Kenji and Kazeki roamed the bustling streets scanning each two-story building wearing confused expressions. Food vendors were organized across the street to their left. The welcoming aroma of sizzling steak nearly made Kazeki salivate.

"Across from the food market..." Kenji recited, his eyes searching up and down the road.

"We might've passed it already."

"How? We just got here."

Just then, they spotted a shack-looking building wedged between two taller buildings. Wooden planks painted brown made up its exterior with double swinging doors in the front like you'd see in saloons.

YAMA ELIXIRS

"A shop tucked away out of sight? We would've never found this on our own." Kazeki complained as he and Kenji walked through the swinging doors.

The once boisterous crowd the vendors had attracted across the street softened once inside. The warm lighting illuminated various vials of elixirs on display. The polished wooden floor reflected the boys as they walked in and there wasn't a trace of dust or dirt to be seen.

An older gentleman, probably in his late 40s, stood across from them behind a lengthy counter that stretched from one side of the shop to the other. He seemed too preoccupied with wiping down a particular spot on the counter to notice them. Making their approach, it took them entering his peripheral vision to prompt him to glance up. He wore a monocle in his left eye and had a well-trimmed beard and a curly mustache. His smooth head was just as glossy as the floor.

"Ah, customers." he smiled, showing off his pearly white teeth.

"Quite the establishment you have. This place is spotless."Kazeki complimented.

"One must take pride in their establishment, young lad," The man chuckled. "How may I help you this fine afternoon?"

"We were wondering if you could take a look at something," Kenji explained as he pulled out the vial and a couple of silver coins, placing them in front of the man.

The man slid the coins under the counter and picked up the vial to examine it closely, adjusting his monocle. Based on the confused expression he wore, it was safe to assume he hadn't seen a red elixir before either.

He grabbed a small plastic slab from behind the counter and popped open the lid. He then carefully tipped the vial over as a droplet of the red substance dripped onto the slab and slid it under a microscope. Minutes passed and the man's face only seemed to become more confused the longer he observed the substance.

"May I ask where you found this?"

"It was near some rubble on the south side of the mountain."

"...this is quite interesting."

The boys both looked at each other and then back at the balding man.

"How so?" Kazeki questioned, his eyebrow raised.

The man handed the closed vial over to Kenji before elaborating.

"It shares the characteristics of enhancement elixirs yet it doesn't seem to be as stable as them." He cupped his chin, puzzled. "Unfortunately, I don't have the proper instruments to study it further."

Kenji pocketed the vial with a half-disappointed look on his face. At the very least, they knew it was related to enhancement elixirs, though, more unstable. His mind wandered back to when he first became a ranger—one who became obsessed with power. His radiant channels were permanently scarred after excessively using enhancement elixirs. What would've happened had he discovered 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 elixir?

"Might I suggest you have the capital take a look?"

"Couldn't hurt," Kazeki replied. "Thanks for your help."

"My pleasure. Do take care, lads." the balding man smiled as the rangers left through the swinging doors.

"Well that was a bust," Kazeki sighed. "I guess we really should let the capital take it from here."

"Yeah. Let's go see how the others are doing." Kenji replied as they made their way back to the hospital.

*****

Aoi sat up in her hospital bed wearing a blue gown. Sunlight poured through the window curtains caressing the side of her face and unruly dark blue hair. She placed her palm firmly against a clear stone that pulsated a yellow light every few seconds. A doctor sat across from her, scribbling down notes on his clipboard for a moment before looking up at her.

"That should do it. Your radiance should be replenished," he spoke calmly. "I'll grab the release forms. Please wait here a moment."

He left through the door as she turned to Kateshi who, surprisingly, sat quietly beside her.

"Will that suffice? I told you there's no need to worry." She gave him a reassuring smile.

"I will always worry for my companions," he responded. "Especially for those who have gone through a great ordeal."

Aoi had been unconscious for an entire day. After one's radiance is depleted it takes an estimate of two days for it to replenish. Ever since she regained consciousness, Kateshi has been eager to ensure she was well.

"𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭?"

"𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥?"

"𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴!"

"𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴? 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘴?"

"𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺?"

"𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘦?"

"𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴!"

"𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘪, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵! 𝘐 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘐'𝘮 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺, 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺."

