Welcome to Accel(Max and I)

[Star Pupil]

Abigail's eyes opened right before her alarm sounded off. She immediately sat up and reached to her clock and tapped it. Already, she was fully dressed and for the day ahead of her. Today was a special day, and it required extra time for her to study. She got out of bed, made it, and then left her room to have breakfast. Her roommate, 22 year old Hannabelle Riley, was passed out, naked from the top down on the couch with bottles all over the place. Abigail didn't seem to mind though, she just ignored it and made her way into the kitchen. She fried herself up some eggs and sausage, poured herself some orange juice and began to eat. Hanna, smelling something tasty decided to wake up for a moment.

"Gail, did you make me breakfast?" Hanna asked her lazily as she pulled her panties up from her ankles. Abigail laughed as she looked at the half naked blonde woman.

"Of course not. I don't have time to make you breakfast. Today is the day I get into Accel...I will finally take advanced classes befitting my talents as a Mage. Shouldn't you be getting ready for the test too?" The way Abigail talked was very arrogant, though she wasn't exactly rude. Hanna blinked a few times and then yawned.

"Yeah right. If I take those tests they'll make me do something other than getting drunk in a dorm room. And the only magic I am willing to learn is the type that is already natural to me." Hanna responded before she laid back on the couch, pulling a small blanket over her naked legs.

"There is more to the magical world then shape shifting so you can steal alcohol from liquor stores, Hannabelle. This test is mandatory so you better pull yourself together soon and get ready." Abigail finished her food and then went to the bathroom to tidy herself up before going to class. She looked into the mirror and smiled, picking up her brush and running it through her hair. "Abigail Hunter. Today is the day you get out of that boring, intermediate class, yes...but also to prove that you are the most talented mage in this school. Hell, the entire dimension." She chuckled and then brushed her teeth and then opened the door to see Hanna standing there.

"You have a really bad habit of talking to yourself, Gail." She told her with a grin on her face. Abigail rolled her eyes and then walked passed the woman, going to class to be there early as always. She was the first one there, and she took her seat. She didn't come here early to study. No, she just wanted others to think that she was. Truthfully Abigail didn't need to do any last minute studying the day of the test. She had spent months preparing for this test. She had to answer every question correctly to be the best, and to get into Accel. It was very hard to score a perfect, and it wasn't every year that a new student would get accepted into Accel. It wasn't only because the test was so hard, but because most students simply weren't interested.

Why? Accel dealt with the more supernatural side of the world. Those who graduated from the class became sworn protectors of reality, battling anything that threatened it. Humans weren't alone. There were demons, vampires, spirits, werewolves, and other mythical creatures that would slip into reality for their own personal reasons. When those reasons became evil, or blatantly public, it was their future job to take care of them. After graduation, they would become full fledged Chevalier Mages, sworn to police all that threatened the "Sleepers", the humans who did not awaken the magic within themselves, the ones who controlled the very fabric of reality.

Abigail began to daydream. She wanted nothing more than to become a Chevalier, and follow in the footsteps of her parents. She came from a long line of talented mages, and she wanted nothing more than to prove that she was just as talented if not more than her parents were.

 

[MaximalCrazy]

There was single ray of sunshine that pierced through the blinds within the room. It beamed through and painted the white sheets of the full-sized bed, black comforter halfway off the mattress. The interior of the apartment bedroom wasn't anything extravagant or out of a home magazine. Curtains were basic and single colored, matching the comforter in color with only a light speck of dust along their top edges. The dresser and end tables had their surfaces mostly cleaned except for a random assortment of either change or a receipt here or there. Lamps were placed upon the end tables, yet were rarely turned on. Opposite of the bed was a small desk with a laptop on top, but the rest of the desk top held scattered notes and books, all pertaining to the same exam that the heroine of this tale had been studying for diligently and without even a hair below 100% dedication. Likewise, the individual who inhabited the bed had done the same, having long awaited this day since the beginning of the year.

"Ugh..." Came the soft groan of a tired, not-so-much-of-a-morning-person student. White and wild hair (yet somehow tame at the same time) popped out from beneath the sheets as half-lidded eyes gazed around the room. A loud yawn soon followed, the young man not even bothering to cover it as he slipped on out of the sheets, clad only in a pair of plaid boxers. He immediately walked past the shaded window, making a b-line for the bathroom as he commenced the morning routine of cleaning himself up and getting ready for the day. Although, he wasn't prepared for the sudden rush of icy cold water that stung at his naked form. A shocked yowl echoed past his walls, and anyone outside would probably chuckle humorously.

With clothes on and a single piece of toast in his mouth, the student named Alexander Leander stepped out of his apartment with his bags slung over a single shoulder, locking the door behind him. With a hearty grin, Alexander chomped down on the toast mightily and devoured the bite. The flavor was savored on his tongue, a nice, yet light layer of butter coating the crunchy toasted bread. It was a nice little kick starter to the day, instead of that frost wave of water that hailed down upon him. Ah, but to hell with that. "Let's knock this shit out, heh!" A thumb brushed his nose in a rather cocky fashion as he made a light jog to class.

Today was the day. That exam that either made his dreams come true, or dashed them in bitter defeat. Among all of his family members, Alexander was the closet to becoming a fabled Vanguard, one of the mighty guardians of Sleepers. Vanguards were known as the front line men and women who used their mighty prowess to stave off the reach and grasp of evil. It only made sense that he sought out such a position when he was a mighty Berserker. These beings held in them an ability to tap into their inner rage and manifest into a creature that only aided in furthering their strength and resilience. Alexander happened to embody that of a fierce dragon, having once or twice fought off a gang that vastly outnumbered him and with other Berserkers! News quickly spread, and along with his good grades and rather infectious personality, Alexander was well-known amongst the student body.

That is, except for a specific Mage...

"How the hell did you beat me?!" Alexander shouted as he slammed the door open, pointing a finger at Abigail Hunter, his sworn rival. He soon stomped towards her desk and glared at her, pressing his forehead against her's. "I made sure to set my alarm waaaaay earlier this time. Tch, and I'm sure unlike you, I studied way before the announcement was even made!" How long had their rivalry gone? Everyone knew that they went at each other's throats since... day one? Who knows? Maybe even in past lives they were bickering foes. They often competed so much in so many things that they both hit the top marks. Occasionally, one would one up the other, but it was soon thrust back into balance on some other sort of competition or test. Their scores were perfectly balanced and equal at the end, and no one knew when one or the other would tip the scale in their favor once and for all.

There was soon a cough to garner their attention, the teacher staring at them both. The teacher had slipped in just behind Alexander, but had been there for their entire argument, watching with mild amusement before soon seeing that time was drawing closer. An exam of such magnitude would need plenty of preparation and instruction, and as more students filtered in (some dreading this day, others a nervous wreck, while a small few just didn't care), the teacher felt it was time to get things under control.

The Berserker huffed towards the woman as yellow eyes turned away. "Don't worry, I'll be happy to tell you all the answers you got wrong at the end of the test. Just don't be too surprised when you see my name submitted to Accel. I'll send you post cards too, short stuff." With a snide smirk, he patted her head and ruffled her hair before moving to his seat, dodging any retaliation the woman sent his way and sticking his tongue out at her childishly.

 

[Star Pupil]

When Alexander came in, being as loud as ever, Abigail didn't even have to respond to him. She let him go off, making himself look like a fool in front of the teacher. She sat there with an air of smugness as he pressed his head against her, her eyes never leaving his because she didn't back down. "How did I beat you? I always beat you, even when we tie. You just never realize it." Abigail told him with a wink before the class began to fill with students. When he ruffled up her hair, though he did manage to get her angry. She glared at him and then tried to smooth it out as best she could. Better not say anything. Your confidence is enough to say that you are better than that jackass. She thought to herself as she watched Hannabelle saunter in, wearing a nice dress..wait that was a shirt. And she wasn't wearing anything underneath it.

Abigail just shook her head as the teacher pulled Hanna aside and told her to put on something appropriate. She wasn't going to let these fools distract her. "Good luck on the test, Abigail." The girl next to her told her with a smile and Abigail just returned it.

"Thanks. You too." She responded, though she secretly was a little offended. Luck? I don't need luck. I have knowledge, and I don't need to rely on anything else like all of you people. I can't wait to get out of this class and be among the true intellects, away from that stupid Alexander. As if he could get in. Once Hannabelle came back, the teacher settled down the class and began to pass the tests out. "Listen up class. You know that cheating is against the rules. Don't do it. We'll know. There is another proctor in this room, and you can't see them." Abigail couldn't help but find humor in his words. Only the lowest of the low would cheat. "Go ahead and begin."

As soon as she was given the word, Abigail began to write. This was all so easy. She had studied the material at least fifty times, all of it. She just smiled as she filled out the paper, and before she knew it she was half way done. She decided to check her answers at this point, just for the hell of it, and she was confident that everything was write. She hadn't read a single question wrong. So she continued on. The girl beside her was staring hard at her own paper, and she began to sigh. Her eyes slowly began to shift a little, before she heard the teacher call her name.

"Gess, switch seats. The temptation is too high for you." The teacher knew that anyone sitting next to Abigail or Alexander would want to cheat. He was keeping out an extra eye on anyone around those two.

"Yes Mr. Weiss." The girl said, highly ashamed as she collected her papers and moved from her seat. Abigail chuckled. She didn't blame the girl. She was breezing through this test. At the very end, she went over the second half of the paper. Everything looks fine. Again. Was there something she was missing? The test shouldn't have been this easy. Was she missing something? Abigail started to read her test over and over again. Sweat broke out on her brow as she tried to find something wrong with her answers desperately. She did it for the remainder of the period.

