Sunlight filtered through the window as Yakeru squinted his eyes open. He took a whiff, expecting to find the alluring aroma of eggs and toast drifting through the air only for his nostrils to be assaulted by dust particles. As a violent sneeze escaped him, he realized he'd unknowingly grown accustomed to Akari cooking breakfast every morning. The angle the sunlight entered the room was a bit off too, further proving that he was no longer in the comfort of his own home, but a different village entirely.

He'd done little traveling over the years so waking up in a new environment was a bit jarring. He figured he'd have to get accustomed to unfamiliar settings anyway if he wanted to be a full fledged ranger. He shifted his body to face the opposite side of the room to avoid the light beaming in his eyes.

"Time to go, Yakeru."

Yakeru glanced up to see Kenji packing up.

"Right..." he sat up, stretching his arms and letting out a yawn. "You know if Fuyumi is up yet?"

"If she is, knowing her, she probably left without us."

After gathering their things, they headed out the door. Yakeru knocked on Fuyumi's door only for silence to greet him in response.

"Fuyumi?" he knocked again but again he heard nothing on the other side.

"Maybe she's outside?" Kenji wondered.

They made their way to the front desk and after returning their keys to the owner, Yakeru asked,

"Excuse me. Did you happen to see a girl walk out?"

"Oh, yes. You just missed her. She left a couple of minutes ago."

"Oh, thank you."

They made their way outside and spotted Fuyumi with Kaneki. The boys were a bit stunned at first to find their aloof party member hanging out with an acquaintance but upon further inspection that wasn't the case. There was an awkward air between them as Kaneki anxiously rubbed his neck while Fuyumi tapped her foot impatiently. Kaneki's awkwardness dispersed as soon as he saw Yakeru and Kenji approach them, greeting them with a wave. Fuyumi's blank expression didn't change at all upon seeing them.

"Wow, you actually waited for us." Yakeru said with shock in his voice.

"I was just about to go to the north gate by myself." Fuyumi responded tersely.

"See?" Kenji put a hand up to his mouth to whisper to Yakeru. "Told you she would've left us."

As they approached, it became clear something was off about her. There were faint bags under her eyes as Yakeru's expression had a hint of worry for her.

"Uhm, did you sleep okay, Fuyumi?"

She stifled a yawn, turning her head to hide any trace of her exhaustion.

"Yeah, of course I did."

He didn't buy it but he knew better not to pry.

"If you say so. Anyways we should probably get going."

"Right. Follow me." Kaneki began to lead them through the village.

After making their way to the north gate, they could spot around a dozen guards, including Vlad, through the slew of villagers. The soon-to-depart men embraced their loved ones, some kids demanding that they'd better return with a thrilling story from their dungeon raid. Other kids however didn't share their optimism, pleading for their fathers to stay while tugging their arms. Though, like all good fathers, they'd promise to make it back. The scene was eerily similar to men being drafted into war, saying their, potentially, final goodbyes to their families.

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The rangers assumed the more muscular of the guards were assigned as porters as not only were they the most built for it, but they also had large bags of mining equipment resting beside them. Kaneki guided the others, approaching Vlad as he chatted with a disheveled woman with dirty blonde hair.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Positive. Please don't worry."

The guards turned their heads to Kaneki and the others. Most of them recognized their commanding officer's son right away but were confused as to who the others were that were accompanying him. The guards muttered amongst themselves.

"Who are those guys?"

"I'm guessing those are the rangers the boss mentioned. They're supposed to help on this dungeon raid."

One of them snapped their fingers in realization.

"Oh, that's right! They escorted his son here, right?"

"Yeah, hopefully, this will be a smooth raid with them here."

A grin formed on Vlad's face as they approached them.

"Ah. There you are."

The woman turned her attention from Vlad to Kaneki and the rangers. She wore a rather plain shirt and a long dark skirt that came down to her knees.

"Mom, these are the rangers I told you about."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all!" she clapped her hands together, her eyes lighting up as she finally got to meet her son's protectors. "Kaneki has told me so much about you!"

She ecstatically reached for their hands leaving them with no choice but to shake.

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am." Yakeru replied as she radiated gratitude.

"Kaneki told me what happened with that bear monster." she pulled her son into a tight hug, triggering redness in his face. "Thank you so much for protecting him."

"Mom, please. Not in front of everyone...!" he turned his head slightly to hide his embarrassment.

