《Team Player》


 B1Ch1: First Steps

    The portal twisted and turned, filled with light and silent fury. It looked more or less exactly like what it was, a terrible wound in reality that had never entirely healed over. Once there had been a suburban neighborhood here, but the opening of the portal had driven the people out. Magic had been the cause; to unprepared people, it was deadly in time. It was the reason empty, abandoned houses surrounded the portal, with a chained link fence beyond that. Armed guards at the gate made sure nobody got too close for their well-being.


    Later, as the world had recovered from the Rupture, when the portals appeared, the houses closest to the portal had been bulldozed, and the immediate area turned into simple pavement. The company had built a stage just in front of the portal as well, giving people a platform to stand on while the fracture in the universe spun and howled in their face.


    Alex could taste the magic in the air around the place; it was a vaguely metallic taint to the wind that made her grimace. She¡¯d never been this close to one before, but she could already feel the thing wearing away at her. There shouldn¡¯t be a risk of magic poisoning yet¡ªshe probably still had an hour or two before that happened¡ªbut it was still a sign that she was in a dangerous place.


    At least she wasn¡¯t alone, however. All across the paved area, the rest of the would-be recruits milled around in idle confusion. They wore the uniform of the Golden Swallow Survey Group, the corporation that had been given the contract for the portal. She wore the same uniform, a white shirt and grey pants, with a grey jacket over the top and the company¡¯s golden bird logo across her back. Her last name and company identification number had been stamped over her left breast as well.


    She¡¯d been issued four copies of that uniform three days ago. It was still an uncomfortable fit.


    There wasn¡¯t much she could do, though. When the Group had bought the company she¡¯d trained with, they¡¯d inherited her contract, which meant she was legally required to work for them ¡®for a term no less than two years¡¯. She shook her head. Eighteen years old, and she was already an asset on somebody¡¯s account books. The summons to appear at her first Survey had appeared the day after the purchase went through.


    Fortunately, the Blue Rider Company had already been getting her ready. She¡¯d run obstacle courses, gone through hand-to-hand combat training, and taken course after course on what she¡¯d encounter on the other side of the portal. It had all been meant to help her survive what she was about to do. Alex wondered how many of the others around her had gotten even half as much preparation before getting to this place.


    She wasn¡¯t willing to wager much on that bet. The Golden Swallow Group had something of a reputation as an ¡®efficiency expert¡¯ when it came to exploring the portals. They¡¯d won countless contracts by cutting down on ¡®unnecessary¡¯ costs. All the company literature mentioned the importance of their survival, of course. Almost as much as it had emphasized the need to bring back enough materials and magic for the company to use and exploit. Magical materials were important for all kinds of industry and technology these days.


    Her mother always had a lot to say about Surveyor companies like Golden Swallow. She hadn¡¯t taken the news about the ¡®merger¡¯¡ªmore a hostile takeover¡ªwell. Her father had put in a lot of effort to calm her down, even though he hadn¡¯t been any happier about it.


    Now she was here, standing in front of the portal, tasting the magic in the air, and reminded herself that no matter who was employing her, she wanted to be here. It was the only way she could become who she wanted to be.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Alex blinked. She turned to see another recruit in the same grey uniform looking at her. He was tall¡ªmeaning he fairly towered over her more modest height¡ªwith the kind of build that suggested he¡¯d been through a decent amount of physical training as well. There was an intent look in his blue eyes and his sandy blonde hair was well groomed. She tried not to frown; there was a hopeful look in his eyes that she¡¯d seen a few too many times before. ¡°Hello.¡±


    He stuck out his hand. ¡°My name¡¯s Stephen Evans.¡±


    ¡°Alex.¡± She shook his hand carefully, keeping her expression neutral.


    ¡°You¡¯re one of the Blue Riders folks, right?¡± Stephen glanced back at the portal. ¡°First time near one of these?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Technically, that was true.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry about it. The Group has been using this portal for a while, and they wouldn¡¯t send a bunch of new recruits through it unless it was pretty safe. We¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Alex gave him a thin smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure we will.¡±


    ¡°I actually got to know a few of the D rank Surveyors back in the dorms. They told me a lot about what¡¯s on the other side.¡± He gave her a conspiratorial smile. ¡°I could give you a few hints, you know.¡±


    Alex fought the urge to snort. If he knew who her mother was¡­ but of course he didn¡¯t. There had been no sign that the Golden Swallow Group had thought she was anything important, and she was sure that there would have been some kind of press release if they had found anything out of the ordinary about her family. ¡°Oh. Thank you. I¡¯ll let you know if I have any questions.¡±


    He blinked, his smile fading a little, but before he could say anything, there was a stir in the crowd. A woman dressed in a black, more elaborate version of the company uniform mounted a short podium set up on one side of the portal. She tapped the microphone clipped to the stiff collar of her jacket and then spoke loudly enough that the gathered recruits jumped and fell into a wary silence. ¡°Welcome to your first real day as members of the Golden Swallow Survey Group! Your employment at our company is an opportunity that I hope you will not neglect in the coming days. All of you, go to where your team sergeant is stationed so that you can be assigned your final equipment. Follow their instructions, obey the applicable regulations, and do your best. The Golden Swallow Survey Group thanks you for your willingness to further the progress of humanity.¡±


    Alex felt her heart beat harder now, Stephen already all-but forgotten. It was finally time.


    There were six more people dressed in the black uniforms standing to the side of the podium. Some recruits were already walking over to them, obviously already familiar with whose team they were on, and she felt a burst of worry and frustration. ¡°Hey, uh, which one of them is Liliana?¡±


    Stephen smiled again. He pointed to one of the team sergeants, a short woman with dark hair under her cap and a cheerful expression. She grinned. ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°No problem. See you on the other side!¡± He waved as she turned and headed for her new team, which she returned halfheartedly.


    Alex nodded, and she made her way through the crowd to where her sergeant was waiting. Two other girls were there already, a tall brunette with her hair tied in a bun and a shorter Asian girl with long, straight black hair and an easy smile. They both nodded to her, and she tried to smile back.


    The sergeant stepped forward, her plump face seeming a little out of place among the hard-worked recruits. ¡°Alexandretta Morrison, welcome to our team! I hope we can all work together for the good of the company.¡± She gestured to the others. ¡°My name is Liliana Grant. These are Clara Williams and Audrey Chen. They¡¯ll be your coworkers for this venture.¡±


    She nodded to the others. ¡°Glad to meet you. Call me Alex.¡±


    Liliana smiled broadly. ¡°Of course, of course. Now, we just have one more new recruit¡­and here she is! Joanna! Joanna!¡±


    Another girl made their way over, her frizzy hair tied back into a poofy kind of ponytail. She had a sour expression on her face, and looked Alex up and down. ¡°So, you¡¯re the newbie who¡¯s replacing Ruth?¡±


    Alex glanced at Audrey and Clara, both of whom looked uncomfortable. ¡°I guess so.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡±


    Sergeant Liliana clapped her hands together, getting their attention. She spent a moment beaming at each of them before she continued. ¡°Now, I know the Blue Riders personnel transferred in at the last minute, but we here at the Golden Swallow Survey Group are nothing if not adaptable! We are going to have a lot of chances to prove ourselves in the coming weeks. Today will be the first chance you have to show your worth, just like them!¡±


    Alex looked in the direction the sergeant was pointing and saw another of the teams lining up in front of the portal. There were four of them, all looking a little nervous as they stared into the swirling magic.


    She watched as they all looked around at each other. Then they stepped forward as one and vanished.


    When she looked back, Liliana had reached down and pulled out a collection of things that clinked in her hands. Alex¡¯s attention immediately locked onto them, feeling her heartbeat grow even louder in her ears.


    Liliana¡¯s smile grew even wider. ¡°Here are your Talismans of Ascension, also known as the Portal Assistance and Navigation Device Aids. PANDAs, as I like to call them!¡±


    Alex made a brief mental note to never use that acronym. Ever.


    ¡°Your PANDAs will give you the chance to choose what role you will use going forward. Be sure to follow the company-mandated guidelines for your advancement. We want a well-balanced and thoroughly means-tested team going forward!¡± She passed them out to the waiting recruits, leaving Alex for last.


    When the sergeant finally gave one to her, Alex turned it over in her hands. It looked like an old coin, about the size of a silver dollar, nothing particularly special. The coin was made of a grey-blue metal that felt cool to the touch. She rubbed her thumb across the surface, feeling the odd ridges and pits that told her it was very, very old. There was a hole in the middle, where four ridges met like the spokes of a compass.


    She flipped it over to see if there was anything on the other side, but there was just the same pitted metal and the same four spokes. It was heavier than she expected, though, and Alex wondered what it was actually made of.


    Then she realized the others were moving towards the portal. Clutching the coin, she joined them. The coins were important; nobody who had crossed the portal without one had ever returned. Alex felt a tremor of nervousness pass through her; the portal seemed even more unnerving up close, with the energies inside swirling like a vertical whirlpool of voracious magic. A glance to the side told her that the others were just as bad off.


    Alex clutched her coin and stepped forward. The vortex became a funnel, with the metallic scent of magic howling, then screaming around her.


    Then the crowd of recruits, Liliana, and her prospective teammates abruptly vanished in a blinding flash of light.


    Alex floated in a blinding void of light. Her feet weren¡¯t touching anything, but she wasn¡¯t falling either. It was like she was suspended in water, but she could breathe easily. Her training had talked about it, but she felt herself start to panic a little.


    Then ethereal text appeared in front of her, floating just out of reach.


    [Welcome, you who are Ascended.]


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    [Select your Surveyor Role.]


    [Squire ¨C Bonuses to Strength and Skills related to heavy combat.]


    [Porter ¨C Bonuses to Life and Skills related to defense.]


    [Page ¨C Bonuses to Speed and Skills related to skirmish combat.]


    [Acolyte ¨C Bonuses to Devotion and Skills related to Divine Spells.]


    [Adept ¨C Bonuses to Control and Skills related to Arcane Spells.]


    Alex stared at the words, her heart still hammering in her throat. Her mother had described the Survey Screen to her, but it was her first time actually seeing it. Nobody but the people who¡¯d used a Talisman of Ascension ever saw the ethereal words, after all. No one was entirely sure where it all came from; the Talismans had appeared outside the first portals, and they¡¯d been overlooked at first in all the panic and evacuations. Now they were some of the most precious artifacts to come out of the portals, because they were the only way to breach the gateway into other worlds.


    She shook her head; her thoughts were racing ahead of her in a half-panic. Forcing herself to calm down, she considered the options. The company had provided ¡®recommendations¡¯ for what Role she should pick, but ultimately, the choice would be hers. What kind of Surveyor was she going to be?


    A big part of her wanted to choose either Acolyte or Adept. After all, what good was a world with magic if you didn¡¯t have any yourself? At the same time, the Group had recommended that each party have certain Roles in it, to keep things balanced. A Squire, Page, Porter, and either an Acolyte or Adept¡ªand she¡¯d been assigned the Role of the Page.


    Which was convenient, given that she wanted to choose that Role from the start, anyway.


    Alex selected Page. It was odd, interacting with the Screen; she navigated it by where her eyes were looking, and the actual selection happened when she focused. A moment later, however, the Screen reacted, and the words flared before vanishing. When they reappeared a moment later, they had changed, glowing a bright yellow.


    [You have become a Page!]


    [Your Role will grant you great speed and agility. Use your newfound power to fight against the encroaching darkness, and you will find greater strength.]


    [Select two Skills.]


    The Survey Screen shifted, displaying a broad selection of abilities. It would have been overwhelming if she hadn¡¯t already made her choices weeks, if not months before.


    Her first selection might have surprised anyone who really knew her. They would probably have expected her to pick Melee¨CSword; her mother, after all, was known as the Crimson Blade. Instead, she chose Melee¨CAxe, and then Melee¨CShield to go along with it. No matter what anyone expected of her, she was going to choose her own path.


    A moment later, the Survey Screen shifted to display her current status.


    [E Rank Surveyor Alex]


    [Ascension Level: 0]


    [Role: Page (Class Skills: Running(0), Dodging(0)]


    [Role Level: 0]


    [Experience: 0/100]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 0, Speed -> 0, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Role Skills: Melee¨CAxe(0), Melee¨CShield(0)]


    [Permanent Skills: None]


    [Current Titles: None]


    It wasn¡¯t exactly the most encouraging report on her abilities. A part of her was a little rankled over the complete lack of any bonuses, but then again, the Screen was just showing how much her abilities were being boosted by magic. Her training and experience were all still there; it just wasn¡¯t getting any immediate help.


    [Please select your equipment.]


    A list of various gear and weapons scrolled out before her, all the obsolete stuff that a standard fantasy world would use. People had found that while they could take stuff out of a portal, they couldn¡¯t bring anything into one¡ªat least, not unless it had come from a portal originally. An assault rifle or a tank might have been helpful, but those weren¡¯t the options she was given here. Her clothes were going to be fine¡ªthe Group had stitched them together from threads retrieved from other portals¡ªbut anything else was gone.


    She made her choices quickly¡ªa standard one-handed axe with a spike on the back, and a broad wooden shield with a metal boss in the center over the handle. It was what she had trained with so far, both at home and with the Blue Riders. Hopefully, it fit her here.


    Then the Screen changed one last time, and her heart beat a little faster.


    [Quest Issued! Destroy two Grue Soldiers.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    Her mother had told her about Quests; they were the way she could level up. Each portal assigned Quests to Surveyors that passed through them, some of which would give hidden bonuses, equipment, or Titles. If Stephen had been correct, she and her fellow recruits had just been sent through a low level portal, one that didn¡¯t have a history of murdering the Surveyors who went through. Supposedly.


    She took a deep breath and tried to brace herself. If her training had been accurate, then the next step was going to be¡ª


    Another flash of light, and Alex was staggering out into a brand new world.


    The other world didn¡¯t seem quite as strange as Alex had expected. For a moment, it seemed as if she had stepped out into a past version of the space around the portal on Earth. There were empty houses on either side, with a tidy row of others in front of her flanking a simple paved road. Overhead, the sky was cloudy, chock full of grey to the point the sun failed to poke through. It seemed shockingly normal after the experience of floating in the white void, and she shivered slightly at the contrast.


    She wasn¡¯t alone this time. Audrey was on her left, and Joanna and Clara were to her right. She looked them over and blinked. Audrey was holding a long knobby club, Clara had a crossbow, and Joanna was holding a two-handed broadsword that looked like she had decided on an upgraded version of the basic weaponry. ¡°What Roles did you guys pick?¡±


    Audrey gave her a wide grin. ¡°Squire. Should help me do plenty of damage with this.¡± She twirled the club a little, seeming pretty fierce for a smaller girl. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Page.¡± Alex shrugged, feeling a little uncomfortable. What was Audrey going to do if someone shot at her? She looked at the others, who were shifting on their feet. ¡°What about you guys?¡±


    Clara answered first, the tall girl tightening her grip on the crossbow. ¡°Acolyte. Got some kind of healing potion with it, too.¡±


    Joanna broke in before the other girl could continue. ¡°You were supposed to pick Porter, Clara. I was supposed to be the magic user for our team!¡±


    Alex blinked, and Clara raised an eyebrow at Joanna. ¡°How did you know that? Been peeking at people¡¯s papers?¡±


    The other girl flushed, but she shook her head stubbornly. ¡°So what? I wanted to know what team I was going to be on and what I could expect. Now the only person on our team with any defense is a frigging Page!¡±


    Alex grimaced. ¡°Are you an Acolyte too, Joanna?¡±


    Joanna shook her head. ¡°No. I chose Adept. Why did you pick an axe? That¡¯s a Strength weapon, not Speed. You should have taken a two-handed weapon.¡±


    Alex smiled. Her mother had suggested a similar thing, at first. ¡°Felt like this would fit better. Besides, we¡¯ll need the defense now.¡±


    For a moment, it seemed like Joanna wanted to keep arguing, but she threw up a hand in frustration. ¡°Okay. Fine. You take the front. Me and Audrey will handle the sides. Clara can stay in the back. That way, we can at least pretend like we know what we are doing.¡±


    The others nodded, and Alex shifted on her feet. She thought she could hear weapons clashing in the distance. ¡°Sounds fine by me. Let¡¯s get going. We all got the same Quest, right? Two Grue?¡±


    They all nodded, and Alex took a deep breath. The air still had that metallic taste, a hint of magic¡­but it no longer felt quite as offensive to her. In fact, it almost felt¡­familiar now. Was it something the Ascension had done to her? She knew that magic wouldn¡¯t hurt her the way it did people back home, not anymore, but to have it work that quickly felt odd.


    Of course, she shouldn¡¯t have been surprised. Her mother had warned her, after all, just as she¡¯d warned her not to look for the Talisman afterwards. It was a part of her now, just like her weapons were.


    She started out into the street, looking around at the various houses. They were all in a state of disrepair, as if the families that had built them had simply abandoned them. It was a familiar sight back home, but there was something¡­wrong about it here. The houses weren¡¯t just abandoned; many of them seemed damaged or vandalized. More than just looters or graffiti too; the words painted on the sides of the homes were in a language that she didn¡¯t recognize.


    A sense of unease filled her as they turned down a side street, following a map that Joanna had gotten from Liliana. She thought she could see a city in the distance, with skyscrapers that gleamed in the half-light of the cloudy sky, but it seemed alien and strange. Was she just letting the oppressive silence get to her? Why was it so quiet, anyway?


    It was Audrey that finally broke the silence. ¡°So where is everything? I thought we¡¯d be in combat the moment we stepped out of the gate.¡±


    ¡°The other groups have already been through here. They probably already cleared out anything that was waiting near the portal.¡± Joanna¡¯s voice was still tight with anger; her fingers were tight on the hilt of her sword. She was occasionally glancing in frustration at Clara, who was having trouble with the catch of her crossbow. ¡°If we want to finish the Quest, we¡¯re going to have to look for the Grue.¡±


    ¡°Or they¡¯ll come looking for us.¡± Clara finally got the catch to click into place, and then looked around at the empty houses in sudden concern. ¡°Should we start looking in these houses? I don¡¯t want to get too far from the portal.¡±


    Joanna rolled her eyes. ¡°What, scared already? The other groups aren¡¯t going to come running to help you just because you call them.¡±


    The tall girl snarled at her. ¡°Look, I just don¡¯t want to end up lost here, since I doubt you¡¯ve been paying attention to where we are¡ª¡±


    ¡°I see movement ahead.¡± Alex tried to keep her voice even, but her heart was already hammering in her ears. It could have been just the wind, blowing a set of curtains set in a half-shattered window¡ªbut she hadn¡¯t felt a breeze here. At least, nothing she¡¯d noticed. ¡°Three houses down. Did anyone else see anything?¡±


    The other girls had gone quiet and tense, except for Audrey. She leaned forward eagerly, her club held out to her side. ¡°No. We should go check it out, though. Anyone know what these Grue things are supposed to look like?¡±


    Clara shook her head, but Joanna nodded. ¡°Kind of like a scrawny werewolf. Made of black smoke or something like that.¡±


    Alex grimaced. It wasn¡¯t the best description, but it wasn¡¯t like the Surveyors who made it back home had been able to share photos of the things inside. The training manual had been full of copied sketches and drawings, but nothing more advanced than that. ¡°I think they¡¯re supposed to have weapons too, so stay alert. Yell if you see one using a bow.¡± Her mother had specifically told her that those were the most dangerous kind.


    They all proceeded forward in a crouch, trying to move carefully. Alex caught herself holding her breath and forced herself to breathe normally. Inhale, exhale. Step forward. Keep your eyes on the doors and the windows. If anything is in there, it probably knows where you are too, and if they see us coming¡­


    The ambush happened quickly. Alex saw the front door of the house slam open, and a dark figure sprinted out into the open, a spear extended towards her. She reacted out of panic as much as training, just barely getting her shield down and in the way of the dark spear. It hit hard, shoving her arm back into her chest.


    Her attacker reared back, preparing for another attack, and Alex swung her axe at it. She caught sight of a snarling, dog-like face, and glittering red eyes filled with anger. It dodged backwards, growling at her, and she resisted the urge to back up. Instead, she chased it, trying to keep it in range of her weapon.


    A crossbow bolt whistled past her ear, missing the thing by a good foot or two. It flinched, just as Alex had when the projectile went by. Alex jumped forward, hoping to catch it off balance.


    The thing yelped and lashed out with its spear, and she smacked the point of the weapon aside. She ducked in under it and lunged up above it. Her axe came up and over in an overhead cut that felt incredibly right. A part of her expected it to brush it off or dodge, and she braced herself for another hit.


    Then the axe fell, punching through the dark smoke of the thing¡¯s shoulder. It coughed in shock and staggered backwards. Alex followed after it, yanking her axe out and smashing the Grue with her shield. It fell over backward, and she hacked down at it twice before backing up.


    The thing lay still, sprawled out in someone¡¯s front yard. She felt her breathing hitch in her chest, as she tried desperately to suck in enough air to ease the burning in her lungs. It took her a few moments to bring her axe back up; the weapon kept wavering in the air as her hands shook. Alex couldn¡¯t tell if it was the fear or the adrenaline.


    Then she heard voices behind her, and she turned, looking for her teammates.


    There was another creature crumpled on the street, with Audrey and Joanna standing over it. Alex had no idea where it had come from, but the same plain spear was lying nearby in the grass. Both girls seemed a little shaken, but Audrey was smiling. Joanna just looked disgruntled, her sword held loosely at her side.


    Audrey seemed to check something on her Screen, and her smile grew. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jo, you¡¯ll get the next one.¡±


    Joanna grunted and stalked back to where Clara was fighting with her crossbow again, biting off a steady stream of curses. When the catch finally set, she slammed a bolt home and brought the weapon up, looking for targets. Alex flinched as the girl waved it across her; her father would have said something about pointing a loaded anything at a friend. ¡°Whoa, hold on. I think we¡¯re good.¡±


    The Acolyte looked at her, a wild fear in her eyes. Then she slumped, and the crossbow turned toward the ground. ¡°I saw it come at you and I-I tried to¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. Just¡­aim a little better next time, okay?¡± Alex smiled a little, and Joanna swallowed, hard. Then she looked over at her other teammates. ¡°You two okay?¡±


    ¡°About as okay as we¡¯re going to be.¡± Audrey exchanged a look with Clara, who was still unsteady on her feet. ¡°This one nearly got Clara while I was looking in the other direction. Jo got a lucky hit in, though, and then I got it from the side.¡± She grinned and laid her club across her shoulders. ¡°They are fast, but I think they break pretty easy. Maybe we can do this quickly.¡±


    Alex returned her smile, hoping it didn¡¯t look too shaky. ¡°Sure.¡± She looked around again, trying to catch sight of anything else that seemed wrong. When she saw nothing, she brought up her Screen, imagining it appearing until the yellow words phased into being in front of her.


    [Melee¨CAxe has advanced to level 1!]


    [Melee¨CShield has advanced to level 1!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 1 of 2 targets destroyed]


    One down, one to go. For her at least; they¡¯d need another six for everyone to complete the Quest. She looked back at the one she¡¯d killed and jumped as it started to burn. Crackling purple flame engulfed the Grue, leaving only a handful of items left when the body burned away. Alex gingerly picked up one of the items, a fragment of purple crystal that glimmered in the dim light.


    Audrey was already busy at work, tucking away the loot from the other burnt Grue. They were contractually obligated to take it all back to the Group, after all.


    Not a bad start, she supposed.

 B1Ch2: Coming Home

    The Grue snarled as Alex held it in place with her shield. She grimaced back at it. ¡°Any time now!¡±


    Joanna lunged in from the side, her sword plunging into the Grue¡¯s flank. It gave a choking gasp as she wrenched the blade back and forth, and Alex felt the strength go out of it. It fell back to the cracked pavement, and Joanna yanked her blade free before swinging it down in a coup de grace.


    [Melee¨CShield has advanced to level 3!]


    Alex sighed in relief, working her shoulder a little. ¡°You finished now?¡±


    The Adept gave her a mildly disgruntled nod, and Alex sighed in relief. Both Audrey and her had completed the main Quest fairly quickly; the Squire¡¯s apparent heavy blows tended to finish the Grue fast, and Alex usually reached the enemy far sooner than the others. Getting Joanna to catch up had required them to hold back a little, but it would be worth it to see her teammate level as well.


    Clara was another story, however.


    The poor Acolyte just seemed incapable of getting a shot on target. She¡¯d nearly hit Alex another two times, and Joanna had spent another two minutes ranting at her after another shot nearly took the Adept¡¯s head off. Clara¡¯s aim had not gotten better after that, and Alex was running out of ways that she could use to give her teammate the opening.


    She looked back and watched as Clara struggled to load the crossbow again, and frowned a little. There had to be some way¡­


    Her mind went back to some of her mother¡¯s attempts to teach her how to use ranged weaponry before they¡¯d both given up on it. ¡°Hey, Clara, do you want to come up front with me for a bit? It looks like most of these things are wandering around by themselves, so it shouldn¡¯t be too risky.¡±


    Joanna snorted, but Clara seemed to be deliberately ignoring the Adept. ¡°I-if you say so Alex.¡±


    Alex gave her an encouraging nod, and they set off down the street again. She spoke quietly, trying not to let Joanna overhear her. ¡°The next time we see one, don¡¯t shoot immediately. Go down on one knee, and try to breathe out before you fire.¡±


    Clara gave her a sidelong look. ¡°I did get some training with the Group.¡±


    ¡°For Porter style weapons, right?¡± She saw the taller girl wince and nod. ¡°So they probably didn¡¯t give you a lot of ranged training, cause they expected you to be up front. You¡¯re going to have to learn as you go along.¡±


    The Acolyte sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just didn¡¯t expect¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just try not to jump the gun.¡± Alex waited until Clara nodded, and then started searching for any signs of Grue ahead. Aside from the first two, all of the Grue had been alone. Hopefully that meant there weren¡¯t any really large groups hanging around, but wishful thinking wasn¡¯t a guarantee, as her father occasionally said.


    Her search paid off a moment later, as she saw some movement inside a wrecked trailer up ahead. It was parked outside a normal, graffitied home, one where the garage door was half-torn down. She nudged Clara, who jumped a little, and then pointed. The Acolyte gave her a panicked look, and Alex made a calming gesture.


    She glanced back and saw the other two girls readying their weapons. They seemed to relax a little when Alex gave them a similar wait-and-see gesture. Then she stepped forward and looked at Clara. Her heart was beating hard, but she kept her voice low. ¡°Get ready.¡±


    Clara nodded and dropped to one knee. She sighted along the weapon; the crossbow shook slightly as she drew in a few hitching breaths. Alex waited until she calmed down a bit more, and then stepped a little off to the side. A few steps would put her in front of the Acolyte if she needed to intervene, but she didn¡¯t want to make the girl fire early.


    Then she clashed her axe against her shield, banging it like a drum. ¡°Hey! Come on out!¡±


    The Grue inside the trailer went still for a moment. Then it tore its way out of the vehicle, kicking open the door and howling. Alex crouched, ready to sprint in if Clara missed her shot, but the Acolyte didn¡¯t shoot. ¡°Clara, now¡¯s the time.¡±


    Clara didn¡¯t answer. The Grue started to run at her, its clawed feet clacking against the pavement. Alex tried to judge the distance, feeling herself grow tense. Was the Acolyte completely frozen? ¡°Clara?¡±


    The Acolyte still didn¡¯t respond. Ahead, the Grue started a snarling howl and raised its spear to strike. Alex crouched a little lower, her shield coming up. If Clara didn¡¯t¡ª


    She heard the crossbow snap, and the bolt streaked out in a blur she barely saw. It took the thing right in the throat; the howl cut off like someone had hit an off switch. The Grue¡¯s charge stopped mid-stride. It went from a wild sprint to a headlong sprawl; the spear fell from its nerveless grip. Alex watched in stunned awe as it slid part of the remaining distance to where Clara was still crouched.


    It didn¡¯t rise again. A moment later, it burst into flame, and Clara sprang back with a yelp.


    Alex couldn¡¯t help it. She burst into laughter and bumped her fist against the Acolyte¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Good shot! Get reloaded and we can find another one.¡±


    Clara stared down at the fire, still blinking. Then she looked at Alex and grinned. ¡°I did it!¡± Then she looked back at where Joanna and Audrey were standing. The Adept rolled her eyes, but the Squire laughed along with her. Then Clara was resetting the crossbow again, her face set in a suddenly determined expression. When she had reloaded, Alex started off down the street again, leading them on their hunt.


    It only took another half hour for Clara to score her second kill, this time picking off a Grue that had been trying to ambush them from the side. Alex gotten her shield up, and Clara simply leaned out and put a bolt into its side.


    She hadn¡¯t had the chance to congratulate her, though, because another two Grue had come howling in from the opposite side. Alex had to rush to help Audrey as the small girl had tried to fend off the closest of them. An axe stroke felled it, and a couple more kept it down. Joanna had taken the last one, deflecting the spear thrust and then putting her own counterthrust right on target.


    When they came to a stop, all breathing hard, Alex checked her Screen.


    [Main Quest Completed]


    [Melee¨CAxe has advanced to level 3!]


    [Melee¨CShield has advanced to level 4!]


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy two additional Grue Soldiers.]


    Alex glanced over at Joanna, who looked like she was reading a similar set of messages. ¡°Did you get that same Hidden Quest?¡±


    The Adept shrugged. ¡°Two more? I already got one, and so did you. Six more to go?¡±


    Audrey wiped a little sweat from her forehead, grinning. ¡°I¡¯m up for it if you are. How long have we been out here, anyway? An hour?¡±


    Clara squinted up at the grey clouds that continued to dominate the sky. ¡°Hard to say. Maybe two or so. Does time even work the same here?¡±


    Alex nodded. ¡°It does. How long did the Group want us in here? I doubt they were saying we should hang around all day.¡±


    ¡°Nothing like that, no.¡± Joanna held up the map they¡¯d given her. ¡°We were supposed to patrol the town and complete our Quests if possible. They didn¡¯t say anything about how long we should take.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get it done.¡± Alex grinned. ¡°Better now than later.¡±


    Around two hours later, they finally returned to the portal.


    It had taken some time to hunt down the remaining Grue for the secondary Quest, especially when they needed to make sure that Clara was able to get her shots off. By the time they made it back to the area with the portal, the clouds overhead were growing dark. As much as Alex wanted to keep hunting and maybe uncover the third Hidden Quest, she didn¡¯t want it enough to continue to fight without sunlight.


    The portal seemed just as unnerving as before, with the energy continuing to swirl and twist, almost like a sideways whirlpool of magic. There was no sign of the other Surveyors that the Group had sent. Alex wondered if they had finished their own Quests that much faster. Still, the extra Experience from the Hidden Quest would make an enormous difference.


    She nodded to the rest of the Surveyors and stepped through the portal. The world around her evaporated into a wall of light.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Once again, Alex found herself in the white void. Her Screen activated a moment later, filling the space in front of her with text.


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Hidden Quest Undiscovered.]


    Alex grinned as she looked over the Report. She¡¯d known the second Quest was worth the effort. Now her entire group was going to hit level one on their first day out as Surveyors. That would probably make something of a mark on her new employers.


    More importantly, the Report continued, showing her Skill increases.


    [Melee¨CAxe increased from 0 to 4!]


    [Melee¨CShield increased from 0 to 4!]


    [You have reached level 1 as a Page!]


    [+2 Speed gained. +1 Free Attribute awarded.]


    Alex¡¯s grin went wider. She assigned the Free Attribute to Strength immediately. It would make her attacks stronger and let her defend against stronger hits. The additional Speed was going to make it that much easier to move and dodge as well. Next time the Group sent her through the portal, she was going to be that much more of a force to be reckoned with.


    Then she dismissed the Screen and the light surrounding her brightened for a moment. She flinched and shielded her eyes¡ª


    And suddenly she was back on Earth, the real one this time. Liliana was there, a fixed expression of patience on her face, and the rest of her team was on the platform in front of the portal as well.


    ¡°Well hello! We were starting to get concerned.¡±


    Joanna stepped forward and handed over the map, with the patrol route marked out clearly on it. ¡°We killed sixteen Grue Soldiers, team sergeant, and all of us reached level one. We¡¯ve also collected all sixteen remnant crystals.¡±


    Liliana clapped her hands and smiled. ¡°Oh, excellent! That is twice as many as expected.¡± Then she paused, looking down at the tablet in her hands. ¡°Shall I get you all registered, then? Joanna, it looks like you took Melee¨CSword as your main Skill. Any others?¡±


    The sergeant spent some time documenting their progress, with glowing smiles for both Audrey and Joanna. When she got to Clara, however, her expression grew grave. ¡°You took Acolyte, not Porter? I don¡¯t believe that was the plan, Ms. Williams.¡±


    Clara winced a little. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, team sergeant.¡±


    ¡°Well, we can discuss it later.¡± Liliana shook her head and finished taking down the details, then she turned to Alex, and a slight frown crossed her lips. ¡°An¡­axe and shield, Ms. Morrison? That is¡­not standard armament for a Page.¡±


    Alex raised an eyebrow. She held Liliana¡¯s gaze for a moment. ¡°Yes, team sergeant, but it seems to have worked well enough for my team.¡±


    The team sergeant stared back at her for a moment. Then she abruptly shrugged and plastered on the same megawatt smile again. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it! Thanks again for joining our team here at Golden Swallow Surveys. Now, if we could all deposit the crystals in the container over there, I think we can call it a day. Don¡¯t forget! You have an extended weekend of leave after today, so feel free to head home and visit family.¡±


    Joanna led the way back to where a metal crate waited on the pavement. She dropped the crystals they¡¯d all collected inside.


    Then they waved her onto the bus that would take her back to the dorms, and her first day as a Surveyor was done.


    It took her about an hour to get home¡ªher real home, not the subsidized dorms that the Group offered to E rank Surveyors. By the time she arrived in her neighborhood, it was nearly dinner time.


    The bus dropped her only a block from her parents¡¯ house, and she used the short walk to try to get used to her newly acquired abilities. Each point of difference was supposed to be a five percent increase in the related Skills and abilities, which meant her new level made her just fast enough to keep throwing herself off as she walked. Still, she was getting used to the feeling of whipping through a world at a faster pace.


    Her family home was not a large one, just half of a duplex in a relatively safe neighborhood. She saw her father¡¯s work truck in the driveway, which meant he wasn¡¯t currently on duty. Alex was halfway sure that he¡¯d arranged to be home tonight; he¡¯d been worried since she had first announced her intention to be a Surveyor. It was hard for her to say which had been greater, her mother¡¯s pride or his fear.


    Maybe the fact that she¡¯d managed to come home from her first Survey unscathed would smooth things over. She certainly hoped so.


    Alex walked up the narrow, paved driveway, her official Golden Swallow boots seeming like they were stomping on the asphalt. She veered off onto the stone walkway that led to the front door, pausing just before she stepped up on the landing. It had been about a week since she¡¯d been home, and she wasn¡¯t entirely sure what would be waiting for her.


    Then she sucked in a breath, squared her shoulders, and knocked.


    She barely had the chance to hit the door twice when it was flung open. Her father¡¯s anxious face dissolved into sudden relief, and Speed boost or not, she was in his arms before she realized it. He very nearly seemed to squeeze the breath out of her, his rough features unseen as he lifted her off her feet. ¡°You¡¯re home! You¡¯re safe.¡±


    Alex made a slight squeaking sound as her ribs protested the treatment, and Eric set her back on her feet immediately. He took a moment to study her. ¡°It went well? You did everything they told you? None of the¡­things touched you?¡±


    ¡°After you and Mom drilling me for months? Come on, Dad.¡± She put a hand on his shoulder and pushed, as if to shake him. Eric Morrison was an absolute brick of a man, though, nearly a foot taller than her and at least two feet broader through the shoulders. A lifetime of physical fitness obsessions combined with the rigor of his profession had made it so that she might as well have pushed the house wall.


    He broke into a smile, and swept her up into a second, slightly less aggressive hug. Slightly. ¡°Okay. Okay. You¡¯re going to need to come in and tell us all about it.¡± As he stood back a second time, he pulled her through the doorway and¡ªgently, for him¡ªpropelled Alex towards the kitchen, where she could smell dinner already waiting.


    Alex quietly braced herself, walking through the hall of her home. The place seemed different, now that she¡¯d been through the portal. Had the hallway always been so short? Why was it all so familiar, and yet so strange?


    Then she walked into the dining room, and her mother was standing beside her chair, waiting for her.


    The former Surveyor was slightly taller than her daughter, even if she wasn¡¯t nearly as tall as her husband. She¡¯d been mildly famous, once, among the Surveyors at least. She¡¯d been a Regulation agent, someone meant to watch the other Surveyors and keep them inside the law, no matter which worlds they were on. It wasn¡¯t a popular profession¡ªthe so-called Crimson Blade had made plenty of enemies by keeping her fellow super-powered comrades in line¡ªbut her mother had made it all the way to B rank, becoming one of the most powerful Surveyors out there.


    Then her enemies had caught up to her, just as they¡¯d always worried about. Muriel had warned Alex that the same thing would probably happen to her too, no matter how good she got at the job. It was just a matter of time and luck.


    Muriel Morrison¡¯s right arm was missing partway below the shoulder. Her left eye was gone, too, though the scars around where it had been were not as gruesome as they could have been. Apparently, a superior health potion had fixed the damage well enough for her to make it home. So the story went, anyway.


    Her mother¡¯s remaining eye was locked onto Alex, however, taking in the uniform she wore and the weapons on her back. That single brown eye absorbed all the information in a single blink of an instant. Even though she seemed to approve, there was a ghost of worry that lingered in her expression.


    Then she smiled, the expression pulled a little off center by the scar tissue on her face. ¡°Welcome home.¡±


    Alex stepped forward and gave her mother a hug. She felt her mother¡¯s arm come up and around, squeezing her back¡ªcarefully, for different reasons than her father¡ªand then stepped back. ¡°I¡¯m a Surveyor now.¡±


    ¡°A Page?¡± When Alex nodded, Muriel continued. ¡°You still went with the axe and shield, though. I almost expected them to ask you not to.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t ask, officially, and I didn¡¯t tell them my plans.¡± Alex grinned a little. ¡°I think my team sergeant might be unhappy about it. She seemed a little put off.¡±


    Muriel snorted. ¡°Well, the companies tend to like to meddle. Blue Rider was a lot more lax about that kind of thing, but the way things went down¡­¡± She gestured for Alex to sit, and sat back in her own chair. Eric tried to lumber unobtrusively around the table to take his own seat. ¡°Did you see anyone unusual hanging around?¡±


    ¡°No, not that I could tell.¡± Alex shrugged. ¡°In fact, they don¡¯t seem to have a clue so far. You and Dad did good work.¡±


    ¡°As if we ever don¡¯t.¡± Her mother shook her head ruefully. ¡°Keep an eye out for anyone getting too curious or asking odd questions. Just because they haven¡¯t found out yet doesn¡¯t mean we can afford to get sloppy. You deserve the chance to do this, but it¡¯s running a hard risk for all of us.¡±


    Alex thought back to Stephen, the boy who¡¯d been so friendly. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    Eric chuckled, a sound like a distant roll of thunder. ¡°Yeah, uh huh. If anything, that¡¯s our family motto, isn¡¯t it? Just a pack of cautious people around this table.¡±


    Muriel gave him a fond smile and a light slap across a bicep the size of Alex¡¯s head. ¡°Enough about that. I want to hear about your Survey. Did they send you in alone, or with a team? Were there any D or C ranks there, watching you? What kind of opposition did you find on the other side?¡±


    The food had grown a little cold by the time Alex finished answering her parents¡¯ questions, but none of them seemed to mind as they finally tucked into it at last. After hours of hard work on patrol, and weeks of dorm food in the cafeteria, Alex felt like she¡¯d been given a feast with mashed potatoes, breaded chicken, and a whole helping of buttered corn. All three of them dug into the meal with a vengeance, with the pace of people who typically found their time together rushed by one kind of emergency or another.


    As the final bites of deliciousness vanished, Alex heard her mother sigh. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to make of this Golden Swallow Group, Alex. I still wish that I could have escorted you in on your first day myself.¡±


    Eric gave her a sharp look. ¡°You know why that can¡¯t happen, love.¡±


    Muriel sighed. ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Everyone knew higher ranked Surveyors increased the difficulty of enemies around the portal; it was as if their opponents were drawn to the challenge. Sending in a B rank, even a heavily wounded one, would have increased the danger of the mission by a large factor.


    It would also have made Alex¡¯s attempt at remaining anonymous and unnoticed a little more impossible, of course. The last thing she wanted was to start her career as a Surveyor with some kind of marketing blitz that would expose all of them and put her family back into danger.


    She still gave her mother a smile. ¡°Practicing with you was preparation enough, Mom. I think I managed to get through the whole thing without a scratch thanks to your help¡ªand me and my team all made level one on the first mission!¡±


    Muriel sat back in her chair, her eye wide with approval. ¡°Well how about that.¡± She glanced at her husband. ¡°It turns out that our daughter might be a chip off the old block after all. Axe notwithstanding.¡±


    Alex rolled her eyes. Her mother had been extolling the virtues of the sword for months now, trying to encourage her to follow a similar path. She had no intention of doing so. ¡°I chose what works for me. Besides, you¡¯ve seen what I can do with it.¡±


    ¡°And her mother¡¯s not the only one who taught her things, huh?¡± Eric grinned. ¡°You have to clear any buildings or anything? I bet that axe¡¯ll come in handy then.¡±


    ¡°Not this time, but maybe soon.¡± Alex shoveled the last of the potatoes in and chewed for a bit. It was like a bite of heaven. ¡°We¡¯ll have to see when I get called up next. How often did you get missions, Mom? Once a week?¡±


    Muriel¡¯s expression took on a faraway look, as if she was staring back into her past. ¡°I suppose so. It depended on how active the portals were getting, and where the other Surveyors were having trouble.¡± Then she shook her head. ¡°They won¡¯t be sending you into an overactive breach, though. I¡¯m betting you¡¯ll have a few days before they need you to go in again.¡±

 B1Ch3: Training Up

    Alex woke early the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to challenge the new day.


    The fact that she was in her own bed was definitely a part of that feeling. The beds at the old Blue Rider dorms weren¡¯t bad, but they had been sterile and unfamiliar. Her other recruits had occasionally murmured in their sleep, or tossed and turned after a day full of training. It had been enough to keep her up, seeing as she was a light sleeper. Having the chance to just relax in her old room, after so long, was unexpectedly nice.


    She stretched luxuriously, rejoicing in the feel of the soft mattress beneath her and the warm duvet on top. Her room, at least, didn¡¯t seem any different to her eyes as a Surveyor, aside from the addition of her axe and shield leaned up against the wall next to the door. An old poster of her mother, before the ambush, took up a part of one wall. Alex had wanted to take it down, but Muriel had insisted she keep it up. ¡®For old times¡¯ sake¡¯, her mother had said. She¡¯d pinned up a few news articles that covered fires that her father had fought next to the poster in a glass case, along with a few about her mother when she¡¯d been a notable Surveyor.


    The rest of the room held a small desk and a set of shelves that her father had built into the wall opposite the poster. A few knickknacks from school and the occasional youth camp were scattered across the desk, along with a few books. Her reading tastes had run from technical manuals about the portals and their effects on people, to stories about famous Surveyors, to the extremely occasional romance book. She tucked away those last ones tucked away where her parents couldn¡¯t find them, if only to keep them from teasing her about the whole thing.


    Alex spent a few more quiet moments just relaxing into her mattress, and then threw off her covers and stood. A few too-quick strides brought her to the closet door; she actually had to bring herself up short before she hit the door. Her new level of Speed was going to take a little getting used to.


    She changed from her pajamas into a set of workout clothes, just an exercise shirt and some shorts. Alex had left her best running shoes in the dorms, but she still had her second-best set here, so she put those on, grabbed her official Golden Swallow Survey Group identification, and headed out. Even if the Group didn¡¯t need her for the day, she had every intention of putting in some work on her Skills.


    Her mother was working on breakfast in the kitchen; there was already a plate of eggs and bacon waiting for her. The smell alone put a smile on Alex¡¯s face, and she once again thanked her good fortune that the Group had given her the day off. ¡°Thanks Mom!¡±


    ¡°No problem at all.¡± Her mother eyed her workout clothes. ¡°Headed out for a run?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Figured I would try and get my Running Skill going. They shouldn¡¯t give me that much trouble over it, right?¡±


    Muriel had already turned back to the sausage she had sizzling in the pan. ¡°No, I imagine not.¡± Then she paused. ¡°Alex, I mean what I said. Keep your eye out for whoever starts giving you too much attention. Golden Swallow has a reputation for being particularly cold-blooded at times. If they see a way to use you to their advantage, they will take it.¡±


    Alex started digging into the eggs, chewing thoughtfully for a few moments. ¡°What do you think they would do? Just start marketing themselves as the one who recruited your daughter?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Muriel seemed unconvinced. ¡°Either that, or they may decide that you are too risky to have as an employee. I did make quite a few enemies while I was working, and if they think you are there to investigate them¡­.¡±


    One of the sausages popped a little, and she used some tongs to flip it over in the grease. ¡°Once you¡¯re a bit stronger, I won¡¯t be as concerned, but as an E rank you are at the very bottom of a very tall ladder. If the higher ups decide to sacrifice an E rank for some kind of corporate objective, there¡¯s not much you can do about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out, Mom.¡± Alex crunched her way through some extremely delicious bacon. ¡°Where¡¯s Dad? Did he get a call?¡±


    ¡°No, just had to head out for his shift at the firehouse. Nothing major.¡± Muriel chuckled to herself. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be the only one without an emergency to prepare for now.¡±


    Alex felt a twinge of sympathy. For years, her mom had been a dynamic force of nature, always sweeping out to handle problems that threatened the whole state, if not the country. Seeing everyone else working to do the same thing, and not being able to help¡ªof course it would make her miserable.


    She gulped down half a glass of orange juice and then hit on an idea. ¡°Hey, after I get back from the run, do you want to spar for a bit? I¡¯m still kind of getting used to everything.¡±


    Her mother paused, actually glancing back at her from the stove. Then she smiled. ¡°Sure, I¡¯d love that.¡± Muriel¡¯s smile went a bit wry. ¡°Even if you insist on using that unsophisticated mess of an axe. Someday I might get you to show some finesse with it, I suppose.¡±


    Alex chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± She finished off the plate, washing it down with the rest of the orange juice. ¡°All right, I¡¯m going to head out. Thanks again for the breakfast, Mom.¡±


    ¡°Anytime, little one. Enjoy your run, but don¡¯t stay too long.¡± Muriel raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to have you claiming you were just tired when I beat you later.¡±


    She winced as she realized what kind of training session she¡¯d just signed herself up for, but Alex still headed for the door anyway. There was plenty to do.


    Alex caught the bus to go back to the same portal she¡¯d been through. It was a short ride, and there were hardly any people on the bus with her. Most people avoided routes that went near portals, for good reason. Anyone who wasn¡¯t a Surveyor tended to not do well with constant exposure to magic; it was better to catch a bus that stayed clear of a contaminated area entirely.


    For that reason, the area as she got nearer to the portal grew less and less inhabited as the bus approached the containment zone. More and more people left their houses vacant or put them up for sale. Those few people still living in the area seemed to be lethargic as they went from their houses to their cars, and none of them looked very happy. She wondered, not for the first time, why the Surveyors themselves didn¡¯t just live in the area. Then again, non-Surveyor members of their family, like her father, wouldn¡¯t have enjoyed it, so¡­


    She was still turning the problem over in her mind when the bus stopped a few blocks away from the containment area, which was probably about as close as the route was willing to go. Alex got off and then started jogging to the fenced area ahead. There was already a hint of magic in the air, which was strange. When Surveyors went into a portal, the magic coming from it was supposed to decrease for a while. If anything, it seemed a bit stronger than it had yesterday afternoon.


    When she reached the gate, the guards outside stepped up to challenge her. She recognized them from the other day; both were former low-level Surveyors who had decided that jumping through mystic holes that led to other worlds was not the best career choice. They were both able to deal with being around a lot of magic, though, so that made them ideal for watching the portal and keeping out troublemakers. One of them brought his automatic rifle into a covering position, in case she tried anything, while the other one stepped forward to inspect her identification.


    Alex gave the man a smile. ¡°Hey Ron, anything special happening today?¡±


    The man blinked, as if surprised she had remembered his name. Then he broke into a small smile of his own. ¡°Not that I can tell. They don¡¯t really tell us much anyway. Did they bring you in for something today?¡± He looked over her obvious lack of uniform with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Nope, just doing something on my own.¡±


    Ron¡¯s face grew a little more serious, and he glanced back at his partner. ¡°You can¡¯t go near the portal on your own. No Surveys allowed without Golden Swallow¡¯s approval.¡±


    Alex held up both hands in a semi-defensive gesture. ¡°I know, I know. Just doing some workouts to build some Skills. I won¡¯t even go near the portal.¡±


    He stared at her another minute and then sighed. ¡°Okay. I didn¡¯t mean anything by it, but they want us to be sure before we let anyone in. Even if they are a pretty decent Surveyor.¡± His smile came back. ¡°I heard you made level one on your first day! Congratulations, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± She took back her identification card and tucked it away in the pocket for her water bottle. ¡°I¡¯ll probably be back in a few. See you then!¡±


    Ron nodded easily to her as he stepped aside; his coworker was busy pulling the gate open for her to enter. He waved her through, and she stepped past him and entered the containment zone.


    The area surrounded by the fence was not a small one. Each portal always had a certain amount of space reserved for it, based on the severity of the magic flowing from the portal. This particular portal wasn¡¯t considered all that dangerous, but they had still set aside a five by five set of blocks. It would give her plenty of space to work with, which was all that mattered to her at the moment.


    Alex set down her water bottle and other supplies in the shade of a long-abandoned tree. The Group hadn¡¯t bothered to demolish most of the abandoned buildings or uproot any of the vegetation within the containment area¡ªapparently doing so was not a priority now or in the future¡ªso at the very least she wouldn¡¯t be exercising in a totally boring area.


    With her stuff taken care of, Alex chose a direction and started off, jogging at a decent speed along the long-abandoned sidewalk. She followed the fence, knowing that she¡¯d get a decent amount of magic exposure by just being this close to the portal. That meant all she really needed now was time.


    She kept telling herself that as she moved along the sidewalk, passing vacant houses and overgrown yards. In some ways, the atmosphere reminded her of the way the other world had looked; at least the sky was blue and the sun was shining though. If it had been too cloudy, she might have started looking for Grue just on principle.


    Her breathing was easy as she reached the corner of the containment area, and she made the turn easily to continue following it. She getting used to the difference in her speed; at first, she¡¯d been stumbling a little as her steps carried her a little farther than she was used to, but now she was starting to find the rhythm of it. It felt good; the empty homes and wild grass seemed to fly by as her feet pounded the concrete.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Alex made the second turn a few minutes later, and she was most of the way along the next side of the containment area when her Screen dinged and gave her an update.


    [Running has advanced to level 1!]


    She grinned and kept going. Part of the reason that she¡¯d taken Page was because Running was fairly simple to level, even outside of missions through the portal. Sparring with her fellow Surveyors might help do the trick, but that depended on having reliable teammates, as well as a bunch that were near her skill level, ready to just show up near a portal during their time off on her schedule. Running was going to be a much more dependable way to increase her Skills.


    Besides, it was just a useful Skill to have in general. Every military in history had needed to have some strength in their legs, no matter how advanced their technology had become, and that likely was always going to apply to Surveyors¡ªat least, until some egghead managed to get a Jeep through the portal somehow. Beyond that, she was sure that there would always be some useful ways to Chain it with the rest of her Skills. Her mother had made several hinting remarks along those lines, at least.


    She chuckled to herself and kept going. She wanted to at least hit level two in Running before she finished for the day, and that meant she needed to conserve her breath.


    Alex stood gasping underneath the tree where she¡¯d kept her water bottle. She¡¯d made it three laps around the containment area. Each time she passed by the guard post, Ron and the other guard¡ªMitchell, maybe?¡ªhad waved and she had waved back as she huffed along. Her fatigue had been in a fight with her steadily improving Skill. Each level in Running made it easier to keep going, but she was still very much human, and it showed as her pace slowed and her muscles burned.


    Finally, even her enhanced Speed and Running Skill weren¡¯t enough, and she¡¯d finally slowed to a stop alongside the tree. Alex had managed a few decent gulps of water before going back to trying to suck half the magic in the area into her lungs. At the very least, she had a burning sense of satisfaction along with the agony in her lungs. Running had hit level two, and she was certain that the next time she came to the area, she could get it to reach level three or four easily. If the Group gave her enough time, she might even manage to get it all the way to five before her next mission¡ªwhich would mean she¡¯d be able to use it to Chain to another Skill, giving her access to more advanced abilities.


    She was still congratulating herself on the fruits of her hard work when she heard engines revving. Alex turned to look towards the guard post, seeing a small convoy of vehicles arrive. She watched as Ron trotted out to talk with the people in the first vehicle, and then as he made a cursory check of the rest of the vehicles. A moment later, he was waving them all through the checkpoint. The cars drove into the containment area and headed straight for the portal, which wasn¡¯t all that surprising. It wasn¡¯t like there was a whole lot else for anyone to come here for, anyway.


    The third car in the convoy slowed as it passed where she was standing, and Alex felt a little surprised when it came to an abrupt stop. She watched, still catching her breath, as the rear door of the vehicle opened, and a man in a Golden Swallow uniform stepped out.


    Her breath caught for a moment. The man wasn¡¯t wearing the grey uniform of a standard Surveyor or the immaculate black uniform of a team sergeant. Instead, the man was wearing the white uniform of a high ranking Golden Swallow Surveyor, one who was at least a C rank. The Golden Swallow Group only had so many Surveyors of that rank, and her mouth went dry as the man walked across the sidewalk towards her. Behind him, the car started moving again, following the other two towards the portal.


    He was an older man, with a full beard and mustache. Flecks of white peppered his beard, with streaks of it at his temples. She didn¡¯t see a weapon on him, but judging by the¡­restrained way he moved, he probably didn¡¯t need any outside of whatever he found on the other side of the portals. His grey eyes weren¡¯t as calculating or angry as she¡¯d been worried about, but he did seem mildly curious.


    She straightened up under his study, and he came to a stop a short distance from her. ¡°Ms. Morrison, I presume?¡±


    His voice had a smooth tone to it, as if he was a bit more cultured than the people she was used to hearing. The accent sounded a little off too, like he was visiting from out East. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me.¡±


    He nodded, offering her a polite smile. ¡°My name is Dylan Forsmith. May I ask what you are doing here? I was under the impression that you and the other new recruits had been given some leave.¡±


    Alex¡¯s eyebrows had climbed halfway to her hairline. She knew that name. Her mother had occasionally mentioned it back while she was working. Was this one of the people that she¡¯d been warned about? ¡°I¡¯m just doing some Skill training. Is that a problem?¡±


    Forsmith raised an eyebrow. He seemed faintly amused. ¡°No. Not as such. In fact, the Group is always glad to see its Surveyors so dedicated to their advancement. So long as their advancement is along the lines the company deems fit, of course.¡±


    She stayed silent, suddenly sensing she was on dangerous ground. It had sounded far too much like an invitation to criticize the company, and her recognizing the name didn¡¯t mean that he was a friend. He watched her for a moment longer, and then nodded. ¡°In any case, I am glad to see that you are fitting in, Ms. Morrison. Please feel free to take the rest of the day off. I insist.¡±


    The implied hint was a bit too strong to just ignore. Alex stared at him for a moment longer and then forced a laugh. Whatever he was up to, and whatever the company was doing here, it had nothing to do with her. Besides, she was about done with her run for the day. She picked up her water bottle and other possessions, careful to move casually. ¡°Sounds like a wonderful idea, Mr. Forsmith. Thanks for your suggestion.¡±


    ¡°It is no problem at all.¡± He turned and started back towards the street where the convoy had passed. She watched him go for a little longer, and then headed for the checkpoint. If the C rank said go home, you went home. At least, until you made it to C rank yourself.


    Then she could do whatever she wanted.


    ¡°Dylan Forsmith?¡± Her mother frowned. ¡°Yes, I remember him. What about him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s working for Golden Swallow now.¡± Alex paused while she was testing the edge of her axe and then continued in an even voice. ¡°Apparently he knew who I was, and talked to me while I was resting after my run.¡±


    ¡°He did?¡± Muriel¡¯s frown deepened. She tapped the point of her practice saber against the ground, clearly thinking over what she knew. ¡°That is interesting.¡±


    ¡°Interesting how? He seemed like he wanted me away from whatever the Group has going on at the portal.¡±


    ¡°Probably because the Group wants whatever it is kept quiet.¡± Muriel swung her sword up and across her shoulders, rolling her head back and forth. There was a series of pops and cracks as she loosened up her neck. ¡°Dylan was known for his discretion. Companies that hired him were typically looking to keep their business out of the public eye.¡±


    Alex made a face. ¡°So he¡¯s some kind of black ops guy? That¡¯s not a good thing at all.¡±


    Her mother shook her head. ¡°No. Not quite. Think more like a sensitive project or delicate research. Something a company didn¡¯t want corporate spies to pick up, or was worried about getting thrown off by public protests.¡± She smiled. ¡°He was never accused of covering up anything illegal, of course. He¡¯s more just¡­careful.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying I don¡¯t need to be worried about him?¡± Alex watched as her mother¡¯s face twitched.


    ¡°Oh no, I wouldn¡¯t say that.¡± Muriel shrugged. ¡°If Clean-Slate Forsmith is involved, you should absolutely be on guard for something unexpected happening, because I can guarantee you that Golden Swallow is anticipating the possibility. They wouldn¡¯t shell out the money for him for no reason at all.¡±


    ¡°And whatever he¡¯s there to manage, it involves the portal I¡¯m being sent through.¡± She felt a slight chill.


    Muriel nodded. ¡°All the more reason for you to prepare. Are you ready?¡± She brought the practice sword off of her shoulder and brought it up into a forward guard position.


    Alex brought up her own shield and her axe, trying to shake off her own misgivings. Her mother might have been wounded, but she hadn¡¯t earned the moniker Crimson Blade for nothing.


    For a long moment, they watched one another in silence.


    Then her mother moved, the sword in her hand leaping out in a single blurring stab that seemed to be aimed straight for her.


    Alex moved to the left, pivoting to put her shield between her and the practice blade. The glancing impact still had enough force to jar her arm, but she ignored it and lashed out with her axe. She didn¡¯t aim for the sword; instead, she reached past it, so that when she yanked the axe back, the head caught her mother¡¯s sword, trapping it between the edge of her shield and her weapon.


    She heard her mother give an approving grunt, and she grinned as she pivoted even harder, binding up her mother¡¯s weapon and trying to tear it loose from her mother¡¯s grip. It took a decent amount of strength, but she sent the practice sword flying across the yard. Alex shouted in victory and turned back, ready to swing at Muriel¡¯s torso.


    Her mother wasn¡¯t there, however. Muriel had ducked past her daughter, leaping for her lost sword. Alex yelped in surprise and ran after her, axe still ready to come down on Muriel¡¯s back. She was too slow, still; Muriel recovered her sword and pivoted in a crouch. Her sword came around, moving like the head of a viper.


    Alex had just enough time to crouch low and bring her shield in line before her mother exploded out of the crouch in another stabbing lunge. The impact hit her square on the boss of her shield, jamming her arm back against her chest and physically driving her back a pace. By the time she¡¯d regained her balance, her mother had withdrawn a step, and was smiling at her.


    ¡°You really are faster now. A little bit.¡± Her mother started to circle her, her stride a casual, predatory gait. ¡°Stronger, too. That weapon bind wouldn¡¯t have worked on me before.¡±


    ¡°Happy to show some improvement, Mom.¡± Alex tried to keep her breathing even, watching her mother¡¯s stance. Muriel had been more than happy to help her daughter learn to stay on her toes. She remembered the bruises well enough that she had no intention of lowering her guard. ¡°Do you think it would work as well against a spear?¡±


    ¡°A two handed version?¡± Muriel looked away, as if thinking it over. Alex wasn¡¯t even close to being fooled by it. ¡°Maybe. They¡¯ll have a bit more leverage with a second hand on the haft, but at the very least, you should be able to make them stumble. Given how weak they are, that might have been enough to finish them off before the¡ª¡±


    The attack came with blinding speed, and despite her careful watch, Alex nearly took the slash in the face. She brought her shield up just in time, and it still drove her back. Her arm went numb for a moment, and Alex gritted her teeth as a pulse of pain began to beat its way through the haze. ¡°Good block! I¡¯m not sure you¡¯d have been able to stop that before.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Alex gritted her teeth against the pain and then shifted her stance. Staying on defense all the time might be safer, but it wasn¡¯t the way she liked to play such things.


    Her mother began to circle again, and Alex let her get three steps before she charged. Muriel responded immediately with a counterthrust, hitting Alex¡¯s shield nearly on the very edge of its left side. Alex grunted as the blow forced her shield to pivot out of its defensive position. She continued her charge, though, bringing her axe around in a flat cut.


    Her mother spun in front of her, and Alex let out a shocked oomph as Muriel performed a brutal back kick straight to her sternum. Her breath went out of her in a rush, and Alex¡¯s feet left the ground. She flew a couple feet backward before landing flat on her back, coming to a stop short of the garden that lined a part of the fence.


    Alex lay back, staring up at the bright blue sky, and focused on breathing. Mentally, she berated herself for leaving herself that open, but another part of her grudgingly admitted that her mother was still just as terrifyingly competent as she had been before Alex¡¯s transformation into a Surveyor. Just because her mother was wounded and Alex had reached level one, it didn¡¯t mean that the Crimson Blade was any less dangerous as a sparring partner.


    Muriel¡¯s face came into focus above her, between her and the unclouded sky. Smug satisfaction and motherly concern warred for prominence on her face. ¡°You all right, Alex?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah. Just got me pretty good.¡±


    Muriel stabbed her wooden sword into the dirt and reached out to help Alex up. Disgruntled, Alex grabbed her hand and Muriel pulled Alex to her feet without any appreciable challenge on her mother¡¯s part. She spent a few moments still heaving and gasping for breath, while Muriel patted her lightly on the shoulder.


    ¡°You need to watch for that when you¡¯re in a fight. It might not happen that easily when you are one on one, but if you¡¯re facing two enemies, one could pivot your shield while the other one takes the opening. Be willing to dodge or block with your axe instead of continuing the charge right into their trap.¡±


    Alex nodded along, still recovering. It took her a few more minutes¡ªwhich her mother helpfully filled with other advice on her stance, her angle of attack, and how to breathe after taking a hit¡ªbut eventually she hefted her axe and gave her mother a nod. They withdrew a few paces, ready to begin again.

 B1Ch4: When It Rains

    ¡°Welcome back!¡± Liliana¡¯s grin was once again blindingly bright. The other Surveyors on Alex¡¯s team were not quite as excited, but they were no longer nearly as nervous as they had been.


    Alex was mostly feeling eager to begin. She¡¯d spent the past three days getting bruised by her own mother, running in the containment area, and waiting with thin patience for her next mission. Now that it was finally here, she was practically vibrating with excitement over the chance to go prove her skills once again.


    ¡°We have an exciting opportunity for all of you today!¡±


    Suddenly Alex¡¯s enthusiasm flowed out of her, like water down a drain.


    Liliana continued, apparently unaware of Alex¡¯s mounting unhappiness. ¡°Today we are going to be indulging in a little competition between your team and my coworker¡¯s team over there.¡± She nodded over to where a quartet of boys had gathered around another black uniformed team sergeant. They seemed universally athletic and well-armed, with all of them standing easily taller than even Clara. One of them looked over at their team and smirked.


    ¡°Your competition is this.¡± Liliana¡¯s smile turned coy. ¡°The first team to complete their main Quest and return to the portal wins! Our winning team will gain an extra day of luxury time, while the other team will be assigned additional teamwork exercises.¡±


    Alex blinked. She couldn¡¯t imagine a worse way to run a Survey. If both teams committed to the contest, they would be rushing through the other world, searching for targets without being careful. They could run into ambushes, hit traps set up to catch them, or something even worse. For what, an extra day off, or some brownie points with the Group? What would that be worth if somebody ended up dead?


    She opened her mouth to say so, but before she could, Joanna spoke up first. ¡°We won¡¯t let you down, team sergeant. Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Alex was left gaping after them as the others marched towards the portal, their weapons ready. She glanced back at Liliana, who made a shooing gesture and raised her eyebrows. Then she turned and stomped after her team, lining up beside them at the portal. Their competition lined up to their right, hefting their own weapons and grinning. It was hard not to imagine them all standing at the edge of a precipice, especially with the vortex of the portal yawning open in front of them.


    Liliana stood with the other team sergeant and raised her voice, speaking clearly over the sound of the portal. ¡°Okay! Ready, set, go!¡±


    As one, all eight Surveyors stepped forward, and Alex once again fell into the light.


    She found herself standing in the same bright chamber, and her Screen once again activated of its own accord.


    [E Rank Surveyor Alex]


    [Ascension Level: 1]


    [Role: Page (Class Skills: Running(4), Dodging(0)]


    [Role Level: 1]


    [Experience: 0/300]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 1, Speed -> 2, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Role Skills: Melee¨CAxe(4), Melee¨CShield(4)]


    [Permanent Skills: None]


    [Current Titles: None]


    She hadn¡¯t managed to reach level five with Running after all; her progress each day had reduced dramatically, and by the end of the day yesterday she¡¯d needed to go the extra mile¡ªliterally¡ªto get to level four. Still, it would put her on the edge of hitting level five, and if she managed to get Axe and Shield leveled up enough¡­


    The Screen shifted, and Alex had to suppress a groan.


    [Quest Issued! Destroy four Grue Soldiers.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    She¡¯d been warned that Quests grew more difficult with each level, but she hadn¡¯t expected it to double the number of targets for reaching level one. If the other team was still at level zero, it would mean that her teammates would be searching for twice as many enemies in the same amount of time. The day was looking worse and worse.


    Deeply unhappy, she dismissed the Screen, and waited for the chamber of light to dissolve.


    Moments later, Alex stepped out into the other world.


    This time, the sky was much, much different. Where it had been a dull grey ceiling before, the clouds had grown dark and threatening. She heard a rumble of distant thunder overhead and blinked. Something told her that being in this place when it rained was a bad idea. It was a feeling that grew as she looked around at the deserted street and ruined homes.


    The other team spent a moment looking around as well. Then they wheeled to the left and went off, trotting down the pavement with their heads swiveling. Alex grimaced at them, and half-expected to see something jump them before they made it down the road.


    Joanna saw them leaving and immediately started off in the opposite direction. ¡°Come on! We can¡¯t let them beat us.¡±


    Alex repressed the desire to start swearing under her breath and took off after her. She heard Clara and Audrey come up in her wake, and another roll of thunder gave the situation an appropriately ominous background.


    The first ambush happened when they were jogging past a large house on the right. It had once been a Mcmansion of sorts, with three stories and an extra wide front that nearly spread across the entire yard. Whatever catastrophe had driven the inhabitants to flee, however, had led to the collapse of the upper floors, leaving the remaining structure a tangle of shattered wood and crumbled drywall.


    Three Grue had hidden inside that snarl of rubble until her team was most of the way past the structure. Her first warning of their attack was when Clara screamed. Alex turned and sprinted back towards the Grue, reaching the first one just short of the Acolyte.


    She brought up her shield and leaned into the impact. Alex managed to catch the incoming spearpoint near the center of her shield, and as metal rang against metal, she heard the Grue¡¯s spear snap. The Grue rammed into the shield a heartbeat later, its threatening growl cutting off with a shocked yip. It fell over, and Alex nearly stumbled over it as momentum carried her forward.


    Alex recovered enough to bring her axe down on it, hitting it in the chest before it could lash out at her. It went still, just in time for another Grue to leap at her, scrabbling at her shield and nearly sticking its spear into her thigh.


    She reacted on pure reflex, slamming the edge of her shield down on the spear¡¯s haft. It didn¡¯t snap, but the Grue did lose its grip on the thing. When it bent over to try to scrabble the weapon off of the pavement, she punched the shield forward and caught it square on the skull. The Grue went over onto its back, and she stepped forward to bring her axe down again.


    When it lay still, she pivoted to see where the last one had gone, and saw it slump to the pavement. Joanna had cut it down, still breathing hard. The girl had a wild look in her eyes, and she seemed slightly frightened.


    The reason why became clear as Alex looked back at the other two Surveyors. Audrey was grimacing as she clutched at a wound on her upper left arm; blood was seeping through the grey cloth. The Squire grinned. ¡°Managed to get a little bit too much in the way. Sorry.¡±


    Clara¡¯s hands were shaking a little as she drew out a small vial with a cork in it. The pink liquid shimmered with light, and as Clara popped the cork out, Alex could smell the magic coming off of it. ¡°Here, drink a bit. Not too much, though.¡±


    Audrey nodded, taking it carefully. Healing potions were rare; nobody would try to use a complete one on a simple flesh wound. She took the vial carefully, obviously not wanting to fumble it and waste the resource. Putting it to her lips, she slowly tipped it back to give herself a sip.


    She barely drank more than a mouthful before she handed it back to Clara. She let out a long, drawn out gasp a moment later, shuddering as magic flooded through her. Alex saw something shimmer beneath the blood, and then Audrey pulled open the cut fabric a little to look at the newly repaired flesh. ¡°Well, how about that?¡±


    Alex stepped forward to see it, only to be distracted by the Screen.


    [Melee¨CAxe has advanced to level 5!]


    [Melee¨CShield has advanced to level 5!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 2 of 4 targets destroyed]


    It was welcome news, though she wished one of her teammates hadn¡¯t taken a wound to achieve it. They still had thirteen Grue left to hunt down just to get the Main Quest done. How much would getting those objectives cost?


    She looked over at Joanna. ¡°We need to slow down. If they are setting up ambushes like that for us¡ª¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t fall behind.¡± Joanna¡¯s voice was a little shaky, but she was already starting to get ahold of herself again. ¡°If the other team gets done first, they¡¯re going to look like they are better than us. Better teams get better treatment and better missions. Do you want to spend the rest of your time here picking up scraps?¡±


    Alex blinked. Joanna looked at the others. ¡°What about you? Do you want Liliana to think she can¡¯t rely on us? That we¡¯re a bunch of failures?¡±


    Neither of the other girls responded. Joanna nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s get going. Alex, take point again. We just need to spot them before they jump us next time. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Alex met her eyes for a moment. Then the fires lit by the dead Grue went out, and the others gathered the materials left behind. By the time they were done, it was already time to head out again.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Another rumble of thunder rolled overhead, and Alex tried not to scream back at it.


    She¡¯d been right about the rain.


    It started just after their second fight, right as the bodies of the four Grue burst into flame. The raindrops spattered and hissed when they made contact with the eerie fire; parts of the fallen creatures seemed to dissolve and drain away rather than combusting. It didn¡¯t do anything to improve the ruins around them, or the state of the broken street they had fought on.


    At least this time she¡¯d caught sight of the Grue early. They had been hiding on both sides of the road, two in a still-intact garage and another two in the bushes outside a relatively untouched condo. Clara had put one of them down before they¡¯d even had the chance to charge, and the remaining three had not done well when forced to face Surveyors in an even fight. Then it had been a matter of collecting the materials and moving on through the steadily worsening storm.


    The third fight had been a bit more of a problem. Two Grue had been hiding up in the branches of a tree. Alex had barely managed to dodge one of them when they came down, the spear already extended to stab. Joanna had taken a shallow gash from the second one before Clara took it out with a snapshot; the other one had been trying to chase after Alex when Audrey had caved in half its torso a moment later. It took another gulp of portion to set Joanna¡¯s wound right, and then they were hunting again.


    All that while, rain kept pouring down, turning the ruins into sodden piles of wreckage and filling the gutters with temporary streams. Any sounds their enemies might have made were being covered up by the pattering of the rain all around them, and every gust of wind seemed to cut right through her standard Golden Swallow uniform. It wasn¡¯t even easy to look around as the water ran down into her eyes.


    There was a distant flash of lightning, followed by yet another slow roll of thunder filled the air. Alex flinched. Being outside in the storm seemed like less and less of a good idea.


    She caught sight of a larger building up ahead. The roof seemed more or less intact, which looked good to her half-sodden self. Alex headed straight towards it, hoping that no more Grue were waiting between her and the place. The others continued to follow her, apparently still trusting her to lead them to where they needed to go.


    Alex caught sight of a loading dock through the wind and rain, and headed for it. Whatever disaster had struck here had apparently happened while someone was unloading an empty semi-truck just outside it; the retractable door stood partially open. She stalked up alongside the semi, hearing the rain hammering on the metal roof of the trailer and seeing the streams of water falling from the flat top.


    Joanna stalked up next to her, her face twisted with anger and frustration. ¡°What are you doing? We¡¯re supposed to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shh.¡± Alex held up a hand. She¡¯d heard something above the noise of the rain. Had something thumped inside the trailer? With a few quick gestures, she got the others to group up with her. Clara slid forward beside her, a bolt already slotted into her crossbow. They moved forward, ears straining to hear through the rattle of noise for something significant.


    They were nearly at the end of the trailer when Alex heard it. A low growl, almost inaudible in the storm. She nodded to Clara and tightened her grip on her weapons. She¡¯d need to rush in and keep the Grue cornered up, at least long enough for the others to get into position. From there, she could finish one off, and maybe push one into the corner for Clara to finish off. If there were enough Grue inside, it might be the second to last fight they¡¯d need to go through before they could head back to the portal.


    Alex was still thinking over her plans when a Grue swung around the side of the trailer and splashed into the water pooling around the back of it. It froze, obviously surprised by the sight of four Surveyors facing it.


    Before it had the chance to do anything more, Clara fired her crossbow. The bolt took it straight in the chest and hurled it backward into the stone wall behind it. Audrey charged forward, and when a second Grue splashed down beside the limp body of the first, she smashed it to the ground with a single overhand swing.


    A third Grue tried to leap at Audrey from behind the trailer, but Joanna lunged forward as well and knocked the spear aside. She shoved her way in and stabbed the thing in the head. When it went over backward, Joanna followed, still stabbing wildly.


    The Grue lit on fire a moment later, the purple flame guttering in the puddles where they lay. Joanna reappeared around the edge of the trailer, breathing heavily. ¡°One left for each of us.¡±


    Alex nodded. ¡°Want to see if there¡¯s more inside? Might be easier than staying out in all of¡­this.¡±


    The Adept nodded, and they spent just long enough collecting the fallen gems before they made their way inside.


    The building turned out to be some kind of shopping mall, judging by the broad corridors and open storefronts. None of the words written on the signs made any sense; the script seemed entirely incomprehensible, and the graffiti scrawled across most of the available surfaces didn¡¯t make it much better.


    Still, there was enough left to show some signs of civilization. There were still stores full of clothing, and even mannequins that had been hacked apart with unsurprising savagery. Other places seemed to be restaurants, with signs that showed things like pretzels or hamburgers being sold. Unfortunately, none of the food appeared to still be there; all of the freezers looked like they¡¯d been thoroughly looted. There wasn¡¯t even anything left to rot.


    The signs of Grue were everywhere, though. Beyond the looting, graffiti, and vandalism, the entire building seemed to smell of the beasts. It wasn¡¯t just them, though; Alex thought that the scent of magic had grown thicker as well, tainting the air with a flavor of metal that grew worse the deeper that she went.


    Audrey paused beside one of the clothing stores, looking over the fabric. ¡°Do we want to take some of this stuff with us? Maybe the Group could use it for something.¡±


    ¡°No. Focus on the mission.¡± Joanna clenched her jaw as she stalked forward. ¡°We can come back here another day if we need to.¡±


    Clara exchanged a look with Alex. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we are going to be able to get back to the portal before the other team, Joanna. If they only had to kill eight of these things¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Joanna sounded like she was biting the words off as she spoke. ¡°There¡¯s always a chance that they made level one too. Or that they got stuck somewhere, somehow. We have to be able to win this. Otherwise¡­¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, Liliana is setting us up to fail. On purpose.¡± Alex said the words carefully, trying to keep them neutral. The way Joanna¡¯s shoulders slumped told her she had been thinking the same thing.


    ¡°But, but why would she do that? We¡¯re her team!¡± Clara seemed genuinely baffled. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make her look worse?¡±


    ¡°Only if her supervisors aren¡¯t in on it.¡± Alex felt grimly sure that they would be. ¡°Maybe they didn¡¯t like that we made level one so early, and felt like they needed to put up a roadblock for us. Maybe the other team has some connections that we don¡¯t. Either way, we¡¯re probably not looking at getting the reward they promised.¡±


    Joanna stayed silent for a long time. Their boots crunched through the debris left behind by a crumbling ceiling tile. Then the Adept swore, a quiet, vicious burst of profanity. ¡°So we¡¯re going to lose. There¡¯s no point in even trying. Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    Alex shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not saying we shouldn¡¯t try, Joanna. Just that we don¡¯t need to risk getting killed all for some stupid race we aren¡¯t even supposed to win in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Then what are we doing here?¡± Joanna spread her hands wide, as if to take in the entirety of the abandoned, defaced mall. ¡°Why even bother with any of it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m here for the superpowers.¡± Audrey¡¯s voice had a measure of forced cheer, but she was gripping her club like she was entirely serious. ¡°What are the rest of you here for, anyway?¡±


    Clara shrugged. ¡°Part of a scholarship deal with the Group. I stay in two years, they send me to college.¡±


    ¡°I figured you were one of those. I¡¯m telling you, though, you¡¯ll miss it when you are doing nothing but playing with graphing calculators all day.¡± Audrey shrugged and glanced at Joanna. ¡°What about you? Seems like you¡¯d be another scholarship kid, too.¡±


    Joanna shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m here for the money.¡±


    Audrey laughed. ¡°Seems like a lot of danger for a bit of cash. You sure about that?¡±


    The Adept gave her a glare. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a Surveyor forever. Do you know what a team sergeant makes? They don¡¯t even have to be much past E rank, and I wouldn¡¯t even need to go into another portal ever again.¡± Then she smiled. ¡°I¡¯m going to get there, and I¡¯ll be set. These missions are just my first steps.¡±


    Clara nodded slowly. ¡°That makes sense.¡± Then she turned to Alex, who had been dreading the question. ¡°What about you?¡±


    Alex looked away, trying to hide a grimace. ¡°I¡­want to make S rank.¡±


    There was a pause, and then Joanna burst out laughing. ¡°Are you crazy? How many S ranks are there? Three? Maybe four?¡±


    Audrey gave Joanna a look. ¡°Hey, not everyone has to be a mercenary, right?¡±


    ¡°True, but seriously, S rank?¡± Joanna shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re good, Alex, but you¡¯re not some kind of prodigy.¡±


    Alex hunched her shoulders, feeling the sting of the words. ¡°Do I have to be? Someone has to rise that high. Why shouldn¡¯t it be me?¡±


    ¡°Well, I think that it¡¯s a great goal to have, Alex.¡± Clara grinned at her, as if she was trying to be encouraging.


    Joanna snorted again, but she didn¡¯t say anything more. A brief silence fell as they made their way forward. Then, just as Alex was about to say something else, she stopped. There was a noise up ahead. The corridor opened up into a food court of some kind, and she was starting to hear a murmur of something like conversation from it. She lowered her voice to a whisper. ¡°Do you guys hear that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Audrey hefted her club, licking her lips in worry. ¡°How many do you think there are?¡±


    ¡°At least four.¡± Joanna gave the rest of them a significant look. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this and get home.¡±


    They crept forward, trying to keep to the side of the corridor that was the same as where the sounds were coming from. Alex took the lead, with Clara just behind her. She carefully peeked around the corner and tried not to gasp at what she saw.


    When she pulled back, Joanna had moved up by Clara. Her expression was impatient, but she kept her voice low. ¡°How many are there?¡±


    Alex ran through the rough count. ¡°Twelve. At least.¡±


    The Adept froze, and Clara turned pale. Alex turned back and peeked around the corner again.


    In the middle of the food court, there was a rough gathering of tents that seemed to simulate a camp of some kind. There was a purple bonfire burning in the middle, with a large, purple crystal hovering over it. Grue were all over the food court, lounging on the counters of abandoned stores or the benches where people had used to sit. Others were moving between the tents, their spears held loosely in their hands.


    To her side, the Screen¡¯s text appeared in a flare of green light.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Clear the Grue Camp]


    She grimaced and pulled back again. ¡°It¡¯s a Hidden Quest. If we clear it, we¡¯ll probably get something interesting.¡±


    ¡°No. No way.¡± Clara¡¯s hands were shaking. ¡°We get hurt taking them on four at a time. Twelve or more? We¡¯d be dead for sure.¡±


    Audrey was nodding reluctantly, but Joanna slid forward to crouch beside Alex. She peeked out and then drew back. ¡°There¡¯s a second floor to this place. Did we pass a staircase?¡±


    ¡°Sure, back there, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°We can double back and head upstairs. Maybe we¡¯ll get a better look at things from up high.¡± Joanna started to creep back along the hallway.


    Alex caught her. ¡°We don¡¯t need to do this. We can find some more at a different place.¡±


    The Adept snarled at her. ¡°You want to be a S rank, don¡¯t you? How long is that going to take if you keep avoiding risk?¡± She glanced at the others and seemed to relent a little. ¡°If it still looks bad, we can just turn back around and go looking again. The height might give us an advantage we can use, though.¡±


    It was a fair argument, but Alex thought she could hear her mother urging caution in her mind. ¡°You¡¯re sure about this?¡±


    ¡°We might lose this contest, but I¡¯m not going to let them call us losers.¡± Joanna gave her a grin. ¡°Let¡¯s head back with both Hidden Quests done, if we can. We¡¯ll see what team sergeant Liliana has to say about that.¡±


    Alex nodded, slowly. It didn¡¯t stop her from continuing to wonder if it was a bad idea, but it was better than running headlong into the camp, certainly.


    The stairwell was unlocked, fortunately, and they didn¡¯t run into any Grue on the way to the second floor. It exited out into another corridor full of empty shops, though here it looked like many of them were suffering from leaks in the ceiling. Unpleasant smells and ruined lighting made the whole place seem far more rank and rotting than the first floor, which didn¡¯t help Alex feel any more confident.


    Reaching the food court again was easy enough. The view from the top was not much better. There had to be close to twenty Grue creeping around down there, completely unconcerned with the rain that pounded on the enormous skylight above them. Alex peered down at them, trying to solidify the count in her mind.


    Joanna was crouched next to her. She wasn¡¯t looking at the camp; instead, Alex realized she was looking around the edges of the balconies overlooking the camp. The Adept glanced at her. ¡°No stairs to the second level, just the pair of escalators there.¡±


    She pointed, and Alex followed her gaze to the pair of deactivated escalators that led up to a small clear area on the second floor. There were Grue there, but only a handful. Guards of some kind, maybe? There weren¡¯t any tents, but the monsters were patrolling in an obvious pattern. ¡°You¡¯re thinking we could set up there? What if they come up the other stairwells?¡±


    Clara crouched next to them. ¡°We could probably try and lock the doors we can find. Anyway, if they do get through, we could always pull back, right?¡±


    Joanna nodded. ¡°Yeah. We can try to make sure there¡¯s another stairway in that direction that we could use.¡±


    Audrey grinned. ¡°I bet they all just rush up those escalators, though. Joanna and I could hold one. Do you think you and Clara could hold the other one?¡±


    Alex was still feeling misgivings about the whole things, but she was starting to see the possibilities. If they only ended up taking on the ones up top, that would at least complete the Main Quest for the mission. Everything after that would just be a bonus. ¡°Sure. For a little while, at least.¡±


    She just had to hope that would be long enough.

 B1Ch5: It Pours

    They spent the next few minutes creeping around and blocking off doorways with debris. There were at least four stairwells that they found, though the stairs had collapsed in one of them. Joanna had insisted on moving a large fridge in front of it anyway, just in case some of the Grue could jump that high.


    Then they moved towards the head of the escalators, keeping low and darting between the planters that were scattered across the upper balconies. The Grue were moving around the planters and benches that littered the area, completely oblivious to the Surveyors¡¯ approach. Alex and Clara had taken one side, and Audrey had joined Joanna on the other.


    The Acolyte seemed to have not as much to say as they crept up on their assigned targets. Joanna had told them to take out the two targets that were lounging around right at the top of the escalators. She and Audrey would ambush the ones that were lazily walking around the exterior.


    When they reached their position, Alex motioned for Clara to wait. The other girl nodded, getting into her stance and preparing her shot. She waited while the guards moved through their careless patrol. As soon as they got near to where Joanna and Audrey were waiting, Alex gave her a nod.


    Then, before she¡¯d even heard the snap of the crossbow, she was off and running for the Grue.


    She saw the bolt take one of them in the shoulder. It staggered, clutching at the projectile impaling it, and then lost its footing. There was a shocked yip as it tumbled over the side of the railing and fell towards the ground below.


    Alex didn¡¯t pay it any more attention, though. All her focus was on the other Grue, the one who was still half-frozen from shock as she closed in on it. When she was nearly to it, the thing grabbed for the spear still lying against the railing, and started a high, panicked howl.


    She slammed into it before the thing had gotten the spear into position, knocking it backwards against the top of the escalator. It dropped the spear and grabbed for the railing wildly, just barely managing not to fall. Alex rewarded it by bringing her axe down on the top of its head.


    As the corpse fell back, she looked over to where the other patrol had been, and was rewarded with the sight of both Grue on the ground. Audrey was already sprinting for one of the benches, which she and Joanna then began dragging over to the other escalator. Clara came up a few moments later, fighting to draw back the latch on her crossbow and fit a new bolt.


    In the corner of her vision, yellow words blazed to life.


    [Main Quest Completed]


    Alex nodded and set herself at the top of her escalator. The Grue below couldn¡¯t have missed the sounds of their friends getting killed. Any moment now¡ª


    A loud howl rose from the camp, and Grue streamed out of the tents towards the escalators. She saw some of them break off to head down the corridors for the stairwells, and she hoped that their improvised barricades held. There were a lot of Grue down there. Alex felt a small, panicked part of her wonder if they were just going to roll right over her team, and she shoved that fear aside as the first ones reached the escalator and loped up towards her.


    To her surprise, it seemed to take the Grue a while to get up the stairs. She¡¯d half-expected them to just sprint up the steps and try to pounce on her, but the incline seemed to be difficult. They weren¡¯t able to come at her more than two at a time, either, and even then, they seemed to jostle and fight each other as much as her.


    It didn¡¯t prevent the first of them from trying to impale her with its spear, however. Alex blocked the strike with her shield and then hit the Grue in the head with her axe. It stumbled, and she shoved it to the side. The next Grue spent a precious moment tossing its supposed friend over the side, and she shield-charged it to knock it back into the crowd of its friends.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy four additional Grue Soldiers.]


    [Melee¨CAxe has advanced to level 7!]


    [Melee¨CShield has advanced to level 8!]


    Alex disengaged to give herself a bit of space and watched the tangle of Grue struggle to sort itself out. To her right, Audrey and Joanna were holding their side of the platform fine; at least three Grue were already down, and the others were having a hard time getting past their makeshift barricade.


    She heard Clara gasp in relief as the catch for her crossbow finally caught, and resisted the urge to glance at the Acolyte. Better to focus on the swarm of monsters trying to claw their way up to her.


    The next Grue finally sprang forward, stabbing at her feet. Alex stepped aside, kicking the Grue in the chest. It resisted the hit, managing to avoid falling back again, but she ducked past the second stab¡ªaimed at her head¡ªand connected with one, two, three axe swings. This time the Grue went down, and two more were immediately trying to claw their way over it to get to her.


    Clara¡¯s crossbow snapped, and one of them sprouted a crossbow bolt in the skull, like a strange, blunt unicorn horn. It collapsed, and the other howled in rage as it tried to leap at her.


    Alex was ready, and she used her shield to shove it up and to the side. Claws scrabbled at her shield, and the spear struck past her head, drawing blood as it brushed her cheek. She ignored the line of fire that seemed to draw itself across her face, and shoved harder, this time forcing it up against the railing. The top of the railing caught it just behind its knees, and it went flying over the side to hurtle towards the tiled floor below.


    Grue were getting past the escalator now, stumbling past the obstacle the other bodies had made. Alex hit the closest with her axe, knocking it to the side. She smashed the next from behind with her shield; it fell stunned at Clara¡¯s feet. ¡°Use a bolt like a knife!¡±


    Then she spun and flung herself back at the top of the escalator. Her shield slammed into the next few Grue, briefly pushing them back. She had to keep them from getting past her. If they got through, they could hit Joanna and Audrey from the back. For that matter, if one just stabbed her from behind now¡­


    She risked a glance backward, and saw Clara stabbing the Grue at her feet frantically, a crossbow bolt in her hands. When it went still, the Acolyte screamed and hurtled herself at the other wounded Grue that was still rising.


    Then the Grue forced her back and she didn¡¯t have the luxury of worrying about Clara anymore. A spear came at her over her shield, and she reacted on instinct. Hooking it with the blade of her axe, she yanked down, using her shield edge as the fulcrum; there was a startled yip as the spear¡¯s owner lost the weapon. Another spear stabbed at her legs, and she dropped to a crouch, trapping it between shield edge and floor. The Grue had just a second to snarl at her in anger; one with its spear trapped, the other disarmed but for its claws.


    Alex lashed out with her axe as she rose, hacking away at both of them with everything she had. They fell back, howling, and she used her shield as a second weapon, smashing the left side Grue under the jaw with the edge. It toppled backwards, avoided by the ones below, and the other Grue took a backhanded blow that put the rear spike of her axe through its temple.


    It collapsed just as another Grue forced its way up. The spear came at her, and she once again trapped it between axe and shield. This time, she twisted in place, rotating like a top to rip the weapon away. The move through the Grue off balance; it was still staggering when she brought her axe up into its gut, once, twice, three times¡­


    As it slumped forward, a spear tore through its stomach and slammed into Alex¡¯s left leg. She screamed in surprise and shock, and jerked backwards. Blood sprayed from the wound, and she nearly collapsed on the now-wet tile. The spear withdrew and then got caught on the Grue corpse. A moment later, a snarling Grue vaulted the dying monster and crashed into her, with only her shield between her and its razor-sharp claws. Her axe went skittering away across the tile.


    It snapped at her, purple-dark fangs trailing smoke. Alex flinched, and it wrapped both arms around the shield to claw at her arms. She screamed a second time as the claws tore lines of agony along her forearms. The thing bore down on her, still grasping at her, and it was too heavy to throw off. Panic filled her as she realized all it had to do was go for her throat, and she¡¯d be done. There had to be something, some way to¡ª


    Something slammed into the Grue from the side, and the weight was suddenly gone. Alex rolled over and grabbed her axe, forcing herself up on her wounded leg. She spun to look for her next enemy.


    All she found was Clara, stabbing the one that had clawed her. There was blood on her uniform, but the Acolyte didn¡¯t seem to be worried about it, focused as she was on stabbing the Grue repeatedly. Alex looked at the escalator and felt a wave of relief when she didn¡¯t see yet more Grue coming up at them. A glance behind her showed that Joanna and Audrey were just finishing off the last of the things coming up their side.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    She felt a second burst of relief, followed quickly by incredulity. Had they actually done it? Alex went down on one knee, unable to keep standing on her wounded leg for much longer. Yellow text appeared in her vision.


    [Hidden Quest Completed! Additional four Grue destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Completed! Grue Camp cleared]


    [All Quests Completed!]


    [Melee¨CAxe advances to level 10!]


    [Melee¨CShield advances to level 11!]


    Apparently, the plan had been an astounding success. Purple flame abruptly sprung up from the corpses, sending Clara scrambling backwards in surprise. The Acolyte watched the burning body for a moment, and then spun to move over to Alex. ¡°Hey, stay with me here. Drink some of this.¡±


    Alex numbly set down her axe and took the health potion from Clara, trying to make sure she didn¡¯t drop the thing. There was blood all over her hands, and the forearms of her uniform were in tatters. She carefully tilted a little bit of the potion into her mouth as the scent of pure magic filled her nostrils.


    The liquid tasted like a thick, cherry flavored syrup. She swallowed it and coughed. Then she gasped and clutched at her arms; a ribbon of fire seemed to flow along each cut, burning and itching its way through her skin. Even the scratch on her cheek seemed to be made of fire. Clara took the vial back, and Alex gritted her teeth for a moment.


    Then the burning faded, and she took her hand away to look at her arms. The wounds had healed over, leaving thin, near invisible marks beneath the blood. Even her leg had been patched up, leaving a small, puckered scar. Alex scrubbed at the marks and then nodded to Clara. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Clara corked the vial and stowed it back in her pack.


    Down below, there was a crackling sound. Alex stood up and looked down into the camp. Her eyes widened as the hovering purple crystal above the unnatural bonfire shattered into fragments. The fire below it faded to nothing, even as the remaining Grue faded away.


    Joanna limped over with Audrey; both girls had taken wounds. Clara handed over her potion, and mere moments later, they were all healed. The Adept looked around and grinned. ¡°Shall we gather everything up? I think Liliana might be happy with what we bring home, even if we are a little late.¡±


    The rain had faded to a mere drizzle by the time they made it back to the portal.


    They hadn¡¯t run into any more Grue on the way; either the rain had driven them all indoors, or the destruction of the crystal at the camp had somehow cleared them out. Either way, they made good time, and were in front of the portal without any further ambushes.


    Each of them was carrying quite a bit of loot with them. The fragments of the camp¡¯s main crystal weighed Clara down, while Audrey had a pack full of the smaller crystals that the Grue left behind. Both Alex and Joanna had grabbed various items from the shopping mall after all, hoping to make up for the time by gaining more material.


    Standing in front of the portal¡¯s vortex, Alex felt her hope for their reception on the other side flag a little. She was still happy that her group had somehow cleared all their Quests, but something told her that Liliana wasn¡¯t going to see things quite the same way.


    She exchanged looks with the rest of her team, and then as one they all stepped through.


    Light once again surrounded her, and yellow text displayed immediately across the front of her vision.


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Purge Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! + 40 Experience]


    Alex¡¯s eyes widened in shock. That much experience would put her more than halfway to level two on her second Survey. No matter what Liliana said, the delay had been more than worth it. She owed Joanna an apology and her thanks.


    The text changed, and she felt her anticipation rise.


    [Melee¨CAxe increased from 4 to 11!]


    [Melee¨CShield increased from 4 to 11!]


    [Dodging increased from 0 to 1!]


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Melee¨CAxe and Melee¨CShield?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels.]


    The choice was easy for her. It was the plan she had been aiming for, after all. She chose to merge the Skills, and waited as a tingling sensation washed over her.


    [Skill Chain unlocked! Skills Melee¨CAxe and Melee¨CShield removed. Skill Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield gained! Skill Chain bonus gained! Title War Maiden gained (Increases Skill grade of Combined Arms and Weapon Mastery by one.)]


    [Skill Choice available. Please select an additional Skill.]


    If she had been able to, Alex would have performed a little dance, right inside the glowing void. Chaining her axe and shield Skills had always been the plan, but she hadn¡¯t expected to be able to do it at level ten instead of level five. Apparently, gaining it at a higher level meant she was going to see improvements in it as well. The improved Skill grade would be a major advantage; it would mean Combined Arms would be roughly three times better than the base level Melee skills, rather than only two.


    Since Alex intended on keeping Combined Arms for the rest of her career as an E rank Surveyor, she didn¡¯t mind having that advantage at all.


    Once she calmed down, Alex turned her attention to the next choice in front of her. With a free Skill slot, she wanted to gain something that she could level fairly quickly. Once she reached the level cap for Page, she¡¯d only have the chance to make one Skill permanent. Obviously the Skill she was going to choose was Combined Arms, but that didn¡¯t make the rest of her Skills pointless. Any levels that she gained in those other, discarded Skills would translate to additional Titles, and maybe even additional levels for the Skill she kept. In other words, the higher she went on any of her Skills, the deadlier she would eventually be.


    There were plenty of options, but she eventually settled on the Inspect Skill. It would help her team out when they were looking for loot or targets, and she¡¯d be able to practice with it in the buildings that surrounded the portal on Earth. She might not end up keeping it forever, but it would help her out in both the short and long term.


    With her path locked in for the next while, she dismissed the Screen and waited to be dumped back out into the real world. The green text vanished, and for a moment she just floated in the void, seemingly at peace.


    Then, with the familiar flash of light, she was out and stumbling a little as she returned to Earth alongside her team.


    It was refreshing, now, to arrive in a world where the sky wasn¡¯t pouring out buckets of rain on her. Her sodden, torn clothes still seemed cold, though, and Alex shivered a little as she hefted her gear and loot.


    Then she saw Liliana waiting for them. The team sergeant was not smiling this time. If anything, her expression seemed faintly disappointed. ¡°Welcome home, team. Unfortunately, you arrived significantly behind the other team, and as a result, you have forfeited the additional day of leave. You¡¯ll also be assigned a day of remedial training at the Golden Swallow facility in this area. I hope that you have learned from this experience, so that you can accomplish more¡ª¡±


    She broke off, apparently confused by the lack of devastated expressions on her team¡¯s faces. ¡°I also hope that you continue to take your Survey responsibilities seriously. Now, let¡¯s hear your report.¡±


    Alex exchanged amused looks with the others. Joanna was the first to step forward. ¡°Our team completed all of the Quests, including destroying a Grue Camp. We¡¯ve harvested more than twenty¡­¡±


    The expression on Liliana¡¯s face was interesting to watch, to say the least. She seemed equal parts baffled and frustrated, which was would have been confusing given the incredible success that Joanna was reporting. When Alex snuck a peek at the other team sergeant, he seemed to be trying to hide a smile. At one point, he actually coughed, attempting to conceal a laugh.


    When the Adept had finished, Liliana¡¯s face was grave. ¡°The next time, team, I would encourage you to focus on the instructions that you receive from the Group. If you had focused on your primary mission, rather than the Quests that you received from the portal, you might have enjoyed that additional day of leave.¡± She paused, drawing in a breath. ¡°At the same time, the company is proud of its Surveyors¡¯ dedication to the cause ahead. Thank you for your efforts.¡±


    She seemed to grow more and more unhappy as each Surveyor gave their report. By the time she got to Alex, who was going last, she already had a near permanent frown which seemed much more sincere than her usual smile. ¡°You¡­Chained a Skill? And selected a new one?¡±


    Alex heard a warning edge in the team sergeant¡¯s voice, and she schooled her face into complete neutrality. ¡°Yes, team sergeant.¡±


    ¡°Chaining Skills is considered a¡­subpar strategy by the Group. Further, your Skill choices seem to be deviating considerably from the standard Golden Swallow Group guides for your Role. You are not providing the most optimal support for the rest of your team, and I¡¯m disappointed in your lack of initiative.¡±


    There was actual fury in Liliana¡¯s voice, and Alex risked a sidelong glance at the others. They seemed incredibly uncomfortable. Joanna¡¯s face had shut down completely. Clara seemed a little scared, for some reason, though Audrey simply looked incredulous, like the Squire couldn¡¯t quite believe what she was hearing.


    Alex wasn¡¯t entirely surprised, though. She¡¯d taken one look at the ¡®encouraged¡¯ Skill development list for Pages and promptly thrown it out the window in the first place. On top of the way her team had more or less ignored the assigned time trial, her Skill choices had probably been the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear you are disappointed in me, team sergeant.¡±


    Liliana continued to glare at her for another moment. Then she smiled, an expression so patently insincere that it almost made Alex miss the scowl. ¡°Well. I¡¯m sure that we can have a discussion about it later. For now, let¡¯s get you back to the dorms so that we can prepare for the training tomorrow. Team dismissed.¡±


    Joanna led them down the platform to where the small bus was waiting for them. The other team was already onboard, wearing self-satisfied smirks. Their smiles went a bit uncertain when Alex smiled right back at them. It was irritating that they considered themselves the victors, but there was no way that her team had ¡®lost¡¯ at all today. They¡¯d see in time. She¡¯d make sure of it.


    The bus ride back to the dorms was blessedly short. Her team was a bit too tired to talk very much, but the other team had spent about an hour or two waiting. They were practically bouncing off the walls of the bus as they drove back, and their comments about ¡®slow-pokes¡¯ and ¡®tourists¡¯ kept setting her teeth on edge.


    Joanna seemed bothered by it too, but she still offered Alex a tight smile when they made eye contact. Audrey just rolled her eyes and went back to playing something on her phone. Clara was just quiet, her eyes relatively distant as she thought through her situation. Maybe she was worried about her scholarship deal? Alex hoped not; she didn¡¯t think that the Group would threaten her contract over a simple exercise, especially one they were meant to lose, anyway.


    She waited until partway through the drive and then leaned over to Clara. ¡°Hey, thanks again for the save back there. Pretty sure those Grue would have had me, not to mention the healing potion.¡±


    Clara blinked and looked over at her. The Acolyte offered her a small smile. ¡°It was¡­nothing, Alex. The best I could do, honestly.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I know I¡¯m not as skilled as the rest of you, but when I saw them all swarming over you¡­¡±


    Alex reached over and gave her shoulder a squeeze. ¡°You came through when it counted. That¡¯s what matters. We couldn¡¯t have done it without you.¡±


    The Acolyte nodded, seeming a little more reassured. She went back to her own thoughts and Alex went back to hers. It had been a very busy day.

 B1Ch6: Remedial Training

    Waking up in the dorms was not nearly as nice as waking up in her parent¡¯s house.


    First, instead of a nice, lush mattress, Alex had spent the night stuffed into a thin, narrow cot, one of the four in the room. They¡¯d stuffed her team into the same room, with Alex and Audrey taking the bottom bunks while Joanna and Clara claimed the top ones. They¡¯d all slept like the dead last night, but Alex could already tell that she wasn¡¯t going to look forward to sharing the room. Clara seemed like she snored a little¡ªmaybe a side effect of being scrunched up in the tiny space¡ªand Audrey occasionally talked in her sleep. Already, the room she¡¯d had at the now-closed Blue Riders facility was a fond dream.


    The addition of an alarm that they all had to share in common was not an improvement, either.


    Alex rolled out of the bed and slapped at the button to turn the ringing off. Joanna groaned¡ªshe hadn¡¯t liked the early wake up time either, but Audrey and Clara had insisted¡ªand Alex shook her head to clear the cobwebs from her mind. She remembered the events lined up for the day were going to start fairly early, but she was having a hard time remembering exactly what they would be doing.


    Audrey popped out of the other low bunk, bright eyed and bushy tailed. ¡°Morning! Guess we have that remedial training today, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah, sure.¡± Alex staggered back over to her bunk and grabbed her phone from the charger. It was already showing the schedule plan for the day, and she had to resist the urge to throw herself back into bed when she saw what Liliana had scheduled them for.


    They had at least two hours of obstacle course runs, along with ¡®appropriate team-building activities¡¯ for another hour after that. She was pretty sure that would just be a meeting where Liliana talked a lot, but it could be something worse, like trust falls or something. After that, there was another two hours of ¡®Corporate Standards Review¡¯, which did not look promising, followed by a minute fraction of time meant to give them a chance to eat. Unfortunately, it would be immediately followed by nearly three hours of personal sparring; given that she¡¯d just reset her main combat Skills to zero, Alex wasn¡¯t really looking forward to that one.


    The rest of the afternoon looked like it had been broken up by person. Joanna and Clara had been assigned to an introductory spellcasting class, something that would hopefully allow them to use their Acolyte and Adept Roles a bit more effectively. Audrey had been sent to help with something called Armory Weapons Testing, which Alex imagined she would do just fine.


    She, however, had been assigned to the Portal Analysis Department as a research resource. Something told her she was going to enjoy that experience as much as she did the cafeteria¡¯s lowest-bid-contractor food.


    Alex shook her head and set her phone back on the charger. The early start meant that she had an hour or two before she needed to head to breakfast. She looked around at her teammates and forced a smile. ¡°Who¡¯s up for a morning run?¡±


    Audrey was the only one who took Alex up on the offer, and by the end of the first ten minutes, the Squire had already checked out to head for the showers. Alex had kept going for a little longer on the company-provided track before she headed there herself. The exercise wouldn¡¯t help her gain a Skill¡ªnot in a low magic environment like the dorms¡ªbut it would keep her in shape, which was about as important. A slow Surveyor was a dead Surveyor, as her mother said. Her father had a similar bit of wisdom when it came to firefighters, actually.


    When she reached the cafeteria, it was already half full of other Surveyors. There was no one here above D rank, of course; C and B rank Surveyors were more than powerful enough to demand a chance to avoid staying in the dorms. Even some D ranks could manage to finagle their way into a contract that allowed them to live off campus, though some of them enjoyed the ¡®free¡¯ housing the Group provided. Of course, the housing costs and the food prices were just automatically deducted from their salaries, but it was easy to pretend it was actual generosity motivating the Group.


    She polished off the meal¡ªit was some of what her father called ¡®hotel eggs¡¯, all plastic and wobbly, combined with some passable hash browns and some milk¡ªand then headed off to the obstacle course. Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be as bad as she thought.


    It had been exactly as bad as she thought it would be.


    By the time she made it to her assignment at the Portal Analysis Department, her nerves were about as frayed as they¡¯d ever been. The obstacle courses hadn¡¯t been all that painful, and her sparring sessions hadn¡¯t been that bad¡ªher training with her mother had covered over the loss of her Melee Skills¡ªbut the team building and standards review had been the closest she¡¯d ever come to torture. If she never had to listen to Liliana¡¯s cheerful droning for another hour, it would be a spat of good fortune that she¡¯d never forget.


    Now she entered what looked a lot like a cross between a machine shop and a laboratory. The walls were a simple slate grey that suggested reinforced concrete, and the main room was full of broad workbenches where people in lab coats were hard at work. Some of the benches had a kind of flickering barrier put up around them, as if to isolate them from the rest of the room. Crystals, flasks of liquid, metalwork, and glowing runes were everywhere.


    One of the lab coated men caught sight of her and hurried over. He was broad shouldered, but not muscular. Wiry, with sandy blond hair and a quick smile. ¡°Hello! You must be Alexandretta Morrison. My name is Zachary Ellis. Welcome to the Portal Analysis Department.¡±


    He stuck out a hand, and she shook it. ¡°Hi. Just call me Alex.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Alex. I guess you can call me Zach, then.¡± He let go of her hand and stepped back. ¡°Thank you for coming by.¡±


    Alex gave him a crooked grin. ¡°I¡­didn¡¯t have much choice.¡±


    Zach had a brief flicker of sympathy cross his face. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Then he gestured for her to follow him as he started down the steps into the room. ¡°Still, I hope that with your assistance we can make some advancements here. Our department is not incredibly hooked in with most of our Surveyors, so your perspective will be invaluable.¡±


    ¡°My perspective?¡± Alex frowned. ¡°I¡¯m just an E rank Surveyor. I¡¯ve only been on two Surveys.¡±


    ¡°Two more than I have!¡± Zach glanced back at her. ¡°Our department, as small as it is, has the responsibility to analyze the artifacts brought back from the portals and to determine the effects of our missions on the gateways themselves. If there is something off about the portal, or conditions suddenly deteriorate near one, it is our job to figure out the what and why.¡±


    ¡°And how to fix it, too, I hope?¡± She tried not to sound too sarcastic, but the words still came out a little bitter.


    ¡°You and me both, Alex.¡± Zach led her towards one of the side rooms, where a desk and a couple of chairs were waiting. It looked well-used; stacks of tablets and paper covered a part of the desk in a sloppy pile, while a nearby bookshelf was half-filled with technical manuals. Alex recognized about half of them from her own collection at home; Zach had apparently studied portals about as much as she had.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been looking for a Surveyor to talk with for a while now¡ªthe Group has been telling us that there just haven¡¯t been any available¡ªso we have quite a few questions for you. If you don¡¯t mind, of course.¡±


    He gestured for her to sit and then took the chair behind the desk. Alex reluctantly settled in on the other chair. ¡°You have four hours of questions? That seems a little extreme.¡±


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Zach laughed. ¡°Well, you might underestimate our curiosity.¡± Then his face grew more serious. ¡°In all honesty, our department doesn¡¯t have much direct access to the Surveyors, and we don¡¯t have priority on the materials you bring back either. So the opportunity to meet with you when you aren¡¯t on actual missions is a unique chance to assess the situation from a better perspective.¡±


    It sounded like Liliana had found the most useless spot to put her in punishment for her choices. The message had been received then; war it would be. Outwardly, she tried not to look too grim. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t the primary responsibility of the Group to prevent their portals from destabilizing? Isn¡¯t your department at the center of that?¡±


    ¡°We are!¡± Zach nodded, his smile going a little off. ¡°In fact, our department is necessary for the Group to have portal access. Mandated by law, in fact, and our results are required to be made public as well, to encourage inter-corporate cooperation and promote public safety.¡±


    Alex frowned. ¡°So then why¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t copyright public information, Ms. Morrison. Can¡¯t make much money that way.¡± Zach leaned back in his chair with a sigh. ¡°And while the official mission of the Group is to protect the public from problems caused by the portals, their actual purpose is to make shareholders money. Which is why the majority of the material and access to portal assets goes to the Resource Development Department, not us.¡±


    Realization dawned. ¡°Oh. I see.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He stretched his arms, then laced his fingers together behind his head. ¡°So I imagine you must have gotten into a bit of trouble for them to send you here. A lot of people feel like we¡¯re a punishment detail. A dead end for their careers.¡± Zach raised an eyebrow at her.


    Alex flushed. ¡°Ah. Well¡ª¡±


    He brought out one of his hands and made a dismissive gesture. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m here because of a¡­disagreement that I had with a supervisor over in the RDD, so I know more or less how this all works. I don¡¯t blame you if you feel like this is a giant waste of your time, but I¡¯m just going to ask you to keep in mind that whatever we have you do is probably a lot more helpful for the regular folks than anything you¡¯re doing normally.¡±


    She studied him for a moment longer. ¡°A disagreement, huh? That sounds like an interesting story.¡±


    Zach winced. ¡°Not really. Besides, I thought I was the one asking the questions here?¡±


    Alex grinned. ¡°All right, well, let¡¯s do it this way. You get a question, I get a question. You know, in the spirit of colleagues helping each other out.¡±


    ¡°Troublemakers unite, huh?¡± Zach snorted. ¡°Okay, if that¡¯s how it has to work, then that¡¯s fine by me. Though I have to ask for a better exchange rate; I¡¯m not that interesting.¡± He held up four fingers. ¡°Four of my questions for one of yours. Best I can do.¡±


    ¡°Two.¡± Alex leaned forward, still smiling.


    ¡°Three. Best I can do.¡± Zach spread his arms, then linked his fingers behind his head again. ¡°Otherwise, we¡¯re going to end up sitting here in silence for a few hours. Not the best way to spend an afternoon, but at least I can catch up on paperwork. Maybe you can help me, Surveyor. Some of these spreadsheets are really tough.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s harsh.¡± Alex laughed. ¡°Fine, three. You go first.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Was that so hard?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She held up one finger, and he blinked in surprise. ¡°That was your first. Two left, smart guy.¡±


    Zach raised his eyebrows as high as they would go. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how we¡¯re going to play it. That should make this interesting.¡± He leaned forward, his eyes taking on a predatory glint. ¡°To your knowledge, has the magical energy leaving Portal Alpha-Nine-Four remained constant, or has it fluctuated at any point during your time near it?¡±


    Alex paused, the smile fading from her lips. She thought back over the scent of magic that had filled the air near the portal. ¡°I haven¡¯t noticed any real difference at all. Actually, there were a couple of times when the magic seemed to be stronger than it was at first.¡±


    His eyes narrowed for a moment. ¡°Can you tell me when it felt stronger, and what was happening around it at the time? Please be as specific as you can.¡±


    ¡°About three days ago.¡± She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should mention the convoy. Would someone in the PAD even know anything about it?


    ¡°Three days ago?¡± Zach glanced down at his desk. He tapped a tablet there a couple of times. ¡°You didn¡¯t have a mission scheduled, then.¡±


    ¡°No. I was doing some Skill training in the containment area, and noticed that the magic was a lot more tangible than it was for our last mission.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Interesting. That makes sense.¡± Zach nodded and tapped a few more times. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that Skills don¡¯t increase without the presence of magic, then.¡±


    Alex leaned forward, trying to get a peek at the tablet. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how it seems to work. Why were you asking about fluctuations?¡±


    He broke into a grin. ¡°That¡¯s your question. Now I get three more.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Ah ah ah, no complaining! I¡¯m not the one who started it.¡± Zach¡¯s grin grew a little wider. ¡°It matters because the whole point of the Surveys, from a public safety standpoint, is to contain the magic output of the portals. Each time a Survey goes in and comes back, they¡¯re supposed to absorb enough magical energy to negate some of the outflow. That doesn¡¯t mean the output is consistent, though. Conditions on the other side can modify how much energy is coming out, and increased output can suggest that things are not stable, or that the portal has become more dangerous. It could mean that a higher level Survey is required to get things back under control.¡±


    Then he tapped a few more things into the tablet, leaving Alex with her own thoughts for a moment. If the portal was growing more dangerous, it would mean it was less safe for E rank Surveyors like herself. Was that why they had sent in Forsmith?


    Zach finished his typing and looked up. ¡°Was there anything going on at the portal that might have suggested what had changed?¡±


    It was a dangerous question, given that an obvious cover up was involved. She paused, thinking it over, and then made a decision. ¡°There was a convoy from the Group there that day, headed for the portal. I didn¡¯t get close enough to see what they were doing, but I know a C rank Surveyor was present.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± She saw obvious calculations going on behind Zach¡¯s expression, and he very carefully took his hand away from the tablet. Perhaps making it obvious that he wasn¡¯t going to make a note of it. ¡°Interesting. Seems like the Group has already got a handle on it.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like it.¡± She mimicked his careful tone, even though his blankly neutral expression shouted something else. Her mother had been right¡ªmostly. The company was covering up something about the portal, and she needed to be careful going forward. It might have even been a mistake to mention it here. Was there a worse place than the PAD that they could assign her to?


    Zach nodded slowly and then gave her another smile. ¡°Well, with those out of the way, my last question this time is if you would be willing to wear this on your next Skill training session out there.¡± He opened a drawer in the desk and drew out a small strap with what looked like a medallion attached to it. There was a familiar-looking chunk of purple stone attached to it, though it had apparently been tampered with extensively.


    ¡°What is that?¡± She abruptly paused, but Zach¡¯s chuckle told her she was already way too late. ¡°Oh, come on. I¡¯m never going to get that story, am I?¡±


    ¡°Technically, that¡¯s two questions, but I¡¯ll give you both answers anyway. Out of charity, of course.¡± Zach slid the medallion over to her. ¡°This is a Magic Detection Meter. We have a batch of them set up around the containment area for each portal to help us monitor the output. I want to get a more direct reading, however, so if you could wear one of them on your next visit, it would be a huge help.¡±


    ¡°As for the story, well, all you have to do is ask¡ªwhen you get the chance.¡± He grinned.


    ¡°Think you¡¯re so clever, don¡¯t you?¡± Alex rolled her eyes at the smug expression on his face. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll wear the thing on my next run¡ªthough I don¡¯t know why you need extra readings if there are already a bunch there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I appreciate your cooperation.¡± Zach closed the drawer the monitor had come from. ¡°Now, what other questions can I ask you¡­ Oh yeah! When you went through the portal for the first time¡­¡±


    Roughly three and a half hours later, Alex staggered her way out of the PAD, feeling like a dishrag after someone had wrung every drop out of it. Zach had been extremely polite¡ªin a way that was entirely sincere, unlike Liliana¡ªbut that hadn¡¯t meant he wasn¡¯t an absolutely merciless interrogator. He¡¯d dredged every single detail out of her about her Skills, her experiences in the other world, and her interactions with the Survey Screen. Worse, he¡¯d been so clever with his questions that he''d been able to go over every detail two or three times, where she¡¯d been struggling not to give her own questions away for free.


    At least she¡¯d gotten the details of his ¡®reassignment¡¯ out of him, as far as he¡¯d been willing to discuss it. Apparently, one of his supervisors had been floating the idea of simply ignoring a few portals for a while until they had increased magic output, in the hopes that higher class materials could be recovered from them afterwards. Zach had been a little too vocal in opposing it, and as a junior member of the team, he¡¯d been given the boot. Not out of the company, of course, just out of any useful department.


    She touched the monitor in her pocket. There had to be some reason that he wanted her to wear it, beyond just confirming the readings he was already getting from the stationary ones in the area. Did he think that the on-site monitors weren¡¯t working somehow? Or was it something else? If someone like Forsmith caught her with it, would they instantly know what she was up to, or would they just dismiss it as irrelevant?


    Alex shrugged and made her way down the hallway. She¡¯d given her word that she¡¯d do it, so she wasn¡¯t going to go back on it now. Besides, something told her she was more willing to deal with Liliana being mad at her than she was to let someone as earnest as Zach down. Her father would be disappointed in her otherwise.

 B1Ch7: Unexpected Setbacks

    ¡°Today¡¯s mission will be a more standard one. Complete your Quests, do everything that you can, and then return with your materials for assessment.¡±


    Liliana seemed curiously satisfied with her situation, though she had been the sergeant of the losing team during the last exercise. It made Alex immediately suspicious, but perhaps it was just that the team sergeant believed her team members had ¡®learned their lesson¡¯ after the previous few days.


    Alex knew the others definitely were disgruntled about it. Audrey had apparently been turned into a practice mule and a test dummy for every crack brained scheme the Group¡¯s Armory could come up with, and both Joanna and Clara had been stuck studying spellcraft for hours upon hours. All of them were now itching to go on their next mission. The only exception was Alex herself.


    She couldn¡¯t blame her teammates for being eager. Normally, she would have been one of the first ones through the portal, given the chance. The problem was that she hadn¡¯t had the chance to train her Skills at all. Her new Combined Arms Skill was still at level zero, which meant that when she went through the portal, the only bonuses she would have for combat were going to be the minor Attribute increases she¡¯d gotten from leveling up as a Page.


    Fortunately, she still had the skills her mother had drilled into her, but she didn¡¯t know if that would be enough to make up the difference. One way or another, she was about to find out.


    The teams lined up to head through the portal. This time, they were going in one after another, with minimal delays between them. Magic was thick in the air around them, and Alex found herself thinking of the questions that Zach had asked her. Was it stronger now than it had been before? Or was it just the same, faintly metallic scent lingering in the air?


    At least the portal seemed fairly normal, by Survey standards. The same swirling white vortex was waiting for her to step into, and as the team in front of them walked into it, she glanced to her sides. Joanna seemed calm and focused, Audrey was excited, and Clara looked resigned. Hopefully, it wouldn¡¯t be raining again, and they would be able to find their targets quickly. Hopefully.


    She stepped forward with them, and the light swallowed her yet again.


    [E Rank Surveyor Alex]


    [Ascension Level: 1]


    [Role: Page (Class Skills: Running(4), Dodging(1)]


    [Role Level: 1]


    [Experience: 180/300]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 1, Speed -> 2, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Role Skills: Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield(0), Inspect(0)]


    [Permanent Skills: None]


    [Current Titles: War Maiden (Increases Skill grade of Combined Arms and Weapon Mastery by one.)]


    Nothing surprising there. Hopefully that would be something she said throughout the rest of the day.


    [Quest Issued! Destroy four Grue Soldiers.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    Again, no surprises. So why did she feel so on edge?


    She took a deep breath¡ªif it was even air that she was breathing in this chamber of light¡ªand dismissed the screen. All she had to do was kill a bunch of Grue, probably, and she¡¯d be nearly all the way to level two. Her Combined Arms Skill would gain levels as she fought, so by the end of the mission, she might even be back where she was in terms of bonuses. There was nothing to worry about.


    Alex kept telling herself that as the flash of light washed over her.


    The other world wasn¡¯t quite as miserable today.


    There were still the ever-present clouds, of course. Alex was starting to wonder if the place was actually somewhere in Washington or Oregon, with the complete lack of sunshine. Then again, who said this planet was even related to Earth at all?


    Wherever it was, rain didn¡¯t seem to be on the table, and she didn¡¯t hear any lightning either. Alex hefted her weapons and glanced at her teammates. They all nodded back at her, and then they started out into the ruined houses of the portal world.


    Unlike before, they could already hear the sounds of battle from one of the other teams in the area. It was a little disturbing, hearing shouts and howls so close, but it only emphasized the fact that they needed to find their own targets. Alex kept quiet and tried putting her new Inspect Skill to the test, looking for signs of the enemy in the trees or grasses. She didn¡¯t see anyone peering out at them, yet, but she was sure they would run into the Grue soon enough.


    Joanna spoke up, keeping her voice low. ¡°Let¡¯s head back towards the Mall. Maybe the Camp came back, and we can just get our kills there.¡±


    Alex nodded. She wasn¡¯t looking forward to taking more wounds, but if they managed another full clear on their Quests, they¡¯d actually reach level two right away. Plus, it would mean they wouldn¡¯t need to tromp through the whole suburb looking for the enemy.


    They made the turn at the next intersection and started down the road in the vague direction of the shopping center. She doubted they would make it all the way there without trouble, but it was worth heading in that direction, anyway.


    Sure enough, about two streets later, a group of five Grue came howling at them from the bushes on the left side of the street. They nearly caught Alex flat-footed; she¡¯d been peering at a suspicious-looking tree on the right side, trying to catch sight of any ambushers hiding in the branches.


    Fortunately, her teammates were a little more on the ball than she was. The closest Grue took an immediate crossbow bolt to the neck and dropped like a stone. Joanna and Audrey both darted forward alongside her, their quicker reactions making up for their slower Speed. Alex aimed for the one in the middle and tried to take its spearpoint directly on the center of her shield.


    The impact stung a little, but it was worth seeing the Grue suddenly try to stop its charge as she knocked the weapon from its hands. She swung at it twice, connecting both times, and the thing dropped.


    It fell just in time for the second Grue to dart in at her from the side, a spear already aimed to twist her shield to the side. The impact wrenched it away slightly, and Alex grunted as she turned to face the thing. It was already lashing out with a fist full of claws, and she barely managed to punch the head of her axe up and into the Grue¡¯s hand. It yipped in pain, drawing back slightly, and Alex stepped forward. She brought the edge of her shield around to smash into its head, and then finished it off as it dropped.


    A moment later, as the rest of the Grue went still, she checked her Screen.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield has advanced to 2!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 2 of 4 targets destroyed]


    So the new Skill still leveled as quickly as a lower level one; that was good to know. Only a few more fights and she¡¯d be right back up to around where she was before she made the change. It was an encouraging start, and as the bodies of the Grue burst into purple flame, she smiled.


    The Grue fell, thrashing in place before Alex finished it off with a second hit. She spent a moment catching her breath, hearing Audrey loudly finishing her own opponent off a short distance away.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield has advanced to 4!]


    [Main Quest Completed]


    All four of the Grue bodies started to burn, and she looked at the others. Joanna was breathing about as hard, and Clara looked a little shaken as well. The Acolyte looked from where her own target had gone down to the others. ¡°Is it just me, or are there a lot more of these things?¡±


    Alex had to agree. It was the third fight in four streets. Her team still hadn¡¯t even made it to the shopping center yet; they were still just in the middle of a normal street, surrounded by single story condominiums. ¡°They have bigger groups, too. If we hadn¡¯t gotten so used to this¡­¡±


    Audrey nodded. ¡°Makes you wonder how the other teams are doing today. Or is it just us that¡¯s running into this?¡±


    Joanna shook her head, and again Alex had to agree. There had been constant sounds of battle echoing over the ruins, though they all echoed in from far enough away that they were out of sight. ¡°Hard to say, but I¡¯m just glad that we know where we are going. Let¡¯s get moving again. Audrey and I still need a kill each to finish the main Quest and then we can work on the others.¡±


    They all nodded, pausing just long enough to collect the crystals from the now-vanished corpses. At least Alex now knew what the Group wanted those for after asking Zach; it turned out manufacturers could use the gems as ingredients for super-small batteries in things like tablets and phones. Then they were up and moving. There were only a handful more blocks between them and the shopping center.


    Alex took up the forward position, prepared to lead the way again. She started towards the next turn¡ªand then stopped as a howl rose over the ruins.


    It froze all of them in their tracks. The sound was unlike anything she¡¯d heard from the Grue before. She thought it sounded like-like a horn of some kind? Did the Grue have those? If they did, then what did they mean?


    She was still listening when another howl rose to the north. They all spun to face in that direction, eyes wide. Then another rose to the south, and another to the east, another west¡­


    The howls were hard to count after that, seeming to come from everywhere. Alex¡¯s blood seemed to freeze solid as she recognized what they were at last. Her mother had talked about something similar to them before, at other portals. None of those stories had ended well for the Surveyors involved. ¡°We need to get back to the portal. Now.¡±


    Clara nodded, but Audrey snorted. ¡°Easy for you to say. You¡¯ve already got the Quest finished. Right Jo?¡±


    Joanna didn¡¯t respond right away. She was facing back the way they had come, her face curiously still. Audrey nudged her, and the Adept seemed to come out of a daze. ¡°That first one¡­ it came from where the portal was. Are they there waiting for us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they probably are.¡± Alex turned and started back in that direction. ¡°There¡¯s more of them hunting us, too, but there¡¯ll be some waiting near the exit. We¡¯ll need to be quick if we want to get out.¡±


    Clara looked at her, her face pale. ¡°How do you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Either way, I¡¯m not sticking around here to find out how many we have coming after us.¡± She paused as more howls started up, far too close for comfort. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s move.¡±


    Audrey shouldn¡¯t have worried. They ran into the first band of hunters just two blocks from where they¡¯d heard the howls. There were ten of them, all armed with spears and searching for prey. Clara had barely reloaded her crossbow before she dropped to one knee and picked the second-closest one off. The others froze for only a moment.


    Then they all charged, howling for blood.


    Alex met them halfway, yelling for all she was worth. Waiting for them to reach her would give them the chance to flank her, and she had no reason to do that.


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    She took the first spear against her shield, snapping it and shoving the Grue off balance. Alex didn¡¯t wait to finish it off, not with more behind it. Instead, she pushed past, ducking under another spear before cutting the leg out from under a second Grue.


    The crippled Grue died as Joanna reached it, and Alex focused on the next one. It came straight at her, and she barely had enough time to bring the shield back and block the strike. She planted her axe square between its grey eyes and wrenched it free as it collapsed. Another one came at her before the weapon came free, and she jerked to the side. The edge of the spear brushed her ribs, and she grunted as it drew a line of pain on her torso.


    Then she took the edge of her shield and smashed it across the thing¡¯s face. It went over backward, and then Alex had to back up as three spears came at her at once. She managed to catch two on her shield; the third barely missed her face by inches.


    Alex caught that third spear between the shield¡¯s edge and the hook of her axe blade and yanked down. She pivoted, adding her body weight to the pull, and the spear sprang out of the Grue¡¯s grip, even as the other two found their spearpoints sliding past her. The spear went spinning away from the fight, and she buried the back spike of her axe in the skull of another Grue. It went down, and the disarmed one backed up with a startled yip.


    She yanked her axe free again, just as the Grue that still had a spear tried to stab at her again. The point bounced off her shield, but the hit froze her in place just long enough for the disarmed Grue to try to come at her from the side. It leaped at her, claws outstretched, just as Clara tackled it with a bolt in her hands, already stabbing.


    With a grateful nod, Alex charged forward again. She smacked a spear aside and planted her axe in its owner. It went down and was still after the second hit.


    When she turned back, Clara was finishing the last one left¡ªthe Grue that she¡¯d knocked down with her shield¡ªand the others were staggering back from their own kills. Yellow text flared in her peripheral, futilely demanding her attention.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy an additional four Grue.]


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield has advanced to 6!]


    [Dodging has advanced to 3!]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 3 of 4 targets destroyed]


    She forced the Screen away and focused on her team. ¡°Anyone wounded?¡±


    The others shook their heads, and then the bodies began to burn. Clara rolled away from the one she¡¯d finished off, too tired to yelp in surprise. Joanna coughed. ¡°We¡¯re fine. Should we¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Forget the crystals.¡± Another howl rose nearby, as if to emphasize her point. ¡°We get to the portal, and we get out. Don¡¯t wait for anything.¡±


    They nodded, and she led the way as they began their run back to the portal. Just a few more blocks.


    The portal was in the middle of a warzone.


    What had once been an empty street was now half filled with nearly fifty Grue. Surrounded and nearly disappearing in the crush were seven Surveyors, their grey Golden Swallow uniforms hard to see amidst the enemies around them. They were fighting their way towards the portal, but a solid wall of enemies stood between them and the exit. There was something wrong about the formation too; weren¡¯t there four Surveyors per team?


    Then, just as Alex was about to lead her team around the fight, she saw an arrow sprout in the chest of one of the Surveyors. He was a short boy, barely a couple of inches taller than her, but she suddenly felt like she could see him clearly through the mob. His eyes went horribly wide; the staff in his hand fell from nerveless fingers.


    She saw the light go out of his eyes as he fell.


    Alex charged forward. Yellow text flared to life in her peripheral vision.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy the Grue Killer.]


    She saw the thing crouched on the roof of a nearby house. It was a Grue, but unlike the others it had a patch of grey fur on its chest, and held a longbow in its hands. The light in its grey eyes seemed stronger, flowing out in pale smoke as it moved. A bandolier shifted as it drew the next arrow out of its quiver, and her blood ran cold as she recognized the coins strung along the cord. It was wearing a collection of Talismans of Ascension like trophies, and her stomach turned slightly as she recognized it.


