"The council will see you now, Mr. Anders." A well-dressed woman informed the suited Guild Master who had been waiting in a grand luxurious lobby.

A few days had passed since the altercation in his guild. During that time, he'd contacted the council regarding Yakeru's actions. The council agreed to meet with the Guild Master seeing how urgent he made the matter seem. He'd compiled a list of Yakeru's and his comrades' reports to make a case in hopes that the council would show mercy to the one who assisted in capturing the serial killer.

The woman's heels clicked against the marble floor as she escorted him through the luxurious hall filled with extravagant paintings and designs. Arriving at a set of large double doors with two capital guards clad in silver armor on either side, they pushed open the doors in unison.

On the other side of the double doors was the council seated at a crescent table with a tall, broad-shouldered Sentinel standing imposingly behind them as their guardian. The doors closed behind him and he approached the council, giving a respectful bow.

"Mr. Anders." Rei Yamato spoke. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Adrian straightened himself. "I understand you may have more important matters so I am thankful you have decided to approve this meeting. I wanted to discuss Yakeru, to report on his record as a ranger."

Rei's face scrunched with disdain at the mention of the boy who attacked his son. "And I presume you have given him appropriate punishment?"

"That's why I come before you. I believe a ban is much too harsh for the boy and request that the council reconsider."

"Excuse me?" Rei narrowed his eyes. "Need I remind you that raising a weapon against not only a colleague but royalty is unacceptable? I won't tolerate such insubordination and neither should you."

"Now, now. Perhaps we should listen to what he has to say Councilman Yamato." A fellow council member in a broad fur coat suggested, calming Rei.

It had been months since Adrian last had the honor of being in the council's presence. Since their first meeting, he always had the sense that Rei's patience was quite limited. Now it seemed like the Councilman was on a short fuse since the Yamato House was involved.

Adrian continued. "Yakeru has built a rather impressive record in the short time he has been with the guild. According to his fellow rangers, he continuously exhibits selfless behavior and is a hard worker. He has proven himself reliable on many occasions and those he has worked with always form positive impressions of him. There are many reports that reflect this."

"Regardless, we cannot ignore how he attempted to lay a hand on a colleague which cannot and will not be allowed." A Councilman with a grey goatee cut in.

"Thank you." Rei agreed, turning back to Adrian. "May I remind you of the guild's inability to manage its own rangers? It's because of your original management department's inadequacy that led us here and now you're asking us to reverse the boy's punishment after exhibiting aggressive behavior?"

"Yakeru has recently been involved in the Misranked Mission Incident. His violent outburst was likely a result of post-traumatic stress." Adrian reasoned.

"All the more reason to let the boy go." Rei countered.

"I concur. Would he not pose a danger to not only himself but to his peers?" Another Councilman added.

"To allow such a thing to occur without repercussions would reflect poorly on us and the guild." The goatee Councilman doubled down.

"Misconduct must not be condoned, Mr Anders. Wouldn't you agree?" Rei questioned.

Adrian looked down at the marble floor, the council's words swirling in his head. For some reason, memory replayed his first time meeting the young swordsman. After listening to his reason for ending up in that hospital, he kept a close eye on him. Every mission he'd been on included him ending up in a hospital bed.

Adrian looked back at the council, specifically locking eyes with Rei Yamato. "With all due respect, you're ignoring the fact many rangers have gone through similar ordeals. It's in the job description. Yakeru is not inherently a bad person. Time and time again he has needed medical attention because he was always prepared to give his life for the sake of another."

Rei's scowl softened ever so slightly as even he could acknowledge an admirable trait. Adrian was going to continue his rant when he stopped himself, realizing he'd deviated from his original argument. He cleared his throat.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"I'm not asking you to lift his ban. I'm urging the council to at least give him a chance."

The councilmen looked at each other while Rei cupped his chin. After a long pause, the old man's anger had seemingly disappeared and a smile played on his lips.

"Perhaps there is an alternative."

*****

After Yakeru was sent home, his thoughts veered back to his scuffle with Kane. According to Guild Master Adrian, he was the son of Councilman Rei Yamato and a renowned prodigy. He founded the Fiends Clan and would build up a reputation for hunting the most A-tier monsters out of any clan and, on occasion, would hunt S-tier monsters. His A-rank and royal status also played a huge part in attracting new recruits and thus the Fiends quickly grew into the biggest clan in the guild currently.

To think Yakeru would be foolish enough to make enemies with not only the Fiends' leader but possibly his entire royal family. Now that he had a clear head, he could see that his recklessness could have serious ramifications for not only him but for his sister as well.

