Rangers Endgame

Stars twinkled in the otherwise black sky. The lanterns that hung overhead casted a glow on a village's stone road. The streets were baron apart from the few men that patrolled them. They were armed with high quality spears and their blue and white uniforms gave off a sense of authority.

A couple of men guarded one of the few gates into the village. One had his spear leaning against the wooden pillars aligned into a wall surrounding the inhabitants as he squatted down, yawning.

"Hey...you mind if I rest my eyes for a bit?"

His partner narrowed his eyes at him.

"I most certainly do."

"Come ooon..." he moaned. "There's a reason why this is a two-man job, ya know?"

"We have to stay vigilant. What would the council think if they heard the capital guards they've stationed here were slacking off?"

The exhausted guard looked at his partner with a tilted head.

"Yeah...But what difference does it make to put capital guards here? What are we supposed to do against a guy that can single handedly kill squads of high-ranking rangers?" He countered.

"That's not the point," his serious looking partner said with a stern face. "Ultimately, it's our duty to put the villagers' minds at ease. Even if we would be helpless against such a relentless force."

An owl hooted as the crouched guard yawned again. Just then, the more vigilant guard spotted movement in the distance. He strained his eyes to see the faint shadows of two humanoids. One of them seemed to be dragging something along the ground while the other looked to be taller than the average person, walking with a hunched back.

"Heads up, this might be trouble." He tightened his grip around his spear.

His partner nonchalantly rose to his feet, retrieving his spear with a reluctant grunt.

"You always say that. It's probably just some rangers who need a place to crash."

It was an ordinary thing to see rangers visiting a village for a place to sleep...but for it to happen this late at night? Something about that didn't sit right with his partner.

"Halt!" The serious guard barked. "Identify yourselves!"

The figures continued to march forward as if they didn't hear him at all. His face grew more grim as he readied his spear. The heavy-eyed guard became more anxious since the figures showed no signs of stopping, he too readying his weapon.

"I said stop!"

Still no response. As they approached, the lights from the village gradually illuminated the figures, making their features more clear. The tall figure wasn't tall at all, but rather it was a boy carrying someone who seemed to be unconscious on their back. The other was a girl dragging what looked to be a corpse. The half-asleep guard was now wide awake as his partner assumed the worst.

"A body?!"

"N-no, that can't be, right?"

The boy dropped to his knees and set the person down before collapsing. The girl dropped the other person she was lugging around and plopped to the ground. The guards took that opportunity to cautiously close the distance with their spears trained on them.

These people were obviously exhausted but regardless, the guards remained on high alert. After all, it wasn't every day someone would casually drag a body around.

Torn clothing were wrapped around their arms and legs as makeshift bandages, exposing their bruised skin.

"Identify yourselves, now!"

The boy panted but altered his gaze to look at the guard. He held his nose, a stream of dried blood running from it. With his other hand, he pulled out his rank ID and flashed it to the guards. The girl did the same.

"We're rangers...my friend needs help...he's been out cold for a while now..."

He gestured toward the other boy who he was carrying earlier. The men looked at each other then lowered their spears.

"My apologies. We'll get you all to an infirmary."

He then looked over Fuyumi's shoulder and his eyes went wide. Although he's never seen him, every guard was given a description of the serial killer.

The scythe was missing but the bloodied black trench coat and the tattered red scarf binding his hands behind his back were more than enough to identify who this was. His chest faintly moved in and out indicating he was still alive.

"No way! This is the guy?"

"A-are you the ones who captured him?!"

Yakeru and Fuyumi glanced at each other then back at the guards.

"Yeah...I guess we did." Yakeru responded through a weak smile.

They couldn't believe their eyes. These rangers had just shown them their rank IDs earlier leaving them speechless. By then, the Ripper built up a notorious reputation for killing A and, on occasion, S-rank rangers. Needless to say, this party should've been wiped out.

'How is it possible that a C and B-rank were able to defeat this guy?'

He looked at the unconscious boy.

'He said this was his friend so it's safe to say he's a ranger too. Was he the one who actually defeated him? Is he stronger than these two?'

Nonetheless, there was no time to speculate. These rangers needed medical attention.

"Alert the others!" the vigilant guard ordered his partner.

"Got it!"

*****

The next morning, Kenji's eyes fluttered open, sunlight barely peaking through a window to his right. He tried moving his arm but could only lift it a few inches off the bed before it plopped back down. His body still felt sore and the sharp pain in his side had subsided, although it would return if he moved too much.