    Then she ran harder, bringing her shield and axe into a ready position. She heard her teammates running alongside her. There was a snap as Clara fired her crossbow, and one of the Grue arched its back as a bolt hammered home. A part of her was glad to see an enemy down; another wished that Clara had gone for the Killer instead.


    The Grue were just starting to turn around when Alex hit them. She smashed the first one to the side with her shield and swung her axe through the back of a second. Both of them went down, one permanently. A third Grue turned to face her, but it was too slow; she gave it a backhand hit with her axe, and then finished it with a vertical strike that cut it down.


    She caught sight of the Killer on the rooftop sighting in at her, and she paused her headlong charge to bring her shield up. An arrow flashed out to skim off her shield, and she grinned. If she could keep its attention, maybe the others would have a better chance of surviving.


    Audrey and Joanna caught up, and they charged into the fray on either side of her. The Squire smacked aside a distracted Grue, then brought her club down hard on the next one in a blow that folded it like paper. A third tried a stab, and she swatted the spear aside before caving in the thing¡¯s chest.


    The Adept, however, carved her way into the horde with more finesse, her blade claiming hands, legs and throats as she tore through the enemies. Two Grue were down and bleeding before they could face her; the third didn¡¯t even manage to lower its spear in her direction before she stabbed it through the head. Joanna moved with a smooth confidence that made Alex idly hope that they could just keep moving until the portal was clear.


    Then part of the horde turned, and there were spears everywhere. She blocked two and dodged a third, slashing back at a fourth with her axe. Ahead, she could see the other Surveyors fighting, cutting down more of the monsters. If they could link up with the others, maybe they could fight their way to the portal together. Maybe no one else would have to die.


    Her hopes were dashed a moment later as she saw another Surveyor, one with a sword and shield, go down with several spears in her. Her body burned with a red flame, shocking Alex. There had been flickers of green flame where the other one had gone down as well. Was this why there were never any bodies when a Surveyor died? Would that be all she would leave behind?


    She caught a Grue across the face with her axe, and it reared back with a pained yip. Joanna cut the legs out from under it a moment later, as Alex pushed forward to snap a spear with her shield. Then she put her axe into the disarmed Grue¡¯s gut. The hit shoved it into the path of another couple of Grue trying to hit her from that same side. They stumbled with their dying companion in the way, and Audrey clocked one of them in the head so hard it went flying like a ragdoll into the ranks.


    Then she heard Joanna cry out and looked to her right. She saw an arrow in the Adept¡¯s shoulder, and a pair of Grue advancing on her. She shield-checked one hard enough to knock it off its feet; Joanna deflected the spear thrust from the other and then turned to slide her sword into its gut. Alex pivoted as another came in at her and barely kept her feet as it smashed into her shield. Another tried to lunge past her, and she caught it in the knee with her axe, turning its charge into a flop. ¡°Joanna!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­still¡­here!¡± The Adept was already rising back to her feet, teeth gritted. ¡°Keep pushing!¡±


    Alex glanced back to see Clara coming, the health potion already in one hand and a crossbow bolt in the other. She nodded and forced her way further into the crowd. The Grue¡¯s numbers were starting to thin out; the other Surveyors were only a few dozen feet away. A short distance in most circumstances, but a whole world away at the moment.


    She heard Audrey give a gut-wrenching cry and looked over to see her staggering back with a spear in her lower torso. The Squire gritted her teeth and smashed her club down on the skull of the Grue that had skewered her. Audrey stayed standing for another heartbeat, fending off another spear thrust, and then went down on her knees.


    Alex dodged another spear meant for her, stomping down on the haft to snap it. Then she was sprinting across the battle, screaming in desperation. She drew the attention of the closest two Grue, who turned to stab at her. One spear glanced off her shield; the other went wide as she slipped below it. Her counterattack buried her axe in the gut of one; she ripped it out as she dodged past them. A Grue was standing over Audrey, spear raised for a lethal downward thrust. Audrey was looking up at it, her teeth bloody and bared in a defiant snarl.


    Heart hammering, Alex threw herself into a slide, her shield up and braced. The edge caught the spearpoint as it descended, deflecting it. She managed to hook the Grue¡¯s ankle with the back spike of her axe, tripping it onto the pavement. Then she rose up and stomped down on it, smashing its head back before she used her shield to deliver the finishing blow to its throat. ¡°Audrey!¡±


    The Squire didn¡¯t answer right away. She spat a glob of blood as she tried to stand. ¡°Can¡¯t¡­can¡¯t¡­¡±


    Alex darted back in front of her and knocked a spear aside. The Grue holding it yowled in anger. Then Joanna stabbed it right in the back and yanked her sword out to send it spinning to the street. Clara rushed in behind, the potion still uncorked. The Adept joined Alex, her sword still moving. ¡°We need to get into the house! We can come at the portal from the side.¡±


    Alex gritted her teeth, hacking away at another Grue that was trying to keep her at spear¡¯s length. The other Surveyors had broken through and were heading for the portal directly; the sudden drop in numbers around them had allowed them to cut their way through without being overwhelmed. One of them took a spear in the arm; they just dropped their own spear and ran, shoving Grue and Surveyors alike out of the way. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Audrey stood a moment later, and they headed for the relative shelter of the ruin. An arrow hissed in to smack Alex¡¯s shield; the impact twisted it aside just as another Grue was stabbing at her. She yelled in pain as the spear caught her in the forearm, but she still managed to reward the attacker with an axe to the face. It dropped, and Alex had a split second to glare at the Killer, still crouched on the housetop. One day, they¡¯d have a reckoning. She was sure of it.


    Then she joined the others, who had kicked open the door and fallen back inside. The narrow opening meant that the Grue couldn¡¯t surround them, but they were still pouring in after them. Audrey smashed one of them and jumped back as a second tried to stab her. ¡°Jo, where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Windows, on the left!¡± Joanna cut down another Grue that had tried to lunge past Alex. ¡°Clara, are we clear!¡±


    The Acolyte ran to the windows. ¡°Yeah! I think the others got out, but the Grue are all coming at us from¡ªurgh¡­¡±


    There had been the sound of breaking glass. Alex turned and saw Clara stagger backwards, her face going pale. An arrow stood out from her chest, and the tall girl¡¯s expression was one of dull horror. The health potion fell from her hands and smashed on the half-rotten hardwood floor.


    Alex reacted immediately. ¡°Audrey, get her out now! Joanna, cover them! I¡¯ll hold them back!¡± Then she was charging, forcing the Grue to stumble back as she shoved them towards the open doorway. They snarled and snapped at her; more than one tried to claw at her, or slip their spears past her shield. Alex hacked and cut at them, tearing spears from hands and opening gashes that bled purple flame. More kept coming, but she had to hold the door so they couldn¡¯t surround her.


    A risky glance backward told her that Audrey had picked up Clara, and Joanna had already gone through the broken window, her sword flashing. The Squire and Acolyte followed a moment later, and the pressure against her shield suddenly lessened as urgent howls rose from the alleyway. The Grue had realized what the plan was, and were shifting their attention.


    Alex snarled and hacked a few more times at the press. Then, with a final shove, she dodged another spear thrust and sprinted for the opening behind her. All her effort in Running seemed to pay off; she sped across the glass-strewn floor at a shocking pace.


    She jumped through the window with her shield ready. It was a good move; she smashed into a Grue almost immediately. It went reeling towards the wall of the opposite house, and she cut down another Grue that turned to snap at her. Alex looked up and saw Joanna still fighting at the portal; Audrey and Clara were both gone.


    Alex hacked the legs out from under a Grue and shoved another out of the way with her shield. Joanna finished another, and then her eyes went wide as she looked past Alex.


    She spun, acting on instinct, her shield held high. The arrow slammed into the shield a heartbeat later, and Alex screamed in frustration. Another Grue tried to put its spear in her belly a moment later, and she just barely avoided it. Her axe smacked the spear aside, and she backpedaled with her shield held close. ¡°Go Joanna. Go go go!¡±


    A wall of Grue Soldiers was coming for her, their grey eyes focused on her with terrible fury. She couldn¡¯t risk staying anymore; she could already see the Killer drawing another arrow back. Fear filling her, she turned and dove for the portal, seeing Joanna vanishing through it. Alex tensed, expecting to feel a spear point or arrow tip in her back.


    Then everything was light¡­


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Adversary Quest Not Completed]


    Alex closed her eyes for a moment. There was no feeling of victory this time, just a terrible sense of dread. When she returned to Earth, was Clara going to be dead? How many other Surveyors had died?


    Sudden hatred flooded through her. Her mother had occasionally mentioned Killers with obvious distaste, but for the first time she understood. That thing had been having fun destroying people. She made herself a silent promise that she would hunt it down the first chance she got. The bandolier of Talismans on its chest told her the thing had already caused more than enough pain and suffering.


    The Screen shifted as she was making that promise, as if the System had completely failed to recognize the direction of her thoughts.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield increased from 0 to 11!]


    [Running increased from 4 to 5!]


    [Dodging increased from 1 to 5!]


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Running and Dodging?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels.]


    She stared at the words for a moment. Just hours before she would have been excited about the chance, but now¡­ it seemed so pointless.


    Alex forced herself to shut out those feelings of despair and focus. Combining Running and Dodging might give her a more powerful Skill¡­but it would be one that she couldn¡¯t preserve with her unless she abandoned Combined Arms. It would also be harder for her to develop both Skills when they merged, unlike what she was able to do with her other Skill, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to gain Titles from them later if she combined it now.


    She dismissed the option. The Screen faded away, and for a moment she was simply left with her wounds, physical and otherwise. It remained all she had until the light finally brought her home.


    The containment area in front of the portal was in chaos.


    Alex saw medical personnel and Surveyors scattered all over the pavement. She felt the pain of her own wounds, the blood leaking down from each line of fire, and staggered a little as her feet hit the platform. Joanna was right next to her, though the Adept had already started to jump down. Audrey and Clara were down there. The Squire seemed fine, but the Acolyte¡­


    She fell to her knees as exhaustion and pain made themselves felt. Clara was still breathing, but the medics around her looked frantic as they bandaged the wound. Didn¡¯t they have health potions they could give her? Where were the other Acolytes?


    With bleary eyes, she looked around the area, taking in the desperately small number of grey uniforms. Six teams had gone through the portal, twenty-four Surveyors. Only eighteen were here now, and about a third of them looked like they were seriously injured. It meant half of them were casualties. Twenty-four Surveyors, and a single Survey brought them down to half.


    Alex stayed on the platform, kneeling and clutching at the spear wound on her arm, until one of the medics finally noticed her and started badgering her about the blood. They practically had to drag her away, but as she looked back at the portal, she had only one thought.


    The Grue with the bow was going to pay for everything it had done.

 B1Ch8: Recovery and Investigations

    Alex looked up as the door to her medical suite opened. ¡°Oh. It¡¯s you?¡±


    Zach looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Sorry. Were you expecting someone else?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± She shifted a little on her bed. The medics had given her a standard issue hospital gown, and she was feeling a little exposed. ¡°I¡­thought maybe you¡¯d be one of my teammates. Or maybe the sergeant.¡±


    He frowned. ¡°They haven¡¯t come by?¡±


    ¡°Audrey and Joanna were keeping me up to date on how Clara was doing.¡± She shifted on the bed again. The Acolyte was still alive, but she was recovering slowly. They were saying it would take at least another week for her to be back on her feet, and that was likely only because she had put her extra point into Life, and because the staff had been authorized to use a few small doses of health potion. ¡°Sergeant Liliana is still¡­ a little busy.¡±


    The expression on Zach¡¯s face told an entire story of its own, but Alex was trying to give the woman credit and assuming it was true. The catastrophe on the mission had resulted in the deaths of six Surveyors and the resignations of three more. Four of the remaining fifteen Surveyors had been returned in critical condition, and there was already word that several of the team sergeants would be demoted as a result. Even the ones that kept their jobs be struggling to reorganize their teams around the people who remained.


    Zach either hadn¡¯t heard about that, or didn¡¯t think much of a sergeant that didn¡¯t visit a wounded team member. Either way, he shook his head. ¡°Your parents came to visit?¡±


    ¡°My dad, yeah.¡± Her mother wouldn¡¯t be coming anywhere near Golden Swallow¡¯s facilities, for obvious reasons. Her dad, however, had been quietly furious the entire time. It had taken a lot of talking to persuade him not to demand her being freed from her contract immediately. There had been a bit more of an argument before she had convinced him that he shouldn¡¯t stay with her in the hospital indefinitely. His fire station needed him, after all, and Alex herself wasn¡¯t that badly hurt. In fact, she¡¯d been surprised that the medics had even insisted that she stay under observation.


    Besides, his last visit to someone in a hospital had ended a bit too¡­ explosively, anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it. I was a little worried that they hadn¡¯t been told.¡± He made a face. ¡°Sometimes the Group can be a little¡­close-minded about spreading news about incidents like this one. I¡¯m glad they didn¡¯t make that mistake this time.¡±


    Alex sighed. ¡°Seems like they made every other mistake, though.¡± She shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re going to have a lot of people out of commission for a while now.¡±


    ¡°The ones who made it back at all, yeah.¡± Zach shook his head and dropped something on the side table near her bed. ¡°I got you some real food from the cafeteria.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She forced a grin. ¡°I thought you said real food?¡±


    ¡°Close enough.¡± He smiled and took a step back. ¡°I¡¯ll let you get some rest. I just wanted to make sure you were doing all right after I heard you were up here. By the look of it, you should be up and going in no time.¡±


    Alex smiled and nodded. Then, as he turned, she spoke up. ¡°Hey, do me a favor. Next time you see the monitors go crazy, just give me a call or something. It might be too late, but better to give it a try than to just let it happen.¡±


    Zach paused. His face had gone completely blank when he looked back at her. ¡°Alex, the monitor array wasn¡¯t reporting any unusual magic activity near the portal when the incident occurred. None at all.¡±


    She blinked. ¡°But I thought¡­you said that if there¡¯s heavy activity near the portal, then more magic pours out of it. That way you can¡­¡±


    Zach¡¯s face grew extremely grave. ¡°You¡¯re correct¡­usually. This time, the array didn¡¯t report anything unusual. At all.¡± He looked away. ¡°In fact, as near as I can tell, the energy coming out of that portal never fluctuates. Ever.¡±


    Her eyes narrowed. What he was saying was impossible. Her mother had told her that portals were always changing at least a little, even if it was just decreases caused by Surveys. Unsuccessful Surveys usually made them change a lot faster, since the magic began to reinforce itself. There had to have been some kind of spike in the readings from the monitors when all those Surveyors died.


    Unless there was something wrong with the monitors. Unless the Group had arranged for something to be wrong with the monitors.


    She met Zach¡¯s eyes and saw him working through the same line of thought she was. Actually, knowing him, he¡¯d seen it long before he¡¯d arrived, and had been waiting for her to catch on to the same logic. Alex saw him nod slowly, once, as if to confirm what she was thinking.


    Then he spoke up, unnecessarily loudly. ¡°Well, I will let you rest, like I said. I hope you recover well, and I¡¯ll look forward to speaking with you soon. Until then?¡±


    His expression did not match his words at all. She tried to match the empty enthusiasm. ¡°Until then! I¡¯ll see you as soon as they let me out.¡±


    He blinked as she put an extra amount of force on the last part of the sentence. Then he grinned, something that seemed almost halfway sincere. ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it. Take care of yourself.¡±


    Zach waved and backed out of the doorway before she could respond. She stared after him with narrow eyes and then went back to stewing in her own thoughts.


    If the Group was hiding the readings from the portal, it would explain why they were so willing to risk sending in a bunch of E rankers when the magic levels were high. Maybe they¡¯d been covering it up so much that they hadn¡¯t even realized what the danger level had been. Is that what they were bringing in Forsmith for, to suppress the portal?


    In that case, why would the Group bother to do that at all? It was part of their mission to suppress the magic coming from the portals they were contracted to Survey. If a portal was getting dangerous, that only made it more profitable for them to bargain for it in the next round of contract negotiations. Maybe they¡¯d have to hire more high rank Surveyors, but it would still be lucrative in the long run. Could it really have been something as simple as cost-cutting that caused such a huge disaster?


    She shook her head, still thinking through the issue. There had to be something else, something more sinister. Corporations were often stupid in a short-sighted, petty way, but this kind of disaster was just too visible for it to have such an easy answer. Plus, they could easily have sent their low level Surveyors in anyway, despite the readings. The only reason for them to cover up what the monitors were reporting would be to make sure that the Portal Analysis Department didn¡¯t have any records of the fluctuations.


    Which only made sense if the Group was somehow causing the fluctuations. They couldn¡¯t be blamed for a portal going a bit bonkers. As she¡¯d learned, almost all portals did some times. The only reason to be worried about it would be because there was some way that they could be held responsible for it happening.


    It sounded insane, but there was no other explanation that she could think of. She remembered the caravan that had been on its way to the portal, remembered how firmly Forsmith had suggested that she leave. There was something going on at her portal, and it had just killed several people and hurt her teammates.


    With a surprising level of viciousness, she marked down the need to track that problem down, just as she had planned revenge against the Killer. Her schedule was becoming crowded now, but she didn¡¯t mind. It would give her plenty to think on, as she sat in the hospital bed and waited.


    ¡°Well, look who is back from the dead!¡± Audrey had a broad grin on her face. She didn¡¯t seem as cheerful as she used to be, but at least she wasn¡¯t staring dead eyed at a wall like some of the other Surveyors were.


    Alex gave her a cautious wave. Clara¡¯s bed had been her first stop after the docs had released her. Joanna had been there, watching over their teammate as she slept, and the glare that the Adept had given her hadn¡¯t suggested good things. She¡¯d settled for a few whispered words, and then started off to the gym to find Audrey.


    It wasn¡¯t a standard gym, by any means. A rubberized track ran around the outside, with different weight stations scattered on the edges. Roughly half a dozen sparring circles dominated the inside of the track, where the Surveyors could test their techniques against one another. Supposedly, they could be trained by more experienced members of the Group, but so far Alex hadn¡¯t seen any evidence of that.


    Audrey had obviously been using some of the facilities; she wore a loose exercise shirt and close-fitting shorts. Alex had seen her slowly working through some kind of training kata with her club when she walked in, utilizing one of the sparring circles as a practice space. The handful of other Surveyors in the room appeared to be disinterested in joining her.


    The Squire gave her a friendly nod and then settled back into her stance. ¡°So how¡¯s the arm? That was your worst hit so far, right?¡±


    ¡°Healed up fine.¡± Alex stretched a bit. The medics had used a bit of health potion on her as well, though not nearly as much as they had for Clara. Still, a drop had done her a world of good. ¡°What about you? You took some hard hits there at the end.¡±


    ¡°Clara had me up in no time.¡± Audrey¡¯s expression slipped for a moment; it was a flicker of guilt and concern, quickly vanishing behind her concentration. ¡°Still can¡¯t believe she¡¯s the one who went down. That Grue with the bow has some things to answer for.¡±


    ¡°On that, we can definitely agree.¡± Alex clenched her hands. ¡°When are they sending us back out? Are we waiting until Clara can come with?¡±


    Audrey gave her a speculative look. ¡°Already raring to go again, huh? Didn¡¯t get enough last time?¡±


    Alex shook her head. ¡°I want to hunt the one down that got Clara. Make sure he can¡¯t try something like that again.¡±


    Her teammate seemed to mull that idea over in her head. Then she shrugged. ¡°Fair enough. Not sure if we can track that one down, though.¡± Alex raised an eyebrow, and Audrey shrugged. ¡°The Group sent a C rank through to clear the portal. If he didn¡¯t get the guy, then I don¡¯t know if we¡¯re going to be able to.¡±


    She grunted. A C rank? Had Forsmith been the one to take care of things? ¡°Maybe it got away before the C rank arrived. Either way, we need some payback.¡±


    ¡°No argument here.¡± Audrey spun her club through her kata, keeping the heavy weight moving. ¡°If Clara heals in time, she¡¯ll probably go out with us. If not¡­I heard they¡¯re reorganizing some of the teams. We might get a new teammate to work with.¡±


    Alex grimaced. ¡°Really? Why are they doing that?¡±


    ¡°Most of the other teams didn¡¯t come out of that fight too well. I think maybe us and one other team got everyone out. Every other team got pretty chewed up, either from people getting killed, wounded, or quitting.¡± Audrey progressed through her kata, the club still spinning. ¡°We might end up with someone new anyway, even with Clara back. I¡¯ve heard that they¡¯ve only got enough for three or four teams now.¡±


    It was something she should have expected, but it was still bitter news. ¡°Any idea who it¡¯ll be?¡±


    Audrey shook her head. ¡°Not that I can tell. We¡¯ll still have Liliana as sergeant, though. That¡¯s written in stone.¡± She paused in the middle of her kata, a broad grin on her face. ¡°Not everything¡¯s changing, at least.¡±


    Alex snorted. ¡°Well, have fun with your kata. I¡¯m heading to the cafeteria.¡± The Squire nodded, not breaking stance or slowing her movements, and Alex recrossed the gym. Hopefully, it wouldn¡¯t be long before she got a shot at revenge.


    ¡°You think they are increasing the magic from the portal?¡± Her mother sounded mildly confused. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of anything they could use to do that. Why would they even want to?¡±


    Alex sighed. She¡¯d come home for the weekend, something that Liliana had grudgingly agreed to. The team sergeant had ¡®officially¡¯ been encouraged by her recovery, but she¡¯d also seemed impatient with her request to visit her parents. Perhaps it was related to the number of other E rankers that had more or less deserted the Group in the last few days.


    Her mother had welcomed her home, and then taken a closer look at her and proclaimed that she needed a haircut. Mere minutes later, she was sitting on a stool in the garage while her mother passed a comb through her hair. There was a pair of scissors sitting on a stool next to her, waiting to be used. Her father was working away in the kitchen, making some of his signature bacon chupaquesos. The smell alone was enough to set Alex¡¯s mouth watering.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, Mom. It seems like an insane risk for them to take, and I can¡¯t figure out why they¡¯d even do it. Still¡­¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s the only thing that makes sense, then it has to be what¡¯s happening, right?¡± Her mother¡¯s voice seemed quietly amused. ¡°I knew I shouldn¡¯t have read you all those Sherlock Holmes books when you were younger.¡±


    ¡°Too late now, no take backs.¡± Alex grinned to herself, enjoying the feel of the comb in her hair. ¡°I don¡¯t know why they are doing it, but it seems like they are. Any ideas about what I can do about it?¡±


    Muriel was quiet for a few more moments as the comb continued to move through Alex¡¯s hair. When she spoke, her voice was uncharacteristically hesitant. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. The company has the right to exploit a portal in any way it wants, as long as the magic output of the portal remains below a certain threshold. Even the casualties they took can¡¯t really be used against them. Surveyors often take some losses, especially below D rank. If they started holding the companies responsible for that kind of thing, there wouldn¡¯t be many Survey corps left.¡±


    Alex grunted. ¡°So the lives that get sacrificed in the process just don¡¯t matter?¡±


    Her mother paused long enough to thump her shoulder with the comb. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying, daughter of mine. Just that such things are expected, and if they are expected, no one will be shocked if you bring it up in public.¡±


    The response didn¡¯t make Alex feel much better, but she had to admit that her mother was right. Casualty reports among Surveyors might have made the news in the early years after the Fracture, when the portals first arrived, but nowadays people more or less knew that Surveys were a risky business. She couldn¡¯t even remember the last time that the Tribune had published the casualty reports. No one was going to be excited about a half dozen dead E rankers.


    She frowned, trying to think things over. As much as she itched to be doing something, she didn¡¯t know exactly what the Group was even doing, yet. Making a plan to stop whatever it was they were up to was a little premature.


    So instead of arguing the point, Alex let her shoulders slump slightly. ¡°Okay, fine. I¡¯ll just keep my eyes open and try not to die. Does that sound about right?¡±


    ¡°It would be a good decision, I think.¡± The amusement in her mother¡¯s voice was vaguely irritating, but Alex tried her best not to focus on that. Muriel set aside the comb, placing it on the other stool before she picked up the scissors. ¡°Now stay still. I don¡¯t want a repeat of what happened in the fifth grade, do we?¡±


    Alex restrained a wince. She remembered that haircut; it had gone so badly that she¡¯d done her best to hunt down and delete every possible picture that had they¡¯d taken of her at the time. There was a reasonably good chance that Muriel still had a few squirreled away, but she thought it was just being saved as blackmail material in the future. ¡°Yes, mother.¡±


    ¡°Such an obedient child.¡± The mocking tone was softened by the careful snips of Muriel¡¯s scissors. It had taken her mother a long time to figure out how to give a haircut with only one hand, but she¡¯d been determined. Now she was just as fluid with the scissors as she was with her sword.


    For a few quiet moments, there was just the sound of the scissors and her mother shifting around behind her. Alex continued to think over the problem, but she didn¡¯t find any further solutions. At the very least, there was something she could do. Zach had given her the monitor that she could bring to the containment area; if she did it over the weekend, the guards wouldn¡¯t have a reason to keep her out. Maybe if she got enough readings for Zach, he¡¯d be able to turn it into something. She wasn¡¯t quite sure about what his motivation was, but he seemed friendly enough. He¡¯d even come to the medical station to check on her.


    ¡°So. This Zachary boy. What¡¯s he like?¡±


    The question was not an idle one. She felt her face go hot and red. Alex almost shook her head before she could stop herself. ¡°He¡¯s just someone in their Portal Analysis Department. I think he might be able to help me if I can get him enough data.¡±


    ¡°He sounds like a pretty smart kid.¡± Muriel¡¯s smile was audible, even as she continued to snip away at Alex¡¯s hair. ¡°Not a bad thing for someone who you are working with.¡±


    ¡°Just a coworker, Mom.¡± She tried to put a bit more emphasis on the words. ¡°Don¡¯t read anything into it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not, I¡¯m not.¡± The scissors snipped again, trimming a bit of her bangs. ¡°He just sounds interesting, that¡¯s all. Too bad I can¡¯t meet him, obviously, but maybe your father can give me his opinion.¡±


    Alex felt a stab of horror. ¡°Dad isn¡¯t going to meet him, Mom. Not unless half his lab is on fire.¡±


    ¡°That could be arranged.¡± Muriel laughed and patted Alex¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Oh, all right. I give up. You are far too easy to tease, my dear.¡± She snipped another couple of places and then set the scissors aside. Alex waited while her mother brushed the stray hairs from her shoulders, moving quickly and efficiently. ¡°There, all taken care of.¡±


    With a sigh of relief, Alex stood up and stretched. She smiled back at her mother, who still had traces of smug satisfaction in her expression. ¡°Thanks, Mom. I appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Any time, any time.¡± Muriel waved the words away. Then she scooped up the scissors and comb. ¡°Come on, now. It smells like your father is almost done preparing that snack for us. Corporate conspiracies and other worlds can wait for another day.¡±


    The guard looked up as Alex drew close. He smiled. ¡°Another run today, ma¡¯am?¡±


    Alex nodded, hoping her own smile didn¡¯t give anything away. ¡°Yep! Need to get back into the Skill training thing again. That all right by you, Ron?¡±


    Ron nodded. ¡°Absolutely.¡± He took her identification and handed it off to his buddy. Then he leaned in and spoke quietly. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m kinda glad to see you coming back to it. The other day¡­ well, things were bad. Enough said.¡±


    She shrugged uneasily, and he gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. When the other guard passed her identification back without comment, he waved her through. ¡°Have a good run. We¡¯ll see you when you¡¯re done.¡±


    Alex trotted through the opening, heading for her shade tree. Once she set her bag down, she pulled out her phone and a strap that her mother had lent her. She slipped it onto her left arm and slotted her phone into it. Then she synced it to an earbud that she put in, before taking out a second strap, the one with the monitor attached.


    She slipped it onto her left arm, hoping the guards wouldn¡¯t notice it. Hopefully, they¡¯d think it was just another exercise gadget if they did see it, but better that she didn¡¯t give them the chance to start asking questions in the first place.


    With that foreboding thought in her mind, Alex started off down the overgrown sidewalk, setting herself a decent pace. The magic wasn¡¯t as thick in the air as it had been during some other days, but it was enough that she could feel herself begin to draw it into herself. She hoped it was enough to win her some advancement in Running; even if it didn¡¯t, however, she¡¯d at least be getting Zach his readings.


    As if summoned, her phone rang. She tapped it quickly, momentarily throwing off her stride. ¡°Alex here.¡±


    ¡°Hey! It¡¯s Zach. Are you at the containment area?¡±


    She smiled, falling back into her stride again. ¡°Yeah. Just started my run, actually.¡±


    ¡°Your run? Oh, you were saying something about Skill training.¡± He paused. ¡°I was just asking because the monitor started to report in. The readings are very interesting.¡±


    ¡°How¡­so?¡± Alex fought the urge to slow down so she could talk more. She wouldn¡¯t get any levels by taking it easy.


    ¡°At this point, it is actually reporting higher levels of magic present than the stationary detectors. Are you close to the portal?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± She glanced in that direction. There had been no sign of a convoy there, and she was sure that Ron would have turned her aside if the Group had been up to anything. ¡°Just running¡­along the¡­outside.¡±


    ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± She could almost picture his puzzled frown. ¡°The magic should be less out there than where the detectors are located. If the readings are this different¡­ Why would they¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t let¡­there be¡­large¡­changes.¡± Her lungs were starting to burn a little. She gave herself a small break as she reached the first corner and made the turn. ¡°Hiding the¡­spikes.¡±


    ¡°Huh. You¡¯re probably right.¡± Zach snorted. ¡°Then again, maybe they just never bothered to change whatever program they are running to falsify the results. At the very least, this proves that the readings are being falsified. Now we just need to see by how much.¡±


    Alex felt a burst of alarm. ¡°Can they¡­hear you?¡±


    Another snort. ¡°No. This is a private line, and one that they shouldn¡¯t know I have. Plus, I¡¯m calling from home, not the lab. We should be fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡­sure?¡±


    ¡°More sure than I am about your breathing. You sure you want to talk while you¡¯re running? I can always just call you back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­fine.¡± Alex scowled a little, trying to breathe smoother. ¡°So¡­what next?¡±


    ¡°What next?¡± He went silent for a moment. ¡°We need more data. That means more days for our readings.¡±


    ¡°Do I¡­leave it?¡±


    ¡°No. They might run across it somehow. Better that we replace the dummy monitors with real ones.¡± He fell silent for a moment, leaving her to chug along on the sidewalk in relative peace. ¡°Here. We have some additional monitors that I can check out of inventory. If you drop by the PAD, I can give you them, and then we can do a little search and replace.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°Would¡­they¡­notice?¡±


    ¡°That depends on whether or not they have a real stream of data, and they modify it on our end, or if they have just shut down the monitors and are generating the data on their own.¡± Zach hummed a bit to himself. ¡°I¡¯m betting that the monitors they have out there are just plain fake. We can test it out by replacing one, and go from there.¡±


    Alex nodded to herself. It was a solid enough plan and one that they could test out today, whether he knew it or not. ¡°Okay. Where¡­are they?¡±


    ¡°The monitors? They hid them inside some of the abandoned houses out there, in spots where they could contribute to a realistic estimate of the exposure a civilian would take close to the portal. There should be one in each house a block from the interior area.¡±


    She grunted. ¡°Anywhere¡­inside?¡±


    ¡°Yyyyesss.¡± Zach had apparently caught on to the direction her thoughts were headed. ¡°Wait, you aren¡¯t going to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Better today¡­then tomorrow.¡± Alex grinned to herself. She¡¯d wait until she reached the next corner; she¡¯d be about as far away from the guards as she would ever be. The thought sent a thrill through her, and she put on an extra burst of speed. Zach seemed to be trying to find a way to stop her, but she¡¯d already made her choice. She¡¯d take her first step to finding out what was happening today, no matter what.


    ¡°You¡¯re nuts, you know that?¡±


    ¡°Your first clue was the fact that I was a Surveyor, you know.¡± Alex grinned to herself as she tried the back door for the house where Zach had told her a monitor was located. It was locked, but that just meant she needed a different entrance. ¡°Jumping through portals to fight monsters in another world isn¡¯t exactly normal.¡±


    ¡°Even Surveyors have limits, though. What if they catch you?¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell them I was Skill training. I took the Inspect Skill after all.¡± She grinned, still breathing a bit heavier from her run. It was a thin excuse, but one that might get her out of being reported by the guards. Alex didn¡¯t think someone like Forsmith would accept it, but it was probably a better idea to make sure he never even heard about it. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t they have to check on these things regularly?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, technically, but if they¡¯ve been dummies this whole time, I doubt they¡¯ve been doing it.¡± Zach sounded nervous still, obviously not confident in her odds of pulling off the deception. ¡°Can you not get in?¡±


    ¡°They locked all the doors.¡± She stepped back, studying the two-story house carefully. ¡°Probably have a set of keys that they could use if they needed.¡±


    ¡°What a shame. Want to get back to your run now?¡±


    She laughed. ¡°Nope! Busy training a new Skill, after all.¡± Her eyes caught on a drainpipe running down one side of the house¡¯s screened porch. ¡°Let¡¯s see if the second-story windows are locked up tight.¡±


    ¡°The second story? How are you planning on getting up there? Flying?¡±


    ¡°Not quite.¡± Alex began to clamber up the pipe, hoping it would bear her weight. It took her a few minutes, but she managed to get up on top of the porch, grinning as she felt the shingles beneath her running shoes. She crept up to one of the windows and tried to lift it. It was locked.


    The second window, however, slid open. A closer look told her that something had broken the latch; maybe it had been an opportunistic thief, or just wear and tear over time. Either way, Alex grinned and slipped inside. She landed on a narrow bed, wincing as her shoes made marks on the mattress. Dust rose from unused sheets as she moved from the bed to the carpet beyond.


    [Inspect has advanced to 1!]


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m in. Any clues about where they¡¯d stash the monitor?¡±


    She heard him draw in a steady breath. He spoke a moment later, in a voice that suggested he was trying very hard to stay calm. ¡°Look in areas that they would have considered common or important. Something like the kitchen, dining room, front room, or master bedroom.


    ¡°All right.¡± She stalked across the room, heading for the door. It was open, and she stepped through into an empty hallway. Alex followed it, dust rising from the carpet with each footfall as she made her way to what seemed like the master bedroom.


    There was a larger double bed there, once again with the sheets made and the furniture covered in dust. Alex sneezed as it got up her nostrils and then shook her head. ¡°Nobody¡¯s been up here in a while.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, they might not have been checking on them the way they needed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± She began her search, looking beneath the bed and in the closets. There were more clothes left in those abandoned closets than she¡¯d ever owned. It was a bit of a bitter thing to recognize, even as she made sure that there were no monitors hiding there.


    ¡°Nothing up here. Going to move downstairs.¡±


    ¡°Be careful. The guards might notice that you haven¡¯t come around again.¡±


    Alex made her way down a set of wooden stairs to the ground floor, where the dust hung in the air. She walked through to the kitchen, which had a marble countertop and well-painted cabinets. The dishes inside were all cheap stuff, something that they¡¯d obviously found in the nearby convenience stores, but when she checked under the sink, she saw a familiar-looking shape tucked in behind the pipes. ¡°Got it. It was in the kitchen.¡±


    [Inspect has advanced to 2!]


    ¡°Oh, good.¡± Zach sighed. ¡°Look, if you¡¯re going to do this, you should move quickly. You can¡¯t have that much time there, right?¡±


    ¡°Keep your pants on, Zach. I¡¯ve got it.¡± She reached out and pried the monitor loose from the housing that held it. It took a couple moments for her to take out her own monitor and stick it in the other one¡¯s place. Then she secured the defective monitor to her strap. ¡°It¡¯s done. Any changes?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see once you get further out of position. Or maybe we won¡¯t. Depending on what happens.¡±


    ¡°Comforting as always.¡± She chuckled to herself and shut the doors. Then she went back up to the room above and squeezed back out through the window. Unlocking a door would have been easier, but if someone did manage to visit, they would probably notice it. Hopefully, they wouldn¡¯t notice her footprints, but there wasn¡¯t much she could do about that.


    Out on the porch roof, she debated jumping down directly, and decided the risk of a twisted ankle was a bit too much. Instead, she went back to the drainpipe and shimmied back down it. Satisfied, she stood back from the house and smiled. ¡°Any changes so far?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°All right. Let me know if anything changes. Going to start running again.¡±


    She took off towards the chain-link fence at the edge of the containment area, setting herself a decent pace. A part of her braced for Zach to yell at her to go back, that something had changed. He said nothing, however, just typing in the background and occasionally humming to himself. In the meantime, she charted a course that wove back out to the fence, darting in and around the yards of the houses.


    By the time she got back to her original route, she heard Zach let out a breath. ¡°Okay, I haven¡¯t seen any difference in the official readings. We were right; the monitors in place are just fakes with no output. I think you¡¯re good.¡±


    ¡°Glad¡­to hear it.¡± She continued along the edge of the area, eventually hitting the corner that would bring her back into the view of her shade tree and the guards at the entrance.


    She ran in silence for a while longer. Tension built inside as she got closer to the entrance. For all her bluster, if the guards made an issue of her searching through the houses, it was going to cause problems. Her breath caught as Ron waved at her. He shouted from the gate. ¡°Hey! Took you a little longer this time!¡±


    ¡°Shaking off¡­ the rust!¡± She waved back, and he grinned. Then he went back to talking with his coworker, letting her run on past.


    Alex spent a few more moments running before she spoke again. ¡°We¡­ good?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re good. Well done!¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­a lot.¡± Despite her sarcasm, it was hard for her not to grin as she ran along. First step down. Who knew how many to go.

 B1Ch9: The Misfits

    First thing in the morning on Monday, Alex got a text from Liliana that she was going to be assigned to a new Survey into the portal.


    She blinked as she read it. The team¡¯s name was different. ¡°Hey, did we get assigned a new team name?¡±


    Audrey blinked and looked over at her. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The Survey today. I got an assignment with a different team name.¡± Alex frowned. ¡°Wait. Did you not get it?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Audrey frowned and then bumped the cot above her. ¡°Hey, Jo, did you get a notification about a Survey?¡±


    Joanna didn¡¯t answer for a moment. Then she rolled over to glare down at her. ¡°No. I didn¡¯t.¡±


    A burst of confusion and panic went through her. What was going on?


    ¡°I¡¯ve assigned you to a new team, Alexandretta.¡± Liliana wasn¡¯t even bothering to pretend to focus on her, instead reading over some piece of paper on her desk. The team leader¡¯s office was a model of cleanliness and order, with every surface spotless and every paper filed away neatly. ¡°Given the needs of the situation, it required a few administrative changes. You don¡¯t need to worry about moving where you sleep or anything¡ªthe assignments aren¡¯t quite settled yet¡ªbut you can rest assured that these adjustments have been made with the interest of both you and the company in mind.¡±


    Alex struggled not to start shouting. ¡°Team sergeant¡ª¡±


    ¡°Team captain, actually.¡± Liliana gave her a brilliant smile. ¡°Your team¡¯s performance, even under difficult circumstances, made for quite a recommendation on my behalf! It was quite an achievement.¡±


    It was hard to keep from mentioning how little Liliana had to do with that performance. Instead, Alex forced a smile and tried to keep her voice even. ¡°If our team did so well, wouldn¡¯t it make sense to keep us together?¡±


    ¡°In some circumstances, perhaps.¡± Liliana¡¯s voice grew just a hair from being condescending. ¡°Unfortunately, we need to consider the success of the company as a whole, not just the ability of any one team. For that reason, I decided to integrate elements of your team with resources from other, less successful members of the Group. My hope is that as a result, all of our teams can grow and succeed.¡±


    The team captain beamed at her with the kind of bright, insincere happiness that a supervisor can always achieve when screwing over a subordinate. Alex stared back at her. She was beginning to recognize exactly what type of team she had been assigned to join. Odds are, they were probably the ones who had just barely survived the attack, or were too shell-shocked to do much of anything on the other side of the portal. She¡¯d probably be hard pressed to keep any of them alive, let alone get anything done herself.


    Liliana¡¯s smile grew larger. ¡°Did you have any other questions for me, Alexandretta?¡±


    Alex stared at her a moment later, letting some of her false humor fall away. The edges of Liliana¡¯s smile went a little weak, and then Alex smiled back. ¡°No, team captain. I look forward to working with my new team.¡±


    ¡°Good. You¡¯re dismissed.¡±


    Alex stood up and walked out of the room. The Survey was scheduled in an hour; that would give her less than thirty minutes to prepare before she had to head out. Nothing she could think of was going to help, but at least she could get a good meal in¡ªand hope against hope that it wouldn¡¯t be her last one.


    ¡°Welcome to Team Delta Nine Four.¡± The young man¡¯s voice was so full of sarcasm that Alex found herself automatically disliking him. ¡°My name is Brian Hogan. I¡¯m a Squire, and the official team lead.¡±


    He turned and gestured to the other three members of her new team. ¡°This is Alessa Fairgold and Tim Michaels. They are both Porters. Sam Rysmore over there is our resident Adept.¡±


    Brian turned back to her, seeming both tired and expectant. Alex tilted her head to one side. ¡°My name is Alex. I am a Page.¡±


    ¡°Good to meet you, Alex. Now, I hope you are ready for a fun day today, because we¡¯re going into the death portal again.¡± Brian snorted to himself. ¡°I think Tim and I are the only ones who¡¯ve worked together before, so we¡¯re hoping the rest of you don¡¯t screw us up. Any questions?¡±


    Alex looked at him for a moment, wondering if there was any point in asking about formations or plans, or anything like that. A good part of her was sure that anything she asked was going to be answered with sarcasm, so it didn¡¯t seem to have any point. ¡°No. Let¡¯s get this done.¡±


    Brian nodded. His lips twisted as if he was a little disappointed. ¡°Yeah, okay.¡± He stomped up onto the bus, followed by the others. Alex hesitated just long enough to see Liliana beaming at her from a nearby window. Then she followed them onto the bus. Sometimes the only way out was through.


    The portal seemed unchanged since the last time she¡¯d gone through it. That fact did not encourage her at all.


    Her new teammates stood in front of the same swirling vortex, their stances ranging from a discouraged slump to a tight, enraged crouch. Brian held a sword and shield; Tim had another shield, and a short spear as well. Alessa carried a large quarterstaff, while Sam was holding a decoratively carved spear that suggested it had been upgraded. None of them looked excited to be there.


    Alex, on the other hand, was very ready for a rematch. If the Killer had come back to the portal, she wanted to be the last thing it saw, if for no other reason than she wanted to hit something for her current situation.


    After an interminable pause, Brian sighed and stepped forward. Alex followed him, and light consumed her vision¡­


    [E Rank Surveyor Alex]


    [Ascension Level: 1]


    [Role: Page (Role Skills: Running(7), Dodging(5)]


    [Role Level: 1]


    [Experience: 280/300]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 1, Speed -> 2, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield(11), Inspect(2)]


    [Permanent Skills: None]


    [Current Titles: War Maiden (Increases Skill grade of Combined Arms and Weapon Mastery by one.)]


    Alex studied her progress and then sighed. Inspect and Running were both proving much harder to level up than she¡¯d hoped, but at least she would reach level two as a Page. Technically, she could do it just by stepping back through the portal the moment she arrived. Not that she was planning on doing that at all.


    [Quest Issued! Destroy four Grue Soldiers.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    No surprises waiting there either. So be it. She closed her eyes as the light washed over her again¡­


    Alex stepped out into the other world, her body already tensing for combat.


    There was nothing waiting for them on the other side, however. Just the same abandoned ruins and broken pavement as before. Here and there were some marks of battle; she saw the window her team had left through was still broken, but none of the blood they¡¯d left behind was still there. She stepped forward, ready to assume her position in front.


    ¡°Alex, Alessa, you take the flanks. Tim and I have front, Sam, watch our backs.¡± Brian¡¯s voice shook a little, but not much. Alex paused and then fell back into the position on the left side of the team. They moved forward out of the alley.


    She cleared her throat as they did so. ¡°If we head towards the shopping mall, we might be able to¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re sticking to the patrol route the Group gave us. If you want to go exploring, do it on your own time.¡± Brian¡¯s voice was harsh, even ragged. He gestured for them to turn left, away from where the shopping mall was located. She swallowed her suggestion, feeling a burst of resentment. What was his problem? It wasn¡¯t like she was the reason they were all out here.


    They made their way down the street, turning twice more as Brian led them along the patrol route. It said something that Alex was a little thrown off by how calm the patrol was. The last couple of times the Grue would have jumped them at least once by that second turn, yet this time there weren¡¯t any sign of Grue waiting for them.


    At least, there weren¡¯t until they made a third turn, and there were six Grue standing in the street, their spears laid back on their shoulders.


    Alex charged at them immediately, her legs eating up the ground between her and the two Grue on the left. She heard some of the rest of the team yell, but she shunted their words aside as she focused on her enemies.


    They seemed surprised that she was charging them; she felt a vicious grin spread across her face. Three of the Grue swerved to face her, but she wasn¡¯t worried. Her Combined Arms Skill had grown enormously in the past fight, and she was reasonably sure that she could hold off three if she needed to.


    The closest Grue lunged at her, spear outstretched. She bent low with her shield and caught the spearpoint square in the middle of her shield. Alex felt a burst of triumph as the spear snapped outright and then caught a second spearpoint on the outer edge of the shield. It nearly pivoted in her grip, but she managed to knock the second spear to the side, ducked under the third one coming at her from the right, and brought her axe up and into the first Grue¡¯s gut.


    It jerked up and back, and she hit it again before she shoved it off. She pivoted to swat aside the second spear again, ducked in and to her right to avoid the third coming at her from behind, and chopped the second Grue¡¯s arm. The hit took off its hand, and it had enough time to rear back and howl in pain before she swatted it across the throat.


    That quickly, two Grue were down and she turned to face the third. It snarled at her, shifting its spear in its hands. She adjusted her grip on her axe, giving it a smile that was more a baring of her teeth than anything involving happiness or humor.


    She thought it actually started to take a step back.


    Then Sam came at it from the side, his spear stretched out in a desperate thrust. The Grue barely had the chance to do much more than blink before the spear caught it in the side. It staggered as Sam yanked his spear back. Alex went low and hooked its ankle with her axe head. When it dropped, Sam fell on it, stabbing repeatedly.


    The others had hit the rest of the Grue, too. Tim and Brian had already taken down one a piece; Alessa was still struggling a little with the last one, but it seemed like she¡¯d be able to finish it off easily enough. Alex looked over the rest of the Grue and nodded. A good first fight.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield has advanced to 12!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 2 of 4 targets destroyed]


    Evidently, not everyone agreed. As soon as Alessa smashed her opponent to the ground and the bodies began to burn, Brian stalked over to her. ¡°What were you thinking?¡±


    Alex looked at him. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You could have gotten us all killed! Why did you charge ahead like that?¡±


    She blinked. ¡°I¡¯m a Page. I can move a lot faster than you guys, and that means I can break their formation before they get the chance to put up a spear wall.¡± Alex left it unsaid that she was probably one of the strongest fighters on their team. No matter what advantages the Squire and Porters might have with their abilities, she doubted any of them had the kind of boosts that War Maiden and Combined Arms were giving her.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care how fast you were. You left our flank unguarded! If there had been more Grue on our left, we could have gotten hit from the side. You¡¯d have been doing fine, maybe, but the rest of us were going to be slaughtered!¡± There was a fine sheen of sweat on Brian¡¯s face, and her eyes were wild. ¡°Next time, you stay in formation, and you do as you¡¯re told. Or else.¡±


    Alex stared at him, her grip tightening on her axe. ¡°Or else what?¡±


    Brian glared back at her, still furious. ¡°Or else you¡¯ll need to figure out how to fight without a team backing you up, you little¡ª¡±


    Sam broke in between them, the Adept moving carefully. ¡°Hey, we should be harvesting these crystals, right? Let¡¯s not stick around.¡±


    There was another tense moment, and then Brian spun away. Alex watched him a moment longer, and then she gave Sam a grateful nod. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± He grinned a little, his dark eyes still cautious. ¡°Really, though, don¡¯t. We all just want to get home here. None of us wants things to go like¡­what happened last time.¡±


    Alex looked around at them for a moment. All of them seemed hyper-alert, as if they were bracing for the nearest buildings to turn out to be infested with Grue who were ready for their blood. She nodded slowly. ¡°You will. You¡¯re all going to make it back. I promise.¡±


    The Adept gave her a skeptical look. ¡°What, are you planning on carrying us all out, then?¡±


    ¡°If I have to.¡± Alex stepped over to where one of the Grue had finished burning. ¡°One way or the other, we¡¯re all getting home. No matter what.¡±


    Her determination was tested a few minutes later, as they ran into another group of Grue. This time there were seven of them, and they charged at the team with hoots and howls.


    Alex began her countercharge, only for Brian to yell at her to stay in formation. She settled back, grinding her teeth as the Grue formed a wall of spearpoints, all ready to skewer the Surveyors in front of them. At least two of them headed for her; hopefully that would give her enough of a chance to take the heat off the others.


    She waited until the Grue were almost on them, and then she leapt forward. The Grue both yelped in surprise as she dodged below their spearpoints, deflecting them up and away with her shield. Then she spun, bringing her axe around in a flat arc that landed it in the rightmost Grue¡¯s gut.


    As the Grue folded up around her axe, the other one tried to jump back to prepare for another lunge. Alex tore her axe free and jumped after it, smashing it to the ground with her shield. A second axe swing to the head finished it off, and then she turned to see what was happening with the rest of the battle, ignoring the yellow text that displayed in her peripheral vision.


    [Main Quest Completed!]


    [Dodging advances to 6!]


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield advances to 13!]


    Tim and Brian were both struggling to hold back the Grue that were trying to stab them to death. Tim had actually managed to spear one of them, and it went down as she watched. The other one was dancing back and forth, stabbing at him and dodging his return attacks. On the far side, Alessa had locked her staff against the last Grue¡¯s spear. They were snarling and struggling against each other there.


    She saw Sam shifting back and forth, and she pointed at him. ¡°Hey, flank around the one attacking Alessa! I have the other side!¡±


    Sam looked over at her and then nodded. He darted around to the side of Alessa, his staff ready to strike. Alex lunged forward, coming at the Grue that was harassing Tim. It tried to turn and fight her, only for Tim to lunge at it. One of the Grue attacking Brian turned to take a shot at the Porter, but he fell back and fended it off.


    Which left Alex facing off against the other one. It growled and snarled at her, obviously ready to enjoy the same kind of back and forth that Tim had been using to keep it back. She wasn¡¯t going to give it the option.


    The first time it stabbed at her, she trapped the haft between her shield and her axe head and sent it spinning away. It staggered a little, and she followed up with two quick strikes to the torso. The Grue went down, hard, and she turned to face the rest of the team.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy four additional Grue Soldiers]


    She found them finishing the others off. Sam had stabbed the one fighting Alessa in the gut; in turn, she¡¯d smashed the one fighting Brian across the back, and he¡¯d stabbed the one locked up with Tim. The Grue began to burn almost immediately, the purple flame leaping up and forcing the others to back away from the ones they¡¯d killed. They turned to look at her, and Alex raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Everyone all right?¡±


    Brian¡¯s face turned red with embarrassment, but he didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he and the others bent to start collecting the crystals the Grue had left behind. Alex spent a self-satisfied moment watching them, and then moved to recover some of the things as well. She didn¡¯t want to rub it in¡­too much, at least.


    The next handful of fights went smoothly, with Alex cutting a swath through the enemies they encountered, and the others following her lead on how to punch through the rest. They didn¡¯t have anything like the smooth teamwork that her other team had developed, but they were improving. She was already looking forward to shoving her success in Liliana¡¯s face at the end of the mission.


    As the Grue from the fourth fight of the day burned away, she straightened up and looked over at the others. ¡°All right! About halfway done, right?¡± She¡¯d already completed the Hidden Quest, but the others were probably still only just now finishing the main one.


    Brian snorted, and Tim looked at her like she¡¯d gone a little crazy. ¡°Are you kidding? We¡¯re almost done with the patrol route. There can¡¯t be more than a few blocks left.¡±


    She stared back at him. ¡°But¡­you guys haven¡¯t even started one of the Hidden Quests, right? If you don¡¯t finish that one, aren¡¯t we going to get a bit unbalanced?¡±


    Sam exchanged a look with Alessa, but Brian was the first one to answer. ¡°What are you talking about? What Hidden Quest?¡±


    ¡°The one where you can kill a few more Grue and get extra experience for it.¡± The Squire was giving her a blank look, and she felt a creeping sense of horror. ¡°Wait, have you never done that before?¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯ve just run the patrol route like normal until the Main Quest is done, and then gone back without fighting anything else.¡± Tim looked a bit puzzled. ¡°What was your team doing?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been completing whatever Hidden Quests we could. Usually we¡¯d get at least one, except for the time at the shopping mall¡­¡± Alex felt another burst of horror run through her. ¡°Wait, how close are you guys to level two?¡±


    The rest of the team exchanged more looks. Sam answered first. ¡°I¡¯m a decent amount of the way in. Eighty points out of three hundred.¡±


    Alessa nodded. ¡°Same here.¡± Tim and Brian both nodded along, with Brian looking increasingly concerned.


    Alex was trying really hard not to start cursing Liliana. ¡°I¡¯m at two eighty. I¡¯ll hit level two and probably have eighty left over after this mission, since I¡¯ve already hit one of the Hidden Quests.¡±


    Brian snorted. ¡°Well, good for you, Miss Overachiever. Most of the rest of us are just trying to survive out here.¡±


    Tim nudged him a little. ¡°Hey, she¡¯s not bragging, dude. Not that she needs to, after today. She¡¯s saved us a lot more trouble than we¡¯ve had so far.¡±


    Sam appeared to realize the problem first. ¡°Wait, if you¡¯re going to be a higher level than us¡­¡±


    ¡°The next mission is going to be harder. Probably a lot harder.¡± Alex tucked her axe into her belt and crouched down. She ran a hand over her eyes, trying to massage away a sudden headache.


    ¡°Great. Just great.¡± Brian threw up his hands and stalked away.


    Alessa raised her hand. ¡°Would they just assign you to a different team, then? They wouldn¡¯t want to throw us into something we can¡¯t handle.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve done it before. No reason to think they wouldn¡¯t do it again.¡± Alex must have sounded bitter, because Brian actually spun around to stare at her. She met his eyes, and he slowly nodded. It was a bitter moment of shared understanding. Liliana was screwing them, all right. Just not in the way that Alex had expected.


    ¡°So what do we do?¡± Tim chuckled a bit, sounding more than a little forced. ¡°No offense, Alex, but I think you¡¯re already carrying quite a bit here. If it gets worse¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to complete some of these Hidden Quests, right?¡± They all looked at Sam, and he shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s two hundred points ahead, at least. If we don¡¯t complete any, she¡¯ll be two hundred forty ahead. If we complete the same Hidden Quest she¡¯s done, then we¡¯ll at least keep it stable, right?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll still be ahead of us, though. She¡¯ll still hit level two, and we¡¯ll be stuck at one, no matter what we do.¡± Brian¡¯s voice was tight with frustration, but for once, it didn¡¯t feel like it was directed at her.


    ¡°It won¡¯t matter as much, though, because the more experience we earn, the less of a difference it¡¯ll be.¡± Sam shrugged. ¡°Besides, the quicker we get to level two ourselves, the better off we¡¯ll be.¡±


    ¡°One Hidden Quest is good, but two would be better, right?¡± Alessa looked at Alex. ¡°Did you ever get both of them done?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Once.¡± Alex shifted slightly. ¡°The second Quest that time was a raid on a Grue Camp in the mall. You¡¯d get bonus experience for getting both, but¡­¡±


    She paused long enough for Brian to get impatient. ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°The last time, it wasn¡¯t a Camp. It was a Quest to hunt down a Killer.¡± Alex looked away. ¡°That one Grue with the bow.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Tim¡¯s response was enough to summarize the situation for everyone. If they hadn¡¯t done one Hidden Quest yet, taking down the Killer would be¡­


    Alex stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on that first Hidden Quest. We¡¯ll decide what we can do after that. All right by you guys?¡±


    She looked around until they¡¯d all given her a nod. Then she turned, and they started out again. An already long day was going to get that much longer.


    The tough part about the Grue wasn¡¯t killing them now. It was hitting them hard enough to let someone else finish the job.


    Alex gritted her teeth as she dodged yet another spear thrust and then performed yet another trap with her shield and axe to rob the Grue of its weapon. The thing yipped in surprise, and she had to keep herself from hacking the life out of it with her axe. Instead, she cut its leg out from under it, and smashed it over the head with her shield for good measure.


    The Grue went down, and she jumped away to clash with another one that was trying to crowd in around Tim. Sam went after the crippled one, his spear lashing out a bit more confidently now that it was down. Tim took advantage of the distraction she provided to plant his own spear squarely in a Grue¡¯s chest, downing it as well. Alex blocked an incoming attack squarely on her shield and shoved the attacker back to the ground. Another quick chop lamed it, and then she was on to the next part of the battle.


    It was their third fight after they¡¯d finished the Main Quest, and the rest of the team had almost finished the first Hidden Quest. All they needed was another few kills¡­


    Alex darted in behind a Grue attacking Brian and hamstrung it. He finished it off with a thrust and then gave her a half-resentful nod of thanks. She barely acknowledged it before she used a shield charge to knock the Grue in front of Alessa off balance, allowing the Porter to smash it utterly flat a moment later.


    With that, the fight was done. Bodies burst into flame, and they stood back to study their handiwork as the bodies burned in the street. Alex was still breathing hard as she looked over her team. Still nobody wounded, though they all looked like they had been through the ringer. ¡°Anybody hurt? How are we doing?¡±


    Brian gave her an irritated look. ¡°I¡¯m done. With the Quest.¡± He looked around at the rest of them. ¡°Maybe for the day. I can¡¯t keep this up much longer.¡±


    The others were nodding. Alessa spoke up next. ¡°That last one was it for me. Does anybody still need to kill something?¡±


    ¡°Not here.¡± Sam waved at them, a half-proud smile on his face. ¡°I could do with a rest, though.¡±


    Alex felt a flicker of irritation at their readiness to give up¡ªnobody had even been wounded!¡ªbut she pushed past it. None of them had health potions like Clara had started with, and if someone did take a wound, it was likely they were going to either die or be out of commission for a while. An exhausted person was at a lot greater risk of injury than someone who was well rested. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s get back to the portal, then. Anybody sees anything¡ªespecially if you get a Hidden Quest from it¡ªcall it out to me. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    They reluctantly got to their feet and hefted their weapons. Moments later, they were back in front of the portal. Alex made sure each of the weary Surveyors went through before she followed them.


    The light wiped away the other world, and she was once again staring at her Screen.


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Hidden Quest Not Discovered]


    At another time, she would have been happy about surviving the mission and gaining strength, but now she was just dreading the amount of difficulty her next mission would bring. How was she going to keep all of them alive, and finish her own Quests? Would she have to decide between saving a team member and getting her job done?


    The Screen moved on without waiting for her to respond to it.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield increased from 11 to 15!]


    [Dodging increased from 5 to 7!]


    [You have reached level 2 as a Page!]


    [+2 Speed gained. +1 Free Attribute awarded.]


    Alex immediately dumped the extra point into Strength again; now more than ever, she was going to need some power behind her swings. Hopefully, it would be enough to keep carving her way through whatever the other world threw at her.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Running and Dodging?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels.]


    She denied that option again, for much the same reasons. Better to keep training Running and Inspect when she could at the moment. She still had another three levels before Page was done, anyway. Plenty of time to decide what to do there.


    [Additional equipment awarded! Select new equipment.]


    Alex paused for a moment over the choice, knowing that the Group usually recommended that Pages take equipment for ranged combat or stealth. Neither option really appealed to her, however, and didn¡¯t match her skills at all. Part of her was really tempted to select a health potion¡ªthe lack of healing available for her current team was unnerving to say the least¡ªbut that also didn¡¯t fit how she worked. It was better to keep them from getting hurt in the first place, especially if they were going to be dragged into fighting worse battles because of her.


    So instead, Alex selected a simple brigandine, something like a breastplate of hardened fabric and sewn-in metal plates. It appeared on her torso, a dull iron-grey garment, and she instantly felt a little more constrained. Still, the weight was preferable to getting speared or arrow-struck during an ambush. She was uncomfortably sure that the Killer was going to make another appearance sooner than she liked.


    Her choices made, she was left with a moment of time where she could simply float in the void. Then the light came¡­


    She was once again back in the real world, with her weary teammates at her side. They gave her sidelong glances of varying gratitude¡ªBrian¡¯s was something closer to a grudging nod, while Alessa seemed to have actual tears in her eyes¡ªbefore moving to give their reports.


    Liliana watched them with a mixture of surprise and satisfaction. When Alex finally stomped over to her to give her report, the team captain¡¯s expression seemed halfway smug. ¡°You seem a little tired, Alexandretta. Are you feeling well?¡±


    ¡°Well enough, team captain.¡± Alex bared her teeth at her. Some might have charitably called it a smile. ¡°You¡¯re looking very well rested. You must be sleeping well.¡±


    The team captain blinked and then shrugged off the comment. ¡°So, did you manage to reach level two for Page today? I hope you put your additional point into Life this time. To make up for last time.¡±


    ¡°Strength actually.¡± Alex¡¯s smile turned far more genuine now. ¡°And I got some armor for myself as well.¡±


    Liliana actually frowned at her. ¡°That is not company policy, Alexandretta. You know that the Group has a very carefully mapped progression for Surveyors. Not following it could lead to substandard teamwork and an inability to thrive in our environment.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the warning, team captain. Is there anything else?¡±


    She watched Liliana struggle slightly. The cheerful smile seemed to be far more difficult for her now. ¡°No. Though I may decide to assign you additional exercises as a result of your refusal to follow established practices.¡±


    Alex nodded, still grinning. Liliana¡¯s mask slipped for just a moment, showing a depth of cold rage that nearly surprised Alex. Then the team captain was smiling again and gesturing for her to join the others on the bus.


    She wasn¡¯t sure what the team captain was planning for her, but it definitely wasn¡¯t good. All the same, it was a problem for another time. For now, she needed a bath and some good food. Surviving a doomed Survey seemed to work up her appetite.

 B1Ch10: Dangerous Territory

    ¡°So good to see you again!¡± Zach was smiling broadly as Alex walked in. She gave him a quiet glare, though she couldn¡¯t entirely mean it. Liliana had probably been intending to punish her by assigning her another couple of afternoons in the PAD, but it wasn¡¯t going to be the hardship the team captain had intended it to be.


    ¡°Nice to know I was missed.¡± Alex sighed at his insufferably pleased expression and gestured for him to lead the way. ¡°Same deal as before?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I wouldn¡¯t want to let such an interesting opportunity go by. I¡¯ll even let you go first.¡± Zach once again led her back to the office, where he carefully closed the door. His expression grew much more serious, and he spoke quietly. ¡°I heard you have a new team setup. How is that working out for you?¡±


    ¡°Well, I managed to keep anybody from dying this time. Next time might be a bit harder.¡± Alex half-sat and half-collapsed into the chair. ¡°It seems like my team captain might be setting me up for failure, so the next few days are going to be interesting to say the least. How are you holding up?¡±


    ¡°About as well.¡± Zach shrugged. ¡°Plenty of paperwork to take care of, but in between all of that¡­¡± He brought out a tablet, unlocked it, and slid it across the desk to her. ¡°Take a look at that.¡±


    The tablet showed a graph, with two lines stitching their way across it, one blue and one red. She looked up. ¡°Are these the readings?¡±


    ¡°Yep. The blue line shows the amounts reported by the monitors already in place.¡± He glanced around the room. ¡°The red one is a¡­different data set, for the same period.¡±


    Alex frowned. The lines were different, but not by any extreme amount. ¡°So no real difference, then.¡±


    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any difference at all, really. Not by this amount at least.¡± Zach held a hand out, and she slid the tablet back to him. He carefully locked it and put it back into his desk drawer. ¡°I¡¯m still monitoring your situation, so just keep your phone on you the next time you go out. I have a hunch that something might change soon.¡±


    She nodded solemnly. Then she broke into a smile. ¡°So. Were you serious about me having the first question?¡±


    Zach blinked. Then he rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh fine. What embarrassing story do you want to know about this time?¡±


    ¡°You can keep those for later, maybe.¡± Alex let her smile fade slightly. ¡°When some of the Surveyors went down, I thought I saw fire. The kind of fire we see when the Grue die.¡±


    Zach¡¯s expression closed down. He seemed much more sober now. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve had a lot of reports about that. A Surveyor who dies inside a portal doesn¡¯t leave a body behind. They combust, and their Talisman is left behind in their place.¡±


    ¡°So do the Grue, once they are down. They always burn purple, though, and the Surveyors looked like they were green, or maybe red. Do you know why that is?¡±


    He nodded slowly. ¡°I do, actually. Or at least, I know the theory behind it.¡± Zach sat down in his chair and spread his hands on the desktop. ¡°What do you know about light?¡±


    The question was such a non sequitur that Alex nearly laughed. ¡°It helps us see? I guess?¡±


    Zach smiled a little and shook his head. ¡°Sorry, I meant the spectrum of light. You know, like a rainbow.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That.¡± Alex shrugged again. ¡°Just the usual, I guess. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue¡­¡±


    ¡°Indigo and violet. Those last two being especially dark blue.¡± Zach nodded. ¡°Notice what color was missing?¡±


    She frowned. ¡°Purple? But aren¡¯t purple and violet the same?¡±


    ¡°No. Purple is what is called a non-spectral color. It doesn¡¯t actually exist on the spectrum of light.¡± Zach smiled a little. ¡°Effectively, it exists because our brain is trying to present an effective picture of something that would otherwise confuse us. Greyscale colors, like white, black and grey itself, are similar to that.¡±


    Alex sat back. ¡°So the purple fire¡­¡±


    ¡°Is probably something that your mind is having a hard time understanding, so it uses a shortcut.¡± Zach¡¯s smile faded again. ¡°Surveyors, however, don¡¯t burn purple. Instead, each base Role appears to be linked to a color, both in their Screen and the fire when they¡­fall. Squires are linked to red, Porters orange, and so on.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± She had a brief picture of yellow fire bursting from her and shivered. ¡°So what¡¯s your first question, then?¡±


    ¡°What were your impressions of the magic levels outside the portal over the past week? Were they better or worse than they were before you went in the last time?¡±


    It took her a moment for Alex to come up with an answer. ¡°There definitely seemed to be a lot less there than before. More like a normal amount, I¡¯d say. Why?¡±


    Zach raised an eyebrow. ¡°That could count as your question, but I¡¯ll overlook it. I¡¯m trying to figure out a baseline for the magic levels. The official readings and the¡­alternative set aren¡¯t too far apart right now, so it might be back to normal levels.¡± He paused for a moment, making a note of some kind on his tablet. ¡°Did you notice anything odd about the Grue during your Survey? Any special types or differences in behavior?¡±


    ¡°They were coming at us in larger groups, but aside from that¡­¡±


    She went on describing her experiences, trying to remember everything she could. It took longer than she expected, but for some reason, she didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°Hey. Long time no see.¡±


    Alex looked up from her lunch to see Clara in front of her, holding a tray full of food. She shot up from her seat. ¡°Clara! Are you okay? I didn¡¯t hear that you were out of medical.¡±


    The Acolyte gave her a tentative smile. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m doing all right. Mind if I join you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, go ahead!¡± Alex gestured for her to take the seat across from her, and Clara sat. She noticed the Acolyte was still moving a bit gingerly, as if her wounds were still hurting her. Alex silently renewed her promise to even the score with the Killer responsible, and then forced a smile. ¡°So. I heard you guys were heading into the portal today.¡±


    Clara nodded, picking at her food. She didn¡¯t seem to want to meet Alex¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve got another couple of Surveyors on the team now. Ruth Swenson and Marcel Smith.¡±


    Two more of the survivors from other teams, probably. Alex felt a brief flicker of jealousy and resentment and then shrugged it aside. She settled for stabbing her fork into some mashed potatoes. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll do well. You guys are good at taking care of each other, anyway. You¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    The Acolyte smiled. ¡°Maybe. I think it¡¯ll be hard to do it without you there, though.¡±


    Alex chewed her bite and swallowed it a little. ¡°At least most of your team will have worked together. It¡¯ll help a lot.¡± She reached across the table and patted Clara¡¯s hand, trying to sound reassuring. ¡°It won¡¯t be nearly as bad as it was before. We just went in yesterday, and it was more¡­ normal.¡±


    Clara relaxed a little. She ate some of the fruit that she had stacked up in a cup on her tray. When she spoke again, she seemed a little less hesitant. ¡°Audrey said you keep getting stuck in the PAD, lately. You really shouldn¡¯t get Liliana so mad at you, you know.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s she going to do? I don¡¯t think they¡¯d let her fire me, not when they need E rankers to throw through the portal here, and my team came back intact.¡± Alex shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s worth a little heat if it means everyone gets home safe.¡±


    ¡°Easy for you to say.¡± Clara¡¯s smile turned a little brittle. ¡°I just keep reliving seeing that arrow come through the window. I don¡¯t know if I can go through again, not when it might¡­the Killer¡­.¡±


    Alex set down her fork and grabbed Clara¡¯s shoulder. She shook her gently. ¡°It¡¯s not there, Clara. The C ranker killed it, or it ran far enough away that it¡¯s not a problem. If I see any sign of it, I¡¯ll hunt it down and destroy it myself. Okay? It¡¯s not going to get you.¡±


    ¡°Is that supposed to make me feel better?¡± Clara looked up at her, and the Acolyte¡¯s eyes were full of tears and bitterness. ¡°Thinking about you going after that thing alone always makes me think that it¡¯ll get you next. Who¡¯s going to drag you back to the portal, then? You don¡¯t even have any healing on your team. What if the next time you go through the portal, you don¡¯t come back?¡±


    The question made Alex sit back. It was a fair question, but for some reason she¡¯d never really thought about Clara being worried about her making it back. It was the Acolyte that had taken the hit last time. Why wasn¡¯t she more concerned about her own safety?


    When she found the words, she spoke carefully. ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything too risky, Clara. I¡¯ve got an entire team to look out for, and I have way too much to do for a Grue to get me now.¡± She tried a gentle smile. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me, okay? And Joanna and Audrey are going to take good care of you today. You¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Clara nodded. Then she took a deep, shaky breath, and nodded again, more firmly. ¡°Yeah. Okay.¡± She looked up and looked determined. ¡°You have to promise me, though. You¡¯ll be careful. You won¡¯t go off hunting that Killer on your own.¡±


    Hunting an advanced Grue seemed like a suicide mission, especially when she knew the difficulty was going to spike now that she was level two. It was easy enough to nod. ¡°I promise. I¡¯ll make sure to watch my back. You just need to promise me the same thing, okay? I don¡¯t want to see you in the infirmary again that quickly. You gave me way too much of a scare. Besides, you have a scholarship to earn.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I can promise you that.¡± Clara smiled, a soft, fragile thing. ¡°The scholarship seems a little far away now, though. What am I even going to study after all this?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been making plenty of friends down in Portal Analysis if you want to head in that direction.¡± Alex grinned a little as Clara snorted. The Acolyte scooped up some more fruit as she continued. ¡°Seriously, though, they might need all the help they can get. These guys are hopeless.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Clara¡¯s smile grew a little mischievous, something that nearly shocked Alex. ¡°I heard one of them came to visit you in the infirmary.¡±


    ¡°How did you¡ªyou know what, never mind.¡± Alex shook her head, trying not to recognize that her cheeks were growing heated. ¡°He just wanted to check up on me, since he heard things went sideways on the Survey. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Clara¡¯s smile grew a little more. ¡°You don¡¯t say. What¡¯s his name? Is he cute?¡±


    Alex gave her a glare she couldn¡¯t really make stick. ¡°You know, for someone wishing me well, you sure like seeing me awkward.¡± The Acolyte popped another pear in her mouth and sat back chewing in an unbearably smug way. It was impossible to stay frustrated, and Alex¡¯s glare broke down into an exaggerated sigh. ¡°His name¡¯s Zach, and I guess you could say he¡¯s a little cute. Mostly when he gets going about his weird science stuff.¡±


    ¡°I knew it!¡± Clara pointed a finger at Alex and swallowed her bite. ¡°You¡¯re getting sent to the PAD on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°No! Well, maybe.¡± Alex shrugged slightly, suddenly extremely interested in her potatoes again. ¡°I guess you could say it¡¯s more of a side benefit.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Clara leaned in close, her face practically glowing now. ¡°And does Mr. Science Hotty know he¡¯s a ¡®side benefit¡¯?¡±


    Alex threw her hands in the air, suddenly wishing for a portal to jump through. ¡°It told you, his name is Zach, and I have no idea. Just don¡¯t¡­ spread it around, okay?¡±


    ¡°Your secret¡¯s safe with me.¡± Clara made a cross-her-heart gesture, still grinning like a loon. ¡°Of course, this means you have to tell me everything.¡±


    The rest of the lunch had been a bit embarrassing¡ªeven leaving out the parts where she was breaking into abandoned houses and spying on the Group, there was apparently more than enough material for Clara to tease her with¡ªbut it had been refreshing in a way. When she got back to the room, Alex was feeling a lot lighter, as if a burden had been lifted. She¡¯d had no idea that she had missed Clara so much.


    When she opened the door to her bunk, she almost ran straight into Joanna. The Adept looked surprised, and then stood back. ¡°Sorry. I was just headed out.¡±


    Alex nodded. ¡°No problem. Good luck on your mission today.¡±


    Joanna turned to go and stopped. She half turned to look back at her. ¡°We¡¯re going to miss you on the team. I know we¡¯re getting two more people, but I don¡¯t¡­know if I can count on them like I could count on you.¡±


    The confession shocked Alex almost as much as Clara¡¯s insistence on teasing her at lunch. Joanna hadn¡¯t always been the easiest teammate, but she¡¯d always been the one to take the lead. Alex hadn¡¯t ever thought that Joanna would have relied on anyone. ¡°They¡¯ll come through for you. You still have Audrey and Clara, too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Joanna hesitated for a moment and then closed the door. She turned back, her face determined. ¡°I put in a request to get you back on our team. Liliana denied it.¡±


    Alex felt her eyebrows go nearly to the top of her forehead. ¡°I¡­thanks, Joanna. You were kind of sticking your neck out for me.¡±


    ¡°It was worth it. Whatever our differences, you were always helping our team do the best we could.¡± Joanna shook her head. ¡°But you pissed off Liliana more than you realize. I get the impression that she¡¯s hoping that we¡¯ll stop acting up now that you¡¯re gone.¡±


    ¡°Well, hopefully you don¡¯t disappoint her too much.¡± Alex¡¯s comment seemed to fall on deaf ears; Joanna¡¯s expression didn¡¯t show any sign of humor.


    ¡°I also get the impression that she wishes you would just stop being around. Permanently.¡± Joanna glanced at the door, as if making sure it was shut. ¡°You need to be careful now. The first chance she has to set you up for a fall, she¡¯ll take it. Don¡¯t get yourself killed before I can get you back on our team, okay? I don¡¯t want you to¡­to waste your potential. All right?¡±


    It was as close to an admission of fondness that she was probably going to get from her former teammate, and Alex was surprised by how touching it was. She nodded and gave Joanna a quick hug before the Adept could escape. Alex noted she didn¡¯t even go stiff like she¡¯d been expecting. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful. Thanks, Joanna. And be careful out there today.¡±


    Joanna nodded, her expression a little embarrassed. Then she opened the door and left, striding away through the corridor as confident and uncompromising as ever.


    Alex grinned after her for a while and then went back to her bunk. She had a few minutes to relax before the next session of teamwork exercises on her schedule, and she intended to make good use of them¡ªhopefully, while not worrying about the fate of her old teammates in the meantime.


    Joanna and the others came back victorious that afternoon. They were all celebrating their advancement to second level, though Joanna seemed a little unhappy with how much less ¡®reliable¡¯ their new teammates were. Apparently, Alex¡¯s new team was not the only one that had not been up to their previous standards, so they were having to do the hard work of catching them up. At least they had the advantage of only having to do it for two team members, instead of four at once.


    Fortunately, her team wasn¡¯t immediately called back to the portal. It gave her enough time to smuggle another pair of monitors into the containment area, which she swapped out for another pair of the defective ones. Zach reported differences in the readings for all three of the new ones, something that she had more or less suspected would be the case.


    When she came back the next day, though, Ron shook his head at her. ¡°Sorry. The Group has declared the area off limits to everyone but active personnel today. You¡¯ll have to do you run somewhere else.¡±


    She thanked the man and trudged back to the bus, her mind whirling. Odds are that Forsmith had arranged for the change, but why? Had he noticed the monitors being replaced, or had that convoy just gone through the portal again? Neither option sounded particularly good for her, or for any of her teammates.


    Braced for disaster as she was, it wasn¡¯t a surprise, then that she received two very disturbing text messages early the following morning.


    The first was from Zach¡¯s outside line. It was brief, but all too informative.


    Magic readings from the portal have spiked. Be careful if they send you through. Official readings show no change.


    At least it answered the question of why they had locked things down the day before. She still didn¡¯t know how they were making the magic output of the portal spike like that¡ªeven sending high rankers like Forsmith through should actually decrease the energy, since the Survey would sap some of the magical energy away¡ªbut at least they hadn¡¯t noticed the monitors were being switched out.


    The second text told her that both Joanna and Clara had been right to warn her about Liliana.


    Your team has been assigned a Survey for this afternoon. Be present for deployment by 2pm.


    Alex spent a long time reading and rereading the text. It was entirely possible that Liliana was still in the dark about what was going on at the portal. There was no reason that the Group might have needed to inform a simple team captain of their plans for the place, even if she had been connected enough to survive the firings that had claimed most of the other team sergeants.


    Still, it was hard to shake the feeling that Liliana knew¡ªand that not only did she know the portal would be incredibly dangerous today, but that she was sending in her least prepared team to deal with the situation. Alex read over the text again, looking for any signs of malice. Would the team captain really be willing to put an entire team of Surveyors at risk just because she¡¯d taken a dislike to one of them? It would require her to be incredibly petty and shortsighted of her.


    In other words, it would require her to be exactly like what Alex had seen of her this far.


    Alex sighed and stood up from her bunk. She needed to warn her teammates and come up with a plan. If she was lucky, they¡¯d all survive to complain about it later. If not¡­ she tried not to think about the alternative.


    The bus ride to the portal had been significantly quieter than the first time they had set out together. There were a lot of pale faces and sweating hands, with good reason. Alex had quietly found each of her new teammates and personally warned them that the portal was going to be extra difficult today, beyond what they had already been expecting. She hadn¡¯t gone into details, but she¡¯d made enough of an impression that she¡¯d actually been worried that some of them might have decided to drop out altogether.


    All four of them had still gotten on the bus however, though as they passed the guards¡¯ checkpoint on their way to the portal, reality seemed to set in for them. Alessa¡¯s hands were trembling, and Brian¡¯s face was tight with stress and anger. Tim simply slumped in his seat, as if too preoccupied to think about what was happening, and Sam was staring off into the distance, searching for nothing in particular.


    Alex, on the other hand, felt herself tensing up, like a spring being wound tighter and tighter. It was going to be her first level two Survey. She faced tough conditions and had the responsibility to protect a group of under leveled Surveyors who probably should not have been involved at all. Her mind was whirling with plans and ideas, none of which seemed particularly useful. Was there going to be another ambush at the portal? Would the Grue be waiting for them as they exited, or would they hit them when they were tired and trying to return home?


    The bus pulled inside the inner cordon, and she followed the rest of her team as they disembarked. Liliana was there, smiling with all her insincerity at them as they stepped up to the platform. She seemed to single out Alex particularly. ¡°I have every confidence that you will all do your best for the company. Have a fantastic Survey!¡±


    As grating as the false wishes were, Alex still gave her a smile. One that might have promised eventual retribution, sure, but one that still bared her teeth.


    Then, with the other four members of her team, she stepped forward into the vortex, and let the light claim her.


    [E Rank Surveyor Alex]


    [Ascension Level: 2]


    [Role: Page (Role Skills: Running(8), Dodging(7)]


    [Role Level: 2]


    [Experience: 80/600]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 2, Speed -> 4, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield(15), Inspect(4)]


    [Permanent Skills: None]


    [Current Titles: War Maiden (Increases Skill grade of Combined Arms and Weapon Mastery by one.)]


    Alex felt her breath coming a little quicker as she looked over her status. She should have been feeling confident and powerful. Her Skills had increased by leaps and bounds lately, and the Grue in her last Survey hadn¡¯t been able to lay a finger on her. Yet now she was seeing those same accomplishments as a portent of doom.


    She shook her head. The Survey hadn¡¯t even started yet. Her mother would have been disappointed if she let the threats get to her already. Her father would have reminded her that there were lives to save. Either way, it was time to get to work.


    The words faded, and then new ones returned.


    [Quest Issued! Destroy eight Grue Soldiers.]


    [Quest Issued! Explore the Library.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    Alex grimaced. As if she needed more things to worry about. An additional Quest wasn¡¯t likely to help her situation, especially since her teammates wouldn¡¯t have access to it. She wondered if it would be that much harder for her to gain experience on her own, actually; depending on what the Hidden Quests were, it could be that her teammates would catch up with her if she didn¡¯t complete enough of her own Quests. It was yet another complication that she really didn¡¯t want to deal with yet.


    All the same, she waved the Quests away and braced herself as the light washed over her¡­


    She stepped out into the other world yet again, ready for the enemy to strike at them.


    Her teammates stepped out on either side of her, obviously just as tense as she was. Their hands gripped their weapons tightly, and their eyes darted around to take in the details of the ruins around them.


    Nothing sprang out at them, and no arrows made their surprise arrival known, which was encouraging. Still, the trouble hadn¡¯t begun right away last time, either. Alex looked around at her team and nodded. They fell into formation, still tense and waiting for the next thing to happen even as they moved forward.


    The only one to break the silence was Sam, who leaned forward a little to whisper at her. ¡°Still the same Quests for us, I think. What about you, Alex?¡±


    ¡°Number of Grue doubled for the usual Quest.¡± She paused. ¡°Got a new Main Quest too. Something about exploring a Library?¡±


    Brian snorted. ¡°Sorry. Don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to be setting aside time to read today.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want you to have to learn something new, Brian.¡± A ripple of laughter went through her teammates, and the mood among them relaxed by a small, infinitesimal amount. They didn¡¯t seem any less wary, but she didn¡¯t want them to be. There had to be something nasty waiting for them here, and she wanted to be ready for whatever it was.


    They began their patrol as usual, prowling through the streets of the ruined suburb. The grey sky continued to boil and shift above them. She¡¯d asked Zach about the fact that the sky was never visible, and he¡¯d said that all Surveys had reported the same thing. He¡¯d also suggested that if the sky ever started to clear, it was probably time to run, so she kept at least a part of her attention upward.


    The first sign of the way the mission was going to go was when a group of twelve Grue spilled out into a parking lot ahead of them. All twelve of them seemed larger and stronger, somehow. Their grey eyes immediately focused on the Surveyors ahead of them. Howls and growls echoed through the air as they formed up and trotted forward, their spears already prepared to strike.


    Brian was the first one to speak. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s get to it.¡±


    The Surveyors spread out and brace themselves. Alex resisted the urge to charge; even if she had wanted to, it would have left the others a little too open. So she stayed put, her body nearly vibrating with the tension, until the Grue were only a handful of strides away.


    Then she charged, her shield ready and her axe held tight. The Grue reared back at her approach; she was moving much faster than her fellow Surveyors and faster than she ever had before. Her increased Speed meant that they barely had time to react before she was on them. She dodged the spear in front of her, using her shield to swat away another point from the left. Her axe tore out a throat. A second strike split the skull of another one, and she used her shield to knock a third straight to the ground.


    She left the Grue sprawled out on the pavement and charged another. It tried to stab her in the legs, and she crushed her shield down on the haft. The spear snapped in half, and the Grue failed to back up fast enough to avoid her counter attack. Another stab came in at her head, and she ducked below it, delivering an axe blow to its leg. It howled and fell, leaving another Grue open while it was trying to attack Tim.


    The Grue didn¡¯t turn quickly enough, and she killed it with an axe hit to the back of the head. Another Grue tried to turn and attack her, but she shield-checked it into one of its friends, tumbling them both to the ground. Tim and Brian were on them only moments later, stabbing down at them. Behind her, Sam was finishing off the Grue she¡¯d left on the ground, his spear lashing out with desperate speed.


    Just that quickly, the Grue found themselves brutally outnumbered and outmatched. The two that were still standing turned to flee, only for Alessa and Brian to cut them down from behind. Then the Surveyors were left standing and panting in a parking lot full of shadowy bodies, waiting for the purple flame to claim them.


    ¡°Well¡­that..was¡­impressive.¡± Sam was still breathing hard, standing over the last one he¡¯d smashed. He glanced at the others, who all grinned. ¡°Two¡­down!¡±


    Brian nodded. ¡°Same¡­here.¡± Alessa held up two fingers from where she was leaning on her staff, as did Tim, with a quiet smile.


    Alex simply looked around as the fires started. She thought over what Zach had told her, about her mind making sense of things that were inherently unreal. The Grue themselves were beings of grey, white, and black. Were they any more real than the flames that claimed them?


    Then she shook off her thoughts and noted the yellow text floating beside her.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield has advanced to level 16!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 4 of 8 targets destroyed]


    She smiled grimly. ¡°A good start, you guys. Let¡¯s keep moving. I don¡¯t want them to catch us if we can help it.¡±


    They nodded. The Porters were both already recovering, though Brian and Sam were taking longer to get their breath back. She wasn¡¯t as completely worn out, if only because she had not given the Grue the chance to resist her very much. Alex tried not to notice the burning sensation in her muscles. There would be time to be tired once it was all done.

 B1Ch11: Getting Home

    There were two more fights in another handful of blocks, both of which had at least ten Grue each. Alex tore through them and helped her teammates rip apart the remnants. By the time the third fight was over, though she¡¯d confirmed something unfortunate. While the others had the same normal Hidden Quest to wipe out extra Grue, she did not.


    ¡°That could be a good thing, right?¡± Alessa looked from her to the other Surveyors. ¡°If she doesn¡¯t level up as quickly, that means we can catch up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but that means we¡¯re going to have the same problems once we get to her level. Right?¡± Sam grimaced. ¡°Things are already tough enough as it is.¡±


    Tim looked around at the group, his reluctance obvious. ¡°Well, we¡¯re keeping up with things for the moment. Do we want to try for the Library wherever it is?¡±


    ¡°What, so we can be nice and tired for the Killer back at the portal?¡± Brian snorted. ¡°It¡¯s like we¡¯d be asking for trouble.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Alex shook her head. ¡°I¡¯d love to finish it off, but if it means putting you all at risk, it¡¯s better that we take things more slowly. Especially since things might be extra dangerous today.¡±


    The others shifted their feet, looking at each other. Sam, however, looked more closely at her. ¡°How did you know it would be so much worse today? You never said.¡±


    Alex looked away. ¡°I just¡­had a hunch, is all.¡±


    ¡°A hunch.¡± Brian looked just as skeptical as he sounded. ¡°You went around making sure we were on high alert for a hunch.¡±


    Sam didn¡¯t seem convinced either. ¡°Come to think of it, you¡¯ve been spending a lot of time training out by the portal, right? I heard someone mention that you come out here to run during your spare time. Does your hunch have anything to do with that?¡±


    Alex glared at the Adept. ¡°Look, you don¡¯t want to know. I just know that it¡¯s probably a good idea to get in and out today. So let¡¯s keep moving, all right?¡±


    Tim straightened up and gave her a salute. ¡°As ordered, team captain!¡±


    She switched her glare to him, but he burst out laughing. Even Brian was starting to chuckle.


    Then a howl rose over the ruins, and they all froze. It was clearly from the direction of the portal.


    Alex reacted immediately. ¡°Into the house! Go, go, go!¡±


    She led the way as they sprinted towards the house on the left side of the street. It was a simple, two-story colonial. The door had been smashed open at some point, which made it all the easier to dive into the building for cover. Her teammates were right behind her, scrambling inside and searching for any sign of Grue waiting for them.


    There were none, but as they took cover in the house, more howling sounds rose over the dead town. One of them came from just the other side of the house, and Alex ran to see where the noise was coming from. Sam was right on her heels, moving quicker than she would have expected of an Adept. She crouched at one of the rear windows, half hidden behind some long abandoned kitchen sink.


    She froze. There was a small army gathering in the next street over.


    Sam swore quietly next to her as Grue spilled from a large building across the street. It was a brick structure, at least three stories tall with flat, dirty windows. The parking lot wasn¡¯t large, but it definitely wasn¡¯t some kind of shop. At the same time, it was hard to ignore the notification that the Screen displayed in the corner of her vision.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy the Grue Killer]


    It was there, right at the head of nearly twenty Grue, with more still spilling from that big building. The same bandolier of Talismans was strapped across its chest; she could have sworn that there were more looped through the cord now, and her fist clenched around the haft of her axe as she realized why. The thing prowled in front of the Grue, as if checking them over. When the last of the Grue came out of the building, it nodded, and a Grue that had stayed back near the building lifted a twisted horn of smoke and flame to its lips.


    Another grim howl echoed out over the ruins, answered by whatever was waiting near the portal. The Killer gave some sort of growling order, and the small army began moving down the street in the direction of the portal, their spears held at the ready. As they left, the Grue with the horn retreated back into the building.


    Alex held her breath, restraining herself from rushing out to confront the monster. Even with her Skill and her increased level, there was no way she could throw her team against that army and win. Especially not with the advanced Grue there picking Surveyors off. She stayed crouched at the window, watching as her enemy disappeared down the street, headed to block their escape.


    ¡°That was a lot of Grue.¡± Tim had silently crept up next to them. He gave them an unsteady smile. ¡°And that one at the front¡­¡±


    ¡°The same one from the ambush, yeah.¡± Alex let herself relax slightly. There was going to be an ambush waiting for them, but there had to be a way out of it. Maybe they would be able to draw off some of the Grue without fighting the whole pack of them. ¡°How many of those things were there at the start of the first one?¡±


    ¡°Eighty, at least. Maybe not all at once, though. More kept coming in as the battle kept going.¡± Brian¡¯s voice was quiet, lethally serious. ¡°There¡¯s going to be at least that many this time too, huh?¡±


    Alessa was clutching at her staff, standing back from the window. A ruined kitchen table was sitting in a heap next to her. ¡°So this is it. We¡¯re dead, right?¡±


    Alex shook her head. ¡°We aren¡¯t dead yet. We don¡¯t have to head for the portal right away. We can hide for a little, maybe force them to look for us. We might even be able to wear them down enough that we can get through.¡±


    Tim frowned. ¡°How long can we actually stay in here? I¡¯ve never wanted to actually ask that before.¡±


    Sam answered, his voice distracted. ¡°You¡¯re considered dead after twenty-four hours. Nobody¡¯s come back after that long, anyway.¡±


    Brian snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve got a full day of this in me. Maybe another battle or two, but can we really avoid those things for that long?¡±


    Alex shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to. I¡¯m going to get all of you home.¡± She said it with as much determination as she could, trying to will her commitment into them. They couldn¡¯t give up now. Not when she was just starting to get through to them.


    ¡°Easy for you to say. I¡¯m betting you¡¯re fast enough to get through.¡± Brian¡¯s shrug was a much more helpless gesture. His voice was an equal mixture of reassurance and bitterness. ¡°We¡¯ll do our best to give you a good shot at it. Don¡¯t feel bad. You did your best.¡±


    ¡°No. You¡¯re all getting out.¡± Alex felt her anger flare. It couldn¡¯t end like this. She wouldn¡¯t let it. ¡°All we need to do is come up with a plan.¡±


    Sam laughed, and Alex glanced at him in surprise. She expected him to be looking at her in disbelief or anger, but instead, he was staring at the brick building. He lifted a hand to point at it. ¡°Well, should we start there, then?¡±


    She turned and saw what he was looking at. It was a sign at the entrance to the parking lot for the building where the Grue had come from. It was covered in more of that unreadable text, but there was a picture underneath the words that said far more than any of them. Alex felt her jaw drop open as she recognized the clear depiction of a book. ¡°No way.¡±


    ¡°The Library.¡± Sam gave her a half-smile. ¡°Turns out that we might finish that Quest for you after all, Alex.¡±


    ¡°It has to be a Camp. That¡¯s what has to be in there.¡±


    Alex was whispering to her teammates as they crept toward the building. They had waited long enough to make sure that the Killer and its friends were definitely gone. A patrol of ten Grue had wandered past, failing to sniff them out in the ruins. They¡¯d watched the monsters leave carefully, not wanting to raise enough of a commotion that might bring the entire mass of Grue down on them.


    Alessa frowned, her breath coming shallow as she crouched next to Tim. ¡°What¡¯s a Camp? I¡¯ve never heard of those before.¡±


    Sam answered first. ¡°They¡¯re supposed to be where new Grue come from. Never seen one myself.¡± He looked questioningly at Alex, who nodded.


    ¡°My last team found one in the shopping mall. We got a Hidden Quest to clear it. The Screen must want us to do the same thing here.¡±


    Brian was crouched right up next to her. They were nearly at the side door to the place. ¡°How many Grue were guarding it?¡±


    ¡°Things weren¡¯t as bad then, but there were at least twenty.¡± She saw Brian¡¯s shoulders slump slightly. ¡°At the same time, we just saw a bunch leave, and the ones we found last time weren¡¯t all ready for combat. Their spears were all stacked up in the corner. Maybe we can take them by surprise.¡±


    ¡°If we want to do that, maybe we should be a bit quieter?¡± Sam¡¯s voice was uncharacteristically tense. He hadn¡¯t told anyone how he knew how to pick locks, but no one had any questions given the fact that he was now working on opening the door for them. The rest of the team fell silent as he turned back to the task. Moments later, the door opened with an audible chonk, and he opened it for the rest of them to creep in.


    There had been more howling calls in the town, and occasionally the Grue at the Library had come out to answer them. Alex knew that once they cleared the Camp, it would mean that the Grue would eventually know something was wrong. Truth be told, she wanted it to happen that way. The more Grue that came here, the less would be waiting at the portal.


    They snuck through the empty halls of the Library, moving past empty offices and storage rooms choked with dust. It was a part of a library that she¡¯d never seen before; books stacked up and waiting to either join their friends on the shelves or to be thrown out. Most of them looked like they¡¯d been vandalized or damaged, as if the Grue had not been able to stand the sight of the words on the pages. At one point Alessa slipped on a patch of loose paper, but Brian caught her before she could fall.


    Eventually, they came out into the main area. Rows of bookshelves were still standing, though the ranks of books mostly seemed ruined and torn. The lighting that had once stood over the rest of the building had gone dark; the only light was filtering through the wide-open windows at the front of the building, putting the majority of it into dust filled shadows.


    Alex could hear yips and growls up ahead, along with the uneasy light of purple fire. She risked ducking out from a bookshelf, and was rewarded with the sight of a reading lobby filled with Grue tents, and a purple flame beneath another large purple crystal. She grimaced as her Screen gave her another notification.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Clear the Grue Camp]


    [Main Quest Completed! The Library has been explored]


    [Inspect has advanced to level 5!]


    She looked back at the rest of her teammates and nodded. Sam stole forward and peaked out, pulling back as he glanced to where his own Screen must have flickered. ¡°Yep. That¡¯s our last Hidden Quest.¡±


    Brian moved forward, turning their tidy line into a tight huddle. ¡°Are they armed? Or watching out for us?¡±


    Tim glanced the same way that Sam had and shook his head. ¡°Looks like the spears are stacked against a bookshelf. Only two armed, up at the front of the building on the opposite side of the camp.¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°So if we move fast enough, we can be between them and their weapons.¡± Brian looked at Alex. ¡°How many? Can we take them?¡±


    ¡°We can take them better than we can the ones at the portal.¡± She paused, trying to run through it in her mind. ¡°Yeah, I think we can do this. Just watch the claws and teeth. They like to pounce when they don¡¯t have a spear. It can take you off guard.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡± Sam glanced at Alessa. ¡°We can secure the spears. Want to give us a shield wall to work behind?¡±


    Alex and the others nodded. They formed up behind the bookshelves, getting ready. Then they paused, all looking around for another one of them to start the madness. Sam grinned suddenly. ¡°Anybody have something they want to check out first? Must be fascinating stuff.¡±


    They all tried to stifle their nervous chuckles, and Alex gave him a flat look. Then she snagged a couple of books from a nearby shelf, giving him a smirk. ¡°Why not?¡±


    Then she turned back to the Camp, feeling that same tension build within her. For all her confidence, nothing was actually certain about this fight. If there were really twenty Grue out there, her team could easily get overwhelmed by the mob of enemies. All the same, it wasn¡¯t going to get better if she kept just sitting there.


    So she braced herself and stepped out along with the others. They rushed at first in silence, pushing forward along two of the rows, with Tim and Brian leading Alessa, and Sam following her in. She caught sight of the reading tables stacked up along the front of the building in a makeshift barricade. Apparently, the Grue had failed to consider an attack from the opposite direction.


    Their luck couldn¡¯t last forever, though. A Grue paused as they were doing something, peering back into the shadows of the shelves. It straightened up in alarm, giving off a panicked yelp. Other Grue stuck their heads out of tents and turned from where they had been sitting near the purple flame, their grey eyes going wide. Most of them looked towards where the front doors were located, where the only two armed Grue were looking back and forth from the outside to the depths of the library.


    By the time they started to orient themselves correctly, Alex and the others were throwing themselves on the Grue, weapons flashing and striking. Alex cut down two Grue even as they hesitated between charging and running away, Brian and the others threw themselves into the crowd just as quickly. Only one of the Grue reached the weapon rack, just in time for Alessa to land a two-handed overhead strike that smashed it utterly flat. Sam caught another one trying to edge along the side, killing it with a single thrust.


    Then the battle was joined, with Grue throwing themselves forward without hesitation, trying to claw their way past shields to reach flesh, or shove their way through the Surveyors to catch hold of their spears. Alex lashed out with both shield and axe, knocking them down or cutting them to bits as they came. There was nothing fine or calculated about it; the battle had quickly degraded into a contest. If the Surveyors could kill them all before the Grue found a way to break through, then they would survive. Otherwise, it was over.


    One of the Grue suddenly pounced on her, knocking her back onto the grimy library carpet. She fought with it, keeping the shield between it and her. Luckily, she kept ahold of her axe this time, and shortened her grip on the haft so she could deliver repeated strikes to its head. As it went limp, another tried to jump over her to get at the spears; it caught Sam¡¯s spearpoint in the throat and went down. Another pushed forward, only for Alessa to lay it out flat.


    Then Sam was yanking her up again, getting her back on her feet. She spared a nod for him, and then shield-checked a Grue onto the carpet. Sam laughed in thanks and went after it, while she dodged low and put the back spike of her axe in another Grue¡¯s knee. It tumbled forward, and Alessa dealt it a finishing blow.


    Then came the two armed Grue, their spears lashing out at her. She blocked one, trapped another and wrenched it free of the Grue¡¯s grip, and then stepped forward to hack at both of them. Neither reacted quickly enough to stop her, and by the time she finished cutting them apart, the rest of the Grue were down, and her team was staring at them in faint shock.


    Sam ran his eyes over them as they started to light up in flame. ¡°I¡¯d say fifteen? Maybe sixteen?¡± The others nodded, even as a sudden cracking sound made them tense. Alex looked over and saw the purple flame bursting up through the hovering crystal at the center of the camp. It shattered, collapsing in on itself like a window encountering a baseball.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield has advanced to level 17!]


    [Hidden Quest Completed! Grue Camp cleared]


    Alex felt the tension go out of her shoulders. At least with the Hidden Quests done, her teammates would be able to get the boost from returning with all their Quests done. If they made it back, they¡¯d catch up to her at least a little.


    Brian was looking around at the burning Grue with a faint sense of shock. He shook his head. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t expect that to work, honestly.¡± Alessa gave him a glare, and he shrugged. ¡°What? It was a long shot. You can¡¯t blame me.¡±


    Alex broke in before the Porter could lecture him. ¡°I don¡¯t. Still, he who dares, wins, right?¡± Tim gave her an approving grin, and even Brian cracked a smile. ¡°Now, let¡¯s gather what we can and head out. They¡¯ll figure out what happened eventually, and we want to be ready to slip past them. We probably don¡¯t have¡ª¡±


    She stopped as she heard a faint howl-horn echo through the library. Other horns answered it, and then there was another horn from the direction of the portal. It blew three times in quick, frantic succession, and the others exchanged raised eyebrows of surprise. Sam started to speak. ¡°But how¡ª¡±


    Alex shook her head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Grab what you can, and let¡¯s move. We need distance between here and the most direct path to the portal. Sam, get us at least one or two streets away, and then as straight a course as you can. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    They spent only a few frantic moments grabbing crystals, fragments, and the occasional book from the shelves. Alex paused by what seemed like a rack of travel brochures, recognizing the shape of maps and geography books. She snagged a handful of them before hurrying out of the library, back the way they¡¯d come.


    By the time they stepped out on the street, the horn by the portal had blown another three frantic times. This time it seemed closer, and it gave the Surveyors the sense of urgency they absolutely needed. Alex kept herself at the back as they ran; Sam was leading the way with his face half-buried in his map, with the others in a loose formation behind him. She held tight to a desperate hope that the Grue wouldn¡¯t stumble onto them as they ran, trying to get to the portal which was their only way home.


    They only paused once, about five minutes into their flight. Sam abruptly threw himself into the bushes, and the others followed him immediately. Alex paused just long enough to hear the clatter of far too many claws on pavement before she joined them. The sound of at least twenty Grue went by them, headed in the direction of the Library on a parallel street, and as soon as they were gone, the Surveyors were up and running again.


    It took them another ten minutes to reach the area around the portal. In that time, the horn had blown again, from behind them. The three short notes had carried a touch of indescribable rage and malice in them, and the answers from other parts of the ruined town echoed the same terrible anger. Notably, however, no horn had answered them from the portal site. Had the Grue abandoned it entirely?


    Sam signaled for them to stop a block away from the portal, leading them into the space between two broken houses. He was a little out of breath as he tried to whisper to them. ¡°I saw¡­Grue. Not a lot¡­but some. What¡­do we do?¡±


    Alex looked around at her team, knowing what the answer had to be. They were tired, close to exhaustion, but if the Killer had led some of its friends away, they probably weren¡¯t going to get a better chance at the portal. ¡°Whatever is waiting for us there, they are the only thing between us and home. Who wants to stay here another three hours playing hide and seek with that Killer?¡± She didn¡¯t really need to look around for their answer to that question, but she did anyway. The resignation and determination was clear on all of their faces. ¡°We hit the guards, we kill as many of them as we need to, and we get through that portal. Anybody goes down, we pick them up and run. I want every single one of you through that portal, or I¡¯m going to beat you half to death myself. Understand?¡±


    They nodded. Tim gave her another salute, and though they chuckled a little, she still returned it. Mockery was fine, as long as they made it. As long as they lived.


    Sam spoke up, his breathing a little steadier. ¡°Let¡¯s come at it from the opposite side. They might not be guarding it as well, since we can¡¯t go through that way.¡± They all nodded; all of them had been told that entering a portal from the wrong direction just led to instant death. ¡°We can break into one of the houses on the side and jump out in front. Maybe we¡¯ll get lucky.¡±


    ¡°Good plan. Let¡¯s do it.¡± Alex motioned for them to get up and moving, trying to sound confident. ¡°All right, we¡¯re close to home. Give it one more push, and we¡¯ll be home in no time.¡±


    They nodded, and they started moving down the street again. All of them moved in silence again, hoping to avoid any notice at all until home was within reach.


    Unfortunately, that chance was not in the cards. A quartet of Grue stepped out into the street ahead of them¡ªobviously patrolling the rear of the portal¡ªand caught sight of them immediately. They howled in warning, and all four rushed towards them in a mass.


    This time, Alex sped straight into them, her Speed granting her enough of an advantage that she leapt out in front of the others. ¡°Keep going!¡± She slammed into the first Grue, snapping its spear and smashing its face flat with her shield. The second one came at her from the side; she slipped out to the left, letting momentum carry the point past her, and then slammed her axe into its face. Both of the others struck at her shield, and only a determined grip kept it from twisting out of her defense. ¡°Get to the portal!¡±


    Sam darted out and around her, his face grim. He gave a passing thrust at the Grue closest to him. It yipped and backed up, turning to bring its spear to bear on the Adept as he ran past. She grimaced, dodging the other¡¯s spear thrust so she could cut the other one down before it could impale him. The others followed after Sam, rushing for the nearest house while Alex turned to face the last one.


    It snarled and snapped at her, but she didn¡¯t bother retreating. She took its thrust on her shield and lashed out to hook its knee with the back of her axe. The thing went down on one hand, and she finished it with another strike to the head.


    The delay hadn¡¯t been long, but it had been enough for Sam to kick in the closest door. Tim had sprinted in past him, shield and spear up. Brian and Alessa went in right after him. Pained howls echoed out after they entered, with Brian yelling. Sam paused, looking in her direction. Then his eyes widened, and he looked past her.


    Alex glanced back and felt her stomach sink. There were well over twenty Grue running in the street behind her. They howled in rage, their spears held high. Grey eyes full of hate fixed on her, and she was certain that some of them might simply hurl themselves on her without bothering to use their weapons.


    At their head was the Killer, running with a lethal grace. Its eyes were locked on her, and a part of her thought she saw a hint of recognition there. It howled, a low, hateful sound, and the Grue at its side raised a familiar-looking horn. Three sharp notes rang out, growling over the town between the ruined buildings and the broken grey sky. Answers rolled back like hateful thunder.


    She ran for the door, yelling at Sam as she did. ¡°Get inside you idiot!¡± He jumped, and sprinted into the door, just as a dying Grue went flying out of a nearby window. Alex caught sight of Alessa swinging her staff in the opening, and then of Tim ducking in under a spear thrust to answer it with one of his own. Sam joined them a moment later, his expression panicked even as he took down another enemy.


    Alex glanced back again, just in time to see the Killer pause. It had sprinted ahead of the pack, far enough that there was nobody to jostle its elbow as it drew back the longbow. She whirled, bringing her shield around just in time for the arrow to bury itself in the sturdy wood. The impact shoved her back a little, but she still grinned at it as she turned and ran harder for the house. It howled in rage, but it didn¡¯t manage a second shot before she reached the opening.


    The interior of the house was strewn with wreckage and dead Grue. At least seven of them had gone down in the place, and she caught sight of the rest of her teammates piling through another side door into the space between the houses where the portal lay. They were still fighting, but none of them were dead, and her heart soared as she recognized how close they were.


    She nearly sprinted past the open window, but she had just enough forethought to put her shield up as she went by. Another arrow buried itself in her shield, and she laughed in wild joy. They were going to make it! Her team was almost there!


    When she burst into the alleyway, she found herself separated from her team by a small wall of Grue. The monsters were pressing her team back, snarling, snapping, and stabbing at them. They were fighting grimly, but Brian had taken a spear thrust in the arm somewhere, and Sam was bleeding from a scratch on his face. With the enemies right there, running for the portal would only mean spears in the back.


    At least, until she had arrived.


    Alex tore into them like she was chopping firewood in a competition. The first two Grue didn¡¯t have the chance to turn before she hacked them down; the third swung its spear at her, but she just ducked low and cut the legs out from under it, before moving past it to keep hacking. Her shield turned aside one spear, then broke another, and then the Grue were all falling, either under her axe or the weapons of the Surveyors behind them. In what seemed like heartbeats, they were all down.


    Her team looked at her in a virtual daze, and Alex felt a burst of incredulous impatience. ¡°Portal! Now!¡±


    She heard claws on the roof and spun to bring her shield high. A third arrow slammed into it, on a trajectory that would have put it in Alessa¡¯s gut. The Killer snarled at her from the rooftop, drawing another arrow from its quiver.


    The others yelled and ran for the portal. She glanced back to see Sam vanish, followed by Alessa. Tim and Brian were next, both leaning on each other. Crashing echoed from the house they¡¯d gone through, along with enraged howls. Alex backed towards the portal, looking up at the Killer.


    She felt a pull to stay, to try to finish the thing aiming yet another arrow at her from above. Without teammates weighing her down, she could get to the roof and drag it down. It would die beneath her axe, and the Surveyors it had killed would be avenged.


    Yet even as she felt that, Alex remembered her promise to Clara. She saw the first of the Grue pack reaching the door, and knew that if she stayed, she wouldn¡¯t be leaving.


    So instead of charging, Alex snarled at the Killer and leapt backward into the embrace of the light¡­


    She found herself floating once again.


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quests Completed! +60 Experience]


    [Secondary Purge Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Adversary Quest Not Completed.]


    Alex let out a slow breath of relief. She had made it. Her team had made it. Wounded, exhausted, but not dead.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield increased from 14 to 17!]


    [Inspect increased from 4 to 8!]


    [Running increased from 8 to 10!]


    [Dodging increased from 7 to 10!]


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Running and Dodging?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels.]


    She dismissed the option; she wasn¡¯t quite done with either of the Skills yet. Unfortunately, the Screen wasn¡¯t finished with her yet.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Running and Inspect?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels.]


    Another dismissal.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Dodging and Inspect?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels.]


    Yet another dismissal. How many of these Chains did she need to deny?


    Finally, however, the Screen didn¡¯t give her another option. Instead, the light washed over her again¡­

 B1Ch12: Parental Guidance

    She stepped out into the blinding sunshine and warm breezes of Earth, bleeding, exhausted, and victorious.


    The rest of her team was already giving a report to Liliana, who was smiling so hard that her face seemed to be something like a rictus. Her team captain glanced in her direction, and for just a moment, there was sheer hatred on Liliana¡¯s face.


    Then she went back to listening to Alessa¡¯s report, nodding away with occasional comments. Alex fought the instinct to laugh. She¡¯d won. She¡¯d won!


    ¡°Congratulations, Surveyor Morrison.¡±


    The voice nearly made her jump. She turned to see Dylan Forsmith looking at her, his grey eyes examining her. He nodded slightly. ¡°I understand that there was a Killer waiting for you on the other side?¡±


    Alex nodded. A part of her was unwilling to admit it¡ªshe wanted to be the one to destroy that enemy, and handing it over to a C ranker seemed like a surrender¡ªbut if he had already heard from the others, then there was no point in lying. ¡°It was leading a bunch of other Grue to ambush us, but we cut down a lot of its troops. If you go in now, you might be able to catch it.¡±


    Forsmith turned to look at the portal, his eyes examining it carefully. ¡°True. Unfortunately, my instructions were to only enter the portal if there were significant Surveyor casualties today.¡± He glanced at her. ¡°Thanks to your work, it seems like that is not the case.¡±


    She hesitated. It had almost sounded like a compliment. ¡°Thanks. It means a lot coming from a C rank Surveyor.¡±


    He gave her a wry smile. ¡°C rankers don¡¯t deserve as much respect as you seem to think, Alex Morrison. There are just as many fools and cowards among us as there are anyone else. We¡¯ve just managed to survive longer.¡±


    Alex remained quiet, both grateful and unhappy that Forsmith wasn¡¯t immediately leaping through the portal to wipe out the Grue waiting there. ¡°Survival is a good thing to manage. At least, from my perspective.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course.¡± Forsmith looked back at the vortex and sighed. ¡°Then again, sometimes you can work very hard to survive and find that the people who made that survival so difficult see your success as a victory for their ideas. They think you survived because of their interference, rather than in spite of it. It is a problem.¡±


    She blinked. There was a hint of criticism for the Group in those words. Clearly, he knew what was going on, and perhaps was implying he didn¡¯t approve of it, but he seemed unable to do anything to stop it. If he couldn¡¯t prevent it from happening, what was she going to do? ¡°My mother always said that survival is the first step. Without it, you can¡¯t go on to the next one, but that means you can¡¯t forget the next one once you¡¯re ready for it.¡±


    He paused, raising his eyebrows. Forsmith looked back at her, as if seeing her a bit more clearly now. ¡°Your mother has wise advice for you, then. May I ask what she does for a living?¡±


    Alex paused, mentally cursing herself for bringing up her mother here and now. The exhaustion must have affected her more than she thought. ¡°She¡¯s on disability, unfortunately. An incident a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Ah. My apologies.¡± Forsmith was still watching her, making her feel like she was being weighed and measured. He opened his mouth for what was probably another question and then paused. His eyes flicked in the direction of Liliana and the others. ¡°Your team captain appears to want a word with you, young Surveyor. Again, you have my congratulations for your work today. You show great promise¡­and I will remember your mother¡¯s advice. As should you.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Alex nodded and then turned to find Liliana smiling up at her. The team captain was very nearly tapping her foot with impatience, and it was hard for Alex to conceal her instant flash of irritation. At least she was alive to deal with the woman, unpleasant as it was. That had to count for something.


    After one exceptionally agonizing report, Alex was on the bus headed back to the dorms. Her exhausted teammates sprawled on the seats around her, seemingly just as worn out and drained as she was. Liliana had neglected to join them¡ªshe¡¯d claimed to have other business with Surveyor Forsmith¡ªso at the very least she didn¡¯t have to deal with that same insincere smile anymore.


    She closed her eyes, tempted to sleep for a moment. It would only be a short nap since the dorms were fairly close to the portal. Short or not, it seemed like an incredibly nice idea. Even a half an hour was better than nothing.


    Alex opened her eyes again as someone thumped into the seat across from her. She saw Sam rocking a little back and forth with the motion of the bus, his eyes fixed on her. The Adept smiled. ¡°Hey. Sorry to wake you.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± She forced a smile. ¡°After the day we¡¯ve had, I¡¯m surprised you aren¡¯t that tired.¡±


    Sam¡¯s smile widened a little. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m worn out all right. I don¡¯t think any of us would have made it through without your help, though.¡± His expression grew a little more serious. ¡°So. About that hunch you had¡­¡±


    A feeling of dread swept through her. She liked Sam, and the rest of her new team, for that matter. It didn¡¯t mean that she trusted them enough to talk about what Zach had been doing with her, though. The last thing she needed was for one of them to go running to the Group with news of what she had been up to. ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°I was thinking that it probably saved our butts today. If we had gone in without any clue at all, we might have thought it was a normal mission. We might have gotten in too deep and been swarmed.¡±


    Brian laughed from where he was lying across a seat further up in the bus. ¡°You¡¯re saying facing hundreds of Grue and a freaking Killer at the portal isn¡¯t normal? Cause it¡¯s starting to feel normal at this point.¡± A tired chuckle echoed from where Tim was collapsed across another seat, along with a weary sigh from here Alessa was slumped, looking out the window.


    Sam glanced in their direction and lowered his voice slightly. ¡°You¡¯re still planning on doing some Skill training over the weekend, right? And maybe up until our next mission?¡±


    Alex felt her eyes narrow as she looked at him. It was clear he didn¡¯t think she trusted him fully. Fair enough, she didn¡¯t. At the same time, he seemed to want to change her mind. What was he playing at? ¡°Yeah. It might hurt for a bit, but it¡¯s better to get the training in.¡±


    ¡°Do you mind if I join you for it?¡± His smile went a bit crooked at her expression. ¡°I figure maybe if I put in some of that Skill training too, I might be of more use to the team next time.¡±


    He scratched at his dark hair with one hand. ¡°And who knows? Maybe I¡¯ll be able to get a little bit of a hunch or two on my own?¡±


    She blinked. It wasn¡¯t the worst idea; after all, if she could convince them to train up their combat skills, it would give them much more of a fighting chance against the Grue. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t have the chance to mess with any of the monitors anymore, but if Zach already had enough in place to be able to warn her¡­ ¡°Sure. I¡¯m heading out there around two in the afternoon tomorrow. Does that sound okay to you?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely.¡± Sam nodded, his expression relaxing a little. ¡°I¡¯ll be there.¡±


    ¡°Hope you like running.¡± She grinned, and Sam grimaced a little. Then he shrugged, obviously considering the price worth it. Alex was only kidding anyway; it was going to be far more useful to have him spar with her. His spear work wasn¡¯t bad, but getting him more ranks in his Melee Skill would only help him be more useful in a fight. Maybe he¡¯d be able to actually fight on the front line, rather than picking up her leftovers.


    Then Sam glanced towards the front of the bus, the corner of his lips twitching. ¡°Anyone else want to join us?¡±


    Brian let out an agonized groan. Tim muttered something noncommittal, and Alessa just gave another heavy sigh. Alex exchanged a silent look with Sam, and then they both chuckled to themselves. The rest of the bus ride home was quiet, with most of them half in and out of sleep. After the day she¡¯d had, Alex needed the rest.


    By the time she got back to the bunk, Alex was mostly hoping for a chance to collapse and ignore the rest of the world for a while. She had no such luck; the members of her former team were waiting for her.


    ¡°So how was it? What kind of Quests did you get?¡± Audrey¡¯s obvious excitement was practically coming off of her in waves. The Squire was crouched on the opposite bunk, literally sitting on the edge of the bed as she leaned towards Alex.


    Clara was sitting next to her, her tall frame somehow folded into the narrow space. She nudged her teammate. ¡°Give her a second, Audrey. She¡¯s exhausted.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I just want to know what it was like.¡± The Squire looked back at Alex and grinned. ¡°It was your first level two Survey! There had to be something different about it, right? Right?¡±


    With a sigh, Clara gave Alex a sympathetic look. Alex managed a tired grin, and then looked up at Joanna, who was standing off to the side of Audrey¡¯s bunk. The Adept was apparently attempting to look uninterested and was completely failing. ¡°Do you have questions too? Might as well get them all out of the way before I pass out.¡±


    Joanna¡¯s lips twisted a little, like she was trying not to grimace. ¡°I¡­am curious about what we will be facing on Monday, yes. But if you need to sleep first, I understand.¡±


    Alex chuckled a little, and Joanna gave her a half-hearted glare. Then the Adept rolled her eyes, and Alex decided to stop teasing her. ¡°Okay. There were a lot more Grue, of course, but that wasn¡¯t it. You¡¯ll get two Main Quests, now, not just one. The first one was your typical kill mission, but the second one directed me to go and explore an area. An area where the Grue had set up a Camp.¡±


    The others all blinked. Joanna¡¯s expression grew a little distant, as if she was partially lost in thought. ¡°That is actually kind of convenient, especially if we¡¯re wanting to complete all the Hidden Quests.¡±


    ¡°There were a lot more Grue guarding it, though, so be careful.¡± Alex shifted a little on her bed, wincing. ¡°Of course, we got a little lucky. More than half of them ran off to try to ambush us at the portal, so we had an easier time of it.¡±


    ¡°A portal ambush?¡± Clara¡¯s voice grew sharp and a little shrill. The Acolyte had reached up and grabbed at the shirt over her chest, right where the arrow had hit her. ¡°Was it led by¡­¡±


    Her words trailed off, and Alex winced again, for a new reason. ¡°Yeah, the thing was there. Tried to hit me a couple of times, but my shield was enough to keep it off me.¡± She gave Clara a quiet grin. ¡°Thought about going after it, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Someone managed to talk some common sense into you?¡± Joanna snorted. She shook her head. ¡°Whoever it is, I owe them some congratulations. And maybe some serious questions on how they managed it.¡± She didn¡¯t seem to notice Clara turning a little red as she continued. ¡°Was one of your Hidden Quests to take it out?¡±


    Alex nodded, and Joanna muttered something under her breath. ¡°That¡¯ll make a full clear really difficult for us. Though maybe we¡¯ll be able to settle some scores if we do.¡±


    Audrey cleared her throat. ¡°I¡¯m assuming it was the same one, Al?¡± Alex nodded, and Audrey¡¯s face briefly grew lethally serious. ¡°Good. I was worried the C ranker somehow got it. If it¡¯s still out there, then I call dibs, okay?¡±


    ¡°Only if I don¡¯t get to it first, Audrey.¡± Alex smiled at her and then gave Clara a reassuring nod. The Acolyte gave her a grateful smile. Then Clara¡¯s expression turned into a wide, blooming grin, and Alex felt a hint of trepidation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear about some stupid Grue, though. I heard you are starting up some kind of training program near the portal tomorrow.¡±


    Alex blinked. She levered herself up from her bed for a moment. ¡°What? Who told you that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, a little bird might have mentioned it.¡± Clara tilted her head from side to side. ¡°So you are meeting some folks for sparring inside the containment area, then?¡±


    ¡°Sparring? Inside the containment area?¡± Audrey¡¯s eagerness rang yet more alarm bells in Alex¡¯s head. The Squire looked at her and somehow managed to lean even further forward. ¡°So, who else is going to be there? Can I come?¡±


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Alex gave Clara an exasperated look and then focused back on Audrey. ¡°It¡¯s not a training program or anything. I¡¯ve just been going on runs around the area to level up one of my Skills, and one of the new guys on my team asked if he could come with. We¡¯ll do some sparring to try to get his weapon Skill a little higher for the next Survey.¡±


    ¡°A boy, huh?¡± Clara exchanged a mildly amused look with Joanna, and then waggled her eyebrows at Alex in a way that she found infuriating. ¡°What does Zach think about that?¡±


    Alex felt a wave of mortification beyond anything she¡¯d ever known before. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know anything about it, and he doesn¡¯t need to. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s a Surveyor anyway, so he can¡¯t come.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute, who is Zach? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard about this yet.¡± There was a truly malicious amount of curiosity in Joanna¡¯s question, and the look on the Adept¡¯s face suggested she had just stumbled over some incredibly juicy information. ¡°Is he someone she knows from home?¡±


    Clara glanced at Alex, and then gave her an apologetic shrug. ¡°He¡¯s a researcher in the Portal Analysis Department. She met him when she was assigned there the other day.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh. I had wondered¡­¡± A calculating look took over Joanna¡¯s expression. ¡°This explains a lot.¡±


    ¡°No it doesn¡¯t. No it doesn¡¯t!¡± Alex didn¡¯t know whether or not putting her hands over her ears would make things better or worse. ¡°He¡¯s just someone I know, okay?¡±


    ¡°But wait, who¡¯s the guy she¡¯s training with? Is it the sword and board guy?¡± Audrey¡¯s expression seemed baffled by the subtext going on between Clara and Joanna, but she seemed unhappy at the prospect of being denied the chance at more sparring.


    ¡°No, I think he¡¯s the spear Adept. Sam, I think his name was?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know him! He¡¯s always sneaking around the cafeteria. So if Zach isn¡¯t serious, is this guy? If he isn¡¯t, can I come along tomorrow to train too?¡±


    ¡°Even if he is, it might be wise to provide for a¡­chaperone to accompany her. We wouldn¡¯t want any rumors to start.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right! Especially since Zach might hear and take things the wrong way¡­¡±


    Alex groaned and rolled over onto her back. Why hadn¡¯t the Grue been the worst part of her day? As her roommates continued, she shifted so that she could put the pillow over her face. Maybe she¡¯d get lucky; maybe she¡¯d accidentally smother herself.


    The next day, Alex caught an early bus home to her parents¡¯ house. If she was going to spend an entire afternoon doing Skill training, she at least wanted a bit more than plain cafeteria food first.


    She walked in the door, too tired to go through the whole process of knocking. The smell of pancakes and bacon already cooking greeted her the moment she stepped into the hallway. Her day was instantly better, and the sound of her father humming away in the kitchen made the aches and pains in her body suddenly fade a little. ¡°Mom? Dad? I¡¯m home.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Her father¡¯s booming voice echoed out of the kitchen, and she heard him stomping out towards her. Her greater Speed and Strength didn¡¯t seem to matter at all as he practically tackled her halfway down the entry hallway. ¡°Well, there she is! Your mother has been keeping me updated. She stepped out for a little, though. How are you? They still putting you through the wringer?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡± Alex was faintly proud of herself that his hug no longer completely squeezed the breath out of her. Either that, or he was remembering his own strength just a little better. ¡°I hit level two, though!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s incredible! At this rate, you might be a D rank in no time.¡± Eric pulled back and beamed at his daughter. ¡°I knew you would be great at this. I just¡­you¡¯re being careful, aren¡¯t you? Your team is taking care of you out there?¡±


    Alex thought over all the times that she¡¯d needed to more or less save her teammates. Then she remembered a few vivid moments where they¡¯d literally pulled the Grue off of her. ¡°Yeah, Dad. They¡¯re watching out for me, and I¡¯m watching out for them.¡±


    ¡°Good. That¡¯s what I want to hear from my girl.¡± Then he looped an arm around her shoulders and practically dragged her towards the kitchen. ¡°Come help me out with some scrambled eggs, and tell me all about how things are going. Your mother never gave me enough of the gory details, and I want to hear all of it!¡±


    One incredibly satisfying breakfast later, Alex sat back from the wreckage of her meal with a sigh. She looked over at her father, who was taking a bit more time with his own plate. Of course, that plate had been piled a little higher than hers, but it was still unusual. ¡°So what do you think, Dad?¡±


    He picked at a clump of eggs for a moment, his expression serious. ¡°It sounds like you¡¯ve got a pretty serious situation there. Kind of like the time I was under Fire Chief Samuelson. You remember that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Alex had heard the story a few times, as well as going through it when she was younger. The fire chief over her father at the time had taken a dislike to Eric, and every time a particularly risky situation came along, he had sent her father into the inferno¡ªsometimes literally. It had been a bad situation, and Eric had needed to keep Muriel from storming down to the firehouse to ¡®discuss¡¯ things with the chief personally a few times. Fortunately, the man had retired after a bad heart attack a few months later. Otherwise, the risks her father had been running would only have been able to end one way.


    She looked up at him, remembering the frustration she had felt as a child during those times. It was easy to recognize that same frustration and fear in her father¡¯s expression now. Alex tried a half smile. ¡°Is there anything I can do about it? Anything that helped you?¡±


    Her father sat back from his meal with a scowl. If the eggs on his plate had been able to, they might have felt fear as he grimaced at them. ¡°A better man might suggest that you buckle down and work harder. Just keep plowing through whatever she gives you until you either impress her or you get promoted out of her supervision.¡± He gave her a raised eyebrow. ¡°It looks a bit easier for you Surveyors, what with that ranking system you have. Once you hit D rank, you might be able to get away from her.¡±


    Alex nodded, and Eric continued. ¡°The honest truth, though, is that your job is dangerous. Your boss is making the job even more dangerous, to the point where she might be actively trying to get you killed. The closer you get to getting out from under her, the more she¡¯s going to try to make things difficult for you, until she either gets what she wants¡ªwhich is you hurt or dead¡ªor she slips up somehow in a way that gets her in hot water. Whatever reason she has to dislike you, she¡¯s not being rational about it already, so you can¡¯t count on her to not go to extremes to finish her grudge.¡±


    She sighed. ¡°So I have to wait and hope she has a heart attack? Cause I have to say, she seems a little too healthy for that.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not saying that at all.¡± Eric gave her a level look. ¡°What I¡¯m telling you doesn¡¯t go past this room, understand? I don¡¯t care what reason you have, you don¡¯t repeat it.¡± Surprised, Alex nodded, and her father gave her a tight grin. ¡°That thing with Samuelson¡­it wasn¡¯t exactly solved the way the headlines told it. You remember the Garden Square Fire? The one with the big warehouses?¡±


    Alex nodded again. It had been a really bad fire, one that had her mother up waiting for Eric to come home until a lot later that night. Her parents seemed to trade that burden of worry back and forth for each other, one waiting for news of a tough Survey, the other staying awake late until the night as a distant building burned. Each time, they¡¯d always come home safe. At least, they had, until her mother had not come home. Until she¡¯d gone to the hospital instead.


    Eric sat back in his chair, his eyes going distant. ¡°It was one of the worst fires on record. The whole place seemed to be on fire, and by the time we got there, it was clearly a total loss. There was nobody inside; it was just a warehouse, and all of the guys inside had managed to break open a side door and get out that way.¡±


    She nodded, wondering where he was going with the story. He often had told her about the fires he¡¯d fought and the ones where he¡¯d saved people. This fire wasn¡¯t one he¡¯d talked about before, even though it had been in the papers and everything. In fact, it had been the last big one just before Samuelson retired, she realized.


