Just like i promised, here's your update! Chapter 9 seemed bland to me, but it was necessary.

Two important changes are happening right now.

1- from now on, im only posting 1 chapter at a time, starting with chapter 11, but it will be the same length as the double chapters have been.

2-This is the last of my pre written chapters, so from now on, i will try and update ATLEAST once a week. With my courses and activities, it will vary though. You could get one chapter a week, or maybe three[although i highly doubt that. So if I don't update for a week or two, don't get discouraged, I will post the new one, or tell you if I'm quitting this story.

Chapter Nine

Alex tried to focus.

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Focus! Focus, focus…

She put the usual blank, indecipherable mask on her face. The Four talked in a hushed tone among themselves. A messenger walked into the room. He looked vaguely familiar as well.

"Mr. Grendal, sir, there's a message for you.'

"Is it urgent?"

Athena's voice had a definite edge to it. Grendal ignored her.

"Alright lad. Tell me all about it."

And with that he exited the room. Dances with Balrogs sighed. Athena Pierce was furious. The Dark Lord just sat back, staring at the four trainees. After ten minutes, the judges left the room as well, following Grendal through the same door.

"What the fuck?"

Brad stamped his feet noisily, clenching his teeth, and rocked back and forth on his heels. When no one answered him, he increased his already annoying mannerisms. Rick shot a glare at him, but Brad seemed to ignore it as he continued his rants.

"Who do they think they are? We shouldn't have to wait. This is crazy. Ugh. I should just walk out…Wasting my time… Stupid..."

The Four re-entered the room. They quickly walked to their chairs. Athena spoke abruptly.

"Alright. Here's the deal. You have two choices, young one. You can either accept this offer or reject it. If you reject it, you will proceed with normal testing just like what your friends went through. But before we give you the choice, I want to explain why and what is happening.

As you know there are four jobs: Archer, Thief, Warrior and Mage. But once every generation or so, we receive students strong enough to master two of these professions. As you saw today, your counterpart over there has that quality. What you have is similar. Once every century, at best, We receive someone who can mastery all four abilities. We believe you have that depth, skill and precision. To tell we measure you before the tests even start.

The first attribute we search for is strength. You proved your strength this morning again that mage youth. You also showed remarkable strength when you helped your friend there."

She stopped her speak to motion at Rick. He blushed, and she continued her long explanation.

"Your final strength test will start after, and if, you accept the offer."

"The next thing we test for is intelligence. All the strength in the world is futile without a keen and sharp mind. You showed your intelligence in the written tests. For the first time in history, someone answered every single question on both tests correct."

"After that is self control and morality. We argued here. Some of us believe that you stepping forward to help your friend when she froze was not necessary and out of order. But the majority came to the decision that teamwork is just as important as following rules. For your self control factor, we left the room and kept a watch on you. Not once did any frustration or disdain pass through your face or were displayed through your motions. Therefore, you passed.

"The final tests will be on strength, as we mentioned before, and dexterity. These are perhaps the most dangerous tests. If you agree to try this option, be aware. I will not sugarcoat this. If you do not give one hundred percent effort to pass, you will die. This is a serious test, not for those lacking concentration and motivation. If you do not will it in your body, mind and soul, there is no chance for you to pass. Any questions?"

"Just one, m'am. What exactly are these tests for?"

"For you to become a guardian, of course."

"A guardian…"

Her three peers looked stupefied. Alex repeated slowly, rolling the words around on her tongue, as if to get a taste. She thought hard about herself.

" I accept your proposal and job offer."

"Very well,"

This time the Dark Lord spoke,

"Grab two weapons from the table, and proceed to the middle of the room."

Alex looked at the table, trying to explore the depths of her mind to bring back where she first saw it. She reached for a two-handed sword. It felt weak and brittle. She unconsciously frowned.

It feels like… If I swung this at something I would break it. Like a Styrofoam sword with an amazingly realistic paint job.

She looked up at her deciders with a question mark in her eyes. Dances with Balrogs chuckled, a faint gleam in his eyes. He spoke an ancient chant with ease, which indicated how many times he'd probably repeated it. The sword changed, she felt it for certain before its appearance did.

It shifted from a plain wooden sword to a longer bladed sword with a blue hilt. This felt more stable in her steady hands. A sword she could wield and do damage without any fears of it shattering.

Alex strode to the middle of the large room.

Chapter Ten

Ten fuzzy shadows solidified into formidable opponents. Unlike the trainers that attacked Alex's friends, most of these held stronger weapons of all sorts already equipped. Numerous other differences proved their superior strength: better body armor, a more toned form, and an air of confidence.

Three enemies strode forward, circling Alex like hungry sharks in a bad horror movie. Out of the corner of her eyes Alex saw a blur of light. Her body moved out of habit if nothing else as she ducked the attack and dealt a powerful fist to the trainers face. He dropped like a fly. Alex turned her waist, shifting towards the noise her ears strained to hear, and lashed out with a devastating side kick that sent the approaching enemy flying through the air. The next fighter drew his dagger a fraction of a second too late. He too felt the pain of his downed allies before evaporated into nothing.