After his eyes adjusted, his surroundings began to take shape. The room had a blue and white theme to it. The room soaked in a soft light, casting a soothing ambience that contrasted with his groggy state. Medical supplies rested on a tray beside him. He gradually realized he was lying in a bed, his leg and arm in casts and gauze fastened to his head.

As his senses began to sharpen, the movement to his left became more audible. Shifting his head, he found his two companions in their own separate beds.

They didn't seem to notice he was awake. They were wrapped in bandages, Yakeru having a nasal strip on his nose.

"Yakeru? Fuyumi?" He groaned.

They snapped their heads toward him, Yakeru's eyes going wide in surprise.

"Kenji! You're oka-owe!" Yakeru winced, grabbing his legs.

"Are we in a hospital?"

"Yeah, we took a beating after that fight."

Those words jogged Kenji's memory in an instant. Everything from last night came flooding back. The sounds of nearby screams and the sensation of being burned alive from the inside as he sat helplessly on the sidelines rushed through his head.

"The Ripper! What happened to him?! Did he get away?! Did-"

"Relax," Fuyumi's curt reply interrupted. "We beat him thanks to you."

Kenji's shoulders relaxed in response to her reassurance. His last ditch effort to slow the killer's movement to a crawl faded back into his memory.

"Good..." he breathed.

"What were you thinking?" She blurted as he looked at her confused. "An E-rank diving head first into the mid-rim? Going after the Ripper by yourself? And for what? Cuz you had something to prove?! What a flimsy excuse."

It hadn't even been five minutes after Kenji regained consciousness and she already started berating him. Though she wasn't wrong. He allowed his obsession to push him into making a rash decision.

"I know...and I'm sorry for getting you two involved," he looked at the ceiling as he said this, too ashamed to face them. "I let my desire for power and recognition turn into an obsession...and because of that both of you were hurt. I'm so sorry."

Yakeru's expression softened as he filled with guilt. Kenji showed signs of strange behavior before their battle with that serial killer. He tried convincing himself that it wasn't anything serious only for the situation to worsen.

"I'm sorry too," Yakeru responded. "I knew something was wrong but I didn't do anything about it..."

Kenji shook his head.

"It's okay. I pushed you away so it was my fault."

"You're right. It is," Fuyumi said accusingly. "But...I'm glad that you're okay."

She waited a moment for a response that never came. Instead, silence filled the room. She turned to find them both staring at her wide eyed with their jaws hanging open as if stunned by what came out of her mouth.

"What are you two idiots staring at?"

They looked at each other then back at Fuyumi before Yakeru replied with, "That might've been the nicest thing you've ever said."

For the first time, her cheeks tinged with a light shade of pink. As nonchalantly as she could, she turned her head to mask her flustered state and, in classic Fuyumi fashion, she resorted to her go-to response.

"Whatever."

The boys smirked at her reaction before Yakeru turned to Kenji.

"So how're you feeling?"

"A little better now."

Just then, the door to their room opened. A man in a white buttoned-down coat and a black tie walked in holding a clipboard. His gentle gaze landed on Kenji.

"Ah, you're awake earlier than expected," he said, walking in. "How're you feeling?"

He had a certain aura about him that put Kenji at ease.

"I'm doing better. Still a bit sore."

"I see."

After checking up on his other two patients, he returned his attention to Kenji.

"You were in terrible shape when they brought you in. Your radiance was completely drained and you had a few fractured bones."

He flipped through some pages on his clipboard before stopping on a page, his expression unreadable.

"...I need to ask, have you, by any chance, been taking enhancement elixirs?"

"Yes, why?"

He gave a soft sigh and pinched his lips as if his suspicions were confirmed. Setting aside his clipboard, he looked at his patient.

"We figured. We found traces of it in your system. It would explain why you were in such rough shape."

Kenji looked at him with puzzlement in his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

He pulled up a chair to sit beside Kenji.

"You see...everyone has what's called radiant channels. They run throughout the body like veins but serve a different purpose. They're responsible for absorbing, storing, and expelling radiance. Enhancement elixirs stimulate these channels, forcing them to work overtime. It's safe to take enhancement elixirs in moderation, however, excessive use can tear these channels apart and force the body to shut down."

Kenji stood silent for a moment trying to process this information.

"So what you're saying is my body started shutting down so it could...reboot, so to speak?"

"Correct. And because you didn't give your channels time to rest, I'm afraid you'll experience long-lasting, irreversible side effects."

"Y-you mean..." Kenji stammered, his eyes growing wide in realization.

"Yes, your channels have suffered permanent damage."