(grumble, grumble)….

Hi everyone! I'm so sorry this chapter is late. I've had it ready for over a WEEK, but the hotel I was staying in while on holiday didn't have wifi, despite advertising it! Absolutely fuming. What that meant was that, sadly, I had to wait until I was back in the UK before I could upload. And even that was delayed a day by weather! Gah! So, all I can do is apologise for the delay; I'm hoping it was worth the wait.

Special thanks for reviews: Subtle Shenanigans, perpetuation

Disclaimer: I don't own anything relating to Markiplier, JackSepticEye or Matthias/Hi5 Universe. If you wish to use anything relating to my own universe, please ask first.

Chapter 9: The Training Wheels Are Off

Neither Jack or Matt had really wanted to leave Alix's study, both waiting for her return with Mark, but their urge to start doing something useful eventually won out. After meeting with Eamon and gaining some useful hints on where best would be to give aid, the pair split up. Matt went to speak with those who had been injured by Dark's attack who were recovering in some of the buildings around the ruined square. He'd discovered many of the wounded in that area were actually the town's guards, and had pounced on the opportunity to learn more about Dark. Many of them had been in similar situations before and were more than willing to tell the YouTuber anything they thought was of use.

Jack had instead headed for a prayer house on the outskirts of the town, buying as many supplies as he could carry on the way. Eamon had told him that was where all those who had lost family members in the town would be gathered, preparing their bodies for ritual burnings. Though it had wrenched at his heart to face such death and raw grief, Jack hoped he could make a difference. He'd distributed the small satchels of coins, water and food he had purchased, while offering to keep any children entertained. It had struck a deep chord when he had seen several weeping children attempting to be consoled by grieving parents: especially as they were facing such a daunting task themselves. The small gesture of looking after the youngsters for an hour resonated with the townsfolk more than he could ever realise.

It had been almost two hours since Alix had departed when they both heard a low beeping from their gauntlets. Realising it was probably a signal, they headed back to her study at top speed. When they arrived they were stunned to find an empty room, but only a few seconds later they were forced to jump back as two forms appeared. They looked on in muted horror as they saw Mark and Alix appear from a small vortex which had opened in the side of the room, but they crashed to the ground violently, their momentum from their fall in Dark's castle having carried through the teleport. Alix hissed through gritted teeth as she held her right arm, having broken from the impact with the floor, while Mark was barely consciously. His legs were badly burned and his left shoulder had been dislocated from the fall.

Matt and Jack sprang into action and retrieved serums from their inventories. Matt managed to ease Mark on to his back before fiddling with his armour, trying to find ways to reach his skin. Once he had finally managed to pull away a section, revealing soft leather clothes underneath, he plunged a blue healing serum into Mark's shoulder and before using an amber stamina boost in his arm. The fact that Mark didn't even flinch at the syringes was telling. Jack helped Alix sit up and slowly injected her with a red serum, eliciting a painful screech from her as she felt her broken bones shift back and mend within her arm. She wheezed for several seconds before raising her other hand and opening Jack's inventory, retrieving another red serum. "Mark will need it," she managed to gasp out between spasms of pain as she handed it to Matt. "Split it between his legs, the serums are most effective at the point of injury." Not questioning her advice, Matt did so. As Alix began to breathe easier she nodded at Jack, urging him that she was all right. Turning his attention to his badly injured friend, Jack came to sit on Mark's other side as Matt finished with the injections.

The three of them waited for almost twenty seconds before Mark groaned deeply. His eyes began to flicker open, the vision blurry from having spent so long in the dimly lit castle. After a few more seconds he began to realise there were two figures staring down at him: one hand was resting on his right shoulder, while another was on his left arm. Still reeling from the attack Mark jolted upright, punching the figure on his left with his right hand, connecting squarely with Jack's cheek. Jack was knocked over as Matt grasped at Mark's arms, realising the other man didn't know where he was. "Mark, it's us!" Matt exclaimed as Mark continued to struggle.

Jack shook his head to try and regain some sense, not having been braced for the force of the punch before scrambling back over to hold down one of Mark's arm. "Fuck's sake dude, snap out of it!" he shouted. Seeing Mark's eyes were still not focused (and realising he was probably in a state of shock similar to what he had been after Anti's attack), Jack slapped Mark's cheek. Not that hard, but with enough force to get him back to reality.

