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If only...
If only you had never shown up in Ishigami Village that day.
It had started when an outsider had arrived at the village. When he had started seducing the residents over to the so-called 'Kingdom of Science'. When he had flashed his sorcery over them, exerting his superior knowledge.
No, it started before then.
When a dark thought had slipped out from betwixt his lips in the presence of Kohaku, inciting her rage. When Jasper had announced his loss to the hysterical woman before the match had even officially begun.
No... It started even further back.
When Magma was younger, and just beginning combat training alongside the other children at the time.
"You must be diligent." Jasper had said.
"Don't leave your post." Jasper had said.
"Don't let your guard down." Kinro had repeated.
"Defend the village at all costs."
Magma hadn't particularly cared for those rules. He didn't see the point. Defending the village? There wasn't even anything to defend it from! He'd never heard of any of the banished villagers ever coming back. No, he was at training to prove himself as the strongest.
And he was.
None of the other children ever came close to beating him. One knock from his staff sent them sprawling. Kinro could take more, but his annoying "rules are rules" dogma put Magma off befriending him. Why did they even have those rules? The only thing the village was at risk of was a hungry bear, and once he had grown taller and the dumpiness of his childhood had melted away, not even they were a problem for the mighty Magma. In fact, he could probably defend the whole village himself, if needed. He didn't want to have guard duty though, that was boring. He could leave Kinro to do that.
At training, the other children quickly learnt to avoid getting paired with him, grabbing their friends as soon as the words left Jasper's mouth. Kinro was usually left to fight him, and while Magma would never admit it, he looked forward to the challenge Kinro gave him. Not that he'd ever let him win. But even that changed when Kinro's younger brother appeared. Before he'd even gotten the chance to fight him, Ginro had attached himself to his brother, having heard all the rumours before. And so Magma was left to train against Jasper, whose disapproving glare never wavered whether Magma won or lost. In hindsight, maybe Jasper hated him. Magma did share a lot of similarities with Kokuyo.
At some point, Mantle, one of the older boys, had started joining their group for training. Unlike the other kids, Mantle wasn't scared of Magma. He fought him happily, dodging back and forth, using his smaller frame to his full advantage but his blows never did any real damage. Mantle was always in awe over how strong Magma was, and when he lost he bounced back quick, commenting on how impressive Magma's moves were. Mantle wasn't much of an opponent, but the more the other children avoided Magma, the more he found himself hanging out with Mantle.
Soon, he stopped going to the trainings altogether. There was nothing left for him to learn there since Jasper seemed unwilling to teach him. Instead, he took to the forest. Trained himself against the wildlife. Maybe one day he would beat all the powerful beasts in Momotaro's tale and become one of the Hundred Tales himself. Gorillas were basically bears, and crocodiles were like lizards that could swim, and no one was a stronger swimmer than Magma.
Regardless, there were no challenges left for him in Ishigami Village. There were no better fighters, apart from maybe the chief, but Magma didn't really want to fight him, especially not when he'd have to fight his way past Jasper and his wife first.
Then Ruri turned 18, and Magma realised there was one more challenge left. Sure, he wouldn't fight Kokuyo directly, but winning the Grand Bout meant taking his spot at the top. Becoming the most important person in the whole world.
He liked the sound of that.
He'd get to fight again, and not against scared little children. Maybe he'd finally get the clash he'd been craving for the last several years. Maybe people would approach him again.
He trained against the trees in the forest, hacking away at them with his axe, wrestling any boars whose territory he'd encroached upon. When the day of the bout finally arrived, Magma could barely hear the thumm-thumm of Unmo's drums over his excitement. He couldn't stop the wild grin splitting his face. Every part of his body was screaming at him to be let loose into the arena, to be reminded of what it was like for his weapon to meet flesh. To feel his opponent's resolve wrestle against his own.
They might even get a few hits in, if he was lucky.
With every match, he could feel his heart pumping hotter, his bloodlust surging, the crowd shouting his praise; his overwhelming power arousing their assent. It was clear he'd be the next chief.
But his urge grew. He needed more.
He'd beaten Hagane, his opponent in the semifinals. Magma's body was sore but he wasn't done yet. The climax was soon to come. From the chief's hut, he heard the priestess' hacking cough. He hadn't seen her much in the last several years, but then again neither had most of the village as Turquoise shooed away anyone approaching the hut. Ruri had another year left at best, and everyone was impressed that she had managed to live to 18 in the first place, calling her the strongest priestess for holding on this long.
