Rangers Endgame

Since the village was nestled within a massive gash on the side of the mountain, most of the stars were naturally blocked from view. However, the millions of bioluminescent bugs congregating on the vast rocky ceiling made up for the obstructed view of the night sky.

The rangers sat around a stone table, seemingly erected from the earth itself, with various foods. As Kazeki munched on some toasted bread, melted cheese oozed from its interior. Yakeru passed around a bowl filled with exotic fruits around the size of apples. Their texture was rough and thorns jutted out of its surface. Aoi carefully picked one from the bowl and peeled back the thorns one by one, removing its skin to reveal its soft, juicy interior. The moment she bit into it, her face lit up in delight.

"Mmm! This is delightful!" she exclaimed before passing the bowl.

"They're thorn berries. They only grow in the mountains." Yakeru explained.

"Oh, so you've had some before?" Kazeki asked curiously.

Yakeru nodded.

"Yeah, but not often. My sister used to bring them home on occasion. Actually, she used to bring home all kinds of food and souvenirs whenever she went out."

"Wow, she must've seen a lot then. I envy her."

Kazeki grabbed a thorn berry, adding it to his plate.

"Does that mean you wanted to travel then?" Yakeru inquired.

"Absolutely. I couldn't stand being cooped up in my village. So I decided to be a ranger to see the world. Sure danger comes with the territory but I like to think I've got a good team to watch my back." He complimented his allies, eliciting a smile from them.

Most people wouldn't dare venture into the mid to outer rim. Even if you wanted to most weren't permitted. Except, of course, rangers and, now, sentinels.

Most of the mid to outer rim have been accurately mapped out but much of the land was still left untouched by humans. The thought of that fueled Kazeki's passion to venture into uncharted territory. Yakeru knew that feeling all too well himself.

"Sounds exciting," Kenji said. "How about yourself, Aoi?"

"Well, ever since I was little, I've always enjoyed helping others," she looked at the villagers who were excitedly preparing for the main event. "I don't like to see people injured. To know that some people are willing to march into danger every day doesn't exactly put me at ease. I suppose that's why I chose to study healing. And since healers are scarce, that's all the more reason to be one."

With a tilted head, she clapped her hands together with a soft smile. Though Yakeru nor Kenji wasn't very familiar with this girl, her sincereness was practically tangible. From the short time they'd spent together so far, she was the polar opposite of Fuyumi. Perhaps they were being naive but they believed this girl could be trusted.

Kenji inwardly acknowledged that although his teammates might not need her healing, he might. Especially after their battle with the recently detained Ripper. With his channels scarred, making even a scratch on the weakest of monsters would prove to be quite the chore. However, their last battle has shown him that pure firepower isn't the only way to contribute to the team.

'Hopefully, she won't have to support me often.'

During his temporary ban from the guild he had plenty of time to think and, although limited, experiment. But this would be the first time trying this new technique on real monsters.

Kateshi took a bite of his thorn berry and gave a quick, firm nod of approval.

"Delicious! This would make the perfect ration!"

While he had a bright grin on his face the others looked at him with confused expressions except for Aoi who was stifling a giggle.

"No way, ya big ape. You'd prick yourself every time you go to grab the thing."

"No worries. We are accompanied by an exceptional healer!"

He flashed his signature grin in Aoi's direction who flinched slightly. She looked away flustered before mustering a reply.

"You give me too much credit, Kateshi. However, I'm still working toward becoming an exceptional healer."

Their night continued with them digging into other fruits and vegetables while making more small talk. After several more minutes passed, a group of people walked out from behind a small building. Men carried out djembes and makeshift banjos while women danced out into the clearing in perfect unison.

"Oh, it's starting!" Aoi clapped her hands together.

A rhythmic melody played as the men slammed on the drums and tugged the strings of the banjos. Performers twirled torches, casting a warm glow on the applauding audience. The rangers watched as children clumsily tried dancing to the music with bright expressions.

"I do hope Fuyumi can see this wonderful performance also."

