Chapter 10: Chapter 10

Another session of combat training was coming to a close. The late afternoon sun was not visible on this overcast day. Normal lessons by the Rough Riders were not held on the weekends, but a few hundred of the more motivated students still came to hold contests with each other.

Many of those students had already left, or were now walking or riding back toward the city gate. But the four women in Clare’s potential party lingered. Sticking out of the grass nearby was a wooden sign Sara had bought to advertise for another female damage without a guild. She had also put a notice on the Looking for Party bulletin board. While the women had tried out a couple of candidates so far, neither had shown enough talent for combat.

“How about one more contest before we go?” Sara asked. “Clare and Pari, both of you against me and May?”

“That’s fine,” Clare said. Over the last few days, she had gotten a sense of the group’s combat potential. She had to admit that the outlook was acceptable. According to Martinez, May Roberts was far above average, and continued to improve steadily. Clare, who won her battles against Roberts and the others very consistently, received even more praise—though she did not intend to let herself become overconfident. Tehrani was emerging as the weak link of the party, but even she usually won when fighting other minimum XP inmates. So she was not a poor fighter in absolute terms.

Sara had made substantial progress, and in her duels with Roberts she won almost half the time. Though this was partially due to the fact that she had bought a speed gem. She had offered to buy some for the rest of the group, but for now they were all holding off. Gems became “bound” once equipped, meaning they were unusable by anyone else and could not be resold. None of the three women were yet comfortable with the idea of accepting even more expensive help—the lessons tomorrow were extravagant enough.

Clare was annoyed at how overly generous the girl was. Part of this was due to her infatuation with Sara, which had begun with their brief meeting in the real world and had only grown since. Clare felt she ought to be able to rid herself of the feeling—liking some bleeding heart progressive just because her character model was beautiful was incredibly shallow. And even if she were to ignore that issue, she was completely unwilling to have sex while the perverts of the Fantasy audience could watch.

Not for the first time, Clare wished she were straight. Her life would be simpler.

The HUD asked Clare if she wanted to temporarily drop out of her party. The four women had joined into an ad hoc party for training purposes, but it had no name.

had been added to all their nameplates. The party let them monitor each others’ health, mana, and stamina. Clare accepted the first option, and then a second asking if she wanted to accept a non-lethal contest from Roberts and Sara.

After the usual two second delay, the contest began with Roberts charging at Clare. They fought aggressively, as they had so many times before. Meanwhile, Sara circled Tehrani at a distance, looking for her opening and ready to strike if her opponent tried to close that gap. Sara’s mobile style could be annoying to contend with—she struck from a distance, and often melted effortlessly away from a counter attack.

Clare exchanged attacks with her opponent, and after a minute neither of them had anything to show for it but lowered stats, and a number of the familiar red scratch marks that looked painted onto their skin and clothes. For once, Roberts was fairing better—this annoyed Clare greatly.

Sara finally won her struggle after she evaded an attack that left Tehrani exposed. A strike that glanced against the latter’s skull cut just deeply enough to register as a crit.

To avoid being outnumbered, Clare gambled everything on a single, reckless charge. She took one of Roberts’ khopesh swords in her chest, but it missed her heart. Meanwhile, a shield bash to her opponent’s face left her exposed. And Clare’s strike to Roberts’ heart did not fail to land home.

Clare quickly backed away from her defeated enemy to remove the sword that was painfully lodged inside her. She had won, but unfortunately her health had been reduced to about twenty-five percent of total by the severe chest wound.

“Damn it!” Roberts shouted as she struggled to keep her feet. “You must be pleased with yourself,” she muttered.

“Yes, I am.”

Sara sighed. “Come on girls, don’t make me whine about sportsmanship again. Oh, and good match, Pari.”

“Thanks.”

Tehrani and Roberts disappeared their armaments and walked clear of the remaining combatants. Clare approached Sara, who spun the point of her spear rapidly around her body by switching the weapon repeatedly between her hands. She then dropped into a fighting stance. Such fast but sure movements would not have been so easy without Chronomil improving her coordination.

“Was that necessary?” Clare asked her.

“Remember what John said—showing off or saying something cool helps you play to the audience. It also might intimidate your opponent.”

“What nonsense. I’d rather let my sword speak for me.”

Sara relaxed out of her fighting stance and gave a thoughtful look. “That was a little intimidating. Good job!”

“I wasn’t trying to—” She stopped speaking when Sara smirked. Clearly, the other woman was teasing her. “Very amusing,” she said sarcastically.

