Calista’s jaw dropped open and flapped incoherently. As she looked at the closing ring of students surrounding her and Rosalina, she realized that every one of them wore a pentagon-shaped badge in their Guild color.
“I thought he would give you your badge later, but I assumed you knew,” Camelithia said. “Since you’re the only member of his Guild, you’re a Favorite.”
“Not only a Favorite,” Bark Wefitan’s rough, deep voice interjected. “She’s technically an ASC.” At that, everyone groaned and scoffed in derision.
“ASC?” Calista inquired. “You mean… Assistant Student Coach?”
“Surprise, surprise, she knows something!” Rosalina said, making the crowd chuckle.
-10 Rel-P
“How? I don’t understand. Just because I’m the only one in Kappa doesn’t mean-”
“It’s default status. Don’t feel flattered. Obviously, Cheater didn’t want to tell you. Maybe he still won’t give it, even if it’s default. Even he has some honor left.” Rosalina’s fanged smile grew, slightly irritating Calista with its smugness. The fear won over the irritation, though.
“Why didn’t you… how could you think I knew?” Calista asked Camelithia, her eyes studying her expression. Was it all a trick? Was she planning to get Rosalina to gang up on her?
-5 Rel-P (Camelithia)
“I told you, this is the Lounge for badge-wearing students,” Camelithia said, her hair a deep violet. “And since you didn’t ask, I assumed.”
Badge-wearing… Calista had heard ‘patch-wearing’. Why didn’t Harrison tell her when she told him about the invite, though? Was Rosalina right? Was he too ashamed of her to tell her the truth? Was he planning to kick her out of the Guild? Had she disappointed him with her slow progress?
“Well, then… I-I don’t want it,” she sputtered out. “Think what you want about me, but I like to earn things, not just have them fall in my lap.”
“Didn’t seem that way when you signed up for his Guild,” a Delta Favorite girl said.
“Or the school,” someone else said.
“Come on, all of you. Stop being bugheads,” Camelithia said, her hair now slightly orange.
+2 Rel-P
“No, no…” Rosalina shook her finger at Calista. “Eventually, Harrison has to follow the rules. He can only delay your status for so long. So, let’s save him the trouble, eh?” She tapped her Pet belt and the sphere zipped into the air, its eyes shaped in happy half-moons, which turned red. Calista froze, thinking it would attack her.
A whole bunch of Versus Pets then joined Rosalina’s, their eyes also turning red. Calista’s throat dried and she stepped back, intimidated.
“Relax, they’re only live-scanning you,” Lindsay clarified for her. “But you need to get out. This is a really bad idea.”
“Calista Medley. I challenge you to a spar. Let’s see whether you deserve the status or not, eh?”
Her UI responded with:
Rosalina ‘Hothead’ Wiasod has issued a Challenge
Accept?— +20 RP, possible danger
Reject?— -30 RP, no danger
“Calista, it’s not worth it. Just say no,” Lindsay pleaded. “I’m telling you, you’re not ready for this. She won’t hold back.”
She looked around at the gang of Favorites, her face pallid. She didn’t know what to do. Would they even let her leave if she said ‘no’?
“Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you,” Rosalina said, smirking. “Wouldn’t want to ruin your pretty Socializer face, right? Your drooling fans wouldn’t be able to kiss up to it so much… and your mother wouldn’t be very happy, would she?”
-15 Rel-P (Rosalina)
Approaching Worst Enemy Status
That hit a nerve. Calista’s fear started to fade, replaced with anger as her fists balled at her sides.
Weakness Active: Self-Control
“Ooh, I think she’s mad,” Rosalina said mockingly. “Is it a yes or a no, human?”
-5 RP
Camelithia looked at her with warning eyes and white hair, shaking her head subtly. Calista knew she should’ve listened to her, but her mouth stubbornly formed the word ‘Yes’ against her will.
Challenge Accepted— +20 RP
Task Acquired: Spar with Rosalina Wiasod— Unknown RP
Cam’s braids burst in orange, white, and purple patterns. “Are you mad?!” she exclaimed as the circle cheered, stepping back to give the two girls room.
Calista kept her eyes on her opponent as she got into the stance Harrison had taught her to hold, which got her through her Practicum classes. Rosalina’s lips twisted judgingly. “Not bad. How about you land the first strike?” She hadn’t even bothered to take a stance, raising her arms and offering herself. “Hit me with your best shot, humie.”
