"What?!" Akari shot up from her seat. "You took an explosion point blank?!"

"To be fair, it wasn't my fault! You see, there was a quake that triggered them." Yakeru desperately tried to explain the situation before his sister had the chance to berate him but his attempt was in vain.

"I can't believe you! Just because it was a D-rank mission doesn't mean you should take it lightly! Are you hurt?" She instinctively lifted his shirt and searched for any signs of injury.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. But I'm okay, really."

Ignoring him, she continued to inspect his body until she was satisfied.

"See? I'm fine."

She sat beside him at the dining table, placing a bowl of chili in front of him. Its steamy aroma reached his nose making his mouth water. Though the food in Yama was a welcomed change, he'd be lying if he said he didn't miss his sister's cooking.

"I don't care. You gotta be more careful, dummy." She continued scolding him.

"I know. I'm sorry." He repeated.

"I don't want you to be sorry, I want you to take better care of yourself! Honestly...you weren't hurt too badly were you?" She asked more so to get a comforting answer knowing full well you can't exactly shrug off an explosion.

"N-No...I wasn't." He lied, swelling with guilt.

After waking up trapped, he remembered it being extremely difficult to move an inch without sending lightning bolts of pain through his body. And that was with Aoi's quick reaction to heal him on the spot.

Akari was very well aware of what becoming a ranger entailed so she trained him vigorously. People lose their lives every day to various creatures so she couldn't help but feel regretful for allowing him to take on such a dangerous profession.

"I swear, you never fail to make my heart leap into my throat. Maybe I should start looking into getting you a guardian." She considered.

He continued to explain everything that happened during the raid. Of course, he glossed over a major detail. She was already having second thoughts about letting him be a ranger so he didn't know how she'd react if he revealed his run-in with that bloodhound.

At the end of his story, she bombarded him with an endless stream of questions. Half of them stemmed from the worry that still lingered within her. And the other from curiosity about the mission itself. After the interrogation, he was finally allowed to dig into his bowl of chili, which had cooled down some.

Finishing his dinner, Akari helped him up and he retired to his room. Flopping onto his bed, he submitted to his exhaustion and allowed his consciousness to drift.

THE CAPITAL:

Two guards stood within a lifeless square in the capital. An old missing person poster rustled as the wind carried it down the desolate road. The light posts cast their warm glow onto the vacant vendors spaced along the street. Unlike daylight hours when the streets are live with activity, the atmosphere during nightfall was more eerie in some areas of the city.

"How long's it gonna take him?" One of the guards fidgeted impatiently with his spear.

"His unit was scheduled to patrol the Yamato Estate. It's a little far from here."

His partner scratched his head, irritated.

"Still, he's taking his sweet time to get here. We don't have time to be standing around. We still gotta job to do."

"You're right, you do." A man's voice interrupted.

Startled, the two men turned their gazes in the direction of the voice. A tall brown-haired man sporting a pristine white and gold uniform approached the two. Gold straps lined a mantle that draped over his left shoulder. Every step he took sounded with authority as the two guards snapped to attention in response to his presence.

"Need I remind you that it's your job to report suspicious activities and be on standby if necessary?" He said in a stern tone, a cold sweat forming on the guards' brows.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Y-Yes sir, Sentinel Kiyoshi. My apologies." The first guard stammered.

Pleased, Kiyoshi softened his gaze and turned to the second guard.

"So what seems to be the issue?"

The guard handed the vial over to the Sentinel which he then examined. He was suspicious when hearing the report but after seeing its abnormal coloration in person, there was no doubt about it. The guard briefly explained where it came from before he pocketed the vial.

"I'll hand this over to an analyst and see what they have to say. In the meantime, resume your patrol."

"Yes sir!" They exclaimed, saluting in unison.

Kiyoshi sauntered down the stone road while the guards left in the opposite direction.

*****

The next morning, Fuyumi awoke to a flock of birds singing their morning tune outside her window. She lay there, her ocean-blue eyes admiring the dragon painting hung on the wall for a moment before sliding out of her futon. She slid open the window, the morning sun greeting her as she did. Although the inn was one story, she could still clearly see the memorial in the almost barren field across from her, spotting a handful of villagers already paying their respects.