Magma didn't agree. She was obviously in pain, and couldn't leave the island without collapsing. Ruri could barely fulfil her priestess duties, unable to talk for any length of time without crumpling into a coughing fit. What kind of life was that, with nothing to look forward to except your own death?
"You can hurry up and die, leaving me with the chief's throne. Or even better, lose the will to live sooner and throw yourself off a cliff."
He was too used to people giving him a wide berth that he hadn't realised anyone could hear what he'd said.
Kohaku flew into a rage, discarding her knives and a quick death for something slower and more brutal: lunging straight for his throat with her shield. He blocked, but the previous fights had fractured his staff and it splintered across her shield. With his weapon now a danger to both of them, he held it away as far as he could, unable to throw it away from himself without hitting the crowd. He lay on his back on the hard, packed dirt, his bloodlust turning uncomfortably cold as Jasper called out Kohaku's victory.
He was never any good with words. Maybe that's why people avoided him.
Despite getting beaten by a teenage girl, Magma found more people on his side. Mantle was still his closest friend, but Carbo had decided he was cool and occasionally came along on hunts. The sparkly sisters had established him as a hunk, but neither them nor any of the other girls ever dared actually approach him, never attempting to get to know him past his muscles. Not that he was interested in any of them anyhow. He was saving himself for the next Grand Bout, as he needed to be unmarried to enter.
A few months later, something completely unexpected happened. An outsider had arrived, and no one had any idea where he'd come from. Everyone had their speculations: from banished criminal to revived statue to aliens. Magma didn't care. If the outsider tried entering the village he'd just kill him like Jasper had said to. Maybe he'd actually join Kinro on guard duty to get the chance.
Then one day he noticed Kinro was holding a golden spear. Mister "rules are rules", buddying up and accepting gifts from the outsider he had sworn to defend the village from.
What a hypocrite.
Soon after, Shovel had ran through the village, shouting that the outsider was destroying the bridge, and saw that Kinro was doing nothing about it. Apparently, Magma would have to take things into his own hands.
Before he could fully cross the bridge, a strange man in strange clothes and even stranger hair appeared. Flowers appeared and disappeared on his whim, and for the first time in his life, Magma felt scared.
However, never one to sit around and lick his wounds, Magma took a page from Kohaku's book and decided on a surprise attack for this outsider sorcerer. With Mantle tagging along as a lookout, Magma made quick work of the sorcerer and they were gone before anyone saw them.
It was the first time Magma had killed a human being.
It felt empty.
The sorcerer hadn't fought back at all, just stared back with lifeless eyes as he bled out on the ground, the same as any other animal.
It felt... easy.
Maybe...
Maybe he could kill someone else. It wasn't as difficult as he thought it would be. He'd been wondering about it a while but...
...Maybe he could kill Kohaku.
Ruri herself was too well-guarded, and everyone would be in an uproar if she was murdered. But her rebellious tomboy sister? She's the only source of joy in Ruri's life, and her death could be what Ruri needs to finally want to end it all.
...No, he couldn't. If Ruri died, there would be no point in having a Grand Bout as she wouldn't need a husband. A better plan would be to keep them together, at least until he was officially the village chief.
"I'll let her join her sister and become one of my women." He had told Mantle over the fire. Mantle had called him lucky.
Despite killing the outsider sorcerer, Kinro and Ginro were still missing from their guard posts for most of the day, but now they'd taken the master craftsman with them as well. They hadn't seemed to be mourning at all, and there had been no word of the outsider's death amongst the villagers. Each time he'd sent Mantle to peek at Chrome's storehouse, he'd return telling him of more weird items scattered across the ground; oddly-shaped ice and tubes of leather. Magma had told himself they were leftovers from the sorcerer.
When the day of the second Grand Bout had arrived, Magma was once again eager to fight but this time with a plan beyond sating his need for violence. It would be his last chance for his plan to work, as Ruri might die before they could have a third Grand Bout. He stood with the rest of the crowd, waiting for the other combatants to arrive.
Except.
A different strange man had appeared, one with hair that stuck up high above his head and tinted an unnatural green at the tips. Not the man he'd killed. A new one, one he'd never seen before.
Who had Magma killed?
Kinro, Kohaku and the others had seemed to rally around him, encircling him so that none of the other villagers could get close. He definitely looked like he needed protecting, his skin translucent compared to Magma's own thick, tanned skin. And yet this scrawny teenager was participating in the bout.
It hadn't changed Magma's plans.
