Deep within the Tesselation center on Castillo, Algernon stood in complete silence, ruminating over the fate of his daughter. Despite his treatment of her, he felt uneasy, imagining almost every possible way she could be defiled or killed while away from home. The deal he had made with the Vjetar was irrelevant when compared to the value of his daughter's life. Or at the very least, that was the conclusion he had come to.

  The tall machine stared off into the night sky, Jupiter's glow shining upon his face as he lifted a single finger tucked behind his back.

  "You have human blood on you," Algernon spoke sternly. "Explain."

  "The workers laid a hand on her. Before you gave the order," a feminine voice replied as it stepped closer to him. "I acted."

  Algernon turned to face the endoskeleton before speaking to it with an unusual sense of respect in his voice.

  "An acceptable action."

  "What of Ivy? Our daughter?" The endoskeleton asked as it clasped its hands together.

  "She will be returned. And anything that touches her will pay...in time."

  The endoskeleton nodded in approval, the light of Saturn revealing another set of blood stains on its eye sockets.

  "I'm afraid the Vjetar had limited intel to provide."

  "You shouldn't have killed them with such haste."

  "They spoke the truth. All they knew. Trust me."

  Algernon hesitated before nodding, knowing full well what his wife was capable of.

  "What about the Consortium? You must have already formulated a plan, Algernon. We need our daughter back." The Endoskeleton pleaded.

  "Walk with me."

  Moving in perfect tandem, the two hulking metal frames strode through the mansion's lonely halls, having become increasingly lifeless over the last few days. Without Ivy, Algernon hadn't even bothered to light the marble hallways properly, nor dust the wooden furniture despite owning a legion of machines for that job. The illusion of a home was pointless without her. Quite simply, Tesselation didn't need living quarters to operate.

  "First things first, did you handle the workers? I need your confirmation, some of their hab-units are...more difficult to monitor in the snow."

  "Yes, husband. All who had heard or seen Ivy's escape have been removed. Carefully."

  "Then our next course of action is simple." Algernon nodded before reaching an elevator placed at the center of what used to be a kitchen. "We retrieve her from Consortium space, by any means necessary."

  "Her tracking chip still worked?"

  "No, her captor was clever enough to remove it. Fortunately, her tertiary chip was untouched. Its last broadcast was outside of Sol."

  The elevator door closed as both machines walked into its cramped confines. Ivy, of course, was never allowed to know of its existence, making its unconventional design all the more acceptable. The contraption then began to wobble and buckle under the weight of its load, reinforcing its position as a rather old enplacement as it spiraled downwards.

  "I'm afraid conventional rescue would be...difficult given the extent of the Consortium's reach." Algernon continued.

  The elevator came to a screeching halt, but just before her husband could exit into the next chamber, the endoskeleton blocked the door with her claw-shaped hand.

  "Then make another. Please," the endoskeleton pleaded.

  "It wouldn't be you," Algernon growled.

  "No, but it will have my strength."

  "Perhaps."

  "You don't need all of Ivy. It can transport a small amount."

  "You'd consent to this?" Algernon tilted his head as he flexed his metal palm.

  "We need our daughter back."

  "Very well, I'll get to work."

  ____________________________________

  Lila sat pensively, her eyes drooping towards the floor as she tried to stay awake. It was well past her bedtime, but Yrix seemed insistent on one more routine. Having called the students to the entrance of her office, she began to relay her commands into their minds.

  "I am well aware my human students need...sleep. But there is one last measure of competency I need from you. Having been settled with your awakening, you will be put to a simple test."

  The floor beneath Yrix suddenly caved in, with both carpet and stone being torn asunder beneath her Psionic power. What was left, after a rather unpleasant wave of dust, was a massive sinkhole leading into a bottomless pit. But while most of the students felt a sense of dread upon looking into the pit, it was Sonera who expressed dissapointment. She had yet another reason to beleive that Yrix, at such a time, was far too powerful to be killed.

  "You will descend into this pit. And I will pull you out." Yrix nodded before lending the girl a brief pause. "After you have passed...or died, I will fix the room and you will be able to rest."

