"The Ripper, huh?" Yakeru echoed the receptionist after the trio left the guild with their reward.
The guild didn't give them much information on this Ripper, only the bare essentials to help steer clear of him. Apparently, he usually wore a dark trench coat and a red scarf covering the lower half of his face with dark stringy hair covering the top half.
They'd also recently recognized a pattern. The Ripper would exclusively make appearances between the mid to outer rim and has never been sighted in the inner rim. This meant low-ranking rangers wouldn't have to worry themselves about encountering a serial killer.
Inversely, the fact that this mysterious figure was able to murder high-ranking rangers was a testament to his strength. Additionally, for the entire duration they've been away, he's managed to evade capture so it was safe to assume this matter wouldn't be resolved overnight, even with the dispatch of A to S-rank rangers.
As they continued walking, they came across an artifact shop, a reminder that they still needed to exchange their gems. The boys veered away from Fuyumi as she didn't pay the shop any mind, confusing the two.
"Aren't you going to exchange your gems?" Kenji questioned.
"No," she finally turned back to face them. "I have something else in mind. That said, I'll be leaving now so meet me back at the guild tomorrow, got it?" she ordered, the boys subconsciously nodding in agreement so as not to disappoint her.
As she was engulfed by the crowded streets, the two entered the store. A light jingle played above them as they strolled inside. Lining the shelves were an assortment of various artifacts each serving a different purpose.
The boys' astonished gazes wandered from the tablets engraved with intricate patterns to the glowing gemstones embedded in the knuckles of a metallic gauntlet. On the other side of the shop were exotic masks and pocket watches with their hands ticking over symbols rather than numbers.
"Ah! Welcome!" the man behind the counter exclaimed, perking up from an artifact he was just fiddling with. "What can I do for you today?"
"We just wanted to make an exchange," Yakeru said, still in a trance by all the gadgets on display.
Walking up to the man, they set their gems on the counter, the artificer's eyes lighting up in an instant.
"Ohh what a find!"
He picked one up, inspecting the glimmering stone with a magnified glass that was modified with more lenses than what the boys thought was necessary. But if the man's suspicions were right, he couldn't pass up this opportunity. Through the lenses, they revealed the unmistakable faint amber-colored aura radiating from the stone.
"Oh yes," he gushed. "I can extract a decent amount of radiance from these!"
He examined them from different angles before reaching a conclusion.
"Given the fact that these are relatively small, they'll net you around five platinum coins for each."
The rangers agreed before the artificer reached under the counter and placed their platinum coins in front of them.
"A pleasure doing business!" he said, scooping the gems into his greasy hands.
They pocketed their coins before leaving the shop. Yakeru was under the impression that Kenji would go his separate way after they'd left but that wasn't the case. Instead, he stuck to his side like a lost puppy as Yakeru scouted for a blacksmith, spotting one just down the street.
"So, Yakeru. There's something I wanted to talk to you about. It's actually a favor I'd like to ask." the conjurer said, a tinge of embarrassment in his voice.
"Hm? What is it?" Yakeru asked as they entered the blacksmith workshop. "Woah..."
Beyond the doors was an assortment of different armor and weapons.
"Look at all this stuff!" Yakeru exclaimed as he bolted to get a closer look, leaving Kenji at the door.
Browsing the aisles, his eyes lit up at the sight of a set of armor with a sleek design. It resembled what a typical knight would wear. The crimson outlines around the helmet, torso, and gauntlets complimented the armor's overall black aesthetic.
"Phoenix Buster, huh?" Kenji read the tag aloud. "The alloy must be heat resistant. I heard that a Phoenix's firepower could easily-"
By the time he looked up, Yakeru was already on to the next armor set.
"Venom spewer!" Yakeru's eyes sparkled as Kenji shook his head.
'And there he goes. He's like a kid at a candy store.'
The armor had a helmet that took inspiration from a gas mask. It was mostly black with a touch of green which seemed to give off a subtle glow around the eyes and vents around the armor that he assumed the gas spewed from.
"Uhm, Yakeru? Even with your platinum coins, I don't think you can afford this stuff."
His words killed Yakeru's excitement.
"Yeah, I know...they're still pretty cool."
"Yeah, they are."
As they wandered, they stumbled upon a clearance section in a desolate corner of the shop. Yakeru fished around inside the mountain of cheap leather and dented alloy to find a suitable set of armor.
"So about that favor..."
"Oh, right. What was it?" Yakeru asked as he pulled out a light metallic breastplate. It wasn't as sleek or pristine as the armors he saw earlier and the scratches and fingerprints were evidence it had been used.
