Thanks to coincidencless for editing.
AN: God, I didn't realize how much I needed a new Undertale game. I love Susie, and the soundtrack is amazing. Thanks, Toby. You're a legend.
Anyway, here's a big one.
Chara walked across the marble floor of the sparring hall. It was a massive, open chamber with stone brick walls, illuminated by chandeliers of magical light. Several students were already gathered in preparation for their first day of Fundamentals of Arcane Sparring.
The class was large, filled with dozens of humans and monsters. The humans were clearly prepared for battle as they carried guns, swords, staffs, whatever weapons suited their fighting style. A lot of the monsters looked tough as well, despite their physical disadvantages. Wizards from the Madjick clan practiced their incantations, the Whimsalots brandished their lances, and the Final Froggits stood majestically while the reptilians, dragons, and fish flexed their muscles. Chara didn't despise humanity as much as she'd used to, but she still loved to see so many powerful monsters gathered in one place, as if to show the humans how strong they really were.
As Chara approached then, a girl with long pink hair and green eyes waved at her with a bright smile. "Chara!"
Chara beamed and ran to her. "Elodie!" She hugged her. "How are you?"
"Great," Elodie said. "I'm all settled in and ready to roll. How about you?"
"Heh, uh, could be better."
Elodie's smile faded. "Oh? What's wrong?"
"Oh, just… my roommate," Chara said. "She's, uh…" She trailed off as she caught sight of a familiar orange cloak in the crowd of students. Atami was there, fortunately minding her own business. Chara pointed her out and spoke quietly. "She is not fond of me."
Elodie frowned darkly. "Yeah, I was worried about that."
Chara nodded. "Yes, me too. It is unfortunate, but not unexpected."
"I'm sorry," Elodie apologized. "I knew I should have signed up with you instead."
"It's alright," Chara said. She had asked Elodie before if she wanted to be roommates, but Elodie had already signed up with another friend of hers. Chara didn't mind. She just wished she had gotten luckier, but perhaps it was her own fault for leaving it up to chance.
"How bad is it?" Elodie asked.
Chara hummed. "Hmm, how to quantify… I suppose the phrase 'fucking murderer' sums it up quite nicely."
Elodie's eyes widened. "Are you serious? She said that right to your face?"
"I know, right? Although, I suppose orange souls tend not to be particularly subtle."
"What did you do?" Elodie asked.
"I, uh, walked away," Chara said. "Things calmed down after that."
"I guess that's good," Elodie said. She smiled. "Well, maybe she's just being a tsundere."
Chara grinned. "It's not like she likes me, baka!"
"Maybe we should introduce her to Tsunderplane. I bet they'd be good friends… eventually."
"Ha, perhaps… but in all fairness, she is wise to distrust me. It is difficult to believe that someone like me could change, let alone forgive me for what I've done. I don't fault her for it, and I don't believe she's a bad person at heart."
Elodie's smile returned to a frown. "Yeah…" She stuttered. "Y… you don't think she's gonna try something like… what I did, do you?"
She collapsed to her knees and clutched her stomach. It hurt.
Elodie smiled innocently. "Oh, what's the matter, Chara? Got a tummy ache?"
Chara looked up at her. "Wh-what did you put in that chocolate?"
"Cups of butter," Elodie said with a smirk. "Lots and lots of 'butter cups,' and a few other things to make sure it gets the job done."
Chara's chest tightened. "Elodie, I…" She took a sharp breath. "Well, I cannot rule out the possibility, but I sincerely hope that doesn't happen."
Elodie nodded. "Yeah…"
Chara grew tired of this subject. She demanded something more cheerful. She gave Elodie a warm smile. "So, how are things with Felicia?"
"Oh, uh, great as ever," Elodie said. "Kind of sucks that I had to leave her behind, but we'll manage."
Felicia was a year behind them, so she was still attending Ebott High back home. She wasn't sure what college she wanted to go to, but she had no interest in magic, so Alpin University was out of the question. Chara figured that she'd most likely end up in Ebott University like Frisk and Asriel, but she couldn't say for certain. No one could.
Elodie smiled. "What about you and Frisk?"
Thinking about Frisk filled Chara with joy. "Wonderful as always; I miss him already. You and I are in the same boat."
"Well, it's not all bad," Elodie said. "We may not be able to see each other as often, but the time we do spend together will be that much more special."
Chara's heart was warmed by Elodie's words. "Aww, that's really sweet, and you're absolutely right. It'll feel so good when I get to see him again."
"Any plans for this weekend?" Elodie asked.
Chara blushed. "U-uh, we're going to UnderLand, actually."
Elodie smirked. "Oh, look at you with your big plans. Is that what you do every time you're separated for a week?"
"Heh, no. Just celebrating our first year of college."
"Aw, I'm just teasing you. Felicia and I are going to hang out at her place; that'll be fun."
"Umm… how is Felicia by the way?" Chara asked. "Has she decided on a major yet?"
"Oh, uh, no," Elodie said. "Heh… she honestly has no idea what to do with her life, and I don't blame her. I mean, you get murdered by your own mother, come back as some kind of soul ghost, help bring your traitorous mother to justice, and finally get a new body over thirty years after you died. Where do you go from there?"
"Heh, yeah. I hope she –"
"Hey, Chara!"
Suddenly, Cade barged in with a hearty smile. "You ready for this?"
"Yes, I am," Chara said. "Thanks for asking."
Elodie looked at Cade with a flash of recognition. "Oh, I remember you. Cade, right? I didn't know you were friends with Chara."
"Just met yesterday," Cade replied. He smirked. "And how could I forget someone as lovely as you, Elodie?"
Elodie rolled her eyes. "Another Frisk, I see. I have a girlfriend, just so we're clear, and I'm not looking for anyone else."
"Duly noted," Cade said. "Anyway, where is the great Master Half-And-Half? Class is supposed to start in…" He checked his phone. "Right about now."
Chara looked around. Master Alpin was nowhere to be seen. Where was he? It wasn't becoming of the university's headmaster to be late. What could…?
