Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

"That would explain why Jori looked disappointed when he confirmed that I wasn't a melee fighter," Rain thought. "Well, I can fight up close, but I should avoid that without some kind of weapons."

Thanks to that, Rain wondered what kind of weapons he would use in that world. Boxing gloves didn't exist, but he wasn't planning to use them since they would decrease his attack power. Attacking with his fists directly would only damage them over time, even with healing magic, but that would make them harder.

"I guess for offense, claws will do… but if I want more balance, forearm guards will be a better option," Rain thought.

In the end, Rain decided to make that decision as soon as he returned. When he realized that the capital disappeared in the distance, he confirmed that he needed to put his mind to the game. At the same time, he confirmed that the group didn't say a single thing in several hours. Their teamwork was bound to such thanks to that.

"You guys don't know each other for long?" Rain asked Terra, who seemed the most friendly of the group, but she took a few steps away from him when he did that, but she still smiled.

"We have been working together for three months," Terra replied, trying to pretend that nothing happened.

"Okay…" Rain said and then took several steps away as well.

"Sorry about that…" Terra showed a sad smile.

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"No worries," Rain said while looking in the distance.

Rain thought that since he was going to work with them, he might as well try to help them a little, but since the most friendly person was like that, he lost all the interest. He didn't care if she had her issues or something; Rain won't stand to be treated like that.

Before long, night fell, and the group began to prepare to camp under a tree. The sky was quite cloudy, and it was getting quite cold, but Rain didn't feel that bad thanks to his clothes and scarf that his grandmother gave him. At least the group knew how to work together to make a camp for the night.

Jori and Reca looked for wood to burn; Asche and Terra cooked the food while Asche looked after the fire. Rain didn't do much aside from observing since their work was well divided.

Since the night was quite cold in the winter, the group was forced to stay quite close to each other around the campfire, but they still didn't like getting too close to each other. The silence was also almost deafening, thanks to the awkwardness. Rain wondered if they were just that bad at socializing or if something happened to the group before; he couldn't ask, though.

"I never imagined that this mission would be this much fun," Rain thought and then trembled a little when a breeze passed around the group. In the end, he created an earth wall that enveloped them to protect them against that. "I hope that you guys don't mind this."

The others looked surprised that Rain could do that much. Everyone knew that mana and magic ability only improved with time and constant training, so it was quite something that he could do that much. In any case, thanks to the walls, the heat of the campfire warmed them up more than before, and things got more comfortable.

"We will take turns as usual to keep guard of the camp, and since you are here, you can take the second turn with me," Jori declared after a while. "We will depart at sunrise in order to reach our destination at noon, so make sure to rest properly."

Everyone nodded. At first, Rain thought that he wouldn't have to take a turn, but it made sense to split the work into pairs. After everyone ate some stew, everyone went to bed while Reca and Liss jumped on the walls to keep watch of the surroundings. They couldn't see much, thanks to the cloudy sky, but it was better than nothing.

"Waking up in the middle of the night will be a pain, but sleeping again afterward will be even worse… but I guess it makes sense for the guys of the group to take that role," Rain thought.

Chivalry was a thing in that world, and it was taken very seriously. In any case, Rain took a cloak from his backpack and used it as a blanket. At that moment, he realized that he should have trained more about sleeping in camps… sleeping while sitting was quite difficult. There were also some pebbles around, so Rain made a mental note to get rid of them every time before camping.

It took a while, but Rain eventually fell asleep while sitting. He woke up several times, though, when his neck fell to the side, and there was nothing to stop it. Laying down was an option, but Rain didn't want to feel that exposed. If something happens, he has to get up as soon as possible, after all.

In the end, one hour before midnight came, and Rain and Jori's turn to guard the camp came. He didn't feel that he slept at all, but he could endure that for a few days.

"You are a newbie in the organization, but you don't look nervous about leaving the capital," Jori said. "Aren't you from here?"

"We will wake up the others if we talk," Rain replied.

"You can rest easy. They sleep like rocks," Jori said.

That probably wasn't something a kid of his age should say about the girls. It only made him look suspicious. Still, the group wouldn't have lasted for three months if they thought that the kid did something to them while they were asleep.

"I am not from the capital; I am from Tristan… and the other city that fell for the magic people," Rain replied.

"My family also ran away from Reiga eight years ago," Jori replied.