Rin moved straight to the second floor.
The punches being thrown behind her, with most of them being blocked, sounded like cannons going off.
The walls shook, along with the floorboards, with every hit that was landed or blocked. A battle between two forces of unimaginable strength was taking place on that first floor, but Rin couldn't concern herself with it right now.
She needed to get Xhez to safety.
The door to the room where Rin had left the sprite was open. Broken into, specifically.
As Rin walked in, she found Cara standing there, staring back at a terrified water sprite.
Cara turned, seeing Rin walk in, and stuck an arm out, as though trying to shield Rin from Xhez.
"Rin, don't-"
"It's okay!" Rin yelled, pushing her arm down.
Of course, she wasn't strong enough to do that, but Cara, upon feeling Rin trying to walk past her, allowed it.
"It's okay! She's a friend," Rin told her, running over to Xhez's side. "It's Xhez! My sister, remember!?"
"What?" Cara asked, baffled. Her eyes bounced from Rin to Xhez, over and over again. She clearly couldn't believe that.
"I'll explain once we're safe. But, we need to go!" Rin stated.
"R-Right," Cara shook her head. A calmer expression found its way onto her face and, like Rin, she began picking their stuff up. "Let's go."
Rin didn't take much. Just some of her clothes and Xhez's water bag. As soon as she had these things she ran out of the room.
"Xhez, come!"
"O-Okay," the sprite replied nervously.
Cara followed behind them, and the three walked down to find that the front half of the building simply wasn't there anymore.
It had literally been torn off, blown away by the impact of the punches both sides were throwing out.
Harriton had once told Rin that Rank S adventurers were more akin to gods than humans. Now, she was seeing that statement be validated in real-time.
"AAAH!" Maria cried out as she ran forward, wood spiking up from where she'd dashed as the floor was broken, attacking Brine faster than Rin could register. As she did, she glanced at the group from the corner of her eye and kicked Brine away to put some space between them.
Maria positioned herself by her allies, prompting Brine to pause.
"Rin, go. I'm gonna-"
"No, you're going with her," Maria instructed Cara, without taking her eyes off her opponent.
"What?" Cara asked. "But, Maria, you-"
"I'm worried about our driver and our truck," Maria quickly clarified. She spoke in such a hurry that Rin almost struggled to understand her. "The fact that they came here so quickly after we arrived means they probably saw us coming and the guy might be dead right now. If he is, we'll be stuck in this dangerous territory, surrounded by powerful enemies. Understand?" She asked. "Now, go! Once you're done, come back."
"... Understood," Cara quickly replied. "Rin, come on."
"Oh, no you don't!" Brine yelled out, running toward them.
Maria met him at the center of the ruined inn, blocking his path.
Again, the ground shook and Rin stumbled, nearly falling on the ground.
"GO!" She yelled out.
Cara pulled both Rin and Xhez along harshly, then.
Maria's apprentice turned as she ran out of the inn, getting one last look at her master before they left.
[... Is she going to be okay?] Rin couldn't help but worry.
---
{Maria}
"Well," Brine said, as there was a brief interruption in their battle. "Now that you don't have to worry about protecting anyone, will you show me a more entertaining time? You *were* holding back, right?"
Maria remained silent, breathing steadily as she maintained her fighting stance.
"If you weren't, then, that's pretty disappointing. I figured you would have gotten weaker in the years you spent lazing around at that academy, but this... Are you even worthy of being Rank S anymore? You're more like Rank A or B, right now."
The first step in winning a battle against another human was to assess their strength. Getting a read on your opponent was crucial to determine the best plan against them. In that regard, Maria didn't need to do much.
She'd sparred with Brine a few times in the past and, judging by the blows they'd exchanged so far, it seemed his power level had not grown too much past what it was before. He was, mostly, the same.
The problem was her. Maria.
She could not say that about herself.
In the past, one well-placed strike from her would have been enough to tear half of Brine's body off, no matter how well he blocked it.
