Torment tactics 1 and Mailman delivery

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After that sidetrack quest to escort Stolas, Clarity headed to the gym for her next class: Torment Tactics. This was one of the more physically demanding classes, focusing on combat skills and strategies, so Clarity was giddy and excited to learn—especially if it was to break her victim. Upon entering the gym, she noticed all her female classmates wearing cheerleading uniforms, which earned a raised eyebrow from her.

'This is definitely not how I remembered gym class. ' Despite her skepticism, she shrugged at the questionable school system, but she convinced herself that it might be a part of the termination tactics. She'd been meaning to try out the uniform herself, so she went to the changing room to get ready. 

Snapping her out of her thoughts, Clarity overheard some of the girls talking, their voices dripping with envy.

"Can you believe Clarity? She acts like she's all that just because she's from Krampus' Ring."

"Yeah, and have you seen how all the boys look at her? It's disgusting. She's not even that pretty."

Clarity's three eyes narrowed, but she didn't let their words affect her. She was used to the gossip which usually spewed from petty jealousy. Ignoring them, she quickly changed into the cheerleading uniform. The outfit fit her figure perfectly, accentuating her curves and giving her an air of confidence. She admired herself briefly in the mirror, puckering her lips and showing off that new lip oil color before heading out to join the others in the gym.

The teacher, a hulking demon with a permanently stern expression, was already instructing the class. Today's lesson involved physical wrestling matches, a test of strength and strategy.

"Alright, listen up!" the teacher barked. "Today, we're working on close-quarters combat. Pete, Val, you're up first."

Pete stepped into the center of the room. He was popular, strong, and someone Clarity had admired from afar. Val, a leaner but equally tough demon, faced him, both ready for the challenge.

Clarity joined the other girls on the sidelines, reluctantly slipping into the role of a cheerleader. Despite feeling a bit out of place, she began to cheer for Pete, following the lead of the others. The gym echoed with their supportive chants as the boys grappled with each other, their movements fierce and calculated.

Pete and Val circled each other, eyes locked, looking for an opening. Val lunged first, aiming to tackle Pete to the ground, but Pete sidestepped and countered with a swift move, grabbing Val by the arm and flipping him over his shoulder. Val landed with a thud but quickly rolled to his feet, undeterred.

Clarity's cheers grew louder, her admiration for Pete increasing as she watched him skillfully dodge and strike. However, a sense of uselessness lingered at the edge of her thoughts. She was powerful in her own right, but here, on the sidelines, she felt like just another spectator.

The match continued, with Pete eventually pinning Val to the ground, demonstrating his superior strength and technique. The teacher nodded in approval, and the other students clapped and cheered.

As the boys stood up and dusted themselves off, Clarity caught Pete's eye. He gave her a small, appreciative smile, and she felt a flutter of excitement in her chest.

"Good job, Pete!" she called out, her voice steady despite the lingering insecurities. 

He nodded at her, his expression showing a hint of gratitude. "Thanks, Clarity."

Clarity turned her attention back to the rest of the class, feeling a bit more confident. She might have been on the sidelines today, but she knew her time to shine would come.

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Clarity stood just outside the girls' locker room, her damp clothes clinging to her skin like a second layer. The air was thick with the scent of sweat and chlorine, mingled with the faint aroma of teenage deodorant that was amplified by the burning smell of shit that surrounded the Pride ring. The noise was deafening: lockers slamming shut, girls' voices raised in laughter, and the distant rumble of the gym floor.

Pete was still nowhere to be seen. Clarity glanced at the clock, her heart sinking. They were already late, and she could practically feel the weight of Principal Crabapplessnitch's disapproval bearing down on her.

Just as she was about to call out to him, she heard his voice, a shout muffled by the din of the locker room. "Hey, Clarity! I'm almost done!"

Clarity let out a sigh of relief. She turned to face the door, her eyes scanning the crowd of girls for a glimpse of her friend. Finally, Pete emerged, his face flushed and his feathers damp. He grabbed his backpack and hurried over to Clarity's locker.

"Sorry, I got caught up talking to Nab about that new campaign," Pete panted, his breath coming in short bursts.

Clarity rolled her eyes playfully. "You and your politics. Come on, let's go."

"Nab was really chatty back there," Pete started, side-eyeing herndifferently. as she nodded iHe got really excited when he was talking about a certain Wrathian."

"Uh huh,"

"Good thing I didn't tell him one was waiting on me. Could've sworn he would ditch me if he knew."

"Wow, really."

They were barely a step out of the building when Clarity felt a small tap on her shoulder speak of the devil. Her hand was raised to halt the demon, "Not interested."

"Uh-h, sorry, Clarity."

That made her snap her head in the direction of the speech, revealing, "Oh, Charlie. Sorry about that, force of habit."

"Hey, Clarity, it's fine. I should've called you first instead of approaching," she said, her voice barely audible over the chatter in the courtyard. "Can you do me a favor? I need you to give this to Gremory."

Clarity raised an eyebrow, her gaze shifting to the small, wrapped package she held. "Gremory? You mean the girl who spends all her time in the library playing with dusty old tomes?"

