Yakeru and Akari had departed from the village after the young swordsman eagerly accepted Itsuki's offer. He'd promised to mold the boy into not only a fierce fighter but an unconventional one as well. He knew he could learn a thing or two from a veteran ranger but he never imagined the extent of what he'd be learning.

His mind began theorizing how Itsuki managed to infuse his body without injury but couldn't come up with a solid answer. As much as he wanted to learn how he'd done it, there were more important matters to attend to. As of now, he only had one ally for the Clan Skirmish. He needed to recruit as many people as he could as soon as possible. After dropping off his sister back at home, he went to do just that.

*****

Fuyumi huffed, sweat accumulating on her face and seeping through her tank top as she ran at a steady pace. The clear skies allowed for the sun's rays to bombard her. The combination of water droplets sprinkling on her skin whenever she passed by the kids playing in the stream and the occasional breeze would always feel brisk.

She'd gotten accustomed to short fights early on as a ranger but her more recent battles highlighted one weakness: her meager endurance. She'd neglected this flaw for far too long and it had nearly gotten her killed multiple times. Thus, she'd made it a priority to improve this area by running around the perimeter of her village every day. It had only been a few days but she already started seeing progress even if not by much. She remembered first struggling to run a full lap but it became less strenuous over time.

Finishing up her last lap, she approached her house, noticing someone she didn't recognize before she went on her run. As she came to a gradual stop, the figure began to take on a more familiar shape. Sitting on the grass, the boy watched as she stopped in front of the property, panting with her hands on her knees.

"What are you doing here, Yakeru?" She asked between labored breaths.

"Sorry for coming unannounced. I needed to speak with you but your father said you were doing your daily jog."

"I see." She grabbed a towel and soaked it in a pail of cool water to wipe her face with. "And what did you want to talk about so much that you went out of your way to find my address?" She questioned accusingly, placing a hand on her hip.

Yakeru's eye twitched at what she was insinuating. "Relax, it's not like that."

"Then what is it like?"

He took the time to explain his situation but intentionally left out a couple of details, afraid he'd give her more ammunition for a verbal onslaught. Once she absorbed everything, she shook her head in disappointment.

"You're officially the dumbest person I know."

"So can I rely on you?" Yakeru ignored.

"That depends. What do I get in return?"

"Well, if we win, they have to hand over any Fiends outpost of our choosing. I'm sure they'd have quality equipment and an arsenal of weapons you could use to hunt monsters more efficiently."

Fuyumi raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued. However, the fact that they were willing to give up something as valuable as an outpost also meant they were quite confident in their abilities.

"And how long do we have until the Skirmish?" She asked.

"About a month."

"That's it?" She doubted a royal would play fair but it was still surprising hearing the unreasonable amount of time they had to prepare.

He sighed, leaning back to look at the sky. "That's it."

It wasn't only the fact that they had little time, they'd also taken a break from missions after the incident. She wasn't sure if Yakeru was mentally fit for a Clan Skirmish. Walking over, she sat beside him with the towel draped around her neck. He still picked up on the faint fragrance of vanilla on her.

"By the way, how are you doing now?" She asked, looking forward.

"I'm holding up better." He shot her a side glance, noticing small scars on the side of her head that would've otherwise been hidden had her hair not been pulled back into a ponytail. She still had her signature expressionless look almost as if she was unaffected by the event. "And you? You don't seem too shaken up."

"I've seen things go downhill before. I guess you could say I'm used to it." She replied somberly, her gaze now fixed on the ground.

"I see. Sorry."

She could tell he was still processing what they'd experienced. A moment of silence passed as they listened to the ambient sounds of the birds singing, water splashing in the distance, and the light breeze that played with their hair. The aloof ranger studied her feet, trying to find the right words before speaking again.

"Uhm, I can't guarantee a proper response but...I can lend an ear...if you want or whatever." She glanced away, clearly inexperienced with consoling others.

Yakeru looked at her for a moment, suppressing a chuckle after her rough attempt at comforting him. "I appreciate that."

"Hey, sis!" A familiar voice called out from behind, grabbing their attention. "Dad wanted me to tell you that it's time to eat."

Yakeru recognized the boy standing in the doorway from a while back. If his memory served him right, he remembered seeing him visiting Fuyumi after the Ripper had hospitalized her.

Kei looked Yakeru up and down. "Hey, are you in my sister's party?"

"I am. I'm Yakeru. It's nice to meet you." He introduced.

