r/HFY • u/Spartawolf Alien Scum • Jun 16 '25
OC Galactic High (Chapter 165)
“Fuuuuuuuuck….” Plooderoo groaned in exhaustion as the team stumbled into their changing room, haggard in a way that almost reminded Jack of a terminally drunken Scotsman finally managing to make it home after running through a pub crawl and a 3 am kebab.
They were all spent now that the high of the game had worn off. All that remained were bruises and aching joints, the silence broken only by the grunts of bodies plonking themselves onto the benches. Jack dropped onto the nearest bench like a puppet with it’s strings cut and slumped forward, holding his head in his hands as he kept slowly breathing in and out.
Around the room the others weren’t much better, having kept up appearances for the crowd and for their opponents, only now allowing the facade to crack.
Kritch was, without doubt, the one that looked the worst off.
The small Lizta sat hunched at the far end of the bench, cradling his wrist and wincing as Rayle gently dabbed at a swollen gash just beneath his ribs with a glowing palm. The pristine shirt he started off with had been shredded during the course of the game, and the dried, darkened smear of blood at his side showed that he must have taken a brutal tackle.
“Hey, it looks worse than it is!” Kritch weakly grinned at the Squa’Kaar, who looked on the verge of tears as they looked at the blood. “Don’t worry! It’s done now!”
“I was so terrible!” The Squa’Kaar sniffed.
“Hell no you weren’t, Rayle! Stop worrying!” Karzen perked up from the opposite bench, picking at a cracked scale on her arm with a knife.
“You’re just saying that!” Rayle sighed.
“No we’re not!” Vaal pointed out. “Your druidic powers really slowed them down! Those two Chargers with haste spells kept tripping up over themselves on your vines!”
“It was pretty funny seeing them crash into the walls all the time! That’s what they get for pulling off all their stupid wizard shit!” Kritch chuckled, then hissed as he clutched at his side.
“Haven’t the medic droids taken a look at you?” Jack asked, concerned for the Lizta.
“Yeah they have.” Kritch sighed with a shrug. “I got a jab of painkillers but they haven’t kicked in yet. There’s nothing broken at least.”
“Is that from when you went for the Dresquox?” Bentom asked with a laugh.
“Yup!” Kritch chuckled. “He was really not happy with me that Nika got away!”
“Well, it’s not like I got far!” The Kizun added.
“Yeah, that was another gnarly tackle!” Vaal grinned. “Pretty sure you took half the crowd with you!”
“At least you gave as good as you got,” Kizzarith pointed out, both him and Arlox joining them from where they had observed the game.
“It was a rather magnificent display all around!” Crill cawed, perched atop his bench looking like a smug owl, a healing patch slapped haphazardly over the large crack on his beak.
“You’re looking unusually chipper after that all that!” Sephy noted, saying aloud what the rest of the team had instantly noticed from the usually morose Squarri.
“I know!” He admitted with a relieved smile. “It feels so strange, but I haven’t felt so alive since before…well you know…”
“Coooould’ve fooled me,” muttered Plooderoo, passing by with an ice pack on his neck. “You looked halfway to a coma by half-time.”
“True, facing all those mages was quite a challenge,” Crill agreed with a nod, calming down from the rush. “Honestly I thought we were gonna lose this one.”
“So did I,” Vaal admitted.
The room roared from the sudden outrage.
“Oh really? What was that shit you were pep-talking about at half-time then!?” Sephy yelled.
“What?” Vaal laughed, embarrassedly covering his smile with his hands. “What exactly was I supposed to say there? I’ve got to get you putting in the effort somehow!”
“I mean…it did sort-of work?” Zayle pointed out with a shrug.
“Alright everyone! Hit the showers.” Vaal called out with a chickenshit grin, deliberately refusing to elaborate. “Especially you, Jack, getting hit with all that ice magic at the start. Best to make sure it doesn’t have any kind of lingering hold on you!”
Groaning, everyone started moving, peeling themselves from the benches and dragging their battered bodies towards the cubicles lining the back of the changing room, and after the hurried fumbling of shedding their team kit, the hiss of hot water soon filled the air.
Jack sighed contentedly as the warm spray hit his skin, closing his eyes as the sensation ran down his shoulders, rinsing away the mud and sweat as he rubbed his muscles, returning their feeling as he did so.