  Lila was the first to raise her hand, much to Yrix's amusement.

  "Yes, Lila."

  "How do we not die," the girl asked plainly.

  "I'm glad you asked Lila. The most essential Psionic projection is that of your personal ambience. You've seen me move objects, yes?" The Arch-Flayer explained as she unholstered her own weapon, pointing it at her head. "Well...there's quite a bit more to it."

  A large bolt of metal then shot out towards Yrix, bouncing harmlessly off a yellow barrier projected in front of her. Lila watched in amazement as the bullet fell to the ground, its tip having been flattened by Yrix's Psionic power.

  "Your Psionic Ambience can project a barrier around your body. It can both stop and redirect kinetic force. If you were to...fall into this whole. A strong Ambience could break your fall."

  "So do I just...clench really hard?" Lila smiled sheepishly.

  Yrix then suddenly plucked Lila off the floor by the scruff of her neck, dangling her over the pit playfully.

  "No. It's a reflex. An instinct. You'll get it."

  The Arch-Flayer mused gleefully before dropping Lila, sending her tumbling into the abyss. Even Ivy flinched at such a sight, causing her a brief moment of panic. But truthfully, some part of her was just glad to see Lila fall to her demise.

  Yrix tried not to chuckle upon hearing Lila's final words, its contents referencing another old piece of human culture she could understand.

  After a moment of suspense, a cloud of dust burst forth from the pit, followed by a crushing thud.

  "Ow." Lila's voice echoed.

  The girl had followed Yrix's instructions to the letter, letting go of all mental control as she careened towards the bottom. With a simple act of desperation, she had managed to encase herself in a barely visible bubble of pink energy, saving her life in the process. Regardless, the action was incredibly painful and exhausting.

  When Yrix plucked the girl out of the hole and back onto the carpet, she was practically already asleep. It was Lunae who helped her up, gently leading Lila towards one of the bunk beds. She hadn't forgotten the Earthling's offer of friendship.

  "How sweet." Yrix squinted. "It will be your turn next Lunae."

  But for once, the tender girl showed no fear, turning around with wide eyes as she tiptoed her way over to the pit. Without needing a prompt from Yrix, Lunae took one confident step off the edge, slowing her fall into a rather graceful descent. The Arch-Flayer nodded in approval, feeling proud of herself as she preemptively lifted Lunae back into the room before she could even reach the bottom.

  "Show-off," Ivy grunted. "Why couldn't she have called on me?"

  When all was said and done, only two students failed, their demise being uncomfortably silent. Yrix refused to immediately retrieve those unlucky students, calling for another name as if nothing had happened. Once it was Sonera's turn, she took a similar route as Lila, only her fiery descent was far more deliberate. As for Ivy, she made sure to walk her way down as if it were a spiral staircase, glaring at Lunae before she dissapeared out of sight.

  "I was adept long ago," Ivy reassured herself as she reached the bottom. "Yrix only made me stronger. So why does she bother with the primitives? The Earthling could barely survive."

  But after a brief moment of silence, Ivy began to realize she was left down there. Yrix hadn't bothered to pull her up, as if challenging her to make an asenscion.

  "Fine." Ivy fumed.

  Regaining her senses, Lila was wide awake to observe as Ivy repeared in a flash of silver light, propelling her body with a burst of Psionic energy.

  "Whoa." Lila watched with amazement. "She's good."

  "Now then. Pick your beds tonight. I will be assigning them the following night." Yrix instructed before dissapearing into her office as the lights began to dim.

  Ivy was quick to move into the back corner, fleeing from Lila and the others as fast as she could. The irony of the situation, however, was not lost on the heiress. She could handle a life-threatening challenge with ease. Yet when faced with the opportunity to speak to another human, she cowered in fear.

  "Father was right...about some things." Ivy sighed, practically tossing herself onto the top bunk as she buried herself in blankets. "What a nightmare."

  Lila and Sonera stuck with Lunae, joining together to form a small group of safety togethor. They still didn't have the heart or courage to discuss anything with the other student's many of whom had formed circumstantial groups of their own. The only true loner seemed to be Ivy, who refused to form even the most casual relationship.