A bright beam crashed down onto the center of the chamber with a powerful shockwave. Chara shielded her eyes from the flash. When she looked back, Master Alpin was standing in the middle of the room. He was a middle-aged man with long white hair and a white beard, wearing an aqua mage's robe with gold trimmings. He looked at them with a light blue right eye and a yellow left eye. "So, you wish to master the arcane arts?"
Cade quietly scoffed. "Pfft, show off."
Alpin tapped his staff on the ground. It was a long, golden staff with a heptagon tip. Each corner of the heptagon held a gemstone with colors representing the Seven Virtues, and they weren't just for show. Each gemstone contained a great deal of magical energy. Chara had no doubt that the staff Alpin carried possessed an incredible amount of power.
Everyone in the class watched silently, respectfully waiting for the headmaster to begin.
"Welcome to Fundamentals of Arcane Sparring," Alpin said. "I am Master Marcus Alpin, and I will be your instructor for this course. Now, I could start this off like most of the other professors, going over the syllabus, what to expect, blah, blah, blah, but I only have so much patience, so let's do our first class justice and get right into it. Everyone, find a sparring partner."
Chara's heart flipped. A sparring partner? She looked at Elodie. She would've felt much more comfortable doing this with someone she –
Before she could act, a human Chara had never seen ran straight at her and boomed his challenge. "Hey, demon! Let's go!"
Chara startled, baffled by the stranger's sudden appearance. "Umm, okay?!"
The stranger was a young man with short brown hair and aqua eyes. He had clearly gone all out for the class as he wore a full set of leather armor. Chara almost wondered if she was underdressed in her green shirt and brown pants, but she reminded herself that her heart locket provided all the extra defense she needed.
"Who are you?" Chara asked.
"Tevis," he said.
"And may I ask why you are so eager to spar with me?"
"What kind of warrior wouldn't want to test their skills against a demon?" Tevis asked.
I… guess that makes sense?
"Hmm, fair enough," Chara said. "Very well, I accept your challenge."
Meanwhile, Cade smiled at Elodie. "How about it, Pinky? Wanna fight?"
"Okay," Elodie said, "but don't go easy on me. Just because I'm a Restoration major doesn't mean I can't kick your ass."
"Ha, we'll see about that."
The rest of the class continued to find partners and pair up. Most of the monsters paired with other monsters, but a few brave ones decided to try their luck against humans. Once all the students were ready, Alpin called for everyone's attention. "A quick word before we begin! Today, we will be conducting tournament-style duels. I will cast Ethereal Form on each of you, and you will be free to do battle with all your strength. First mage back to their real body loses. Trade partners when your duel is complete. Any questions?"
One of the students raised his hand. "Umm, yes, what is Ethereal Form?"
Several of the other students had to suppress their urge to groan. Anyone who had ever watched a sparring tournament should have known what Ethereal Form was, but Alpin gave the student a patient smile and explained it to him. "Ethereal Form is a spell that will temporarily separate your spirit from your physical body. In this form, you will only be able to damage and take damage from other ethereal beings. Should your HP fall to zero in this state, your spirit will return to your body, completely unharmed."
"Oh… will it hurt?"
"Only a little," Alpin said. "The spell greatly reduces pain, but there will still be just enough for you to know that you got hit."
"I… see," the student said. "Thank you."
"Anyone else?" Alpin asked. He waited for a few moments; no one spoke. "Then, let us proceed. Over the course of this semester, I will do my best to sharpen each of your skills, but today, I just want to observe. Do your best, everyone."
Everyone spread out across the huge chamber and sat down as Alpin began administering the spell. He pointed his staff at a pair of students. A purple vortex swirled over the tip of the staff. The students closed their eyes, and replicas of their bodies stood separate from their real ones. They were slightly transparent and glowed with a white aura. Finally, Alpin boxed the students inside magical barriers so they wouldn't interfere with the others, and then he moved on to the next pair. It wasn't long before he reached Chara and Tevis.
They sat down so their bodies wouldn't fall over while unconscious, and Alpin cast his spell. Chara felt a sensation of being pulled out of something. She stood and looked back at her physical body sitting on the floor. She looked at her hands. If she looked closely, she could see the marble floor through them. She balled up her fists. Her skin felt no different than normal. The spell had also replicated her clothing, heart locket, and knife. If it weren't for the slight transparency and soft white glow, Chara may not have realized she was incorporeal.
Chara and Tevis stood a few feet across from each other. With a flourish of his staff, Alpin created a magical barrier, forming a personal ring for them to fight in. "You may begin," Alpin said.
As any decent mage should always do before engaging in a duel, Chara cast Check on her enemy.
"Tevis Bray" – LV 1
HP: 20/20
EXP: 0
ATK: 10 (20)
DEF: 10 (20)
WEAPON: Aqua Crystal
ARMOR: Leather Armor
A magic crystal, huh? In others words, Tevis didn't fight with a physical weapon and focused on magic instead. Naturally, not knowing the enemy's fighting style was a disadvantage, but Chara's superior stats would likely make up for it.
They wasted no words before starting. Tevis clenched his fist in the air as if catching something, and he vanished without a trace.
Chara grinned. Invisibility, huh? It was an impressive spell, but it wouldn't work on her. She stood still and waited for Tevis to attack. The moment he did, her Sense Enemy skill activated. She detected one enemy presence to her left. She conjured an energy knife in her hand and threw it directly at the source. The magical blade struck Tevis directly in the chest, staggering him and canceling his invisibility spell. Chara couldn't help but feel a perverse satisfaction as his face twisted in shock. He clearly hadn't expected to be countered so easily.
Tevis grunted and threw something on the ground between them. It shattered on impact, and a thick cloud of smoke violently burst out. Chara shielded her face from the eruption, but she could still sense her enemy's position. She braced herself as Tevis charged through the smoke, energy blades in each hand. Chara jumped back just in time to avoid the blades as Tevis swung both of them outward.
