463 CHPT 463: Hero Spotted

Maris drank Moorseel blood. She ingested the blood of a monster. Maybe that wasn't so insane when the context of the world was taken into account. The west was really the only place where Monster flesh wasn't ingested as part of human meals.

In The Sunlands they ate many monster parts. In The Kumataiyo Isles that's almost exclusively what they ate in times of war or distress against Demons. The western world only knew that because of Ronin.

There's dozens of studies of the benefits that came from it. The flesh is loaded with macronutrients heightened by their respective racial Magics and can have strengthening effects on the consumer. Some even think it can increase one's chance of being Reborn.

But Maris didn't do that. She ingested multiple cups of blood from a Monster that was a hop and skip away from being man.

And she seemingly did so in secret.

Even weirder when one considered that she only recently learned she could use the rare ability Blood Manipulation. Also called Hemokinesis by many scholars in the area of the Elements.

It wasn't a good look for her in short.

For anyone that was Claude and his friends. Good thing it was only them that knew so far. Aside from a few Doctors and a paper report.

"This stays between us." Claude spoke into the silence as he watched her sleep. Even then she looked arrogant and careless in a charming way. But there was something more…. Somewhere he couldn't locate. That was Maris as a whole.

"I don't have any other friends." Ursula shrugged while leaning her head on Claudes shoulder.

"Yea…. We know what rumors can do." Isaac said. It felt like there was an unsaid message in his words as he looked away from Claude, patting his cornrows with a fist.

Before Claude could begin to question anything, Maris sat up like a Vampire rising from its coffin.

"What are you all looking at?" She said as she looked over at them. Her fresh case of bed head didn't seem to bother her in the slightest.

Everyone rushed over to her, questing how she felt and if she needed water. She waved everyone off until they all naturally settled and all that was left was the very thing on everyone's minds.

"Why are you making that face?" Maris questioned Warren as Ursula fixed her hair and looked her over some more. She tried and failed to hide her blushing.

"…. W-what face? I'm chilling." Warren lied and failed, "You're making a face more than me!"

Maris flicked his nose causing Warren to jump backward in a panic.

"When you lie you act like a flightless bird. I do not lie to you, Warren. Do the same for me."

Warren looked at Claude, only to find everyone looking at him. He threw up his hands in defeat.

"What? Ya'll want me to say it?"

"Shoot." Claude said.

Ursula bumped knuckles with him, "Nice pun."

Warren ran a hand over his coarse curls, "Ok, Maris. You got sick because you consumed Moorseel blood. We know because the Moorseel eat an Herb that makes their blood toxic to us."

Silence fell in the room.

Ursula ran a hand through Maris' short dark hair a final time before letting her hand rest on Maris' shoulder in support.

"You tell us anything you want. It doesn't get past us. Not a single thing we aren't willing to hear."

Warren shrugged, "Ou damn…. Not a single thing?—ok my bad. Forget it. Go ahead, Maris." He finished after Ursula looked like she wanted to freeze fry him.

Maris nodded after a while as if she was coming to terms with some string of thoughts she was having. "I'll just consume all the other Monsters' blood then. I'll have to spend more time in the Library so things like that don't happen in the future. I won't let someone else's weak diet take me."

"[What a Maris type of response.]" Arne commented.

"No kidding." Claude replied before speaking to Maris, "Can you explain to us why you did it? We know you're getting better with your Blood Manipulating skill, but where did this sudden consumption come from?"

Maris shook her head, "I have no answers for you. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again. Do not worry about me."

Ursula shook her head, "We'll worry about all of us. We have to. Keeps us on our toes. We're the underdogs in this Tournament after all. Now scoot over, my ass and those wooden chairs mix like oil and water."

"Man I swear to the gods. Make some room for me too." Warren said.

For the next hour they all spent their time in the Infirmary talking, squeezed into the bed like sardines in a can. Claude and Isaac opted out, being two of the more sizable males.

It seemed to only make the tension between them more apparent…..

***

They stayed together all the way up until the Doctor came in and released them all for bed. The sun fell sooner than expected and suddenly it was day two back at the University. To think the year was more than halfway over…

Everyone left, yawning and stretching as they headed to bed. Two training sessions a day was doing a number on them. Isaac especially. Claude could practically smell the exhaust on him as he left the room.

He and Ursula hung back. It would've been just him if she didn't pick up on his thoughts. She waited by the door, watching…guarding.

Claude watched Maris as she slipped back into her combat boots and adjusted her University Uniform.

"Remind me to never share a bed with them ever again."

"Sure."

Maris picked up her light armor laid beside her bed and hesitated to look back up at him. "Now it's your face. What is going on today?"

"You know what Ursula said was true, right?" Claude started, "You can tell us anything. We won't judge and we won't tell. We're a team."

Maris got back to picking up her armor.

"Did you do it because you had an urge…. Not for power. I'm talking about something…. Primal? Did you thirst for the blood itself? Or did you follow an instinct in the moment? Did the taste make you feel ashamed because it was good? These are things you can tell me. These are things you can't tell the Professors though." Claude started.

Hopefully Arne's suspicions weren't correct. He said it was right next to impossible, but it didn't hurt to check.

Maris froze after he finished speaking and looked over at him as he stood on the other side of the bed.

The waning moon glowed at his back, giving him a lunar aura of sorts. His eyes reflected the lights.

Something in her face changed as she watched him. Changes he'd never seen her face make even when she was being tortured by Goblins.

Horror, realization, pain, fear, excitement. She'd never looked so human. Suddenly Claudes questions seemed useless.

So utterly human and young.

FWOOSH!

She hopped over the bed effortlessly tearing off the sheet with her.

"What?" Claude questioned as she stopped almost chest to stomach with him. Studying his face from multiple angles.

"We are friends, Claude Grey."

Whole name usage was rarely ever good. But Maris was also rarely so open. He looked behind her to find Ursula's head turned to them. Listening in.

"Of course we are, Maris." Claude replied.

Maris grabbed the sheet and wrapped it over the lower half of his face like a mask.

"Then why lie to me, Allblack?"

"[Oh FOR FU—]"