    ¡°So we get there, the building is burning away, but there¡¯s no reason to go in. Our plan in those kinds of situations is to cordon the place off and keep it from spreading to other spaces; tough luck on the people who have stuff inside, but property isn¡¯t worth losing lives over, and we all know that. We start getting set up with our hoses and start chucking water on the fire, wetting down the roofs on the surrounding buildings, all that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°Then Chief Samuelson gets there.¡±


    Eric paused, his face twisted up with remembered hate. ¡°The old fool rode up to us and said he heard voices inside. We told him that all the workers were out, and that there was no sense in sending people in after ghosts. He disagreed. Said we needed to head in and rescue someone. Said he knew exactly who he needed to send.¡±


    He looked at Alex, and his lips twisted. ¡°We all knew what he was trying to do. There wasn¡¯t a man or woman there who doubted that he was just trying to get me hurt. I nearly hung up the gear right then. No matter what your dreams are, they aren¡¯t worth dying for, not out of petty pride. Remember that.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do that, though. Instead, I put my gear on and headed in. Not the best idea, but I was angry, and I already had a plan ready. Still, I almost got myself killed. The smoke and the fire were¡­indescribable.¡± Eric shook his head, a faint expression of awe on his face. ¡°For a moment I wondered if I had pushed it all too far.¡±


    ¡°Then I buckled down and worked my way partway through the building. Partway through, I took off the beacon they give us¡ªyou know, the one that tells them where we are if we go down. I tossed it in some wreckage and walked back out the door the workers had used. Turned my radio off, and let some of the guys on that side of the building know I was out. Didn¡¯t want anyone else going in after me, though I doubted that Samuelson would have sent in anyone. Anyone else but me, I guess.¡±


    ¡°That fire burned for four hours, and for four hours the rest of the crew watched him stare at the flames. They saw how satisfied he looked, saw him abandoning me. Saw him watch the roof come down, and hear that beacon chirp away inside.¡±


    ¡°Then they saw him almost go berserk when I showed up after. He chewed me up and down for not reporting in after I came out, said he¡¯d been so worried about me, all that stuff. The rest of the guys just sat and watched him. I went home and expected him to fire me afterward.¡±


    ¡°Instead, the guys got together and¡­ talked to him after. It was decided that he would retire, for the sake of his health. He was gone by the time I came back the next day, and nobody ever said another word about it.¡±


    Alex stared at her father, stunned. She¡¯d never heard anything about it before, and she could understand why. The fire chief had basically tried to kill her father, and his crew had staged something like a mutiny afterward. If it had become public, the city would never have heard the end of it. ¡°So what does that mean for me?¡±


    ¡°It means that this lady who has it out for you¡­she¡¯s going to push it too far. Farther than you expect. When she does¡ªand she will¡ªI don¡¯t want you to keep working hard with your head down and your stubbornness strong. I want you to catch her in the act, and kick her hard enough that she reaches orbit, understand? Help everyone out there know what she¡¯s doing, and that if she¡¯ll do it to you, she¡¯ll do it to them too.¡±


    The seriousness in Eric¡¯s voice landed with extra emphasis, and Alex nodded slowly. ¡°Until then, what do I do? Just lay low?¡±


    ¡°As if you ever could.¡± Her father laughed then, his subdued expression cracking apart like a glacier melting. ¡°No, just keep going through what you need to do. Keep doing whatever it is that gets under her skin. In fact, it¡¯s a little better if you keep bothering her; it¡¯ll make it harder for her not to overstep. Maybe she¡¯ll slip up before everything gets way too far.¡±


    Well, at least that was something she could do. It seemed like if she was a natural at anything, it was irritating Liliana. ¡°I will, Dad. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± He paused, and then her father winced. ¡°In fact, please don¡¯t. Your mother never knew about¡­all that. I was a little worried that she¡¯d go find the guy and have her own little talk with him. Still might, arm or no arm. So let¡¯s keep that between us, shall we?¡±


    Alex nodded again, and Eric gave her a sad smile. Then he heaved a sigh and picked up his fork. ¡°And now I might have let these things get cold. A fine punishment for being such a sad sack. Still¡­¡±


    He started to dig back in, and Alex watched him for a moment longer. Then she got up, taking her own plate to the sink. As she passed him, she patted his shoulder. He put up a hand to cover hers for a moment. That brief contact said more than any words, and then she continued on to set the dishes in the dishwasher.


    ¡°Forsmith talked to you again?¡±


    Her mother¡¯s question was sharp, and Alex nodded cautiously. She¡¯d been careful to tone down Liliana¡¯s part in everything¡ªthe last thing she needed was for Muriel to show up at the containment area trying to settle things herself¡ªbut she had talked freely about everything else. Her mother had come home just as she and her father were washing up, and then dragged her out for a walk around a nearby park.


    Right now, however, she seemed more concerned by the C rank¡¯s words. ¡°Sounds like he might be the one that was poking around the record¡¯s office, then.¡± Alex straightened up in alarm, but Muriel shook her head. ¡°He didn¡¯t find anything. At least, not there. The records were all buried deeper than he had access to, and my buddies there had him chasing the wrong trails anyways. We¡¯re still safe.¡±


    Alex relaxed. ¡°Good.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I must have said something that clued him in.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Muriel grinned. ¡°I can handle him if it becomes a problem. Knowing him, it probably won¡¯t. Especially since he is probably almost as worried as you are about what Golden Swallow is doing.¡±


    ¡°He did sound like he was having trouble with it. Almost like he was trying to explain why he hadn¡¯t stopped it yet.¡± Alex shook her head. ¡°If he can¡¯t stop it, what hope do I have?¡±


    Muriel shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Sometimes there are projects that get official backing¡­as long as they are under wraps. A C rank like Forsmith will have contracts in place to keep him from talking, but a lowly E rank like you?¡± She gave Alex a smile. ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot more freedom. Getting the word out about the project might be enough to get it canceled all on its own.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m sure they would never think about retaliating after that.¡± Alex grimaced.


    ¡°Well, they may bench you for a little while, but they can only keep you occupied for two years. After that, you¡¯ll be free to go where you want.¡± Muriel shrugged, an odd gesture with one arm. ¡°Just keep your head down and stay helpful, at least until you see what¡¯s going on. Then do what you need to do.¡±


    Not the most helpful advice, after what her father had said. Still, it was a good perspective to have. ¡°Thanks Mom. I will.¡±


    Her mother turned a little to thump her on the shoulder. ¡°Still, I¡¯m proud of you! That Survey was a hard one, and you still turned it around. Smart move hitting the Camps, by the way. That¡¯s probably the only way you could get out of that situation, you know.¡±


    Alex blinked. ¡°Why is that? Because it lured out the Grue?¡±


    ¡°Not just that, sweetie.¡± Muriel¡¯s grin turned a little predatory. ¡°Camps generate new Grue, but they can also sustain large groups of them. If a Camp goes down, the Grue attached to it can fade away. That¡¯s probably how the Killer knew you were there so quickly. It saw part of its army evaporate and knew why.¡±


    ¡°Well, that makes sense.¡± Alex frowned. ¡°So wait, if we had stuck around to hit more Camps¡­¡±


    ¡°Then that poor Killer would have ended up all by itself.¡± Her mother chuckled to herself. ¡°It affects the amount of magic coming through the portal, too. If you¡¯re hitting a portal with large amounts of magic coming out of it, killing a Camp or three can make a dramatic difference. It helps that the Grue can¡¯t rebuild them very quickly either, so if you can keep picking them off, the portal should start calming down.¡±


    Alex thought about the spikes in magical energy coming from the portal. ¡°How often do they rebuild them? Like one a week, or more than that?¡±


    ¡°One a week?¡± Muriel frowned, turning her head to stare at her. ¡°It should take them at least two weeks to recover from one of them going down. Maybe longer, if the portal isn¡¯t that active. Why?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°Just getting a feeling. I think this portal is recovering them quicker, specifically after the company is doing whatever they are doing.¡±


    ¡°Well, that wouldn¡¯t be particularly wise.¡± Muriel shook her head, her frown growing deeper. ¡°Those Camps can start spawning more than just Grue, and Killers are just the beginning of what you could see if enough of those things get built. The portal can get out of control, fast. I don¡¯t know what the company could get out of risking that happening.¡±


    ¡°Good question.¡± Alex grimaced. ¡°Let¡¯s hope I don¡¯t get the chance to find out.¡±

 B1Ch13: Team Building

    Sam was waiting for her near the guards¡¯ checkpoint. He¡¯d obviously been there a while, dressed in what looked like exercise clothes and wearing practice weapons and armor borrowed from the Golden Swallow gym. His spear made an odd contrast to the shorts and t-shirt, but Alex just reminded herself that her axe and shield probably stuck out just as much against her own outfit.


    He seemed a little uncomfortable, probably because he wasn¡¯t alone inside the containment area. Audrey was waiting beside him, her club slung over her shoulder and a wide grin plastered on her face. She looked up as Alex cleared the checkpoint and gave her an exaggerated wink. Alex remembered what they had been saying about giving her a ¡®chaperone¡¯ and felt her cheeks grow red.


    She waved at them as she walked up. ¡°Hey guys. You ready to work today?¡±


    Sam nodded with a sidelong glance at Audrey, who was still just grinning. ¡°Yeah. What do we do first?¡±


    ¡°Well, first we need to make sure that we are working on your Skills, right?¡± Alex paused, aware that she was about to trample on about fifty different unwritten rules of Surveyor conduct. ¡°Can you tell me what your Skills are?¡±


    Sam hesitated, obviously reluctant to say anything. It was clear the unspoken rule about not revealing too much information about himself was still in place, but Audrey didn¡¯t even pause. ¡°I¡¯ve got Lifting at 4, Leap at 5, Melee¨CKanabo at 18, and Blocking at 12.¡±


    Alex broke into a grin. She hadn¡¯t expected anything less from her former teammate. ¡°Okay, it seems like you¡¯re a good way along. What Skill Chains are you planning on using?¡±


    Audrey tilted her head to the side. ¡°Skill Chains? Didn¡¯t you get in a lot of trouble for using one of those?¡±


    ¡°I mean, yeah, the company¡¯s not a big fan of them for E rank Surveyors. I¡¯m not sure why.¡±


    Sam raised a hand. ¡°I think it¡¯s because our Attributes are low enough that they believe we need to focus on having enough Skill ranks to make up for it. That, and we might end up choosing Skill Chains we don¡¯t end up making permanent anyway.¡±


    Audrey snorted. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I don¡¯t know what they are so upset about. Alex has a Skill Chain going, and it seems like she could take on anything she runs into.¡±


    Alex waved the words away with one hand, feeling her cheeks redden again. ¡°I kind of already had a plan for how I wanted to develop my Skills from the first place, so I¡¯m not worried about creating one that I¡¯m not going to keep around for later.¡± Then she focused in on Audrey specifically. ¡°Honestly, it feels like you would want to combine your Melee Skill and Blocking, anyway. From what I know, they combine into a Skill called Weapon Mastery, which is more or less what you¡¯re going to want anyway, right?¡±


    The Squire paused, her expression going thoughtful. ¡°I mean, yeah, probably. Thing is, won¡¯t my Skill level go all the way back down to zero?¡±


    ¡°At first, yeah, but it¡¯ll probably level back up a lot more quickly than you are gaining things now. Trust me, with the Surveys we¡¯re hitting now, you won¡¯t have much of a problem.¡± Alex grinned. ¡°It¡¯ll be especially easy if we keep sparring outside the Surveys too, and you¡¯ll have another slot for a new Skill to develop in the meantime. Plus, with how far you¡¯ve leveled it up, you might get a few really good Titles out of it too.¡±


    ¡°Titles can help boost your Skills in other ways, right?¡± Audrey frowned. ¡°Okay, I get it. So if I Chain those two on the next Survey, we can spend some time sparring to get them back up before my next one.¡±


    Alex nodded. ¡°For now, though, we¡¯ll probably want to work on your Blocking, since that one is lower. If we can get that one up to fifteen or so, you¡¯ll probably get more Titles out of Chaining it.¡± Then she turned to Sam. ¡°How about you?¡±


    He hesitated for just a moment longer, though it didn¡¯t seem to be out of mistrust now. Instead, he looked like he was thinking hard, and about more than just Skills. ¡°My highest one is Melee¨CSpear. It¡¯s at level 12 right now. I¡¯ve also got Inspect at level 9, Focus at level 8, and Technical¨CLockpick at level 4.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Alex thought it over. It was obvious he hadn¡¯t been trying to specialize in combat, which made his reluctance to be on the front lines make a lot more sense. ¡°All right. You aren¡¯t going to be able to get something like Weapon Mastery, obviously, but you have some other options you could go for. I think if you Chain Focus and Inspect, it might give you Analyze, which can be useful. Chaining Focus and Melee Skills gives you Battle Trance which I¡¯ve heard can be really good, and if you Chain Melee and Inspect¡ª¡±


    ¡°It gives Battlesight.¡± Sam said it confidently enough that she realized that was exactly what he wanted. He confirmed it a moment later with a nod. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s the Skill I want to Chain into. So how do I Skill train Inspect? I feel like I¡¯ve only been able to get ranks in that almost accidentally.¡±


    ¡°Searching around an area can help with that. You can always practice it by rummaging around in the houses around here.¡± Alex gestured to the containment area, trying to ignore the feeling that she was giving something away. ¡°I¡¯ve actually got that one too, so I know it works. You might be able to get some ranks in Lockpicks too, if you brought them.¡±


    He nodded, and Audrey spoke up before Alex could continue. ¡°What good is it to level up the other stuff? We only get to carry forward one Skill, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but the other Skills can give you Titles that carry forward too. Especially when you hit level five and change Roles.¡± Alex waited until Audrey nodded, and then continued. ¡°So I have Skills in a few different things. Inspect, like I said, along with Running and Dodging. My main Skill, and the one that I¡¯m carrying forward, is Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield. That one is at 17, so remember that when we are sparring later.¡±


    She gave them a grin, and Sam grimaced. Audrey just looked excited, at least until Alex continued. ¡°I think we should start off with a run. It¡¯ll help my Skill, and the conditioning will help you guys, even if you don¡¯t have the Skill. After that, we can spar for a couple of hours, and then spend a couple more working on things like Lifting, Inspect, Focus, and Leap. Any objections?¡±


    It was clear the Squire wasn¡¯t all that excited about the prospect of an endurance workout, but it would do her good. When her former teammate held her peace, and Sam just nodded, Alex grinned. ¡°All right, let¡¯s get started!¡±


    By the end of the afternoon, Alex wasn¡¯t sure her new sparring mates were going to come back the next day.


    The run hadn¡¯t gone too badly. Alex had not gone too hard; she knew her superior Speed would make it hard for Audrey to keep up. Sam had surprisingly kept pace, but she suspected that he¡¯d been putting his free Attribute points into Speed as well, so it wasn¡¯t that shocking. All the same, they were both sucking wind pretty hard by the end of the second perimeter lap. At that point, she decided it was time to introduce them to sparring with the new and improved Alex.


    Sam had been the first to recover, so he¡¯d been the first one to face her. He made a joke about giving her practice against Grue; she had grinned at the comparison, though he seemed a lot less intimidating than they were. In fact, he¡¯d seemed almost afraid as he approached her, practice spear ready to stab.


    The first exchange was over in moments; she trapped his spear between shield and axe and twisted the weapon away, just like she had with so many Grue. A second exchange was over almost as quickly as she dodged to the side and caught him with a pretty hard hit to the side. It left him grimacing over his side for a while, but he still got up and came at her again.


    It took him another ten minutes of getting beaten before he called for a break, but by then he was grinning. Maybe his rank had already gone up? Alex had been a little tired, but not nearly enough to need a break herself, so she had just gestured for Audrey to come over.


    The Squire had been grinning confidently as she stepped up, her practice club swinging over her shoulder. Alex smiled back at her and then settled into a crouch. They watched one another for a long, long moment. Then Audrey had charged, her club ready to strike.


    Theoretically, it should have been far more even. A Squire¡¯s Strength boost meant Audrey would always hit harder, and unlike Sam, Audrey had been practicing with her weapon obsessively. Alex had every confidence that her former teammate could hit hard enough to knock her on her back.


    So instead of meeting the club head on, Alex slipped to the side and shield-checked Audrey from the side. The Squire¡¯s expression had become one of surprise as the devastating overhead strike glanced off the shield, and the shove nearly knocked her over completely. As Audrey staggered, Alex followed it up immediately, bringing her practice axe around and performing a quick weapon trap that wrenched the club free and left the Squire staggering empty handed.


    A profound surprise washed across Audrey¡¯s features, only to settle into a kind of stubbornness as Alex gestured for her to recover her weapon. The next exchange had Audrey approaching a little more cautiously, so Alex charged instead. She grinned at Audrey¡¯s surprise, and pushed her hard back on the defense, using both shield and axe to force her off balance before delivering a quick blow to the leg and arm that ended the bout.


    The next ten minutes more or less followed that same pattern until Alex called for a break. Fatigue was finally starting to get at her, and she could tell that Audrey was slowing down a little, too. Her former teammate sat down, an unsettled frown on her face as she thought over the results of the spar. Alex hoped it would convince her to be a bit more defensive as she fought; all-out offense was effective, but only up to a point.


    Once she¡¯d rested a bit, they went back to the improvised ring, and they continued to clash for another hour, ten minutes against Sam, another ten against Audrey, then a rest. By the third cycle, while she rested, the other two sparred against each other. Audrey won the majority of the spars against Sam, but the Adept did his best to give as good as he got, actually slipping past Audrey¡¯s defense to land a hit or two with his practice spear.


    Then, after the fourth set of bouts had come to an end, Alex gestured for them to stop. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get back to training some of the other Skills. Audrey, try and lift some of the stuff around here, like a car or something. You probably won¡¯t get it all the way up, but it might be enough to convince the Skill to level. You can either do that, or you can start practicing long jumps or running long jumps; either one will probably give you some ranks. Once you get closer to something like ten, we can start having you jump between buildings or actually lift cars.¡±


    Audrey had been frowning over the first part of the advice, but by the end she was grinning again. ¡°You¡¯re saying I might eventually be able to chuck a car at some Grue? That sounds sweet!¡± She began trotting down the street, looking for something to practice on.


    Sam chuckled to himself and then glanced back at Alex speculatively. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you want me to start doing breaking and entering practice, right?¡±


    Alex nodded. ¡°Yep. The lockpicking thing pretty much saved our butts on that last Survey, and I would be super happy to see you get that way higher. The main thing is Inspect, though. Take your time to search through the buildings as you go, and you might see some more increases there.¡± Then she paused. ¡°Make sure you lock everything up after you¡¯re done. We don¡¯t want kids sneaking in here or something.¡±


    He nodded and set off to the nearest house. She watched him go and then went back to her shade tree to grab a drink of water. She was going to need to put a lot of running in to make up for the distraction that sparring had been. At least she¡¯d gotten another level in Dodging, though. That increase had to count for something.


    When Alex came back the next day, she was surprised to find an even larger group waiting for her.


    Audrey and Sam were both there, but Joanna was standing there too, along with the whole rest of her new team. Alessa looked faintly intimidated by Audrey and Joanna, but Brian and Tim mostly just looked impatient to begin.


    She tried not to sound intimidated as she jogged up to them, all standing under the shade tree. ¡°Hey, sorry. The bus was a little late today.¡± Alex looked around at all of them. ¡°You¡¯re all here to train?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Joanna glanced at Audrey, who was grinning rather widely. ¡°I¡¯m aiming for Battle Trance. How do we get my Focus up?¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Throwing distractions at you while we spar might help out with that.¡± Alex looked at the rest. ¡°Brian, Tim, are you going for Combined Arms?¡±


    ¡°Now we are.¡± Brian half-glared at Sam. ¡°Apparently it makes you able to take on anyone, according to some people. We can¡¯t take it before the next Survey, right?¡±


    ¡°Nope. You can only Chain things after a complete Survey.¡± She paused. ¡°Alessa?¡±


    ¡°I want Weapon Expert. I¡¯ve already got Blocking, so that and Melee should work, right?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely.¡± Alex saw the mountain of work in front of her and tried to force a smile. ¡°So, shall we get started with a run?¡±


    By the time she staggered back to the dorms that night, Alex was practically dragging herself across the threshold.


    The training session had seemed to go on for ages. She¡¯d hoped the run would tire them out some, but the Porters in the group hadn¡¯t even flinched, and even the Adepts had managed to finish, huffing and puffing and still ready to spar as hard as they could.


    Fortunately, they had been more than willing to pair off and test each others¡¯ Skills. The air had been full of the sound of practice weapons and pained grunts as they went through the motions of combat. Unfortunately, every single one of them was interested in testing themselves against her as well, something that meant she was almost constantly fighting them for more time than she was resting. It only got worse when Sam and Joanna put forward the idea that since she seemed to be the most highly trained among them, she should be fighting them two at a time, instead of one on one.


    By the end of the sparring session, she had nearly collapsed from fatigue. It had taken her a few minutes¡ªand a handful of prodding comments from Joanna¡ªto get her up and moving along the perimeter on her second run. The other Surveyors had spread out through the abandoned houses, putting in their own practice. They were still very much at it by the time the guards put out the signal for them to head home.


    Now all she wanted to do was crawl into her bunk and be unconscious for as long as humanly possible. The only real thing she was looking forward to was the fact that Joanna¡¯s team had a Survey scheduled for Monday afternoon, so there was no possible way that she would have nearly two teams¡¯ worth of Surveyors to spar with tomorrow. She hoped.


    Alex staggered into the room and found Clara waiting for her with two other Surveyors she only partially recognized. She nodded to her former teammate, and then did her best to fall gracefully into her bunk.


    Clara seemed to be struggling not to laugh. ¡°So, how was the training?¡±


    It took an embarrassingly long moment for her to respond. ¡°Good. Just tiring, is all.¡± Alex wasn¡¯t lying, either. The pain and exhaustion had been more than worth it. She¡¯d gained another level in Combined Arms¡ªa rare achievement, at this point¡ªand another three in Dodging. She¡¯d even gained one in Inspect and Running too, though she wasn¡¯t entirely sure if that would matter as much for her next Survey. One part of her mind was already wondering if she should just let the Grue kill her, if it meant she didn¡¯t have to be this tired again.


    ¡°I was just telling Ruth and Marcel about where all of you were today. They¡¯d heard something about Skill training, but they didn¡¯t think it was going to be worth their time.¡±


    Alex snorted. ¡°Well, if they want to get through the next couple of Surveys, they might want to reconsider.¡± She cracked an already bloodshot eye at the three Surveyors, studying them for a bit. Marcel was a wiry guy, a little taller than Clara with short-cut hair and a serious expression. Ruth was shorter, with long blonde hair and a surprised look on her face. ¡°You still aren¡¯t level two, right? The Survey is going to ramp up the difficulty because three of your team already are, and there¡¯s still that Killer running around. I didn¡¯t manage to get him last time. Not yet.¡±


    Ruth blinked in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re going after the Killer? That¡¯s crazy.¡±


    ¡°The thing is going after me. Why not return the favor?¡± Alex tried to chuckle, but it faded out into a tired sigh. Even laughing kind of hurt a little. ¡°Look, just stay close to the others tomorrow. It¡¯s going to be rough, but if you take out enough Camps, there shouldn¡¯t be enough Grue to stop you from getting to the exit. From there, come out to the containment area with us, and we¡¯ll all work together on your Skills so that you don¡¯t feel like you are behind next time. Okay?¡±


    Marcel folded his arms. He seemed unimpressed. ¡°You¡¯re talking about Skill development, but I¡¯ve heard that the team captain had censured you specifically for the way you are developing yours. Why should we trust what you say about how to get ready for a Survey?¡±


    Alex finally persuaded herself to open both eyes and sit up enough to stare back at them. ¡°Because for what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m going to be heading through the portals ahead of you, and your team captain isn¡¯t. Besides, you don¡¯t have to listen to my advice about your Skills at all. You can¡¯t Chain Skills or anything outside of a Survey. All we¡¯re doing is leveling up the ones we already have. Is there some company mandate that says you shouldn¡¯t have high Skills?¡±


    Marcel and Ruth looked at each other, still obviously hesitating, and Alex sighed. ¡°Good luck tomorrow. I hope the Survey goes well, and so well that you feel like you don¡¯t need any additional Skills and you¡¯re just fine without extra help. All I know is that after the last one I went on, my team and I need to put in all the work we can manage. Okay? That¡¯s all we¡¯re doing out there, and the door¡¯s open for anyone to come.¡±


    Then she wavered a little and gave Clara a look. ¡°For now, though, I think I¡¯m tired enough that I¡¯m going to pass out. If you need me for something, either wait a couple of hours, or just handle it yourself. Good night.¡±


    Clara burst out laughing, which Alex didn¡¯t feel was entirely fair. The Acolyte led the other two Surveyors out of the room, saying something in a low voice that Alex didn¡¯t even bother to try to make out. Instead, she fell back over onto her bunk and closed her eyes. The world and all its catastrophes could just hold on until she was ready for them. In a few hours or so.


    ¡°So you seem to have been rather busy.¡±


    Zach¡¯s wry comment brought Alex¡¯s head up off of the desk for long enough to give him a glare. He chuckled to himself as he dropped into the chair behind the desk. ¡°Sorry, sorry. I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve been doing a lot of training lately.¡±


    ¡°You have?¡± She looked up again, this time a bit more curious. ¡°Who told you that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m friends with some of the guards out at the containment area. Ron says he is surprised you¡¯re still planning on coming back today.¡± Zach raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a good idea? If you get too tired, it might not go very well for you on Thursday.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Alex finally pushed herself all the way up and off the desk. She stretched, trying to work some of the soreness out of her arms and shoulders. ¡°We¡¯ll take it a bit lighter today. Besides, the increase in Skills is worth the cost. Especially considering what¡¯s probably going to be waiting for us next time.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t heard officially that she was going on a Survey Thursday afternoon, but she was reasonably certain it would be the case. Joanna¡¯s team was going Monday, the next team would be going Tuesday, and if they stayed true to pattern, the Group¡¯s secret project would claim Wednesday. So unless the team captain was going to switch the order up out of nowhere, Liliana would send her team through the portal right after that.


    Zach was nodding sympathetically. ¡°At least you managed to make a solid difference in the amount of magic coming out of the portal last time. The readings showed a pretty major drop after you came through.¡±


    ¡°Well, it should have.¡± Alex cracked a weary smile. ¡°We took down a Camp. That¡¯s supposed to make things better, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it should, actually.¡± Zach frowned a little, tilting his head to the side. ¡°Where did you learn that?¡±


    Alex blinked. She really needed to keep better track of the secrets she needed to keep. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who can read, Zach. There are books about this kind of thing, right?¡±


    He studied her for a few moments longer. ¡°Yeah, I suppose there are.¡± Then he shrugged and looked away, rummaging around for his tablet. ¡°In any case, you were right to go for the Camps. The more of those get destroyed, the more the magical energy goes down. It¡¯ll track back up over time, but the more Camps go down in quick succession, the better off the portal will be for everyone.¡±


    She nodded. Of course, that equation meant that the main recipients of the extra magical boosts would be her group. The last team was the one that was going to get the easiest runs, most likely. Would that make them level up faster, or slower? ¡°Are there any other ways that you¡¯ve found that we can drain off more energy? Or ways we can get ready for Thursday?¡±


    Zach leaned back for a moment, thinking. ¡°Well, there are a few different options. Going after a Killer tends to work, but that is exceptionally dangerous. Just completing the Quests that you get from the portal could help, but if you¡¯re looking for something a bit more dramatic¡­¡±


    He fished out a tablet and hit a few tabs before sliding it across the desk to her. ¡°One other surefire option that I¡¯ve heard of is to knock out an Anchor Point. They look like this.¡±


    Alex picked up the tablet, and saw a rough sketch¡ªprobably the best some Surveyor could do, since they couldn¡¯t bring anything technological back through the portal. There was a spiked wheel of purple crystal, with a column of purple flame rising straight up through the center of it. She reached out to the image and touched it. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like that before. Where do you usually find them?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say, honestly.¡± The researcher shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ve spent a lot of time trying to predict where they would show up, but there¡¯s never been a consistent pattern. Sometimes they show up around small buildings near monuments, other times, inside a random hollow house. I¡¯ve even heard of times when Surveyors ran across one in the middle of a subway station of some kind. The only thing we do know is that destroying one tends to seriously limit the magical energy coming from a portal. Taking one of them out can drop a C rank portal all the way down to E rank in a single Survey.¡±


    She whistled at the thought of that kind of change. It would make any Anchor Point an incredible find, and an immediate priority target for any Surveyor. ¡°What¡¯s usually guarding them? If there are that many Grue around a simple Camp¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the only real problem, I guess.¡± Zach shrugged. ¡°They typically have plenty of Grue, sure, but they usually have even more than that. Not Killers, maybe, but there are higher order entities out there. Drakes, Liches, all kinds of things. The best thing you can do is mark the location and then pull back so that you could tell higher level Surveyors. Then they can go in and destroy it.¡±


    Alex nodded. It made sense¡­just as long as she trusted the Group to do the right thing. Given their current nonsense with the portal, she wasn¡¯t feeling quite so generous. ¡°Yeah. I will.¡±


    Zach gave her a wry look. ¡°Of course. What else would you do?¡± He held out a hand, and she gave the tablet back with a grin. With a roll of his eyes, Zach dismissed the picture with another few taps, and then set the tablet aside. ¡°Now then, if only so I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve just given you another new suicide mission to go on, let¡¯s talk about something else. The RDD handed over that atlas you recovered. When you went to the library, were there any other books whose subjects you could recognize? Something like a section on physics, or magic, or¡­¡±


    That day, as Alex practiced and ran and sparred, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a rising sense of concern. Joanna and the others had gone into the portal over an hour ago, and it was all too easy to picture her former teammates half-buried under an army of Grue. Would they have gotten the same kind of welcome her team had? Or would taking out the Camp have lowered the threat level just enough?


    She was sparring against her teammates¡ªtwo on one, and they weren¡¯t exactly giving her much time to rest between bouts¡ªwhen they finally came back out. Alex saw the flashes of light as they left the vortex, and she called a brief halt to crane her neck. A few moments later, she breathed a sigh of relief when all five people stepped onto the official Golden Swallow bus, ready to head back towards the dorms. Some of them looked like they were limping, but they were all walking under their own power.


    As the bus went by, she caught sight of Audrey and Clara in the windows. The Squire gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up, while Clara looked a little more solemn. They both looked at least a little tired, though. It would be interesting to hear how it went.


    For the time being, however, she had other business to take care of. Alex turned back to face Alessa and Tim, both of whom winced and brought their weapons up a little higher. She smiled. ¡°All right, let¡¯s go again.¡±


    ¡°You were right about it being rough.¡± Joanna¡¯s team had clustered around a table in the cafeteria, picking at their food. Alex had found them there, still listlessly picking at their dinner. Ruth had a bandage on her upper arm, and Joanna was still holding out her leg, as if there were a brace on the knee.


    Clara was the only one talking, and even she seemed like she was on her last legs. ¡°The horns blew again, and they were all over the portal. We tried to hit the Camps, but there were more of them waiting there too. We managed to hit two of them, and then booked it back through the portal before the Killer caught up to us.¡±


    Audrey had been sitting with her head dangling back over the edge of the seat. She looked up, bleary eyed. ¡°Good thing you made me practice Blocking so much, Al. That guy almost got me, but I Skywalker¡¯d it right out of the air. Hah!¡±


    She slumped back across the chair, and Clara gave Alex a tired smile. ¡°It was rough, Alex, but I think most of us were pretty much ready for it. I do think that I¡¯ll be joining you guys for training tomorrow, though. I need to be much faster out there.¡±


    Joanna looked up from her food. Her face seemed like it was made of iron. ¡°We¡¯re all going to be there tomorrow. And every day after. Anyone disagree?¡± She looked over at the last two teammates. Ruth tried to scrunch herself down in her seat, but she stayed quiet. Marcel visibly flinched, but he nodded. Satisfied, Joanna looked back at Alex. ¡°There were a couple of times when we almost bought it out there, but we were ready because of that training. Thanks.¡±


    Alex felt a sudden burst of discomfort. Part of the reason that the Survey had been so hard was probably because her team hadn¡¯t been able to kill more than one Camp. Beyond that, the portal¡¯s magic had probably grown stronger after the weekend had let it fester. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, Joanna. We¡¯re all in this together.¡± She hesitated. ¡°But I think that on Wednesday we aren¡¯t going to be able to train. At least, not in the containment area.¡±


    The Adept frowned. ¡°Are you trying to rest your team? That¡¯s fine, but that shouldn¡¯t stop the rest of us from working on things.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No. I mean, it¡¯s not just that I¡¯m trying to get us rested. I just think¡­ the containment area will be busy on Wednesday. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Joanna¡¯s expression grew a bit confused, but before she could ask her next question, Alex heard Sam speak up from behind her. ¡°Is that a hunch, Alex?¡±


    Alex jumped, spinning to look at him. He was standing with a lunch tray, watching her closely. Where had he learned to move so quietly? She realized he was still waiting for an answer, and slowly nodded. He smiled, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any humor in the expression. ¡°And maybe you have another hunch that we¡¯ll have a Survey on Thursday? One that¡¯s going to be as bad or worse than Friday?¡±


    Wordlessly, she nodded again. His eyes narrowed for a moment, and then he returned her nod. Sam¡¯s smile grew a lot more genuine, on the outside at least. ¡°Well at least we¡¯ll have some rest before it. And some time to spend on whatever we need. Right?¡±


    He asked the question to Joanna, who looked back at him with faint surprise. The Adepts looked at each other for another moment, and then they both nodded.


    Alex felt another burst of¡­not dread, but uncertainty. Had she given too much away? ¡°Well, just make sure you¡¯re ready for Thursday. If it¡¯s going to be bad, we can¡¯t afford distractions.¡±


    Sam stepped past her, his grin growing wider. ¡°Of course, team captain. Wouldn¡¯t want to disappoint you.¡±


    She went red. ¡°I¡¯m not a captain.¡±


    He set down his tray and gave her a quick salute, making her flush that much more. ¡°Right, right.¡± A tired chuckle ran through the others, and Alex drew back, headed for the food line. She could use the break to figure out something she could say to discourage whatever they were planning, at least. It definitely wasn¡¯t an attempt to avoid those chuckles.

 B1Ch14: New Progress

    Light surrounded her again.


    [E Rank Surveyor Alex]


    [Ascension Level: 2]


    [Role: Page (Role Skills: Running(11), Dodging(13)]


    [Role Level: 2]


    [Experience: 200/600]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 2, Speed -> 4, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield(20), Inspect(9)]


    [Permanent Skills: None]


    [Current Titles: War Maiden (Increases Skill grade of Combined Arms and Weapon Mastery by one.)]


    Alex considered her Skills with some small measure of pride. The constant running, searching, and sparring had paid off, even if raising her Combined Arms Skill to 20 had felt like it nearly killed her. The other Skills were growing as well, to the point where she was wondering if she should start combining them after all, just to take a few more. Not that she¡¯d have the chance to do so until after the Survey was done.


    She sighed a little. Thursday had come quicker than she had expected; even with the rest on Wednesday, she hadn¡¯t felt entirely free of soreness when she had gotten on the bus. Zach¡¯s text about the once-again increased magic levels at the portal hadn¡¯t helped her feel much more relaxed, either.


    All the same, she was determined to try to kill as many Camps as she could this time. If she got enough of them, it wouldn¡¯t just help her team escape; it would lower the amount of threat that Joanna and the others faced. Maybe she¡¯d even manage to find out where one of those Anchor Points was. There were plenty of possibilities.


    [Quest Issued! Destroy eight Grue Soldiers.]


    [Quest Issued! Explore the Shopping Mall.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    She nodded. The Quests were mostly as expected. The fact the Camp had returned to the Mall was a little odd; hadn¡¯t it only been a handful of weeks since she and Joanna¡¯s team had destroyed it? Zach and her mother had both seemed sure that it would take longer for it to come back. It could be put down to the Group¡¯s meddling, but she didn¡¯t understand how they¡¯d be able to do it at all.


    Then there was a wave of light¡­


    The other world seemed as dim and grey as it always was.


    Alex nodded and glanced around as her teammates stepped out of the vortex with her. ¡°Okay, where are your Quests?¡±


    Brian answered first. ¡°Shopping Mall.¡±


    Alessa nodded. ¡°Same here.¡±


    Tim grunted. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to go somewhere with a bank? Anyone ever heard of that spot?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s north of the portal. We could probably hit it after the Mall. I¡¯ve got the same one.¡± Sam hadn¡¯t looked at Tim at all, though. He was staring at Alex, his expression serious. ¡°So. What are they doing to the portal?¡±


    The question caught Alex off guard. She looked around to see surprise or confusion on the others¡¯ faces and realized that Sam hadn¡¯t mentioned anything to the rest of the team. At least, not yet. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is the time, Sam.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a great time, actually.¡± Sam¡¯s voice was tight with anger. ¡°I was watching yesterday. A convoy of vehicles went into the containment area. Guards were saying no one could get in, but those cars drove right past¡ªand now the portal¡¯s going crazy again. At least, you think so. Am I wrong?¡±


    Alex glared at him. ¡°No. You¡¯re right, but at the moment we are going to be hitting at least two Camps and trying to survive. We don¡¯t have time to talk about whatever else is going on. Not now.¡±


    Tim stepped forward, his face twisted up and uncertain. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you guys are talking about, but Alex is probably right. If it is bad again, the Grue are probably already on their way here, with the Killer leading them. We probably shouldn¡¯t be here when they show up.¡±


    There was a tense moment as Sam continued to stare at Alex. Then he nodded, a jerk of the head. ¡°Fine. We can talk later, maybe if we have to lie low or something¡ªbut we are going to talk about this.¡±


    ¡°Once the Camps are down. Fine.¡± Alex nodded, and they started off towards the Mall. She could still feel him simmering with anger, though, even as they marched along. It was going to be a long Survey.


    The first patrol of Grue they ran across had fifteen Grue in it.


    It was an incredible number of the monsters, all growling and howling as they lunged at her team. Their claws made a cacophony as they clattered across the empty street, charging for the Surveyors. Unfortunately for the Grue, the results of her sparring sessions made themselves known almost instantly.


    Her team didn¡¯t just stand firm and wait for the Grue to crash against them. Instead, they charged along with her, throwing themselves into the fray. The Grue showed signs of shock as the Surveyors met them head on; even Sam was charging with his spear out and his face still locked in anger.


    She snapped one spear and cut down the wielder of a second. Another cut killed the first one, and a third tried to lunge at her. Alex sidestepped the pounce and put it down with a third stroke of the axe. Then she straightened up, looking for more targets, and found herself shockingly unable to find any. Her teammates had been nearly as quick dispatching the Grue; the last handful were already going down as she watched.


    As they finished falling, she exchanged nods with the others, and then they set off again for the Mall. Maybe the problems wouldn¡¯t be as bad as she was worried about today.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a lot of Grue.¡±


    Alessa whispered it in an incredulous voice, clearly horrified, and Alex couldn¡¯t blame her. There had to be nearly fifty Grue milling around on the bottom level of the Mall. The entire Camp seemed to be spilling over with them.


    Her team was crouched on the second floor, staring down into the Camp from above. When Alex had mentioned her previous team¡¯s experience in the Mall, they had decided to try to replicate it. Of course, that had been before they knew exactly how many Grue they would be facing.


    ¡°Are there going to be that many at the next Camp too?¡± Brian¡¯s whisper carried the same kind of horror that Alessa¡¯s had, but it also had the undertone of anger again. He had been whispering with Sam for a while, out of earshot, while they crept up to the second floor. Alex was eerily certain that he was going to have almost as many questions for her as Sam, once they had the chance to ask them. ¡°That¡¯s going to make getting home pretty rough.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll all die when the Camp goes down, no matter where they are.¡± Alex tried to sound reassuring, but it was hard. There were a lot of enemies down there. ¡°We can wait until they start heading for the portal and then hit the ones who are left. If we do it quickly enough, maybe they won¡¯t realize that the ones that were supposed to get to the portal didn¡¯t make it.¡±


    The others glanced at her and then nodded. They settled in to wait, with Sam¡¯s eyes still burning a hole in her back. She could sense him holding back his questions; it wasn¡¯t exactly a good place for an in-depth conversation about the Group¡¯s plans.


    Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t a long wait. Moments later, the horns began sounding, and one of the Grue straightened up. It loped out the front doors with a group gathering behind it. An answering horn sounded out, and Alex headed for the second level escalators. There were Grue patrolling there, but there were only ten or so of them. A part of her was chuckling at the idea of there being ¡®only¡¯ ten enemies to deal with, but she tried to put that part aside. She needed to focus.


    A second round of horns sounded just as her team got into position. It wouldn¡¯t be as tight of an ambush as before, but then again, it didn¡¯t need to be. If some of the Grue got up the stairs, they¡¯d be able to handle them just as quickly. Alex glanced around, seeing her teammates crouched and ready. She started to count off on her fingers for them, from five.


    Four. Three. Two. One.


    With a wordless yell, her team shot forward. They caught the first handful of Grue guards completely by surprise. Alessa knocked one of them into next week with one solid swing; Tim dove on another one, with Sam sliding past him to kill another. Brian shield-checked another to the floor and fell on it with stab after stab.


    Alex sprinted past all of them, aiming for the furthest escalator. There were three Grue between her and it. One of them spun to face her, only to be shield-checked over the side of the railing. She charged past a second, hacking it in the head as she went. It dropped without a sound, leaving the last Grue to try to back up, yipping frantically as it extended its spear.


    She used her shield to knock the point to the right, shoved it off balance, and then followed it up with a solid cut to the torso. It gurgled a little, the grey eyes going wide. Alex took another step forward and hit it again across the face. When it dropped, she spun, looking for more targets.


    Once again, she only saw her teammates still standing. Sam and Alessa were both running over to join her, while Tim and Brian took up positions at the other escalator. She nodded to them, and then charged down the stairs, still yelling even as the Grue below gathered for their attack.


    It was unreal how much easier they went down now. Their attacks almost seemed to be in slow motion at times, and she smashed them aside with a kind of casual strength that almost frightened her if she thought too much about it. With Alessa battering away at some of them, and Sam spearing others, she never had to worry about being overwhelmed, and the height advantage meant the monsters had no hope of stopping her. On the other escalator, Brian and Tim had formed a miniature shield wall and were barreling down the stairs like a battering ram.


    They reached the bottom of the escalator, and Alex led the charge deeper into the Camp. She caught a Grue racing to join its friends in a hasty spear wall and hacked it down. Two more came at her from the other side, and she fended off their spearpoints for a few heartbeats. One of them went down to Sam, and the other fell as it was trying to back up. Tim and Brian smashed into the spear wall, their shields shattering spears and knocking others skyward.


    Further on, the Grue with the horn started to raise it, only to go down as Alessa brought her quarterstaff down on its head. A second wide swing downed another Grue, which she finished off with a third blow.


    The rest of the Camp didn¡¯t last much longer after that. Alex took down another handful of them, and the others all brought down the rest. Start to finish, the attack had only lasted a handful of minutes. They stood there, breathing hard, as the crystal in the center shivered and broke to pieces. Alex watched the fragments tumble into the fading purple flames. Only then did she acknowledge the yellow text in her peripheral vision.


    [Main Quest Completed!]


    [Main Quest Completed! The Mall has been explored]


    [Hidden Quest Completed! Grue Camp cleared]


    [Dodging has advanced to level 14!]


    She nodded to herself. One Camp down, at least one more to go.


    Sam looked at her from where he stood over the burning body of a Grue. ¡°Do you think we got them quickly enough? I don¡¯t hear any horns.¡±


    Alex paused and listened. He was right; there were no sounds from the area around the portal. The Killer hadn¡¯t been at this Camp either; maybe that meant the vanishing Grue had gone unnoticed. ¡°I think you¡¯re right. We¡¯re still in the clear.¡±


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    ¡°Let¡¯s spend some time here, then.¡± He gave her a half-hearted grin. ¡°Might allow us to level up our Inspect Skill, and give us the chance to recover some more loot. Last time we were a bit¡­rushed.¡±


    She gave him a steady look. It was pretty clear he was after a bit more than just a little loot and some Skill training. At the same time, she had no real reason to say no, at least, not until the Grue realized what was happening. ¡°Okay, sounds good. Gather everything you can, but stay close. We¡¯ll need to move as soon as we can.¡±


    They all nodded, and she settled in to search through the Camp. Sam and Brian were both immediately following her, both equally intent. She sighed. It was going to be a harder Survey than she had expected.


    ¡°So you really don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Alex shook her head, feeling a little bedraggled. Both he and Brian had been relentless for the past few minutes. Sam especially seemed to have a problem with the lack of solid information; if she didn¡¯t miss her guess, he was probably planning on trying a more¡­direct method to figure out what she hadn¡¯t. ¡°No. In fact, I¡¯m not actually sure that it is Golden Swallow making the changes happen. It might be that the portal has simply grown unstable.¡±


    Brian snorted. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m sure those convoys are just a coincidence. Completely innocent.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Our supposed team captain trying to kill us is something I hadn¡¯t expected, but that makes sense, too.¡±


    Sam looked at him sideways. ¡°It does?¡±


    ¡°Well sure. If you know that at least one team is going to be hit hard after your secret project pumps up the portal, who do you choose? Your golden boys on Paul¡¯s team? The team full of all-stars with Joanna? Or the one that was cobbled together with survivors from other teams and includes someone you personally dislike?¡± He looked at Alex, and his face softened a little. ¡°Sorry, Alex. Didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡±


    Alex shrugged. ¡°I get it. You¡¯re probably right.¡± She sighed and looked around again, feeling dismal. The wreckage of the Grue Camp seemed to echo her own appraisal of the situation. ¡°Still, I don¡¯t know what we can do to fix it, aside from killing these Camps and trying to keep surviving. Any ideas?¡±


    Brian shook his head, and after a long moment, so did Sam. They turned back to their search, only for them all to freeze as a howling horn echoed over the dead town. Alex cursed inwardly; they¡¯d gotten too comfortable and waited too long. The Killer would be hunting them soon¡ª


    As the howls rose from the other Grue, she jumped as one of the horns sounded behind her. She spun around, weapons already coming up, and stopped when she saw Alessa. The Porter was holding the abandoned horn and blowing into it. They all stared at her as the sounds of the howls faded away.


    Alessa lowered the horn and turned to look at the rest of them. She shrugged. ¡°Seemed like a decent idea. Might confuse them for a bit at least.¡±


    Sam started laughing, and the others chuckled a little too, even if it was out of nervousness bleeding away. Alex was the first to recover enough to speak. ¡°You¡¯re right, but we should probably try to head out before they call our bluff. Maybe we can reach the Bank before they catch on. Are we done here?¡±


    She asked the question to all of them, but she mostly looked at Sam and Brian. They both nodded, and she relaxed a little. The fights might be more dangerous, but at least they didn¡¯t feel as personal as the interrogation. ¡°All right, then. Let¡¯s head out.¡±


    They hit two more patrols on the way to the Bank.


    Both of them had at least fifteen Grue each. Each time, her team tore through them so quickly that it left Alex shocked. Had just a little Skill training really done so much? If it had, why hadn¡¯t the Group been doing that on their own? What was the point of making them try to only raise their Skills inside of a Survey? Was it some kind of attempt to pretend that everything was normal, or just bureaucratic stupidity?


    The horns didn¡¯t sound again until they were nearly on top of the Bank. It was a tall, ornate building standing in the middle of the town, complete with fake marble columns decorating the entrance. Alex could see the flicker of purple flame in the windows, and she shared nods with the others. Alessa crouched low and peaked out at it from the corner of the wall where they were hiding. She pulled back with a frown. ¡°I just got another Camp clearing Hidden Quest.¡±


    Alex blinked. She looked at the others; she¡¯d just assumed that the second Hidden Quest would have been for the Killer again. Curious, she pushed forward alongside Alessa and peered out at the Bank, trying to catch sight of the crystal inside. When she had, yellow text sprang to life next to her, and she let out a short breath.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Clear the Grue Camp]


    She looked at the others. ¡°Maybe the Hidden Quests aren¡¯t preassigned? Like whatever you stumble across first gets locked in.¡±


    Tim shook his head. ¡°We haven¡¯t been getting the extra kills, Quest, though.¡±


    ¡°Not since we raised our level enough.¡± Sam sounded thoughtful. He crept forward and peeked as well. ¡°Maybe that one is restricted to the lower levels. Anyway, I just got it too. That means if we kill this one¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get the chance for a full clear on this Survey.¡± Alex nodded slowly. The resulting experience would bridge more than half the gap to reaching level three. ¡°Anyone else really want that to happen?¡±


    Grins broke out among the others on her team, and Alex nodded to them. Then she looked at Sam. ¡°Do you think there¡¯s a side door we can break into?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it. It¡¯s a bank, after all.¡± He shook his head, looking around the street. ¡°I say we back away a bit and then come at it from the same side of the street. That way, they shouldn¡¯t see us until the very last moment.¡±


    As they started out for the other side of the road, a second series of horns blew out over the town, answered by more from all sides. A Grue stuck their head out of the Bank and answered the call. Alex and her team froze until it disappeared back inside. Then they rushed across the street and started to creep in towards the Camp.


    Just as they reached it, the horn near the portal blew in three short bursts. Alex gestured for the others to pause, waiting to see what would happen. Clearly, the Killer had figured out they had destroyed the Camp at the Mall. Would it know they were here already?


    She waited until the answering calls had gone out, including the one from the Grue at the Bank, and looked at her team. They were tense, but fairly well rested. None were wounded yet, a minor miracle considering the combat they¡¯d already faced.


    Then Grue with the horn turned to go back in, and she nodded. They charged as one, with Alex leading the way. The horn-blower turned to face her, but it didn¡¯t have time to do anything before her axe came down on it, knocking it to the ground. It didn¡¯t get up again, at least, not before Sam speared it through the head.


    The rest of the Grue inside the bank were just beginning to move, many of them sprinting for their spears in the back. Alex and the other Surveyors leapt on them, tearing through them even as they tried to arm themselves. Some of them howled and abandoned their weapons, hurling themselves at the team with claws and teeth. None of them lasted long, though Alessa took a swipe across the face that left her bleeding, and a Grue managed to sneak a spear past Tim¡¯s guard long enough to mark him on the ribs.


    In the end, the remaining Grue collapsed back into the center as Alex and her team cut into them, and by the time all of them had spears, there weren¡¯t enough of them left. Her team closed in around them, weapons flashing, and when the final Grue had gone down, they were left panting and heaving as the crystal in the center collapsed.


    [Hidden Quest Completed! Grue Camp cleared]


    Alex looked around at the others and grinned. ¡°Anyone still have any Grue left to kill?¡±


    The others burst out laughing; she guessed that they¡¯d already completed that first Quest a while ago. She chuckled along with them, and set about scooping up as much as she could in the meantime. There probably wasn¡¯t much time before¡ª


    Even as she thought about it, three quick bursts of howls rose over the town. Alessa raised the horn to her lips, but Alex shook her head. ¡°They probably just saw the Grue attached here evaporate. They¡¯ll be coming after us, even if we try the horn.¡±


    Brian nodded. ¡°Yeah. So, do we head for the portal?¡±


    Sam poked his head out of a Grue¡¯s tent. ¡°Depends. Do we think it will make a beeline for us here, or will it try to cut us off? Last time it came straight for us, but it might have learned its lesson.¡±


    ¡°Better question; do we even want to avoid it?¡± Tim looked around at them and raised an eyebrow. ¡°How many friends do we think it has left now? It has to have left some guarding the portal, and if it lost a bunch there, and a bunch here¡­¡±


    Alex thought about it. The possibility of hitting the Killer was tempting. She couldn¡¯t deny the fact that she still owed the thing for the Surveyors it had already killed. Besides, if she did kill it, the magic around the portal would grow that much weaker, and her friends would have that much better a chance to survive the next Survey.


    At the same time, it was wishful thinking. There had been dozens of Grue at the first Camp, and probably just as many here. Who knew how many more Camps there were? Unless she knew for sure, sending her team straight into the hunting party with the Killer might be asking for trouble. ¡°Better to get out now and collect our experience. I want that thing dead, but it might not be the time, especially since we don¡¯t know what¡¯s waiting for us at the portal.¡±


    ¡°True. Maybe next time we can collect more information about where these Camps are. If we can eliminate them this easily now¡­¡± Sam¡¯s voice was still thoughtful.


    Tim laughed. He stumped around on his leg, as if to demonstrate his limp. ¡°I don¡¯t know about easy, but I guess the captain¡¯s right. Let¡¯s try and head back to the portal. If we can get there and get out without running into the Killer, then so much the better.¡±


    Alex gave him a look. ¡°I¡¯m not the captain.¡±


    ¡°So you say. Let¡¯s get going before the thing shows up here on its own.¡± Tim was giving her an insufferable grin as he stomped his way out of the Bank. Alessa shrugged and followed him, along with a grinning Sam. Brian gave her an impatient wave to join them, though she thought she saw a smile tugging at the corners of his scowl.


    Finally, Alex gave up. She rolled her eyes, sighed, and went after them. As long as Liliana didn¡¯t catch wind of it, maybe it wouldn¡¯t make anything worse. At least she could convince herself of that much.


    ¡°Everyone already has what they need for their Skill Chains, right?¡±


    The whispered question nearly pulled another sigh from Alex, but she nodded along with the rest of them. They had spent the past half hour dodging the Killer as it tried to track them down until finally they had slipped away as it ran north. It had probably thought it had guessed wrong, and was running to the Bank to check their trail. There would only be a few more minutes before it discovered where they had actually gone and would come back after them.


    Which meant that unless they managed to get through the portal ahead of them, Skill Chains would be the last thing they needed to worry about.


    Luckily, it looked like there were only about twenty Grue waiting for them this time. There had obviously been a lot more of them, but the loss of the Camps looked like it had hurt them badly. They seemed like they knew it, too; many of them were sniffing and snarling to themselves in apparent anxiety. Remembering the Surveyors who had died on that stretch of pavement, Alex found it impossible to feel sorry for them.


    So instead, she waited as her team got ready for the final charge. Brian was speaking quietly. ¡°Remember, hit them hard enough that they don¡¯t get a howl off. If you see any with a horn, hit them first. Alessa, you¡¯ve still got yours, right?¡± The Porter nodded, and Brian went on. ¡°We¡¯ll get to the portal together this time. We don¡¯t have hunters on our trail, and we don¡¯t need to be too hasty. Make sure everyone sticks together, and we can do this.¡±


    They all nodded again, and Brian exchanged a respectful nod with Alex. She stepped forward, crouching at the front of the formation.


    Then they were charging across the street, and the sounds of battle washed through the air.


    In what seemed like no time at all, the Grue were all down. None of them had a horn, and all of them had gone down so quickly that it seemed like they would never have been a danger. She shook her head at the strangeness of that feeling and joined the others at the portal. She stepped through into the vortex of light¡­


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quests Completed! +60 Experience]


    [Secondary Purge Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Purge Quest Completed! + 40 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! + 40 Experience]


    Alex let herself cheer at the words floating in front of her. In front of others, she might have been embarrassed, but who was going to see her floating in an infinite void? They¡¯d not only survived, they¡¯d blasted past anything anyone could have expected. Another Survey like that, and she¡¯d hit level three, and her teammates wouldn¡¯t be far behind her.


    [Inspect increased from 9 to 12!]


    [Dodging increased from 13 to 14!]


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield has reached level 20! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield to gain a Title?]


    She paused over the choice. Given the danger level of the Surveys she was going out on, the wise decision would be to hold on to her max level Skill and just try to survive to level three. There wouldn¡¯t be much opportunity to increase her Skills very much, but it would be the safer move, especially with her team depending on her.


    At the same time, her team seemed to have been doing just fine, given the way they¡¯d just torn through the Grue. They¡¯d be able to handle a bit more of the load if she reset things¡ªand besides, they¡¯d be able to help her regain her lost levels through Skill training in the containment area before the next Survey. Add to that the fact that if she stayed at the same level and the Surveys somehow got harder, and it was looking more and more attractive to take the chance while she had it.


    Decision made, she accepted the option. Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield returned to a meager zero, and she got a new notification.


    [Title Ferocity gained (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by one.)]


    Satisfaction ran through her. Each level of Combined Arms would matter that much more, now, and even if it took her a bit to catch up to her previous Skill effects, she¡¯d still be relevant again quickly.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Running and Dodging?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels.]


    Once again, she said no to that option. She just hadn¡¯t spent enough time running and dodging at the same time to justify the change.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Running and Inspect?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels.]


    Again, not a relevant possibility.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Dodging and Inspect?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels.]


    This time she paused, thinking over the possibilities. Inspect and Dodging were both high enough that the Chain would gain her another Title, now, and the possibility of using both Skills at once during combat was possible. It was the idea behind other Chained Skills like Battlesight, after all, and if she was already going to be sparring anyway to level up Combined Arms¡­


    Alex accepted the Skill Chain, and blinked in satisfaction as new notifications popped up again.


    [Skill Chain unlocked! Skills Dodging and Inspect removed. Skill Anticipate gained! Skill Chain bonus gained! Title Quick Reflexes gained (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, and Evasion by one.)]


    [Skill Choice available. Please select an additional Skill.]


    This time, she thought a little more about what Skills she might be able to Chain together. Inspect had been a useful choice, but she¡¯d been a bit flippant with what she¡¯d planned for it. If she wanted to get one more Chain in before she leveled up out of Page, she¡¯d need something that would work well with Running.


    With that in mind, she chose Recovery. Normally a Porter Skill, it would help her regain her stamina on her long runs and make it that much easier to deal with the stress of repeated fights. If she had to bet on it, she¡¯d wager it would level quickly, with all the running, sparring, and fighting she planned on doing over the next weeks.


    Her choices made, Alex closed her eyes. All she had to do now was get through her usual report to Liliana¡ªwho no doubt would be especially pleased with her Chaining yet more Skills, along with most of her team¡ªand then get through a few days of Skill training with the others. Once that was done, she could worry about putting a stop to whatever the Group was doing to endanger her friends.


    The light washed over her¡­

 B1Ch15: The Raid, Part One

    Alex found herself back on the platform. For once, the sky was as cloudy on Earth as it was in the other world. It didn¡¯t quite look like it was going to rain, but it seemed close. The weather hadn¡¯t been the best sign that things would go well when they went in, but now she just grinned and went to join her teammates.


    The reports were¡­not going well. Liliana still had the same insincere smile pasted on her face, but it grew more and more strained the more her team told her. It was fairly obvious that she was more than ready to sanction them for Chaining Skills together, but something seemed to be holding her back from saying much about it. Perhaps the fact that they kept coming back from the worst possible conditions.


    Liliana, to her credit, managed to restrain herself during Alex¡¯s report on her own advancements. Her eyes glittered with hatred and anger as Alex spoke, but that false smile remained steady, almost as if the team captain was holding onto it from sheer spite. As Alex turned to go, however, Liliana stopped her.


    ¡°You know, Alexandretta, your choices have been disappointing of late, but I hope you realize that the assignments I¡¯ve given you have been an effort to assist your work at the company. Unfortunately, you have chosen to disregard that help and go your own way, and your bad behavior has somehow¡­ infected other members of the Group.¡±


    Alex stared back at her. She could feel the attention of her teammates, who were waiting closer to the bus. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that you feel like I have been performing badly.¡±


    ¡°Your performance has been exceptional, Alexandretta, but you could be doing so much more if you listened to proper guidance.¡± Liliana shook her head, and the hatred twisted her smile a little more. ¡°Unfortunately, because of the effect you are having on others, the Group has made a decision. Starting from today, you will no longer have access to the containment area for Skill training.¡±


    She felt the blood drain from her face. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this is for your own good.¡± The insincerity of those words was shining in Liliana¡¯s smile, which had become both more genuine and more malicious. ¡°Until you start listening to the guidance of the company, we cannot allow you to utilize resources belonging to the Group to encourage others down incorrect paths. Do not worry; the others will not be permitted to use it either. In the spirit of fairness, of course.¡±


    Alex didn¡¯t respond. She couldn¡¯t. Half her Skills were now at zero, and she was going to have no way to raise them before the Survey that was probably waiting for her on Wednesday. A Survey where there would be even more danger than there had been before. When she looked back at her team, she saw shock, horror, and anger on their faces too, and realized that she¡¯d dragged them all into it.


    She gave Liliana one last look, resisted the urge to flatten her with a single punch, and then got back on the bus. It was a very quiet ride home.


    ¡°So we¡¯re dead, right?¡± Brian didn¡¯t even sound angry anymore. More just despondent.


    It was hard to argue with him this time, though. They¡¯d all just reset their most important combat Skills, and they weren¡¯t going to get the chance to rebuild them before the next Survey. None of them were going to have the same level of combat efficiency as they¡¯d just had; they¡¯d still have the Attributes, but that would only go so far.


    ¡°You could always just come straight back through the portal, right?¡± Clara tried to sound encouraging, but she didn¡¯t sound like she expected them to take the option. Something about the way she looked at Alex made it seem like the Acolyte thought she would be the problem.


    Alex shook her head. ¡°Only if we wanted to screw you guys over. We¡¯d be letting the portal get even more out of control, with another day to get worse. We might be safe, but you guys would be hitting a meat grinder.¡±


    Sam nodded glumly. ¡°Not only that, but there¡¯s no chance it would ever be better. How long before it gets back enough that the Killer is waiting for us right at the portal, and our Skills are all still at zero?¡±


    Something about the way he¡¯d said it made Alex think of her mother. Her mind raced as she thought back over her mother¡¯s stories. The others at the table¡ªJoanna¡¯s team and her own¡ªcontinued to talk over the situation, but she tuned them out as she came back to a few stories that she¡¯d made Muriel tell her, over and over. It was probably an enormously stupid idea, but it was also the only one that Liliana and the Group had left her. If only Forsmith had managed to stop whatever they were doing before it got this bad!


    ¡°Alex?¡± Joanna¡¯s voice brought her back to the moment. She looked up and saw the others watching her. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    She blinked and shook her head. ¡°Sorry, I was thinking. What did you say?¡±


    ¡°We were saying we might need to refuse to enter the portal, at least until they allow us Skill training again. It¡¯s a ridiculous restriction for no good reason, and there¡¯s no way¡ª¡±


    ¡°I think the Group is going to support her on it. She wouldn¡¯t be sticking her neck out just to get us, at least not yet.¡± Alex shook her head a second time. ¡°There must be another reason why, even if Liliana is using it to set us up. Or at least, to set me up and bring the rest of you along.¡± She offered her teammates a sympathetic smile, and Brian grunted sourly.


    ¡°Besides, we can¡¯t let that portal get out of control. It¡¯s why we are Surveyors, right? The whole point of us doing this is to keep that thing under control, so it doesn¡¯t get dangerous for people who aren¡¯t Surveyors. I don¡¯t want to fail that responsibility just because the Group is crap.¡±


    There were a series of reluctant murmurs from the others, with various levels of enthusiasm. Clearly, some of them felt a bit more strongly about the solemn duty of Surveyors to risk their lives, when it meant actual, unreasonable risk was involved. Not that she blamed them; what she was about to suggest was insane.


    Still, it was the best option. Better to be about it.


    Sam was watching her closely. There was a spark in his eyes that told her he suspected she had figured something out. ¡°So what do we do? Even a short mission is probably a good way to get killed right now.¡±


    ¡°Then we don¡¯t do a short mission.¡± Alex grinned at the baffled expressions on their faces. ¡°Alessa, Brian, can you make sure to get a bunch of extra ration packs for our mission on Wednesday? We usually don¡¯t carry much, but we¡¯ll need whatever we can stomach for the Survey.¡±


    The two Surveyors exchanged a look. Rations weren¡¯t common equipment to carry, since normal food would evaporate on the way through the portal. Rations were food looted during a Survey and brought back through the portal¡ªeither from vacant grocery stores or harvested plants. Alessa nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah, I think I can get access to some of that. Technically, we have permission to check it out whenever we want.¡±


    ¡°See if you can get it without Liliana finding out.¡± She looked at the others. ¡°Joanna, Sam, put your heads together over the next while. I want to know every location where patrols have been seen, and where Camps have been located. Sam, I think you should be able to requisition a fresh map of the area, if you need it; they definitely have it, since I brought back a couple of atlases that one time.¡±


    Sam nodded slowly. ¡°Sure, Alex. You got it.¡± Joanna looked mildly mystified, but she nodded as well.


    Clara spoke up, her voice soothing. It was almost like she was trying to reassure someone. ¡°Alex, what are you planning? We¡¯ll find some way out of this, I promise.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes the best way out is through, Clara.¡± Alex looked at her. ¡°You don¡¯t have any access to health potions or anything, right?¡±


    The Acolyte paused, her eyes wide. ¡°No. The medics here have those pretty well locked down. Not many people sacrifice their equipment slots for them, and they are really rare on the other side of the portal, so the Group considers them restricted material.¡±


    Alex nodded. As expected. ¡°Okay. I have a hunch about where we can find some. We¡¯ll need at least one or two, I think.¡±


    Audrey tilted her head to the side, studying Alex with narrow eyes. ¡°What are you planning, Al? Cause it sounds like you are gearing up for a big battle. Not a last stand, I hope?¡±


    She broke into a low chuckle. ¡°No. Kind of the opposite, actually.¡± Then she pushed away from the table, picking up her tray. ¡°Joanna, you guys can go through with your Chaining plans if you want. We¡¯ll cover the problems with the portal, so it shouldn¡¯t be any more dangerous than normal. Trust me, you guys, we¡¯ll get through this.¡±


    ¡°Well, Alex, I¡¯m sorry to tell you this, but it sounds like you¡¯re screwed.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Zach. I really needed to hear that from you.¡± Alex gave him a glare and then settled back into her seat with a sigh. She¡¯d been pacing back and forth in his office, explaining the situation. ¡°I already know Liliana is trying to get me killed, but I don¡¯t know what Forsmith is doing. He¡¯s supposed to be a cleaner, right? So why isn¡¯t he trying to stop this? He has to know that the next Survey for us is going to be a death trap.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he wants it to be one.¡± Zach shrugged when she looked at him. ¡°Maybe whatever the Group is doing has some kind of cutoff, and if there are enough Surveyor casualties, they¡¯ll stop the program.¡±


    She thought back to the conversation he¡¯d had with her, about people using her survival as an excuse. ¡°Well, screw that. I¡¯m not dying just to give the Group a wake-up call¡ªassuming they wouldn¡¯t just make excuses about how we died and move on with things, anyway.¡±


    Zach snorted. ¡°You¡¯re probably right about that one. Odds are they might point to your Skill strategy as the reason rather than whatever nonsense they¡¯re up to.¡± He sighed. ¡°I still haven¡¯t figured out what they¡¯re doing, unfortunately. Every time I stumble across something that might give me answers, it seems like I hit a brick wall or a red herring. I wish I could give you better clues, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Alex leaned back in her chair, scratching at her scalp for a moment with both hands. ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out eventually. We just need to get through Wednesday first. At least then Liliana won¡¯t be able to try to kill us as easily.¡±


    Zach¡¯s expression seemed a little distressed now. Maybe it was starting to become clear that she was at very real risk of not coming home from the next Survey. ¡°Still, if I could just find something out before Tuesday, maybe I could talk them into not doing whatever it is that they are doing. It would make your next Survey that much easier, and we wouldn¡¯t have to worry quite so much.¡±


    Alex lowered her hands from her hair, feeling just slightly better. ¡°Actually, there is something you could do. You have access to some of the material Surveyors bring back, right? That¡¯s how you got those extra monitors?¡±


    He raised his eyebrows and leaned back. ¡°I can requisition some of them, yeah. It helps when I say I¡¯m doing a study of some kind. The RDD tends to loosen up when they think I¡¯m helping with their work. Why?¡±


    ¡°I need health potions. At least one, preferably two.¡± Alex saw his eyes widen a little and decided to press a bit harder. Might as well have it out in the open all at once. ¡°Extra Survey rations too, if we can get them. Just about as many of them as you can get.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Zach stared at her. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ quite a big ask, Alex. A lot of that stuff gets reserved for either higher level Surveyors or special projects. They¡¯re rare enough that the Group doesn¡¯t have any guarantees about replacing them, so if I request for all this stuff and can¡¯t account for it¡­¡±


    Alex met his eyes and nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah, I know. I wouldn¡¯t ask if I had any other options, but Liliana has me backed into a corner here.¡±


    ¡°She does.¡± He didn¡¯t look happy to be agreeing with her, but he nodded reluctantly. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do, Alex. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Zach. I won¡¯t forget it.¡± She leaned forward and grabbed his hand for a moment, squeezing it slightly. He met her eyes, his mild gaze turning a bit¡­warmer than she had expected. Her breath caught.


    Then she stood and headed for the door, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. ¡°Be careful, though. Liliana and maybe Forsmith are going to be asking questions after Wednesday, and I don¡¯t want you getting caught.¡±


    ¡°You Surveyors aren¡¯t the only ones who can deal with a little risk.¡± Zach stood and opened the door for her. He smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do. Just¡­don¡¯t do anything crazy, okay?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. Or at least no more crazy than normal.¡± She returned his smile and went out. It promised to be a tough next few days.


    Alex stood before the portal with her team, feeling her heart pound in her chest.


    She¡¯d spent the past few days quietly preparing for this moment. Her teammates had worked just as hard, gathering a handful of extra supplies; Zach had come through as well, with two health potions and a few packets of rations, which he had slipped to her on Tuesday during their meeting in the PAD. Now all that remained was making sure she and the others survived what she had planned.


    Liliana was smiling at them from one side of the platform. Beyond her, Forsmith was waiting, a mix of resignation and resolve on his face. Their expectations for her team were clear. None of them expected all five Surveyors to come walking back through that portal.


    Which was exactly what she planned on doing.


    She stepped forward, and the light claimed her once more.


    The infinite void was becoming almost comforting by comparison to the politics outside of it. Alex wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about that fact.


    [E Rank Surveyor Alex]


    [Ascension Level: 2]


    [Role: Page (Role Skills: Running(11)]


    [Role Level: 2]


    [Experience: 420/600]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 2, Speed -> 4, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield(0), Anticipate(0), Recovery(0)]


    [Permanent Skills: None]


    [Current Titles: War Maiden (Increases Skill grade of Combined Arms and Weapon Mastery by one.),


    Ferocity (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by one.),


    Quick Reflexes gained (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, and Evasion by one.)]


    The summary of her abilities was a mix of encouraging signs and clear problems. With no Skills, her Titles weren¡¯t going to be very helpful. If she could survive long enough, though, she¡¯d be a powerhouse in no time.


    [Quest Issued! Destroy eight Grue Soldiers.]


    [Quest Issued! Explore the Grocer¡¯s Market.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    Alex bared her teeth at the sight of the Quests. She¡¯d thought the Camps were respawning faster, but here was proof. Joanna had told her that they had cleared out the Camp in the Market during their last Survey. There should have been no way for it to come back that fast. By now, though, she didn¡¯t even need Zach¡¯s text to tell her that things were much harder than they should have been. It was obvious how badly the deck was stacked against her.


    She was going to survive anyway.


    Light surrounded her¡­


    The other world was no different than before. A grim sky and ruined homes. Grue graffiti and claw marks everywhere.


    Her team came out of the portal next to her, already gripping their weapons. She looked at them and nodded. ¡°Where are the Quests this time? Mine¡¯s in the Market.¡±


    ¡°Library.¡± Alessa¡¯s expression was bleak, but she was still holding fast to her staff.


    Tim was shaking his head in apparent disbelief. ¡°The Bank again. Isn¡¯t it supposed to be a while before a Camp comes back?¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°Yeah, it is. Thank the Group.¡± He looked at Alex. ¡°I¡¯ve got the Library too.¡±


    Brian sighed, a desperate, hopeless sound. ¡°I¡¯ve got the Mall. The Mall.¡± He tilted his head back and glared at the sky. ¡°So we have to hit four Camps this time. I¡¯m not even sure we could hit one right now. Alex, what are we doing?¡±


    Alex reached over and squeezed his shoulder. ¡°Stay with me on this. We aren¡¯t dead yet.¡± The Squire gave her a skeptical look, but he nodded eventually. She turned to the others. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ve got extra rations and a couple of healing potions. Don¡¯t ask me how, but we are well supplied for this.¡±


    Tim smirked. ¡°Are you expecting dying to work up an appetite? We just ate lunch an hour ago.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we did, and most of our Surveys have only lasted three hours or so.¡± She took in a slow breath. ¡°We¡¯re going to be in here for a lot longer today. Probably at least eight.¡±


    They stared at her in shock. Alessa was the first one to speak. ¡°Eight hours? Don¡¯t we die if we are in here too long?¡±


    ¡°Twenty-four hours is the time limit.¡± She didn¡¯t intend to stay nearly that long, but she¡¯d have to see how badly things went. ¡°That gives us plenty of time to do what we need to do.¡±


    ¡°Which is what, exactly? Are we planning a picnic?¡± Brian¡¯s voice was on the edge of panic, but he was still in control. For now.


    Sam was the one who answered, though, his eyes showing sudden recognition. ¡°No. She¡¯s planning a Raid.¡±


    The others stared at her again. Raids were something higher level Surveyors did to hit crucial targets, normally in large enough numbers that it would drastically lower the magic from a portal. They¡¯d go in with supplies and potions, and stay for hours until the job was done. E rank Surveyors did not go on Raids. Not until now.


    Alex drew in a breath and nodded. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re doing a Raid today. Our targets are going to be all four Camps, but not right away. We need levels for our Skills first.¡±


    Sam started to nod slowly. Brian, on the other hand, opened his mouth as if he wanted to interrupt, but she held up a hand. ¡°So we¡¯re going to start by hitting patrols. They¡¯re probably in groups of fifteen, so each one should give us a few levels of Skill training. The potions will keep us from getting knocked out if we take damage, so we can afford a few risks.¡±


    Alessa broke in before Alex could continue. ¡°And when we get so tired we can barely fight anymore?¡±


    ¡°Then we pull back to a rooftop and rest for a while. An hour or so should give us enough time to go back to it.¡± Alex held Alessa¡¯s gaze for a moment, and the Porter struggled to find some objection before nodding. She continued. ¡°We¡¯ll try to pace ourselves, only fighting a few at a time. Then, once we¡¯re ready, we¡¯ll hit one of the Camps.¡±


    Tim nodded slowly. ¡°Then the Killer will be after us. We¡¯ll be on a timer.¡±


    ¡°Kind of.¡± Alex shrugged. ¡°We can probably get to a second Camp before they get reinforced, or the Killer finds us. After that, or if the Killer gets too close, we can change plans.¡±


    Sam blinked. ¡°You¡¯re planning on backing off for an hour or so. Hiding until it loses interest or wanders off.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll have the supplies here to eat a few times. To rest. We¡¯ve always moved at a rush before. On the schedule the Group has for us, or at the pace the Killer started. We¡¯re not doing that today.¡±


    Brian was looking so shell-shocked that he¡¯d passed on through to some kind of calm. ¡°So we do some kind of hide and seek with the Grue for the next eight hours or so. Maybe twelve, if the Killer keeps chasing us off. That¡¯s the plan.¡±


    Alex nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not going to be easy, but it means when we walk out of that portal, we¡¯ll have won. Liliana sent us in here to die. If all we wanted to do was live, we could turn around right now and walk back out. I don¡¯t want to just survive. I want to win.¡±


    She looked around at them, meeting each of their eyes in turn. ¡°Will you help me?¡±


    They found their first fight only a few minutes later.


    Fifteen Grue, all with hatred in their grey eyes and spears in their hands. They howled and charged, and her team braced itself for the fight. It wasn¡¯t like before, where they tore through the things. This fight was going to be much closer to their first encounters, where every enemy was a lethal threat.


    Alex caught the first spear dead center on her shield, and it threw her back instead of snapping. She grunted, just barely dodging a second spear from the side, and hacked up into the Grue¡¯s torso. It yipped in surprise, and she had to step forward and hit it twice more before it fell. As it dropped, another Grue shoved it out of the way and stabbed at her head. She got the shield up in time to block it, but it shoved her off balance enough for another spear to hit her right in the chest. The point didn¡¯t penetrate her armor, but it still hurt.


    Which was when she saw another Grue coming in at her, spear held low and aimed for her gut, below the brigandine. She half-closed her eyes and grimaced, bracing herself for the pain.


    Then Sam was there, his teeth bared in a snarl. The Adept¡¯s spear caught the Grue in the side, shoving it off balance. He yanked the weapon free and stabbed twice more as the downed Grue thrashed. Alex took the opportunity to get a couple of quick hacks in at the Grue that had hit her shield, sidestepped another spear coming at her and knocked out its owner with a smash from the edge of her shield, and then shield-checked yet another Grue that was lining up to skewer Sam.


    She left the downed Grue for Sam to finish, charging at another Grue that was preparing to lunge at Tim over the improvised shield wall that he and Brian had made. It pivoted to face her, snarling, and she blocked two quick stabs before she lunged in and started hacking away at it. The thing went down on the third hit, and she straightened up to see two of the others turning to face her.


    One of them took a step before Tim put his spear into its spine. The other hesitated long enough for her to shield-check it; it slammed into its other friends, turning the line of Grue into a tangled mess. Tim and Brian fell on them instantly, sword and spear stabbing, and Alex turned to look in Alessa¡¯s direction.


    The Porter was fighting hard, bleeding from at least two spear wounds. One of the Grue facing her was already down, but the other two were still dancing around her, their spears driving her back. Alex charged, yelling loud enough to be heard over the clash and snarls of battle. It caught the attention of one of the enemies; its head snapped around, and it turned to face her. Alessa took the opening immediately, lashing out with her staff to knock the other Grue down, and then bringing her staff around for a two-handed, overhand blow.


    Alex, for her part, just kept the other Grue¡¯s attention for long enough that the Porter laid it out with another overhand blow from behind. As it crumpled, Alessa gave it another hit, and then slumped, still bleeding. The battle was over.


    She looked around. Alessa wasn¡¯t the only one wounded; Tim was limping, Brian was holding a wound on his arm, and Sam had picked up a scratch on his ribs from somewhere. ¡°All right, here¡¯s the potion. Try not to drink too much; we¡¯ll need it for later.¡±


    Alex passed the vial to Alessa first, who took a mouthful. Her wounds sealed up a heartbeat later. The Porter passed it to Brian, who took another sip before passing it to Tim. He looked at Alex. ¡°Think we¡¯ve got another eight hours of that in us?¡±


    She paused long enough to check the text that now floated in her vision. It was backlit a little curiously by the purple flame consuming their enemies.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield has advanced to level 2!]


    [Anticipate has advanced to level 2!]


    [Recovery has advanced to level 1!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 3 of 8 targets destroyed]


    ¡°Did everyone get at least a couple of Skill levels?¡± The others nodded, and Alex looked back at Brian. ¡°Another couple of fights like that and I think you guys will at least be back to where you were, Skill-wise. At that point, we¡¯ll rest and decide what we can do. Okay?¡±


    The Squire nodded, his expression unreadable. They spent a few moments gathering up the crystals, and then they moved on.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield has advanced to level 5!]


    [Anticipate has advanced to level 5!]


    [Recovery has advanced to level 3!]


    [Main Quest Completed!]


    Alex slumped slightly, standing over the burning wreckage of the third set of Grue they¡¯d hit. She was bleeding this time; a Grue had slipped a spear past her guard, and the point had dug into her gut, piercing her armor. The pain was more intense than she had expected, but she still handed over the potion to one of the others first. Alessa had taken more hits and was looking a little pale.


    ¡°We ready to rest?¡± The others nodded numbly. If it had been a normal mission, she would have been leading them back to the portal already; the amount of damage they¡¯d taken was beyond anything they¡¯d suffered before. Only the potions were keeping them standing, but they hadn¡¯t even hit a Camp yet. They still had a long day ahead.


    She waited until the others were taken care of before she took the potion. A sickeningly cloying gulp later, she felt the hole in her gut seal itself over. Alex gasped in relief, and then carefully stoppered the vial. She checked the contents carefully; it was already about two-thirds of the way gone. They¡¯d need to be more careful if they wanted the things to last.


    Sam was already consulting the map as she put the vial away. ¡°There¡¯s a parking garage that way, about two blocks. I think we could make it without running into any more Grue, but we¡¯ll have to see.¡±


    Alex nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then. We can camp out at the top, and then see if there are any big groups looking for us.¡± The others nodded, and they moved through the vacant streets at a quick pace. There were enough patrols that sticking around had proved to be a bad idea. It was bad; the numbers of patrols were beyond anything that even Alex had estimated.


    They had no choice but to follow through with the plan, though. The horns had sounded thirty minutes ago; by this time, the portal was surrounded by an army of Grue, and the Killer would be waiting for them. Either they started taking down Camps, or they¡¯d be stuck here until the twenty-four hour limit. Alex had no desire to find out what would happen then, and neither did anyone else.


    Her team reached the parking garage just a short while later. It was a tiny thing, barely more than three stories, next to a business complex it had obviously served. She led the others past the broken gates, watching carefully as they made their way past empty cars of an unrecognizable make and model. No Grue were waiting to ambush them, though, and they made it all the way to the roof without a problem.


    There were some cars there too, and a van that Sam pried open. The team piled into it, with Alessa and Brian both sprawling out along the rear and middle seats. Tim slid into the driver¡¯s seat up front; he was apparently taking the first watch. Sam took the passenger seat, curling up into it, leaving Alex to push her way through to the trunk. It should have felt uncomfortable folding herself into that space, but the fact that it was a chance to breathe and rest was glorious.

 B1Ch16: The Raid, Part Two

    For the next hour, they napped, grazed on rations, and watched. Below them, the Grue continued to patrol and blow their horns. It was obvious the Killer hadn¡¯t given up on finding them, but they didn¡¯t seem to have any idea where to find the Surveyors, something that Alex was absurdly grateful for. Sam was even smiling when she took her turn to watch. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°They just seem so confused.¡± He pointed out in the direction that the portal was located. ¡°They¡¯ve been blowing those horns every so often, and you can just hear it in the sound. We¡¯ve always shown up easy before, either by rushing back to the portal, or attacking a Camp. Now we¡¯re not, and it is driving them nuts.¡±


    She smirked. ¡°If it¡¯s driving them crazy, I can¡¯t imagine how Liliana¡¯s going to react soon. She probably expected us to either die attacking one of the Camps or retreat back through the portal by now.¡±


    Sam swallowed whatever he¡¯d been chewing and nodded. ¡°What do we do if they send that C ranker through? Would he help us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, probably, but he¡¯d want us to head back to the portal, not finish the mission.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not planning on going along with it, though. He wants us to go back safe, he¡¯ll need to actually earn his pay for once.¡±


    The Adept was still chuckling as he got out to head for the trunk. As he did, the horns blew again, and Alex thought she could hear uncertainty and worry in the sound. It brought a smile to her face.


    After the hour, feeling greatly refreshed and well rested, the team set out again. This time they had a bit more of a direction to wander in; Alex had asked Sam to pick out a campsite near the Market, in the hopes they could rest again before they started on the Camps.


    They ran into a Grue patrol almost immediately. The monsters howled and ran at them, their weapons held high. Alex braced herself for another hard fight, with the recent memories of the other combat echoing in her mind.


    Yet things were different as the Grue closed. Her teammates held their weapons more confidently; the rest had drained the fatigue from them, and their expressions were determined instead of hopeless. This time, as the monsters closed in, they charged together to meet them.


    She met a spear with her shield, and was gratifyingly surprised when the Grue¡¯s weapon snapped. Another spear came at her, but this time she saw it coming early, and evaded it without much problem. Her counterattacks chopped both Grue into corpses with a handful of quick movements. Alex had a whole heartbeat to revel in her regained power before a third one slammed into her from the side.


    Fortunately, she¡¯d once again managed to see it coming. She brought her shield up and around enough to push the spearpoint to the outside. The Grue was a bit harder to deflect, and the weight of its charge bowled her over. Alex felt a brief moment of panic as it started to scratch and claw at her, but she kept her head, choked up her grip on the axe, and started hacking away. It went limp a few hits later, and she shoved it off so she could stand.


    The others had done remarkably well. Sam had shifted over to help Alessa this time, and the two had worked together to fend off the Grue on that side. Even as she watched, Sam found an opening in their stance, slipping his spearpoint into their ribcage, and as another one lunged in at him, Alessa knocked the spear aside and tripped it. Alex looked away as the Porter lined up another of her favorite overhead smashes.


    Brian and Tim were actually forcing their opponents back on their own, working smoothly to block attacks and counterattack. They weren¡¯t quite to where they had been the previous mission, but they were holding their own. None of them even taken a wound!


    The battle ended a moment later as the last of the Grue fell under Brian¡¯s blade. They were left panting hard, but not nearly as badly as before, and the Surveyors exchanged excited looks as the bodies began to burn. Alex felt her own hopes rise as more text appeared before her.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield has advanced to level 6!]


    [Anticipate has advanced to level 6!]


    [Recovery has advanced to level 5!]


    Maybe this would work after all.


    Three fights and another makeshift campsite later, they looked out at the Market from a nearby office building.


    The place had all the hallmarks of neglect and decay. It had floor-length windows that looked out on the nearby area, but many of those were half-obscured by Grue scrawls and filth. Her team had taken up cover inside one of the meeting rooms inside, barring the closest doors and barricading the room itself.


    Brian was toying with an empty vial, eyeing it with a skeptical expression. ¡°We¡¯ve only got one more of those, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so no more crazy risks.¡± Alex grinned as a low chuckle went through the others. They¡¯d arrived through the portal nearly three and a half hours before. Most Surveys were long done now; this time, they were just getting started. ¡°You guys think we are ready to hit the first Camp?¡±


    The others paused, clearly considering it. Their Skills had skyrocketed with each fight; by now, just about all of them had their Chained Skills up to level nine. Given the higher grade of those Skills, most of them were now actually better than they had been during the previous Survey. It wouldn¡¯t keep fatigue from being a factor, but it would hopefully be enough of a difference.


    Tim nodded a little wearily. ¡°Yeah, I think we¡¯re ready.¡± He looked around. ¡°So the Market first. Then the Bank?¡±


    Sam shook his head, and Alex let him explain it. He¡¯d already quizzed her on it enough to understand the logic. ¡°No. We head south to the Library. We know there¡¯s a back way there, so we could finish the fight a lot quicker there.¡±


    ¡°Then the Killer might get between us and the Bank, though. We don¡¯t want to fight him this time, right?¡± Alessa looked around the room, carefully avoiding Alex¡¯s eyes. The others shifted a little, and Alex decided it was better to answer it now rather than let the doubt fester.


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t.¡± She tried not to raise an eyebrow at the relieved slump in the Porter¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Last time the Killer tried to get between us and the portal, so it might do that this time too. So we¡¯ll head west, away from the portal, and loop around him. The Grue should run right past us, and that¡¯ll leave us the chance to hit the Bank without them right on our tails. From there, it¡¯ll be a bit of a race to see if we can get to the Mall before they can, but if we do¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be a lot of Grue that aren¡¯t around anymore.¡± Sam looked around at the others, grinning. ¡°Who wants to bet that the Killer isn¡¯t quite so brave at that point?¡±


    ¡°More importantly, the portal won¡¯t have hundreds of Grue waiting for us. We could see if there¡¯s a shot there, and if there is, we can get through and get home. Preferably with a full clear under our belts.¡± Alex looked around. ¡°Any better plans or ideas?¡±


    Brian snorted. ¡°Aside from going back in time and slapping myself when I decided to sign up for this gig? No, not at all.¡±


    The others chuckled, and they settled in to finish their rest. It would be time to fight again soon enough.


    ¡°They¡¯re a bunch of idiots.¡±


    It was hard to deny that Sam had a point. The Grue in the Market seemed remarkably unconcerned with the situation. Their spears lay up against a half-empty display of what looked like candy near the front of the grocery store. Tents were scattered among the various aisles, and the Grue had sprawled in various spots throughout the place. Alex had seen the crystal itself hovering near the back, in the meat section.


    Then again, maybe they were right to be so relaxed. There hadn¡¯t been any sign of Surveyors in the area, and there hadn¡¯t been any patrols reporting anything for over an hour. Even the horns had gotten further and further apart, as if the Grue at the portal were growing bored. Maybe they even thought that the Surveyors had wandered off outside the dead town.


    They definitely didn¡¯t expect five of them to be crouched just outside their back door, preparing to charge in and end them.


    Alex looked back at them. ¡°All right, we¡¯re going to hit them hard and fast. Make sure nobody gets a horn off, and once it¡¯s done, try to grab whatever food and anything else before we run. Don¡¯t get hit, and stay safe. Got it?¡± They all nodded, though Sam looked a little distracted. She stared at him until she got a solid nod back from him, and then they tensed.


    The charge caught the Grue like a lightning bolt from the sky. Alex killed two of them before they even started scrambling for weapons, and her teammates weren¡¯t that far behind her. By the time they even managed to arm themselves, two-thirds of their guards were dead. Most importantly, the one with the horn had died on Sam¡¯s spear. Those who had survived began to try to throw themselves back at the Surveyors, but their desperation was laughably obvious.


    Her team cut their way through the rest of them in heartbeats, and just as Alex was raising her axe over the last one, she heard Sam call out. ¡°Don¡¯t kill it!¡±


    She blinked, and the hesitation almost cost her dearly. The Grue lashed out with the spear, and she deflected it up and away from her face. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Keep it alive! Alessa, Brian, Tim, get over here and help me!¡±


    Alex felt a burst of irritation and confusion as she was forced to continue to circle the monster. It kept stabbing at her, trying to get past her defenses, and she carefully had to avoid breaking the spearpoint by only allowing for glancing blows. At least three times, she had to keep herself from using her axe to trap and yank the spear away; if she disarmed it, it would probably pounce on her, and she¡¯d have to kill it. ¡°Guys! What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Just keep it breathing a little bit longer! Alessa, grab some of those. Quickly!¡±


    Were those idiots looting while she was still fighting? She felt another burst of irritation. The Grue snarled and tried to shoulder-check her; she met it with her shield and pushed it off. ¡°Come on, are you kidding me?¡±


    ¡°Just a bit longer¡­ Okay! Go ahead and finish it!¡±


    Alex gave the Grue a snarl of her own. When it tried another thrust, she trapped the haft and ripped it so viciously from its grasp that the thing fell facedown on the store floor. She was on it a heartbeat later, hacking it twice. As she straightened up, the crystal began to shatter, and text floated in her sight.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield advances to level 10!]


    [Anticipate advances to level 9!]


    [Recovery advances to level 7!]


    [Main Quest Completed! The Grocer¡¯s Market has been explored]


    [Hidden Quest Completed! Grue Camp cleared]


    She dismissed it and spun to start after her teammates. All of them had finished stuffing canned food into their packs; Brian and Sam were already headed out the door. Alex caught up to them just as they were leaving through the busted sliding doors. ¡°What was that about?¡±


    ¡°We needed to come back with as many rations as we took out, right?¡± He grinned and jerked a thumb back at the Market as they left. ¡°When I was finishing mine, I caught sight of something else. You see that?¡±


    Alex glanced back and blinked as she recognized the symbol for a pharmacy. ¡°Wait, did you find¡­¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°Got three vials, all full of health potion.¡± He glanced at her. ¡°Not sure where you got the two we¡¯ve been using, but we might be able to put these back in their place without raising any eyebrows. I just wanted to be able to finish looking before¡ª¡±


    The triple howl of the horn near the portal finished Sam¡¯s sentence for him. They all exchanged a look and took off down the street at a trot. One Camp down, three to go.


    Their journey to the Library was mostly uneventful. The vengeful noise of the horn echoed from the direction of the portal, obviously growing closer to the Camp they¡¯d just destroyed. They didn¡¯t bother trying to be subtle about where they were headed, either, just blazing a direct path to the next Camp. A single patrol stumbled into their path, and they spent half a precious minute cutting them down.


    They didn¡¯t even bother collecting the crystals before moving on. There wasn¡¯t enough time or reward in the world for them to risk it.


    When they reached the Library, Sam led them straight to the side door. He spent another half of a minute tinkering with the lock. As soon as it was open, he led them inside, all with weapons ready. They crept through the darkened offices and side rooms, eyes ready for any sentries that were watching.


    They didn¡¯t find any. As they came out into the main area, Alex saw that these Grue were more alert; they had their spears in hand, and they had gathered in small groups, where they could growl and yip to each other without making too much noise. Unfortunately for them, they were all facing the front doors of the Library, and there weren¡¯t any more than there had been at the Market.


    Alex gave the others a tight smile, and they all prepared to charge. True, they would all be armed this time, but the Surveyors would still have the advantage of surprise. It wouldn¡¯t last long, and hopefully they would be gone long before the Grue realized what had happened to another of their Camps.


    Just before she charged, Alex noticed a few thick books with planets and stars carved into the covers. She grabbed them and slipped them into her pack. The others raised eyebrows at her, and she shrugged.


    Then they charged, and yet another battle was joined.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t get why it had to be me that danced around with the last one.¡±


    Tim¡¯s voice held a distinct flavor of whining that set Alex¡¯s teeth on edge, but Sam just laughed. ¡°Well, you¡¯re a Porter. Isn¡¯t Recovery one of your main Skills?¡±


    ¡°I mean, yeah, but Alex and Alessa both have it, too. Why shouldn¡¯t they be the ones doing it?¡±


    Alessa sighed. ¡°You know what? I¡¯ll take the next one if it matters that much.¡±


    Brian nudged Sam as they moved north along the street. ¡°Are we doing it at the next one too? Planning on robbing a Bank?¡±


    Alex broke in before the Adept could speculate. ¡°No. We¡¯re already carrying enough loot, and we¡¯ll need to move quickly if we get the chance.¡±


    Sam muttered something under his breath, and it was Tim that laughed this time. ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much. At this rate, it even looks like we¡¯ll actually make it back.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t been quite so sure before, but they¡¯d heard the triple horn to the south a few minutes before. Hopefully, it meant that the Killer was off chasing them in that direction, or waiting for them to throw themselves towards the portal there. If they were really lucky, it would give them enough time to rest before they attacked the Bank.


    They¡¯d need it. Fatigue was already starting to drag at her as she walked, and they probably had another half hour at least before they¡¯d reach the Camp. If they could just find a spot where the Grue wouldn¡¯t stumble onto them¡­


    As if in answer to her desperate hopes, she heard the triple horn again. This time, it was even further south and east. The Killer wasn¡¯t on their trail; it was swinging away, as if on the inside track of a racecourse that led on a meandering path to the south.


    She turned a tired grin to her teammates, who seemed full of disbelief and hope themselves. ¡°Looks like we might have lucked out after all. Sam, is there a spot we could stop for a while? I think we should open some of those rations in celebration.¡±


    The team was outside the Bank a mere hour later, once again refreshed from a short rest. It hadn¡¯t been a full hour break, but even a half hour had sapped some of the weariness from their bodies.


    It looked like they were going to need it. The Bank was teeming with Grue, at least forty of them. They were all on high alert, even as the triple horn blasts moved further south. There wouldn¡¯t be an easy ambush this time, and they would be going up against even more Grue. Alex was suddenly glad for the additional health potions they¡¯d picked up. She was thinking they¡¯d need them sooner rather than later.


    Alex looked from the building to her friends. She grimaced. ¡°Any ideas on how to lure them out? Or separate them somehow?¡±


    The others looked back at her with blank expressions; even Sam appeared to be out of bright ideas by this point. Brian shrugged irritably; the Squire had been taking the worse of the endurance run they¡¯d been putting on so far. ¡°The moment we kill some of them, the rest are going to come after us. Then the one with the horn is going to call the Killer back to finish us off.¡±


    Tim was nodding, but Alessa suddenly frowned. ¡°So all we care about is the one with the horn, right? The rest of them we can kind of pick off?¡± When Alex made a gesture for her to continue, she smiled. ¡°Then why don¡¯t we just kill that one?¡±


    Alessa¡¯s question led to Alex crouching right next to the Porter outside the Bank. They were half-hidden in the shadows on the side of the building, straining to listen for the signal to start. Alex shifted her hold on the axe; she¡¯d need to be fast and accurate if she wanted everything to work perfectly.


    Then the signal came. Another three sharp blasts from the south, very far away. Wherever the Killer thought they were, it was extremely far off target. In answer, a roll of howls rose above the town.


    In front of the Bank, the Grue with the horn stepped out, lifting the horn to its lips. It signaled back to the Killer that all was well.


    Meanwhile, Alex was already running. She came at the Grue from the side; it barely had time to turn and acknowledge her presence before she ran past it, lashing out with her axe as soon as she was within arms¡¯ reach. The Grue took the hit in the head, and the horn fell from its limp fingers.


    It didn¡¯t hit the ground, however, because Alessa was there to catch it. The Porter scooped it up like some odd sort of football, and she dashed after Alex at full speed. By the time the Grue came howling and snarling after them, the girls were both already around the corner, where the others were waiting.


    Alessa tossed the horn on top of a pile of their packs and then spun around to take up a place in the line the others were forming. Alex did too, her breath a little short, but her heart pounding. Now, if there was any luck¡­


    A flood of Grue came around the corner, the fastest and nearest of the Grue inside. They rushed into the mouth of the alley and paused, suddenly confronted by an entire team of Surveyors rather than two running girls. Vengeance and ferocity dissolved into confusion and fear, just long enough for their front ranks to become a snarl of Grue half-tripping over one another and piling up at the mouth of the alley.


    Alex and her team didn¡¯t give them time to recover. She charged, with the others running alongside her. They hit the Grue before they could get reorganized. Shields shattered spears, Grue were stabbed, smashed, and hacked, and the monsters found themselves being thrown back.


    The Grue tried, they really did. After the shock of the initial charge, they threw even more of their weight behind the attack. More and more of them piled into the alley, where they were pressed together and unable to maneuver. By the time they realized their mistake and tried to pull back, more than half of them had already been cut down, and the Surveyors were already charging into the ones who were left.


    In the end, as the final handful of Grue tried to retreat up the steps and into the Bank, Alex found herself shouting in triumph. She put her axe in the back of the last of the things, and as it fell, the crystal hovering inside began to fall apart. Yellow text blared to life, and she grinned even wider as she saw it.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield advances to level 14!]


    [Anticipate advances to level 12!]


    [Recovery advances to level 9!]


    She dismissed the Screen and then looked to her teammates. ¡°All right, one more to go. Let¡¯s move! No time to loot, Sam.¡±


    The Adept made a face at her, but he followed along as they made their way south and east. Just one more Camp was left, and then they could finally head home.


    ¡°You know, we could just head for the portal. The Quest is just to explore the place. We don¡¯t have to kill anything.¡±


    Tim¡¯s entirely reasonable suggestion died before he even had the chance to finish it. The team had the chance to win again, and they were not going to let it slip away.


    Alex grinned as Brian, of all people, started mocking Tim for bringing up the possibility. She supposed that after killing three different Camps, the Squire was growing overconfident in their abilities. Either that, or it was the time they¡¯d spent in the other world that was changing him.


    That second possibility was actually worrying her. They¡¯d crossed the portal nearly seven hours ago; it was the longest Survey she¡¯d ever been on. Her mother had gone on a longer one, a Raid that had involved nearly sixty Surveyors. Muriel had told her it had lasted twelve hours, and she¡¯d shuddered as she said it. She had always believed her mother was brave, but Alex had suspected that Muriel had been overselling the experience.


    Now that she was living a similar situation, Alex was finding it harder to blame her mother for the reaction. Time was starting to pass a little more strangely, now, as if there were spaces missing between the seconds. Shadows were moving oddly, seeming to twist a little when she turned her head. Worst of all, the sky was starting to¡­flicker. It was as if there were threads of heat lightning crawling silently through the clouds, but the tendrils were purple, and they hissed with static instead of thunder.


    Either way, it was long past time for the game to be over. One more Camp, and they would be done.


    Alex led her team into the Mall, careful to look for signs that the Grue had set up sentries. She was a little worried that the Killer would have gotten there ahead of them too, but the triple horn had sounded just a little while ago, further to the south. Hopefully, by the time the thing realized what they had done, it would be too late, and they would be on the way home.


    They approached the Camp on the bottom floor, and they could see Grue swarming all over the ruined food court. Alex glanced up and saw at least twenty of them wandering around on the upper level, and she mentally congratulated them for learning that lesson. It was too bad that Alessa had come up with a different plan.


    It wasn¡¯t subtle. The Surveyors just got into position around the Camp on the first floor, and charged, yelling.


    She thought the Grue reacted well enough, but they had divided their forces between the upper and lower levels. Twenty Grue might have been enough in most circumstances to swamp an exhausted team of Surveyors¡ªbut they weren¡¯t this time. This time, she led her team in cutting right to the heart of the Camp. Reinforcements swarmed down the escalators to help, but they arrived piecemeal and late.


    The entire fight was over in only a couple of minutes, and by the end of it, every single one of the Surveyors was shaking with exhaustion. As the crystal shivered itself to pieces, Sam gave her a tired grin. ¡°So, do we keep going or head home?¡±


    ¡°Home.¡± Alex gulped for air, trying to stop her axe from trembling in her hand. She waved away the words trying to inform her of her Skill increases. ¡°We¡¯ve been here long enough, and the Killer¡¯s still running around. I don¡¯t think any rest would be long enough. What do you guys say?¡±


    They were just starting to agree when the Killer¡¯s horn rose again. This time, it blew four times. Four long, loud howls that seemed to echo across the town.


    Alex looked at the others, who all stared back at her. Then she shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s get to the portal. I don¡¯t need any more surprises this week.¡±


    Despite what she had said, the Survey had one last unexpected development waiting for her.


    The portal was completely unguarded. It was obvious the Grue had been there, but just as clearly, they had run for it. There was no sign of the Killer, either. Just that simple, swirling vortex that represented Earth and home and rest.


    Alex didn¡¯t trust it, but she was starting to trust the purple and grey sky less. The lightning that moved across the heavens seemed hungry, in a way she didn¡¯t need to know any more about. She could see the others nearly collapsing from exhaustion as well. It had been more than eight hours since they had left Earth. Trap or no trap, they needed to go home. Now.


    So she led the way across the broken pavement, stepping carefully and trying to stay alert. Her dulled senses detected nothing, and the portal was right there. She forced herself not to run, to move slowly, and to let the others limp over to it first. Alex watched, holding her breath as Alessa reached the exit and vanished. Brian followed, then Tim, then Sam.


    For a single, horrible moment, she was alone.


    Then she stepped through and left the purple lightning growling overhead. She was welcomed back into that beautiful light¡­


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quests Completed! +60 Experience]


    [Secondary Purge Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Purge Quest Completed! + 40 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! + 40 Experience]


    Alex stared at the words with a dull kind of fascination. It was the same as the last report had been, but it meant so much more this time. They¡¯d done so much more. Why wasn¡¯t the Screen giving her some kind of extra reward for all the extra effort? The amount of magic they had dispelled, well, it had to have been a lot. It had to have been.


    As she was blearily thinking it over, the words shifted. She grunted in resentment, at least until she registered what it was saying.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield increased from 0 to 15!]


    [Anticipate increased from 0 to 15!]


    [Recovery increased from 0 to 11!]


    [Running increased from 11 to 13!]


    [You have reached level 3 as a Page!]


    [+2 Speed gained. +1 Free Attribute awarded.]


    Another free point, another point into Strength. At least until she was done with Page. At the same time, had she really raised her Skills by that much in a single Survey? It seemed both too much and too little as she thought over the past eight hours.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Running and Recovery?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels.]


    It was tempting, but if she chose it, she wouldn¡¯t be able to increase Recovery without Running at the same time. Given how helpful Recovery had been, she was reluctant to give it up now. She refused.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield and Anticipate?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels.]


    Another tempting possibility. Anticipate had been useful during the fighting; she¡¯d been able to flow around her opponents and almost see where they would strike before they even began. She¡¯d even thought she could see where her own hits would land, and what impact they would have. It wouldn¡¯t be bad to match that to her other combat skills.


    At the same time, she pictured starting all her combat related Skills at zero¡ªpossibly losing the bonuses from War Maiden, Quick Reflexes, and Ferocity at the same time¡ªand almost retched. She refused the option in an almost panic.


    [Additional equipment awarded! Select new equipment.]


    She chose a helmet this time, one that would hopefully keep her from getting stabbed in the face or knocked unconscious. The brigandine had already been helpful enough, and she had more than enough Strength and Speed to deal with the armor¡¯s weight.


    Her choices made, Alex closed her eyes and tried to relax. She was safe, her team was safe, and they had finally succeeded. All she had to do now was throw her report in Liliana¡¯s wretched face and pass out for the night. She felt the light build around her¡­

 B1Ch17: Aftermath

    Alex stepped out into absolute chaos.


    There were emergency personnel all over the containment area. The entire platform seemed like it was crawling with either people in white and red uniforms belonging to the local paramedics, or the grey and black uniforms of Golden Swallow. She had just enough time to recognize Forsmith standing back from it all, his expression a picture of reluctant relief before a pair of medics practically tackled her from the platform.


    ¡°Ms. Morrison, are you wounded? Are you experiencing any aftereffects of magical exposure? Can you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can hear you. What is going on? Where¡¯s the rest of my¡­¡± She caught sight of the other members of her team a short distance away, undergoing a similar level of grilling. They all looked slightly dazed from exhaustion, and their uniforms showed the bloodstains and tears of their now-healed wounds, but they seemed fine enough. What was all this?


    She was still struggling to answer the medics¡¯ questions¡ªall while being manhandled into various medical tests¡ªwhen Clara came from nowhere to tackle her a second time. Her new point of Strength might have managed to keep her from going all the way to the ground, but it was a close thing. Clara was whispering something over and over, like a vicious swear. ¡°You promised, you promised, you promised¡­¡±


    ¡°I did. I promised.¡± Alex hugged her, awkwardly. Clara shuddered. ¡°We made it home, just as planned. You guys are going to be fine.¡±


    Clara, still shuddering, pulled back slightly to stare at her, but before she could say anything, Audrey barged in. ¡°Well, there she is! Look who decided to come home!¡±


    Alex glared at her. ¡°Audrey, what is going on? Why are all these people here?¡±


    The Squire grinned and shrugged. ¡°Turns out that when a team is more than two hours overdue, there¡¯s an emergency protocol that gets activated. Special first responders get called in, backup teams get activated, that sort of thing.¡± Audrey winced. ¡°Parents get phone calls¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh no.¡± Alex pictured what was waiting for her at home, and shuddered. Then she looked in a different direction, somehow warned by some sixth sense.


    She found Liliana staring at her.


    There was no trace of a smile now. No, the team captain was just staring at her, face pale and eyes shining with hate. Alex looked back at her, remembered her father¡¯s warning¡ªand smiled. She gave the woman a little wave, mostly secure that if she was giving a report that night, it wouldn¡¯t be to her, and turned back as the medics forced their way back in to continue their work.


    Maybe it hadn¡¯t been perfect, but it had still been a win¡ªand that was more than okay by her.


    ¡°So you survived a semi-obvious suicide mission, completed every Quest the portal gave you, and destroyed at least four Camps, all in a single Survey where none of your team died.¡±


    Alex nodded, feeling a small glow of satisfaction at the summary. ¡°Yeah, sounds about right.¡±


    Zach raised his eyebrows. ¡°And so, for a reward, you¡¯ve been confined to the dorms and PAD, denied weekend leave, and officially reprimanded for abusing company resources.¡±


    She slumped, looking at him through tired eyes. ¡°Yeah, sounds about right.¡±


    He shook his head in amazement. ¡°Well, the Group is nothing if not consistent.¡± His lips twitched with something like a smirk. ¡°I would have given anything to see Liliana¡¯s face, though. How did she take the news of your miraculous survival?¡±


    Alex¡¯s grin came back at the memory. ¡°She looked like she was ready to swear some kind of blood oath to kill me. I¡¯d be surprised if she hasn¡¯t, actually.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Zach leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. ¡°You heard that she got knocked down a peg, right?¡±


    She blinked. ¡°No. What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Turns out that her promotion to team captain was kind of on a provisional basis.¡± Zach¡¯s smile grew. ¡°Your little emergency situation has attracted enough attention that they¡¯ve put her on probation. If she hits one more screwup, then she might end up losing her job completely.¡±


    ¡°And what a shame that would be.¡± Alex¡¯s grin widened as well, and they both broke down into quiet laughter a moment later.


    As the humor ran down, Alex sat back in her seat. She still felt fatigued, though to be fair it was only the next day after her first Raid. The memory of that hissing, purple-streaked sky still lingered in the back of her mind, and she shook her head, trying to focus on something else. ¡°How did the readings look? After we were done, I mean.¡±


    He nodded, his own demeanor becoming far more businesslike. After a few tapped buttons, he slid her a tablet with a familiar-looking graph. ¡°Before you went in, here¡¯s what I was seeing on the monitors. You¡¯ll notice it was worse than anything we¡¯d seen before.¡±


    She nodded, feeling her eyes widen. The magic levels had spiked much higher than before; had that been the reason there were so many Camps? Zach waited a moment and then tapped a few buttons on a second tablet. ¡°Here are the readings I was getting while you were on the Survey. You¡¯ll notice that things were looking pretty grim for a while, at least until you started making progress.¡±


    The graph slid forward, showing a new section of readings. She watched as the lines continued to climb upward¡­and then they abruptly plunged. They rose a little after that, as if trying to recover, and then dropped again. And again. A fourth drop, followed by one last brutal decrease shortly afterward. ¡°The drops are when we managed to take down a Camp?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. At least, that¡¯s what I¡¯m assuming.¡± Zach tapped away at his tablet, and the final decrease glowed on her screen. ¡°That last one is when you left the portal. I¡¯m assuming that was the result of you completing your Quests, leveling up your Role, etc, etc.¡± He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. ¡°Either way, your antics didn¡¯t just give Liliana a black eye. You also cut the magic levels from the portal almost all the way back to a normal level. They¡¯ve risen a bit today, but I think they won¡¯t be anything close to where they were yesterday when you went in. Not before this afternoon, anyway.¡±


    Alex nodded, letting out a sigh. A weight she hadn¡¯t noticed she was carrying was lifted from her shoulders. ¡°So Joanna¡¯s team isn¡¯t going to be running face first into a wall of Grue the way we were.¡±


    ¡°No. In fact, unless I¡¯ve missed my guess completely, I¡¯m betting that they¡¯ll be able to drop the levels back to where they actually should be for an E rank portal.¡± He grimaced. ¡°The team going in on Monday will have the easiest time out of all of you, but that¡¯s been the way it has gone for a while.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Alex felt a small glimmer of resentment about that fact. She didn¡¯t know many of the people on the third team; she had met Paul and the others before. Most of them had been on the other team that they¡¯d ¡®competed¡¯ against when she was still with Joanna¡¯s team. She¡¯d run across them occasionally as she ate in the cafeteria, or participated in the mandated sparring sessions in the dorms, but hadn¡¯t really talked much with them outside of that. She did wonder how they had scored so much favor with Liliana that they had been given the prime, safest schedule for their Surveys, but it wasn¡¯t like they were the ones messing with the portal.


    She shook her head. There would be more than enough time to brood over the situation over the weekend, while she was more or less trapped in the dorms. Right now, there were more important things to worry about. ¡°Hey, have you figured out anything more about the operation they are running here?¡±


    Zach sighed and shook his head. ¡°No. I¡¯m starting to think unless I score myself a Talisman and slip through the portal after them, I¡¯m not going to get much more information than we already have. I mean, I¡¯m just a junior researcher at the PAD. Not a lot of doors open for me here.¡±


    Alex smirked. ¡°Well, maybe that¡¯s what we should do. I wait until Forsmith and the others go in, and then I sneak in after them. That should solve things, right?¡±


    He gave her a wary look. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ninety percent sure that you¡¯re joking, but on the off-chance you aren¡¯t, please don¡¯t do that. You¡¯re in enough trouble already, and I don¡¯t think any health potion I have access to will help you if a C rank Surveyor catches you trying to spy on him.¡±


    She laughed. ¡°I¡¯m joking, I¡¯m joking. I¡¯ve had more than enough fun for one week.¡± Then she leaned forward, still snickering a little at his offended expression. ¡°Come on, you didn¡¯t really think I would do that, did you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, like you can blame me.¡± Zach leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. ¡°You just led a bunch of E rankers on a Raid, at a lower level and a younger age than I¡¯ve ever heard of before. You might have been the youngest Raiders ever, for all I know. I think it¡¯s possible that others might consider you a bit reckless, Alex.¡±


    Alex felt a shiver of¡­something¡­pass through her as he said her name, something that caught her a little off guard. She hesitated, feeling a little heat rush into her cheeks. ¡°I was only doing what I had to. It was the only way my team was going to make it out of that Survey alive.¡±


    He leaned back a little further and put his feet up on the desk. ¡°I know, I know. I just wish you hadn¡¯t been quite so dramatic about it, you know.¡± Zach eyed her a little. ¡°Your parents weren¡¯t the only ones worried about you when you didn¡¯t come back. Try to keep that in mind the next time you throw yourself into the fire, okay?¡±


    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°I will.¡± Then she allowed herself a half-smile. ¡°Though I didn¡¯t know you were that attached to me, Zach.¡±


    He blinked, as if she¡¯d managed to catch him off guard this time. Then he grinned. ¡°How could I not be? Remember, you¡¯re the only Surveyor disobedient enough to get punished by being sent down here. How else am I going to get all of my questions answered?¡±


    Alex rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh yes. All the important information you¡¯ve been asking me about. ¡®What does the otherworldly air smell like, Alex? Is the broken down pavement extra crunchy, Alex? Did you see any science textbooks while you were fighting Grue, Alex?¡¯¡±


    ¡°Hey! Those are legitimate questions!¡± Zach kept grinning at her, folding his hands behind his head. ¡°And I noticed you did actually find me a few interesting books for me to comb through. The RDD was gracious enough to lend me them, for the next little while at least. I still can¡¯t read the text, but I can get some information from the figures they drew. They had all kinds of figures, including an occasional picture of the crystals you seem to be finding in the Camps. That¡¯s pretty interesting, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±


    Feeling that she was on somewhat safer ground, Alex nodded. ¡°Yeah, fascinating. Definitely worth risking my life for.¡±


    ¡°Your efforts are appreciated.¡± Zach dropped his feet off of the desk and leaned forward, a conspiratorial glint in his eyes. ¡°While I have you here the next few days, I do have a lot of questions about what you experienced on the Raid. I¡¯ve heard that the longer you are in the other world, the more that you start experiencing a kind of time dilation. I know with the clouds it is hard to tell time, but while you were there, did you¡­¡±


    By the time that Zach was done with her, Alex felt a headache coming on. She once again felt a little wrung out by the conversation, but at least she hadn¡¯t been stuck in another dimension for eight hours. It was funny how a single experience could change her perspective so severely.


    When she checked her phone, she saw another handful of text messages from her parents, both of whom had given her an earful the prior night. Her father had been the more understanding of the two, surprisingly; perhaps he thought that the Raid had been part of her plan to undermine Liliana. He would have been right, but it had been just as much about survival as anything else.


    Her mother, on the other hand, had been furious. The fact that she¡¯d given Alex the background on her own Raids had not helped matters; her mother had been at least D rank before her first long Survey in the other world, and the fact that her daughter had willingly risked her team on one at E rank had not sat well with her. Alex had not seen her mother angry often, and it had not been a pleasant experience to be on the receiving end of a lecture from the Crimson Blade.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Since then, her parents had been yoyoing between frightened parental anger and sullen pride in their daughter¡¯s accomplishments. The general summary of them had basically been a consistent message of We¡¯re very proud of what you¡¯ve accomplished. Never, ever do it again.


    It was hard not to feel at least a little resentful at that message. After all, how many times had she been waiting for them to come home, wondering if they had survived the dangers of their job? At the same time, those memories told her exactly how her parents had felt when they heard her team was overdue. The prospect of her mother and father waiting helplessly by the phone soured a little of her victory over Liliana and the portal.


    There was one other worry tucked into the back of her mind as she checked her phone. Joanna¡¯s team had gone into the portal a couple of hours ago. If things on the other side weren¡¯t as good as she had hoped, it was possible that they had run into just as bad of a time as her team, with far less preparation. Would she end up waiting for an overdue team, the same way they had?


    Her answer came a moment later via a text from Clara. Mission complete!


    Alex broke into a wide grin and headed back to her bunkroom. Some more good news would always be welcome, even if she was still stuck here.


    ¡°It was barely bad at all this time. Like the wind had gone right out of their sails.¡±


    Audrey shook her head, her expression a little incredulous. ¡°Seriously, what did you guys do in there? They didn¡¯t even try to set up an ambush outside the portal this time. They were too busy forting up around the Camps.¡±


    Alex blinked, and she turned to Joanna. The Adept nodded. ¡°There were only two of those left, by the way. One at the soccer fields, and the other one inside the church.¡± Both locations were further south from the portal, probably where the Killer had been roaming around the day before during the Raid. ¡°No sign of the archer. It looks like you somehow managed to chase him away.¡±


    ¡°Not that we had everything that easy.¡± Clara shifted uncomfortably on her bunk; she wore at least one bandage on her arm. ¡°With all of the Grue gathered up around the Camps, we had to fight a ton of them at once. Luckily we ran into a few patrols so we could train up the new Skills first, but even then¡­¡±


    The Acolyte shook her head, and Alex reached across and squeezed. ¡°I¡¯m just glad it worked out all right. You guys deserved to get a bit of a break, and those Skills are going to make it that much easier for you going forward.¡±


    Audrey snorted. ¡°Easy for you to say. You know you guys are probably now the highest Skilled team here, right? I doubt any of the rest of us even come close.¡± She looked around at the others, who nodded. ¡°We might be level three along with you, but none of us have survived an eight hour Raid and lived to tell about it. If we ever get back to real sparring, we might need to start sending three of us against you instead of just two.¡±


    Alex rolled her eyes. ¡°I doubt it¡¯s that much of a difference, now that you are getting your own Titles and Chained Skills. Besides, I¡¯m betting you get plenty of chances to catch up.¡±


    ¡°Not if this stuff with the portal keeps going.¡± Joanna¡¯s dismal pronouncement dumped a load of cold water on the conversation, and the Adept grimaced. ¡°Sorry, but you know I¡¯m right. If this keeps up, our luck is going to run out eventually. The Raid might have calmed things down, but it isn¡¯t going to last. Not unless somebody pulls that same kind of stunt every couple of weeks.¡±


    Clara looked at Joanna, her frown mixing disapproval with uncertainty. ¡°Are you sure? Now that we have higher level Skills¡­¡±


    ¡°The other world was gaining about a Camp a week, even with all of our teams knocking out one or two with each Survey.¡± The Adept shrugged. ¡°If we fail a Survey, or one of the teams suffers severe losses, then that rate of growth is just going to escalate. Who¡¯s going to want to try a Survey when there are eight or nine Camps worth of Grue sitting on the portal? We¡¯d almost have to do a Raid just to get back, at that point.¡±


    Alex nodded slowly. Much as she disliked it, the math checked out, and she doubted there were a whole lot of ways to change things. Though she was reluctant to just give up. ¡°So maybe we need to start knocking out more Camps each time? If we started hitting two or three a Survey¡­¡±


    Joanna was shaking her head. ¡°Keep in mind that now that we¡¯ve leveled up, things will get harder again. The Grue we¡¯re facing were still the lowest leveled enemies we can run into over there. The Killer is a step up, but there are other possibilities as well.¡± She paused. ¡°That¡¯s only going to get worse as we level up, too, so just doing more work might not do the trick. We have to come up with some way to get this under control, or to convince the Group to stop whatever it is they¡¯re doing.¡±


    Clara shook her head. ¡°You¡¯d think Alex¡¯s Raid would have been enough to convince them. I don¡¯t care what they say about the magical readings. The fact that a team had to stay in there that long just to get home means something is going wrong. Don¡¯t you think they would abandon it and try something else?¡±


    It was a logical argument. Unfortunately, Alex felt remarkably sure that the logic was precisely why it wasn¡¯t going to apply. ¡°Liliana hasn¡¯t managed to get me killed yet. It¡¯s actually started hurting her chances at promotion. Does anyone here think she¡¯s going to stop?¡±


    She looked around, but none of the others spoke up. Alex nodded. ¡°I think whoever is behind the abnormalities is probably involved in over their head. If they back off and admit failure, they probably take it in the neck from whoever is supervising them. If they double down and maybe succeed, then they come off looking like a genius and a hero. Besides, it isn¡¯t like they¡¯re the ones who are going to be dying on a Survey, right?¡±


    A grim silence descended on the Surveyors, and Alex grimaced. She felt a little upset with herself for not finding a better way to phrase things, but it was the kind of truth that didn¡¯t lend itself easily to being smoothed over. Someone, somewhere, had pretty much made the decision that their career prospects mattered more than the health and safety of a bunch of E rank Surveyors, and she couldn¡¯t see a good way to convince them otherwise short of finding them in a dark alley and beating them half to death. It was¡­not the best plan.


    Audrey was looking somewhat serious for once. She shifted her shoulders, as if working out a knot in her muscles. ¡°So what does doubling down look like for whoever is behind this? Are they just going to start throwing more Surveyors at the problem, or something else?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Audrey.¡± Joanna shook her head, looking out at the rest of the dorms. She seemed like she was trying to glare her way through the wall on the far side of the corridor. ¡°But I have a sneaking suspicion that we are going to find out. Soon.¡±


    ¡°Welcome Surveyors! I am so happy that you were all able to attend today¡¯s mandatory planning meeting.¡±


    Liliana beamed at all of them, her petty hatred locked behind her false smiles once again. It was honestly impressive that she wasn¡¯t spitting absolute venom every time her gaze moved over where Alex stood. Maybe the team captain only succeeded because she was steadfastly refusing to look Alex in the eyes. She definitely hadn¡¯t gotten over the emergency she¡¯d caused on Thursday; it was only the next Tuesday, after all.


    All three teams of E rank Surveyors had been gathered in one of the conference rooms in the dorms. They exchanged a few wary looks among themselves; clearly nobody thought that a mandatory corporate meeting was a good sign for the future. Even the third team, who seemed to be in the best spirits, seemed a little unhappy with the situation. One of them, a young man named Rudy, was wearing a cast on his arm, and wasn¡¯t even looking at Liliana. Instead, he was staring at the seat in front of him, his expression utterly without hope.


    ¡°I know that some of you might have expressed some concerns about the direction some of our Surveys have been headed. In fact, I share your concerns, and have let our supervisors know you are worried about your future here at Golden Swallow.¡± The false companionship in those words rang painfully in Alex¡¯s ears, but she tried as hard as she could to keep her face blank of reaction.


    Audrey was a little less subtle. The Squire¡¯s open snort of derision echoed through the conference room and brought Liliana¡¯s speech to a dead halt. She paused long enough to look vaguely in Audrey¡¯s direction. Her smile grew brittle. Then she launched back into her presentation with the apparent goal of staying on track.


    ¡°Fortunately, our planning committee has listened to our feedback and prepared a new Survey schedule for us. This schedule will be followed in the near future, and will allow a far more engaging opportunity to excel during your time with the company.¡±


    ¡°From now on, every other weekday will be considered a group Survey day. All three teams will be entering the portal together, in order to cooperate and support one another during their time in the other world.¡±


    Someone behind Alex swore, just loud enough to be heard. If she had to guess, it had been Brian. There was a brief pause as Liliana was thrown off her script again, and in that moment, Sam raised a hand.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the reason we stopped going all together because the planning committee determined that bunching up all the Survey teams provoked the ambush at the portal?¡±


    The question made Liliana¡¯s smile go brittle again, but she ground out an answer. ¡°It has been decided that the number of Surveyors has been low enough recently that another major ambush incident would be unlikely. Further, we have not observed a lack of ambush activity since we reduced the number of teams involved. Therefore, it would be beneficial and advisable to return to group Surveys. Are there any other questions?¡±


    There was a murmur of commentary in the background of the room now, but no one rose to the challenge. Most of the Surveyors had to know that it was all useless excuses, not real answers, anyways. Alex felt a creeping sense of dread steal over her that only grew as Liliana continued.


    ¡°As I said, all three teams will be working together to complete their Surveys. There may be times when the presence of other teams might lead to an overlap in Quest objectives. Please be aware of the accommodations needed by other teams, and work together for the good of the company.¡±


    The murmuring had gotten a bit louder now, and she paused long enough to stare at the offending Surveyors. When the noise died down, she continued in that same bright, untroubled voice. ¡°On the days when there are no Surveys, the containment area around the portal will remain unavailable for Surveyors to use for Skill training. Alternatives include studying recommended Group resources, development guides, or other materials. The gymnasium remains open for your use, though you are encouraged to not injure yourselves as you prepare for your missions.¡±


    Sam raised a hand again. ¡°Team captain, why is the containment area unavailable?¡±


    There was another silence, and Alex tried not to smirk as Liliana now actively struggled to maintain her composure. ¡°The presence of Surveyors near the portal has been determined to be a distraction for other Group projects located around the portal. For that reason, you will be restricted from the area.¡±


    He raised his hand again, but Liliana just ignored him. The dread was in full swing now, filling Alex as she realized what it meant. Whatever the Group had been doing to the portal every four days, they were now going to be doing every other day. They¡¯d wanted to know what doubling down would look like; now she was sure that they did.


    Which meant that every single Survey was going to happen in the face of the same level of danger that had killed or wounded almost half the Surveyors on their original teams. The coil of dread that was worming its way through her insides had grown incredibly uncomfortable.


    Liliana was still talking, however. ¡°As we move to this new schedule, you will all have just as many, if not more, opportunities to prove yourselves as members of the larger Golden Swallow Group team. I hope that you continue to take your responsibilities seriously, and that any injuries or interpersonal problems can be kept to a minimum. We will be working hard over the next few weeks, and I expect every team to work effectively and efficiently.¡±


    She paused, her smile becoming a shade less cheerful and a lot more malicious. ¡°For this reason, we will be accommodating certain personnel transfers that have been requested before we move into this new and exciting phase of your careers. Please pay attention so that you can get adjusted to the new arrangements before you begin working together tomorrow.¡±


    Silence had fallen across the room completely now. Alex thought there was a terrible kind of satisfaction in Liliana¡¯s expression as she looked them over again. For once, she met Alex¡¯s eyes, and her smile grew sharp. Dread boiled like a cauldron as the team captain looked back at her notes.


    ¡°First, we¡¯ll be assigning each team a name for future reference. We¡¯ll use these callsigns when we refer to the areas of responsibility you will be assigned. Remember them for use in the future.¡±


    ¡°Team Gamma will be made up of Brian, Samuel, Timothy, Marcel, and Rudy.¡±


    Alex pivoted around to stare. Marcel looked nonplussed, but Brian, Sam, and Tim all looked vaguely shell shocked. They looked at her, and realization washed over them, followed by barely restrained outrage. Obviously, Liliana was up to old games again, and now that she couldn¡¯t isolate the misfits into one group, she was after something else entirely.


    Rudy, by contrast, just sighed and sunk into himself. He didn¡¯t look at his former teammates at all, just continuing to stare at the seat ahead of him. They weren¡¯t looking at him either; instead they were trading smirks and muttering to each other. It was like watching a pack of jocks in high school, and not the nice, charismatic kind. Alex¡¯s eyes narrowed, and she looked back at the front.


    Liliana was smiling right at her. She continued.


    ¡°Team Beta will be made up of Joanna, Audrey, Clara, Alessa and Ruth.¡± Alex heard a slight stir among her former teammates¡ªall her former teammates. She had a dull moment of gratitude that Alessa would be going with a safe team. Marcel and Rudy might be a bit unknown, but at least Tim, Brian, and Sam would outnumber them and show them how to maneuver around things.


    Unfortunately, that left only one team left. Her new team.


    ¡°Finally, Team Alpha. You have Paul, Emmett, Cash, and Christopher. Oh, and Alexandretta.¡± Liliana sounded thoughtful and forgetful, but her eyes glittered like hateful stars. Her smile stretched a little. ¡°I hope that you all enjoy your new assignments. The new Surveys start tomorrow. Until then, get to know your new teammates, and have a wonderful Golden Swallow day!¡±


    Alex watched as the Surveyors funneled out of the conference room.


    Liliana had led the way, waving goodbye to the people she had reassigned. The only ones who had waved back were the members of Team Alpha. Her team. She¡¯d been assigned to the team that had been kept the safest and left the least harmed by the actions of the Group. Only an idiot would have assumed that it was because Liliana was trying to make things up to her.


    No, this was some kind of trap. She knew it was. The real question was how she was going to manage to get out of it.


    Someone touched her shoulder, and Alex nearly jumped in her seat. She turned to see Clara looking at her with a clear expression of concern. ¡°You okay?¡±


    The question carried a lot of different meanings. Alex nodded carefully, trying to force a smile. ¡°Yeah. You guys lucked out getting Alessa. She¡¯s going to be a big help.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she will.¡± Clara was forcing a smile of her own. She glanced up at where the others from Team Alpha were joking around where they¡¯d been sitting. Rudy had gotten up and joined the new members of Team Gamma without looking back. ¡°Be careful, all right? Remember your promise.¡±


    ¡°You too, Clara.¡± They gave each other an encouraging nod. Alex watched her walk out with the rest of Team Beta and then sighed. She stood, squaring her shoulders. Better to get it over with than to put it off for later.


    She turned and went up to the rest of her new team. They paused their conversation as she approached, looking her over. Her skin seemed to crawl for a moment, as if she was walking up to a pack of Grue. ¡°Hello. I guess we are teammates now.¡±


    ¡°I guess we are!¡± Paul looked around and spread his arms. ¡°Welcome to Team Alpha. Looking forward to working with you.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Alex hoped she didn¡¯t sound as insincere as Liliana usually did. At best, she probably sounded flat. She stuck out her hand. He shook it.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to do great things. I just hope that you can keep up with us.¡± Paul shrugged. ¡°Rudy was a good guy, but he had a hard time coming through for the team. We can count on you, though, right?¡±


    She forced a smile. It was like chewing ground glass. ¡°Yeah. Sure.¡±

 B1Ch18: Team Alpha

    Wednesday came faster than she had hoped.


    It was an ironically beautiful day. The sun was shining, and birds were chirping somewhere. Nobody knew why the wildlife seemed so much less affected by the magic output, but they rarely showed the kind of reactions that humans did. Zach had brought up the question of why there weren¡¯t any animals in the other world, but Alex had just proposed that the Grue had eaten them all.