"I'm Kei. Fuyumi talked about you guys a couple times. What rank are you? Are you as strong as my sister? What kind of monsters have you fought? Were they strong? Is it true you fought a behe—mmph!" He was interrupted by a wet hand towel thrown in his face.

"Go back inside, Kei. I'll be there in a minute." Fuyumi said, getting up to retrieve her towel.

"Ouch, that hurt." He removed the towel to reveal his pouting face.

"Now." She said sternly, grabbing her towel as the kid went back inside.

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She sighed before looking back at her colleague. "He tends to run his mouth a little too much."

"It's fine. So what do you say? Will you help me? It would certainly help to have an A-rank in my corner."

Fuyumi raised a brow. "How'd you know I was an A-rank now?"

"Kenji and I were promoted after we all defeated the behemoth. I figured they promoted you too."

"I see."

She contemplated for a moment. If her team won, they'd be rewarded handsomely. Even if they lost, there'd be no consequences for her specifically but Yakeru would lose all of his possessions. She was no stranger to the feeling of losing her home. There was no good reason why he'd have to go through something similar.

"Fine. But I expect you to be on top of your game." She responded.

"Thank you." He got up and started walking away. "And don't worry about me. I don't plan on making it easy for them."

After leaving her village, he set out to the Capital. His new armor was scheduled to be ready around this time after all.

He figured he was fortunate enough to have gotten that behemoth armor plate. With it being nearly indestructible it was one of the only advantages he had although he didn't doubt the Fiends also had access to quality equipment. Now that he thought about it, this was more of a matter of evening the playing field—hardly an edge.

After an hour, he'd arrived at the blacksmith, the jingling bell grabbing the smith's customers' attention. Just as Yakeru entered, he stopped as he didn't expect to see who was inside. The customers turned to look at him, surprised to see him as well. One of them wore a grin which Yakeru could spot from anywhere with how bright it was.

"Sir Yakeru! It is a pleasant surprise to see you again my friend!" One of them exclaimed.

"Hey, Kateshi," Yakeru responded, shocked to see his former comrades.

It had only been a few months since the last time he partied up with these three but it seemed like Kateshi's armor had weathered quite considerably. The silver armor he remembered only had a few scratches and small dents from his previous battles. However, now there were brown flakes peeling from the edges of it, an indication it was gradually being consumed by rust.

"Yakeru!" Kazeki walked up to his friend, locking his hand and pulling him into a hug.

"Good to see you." Yakeru turned to their final party member who shot him a warm smile. "You too, Aoi."

"Likewise." She smiled, giving a slight bow.

"What brings you all here?" Yakeru asked curiously.

"Well, this big ape got ambushed on our last mission and roughed up his armor," Kazeki jutted a thumb over his shoulder. "We're just putting in an order for a new set."

Yakeru could totally imagine the brute walking into a trap as he'd almost seen him do it before.

"I see." Yakeru shook his head with a faint smile. "I actually came to pick up armor myself."

The smith rounded the corner with a new set of armor.

"Let's try this one." He said, suggesting he'd made several trips to the back to find an armor set that could actually fit the giant. "Oh, it's you. Your set is ready. Wait here." He said after realizing Yakeru was in his shop.

He handed over the replacement armor set to Kateshi and left to retrieve Yakeru's order. The group of friends caught up on what they'd been up to as Kateshi tried on his new set. Apparently, the trio went on a mission a few days ago to eliminate a queen acid beetle. To no surprise, Kateshi made light work of the queen's pawns but what he didn't know was her guards' ability to camouflage, hence how he was ambushed. Had it not been for Aoi, they might've lost him.

As they continued conversing, Aoi couldn't help but notice a change in Yakeru. For some reason, she didn't sense the same lighthearted air he had from before. Their friend appeared shrouded in a veil of gloom and his eyes, once filled with optimism and a longing for adventure, now held a haunted look.

The smith returned with the armor set, snapping them out of their thoughts. Yakeru ran his hand across the obsidian armor, its surface smooth unlike its original rough and jagged form. Although the alloy wasn't as thick as it once was, its light weight would allow for more mobility but was still incredibly durable. The polished organic metal now had a sleek design to it, its elegant contours clean and sharp. It hardly resembled the behemoth's armor plate at all.

Yakeru heard Kazeki let out an impressed whistle. "Wow. Ain't that a beauty. Must cost a fortune."