He had stood in line with the others, picking pairs via coloured stick, something that Jasper should have implemented during combat training years ago when no one had wanted to be Magma's sparring partner.
His first match had been against Kinro, a nice warmup for his fight with Kohaku later. Mantle, who Magma hadn't noticed disappear, had run in from the bridge and said something to Kohaku. Chrome and the outsider, sneering, began grinding their heels into Mantle's back by way of response and Magma had almost stepped in, furious that they'd dare injure Mantle, but stopped when Kohaku suddenly ran off in the opposite direction of the arena. Whatever Mantle had said to get rid of Kohaku could have won Magma the bout, if he was lucky.
Truthfully, he appreciated having Mantle around. Someone to aid him in attaining his goals. He thinks he'd enjoy having more people like that around him. Maybe Kinro, his oldest sparring partner? Hopefully his penchant for rules had waned in the last few years, since he'd just betrayed the village and let the outsider onto the bridge... Magma could learn to live with Kinro's annoying quirks if it meant having another lackey. But first, he'd have to make sure Kinro would be loyal.
"If you're willing to lick my boots, Kinro, you can be my right-hand man. There's always room for a strong fighter at my side! Think of it as a loyalty oath."
Kinro threw it back in his face. He informed him that he was the one "fighting for something far greater". What could possibly be greater than the village? There was nothing of value beyond the bridges. There was only the outsider.
It seemed that Magma's assumptions had been right. Kinro had become a traitor.
They traded blows, and Magma quickly realised that Kinro had gotten stronger since they'd last fought years ago. His thrusts were more confident, and Magma found himself on his back foot as he parried them all away. Bittersweetness filled his mouth; he could tell that Kinro had turned into a worthy opponent, but he also knew that after this he'd never fight Kinro again. There was no chance he'd get away with admitting disloyalty to the village, in front of everyone no less. Rather than the usual throbbing heat in his blood during a fight, he felt his heart twist cold as he met Kinro's unyielding glare.
Magma stepped back, impressed at how much Kinro had improved since they were kids. A moment later, Kinro lunged once more, but the certainty of his thrusts had dissolved. Magma, disappointed that his previous confidence had been a fluke, swatted his spear away easily, responding with a barrage of blows that sent Kinro skidding across the dirt. Sure, Kinro seemed to still need training but he has the potential to become a worthy opponent. Magma sets his offer and foot out to him once more.
Suddenly, before Kinro could answer, a melon was thrown into the arena, Kinro catching it on his head with an impressive leap. Magma attacked once more, powerful swings swiping through the air as Kinro dodged them all with unprecedented speed. It must be sorcery, Magma thought, and realised as he felt the muscles in his forearm tightening with exertion that he's become the desperate, hasty attacker. The flicker of doubt that flared in Magma's heart gave Kinro the opportunity to retaliate. The next few moments were a blur, his torso exploding with pain as countless hits connected, far too many to count, merging together and leaving him winded.
Fear flooded his senses as he struggled for breath. Kinro's strikes waned. Magma's knees hit the dirt hard, small stones embedding themselves into his skin. Between wheezing gasps, he heard the crowd cheering and his blood runs cold. Why are they cheering? Kinro betrayed them all, can't they see that?
"So the helmet's bewitched?" Magma croaked out, his vitriol dulled by his roughened voice. "Doesn't that violate the rules?"
Having to remind Kinro of all people of the rules. What has the outsider done to him? Charmed him? He can't let Kinro win this match, for the sake of protecting the village.
Hmph. Maybe Jasper, the dogmatic disciplinarian, can see that his most precious student had been corrupted.
"If our referee, Jasper, says you're fine, I'll take my loss like a man."
With an irritatingly impassive face, Jasper proclaimed that "it amounts to nothing more than a costume."
Magma had to assume Jasper had continued talking but he couldn't parse any of it. His head was swarming with anger and rage and disbelief because how does no one see what's happening here except me!?
A wet crunch.
Then he found himself standing over a passed-out Kinro.
He laughed.
His memory is hazy afterwards, only remembering a few hiccupped breaths and Mantle handing him water before rushing off to his own fight. On one hand, he's glad he managed to stop Kinro surpassing him. On the other, it was only him and Mantle against the outsider and his enchanted posse. Argo would probably beat Ginro, so at least that helped balance things.
As Mantle's match begun, Magma felt his body starting to stiffen up from the injuries. He stretched himself out, hoping he wouldn't get cold before he had to fight once more. Looking out to the forest, he saw a tiny blonde speck darting between the treetops. Damn, she's faster than he thought. Maybe he could kill two birds with one stone.