"Well, I was wondering if you'd help me train?" Kenji fidgeted as Yakeru inspected a plain-looking gauntlet.
He looked up at the conjurer, his face twisting from confusion.
"You want me...to help you train?"
"Yeah, just for a bit. I just wanted to get a bit stronger."
Yakeru tilted his head, puzzlement in his eyes.
"Wouldn't it make more sense to ask Fuyumi? She's way stronger than I am. I'm sure you'd be better off asking her."
"Seriously? The ice queen?" Kenji raised an eyebrow at his ridiculous suggestion.
Yakeru's eyes drifted to the side as his mind painted an accurate scene of their interaction. He imagined a rather terse and harsh rejection the very moment Kenji uttered the word "favor".
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An embarrassed smile formed on the young swordsman's face as now he understood his point which should've been obvious.
"Oh, right..." he muttered. "Well, how about tomorrow, so you have time to check in with your family? I'm sure they're worried about you with the Ripper running around."
"My old man wouldn't mind. Trust me..."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"Okay then," Yakeru said as he fished around the heap, recovering bits of armor that looked relatively intact. "We'll head to my place then."
Purchasing the armor, they left the shop, Yakeru leading the way through the streets and to his village.
*****
On the outskirts of the mid rim, a group of three ventured into a dark tunnel that seemed to be the entrance to the depths of the earth. The path was steep and the uneven terrain threatened them with a fatal drop should they not watch their step.
The light radiating from the staff of a conjurer cut through the gloom, casting eerie shadows on the stone walls. The further they went the lower the temperature dropped, their bodies beginning to shiver in sporadic bursts.
"H-How far do we have to g-go, Mitch?" a man asked through chattering teeth.
"Not much further," Mitch replied as they came to a point where they could spot a flickering light at the end of the tunnel.
As they approached the end, they were rewarded with a breathtaking scene.
What came into view was a vast meadow covered in a glistening blanket of frost that would've been a field of greenery otherwise.
The air carried a winter's chill. Every blade of grass, every flower petal, every leaf had been touched by nature's icy hand. Light from the surface that'd managed to slip through the cracks of the high ceiling struck the frozen field, dancing along the delicate, crystalline formations.
Emitting from the ground were soft, almost see-through, white flames, harmlessly bobbing in the cool air.
Supporting the ceiling was an interconnected web of crystalized pillars sprouting from every surface. Geysers scattered along the field puffed out frost that sparkled in the air before sprinkling on the surrounding area.
"Doesn't matter how many times I visit Starfrost Burrows. It never ceases to amaze me." Mitch said with a smile that appreciated nature's design. "Alright, we can activate them now." He pulled out a small circular object from his satchel. It had an elaborate design with six grooves angled around the edge. He placed the device on his chest, pressing the center of it before an orange glow emitted from the grooves.
Within seconds, the cold dissipated from Mitch's body as he felt his temperature rise to a comfortable level. His party pulled out their own duplicates of the device and did the same.
"Ahh...much better." the man holstering a dagger said contently.
"Let's find this thing quick before we run out of time." Mitch urged.
"Yes, we know." his conjurer party member said. "If you ask me, these artifacts are overpriced for having a 6-hour time limit."
"Doesn't matter." the dagger wielder responded. "This hunt will net us more than what we spent."
"Spread out. But don't stray too far." Mitch ordered as his two party members nodded in agreement before splintering off.
A couple hours flew by and they still hadn't found any signs of what they were searching for. The frost-covered ground crunched softly beneath their boots as Mitch traced his finger along an iced-over tree. He kept his sheathed sword steady as he approached a frozen log. Before he could step over it, he stopped dead in his tracks.
Staring at the log, something seemed off about it. Unlike the rest of the environment covered in a soft white blanket, this long, wide log appeared to have icy scales.
"There you are." he said as the 'log' began to slither across the ground.
𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘮!
Leaping back, he expertly evaded a huge mass plowing through the ground where he was just standing. Hearing the commotion, his comrades sprinted to his position.
Through the white smoke before them was a massive silhouette of a creature that had the build of a snake. As the smoke cleared, they got a clear view of the beast.
It was easily 30 meters long with icy scales and a crown of icicles swooping out the back of its head. Its blue tongue flicked in and out as it peered down at them. The slits in its eyes narrowed, locking onto the insects foolish enough to invade it's domain.
"So this is our frost serpent, huh?" the staff user asked. "It's quite big."
"You should see the adults," Mitch responded nonchalantly as the beast let out a high-pitched roar, disrupting the once-still air.
Despite its colossal size and ear-splitting roar, the experienced rangers remained unfazed. The serpent's reptilian eyes boiled with anger as it failed to intimidate the bugs before it.
