C17 Ignatitus Kei

“Hey, did you hear about Xigleb from class 4-A?” Tulda asked, smacking her gum as she leaned back in her desk.

“Nu-uh, what happened?” Kamanie asked, eager to hear the latest gossip.

“Apparently, her cousin back home forgot to keep her barrier up when she went online, and she got brain-hacked.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, they found her last night dressed up in a maid costume, cleaning up for some guy in the capital.”

“Oh, that’s awful. Can they restore her mind from backup?”

“I hope so. The guy altered her personality, so now she thinks being his maid is like the best thing ever. She keeps trying to run away from the hospital and get back to him.”

“Scary.”

Tulda looked down, her face pinched as Gerald walked by to take his seat. “Ah, grogs, my skirt ripped. Why is everything falling apart lately?”

“Ah, my button just popped off,” Kamanie added.

Ms. Stubbs forced her way past the boxes of files, knocking one over. Stacked nearly to the ceiling, the front of the classroom had become a forest of files.

“G... good morning class,” she stammered, a strand of black hair popping loose and sticking up. “Since it seems someone in our class cannot link to Central, I have been asked to... accommodate that student in the following way. We... we’ll be doing the rest of the case studies by hand.”

The entire class turned to glare at Gerald.

A window appeared over one student, flashing “transfer requested,” then another, then another, until one appeared over nearly everyone in the room.

“Come now, class, you can’t all be transferred,” Ms. Stubbs said, a second strand of hair popping out of place. “Then I wouldn’t have a class to teach and I’d lose my salary.”

Ilrica leaned back and linked her fingers behind her head. “You gotta admit, the boy has a real talent for getting under people’s skin. I’ve been trying for months and I’ve never seen this group so mad.”

“Yes, even we have noticed it,” Trahzi said, opening her black eyes. “There is just something about him that makes us... angry.”

Ms. Stubbs tried to smooth out her hair. “My goodness, Trahzi, I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you speak in class. It’s kind of scary.”

Trahzi turned towards Gerald, steam rising off her red skin. “If we refuse to cull the weak, the strength of the entire herd is reduced.”

Gerald stood up. “Look, I know how hard all of you fought to get here.” Slowly, he worked his way to the front of the room. “I don’t want to hold anyone back. That’s not fair to any of you. You guys just go ahead and use the link and I’ll study the material on my own.”

Gerald reached out a plucked a file from a stack. “I’ll just start with this one, shall I?”

Gerald opened the file and stared at the incomprehensible scrawlings.

“Let me guess,” Stubbs moaned. “You can’t read standard, can you?”

“Not a word.”

A third lock of her hair popped loose.

“Do they even make automated written translation programs anymore?” Aryc asked.

“They do, but they all require a link to Central.”

“It’s okay, I’m sure I’ll pick it up soon enough,” Gerald offered as he scanned over the markings. “Oh, this one looks like a little house.”

Cha’Rolette stood up and placed her hands on her hips. “That’s not good enough. Your test results will bring down the class average. Your mere presence hurts us all.”

She glanced over at Tomar, expecting agreement, but he was lost in thought.

The stack of files next to Gerald collapsed to the ground. “I am open to suggestions,” he offered.

Her eyes narrowed. “It’s simple. You need to leave.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why?”

Gerald paused. “I have my reasons.”

Cha’Rolette uncurled her hair and it floated up around her. Gerald felt a pressure building up behind his eyes, then watched as his own memories flashed up, unbidden in his mind. His route back home in the avenues. Mister Botts, Mrs. Rasmussen, even Mr. Conners. His new route here on Central came up, but when the memories reached the orphanage he frequented everything stopped. Cha’Rolette stepped back, looking a little stunned.

“Did... did you just read my mind?” Gerald asked, placing his hand over his brow.

Cha’Rolette placed her hand over her heart and regained her composure.

“Very well,” she said. “You may have your reasons, but so do I. The reputation of the Ssykes family must be upheld at all costs. When you threaten it, you make yourself my enemy, therefore I have no choice but to challenge you to... Ignatitus Kei.”