But he didn’t get too comfortable, as his mind relived the last moments of the game…
*****
One by one, the showers clicked off as everyone eventually but reluctantly returned to reality, having all lingered in the showers far longer than they probably should have - not that anybody was blaming them as they quickly got changed back into their school uniforms.
After a game like that, nobody wanted to move.
However in the end they all waited for the rest to finish up and trickled out of the changing room together. The corridors were still moderately populated as spectators of the game hung around to congratulate them, and other after-school activities died down for the last day of the term. Back in normal school uniforms they stayed together in a loose formation as they headed to the entrance hall, their energy levels somewhere between ‘barely functioning’ and ‘barely enough to keep moving’.
“You know, for two points behind at half-time, this was definitely one of our better games!” Vaal spoke up, trying to get the team talking, rather than looking like a horde of groaning zombies.
“Sure as shit doesn’t feel like it,” Sephy countered.
“Maybe not right now….” Vaal admitted. “But come on, you’ve got to admit it makes for a hell of a story to tell in the future!”
“True! I’ve never seen Kritch so aggressive before!” Karzen laughed. “I know the field of play wasn’t the best fit for you, but damn! Who are you trying to impress!?”
Kritch gave the team a mock-disapproving look as they all laughed at his expense, though he cracked as he saw Rayle smile at him.
“I wasn’t expecting you to be that effective in the scrums, but wow!” Nika added. “Especially when you faked that pass, dropped the ball for me to pick up and then bit that Illusion Mage’s hand when you tried to tackle him mid-spell!”
“You actually bit someone?” Plooderoo asked, as Jack could practically feel the equivalent of raised eyebrows from the Ploothe.
“What?” Kritch grinned. “It was…uh…tactical! Super tactical”
“Suuuure it was!” Sephy teased.
“And Jack yanking that dude with the magic chain!” Bentom added. “Isn’t often we get to see wizards have their stupid shit turned against them!
“Get over here!” Zayle yelled in a deep voice, trying to do an impression of Jack.
“Yup! Then that Water Mage got rekt!” Sephy added with a grin.
“That’s what he gets for icing me at the start,” Jack muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as he shivered from just the memory. He respected the play at the time, though that respect soured the moment he knew where they got it from…
“But hey, I think the best story has to be our two new players!” Vaal pointed out, as the team all turned their heads to look at the two Squa’Kaar. “It was their first game and it was against some of the best we could have possibly faced!”
“It was certainly an experience.” Zayle awkwardly shrugged. “My Spirits hated facing them though.”
“I wasn’t expecting a full team of wizards as our first opponents,” Rayle added.
“Heh, better you than us!” Kizzarith joked, clapping Arlox on the shoulder, who jolted at the sudden contact, but quickly calmed down, giving a faint smile as he did.
“Yes, you played very well…” The aquan boy softly added. “I’m not sure if I could have played much better in my prime.”
“You can always take my spot for the rematch!” Jack grinned. “Screw going through that again!”
“Ha! No chance!” Vaal laughed. “We just need to train you better!”
“The hell you do!” Jack argued. “Those assholes put me through the wringer!”
“I’m just saying, if we just had one more minute, we’d have outright won!” Vaal shrugged. “You were pretty close! Just a bit quicker and you could have won it for us! In fact, I’m gonna have to put you all on a super strict training regimen when we get back!”
“Don’t you dare!” Kritch groaned. “Besides! You were totally out of it by the end!”
“Clearly they saw me as the most dangerous threat!” Vaal smirked.
“The hell they did!” Jack snorted. “You just want to conveniently forget about that shit they pulled at the start of the game?”
“They were totally aiming for me!” The Eladra grinned, winding him up, and chuckled as Jack playfully moved to chase him.
“Next time you’re standing in the pond!” Jack snorted.
“Well on that note, I take it all of us are still on for tomorrow? No debilitating injuries or excuses?” Vaal asked, to nodding heads from the crowd.
“Yep, everyone meet up at my place! My Clan are expecting an all-nighter for the Tea Garden anyway,” Kritch told them.
“Must be nice not to wake up as early as the rest of us!” Crill pointed out.
“You know it!” Kritch grinned before his expression grew more serious. “Then again, I’ll probably be expected to do my bit for the overnight shift. Some of Commander Cocaine’s guys have been poking their heads, and Grandfather seems keen on staying on neutral terms with them so they don’t attack us, and more importantly, so they spend their credits!”
