Chapter 15: The Price of Failure

The jarring sound of a fist slamming against his apartment door snapped Jarel from the numbing tendrils of sleep. The Ranger lurched upright in the top bunk and dodged the ceiling above at the last second as he reached reflexively for the dagger strapped to the headframe.

“Brother?”

Jarel’s turquoise-blue eyes blinked rapidly with adrenaline as his heightened awareness took in the small cramped unit where a thin sleeping blanket separated the bunk bed from the eating, cooking, and living space.

The sound of beads cascading against each other drew the Ranger’s gaze to the bunkbed below where messy cinnamon-brown hair and honey-brown eyes peeked up at him worriedly. Jarel raised a finger to his lips then motioned for his fourteen-year-old sister to hide behind her curtain of beads. A moment later, the Ranger dropped over the edge of the bed into a silent crouch on the floor.

The relentless pounding banged the door against the security bar nailed to the less than sturdy frame. Jarel clenched his blade tightly as he moved cautiously past the blanket towards to the center of the room, already plotting to throw whatever drunk or burglar awaited him through the boarded-up window as he had done in the past.

“Who is it?” he barked harshly as his bare toes curled against the rough wooden slabs of flooring.

“Who else?” a familiar voice shot back incredulously. “Are you planning on sleeping through our next shift, Jarel?”

Relief set in, followed quickly by annoyance as Jarel lowered his dagger and rolled his eyes before moving across the four feet of distance between the center of his unit and the front door. “Lennox!” The Ranger winced and growled as he raised the dagger to shield his eyes from the setting sun that burned over the Guardian’s shoulder. “I thought I said to wake me up before the twelfth Solis.”

“Yeah, I’m a little late,” the Guardian grumbled as he pushed off the narrow stairwell landing and shoved his way inside past the squinting Ranger. “I had some business to deal with first.”

“I was planning to hit up the markets on my way in to grab more medicine for Sonia,” Jarel reminded him pointedly as he slammed the door shut but left the security bar on its hook nearby.

“We should still have time. And we can grab dinner from the street vendors while we’re there instead of going by the guild.”

“Street vendors cost money, Lennox. Eating dinner at the guildhall is free.” Jarel sighed in exasperation as he set the dagger on the dining room table where his Drake Leather Armor had been laid out to dry after a bit of light cleaning.

“Hello, Sonia. How are you, Sweetheart?” Lennox said gruffly as he waved at the teenager with cinnamon curls, who pushed her beaded curtain aside to greet him awkwardly from her pillow.

“The same as always,” Sonia greeted with a smile as Jarel moved quickly to her side. The Ranger swept an armful of beaded strings aside that ranged from wood, glass, and stone, each polished and painted by his sister’s patient hands. “It’s nice of you to visit, Lenny.”

Jarel snorted at the pet name the Guardian had been granted and added two pillows behind Sonia to allow her to sit up more comfortably.

“Why, thank you!” Lennox replied with a grin as he pulled a rickety chair over from the dining table and sat down beside the bed. “I brought you something,” the Guardian added with a wink as he pulled out a small present wrapped in pink-dyed burlap fabric from his belt pouch. “I saw these earlier and thought you might enjoy them.”

“What is it?” Sonia asked eagerly, her honey-brown eyes widening in anticipation.

“You’ll have to open it up first,” Lennox replied as he placed his gift inside her waiting palm.

“Sonia, keep Lenny company while I get ready,” Jarel called over his shoulder as he moved to gather his gear from the table. The Ranger then stepped behind another curtain draped over a rope that sectioned off an even smaller space which contained a small wooden tub and three stacked buckets. “And if he asks for something after giving you a present, tell him no.”

The Guardian snorted and waved off Jarel’s comment as the Ranger pulled the curtain firmly into place and dropped his worn out trousers.

“Oh! They’re pretty, Lenny! Thank you!” Sonia called out eagerly.

“Told you I had a good eye,” Lennox replied with a note of smugness. “Does this mean you’ll make me one now?”