Voice slightly hoarse, he yelled, "Mantle! Throw the match, now!!"
Immediately Mantle forfeited, the match ended, and Kohaku arrived too late. Revenge for Kohaku's sneak attack from the last bout was sweet and Magma was revelling in it. He ignored the hushed discussion coming from the crowd. He'd simply win them back with his impressive strength like he had in the last bout. He gloated, having destroyed the outsider's best chances at beating him and blew a kiss at Ruri.
Humming to himself, Magma sat back down at his spot on the edge of the island. Mantle sat next to him, content. He closed his eyes to relax but something felt was wrong. The next match had started, but the grunts of pain weren't Ginro's, they were Argo's. Sitting up and squinting through the dust, Magma could tell Ginro's movements were weak but frenzied and it was throwing Argo off his rhythm. Gritting his teeth, he prayed that Argo would pull himself together. Several blows connected but Ginro remained standing, defiant despite his pulping.
Ultimately, Argo lost stupidly, the distant splash of his loss drowned out by the cheers while Magma hid his anger behind the other spectators.
It was now up to him to beat the rest of them, alone. Not that it was any new to him.
Chrome stepped up across from him. This would be an easy fight, maybe too easy. But Chrome had always dabbled in sorcery even before the outsider— Senku— had arrived. Who knows what he'd been taught. He'd have to be careful.
Chrome lunged low, a dumb move that branded him as a beginner and Magma demonstrated why by swinging his down across his unprotected back. His face hit the dirt hard and was bleeding everywhere. If he stood up, Magma would just beat him down again easily. It would be pretty pathetic to watch. He almost felt bad about it.
He waited for Chrome to move but the boy seemed to have no intention to. He supposed he'd simply have to try getting him to forfeit from the ground then.
The longer he beat him, the more Magma became concerned that he'd permanently incapacitate his opponent. Chrome lacked fighting experience, so he didn't know how much damage his body could take and still recover. However, Magma knew that limit. With Chrome sprawled across the ground, Magma also knew exactly where to hit to cripple him forever. Although if he did that, the villagers would probably turn on him, claiming he broke the seven rules and banish him. Magma wanted Chrome to give up already, forfeit or pass out so Magma didn't look needlessly cruel in front of the other villagers, but Chrome still held on, determined.
Except between beatings Magma realised that look wasn't determination, but self-sacrifice.
Magma wasn't going to win at this rate, no matter what he did. Anything he could do at this point would probably present him as a villain.
As a last ditch effort, Magma tried threatening him. Chrome was a thinker, maybe he could think himself into a loss. Force him to consider life as a cripple. Show him how stupid he was being, sacrificing himself for a half-dead woman.
"I'm gonna work you over so good you'll never walk again."
Met with silence and left with no other choice, Magma continued slamming his staff across Chrome's back. It was nowhere near his full force, otherwise he'd have broken a bone or killed him by now.
Wham. First Senku started taking his villagers away. Wham. And now Senku's taken all the fun out of the Grand Bout. Wham. He can hear the villagers gossiping. Wham. They're upset. Wham. Crying. Wham. Saying how heartless he is. Wham wham wham.
Don't they see I'm trying to save them?
Wham.
Protecting them from the outsider's influence?
Wham.
It's not his fault Chrome doesn't know when to quit.
Whack.
The final shot hit a bonier part of Chrome, breaking Magma out of his train of thought. Chrome got up a little too swiftly, swaying and holding the watermelon rind out towards Magma on the end of his staff, hands shaking. He's not sure what to do— smashing it should have prevented any more sorcery— but Chrome seems to think it'll still do something. It does something to a person's eyes, right? Maybe Chrome will forfeit if he threatens ripping his out.
"Since you won't be needing your real eyes, I'll just go ahead and crush 'em, Chrome."
He was about to slam him into the ground once more when a voice called out to him from the crowd.
"Oh Magmaaa~! Thanks so much for killing me!"
All thoughts of Chrome gone as the man he'd definitely killed stood atop the chief's hut. How was it possible? There was blood everywhere, so much blood he could never have survived without. Magma knew what he saw, it was no trick of the light. He'd smelt the metallic tang. There was no way that that man could be here unless sorcery was involved.
Magma had other problems though. The crowd had gone from solemn to aghast as Magma's crimes were revealed. Why were they siding with this magician?
