The carriage rumbled steadily down the dirt road. The road cut through the lush fields, the blanket of green swaying rhythmically in the breeze. Fuyumi gazed out at the receding mountain, the manmade structures within one of its many gashes shrinking with every passing moment.

"I didn't peg you as the flower type," Kazeki said, looking at the violet dancers.

"They're not for me," Fuyumi replied, her eyes fixed on the passing trees.

"Oh, so it's a gift for someone? A souvenir?"

"Something like that. Don't worry about it." She sighed.

"Right." He returned his attention to the others, resuming their conversation.

He didn't seem fazed by her response this time around as he must've gotten used to her by now. During their trip back, their voices faded into the background as she processed the recent events.

After her traumatic experience, she obsessively gathered information on bloodhounds; their capabilities, sustenance, behavior, hierarch system, preferences...anything.

She wasn't sure if it was a good thing but due to their tendency to prey on the weak, they've made frequent contact with humans and thus studying them was made simple for mankind. However, over time, their arrogant nature had only brought their kind closer to extinction. This would explain why she hadn't seen any bloodhound related missions.

During her research, she discovered that there was always a leader in every pack. In this case, there were the standard bloodhounds and the S-tier variant, alpha bloodhounds, which were significantly more powerful.

'It was just an ordinary bloodhound...'

The thought of nearly losing her life to a standard type sent a wave of frustration through her. Though, the near-death experience forced her to realize there was room for improvement. After all, she hadn't forgotten about a particular scarred bloodhound that took her mother from her. Assuming it was still alive, enough time had passed for it to have evolved into an alpha bloodhound.

'If you're still out there, I'll hunt you.' She rested her cheek in her palm until she drifted off.

When they returned to the bustling streets of the capital, they tipped the coachman before proceeding through the double doors of the guild. The stench of alcohol lingering in the air filled their noses as they pushed passed the rangers skimming over the mission board. Like clockwork, the receptionist greeted them before documenting their report. It wasn't until they mentioned a specific detail that her eyebrows raised.

"I'm sorry but did you say you encountered a bloodhound? In a D-rank dungeon?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Thankfully Fuyumi was there and, with the help of our healer, it was defeated." Yakeru replied, Aoi bashfully looking away.

The receptionist subtly looked them up and down.

It certainly would explain their tattered attire, dented armor, and the braces strapped to their legs. It was unlikely that mere kobolds would leave them in such a state.

"I see. I'm terribly sorry you were subjected to an experience like that. I'm glad to see that you all made it back safe and sound."

"Question? This be considered a Misranked Mission, right?" Kazeki wanted to confirm, his tone indicating he wanted his friends to receive more compensation for their trouble.

"Not quite," she responded, eliciting a mix between a confused and irritated expression from Kazeki. "A Misranked Mission occurs when the mission isn't appropriately ranked due to false information. According to your report, the intel was fairly accurate. Unfortunately, it just so happened that a third party got involved after the intel was gathered."

"Are you serious? We almost lost people because of an A-tier monster!" His temper boiled, drawing unwanted attention.

"I understand your frustration and I do apologize. If you'd like, I could talk with my supervisor and see what I can do." She bowed apologetically.

He couldn't bring himself to be too upset. After all, it was their idea to enter the dungeon despite being aware of the possibility of a bloodhound waiting for them. Besides, the receptionist wasn't at fault here as she was merely doing her job.

"No, it's fine," he grunted in defeat as she handed over their reward.

"Thank you for clearing the dungeon. Please get some rest. Once again, I apologize for any inconvenience."

He clutched onto the pouch of coins, his expression torn between beratement and acceptance.

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"It's alright, Kazeki." Yakeru placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Making it out alive was more than enough."

This seemed to calm him down enough to release his death grip on the pouch. They split their reward six ways before thanking the receptionist and leaving the guild.

Once outside, they stood around for a moment. They hadn't known each other for long yet they knew exactly what each other were thinking.

"Well, I guess this is where we part ways, huh?" Kazeki muttered reluctantly.

"Yeah, but maybe we could do this again sometime," Yakeru suggested, putting a hopeful smile on Kazeki's face.

"I'd be down for that."

"I, too, am not opposed!" Kateshi concurred.

Strangely Fuyumi didn't object but instead stayed silent. She still held onto her pot of violet dancers, studying them with a neutral expression. Perhaps her mind had wandered elsewhere. As the boys exchanged their goodbyes, Aoi approached the distracted ranger.

"Thank you again for saving us, Fuyumi." She gave her a deep bow filled with respect and gratitude.

"It was nothing."

"I understand if you'd rather keep your distance, but I truly enjoyed my time with you and I do hope to cross paths with you again."