    The thought of Zach brought the memory back of the text she¡¯d received before the bus had come to bring her to the containment area. Her suspicions had been correct. Zach was already reporting a higher magic level for the Survey today. Nobody had learned a thing. Not yet, at least. She just hoped they would come to their senses before someone really got hurt.


    Not that she was betting on that, of course.


    The other Surveyors were gathered in front of the portal, all milling around and looking slightly nervous. Alex exchanged nods with her former teammates, trying to reassure them as much as she was trying to keep herself sane. Her own teammates hadn¡¯t talked to her very much; they mostly stood apart, joking and laughing among themselves. They seemed to be the only ones that had any optimism about the situation.


    Liliana walked over to the portal and called for silence. It took her a few tries, but she managed to wrangle everyone¡¯s attention to her. ¡°Surveyors, you¡¯ll all be going through the portal together this time. Please line up by team. Gamma will go first, then Beta, then Alpha. Come, come, let¡¯s get moving.¡±


    Alex lined up with Team Alpha, watching the others go into the portal first. Sam glanced back at her, his face serious. He gave her a quiet nod, maybe acknowledging that they both had the same ¡®hunch¡¯ about this Survey. Then Team Gamma went into the portal, vanishing in a spray of light.


    Team Beta was next. Clara looked back, seeming worried until Alex gave her a smile. Joanna and Audrey both glanced her way, more as if to make sure she was there. Alessa looked too, and she shrugged before they stepped forward and disappeared.


    Then it was her turn. The other members of Team Alpha lined up to her right, still talking and laughing without involving her. She set herself for the coming Survey. No matter what, she had to get through it.


    She stepped forward into the light¡­


    [E Rank Surveyor Alex]


    [Ascension Level: 3]


    [Role: Page (Role Skills: Running(13)]


    [Role Level: 3]


    [Experience: 40/1000]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 3, Speed -> 6, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield(15), Anticipate(15), Recovery(11)]


    [Permanent Skills: None]


    [Current Titles: War Maiden (Increases Skill grade of Combined Arms and Weapon Mastery by one.),


    Ferocity (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by one.),


    Quick Reflexes (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, and Evasion by one.)]


    She calmed slightly at the sight of her hard-won Skills and Attributes. No matter what happened with the new team, she would be able to survive thanks to the foundation she had built before they came along. All she had to do was stay focused and complete her mission.


    Then things changed a little from what she was used to.


    [Please select your intent]


    [Exploration]


    [Vengeance]


    [Patrol]


    [War]


    [Salvage]


    Alex¡¯s eyes widened slightly. She¡¯d heard her mother occasionally mention the different types of missions she¡¯d been on, but she hadn¡¯t realized that they would translate into a different assortment of Quests when she advanced her level. It took her a minute to run back through her memory, trying to match up the descriptions to the stories her mother had told.


    Exploration would lead her to different locations in the other world, likely important places where the Grue had placed Camps. Vengeance was a more dangerous route, sending her against higher level enemies like the Killer. Patrol would give her more routine missions, like the ones that would have her clear out a certain number of Grue, while War focus more on destroying their Camps rather than just finding them.


    She didn¡¯t know which one her teammates would want to do more. They hadn¡¯t included her in any of their discussions, and she¡¯d never gotten to know them well enough to know which one they would want to use. Alex was dimly aware that they were relatively higher-level than her previous teammates, since they¡¯d been able to clear quite a lot more without risking as much, but they definitely weren¡¯t at level three yet. Maybe it wouldn¡¯t have mattered.


    Then she shook her head. It didn¡¯t matter. There were going to be Grue all over the place; if she picked Patrol, she doubted that she¡¯d have to worry about finding enough to kill.


    [Your intent is to Patrol]


    [Quest Issued! Destroy sixteen Grue Soldiers.]


    [Quest Issued! Clear at least six Grue patrols.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    Alex relaxed as she read over the Quests she¡¯d been assigned. It would be a lot of Grue, but there were probably going to be a lot to deal with, anyway. Four patrols sounded like a lot, but it would be manageable with five capable Surveyors. She still had all her Skills, and the other teams would be fighting in the town as well.


    She tried not to tense up too much as the light swept over her¡­


    Alex stepped out into the ruined town and let out a short, tense breath.


    The other teams had already grouped up and headed out. Clara waved at her, and Tim gave her a salute that almost made her laugh. It looked like Joanna and the others were headed in the direction of the Library; Sam was leading his group north towards the Bank. She sighed. If there was any advantage to all being here at once, it meant they could hit multiple Camps at a time and keep the Killer from defending any one spot.


    She turned and found her own team already grouped up and waiting for her. Alex walked over, and Paul looked over at her. ¡°Oh, hey! What Quests did you get?¡±


    Something about the question put her on edge. For a moment, she almost answered honestly, explaining that they¡¯d need to hunt down a bunch of patrols.


    Yet the way he¡¯d asked it¡­ he wasn¡¯t looking for a way to help her, or make sure that she was taken care of. He could have included her in any part of their planning before this point. Why ask now? Why was he looking at her so closely, almost like he was waiting for the chance to pounce on a weak spot?


    ¡°Exploration. I have to go through the Mall.¡±


    Paul nodded. His face settled into an expression of regret. It made her think of Liliana for some reason. ¡°Well, that could be a bit hard. We¡¯ve mostly got Quests for the Field and the Church, so it might make it a bit difficult to get over there. We¡¯ll do our best, but we¡¯ve got to move quickly, okay?¡±


    She nodded, trying to keep her eyes from narrowing. Was that the plan? Just happening to leave her Quests undone? Or was she being too suspicious? Team Alpha formed up and headed southeast of the portal. One way or the other, she was going to find out what this new team would be like.


    Something about the way Team Alpha moved bothered her more and more as they walked.


    Maybe it was the casual way they continued to talk as they moved. They weren¡¯t set up in any particular formation, either. Paul and Cash were Squires, armed with broadswords, but they weren¡¯t out in front. Christopher was their Acolyte, with a longbow, but he was up front, talking with Emmett, their shield and mace armed Porter. Meanwhile, she¡¯d been left to trail after them, instead of out front or off to one side. It didn¡¯t make sense.


    She was still feeling off balance and unsettled when they hit the first ambush.


    One moment they were all strolling along, without a care in the world. The next, Grue poured from the houses around them, howling for blood. There were more than even the last Survey, and Alex threw herself into battle with immediate fury. Here, at least, was something familiar, something she could understand.


    Her newly increased Speed and Strength brought her right into the middle of a pack of the Grue, their vicious howls becoming startled snarls as she practically dove into their midst. She brushed aside a spear with her shield, dodged another that had been aimed at her face, and spun, delivering an upward strike with her axe that hacked a brutal gash in one of the things.


    Alex completed her spin by using her shield to smack a whole group of spearpoints to one side, hacked through two more Grue in a single hard swing, and pushed off her back foot to shield-check another Grue into next week. It tangled up with two other Grue as it flew backwards, and Alex followed it, watching for another spear coming in from her right. She spun again, catching the thrust in a shield trap and sending the spear spinning across the battlefield. Then she fell on the downed monsters, hacking away with her axe and crushing with the edge of her shield. A backstroke killed the disarmed one as it jumped for her, and she sidestepped the falling corpse.


    When she straightened up from her attacks, there were two more Grue coming in at her from the side, their spears held ready to strike. She didn¡¯t wait for them; she charged, shield held out in front. Both spears bent and shattered, and one¡¯s startled yip of surprise was cut short as she chopped down on its head. The other jumped her, throwing aside the broken weapon, and the impact knocked her back as it clawed at her shield.


    She used a low swing to carve the legs out from under it and stomped down on its throat with a crunch that made her feel a little queasy. Alex forced herself to ignore it, and turned away, still looking for enemies. A moment later she found one last Grue, charging in towards her with a desperate howl. The spear in its hands struck at her, but she knocked it aside and cut it down before looking for the rest of her team.


    She found them a short distance away, clear of danger. There were some Grue piled at their feet, but it looked like they had handled the ambush just fine. Alex smiled. Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be so bad after all. Her breathing began to steady out as Recovery took the load, and her grip on the axe and shield loosened a little.


    As she approached, Paul gave her an uncertain grin. ¡°H-hey, good job! Just make sure you get those ones a little faster next time, okay? Our team is depending on you to do your part.¡±


    Alex blinked, her eyes going to the bodies only now starting to disappear beneath purple fire. There had been about twenty Grue total, and she¡¯d killed almost half of them. What did they want, for her to clear the entire patrol by herself?


    Instead of pointing it out, though, she just nodded and turned away. Yellow text was already appearing in her peripheral.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield has advanced to 16!]


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    [Anticipate has advanced to 16!]


    [Recovery has advanced to 12!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 10 of 16 targets destroyed]


    [Main Quest Progress: 1 of 6 targets cleared]


    The team paused long enough to gather up the crystals from the fallen Grue, and then continued onwards. There were plenty more to deal with where they¡¯d come from, after all.


    They were doing it on purpose. The morons had to be.


    Alex gritted her teeth as they bumbled along the street, meandering along on their way to the Field. Their team walked into three more ambushes after the first one, a fact that was a measure of just how slow they were moving and how careless they were being with the noise they made. The last fight had happened after Cash had kicked a can across the street; the idiot had laughed when howls had risen the next street over, and then once again they¡¯d been in the middle of a fight to survive.


    The horns had sounded almost thirty minutes ago, and they had to know what that meant. If they didn¡¯t hit the Camps, and soon, they¡¯d be trapped here by a wall of Grue. What were they doing? She was still killing at least half of each patrol, and the strain was starting to wear her down. Did they really think they could handle things on their own without her?


    At the very least, she¡¯d already completed one of her Main Quests and started on another. She¡¯d been stunned at first to discover that one of her Hidden Quests would be to kill an extra thirty-two Grue, but given the number she¡¯d already put down, it was clear that she wasn¡¯t going to have any problem finishing that one. At least her Skills were showing the effects of all the work; she¡¯d nearly reached twenty again in both Combined Arms and Anticipate.


    Paul called her over as they grew close to the stadium where the Field Camp was located. ¡°You still doing okay? I know we¡¯re putting a lot of work in today, but I want to make sure you can keep up.¡±


    She restrained the urge to punch him right in his nose. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Are we hitting the Camp?¡±


    He paused as horns rose over the town again, this time the triple burst from near the portal. Then he grinned. ¡°Now we sure are! Sounds like the Killer is on his way elsewhere, so we should be good now.¡±


    Alex felt another burst of rage as she realized another part of Alpha¡¯s plan. If the other teams hit the Camps first, the Killer would be after them, which would make it that much easier for them. Never mind that it put the other Surveyors at risk, or that it made the entire process take longer for everyone. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    Paul shrugged. ¡°We go in, wipe them out, and clear the Camp. Nothing fancy.¡±


    She stared at him for another moment, feeling the ache of fatigue in her muscles, and then nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s get going then.¡±


    The Field was a fairly straightforward Camp by comparison with some of the others. It had been built inside of a high school football field, a miniature stadium complete with bleachers and everything. Alex supposed that the rest of Team Alpha would feel right at home there.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of Grue.¡± She glanced over at Cash, who actually seemed worried for once. It didn¡¯t make sense to her, though. There were only thirty or so; she¡¯d actually expected to find way more of them waiting here.


    The only thing that really made her worried were the two Grue that were lounging around near the center. They stood head and shoulders above the rest of the monsters, and they were armed differently. Both had shields and broadswords, and they both seemed far more heavily built, as if they were some kind of bodybuilder in comparison to the others. She opened her mouth to ask if the others had seen them, only to pause as her Screen activated.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Clear two Grue Camps.]


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy four Grue Knights.]


    She closed her mouth. If there were only two of those things at each Camp¡­ she needed to kill both of them. If she let the rest of the team know what she needed to do, they might get in the way. Better to stay quiet and try to take care of it herself.


    Paul conveniently solved the problem for her a moment later. ¡°All right, we¡¯re going in. Alex, go ahead and try to distract those two big ones, okay? We¡¯ll clear up the rest of the Grue, and come to help you.¡±


    Alex knew better than to trust that offer of help, but she nodded anyway. At least they would actually help out, hopefully.


    True to form, Team Alpha lined up and charged in with wild yells. It was sloppy; Alex couldn¡¯t help but miss the planning with Sam and the others, or the quiet competence of Joanna and her team. Still, she gritted her teeth and ran forward, her own eyes fixed on the two Grue Knights at the center of the horde.


    They weren¡¯t at the front of the enemy, though, so Alex had to swat a few of the small ones out of the way first. The first Grue she smashed aside with her shield, and then went low to avoid a handful of spears shoved in her direction. She cut her axe through a thicket of Grue legs, then rose and put the back spike of her axe through the head of another one. Yet another one dashed in with a victorious howl, but she sidestepped the spear thrust and planted the edge of her shield in its face. It produced the kind of crunch that promised the thing wouldn¡¯t be getting up anytime soon.


    It looked like that was enough to attract some attention; the two big Grue were wading their way through the horde to face her. She waited for them to approach, finishing off the fallen Grue at her feet in the meantime. Her breath was coming a bit too fast; she tried to calm herself, to study their movements carefully.


    They weren¡¯t rushing; compared to the frantic hostility of the others, they seemed quietly confident. Given that she¡¯d just minced six of their friends, that said a worrying amount about their strength. Alex studied them a moment longer, watching the way they held their weapons, the way they grinned and grey light spilled from their mouth and eyes.


    Then she charged, her yell rising above the howls and shouts of the rest of the battle.


    The first Knight reacted with a blisteringly fast side slash. It would have cut her in half, easily, but she¡¯d seen it coming. She stopped short, bracing herself, and met the sword blade with the very center of her shield.


    Impact, harder than any spear thrust she¡¯d ever met. It slid her a full three steps to the side, and a jolt of agony went through her left forearm. She still stopped the hit, though, and as the Knight leaned in, shield poised to strike, she moved to meet it. As the shield punched forward¡ªagain, so fast it was nearly a blur¡ªshe lashed out with her axe, hooking the inside edge with the back spike.


    Alex nearly laughed as she saw the Grue Knight¡¯s grey eyes widen in shock. Whatever it had expected, it hadn¡¯t anticipated having its shield pulled forward, and it was off balance before it could react. By the time it tried to pull the shield back, Alex was in under its reach and past the shelter of its shield. Her first sideways cut hacked deep into its gut; she followed it as it tried to backpedal, yowling in agony. She caught it twice more, with hacks across its right thigh and left knee. Then, as it started to buckle and fall backwards, she crouched and put every ounce of her strength into a rising slash that carved up through the thing¡¯s chest and chin, sending a spray of grey smoke towards the distant clouds.


    She had a moment of sublime victory, and then she had to snap her shield out in front of her as the second Knight lunged forward with a sword thrust over its companion¡¯s falling corpse. The sword hit her shield just left of center, spinning her with a painful wrench on her left arm. Alex landed a heartbeat later, still sliding backward from the strike, and the Knight followed immediately with a second sword thrust, this one pointed straight at her head.


    With barely any time to respond, Alex twisted to catch the sword with the head of her axe. There was no hope of blocking it; instead, she deflected it up and to the right, twisting her body to try to avoid it. The edge of the sword still scraped past her helmet, shaving a gouge in the metal and making her grateful she¡¯d selected it. She yelled in desperation and fury, forcing herself to step forward and swing her shield like a blunt weapon.


    It caught the Knight as it pulled back from the lunge, hitting it directly in its right knee. There was a cracking noise, and it jerked in pain. Alex kept moving, swinging her axe at the same knee. The Knight was too fast, however; it jerked its own shield in the way, and Alex grunted as her axe rebounded from the surface of it.


    She pivoted to clash the flat of her shield against the Knight¡¯s, the impact jarring her arm again. For a moment, they struggled and pushed against each other, but she couldn¡¯t force it back and she didn¡¯t get pushed back either. The broadsword came up and cut at her head awkwardly, but she knocked it away. A stab came next, but she¡¯d been waiting for it, and ducked away. While the Knight pulled its sword back, she hooked the curve of her axe blade into its shield and yanked to the right while she slipped left. It yipped in surprise, and she bashed an aborted stab aside with her shield.


    Then, in under its guard, she leaped forward and hacked away at it until it toppled backward on top of its friend.


    Alex stood over the bodies of both Knights, breathing hard. Her muscles ached, especially along her left arm. She needed to fight two more of those? With at least two more patrols to clear, and who knew how many more Grue aside from that? How was she supposed to keep up with that kind of challenge? Especially since¡­


    Her thoughts cut off as Paul yelled at her. ¡°Hey! Stop goofing off and come help us!¡± She looked over and saw the rest of Team Alpha still fighting the remainder of the lesser Grue. After a moment of incredulity, she shook herself and started in their direction. At least she¡¯d probably finish her first Hidden Quest.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Alex, but we just can¡¯t afford to waste time, especially for someone who was just taking a break in the middle of the fight. Someone could have gotten hurt, you know.¡±


    Alex tried to shut out the torrent of nonsense that Paul had been spouting since they¡¯d cleared the Field. He was still trying to drill home why they were going to the Chapel instead of the Mall next, but she wasn¡¯t particularly interested. She was far more focused on how quickly she was returning to normal after that last fight.


    Recovery was definitely helping, but she was still feeling an ache on her shield arm. There could be some kind of fracture there, but she knew better than to ask Paul for a dose of health potion. He¡¯d make some excuse about conserving resources, she was sure. At least his lecture was going to serve her purposes. After all, the more he talked, the more they¡¯d attract the attention of Grue patrolling the area around the Chapel.


    Four horns howled their way out across the dead town, and Paul paused. They all did, looking around uncertainly. Christopher was the first one to respond. ¡°What was that? I¡¯ve never heard four before.¡±


    Alex hesitated, and then reluctantly answered. ¡°We think four means that the Killer is falling back to defend the last few Camps. The others have probably killed three or four of the other ones, so it¡¯s running low on reinforcements, and will probably want to protect what¡¯s left instead of guarding the portal or hunting Surveyors.¡±


    Paul¡¯s eyes opened extra wide. ¡°So you¡¯re saying it might be headed to the Chapel?¡± She shrugged, and he snarled. ¡°You didn¡¯t think that would be relevant? We might get caught with twice as many of those things waiting for us!¡±


    She looked back at him impassively. They had fifty percent odds, since there was probably another Camp there somewhere, but she wasn¡¯t about to discourage him from speeding up a little. She only needed two more patrols, after all.


    He turned back to the others, and for the first time, there was real urgency in his voice. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s get to that Camp, and then we¡¯ll need to go straight home. I¡¯m sorry, Alex, but you should have shared more information if you wanted to get all the way back to the Mall. You¡¯ll have to do better next time.¡±


    Alex didn¡¯t respond. Instead, she braced herself for another charge; she¡¯d already caught sight of shadows moving ahead of them.


    Just two more patrols, two more Knights, and one Camp. Then she¡¯d be home.


    Sure enough, urgent or not, Team Alpha did not move quietly enough to avoid the next two patrols they ran into. Paul was practically foaming at the mouth by the time they arrived at the old church where their objective was located, but Alex just ignored his increasingly bitter comments and watched for signs of another ambush.


    The Chapel was an old-looking church, with shattered stained-glass windows and a bell tower. Sentries in the tower spotted them as her team trotted towards the entrance, and their howls brought a flood of Grue streaming out towards them. There had to be at least forty of them now, with two Knights striding along confidently in their midst.


    Alex charged along with the others this time, taking the right flank as they ran down the street. She needed to make sure that her teammates were keeping the little ones busy before she engaged the bigger threats; she¡¯d have loved to be surer of that fact, but she was starting to get suspicious about the fact that she always had to take down so many of the enemy each time.


    Fortunately, it seemed like the prospect of being the last team around to face the Killer had provoked her coworkers to be a bit more proactive this time. They threw themselves on the Grue with a bit more ferocity, cutting their way into the ranks in a way that seemed pretty promising. Alex nodded to herself as they started smashing their way through, and then tore a ragged hole in the flank of the Grue, hacking and bashing the monsters until their lines collapsed.


    The Knights came for her at that point, but she¡¯d timed it well. She hadn¡¯t left them time to group up; instead, she¡¯d reach them one at a time, which meant she could be a bit more selective in her tactics. As the first one came in at a charge, sword held high, she smacked aside one of the Grue Soldiers and countercharged it.


    It snarled and slashed at her, a magnificent overhand blow she wasn¡¯t sure she could have stopped without hurting her arm again. She ducked and deflected it with her shield, more of a gentle nudge to the right instead of a full block. It grunted in surprise as she pivoted past the attack, but before it could bring its own shield around, she had spun around and planted a solid axe strike to the back of its right knee.


    Hamstrung, the Knight went to one knee and tried to hit her with a backhand slash. She turned and blocked this one¡ªthe angle made it far weaker¡ªand used some of the impact to let herself be pushed back behind the Knight. It tried to pivot to face her, but its bad leg slowed it down too much. Alex darted in behind it before it could manage another attack, hacking as hard as she could.


    The second Knight came in at her just as the first one toppled forward, very nearly beheaded. It snarled as it saw the fate of its companion, and it came in far more cautiously. Alex didn¡¯t give it time to try to call for backup. Instead, she charged, her shield held ready to catch the first hit. To her surprise, the Knight didn¡¯t go for an immediate stab. It reared back, lifting the sword high over its head, and matched her shield charge with one of its own.


    She felt the impact in her spine, and this time it sent her flying. Alex hit the pavement and skidded, her brigandine barely masking the hit. Then she rolled to the side, knowing exactly what the next move would be.


    The Knight¡¯s sword smashed into the pavement where she¡¯d been, digging a deep gash in the street. Alex rolled to her feet and slashed at the Knight¡¯s arm with her axe. She felt the blade bite deep into its wrist, and it howled in rage as it lost its grip. When she turned to face it, she barely had enough time before it shield-checked her again.


    This time, she only slid back a few steps, but she kept her feet. When it pulled back, Alex darted in, feinting a charge at its right side. It shifted its shield to guard there, and she reversed course to slip in on its left. She got in a solid hit on its shield arm before it could bat her aside, and grinned when the thing howled.


    The swing with the shield was too slow this time, and she ducked beneath it to slip inside its guard. It was over in a frenzy of hacks and slashes, and by the time she was done, she saw the rest of her team finishing off the last of the other Grue.


    Her Screen appeared a moment later.


    [Recovery advances to 15!]


    [Hidden Quest Completed! Two Grue Camps cleared]


    [Hidden Quest Completed! Four Grue Knights destroyed]


    The others slumped a little. A couple of them looked like they had taken a bit of damage, and Paul was glaring daggers at her. ¡°Who told you to run off and play with those things? We needed your help.¡±


    She just stared back at him, not giving him the satisfaction of a response. He seemed to give up and roll his eyes. ¡°Whatever. Let¡¯s get back to the portal. We¡¯re all done here.¡±


    They barely spent any time gathering up the materials left by the defeated Camp¡ªthe Knights were apparently leaving more than just crystals, there were some kind of slab along with them¡ªbefore they started hurrying off to the north. Maybe they were worried the Killer would show up.


    Honestly, she almost hoped he did.

 B1Ch19: Taking Risks

    Light surrounded her yet again, and Alex found herself facing a difficult choice.


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quests Completed! +60 Experience]


    [Secondary Patrol Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary War Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Challenge Quest Completed! + 40 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! + 40 Experience]


    A full clear was more than she had expected out of her new team. Of course, they hadn¡¯t realized that she had accomplished one. Now that they were going to reach level three, she¡¯d need to be more careful about her lies, since they¡¯d have a better idea of what Quests she could have chosen.


    Still, the real difficulty was from the next section that appeared in her vision.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield increased from 15 to 20!]


    [Anticipate increased from 15 to 20!]


    [Recovery increased from 11 to 15!]


    [Running increased from 13 to 15!]


    Her Skills had improved dramatically, due to the amount of fighting that she¡¯d faced. The rush back to the portal had even gotten her a bit of an increase in Running, which she hadn¡¯t expected. Now, though, the Screen was going to be giving her some hard choices.


    She could cash in on Titles, either by Chaining Skills or by resetting them¡ªbut that would leave her vulnerable to whatever Liliana and Team Alpha were planning. Paul had probably thought he was being sly, asking questions about how she wanted to develop her abilities, but it was clear there was something planned for the next time she made herself vulnerable. Even if she hadn¡¯t had that suspicion, Liliana had already tried to kill her that way once, and now she had a team in place that might help her do it.


    At the same time, the Knights had proved one thing beyond doubt; the Surveys were going to be increasingly difficult from here on out. If she just maintained her power, she¡¯d be fighting an uphill battle against ever-increasing forces of Grue or whatever Liliana had planned. She¡¯d need to advance, eventually.


    So really, the question was, did she do it now, or in the future?


    As she pondered, the Screen shifted again.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield has reached level 20! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield to gain a Title?]


    Alex stared at the words, glowing yellow in the void before her. Then she made a decision.


    She denied the option and watched as it changed.


    [Anticipate has reached level 20! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Anticipate to gain a Title?]


    Again, she denied it. The next option she¡¯d been expecting appeared.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Running and Recovery?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels.]


    She hesitated. Then she made her choice. Recovery had been helpful, but she needed the Skill slot. She Chained them.


    [Skill Chain unlocked! Skills Running and Recovery removed. Skill Marathoning gained! Skill Chain bonus gained! Title Persistent gained (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, and Marathoning by one.)]


    Alex grinned. Now that she¡¯d made the choice, she felt lighter somehow. Maybe that was just an effect of the new Skill, though. The next choice loomed, and she hesitated only because of how much more it meant.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield and Anticipate?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels.]


    There was hesitation, but the decision was already made.


    She Chained them.


    There was a sudden, almost brutal rush of power as the two max level Skills merged. Her eyes went wide as something shifted in her, and when her vision cleared, the words that hung in the air before her made her breath catch.


    [Skill Chain unlocked! Skills Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield and Anticipate removed. Skill Battle Maneuvers gained! Skill Chain bonuses gained! Title War Maiden upgraded to Title Lady of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by one.) Title Quick Reflexes upgraded to Title Natural Combatant (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by one)]


    It was just about everything she could have hoped for. True, she was going to be vulnerable, but once she got going again¡­ she¡¯d have more than enough power to take on whatever the portal was going to throw at her. All she had to do was keep it to herself for a day or so.


    [Two Skill Choices available. Please select two additional Skills.]


    Her choices here were as obvious as they were necessary. She selected Melee¨CAxe and Melee¨CShield. They wouldn¡¯t lead to anything particularly useful in the long term, but she¡¯d gain additional power from them in the short term that might make it easier to be effective again. At least, that was what she hoped.


    Her choices finished, Alex closed her eyes and tried to prepare herself. She needed to be convincing, and needed to stay composed, at least until the next Survey was done. Just two days. It seemed like forever and no time at all. The thought made her laugh as the light came over her again¡­


    Alex returned to Earth, still chuckling to herself. She tried to wipe any humor from her face. The last thing she needed was to give Joanna, or the rest of Team Alpha, a reason to doubt her sincerity.


    She walked off the platform, following the rest of her team. Paul had already started giving his own report. Given the way he kept darting harsh looks in her direction, she doubted it was painting a flattering picture, but that was kind of a lost cause, anyway. Liliana¡¯s view of her was already set in stone; one report full of petty complaints wasn¡¯t going to change a thing.


    When it was her turn, Liliana¡¯s eyes were sharp and knowing. ¡°Alexandretta, how do you feel the Survey with Team Alpha went? I admit that I have been hearing some concerning details about your performance.¡±


    Despite bracing herself for it, Alex felt a burst of frustration and defensiveness. Instead of responding with anger, however, she clamped down on her emotions and gave Liliana a tight smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that, team captain. I felt our Survey went fairly well, even if I wasn¡¯t able to complete all of the Quests I had assigned to me.¡±


    Liliana didn¡¯t quite restrain the smirk that flickered across her expression. She made a note on her tablet with an air of satisfaction. ¡°I see. I assume that you also persisted in your ridiculous habit of Chaining Skills?¡±


    Alex tilted her head to study Liliana. She allowed a bit of frustration to color her words, hoping that the team captain would misidentify it. ¡°Actually, I held off on it for now. The portal was dangerous enough that I was hoping things would go better if I just kept them steady for the time being.¡±


    This time, Alex caught a hint of surprise and frustration on Liliana¡¯s face. Had she thrown some plan off schedule? If she had, it only told her she was on the right track. ¡°I¡­see. I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve seen the light at last, at least for the sake of your teammates. Perhaps you can recover their trust by making up for your poor performance next time.¡±


    She gritted her teeth a little at the comment, but forced herself not to snap back. The last thing she needed was to provoke a reaction now, when she was vulnerable. Liliana gave her an open smirk this time, continuing to make a few more notes on the tablet. ¡°Oh! By the way. I¡¯m happy to inform you that your services are no longer needed in the PAD. You may feel free to spend your time either sparring with the others in the gymnasium, or reading approved materials on Surveyor progression. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be happy to hear that.¡±


    Then she gestured for her to get on the bus with the others, and Alex stalked away. Two more days. That¡¯s all she needed.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Audrey put a lot more feeling into the word than Alex had expected. The Squire looked a little amazed, even impressed, perhaps. ¡°She¡¯s kind of vile, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Clara reached out and put a hand on Alex¡¯s knee. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I think she just heard that you were actually enjoying things down there and wanted another way to punish you. The last I heard, Zach was fine.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Alex reminded herself not to explain entirely. She¡¯d sent a text to Zach the moment she boarded the bus, and got a reassuring message a moment later. The company still didn¡¯t know about where her team had gotten the materials for their Raid, and he was still able to monitor the portal. There was some kind of investigation under way, but he still thought he was safe. At least, for now.


    Joanna snorted. ¡°Whatever the reason, she¡¯s doing it. We don¡¯t really need any more ¡®hunches¡¯ from that direction. We know that the portal¡¯s going to be heavily oversaturated with threats every time we go in, now. At least we¡¯ll be able to keep up with it today.¡±


    Alex looked over at her. ¡°Today, maybe. Friday, it¡¯ll be about the same. Tuesday¡­¡±


    The Adept stared at her for a moment, and then her eyes widened. ¡°Oh, the weekend. The portal will get less regulated over the weekend, and then they¡¯ll make it that much worse on Monday. It¡¯s going to be a nightmare.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yeah. Make sure you warn Team Gamma. I don¡¯t want them taking any stupid risks with their Skills on Friday and getting into a bad situation next week.¡±


    ¡°Consider us warned.¡± Sam poked his head in and smiled. ¡°Though I appreciate the concern.¡±


    Alex jumped halfway off her bunk, smacking her head into the upper bunk. She grimaced and rubbed at the spot. ¡°How did you get so frigging quiet, Sam?¡±


    ¡°Oh, just a misspent youth.¡± Sam grinned at her and then waved at the others. His eyes lingered on Audrey for a moment, and then continued. ¡°I just wanted to come by and see how you were doing after your first Survey with Alpha.¡±


    Alex stared at him with a blank expression, and he grimaced. ¡°Yeah, I figured it was like that.¡±


    Clara gave him a curious look. ¡°Oh really? Why?¡±


    ¡°Rudy. The poor guy had a lot of stories to tell.¡± Sam looked back at Alex, his expression sympathetic. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m impressed the poor guy is even still a Surveyor. You should have seen his expression when we told him¡ªwell, I¡¯ll tell you about that another time. Are you going to be okay?¡±


    His concern was touching, in a way. After so long being worried about them, it felt¡­refreshing. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll be fine. I just need to be careful.¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°So that¡¯s why¡­ anyway, I just wanted to check with you. That, and I wanted to tell you that if you need to stay a bit longer for any reason, we¡¯ll be there for you, okay?¡±


    The offer was incredibly generous, and incredibly likely to end in disaster. She pictured Team Gamma stuck at the portal waiting to see if she was done with her Quests, and getting hit by the Killer or some other threat. ¡°Thanks, Sam, but it¡¯ll be okay. Tell the rest of Gamma that it means a lot. You guys all made level three?¡±


    He grinned and nodded. ¡°Yep. Maybe at this rate we¡¯ll be at four in no time. D rank, here we come!¡±


    With that, he headed off down the hallway. Alex snorted and then turned back to the others. Joanna was looking at her with a fierce expression. ¡°You know, we¡¯d be willing to help too. If your team is that bad, I don¡¯t want you to get stuck falling behind. Not after you¡¯ve been practically keeping them alive.¡±


    Alex glared at her. ¡°You¡¯re going to finish your Quests and get back through the portal. No waiting around to get ambushed. I can handle it, okay? I promise.¡±


    The Adept glared back, and Clara laughed. ¡°Another promise? At this rate, you¡¯re going to be full up.¡±


    She laughed a little, and then shook her head. Two more days, and she¡¯d be safe. All she had to do was make it work for two more days.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Alex, but I guess next time we¡¯ll have to coordinate a little better.¡± Paul gave her a regretful smile. ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll have enough time to get to your exploration Quests after we finish with the Camps. Once we can.¡±


    The leader of Team Alpha didn¡¯t seem any more sincere than Liliana, but Alex just nodded back at him. After all, she hadn¡¯t actually taken the Explore option for her Quests; instead, she¡¯d taken Patrol again. Not that she had any intention of letting her supposed teammate know that. It was just as clear to her now, as it had been then, that there was a plan in place to frustrate and stonewall her. Better that they didn¡¯t realize that their strategy to stall her wasn¡¯t working¡ªat least until she rebuilt her Skills again.


    She¡¯d already set that in motion the day before, begging off from attending the ¡®team-building¡¯ exercise the day before by claiming to have a stomach bug. Hopefully, the team would think her problems fighting today were from the same problem. Alex had already mentioned the occasional twinge in her stomach, mostly to keep it fresh in their minds.


    Luckily, the rest of the team seemed completely ready to accept that excuse. In fact, some of them seemed amused at the idea of making someone on the edge of vomiting fight; Cash and Emmett had already made a few comments about it. Christopher had been a bit more reserved than the others; he never seemed to laugh or joke as much as the others. Maybe there was a difference that she could exploit there.


    For now, she just needed to stay alert enough to get her Skills back.


    A few minutes later, they ran into the first patrol. It happened as Cash and Paul were singing¡ªsinging, in an obvious war zone¡ªtheir way across the parking lot of an office building. The Team joked among themselves as Grue piled out into the lot, lining up to fight. Alex didn¡¯t laugh with the others. Instead, her eyes narrowed as her Screen activated. There were more than normal Grue over there, this time.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy four Grue Knights.]


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy four Grue Archers.]


    Her breath caught as she recognized the distinctive shapes of a pair of Grue with longbows, along with a single, overlarge Grue with a sword and shield. Why did they have to show up now, with her Skills low? The Archers didn¡¯t have a bandolier of Talismans on their chest, like the Killer did, but their arrows would probably hurt just as much.


    The rest of the team saw the advanced Grue in the patrol, and their jokes faded away. Twenty Grue had already been a problem. Twenty plus three advanced types was going to be worse. Paul glanced in her direction, and she saw him already considering whether to run.


    Then the Grue charged, and it was too late to do anything but fight.


    Alex charged out to meet them, hoping that being in the middle of the fight would keep the Archers from shooting at her. She saw at least one of them shift to fire her way, but she clumsily managed to catch the attack on her shield. It bounced off with a thump, making her waver a little as she rushed in, desperate to start regaining her Skills before the Knight reached her.


    The first Grue she faced was howling in rage, its spear extended. She tried to sidestep the stab, feeling horrifyingly slow compared to her former speed. Alex was still faster than she had been, thanks to her Attributes, but not having Combined Arms and Anticipate was going to hurt.


    As it did now. The Grue struck out at her and scratched her right arm with its claws. It was a shallow cut, but she grunted in pain before hitting back. She caught it in the arm, and then kept hitting it three more times until it went down, still howling.


    Another two Grue struck at her, driving her back as their spears clashed with her shield. She swiped at one of them with her axe, hitting it in the arm. As it pulled back, she mounted a desperate charge with her shield, driving the other Grue back so she could follow up her first target, hacking at its legs. The Grue fell, and she finished it off with a third blow to the head.


    Her other opponent snarled and lunged at her, a fact that she used to bat its spear aside. She saw its eyes widen before she put a single desperate swing into its forehead. Alex put all of her force into it, and the Grue dropped immediately, almost pulling her off balance.


    Alex crouched and spun back towards the rest of the battle, her breathing harsh in her own ears. A moment after her turn, an arrow bounced off of her shield, and she congratulated herself for knowing it had been coming. Another Grue struck at her as well, landing another blow that twisted her shield aside; she responded by lunging forward and striking at the Grue¡¯s head. It gave out a startled yip as she made contact, and before it could recover, she smashed it to the ground with her shield and crouched to finish the job with her axe.


    For half a heartbeat, she considered her options. The battlefield was relatively clear around her; the Knight and the rest of the regular Grue were focused on pressing in around the rest of Team Alpha, who were doing a remarkable job of holding their own. She was momentarily impressed; their Skills were obviously at a higher level than she¡¯d thought, or else they might have already been overwhelmed. Their resistance meant that she could easily cut along the back of the Grue and start taking them down.


    Unfortunately, that plan would also give the Archers a clear shot at her back, and she didn¡¯t feel all that urgent about helping her supposed teammates now. So instead of rushing in to flank the rest of the Grue, she brought up her shield and charged the nearest Archer, gritting her teeth as both of the advanced Grue immediately focused their attention on her.


    One arrow thudded into her shield again; the other shot past her face, close enough to glance off her helmet. She tried to ignore the ringing sound left by the impact and charged into contact with the closest Archer. It snarled and dropped its longbow, drawing out a knife and a hatchet instead. Alex grinned as she recognized a similarity in its stance, with the knife held backhanded along its forearm and the hatchet ready to strike.


    It slashed at her with the knife, the blade glancing off her shield. She pushed in closer and tried to hack at its head. The Archer jumped back, reaching up to block the strike with its knife. Just as quickly, it hooked the blade of the axe around the shaft of her own weapon, preparing to yank it out of her grip. Alex could almost see the grin forming on its bestial lips.


    Then she slammed into it with her shield, smashing aside the Archer¡¯s weapons. Her axe was freed, and the Archer staggered backward. Before it could recover, she darted in again, slamming it backward off its feet. She raised her axe overhead, ready to bring it down on the Archer.


    She caught sight of the second Archer, its longbow pointed in her direction and ready to loose. Growling with frustration, she pivoted to put her shield in the way, just in time to intercept the arrow. She heard the first Archer scrambling backward over the pavement, and knew if she let it get back up, the fight would turn into a stalemate where the Archers would work together to keep her from getting an advantage on either of them.


    Alex decided to end things a bit faster. As the second Archer reached for another arrow, she sprinted after the other one on the ground. The downed Archer lashed out at her, trying to make her draw back. She took the hit across her lower leg, grunting as the knife drew a line of pain across her left shin, and retaliated with a low swing of her axe.


    It took a second hit to finish it off, but the Archer went limp. She gritted her teeth against the pain, and turned to face the other Archer, which sent another arrow into her shield. Alex charged at it in response, forcing it to backpedal as it drew out its own knife and axe. Just as she reached it, the Archer lashed out with its axe, knocking her shield aside and opening her for a stab with its knife.


    The thrust hit her in her brigandine, where the armored plates stopped it dead. She grunted, the impact still causing a brief flare of pain. Then Alex brought her axe up and around, hitting the Grue right in the collarbone. It snarled and dropped its axe, then drew back the knife for another stab. Before it could complete it, she smashed the edge of the shield into its face, and followed it up with two more axe strikes.


    As it dropped, Alex turned back to face the rest of the battle. The rest of Team Alpha was finishing off the last of the Grue; to her surprise, the Knight had actually fallen to Paul, who was still yanking his sword from its chest. Only a few more Grue were left, and the others finished them off as she watched. She tried to trot back to them to help anyway, though she still doubted that they would share any of their health potion. Her breathing was still harsh; she was already missing the benefit of Recovery. She¡¯d definitely have to get it back at some point.


    Paul looked like he was on the edge of lashing out at her when she approached. The last Grue had just gone down to Cash, and most of the rest of Team Alpha had taken scratches and some wounds. ¡°What was that? You are supposed to be doing more for our team, Alex. We are depending on you doing your job, not just leaving it to others.¡±


    Alex glanced back at the Archers, and then nodded. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll be quicker next time.¡±


    ¡°See that you are.¡± Paul shook his head at her. ¡°At this rate, I don¡¯t know that we¡¯re going to have the time to do your part of the mission, Alex. Maybe if you were performing better¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°Look, you just need to improve. We don¡¯t want to waste time and resources on someone that isn¡¯t pulling their own weight.¡±


    She relaxed slowly, hoping her neutral expression showed some kind of regret. Inside, she struggled not to unleash her own rage on him. If he had a Skill high enough to take on a Knight, he might have equaled her when she still had Combined Arms all the way to max. Things would not go well for her now.


    The bodies around them began to burn, and yellow text appeared in her peripheral vision.


    [Battle Maneuvers has advanced to level 6!]


    [Melee¨CAxe has advanced to level 6!]


    [Melee¨CShield has advanced to level 6!]


    [Main Quest Progress 4 of 16 targets destroyed]


    [Main Quest Progress 1 of 6 patrols cleared]


    [Hidden Quest Progress 2 of 4 targets destroyed]


    Alex relaxed a little. She wasn¡¯t a hundred percent sure on the math, but unless she was really far off, those levels meant she was over halfway to where she had been before. Of course, she¡¯d hoped the levels would come easier, but anything was progress, and a good sign. One or two more fights like that one, and she¡¯d already be surpassing her previous Skills.


    Paul seemed to take her silence as acceptance, and he looked around. ¡°Christopher thinks he has enough potion to help you, this time, but you need to be more careful in the future. Otherwise, we might just have to send you back to the portal early on your own.¡± He said it like that wouldn¡¯t be a death sentence with the Killer still guarding the place, but she willed herself not to react. ¡°Now come on. We¡¯re losing daylight.¡±


    After Christopher reluctantly shared his potion, Alex helped gather the crystals and other materials left behind, and then followed after the others. Just another few fights, and she¡¯d be ready for anything.


    The Knight went down hard under her next attack, and Alex smiled. It was her first kill on one of those that day, and it had felt far easier than she had expected.


    Around her were the remnants of the third patrol that they had ¡®stumbled¡¯ into. The rest of Team Alpha were taking it far easier this time than they had the other two fights; nobody had even gotten scratched this time, even with the Archers involved. True, Paul had still complained and stomped his foot after every fight, but she¡¯d already passed the point of caring about it. After all, she was already past the danger point as far as they were concerned.


    Yellow text flared to life, and her smile grew.


    [Battle Maneuvers has advanced to level 12!]


    [Melee¨CAxe has advanced to level 12!]


    [Melee¨CShield has advanced to level 12!]


    [Main Quest Completed!]


    [Main Quest Progress 3 of 6 patrols cleared]


    [Hidden Quest Progress 1 of 4 targets destroyed]


    She¡¯d been careful to kill just enough normal Grue to fulfil her Main Quest; she didn¡¯t want to be locked into the second, larger requirements of the Hidden Quest if the Soldiers were already getting replaced by the specialists. At least she didn¡¯t really have to kill more Archers anymore; she¡¯d gotten both of the ones from the past patrol, and one from this one, but the Screen hadn¡¯t assigned her another Quest to go after them.


    Paul scowled at her again, but he seemed a little less certain of himself. She didn¡¯t mind that fact at all. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get to the Library. I want us to clear that Camp soon.¡±


    The others on the Team nodded; they¡¯d heard the Killer¡¯s horn blasts a few minutes ago, which meant it was already after another of the teams. It still aggravated her she was stuck letting her former teammates bear the risk there, but she had no choice. If she had been able to convince the rest of Team Alpha to move faster, she would have.


    They approached the Library, tense and ready for new surprises. If Knights and Archers were going to start appearing in the patrols, then the Camps were only going to get that much worse.


    Unlike her team with Sam, Alpha didn¡¯t have anyone able to break in through the side door, so they were stuck heading in through the front. She winced as she heard warning growls up ahead as the sentries saw them, and then charged forward with the others.


    Her Screen unhelpfully flared to life as she turned the corner.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Clear two Grue Camps.]


    It was the final Quest that she¡¯d wanted, but at the moment it was looking easier said than done. There were at least thirty Grue waiting for them, with two Knights and two Archers. They were all armed, and the snarls of their challenges rose over the shouts of Team Alpha.


    Alex sprinted forward at full speed, letting her legs eat up the distance between her and the nearest Grue. Their grey eyes widened as she closed with them, and they raised their spears in an attempt to ward her off.


    It didn¡¯t work. She just lowered her shield and slammed into them, snapping spear hafts and knocking the rest of them aside. An enterprising pair of Grue darted in to impale her from the side. Alex dodged them¡ªmentally rejoicing in the return of the sensations she had grown used to with Anticipate¡ªand twisted to slam the edge of her shield into both of their snarling faces. They went over backwards, and she pivoted back to smash aside a few more spears coming at her from the other direction.


    Then she raised her axe, and began to hack her way through them, killing the Grue one and two at a time. Each hit felt like it could send the enemy flying; in one case, she did actually hit one hard enough with a rising strike that lifted it off its feet and sent the body flying back into the others.


    The Grue Soldiers abruptly melted away in front of her, choosing to face the rest of Team Alpha instead of continuing to feed themselves to the edge of her axe. She grinned, ducked an arrow from an Archer, and ran straight at the closest Knight. It met her with a howl, already sending a blisteringly fast sword thrust in her direction.


    Alex darted aside and then slapped at the blade with her axe. The Knight¡¯s startled yip made her smile as the sword jerked upwards, and she turned her shield to use the edge as a weapon. It barely got its own shield in the way, and the hit still forced it to take a step back.


    It brought the sword up for an overhand strike, but before it could bring the blade down, she darted in under its guard to hook its ankle with her axe. The Grue yipped again as its stance slipped away from it, and the downward stroke bounced off her shield with far less force than it should have. Alex shoved the blade up and away again, pivoted to let the Grue punch its shield past her, and then delivered a brutal axe strike horizontally across its torso.


    The Knight staggered, grey eyes wide as the axe tore through it. Alex punched with her own shield, landing a solid hit on its right wrist. It dropped the sword, still off balance, and she hacked into its right shoulder for good measure. As it fell, she hit it twice more to make sure it was down.


    As the Knight collapsed, she was already watching for the next threat. One of the Archers was down; Christopher had started sniping them from the back line, which was honestly a bit of a relief. The other looked like it was firing at Paul and Cash, both of whom were dodging and trying to stay close to Emmet¡¯s shield.


    She found the last Knight starting in their direction and grunted. Her Quest needed two more of those dead by her hand, and she wanted it done sooner rather than later. With a wild yell, she threw herself into the fight, pausing just long enough to hack a pair of Grue Soldiers to pieces when they got in her way.


    The Knight saw her coming and turned to face her. This one brought its shield up to cover itself, its grey eyes narrowing in hate. She clashed her axe on her shield in challenge, and it roared in response, charging at her.


    It meant to smash into and through her; she could see it easily, in the way it held the shield and the momentum it was building. She debated meeting it shield to shield, and decided it would be too risky. The Knight had a lot of mass on her, and would have the momentum behind its run too.


    So she waited until the thing had committed to the charge and then darted away to the side. It hacked at her with its sword, and she took the hit on her shield, sliding back a little with the force of it. Before it could pull the sword back, though, she trapped it with her axe and pivoted. The move used the force of the Grue¡¯s charge against it, and the blade went spinning away into a bookcase.


    Alex laughed and then grimaced as it tried to swat her with its shield. The impact stung her arms again, and to her surprise, the Grue grabbed the shield in both its hands and raised it like a block of stone it wanted to use to crush her. She charged before it could, smashing her own shield into its torso to force it back, and then caught it in the leg with a deep cut that dropped it to one knee.


    The Knight had enough time to grab her shield, wrenching at it like it was trying to tear it from her grip. Then she brought down the axe three more times, and it went limp, still, and silent.


    When she turned back, the remainder of the Grue had nearly all fallen. One of them froze; it had been in the process of creeping up on her. She threw herself on it before it could retreat. Sure, she could have left it for the others, but why would she? Her Skills were advancing, but she needed them to come back, now more than ever.


    [Battle Maneuvers advanced to level 14!]


    [Melee¨CAxe advanced to level 14!]


    [Melee¨CShield advanced to level 14!]


    [Hidden Quest Progress 1 of 2 camps cleared]


    [Hidden Quest Progress 3 of 4 targets destroyed]


    Alex studied the words with satisfaction as the rest of Team Alpha gathered up the remains of the Grue. The next Camp they hit would finish two of her Quests, and she was almost certain that they¡¯d ¡®just happen¡¯ to run into a few more patrols before they made it there. If her supposed teammates didn¡¯t arrange for it, then she would.


    Paul yelled at her across the Library. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re feeling so much better, princess, but maybe help the rest of us?¡±


    She snorted and got to work. Her hands moved quickly to recover the crystals and the rest from the wreckage. Sooner or later, it would be time to make sure that whatever plan Liliana had for her was set off a little too early. Maybe if she tore through enough Grue, she could give them a little push towards it. Time would tell.


    Sure enough, they ran into two more patrols on the way to the Camp at the Market, and Alex managed to get one of the Knights before the others, leaving her with just one more patrol and one more Camp to deal with.


    She was feeling fairly good about the situation when Paul abruptly pulled her aside. ¡°Look, you¡¯re doing much better, but now you need to be a bit more committed to the team as a whole. Try to clear out the normal Grue, so that the rest of us can take care of the big ones. Okay? Maybe you could even start wounding them so that someone else could finish them off. Do that, and we¡¯ll think harder about getting to your Explore thing. Understand?¡±


    Alex stared at him, realizing that they must have gotten similar Hidden Quests. He wanted her to help them finish their Quests. She forced herself to nod, and then grimaced when he turned away. She didn¡¯t really need to hit the big ones anymore, but allowing the others to get any stronger just seemed foolish to her.


    All the same, when they hit the Market, she contented herself by reaping a harvest of regular Grue. It felt so easy now, like she was tearing through enemies that were practically standing still. The Archers shot at her, and the Knights tried to close with her as she hacked their lesser friends to bits, but she just moved away through the fight, giving Team Alpha a shot at them when the lesser Grue broke. Even then, her hands itched as they moved against the big ones, wanting to just finish it for them.


    Which only made it that much more galling when they ¡®conveniently¡¯ ran across another three patrols on the way out, where she was forced to watch them dance around while she occupied the easier enemies. By the time they reached the portal, she was practically gnawing at her own shield over the number of kills she¡¯d let them have. She spent a full minute glaring at the vortex after her party had stepped through, debating whether it would break her promise to Clara if she went hunting for patrols on her own.


    Finally, she sighed and stepped through, letting the light swallow her¡­


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quests Completed! +60 Experience]


    [Secondary Challenge Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary War Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Challenge Quest Completed! + 40 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! + 40 Experience]


    Another full clear, despite everything that Team Alpha had thrown at her. They were hopefully still mostly unaware of what they were dealing with, but she was definitely not going to let them keep undercutting her efforts. She¡¯d try to have them spring whatever trap they had planned by Tuesday at the latest. Waiting for the other shoe to drop was going to drive her insane.


    All the same, it was hard not to feel a glimmer of pride as she read the next words.


    [Battle Maneuvers increased from 0 to 18!]


    [Melee¨CAxe increased from 0 to 18!]


    [Melee¨CShield increased from 0 to 18!]


    [Marathoning increased from 0 to 1!]


    The Skill increases meant she was nearly twice as strong as she¡¯d been on the last mission. If there was any time she¡¯d be ready for Liliana¡¯s plots, it would be now.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Melee¨CAxe and Melee¨CShield?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels.]


    She denied it, and was relieved when that was the only option the Screen presented to her. A moment later she was falling through the light again¡­

 B1Ch20: Playing the Game

    Alex stepped out onto the platform and was surprised to find it was raining.


    The storm had to have blown up out of nowhere. Overhead there were dark clouds, and for half a moment she had the disturbing impression that she hadn¡¯t actually left the other world, or that the broken sky had somehow followed her here. She shook her head, the scent of magic filling her nostrils, and tried to focus.


    Liliana was already taking reports from the others. She looked patient, despite the rain pattering down over the umbrella she held. Forsmith stood a short distance away, watching the portal impassively.


    Alex took a deep breath and joined the rest of her team. She listened idly to what the rest of them were saying¡ªit wasn¡¯t hard to catch occasional references to her lack of Skill or bad behavior, though Christopher seemed the least comfortable with it¡ªbut she mostly wanted to make sure that Liliana was hearing what the team captain wanted to hear. What Alex needed her to hear.


    When it was her turn, Liliana offered her a broad smile. ¡°Well, well, well, Alexandretta! I am sorry to hear that you are still having such¡­difficulty working with your new team. It may be that you require additional classes in teamwork. Perhaps that can be arranged.¡±


    She looked back at the team captain, allowing a little of her outrage to show. Then she made just as obvious an attempt to hide it. Let the woman think she was getting to her, just a little. ¡°I think things are going well enough. We completed our mission out there today.¡±


    ¡°At least some of you did, yes.¡± Liliana¡¯s smile grew wider. ¡°Did you have any changes to report?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Alex felt her heart hammering. ¡°I took the Skill Chain for Combined Arms and Anticipate, and for Running and Recovery as well. It set most of my Skills back to zero, but it should help me catch up to my teammates in a lot of ways.¡±


    Liliana paused, as if stunned to silence. Her expression, for a brief moment, became shrewd and calculating.


    Then she smiled. ¡°Oh? You know that isn¡¯t wise, Alexandretta. Portals can be so dangerous, and your team was already struggling to help you along. Now you want to be even more of a burden?¡±


    Alex glared at her openly now. ¡°This way I can get better, not that you care. Also, I took Inspect and Focus, too, so I¡¯ll be leveling those up now as well. Once I get those all done, there won¡¯t be a single thing you can do to stop me.¡±


    Contempt colored Liliana¡¯s expression now, but she didn¡¯t let it reach her voice. ¡°Oh Alexandretta, I¡¯d never want to stand in your way. As your team captain, I only wanted to help you. It is too bad you have continued to ignore and undervalue my advice. Such a shame to waste so much potential.¡± Before Alex could respond, Liliana gestured for her to leave. ¡°You¡¯re dismissed. Also, you¡¯re assigned more teamwork exercises for Monday. They should help put you in the appropriate frame of mind for your next Survey. Goodbye, Alexandretta.¡±


    The finality behind those words told Alex that the team captain had definitely taken the bait. Whatever plan Liliana and Paul had set up, it would be in motion for the next Survey.


    Which meant, really, all she had to do now was survive it.


    ¡°So your plan to survive your supervisor trying to kill you is to convince them to try and kill you sooner?¡± Her mother¡¯s face scrunched up in obvious discontent. ¡°That¡­does not sound like a great plan, Alex.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better than waiting for them to spring something on me when I¡¯m not expecting it.¡± Alex shrugged. She¡¯d come home for her first weekend of leave since the Raid, and her parents had immediately pounced on her, demanding the details of her situation. Now her mother was grimacing over the plan, while her father sat back looking thoughtful. She looked at him, realizing that he¡¯d been pretty quiet since she¡¯d started. ¡°What do you think, Dad?¡±


    Eric blinked, his large frame jumping a little as if the question had startled him. ¡°Hm? Oh. Yes.¡± He glanced at his wife, and seemed to pick his words very, very carefully. ¡°I think it is probably the best option you have under the circumstances. Are you sure you don¡¯t just want to quit instead, though?¡±


    It was a fair question, and Alex took a moment to sit and consider it. ¡°I mean, it is just a job. I can probably find a way to be a Surveyor anywhere, not just in this part of the state.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d have to move away, though.¡± Muriel gave her husband a level look, and Eric¡¯s expression abruptly turned alarmed. ¡°And besides, you¡¯d be leaving your friends in an awkward position. Who¡¯s to say they wouldn¡¯t turn on them next?¡±


    Alex nodded. ¡°And that¡¯s besides everything going on with the portal. Your house isn¡¯t that far from the place, and if something happened¡­¡±


    Muriel met her gaze and smiled. ¡°We¡¯d be fine, dear.¡±


    ¡°You might, but Dad isn¡¯t a Surveyor. And we both know what would happen if there was some kind of Escalation Event, right? They¡¯d call him in to get people out, and he wouldn¡¯t leave until the last idiot was dragged out of their house to safety.¡±


    They both looked at her father, and Eric grunted. ¡°I¡¯ve never criticized you two for doing your job. Are you really going to say anything to me about doing mine?¡±


    Her mother sighed and reached out to pat his hand. ¡°No, my love. It would hurt my soul to see you do anything less.¡±


    Eric gave her a half-defiant, half-grateful stare, and Muriel smiled back in a too-warm way. Alex rolled her eyes, feeling awkward, and tried to steer things back on track. ¡°So yeah, I think we are stuck with me still working for Golden Swallow¡­which means I need to handle Liliana and her pals. Better it all happen now rather than later.¡±


    Muriel looked back at her and paused. When she continued, she was speaking very, very carefully. ¡°You need to be wise about this, Alex. Portals are dangerous enough with a good team at your back. Without one, you could be in more trouble than even you could handle. If it grows too much, get out of the portal and go to the police. I have half a mind to take it to them now.¡±


    Alex grimaced. ¡°They can¡¯t prove anything is going on inside the portal, and I doubt they have any ex-Surveyors on staff to help out. No, I¡¯ve got to handle this on my own. I¡¯ll be fine, okay? I¡¯ll be ready for them. It isn¡¯t like they are going to come after me while I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    There was a knock at the door, and she blinked and came to a stop. She looked back and forth between her parents, but both of them shrugged. ¡°Nobody was coming over that you knew about?¡±


    Her father shook his head, and so did her mother. Alex¡¯s eyes narrowed, and she stood up slowly from the table. ¡°I¡¯ll go check it.¡±


    Eric looked sharply at Muriel. ¡°You don¡¯t think¡ª¡±


    Muriel raised a hand. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­but not everything happens the way it should.¡± She looked at Alex and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be right around the corner. Don¡¯t hesitate.¡±


    Alex nodded, and she walked out of the kitchen, headed for the front door. She had visions of Liliana and the rest of Team Alpha tearing through it on their way to hit her, and grimaced. The house would take a lot of damage from it, even if it would settle things pretty cleanly on her end. Who else would it be, though? It wasn¡¯t like any of her other teammates knew where her parents lived, and she¡¯d been very careful to not reveal it to anyone inside of Golden Swallow.


    She reached the door and paused. Another knock sounded, a little faster and harder this time, and she tensed. Her axe was in her hand, and she slowly rotated the handle, and then yanked the door open all at once, ready to strike.


    Zach looked back at her, his eyes wide. He looked at her axe, frozen in her hand, and then back at her face. ¡°Hey Alex! Uh, rough week?¡±


    Alex stared back at him, not quite believing he was actually there. It didn¡¯t help that he wasn¡¯t dressed in his lab uniform and coat; he was just wearing a normal t-shirt and jeans. She almost had trouble recognizing him, standing there like that. ¡°Zach? What are you¡ª¡±


    He grinned, obviously happy to have surprised her. ¡°Oh, I was just in the neighborhood and thought it would be a good idea to visit. You know, talk about things that we shouldn¡¯t have been caught doing and all.¡±


    Her eyes narrowed. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have been able to find my address in the employee directory. It was part of my contract.¡±


    ¡°Well, you certainly didn¡¯t make it easy for me, but¡­oh, hello.¡±


    Alex glanced backwards and saw her father standing in the hallway behind her. Eric¡¯s face was red. He was unsuccessfully trying to hide an old fire axe behind his broad back. ¡°Ah, hi. The name¡¯s Eric. Eric Morrison.¡±


    Her father stuck out a hand¡ªthe one not brandishing a deadly weapon¡ªand Zach leaned past Alex to shake it. He smelled like citrus. ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡­see the family resemblance.¡±


    Alex bit her lip as Eric burst out laughing and gave up on trying to hide the axe. He set it to the side, just leaning it up against the wall of the hallway. ¡°Sorry, you weren¡¯t exactly who we were expecting.¡±


    Zach nodded, his face growing a bit more serious. ¡°I can imagine. Actually, I wanted to come and talk about¡ª¡±


    He cut off abruptly, his face going absolutely blank. Alex followed his line of sight, and saw her mother, standing a little further back in the hallway. The Crimson Blade was only holding a practice sword, but her stance¡­


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    Alex turned in a quick motion and yanked Zach into the hallway. She closed the door behind him, speaking as she did so. ¡°So good of you to visit. Why don¡¯t you come in and take a seat?¡±


    Zach stumbled a bit and then turned to stare at her. ¡°She¡¯s¡­I saw her once, back before¡­Alex, she¡¯s the¡ª¡±


    Her mother stepped past Eric, smiling slightly. She¡¯d left the sword somewhere else and extended her remaining hand. ¡°Hello, Zach, I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from Alex. Good to meet you.¡±


    If the situation hadn¡¯t been so dire, Alex might have laughed at the expression on Zach¡¯s face. He¡¯d gone pale from shock, and he shook her hand in a daze. ¡°The honor¡¯s all mine, ma¡¯am. I mean, I never expected¡ª¡±


    ¡°We prefer to keep a low profile here. I¡¯m sure you understand?¡± There was a hint of iron in Muriel¡¯s voice, just a touch of a sword¡¯s edge. Zach straightened up immediately, his back going ramrod straight.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. Not a word from me to anyone.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Muriel looked at Alex. ¡°Now, I hear you came to talk with Alex about something. Care to join us in the kitchen? My husband and I can prepare a snack for you while you get settled.¡± She winked at her daughter and disappeared, partially dragging a smirking Eric behind her.


    Alex looked from her bemused parents to her shell-shocked coworker and groaned inwardly. The afternoon had just gotten quite a bit more complicated.


    ¡°So your last name isn¡¯t actually Morrison, is it?¡±


    It was the first complete question that Zach had asked, and it showed that he was finally getting his feet back under him. Alex just wished he hadn¡¯t jumped straight to a topic she really didn¡¯t want to talk about.


    ¡°It¡¯s my last name now, so that¡¯s all that matters.¡± She kept her voice level, and Zach snorted.


    ¡°Yeah, right. Alex, your mom¡¯s the Crimson Blade! You¡¯re trying to tell me that doesn¡¯t matter?¡±


    Alex fixed him with an equally level stare. ¡°Does it really change who I am at all? Or how you see me?¡±


    Zach opened his mouth. Then he paused and closed it. ¡°Mostly no, I guess.¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Though I think I have to remind you that you weren¡¯t being super honest with me during our background questions.¡±


    She flushed red. ¡°That¡¯s a good point, I guess. Sorry.¡±


    He sat back and shook his head. ¡°Still, you¡¯re the daughter of the Crimson Blade! That explains so¡­much¡­¡± Zach¡¯s words trailed off, and he suddenly looked far more thoughtful. ¡°Actually, I think I realize why you didn¡¯t say anything, either. With what happened at the end¡­¡±


    Alex nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah. It wasn¡¯t the Grue that almost killed her, and the people who did are still out there. I don¡¯t want them to realize that I¡¯m her daughter. Not until I¡¯ve gotten stronger.¡±


    Zach nodded. ¡°I get it. We can talk about it later.¡± He paused and laughed. ¡°Though I think I¡¯m going to have about a billion questions. Hope that¡¯s okay.¡±


    She sighed. ¡°Sure. Later, though.¡± He nodded easily, and she continued in a quiet voice. ¡°So you were saying you wanted to tell me something?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Right. I had three things for you, actually.¡± Zach brought out his familiar tablet. ¡°First off, the Group has completed its investigation of the missing health potions you used on the Raid.¡±


    Alex froze. She spoke carefully. ¡°What did they find?¡±


    Zach slumped slightly. ¡°They got me. Apparently, there was a security camera pointed right at the dang things. No way to even dispute it.¡±


    She winced. ¡°How much trouble are you in?¡±


    ¡°Oh, the usual. Temporary suspension of pay, punishment work, threatened to terminate my internship, etc.¡± Zach shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s a bunch of regulations about hiring and firing people from the PAD, or else I think they would have tossed me out already. Once the internship is up, I have a feeling they won¡¯t be offering me a permanent job.¡±


    Alex grimaced. She looked away. ¡°I¡¯m¡­sorry to hear that.¡±


    Zach snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t be. It was worth getting you through that Survey. Besides, you¡¯ve been helping me with the monitors, too.¡±


    It still didn¡¯t seem like a fair trade, but she nodded slowly. ¡°So what do they have you doing now?¡±


    ¡°Paid administrative leave.¡± He grinned at her look. ¡°My boss was assigned to the PAD because he ticked off his own supervisor at the time. He gave me a fist bump and asked me if you had an older sister.¡±


    Alex rolled her eyes and tried to ignore the amused snort from her father in the next room. ¡°So you have all this time to yourself, huh? What have you been doing?¡±


    ¡°I might have wandered down to the containment area around the portal, actually. Put in a few more off-the-book hours looking into the information we have about it. Historical data, Survey reports, stuff like that.¡± He slid the tablet over to her. ¡°Found a couple of interesting things. Take a look.¡±


    She picked up the tablet and read. A frown spread across her face as she did. ¡°The portal used to be C rank?¡±


    ¡°Yep! And B rank before that.¡± Zach pointed at the tablet. ¡°They ran a few high level Raids back then, targeting a few Anchor Points. Once those were taken down, the portal¡¯s danger rating dropped significantly. It¡¯s been classified as E rank ever since.¡±


    Alex kept reading, her frown growing as she did. ¡°It¡­seems like it was stable as an E rank portal for a long time, actually. Lots of Surveys went through with no issues, and rare losses.¡± She looked up. ¡°So whatever this project is, it¡¯s recent. They haven¡¯t been doing it for very long.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That means it probably has a pretty fresh budget trail. I¡¯ve tried tracking down what I could from public expenditures and boardroom reports, but I haven¡¯t found anything quite yet. At least, nothing specific to this area.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Still, it tells us they might still be persuaded to cancel it if things get bad enough. They don¡¯t have years of work put into it yet.¡±


    She grunted and swiped her finger to go to the next set of slides. This time she was confronted by the familiar graphs of monitor readings. ¡°Did something change about the readings from the portal?¡±


    ¡°Aside from the fact that they are getting progressively worse, and happening a lot more frequently? No, not really.¡± Zach grimaced and gestured for her to go to the next slide. ¡°Did you hear about the traffic accident on Thursday?¡±


    The non sequitur almost completely threw her for a loop. ¡°No? What does that have to do with¡ª¡±


    Zach held up a hand. ¡°There was a three car pile up along Elm Street. Almost completely blocked the road, caused about an hour of delay for anything along that entire part of the city.¡± He paused a moment, allowing her to think through the implications. Elm Street ran near the containment area, and if there had been a bad accident, it would have blocked anyone coming from the Group¡¯s main offices to the portal.


    ¡°So the convoy to the portal got delayed?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Yeah. They were about an hour behind schedule. Didn¡¯t get there until way later than usual.¡± Then he gestured to the tablet. ¡°Look at the magical output for Thursday, though. Tell me what you see.¡±


    Alex frowned down at the graph. ¡°The same spike of magical output. It lasted a little longer, but it started at the same time¡­¡± She blinked. ¡°Wait. If the convoy was delayed, but the output still spiked on schedule¡­¡±


    ¡°Then the convoy isn¡¯t causing the spikes. They¡¯re reacting to the spikes.¡± Zach¡¯s face grew grim. ¡°Odds are, they are sending a group of C rankers into the portal to try and calm it down a bit. The C ranks do what they can, and then the E rank teams that go in after are just dealing with the leftovers.¡±


    ¡°Then why have us go in at all? Why not just keep sending in C ranks?¡±


    ¡°Because the E ranks are being used as cover for what is going on.¡± Alex looked over and saw her mother leaning against the kitchen doorframe. Her eye was narrowed, and she was looking at Zach. ¡°The company can¡¯t admit that things are going off at the portal, so they are sending in the C ranks off the books. As long as E ranks are going in regularly, they can still classify the place as an E rank portal, and their little project stays under the radar.¡±


    Zach nodded. ¡°That¡¯s part of what I concluded, yeah. If they openly admit that they are using C ranks to deal with the issue, it might get the project canceled, so they are trying to keep that from becoming common knowledge.¡± Then he paused, shaking his head a little as if to clear it. ¡°There¡¯s another part, though. If the convoy isn¡¯t causing the spikes, that means that their mission isn¡¯t to create the spikes. It¡¯s to contain them.¡±


    Both Muriel and Alex looked at Zach, nonplussed. He looked back at each of them and then grimaced. ¡°It means that whatever is causing the portal spikes isn¡¯t in the other world. No one else went through the portal before the convoy arrived, so that means¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s here. On Earth.¡± Alex¡¯s eyes widened. She¡¯d never heard of anything that could affect a portal like that on the Earth side. Everything that modified the portal¡¯s energy had to be in the other world, otherwise there wouldn¡¯t be any need for Surveyors to go through. If that was wrong¡­ ¡°Where is it? The thing they¡¯re using?¡±


    ¡°No idea. Not yet, at least.¡± Zach held up his hands defensively. ¡°I looked around the containment area, and I didn¡¯t find any secret underground lairs or anything. No tunnels with a lot of dark SUVs going in and out, at least. It has to be a separate facility, but it can¡¯t be too far away from the portal. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t affect it so strongly.¡±


    Alex nodded. The implications of being able to mess with a portal from the Earth side were staggering. Could they decrease the output as well as increase it? Could the portals be closed completely? It was the kind of thing that could save hundreds of thousands of lives in the right hands.


    Then again, was the Golden Swallow Group the right place for that kind of discovery? If they managed to find a way to close the portals, they¡¯d probably be cutting off their own revenue flow. Would they choose to close the portals anyway, or would they just use their new discovery to selectively worsen portals and take the additional contract fees for suppressing them? She wanted to deny that possibility, but the fact that they were keeping everything so tightly under wraps rather than trumpeting it to the world gave her an unpleasant hint about the answer to her questions.


    ¡°Okay. So what do we do about it?¡± She looked from Zach to her mother and back. ¡°Once we find it, do we alert the authorities? Would the Portal Regulation Agency shut it down?¡±


    ¡°The PRA might already know about it, but even if they do, publishing anything on the web about it will bring a lot of unpleasant pressure on them.¡± Muriel shrugged. ¡°If all else fails, we could just hit it ourselves. Maybe do enough damage to stop it.¡±


    Alex gave her mother a look. ¡°They have Forsmith, and probably a whole team of C rankers, Mom. I doubt you and me are going to be able to take them and whatever guards they have set up there.¡±


    Muriel smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, they probably can¡¯t station regular guards at the place. If there¡¯s a ton of magical energy leaking everywhere, they¡¯d at least have to use E rankers, and those don¡¯t come cheap. We probably wouldn¡¯t be facing that much, and if your friends helped¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not staging a mutiny at the Group, Mom. We¡¯ll just have to find another way.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point, though. The E rank thing, I mean.¡± Zach reached out for his tablet, and Alex handed it back. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can track down any of their ex-Surveyor guards to see if anyone has an odd assignment or is pulling extra hours. Maybe that¡¯ll lead me to the project, and where it is located. I¡¯ll let you know as soon as I find it.¡±


    Alex nodded. ¡°Good. I¡¯ll keep my eye open for anything else.¡± Then she sighed. ¡°As long as my own team doesn¡¯t kill me, that is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I might have heard a little something about that.¡± Zach tilted his head. ¡°Something about payback and comeuppance for a certain E rank Surveyor who should know better than to challenge the company, or something like that. You sure you¡¯re okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Zach.¡± Alex smiled. ¡°Just need to get through another couple of Surveys, and it should be handled.¡±


    ¡°All right, just checking.¡± Then Zach smiled. ¡°And to make doubly sure of that¡­¡±


    He reached into his pocket and drew out a vial full of health potion. Zach slid it across the table to her. ¡°Just in case. You know, if things go really wrong.¡±


    Alex picked it up, feeling the weight of the syrup inside. ¡°You¡¯re not going to get in trouble for it?¡±


    Zach snorted. ¡°Probably. It¡¯s worth it, though.¡± He patted her hand and then stood up. ¡°Well, I should probably get going. Mr. and¡­ Mrs. Morrison, it was good to meet you.¡±


    Her mother smirked and nodded back. Her father popped out of the adjacent room to wave goodbye and then vanished just as quickly. Alex walked Zach to the door and closed it after he left. She stood there a moment, staring at the closed door and thinking.


    ¡°Nice boy. I can see why you¡­work so well together.¡±


    Alex spun to point a finger at her mother. ¡°Don¡¯t you start too.¡±


    Her mother grinned. ¡°All right, all right. Would some sparring help you to focus? You have a lot to think about.¡±


    She snorted, but followed her mother out to the practice area anyway. Better to work out a little instead of letting her mind run in circles. Her next Survey was only a few days away.

 B1Ch21: Survive First

    Light surrounded her. Today was the day.


    [E Rank Surveyor Alex]


    [Ascension Level: 3]


    [Role: Page (Role Skills: None)]


    [Role Level: 3]


    [Experience: 520/1000]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 3, Speed -> 6, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Battle Maneuvers(18), Marathoning(1), Melee¨CAxe(18), Melee¨CShield(18)]


    [Permanent Skills: None]


    [Current Titles: Lady of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by one.),


    Ferocity (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by one.),


    Natural Combatant (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by one),


    Persistent (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, and Marathoning by one.)]


    She drew in a breath. The Screen looked very different from what Liliana and Team Alpha had been conditioned to expect. She¡¯d spent half of Monday losing to the other members of Team Alpha in practice spars¡ªexercises that she was half-sure came from a desire to make sure that she had reset her Skills to zero. Alex had deliberately taken a beating, making sure to move too slowly and too clumsily for them to miss. Each of her supposed teammates had taken turns knocking her around, and Liliana¡¯s smile had been brighter than ever by the end.


    Hopefully, that smile wouldn¡¯t look very good when Alex survived their plan and came back anyway.


    [Please select your intent]


    [Exploration]


    [Vengeance]


    [Patrol]


    [War]


    [Salvage]


    She hesitated over the choice. Her previous selections had both gone to Patrol, and she¡¯d been able to fully clear them thanks to her teammates trying to sandbag her and dawdling too much in the area. This time, she didn¡¯t know if she wanted to deal with as much combat as before. If something serious happened between her and Team Alpha, she might need to avoid combat rather than throwing herself at every obstacle. The same reasoning made her want to avoid War and Vengeance as well, since the same logic applied there.


    Alex was left with either Salvage or Exploration, then, and she paused over that choice for a moment longer. Salvage seemed interesting, but she currently lacked an Inspect Skill, which might make things difficult. With that in mind, she picked Exploration, bracing herself for the unknown.


    [Your intent is to Explore]


    [Quest Issued! Explore one of the following Areas: Town Hall, Airport, Truck Stop, Courthouse.]


    [Quest Issued! Explore one of the following Areas: Mansion, Pool, Power Plant.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    She looked over the Quests and groaned a little. Well, she¡¯d asked for the challenge; now she certainly had one.


    Then she shook her head and tried to get focused. The trap from Team Alpha came first. Once that was over, she could worry about finding the rest of the places. Hopefully, she¡¯d at least run across a map.


    As she was thinking, the light came for her¡­


    Stepping out into the other world felt very, very different this time.


    For once, Team Alpha appeared to be laser focused on their objectives. They had politely asked her what her Quests were¡ªshe¡¯d lied and said something about choosing War, which had made Paul almost smirk¡ªand then had headed out immediately towards one of the known Camps. Alex had been told they would hit the Field first, followed by the Chapel again, and then home. A simple, straightforward way to complete the Quests for everyone.


    She hadn¡¯t believed a word, and her suspicions only grew worse as it appeared that Team Alpha¡¯s stealth skills had miraculously improved. They managed to avoid and slip past every single patrol between the portal and the Field, making great time to the Camp. It just coincidentally would have given her no opportunity to level up her supposedly nonexistent Skills, which set her even more on edge.


    They made it to the Field just as the horns sounded. Alex crouched with the others as she saw the Grue leaving for the portal. There were twenty of them, with two Knights and two Archers. If that many had left from each portal, there would be at least six times as much following the Killer around. She shivered slightly and then turned her attention to the Camp.


    Almost immediately her Screen came to life.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy four Grue Knights]


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy four Grue Archers]


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Clear two Grue Camps]


    She grimaced. The Quests wouldn¡¯t be easy, but maybe she¡¯d at least run across enough patrols to get two of them done. Maybe she could hook up with one of the other teams to finish the one for the Camps too. It would just depend on when Team Alpha decided to spring their surprise.


    Paul crouched down next to her, his voice quiet. ¡°All right, Alex, I talked with the other teams, and it¡¯s going to be our turn to play tag with the Killer today, okay? We¡¯re going to need to hit that Camp before anyone else hits theirs. Then we need to head to the Chapel before it can get to us.¡±


    Alex nodded, wondering where he was going to go with this plan. She didn¡¯t believe for a moment that he had been coordinating the Killer¡¯s attention with the other teams¡ªsomebody would have mentioned it to her, at least¡ªbut she didn¡¯t understand why he was bothering with the additional risk here. Why would he risk getting chased by the Killer if his only real mission was to make sure she was out of the picture?


    He pointed to the Camp. ¡°Okay, we¡¯re all going in together this time, all right? We all charge, but if it looks too risky for you, be sure to pull back. I know your Skills aren¡¯t really up to snuff, and I don¡¯t want you taking unnecessary risks. Understand?¡± She nodded, and he smiled. ¡°All right, let¡¯s go. Everybody get as close as you can, and when I give the signal, we go.¡±


    The rest of the team nodded along, and they crept forward. Ahead of them, the Camp seemed relaxed and unaware of the threat. Many of the Grue hadn¡¯t picked up their spears yet, and Alex wondered for a brief moment if they were actually going to manage to catch them by surprise. If so, it was possible that they could actually clear the Camp fairly easily. There weren¡¯t that many Grue left, after all.


    She snuck about as close as she could and waited for the signal. It occurred to her she didn¡¯t know precisely what signal that Paul had chosen for the attack to begin. From previous attacks, she guessed he would just shout and they would all run in. Why was it taking so long?


    Alex had just started to feel a creeping sense of dread when she heard Paul yell. She was up out of her hiding spot and sprinting towards the Camp, her axe and shield held ready.


    Then she heard a Grue horn sound. It was right behind her, just a block or so back, and it made her immediately jump and spin, looking for whatever patrol had sounded it.


    She saw nothing. There were no Grue, and she didn¡¯t see the rest of Team Alpha either. Where were they? Had they just left?


    The Grue in the Camp were howling and snarling now, and realized what kind of trap her teammates had planned. She hesitated, wondering if she should pull back, but an arrow hissing by over her head answered the question for her. Running wouldn¡¯t do any good if an Archer put an arrow in her back, and if she tried to hide, the area would be crawling with Grue soon¡ªespecially if the Killer decided to show up.


    Alex turned back to face the Camp. There were at least thirty Grue, two Knights, and two Archers. Alone, and with no Skills, she¡¯d have lasted maybe two minutes against them. As it was, even with her Skills, the next few minutes weren¡¯t promising.


    Which made it that much more important to finish things quickly.


    Without another thought, Alex turned and resumed her charge into the Camp. She didn¡¯t have long before the group that had been heading to the portal turned back, and probably not long after that until the Killer showed up. If she was going to clear this Camp, it had to happen now, before any of those reinforcements showed up to bury her.


    The Grue in front of her were howling and snarling in a way that seemed to sound like laughter to her; part of her thought she recognized Paul¡¯s voice in the noises they made, and her anger grew hotter for it. She ran faster, knocking away a second arrow that sped towards her and ducking beneath a third. Both Knights were lazily taking up their swords and shields, even as the Grue turned their spears in her direction. They seemed to consider the single Surveyor charging them already dead.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    If they wanted to be as dumb as her supposed teammates, then she would be more than happy to show them exactly how wrong they were.


    Alex reached the first Grue and smashed into them without slowing down. She didn¡¯t bother holding back this time; there was no one left to deceive or mislead. Just enemies and a battle she needed to win. Spears shattered, and she hit one of the things hard enough that it left the ground, hurtling back into a pile of its shocked friends. Her axe reaped a toll from them in a single brutal swing.


    More spears came in from the sides. She blocked left and sidestepped the ones on her right, before spinning around to cut down two from one side and smash aside the spears from the other. Completing the spin cut the legs out from three more on her right and got her facing the right way when another two jumped in at her from straight ahead. One she smashed aside; the other caught her axe in its chest and went down into the pile of dead with a crunch.


    Instead of waiting for more to attack, she jumped forward over the dying Grue herself. She smashed aside another Grue with her shield as she landed and then started hacking at the rest as they swarmed in at her. The bodies at her back kept them from striking her from behind easily; it didn¡¯t keep all of them from trying, but the one that made the attempt just got its spear snatched away and thrown into the ranks of the ones coming from ahead of her.


    Alex held position there for a handful of moments, cutting down as many Grue as she could. They threw themselves at her from every direction, their spears glancing off her shield, snapping beneath her blows, or sliding past her as she dodged. Her heart beat like a war drum, her breath was fire in her throat, and pure, unadulterated exhilaration fought with dull, unyielding despair as she wrought death among the monsters.


    It couldn¡¯t last; she knew it wouldn¡¯t. There were too many enemies crowding around, too many spears to dodge. Even if there hadn¡¯t been so many Grue Soldiers, the Knights were striding towards her, with the Archers taking careful aim. No matter how many she cut down, standing still was not a true option.


    So as she continued to dodge and hack, Alex caught sight of an opening to her left and charged into it. She ducked and dodged as an arrow slid past, as howling Grue lunged in to stab and claw, and repaid the enemies within her reach with axe strokes. Some of the Grue had chased after her, their spears reaching for her back, while others set themselves to block her path and hedge her in.


    She scattered them, cutting down half a dozen of them between her and the edge of the Camp. The ones behind weren¡¯t fast enough to catch her; though some of their spearpoints glanced off her armor and helmet, none of them left more than a scratch on her arms and legs. They howled and gave chase, trying to close the distance as she sprinted for the edge of the Field.


    Alex ran for a long moment, allowing her pursuers to grow drawn out and overextended. Their wall of spears became a trail of howling hunters, trying their best to chase down the prey.


    They were ill prepared when their quarry abruptly stopped and turned to face them.


    The fastest of the Grue dashed in at her in triumph, and she cut them to pieces. Three of them fell before the others slowed their pace, realizing the trap. Arrows sped in, only for her to sidestep one and block the other with her shield. Five Grue, the next fastest, came at her at once, as if hoping the arrows had given them an opening. She grinned, circling to the right as they charged so that she met them in a slightly staggered order. Their spears reached for her, but she brushed them aside and hacked at the Grue, killing them in heartbeats.


    Then the Knights were there, striding in alongside the remainder of their lesser friends. They roared in challenge, raising their swords.


    They paused in surprise when she once again ran from them, this time leading them around the field on a merry chase. Arrows sped in at her, but she kept her shield ready and caught them as they came. It didn¡¯t take long for the Grue to grow strung out again, and when she turned on them a second time, they tried to fall back in a panic. It was too late for some of them; by the time she ran again, there were another four Grue dead.


    The Knights howled their hatred, and Alex felt the breath coming harsh and desperate in her lungs. This time, as she ran, she curved inwards around the Camp. It would give the Grue behind her the chance to cut inside her course, to shorten the distance to her, but her Speed allowed her to stay ahead of them. At least, until just before she took the chance to charge at her true objectives, the Archers that still shot at her.


    Both Grue dropped their longbows as she approached, sprinting towards them with a scream of fury. They brought out their knives and axes, intending to stop her, delay her until their brethren could catch her. Their grey eyes were narrowed in determination; their feet shifted as they prepared to dance aside and strike at her, anything to keep her from darting away again.


    She did not give them the opening they wanted. Alex lowered her shield, and for one last burst of speed, she charged faster than she had before, putting every ounce of her Speed into the effort. The first Archer had enough time to shift slightly, just beginning its attempt to jump aside. Then she hit it with all the force of a freight train, striking it with her shield in a crushing blow.


    The Archer flew backwards, limp limbed. Its weapons flew from nerveless claws before it crashed back to earth in a tumble of black smoke. Alex used the impact to slow herself, changing course in an instant. For a moment she wondered if momentum would snap her ankle beneath her, but she managed to turn hard enough to charge the second Archer before it could escape.


    It attacked her in desperation. The axe lashed out, smacking into her shield; the knife hooked around the edge of the shield to stab at her. She pushed forward enough to set the Archer on the back foot, and then slashed it across the middle with her axe, quicker than it could dodge. Alex felt the impact of the blade on its shadowed form and turned around as it fell to the ground behind her.


    The pack of Grue was almost on her again, the Knights still roaring and the others braying in their wake. Her muscles ached and her heart hammered in her ears, but Alex set herself to meet their charge. She could have kept running, but something told her it would only delay the inevitable. There was only so much she could convince them to spread out. Those who still lived were sticking together now, and she would only have this one chance to hit the Knights before the rest caught up to them.


    She spared a single moment to step to the side. The first Archer was struggling to rise; she put a stop to it with a single, backhanded axe stroke. Then she crouched as the gigantic Knights came at her, their swords raised and ready.


    The first strike came fast, a thrust that should have been blindingly well timed. Alex sidestepped it easily, wondering for a moment at how much slower they seemed than they were now. She hooked the blade with her axe, yanking it down towards the ground, even as she moved straight towards the second Knight.


    This one tried to shield-charge her, braced for the impact. Alex lunged out to the left, letting her own shield glance against the shield of her enemy. The impact spun her partway around, and she ducked beneath a slash that would have torn her head off.


    Her opponents turned, trying to face her again. Their movements grew momentarily tangled as one¡¯s sword bounced off the ground, and the other stepped in front of its friend. For just a single instant, they were attacking her one at a time, instead of together.


    Alex struck in that moment. She drove towards the closest with her own shield-charge, smashing into it while its footing was still insecure. It was driven backwards, increasing the tangle, and she caught a sneaky, underhanded slash with her axe. Another shove nearly toppled the Knight, and then she darted inside its reach.


    She spent a good portion of her strength in a single, brutal leap, one that put the whole weight of her body behind a rising cut of her axe. The blade tore through the armpit of the Knight, leaving a ruinous gash in its smokey flesh. As she started to drop, Alex reversed her cut and hacked into the thing, using her axe like an ice pick to lever her upwards in another jump.


    The second leap pushed her up and over the other Knight, who was now shoving its dying companion out of the way. Alex deflected a desperate upward stab, knocking it aside with her shield. Then she hacked into its neck with her axe and used her own weight to pull it over flat onto its back. She ripped the axe free and struck it twice more before it could recover.


    It went still, and Alex had barely a half second to enjoy her victory before the remaining Grue leapt on her. The remainder of the battle was a rush of stabs, dodges, attacks, and guards as she wove in and out of the spears she faced. At one point, to her shock, the first Knight tried to rise, as badly wounded as it had been. She was forced to take a wound in her leg so she could finish cutting it down, not wanting to face it after it regained its feet.


    By the time she finished the last of them, she was wavering with exhaustion and blood loss. Pain flared from half a dozen deep wounds, and three times as many minor scrapes¡ªshe didn¡¯t even truly remember where they had all come from. Yet she was still there, victorious.


    Howling rose from one of the streets connecting to the stadium. She lifted her eyes to see the reinforcements coming, their Knights and Archers already striding towards her. Alex gritted her teeth and braced herself.


    Then the crystal at the center of the Camp broke, and the Grue that had been spawned by it seemed to ripple. Even as they charged forwards, their weapons raised to strike, their forms grew¡­indistinct. The dark smoke faded to purple, then to grey. Their howls became reedy and thin, dwindling into nothing compared to the calm breeze of the world. None of them made it to the edge of the Field before they vanished.


    Relief smashed through her like a blow, and yellow text appeared in her vision.


    [Battle Maneuvers has advanced to 20!]


    [Melee¨CAxe has advanced to 20!]


    [Melee¨CShield has advanced to 20!]


    [Marathoning has advanced to 4!]


    [Hidden Quest Progress 2 of 4 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress 2 of 4 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress 1 of 2 camps cleared]


    Alex took a moment to appreciate those markers of victory, and then she dismissed the Screen. With a tired hand, she drew out the health potion Zach had given to her. She took a healthy swig of it, and then paused as fire wove itself through her wounds. Horns still sounded further into the town; the Killer was still coming for her.


    So now what did she do?


    Her Quests settled the matter for her. She could kill a few more patrols and finish the Hidden Quests easily enough, but if she wanted to complete everything, she¡¯d need to go exploring. It was likely she needed to find a new Camp to destroy, too¡ªthe rest of Team Alpha was probably going to take at least one of them out before heading for home themselves.


    She wondered if they had coordinated enough to take the Patrol intent this time. It would have given them a chance to only need to fight one Camp, if they didn¡¯t care about a full clear. Then the rest of their time they could just pick off Grue patrols and eventually head back to the portal victorious. Either that, or they just considered it worth the effort to get rid of her, even if they fell short on their advancements for a day.


    Either way, she had no intention of giving up on things herself. Which meant that she needed a map of some kind.


    Unfortunately, the Field was almost as far from the Library as it could possibly be, and with the Killer running around, she would need to take the long way around. So she spent the first bit of her victorious survival running¡ªmore like a steady jog, her armor shaking and her weapons held tight in her hand¡ªin a long loop around the rest of the town, trying to stay ahead of any pursuers that followed her.


    Fortunately, it turned out that Marathoning was good for more than speed. To her surprise, she started actually feeling a bit refreshed every time she slowed to a stop; her arm muscles were less sore, at least, and she definitely felt better than she suspected she would have if she had just walked. Perhaps it had even helped her fatigue during the battle. Her memories of the fight were inexact, but it could have been the case. Not that she was excited to try it again.


    There were horns again in the town, as the others attacked the Camps they had been assigned. She thought she heard the Killer¡¯s horn answering, but she had long since given up on keeping track. If the others destroyed the Camps, it would just make the thing easier to deal with if it caught her. Not that she had any illusions about how easy that fight would be.


    She was jogging along, somewhere far to the south of the portal, when she caught sight of a large, domed building. Smokestacks rose from it, though there was nothing coming out of them. It was surrounded by a barbed wire fence, and the drawing on the sign outside had a jagged lightning bolt. Alex paused, her breath rasping in her throat.


    [Marathoning has advanced to 5!]


    Alex dismissed the text and considered the sign for a moment longer. Then she started jogging in that direction. Maybe she had happened onto a bit of luck, after all.


    The fence had been torn to pieces at some point in the past, ripping a gigantic hole in it. She examined it for a little while before passing through it. Even if it wasn¡¯t the Power Plant, maybe it would still give her a place to rest for a while. It had to be better than a random house on the street.

 B1Ch22: Raising the Stakes

    Alex quickly decided that she did not like the Power Plant.


    It was a hollow, empty place. She could see the signs of Grue everywhere, as well as signs of battle. The smell of magic was somehow stronger here than it was elsewhere in the other world, too. She didn¡¯t like that, or the fact that it was thick enough here that it was actually noticeable. What was wrong with this place?


    She crept past empty security stations and vacant offices, peeking in here and there. It was the Power Plant; she saw some kind of newspaper article framed in one of the conference rooms, and although she couldn¡¯t read the text, she could see the lightbulbs and lightning symbols beside the picture of the place.


    Alex continued to explore the place, wondering if there was any spot she could trust to lie down and rest. Marathoning or not, her muscles were starting to feel dead, and if she was going to go up against another Camp anytime soon, she was going to need her strength. None of the offices seemed secure enough, and she wanted to make sure she wasn¡¯t setting up right next to a Camp before she tried hiding in a control station.


    She worked her way into the main power room, where a normal place would have some kind of generators humming away. Alex hadn¡¯t thought very much about what this strange place might use for power, but it couldn¡¯t be that different from Earth, right?


    Her assumption was wrong. When she stepped into the power room, there were no generators, and no bits of humming machinery at all. Instead, there was the wreckage of a battle, and a shattered Anchor Point.


    Alex stared at the destroyed ring of crystal, taking in the sight. She looked up and saw strange devices mounted in the ceiling, where they might have reached down to nearly touch the Anchor. Had this world actually used magic itself to generate electricity? It made some amount of sense, but still¡­


    [Main Quest Completed! The Power Plant has been explored]


    Alex blinked and then smiled a little. At least she was certain that there weren¡¯t any Grue patrols or Camps lurking in the place. She backtracked to one of the offices and wedged a desk against the door. She could afford to grab some rest, if just for a half hour or so. The Killer probably had plenty of other things to worry about, and if it made Liliana sweat, she would be fine with it.


    For now, sleep beckoned, and she would have been a fool to ignore it.


    She woke some time later, feeling much refreshed and ready to continue her work.


    The town seemed much quieter now; she guessed that the rest of the Surveyors had already gone back through the portal. It was probably true that she could head back as well, but Alex was not quite done with the place. She had four more Quests to complete, and she wasn¡¯t going to be satisfied until she finished all of them. Liliana¡¯s schedule could look after itself.


    Alex started her jog through the streets again, carefully ignoring the sky. She hadn¡¯t been asleep that long, but she had bad memories of things from the Raid, and she didn¡¯t want to see a repeat of the experience. Luckily, nothing but clouds appeared as she moved along the empty streets, passing ruined house after ruined house.


    She had wanted to continue her loop around the town to reach the Library, hoping to be able to find a map there, when fortune smiled on her again, and she found herself jogging past a building that looked a lot more ornate than the others. There were the usual Grue markings everywhere, but she could still see marble columns and a statue of some kind of formal-looking scroll. Whether it was the Courthouse or the Town Hall, it would have to do.


    Alex approached the place carefully, trying not to make any noise. She was not as stealthy as some of her teammates had been, but she knew how to move without kicking things everywhere. Hopefully, that would be enough.


    She went through a side door, one that had been propped open and abandoned. It looked as if the large, fancy doors opened too, but she thought they would be a little too obvious for what she had in mind.


    Inside, there was a reception desk. She heard growls and yips coming from the doors behind it, and she crept up to one of them as quietly as she could. When she peeked inside, she found what looked like a courtroom, complete with a jury box and a judge¡¯s stand. It seemed a lot bigger than it should have been, though, with something like stadium seating and a second floor of seats. Perhaps people in this world had liked the court system a bit more than ours.


    Most of the seats in the room had been cleared away, though, leaving space for a Grue Camp. The crystal and flame hovered right in front of where the judge would have sat, and Grue were lounging about everywhere. They seemed remarkably unconcerned; even the Knights and Archers seemed to have set their weapons aside so they could rest and talk with each other. A handful were technically standing guard, but even if they had spears in their hands, their grey eyes were closed, and they were slumped against the wall as if they were napping.


    Alex smiled. The cramped room was probably not going to be as easy to fight in as the Field, and she doubted that she¡¯d be able to run away easily like last time. She didn¡¯t think she¡¯d need to though. They hadn¡¯t seen her; her own team hadn¡¯t betrayed her. It was just going to be her and a single, devastating charge.


    Just the way she liked it. She flexed her hands on her weapons and prepared to charge.


    A handful of minutes later, Alex limped her way out of the Courthouse, waving away the yellow text that assaulted her.


    [Main Quest Completed! The Courthouse has been explored]


    [Hidden Quest Completed! Two Grue Camps cleared]


    [Hidden Quest Completed! Four Grue Knights destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Completed! Four Grue Archers destroyed]


    She paused, listening for horns to sound, but none did. Either the Killer was too far away, or they had lowered their guard completely. Then she polished off the last of the health potion and waited for her wounds to burn clean.


    Once that was finished, Alex headed off for the portal, her time for the Survey very much finished. Now all she had to do was see the look on Liliana and Paul¡¯s face when she showed up alive one more time.


    Light surrounded her, and she smiled.


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quests Completed! +60 Experience]


    [Secondary Challenge Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary War Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Challenge Quest Completed! + 40 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! + 40 Experience]


    At this rate, if she completed one more Survey with a full clear, she was going to hit level four. Not a bad goal, all things considered. She wondered if any of her old teammates were almost there as well. Team Alpha certainly wasn¡¯t, which brought her some satisfaction.


    [Battle Maneuvers increased from 18 to 20!]


    [Melee¨CAxe increased from 18 to 20!]


    [Melee¨CShield increased from 18 to 20!]


    [Marathoning increased from 1 to 10!]


    Then came the offers that were almost painful to deny.


    [Battle Maneuvers has reached level 20! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Battle Maneuvers to gain a Title?]


    It wasn¡¯t an option, even if she wished it was. She grimaced and dismissed the options for her Melee Skills as well. She just couldn¡¯t afford to weaken her Skills now, especially since her ¡®teammates¡¯ would be aware that she knew about their plots. Even if she was sure the Titles she¡¯d gain would be incredibly helpful.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Melee¨CAxe and Melee¨CShield?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels.]


    Another offer, and another painful choice. Better safe than sorry, this time.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    With that choice, she was finished. She waited for the light to take her once more, her lips already forming a smile for the scene that would greet her¡­


    Alex stepped out onto a dark, mostly empty platform.


    Dark clouds had rolled in overhead, though it didn¡¯t look like it was quite ready to rain yet. A rumble of distant thunder suggested that it could change at any moment, though. Apparently, that had been enough to convince the rest of the Surveyors to leave, because the bus that had carried them here was gone, along with everyone else. No teams of E ranks, no Liliana, no guards. The only other person waiting for her was Forsmith.


    The C rank was staring at her, his eyebrows raised. He¡¯d been standing on the platform a short distance away, his black uniform immaculate and his hands folded behind his back. He looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes, but the shock on his face erased some of the fatigue.


    She looked at him for a moment, then swept her gaze across the rest of the containment area. There were lights on at the guard checkpoint, but Ron was probably far enough away that any sound wouldn¡¯t carry that far. When she looked back at Forsmith, his expression had closed down again, returning to a safe neutrality. ¡°Surveyor Forsmith.¡±


    ¡°Surveyor Morrison.¡± He nodded to her slowly.


    ¡°You here to grief me, Forsmith?¡±


    The question seemed to catch him off guard. A mix of outrage and shock flooded his expression for an instant before he closed down again, and his voice was still an angry growl when he responded. ¡°I am not here to harm you, Surveyor Morrison. I was going to come in after you, if you were still not back before the next hour was up.¡±


    She studied him a bit longer. Then she nodded. ¡°Call me Alex. And thanks.¡± He gave her a curt nod, and she rolled her shoulders a little to loosen them. It was disappointing that she didn¡¯t get to see everyone¡¯s expression right away, but that was how it worked sometimes. ¡°What was the story they told you?¡±


    Forsmith tilted their head, watching her carefully. ¡°Team Alpha claimed you broke off from them and said you were going to accomplish your mission on your own. That you didn¡¯t listen to them, and that they couldn¡¯t find you. That they had to come back alone.¡±


    Alex snorted, shaking her head. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty tidy story, actually. Kind of impressive, even if Liliana helped them out with it.¡±


    He blinked, and then his expression grew grim. ¡°You¡¯re disputing their account?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°Why bother? What happens on the other side of a portal kind of stays there, right?¡±


    The other Surveyor watched her another long moment in silence. Then he sighed, shaking his head. ¡°Surveyor Morrison, why are you still here? Surely you could obtain better conditions elsewhere, even if you continued working as a Surveyor. Why even be a Surveyor in the first place? Why not search for a better life?¡±


    Alex stared back at him, debating her answer for a moment. Eventually, she fell back on her usual response. ¡°I want to be an S rank Surveyor.¡±


    Forsmith grimaced. ¡°But why, Ms. Morrison? You don¡¯t seem particularly power hungry. You¡¯re not apparently obsessed with glory either. Perhaps you might be ambitious, but even then, you¡¯d be better served by a company that actually recognizes your talents. So why bother risking your life for a simple rank?¡±


    She struggled with the answer for another moment. Then she decided to risk the truth. ¡°Who watches the watchmen, Forsmith?¡±


    Forsmith¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You¡¯re joking. You cannot be that stupid.¡± He took a step forward, his expression showing actual anger now. ¡°The Regulation Agency is a toothless joke, Surveyor Morrison. It hasn¡¯t accomplished anything even partially notable in a decade. The only real Regulation team died years ago. Their last surviving member crawled out of the portal crippled and then died in a hospital fire. If that is your dream, then find a better one. You will help no one dead. Their idiotic motto isn¡¯t going to shield you from reality, any more than it did them.¡±


    Alex watched him a moment longer. He¡¯d been speaking in anger, but she heard the despair hiding beneath it. Forsmith was speaking like someone who¡¯d seen his heroes die. ¡°You¡¯re right, Forsmith.¡±


    He stopped, surprise going across his face, and she continued before he could respond. ¡°Their motto never really made sense. They were always worried about Surveyors going out of control, abusing their powers and becoming cruel. They were so busy watching the Surveyors, they never realized what could happen if the rest of society turned on them. If the people with money, with power in this world, got involved. It was a blind spot, and it got them killed.¡±


    She shook her head, going back over old memories. Of watching the news. Of her father, making preparations for a ¡®hospital visit¡¯ that ended in fire. Of living on the run. Alex shook those memories aside and continued. ¡°Who watches the watchmen? That never applied to Surveyors. Everyone is already watching us. The real question is, who protects the protectors? That¡¯s what I¡¯m going to have as my motto. That¡¯s going to be my goal.¡±


    Alex looked up at Forsmith, and she smiled. ¡°Who protects the protectors, Forsmith? I will. Someday, I¡¯ll be strong enough to protect them all. Even you.¡±


    He stared back at her, incredulity slowly fading into blank neutrality again. ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is.¡± She tilted her head, smiling a little. ¡°Cause if it isn¡¯t me, who is protecting you, Forsmith? Is there anyone looking out for you at all?¡± Alex paused, letting a painful silence fall, just for a moment. ¡°Remember that, when Liliana asks you to grief me. And remember that she¡¯ll do it because she thinks every Surveyor here, regardless of rank, is pocket change she can spend whenever she wants for their little project with the portal. Food for thought, okay?¡±


    Another silence followed as they stared at each other. Then Alex stretched and looked around the area. ¡°So, did you bring a car? Cause I can run back, but it¡¯s been kind of a long day.¡± Thunder rumbled, and a gust of wind carried the smell of rain. When she looked back, she thought she saw Forsmith smile a little, though it vanished too quickly to be sure. He gestured for her to follow him, and they started on the way home.


    ¡°Your recklessness is appalling, Alexandretta. By running off on your team, you¡¯ve jeopardized every member of the teams sent through the portal, and forced valuable company resources to stand by for your return. Your continual disregard for company policies and procedures has remained a serious concern for me. Do you have anything to say for yourself?¡±


    Liliana¡¯s voice was shrill for once. Apparently, the day was not turning out how she expected. It was a shame.


    They were in Liliana¡¯s office in the Group¡¯s complex, where Alex had been summoned immediately after she¡¯d arrived back in the dorms. The team captain was sitting at her desk, glaring up at Alex from where she sat. Alex was not sitting; her team captain hadn¡¯t been in the mood to give her that chance. She hadn¡¯t said much, either; Liliana didn¡¯t seem interested in hearing anything she had to say, which was hardly a surprise.


    Alex stared back at Liliana. She didn¡¯t respond.


    Her silence appeared to infuriate the woman even more, to the point where she finally stood up and stalked around the desk to glare at her from closer range. ¡°Paul Haversen is the son of a respected member of the Group. His testimony regarding this incident will not be questioned by some unknown nobody without the discipline or the team dedication to follow his lead. If you attempt to do so, I will hear about it, and there will be consequences. Do you understand?¡±


    Alex chose silence again, trying not to smirk. Liliana seemed very concerned about the possibility of having more than one narrative about the events of the previous Survey. The plan had been a pretty good one¡ªAlex hadn¡¯t known Paul was connected, but it made a lot more sense now that she thought about it¡ªbut it had hinged on not having her around afterwards to complain about it. If Alex made enough noise now, it might cause an investigation of some kind, and Liliana was on thin ice already.


    Liliana¡¯s usually cheerful face darkened in rage, and she took another step closer. ¡°You clearly need to be taught a lesson, Alexandretta, before you get somebody killed. You are hereby restricted to the dorms. Any leave you might have had is now canceled for the foreseeable future, and you will spend the rest of your time isolated from the rest of the Surveyors. You will go to your next Survey, and you will behave yourself appropriately. The next thing I want to hear from you is that you understand what I am saying. Do you understand?¡±


    She was practically nose to nose with Liliana now, and Alex felt a flicker of anger begin to break through her fa?ade of self-satisfaction. Liliana knew what she had tried to do; the team captain had just sent a team of griefers after her, had been trying to sabotage her for weeks now, and it was extremely clear that she was not going to stop. Part of Alex simply wanted to end it now; Liliana was a D rank, but she hadn¡¯t been on the other side of a portal for years, and she was a ranged fighter, anyway. Her fingers itched for her axe.


    Alex resisted. The time might still come, but not yet. Not here.


    So instead, she let out a slow breath. ¡°I understand, Liliana. I understand everything.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t keep the low threat from her voice, and Liliana blinked. The team captain stepped back, her face a little uncertain for a moment.


    Then she recovered. ¡°Good. I¡¯d hate to have to disqualify you from going on Surveys. One of your former teammates might have to go out with Team Alpha instead, and who knows what could happen?¡±


    The veiled threat nearly broke Alex¡¯s control. She tensed, and Liliana¡¯s smile came back. It was a cold, cruel thing. Her voice grew light. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you understand your position here at the Golden Swallow Group. You are dismissed, so go take care of your things. Now.¡±


    Alex waited for a moment¡ªjust long enough for Liliana¡¯s face to darken in rage again¡ªand turned. She marched out of the office and back towards her bunk. Halfway there, her phone pinged to let her know that her bunk assignment had changed. Liliana had shifted her down to a different level, a bunk by herself, effective immediately.


    At least she might see some of the others when she went to move her stuff. It would be nice.


    Audrey slugged her right in the shoulder. The Squire put some real strength behind the hit, and it stung. ¡°Ow!¡±


    ¡°You idiot! You tried to get yourself killed!¡±


    ¡°I did not! Ow, Audrey!¡±


    Clara spoke up from her bunk. Her eyes were red. ¡°Paul said you ran off. Alone.¡±


    Alex glared at Audrey, rubbing her shoulder. She could already feel the bruise forming. ¡°I¡¯m sure he did.¡±


    The way she said it made the others pause. Joanna exchanged a look with Clara and then asked a quiet question. ¡°So what actually happened? Because I really didn¡¯t believe a word.¡±


    Audrey jerked around to stare at the Adept. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°We knew they were gunning for her, and I¡¯ve¡­talked a little to Rudy.¡± Joanna was still staring at Alex. ¡°You are a little reckless, but you¡¯ve never gone off on your own before. If only because you were always too worried about the rest of us, and because you promised Clara. So what did they do?¡±


    Alex felt the tension leak out of her slowly. ¡°They ditched me. Left me stranded when we were attacking a Camp.¡± The others stared at her in silence. ¡°They thought I had no Skills left after Chaining them, so they thought the Grue would grief me for them. To be honest, they were almost right.¡±


    ¡°Griefers. They¡¯re griefers.¡± Clara whispered the words, and the others looked stunned. A Surveyor that attacked other Surveyors was worse than bad. A griefer was a monster in human form, and hearing that there were four of them, right within arm¡¯s reach¡­


    Alex shook her head. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear about this from me, okay? And no one else does either. Liliana wouldn¡¯t like it.¡± They all looked up at her sharply, and then their faces clouded over with anger. She glared back at them. ¡°I mean it. I¡¯m taking care of it, and I don¡¯t want you guys getting in trouble. Okay?¡±


    Joanna was the first one to nod. She did it slowly, reluctantly, but she did it. ¡°As long as you¡¯re sure. We¡¯re here for you, Alex. You aren¡¯t alone.¡±


    Alex nodded and gave her a grateful look. They watched her pack her stuff up, and to her surprise, gave her hugs on her way out.


    She wouldn¡¯t see even a single one of them hurt by the griefers. No, she¡¯d end it before they could even try. It was what she was here to do, after all.


    No matter what.

 B1Ch23: Settling Scores

    Alex waited in front of the portal, her weapons in her hand.


    Team Alpha was lined up beside her, with Paul on her right and the others to her left. They hadn¡¯t said much to her, aside from Paul. He¡¯d seemed sad but stern as he told her to stick close this time. The company didn¡¯t want any regrettable incidents to happen this time. Portals were too dangerous to play around with, apparently.


    If she hadn¡¯t already been sure, she was relatively certain that he was going to try to kill her directly this time.


    The other teams had been giving her looks out of the corner of their eyes. It was obvious Joanna and the others hadn¡¯t been silent about what had happened, and the mix of fear and worry on their faces had been painful. Fortunately, some of them looked almost as angry as they were scared. She hoped that would help her once they got to the other side.


    Team Gamma stepped into the vortex and vanished. Alex stepped forward, and then watched as Team Beta followed. She stepped forward again and paused. Paul glanced at her. ¡°Remember. Stay close to us.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± She remembered the griefers that had nearly killed her mother and smiled. He nodded. Then he and the others stepped forward.


    She paused, looking back. Liliana was there, watching her like a cat watched a mouse. Forsmith was studying her silently, fatigue obvious on his face. The Group had been working him and the rest of his cleanup team hard; she wondered how much longer they¡¯d be able to keep things under control. Would a casualty or two today be enough to stop things? Or was that just wishful thinking?


    Then she sighed and turned back to the vortex. She counted to five and stepped forward, letting the light take her¡­


    [E Rank Surveyor Alex]


    [Ascension Level: 3]


    [Role: Page (Role Skills: None)]


    [Role Level: 3]


    [Experience: 760/1000]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 3, Speed -> 6, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Battle Maneuvers(20), Marathoning(12), Melee¨CAxe(20), Melee¨CShield(20)]


    [Permanent Skills: None]


    [Current Titles: Lady of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by one.),


    Ferocity (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by one.),


    Natural Combatant (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by one),


    Persistent (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, and Marathoning by one.)]


    She grinned a little at her Screen¡¯s report. One more full clear and she¡¯d hit level four all right. Maybe that would be in the cards for the day, despite her¡­other concerns.


    [Please select your intent]


    [Exploration]


    [Vengeance]


    [Patrol]


    [War]


    [Salvage]


    Patrol was probably the safe choice; War, Explore, and Salvage were all likely too risky for her. Yet before she chose, there was one last option that spoke to her. It called to her. If this Survey was going to be her last one for a while, she had unfinished business here. Difficult or not, she needed to handle it.


    Alex chose Vengeance.


    [Your intent is to Avenge]


    [Quest Issued! Destroy thirty two Grue Soldiers.]


    [Quest Issued! Destroy the Surveyor Killer.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    Alex gave the Quests a grim smile, and then let the light take her¡­


    She came out of the portal a good half a step behind the rest of Team Alpha.


    None of them were looking at her. Paul had actually stepped a little out in front of her, as had Cash. They were already talking amongst themselves and ignoring the teams ahead of them. She could see Joanna looking in her direction, and Sam. Both seemed worried. The other Surveyors were tense, but only in the way that happened at the start of each Survey. There were dangerous creatures in this other world, after all, and the knowledge of a team of griefers didn¡¯t help.


    Her axe bit into the back of Cash¡¯s right leg, hamstringing him before he could even realize he was under attack. He screamed, and Christopher started to turn, his longbow in his hand. The Acolyte didn¡¯t manage to face her before the edge of her shield smashed across him, snapping his bow and knocking him to the ground.


    Emmett and Paul were both shouting, but she spun past Emmett¡¯s swing and put the back spike of her axe through the side of his knee. The Porter gasped in pain, and she completed the spin by smashing her shield across the back of his head.


    Then she was facing Paul, alone, as his teammates coughed and screamed between them.


    He was yelling. ¡°She¡¯s gone crazy! Help me!¡± His grip on his longsword was firm, but his eyes were shifting and wild, going from her to the Surveyors lying stunned or crippled between them. She watched him carefully. The Squire was capable of fighting a Knight, so she wasn¡¯t going to underestimate the damage he could do.


    Paul took a step towards the portal, but Alex darted out in front of him, blocking the way. He lashed out with a blow that she caught on her shield; he seemed stunned that the blow bounced off. She met his eyes and smiled as he backpedaled, still shouting for help.


    Then he glanced behind him and froze. The rest of the Surveyors were watching with stunned eyes, but none of them were moving to help. Rudy was watching with a satisfied smile, as if someone had dropped an unexpected gift in his lap, and there was satisfaction on many of the others¡¯ faces alongside their shock.


    ¡°No help for you, little griefer.¡± She let her voice go cold, and his attention snapped back to her. ¡°One way out. Take your best shot.¡±


    Alex spread her arms, deliberately opening herself up for the attack. He had to know it was a trap. She hit about as hard as he did, despite his greater Strength, and her Speed was so far beyond his that it was impossible to think that he¡¯d actually reach her.


    Unfortunately for him, he¡¯d been allowed to win a dozen mock battles against her, time and again. His desperation was clear, and his anger at what she¡¯d done clouded his judgment. Paul leaned in, stepped forward, and put all of his strength into a single, fast lunge, aimed straight for her heart.


    She took his hand.


    It was easy enough. A sidestep, and then a vertical chop, aimed straight at his right wrist. She shuddered a little as her axe met flesh, but Alex forced herself to remember what he¡¯d done, what he¡¯d tried to do. Griefers would have no mercy or sympathy from her.


    Paul screamed, clutching at the stump of his hand. She swung her shield and knocked him senseless, a small act of pity. Then she turned to face Christopher.


    The Acolyte was just getting to his knees, obviously still stunned. His bow was in pieces; all he had left was a knife she¡¯d never seen him use. She locked eyes with him and spoke softly. ¡°Give me your health potion, and you can keep all your limbs.¡±


    Christopher went pale, looking around at his teammates. Then he nodded, handing over the vial without comment. She took it, looked into his eyes for a moment, and then smashed her shield into his knee. It made a crunching sound, and he went down, making a high keening noise.


    She spent a moment looking around at the members that were still conscious. ¡°It was an ambush by Grue, right at the portal. We sent you back through after we fought them off. You never come back through a portal ever again. Understand?¡±


    Cash and Christopher both nodded. Alex bent and dragged Paul¡¯s stunned form back toward the portal. He vanished as she kicked him through. Christopher staggered through on his own, dragging Emmet. Cash needed a little more help, his face pale from blood loss.


    Then they were gone, and only their blood remained on the pavement. It burned as she watched, lighting up in guttering little flares of multi-colored light. Alex looked at it, shook a bit of it from her axe, and then changed her focus to the others.


    They were all watching her, their faces showing a mixture of satisfaction, understanding, and shock. She nodded. ¡°Can you guys handle three Camps each today? I have other things to deal with.¡±


    There was a moment of silence, and then Joanna nodded. ¡°Sure. We¡¯ll take Library, Bank, and Mall. Gamma, you good with the other three?¡±


    Sam looked around at his teammates and nodded. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve got it.¡± He nodded to Alex, and then the teams moved. They headed in opposite directions, beginning to shake off their shock as the usual stress of the Survey kicked in. She watched them go, feeling a bit regretful about the fact that she wasn¡¯t going with them. Her companion this time wasn¡¯t likely to be nearly as pleasant.


    Only a few moments later, with the other teams already out of sight, Forsmith stepped through the portal.


    The difference between the C rank Surveyor and herself was immediately obvious. His white Golden Swallow uniform was almost completely concealed beneath a full suit of plate armor. Dark chain mail showed at the joints, and his face was initially invisible behind a thick visor.


    He looked around the broken street and then raised his visor. His expression was one of exhaustion and irritation. ¡°You have a curious definition of the word ¡®protect¡¯, Surveyor Morrison.¡±


    ¡°I defend Surveyors, not griefers¡ªand if Liliana wanted her golden boy to keep his hand, she shouldn¡¯t have threatened to send him after my friends.¡± Alex saw him twitch as if she had slapped him and smiled grimly. ¡°So, did she ask you to finish the job? Maybe tell you to ¡®take care¡¯ of me while you were here?¡±


    His expression answered the question for her, but he still spoke. ¡°It was suggested that it might be better for you not to return through the portal.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°You just crippled four Surveyors without making a formal accusation. I¡¯m considering my options.¡±


    The weight of the threat was blunt, but Alex smiled. ¡°Well, just let me know. You¡¯d probably squash me if you wanted to, but would you feel good about it after? Paul and the others would have.¡±


    He grimaced. ¡°Why are you still here? Your dream about being some kind of Regulation champion is going to end in tragedy.¡±


    ¡°You mean like that last one in the hospital? Maybe.¡± Alex¡¯s smile grew. ¡°Speaking of which, did they ever recover her Talisman?¡±


    Forsmith blinked, seeming a little off balance. ¡°Whose?¡±


    ¡°The last serious Regulation agent. The one in the hospital.¡± Alex tilted her head to the side. ¡°I imagine that we Surveyors don¡¯t get to have a burial if we die on Earth. The Talismans are too rare, too precious. They toss the corpse through with a Surveyor, to recover the Talisman once the body burns on the other side, right?¡±


    He tilted his head, considering. ¡°I¡­admit that may be the case.¡±


    ¡°So I just never heard about that happening with the last one you were talking about. You know.¡± She met his eyes and smiled. ¡°The Crimson Blade.¡±


    Forsmith snorted. ¡°You think she¡¯s still out there? She¡¯s not, Surveyor Morrison. Even if she went into hiding, she¡¯s not going to come avenge you. You¡¯re just an E rank with delusions of grandeur.¡±


    ¡°For now.¡± Alex saw his lips twitch as he fought a smile, and she grinned. ¡°So. While you are making up your mind, care to help me with a few things? The others are off destroying the Camps, but I have something different in mind today.¡±


    The C rank studied her silently for a moment. ¡°You know my presence will increase the difficulty here. There might be a delay, but there are¡­things that will sense my presence. They will arrive to oppose me, and they will make things worse.¡±


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Alex grimaced. ¡°Yeah, I figured. How long should we have?¡±


    He hesitated. ¡°Perhaps twenty minutes. Thirty at the most.¡±


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s perfect.¡± She pulled out the horn she had found next to where Christopher¡¯s broken bow had lain. ¡°Now, just give me a minute. Stand right there, and don¡¯t do anything unless a second group comes up, okay?¡±


    The group of Grue came trotting down the street from the direction of the Mall.


    It was the closest Camp to the portal, from what Alex¡¯s rough estimates were. The Killer wasn¡¯t among them, but there were twenty Grue, two Knights, and two Archers. All of them paused when they caught sight of Forsmith, standing alone and proud in the middle of the street in front of the portal. They quickly formed ranks, the Knights marshaling the Soldiers into two lines of spears, with the Archers at the back and the Knights filling the space between.


    Alex watched them, her Screen activating as she examined them.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy four Grue Knights]


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy four Grue Archers]


    They seemed reluctant to charge, which made sense. The difference between their power and Forsmith¡¯s was stark; the only help he¡¯d need from her if he attacked was to wipe the Grue goo off of his mace. Of course, his Quests probably didn¡¯t involve mere Grue anymore, so there was no real reason for him to strike here. He crossed his arms, glaring at the wall of the Grue with obvious disdain. Their enraged howls didn¡¯t faze him at all.


    The noise did cover up her footsteps nicely, though. She sprinted in at the closest Archer from the side where she¡¯d been hiding in the wreckage of an old house. It didn¡¯t even notice her before she hit the thing square in the head with her axe, killing it in a single strike.


    Her second target saw the first Archer fall. It backed up frantically, its fingers twitching as it tried to decide whether it should shoot at her or try its axe. She caught it before it could do anything else, planting her own axe right between its eyes.


    She turned as it fell, still sprinting hard. The closest Knight was turning, its grey eyes wide with shock. It swung with its sword, a reflexive swipe that would have taken her head off if she hadn¡¯t seen it coming a mile away. Alex ducked beneath it and hamstrung the thing with a backhanded blow to its leg. As it went down on one knee, she shield-checked a surprised pair of Grue, knocking the closest spears sprawling. Then she reversed course and leaped on the Knight¡¯s back, striking it twice with her axe.


    It howled in agony and toppled forward. Alex shifted on it, turning to face the other Knight. The monster was charging her, its sword out and ready to spear her. She smiled, caught the thrust on her shield¡ªand shifted it so that the broad blade went straight into the other Knight¡¯s back.


    The Grue Knight¡¯s eyes went wide with shock, and she launched herself forward. It managed to shield itself, but she smashed into it with enough force to stagger it a little. When she landed, she darted in under a swipe of its claws, and was hacking it to bits before the other Grue closed in around her.


    Then she simply retreated a short distance, letting them chase after her enough to separate them. At that point, it was all over but the chopping. She barely needed to swallow any of the health potion when the bodies began to burn.


    [Main Quest Progress 20 of 32 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress 2 of 4 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress 2 of 4 targets destroyed]


    Forsmith was frowning at her as she ran past. ¡°What is the point of this, Morrison? They would disappear when the Camps fall, anyway.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Alex! And the others are probably going to hit the Market and the Field first, so I need to keep the reinforcements from clumping up. You¡¯ll see. Just stay put.¡±


    She ignored his muttering as she ran down the next street, darting into another wreckage strewn yard. The Killer never seemed to like being first to the portal, maybe to avoid being caught unawares. Both the Library and the Chapel were close enough that their reinforcements would arrive at the same time, so it would be with one or the other. All she needed to do was guess the right spot¡­


    Sure enough, she heard the tromp of dozens of feet coming from two directions. She successfully avoided the urge to lean out and see if she¡¯d guessed right. If she hadn¡¯t, then she¡¯d just need to hope that the C ranker wouldn¡¯t kill the thing before she could get to it.


    From her hiding spot, she saw the Grue as they formed up. Twenty regulars, two Knights, two Archers¡ªand with them, towards the back¡­


    She heard the clink of Talismans strung together on a bandolier. There were barked orders disciplining the monsters into order, this time coming from someone that wasn¡¯t a Knight. They submitted without question, and Alex knew, she knew the thing was right out there. A burst of adrenaline made her almost tremble.


    There was a double burst from the horn, sealing her expectations. It was answered by another close horn¡ªthe Grue from the Chapel, probably¡ªand others further away. The Grue nearest her shifted. They seemed uncertain, as if they were still reluctant to charge the C rank even with help and the presence of their leader.


    Then a roar rose over the ruined town, and Forsmith jerked. It was louder than any Grue, and she saw his helmet pivot to look in the direction that she was hiding. Alex grimaced and gave him a shooing motion; better that he retreat than bring down whatever that was on their heads.


    Yet the noise had done one thing, at least. It had put courage into the Grue, and they started forward with a series of brave howls. Alex waited, tense, as they passed her hiding spot by.


    Then, as she saw the Knights and Soldiers trotted past, and the Archers drew close, Alex sprinted out and struck.


    The Killer was there, and it barked an alert as she sprinted for the first Archer. It spun in alarm, but she smashed her axe through its bow and chest before it could react much more. Unfortunately, the Killer itself was much faster, leaping backwards and drawing an arrow in the same motion. Alex barely got her shield up before the arrow smashed into it. She grunted, and then pivoted to hack at the second Archer, cutting it down before it could raise its own bow.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Retrieve four Talismans of Ascension]


    [Hidden Quest Completed! Four Grue Archers destroyed]


    She heard the Killer¡¯s entourage start to change direction, their howls sounding far closer than she wanted them to be. Their aborted charge had carried them down the street, but not far enough.


    Alex dodged another arrow from the Killer, and risked a glance in that direction¡ªand was treated to the sight of a C rank absolutely obliterating the Grue detachment from the Chapel.


    Forsmith had leaped forward, his mace crackling with lightning. He¡¯d moved so fast that the Grue on that side of the fight had barely managed to spill out into the intersection. None of them seemed to be able to pierce his armor; spears snapped and bounced off as they lunged at him, and even arrows didn¡¯t make so much as a dent. His own return strike sent entire groups of Grue flying. It was clear even the Knights seemed panicked at the idea of facing him, and she was very sure that she was glad he hadn¡¯t decided to unleash all of that on her.


    Then the Grue nearest her charged in, and Alex found herself dancing back from their spears. She cut down the first attacker, knocked the next to the side, and chopped through the head of the third. Another roar swelled over the town, closer this time. ¡°Forsmith, go! I can handle the rest.¡±


    She didn¡¯t hear him respond, but more Grue rushed in. Alex spent a few more moments cutting down the fastest of them, knocking aside another brutal arrow from the Killer, and then she ran, darting between the hedges as the Killer and its troops streamed after her.


    One brutal run for her life later, Alex was peeking through the brush at the Killer¡¯s troops. It was moving carefully, trying to find whatever tracks she¡¯d left behind. The ruined pavement wasn¡¯t much good for that, though, and the last pair of Grue Soldiers that had caught sight of her weren¡¯t in much of a position to report anything.


    The past thirty minutes had been more of the same. Ambush, fight, run. Each strike cut down more of the Killer¡¯s troops and wore away at its patience. None of the Grue from the Chapel had made it past Forsmith, and the C ranker had gone back through the portal¡ªat least, that¡¯s what she assumed, since the roars had faded away.


    She watched as the Killer lifted its horn and blew two notes, trying to summon help. Horns answered it, but not as many as had before. It snarled and snapped some orders to its remaining troops. They shifted to head further north, probably towards the Bank. Maybe it was starting to feel like it needed more Grue between it and Alex.


    It wasn¡¯t the worst idea, given that it only had about half its remaining Soldiers. Unfortunately, Alex wasn¡¯t going to make it that easy to run away.


    When the Grue had all turned their backs to her, she started her charge. Her feet slapped the pavement as she sprinted in, and they started to turn to face her. The Killer spun fastest of all, the Talismans on its chest clacking together as it drew its arrow back and fired.


    Alex blocked the shot and then struck. The first Grue she faced died immediately; the second only lasted long enough for its spear to snap against her shield. A third and fourth came at her together, stalling her just long enough to hack them to pieces.


    [Main Quest Completed!]


    The next opponent that faced her was a Knight, striding towards her with its sword ready to strike. Alex threw herself sideways and managed to avoid a blow that dug a divot in the pavement. An arrow struck her in the shield a moment later, but she pushed forward and smashed into the Knight. They struggled for position for a few heartbeats, at least until she hooked her opponent¡¯s shield with her axe and pull it aside. It tried another desperate hack, but she knocked it aside before she cut her way into its torso.


    As the Knight fell, Alex caught another arrow on her shield, and then was treated to the sight of her enemies running from her. The Killer was with them, leading them along the streets. Apparently, it had sacrificed the Knight for the chance to run; its sole remaining Knight did not look too pleased about the fact.


    [Hidden Quest Progress 3 of 4 targets destroyed]


    Alex waved the yellow text away and started after the Killer¡¯s band. She hadn¡¯t come this far to give up now.


    She chased them for the next while, trying not to let herself get drawn into an ambush or skewered by the Killer¡¯s arrows. It wasn¡¯t an easy task, not when it seemed intent on firing back at her at every opportunity. Eventually, though, she ran out of time. The Grue howled in victory as they saw their comrades ahead of them.


    Alex grimaced as they gathered together, the new Archers and Knights quickly forming up with the Killer and its remaining Knight. The Killer¡¯s horn rose, blasting out three notes, and the group began to move back towards her, obviously once again on the hunt. She fell back; there was no point in throwing herself at those odds, at least not all at once.


    They forced her to retreat for at least a few streets, combing through the ruins in search of her. The Grue were sniffling and snorting at everything. Could they really pick up her scent? She tried not to curse too loudly as they kept her running.


    Then, just as she was starting to debate running for the portal, most of the Grue below her stopped still. They froze, turning their muzzles north towards the Bank, and howled. Their voices grew thin as their forms faded; all of them, from the Soldiers to the Knights and Archers, vanished in seconds.


    Before they had even finished disappearing, Alex threw herself on the nearest Grue. They had been staring in horror at their vanishing companions, and three of them went down before the Killer even managed to shoot at her. Alex dodged the shot this time, killing a fourth of the creatures. Two more of them lunged in, distracting her long enough for the remaining two to flee with the Killer and Knight. This time, they were headed west. Perhaps they were trying to reach the Library?


    Wherever they were going, she had no intention of allowing them to get there. Alex ran after them, blocking the occasional potshot from the Killer. The Grue were fast, but her own Speed had grown by leaps and bounds. She barely paused as first one, and then the other of the regular creatures turned back to delay her. Neither lasted more than the time it took to strike.


    As she closed in, the Knight abruptly turned to face her. It bellowed a challenge, and she yelled her answer. It lowered its shield and charged, slamming it down in front of her to brace for an impact. She dodged to the side, and its sword shot out in a brutal thrust that just barely slid past her own shield, shrieking against the edge. Alex hooked the blade with her axe, and twisted, sending it spiraling away across the pavement.


    She turned just in time to be smashed by the Knight¡¯s shield again, just barely catching it on her own shield. The impact jarred every bone in her body, and she was sent skidding backwards across the street. Her opponent followed her, shield lifted so it could hammer her into the ground.