Petals rained down as a spell was cast over him, supposedly immobilising him. Magma felt no different, but at this point he wasn't willing to risk it. He'd experienced first-hand what that man's powers could do. The crowd chattered excitedly, and Magma demanded Jasper do something about this rule breaking before he's forced to start quoting Kinro— except the other outsider interrupted, saying it's simply heckling.
The rules were only ever meant to keep the villagers safe from themselves. Never from outsider sorcerers.
Left with nothing else to try, Magma thinks. He thinks about what he could do to turn the situation around but there's nothing. Chrome is frozen with fear but still. Will. Not. Forfeit. There's no one to help him. It's not like Mantle could win against sorcery, Magma couldn't even win against sorcery. He was isolated in the middle of the arena, all eyes on him but only one pair on his side.
The sorcerer told him he's only got a minute before his power drains and a flash of hope flickered within him. All he needed to do was wait. Will he feel the spell end? Probably not, as he'd felt no different after it was cast.
The crowd held its collective breath as Magma waited.
And waited.
Magma's leg grew itchy at first, then warmer, then uncomfortably hot before—
FWOOM!
In a flash, his entire body was engulfed in flames and he briefly wondered if this was how he'd die.
But no, he had no such luck. Chrome's staff slammed squarely into his groin, making him wish the fire had killed him first.
The sickening pop that accompanied the strike finally registered in his mind, causing a wave of nausea to punch through him, his legs quaking as he stumbled backwards. Dirt gave way under his shoe, rolling his ankle. Expecting to land on his tailbone hard, he braced himself for more pain.
The ground was further away than he'd anticipated. He reached his arm out behind him to break his fall but it was met with empty air. His stomach flipped. Abruptly, his hand hit rough rock as he fell backward, but it was too late. Further and further he fell, cheers of triumph following him on the way down.
His shoulders hit the water first, dull pain pushing at the base of his neck. His eyes hurt. His bleeding hand and all the other little scrapes he hadn't noticed during the fights were stinging from the brine, demanding their turn to bring him agony.
He kicked at the water, fighting against his sodden clothes that were dragging him down towards the bottom of the lake. He'd just need to reach the edge of the island to catch his breath, but his eyes were failing him. The bright, bleary shapes were giving him a headache.
His kicks weakened.
His head slipped under.
The strongest swimmer in Ishigami Village.
Defeated by calm waters.
He woke up some time later to his body violently expelling bile-tinged, lukewarm water. He felt disgustingly lighter as his chest emptied its contents onto the beach and drain away into the sand. His throat stung as he coughed and collapsed onto his side. He wasn't sure what death felt like but he figured he wasn't too far off of it.
Something warm pressed against his back, causing him to jolt in surprise and triggered another coughing fit.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay, Magma? You swallowed a lot of water."
Groaning, Magma rolled over to see who the hell was talking to him because he was damn well sure it wasn't Mantle but the voice sounded somewhat familiar—
Close-cropped brown hair and a shield strapped to their back were all Magma needed as identification before deciding to deliver a left hook to their jaw. Fortunately for Magma, he was still exhausted from all the fights and nearly drowning so Tetsuken —Kinro's father, not Kinro himself as he'd first assumed— easily dodged his fist. The beard really should have given it away sooner but Magma wasn't exactly feeling too hot at the moment.
"Woah, take it easy. You almost died."
"How did I get here? I thought I was a goner for sure." Magma rasped out.
"I was on my way to fish when you fell in. Argo swam up before I'd left the docks and was telling me how much better my boys have gotten at their spearwork. If it weren't for him delaying me I probably wouldn't have been around to see you fall in. You were in really bad shape..." Tetsuken grimaced.
"Well... Thanks. I guess..."
Shouts erupted from the far island.
"Mmn. I guess you lost your match then."
Magma stared at the ground.
"I'm surprised. After your display at the last bout I was sure you'd win. You blew all the competitors away."
Except the one that counted, Magma thought.
They sat in silence for a few moments. Magma took note of all the parts of his body that hurt. Neck. Stomach. Throat. Hand. Ankle. Groin. Knees. Most of them would be invisible to anyone but him. He checked his hand, carefully brushing the mud and sand away from the cut. The flesh around it was clean and pale from the salt water. He flexed his hand. Pain shot through it as fresh blood trickled from the wound. It just reminded him of how close he was to beating Chrome. If only—
He growled in frustration. "I should have won."
Tetsuken shrugged. "Sometimes things go your way, sometimes they don't. All you can do is pick yourself back up and keep going." Magma scoffed but Tetsuken ignored him and went on, "and when you don't think you can continue, you can call on your friends to help you out. We're a community for a reason, people are meant to help each other."
