Rangers Endgame

The nauseating stench of Hanataru didn't relent as Kaneki escorted the rangers through the village. It seemed the further they walked, the worse the living conditions became. The uncleanliness of the villagers attracted swarms of flies, though it appeared they'd already grown accustomed to them.

Along the way, they passed an old, seemingly abandoned building. The bricks were withered and worn, the roof riddled with holes, and vines were already slithering up its crumbling walls. Yakeru stared at the building as they passed by, Kaneki taking note of the young ranger's interest.

"The last village chief used that building for a charity to help fund the capital in finding cures for diseases." Kaneki briefly explained.

"Wow, that's really noble of him," Yakeru exclaimed in admiration, his mind now painting images of what the previous village chief was like. He imagined a man radiating kindness and wearing a warm smile that lifted the spirits of those who were broken.

"It would be if that were true," his voice took on a more somber note as his pace slowed. "As it turned out he was a man driven by greed, using a charity as an excuse to steal from the villagers. After squeezing out everything he could, he fled."

His words shattered Yakeru's initial impression, sympathy now written on his face. Kenji shared the same expression when hit with the truth while Fuyumi pretended to ignore the history lesson. Had she not turned her head, the others might've noticed the hint of pity in her eyes.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Yakeru mustered as Kaneki regained his composure.

"It's alright. We have a chance to make things right again."

After several more minutes, they arrived at a small dilapidated building and entered. It didn't take long for Kaneki to spot his father in an office, stacks of papers piling on the desk he sat behind, ordering another guard.

"Spread the word. I want our best guys on this."

"Yes sir!" the guard saluted before rushing off, Vlad now noticing the unexpected visitors. He presumed this was about their conversation earlier.

"You're not here to tell me you're coming with us are you?"

"Yes. The three of us agreed to accompany you." Yakeru replied, Vlad almost rolling his eyes at the sheer persistence of this kid.

"I know you mean well but you have to look after yourself right now," Vlad sighed. "As for the rest of you, you've already done enough escorting my boy here."

"Sir, with all due respect," Kenji stepped forward. "If you and your men go into a C-rank dungeon it might not end well."

Of course, the head of security was aware. Since this wasn't an official mission, there wasn't a reward for helping them. He couldn't even offer one if he wanted to since the village was in a bind.

He thought to himself for a brief moment, running through the consequences of entering a dungeon without the rangers' aid. If their intel was correct, they might not make it out alive to enjoy their treasure.

His mind has been racing ever since he received the report. He'd formulated several plans in his head, each one collapsing under the weight of one major flaw. It didn't matter how much he was against Yakeru's suggestion, his mind always wandered back to it.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he hesitantly asked.

"Yes," Yakeru responded confidently.

"...okay then." Vlad's annoyed expression seemingly dissipated with a defeated yet slightly relieved sigh.

He pulled out an old rolled-up map from a drawer and unraveled it atop on the desk, revealing a bird's eye view of the Hanataru and the nearby landscapes. He tapped his finger on an image that they assumed was a cliff face, circled in red ink.

"This is where the dungeon is located, about an hour northeast of here," he dragged his finger along a trail. "And this is the route we'll be taking. It was going to take me days, maybe weeks, to come up with a plan to raid the dungeon without rangers. I suppose now I won't have to worry. I'll have my guys rally at Hanataru's north gate first thing at sunrise."

"We'll be there." Yakeru nodded in agreement. "I know your guards have already sighted some C-tier monsters inside. Did they specify what kind?"

"They did. They said there were vamp-crawlers."

Both Yakeru and Kenji practically stumbled backwards. Whether it was because of fearlessness or overconfidence, they were uncertain but Fuyumi stood there indifferently upon hearing this.

"V-Vamp-crawlers?" Kenji shuddered.

"I...I see..." Yakeru stuttered as his mind flooded with distant memories.

From a young age, Akari's stories would always infatuate the boy. However, one such story mentioned a monster that thrives in the shadows. Her description of this monster would always keep him awake at night. A pale humanoid creature that would slither out from under your bed or creek open your closet door in the dead of night to abduct disobedient children. Parents, even rangers, would search high and low but would uncover not a single trace of the children's whereabouts as if they'd vanished off the face of the earth.

Of course, now he realized she'd exaggerated her stories about this monster just to spook him into behaving, but that wasn't to say there wasn't lingering trauma from her cunning tactic.

"My guys didn't stay for long. With vamp-crawlers there, I don't blame them." Vlad continued.

