Rangers Endgame

Countless kobolds lay motionless with gashes in their chests. The more Kenji saw Kateshi in action, the more he realized the brute didn't need much assistance. He started to understand what Kazeki meant when he said the guy could take care of all the heavy lifting while on their way to Yama Village.

The brute effortlessly cleared a path for his comrades. Even when he was holding back, in terms of raw power, the kobolds were no match for the A-rank. He seemingly had an endless supply of stamina and endurance as he continuously cleaved the lizardmen apart that would occasionally try to ambush them from the shadows.

Once in a while, their numbers would worry the young conjurer so he'd inhibit their movements while Kazeki would target their eyes with his chain dart with expert precision.

Judging from the stories they shared in the carriage on their way to the village, his chain dart was more effective outdoors. He'd use his body as leverage to perform wide rapid swings that would act as a protective barrier around him while simultaneously cutting down targets that came within range. It might've been a perfect blend between offense and defense but he didn't have the same luxury in an enclosed space. Therefore, he resorted to supporting Kateshi from afar.

With every step, Kenji's talisman would glow brighter so it was relieving to know they were headed in the right direction.

"We should be approaching them in a bit."

"Hopefully they're all okay," Kazeki said holding onto hope.

Suddenly, the boys halted dead in their tracks to a wave of pins and needles surging from their feet to the top of their heads. Amber particles in the atmosphere became visible, momentarily rippling through the air before fading away.

They glanced at each other with confused expressions.

"I can't be the only one who felt that signature, right?" Kazeki confirmed.

"No, I felt it too."

"I as well."

To feel a powerful radiant signature down in a dungeon meant two things: One, the person responsible outputted an enormous amount of radiance at once, or two, they were nearby.

Since the wave originated from their feet, it was safe to assume that Yakeru and the others were responsible. They continued their journey.

They weren't entirely sure of the situation the others found themselves in but Kenji knew something was wrong. If Yakeru or Fuyumi were on the move, the glow on his talisman was bound to fluctuate. Yet, after some time, it was steadily glowing brighter, which meant they were stationary. The sudden radiant signature they felt earlier was also a sign that they were in danger.

Realizing this, with great effort, he yanked his mind away from imagining the worst-case scenario. Although he felt a tinge of guilt withholding this kind of information from Kazeki and Kateshi, he didn't want to worry them further.

The rangers lost track of how many kobolds they'd encountered traversing the dimly lit dungeon. After cutting through waves of kobolds they reached a set of large double doors. They were simple wooden doors with mold growing between their many cracks.

They reminded Kenji of his first experience seeing doors like these, Kateshi stepping up to the doors.

"Kateshi, we should be cautious when going in," Kenji warned as his teammate placed both hands on either door.

"Not to worry my friend! I am confident in our abilities to slay whatever lies beyond these doors!" He grinned, pushing them open with a loud creak that reverberated through the hall.

Before the three rangers were five kobolds who all turned their attention to the intruders.

The walls were lined with torches, their orange light drowning out the dim glow of the glitter bulbs along the floor. Behind the kobolds were what appeared to be small animal corpses piled on top of one another. From where they stood, they could make out small holes in their bodies which they assumed were from their spears.

The kobold in the center appeared different from the others. It stood at at least 8 feet tall with red coloration to its scales and spikes which protruded along its spine. A makeshift battle axe, made of wood and stone, rested on its shoulder.

"That must be the boss and its lackeys," Kazeki assumed.

Two kobolds stood on either side of the boss wearing leather straps across their tattered brown garbs and loincloth covering their pelvis, all armed with spears. Although the monsters shot the boys threatening glares and emitted growls in their direction, they never attacked them.

"Something's off." Kenji scanned the room suspiciously.

Every kobold they encountered on their way to the boss chamber engaged them first. This was the first time they'd seen them refrain from attacking first. Kazeki seemed to have noticed this as well but Kateshi wasn't too concerned as he trudged forward.

"Kateshi, wait!" Kazeki warned.

"What is the matter?" Kateshi stopped and looked back at his two companions.

"Don't you see?" He pointed in the kobolds' direction who were still growling. "They're not attacking us even though we've invaded their territory. Doesn't that scream 'trap' to you?"

Kateshi cupped his chin in thought for a moment as if it was a difficult concept.

"Ah, I see your point."

Kenji and Kazeki scanned the room for anything out of the ordinary until they noticed a thin streak of gleaming light hovering above the floor. They looked at each other and nodded as Kazeki unraveled his chain dart, whipping it along what he assumed was a wire.

Moments after the line snapped, a massive axe dislodged from the ceiling, swinging mere inches away from Kateshi's nose and smashing into the wall to his left, shaking the room. With a tinge of horror and relief in his eyes, Kateshi stared at the axe embedded in the wall. Had he taken a couple more steps he would've been in two by now. Composing himself, he returned his gaze to the kobolds before him who had surprised looks on their scaly faces since their trap had failed.

"Now's your chance." Kazeki retracted his weapon.

"Right, I shall grant them an honorable demise!" Kateshi's signature grin returned as he imbued his battle axe.

These kobolds were obviously different from the rest. If the boss entrusted these four to be its guards, they could only assume they were stronger than the rest of their brethren.

"Kazeki, how about you and I take care of the guards so Kateshi can handle the boss uninterrupted?"

Kazeki simply rested a reassuring hand on Kenji's shoulder and gently shook his head.

"Just watch."

The kobold guards finally stepped forward, spears pointed at the rangers. The boss let out a primal screech before jutting out its finger towards the rangers, commanding his subordinates to advance. The four kobolds dashed forward while the boss leaped with its axe held high.

"Uhm, do you really think he'll be o-"

𝘚𝘓𝘈𝘚𝘏!