Magma clenched his jaw, willing his lip to stop wobbling. "Then why'd no one help me."
The other man chuckled. "I helped you, didn't I? I'm sure Mantle's looking for you now anyway." Tetsuken slapped his thighs, moving to stand. "Either way, looks like you're not going to collapse anytime soon and I still need to go fishing. Want me to send Mantle over? Carbo?"
Magma shook his head, unsticking the half-dried lock of hair from his forehead. "No. I'll be fine." Screw 'friends'. I can't let anyone see me like this, he thought.
"Suit yourself."
He watched Tetsuken push the boat back off the shore and set off, leaving Magma to watch the slow, undulating waves alone.
More cheers came from the arena. It sounded like the new village chief had been chosen.
Magma couldn't take it any longer.
He stormed off wearing the darkest scowl he could manage, trying to deter any more 'helpful' people away from him, and headed to the forest where no one would come looking.
Hmph. 'Helpful'. They couldn't help him. They just wanted to pity him. Gloat at his loss.
He crossed the bridge, thankfully devoid of guards as most of the fighters were watching the bout.
Where the hell did that Senku guy come from anyway? That damn string bean stole everything from him. And why was Mantle not—
Magma felt a bead of blood run down his clenched fist. It hurt.
He hurt.
He choked back a sob.
Damn everything. It could all burn for all he'd care.
Magma stomped off deeper into the forest, hot tears streaming down his face. He didn't remember the last time he'd cried. How pathetic, crying after his first loss.
He bit his lip but the knot forced its way up his throat regardless. The sounds that were coming from him were so foreign that he could barely tell they were his.
For his whole life, Magma was always the strongest, unbeaten in battle no matter how much anyone else trained. There wasn't really anything else to life. They had their master craftsmen and fishermen, but neither role came with the same prestige as top warrior. To be defeated by an untrained kid in front of the whole village was the worst shame he could have possibly endured.
Maybe he should just... Leave. Put the village behind him and never come back. The villagers would assume he'd simply drowned if Tetsuken didn't say otherwise. No one would miss him and he was used to being alone, after all.
He sucked in a haggard breath. Punched a tree; the bark crumbling off under his knuckles. He slumped against it, his back sliding down roughly and pressed his forehead to his knees. A few leaves and twigs landed around him. His body was sore. Was there even anything left to live for?
He thought back. Thought about his life, what it meant. His role in the grand scheme of things. His potential.
If only...
If only you had never shown up in Ishigami Village that day, Senku.
Distantly, he heard Mantle call his name.
He sniffed and rubbed his eyes. The tears had slowed but his breath was still hitching sporadically. The sun had started to set at this point and he lacked the willpower to try hiding himself from Mantle.
Panting, Mantle stumbled over to him. "You're okay!? Oh thank the gods." He said as he collapsed onto the floor in front of him. "I was so worried something had happened, I couldn't find you after you'd fallen—" Mantle paused as his gaze met Magma's. "Y-you're crying..."
Magma frowned and focused on picking at a piece of moss stuck to the base of the tree. "No'm -hic- not."
Mantle tried valiantly to hide his grin as Magma's face turned even redder. "Sure, whatever you say, boss."
Magma threw the moss at him but Mantle dodged. Speedy little jerk.
"Well you definitely seem to be feeling better, wanna get cleaned up and head back to the village?"
Grunting, Magma crossed his arms, but before he could protest Mantle added, "I know you don't want to see those outsiders again, but they're nowhere near the celebration. That green one and his gang have been in the chief's house the whole time and the one we killed left a while ago. Let's go have fun with the others. Yep, I'm sure some booze'll make you feel better!" Mantle held his right hand out to help him up then switched to his left after seeing the blood on Magma's.
Magma grumbled, grabbed onto the proffered hand and pulled it, throwing Mantle down onto the floor next to him but getting up anyways, starting back towards the village. In a well-practiced move, Mantle rolled straight into a standing position, sniggering and chasing behind him.
"They better have boar." Magma mumbled.
"Yep! I made sure of it! Can't have the mighty Magma going hungry!"
Magma inhaled, puffing his chest out before sighing. "Thank you, Mantle." He paused. Voice barely above a whisper, he said, "y-you're a good friend."
Mantle snorted. "Sure, no problem!"
The sound of drums and merrymaking diffusing into the night sky guided them back towards the village, the orange hues of the bonfire flickering between the trees.
Chrome and the other sorcerers may have beaten him this time, but next time Magma would be ready for it.