, he gave her permission to heal him.

"How can you possibly get the most value out of a technique you can only use once?" Aoi questioned, putting away her wand after mending his muscles.

"It'll be a last resort. An ace in my back pocket." He stretched his legs, refreshed.

She looked out towards the distant rolling hills, the Capital's structures towering proudly over the horizon. "The raid is tomorrow. Are you certain this will be enough?"

"I doubt I can up the number of times I can use it in less than twenty-four hours," he stood as Aoi stepped back, noticing her breathing had elevated slightly from exertion. "Rest up. I'll keep practicing."

"Like I said before, you won't be training without me," she drew her wand, smiling reluctantly.

"That you did," radiance traveled down his legs, filling the crevices of his muscles. "Well then. Will you lend me your wand once more to hone Phantom Step?"

*****

Kiyoshi and Haruka's boots echoed off the marble floor as they passed luxurious decor on the walls. Thick white pillars supported the high ceiling that told a story of the grim early days, hybrid monstrosities ruling over the once uncharted terrain of the inner rim.

Haruka absently watched the painted walls as they walked. It was her first time in the Hall of Kaibutsu. Even his first time experiencing the grandeur of the Hall harnessing raw artistry to reach far back in history gave him a sense of awe. But even after the time they'd spent together on this case, he still couldn't see through her mask of indifference.

Reaching the end of the Hall stood a plain iron door. Reaching out, Kiyoshi placed a hand against the cold alloy and fired a controlled burst of radiance. Complex inscriptions, once invisible to the naked eye, flared to life across its surface. The door roared in acceptance to his power as it heaved into the ceiling, granting them passage.

Once inside, the door closed behind them, and the burning inscriptions were snuffed out as the lock mechanisms ground back into place.

Two familiar faces had already made themselves comfortable inside the lavish war room. Dai lounged in one of the chairs situated around the war table, his brutish build consuming the seat he claimed. His battle-scarred warhammer rested upside down by his side.

Across from him sat another Sentinel. Her small legs kicked back and forth in her chair as she absently played with her child-sized doll that was riddled with scars and seams across its body. Her untamed, mossy green hair matched the intensity of the doll's mop of wild black hair. Her umbra grey eyes reflected a tired delight as she tugged the doll's stubby arms to make it dance awkwardly in her lap.

"I was beginning to think you had gotten lost," Dai spoke first, his baritone voice vibrating the air. "I heard you two caused quite a stir in River Town."

"I've already taken responsibility for provoking the buyers," Kiyoshi admitted as they crossed the room and took their seats. "Fortunately, with Sentinel Haruka's assistance, the matter was resolved rather quickly."

Dai huffed. "Even so, the casualties and many injured reflect poorly on our title."

"I'm aware." Kiyoshi responded simply.

Haruka sat beside Kiyoshi, glancing over at the Sentinel who still hadn't acknowledged them, completely engrossed in the marred doll. Her stoic expression cracked for an instant under the unsettling inky blackness of its sockets and crudely drawn smile.

Her attention was drawn back to the series of locks shifting and the iron door opening to reveal Aki, the self-acclaimed greatest artificer, and two more figures who wore the same white uniform. The first was Sokuba, the Sentinel assigned to monitor the guild, who walked inside silently. Trailing behind him was the youngest of them all, joining their ranks at the impressive age of nineteen.

He was an athletic young man sporting an elegant pair of silver gauntlets lined with light gold. His dirty blonde hair tied back into a high bun and hazel brown eyes complemented his sharp features.

"Seems like everyone is present," the gauntlet Sentinel exclaimed, both hands relaxed behind his head. "Forgive us for the tardiness."

"No worries, Kakkona," Kiyoshi waved away as he and Sokuba slid into open seats, the door locking behind them. "Glad you all could make it."

Aki glanced around the large, orderly room curiously. "A bit more sterile than what I'm accustomed to."

Kakkona raised a concerned brow at the grease-smudged woman as she sat at the table. "Is that somehow a bad thing?"

"Now that we're all accounted for, let us begin." Dai cut their chat short, eager to get the meeting done with.

Kiyoshi reached into his breast pocket and set a flat triangular artifact on the wooden table. Blue light spilled from the device onto the table, congregating into basic shapes that made up a three-dimensional map of a village surrounded by bamboo and a wide river cutting vertically down the middle.

For the first time, the smallest of them tenderly set down her doll to stand on her tippy toes atop her chair, looking down her child-like nose just to see the map.

After bringing everyone up to speed, Kiyoshi began devising a strategy. "From what we know, the Savior stores his product in what he calls the Vault, located beneath Sotiri Village. The layout of this underground system is still unclear. According to the distributor, it is also heavily trapped, though those with the elixir won’t trigger them. Artificer Aki doesn’t have enough of the elixir to design an artifact that will neutralize these traps so a rogue will accompany us," he pulled out another artifact in the shape of a stencil and ghosted a circle around the village, leaving a dotted line. "We've hired help from the guild and the majority of rangers will form the perimeter team."