Starting with the greaves, he felt the comfortable fit and the satisfying clicking of the armor securing into place. The breastplate gleamed as he carefully lowered it on his torso. He fastened his gauntlets and shoulder plates onto his arms and adjusted the fit. The armor weighed slightly more than his previous set but it was more than worth it for the extra protection. With the final adjustment, he moved around a bit to confirm the set didn't sacrifice mobility and dexterity.

"That'll be twenty platinum coins for the behemoth armor set." The smith said, earning Yakeru confused gazes from his former party members.

Satisfied with the product, he paid for the armor with the extra compensation provided by the guild as Kazeki echoed, "Behemoth armor set?"

"Yeah," Yakeru answered simply.

Kazeki had a thought but dismissed it immediately as there was no way it could've been possible. "Those are pretty rare. You lucked out finding a set in mint condition."

"I wouldn't call it luck. Not in the slightest."

"What do you mean?" Aoi asked curiously.

Sighing, he gave them a very general explanation, skipping over many details that would've taken too long to go over—frankly, he didn't want to talk about the horrific details anyways. Mentioning he was one of the lucky few who survived the Misranked Mission Incident, everyone gasped.

"Y-You mean you were there?" Kazeki asked to confirm he heard correctly.

"Unfortunately."

"My deepest condolences." Kateshi's usual loud voice was reduced to a somber tone.

"That must've been terrible," Aoi added, concern evident in her voice.

"It's fine," Yakeru dismissed, readjusting the leather strap on his gauntlet. "I already have a lot to keep my mind off it."

Now that he thought about it, this coincidence could work in his favor. They'd already proven themselves reliable so it would certainly help to have them by his side during the Clan Skirmish. As he explained his predicament to them, their faces, mainly Kazeki's and Aoi's, showed mixed emotions. They didn't think he was the type to start drama with a royal family.

"So I kind of need more people on board." Yakeru scratched his cheek, not expecting any of them to get involved. They only ran one mission with him after all. "I understand if you guys don't wa-"

"Do not fret my friend. You can rely on me!" Kateshi grinned, slamming a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It will be an invigorating experience battling strong foes!"

Everyone else shook their heads as they should've expected him to agree on a whim.

"Hey, if a friend's in need, I'll be there," Kazeki assured, playfully punching Yakeru's arm. "Besides, if we win, I could use that outpost as a free rest stop for my travels."

Aoi shuffled shyly, fidgeting with her fitted robes. "Well, since it's you, I don't mind lending my help at all. After all, I still haven't repaid my debt."

The corners of Yakeru's lips curled up in appreciation. "Thanks, guys. I won't forget this."

Saying his goodbyes, Yakeru left the shop as the once hopeful blacksmith deflated and sighed after the armor he'd given Kateshi couldn't fit him either. Since Yakeru was already in the Capital, he figured he might as well pay Kenji a visit. It was at this moment that he realized he didn't have many connections in his workplace. Perhaps this was due to Fuyumi more or less calling the shots. He smiled to himself, remembering they'd always butt heads on whether or not to expand their party earlier in their career. Recently, this wasn't the case as she was gradually becoming more open to the idea.

The thought of asking Touma and Bo to help him also crossed his mind but he couldn't bring himself to. Both had most likely retired early and it'd be inconsiderate to ask them to return to the life they abandoned after enduring something traumatic.

'I hope they're doing okay.'

He arrived at the address Adrian had told him and knocked on the deteriorating door. He heard shuffling and what sounded like glass bottles clanking against each other from the other side before the door clicked open.

"Yakeru?" Kenji revealed himself on the other side.

"Hey." Yakeru greeted, subconsciously taking a step back as the strong stench of alcohol radiated out from the doorway.

Glancing inside, he found a man snoring on a yellow-stained couch. Kenji stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

"Sorry. The house isn't very tidy and I don't want to subject you to the smell either." His conjurer friend scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed.

"Can't be any worse than the guild."

"Trust me, the guild smells heavenly compared to in here. So did you hear back from Adrian?" Kenji wondered.

"Yeah, he said the council wouldn't ban me if I beat the Fiends in a Clan Skirmish. So I thought I'd ask if you'd be willing to-"

"I'll help you." Kenji cut in, taking Yakeru by surprise.

"That's quite impulsive. I haven't even told you what you'd get if we win."

"That doesn't matter because I still have a debt to pay." Kenji patted his friend's shoulder. "You came to my rescue before so now I'll do the same."