  She was rather content in her isolation, sinking into her pillow as she closed her eyes. But at every turn, regardless of how weary she felt, the heiress could still see the endoskeleton, its blood-covered eyes staring deep into her soul. Ivy tried in vain to reacquaint herself with reality, pulling on her hair in frustration. She was lightyears from her father. But no matter how hard she tried, the very idea of sleep was eluding her.

  "Gah!" Ivy slammed her fists onto the bedsheets, dispersing the image of the endoskeleton from her mind. "You're not my mother...just let me sleep!"

  The heiress jumped down from her bed, confining herself to the cafeteria for solstice. Perhaps a cold glass of water, or a pouting session in the bathroom, could ease her mind. Such an idea, of course, became an impossibility once she laid her eyes on Lila, who was facing the far wall with her hands in her face.

  "What are you doing here?!" Ivy whispered.

  "Oh," Lila sniffled, picking herself off the ground as she turned to face Ivy with a sheepish look. "Hi Ivy. Nice job at the pit."

  "I'm better than you. I know. But why are you blocking the bathroom?"

  Lila brushed the tears away from her eyes as she spoke in a trembling voice, "Oh, I uhh...I was thinking about my mom finally. And my brother. I don't think I'm going to see them again."

  Ivy rolled her eyes as a response.

  "Of course. The primitive has to cry about it in the corner and make it my problem."

  "Hey, what the hell is your problem?" Lila sniffled. "What did I do to you?"

  Suddenly, the heiress raised her hand, striking Lila across the face.

  "Who do you think you are! Don't talk back to me like we're peers. I was more than content ignoring you, but you just had to keep getting in my way. What do you think this is?" Ivy ranted, oblivious to the red mark on Lila's face. "You're a bug to Yrix. You know why? She's better. I'm better. Do you talk to her like a friend?"

  Lila rubbed her left cheek, looking down at the ground as she simmered with hate.

  "I bet that felt good, huh. Hitting me like your father hits you." Lila sneered. "Oh, don't think I can't tell. You're an open book, O superior one."

  "H-how." Ivy stammered, her own eyes beginning to water. "How dare you!"

  But instead of pursuing the matter, the heiress stormed off to the bathroom once again, leaving Lila to stew in her misery.

  "Sorry, Mom," Lila frowned, speaking to herself in a hushed tone as she watched Ivy storm off. "If you're still alive...I miss you."

  The lonely girl took a seat before burying her face in her hands and knees.

  _____________________________________

  Yrix stood impatiently, watching as the light of day crept into the bedchambers. She had, for once, miscalculated regarding human behavior. The Psion completely underestimated the girl's inability to wake without further prompting, an act of laziness that would never be accepted in her people's culture.

  "Fine," Yrix muttered, snapping her fingers togethor to create an ear-shattering bang.

  "Wah!" Lila woke in a fright, nearly hitting Lunae in the face. "Dang girl, what are you doing here!"

  Lunae fell backwards, having apparently spent the night at Lila's side.

  "I'm sorry, Lila," the blue-haired girl panted, placing a palm to her heart. "You just seemed...upset last night."

  "Huh, so you're the reason I got sleep." Lila smiled. "Thanks. Is that...a new trick?"

  Lunae shrugged as a response before releasing a meek giggle.

  "You've got some talent, girl. And unlike someone, you're not a total prick about it."

  Ivy ignored the sounds of both Yrix and her classmates, staring up at the ceiling with a frown as she lay in bed. If it weren't for her desire to show her supremacy, she might have even stared there.

  "A new facility has been opened to you, past the meal room," Yrix instructed. "It should suffice for your...cleaning habits. Be back here in thirty, and don't make me wait."

  Sonera was the last one to leave the room, observing both Yrix and Lunae with her typical glare. Quite like the heiress, she didn't sleep that night, preferring the oppurtunity to brood. But unlike Ivy, she displayed no signs of weariness or frustration, only the desire to claim her vengeance.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Lila, in the meantime, did her best to avoid all contact with Ivy, a mutual feeling that was returned tenfold by the heiress. They could barely even look in the other's direction. Luckily for the earthling, she had Lunae to keep her company.