This girl...it was like her charm was bypassing her defenses. The entire time Fuyumi's known her, she was so polite and mature it was almost nauseating. But, strangely enough, she couldn't bring herself to casually dismiss her. Especially not after she gave her a second chance to defeat that A-tier monster.

"...sure, I guess." Fuyumi relented.

Aoi recoiled, surprise evident on her face but pleased all the same. Before leaving, she stole one last look at Yakeru.

"I look forward to seeing you again, Yakeru."

"Likewise."

After exchanging their last goodbyes Kazeki's group sauntered down the road. As they disappeared into the crowd, Yakeru pondered, glancing down at his braced leg.

'How am I going to explain this to Akari?'

He would certainly get a scolding the moment he stepped foot in his home. Clearing the dungeon did prove to be more troublesome than expected, no thanks to the kobolds' cleverness to trap their own den. Not to mention their run-in with that bloodhound.

Would it be better not to mention his little scuffle with the A-tier monster? He didn't particularly enjoy lying to her but he also didn't want to give her another reason to worry. Especially not after what happened with the Ripper. After rambling in his head, Yakeru's eyebrows shot up as he suddenly remembered something.

"Oh! Before I forget." He fished around in his satchel before pulling out the fang he found, offering it to Fuyumi. "Here. It's from the bloodhound. I know you lost one of your daggers so maybe you could sell this to buy a new one."

In their line of work, many rangers would harvest parts of the monsters they've slain and sell them off. Though this wasn't a bad idea, something else came to mind.

She stared at it for a moment before she accepted, stuffing it into her pocket.

"Thanks, Yakeru."

Looking up, she noticed the faint hue of orange coloration in the clouds.

"There's something I want to do. I'll see you two later."

"Okay, have a safe trip back then." He waved as she turned to leave.

Now left with Kenji, there was one thing left to do on the agenda.

"We should find a patrol," Kenji suggested.

Yakeru agreed and together they set off to search for guards. Since dusk was approaching, the amount of patrols would multiply. Ideally, they'd want to hand over their findings to a Sentinel but the likelihood of that was slim.

Yakeru's mind wandered, fabricating a scenario where he'd meet one of the six Sentinels. They were supposedly some of the strongest, if not the strongest, group of individuals known currently. He wondered if they'd come across as arrogant with such power. They also had a huge responsibility to protect the innocent from those like the Ripper. Perhaps they'd have more stern personalities.

He could only imagine as the two sauntered down the road, its population now dying down. Eventually, they spotted what they were searching for. Rounding a corner were two capital guards making their rounds. Approaching them, they explained everything and what they found before handing over the near-empty vial.

"Thank you for coming forward with this information."

"We'll make sure this vial is further analyzed."

After assuring the rangers, the two parties went their separate ways. Continuing their patrol, one of the guards gave the artifact he had on hand a light squeeze, turning it a white hue.

"Patrol 23 to Sentinel Kiyoshi."

It only took a few seconds for a voice to emit from the artifact.

["Go ahead."] A clear and crisp voice sounded, almost like the one speaking was standing there with them.

He studied the vial a moment as he responded.

"A couple of rangers gave us a tip on an unidentified elixir. They have reason to believe that it's more potent than the enhancement elixirs currently on the market. We're in possession of it now. How should we proceed?"

["Rendezvous at the square. I want to take a look."]

*****

The sky painted orange now bled into red. A blanket of white covered the mountaintops. A small village consisting of few structures—houses, an inn, and a single shop—dotted a field, the air hanging heavy with solitude.

Hours had passed but Fuyumi had finally arrived at her destination. The carriage dropped her off on the main trail, darkened tree stumps protruding from the earth on either side. Men wheeled carts around houses and women called their kids inside as nightfall was fast approaching.

Walking through the village, she could still smell the stench of burning wood flooding the air. However, when she scanned her surroundings, everything seemed normal. Occasionally, she'd catch glimpses of charred wood fragments through the tall grass, remnants of the village's earlier years.

Shaking her head, she pressed on until she came across a large black cube-like structure in the center of the village. Countless names were engraved into it on all its sides with various items lying all around it, though flowers and flickering candles were more abundant.

She approached the memorial and placed the pot violet dancers under the name 'Hana'.

"Hey, mom. I got your favorite." She kneeled, embracing the calm silence.

Moments passed as more villagers came and went, some replacing withering flowers with more vibrant ones. Eventually, those paying their respects to their respective loved ones soon trickled out, leaving Fuyumi alone in front of a dimly lit memorial.

Minutes later, she stood to her feet and looked to the sky, stars beginning to peak around clouds. Monsters were more active around this time so it'd be unwise to journey back to her family now. Especially when she wasn't in good condition to fight and missing a dagger. The smart thing would be to rent a room for the night.

Without further delay, she left to check in at the inn she'd seen earlier.