I had free time when I should have been studying, and wrote this next chapter.
Also, I have recently started a Bleach fic, so If anyone is interested in Bleach, its in my profile, so go take a look. I will not be abandoning any story, but updates could wind up being a day or two later. Forgive me in advance if I update late.
"So," Alex spoke with a deliberate slowness, internally laughing at the now panicky boy. "If the standings haven't changed after the job selection is complete, I have no qualms in a friendly duel."
"Well, ugh, er."
"Unless you don't want to prove yourself?" Alex arched her eyebrows slightly, knowing that the boy's ego, like Brad's previously, would not let him back down from such an upfront challenge.
Her soon to be opponent gulped and nodded slowly. The boy swamped in black fabric next to her giggled lightly. Alex looked over curiously, and he ducked his head, hiding behind his overgrown bangs.
"You can choose weapon restrictions."
"What is your job and favorite-?"
"Not important," was the simple reply which cut the boy off mid sentence,
"Any weapon you choose will be fine."
The table went silent before idle chatter picked back up. Rumors spread faster then wildfire, and Alex could hear them all.
"Did you hear? Some guy challenged the number one rookie!"
"No way!"
"I heard that he tried to punch the guy."
"I heard that they already fought before."
"No way." "That's crazy."
"No really, the match is set to happen after the meeting!"
"Are you gonna go?"
"Of course." "Who isn't going?"
"You guys know the number one ranked is a girl right?"
"Seriously?" "Did you bring your camera?" "Never leave home without it."
"Ack! Where'd I put mine?" "It's okay, just take Nick's when he's not looking."
"Dude I heard she was hot!"
"No way" "Where is she?"
"Right over-"
The large group of teenagers looked over to see Alex's amused eyes dancing with wry laughter. Nearly everyone in the immediate area had a wave of red rush to their cheeks. Many of them scurried away, mumbling something about 'pretty scary girls'. Alex turned to her new acquaintance, introducing herself.
"I'm Alex, but I'm sure you could tell that already…"
"Jorge," he responded in an oddly whispered tone, looking around to see if anyone was eavesdropping.
It took less then a second to click in Alex's mind. She whistled softly.
"Ah, number one mage," Alex's tone was just as soft.
"Which means you're not a mage." It wasn't a question.
"Observant one aren't 'cha," she mumbled back, a bit flustered. She wasn't used to conversation with minds as sharp as her own.
"I guess not," Alex replied, recovering her composure, "Where's your team?"
"I was the only one to pass the written tests, yours?"
"Ah, for the better or worse, they all seemed to pass."
"Hmm?"
Alex looked pointedly at a sleeping Brad. A thick line of drool coated his cheek and trickled down the side of his chin to adjoin with a much larger puddle.
"Ahhhh."
"Know anything about the latest challenger?"
"Top twenty-five, but not top ten."
"Mhmmmm."
"So are any of the rumors true?" Jorge looked curious, a wide smile matching his floppy bangs quite nicely.
"Yeah," Alex stage whispered in a 'secretive' tone, "I am a girl."
Jorge looked up with mock shock, amusement and appreciation lining his large eyes. He chuckled lightly.
"Touché. I was referring to the ones about a 'special' job." That curiosity spilled out of his chocolate brown orbs. She met his eyes, willing a calm expression to wash over her face. He leveled his intense stare on her once more, then turned away slightly, nodding to himself.
"So… what type of mage are you?"
"I'm not a mage yet."
"Assuming that you could use all that knowledge which enabled you to pass with such a high rank, I would say it's a safe bet that you will be passing the rookie tests this year, if not at the top of the class."
"In that case, I hope to become a fire/poison mage."
"Tch. Warrior mages." Alex grumbled, perturbed, while wrinkling her nose,
"Ks-ers-1…"
Jorge eyed her with apprehension. She threw on an apologetic smile.
"I don't like battle mages; they always seem to take joy in ks-ing."
"I don't like blondes, they always lack intelligence."
"Touché."
Perhaps there were exceptions to every rule, she mused.
"Let us begin the job placement ceremony. Welcome parents, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, and any other family or family friends. We are gathered here with four thousand hopeful apprentices. Every single one of them has worked hard to get here. The number of successful trainees passing today will regrettably be around half of the total present."
Murmurs went through the crowd.
"Yes, it seems drastic, but we only take those with developed skills or true potential each year. If you are not chosen, do not give up hope. It takes many people numerous attempts just to get where you are today. Instead of leaving in disgrace, leave with hope and the will to come back even stronger."
Athena Pierce paused to smile before continuing.
To begin, she pointed at the large slab directly behind her. It stretched from the ceiling to the floor. The large device was constructed of a dark shinning metal, oddly contrasting the light cheery paint coating the wall and roof. Pierce was pointing towards the four mysterious tables, which seemed to be lined with an innumerable amount of small boxes. Each box was about the size of an average human hand in width, and double the size of width long. An extra table was connected to the one graced with black boxes. It held two very similar boxes, but these had a slight gold trim decorating the top and sizes.
"After this announcement, go to your respective job's table, and look for the name tag in front of each. Blue is for Mages, green is for Archers, red is for Warriors, and black is for Thieves. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your box and/or job, feel free to ask me or any other Job Instructor. Feel free to find your box, but don't open them just yet."
One fourth of the students went to the dark, beautiful blue boxes. At the adjacent table, a group of youths inspected the outside of their rich verdant boxes. Stronger, more bulky teenagers stumbled over to the blood red boxes. Quickly and quietly, the remaining students slid our to their midnight black boxes. For reasons unbeknownst to them, Alex and Jackie made their way to the black and gold boxes. Alex grabbed the box gingerly, afraid that the container of her fragile dreams would snap in half at the contact. It was surprisingly firm and sturdy in her capable hands, though, and it made a slight humming noise as she gently ran her fingers over it.