"Five minutes left!" Mr. Weiss called out as he casually put his legs up on his desk. His invisible proctor had caught at least four other people cheating, but unlike Gess, they were not given the mercy of switching seats. They simply disappeared from their chairs, so they would not disrupt the other students.

 

[MaximalCrazy]

Her silent treatment after that snide remark made him grumble in distaste. Goddamn that woman, so insufferable. Taking his seat at the other end of the classroom, Alexander soon sighed as he set down his stuff beside his seat. With a dull look on his face, a single held pencil lightly tapped its tip against the surface of the desk while waiting for everyone to come in. He could see everyone's face and the flurry of either dread or just plain not caring. Whatever! These people were idiots, this was such an important test! Well, at least to Alexander. And, well, the snarky spell casting witch on the other side of the desks. Right now, she was his largest red flag and enemy for the coveted spot to attend Accel. He couldn't let this woman win. This was such an opportunity of a lifetime; he'd be the only one in his family to be in Accel, and better, a chance at being a Vanguard. Alexander wasn't going to let Abigail take that away from him.

The Berserker picked up his head as he looked over towards the teacher, hearing the rules being laid out on the line. The idea of an invisible proctor though, that was curious. And rather ingenious actually. But honestly though, cheating? It was only hurting the cheater in the long run. Well, why did he care? This was his shining moment. Thus, when the teacher seemed to eye the clock, watching the second hand closely, Alexander swallowed a lump in his throat. He could hear it echoing in the air as if he was waiting in line for his chance at the chopping block. Yet it soon reached the 12 at the very top of the clock, to which the signal to commence the test was given. Nimble fingers lifted his pencil in hand and began to read while jotting down answers.

He didn't need to look, knowing that somehow Abigail was beating him. That made his blood boil a bit. No, no, he needed to keep a level head. Alexander closed his eyes for a moment, taking in those precious seconds off his test to take a deep breath. Even so though, it helped calm him down and give him the determination he needed. It was with that determination that he blazed through the first section of the test with ease, just as Abigail had done, some others following shortly behind, though with uncertainty. There was a cocky grin on his face. Smug. Assured. Victory in this section was his, no need to even look back. It helped him catch up to the woman, and so he continued on.

Alexander didn't pay much attention to when the teacher spoke, especially since he didn't hear his name. Though when suddenly the person behind him just, literally, disappeared, Alexander picked up his head to look up at the teacher, who only nodded as if to say "Continue". Well, no harm done to him. The Berserker continued at a heated pace, only pausing to swap out his pencil when the point broke on the previous one. Though later on, he did seem to run into a couple snags here and there. He studied, no doubt, but tests weren't exactly his strong suits. Abigail often took that cake. He didn't even come close to failing a test, but he still took longer, especially with more complex questions. He managed to truck along, using the process of elimination on most. Though, as luck would have it, there was the final question.

'S-Shit...' The lone word was drowned out by the bits of knowledge that he had in his head, trying to associate anything with the question. Luck, shunned by Abigail. Man, he could use that on his side sometimes. To make matters worse, he heard Mr. Weiss. "Five minutes left!". 'Ugh, no...!' Alexander chewed on his pencil a bit, feeling a bead of sweat roll down the side of his head. 'Okay, no no, we got this. So... yeah, if that theory is based on... yeah, on him, that legendary tactician then... uh-huh...'. Calming down wasn't helping. The nerves were getting to him, and he knew that would mess him up. Alexander felt like he was getting at it more, but it was still a blur to him. Yet without even paying attention, a full four minutes passed when yellow eyes peered to the clock. They widened as he quickly glanced down at his choices. He didn't have time to deeply analyze the question again. With a bit of hesitation and reluctance, Alexander did what he hated to do; guess.

It was time to collect the papers, the sound of a simple timer going off on the teacher's desk as he turned it off. For those remaining, the invisible proctor seemed to lift the sheets and stack them neatly into his unseen hands. They were soon brought to the teacher's desk. "Well done for those that actually kept their eyes on their own papers. It shouldn't take long for the machine to grade your papers, give me about a couple minutes. Feel free to take a bathroom break, but come back to the room." And with that, the door opened on its own (no doubt this invisible proctor again) and out went the teacher, door closing right behind him. Immediately, Alexander slammed his head on his desk, pulling at his hair. "I can't believe I had to fucking guess at the last question! No!!!" The young man whined, fake sobbing as he wallowed in his own self-despair.

 

[Star Pupil]

Calm down. It was easy because I am amazing. I studied for months for this. But Oh god, what if I read something wrong and I'm too nervous to see it?! Abigail slowly began to lose confidence as the minutes ticked by. Then the test was over and she had to put her pencil down. Reluctantly, she flipped her paper over and slid it down the aisle, having to stretch considerably to get it to the next person next to her since Gess had moved. She then heard Alexander's outburst and grinned. Yeah, she didn't have to guess anything. She was better than him too. She aced that test.

"Don't worry, Alexander. I'm sure you did well enough. It's not like the test was made to be easy, after all if you get a perfect score you get to take advanced classes with Accel. And there aren't many people who are talented enough to do that. Last year there wasn't anyone who passed, but this year...I will change that. Here's to hoping you get at least an A to bring up your written exam average." Abigail said those words as polite as possible, that way she could come off as looking like the polite one if he decided to bite her head off as he often chose to do. He was definitely charismatic, but in a different way than she. She was more diplomatic than him, and she knew how to manipulate others if she needed to.

She thought she would feel better making fun of him, though she didn't. In fact she felt even worse. If she didn't pass, she had just made a fool of herself, and that was bad. She then heard snoring in the back of the classroom and she turned back, seeing Hannabelle passed out on her desk. At least she didn't cheat.

The teacher came back, though she wasn't sure if the second proctor had followed since he was invisible. She could feel her heart racing and her stomach turning as the teacher looked at the thirty some test results right before his eyes, fixing his glasses. "Hmmm.." He said, as he studied the results, not looking up from his paper. He just fell back in his chair. "Well, aside from the several cheating individuals, most of you did pretty well. Let me put it this way, if you studied, you did well. If you just hoped for the best, you're probably going to have to retake this test. It's required to pass with at least a sixty percent. I have posted the results outside."

Abigail's heart sank. There was no mention of anyone making perfect scores. Did that mean she didn't pass? She only did well like the rest of the peons? She grabbed her head and stared at her desk in misery. "Oh, before I forget...Hannabelle, Alexander, and Abigail. Stay after class. The rest of you can go." Abigail looked at the teacher confused. Why did he need to see her? Why did he call her name among those losers?

Hannabelle opened her eyes after hearing her name and slowly raised her head up as all the other students left. "What? Did I do something bad?" She asked. Abigail also stood up.

"Yeah, what did I do? I need to see the results of my test." She said this calmly, but on the inside she felt as if she were going to cry. She knew that she had not made it, but she at least wanted to be the best in her class. Mr. Weiss laughed a bit and then shook his head.

"I can tell you right now, Miss Abigail. You made a perfect score. All of you did. You have the option of taking the advance classes for gifted mages, Accel. Of course, there are a few things you need to know before you give me your decision, and you can't make it right now. But tomorrow, after you have slept on it." Abigail's mouth went agape. She had made it, but...

"What the hell is Hannabelle doing with us? Alexander is hard enough to believe, but out of pure luck, I guess I can see it. But she was asleep the entire time!" Abigail shouted as she looked at Hanna, who just yawned in response.

"I don't remember taking a test. I'm still tired. Is class over? You said exam day we didn't have anymore classes to do for the whole weekend, teach."

 

[MaximalCrazy]

He tugged further at his hair, Alexander starting to review the test in his head. Should have Question #71 been Choice C? Oh shit, did he carry the 7 when he did the math problem in Question #14? There were a flurry of second guessing thoughts swimming through his mind as he bit at his lower lip, hard. Anything to help take away his mind from the stress, yet to no avail. Instead, it felt like it only seemed to make it worse. A heavy sigh soon left past his lips, Alexander soon surrendering to the thoughts for a moment and just staring off into space. The wait without hearing anything only made him feel worse off.

Though, it seemed like she decided to cheer him up. Abigail's pierced through the veil of his self-doubt, yet not to rescue him. Oh no. The vile woman was there to be the bane of his existence as he felt his eyes narrow and stare at her through the corner of them. "My written exam average is way better than last year, first off!" Alexander sat up and shouted out in defense. A hand slammed upon his desk as he pointed at her in a hostile manner. "Tch! Look who's all cocky and shit, you don't know anything either. For all I know, I'm sure you barely passed with the skin of your teeth, Abigail." Now in a much more energetic mood, he smirked at her and crossed his arms. "Hope? It's like I'm just destined to get into those advanced classes. It's a real bummer you won't be there." He gave a disappointed sigh, and then there was a long pause. Suddenly, Alexander burst into a snickering fit, waving her off. "Oh who am I kidding? I'll enjoy every second of peace and quiet."

The room was soon filled with his laughter along with Hannabelle's snoring. As often as they went at each other's throats, both Abigail and himself, he didn't completely ignore her roommate. The girl was rather cute too, albeit seemed rather lazy from what he garnered. Weirdly too was her attire at times. Yeah, she was drop dead sexy with the more she showed off, but still. Alexander recalled the first time he turned the corner to Hannabelle shifting back, obviously being stark naked in front of him. Of course he was a guy, and he liked a naked woman like the next woman. But the young man wasn't mentally prepared! Hell, and during school too! Well, despite the incident, he wouldn't say that they weren't really friends, but he definitely didn't argue or bicker with her like he did with Abigail. Perhaps just simple acquaintances that passed each other in the hall or something.