Jarel rolled his eyes as he tightened the straps on each side of his leather cuirass.

“Yes, of course!” Sonia replied happily. “Should I use these colors!”

“Hmm, I’m not sure pink is my color. Save those for yourself or one of Jarel’s girlfriends.”

“I would if they stuck around long enough for me to make one,” Sonia replied, drawing a wince from Jarel as the Ranger pulled on his gloves and carefully tucked the amber and gold bead bracelet around his left wrist beneath the protective gear.

“I’ll keep my eyes open for some other bold colors, I think,” Lennox mused. “Some gold or red would suit me.”

“What, are you related to the Emperor?” Jarel snarked as he pushed the blanket back and stepped closer to examine the pile of pink, sky blue, and sparkling white beads that Sonia held out for him to admire. “Pretty.”

The Ranger lifted his Black Ash Recurve Bow from the bunk post and strapped it to his back before hooking the matching quiver of arrows to his belt. “Did you hear back from our client while you were out dealing with business, Lenny?”

“Y-yeah,” the Guardian answered and rose to his feet while avoiding his partner’s gaze.

“Then are we still getting paid?”

“I—didn’t get a clear answer. But Captain Milo said that he’d be waiting for us at the Garrison before our shift started. We can ask him.”

“The Garrison?” Jarel shook his head as he grabbed the Sentinel cloak from its hook on the wall. “Do we even have time for that now?”

“Jarel, can you get my bead box,” Sonia interrupted, already organizing her newly acquired treasures on the blanket stretched across her lap.

“I can get it, Sweetheart,” Lennox replied as he knelt down beside the bed with a faint groan.

“The blue one near the front,” Jarel added helpfully as the Guardian took in the cramped space below the bunk bed.

“Right, got it!” Lennox muttered as he pulled out the rather worn-down box of grayfern wood, painted with a thin blue coat. “Here you go, Sonia.”

“Thank you, Lenny!”

“Put them away, Sonia,” Jarel urged as he moved to a window covered by a worn gray blanket and blinked out at the radiant sunset horizon. “I need to carry you down to the latrine one last time before I head to work.”

“Yes, Brother,” Sonia’s excitement sobered up quickly as she scooped the beads back into their burlap sack and added them to the box. “I’ll count them when I get back. There should be enough for a double-beaded bracelet. Thank you, again, Lennox.”

“Ah—it’s nothing, Sweetheart,” Lennox waved a hand dismissively but bent down as Sonia held out her arms to him. The Guardian couldn’t hide his rather satisfied smirk when the fourteen-year-old placed a grateful kiss on his cheek. “Worth every Lark.”

“Outside,” Jarel growled as he grabbed the Guardian’s neck collar and shoved his partner towards the door. The Ranger then returned to lift the blankets away from the wooden slats tied to both of Sonia’s pale legs by leather straps. “Up we go, beautiful.”

“Will Fay be coming back over again any time soon?” Sonia asked as she grabbed the leather strap of a small bronze bell and then reached up to lock her arms around Jarel’s neck. “She tells the best monster stories.”

“I wish she wouldn’t,” Jarel growled as he hoisted the teenager up carefully, then turned and headed towards the door the Guardian held open for them both. “Fay got promoted to Consultus. She’s on a different rotation now, so I don’t think she’ll be able to visit as often as before."

“Oh,” Sonia murmured. “Then what about Holly?”

“We—aren’t seeing each other that much these days, sorry, Pumpkin.”

“Ahh!” Sonia snorted and shook her head. “I guess that means no more cupcakes.”

“I think I can brave the awkwardness long enough to get my best girl some cupcakes,” Jarel retorted with a wry smile. “Tell you what, I’ll grab some on my way back.”

“Really! Raspberry, please! But if they’re out, then lemon or strawberry!”

“I’ll see what I can do. And Mrs. Goose will be dropping in to give you dinner in just a few hours.”