"Are we to assume we will be enlisting the help of clans?" Kakkona asked.

"Yes. Notably, the Fiends and Saberclaw." Sokuba answered. “A relatively small clan called the Razorback Wolf had also volunteered, but we haven’t heard from them in a long while.”

Dai scoffed. "After their embarrassment in the Skirmish, I wouldn't say it's wise to rely on the Fiends."

"Many of them are out on expeditions, so the perimeter mostly consists of members from the Saberclaw clan." Sokuba assured.

"Behind the perimeter will be our lowest ranks and infirmaries," Kiyoshi continued, drawing rough tents into being further beyond the village. "As for us, Haruka will be stationed on the eastside of the perimeter," dragging the holographic map, he revealed jutting earth. "I'd like you to use this terrain to call out patterns and strays."

"Of course." She said simply.

Kiyoshi looked at the girl leaning over the table to see the map. "May, I want you to take the westside of the perimeter."

"Mm." With tired stoicism, she gave a curt nod.

"Sokuba and I will approach Sotiri from the west while Dai and Kakkona will attack from the east, converging on the village from both sides in a pincer maneuver."

"And what about the civilians?" Sokuba asked, his eyes analyzing routes throughout the village.

"We will be joined by S-ranks who will evacuate them to the perimeter," Kiyoshi assured. "Though, I would like you and Dai to subdue as many Second and Third Grades on the surface as possible while Kakkona and I rendezvous to infiltrate the underground caverns."

"How will we effectively differentiate the elixir users from civilians during a fast-paced assault?" Dai asked.

"A valid question," Kiyoshi turned to Aki who stood to her feet proudly, her unruly hair bouncing stiffly. "Which I believe Aki is more than willing to provide an answer."

"Thank you, Sentinel Kiyoshi. Now then," she pulled out a sample of the elixir Kiyoshi had taken from the distributor. "This version of the stuff comes with the physical side effect of redness in the eyes and bulging veins. They will undoubtedly try to hide these side effects and blend in with the crowd but since the elixir reduces their cognitive functions to that of a mindless rabid, I'm sure you won't have any trouble figuring out who's shooting themselves up with this stuff as they're more feral. However, in the event you come across a Third Grade..."

She reached into her dirty lab coat pocket and deliberately paused for artificial suspense. After a few unnecessarily drawn out seconds, she whipped her hand out and dramatically presented a spherical device in front of her.

"I have taken the liberty of developing this," a smug smile etched into her features, her hands resting on her hips. When no one spoke, their uncertain eyes moving between her and the artifact, she looked at them expectantly.

The Sentinels glanced at each other before Kakkona spoke up. "What exactly are we looking at?"

Aki turned her nose up. "I'm so glad you asked," Lifting the small vial, she explained. "As you know, this is similar to enhancement elixirs on the market. However, by identifying its unique properties, I was able to create a device capable of detecting said properties."

She took the metallic sphere in one hand with the vial in the other. "Observe."

She imbued a fraction of her radiance into it as the artifact hummed with gold runic symbols. Drawing her hands close together, the runes shifted to a harsh red, viscously flickering as if warning the user danger was afoot. "This is going to save your hides if a Third Grade decides to ambush you. And yes, I've already expanded the detection radius on the others,” she raised a finger after remembering one more thing. "Also, Second Grades might frequently secrete radiance. This is because their channels are constantly absorbing and expelling at a much faster rate than normal. So I modified the suppression cuffs to disperse the power absorbed into them at the same rate."

The Sentinels nodded, impressed. Satisfied, she took her seat again as Kakkona raised his hand as if he were in an academic setting. "That's nice and all, but if I may," he looked at Dai. "I don't think this brute will be much use on the front lines."

"Care to explain." Dai glared but Kakkona was unfazed.

Kakkona circled his finger around Dai's mountainous frame. "Your size isn't just for show. If you head in Sotiri, you will undoubtedly level the village. That wouldn't be very cool."

"Maybe if you'd put as much time into your training as you do with your appearance you'd accomplish the same feat." The hologram flickered under Dai's snarl.

"No one is casting doubt on your abilities," Haruka cut in to diffuse the argument before it spiraled. "But we should have a team player to secure the village."

Dai's face softened slightly in understanding. "Hmph. Then if I am to remain at the perimeter, I expect you to get the job done efficiently in my stead."

"Alright then. Dai is to remain at the westside perimeter while May assists Sokuba in securing the village." Kiyoshi revised.

Sokuba absently tapped his finger on the table. "I know we've gone over what to expect, but I'm curious about the Savior. Do we know his capabilities?"

"No. But according to the distributor, he was equivalent to that of an S-rank even before his elixir." Kiyoshi confirmed.

Everyone went silent, their expressions turning serious.

"Does that mean..." Kakkona trailed off, his hands sliding from his head as he tensed.

"We can't say for certain. But if what the distributor implies is true, then the Savior's power might exceed that of an S-rank."