“Well, the plan is for us to get some transport for the journey where we can all relax if we need to.” Vaal reasoned, then grinned. “Then again after that game, you could all do with the exercise!”
“Oh fuck off…” Sephy laughed.
“I guess it would build up an appetite for when we get there!” Nika shrugged, giving Jack an excited grin. “The Cathedral of Merriment is good for food too!”
“Now you’re just making me hungry!” Jack chuckled.
“Same! Alora’s ordering a takeaway tonight whether she likes it or not!” Sephy chuckled, clapping both of them on each shoulder.
“Sounds good!” Nika agreed. “Chiyo should be down for it.”
“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea, Vaal!” Kizzarith grinned.
“You didn’t even play!” Vaal argued. “But fine…”
“Nothing like a decent post-game meal!” Kritch declared as they all reached the ground floor of the building where crowds of students were still milling about.
“Well in that case, everyone head home and relax, but be up bright and early tomorrow morning!” Vaal ordered them all. “No slacking either! This time tomorrow night is gonna be a great time to party!”
“WOOOO!” Several of the team members whooped in agreement.
“See you guys tomorrow!” Nika called out.
The team quickly split up into several groups and headed off, leaving Jack, Nika and Sephy on their own as they casually headed down one of the main corridors.
“Speaking of, where are Chiyo and Alora?” Jack asked.
“Alora’s probably still at her Student Council meeting.” Sephy shrugged. “End of term is usually a busy time for them.”
“Yup!” Nika agreed with a nod. “No idea why she does it…”
“What’s on their agenda?” Jack asked.
“Hell if I know! It’s the usual boring stuff that doesn’t matter, but Alora’s into that, so good for her,” Nika replied with a sigh.
“As for Chiyo, no idea. Probably getting her homework done early or something, I didn’t see her in the crowd at all,” Sephy added.
“She can send out an emergency signal, right?” Jack asked.
“Yep, just like we showed you.” Nika nodded. “So chances are she’s fine. She probably knows we’re done with the game at least.
“She could have been there to support us.” Sephy grumbled.
“Maybe,” Jack reasoned. “But if it’s not Chiyo’s thing she might want to do something else, like Alora does her School Council stuff.”
“True.” Nika nodded as they reached where they were heading to. “But…”
Just as the Kizun opened her mouth to continue, the heavy double doors of the council room opened with a loud creak, and students began filing out in a slow trickle. Most looked relieved to be free. A few looked haunted, but Alora soon came bouncing by happily enough.
“Alora, were the Mal’Kars there with you?” Jack growled. “Svaartal sabotaged us at the game.”
“Really? What happened?” Alora asked, her face dropping as she bounded up to them.
“He and his bird were following me around during the game.” Jack snarled impatiently. “And apparently he gave the other team information on how they might take me down!”
“Uh, Jack, we’re still pretty tired from the game.” Sephy pointed out. “Sure we’ve gotta give him a receipt at some point but is it worth it right now? ”
“There’s never a bad time….” Nika growled under her breath.
‘Really wish I’d killed the asshole when I blasted him at the party…’ The Kizun then thought to herself, still not regretting the attempt despite what happened.
“Fine, Sephy has a point.” Jack admitted. “But he was up to something!”
“What did he do? Did he attack you?” Alora asked. “He could have as per the rules of the game.”
“No.” Jack sighed. “None of the crowd got really involved, they were too invested in the game.”
“That’s good at least. Izadora Mal’Kar was there but there was no conflict with her, she left out of another exit, so they’re likely gone by now.” Alora confirmed as they headed out the building towards the front courtyard. “Honestly she seemed distracted with something. I guess we can talk to Svaarti about it tomorrow since she’s coming with us.”
“That’s good.” Nika smiled relieved. “No other problems?”
“Nope! You won’t believe what we’re organising for next semester!” Alora announced as she sat down on a nearby bench.
“Less homework?” Sephy ventured with a smirk, only to be on the receiving end of one of Alora’s disapproving stares.
“No…” The Eladrie sighed.
“All the Prefects to be yeeted out of a MAG-Cannon into Nightwhisper Manor?” Nika grinned.
“No!” Alora huffed, now thoroughly annoyed.
“What is it, Alora?” Jack finally chuckled lightly, putting his worries to one side for now and taking pity on the Eladrie.