“I’m sorry. I just think that, as long as we’re stuck doing this so much, we should have a little fun with it. ...Oh, why don’t we take a page from the general and role-play?”

“You can’t be serious.”

“No, really.” Sara suddenly extended her fangs. “Let’s say I’m the evil vampire, and...I bit your accountant. He’s dead—not a drop of blood left!”

Roberts and Tehrani both laughed at the ridiculous notion.

“Come on, aren’t you angry? It’s tax season, you know.”

Clare sighed. She decided to humor the supposed vampire. “You monster,” she said stiltedly. “How will I ever itemize my return?” The two spectators again laughed.

“Hmm. Close enough,” Sara said with a smile. She then charged and attacked. Clare blocked the strike and countered, but her opponent jumped back in time to evade.

During the preceding conversation, Clare’s health regeneration had brought her back up to around forty percent. She would have to be careful, especially since her max stamina and its rate of regeneration were reduced from the damage. Clare’s hidden armor lowered the amount of damage she took from any successful attack, but it also tired her slightly more quickly. As did her even heavier shield—but its much greater protection was worth it.

Meanwhile, Sara was at over eighty percent health, and could easily afford to do all her usual fancy maneuvering. She dodged or blocked Clare’s attacks, and even more frequently the point of her spear crashed loudly against her shield. Clare would have to wait for a mistake on her opponent’s part to go for the kill.

This phase of the contest went on for another minute, with both women landing a few scratches.

“Come on Sara, kick her ass!” Roberts shouted.

“Um, go Clare,” Tehrani added less enthusiastically.

Finally, Clare successfully anticipated one of Sara’s attacks. She took a wound to her side from the thrust of the spear, but this sacrifice let her close to striking distance. Sara tried to jump back, but was too slow—Clare stabbed her sword quickly into Sara’s heart before drawing it back. Her opponent’s health dropped to zero as she stumbled away.

Clare’s HUD informed her of the victory. “Nicely done,” Sara told her, gasping for breath. She retracted her fangs.

“Thank you.” Now that the two women were out of the fight, their health regenerated much more rapidly, and their scratches soon disappeared. The opponents on both sides of the contest nodded to each other.

Roberts spoke, while Sara moved to stand beside her. “Now that we’re done for the day, there’s something we should talk about. Sara and I feel this group is promising, and hope we’ll be working together long term. That means we need leadership.”

“It doesn’t have to be a permanent choice,” Sara added. “My suggestion is, any of us should be able to call for a new vote or leave the group at any time, as long as we’re not in immediate danger. A majority vote would pass any motion. And the leader shouldn’t have any special privileges over the rest of the group.

“But military tactics require cohesion. When and if we’re in actual combat, everyone agrees to follow orders—unless they consider those orders unethical.”

Clare paused to consider. This was obviously not how the actual military did things, but these were vastly different circumstances. “That’s acceptable.”

Tehrani nodded, and Roberts spoke. “Since we all agree on that, let’s put who’s sorta in charge to a vote. Now, I don’t wanna be an ass about it or anything, but I have been here the longest. I’ve been in a lethal contest. And I already came up with a name for the party: ‘May’s Marauders.’”

Clare narrowed her eyes at the demon player. “I’ll leave before I see you in charge.”

“Clare!” Sara said, dismayed.

Roberts talked right over her. “Okay, what the Bitch, just who the hell do you think you are?”

“The best fighter in the group.”

The other woman stepped angrily toward Clare. “You goddamn, conceited—”

“That’s enough!” Sara said sternly. “Clare, please at least try to be polite. May, we’ve talked about this—you need to take it down a notch. Fly off the handle like that in combat, and it might get you killed.”

“Sorry,” Roberts told her, returning to her side. “...Are you mad at me?”

“A little,” Sara said, crossing her arms.

Roberts wrapped her tail around the other woman’s leg, while running one finger gently up and down her arm. “You sure?” she asked playfully.

Sara blushed and lowered her arms. “That’s completely unfair.”

“I know.”

Clare tried to ignore the feeling of jealousy that welled up inside her. She knew it was none of her business, but she absolutely hated that Sara was sleeping with Roberts. What did the group’s prospective healer see in that bitch anyway?

The two women soon disentangled themselves. With effort, Clare kept her tone neutral. “No amount of politeness will change the fact that I don’t trust Roberts’ judgment. And Tehrani, you couldn’t convince a chicken to shit.” Clare was then embarrassed to have accidentally used one of her adoptive father’s bizarre colloquialisms. At everyone’s confused looks, she clarified. “Chickens shit everywhere, all the time. ...It’s a well-known fact.”