Sonia wrinkled her nose but kept whatever protest that lurked beneath her pale skin and shadowed eyes to herself. The setting sun washed over the teenager’s disheveled curls and reflected off the polished slats that confined her crippled legs. Jarel kissed Sophia’s temple as he turned on the next landing and felt his gut tighten at the fever already returning beneath her skin.

‘It will be alright. I’ll have medicine for the fever in the morning, and if the Judge pays us, I’ll be that much closer to buying Sonia a miracle.’

The siblings reached the bottom of the six-floor apartment complex and turned towards the backyard, where an elderly Esus could be seen scrubbing his way through a line of latrines.

“Morning, Jimmy!” Sonia called out with a cheerful wave.

The Esus flinched but quickly relaxed as he turned and bobbed his head in greeting. “Mistress Sonia! Good morning!”

“Evening, isn’t it?” Lennox growled with a narrowed look at the Esus.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Lenny,” Sonia chided. “Why would my brother wake up and go to work in the evening?”

Jarel nodded to the old man as he moved towards the cleanest-looking latrine and popped the door open with an expert kick to the bottom right corner.

“Ah! I’m afraid they’re still drying out,” Jimmy called out anxiously, then hobbled over to his cleaning cart for a towel. “Here, Materia.”

“Thank you,” Jarel replied with another nod as he reached for the towel. He frowned as a small bracelet of green, blue, and yellow beads peeped out from the old man’s worn-out shirt. ‘When did Sonia—’

“Hurry up, you two!” Lennox called as he retreated to the corner of the building, away from the smell of the frequently used outhouses.

“Don’t rush us when you’re the one that’s late!” Jarel snapped and sighed as he stepped into the cramped latrine. He wiped down the freshly washed seat, then settled Sonia against the wooden lid with her bell and stepped outside to stand guard.

The Esus continued his work with silent efficiency, his left leg dragging behind him slightly with a notable limp that had not been there the day before. The Ranger turned his turquoise-blue eyes away from the uncomfortable sight. He’d seen enough Esus abused by their ranked peers to guess how the old man had come by his injury.

The wall of shuttered apartment windows in the buildings that framed the small courtyard around him slowly lit up with lanterns and candles as their occupants returned home from a long day’s work. Most of the apartment residents were Trion-ranked day laborers, farmers, mercenaries, and craftsmen, people without families who found a single room more than suitable to their needs until they could afford better. The only Sentinels that lived here were those who struggled to make a livable income hunting monsters, or in Jarel’s case, had extra financial burdens to juggle.

The Ranger watched a stray orange cat hop precariously from a balcony of one building to the next before slinking inside a window left ajar. A moment later, the feline emerged with a leg of chicken and hastily scampered away as an angry voice bellowed from within, followed by a boot that bounced off the window, which then slammed shut, blocking out the rest of the owner’s angry tirade.

‘When the hell are we going to be able to move out of this dump?’ Jarel stretched his tired, stiff neck and let out a sigh. The ringing of a bell quickly turned him back to the latrine as Sonia signaled she was finished.

When Jarel was certain that Sonia was comfortable and had everything she would need for the night, he followed Lennox outside and locked the apartment door. “I hate leaving her alone like this,” the Ranger grumbled tiredly as he tucked the key inside a pouch on his belt.

“I know,” Lennox said sympathetically. “But you almost have enough saved up to get her inside the Temple. Once Sonia can walk again, then the guild can test her for a Nucleus—and even if that doesn’t pan out, she could always get an apprenticeship as a jeweler or something.”

“Yeah, I know.” The Ranger rubbed his jawline worriedly and then turned to jog down the steps again. “I’m just worried it will be too late by then.”

“Don’t give up now,” the Guardian urged as they reached the bottom floor and turned towards the gated front yard. “We need to hurry, though. I don’t know how much longer Captain Milo will keep waiting for us.”

Torches lit up the Garrison Wall beneath the receding sliver of sunset by the time the pair arrived. Lennox and Jarel flashed their Sentinel Badges and were granted access through the first gate. Once inside, the Ranger blinked as a long line of worn-out City Guards trudged towards the entrance, heading out for the night.

