"Hello? Still with me?" Conjurer breaks your deep concentration with a snap of his fingers in front of your face. To add a bit of flair, the snap also creates a burst of glitter in the air. "Whatcha thinking about? Wanna share with the class?"
You shake off your ponderings. None of it matters anyway. All you can do is move forward. "Sorry, Emil. I get lost in thought sometimes."
Conjurer quickly shushes you and pulls you in close. "Hey, hey, hey, no alter ego names. My name's not Emil here, and the last thing you want is for people to know you're Spencer Raymund ., daughter of a literal billionaire either." He calms himself and straightens his uniform. "Hero names only on campus grounds, okay?"
You nod in response and stare at the rest of the students.
He chuckles. "Predictable. Everyone here is all about the celebration. So full of hope. They have no idea what it really takes to be a hero." He looks at you. "Seriously, Prodigy, I've seen some things while working with my dad, and I'm sure you have, too, with your mom. It's not all saving the day and posing for pictures. It's not like in the comics."
"Tell me about it," another, much deeper voice interrupts Conjurer. You step out of the shade to get a better look at who is intruding on your conversation.
Stomping across the lawn, leaving footprints burned into the Green's once-pristine grass with every step, is a large, muscle-bound man with reddish skin, a long devilish tail, long wavy black hair, large, sharp fangs, and glowing yellow symbols scrawled all over his body. His uniform is black and orange, and his snakelike eyes are staring you down.
"Everyone thinks they're hero material, but they couldn't be more wrong. And that includes you," he says, pointing in your direction. He's a giant compared to you and approaching aggressively.
Conjurer speaks quietly. "That's Red Claw, a demon, and those symbols on his skin tell me he's bad news. I didn't know they were letting demons in now. Let's steer clear of him. It's only the first day," he says, though running away doesn't appear possible.
In no time, Red Claw is standing over you, steam leaving his nostrils as he breathes. "You think you're special with everyone cheering, making you feel big." He laughs loudly, and you can feel the heat level rising in the immediate area. The tips of the tree leaves even wilt. "Well, some of us have worked our asses off for over twenty years to get here, and still get no appreciation, while spoiled brats like you get everything handed to them."
Most of the other students are ignoring the exchange. You get the feeling they didn't cheer for Red Claw when he came out of his White Room Trial. And you wonder if he knows more about you than he's letting on.
He's on top of you, so you'd better respond.
"Calm down?" He takes on a serious tone. "You haven't even seen me angry, yet."
Red Claw grabs your uniform roughly with his impressively large claws. "Let me show you what I can do when I'm completely calm." He quickly lets go, shoving you backward and looking around.
His eyes land on the tree you and Conjurer were lounging under. Revealing his large red hands, his claws grow longer and blacker before he lashes out, striking said tree. Red Claw cuts completely through its trunk, and you reflexively dodge it. The tree crashes to the ground between the two of you.
"Be careful," Conjurer warns.
Careful? You grew up in Morgana City and fought some of the worst before you ever enrolled at Evos Academy. There's no getting out of this fight, though. What's your next move against this would-be bully?
Staring at Red Claw on the other side of the downed tree, you hold your hands out. "Seriously? Hey, I don't know you, but we need to bring the temperature down by, like, a thousand degrees," you say, shouting but not in a threatening tone.
He leaps over the tree and grabs you by the uniform with his large claws, holding you up to his level with everyone else watching. "Still trying to get out of this?" he laughs. "Sorry. Not happening."
He's about to attack again…
Quick! What do you do?
Clearly, Red Claw's about to hurt you badly, so you kick him in the stomach. He's tough but also surprised. Red Claw drops you and stumbles backward. You land on your feet and create a little distance while keeping your guard up. He doesn't look too happy.
Next
You and Red Claw have created a commotion, and a small crowd of students has gathered around you. Lizzie, an evo wearing white and green with scaly skin, a lizard tail, and a long, forked tongue, starts taking bets from the others. She licks her lips, ogling the cash she's currently holding.
Another evo in white and red, Flashfire, also watches, clapping and jeering for the battle to continue, just like dozens of others. He nods to Lizzie, and she confirms it, jotting numbers and tick marks in her book.
This isn't what you were hoping for on your first day, that's for sure. Overhearing names murmured in the crowd instead of being able to introduce yourself properly…or not.
But now you and Red Claw are staring at each other, a potentially lethal fight ahead of you. You could try to handle this fight responsibly or get as brutal as he is.
How do you proceed?
"We don't-" you block an incoming attack "—have to-" you sidestep another strike "—do this-" you leap over a low claw swipe and finish your sentence when you land "—you know?" Red Claw's determined to take you down, but you successfully block and redirect his incoming attacks. Luckily, you aren't seriously injured in the process.
Red Claw leaps into the air for a Hail Mary attack. As he's barreling toward you, about to land, you use your telekinesis to push him backward, making him spin through the air frantically. Red Claw eventually lands on his feet like a cat and begins to stomp back toward you, ready for round three.
Enter Germ