Mark froze for a second, but in that moment he finally saw clearly. His eyes flickered back and forth between his friends, still disbelieving. "Matt? Sean?" he asked softly. Jack sighed in relief and leant back as Matt smiled, releasing him as well. "I'm not dreaming right now, am I?"

Matt chuckled. "Well…depending on how you look at it, all three of us are dreaming."

That earned a laugh from Jack as Mark sighed in exasperation. "Oh yeah, it's definitely you, Matt. What happened to you two? Are you all right?" He then finally twigged the change in their appearances. "Whoa, nice threads, guys. Look at us, all in character." His eyes switched to the room around him. "Where are we?"

"Talk about twenty questions, Mark," teased Jack. "Well, Matt and I are fine, though we've had a couple of run-in's. We woke up in the forest outside this town. It's called Glaysha, and it's pretty neat." The pain in his cheek began to register and Jack rubbed the tender area, wincing slightly. "Thanks for the punch, asshole! I've already had enough injuries without one of my friends adding to the list!"

Mark looked contrite as he saw the red patch on Jack's cheek slowly begin to turn purple, his fist was hurting pretty good too. "Sorry man. After what just happened, can't say I was really in my right mind." Deciding that he'd probably spent enough time on the floor, Mark stood up with Matt and Jack's help. The trio took a long look at each other, taking note of all the changes. Matt and Jack both stared at Mark's armour, the older man helping Mark put himself back together as the half-Korean took in Matt and Jack's new appearances. He couldn't believe how well both suited their new roles, it looked like they were completely at ease. "Sweet bow, Matt! It looks deadly. Are you a mage, Sean? I'm taking a wild guess from the outfit."

Jack nodded back at him. "Yep, and I can throw lightning. It's awesome! Granted I'm shite at it right now, but hopefully that won't last too long. With a bit of training, I'm sure I can get the hang of it!"

A small clicking sound from the table at the side of the room caught Mark's attention and his eyes widened as he saw the woman who had saved him. She was wrapping a blue stone in some cloth and walked back over to them, holding the object out to Jack. "Here, put this on your cheek," Alix suggested. "It's an ice stone, it'll help with the swelling. Unfortunately, the serums won't be able to fix that until you get a more serious injury."

The Irishman looked at her sceptically. "Seriously? You're saying I need to get hurt more before I could fix myself? That sucks!"

Matt raised an eyebrow at him. "Want me to stab an arrow in your butt? I'm sure that would qualify."

Jack glared at him. "I'll stick with the bruised cheek, thank you. I don't enjoy pain, and I especially don't want to get stuck by an arrow!"

Matt shrugged in reply. "Just thought I'd offer, dude." Alix giggled at the exchange, and Matt realised that Mark was still staring at her curiously. "Right, introduction time. Alix, you know of Mark. Mark, this is Alix: she's a player just like us. She also just so happens to be a fan of all three of us."

Alix blushed in reply. "You didn't have to add that bit, Matt," she grumbled through the dusting of pink on her cheeks.

Jack laughed lightly at her discomfort before continuing. "Alix was the member of Damien's team that they lost in here. It turns out she's been alive all this time, but was left here on purpose. And she's the reason we have any idea what's going on."

Mark stared at her in disbelief. "What, for real? Wait…does that mean this whole thing was a set-up?"

Matt winced. "We've got a theory or two on that, dude."

The quartet spent the next hour filling each other in: from Alix' story, their suspicions about Damien, to Anti's appearance and the havoc Dark was creating. Mark was horrified to learn what had happened to Jack and Matt courtesy of Anti, while the others were shocked at what Mark had been through at Dark's hands. Alix had watched the interactions from the side lines, only joining in when she was asked a question or felt she could add something of note. She was more fascinated by the interactions of the trio before her, still in disbelief that they were actually in front of her. Three people who she had admired and idolised had been dragged into the mess of the Dreamscape - a mess of her construction and design - and she couldn't help but feel both incredibly lucky, and very guilty. They shouldn't have been dragged into the situation they now felt themselves in, and the responsibility now on her shoulders hung heavy. She hadn't had the chance to test her re-written exit program, and their escape rested on it. But she couldn't help but wonder why Damien had brought them in here. Though none of them said it, the same thought weighed on all of their minds.

Why was any of this happening?

