Cierro gawked at Scoot, who fidgeted in the doorway and looked everywhere but at the researcher. Seeing the person who had abandoned him, who had left him for dead… Cierro wanted to feel angry. But at the same time, there was something wrong. He couldn't bring himself to get mad. Instead, he felt… strange. He tightened his lips and stood up, keeping his eyes on the hunter.
Valentina looked between them and seemed to understand something. She began to pull Melia by the hand.
"Come on Mel, I have something cool to show you."
"What? But I've already seen everything in your room."
"Don't argue!" The two disappeared into Valentina's room, leaving Cierro and his assistant alone in the main room.
Scoot closed the door sheepishly and finally made eye contact with Cierro. Neither spoke, until Scoot opened his mouth to say nervously,
"So, wonderful weather we're having."
Cierro seized a pillow and hurled it at Scoot. It struck him chest with a soft thump and landed on the floor.
"You fucking dumbass!" Cierro took a volatile step forward. "You— you— I can't believe—" He grasped at his hair, searching for the right words to express his emotion.
Scoot held up his hands in a "stop right there" gesture. "Listen, Cierro," he said cautiously. "You have every right to be angry with me. I shouldn't have abandoned you in that forest. I have never felt more sorry about anything in my life."
Cierro took another step forward and thrust his finger at Scoot. "I bet you do! And then you have the fucking nerve to come— to come all this way—" His breath hitched as Scoot widened his eyes.
"You've, uh… got something on your face, there." He pointed at his own cheek.
Cierro quickly brought his hand to his face and was shocked to see that it came back wet. His cheeks were streaming with tears. His heart ached, and he gripped his chest, staring at the ground.
"What— what the hell is happening?" he sputtered. "Am I dying?"
Scoot sighed and raised his eyebrows slyly. "I believe it's called: feeling relief to see your friend alive and well."
"My— my friend…" Cierro rolled the word around in his mind. "I was… worried about you…?"
"Shit, man," Scoot scratched his head. "I was worried about you too. I'm glad you're alive. I had hoped you wouldn't be too mad at me, if we met again."
Cierro turned around, so Scoot wouldn't see him wiping his eyes. "You don't even know. You're a real bastard, you know that?"
For as long as he could remember, Cierro had never cried. His emotions were unimportant to his work, and as such he had discarded them long ago. Growing up, through his education, and at the Wycademy, he avoided making long-term friends. His companionship with Scoot was the first of its kind. Now…
"You owe me," Cierro said firmly, whipping around to look at Scoot. "You owe me a lot."
Scoot looked at the ceiling. "Yeah, I suppose I do. It's not like I've got much to do as an exile from the Wycademy." He cracked his knuckles. "I'm in."
"In on… what? I haven't even said anything."
"You're still doing your research, right? Well, you haven't fired me as your assistant yet." Scoot glanced at the door to Valentina's room, which was slightly ajar. "Plus, your friends told me about your idea to find out what happened to G-rank. I'm in."
Cierro glared at the door, where he could see Valentina and Melia peeking at them through the crack. "Lovely. I'm glad I have colleagues that can keep a secret."
The door opened, and Valentina immediately leaped out of the room and onto Scoot, pulling him into a squeezing hug.
"Scoot!" she cried passionately. "I knew you weren't a bad guy! I just knew it!"
Melia stepped out of the room as well, sporting a clean blouse and shorts. She crossed her arms and looked at Cierro. "It's not like Scoot is some stranger. He's your assistant, and he's a hunter like us. We thought it would be a good idea to bring him in on it."
Cierro looked back and forth, from Melia's determined expression to Scoot trying to push Valentina away. "I see you're already well acquainted." He sighed. "Then I guess we have no choice. Let's get started."
~—~—~—~—~
Valentina stared aimlessly through the window, zoning out. White clouds drifted lazily through the sky. She held a hand up, imagining what it would be like to fly freely like a bird. Behind her, Melia's voice strayed her from her thoughts.
"Tina? You paying attention?"
"Hmm?" She turned her head to see the others gathered around the table, giving her strange looks. They had been discussing what to do first for a few minutes, and Valentina had spaced out.
"I was saying," Cierro reminded her sternly, "that before we can do anything G-rank, we have to take care of everything that comes before it." He pointed to some scribbled writing on one of his papers. "As you guys know, there are eight hunter ranks before you're qualified for G-rank. It doesn't sound important, but getting through these ranks will probably help us find some important details. What ranks are you three?"
Melia thought for a moment. "I'm Rank 6, I'm pretty sure."
"Me too," said Valentina, pulling out her Guild Card to double check.
"That's good," Cierro nodded. "Less work is always nice to hear. Scoot?" He turned to his assistant. "What about you?"
Valentina glanced at Scoot as well and was taken aback to see him smiling nervously. "Something wrong?" she asked.
"Uh." He held up his Guild Card to show a single star. "Rank 1."
Cierro slapped his palm to his forehead. "That explains so much," he muttered.
"You're not seriously telling me that we have to carry Scoot all the way through the ranks," said Melia, rubbing her temples.
"Unfortunately." Cierro stood and gathered the papers scattered across the table. "Until Scoot is caught up with you two, there's not a lot he can do to help us."
Valentina jumped up, excited. "Well, what are we waiting for?" she exclaimed. "The Guild Hall awaits!"
~—~—~—~—~
Somewhere, deep within the Guild…
Heels clacked against marble as a young woman made her way down a long hallway. She breathed nervously, clutching a binder and some documents. Reaching the end of the hallway, she adjusted her bright red hair, tied back in a tight bun, and opened the large door, stepping cautiously inside. The large, round, windowless chamber was shrouded in darkness, with a single unlit lantern hanging from the ceiling. Even the light from the hallway barely made a difference. The woman gulped and announced,
"S—sir? A report."
A deep voice came from the pitch black. "I do not like to be disturbed during my work. You of all people should know that, Ms. Secretary."
"Eep!" The secretary jumped, unable to locate the direction of the voice as it echoed all around the chamber. She breathed deeply and said, "Sir, it's important. Ev—ever since the shutdown of G-rank quests, more and more people have been sus—suspicious of the Guild's actions." She shivered and continued, "Furthermore, the amount of hunters attempting to uncover the Guild's motives is— is increasing."
"Yes, that sounds like a problem, doesn't it?" The voice sighed dismissively. "No matter. Let the people think what they want. But, what is this news about hunters you bring me?"
"Um…" The secretary wiped her brow. "Like I said, sir, a group of hunters have been… investigating, so to say. They want to know why G-rank has been… abolished."
"Well now." The voice turned malicious. "It sounds like a couple of bugs have entered the system. Luckily for us, we have an expert flyswatter… don't we, Ms. Secretary?"
She widened her eyes. "Do you mean… me, sir?" she asked weakly, pointing to herself.
"Of course. Take care of our little bug problem, won't you? Just like the G-rank hunters. Make them… disappear."
She looked down. "Y—yes, sir."
"Excellent. Now, leave me. I am ever so busy with my work."
The secretary bowed and walked quickly out of the room. Closing the door, she let out a deep exhale and slid down against the wall, hugging her knees.
"Someone help me…" she whispered feebly.
End of Chapter 6
Author's Note: Shorter chapter. I've started school again, so updates will /probably/ be less frequent than before. Thanks for the follows and favorites, and reviews are appreciated.