Yakeru and Kenji smiled at his expense while Fuyumi looked away, glumness flashing across her face. Before anyone could notice, a familiar voice called out from behind them.

"Since you're here, I assume you're doing better, Yakeru."

Yakeru turned, pleased to see the man who'd taken care of him after his scuffle with the bear.

"Oh, hey Dajuan! It's good to see you again. Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better thanks to you."

He wore his normal attire, hauling a wagon full of elixirs.

"Glad to hear it. I took the liberty of making health elixirs with the materials I had left since there are no healers with you. Please take these with you."

The rangers and guards gathered around the wagon, taking elixirs for themselves.

"This is very kind of you, Dajuan. Thank you. We'll need these." Vlad said in appreciation.

"My pleasure." Dajuan glanced in Yakeru's direction. "And do take care of yourself, Yakeru. The last time you faced a C-tier monster you ended up in my infirmary." he jabbed.

The boy nodded, hiding his frustration behind a forced smile.

'That's because I was already injured!'

Kaneki's body language relaxed as he watched his father slip an elixir into his satchel. Vlad did a quick headcount before announcing their departure. Before they left, Kaneki and his mother embraced the commanding officer.

"Please look after my husband." she pleaded to the rangers.

"We'll do our best, ma'am," Kenji reassured.

"I still need you guys to escort me back so take care of yourselves." Kaneki reminded them.

"We know," Yakeru waved a dismissive hand. "We'll make it back, I promise."

They set off as Kaneki, his mother, and the other families waved from the gate.

After departing, the group followed the trail that cut through the forest. An hour had passed and the guards' raggedy wooden armor rattled as they followed behind their leader to the cliff. The rangers kept up with Vlad toward the front as trees towered over them on both sides.

"Are you positive you don't wanna rest some more?" Vlad asked Yakeru for confirmation.

"To be honest, I feel a lot better. I'll be okay."

"Alright then. As long as you're certain."

Vlad felt a wave of relief wash over him to see actual rangers accompanying him.

"If I'm being honest, when I heard the report about this dungeon, I was hoping you'd come along with us. But it would've been unfair to ask such a thing since you were just discharged."

Yakeru recalled their first meeting just outside the infirmary. Particularly, a moment in their interaction when he hesitated to speak and pretended to shrug it off. Now that he thought about it, that awkward moment made more sense.

"Uhm, I have a question." the young ranger said, stepping over a decaying log.

"I'm listening."

"Even after rejecting our help at first, you and your men were about to enter a dungeon that's at least C-rank by yourselves. Why?"

Vlad stared ahead in thought.

"I know what you're thinking. It would've been a suicide mission if we went in alone. But I wanted to at least try." he peeked over his shoulder, prompting Yakeru to do the same. The guards trudged on and porters looked just as worn out as their armor did. "These guys wanted to try. It hurts to see men, women, and children living in poverty. The capital, or even the royal families for that matter, don't do much to help us. Instead, they continue to squeeze taxes out of us. So if there's even a chance to make the villagers' lives even a little better, we're taking it."

"I understand."

After an hour, they'd arrived at the entrance of the dungeon at the base of a cliff. The group set down their equipment to take a short breather. The guards lugging around the large backpacks were especially worn out as they downed their water bottles in mere seconds. Darkness engulfed the light entering the mouth of the cave as some curious guards peered into it.

"So this is the dungeon, huh?"

"Yeah. Hopefully, we won't have to do a lot of fighting before we gather enough radiant gems."

Vlad took a swig of his water and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"Alright, while we're here, let's go over the formation."

After everyone nodded in agreement, he grabbed a twig and sketched a visual representation of the formation as the others gathered around. Since Vlad was the leader of the group, he would be in the front. With Yakeru and Fuyumi specializing in close combat, they'd be to his left and right. The guards would cover the group's rear in case they were flanked. Kenji and the porters would be in the dead center of the formation.

This was, at the very least, a C-rank dungeon meaning E-rank rangers like Kenji would normally be denied entry. However, needless to say, this dungeon wasn't on the guild's radar, otherwise it most certainly would've been swept clean already. This meant there wasn't an official mission for this dungeon and was technically fair game for anyone, regardless of their rank.

Once everyone was clear on their roles, Vlad stood up and began marching into the mouth of the dungeon.

"Alright, let's go!" he ordered, the rangers and his men plunging into the abyss.