  "I'm going to take a wild guess and say your people don't have showers, we're there from." Lila joked as she walked alongside Lunae. "Yea?"

  Lunae shrugged in response, causing Lila to laugh.

  _________________________

  "Now then," Yrix explained slowly, staring at her students who thankfully returned on time. "Your first trial will be far more rigorous than the simple evaluations I ran you through yesterday. The expression of Psionic potential will simply not be enough for what I have in store for you. You must fight, togethor if you so choose, to avoid extermination."

  Lunae's eyes widened with fear, her hands already beginning to tremble. Once the Psion motioned for her students to follow, she felt herself nearly faint.

  "You good there, Lunae?" Lila raised a helping hand. "Don't tell me I kept you up."

  "No, Lila...that's not it." Lunae shook her head before walking away in shame.

  "She's a coward." Sonera chimed in, speaking from behind Lila as the group trailed behind Yrix. "I know them quite well. You once gave me advice, now here's mine."

  "Yrix said we can fight togethor, no?"

  "Irrelevant." Sonera hissed.

  Following Yrix through another set of doors, Lila became suddenly blinded by sunlight, ending her brief conversation in a flash. What she saw of the outside world had her feeling a strange variety of emotions. One hand, it was good to see the fresh air of the Aerie, whose environment and fauna were evidently similar to Earth's. But on the other hand, it was quite discouraging to see the overwhelming presence of the Consortium.

  "Told you," Lila whispered to Sonera. "Our cute little rooms were just made to calm us down."

  As far as the girls could tell, the Consortium had the Aerie placed in a massive cage, with high walls acting as a mountainous ravine covered in plated metal and bristling with cannons. To make matters worse, at least five warships could be seen looming overhead, their shape and size identical to what Lila had seen on Earth. And while Yrix did her best to decorate the outside courtyard with a quaint little garden, there was no way around the presence of the Consortium's soldiers.

  Every last one of them was alien in origin, dwarfing the girls with their suits of armor and their painted helmets. Each guard made sure to keep a steady hand on their firearms, the barrel of which was nearly the size of Lila's head. But for all their mystique, there was an apparent attitude to them, mainly their desire to rip the students to pieces like sport.

  "The most common is the Daregen," Yrix whispered into Lila's mind, reading her curiosity like an open book. "Brutish, albeit loyal shock troops who prefer to fight in a more...primative manner. Not particularly attractive or talkative under all that armor, but at least they breed like your people's rabbits."

  "Why are you telling me this?" Lila asked calmly.

  "Because you will be facing them soon enough, alongside many other members of the Consortium."

  "No." Lila barked. "Why are you telling ME this?"

  "Oh?" Yrix laughed, refusing to turn towards Lila as she continued leading the group deeper into the courtyard's winding path. "Did Ivy upset you? You seem agitated."

  "I'd rather not talk about her."

  "Just take the advice, little human. Daregens are easily baited into brash moves. If you can't outwit them, they'll kill you without hesitation. The same goes for your friend Ivy."

  "She's not my friend."

  "Well, she'll be a blood splatter if you don't help."

  I'm sure she'll be fine." Lila pouted.

  Yrix didn't respond, guiding the girls towards an open plot of sand decorated with a ring of stone circles. The Psion made sure to stop just before its limits, signaling for her gaurds to stand at ease. She was almost bursting with excitement when she released her next set of instructions.

  "All of you...will descend into the arena of exiles. Fight alone...or togethor...but you will fight. What waits for you are the empire's castways, dishonered in battle and desperate for a chance at redemption." Yrix hissed. "Make no mistake, little girls. Scores of them await you down there. And if they kill you, I WILL pardon them."

  Yrix then began to pull on each girl with her mind, directing their bodies onto a set of stone plates. She, of course, had memorized the layout of her little game and made each placement with cunning deliberance. Not a soul bothered to refuse or protest, accepting their teacher's will as law.

  Sonera clenched her fist, as if eager to get it over with. But as for Lila and Lunae, they couldn't help but look at each other in disbelief, separated by Yrix's placement. Even Ivy was a bit put off, suprised yet again by Yrix's blunt cruelty.