Once they finally felt they knew all they were going to, Matt turned to Alix, remembering some of her previous words. "Alix, you said if you'd had a bit more time, you would have trained us before retrieving Mark. Well…since we have the opportunity, why don't we do it now? God knows we are going to need all the help we can get to get to grips with Anti and Dark."

Eyes lighting up at the idea, Alix nodded in agreement. Knowing a good place to train, she transformed back to Cassie, which Mark was fascinated by, and led them to the opposite end of Glaysha. It was a massive hall, which Alix explained was normally reserved for town-wide events, but was otherwise left empty. As they arrived she spoke to the guards, explaining that she was going to be training the Wanderers and that they were to be left alone. She then suggested they head to the centre of the town to help with the reconstruction effort.

Once they were inside, Alix shut the doors and bolted them from the inside, making sure that they would not be disturbed. Not taking any chances, however, the foursome set about closing all the shutters on the archaic slit windows, reminding Jack of the olden castles in Ireland, while lighting all the torches inside. "Alix, where did the inspiration for the detail of a lot of these buildings come from?" he asked her as they finished. "It looks very Celtic."

Now satisfied that she would be safe from exposure, Alix shifted back to her own form and gave him a shy smile. "A couple of us had Celtic heritage. One of the other programmers had family in Ireland, while my parents are Scottish. We both loved Celtic designs, so we added a few when we began constructing Glaysha. It just…felt right. I'm glad that you spotted them, Jack."

The four of them soon gathered back in the centre of the hall, the three men staring at it in the different light. It towered above them, at least three stories in height, while large stone pillars supported the massive timber roof. In the torchlight shadows flickered in ever corner, almost making it feel haunted. "It's a good thing the guards were so willing to let you use this place without too many questions, Alix," Matt commented as he took a closer look at the stonework of a nearby pillar.

Alix smiled at him. "You can thank the fact that Ayala is such a powerful figure in Glaysha for that. While Eamon may be the official leader of the town, Ayala is almost like an 'elder' figure. She's very wise and is known as a master tactician. Everyone in the town would go to her for advice if they could. That respect passes on to Cassie, which makes life easier. It's not often I use that influence, but this is the moment to take advantage."

She then detached her halberd from her back, twirling it in her right hand with a confident smile. "Right, who's first for a crash course on Glaysha combat?"

The trio looked at each other for a couple of seconds before Jack placed a firm hand on Mark's back, shoving him forward. Mark looked back at him in exasperation. "Seriously, guys?"

Jack shrugged. "You're the only close combat character we've got, dude. You need the one-on-one more than we do!" he snickered as Matt smirked. The pair sat on a table at the end of the room, watching eagerly.

Mark glared at their enthusiasm for the whooping he was most likely about to get. "Traitors…" he muttered before turning back to face Alix. She was standing proudly, her halberd swung across her shoulders behind her neck as she held it securely. Mark wasn't daft, he knew she was ready at a moment's notice and would no doubt deck him if he made the first move.

Then it occurred to him: he'd lost his weapons back in the Ancient Castle. Oh shit…

"Ummmm, Alix, we might have an eeentsy problem," he said while scratching the back of his head awkwardly. She raised an eyebrow at him and her smirk grew. Goddammit how can she do that?! "I might not have any weapons anymore."

Alix giggled at Mark's agitation before taking pity on him. "Why don't you check your inventory?"

Mark stared at her in confusion. "Wha...?" He followed her prompt and looked at his stash of items, stunned when he saw the final two items on the panels: his shield and sword. "How-"

"It's a mechanic we built in the game. We intended it so that if players died, they could respawn at the last town they visited. All their equipment would still be in their inventories, including their weapons and armour. We extended it to include those who lost them in fleeing from combat, so when we fled the castle, your items were returned a few minutes later."

Matt and Jack both almost fell off the table laughing. "Mark, how did you seriously not notice until now? Jack and I both twigged ages ago you didn't have any weapons!" Matt teased.

The half-Korean turned back to his friends with a grumpy expression and flipped them off. "Shaddup!"

Everyone else dissolved into giggles, including Alix, which was all the opportunity Mark needed. He charged towards her, swinging his sword in downward arc from behind the cover of his shield, but Alix recovered quickly. She swivelled slightly, allowing Mark's sword to crash into the axe end of her halberd, before she twisted the shaft, locking in Mark's sword at an incredibly awkward angle. He winced at the action and shouted when she spun all the way, dragging the locked sword downwards as her bladed end came hurtling towards his face. Mark was forced to let go of his sword from the momentum and braced himself behind his shield. With the opposite end of her halberd now free Alix rotated back again, throwing the axe end straight at Mark's exposed side.