The slur triggered Calista’s fist to shoot forward. Rosalina easily caught it and twisted her around, tossing her on the ground like filth. The audience chuckled pitifully at her.
-1 HP
“You didn’t even step forward,” Rosalina laughed. “What kind of pathetic strike was that?” She lifted her foot to stomp on her.
Calista rolled away, getting back on her feet. This time, she stepped forward as she struck at Rosalina. None of her hits landed, Rosalina blocking and dodging each one as if they were coming from a tantrum-throwing toddler.
“Even with all your anger, you hold back.” She grabbed Calista’s wrist, pulled her forward, and thrust her own fist into her weak stomach. The Earthian girl wheezed, trying to command her lungs to expand again.
-6 HP
-8 EP
“It’s a war you’re fighting, human! You’re not dancing. Put some force into it!” The Hajjian woman circled her as she spoke.
Taking the deepest breath she could, Calista rose again and brought her leg up for a kick at Rosalina’s knee. Rosalina lifted her leg, dodging it, and push-kicked Calista in the chest, sending her flying into the bar’s age barrier.
-3 HP
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-5 EP
“Is that all you’ve got?”
“No…” Calista forced herself to stand despite the crushing pain, running forward and lowering her shoulder to ram into Rosalina’s chest. The woman took the hit, but it did no damage. Her elbow slammed onto the Earthian’s back, followed by her knee in her stomach, and she threw her back on the floor.
-10 HP
“You know what your problem is? I gave you the chance to take the fight under control, and yet, you still glitched it up. You’re supposed to use a strong strike to put the fight in your favor. You hesitate and doubt your own strength. That’s why I’m in control now.”
Calista breathed deeply, getting on her hands and knees and anticipating another blow. Her Health Bar slowly crawled back up, one point at a time.
+1 HP
+1 HP
“Your PT is cache. How will you even survive if you can’t handle any hits?” Rosalina grabbed Calista’s arm tightly and yanked her to her feet. “If you’re not in control, you gain control. Disorient your opponent. Get past them. Give your Health Bar time… clearly, you need a lot of that.” This time, she pulled back her fist, giving Calista a chance to dodge.
She moved to the right, then the left, then ducked, then shifted back. Rosalina nodded, impressed, then ducked down and tried to sweep her feet. Calista somehow managed to jump over, but stumbled, which gave the Hajjian her opening to hook her ankle and trip her.
-6 EP
-2 HP
As she fell to the ground again, Calista’s arms snapped up and she flattened her hands on the floor, springing up again and quickly getting some distance between her and Rosalina.
“Better,” she said with a nod. “Always gain distance if you’re disadvantaged. It’s not running away; it’s defense.” She punched at her again.
Calista dodged left, then right, then blocked, but winced at the sting in her weak forearm. She tried to ignore it and kicked at Rosalina’s side. It struck, but still didn’t do any damage.
-5 EP
“That won’t do anything,” Rosalina scoffed. “You’ll need weapons for a tougher opponent.”
“And where do I get one of those around here?” Calista panted.
“Improvise, you airhead.” The Hajjian woman lunged forward, swiping at Calista’s face.
Her face.
She bent over backwards, her body practically in a bridge as Rosalina’s carmine red fist passed over her, only inches from her nose. She easily lifted back up and flexibly twisted to the side to dodge a second blow, bumping into the barrier wall.
“Let’s give you two some room!” a spectator laughed. A silver fleck zipped right past Calista’s eyes, attaching to the barrier wall, and it suddenly disabled, sending her stumbling into a barstool. She looked at the bar in shock, then looked down at the silver glint. Squinting at it, she realized it was a scrambler, like the ones Katelyn used.
Her distraction almost let Rosalina’s fist collide with her nose, but she leaned back in time. If she was to protect anything, it would be her face. No one touched her face. Any slight touch could damage her skin in terrible ways.
Her hands gripping the barstool for support, she lifted it like a shield in front of her, aiming the metal spokes at Rosalina. The Hajjian raised a ridiculing, orange brow. “I suppose that’s improvisation,” she said, grabbing the barstool’s legs and easily wrenching it out of Calista’s grip. “But if you don’t actually use your idea, what good is it?”
She grabbed Calista by the neck— her hand was right below her throat, not quite choking her, but not being gentle— and lifted her in the air, slamming her onto the bar counter.