“So you were raised on some backwoods farm?” Roberts asked. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

Sara looked at Clare disapprovingly. But Tehrani spoke up first. “It’s okay—I really don’t want to be in charge.”

“As the best fighter, I’m the obvious choice to lead,” Clare added. “...I’d also be willing to accept S—Takahashi.” Internally, she berated herself for almost speaking of the other woman informally. She did not desire friendship with any inmate.

Roberts scoffed. “Guess what?

leave before I see in charge.” She then turned to Sara. “Congratulations—you’re running this shit-show by default.”

Sara sighed. She also briefly shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, forcing her glasses up slightly. After this she surveyed the group. “Pari, your vote?”

“I’d be most comfortable with you in charge. Not that anyone else would be a bad choice,” she added nervously.

“Then for my first act as our hopefully intrepid leader, might I suggest that threatening to leave the group not be used as an insult?”

“Sorry,” Clare and Roberts said simultaneously. They then shared a resentful glance.

“There’s another issue we should address,” Sara continued. “Our potential party needs a name. If we don’t have one and the company decides to give us a show, we might end up stuck with whatever they choose. Also, a name that really stands out will help us gain a bigger audience—Fantasy has hundreds of shows already. Are there any suggestions?”

Clare frowned. “This minutia doesn’t interest me.”

“‘May’s Marauders’ is still on the table,” Roberts told her with a smirk.

“It doesn’t interest me—except that I want veto power.”

Sara looked to Tehrani. “Do you have any ideas?”

“I’m not sure. But I always thought the Knights Templar was sort of a cool name, even if it is associated with the Crusades.”

“...I’m not really comfortable with a religious theme,” Sara admitted.

Roberts shook her head. “Sorry, Pari.”

“No.” Clare hated to have common ground with the flippant inmate.

“It does sound cool though,” Sara added reassuringly. Tehrani still looked embarrassed, however.

“What do you think?” Clare asked Sara.

“I haven’t had any good ideas yet...”

“Then share the bad ones so we can get this over with.”

Sara hesitated before answering. “I was thinking we could call ourselves ‘Magical Girls.’”

“...You mean like those absurd cartoons?” Clare asked incredulously. Roberts chuckled.

Obviously self-conscious, Sara continued. “Well, we’re all teenage girls, we have weird costumes, and once we buy our spells we’ll have magic. And the name would be unusual...”

Roberts looked thoughtful. “You know, maybe that isn’t a terrible idea. The worst thing we could do is have some generic dark name, like those ‘Death Legion’ guys.”

“I hate their name,” Clare admitted. Death Legion was a min XP party in the Rough Rider guild whom the four women often practiced with. She found them insufferable.

“Could you imagine how embarrassing it would be for any hunters to admit that they got their asses kicked by ‘magical girls?’” Roberts laughed at the idea. “And the people who like those anime are overwhelmingly socially maladjusted nerds—that’s a key demo we’ll wanna pick up.”

“I’m not a socially maladjusted nerd,” Sara said defensively.

“Uh-huh,” Roberts said skeptically. “Sara, who was your best friend on the outside?”

“My sister, Lane. We’ve always been very close.”

“And who were you closest to after that?”

“My parents,” she admitted.

“And where did you tell me was your favorite place to go when you were little?”

“...The Museum of Science.”

Roberts covered her mouth and coughed while simultaneously saying, “Nerd!”

“No one even coughs in Fantasy,” Sara said quietly, annoyed.

“Don’t worry, you’re a sexy nerd,” Roberts whispered in her ear, once again touching her.

“Can we move this along?” Clare asked impatiently.

Sara looked briefly disappointed, while Roberts gave Clare a dirty look before speaking again. “Anyway, I vote in favor of Magical Girls.”

“I abstain.” Clare did not like the name, but she had better things to worry about.

“I actually think it’s kind of cute,” Tehrani admitted.

“Then I guess it carries,” Sara noted, surprised. “I’ll add it. May, can you pass me the lead?”

Clare’s HUD announced that Sara was now the party lead. This meant that she had the ability to invite people into the group and kick them out, as well as submit a name.

“It’ll take a minute to get GM approval,” Sara said.

“If there isn’t anything else, we should be going,” Clare told her. “There’s still work to get through.”

“Actually, about that...” Sara said apologetically. “May and I think taking tonight off to unwind might be good for morale. We heard that the city has a lesbian bar, so we’re going to check it out. You’re both welcome to come with...?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Surprise, surprise...” Roberts muttered at Clare’s remark.