He stumbled a few steps away as the attack connected, then stared at her in confusion. Alix smiled and tapped the flat side of her axe, indicating that she'd struck Mark with that area. The YouTuber looked on in slight awe. Alix hadn't even been trying. "Mark, I know you kind of just jump in head first, but you'll have to take a bit more care than that," she commented lightly. "If you'd just tried that with Dark, you'd have been a sitting duck. Knights can be offensive or defensive, but are most suited to a counterattacking style. It's up to you which way you lean. Now…" She swung her weapon once more, holding it solely in her right hand, with the axe pointing downwards and away from her body. Mark could see the edge gleaming wickedly, reminding him that they were sparring with deadly weapons. One wrong move and he'd be liable to lose his head. "Come at me properly this time."

Mark growled in his throat and charged in again, this time leading with his shield. Alix swung with her halberd, the lance colliding with the shield in a metallic crash, and stopping Mark's momentum. He then pushed at her again, trying to make her lose her balance before stabbing with his sword. She retreated as soon as she felt her momentum shift and jumped back out of Mark's reach. The pair began to circle each other: Mark with caution, Alix with a critical eye. Her senses were focused on Mark's guard, looking for any opening as he began to come up with a strategy. Alix's weapon meant she could keep him at reach and he needed some way to get inside her swing. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he wasn't watching Alix close enough, missing what her hands were doing. She had shifted her grip so that both hands were on her weapon, and Mark missed the small twist she gave it. He didn't hear the accompanying click either.

But Matt did. "Mark, she's doing something!" he shouted, giving him the heads' up.

The other man spun back to look at Matt following his warning. "Wha- Holy shit!" Mark exclaimed as Alix charged at him, but now with two weapons. Her halberd had split in the middle, so she was now battling with a single-sided axe and a short sword. Mark screeched and just managed to block the twin assault, stopping her axe with his sword and the blade with his shield. Seeing that Mark's balance was off, Alix dropped to her knee and kicked out at Mark's ankle, causing it to cave. He screamed in pain, totally distracted from the threat and was helpless to stop Alix's kick as she spun back to her feet. It hit him square in the chest-plate and he crashed to his back. Not missing a beat, Alix knelt on his chest and held her sword to his neck as her axe pinned his sword arm.

Matt and Jack watched, stunned. They had already seen Alix fight against Dark and realised that she couldn't beat him…but she'd just trashed Mark. He'd not even stood a chance. How the hell were they meant to fight Dark and Anti like this? "Damn…that was…" started Jack.

"Embarrassing. Mark just got owned," finished Matt.

Mark, hearing their comments, glared at them. "Oh yeah, sure, pick on the guy who just had to fight her! Before you make any sassy comments, why don't you two come up here and give it a go?"

Alix laughed lightly, removing her weapons before she hauled Mark back to his feet. "Sorry Mark, but that was a little one-sided. Don't forget though, I've had over a year of practice in here. It's not that much of a surprise that I know my way around my combat style now." She hummed in thought. "Maybe we should tackle you last, actually. Given that you three are a Knight, Sniper and Mage, you've kind of got all ranges covered. Jack is defensive, while Matt is offensive based. Maybe we should wait until we see how the team balances out before we concentrate on a style for you."

Jack realised what she was hinting at. "What about you, Alix? I take it you are offensive too?"

She rubbed her neck awkwardly. "Well, I like to counter a lot more, the fact that I'm agile as a Halberdier contributes to that. Add my Illusionist skills to the mix, and I can be the ultimate misdirection. Mark can't be stealthy in heavy armour."

Matt hummed in thought. "Okay, let's tag out for now. I'm up for this." He walked out to the centre, high-fiving Mark en route. The half-Korean then sat down next to Jack, exhausted. When all he got was a bundle of Irish giggling for his troubles, he swore back at him. Matt shook his head at their antics before turning his attention to Alix in the centre. Her eyes had shifted to a much harder stare and her gaze was fixed upon his bow. She wasn't messing around this time. Interesting, does she feel much more vulnerable against ranged attacks? "All right, Alix. How do you want to do this?"

