He saw Synthy's small body pull herself up. She stared at Mathias incredulously before shaking her head. "... That hurt."

"... No kidding," he said, coaxing the ice to return to his back and hip.

Once he felt soothe the two areas, he collapsed on the ground.

"Match! What a match!" Erik shouted. "Mathias is the victor! He defeated Synthy even when she powered herself up with Mina's knife! Even I don't think I could've survived that onslaught! Ah, healers! Please see to them and then you can claim your bets!"

They forgot they had a job to do.

However, it seemed that the three who kept losing finally won with Mathias. So not all was lost. They won just enough to keep them coming back.

"Water Set! Water Mend! Water Recovery! Water Heal!"

A series of chants came from the healers as they looked after their champions. Of course, this meant just one was helping Synthy, but multiple healers simply meant two were just calling out the injuries that the one working could see at a glance. They even saw the entire fight.

Erik appeared over Mathias' head, "good job! Need a hand?"

"... Uh, sure?" Erik pulled him up gently, but Mathias still howled, "argh! Damn it!" and held his back.

"I apologize for not informing you earlier," the healer who treated him said. He won his bet so he was more empathetic than the others seeing his condition and victory. "As a fellow water mage, I assumed you were aware of the issues with healing magic in our art. I hope I did not give you false confidence in your condition."

"Nah... I knew, but... I didn't expect to be thrown," he impulsively glared at Synthy.

"... I-I'm sorry if I interrupted it," Mina said to Synthy, quite loudly, "Lina told me that I should give you the dagger myself!"

"... Did I? I don't recall." Lina looked away.

"It's fine. The result is the same." Synthy turned to Mathias and said, "good fight."

"... You too."

And both went their own ways. Mathias was given his earnings, ten gold to that which the other ten he won in the bet, and he was half-dragged out of the arena.

Jenna looked at him curiously as she passed the two frayed staves back to him. "I lost that bet," she said. "Granted, I wonder if that'll make that girl be more serious about using her gifts. Hand-to-hand combat is her least talented area. I did not expect this result. Good job."

After turning to the crowd who was waiting for her and the healers to step out of the way, Jenna said, "training is over. You're all dismissed, save for the last seven. You may stay or leave, it matters not."

"Uh..." Erik looked around as he saw Ayla also hesitate. He was holding Mathias up, but since it would not be not much longer, there was no point in going.

Except Mathias said, "I'm... leaving..."

And tried to shamble off on his own. No one really thought to talk him out of it, considering the day he had, but they did not want to just skip the last three fights either.

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It was solved by one person.

"I'll take care of him. We'll meet around dinner, right?" Lisanna said.

"Yeah! We have a cake-meeting to go to!"

Everyone cheered. The cheers were less pronounced from the others who had yet to fight, but they too made it through the grind. They were well deserving of some celebratory cake.

Lisanna wrapped her arm under Mathias' left shoulder as she saw him use a reformed staff as a crutch. He tried to shake her off, but she growled, "don't! I'm trying to help!"

"... It's fine. I just need a nap... and a bath... and another nap."

"That's fine. We have more than an hour. You can have at least two of the three."

"... Hey," Mathias said as they cleared the field, eyes threatening to close.

"Yes?"

"... Please don't wake me up that early again..."

---

Lisanna was strangely impressed at the sight of the sleep-walking Mathias. She thought it might have happened this morning too, but it was strange to see all the same. Now she was fairly certain he'd done the same thing in the morning, but she decided to not think too much of it.

The trek normally lasted a few minutes and now it more than fifteen.

Conceivably, it could be over already, but she did doubt it.

Lisanna helped Mathias take off his boots, set them on the guys' side of the rack, and then do hers. When they finally reached their room, he started to take off his shirt, threw it down, and collapsed.

Normally she would have told him off for being indecent around a girl; however, the wounds seemed to be glaring at her from his pale, jade-like skin.

She crouched down to an entire third of his mid- and upper-back was covered in a pastel blue bruise. His lower back was covered in a brace of ice that seemed to lock itself around his hips, but even though it was a little frosted, it almost looked yellowy green. The bruise was terrible.

On his back alone, he about five six-plus inch long, cauterized cuts, with three more appearing on one shoulder. She could not see the front, but the uniform was so shredded that it would be ridiculous to think it to be any less than ten. And his upper-back and neck were covered in so many bite marks that a case of pox would be a better explanation.

There were minor burns here and there, but she was struck about how smooth his skin was, despite the obvious training - and scars.

There was a knock on the door.

"Hello?" She said, voice cracking a little.

"May I come in?"

"Erik?"

"Yeah! We just finished the fights."

She opened the door. And closed it right after. He was alone, but she did not exactly want people to see this for some reason.

Erik sucked in a breath and lifted his own shirt and looked into the mirror Lisanna brought from the storage area.

"... Can you not?"

Erik laughed. "I was comparing myself, okay? Girls do it all the time to each other."

"That's... not wrong, but still. He clearly needs sleep."

"Well, it's clear now. Hey," Erik said motioning to the arm that hung off the bed. "Is that the... water lady's doing?"

About two dozen claws marks were crisscrossing Mathias' forearms. Since it was a common sight to have water revolving around his arms and neck, it was overlooked by many.

"I guess so- what are you doing!?"

Erik turned Mathias to take a good look at his chest.

"Ah, I count fifty if you count the claw marks. I think I got six from the rock gorilla? Hmm, there's no changing the meeting now..."

Erik set Mathias back down and looked at Lisanna.

"Hey, you mind grabbing some of his clothes? I feel like I know a way to get him feeling better."

"... And that is?"

"The baths! He always has the water running around him after all, and I feel better in the wind. Since water mages - and Mathias - can heal themselves, maybe he'll do it while sleeping?"

"And if he drowns?"

Erik stared at her blankly. "Have you ever heard of a water mage that ever drowned? I'll be there, too."

"But-"

"It's for his sake more than mine," Erik said with a sigh. "There's rumours going around that your fatigue is washed away if you sit close to him in a bath. Jedd says they're true, but I don't know. Either way, if it helps, it helps."

"I-I see.." Lisanna was troubled but she couldn't think of anything aside from rest. If he was still sleeping, then did it matter where? She glared at Erik.

He reeled back, stammering, "w-what?"

"If he drowns or gets hurt worse then it'll be on your head. I will not - I repeat, I will not - be happy."

"Woah... I didn't know you two were like that," Erik dodged the punch instinctively before raising his hands. "Fine, whatever! Like I said before, I'll be there and I won't even tell anyone about your crush!"

"He's not my crush!"

Erik did not dodge that punch.

But he had to brush it off since plans waited for no man.