Finally, the day of the second test had arrived. Astrid had used most of her time training with Cadem and Brosh. Turns out Cadem knew some things about the Oule, although by Brosh’s standards it was weak and feeble.

Cadem had defended himself by saying it was a warrior’s technique and he had always been a sharp shooter before anything else. After all an object could only be strengthened when in contact with the user.

The training consisted mostly of getting hit and hitting back. Brosh explained it was the easiest way to ‘feel the Oule’; it was also a painful way to feel it.

In the time they had together she was only able to use it once; it had been awkward and weak. She had felt extremely angry for being hit continually and had managed to throw a punch using the power.

It felt like using a muscle you never knew you had for the first time. However, she knew that with some time and practice she could learn to use it decently.

One hour before noon Cadem came to her rooms and helped her prepare for the event.

“There are nine participants remaining; no one actually failed the first test but a man named Blase tried to escape during transport.” Cadem explained while she looked at possible outfits.

Astrid was not good with choosing this kind of thing but knew the importance of looking the part.

“What happed? Did he managed to escape?” She asked with genuine curiosity.

Cadem’s laugh told her he hadn’t got far.

“The organization wouldn’t be where it is if we let our prisoners escape, would it?” He signalled to a pair of pants that went well with the shirt she was trying. “He lost one hand and the other one was severely damaged. As we speak, he is being transported to the arena.” Before she could ask Cadem pointed to the bracelet.

Astrid put on the pants; they were comfortable and sturdy but she was not convinced.

“He is going to become a gladiator even with those injuries?” She asked as she chose a different pair of pants.

“He is still an asset; we don’t just throw those away. He will be given all the medical attention he needs and he won’t fight until we consider he is in peak physical condition to ensure all patrons are well entertained.”

She ended up using a simple outfit consisting of a black pair of pants and beige shirt under a simple leather armour that had been reinforced with chainmail at some crucial locations. It was a nice combination of functional and presentable. She had seen mercenaries and other warriors in similar outfits around nobles in her youth.

She felt ready for anything but still nervous. Today was going to be the first time all the participants would be gathered together. She had seen a couple of them and met Miss M but still felt like she needed to know more of the etiquette and procedures to deal with the different groups.

When she arrived at the central hall, she found most of the participants already there. Seven people with bracelets waited patiently; only Brosh seemed to be absent in the mix. Astrid exchanged a look with Zorlo but neither made a move to greet one another.

The majority of them where male; only another two women stood among the participants. She was the oddball among these women; both of them were slender beauties.

The one closest to her was a gorgeous black woman in her twenties. She was around one meter eighty while in heels and was wearing a black and white drees that looked astonishing. The other one had a similarly gorgeous dress, this time red; the same red of her lips that contrasted with her pale white skin and dark black hair. There was no armour in sight.

Astrid felt a little self-conscious with these women around as she looked more like one of the men in the room. All of them used armour of different kinds and styles. None however could go to a bowl or stand among royalty as the women could.

In her head she had always imagined women in this profession as the ones she saw here today. An elegant, agile and stealthy individual able to get close to any target and seduce any man. Exactly the opposite to what she had always been, to what she had become. With her current physic she would feel off in a formal dress, her muscles were too large and defined for such an attire.

Taking a deep breath, she focused on her training and the conversations with Eigil and Cadem. Both of them were muscular men and they had trained her to their liking. The leader of the Assassin group wouldn’t train someone if it was not the appropriate way for an assassin, right?

Her thoughts were cut short by the sound of slow clapping coming from a balcony to her right.

“Welcome, welcome, and congratulations to our brave and faithful champions. For those who don’t know me I am miss M and I will be your host for these oh, so difficult trials. The first two tests are simple formalities to ensure you are capable of surviving and can be considered civilized beings. My team has been given the honour to conduct these examinations; however, we as most of you today have been surprised by our great leader. Today we have prepared for you not one but two tests” She had given most of her speech in a lavish way, the last words she said with some contempt.

Miss M was wearing a purple dress with dark fur around the neck and a pair of black cocktail gloves. She stood proud on the balcony with Brosh just behind her to her right, like a bodyguard. He was using a simple white shirt and black pants; it was odd seeing him using anything over his chest.

There was a pause when she finished speaking; all the contestants began to murmur to their escort and one another. Astrid looked at Cadem who stood at her left and quietly asked.

“Are they insane? It took a week to finish the first one and now we take two in a single afternoon?”

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Cadem took a step closer before he answered.

“I was not informed of this; I think no one was before today. But is not that crazy to be honest, in a real mission we don’t always have the luxury of time and information. Sometimes we just have to act.” He shrugged and looked once more to the balcony.

It was almost another minute before there was silence, Miss M waited patiently with her hands together in front of her and her head slightly tilted to the left.

“The first one of the two tests will be held immediately. Please follow our personal to the designated area. We are going to be doing this individually by contestant to avoid any possible foul play. You are assassins but we will not allow the destruction of the organization’s property.” She looked sideways as she said the last words; she was still angry with Brosh for the destruction of the statue.

Eight armed guards entered the hall. They were using a combination of plate and chainmail, most of them used swords in their belts. They started to take the competitors forward; it was mostly a civilized exchange.

One of the contestants, a man in his mid-thirties, however, gave an abrupt step forward and growled trying to intimidate the other contestants.