“If we’re taking the night off from work, we should get more combat training in.”

“I’m not sure if you’re really grasping this ‘unwinding’ concept.” Sara told Clare gently.

Roberts glared at Clare. “Jesus, are you fucking boring. Are we sure she’s not a program simulating an inmate?”

“May, please apologize,” Sara said.

“I’m sorry I took the Lord’s name in vain, Pari.”

Tehrani tried to control herself, but soon turned away and giggled. Afterward, she briefly looked at Roberts with an expression Clare took as one of admiration.

Sara shook her head slightly. “Clare, didn’t you have any hobbies on the outside?”

“...I liked to read.”

“I do too. We should go to the Great Library sometime—it’s actually pretty amazing.”

“I’ll consider it.” As she said this, Clare noticed Sara’s nameplate change.

became “Looks like it’s official,” Roberts said to Sara. “But I guess it’s probably just the two of us going to the bar to celebrate our shiny new magicalness,” She then looked to the quietest member of the group expectantly.

“Um, I’ll go.” All three of the other women looked at Tehrani in surprise. “If I’m going to become a nun without any doubt, I’ll need to prove to myself that I can easily resist temptation. And this fits the bill. ...I’m bi.”

“Huh,” Roberts said. “Three outta four into girls—that’s something. I’m guessing you’re straight though?” She looked to Clare.

“My sexual orientation doesn’t matter. I’d never have sex in a place where strangers can watch.”

“...That’s not an answer,” Roberts briefly crossed her arms and gave a skeptical glance.

“I’m a lesbian,” Clare admitted, blushing. “But that doesn’t mean I approve of promiscuity!”

“Wow, we should’ve called ourselves the Magical Dykes.” She paused. “Wait...

why you’ve been so damn pissy! ...You want our resident vampire to have a nibble.”

“Don’t make me laugh,” Clare said viciously. “Why would I have any interest in some saccharine, frivolous slut? Maybe I should join her asinine crusade to save a bunch of serial killers and child molesters from the fate they so richly deserve.”

Sara looked hurt at this, and Clare almost regretted her outburst. But she wanted to be absolutely sure the other woman did not suspect her crush—she could not live with that humiliation. She kept her expression pitiless.

“May, it’s obvious she’s been so uncomfortable because she doesn’t like public displays of affection,” Sara said quietly. “We should tone things down when she’s around, for the sake of everyone getting along.”

“Thank you for finally realizing,” Clare told her impatiently.

“...Don’t you ever talk about her that way again,” Roberts said.

“Fine, whatever,” Clare replied.

“May, please leave it.”

“I really can’t believe you keep defending her,” Roberts told Sara. She stormed off toward the city, and everyone followed. The wooden sign disappeared into Sara’s inventory. The demon player spoke again when Sara caught up with her. “As long as you and Clare are such besties, maybe you should take her to get a better costume. Her grubby peasant look isn’t gonna win us a show.”

“You’re probably right. ...I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Roberts sighed. “I’m not upset, not really. I just want you to stand up for yourself. This is a prison, after all.”

“That’s true. I promise that I won’t show any weakness to anyone outside the party.” Sara then looked behind her. “Clare, why don’t I take you to get an outfit?”

“I’ll buy one myself.”

“Hardly,” Sara said impatiently. This was the only sign Clare had seen that she had actually offended her earlier. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you. But it would cost you two month’s pay or more to get something decent. Don’t think of it as charity—this is a purchase that benefits the whole group.”

“We might as well get it over with then.”

After a brief silence, Roberts suddenly chuckled. “What is it?” Sara asked her.

“I just can’t believe that was you snapping at someone. You’re ridiculously adorable sometimes.”

“Thanks, I think.” The group soon passed through the city gate and continued on toward the trolley stop. “Pari, we’re planning to meet at the bar at ten. Is that okay?”

“That will give me enough time after evening mass,” she said. “What’s the place called?”

“The Sapphic Sorceress.”

“It’s in the northwest part of the city,” Roberts added. “Right on south shore of the river.”

“Hmm... okay, I found it. I’ll see you guys there.”

“Pari, why don’t I ride with you back to the cathedral?” the demon player asked.

“Do you want to go to mass with me?”

“I’m not really the church-going type.” At her crestfallen look, Roberts continued. “...But I really have nothing better to do. Though the only other outfits I got in my plea were a men’s suit and the default peasant. I guess I’ll have to go medieval.”

“But I’ll bet you look good in a suit,” Sara told her flirtatiously.

“You’ll just have to wait until tonight to see.”