    Alex ducked low and took the hit on her shield arm. Pain shot through her forearm, but she gritted her teeth and ignored it, lashing out with her axe. The blade bit into the Knight¡¯s thigh, and it staggered. She hit it again across the chest, then again on the arm. It backpedaled, smashing her shield again. Another hit to its side, another to the ankle. It fell, and she took its throat with a roar.


    [Hidden Quest Completed! Four Grue Knights destroyed]


    Her victory was short as an arrow slammed into her side, burying itself between her ribs. Alex staggered, dull pain throbbing through her. She dropped to one knee, covering herself with her shield. The next arrow struck it, and she felt her breath coming in shallow, desperate gasps. She couldn¡¯t fail here. Not now, not when she was so close.


    Alex reached up under her shield and ripped out the arrow. The agony almost made her pass out, and she was forced to fight the encroaching darkness. Her fingers trembling, she uncorked the health potion, ready to bring it to her lips.


    Then she caught sight of the Killer, stepping out to get an angle around her shield. She drunkenly dragged it out and around, just in time to block the next shot. A little of the potion spilled as she moved, coating her fingers in the sticky, precious substance. Alex barely felt it; her fingers felt numb, and she had a brief fear that she¡¯d drop the potion as she raised it.


    Still gasping, Alex tilted what was left up and into her mouth. The cloying substance slid down her throat, and she nearly choked on it as the scent filled her nose. She forced it down, gasping even more as half her side seemed to catch fire. Her hands were shaking with the pain as she grabbed her axe again, and her knees shook as she started to stand.


    She made it halfway before an arrow punched into her ankle.


    Alex nearly toppled forward, but she just ripped the arrow out and kept moving. Fire lanced through her as the potion continued to work, and she knew that if she paused, or hesitated, she might black out from the pain. She had to reach the thing now, while it was isolated and alone. Otherwise, the others would find it at the Library. Sam or one of the others could be killed if she waited.


    Two more arrows smacked into her shield, but Alex felt her breath coming easier as she lumbered into a charge. The Killer backpedaled, still nocking arrows. They struck at her shield, aiming for her legs, her head, her heart. Each time, she managed to maneuver the shield between her and the speeding pieces of death; each strike sent agony through her arm, which was still throbbing a little from the fight with the Knight.


    It hurt, but she didn¡¯t stop. Alex charged forward, her eyes locked on her enemy, watching its movements. Pure, unadulterated hate flowed through her as she watched it. She saw again, in a haze, the way it had strutted as it killed Surveyors below it on the ground. Alex relived the moment when it had nearly killed Clara, and her charge found new power. The fire in her wounds was nothing compared to the rage flowing through her as she screamed and threw herself at it.


    At the last moment, the Killer stood tall in the middle of the street. It tossed away its bow and drew a knife the size of a short sword. Its other hand lifted a battle axe, one far more ornate than the ones its fellow Archers had carried. It set itself, ready to stand and fight at last. A howl of rage ripped out of it.


    They met in a clash of wood and steel, both snarling as they tore into one another.


    The Killer¡¯s axe bounced from her shield. Her own missed the Killer as it dodged aside. It hooked her shield with its own axe, pulling it aside as the knife slipped past. She accepted the hit, feeling it open a cut along her ribs; her return swing bit hard into the Killer¡¯s side, drawing out a harsh cough of pain. Alex shouted in pain as it drew back and dragged the edge of its knife along her forearm.


    Both wounded and bleeding, they staggered apart, and then clashed again. Alex shoved it back with her shield. She followed it with a strike at its leg. It caught the blow on its knife, then tried to knock her axe out of her hand with its own axe. The Killer nearly succeeded; her numb fingers slipped slightly, but she regained her grip, and then twisted to slam her shield into its arm. There was a crunch as the Killer staggered back, but its fierce grey eyes were still bright with enmity.


    Then its heel caught on a patch of ruined asphalt. The Killer¡¯s eyes snapped open wide as its footing failed. It tumbled backward.


    Alex lunged. Her axe chased it down, driven by all the force she still possessed.


    The blow landed square in its chest, just above the bandolier of Talismans. She heard, she felt a crunch, and the Killer thrashed. Alex screamed and ripped the axe back and out of the thing, ready to strike again. Talismans sprayed everywhere as the cord was cut.


    Her second strike finished it. The text arrived later.


    [Main Quest Completed! The Killer is slain]


    She let out a shaken breath, her heart still hammering inside her chest and the wounds still burning across her body. A rumble of thunder growled across the clouds, and she grinned. As the body of the Killer burned, she scrounged around for the Talismans, gathering them all up. Each one a fallen Surveyor, killed by the thing she had ended.


    [Hidden Quest Completed! Four Talismans recovered]


    Then, her fingers still shaking from the adrenaline, she collected the grey crystal the Killer had left behind. It seemed like such a small thing, compared to the damage it had done. She shrugged aside her own feelings, trying to let the swelling sense of victory drive her forward.


    It was a long walk back to the portal.

 B1Ch24: Report Delivered

    When the others came back from the Camps, Alex was there waiting for them.


    She waved to Team Gamma as they came by, having finished the Camp at the Mall. Sam nodded and held out a thumbs up. Tim and Brian both gave her a salute that made her laugh, chest pain notwithstanding, and Rudy paused long enough to give her a sudden, surprising hug. Then they were through the portal and safe.


    Beta came a while later, apparently having been searching for her after they finished the Library. Clara ran to her, the Acolyte¡¯s face concerned. Alex just reassured her and tapped the recovered Talismans. Audrey laughed, and Joanna shook her head, all while Alessa and Ruth looked on. Then they, too, entered the portal and left the other world.


    Alex paused a moment longer. With the death of the Killer and the destruction of at least six Camps, she had no doubt that the place was a lot less dangerous. Her time in this particular section of the other world was probably over; Liliana might go down with her, but the company was likely to be after her head as well. At least an E rank near the cusp of reaching D rank would be a shoe in at another contractor, but it was a bit bittersweet, leaving the place she had fought so hard to conquer.


    Then she stepped through the portal, and the light welcomed her home¡­


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quests Completed! +60 Experience]


    [Secondary Challenge Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Vengeance Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Challenge Quest Completed! + 40 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! + 40 Experience]


    Another full clear. Not the main thing that she had been after, but a welcome bonus. One more level, and she¡¯d reach level five¡ªand she¡¯d be considered a D rank.


    [Marathoning increased from 12 to 17!]


    [You have reached level 4 as a Page!]


    [+2 Speed gained. +1 Free Attribute awarded.]


    Another point allocated to Strength. Every bit of power helped, and the harder she hit, the quicker each fight would end.


    [Battle Maneuvers has reached level 20! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Battle Maneuvers to gain a Title?]


    She could reset it now, but it probably wasn¡¯t wise. If she did go into another portal soon, she would be at a higher level and facing an unfamiliar situation. Best to keep her Skills as they were, with an uncertain future ahead.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Melee¨CAxe and Melee¨CShield?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels.]


    It was the same choice, of course, so she made the same decision.


    [Additional equipment awarded! Select new equipment.]


    She grinned for a moment, and then chose to upgrade her axe. The weapon had served her well so far, and she¡¯d need it for quite a while longer.


    Then Alex sat back and waited for the light to bring her back home, one more time¡­


    She stepped out of the portal and found herself back in the world she loved.


    Alex looked around the platform and saw some things more or less as she expected. Forsmith was waiting for her, once again dressed only in his uniform. He met her eyes and nodded, slowly, and she nodded back. The other Surveyors were gathered around the bus, where Team Beta was giving their reports to a person in a black uniform.


    It wasn¡¯t Liliana, though. Instead, it was some team sergeant that she dimly recognized from one of the D rank teams. He seemed a bit impatient and unhappy, but he was still listening fairly well to Joanna, and didn¡¯t seem to be trying to kill anyone by sabotage, so that seemed nice. When he looked up at Alex, he took a step towards her, as if he wanted to confront her immediately, but then he paused, restraining himself with visible frustration.


    She grinned and shrugged. Then she walked over to get in line behind her friends and wait for her turn. As she waited, she heard her phone ring in her bag. Alex glanced at the sergeant, who was talking with Audrey now, and decided that she had time. With a quick nod at the harried-looking sergeant, she jogged over to her bag and dug out her phone. When she answered, she heard her mother¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Alex? I heard about casualties at the portal. Are you all right?¡±


    The concern in her mother¡¯s voice tugged at her heart, but Alex smiled. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mom. Just some issues that had to be handled. I took care of it.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± The word carried a kind of definite understanding. ¡°Permanently?¡±


    ¡°As permanent as it could be without anyone dying.¡± Alex felt her smile slide away. The memory of her axe carving through human flesh and bone¡­ her stomach twisted, and she forced herself to move on from the event in her mind. ¡°Hey, I also got the Killer this time! It put up a fight, but I managed to take it down.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s impressive for a level three.¡±


    ¡°Level four now, actually. Almost to my first Role switch.¡± She let a little pride filter into her voice. ¡°We¡¯ll have to see how quickly that happens, though. Not sure how things are going to go now. My team got a bit¡­beat up, you know.¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡±


    Her phone buzzed a little, and Alex frowned. She checked the screen and saw that Zach was calling on his outside line. He¡¯d never done that before. ¡°Got to go, Mom. Somebody¡¯s calling to check in.¡±


    ¡°Somebody, huh? Maybe someone with a cute grin and nice eyes?¡±


    Alex felt herself blush. ¡°Come on, Mom. I have to go. Love you.¡±


    ¡°Love you too, dear.¡±


    She switched to Zach¡¯s call. As she did, the sergeant finished with Audrey and moved on to Clara. He glanced at her in obvious displeasure, but she ignored him. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°You just got back, right? I saw a lot of the readings change today, and I figured that last drop was you coming home.¡± His voice sounded partially relieved and partially stressed out, like he¡¯d been on the edge of his seat for the past while.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m back. I¡¯m fine.¡± She grinned at the thought of him being worried for her. It was weird, but in a nice way. ¡°So the readings are back to normal?¡±


    ¡°Kind of.¡± He paused. ¡°The Group¡¯s in a bit of an uproar, though. Apparently, one of the teams took a lot of casualties, and one of them was a higher up¡¯s son. People are already getting called onto the carpet. I couldn¡¯t figure out if you were involved, so I was¡­concerned.¡±


    ¡°Well, thanks.¡± She turned away from the sergeant and walked a bit, wanting a little more distance from listening ears. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll cancel that other project now? With the extra casualties?¡±


    ¡°The one we¡¯ve been talking about? Oh yeah, definitely.¡± He sounded definitive. ¡°Another high casualty incident, and with relatives of upper management involved? They¡¯re going to be out collecting scalps for the next couple of weeks.¡±


    Alex relaxed. At least that was handled now as well. When they fired her, she could go with a clear conscience. ¡°Did you ever figure out which one it was? What they were doing?¡±


    ¡°Not much, just the project name and a couple of other details.¡± She could almost picture him shrugging. ¡°They called it Project Eternal Franklin, no idea why. From some of the profitability projections, it seemed like it was some kind of power generation scheme. Not sure how that would mess with the portal, but at least that¡¯s over.¡±


    She paused. A creeping sense of dread stole over her. ¡°Power generation? Like electricity?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He seemed to have picked up on her mood. ¡°Why are you saying it like that? Did you find something in the other world?¡±


    ¡°Kind of? When I was exploring, I found a location called the Power Plant.¡± Her dread solidified a little more. Something smelled wrong, somehow. ¡°There weren¡¯t any generators inside, though. No machines aside from some kind of setup around a broken Anchor Point.¡±


    ¡°An Anchor Point?¡± She heard him tapping away on his tablet. ¡°Yeah, a few early Surveys that broke that thing. A few more sent specifically to look at it. Not sure why it would have formed there, or where all the real power generators went. Maybe the Grue broke it all down when they built the Anchor.¡±


    Alex saw the sergeant motioning to her, but she shook her head. There was something important here, something she was on the edge of figuring out. ¡°It didn¡¯t look like the Grue moved anything, though. Like the array around the Anchor Point looked built in. Like it was there before the Grue.¡± Another thought occurred to her. ¡°Have there ever been reports of power generators in the other world? Like gas generators, or other power stations, that kind of thing?¡±


    There was a pause on the other end of the line. When Zach spoke, it was a quiet voice that hinted he was starting to see the same kind of picture as she was. ¡°Not that I can remember. There was electrical infrastructure, yeah, but no generators hooked up to it. As for power plants, they show up every so often¡­¡± More tapping. ¡°And every single one has had at least one Anchor Point inside it.¡±


    She nodded, slowly realizing what she had been thinking. ¡°What if the other world didn¡¯t have any generators because they were using the Anchor Points instead? Like they were siphoning electricity off somehow? That¡¯s why the Anchor Points are all over the place, and especially inside the power plants.¡±


    Zach grunted. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we can¡¯t have been the only ones to figure it out.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we aren¡¯t.¡± Her mind was racing now. The sergeant was calling to her in a voice laced with frustration. Why did the air feel so wrong? ¡°Maybe somebody on Earth figured it out already, too. Benjamin Franklin was famous for electricity and stuff, right?¡±


    ¡°Eternal Franklin was a power generation project¡­¡± His words trailed off. ¡°You think they were trying to build an Anchor Point? Here?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Morrison, I need to speak with you now!¡±


    Alex held up a hand. Her forehead was sweating. The air was foul. ¡°Yeah, on Earth. It was messing with the portal each time they started it up, so they¡¯ve just been experimenting. Maybe they figured out they needed to be near a portal for it to work.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s insane. Why would they ever¡­¡± Zach paused. There was a sudden, loud beep in the background. ¡°Alex? Are you still near the portal?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Morrison!¡±


    She shot the sergeant a glare. ¡°Yeah. Why?¡±


    ¡°The readings¡­ I¡¯m seeing spikes all over the place. Are you seeing anything?¡±


    ¡°What? No, I¡ª¡± Alex turned back to the portal and stopped. She felt her eyes go wide as she caught sight of the vortex.


    It was roiling. Power was roaring through it in waves, with shreds of energy lifting away from it in a purple haze. Alex took a step back as she recognized the scent that had been plaguing her. Magic. There was magic flowing from the portal in a flood.


    She forced herself to calm down, to speak clearly. ¡°Zach, I need you to find an address for Eternal Franklin, now. I think they switched it on. I think they switched it all the way on.¡±


    There was a heartbeat of terrible silence. When Zach spoke, his voice showed a mixture of horror and determination. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll call you back soon.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± She ended the call and turned to the sergeant, who was glaring at her. Alex walked over to him, trying not to run. Panic was not going to help anyone.


    The sergeant looked ready to start spitting lightning bolts. ¡°Ms. Morrison, I need to speak with you about¡ª¡±


    ¡°Where is Liliana?¡± Alex knew, she somehow knew that the woman was at the center of it. When things had gone wrong, she hadn¡¯t just been pulled back to headquarters to be fired. She¡¯d gone to the project and told them that the whole thing was coming down.


    And true to form, they¡¯d doubled down again.


    The sergeant folded his arms. ¡°That is not your concern, Ms. Morrison. Instead, I want a report about¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± The sergeant¡¯s face went blank, obviously shocked, and Alex pressed the advantage before they could recover. ¡°She went to Eternal Franklin and turned it on. The portal¡¯s going crazy now because they are powering up an Anchor Point on Earth. We¡¯re going to be lucky if we don¡¯t have an Escalation Event right here in the city. So tell. Me. Where. She. Is.¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s ridiculous. You can¡¯t mean¡ª¡±


    A crackle of lightning snapped across the face of the portal. Alex glanced at it just as a hollow grey wind washed over everything, carrying the scent of magic and the thin howls of Grue. Everyone in the containment area froze. All the color drained from the team sergeant¡¯s face, and he stared at the vortex as if it were coming for his soul.


    Of course, in a very real way, it was.


    ¡°Focus!¡± Alex grabbed the man¡¯s shoulder, and he shuddered back to awareness. ¡°Where is she?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know! She just said she had other company business, and I needed to cover for her. She isn¡¯t even answering her phone when I call!¡±


    Alex swore softly. She heard her phone start to ring, and she stabbed a finger at him. ¡°Get on the phone and tell the Group what is happening. Tell them to get their response team here. Forsmith can¡¯t hold this back on his own.¡±


    Then she turned to look at her fellow E rankers. They were all staring at her in shock. ¡°Get everyone on the bus. We need to be ready to move.¡± She answered her phone. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I have a location for you. Ten blocks north. Under a warehouse.¡± Zach¡¯s voice sounded breathless, like he¡¯d been running or shouting or both. ¡°The place isn¡¯t answering phone calls, and they can¡¯t shut it down from here. You have to stop it on your own.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re on it.¡± She turned and gestured for the others to move, and those that weren¡¯t already moving rushed to the bus. ¡°How much time do we have?¡±


    ¡°Not long. These readings¡­Alex, if we don¡¯t get them under control, half the city is going to be blanketed in magic. Even if we do¡ªI think¡ª¡±


    It was obvious he didn¡¯t want to say the words. ¡°We¡¯ll stop it before it happens. Let me know if it gets worse.¡±


    She ended the call and started towards the bus¡­only to stop as Forsmith stepped up beside her.


    His face looked calm. Even resigned. He was watching the boiling vortex of magic as if he knew what lay beyond it, and perhaps he did. When he glanced over at her, his mouth quirked. ¡°I will hold it back as long as I can, Surveyor Morrison. Find a way to stop this. Protect them.¡±


    There was a moment of understanding between them, and Alex nodded¡ªand hesitated. She came to a decision. ¡°Call me Alex. Short for Alexis. Alexis Morales.¡±


    His eyes narrowed for a moment. Then they widened. ¡°Morales. Daughter of Moira Morales.¡± She nodded, and his lips twisted in what might have been a smile. ¡°I see. She survived, after all. Good luck, Alex.¡±


    ¡°You too, Forsmith.¡± She nodded at him and then ran onto the bus. The driver was already shutting the door; it took only a few more moments of shouting to convince them to head to the address that Zach had given her.


    She glanced behind them, just in time to see Forsmith throw himself into the tormented portal at a full run. Alex closed her eyes for a moment and then turned to the front.


    There was one more mission to complete.


    Alarms were starting to sound as they closed in on the warehouse.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    They wailed like monsters of their own; they¡¯d been installed back during the events of the Fracture, when portals had opened at random and the magic had spilled from them in waves. People had not heard much of them in the past decade; despite hiccups here and there, the Surveyors had managed to keep Escalation Events to a bare minimum, preventing the massive casualties that resulted from torrents of free magic washing across unprotected civilians.


    Just because the alarms were rare, however, did not mean that people didn¡¯t know what they meant. Every single person in the city was already headed away from the portal with whatever belongings they could fit stuffed into their cars. Traffic jams were starting to form on the major highways; Alex could already see fights breaking out between drivers, and they passed at least one accident between a van and a truck weighed down by furniture.


    Her thoughts were grim as they closed in on the warehouse. Even this far from the portal, she could still smell the magic. It wasn¡¯t just coming from the portal, she suddenly realized. There were waves of it coming from the building as well. What had the Group done?


    She turned around as the bus drew close. ¡°Okay. I know we were already just fighting, but I think we¡¯ve got one more problem to fix. We need to get inside that building and force them to shut down their little mad science experiment before it causes an Escalation Event. Anyone who gets in our way is just as bad as a griefer. Do not let them stop you, no matter what. Any questions?¡±


    Sam raised his hand. ¡°Is this thing the same one that has been messing with the portal? That¡¯s been putting all of us at risk?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Brian snarled to himself. ¡°Griefers, huh? Got it. No problem.¡± Tim put a hand on his teammate¡¯s shoulder and shook him a little. The others all gave each other serious looks and nodded as well.


    The bus rumbled to a stop, and the E rankers all filed off of it. Alex led them towards the front doors, which had been closed and locked. A side door beside the entrance looked like it was locked, too, but Brian just kicked it in.


    Inside, they found the bodies.


    Many of them were wearing normal civilian clothes. They were sprawled out across desks and slumped against walls. Alex crouched beside the first one, who looked like some kind of door guard. She checked him and found no pulse. Instead, she found traces of purple lines beneath his skin, like veins that had been injected with food dye. She pulled back. ¡°Magic poisoning. Any normal around here aren¡¯t going to be in good shape.¡±


    ¡°Uh, Al? I think there¡¯s more than just that here.¡±


    She stood and walked to where Audrey was standing over someone in a black Surveyor¡¯s uniform. The woman had been fighting something clearly, and her wide-open eyes were blank. ¡°What is this? Did Liliana do this?¡±


    ¡°Not sure, but if she¡¯s gone crazy¡­¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll all have to work together to take her down. Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± She tightened her grip on her axe and shield and led them out into the main room of the warehouse.


    It seemed to be a normal warehouse, with rows of shelves and boxes stacked on pallets in every direction. They didn¡¯t need to ask themselves where to go, however. The trail of bodies led them to a small office separated from the rest of the floor. Alex saw a body lying half out of the door, and a stairwell leading down. Purple light flared and flickered inside of it.


    Alex led the way down the stairwell, moving as quickly as she dared. The stairwell was filled with that same purple light; the concrete walls made her feel constricted after fighting for so long in the open. Her shoulders hunched as they moved further down, and the others whispered to each other as they kept moving. She thought the purple light wasn¡¯t helping; she couldn¡¯t see any particular opening or light that was giving it off. Was it coming through the walls?


    The stairwell seemed to last forever, but when it ended, Alex found herself in a long hallway. There were offices and locker rooms on either side of the hallway, but she ignored them as they moved towards the end of the hallway. Purple light flowed back from a set of closed double doors. More bodies lay in the hallway or the side rooms, with more wearing the black uniforms of higher rank Surveyors.


    They had just reached the doors when Alex paused in shock. To her horror, yellow text flickered in her peripheral vision.


    [E Rank Surveyor Alex]


    [Emergency Quest: Prevent the Gate from opening.]


    She glanced at the others and saw similar looks on their faces. The Screen wasn¡¯t supposed to activate on Earth, not without the magic of the other world channeled into them. Seeing it here told her that something was very, very wrong. What had these idiots done?


    Alex shook herself, reminding her of what needed to be done. ¡°Remember, don¡¯t let anything stop you. Power it down, destroy it if we have to, but we can¡¯t let this happen. You with me?¡±


    They nodded, and she turned back to the doors. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡±


    She kicked open the doors, and they charged through into a place of madness.


    There was an Anchor Point on Earth.


    The ring of crystal was floating high above the floor, with spikes pointed inwards at a column of purple light. A crude copy of the mechanisms that she had seen in the other world had been mounted to the roof, and grey lightning crackled between the ring and the machines in a regular stream. It seemed like whatever technology that the Group had been experimenting with had worked.


    Unfortunately, it had done far more than produce energy.


    As Alex watched, a Grue Knight emerged from the column of purple fire, its gigantic sword emerging before the rest of it clawed its way into being. It joined close to half a dozen more Knights around the Anchor, with at least as many Archers, and ten times as many Grue Soldiers. The entire room was full of the monsters, all of whom were raising their weapons and howling in anticipation of more of their friends arriving. Some of them turned, their leering grey eyes searching for new victims.


    Instead, they found themselves being charged by nearly a dozen desperate, enraged Surveyors.


    Alex flung herself into the battle, her previous wounds aching as she slammed into the Grue spearmen. Her shield broke their spearpoints, and her axe tore and hacked through the closest of them. Their hungry howls continued to rise, and ahead, she saw more of them emerge from the column, even as the ones she killed fell and burned.


    This time, however, she was not alone.


    To her right, Joanna carved her way through the enemy ranks, her sword somehow glowing with power. Audrey slammed and smashed her way through the Grue as if they were ragdolls, laughing with each swing of her club. Alessa was fighting side by side with Ruth, both crushing and stabbing with staff and spear, and when an Archer stood on a distant console to shoot at them, Clara¡¯s crossbow picked it off with ease.


    On her left, Tim, Sam, and Rudy had formed a shield wall and smashed their way forward through the ranks of the Grue. Spear, sword, and mace were lashing out to kill the few Grue that tried to stand against them, while Marcel and Sam were further out on the flank, their spears keeping the Grue at bay as the rest of their team pushed forward. The Adept kept yelling out instructions to the others, warning them of the most dangerous enemies they faced, and they forged ahead with grim expressions.


    The Grue fell back, seemingly surprised by the fury of the Surveyors¡¯ assault. They retreated as more and more of their numbers went down, packing closer together around the Anchor Point. Their Knights pushed through the press, trying to fend off the Surveyors and keep their companions from collapsing. Archers took their shots and were answered in kind by Clara, who was firing her crossbow with far more skill and speed than Alex remembered.


    As the Grue Soldiers faded away around her, Alex saw two Knights coming at her, one on each side. Alex met them with a roar, ducking past one swing and meeting a thrust with her shield. Shoving past the blows, she moved faster than she ever had before and put her axe through a Knight¡¯s knee. It howled in agony, the limb folding up beneath it, as she turned and met the other Knight, shield to shield.


    The impact was enough to nearly shove her off her feet, but she gritted her teeth and stayed put. A heartbeat later, the Knight tried to stab at her over their locked shields, and she jerked her head to the side. Her helmet rang as the edge scraped by her face, and Alex responded with a hack to the head that caught the Knight right in its snout. It recoiled, and she shoved against its shield again, harder. As it staggered backward, she swept low and hooked its ankle, toppling it onto its back.


    There was a roar to her side, and Alex pivoted slightly to take a sword thrust on her shield. The blow slid her a step or two to her right, but she ignored it and hammered another pair of axe blows into the Knight on the ground. It thrashed on the concrete floor, mortally wounded, and Alex grinned to herself as she turned to face the other, still down on one crippled knee.


    It swung wildly at her, and Alex deflected the sword with her shield, following it up with a bind using her axe. Another sharp twist tore the sword away and knocked its shield askew for good measure. She hooked the shield with her axe head, dragging it aside, and then smashed the edge of her own shield into the thing¡¯s face. When it collapsed, she leapt on it, axe already striking.


    When Alex straightened up, she saw her friends were still fighting. Audrey and Joanna had each confronted a Knight, their weapons smashing and cutting into the gigantic Grue as they forced them back. Clara was helping them, picking off any Soldiers that were trying to push past, even while Alessa and Ruth pushed their way forward. The last two Knights were unsuccessfully trying to make their way past the shield wall. Sam and Marcel had somehow blown past the remaining Soldiers to hit the last of the Archers in melee combat. All around her, the Surveyors were pushing their way closer to the Anchor Point, and the Grue were falling back.


    Which meant the only thing between her and the column of light was the handful of Grue Soldiers that had emerged from it as reinforcements.


    Alex turned to face those monsters, and they took a step back, trying to form a wall of spears. It did them no good, as she dove into their ranks. Spears reached for her, and she slipped past them or knocked them aside. Her axe met spear hafts, heads, torsos, and limbs. Her shield snapped spears, crushed skulls, and pulped ribcages. In a matter of moments, the space around the Anchor Point was clear, save for the quickly burning corpses she¡¯d left behind.


    She was left staring up at the massive crystal formation, her nose burning from the overwhelming magic flowing out of the column of purple flame. A glance backward told her the others were already finishing the last of their enemies, the last Knight falling beneath Rudy¡¯s mace. Joanna and Sam were already running towards her, their gaze caught by the crystal spinning above her. Alex shouted to be heard over the hum that seemed to fill the room. ¡°How do we shut it down?¡±


    Joanna was the one that answered her. ¡°There¡¯s supposed to be a Keeper of some kind. Some Grue that is maintaining the connection.¡± She paused as a Grue Soldier clawed its way free of the column. Her sword cut it down before it took a second step. ¡°Where is it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything.¡± Sam looked around. ¡°Do we try to break the controls? Shut it down that way?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Alex paused, a new thought occurring to her. She looked around the room. ¡°Where is Liliana?¡±


    The others looked around, and then a low laugh echoed through the room. Alex spun around, and watched in growing horror as a familiar figure stepped out from behind the column of purple fire.


    Liliana had seen better days. Her hair seemed out of sorts, and her black uniform seemed frayed. The team captain¡¯s smile was bright, however, and her eyes were full of genuine joy. When she spoke, the column of purple light flared and flickered in time with her words. ¡°So. You managed to survive all of it. I¡¯m disappointed, but not too much. Now I can take care of you personally.¡±


    Alex set herself. ¡°Stand down, Liliana. Shut down the Anchor Point, and¡ª¡± She stopped as Liliana broke into a mocking laugh.


    ¡°Shut it down? Why? Why would I do that when I have seen its glorious truth?¡± Liliana stepped forward, and Alex¡¯s eyes widened as she noticed something. Her uniform wasn¡¯t frayed; it was insubstantial, as if it were made of smoke. As if Liliana was made of smoke. The team captain¡¯s mouth began to flicker with grey and purple light; her dark eyes began to lighten and turn grey. ¡°You never could see the bigger picture, Alexandretta. You couldn¡¯t see the wonder that awaits me. Now, you will never¡ª¡±


    She didn¡¯t give Liliana¡ªor whatever Liliana had become¡ªthe chance to finish the sentence. Alex struck at her as hard as she could, trying to bring her axe down on the woman¡¯s head. Her blade met a dark staff that materialized just in front of it, and she saw Liliana¡¯s smile grow far wider than should have been possible on a human face. ¡°Not very honorable, are you, Alexandretta?¡±


    ¡°My name is Alex!¡± She swung her shield, hoping to knock the staff aside. Her attack faltered as Liliana simply shoved her back, grinning still.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯ll be forgotten in the end.¡± Liliana stepped back and purple lightning began to coruscate in her other hand. ¡°Fool. You couldn¡¯t even challenge me when I was a simple D rank. You really think you could fight me now?¡±


    She unleashed a burst of jagged lightning, and Alex barely caught it on her shield. The force of the attack pushed her back, but her footing held firm. Energy crackled and burned around her, but her shield held fast. Alex glared at the former team captain and then saw something beyond her. A massive hand, the size of a person, was slowly moving out of the column. Something new was coming through the column, and she doubted that anyone here was going to be able to fight it.


    Liliana glanced backward, and her grey eyes widened. She laughed, a high, growling sound. ¡°I see! I am favored by my new companions! All will see the¡ª¡±


    Abruptly, she cut off with a yelp, and the lightning stopped. Alex staggered forward and then caught sight of the crossbow bolt in Liliana¡¯s shoulder. Clara¡¯s voice rose over the sound of the thing coming out of the column. ¡°Get her! Now!¡±


    The shade of the team captain snapped her gaze upward, but she didn¡¯t have the chance to strike back before Audrey sprinted in at her, her long black hair streaming out like a war banner behind her. Alex saw the war club come around and smash into Liliana¡¯s midsection; the shade¡¯s feet actually left the floor for a moment.


    Liliana countered with a swing of her staff a moment later; Audrey got her club up in time to block, but she was still sent tumbling backwards. Sam was there in the next second, his spear catching the shade in her left hand. Joanna struck next, her glowing sword hitting the staff as it raised to smash Sam flat; Brian and Tim piled in next, their weapons flashing.


    Alex staggered forward a bit more as the Surveyors piled in, each one striking at the former team captain. Liliana screamed and flailed, but she was surrounded and alone. Blow after blow slipped through her defenses, and she was bleeding white smoke from a dozen wounds as she was pushed backwards towards the pillar of purple flame. Behind her, the giant clawed hand had been joined by the fingers of a second hand, still moving slowly.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Liliana¡¯s scream was shrill and high, and the Surveyors suddenly flew backwards as if pushed by a heavy wind. The shade¡¯s unnatural features were distorted with sheer rage as she clutched her staff with both hands and swung it down. A sudden, crushing weight descended on Alex, and she saw her friends suddenly struggling to stand. Some kind of Gravity magic? She didn¡¯t know; she¡¯d been too focused on the non-Magic side of things to tell.


    ¡°All of you have always been against me! All of you were sabotaging me! This is all your fault!¡± Liliana¡¯s screeching had gone beyond hysterics. She was completely insane. Alex forced herself to take a step forward, then another. The others were rising too, but not fast enough. The second giant hand was nearly through, and she thought she could see the shape of a giant black head following them. ¡°I was going places! I was succeeding. If you idiots had only listened, then none of this would have ever happened! And the worst of them all was¡ª¡±


    Liliana¡¯s rant cut off, and Alex forced herself to grin. She took another step, and Liliana¡¯s now-grey eyes widened. She forced her staff a little lower, backing up as she did so. The weight increased, but Alex fought through it. Another step. Then another.


    ¡°No. It isn¡¯t possible. It isn¡¯t!¡± Liliana¡¯s staff shook as she struggled to put more force into it, to increase the weight further. ¡°You¡¯re a monster. A monster!¡±


    Alex dropped her shield. She raised her axe in both hands. It felt like it weighed a ton. She was only a step away. Maybe two. ¡°Yes. I am.¡±


    Then, before Liliana could step back again, she glanced upward. The head was starting to come through, a leering face the size of a truck. Liliana¡¯s shade looked up and back, momentarily distracted by what was emerging behind her.


    Alex threw her axe. It was a move that her mother hated; wasteful, she¡¯d said, and far too risky for real combat. Even if it worked, it left you open and unarmed. All it would take was one good dodge, and you were no better than a civilian.


    This time, however, it worked perfectly. The weapon tumbled through the air, turning once as Liliana¡¯s head turned back. She saw the shade¡¯s mouth open in a scream, saw her hands start to rise in an instinctive block.


    The axe blade struck, biting deep into Liliana¡¯s head. The shade¡¯s head snapped back, as if staring at the grey, reinforced ceiling. For a moment, everything seemed to go still.


    Then the shade collapsed, the axe still wedged in its skull.


    Alex felt the weight leave her. She dashed forward, ripping her axe out and striking the shade again to make sure of the kill. The body twitched and began to burn purple, and she dashed back to pick up her shield. The others were moving too, coming together in a defensive line.


    When she turned back, the enormous thing was still trying to force its way through, but the column had suddenly started to flicker. The crystal structure above it spun faster, pieces of it beginning to chip and fragment as it whirled. One of them glanced off of Alex¡¯s shield.


    The others gathered in around her, shields and weapons raised. Clara dashed over to join them, her crossbow loaded. The Acolyte shot her bolt at the face of the thing that was emerging. It didn¡¯t seem to notice.


    Alex glanced at Clara, who just shrugged and started to load another bolt. Then she snorted and turned back to the column, watching to see what would happen.


    The crystal ring rotated faster and faster, and the column continued to flicker. She heard the hum, barely noticeable before, build to an almost painful pitch.


    Then, all at once, the ring stopped. It shattered, and the column of purple flame vanished. Whatever had been trying to come through vanished along with it, the gigantic features becoming nothing more than a pale afterimage.


    Alex ducked a little as shards of the ring came down, followed by the more solid crash of the larger chunks in front of her. She heard a couple of the other Surveyors shout and grunt as the fragments peppered them as well.


    Then they were left staring at the ruined Anchor Point, and the body of a shade still burning with purple flame. The scent of magic that had filled the air abruptly began to drain away.


    She watched until the last traces of Liliana burned away. In the corner of her vision, she caught sight of a flicker of yellow text.


    [Emergency Quest completed!]


    As the words faded, Alex felt herself relax. Exhaustion crashed in afterwards, but she traded tired smiles with the rest of the Surveyors. They¡¯d won. They had finally won.


    It wasn¡¯t entirely over after the Anchor Point died, of course.


    Regulation agents descended on the site almost immediately. The investigation was kept relatively under wraps¡ªproving the fact that Golden Swallow must have had some kind of approval for their project¡ªbut apparently the negligence was severe enough that the company was hit with a massive fine, plus removal from dozens of portal contracts. It was a one-two punch that sent the Group¡¯s stock price into a tailspin. Many observers didn¡¯t expect it to last the week.


    Unfortunately, Forsmith never had emerged from the portal. Zach had reported that there had been several drops in the magical readings, suggesting that the C rank had been accomplishing something in his lonely struggle, but by the time things had calmed, he¡¯d been gone. Most of his team had been killed by Liliana at the project site, and there hadn¡¯t been anyone else willing to go in after him. She¡¯d tried, but the containment area had already been locked down by the time her group of E rankers had made it back to the place.


    ¡°So we¡¯re all probably out of a job, but at least the portal¡¯s being taken care of now.¡± Zach sat with her and her parents in the backyard. He¡¯d been visiting occasionally, almost to reassure himself that she was okay. Exposure to an Anchor Point as an E rank was not normally something that happened after all. One on Earth was literally unheard of, so no one was really sure what could happen.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Alex toyed with the cup in front of her. ¡°All it took was almost twenty Surveyors being crippled or killed. Go us.¡±


    Muriel laid a hand on hers. ¡°You cannot save everyone, Alex. Forsmith knew the risks when he went in.¡±


    Alex nodded, but she couldn¡¯t make herself accept it. The look on Forsmith¡¯s face remained with her, the same as the betrayed expressions on the faces of the Surveyors Liliana had killed. She hadn¡¯t swung the blows herself, but she might as well have dared Liliana to do it.


    ¡°Who¡¯s ready for some waffles?¡± Her father shouldered his way out of the kitchen with a plate full of food. She sighed and tried to give him a smile, and he grinned back. They¡¯d had a long talk about what had happened, and he¡¯d already told her he was proud of what she¡¯d done. He¡¯d been just as insistent that she not tell her mother that, but she had laughed about it. Her mother had already said the same thing to her earlier.


    Alex and the others dug in as syrup, waffles, whip cream and strawberries were shared around in abundance. She sighed around a mouthful of heaven, and then Zach had to ruin it again. ¡°So, what are you planning to do now? I doubt Golden Swallow will be able to help you finish out the contract.¡±


    She took the time to chew a little more before she swallowed and answered. ¡°I think whoever buys portal access here is probably going to want to bring me on as well. It¡¯s just a matter of time until¡­¡± Alex trailed off as her father started rummaging in the pockets of his coat. ¡°Dad?¡±


    ¡°Just a second, got a letter here.¡± He produced it with a flourish and then handed it over. ¡°Looked official, so maybe it¡¯s what you were talking about?¡±


    Alex nodded slowly, her eyes scanning the address. It was some company out in Maine, not one she recognized. ¡°Red Blade Securities. Ever heard of them?¡±


    Her mother shook her head. ¡°Most of the ones I used to monitor are gone now. Lots of mergers and such. Hard to keep track of it all.¡±


    Zach¡¯s eyebrows had raised, however. ¡°I have. They are supposed to be a bit more of a solid company than Golden Swallow. They handle a lot more difficult portals, too.¡±


    She opened the envelope and went over the letter. ¡°Yeah. Looks like they were called in to handle things. They bought out the rest of the contract.¡± Alex grinned. ¡°Guess they didn¡¯t read any of my evaluations first.¡±


    ¡°I doubt they would have been using Liliana¡¯s opinion for much, anyway.¡± Zach leaned back in his chair, smiling. ¡°Well, let me know if they want one slightly scuffed researcher for their PAD. I promise to limit myself to only helping you bury a company once during my career.¡±


    Alex gave him a stern look, but couldn¡¯t help ruining it with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± She turned back to the letter, feeling her heart beat a bit faster in excitement. Her time as an E rank had been a bit more¡­eventful than she¡¯d expected, but it had been a good first step.


    Now, she thought, it was on to the next place. D rank, and beyond, until every last Surveyor felt safe. Who protected the protectors? She would.


    Then she set the letter aside and dug back into the waffles her father had made for her. She still had a long way to go before the world changed, but there was a time and a place for everything¡ªand for now, Alex was right where she wanted to be.

 B2Ch1: Arrival

    ¡°Here we are. At last.¡±


    The weary tone in Clara¡¯s voice made Alex smile. She hadn¡¯t expected the Acolyte to be so travel-worn compared to her, but it had been a long trip. Her father had dropped her off with her duffel bag at the train station nearly three hours ago. The train had been behind schedule, which had cost a good amount of time, and then the ride north had spent well over an hour. Once they¡¯d arrived, the company had sent a bus, which had then spent another half an hour at least, weaving its way through the city¡¯s traffic-choked streets to the Red Blade Securities compound.


    The bus ran over a speedbump, lurching slightly as it went, and Alex straightened up in her seat. When she¡¯d signed up for serving out the rest of her contract with the new company, she hadn¡¯t expected them to drag her into the city rather than letting her stay at the portal she¡¯d already become experienced with, but the transfer had been one of the first things that Red Blade had demanded of her. Construction crews had already been tearing down the old containment area around the former Golden Swallow portal, and she¡¯d been denied permission to enter that portal again for the foreseeable future.


    Not that it had been a surprise, given how terribly things had gone under her last company. Hopefully, this corp was better than Golden Swallow had been¡ªfor the sake of their stockholders, at the very least. Golden Swallow had gone so bankrupt that the news anchors used a faintly glowing crater to represent them whenever the news discussed their fall. The official reasons had been buried under mountains of technical jargon, but rumors abounded.


    She just hoped that her name was kept out of it. Time would tell.


    Alex caught sight of a new set of buildings appearing outside of the window and went a little tense. Clara gave her a grin and then went back to staring at the place that would be their new home.


    It was a solid box of buildings that rose above street level. A massive blank wall surrounded the whole complex, cutting it off from the outside world. Clusters of large multistory buildings had been crammed into the space inside. None of the architecture was all that inspiring; it seemed like whoever had designed the place had been a fan of plain concrete and rebar, with an almost prison-like design. From the outside, at least, it looked either the world¡¯s most restrictive boarding school, or a small penitentiary right in the middle of downtown.


    Of course, the city hadn¡¯t been particularly happy about the compound, but it didn¡¯t have much of a choice. The center of the compound was where her assigned portal was located; the information that Red Blade had given her said it was a low D rank portal, with eight square blocks reserved around it. Fortunately for the surrounding neighborhood, that buffer zone appeared to have locked the magic energy inside. Alex couldn¡¯t even smell it yet.


    The bus reached the one spot in the wall that had been fit with a gate; it paused, waiting for the doors to swing outwards, and then slowly turned into the compound¡¯s garage. Alex tried not to feel like the place was swallowing them whole. She shivered despite herself.


    ¡°Uh oh. The team captain is scared.¡± There was a bit of nervousness in Tim¡¯s voice, but he just laughed when she twisted around to glare at him. ¡°Relax, Alex, we aren¡¯t going to get ambushed by Grue here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you think.¡± Brian glared at him. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve brought it up, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get there and Red Blade¡¯s going to announce that they have this brand new genius idea for us to help them with¡­¡±


    Joanna snorted from her seat. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that plan would be dead on arrival, Brian. No more Anchor Points on earth.¡±


    The Squire grimaced. None of them were ever going to forget that sight, or what it had taken to stop it. ¡°Not this year, maybe.¡±


    Audrey tossed a piece of a chip at the man, grinning widely. ¡°Oh please. The only thing I¡¯m worried about is keeping up with these guys. They¡¯re supposed to be absolute monsters, only taking on the toughest portals. Did you hear that half the people who sign up drop out before their first year is up?¡±


    ¡°That seems¡­ unsustainable.¡± Sam shook his head. The Adept did look worried, though he had spent most of the trip in silence. ¡°Still, at least they seem like they don¡¯t lose Surveyors very much. At least not through casualties.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be a nice change of pace.¡± Alex turned back to face forward and slumped down in her seat. From their first group of twenty-four Surveyors, only eight of them had survived the missions that Golden Swallow had given them and kept fighting. They¡¯d lost six to the company¡¯s lethal risk-taking. Six more had taken a long look at the deadly chaos they¡¯d survived and walked away, unwilling to continue putting their lives on the line for a faceless corporation. The last three, Rudy, Ruth, and Marcel, had managed to survive the destruction of the Anchor Point, only to quit with sizable ¡®discretion¡¯ bonuses from the Portal Regulation Agency for keeping quiet.


    The final four Surveyors had been crippled, unable to ever work as Surveyors ever again. Those ones were her fault, not Golden Swallow¡¯s¡­ but she didn¡¯t feel bad about them at all. Griefers who preyed on other Surveyors earned what they got. Always.


    She was still smiling to herself when the bus pulled out of the garage and into a small half-circle of pavement that seemed to be set up especially for new arrivals. It ground to a halt, and she looked out over a group of Surveyors who were practicing in a wide-open space that had apparently been set apart for duels. They wore dull grey uniforms with red shoulder slashes, with the red sword of the company logo on their backs. A tall, severe-looking man in a black version of the uniform was watching over them, at least until he glanced back at the bus.


    Then he tapped a watch, and the drills all suddenly came to a stop. With eerie coordination, the Surveyors gathered up their practice weaponry and trotted over to form three lines of ten, all facing the bus. Each Surveyor had the same stance; arms folded behind their backs, feet shoulder width apart.


    At that point, the bus driver glanced back at them and opened the doors. She motioned for them to disembark. Alex exchanged a look with the others, none of whom looked anxious to lead the way. Clara simply met her eyes and raised her eyebrows.


    With a sigh, Alex levered herself up and out of the seat. She was the first off of the bus.


    The moment she stepped off the bus, a wave of magic washed over her. It was strong, though not as strong as the waves coming from the last portal could occasionally get. She wrinkled her nose for a moment, feeling a slight difference between the smell of this portal and the last one. Her mother had mentioned that every place felt different, but Alex hadn¡¯t expected it to be that obvious a change.


    Then she shook her head and stepped forward, sweeping her gaze along the lines of Red Blade Securities Surveyors that were staring back at her.


    Some of them were watching the new arrivals with bland interest, while others were ignoring her to stare directly ahead. A handful seemed almost hostile, with faint snarls on their faces. She tried to remember those ones for later. If there were griefers here like there had been at Golden Swallow, she would need to find them sooner this time. Better to deal with problems early.


    Alex finished her brief inspection by looking at the black uniformed man. At Golden Swallow, they would have called him a team sergeant or captain. It had been a bit of a joke, considering that the Golden Swallow officers really never entered the portal, and barely qualified as anything more than middle management.


    This man was different. His expression was hard, and his dark eyes were calculating and cold as he examined them. Where the Golden Swallow leads had been soft and out of shape, it was clear that this Surveyor had seen recent, brutal training, if not a mission through the portal. His hands still bore the scars of combat, and he seemed to be favoring his right side a little. Her last sergeant had practically been fueled by sheer pettiness and sabotage, but she hadn¡¯t been much of a direct threat in the end. Unless she was mistaken, Alex was looking at someone who could probably threaten her as much as Forsmith ever had.


    It was going to be different, having an actual, competent Surveyor as a supervisor.


    He seemed to realize that she was studying him, and blinked. His hands twitched at his sides, and Alex had to suppress a wince. What had that meant? The last thing she needed was to have problems here. Not so soon after the last company. She broke eye contact to get another look over the Surveyors, and then walked towards the back of the bus.


    The others filed out of the bus behind her, performing a quick, habitual check of their surroundings as they spread out along the curb. They wandered back along with her, forming a kind of line of their own. Once Joanna came off the bus, the last of the group, Alex stopped walking and turned to face the other Surveyors again. As the others followed suit, she fell into a relaxed stance. She wasn¡¯t about to ape their faux-military stance, but she wasn¡¯t going to cower in a group, either.


    A silence fell over the area, and the black uniformed Surveyor blinked again. Then he nodded and walked forward, taking up a position midway between the Red Securities people and Alex¡¯s group. He mimicked the same stance from the rest of them, looking around at them in silence.


    Then he smiled. It was not a nice expression. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this a lovely sight! Eight new recruits for our proud cause. Isn¡¯t that right, troops?¡±


    The Surveyors behind him responded immediately, their voices a joint shout that echoed across the practice area. ¡°Yes, Chief Wells!¡±


    Alex felt an abrupt sinking feeling in her gut. Maybe it wasn¡¯t going to be so nice after all.


    Wells stepped forward, his eyes searching the new arrivals. He began to walk up and down the line, inspecting each of them as if to size them up. ¡°Unfortunately, they aren¡¯t exactly fresh new recruits, are they, troops? They¡¯re transfers, leftovers from some other, weaker company. From what I¡¯ve heard, they have been mistreated. They were cheated of the superior training, resources, and direction that Red Blade Securities provides. Weren¡¯t they, troops?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Chief Wells!¡±


    Alex could already see her friends starting to tense up along the line, their expressions becoming glares. She could even see Sam and Audrey curling their hands into fists, as if ready to lash out as Wells walked past them. He didn¡¯t seem to notice, continuing his booming tirade.


    ¡°And so we see the consequences of that neglect! Out of twenty-four personnel, there are only eight left. Eight, who didn¡¯t even manage their portal well enough to avoid an Escalation Event that nearly brought down their whole company. A waste! A sheer, unmitigated waste.¡±


    He stopped in front of Alex as he said that last word, glaring down into her eyes. Alex just looked back up at him blankly. A part of her knew well enough what he was doing and was irritated by it. Then again, at least nobody had used any acronyms or tried to kill her yet. It could be worse.


    Wells drew back slightly and then walked back down the line. ¡°So here we have eight beaten, broken little Surveyors. Castoffs looking for a new home. Failures.¡± Then he paused and looked back at his own teams. ¡°Yet do we blame them, troops?¡±


    ¡°No, Chief Wells!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Wells continued his walk, oblivious or uncaring about the fact that Sam looked ready to stab him. ¡°They didn¡¯t have the good fortune or clear foresight to choose a better path. The Red Blade Securities path! Their flaws and failings are not theirs alone, but the fault of the company that sent them unprepared into the fires of combat.¡±


    He paused where Joanna was flexing her hands, as if picturing her sword in her hands, and reversed course. His voice grew louder, if anything. ¡°For that reason, we welcome you, new recruits! Your flaws will be corrected here. Your fears will be forgotten. You will be reforged and remade into something that will never fail again.¡±


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    His slow, measured stride had nearly brought him back to Alex. ¡°Here at Red Blade, you will learn your Skills as you never have before. Every day will push you further than you could have ever believed. Normally, this means that a large number of our newest recruits will leave before completing their first year. Nearly half our troops choose to fulfil their contractual obligations as support staff instead of real Survey work, but they survive. Their lives are not wasted, even if their rewards are reduced. If you choose that path, it is not a shame.¡±


    He glanced at Alex before walking back towards the middle of the line. ¡°But at the end of the day, every time you step through that portal, our regimen will provide you with the best chance of walking back out again. You will not be allowed to be anything less than a perfect, sculpted avatar of humanity, ready to support you brothers and sisters in arms. Isn¡¯t that right, troops?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Chief Wells!¡±


    Wells nodded in clear satisfaction. Then he smiled, a sardonic grin that clearly ate at some of the former Golden Swallow Surveyors. ¡°Now, I can see skepticism in your eyes. Doubt, even. It is understandable. You¡¯ve only known failure and pain, after all. Why should you trust anything I say?¡±


    ¡°So here¡¯s what we¡¯ll do. We¡¯ll have a little contest. Who¡¯s the strongest one here?¡± He raised an eyebrow at Sam, who was staring at him slack-jawed. ¡°Is it you?¡± The Adept shook his head, suddenly caught between laughter and snarling, so Wells frowned and looked back towards Audrey. ¡°What about you? You seem ready to fight.¡±


    Alex sighed. The rest of her friends were starting to relax and glance in her direction already, so she stepped forward on her own. She might as well get it over with. ¡°Chief Wells? I am.¡±


    He turned with slow satisfaction. Dark eyes examined her for a moment, narrowed and cool. ¡°I see. And your name is?¡±


    She looked back at him a moment. ¡°My name is Alex. I¡¯m a level four Page.¡±


    Wells tilted his head. ¡°A distance fighter?¡±


    Clara snorted, and Alex gave her a quick glare. ¡°No. I fight in melee.¡±


    ¡°A Page in close quarters! Well, we certainly have a novelty.¡± Wells shook his head and looked back at his own Surveyors. ¡°Well, I think we can definitely find a challenge for you. Ed!¡±


    One of the Surveyors stepped forward. It was a boy about a head taller than Alex was, with dark brown hair and green eyes. He was built well, and moved with the familiar confidence of someone who¡¯d been through plenty of fights. There was a long, two-handed practice sword in his hands, and Alex felt her eyes narrow.


    Wells looked back at her. ¡°Ed is a level four Porter, and a good example of what the preparation we provide can give you. I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t mind trading a few blows with him?¡±


    Alex looked at him. Unlike some of the other Red Blade Surveyors, he wasn¡¯t smirking at her. Instead, he was watching her closely. She nodded. Maybe it would be a good measure of what she could expect here. ¡°Sure. I just need an axe and shield.¡±


    The team leader nodded and gestured for one of the other Surveyors to fetch the weapons. Alex ignored the murmur from her former teammates and stepped forward, watching Ed. He had hefted his sword and swung it a couple of times, as if to loosen up. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to tell whether he moved faster than what she¡¯d seen in Paul and the others. At the very least, he¡¯d be less of a problem than Liliana had been, at the end.


    She hefted the shield and axe when they were handed to her. They seemed good enough. When she looked closer at them, they didn¡¯t seem to be damaged or sabotaged, either. Satisfied, she stepped forward. ¡°All right. Where are we doing this?¡±


    Wells paused for a moment, as if taken aback by her lack of bluster. Ed simply shrugged and gestured for her to follow. The others from her group trailed along behind, even as the Red Blade Securities folks made a near-circle around one of the dueling areas they¡¯d been using before.


    Ed waited for her in the middle of that space, his sword still in his hands. He didn¡¯t look around at the other Surveyors. It was as if his entire focus was on her, and her alone. Alex felt her eyes narrow. That kind of attention was a bit disconcerting. It made her glad that she hadn¡¯t reset her Skills during her last mission after all.


    Wells took up a position on the edge of the circle. He raised one hand. ¡°The duel will continue until someone yields, or cannot continue. Now, begin!¡±


    The instant he let his hand fall, Alex charged. She didn¡¯t know what kind of skills a Porter could have that would make Wells think he could take on a Page in a duel, but she wasn¡¯t going to wait to find out. Better to rush him and finish things early, before any tricks could happen.


    Ed¡¯s reaction proved that she had been smart about not taking him for just an empty uniform. He lashed out with his sword in a textbook stab, meant to thrust the point through Alex¡¯s chest, right where her heart was. For a moment, she almost saw Paul¡¯s image superimposed over him; the griefer that had nearly killed her had tried a similar move out of desperation.


    Just like with him, she stepped to the side and brought her axe down. She wouldn¡¯t chop through Ed¡¯s wrist, but it would be a solid hit, maybe even enough to make him drop the sword.


    To her surprise, Ed reacted with shocking speed. He jerked his sword back, and Alex¡¯s hit rang off the blade rather than his forearm or wrist.


    Then he pivoted. Alex jerked her shield into position. His counterattack bounced off her shield, even as he moved out and away from her. Ed backed off a little, his face now locked into an intense scowl as they began to circle.


    She watched him move, trying to spot a chance to catch him off balance or distracted. Part of her regretted never getting a Skill like Battle Trance, but her main Skill, Battle Maneuvers, was probably a pretty large part of why she was still standing at the moment. Between that Skill and the two lower level Melee ones that she¡¯d brought to maximum level, she could probably match whatever crazy training camp they had set up here.


    At the very least, their first exchange had drained some of the confidence from the Red Blade pack. They were staring warily at her now. Ed himself seemed undeterred, however. His feet slid over the smooth floor of the training grounds, keeping him centered and balanced. She watched his sword shift in his hands, twisting this way and that as if it were a snake, testing the air before a strike.


    She waited another few moments, trying to familiarize herself with the way he moved. Then she charged again, her Speed helping her to cross the distance in what seemed like an eyeblink. Ed jerked backward slightly, his sword coming down to point at her face. Alex grinned and brought her shield around to match.


    Then, just as she¡¯d nearly closed the distance, Ed jumped forward, his right arm extending like a spear. The sword flicked out, aiming for the outside edge of her shield. It hit just hard enough to twist her shield out of the way, and then Ed pivoted around it. A single clenched fist came straight at her face.


    It would have hurt if her mother hadn¡¯t pulled a similar trick on her repeatedly for years. Alex ducked low, feeling the fist brush past her cheek. She pivoted fast, bringing her axe around in a flat arc. Ed stepped past her, his expression morphing into one of clear surprise.


    Then her axe caught him in the side, and she drove the breath out of him in a single hit. He staggered to the side; if the weapon had been sharp, he¡¯d have been bleeding badly. Alex beamed in triumph.


    Her sense of victory lasted until the Porter spun. His sword stabbed back at her, and she barely put her shield in the way. The impact shoved them apart, and he managed to get some space from her again. She watched him rub at his side for a moment, and then his expression of pain eased.


    Alex grunted as she realized the problem. Porters had Life as their main attribute; someone with a high enough level there would be able to take and recover from hits that would flatten her. His endurance would be superhuman too, especially if he had a high-level Recovery Skill.


    It belatedly occurred to her that the duel wasn¡¯t over on the first hit. It would be done when someone surrendered or couldn¡¯t fight anymore. How did she put him down if he could just shrug off all the damage a practice axe could do?


    His expression flickered as he seemed to sense her realization of the situation. He gave her a crooked grin that provoked one from her, too. Then Ed raised his sword high, taking a stance that would allow him to rain blows down on her. It left him open, but he was probably willing to take a hit or two if he could flatten her in response.


    Alex nodded and mentally shifted her strategy. Beating on a Porter wasn¡¯t going to be the best way to finish this fight. Instead, she needed to make him give up.


    So, as her breathing steadied again, Alex studied his stance. Then she charged.


    This time she went straight for him, not bothering with any real tricks. She needed him to see her as a threat, but one that was a headlong attacker. Nothing tricky or deceptive. Just a willingness to risk trading blows.


    His eyes widened as she came after him again, but he didn¡¯t back up this time. Instead, Ed set himself and tightened his fingers on the sword. She recognized when he was about to strike, Battle Maneuvers feeding her that small clue as to his intentions. Only a fast block kept her from being smashed; as it was, she still went backwards. Ed followed it up with another pair of hits.


    Alex backed away again, circling for a time. Ed appeared willing to let her go and watch, conserving his energy as she darted back and forth. When she charged a second time, she could have sworn his face tightened in something close to disappointment. Once again, he smashed her aside, following it up with a second strike that nearly caught her as she backed away again.


    She grinned at him as she started to circle again. ¡°Third time¡¯s the charm?¡±


    Ed grunted, his eyes still fixed on her. He shifted, making sure that he faced her squarely. The sword was unwavering as it pointed skyward.


    Alex gave him a mental nod for sticking to his strengths. Then she charged one last time, holding her shield just a little lower this time. She wanted it to seem like she was getting tired, like she had forgotten to hold it up correctly.


    Sure enough, this time he actually stepped into her charge, extending his reach in a critical heartbeat of time. It was an excellent counterattack. If she hadn¡¯t been watching for it, the swing might have caught her.


    Time seemed to slow as the sword descended. She brought her shield up at the perfect angle, aiming to let the sword glance off and a bit to the side. It would rob the blow of some of its strength and let her snatch at the weapon itself.


    The hit was just as heavy as she¡¯d feared, but Alex gritted her teeth and held her ground. Her axe lashed out while the sword was still smashed against her shield, and she hooked the blade around the end of her opponent¡¯s weapon.


    Then she stepped back, pivoted, and yanked, applying as much leverage as she could to the sword. She felt the Porter fighting the motion; it felt like a couple Grue Knights were fighting her instead of just one kid, but she just fought harder. Alex let out a whoop of joy as the sword abruptly came free, spinning out across the practice yard.


    She had just enough time to celebrate disarming her opponent before he pounced, shoulder-checking her while she was still turned half in the wrong direction. Alex staggered, fighting to try to regain her footing, and Ed slipped low, kicking at her legs. The move nearly sent her to her back, but Alex knelt instead, slipping backward as he tried to shove her by the shield. He tried another kick and even reared back for an overhand punch.


    Then she belted him across the face with her axe and complimented it with a shield-check that sent him staggering back. Ed shook his head, gave her a half-offended look, and then took off running for the sword that lay halfway across the ring.


    Alex had no intention of giving him that chance. She charged again, trying to ignore the twinges of pain running through her thigh where he¡¯d landed his kick. It took only a handful of strides to catch him, well short of the sword. Ed spun just as she reached him, arms outstretched for a bear hug.


    He got a shield-check to the face instead, followed by a low swing from her axe that hooked his ankle. Ed flopped backwards onto his butt with a grunt, but he continued to try to scuttle away to get to his sword.


    At least, he did until she sprinted around him and crouched in front of it. He¡¯d managed to reach his hands and knees, but he looked up to find her holding her axe high for the kind of overhand chop that even a superhumanly thick skull would feel. She raised an eyebrow at him.


    He looked up at her and then grimaced. Ed sat back on his knees and waved his hands defensively. ¡°I give, I give. This one might be a bit tougher than we expected, Chief.¡±


    The ring of Surveyors had gone oddly quiet. When Alex looked around, they were all watching her warily, as if she was some kind of dangerous threat. Not that she minded that, of course. She transferred her axe to hold it together with her shield and stuck out her now-free hand. ¡°Here. Good fight.¡±


    ¡°Not good enough.¡± Ed considered her hand for a moment and then grabbed it. She nearly fell over pulling him to his feet. ¡°Still, that just means you¡¯ll do well here. Maybe you all will.¡±


    ¡°That remains to be seen, Mr. Morat.¡± Wells¡¯ voice was thick with anger, and Alex gave him a surprised look. The supervisor walked over and picked up Ed¡¯s sword. He gave Alex a thin smile. ¡°You¡¯ve apparently had plenty of experience with smaller challenges. Let¡¯s see how you do when you are facing something much more dangerous.¡±


    Alex blinked. Wells was obviously not an E rank Surveyor. If he was a D rank, she might have some small chance¡ªmaybe three times in ten she would win¡ªbut if he was a C rank, there was no hope. He would be in an entirely different category when it came to a fight.


    Feeling determined, Alex shook her head as he fell into a stance. She was probably going to lose, but at the very least, she wasn¡¯t going to just lie down. All she had to do was get a hit in and¡­


    She frowned. There was something hauntingly familiar about that stance, but she couldn¡¯t place it. It didn¡¯t match anything Forsmith or any of the other Surveyors had used at Golden Swallow, but she could have sworn she knew what his next move would be¡ªa straightforward, blinding lunge, with a horizontal cut. Knowing that didn¡¯t make it any easier to dodge, but she simply narrowed her eyes and set herself.


    The attack came just as she expected, but faster than anything she¡¯d ever seen before. One moment she was staring at Wells, the next her practice shield had been smashed aside and she was flying across the exercise yard. She hit the ground and rolled a bit, eventually coming to her feet outside the ring. Clara immediately reached over to steady her, but Alex just waved her away. Instead, she looked over at where Wells was standing, wondering if he¡¯d just misjudged his own strength.


    Wells smiled, a vicious look that immediately assured Alex that the hit hadn¡¯t been an accident. ¡°New recruits, gather your equipment and follow Mr. Morat to the dormitories. Since he has let down the company, he can act as your guide for the rest of the day. The rest of you, return to your training. We obviously have plenty of work to do. Mr. Morat, I¡¯ll speak with you later.¡±


    Ed grimaced again, but he set aside the practice sword without any complaint. Alex gave Wells a narrow look¡ªit didn¡¯t sit well on her for the man to punish someone he had put in harm¡¯s way just for failing to live up to the braggart¡¯s expectations, or for him to beat on someone so obviously lower in rank¡ªand then looked back at her friends. They seemed to have been more than satisfied with things. Audrey and Clara were both glowering. Tim and Brian were exchanging meaningful looks. Even Joanna was scowling, though Sam was simply watching the other Surveyors as they went back to their work with a neutral expression.


    She sighed and set down her own equipment. At least she¡¯d have a chance to put her stuff away before Wells had any new surprises for her. At least, that was what she hoped.

 B2Ch2: First Mission

    ¡°Here¡¯s where your dorms are going to be. Girls to the right, boys to the left.¡± Ed seemed to be fairly neutral towards them so far. She¡¯d have even described him as easygoing, if he was just a little bit more talkative. He answered most of their questions so far with just the minimum of words, though, and he seemed to be mostly glancing back out at the courtyard where his friends were still practicing. Whenever he did, he had a glum look on his face, like he had been denied ice cream for misbehaving at dinner or something.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t get so sad, soldier! Alex is a bit of a freak of nature. We used to train against her two at a time, not that it did any of us much good.¡± Audrey grinned and nudged the Porter. He didn¡¯t seem to budge at all, though he did give her a skeptical look. ¡°You did well, I¡¯d say!¡±


    ¡°Better than the last guy with a sword, at least.¡± Sam grinned when Alex gave him a very level look, but the Adept seemed to take the hint well enough. ¡°So we are going to be doing a lot of Skill training here, right? At least, it seems like you are all pretty dedicated to it.¡±


    Ed seemed to recover a little at the question. ¡°Yeah. Here at Red Blade if you don¡¯t train, you don¡¯t go through the portal. Miss too many missions, and you go to the support staff. Permanently.¡±


    Joanna frowned. She seemed to be calculating something. ¡°How often does everyone go through the portal? How large are the teams we¡¯ll be using?¡±


    ¡°Depends on the portal¡¯s condition.¡± Ed shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s a D class breach, so it¡¯s going to be a lot more dangerous than the E rank portal you¡¯re used too. Lots more Grue, and more advanced types too. There¡¯s even a Killer running around¡ª¡±


    Alex stopped and faced him. ¡°A Killer? How many Surveyors has it killed? Does it show up every time, or just when there are enough Camps?¡±


    Ed blinked in surprise. ¡°It shows up every so often, but usually when it does, we send a D rank after it. Each team has one assigned, even if only one E rank is going through. It hasn¡¯t gotten anyone in a very, very long time.¡±


    Brian and Tim both relaxed at the news. They exchanged a look and then chuckled softly to themselves, but Alex ignored them. ¡°Is it really that good at hiding? The one we saw seemed like it was aggressively hunting all the time.¡±


    ¡°How did an E rank portal¡ª¡± Ed shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. Killers are confident going against a bunch of E ranks, but a D rank makes them cautious¡ªand like I said, you¡¯ll always have an escort, at least until you are D rank yourselves. Then they¡¯ll start sending you in on your own.¡±


    Alex frowned. When she¡¯d hunted down the last Killer, it had been hard to catch up to it, and even harder to take it down. How was she going to manage it if the thing was starting out hiding instead of being easily baited into ambushes?


    Clara nudged her. ¡°Don¡¯t get any ideas, Alex.¡±


    She gave the Acolyte a quick glare. ¡°I¡¯m not, I¡¯m not. I just¡­ don¡¯t like knowing it¡¯s going to be out there.¡±


    Ed frowned. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it. Keep in mind that this is supposed to be a D rank portal. We aren¡¯t going to be hitting it too hard, since we want it to spawn some of those more advanced Grue for the sake of training our D rank troops. Getting some experience against a Killer is a good thing.¡±


    Brian grunted and rolled his eyes. ¡°Yeah, wouldn¡¯t want to miss out on that experience¡­¡±


    Tim smacked him upside the head and then leaned into one of the doors for the dorms. ¡°Oh, barracks style, huh? No top bunks, at least.¡±


    Alex peeked in as well, and was rewarded with the sight of a fairly empty room with a series of metal-frame beds lined up along the back wall. Each one had a single twin mattress, with a set of drawers mounted below it and another set built into the frame above the bed. Each one had identical white sheets, as if they had been bought from some period film on old hospital wards or war documentaries, and they all seemed nearly unnaturally clean.


    A thought occurred to her. ¡°How does everything get cleaned around here? Nobody without a Talisman can work so close to a portal, right?¡±


    Ed nodded. ¡°Most of the workers around here are former Surveyors who opted for the support track instead of going through the portal.¡± He shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s safer, I guess, but they double the length of your contract and chop your pay back a lot. That, and you get stuck at whatever rank you are at when you wash out.¡±


    She nodded slowly and looked around at the others. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think you¡¯ll need to worry about that with us. Not unless something goes really, really wrong.¡±


    His eyes narrowed slightly. He folded his arms. ¡°And if things do go wrong?¡±


    ¡°Then she¡¯ll probably end up fixing it for you.¡± Sam laughed as she gave him another glare. ¡°Don¡¯t hate me for telling the truth. Though it might be harder for you to get ¡®hunches¡¯ here, though.¡±


    Alex opened her mouth to respond, and then paused as her phone went off. The others seemed to be on the edge of laughing as she hesitated; Ed was mostly just mystified. Then Joanna and Clara both burst out laughing. She grimaced and took out her phone. ¡°Sorry, I need to take this. I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    Clara waved her off. ¡°We¡¯ll get your stuff set up on your bed. Just don¡¯t take too long with the call.¡±


    Setting down her duffel, Alex gave her a grateful wave, and then answered the still-ringing phone. Trying to speak quietly, she turned away. ¡°Hey Zach.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Am I interrupting anything? Did you get to the new place all right?¡±


    His voice sounded warm as always, and Alex felt a blush heat her cheeks for a moment. ¡°Yeah. Just getting a tour of the place. How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Well, I did get some luck on the job front, though not as much as you.¡± He sighed. The collapse of Golden Swallow had more or less sunk Zach¡¯s job at the company without giving him an option to be hired elsewhere. A junior researcher at the Portal Analysis Department¡ªone that had been on administrative leave, and part of the department that ¡®hadn¡¯t caught¡¯ the fluctuations in the portal¡ªhad not been a high priority for Red Blade to retain. Zach had been looking ever since he¡¯d gotten his vaguely apologetic dismissal letter.


    ¡°Oh really? Where?¡±


    ¡°Not in another corp, so you don¡¯t have to worry about conflict of interest. At least, not in that case.¡± Zach paused. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s an investigative reporter who was looking for an assistant. Kind of a mix between a secretary and a private investigator.¡±


    ¡°A reporter?¡± There was entirely a different worry in her voice as she continued to walk down the hallway. Zach was technically bound by the same gag order that the Regulation agents had slapped on the Surveyors, but he knew a lot more than even the rest of her friends did. After all, he was the only one that knew that her mother wasn¡¯t exactly a normal housewife. ¡°What kind of stories are you going to be doing?¡±


    ¡°Mostly just interest pieces. Maybe some corporate news.¡± He paused again, as if going over the phrasing carefully. ¡°Nothing historical. You don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡±


    Alex relaxed. She rubbed at her eyebrows for a moment, trying to relieve some of the tension. ¡°Well, I am glad to hear that you found something. Hopefully, it turns out better than the last one did.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m hoping.¡± He seemed to feel just as relieved as she did. ¡°How¡¯s the new company turning out? They seem like they have a¡­ unique way of doing things, compared to most corps.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s definitely true.¡± Alex shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s like I joined the military by accident. Lots of yelling and discipline so far.¡±


    Zach started chuckling. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s part of what I¡¯d heard. Of course, it makes sense when you realize who they based their philosophy off of. They told you anything about that yet?¡±


    Alex frowned. ¡°No. What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure it out.¡± He chuckled again, unaware that she suddenly felt the urge to strangle him through the phone. ¡°All right, I have to go. Say hello to Sam and the others for me, and take care of yourself up there.¡±


    ¡°I will. See you soon.¡±


    The call ended, and she frowned at the phone for a moment longer. Then she heard someone clear their throat and turned around to find Ed waiting for her.


    He raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Someone from home?¡±


    The way he asked the question made her feel a little uncomfortable. She nodded, and he gave her an uncertain smile. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Just keep in mind that they don¡¯t approve of a lot of idle time around here. It¡¯s not the Red Blade model.¡±


    She blinked. ¡°The Red Blade model? Who is that based on?¡±


    ¡°The Crimson Blade.¡± He grinned, probably misidentifying the reason for her expression. ¡°She was a Surveyor who never quit, and who was always dedicated to her training. She never let anything¡ªor anyone¡ªdistract her from what needed to be done. Our entire program is designed to help us follow her example.¡±


    Alex thought back to the many times her mother had taken a break from training to goof off with her husband and child. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ interesting.¡±


    Ed nodded. ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry. We aren¡¯t only about training and seriousness around here, even if she was. Come on. The others are already headed to the mess hall. If we get moving, we can catch them on the way.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡± Trying to look on the bright side, she supposed there were worse things than being assigned to a company that seemed to have her own mother as an object of worship. All the same, Alex followed Ed through the building with a distinct feeling of unease. There had to be some upside to all of it, didn¡¯t there?


    ¡°Alexandretta Morrison? My name is Laura Eingard.¡± The woman was wearing the black version of the Red Blade uniform, but unlike Chief Wells, she had a bright smile and her shoulder-length hair drawn back into a ponytail. ¡°I¡¯m going to be your Vanguard during your first missions here. I understand that you¡¯re at level four?¡±


    Alex nodded she glanced around at the rest of the people in the room. All of her teammates had been gathered into the same small conference room. A mix of others joined them, some wearing normal grey uniforms and others wearing black. ¡°My¡­ Vanguard?¡±


    Ed spoke up from where he stood nearby. ¡°A Vanguard is going to be your D rank on the mission. This first time, we¡¯ll be splitting you all up so we can get you more integrated into our team. You¡¯re going to be with me and Bob for this first run. After that, you¡¯ll need to earn your spot going forward.¡± Another Red Blade Surveyor, a small man with blue eyes and a sturdy-looking staff, nodded to her.


    She didn¡¯t exactly like hearing about the need to ¡®earn¡¯ a spot to go through the portal, but Alex tried to shrug off the feeling. All she needed to focus on for now was her first trip through a new portal¡ªand a D rank portal at that. Who knew what would be waiting for her on the other side?


    The others headed out first, following the black uniform who had apparently been assigned to lead them. Sam and Alessa went first, along with a couple of Red Blades. Tim and Brian were next, followed by Clara, Joanna, and Audrey, all clustered together. They each waved goodbye as they marched out, headed to wherever the Red Blades had hidden their gateway to another world.


    Finally, it was her team¡¯s turn. Laura gave her a professional nod. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving. Time for us to get to work.¡±


    The Vanguard led them through the hallway, going further into the Red Blade compound. They passed by other conference rooms, some of which were occupied with other groups of Surveyors. Ed and Bob talked between themselves in low voices, even as Laura continued to stride forward confidently. Alex checked over her gear, making sure her axe, shield, armor, and helmet were all ready for what they were about to do.


    Laura walked until they had reached a large metal door, one that was far too heavy and thick for simple human strength to open. She tapped in a combination on a keypad and then stepped back as the door slid open. ¡°You¡¯ll need to stay close to us on this one, Alexandretta. I don¡¯t know what your last portal was like, but things can get difficult here.¡±


    Alex nodded slowly. ¡°You can call me Alex.¡± She paused. ¡°What quest type should I choose? I¡¯m assuming the Survey Screen will still give options at level four like it did for level three.¡±


    The Vanguard smiled again. ¡°Yeah, it will. Make sure to pick Patrol; we don¡¯t want to fight any Camps or Killers today, and there¡¯s usually plenty of patrols we can work with. Let me know if there are any weird requirements for it, but I think you should be fine. Again, just stay close and work with the rest of us. We¡¯ll make sure you get back out.¡±


    She nodded, unsure of how safe that reassurance made her feel. Then the door finished opening, and the sharp smell of magic pouring out of a portal at close range filled the air.


    Alex stepped into the portal room with the rest of her small team, her eyes once again drawn to a swirl of chaotic energy. The portal here seemed a bit more intense than the first one she¡¯d gone through, though it was not nearly as unstable as when she¡¯d last seen it.


    For a moment, she saw that sight in her mind again. The portal, tearing itself apart as Forsmith threw himself into it in a futile attempt to keep it under control.


    She shook her head and followed the others to the portal. As they approached the breach, Laura and the others paused. The Vanguard raised her own pair of swords in a martial salute. ¡°Salute the Blade!¡±


    Ed and Bob both turned to raise their own weapons. Alex began to copy them¡ªand then froze when she was confronted by a statue of her own mother. They¡¯d captured Moira Morales, the Crimson Blade, as she had been with both arms and eyes. Her infamous sword had been grounded, point down, in a way that the real Surveyor would have been incensed about. Her expression was determined and cold, an imperious look that made Alex feel uneasy again.


    Regardless, she completed the martial salute and then joined the others. They nodded to her, and then as one, all four Surveyors stepped forward. A rush of light and magic surrounded her¡­


    It had been a while since she had been enveloped by the light. She grinned as she ran her eyes over the yellow text glowing in front of her.


    [E Rank Surveyor Alex, Gatekeeper]


    [Ascension Level: 4]


    [Role: Page (Role Skills: None]


    [Role Level: 4]


    [Experience: 0/1500]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 4, Speed -> 8, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Battle Maneuvers(20), Marathoning(17), Melee¨CAxe(20), Melee¨CShield(20)]


    [Permanent Skills: None]


    [Current Titles: Lady of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by one.),


    Ferocity (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by one.),


    Natural Combatant (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by one),


    Persistent (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, and Marathoning by one.)]


    It wasn¡¯t a bad report of what she was capable of. Obviously, though, she would need to make some changes going forward. At the moment, unless she made a change, the only skill she could level up would be Marathoning. Her Skills were giving her a shocking amount of combat power, but to gain any more before her next level, she¡¯d need to reset or Chain some of them.


    Of course, that would be risky if the portal or her new coworkers turned out to be dangerous¡ªbut surely they wouldn¡¯t immediately turn on her, right? Even someone as petty as Liliana had taken weeks to try to kill her. All she needed was to put some Skill training in, and given that her own bed was within range to make that work¡­


    Alex nodded, and the yellow text changed.


    [Please select your intent]


    [Exploration]


    [Vengeance]


    [Patrol]


    [War]


    [Salvage]


    There was only one reasonable choice, unless she wanted to cause trouble. She selected Patrol.


    [Your intent is to Patrol]


    [Quest Issued! Destroy eight Grue Knights.]


    [Quest Issued! Clear at least eight Grue patrols.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    Alex blinked for the moment. It would be a lot of patrols, and a lot of Knights if they weren¡¯t going to hit the Grue Camps. Still, maybe it wouldn¡¯t be that bad. She had other people to help out this time, too, and the D rank would be more than able to take on a mere Killer.


    Then the light swept over her¡­


    Alex stepped out into a very different world.


    This time, she wasn¡¯t confronted by cloud-covered skies and an abandoned suburb. Alex found herself in the lobby of some gigantic skyscraper. At least, that was what the place felt like; there was a high, marble ceiling with similarly fancy stone making up the columns and floor. She looked around in surprise, seeing the same signs of ruin scrawled across the once-fine furniture and broken statues.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Outside the broken glass of the entrance, she could see more buildings, a little indistinct in the grey light outside. She didn¡¯t see any cars or trucks, which was a mild bonus¡ªafter all, getting turned into roadkill by a Grue with a vehicle wasn¡¯t her idea of a good time. Alex stepped forward, intending to see what else she could find on the street.


    Bob looked back at her, a small grin on his face. His staff was now complimented by some kind of glowing, hooded robes. ¡°Welcome to the big city, Golden Swallow.¡±


    Alex gave him a raised eyebrow. ¡°Thanks.¡± Then she looked at Ed. ¡°Anything I should be really careful about? My last portal was in the middle of a small residential area, not a city.¡±


    Ed shrugged. He had an elaborately etched broadsword in his hands, but he wore a solid-looking chestplate and a full helmet in addition. ¡°Keep an eye out for Archers and Killers. Both have distance attacks, and can try to put an arrow in you the moment you walk out those doors.¡±


    ¡°Good to know.¡± She looked over at Laura, who was looking around the room with an easy familiarity. ¡°And we just follow her lead?¡±


    ¡°Until we have finished out our first Roles, yeah.¡± Ed grinned. ¡°Then it¡¯ll be our turn to ride herd on the troublemakers.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll all do great at it.¡± Laura chuckled to herself, and then gestured for them to follow her. ¡°All right, they have us assigned to the area a half dozen blocks north of here. Should be plenty of Grue, so don¡¯t hesitate to call things out to us. The last thing we want is to stay here long enough to qualify as a Raid.¡±


    Ed and Bob both laughed, but Alex couldn¡¯t quite suppress a shiver at the thought. Unlike most E rankers, she had been on a Raid before. The experience had left her unsettled, even though it was something she¡¯d had to do at the time. Truth be told, she never wanted to do it again, especially not on her first day here.


    She followed the others out into the open, feeling tense as she saw ruined skyscrapers stretching above her to a familiar cloud-choked sky. Buildings rose around her, giving her the same claustrophobic feelings that she¡¯d had back on Earth, only compounded by the fact that here she knew things were already hunting her.


    The state of the buildings didn¡¯t help. It seemed like every floor had multiple holes punched in their windows, with some skyscrapers leaning dangerously against one another. Alex pictured herself being caught in a building collapse and grimaced. It wouldn¡¯t do anyone any good to get squashed by tons of falling glass, steel, and concrete, of that much, she was sure.


    Laura took off at a light jog, headed north. She gestured for Alex to stay at the rear, while Bob and Ed took up positions to either side. Maybe it was some standard formation for working with a Page, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel like they weren¡¯t giving her a fair shot at whatever they were going to face. Since when would it make sense to put the fastest fighter at the back?


    Then again, she realized slowly that she didn¡¯t know what Roles Laura and Bob had. She could guess that Bob was either an Adept or an Acolyte, but Laura was a complete mystery. As a D rank, she had already graduated from one Role to another; for all she knew, her first one had been Page, and she was even faster than Alex was.


    It still didn¡¯t seem to be right for her to be at the back.


    They made it three blocks, still at a decent jog, when they ran into the first batch of Grue.


    The monsters spilled out of the intersection ahead of them, rounding the corner in a pile of smokey flesh and grey eyes. Alex felt her breath quicken as she recognized the hulking forms of half a dozen Grue Knights, their massive swords and shields standing out amidst the others. There were just as many Grue Archers, half hidden behind nearly twenty Grue Soldiers.


    There was one more monster leading the pack of werewolf-style creatures. It was just as massive as the Knights behind it, though it didn¡¯t have a shield in its hands. Instead, it carried a pair of warhammers, each one seemingly capable of caving in a Surveyor¡¯s chest. The creature leaned forward, its grey eyes flickering and eager, and the whole pack howled as they charged.


    Yellow text flickered in her peripheral vision as they closed.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy six Grue Archers]


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy one Grue Brute]


    Alex suppressed a grimace as the Grue came for her team. At least one of those Quests probably wasn¡¯t going to happen, and she hadn¡¯t even gotten one for the regular Soldiers. Did they not even count anymore?


    She set those questions aside as the monsters sprinted into contact. Laura met the Brute head on, her swords screaming as they split the air. They met the Grue¡¯s hammers, and the air filled with the noise of their clashing weapons.


    Ed ducked right, his sword already carving a path straight through the nearest Soldiers on his way to the Knights beyond. Bob, by comparison, fell back slightly, his staff glowing with power. A blast of pure sunlight swept through the closest Grue, slashing through them like a hot blade.


    As the steaming corpses fell in front of him, Alex sprinted past the man and slammed into the few Soldiers left in the gap. Their spears snapped, and her axe swung in two brutal arcs to bring them down. While they collapsed, she pushed forward as one of the Knights threw itself at her. Its gigantic sword was raised in challenge, and Alex took the first hit square on the boss of her shield.


    The Knight seemed surprised that the blow didn¡¯t send her staggering backwards, but Alex didn¡¯t give it time to react. She ducked low, hooking its shield with the back spike of her axe. Then she pulled herself in and under its reach, her axe already flashing as she tore into it at close range. It backpedaled, but not quick enough to save itself.


    Alex heard another Knight come howling at her from the side, but a sudden blast of light tore straight through its head. She grunted and paused long enough to give Bob a grateful nod, before charging further in, catching another Knight off guard. It lashed out with its sword, but she ducked around and to the side of the stab, and then chopped its ankle out from under it. A follow up pair of strikes finished the job, even as a pair of Soldiers closed in on her.


    She dodged and weaved through their spears, cutting them down as they came and then sprinted for the nearest Archers. The Grue saw her coming, of course. One of the Knights had even stayed back, trying to give their long-ranged companions cover. It raised its massive blade, only to be forced back behind its shield as Bob unleashed yet another blast of light.


    Alex ignored it and dodged past, running for the Archers. Arrows bounced from her shield or sped past her as she dodged them completely, and before they could switch to their knives, she was on the first of them. A blow from her axe killed one Grue; a shield-check sent another flying, and then a second swing finished a third. The fourth forced her to duck back slightly by taking a shot at point blank range. Her shield barely intercepted the arrow, and before it could escape, she cut the head from its shoulders.


    Then she heard a roar behind her and pivoted to see the Knight swinging for her. She blocked the blade, sliding backwards from the impact. Alex spared a moment to finish the Archer she¡¯d knocked over with her shield and took a second sword blow that sent her skidding even further backwards.


    The Knight stomped after her, its eyes intent. Both remaining Archers began to sight in on her with their bows, looking to slip an arrow past her defenses.


    A heartbeat later, Ed was there, tearing into them from behind. Both Archers went down almost immediately, and the Knight joined them a heartbeat later. Alex grinned as the remaining Grue were cut down, leaving only their broken corpses behind. Those lasted only until the purple flame sprang up to consume them.


    [Main Quest Progress: 2 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Main Quest Progress: 1 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 4 of 6 targets destroyed]


    She let out a breath of relief. With the large amount of patrols they needed to kill, she¡¯d probably have enough time to finish at least some of the Hidden Quests, too. Maybe Laura would even take enough pity on her to let her try one of the Brutes.


    The others joined her in scavenging the materials from the fallen Grue just a moment later. Bob was shaking his head as he picked over the crystals and slabs they¡¯d left behind. ¡°Great, now I¡¯m stuck with two overachievers.¡±


    Ed raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°You¡¯ve never complained about me attracting attention before.¡±


    ¡°Who would complain about having a resident meat-shield? Now I¡¯m going to have to race to get kills with the warrior princess over there, though. How is a little Acolyte supposed to keep up with you monsters?¡±


    Alex shrugged uncomfortably. ¡°There¡¯s going to be enough Grue for all of us. We might not get a full clear, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°You guys have been getting full clears? We almost never get those.¡± Bob looked over at Laura. ¡°Hey, Vanguard, do you think we could manage a full clear one of these days? You¡¯d have to half-cripple one of those big guys, but¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡± Laura shook her head, her eyes a little cautious when she looked at Alex. ¡°We¡¯d probably have to hit one of the Camps in order to make it work, and that¡¯s not on our schedule today. Those things take forever to come back, after all.¡±


    Alex grunted. The Camps she¡¯d had to clear on a regular basis had been a near constant annoyance, thanks to Golden Swallow¡¯s meddling. It was going to take her some time to get used to the idea that a Camp was something that took one or two weeks to recover, not a single day. ¡°We usually get all the main stuff done, though, right? And maybe a few of the hidden quests?¡±


    Laura nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah. We do, but only if we can get through things without having anyone injured.¡± She smiled. ¡°In the end, though, we have a schedule to keep, and I have my own Quests to complete. Anyone who wants anything extra is going to need to work harder. To the strongest go the spoils.¡±


    Alex nodded, though that system didn¡¯t sit entirely right with her. If only the strongest were levelling up, what were the others going to do? ¡°Okay. Let me know if I need to cripple a few for people to snag them.¡±


    Ed blinked. ¡°You sound like you¡¯ve done that before.¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°Whatever it takes to get the whole team what they need, right? Better to level up together than apart.¡±


    Bob laughed. ¡°Never mind, I like this new girl. Hey, we can even leave Mr. Serious over there behind if we need to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not happening, Sunshine.¡± Ed gave Bob a glare, but there was no real heat in it. He finished collecting a handful of material from a fallen Archer and then stretched slightly. ¡°Shall we get back to it?¡±


    The others nodded, and they set off together again along the street. Looking for trouble.


    It didn¡¯t take them very long to find it. They¡¯d only made it another block before the next pack of Grue stumbled across them. Alex cut down another pair of Knights, and a couple of Archers as well, giving her one of her Hidden Quests. Another patrol ran into them as they passed by what looked like a large shopping mall of some kind, coming howling across the parking lot towards them. She picked up another two Knights there, giving her hope that she¡¯d be able to finish one of her Main Quests by the time they reached the next fight.


    By the time they finished the fourth patrol, just as it was coming out of what looked like an apartment building lobby, Alex was starting to feel the drag of her efforts. The constant fighting was making her muscles ache from the work, and one of the Knights had actually hit her shield hard enough to nearly send her flying. Her arm still ached from the impact, and it made her wonder if she was ready to take on a Brute after all.


    There were other battles happening, of course. She could hear the clashing of weapons and explosions of magic echoing around the artificial canyons of the city. There was no hope of seeing the other teams as they fought, but it seemed like things were going well. Laura and the others didn¡¯t seem worried, at least, and there hadn¡¯t been any horns sounding.


    By the time Laura called for a short halt, they¡¯d been in the other world for nearly an hour. They took shelter in the broken entryway of a rowhouse and watched for passing Grue while they wolfed down ration bars. None of the monsters trotted by immediately, but it was clear the area was still thoroughly infested with them.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d say every block probably has at least one Camp inside it somewhere.¡± Bob seemed entirely unconcerned about that alarming fact, and he continued after he took a swig of water. ¡°It seems like we run across one every time we explore too much, and then we can¡¯t clear the Hidden Quests it gives us. Better to just run around the outside and stick to patrols, honestly.¡±


    ¡°And it really doesn¡¯t cause any problems?¡± Alex tried not to sound mystified, but the concept of the Camps not being a problem was baffling to her. It was like they were a fact of life, not something to be assaulted at every opportunity. ¡°I¡¯d have thought that they would make the portal output more and more magic by building up over time.¡±


    Laura gave her a curious look. ¡°I mean, they could, but we have D rank teams that come in and specifically clear them out when things get too bad. Our Portal Analysis Department lets us know if there are any readings getting out of control, and we know where all the Camps are well enough that we can clear them out pretty quickly.¡±


    Ed rolled his shoulders a little, his eyes on the street outside. ¡°Why the worry? Are you thinking of going after them yourself, Alex?¡±


    Alex hesitated. It wouldn¡¯t have been the first time she¡¯d gone hunting for the things alone. ¡°Not if you guys don¡¯t think it¡¯s a problem, I guess. They were just always serious business back at the other portal.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. That¡¯s cause you were working with an E rank spot. Any Camp close to the portal is a problem in that situation.¡± Bob smirked. ¡°We Red Blade folks are used to deeper waters around here. You¡¯ll just have to learn to love those things, especially since they¡¯re how we end up with so many patrols to kill.¡±


    She nodded, and the Acolyte chuckled to himself. Laura reached over and grabbed her shoulder for a minute. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Alex, you¡¯ll get the hang of it, eventually. You¡¯re a good enough fighter that it won¡¯t be too bad to get adjusted, I don¡¯t think.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Alex looked around, following Ed¡¯s line of sight. He was staring off into the distance at another rowhouse, one that seemed suspiciously untouched compared to the rest. ¡°Hey, did you see something over there?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± He looked over at Laura. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that one of the Anchor Point locations?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± The Vanguard stood up and looked at the building. ¡°Yeah, seems like it is.¡±


    Alex felt an entirely unjustified bolt of alarm. ¡°An Anchor Point? Is it active?¡±


    Bob gave her an incredulous look. ¡°No. Of course not. Otherwise we¡¯d be knee deep in Grue, even all the way over here.¡±


    Laura shrugged. ¡°We took that one out a while back, when the portal was a much higher rank. I think there¡¯s only one Anchor Point left around this area, but I¡¯m not sure where it¡¯s tucked away. We aren¡¯t going to bother with that either.¡±


    Ed snorted. ¡°For a different reason, though. The last thing anyone wants is to run into some of the stuff that hangs around one of those things.¡±


    She nodded in quiet agreement. Just as she was about to turn away, though, she caught sight of something moving in the upper floor of the house that Ed had been talking about. ¡°Did you see that?¡±


    The others glanced at her and shook their heads. Ed raised an eyebrow. ¡°See a Grue or something?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know.¡± Alex frowned, staring at the house for another moment. Had she seen a Killer or something peering out from the windows? Or had she just gotten a bit too tired?


    Nothing appeared, and she shook her head. ¡°Must have just been seeing things. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    [Hidden Quest Discovered: Destroy six additional Grue Knights]


    [Main Quest Progress: 5 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 2 of 6 targets destroyed]


    Alex knelt for a moment as the Grue burst into flame. Another patrol down, another Hidden Quest discovered. She¡¯d been consistent about taking down Knights, but even though she¡¯d nabbed another few Archers, she hadn¡¯t gotten a new Hidden Quest for them. That left her with one undiscovered, and one for the Brutes that Laura was refusing to give her a shot at. Maybe it really was going to be impossible to get a full clear without actually hitting a Camp or two, but at the very least she wanted to give it a shot.


    ¡°Are there any other enemies we might be able to fight? I think I can get two of the Hidden Quests, but I have one more I haven¡¯t locked in yet.¡±


    The question seemed to take the others off guard. Bob shook his head and chuckled, while Ed just shrugged and looked at Laura. She stared back at Alex for a moment, and then sighed. ¡°Kind of impatient aren¡¯t you? You know that you have your whole life to reach D rank, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Alex restrained herself from telling the woman her goal of making S rank. They all probably thought she was strange enough already. ¡°Just trying to make the most of our time here. Getting as close as I can to a full clear each mission seems like the best way to get to the next level.¡±


    Bob rummaged around to collect the slab from a fallen Knight. ¡°And how did you guys do it at the last portal? You weren¡¯t seeing Knights on an E rank portal, were you?¡±


    ¡°Well, we were, just not as many as here. We also had Quests for just plain Soldiers, not Knights.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Besides, we always had plenty of Camps to hit, so that¡¯s what we focused on.¡±


    The Acolyte tilted his head to the side; he seemed baffled by the answer. As Bob muttered to himself, Laura finally answered the question in a somewhat soothing voice. ¡°There are other enemy types around here, but most of them would be even worse for you to fight than a Brute. I don¡¯t think we want E rankers taking on Trolls or Witches.¡± She chuckled to herself. ¡°Your best bet, without hitting Camps, would be to try for either a salvage or exploration quest. See if you can find a place that other Surveyors haven¡¯t been to in a long while, or find some rare material people don¡¯t usually pick up. That sort of thing.¡±


    Alex nodded. ¡°All right. Thanks.¡± She¡¯d have to keep her eyes open. Maybe on her next mission, they¡¯d let her a little more off leash.


    A little over an hour later, the last members of the eighth patrol finally tumbled to the ground and burned.


    [Main Quest Completed!]


    [Hidden Quest Completed!]


    Alex stepped back and drew in a deep breath. That would give her the main Quests, and two of the Hidden ones. Too bad she wasn¡¯t going to get much more than that, but it was only her first mission after Golden Swallow¡¯s collapse. She could be patient, if she had to be.


    They collected the scattered materials and then headed back for the portal. The sounds of battle around the rest of the city had faded; clearly the other teams had already completed their own work. It didn¡¯t take long to make their way back to the skyscraper where their exit was hidden, and no Grue appeared to block their way.


    It felt odd, in a way, to just head for the portal without any real drama attached. There had been so many terrible fights and desperate chases at the last portal that Alex had a hard time not expecting the same kind of chaos here. The feeling that she was being watched didn¡¯t help; every so often she thought she caught sight of movement in a window or a doorway, and half-turned expecting a Killer to be there, ready to take a shot.


    There was never anything there when she looked, however, and the others started to tease her for being jumpy, so she tried to ignore it. At some point, she¡¯d track down whatever it was, but for now she wanted to get back to the portal.


    They arrived at the swirling vortex without any ambushes waiting for them, something that seemed almost luxurious to Alex. As they paused, she couldn¡¯t help but tense and look for a threat to emerge. Bob was chuckling about something, while Ed just frowned at her. Laura clapped her hands and brought their attention to her.


    ¡°Now, Bob and Ed already know this spiel, but I¡¯ll repeat it to help their memories and introduce it to you, Alex. Red Blade Securities highly encourages the use of Chained Skills and continuous advancement. If you want to get ahead, you¡¯ll need to dedicate yourself to both.¡± Laura waited until they had all nodded before she continued. ¡°After today, you¡¯re going to be standing down from missions for at least three days, so you¡¯ll have plenty of time for Skill training. I want you to be sure to take advantage of that, because if Chief Wells thinks you¡¯re slacking, you won¡¯t be going anywhere near a portal until he¡¯s satisfied. Understand?¡±


    They all nodded again, and Laura grinned. ¡°With that said, you all did well today! I was happy to be your Vanguard. I¡¯ll take care of the paperwork once we get back, so feel free to take some time to relax. And Alex, welcome to Red Blade Securities!¡±


    Alex grinned back, and then they filed back through the portal. Just as the light engulfed her, she thought she heard a voice behind her. She turned to look, but the light surrounded her¡­


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quests Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Adversary Quest Not Completed]


    [Hidden Quest Undiscovered.]


    Alex grimaced at the report. It wasn¡¯t too bad of a result; she¡¯d still make D rank within the next seven missions at this rate, which wasn¡¯t bad at all. It just irked her to leave Quests undone, even if Laura was worried about the risks involved. She¡¯d have to try to convince the Vanguard to at least give her a shot at one of the Brutes the next time she went out.


    [Battle Maneuvers has reached level 20! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Battle Maneuvers to gain a Title?]


    This time, she made the choice to reset it without hesitation. It would make things a bit more difficult to have her main combat Skill at zero, but three days of Skill training would give her more than enough of a chance to bring it back up to a decent level. Besides, the additional grades from a new Title would make all the difference.


    As Battle Maneuvers went to zero, she got a brand-new message floating in her vision.


    [Title Natural Combatant upgraded to Title Innate Fighter (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by two)]


    It was a definite plus, though she was disappointed that Lady of War hadn¡¯t gotten the upgrade. She shrugged off her dissatisfaction and continued through her options. There were similar options for Melee¨CAxe and Melee¨CShield, but she had other plans for them, so she denied them.


    The option she¡¯d been hoping for came up a moment later.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Melee¨CAxe and Melee¨CShield?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels]


    Alex agreed immediately. It would leave her light on combat skills, but the training would make up for it, and the increases from having Combined Arms back would be an enormous difference for her abilities. Besides, she¡¯d have good use for the open Skill slot now, given what Laura had told her.


    Sure enough, she felt a familiar rush of energy run through her as the change took effect.


    [Skill Chain unlocked! Skills Melee¨CAxe and Melee¨CShield removed. Skill Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield gained! Skill Chain bonus gained! Title Ferocity upgraded to Title Savagery (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by two.)]


    Alex snorted. Savagery sounded about right, given the amount of additional damage potential she¡¯d just gained. At this point, just taking the normal Melee Skills would give her an incredible increase in her power, but she already had plenty of Skills focused on that path. Better to spend her efforts in a so-far neglected direction.


    [Skill Choice available. Please select an additional Skill.]


    She chose Recovery again. The Skill was one she¡¯d had before, but the fact was that the missions looked like they were going to be much longer and more intense than before. Her Persistent Title would help her a little, but Marathoning only helped when a lot of running was involved. It was time to have something that would help her out when she was just struggling through normal old combat again.


    Satisfied with her choices, Alex dismissed the notifications and let the light sweep her back home¡­


    Alex stepped out into the blank concrete room of the Red Blade portal, and was immediately confronted by her team saluting the statue of her mother again. She gave the thing a quick nod of appreciation, wondering how to bring it up with her mom, and then stepped away from the vortex.


    Chief Wells was waiting there as well, the light of the portal making odd shadows on his hard face. Laura went over to him and spoke in a low tone, probably giving a report. Bob and Ed both nodded to the chief as they went by. Alex made to do the same, but Wells raised a hand to stop her. Laura glanced back in surprise, and then quickly smoothed her expression out to one of professional neutrality.


    Wells spoke in his typically harsh voice. ¡°Alexandretta, I want to congratulate you on your first mission. I hope to see such good performance from you in the future.¡±


    Alex nodded back cautiously. She instinctively didn¡¯t trust compliments from him¡ªmaybe it was just a legacy of her experience with Liliana, but there was just something off about the guy. ¡°Thank you, Chief Wells.¡±


    He gave her a broad smile. ¡°Tomorrow we¡¯ll start in on your Skill training again, but for now you have the rest of the day off.¡±


    That statement seemed worryingly obvious. Was there a situation where she wouldn¡¯t have the day off after a Survey?


    Wells continued, apparently not noticing her slight frown. ¡°A group of E rankers is going out for drinks later. I hope you¡¯ll have the chance to join them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± She wasn¡¯t going to, but the man didn¡¯t need to know that. First she wanted to report in with her mother and father, and then maybe get a little bit of an early bedtime. Clara and Audrey had gotten her adjusted to early wakeup times, the jerks, and she wanted to start her Skill training the next day with a good run.


    ¡°Glad to hear it.¡± Wells seemed satisfied. He nodded to her. ¡°You¡¯re dismissed. Again, well done today.¡±


    She blinked at the comment and then headed out the door. Her mother was going to laugh herself hoarse. Alex just knew it.

 B2Ch3: Friction

    ¡°Well! Maybe I should drop by. Just to bask in the adulation, of course.¡±


    Alex gritted her teeth at the amusement in her mother¡¯s tone. ¡°Dad, tell Mom that would be an awful idea, would you?¡±


    Her father chuckled, his baffled amusement clear in his expression. ¡°I think it might do just a little harm to my cover-up efforts if you got yourself a pack of worshippers, dear.¡±


    ¡°Oh, darn it. I suppose I¡¯ll just have to restrict myself to you, Eric.¡± Her mother patted her father¡¯s incredibly broad shoulder, a smile still twisting its way across her scarred face. Muriel¡¯s single remaining eye was bright with the remnants of her laughter; as predicted, she¡¯d nearly laughed hard enough to make herself throw up when Alex had sent a photo of the statue in the portal room. The reaction of her father had been one of horror mixed with sympathy, but he hadn¡¯t been above a few barks of amusement too.


    ¡°Glad to hear you aren¡¯t planning to drop in, Mom.¡± Alex sighed. ¡°Though I do wish you could both visit. This place is¡­ weird.¡±


    Muriel grimaced. ¡°We knew you¡¯d have to leave eventually, Alex. There¡¯s no way you would have been happy just going through the same E rank portal for your entire career, and you know it. At least this batch doesn¡¯t seem too bad. They recognize true talent and virtue, after all.¡±


    Her father muttered something about ¡®virtue¡¯ that the microphone didn¡¯t quite pick up, and Muriel¡¯s face abruptly went red. She spun slightly to slap at Eric¡¯s shoulder, and he laughed behind one thick hand. The Crimson Blade¡ªa name that fit all too well at the moment¡ªturned back to the camera and tried to ignore her husband. ¡°And the rest of your friends? Are they fitting in well?¡±


    ¡°Seems like they are, yeah. They made it through the first Survey fine.¡± Alex glanced towards the empty door of the barracks she shared with the other girls. ¡°They went out for a post-Survey celebration, too, so I think that means the other Red Blade folks aren¡¯t too bad to hang out with. At least they aren¡¯t going to turn out to be griefers.¡±


    The amusement abruptly drained from her parents¡¯ faces. They¡¯d pulled the details of her method of dealing with Paul and his griefer friends out of her after things had calmed down, and they weren¡¯t remotely happy about how much risk she¡¯d taken on herself. Muriel, particularly, had wanted to extract a promise from her that she would trust her mother to take care of a similar situation next time. Even with one arm, she¡¯d claimed, the Crimson Blade could have dealt with a quartet of E rank griefers without breaking a sweat.


    Alex had privately agreed, but she¡¯d refused to give her word on it. Her mother had already suffered enough, and no matter what her parents had said, they couldn¡¯t risk helping without taking the chance that someone would connect the dots the way Zach had done.


    Besides, Alex hadn¡¯t minded dealing with the griefers. It was good practice for her plans in the future.


    Eric pushed in closer to the camera. ¡°How has the company been treating you so far? I know our standards are a little low after Golden Swallow, but still¡­¡±


    Alex shrugged. ¡°They seem like they have things a bit more under control, at the very least. They are going to give us plenty of Skill training between Surveys, which seems like a good thing. The company seems like it cares about making sure the Surveyors are well prepared before they go into the portal too. Golden Swallow didn¡¯t exactly care nearly that much about us.¡±


    He nodded slowly. ¡°And your boss?¡±


    She paused. ¡°They have a D rank that goes through the portal with us. The one I worked with today seemed nice.¡± Then she shrugged. ¡°Chief Wells is in charge of the compound, and he seems a little¡­ rough, to be honest. He seems like he throws his weight around a lot, but he might leave me alone if I train hard enough.¡±


    ¡°No need to worry about that, at least.¡± Muriel smiled broadly. ¡°When do you think you¡¯ll be able to get enough leave to come home? I know it¡¯s a long trip, but we¡¯ve already been missing you.¡±


    Alex felt a pang of unexpected homesickness. She pictured the smell of breakfast drifting in through the open kitchen doorway, imagined her parents waiting for her and chattering. Her mind filled with the chance to train with her mother, or ask her father¡¯s help with things. For a moment, she was tempted to leave for that same weekend.


    Then she sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. I think I need to stay here for the first few weeks, just to get used to it. Otherwise I¡¯d be home every weekend.¡±


    Her father cracked a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t see why that would be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Well, if I spend my entire stipend on bus and train tickets, I won¡¯t exactly be doing my bank account much good.¡± Alex saw him grimace at the logic, and she tried to moderate her tone. ¡°I¡¯ll be back as soon as I can, and I¡¯ll make sure to call you whenever I get the chance. It¡¯ll be fine. I promise.¡±


    Muriel nodded. ¡°We know, Alex. It¡¯s just hard to adjust. You¡¯re going to do great out there, though.¡± Then her eye sparkled. ¡°Just remember to follow the wonderful example of the Crimson Blade, and you can¡¯t go wrong.¡±


    Alex rolled her eyes and groaned. Her mother started chuckling again, and her father gave her a commiserating sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, Mom. Love you both. I¡¯ll see you soon.¡±


    They waved goodbye, and the video call closed. Alex stared at the screen for a moment longer, still wrestling with the unexpected heartache. Then she went back to preparing for bed. The next day was going to be a busy one, after all.


    Alex was up early, dragged from a dream of bacon and eggs by an insistent alarm.


    She groaned and slapped at the thing until it deactivated. Then she rolled over to look at her teammates. They were all still solidly asleep, something that she hadn¡¯t expected. Alex hadn¡¯t even woken up when they had stumbled in from the post-Survey celebration, so it had to have been fairly late at night. Neither of her early bird friends, Clara and Audrey, even cracked an eye while she got ready.


    Shaking her head over them, Alex just changed into her running clothes. She didn¡¯t know if Wells had wanted to oversee her training for Marathoning, but the Skill had been too repeatedly useful to ignore now. Part of her was actually worried about giving it up once it was time to reset her Role, but it wasn¡¯t a real concern; Battle Maneuvers would be the Skill she kept going forwards and she¡¯d just have to cope with the loss.


    Moving quietly, Alex left the barracks and wandered through the halls for a bit until she found the exercise courtyard. The confusing twists and turns of the compound made her question whether or not she¡¯d be able to find her way back, but maybe she¡¯d run into someone who could help her find her way.


    Magic flooded her nostrils as she started her initial run. She could have started a meandering run through the various buildings of the compound, but the idea just felt wrong somehow. Sticking to a defined course around the exercise area appealed to her sense of order better. Besides, the massive stretch of pavement was a fairly decent area, even if it was still dwarfed by the old containment area around the Golden Swallow portal.


    It took her a lap or two to really hit her stride; the presence of the magic in the air had thrown off her breathing a little, compared to the relative lack of it in the air around her parents¡¯ house. As she adjusted to it, Alex fell deeper and deeper into the rhythm of making her way along the perimeter. By the time she reached the fifth lap, her Skill was starting to kick in. She could feel it speeding her steps, drawing on the magic to reduce her fatigue. An idle part of her wondered if she could keep this pace until she fell over from thirst or hunger.


    She was still pondering over the idea when she caught sight of someone running on top of the compound¡¯s perimeter wall. Alex tilted her head in surprise, wondering why the idea hadn¡¯t occurred to her. Whoever it was hadn¡¯t built up quite as much speed as she had, but they were moving at a decent pace. Bemused, she waved up at them as they went by.


    To her surprise, the figure came to a stumbling halt. They stared down at her for a moment and then jogged for the nearest set of stairs. Alex debated waiting for them and shrugged. She wasn¡¯t about to break her rhythm for someone she didn¡¯t even really know.


    Except it turned out she did know the other runner. It was Ed, who waited for her to make her way around another lap before he started huffing and puffing alongside her. She nodded a welcome to him, and obligingly slowed her pace a bit. Not enough to make the Porter comfortable, but it was his choice to try to keep up with her.


    He grimaced a little at the pace and swung around to take the inside lane on the perimeter. A wise move; he¡¯d end up running the shorter distance on the curves. ¡°So¡­ what brings you¡­ out here?¡±


    Alex huffed an extra-large breath out and quietly slowed her pace just a little more. If he was being pleasant, she couldn¡¯t deliberately run him ragged, right? ¡°Skill training. I have Marathoning, so I need a lot of running to make it go up.¡±


    Ed blinked. He studied her a moment, and nodded. ¡°I can¡­ tell. What Chain¡­ gives that?¡±


    ¡°Running and Recovery. You might¡­ be able to do it.¡± She raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°What brings you out here?¡±


    ¡°Trying¡­ to practice¡­ some of my¡­ Skills too.¡± He gave her a half-incredulous look. ¡°Tough¡­ to talk.¡±


    Alex laughed a little. ¡°Too bad, Porter. You¡¯re training Recovery, or did you actually take Running too?¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ Recovery.¡± Ed shook his head. ¡°Crimson Blade¡­ always ran. Good workout.¡±


    She snorted softly. It was true, and developing Running had been some of the earliest advice her mother had given her about her own Skills. Still, to hear her quoted like some ancient source of wisdom was stretching things a little. Alex wondered briefly how Ed would react if he ever got the chance to meet the actual Crimson Blade, instead of the idealized version of her mother that he¡¯d obviously built in his mind.


    ¡°So you just like¡­ to get up early for a nice run?¡± Her own breath was starting to betray her a little bit, a fact that made Alex double down just a little. Ed grunted a little as she picked up the pace to compensate.


    ¡°No. Chief Wells¡­ felt I should¡­ stay home¡­ last night.¡± He forced a stubborn grin. ¡°Punishment¡­ run.¡±


    Alex snorted again. Were they the only E rankers who¡¯d gotten any sleep last night? ¡°Gotcha. Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ be.¡± Ed seemed to bear down a little as well, catching back up to her after some effort. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ tough. All¡­ are. We needed¡­ to see it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not sorry I beat you.¡± She grinned at him. ¡°Just sorry Wells is being¡­ a pain.¡±


    Ed grinned back, and then they fell silent as they started another lap around the pavement. Given how things were looking, they were going to have plenty of time to run before anyone else joined them, and Alex wanted to make sure she took advantage of it.


    [Marathoning advances to 18!]


    [Recovery advances to 3!]


    Alex eyed the notification with quite a bit of disdain. The number of laps around the exercise yard had been a bit more¡­ significant than she¡¯d expected. Ed had hung with her through most of them, though he¡¯d needed to take frequent breaks while she ran laps on her own. Apparently, his Recovery Skill worked well, but he¡¯d needed to stop for it to take effect each time.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Still, she¡¯d managed to increase the stubborn Marathoning Skill by one. If she could keep increasing it one each day, she could afford to reset it on her next Survey. That fact alone made the fatigue worth it.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t going to be the only one hurting now. The other Surveyors were only now starting to stagger from their barracks, mostly dressed in workout outfits or standard Red Blade uniforms. She saw Audrey and Sam staring around blearily and waved to them. Sam half-heartedly returned the wave, though Audrey seemed to brighten up immediately.


    The Squire half-dragged the Adept over to where Alex and Ed were standing. ¡°Hey! I see you¡¯ve already started on your Skill training. I didn¡¯t know that you and Ed set that up last night!¡±


    Ed shared a look with Alex before she responded. ¡°We didn¡¯t. We just ran into each other while the rest of you were sleeping off your good time from last night.¡±


    Sam raised an eyebrow, looking back and forth between them. ¡°That sounds¡­ reasonable.¡± Then he shrugged. ¡°So, what¡¯s next on the schedule? Are you still up for some sparring? I think my Skills could use some support.¡±


    Alex winced. ¡°Yeah. Just take it a bit easier on me at first, okay? I hard reset most of my combat Skills yesterday, so I¡¯m not going to be quite as good this time.¡±


    The Adept stared at her a moment. Then he exchanged victorious grins with Audrey. They both cackled in a way that made Alex abruptly unhappy to have shared her situation. ¡°So you¡¯re saying the invincible Alex Morrison is about to get the wholly deserved drubbing she¡¯s been earning for weeks now? Sign me up. Right now, in fact.¡±


    Audrey grabbed him. ¡°Oh no. I had to deal with it just as long as you have. Do you remember that time she threw me halfway across the street?¡±


    Sam poked her in the collarbone. ¡°Was it before or after she knocked the spear out of my hand and sat on me?¡±


    The squabbling continued, with an increasingly amused Ed looking on as they continued to claim more and more injustices that they needed to avenge themselves of. Alex decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and started to slip away¡ªonly for Joanna to clear her throat a moment later. She turned and saw the Adept grinning widely, a practice sword already slung across her shoulders. ¡°Did someone say something about payback?¡±


    Alex dragged herself onto a bench a handful of hours later. Yellow letters were still glowing in the edges of her vision.


    [Battle Maneuvers advances to 8!]


    [Combined Arms Axe-Shield advances to 8!]


    [Recovery advances to 9!]


    Just about every muscle she could still feel was sore. It seemed like everyone from her old teams, from Joanna to Tim, Alessa to Audrey, had taken turns exacting their ¡®revenge¡¯ on her. Apparently, there had been quite a bit of hostility built up that they had felt the need to vent. Even Clara had gotten in on the act, sending the occasional crossbow shot in her direction.


    Not that she had let them have all their own way. She still had her basic Attributes, and as the day had gone on, her Skills had started to come back. There was still quite a way to go before she would be at the level she had reached before, but she felt sure she¡¯d reach it before the next Survey at the very least. The others were already talking about ganging up on her in pairs again.


    She heard a chuckle from nearby and spared enough energy to glare in Ed¡¯s direction. The Porter hadn¡¯t joined in on the beating, but she had caught him laughing about her situation a couple of times. Alex gave him a narrow look, and he held up both hands. ¡°Don¡¯t blame me, Ms. Morrison! This must be some violent behavior that Golden Swallow encouraged in its Surveyors.¡±


    Alex continued to give him a low and evil look. ¡°And you Red Blade guys are just above such things?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    ¡°Definitely not because my friends were already lining up when you were telling them about it?¡±


    Ed blinked and laughed out loud. He shook his head. ¡°I think they¡¯ll be a bit more ready next time, so brace yourself for that. As it is, I think Sam and Joanna are starting up a queue.¡±


    Alex looked over and saw a small line forming. She groaned as she saw half a dozen Red Blade Surveyors lined up for their turn to pound on her. ¡°Great. You¡¯d think they would just want to fight me when I was at full strength.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the fun in that?¡± Ed chuckled again. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m just glad you¡¯ve taken some of the pressure off. Normally, I¡¯m the one who has to have the crosshairs on his back.¡±


    ¡°So glad to be of service.¡± She shook her head. At least it would help her Skills increase that much faster. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you would volunteer to take on my next fight?¡±


    ¡°That would be difficult.¡± Ed¡¯s grin grew a little wider. ¡°After all, I called the next spot. Wouldn¡¯t want to miss the chance to try a few new tricks while they had a chance of working.¡±


    Alex groaned and put a wet towel over her head. It was going to be a very long day.


    Fortunately, she was able to persuade the compound full of bloodthirsty Surveyors to take a break long enough for lunch. They crowded in with her in the compound¡¯s cafeteria, where she drank water and shoveled food in her mouth as fast as she could make it go. She didn¡¯t know how much time she was going to get to rest and digest before half the Survey teams were going to go back to beating on her, after all.


    She was just finishing her meal when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. Alex turned and found Chief Wells standing behind her, with his stance painfully formal. ¡°Surveyor Morrison. A moment of your time?¡±


    Alex nodded and shoved herself up from the table. He walked a short distance away and then paused long enough for her to come around in front of him. Wells looked at her for a long moment, and then nodded. ¡°I believe I told you about the celebration with the other Surveyors last night, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    The question seemed to have been very carefully phrased. Alex tried not to frown when she responded. ¡°Yeah. You mentioned it when we were still in the portal room.¡±


    ¡°Ah, good.¡± Wells paused. ¡°I noticed you didn¡¯t manage to attend with the rest of the team, and I was just worried that I had somehow failed to include you.¡±


    Her sense of danger twinged again, as if she¡¯d just put herself into the sight of an Archer. What was it that felt so off about the man? ¡°No, I just had some things I needed to take care of, and I felt like I needed a good night¡¯s sleep before we trained today. I didn¡¯t want to miss out on anything.¡±


    Wells nodded, his expression taking on a more patient cast. ¡°That is a good way to think of things, especially given our responsibilities as Surveyors. At the same time, the celebrations are an important event. We don¡¯t want to forget why we are doing all of this, do we? Supporting your comrades and being a part of their lives will help you trust each other and keep us working as a team. That unity is just as important as any Skill training could be, especially since it shows dedication to our cause as a company.¡±


    Alex blinked at the subtle emphasis on those words. Wells hadn¡¯t exactly been as dedicated to unity and teamwork when he¡¯d been mocking the incoming Golden Swallow Surveyors or knocking her across the exercise yard, had he? Why the change in tone now? ¡°I see. That does sound important.¡±


    He glanced back at the table with the others before he continued. ¡°I¡¯d like you to consider it a different kind of training. We¡¯ll have another celebration after our next round of Surveys. It would be good to see you there.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Chief Wells.¡± Alex watched as he smiled, and then ambled off to the officer¡¯s table further on. She watched him for a few more moments, wondering why the advice had been so disturbing to hear. Was he genuinely worried about Alex¡¯s ability to fit in, or was he just trying to make sure she didn¡¯t stand out too much?


    Then she shook her head. Whatever the cause, she had more than enough to worry about lately. Maybe she could try to figure out what Wells was up to if she managed to survive the next couple of days without getting her head beaten in. There would be only one way to find out.


    The next two days dissolved into something like a blur.


    In the mornings, she hauled herself out of bed to go on a run. Ed was somewhat glad to have a running partner, though he did persuade her to join him in running along the perimeter wall rather than the exercise yard. It gave her a much longer lap to enjoy¡ªand somewhat coincidentally made sure that his rests between laps were that much longer.


    Clara joined her on the second day as well, though the Acolyte was definitely not optimized for that sort of activity. Her friend had just muttered something about chaperones when Alex had pressed her, and had insisted on occasionally mentioning Zach when they were running along together. Ed had seemed a bit mystified by the talk, but he¡¯d shrugged it off and asked Alex more about where she¡¯d learned her fighting technique. It wasn¡¯t hard to increase the pace enough to shut them both down for a bit, but it still made for an interesting start to each day.


    At the very least, running along the wall made for a beautiful new experience. The perimeter wall let Alex see an elevated view of the streets of the city below her. She got to run above busy streets, peering down at sidewalks that were choked with pedestrians. Occasionally she got to peek across the streets at offices that had their buildings next to the compound. It seemed odd to see people working at their desks while she ran along at eye level across the street. Some of them even waved, though she didn¡¯t know if they were looking for a reaction from her, or one of her running companions.


    Once the rest of the Surveyors had filtered into the yard, they went down and started the sparring drills. Her Skills had continued to increase as the others kept hammering on her, and they had been forced to come at her in small groups rather than on their own. The only exceptions were some of the higher-level Surveyors in their group. Ed was the worst one to face, but she could tell that her Skills were slowly giving her the edge as they practiced together. He seemed to recognize it too, though he wasn¡¯t as upset as some of the other Red Blades over the fact.


    Wells had been observing the training the whole time as well. He didn¡¯t seem to be taking notes, just watching with an intense expression. Occasionally, he had stalked between the fighting Surveyors, giving out advice to those who were failing to do well. For better or worse, Wells ignored Alex completely, just stalking by with a dissatisfied expression on his face.


    By the time Alex fell into her bed, utterly exhausted for the third day in a row, she was beginning to ask herself if going on a Survey would actually be easier than training was.


    ¡°Welcome!¡± Chief Wells was grinning, something that seemed almost ghoulish. He stalked back and forth across the exercise yards, studying the rows of Surveyors in front of him. ¡°Today is the day we are going to send Surveyors through the portal. It is the day we fulfill the most sacred duties that we have as Surveyors. It is a precious opportunity, and one we should always be grateful for.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Unfortunately, not every person here has effectively prepared for this opportunity, and Red Blade Securities cannot allow anyone who has neglected their training to participate in this exercise. It would be a shame upon both our company, and on all of the other Surveyors that worked hard to be ready for this chance.¡±


    ¡°As a result, only half of the Surveyors here will be going through the portal, while the others will be assigned to cleaning and maintenance details to encourage them to try harder. The teams going through the portal are as follows¡­¡±


    Alex waited with the others as the names were read out. She didn¡¯t think that Wells would be petty enough to keep her from going through the portal just out of personal dislike, but that wasn¡¯t exactly a guarantee. After all, pettiness had never stopped Liliana from doing anything at Golden Swallow, and she¡¯d already stepped on his toes at least twice.


    To her relief, though, it seemed like Chief Wells had decided to overlook the issue. He called out her name, along with Ed¡¯s and Bob¡¯s again. Apparently, the chief had decided that they would make a good team on the other side of the portal, though he also included another Surveyor, a Squire named Mary.


    Joanna, Audrey, and Clara were all named as well. Sam was named too, on a team of otherwise Red Blade members, but Alessa, Brian, and Tim were all left waiting for their names by the time Wells had finished. She felt a burst of indignation and frustration as she saw the disappointment and anger on their faces. There were worse Surveyors that had still been assigned to the portal; what criteria was Wells even using?


    The chief continued without deigning to notice the discontent he¡¯d created. ¡°Those of you assigned to the Survey should come to the portal and cooperate with your Vanguard in taking on the challenge of the other world. Those who weren¡¯t chosen, your maintenance assignments are waiting for you in the administrative building. Skipping those assignments will result in more delays before you are allowed to go on a Survey.¡±


    He smiled. ¡°You¡¯re all dismissed.¡±


    Alex stood in front of the portal and fumed.


    She watched as the team ahead of her stepped into the vortex and vanished. There were four of them, and she¡¯d seen Alessa batter at least one of them to the pavement the day before. Tim and Brian had beaten another two in a team duel. Why were they going in while her friends weren¡¯t? It didn¡¯t make sense. What else was going on here?


    Laura was their Vanguard again, though the woman seemed a little more uncertain as she welcomed Alex to the team. Their new member, Mary, raised an eyebrow and then shrugged, shouldering the gigantic, oversized battleaxe she carried.


    The others saluted her mother¡¯s statue. Alex was too frustrated to pretend; she simply stepped forward, and let the light wash through her¡­


    [E Rank Surveyor Alex, Gatekeeper]


    [Ascension Level: 4]


    [Role: Page (Role Skills: None]


    [Role Level: 4]


    [Experience: 180/1500]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 4, Speed -> 8, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Battle Maneuvers(17), Marathoning(20), Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield(17), Recovery(14)]


    [Permanent Skills: None]


    [Current Titles: Lady of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by one.),


    Savagery (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by two.),


    Innate Fighter (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by two),


    Persistent (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, and Marathoning by one.)]


    Alex paused, considering her profile again. There was something about it that still seemed off, though she couldn¡¯t tell exactly what it was. The Titles all looked correct, and if the Skills weren¡¯t quite where she wanted them to be, she was sure that she¡¯d be able to reset most of them by the end of the Survey. Despite that, she still felt like she was missing something.


    Shaking her head, she pulled up the next set of words, examining them for a moment.


    [Please select your intent]


    [Exploration]


    [Vengeance]


    [Patrol]


    [War]


    [Salvage]


    Laura had already told her that they were doing the same thing as last time. Despite her inner voice urging her to choose something else and cause trouble, she selected Patrol.


    [Your intent is to Patrol]


    [Quest Issued! Destroy eight Grue Knights.]


    [Quest Issued! Clear at least eight Grue patrols.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    Alex stared at those Hidden Quests for a long moment. There had to be some way to complete some of them without screwing up the Survey for the rest of her team. Come to think of it, with Mary joining them, it was going to be even harder for them all to compete over the Knights and Archers they already needed to wipe out. Unless the Vanguard kept them in the portal for longer and picked off even more patrols than before, they¡¯d be competing with their own teammates for targets.


    Shaking her head, Alex dismissed the text and waited for the light to drag her forward. She hadn¡¯t even seen a Grue yet, and already it seemed like things were falling apart¡­

 B2Ch4: Results

    They started out from the portal in a similar formation from last time. This time, though, Laura stationed Mary and Ed on the right, with Bob and Alex on the left. The team moved down the streets in a line, as if the Vanguard wanted to just sweep everything in front of them out of the way.


    For this Survey, their assignment took them east instead of north, and so they sped along the street towards a cluster of skyscrapers that looked like some kind of office or financial district. The first Grue patrol jumped them a few minutes later, coming at them with fierce howls from a small park on the right.


    Their numbers looked to be about the same as the last Survey, complete with the massive Brute at their front. Alex grimaced and charged in even as the Screen pasted more yellow text in the corners of her vision.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy six Grue Archers]


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy one Grue Brute]


    Alex grunted and threw herself forward into a sprint. Bob shouted a cut-off oath as she sped past all of them; only Laura seemed to be able to catch up with her as she threw herself into the left mass of Grue Soldiers. The monsters went flying with each swing of her axe, and when a Knight tried to loom over her, Bob cut it to pieces with a shard of sunlight. She grunted as the other Grue fell back from her, bunching up, and then she sprinted around them to head for the Archers.


    Her new Titles were already paying off in a big way. Arrows bounced off her shield, and then she was tearing her way through the closest Archers. They howled and tried to scatter, but she was just moving too fast. A few of the Grue Soldiers sprinted to their rescue, but they barely lasted long enough for an axe swing or a shield-check. None of the Knights had the chance to pull back to help; a glance told her that the remaining five were either falling to the other Surveyors, or were trying to hold them back.


    She grinned and went back to her own slaughter. By the time she hunted down the last of the Archers, the others were already finishing off the last of the patrol. Mary straightened up and grinned, slinging the giant axe back across her shoulders. ¡°You weren¡¯t wrong, Ed. She¡¯s a bit of a wild woman, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Alex shrugged as the bodies began to burn. Yellow text hovered in her peripheral.


    [Battle Maneuvers advances to 18!]


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield advances to 18!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 1 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Completed!]


    She looked back at the others. ¡°I¡¯ll take the Knights next time if one of you wants to hit the Archers. You have the same Hidden Quest for them, right?¡±


    The others exchanged a look between them. Ed shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡±


    Laura cleared her throat. ¡°That¡¯s not usually how we do things on the patrol. Whoever gets to the kills earns them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we can be organized about it, right? No need to fight each other as much as the Grue.¡± Alex looked at Mary, who seemed about to start laughing. ¡°Any objections?¡±


    ¡°Not from me! In fact, I¡¯ll take the next shift.¡± The Squire smirked. ¡°Just be sure to keep them off of me, all right?¡±


    Alex nodded, and Laura looked back and forth between them before rolling her eyes with a sigh. The Vanguard obviously wasn¡¯t a fan of the arrangement, but there wasn¡¯t any point in making the Survey into a race between Surveyors. If they could all complete their Quests, why shouldn¡¯t they? It might even soften her up for what she was hoping to ask next.


    They collected the materials and set off again. The Grue were waiting.


    The next three battles went more or less as expected. Alex threw herself right into the middle of the Grue, tearing through Soldiers and keeping the Knights busy, while one of the other E rankers ran around the flank and tore the Archers apart. Mary was the first, hacking through all six with wild abandon. Bob had taken the second turn, stepping back enough to unleash a slashing wave of sunlight that wiped out his targets.


    By the time Ed took his turn, Laura was starting to seem a little impatient with the Survey. It was like the relative ease with which they had organized things was getting to her. All the same, it was hard not to feel satisfied as she contemplated the messages from her Screen as the bodies from the fourth patrol burned.


    [Battle Maneuvers advances to 20!]


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield advances to 20!]


    [Recovery advances to 17!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 4 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Main Quest Progress: 6 of 8 targets destroyed]


    Mary grinned as the bodies burst into purple flame again. ¡°Well, that¡¯s been fun so far. It¡¯ll be good for all of us to get at least one Hidden Quest done.¡±


    Bob leaned back with a sigh. ¡°Yeah. The rest would be a bit tougher to handle, though.¡±


    Alex nodded. There were four patrols left to take down, with six Knights each. With four E rankers, they were going to run out of Knights if all of them wanted to complete the Hidden Quest for killing six extras.


    Unless she proposed a bit of a change.