'How should I break this to her?'

Days had passed, leaving Yakeru with plenty of opportunities to explain what had happened at the guild but he could never find the right words. What struck her as odd, however, was he'd try to say something about his last visit to the guild but then abruptly veered off to something seemingly trivial.

One morning as they were having breakfast they heard a knock at the door. Akari went to answer it but what she didn't expect was to find the Guild Master, wearing a fitted black vest and tie, standing on the other side.

"Guild Master Adrian." She said, surprised.

"Good morning, ma'am. I apologize for my unexpected visit. I just wanted to relay some information to Yakeru. This is his residence, correct?"

Overhearing Adrian's voice, Yakeru had already made his way over to the front door.

"Good morning, Guild Master Adrian. What brings you here?" The kid asked.

"I wanted to let you know about the situation pertaining to your ban."

Akari lifted an eyebrow, confused as to what he meant by 'ban'.

"I'm sorry, but would you mind elaborating?" She asked for clarification.

Sweat formed on Yakeru's face as Adrian dove into a deep explanation of what transpired a few days prior, oblivious to the nervous behavior Yakeru exhibited. Throughout his explanation, Akari seemed relatively calm but the kid knew better, the throbbing vein in her temple a telltale sign she was growing increasingly frustrated.

"After some back and forth, the council decided to be a bit more...lenient with your punishment. In one month from now, you will participate in what's called a Clan Skirmish where usually two clans would battle against one another for monetary gain or to settle disputes. Obviously, in this case, you'll be facing the Fiends Clan. Since you're not affiliated with any clan, you're free to recruit anyone you wish who is willing to ally themselves with you, so long as they're currently working under the guild. The Skirmish will take place in the Abandoned City of Terv located south of the inner rim. Should you win the Skirmish, you may resume your work as a ranger and claim one of the Fiends' outposts of your choosing. However, should you lose, you'll be expected to surrender your property and all of your possessions to the Yamato House and you will never be allowed employment in the Capital again."

'They call that more lenient?!' Yakeru exclaimed internally.

"Is that so?" Akari placed a threatening hand disguised as a calm gesture on Yakeru's shoulder, making him shudder.

Her furious gaze, masked with an innocent smile, practically bored holes into the side of his head. He didn't dare make eye contact—rather he was far too fear-stricken to do so. She looked back at Adrian and politely bowed.

"Thank you, Guild Master, for bringing this to my attention."

Adrian dipped his head in response and turned to the boy. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more to help. The council has more jurisdiction now than before."

"You did what you could. I can only be appreciative." He reassured. "While you're here, would the guild happen to know the residence of my party members? I'd like to start getting all the help I can get."

"Of course," Adrian said before sharing his party's information, Yakeru thanking him afterward. "I better head off then. Good day to you both." He tipped his hat before leaving.

Akari closed the door as Yakeru quietly tiptoed backwards.

"Where do you think you're going?" Her seemingly calm tone sizzled with anger.

He froze as she turned to face him. Her face was still plastered with the same smile but her aura reeked of murderous intent.

"When were you planning on sharing this with me, dear brother?" She cracked her knuckles, her slow gait instilling fear within him.

"Just let me explain!" He pleaded, raising his hands in a placating manner.

Since Adrian had already given her the gist of what happened, it didn't take long for Yakeru to explain his side of the story. Akari's eyes were narrowed in disappointment for the whole duration despite him suggesting that he wasn't at fault. By the end of it, she dropped her face in her hands, letting out a frustrated grunt.

"You know better not to do something so childish."

"What was I supposed to do, just let what he said slide? Sorry, but he was the one who wanted trouble." He tightened his fist just thinking about it.

"And that's supposed to justify pulling a weapon on a royal figure? Do you realize what sort of predicament you put us in?" Her voice roared throughout the house causing Yakeru to avert his gaze.

He couldn't argue. The Fiends was the largest and possibly the most influential clan in the guild. Kane was considered a genius among his peers and after their brawl, he could see why. He had no information on the rest of his followers but he had no doubt they were also among the most talented.

The more the situation marinated, the more his confidence plummeted. Facing a group of talents with the backing of the Yamato House seemed like impossible odds but it wasn't like he could forfeit either.

Yakeru hunched over the dining table, burying his face in his hands. "I'll figure something out..." He tried to convince himself more than his sister.

"What's done is done." She sighed.

After they finished eating, she threw something on and made herself decent, catching Yakeru off guard as he didn't remember her mentioning that she was going out.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"𝘞𝘦'𝘳𝘦 going somewhere. There's an old friend of mine that I'd like you to meet."