"Winner— recruite Kanima Hapota".
Eloth announced as he made for the centre of the hall, towards the location of the duel, with his arms clamped tightly behind his back.
With a few strides, he reached the body of the unconscious teenager and nudged him with the tip of his black combat boot.
A curious light played in his eyes.
At that moment, the bell rang.
The Combat training for the Class Unique had ended.
And, according to the basic schedule, they had five minutes till the next class.
"Trainee Zilah, Trainee Ikem ", Eloth called out.
The two recruits, male and female quickly shuffled out from within the herd of teens.
"Yes Sir!!" They replied.
"Kindly escort Recruit Neely and Recruit Hapota to the healing point"
Eloth ordered as he placed a candid gaze on the both of them.
Turning, he walked quickly towards a door at the corner,
"Do that now, before you head to your next class."
He reached the door, waited for a few seconds, before placing his palm on a small green rune inscribed at its sides.
"Open" he said.
The metallic door slowly slid open.
Eloth walked out, before turning left of the hallway.
A few moments after he did, the students followed; rushing out of the hall through the open door.
They went in the same direction as him.
Most of them talking about the duel they had witnessed.
In some ways they bore uncanny similarities to a flock of chattering birds.
Ikem turned to the girl Zilah with his mouth open to speak,
She happened to be the one that had flung Drey Igues to the back of the class out of frustration.
He got a weird feeling from her; and her keeping a face like the world owed her money did not help.
But considering their situation and upon which grounds they stood, it seemed that it owed her more than that— it owed everyone more than that actually.
He shut his mouth, chossing to steer clear of her.
Kanima carefully made her way towards the door, wiping away the drops of blood flowing down her nose.
She struggled to maintain an upright posture.
Her steps turned weak and wobbly.
She stumbled.
Zilah moved, skillfully catching her by placing a hand against her shoulder.
"Leave me be" She shook Zilah's hands away.
Zilah's gaze darkened.
She stood still for a few moments before snorting:
"Suit yourself"
She made for the door, fully intening on leaving them behind.
"I'd be late to the next class if I helped anyways."
Ikem silently lifted Morgen's collapsed body off the ground, placing it dismissively atop his left shoulder, he turned to walk.
He did not say anything as he watched Zilah leave.
Instead he quickened his pace, intending to reach Kanima.
"Hey"
His voice was warm.
He slowed down as he reached her, walking towards her left.
Kanima kept on moving, her gaze shaking as she fought a mental battle to stay upright.
"Hey.
Hello!!
Kanima, I'm talking to you"
Ikemefuna spoke again.
At this point they left the advanced classroom and entered the hallway.
And without much contemplation, choosing to walk opposite the direction Eloth and the students had taken.
The right turn.
The rune empowered door closed quickly behind them.
"Kanima?"
Ikem tried once more. He made to grab her shoulder but a steel grip caught his hands instead.
"What?!" Kanima stopped, turning to stare at the boy disturbing her.
Yet her vision doubled.
She was seeing two of him.
"I just wanted to talk, actually" he answered. "Nothing else"
His voice was calm as he tried his best offering what he thought was a reassuring smile.
"I'm sorry, but I don't feel like talking, and especially not with someone as gloriously infamous as you"
Her tone was icy, and her eyes narrowed slightly as she spoke.
"What?" Ikem was stumped.
He stood in silence for a few moments and did not notice when Kanima began walking.
"Wait" he chased back after a few seconds. The body of the huge, unconscious teen on his shoulder weighed almost nothing to him.
As he closed the distance, he stretched out a hand for Kanima's shoulder.
"Try touching me and see what happens!" Kanima scowled, her expressionless facade disappearing.
Her eyes gleamed a new, dangerous silver as she thoroughly searched his face.
Her voice was low as well, and was slowly losing the edge it had during the duel.
Unluckily, Ikem didn't hear her speak and proceeded to touch her shoulder.
His arm was caught sharply, and in turn, a silvery light was transferred into it.
It hung still in the air as he felt a sense of numbness spread through it.
Soon, gisright arm was paralyzed
"What is the meaning of this?", he asked whilst taking a few steps backwards. 'Is this girl mad' he wondered mentally. "Undo this at once" he ordered instead.