Finally, the results were in. Alexander ceased his laughter to look over to the man. With a lump in his throat pressed down, he sat up straight and stared at him. His eyes didn't even blink. What if he did and the teacher announced his score? Well, it wasn't like vision tied in with hearing per se... but nonethelss, Alexander was prone to believe that right now. Although, as the teacher spoke, it didn't seem to result in that. He wasn't going to give them their scores? Or at least announced those going into Accel? AKA, him? Alexander heard that the scores were posted outside? Wait, was it that bad that he didn't want to announce it? Now the young man was feeling even more nervous and stressed than ever! Some people began to stand, seeming to be intent with that explanation while Alexander groaned to himself. 'Ugh...'

He heard his name again. Wait! Is this hope?! He snapped his head forward that one would fear he'd break his head off his body, though thankfully that didn't happen. Actually, the teacher told Alexander and Hannabelle and Abigail to stay behind. What? Why was he stuck with those two? There was a slight hint of curiosity that sparked in his mind, yellow eyes gazing towards the women. Abigail seemed perplexed, Hannabelle just... honestly, she really wasn't there until now. At least not consciously. "Hey, while you're out there, look for my score. It should be in the number one spot, all right, thanks, and buh-bye." Alexander said smugly with a yawn, followed by a stretch of his arms. The teacher seemed to glare at him a bit before sighing and explaining further. It was a rather shock, Alexander's jaw nearly hitting the floor as he stared at the teacher in disbelief. "W-What? She did too?! And her? Come on, Hannabelle was passed out! She was more dead than a rock!" Did that even make sense? Oh, who cares! How could those two be scoring perfect like him? Scratch that, he just wanted to know about Hannabelle! The hell?!

Abigail then jabbed at him again, calling his success a simple stroke of luck. He practically growled at him, glaring in her direction. "Watch it there, princess! For all I know, you could be the one who got lucky." At this point, it could've gone either way, but Hannabelle must have seriously been 100% riding on luck for this test. Whatever it may have been, they were done for now, seeing as Mr. Weiss simply sighed and shook his head at the three of them. Alexander couldn't believe this as he quickly ducked outside and stared at the results on the board next to the classroom. Students were shoved out of the way, earning the young man some curses and insults. But he didn't care.

Staring at the board, there it was. In alphabetical order, Abigail, Hannabelle, and Alexander were both shown at the very top with their perfect scores directly in line with their names. But it finally hit him. He made it... he really made it. Biting his lips as he smiled wide, Alexander stepped back into the middle of the hallway and just bounced up and down. "I MADE IT!!! YES! WOOHOO!!!" His voice could be heard up and down the hall, the joy and excitement obvious in his voice.

 

[Star Pupil]

Abigail was still so confused. How did this drooling idiot get in with them? Hanna was her roommate, and every single day that idiot did nothing but drink and sleep and play video games. She didn't even know what studying meant! Mr. Weiss shook his head at Hanna's question and stepped aside when Alexander ran passed him to look at his test results despite already been given the news that he passed with a perfect score. "Idiot..." Abigail said under her breath as she heard the commotion outside.

Alexander would find himself standing outside the classroom one moment and the next he was back inside of the classroom next to the girls. The invisible proctor seemed to still be hanging around. Abigail glared at him and moved away. She was really pissed off. This had to have been some mistake. Or a cruel joke.

"Thanks for joining us again, Alexander. Like I said, I have to talk to you all. Once I'm done you guys can leave for the day. So, moving forward, let me say you all haven't been promoted to Accel yet. There are still two things you have to do. One, you have to sleep on this decision. Once you do, come back to me and let me know what you have decided. Make no mistake, more people get perfect scores than you think, but after they really hear what it means to become an Accel student, they back out." Mr. Weiss paused, studying each of their faces. Abigail was just staring at him, she didn't seem particularly happy or excited about this. Hannabelle seemed like she was about to fall back asleep on her feet. Alexander...well he didn't seem to be listening either. He probably already made up his mind. He sighed.

"Look, if you accept this grade promotion, you will have to take an entrance exam. People have died on this exam." Hearing his words, Abigail raised her eyebrow. She had never heard anything about an entrance exam to Accel. So this meant that technically, they still needed to take another test to be promoted, and if they failed, the price could be their lives. "As you can imagine, because of the danger of the exams, we would like our students to take the rest of the day to think of whether or not they truly wish to participate in our advance classes. Every mission that you will go on while enrolled in Accel will be the same way. You will always be risking your lives."

"Haha, well that's a no for me teach." Hanna replied before she began to head towards the door. However she was stopped by an invisible force. She felt a hand on her forehead and she tried to push it away, but she couldn't.

"Please stay, Hannabelle. Of course we get students who never had interest in the advanced classes, but sometimes they change their minds when they hear the next portion of the lecture. Because of the danger of this class, you will need to go through the acceleration program. The program will rapidly increase your powers exponentially over the course of thirty days. That is also a very hard process, but not deadly. After you complete the program, your magical power will double and your bodies will be a lot sturdier than they are now that way you can actually survive in combat. And of course, the missions count are not just course work, but actual work as well. You will be employed with with the Academy, and your pay will increase as your expertise does. Much better than the meager allowances you get in regular classes."

"Oh. Well when you put it that way...going to school and work at the same time sounds pretty convenient. Maybe I will think about it." Hannabelle responded. Abigail shook her head and smiled and Mr. Weiss. She had an appearance to keep up, if she kept being angry she'd ruin it.

"Just helping out our people is enough payment for me. I will sleep on it, but I am sure my decision is already made." She told him, once again putting on her angelic act. Mr. Weiss looked at her and returned her smile.

"Don't worry, Abigail. There will be plenty of fame and glory established in this role too. I went to school with your father. He was a star seeker just like you. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, even if that apple tries hard to disguise herself." He winked at her and Abigail just stared back at him confused. Did he just call her out on her true nature? "Anyways, that's all I needed to say. You all are free to go now."

 

[MaximalCrazy]

Suddenly, it felt like someone had just snatched him up by the back of his collar. If it wasn't for this invisible force tugging him along, Alexander would have toppled over most likely. He was in his seat soon, Mr. Weiss welcoming him back as he seemed to grumble. "Jeez, just had to just call my name, and I would've come running back. Come on, now." The Berserker sat there with his elbow on the desk, head resting within the palm of his head as he stared at the teacher. Explanations were boring during things like this. It still burned in his mind that he had gotten to the what he had always dreamed of. He would become a Vanguard through Accel. He knew it. He would become the very hero he pictured himself in his dreams, but not only that, he'd be the first one in his family. Not a single member of his family made it. Not his father or mother, uncles or aunts, grandparents, no one. It gave him a sense a pride that seemed to roar in his eyes.

Though, while he found the talking boring, Alexander quickly picked up on the phrase "People have died on this exam". Eyes widening in disbelief, he was definitely unaware of that. And to think that there was a second exam to getting into the fabled advanced class was new to him. Were previous students there sworn to some secrecy or something about the methods conducted for allowing students acceptance? It had to be. Alexander remembered that he went through a ton of hoops just to get as much info as possible on Accel. It seemed he came up short.

"Risking our lives?" Alexander said to himself, seeming to think about the gravity of the situation. And just like his reckless attitude born with him, the young man just grinned and thought constantly about his passing of the first exam. Besides, this second exam sounded like something he knew he would excel at. Probably even put that Mage wannabe in her place too. The chance of death meant they'd be fighting something. Probably not other students in the class, that wouldn't make sense. Demons, that's what it had to be. He mused about taking on a demon with his bare hands and crushing them into the dirt. Claws tearing through muscle and sinew. A Berserker was bred for battle. This exam didn't scare him, not even in the slightest. There was no way he would let a simple demon even get close to laying a scratch on him.

He made a quick mental note of what benefits they would receive as well. The acceleration program sounded interesting. A boost to their powers, hm? He wondered what his abilities would be like then. More strength, that had to be obvious. Maybe his form would be buffer? Harder scales? He practically felt giddy thinking about it. He wasn't even paying attention to the fact that it would be arduous or that their pay for actually doing Accel work would go up as they improved. It was all about self-improvement to the Berserker. Alexander took pride in that. He had his moments where he flaunted it, but he mainly looked forward to just having their power overall, thoughts of his glorious strength floating in his mind still. The thought bubble was only popped when Mr. Weiss bid them farewell. Wait, did he miss anything important?

Alexander waved it off and quickly stood up, laughing confidently. "All right, Mr. Weiss! I guess I'll be seeing you bright and early, or something?" He then spun around to the two women. He briefly thought again why, or how, Hannabelle had made it again, though it soon left his head. "Ladies, if you find this exam to be too hard and find yourselves in danger, there's no shame in hiding behind me. After all, I'm a tough Berserker. I won't think any less of you for it~" A snide grin was directed to Abigail as he poked her forward. "I'll make sure to finish up my part of the exam quick so I can watch you struggle and step in to save your sorry ass." Oh how he relished the thought, Abigail having trouble to get through her exam, probably failing it! Well, he didn't want her to die. Sure, they didn't get along but... come on, that was just cruel.