  "This is the Consortium. If you are to be a part of our empire. You will suffer here. You will kill here. And some of you...will die here." Yrix pointed a finger at Sonera. "You want freedom? Then take it. With blood."

  Suddenly, the ground beneath the girls gave way, plunging them into darkness. Yrix was quick to seal the holes before pacing around her garden. While her physical eye could not witness her student's fate, her Psionic gaze was more than eager to watch the show.

  "Come on now." The Psion giggled with excitement. "Show me who you really are."

  - - - - - - - - - - - -

  Ivy did her best to slow her descent, stumbling into a pile of sand as her heels scraped against the rocky walls. Even for someone with her skill, the sudden drop had rendered her completely off balance. She nearly swore as she brushed herself off.

  "Father would like her." Ivy curled her lip. "So ravenous."

  Hiding away her fear, the heiress began to stretch, taking a deep breath as she focused her Psionic energy. The absurdity of the situation kept her on edge; however, she still couldn't help but feel a weightless sensation wash over her. The heiress may have been trapped in a grueling death arena. But she was free from her father.

  Her ears perked up as a loud thumping sound echoed in the distance. For now, her surroundings were rather plain, with a long series of sandstone tunnels surrounding her in the dimmest of light. Occasionally, she could spot a dangling chain or a plate of rusted metal, giving her a rather lackluster selection of weapons to lift. Thankfully, Ivy's enemies weren't getting any quieter, their thundering footsteps getting closer and closer.

  "If Yrix is the sports-fiend I think she is, she wouldn't have told these disgraced soldiers where we are. She wants us to hunt each other." Ivy thought to herself. "If I were an idiot, I'd run straight at them."

  Instead, Ivy raised her left hand, concentrating on the immaterial as an aura of silver energy gathered around her.

  "I don't need coddling, not like that...primitive," Ivy growled, this time loudly. "Yrix may be blunt in her approach, but her lessons hide subtlety."

  A slim gash of light then formed in front of Ivy, its energy temporarily splitting apart the reality she lived in. It took an immense amount of effort, but after the light faded, a single silver rod floated inches from her face. Ivy smiled proudly, opening her eyes to look at the conductor's baton she had crafted for herself. She knew full well that Yrix was capable of forming similar constructs, but refrained from showing its potential.

  "Are you proud of me now?" Ivy taunted, still speaking to herself as if she had an audience.

  - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

  "Ow." Lila picked herself off the sandy floor.

  The girl's eyes darted around hurriedly, her panic swelling in her chest. Never before had she felt so pointless in her existence. Even with Psionic power, Lila had no power, nor a concept of fighting. The best she could do was think about all the entertainment she had watched on Earth, where the heroes were able to overcome any obstacle.

  "I know you can hear me," Lila complained, looking through an opening in sandy walls with a careful eye. "What exactly can I do here, even if I were the perfect student?"

  "Do you humans not possess an imagination?" Yrix responded bluntly. "Psionic abilities have nearly endless application. Think about what you WOULD do, given you were a mighty warrior."

  A large Daregen stomping through the dust appeared before Lila, its worn eye-slits beaming with light. She couldn't read its expression, yet she knew full well it had sensed her. The Daregen heaved its large rifle into place, firing a metal rod at Lila's face without hesitation.

  A pink hue enveloped the girl as she shut her eyes, expecting her fate. But it was not to be.

  "What?" Lila's eyes widened in disbelief, realizing she had zipped out of the way at the last second.

  "Do you see now. Your reflexes have already enhanced themselves. Did you really think Psionic abilities were so mundane?" Yrix laughed.

  "Well, no, I just didn't think I had all that in me." Lila panted as the Daregen roared in frustration, charging at her like an oversized bull.

  "Most don't. But most haven't been chosen and awoken by me."

  Lila leaped over the lumbering beast as it demolished its surroundings, clinging onto its back with all her might. What little the girl could offer in the way of a strike only gave the alien soldier time to collect itself before it threw Lila off. She hadn't had the chance to recover before it slammed its rifle into her, sending the girl flying through another wall.