Now, she was finding herself reeling, after only a few introductory exchanges. This was the result of the fact that he had likely kept himself in fighting form, while Maria hadn't been in a serious fight in years.
However, she was still stronger than him. This much, she was certain of.
She had to be.
Knowing that, Brine's strategies were narrowed down to one fundamental element that Maria knew he'd rely on to win this battle.
[Trickery,] she thought. [He's not talking so much because he likes to speak between punches. He's trying to get under my skin.]
She prepared herself.
[Don't let him. If this turns into a battle of endurance, you *will* come out on top. If he wants to bet it all on a test of strength, you *will* overpower him. Force him into those positions. That is the way to win.]
"Are we entering round 2 already?" Brine asked with a smile, as he put his claws forward. "Fine, fine. Let's go again."
He did so because there were generally two ways for hand-to-hand fighters to turn their bodies into lethal weapons.
One was to accumulate enough strength to where taking a punch from them was akin to being crushed by a giant mace. This was the path Maria had chosen.
Then, there was to use techniques and attacks that effectively turned one's nails indistinguishable from the claws of a dragon. This was the path Brine had chosen.
In that sense, this battle could almost be viewed through the lens of a blunt weapon user going up against a swordsman.
She charged toward him, not holding anything back this time now that Rin and the others weren't there. Brine pre-emptively moved to block and Maria leaped above him, telegraphing that she was about to perform a falling kick of some sort. It was a lie, however, and instead, she landed just in front of him as he moved his arms to block a hit from above, and she punched him in the abdomen.
The man spat out blood.
[That alone would have killed him back in the day...]
He pulled back. Maria didn't want to give him any space to breathe.
Continuing her assault, she followed up with three more blows. As her fists struck his elbows and forearms, the man blocking her attacks as best as he could, explosive thudding sounds rang out that many of the nearby villagers heard, getting a little closer to see what was happening.
Maria hadn't used Essence yet, of course. That was a double-edged sword that she wouldn't rely on unless she felt she needed to.
Especially since her best ability required her to have all of her Essence in order to work.
One, two, three hits later, all of which were defended against, Maria finished her combo and stepped back, trying to catch her breath.
Brine just smiled.
"... You really have fallen from grace," he said with a chuckle. "That's it? The old Maria would have had me drowning in my own blood by now!"
As he said that, he grinned.
"And, she wouldn't have let me get any hits in return."
What he was referring to made itself clear as Maria felt two places start to sting. Her left shoulder and the right side of her abdomen.
He'd slashed her with his claws in the middle of her combo.
"Honestly, this can't be you! Are you someone else wearing Maria's skin? This can't be the level of the greatest duelist alive!"
[He's just trying to get you to slip up,] she thought. [Look at his body. Already battered and bruised. He knows that if you remain calm, you will beat him. Don't give into his words.]
"I'm glad that apprentice of yours isn't here to watch this. She would have been just as disappointed, I'm sure."
Upon hearing that, Maria flinched.
Brine smiled.
"Once this is done, I'll tell her about how pathetically you fought. I'll let her know her teacher was just a shadow of her former self. A worthless, walking shell of someone greater."
Maria ran forward again.
This time, she used her kicks.
A roundhouse kick, a spinning wheel kick, and a spinning back kick were all thrown out so quickly that to a regular person, it would have been easier to dodge arrows at point-blank than to dodge them. And yet, Brine managed to do so, dipping and ducking, avoiding each attack.
And in the middle of it, she felt a sting on her right calf and took a step back.
A red line cutting down the side of her leg showed that, again, she'd been hit in the middle of her attacks.
[Dammit!] Maria frowned, breathing heavily. [I was wrong in my assessment. He has gotten faster. Substantially so. It's not just me being out of practice, he's actually just quicker. I need to-]
"... And, what about your husband?" He asked.
Maria froze.
"I heard about what happened. I'm sure everyone in the world who keeps up with adventurer news did. A dragon, eh? Tough opponent, for sure, but back when you were in your prime, I would have guessed you stood a pretty good chance to beat one. And yet... Well, maybe it's for the best. At least he doesn't have to see what you've become."