-5 HP
-10 EP
She used a stool to push herself onto the counter and pin her down. “What’s next, human?” she hissed. “Look around, see what you can find. You can’t match my strength, but you need to get out. Don’t let me finish you off.”
Calista’s hand felt around for a weapon— something, anything— as the onlookers cheered Rosalina on. The taunts were fueling her anger.
+3 EP
+3 EP
Her fingers felt something flat and papery, and she instinctively grabbed it, swiping it at Rosalina’s face. To her shock, the girl recoiled.
+1 Damage
Calista sat up and looked at the ‘weapon’— a fan. A decorative fan from the bar, made out of gold iron paper. There were a few others in other Guild colors.
Rosalina chuckled, the lost point instantly regenerating. “An iron paper cut? Hardly impressive.” She aimed a knifehand at her face.
Calista swiped her hand away, the fan still in her grip. She found herself twisting it between her fingers as she retreated, blocking as many of Rosalina’s strikes as possible. She landed hits on her body, but absolutely none on her face, which seemed to be her prime target at the moment.
-5 EP
-5 EP
Calista felt herself backing up against the wall. She pressed the ball of her foot to Rosalina’s chest and pushed her back with all her strength. When Rosalina charged again, the Earthian caught her shoulder and rammed her into the wall.
-10 EP
WARNING: Approaching 50 EP
Rosalina stopped herself, avoiding damage, but smiled. “That’s more like it.” She rushed forward and kicked the fan out of Calista’s hand, sending shooting pain up her arm.
-2 HP
Calista just barely dodged her next strike. “Don’t just stand there like a hologram when you strike!” Rosalina shouted. “Keep the fight in your control! Don’t let your opponent take it back!”
The Earthian yelped as she tripped over something, falling on her rear. It was the barstool Rosalina had thrown away. She quickly kicked it so it rolled forward into the Hajjian’s legs, successfully tripping her. Calista stood, ducking under the barstool as Rosalina swiped it at her head, and rushed forward to tackle the woman.
-10 EP
WARNING: BELOW 50 EP
Her light weight wasn’t enough to bring her down, but she let go of the barstool. She grunted at Rosalina’s elbow hitting her back again, returning it with a punch to the side, then a punch to the stomach.
+1 Damage
+1 Damage
-5 EP
-5 EP
Rosalina spun around and slammed Calista against the wall. Groans erutped from the audience, some laughs tickling around.
-7 HP
-8 EP
WARNING: ENERGY CRITICAL
She braced herself for another strike, but none came. Rosalina stood over her, squinting. “Had enough?” she asked. She was barely panting and she hadn’t even broken a sweat. The two Health Points she lost were already regenerating to 100 HP. Calista’s bar was at a pathetic 74 HP.
She wanted to continue, but her Energy Bar was urging her to stop. Her silence answered Rosalina for her.
Challenge Complete
+8 XP
+10 RP
+5 Strength
+3 Stamina
+6 PT
+2 Agility
+2 Self-Control
-3 Weakness
“I’ll say this, human: I expected less. You did learn some.” She turned away, motioning for everyone to turn off their Versus Pets.
Her long, orange ponytail swayed behind her as she took the barstool and put it back where it belonged, then picked up the scrambler and restored the age barrier. “But not enough for Favorite material.” She turned back to the Earthian girl, who hadn’t moved, regaining her Energy. “If you spent less time on fashion and more time training, you’d actually be worth adding to a team.”
The Hajjian woman’s rose red eyes were filled with warning. “Badge or not, don’t come back in here until you’re ready.” Her voice was dangerously low. “If you come back prematurely, I will challenge you again, and I’ll keep challenging you until you earn your place here. Got it?”
-30 Rel-P
Achieved: Worst Enemy Status
+Interactions IV (MAX)
+Disaffiliation IV (MAX)
+Avoidance V
+Rumors IV
+Insults II
+Exclusion II
Calista’s green eyes stared back defiantly. Hiding her fear through her exhaustion, she only nodded, forcing herself to stand up. Camelithia Courier rushed forward to help, her hair as white as snow.
“You’re mad, you know that?” she told her as she helped her towards the door. “I didn’t bring you up here to tangle with her! Even I can’t do that!”
“Get her out,” Rosalina commanded. “She doesn’t deserve to be here… yet.”