Chara summoned more knives, spinning them in the air above her before flinging them at Tevis. As he dodged the blades, Tevis jumped back and conjured an energy bow. An arrow glowed with a white light as he pulled back the bowstring and released. The arrow was fast, but not as fast as a physical arrow. Chara raised her hand and deflected it a magic barrier. While she did, Tevis aimed higher and fired again.
This time, Tevis's bow fired a whole volley of arrows at once. About a dozen of them flew in an arc towards Chara. She managed to avoid a direct hit, but the arrows flashed rapidly when they hit the ground. Chara jumped away from an arrow in front of her, only to walk right into another behind her. The arrow detonated with magical energy, battering Chara's ethereal body and draining nine of her forty HP. She felt a slight sting in her back, but nothing too bad. The real thing would have hurt a lot worse.
Chara locked eyes with Tevis as he drew back another shot. Ranged combat was a viable option, but Chara decided to get up close and personal. She drew her real knife and sprinted for Tevis as fast as she could, swerving past his next round of arrows. She felt the heat of their magic graze her skin as she ran past, but none of them hit her. She closed the distance to her target and thrust her knife into his stomach.
Even with the reduced pain, Tevis winced as he pulled himself away, some dust trailing out of the wound. He quickly dispelled his bow and switched back to his energy swords. He swung his right sword downward, but Chara parried the strike and stabbed her knife deep into his neck. A bright light poured out of the wound, and Tevis's apparition exploded in a cloud of dust.
Chara felt pride seep into her soul. She had won.
The cloud of dust Tevis's apparition left behind flowed into his real body, and his aqua eyes opened. At the same time, the barrier they were trapped inside disappeared. Chara turned and walked back into her body. She felt a brief feeling of intense pressure as her spirit returned, and her vision went blank for a moment before she opened her real eyes again. She stretched out her arms and took a deep breath. It was going to be rough doing that throughout the whole class, but it was worth it to have such an accurate simulation of real combat. Chara knew that some people objected to it, calling it too brutal, but she loved it! It was so fun!
Chara stood and looked respectfully at Tevis. She reached out her hand. "Good fight, it may have turned out much differently had I not possessed a countermeasure to your invisibility."
Tevis stared with a dark look in his eyes and halfheartedly shook Chara's hand. "Yeah."
Chara's stomach churned. It didn't seem like Tevis had taken his loss gracefully. She hoped she hadn't made another enemy; she had plenty of those already.
Tevis walked away before Chara could say anything else. She looked around at the other students who were sparring. She saw Cade point a conjured shotgun directly at Elodie's face before pulling the trigger, blasting her surrogate body into dust. Chara watched Elodie pout as she returned to her real body. "Aww…"
Elodie walked over to Chara. "Man, I totally lost! What about you?"
Chara gave her a triumphant smile. "I won."
"Oh, of course you did. Why did I even ask?"
"Well, it wouldn't be wise to assume things."
Cade caught up to them, smiling. "An excellent attempt, Elodie. I almost broke a sweat there."
"Well, no need to be modest about it," Elodie japed. "You, sir, are really, really strong. The only other person I know who can crush me that hard is Chara herself."
Cade smirked and locked eyes with Chara. "Oh? That sounds like a challenge."
Chara grinned. "I shall avenge you, Elodie."
Elodie held her hands and smiled with exaggerated gratitude. "My hero." She stroked her chin. "Hmm, who should I fight next?" She looked around the room. Her eyes settled on Atami as she dispatched her opponent with a swift thrust of her rapier. Elodie pointed at her. "That's your roommate, right?"
"Uh, yes," Chara said.
"What's her name?"
"Atami… what are you planning?"
"Oh, nothing," Elodie said. "I just know who my next opponent will be."
Chara's voice filled with concern. "Elodie, I appreciate the thought, but please don't confront her."
"Nothing like that; don't worry."
Elodie ran off, but Chara was still worried. She really hoped Elodie wasn't about to engage in a foolish pissing contest. That was the last thing she needed.
Cade tapped Chara's shoulder. "Are you alright, Your Highness?"
Chara snapped back to attention. "Oh, my apologies. I was lost in thought."
"There you go again, always apologizing."
She smiled. "Very well, I do not apologize. I shall ignore you as much as I please."
"That's more like it. Now, let me beat up a princess already."
"Careful what you wish for." Chara raised her hand. "Master Alpin! We're ready!"
Alpin came over and smiled at them. "Ha, I knew it wouldn't be long until you two went up against each other. This should be a good one."
"Glad you think so, Half-And-Half!" Cade exclaimed.
Alpin laughed. "You have some guts calling your headmaster that. I don't mind, but other heterochromes might find that offensive."
"I just think it's cool, sir."
"So I figured, but take care in the future."
"Yes, Master."
"I think it's cool, too," Chara said. "I don't understand why heterochromia is so rare. After all, I would argue that most people cannot be defined by a single trait."
"Souls have always been a mysterious entity," Alpin said. "Perhaps you can help improve our understanding of them."
Chara nodded. "I hope so."
"Well, I think that's enough chatter," Alpin said.
Yeah, it was about time. Chara sat down next to Cade and closed her eyes…
Putting on her best smile, Elodie approached Atami, who had just won her last fight. Atami looked at her blankly as Elodie introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Elodie." She extended her hand.
After a brief pause, Atami shook her hand. "I'm Atami."
"Nice to meet you, Atami."
Atami replied with a quiet monotone. "Nice to meet you."
Hmm, not exactly a ray of sunshine, but she seems respectful enough. To me, anyway.
"So, do you like it here so far?" Elodie asked.
"… it's fine," Atami said.
Fine, huh? The classic answer of someone who doesn't want to talk about it.
"I saw a bit of your last fight," Elodie said. "You're pretty good! Are you majoring in Combat?"
"Yes."
"That's cool. I'm more of a healer myself, but I like dueling, too."
Atami just nodded and said nothing, leaving it up to Elodie to continue the conversation. "Uh… what got you interested in magic?" she asked.