Alex reached her right arm back over her head and shoulder to grasp the hilt of her sword. She pulled it free, hand slipping up to the cross guard. She re-adjusted her grip in time to parry the first blow of her opponent. He held a sword similar to her own, but his sword had unnecessary weight that slowed his reaction time. The shoulders of their swords locked as they were corps-a-corps. In the end, Alex's strength won out, and she threw back her opponent, delivering the fatal blow.

A female trainer attacked with a large BW, engaging Alex. Instead of muscling her way out of the attack, Alex let their pommels slide together. Her opponent, not expecting her to relieve pressure, fell forward off balance. She, too, disappeared.

A subi throwing star whizzed by her face, nicking her cheek. Alex turned towards her new attacker. This woman launched another star attack, sending two deadly metal contraptions her way. In a practiced maneuver, Alex drew the dagger she took off the table previously with lightning fast speed. She dropped to one knee, holding the dagger up with her left hand. The clank of metal on metal occurred. The dagger flashed in the sunlight of the room, a single subi resting through its point. The second star was gripped in Alex's right hand. Her two handed sword was re-sheathed on her back.

"Too slow,"

She grunted and flicked her left wrist. The Subi star launched straight up into the air as Alex threw the second star back to its owner.

Six down, four to go.

She reached her hand up as the mage trainer started mumbling a spell.

"Too slow!"

She repeated as she catapulted the last star in her possession at him. He stumbled backwards into another mage, clocking him in the head with his heavy wooden staff.

Two. Two left.

An arrow shot through her train of thoughtas it punched into Alex's left shoulder. She let a small growl of pain escape her lips. Alex threw her dagger with deadly accuracy. It hit its mark. The final trainer, a Crossbowman, quickly reloaded his bow. Alex mumbled some strange words which suddenly filled every corner of her head. She ran with a new gained speed at the archer, striking his neck with an open handed chop. He fell.

Alex panted mildly, looking at the arrow in her shoulder. She shuddered in pain, braced herself, and pulled it out. Alex fought for control of her emotion as new surge of white hot pain coursed through her limbs.A chair materialized out of nowhere, and Alex gratefully took it.

"Too weak. She passed the first part, but she looks too weak."

The harsh voice of Dances with Balrogs cut through the silence

So familiar… This has happened before…but… when?

"Now's not the time to lose faith. You know those trainers are the ones that second stage workers train with. I believe your apprentice could not take out ten at once. And he's what? Degree grade thirty five?"

Athena Pierce voiced reasonably, her voice like chimes in the wind.

"Thirty three…"

Was the grumbled reply.

Grendal raised his hand for silence.

"Now things get interesting."

He dropped his hand with a gesture.

Alex fell through the air into an abyss of darkness, chair disappearing. A growl cut through the black void. A high pitched cry of terror filled the empty space. Alex gasped with shock the memory rushed back to her.

There stood Alex in the middle of the room, steely determination etched into her features, especially her eyes, as she cut down enemy after enemy with a cool, swift manner. Jackie stood there, stupefied, transfixed, as she watched her comrade turn into a fighting, a killing machine.

She gasped in awe as Alex countered the star attack; she wanted to scream out in horror when the arrow cut into Alex, that new warm flooding her body, that shiver clawing its way up through her spine. But Alex continued, moving as if nothing had happened. When she finally defeated the last opponents, she took the chair offered to her, pulling out the arrow. She couldn't quite keep her calm mask in place, as Jackie saw her face contort with pain for an instant. Then, her face returned back to the indecipherable expression.

The Four were talking and suddenly the chair disappeared. Alex fell into a deep hole, surrounded by small kitten-like monsters with a larger copy and a green fiend with a single eye and blood dripping from its drooling mouth. In an instant Jackie identified the monsters and let out a scream of terror.

Rick watched with immense pleasure as Alex defeated all the trainers.

She truly is amazing.

Suddenly, she fell. Rick gasped in horror, his body turning numb. He heard a voice through his empty state. A cocky, bitter voice.

"Serves her right."

Rick turned to face Brad, rage replacing numb at an increasingly dangerous speed. He opened his mouth to reply and curled his hand into a fist. Brad hit the floor with a thud, with Jackie staring over him coldly. She looked at Rick for less then a second as she spun around to face Alex again. Her face was covered with worry.

Brad lay unconscious on the floor, pummeled by a shaking, adolescent girl.

And, that is all for now folks. I'm pretty happy with the ending. This chap actually took some research, i wanted to make the fight scene details and as real as I could. As i stated before

1- 1 chapter per update, but same length as the double chapters have been

2- dont expect every day updates. I have no more prewritten chapters, and am aiming for one chapter a week

reviews would be nice, but regardless, i will try to update ASAP

Dak