Alix's gaze switched back up to Matt's face for a few seconds, her smile reappearing. "Simple. Just hit me, preferably not in a critical location though. You've just got to catch me first." With that Alix threw a small pouch from her hand, something Matt hadn't even realised she had retrieved from her inventory. He coughed as black powder exploded all around him when it hit the floor, the smog temporarily blinding him.

When it cleared a few seconds later, Alix was gone. "Dammit," he swore, knowing that he was at a disadvantage now. He used is keen sense of hearing to try and pinpoint her, but he soon realised there were too many sets of footsteps. Growling in his throat, he yelled back at Mark and Jack. "Oi, you two! Can you stay still so I can focus?"

The pair shared a confused look. "That isn't us, Matt…" confirmed Mark.

Just as Matt was about to call bullshit, Jack spoke up. "Don't forget about her illusions, Matt! She can appear in multiple locations at once, but only one can hurt you!"

Realising that Jack was right, Matt started trying to pick out differences in the footsteps. He had been listening for a few seconds when he caught sight of movement between two pillars. Not hesitating, Matt fired an arrow: it struck nothing but air. He growled at realising it had been one of Alix's illusions but then spun 180 degrees, firing again while still mid-spin as he heard a charge from behind. Yet again, his arrow passed straight through an illusion. Matt continued to turn and fire at anything he could either see or hear, his accuracy deadly. Jack and Mark were both astounded by Matt's proficiency, but they knew it couldn't last. Matt didn't have an infinite supply of arrows.

That was when Jack thought of something. "Matt! If her illusions are anything like my magic, she'll be weakening! Listen out for her breathing!"

Matt sent Jack a silent thank you for the tip, cursing himself for not having thought of it earlier. Then he thought of something else. Taking the chance that Alix wasn't poised to strike he switched his gaze to his inventory, retrieving a stamina potion, and injecting himself within a matter of seconds. He instantly felt his sense sharpen even further, and his hearing was enhanced to the point where he could hear Alix. Jack had been right, her breathing was more laboured. Focusing hard on it, Matt rolled out of the way as two more illusions rushed him. He then sprang back to his feet and quickly fired behind another pillar.

Alix was forced to deflect the arrow and sprinted for more cover as Matt reloaded. He was faster, however, and managed to fire again. She listened for the tell-tale whistle as the arrow left his bow and dove left, just dodging the projectile. As she tumbled to the ground she pulled another smoke bomb from her inventory and threw it at Matt. While it broke his focus slightly, he was still heightened. Then something unexpected happened.

Matt screeched in pain as a loud twang rang out through the surrounding area, then several others followed it. His enhanced hearing cried out at the ringing from Alix's blade and axe colliding with the stone floor and pillars, throwing his co-ordination off. Then six figures rushed him at once. With nothing else to do, Matt took a guess and fired at the one to his right, but it was wrong. Alix's knee crashed straight into his back. He collapsed to the ground, defeated and exhausted.

Mark and Jack both sat there in awe. They'd never in a million years thought that Matt would have a chance, but he'd so nearly got Alix. A few seconds later the programmer had also sat down on the ground, panting herself. She leant back, staring at Matt's heaving form. "That was freaking impressive, Matt. You really are a natural."

He chuckled weakly, still on his stomach. "Didn't get you though," he muttered in aggravation.

She giggled. "That was more luck on my part than anything, I really thought you had me there. You won't need much help at all." It was then that Mark and Jack had decided to wander over. "See, Mark? That's how you fight."

Jack burst out laughing at the look of indignation on Mark's face. "Is everyone seriously picking on me? No fair!" That got everyone going, the four of them all chuckling away.

Matt sat up and shrugged. "You're the easy target, dude."

Alix smiled at their banter, feeling like she hadn't in a long time. This was what it meant to be around other people, to experience something new with people you didn't really know. Seeing their friendship made her feel exhilarated, but also sad. When they left, she would lose this. She'd be alone again.

Snarling at herself internally, she instead shifted the direction of the conversation. "You guys do realise what this means, right?" They all gave her a sceptical glance. She smirked at them as she winked. "No more going easy, the training wheels are coming off. Prepare for some ass-whoopings."

So I've finally got this up, I'm so sorry it took so long. It's the most action packed chapter yet, and I hope you all enjoyed it! It's really fun getting the chance to write everyone together now, and I can't wait for the next part.

Please let me know what you thought, and I'll see you all next time!

*Smooch*