"… it's cool," Atami said.
"Heh, I guess that's as good a reason as any."
Again, Atami simply nodded and remained silent.
"W… well, I like helping people," Elodie offered. "Maybe that sounds a little silly, but that's why I want to be a healer. I want to mend injuries, cure diseases, and help people live better lives. I'm sure you want to help people too, right?"
"Yeah," Atami said.
"Great! That's great!"
Silence.
"… umm, that's a cool cloak you're wearing!" Elodie said.
"Thanks," Atami deadpanned.
"And, uh… what's your favorite hobby?" Elodie asked.
Atami turned away slightly, avoiding eye contact. There was a slight blush in her cheeks. "I… play video games."
"Oh! I know Ch… a friend who is a big gamer."
Atami just ignored her, not saying a word.
"… you don't talk much, do you?" Elodie asked.
Atami scowled. "No, I don't."
Oh, dear… Elodie didn't have a problem with introverts, but she wasn't making this easy. Elodie needed to figure out who Atami was and what made her tick. Unfortunately, it seemed she was not eager to share that information. Poor Chara. She hadn't exactly won the lottery here.
"I… I didn't mean to offend you," Elodie reassured her.
With a bitter look in her orange eyes, Atami tucked her arms inside her cloak. Damn, she was sensitive, wasn't she? Well, Elodie had learned at least a little about her. For whatever reason, Atami tended to close herself off, but it didn't seem like she wanted to be mean, except when it came to Chara, of course. That was another matter entirely. Was she simply not a very forgiving person, or was there something else going on?
Atami glanced at Alpin, who had just finished setting up Chara's fight. He walked over to them. "Sorry for the wait," he apologized.
"Don't worry about it," Elodie said.
"Well, let's get you two started."
Elodie and Atami sat down while Alpin did his thing. A few moments later, Elodie and Atami faced each other as spirits within a dueling ring. Before they began, Elodie ran a Check spell on her opponent.
"Atami Bray" – LV 1
HP: 20/20
EXP: 0
ATK: 10 (25)
DEF: 10 (5)
WEAPON: Brave Rapier
ARMOR: Cloak of Courage
Huh, that's not much of a defense bonus. Weird.
Elodie briefly considered if she should let Atami win, but she immediately threw that foolish idea out of her head. Going easy on her would have been the greatest insult she could have given. Win or lose, she had to fight with all her strength.
Elodie summoned an energy scepter and held it tight in her hand. "Ready when you are."
In the blink of an eye, Atami swiped her rapier out of her cloak and pointed it straight at Elodie. The sword had a long, slender blade with a sharply pointed tip optimized for thrusting, and the sharp edges made it effective for cutting as well. The steel blade shined bright, and the elegant gold hilt guarded Atami's wrist as she held it. Her orange eyes burned with determination as she lowered her stance, ready for battle.
As an orange soul, Atami was most likely going to try and overwhelm Elodie with blistering speed. Fortunately, Elodie's skillset was well-suited for dealing with speedy opponents. As long as she kept up the pressure, she'd have a fighting chance.
Exactly as Elodie had predicted, Atami immediately charged forward, her cloak flapping behind her as she raced towards her like a bullet train. Elodie raised her arm and protected herself with a low barricade of energy scepters. Atami ran right into it and tripped, but she broke her fall with a forward roll and got right back on her feet, hardly slowing down.
Elodie braced herself as Atami lunged to stab her chest. She narrowly sidestepped the attack and swung her scepter, striking Atami's face with a loud thud. The force of the impact sent Atami reeling, but she quickly recovered and stabbed Elodie's stomach.
"Flow Acceleration."
Before Elodie could react, Atami unleashed a flurry of strikes faster than Elodie could track, poking holes in her chest, arms, abdomen… they only dealt one damage per hit, but they were extremely fast. Elodie's HP fell to ten points. She had to do something!
Elodie raised her scepter high in the air and called forth the power of her Special Attack by shouting its name. "Lightning Rod!"
A dark thundercloud materialized over Elodie's head, and a powerful bolt of lightning came crashing down, striking her scepter. Elodie took five points of damage from her own attack as her body served as ground zero for an electrical explosion, blowing Atami away. She landed on the floor, convulsing as the current ran through her.
Elodie panted. She only had two HP left; that was way too close. What was that Special Attack? Flow Acceleration? Whatever it was, it made Atami move at ludicrous speed. Elodie's ethereal body was leaking dust all over. She was tempted to cast Grand Healing, but she glanced at Atami and realized that she was busy restoring her own HP. Elodie cast Steady Healing instead. Her hand glowed with a green light as she waved it over her wounds and felt them gradually close.
Grand Healing would have fully restored her HP within one second, but it would have cost a quarter of her EN, and she had already spent a fifth of her EN casting Lightning Rod. Steady Healing took ten seconds for a full recovery, but it only consumed a tenth of her EN, making it more cost-effective. The downside was that the spell would terminate if she took damage, so she had to be careful while using it.
As soon as she finished, Elodie stood and cast Check on Atami, who had also finished healing herself. Atami had eighty percent of her EN left, while Elodie was down to sixty-eight percent. No matter, she just had to step up her game.
"Wow, you're fast!" Elodie complimented. "You almost had me there!"
Her orange eyes burning, Atami held her rapier upright and spoke the name of another Special Attack. "Charge of the Vanguard."
Atami bent her knees low to the ground before propelling towards Elodie at an insane velocity. Elodie shielded herself with a barrier just before Atami's body slammed right into it. Despite her protection, the force of the impact sent Elodie flying back into the barrier behind her, knocking the wind out of her ghostly body as she fell facedown onto the floor, but there was no time to rest. She rolled her head out of the way just in time to avoid the tip of Atami's rapier and struck her chin with an uppercut as she got back up.
Elodie thrust her scepter forward and shut her eyes. "Flash!"