He was intimidating as it was, he had a scar over his left eye and with a chunk of his cheek missing showing the interior of his mouth at all moments.

His action backfire when one of the guards used the pummel of his longsword to knock the air out of his lungs with a direct strike. It was a good reminder not to do anything to upset them.

Astrid was one on the last to be escorted and when she was the guards gave her a weird look.

While the male participants had been taken by four guards each only two approached each of the females of the group. Like if she was not a menace like the other contestants. She felt angry with them, even if she was unexperienced, she could take down almost any man in this building.

She was taken to the other side of the building to a room with uncommon proportions that left Astrid in the dark about what kind of use would it had on a normal day. It was a three meter wide by at least fifty meters long room. There was no other door aside from the entrance and the wall to her right was mostly windows letting in plenty of light.

The participants had been placed on tables in a single line divided by wooden planks. To avoid cheating or attempted murder; she was not sure.

The two guards accompanied her towards her table and proceeded to chain her feet and hands together; there was not much mobility to speak off, just enough to write.

Brosh was the last to enter the room and take a sit. When he passed, he winked at her and she bowed slightly her head in recognition. She felt him nervous, intellectual work was not his forte.

With everyone in position nine women in dark blue uniform delivered a piece of paper, ink and quill to all the contestants at the same time. Two men stood guard between each participant.

The voice of miss M came from near the entrance, strong and clear.

“You have a total of thirty minutes to complete this task, you may now begin.”

Turning the paper around and reading it slowly Astrid gave out a sigh trying not to laugh. Cadem had told her it was going to be simple questions but she never expected something this elemental.

After taking exams in the university where students went crazy due to stress and overwork this was nothing.

There were only fifteen questions in the single sheet of paper the first of which was ‘Write your name’. this test was to see if the contestants could read, write and solve the most basic arithmetic problems. Seven plus three minus four being the hardest.

It took her about three minutes to finish; mostly because it was awkward to write while chained. Placing the quill on the table she tried to rise her hand to signal she was done but the chains prevented her hands from rising above her chest. She didn’t know how to whistle so she spoke to the nearest guard.

“Excuse me; excuse me, sir?” She spoke in softly to not disturb the silence.

“You shall receive no aid in the test” His voice was cold; he didn’t even turn to look at her.

“No; it’s not that, sir. I have already finished. May I wait outside while the other participants take the test?” She responded shyly.

The guard chuckled and approached her. He placed his right hand in his sword as a warning before he took the sheet of paper from the table. The man read the test and frowned. “How did you cheat?” He asked in a deeper, serious voice.

“I didn’t cheat, sir.” She responded with a calm tone.

“You are a woman, with no family name at that, there is no way you could do this without help.” He was direct and she could feel his temper rising.

“I apologise; sir. That is not my birth name, I discarded my family name to serve the organization in full.” She took her hands under the table and clenched to try to control her anger.

Astrid knew she was stronger, smarter and more powerful than this guard but she also understood her position. She was immobilised, he was armed and they were in the norther territories of the Momon Empire. In here women with no noble blood were treated as inferior in every aspect. And a noble woman was always seen as inferior to a noble man.

Her father once told her that in the empire she should always remember ‘Even Yllena the saint of salvation should never forget her duties as a woman’. Without a noble family name this guard will never show any kind of respect towards her.

The man snorted and called the girl who had given Astrid the test.

“Place this in the finished pile, and you sweetheart, you will stay there until the time ends and when I find how you cheated, I will break your arm and escort you out of here myself” He finished with a smile on his face.

Astrid had to contain herself not to insult the man or worse. Her anger however got out as heat; her chains started to heat up to the point part of the underside of the table got seared.

The next twenty minutes felt eternal; during this time Astrid relived the conversation with the guard, this time imagining she had no chains or they were in a duel even in an arena. She imagined a thousand and one ways to shut him up and destroy his ego.

When the time was up the girls took all the of the tests and placed them together. Every contestant was starting to stand up when a voice called them over.

“Greetings gentlemen. I will not give you my name and I will not use absurd aliases. You just need to know that I am the man in charge of delivering the second test of the day. I will ask you all to sit down once more. We will take you to the test one at a time; when the first has finished the second will go and so on.” It was a deep voice, a man maybe in his sixties or more; she could not see him from her seat.

“We will be starting from the back of the room with mister… Brosh.” When Brosh stood she heard the man whistle. “You are a big one, mister. Please follow the guards, they will take you to the designated area. And don’t be alarmed we will keep the chains on for a while, for security of course.”

After no more than five minutes, the guards came back for the second participant named Mila, the red dressed woman, she walked pass gracefully followed by some rude commentary of a couple of men.

This time it took almost fifteen minutes for them to come back and take Verana, the other female contestant. She received a similar treatment to Mila but this time more men commented as she passed.

Astrid would be going next; her nerves made her start sweating. She wanted to be prepared for whatever they had prepared but she was confused.

What type of test could take a couple of minutes for Brosh but much longer for Mila? It could be a test of strength or destruction; something where his size or even his Oule could assist him.

This time they arrived in about seven minutes and called her name. The guard that had insulted her was the one who approached to take off the shackles on her feet, she had to restrain herself from breaking his nose.

She walked in silence though the room; there was no sound at all.

Before she knew Astrid was standing in front of a detailed dark wooden door.