"Now then." Mitch finally unsheathed his weapon as the dagger wielder followed suit. "Let's get started."
Infusing his blade, he launched a radiant arc that tore through the frost-covered ground. The crystalized titan weaved around his attack and opened its mouth, revealing its glistening fangs. A white light gathered in its throat, glowing brighter every second until-
"You mind?" Mitch asked his conjurer companion.
"On it," he responded, lifting his staff to manifest a barrier.
-it unleashed a torrent of freezing flames, encasing everything in its path in a thick layer of ice. Fortunately, the staff user's barrier was strong enough to withstand the barrage without showing so much as a crack.
Likewise, the staff user's relaxed posture was unwavering, even as massive ice spears formed around them causing the ground the quake. Mitch was indeed grateful to have such a capable ally by his side.
As the beast ended its attack, so did the staff user with his defenses, dispersing the barrier and revealing the towering wall of ice before them. Mitch took a lowered stance, cocking his sword back before, in one fluid motion, his blade slashed through the thick ice, the amber light slicing it in two.
Now that they had a visual, they could see why the serpent had stopped attacking them, or rather it was more accurate to say it was forced to disengage.
The dagger wielder must've evaded the initial attack to flank it. Now the two combatants were trading blows, his dagger occasionally clashing with its fangs.
The staff user didn't show any hint of surprise when faced with this monster for the first time. Until now that is. Despite its massive build, it was weaving up and around the web of pillars in an astonishing display of agility.
The dagger wielder wasn't used to this type of environment so he struggled to keep up, using the pillars to catapult himself from one platform to the next.
𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨! 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨!
Their airborne exchanges continued to fill the crystalized domain with sharp bangs.
It was clear to them that they were at a disadvantage. This was the frost serpent's terf after all. It didn't matter how hard their teammate pushed his body to go faster, he couldn't match the speed of the serpent, let alone land a clean hit on it.
As such, the conjurer hurried to assist his soon-to-be-exhausted teammate. Willing radiance into his staff, he fired high-caliber rounds in the beast's direction but it quickly caught on to what he was doing and acted accordingly.
Taking evasive action, its massive body whipped around the field as the missiles failed to track it. The dagger wielder easily zipped around the pillars, avoiding the missile barrage as well.
The two rangers had an interesting training regimen. During their free time, they'd meet at a designated open field to spar. The staff user would usually open with an onslaught of missiles while the agile dagger wielder would try to close the distance. As such, his mind and body grew accustomed to dodging attacks coming from all sides.
That said, avoiding stray missiles was hardly an issue for him and apparently it wasn't for the serpent either. But, unknown to the serpent, the conjurer wasn't aiming for it.
𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘮! 𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦! 𝘍𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘩! 𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦!
Thunderous explosions resounded throughout the vast underground field. The light shooting through the exploding crystal shards bathed the icy cavern in a kaleidoscope of dazzling colors.
As the pillars crumbled, so did the ceiling. There wasn't a need to relay the plan to the dagger wielder. After all, the three of them had been adventuring for quite a while now. He leaped away from the collapsing debris.
Though frost serpents were powerful in their own right, they didn't have the wits to comprehend strategy.
𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩!
The serpent let out an agonizing screech as the ceiling came crashing down on top of it. It slammed into the ground, a cloud of frost spewing from the impact.
"Nice work!" the dagger wielder praised.
As it lied helplessly pinned underneath the rubble, the three rangers made their final move to slay it.
As a last-ditch effort, the frost serpent opened its mouth, the same white light as before charging within the depths of its throat. However, the conjurer had expected something like this. Any living thing would get desperate when cornered.
The conjurer waved his staff as an amber-colored aura began enveloping the two melee fighters. Their bodies felt lighter yet stronger as the aura fed them with an energy akin to that of adrenaline.
"Go get him!" the conjurer cheered as the two launched themselves forward at blinding speeds. Cones of wind whistled around them as they easily cleared 100 yards in mere seconds.
𝘚𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩! 𝘚𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦!
Before the serpent could react, they'd already sliced through its head. Sections of its head tumbled apart as the rest of its body went limp. As their buff wore off, they skidded across the frosty ground, their feet making small craters.
𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘮!
With nothing containing the serpent's charged-up attack, the condensed fire burst into an extravagant white explosion, leaving behind towering icicles once the dust settled.
Though their high ranks only displayed their power, their experience was reflected in their unshakable composure and flawless teamwork.
The two sheathed their blades under the sunlight that poured through the gaping hole in the ceiling with still a couple hours to spare on their artifacts.
"Well done, boys." Mitch congratulated his comrades.