From the tip of her scepter, a blindingly bright light burned Atami's eyes, and Elodie used the opportunity to run all the way to the other side of the ring. She hoped Charge of the Vanguard had a long cooldown; she wanted to keep her distance from that rapier. Did Atami even have any ranged attacks?
Atami grunted as she shook off the flash and rushed her again. Elodie wasn't going to let her charge so easily this time. With a flourish of her scepter, she raised a wall of light blue scepters right in front of her opponent. Atami couldn't stop herself in time and ran right though. The magical energy seared her ethereal skin, and she fell down on her face, unable to break her fall this time.
While Atami got back up, Elodie sent another wall of light blue scepters flying towards her. The wall was too tall to jump over and too wide to dodge. Atami had no choice but to stand absolutely still while the aqua scepters passed through her. Elodie could have done this with regular scepters, but summoning so many standard projectiles at once would have cost about half of her maximum EN, not a great idea.
However, Elodie could still make low walls without expending too much EN. She followed up her light blue wall with just that, sending a low wall of white scepters towards Atami, and she fired another teal wall close behind. Atami jumped over the low wall, but she was still in the air when the cerulean wall reached her. The light blue magic burned her skin again, making her whimper and fall on her knees.
Elodie didn't let up. She repeated the same pattern, low white walls and high turquoise walls. Atami tried jumping more lightly, but she still couldn't reach the ground by the time the patience wall closed in. She coughed up dust as she was struck again. Elodie felt a little bad for her, but not enough to ease up. She kept attacking.
Finally, Atami figured it out. She jumped backwards as the low wall flew past her, and she managed to plant her feet back on the ground before the light blue scepters hit her. She may have dodged the attack, but she'd been forced to give up ground, moving away from Elodie. She grit her teeth, her face boiling red.
Elodie smirked. Heh, I knew this would piss her off. The last thing an orange soul wants is to be slowed down.
Atami clenched her fingers like claws, and a flame surged inside her hand. She thrust her palm forward, hurling a fireball towards Elodie. She quickly sidestepped and heard the flame pound the barrier behind her. As it turned out, Atami did have ranged attacks at her disposal. Good to know.
Atami used the opening she'd created to continue her charge, but she probably should have used it to heal herself. Elodie decided to hold her ground and give Atami the close-quarters battle that she obviously wanted. She had planned to keep her distance, but Atami had been weakened by Elodie's attacks and was being foolish for assuming a more defensive strategy. She was going to teach her a lesson for being overly aggressive.
Elodie held her scepter upright and blocked a horizontal swing from Atami's rapier. Atami quickly followed up with a downward swing, clanging loudly against Elodie's scepter. Although she had blocked it, Elodie felt herself push back slightly from the shock of the blow. That rapier was heavier than it looked. Atami pulled back for another thrust, but Elodie swung her scepter and smacked her face, knocking her off balance.
Atami growled. "Flow Accel -"
"No!"
Elodie charged her scepter with electricity and thrust it into Atami's chest. She grimaced as the shock made her body shake uncontrollably. Elodie raised her scepter and struck Atami's head with all her might, knocking her down on the ground.
Atami gagged and spewed dust all over the floor. Elodie cast Check. Atami only had one HP remaining. Elodie. pointed her scepter down and fired a bolt of lightning, disintegrating Atami's spectral body into dust.
Elodie took a deep breath. The fight was over; she had won.
Returning to her real body, Elodie opened her eyes and looked at Atami; her eyes were drooped down in exhaustion. As spirits, they had not physically exerted themselves, but the mental strain could still cause fatigue.
Elodie gave her a friendly smile. "Great fight. I could hardly keep up with you, but if I may offer a suggestion, I think you should pay more attention to your defense. You left yourself wide open a few times. Try not to be so reckless."
And try to advance your strategy beyond 'charge!' she wanted to say.
Atami nodded. "Yeah…"
"You are fast, though," Elodie said. "I can tell you've trained hard with that sword. I'm impressed."
"… thank you," Atami mumbled, like the social butterfly she was.
It may have been Elodie's imagination, but she saw something somber in Atami's expression. The fire she had shown in battle was completely gone. Was she sad because she'd lost, or was this just her natural state?
"… you're strong, too," Atami muttered.
What was that? A genuine compliment? Elodie beamed as if her child had just spoken her first word. "Thank you! I appreciate it!"
Atami gave her a bashful smile. Aww, she looked cute when she smiled! Elodie was getting a better grasp of who she was. Atami was both shy and introverted, but she seemed to have a kind heart beneath her stoic surface. Elodie was confident that she could be nice when she wanted to be.
Although, Elodie still wasn't sure exactly what her problem with Chara was, aside from the obvious 'you're a murderer!' thing. Now that she had met Atami herself, Elodie had a hard time imagining her so blatantly hostile. The person Chara had described and the person she was looking at seemed like two completely different people. There had to be more to her that Elodie hadn't figured out yet.
Then again, perhaps Elodie was calling the kettle black. She'd hated Chara once, but she didn't think of herself as a generally mean person. It was perfectly human to be unforgiving of Chara's past actions. She just couldn't imagine Atami being so, well, outspoken about it. Maybe something about Chara had triggered her 'battle mode.'
Suddenly, Atami turned away. Rude! How dare she walk away while she psychoanalyzed her! Elodie swiveled her head and saw what Atami was looking at, what everyone was looking at. Pretty much the entire class was fixated on a single fight, Cade vs. Chara.
Their battle all set up, Chara stood across from Cade, knife in hand.
"Cade Felwinter" – LV 1
HP: 20/20
EXP: 0
ATK: 10 (30)
DEF: 10 (20)
WEAPON: Red Crystal
ARMOR: Trench Coat
Decent stats – excellent, really – but Chara was stronger. Being a LV 6 demon wasn't entirely fair, but Chara wasn't going to go easy on him.
Cade stroked his chin as if mulling over something. "Hmm, I don't get it. Why a knife? It's so tiny."
Oh, the dirty jokes I could make. She smiled. "It was a gift from my father."
