Lila stumbled her way through the sand, forging a path for the heiress so that she might not have to traverse the darkness alone. Of course, there was no gratitude for such an act. If anything, Lila could feel seething hatred from her "friend".
"I don't mean to nag, but I'm pretty sure it's following us." Lila raised a playful hand.
"How would you know?" Ivy scoffed.
"Hey, I got powers too. I can feel it."
Ivy rolled her eyes. "What you have hardly counts as Psionic talents."
Lila almost snapped, thinking to herself what kind of profanity she could use. The heiress had no right to pretend there was even such a thing as a Psionic talent. Not after what Yrix had done to them. Her "school" didn't evoke talent. It was a bloodsport.
"I recall saving your dumbass." Lila retorted. "Not that I want to bring it up again."
"Oh no," Ivy fidgeted with her brooch. "Let's talk about it. I fought that beast for nearly a minute. All by myself. And what did you do? Watching like a coward and stealing the credit at the end doesn't make you my equal."
The two girls had been wandering for nearly half an hour. In that time, Lila's patience was growing thin. Even after they had encountered a few fallen students, whose bodies resembled humans only in the color of their blood, Ivy refused to change her tone. As far as Lila was concerned, she didn't care about anyone other than herself.
"You're a serious brat, you know that?" Lila sighed, throwing up her hands in defeat.
It was such a shame. The heiress was beautiful and carried herself with undeniable elegance. If she were only a bit softer, perhaps, Lila could appreciate her company. But instead, she found the idea of fighting aliens more attractive.
"And you're a monkey."
"I'd rather be that than a teacher's pet! I can't beleive you're going along with Yrix like this."
Ivy almost snorted, crossing her arms with disdain. "I'm not going along with anything."
Lila turned around, doing her best to explain without sounding enraged. "Then what's up with the haughtiness? This isn't a real school where you can show off, in case you haven't noticed. We have no training. We have no weapons. Yrix is throwing us at high-ranking members of a planet-counquering empire, and hoping to God one of us comes out on top. It is the literal definition of desperate spitballing at the expense of others." She wanted desperately to find common ground. Lila couldn't quite tell why. The heiress was well and truly insufferable. But it had to happen.
"I have...no idea what any of that meant." Ivy shrugged. "It's like watching an animal wave its paws at you."
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Lila screamed, balling her hands.
Ivy was amused at the gesture. "What, did you expect me to listen to any of that?"
The heiress knew few people in her life with whom she would have an argument. with. Aside from her family, peasant strangers would always suck up to her or run away, fearing what her father would do to them. She didn't particularly enjoy her lack of experience talking to others. But she was also quite comfortable letting Lila run around in circles. It meant she didn't have to think about her father, nor her sister. It meant she could forget her mother's gore-ridden face smiling at her behind that disgusting endoskeleton.
"You seemed to listen before?" Lila sighed loudly. "Are you really just going to deflect all this?"
"I'm not the one using childish jokes to avoid facing reality. Waa waa, my mom is gone, I'm a sad little monkey. Let me talk like a man and take me seriously."
"Excuse me?" Lila glared.
She had played the gentleman's role in the past when Ivy assaulted her. She was taught not to hit ladies, or at the very least, her brother had been taught, and she followed suit. But something about mentioning her mother set her off. Lila could handle five more slaps before she would tolerate another comment of such fashion.
Ivy continued her berrating. "You heard me. And I'm not afraid to say it. I'm a more talented Psion than you'll ever be."
"Prove it, go fight the Vesper by yourself," Lila growled.
"Oh, you think crying to Yrix and learning their names makes you better than me? Two can play that game, and only one of us needs help."
Ivy then released a single word, setting Lila off the edge. She had peered into the girl's mind and found the one thing that she couldn't stop thinking about. Ivy didn't quite possess the talent of Lunae when it came to reading other Psions, but she didn't have to.
"Don't you dare say her name!" Lila screamed.
"What? You didn't even know my family, so why should I act like yours matters? Jane is dead or dying somewhere, and her stupid daughter is dragging me down. Maybe you should just-."
It was too late. Lila sent her fist flying at Ivy, catching her off guard completely. Her smooth, perfect skin split open easily, spraying blood onto Lila's wrist as the heiress flew backwards. Ivy gasped in shock before shooting Lila an ominous gaze, smouldering with hate.
At that point, the two girls didn't even bother to use their Psionic abilities. It was all fists and fiery passion with those two, as they leaped at each other with murderous intent. Lila was quick to gain the upper hand, dragging Ivy alongside a wall before throwing her onto the sand. It was almost too easy, causing her to hesitate.
It seemed the heiress wasn't very durable. And after one good punch, which her enemy was entirely unprepared for, Lila stopped herself. The only thing she hated more than a bully was evidently another bully. Why Ivy was so weak, however, escaped her mind.
"Oh shit, are you okay?" Lila leaned back, looking with concern at the Heiress's bloody eye.
"You bitch!" Ivy screamed, kicking Lila in the chest with her heels.
Lila reeled in pain, managing to maintain her composure. "Wait, no, I don't want to hit-."
