Nothing was working out as planned. Kaigo chewed on the inside of his cheek in irritation as he scrolled on his phone over a bowl of breakfast cereal. He had hoped his little family soap opera setup would make more of a splash. Apparently there were more important things going on in the news flows. Haters hated, supporters cried for justice, but it was just online garbage talk. None of the big stations did anything with it. Maybe his father had pulled some strings, or Guardian itself didn't want any bad press about their president and silicned the media flow. But that was probably too much of a conspiracy theory stretch. Not that it really mattered. He just wanted to be as much of a pain to that asshole before the inevitable Kaiju battle.

  Vigo yawned loudly and walked across the hall to the shower. Kaigo regretted that he had not tried to look for Belaphorde earlier. He really thought Bel would come back. Then the days kept on rolling without anyone knowing anything. Belaphorde could have died from a million things in the Outskirts, or worse, he could have, for some ungodly reason, run away from everything and disappeared into the wild. It was always a game, keeping Belaphorde close enough that Kaigo could use him and giving Bel enough freedom that he would be a willing, happy Guide. Life would be so simple if more people had the blind devotion and laid-back attitude of Vigo. The old man had a plan for their search. He was going to help out so they could do their check-in with his son, who totally knew exactly what he was doing. As the first rays of the sun shone over the walls of Kaleido, Kaigo and Vigo each mounted the bike of their choice and headed out for the secret guild highway out to the wild.

  “Hey, old-man.” Kaigo called over the radio built into their helmets.

  “What’s on your mind, kiddo?”

  “I just wanted to check in with my superior dad. How are you holding up?”

  Vigo let out a raspy laugh. “I’m keeping up with you youngsters during training, ain’t I? Though I do miss being able to pummel you in the boxing ring. S-rank really is on another level.”

  “What can I say? I’m built different. Can’t wait to go toe to toe with the Kaiju.”

  “Whatever you got to tell yourself to deal with the fear. I’ll admit looking over the footage of the Kaiju had me shaking in my boots. It’s a bit nuts to think we will be fighting something like that.”

  “Yeah. It’s a bit nutty, alright. If we don’t find lover-boy then there’s really nothing that we can do but run it down kamikaze style. Ichor death is going to suck.”

  “We will find him. I guarantee it,” Vigo assured.

  “Hey, have you ever thought that Belaphorde might not be alright? That he needs help? Because the way you talk about Bel it’s… it’s weird. Like, I think any sane parent would have something to say about suddenly disappearing or deciding to get married. Not that it isn't super cool that you just went with the flow on that one.”

  Vigo snorted with a huge smile on his face. “You see, kiddo, I love my boy, and love means letting yourself be a little bit insane towards a person. That’s it. Now less yapping. I’ll lead from here.”

  The two rushed through an underground tunnel and arrived up on the surface outside the city. The ground was all mucked up dried mud. In the cracked ground, there were signs of tracks and footprints. Scorch marks bloomed across the metal door. The assailants clearly had no chance against the wall’s fortifications. Their wheels kicked up clouds of dust.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Love, huh? Kaigo thought. He didn't know the full history of Vigo and Belaphorde, but he knew for sure the both of them were completely insane in completely opposite directions.

  Before he had a chance to reply, a familiar, pencil-sharp voice crackled through the speakers.

  “This is HQ, do you copy?”

  “Loud and clear, my apple pie. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  Jenny sighed, though she sounded less irritated than normal. “I'm checking in to make sure this excursion goes well. Lucky for you, I got good news to share.”

  “Awesome sauce! Let's hear it.”

  “Dungeon readings have remained stable, if unusually low. Any blips have quickly disappeared. We have no reason to believe that the Knave is an immediate threat unless something drastic happens in the next couple of hours. You have a couple of hours you can be away before the Guild comes looking for you. Weather is cloudy and should remain stable until tonight.”

  Vigo tapped the side of his helmet. “Thank you, miss. We'll be back before you know it.”

  “One more thing,” Jenny continued. “Remember to remain discreet. You are on your own out there. Treat the Outskirts as enemy territory. There are people who would love nothing more than to take down Guardian guild members. This goes for Kaigo especially. Just find Guide Belaphorde and be out of there.”

  “I love it when you show you care.” Kaigo peppered Jenny with kissy noises before she hung up with an audible groan.

  “Watch out!” Vigo shouted as Kaigo headed straight for the remains of a brick wall. Kaigo skidded up on his back wheel and, with a boost of steam, jumped over the wall. He flew through the air. A trail of power-washed tracks behind him. The motorbike slid down a smooth mud arch as Kaigo landed.

  Vigo drove up next to the mudslide and lifted up his visor. “Geeze. You almost gave me a heart attack, kid.”

  “Yeah. Me too.” Kaigo got off to push his ride out of the muck. Jenny naturally asked what was going on to which the boys replied that all was fine, though they did remain silent as Vigo led the way to his former colleagues hideout.

  The grey sky cast a solemn backdrop to the destroyed city. Resettlers hauled the ruins into organized piles. Kaigo didn’t understand why anyone would still hang around this dump. In the distance, following in the craters of the Kaiju were life and movement. The rebel gangs had successfully built a resistance inside the trampled district. On the edge of the Outskirts bordering on the pine woods was the old Satellite main house. Vigo stopped a comfortable distance away. He asked Kaigo to keep an eye on their bikes while he looked for Bel. Eyes were on them. Weapons ready. Vigo made a show of taking off his helmet, ruffling up his hair, and scratching his beard. With casual swagger he walked up towards the buildings. Halfway there, two familiar ladies stepped outside and greeted him by the door. They did their old people routine. Talking about how long it's been, how everything has gone to shit. Vigo made sure to act friendly but not give out unnecessary details like how he was now comfortably living in the city. Once he reached the subject of Belaphorde, he was not prepared for the answers. He was led inside and got to take a look at the closet Belaphorde had been staying in. There was nothing but a bag filled with spare clothes. His heart sank at the sight of an old handkerchief. It had lost its pristine white color, but there was no doubt in his mind about the origins of his old pocket cloth that he handed to a scared boy who had lost everything. He folded up the handkerchief and placed it on the inside of his leather jacket.

  Vigo returned with heavy steps. Brows knitted together in thought.

  “No luck?” Kaigo called out and handed the elderly man his helmet.

  “It was a hit. Belaphorde has been staying here.”

  “Awesome! So where is my husband?”

  “Since Belaphorde left, he has been helping the little Guild here. I was told he goes out on long hunts, all on his own. He’s the most productive hunter here.”

  “Say what?” Kaigo threw up his hands in disbelief. “No. That doesn’t make any sense. He’s unranked-—a Guide.”

  “He has been using those artifacts he took with him. Though they could not tell me more about how he fights since apparently he insists on going at it solo.”

  “Incredible. It’s like he’s playing a survival horror with some sick resource management in order to balance the use of cores if that’s his only method of attack. That guy is just full of surprises. Not that it’s super surprising hearing he’s being a stupid loner baka.”

  “It’s worrisome that he’s out there alone. What’s worse is that the last anyone saw him was days ago. He left without a word and has not returned. Luckily it’s been unusually quiet. There have been almost no monsters in the area. It’s like Jenny told us: signs of dungeons have been disappearing as quickly as they appear. I was also told he moves around on the motorbike he borrowed from you, so we should be able to find his tracks. I got some general directions we should be checking.”

  “Then there’s no time to waste. Lead on, James Bond.”

  “James Bond?”

  “You know. Old. Hot. Superspy. It’s what my mouth said, so now that’s what I’m going with.”

  “Whatever you say, kiddo.”

  The two got up on their bikes and headed into the forest.