"If you have passed the complete exam, a random prize will appear in your box. This can range anywhere from scrolls, potions, elixirs, and necessary equipment. Rarely is anything else found in these boxes, but on occasion, there have been some exceptions. If you find this piece of parchment,"
Grendal, who had continued the speech from before, snapped his fingers and opened his hand. An awfully bland piece of parchment appeared in the outstretched palm.
"Then, I'm sorry, but you must come back for another try at the tests. What this paper is, though, a free pass of the written tests for the next time you come back. If you decide to not come back for another try at the test, this can be used for most job applications. Congratulations to all who pass. Any questions?"
"What are those boards for?" a girl dressed in all black asked. Her jeans clanked as she shifted feet, and Alex wondered how anyone could walk under all that metal. She swiped nervously at her black 'emo' bangs-2, pushing them out of her field of vision, so she could look at Grendal with her charcoal black eyes. Grendal chuckled,
"In due time, my dear. For now just worry on the task ahead. Trainees, face your boxes."
Alex scanned the crowd amazed at how all these social stereotypes stood side by side, all united in a share goal, dream, desire. Jocks, punks, preps, freaks, geeks, and weirdos all nervously looking down at their respective cases.
"Pick them up!"
Everyone who wasn't already holding their boxes scrambled to pick them up. Alex composed herself, raised the box closer to her eye level to inspect it further.
"Open your boxes."
Alex clutched the container closer sliding her fingers to the simple metal clasp that separated her from her future. Her heart pounded into her ears, cold sweat sliding down her neck. She pulled the two halves apart, a bright light blinding her vision.
Did I pass? Did I pass? Did I pass?
Rick nervously clawed at the rich forest green box, pulling it apart viciously. He felt he had done well, but you could never be sure with anything surrounded Athena Pierce and her counterparts. He flicked the latch open to feel painted metal against his hand. Inside his box was a deeply detailed arrow container, painted a forest brown. It had intricate carvings in the metal, giving it the impression of a wooden device. Yet as he slid his hands up and down his prize, he could feel nothing of the sort. Also inside the treasure chest was handfuls of arrows, which barely fit into his new equip. He smiled in glee, much happier then he would have ever been as a mage.
It wasn't nervous, It never was. As It opened the box, a box that seemed coated in a thick layer of death. Out popped a note, but not the scroll that was causing anguish in the people around. This was a simple, mission update which self destructed seconds after It was finished reading the scraggly handwriting. It hissed in distaste, angry that the boss wouldn't allow a real prize to come forth. But, It didn't really expect one. Happiness wasn't in the job description, destroying lives was.
Jackie smiled as she pulled out an odd looking shield. This shield didn't seem to be a normal one, but one that strapped to her wrist and forearm. She immediately felt luckier as the wrist guard locked into place with a resounding clicking noise. She glanced over her shoulder to see Alex grinning widely. Jackie opened her mouth to inquire, but stopped silent as Alex pulled out a Beheader.
Alex blinked rapidly, eager to see what prize, or lack thereof, lay in her box. She expected to see potions, maybe even healing elixirs. To her immense shock, she pulled out a beautiful sword, with an unusually appearance. It had a relatively short hilt and crossgard, compared to the enormity of the blade. The sword handle was a bright red, lacked and finished with gold. It was large enough for three hands to grasp. The blade was a magnificent work of art, curving as it branched out. It was as thick as the hilt, getting wider as it moved away. The side of the blade facing away from enemies was a coal black, whilst the striking side was a bright white color.
Scimitar, Alex recalled from her text book, Beheader-3
She heard a few murmurs and gasps of appreciation, most of them coming from the warrior table She searched further in her box for a sheath, but instead found a silky, yet strangely durable, black and red cloth. She wrapped it around the pointy blade, leaving enough room to attach it to the fabric of her shirt. She would have to have a custom belt loop made. Lost in deep thought at the excitement the new weapon brought, she almost forgot about the rumors that were soon to start right about now. Almost.
"How did she get that?" "Didn't she have a thief box?"
"Woah!" "Wicked sword!" "Dude, that's fucking kick ass!"
"Who is that?"
"Duh! Number one in our year! Did you hear about the fight earlier?"
"Yeah." "Of course." "What fight?"
"Some kid challenged her."
"I would like to do more then challenge her."
"Dam right, that girl's hot."
Alex wasn't really shocked by any statements except the last one. She didn't see herself as 'hot' or 'pretty' and never tried to compete or compare herself with other girls. In her mind, makeup and spending hours in the mirror was way overrated.
The group of boys looked over at her, one of the teens boldly smiling at her. Alex smiled back slightly, muttering "Troublesome" under her breathe, turning to be greeted by Jackie.
"You should have expected the rumors."
"It's not the rumors that are really bothering me…"
"Oh... Hmmm…" Jackie looked thoughtful, scrunching her eyebrows and chewing in a fingernail. Alex found it adorable. Wait- what?
"They're right though, you know." She stated softly, and turned away to find her family.
Alex followed her with her eyes, confusion muddling their usually crystal clear form.
To be -obviously- continued
Expect the next chapter in once again 1 to 1.5 weeks
I don't know if everyone who reads this plays MS so if not, or if ya just got a little confused
-1 KSer kill stealer basically someone who attacks and kills your monster/monsters after you have already made the first attack on it/them
-2 trying to get the look for the 'caspia' haircut in game
-3 this is the level 30 two handed sword in game
That's all for now
any questions, comments, requests or concerns feel free to contact me via messaging or review.
- Dak
