It's Time

One more practice game (which you still lose but it is a lot closer than the others), a good long nap, a light but nutritious dinner and some last minute reassurances from your comrades are what carry you through the rest of the day and to the appointed hour.

It is actually surprisingly easy for the three of you to sneak out, Viki having handed each of you a small blue medallion she claimed would block the magic around the doorways that would sense a departure at a time after lights out. It seems to have worked so you head for the library, following the path Keira and Liam told you about that circles around it, leading towards a run down stone plaza with an equally run down, dry fountain overgrown with vines. "My mom told me this side used to lead to the old Alchemy Studies labs," Amelia whispers, pointing to a burnt out and abandoned building on the other side, "but when it got too damaged in a fire they put the new one closer to the other buildings and now nobody uses this side so they just let it get like this."

"So where's everyone else?" you ask, taking notice that only your group has made it so far, "She's the one who called this, so you think--"

"We're right here."

Harmony's voice seems to come from nowhere, the sound of fluttering cloth drawing your attention to a rippling shimmer in the air as she and someone else suddenly appear standing on the other side of the plaza. The haughty blonde is dressed in a red and white tracksuit that clings tightly to her curves (and you marvel that it looks like her breasts are larger than anyone but Viki's) and she folds up the black cloth that was covering her and her companions. "Cloak of Invisibility," you hear Viki grumble behind you, "Expensive."

The unfamiliar one is a tall, muscular looking young man who towers over Harmony. He has dark colored hair and equally dark eyes, his expression a cruel smile as he looks over at you and yours. "Ugh, Victor," Amelia grumbles and when you look over at her for clarification she says, "Victor Kyrie. He's a big shot but there's some nasty rumors about him. They say he tried to slip his last girlfriend a mind control potion but nobody could ever prove it and the two of them suddenly broke up anyway, so nobody looked into it too hard either."

Kyrie was a name you had heard before. It was one of the other major magical families like Harmony's, so on that level it made sense that they at least socialized a bit. "So where's your second witness?" you ask.

"She's taking her own path here," Harmony replies, looking displeased at your choice of your grungy gym clothes for this.

"And she had to make sure the neutral parties did not carelessly get caught," yet another new voice adds, though this one is spine chilling in its familiarity, "as they were arguing quite loudly when they ran into each other and would have had much to answer for if they were not being chaperoned."

You, Amelia and Viki look over to your right to see Professor Zizana approaching, Mana and Selena walking slightly in front of her. Mana for her part, seems to be alternating between glaring at you (which probably means she remembers your encounter in Selena's dream too) and giving confused glances at Selena. For her part, Selena seems as confused at the Professor's presence as you are but she occasionally shoots an annoyed glare in Mana's direction.

Before you or one of your companions can ask, Zizana states, "Miss Ashcroft's father hired me as a tutor for her for several years before he sent a recommendation to the school to hire me."

"She was tough, but fair," Harmony adds, "she may be on my side but you can trust her to not **** her authority to influence this contest."

"Or cause you to suffer undo consequences should you happen to win," Victor adds, drawing a glare from Harmony, "Not that such a thing is possible."

"You'd know about escaping consequences," Selena snaps, an anger in her voice you've yet to hear from her.

"Hello, Selena," Victor replies with a cold smile, seemingly unphased by the pony-tailed blonde's rage, "How's Parisa?"

"Much better now that she dumped you!"

Oh dear. It seems you have now met the ex-boyfriend you were told about before. You frown as that information plus what Amelia just told you paints him in a very dark light.

Your ruminations are interrupted as Mana lays a hand on Selena's shoulder and says, "We need to get in our positions now."

Selena continues to frown at Victor but grudgingly follows Mana to a position near the fountain, one of them on each side of it.

Amelia indicates for you to follow her and you do so, taking a position across from Harmony as Amelia stands to your left and Viki drops to one knee several feet behind you, placing one of her hands on the ground. Zizana takes a position to Harmony's right as Victor similarly kneels several feet behind Harmony and placing one of his hands on the ground as well.

"How do we duel?" Harmony asks.

"Through the cards," Viki replies, her hand glowing with green energy for a moment before a magic circle forms around the four of you between her and Victor.

Amelia reaches into her shirt pocket and pulls out your black backed deck of cards, holding them out so Harmony and Zizana can clearly see them. Zizana then reaches into her own shirt pocket, pulling out a rainbow colored deck of cards and holding them out for viewing in turn.

Remembering what Liam told you earlier in the day, you ask, "For what do we duel?"

"Obedience is the demand for victory," Victor replies, his own hand starting to glow, "intimate conjugation is the price for defeat."

A puzzled look comes to Viki's face in reaction to Victor's words but it is different from the baffled confusion that is on yours and Amelia's as a second green circle forms inside the one Viki created, encircling the four of you as well. "I'm surprised," Zizana says looking at Harmony with her good eye, "for the sake of getting him to defer to you on all issues that do not directly harm his life, you are willing to risk letting him claim your body however he likes?"

You have the feeling that Zizana said that for your benefit as much as questioning Harmony's goals but it still causes you and Amelia to gawk in response. "Wait," Amelia asks, "Are you seriously saying if he beats you he gets to FUCK you?"

Harmony's face turns a deep red and she seems to have trouble meeting your eyes for a moment as she stammers out a growled, "T-That seems the kind of reward a base Worm like him would accept. N-Not that he has a chance of winning."

You... cannot say she is wrong that the thought of having Harmony moaning in sexual submission beneath you is an unappealing one. It also makes you glad you wore your very loose sweatpants to hide your erection that also forms at the thought and at the memory of your earlier excursions into her mind and her dreams.

Regaining her composure, Harmony holds out her hand on the same side Zizana stands and you do the same towards Amelia. Then the two of you wait for the magic of the ritual to move your deck or Harmony's deck into your respective hands first. When it does, you will know who's turn starts the match.