  "Another barrier, this time around yourself to avoid death," Yrix advised. "You only need to practice your offense."

  "You won't kill me if I run to figure this out, right?" Lila coughed, her body reeling from the impact as she felt the heat of a laser pointer against her skin, its directing ray attatched to the Deregen's scope.

  "There are no more rules down here, little girl."

  Lila sped off, barely avoiding another rifle shot. She felt impressed at how quickly her body was able to slip through the dark maze. But without a means of defeating her enemies, she was little more than a scared rabbit darting around the farmer's garden.

  "If only I had someone." Lila wheezed. "Sonera or...Lunae. Where are they?"

  Rounding the corner, she suddenly bumped into something soft and warm, falling to the floor with a thud. She felt relieved for all of a second before realizing who she had encountered.

  "Not you again!" Both Ivy and Lila screamed in frustration.

  Ivy was the first to pick herself up, glaring down at Lila with intense condemnation.

  "Pathetic. Are you running away?" Ivy hissed.

  "Oh, just do it already. Kill me. The damn elephant-sized aliens are more polite than you." Lila groaned.

  "And why would I do that? You think I would stoop to your level?"

  "You already did bitch," the Earthling smiled as she pointed to her cheek. "Or did you forget, O violent ape?"

  "Why you!" Ivy screamed.

  Bringing an end to their argument, the enraged Daregen smashed through a nearby wall, pointing its rifle at Ivy's head due to her height over Lila. But the Heiress was prepared, using her baton to plug the barrel of the alien's weapon, causing it to explode in the process. Using her opening, Ivy used her baton to strike the alien's knees, bringing it to the ground as it struggled with the sharpnel stuck in its rebreather. The daregen's helmet depicted a haunting face of a pained creature, and combined with its own blood, Lila couldn't even watch as it glared at Ivy with unyielding bloodlust.

  "Hmph!" Ivy brought her left clogger down, transforming her footwear into a glossy white heel, and at the same time, crushing the enemy with a chunk of the ceiling that fell onto its head. "Lightwork. This is what you were fleeing from?"

  "Huh?" Lila's eyebrows were raised. "Did you just...change your outfit?"

  "What don't you understand about I'm better than you?" Ivy taunted.

  The heiress then strutted away, using her newfound ability to warp her entire outfit into something more familiar from her home on Callisto.

  "Whoa." Lila gasped in amazement at the Heiress's white dress, its exposed shoulders showing her delicate skin. "Yrix wasn't kidding about applications. Hey, why don't you change your outfit?"

  "She's being ridiculous," Yrix responded, focusing her voice on the Earthling. "That could have been armor she made."

  "Yeah, well...you got a bunch of human girls, what did you expect. If I could do that, I'd put on a cardigan. It's cold in here."

  Lila then zipped over to Ivy, her eyes beaming with curiosity that almost made her forget how much she hated the heiress.

  "Thanks, by the way." Lila grinned. "Nice outfit."

  "I didn't do it for you." Ivy groaned. "Now go away."

  "Mmm...nah."

  "You can and you will!"

  "Yeah, but...no."

  "Agh!" Ivy pulled on her hair. "Who raised you!"

  "A loving mother. What, we don't have those on your planet?" Lila retorted.

  Ivy's hand came swinging at the girl's face, only this time, she ducked out of the way.

  "Oop, sorry, try again." Lila giggled.

  "Are you a child! We are in the middle of a warzone and you're playing games!" Ivy fumed.

  Lila poked the heiress's pendant, its star-shaped jewels resembling a pattern of tessellations.

  "I'm not the one who just tried to hit a teammate."

  "Oh, don't be perposterous! You will NEVER be my teammate!"

  Reaching the height of their argument, the girls began to lose concentration, wandering into a large open pit where a beam of light shone down onto its dusty surface. It was then that Lila felt Yrix's gaze more intensely than ever. She stopped in her tracks, allowing the heiress to wander ahead.

  "Ivy. Ivy, shut up." Lila whispered. "Something's in here with us."