"Well, aren't you a good little child," Cade quipped. "Don't you think you should find your own calling, not just take what your parents gave you?"
"I understand your point," Chara said, "but it is moot, for this weapon suits me perfectly."
"Oh, really? Pray tell, how could it possibly compare to a good gun or a decently-sized blade?"
Chara smirked. "Allow me to give you a demon-stration." She threw out her arms and sent dozens of energy knives racing towards Cade from left and right, all while sprinting towards him to fight up close.
Cade quickly kicked into gear and evaded the blades, jumping and sidestepping every knife that came at him. He conjured a weapon, a hand cannon, and fired it at Chara. The bullets simply flew straight at her, no special pattern. Chara put up a barrier to block the shots, making the bullets disappear as they made the barrier ripple like water, but it wouldn't hold forever.
Chara sent some knives spiraling in an arc around Cade, forcing him to turn his head. The brief lull in his shots was enough for Chara to slip in closer, but just before she was within striking distance, Cade turned and shot something out of the palm of his hand. It struck Chara's ankle, and she felt a biting chill as the projectile covered it in ice. If she weren't in Ethereal Form, her whole body would have shivered from the cold.
Chara snickered. "Ice, huh? Because you're a Felwinter? How appro…"
She gasped as Cade suddenly swung something large towards Chara's neck. She ducked in the nick of time and felt the blade clip her spectral hair. She looked up and saw Cade holding a massive energy greatsword that stood as tall as his shoulders. She chuckled. "That's… quite a bit larger than a knife."
Cade held the towering blade upright; Chara couldn't help but quiver as she saw the large blade prepare to cleave her in half. She had to break out of this ice, now! She ignited a fireball in her hand and threw it at the ice trapping her knee. It partially melted, making it just weak enough for Chara to break free. The ice shackling her ankle shattered, and Chara jumped away right before Cade's blade came crashing down. Seeing an opening, Chara quickly lunged towards Cade and stabbed him deep in the shoulder, opening a dusty wound.
Cade grunted and struck Chara's jaw with a hard backhand, making her recoil as she spewed dust in the air. Chara pulled her knife out of Cade's shoulder and aimed for his chest, only to feel a fist slam into her nose. The blow knocked her back, and Cade swung his greatsword into the side of Chara's abdomen, sending her flying halfway across the ring. She groaned as her body rolled across the floor, leaving behind a trail of dust.
Chara's HP had fallen to twenty-six points. Heh, still more than what Cade had started with. She cast Steady Healing and began closing her wounds as she got back up.
After healing his own injuries, Cade smirked as he slung his greatsword over his shoulder. "You know what? I think I get it now. I understand why you use a knife; it's perfect for a girl like you."
Chara laughed. "Hahaha… what?!"
"Yeah," Cade said. "You girls just don't have the upper body strength to handle a serious weapon like us guys, so you go for something lightweight and easy to swing around. Ah, the dagger, truly the ideal weapon for a delicate princess."
Delicate? Delicate?! DELICATE?!
Chara's laughter grew more intense. To think that her fighting style was somehow defined by her gender, it was hilarious! Hysterical! Her red eyes glowed with murderous intent. "You think knives are girly?"
"Indeed," Cade said. "If I saw a guy using a knife as his primary weapon, I'd have some serious concerns."
"… hahaha… AHAHAHAHAHA!" She stretched out her arms and surrounded Cade with a circle of knives, rapidly revolving around him. She spun them around like a raging cyclone before sending them all flying towards Cade in a spiral pattern, but she wasn't done yet. She sent another stream of knives racing towards Cade from his left, another on his right, and another above him. Everywhere Cade looked all he could see was a whirlwind of energy knives demanding his dust.
Cade moved quick on his feet and evaded several blades, but soon, he stepped too slowly and one of the spiraling blades slashed his arm. Another blade stabbed his back, his stomach, his leg, his chest… Chara cackled manically as Cade's dust scattered everywhere. "Ahahaha! How's this?! Too girly for you?!"
Cade grinned and slammed his hand on the ground, and a trail of ice ripped through the floor. What was…?
Chara squealed as a spike of ice shot out from the floor and impaled her stomach. As she struggled to pull herself out, Cade charged at her, greatsword in hand. Chara's heart froze with fear as icy as the spike she was stuck on. God, that sword was so intimidating when she was trapped!
Finally, Chara pried herself off of the spike and parried Cade's swing with her dagger. She stepped in for another counterattack, aiming at Cade's chest, but Cade stopped her with a kick to her stomach. Chara whimpered as her wound opened wider, but she raised her knife and prepared to block Cade's next attack.
But Cade's swing never came. He dispelled the magic greatsword he held and summoned something else. He pointed it at Chara and pulled the trigger. Chara felt something slam into her hard, staggering her. In Cade's hands was an energy shotgun. He pulled back the pump, readying another shot.
Chara breathed heavily. She… didn't like shotguns. She put up a barrier and clutched her chest, her HP had fallen to twenty points. She would have lost already if she were LV 1, a fact that stung her pride. At this point, didn't Cade deserve to win?
Chara's barrier flickered as Cade blasted it with his shotgun. She froze; this situation was much too familiar. Her EN was down to thirty-five percent. Shit, she may have gone overboard when Cade pissed her off. That was his plan, wasn't it? Damn it! How could she let herself be manipulated so easily?
Another blast rocked Chara's barrier, cracking it. She shivered. N-no, not again! Not again!
She couldn't keep defending; she had to fight back. Chara summoned an energy knife behind Cade and threw it into his back; the sudden impact made him grimace and stagger. Wasting no time, Chara clenched her fingers and threw a fireball into Cade's chest. The flame exploded on his body, staggering him again. This was her chance; Chara ran at Cade with all her might and thrust her knife into his stomach, twisting it inside.
Cade gagged and coughed up dust, but his red eyes still glowed with determination. He reached out and tried to aim his shotgun at Chara's head, but Chara pulled her blade out of his stomach and slashed his arm. His grip loosened. Chara seized his shotgun and threw it far away. It shattered like glass when it hit the floor. With that out of the way, Chara stabbed Cade in the chest.