Ivy would have none of it, fuming as she picked herself off the floor. "I don't need your pity, you brutish monkey!" She wanted nothing more than to strangle Lila.
But just before she could get her hands around the girl's neck, a concerned voice called out from behind her. It was unmistakably human, a fact that caused both Lila and Ivy to freeze.
"Are you serious right now?" The foreign voice laughed. "We're getting killed out there, and you two are fighting."
Lila interjected before Ivy could come up with a pompous retaliation. "Well, I was throwing hands at least, but this one over here isn't made for it."
The skinny girl tiptoed over to Lila with a smile, her pink hair shrouded by a black hoodie she had managed to craft herself. Her expression said it all. She knew exactly what Lila was talking about.
"She's one of THOSE colonists, I know." The girl smirked, offering Lila a hand. "Earth?"
"Yeah, Earth." Lila sighed as she took the girl's offer.
"Name's Rena. I'm sorry about what happened."
Lila couldn't contain her excitement. She had found someone else who wasn't horrible. Yet still, within the deepest confines of her heart, she wished Ivy were the one smiling at her.
"Thanks, Rena. I'm Lila." Lila pointed to Ivy as she spoke, the heiress still kneeling down on the ground in disbelief. "That's Ivy. We are not friends."
Rena giggled. "I can see that."
Lila's joy shattered into pieces as she heard a distant hissing noise, reminding her of the hell she was still trapped in.
"We need to go. Now." Lila grabbed onto Rena's tiny hand, its surface almost as pale as Ivy's.
Rena argued. "Wait, there are three of us. We can't take it? I know how to fight."
"That thing will fold us back-savage, trust me."
"No idea what that means...But I beleive you."
Rena hardly even knew why she would trust Lila. But seeing her hold back against the heiress gave her a good impression. As far as she was concerned, gentle people weren't the kind to mislead her as much as those who were vicious and scornful. People like Ivy, on the other hand, she'd sooner stick her hand into a blender than listen to.
Just before Lila ran off with Rena, she turned to see Ivy, still stuck on the floor like she was lost in thought. She had no idea why she felt the need to worry about the heiress. But as if her mother's influence was shining down on her, Lila decided to turn back.
"Leave her." Rena hissed. "Come on, Lila."
"No. I can't." Lila argued, offering the heiress her hand. "Come on, Ivy."
Ivy's eyes weren't moving. She hadn't blinked in over a minute. And when she turned to accept Lila's offer, her expression was completely blank.
Never in her life had she been offered unconditional friendship. The fear of even being enticed by such a thing only pushed her further against Lila, whom she did genuinely detest. But left with no other choice, she went against her instincts.
Lila smiled sheepishly as the heiress grabbed her hand without a word. "Okay then."
The trio had no time left to lose, bolting towards any scrap of light they could find. There was, of course, a never-ending list of risks to that strategy. Finding an arena to fight in or another student could always result in a new threat, for which they were unprepared. But as they were, alone in the dark tunnels, facing the Vesper was suicide. Lila prayed she would find someone else.
"Look!" Rena pointed, seemingly at nothing but a barren wall.
Lila shrugged, pulling the heiress in tow. "Huh?"
Rena's body suddenly phased out of existence, leaving a transparent outline of her to step through solid stone. Such a display made one fact very clear to Lila. Every student may have been a Psion with a baseline understanding of the art, but all of them would express themselves differently.
Rena called out to Lila from behind the wall, having already stepped through it to gain a vantage point. "It's another group!"
Lila made quick work of the remaining distance, a smile appearing on her face as she dragged Ivy into a bright clearing. She could feel the warm air brush against her face as the smell of moss crept into her nose. They had found the largest arena yet, and more importantly, two more students inside.
"Sonera! Lunae!" Lila cheered, leaving Ivy behind as she sped over to her friends. "You made it!"
"Lila!" Lunae cried, tears welling in her eyes.
The girls hadn't known each other for long, and yet, surviving their encounters had already forged a shared experience they would never forget. Even Sonera couldn't help but smile, relieved that those she knew would see another day. Lunae went as far as to offer Ivy a hug due to her injuries, but was abruptly shunned.
"That thing is still chasing us." Ivy rolled her eyes. "Now is not the time for a picnic."
Lunae tilted her head, scanning Ivy's mind with a curious gaze. "You've had a picnic before?"
Ivy stomped her feet. "Not the point!"
"What thing?" Sonera inquired, pushing Ivy aside to get to Lila. "Tell me."
She trusted the girl's advice. Something about Lila had reminded Sonera of her old team. Rambonxious and incompetent at times, yes, but still level-headed when it came to insurmountable tasks.
Lila explained as fast as she could. "A Vesper. High ranking. Red armor. Its shields are...too much for us. And I'm pretty certain it's playing around. Now that we're all in one place-."
As if on cue, the Vesper uncloaked in the center of the arena with a loud hiss, catching even Sonera off guard. It was indeed rather playful, motioning for the girls to approach with its left hand. With the majority of the surviving students having been bunched togethor, the time for its redemption was at hand.