Rufus' hand swept the ground of the training ground, a blast of fire shooting towards Albert. The silver-haired boy grinned, dashing to the side and blocking the swaying flames with his ice.
Rufus mirrored him, circling the arena, his legs steadily gravitating towards the center. Despite his skills in close-combat, Rufus was more of a ranger than a pure duelist. His skillset at the moment was arranged so he could fight from a distance without needing to engage with his opponent up close.
Of course--
He could do both.
Albert peered from behind his effervescent ice and threw a blinding kick across Rufus' chest. The red-haired boy leaned back, dodging. But Albert remained constant and consistent, utilizing his momentum to flip over and use his opposite leg to do a downward kick.
Still--Albert was skilled. Fire erupted from his fist, cladding most of his arm. Then, without missing a beat, the fire stretched forward, spewing with utter quickness. Albert widened his eyes, but he cracked a grin.
Albert encased his foot with ice, negating the burning effects of what could have been a definitive blow. For mere Normal-Grade students of the lower-echelons--they were skilled, without a doubt.
But the memories of the 4-star dungeon lingered at the back of their minds, bolstering them to compete towards something greater than themselves. That terrifying horror--the brutality of Avodus Crylo was something that they weren't prepared for.
And it almost costed them.
Their personalities - Rufus and Albert - may clash from time-to-time, but there was a mutual understanding that was unspoken but present.
To never be put in a place where their minds were corroded in despair and pain and fear.
They fought more, their clashes seeming endless.
~~~
When Alice woke up, her nose did not smell the unique scent of hospitality nor did her eyes see the marble ceilings of an infirmary. Instead, the stench of blood and sweat and death lingered, almost suffocatingly.
Also--the faint scent of vomit could be smelled not too far away.
Above, the majestic moonlight shone brightly. The world stood still for a moment as Alice pushed herself upwards. Her body had been placed on top of a sleep bag, and the once bloody ground was now sopping wet.
A meter or so away from her--a dim fire swayed.
Grace was situated near it, his eyes reflecting against the swaying flames and his body igniting with clashes of orange and reds. In his hands were two pieces of gum that he shoved into his mouth, a fresh scent of mint exiting his mouth.
Peaceful.
He almost seemed peaceful despite the dreadful situation they had been in not too long ago. Alice shuffled, knocking Grace out of his daze. He turned away from the fire, his eyes locking with Alice.
"How long have I been out?" She asked Grace.
"About... 20 or so minutes? Not too long, but I couldn't do much else but this--I'm beat." He turned back to the fire and closed his eyes for a moment, reveling in the heat that the soft flames emitted.
"I scouted the area not too long ago--there's a stream of water behind you. I already used it to wash up, but perhaps you want to wash up as well." His face remained neutral, merely feeling the world as it was.
Alice nodded.
"I will," Alice responded. "Don't peak." She added at the end. Grace shook his head, a soft chuckle exiting his lips.
"Wouldn't bet on it."
Mentally, I'm 20 years old. Hardly a life, but a life nonetheless. He was older than them mentally, but he was not any more wiser than another. After all, he has never witnessed the sights of battle at these heights before.
Just an ordinary man living an ordinary life.
Grace summoned a towel from his dimensional storage ring and threw it to Alice. Catching it, she nodded her head in thanks.
"No problem."
Walking away, Alice left the campfire site, the light of the flames growing dim as she entered the outskirts of the village and into the forest that had been behind her. As Grace said, there was a stream of water situated not too far away from them.
Unveiling herself, she dropped herself down into the water, a soft exhale escaping her lips. The pain and fatigue--it all was being washed away by the flowing stream of water.
On her body, she felt the marks and gashes she sustained all throughout the fight. Some - without the appropriate healing - may become scars that would remind her of travesties that occurred today.
Regardless--they were a reminder.
This much is normal. Alice told herself. Pain was unavoidable during the pursuit of her goals. To be deterred by the byproducts of battle would be a sign for anyone to simply quit. Unless they conquer that fear, forging themselves anew.
The battle with Benjamin was tough.
However, due to Grace and herself being particularly well-trained in close-combat, they were able to avoid serious injuries early on and even outclassed Benjamin in some ways despite the difference in Grades.
On the other hand, once he had temporarily risen to a higher Grade, the difference between them became more pronounced. And the chances of victory grew slim--but never zero.
"He's pretty good," Alice muttered to herself. Grace had managed to hold out on his own despite been 4 Grades lower than Benjamin. Of course, much of it can be attributed to him tending to playing it safe and avoid hand-to-hand combat due to the Grades being so astronomical in nature.
But that is an achievement.
To win against someone of a higher Grade, regardless of the method, is something commendable.
A satisfied look appeared on her face.
"Teaming up with him again wouldn't be awful."
After all, she saw it very clearly--Grace was quick to capitalize on situations where victory was on the other side of the tunnel. Like when they fought the Slumbering Trees and other mana beasts in the forest, Grace was quick to create a route for Alice to brutality finish off the Slumbering Trees without going to unnecessary lengths.
His style of fighting was incredibly complementary to any person. He could switch from hand-to-hand combat to a far-range style, and even act as support for individuals; a truly flexible fighter that was lucrative when thinking about team composition.
I wonder... what God does he devote himself to? They certainly have a secretive family. There were many instances of other families questioning the God that the Walker Family devotes themselves to.
Their answer always remained the same--
Family secrets.
A God that has been passed down from their family for generations.
"Isn't that enticing," she muttered. Alice shrugged her shoulders, not putting more thought into it.
The Walker Family isn't the only family with secrets.
All the Great Families do.
Some families were just more transparent than others.