    She looked at Laura, who was gathering up the slab of metal the Brutes left behind when they burned. ¡°Hey, Laura, do you need any help with your Quests?¡±


    The Vanguard paused. She looked back at Alex in surprise. ¡°Mine? No. Not really.¡± She straightened up and slid the metal into her bag. ¡°My Quests are a bit different than yours, anyway. Things tend to¡­ shift when you reach D rank.¡±


    ¡°So I heard.¡± Her mother had told her about it often enough. ¡°Are we killing enough patrols for your Main Quest? Or do you only get eight like us?¡±


    Laura¡¯s expression became a little baffled, as if she didn¡¯t really know where the conversation was going. ¡°Killing Brutes gets me one Hidden Quest. I¡¯d have to kill some Knights and Archers for the other one though.¡±


    Just as Alex had hoped. ¡°Have you already done the Brute part? Or do you need more?¡±


    The Vanguard looked at her, eyes narrowed. ¡°I¡¯m one with the Brutes. Why?¡±


    Alex tried to phrase herself very carefully. ¡°Well, we¡¯ve already got a Hidden Quest for the big guys, so I was just thinking¡­¡±


    Laura snorted. ¡°You¡¯re all still too weak to take a Brute on by yourselves. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I get it. Those hammers look mean.¡± Alex paused. ¡°But if you managed to just wing one a little, wound it without killing it¡­¡±


    The team leader had opened her mouth to refuse, but then she paused. ¡°We¡¯re still going to be short on Knights. You won¡¯t finish everything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to hang around for some extra patrols. Unless anyone has something to do after?¡± Alex looked around at the others.


    Mary¡¯s eyebrows looked like they had climbed as high as they could go. Bob was tapping his fingers on his staff, a calculating look in his eyes.


    Ed was just staring at her, as if trying to bore his dark-eyed gaze straight through her skull and into her soul. Alex looked back at him, her heart beating a bit faster as she tried to look open and honest.


    Then he nodded. When the others looked at him, Ed just shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not. A couple extra patrols won¡¯t hurt me that much.¡±


    Bob laughed. ¡°Well, yeah, Mr. Serious. When haven¡¯t you managed to have Recovery at max? I¡¯m surprised you ever even break a sweat.¡±


    ¡°Well, if he¡¯s in, so am I.¡± Mary looked around, as if searching for the next patrol. ¡°It took me forever to catch up to you louts, and I¡¯m certainly not going to fall behind again now.¡±


    They looked at Bob, and he grimaced. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get it. Let¡¯s get it done. Hopefully, Chief won¡¯t be too upset with us.¡±


    ¡°Upset for what? Helping our Vanguard level up a bit faster?¡± Alex rolled her eyes. ¡°We¡¯re a team, aren¡¯t we? So let¡¯s show everyone we can act like it. Besides, I really, really want a piece of one of those big guys.¡±


    Laura seemed to be caught between ambition and some nameless worry. Then she took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°All right. We¡¯ll give you the first shot at one, then. Just¡­ don¡¯t get crushed, okay? I really don¡¯t want to be the Vanguard that gets all their people killed.¡±


    Alex shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t be. Now let¡¯s get to it.¡±


    They found the next patrol waiting for them in the open mouth of a warehouse. The broad sliding doors had fallen off, and the Grue were lounging around in the wreckage of metal. Alex¡¯s breath caught as she recognized the Brute at the head of their formation. She charged straight for it, the others falling into formation around her.


    Laura was still in front of her, but the Vanguard had already told her it wouldn¡¯t stay that way. The veteran Surveyor would strike the Brute in passing and then tear through the relatively weaker Grue behind it. Alex would need to occupy the thing and hopefully kill it by the time the others were finished. If she didn¡¯t, at the very least she¡¯d need to keep it busy.


    Those thoughts were still whirling through her mind as they closed with the monsters. The Brute reeled back, both warhammers clutched in its massive paws. Rage flooded its grey eyes, and its shadowbound form seemed to bulge and stretch as it prepared to clash with its enemies. It reared back, ready to bring both weapons down on Laura, probably with enough force to flatten a truck.


    In response, Laura abruptly jumped forward, pushing off the concrete with enough force that Alex could have sworn it cracked beneath her boot. The Vanguard shot straight past the Brute at full speed. Laura pivoted as she rocketed by, her double blades flashing as she pushed further into the horde ahead.


    The Brute howled, its right leg collapsing beneath it. Two jagged cuts had been left in Laura¡¯s wake, both leaking grey smoke. Rage filled the Brute¡¯s eyes as it began to pivot, its gaze searching for the Surveyor that had dared to wound it.


    Alex didn¡¯t give it any time to recover from its wounds or distractions. She sprinted in close and slammed into the monster shield first. The impact was brutal enough that the Brute was driven back and up, its grey eyes looking stunned. Her axe came around in a brutal hacking strike that tore into its torso, opening even more wounds in its smokey hide.


    There was a crashing noise as the Brute let one of its warhammers fall to the concrete below. Alex had a heartbeat to bring her shield up and around before it punched at her with its free hand, smashing her away from it. The Brute howled as she slid back from it, forcing itself back to its feet. As she watched, its wounds started to try to close, and it swung its other warhammer in a heavy blow.


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    Alex dodged to the side, feeling the wind of the hit pass her by. The hammer slammed into the pavement with enough force to bury the metal head in the pavement. She ran forward, passing along the Brute¡¯s extended arm, hacking at the corded muscle as she went. Three quick, vicious hits left the monster trembling and howling with rage. It pivoted and brought its fist around in a punch that she just barely managed to block with her shield. One of its fingers cracked as it slammed into the boss of her shield, and this time, she held her ground.


    As the Brute reeled back, preparing for another strike, Alex darted in under its reach. She jumped and brought her axe down in a strike that hit the exact same spot that Laura had left bleeding. The Brute screamed in agony. It staggered backward and Alex chased after it, still hacking away at its legs.


    The strength suddenly went out of its wounded limbs, and Alex shield-checked it over onto its back. Then she followed it, her axe striking at it as the thing tried to roll and protect itself. She caught a swipe of its massive forearm on her shield, shoved it aside, and planted strike after strike into its torso, neck, and head.


    Finally, the thing jerked and went limp beneath her. Alex stood on its shoulder, breathing hard and trying to recover her senses. Laura had been right; if it had been focused on her, one or the other hammer probably would have smashed her flat. How was she supposed to deal with something like that on her own?


    Abruptly, the body beneath her burst into flame, and she was forced to scramble back away from the purple blaze. She heard laughter, and looked over at the others, just as the yellow text scrawled across the edge of her sight.


    [Recovery advances to 18!


    [Main Quest Progress: 5 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Completed!]


    Alex slumped in relief and then grinned at the others. ¡°Well, who wants to go next? I can tell you it was just as fun as it looks.¡±


    The others laughed again, even Laura, who still looked abnormally tense. Ed finally raised his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I figure that if she can take on one of those things, I might as well give it a go.¡±


    ¡°Well, surprise, surprise, Mr. Serious is taking on another challenge.¡± Bob rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ll be after him, Bloody Mary? Then I¡¯ll give it a shot after that.¡±


    The Squire nodded, her eyes narrowed. ¡°I¡¯ll forgive you the nickname if you actually come through for it. Laura, are you still on track?¡±


    Laura nodded. ¡°Yeah. I got two of the Knights and all of the Archers. A few more of those, and we¡¯ll be looking pretty good.¡±


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s get going then.¡± Mary smiled. ¡°Despite what the new girl thinks, we don¡¯t actually have all day.¡±


    The next three patrols went more or less the same way.


    Laura wounded and distracted the Brute, and one of the E rankers used the opening to take it down. Ed killed it by actually blocking the thing¡¯s hammers, and then stepping in under its reach to cut it to pieces. Mary relied on pure fury and damage, actually managing to cut a leg off once Laura was past and then chopping away at it while it was on the ground. Bob, for his part, got almost to point blank range and blew a hole through it with a blast of light.


    By the time the Screen reported they had finished their eighth patrol, Alex was beginning to see the signs of fatigue on the others. Even Ed was starting to waver a little each time they ran into battle, and the others weren¡¯t much better.


    As they recovered from their most recent battle, Laura looked around at them and smiled. ¡°Are you sure you want to keep going with this? We can always just head back now.¡±


    ¡°And miss out on all this fun?¡± Alex forced herself to grin. ¡°How about we do it this way? Two of us will gang up on the Brute, while the other two kill a couple of Knights a piece. We can change who does what for the next four patrols. That should give everyone the chance to get what they need, and you¡¯ll finish out whatever Quests you have left. What do you think?¡±


    The others hesitated. Alex didn¡¯t bother pushing them; after all, her main goal had been to help everyone to work together and accomplish as much as they could. If they decided to head back now, at least they had all gotten two Hidden Quests, which was more than they could have done before.


    Then Ed rolled his shoulders and gave her a challenging look. ¡°Do you want to work with Bob or Mary for the partner work?¡±


    Alex smiled. ¡°Bob, you all right working with me?¡±


    The Acolyte glanced back towards the building with the portal. He sighed. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    Nearly an hour later, they finally dragged themselves back to the portal. Every single one of them had completed a third Hidden Quest, and even if it wasn¡¯t a full clear, it still felt like an incredible victory. Laura was grinning from ear to ear, despite her fatigue, and even Bob seemed to be excited to see the results of their actions.


    The sounds of battle had faded from the rest of the city as they drew close, and Alex winced as she pictured arriving after all the rest of the teams had come back. At the very least, they¡¯d have plenty to show for it.


    She stepped through the light with the others¡­


    Alex found herself once more standing in the light, waiting for the text to appear.


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quests Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Adversary Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Hidden Quest Undiscovered.]


    Not a bad haul for a single Survey. She wouldn¡¯t reach level five anytime soon, but she could afford to wait a little longer. At the very least she had pushed her fellow Surveyors to work together, and they¡¯d made it through a fairly hard mission together. That fact had to count for something in the future.


    [Battle Maneuvers increased from 17 to 20!]


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield increased from 17 to 20!]


    [Recovery increased from 14 to 20!]


    It was even harder to be angry at a Survey that left her with all her Skills at maximum. She felt like laughing as she pictured the amount of Titles she was about to gain, and she was grinning from ear to ear as she dismissed the text and pushed forward.


    [Battle Maneuvers has reached level 20! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Battle Maneuvers to gain a Title?]


    She agreed immediately. The chance to continue levelling up the Skill she knew she was going to take with her to the next Role was too good to pass up, especially considering the fact that she¡¯d have something like three days to train it back up again. It was a bit painful to think about the list of Surveyors waiting to beat on her, but only until she regained her levels again. Then she¡¯d be practically unstoppable.


    [Title Lady of War upgraded to Title Peer of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by two.)]


    Alex let out a low, greedy chuckle. Increasing both Combined Arms and Battle Maneuvers at the same time was a lucky result. When the next option appeared, she barely hesitated.


    [Marathoning has reached level 20! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Marathoning to gain a Title?]


    She accepted it, and a new rush of power filled her.


    [Title Persistent upgraded to Title Dogged (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, and Marathoning by two.)]


    Of course, she might have gained something special by waiting for the option to Chain Marathoning and Combined Arms, but it seemed like that wouldn¡¯t have been likely to help her.


    Especially since the next two options were already exactly what she wanted.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield has reached level 20! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield to gain a Title?]


    She accepted.


    [Title Savagery upgraded to Title Brutality (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by three.)]


    Alex snorted. At this point, Combined Arms seemed almost as high a grade as Battle Maneuvers. Not that she was planning on keeping it instead, but it was starting to get ridiculously overpowered for a simple Chained Skill.


    Her next option wasn¡¯t quite as exciting, but she accepted it anyway.


    [Recovery has reached level 20! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Recovery to gain a Title?]


    [Title Endurance gained (Increases Skill grade of Recovery Skills by one.)]


    It wasn¡¯t the best result, but she couldn¡¯t expect miracles from an unmodified single Skill. All the same, she¡¯d be able to put the Title to good use as the Surveys got longer and more difficult. The little Skill had already more than proved its worth during the hunt for the Grue today, at the very least.


    With her Skills all reset to zero, and with enough new Titles to make that sacrifice worthwhile, Alex moved forward through the brilliant light¡­


    She stepped out into the portal room back and Earth, and instantly realized that something wasn¡¯t right.


    It wasn¡¯t a hard thing to figure out. The rest of her team was already waiting with her, and Laura was giving her report to Chief Wells. He did not look happy; in fact, she almost thought that he was on the brink of violence. What had happened?


    She looked at Ed, who held a finger to his lips. The other Surveyors headed for the exit, while Laura continued to talk. At some point, while she stepped past them, Wells¡¯ eyes locked onto her. The sheer hostility in them reminded her of Liliana for a moment, and her fingers twitched as she remembered how that had ended.


    Then she simply walked out the door and down the hallway. She didn¡¯t have time to waste on whatever Wells¡¯ problem was, not when she needed to track down Joanna and the others to see how things had gone for them. Maybe they would know what had happened, anyway.


    ¡°You really just can¡¯t help it, can you?¡±


    Alex watched as Joanna paced back and forth in front of her. ¡°I can¡¯t help what?¡±


    ¡°Ticking off people who are in charge of you. I swear, first Liliana and now Wells. It¡¯s like you¡¯re addicted to it. Or maybe it¡¯s some kind of disease.¡± The Adept threw her hands in the air in frustration. ¡°I would have thought that after last time¡­¡±


    Feeling a little unjustly accused, Alex couldn¡¯t help but speak up. ¡°Hey, last time you didn¡¯t exactly complain about it, now did you?¡±


    Clara gave Joanna a steady look. ¡°She did try to kill us.¡±


    Joanna returned the look with a level stare of her own. ¡°And are you going to say that she didn¡¯t try a lot harder thanks to our resident troublemaker over here?¡±


    Audrey burst out laughing. ¡°Well, yeah. That was part of the fun, though, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°At least you guys actually got to go out and tick somebody off.¡± Alessa was face down on her bunk, grousing at them over her pillow. ¡°We spent most of the day cleaning dishes and sweeping floors. Not exactly what I signed up for when it comes to being a Surveyor.¡±


    Alex tentatively raised a hand. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure what I did to make Wells so mad, anyway. Did we really get back that late?¡±


    Audrey gave her a shrug. ¡°Not really. Only an hour or so. It¡¯s not like you went on another Raid.¡±


    Alessa raised a hand from where she was lying on the bed. ¡°I volunteer to go on her next Raid. It¡¯s only a matter of time.¡±


    Incredulous, Alex rolled her eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say something about never doing that again?¡±


    ¡°Raids are awful. Dishes are worse.¡±


    Joanna broke back in with an impatient groan. ¡°The problem is that you guys were the highest-level group of E rankers that went through the portal. Wells wasn¡¯t just expecting you to come back on time. He was expecting you to come back earlier than planned¡ªand instead you showed up over an hour late.¡±


    Alex shrugged defensively. ¡°Sometimes Surveys run a little longer, don¡¯t they? It¡¯s not like everything always goes to plan.¡±


    ¡°Here at Red Blade things do.¡± Joanna folded her arms and tapped her foot. Alex felt like the Adept was nearly ready to start hovering on the force of her irritation alone. ¡°Every single route and action is scheduled here. They don¡¯t have unstable portals. They don¡¯t have unexpected developments. Their PAD actually functions properly, and monitors the portals, so when they fluctuate, they can send more people in. Everything is set up to function like clockwork.¡±


    It still didn¡¯t make sense. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that us coming back late embarrassed Wells somehow?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m saying you coming back late told Wells that you are not someone he can count on to work like clockwork. You¡¯re someone who might cause trouble and disrupt his tidy little organization that he¡¯s built here. Not that you haven¡¯t already been doing that by being stronger than he expected and willing to shove it in everybody¡¯s face.¡±


    Clara snorted. ¡°You say that like there was any chance she wasn¡¯t going to do that anyway.¡±


    Joanna grunted. ¡°Good point. She could at least try to hide it, though.¡±


    ¡°I mean, she could probably calm things down at least a little bit, right?¡± Audrey looked back and forth between them. ¡°By going to the celebration this time, instead of hanging out here?¡±


    The prospect of going to hang out with Chief Wells and the others¡ªof hearing them talk about her mother like some kind of unknowable idol of some kind, or lecturing her for simply doing her job, or sizing her up for some kind of competition¡ªmade Alex feel a bit queasy. She opened her mouth to say she wasn¡¯t going, only for Clara to groan. ¡°You¡¯re not actually going to go, are you?¡±


    Alex gave her a sharp look. ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°Because I just tried to picture you rubbing elbows and making small talk with Chief Wells, and it felt incredibly wrong.¡±


    Audrey shivered. ¡°No, you¡¯re right. It seems like that shouldn¡¯t happen.¡±


    Trying not to feel offended, Alex rolled her eyes. ¡°I could do small talk.¡±


    ¡°Really.¡± Alessa levered herself up from the bed to look her in the eyes. ¡°This I want to see. Go ahead. Do small talk.¡±


    Alex opened her mouth¡­ and then shut it. She looked away. ¡°Okay, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m not going.¡±


    Joanna put a hand over her eyes. ¡°I want to tell you to go anyway, just to make Wells happy, but something tells me that would just end badly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not an option anyway, actually.¡± They all turned to stare at the doorway, where Ed was leaning against the doorframe. He hadn¡¯t been there at the start of the conversation, but clearly he¡¯d been eavesdropping for a while. The Porter shrugged. ¡°Sorry, you, me, and the rest of our team are restricted from going to the celebration. Guess we¡¯ll have to go next time.¡±


    Given that she¡¯d already decided not to go, Alex felt a burst of entirely irrational resentment for the fact she¡¯d been excluded from the celebration. She grimaced. ¡°We¡¯ll have to see about that. It¡¯s some kind of punishment for being late?¡±


    ¡°That and refusing to follow the guidance of our Vanguard.¡± Ed winced. ¡°I guess Laura decided to throw us under the bus a little bit.¡±


    Alex grunted. ¡°Well, sorry. I guess this makes two celebrations I¡¯ve made you miss.¡±


    Ed shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I never did like to go to those things, anyway.¡± He pushed away from the doorframe. ¡°Meet you tomorrow morning for a run?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Sure. Just keep in mind, I¡¯ve reset all my Skills. You might actually have a chance to keep up this time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to do my best, then.¡± He nodded to them and retreated, leaving the rest of the Surveyors looking after him.


    It was Audrey who broke the silence. ¡°Oooh, a running buddy, huh?¡±


    ¡°I swear, it¡¯s like the less she pays attention, the more she picks up.¡± Alessa shook her head, as if mystified. ¡°First Zach, now this guy. Maybe if I give myself some kind of brain damage so I don¡¯t understand anything outside of combat¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, what about Zach? I thought¡­¡±


    Alex groaned and put a pillow over her face. She was already looking forward to sleep, and a part of her debated whether she should hope the others went to the party just so she could get an early start. Tomorrow was going to be brutal, no matter how hard she tried to brace herself for it¡ªand she had the sneaking suspicion that Wells was going to try to make things even more difficult somehow.

 B2Ch5: Suspicions

    Alex¡¯s grim view of the future was not entirely wrong.


    When she woke the next day, the rest of the barracks was still full of sleeping, moderately hung-over young women who barely even groaned as she dressed and headed to the wall. Over the past few days, she had grown to like running along the perimeter, even if she was fairly certain that it was going to be incredibly painful for the next few days.


    To her mild surprise, there were two Surveyors waiting for her. Ed was there, as she¡¯d expected, but Sam had also shown up for some reason. They waved at her as she climbed the stairs, and when she had joined them, they started to do some stretches.


    She gave Sam a curious look. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you here. Did you not have as much fun at the celebration?¡±


    Sam smiled at her, his dark eyes flickering with the kind of mischief that she remembered all too well from her time on his team. ¡°Oh, yes. You know me and fancy office parties. Always my favorite.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You would probably like those almost as much as you like running.¡± Alex put exactly enough emphasis on the words to make Sam roll his eyes. The Adept had never really appreciated a workout that involved pounding his way along a track, and she doubted he had grown fond of the experience now.


    ¡°I just heard that a certain someone reset all their Skills to zero. Thought I might be able to keep up a bit better now.¡± He glanced at Ed, who smirked a little. ¡°Of course, I also heard you are busy getting yourself into trouble again, so I thought I¡¯d give you the benefit of my advice.¡±


    Alex gave him a sharp look. Sam had a history of seeing through things pretty well; he¡¯d been one of the first of the other Surveyors to figure out that the portal was acting oddly at Golden Swallow. Had he heard something now? ¡°Is that so? Did I miss something important at the party?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Just a lot of Surveyors giving their Attributes a stress test.¡± Sam paused and then grinned. ¡°Though I did hear a few mutters about Surveyors looking to put a certain Page in her place today, now that she¡¯d vulnerable. It might be a hard day for you, Alex.¡±


    Ed looked up from where he¡¯d been using the outer ridge of the wall to stretch his hamstrings. ¡°I¡¯m sure Alex can handle them. She¡¯s pretty good, after all. Almost manages to outlast me, sometimes.¡±


    There was a bit of an edge of challenge in those words, and Sam shrugged. He had a small smile on his face. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not surprised. Back when we were on the same team, I¡¯m pretty sure she saved all of our lives just by pushing us so hard. Has she already gotten started on the teamwork ideas with you guys yet?¡±


    The question seemed to make Ed relax for some reason. He nodded, a small smile on his lips. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s what got us in trouble this time, actually.¡±


    Sam rolled his eyes. ¡°Only the start of it, trust me. One second she just wants to make sure everyone finishes their Quests, and the next she¡¯ll have you making a campsite in the middle of a parking lot roof.¡±


    Ed gave him a disbelieving look. ¡°You¡¯re kidding. What could have possibly been doing¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oookay, who¡¯s up for a run?¡± Alex bounced a little on the balls of her feet. The last thing she wanted was for them to start sharing stories. The day was going to be painful enough.


    Painful turned out to be a remarkably good description of the experience.


    Without the massive bonuses from Marathoning, her easy domination of the others on the run became a far more even affair. Ed didn¡¯t seem to have lost any of his endurance at all, which meant it was suddenly Alex that was having a hard time keeping up with the others. Unfortunately, it also meant that the boys had more than enough breath to start trading stories about the types of things that they¡¯d seen her get up to. For knowing her such a short time, Ed seemed to have noticed her doing a lot of crazy things.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s always been a bit paranoid, but back at Golden Swallow that kind of paid off. She never said anything about being watched before, though, that seems new¡­¡±


    ¡°She actually dragged you guys through a Raid? I thought staying out an extra hour was intense, but that is incredible¡­¡±


    By the end of the run, when people were finally starting to file out of the barracks to start their training, Alex was already sore and ready to go bury her head somewhere. When she came down off the wall, however, with Sam and Ed in tow, she was confronted with the ugly reality of the list. Clara waved it at her in good-natured mockery, and Alex took up her practice weapons with a grimace that might have been mistaken as a smile.


    The rest of her day was spent regaining her levels and trying not to snap at Surveyors that took far too much pleasure in smacking her around the sparring ring. Fortunately for both her aching muscles and her temper, the levels for Battle Maneuvers and Combined Arms started to come back fairly quickly, to the point where by lunch she was already getting some of her own back.


    Wells, however, didn¡¯t seem to see it that way. He shook his head at her as she paused for water and food, clucking his tongue in mock-sadness. She ignored him and tried to focus on her work. There would be another Survey in three days, after all, and she wanted to be ready for it.


    Alex lay face down on her bunk and groaned as another muscle twinged. It felt like she had bruises on top of her bruises at the moment, and she began to ask herself if she was going to be able to wake up on time the next day.


    ¡°And how is our conquering heroine today?¡±


    She tried to answer, but the bunk muffled her words. Alex managed to force herself up a little, only to hiss in pain as another bone-deep ache wore its way through her back. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Clara. Are you taking a break or something?¡±


    ¡°You could say that.¡± The Acolyte smiled at her and passed over a water bottle. Alex snagged it and took a drink, trying not to spill any of it on the sheets. If she got them wet, after all, she¡¯d have to lie back face down in the damp. Leaving the bed was not a viable option.


    Clara sat down on the bed next to her and sighed. ¡°So it seems like the revenge list might have gone a bit too far.¡±


    Alex made a small noise of outrage. ¡°You think?¡± She had to have fought upwards of twenty duels in a single day, all against Surveyors with higher Skills and a bone to pick with her in particular. Not all of them had pulled their punches as much as Joanna and the others had, either.


    ¡°Yeah. Tomorrow we¡¯ve kind of suspended it to give you the chance to rest.¡± Clara glanced over at her. ¡°I guess we all underestimated how much resetting Marathoning would set you back. Are your legs okay?¡±


    Alex slowly put her forehead back down on the bunk. ¡°I have two large sticks made of pain attached to my hips.¡±


    ¡°Ouch.¡± She could have been mad at Clara, but she could hear the real sympathy in her friend¡¯s voice. It was hard to be angry with someone who was already feeling guilty. ¡°You think you¡¯re going to be able to train again tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°One way or the other.¡± Alex sighed into the bunk. ¡°It might take me a bit longer to get back to maximum for the Skills, though. Marathoning was apparently helping more than I expected.¡±


    Clara nodded. ¡°At least your fighting Skills are getting up there much faster this time. I swear it¡¯s like every time you reset, you build yourself even more into this monster that nobody else can catch. It¡¯s a little inspirational, a little infuriating, and very intimidating.¡±


    Alex snorted. ¡°Ed doesn¡¯t seem to think so. He jumped in whenever he had the chance to whale on me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think we didn¡¯t notice.¡± Clara chuckled to herself. ¡°He seems like a good guy. A little obsessive and all, but we¡¯ve been able to get used to someone like that.¡±


    The Acolyte gave Alex a significant look, and Alex rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, it¡¯s worked for me so far. Might as well keep it going.¡± She slowly took another careful drink of water. ¡°Thanks for the water, Clara. I¡¯ll be all right soon enough. Are you going to come running tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I will.¡± Clara patted her on the shoulder, and then stood up. ¡°For now, though, I have to get back to work. Can¡¯t let my own Skills get too far behind you, after all.¡±


    Alex gave her a half-hearted wave, and the Acolyte left the barracks. Once she was gone, Alex collapsed back on the bunk with a much more sincere groan. Progress was nice, but why did it always have to hurt so much?


    She was still hurting a little the next morning, but Alex dragged herself up to the wall anyway. Clara was there, along with Sam, Ed, and even Alessa. The pack of them probably looked a little silly to the passersby, jogging along the wall for each painful lap, but by the end of the second morning Marathoning was already back up to the point where her soreness was starting to fade.


    The duels that day were far more satisfying. Even tired, sore, and bruised, the difference in her Skill quality was already telling against the other Surveyors, and the line of challengers abruptly got a lot less enthusiastic. Wells¡¯ expression remained heavily disapproving throughout the day, but Alex just shrugged off his continued scowls and kept at her training.


    Running still hurt on the third day, but she was already pushing the pace for the others, which left her feeling satisfied. Marathoning was only at level ten by the end, but it was still enough to let her relish the unmitigated satisfaction of leaving Ed in her dust on the last lap.


    Sparring was a bit more complicated, however. The number of partners willing to go up against her¡ªeven in twos or threes¡ªabruptly dropped off. She was left to harass the other Surveyors from Golden Swallow, or to square off against Ed. Even they couldn¡¯t keep fighting her forever, though; there were only so many times that they could face off against someone they knew they couldn¡¯t beat until the other Surveyors started to look a little more pleasant to spar with.


    It was a particularly frustrating problem, especially as she glanced across the practice yard and saw a glint of satisfaction in Wells¡¯ eyes. In the end, Alex wound up heading for the wall a second time. One way or the other, she was going to get her Skills up, and if it had to be during the next Survey, so be it.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Once again, Wells called for them to line up and receive their assignments. Alex fell into formation with the others, trying to ignore the coil of dread working its way through her guts. Her Skills technically weren¡¯t as high as they had been the last time, but the actual effect of them was just about the same thanks to her Titles. Surely that wouldn¡¯t keep her off of the Survey, right? Especially since the other Surveyors weren¡¯t even close to her combat ability.


    ¡°Once again, we have the opportunity to cross through the portal and dedicate ourselves to the defense of our world.¡± Wells was in fine form that morning, his blustering voice easily filling the yard. ¡°As always, only the most dedicated of our Surveyors can be trusted with this task, and as a result, those who are not chosen will be invited to prove themselves by caring for the maintenance of our compound while the others do what needs to be done.¡±


    ¡°The teams for the portal are as follows¡­¡±


    As Wells continued, Alex listened for her name. She listened in vain. Alessa, Tim, and Brian were all called this time¡ªthe relief was palpable on their faces¡ªand Sam and Ed were chosen too. Joanna, Clara, and Audrey weren¡¯t, though, and they didn¡¯t look any happier about it than she did. Wells seemed to almost be gloating as he dismissed them, and the Surveyors broke away to their assignments in a cloud of muttering and whispers.


    Alex spent another moment staring at Wells, trying hard to restrain her anger. Clearly, Wells wasn¡¯t being objective with his assessments, but it wasn¡¯t like that was a crime. She couldn¡¯t exactly march up to him and start yelling; she had a feeling that would lead to her missing the next Survey as well. What could she do?


    Her mind was still whirling as she turned and headed for the administrative building, telling the others that she¡¯d find out their assignments while she was there. If she had to think through the issue, then at least she would get the chores out of the way while she did it.


    It took her some time to find the administrative building in the compound. It was a bland block of concrete, one where groups of E rank Surveyors who were assigned there were going in and out on their various jobs.


    Alex stepped into the building and found her way to the nearest counter. An older member of the support staff was waiting there for her, a patient look on his face. ¡°Hello. I¡¯m here for my cleaning assignment.¡±


    It was impossible for her to keep her anger out of her voice, and the man blinked. He smiled. ¡°Your first time, Surveyor?¡±


    She nodded, and he sighed. ¡°I remember how hard that was. It doesn¡¯t feel entirely right, does it?¡±


    ¡°No. It doesn¡¯t.¡± Alex gave the man a second look. He was a few years older than her, but he was probably still at E rank. Support staff didn¡¯t exactly get the chance to go through the portals, after all. He grinned at her and fished a clipboard out from beneath the counter.


    ¡°Well, I suggest that you just keep your head down, Ms¡­ Alexandretta Morrison?¡±


    ¡°Call me Alex.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Alex.¡± The man ran his finger down the list on the board. ¡°You¡¯re going to be with a few other Surveyors cleaning the east wing. Name of Audrey, Clara, Joanna¡­¡±


    Alex nodded with a sigh. ¡°Yeah, I know them.¡± She turned to go¡­ and then paused. The way the man was looking at her seemed somehow regretful. As if he was watching someone he knew was doomed. ¡°Any suggestions for me? I appreciate the work you all do, but I didn¡¯t exactly join for this kind of thing.¡±


    The man hesitated. He looked in both directions, as if making sure they were alone. It seemed¡­ overly paranoid, especially as he leaned in close. ¡°You want my advice, Alex? Like I said, keep your head down. Don¡¯t make Wells mad, stay on his good side, and don¡¯t make waves. There¡¯s worse fates than a day of chores, and worse than washing out.¡±


    She stared at him a moment. ¡°What do you¡ª¡±


    The doors behind her opened, and she looked back to see a member of the security staff coming in. When she looked back, the support staff member had already straightened up. There was a hint of fear in his eyes as he looked from Alex to the other staff member and back, something that sent a chill up Alex¡¯s spine. She smiled carefully. ¡°Thank you for the information, Mr¡­¡±


    ¡°Calvin. Calvin Harris.¡± The man smiled. ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Alex.¡±


    She turned and left through the door, her mind now whirling even more than before. What was going on?


    Alex was still thinking as she made her way towards the east wing. She¡¯d texted the others to meet her there, but for the moment she was stuck thinking over the warning she¡¯d just received, and the situation she was in.


    Calvin hadn¡¯t been warning her of a simple disciplinary problem. It wouldn¡¯t have explained the fear in his eyes, or the way he¡¯d emphasized that there was something ¡®worse¡¯ than washing out. Something was going on here, under the surface, something bad enough that an E rank Surveyor¡ªeven one that has washed out of portal duty¡ªwas worried about getting caught talking about it.


    All of which meant that at the very least Calvin was trying to warn her that her life was in danger here, and that she needed to stay on Wells¡¯ good side to stay safe


    Option one was to just buckle under and start toeing the line. She¡¯d need to stop trying to improve how they did Surveys, and stop challenging the status quo. Showing up at the little celebrations would be non-optional, and she¡¯d have to act like the good little soldier every time he looked her way.


    It took her all of four seconds to decide that option one was not going to work. She¡¯d almost rather spend her time washing dishes than to let that man think he¡¯d won. Besides, even if she managed to stay safe, who could say if her friends and the other Surveyors would be fine?


    Option two was¡­ less pleasant. She could simply continue doing what she¡¯d been doing, training her Skills and going on Surveys whenever she could. Leveling up would take forever, and she doubted Wells would ever make things easier for her, but eventually her contract would run out, and she¡¯d be able to break free of the company. There would be plenty of other corps that would be willing to hire her, and she could always take her chances with them.


    If she was honest with herself, Alex thought option two sounded like the most reasonable path forward. It wouldn¡¯t require her to kowtow to Wells and she¡¯d still have a pretty good reputation coming out of the company. She¡¯d waited for years to do what she wanted to do. Wells could only stand in her way for so long.


    The only problem was that if Wells tried to wash her out of the program entirely, he could delay things by years. It also wasn¡¯t a guarantee that he wouldn¡¯t resort to whatever ¡®something worse¡¯ Calvin had warned her about. It also wouldn¡¯t protect her friends from him.


    Of course, there was always option three.


    Whatever Wells was up to, it had to be fragile. There was no reason for him to be trying to be this controlling as a supervisor for a group of Surveyors unless there was something risky and delicate going on. The entire cult around her mother¡¯s legacy was suspicious too, and not just because it left her uncomfortable about all the hero worship. People who were too casual about the company ended up being isolated and punished, if they weren¡¯t driven completely out of the Survey program. That kind of reaction wasn¡¯t just an annoying middle manager defending his turf. It was a man protecting a secret¡ªa very important secret.


    Option three meant finding that secret, and then burning the entire thing down around Wells¡¯ head.


    Alex thought over that possibility for a moment. Then she smiled. It was time to do some looking, and Wells had just given her plenty of time to do it.


    ¡°Oh, how the mighty have fallen.¡± Audrey chuckled to herself as she wiped off a window.


    Joanna gave her the kind of look that should have lit the Squire on fire. The Adept was busy scrubbing the dust from a nearby counter. ¡°Shut it, Audrey. Let¡¯s just get this done.¡±


    ¡°I told you Wells was giving us a look for sparring with Alex.¡±


    Alex grunted as she continued her work, mopping the floor of the hallway. ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s my fault now?¡±


    Clara sighed. ¡°Nobody is saying it is your fault. Wells is just going to target anyone around you who isn¡¯t helping him beat you down. That¡¯s all.¡±


    There was a bit of logic to the words. Again, it was hard to be mad at the Acolyte when she was mopping away right next to her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, then. I really didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be this bad.¡±


    Joanna grumbled something under her breath. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised. I did try to warn you.¡±


    Alex shook her head. ¡°Well, at least you won¡¯t have to worry about tonight. I get the feeling that we¡¯ll have plenty of time to go to the celebration.¡±


    The others paused long enough to stare at her. Clara was the first one to respond. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ planning on going?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I am.¡± Alex tried not to have it sound like a declaration of war, but that was effectively what it was. She wasn¡¯t going to be able to figure out what Wells was doing without observing him more and getting access to the portal again. Both tasks probably meant that small talk was on the menu for the night.


    Her friends exchanged a quick look. Audrey spoke up first. ¡°You sure that¡¯s a good idea, Al? It might help you get on Wells¡¯ good side, but it might also give him the chance to find more reasons to suspend you, anyway.¡±


    ¡°As much as I hate to admit it, she¡¯s probably right, you know.¡± Joanna grimaced. ¡°You aren¡¯t exactly known for your diplomatic skills.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t need any.¡± Alex gave her a grin. ¡°I just need to keep my eyes and ears open. I¡¯m sure something will come along.¡±


    Her phone beeped, and she paused long enough to check it. Clara cleared her throat. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    Alex waved her off. ¡°Oh, nobody. I¡¯ll be right back, okay?¡± She left them staring after her, mystified, and went to go find an empty room. If she was going to start digging into Wells¡¯ dirty laundry, she was going to need some help.


    ¡°Something going on at Red Blade Securities? No, I haven¡¯t heard much.¡± Zach¡¯s voice sounded honestly baffled, maybe even disturbed. Alex could picture him scrunching up his face as he thought the question over.


    She sighed. ¡°I know that it¡¯s asking a lot, but I think I could use some help here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t mind. At least, not as long as you aren¡¯t getting up to anything too dangerous.¡± Zach paused, and his voice grew a little suspicious. ¡°You aren¡¯t doing anything risky, are you?¡±


    Alex rolled her eyes. ¡°No more risky than jumping through portals to fight monsters, no.¡±


    Zach chuckled. ¡°Good.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°I can look into it for a little while, but honestly, I haven¡¯t heard a whole lot about the company. Aside from the hero worship thing, but even that was mostly kept quiet. Apparently, most of the executives have a tendency to keep things close to the chest. Not a lot of big stories come out of there.¡±


    She frowned. It sounded far too much like a coverup for her paranoid mind. ¡°There¡¯s nothing about it? I heard it had a reputation for dealing with higher level portals.¡±


    ¡°Higher level? No, not really. More like they tend to get portals that are stable, but good candidates for resource farming.¡± She could hear his fingers tapping on keys in the background. ¡°Red Blade Securities actually operates a lot like a magic supplier for a bunch of pretty critical industries. Stuff like defense contractors, high energy research, that kind of thing. When they need crystals, slabs, and other stuff, Red Blade¡¯s the one who brings it out of the portals for them.¡±


    Interesting, but it wasn¡¯t exactly the kind of information Alex was looking for. ¡°What about their Surveyors? Is there anything weird on record about how they train them?¡±


    ¡°Aside from a higher turnover than normal, no.¡± He kept typing away. ¡°In fact, they actually have a pretty good record for getting their Surveyors back alive. A ton of Surveyors tend to train with them, and then go on to leave the company for greener pastures elsewhere, but they also have plenty of extra recruits to make up for the turnover. I guess they get priority on new Talismans because of some of their political connections.¡±


    Alex paused and leaned back against the wall. ¡°So they¡¯re connected. I¡¯m betting they don¡¯t often get visits from the Regulation Agency, do they?¡±


    Zach typed a bit more. ¡°Not that I can see. Regulation agents aren¡¯t exactly famous for getting involved in things until everything has already gone down the tubes. At least, not lately.¡±


    She nodded. The last serious Regulation team had been her mother¡¯s, before a pack of high-level griefers had put a stop to them. Her mom had been the only one to survive; any other Regulation agents had taken their cue from that incident and gotten a lot more passive. If there was something going on here, she couldn¡¯t depend on some government flunky coming in and solving it for her¡ªor even really backing her up. After all, the griefers who had gone after her mother had been¡­ sponsored by some pretty influential people. A company like Red Blade sounded like it would be capable of doing something similar if it needed to.


    ¡°All right. See what you can find out. Are you anywhere near the city?¡±


    He didn¡¯t answer right away. ¡°I¡¯m actually pretty close, yeah. My boss asked me to check on something nearby.¡±


    Alex hesitated, wondering if she was asking too much. ¡°Would you mind coming to meet me tonight? I think the company¡¯s going to have a party of some kind outside the compound, so I should be able to slip away. It would be good to talk face to face.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± He paused another moment and then spoke as if he¡¯d made a decision. ¡°I can be there. Just text me where and when to meet, and I¡¯ll bring whatever I can.¡±


    She let out a breath she hadn¡¯t known she was holding. ¡°Thanks, Zach. I appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. At least you can¡¯t get me fired this time.¡± He chuckled again, and Alex rolled her eyes again. ¡°See you tonight.¡±


    ¡°See you.¡± She hung up the call and checked the time. There would be a few more hours before the celebration happened. Hopefully nothing else would go horribly wrong before then.

 B2Ch6: Clandestine Meetings

    ¡°Alexandretta! So happy that you could join us.¡±


    Wells spread his arms wide, but Alex simply gave him a nod and a tired smile. ¡°Glad I could make it, Chief.¡± She looked around. ¡°Everyone made it through the Survey okay?¡±


    He blinked and dropped his arms. ¡°Yes. Everyone completed their missions and returned on time.¡± Wells gave her a significant look, and then motioned for her to join the others. She nodded again and headed over to where the other E rankers were sitting.


    It wasn¡¯t a very large place, where the Surveyors had chosen to celebrate. The location was just a restaurant of some kind, one with a few televisions set up around that showed the local basketball team competing against a college a few states away. Some of the Surveyors were watching those screens, but most were just eating and drinking, talking in low voices. Occasionally, some of them would burst into laughter over something they were saying to each other, though a look from one of the black uniforms tended to quiet them down.


    Everyone was still in uniform, after all, no matter what rank they held. There were a few normal people scattered around the tables, but most of them looked like they were servers, and the ones who weren¡¯t seemed¡­ uncomfortable. Several of them were hurrying to finish up their food and drink, with a few heading for the door without waiting to close out their checks, just leaving money on the table.


    None of the regular Red Blade Surveyors motioned for her to join them, but Sam and the others were already waiting. They waved her over, and she slid onto the bench with a grin. ¡°Thanks for the spot. How has it been?¡±


    Sam grinned at her. ¡°Just a normal Survey. My Vanguard seemed to want to be extra punctual, though. Can¡¯t imagine why.¡±


    Tim snorted. ¡°It¡¯s pretty obvious that someone¡¯s just worried about our team captain showing him up. Even the Red Blade folks know it. They just don¡¯t want to be left out of the Surveys.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a little more complicated than that.¡± Alex kept her voice low, still trying to phrase it as friendly. Sam blinked and sat back, his dark eyes suddenly intent on her. She nodded to him carefully. ¡°I¡¯m going to need to look into something in a little bit while the servers are still bringing the food. Can you guys cover for me?¡±


    Tim and Brian looked at each other, but Sam just nodded. He jerked his head to the side, indicating a side hallway. ¡°Bathrooms are that way. Back door is just past them. Plenty of folks step out that way. How long do you need?¡±


    ¡°Thirty minutes, maybe forty? I¡¯m meeting someone just down the street.¡± She¡¯d texted the address to Zach just a short while before. He¡¯d suggested a small shop on the corner, one that had plenty of foot traffic. ¡°I would have gone before, but then Chief Wells would have been on me for being late.¡±


    Sam laughed, a low chuckle. ¡°Gotcha. We¡¯ll handle it. Just take care of yourself. The streets are surprisingly rough around here.¡±


    Brian sighed. ¡°I wondered how long it would take for it all to start going to pot. Tim, I should have made that bet with you.¡±


    The Porter grunted. ¡°Oh please, don¡¯t blame me for being optimistic.¡±


    They started to bicker as Alex pushed herself away from the table and headed for the bathroom. She caught sight of Wells looking at her, so she went into the woman¡¯s bathroom for a few moments.


    Then she was slipping down the hallway and out the back door, a rough wooden one that had seen better days. She was careful to shut it slowly, not wanting the sound to carry through to the restaurant. Wells might still catch her, but she didn¡¯t want to make it easy for him.


    She stepped out into an alleyway, one that ran down the back of the restaurant and the surrounding stores. There were signs of rubbish and neglect all over the place; a couple of other people were walking through, their eyes down and their steps quick. Alex copied them, walking as quickly and carefully as she could back to the corner.


    Coming into the shop from the back would have been a little too suspicious, so she went out onto the sidewalk and made her way into the shop from the front. It was a simple convenience store, one that was meant to provide those last-minute snacks or other necessities for people out late at night. A cashier behind a wall of bulletproof glass gave her uniform a wide-eyed look and shrank back a bit behind the counter.


    Alex ignored the cashier and went to the back, where the drinks were kept in their refrigerated cases. She opened one of the doors and pretended to look at the options.


    ¡°The hawk flies at midnight.¡±


    Despite herself, she snorted. ¡°Oh, are we spies now?¡± Alex looked over and saw Zach smiling at her. He opened his arms for a hug, and she gave him one, feeling a hint of warmth. It had taken a while for him to get a little more casual with her since they had stopped being coworkers, but he¡¯d gotten there eventually.


    He was still smiling at her when they separated. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re the one who wanted the secret meetup stuff. I¡¯m just going along with the flow.¡± Then he glanced back at the front; the angle of the shelves was blocking the cashier¡¯s view of the back of the store. ¡°You weren¡¯t followed, right? I really don¡¯t want to get a reputation for being the type of person that makes trouble for Survey corps.¡±


    ¡°I should be fine.¡± She didn¡¯t see anyone else in uniform, after all. ¡°For now, at least. Did you find anything out?¡±


    His expression grew serious. ¡°Nothing solid. Just a lot of circumstantial things.¡± He took out a flash drive, something that made her do a double take. ¡°I¡¯ve got most of it on here. You should be able to plug it into your phone and run through it later. Do not put that anywhere near a Red Blade Securities computer. I might be a little paranoid, but I want to leave as little trace as possible.¡±


    ¡°Might as well give me a stack of paper.¡± She took the drive and stuck it into her pocket. He snorted.


    ¡°If I could, I might have. This is easier to hide, though.¡± Zach drew a little closer, making her heart flutter for a moment. ¡°Have you heard of neo-crystal?¡±


    Alex blinked. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s some kind of drug, right? Like cocaine or meth, but way worse.¡±


    ¡°A lot worse, yeah.¡± Zach scrubbed a hand back through his hair. ¡°The people who make it mix in ingredients from the portals. Everything from the crystals you take from the Grue to other stuff that Surveyors have brought back. The type of things that are typically earmarked for companies to use, not gangs.¡±


    She grunted. Her mother had mentioned that type of thing. It was one of the things the Regulation Agency had been tasked with shutting down. Obviously, they hadn¡¯t been keeping up with the responsibility. ¡°I¡¯m assuming that there¡¯s been a lot of neo-crystal lately?¡±


    Zach grimaced. ¡°A lot, yeah.¡± He snuck a look back at the doors. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s been a major problem in the city lately. The cops keep trying to trace things, but nobody they pick up is talking at all. There¡¯s been a few suggestions for Regulation to look into it, but they haven¡¯t done anything.¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Is there anything that can get traced back to Red Blade?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Alex gave him a sharp look, and Zach shrugged. ¡°All of the public figures for what Red Blade is taking from the portals show no deviations. Everything is delivered on time and accounted for. The portals aren¡¯t being messed with, either. They¡¯re all stable.¡±


    ¡°Could they be messing with the numbers? Covering it up with their connections?¡±


    He hesitated and then shook his head. ¡°No. I wouldn¡¯t put it past them, but if they were shorting their clients, those people would notice. Especially the defense contractor folks.¡±


    It was a good point. An unfortunately good point. She frowned. ¡°So, where¡¯s it coming from?¡±


    Zach smiled. ¡°Well, it turns out that this isn¡¯t the first time that an epidemic of neo-crystal popped up.¡± He glanced at the front again. ¡°There have been a few different times its happened. The earliest one that I tracked down happened at an Army base a long while ago. Back around the time a certain Surveyor was actually still in the Regulation Agency.¡±


    Alex¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°An Army base? What does that have to do with¡ª¡± She blinked as a possibility suggested itself. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Zach nodded. ¡°A young Andrew Wells was a Surveyor who was working with the Army. He had a few friends in the military supply chain. You know, there¡¯s a shocking amount of stuff that just tends to wander away from the quartermaster.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s him.¡± It made sense. The only question was how he was concealing his supply. ¡°Nobody else has put it together?¡±


    ¡°Not that I can tell.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Then again, most people might not want to. There¡¯s been an awful lot of gang violence around that neo-crystal. Whenever Wells shows up, one gang suddenly dominates the trade, and everyone else either works for them, or ends up in a box. Anyone asking too many questions might go that direction too.¡±


    Alex took in a deep breath, and then let it out. ¡°All right. Now we know.¡± She looked at him. ¡°You¡¯re sure you are safe? Nobody started looking into you?¡±


    Zach grinned. ¡°I know how to cover my tracks. Golden Swallow taught me that much, at the very least.¡± He tapped his temple. ¡°I¡¯ve got the evidence squirrelled away in a place they won¡¯t find it, and I kept my searches buried under a lot of other stuff. If they try to track my activity, they¡¯ll probably just think it was an idle records search.¡±


    Then his grin faded. ¡°You¡¯re a different story, though. I already know that telling you to stay out of it isn¡¯t going to work. Do you need backup?¡±


    She already knew what backup he was going to suggest. Wells had to be at least a C rank if he had been a Surveyor long enough to put something like this conspiracy together. Alex hadn¡¯t even managed to reach D rank yet, so Wells was going to be capable of squishing her without too much trouble, to say nothing of whatever other Surveyors he¡¯d managed to involve. He¡¯d proven that much to her already.


    Of course, those same Surveyors might be a little more reluctant to stand up for Wells if the Crimson Blade decided to step out of her grave and onto Wells¡¯ neck.


    Alex sighed. ¡°No. If it comes to that, then fine, but until it¡¯s absolutely necessary¡­¡±


    Zach nodded slowly. ¡°You¡¯re still worried about griefers.¡±


    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°Yeah. I am.¡± She didn¡¯t need to explain why. Her mother could handle Wells, sure, but she wouldn¡¯t do nearly as well against the people who¡¯d taken her eye and her arm. Alex would rather just serve out her contract than put her parents in danger. As much as it would hurt, it would be better to come back at Wells when they were closer to the same level and finish him then.


    If there was anything her experiences in life had taught her, it was the value of patience. Justice was never quite the same without it.


    Alex shook away the thoughts and grabbed Zach by the shoulder. She gave him a quick squeeze. ¡°Thank you, Zach. It means a lot.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± He smiled. ¡°Just give me the inside scoop when you burn the whole thing down, okay? My newfound reporting career could use the credit.¡±


    She laughed and then pulled him in for another quick hug.


    Then she was out of the store, waving empty hands at the still-nervous cashier. It hadn¡¯t taken as long as she needed, but she already had a much better idea of what she was dealing with. Now she just needed to finish putting the pieces together and bring Wells down with it.


    Alex left the store and walked back down towards the alley. She didn¡¯t see any thugs in Red Blade uniforms looking for her, so she assumed that her absence had not been noticed. Since the meeting had been that much faster than she¡¯d expected, hopefully Sam and the others had kept Wells¡¯ attention away from her for long enough for her to return.


    Unfortunately, it looked like someone else had noticed her departure. As she turned into the alley, she caught sight of a Red Blade uniform waiting at the back door to the restaurant. Alex paused mid-step, her breath freezing in her throat. Then she forced herself to keep moving forward. ¡°Ed! What are you doing out here?¡±


    Ed raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°I could ask you the same question.¡± He levered himself up and away from the wall of the restaurant. ¡°I went looking for you, but Sam said that you had gone to the restroom. I decided to get some fresh air for a bit.¡±


    Then he looked her up and down. ¡°Guess you thought something similar?¡±


    Alex grinned, trying to keep her heartbeat from thundering out of control. ¡°Yeah, kind of.¡±


    The Porter nodded, though he still seemed a little too calm for Alex¡¯s tastes. What was he thinking? Was he debating on what he should tell Wells? Would he mention it offhand and give the whole thing away?


    At the very least, he didn¡¯t seem to show any sign that he knew her thoughts were running away with her fears at the moment. He simply drew in a deep breath of the night air and let it out in a slow sigh. ¡°I always miss this, you know. The chance to breathe without the magic from the portal getting into everything. I swear, I smell it in my clothes, whether or not I¡¯ve been through the portal that day. Gives me the chance to get away from the feeling of it, filling up my life.¡±


    Then he bowed his head a little and looked at her, his brown hair shading across his green eyes. ¡°Do you ever feel like that? Like you just need to escape from all of it for a while?¡±


    She tilted her head, watching him. With their relative Skills, she was fairly certain she could take him. Even with the experience advantage, it wasn¡¯t like he could have reached D rank that day. If he¡¯d gotten ahead of her by resetting or Chaining his Skills, then he¡¯d actually be weaker than he had been during the sparring the day before.


    If it came down to a fight, though, she¡¯d already have lost. It wasn¡¯t like she could just go back to the party covered in his blood, after all, and it wasn¡¯t like she was on the other side of the portal. Even if Wells wasn¡¯t interested, the regular police would be.


    All of which meant she needed to talk him down without giving him a clue as to what she¡¯d actually been doing.


    ¡°Sometimes, yeah.¡± Alex shrugged. ¡°Being a superhero of some kind or another can¡¯t be everything for us. We have to remember where we came from, after all.¡±


    Ed grimaced. ¡°I¡¯d¡­ rather not, actually.¡± He turned and glanced up the alley, towards where a busy street was filled with vehicles. ¡°I was actually born here, not too far from the compound. It wasn¡¯t the best place, but Red Blade Securities gave me a shot at getting out of it. A way to escape the lives my family and friends fell into.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ see.¡± At least it explained some of his fanatical loyalty to the company, but it didn¡¯t exactly make it seem like he¡¯d help her if she came clean with him. Would he help take down Wells to protect the company? It seemed like a bad risk to take.


    Then a question occurred to her, one that she¡¯d never really bothered to ask herself. ¡°Ed, do you like being a Surveyor?¡±


    It seemed to catch him off guard. He blinked at her for a bit and then laughed. ¡°You know what? I don¡¯t know if I do.¡± Ed shook his head, still chuckling. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s hard to be upset about the powers, but the way it consumes your life, takes you out of the world¡ªliterally, I mean, as well as figuratively¡ª¡±


    Ed shook his head. ¡°I guess I like more of what it helps me do, rather than what it means for me personally. What about you?¡±


    Alex looked away for a moment. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s everything I ever wanted. Ever since I was a little girl.¡± She grinned at him. ¡°Either that, or a firefighter.¡±


    He laughed again, this time with a hint of incredulity. ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but I don¡¯t know if you¡¯d have the build. You know, without the powers.¡±


    ¡°True enough.¡± She grinned. It seemed like she had him off of whatever suspicions he might have had. ¡°Still, I¡¯ve always wanted to save people in one way or another. As long as being a Surveyor helps me do that, then I can tolerate some of the hard stuff.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s what matters to me too, you know.¡± Ed grinned, scuffing the floor of the alley with one boot. ¡°Forget all the training and the schedule and all. As long as I can make a difference, that¡¯s what matters. After that, anything else you run across is just an incredible bonus.¡±


    The half-shy smile he gave her made her breath catch, just for a moment. It passed as he looked away. ¡°You really should stop getting in trouble, though. Wells isn¡¯t a bad guy, but he needs to see what you can do for the company. That¡¯ll be easier if you just go with the flow.¡±


    Then he raised an eyebrow. ¡°For example, maybe try actually going to the party instead of hiding out here?¡± He frowned. ¡°Where did you even go, anyway? You weren¡¯t trying to run laps or something, were you?¡±


    Before she could respond, the back door abruptly flew open, and Sam came running out, his dark eyes wide. ¡°Alex, did you get the¡ª¡± He pulled up short when he saw Ed, and his face went entirely blank. ¡°Oh, uh, hey Ed. Fancy meeting you here.¡±


    Ed¡¯s eyes went narrow. ¡°Yeah. Fancy that.¡± He looked from Sam to Alex and back. ¡°Were you looking for Alex?¡±


    Sam winced, and Alex blinked as he started to put on the least convincing act of his life. ¡°Well, yeah! I mean, no, not really, I just knew she was out here and¡­¡±


    ¡°You did? You told me she was in the bathroom.¡± Ed¡¯s voice had grown a little lower and more serious. ¡°Anything you want to confess?¡±


    The Adept darted a look back and forth between them. Then he sighed, and his shoulders slumped. ¡°Okay, okay. I asked her to go to the corner store and buy some, uh, drinks for us.¡±


    ¡°Drinks?¡± Ed blinked. He looked back and forth between them. ¡°What, like alcohol?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah.¡± Sam straightened up. ¡°We both joined kinda young, sure, but it¡¯s ridiculous! I can go fight monsters all day, but I can¡¯t enjoy a drink like the older Surveyors? Tell me that makes sense.¡±


    Ed snorted. He put a hand over his mouth as if to hide his laughter. ¡°The waitress wouldn¡¯t give it to you, huh?¡±


    Sam¡¯s expression grew clouded with frustration, and Alex hastily revised her opinion of the man¡¯s acting skill. ¡°She told me to wait a few years. Can you believe that?¡±


    Still chuckling, Ed looked from Sam to Alex. ¡°Well? Did your little adventure pan out?¡±


    Alex sighed and shook her head. She hoped she looked as resigned as she felt relieved. ¡°No. They had a sign up and everything, and the lady carded a guy just before me.¡±


    Sam muttered something under his breath and shook his head. ¡°Come on. This is ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°Not more ridiculous than a couple of Surveyors trying to score beer like they are still in high school.¡± Ed folded his arms over his chest. ¡°Look, I won¡¯t tell anyone about this, but you both need to shape up. The last thing I want is for Wells to have to rescue you from some stuck-up cop with a need to assert the city¡¯s authority over the company. It won¡¯t help get you on any Surveys, right?¡±


    Alex grumbled an agreement along with Sam, and Ed nodded. ¡°All right, get back in there¡ªand next time, just ask for one of the other Surveyors to order for you. You might actually get a bit farther than this hare-brained scheme.¡±


    She sighed theatrically and nodded. Sam followed suit, and then Ed led the way back into the restaurant. Alex paused long enough to give Sam a grateful look. He simply gave her a quick wink and then disappeared into the restaurant ahead of her.


    It had been far too close a call, but at least Sam had been there to cover for her. Now all she had to do was take a look at the drive and figure out what her next move would be.


    The party seemed to last forever, but it actually turned out to be somewhat fun once she had met with Zach. Seeing the others relaxing and chattering away helped to lessen her feelings of tension and isolation. Of course, Wells was still there, occasionally watching at her, which did not help her peace of mind, but the fact that he didn¡¯t seem to have caught on to her suspicions at all yet made her feel a little more secure about her plans.


    When they finally made it back to the barracks, it was late, but not nearly as bad as what she¡¯d expected. Waking up the following morning was going to be painful, but not devastating. She¡¯d be able to put in some more Skill training, and then start making her way through the files that Zach had given her. Maybe she¡¯d even find some clue that he¡¯d missed.


    It was all going to work out fine.


    As Alex had expected, waking up the next morning had been difficult. It took a bit of effort to drag herself out of bed and get ready for the training she had planned for the day, but she did it anyway. After all, the portal wouldn¡¯t wait, and she intended to continue her training.


    To her surprise, she didn¡¯t find Ed waiting for her. Instead, it was just Sam, who looked about as tired as she felt. The Adept was lounging on the wall, his head tilted back against the battlement of the perimeter wall. When she paused, wondering if she should just leave him rest, and blinked as his dark eyes opened.


    Sam smiled at her. ¡°There you are. Ready to go for a jog?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± She couldn¡¯t help frowning. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you made it here. You¡¯re not tired from last night?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I definitely am.¡± Sam¡¯s grin grew. ¡°Ed might have shown up too, but he probably thinks that you¡¯d be too tired to run today. He doesn¡¯t quite know you the way I do.¡±


    Alex snorted, and Sam got to his feet. A moment later they were loping off along the wall, at a pace that she would normally have called sedate. When they had made it about a third of the way through the first lap, she slowed long enough to speak quietly. ¡°Thanks for last night.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. After all, I know you wouldn¡¯t leave us in the dark about whatever you¡¯re investigating, right?¡± Sam gave her an expectant look, and Alex winced. He continued in an even voice. ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one who¡¯s noticed that things are off here, but it seems like you might be the only person who has a line on what¡¯s going on. I¡¯m betting that you were off getting a ¡®hunch¡¯ last night, right?¡±


    She nodded, fighting the urge to chuckle at the reference to the information she¡¯d received back when they were with Golden Swallow. Sam had always been good at figuring out that she had inside information about that situation; clearly, he was expecting something similar here.


    He nodded in obvious satisfaction. ¡°All right, then, spill. I doubt the company has the walls bugged, and this is probably our best chance until that Porter shows up, or something else goes completely off the rails again.¡± Then he smiled again. ¡°And maybe this time, we can keep it from getting too bad. I¡¯d¡­ rather not have to break another Anchor Point this time, you know?¡±


    ¡°You and me both, Sam.¡± She shook her head, hesitating for a moment. There was always a question about who she could trust, but Sam had always been there for her. If he had been about to betray her, he¡¯d already had plenty of chances. Besides, she¡¯d need help with figuring out exactly what Wells was doing.


    ¡°All right, it¡¯s like this¡­¡±


    They had finished the first lap and started in on the second before she had run out of explanations. Sam had been quiet for most of the run, only occasionally grunting in reaction. His handful of questions had mostly been requests for her to repeat something, or for her to explain the logic that had led to her conclusions.


    By the end, she was reasonably sure that she had explained everything to the Adept. He ran on in silence next to her for another stretch of the wall. Then he muttered something under his breath and shook his head. ¡°Well. I didn¡¯t expect to run into yet another crooked supervisor. Seriously, he¡¯s some kind of drug lord?¡±


    ¡°At the very least, he¡¯s helping supply the materials and maybe providing some of the muscle. Not sure if he does more than that.¡± She glanced down at the exercise yard as they ran past it, but she didn¡¯t see anyone below. ¡°We don¡¯t know how he¡¯s doing it, though, so keep your eyes open. Anything we can dig up would help.¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°It¡¯ll have to be airtight, if we want anyone in Regulation to come down on him for it. Something tells me he¡¯s going to have plenty of connections to help a cover up if we don¡¯t have real, solid proof.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Anything less than a sure case would get buried¡ªand she¡¯d probably be just as far underground a short while later. ¡°We¡¯ll need to be careful. If you want in on this, of course.¡±


    The Adept snorted. ¡°Oh please. I¡¯m almost insulted you¡¯d even ask.¡± Sam rolled his eyes and narrowly avoided rolling his ankle as he ran. ¡°We¡¯ll back you, Alex. The same way you backed us before.¡±


    Then he glanced at the yard and grunted. ¡°Just be sure. Like you said, we¡¯ll need to be careful. Can¡¯t risk anything else.¡±


    Alex nodded, and they both started to run a little harder. Her thoughts were already spinning through what she needed to look for over the next few weeks. There had to be some way to track the materials that were coming back out of the portal. She probably only had another three days before the next Survey; she¡¯d need to make sure she was on it, and that she could put some kind of plan into motion. It sounded like both an incredibly short time, and one that would last forever.

 B2Ch7: Setting Expectations

    Over the next three days, Alex threw herself into Skill training, sparring with whoever would face her. The other Surveyors reluctantly began to fight her again, either because she¡¯d put in some time at the party, or because they needed some sparring themselves. With agonizing slowness, her combat Skills increased again, and both Marathoning and Recovery grew more and more solid as she continued to train.


    She tried to keep an eye on Wells, to try to gauge his mood. Half of her expected either gloating triumph on his face, or disapproving suspicion. Instead, he seemed almost disinterested or distracted as he supervised the training sessions. He was still watching every contest with those sharp, discerning eyes, but it seemed like trying to encourage competition between the Surveyors was no longer the goal anymore. Had something changed?


    By the evening before the next Survey day arrived, Alex was relieved that she¡¯d managed to push her combat Skills to their maximum level once more. Her sparring had been flawless, and the other Red Blade Surveyors were even starting to extend their grudging respect. Surely Wells couldn¡¯t justify holding her back again this time, right?


    Yet to her surprise, as the final sparring sessions came to an end, Wells stepped forward. He motioned for the Surveyors to gather around him. They all formed into four lines, with most of them falling into the attentive stance that they had held that first day when she¡¯d arrived.


    Wells spent a moment making sure that they were all in formation and paying attention. His eyes swept past her, pausing for just a second as he narrowed his gaze before he continued on. Then he nodded. ¡°Troops, I am glad to tell you I have been proud of your progress these past few days. Your hard work and superlative effort have taken you miles beyond where you once were. None of you are perfect, but you are far closer to it than you ever could have been without the blood, sweat, and tears that you have shed for this company over the past few weeks.¡±


    Then Wells paused, and Alex felt a stab of concern. She kept her face neutral, but her heart started to beat a little faster. Something was off.


    ¡°Those of you who have been with the company long enough know that the responsibilities of the Surveyors we hire are often difficult. They require sacrifice, vigilance, and unwavering commitment. That is what it means to be a real Surveyor. To be a member of Red Blade Securities.¡±


    Wells looked around at them, disappointment briefly showing on his face. ¡°We have strived to live up to those expectations of excellence, and to encourage you all to do what needs to be done. Unfortunately, these past few weeks, we¡¯ve fallen short of the expected metrics our company needs.¡±


    He let a silence fall, and Alex fought to keep the incredulousness off her face. If they were that far behind, why wasn¡¯t he sending more Surveyors in with each Survey? Besides, it wasn¡¯t like the magical energy of the portal was increasing that much. Or had something changed inside?


    ¡°These metrics are no laughing matter. Without the materials brought back through the portal, Red Blade Securities cannot provide the facilities that you enjoy, or the amenities which we have taken advantage of. Your salaries and mine come from the sales of those materials¡ªand these past few weeks, we¡¯ve fallen short of the goal. Our department will be at risk of a total shutdown.¡±


    A Surveyor to Alex¡¯s right gasped softly, and Alex looked around in surprise. She could see horror on most of their faces, but Sam just looked confused. He had helped her go through the data Zach had given her, helping her to figure out the numbers involved. There was no shortage of material, not if those numbers were correct. So how¡ª


    ¡°As a result, we are currently facing a crunch time. All Surveyors will be sent through the portal tomorrow, starting as early as possible.¡± Wells paused, his expression deadly serious. ¡°They will then be expected to complete their main Quests and return¡ªand then they will be sent through again. Each team will be expected to complete at least three Surveys a day for the next four days. There will be no leave given or time off granted during this time.¡±


    He paused again as a wave of dismay flew through the Surveyors, and Alex felt a sudden chill. Sending Surveyors on multiple missions in a single twenty-four hour period was considered¡­ unwise. It wasn¡¯t quite the same level of risk as a single, long Raid, but it was also one of the most ineffective methods of controlling a portal.


    Her mother had said as much multiple times when complaining about paper-pushers and bureaucrats attempting to institute ¡®efficiency¡¯ measures. Alex had never understood it very well, at least until Zach had explained it to her. He¡¯d been able to brush past most of the more technical terms and put it in words that she could understand.


    He¡¯d described a Surveyor as a cup with a tiny hole in the bottom¡ªsomething she¡¯d only taken mild offense to. The cup could only hold so much water, and it would only drain so quickly. If a Surveyor was sent in while they were still full of magical energy, before they¡¯d had time to process what they¡¯d taken from the portal, it was like trying to pour more water into a still-full cup. No real change would happen in the portal¡¯s energy, aside from stirring things up and making the readings a bit harder to understand. It could even create additional Grue on the other side, from all the magic turbulence.


    It had made a lot of sense saying it that way¡ªwhich only made the way Wells was talking that much more confusing. He had to know that sending them in wouldn¡¯t help lower the portal¡¯s energy, and the materials they brought back would be outweighed by the risks the Surveyors were taking. How many of them were going to get injured wearing themselves down over the next four days? It was almost as if¡­


    Her thoughts trailed off for a moment as she realized what was really going on. If Wells needed extra materials to cover up his outside deals, sending the Surveyors on multiple missions would mean the portals wouldn¡¯t show large drops of magical energy. The company PAD wouldn¡¯t detect much of a fluctuation, not with the Surveyors constantly going in and out, and what they did detect could be dismissed as normal magic turbulence.


    If he wasn¡¯t recording the extra Surveys, then only a fraction of the actual materials coming out of the portal would get recorded. From there, he could divert the extra to his own projects, and claim that any injuries were due to unprepared Surveyors being given a shot. He could then justify keeping the number of Surveyors on the regular Surveys low.


    It was a twisted kind of brilliance, and Alex¡¯s eyes narrowed. Wells had continued talking, expressing regret about the grim necessity of their work over the next few days. He spoke about the terrible burden of being a Surveyor, and how much the company appreciated their willingness to work hard. Anyone who wanted to resign would be given the chance to join the support staff permanently¡ªat a significantly reduced rate of pay and extended amount of service. His voice dripped with both pride and a curious kind of contempt as he thanked them for what they would do.


    Alex stared at him and pictured her axe. Her fingers twitched until she caught Clara shaking her head in her direction. She forced herself to go still.


    The next few days would be dangerous, but she¡¯d get through them¡ªand once she had enough proof, she¡¯d feed every cold justification Wells was saying back to him with the edge of her axe.


    The next day dawned early, and Alex found herself back with Ed on the same team of Surveyors.


    Laura looked back and forth between them. The Vanguard looked stressed, with clear worry on her face. ¡°All right. We¡¯re going into the portal today, just like any other day. This time, though, we¡¯re going to be in and out of that vortex all day.¡± She looked at Alex directly. ¡°That means we aren¡¯t going to be able to stay for any longer than we have to. We¡¯ll do things exactly the way the book says, understand?¡±


    Alex simply nodded, her eyes on the portal. Audrey and Joanna were already disappearing through it with their team. Sam and Alessa were just behind her, ready to go through as well. The entire city in the other world was going to be a warzone.


    The Vanguard stepped a little closer, her eyes intent. ¡°I mean it, Alex. This is your first crunch, and I don¡¯t want you to underestimate it. You can get killed out there.¡±


    She met the woman¡¯s eyes. ¡°I heard you, Vanguard. Are you ready?¡±


    Laura¡¯s face flushed with sudden anger. She stepped a little closer, her voice serious and low. ¡°Listen, if you aren¡¯t going to follow orders, you can either stay on this side of the portal, or you can try to finish your Quests all on your own. You think you could last in there? You can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be the first time, Vanguard.¡± Alex held her eyes, and saw a flicker of surprise in them. She smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m playing it your way today. For as long as you like.¡±


    Laura seemed uncertain now, and she stepped back. The D ranker looked towards Wells, but the man was motioning her forward impatiently. It was all hands on deck, after all, and the man probably didn¡¯t have any patience for a delay in his schedule.


    Alex was still getting frowns from the team leader as she followed her to the vortex. She ignored them, though, and stepped through the wall of light¡­


    [E Rank Surveyor Alex, Gatekeeper]


    [Ascension Level: 4]


    [Role: Page (Role Skills: None]


    [Role Level: 4]


    [Experience: 400/1500]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 4, Speed -> 8, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Battle Maneuvers(20), Marathoning(13), Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield(20), Recovery(16)]


    [Permanent Skills: None]


    [Current Titles: Peer of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by two.),


    Brutality (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by three.),


    Innate Fighter (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by two),


    Dogged (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, and Marathoning by two.)


    Endurance (Increases Skill grade of Recovery Skills by one.)]


    Alex studied the information with a grim kind of determination. Clearly, she was ready for the coming fight, but the question was going to be how she would improve over the next few days.


    Clearly, she wasn¡¯t going to just stay stuck at the level she was currently at. She¡¯d gain plenty of experience, but only to a certain point. Other than that, she¡¯d been worn down with every Survey until the point that even she was going to leave herself open.


    At the same time, taking a risk by resetting or Chaining a Skill would leave her even more open to problems. There would be no Skill training between Surveys this time, and if she allowed herself to get too slow, either her supposed teammates were going to leave her in the dust, or some Grue was going to get lucky and eviscerate her. Neither option seemed like a good idea.


    She shook her head. First, she really needed to see what kind of nonsense she was going to face on the other side.


    [Please select your intent]


    [Exploration]


    [Vengeance]


    [Patrol]


    [War]


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    [Salvage]


    Salvage might have made sense, but they¡¯d all been instructed to keep to the Quests they were used to. Wells wasn¡¯t interested in specialized objects, after all. He wanted them to grind out a wave of basic materials as quickly as possible, and that meant only one option.


    [Your intent is to Patrol]


    [Quest Issued! Destroy eight Grue Knights.]


    [Quest Issued! Clear at least eight Grue patrols.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    With a heavy sigh, Alex dismissed those words, and let the light take her¡­


    She stepped out into a world already at war.


    The other members of her team were tense, their eyes searching the lobby for threats, but the immediate area around the portal was clear. Alex could hear the sounds of fighting coming from a street close nearby. A part of her wanted to run to the aid of whoever was fighting, but she shoved that part of herself down and simply waited for Laura to lead them out.


    For a moment, the Vanguard seemed to be waiting for Alex to step out ahead of her. Then Laura simply shrugged and started jogging. The others all piled in behind her, with Alex once again at the back. Ed simply gave her a nod, as if he was happy to see her learning the Red Blade method for things.


    They went out into the street and turned north. They ran up to the next intersection and turned west immediately, running along between skyscrapers towards the area they had been assigned to hunt in. It was actually much further away this time; with so many teams in the area, Wells had asked the higher level teams to run further out and give the less experienced teams the sections closer to home. It was a decision that Alex actually agreed with, though it might not have been necessary if he hadn¡¯t been creating the situation in the first place.


    The first patrol appeared a few minutes into the Survey. Alex¡¯s team was just passing by what looked like a massive courthouse of some kind, complete with massive marble pillars and a carved fresco that had been utterly defaced and covered in graffiti, when a howling mob of Grue tore their way out and down the steps towards them. Once again, a Brute was leading them, and the others followed it as they rushed into battle.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy six Grue Archers]


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy one Grue Brute]


    Laura once again faced off against the massive Grue, while the others spread out to either side. Each of them was clearly jockeying for position, to be able to face the Grue in a way that would allow them to use their abilities.


    Alex sprinted past all of them, using her superior speed and reflexes to cut out in front of even Laura. The Vanguard yelled at her, but Alex ignored the woman as she took the stairs two at a time and threw herself straight into the mass of Grue closest to her. Arrows sped past her as the Archers took their shots, but none of them even got close before Alex charged, already hacking away at the enemies in front of her.


    Two Soldiers came at her from the side, and she shattered their spears with a swipe of her shield. Another pair charged her directly, and their howls cut short when she pivoted and cut their heads from their shoulders. They collapsed, allowing her to shield-check another two so hard that they went flying into the Grue behind them, dropping the entire mess into a tangle.


    The next enemy to confront her was a Knight, already aiming to shield-check her in return. With her Skills at maximum and her Titles pushing her abilities far beyond they had ever been before, the Grue almost seemed to be moving in slow motion. Alex clashed with it, shield to shield, and then sidestepped a swing of its sword. A shove put the creature off balance, just long enough for her to dart in and smash her axe into its torso. It lasted until her third hacking cut before it fell, the massive sword tumbling from its hands.


    A second Knight rushed at her, but she dodged its wild swing. Her counterattack severed its hand at the wrist, and while it stared at the stump in dumbfounded bafflement, Alex ran forward and jumped. She brought her axe around in a vicious arc at head height and tore the thing¡¯s throat out.


    As it fell, Alex sprinted forward, smashing aside an opportunistic Grue Soldier that tried to stop her. The others were shouting at her, but she ignored them again and sprinted up the stairs. Some of the Archers took their shots at her, but they were laughably predictable and slow. Most missed completely, and those with better aim only bounced their arrows off of her shield.


    Then she was on them, and her axe took three of them before they could even think to scatter. By then it was too late; one of them died with its back turned, another she cut apart as it started to flee, and the last she actually bashed to death with her shield when it turned to risk a shot at her.


    With the last Archer down, Alex turned and sprinted back into the pack of Grue. Most of them were already down, but she tore through the ones she could reach, anyway. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t bring down another Knight, but she got close enough that Mary actually growled at her when the thing toppled, the Squire¡¯s axe in its face.


    Alex simply shrugged and stepped back as the bodies began to burn.


    [Main Quest Progress: 2 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Main Quest Progress: 1 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Completed!]


    It felt almost cathartic as she considered those words. She¡¯d only been passed over once for the Survey teams, and it had already felt like a lifetime. Alex was glad to be back, even if the mission was going to be hard.


    Ed stepped up beside her, his expression mildly worried. ¡°Hey. Are you okay? You kind of went a bit hard there.¡±


    She gave him a raised eyebrow. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what we do here? I¡¯d have thought you would have liked to have it all over with so quickly.¡±


    He blinked, a little taken aback by the question. As he hesitated, Bob kicked at a burning Knight. ¡°I think he just means you could have held back and made sure the flank was covered. You know, so I could avoid getting skewered?¡±


    Alex gave the other Surveyor a cold look. ¡°That sounds a little like teamwork, Bob. Not something Red Blade wants to happen. Right, Vanguard?¡±


    She looked at Laura, who recoiled slightly. Then the team leader scowled at her. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re right.¡±


    Alex nodded, and then bent to start recovering materials. One patrol down, seven left to go.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the others to recognize the new pattern to things.


    The instant a patrol came into view, Alex would tear off at a dead sprint into them, her Marathoning Skill and Speed Attribute easily giving her the ability to reach the enemy first. Each time, she very nearly obliterated a flank of the enemy line before running back and destroying the Archers hiding behind. She was careful to make sure she took at least two of the Knights with each attack, leaving the others to split the remaining four between them.


    At first, Mary had just rolled her eyes at it, and Bob made a few grousing comments. Laura, aside from a few passive-aggressive words, had just buckled down and focused on her duels with the Brutes. Only Ed had really been concerned about what was happening; he had grown more and more serious with each fight, taking on a focus that made Alex a little sorry about what she was doing.


    Of course, she didn¡¯t feel sorry enough to stop. By the time the fifth patrol had gone down, she¡¯d already finished one of the Main Quests and started on the additional Hidden one. The others were all still struggling their way towards finishing their main objective, and not a single one of them had managed to kill an Archer yet.


    It was as they were looking for the sixth patrol that Laura came over to talk to her, her voice kept low. ¡°Okay, we get it, Alex. You¡¯ve made your point.¡±


    Alex simply looked at her. ¡°What point? I¡¯m just doing what you asked me to do.¡±


    The Vanguard let a flash of frustration cross her features. ¡°If you keep taking all the Archers, then none of the other E rankers are going to finish that Hidden Quest. If you keep killing so many Knights, the others might not finish that Hidden Quest either.¡±


    She simply looked at Laura, her expression cold. ¡°And?¡± Laura blinked. ¡°If they want to get the additional Quests, they just need to prove that they are better than I am at getting to those Archers. Besides, that¡¯s not what we¡¯re focusing on today, right? We¡¯re just here to harvest materials, and this is the best way to do it.¡±


    Laura ground her teeth together for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re going to wear yourself out, doing it this way. Then you¡¯re going to fall behind and hold everyone up. Then where will you be?¡±


    ¡°Right here, Vanguard.¡± Alex heard a howl start up down the street, and she let a grin twist her lips. ¡°We don¡¯t want to keep them waiting, right?¡±


    Despite her confidence, Alex could already feel fatigue dragging at her as they finished the last patrol. She¡¯d gotten the Archers again, just as she had the other seven patrols. Frustration was apparent on most of the rest of the team¡¯s faces; Ed simply looked a little sober, as if he¡¯d run into an unexpected obstacle. Alex hadn¡¯t been keeping count, but the Porter had been the closest to getting the Hidden Quest for the additional Knight kills. He still hadn¡¯t gotten it, though, while Alex had finished it a patrol before.


    Nobody spoke as they jogged back to the portal. She could see the others peeking around, looking for additional patrols that they might be able to snag, but she doubted they¡¯d find any. After all, there were still battles going on all over the city, and the Grue¡¯s attention was anything but undivided. Even better, most of the battles had happened so quickly that they hadn¡¯t actually been inside the other world all that long. It was going to be an hour or so before additional reinforcements started to pour in from the Camps.


    True to her expectations, they didn¡¯t run across any more threats before they had reached the portal. She saw another team of Surveyors heading into the vortex at the same time; most of them took one look at the sour expressions on her team¡¯s faces and winced. Laura had them all wait for the other team to clear the portal, and then she led them back in. Light washed over Alex once more¡­


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quests Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Adversary Quest Not Completed]


    [Hidden Quest Undiscovered.]


    The words held a hollow kind of victory for Alex. She didn¡¯t particularly like what she¡¯d just done to her team, but perhaps it would get the message across. Better that they be mad now than for them to try to hamstring her later. Maybe over the next few Surveys they would see how much easier things could be if they all worked together.


    [Marathoning increased from 13 to 15!]


    [Recovery increased from 16 to 18!]


    Both of those Skills were going to be crucial going forward. Every bit of Recovery was going to be needed as she continued to push herself, and Marathoning was going to be the key to reaching her targets before anyone else on the team. It wasn¡¯t a competition she¡¯d wanted, but it was the one she had in front of her.


    [Battle Maneuvers has reached level 20! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Battle Maneuvers to gain a Title?]


    Now she paused. The fact was that she needed to continue improving, even while things were risky, but if she reset things, she¡¯d be at a severe liability for the coming Surveys. The safe route would be to keep her combat Skills at maximum and not reset them until the end of the crunch.


    Then again, when had she ever gained anything by only following the safe route? Taking risks had helped her to be ready for the betrayal by the griefers who tried to kill her. While she didn¡¯t think the other Surveyors she was with now were at that point, they would definitely be willing to deny her the kills she needed to advance. If she wanted to stay on top, she¡¯d need to take a chance on things.


    Alex pondered it over the course of a minute or two¡ªnot that she was sure how time applied in this strange place of light and void¡ªbefore she finally came to a decision. She¡¯d keep the Combined Arms Skill at maximum, giving her at least a steady baseline of her abilities that she could rely on, and reset Battle Maneuvers. The higher grade Skill was the one she wanted to keep going forward, after all, and it would give her the most useful Titles.


    She accepted the reset and felt her stomach drop a little as her best combat Skill dropped to nothing. The resulting notification seemed a little unfulfilling afterward.


    [Title Innate Fighter upgraded to Title Inborn Warrior (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by three)]


    She grimaced slightly. It would have been better if her other high-level Title had increased, since that would have boosted Combined Arms as well, but beggars couldn¡¯t be choosers. Alex waved away the options for resetting Combined Arms, and almost laughed at the next option the Screen presented to her.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield and Marathoning?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels]


    If there could have been any more disastrous option, she didn¡¯t know what it would be. Combining those two Skills would leave her slow, vulnerable, and unable to easily regain those levels. Even the resulting high-grade Skill wouldn¡¯t have been anywhere near worth it. She dismissed the option, and was still shaking her head when the light took her again¡­


    Alex emerged into the portal area, her team already walking across the concrete away from her. Laura was already stalking across the floor to where Wells waited, obviously ready to give him an earful about what Alex had been up to.


    She snorted and turned away, only to jump slightly. Ed was standing nearby, closer than she¡¯d expected, with his arms folded.


    He watched her carefully, and she sighed. ¡°Are you going to try and lecture me, too?¡±


    Ed shook his head, his eyes intent on her. ¡°No. I think you¡¯re right. They shouldn¡¯t have come down on you so hard for teamwork if they expected you to hold back. Especially if they needed you to hold back for them to level.¡±


    Taken aback slightly, Alex frowned. He had lost out on the Hidden Quests just like the others. Why wasn¡¯t he just as upset? ¡°I wasn¡¯t holding back before. I was working with them. There¡¯s a difference.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Ed nodded slowly, his eyes intent. ¡°There¡¯s also a difference between making a point and getting yourself killed out there. You can still show them what you mean without absolutely burying them with it. You can definitely do it without running yourself ragged on just the first mission of the day. Even you get tired, Alex. Eventually.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a bad bit of advice. Of course, part of Alex wanted to keep hammering it home for the rest of the entire week, but given the fact that she¡¯d just made herself quite a bit more vulnerable¡­


    She pretended as if she was thinking things over. Then she gave a reluctant sigh, and let her shoulders drop. ¡°Okay. I hear you. I¡¯ll try to go a bit easier during the next Survey.¡±


    Ed patted her on the shoulder, letting his hand land and stay there for a small moment. ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯m asking.¡± He gave her a little shake that made her roll her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m still not going to go easy. On any of you.¡±


    He smirked. ¡°Alex, I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.¡±


    Alex followed her team into the nearby ready room, where the Surveyors who were already back had been given roughly an hour to relax and recover. Many of them were already looking vaguely tired and worn; she couldn¡¯t imagine how they would feel after they had to go through another two times.


    Still, it was a relief to see the rest of her friends there. Some of them were still out and about, but Joanna and Audrey were in one spot, talking to Tim and Brian. They waved at her, and she waved back before going to wolf down rations and water. She even tucked herself into a corner for a brief nap.


    An all-too-short while later, for the first time in her months as a Surveyor, she got back up, tried to stretch out her aching limbs, and followed her team back to the portal. She tried not to notice Wells watching her as she approached the vortex for the second time. The avarice in his eyes was clear to see, and her fists clenched around her axe and shield for a heartbeat.


    Then she was stepping into the light again, as the portal spun and crackled¡­

 B2Ch8: Closing Time

    The other world seemed even more full of combat than when she had first arrived.


    Her mother had often said that a second Survey on the same day tended to attract even larger numbers of Grue. It made her think of Forsmith, of the look in his eyes as he¡¯d jumped back into the portal for the second time that day. He had to have known it was a suicidal attempt to keep the portal under control; he¡¯d already been inside it that day, thanks to her.


    Now she was facing the same threat, from a far more personal point of view. She shivered slightly, feeling magic twisting in the air. It almost made her feel a little sick, as if she was trying to force-feed herself a gallon of hot dogs.


    The others didn¡¯t seem to be any happier, but Laura shook her discomfort off immediately. ¡°All right, let¡¯s go. We have the same mission as before.¡± She gave Alex a quick glare. ¡°Maybe this time we can work a bit better.¡±


    Alex shrugged, and the Vanguard turned away with a grunt of frustration. Then they were off, jogging through the streets towards their assigned area. This time, they were heading east, towards a neighborhood dominated by rowhouses and corner stores. All around them, they could hear the other teams fighting, and Alex tried to steel herself for the encounters to come. No matter what, she had to survive. She would survive, and Wells would pay for what he was doing.


    [Battle Maneuvers advances to 9!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 2 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Main Quest Progress: 1 of 8 targets destroyed]


    Alex shook her head as the bodies started to burn. She¡¯d felt so slow on that attack. Marathoning had taken her into the bulk of the Grue just as quickly, but her attacks hadn¡¯t been nearly as effective. The Knights had stalled her for far too long; she almost hadn¡¯t taken down the second one before Bob had gotten it, and Ed had broken through the line of Grue and torn the Archers apart before she¡¯d even had the chance.


    The Porter gave her a respectful nod, however, and Alex composed herself long enough to nod back. It was easier to let him think that she¡¯d done it on purpose rather than explain that she was still taking risks by resetting her Skills in the middle of the crunch. Seeing the smug expressions on Mary and Bob¡¯s faces, however, made things difficult.


    She grimaced and started to gather up the scattered crystals and slabs, trying to ignore the ache still spreading through her limbs. One patrol down, seven to go.


    [Battle Maneuvers advances to 15!]


    [Recovery advances to 19!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 6 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Main Quest Progress: 3 of 8 targets destroyed]


    Exhaustion dragged at Alex now, and she nearly sat down on the curb. The bodies of the Grue were scattered around them all, burning in the street where they¡¯d killed them. Mary had gotten the Archers this time, and Bob had grabbed the ones from the time before. They weren¡¯t quite as smug now; neither of them probably had a Recovery Skill, and even Laura was starting to look a little worn. Ed seemed frustratingly untouched by fatigue, even as he gathered the materials they needed to harvest from their kills.


    Alex spent a few moments panting before she sighed and shook her head. Then she levered herself up and got to work, picking through the burning wreckage of their enemies. If the Grue stayed true to form, they wouldn¡¯t have long before the next Grue patrol happened across them. Hopefully, they wouldn¡¯t look quite as rough before that happened.


    She paused as Ed moved over next to her. He didn¡¯t look directly at her, but he did speak in a low voice that the others would have been hard pressed to hear. ¡°Thanks for holding back, Alex. Feel free to cut loose again. They might actually appreciate it now.¡±


    Tired as she was, Alex still managed not to snap at him. She just nodded, and they continued to collect things until the street was clear. Laura looked blearily around the street for a moment, and then motioned for them to move. The Grue were waiting.


    The Archer tried to backpedal, but Alex caught it with a swing of her axe. It went flying, its loose limbs flapping through the air as it cartwheeled across the parking garage. Two arrows snapped in at her from the side, and Alex ducked behind her shield for a moment to let them bounce away. Another Archer rushed in, knives ready, and she shield-checked it into a nearby car. She heard it smash into the abandoned vehicle with a brutal crunch and concluded that it was already dead. Instead of making entirely sure, she charged into the remaining two Archers, catching them with strokes of her axe before they had the chance to drop their bows and ready their weapons.


    By the time she brought them down, the others had mostly finished with the rest of the Grue. They were moving slower, aside from Ed, and it seemed like it had taken them all far more time to finish things. Given that they were only halfway through the Survey, and had another Survey waiting for them after this one, Alex began to wonder how well they were going to hold up. For that matter, how well was she going to hold up?


    [Battle Maneuvers advances to 18!]


    [Main Quest Completed!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 4 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Completed!]


    She sighed in satisfaction. At the very least her Skill was nearly back to maximum, and she should be able to complete the rest of her usual Quests. Given how tired the others looked, she didn¡¯t think any of them would complain about it.


    Of course, time would tell how the next Survey would go.


    By the time Alex made it back to the portal, her team was not looking nearly as steady.


    The remainder of the patrols had gone fairly well, especially once Battle Maneuvers had reached maximum once again. Recovery had reached maximum soon after that as well, leaving her to focus on the business of just decimating the Grue. As Ed had predicted, none of the others had complained at all when she tore through the Archers each time, not that they really needed to kill the things for their Quests now.


    All the same, exhaustion was beginning to tell on all of them. Alex¡¯s limbs ached from holding her weapons and running. The weight of her armor and helmet were starting to drag at her movements, making her less capable of dodging and unable to run as fast. If the others were even half as tired as she was, they were going to have a hard time making it through the third Survey.


    There wasn¡¯t very much choice, though. She shook her head as they stepped back through the portal, and light once again filled her¡­


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quests Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Adversary Quest Not Completed]


    [Hidden Quest Undiscovered.]


    Still exhausted, Alex managed to grin at the report. If she kept up this rate of experience gain, she¡¯d be hitting the next level much sooner than she¡¯d expected.


    [Battle Maneuvers increased from 0 to 20!]


    [Marathoning increased from 15 to 17!]


    [Recovery increased from 18 to 20!]


    Maxing out Battle Maneuvers again was a particularly good thing. It would make the next Survey that much easier. The fact that she¡¯d been able to do it with a single Survey only proved how much more effective actual combat was compared to sparring, but how hard it had been to do it made her reluctant to do it again.


    [Battle Maneuvers has reached level 20! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Battle Maneuvers to gain a Title?]


    It was still a little tempting, but she refused the option. Refusing the same offer for Combined Arms was also just as easy; her fatigue was already going to make fighting hard enough.


    Then she paused on the next offer that appeared.


    [Recovery has reached level 20! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Recovery to gain a Title?]


    Once again, it wasn¡¯t a choice without risk. If she didn¡¯t have Recovery leveled up, it was going to be that much more difficult to avoid exhaustion. After a certain point, it might not matter how much combat Skill she had if she couldn¡¯t lift her axe.


    At the same time, levelling Recovery was going to be much easier when she was tired. Her fatigue would make the Skill activate more often, and increase that much faster. Getting her Skill to a higher grade would only help her as the crunch continued, and it would serve her well in the long term as well.


    Reluctantly, she accepted the option and grimaced as the reward appeared.


    [Title Endurance upgraded to Title Tenacious (Increases Skill grade of Recovery by two.)]


    Shaking her head over her own choices¡ªshe was already feeling the drag on her body now that Recovery was at zero¡ªAlex dismissed the option to Chain Combined Arms and Marathoning again. She¡¯d had enough bad decisions already today.


    She stepped out of the light¡­


    Once again, she was in the portal room. Other Surveyors were slumped against the walls, apparently too tired to make it back to the ready room. Alex gave them all a dull stare, feeling her body ache and shiver with fatigue. Laura was walking over to Wells at a much more sedate pace; Mary and Bob were staggering into the ready room without looking back.


    Ed simply glanced at her with a look of concern on his face. ¡°You okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯m not a Porter, but I can keep up. You¡¯ll see.¡±


    Still frowning, he nodded. She could feel his eyes on her as she started for the ready room. He wasn¡¯t the only one watching, though. Wells was looking at her out of the corner of his eye; she could sense his attention until she stepped out of the room. It was a relief to pause for a moment and let herself relax a little.


    Then she went to try to find the others. If she was hurting, then the rest were going to be even worse off.


    ¡°We¡¯re already starting to get some resignations. Only a couple so far, but they won¡¯t be the last ones.¡± Brian shook his head. He looked like a car had dragged him down a rough stretch of road. ¡°This is insane. Why are we doing this?¡±


    Alex exchanged a look with Sam. The Adept was looking surprisingly refreshed, but he¡¯d also seen better days. ¡°He probably has his reasons.¡±


    Something about the way she¡¯d said the words had Brian suddenly looking at her with narrowed eyes. She sighed as she realized that she¡¯d be having another conversation about Wells soon, unless she persuaded Sam to take care of it. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t appreciate the help, but the more people that knew, the riskier it was all going to be. If even one person let it slip that Alex was onto Wells¡¯ operation¡­


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Audrey lifted her head from the table where she¡¯d been resting it. ¡°At least we are gaining plenty of experience. Maybe we¡¯ll even reach D rank by the end of this.¡±


    ¡°If we aren¡¯t dead or crippled first.¡± Alessa seemed like she was a fount of simmering rage, something Alex was more used to seeing in Joanna. The Porter was a lot less exhausted compared to most of the others, but there was a glint of anger that burned in her eyes. ¡°At least one of my teammates took an arrow today. We had a healing potion, but a bit better shot¡­¡±


    Alex shook her head. ¡°We¡¯ve got one more to do today. Just stay strong, and be careful. Don¡¯t take stupid risks, and then we¡¯ll get a night¡¯s rest between us and the next Survey.¡±


    ¡°Easy for you to say. You¡¯re practically invincible.¡± Joanna sighed. She¡¯d never seen the Adept so discouraged. ¡°The rest of us are just struggling to survive here.¡±


    She wanted to argue the point, but looking around at the half-shattered Surveyors, many of whom were nearly collapsing from exhaustion, and couldn¡¯t quite find the words. So instead, she simply shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re all going to get through this. I promise I¡¯m not going to let any of you get killed out there.¡±


    They nodded, and looked a little reassured, but as Alex felt the aches working their way through her body, she wondered if she¡¯d finally pushed things just a little too far.


    [E Rank Surveyor Alex, Gatekeeper]


    [Ascension Level: 4]


    [Role: Page (Role Skills: None]


    [Role Level: 4]


    [Experience: 760/1500]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 4, Speed -> 8, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Battle Maneuvers(20), Marathoning(17), Combined Arms ¨C Axe/Shield(20), Recovery(0)]


    [Permanent Skills: None]


    [Current Titles: Peer of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by two.),


    Brutality (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by three.),


    Inborn Warrior (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by three),


    Dogged (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, and Marathoning by two.)


    Tenacious (Increases Skill grade of Recovery Skills by two.)]


    Alex stared at her Screen for a long moment. Regret for the state of her Recovery Skill ran through her, but she forced herself to dismiss it and move forward.


    [Please select your intent]


    [Exploration]


    [Vengeance]


    [Patrol]


    [War]


    [Salvage]


    At least there would be some comfort in familiarity.


    [Your intent is to Patrol]


    [Quest Issued! Destroy eight Grue Knights.]


    [Quest Issued! Clear at least eight Grue patrols.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    One more Survey, and she could sleep. That promise alone gave her energy, even as she stepped forward for yet one more time into another world¡­


    The portal was raging behind her. She glanced backward and her eyes widened as she saw lightning crawl over the face of it. Were the repeated Surveys making it unstable? The question nearly made her step back through it immediately, Wells or no Wells. She¡¯d already seen what being caught in the other world for an extended amount of time would cost her; being forced to stay there somehow seemed like a nightmare she had no intention of allowing to happen.


    Her teammates seemed just as uncertain, except for Laura. She just looked at the portal and grimaced. ¡°All right. Come on. Eight more.¡±


    They exchanged weary looks and then started out into the city. There was no real choice but to follow.


    Something was wrong.


    The feeling had been growing as Alex followed the others deeper into the city. She hadn¡¯t noticed it on the previous Surveys; maybe she had been too driven and focused to pick up on it. Now that she was tired, however, her mind wandered, and she was starting to sense something was watching her again.


    It wasn¡¯t a Grue. At least, she thought it wasn¡¯t. After all, Grue didn¡¯t just watch. Even if she¡¯d attracted a Killer¡¯s attention, the thing would have taken a shot at her long before now. Yet every time she turned to try to catch sight of it, there was never anything there. The closest it came was a hint of movement in a window, or a half-seen shadow on a wall. Every time, it vanished before she could do more than glance at it, and by the time she looked again, it was always nothing.


    Alex shook her head, trying to clear it. She needed to focus. Her team was already in rough shape; exhaustion was making Bob trip over cracks in the pavement, and Mary was swaying a little as she walked. They needed her to be on top of the situation¡ªfor both their sake and hers.


    When they stumbled across the first Grue patrol, it was almost a relief. Alex started for them immediately, her tired legs limiting her to a half-hearted sprint in their direction. The others came after her, their breath harsh in the dry air.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy six Grue Archers]


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy one Grue Brute]


    Fatigue might have weakened her a little, but the impact of her Skills more than made up the difference. At the last minute, Alex sidestepped a cluster of spearpoints, and then stepped in to scythe down the Soldiers with a single, brutal swing. A Knight stepped over to slash at her, and she pivoted to let the weapon glance past her. Her shield brushed the Knight¡¯s shield aside, and then she punched it forward, smashing the giant Grue in its chest. It backed up, only for her to follow, her axe already chopping it apart.


    A second Knight leaped at her, and Alex ducked low to let its weapon bounce off her shield. The impact jarred her arm, but she ignored it and swept her axe around and beneath its shield. It tried to react, but it wasn¡¯t fast enough, and she cut its ankles out from under it. For a moment, it howled in rage as it went down, but Alex was on it, and her axe silenced it.


    For a heartbeat, she desperately wanted to pause there, while the aches and soreness spread through her body. Yet a glance told her that more Soldiers were coming; beyond them, the Archers were trying to line up shots on her teammates. Growling, she smashed aside one Soldier, ended another with a cut to the head, and started another charge.


    The Archers didn¡¯t even see her coming until she was on them. A handful of axe strikes later, they were down. She turned, expecting her companions to be finished with the rest.


    To her shock, they were still struggling with the remaining Grue. Most of the Soldiers were down, but the Knights and the Brute were still fighting hard. Alex paused in shock, and then forced her weary legs to move. The Grue howled as she hit them from behind, but as the remaining Soldiers tried to fend her off, her relieved companions took down the monsters they were fighting.


    In the end, the bodies burned, and yellow text once again sprang up in the corner of her eyesight.


    [Recovery advances to 2!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 2 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Main Quest Progress: 1 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Completed!]


    They all panted and tried to recover; even Ed looked winded. Laura seemed a bit unsteady on her feet, but she still pushed herself to her feet. She gave Alex a tired grin. ¡°That¡¯s one.¡±


    Alex nodded carefully. Were they going to make it through another seven patrols? She started forward to pick up some of the crystals and paused. There had been a shadow¡­


    She shook her head. One thing at a time. That¡¯s all she could deal with right now. Once she was through the crunch, she could worry about whatever else was out there.


    By the time the fourth patrol fell, Alex was getting worried.


    Ed was still staying consistent, but he hadn¡¯t been able to get past the Knights once so far. Bob and Mary were both barely able to hold up their end of the fight, and Laura was less and less able to deal with the Brute while the Soldiers harried her. None of them had taken the chance to hit the Archers, and it wasn¡¯t looking like they were going to.


    Of course, her own performance wasn¡¯t exactly stellar either. One of the Soldiers had actually managed to stab her with a spear during the last fight. Its spearpoint had bounced off an armored plate sewn into her brigandine, but it had still set her on her back foot until she could cut it to pieces. An Archer had bounced an arrow off her helmet too. They were small mistakes, but added with the continual weariness that was dragging at her¡­


    A hint of motion caught her attention for a moment. She spent an exasperated heartbeat staring at an empty office window and then turned to look at her companions. They were picking through the burning wreckages of their latest opponents, gathering the crystals. Bob and Mary looked dead on their feet, and Laura was shrugging her shoulder in a way that made Alex think she¡¯d been injured.


    Ed stepped up beside her. ¡°Are you still okay?¡± His clear concern might have been for her, but the worried look he gave the others told her that his thoughts were mirroring hers.


    She sighed. ¡°We need to change tactics. Otherwise we¡¯re never going to get through this Survey.¡±


    He grimaced. ¡°We can always just go back now, if we need to. Wells might lecture us, but he¡¯d understand. Things like this happen during a crunch.¡±


    The reminder of the man who was causing the whole situation made Alex want to grit her teeth. She shook her head. ¡°Not yet. Most of us haven¡¯t even completed their Main Quests yet, right?¡±


    Laura joined them a moment later, the Vanguard¡¯s eyes roving across the area. She seemed close to exhaustion as well, with dark circles under her eyes. ¡°So, what do you suggest?¡±


    Alex looked around and paused as she settled on a nearby shopping center. It had a broad parking lot, but the doorway was a single narrow opening. There was only darkness inside. ¡°Set up inside that building and wait. I¡¯ll bring the next patrol to you.¡±


    Ed caught her arm as she turned to leave. ¡°What are you talking about? Are you seriously going out there on your own?¡±


    ¡°An ambush needs bait¡ªand given how tired we all are, the only options are me or you.¡± Alex smiled at him, gently pulling free of his grip. ¡°So remind me, which of us beats the other one when it comes to running?¡±


    The Porter flushed at the question, but before he could find the words to argue, Laura spoke up. ¡°You¡¯re sure about this, Alex? I¡­ don¡¯t know if we could come after you if you are ambushed yourself. And if there¡¯s a Killer¡­¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll just get an extra Hidden Quest.¡± Alex forced herself to smile, though the possibility of facing off against a Killer alone in her current condition made her blood go cold. ¡°Just be ready to fight when I bring them to you.¡±


    They nodded, and the four of them headed for the cover of the shopping center. Alex watched them go, a small, paranoid part of her wanting to see them go into the building before she left. The memories of Paul¡¯s betrayal ran deep, after all.


    Then she turned and began to run, her legs protesting the whole way.


    Two blocks away, she ran past an intersection and howls rose from her right. Alex paused long enough to be sure that the patrol was coming after her and started back in the direction she¡¯d come from. The Grue obediently flowed into the street after her.


    In an ironic twist, her aches began to ease a little as Marathoning took effect. It took a small effort of will to keep her pace where the Grue would still keep up with her. They needed to be close enough to think they could catch her, but not close enough that a decent bowshot could down her. Alex added a slight weave to her course, just as arrows began to rain down around her.


    None of the projectiles reached her, however, before she tore across the parking lot and ran through the open door. The Grue were speeding after her, their howls tearing through the city.


    For just a moment, Alex¡¯s heart seized as she came in through the doorway. She found herself in an empty clothing store of some kind, with long-abandoned shelves and discarded fragments of clothing rotting away in silence. In that instant, it was all too easy to believe that she¡¯d just trapped herself in the building alone, while her team had run for the portal the moment she¡¯d left.


    Then she caught sight of Ed hiding clumsily behind a cash register, and she felt a burst of relief. Trying to look moderately desperate, she turned and faced the doorway, backing up like a trapped animal.


    The Grue apparently believed her act. They charged in through the door in a wave of weapons and smoke, their howls echoing oddly in the store. There was a small traffic jam as they piled up in the doorway, with some of them clawing at their friends as they tried to reach her.


    In that instant, her teammates jumped out of their hiding places and charged. Alex joined them, her own warcry rising through the Grues¡¯ surprised yelps. They hit the Grue like a storm, cutting them to pieces in heartbeats. Her teammates appeared to be far stronger, perhaps just from the chance to rest for a few minutes. Either way, the Grue fell back in chaos, and Soldiers went down like weeds in front of a lawnmower. Even the Knights died quickly, and Laura caught the Brute alone and isolated, giving the Vanguard the chance to finish it quickly.


    In the end, Ed blew past the line of Grue and carved his way through the Archers. They scattered, and Alex pushed past as well to help chase them down. When the last of them fell, the bodies erupted in that same purple fire, and Alex let out a long breath of relief.


    [Recovery advances to 8!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 5 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 2 of 6 targets destroyed]


    Alex stretched and groaned for a moment. Then she helped gather up the materials before setting out again. Five down, three more to go.


    In the end, Alex only had to lure two more patrols into the ambush. Both went more or less perfectly, with the other Surveyors springing from hiding and cutting the monsters to pieces with far more efficiency. If she could just have ignored the slowly spreading ache in her chest, it would have been a perfect situation.


    Fortunately, or unfortunately, Ed insisted on being the one to play bait the last time. He¡¯d been giving her worried looks again, even though she¡¯d been more than keeping her end of the bargain. The Porter did well enough, though it almost looked like the Grue had nearly managed to catch him. She put a little extra effort into demolishing them for their troubles.


    Then they finally turned back for home, moving through the streets at an exhausted pace. Alex tried hard not to notice how much quieter the city was now, as if most of the other Surveyors had already called it quits. At the very least, it hadn¡¯t sounded like there would be an ambush waiting, which mattered quite a lot.


    They reached the portal without incident. None of them waited before diving through the vortex, clearly anxious to reach home and the safety of their beds. Alex only paused to listen for a moment, hearing nothing but a slight bit of wind. She still felt like she was being watched, this time from the alleyway across the street, but she shook her head and joined her team. Mysteries could wait for another time¡­


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quests Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Adversary Quest Not Completed]


    [Hidden Quest Undiscovered.]


    Alex was getting tired of seeing the same report every time. She made herself a promise to look for some way to get a full clear out of the next day of Surveys, no matter what Wells¡¯ reaction would be. The man couldn¡¯t complain if they brought in even more materials, right?


    [Recovery increased from 0 to 12!]


    It seemed like the Skill should have advanced a whole lot more, especially given the aches and pains she was feeling, but she couldn¡¯t entirely complain. Just a few more levels, and she¡¯d be back to where her Skill had already been; a few more after that, and she¡¯d have enough stamina to make even a Porter jealous.


    [Battle Maneuvers has reached level 20! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Battle Maneuvers to gain a Title?]


    Alex nearly dismissed the notice and then paused. She studied the yellow text with slowly growing interest. It seemed to whisper a siren song to her, one that competed with the dull ache of fatigue that threatened to drag her down to sleep even in the timeless void.


    On the one hand, she¡¯d be risking a lot if she reset it now. She still would be tired tomorrow, and levelling it up again would take time¡ªbut her teammates would be well rested, and she wouldn¡¯t have to cover for them as much. For that matter, she¡¯d probably be better rested than she¡¯d be for the entire rest of the day, which made it her best chance to try for another Title.


    Of course, it might result in her getting a spear in the gut, but she¡¯d survived it before. Maybe she¡¯d survive it again. Feeling a rush of determination, she accepted the option.


    [Title Peer of War upgraded to Title Heir of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by three.)]


    She gave a wordless shout of victory. The boost to Combined Arms would make her that much more effective the next day, and once she got it leveled back to twenty, Battle Maneuvers would be even better.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t that much of a risk-taker, so she dismissed the rest of the options to reset or Chain her abilities. Now she just needed to rest¡­

 B2Ch9: Back to the Grind

    Alex awoke from a dead sleep with a grunt and a twinge of pain.


    For once, it seemed like she¡¯d slept through her alarm. The shattered remnants of a Red Blade standard clock told her how that had happened; Audrey¡¯s hand was still resting without a care in the wreckage. Alex snorted at the sight and then forced herself upright.


    She found Clara and Joanna already awake. The Adept and Acolyte were speaking in low voices; she cleared her throat, and they looked over in surprise. Clara motioned her over and glanced at Audrey and Alessa; clearly, they wanted to give the Squire and Porter a chance to rest a little more.


    Alex joined them on Clara¡¯s bed. ¡°Hey. I missed talking with you guys yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Part of the problem with being the last to come home, Alex.¡± Joanna gave her a half-hearted smirk. Then she shook her head. ¡°Sorry. We meant to stay awake until you came back, but after yesterday¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Alex shook her head. The barracks had been full of exhausted Surveyors when she¡¯d arrived. None of them had been remotely conscious. ¡°I pretty much just went straight to sleep, anyway. We were all so tired we almost had to come back early.¡±


    The others exchanged a look. Clara spoke in a low voice. ¡°Most of the teams actually did that, you know. Wells was very unhappy with them, but he just marked it down and told us to do better today.¡±


    Alex stared at her. Then she shook her head. ¡°Maybe I should have let us come back early then. It was starting to get really bad out there near the end. Today might be a little crazy.¡±


    Joanna nodded slowly. ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one who thought so. More people resigned yesterday. They¡¯re going to have to reorganize the teams just to keep things going.¡±


    She frowned at Joanna. ¡°Wait. How many quit?¡±


    Clara was the one who answered. ¡°The last I heard, there were almost ten people who resigned. Almost a quarter of the E rankers here.¡±


    Alex stared at her in dumb shock. It was an appalling loss ratio, though she supposed it wouldn¡¯t be recorded like that. After all, they weren¡¯t crippled or dead. They¡¯d just been worked so hard that they had decided that leaving the company¡¯s Survey teams was a better option.


    Something whispered to her it wasn¡¯t unintentional, either. An idea occurred to her¡ªan ugly, repulsive idea. ¡°The people who resigned. Were they the ones who had been passed over for Surveys a lot?¡±


    Joanna¡¯s eyes grew sharp. The Adept nodded. ¡°Yeah. In fact, almost all of them seemed to have been denied Survey duty at least once or twice.¡±


    Clara glanced at the other sleeping Surveyors and lowered her voice a little. ¡°Alessa almost did it. Her team didn¡¯t manage to complete any of her Main Quests on the last run, and two of her teammates left. Sam had to talk her out of it.¡±


    Alex¡¯s fists clenched as sudden fury rushed through her. The crunch was about more than just gathering materials under the radar. Wells was also using it to get rid of Surveyors that he didn¡¯t trust. He crippled their progress by keeping them off of the regular Surveys, and then threw them into the insanity of the crunch, hoping that they wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up. It was two birds with one stone; he got his extra supply of materials and got rid of his most troublesome Surveyors at the same time.


    She looked up and saw Joanna staring at her. ¡°Speaking of Sam, it seemed like he had a bit of extra information about what was going on here. Care to share?¡±


    Alex nodded, taking an extra breath to steady herself. ¡°Keep this close. We can¡¯t let them figure out that we know, or else things might get a lot worse. I thought something was off about Wells, so I asked Zach to¡­¡±


    An all too short a time later, Alex stood in front of the portal with her team.


    They all looked a lot better than they had been yesterday, but they were a far cry from where they had been on the morning of the day before. Mary had dark circles under her eyes, and was shifting uneasily on her feet. Ed looked well rested, but he kept glancing at Alex with worry plain on his face. Bob was muttering to himself, glancing at the portal with a dark expression.


    Laura was the best recovered of them, having gone from a gaunt and weary woman to one that once again had a bounce in her step. She grinned at them. ¡°All right, apparently we did some of the best work out there yesterday. That means all we need to do is keep it up again today, and we¡¯ll probably get a special commendation of some kind! Let¡¯s just keep working hard.¡±


    She avoided looking at Alex, which made a certain amount of sense. Given that she¡¯d started the crunch lecturing Alex, and now had her to thank for their success, Laura probably had mixed feelings about her for the moment.


    It was fine by Alex, however. Instead of focusing on Laura, she was looking around the room at the rest of the teams. There were a lot fewer of them now, and many of the Surveyors that were left were watching the portal with undisguised misery. Her friends from Golden Swallow were all still there, though. Even Alessa, who was clutching her staff with a white-knuckled grip, met Alex¡¯s gaze and nodded.


    Joanna and Clara had reacted with impressive amounts of calm when she had told them what she knew and suspected. When Audrey and Alessa had finally gotten up, they¡¯d told them too. The number of people who knew about the problem was growing. Alex only hoped that it would mean they would all be able to find a solution together.


    She glanced at Ed, who was once again looking at her with worried eyes. He might be a good person to trust; he¡¯d been at Red Blade for longer, and would probably know more things that could help them. Maybe once the crunch was over, she could pull him aside and tell him.


    He gave her a puzzled smile, and Alex turned away suddenly, her cheeks warm. She¡¯d definitely been staring a bit too long. With a shake of her head, she tried to focus on the Survey ahead of her. Only moments later, she marched alongside Laura to enter the portal and begin the day¡¯s work¡­


    The next couple of hours turned into a blur of combat.


    During the first three battles, she ¡®gave¡¯ the others the chance to take out the Archers, as she rebuilt the levels for Battle Maneuvers. Recovery slowly built back up as well, easing some of the aches and pains that ran through her body with each patrol they encountered.


    By the fourth patrol, she was strong enough to break through and destroy the Archers on her own, and even as fatigue slowed her, she repeated the act with every patrol after that. They made their way back to the portal after the eighth patrol fell, their bodies pleasantly worn out from the effort, and their Skills bolstered by combat.


    Her good mood vanished moments later, as she found Clara in the ready room. Another seven Surveyors had resigned after that first Survey, leaving more than a third of the E rankers in the compound as glorified janitors. She couldn¡¯t help but notice the satisfied look in Wells¡¯ eyes, and the expectant way that he looked at her. Alex simply returned the stare and then went back into the portal again.


    [E Rank Surveyor Alex, Gatekeeper]


    [Ascension Level: 4]


    [Role: Page (Role Skills: None]


    [Role Level: 4]


    [Experience: 1120/1500]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 4, Speed -> 8, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Battle Maneuvers(20), Marathoning(20), Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield(20), Recovery(17)]


    [Permanent Skills: None]


    [Current Titles: Heir of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by three.),


    Brutality (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by three.),


    Inborn Warrior (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by three),


    Dogged (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, and Marathoning by two.)]


    Tenacious (Increases Skill grade of Recovery Skills by two.)


    Alex glared at the yellow text in front of her, clenching and unclenching her hands in an attempt to relieve her frustration. Intellectually, she knew that there was nothing she could do for the Surveyors who were giving up. There wasn¡¯t even anything that she could do for the people she cared about the most at the moment. Until the crunch was over, or something else changed, she had no options.


    Then her gaze fell on the amount of experience she gained, and she paused. She narrowed her eyes for a moment, doing a small amount of mental math. Another two Surveys would almost get her enough experience to advance to level five. That change wouldn¡¯t just be another amount of attributes, either. She¡¯d reach her first Role Switch, and advance to D rank as well.


    As an E rank, she could only do what she was told. She¡¯d have to stick to the teams she was assigned, and follow the lead of whatever D rank she was assigned as a Vanguard. Once she was D rank, however, she would be the Vanguard. More than that, if she¡¯d read Wells correctly, the man would absolutely assign her to what he considered the weakest team. The ones he wanted to fail the most.


    The ones that would most need her protection.


    Determination filled her, and she ran her eyes over her Skills one more time. They were about as good as they could be; only Recovery wasn¡¯t at maximum now. If she could push hard enough, it might me up the difference. She wouldn¡¯t reach the next level on this Survey, but between this one and the next¡­


    She chose Patrol again and stepped forward, once again leaving behind the light¡­


    The other world was once again a place of battle. Sounds of combat echoed off the artificial canyon walls of the city, filling her ears with the clash of weapons, the roar of magic, and the howls of the Grue. Her heart was beating harder now, and her fingers tightened around her weapons. She already felt the urge to simply throw herself into the next combat, but she forced herself to wait until Laura led them forward.


    They veered south, heading for an area littered with old brick rowhouses. On Earth, she could have imagined them being owned by the rich and well-to-do, who wanted a quaint little place to stay when they visited the place.


    Now, however, the buildings were foul with Grue scrawlings and broken facades. Alex kept watching for signs of an ambush, knowing that one of the houses had to have a patrol hiding within it.


    She wasn¡¯t disappointed. A mere handful of blocks from the portal, a pack of howling Grue tore their way out of a house on the right, their hulking forms spilling out into the street ahead of the team. Laura lined up to face the Brute, holding her swords with a weary look on her face.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy six Grue Archers]


    Stolen novel; please report.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy one Grue Brute]


    Alex nodded to herself. She needed to complete both of those Hidden Quests, along with the one for killing the extra Knights. With her Skills all at or near maximum, she wasn¡¯t going to get a better shot. The only question would be if the others gave her a good enough opening.


    Of course, the best way to start would be to knock at least one of those Quests out of the way early.


    Legs pumping, Alex threw herself forward in a dead sprint. Her muscles pulsed with agony, making her grit her teeth as she charged the Grue. She heard the others shouting at her, but she ignored them and slammed directly into the pack. Their spearpoints reached for her, but she simply danced aside and cut her way through them. Grue Soldiers went flying back with every swing of her axe as she carved her way through. A Knight charged her, and she matched its shield-check with one of her own. It staggered slightly, and she hooked its leg out from under it. It died beneath her axe before it could regain its feet, even as she blocked another Knight¡¯s overhand blow with her shield.


    The second Knight raised its sword again, obviously intending to swing at her again. Alex dashed past it, pivoting to avoid its shield. As soon as she was inside its reach, her axe went to work again, and the thing fell in heartbeats.


    As the Knights died, more Soldiers rushed in. She smashed them aside as if they were mere flies, and charged across the cracked pavement towards the Archers. They had been focused on the others of the team, aiming for unguarded chests or limbs; the Surveyor that had a shield seemed to be unappealing to them. It was their final mistake as she leapt in among them, her axe striking in all directions.


    With the Archers down, she spun and started running for the rear of the Grue pack. They were already falling back as the rest of the team pressed in on them, but Alex hit them from behind, anyway. She was aiming for the back of the Brute; the hulking brute was still visible over the heads of the lesser Grue, its hammers rising and falling.


    Unfortunately, Laura slipped inside its reach and carved it to pieces before it could react. Alex grimaced as the thing fell, and satisfied herself with wiping out the rest of the Soldiers, even as the Knights fell to her teammates. Purple flame sprang to life around them moments later.


    [Main Quest Progress: 2 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Main Quest Progress: 1 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Completed!]


    Bob started laughing, a sign of exhaustion and exhilaration. ¡°Wow. Starting off pretty intense there, Alex, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Figured I¡¯d knock at least one part of it out of the way early, Bob.¡± She gave him a grin and tried to ignore the aches she was feeling. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll all still have a chance for later.¡±


    Mary snorted. ¡°Sure. As long as you feel like leaving us your scraps.¡± The fatigue in the Squire¡¯s voice undercut her sarcasm, however, and she was rubbing a spot where a Grue spear had failed to punch through her armor.


    As they gathered the materials left behind by their enemies, Ed stepped over close to her. ¡°You¡¯re sure you¡¯re okay? You don¡¯t need to take on everything by yourself.¡±


    She gave him a smaller smile and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m still good. Just trying to make sure that we don¡¯t get too worn out.¡±


    ¡°Well, take care of yourself, too.¡± He put a hand over hers for a moment, just a brief touch that made her turn away and blush. She tried to put aside the feeling, along with the creeping sensation that something was watching her. If she was going to accomplish her goals, she couldn¡¯t afford to be distracted.


    Alex scaled back her efforts during the next two fights, settling for handling a couple of Knights and the Soldiers instead of rushing through to the Archers. Her teammates gave her appreciative looks after each fight, and Ed seemed to be far less worried. None of them seemed to notice that Alex was sticking close to the center where Laura was fighting.


    The effects of their fatigue were still dragging at all of them, however. Some of the fights lasted far longer than they had before, and Laura, in particular, seemed to be getting more and more tired. Her duels with the Brutes began to look more and more even, and the number of Soldiers that were escaping the fights with the others was starting to give her trouble.


    Alex¡¯s opening came in the fourth duel, when Mary had broken through the line of Grue and had sprinted towards the scattering Archers. The Vanguard had engaged the Brute, as usual, her swords flashing and striking against the monster¡¯s hammers. As the others fought with the mass of Grue, Alex caught sight of the Vanguard faltering. Laura¡¯s foot slipped, and the Brute howled in victory, raising both hammers over its head.


    She knew Laura wasn¡¯t really at risk. The Vanguard was fast enough to dodge to one side. Laura would need to back off for a bit to gain space, but she¡¯d be able to deal with the Grue, eventually.


    Alex didn¡¯t give her the chance. She smashed the pair of Grue Soldiers who were harassing her out of the way. Then she lunged in at the Brute from the side. Her shield hit the thing with a brutal crunching sound; it staggered, and before it could recover, Alex brought her axe down on its torso.


    She hit the monster once, twice, three times before it even stopped staggering. Its grey eyes were wide and furious, and it started to gather itself for a jump backwards that would give it space to strike at her. Behind her, Alex heard Laura give a half-furious squawk of outrage, before a Knight darted in to occupy the Vanguard.


    Alex shut out those distractions and charged in after the Brute. It swung a hammer, and Alex ducked in under the massive blow. She felt the wind from it ruffle her hair, and then she pivoted to smash the edge of her shield into the Brute¡¯s wrist. Something snapped, and the Grue dropped its other hammer. Before it could swing at her again, she completed her spin and put the back spike of her axe through its knee.


    The Brute¡¯s leg collapsed from beneath it, sending the monster sprawling onto its back. Alex swatted the remaining hammer aside with her shield and chopped her axe up and into its armpit. Purple smoke sprayed out like blood, and she switched to a pair of vertical chops that dug deep into its ribcage. It tried to fold up around the wounds, and she ducked beneath a flailing arm to come around at its head.


    She saw its eyes go wide just before she hacked into its neck. Moments later, the thing went still.


    Exhaustion washed over her, but Alex shook it off and turned to dive further into the Grue horde. Mary was still finishing the remaining Archers, but there were still Soldiers trying to ward her teammates from attacking the Knights.


    They didn¡¯t last long, however, especially when Laura joined her in tearing them apart. As the last of the Grue crumpled to the ground and the ever-familiar fire began to rise, she caught sight of Laura stalking towards her. She tried to look repentant, though it was hard when she saw the yellow text glowing in the edges of her vision.


    [Main Quest Progress: 7 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Main Quest Progress: 4 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Completed!]


    Laura marched up to her and glared for a moment. Alex looked back at her and grimaced. ¡°Sorry. I saw you about to get smashed, and¡­¡±


    She shrugged, and the Vanguard¡¯s face grew a bit less angry. The woman shook herself like a dog ridding itself of water and sighed. ¡°Yeah, okay. I get it. We¡¯re all tired.¡± Then Laura surprised her by giving her a grin. ¡°Still, that was a solid kill, and I guess I could have been in trouble if it had actually gotten me. Next time, why don¡¯t you just go wild on the Archers, though? I think the others are done with them now.¡±


    Alex nodded, looking appropriately chastened. She was worried there was a hint of the triumph that she felt flooding through her when she turned away, though, because Ed gave her a reproachful look.


    It didn¡¯t matter, though. Her plan was officially in motion, and her excitement was almost enough to overwhelm her fatigue. Maybe something good would come out of the crunch after all.


    Four more patrols, and one brief trip through the raging portal later, Alex stood staring at the familiar yellow text with a grin on her face.


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quests Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Adversary Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Hidden Quest Undiscovered.]


    Unless she had done the math completely wrong, all she needed to do was complete a normal Survey, and she¡¯d reach the next level. She¡¯d finally be D rank, and all the pain and suffering would be worth it.


    [Recovery increased from 17 to 20!]


    That part of the report mattered almost as much. She could feel the difference in her fatigue, in the way the repeated combat weighed on her. Even her aches and pains were fading just a little faster than they had before. Maybe the third Survey of the day wouldn¡¯t be entirely miserable.


    Then a terrible siren call of an awful idea rose up in front of her.


    [Battle Maneuvers has reached level 20! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Battle Maneuvers to gain a Title?]


    Alex looked at the text, trying to convince herself that it was a truly bad idea to do what she was thinking of doing. Resetting her Skill to zero would leave her vulnerable again; she¡¯d have to rebuild it over the course of the last Survey, the same way she had during the first Survey that day. Her teammates weren¡¯t going to be fresh and full of energy; if it was anything like the day before, only Ed was going to have anything approaching the level of stamina they¡¯d need to complete the entire Survey. If anything, it would be worse, with the weight of the previous day¡¯s efforts bearing down on them.


    At the same time, she was going to be approaching the next Survey with every other Skill nearly at full power. She wasn¡¯t going to be rebuilding Recovery, and within the first few battles, she¡¯d already have Battle Maneuvers back at full. Besides, her teammates would be expecting her to take those first few fights easy, anyway. Why not take one more chance?


    She ran the same argument back and forth in her mind as she stayed in that world of light and quiet. Then she made her choice, feeling energy rush through her.


    [Title Inborn Warrior upgraded to Title Destined Champion (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by four)]


    The rest of the options to reset her Skills, or to Chain Marathoning to Combined Arms, she denied. For a moment as the text glowed before her, she simply floated and enjoyed the peace.


    Then she stepped forward, and light consumed her¡­


    ¡°Four more left this time.¡± Sam shook his head. The cluster of former Golden Swallow Surveyors were huddled around a single table. Half of them were near collapse, slumped against the tabletop, or leaning heavily against the nearby wall. None of them looked like they¡¯d had a great time during the day.


    Alex shook her head and hissed. Eighteen E rankers, choosing chores instead of combat. It seemed like such a waste. She¡¯d condemned people to the same choice, but they¡¯d been griefers. The only crime these people had committed was being a bit too moral or unreliable for Wells to trust.


    At the very least, her friends were all still here. Alessa looked fresher than Brian did, actually, and there was a light hostility in her eyes that gave Alex hope that she¡¯d make it through to the end. Audrey and Joanna both looked like they were on the border of exhaustion too, though, and even Sam was looking like he was about to put his head down.


    She tried to sound encouraging. ¡°He¡¯s doing it on purpose. You can¡¯t give up. Not before we stop him.¡±


    The others perked up a little. They exchanged looks and nodded; stubbornness settled over them like a blanket. Joanna looked back at Alex, her eyes half-open. ¡°You have a plan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing all right.¡± She hesitated, looking around carefully. ¡°This next Survey, I think I¡¯ll make D rank. That means I¡¯ll be a Vanguard, not just an E rank goon.¡±


    Tim snorted. ¡°Not like the rest of us, you mean.¡±


    ¡°Quiet, you.¡± Clara poked the Porter, and he grunted. She looked back at Alex. ¡°You¡¯re thinking he¡¯ll put you in charge of us?¡±


    ¡°Either that, or he¡¯ll stick me with all the worst E rankers, the ones he really wants to get rid of.¡± Alex shifted slightly in her seat. ¡°That means those Surveyors won¡¯t be on your teams. He¡¯ll almost have to start grouping you up together if he¡¯s still trying to grind you down.¡±


    Audrey shifted long enough to glare slightly at her through the curtain of her dark hair. ¡°So you think that¡¯ll make it easier for us?¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯ve all learned how to work together.¡± Alex looked around again, trying to keep her voice down. ¡°That means you¡¯ll be able to look out for each other and keep yourselves safe. You¡¯ll have that much better a chance of making it home.¡±


    Clara frowned. ¡°And what about you? If the team he gives you is really that bad¡­¡±


    ¡°I can handle it.¡± Alex forced a grin. ¡°Even better, I¡¯ll be in charge of the team, instead of listening to someone else. That means I can make sure that you all get back through the portal before I do. Anyone gets in trouble, I¡¯ll try to help them out.¡±


    Brian folded his arms and frowned. ¡°That sounds a little optimistic. How are you going to know we¡¯re in trouble?¡±


    She gave him a frustrated look. ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out, okay? Just get through the next Survey, and it¡¯ll get better.¡±


    ¡°I hope so, Al.¡± Surprised, Alex looked at where Audrey was still muttering into the tabletop. ¡°The other Surveyors were saying the third day is the worst part of crunch. That anyone who wasn¡¯t ready for it tended to get crippled on that day, cause of how tired they were the rest of the time. I¡¯m not worried about you, but some of us are exhausted.¡±


    Alex reached across the table and grabbed Audrey¡¯s arm. She¡¯d never seen the Squire so beaten down, but Audrey had always been about combat and challenges. This kind of grinding attrition was not what she¡¯d signed up for. ¡°Just survive. I know you can do it. Even if you don¡¯t complete the Quests, get home. Okay?¡±


    The others all nodded slowly, and Alex sighed. Just one more Survey.


    Bodies burned around her, and Alex let out a shuddering breath.


    [Battle Maneuvers advances to 15!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 6 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Main Quest Progress: 3 of 8 targets destroyed]


    She shook her head, dismissing the yellow text. It was only the third patrol, but she was already feeling the power of her Skill return to her. Unfortunately, she was also starting to feel the drag of fatigue weighting her down as well.


    Her teammates weren¡¯t doing much better. Ed had done fairly well, charging in to destroy the Archers in the first patrol, and Bob had managed to pick off the ones in the second. Mary had taken forever to reach the back line during the third patrol, however, and the battle had lasted long enough that both Ed and Bob had taken wounds. Not severe ones, but bad enough to convince them to pull back slightly.