He interlocked his fingers on his chipped desk.

"Thank you for doing this...we'll try and figure something out for compensation..."

"Don't worry, dad. We had an idea."

After discussing the plan, everyone left as Vlad resumed his office work. Once outside, they were greeted with a not-so-welcoming rotten stench entangled with the light breeze. Since they'd be raiding the dungeon the next day, they'd need to find somewhere to stay for the night.

Several minutes passed before they arrived at a rundown inn.

HANATARU INN

Yakeru had to tilt his head to read the crooked sign in what was supposed to be a window. The bent nails jutting out of the loose, uneven planks gave off the impression that the place was barely held together. They strolled inside, the floor creaking under their weight as the group estimated how long it'd take for the floor to collapse.

After paying the owner of the rather rundown establishment, they made their way to their designated rooms and began settling in. Fuyumi walked next door without saying a word as Kaneki said his goodbyes to her.

"See you tomorrow, Fuyumi."

"Whatever." she coldly responded.

She shut the door behind her, Kaneki turning to Yakeru and Kenji setting aside their belongings.

"I guess she really isn't the social type, huh?"

"You have no idea," Kenji replied as he leaned his staff against the yellowish wall.

"Well, I'm off to my mom's place. I'll escort you guys to the north gate tomorrow."

Yakeru set his sword down on the cracked floor.

"Will do, you have a good night."

"Likewise."

A small dust cloud shot into the air when their futons made contact with the floor before they erupted into a fit of coughs. When the cloud subsided, Yakeru cringed when he spotted a roach come out of hiding and scurried off into another corner of the room, though Kenji didn't seem to notice. Ignoring his disgust, he blew out the lantern and they both slipped inside their respective futons.

Kenji clenched his teeth in thought as he took longer to settle in. Ever since they were separated, something had been aching in the back of Kenji's mind. The longer he suppressed the thought, the more it weighed on him. He couldn't stand the feeling anymore, breaking the silence before Yakeru drifted off to sleep.

"Uhm, Yakeru?"

Yakeru squirmed before answering.

"Hm? Yeah?"

"I'm sorry." his sudden apology oozed with guilt.

Yakeru then turned to face him, confusion in his eyes.

"For what?"

"For what happened on the bridge. I tried to push past the rabids but I just wasn't fast enough. Because of that, you and Kaneki paid the price. You even had to fight a steel-quilled bear by yourself. So I'm sorry."

Yakeru's face softened.

"Kenji, that wasn't your fault. Besides, it could've been worse. If it weren't for you, we all would've been in trouble if we used our weapons instead."

Kenji stared at the floor as Yakeru continued.

"If anything, I think you did great on your first mission."

"If you say so..." Kenji uttered, not entirely convinced as Yakeru yawned, stretching his arms and legs.

"Let's get some rest. We can't raid a dungeon half asleep."

Kenji didn't respond and before long, Yakeru dozed off. Kenji found it difficult to do the same with the recent events on repeat in his head.

An hour flew by before he exhausted himself from contemplating the incident, surrendering to fatigue.

Meanwhile, a fiery red filled Fuyumi's vision as she stood amid a village ravaged by a raging inferno. Embers shot from burning homes and billowing smoke blanketed the night sky, filling the air with the stench of charred wood. She reflexively brought her hands up to shield her face from the bombardment of heat waves. Stepping back, her foot made contact with something warm. She glanced down to see her feet now soaked in a red liquid. Turning back, her eyes widened in horror to see the ground riddled with mangled corpses, men and women alike.

"...run!"

She froze as a familiar voice cried out to her.

"Run, Fuyumi!"

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, her body shooting upright in her futon. Drenched in a cold sweat, her eyes darted from one corner of the room to the next. With moonlight casting its soft glow through the open window, she could make out familiar objects. The dusty wardrobe, the cobwebs lightly swaying in the corners of the room, the veiny cracks in the walls, and her equipment resting peacefully beside her.

With a trembling hand, she gripped her chest to soothe her racing heart and steady her heaving. With the other, she grasped her futon to feel the fabric beneath her fingers. Though her rundown room gave off a gloomy vibe, the physical environment reassured her that she was no longer trapped within her nightmare's grasp.

With several deep breaths, she managed to tame her raging heart and calm her nerves. She wiped the sweat from her face before resting her forehead on her hands, sniffling. After several minutes, she curled back into her futon and stared at a spot on the wall until she relaxed just enough to drift back to sleep.