Since he'd been disarmed, it'd be a few minutes until Cade could summon his shotgun again. Instead, he conjured his greatsword and bashed its hilt into Chara's head. She winced as her spectral skull fractured, but she didn't slow down. She swung her dagger and landed a deep cut across his hand. Cade pulled back his other hand for a punch, but Chara shifted her head before it connected.
Before he could get it away, she stabbed Cade's arm. His greatsword had excellent reach, but it was difficult to use now that Chara was so close. His only hope was to get away, but Chara clung to him like a vicious animal. She stabbed his chest again. Cade struggled for all he worth, kicking her, striking her head, but Chara fought through it. She rapidly thrust her blade into him until his dust spilled all over the floor. Chara wrapped her free arm around his back, as if embracing him, and then she slid her dagger across his neck.
Cade's body exploded into dust. Chara panted. She only had sixteen HP remaining. She'd won, but she couldn't take pride in it. If she were LV 1 like Cade was, she certainly would have lost.
Chara took a deep breath and returned to her real body. She looked at Cade, who had sprawled on the ground. Chara tapped his shoulder. "Umm, are you alright?"
After a brief pause, Cade laughed and got back up with a hearty grin. "Man, that was intense! You're as strong as I hoped you'd be, Chara! I'd expect nothing less!"
Chara breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been worried for a second that Cade would react like Tevis, but it seemed that he was a better sport. Soon, however, Chara realized she had another problem; pretty much the entire class had watched their fight. Chara felt a chill creep up her spine. Had she scared them? Were they staring at the psychotic, knife-wielding demon with disgust in their hearts? What were they thinking?
"Woohoo! Go Chara!"
Chara's fellow mages began clapping, cheering with bright smiles. Chara's lips parted in shock. Applause? They were applauding her? Chara's heart jumped. She… wasn't used to this. Since when did people… admire her?
… well, she had to admit, it felt good for a change. Chara greeted them with a nervous smile, and she even bowed. The applause continued for some time before the students went back to their own business. Chara smiled with a lightened heart. It really did feel good.
Chara returned her attention to Cade. "I feel kind of bad," she admitted. "Were it not for my level advantage, you likely would have prevailed."
"Ah, don't worry about it," Cade reassured her. "Like you said, we humans have it good compared to monsters. Maybe it's only fair for us to be disadvantaged for once."
That was true. A monster had to train extremely hard to reach a human's level, and even then, it was difficult for them to win. Perhaps Chara was a human among humans. Not impossible to defeat, it just took more patience and effort.
Although he had lost, Cade had given Chara the toughest fight she'd had in a long time. She had to commend him. "I must say, you have an impressive arsenal," she said. "Two firearms, a greatsword, and ice magic. Most mages don't have that much diversity."
"Yep," Cade said, "but you sure showed me with that knife of yours. I was just messing with you, by the way." He winked. "It's only a little girly."
Chara scoffed. "Har, har."
"Although," Cade said, "there's one thing I can't let you get away with; demon-stration? Really, Chara?"
She smiled. "My mother and I share a similar sense of humor."
"My condolences," Cade said. He stretched out his arms. "Well, I guess we should go find more skulls to crack. I doubt they'll be nearly as interesting, though. Nothing worth writing home about."
"Hey now, don't underestimate them."
"Fine, fine," Cade said. "Oh, more thing before I go, has your roommate given you any more trouble?"
Chara glanced at Atami, who was busy looking for her next opponent. "No," she said.
"But have things gotten better?"
"… no."
"Well, hang in there," Cade said. "I'm sure she'll come around."
"I appreciate your confidence," Chara replied. If only I could be so certain…
Cade waved goodbye. "See you later, Chara."
She waved back. "See you."
Cade went off for his next battle. Chara hadn't know him long, but he seemed like a fun guy. Perhaps they could spar again next class, and maybe she could win without falling below twenty HP, an indisputable victory. Either way, she was glad to have made a friend here.
Speaking of friends, Elodie approached her. "Hey."
Chara faced her, hoping to address some concerns. "What happened? You didn't get into a fight with her, did you?"
"Well, uh, that's kind of what this class is about," Elodie said.
Chara slapped herself in the face. "You know what I mean."
Elodie laughed. "No, I was nice. I just wanted to find out more about her."
Oh, so that's what it was about. Elodie had performed reconnaissance on the enemy, excellent. "What did you find out?" she asked.
"She's very… introverted."
Introverted? Well, there was nothing wrong with that. Chara was very introverted herself. Although, Chara couldn't say that was the impression she had gotten. She must have treated Elodie much differently. "How did she conduct herself?" Chara asked.
"Yeah, she wasn't mean to me," Elodie said. "I mean, she wasn't super friendly or anything like that. She's very shy, but it seemed like she was starting to warm up to me."
Well, perhaps that explained why she always wore that hooded cloak; it did give her that closed off look. Chara wasn't sure how this information could help her, though. She highly doubted that Atami's shyness had anything to do with why she hated her.
"Anything else?" Chara asked.
"She likes video games!" Elodie offered.
Hey, that was something they had in common. Maybe Chara could use that somewhere down the road.
"And that's about all I got out of her," Elodie said. "She seemed reluctant to talk about herself. Maybe she doesn't trust strangers or something. I don't really know."
"Well, thank you," Chara said. "I must admit, you had me worried for a second, but you've done well."
Elodie smiled cheerfully. "You're welcome! It's the least I could do for you."
Chara looked around the class, searching for new challengers. "Alright, we should get back to work before Alpin notices we're slacking off. Patience is only one of his traits, after all."
"Oh, alright," Elodie said. "Good luck."
"Same to you."
Chara had a lot on her mind, but she needed to focus. Brushing her worries aside, she continued her class.