    Alex grimaced. If they decided to abandon the Survey early¡­


    She shook her head. ¡°Should we start doing ambushes again? I can still act as bait.¡±


    Laura gave her a sidelong look. The Vanguard seemed a little more wary of Alex, now that she¡¯d poached one of the woman¡¯s targets. ¡°We can, if you want.¡± Then she looked at the others. ¡°Ed? Bob? Are you still ready to go?¡±


    Both of them finished wrapping their scratches in bandages, something they¡¯d carried into the portal instead of health potions. Bob smirked. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want to ruin our perfect record, right? Besides, Alex still needs to finish her Hidden Quests.¡±


    Ed simply nodded and picked up his sword again. His expression was grave, but determined. Mary sighed and shouldered her axe. It was clear the Squire had no intention of reaching the backline again today. The dark circles under her eyes and the bruise one Grue had left on her cheek only emphasized her reasons.


    Alex nodded, looking around for another hiding spot. ¡°How about that parking garage?¡±


    The others nodded wearily and set off for the structure without further protest. Alex took a moment to steady herself and then began to jog. She did her best to ignore the way her legs had started to shake.

 B2Ch10: Echoes of the Past

    Alex roared as she cut the head off another Grue. Its body folded up, and as it fell a Knight came at her, its sword raised. She managed to block the swing, sliding back over the concrete. It took a moment for her to steady herself, and the monster charged at her, still roaring.


    She sidestepped its charge, knocking the sword aside with her shield. Then, before it could pivot, she ducked inside and hamstrung the creature, sending it stumbling to its knees. Before it could recover, she planted her axe in the back of its head twice, and let the twitching corpse fall face down on the wreckage of a shattered car.


    Her breath was burning in her lungs, but she forced herself to turn back towards the battle. The others had done a half-decent job ambushing the Grue, but the burden of luring them in and then dealing with half of the threats was wearing at her. She started to charge back into the fray, but Bob stepped forward and incinerated the nearest Soldiers with sunlight, while Mary finished the last Knight with a roar. Ed put down the last Archer a heartbeat later, and then it was over.


    [Main Quest Progress: 6 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 4 of 6 targets destroyed]


    Alex drew in breath after shaky breath. Just two more patrols, and two more Knights, and D rank would be hers. All she had to do was lure in another pair of packs of the things, and she¡¯d be done.


    It did her ego some good to see that the others weren¡¯t that much better off. Only Ed wasn¡¯t breathing hard, and even he had picked up a few scratches and bruises. Laura put her back to a concrete pillar and tilted her head back, leaning on the grey surface like it was the only thing keeping her upright.


    Mary planted the butt of her greataxe on the floor and held onto it, like the weapon was the only thing keeping her upright. ¡°Are we sure we can do two more? This might be enough for today.¡±


    Ed shrugged. ¡°I can do another two.¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself.¡± Bob muttered something impolite as a crystal he was harvesting slipped out of his grasp. ¡°I¡¯m running on fumes, and I¡¯m not the only one. I say we head back in. Laura?¡±


    The Vanguard lowered her head, looking around at the other Surveyors. She met Alex¡¯s eyes and sighed. ¡°We need to head back to the portal.¡±


    Alex opened her mouth to protest, and Laura shook her head. ¡°Look, half of us are barely on our feet, and we¡¯re starting to take wounds. If we keep fighting, we¡¯re not going to be able to fight tomorrow. Is that what you want?¡±


    Grimacing, Alex shut her mouth. Why did Laura have to choose now to be reasonable? Then she paused as Ed spoke up.


    ¡°Before we go, we should rest here for a bit.¡± The Vanguard gave him a look, and he shrugged. ¡°We need it, in case we run into another group on the way back. Besides, if we¡¯re headed back early, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to be late, are we?¡±


    Laura still looked like she wanted to protest, but she hesitated. Then she sighed. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± She looked around the parking lot, evaluating the place. ¡°We should take shelter in that stairwell over there. We¡¯ll rest for ten minutes, and then head back. Understand?¡±


    They all murmured agreement, though Alex just silently nodded her head. Her muscles were all burning, and she was still breathing a little hard, but the possibility of missing the experience to reach D rank by so little was incredibly aggravating to her.


    Then again, it wasn¡¯t like she could fight those last two patrols by herself. It might have been possible if she was fresh, or if she had a health potion, but exhausted and isolated? She¡¯d be killed.


    They gathered into the stairwell and half-collapsed onto the concrete. It took them a while to adjust themselves so that everyone was comfortable, but eventually everyone simply fell silent. Alex glowered at a far wall, still trying to work out how she could convince them to fight just two more times. The others didn¡¯t talk; they just closed their eyes or buried their head in their arms, trying to get as much rest as they could before they set out again.


    After a moment, the silence felt a little claustrophobic. Alex fidgeted, trying to resist the urge to peek out of the stairwell. The door they had closed behind them was a simple affair, just a regular door with a vertical rectangle for a window, but the glass had been smeared by refuse, and she couldn¡¯t see through it clearly.


    She tried to settle in, but she simply couldn¡¯t manage it. Eventually, with her legs crying out for mercy, she levered herself up off the floor and walked over to the door. Alex reached for the handle, but Laura spoke up without opening her eyes. ¡°Alex, if you leave to go bring back another pack of Grue, I¡¯m going to skin you alive.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a griefer¡¯s threat, just a tired warning from someone who had had enough defiance for one week. Alex glanced back at her, trying not to let her temper flare. ¡°I just wanted to see if something was out there.¡±


    ¡°Then use the window. That¡¯s what it¡¯s there for.¡± Laura gestured to the door, and then let her hand fall to her side.


    Grumbling, Alex tried to find a spot on the glass that hadn¡¯t been covered in whatever filth now blocked it. It took some doing, but she finally managed to find a small section that had somehow remained clear. To reach it, she had to twist herself up on her toes, stretching as hard as she could. The spot was barely big enough for her to peek through with one eye, and Grue claws had left scratches over it, but she could still make out the parking garage¡¯s first floor.


    She peered through it, seeing only the same wrecked cars that they had left behind. They didn¡¯t seem to correspond to anything back on Earth, but then again, they weren¡¯t entirely alien, either. The steering wheel was in the same place, and all the seats looked the same. A part of her wondered if the engines had miniature Anchor Points inside, meant to provide power. It was a ridiculous idea, but she¡¯d have to either look at some point or ask Zach about it when she had the¡ª


    Something moved, and Alex¡¯s thoughts came to a sudden, abrupt halt. Her breath came to a stop, and she felt her heart seize in her chest.


    The thing that stepped out from behind the pillar was not a Grue. It had the same smoke-like form, but it lacked anything that approached the lupine features or hunched posture of the creatures. Instead, it looked almost¡­ human, standing a little taller than Alex. Two grey eyes leaked smoke as it examined the parking garage, and a long, dark staff dangled from its hand.


    It shouldn¡¯t have seemed familiar. The thing should have been entirely alien to her, but Alex recognized the creature immediately. She had killed the thing once before, but not in this world.


    Liliana¡¯s shade looked back at her, somehow spying her through the filth of the window. Their eyes locked.


    For a long moment, Alex didn¡¯t even breathe. Her calves began to burn with the effort of holding her up, but she stayed exactly where she was, keeping her eyes on the terrible, impossible creature in front of her. It couldn¡¯t be here. Liliana had died back on Earth, with Alex¡¯s axe in her head. She¡¯d watched the thing burn. Once it was gone, she¡¯d even stomped around in the ashes left behind, just to be sure.


    Yet here it was, glowering at her with all the malice and petty hatred that Alex remembered. Slowly, carefully, the shade raised its staff to point at her.


    Then, between one blink and another, it was gone.


    As if to mock her, yellow text flared to life.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy the Shade]


    Alex slowly shoved herself away from the window. She started breathing, the air rushing in and out of her throat in shallow gasps. When she¡¯d faced Liliana last time, she¡¯d had almost a dozen Surveyors with her, all of whom had helped take the shade down. Here, with this team? They¡¯d be dead.


    ¡°Alex? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ed was watching her, concern and confusion in his eyes. Alex shook her head and raised a finger to her lips. She moved carefully across the floor.


    It was an effort to keep her voice low. ¡°We need to go. We need to go now.¡±


    Laura cracked an eye. ¡°We aren¡¯t hunting down any more patrols, Alex.¡±


    ¡°No. Back to the portal.¡± Alex walked over and yanked the Vanguard up. Determination gave her enough strength to pull Laura all the way to her feet. ¡°We have to go. Now.¡±


    Laura opened her mouth to protest and then paused. Her eyes flicked over to the window, and then back to Alex¡¯s face. A hint of uncertainty crept into her eyes, and she looked over at the others. When she spoke, she kept her voice low. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Frowning, the others got to their feet. Bob opened his mouth to complain, and Alex gave him a look that made him shut his mouth so fast that his teeth clicked. Mary was staring at the door like she expected a flood of Grue to come through it, something that made Alex want to laugh. If only it was just Grue. She let go of Laura¡¯s arm and got her weapons back in her hands.


    Ed came over to stand next to her. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°A Shade.¡± Alex was faintly proud of the way her voice didn¡¯t quite tremble. ¡°It¡¯s been hunting me.¡±


    Mary snorted. ¡°That¡¯s insane. A Shade doesn¡¯t hunt people unless they¡¯ve killed it before, and that only happens¡­ around¡­¡±


    The Squire¡¯s voice faded as Alex glared at her, and the color drained from her face. Then Laura stepped forward, putting herself between the rest of the team and the door. She glanced back at Alex, her expression serious. ¡°Was it waiting there?¡±


    Alex shook her head. ¡°It disappeared.¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯t hang around forever. Not without an Anchor Point close by to sustain them.¡± Laura shook her head. ¡°All the same, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The Vanguard yanked the door open, and they all tensed. Only an empty garage confronted them. Cautiously, Laura led them out past the corpses of the strange cars, heading for the exit. No ghostly versions of Liliana stepped out to confront them, something that Alex considered a very good thing.


    Moving a bit faster, they stepped out from the quiet garage and onto the street. Alex took a breath of the mostly fresh air and felt relief flood her.


    Then Laura cursed, and a pack of Grue charged towards them from down the street. Alex found herself frozen in place. For just a heartbeat, behind the pack of Grue, she thought she could see Liliana, with the dark staff still pointed directly at her.


    She blinked, and the Shade was gone, leaving just the patrol charging along the pavement.


    Bob shouted over the howls. ¡°Run or fight?¡±


    ¡°Unless you can sprint as well as Alex here, you¡¯re better off fighting!¡± Laura dropped into a crouch. Her face was twisted into a desperate snarl. ¡°We cut our way through, and then head straight to the portal. Don¡¯t let anything stop you!¡±


    Alex took up position beside her, and the others fell into place as well. Archers loosed arrows, which bounced from the pavement, thudded into armor, or were deflected from weapons.


    Then the Surveyors charged, and the battle was joined.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Less than half an hour later, Alex and the others staggered back into the portal building. A part of her wanted to laugh; she hadn¡¯t needed to worry so much about the patrols after all. They¡¯d been ambushed another two times since the garage, each time by a patrol that had blocked their escape. Each time she¡¯d seen a flicker of her old enemy, sending the Grue forward. It was impossible, utterly impossible, and yet here it was.


    The Surveyors had fought with the terrible power of utter desperation, and they¡¯d managed to make it back. They¡¯d paid the price, though. Mary was bleeding from at least two arrow wounds that had made it through her armor, Bob was limping from a spear thrust that had caught his thigh, and Laura had been hit by the last Brute hard enough to break her arm. Ed was the worst off, with half a dozen wounds covering him, but the Porter had simply kept fighting, regardless.


    Somehow, Alex had managed to avoid the worst of it. Beyond bruises where her armor had taken the hit and a scratch along her cheek, her ability to dodge had kept her from the worst of it. She didn¡¯t think her luck would hold out for much longer, though. In the last fight, one of the Knights had almost cut her head off when she hadn¡¯t ducked fast enough. Even her last second reaction hadn¡¯t been entirely enough; her helmet had a divot in it from a swing that should have taken off her scalp.


    The portal was a raging, swirling hole in reality. Alex felt a chill as she saw lightning flicker across its face. Had Liliana appeared in front of it, too?


    None of the others hesitated. They limped through the portal one by one, and Alex followed them through. Relief filled her as the light swept her home¡­


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quests Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +40 Experience]


    [Secondary Adversary Quest Not Completed]


    [Secondary Nemesis Quest Not Completed]


    Part of Alex wanted to break down laughing. A Nemesis? That sounded about right. Was she now going to be haunted by the ghost of her first supervisor every time she went through a portal? It seemed like something even her mother would point out as unfair.


    The text shifted, something that she acknowledged even as her mind was caught on what she¡¯d seen.


    [Battle Maneuvers increased from 0 to 20!]


    [You have reached level 5 as a Page!]


    [+2 Speed gained. +1 Free Attribute awarded.]


    The message pulled her out of her fatigue induced trance. She once again put the free increase into Strength; it was a habit that had served her well so far. Then her rising anticipation broke through the fog of her panic as a new message appeared.


    [Page has reached the maximum level. Your Role must be reset in order to advance!]


    [Perform Role Switch? Warning, only one Skill will be allowed to carry forward. All others will be lost or exchanged for other rewards.]


    Alex stared at the words, her breath coming more and more evenly. It was a moment that she¡¯d planned for since she¡¯d decided on this path. To have it happen now, after what she¡¯d just seen¡­


    She shook her head. There was no time like the present. Alex accepted the option.


    [Role Page has been removed.]


    [Please select Permanent Skill.]


    That choice was easy enough. Battle Maneuvers was the one that had given her so many advantages, and it was her only tier three Skill. She selected it.


    [Skill Battle Maneuvers has become a Permanent Skill. It may no longer be Chained.]


    [Skill Recovery has been removed. Title Tenacious upgraded to Title Tireless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery by three.)]


    [Skill Marathoning has been removed. Title Dogged upgraded to Title Relentless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, and Marathoning by three.)]


    [Skill Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield has been removed. Title Brutality upgraded to Title Barbarity (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by four.)


    The rushes of energy faded slowly, leaving her aching and in pain. Alex shook her head and focused. Her next choices would be crucial for her future.


    [Select your new Surveyor Role.]


    [Squire¨CBonuses to Strength and Skills related to heavy combat.]


    [Porter¨CBonuses to Life and Skills related to defense.]


    [Page¨CBonuses to Speed and Skills related to skirmish combat.]


    [Acolyte¨CBonuses to Devotion and Skills related to Divine Spells.]


    [Adept¨CBonuses to Control and Skills related to Arcane Spells.]


    Selecting Page for a second time would have been an obvious choice. Her dependence on Speed and evasion made it a fairly good option, though her focus on close range fighting and Strength made Squire another decent choice.


    Neither had been a part of the path she had wanted to chart for herself, however. So instead, she reached out and selected Porter.


    Her head suddenly shifted, as if she suddenly had vertigo. Alex blinked, and to her shock, orange text appeared in front of her.


    [You have become a Porter!]


    [Your Role will grant you great defense and stamina. Use your newfound power to fight against the encroaching darkness, and you will find greater strength.]


    [Select two Skills.]


    Blinking at the strangeness of the new color, Alex tried to adjust her perspective. Porters started with Recovery and Blocking automatically. Whatever Skills she chose would need to align with those; of course, it would also be a good idea to choose something that would help her survive the last day of crunch.


    Gritting her teeth, Alex chose Focus and Dodging. The lack of Melee Skills might have surprised someone else, but she had a plan, and she was sticking to it.


    The text shifted again.


    [Additional equipment awarded! Select new equipment.]


    This time, she selected an upgrade to her shield. Given the size of the hammers the Brutes wielded, she was probably going to be using it to deflect far more dangerous attacks now. She¡¯d need more than just a crude circle of wood and iron to do the job.


    [Welcome to D Rank!]


    [Permanent Skills now have a maximum of 30, and require double the effort to increase.]


    [All other Skills have a maximum of 25.]


    [Continue your journey, and ascend to new heights!]


    With that orange text fading away, the light swallowed her once again¡­


    Alex stepped out of the portal and nearly collapsed.


    The fatigue of the crunch washed over her. With Recovery at zero and Marathoning gone, it was like the exhaustion simply smashed her in the face. At the same time, she was¡­ different now. Her Attributes had improved, leaving her movements quicker and stronger than before. It also seemed like the world around her seemed that much more¡­ fragile than before. Like she needed to walk carefully, to avoid accidentally breaking something.


    She looked up and found Laura already delivering her report to Wells. The man looked over at her with a sharp look. A hint of amusement flickered in his eyes, as if he¡¯d just found a brand new way to accomplish his goals, and Alex managed to repress a growl. Then she walked over to stand behind Laura.


    Ed joined her a moment later. He looked at her sideways. ¡°You reached D rank?¡±


    Alex gave him a measuring look. ¡°Yep.¡±


    He nodded and sighed. ¡°I figured.¡± Then he grinned. ¡°I took Squire. You?¡±


    ¡°Porter.¡± She raised an eyebrow at his surprised expression. ¡°What? You should feel flattered.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should.¡± He laughed softly. ¡°Too bad we¡¯re probably not going to get assigned to the same team. It was¡­ fun fighting with you.¡±


    Alex nodded slightly. ¡°Yeah, I guess it was.¡± Then she looked at Wells, who was motioning her forward. ¡°Ed, just¡­ take care of yourself, okay?¡±


    He nodded, and she stepped forward. Time to give a report. It would be good practice for the more important one she had later.


    ¡°You reached D rank! Congratulations!¡± Alex smiled as her mother pressed closer to the camera, her face glowing. ¡°How did you do that so quickly? I thought it would take you at least another month or two.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, things have been pretty intense here.¡± Alex caught a flicker of curiosity in her mother¡¯s eye, and pressed on before it could grow. ¡°It was weird seeing the Screen text change colors, though. I got so used to seeing it in yellow that I kind of miss it.¡±


    Muriel smiled and shook her head. Her eye sparkled with memory. ¡°I felt the same way when it went from red to yellow. What Role did you end up choosing? Not Page again, obviously.¡±


    ¡°Porter.¡± She saw surprise and a hint of disapproval on her mother¡¯s face, and continued in an even voice. ¡°I want the defensive bonuses that come along with it. Besides, it helps me along the path to where I want to end up, eventually.¡±


    Muriel pressed her lips together for a moment. ¡°That¡­ makes sense.¡± She sighed. ¡°I guess I just hoped that you would take Squire and follow in my footsteps after all.¡±


    Alex snorted. ¡°Sorry to let you down, Mom.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll never do that.¡± Muriel waved her hand dismissively. ¡°If I really hoped for that, I¡¯d have wanted you to abandon that cursed axe of yours.¡±


    ¡°Not going to happen.¡± Alex gave her mother a grin. Muriel rolled her eye in an exaggerated expression of annoyance, and Alex laughed. ¡°Is Dad there? I wanted him to hear the good news, too.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s out on a call right now.¡± Muriel shook her head. ¡°Nothing major, just your average house fire. He¡¯ll probably call you later.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡± Alex paused. ¡°I did want to ask you something. When you were, uh¡­¡± She looked around to make sure she was alone. ¡°Working. Did you ever encounter a Shade?¡±


    Muriel paused. Her eye narrowed. ¡°Yeah. They show up occasionally, but only when things have really gone south. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°You never really mentioned them before, so I don¡¯t remember a whole lot about them.¡± Despite herself, Alex hesitated again. ¡°What did you do when you ran into them?¡±


    Her mother shrugged. ¡°Well, I was at least a C rank before I ever ran into one of those things. They usually just hang around Anchor Points and cause trouble, but I never had any real problems with them. By that level, you won¡¯t either.¡±


    Alex grimaced. ¡°How much trouble would I have if one was after me at, say, D rank?¡±


    Muriel didn¡¯t answer immediately. She just stared at Alex through the camera, as if her single eye could peel back the layers behind that question. Then she grunted. ¡°It was that Anchor Point you broke. The one on Earth.¡±


    Why had she even tried to avoid a direct question? Alex sighed. ¡°Yeah. I told you about Liliana?¡± Muriel nodded. ¡°She was back. In the other world, and the Screen identified her as a Shade.¡±


    A snarl worked its way across Muriel¡¯s face. ¡°Back, is she? Maybe she and I could have a conversation, then.¡±


    ¡°Mom¡­¡±


    Muriel snorted. ¡°Oh, I know, I know. I¡¯ll stay out of it.¡± She gritted her teeth and shook her head. ¡°Shades aren¡¯t normally that much of a problem unless you¡¯re going for an Anchor Point. They need a certain level of ambient power before they can really work. Usually they only hang around C rank portals or higher. The one you saw probably wouldn¡¯t have much of a chance to attack you directly.¡±


    ¡°But she could, maybe, direct the Grue in the area to attack me, right?¡± It was the only way to explain the sudden coordination of the Grue near the end of the last Survey. The fact that it was so typical of Liliana to have others do her dirty work only made it fit that much better.


    Her mother grimaced. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s definitely possible.¡± She sighed. ¡°Normally they can only show up to pester Surveyors that have destroyed them once, though. They seem to hold a lot more of a grudge than the other Grue. I¡¯ve never heard of one in human form, though. That¡¯s new.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good. Maybe Zach will be excited.¡± She doubted it, actually. He hadn¡¯t been any fonder of Liliana either.


    Muriel¡¯s eye grew sharp. ¡°The other thing is, they normally don¡¯t show up unless someone has been through a particular portal repeatedly. Otherwise a Surveyor seems to be too hard for them to track down.¡± Alex winced, and her mother leaned forward. ¡°Alex, just how many times have you been through the portal this week?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been doing what?¡±


    Alex winced. Fatigue was already weighing heavy on her, but her mother had warned her to expect the call from her father later that night. She¡¯d been sleeping peacefully when her phone had woken her, and true enough, she¡¯d barely had enough time to get to the hallway before the growling and shouting had started. ¡°It¡¯s part of my job, Dad. You knew this when I started.¡±


    Eric Morrison loomed over the phone¡¯s camera, his expression clearly angry despite the soot covering it. As always, he was very good at looming. ¡°Don¡¯t lecture me, youngster. Your mother was doing this kind of work for years before you showed up. I know how it works. How it¡¯s supposed to work. This ¡®crunch¡¯ is insane, and you know it.¡±


    She looked in both directions along the hallway, trying to keep her voice low. The others were still asleep, but the last thing she needed was for some Red Blade Surveyor to overhear things and come looking for an explanation. ¡°I know, Dad, I know, but I can¡¯t leave. Not without signing up as some kind of janitor or putting myself in debt.¡±


    ¡°Unless the company has some kind of unfortunate accident, you mean.¡± Her father¡¯s eyes glittered with an especially dangerous light. ¡°Maybe your mother and I need to pay this place a little visit.¡±


    ¡°No. Dad, I mean it. No.¡± Alex made her voice as stern as she could without raising her volume. ¡°That¡¯s the last thing I need right now.¡±


    He made as if to snarl out a response, and then stopped. She watched him close his eyes and take a calming breath. Then he opened his eyes again and looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re doing something dangerous again. I can tell.¡±


    The accusation caught her by surprise, and she was too tired to dodge it. She could tell by the way his eyes narrowed slightly that it was too late to recover. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ doing my best, Dad. There are people here I need to protect.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s my job to protect you.¡± He folded his arms across his chest and glowered for a moment. Then his shoulders moved as he gave a titanic sigh. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll talk your mother out of coming and I won¡¯t do anything either¡ªbut I¡¯m going to need something from you in exchange.¡±


    Alex nodded.


    ¡°I want a text message after every Survey, and a phone call every night.¡± She opened her mouth to protest, and he held up a hand to stop her. ¡°Texts can be faked, calls are harder. I want to hear your voice on my voicemail or in my ear every night until your little situation there is resolved. You miss a night, I¡¯m going to call you. You don¡¯t answer, then we are going to come down for a visit¡ªand we¡¯ll bring all of our best toys. Understand?¡±


    She nodded again, wincing at the picture of her father and mother showing up to the Red Blade compound. When the Crimson Blade and the man who¡¯d set a hospital on fire to rescue his wife decided to ¡®visit¡¯ someone, it was not going to be a quiet event. ¡°Dad, you can¡¯t just helicopter parent me like this.¡±


    There was shouting from the other room on her father¡¯s side, and he grinned. ¡°Your mother says that it isn¡¯t helicopter parenting, it¡¯s tradecraft.¡± She rolled her eyes, and his grin grew a bit wider. ¡°Just think of us as your handlers. And your insurance policy.¡±


    Alex gave him an exasperated look. ¡°I don¡¯t think any company I know of would think of you as a good insurance risk.¡±


    ¡°Your mother might disagree.¡± His grin faded, and his expression grew serious. ¡°I mean it, Alex. When your mother was doing this kind of thing, she had plenty of backup to rely on. In the end, she needed it. Badly. We may not be much, but¡­¡±


    She nodded in resignation. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Then she paused. ¡°Thanks, Dad. I love you.¡±


    ¡°We love you too. Now get some sleep. You¡¯ve got another big day tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I will. Goodnight.¡± She ended the call and then turned to head back towards the barracks. Her bunk was calling to her, and unless Liliana¡¯s Shade showed up back on Earth, she intended to answer the call.

 B2Ch11: Bottom of the Pile

    The next day dawned bright and early, and Alex dragged herself out of bed to face it.


    Everything seemed like it ached. Her conversations with her parents hadn¡¯t entirely helped her to rest, either; her eyes felt like they were heavy as she got ready for the day, and she wasn¡¯t alone in grumbling vague threats about what she was going to do to Wells once crunch was over.


    The smug look on Wells¡¯ face did nothing at all to ease her anger when they all staggered into the portal room. He was already standing in that stance of his, waiting for them to file in. Given what she suspected he was going to do, it only made her wish she could wipe the look off his face, the same way she had Liliana.


    Wells waited a moment longer and then spoke in his usual booming tone. ¡°Troops! Unfortunately, due to some personnel concerns, we will need to adjust how our Survey teams are organized.¡± Alex gritted her teeth and tried to look neutral; at least three more E rankers had resigned after their last Survey the day before. With both her and Ed moving up to D rank, that left twenty-five E rankers left for the Survey teams. Almost half of the forty-eight they¡¯d started with.


    ¡°Going forward, there will be two teams of three D rank Surveyors going through the portal. Their responsibility will be to make up the difference in materials, since we no longer have enough to keep twelve teams active.¡± He paused and then gave the group a broad smile. ¡°We also have reason to congratulate two of your fellows. Alexandretta Morrison and Edgar Morat have both advanced to D rank, and will be participating as Vanguard for the coming Surveys.¡±


    Alex heard muttering among the others and tried to school her face to neutrality again. Sam had dropped by the barracks the night before to tell her that rumors were already flying about the Shade; plenty of the Surveyors were going to see her as some kind of albatross or jinx. She could already tell that nobody was going to want to be on her team.


    Unfortunately, she also had a pretty decent idea that Wells wasn¡¯t going to care. He was going to stick her with whatever Surveyors he wanted to get rid of, and then hope they either quit or got themselves crippled or killed. The glint in his eye as he nodded to her told her the next day was going to be especially unpleasant.


    He began calling off names with their team assignments. Laura seemed relieved when she went to join one of the D rank teams; she¡¯d obviously had enough of shepherding E ranks for the near future. Ed was called as the head of an E rank team; unsurprisingly, both Bob and Mary were sent to join him. Sam was also sent in that direction, something that seemed to surprise the Adept, along with a fourth E ranker that Alex didn¡¯t know.


    Joanna and Audrey both went to a different team, with a third person from Red Blade to join them. Brian and Tim got a different three-person team, which they didn¡¯t seem too happy about. Team after team were listed out, with most of them having just three E ranks and a D rank to lead them.


    Alex waited patiently until her name was finally called, tapping her axe handle with a hint of impatience. Finally, Wells turned to her a spoke, his voice once again booming out over the crowd.


    ¡°Alex, you¡¯re leading your own team this time. Be a good Vanguard. You¡¯ll be working with Clara, Alessa, and Raul.¡±


    She looked at the others. Both Alessa and Clara looked like they were disgruntled and worried; they both probably knew as well as she did what Wells had planned. Raul was a Surveyor she didn¡¯t know well, but he simply seemed excited to begin the Survey. Maybe a little too excited, given the way he bounced on the balls of his feet.


    The teams lined up to go through the portal. Alex waited patiently to join them, and when it was her turn, she took a deep breath.


    Then she stepped into the light for her first mission as a D rank¡­


    [D Rank Surveyor Alex, Gatekeeper]


    [Ascension Level: 5]


    [Role: Porter (Role Skills: Recovery(0), Blocking(0)]


    [Role Level: 0]


    [Experience: 20/2100]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 5, Speed -> 10, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Focus(0), Dodging(0)]


    [Permanent Skills: Battle Maneuvers(20)]


    [Current Titles: Heir of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by three.),


    Barbarity (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by four.),


    Destined Champion (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by four),


    Relentless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, and Marathoning by three.)]


    Tireless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery Skills by three.)


    Seeing nearly all of her Skills at zero was not a fun feeling. If anything, it was going to going to make sparring all that much more important¡ªif she managed to get past the next three Surveys, of course.


    The orange text still seemed wrong.


    [Please select your intent]


    [Exploration]


    [Vengeance]


    [Patrol]


    [War]


    [Salvage]


    She grimaced at the sight of the options. Once she got out of Red Blade, she was going to select anything but Patrol as soon as she possibly could.


    [Your intent is to Patrol]


    [Quest Issued! Clear at least eight Grue patrols.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    Seeing the sudden lack of Hidden Quests was almost alarming. In a way, it was something of a relief to not have to focus on quite so many tasks, but it also made her worry about what types of Hidden Quests she¡¯d be getting. Laura had implied that fighting the Brutes was important, but would she need to compete with the E ranks for Knights and Archers, like Laura had implied she needed to?


    She was still thinking it over when the light washed over her¡­


    Alex stepped out into the other world.


    She drew in a careful deep breath, feeling the magic all around her. It seemed more¡­ present somehow. As if she was more aware of it. Was that due to Focus? The Skill had something to do with mental concentration, but she wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to use it.


    Alessa stepped through next, followed by Raul and Clara. They stepped forward carefully; all three of them seemed tired already, even though they were facing the first Survey of the day.


    Alex looked at them for a moment, wondering how to proceed. Alessa beat her to the punch. ¡°Well, this sucks.¡±


    Raul glanced at her with a frown, and Clara put a hand over her eyes. Alessa glared at both of them before switching her gaze to Alex. ¡°What? You know I¡¯m right. He¡¯s picked us out as people he wants to eliminate. We¡¯re the worst of the bunch, according to him.¡±


    The words were delivered with bitter venom, and Raul blinked and drew back. Some of the enthusiasm drained from his face, and Clara broke in before Alessa could keep going. ¡°You don¡¯t know that¡ªand even if he had decided that, it probably doesn¡¯t mean anything in terms of what we can do.¡±


    ¡°Easy for you to say. You weren¡¯t picked out as the worst team in Golden Swallow, either.¡± Alessa pointed at Alex with an accusatory finger. ¡°I have, though. This makes twice that my supervisor has decided I was such a bad Surveyor that they wanted to sabotage me¡ªand both times I¡¯ve needed to rely on you to bail me out! It¡¯s getting a little old.¡±


    Raul was looking back and forth between them, his expression uncertain now. He obviously hadn¡¯t quite put things together yet, but Alex was sure he would.


    All the same, it was time to work. She broke in. ¡°Are you really going to compare experiences with me on that front, Alessa? Cause I¡¯m pretty sure my history has a bit more unpleasantness than yours.¡±


    The Porter hesitated. Then she sighed, and some of her anger faded away into weariness. ¡°No. I just¡­ I¡¯m so sick of this happening. Why can¡¯t I just do the job I signed up for? Why does it always have to be some kind of evil conspiracy?¡±


    ¡°An evil conspiracy? What are you guys talking about?¡± Raul¡¯s eyes were wide now, and he was looking back and forth between them like they¡¯d all gone crazy.


    Clara tried to make her voice gentle. ¡°Some of us think Wells might be picking favorites for the teams, and that sometimes he groups together people he wants to get rid of.¡± Alessa looked like she was about to say more, but Clara glared at her until she closed her mouth.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be true.¡± Raul frowned. ¡°If he had such a low opinion of us, then¡ª¡±


    ¡°What Wells does or does not think doesn¡¯t matter. Not today.¡± Alex made her voice firm, and the others all jumped slightly. ¡°We¡¯re going to get through the last few missions of crunch, and we¡¯re going to do it better than anyone expects. Understand?¡±


    She waited until they nodded. Then she grinned. ¡°All right. Since we¡¯re breaking expectations, let¡¯s go a bit farther. What are your Skills?¡±


    Raul jumped like she¡¯d just goosed him, and with good reason. Most Surveyors thought it was rude to demand information on someone else¡¯s Skills, and with the competition at Red Blade, it seemed especially rude. Clara, however, didn¡¯t hesitate.


    ¡°My main Skill is Snipe; I got it when I Chained Ranged¡ªCrossbow and Aim. I also have Sense and Presence.¡± Then she paused, looking a little bashful. ¡°I also took Holy¡ªNature. I¡¯ve been thinking about Chaining it with something, but I haven¡¯t had the chance yet.¡±


    Alex nodded. ¡°Which Skill are you planning on bringing to D rank? Remember, you only get one.¡±


    Clara hesitated, as if taken aback. ¡°I thought Snipe, originally, but the magic seems so much more effective. I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to need to figure it out soon. Given the number of Surveys ahead of us, you might want to Chain something else and get the Skill up higher.¡± She turned to Alessa, finding the Porter looking at her with clear skepticism. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Weapon Mastery¡ªStaff is my main one. I took Blocking again after I Chained it. Resist and Recovery are my other two Skills.¡± The Porter paused, and then shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m taking Weapon Mastery with me to the next Role, I guess, unless I stumble across something better.¡±


    Alex nodded. Resist wasn¡¯t really all that common, but for a Porter it made sense. It would help her deal with damage. Blocking didn¡¯t help out a whole lot with that, but at least she had Recovery. Then she turned to Raul. ¡°And you?¡±


    The Squire seemed reluctant to speak, but he eventually spoke. ¡°I¡¯ve got Weapon Mastery¡ªSword. I¡¯ve also got Dodging, Lift, and Leap. I was planning on taking Weapon Mastery to my next Role.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°All right. I¡¯ve just reset most of my Skills, but the main one I have is Battle Maneuvers. I also have Focus, Recovery, Blocking, and Dodging.¡± They nodded, and she continued. ¡°I still have Battle Maneuvers fairly high up, so I¡¯ll probably be our heaviest hitter. We¡¯re facing about twenty Soldiers, six Knights, six Archers, and a Brute in every patrol. How do you feel about taking all that on?¡±


    They exchanged a look. Even Raul looked subdued now. Alessa summed it up for them. ¡°Not good.¡±


    ¡°Good. We¡¯re up against it, but that doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re dead.¡± She took in a breath and let it out. ¡°I¡¯ll make you guys a deal. If you help me get my Skills up during this Survey, I¡¯ll have you Chain or reset your Skills for the next one. That way, we¡¯re in a better place for the third. Questions?¡±


    Clara raised a hand. ¡°How much are we planning on doing today?¡±


    ¡°As much as we can. The Main Quests at a minimum.¡± Then she glanced at the portal. Other Surveyors were starting to come through. ¡°Let¡¯s move. We have a lot to do.¡±


    They¡¯d talked tactics as they moved towards the area Wells had assigned them. By the time the first patrol found them, the Grue tearing across the pavement towards them, Alex felt halfway ready.


    Orange text flickered in her peripheral vision, bothering her.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy four Grue Brutes]


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy six Grue Archers and six Grue Knights]


    She was tempted to rush forward toward the enemy, but Alex held back. Marathoning wasn¡¯t going to help her this time, and Clara needed to get her shots in first.


    The Acolyte had already brought the crossbow up and fired. It wasn¡¯t the same weapon that she¡¯d carried at Golden Swallow; now it had been upgraded and enhanced. When Clara pulled the trigger, the bolt shot out of the weapon like a shaft of silver, speeding through the ranks of the Grue. It didn¡¯t hit a Knight or even a Soldier. Instead, it took one of the Archers directly in the head.


    It hadn¡¯t even finished falling before Clara had loaded and fired a second shot, taking another Archer. The Knights started to fan out, trying to block her attacks with their shields, and Alex grinned. ¡°Now!¡±


    She and the other two Surveyors sprinted forward. Alex outpaced them, but not nearly by as much as she was used to. Without Marathoning, or even at least Running, she felt so slow compared to what she had been before. Her charges into battle were going to pale in comparison to what they had been before.


    At the same time, she was far from helpless. As the Soldiers charged in at her, she dodged and weaved, cutting and hacking at them. Their spears still shattered, and if they didn¡¯t get knocked flying into the air, they still crumpled in dying piles as soon as she reached them.


    Unfortunately, not every Grue was going to be so easy to kill. The Brute ran at her with a howl that shook the air. She glared up at it as it raised its hammers, ready to smash her into the pavement. Confidence and hatred flared from its grey eyes as the smoke-form bulged, bringing its full strength to bear. With an air-ripping snarl, it brought both hammers down on her.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Alex dodged to the side, and the hammers struck the bare pavement. The weapons smashed a crater in the ground; cracks spiderwebbed outward, and that part of the street crumpled downwards, as if the Grue had somehow collapsed an underground sewer beneath the road. She made to dart in at it, but she was too slow, now. A Knight came at her from the side, forcing her to pause long enough to blow a massive sword swing that nearly knocked her off her feet, and then the Brute was beginning to lift its hammers again.


    At least, it tried to. Snarls of green vines and wooden tendrils abruptly tore out of the cratered concrete, wrapping around the hammers and chaining them to the ground. The Brute paused, surprised by the vegetation binding its weapons. Frustration and rage crossed its features as it yanked harder.


    Alex smiled, dodged a second swing from the Knight, and then rushed in at it before it could manage to free the hammers. The Brute saw her coming and let go with one hand. She ducked below the backhanded swipe, deflecting it a bit higher with her shield. Then she chopped at its knee with her axe. The first hit made the creature yelp in pain; the second made it let go of the other hammer and try to punch her away.


    This time she caught the blow square on her shield; she heard bones creak and wasn¡¯t sure if it was the Grue¡¯s knuckles or her forearm. She slid a little under the force of the hit, back to where the Knight was already raising its sword again.


    Then a crossbow bolt sped in from the side and caught the Knight in the skull. It staggered, and Clara put two more shots into it before it fell. Alex ignored the collapsing Knight and went after the Brute again, who was trying to hobble away from her. A handful of brave Grue tried to rush her from the sides, but she battered them aside and threw herself at the larger enemy again.


    This time, the Brute had abandoned its weapons entirely. When she rushed towards it, the creature leaped at her, obviously aiming to wrap its arms around her and crush her. Alex pivoted, ducking beneath one arm and hacking at its elbow. The Brute howled, but she continued her spin, smashing her shield into its already-bleeding knee, and then slashing it across the face with her axe as it fell.


    The blow caught the creature square in the eyes. It clutched at its face, roaring as it thrashed on the ground, but Alex wasn¡¯t even close to done. She smacked aside a flailing arm and began bringing her axe down on its head, throat, and shoulders.


    It took five swings before the Brute went still, and by the time she¡¯d delivered them, more Grue were crowding in around her. Another Knight came for her too, but she just maneuvered it so that Clara had a clear shot at its back, and it soon toppled forward, a pair of bolts in its skull. More bolts scattered the others, and she was free enough to look for where the others were still fighting.


    Alessa had downed one Knight, and seemed to be fine dueling with the other. Raul, on the other hand, had somehow managed to get caught between two of the larger creatures, with only his Dodging Skill keeping him alive. Alex ran over and hamstrung one of them from behind, and fended off the other while Raul finished it. She disarmed it, catching its sword between her axe and shield, and Raul darted back to put his rapier through its heart.


    She turned to help Alessa too, only to find that the Porter had killed her opponent as well; the vines growing from the street gave a clue as to how Clara had helped it happen. When she looked for the Archers, she found them all splayed out with crossbow bolts in their heads.


    Alex shook her head. What idiot had ever said Clara wasn¡¯t useful? She paused and doubled over for a minute, breathing hard. She was really starting to miss her Skills.


    The bodies began to burn, and orange text floated up in front of her, as if summoned by her thoughts.


    [Recovery advances to 3!]


    [Dodging advances to 8!]


    [Blocking advances to 7!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 1 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 1 of 4 targets destroyed]


    Alex waited for the others to gather around her. She looked around at them, trying to control her breathing. ¡°Everyone okay? Any wounds?¡±


    Alessa shrugged. There was a small hole in her cloth gambeson, but the skin beneath looked untouched. ¡°Nothing worth mentioning.¡±


    Raul was breathing hard too, but he seemed much more grateful and happy than before. ¡°No¡­ just¡­ tired.¡±


    ¡°If we get out of this, Raul, you¡¯re going to start doing laps with me.¡± The Squire looked unhappy, but he nodded. Then she turned to Clara. ¡°Hey, are you okay? Can you keep doing that?¡±


    The Acolyte nodded. ¡°I can, but not forever. I¡¯ll run out of energy, eventually.¡±


    ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll just have to use you wisely.¡± Alex looked a bit further up the street. She hadn¡¯t seen any signs of the Shade, yet, but it might not last. ¡°You finished at least one Hidden Quest, so now we need to get Alessa and Raul to do it too.¡±


    She pointed a bit further up the street, where there was a rowhouse that had a good view of the intersection. ¡°Raul, Alessa, can you hide in the house across from that one? I¡¯ll guard the door, and Clara will snipe a Knight or something to get the next patrol¡¯s attention¡­¡±


    Alex concentrated, and the world seemed to narrow.


    The Brute in front of her howled. It had been chasing her through the battle for the past few moments, swinging its hammers in wide, wild swipes. Alex had danced backwards away from it, spending a few moments to cut and smash at the Soldiers around her, clearing them away so that she could focus on the biggest threat.


    A Knight roared nearby as it dueled with Alessa, who intercepted its sword with her staff. Another one tried to rush in at the Porter, only to stagger as a crossbow bolt struck it in the head. It tried to spin toward Clara, only to take a second bolt to the shoulder. Raul was once again caught between Knights, but one of them abruptly staggered as vines snared its ankles. The Squire leapt on it, rapier stabbing, and Alex smiled.


    Her small team was starting to come together nicely, their Skills working in harmony. It was only their fourth fight together, and already they were supporting one another well. Now all she needed to do was find a way to handle her own responsibilities, and they might actually make it through the Survey.


    This time she had been the one to lie in ambush, and she¡¯d wiped out the Archers cleanly before the Brute had come after her. Raul and Alessa had already completed their Hidden Quests for the Archers, after all, and even without Marathoning, she was still the fastest of them. The smaller Grue hadn¡¯t lasted long, either, and the Brute had immediately turned to challenge her as the biggest threat.


    The other benefit was that she¡¯d finally started to figure out how to develop Focus. Her concentration narrowed as the Brute came in at her. She could see it tensing to charge in at her head on, trying to close with her instead of allowing her to keep the distance. Alex continued to dance backwards, drawing it away from the rest of its friends. Another Soldier rushed in, and she smashed it aside with her shield, clearing the street for her duel.


    With a deranged howl, the Brute leapt at her. She¡¯d seen it building its strength, had noticed the tension gathering in its legs. When its feet left the ground, Alex charged forward, ducking in under a swinging hammer and raising her shield. The Brute slammed into her, an impact that sent her sliding backwards from the sheer force. It didn¡¯t do the Grue any good either, though; she could feel bones crunch and crack. Its howl abruptly cut off with a cough.


    Alex didn¡¯t give it a chance to get its feet solidly back on the ground. She swept in with her axe, hacking at its legs. The Brute staggered, trying to back up now, but she kept after it, like a buzzsaw tearing into its knees. It managed to swing at her, but Alex caught the haft of the hammer on her shield, skidding a little out to the side before darting in again. Another solid blow to the Brute¡¯s kneecap shattered it, and it went down on one knee, dropping a hammer to catch itself.


    It was an opening she couldn¡¯t ignore. She smacked aside another desperate swipe, and went for another overhead strike, this time aiming for the Brute¡¯s throat. Alex caught the monster with the edge of her axe, and it reeled to the side as grey smoke fountained from the wound. With another pivot, she hacked at the arm that was braced against the pavement, hoping to bring the creature even lower.


    Then she spun and began tearing into the Brute¡¯s torso, hacking away until it slumped backward and lay still.


    By the time she finished it, her breath harsh in her throat, the others had managed to finish off their opponents. Alessa had taken another hit¡ªAlex was suspecting that the Porter was letting some of the Soldiers get hits in, to level her Resist Skill¡ªand Raul actually sat down in the middle of the street, his legs wobbling as he slumped. Clara arrived a moment later, coming down from the house where she¡¯d been sniping from, just as the bodies began to burn.


    More orange text flared to life, becoming more and more familiar now.


    [Battle Maneuvers advances to 22!]


    [Recovery advances to 8!]


    [Focus advances to 7!]


    [Dodging advances to 15!]


    [Blocking advances to 13!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 4 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Completed!]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 6 of 12 targets destroyed]


    Seeing her Skills advance was a welcome sight, though Alex wondered how good of a reward it was for the fatigue burning through her. Recovery was already making its growth felt, however. She already could tell that her muscles were regaining their strength faster, and with Dodging getting closer to maximum, she was already beginning to dance around most of the blows the enemy were throwing. All she needed was a few more fights, and she might reach her maximum again.


    She dragged herself forward, gathering the resources that the enemies had dropped. As the others started doing it, she tried to sound a bit less tired than she felt. ¡°Are we still doing well? Everyone finished one of their Main Quests, right?¡±


    Raul and Alessa nodded; Clara grinned at her. ¡°Sure. I¡¯m good for four more.¡±


    Alex looked at the others. ¡°You guys still all right?¡±


    Alessa grunted sourly. Raul shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll hold together, but it¡¯s getting a bit harder. Don¡¯t think I want to hit the Archers again, though.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of that from now on.¡± Clara gave her a worried look, but Alex shook her head. Raul was already looking rough enough that she didn¡¯t want to risk wearing him out completely. ¡°Let¡¯s get set up for another ambush if we can. We only need another four of these to work.¡±


    Raul groaned. ¡°Why can¡¯t we just do it here again? It worked well enough.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but there might be more patrols closer to a different spot.¡± Alex didn¡¯t mention her actual concern. She hadn¡¯t seen any glimpses of the Shade yet, and she didn¡¯t know if moving around would make her harder to find, but she¡¯d rather put in the effort than get buried in Grue while Liliana laughed. ¡°Plus, we could use the walk to loosen up. Let¡¯s keep moving.¡±


    He groaned again, but the others finished up their work and shouldered their weapons. Alex slipped in next to Clara and spoke softly. ¡°During the next fight, I have something I want you to do. Okay?¡±


    Clara stared at her as she explained, clearly surprised. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know if now is the time to mix things up, Alex.¡±


    ¡°If not now, then when?¡± Alex grinned as the Acolyte nodded. ¡°We need to prove to everyone that this team isn¡¯t some collection of rejects. So let¡¯s show the others how it¡¯s done. Okay?¡±


    Alex waited until she heard the Grue howl. Then she charged out from her hiding place, a small stairway that dipped below the level of the street.


    The scene in front of her was as she had expected. Clara had started the fight, putting a crossbow bolt into the head of a Grue Soldier. Two more of them quickly fell as the Grue turned to face the store where Clara was lying on the roof, calmly picking her targets. Half a dozen Archers were already lining up to counter her, their longbows drawing back while their friends charged forward.


    Alex hit them from behind at a dead sprint, her aching legs still carrying her fast enough to reach her targets. Two Archers died in heartbeats, and the next two only had enough time to reel back and yelp before she ended them too. She caught the last of them drawing their knives, hacking them aside with contempt.


    The threat to Clara ended just that quickly, and Alex turned to face the rest of the battle. Some of the Soldiers had turned back towards her when the Archers had cried out, but most of them were still trying to swarm the entrance of the store. Raul and Alessa were holding them back, the sword and staff destroying them as they pushed in close.


    It wasn¡¯t the small fry that Alex focused on, however. The Brute had turned to face her, clearly recognizing the strongest Surveyor present. With a familiar howl, it started off after her, shoving the Knights aside to clear a path.


    Alex waited long enough for some of the Soldiers to reach her, cutting them down as they came. Then, as the Brute swung at her head, Alex dodged beneath the swipe and moved past the creature, hacking at its side with her axe. She felt it strike flesh and grinned as the Brute grunted in pain.


    Unlike before, however, Alex simply continued her charge. The Brute made a confused sound as it pivoted, lining up a strike at her back. It seemed to mistrust the opening, as if it expected her to use some trick.


    Its doubts were justified when Clara¡¯s crossbow bolt hit it a heartbeat later. The bolt had been perfectly aimed, taking the Brute right in the eye. Alex caught a hint of it staggering backwards, dropping a hammer to the ground so it could paw at its face. A second bolt hit it right in the back of its hand a moment later, pinning the thing¡¯s palm to its forehead.


    As the Brute staggered, uttering an enraged howl, Alex charged in at the other Grue. The Soldiers at the rear of the pack had just enough time to glance back before she crashed into them, her axe reaping a terrible toll. One of the Knights didn¡¯t turn fast enough, and she hamstrung it with a victorious shout. It went down on one knee, and another two hits sent its corpse crashing to the ground, headless.


    Flanked and panicking, the remaining Grue tried to form a circle to face both her and the Surveyors in front. Their efforts failed as Alessa lashed out to lay another two Soldiers low. Raul dashed forward to put his rapier through the heart, throat, and head of a Knight, before dodging the sideswipe of another one. Another Knight tried to behead Alex, only for her to twist its sword out of its grip and start hacking away at it.


    Behind her, she heard more howls from the Brute. She risked a glance backward to see it still staggering towards her, one hammer clutched in its fist. A vine suddenly whipped itself around its ankle, and another crossbow bolt bounced off its thick skull. The creature threw back its head and roared in rage, swinging at the air.


    Then a crossbow bolt took it in the throat, followed by another. The creature wavered and fell, even as Clara¡¯s victory shout rose through the air.


    The remaining Grue didn¡¯t last long after that. Surrounded and outmatched, they fell in a few moments, leaving their bodies to burn in the streets.


    [Battle Maneuvers advances to 23!]


    [Recovery advances to 10!]


    [Focus advances to 9!]


    [Dodging advances to 16!]


    [Blocking advances to 15!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 5 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 8 of 12 targets destroyed]


    Alex grinned at the notifications and then turned to the others. Raul was staring at her like she¡¯d lost her mind. ¡°What was that? Why was Clara taking out the Brute?¡±


    ¡°Seems like a good idea to change things up every so often, don¡¯t you think?¡± Alex looked between Raul and Alessa. ¡°Which one of you wants to take on the next one?¡±


    Alessa frowned. ¡°Alone?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯d distract it or weaken it for you. Like I did for Clara here.¡±


    The Porter nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take it. Might as well get it out of the way.¡±


    Raul didn¡¯t seem to know how to react. ¡°You people are crazy.¡±


    Alex smiled. ¡°Just wait. We¡¯re only getting started.¡±


    They staggered back into the lobby a full hour later.


    She was reasonably sure they were only a little behind schedule, but the payoff had been more than worth it. Alessa had worked with her to kill one Brute and it had given Raul enough of a boost in courage to take down the next one. The sight of him jumping like some kind of grasshopper to impale the Grue through the head had been exhilarating. After that, the last patrol had been almost depressingly boring.


    Of course, they¡¯d paid the price for their success. Raul was half-dead from fatigue, and Alessa was covered in scratches, but they were all still smiling in satisfaction as they saw the portal in sight at last. Clara was even humming a tune to herself as they walked into the building.


    There were still sounds of battle further into the city, but Alex ignored them. Given the distribution of the teams, it was probably the D ranks still fighting somewhere out there. Everyone else had been scheduled to be back well before that point.


    She paused before she went into the portal and turned to the others. ¡°All right, if you¡¯re going to reset or Chain your Skills, now¡¯s the time to do it. I¡¯m doing well, so the next Survey is probably our best bet for you to need to recover things. So keep that in mind when you make your decisions.¡±


    They all nodded. Then, her arms and legs still aching, Alex stepped through the portal and let the light take her¡­


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quest Completed! +100 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! +80 Experience]


    A full clear. It seemed like it had been forever since she had gotten one of those. More than that, she¡¯d nearly gotten her teammates a full clear, as well, even if it had worn them out a little. Another two missions like those, and they¡¯d be able to start thinking about moving up to D rank as well.


    The text then shifted, and Alex felt even more like gloating.


    [Battle Maneuvers increased from 20 to 25!]


    [Recovery increased from 0 to 12!]


    [Focus increased from 0 to 13!]


    [Dodging increased from 0 to 21!]


    [Blocking increased from 0 to 20!]


    Taken altogether, it represented a massive increase in her Skills. Battle Maneuvers was increasing at a painfully slow pace, but Dodging was making it seem like the enemy was moving in slow motion when they attacked her, and that only made it easier to use Focus to identify their weaknesses. Recovery had kept the worst of her fatigue at bay, which meant she¡¯d be entering the next fight fairly close to being fresh.


    None of them were at their maximum level, however, so the options that were given to her were all somewhat unappealing.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Focus and Recovery?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels]


    She did, but not until they were at maximum. Possibly not until the final Survey of crunch, too.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Focus and Blocking?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels]


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Focus and Dodging?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels]


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Recovery and Dodging?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels]


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Recovery and Blocking?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels]


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Blocking and Dodging?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels]


    Only the last one made her hesitate, and it was only long enough to remind herself that she needed to be patient. The next Survey would probably bring both Skills to maximum, which would give her a Title that was that much better. At least, that was what she was hoping for.


    Decisions made, she allowed the light to sweep her home¡­


    Her team staggered out of the portal, and Alex immediately saw Wells glowering at them. She sighed, realizing that she could no longer leave the reports to someone else. Then, waving goodbye to the others, she walked over to where the supervisor was standing.


    Wells examined her for a moment. ¡°So. Vanguard Morrison. How was your first Survey as a D rank?¡±


    She forced herself to smile. ¡°Tough, but we made it through. We completed our Main Quests, and the team performed well.¡±


    He tilted his head slightly. ¡°Did you perhaps notice the time?¡±


    Alex nodded. ¡°We returned to the portal as quickly as we could, Chief Wells.¡±


    Wells raised an eyebrow. ¡°As quickly as you could meant half an hour behind your assigned time slot?¡±


    Alex met his eyes and refused to give him any hint of backing down. ¡°Yeah, it did.¡±


    For a moment, he seemed ready to tear into her for it. Then he relaxed slightly. ¡°Unfortunately, that may mean that your team will have less time to rest, Vanguard. Our schedule during a crunch is less flexible than it would be otherwise.¡±


    She felt a flare of anger, one that she pushed back down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that, Chief Wells. We¡¯ll be ready to do what needs to be done.¡±


    Wells leaned forward slightly, trying to loom over her. His eyes were level and calm. ¡°See that you do.¡± He turned away from her as another team came back through the portal. ¡°You¡¯re dismissed.¡±

 B2Ch12: To the Rescue

    Alex went past the ready room to the bathroom, where she ducked inside. She had stashed a small bag there with her phone, which she used to send a brief message to her dad. A deal was a deal, after all.


    Then she went back to the ready room and found her team already slumped over a table. Alessa was getting her scratches looked at by Clara, who briefly looked up to wave Alex over. The Acolyte was already talking as Alex sat down.


    ¡°Alex, I don¡¯t know if we can hit the next Survey quite as hard. Not with our Skills low and already dragging.¡±


    She glanced at Raul, who had his head pillowed on his forearms. The Squire was already fast asleep, something that Alex actually approved of. A Surveyor had to sleep when they could, after all. ¡°We can slow it down a little if you want. I just felt like we needed a bit of a confidence boost.¡±


    Alessa snorted. ¡°Well, you managed that, at least.¡± She pushed Clara away a little, shaking her head. ¡°Will you cut it out? I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re bleeding. That means you aren¡¯t¡­¡± Clara paused. ¡°You¡¯re not bleeding anymore.¡±


    The Porter grinned. ¡°Nope. Though I am feeling a bit more tired.¡± She looked at Alex. ¡°I Chained Recovery and Resist together. Got something called Regeneration now. Seemed like a good idea.¡±


    Alex felt her eyes widen. It did sound perfect for the Porter¡¯s fighting style, but it also sounded painful. ¡°You picked up another Skill then?¡±


    Alessa nodded. ¡°Resist again. Figure I¡¯ll be taking enough hits for it to help.¡± Then she winced. ¡°Also reset Weapon Mastery, so I¡¯m going to be a little useless at first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll catch up quick.¡± Alex looked at Clara. ¡°What about you?¡±


    The Acolyte was still staring at Alessa, as if she were watching the woman¡¯s wounds close. ¡°I Chained Holy¨CNature and Sense. Gave me something called Lifesight, which should be useful.¡± Then she grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, though. I grabbed Holy¨CNature again, just in case you need some more magic. I didn¡¯t reset Snipe, though. Seemed too risky.¡±


    Alex chuckled. ¡°That makes sense. Anyone know about Raul?¡±


    ¡°He said something about having Evasion now, so probably Chained his Dodging. Maybe with Leap?¡± Alessa shook her head. ¡°He took Melee¨CSword again, though. I think he heard you did something similar near the end of E rank, just for a little extra attack power, right? Might have been copying you.¡±


    Alex thought it over. If that was the case, she¡¯d need to guard her team a little more in general, just to give them a chance to regain their Skills. Once they were back, though¡­ ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get some rest. Wells might send us in early, but I¡¯m betting he¡¯ll be fine with a little delay. Get some food, take a nap, and stay alive through the next Survey.¡±


    ¡°As ordered, captain.¡± Alessa gave her a tired salute, echoing an old joke, and Alex rolled her eyes. Then she went in search of a ration bar and an unoccupied chair to curl up in. Just an hour, maybe less, and they¡¯d be back in the other world again.


    As soon as Alex entered the other world, she could sense the Shade¡¯s eyes on her.


    She grimaced, deliberately not looking around. Wells might not have actually cut their rest short, but he had been very deliberate about emphasizing the need for them to return on time. He was probably just trying to put pressure on her to rush and get her team in trouble, but having the Shade of Liliana mess with her at the same time was not going to help.


    She looked at the others and nodded. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    They found the first patrol in just minutes.


    The Grue came spilling out of a side street, howling for their blood. Alex saw them coming and glanced at the others. They seemed paralyzed by the sight of their enemies, their hands loose on their weapons. She spoke loud enough to jolt them out of it. ¡°Clara, hit the Archers for me. Raul, Alessa, hit the Soldiers first, then the Knights. Avoid the Brute until I can finish him. Move!¡±


    She punctuated her own words by charging forward, her shield up and ready. Arrows snapped across the metal surface, but none of them were a real threat. Neither were the Soldiers that rushed towards her; she barely even bothered to hack at them, mostly just deflecting their spears and weaving her way through the forest of stabs. The Grue staggered and twisted in confusion in her wake, trying to turn and halt their charge to come after her; Raul and Alessa hit them before they recovered, sword and staff flickering.


    Alex barely paid them any attention. Her attention was almost fully absorbed by the Brute and the Knights. The Soldiers dying behind her and the Archers falling in front of her were nonentities by comparison. A quartet of Soldiers formed a wall in front of her; she hacked through them in a heartbeat, just as the Brute raised its hammers to strike.


    This time, the creature struck twice in quick succession. One hammer pounded down from overhead; she sidestepped it easily. When the second hammer came in from the side, Alex ducked below it and gave it a smack from her shield to speed it on its way. The Brute was thrown slightly off balance. She cut it in the side as she spun past it.


    It howled in rage, but she was already moving away from it. One of the Knights saw her coming and slashed at her. She caught the blow on her shield easily and then trapped the sword in the hook of her axe. A vicious twist sent it flying across the battlefield, nearly hitting a second Knight. The Brute came roaring after her; she hopped over a broad swing and punished it with a chop to its wrist that wasn¡¯t quite deep enough to do more than scratch it.


    She landed and heard the disarmed Knight howl as it lunged. Once again she sidestepped it, letting it accidentally shield-check the Brute. As the two giants got snarled up, Alex lashed out at a pair of opportunistic Soldiers and cut them from existence. Then she had to jump to the side to avoid a vertical chop from another Knight, turned to block a third sword that cut in from the side with her shield. Her feet barely slid with the impact, and she snarled in triumph as she swatted aside another swipe from the side with her axe.


    A howling Soldier jumped through with a desperate lunge; she kicked its legs out and crushed its skull with her shield. She saw a sword thrust coming and jumped over it, bringing her axe down on a Knight¡¯s knee. As it stumbled to its knees, she shield-checked an unfortunate Soldier, dodged a pair of hammerblows from the Brute, and caught the third with the hook of her axe. The power of the hit nearly ripped the weapon from her hands, but she still pivoted to throw the Brute off balance; she caught a flash of surprise in its face just before she slammed the boss of her shield into its face.


    With the Brute staggering back, she heard more than felt the pair of Knights coming at her back. She pivoted with lightning speed and caught their blades on her shield; the force nearly threw her back into the Brute¡¯s embrace, but she kept her feet. A cut from her axe knocked the swords aside, and she charged into the gap between the Knights, dodging a furious hammer strike from behind. One of the Knights wasn¡¯t as fortunate. The Brute shattered its shield in fury and stomped after her without looking at the fallen Grue.


    Alex had a glimpse of the fallen Archers, the crossbow bolts standing out from their skulls, before she turned and ducked below a hammer swing. She caught another glimpse of the others; two of the Knights were down, and she saw Alessa smashing a third to the ground. The remaining three were following the Brute with rage in their eyes, then one of them abruptly straightened up as bolt after bolt hit it from behind.


    She grinned as she turned to face them again, ready for their charge. The Brute was fastest, and it lashed out with both hammers. Alex deflected them with axe and shield, only for the thing to rear back and kick her in the chest.


    Shock traveled through her as she went flying backwards. She hit the pavement and rolled, feeling the fragments of asphalt grind into her skin. Her breath came with difficulty, and she found herself hoping the creature hadn¡¯t broken a rib. Alex came back to her feet, mostly thanks to countless practice sessions with the Crimson Blade herself, and looked up at the approaching Grue blearily.


    The Brute was still charging after her, and Alex straightened up to face it with a grimace. It didn¡¯t seem to realize that its companions were no longer following it. Both Knights had been hit from behind by Raul and Alessa. Alex smiled, tasting a bit of blood on her teeth, and then the creature was on her.


    She dodged as it swung at her, but this time she had no reason to draw things out. There was no longer a need to provide a distraction, so this time, when it reared back to kick her, she caught it in the act. Alex lashed out with the back spike of her axe and jammed it into the Brute¡¯s ankle. Then she twisted it to yank the thing¡¯s foot even further forward, forcing it into an attempted split that tumbled it to the ground with an agonizing scream.


    The noise lasted just long enough for her to dodge past its flailing hammers and start putting her axe in its skull. After her fourth swing, the thing finally went silent and began to burn.


    [Recovery advances to 13!]


    [Focus advances to 15!]


    [Dodging advances to 22!]


    [Blocking advances to 22!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 1 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 1 of 4 targets destroyed]


    Alex dismissed the text and spat blood on the ground. It ignited with an orange flame, something that made her grimace.


    Clara was at her side a moment later. Alex waved her off. ¡°I¡¯m good. They just got a decent hit in.¡± She forced herself to grin. ¡°Everyone got their Skills to advance a little?¡±


    The others exchanged a look, and Alessa spoke first. ¡°Yeah. Hey, you remembered I was the one with Regeneration, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar.¡± Alex chuckled. It hurt far too much. ¡°But this is too important. The next fight you¡¯ll all do much better, but you need time. So I¡¯ll try to give you as much as you need. Just¡­ don¡¯t take forever, okay?¡±


    They nodded, Raul looking a little pale. She looked at him. ¡°All right, then. We¡¯re going to do that ambush at the row house again, okay? Raul, you¡¯re on Archer duty. Don¡¯t take forever with it, cause these things are really bad dancers.¡±


    Despite themselves, they all laughed a little. Alex gave them a fierce grin and then forced herself up and forwards. She had plenty more to do for the day.


    Her ribs had mostly stopped aching by the time the third patrol went down, though it was hard to tell if that was because it had actually healed, or if she had just hurt in so many places that she couldn¡¯t tell it apart anymore. It was enough to make her envy Alessa¡¯s Skills. Her helmet and armor turned more attacks away than she could count; she dodged and blocked with frantic speed, keeping the attention of the Grue on her while her companions cut them down.


    It was paying off, despite the pain. Raul¡¯s ambush for the Archers went flawlessly, his rapier cutting through them with a speed she hadn¡¯t expected. His bladework had improved by leaps and bounds afterwards, and he carved his way through Grue with a familiar kind of ease. Alessa had taken her turn next. The Porter had simply accepted knife cuts and even an arrow shot to bring the Archers down, before turning and smashing her way into the rear of the pack. Alex had watched in amazement as the cuts and wounds had closed before her eyes.


    Clara¡¯s improvements were less dramatic, but they were just as impressive in their own ways. She started to lead them through the city, peering at things that nobody else could see. When the fourth patrol had been hiding in a nearby shop, she¡¯d seen them through a wall, and motioned for the others to creep around to hit them from behind. Alex had taken the Archers that time, carving through them on her way to the Brute and the Soldiers beyond.


    That fourth fight had sealed her approval of the new team. Raul moved like some kind of dancer, whipping his blade through throats and limb before abruptly stabbing through hearts and skulls. The Knights seemed to be unable to keep up with him, especially once he began to leap and dodge about like some sort of berserk acrobat.


    Alessa had taken a different approach, simply barging into walls of spears and shattering them with the swings of her staff. Wounds only made the Porter snarl and swing harder; half the time, they had already healed by the time the fight was over, if the spears even left more than a scratch in the first place. Alex worried a little that the woman was letting herself get hit far too often, but Alessa had simply shrugged off the question and asked how Alex¡¯s ribs were doing.


    Snarky subordinates aside, things were mostly going well. Even the occasional hints of the Shade weren¡¯t enough to put a dampener on things.


    Of course, that was when everything started to go wrong.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, they¡¯re hurt.¡±


    Clara¡¯s voice was filled with worry, and Alex frowned. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Alessa looked at her, uncertain. ¡°She¡¯s saying that she can see another team, and that she can tell one of them is wounded.¡±


    Alex opened her mouth to call it crazy, but she paused. She hadn¡¯t learned much about Lifesight before, and Clara hadn¡¯t described it a lot since she¡¯d gained it. ¡°What do you see? Are you sure they aren¡¯t Grue?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not Grue.¡± Clara shook her head stubbornly. ¡°Grue are purple. All kinds of purple, but always purple. These are other colors.¡±


    Alex¡¯s eyes narrowed. Her mind flashed back to her conversation with Zach, back in her time at the Portal Analysis Department. ¡°What colors are they?¡±


    ¡°Two reds, one a lot¡­ redder than the other? One blue, and one orange.¡± Clara paused. ¡°The orange one is hurt. They¡¯re¡­ leaking somehow?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t describe it well.¡±


    Alex¡¯s heart started pounding a bit harder. The area next to hers was supposed to have gone to the team with Joanna and Audrey on it. Blue and red were the colors of Adepts and Squires¡ªand the team had been led by a Squire at D rank, and had been joined by a Porter. ¡°How far away are they?¡±


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Three blocks, right at the edge of my range.¡± Clara pointed. ¡°Problem is, they¡¯re headed straight back to the portal. If they go straight there, I can see a patrol of Grue waiting for them.¡±


    Alex grimaced. If a team was already carrying wounded, and was ambushed¡­ ¡°How far?¡±


    Less than a minute later, they were jogging towards an intersection. Alex felt pain with each step jolt through her legs, but the urgency of the situation pushed her to keep moving. ¡°How long?¡±


    Clara was gasping for breath beside her. ¡°Almost¡­ there.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°When we hit them¡­ shoot the big one. Want it¡­ to hit us.¡±


    The Acolyte nodded, and Alex tightened her grip on her axe. She¡¯d felt a hint of the Shade¡¯s presence again, waiting inside one of the skyscrapers they were passing. Now would be a terrible time for it to make an appearance. Still, she couldn¡¯t just leave Joanna and Audrey isolated.


    They burst out into the intersection and turned east. The other team came to a stop, their eyes widening in surprise. All of them had seen better days; the Porter was leaning heavily on the D rank Squire, and both Audrey and Joanna were covered in scrapes. Clearly, they hadn¡¯t expected to see another group so close.


    Of course, they also hadn¡¯t expected to see the Grue spilling out into the street in front of them. The monsters began a braying warcry, only to stop when they saw they were facing two teams. They paused, suddenly unsure of themselves, looking back and forth between the groups.


    Alex didn¡¯t give them a chance to choose the wrong way. She screamed her own warcry and charged. Clara¡¯s crossbow snapped out a bolt, and the Brute howled as it punched into its forearm. Raul choked out a warcry along with her, though Alessa was just running in silence.


    The Grue had barely started to form up when her team hit them. Raul carved through the Soldiers on the right, Alessa slammed into them on the left, and Alex dove straight into the middle.


    Once again, she was hemmed in on all sides by spearpoints. She cut and hacked at them, using her shield to deflect arrows and snap spears. The Soldiers melted back as she forged her way through them, and the Brute started to step forward, its hammers ready to strike.


    Then Clara shot it in the face again, and Alex let out a wild, triumphant laugh. She ducked beneath a clumsy strike and slammed her axe into one knee after another. The Brute gurgled a roar of rage, and she shield-checked it over onto its back. Then she ran past it to slam into the Soldiers barring her way to the Archers. They melted into broken corpses within moments, and the Archers were suddenly scrambling to drop their bows for knives.


    It didn¡¯t do them any good. Alex was among them, crushing with her shield and chopping to pieces with her axe. Four of them were down in moments, and the remainder were still trying to flank her when the Knights arrived.


    There were two of them, futilely trying to rescue their friends. She swatted one sword swing away with her axe, deflected the other with her shield, and then dodged into point blank range with the closest one. Its eyes widened just before she delivered three quick strikes to the gut; as it folded over, she smashed it in the head with her shield and heard its neck snap. In the same motion, she pivoted and sidestepped around another swing of the other Knight¡¯s sword, and slammed her axe into its elbow. It dropped the sword with a howl, and she stepped in past its shield and cut it apart.


    She had just finished it when both Archers jumped her from behind, their knives flashing. Their movements seemed so ridiculously slow now; dodging between the blades was child¡¯s play. A slash for each of them finished the fight. Alex turned back towards the Brute just in time to see Clara putting her foot on its chest and firing her crossbow right between its eyes.


    Moment later the purple fires roared, and Alex looked back towards the second team, who had drawn back into a tight defensive formation. She smiled as the orange text appeared.


    [Recovery advances to 16!]


    [Focus advances to 18!]


    [Dodging advances to 23!]


    [Blocking advances to 23!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 5 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 8 of 12 targets destroyed]


    ¡°They jumped us when we were still gathering the stuff from another patrol.¡± Patricia, the D rank Squire, shook her head. ¡°Daryl here jumped in front of a spear to protect me while I was fighting the Brute. Moved just a little too slow to block it.¡±


    Despite the flat tone of her words, Alex could hear the guilt and grief behind it. Daryl was barely conscious at this point, his eyes fluttering as Patricia tried to help him to stand. Joanna gave Alex a significant look, but Audrey was just looking defeated.


    ¡°All right.¡± Alex straightened up and looked back at her team. ¡°We¡¯ll get you back to the portal. Clara, are there any more Grue waiting along the way?¡±


    The Acolyte stared in the direction for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. At least, not for the next few blocks, and it should be close enough to escape at that point.¡±


    Patricia shifted slightly, taking a bit more weight onto her shoulder. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do this. We can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Daryl¡¯s counting on you to get him home.¡± Alex held her eyes until Patricia looked away. Then she nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s move, then. Don¡¯t worry about defense, just carry him. The rest of us will escort you in.¡±


    She looked to the others. ¡°Alessa, Raul, you two hit the Brutes. Try to switch off who finishes them. I¡¯m going to wipe the Archers. Joanna, Clara, Audrey, get the Knights and keep Alessa and Raul free.¡± They each nodded, concern breaking through their weariness. Alex looked towards the portal¡­ and paused.


    Liliana was standing in the street. Even at that distance, Alex could see a cruel grin twisting its way across the Shade¡¯s smoke-shrouded face.


    Then the thing was gone, and Alex snarled. ¡°Let¡¯s move!¡±


    Six blocks and two patrols later, the portal building was in sight.


    The combined teams were panting with exhaustion, but they¡¯d almost made it there. With Clara¡¯s Lifesight, the ambushes the Grue tried to set hadn¡¯t caught them off guard, and neither patrol had much of a chance of doing anything to slow the group down. Patricia had slung Daryl over her shoulder like a sack of cement, and the D rank practically radiated relief as they made the last turn.


    Then Clara shouted. ¡°Another one, incoming!¡±


    Alex grimaced. ¡°Raul, Alessa, switch to the Knights! Joanna, Audrey, you¡¯re on the Brutes now! Patricia, get through the portal.¡± She accelerated, forcing her legs into a faster pace. The other Surveyors shifted their formation, the members of her team looking a bit grateful to no longer have to face the massive enemies. Patricia seemed about to argue, but she shook her head and put on a burst of speed of her own, running for the exit.


    As the Grue spilled out into the street, Alex joined the others in a warcry that nearly drowned out their howls. One of the Knights stepped out and turned, only to take a crossbow bolt in the eye before it could raise its shield. Clara put a second bolt into its throat as it staggered backward, and it fell.


    Alex aimed for that same side, running hard. She hit the weakened flank like a bowling ball, smashing through the Soldiers as if they were nothing more than pins. When a Knight lunged after her in an attempt to slow her down, Alex dodged the blade, then brought her shield down on it with enough force to knock it out of the thing¡¯s hand. It tried to shield-check her; she darted to the side and then slipped back in next to it, axe already hacking.


    It went down moments later, and then she was chasing down the Archers as they tried to scatter. Even without her Running Skill, they were nowhere near fast enough, and soon enough, the Grue were just bodies burning on the asphalt.


    [Battle Maneuvers advances to 27!]


    [Recovery advances to 18!]


    [Focus advances to 20!]


    [Dodging advances to 25!]


    [Blocking advances to 25!]


    [Main Quest Completed!]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 11 of 12 targets destroyed]


    Alex let out a shaky breath and looked at the others. Patricia had already disappeared through the portal inside, carrying the unconscious Surveyor. She took a cautious look at Raul, who was looking about to fall over, and decided it couldn¡¯t be helped. ¡°Audrey, Joanna, before you were ambushed, did you¡­ feel anything?¡±


    Joanna paused, looking over at her in surprise, but Audrey simply nodded. She had been studying Alessa with an expression that suggested a bit of competition, but now she shifted her attention to Alex. ¡°Yeah. Really creepy, actually, like the Killer was on us again. Like something was¡ª¡±


    ¡°Watching you. Hunting you.¡± Alex held her breath for a moment until Audrey nodded. She looked at Joanna, and the Adept gave a reluctant nod too. ¡°Clara, what about you?¡±


    The Acolyte blinked. Then she seemed to think it over. ¡°Kind of? I thought it was just an effect of Lifesight, though.¡±


    Alessa spoke up from where she was leaning against a window, leaking blood from scrapes that were already healing. ¡°I might have been feeling that too, though. Thought I was just getting jumpy.¡±


    Alex shook her head. She¡¯d thought Liliana would only be after her, the person who had killed her. If she could hunt everyone involved¡ªall of the Surveyors that had taken a piece out of her, instead of just the one that had delivered the finishing blow¡­ ¡°Clara, I¡¯m sorry, but I need you to stay with me. We need to find Brian and Tim¡¯s team. Maybe Sam¡¯s team too.¡±


    The others looked a bit confused until Raul¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°That Shade thing. I thought¡­¡± He looked around at them. ¡°It¡¯s after all of you?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Realization dawned on all their faces, and she shrugged. ¡°If they got ambushed too, they might be in trouble. The rest of you can head in, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, fat chance of that, Al.¡± Audrey shouldered her club and grinned. ¡°Nobody gets left behind, right?¡± The others all nodded, even Raul, who seemed as determined as he was tired. Alex felt a small flicker of gratitude, buried deep under a wave of exhaustion. She turned north, to where Brian and Tim had been sent.


    ¡°All right, then, let¡¯s find them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got them.¡± Clara¡¯s voice was shaking slightly, but the Acolyte continued with an intense look on her face. ¡°A really strong green. A red and an orange. A yellow too. The green and the yellow are hurt.¡±


    Alex grimaced. The red and orange were Brian and Tim, but the green and yellow were probably the E rank Page and D rank Acolyte that had gone with them. If two of them were wounded¡­ ¡°How far?¡±


    ¡°Two blocks.¡± Clara¡¯s face grew grim. ¡°Grue patrol waiting for them in a shop a block away, though.¡±


    She nodded and then looked at the others. ¡°Sounds like we have a great way to introduce ourselves. Come on!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we felt it. I think I saw her too.¡± Brian shook his head. ¡°I thought we were all done with that witch.¡±


    ¡°You and me both.¡± Alex shook her arm out a little. One of the Archers had managed to hit her with an arrow, and the scratch it had left after it punched through her armor was stinging. ¡°Can you two make it to the portal with the others?¡±


    Tim nodded. He was helping the wounded Page hobble along on a wounded ankle. The D rank was standing on his own two feet, but he was wavering, and Brian was standing close, like the Squire expected him to fall and wanted to be there to catch him. ¡°We can make it, captain. As long as nothing else jumps us between here and there.¡±


    Alex glanced at Clara, who shook her head. ¡°It seems like it should be clear. I don¡¯t know what else she might bring in, though.¡±


    Brian snorted. ¡°Well yeah. Knowing her, she¡¯s probably trying to build an Anchor Point somewhere as we speak. She seemed to like the last one.¡±


    Alessa shoved him, giving him a look mixed with fondness. ¡°Stop making it worse, you grump.¡±


    The Squire rolled his eyes. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m just saying what you were all thinking.¡±


    Raul scrubbed his hands over his eyes for a moment. ¡°Who are you people? What did they have you doing at your last company?¡±


    Tim laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll fill you in later.¡± Joanna glared at him, and he winced. ¡°About our alleged experiences. Unofficially, of course.¡±


    Looking around at her tired cluster of Surveyors, Alex hesitated. She wanted to make sure Sam and Ed were safe, but Brian and Tim clearly needed the escort. Did she go to the portal and then try to come back out to where the last patrol was moving? Or did she force the wounded Surveyors to hobble along with them while they looked for the last team?


    She was still hesitating when Raul spoke up. ¡°Alex? I finished my Hidden Quests.¡± When she looked at him, he raised an eyebrow. ¡°I think Alessa and I could help this team return home. In case you needed to search further.¡±


    Alex looked at him and felt the tension running through her ease a little. ¡°You¡¯re sure you can make it?¡±


    Tim nudged Brian with an elbow. ¡°Not all of us are wounded. We can still fight if we have to, and if Clara says the way is mostly clear¡­¡±


    ¡°Besides, Raul and I are almost tapped out, anyway.¡± Alessa gave her a tired smile. The Porter looked like a mass of bruises and scratches, to the point where her Regeneration wasn¡¯t quite keeping up anymore. ¡°Let us get these guys home and go take care of Sam. I miss the smarmy little sneak.¡±


    Alex relaxed a little more. She felt a wave of dizziness sweep through her, and she steadied herself against a nearby lightpost. ¡°All right. Get back to the portal. Let them know what we¡¯re doing. We¡¯ll be there soon.¡±


    The others nodded. Tim gave her a salute. ¡°As ordered, captain.¡±


    She glared at him. ¡°I¡¯m not a captain.¡±


    Alessa snorted. ¡°So she says. As we mount multiple rescue missions.¡± She walked over to the Page and shoved an arm under the Surveyor¡¯s other armpit. ¡°All right, let¡¯s get moving. You too Alex.¡±


    They set off down the street, moving carefully. Alex watched them for a moment and then turned to the others. ¡°All right. Just like old times, right?¡±


    Joanna smirked. ¡°Sure. Outnumbered, tired, and Liliana trying to kill us. Sounds about right.¡±


    Audrey laughed, and they set out through the city, heading to where Ed¡¯s team had been sent. Alex just hoped that they would get there in time.


    They found the Surveyors northwest of the portal, heading home at a speed that said they were running. The reason way became obvious when Clara pointed out the Grue patrol chasing them. Clara didn¡¯t report any major wounds on them, but Alex didn¡¯t want to take the risk.


    She and her friends hurled themselves on the Grue patrol, tearing through them with the desperation of people on their last legs. Alex had told the others to take care of the Knights; she¡¯d completed her own Hidden Quest during the last fight. Now she just wanted to finish things with a statement for Liliana, wherever she was.


    The Archers died first as Alex tore through them. Soldiers were scattered with every smash of her shield or swing of her axe. Then the Brute was there, roaring. She thought she saw a flicker of surprise in its eyes as she dodged it easily, avoiding the hammers as if they were simple swings. Its surprise turned to fear as she began to dart in and carve it apart, and as her fellow Surveyors ripped through its fellow Grue.


    In the end, she brought it down and finished the job. Then she half collapsed onto the pavement, going down on one knee. It vaguely occurred to her she might have overdone things. If she rescued the others, but couldn¡¯t get home herself¡­


    Then she saw Ed¡¯s team coming back to join them, their faces showing signs of shock and awe. Ed, in particular, looked like he was a little in awe. ¡°Alex? What are you doing here? This isn¡¯t your area. You were supposed to be back through the portal by now, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Thought you might have gotten into some trouble.¡± Alex forced herself to stand and nearly collapsed again. Ed caught her and gave her someone to lean against for a moment. Everything seemed like it hurt, but it felt nice to just lean for a bit. She looked at Sam. ¡°Someone watching you?¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s after all of us, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Alex nodded. ¡°As usual.¡± Then she looked around. The feeling of being watched had just vanished. Perhaps two teams together were simply too many for the Shade to think it could win? ¡°Let¡¯s get home. I¡¯m ready for some rest.¡±


    They made it back to the portal a short time later. No further Grue patrols tried to ambush them; even tired, the nine Surveyors could probably have minced any monsters that came after them. Alex didn¡¯t feel Liliana chasing them, either. Instead, she had to deal with Joanna, Sam, and Clara muttering about something out of earshot, and Bob calling her ¡®Valkyrie¡¯ for some reason. She was too tired to parse any of it, and the sight of the portal waiting for them nearly made her weep from joy.


    She practically fell through the vortex, and the light chased the misery of the other world away for at least a little while¡­


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quest Completed! +100 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! +80 Experience]


    Another full clear, though this one had been a much more difficult amount of work. She grimaced and shook her head as the text changed.


    [Battle Maneuvers increased from 25 to 28!]


    [Recovery increased from 12 to 20!]


    [Focus increased from 13 to 23!]


    [Dodging increased from 21 to 25!]


    [Blocking increased from 20 to 25!]


    All that work and Battle Maneuvers still wasn¡¯t at maximum. It was a painful reminder of how much harder a Permanent Skill was going to be to level up compared to a regular one. Still, it was going to be worth the work, if she could manage to get through one more Survey.


    [Dodging has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Dodging to gain a Title?]


    She refused, as she did for the Blocking option she was offered a moment later.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Focus and Recovery?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels]


    She shook her head. The two Skills had just barely fallen short of maximum as well. A pity, but it was probably for the best considering the situation. She¡¯d need Recovery if she was going to make it through the next set of fights.


    Alex waded through the rest of the Chaining options until she finally reached the one she actually wanted.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Blocking and Dodging?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels]


    With a weary kind of resignation, she agreed.


    A rush of power flowed through her, and Alex felt her eyes widen as the Skills combined. The notification that arrived a moment later was almost anticlimactic.


    [Skill Chain unlocked! Skills Dodging and Blocking removed. Skill Deflect gained! Skill Chain bonus gained! Title Natural Defender gained (Increases Skill grade of Deflect, Dodging, Blocking, Resist, and Zeal by one.)]


    [Skill Choice available. Please select an additional Skill.]


    It was a difficult choice. Part of her wanted to pick Recovery, but she already had the Skill, and it wouldn¡¯t be available again until she Chained the first copy. Some of the magic Skills taunted her as well; she¡¯d seen how helpful Clara¡¯s talents had been there, and the possibility of doing something similar was an incredible temptation. Even Resist seemed like a tempting option, given the number of hits she¡¯d probably take during training and Surveys in the future.


    Alex forced herself to set those things aside and consider her situation. The main problem she was going to have was the delay for Battle Maneuvers. If she wanted to continue resetting her Permanent Skill, she was going to face incredibly long delays when she needed to level it back up. It could leave her vulnerable to Grue, or to whatever Wells had planned. She needed to be able to fight, even while she was building up her Titles.


    So, with a grimace, she chose Melee¨CAxe. It wasn¡¯t the flashiest Skill, but it would level up quickly, and it could cover for those times when Battle Maneuvers was recovering. Perhaps after her next Skill Chain, she could take Melee¨CShield and regain Combined Arms again. Time would tell.


    Then she was moving forward through the light, and toward home¡­

 B2Ch13: A New Gauntlet

    Alex emerged into a portal room that was nearly empty. Most of the Surveyors had already cleared out; Ed was already delivering his report to Wells, and the rest were staggering out to the ready room. There were already some other Surveyors there waiting for them; she could see Alessa and Raul peeking in at her anxiously. Others were welcoming Bob and Mary back, talking to them in low voices.


    Ignoring the statue of her mother, Alex dragged herself over to wait behind Ed. She was too tired to listen in on the conversation, but Wells seemed increasingly frustrated by what Ed was saying. When he eventually dismissed the other D rank, the chief gestured her forward with an impatient motion. ¡°Vanguard Morrison. Your Survey has been rather unusual.¡±


    She smiled despite herself. ¡°You could say that, Chief.¡± His jaw tightened slightly, and she sighed. ¡°I apologize I was late coming back through the portal, but there were Surveyors who needed help. I wasn¡¯t going to abandon them.¡±


    The blunt words echoed through the room, and the Surveyors who had been muttering in the hall abruptly fell silent. Wells didn¡¯t quite glance in that direction, and offered her a tight, frustrated smile. ¡°Sometimes difficult choices must be made, Vanguard. You know that¡¯s true. Even the Crimson Blade couldn¡¯t save everyone.¡±


    Alex felt a twitch of anger burn to life at the mention of her mother. If she had her way, Wells would never talk about her ever again. ¡°I know, Chief Wells¡ªbut I am not her.¡±


    ¡°Clearly.¡± The contempt and anger in Wells¡¯ voice didn¡¯t have the effect he probably intended. It took a good part of her self-control to not roll her eyes. ¡°Go rest and prepare yourself for the last Survey, Vanguard. Your job isn¡¯t done yet.¡±


    She nodded and then headed out into the hallway. The Surveyors looked at her as she passed, but she didn¡¯t say anything else, aside from giving Alessa and Raul a brief smile. Then she went to the bathroom. After all, she had a text to send.


    [D Rank Surveyor Alex, Gatekeeper]


    [Ascension Level: 5]


    [Role: Porter (Role Skills: Recovery(20)]


    [Role Level: 0]


    [Experience: 740/2100]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 5, Speed -> 10, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Focus(23), Deflect(0), Melee¨CAxe(0)]


    [Permanent Skills: Battle Maneuvers(28)]


    [Current Titles: Heir of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by three.),


    Barbarity (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by four.),


    Destined Champion (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by four),


    Relentless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, and Marathoning by three.)


    Tireless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery Skills by three.)


    Natural Defender (Increases Skill grade of Deflect, Dodging, Blocking, Resist, and Zeal by one.)]


    Alex studied the information with a dull kind of interest. It was amusing to her that her basic Melee Skill was probably going to be twice as strong as Battle Maneuvers would have been without Titles. Maybe taking it hadn¡¯t been such a sacrifice after all.


    [Please select your intent]


    [Exploration]


    [Vengeance]


    [Patrol]


    [War]


    [Salvage]


    She spent longer looking at the options than she should have. There was really only one choice if she wanted to match her team, but it still rankled to have to choose it.


    [Your intent is to Patrol]


    [Quest Issued! Clear at least eight Grue patrols.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    Alex took a deep breath. Just one more Survey, and the madness would be over. All she had to do was last that long.


    The light took her¡­


    Alex stepped out into the other world and felt Liliana¡¯s eyes on her almost immediately.


    She looked up and saw the Shade. Liliana was staring out at her from the street, a look of hatred on her face. Then she vanished.


    Turning back to her team, Alex shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s going to be ugly out there.¡±


    They stared back at her. Raul and Alessa both had dark circles under their eyes, though at least Alessa had healed a lot since they had last been in a fight. Clara seemed fresher, but her eyes were worried; she¡¯d been staring out the window at the spot where Liliana had been.


    The newest two members of their team, Brian and Tim, simply exchanged a look and shrugged. Wells had almost been gloating as he reorganized the remaining E ranks. Joanna and Audrey had gone with Sam on Ed¡¯s team; the other Red Blade E ranker had been shifted to yet another team, looking a bit dejected at being shuffled around. Brian and Tim had been sent with her, ¡®to help her stay on schedule¡¯ if he could be believed.


    She suspected it had more to do with how quickly the members of her team were progressing; he seemed to want to slow down successful teams by whatever means were necessary. Whatever the reason, it suddenly meant that she was leading a larger team than she¡¯d ever had to manage before. At least with how tired they all were, they¡¯d be able to help each other, but it still meant that everyone completing the Hidden Quests was going to be nearly impossible.


    Standing around in the portal building wasn¡¯t going to make it any better, though. She sighed to herself and led her team out into the city on aching legs. One more Survey, and the crunch would be over.


    The next hour was a gauntlet of battles. Grue patrols threw themselves at her team one after another, swarming in with desperate howls and unwavering attacks. Alex caught sight of Liliana each time, staff extended, sending her minions into battle. Each time, her expression seemed almost gleeful, mocking the fatigue that burned in Alex¡¯s lungs and limbs. It didn¡¯t seem to matter to the Shade how many of her nightmarish allies she sent to destruction, as long as Alex was being worn down.


    Fortunately, she had enough Surveyors with her to be able to slow down the onslaught. She assigned each of them a Knight to kill with each battle, and for the first five fights, focused on taking down the Brutes. One of each of the others was assigned to take down the Archers, hopefully completing at least one of their Hidden Quests.


    Once they¡¯d finished, she shifted focus and started crippling the Brutes before leaving them for her teammates to finish. They killed the thing while she raced past them to finish the Archers, occasionally picking up one of the Knights on her way. One after another, they took down the gigantic creatures and cut their way through waves of enemies. Every time another patrol fell, she saw Liliana smiling at her, and stubborn determination flared up in her. Wells wasn¡¯t going to beat her, and neither was the Shade. One way or the other, she was going to finish things and return home.


    By the time she pulled back from the burning remains of the eighth patrol, Alex was wavering on her feet. Exhausted, they started back towards the portal, but four more patrols were waiting for them. Brian and Tim took down their own Brutes, and then they began to leave them for her to take down while they picked off the Archers.


    Finally, as they staggered back into the portal building, barely three hours after they left, Alex started to laugh. There was darkness in the corners of her vision, but it didn¡¯t matter. Her team had made it home. They had all made it home.


    As she stepped through the portal, she felt her fatigue lighten slightly as the magic carried her back¡­


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quest Completed! +100 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! +80 Experience]


    She¡¯d barely even noticed when she¡¯d finished the Quests. How many patrols had they killed again?


    [Battle Maneuvers increased from 28 to 30!]


    [Recovery increased from 20 to 25!]


    [Focus increased from 23 to 25!]


    [Deflect increased from 0 to 23!]


    [Melee¨CAxe increased from 0 to 25!]


    A flicker of humor raced across her mind. Almost all of her Skills were at maximum now. Not bad for someone that was almost at the edge of collapse.


    [Battle Maneuvers has reached level 30! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Battle Maneuvers to gain a Title?]


    Part of her rebelled against the idea. She¡¯d worked so hard to gain that maximum level. At the same time, she would finally have the chance to train outside of combat. Resetting her primary combat Skill wouldn¡¯t risk the lives of everyone on her team, and she had her Melee Skill to make up for it.


    So, gritting her teeth, she agreed.


    [Title Heir of War upgraded to Title Queen of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by four.)]


    Queen of War sounded promising enough, and it would make her Melee Skill that much better as well. Not a terrible result.


    [Focus has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Focus to gain a Title?]


    She refused immediately, along with the options for Recovery and Melee. After all, she had much bigger plans for at least two of those Skills.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Focus and Recovery?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels]


    Bracing against the weariness that would threaten to overwhelm her, she accepted.


    The power that flowed through her warred with the flood of fatigue.


    [Skill Chain unlocked! Skills Focus and Recovery removed. Skill Meditation gained! Skill Chain bonus gained! Title Inner Thought gained (Increases Skill grade of Meditation, Focus, Recovery, Arcane, and Sense by one.)]


    [Skill Choice available. Please select an additional Skill.]


    Alex grinned. The Chain had more or less given her what she wanted. Now she just needed to stay alive long enough to take advantage of it.


    Of course, her next Skill would help with that. She chose Melee¨CShield¡ªonce again relying on an old friend¡ªand closed her eyes as the light flowed around her¡­


    This time, she did collapse when she left the portal. Her legs simply refused to work anymore the minute she stepped out onto the concrete. One minute she was striding confidently out of a vortex of magic and chaos, and the next she was on her hands and knees on the ground.


    Her vision blurred for a moment, and she briefly wondered if she was going to pass all the way out. Obviously, she had underestimated exactly how much her Recovery Skill had been helping her through that last Survey.


    Hands reached down and helped her up, and Alex looked over gratefully at Ed. Her fellow D rank looked a little worse for wear, but it didn¡¯t keep his eyes from being concerned. ¡°Hey, you all right?¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Alex nodded, not entirely trusting her voice. She forced herself to stand on her own. Her legs only trembled a little as she walked over to where Wells was waiting.


    He studied her with a distinctly dissatisfied air. ¡°Vanguard Morrison.¡±


    She looked back at him. ¡°Chief Wells.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pleased to see that you managed to come back on time.¡± Wells smiled, a very small twist of his lips. His eyes glittered with continued hostility. ¡°It seems like you could use some time to rest.¡±


    Alex gave him an incredulous look. ¡°Yes, Chief. That would be appreciated.¡±


    ¡°Then go to the barracks and sleep. We have training again starting tomorrow.¡± Wells turned away before looking back. ¡°You¡¯ll be joining us in the D rank training sessions, of course. Be ready to be challenged.¡±


    She studied him with narrow eyes, and nodded. He swept out of the room, and she grimaced once he was out of sight.


    Then she headed for the bathroom. She had a text to send, and then a brief phone call. Hopefully after that, she could finally rest.


    Alex cracked one reluctant eye open and peered out at the morning with it.


    It didn¡¯t seem like a bad morning, but previous experience had taught Alex to be a bit less than optimistic. She watched the still forms of her other barracks-mates for a moment longer, and then slowly levered herself up.


    Every movement brought a sharp jab of pain as her body took revenge for the agony she had inflicted on it the past three days. That cost, combined with the lack of any Recovery Skill, left her wincing with every motion.


    Of course, that was where her brand-new Meditation Skill was supposed to come in.


    Still wincing with every breath and movement, Alex quietly arranged herself on the bed, folding her legs beneath her. Closing her eyes the way her mother had always instructed her, she began to run through a breathing exercise. Breathe in the calm, breathe out the pain. It was a simple thing, something that her mom had always helped her to do when she was upset or in pain.


    Now, though, she could feel the pull of magic as she worked. Each breath didn¡¯t just calm her mind; it also soothed the aches and pains she was feeling. It started out small, and then the feeling increased as she continued.


    What felt like a short time later, she opened her eyes to find Audrey examining her from far too close a range. She yelped and fell on her back, while Clara laughed. The Squire snorted. ¡°I thought you¡¯d somehow fallen asleep sitting up. Are you really that tired?¡±


    ¡°No. Just practicing.¡± A notification popped up, the glowing orange text hovering just out of sight.


    [Meditation advances to 2!]


    She checked the time and found that she¡¯d been working on it for about half an hour. Not bad, but not exactly impressive. At the very least she¡¯d be able to recover a lot more efficiently, now that she could activate it instead of waiting for the Skill to decide to do something on its own.


    Joanna was studying her with a sharp eye. ¡°You¡¯re sure you¡¯re all right? You pushed yourself hard yesterday. Too hard, from what Clara was telling me.¡±


    Alex shot Clara a look, but the Acolyte just folded her arms and met her stare for stare. She sighed. ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped. Liliana was out in force, and it seemed like we were getting attacked every ten minutes.¡±


    Clara nodded. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be that bad all the time, right? When we aren¡¯t doing crunch?¡±


    ¡°No. I think Liliana will have a harder time finding us outside of that.¡± Alex thought over the possibilities and sighed. ¡°Then again, I don¡¯t want to think about what she¡¯s doing when she¡¯s not harassing us. Hopefully, being dead will keep her from causing too much trouble.¡±


    Still laying down, with a pillow over her face, Alessa snorted. ¡°Yeah, like that would ever stop her.¡± The Porter tossed the pillow off of her face and slowly sat up, wincing. ¡°Anyway, I hear you are on D rank training today. What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°From what I remember, no exercise yard anymore. They have their own indoor gym that they use.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Supposedly to keep spies out, but that sounds paranoid even for this place.¡±


    Joanna nodded, her expression serious. ¡°Well, just stay strong, whatever happens. We¡¯ll be joining you soon enough as soon as the next couple of Surveys are done.¡±


    Alessa laughed. ¡°Speak for yourself. The Alex Morrison training regime has me nearly there already. Unless something terrible happens, I¡¯ll hit D rank for the next Survey.¡± Then her expression soured. ¡°Whenever that will be.¡±


    Alex shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it. We¡¯ve already lost over half the Surveyors that came in with us. I think that means Wells won¡¯t be able to keep most of us off the Survey teams.¡± A small part of herself whispered she was underestimating the man, but she pushed forward anyway. ¡°Plus, once you are at D rank, you should get a lot more freedom.¡±


    ¡°Unless we¡¯re all at D rank.¡± Joanna rolled her eyes as Alex gave her a flat look. ¡°What? We¡¯re all probably thinking it. He has to have had this situation before, right?¡±


    She was probably right. Still, if enough of her friends reached D rank, it had to be worth something. Alex grimaced. ¡°In any case, I¡¯m going to grab some food before they call me own to the gym. I¡¯ll see you guys later.¡±


    They all nodded to her, and she levered herself up and off her bed. She was careful, but to her gratitude, some of the worst aches and pains had already faded. She could only hope that more of them would vanish as the day went on.


    After all, it wasn¡¯t as if she was going to be relaxing.


    ¡°Welcome, everyone, to the D rank Training Program.¡± Chief Wells was striding back and forth in front of the line of fourteen D rank Surveyors, his eyes sharp. He paused for a moment when he passed Alex, but she kept her expression neutral. After all, she didn¡¯t want him to have any suspicions about what she was doing.


    The D rank gymnasium was a marvel of architecture and design. Unlike the shoddy old gym at Golden Swallow, some real effort had been placed into making the D rank gym useful. There was an obstacle course that resembled an actual building from the other world along with at least a dozen different sparring circles, some of which had false rubble strewn across them to break up the terrain. Various weights, machines, and practice dummies were scattered around as well, all of which seemed to be made of relatively durable material.


    It looked like the kind of place that any Surveyor would love to have available. Unfortunately, there was a Chief Wells inside of it, ruining the whole thing.


    ¡°You Surveyors have survived some of the toughest challenges known to anyone who has gone through the portal. Your dedication, training, and trust have carried you farther than most E rankers can ever aspire to. A D rank from Red Blade Securities is an asset to any team that chooses to hire them, and I promise you, that no matter what happens, you will leave here with the kind of skills that all Surveyors truly require.¡±


    Chief Wells stopped in front of Alex, though he still swiveled his head as if he was addressing all of them. ¡°None of you have reached this point without weaknesses. Without compromise. Without flaws.¡± He started back down the line again. ¡°By the time I¡¯m finished with you, you¡¯re going to be well aware of those flaws¡ªand I will have dug as many of them out of you as I possibly can.¡±


    Then he stopped and turned to face all of them. ¡°So. We will start now with sparring. You¡¯ll eat lunch, then run the obstacle course. I recommend you eat light.¡± He smiled with a kind of hateful malice. ¡°After that, you can participate in your own training programs or choose to relax. Either way, by sixteen hundred hours, you¡¯ll all come back for another round of sparring, this time with personal instruction from yours truly. Another break for dinner, some tactical training for the newest of you, and then bed. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll do it again. Are we clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡± Alex reluctantly joined the group chant. Wells raised an eyebrow at her, and then continued.


    ¡°To clarify the stakes for all of you¡ªthose who do well in our training will be given the opportunity to join the all D rank teams that go on specialized Surveys. Those who do not will be restricted to working with the E rank teams that have yet to match your commitment to the cause. Are we clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡±


    ¡°Good. Now get started. I¡¯ll be watching.¡±


    Somewhat predictably, the most senior D ranks in the room almost immediately tried to face off against Alex. Either they¡¯d heard something from the E ranks, or Wells had put a fly in their ear. Maybe some of them had heard that she almost collapsed the day before and suspected that she¡¯d reset her Skills. Either way, they were practically climbing over each other to spar with her.


    After about four hours of sparring, Alex wasn¡¯t sure whether she had given them a good showing. Deflect and Melee¨CAxe meant she moved fairly well, and anyone looking for an easy victory quickly found that she wasn¡¯t the easiest target. Any Surveyor looking for a terrifying combat master was also probably disappointed, however. She was still sore and bruised from her Surveys during the crunch¡ªand her only reward for four hours of sparring was a mere five levels in Battle Maneuvers. Melee¨CShield, by comparison, gained eight levels.


    Lunch gave her the chance to recover a little bit of strength. The obstacle course strained her in other ways, forcing her to use muscles that were already crying out for a rest. If the D rankers had been given a mixed impression by her sparring, then they were utterly unimpressed by her performance on the course.


    Then, as most of the other Surveyors settled into various types of exercise or additional sparring, Alex found a small space in part of the room that wasn¡¯t being used and began to meditate.


    It was harder to find the calm she needed, as the others were crashing and shouting throughout the gym. That difficulty was part of the goal, though. Her mother had been able to meditate during her Surveys, recovering her strength even as she ran through the streets of the other world. Alex bore down and focused, trying to maintain that flow of magic through her, easing the aches and pains of her muscles. After a while, she found that peace. Her breathing steadied, and the strength she needed began to fill her.


    When she opened her eyes, nearly two hours later, orange text was hovering in front of her eyes.


    [Meditation advances to 7!]


    Alex grinned, and then stretched. She had a little bit of time between then and the next sparring session, and meditating had left her just a little stiff. Fortunately, many of the aches and pains had already started to vanish.


    Her good humor faded a little as Ed paused nearby. He spoke in a low voice. ¡°Wells poked his head in. He didn¡¯t look happy with what you were doing.¡±


    Alex grimaced. She didn¡¯t know if he intended on continuing his program of limiting access to Surveys, but if he was, then she was already going to be at a disadvantage. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Ed grinned. ¡°After all, I owe the Valkyrie for saving me, don¡¯t I?¡±


    She groaned a little. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that Bob¡¯s nickname stuck.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Ed laughed a little when he saw the expression on her face. ¡°Hey, at least you didn¡¯t get stuck with something like Mr. Serious.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Alex bent at the waist, trying to convince her legs to freshen up a bit more. They¡¯d been the most abused throughout the crunch, and she was still feeling an ache throughout the muscles. Just another few hours, and she¡¯d be off for the day.


    ¡°Welcome to my personal instruction, troops.¡± Wells had a practice sword in his hand, and his smile was predatory. ¡°Here we are going to see how much your personal training has paid off each day. I hope you are ready¡ªbecause I certainly am.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sparring with one of you at a time, while the rest of you engage each other. My personal assessment of your skills will help determine your assignments for the next Surveys.¡±


    Alex was entirely unsurprised when Wells immediately turned to her. ¡°Alexandretta. If you¡¯re finished napping?¡±


    She nodded simply, and the Surveyors began to spread out around the gym. Alex took up her position opposite Wells and fell into a crouch.


    It wasn¡¯t that she expected to win. Even with the improvements she¡¯d made, Wells was still a C rank, and the gulf between D and C was a wide one. He¡¯d likely have been capable of beating her easily with all of her Skills at maximum, and she was still quite a few levels short of that.


    At the same time, it was impossible for her to look across the gym at his smirk and not want to land at least one hit. So even knowing she was doomed, Alex let her eyes narrow as she studied her opponent.


    Then she charged for all she was worth.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll give you credit. He hit you a lot harder than he hit anyone else.¡±


    Ed¡¯s comment, even offered in the lighthearted tone it was, made Alex want to demonstrate exactly how hard Wells had struck her. She¡¯d gone flying across the room and nearly rolled into another sparring session. Part of it had definitely been the chief taking his frustrations out on her, but she was just as sure it had been a reflex when she¡¯d very nearly caught him with a backhand strike. It explained why the instructor had looked a little more frustrated than triumphant as he called for the next D rank to ¡®teach¡¯.


    It had given Alex her own simmering desire for revenge as well, and the results of the next few spars had showed. Her Skills were starting to get high enough that the other D rankers were having more trouble dealing with her, and she¡¯d won the majority of the spars. At least one person had given her trouble, however, and he was here smirking at her. ¡°You¡¯ve certainly gotten a lot tougher to hit. Or have you just been looking forward to sparring with me again?¡±


    Ed rolled his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that Sam told me a few stories about you. It¡¯s made you the person to beat now, at least for me.¡± He nudged her slightly. ¡°Hope you don¡¯t mind being a target.¡±


    Alex grinned back. ¡°Set your hopes as high as you want, Mr. Serious. Maybe it won¡¯t be so disappointing when you fall just a little short.¡±


    He raised his eyebrows and smirked, but Alex ignored him and turned back to the food line. The E rank Surveyors had already passed through the cafeteria, so she wouldn¡¯t have the chance to eat with them. It was a little annoying, but at least she¡¯d be able to reconnect with them back at the barracks.


    More urgent was the fact that Zach had sent her a text. He¡¯d run across something after the crunch, a discrepancy that he¡¯d found in some of the public records. It was something too risky to say over the phone, though, so he wanted to meet.


    She¡¯d set up a time for the next ¡®celebration¡¯. Hopefully Wells would be distracted enough that Zach could hand her the keys to the man¡¯s downfall.


    When she took a seat, however, she was surprised to see Ed slide into place next to her. Usually he¡¯d sat with other Red Blade Surveyors; at lunch he¡¯d been in a cluster of them. He raised an eyebrow at her and ripped off a piece of a roll to chew. ¡°So. Life at Golden Swallow was a little rough, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Alex studied him warily. How much had Sam been blabbing about? The Adept was usually a bit more careful than that. ¡°We got through it.¡±


    ¡°Survival first, right?¡± Ed was watching her carefully, and Alex felt herself grow a little still. ¡°Sam overheard you saying that a couple of times. Sounds a bit like something the Crimson Blade used to say.¡±


    Alex took a careful bite of chicken. She didn¡¯t really know what she would need to do if he¡¯d caught on to exactly where she¡¯d picked up on that phrase. ¡°Why is that interesting?¡±


    He eyed her with a grin. ¡°I think it suggests that someone is a bit more of a fan of the Crimson Blade than she¡¯s been letting on.¡±


    She felt some of her tension leak away. He hadn¡¯t guessed the truth. ¡°I¡­ might have picked up a few things here and there.¡±


    ¡°Really.¡± Ed¡¯s smirk grew a bit wider. ¡°Does that include picking up on her methods and ideals? Cause it sounds like you know an awful lot about her than just some random person. I mean, it isn¡¯t like you have a poster of her up at home, right?¡±


    Alex felt herself starting to get red. The fact that she did have a poster didn¡¯t help. ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know that look! I knew it! You were some kind of Crimson Blade fangirl, huh? And now you¡¯re overcompensating by trying to have nothing to do with her?¡± Ed leaned forward a bit, fiendish delight on his face. ¡°Come on, you can admit it to me, Valkyrie. You bought the action figure, right?¡±


    She had. Her mom had given it to her as a joke, but she¡¯d held onto it, even when they moved. ¡°I admit nothing.¡±


    ¡°And confess to everything.¡± He leaned back, smug. ¡°Well, don¡¯t you worry, your secret¡¯s safe with me.¡±


    Alex rolled her eyes and tried to ignore his jibes for the rest of dinner. At least her real secret was safe, but that didn¡¯t make it any less embarrassing.


    The tactical seminar, as Wells called it, ended up being a rehash of things she¡¯d already learned from her mother years ago. Alex spent most of the time meditating, trying to practice doing it with her eyes open. She managed to ease most of her fatigue from the day that way, and by the time she got back to the barracks, she felt like she was almost brimming with energy. A lot of the aches and pains were still there, but they weren¡¯t nearly as agonizing. In comparison to most of the rest of the D rankers, she was practically skipping along the hallways.


    At that point, her phone chirped, and she looked down to find that Zach was calling her. She answered, her brow furrowed out of concern. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Hey. You still all right?¡± The concern in his voice made her feel a burst of warmth. She smiled.


    ¡°Yeah. Just still recovering from crunch. I¡¯m mostly fine, though.¡±


    Some of the tension left Zach¡¯s voice. ¡°I have something for you. Is there any way you can see me tonight?¡±


    Alex slowed slightly. She looked around, making sure that there weren¡¯t any eavesdroppers around. ¡°That might be hard, Zach. They don¡¯t really like us to leave.¡± It hadn¡¯t seemed malicious until she said it, but Alex felt suddenly ill at ease. Aside from the celebrations, when was the last time the company had given her actual leave to go home or visit someone on the outside?


    ¡°Can you see me anyways? I have something for you about Wells, but I don¡¯t want to risk leaving a record. Better to do it face to face.¡± He paused. ¡°Besides, I miss you, and I have a good excuse. Why not take advantage?¡±


    She laughed, though she put a hand over her mouth to try to keep it quiet. ¡°Is that so?¡± Her smile faded as she thought it over. ¡°I can try, but I don¡¯t know if I have a really good way out. I¡¯ll text you if I manage it.¡±


    ¡°Great. Meet me here if you get the chance. I¡¯ll be there the next couple of nights, in case it doesn¡¯t happen tonight.¡± Her phone dinged as he sent her the address. ¡°And Alex? Take care of yourself, okay? I know you made D rank, but there¡¯s still a lot of danger out there.¡±


    Alex knew he wasn¡¯t just talking about the Grue. ¡°I will, Zach. See you tonight.¡± She hung up the phone call and changed direction. She¡¯d never really contemplated how to get out of the compound undetected, but she knew exactly who had.

 B2Ch14: Sneaking Around

    ¡°You were wise to bring this to me.¡± Sam sat back in his chair, giving off an over-exaggerated mob boss impression that wasn¡¯t exactly helped by his cheesy faux-Italian accent. ¡°Of course, it may not be free, but I¡¯m sure someone of your means can find an acceptable price¡­¡±


    Alex rolled her eyes. ¡°Look, can you get me out or not?¡±


    Sam had the gall to look a little offended by the question. He even abandoned the mobster act. ¡°I mean, yeah, sure. They have most of the exits watched pretty closely, but there¡¯s at least one hole in the cameras. Depending on the time, you should be able to slip out that way.¡±


    She blinked. For some reason, she¡¯d expected it to be far more complicated. ¡°How¡¯d you find it? Have you been slipping bribes to the guards?¡±


    Sam exchanged a look with Brian and Tim. They all looked a little more serious. ¡°We followed Wells a little. He likes to stomp around pretty loudly for the most part, but sometimes, right after a Survey or something, he yells at a bunch of the E rank support staff and clears out a spot. Like he doesn¡¯t want any witnesses for one of the fire exits.¡±


    Tim nodded. ¡°We found out by talking to some of the E rankers, especially the ones who just resigned. They aren¡¯t exactly fans of him, but they don¡¯t know what he¡¯s doing there either.¡±


    She thought it over. ¡°Sounds like it¡¯s the same way he sneaks materials out.¡±


    Brian shook his head. ¡°Not just materials. People too.¡± He caught a look from the others and shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s probably got a few friends in the security staff. How else would he be able to keep his clients in line? They¡¯d have to get out too, wouldn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°If Wells is using it, how can we do it?¡± Alex pictured running into the C rank as they were both skulking around in the dark, and shuddered. Her duels with the man had only reinforced her desire to avoid fighting him until she was a much higher rank. ¡°It¡¯s not like we can ask to borrow it, right?¡±


    ¡°Technically, we can.¡± Sam smiled. ¡°All we have to do is ask the same E rankers to ignore the way out when we want to use it. They¡¯d even be able to give us a heads up if Wells was telling them to avoid the same spot. We should be able to sail through there whenever we want.¡±


    Alex gave him a speculative look. ¡°And how much are we going to have to bribe the E ranks?¡±


    Sam¡¯s smile grew. ¡°If it were me or one of the others? Probably a bunch of money, or something equivalent. For Valkyrie, who keeps tweaking Wells¡¯ nose? They¡¯d do a backflip routine to give you a distraction just for the joy of it.¡±


    She shook her head. The nickname was starting to bother her almost as much as the ¡®captain¡¯ joke. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a relief. Can you get me out tonight?¡±


    ¡°It can be arranged.¡± Sam slipped back into the horrendous accent and leaned back. He even steepled his fingers in front of him, his dark eyes glittering with amusement. ¡°Of course, such a favor requires the appropriate expression of gratitude.¡±


    Alex gave him an exasperated groan. ¡°What do you want, Sam?¡±


    A grin broke across his face, and it was immediately reflected by the smiles of the other two. ¡°I want a picture of a certain poster that someone might have up in their room at home. Of a certain Surveyor, actually.¡±


    She made a mental note to kill Ed when she had the chance. ¡°I¡¯ll ask my parents to send one. Is that enough for you criminal masterminds?¡±


    Sam exchanged a look with his cohorts in crime. ¡°It is¡­ acceptable.¡± Alex tried to ignore their chuckles and rubbed at her temples. It would be worth it if Wells was taken down, and all she needed was to use the exit once. After that, she could dispense a little justice to these goons when she had the chance.


    The ¡®secret¡¯ exit turned out to be a fire door located on the back side of the compound. It was set into the wall along an alleyway, one where there was a fire escape leading to the ground level. Alex was fairly sure that the door was supposed to set off an alarm when it was opened; her father would have been horrified to learn that it had been rigged to stay silent instead. Crime was one thing, but messing with fire safety equipment was another issue entirely.


    She tried not to laugh as she made her way down the suspiciously well-maintained fire escape¡ªthe metal frame didn¡¯t shift or creak at all as she crept down it¡ªand then followed the path that Sam had described to continue avoiding the perimeter cameras. Soon enough, she found herself in the street with the rest of the pedestrian traffic.


    For once she wasn¡¯t wearing a Surveyor uniform. Instead, she¡¯d chosen one of her few sets of civilian clothing. It wasn¡¯t anything special, just a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans¡ªbut Zach¡¯s eyes had lit up once when she¡¯d worn it, and she figured he deserved a little reward for finding more information on Wells.


    The restaurant he¡¯d sent her wasn¡¯t all that far from the Red Blade compound. Compared to jogging through the abandoned streets of the other world, walking for fifteen minutes along the busy sidewalks of the city was a sharp contrast. Alex couldn¡¯t help scanning the faces of people going by, looking for flashes of recognition or hostility. Between her experience as a Surveyor, and the long habits taught her by her parents as they¡¯d stayed in hiding over the years, it was hard not to be on the lookout for constant threats.


    Nobody attacked her, however, and it took a while for her to notice that most of the people on the sidewalk with her were avoiding her. It didn¡¯t seem like a conscious decision; they just always seemed to leave plenty of space for her to walk by. People who might have been about to run into her veered sharply out of the way, and the ones who paused long enough to look at her seemed a little uncertain about what they saw. Most took a few extra steps just to give her a wide berth.


    She was frowning over that when she stepped into the restaurant. It wasn¡¯t like she was brandishing an axe at anyone, was it? Then she saw Zach sitting at a booth near the back and smiled.


    He waved her over, obviously happy to see her. His smile warmed her heart, and he stood up to give her a hug. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you safe. You have no idea how much I¡¯ve been worrying about you.¡±


    Alex shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s just been a bunch of Surveys. I could handle it.¡±


    Zach sat back down at the table, his eyebrows raised. ¡°Even with a Shade involved?¡±


    She blinked. ¡°Mom told you?¡±


    ¡°Your dad, actually. He wanted me to check up on the other Surveyors that were involved.¡± Zach shook his head. ¡°The others haven¡¯t actually been anywhere near a portal, but if we hear about it¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯d need to be warned.¡± Alex nodded. She shrugged again. ¡°She hasn¡¯t been able to do much so far. I can still handle it.¡±


    He watched her a moment more and then sighed. ¡°As if you would ever say anything else. Like mother, like daughter, from what your dad says.¡±


    Alex snorted. ¡°Like he has a lot of room to talk. Or you, for that matter.¡±


    Zach laughed. She liked the sound. She¡¯d missed it. ¡°Good point.¡± He reached for a menu, and she felt a flutter as his muscles moved beneath his shirt. Had he been working out or something? ¡°The only reason I¡¯ve been able to get any more info is because my boss is out of town. They probably think I am buried in the public records looking for mayoral corruption or something.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°So, what have you found? Unless you were just looking for a way to lure me out?¡±


    ¡°A little from column A, a little from column B.¡± He grinned and slid another thumb drive over to her. ¡°Same deal as with the last one. Try to keep it under wraps unless you have no choice.¡±


    Alex nodded and slotted it into her phone. There were a few files, but the first one was labeled WELLS_CONTACTS, so she chose that one. A list of names and places appeared, arranged in a chart that filled her screen. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°From what I can tell, that¡¯s Wells¡¯ friends in the city.¡± Zach smiled. ¡°Your parents let me know when you were coming back from the Surveys during the crunch, so I was able to try and track how things in the city changed. A couple days after the crunch was finished, a bunch of gangs suddenly had a surplus of Survey-related drugs. Imagine that?¡±


    She nodded, studying the list. It was¡­ extensive. The scope of the problem was starting to become clear here. ¡°How many people are involved in this?¡±


    ¡°Dozens. Probably closer to hundreds.¡± Zach tapped her phone. ¡°He¡¯s a supplier for about three out of five of the gangs here in the city. The ones he doesn¡¯t supply are still holding out, but it seems like every other week another batch of them gets found in an alley somewhere, or disappears completely. They mostly try to avoid his friends and their territories as a result, and he¡¯s been pushing them out for a while. A lot of them refer to him as the Finder, at least the ones who are willing to talk about him.¡±


    Alex looked up sharply. ¡°You¡¯ve been asking about him?¡±


    Zach held up his hands. ¡°I¡¯ve been careful. Wore some disguises, only asked low level guys. My boss has trained me pretty well about this stuff.¡± He gave her a crooked grin. ¡°Besides, your dad has me on the same program he gave you. Texts after each meeting.¡±


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    She grinned. ¡°Glad to hear he is looking out for you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s been a bit of a difference.¡± Zach stretched slightly, and the joints in his shoulders clicked a little. ¡°Anyway, those are all the gangs that I think get some kind of supply from Wells. They probably owe him some favors, or at least would be willing to back him up if he needed their help. Keep your eyes open for them if you¡¯re serious about taking him on.¡±


    Then he paused. ¡°One thing, though. The amount of material coming out of the compound¡­ it doesn¡¯t match what I¡¯m seeing reach the streets. Now, either the gangs are stockpiling the stuff, or¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s supplying someone else.¡± Alex frowned. ¡°Any hints about who it might be?¡±


    Zach shook his head. ¡°No. He could even just be stockpiling himself. It¡¯s not like anyone searches his compound on the regular.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Now if only we had someone on the inside who could go looking¡­¡±


    Alex smacked him lightly on the shoulder. ¡°All right, all right, I get it.¡± She tucked the drive and her phone back into her pocket and smiled. ¡°So, anything else?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. Top secret information.¡± He leaned forward, and she did the same. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the risotto here is fantastic. You should try it. The meal¡¯s on me¡ªyou know, just in case they¡¯re tracking your card.¡±


    Alex rolled her eyes and grabbed a menu. He was still watching her with a spark in his eyes as the waitress finally came to ask them for their order. She gave him a look that promised retribution, but he was still almost on the edge of laughter as he gave his order.


    After a fairly pleasant meal, Alex made her way back to the compound, feeling refreshed and at peace. It was nice to have a reminder that her life wasn¡¯t restricted to a space between the grey walls of the Red Blade Securities compound, and she still had a smile on her face as she went back up the fire escape.


    The fire door was still open, and she slipped through it back into the compound. Even with her ¡®payment¡¯ owed to Sam, it had been more than worth it.


    All the same, she paused partway back to the barracks. For just a moment, it had felt like Liliana was watching her again.


    She shook off the feeling and went to get her first full night of sleep in what seemed like a week. There was another full day of training waiting for her, and whatever poking around in the compound she could do after that. If Wells had built up a stockpile, she¡¯d find it. Whatever it took.


    The next day, she didn¡¯t have nearly as much time to poke around in the facility as she¡¯d hoped. Her barracks-mates were already up and awake by the time she left her bed, and they all wanted a whispered update on how things were going with Zach. She tried to summarize things, but in the end, the only thing she managed to accomplish that morning was a little more meditation.


    Then the rest of the day was consumed by training. She felt confident enough in her Meditation Skill that she started doing it between spars, leaving her less and less fatigued as the day went on. Her sparring opponents were a mixture of baffled and frustrated; her Skills continued to climb, but unlike them, she seemed to grow more and more cheerful with each fight. Even Wells seemed a little taken aback when she happily went into the ring with him. He knocked her out of the ring just as quickly, but he seemed even more unhappy about the result than he had been the time before.


    Some of the Surveyors were starting to murmur and mutter behind her back by the time the end of the day, but Alex simply just embraced the animosity. If it meant they pushed her harder in their spars, then it was fine by her. Besides, they were the ones that embraced the whole ¡®competition¡¯ thing in the first place.


    The day came to a close with a particularly painful movie about her mother during their tactical seminar. Alex did her best to melt through her seat and the floor below it as the people behind the documentary gushed about her mother¡¯s every accomplishment. She heard a few chuckles and amused mutters, but none of them weren¡¯t giving her any curious looks or comparing facial characteristics, so all she really had to do was glare at Ed. So much for keeping her secrets. He just grinned and shrugged, and she made herself yet another promise to make him pay for it during their next spar.


    Her next two days fell into that same pattern. She woke, meditated, fought, ate, ran the course, fought again, and then cringed her way through another lesson on tactics, the glories of the Crimson Blade, or the wisdom of the Red Blade Securities executives. Every day Wells¡¯ scowl grew deeper, but her Skills grew stronger. Alex even started to hope that by the time she went into the portal again, she¡¯d be ready to either Chain something, or at least reset a Skill for more Titles.


    Then, on the fourth night since crunch, Sam told her that the support staff had been told not to hang around the exit. Whatever Wells was up to, it was happening again, and she intended to find out what it would be.


    ¡°Okay, the camera¡¯s set up.¡± Sam sat down next to her, his dark eyes a little worried. ¡°You sure this is a good idea?¡±


    Alex sighed. The Adept had asked her to let him watch Wells¡¯ exit without her, but she had insisted on coming along. He had then ditched her so that he could plant a camera of some kind near the exit, telling her to stay a couple of hallways away from the actual exit. It seemed like a waste of time when she could have just peeked at the doorway from one of the nearby hallways, but Sam had been pretty insistent.


    She nodded at Sam, who was still waiting for the answer. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure. We still don¡¯t know who Wells is having do his dirty work, so this might give us a shot at knowing who and what we¡¯re up against.¡±


    Sam grunted and then fell silent. She watched him tinker with his phone for a moment, bringing up the connection from the camera. He had been making noise about her not providing the picture of the poster yet, but Alex hadn¡¯t had the chance to ask her parents about it. Partially because she was sure her mother would find it hilarious, and partially because she knew her father wouldn¡¯t help her out by claiming he threw it away in a text message. Either way, she was putting it off as long as she could. The Adept would just need to be patient.


    Her own patience had almost run out when he made a noise of surprise. ¡°Here we go.¡± Sam turned the phone around, and she leaned in as she saw a figure stepping out from a nearby hallway. Alex felt her breath catch as she saw Wells scan the area, looking for any sign of an eavesdropper. Maybe Sam hadn¡¯t been that far off about the camera.


    Wells spent several minutes examining the surrounding area, looking back and forth. The door had been placed at an intersection between three corridors; all three of them led to more populated areas of the compound, and he seemed to want to make sure that the E rank personnel had obeyed his instructions. He did not seem to catch the camera, which was probably excusable; the thing had been the size of a pencil.


    After a long while, Wells turned and nodded to someone that was coming along one of the other hallways. Alex felt her anticipation sharpen as a group of E rank support staff stepped out from the area, all carrying duffel bags. She recognized all of them; most of them seemed to be security staff, though a couple were wearing the clothes she¡¯d seen from some of the researchers in the compound. None of them appeared to be anything but bored as they set down the bags and waited.


    A few moments later, the fire exit door eased open, and a pair of men wearing suits came through.


    She heard Sam¡¯s breath catch again and glanced backward. His lips were moving in a silent curse, and she grimaced as she looked back. Whoever those suits were, they weren¡¯t gang members. What was going on here?


    ¡°Identification?¡± Wells asked the question quietly, but the camera still picked it up clearly. The two men simply pulled out their badges. It was impossible for her to see what was written on them, but Wells seemed satisfied. He turned to the others.


    ¡°Take the materials to the vehicle. Don¡¯t drop any, and don¡¯t get seen by the cameras. Our friends in the government would appreciate our discretion. Understand?¡± The support staff nodded and then gathered up the bags again. As they filed out through the fire exit, Wells continued to speak with the suits in a low voice. Once the others had come back¡ªone of them carrying a dark briefcase¡ªWells shook hands with the suits and they left, slipping back out the way they had come.


    Wells then turned to the support staff, exchanged a few more quiet words, and watched them leave. He stayed by the door for a few more moments, still searching the corridors for any signs of a problem. Then he turned and left the same way he¡¯d come.


    Sam waited until the chief had completely disappeared from view before he sat back with a sigh. ¡°Well, we¡¯re screwed.¡±


    Alex looked at him, confused. ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°Those guys were from the government. Not a gang, not some shady side business. They showed badges and everything. I¡¯d wager if we had eyes on the outside, they¡¯d probably have seen a dark SUV with discrete license plates and heavily tinted windows. You know, something that shouts official vehicle.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°So what? What does that mean¡ª¡± Realization dawned. ¡°We have no chance of reporting this to Regulation. They probably already know.¡±


    Sam nodded, his face grim. ¡°Oh, I¡¯d say they definitely know. Maybe the guy who drove is from the Agency.¡± He put a hand over his eyes for a moment. ¡°Of course, I¡¯d probably need to be a bit more specific as to which one.¡±


    ¡°But if they¡¯re from the government, why don¡¯t they have an open contract like the rest of Red Blades¡¯ businesses do? Why hide it?¡±


    ¡°Because the part of the government they are from isn¡¯t supposed to be getting Survey materials.¡± Sam smiled. ¡°You know, like the CIA, or a few other three letter acronyms? So they have to get their supply from someone who is willing to keep it quiet.¡±


    Alex nodded slowly. ¡°And if someone blows the whistle on Wells¡¯ side deals with the gangs¡ª¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll be more than happy to clean things up¡ªand make us go away.¡± Sam shook his head. ¡°We might officially be in over our heads here, Alex. It might be better to back off a little and just serve out our contract. Better that than to get put on a list somewhere.¡±


    She grunted. It did sound rather grim. Espionage agencies weren¡¯t exactly known for their willingness to discard an asset, even one as dirty as Wells. For all she knew, they¡¯d even helped him set things up, claiming he could be used as an informant or something. ¡°We can¡¯t just give up. Can we?¡±


    He looked at her for a long moment. Then he hung his head and sighed. ¡°We don¡¯t need to give up, but we do need to be even more careful. Just¡­ don¡¯t do anything until we can come up with a plan, okay?¡±


    It went against the grain, but Alex nodded. Her mother had been burned by a conspiracy that probably looked a lot like this one. She tried to fight down her stubborn frustration with the situation by repeating her mother¡¯s mantra. Survive first, then work on improving things. Nothing else mattered.