A bout of laughter escaped him once more as he crossed his arms across his chest. "I can just imagine you, running to my aid;" Suddenly, his voice toned in a pathetic attempt to mimic Abigail's. "Save me, Alexander! You're my only hope!" He barely managed to finish it before he was laughing again, clutching his sides.

 

[Star Pupil]

Abigail rolled her eyes when Alexander started his annoying dribble. Of course he would be the one to automatically assume that this test was about fighting. There are many things in the world that could kill you, and battle wasn't necessarily the only thing. She didn't know what the second exam would be, but she doubted it would just be purely about strength. Mr. Weiss just shook his head and hoped that the two would take their disagreements outside of his classroom. He had to prepare the paper work to transfer them out of his class. Hannabelle had already left during Alexander's speech. Even Mr. Weiss hadn't noticed her leaving. What a strange girl, he thought.

"Alexander," Abigail began as she rose from her desk. "I truly commend you for hiding your stress and fear. It's only natural to second guess yourself when it comes to life and death. But please, you don't need to bring me into your odd fantasies. I do not plan on becoming the damsel in distress to you. If you do decide to go along with this, hopefully Hanna will come too, so you can feel better about yourself. I don't need anyone to help me." This was annoying. She couldn't even enjoy her victory because of those two. Maybe this new test would weed out the weaklings so she could finally shine among every single person in her class.

She began to feel a tugging force pushing her to get out of the classroom, and she pulled away. "I'm going, I'm going." She hurried her pace and walked out of the room, waiting for Alexander to come out. She gave him a haughty grin. "Do you need any last minute help? I'm sure this test will be more than brute strength...and since that's the only specialty you have, you might need a tutor. I could teach you everything you need to know about interdimensional traps, or how to spot rune and arcane symbols, or invisible doors. I would hate to see you fail and die..." Abigail wasn't afraid of death, and she fought smart, not hard. She knew she could handle this second test, because her mother and father had.

"Who am I kidding, Alexander. Don't bother showing up tomorrow. A man like you, who just charges in without thinking will never survive." A cruel smile spread across her lips.

 

[MaximalCrazy]

It was becoming more and more evident that the three of them were finished in the classroom, especially as Mr. Weiss seemed to be impatiently waiting for them to move on out of the room. The feisty young man soon felt the force of a hand pushing him off as well. A few mutters were barely heard from him as he soon stepped out of the classroom while Abigail gave her own little crude jab at him. Stress? Fear? Alexander knew better than to think so lightly of this exam, or anything for that matter. It meant that he wasn't giving his best or full attention to the task at hand. Though he was pretty sure this was something that he would excel at. That was definitely his strongest area of expertise. So he simply scoffed back at her, looking at her with mock uncertainty. "As if I would let something as petty as fear cloud my judgement, princess. We'll see how well you two fare." Came his venomous response.

Speaking of Hannabelle, he glanced around and witnessed right away that the said woman was nowhere to be found. Damn, she was good. He didn't even hear her shift into a different form. Well, if there was a sound associated to it.

Oh, was she not done? Glaring at the woman, he immediately gave a harsh "No" to her empty offer for help. As if. He could study on his own and manage. Though when she listened the topics she could help him with, Alexander grimaced just slightly, looking off to the side. Topics like that were his weaknesses. He couldn't deny the times in the past where Abigail rubbed his nose in her higher test scores. So in defense, he pointed at her. "Like you're one to talk! You probably don't even know all the tracks of all the demons that are out there. What about the vital or most vulnerable weaknesses that a demon possess, not to mention what spells can and can't work on them." His voice came out in a defensive grunt. While she may have the tactical and spell-based knowledge down, demonology and survival were skills that he studied deeply on. It appealed to him most as a Berserker. In fact, Alexander had often went camping out in the wilderness with his father and uncle. Learning to live off of what they had around them was an important skill for a Berserker.

And then Abigail stabbed at how he just charges in. That wicked smile of her's made his blood boil. "All you ever do is plan from the sidelines. When are you actually going to get your hands dirty and do some actual work? Or are you too above everyone for that?" While they were known to be very heated in their arguments, one could tell that the white-haired man added even more spite in those words. He would've continued if not for a sudden clap in the air. There was no one else in the hall besides them, which could only mean the invisible proctor. The door to Mr. Weiss's classroom was wide open, and he himself sat at his desk, looking at them sternly. With a stressed exhale through his nostrils, Alexander gave one final glare to Abigail before he leaned in close. "I will make it into Accel, and I'm going to be a Vanguard. And you won't make me think otherwise. Not now, not ever." The edge in his voice was sharp, but for now he pulled back. The young man simply turned and headed back for his apartment.

Things would need to be prepared, and in the event that their knowledge would be tested, he needed to make sure he knew all he could. Those books on his desk would definitely see some use tonight. Perhaps he'd even look up some information online. Alexander felt even further determined, if only for the sole reason to prove Abigail wrong. He would survive. Better, he would pass...

 

[Star Pupil]

Just like every time they argued, he started it and she finished it. His feeble comeback attempts were humorous at best. He always stomped off with his tail between his legs to lick his wounds and come up with better insults for the next day. Little did he know, Abigail didn't study weaknesses from the books, but rather the experience. She was a smart girl and she could figure out a demons weakness by only a few seconds of battle. She didn't think she needed to study it, really. Though what she didn't realize was that, it only took a few seconds of battle to die.

"Hmph." Abigail said as she headed back to her dorm. When she got in she saw Hanna on the couch again, halve naked and sleeping. "Does...she always have to pull her pants off to sleep?" She muttered to herself before going into her room.

Abigail spent the rest of her day and night studying up and practicing her spells. If this was truly a scenario where battle was necessary, she wanted to be prepared. There was no way she'd let Alexander outshine her with his brutish ways. Even though she denied him as being equal or better in anything else, he was better at fighting than she was. He was right. She had no real experience in anything except for books and tests.

That night, she had trouble sleeping. She was getting nervous, thinking that she only had that one test to go through. Now she had another test, one that she didn't know anything about and couldn't study for.

That morning, she woke up early once again and got dressed in her usual ensemble, skipping breakfast. She couldn't eat and she barely slept. She had to get this dumb test over with. On her way out, she didn't see Hanna. She must have chickened out and left. Abigail said with a smirk. However, when she got to the classroom, she saw Hanna sitting outside, her eyes closed as if she were asleep.

"Did you tell the teacher no, Hannabelle? Why are you here so early?" Abigail asked her, wondering if she would wake up. To her surprise, the girl opened her eyes and stared at her, but she said nothing, as if she were in a daze. ...Weirdo. Abigail thought after a few moments and then walked into the classroom, expecting it to be empty. It wasn't, however. Mr. Weiss was in his seat.

"I thought you'd come early. What did you decide, Abigail?" He asked her, not looking up from his paperwork.

"I will do it. I will take the second exam." Abigail answered, a determined look in her eyes. Life always couldn't be a test she could study for. This would be the true test, to see if she was ready to be a Chevalier.

"Alright. Stand outside with Hannabelle then." Mr. Weiss said as he waved her off.

 

[MaximalCrazy]

Dreams came and went, dark visions or foreboding messages both cryptic and foreign to his mind. All he knew was that it was a bit restless, having woken up once or twice throughout the night. Yet a quick splash of water to the face and a glass of water fixed him right up. The Berserker needed to be in the best shape that he could. This is exam was no joke. So it came without surprise that he this time woke up before his alarm, actually waiting for it to ring with a fire burning in his eyes. The moment it did, it was silenced swiftly. "All right." He hummed to himself, his shower quick and actually scarfing down a quick breakfast before going to grab his school uniform. However, he paused as he started at the rather proper looking attire. It... seemed like it didn't belong. Instead, he shoved it to the back of his closet. What he began to pull out would truly define his Berserker nature.

His clothing seemed to speak for him a bit. With merely a single jacket on his torso, the young man's chiseled chest and abs were on display. Donning on fingerless leather gloves, he heard the material stretch over his hand as he flexed his fingers. Of the uniform though, he did take the pants, the article roomy and breathable. Something that he could move easily in, he thought. But he discarded the rather casual looking leather belt and instead reached for a flat buckled, wide white belt with black flat studs. Finishing it all off, he put on a pair of matching jungle boots that he was fond of. Alexander couldn't help but look in the mirror as he saw himself. Badass. It was the first word that came into mind.

Alexander made it to class eventually, perhaps a good ten or so minutes behind Abigail, but there didn't seem to be a rush in decision making. It appeared that the Accel advisers or staff period cared for the well being of their students, understanding the great deal of stress and probably fear that was instilled when hearing something like that. Not him. He took it in stride and approached the door of the classroom. Though, he saw Hannabelle and Abigail outside. "... Are you waiting or something?" He asked, a bit perplexed by the unknown reason as to why they stood outside. Was Mr. Weiss not there? Though, like he mentally read his question, Mr. Weiss quickly called out to the young man and beckoned him in. He jumped to asking him what Alexander had decided, but not even half-way through, Alexander spoke.

"I'm ready for that exam. There's no way I'm backing down from this, sir." His voice held steadfast will, a passionate flame dancing in his eyes.

Perhaps Mr. Weiss didn't even need them to speak. Their eyes spoke volumes for themselves, and so he nodded. "Okay, then stay there with them too." Ah, so were they waiting for something or someone? "Uh, sure." For now, Leander was soon joining the other two girls outside in the hall, leaning on the other side of Hannabelle. But it wasn't long before there were footsteps coming from the end of the hallway. Naturally, it gained his attention, and he looked to see who was approaching. Around the corner came a tall, pale student with a head of golden hair. His face was locked in an indifferent gaze as he stared upon the three that stood outside Mr. Weiss's classroom. It was clear he was headed their way, but until he actually stopped before them, the student didn't say a word. The only thing one could tell of him just at a first glance was that he just looked important. The next thing that could be felt was an imposing aura. It commanded respect. Authority.