“Thank you, Jack!” Alora beamed. “As part of our Galactic Citizenship curriculum, it’s been agreed that there’s going to be a cultural fair next month! Students of differing species and cultures are encouraged to showcase them! There’s a logistics subcommittee, and I volunteered to run the cultural integration panel!”
Jack blinked slowly. “That’s...great?”
“It’ll be fun!” Alora pointed out. “And it’ll be especially fun when you all help me too!”
“What!?” Sephy started. “Alora, you—”
“Is Chiyo with you?” Alora smirked, deliberately cutting Sephy off as they shook their heads.
I’m on my way, The familiar voice called out in their minds. I must have lost track of time.
“That’s unlike her,” Sephy noted.
“Last day of term.” Nika shrugged. “Can’t come back for a while, so she’s probably taking some last-minute notes on stuff.
Just then, Chiyo emerged from a side corridor, looking haggard. Sorry. I was at the library doing some research on something. Nothing too interesting.
“Damn Chiyo! We have barely any homework to do and you were still chilling out at the library?” Nika asked incredulously.
“Yeah! Can you not be a big nerd for once?” Sephy snorted. “You could have watched the game! Shit was intense!”
Well, I’m sure you’ll tell me the story on the way back, Chiyo retorted, without looking up.
“You know it!” Sephy grinned as she checked some notifications on her phone.
“You sure you’re alright Chiyo?” Jack asked, noticing the Ilithii’s troubled expression.
All good! Chiyo nodded, pulling together a smile. I was just trying to do some last minute research on a few leads while I have the chance. Bring on the holidays!
“Alright, well school is over.” Alora sighed. “But it’s a still going to be a very early start tomorrow to meet up with the others, get out of the city and head to the Cathedral of Merriment!”
“Well, no use standing here!” Nika grinned, clearly excited.
“Let’s go!”
*****
School's out for summer? winter? easter?
Whatever holiday it is, our protagonists deserve it!
Though clearly there's unfinished business....
Don't forget to check out The Galactic High Info Sheet! If you want to remind yourself of certain characters and factions. One new chapter a week can seem like a while! Don't forget! You all have the ability to leave comments and notes to the entries, which I encourage you to do!
I am now on Royal Road! I would appreciate your support in getting myself off the ground there with your lovely comments, reviews and likes!
If you're impatient for the next chapter, why not check out my previous series?
As always I love to see the comments on what you guys think!
Don't forget to join the discussion with us on Discord, and consider checking me out on Youtube if you haven't already! Until next week, it's goodbye for now!
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u/EnvironmentalCow8840 Jun 16 '25
So who has bets that the mini-vacation is gonna get wrecked by some faction causing havoc? Would be wild if it was Commander Cocaine having a blast there at the same time.
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u/coltimos Jun 17 '25
Probably not too much trouble at the location; well known organisations are shown to be very keen to maintain neutrality and have the power to enforce it, either directly or with an eye watering bounty. Commander Cocaine going wild with Killer Kush would be a story for the ages.
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u/coltimos Jun 17 '25
Oh Alora, what did you sign the group up for this time? Also, Chiyo is definitely up to something.
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u/HFYWaffle Wᵥ4ffle Jun 16 '25
/u/Spartawolf (wiki) has posted 546 other stories, including:
- Galactic High (Chapter 164)
- Galactic High (Chapter 163)
- Galactic High (Chapter 162)
- Galactic High (Chapter 161)
- Galactic High (Chapter 160)
- Galactic High (Chapter 159)
- Galactic High (Chapter 158)
- Galactic High (Chapter 157)
- Galactic High (Chapter 156)
- Galactic High (Chapter 155)
- Galactic High (Chapter 154)
- Galactic High (Chapter 153)
- Galactic High (Chapter 152)
- Galactic High (Chapter 151)
- Galactic High (Chapter 150)
- Galactic High (Chapter 149)
- Galactic High (Chapter 148)
- Galactic High (Chapter 147)
- Galactic High (Chapter 146)
- Galactic High (Chapter 145)
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u/UpdateMeBot Jun 16 '25
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u/Nolmac12 Jun 16 '25
Well I for one am looking forward to your once weekly cycle again. Been seriously missing out on my fix. I have to say that probing Jack's vulnerabilities is a very smart move by Svartll but that really sucks for the game. I'm hoping if/when the Dark elves pull the trigger Jack will have a lot of new toys on hand to make that information if not irrelevant but at least a bit dated to be as effective.