For a brief instant, all of Maria's strength left her body.
[He's just trying to shake you. He's trying to make you slip! Ignore his words, just...]
Maria swallowed.
[But, he's right.] She thought. [I'm not the fighter I used to be. I've gotten worse. Much worse.]
---
{Cara}
There were too many questions in Cara's mind at the moment.
A water sprite was running beside her, being pulled by Rin as the three of them made their way to the truck that had gotten them here.
A monster. An unintelligent, dangerous monster, was running next to them with a terrified, human-looking expression on her face as they made their way outside the village, moving past one confused local after another.
Additionally, Brine's presence was unnerving. Up until now, Cara, along with everyone else who was investigating the Scorned had thought of them as mere cultists from remote lands looking for trouble.
Now, that couldn't be said anymore. They had an adventurer on their side. A well-known, Rank S adventurer.
The guild *needed* to hear about this.
But, if they couldn't escape this situation, they wouldn't. Hence why Cara agreed with Maria that the truck needed to be secured.
Even if the thought that Maria might be losing her fight right now was enough to break Cara's heart.
[Just keep moving. You'll go back and help in a moment.]
"Cara!" Rin yelled, pointing up ahead past the village's entrance, at the truck.
Predictably, the driver had been killed.
The strange part was that his was the only body here.
No guards. No locals. No other corpses. It was as though the Scorned had walked up, killed the man, and disappeared, all without anyone nearby caring.
"Sucks that he died but what matters is the truck," Cara stated. "Is it working? Come on, come on!"
She tore off the driver seat's door and hopped in, finding the keys still in the ignition.
But, no. The truck wasn't turning on.
Getting out again, she popped open the hood and found that everything inside had been broken.
Balling her hands up into fists, Cara just stared at it.
"What do we do?" Rin asked her.
"June is still in the village," Xhez, the sprite that Cara had been deceived into believing was Rin's sister, said. "From here, I can sense her Spirit in the distance. We must look for her."
"Maria's in trouble too," Rin added. "Cara, we should head back!"
Slowly, trying to ignore everything about this sprite, Cara nodded.
"You're right. Let's go."
[It was a waste coming here, but we needed to make sure. Now, I'm confused, though,] Cara thought, as she, Rin, and Xhez began running back the same way they came. [There's no way these people didn't notice. Did they really just stand by and watch as a man was murdered? Why? What is going on here?]
---
{Maria}
Over a dozen deep scratches could be seen all around Maria's body.
Her face, her chest, her arms, her abs, and her legs. Not a single part of her hadn't been wounded yet.
Brine hadn't gotten through this completely unscathed, however. He had bruises running up and down his arms, from blocking Maria's blows. But, he was still noticeably in better shape.
"I'm disappointed in you," he said. His smile had gone away by now and, judging by how his mocking tone had left as well, it seemed as though this wasn't part of any mind games.
He was being genuine.
"It's no exaggeration to say that you were once the goal of all martial artists. The peak of our journey manifested in your image. But now... Winning this fight doesn't even feel that good."
[... How much worse have I gotten?] She asked herself, holding up a pair of trembling fists. [Why didn't I train more? Why am I so much slower? How did I let this happen? How...?]
"Maria!" A voice called out to her.
She and Brine both looked toward it. Cara, followed by both Rin and Xhez, were hurrying back to the broken-down inn. Maria's eyes widened.
[Wait, no!]
"So, it seems our one-on-one has ended. But, have you noticed something, Maria?" He asked as Cara pulled out her greatsword. "I haven't used Essence at all."
Maria gritted her teeth, instinctively taking a step back as Brine walked forward.
"Neither have you, right? As a recommendation from one warrior to another, I'd say you should. Because," he pointed at Cara, "you know what's going to happen as soon as she reaches this inn."
Maria's eyes widened.
He wasn't wrong. She knew quite well what would happen.
If Maria wasn't able to take Brine down, Cara stood no chance.