"Abigail Hunter." How'd he know her name? He then turned to their shapeshifter in the trio. "Hannabelle Riley." Finally, to the last. "Alexander Leander."

"How did you-" The man shook his head as he merely turned around and started walking the way he came. He merely beckoned them to follow. "The exam will be held in another location. Come." It wasn't a request to follow, but a command. Whoever this new person was, Alexander had the inkling that he may be a staff member of Accel. But, he looked just barely a year older than them. Did they allow students to assist them? Before he followed this strange, unknown person who knew their names, the Berserker gazed over to his two fellow classmates. He seemed a bit skeptical, but he merely shrugged to them before walking on.

 

[Star Pupil]

Abigail didn't find this guide strange at all. As far as him knowing their names, well it was obvious. He had been given intel on them from Mr. Weiss. She gave the pale student a smile, attempting to get on his good side and make a better first impression than stupid Alexander.

Hannabelle was oddly silent as she followed. In fact, she looked as if she were in a daze. Unconscious and walking on her own feet. Damn it, she was! She was sleep walking, and she was supposedly said yes to this dangerous exam! Well, it would look good on Abigail if she saved the stupid woman because she was too busy sleeping on her test. Whatever.

The three were led into a room that looked like a regular classroom on the outside, but Abigail immediately sensed the powerful magic that radiated from this room. Before they even got to the door, it opened, and for a moment there was no one there. Then a woman suddenly appeared before them, with a big smile on her face.

"Welcome to Accel, Abigail, Alexander, and Hannabelle! It is a pleasure to meet you, or rather it's a pleasure to meet you while I'm not invisible. You can call me Miss Amethyst. I am the Magical Philosophy teacher in Accel, but today I will be the one who proctors your second and final exam that determines whether or not you are ready to be in the advanced classes at the academy. The boy who led you here will be my assistant, and he will travel with you to help you only if your lives are in danger. Though if he has to step in, it's an automatic fail for whoever he saves. So you don't want him helping you, alright?" Her voice was cheery as she led them in the classroom, and it looked normal enough. However, Abigail knew that there was magic all around them.

She looked closer, seeing runes all over the walls, some active and glowing, others dull and nearly faded away. From the looks of it, they were teleportation runes that lead to alternate dimensions. Amethyst looked back and saw Abigail looking all around, a glow in her eyes indicating that she was seeing all the magic. She just smiled. "You're already ahead of yourself dear. Let me explain the purpose of this classroom. It's the hub of all of our classes, and you will learn how to activate the rooms to get to wherever you need to go. For example, my classroom is over here." Amethyst walked over to the far corner and placed her hand on one area.

Abigail could see that the scribe clearly said 'Philosophy', which made her be able to make out other words like 'Combat' and 'Spellforge'. Though there were many other words that seemed like nonsense to her. Once the rune 'Philosophy' activated, a door appeared, and she opened it, though she could see nothing but a never ending white landscape on the other side. It was truly amazing. "Sorry, got a little distracted." Amethyst closed the door and then walked over to the center of the classroom.

"Anyways, let me explain how this test is going to work. You will go through one door, and the test is finding your way back to this room. The dimension that you are going through is dangerous, and there are some demonic creatures lurking in the dense forest. Some of the plants have been corrupted even...so...just be careful. Use your wits, and good luck finding the door. If your senses are good, you'll be out of there by nightfall."

Abigail just stared at Amethyst wide eyed. Seriously? This test would possibly last all day? No way...

"What happens if we can't find our way out?" Abigail asked, though she didn't want to show that she was somewhat nervous. This test just seemed ridiculous, how the hell could they find the door back to the classroom in a dense forest? She had no survival skills. Maybe she should have eaten something before coming here...

"Well you have 24 hours to find your way back. If you don't, your guide will bring you back. Of course, that's an automatic failure. Just work together. This test was especially made for all of you. You can do it if you all work together." Amethyst snapped her fingers and another door appeared, though this one did not need to be opened. It was a portal rather than a door.

Abigail hated that she had to work with these two, but it was her chance to show her leadership skills. She would do this. She would pass this test and finally be in the advanced classes.

 

[MaximalCrazy]

Seeing Abigail's initial reaction to their guide, Alexander just huffed. 'Kiss ass.' He immediately thought, always finding the woman trying to get on people's good sides, especially if it was a teacher. It annoyed him, but there was nothing to do now. He then peered to Hannabelle, perplexed about how she seemed to zone out and walk at the sam- wait, no, she was sleep-walking? In all honesty, that took all his attention suddenly. "Is she... holy shit, she's asleep. Does she even sleep talk? What the hell, that's insane." Though, Alexander simply chuckled. However, it was short lived as the golden-tipped head of the man turned to stare at him, unamused. "H-Heh..."

Upon entering the room filled with such powerful magic, the guide walked past the woman who introduced herself as Miss Amethyst, allowing her the initial beginning explanation along with a brief explanation of what he was tasked with. At that, he breathed out softly and shut his eyes. "I will travel with you three, but you won't see me. Consider me like a field instructor while Miss Amethyst keeps an eye on you remotely." He opened his eyes to get another good look at all three. With a bit of silence as if contemplating on the three new prospects, he sighed and shook his head. "I'm Accel's top student, S-Ranked, and an acting officer amongst all Accel students, including you three as of right now. My name is Pietro Rudolf." And he left it at that. Alexander gave a friendly, forward smile and extend his hand to shake the man's hand.

"A pleasure to meet you! I look forward to-" Pietro simply turned away, ignoring Alexander's greeting. It put off the Berserker a bit as he awkwardly pulled his hand back. Should Abigail extend him a greeting as well, she would receive the same treatment. The sense that he held himself on a higher pedestal was definitely felt, the air thick around him as if anyone of lower magical aptitude could check on his very aura. "Okay then..."

The teacher quickly moved on to further explanations, but solely about the test. The Berserker gazed at her quizzically. Go through one door, and come back her? He took note of there being demonic creatures. So this did involve some fighting! Alexander grinned at that part and cracked his neck. A forest kind of setting was definitely not strange to him either. "Sounds easy enough. Some bad weeds and a couple of baddies." Well, it sounded like a simple deal until she mentioned 'nightfall'. Alexander stopped and looked at her before Abigail asked her question. "But it's like 8:30 in the morning..."

And then it was explained further. They had 24 hours. If there senses were good too, they'd just barely get through without using the full 24 hours. "H-Hold on a sec. I'm no stranger to the wilderness, but a full day out like that? Seems a bit much." While he didn't have doubts, this sounded a bit more than what he first thought of. "What kind of demons are we talking about? Simple imps? Demonic spiders? I mean-"

"You can expect demons. And plants that want to kill you. Don't expect us to hold your hand through this exam, Leander. You're welcome to turn around and leave. Besides, even with my own abilities, it can be a chore to watch over and save three people." He faced away, but Pietro's voice was harsh and cold. "That goes for you both as well. Hunter, Riley."

Even an S-Rank would have trouble? Alexander growled at first, taking some offense to Pietro's... well, his jackass response. "I'm not leaving. I can do this exam, and I'll prove it to you." He watched as the Magical Philosophy teacher opened the portal and walked ahead of the two girls. Pietro waited for both Hannabelle and Abigail to follow, watching them disappear as the portal remained open for him. He looked over to Amethyst.

"You really think these three are worthwhile? Honestly, they seem like a waste of my time. We should just drag them back and fail them, save us the worry." His voice was serious, something that Amethyst would no doubt be familiar with. Pietro was known for his rather harsh and condescending attitude. Abigail may be one to act like it sometimes, but Pietro openly expressed his personality in such a way. Perhaps he had some bragging rights, yet a great deal of Accel's student body disliked him for this attitude. But they followed his orders and sound judgement. Not once had he failed, and it was rumored as well that during his first exam, he even had to save the field guide at the time. Others weren't even sure what kind of user of magic he was. Mage? Berserker? Or something else?

 

[Star Pupil]

Pietro's attitude might have made Alexander's blood boil, but to Abigail, it was extremely attractive. He was the top student? S rank? No doubt once she got into Accel she'd be the lowest rank. She'd have to hurry and climb her way to the top so she'd prove she was on his level so he'd really look at her. Abigail had always wanted a boyfriend, but none of the guys even came close to her intellect, prowess, and talent. Well, one did, but he was completely obnoxious and at first he was no where near as good. He just studied harder than everyone else.

She had to focus though. After stepping out of the portal, it was like she appeared out of thin air. There was no door leading back. The only thing around them was trees so high she couldn't see the sky. She sighed and then looked at her two partners for her exam. "Alright, listen up. The only way we're going to pass this test is if you two listen to me." She looked at Alexander and then Hannabelle, who was staring at her glassy eyed. Abigail began to snap her fingers in front of her face to try to snap her out of whatever trance she was in.

Suddenly Hanna blinked and looked at the two. "Oh, hey guys. What's going on? Cool forest. Where are we?" She asked with a smile. Abigail just looked at the woman wide eyed. Okay, so one of them had absolutely no idea what was going on. She wasn't sure if even her talents could save all three of them. Well, then again...she just needed to pass. It would just be more convenient to have help along the way.