It was unlikely. She was never the type to waste time on such things she deemed trivial. The only thing worthy of her attention were monsters. Both Yakeru and Kenji knew her well enough to know she couldn't be bothered with festivals. Getting her to have a meal with them would be a difficult task on its own.

"I'm sure she's out doing her own thing," Yakeru said.

After some time, the festival concluded and the rangers returned to the inn.

When they entered, they noticed the atmosphere was different than before. The lobby was mostly empty with the cafeteria, once bustling with hungry guests, was now vacant. The receptionist glanced up in response to the bell.

"Oh, welcome back," the receptionist greeted. "I hope you all enjoyed yourselves."

"Sure did," Kazeki replied.

"Glad to hear it. Your rooms are ready now. We hope you enjoy your stay."

He handed over their keys and after giving directions to where their rooms were, they were off. After arriving, Yakeru unlocked the door and was met with a much more pristine room than he expected.

Instead of futons, there were two beds with blankets neatly folded on top. The wooden flooring was clearly scrubbed recently as it gave off a subtle shine, the light from the lamps dancing across its surface. The stone walls were adorned with decorations and there were boardgames stacked on a simple round table for their entertainment—a far cry from the last inn he, Kenji, and Fuyumi stayed at.

"Homey," Kazeki remarked as they strolled inside, admiring the impressive room.

They set aside their belongings while Yakeru and Kenji were still absorbing the atmosphere. They had their worries about the cleanliness of where they'd be sleeping but were pleased to find that the room had been properly tended to.

They couldn't help but notice a problem, however. Each bed was only big enough for one person. The boys glanced at each other in awkward silence before Kazeki popped the question they were all thinking.

"Soo...who's sleeping on the floor?"

"I will volunteer!" The hulking brute exclaimed, poking his chest with his thumb.

The guy was easily twice the size of a normal person. Even if they'd push the two beds together there'd be barely enough space for him. Perhaps he knew this already.

"Me too," Yakeru also volunteered. "You've already paid for this room so you should at least sleep comfortably."

"Thanks," Kazeki responded.

As Aoi unlocked the door to her room next door to them, she flinched when she spotted a figure hunched over some belongings.

"Oh!" She gripped her chest as if to keep her heart from leaping out.

The mysterious person looked back at her before Aoi breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't expecting to see Fuyumi inside. She had already claimed her territory with her belongings sprawled on her side of the room. She tilted her head at Aoi's surprised expression.

"What?"

"Oh, I just wasn't expecting to see you, that's all."

She gave a slight shrug, crawling in her bed and sliding the sheets over her. After she took a moment to recover from the sudden surprise she walked inside and began setting her belongings on the opposite side of the room. It didn't take long for the room to plunge into awkward silence. It felt as if the air was heavier yet Fuyumi didn't seem fazed at all.

The silence was too unbearable for Aoi to handle. She hadn't gotten the chance to know her closed-off teammate. Perhaps this was the perfect time to close the distance.

"So...I recall you mentioning the founders of the village. Have you, perhaps, been to Scar Peak before?" She asked in a desperate attempt to strike up a conversation.

"No."

"Neither have I, but I do find the view to be quite mesmerizing," she said through a smile.

"Okay."

Aoi's mind scrambled to find another topic in hopes of avoiding that awkward silence again.

"Uhm, so did you happen to watch the festival?"

"No."

"I'm sorry to hear that. It was truly a beautiful performance. My mother and I would always go to festivals like the one here. What about your family? What are they like?"

"..."

Somehow, the tension between them grew. She couldn't help but think she had stepped on a landmine because Fuyumi turned to face the wall.

'Oh no! Did I touch on a sore subject?'

"Good night," Fuyumi said coldly.

With this, she hoped she made it clear to Aoi that she had zero intentions of conversing with her. Aoi was taken aback. In the short time they've spent together, she felt as if she knew everything and nothing about this aloof ranger. She sighed inwardly and with no other choice she finished setting her things aside and crawled into bed.

"Good night, Fuyumi..."