She listened silently to the passing breeze and chirping birds. The birds native to her old village had highly developed vocal tracks. As a result, their singing sounded more majestic than other species of birds. Every morning, she'd always drag her mother outside to listen to the choir of birds singing their harmonic melody. They'd stay outside for minutes, sometimes hours, admiring the performance, Fuyumi and Hana alike swaying their heads from side to side in sync with the tune.

This was the first time she'd heard them in years.

But now it was like their song had lost its influence on her as a sigh slipped through her lips.

"It's not the same without you..."

After strapping on her leg braces, she briefly washed up and tidied up her belongings before heading to the inn's lobby. The receptionist wished her safe travels after she returned her room key and left the building.

The dull atmosphere in the village was a complete contrast to how she remembered. The paths once bustling with activity were now barren, even in daylight hours, as if the hounds sapped the life from the village itself as well. Guards were nowhere to be seen and the very few villagers she'd passed by ignored her, continuing with their work with hollow eyes. She could almost see the ghosts of those who lost their lives during the evacuation effort still fleeing from beasts that were no longer there.

The sight of the blacksmith shop further down the street jogged her memory as to why she came here. Of course, it was to visit the memorial but there was also a second reason. She walked inside, the jingling bell overhead catching the blacksmith's attention.

He was a short elderly man with a thick grey beard hanging from his wrinkled face. His receding hairline made way for her reflection.

"Greetings, young lady. How may I help you?"

She reached into her satchel and pulled out the fang Yakeru had given her.

"Is it possible to turn this into a dagger?"

He grabbed the fang, inspecting it closer.

"Ahh, a bloodhound's fang I see. Sure, I can make a dagger outta this. But it'll take time. About five to six hours."

"That's fine," she searched her pocket again and placed a few gold coins on the counter. "I'll be back in a few hours." She said, already making her way out the door.

As she made her way through the village, she "stumbled" upon her old street. Strolling down the street she saw her former home. Whoever lived there had the place slightly remodeled as she didn't recall the extra windows in the front of the house. An image of a blazing house flashed in her mind before she managed to pull herself together, shaking her head to dislodge her thoughts.

She resumed her walk as a small tan dog rounded a corner, its long coat of fur bobbing fiercely as it stormed up to the fence surrounding the property. It barked its head off as it tailed her, clawing at the wood with its trimmed nails to reach her but to no avail.

Once she'd wandered past the house, the tiny mutt lost interest. It dashed away soon after, its attention focused on a squirrel that had invaded its territory. Fuyumi's mood lifted ever so slightly in response, letting out a faint huff of amusement as she continued down the street.

She went on wandering through the village as she reminisced. Some of the landscape was unrecognizable due to the tall grass and missing buildings. If it weren't for the traces of burnt wood and the memorial she would've thought she was in the wrong village.

Hours later, she returned to the blacksmith, the bell once again alerting him to her presence.

"Welcome back."

"Is it ready?"

"Sure is." Reaching behind him, he grabbed a dagger with a slick dark blade. Its black coloration faded into a crimson red towards the blade's gleaming edge.

He handed over the dagger, its handle wrapped in white bandages. It must not have been ordinary bandages because it felt like she had a more stable grip than her second dagger.

"Those bandages are from a mummy," the blacksmith explained as he puffed out his chest, clearly proud of his work.

"I've never seen one before."

"Oh? Those things use slip-resistant bandages to grab hold of their victims. Apparently, they're hard to wiggle out of so applying them to a handle would make it difficult for the weapon to slip from your grasp."

"I see."

"And one more thing. That fang's siphon gland was still intact. Meaning it can extract the blood of whatever it cuts into."

A blood siphon effect, an improved grip, not to mention a slick design. Compared to her previous dagger, this was a direct upgrade. She knew she'd made the right choice forging a weapon from the bloodhound's fang. She purchased another sheath as her last one wasn't suitable for her new blood fang dagger. Selling her old sheath for a handful of silver coins, she replaced it with the new one and slid the dagger into it.

"Will that be all?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"My pleasure. Take care now." He gave her a wave before she left through the shop's front door.

After double-checking her mental checklist, she inwardly nodded in satisfaction. She made her way back to the memorial to bid her mother farewell. Minutes passed before she decided to set off, walking down the road that led her out of the village.