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Yet despite his pestering, she knew very well she was lucky to have such a loyal companion who only wanted the best for her.

It was always like this, even when they first formed their party. They were tasked with exterminating a desert naga nest in the Fire Glades, a vast desert region in the mid-rim. During their journey, one of their team members had exhausted their water. Despite there being six rangers in their party at the time, Kateshi was the first to give up his water for them. The sun had also been relentlessly bombarding them with scorching heat. One ranger in particular was sweating profusely until Kateshi positioned his massive frame between him and the sun's rays, providing shade.

Aoi smiled to herself as she reminisced before the doctor returned to her room with the forms in hand. After reviewing and filling out the forms, she was finally released.

The doctor escorted them through the hallways. As they walked by the many nurses tending to their patients, she couldn't help but notice heads turning in their direction. Although feeling a bit embarrassed, she understood the reason.

Kateshi's head nearly touched the ceiling and the wooden floor creaked under the weight of the brute, echoing down the narrow hallway. Some nurses had even instinctively grabbed onto nearby support beams in the event the floor would collapse. Of course, the giant was somehow oblivious to it all.

"Excuse me?" Aoi tapped on the doctor's shoulder, prompting him to turn his attention to her.

"Yes?"

"Would you mind taking us to see a couple of patients here? Do you know Yakeru and Fuyumi by chance?"

"Of course. Right this way." He replied, guiding them to a different ward.

Approaching a room that had its door open, Aoi peeked inside to see Yakeru sitting upright eating a meal. She knocked on the door to get his attention.

"Good afternoon. I thought we'd stop by to see how you're doing. I'm sorry if this is a bad time."

"It's okay. I'm glad you're doing okay now. Come in." He invited.

As soon as she stepped inside, she saw a fully conscious Fuyumi.

"Fuyumi!" She gasped, pressing down softly on her chest in relief. "I'm so glad you're awake."

Fuyumi gave a curt nod as Aoi fast-walked over to her bedside. It was only when Fuyumi laid eyes on the man behind her, ducking under the doorframe, that her expression shifted in an instant.

"Sir Yakeru! Miss Fuyumi! It is good to see you two are doing well!" He exclaimed with his signature grin plastered on his face.

Her face dripped with annoyance as the loudmouth, mountain of a man trudged into the room.

"I have heard that you put on an impressive showcase of your combat prowess. Slaying a bloodhound must have been no easy feat. You must truly be a capable warrior!"

'...a capable warrior?' Fuyumi wondered, looking down at her bedsheets.

Recently she hadn't viewed herself the same way.

She knew she didn't have much experience when it came to hunting monsters. However, unlike her colleagues, she was fortunate enough to have a knack for combat to compensate. This became more apparent to her the more she hunted but recently she hadn't viewed herself the same way. When faced with overwhelming odds, natural talent could only take someone so far. She rejected Aoi since she didn't see assistance as necessary at the time.

Was she growing complacent or did her personal feelings cloud her judgment? Perhaps it was a combination of both.

Nevertheless, if Aoi hadn't stepped in she would've lost her life. She turned to face the healer.

"Hey, Aoi?"

"Yes?"

"Uhm...thanks. You know, for what you did for me. We wouldn't have made it if it weren't for you."

For a moment, Aoi's jaw went slack before she composed herself to muster a response.

"Oh, there's no need to thank me. As a healer, it's my responsibility to renew your vitality," she reasoned, rubbing her arm shyly as she clearly didn't expect her to show gratitude. "Truthfully, I should be thanking you."

Aoi turned to Yakeru in hopes of transferring the spotlight to him.

"So, uhm, how are you feeling, Yakeru?"

"I'm doing better now, thanks. But we'll be here for another three weeks or so."

"I see. I was just recently discharged myself," she replied.

Just then, the door to their room swung open and in came Kenji and Kazeki. It was a pleasant surprise to see Aoi back on her feet.

"Hey, we heard Fuyumi was finally awake," Kazeki said walking in. "Good to see you walking again, Aoi."

Aoi nodded in response as Kenji walked over to the side of Fuyumi's bed.

"How're you feeling?" Kenji asked.