Several of the students gasped.

Gerald flicked his translator and then glanced over at Ms. Stubbs for an explanation.

“An honor duel,” she clarified.

“Oh. Well in that case, no thanks, Duchess.”

A wave of hushed surprise spread throughout the room.

Cha’Rolette blinked. “Y-you what?”

“I decline.”

“You can’t decline.”

“I believe I just did.”

“No one in the history of this academy has ever refused Ignatitus,” Stubbs recalled in horror. “That one of my students would be the first... oh my...”

Gerald held up his hands. “Look, a duel with you would accomplish nothing...”

“Ha! So now you boast about...”

“...I’d lose,” Interrupted Gerald.

“Oh.”

“In fact I’d lose horribly. Your people are telepathic and telekinetic. You are faster, stronger, and smarter than I could ever be. The result is a forgone conclusion, so what would a duel possibly accomplish?”

Cha’Rolette opened her mouth in offense. “How can you be this way? Don’t you have any pride?”

“I suppose I don’t.”

“You have to duel her,” Tulda called out, her hair clip breaking off and falling to the floor.

“Yeah,” Kamanie agreed. Several of the other students chimed in likewise.

“Look, even I agree with the green princess over there,” Ilrica added, her tail swishing about in irritation.

“Duchess, not princess,” Cha’Rolette clarified, her eyebrow twitching.

Ilrica waved her hand. “Nuance. Anyway, Gerald, you need to stand up and be a man about this and accept the duel.”

“I am being a man. A man doesn’t do things simply because he is told to.”

Ilrica clucked her tongue, as if she had never considered that before.

By this point Cha’Rolette was so angry she looked like she was about ready to pop. Her face was flushed red, and her head tentacles were writhing about in all directions. She kinda reminded Gerald of Medusa from Clash of the Titans.

“You foul little troglodyte! Are you a coward? If you decline, you will bring shame upon your whole family, upon your whole race! Everyone at the school will know that you are without honor!”

Gerald shrugged and began walking back towards his desk. “Everyone here already hates me. Why should I fear more of the same?”

Cha’Rolette slammed her fist on the wall, splintering the marble. “Didn’t you hear what I said? I called you a coward!”

“I believe the whole planet heard you.”

Ilrica covered her mouth, suppressing a chuckle.

An evil grin crossed Cha’Rolette’s lips. “This is why your people are dying out, isn’t it? Because they just laid down and gave up!”

The phrase seemed to echo inside everyone’s brain.

Gerald stopped in his tracks. As he turned around, everyone was expecting to see outrage on his face, but instead he looked sad. “You are right, my people did give up. In all likelihood this will probably be the last generation of humans to exist in the universe.”

His eyes came back up. “However, I still won’t duel with you.”

Cha’Rolette stomped her feet like a petulant child. “You can’t turn down an honor duel! It’s against the rules!”

Gerald sat back down. “Those are your rules, not mine.”

In desperation, Cha’Rolette turned to Tomar, obviously expecting him to chime in on her side.

Tomar looked down, his orange eyes searching for an answer. Then he seemed to resolve something within himself and looked back up at her fearlessly.

“I really don’t see why you are so upset, Duchess. You tried to manipulate Gerald into accepting the duel and it didn’t work.”

Cha’Rolette nearly lost her footing. “How dare you?”

All the students looked around, not knowing what to say.

“I can’t believe it,” Tulda said.

“No one has ever stood up to the Duchess before,” Kamanie whispered.

Tomar turned to Gerald. “What they aren’t telling you, Dyson, is that the loser of Ignatitus has to leave the Academy.”

Suddenly there was a flicker and a spark. Just like that, all the lights went off, bathing the whole room in darkness save for the glow coming off from Cha’Rolette’s tentacles.

“What’s going on?” Ms. Stubbs asked, looking around in panic.

“Whooo. You know that ain’t good,” Ilrica whistled.