Charlie nodded eagerly. "Yeah, her. She's really into that kind of stuff."

Clarity hesitated. She wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of delivering a package to the school's resident bookworm, but she didn't want to hurt Charlie's feelings any more than she had already. She's been hot-tempered around Charlie lately, and it wasn't like she was really asking much anyway; accept risk the opportunity for ANYONE to see Clarity around the likes of Gremory.

"Sure, I'll do it," she said reluctantly, taking the package from the demoness.

Immediately, her face lit up. "Thanks, Clarity. You're the best!"

As Clarity watched Charlie hurry off, she couldn't help but feel a sense of dread of her future encounter.

"Well, that's you then, Clarity." Pete spoke up from beside her, causing her neck to snap towards him this time.

"You're not coming?"

Pete shrugged, slowly, not-so-subtly inching himself away from her as if she were infected. "I mean, I've got stuff to do."

"That's not what you said moments ago. What happened to my meetings today was that they were canceled. I could introduce you to Belle'?" she stood there astonished at his audacity, but she couldn't do much as Pete had already slithered far away from the scene, making her sigh before looking down at the package.

'Guess today I won't be meeting the ever-infamous Belphegor…' she thought, making her way to the library.

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SOMEHOW, even the familiar rustles of pages and smell of incense can't help Clarity convince herself that meeting the girl was a good idea, she never talked to her but got the icks from Gremory.

Adjusting her hair, smoothening out her pink strands, her golden hues sweep the room. She searches for a familiar face whom she spots: Gremory hunched over stacks of books as her chatter was at a volume too loud for her liking in this quiet space.

Clarity approaches Gremory hesitantly, instantly noticing other bookworms who are less than enthusiastic about her volume. One guy looked about, ready to shut her up himself before his eyes spied Clarity walking in Gremory's direction.

As her heels clicked in front of Gremory's desk, said girl's head snapped up, her eyes wide with surprise. Somehow, even the residents of the library themselves were surprised she would willingly approach the girl, already enticing whispers to fly about. Not gonna lie; Clarity was surprised she let her conscience accept Charlie's favor anyhow.

"Oh, uh, hello." The girl stammered nervously.

Clarity clears her throat in an attempt to clear the air. "Hey, Gremory, right?"

"Um actually. It's Gremelda; all my friends call me that." She corrected.

Clarity inhaled a deep breath, "I have something for you from Charlie."

Although she guessed she and Charlie wouldn't be friends if she called her Gremory. Clarity hands Gremory the package. Gremory's eyes light up as she takes it.

"Oh, thank you so much, Clary! I've been waiting for this all year!"

Clarity tried not to flinch but instead forces a smile at the girl. She tried not to flinch cringe at Gremory's enthusiasm. Not to mention nickname, she sure as hell did NOT give out her name to Gremory and yet here she is.

"I've been researching the ancient texts of the Goetia for quite some time now. It's been an intensive and riveting process, but I believe I've finally made a breakthrough in deciphering the cryptic codes necessary to summon a powerful demon. The amount of dedication and focus it took to unravel this mystery was immense, but I persevered, and now I'm on the cusp of something truly extraordinary. Understanding the intricacies of this ancient knowledge is truly exhilarating!"

Clarity's eyes glaze over. She tries to nod along politely, but her mind is already wandering.

Gremory continued, not noticing Clarity's disinterest. "Have you read the Ars Goetia? It's such a fascinating book. I've been trying to learn all the incantations and rituals."

Clarity's stomach churns. She can't take it anymore. "Uh, yeah, I've heard of it. It sounds...interesting."

"Oh, you should definitely read it! I could lend it to you." Gremory beamed at her, her short pullback ponytail bopping up and down held together with her pink bow.

Clarity nods, her smile forced. She just wants to escape this conversation as quickly as possible. She could've been blinded by Gremory's hairstyle alone. She had shoulder-length hair with curtain bands and tied a section at the back of her hair with a big pink bow.

At the same time, Gremory also takes notice of Clarity's straight- but slightly curly pink hair and took notice of how sharp the edges of her hips were in her white dress, which further accentuated her figure and contrasted with her pinkish skin. Not to mention she noticed how perky her lady lumps were, it was nothing compared to her thin build, dirty blond hair, and green overall skirt over her white dress shirt. 

She takes a once-over look at Clarity as if her very presence here was to make her look bad, Gremory developed a saracastic tone "It's amazing how some people can be so beautiful and so intelligent."

Clarity ignores Gremory's comment, for one she was hardly listening to the conversation in the first place. And two she's already had enough of it.

"I mean, most demons would be lucky to have just one of those qualities. But some people just have it all."

Clarity just nods mindlessly, spying the shelf past Gremory trying to read all the texts from her spot. Spotting Gremory about to grab her, Clarity swiftly dodges it "Well, I've got to go. I promised to meet somebody."

Despite feeling insulted at Clarity's hostility, she masked her voice in fake disappointment. "Oh, okay. Well, maybe we can talk more later."

Clarity nods, her smile forced. She turns to leave, grateful to finally be rid of Gremory.

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Proverbs 14:30

A sound heart is a life to the body, but a rotten heart is a decay to the bones.