"Fine." She responded tersely, uncomfortable with how crowded the room had gotten. However, she didn't find herself too upset since they must've been worried after she hadn't woke up until two days later.

Several minutes flew by as the group caught up with one another. Kateshi informed his two hospitalized comrades about what happened after they were separated. From the countless hordes of kobolds they bulldozed through to the boss that he annihilated in one attack. Throughout their story, Yakeru had been listening attentively, amazed by how they cleared the dungeon with sheer brute strength.

'If only I was there to see it.' Yakeru wished.

Afterward, Yakeru and Aoi shared their rather terrifying run-in with the bloodhound. Kateshi, Kazeki, and Kenji already had a vague idea of what transpired based on everyone's condition when they arrived. But it gave them chills knowing that if Fuyumi had failed—if not for Aoi, she would have—they would've come across three corpses instead. Fortunately, that wasn't the case.

"Hey, by the way. Did you ever find an elixir shop?" Yakeru asked.

"Sure did. But we weren't able to get a lot of info on the stuff." Kazeki replied with a sigh.

Naturally, both Aoi and Fuyumi were confused. Fuyumi did, however, recall Yakeru mentioning something about an elixir they hadn't seen before.

"An elixir?" Aoi questioned with a tilted head.

"Yeah." Kenji flashed the red elixir in view for a moment before slipping it back into his pocket.

The two informed everyone what they'd learned about the elixir and how someone must've triggered an avalanche by using it. Aoi and Fuyumi were surprised to hear that an avalanche had occurred but figured that it must've been the reason why the philorium sacks were triggered.

"Since we can't do much with the elixir, we were planning on handing it over to the capital once you two were better," Kenji said.

"I see," Yakeru muttered as they all heard a knock at the door before it opened, the dark-haired man in a white coat poking his head in.

"Excuse me. Pardon the intrusion but it's time we examined Fuyumi's condition. I'm afraid I'll have to ask everyone to wait outside in the meantime."

Everyone nodded in compliance and said their goodbyes. After they filed out, four medical professionals walked in, one of them pushing a stretcher. After several minutes of careful maneuvering, they'd finally loaded her onto the stretcher and wheeled her into what Yakeru could only assume was another section of the hospital. The room was noticeably quieter this time aside from the occasional burst of wind that would rattle the window from outside.

Was it because Kateshi was gone?

The last time he was alone like this was when he found himself in the infirmary back in Hanataru.

'I wonder how Kaneki and his father are doing.'

He never did hear if Hanataru began to prosper from that dungeon raid.

Before he could continue his pondering, the familiar wooden creaking echoed through the room. He turned to find Aoi standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hey, Aoi. Didn't expect to see you back so soon. Where are the others?"

"They all agreed to go out to eat," she said walking up to his bedside.

"I see. You're not hungry?"

"Well, I've built up an appetite but there's something I've been meaning to tell you..." She rubbed her elbow, shyly studying the wall.

"Oh? What is it?"

A brief moment of silence enveloped the room as her cheeks changed to a light shade of red, though it could've been his imagination.

"I...I wanted to say thank you...for what you did."

Yakeru couldn't help but look confused, an eyebrow raised.

"Uhm, I'm sorry? I don't follow."

They haven't known each other long, so the only event she could be referencing is their recent dungeon raid. The only issue was he couldn't recall anything he did that was noteworthy. If anything, he saw himself as a burden, having to be dragged out of that dungeon with a busted leg. And if it weren't for her, he probably would've still been trapped under that boulder until he died of starvation, thirst, a kobold, or that bloodhound. If anything, Aoi played a bigger role than he did during that raid.

The confused expression on him must've become more apparent because she sighed softly.

"You don't remember?"

"Sorry, but I can't say I do."

Her eyes wandered a bit before responding.

"As you're aware, I've met quite a few people during my time as a ranger. Though, without fail, they always found themselves fleeing when the odds were stacked against them, understandably so."

He quietly listened, curious as to what point she was trying to make.

"...Our encounter with that bloodhound was a terrible experience...it massacred countless kobolds on its own and possessed an overwhelming presence...and yet despite being outmatched, despite your condition, you still drew your sword to protect me."

Her eyes finally met his, a soft smile radiating with gratitude formed on her face.

"And for that, I'm truly grateful. Thank you."