Cara was an excellent adventurer, but fighting humans had never been that woman's strong suit.
And, Brine had gotten so much faster that Maria wasn't sure she could protect all three of them at once.
She couldn't let her reach this place without the fight being over.
Or, Cara, along with both Rin and Xhez, would die.
"AGH!" In an instant, Maria spread her Essence all throughout her body.
A fiery, orange-white aura came out, wrapping itself around her.
The force she emitted was strong enough to push away some of the debris around her, halting Cara, Rin, and Xhez as they neared the inn.
Brine stood ahead of her, unimpressed.
[I'll bet it all on this,] Maria thought. [It's all I have left.]
It was the single most powerful ability in Maria's arsenal and the main reason why she'd hesitated to use any Essence. Because this ability required all of one's Essence to be spent at once in order to work.
It was the same move she had tried to use on the dragon that had killed her husband.
A move that had already failed her once, but one she needed to rely on again.
[I'll only get one shot at it. Make it count,] she told herself. [Even if you don't kill him, at least weaken him enough for Cara to finish him off!]
A storm gathered over the inn, forming quickly. Wind spun around the ruined building, and Maria felt her limbs get so hot it was like they'd been set on fire.
Brine did not move. He, and any martial artist worth their salt, knew that this ability was borderline undodgeable.
Like the dragon Maria had faced, Brine would have to take it head-on.
And all she could do was hope that this time, the result would be different.
[NOW!]
Maria moved forward.
To the eyes of those watching, she'd completely disappeared. Brine, however, saw her close the distance and braced himself.
Maria pushed both her fists, filled with inhuman levels of Essence, ahead of her, aimed at Brine's heart.
"AAAGH!" She cried out as she struck him.
And he tried to block the attack.
Whatever was left of the inn was blown away here. All that remained was a cracked, destroyed floor with millions of pieces of wood, scattered throughout the scene of the battle.
Among them was one of Brine's arms, which had gone flying as a result of the blow.
"Did she get him?" Rin asked, before noticing the arm fall beside Brine.
"She did!" Cara added.
The adventurer was wrong, however.
An arm wasn't enough.
This attack needed to *kill* Brine. Or, at least, leave him unable to fight anymore.
Because that wasn't the outcome, it meant one thing.
Maria had failed.
Again.
"Unfortunate," Brine muttered, as Maria stood in front of him, her fists still outstretched.
She couldn't move. As all of the Essence inside of her left at once, Maria fell forward.
It wasn't that she was too tired, though she certainly was exhausted.
No, because of the exertion required to make this move work, she literally could not move anymore, until all of her Essence returned.
And, the strain this ability put on her body would make it so she wouldn't be able to use it again for days, at the very least.
"I was excited when I came here and saw you," Brine said, so casually that one would guess he hadn't even been in a fight, much less had an arm ripped off. "You're not the Maria Camille of old, though. I suppose that woman died. Oh well. Congratulations, though. You did make it so that I won't be able to kill anyone right now, but," he added, "the moment I saw you were here, killing any of you wasn't my goal anymore. Adaptability, Maria. One of the fundamentals of any good fighter. Maybe you forgot about that."
[No.] Maria pleaded in her mind as Brine instantly dashed toward the others. [No!]
Blood fell from his open wound as he reached the three girls, forming a trail from where Maria lay to where they were.
The only one he bothered to strike was Cara. With one kick that the Rank A adventurer didn't see coming, he managed to push her away, giving him an opening to wrap his only remaining arm around Rin's waist.
Maria couldn't do anything about it.
She'd failed, after all.
Brine ignored Xhez like she was nothing but a bug, only giving her a single cursory look, probably because of her appearance, before running off.
With Maria's apprentice thrown over his shoulder.
"No..." Maria muttered, as tears fell from her eyes and landed on the wood.
Xhez, who could do nothing but watch as well, stood there, with disbelief clear to see on her face.
What Maria was feeling, Xhez put into words.
"NO!" She screamed, falling to her knees. "RIN!"