Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

"What the… you are a complete mess!" Jori said while raising his voice.

"... What are we going to do now? Is the beast king dead?" Reca asked after hesitating and looking around.

"We return home…" Rain said and then sighed. "He is alive, and this should be enough to buy us some time… A few months, perhaps."

Fighting without killing was a real pain in the ass since there was no experience gained. Still, using his newest skill made Rain gain some experience since it leveled up thanks to his use. In any case, they could fly relatively fast with Rain\'s current mana regeneration, so he soon created an earth platform.

The audience in the arena looked at Rain and his friends leaving the area while flying… they suffered a lot of damage. However, it was still shocking that they won without losing even once… now they won\'t be able to follow the beast king\'s orders to war blindly…

Along the way, Rain tried to stay conscious even though every single moment felt like an agony. Still, the earth platform would tremble now and then since his focus was waning. He made a mental note to learn how to control the Earth platform while sleeping, even though that probably was too much.

"We should stop and rest for a bit. It will be worse if you end up making us fall," Jori said. "It is night, and there is nothing around that will show others about our location."

"It is fine. I am slowly healing myself," Rain said and then put his bones in the right places and then kept them immobile by using a bit of earth magic.

Jori and Reca felt shivers while seeing Rain doing that… they didn\'t think that they would be able to do the same since it would be too painful. Fortunately, he finished that soon and then laid down to rest while he was controlling the flying speed of the platform… After that, it didn\'t tremble anymore.

In the end, they returned to the camp where the others were on the morning of the second day of the trip… Rain looked a lot better, but he still looked like a mess, so that made everyone understand that they experienced one hell of some negotiations.

"... Sit down and don\'t move a muscle or open your mouth," Terra said after she let out a long sigh. "Tell us what happened, Jori. Since Reca is terrible at giving a summary of things."

"I can give a better summary of the events, and I am itching to tell the tales of my bravery and heroism," Rain said.

"Just shut up before I make you… seriously, how the hell were you able to get this much hurt?" Terra asked.

"Yes, ma\'am," Rain said. "Just don\'t stare too much."

Gathering the team together, Jori provided a clear overview of the mission. Despite its duration, which amounted to less than a week, the negotiations had been remarkably intense. The confrontations had escalated to such a degree that it felt as though a considerable amount of time had passed.

Jori explained that the violent nature of the negotiations had left everyone on edge. The atmosphere had been charged with tension and violence, leaving a lasting impact on the team members. In light of these challenging circumstances, it was now clear why Rain appeared so battered and worn.

"Wow… you guys picked a fight with the beast king in less than five minutes," Branden said. "Why am I not surprised?"

"At least that explains why we didn\'t see other beast people around the mountains," Roan said while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "You definitely bought us some time…"

"You don\'t look that happy, what happened?" Rain asked.

"I told you to shut up, didn\'t I?" Terra asked. "You fixed your bones, but your muscles are completely messed up. You won\'t heal completely unless you use all of your energy to recover, and just using healing magic won\'t do it. There is no point in using healing magic if you keep opening the same wound."

"I will use hand signs instead of talking, then," Rain said.

"Nothing happened, so just follow Terra\'s orders for now," Roan said. "I suppose we can return to the village and only come here now and then to check things up."

Rain wanted to know what was going on. Still, he probably wouldn\'t get any information out of anyone since they were looking in all directions to avoid the questions. Thanks to that, Rain eventually relaxed too much to the point that he fell asleep… he hadn\'t slept that much in the last five days, so it couldn\'t be helped.

When Rain woke up, he felt like he was starving… he probably slept for a day or two… he could tell that. Fortunately, his body was much better than before, and only a few of his muscles were sore.

"I guess she has improved her healing skills yet again…" Rain thought and then jumped from his bed. "I feel alive like never before... nothing like feeling like shit for several days."

As Rain exited the house, he was greeted by a sight that instantly set off warning signals in his mind. The entire group, including Esmeralda, had congregated outside, and their collective expressions bore a gravity that hung heavy in the air. Esmeralda, while appearing a bit thin and wearied, seemed to be in decent health.

However, the prevailing atmosphere among the group was unlike anything Rain had witnessed before—an uneasiness that pervaded the very essence of their gathering.

"All right, drop the bomb," Rain said. "Nothing will surprise me after all the shit that has happened."