After a few more battles, the class ended. Atami took a deep breath. It had gone about as well as she'd expected. She had won fights and she had lost fights, but she couldn't stop thinking about that… that girl... what was her name? Eloony? She wished that she'd been a bit nicer to her. She really didn't mean to be so cold; it was just… it was just how she was.
Well, she couldn't dwell on it forever. Maybe she could make it up to her later… maybe. Atami stored her rapier in her dimensional box and walked outside, where a voice called out to her.
"Hey, Orange! Let me talk to you!"
Who in the…? Atami turned to face him. It was the guy in the black trench coat. He approached her with an irritating smile. What did he want?
"Hey, there," Trench Coat said. "I'm Cade. I hear you're Chara's roommate."
Atami didn't know what this was about, but it was annoying her. "Yeah?"
"Word on the street is that you're not a fan of her," Trench Coat said. "Is that true? You hate her guts? Can't stand the sight of her stupid face? Want her as dead as a doornail?"
"I… suppose you could say that," Atami replied.
"Really?" Trench Coat asked. "Do you mean that?"
"… what do you mean?"
"Do you really want her dead?" Trench Coat questioned.
Okay… this is weird. I'm pretty sure this is weird… right?
In any case, Atami pondered the question. Did she want Chara dead? She didn't have to think long; the answer was clear. Atami nodded. "Yeah," she said. "I wouldn't cry if someone killed her."
"And you really mean it?" Trench Coat persisted. "If you had the chance to kill her without consequences, would you do it?"
Atami clenched her fists. "Yeah, she's a murderer. She tried to kill every last human on Earth. If Asriel weren't so determined, none of us would be standing here right now. You don't just… forgive someone for that, and anyone who thinks otherwise is fucking crazy."
"Hmm, interesting," the man said. "That's very interesting."
Atami was feeling very weirded out by his tone. There was something… sinister in his voice. Where was he going with this?
The man grinned. "Yes, I think you are just the kind of person I'm looking for."
Atami froze. Was he seriously implying…?
"You know," the man said, "it's no secret that the ban on resets was made specifically for Chara. The Government doesn't want a demon in control of the timeline, but unfortunately, they can't do anything about it. Legal issues and all that. If only there were some brave souls willing to do the dirty for them, eh?"
Atami swallowed. "Are… are you asking me to…?"
"Oh, no, no, no," the man said. "I didn't say that. This is a purely hypothetical conversation, understand?"
With a gulp, Atami nodded.
"Good," the man said. "Glad we understand each other. Now, as I was saying, the Government's hands are tied, but what about, oh, I don't know, a group of really powerful mages in training? I'm sure they could give that demon some trouble."
"… look, I don't want to ruin my life," Atami said.
"Me neither," the man said, "but something tells me that the matter wouldn't be looked into very closely."
Was she seriously considering this? Chara deserved to die, no question there, but did Atami have the strength to do it herself? Could she truly be the one to slay that vile demon?
"… how would they do it?" Atami asked.
She really didn't like the way this man smiled. "Stay tuned," he said. "If you're really interested, I'll let you know. Are you interested?"
Sweat poured down Atami's brow, but she nodded. "Y… yes, I'm interested."
"That's what I like to hear," the man said. "We'll keep in touch, Atami. Be brave."
Finally, the man walked away… how did he know she was Chara's roommate? What his name again? Atami cast Check. Right, Cade. This guy creeped her out, but an enemy of Chara was a friend of hers.
"Are you really gonna do it?"
Atami's heart pounded when she heard that familiar voice. She turned around and saw Tevis deactivate his invisibility spell. Once the shock had worn off, Atami scowled at her insolent cousin. "You know I hate it when you do that."
"Are you gonna do it?" Tevis asked again.
Atami frowned. "I… I think so… you're not gonna try to stop me, are you?"
Tevis shook his head. "No, everything you said is right. That demon has to die."
Atami breathed a sigh of relief, glad that her cousin was on her side. "Thank you," she said.
"But I'm not letting you do it alone," Tevis said. "If you're gonna do this, I'm helping you."
Atami gasped. "Tevis, I…" She sighed. She knew better than to argue with him. "Alright."
Tevis stared at her with gentle sky blue eyes. "I can't believe you got so unlucky," he said. "To think that of all people, they'd pair you with that evil bitch. You're the last person who needs to deal with something like that; it's not fair."
Atami smiled. Tevis was always a little overprotective when it came to her, but she loved him for it. "I'll be alright," she reassured him.
Tevis sighed. "I thought this would be a good chance for you to break out of your shell. No offense, but..."
Atami nodded. "Yeah, I know… are you really okay with this? Helping me kill someone?"
"Not all killing is murder," Tevis said. "We're training to be warriors, aren't we? It's our job to kill those who need to be killed."
"I… guess you're right," Atami said.
"I can't believe the Government won't do it themselves," Tevis ranted. "How could they let Chara get off on such a stupid technicality? Just because she was an Underground citizen, she's off the hook for attempted genocide? It's bullshit."
It was; it really was. Atami couldn't have agreed more.
"I won't let that demon lay a finger on you," Tevis said. "We're in this together."
Atami was glad to hear that. "Thank you, Cousin. I'll let you know as soon as I find out more."
Tevis nodded. "Okay, stay safe, Atami."
"You too, Tevis."
Tevis walked away, leaving Atami alone with her thoughts. She couldn't believe this was happening; it was so surreal. She had signed up to be a warrior, but she didn't think she'd end up fighting for real so soon. She still had doubts she could do it, but she hoped that Cade knew what he was doing. It wouldn't be so simple as killing Chara in her sleep; her Sense Enemy power was so strong that she'd wake up as soon as Atami tried something. That, and it'd be very suspicious if Chara was killed in her dorm room, which was also Atami's dorm room, even if the Government did want her dead. They needed a good plan if they were to do this without being caught.
But they had to do it. Chara had to pay for her crimes, no matter what Frisk believed.
In the meantime, Atami had to carry on with her classes like normal. Steadying her nerves, Atami pressed forward.