"...So anyways, as I was saying. You both need to listen to me. I can already sense the direction of the portal back to our dimension. It's extremely far away, though. And there is demonic energy all over the place, so...let's not draw attention to ourselves. Let's move as fast as possible."

 

[MaximalCrazy]

When they came out of the portal, it sealing behind them, Alexander felt wind kiss and caress his skin. Even if this forest was dangerous, it was still a forest. The smell of the trees gave him fond memories. Days when he would be out camping. As much as he enjoyed the time with his family members, there was something about being alone in the wilderness. There was some strange connection. He wasn't sure if he could relate it to his Berserker ability, but there was something. It felt like he was truly a man out here. He didn't doubt himself in a city, classroom, etc. It just felt more so amongst the trees. So finally outside of the stuffy apartment, empty classroom and hallway, Alexander took in a deep breath through his nose and let it out, a smile curving upon his lips for a moment.

It didn't last long as Abigail quickly spoke up. And it definitely wasn't something he liked to hear. She was already establishing herself as the leader. Turning around, he glared at her. "Hold up, princess, are you nuts? Listen, I've gone camping, and I know how to live off of a forest environment." He approached her, crossing his arms defiantly as Hannabelle finally came to. "Besides, that sense of direction of your's isn't trustworthy. How do you know they're not messing with you? Trust me, I'll find a way out of here, so you two don't fall behind." He firmly said, looking over to Hannabelle. Obviously neither him nor Abigail would see eye to eye, so Hannabelle had to make the decision. "Hey, Hanna, what's it gonna be? You obviously trust me instincts way more than her's, right?" Alexander gave a confident smile and placed a hand on his hip. "C'mon, I know you do."

Meanwhile, Pietro had stepped through his own portal to a place hidden among the brush and trees. He moved without making a single sound, leaves or blades of grass seemed to bend around him rather than crush underneath the weight of his foot. Upon a treetop that hid him well, Pietro watched on as he listened to two of the three bicker. "Abigail, a potential Mage that only sees the limelight. Alexander, a Berserker who acts recklessly in the moment. And Hannabelle... a sleep walker." A rather stressed sigh left his lips as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "This is a combination made for disaster. They're not going to live at all." And as if on cue, there was some light rustling far off in the distance that he easily picked up. He looked on to three, awaiting what their actions may be.

It was their move, and they had only just begun their exam.

 

[Star Pupil]

Abigail knew that Alexander would not accept his place gracefully. Just because he knew a little bit about the wilderness did not mean he knew anything about finding magical portals. When he asked Hanna to make the decision on who should be the leader, she just rolled her eyes. "You're really going to let Hannabelle decide which one of us is more competent to complete this test? She doesn't even know what's going on right now! Besides, just because you've gone camping once or twice doesn't mean anything. The goal is to find a magical door way back to the school, which is somewhere in the forest, not leave it. Fool." Abigail looked at Hannabelle, who seemed completely clueless.

"Umm..are we on that super dangerous exam? I don't remember saying that I'd come here, but...I guess if I'm here I have no choice but to try. I don't think we need a leader in this situation though, we just need to start walking. And I know Abigail is good with sensing familiar magic, so she should point us in the right direction. However, Alexander knows more about the forest than you, Gail...so he should take the lead so he can keep us out of danger for the most part." Hannabelle gave them both a smile, obviously not one for picking sides. Abigail sighed and realized that Pietro was watching. She had to be nice to Alexander, so she could make a good impression on him.

"Okay...Hanna makes a good point. We should start heading north west, in that direction." She pointed over towards where she was sensing the magic. She wasn't sure exactly how far away it was, but she knew that it would take them a while to walk there. Not only because it was far away, but traveling through this type of terrain would be extremely tiring. "Lead the way, Alexander." The way she said his name, anyone would be able to hear the distaste in her voice. "And be careful. You can't be a proper guide if you try to sprint your way through this forest. We need to pace ourselves and save our stamina just in case we find our way into combat." Despite allowing Alexander to take the lead, Abigail was still barking orders.

 

[MaximalCrazy]

The little quip coming from Abigail burrowed into the recesses of his patience and made him boil over in annoyance. They obviously needed a deciding factor, not just someone with a "Holier than Thou" attitude to just take the wheel and start driving. But what really made him grind his teeth was the fact that she even questioned his skills. "Oh, like your little magical senses are fool-proof? Don't be an idiot. Obviously this door was put in a specific place, not just in some random bush." But thankfully at that point, the snooze-loving shapeshifter seemed to throw in her two cents.

What she explained... honestly made sense. Did Alexander like it? Far from it. Hannabelle took the smart route, yes. But it didn't really garner any points with either of them, really. Though the smile seemed to show that she preferred to equality and balance to their little dispute. Annoying. Alexander gave a sigh and just crossed his arms. "I guess that'll do, true." He muttered in response before gazing over towards Abigail. She stated to head in the north west, giving him a visual guide to where they should be heading. But he did take in the same look of their path with the same regard. At first, it didn't look too bad, maybe slip over a few branches and avoid a twig here or there. But past a few trees, Alexander was certain things would get trickier. Usually that wouldn't matter to him at all, but he had two companions along for the ride. He would have to remember they couldn't move about like he could.

"Tch," Alexander scoffed at Abigail, already walking ahead. "Just focus on telling me where this magic door is. I'm honestly not interested in dragging your sorry ass through the woods, and I doubt leaving you behind would look good on me at all." Consider it his way of saying that he'd pace himself for them. Though it didn't give any insight towards his liking of Hannabelle, though knowing Alexander right now, she was probably stuck in the same boat as Abigail.

From afar, it was obvious that Pietro was annoyed, following along quietly. The magical aura that once flowed out from him before they began their exam was now no longer felt. Even the slightest whiff was gone in the air. This practically made him a ghost, yet the three already knew he was there. Demons, however, wouldn't make it their prerogative to track the number one in Accel, which only meant more work for the chosen three today. It wouldn't help their time, however. Even if all they ran into were oversized spiders, it would still be time consuming and equally as tiring. If not, more so.

Their "proctor" had already made notes on them so far, but among it all, he was very displeased. Ultimately however, he couldn't make decision. Simply provide his input. Amethyst would be the one to decide that unless she seemed to struggle. And he was certain then that the Headmaster would have to step in. It was rare though. Amethyst was sound in her decision making, and she did take in Pietro's notes and gatherings with value. After all, the young man wasn't first in rank for nothing.

. . . . . .

Perhaps two hours in, Alexander had guided the trio through some unpleasant brush while also following Abigail's senses. He quickly helped Hannabelle avoid a bush of poison ivy that didn't seem tainted by any sort of demonic influence. While he wasn't too skilled with experiencing overgrown weeds that wanted to kill him, something told him that they would stand out a bit. "Holy hell, how far are we going to keep walking?" The young man complained, sighing in aggravation as they began to pass by a few brushes with berries in them. Well, honestly, he was a bit peckish. Breakfast was light. So Alexander peered at the berries, taking a look at the ones that seemed to be black with a leaf-like cap to them. Those weren't good. Instead, there were ones that appeared to grow in pairs, and he knew from experience those were. "Hold on." He waved to the two, probably figuring too that this would be a good spot to take a small break. "These berries here are good. If you're famished, then we should eat a bit, but not too much. Even if you aren't, it'll be a nice little boost to your energy." Looking over to Abigail, he narrowed his eyes somewhat. "Even if you think you're all that, princess, even you've got limits." With that said, he popped three or four into his month and held his hand out to the both of them. There was a whole pile within his hand to which he offered to both Abigail and Hannabelle. Whether they accepted them or not, well, that was their win or loss.

Alexander then leaned against a tree trunk and slid down until his rear end touched the earth, a soft sigh escaping his lips. "Plus, I think we should take a break." The Berserker popped another berry into his month before he looked over to the two. He did a quick tally on their abilities collectively. So, he was a Berserker. Front lines and definitely more attuned to physical or fighting abilities. If things got up close and personal, Alexander could handle that. As for Abigail, he knew of her affinity for magical spells and the like. To his knowledge, there wasn't anyone that could best her at it. Hannabelle was a shape shifter. Depending on what creature she transformed into, she seemed like a nice aiding hand to either of them. She could probably do well on her own in case things got hairy. Still, Alexander would much prefer not wanting to deal with demons or man-eating plants.

Death was possible on this exam, and maybe it didn't hit him earlier, but now it scared him a bit. If he messed up, he'd be dead. Dead. Would Pietro swing in and save him? Damn, he felt pitiful for even thinking of relying on someone. Besides, he didn't have someone like that before, and he grew up just fine. Alexander shouldn't be doubting himself, he thought, biting into his lip and chewing it softly. "So, how're you two holding up?" While he seemed to stress the words at first, he still did genuinely want to know of their conditions. He couldn't just run off, they wouldn't keep up. And he depended on Abigail's abilities now. And leaving behind the clueless Hannabelle? Jeez, he felt like a dick just thinking of it.

 

[Star Pupil]

Abigail had decided to it was best to just focus on walking and less on Alexander's mouth. She needed to save her energy for the journey ahead of her. It was quickly becoming clear that she did need these two, because the longer she walk in this forest, the more she realized how easy it was to get lost. Without the magical pull of the door she sensed, she would have gotten lost easily. Everything was beginning to look the same, and she would see things from the corner of her eyes. Big spider webs, large birds nest, just where the hell were they? Not to mention creepy sounds, and the feeling as if she were being watched by someone other than Pietro and Ms. Amethyst. There were a couple of times when she'd get caught on a stick and would nearly scream her head off thinking something had grabbed her. Instead she found it was nothing but overgrowth tearing at her stockings and ripping up her skirt.