“They were kept back rather late today,” Jarel observed curiously. The training grounds were generally reserved for Sentinels in the afternoon since most of the morning and mid-day were spent delving. However, only Virtus and Feralis Nucleus used the Garrison’s training arena. A separate, more elaborate training field was maintained inside the Sentinel Guild for those with the Ingenium Nucleus.

“Ahh, I see our Captain over there,” Lennox said as he smacked Jarel’s shoulder and pointed towards the Consultus cooling himself off by a bench with a bucket of water. “Captain Milo!”

Milo dropped the bucket and whipped around with a glare that certainly didn’t promise anything good as far as the Judge’s response to the lost Monster Core. “You’re late.”

“Apologies, Consultus,” Jarel replied quickly. “That would be my fault.”

Milo’s annoyed expression relaxed a bit as he nodded a greeting to the Ranger.

“What’s with the extra training?” Lennox asked with an awkward nod to the trailing, exhausted City Guard.

“There was a problem on the other side of the Garrison with one of the Erros prisoners today,” Milo replied as he grabbed a linen jerkin from the bench and pulled it over his head. “The City Guard on duty must have fucked things up pretty badly. As usual, the Major came down hard on anyone who made use of the training grounds today.” The Captain shook residual water from his hair and then stretched out his arms with a tired sigh. “Fortunately, Commander Larkin decided to pay us a visit, so the rest of the Major’s ‘strength and endurance exercise’ was cut short.”

“Commander Larkin is here—at this hour?” Lennox turned around quickly to survey the area. “Where?”

“You’ll see him soon enough,” Milo replied as he dried both hands on his shirt. “The Commander and his son, Corbin Larkin, are having some sort of duel.”

“A Praeditus and a Trion?” Lennox snorted.

“Actually, Corbin is a Materia now,” Milo answered with a shrug. “Still, easy guess how the duel will go. I’m sure the Commander will use it as some sort of learning experience.”

“To learn what exactly? Not to fight someone two ranks higher?”

“As interesting as this all is,” Jarel interrupted with a hand on the Guardian’s shoulder. “That’s not why we’re here.”

“Of course,” Milo offered a neutral smile as he grabbed his jacket and gestured towards the benches by the arena. “Might as well join me to watch the match then.”

“Must we?” Lennox growled.

“You can go, Lennox,” Milo replied with a flat stare as he pulled on his officer jacket. “I only need to pay one of you.” The Captain turned and promptly joined the line of Sentinels and City Guards headed in to watch a Praeditus in the ring.

“City Guard Prick,” Lennox muttered as he trailed behind. “How’s it going to take more than a handshake to pay us what we’re owed.”

“Because we’re not getting paid the agreed-upon amount,” Jarel replied tensely. “Which requires a conversation the Captain wants to have in a place where people won’t be focused on us.”

“Euclid’s Nutsack! I knew it! When I get my hands on that Gromulus fucking piece of shit!”

“Let’s just deal with the Captain for now and get paid whatever amount the Judge has decided on,” Jarel muttered as he circled the fuming Guardian to catch up to the Captain. He frowned as Milo chose a bench closest to the arena to sit down.

‘So much for a private conversation.’

“Only 22 Prum!” Lennox hissed after counting out the pile of gold and silver-plated rectangular coins. “That’s half of what was promised!?”

“You botched the job,” Milo growled over his shoulder to the two Sentinels seated behind him. “That D-grade Monster Core was part of the job and worth 22 Prums by itself. You didn’t deliver the Monster Core, so it comes out of your cut.”

“The Kill Stealer was unfortunate, but we still got that Fire Mage three levels,” Jarel replied neutrally as he looked away from the disappointing outcome.

‘22 Prums. That’s 11 Prums each if we split it evenly, which still doesn’t make up for the reduction in our Sentinel wages. And we still have four more weeks before the Warden will even consider putting us back into the rotation.’

The Ranger sighed and resisted the urge to drop his head in defeat. 45 Prums was more than enough to buy a decent S-Grade weapon. But a Blessing from the Temple that would allow Sonia to walk again cost 150 Prums. ‘All because Menders are so damn rare, and the Paragon himself keeps the only Mender in Highguard on a tight leash.’

