Rangers Endgame

Kenji and Fuyumi found themselves maneuvering through discarded belongings that littered the narrow dirt road. Rusted metal slabs were crudely placed together to form roofs over the clay homes that flanked either side. The elements had begun eating away at the structures' aging paint and trash floated aimlessly through puddles of mucky water.

Kenji wore a look of sympathy seeing the grimy villagers casually go about their day. He glanced back at Fuyumi, unable to get a read on her through her blank expression.

"So we're looking for what exactly?" he asked, trying to get his mind off of the horrible living conditions.

"An artifact that'll help us find each other if we get separated again."

"Oh, I see."

As the guild popularized adventuring, inventors, now known as artificers, saw an opportunity to profit off of the new mainstream profession with the launch of artifacts to support rangers on their expeditions. It was a booming success, to say the least, as various kinds of artifacts began flooding the market.

Artifacts were more abundant in the capital, though small towns and villages usually offered a fair selection of them for travelers as well. They'd be lucky if Hanataru offered anything and if it did, they weren't expecting something of high quality judging from the state the village was in.

It suddenly dawned on him what she must've implied.

'Does that mean she's planning on staying with us?'

By a stroke of luck, they stumbled across a relatively well-kept stall. Making up the stall was a white sheet that provided shade to the vendor, tied to four log posts that were anchored to the ground. Artifacts of all shapes and sizes rested in a few trays, patiently waiting for someone to claim them. They didn't look like much but it didn't hurt to browse the rather limited selection.

Most of them looked like duplicates as they shared the same cube-shaped design with runes inscribed on them. Others looked like simple metal rods and rings you could comfortably slip onto your wrist. As they looked over the strange artifacts, an elderly woman with disheveled grey hair greeted them with a warm smile behind the counter.

"Welcome! I don't usually get many customers. Are you two looking for anything in particular?"

"What do you have that can track people?" Fuyumi responded bluntly.

Kenji cringed at her choice of words but the woman didn't seem to mind. Whether it came from a place of respect for rangers or if it was just a case of her being nice, he wasn't sure. She tapped her chin in thought.

"Hmm. Something with tracking capabilities...I think I have just the thing for you."

She reached over and grabbed a peculiar item, presenting it to them.

"This here is a talisman tracker."

Fuyumi took the artifact from her frail hands to inspect it. As expected, it didn't have the sleekest of designs but her interest suggested she didn't mind as long as it did as advertised. It was made up of a simple clear stone embedded in a cheap circular, metallic frame.

"As the name suggests, it can track other talismans that are imbued with radiance. Once active, it'll start to glow. The closer you are to the other talisman the brighter it gets."

Kenji studied the talisman, intrigue spreading across his face.

"Interesting. I assume it emits radiance when it glows and will only track talismans with the same radiant signature."

The shop owner grinned, impressed with the boy's deductive skills.

"Smart boy."

"We'll take three," Fuyumi demanded.

"Sure, dear. That'll be three silver."

[10 silver = 1 gold

10 gold = 1 platinum]

She fished around in her pocket before pulling out three silver coins and trading them for three talismans. Kenji thanked her while jogging away to catch up with the already departing Fuyumi.

"You youngsters take care of yourselves!" the woman waved.

*****

Meanwhile, at the infirmary, Yakeru rummaged through his belongings, dawning his normal attire.

"As I said, you should be fine to be discharged, but I'd still recommend you not to push yourself," Dajuan warned as Yakeru slid into his boots.

"Right. Thanks again for everything, Dajuan."

"My pleasure and do take better care of yourself."

"Will do." The kid chuckled in embarrassment, scratching the back of his head. He was at the same level as that bear yet nearly nearly lost his life to it. He wasn't sure if he was making up excuses but enduring through a prior head injury while fighting wasn't exactly ideal.

Escorted outside, he was relieved to know he could finally breathe in fresh air...or so he thought. Somehow the air quality outside seemed worse than in the dusty infirmary. A whiff of what could only be described as rotten eggs and vegetables practically made his nose shrivel.

He recalled Kaneki mentioning that Hanataru wasn't the wealthiest of villages but it was even more dilapidated than he'd expected. He was also worried he'd stand out with his tattered jacket but it seemed he fitted in with the locals quite well. Although, he wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

Looking off the side, he found Kaneki waiting near the entrance with an older man he didn't recognize. The man was on the heavier side and sported chipped wooden armor. His bald spot parted his dark hair down the middle stopping at the back of his head. Kaneki spotted him as he made his approach.

"Hey, Yakeru. Good to see you in good condition again." he greeted the ranger with a smile.

"Good to feel like it too." Yakeru stretched his arms, glancing at the man.

"I'd like you to meet my father." he gestured toward the man.

"I'm Vlad, the village chief and head of Hanataru's security. It's good to finally meet you, Yakeru." he extended his hand before Yakeru shook it.

"Likewise, sir. Kaneki mentioned you on our way here."

"I see. I heard about your battle with that bear. Kaneki said despite being outmatched, you didn't back down. The making of a brave warrior. I'm truly grateful he had someone like you by his side to protect him." he bowed in respect to the rookie whose face was now red with embarrassment.

Yakeru could only chuckle sheepishly since Vlad didn't know the full story.

"Oh...well, I don't know about being a 'brave warrior'. I was pretty scared when that thing showed up..."

"As I would expect. But what is bravery without fear?"

The ranger didn't know how to respond. Luckily, a shout in the distance saved him from the awkward silence.

"Sir!"

They all turned to see a couple of men in the same shabby wooden armor jogging towards them. They stopped in front of their commanding officer, their hands shooting up to their foreheads in a salute.

"Report," Vlad ordered.

"Sir, we've scouted the dungeon but ran into C-tier monsters inside so we had no choice but to retreat. But our findings confirmed our suspicions."