After two hours had gone by, she was already feeling exhausted. When was the last time she had walked this far? Had she ever walked this far at all? In her life? When were they going to be there? The answer was easy, she knew they weren't even half way there when they decided to stop and take a break. She was hungry, but she hadn't realized it considering the knots in her stomach from stress and how here legs felt as if they were rubber. She had looked to Hannabelle and the girl seemed to be prancing about, and upon further scrutiny she had found that the girl was listening to music through earbuds. Damn it, didn't she know this was serious?

When Alexander offered them berries, telling them that it would be good to keep their energy up, Abigail turned her nose up to them, but she really was famished. Hannabelle took out one of her earbuds and then licked her lips. "Those look yummy! Thanks Alex! You should have some, Gail. I know you're hungry. I can hear your stomach." It seemed as though Hanna had no negative feelings towards either Alexander or Abigail, despite both of them being extremely rude to her unintentionally or not. She was truly a carefree girl, and this trip seemed like nothing to her. Abigail was actually getting rather jealous of her. She sighed and then took some berries from Alexander, though she hated them. Hopefully she didn't die from poison or something.

Hearing Alexander ask how the group was doing, Abigail had to muster all of her strength to put on a confident smile. "This is nothing. I can't wait until the demons show up so I can show my true talents on this exam." She said as she sat down on a rock, though immediately she felt something move underneath her, causing her to cry out in surprise. She got up and looked at the rock, seeing nothing underneath her. Then she heard Hanna giggle.

"Hey, there's moss on your butt." The woman teased, making Abigail blush madly as she turned towards them and patted off her rear.

"It was cold. It startled me." Abigail growled, though try as she might she could not get the stuff off her skirt. In fact, she seemed to be spreading it. "What the hell is with this stuff?" She then felt something move on her hands and she pulled them to her line of sight seeing moss all over her palms. As she tried to pull it from her skin, it only grew and grew. In fact, it grew faster the more she tried to pull it off.

"Gail! It's growing all over you!" Hanna pointed out, and Abigail glared at her.

"I can see that!" She shouted as she tried to pull it off her skin faster than it could grow, but now it was at her elbows and she could feel it on the back of her thighs. "Ugh this is fucking gross!"

 

[MaximalCrazy]

A small chuckle left Alexander's lips as he nodded to the shape shifter. "They're not super filing, but hey, it'll do in a pinch like right now. I sure as hell didn't think we'd take a 24-hour test, so we're gonna have to grab lunch and dinner out here for sure. That is, assuming all goes well." A bit of a sigh escaped him as he gave some thought on food for a moment. Were there wild animals in this forest, or just demons? Well. he could catch a demon and cook it up. Though, would that be dangerous? Sometimes it would be best to err on the side of caution, so Alexander quickly tossed out that idea as he looked on to Abigail. She seemed to be more disinclined to take his offers. With a furrowed brow and displeased glare, he jutted his hand out again, a silent insist to the girl. But it was her friend that finally convinced her to take a handful herself. "If you're hungry like she says, then you should eat. I won't lie, I am." He told her in a bit of a snap as he took another berry into his mouth.

When she soon responded to him, he rolled his eyes. "Sure thing, oh mighty Abigail Hunter." He said sarcastically, giving her a bow to taunt her further. "And then we'll have some chariot come to pick you up and take you all the way to the door right?" True talents, hah. The whole walk through, she was jumping and nearly yipping at every little thing that brushed against her. Hannabelle was doing a better job of it than her. Hell, Hannabelle looked like she didn't care. She was skipping through in some areas. "Hanna, why are you so chill about it? I mean, this seems like a ton of stuff to-"

Suddenly, he heard Abigail shout. It come him off guard, and he pulled back in surprise, though he immediately stood up, hands up in fists. "W-What?! Demons?!" And in the next second, Hannabelle was giggling. Giggling! He looked over to Abigail dumbfounded as he saw a patch of moss that clung to her skirt. Abigail just bickered back at the shape shifter as the man just sighed in annoyance and rubbed the back of his head. "What a wimp." He muttered under his breath before brushing himself off, looking up at the tree trunk. There was some moss here too. Wait, did it move? It was the sound of Hanna's voice that caught his attention again. And upon assessing the situation at first glance, that bit of moss seemed to be spreading!

"The fuck?" Jogging over to the Mage, he grumbled. "Hell, she's right, it's growing on you." It spread whenever she tried to mess with the pesky weed. But she wasn't getting hurt or anything, so whatever it was seemed to be like more of a pest and annoyance. Her palms were completely covered, so it looked like it enjoyed spreading itself around. And it was spreading quickly. "Okay, quit messing with it. It obviously doesn't like that." Could they burn it off? Was that even safe? He looked over towards Hannabelle. "Got any ideas?" Oh crap, was Pietro watching them fumble over whatever the hell this was? It wasn't even the afternoon yet! Well, they didn't have a lot of options. He knew some pretty basic spells, nothing a child couldn't perform, such as spontaneous creating a flame. As much as it sounded a little dangerous, perhaps that was all he could go with. At least, that's what he thought

With a snap of his fingers, a small ball of flame was conjured within the center of his palm, but he focused it into a half of it's size. With a bit an unsure shrug, he looked to Abigail. "Not gonna lie, I have no clue if this works..." And then he picked a safer spot at her hip, pressing the smaller point of fire against the "living moss" that began to spread to there. He closed his eyes and held his breath, waiting for the worst to happen.

'Oh gods, I'm going to torch Abigail...'

 

[Star Pupil]

Hanna just shrugged when Alexander asked if she had any ideas. She had never come across this magical moss herself. Though it was funny seeing Abigail covered in the stuff, freaking out the way she was. "Hey just leave it alone. It looks like it really likes you." She told Abigail, who only glared at her in return. Eventually the girl stopped trying to pull the stuff off, but now she had no idea what to do. She could set herself aflame, but there was a matter of burning her clothes off, which was not an option here. She would not humiliate herself like that.

She was so lost in thought trying to figure out what to do, she didn't see Alexander reaching out to her. Though the flare of his magic came into view and she gasped. "No, wait!" She tried but it was too late. The flame had touch her skirt, but right before it did the moss recoiled from it faster than any plant should have moved. Instead it climbed up her stomach and her breasts, the moss on her arms quickly joining it.

"Buahaha, it really likes you!" Hannabelle snorted obnoxiously as she laughed, pissing the woman off to no end. Not only had he burned a rather large hole in the side of her skirt, he had now made it move the worst of places. "You should just let it stay on you, Gail. It looks harmless."

"No! This stuff is demonic, I will not allow it to stay on my body! It could be siphoning off my magic or something! And it smells like mud! Ugh!" Abigail was being rather loud. So loud that she would soon attract unwanted attention. Hannabelle sighed and then tried to pick at the moss herself, but when she went to it just moved and she placed her hand on Abigail breast, causing her to blush madly. She then reached for it again with the same effect.

"Wow, this stuff is fast. Well what if I do this?!" Hanna lifted up both hand and shoved them into Abigail's breast, and this time she cried out in pain as the Moss moved up to her neck and began to spread further into her mouth, stopping just above her nose. Her eyes widened. She needed to figure out how to get this stuff off or it would suffocate her. "Oh...I think I made it worse..."

 

[MaximalCrazy]

"Fuck!" Alexander cursed loudly as he singed a hole in her skirt. Firstly, Abigail would never let him hear the end of it, and he was already preparing for the constant nag that she would become today. And for the end of days, no doubt. But what annoyed him more was the fact that this rather primitive, basic, simple-minded thing actually ran away! It ran away! Evaded him completely and made its way to her chest. Stranger still was that the rest of its mass soon joined its brethren, almost giving Abigail a mossy leotard kind of look. "Stand still, damn it!" It was safe to say that patience was not one of his virtues. Abigail should have been thankful that Hannabelle decided to go in instead, though it seemed she was more of a nuisance to the woman they were trying to help.

Stuck watching, he just watched as Abigail shouted out while Hannabelle laughed loudly herself, seeing them try and fumble with the demonic moss. "Shut up, you'll wake up a bear or something, loud mouth." He snapped at Abigail, trying to think. "Maybe if I-" Though, he suddenly caught eye on Hannabelle "missing" her intended target. He could see her nimble fingers sink into the cloth covered flesh of Abigal's chest, squeezing into he breast a little. His immediate reaction was to cover his nose as he felt a light stream of blood leave him. Secondly, Hannabelle's second "miss" hit her other breast. And finally, what really made his nose bleed profusely was when she suddenly palmed Abigail's chest (well, he felt bad since it seemed rather painful, like him getting kicked in the testicles). "O-Oh crap..." In any other situation, and perhaps with a gentler touch, this might be considered hot. Then again, he quickly saw their intended path, looking wide-eyed.

"Yeah, it is worse now! We have to get it off, now!" The Berserker slipped in front of Hannabelle and bit his lip. "C'mon, think, think...!" He looked over to Hannabelle, but something told him that she wouldn't have any idea either. With a shaky sigh,he looked back at the moss, festering along her throat, mouth, and soon coming to a stop just over the bridge of her nose. She had no airway. She would suffocate, maybe even quicker if she started to panic and stress out further. 'Damn, I know I don't like her, but I don't want her dead!' Alexander thought briefly before searching his brain for something that could. Brute strength? No. Fire? Yeah, that sure helped. His drake form? Ugh, no! He hated to say it, but he wished he had Abigial's smarts right now.