“It’s unfortunate, but if you manage to track down the Kill Stealer, you can always sell the Monster Core yourselves. The Judge will certainly buy it off you,” Milo commented as he finished buttoning up his jacket and adjusted the Adamantine pin of dual-blades on his shoulder that identified him as a B-ranked Duelist.

‘If I’m lucky enough to spot the Steal Killer again. It’s already been nearly 24 hours since I hit them with [Hunter’s Mark]. Perhaps tonight’s scouting patrol will pick up something if we take the scenic route around the city.’

The Captain straightened as his attention turned towards two men dressed in dark gray armor with training swords and shields at their side that entered the arena from the opposite side. Jarel pressed his hands together beneath his chin as he watched the senior and junior officer step over the magical barrier that surrounded the arena. A silver sheen washed over their weapons and armor as the Dregen Training Gear activated.

Item—Dregen Training Gear Training Gear forged from mysterious rocks left behind by a closed Dementher Gate. The material was later given the name dregen by the Mage Research Guild, who discovered that these residual pieces of Dementher magic could be manipulated to change shape and density within a charged ether sigil.

The dark surface of the training gear glittered like the liquid pool of a Dementher gate before it stretched, molded, and recolored itself to represent the ranked gear of father and son.

Commander Larkin, who now wore a Titanium armor and shield, raised his two-handed mace towards the bleachers where both City Guard and Sentinels applauded the Praeditus while silently shaking their heads.

“Not exactly a fair fight,” a City Guardsman commented from a few benches over.

“That means it will be quick,” replied the female guard seated close by.

Two blue bars flickered into focus above the senior and junior opponents. Jarel let out a small whistle at the apparent difference in rank represented by the arena’s status bar display.

Guardian Corbin. Health: 18,223/18,223. Mana: 7,289/7,289. Phoenix Champion Larkin. Health: 824,742/824,742. Mana: 329,897/329,897.

As always, the Ranger’s inability to see anything beyond the general information made available to everyone else in the arena filled Jarel with a sense of frustration. He had been hoping to unlock one of the Ranger’s more unique abilities when he reached C-Rank.

A Skill called [Hunter’s Perception] allowed a Ranger to view monsters and human information the same way one could view a delve party member or monster inside a dungeon. Instead, Jarel had received [Shadow Arrow] as his unique ability. [Shadow Arrow] was still incredibly useful, enough for the Sentinel Guild to promote Jarel to a Scout position which meant better pay. It also allowed Jarel to take on Bounty Requests for wanted Erros or unique monsters around Highguard.

‘Being able to track is all well and good, but I would rather have [Hunter’s Perception] that way I can solo hunt more confidently. As it is, even the City Guard has stopped pulling me for Bounty Requests since the Warden sidelined me for backing Lennox after his last fuck up.’

“This match will be a little different than the usual sparrings. All Corbin has to do is not get knocked outside of the arena,” Milo explained tensely as he leaned forward to study the pair of Shield Classes in the arena.

“Is that all?” Lennox scoffed.

The Captain turned to offer the Guardian a withering glare. “If you think that’s too easy, then I’ll let the Commander know you would like the opportunity to challenge him next.”

Lennox ran a hand down the back of his head and ducked away from Milo's expectant look.

“What’s the point of this duel again?” Jarel asked, happy to shift the conversation away from Lennox’s big mouth.

“Lieutenant Corbin’s unit’s next assignment,” Milo replied with a shrug as he faced forward. “If Corbin can last three rounds—” he nodded to where two men stood by a medium-size sand glass and bell, “—then he gets to choose his assignment.”

The Ranger glanced from the giant mace the Commander held, which generally required both hands to even lift, over to the younger, well-built, but still less imposing Guardian dressed in Jabal plate armor with his shield and much smaller mace.

“I guess Larkin Jr. really hated his assignment,” Jarel muttered with a shake of his head.