After splitting the beast's body parts among the five of them where Rain got the arcane stone, despite his persistence to share it with everybody, he admitted defeat when all four insisted that he should take it, for he was the one who actually killed the beast.
The horns, the skin, and fangs were chopped into parts and distributed to all five of them. But of course, with the gigantic thing and toughness of its parts, they could only take what they could cut and carry.
After so much regret, crying, and unwillingness to leave the other parts to rot, they decided to go, dragging the heartbroken, unwilling Rever.
After the passageway closed and Rever had resigned to his fate that he wouldn't get those richest anymore, the five of them chatted as they walked towards the newly opened passageway.
In the passageway, Arca purposely went beside Rain. Rever and Ethan glanced at each other with a grin on their faces and left Rain and Arca alone.
But not without giving a suggestive wink at Rain which cause the latter to be at a loss for words.
Ethan and Rever knew that Arca wanted to say something to Rain while Alfonse continued quietly as their vanguard.
Arca cleared her throat and crossed her arms, trying to act in control. "So . . . ugh . . . Rain . . . thank you for saving me."
Rain glanced at the awkward girl beside him and couldn't help but chuckle. "No worries. We are teammates, after all. It was only natural to save each other. And besides, my role was to take the attacks and beatings while yours was for support," Rain stated.
He said their roles on the battlefield to make Arca feel that it was only natural for him to save her because he really was supposed to take those hits. This was the only thing Rain could think of to make Arca forget the whole thing without being too arrogant nor cocky.
Arca felt that Rain wanted to end that chapter without asking anything in return. She felt complicated because the truth was she felt that Rain only saved her because he wanted to gain her favor like any other who approached her.
Now, however, she didn't know how to respond. She was already thinking about what to give him in turn for saving her life, but now she felt stupid instead for thinking that way.
The awkward silence continued as Arca was at a loss for words and didn't exactly know what to do next. She didn't, after all, expect that Rain would just brush off the issue of saving her life like it was normal on the battlefield. She was a Deux!
"By the way. Are you alright? I saw that beasts struck you." Rain couldn't help but glance at Arca. And how did you withstood that cold with just your body's energy?
Rain didn't have any malice nor underlying intention as to why he asked. He was just curious and worried about her. If she was hiding her injuries to save face, then it was better to come out of it so Ethan could heal her if ever.
Alfonse, Ethan, and Rever slowed their pace so they could hear Arca's explanation as to why she was alive after the devastating attack of the Frost Titan.
"Ah . . . well . . ." Arca looked at the side, "let's just say that I have a . . . lifesaving item with me develop by my mother."
Rain felt there was more to that, but he didn't press the matter anymore as he knew everyone had their secrets.
"What about you? What's with that surge of power you displayed? You were bathe in cerulean light, and there were markings all over your face," Arca asked with a hint of a joke in her voice.
She actually wasn't interested in the answer. She just wanted a topic to talk about so the air between them wouldn't turn awkward, and that was the first in line on her mind.
Ethan and Rever's ears perked. Their ears seemed to enlarge ten times while Alfonse glanced back for a brief moment.
Rain huffed a laugh. "Let's just say that I, too, have a lifesaving item in me."
"Here . . . how suspicious. How come you have some kind of item that I, daughter of the founder of Armalest, don't know of? Come on, show it to me!" Arca teased.
Her playful side showed as she raised both her hands, motioning to search Rain for the item. Her fingers wiggled as she grinned mischievously.
She was beginning to like Rain when he saved her, but it was more because he didn't ask anything in return.
Rain grinned. "I'll show you if you show me your secret item."
"Alright, enough flirting, you two. We are almost outside," Alfonse chimed with a cocky smile on his face. His body tilted to the side while a hand was on his waist.
"W-w-what! F-flirting? W-whose f-flirting!" Arca stuttered. Her blood all swarmed on her head. She looked like a tomato about to burst.
She looked adorable that the four men couldn't help but laugh.
"Alfonse, come back here! How dare you say that a noble maiden like me is flirting!" Arca raised her hand in the air as if to beat Alfonse while the latter sprinted towards the exit with a cocky grin on his lips.
"Hey, guys, wait for us!" Ethan and Rever chased Alfonse and Arca while teasing the poor girl until she was redder than tomatoes and the men laughed louder.
The leisure walked turned into a chase. The boys were now literally running for their lives when Arca drew her guns and shot at them.
"R-run!" Ethan roared in frantic. No one was laughing now.
"A-Arca! Y-you shot a hole in my jacket!" Rever bellowed with an unbelievable gaze as he turned over his shoulder and saw the angry red tomato girl chasing after them.
"That's not the only hole you'll get from me when I catch you!"
"Ahahahaha!"
----
"YOU FAILED!"
Eh? What?