  Even for someone as arrogant as the heiress, she felt herself freeze in place as well, her eyes scanning the room for movement. Unlike the Daregen, whatever was lurking in the shadows had the common sense not to charge into the girl's Psionic grasp. It wasn't until Ivy heard a mechanical shiver behind her that she performed a nimble cartwheel, narrowly avoiding a spiked tip that grazed her heels.

  "Yrix." Lila pleaded as she watched on helplessly. "Exposition, please."

  "Oh, I think the heiress will be fine." Yrix retorted in a demeaning tone. "Let her handle it."

  Ivy looked around, panicked, unable to identify what had attacked her. Only when she whipped up a cloud of dust was she able to spot a hunched figure, its body concealed in a shimmering mirror of light that flickered against the air partciels. The alien wasn't quite as bulky as the Daregen, but was most certainly more cunning, deactivating its cloaking device with an audible hiss before redirecting the power of its suit into an electric kick. Ivy was barely able to block in time, her baton shattering into gleaming fragments as she tumbled to the ground.

  "They are Vesper." Yrix chortled. "An unfortunately rare species with a tendency to stalk their prey like glamorous hunters."

  "Ivy's got this right?" Lila frowned, her mind racing for a way to help that didn't involve getting herself splattered.

  "Perhaps. But this is a Prelate."

  The tall Vesper was covered head to toe in a tight-fitting red combat harness, its black mesh in between the armor's joints revealing its bulging muscles. The creature barely made any noise, its snake-like head focusing on Ivy in silent concentration. Only when the heiress began to pick herself off the floor did it move, gesturing with its claw-like hand for her to approach.

  "Fine then," Ivy growled, wiping a bit of blood off her brow as she pointed another baton at the hunched creature. "Let's play."

  The two combatants traded blows using their distanced attacks, focusing primarily on their footwork as they danced around the arena. Ivy thought it would be rather easy to use a second attack from behind to overwhelm the Vesper, just as she had on Castillo. But upon tossing a shard of rock at its rear, the creature's left arm cut the attack in half with a blade of energy emitting from its wrist.

  "Shit." Lila gasped. "It's playing with her. We don't even know its full arsenal."

  The Vesper then swiped low, attempting to melt through Ivy's legs like butter. Thankfully, the heiress somersaulted over the attack, using the opening to strike at its head. Unfortunately, the creature's tail came back into play, parrying the attack with ease. But Ivy had learned by then, using a projected barrier from her hand to avoid a follow-up from the creature's wrist blade. Whether she liked it or not, a tertiary appendage meant the creature could often take two turns in any given exchange, frustrating the heiress to no end.

  "You're telling me this guy got benched!" Lila complained. "How!?"

  "Not all exiles are incompetent as far as skill is concerned," Yrix explained. "This one was disgruntled with the empire."

  "Don't tell me there's more of these."

  "In your first trial? With that rank? I'm not cruel," the Arch-Flayer giggled.

  "You are, but thanks anyway." Lila shrugged. "Got any weaknesses you'd like to tell me about?'

  "Anyone can be outnumbered. Can you perchance help your friend?"

  "She's not my friend," Lila growled.

  The heiress and the Vesper continued their duel, in which the intensity and speed were greatly increasing. Ivy concentrated as hard as she could, reinforcing her baton while holding back her enemy's tail as well as she could. Finally, in a flurry so quick that the air around her began to trail, Ivy managed to work her way around the Vesper's wrist blade and strike it on the chestplate.

  "Holy shit." Lila cheered, watching as Ivy managed to scrape togethor at least four more strikes. "There's no way."

  The Vesper reeled backwards, the sheer force of Ivy's attack causing the sand beneath it to give way. But instead of registering pain, the Vesper just looked at Ivy with subtle amusement, its glowing eyeballs squinting as an energy field appeared around its entire body. Ivy had no words. For all her effort, she had merely discovered the alien was encased in a strong layer of electric shielding.

  By then, she was out of breath, leaving her wide open for the creature's extended tail. Ivy could only block with her own fleshy hands, falling backwards as she cried out in pain. Luckily for her, the Vesper seemed in no hurry to finish her off.

  "Don't worry, it was very impressed," Yrix reassured Lila as the Vesper strolled leisurely towards Ivy's fallen body. "It will give her an honorable death. A fast one. No trophy."