Kanima gazed into his eyes as she began muttering some indecipherable words.
'Prayers!',Ikem reeled, doubling back.
He stared curiously as his right fist moved on its own, position itself accurately, before punching him squarely on the face.
He took another step back almost dropping Morgen in the process.
"Crap", he muttered, "What for?, is this just because I touched your arm?".
Kanima did not turn again but continued walking, she snapped her fingers; mentally releasing Ikem's arm from her paralysis and control.
Ikem shook his head in distaste as he stood still, he felt the childish urge to retort but carefully reasoned against it, staring intently at the feeble departing back of his classmate."That crazy girl means a lot of trouble" he uttered aloud.
He had just meant to ask about her movement techniques, and how she seemed to defy the law of physics as she fought. To his understanding, it wasn't supposed to be part of her Supernatural abilities or the presiding abilities within her body.
He sighed,
'Looks like I'll have to verify my thoughts some other way then'.
He began walking.
Kanima alternated between stopping and starting as she staggered. Her movements seemed less and less purposive and bordered almost on the line of visible confusion.
She swayed much harder.
"Are you okay?" Ikem asked from behind her watching her nearly tumble, he thought it must have been due to the injuries she had gotten previously. He had no idea about the slow healing abilities of the Blesseds.
Going to see the healing point was just a display of formality by Instructor Eloth and to allow the duelers a short time of reprieve and rest. It was a basic fact that when a blessed was allowed a period of rest, their body would be able to heal itself on its own; due to the gift of gods.
Kanima continued her strange and wobbly movements.
Until, she turned back. Staring at Ikem dead in the eye for a lengthened period of time. Her gaze was cold, and her face unbearably aloof.
Like a low-budget nose dripping sculpture
The two of them stared at each other just in front of an intersection in the hallway. Time seemed to pass by awkwardly with none of them choosing to speak.
Ikem sighed once more. "What?", he asked, the tone of his voice showing clearly of how much he longed not to talk to her.
"Infamous Kid", she called.
Her words made Ikem look around, wondering if he was the only person with her.
He was. Well, him and the unconscious Morgen on his shoulder.
"Yes?", he addressed her, mentally suppressing the urge to snort at her face.
"Which hallway leads to the healers office?" She asked, her face looked gracelessly stoic, heavily worn out and showed clear hints of fatigue.
"You're lost?" Ikem asked, trying harder to suppress the smirk threatening to bloom.
"Answer the damned question!".
Ikem's smirk quietly receded. 'Crap!!'
He closed his eyes. He also did not know the directions to the healers office, he had never been there before.
"So?", Kanima queried.
"I don't know" she was supplied an answer.
For a few moments the atmosphere around them turned awkward.
"Useless!" then she spat.
And, just then, the unconscious body on Ikem's shoulder stirred.
Morgen groaned pitifully as he awoke. He was then dropped heavily on the floor.
He slowly sat upright as he looked about, subconsciously covering his crotch as he caught sight of Kanima standing a few feet in front of him.
–Instinct, they say, saves lives.
A glimmer of hope was ignited in Ikemefuna's heart. He bent down, grasping Morgen by the collar and forcing his at him
.
"What!?", Morgen asked warily as he tried to break free from Ikem's grip. He knew Ikem as the guy who was ostracized by the class on the belief that he had murdered an Instructor. And Ikem, staying together with Kanima; his previous opponent didn't seem to bode too well for him.
However, Ikem's grip was too strong. "Le... Let me go" he struggled.
"Morgen, Morgen, listen to me please", Ikem pleaded desperately, "Do you know the direction to the healer's office".
Getting caught loitering on the Camp Hallway was a punishable offense, and a great one at that. And the reason for it's graveness was unknown.
"No, I don't", Morgen finally succeeded in shrugging Ikem's hands off, he rose up, leaving Ikem on the floor, "How could I?, these hallways look incredibly similar!!!".
He emphasized by waving his arms towards the hallway they stood on and then that after the next bend.
Ikem's hope flickered, because after further questioning it was found out that none of them knew the way back.
To the class hall or their next class.
Time was ticking.
'Curses!'