The second guard reached into his pocket and pulled out an object that gleamed once it was exposed to the light.

"There are definitely radiant gems in that dungeon."

Hope flickered in Vlad's eyes and a smile crept onto his face upon hearing this.

"Good work."

Vlad turned to Yakeru and opened his mouth but hesitated, leaving the two boys confused.

"Dad?"

Vlad shook his head.

"Sorry, I had a thought but it's nothing."

"Shall we send someone to the rangers guild to post a mission?" a guard questioned.

Vlad cupped his chin in thought. To request the guild to put up a C-rank mission would mean paying a hefty fee. However, this wasn't the main issue.

By clearing a dungeon, rangers would usually profit in two fashions: The first is looting the dungeon of its valuables and selling them off and the second, of course, would be from their reward from the guild for clearing said dungeon.

If word got out that a rare treasure, such as radiant gems, was discovered in a C-rank dungeon, rangers wouldn't hesitate to seize the opportunity. Even if the guild could prohibit rangers from collecting the dungeon's riches, for any reason, a chunk of the revenue would be lost and the mission would be neglected anyways. Vlad sighed reluctantly, coming to a conclusion.

"No, this is a matter we'll have to take care of ourselves."

The guards stared at him, their expressions mixed with worry and confusion.

"Then how will we deal with the monsters without rangers?"

Yakeru had the same thought. From what he's seen, Hanataru's guards didn't even possess quality-grade gear. Without rangers to reinforce Vlad and his men, it'd be a massacre. This was a no-brainer for the kid as he raised his hand, grabbing the guards' attention.

"Actually, I'm a ranger myself. I'd be willing to help." he volunteered.

Kaneki stared at him in surprise.

"You can't be serious. You were just discharged. You can't."

"Kaneki's right," his father agreed. "I can't allow you to come with us. You still need to take it easy for the time being."

"Well, what other choice do you have? Besides, I'm sure my team would like to help too."

Vlad waved a dismissive hand.

"No, I want you to rest. You've already done more than enough."

As if on cue, Yakeru's other two party members returned from the shop, Kenji relieved to see Yakeru on his feet.

"Good to see you've recovered," he glanced between the guards and Yakeru with a puzzled look. "What's going on?"

Before Yakeru could explain, Vlad was quick to answer.

"Nothing. We were just leaving. Thank you again for escorting my son here, rangers."

He turned and walked off, urging his men to follow suit. Kenji shrugged slightly and approached Yakeru with the talisman in hand. Dropping it in Yakeru's open palm, he explained what it was. Yakeru nodded along with a blank expression as he inspected the artifact.

"You okay?" Kenji asked before Yakeru dived into his own explanation of what happened before they returned. Mentioning how they were going on a dungeon raid without the guild triggered a look of confusion on Kenji's face.

"I said I'd help but he turned me down."

Kenji stared at him with wide eyes.

"But you just got out of the infirmary."

"I know, but-"

"No." Fuyumi's stern voice cut through their conversation, all eyes snapping on her. "You were almost killed by a C-tier monster. Besides, Kenji's too weak for something like that."

Despite speaking the truth, her words still stung. The young conjurer grew silent, looking down at his feet as she continued.

"We're going back."

"Fuyumi, come on. Just look at these people," he gestured for her to survey the area.

As she was about to fire back with a counterargument, her eyes had already begun to wander, almost against her will. She caught a glimpse of movement in a dark alley behind Yakeru. She paused, her rebuttal still hovering in her mind, dissolving the longer she stared.

The alleyway looked just like the rest with overflowing trash bins and someone fishing through the piles. Only this time her face softened ever so slightly when she realized it was a child. The kid was shirtless with ragged shorts and sandals, scrounging through the garbage heap and placing any 'valuables' he found into a sack.

"They don't have much but the guards said they found radiant gems in the dungeon. Do you know how valuable those are?" Yakeru questioned her.

It took a few blinks for her to pry her gaze away from the child and return it to Yakeru.

"Fine. But if something happens, don't rely on me to save you." Fuyumi sighed in defeat.

Their image of her gradually began to change slightly. Perhaps she wasn't the cold hearted person they made her out to be. Kaneki scratched his head in confusion.

"Uhm, I'm not the most knowledgeable in this kind of thing...what's a radiant gem?" Kaneki pried.

"It's a rare phenomenon that happens when radiance is crystallized. Even my sister only came across them once. Since they're rare, they can sell for a lot."

"Oh, I see."

Kaneki swirled with confliction. On one hand, he wanted the villagers' living conditions to improve. On the other, he couldn't shake the sense of dread knowing his father would plunge into the lion's den. After all, he'd seen what a C-tier monster was capable of. His mind was now tugging toward the option Yakeru had suggested.

"I don't know, Yakeru..." Uncertainty made Kenji's mouth go crooked.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I promise. And Fuyumi will be there too so those monsters won't stand a chance."

Fuyumi rolled her eyes, irritated by how Yakeru implied he was going to rely on her even after she instructed him not to do so. Yakeru reinforced his point as Kenji's fidgeting indicated he still wasn't convinced.

"Those guards aren't like rangers. If they go in alone it could end badly."

The thought of that made Kaneki shudder. Kenji dragged his gaze up to meet Yakeru's.

"Well...I guess if you're sure. As for compensation, we could take a small fraction of the gems...that is if they'd give us permission to."

Kaneki's face dripped with worry, still unsure if Yakeru was fit to go on a dungeon raid so soon, and after his bout with a C-tier monster.

"Are you sure about this?" Kaneki made one last confirmation.

"Of course," Yakeru replied.

"Okay then," Kaneki sighed before gesturing for them to follow him. "Come on, my dad's gonna rally up some of his guys before they leave."