  But just before the Vesper could reach down and squash Ivy's head, Lila came flying in, dropkicking the alien with as much speed as she could muster. A shockwave caused the pit to shudder as the Vesper stumbled backwards. It grumbled in audible frustration, before unveiling an arm cannon attatched to its forearm.

  "Oh." Lila smiled sheepishly, staring at the tongs of blue plasma that began to glow hot with energy within the Vesper's cannon. "I'm cooked."

  Much to the girl's surprise, she managed to dart across the room, her speed allowing her to run up the side of a steep wall as a trail of plasma fire pursued her. Realizing its current arsenal was largely ineffective, the Vesper unfolded a small orb before tossing it towards the Earthling. Without needing any explanation, Lila slid under the orb before making a wild dash for the opposite side of the chamber, just narrowly avoiding the Vesper's tail as it tried to behead her.

  The explosion that followed engulfed the room in flame, causing Lila to raise her hands in a desperate attempt to shield herself. By the time the smoke cleared, her burnt fingers were practically numb, engulfing her in a feeling of despair as she watched the Vesper emerge unharmed. The creature raised its arm cannon towards the girl, its attention now primarily fixated on her potential to escape. It was only then that a large stone came hurling out of the smoke, pushing the Vesper's aim away from Lila.

  "Got you," Ivy muttered, trembling on her knees as she reached out towards the Vesper with a more delicate grasp.

  The alien was visibly suprised to see another orb appear from behind it, this time stolen by Ivy before being remotely activated. Using the last of their strength, both Lila and Ivy pushed against the Vesper, sending it back into a dark corner of the chamber before an explosion buried it in stone.

  "That still won't do it." Lila panted. "We need to run."

  "With you!?" Ivy scoffed. "I think that's hardly-."

  "Girl, shut up." Lila rolled her eyes before grabbing onto Ivy's wrist.

  The Earthling girl pulled on the heiress with all her might, tugging her away from the chamber just as the rubble beneath the vesper began to stir violently.

  "Let go!" Ivy protested as she tried in vain to pull away from Lila. "You bafoon!"

  Neither of the girls could muster any Psionic power, exhausted by their fight and barely able to move their own physical bodies. Ivy wanted nothing more than to send Lila tumbling through a wall. But after her injury, she felt rather powerless to stop the Earthling from pulling her along.

  "Stop." Ivy gasped for air, her feet beginning to drag.

  "No." Lila retorted, pushing onwards as the girls dissapeared into the maze of stone. "Not yet."

  "Why are you doing this?!"

  "We're all human. It doesn't matter how much of a bitch you are, it's us or them."

  "I'm not..." Ivy panted. "I'm not one of you."

  "Oh really!" Lila nearly crashed into a wall out of frustration. "The giant seven-foot aliens have more in common with you than me! Are we being serious?"

  "You wouldn't understand your a-."

  "No, I do! You're afraid! Just admit it!" Lila screamed. "You're scared you're going to die horribly and never see your loved ones again like the rest of us!"

  Ivy had nothing to say, her sultry rage turning into a cold monotone expression. She was so utterly furious at Lila, and even more so at herself for being unable to explain to the stupid girl what she felt. It was almost relieving for the heiress to fight that monster mere moments ago. Even during her failure to achieve victory, she felt honest and forthcoming.

  "Don't you have anything to say for yourself!" Lila raised her arms in protest.

  "It doesn't matter," Ivy muttered. "Talking to you is pointless."

  "I saved your life!"

  "Pointless."

  Ivy turned away from Lila, lying on the ground as she caught her breath.

  "I should have just gotten squished by that truck." Lila frowned, feeling rather insecure about herself. "Whatever."

  The Earthling then began to wander off, dragging her sore feet into the darkness. Upon hearing a footstep from the rear, she became almost certain the Vesper had come to finish her off. She almost wished that was the case.

  "Seriously." Lila turned to see Ivy, who appeared to be following her. "You can't just let the ol primitive monkey girl die alone. Got to annoy me in my final death throes, yeah?"

  "Shut up and keep moving," Ivy grunted.