8 Assessment Two

Zell walked over to the new room. It was a large open-air cloister, with pillared walkways around the edges and a circle of stone in the center. Zell expected there to be a line, but it seemed that he had come at the perfect time as he was the only one there, aside from the instructor standing in the center of the circle.

The instructor was a large man in leather armor. His hair was silver, and he had green eyes. He looked at Zell as he entered the room and uncrossed his arms to make a come motion to Zell. "I can't believe she actually sent someone to me." He laughed to himself as Zell approached.

Zell overheard the man and was curious. "Why wouldn't she? Are you not the second assessment?" He asked.

"You don't know much, do you boy?" The instructor laughed again. "Did you not notice the lack of a queue? Or did you just think you lucked out? There are several instructors that give the second assessment, and it is extremely rare that someone gets sent to me."

"Why is that?" Zell asked nervously, thinking he may have done something wrong.

"Well, you see I am Sir Frederick Indigo, Captain of the guard and head combat instructor of the academy." He explained. "The second assessment can be many things, from combat trials to memory tests. While I am not the only combat assessor, I am the one they use the least."

"So, my test is combat?" Zell asked. "Am I supposed to beat you in a fight?"

Frederick looked at Zell's tiny ten-year-old body and laughed. "No son, that would be impossible for you." He wiped a tear away; he was laughing so hard his eyes watered. "You simply have to survive for one minute. If you leave the circle you lose. If you die you lose. If you lose any body parts you lose. Do you understand the rules?"

"Seems a bit extreme." Zell said softly, not wanting to offend the knight captain.

"And that is why I am rarely chosen!" He responded. "You kill a few noble children, and they get all fussy, well my motto is the strong live and the weak die!"

[What kind of crazy backwards thinking is that?!] Zell thought to himself. [I need to figure out a way to pass this test without showing off.]

"Ready or not, here I come!" Frederick shouted as he charged towards Zell. Frederick pulled his saber from his waste and slashed at Zell's neck. Zell could see the attack as if it were in slow motion, giving him time to think about his next move.

[I've got it!] He thought to himself, as the blade inched ever closer. He reared his head back and gave a sneeze moving his body out of the way from the attack. To Frederick it looked like Zell got lucky and that the sneeze saved his life.

"Well then, try this!" Frederick shouted as he changed his tactic to that of an overhead slash. Again, the attack was in slow motion to Zell.

[I can't sneeze again, can I?] He thought to himself. [no that would be suspicious. I need to do something different. But what?]

*Skill activation: Selective Memory*

Images of Earth flashed in his head, especially an old movie he liked in his old life. In it a person avoided a fight by feigning a stomachache. [That might just work!] He thought. Zell bent over and grabbed his stomach, as he did, he rolled forward and evaded the attack. Zell was now on his back holding his stomach.

Frederick was confused by Zell's intense luck. First a sneeze saved him and now a stomachache? Seizing on the fact Zell was on his back Frederick thrusted his sword at Zell once more. Just each time Zell would just roll to another side, feigning pain in his stomach. The full minute passed, and Zell dodged every attack. Frederick stopped his assault and placed his saber back into his belt.

"I must say that is a first for me, young man." Frederick said. "Never in all my years have I seen a series of lucky events in my life, either you have the luck of the divine, or you were just faking it." Frederick looked over Zell again. "Must be divine intervention, it's the only reasonable explanation.

"Must have been." Zell said while getting back to his feet, still holding his stomach, and keeping the act going. "Must have been something I ate, or maybe the sneeze pulled a muscle in my belly."

"Regardless of what happened you still passed." Frederick said. "I must be getting old; you are the first student I have ever passed. Honestly had you just run away you still would have advanced. A noble must know when to fight and when to run. They are of no use to the kingdom if they are dead."

[Running was an option?!] Zell was upset that his ordeal was pointless, but he kept his frustrations inside. "So would you say I am still on the knighthood class path?"

"Of course, but your next test will decide your fate." Frederick said. "Go back to the person who sent you to me and give them this." He reached into a pouch hanging from his hip opposite his saber and pulled out a small shield emblem. "It is my crest and means you survived my trial. You are actually the first to ever receive it, I wonder what they will say."

"Alright." Zell said as he took the item. He then bowed to Frederick and left the room.

Frederick pondered what just happened. "There is no way he did that on purpose, is there?" He asked himself. "There is something going on with that child, and I am going to find out exactly what it is." He smiled. "Just wait until my class young man, I know you and I are going to have a lot of fun."

Zell got back to the table and handed the woman the shield. "What do I do next?" He asked.

"Wait, you passed?!" She asked, shocked. "I sent you to him, to see what would happen, I was curious if you really were the brother of the hero."

"Of course, she's, my sister." Zell said with a confused expression. "Was that ever in doubt?"

"Well, she's just so extraordinary, and you are not…" She explained. "But to have passed his test, I wish I could have seen the battle."

"I actually just got a lucky stomachache was all." Zell said with a smile. "Really wasn't anything more than me rolling around in pain."

"Okay…" She replied, trying to process what he just told her. "All things considered; I think they will be your next assessment. Take the shield to room 45B, it is just the stairs there and to the right. Pass this one and you will definitely be in my class."

"Alright." Zell said with a smile as he left.

After Zell left. The women at the table talked to one another. "Where did you send him, Samantha?" Another woman asked her.

"I have a hunch; something isn't what it seems with that child." Samantha answered. "I sent him to the magic division."

"That's a post graduate area of study!" The woman shouted.

"I know if he passes that as well," Samantha said, "that boy is hiding something."