As Kateshi swung his blade, a wave of radiance tore through the guards' scales in an instant, revealing their gooey skin underneath. The room quaked as the boss slammed into the wall behind it.

Kenji instinctively formed a barrier above himself and Kazeki as rocks and pebbles rained down on them. Although the falling debris wasn't all that heavy, it still took a toll on him as he dropped to his knees, his body quivering from the stress. After the commotion had stopped, he released the barrier.

"Are you okay?" Kazeki asked, concerned as he kept beside Kenji.

"Yeah. I'll be fine." Kenji responded as he looked up and his jaw went slack.

Embedded in the wall was a motionless boss with Kateshi walking over to a corner of the room. Its scales were cracked and patches of its skin were exposed.

"Incredible..." He praised.

"We're lucky he's on our side, huh?" Kazeki chuckled, noticing Kateshi moving to investigate something in the corner of the room that had apparently caught his attention. "Something wrong?"

The two rangers joined the brute, walking by the boss who was now foaming from the mouth and its eyes rolled in the back of its head. When they approached his sides, they could immediately see what he was looking at.

A section of the floor had given way thanks to the force of Kateshi's attack. The hole was about 10 feet in diameter. Rocks had been aligned to make a crude staircase that descended into the darkness. The thought of their missing teammates crept back into Kenji's mind and from the look on Kateshi and Kazeki's faces, the thought occurred to them as well.

"You think they could be down there?" Kazeki asked no one in particular.

"I suppose the only way to know for certain is to see for ourselves," Kateshi said as he began walking down the stone steps with the others following close behind him.

The further down they went, the more on edge Kenji felt. If the others really were responsible for the radiant signature they felt earlier, then he was sure they had to have been in trouble. The distance they traveled had to have been at least 50 meters. With that distance, a ranger would've had to output an absurd amount of radiance for them to have felt it where they did.

Finally, they reached a point where the ground was more leveled. Compared to the upper level, the terrain down here was rough, climbing over boulders, trudging up steep inclines, and leaping across small ravines. Eventually, they stumbled across the carnage that the bloodhound had left behind. Shriveled corpses were scattered along the ground, leaving both Kenji and Kazeki with pits in their stomachs. However, the reassuring fact that an A-rank was accompanying them somewhat put them at ease.

The talisman glowed brighter than ever before once they rounded a corner. Their eyes widened at the sight before them. It wasn't the bodies that caught their attention, but rather the familiar figure that was sitting upright, turning to face them.

"Thank goodness you guys found us." A weakened Yakeru said.

Kenji and the others rushed to him, spotting Aoi, who was still unconscious, beside him.

"Yakeru! Are you okay?" Kenji dropped his staff inspecting his injured friend.

"For the most part, yeah," he smiled weakly. "I have Aoi and Fuyumi to thank for that."

Kazeki kneeled over Aoi and brushed her bangs aside. His worry only worsened when he got a good look at the dried blood that once oozed from the corners of her mouth.

"She's okay, just unconscious. She pushed herself beyond her limit to save Fuyumi." Yakeru explained, easing Kazeki's nerves.

"Speaking of, where is she?" Kenji questioned just as he saw Kateshi standing in place, staring at something that was barely illuminated.

Kenji and Kazeki followed his gaze and spotted her next to an oddly shaped lump of terrain...no, it was something entirely different upon further inspection. Yakeru's rescuers tilted their heads in confusion, unable to process the clump of flesh with what appeared to be ribs jutting out of it, resting in a pool of blood.

"Uhm, what am I looking at?" Kazeki struggled to ask, the question somehow seeming silly to him.

"That is...or rather was a bloodhound," Yakeru confirmed.

Their eyes shot open in an instant.

"What?!" Kenji blurted out. "A bloodhound was here this whole time?! How many others are here?"

"I think this was the only one...Fuyumi managed to kill it."

Kateshi walked up to the battered Fuyumi while Kenji and Kazeki's gazes snapped to Yakeru. They remembered what she'd said earlier about these A-tier monsters and their unique ability. According to her, these monsters were fairly strong so stumbling across a mangled mess of a bloodhound caught them off guard.

"You mean she singlehandedly killed that thing by herself?" Kazeki asked.

"Almost...like I said, Aoi played a huge role in this too. If it weren't for her healing, things would've been a lot worse for us."

Kateshi confirmed that Fuyumi was still breathing, her chest moving up and down, before he looked to his left and studied what remained of the A-tier monster.

"She must be an exceptional fighter," he praised as he pulled out his health elixir, pouring it into her mouth. "Even I would be matched in combat against a beast of this caliber."

Although a handful of her cuts began to stitch themselves back together and bruises disappeared, the gash in her side barely budged. Upon closer inspection, her rib on the opposite side of the gash appeared to be prodding her skin, creating an awkward lump on her side. It seemed like Yakeru did his best to stop the bleeding using articles of clothing as makeshift bandages as well.

Kenji studied a random stone on the floor in thought. Because of his relationship with Fuyumi, he was able to imagine a vague scenario in his head of how the fierce battle might've unfolded.

Attempting to nurse her back to health wouldn't help her regain consciousness since she had most likely drained her reserves just as Aoi had. Instead, they'd have to passively reabsorb radiance which would take time.

Yakeru snapped him out of his thoughts with a wince, clutching onto his leg.

"How about we get out of here? I'll give you guys more details later." Yakeru suggested before he noticed a strange dark stone resting a few feet away from him.

Looking closer, it was one of the bloodhound's fangs, figuring it must've dislodged after its top half had exploded. He picked it up, slipping it into his pocket before Kenji carefully helped him to his feet. Kateshi gently lifted Fuyumi while Kazeki did the same with Aoi and the rangers began making their way to the exit.