Knowing her, she'd probably have some way to repel them from the beginning... repel... that's it!

Repel, a basic level spell as well. To particular weaker monsters, probably like this one, an invisible force would push back any entity lacking the proper willpower to hold off against said force. In fact, he remembered the instructor mentioning this a good spell for pesky critters. If trained and honed properly, it could work as a disorienting wave against stronger demons. On the flip side, a human could be affected as well, but Abigail probably wouldn't be. "Okay, okay! I got something else!" With a deep sigh, he looked at the living moss. Alexander focused a concentrated amount of energy into his palm once more. It had no distinct visual image, other than bits of wind curving around what looked to be roughly a sphere. The Repel sphere seemed no larger than a tennis ball, but the air around it seemed to be moving swiftly.

"Repel!" Alexander called out, casting forth the force towards the moss, firmly looking at his target. The wind would caress Abigail's skin and blow through the strands of her hair, but to the moss, it would be almost like a violent whirlwind that demanded it release it's hold upon the mage. The young man could only hope this would work. He definitely didn't have anything else up his sleeves...

 

[Star Pupil]

The moss fell from Abigail face, and she gasped for air, her eyes immediately following the moss that had settled onto her face and worse...made her look like a complete idiot. She snapped her fingers and the disgusting thing lit on fire, it's cries heard just before it burned to ash. She then shuddered and dusted herself off, doing her best to ignore the hole in the side of her skirt. "I was just about to cast that spell until it covered my mouth...but thank you." It was the first time he'd hear such words from her, and to her preference the last time she would ever thank him for anything. The only reason why she had in the first place was because she knew he could have just let her suffocate, and if Pietro had to step in to save her she would have failed because of some stupid moss. She would have to be more careful. Far more careful.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a throbbing in her breasts. Damn that Hanna, smacking her breasts around like that. And in front of Pietro! Ugh! She had to redeem herself as soon as possible. " Alexander saves the day!" Hannabelle squealed, causing Abigail to smack a hand over her mouth. She had been loud earlier, they didn't need to continue attracting attention to themselves here.

"Shut up...It's bad enough that the moss made me raise my voice earlier, now you're just asking for it, Hanna." Abigail whispered, her voice filled with venom. Alexander did not save the day. He just used his common sense. Once she removed her hand from Hanna's mouth, the woman nodded, a large smile on her face.

"So I was just thinking, instead of walking through the forest, maybe we can fly over it? I mean walking is kind of annoying through this thick forest. It would be faster if we fly, you know?" She had lowered her tone, but what she suggested was absolute nonsense.

"None of us have the magic power to fly a distance like that." She told her with a matter of fact tone as she began to straighten out her hair.

"Magic power? I don't need that to fly, just to change shape. I can keep the same form for almost an entire day." Hanna told her, scratching the back of her head. "If Alex can fly as far as me, I'd be able to carry you, Gail....probably."

"I doubt he could, in fact I doubt you could too. You must not know your limits very well...you'd get tired and lose your form real quick from exhaustion, especially if you attempt to carry me...and I don't need to be carried. We should just stick to walking on foot..." Abigail would be damned if she was carried through this exam. No, she'd prove herself. Even if they all made it through the door..it didn't guarantee anything for any of them. They'd be graded based on their performance.

 

[MaximalCrazy]

The moment the persistent fungus flew off of Abigail, Alexander visibly relaxed his tense shoulders and let out a deep sigh of relief. Though he was shocked to see that immediately once she had taken a huge gulp of precious air, said mage then lit the moss creature ablaze and in addition to the sounds of its being burning to a crisp, its cries of anguish and pain rung out in the air. Finally, the thing was dealt with, a group of the same exact things attached to a far off tree and refusing to move, as if they saw what occurred to those that trifled with Abigail Hunter.

"Huh?" The Berserker stared at the woman in a bit of disbelief. She thanked him? Almost as if to get a witness to confirm, Alexander's eyes looked over to Hannabelle, completely dumbfounded. When she did indeed confirm that, yes, Abigail Hunter just thanked Alexander Leander, he looked again and rubbed his eyes. Was he dreaming? No, this very much was real life. "Y-You're welcome." The unsure tone carried forth in his response to Abigail. Honestly, in that moment, he didn't see Abigail as the hated rival that he constantly bickered with. He was just trying to save her. Though, when thinking back on it, the silence for the time being was rather nice. With another sigh, the young man shook his head and then began to rubbed the back of his neck, turning around to walk along the path they were still supposed to be trekking along. "C'mon, c'mon. We lost a good bit of time." He reminded them. They were on a tight schedule. They needed to double a bit in the pace now if they wanted to reach this magical door by nightfall.

Shortly after they had walked by, Pietro knelt down to examine the crispy remains of the moss demon. It was a simple creature, only thinking of spreading itself and finding food. To rank it, it was considered at Level One. Laughable then. To Pietro, this wasn't even considered a creature at all. They aggravated it once Abigail attempted to remove it physically, and Alexander only spread it when he lacked the proper agility to burn it off like a tick. And Hannabelle? What was she even doing? To Pietro, it was like they didn't take things seriously at all. 'Ms. Amethyst,' A hand placed at the side of his temple, his mental link reached out to the professor residing over the grading of the three examines. 'This is a waste of time. They can't even handle a minor nuisance like these.' Pietro rose to his feet and moved into the trees once more, remaining hidden. 'Cancel this horrible excuse of a test and let's get on with our lives. We have more pressing matters to look into, like the demonic anomalies we were reading just a couple of days ago.' His tone seemed rather calm, like he normally spoke and appeared. But his words insisted to the professor. Pietro took a great dislike to these three when they were led in the hallways, and it seemed first impressions weren't completely off for them. He wasn't sure how much more disappointing they could be.

Alexander peered behind his shoulder as he led the way, gazing over at the two as they spoke. Abigail's voice was harsh as she shot down Abigail's form. He gave a bit of huff. "Jeez, it was at least an idea. Hanna would definitely fly faster, and I can at least run. I would be able to keep up." The young man retorted. "Listen, if you've got another idea to get us there faster, then let's hear it." He stepped over the roots to a tree, crushing a pile of leaves underneath his step as he turned around, walking backwards to look at both women. His eyes looked determined. "And in addition to that, we'll just keep our eyes open and shit. No more sitting on moss, and we won't get jumped by-" Suddenly, Alexander's words were cut of as his form went flying off to the side as a black figure rammed into him, tumbling with him on to the ground. He was soon grunting loudly and in pain as the Berserker rolled on to his side and roughly slammed against another solid tree trunk, clutching at the middle of his back while his eyes glared at whatever just attacked him.

Following a vicious growl, a decayed corpse upon four legs hunkered down with its canine ears back, rotten teeth bared at Alexander. It looked like a hound, but its being was missing chunks of muscle and skin in several places. In fact, its jaw was unhinged on one of its skull. Skin and tissue were completely gone around one eye socket, the skull displayed with the eye and its veins on clear display, framed by the bone. Two of its legs had the bone exposed, one missing part of the skin on thigh as the muscle there throbbed. To make matters worse, a second undead hound seemed to appear shortly behind the other, but this time it was staring at Abigail and Hanna. This one resembled the other, but its tail looked like it had been bitten off while its jaw was on completely. A chunk of muscle and skin was gone over his rib cage.

The one before Alexander growled louder as the man picked himself up, but doubled over a bit before remaining bent on one knee. "M-Motherfucker...!" He cursed, coughing a bit and grimacing slightly as he pulled his fists up, clenched tightly in anger as he stared back at his assailant. "Can we at least get past lunch without getting surprised by shit? Please?!"

 

[Star Pupil]

"You need to learn patience, Pietro." Amethyst spoke out loud despite them having a mental link with each other. "I thought how they dealt with the moss was just fine. Well..it was funny actually, but still fine. It was probably the first plant they have ever had to fight before. Besides," She looked at two bright red dots on her heads up display heading straight for the bickering trio. "The real fighting can begin now."

Abigail was just about to cut off Alexander with her own suggestion, which was to simply continue on like that had been instead of wasting magic on flying into unknown territory. They had no idea what was above the thick canopy of trees above them. She then suddenly got a chill at the back of her neck. By the time she realized that there was something close, she saw Alexander get knocked back and immediately she went into combat mode.

A flash of light glimmered around her feet as she grabbed Hannabelle and with inhuman speed went to regroup with Alexander. She had increased her speed without even whispering the incantations required for the spell. "Alexander, these are obviously undead creatures. I need you and Hannabelle to distract them and I will purge them." She opened the palm of her hand and a white book appeared. It was used for holy magic.

"So...Hunter can use holy magic and fire magic...those spells are from different schools...Not bad." Amethyst commented, and Pietro would still be able to hear her words, as she had not ended their mental transmission. "This is where you will see a glimpse of their capabilities, Pietro. Watch closely."

"Gotcha covered Gail," Hanna said before she crossed her arms in front of her chest and closed her eyes. Her body then disappeared in a pillar of light and she quickly changed forms into a large wolf that was the size of their opponents. "Come on, let's go Alexander!" Her mouth did not move, but she was using magic so that Alexander and Abigail could still understand her. She then began to run at the same speed Abigail had given herself when regrouping with Alexander, meeting one of the wolves in direct combat. She used her claws to do battle, being careful not to have them bite into her flesh.