    ¡°I have an announcement to make.¡± Wells grinned at all of them, his typical malicious glee sparking in his eyes. ¡°Our brief time of rest after the last crunch is now officially over. This morning we are restarting our regular Surveys of the portal. Teams are going to be dispatched in order to contain things and harvest the materials necessary for the company¡¯s continued survival.¡±


    He paused. ¡°As D ranks, you have a greater responsibility for the work we do here. There will be two separate jobs that you must fulfill. The first is one you are all familiar with¡ªthe need to train and protect the E rank Surveyors as they complete their tasks and harvest materials. The second responsibility is to make sure the portal remains stable and predictable. Those Surveyors assigned to the second task are our most reliable and powerful members, and their job will be to hunt down rare materials, destroy threats to other Surveyors, and continue their progress towards C rank. Are there any questions?¡±


    There were none. Alex was already dreading her assignment, at least in part because she was sure which responsibility she was going to be given. Given how much Wells disliked her, there was no way that she wouldn¡¯t be assigned directly to the E rank teams immediately.


    Which was why she was surprised to hear her name called alongside Ed¡¯s, Patricia¡¯s, and a D ranker named Tom for one of the sweeper teams. Wells nodded to her, a sly look on his face, and she reconsidered the issue. When she was a Vanguard, it gave her the chance to choose how to complete her Quests and help the others complete theirs. If his goal was to slow her down, make it take longer for her to gain levels¡­


    She looked aside and tried not to grimace. On a team with three other D ranks, she¡¯d be right back to competing over kills and fighting about whether or not they¡¯d cooperate. Add that to the fact that his D rankers wouldn¡¯t be helping her friends finish off their Hidden Quests like she would, and he¡¯d have gotten just about everything that he wanted.


    Alex gritted her teeth and tried to think her way out of it. There had to be some way she could get out from under the chief, but his mocking smile told her all she needed to know about her chances.

 B2Ch15: Carried Away

    ¡°Okay, a couple of you are new to this, so here¡¯s the deal.¡± Tom grinned confidently. ¡°We¡¯re not going to select Patrol this time, since the goal is to get the portal¡¯s energy levels under control. This time, we¡¯re choosing War, and we¡¯ll be hitting some of the Camps around the city. Stick with me and we¡¯ll all be fine.¡±


    Patricia and Ed both nodded seriously. Alex just felt a burst of relief; finally she¡¯d get to try something else besides attacking patrols. Hopefully that would make a difference.


    Ted led them up to the portal and stepped through. Alex glanced back and saw Alessa and Raul waiting alongside a different D ranker. The Porter gave her a thumbs up, and Raul smiled encouragingly. Clara, standing a little off to the side, gave her a shooing motion.


    Alex turned back to the portal with a sigh, and stepped through¡­


    [D Rank Surveyor Alex, Gatekeeper]


    [Ascension Level: 5]


    [Role: Porter (Role Skills: None]


    [Role Level: 0]


    [Experience: 1100/2100]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 5, Speed -> 10, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Meditation(20), Deflect(19), Melee¨CAxe(25), Melee¨CShield(21)]


    [Permanent Skills: Battle Maneuvers(16)]


    [Current Titles: Queen of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by four.),


    Barbarity (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by four.),


    Destined Champion (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by four),


    Relentless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, and Marathoning by three.)


    Tireless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery Skills by three.)


    Natural Defender (Increases Skill grade of Deflect, Dodging, Blocking, Resist, and Zeal by one.)


    Inner Thought (Increases Skill grade of Meditation, Focus, Recovery, Arcane, and Sense by one.)]


    She studied her Skills carefully. It was reasonable to expect that she¡¯d have both the Melee Skills and Deflect all the way to maximum by the end of the Survey. Meditation would be harder; she¡¯d been practicing the technique of meditating while walking, but she doubted it would be that easy for her to do in the other world. Battle Maneuvers was probably a long way from hitting its maximum, but time would tell.


    [Please select your intent]


    [Exploration]


    [Vengeance]


    [Patrol]


    [War]


    [Salvage]


    It was an unspeakable relief to choose War instead of Patrol. Anything would have been better than doing the same mission again and again at this point.


    [Your intent is War!]


    [Quest Issued! Clear at least four Grue Camps.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    She felt herself tense. It was going to be her first semi-normal Survey in a while. Alex would have her first chance to impress other D ranks. The chance would be too valuable to waste.


    Light filled her¡­


    She stepped out into the other world, already tense and looking for threats.


    There was nothing waiting for them. Even the ever-present feeling of the Shade watching her was gone. Alex blinked, straightening up out of a crouch and looking around. Ed was watching her, but Tom was just unfurling a crudely marked map of the other world¡¯s cityscape.


    ¡°Okay, the first Camp is a couple blocks from here. We¡¯ll probably run into a patrol or two on the way there. The Grue are up for grabs, so go ahead and do your best.¡± He smirked; he¡¯d been one of the tougher sparring partners for Alex to fight, which meant he had to be stronger than most. The others all nodded, and Alex followed them out into the street. It was going to be an interesting day.


    The contrast between D rankers and E rankers was severe.


    They ran into the first patrol about a block away from their target. The Grue howled as usual, and they rushed forwards as usual. Alex ran with the others to meet them, relishing the way the aches and pains in her body had faded over the past few days. She dismissed the usual text that appeared in her vision.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy four Grue Brutes]


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy six Grue Archers and six Grue Knights]


    Then the Grue simply seemed to evaporate in front of the Surveyors. Alex tore through the Soldiers and Knights in front of her, feeling a smug sense of accomplishment, only to glance to her left and find that Patricia and Ed had ripped through them just as quickly. Tom was already chopping the Brute to pieces as well, which meant that she had to run and run hard to reach the Archers ahead of the others. She still only managed to kill two of them as the things scattered. Ed and Patricia got the others with frustrating ease.


    [Melee¨CShield advances to 22!]


    [Battle Maneuvers advances to 17!]


    [Deflect advances to 20!]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 4 of 12 targets destroyed]


    As the bodies burned, Tom simply grinned and gestured. ¡°All right, let¡¯s gather it up and keep moving. We¡¯ve got plenty of work to do, after all.¡±


    They hit a second patrol with similar results, just outside of a building that looked like some kind of massive fitness center. The only relief for her was the fact that Meditation was keeping her muscles far fresher than they would have been before; the others were already grousing a little about soreness, and she still felt like the day had just begun.


    Ted guided them through the shattered doors of the fitness center, moving confidently past silent counters and exercise rooms filled with shattered mirrors and discarded weights. He seemed to think that there would be no Grue lurking among the side rooms, and she grimaced as she pictured the ambushes that could have been sprung on them.


    His confidence appeared to be justified, however, as he led them back through the darkened hallways towards what seemed to be some kind of indoor pool. Tom paused beside the large double doors. ¡°Okay, there¡¯s going to be a lot of them in there, and they are definitely not going to be nice. I want you to fight hard, but don¡¯t get yourselves killed, okay? We still have three more of these.¡±


    He waited until they had all nodded at him, and then grinned. ¡°All right, let¡¯s go. For the Crimson Blade!¡±


    Alex twitched a little at the appeal to her mother, but the Surveyors were already kicking open the doors and advancing. She sprinted after them, resentment boiling inside her.


    That feeling quickly vanished as she realized the kind of chaos she¡¯d just stepped into.


    The entire pool had been drained of water, leaking out through half a hundred cracks that ran through the bottom. Grue tents were spread through the sloping surface, and across the tiles above it, a small tent city that was watched over by the hovering purple crystal in the middle.


    There were so many Grue that it seemed like they were overflowing the place. Dozens of Soldiers were milling about, some of them lounging on the sides of the broken pool. Knights were there too, their massive swords on their shoulders and their shields set to one side. Archers mingled with the others, their bows held negligently in their hands.


    Most of all, however, her attention was caught by the larger figures at the center. There were three Brutes, all with their hammers in their hands. They turned to face their incoming enemies, their grey eyes growing brighter at the prospect of battle. Half-hidden among them, their much less massive frames lurking among the shadows, were a pair of Killers, arrows already nocked and ready to fire. Their bandoliers were empty, but they had the same grey patches of smoke that the one had at her last portal, and their expressions seemed to become maliciously gleeful as they saw their prey come to them.


    The sight of those enemies had her accelerating even harder than before, her breath searing her throat. She sped past the others, including Tom, who glanced at her in surprise, and Ed, who shouted after her in warning. Alex ignored them all and threw herself into the enemy with a scream of pure rage that tore through the air and froze the Grue in their tracks.


    Her axe hewed through the first handful of Soldiers she reached, cutting them to the ground without even making her pause. More came howling at her from the sides, and she wove her way through them without slowing, smashing with her shield and hacking with her axe. Spears reached for her, and she slid past them as if they were moving through water rather than air.


    Arrows snapped at her, shot by frantic Archers and calculating Killers, but she cut them from the air with her axe, or let them bounce from the face of her shield. One lucky shot rang from the side of her helmet, but she pushed past the glancing strike to cut her way deeper into the horde. Her eyes were locked on the Killers, and her mind was flashing back to the pain and terror of seeing Surveyors go down, one after another, in the killing ground before a different portal.


    A Knight came at her from the side; she caught its blade and knocked it aside with her axe, not even bothering to kill it as she raced past. Another one tried to meet her, shield to shield. Alex shoved it out over the edge of the pool, knocking it into a horde of surprised Soldiers below. There were a handful of Archers that were trying to back up or scatter as she closed in on them. She paused just long enough to deal with them and make sure that an arrow wouldn¡¯t find her back.


    Then she turned to where the Killers were lurking, at the back of the camp and the very bottom of the pool, and launched herself over the edge.


    She flew through the air like a missile, descending on the enemy from above. Grue howled up at her, but she paid them less attention than she had the other Surveyors. Arrows shattered against her shield, and Alex gave the fragments a grim smile as the closest Brute swung its hammers at her.


    She met one hammer strike with a swing of her own axe; the clash was a stalemate, and it threw the Brute off just long enough for her to slam into it. As the Grue staggered back, she tore into its face, slashing and cutting with her axe until a pair of swipes found its throat. It started to collapse, just as another pair of arrows shot in at her, each with clear, lethal precision.


    Alex got her shield up in time to block one; the other she barely avoided by jerking to the side. Then she leapt off the falling Brute and was sprinting for them, her true enemies, even as they both dropped their bows and reached for their knives.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    It was another hard fight, but not nearly as bad as she remembered. Even with two of them, their knives couldn¡¯t quite reach her. She dodged and weaved with an ease that shocked even her, and her counterattacks came closer and closer to reaching them. Unlike the last time, she hadn¡¯t been wounded, and hadn¡¯t been chasing the things across half the portal area. She wasn¡¯t desperate and she wasn¡¯t on her last legs.


    She was just pissed, and she wanted both of the abominations dead.


    The end came quickly. One of the Killers missed a block, and her axe buried itself in its arm. It stumbled, and she spun to yank her axe free and knock its companion aside. As the wounded Killer staggered, she ducked low beneath its counterattack and took off its left leg just below the knee. A quick shift brought her shield up in time to block another attack from the other Killer; as its knives rang off her defenses, Alex struck the downed Killer in the throat and finished it.


    The last Killer shrieked and lashed out at her, trying to slip its weapons past her shield and into her armor. Alex ducked and weaved, watching for an opening. She waited a couple of heartbeats, and when it stabbed out with both weapons at once, she struck. Her shield swept out and deflected the blades aside, knocking the Killer off balance. Before it could recover, Alex slammed into it and knocked it over onto its back.


    Then she was striking at it, hacking and hacking and hacking¡­


    [Melee¨CShield advances to 24!]


    [Battle Maneuvers advances to 19!]


    [Deflect advances to 22!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 1 of 4 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 8 of 12 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 1 of 4 targets destroyed]


    Alex leaned back against the wall of the pool and watched as the bodies burned and the crystal shook itself to pieces overhead. The others had swept in behind her and wiped out the Grue that had been left in her wake. Their reactions to her had varied; Patricia had simply stared at her in incredulity, while Ed had just checked to see if she was wounded.


    Tom, on the other hand, had gone ballistic.


    ¡°What were you thinking? Do you even have a Quest to take out Killers? You could have gotten yourself killed! That¡¯s why they¡¯re called that you total, absolute¡ª¡±


    She slipped back into meditation again, letting the magic ease her muscle pains. It had taken her a while to come down from the adrenaline rush, but she felt calm again. At least, calm enough to go back to work.


    Tom finally ran down, completing his lecture with a few more choice curses and a threat about what he would do if she repeated her berserk charge into the ranks of the Grue, and then stomped off to start gathering material from the pool floor. Alex watched him go, and then turned to start picking up crystal fragments herself.


    Ed crouched down next to her, starting to pick up his own scraps as well. ¡°So. You don¡¯t like Killers?¡±


    Alex glanced at him. He didn¡¯t seem to be mocking her. More, he seemed worried, serious, and a little curious. She sighed. ¡°Yeah. The last one I fought¡­ it wasn¡¯t a good situation.¡±


    ¡°Never actually seen one before, actually.¡± She glanced at him, and he shrugged. ¡°We didn¡¯t get any at the E rank portal where I trained, and they tend to avoid D ranks here. They¡¯re that bad?¡±


    She nodded, keeping her thoughts to herself. He probably wouldn¡¯t entirely believe her about what she¡¯d seen; she might have had trouble with it if she hadn¡¯t seen it herself. They worked in silence for a moment, gathering up what they could.


    Then they stepped out again, heading to their next target.


    The rest of the Survey proceeded with a lot fewer dramatic events. They hit another patrol before they reached the next Camp, which the Grue had built within a small skatepark. Alex had tensed when she saw the Killers again, but this time she held herself back. She¡¯d carved her way through the mass of Grue, making sure to wipe them out. Her charge still attracted the Killers¡¯ attention, but she satisfied herself with just swatting aside their arrows and destroying their comrades.


    She reached the Brutes at roughly the same time as Tom and Ed. They each engaged and destroyed one of the hulking creatures, and then Tom chased after the Killers themselves, wiping them out with a satisfied smile. The rest of the Grue didn¡¯t last much longer, and then they had gathered the remains up to bring home.


    They repeated the same act twice more, at a Camp located in a vacant superstore and again at one inside a supply warehouse. Another handful of Grue patrols had made the mistake of impeding them as well, barely lasting more than a handful of moments against them. At that point, the others were exhausted, and though the occasional brief bout of meditation had kept Alex mostly fresh, she was finding herself moving a bit slower by the time the last crystal shattered. She didn¡¯t protest at all as they made their way back home. The patrol they ran into just a block short of the portal was a simple annoyance, especially since the others had started to drag.


    When they reached the portal, the fog over her mind slowly started to lift. She followed the others through the vortex, smiling to herself as she thought of home¡­


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quest Completed! +100 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! +80 Experience]


    A full clear again! No wonder Ed had seemed so happy. He must have gotten it too, which would probably have been hard with his last assignments.


    [Battle Maneuvers increased from 15 to 25!]


    [Meditation increased from 20 to 21!]


    [Deflect increased from 19 to 25!]


    [Melee¨CShield increased from 21 to 25!]


    She felt a flicker of disappointment at the lack of progress with Meditation. As useful as it had been, she¡¯d really hoped that she could have Chained it by now. Now it would have to wait until the next Survey, whenever that would be.


    [Deflect has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Deflect to gain a Title?]


    She grimaced. The Skill advanced quickly, so it made sense¡­ but sparring and Surveying without it at full was going to be painful. All the same, without risk, there could be no reward. Alex accepted it.


    [Title Natural Defender upgraded to Title Innate Guard (Increases Skill grade of Deflect, Dodging, Blocking, Resist, and Zeal by two.)]


    Not a bad result. She refused the options to reset her Melee Skills and continued.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Melee¨CAxe and Melee¨CShield?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels]


    With an amused sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, Alex accepted.


    [Skill Chain unlocked! Skills Melee¨CAxe and Melee¡ªShield removed. Skill Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield gained! Skill Chain bonus gained! Title Barbarity upgraded to Title Lethality (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by five.)]


    [Skill Choice available. Please select an additional Skill.]


    Thinking over the battles of the past few Surveys, her lips quirked. What Skill could have helped her the most?


    A piece of her was tempted to take yet another Melee Skill, but she stopped herself. Between Combined Arms, Battle Maneuvers, and Deflect, she already had plenty of Skills related to both offense and defense. True, she couldn¡¯t match a C rank like Wells, but she doubted another simple Melee Skill was going to make a difference there. In fact, whatever she chose was probably going to end up left behind again as she continued to Chain her other Skills and get herself ready for the distant day when she¡¯d make C rank.


    With that being the case, she was beginning to hate how slowly she traveled. It irked her in all honesty. She especially missed being the first in every charge, the one who could be around the enemy¡¯s flank before they realized it. It might not be the most combat efficient¡­ but she didn¡¯t care.


    Alex selected Running, welcoming the Skill back as if it were an old friend, and stepped back through the light. She had to talk with her parents again after all¡­


    There was an extra cheer to the celebration that night, in honor of several more of her friends reaching D rank.


    Apparently, Wells¡¯ schemes hadn¡¯t been enough to keep Alessa and Clara from reaching the next level. Raul hadn¡¯t made it, but apparently Mary and Bob had, as had Sam, of all people. They seemed especially cheerful, and although Joanna looked a little sour about the difference in level, she toasted them just as much.


    Alex didn¡¯t notice it at first, but the warmth of the celebration didn¡¯t quite seem to extend to her. The Surveyors from the Red Blades seemed to avoid conversation with her, and while the rest of the Golden Swallow refugees welcomed her like usual, some of them seemed concerned.


    She was still frowning over it when Sam wandered over, his eyebrow raised. ¡°Well, Alex? Did you have that photo for me?¡±


    With a roll of her eyes, and a flash of gratitude that someone was still acting a little more normal, Alex pulled out her phone. ¡°Fine, fine. Don¡¯t let it be said that I don¡¯t pay my debts.¡±


    A few moments later, his phone chirped as she sent the picture over to him. Her father had been more than happy to send it, a poster of her mother in all her glory. She tried to ignore the way the others all crowded around Sam¡¯s phone as he opened it. The sudden burst of laughter made her want to lay her head down on the table.


    Brian was laughing far too hard for her tastes. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it! I thought she was just bluffing, but he even put her license up in the picture.¡±


    ¡°Aw, look at the little Valkyrie. Must have been the captain¡¯s learner permit.¡± Tim grinned at her, even though she was shooting him a death glare. Maybe she had needed to get some magic after all. Something that could zap someone.


    Curiously, Sam was one of the only ones not laughing. Instead, he was frowning down at the picture, his eyes narrow. Clara nudged him, her face glowing from laughter. ¡°What, you didn¡¯t believe it either?¡±


    ¡°No, I knew she had one. It¡¯s just¡­¡± Sam shook her head. ¡°That poster is a limited edition run. One of the Crimson Blade¡¯s first. They did a series of them for recruitment, and the one with her smiling like that didn¡¯t last very long. See?¡±


    Joanna turned away from the phone, her eyebrows raised. ¡°Wow. You were more of a fan than I thought, Morrison. Limited edition and everything?¡±


    Audrey slid into the seat next to Alex and nudged her. ¡°How¡¯d you score that, anyway? Were you in some kind of internet bidding war?¡±


    Alex grimaced. She should have suspected something like this, but it hadn¡¯t occurred to her that perhaps her mother had come home with something a bit more than the usual fan would have access to. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know, actually. My father must have just gotten lucky.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say! That thing is actually worth quite a lot!¡± Ed¡¯s appearance was as unexpected as it was horrifying. He leaned over Sam¡¯s shoulder to look at the poster, and Alex suddenly wanted to die. ¡°Pretty sure you put a down payment for a car by auctioning that off online.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Tim gave her a too-bright look. ¡°Captain, look, I have this great idea¡­¡±


    ¡°Save it.¡± Alex gave him a glare that was half-real. ¡°I¡¯m keeping it.¡±


    The Porter looked downcast. ¡°Brian, she¡¯s being mean again!¡±


    His friend laughed. ¡°What did you expect? Just give her a salute and move on.¡±


    The conversation moved on to a new subject, though Sam kept frowning down at his phone occasionally. Ed took the spot on Alex¡¯s other side, cradling a cup of water. She gave him a nudge, and he laughed.


    Then he grew a bit more serious. ¡°You¡¯ve noticed it, right?¡±


    Alex glanced at him. He¡¯d spoken far too softly for Audrey to overhear, and he kept his eyes forward. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are they acting differently?¡±


    Ed raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Well, your friends might have gotten used to what you did today, but the others¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°Some of them are a little bit worried that the Valkyrie is crazy. A couple are saying you have some Skill that lets you feed off of battle, and that¡¯s why you aren¡¯t getting tired anymore. Others are just saying you have some kind of death wish, from whatever happened at Golden Swallow. Either way, they are seeing you as dangerous. Not someone to pal around with.¡±


    She looked at him. ¡°And you? What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re the same as you¡¯ve always been, since the first day you showed up. Driven. Brave.¡± Ed smiled at her for a second, and her stomach seemed to flip. ¡°Beautiful.¡±


    Then he looked back to his drink. ¡°But I also think you¡¯re taking risks you shouldn¡¯t. The way you threw yourself at the Grue today made me worried about what you would do in a tough situation. If you¡¯d stand with us, or run howling into danger on your own.¡± He looked at her again, his green eyes level. ¡°Is that fair?¡±


    Alex looked away. Her heart was still beating a bit too hard about what he¡¯d said before. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Then she looked back at him. ¡°But you don¡¯t need to worry about what I¡¯ll do. When I go out, I mean for everyone to make it back home. I¡¯ll protect anyone who¡¯s in there with me. When they ask you, tell them that.¡±


    Ed watched her for a moment, as if weighing her with his eyes. Then he grinned again and touched two fingers to his eyebrow. ¡°As ordered, captain.¡±


    She blushed. ¡°Not you too.¡±


    He nudged her, still smiling. ¡°Lighten up, Valkyrie. It¡¯s a party.¡±


    Then he was gone, sauntering back to the other Red Blades as if he¡¯d gutted some particularly tough Grue. She glared after him, still feeling the heat in her cheeks. When she turned away, she saw Clara raising an eyebrow at her, and groaned. It was going to be a long night.


    When training began again the next day, Alex was already a little tired.


    She¡¯d started the day early, intending to make a good beginning with her newly regained Skill. While the others had been quiet and still on their beds, she¡¯d gone out to the perimeter wall and started running. The experience had been incredibly frustrating. Just because she¡¯d regained Running didn¡¯t mean she had the stamina provided by Marathoning. It was training in more than one way, though. As she¡¯d sped along, she tried to fall into the mental pathway for Meditation. If she could master using it while she ran, it would be that much easier to recover herself, even while they jogged along in the other world.


    Unfortunately, Alex hadn¡¯t managed to get it figured out by the time it was time to start the sparring sessions. As a result, the other Surveyors seemed to be hesitant to challenge her, a fact that was not helping her mood.


    Then Sam strolled over, a practice spear on his shoulder. ¡°Hey. Want to show me how it¡¯s done?¡±


    She hesitated and then gave him a grin. ¡°Sure. What¡¯s your new Role, anyway?¡±


    He grinned. ¡°Took Page this time. Thought it might help me catch up with you. Want to help me see if it did?¡±


    She beat him easily¡ªafter almost all his Skills had just been reset¡ªbut he just laughed it off and thanked her for the practice. After him had been Alessa, who had definitely needed the chance to recover some Skills. By the time Clara asked her to be her target practice, and Ed demanded yet another rematch, things were starting to feel a bit more normal. Even some of the other Red Blades were loosening up enough to step into the ring, though both Patricia and Tom seemed to want to keep their distance. The breaks between spars helped as well, as she used Meditation to soothe her aches and pains.


    By the time she found herself facing Wells for yet another bout of ¡®personal instruction¡¯, Alex was actually feeling somewhat more normal. It helped that Combined Arms and Deflect were both starting to recover their power nicely, so she endured his mocking welcome speech patiently.


    Alex was a bit less happy about the way he picked each of the new D ranks and knocked them around. When he turned to her, she was already prepared to do her best to smash him into next week. Instead, he broke through her guard and battered her enough that it took until after another terminally boring tactical seminar for the aches to fade.


    She spent that time afterward, as her focused mind healed her pain, going over his attacks. It all seemed so strangely familiar, as if she¡¯d already seen what he was doing before he did it. The problem was that he moved so quickly, and with such brutal strength, that she simply didn¡¯t have the chance to stand up to it. Her only real hope would be to evade, and there was a limit to how long she could do that.


    Then she smiled to herself. At least, there was a limit now. Maybe, in time¡­

 B2Ch16: Remedial Duty

    The day before the next Survey, Alex slumped onto her bed in the barracks, and sighed.


    It had been a good couple of days of training. She¡¯d managed to bring her Skills up quickly; even Battle Maneuvers had gained a level. Now all she had to do was make it through another Survey the next day, and things would be fine.


    Alessa was grousing a little in the next bed; the now-two-time-Porter had been unhappy to be assigned to look after the remaining E ranks. Alex had tried to encourage her, but the words had rung a little hollow. She¡¯d been assigned to another sweeper team, though this time it was Laura and another Surveyor named Martin who was going along with her and Ed. Apparently she¡¯d been a bit too much for poor Tom. Despite herself, she chuckled a bit at the thought.


    Her phone chimed, and she flipped it on to check the message. It was a text from Zach, a fact that had her sitting up a bit more in bed. She¡¯d told him about the suits in the hallway a while ago, and he¡¯d only told her he would need a little more time to figure things out.


    Red Blade recruits arriving in a little over a week. Going to refill the E ranks. Estimate a new crunch three weeks after that. Be ready.


    Alex read the text over again and groaned. The last thing she wanted was to go through another miserable experience like that, but Zach was probably right. Hopefully she could at least get her Skills ready for the onslaught.


    ¡°Bad news from home?¡± Clara plopped down on the bed beside her, her posture relaxed. ¡°Not anything I should worry about, right?¡±


    Alex shook her head. ¡°No. Just a heads up from Zach.¡± She hesitated, wondering if she should be concealing the source of her ¡®hunches¡¯ anymore. It wasn¡¯t like anyone from Golden Swallow would have to try hard to figure it out. ¡°He says we probably are going to have a bunch of new recruits sometime next week. And another crunch, probably three weeks later.¡±


    The news sent a wave of groans through the room, and Alex grimaced. She shook her head. ¡°Sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to bring the mood down.¡±


    Clara laughed softly. ¡°Oh stop. I¡¯m the one who asked.¡± Then she paused, and when she spoke again, her voice carried a particularly leading tone. ¡°How is Zach, anyway? It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve heard from him.¡±


    She glanced at the Acolyte¡ªlike Alessa, she¡¯d chosen to keep the same Role for a second time¡ªand raised an eyebrow. ¡°He¡¯s fine. I¡­ talked with him the other day about things. He¡¯d doing the best he can to help.¡±


    ¡°Have you mentioned anyone else to him?¡± Clara kicked her legs idly. ¡°After all, you¡¯ve met a lot of new people here. You know, like Mary, Bob, Patricia¡­¡±


    She paused. ¡°Ed.¡±


    Alex felt a twist of something entirely too close to guilt. ¡°No. I haven¡¯t.¡±


    Clara glanced at her and then looked away again. ¡°I didn¡¯t think so.¡± Then she sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Alex. If your feelings have changed, you might need to let him know. I think he¡¯s a good enough guy that he¡¯d help us anyway, but¡ª¡±


    Twisting around on the bed, Alex backed herself up against the wall. ¡°My feelings haven¡¯t changed. I like Zach, and he likes me. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°You might like Ed too?¡± Clara¡¯s voice didn¡¯t carry any judgment, and Alex abruptly felt miserable. She patted Alex on the hand. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not saying your feelings are wrong, but you owe it to both of them to be honest.¡±


    Audrey spoke up from where she¡¯d clearly been eavesdropping. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Clara. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s dating either of them, right? She can keep her options open.¡±


    Alex thought of eating risotto with Zach the other night. Then she thought of the thrill she felt sparring with Ed in the gym. She grimaced and covered her face with a pillow. Why couldn¡¯t she just go fight some Grue?


    Clara¡¯s voice turned a little harsher. ¡°I think they¡¯d probably want to be more than ¡®options¡¯ Audrey.¡±


    ¡°What for? For all we know, Zach¡¯s been seeing plenty of girls on the outside. The guy¡¯s cute enough, he doesn¡¯t have to limit himself to battle-hardened Valkyries. Besides, I think Ed¡¯s cuter.¡±


    The thought of Zach seeing someone else brought a flash of discomfort that Alex hadn¡¯t expected. Was that jealousy? What right did she have to be jealous, anyway? They hadn¡¯t agreed to anything, and he had to have other people interested in him. Maybe even somebody that didn¡¯t drag him into possibly dangerous investigations all the time.


    Audrey and Clara continued to bicker about the situation, and Alex felt herself slipping into a pit of misery over the whole situation. Then Joanna spoke up. ¡°I think that right now, we¡¯ve got a Survey tomorrow. Maybe we can save the gossip until we get through it?¡±


    Alessa laughed. ¡°Sounds like someone¡¯s mad they are late to the D rank party.¡±


    The Adept glared at her. ¡°Just you wait. Audrey and I are going to make it there tomorrow, and then we¡¯ll have some brand new sparring opportunities.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget me!¡± Audrey smiled and flexed. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting to show you who is the better beatstick, Porter. Never forget the power of the club!¡±


    Alessa snorted, and the topic of the bickering changed. Clara, however, remained sitting on her bed. She glanced at Alex again. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to push, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Alex chuckled, still feeling a bit sick over the guilt. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not good at these things. Maybe I¡¯m a bit too good at compartmentalizing things, or maybe I just didn¡¯t want to think about it at all. I needed someone to say something.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡± Clara looked at her again, this time with a stubborn expression. ¡°You went after a bunch of Killers last Survey. You remember your promise, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Alex held up both hands. ¡°Hey, that was just about that one Killer! And I had a whole team of Surveyors with me.¡±


    The Acolyte picked up a pillow and tossed it at her. Alex graciously blocked it rather than chucking it back at her. ¡°You know what I mean. You¡¯re not allowed to get killed out there. Promise me.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine, I promise.¡± Alex smiled and settled back into her bed. Clara rolled her eyes and stood up to head over to her own bunk. Her smile faded as she thought about Zach and Ed again, and she fell asleep still arguing with herself, still unsure which side of her had won.


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quest Completed! +100 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! +80 Experience]


    Alex regarded the messages with mixed feelings. On the one hand, yet another full clear was a wonderful chance to get that much closer to her next level. On the other, the last Survey had been almost too¡­ easy, in a way. Between her now-high grade combat Skills, and Meditation providing almost constant relief from fatigue, tearing through patrols had become a breeze. Even the armies of Grue at the Camps hadn¡¯t really provided her much of a challenge.


    Normally, she would have been more than happy to let that slide¡ªexcept that the Grue weren¡¯t really the problem she was worried about. No matter how high her Skills currently were, she was certain that Wells would continue to outmatch her easily. If she stayed as she was, she was never going to be able to deal with him without help.


    Help wasn¡¯t exactly something she was going to have a lot of, either. If the government was involved in his smuggling operation, then Regulation was going to be that much less likely to intervene, if they had even been willing to confront Red Blade Securities over it in the first place. Red Blade Securities wasn¡¯t likely to be any help either; as long as the chief was making them money, then they weren¡¯t likely to interfere with Wells either.


    Which meant her options for support were either to call in her mother¡ªpotentially blowing a cover her parents had been working on for literal years¡ªor put her friends at risk by asking them to help her fight a C rank. One that hadn¡¯t broken a sweat knocking all of them around the sparring ring the past few weeks. It wasn¡¯t the best option by a long shot.


    If she wanted to avoid that, then she needed to make a change. No matter how much it hurt.


    [Battle Maneuvers increased from 26 to 30!]


    [Meditation increased from 24 to 25!]


    [Deflect increased from 14 to 25!]


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield increased from 15 to 25!]


    [Running increased from 10 to 11!]


    She examined the list of her Skills and frowned. Her original plan had been to Chain Meditation and Deflect, giving her a kind of defensive Skill that would rebuild her stamina as she fought. It wasn¡¯t a bad plan, but it didn¡¯t exactly fit the needs of her situation. Alex thought about it for a moment, settling on a new course of action, one that would hopefully wipe the smirk off of Wells¡¯ face soon enough.


    [Battle Maneuvers has reached level 30! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Battle Maneuvers to gain a Title?]


    It hurt, but it had to be done. The struggle to bring it back up to maximum would have to start again the next day. She accepted.


    [Title Destined Champion upgraded to Title Fated Hero (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by five.)]


    Not too bad of a result; it made Battle Maneuvers that much more dangerous. Hopefully the next upgrade went to Queen of War, but she couldn¡¯t exactly force that to happen.


    [Deflect has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Deflect to gain a Title?]


    She denied the option. She had new plans for the Skill, after all.


    [Meditation has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Meditation to gain a Title?]


    This time she accepted; it would be a pain to regain her levels for the Skill, but she had a feeling it would be worth it.


    [Title Inner Thought upgraded to Title Internal Calm (Increases Skill grade of Meditation, Focus, Recovery, Arcane, and Sense by two.)]


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield to gain a Title?]


    Again, she denied it. Her new plans needed it at max level as well.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield and Deflect?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels]


    Steeling herself for exactly how difficult training would be for the next three days, she accepted. Power rushed through her as the max level Skills merged, flowering into something new.


    [Skill Chain unlocked! Skills Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield and Deflect removed. Skill Combat Balance gained! Skill Chain bonus gained! Title Lethality upgraded to Title Aggression (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, Combined Arms, and Combat Balance Skills by five.) Title Innate Guard upgraded to Title Innate Guardian (Increases Skill grade of Deflect, Dodging, Blocking, Resist, Zeal, and Combat Balance by two.)]


    [Skill Choice available. Please select an additional Skill.]


    She let out a long breath. While Combat Balance might not be as strong an upgrade from Combined Arms as she might have liked¡ªit had gained the bonuses of being a higher tier Skill, but lost the benefits of Queen of War¡ªit was a definite improvement over Deflect, and unlike her other high tier Skill, it would still gain levels quickly. A few more Surveys, and it might be a rival for Battle Maneuvers in terms of her offensive capability.


    The extra space for a Skill was a nice benefit as well. Smiling to herself, she chose Recovery. She wanted her Marathoning Skill back, and perhaps something more beyond that.


    Satisfied, she closed her eyes and prepared to return to her home. The light took her home as she grinned to herself and planned for the future¡­


    The next three days were as close to abject misery as Alex could get, outside of crunch. It took only the first few hours to tell her that resetting nearly all of her Skills to zero might have been¡­overly ambitious.


    Her first clue was when her morning run became something close to abject misery. Without Meditation to recover her stamina, those ten-minute intervals along the walls made her legs tremble from fatigue. The only upside was that Sam joined her for part of it, and even he was asking if she was feeling well by the end.


    Sparring was just as unpleasant, unfortunately. The initial levels of Combat Balance and Battle Maneuvers came relatively quickly, but it was just as obvious that she wasn¡¯t the same level of prowess that she had boasted about before the Survey. Wells barely spared her a glance as he swatted her aside that afternoon, and she spent most of the tactical seminar desperately meditating to try to soothe away her pains.


    Despite that, it wasn¡¯t all terrible. Seeing her struggle appeared to make the rest of the Surveyors relax a little more around her. The smirks from Ed and the others were a little grating, but at least there weren¡¯t quite as many people walking on eggshells.


    She also got to see Joanna, Audrey, and Raul join the D ranks in the gym, which was nice. Rumor had it that both Brian and Tim were getting closer to D rank as well, which would be a welcome change, too. They all gave her people to train against that weren¡¯t quite as painful to fight, but they all still beat her rather handily. Alex couldn¡¯t help but hear her father telling her that humility was healthy as they traded jokes after each spar.


    The second day was still rough, but her Skills still improved steadily to the point where she wasn¡¯t struggling as hard just to survive. All the same, she could see Wells looking at her with something close to contempt as she went through the sparring that day. His obvious amusement when he fought her and once again batted her aside spurred her to commit to an additional run along the walls that night, once the unending seminar had finished.


    By the end of the third day, she wasn¡¯t at all surprised when Wells assigned her to a Survey with some of the few remaining E rankers in the compound. The smirk he gave her at the same time made her clench her teeth, but she ignored it and forced herself to focus on her goals. He might have been smug now, but she would see the day when his self-satisfied expression turned to surprise.


    After all, it wouldn¡¯t even be the first time for her.


    ¡°Oh, how the mighty have fallen.¡± Tim put a hand to his chest, like he was posing for some kind of play. ¡°The noble Valkyrie, sent to wallow in misery with her lessers. How tragic¡­¡±


    ¡°Shove it.¡± She nudged the Porter with one shoulder, and he grinned at her. Brian was still rolling his eyes, while the two Surveyors from Red Blade¡ªa sour-faced Page named John and a sad-looking Adept named Penny¡ªjust looked on with vaguely baffled looks. Alex hoped they would come around during the Survey, but time would tell.


    ¡°How close are you jokers to D rank, anyway?¡± Alex watched as Brian and Tim exchanged a look, and then shrugged.


    ¡°We could probably reach it today, with a full clear.¡± Brian said it in a tone that told her he didn¡¯t exactly expect that to happen at all. ¡°Failing that, either this time or next, we¡¯ll be in the gym with the rest of you.¡±


    She looked at the other two. ¡°What about you? One or two more?¡±


    Penny shook her head. ¡°Probably three. Sorry.¡± John nodded as well, and Alex grunted. Obviously, not everyone had been benefitting from the Red Blade philosophy of ¡®strongest gets the experience,¡¯ but it was discouraging to see how badly it had affected these folks. She¡¯d just have to do what she could with them.


    ¡°Well, at the very least we should get your Skills ready for it. Have any of you picked what you¡¯re planning on keeping for D rank?¡±


    [D Rank Surveyor Alex, Gatekeeper]


    [Ascension Level: 5]


    [Role: Porter (Role Skills: None]


    [Role Level: 0]


    [Experience: 1880/2100]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 5, Speed -> 10, Life -> 0, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Combat Balance(19), Meditation(21), Running(16), Recovery(10)]


    [Permanent Skills: Battle Maneuvers(15)]


    [Current Titles: Queen of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by four.),


    Aggression (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, Combined Arms, and Combat Balance Skills by five.),


    Fated Hero (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by five),


    Relentless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, and Marathoning by three.)


    Tireless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery Skills by three.)


    Innate Guardian (Increases Skill grade of Deflect, Dodging, Blocking, Resist, Zeal, and Combat Balance by two.)


    Internal Calm (Increases Skill grade of Meditation, Focus, Recovery, Arcane, and Sense by two.)]


    Obviously, she would have preferred that her Skills have been higher, but at the same time she was relatively certain that she was going to be able to get some of them up to maximum. Those that she didn¡¯t, she could probably have them reach it by the end of the next Survey¡ªunless Wells found some convenient excuse to deny her the chance to be on the mission.


    [Please select your intent]


    [Exploration]


    [Vengeance]


    [Patrol]


    [War]


    [Salvage]


    With a heavy heart, she selected Patrol. At the very least, she¡¯d reach her first level of Porter with this one, unless something surprised her.


    [Your intent is to Patrol]


    [Quest Issued! Clear at least eight Grue patrols.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    She grimaced and stepped forward into the light¡­


    [Battle Maneuvers advances to 22!]


    [Recovery advances to 14!]


    [Main Quest Completed!]


    Alex straightened up from the burning ruins of the eighth patrol and grinned. Brian and the others grinned back at her, though they were panting and nearly exhausted. None of them were wounded, though, and it didn¡¯t seem like any of them were disappointed with their experience so far, either.


    The Survey went more or less exactly as she had expected. Patrols seemed to melt when she hit them, which was gratifying after so many frustrating sparring sessions. The fact that her Skills continued to improve with each fight was gratifying as well.


    Her teammates had done an admirable job keeping up with her too. Brian and Tim both formed a miniature shieldwall that had no trouble throwing the Grue back, and when she¡¯d assigned them to take on the Brute for two of the patrols, they had thrown themselves into it with gusto. John had peppered the Grue with arrows from his shortbow, while Penny had unleased waves of fire and ice from the backline. They had a little more trouble fighting the Brutes and Knights, but Alex had made sure to wound the larger enemies to give them a shot.


    She hadn¡¯t had any trouble completing her own Quests either. Her teammates hadn¡¯t complained about her taking the occasional batch of Archers or Knights, not when they were given the chance to do the same with their own Quest targets. All in all, things had gone well so far.


    Then Tim grinned at her. ¡°So, when do we start causing trouble? This feels like it¡¯s going way too easily.¡±


    Brian gave his friend a glare. ¡°Oh, come on. We almost made it back without you jinxing us. We haven¡¯t even had Liliana bothering us.¡±


    John frowned. ¡°Liliana?¡±


    Tim waved aside the question. ¡°An old boss. Don¡¯t worry about it. The captain can take care of her.¡± Alex frowned and opened her mouth to protest, but the Porter continued on. ¡°And hey, I¡¯ll have you know I meant causing trouble for other people, not us. Since when has it not turned out in our favor? Especially with Alex around?¡±


    ¡°Hey, it wasn¡¯t that¡ª¡±


    Brian didn¡¯t seem to hear her. ¡°Look, just because she¡¯s had us do crazier stuff than this, and survived it, and just because we got way better Skills and levels doing it, doesn¡¯t mean we should do it here! I mean, maybe we could get to D rank a little sooner, and maybe she¡¯d help us out if we Chained a few extra abilities or something, but we can¡¯t just rely on her to keep doing that stuff.¡±


    Alex cleared her throat. ¡°You know, I can¡¯t¡ª"


    The Porter didn¡¯t seem to be listening either. He spread his arms wide. ¡°All I¡¯m saying is if we hit just a few more patrols before we head back, maybe we could finish an extra Hidden Quest each. Our Skills would get that much better too. Sure, we might get yelled at a little bit, but it isn¡¯t like Wells likes us anyway, right? And Alex wouldn¡¯t be afraid of that kind of thing, anyway.¡±


    The Red Blade Surveyors were looking back and forth between Tim and Brian like they couldn¡¯t quite figure out what was going on. Alex, on the other hand, had a deep suspicion about it. She glared at them, but there was no real heat in it. ¡°Are you two chuckleheads finished with the act?¡±


    They looked back at her with near-identical grins. Tim was the first to respond. ¡°Why Alex, I have no idea what you mean.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t either. I mean, I¡¯m the one who pointed out how worried you would be if Wells disa¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut it.¡± She looked up into the cloud-filled sky in a futile effort to guess how long they¡¯d been in the other world. Her intuition told her they were actually a little bit ahead of schedule; the team had fought well, and the Grue hadn¡¯t been shy about showing up. If they moved fast enough¡­ ¡°We¡¯ll need to keep moving. No rests and no hesitating. Each of you has three or four Knights left to kill?¡±


    Tim and Brian held up three fingers each. Penny hesitated and held up four. John looked around at all of them, a bitter look on his face, and held up four as well. Alex nodded. ¡°That means we need three patrols. Brian, Tim, take a Knight out of each of them, and then keep the Soldiers busy. I¡¯ll hit the Brutes and the Archers. John, Penny, we¡¯ll try to wound the last four Knights when we can, but it¡¯s going to be your job to take them down.¡±


    The Red Blade Surveyors were looking at her with wide eyes, but they nodded. Brian and Tim were grinning like loons, but she ignored them as she turned to gather what she could. They had a long way to run.


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quest Completed! +100 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! +80 Experience]


    Another full clear, though it came at the cost of an extra forty or so minutes in the other world. In the end, her teammates had all been giving her grateful looks, which had warmed her heart. She doubted Wells would be as enthusiastic about it, however.


    [Battle Maneuvers increased from 15 to 25!]


    [Combat Balance increased from 19 to 25!]


    [Meditation increased from 21 to 22!]


    [Running increased from 16 to 17!]


    [Recovery increased from 10 to 16!]


    At least her Skills had increased nicely. She examined them a moment, forming a plan of how to prepare herself for the future. Then he moved forward.


    [You have reached level 1 as a Porter!]


    [+2 Life gained. +1 Free Attribute awarded.]


    A new level! It came through in a rush of energy, but she just shook it off. The extra staying power from having points in Life would be useful, as would the extra point she immediately dumped into Strength. Not as helpful as her Skills, of course, but every bit would help.


    [Combat Balance has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Combat Balance to gain a Title?]


    She grimaced and agreed. Better that she make the sacrifice now, and not when it was a Permanent Skill like Battle Maneuvers.


    [Title Innate Guardian upgraded to Title Instinctive Protector (Increases Skill grade of Deflect, Dodging, Blocking, Resist, Zeal, and Combat Balance by three.)]


    The next notification also gave her pause.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Running and Recovery?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels]


    Normally, she would have denied it out of hand. Neither Skill was at maximum, and she wasn¡¯t going to gain a Title by Chaining them.


    At the same time, she already had a Title for Marathoning, and given her plans for it, she didn¡¯t need to delay things further. She accepted it.


    [Skill Chain unlocked! Skills Running and Recovery removed. Skill Marathoning gained!]


    [Skill Choice available. Please select an additional Skill.]


    With Wells in mind, she picked Melee¨CAxe. With all of her other bonuses, it would increase her combat power dramatically. Thinking it over, it might help if she held back a little during her sparring, though she was tempted to just start smashing the other D ranks once she finally got up to speed.


    [Additional equipment awarded! Select new equipment.]


    Mindful of the number of close calls she¡¯d suffered recently, she chose to upgrade her armor. The brigandine grew heavier, and a set of greaves sheathed her legs. She thought back to the time when she¡¯d been shot through the legs by a Killer, and took comfort in the fact that it wouldn¡¯t happen again. Vambraces appeared on her forearms, giving her extra protection there as well.


    Satisfied with the changes, she let out a sigh. Her morning exercise was going to be a bit rough, but it would be better in the long run. Alex grimaced at her own pun, and dismissed the last of the orange text, allowing the light to encompass her again¡­


    She stepped back into the portal room and immediately saw Wells glaring at her. A glance at the clock on the wall told her that her team was about ten to fifteen minutes late. Alex did her best not to wince and walked over to receive her tongue-lashing. At least her team had been happy with her.


    ¡°So you¡¯re probably going to be on E rank duty again this week, huh?¡±


    The sympathy in Audrey¡¯s voice was a little comforting, but Alex just sighed. ¡°Yeah, probably.¡±


    Joanna gave her a narrow look. ¡°I told you Wells was a stickler for punctuality. He probably worries a lot about how people will treat their teams during crunch.¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Alex didn¡¯t bother to add anything else to the comment. ¡°He also said that my tardiness meant that I wasn¡¯t invited to the celebration tonight, so you guys will need to put in some extra small talk for me.¡±


    Clara and Alessa made some noises of sympathy, but Joanna just snorted and rolled her eyes. Audrey just laughed and shook her head. ¡°Ed¡¯s going to be disappointed. Maybe I¡¯ll keep him company.¡±


    Alex was fighting down a sudden burst of jealousy when Clara broke in. ¡°Maybe that would be a good idea, anyway.¡±


    Joanna gave the Acolyte a glare. ¡°Don¡¯t start that again.¡±


    Still fighting to squash her own feelings, Alex outwardly rolled her eyes and went to change into her running shoes. If she wasn¡¯t going to be out with the others, she might as well get her Skills started.

 B2Ch17: Taking Up the Challenges

    [Marathoning advances to 4!]


    Alex slowed to a stop along the perimeter wall, breathing evenly. She¡¯d just finished her second lap around the entire complex, and she was already doing better than she had before. It was a relief to have her old Skill back with her, even if it was going to take a lot of work to get it back up to maximum.


    She fell into meditation for a moment, the brief pause helping to ease even the minor aches that had been running through her legs. One more lap would at least get her another level; before she reached the next Survey, she might even be able to be halfway to maximum. It was a thin hope, but one she could cling to.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Alex blinked, startled out of her trance. She looked over to see Ed walking up the stairs, dressed in his own running clothes. He grinned at her. ¡°Mind if I join you?¡±


    She raised an eyebrow. Her heart started beating a bit harder than it had during her run. ¡°Sure, why not? I expected you to be at the celebration, though. Did you manage to get on Wells¡¯ bad side?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± Ed shrugged. ¡°I might have slipped out after putting in a brief showing. Your friend Sam said he and Audrey would vouch for me.¡±


    Alex smiled. ¡°What? Are you the one sneaking around now? What happened to following the rules?¡±


    Ed spread his arms. ¡°Well, sometimes the rules need to be¡­ bent a little. For the greater good.¡±


    ¡°And coming running with me is for the greater good?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He folded his arms, a look of mock-severity on his face. ¡°What would happen if you fell off the wall or something? I think that sacrificing a mere party to make sure you are safe is a fair trade.¡±


    Alex put a hand to her chest. ¡°Oh! My hero!¡± Then she broke down in laughter as he rolled his eyes. When she quieted, she looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You really skipped out on the party just to go running with me?¡±


    Ed stepped a little closer, his eyes locked on hers. ¡°Yeah. If you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    She looked up at him a moment longer, letting the silence stretch for a second. Then she ducked past him and started off down the wall again. ¡°Then you¡¯re going to have to work to keep up!¡± He growled something under his breath, and soon enough she could hear his heavy footsteps struggling to keep up with her. The smile on her face lasted long into the next lap.


    A short time later, they were resting on the wall, their legs dangling out over the edge. Below, people walked by on the sidewalks, and cars made a river of headlights in the street. A few offices in the building facing them were still lit, and they could see late-night workers meeting and laboring away on laptops. Alex wondered briefly what that kind of life would have been like, and if she would ever have been happy with it.


    Then she shook her head. She was right where she wanted to be.


    Ed was sitting next to her, still panting from their last lap. She had poured on a little more speed, just to make him work a little harder, but he¡¯d still managed to keep up. He¡¯d begged for a break after, but the accomplishment was still pretty impressive, especially for someone who didn¡¯t have a Skill involved. He caught her looking at him and gave her an exasperated look before he took another swig of water from a bottle he¡¯d brought. It looked like there was some kind of energy drink inside.


    Her phone chirped, and she glanced down at it and froze. Zach¡¯s name was lit up for a moment before she blanked the screen again. She glanced up to see Ed looking over, craning his neck. ¡°Is that your parents?¡±


    Alex relaxed a little, trying to keep the guilt from her face. ¡°Yeah. They like to keep in touch.¡±


    ¡°Wish I had a set of parents like that.¡± He turned back to face the horizon, his expression wistful. ¡°Never really knew my dad. My mom¡­ well, she had a lot on her mind, and we didn¡¯t exactly live in the suburbs. It was pretty rough.¡±


    She didn¡¯t quite know what to say. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry to hear that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be. The neighborhood had plenty of aunts and uncles willing to step in and tell me how to wipe my nose and ride a bike and all that.¡± Ed grinned. ¡°Of course, there were good uncles and bad ones, you know? Some of ¡®em told me to stay in school, others wanted to have me try the newest thing their dealer got them.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°The gangs were always out there, pushing people around, peddling their drugs. It¡¯s gotten worse lately, but it never seemed to be bad enough for the city to really step in. At least, it was never bad enough for the right people.¡±


    Then he shook himself. ¡°Sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to ruin such a nice night talking about stuff like that.¡±


    She watched him a moment longer. For a heartbeat, she considered telling him about Wells. About what their boss was doing, and how he was using the Surveyors to do it. Alex had a moment where she pictured him trusting her, and then helping her take down Wells together.


    Then she shook her head slightly and looked back out over the city. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everyone¡¯s got their demons, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Even the mighty Valkyrie?¡± When she looked back at him, he was grinning at her again. ¡°Maybe this whole Surveyor thing is an attempt at teenage rebellion? A way to get out from under your overbearing parents?¡±


    Alex snorted. ¡°Not hardly.¡± She saw a car take the corner at a nearby intersection, watched it travel down the thoroughfare away from her. Maybe she could test the waters a bit? ¡°No, they just got worried when they heard about what we were doing during the crunch. It seemed pretty dangerous to them for the company to send us in that many times.¡±


    ¡°You told them about crunch?¡± The surprise in Ed¡¯s voice made her turn back to him. He was looking at her with an expression close to horror. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have wanted my parents to hear about that. My mom would have never let me hear the end of it. She wouldn¡¯t sleep for a week.¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°I guess it kind of just slipped out.¡± Ignoring the incredulous look on his face, she went back to watching the cars. The one she¡¯d been tracking before had disappeared somewhere, so she chose a delivery truck instead. ¡°Since then they¡¯ve been demanding updates and everything. They¡¯re even researching strategies for portal management to come up with arguments about why we shouldn¡¯t do that. Can you believe that?¡±


    Ed shook his head. ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t have mentioned it. People who aren¡¯t Surveyors can get so worried.¡± He sighed. ¡°Plus, Chief Wells says that the crunch is one of our company¡¯s greatest secrets. Calls it the fuel behind Red Blade Securities¡¯ success. I don¡¯t want to know what would happen if every Survey corp out there started to copy it.¡±


    Alex kept a grimace off her face, but it was a close thing. If only he knew the truth of that statement. ¡°Well, in any case, I think I should head back in. We¡¯re going to have an early day of training tomorrow, and I¡¯m probably going to need my sleep. Hard to get my butt kicked when I¡¯m tired.¡± Then she gave him a playful grin. ¡°Unless you want to go for another lap?¡±


    He laughed softly and looked back over the city. ¡°No, I think I¡¯ll rest here a little longer. At least until my legs recover.¡± Ed¡¯s smile was slow and soft. ¡°Though I will miss the company.¡±


    She nudged his shoulder, and then pulled herself back from the wall and stood up. Alex headed back for the stairs; there was still enough time to get a bit of meditation in before she went to sleep.


    All the same, she still glanced backward at Ed, who was still staring out at the lights, an unreadable expression on his face.


    Alex had been wrong about many things in her life, but this time, she actually enjoyed it a little.


    She¡¯d gone for another run that morning¡ªthis time Clara and Sam had joined her, though they both seemed surprised to see each other. Despite only having a few levels in Marathoning, she still ran both of the other Surveyors into the ground, a fact that Sam managed to take in good humor. Clara was a bit less graceful, but she still rolled her eyes when Alex asked her if she wanted a nap before the sparring began.


    Without Combat Balance, she¡¯d expected the sparring to be almost as brutal as the past few days had been, but Battle Maneuvers easily gave her enough strength to at least compete with most of her opponents. Meditation helped her avoid the fatigue that started to seep into everyone else¡¯s moves as the hours wore on, and the further ahead in the day things went, the more levels she gained in both Melee and Combat Balance. Even the obstacle course didn¡¯t seem as imposing, though that could have been because she wasn¡¯t quite as sore as the others in the group.


    Wells still seemed supremely unimpressed with her and knocked her across the gym without even trying. She glared at his back and made herself another promise that someday, somehow, he¡¯d pay for all of it.


    After yet another interminable seminar, she went for another run. Ed showed up a second time, and they spent a couple of hours racing along the perimeter wall, watching the lights of the city whirl around them. Then she returned to the barracks, did a little bit of meditation, and went to sleep.


    The next two days followed that same pattern. She ran, she fought, she dodged her way through an obstacle course, Wells knocked her around, and then she sat through a lecture before running again. Before she knew it, the day of the next Survey had arrived again, and she had once again been scheduled to visit the other world alongside Brian, Tim, Penny, and John. It would probably be the last Survey before the new Surveyors arrived¡ªand only a short time after that until Zach¡¯s prediction about the next crunch came true.


    [D Rank Surveyor Alex, Gatekeeper]


    [Ascension Level: 6]


    [Role: Porter (Role Skills: None]


    [Role Level: 1]


    [Experience: 140/2800]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 6, Speed -> 10, Life -> 2, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Combat Balance(20), Meditation(24), Marathoning(16), Melee¨CAxe(21)]


    [Permanent Skills: Battle Maneuvers(26)]


    [Current Titles: Queen of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by four.),


    Aggression (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, Combined Arms, and Combat Balance Skills by five.),


    Fated Hero (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by five),


    Relentless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, and Marathoning by three.)


    Tireless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery Skills by three.)


    Instinctive Protector (Increases Skill grade of Deflect, Dodging, Blocking, Resist, Zeal, and Combat Balance by three.)


    Internal Calm (Increases Skill grade of Meditation, Focus, Recovery, Arcane, and Sense by two.)]


    Aside from Marathoning, she thought her Skills were in a fairly good place to reach maximum before the end of the Survey. From there, she might even be able to upgrade some of her Titles again, though if she reset Battle Maneuvers again it would definitely hurt.


    [Please select your intent]


    [Exploration]


    [Vengeance]


    [Patrol]


    [War]


    [Salvage]


    She selected Patrol, once again restraining her distaste. Then again, with Brian and Tim involved, maybe things wouldn¡¯t end up quite as predictable as she was expecting.


    [Your intent is to Patrol]


    [Quest Issued! Clear at least eight Grue patrols.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    Alex frowned at the text hovering in front of her. From what she remembered of level one, the Quests had gotten significantly harder. Why was she being assigned the same number of patrols to clear? Was something else different?


    She shook her head and dismissed the notifications. There was a job to do, and she wasn¡¯t going to waste time overthinking it. Alex stepped forward into the light, bracing herself for what she had to do¡­


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy eight Grue Brutes]


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy twelve Grue Knights and twelve Grue Archers]


    Alex groaned as the Grue came spilling out into the street ahead of her. She remembered Laura¡¯s comment that she needed to kill a lot of Knights in order to get her Hidden Quest; now it made a lot more sense. No wonder it had taken twelve patrols to fulfill everything.


    She didn¡¯t have time to break the bad news to the others, however. Instead, she threw herself into the Grue, cutting down Soldiers with terrifying ease. When the Brute rushed forward, already striking with its hammers, she wove around its strikes and tore into it, cutting it to pieces before it had the chance to do much of anything. Arrows lashed out at her as she finished the creature, and she barreled through a small group of Soldiers on the way to chase down the Archers. Behind her, the others were tearing through the Grue she had left behind, and by the time she was finished, the last of the Knights were already going down to Brian and Tim¡¯s weapons.


    Orange text flickered as the bodies began to disintegrate in waves of purple flame.


    [Combat Balance advances to 21!]


    [Melee¨CAxe advances to 22!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 1 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 1 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 6 of 24 targets destroyed]


    Alex winced at the numbers of that last Quest, and turned to the others, regret etched on her face.


    Brian didn¡¯t even let her start. ¡°Let me guess, your quest requirements went up a bunch?¡±


    She paused. ¡°Yeah. Going to be hard for us to get you guys the same Hidden Quests.¡±


    Tim shrugged. ¡°Not really. We just have to hit twelve patrols instead of thirteen, right?¡± He glanced at Penny and John, who shuffled quietly on their feet. ¡°It¡¯ll be worth it if we make D rank; that way we will at least head out on Surveys consistently. Besides, unless I miss my guess, you¡¯re doing a lot better Skill-wise, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Alex nodded, and he grinned. ¡°Then by all means, captain, let¡¯s make some extra trouble. And hey, maybe we¡¯ll get through them faster this time.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    The others all nodded, even Penny and John, and Alex felt the tension inside her ease slightly. Wells might make more trouble, but she had a feeling she was never going to be on his list of favorites. Not that she minded; at some point, she was probably going to do worse than stay out too long on a Survey.


    She sighed and gestured for them to start grabbing materials. ¡°All right. If we¡¯re doing this, then let¡¯s get moving. Eleven more to go.¡± Alex tried to ignore the smiles on their faces as they got back to work and turned to look for their next target. For once, she actually missed the Shade¡¯s hostile gaze. At least they would find the Grue faster.


    Hours later, Alex staggered back to the portal with her team. They were all tired, though she still felt relatively fresh. It was still hard to tell exactly how long the Survey had lasted, but she did think that they had taken out the patrols faster than normal. The only question was if they had managed to do it fast enough, while also returning to the portal in time.


    At the very least, they had gotten all of the Quests done that they could. Her teammates were happy, though John looked a little anxious and pensive as he went back through the portal. She grimaced and tried to brace herself as the light shot through her¡­


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quest Completed! +120 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! +80 Experience]


    It was going to take forever to get to her next level, but at least she was making progress. Fortunately, her Skills had done much, much better.


    [Battle Maneuvers increased from 26 to 30!]


    [Combat Balance increased from 20 to 25!]


    [Meditation increased from 24 to 25!]


    [Marathoning increased from 16 to 19!]


    [Melee¨CAxe increased from 21 to 25!]


    Just another few days of training, and maybe another Survey, and Marathoning would be right where she needed it to be. Unfortunately, the next few days were going to be painful, for a large number of reasons.


    [Battle Maneuvers has reached level 30! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Battle Maneuvers to gain a Title?]


    She agreed. Every upgrade that gave her an edge was going to be crucial¡ªeven if she was going to spend the next week rebuilding the Skill again.


    [Title Queen of War upgraded to Title Empress of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by five.)]


    Alex nodded. Empress of War sounded just fine to her.


    [Combat Balance has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Combat Balance to gain a Title?]


    Again, she agreed. The further she could push Combat Balance, the better it would be as a Permanent Skill later on.


    [Title Instinctive Protector upgraded to Title Inborn Warden (Increases Skill grade of Deflect, Dodging, Blocking, Resist, Zeal, and Combat Balance by four.)]


    She frowned. It was odd that Aggression wasn¡¯t getting upgraded. Did that mean Titles couldn¡¯t go past five increases? If so, it would mean that Battle Maneuvers was already at its maximum. Alex tried not to frown and continued.


    [Meditation has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Meditation to gain a Title?]


    It was tempting, but she needed Meditation and Marathoning at maximum at the same time. She refused it and refused the option for Melee¨CAxe as well. Despite the possible benefits, she wanted some combat Skills around. Alex also refused the option to Chain Marathoning and Meditation together; it still wasn¡¯t time for that yet.


    Then she stepped forward and left the light behind her¡­


    ¡°No celebration tonight?¡± Her father¡¯s voice seemed sympathetic, but not surprised.


    Alex shook her head. She¡¯d once again been banned from going out with the others, though she didn¡¯t entirely mind. It would give her another chance to run, and she had only so much time before she needed to have Marathoning at maximum. ¡°Nope. I guess I haven¡¯t been cooperating well enough with the program here.¡±


    Her father snorted. ¡°Shocking.¡± Then he shook his head. ¡°Still, it is good to see you. I¡¯m still worried about what we¡¯re hearing about that place.¡±


    ¡°You mean what Zach¡¯s been telling you?¡± Her father nodded. ¡°I still think he¡¯s taking too many risks. He needs to slow down.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk.¡± Her mother shoved her way into the picture, her eye locked on Alex¡¯s face. ¡°I still say you should bail on your contract and come home. You¡¯ve been gone long enough.¡±


    Alex sighed. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mom. It¡¯s just a bit¡­ complicated.¡±


    Eric snorted. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll say.¡± He glanced to the side. ¡°You got Zach¡¯s text about the federals?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°He said the plates on their vehicle didn¡¯t trace to any known agency. I called him too, and he said he was asking around to see if there were any acquisition programs that the government was using.¡±


    That fact had worried her a lot more than missing the party with the other Surveyors. She didn¡¯t know what Zach expected to happen if some shadowy government agency took offense to him poking into their business, but he had just waved off her concerns. Her father didn¡¯t seem any more comfortable about it.


    Her mother, however, just chuckled. ¡°He seems to be pretty devoted to figuring out what is going on. Maybe because he thinks it is risking someone he cares about.¡± Muriel gave Alex a knowing look, and Alex felt her cheeks heat in embarrassment and guilt.


    ¡°Well, he needs to be a bit more careful. The last thing any of us need is to have him attract attention.¡± Alex shook her head, trying to get herself back under control. ¡°He still said we are getting a new shipment of recruits in the next few days, but we haven¡¯t heard anything about it here yet.¡±


    ¡°From the sounds of it, Wells is probably going to try to make it a surprise.¡± Muriel rolled her eye, clearly unimpressed. ¡°Still, once he has that many Surveyors under his thumb, he might be too distracted to keep track of you. Might give you an opening to slip away.¡±


    Alex gave her a level look. ¡°I think he¡¯d notice if I just stopped showing up for sparring practice, Mom. After all, he makes it a point to fight me every time.¡±


    Muriel leaned forward, her face coming far too close to the camera. ¡°You¡¯re giving him a good fight, right? You have to uphold my glorious legacy, you know?¡±


    The amusement in those words, accompanied by the arch of her eyebrow, made Alex sigh. ¡°Look, I know you are laughing about the cult of the Crimson Blade here, but it¡¯s a lot less fun up close. Even Wells seems just a little too into it.¡± Something about those words bothered her, and she frowned.


    She couldn¡¯t quite finish the thought before her mother sniffed and turned her nose up. ¡°I think you¡¯re just afraid of falling short. I leave a long shadow, after all.¡±


    This time, it was Alex¡¯s turn to roll her eyes. ¡°As always, Mom.¡± They continued to chat about other, less weighty things, but that small, unformed thought kept pestering her, to the point where she spent half her run that night trying to figure out what it was. She almost wished that Ed would show up to distract her, but he didn¡¯t put in an appearance before she went to sleep.


    The next day, she was once again up early. Her thoughts were still troubled as she went through the usual morning routine. She was so distracted that she barely noticed when Sam joined her. The poor Adept-turned-Page struggled along beside her for half a lap before she realized he was there. When she nearly tripped and fell off the wall in surprise, he managed to catch her, though. ¡°Hey, I realize I¡¯ve looked better, but it can¡¯t be that bad, can it?¡±


    Alex shook her head, grinning. Sam did look like death warmed over; apparently, he¡¯d had a bit too much fun at the party the night before. Dark circles ran under his eyes, and he looked like he hadn¡¯t had a fresh breath in Loping along the wall with her probably hadn¡¯t helped. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve just been distracted. How was the celebration?¡±


    ¡°Good enough.¡± He shrugged as they continued along the wall. She¡¯d noticed that he¡¯d been running more easily lately; probably an effect of his Running Skill improving slowly and steadily. ¡°You missed the grand announcement. We¡¯re going to be getting new E rankers in a couple of days.¡±


    She gave him a sidelong glance. ¡°You don¡¯t say.¡± He chuckled a little, between his attempts to breathe, and she smiled. ¡°How many?¡±


    ¡°He was¡­ saying about sixty.¡± He nodded when she half-turned to stare at him. ¡°Yep. Plenty of new folks to¡­ take advantage of.¡±


    Alex nodded, her mind thinking over the situation. ¡°Why in the world do they need so many, anyway? Does the compound really have that many support staff?¡±


    ¡°He mentioned¡­ transfers, too.¡± Sam grimaced, and she didn¡¯t think it was just about the run. ¡°Probably¡­ send them out¡­ to other places¡­ I bet.¡±


    She nodded. The way Red Blade Securities built its facilities almost demanded the company act the same way. Their compounds would depend on E rankers to run, since they were built right on top of the portals. Magic would poison any non-Surveyors who had to work and live in the area, and if they had to pay E rankers outside the company to come work, it would cost them quite a bit. Better to rely on the washouts who had already been forced into the situation.


    It was a kind of businesslike cruelty that made her feel a little sick. Then a new thought occurred to her, and she blinked. ¡°Are we sure they all get transferred to other compounds?¡±


    Sam ran beside her on the wall for a long moment. Then he grunted. ¡°You¡¯re thinking¡­ he smuggles more than¡­ materials?¡±


    ¡°If the gangs want heavy hitters, an E ranker is better than a normal person. Even better if they can get a D ranker to work for them.¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°Any way you can check on it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Sam seemed lethally serious now, his dark eyes focused ahead of him. ¡°I¡¯ll call¡­ Zach about it¡­ too. Might know more¡­ on the outside.¡±


    Alex blinked. ¡°You talk to Zach?¡±


    He frowned. ¡°Of course. He¡¯s¡­ a good guy.¡± Sam caught sight of the look on her face and smirked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ he didn¡¯t¡­ try to¡­ kiss me.¡±


    She felt a sudden temptation to push Sam off the wall. ¡°I think Zach has standards, Sam.¡±


    The other Surveyor snorted in laughter, something that faded as she increased speed. Alex let up a little later, once he¡¯d learned his lesson, but he was still grinning in a way that made her unhappy.


    Her mood wasn¡¯t improved a lot when the sparring started.


    Her basic Melee Skill gave her a little bit of relief, but with both of her higher tier Skills at zero, she spent most of the morning getting knocked around the sparring rings. It slowed down near the end of the morning as her Skills recovered some of their lowest levels, but the smirks and jokes still stung a bit.


    Marathoning helped her demolish the obstacle course, and then she was once again facing off against Wells. Given how her morning had gone, she didn¡¯t have much hope as she walked into the ring to face him, but she still squared off against him. He took his all-too-familiar stance and smiled at her with next-to-no warmth in his eyes. She watched him closely, tensing for what she knew was going to be a futile lunge¡­ and then stopped.


    The thought that had been trapped in the corners of her mind abruptly started to expand into a new realization.


    Wells was standing in a way that deep down, she recognized. The way he set his feet, the way he held his sword¡­


    It wasn¡¯t possible, but she knew that stance. She¡¯d seen it hundreds of times, both in videos and in person. Alex had practiced against someone using a modified version of it, someone who had been forced into using a new set of moves to account for a missing eye and arm.


    The man in front of her, who had broken Surveyors and sold drugs to children, was copying her mother¡¯s stance.


    Her eyes narrowed, and she took an experimental step to the side. Wells tilted his head, as if surprised by her sudden lack of aggression. He matched her movement, careful to stay balanced and stable. She repeated it, thinking through the possibilities.


    If he had copied the Crimson Blade down to her stance and movements, then he¡¯d probably copied her in other ways. Wells was skilled, but not creative; he¡¯d probably studied her mother¡¯s career, down to the Skills she¡¯d Chained and progression she¡¯d made. Which meant that whatever Muriel had taken, he¡¯d copied.


    Now that she thought about it, she recognized the evidence in her past spars. The counterattack that had sent her sprawling time after time had been from Riposte, the Skill her mom had made Permanent as a D rank Page; the lightning fast thrust that caught her mid-dodge had been from Rush Assault, the Skill Muriel had taken as an E rank Squire. Wells¡¯ fluid motion and effortless grace had to be Blade Dance, which she¡¯d gained as a C rank Archer. His other abilities and strength had to come from all the other combat Skills that he¡¯d built up, like her with Melee and Combined Arms.


    If all that was true, then there was never any chance to beat him. The Crimson Blade had been famous for a reason; her mother had been a monster that other Surveyors had respected and feared. Wells was not her match, but if he¡¯d copied even a fraction of Moira Morales¡¯ power¡­


    Wells grinned at her. ¡°Surveyor Morrison, you seem hesitant. Are you afraid?¡±


    The question knocked her out of her thoughts. Alex blinked, straightened up for a second. Then she smiled. ¡°No, Chief. Just on familiar ground.¡±


    ¡°Familiar indeed.¡± Wells fell into a crouch. For a moment, Alex could almost see her mother¡¯s afterimage superimposed over his form. ¡°Let¡¯s reacquaint you with the floor!¡±


    Even knowing what was coming, it was hard to react in time. Muriel had never fought Alex using her whole strength; even one-armed, a real hit from her mother¡¯s blade could shatter bones to dust. Wells had no such limits holding him back. When he lunged forward, sword aimed right for Alex¡¯s armored chest, there was blood in his eyes.


    Eyes that widened as Alex chucked her shield at him, straight at his face.


    His reflexes were still fast. Like her mother, Wells had invested heavily in Blocking, and in Skills that Chained from Blocking. The fact that he was mid-lunge, with his sword already extended as far as it would go, shouldn¡¯t have mattered that much.


    Surprise, however, made all the difference. His fluid charge became a slight, halting stumble. Instead of a headlong thrust, Wells suddenly twisted his sword up and around, knocking the shield away from him. The disc of wood and metal flipped up and over his head like a demented frisbee, missing his head by barely more than an inch.


    Wells¡¯ vision was obscured for less than a second. His own momentum carried him two-thirds of the way across the sparring circle; he¡¯d been barely a step away from putting the practice sword¡¯s point in her sternum. The sword itself, once perfectly poised and angled, was now positioned far out to the side; his balance was off, his feet unsteady.


    If she had been fast enough, Alex might have been able to close the distance and hit him. Perhaps it might have worked if she¡¯d had her Skills at anything but a bare minimum. Even then, it probably would have been doubtful.


    So instead, she threw her axe at his midsection and dove for the floor. She felt the wind of his backswing as she hurled towards the mat; any slower and she might have taken a hard enough hit to send her flying. Her eyes were locked on her practice axe, however, seeing it tumble through the air, going through a single revolution.


    Then it hit Wells right in the ribs, and she saw his eyes go wide in something close to absolute rage.


    Alex didn¡¯t really blame him. Her mother hated the idea of throwing a weapon; distanced attacks in general were anathema to the Crimson Blade. It left a Surveyor defenseless, she¡¯d always said, and the gains were never worth it.


    Yet as she saw her practice axe bounce off the chief, Alex had to disagree. Even when the sword came back around and her world went white, she was still grinning.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen Wells that mad before.¡± Ed sounded like he was still in awe; the Porter-turned-Squire was standing next to her on the side of the gym, watching her drink from a bottle. The chief had ordered Alex off to the side to ¡®recover¡¯ after he¡¯d nearly smashed her head in. Wells had also had plenty to say about the poor form of a Surveyor throwing their weaponry in a practice spar, which she¡¯d been able to hear fairly well despite the ringing in her head. Alex had accepted the punishment with good grace, and was spending her time in light meditation. She¡¯d be back in as soon as the room stopped spinning.


    Ed continued in his shell-shocked voice. ¡°For a second there, I didn¡¯t know if he was going to stop after one hit. You really must have pressed his buttons, Alex.¡±


    ¡°Smashed them with an axe, you could say.¡± Alex chuckled softly to herself as he gave her a look. ¡°I know, I know. I won¡¯t do it again.¡±


    ¡°You better not. You almost started a riot.¡± Ed¡¯s voice was serious, and he glanced around them. ¡°Almost half the gym was ready to go after him for hitting you, and the other half was going to go after them. That¡¯s the last thing we need, Surveyors hurting each other. We¡¯re all on the same side, right?¡±


    Alex grimaced. ¡°That¡¯s the goal. Not always how things are, though.¡± She took another long drink and then held the cool bottle against the lump on her head. Then she stole a quick look at Ed. ¡°So which side were you on?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Ed glared at her. ¡°Whichever side will mean you don¡¯t do anything that stupid again. Does that sound all right?¡±


    Despite herself, Alex chuckled. ¡°Okay, okay, I won¡¯t be so mean to our chief instructor.¡± The sarcasm in her tone must have been lost on him since he relaxed. If anything, the discovery that the man was using her mother¡¯s techniques to prop himself up only made Alex more determined to ruin him, but Ed didn¡¯t need to know that. At least, not yet.


    He was giving her another look, like he didn¡¯t quite trust her. She waved him off with a chuckle, only to see Clara walking over. The Acolyte gave Ed a suspicious nod and then crouched next to Alex. ¡°Hey. I think I might be able to help with that.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean¡ª¡± She blinked as Clara¡¯s hands glowed green, and suddenly the ache from her head lessened. Alex felt her eyes grow wide as the lump on her head seemed to shrink; the smell of pine needles and fresh lavender filled the air.


    Moments later, Clara half-collapsed, gasping for air like she¡¯d run a mile at a full sprint. She scooted in next to Alex on the wall. ¡°How¡­ was¡­ that?¡±


    Alex gingerly poked at the spot again, frowning. ¡°I¡­ think you healed me?¡±


    ¡°Chained¡­ Recovery and¡­ Holy¨CNature. Got¡­ Restoration.¡± Clara shrugged. ¡°Seems¡­ useful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say so.¡± Alex hadn¡¯t heard of many people gaining that Skill. Part of the reason for it was that it wouldn¡¯t help the Surveyor kill any Grue, so it was only useful when it helped the team as a whole. All the same, with good teamwork, it would be invaluable. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ problem.¡±


    The rest of the training that day proceeded a bit more regularly, with Alex¡¯s Skills slowly growing as the day went on. By the end of the day, she went to bed tired, but happy. At this rate, she might actually have Marathoning ready for her plans during the next Survey¡­ and she would treasure the look on Wells¡¯ face for the rest of her life.


    It made the way Wells treated her with a bit more caution during their next spars all that much more precious, though she could tell that he was still barely able to restrain his anger at her. The rest of the Surveyors were starting to act different around her as well. Some of them were more enthusiastic about sparring with her, but others were avoiding her. Alex made sure to take note of who was doing what; anything that would tell her who would support Wells when push came to shove would be valuable.


    By the end of the training period, the day before the new recruits would arrive, Wells called them all together. They were quite a group by now; there were twenty-seven D ranks in the compound, with only twelve E ranks left over from their original group. Alex wondered how much longer it would take those twelve to reach the next rank, and how Wells was planning to handle the massive influx of new Surveyors.


    He seemed to sense their anticipation as he began to speak. ¡°Tomorrow we will have sixty new Surveyors in our compound. Sixty new potential fellow soldiers in our struggle for humanity.¡± Wells began to pace, his characteristic measured step along their assembled line irritating Alex just by familiarity. ¡°We need to assess their capabilities. Right now, their experience at a previous Red Blades facility has raised them to at least level three, but their trainers have entrusted us with the responsibility for refining their potential¡ªand eliminating those who will never live up to their duties as Surveyors.¡±


    Wells stopped, looking around at them. ¡°For that reason, most of you will be assigned to take a team of three E rankers through the portal tomorrow. During that Survey, you are to observe the actions of your fellow Surveyors and report back to me. Of the three Surveyors you work with, I want at least one name for someone who does not embody the ideals, strength, and outlook that we expect of the troops in our facility. I will then observe them during their training to confirm that they are not ready for a second Survey.¡±


    There was a stir that ran through the D ranks, and Alex felt her jaw tighten. A third of the incoming E ranks were just going to be filtered out, right from the start. How were they supposed to improve if they were going to be stuck at level three? A part of her wanted to reject the idea that she would label one of the new recruits as a washout right from the first day. Another part wondered if she should just play along until she could bring Wells down.


    Fortunately, or unfortunately, Wells saved her the trouble. He continued. ¡°We do have a few more D rank Surveyors than we actually need for this duty. As a result, three of you will be sent on a Salvage mission instead.¡± Wells looked directly at her as he continued. ¡°Surveyor Morrison, Surveyor Chen, and Surveyor Douglas. That will be your responsibility.¡±


    Alex saw Audrey and Joanna straighten up as their names were called, but she simply nodded. Wells had a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes, and he turned away with a smile. ¡°I trust that each of you will be careful to provide a good example of what Red Blade Securities stands for tomorrow. Or else.¡±

 B2Ch18: Sticking to the Climb

    The portal room was a vision of chaos. It was packed with Surveyors, many of whom looked vaguely disoriented in the mass of people entering and leaving the vortex. Alex stepped around a group of new E ranks who were looking for their Vanguard, and made her way over to where Joanna and Audrey were waiting, pressed up against the wall.


    ¡°Alex, so glad you could join us.¡± Joanna shook her head.


    Alex winced. ¡°Sorry, my run lasted a bit longer than I thought it would.¡± She¡¯d spent extra time on the wall, hoping to push herself that much harder. Marathoning had gone up another level, but she was still nervous that she was going to fall short.


    Audrey shook her head and laughed. ¡°You really went on another run today? Aren¡¯t you going to be tired enough?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± She gave them a smile, though her legs did ache a little. Meditation had removed some of the fatigue, but not everything. There just hadn¡¯t been enough time. ¡°Have either of you done a Salvage Survey before?¡±


    Joanna shook her head, and so did Audrey. Alex sighed. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯ll be a new experience for everyone, right?¡±


    She just hoped it would be a good one.


    [D Rank Surveyor Alex, Gatekeeper]


    [Ascension Level: 6]


    [Role: Porter (Role Skills: None]


    [Role Level: 1]


    [Experience: 420/2800]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 6, Speed -> 10, Life -> 2, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Combat Balance(22), Meditation(25), Marathoning(22), Melee¨CAxe(25)]


    [Permanent Skills: Battle Maneuvers(17)]


    [Current Titles: Empress of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by five.),


    Aggression (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, Combined Arms, and Combat Balance Skills by five.),


    Fated Hero (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by five),


    Relentless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, and Marathoning by three.)]


    Tireless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery Skills by three.)


    Inborn Warden (Increases Skill grade of Deflect, Dodging, Blocking, Resist, Zeal, and Combat Balance by four.)


    Internal Calm (Increases Skill grade of Meditation, Focus, Recovery, Arcane, and Sense by two.)


    Alex looked over her abilities for a moment, her eyes lingering on Marathoning. If she wanted to put the next step into her advancement forward, she needed to gain three more levels in that Skill by the end of the mission. It would mean a lot of running, but it would be more than worth it.


    [Please select your intent]


    [Exploration]


    [Vengeance]


    [Patrol]


    [War]


    [Salvage]


    She selected Salvage, wondering what sort of Quest she was about to be given. Hopefully it would be something as simple to clear as Patrol and War turned out to be.


    [Your intent is to Salvage]


    [Quest Issued! Gain three Hidden Flowers.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    She frowned at the text, confused for a moment. She¡¯d never heard of a Hidden Flower before; most of her mother¡¯s stories mentioned Quests that were probably more like War, Patrol, or Vengeance rather than Salvage. Then she shrugged. All she really needed was to complete her Skills, and things would be far clearer going forward.


    Alex relaxed, and the light swept her far from home¡­


    As they stepped out into the other world, Alex sighed. ¡°Anyone know what a Hidden Flower is?¡±


    Audrey shook her head and chuckled. ¡°Maybe we could ask our resident telepath.¡±


    Joanna glared at her. ¡°Shut up, Audrey.¡±


    Alex blinked. It wasn¡¯t something that either Surveyor had mentioned before. ¡°You took Arcane¨CMind?¡±


    The Adept nodded. ¡°Yeah. Even Chained it with Inspect.¡± Then she shrugged her shoulders. ¡°It turned out to give me Mental Search, but it doesn¡¯t help all that much. I can mostly just explore my own mind or someone else¡¯s if I¡¯m touching them.¡±


    ¡°She keeps asking me if I want to volunteer to help her train it, but I think having my own voice in my head is bad enough.¡± Audrey chuckled a bit. ¡°Feel free to volunteer, though, Al.¡±


    Alex shook her head. Even if she wasn¡¯t keeping secrets, it seemed like a bad idea. ¡°No thanks, sorry.¡± Joanna looked a little disappointed, so she tried to continue in a hopeful voice. ¡°Does it work on Grue? Maybe we could pin one down for you.¡±


    Joanna paused, her eyebrows rising. ¡°Maybe. Never actually tried it before.¡±


    ¡°We might as well give it a shot. Is the rest of your magic coming along?¡±


    The Adept nodded. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve already got Concentrate¨CThermal, and I am working on Focus and Arcane¨CTime to go along with it. That and Seraphblade should keep me okay.¡± She shook her head, her expression going a bit sour. ¡°Makes it hard not to be a frontline fighter, though. Always thought I should be a backline person.¡±


    ¡°Lucky I can make up for it, then.¡± Audrey stretched, her kanabo still in her hands. The club looked like it had been enhanced far beyond any of Alex¡¯s equipment. ¡°I took Heavy Assault for my Permanent, and I¡¯ve already Chained my way up to Evasion. Working on getting Blocking up so I can take Weapon Mastery, and from there I¡¯ll get Blade Dance. Heard that¡¯s a good one.¡±


    Alex nodded easily, though she winced internally. It sounded like they were so far behind in their Skill development. What kind of obstacles had Wells been putting in front of them? ¡°Okay, so first things first. Let¡¯s find where these flowers are, and then we can work on knocking out some of the Hidden Quests for you. We should be able to get most of that taken care of.¡±


    They nodded, and together they set out across the broken city. All they had to do was find a patrol, and then they¡¯d put Joanna¡¯s powers to the test. Failing that, they could find some kind of map to guide them. There had to be some way to find what they needed, right?


    It turned out that Joanna¡¯s ability did indeed work. When they met the first patrol, Alex led them into battle and scattered their opponents, killing the Brute and the Archers with very little trouble. Joanna lashed out with waves of fire and hedges of ice. Alex saw one Knight lumber forward to attack her, only to freeze in place when Joanna threw out her hand, allowing the Adept to duel another with her flaming sword.


    Audrey, on the other hand, simply hammered her way through the assembled Grue. Every swing of her kanabo sent monsters flying, and at one point she simply shattered a Knight¡¯s shield outright. The wild laughter didn¡¯t make her seem any closer to sane, but then again, Alex didn¡¯t think that sanity was really her goal.


    In the end, Joanna managed to freeze one of the Knights again, and when it got free, Audrey broke its legs and Alex wounded its arms so that they could force it down. Joanna reached out to its head hesitantly, and then closed her eyes.


    The instant that she touched the thing¡¯s mind, Alex could see Joanna tense and grimace. ¡°Ugh. It¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s like wading through a sewer.¡±


    ¡°See if you can find anything for the Flowers.¡± Alex fought to keep the thing¡¯s shield arm pinned as it struggled and thrashed. Audrey grinned at her from where she held its sword arm motionless on the pavement. Joanna paused long enough to glare at her and then closed her eyes again.


    ¡°Hold on¡­ hold on¡­¡± The Knight¡¯s thrashing grew worse for a moment, and then Joanna nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± She delivered a single lethal thrust with her sword, and the Grue went limp. As the bodies began to burn, Joanna stepped back and shook her head.


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 1 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 6 of 24 targets destroyed]


    Alex shook her head to dismiss the text. ¡°Where are we headed?¡±


    Joanna spared her a quick glance as she unfurled the crude map the company had provided. ¡°Some place they called an Outpost. It¡¯s up on top of one of those skyscrapers.¡±


    ¡°Wait, an Outpost?¡± Alex groaned. She¡¯d heard plenty of times about Outposts. Her mother had not been a fan.


    Audrey chuckled to herself. ¡°Let me guess. You have a ¡®hunch¡¯ that those are pretty bad?¡±


    ¡°You could say that.¡± Alex paused, trying to figure out how to phrase it. ¡°You know how Camps produce new Grue? And how they only show up every so often because the magic level of the portal has increased?¡±


    The others nodded, and Alex sighed. ¡°Well, Outposts are what happens when there are enough Camps scattered around. The Camps themselves don¡¯t produce a ton of advanced Grue, though, or at least not enough to send out on patrols or to protect important stuff.¡±


    Joanna blinked. ¡°Do Brutes count as special?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. So do Killers and worse.¡± Alex clenched her teeth for a moment before she continued. ¡°To get those, they need to set up Outposts where they harvest some of the special materials they need. They tend to be really well guarded, too.¡±


    The Adept nodded. ¡°The thing saw a lot of Brutes and Killers up there.¡± She shivered. ¡°Are we sure we want to deal with this? We could always just try to get by on patrols.¡±


    Audrey grinned. ¡°I think we should do it. Why not at least hit this place?¡±


    Alex glanced back and forth between them. ¡°I agree. Better to face it, at least. We can always run if we need to.¡±


    Joanna grunted. ¡°I suppose I should have expected that answer from the Valkyrie.¡± Alex twitched at the nickname, but Joanna didn¡¯t seem to notice or care. ¡°All right then, let¡¯s go. If we¡¯re doing this, we need to reach the place before I lose my memory of the place.¡±


    They gathered up the materials the Grue had left behind, and then they started off again through the city, with the sounds of battle elsewhere echoing off the buildings around them.


    They ran into another three patrols on their way to the building that housed the outpost. Each time, Alex went through the Brute at the center of the pack like a battering ram, butchering her way through to the Archers while the others mopped up the Knights. Each fight proceeded just a little more easily as her Skills climbed, and by the time they reached the skyscraper, Alex was starting to actually feel confident.


    Then she looked up¡­ and up. ¡°What floor is the Outpost on?¡±


    ¡°The very top.¡± Joanna looked grim.


    Audrey grunted. ¡°How many stories is that? Twenty? Thirty? It¡¯ll be like running a marathon to get up there.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Alex perked up at the Squire¡¯s words. She looked up at the towering building, her mind working through the possibilities. ¡°Do you guys¡­ think I could scout ahead? With my Skills I can probably run up those stairs pretty quickly.¡±


    Joanna gave her a skeptical look. ¡°You¡¯re sure you aren¡¯t going to wear yourself out? We have to fight at the top, remember.¡±


    ¡°I should be fine.¡± It should also be enough to gain her at least one level in Marathoning, which seemed even more important. ¡°As long as we stick to the stairwell, we shouldn¡¯t get jumped on the way either, and if I get ambushed, I¡¯ll just retreat.¡±


    ¡°Sure you will.¡± Audrey snorted and shook her head. ¡°Look at it this way, Jo, at least she asked permission to run off and do something crazy. I think she won¡¯t try to take on the Outpost alone.¡±


    The Adept sighed. ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll see you at the top.¡± Alex nodded and started up the stairs, her legs pumping hard. One way or the other, she needed to make this Survey work for her, and no matter how much her legs burned, the struggle up the stairs would be part of it.


    [Marathoning advances to 24!]


    Alex paused at the landing before the last stairway up. She¡¯d run up countless stairs on her way up the building. It had to have been at least thirty floors, maybe thirty-five, and now her legs were burning badly. Even Marathoning¡¯s power hadn¡¯t been able to keep her from breathing hard.


    Luckily, she still had Meditation to make up for her fatigue, and there hadn¡¯t been any sign of Grue in the stairway. She had no doubt that there were probably some prowling through the hallways of the other floors, but they seemed to be ignoring the stairway that she¡¯d taken, which was not a bad thing at all.


    She settled in on the landing to meditate, letting the magic of the other world sweep away her aches and pains. Audrey and Joanna weren¡¯t likely to sprint up the stairs, and she figured she would have plenty of time to recover.


    Alex wasn¡¯t exactly wrong about that assumption. After what seemed like an eyeblink later, she heard her companions struggling and sweating their way up the stairs. She opened her eyes and grinned as they rounded the landing below her. ¡°Hey guys.¡±


    Audrey glanced back at Joanna. ¡°See¡­ told you.¡±


    Joanna was red-faced and sweating hard. ¡°Shut¡­ up.¡±


    The Squire grinned. ¡°Have you¡­ seen¡­ the Outpost?¡±


    Alex shook her head. ¡°I was just waiting for you guys.¡± She stood up, feeling only a slight twinge in her legs. ¡°Should we go see what we are up against?¡±


    A handful of minutes later, Alex stared out across the rooftop garden. Her friends were crouched beside her, panting softly. She¡¯d given them a bit of a break to try to recover their stamina, but now they were all trying to breathe quietly. Audrey summed it up for all of them a moment later. ¡°That is a lot of¡­ everything.¡±


    Alex had to agree. So far she¡¯d counted at least twenty Knights, and about as many Archers. There were at least six Brutes too, with about the same number of Killers. There didn¡¯t seem to be any Soldiers milling about, but there didn¡¯t need to be, not with that number of advanced Grue waiting around to attack any intruders.


    She looked back at her friends, both of whom were still obviously winded from the climb. In the open, they¡¯d do all right, but it would be dangerous. They would run the risk of being overwhelmed by an avalanche of enemies.


    Joanna seemed to be making the same calculations as well. ¡°Any ideas? I don¡¯t want to get squashed today.¡±


    Audrey shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ all that¡­ stealthy. Don¡¯t think we can¡­ sneak in.¡±


    Alex nodded slowly. Her mind went back to how she¡¯d handled the Camps on her own, back when Paul¡¯s team had betrayed her. She looked back at the stairwell and thought back to the time they had taken on their first Camp. ¡°Huh.¡±


    The others looked at her, their eyes a little concerned. Joanna spoke first. ¡°You aren¡¯t thinking of something crazy, are you?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Alex smiled. ¡°What if we have you guys hide in the door one floor down? I can hit the Outpost and run back down the stairs. Then when they run past you, you can come out and hit them from behind.¡±


    Audrey stared at her with wide eyes for a moment, and then chuckled softly. ¡°You sure you¡¯re not trying to kill them all yourself?¡±


    Alex grinned at her. ¡°No. Believe me, you¡¯ll have to hit them hard, but it will be easier to deal with them all this way.¡± She glanced back down the stairs. ¡°They¡¯ll only be able to come at us one or two at a time, and if it gets really bad, I can always just run down a flight or two of stairs to give you more time. What do you think?¡±


    Joanna stayed quiet for a moment longer. Then she nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll hit them as hard as we can, but don¡¯t let them overrun you. Get out of there if you need to; don¡¯t worry about us.¡±


    She nodded, not trusting herself to say it. There was no way she was going to abandon her friends, no matter what Joanna said. ¡°It¡¯ll work out. Like that first time we cleared a Camp, right?¡± The others smiled at that memory, and then she shooed them back down the stairs. ¡°Go get in position. I¡¯ll hit them soon.¡±


    A few minutes later, Alex was breathing easily and trying to prepare herself. Just because she¡¯d run into a Camp on her own before didn¡¯t make her any happier to be doing it again now.


    Still, there weren¡¯t a lot of other options. Her friends had disappeared downstairs a few minutes ago. She could wait a little longer and let them get their feet under themselves a bit more. In the end though¡­


    Alex stepped out into the rooftop garden. It was the verdant playground of some idle rich family, one that would have provided a flourishing carpet of green in the middle of a city filled with concrete and steel. A glass dome rose overhead, providing a shield against the elements; the permanently grey sky glowered at her through broken panels and dusty windows.


    She ignored all of it and crept forward. A pair of Knights were idling along the part of the garden closest to her. Alex waited until they¡¯d almost reached her, crouching down behind a half-shattered planter.


    Then she jumped on them, axe already flashing as she yelled a warcry.


    The first Knight went down almost immediately. She gave the second one just enough time to bark in shock and rage before she took it down as well. Then she ran back to the staircase as the howls rose behind her. Arrows whistled through the air, and she spun to catch two heavy blows on her shield. The Killers were already drawing back their second shots as she dashed through the doorway and into the staircase below.


    Alex ran down the stairs, her boots thundering down the concrete. More arrows slapped against the walls, but she ignored them as she hit the next landing and pivoted to her left to continue running downward. She caught a flash of the first Grue already shoving their way into the stairwell and grinned. It looked like some Knights had managed to reach the opening first, so they¡¯d be the first ones she needed to kill.


    She kept running down the steps, hearing the enemy thundering down the stairwell after her. They weren¡¯t catching up as fast as she¡¯d expected; if anything, it seemed like she was actually gaining distance on the creatures, something that would probably only enrage them further. Alex wound her way down six floors of stairs, careful to keep just in sight of her pursuers.


    Then, breathing easily, she reached the next landing and stopped. Backing away from the stairs themselves, she readied herself for the incoming rush of Grue and waited. Her breathing was still steady, and her legs only hurt a little from pounding down the steps so quickly. Hopefully, the Grue wouldn¡¯t be quite as well-off in terms of their stamina.


    Alex didn¡¯t need to wait long. Two Knights came hurtling down the stairs towards her. Because of where she¡¯d stood, they couldn¡¯t just barrel down the stairs towards her; they had to pause and turn to face her, something that robbed them of their possible momentum.


    She caught them as they tried to manage the feat. Her shield slammed into a Knight¡¯s shield, shoving it off balance and making it stumble into its friend. For a heartbeat, they were thrashing and fighting each other rather than her, a fact that made it all the easier for her to cut them to pieces with her axe.


    A terrible howl rose from her right, and Alex ducked beneath a Brute¡¯s hammer. She spun, building momentum, and smashed its backhanded blow with her shield. The counterattack threw the Brute off. As it staggered, stumbling over the corpses of the Knights and turned half in the wrong direction, she hamstrung both of its legs. The thing went to its knees, and Alex dodged an incoming Knight¡¯s sword so that she could plant her axe in the back of the Brute¡¯s head.


    More Grue were charging in now, and Alex backed up to make sure they couldn¡¯t just dive at her from the other landing. Her axe cut and hooked them, her shield blocked and battered them, and another three Knights went down before a second Brute smashed their bodies aside to make room for itself. This one tried to take a moment and kick a space clear for it to stand, but the Brute behind it tried to shove forward, making it trip over a shattered Knight¡¯s sword.


    Alex was on the Brute before it could recover. She had to back away again, or risk being crushed by the Brutes behind it, but when she danced back, she left yet another Grue on the floor with its throat cut.


    Above her, she heard an explosion of magic and Audrey¡¯s warcry as her friends began their own assault. Alex tried not to glance, keeping her own focus on the creatures clambering over the bodies of their comrades to reach her. At least one Grue corpse fell into the space between the stairs, thumping off of the handrails on its way down. She grinned and continued her own fight, giving ground slowly as the press of bodies continued to spill towards her.


    Then abruptly, they were turning to head upwards again, as if the pack had suddenly realized they were being surrounded. Alex¡¯s grin grew as she chased after them, bringing down a Brute that had made the unwise decision to turn its back. She killed a Knight that spun to face her at the last moment, its sword swinging in a desperate bid to ward her off. The blade caught in the handrail, and she laughed as she finished the thing. Alex rushed back up the stairs, cutting down another Knight before it could reach the next landing, and then two more turned and fought her in a delaying action there while the others tried to push back upwards.


    Just as she finished shield-checking one of them to the floor while she cut through the other, she heard another explosion, followed by Audrey¡¯s laughter. It couldn¡¯t have been more than three or four floors overhead. Alex grimly finished her work and rushed forward again, facing another Knight on the stairs, and cutting down three more on the landing after that. The ring of steel on steel, mixed with the snapping sound of summoned ice or the roar of searing fire, made the entire stairwell a cacophony.


    When Alex made the next turn to go upwards, she found herself facing another Brute, this one standing halfway up the stairs. It turned to regard her with clear malice, its hands clenching around its hammers. She paused, suddenly realizing that she¡¯d been lured into a trap, just before it dropped both weapons and leapt at her.


    Alex managed to brace herself and get her shield up, but it didn¡¯t do as much good as she hoped. The Grue smashed her backwards, nearly throwing her into the wall. It tried tearing at her around the shield, its claws scrabbling across the plates and fabric of her armor. One of them nearly reached her eye, barely deflected by the metal of her helmet.


    Then she ducked low and chopped at the Brute¡¯s feet and knees. The weapon drove hard through its skin, severing tendons and crunching bone. She felt the strength go out of its push, and she sidestepped it as it tumbled to the floor. Before it could recover, she attacked, axe chopping down again and again.


    The sound of footfalls hammering down the stairs told her the other Grue had noticed her, and she jumped back in time to avoid the lunge of a Knight. It and another sword-wielding Grue came at her, their wolf-like features twisted into snarls. Alex met them in a counter charge, pushing them back hard enough that their expressions briefly became panicked before she cut them down.


    As she stood over the pile of Grue corpses, she heard another pair of Brutes coming down at her and grimly set herself to receive them. Then one of them paused on the landing, and Audrey came hurtling down on it like a meteor. Her kanabo came around with all the force of a cruise missile, and the Brute¡¯s skull crunched as it was thrown back into the wall.


    The last one crouched as if it was ready to pounce at Alex, despite the bad angle, and she braced herself again. Then it froze in place, suddenly utterly still. Joanna hopped the handrail from the stairs above, landing a little clumsily in front of the Brute. Her sword glowed an angry, white-hot color as she drove it into the frozen Brute, slicing up through it like it was made of nothing but the smoke it seemed to be.


    Just that quickly, the battle was over. All three of them had a heartbeat to grin at each other, their shoulders heaving as they tried to catch their breath.


    Then the corpses began to ignite, and they were forced to dodge the flashes of purple around them. Audrey laughed, her voice still a little breathy. ¡°Just like¡­ old times, Al!¡±


    Alex rolled her eyes, and orange text flared to life.


    [Hidden Quest Completed!]


    [Hidden Quest Completed!]


    [Battle Maneuvers advances to 24!]


    Apparently, she¡¯d managed to kill enough Knights and Brutes to finish those tasks, at least. All she had left was to find the Flowers. She shook her head and started collecting materials. All that mattered was that they would finish the Survey. Everything else was a bonus.


    [Main Quest Completed!]


    Alex frowned down at the dark-colored, tulip style flowers in her hand. They glowed softly under the grey sky, veins of purple energy running along their stem and petals. It had taken a while to find all three, but she¡¯d managed. Joanna and Audrey had found theirs a little quicker, but they¡¯d needed a bit more time to rest afterward, anyway.


    She looked over and waved to them where they were lounging on the step that led up to the stairway. ¡°Got the last one! We can probably just head back now.¡±


    Joanna snorted. ¡°About time. Let¡¯s go. Hopefully those stairs aren¡¯t as bad on the way down.¡±


    Audrey groaned as she stood up, clearly unhappy at the prospect of going down all thirty-odd floors. ¡°Well, as long as we get home and sleep.¡± Then she paused. ¡°Though maybe you should let us handle the Brutes now? I think you have your Quests, but I still need another one for mine.¡±


    ¡°Same here. If the illustrious Valkyrie could spare some.¡±


    Alex rolled her eyes. ¡°Sure, sure. Let¡¯s see if we can find a couple of patrols. Then we¡¯ll all go home happy.¡±


    ¡°Or as close to it as Jo gets.¡±


    ¡°Shove it, Audrey. Go find something to smack your head against.¡±


    Alex rolled her eyes as they started off down the stairs. It was looking to be a good day, after all.


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quest Completed! +120 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! +80 Experience]


    Yet another full clear, probably despite Wells¡¯ expectations. Alex grinned to herself and then turned a gloating eye to the report on her Skills.


    [Battle Maneuvers increased from 17 to 25!]


    [Combat Balance increased from 22 to 25!]


    [Marathoning increased from 22 to 25!]


    She¡¯d made it. Marathoning¡¯s last level had come through just as they had charged at the last patrol of the day; it had made her warcry just that much more triumphant. Now she was ready to set the last of her plans into motion for her Skills.


    [Combat Balance has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Combat Balance to gain a Title?]


    She agreed immediately. The higher she could get the Skill, the better off she¡¯d be against Wells. Hopefully, it wouldn¡¯t come to a direct fight, but still...


    [Title Inborn Warden upgraded to Title True Sentinel (Increases Skill grade of Deflect, Dodging, Blocking, Resist, Zeal, and Combat Balance by five.)]


    She ignored the offers to reset Meditation, Marathoning, and Melee¡ªAxe. It had taken too much effort to ignore her plans for two of those Skills now.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Meditation and Marathoning?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels]


    Alex grinned as she accepted the change. Power rushed through her, surging through muscles that weren¡¯t nearly as exhausted as they should have been.


    [Skill Chain unlocked! Skills Meditation and Marathoning removed. Skill Motion Trance gained! Skill Chain bonus gained! Title Relentless upgraded to Title Endless Motion (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, Marathoning, and Motion Trance by three.) Title Internal Calm upgraded to Title Calming Flow (Increases Skill grade of Meditation, Focus, Recovery, Arcane, Sense, and Motion Trance by two.)]


    There was some fatigue now, as that flash of power faded, but Alex still couldn¡¯t stop grinning. She had three top tier abilities, and even if she couldn¡¯t Chain much else until she reached C rank, she¡¯d still be a force to be reckoned with. Besides, she had a hunch that her next run along the wall would be much, much easier.


    [Skill Choice available. Please select an additional Skill.]


    With yet another sigh, Alex chose Melee¨CShield again. It was a little tiresome to make the same selections again, but regaining Combined Arms would be a significant boost to her combat strength. She couldn¡¯t afford to ignore that while Wells was still around, and until he wasn¡¯t, her friends would be depending on her to fight him off if push came to shove.


    Her selections made, Alex closed her eyes and let the light take her home¡­

 B2Ch19: Raising the Stakes

    Alex had just gotten back from the portal room¡ªwhere Wells had seemed particularly dissatisfied with her, as usual¡ªand had finished her phone call with her parents, when her phone chirped again. It was another text from Zach. He was requesting another immediate meeting.


    She frowned at it a moment and then changed course. Sam had been one of the first ones sent through the portal that morning, so he would probably be back in the barracks first.


    As expected, he was already in the room, shuffling around in the locker beneath his bed for something. Sam looked up as she knocked on the doorframe. ¡°Hey. What¡¯s going on? Did your Survey go all right?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yeah. How did yours go?¡±


    ¡°Well enough.¡± Sam shrugged, a dissatisfied expression on his face. ¡°I had to give Wells his sacrificial lamb. They all seemed like good Surveyors, but one of them is already marked down for being excluded. Doesn¡¯t seem right.¡±


    Alex made a face. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not right at all.¡±


    Sam raised an eyebrow. ¡°You don¡¯t know the half of it. You know how you asked me to look into those Surveyors who get transferred?¡± She nodded, and he continued in a lower voice, stepping closer to make up for the difference. ¡°There¡¯s at least thirty ¡®washout¡¯ E ranks that never actually made it to wherever they were going. Wells listed them as going to another facility, but then he reported that they quit and paid the contract penalty fee.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°That fee is like five years¡¯ pay. There¡¯s no way most Surveyors could handle it.¡±


    ¡°Suspicious, right?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Once I found that, I did a little more digging around. Turns out it isn¡¯t just E ranks either. Every couple of transfers or so, a D rank goes missing, too. Not a washout, but quits with all fees paid. There¡¯s been about twelve of those since Wells set up shop here.¡±


    Alex blinked. She felt a slight chill travel up her spine. ¡°Do they turn up again?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. A bunch of the E ranks ended up living here in the city, even if they lived somewhere else before. A couple of the D ranks, too.¡± Sam paused and grimaced. ¡°A lot of the D ranks, though¡­ they just vanish. Never seen again.¡±


    A coil of dread started to writhe in Alex¡¯s guts. Whatever was going on here was even worse than the drugs could have been. ¡°We have no way to trace them?¡±


    Sam shook his head. ¡°Not from here. I was already pushing things, asking about transfers and poking at the company database. I forwarded the list of the ones in town to Zach yesterday, though. He said he would check into it.¡±


    Alex frowned. She still didn¡¯t know if she liked the fact that Zach was working with more Surveyors than her, but the jealousy seemed to be almost unimportant compared to the dread worming around inside her. ¡°He said he wants to meet tonight. Do you think I can get away from the celebration?¡±


    He smirked. ¡°Need someone to run interference for you again?¡± She nodded, and he laughed a little. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Wells isn¡¯t going to be there. Something about him having something to do.¡±


    ¡°Okay, good.¡± She felt a moment of disquiet about what could pull Wells away from his favorite form of entertainment¡ªaside from smacking her around in the sparring ring, of course¡ªand then shook her head. It would make it that much easier to slip away from the party. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Zach we¡¯re on for tonight, then.¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°Good. Tell him I¡¯ll be coming too.¡± He reached back into his locker and pulled out a jacket. ¡°I¡¯ve benefitted enough from all the ¡®hunches¡¯ that I figure I owe him a meal or something at least. Besides, maybe this way you won¡¯t get too distracted staring longingly into each others¡¯ eyes.¡±


    Alex snorted, but she felt a hint of a blush crawl up her cheeks. She did feel a little disappointed that she wouldn¡¯t be meeting Zach alone, but at the very least, she¡¯d get to see him again. With that thought, she went back to her own barracks to get changed. Seeing that spark in his eyes again would more than make up for bringing company along.


    Zach looked up as they entered the restaurant. Alex thought she saw a flash of disappointment in his blue eyes as he saw Sam standing next to her, but it vanished a heartbeat later, just before he waved them over.


    She didn¡¯t pay it much attention, however, because she was focused on something far more important. As she slid into the booth across from him, her eyes were locked onto his face, which was covered in cuts and bruises. It was a struggle to keep her voice low. ¡°Zach, what happened?¡±


    He looked from her to Sam and back again. ¡°I went looking for the names from Red Blade. I assume you¡¯re Sam?¡±


    Sam nodded, his eyes intent. For some reason, he was still standing. ¡°Yeah. Thanks for the help.¡± He stretched out a hand, and Zach stood up for a moment to shake it. Then both of them slid into the booth, Sam next to Alex and Zach still across from both of them.


    Zach glanced around before he spoke, and he was just as careful to keep his voice low as she had been. ¡°Like I said, I did some checking into the names. Not all of them are in the city.¡± When Sam nodded, Zach grimaced. ¡°No, I don¡¯t mean the ones that fell completely off the grid. I mean the ones with addresses listed here. There should be thirty ex-Surveyors. At least five of them are ghosts, probably literally.¡±


    Alex¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    He took out a list from his pocket and slid it over to them. How paranoid had he gotten that he was using paper? ¡°For five of those addresses, the rental units were empty. They were hooked up to the internet, had some traffic moving through them, bills were being paid, but no sign of habitation.¡± Zach tapped the list. ¡°Did a bit more digging. All five units belong to the same landlord. A friend of Wells¡¯ from the Army.¡±


    Sam grunted. ¡°So those houses are empty. Where are the Surveyors?¡±


    Zach shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m assuming they¡¯re dead.¡± A brief silence fell, and he shook his head again. ¡°Sorry. This news isn¡¯t going to get better. I¡¯m betting that those five heard Wells¡¯ job offer and told him to die in a fire.¡±


    Alex glanced at Sam. He looked dazed. ¡°There¡¯s no sign of murder, though.¡±


    ¡°There wouldn¡¯t be.¡± Alex shook her head. ¡°If he put the body through the portal and sent someone after the Talisman, there wouldn¡¯t be any evidence at all. They¡¯d just disappear.¡±


    Zach nodded, his bruised face solemn. ¡°Then they get ¡®transferred¡¯ and an empty house set up for them for a while. Nobody has enough pieces to know the whole story.¡±


    Alex felt a flare of anger thread through her. So Wells wasn¡¯t just some kind of smuggler. He was a griefer as well. A C rank murdering E ranks. She shook her head, trying to clear it of her rage. ¡°What about the others? You said something about a job offer?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zach pulled out another set of printed out pages. They showed a series of photos. ¡°I was able to track down most of the rest of the E ranks, and both D ranks still in the city. You can see that they aren¡¯t exactly in uniform.¡±


    As Alex and Sam started to look through them, Zach reached out and tapped one of them. ¡°See the neck tattoo? That means he belongs to the Highland Park crowd. This one is wearing a tattoo for the South Metro gang, this one was surrounded by a bunch of the Greenroad guys¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°All of them are associated with the same dealers that Wells is feeding his material.¡±


    ¡°Which means he isn¡¯t just smuggling material. He¡¯s smuggling Surveyors.¡± Sam sounded numb, and Alex could sympathize. If Wells had twisted their arms somehow, forced them to become enforcers for the gangs¡­ it would mean he¡¯d have two advantages. First, his ¡®friends¡¯ would have better soldiers than any of the others in the city, which would mean they would win any fights that started.


    The second, of course, would mean that Wells had a leash around the neck of everyone he was supplying. If something went wrong, Wells could always remind the Surveyors in the gangs of whatever he had on them, and they would tear the criminals apart from the inside.


    She clenched her fists. Regulation agents should have been all over the case months ago. Wells had been getting away with murdering Surveyors for years and nobody had done anything. Why hadn¡¯t they?


    Zach was still watching her, and she realized he wasn¡¯t finished yet. ¡°What else?¡±


    He sighed slowly, the noise coming out of his battered face a little oddly. ¡°Those government guys you saw at the handoff with Wells? They definitely aren¡¯t government.¡± Zach drew out another piece of paper. ¡°I managed to track the car after one of the handoffs. It went to a facility a little outside the city. It is some kind of secure site, but I think it is owned by a corporation, not an agency.¡±


    Zach glanced at Sam again, but the other Surveyor was still engrossed in the pictures that Zach had already given them. Alex felt her eyes narrow as she looked back at Zach. He took a short breath. ¡°When I tried to follow it back to who actually owned the place, I got to a shell company. One that was used at one point by Greylight Industries.¡±


    Alex felt her breath catch. Greylight had long been a corporation associated with unethical research and questionable corporate practices. They were notable for being one of the few Survey corps that openly provided Surveyors as security consultants to the rich and powerful. Far worse than that were whispers about medical experiments and espionage, along with the occasional coverup. Her mother had always wanted to bust them open, of course, as had every other Regulation agent.


    In fact, Muriel had been doing so when her team had been led through a portal and into an ambush. One that she¡¯d always suspected had been set up by¡­


    It took a moment for her to remind herself to breathe. Zach was still watching her. He¡¯d talked with her parents enough to know what Greylight meant. He had to know what she was thinking of doing. As she watched, he slowly shook his head, and she felt reality impose itself. If Greylight was involved, they¡¯d have their own group of agents. Maybe even the same D ranks Wells had handed over to them, ready to eliminate any threat¡ªand that was if she was lucky, and they didn¡¯t have any C or B rank Surveyors on hand to squish the problem.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Sam had glanced up at the mention of Greylight, and he was now looking back and forth between them. ¡°So you think the D ranks went there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zach looked away from Alex, who was focusing on clenching and unclenching her hands. ¡°They¡¯d have a lot of uses for a well-drilled D rank that couldn¡¯t say no to their¡­ propositions. They probably pay Wells highly for each one, too. Their compound is almost as heavily isolated as the Red Blades¡¯ one here.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you got hurt? Trying to ask questions around Greylight?¡± She couldn¡¯t help spitting the word, and Zach seemed to hurry to shake his head.


    ¡°No. I just got caught doing something I shouldn¡¯t have been.¡± He gingerly touched his face. ¡°One of the E ranks here in town took offense to me digging through her trash. I was dressed up like a homeless person at the time, though, so I don¡¯t think she caught on at all.¡±


    Alex felt some of the tension inside her relax a little. ¡°Which one?¡±


    Zach hesitated, looking at Sam. The other Surveyor just grimaced and shrugged. ¡°This one, right here.¡±


    She looked down at the photo, memorizing the ex-Surveyor¡¯s features. Then she nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± The two men exchanged a look that Alex chose to ignore. ¡°We have about three weeks until the next crunch, right? And transfers are supposed to happen after that?¡±


    Zach nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Then we have about that long to find a way to stop this from happening again.¡± Alex tapped the list of names in front of her, her mind feeling clear and focused. ¡°We can¡¯t take on Wells directly. Not with what we have right now.¡±


    Sam laughed, sounding a little nervous. ¡°Well, yeah. Even you can¡¯t seem to touch him, and you¡¯re the best we have. Unless the Crimson Blade steps off the pedestal they set up for her in the portal room, of course.¡±


    Zach cleared his throat, and Alex gave him an exasperated look. ¡°That means we need to bring down the stuff he¡¯s doing to support himself. Which means we need to cut something out of his program.¡± She looked down at the papers again, thinking through it all. Then something occurred to her. ¡°Sam, the reasoning behind crunch was that because we didn¡¯t collect enough, we had to make up for all the washouts, right? Since they weren¡¯t safe enough to go through the portal?¡±


    The question seemed to surprise Sam a little. He nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how Wells put it.¡±


    Alex nodded slowly, the idea coming together in her head. ¡°Crunch is what he uses to make most of this work. Without it, he can¡¯t hide the material he¡¯s sending to the gangs, and he can¡¯t organize transfers where people disappear as easily. If we take that down¡­¡±


    She paused, thinking through her strategy. It might rely on Wells hating her a little too much, but if she could challenge his ego enough¡­ ¡°All right. I¡¯m going to try to sabotage his chances at justifying another crunch. It might mess up his little washout program too.¡± Alex turned to Sam. ¡°Can you start talking to your friends in the support staff? Keep bringing up how unreasonable Wells has been to them, and see if we can get them to stop playing along with his orders. They aren¡¯t active Surveyors, so the only thing he can do is fire them, after all.¡±


    Sam nodded, his expression a little skeptical. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do. A lot of them are really scared of him, though.¡±


    ¡°Let me see if I can deal with that.¡± She smiled, and Sam sighed in resignation. At least he wasn¡¯t raising any objections.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep digging into the connections Wells has. See if I can get a better picture of how it all works.¡± Zach shuffled all the papers together and handed them over. ¡°Take what I have for now, but I think I can lean on one or two of the E ranks. If they come clean, then even Regulation won¡¯t be able to overlook this. They may not nail Greylight, but they¡¯ll go after Wells for the gangs at least.¡±


    Alex frowned at him. ¡°Zach, you¡¯ve already gotten yourself injured over this. You should leave the rest to us.¡±


    He tilted his head and smiled at her. The expression didn¡¯t look any worse for the bruises. ¡°Oh please, if I did that we¡¯d never get anywhere, now would we?¡±


    The question was frustratingly accurate, and she was still trying to think of a way to answer it when Zach reached forward and put his hand over hers. ¡°I¡¯ll be all right, Alex. I¡¯m not going to just watch you guys fight for your lives from the sidelines, though¡ªso like it or not, I¡¯m going to keep digging. Maybe I can even find a way to stop this without having you throw yourself into the fire. Okay?¡±


    She fought her own initial reaction, which would be to threaten to call her mother on him. It didn¡¯t help that his eyes were sparkling, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. He even had a little smirk on his face.


    Alex let out her breath in a small huff of frustration and looked away. ¡°All right, fine. Just¡­ be careful.¡±


    ¡°I will, Valkyrie.¡±


    She felt her face grow instantly hot as he used the nickname and tried to ignore the low chuckle from his side of the table. ¡°Okay, how do we get food here, anyway?¡±


    When Alex started her run the next morning, it felt predictably rough. The lack of Meditation to recover and the sudden lack of Marathoning combined to make the first lap a miserable experience. It made her glad that Sam had not joined her for it.


    Yet as she continued, Alex found herself falling into a kind of moving meditation, one that seemed to fuel her muscles as she ran. As Motion Trance began to gain levels, the fatigue building in her body started to stabilize, and her speed increased. Her desire to stop and catch her breath began to fade, and her steps along the walltop grew more and more sure.


    By the time she started her third lap, the burning in her legs had started to go down instead of continuing to increase. Frowning at the change, she put on more speed, hoping to push herself further. The wall blurred by as she moved, her legs growing stronger and stronger as she went.


    When she reached the end of her third lap, she realized with shock that she felt good enough to go for a fourth. Wondering how much further she could push it, she poured on more speed, feeling the magic flow through her. The wind whipped past her and her heart beat in time with her footsteps as she traced the perimeter of the compound yet again.


    As she came to a stop at last at the end of the fourth lap, she saw orange text hovering in front of her.


    [Motion Trance advances to 9!]


    She didn¡¯t feel as fresh as she had when she¡¯d started¡­ but she was closer than she would have believed. Before, Marathoning had helped her speed and endurance, but she¡¯d still had to stop for ten minutes of Meditation to wipe the slate clean, so to speak. If she didn¡¯t have to do that anymore¡­


    Grinning, she started down the steps just as the first E ranks started to file into the exercise yard. She waved to them as she jogged past, and got a few hesitant waves in return that only made her smile wider. The first piece of her plan was already falling into place.


    Sparring went about as expected, though to her surprise, she could no longer use meditation as she had before. Instead of sitting calmly between matches, Alex loped around the gymnasium in a lazy prowl, using Motion Trance to recover her strength. It made her seem like some kind of restless animal pacing the gym, and she could see flickers of hesitation among the rest of the Surveyors, but it also was helping her gain levels on the Skill, so she continued.


    In the afternoon she was almost tempted to take the two hours of personal time to go run again instead, but she worried that would tip her hand. As it was, her prowling still brought her all the way up to twelve in Motion Trance. It was enough to put a smile on her face despite the way that Wells once again beat her easily in the daily spar. It was annoying to not be able to meditate her way through the tactical seminar, but she found it hard to complain as she flew along the walls for her nightly run.


    On the third day of the training period, Wells called for a brief meeting before they began their sparring sessions.


    Alex lined up with the rest as the chief grinned at them from where he stood. He started without preamble. ¡°The teams for tomorrow¡¯s Survey have now been organized. Those who were identified as being particularly unready for the mission have been excluded; the support staff have been informed that they might have some additional help for the day.¡±


    Now was the time. Alex raised a hand. ¡°Chief, why aren¡¯t we putting them through the portal, anyway? Aren¡¯t we going to fall behind on our quotas that way?¡±


    Chief Wells blinked, obviously knocked off balance by the deviation from the normal script. He stared at her for a moment, while the other Surveyors shuffled uncomfortably in the silence. When he answered, his voice was a mixture of baffled amusement and exasperation. ¡°Surveyor Morrison, Red Blade Securities takes its responsibilities for Surveyor safety very seriously. If a Surveyor isn¡¯t ready to go through the portal, they put both themselves and others at risk. It¡¯s true that their lack of performance may impact our production of critical materials, but we can make up for their faults through the grit and determination that we have all learned to rely on.¡±


    It was difficult to keep her face neutral, knowing the lies behind the griefer¡¯s words, but she managed. ¡°Chief, if they don¡¯t go through the portal, how are they supposed to learn that same grit and determination? Shouldn¡¯t we make our best effort to bring them up to the level they need to be on?¡±


    Wells was glaring at her now. His hands twitched at his sides. ¡°Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have the resources to do so, Surveyor Morrison. We cannot afford to spend our time helping Surveyors who have refused to prepare themselves to fight by our side. Those who make an effort and work hard for their teams are the ones we will focus on.¡±


    Alex met his glare with a neutral look. Not challenging, but not backing down. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, Chief, that doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± As his lips started to twist into a snarl, she continued in a voice that carried across the other D ranks. She tried to ignore the twist in her gut. ¡°The Crimson Blade never left anyone behind. She always expected the best from everyone, not just the strongest. If these Surveyors aren¡¯t pulling their weight, then someone should make them do it.¡±


    A murmur ran through the assembled Surveyors, and Wells paused. His eyes had grown hard now, and he seemed to be weighing his rage against his control. Alex would have wagered her entire life savings that he wouldn¡¯t have expected her to appeal to her mother¡¯s legacy¡ªwhich was exactly why she had. In this compound, the Crimson Blade was the only authority that outweighed Wells¡¯, and Wells knew it.


    When Wells spoke, his voice was half-strangled with anger. ¡°And who do you expect to do that, Surveyor Morrison? Who is supposed to take responsibility for their lack of ability and show them how things are done? Who will turn them into better Surveyors for Red Blade Securities? You?¡±


    She answered as if the question had been genuine. ¡°I would be honored, Chief.¡± Before he could pull back the opportunity, she continued in an even voice. ¡°If you would divide them into six teams of four, I¡¯ll take them through the portal tomorrow in waves. A maximum of two hours per team; I¡¯ll only come back after every other Survey, to give me a chance at completing the Main Quests.¡±


    Wells stared at her, as if completely taken off guard. ¡°You¡¯re going to take all of them through? By yourself?¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what the company needs, Chief.¡± She let her tone do the talking for her, and saw anger punch through his confusion again.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be expected to bring them back safely. Safely, and on time. If you come back late even one time, or bring back a single wounded Surveyor, you¡¯ll be washing dishes right next to them for the next Survey. For the next three Surveys! Understand?¡±


    ¡°I do, Chief.¡± Alex understood better than he thought, and she relished the flicker of triumph in his eyes. He thought she¡¯d fail; after all, she was volunteering for something as bad or worse than a crunch, and volunteering to do it while everyone else was just doing one Survey. It should have been a crushing weight.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t know about Motion Trance, or that she knew about his plans and plots. Wells probably thought she was just restless and wanted to avoid another Salvage Survey.


    Which was fine by her. After all, when she actually succeeded at what she was proposing, he¡¯d have a hard time arguing that they needed to do a crunch afterward¡ªand even if he justified it somehow, the Surveyors he was sending through would have enough combat experience to actually make it through the rush. Without washouts, and with an additional boost of materials that were on the official logs, he was going to have a hard time keeping his little operation under wraps.


    At least, that was the hope.


    Wells was still glaring at her in a way that promised some kind of retribution was coming. She just stared back at him, picturing exactly what she was going to do with him once she got the chance.


    Then he snorted. ¡°So be it, Morrison. You¡¯re on washout duty. Be in the portal room right after breakfast; you¡¯re going to have a very long day.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Chief.¡± Despite herself, she matched his smile. The next day would be a long one, but it would also be the beginning of the end of Wells the griefer. That fact made it worth any price.

 B2Ch20: Saving the Washouts

    [D Rank Surveyor Alex, Gatekeeper]


    [Ascension Level: 6]


    [Role: Porter (Role Skills: None]


    [Role Level: 1]


    [Experience: 700/2800]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 6, Speed -> 10, Life -> 2, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Combat Balance(21), Motion Trance(22), Melee¨CAxe(25), Melee¡ªShield(22)]


    [Permanent Skills: Battle Maneuvers(26)]


    [Current Titles: Empress of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by five.),


    Aggression (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, Combined Arms, and Combat Balance Skills by five.),


    Fated Hero (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by five),


    Endless Motion (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, Marathoning, and Motion Trance by three.)


    Tireless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery Skills by three.)


    True Sentinel (Increases Skill grade of Deflect, Dodging, Blocking, Resist, Zeal, and Combat Balance by five.)


    Calming Flow (Increases Skill grade of Meditation, Focus, Recovery, Arcane, Sense, and Motion Trance by two.)]


    Alex stared at the words, knowing that despite the high Skills on display, she was in for a rough time. Her only real chance was going to be to keep the new Surveyors moving, and prevent them from getting hurt. Unlike before, there wouldn¡¯t be any old friends helping her. She needed to do it on her own, with unknown allies to rely on if things went wrong.


    She shook off the feeling of foreboding and pushed forward.


    [Please select your intent]


    [Exploration]


    [Vengeance]


    [Patrol]


    [War]


    [Salvage]


    Once again, she had to select Patrol, only this time she tried to look back and remember what the missions had been like for her at level three. They would only have six patrols to kill, not eight, so she¡¯d actually end up destroying twelve patrols per Survey. All while doing the majority of the work in killing the Brutes and stopping the lower ranked Surveyors from being overwhelmed.


    [Your intent is to Patrol]


    [Quest Issued! Clear at least eight Grue patrols.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    She nodded and stepped forward into the light¡­


    Alex stepped out into the other world just ahead of her first team of the day.


    They didn¡¯t seem all that bad. There was a Squire named Ryan, an Adept named Sean, and two Pages named Sally and Natasha. The Pages were set up for ranged combat, while the other two were frontline fighters. None of them were very excited about what they were about to do.


    Alex didn¡¯t care. She had two hours to get them through six patrols, and then back to the portal. Her body seemed to hum with energy; she already wanted to be out and fighting. It was literal agony to stay still long enough for all four to emerge from the swirling vortex.


    ¡°Okay, listen up. We¡¯re going to be hitting six patrols. That means if each of you works hard enough, you¡¯ll probably be able to finish at least two of your Hidden Quests as well as your Main ones.¡± Ryan opened his mouth to say something, and Alex paused just long enough to glare him into being quiet. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to have time to do an all-clear, especially not since you¡¯d be fighting Brutes. The big scary ones. I can¡¯t do that and get through all six teams. Sorry.¡±


    She paused long enough to take a breath. ¡°For each patrol, I¡¯m going to go in first and hopefully draw their attention. You guys hit the pack after that. Each of you needs to kill four Soldiers, one Knight, and one Archer per fight. I¡¯ll do my best to handle the rest. Can you all do that?¡±


    They all nodded, except for Ryan, who stubbornly opened his mouth again. ¡°Why are we getting packed in with five other teams? The others all get to have their own Vanguard, like we did for the first mission.¡±


    Alex debated giving a soft answer. Instead, she settled on bluntness. ¡°Wells is trying to make it so you can¡¯t get any more experience. So that you aren¡¯t ready. Has anyone told you about crunch?¡± They all shook their heads. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll tell you about it myself, but we have to get moving. Come on.¡±


    She led the way out of the portal area, deliberately keeping her pace down as she described the situation at the compound. Alex left out all mention of smuggling, kidnapping, and murder; crunch on its own was bad enough for the moment. By the time they reached the first patrol, the other Surveyors were looking a little less offended and a little more uncertain.


    When she caught sight of the Grue, however, Alex cut off. She pointed. ¡°Remember, hit them as hard as you can while they are focused on me. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy eight Grue Brutes]


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy twelve Grue Knights and twelve Grue Archers]


    With that, she hurled herself forward, sprinting out in front of the others in a burst of speed they couldn¡¯t possibly hope to match. The Grue saw her coming; their eyes widened as she sped towards the heart of their pack. She saw the Brute beginning to crouch, its hammers held wide.


    Alex hit them like a freight train, smashing through the initial ranks without even slowing down. They collapsed in around her, trying to surround and overwhelm her. She dodged spears and swords, arrows and hammers, her axe lashing out to cut down one of the Knights. Her shield snapped another Knight¡¯s sword, and she ducked below the Brute¡¯s hammer strike so she could dart in and finish it.


    Then the others arrived, and the Grue started to collapse backwards. Alex didn¡¯t let them escape; she chopped her way through the Brute in heartbeats before continuing forward and into the Archers. Two of them she killed; the others she wounded and left for the rest of the team.


    When the bodies began to burn, she waved away the notifications as she tried to gather the materials.


    [Combat Balance advances to 22!]


    [Melee¨CShield advances to 23!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 1 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 1 of 8 targets destroyed]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 4 of 24 targets destroyed]


    It wasn¡¯t much, but it was a start.


    The next two hours repeated the same pattern. She would charge in, tearing through the first ranks and drawing the enemy¡¯s attacks. Ryan and the others arrived soon after, cutting their way through the distracted Grue and taking their kills where they could find them.


    In the times between fights, Alex tried to give them whatever advice she could about their Skills, and what paths they should take with their abilities. Some of those questions were easy¡ªtelling the Pages to Chain Aim and Ranged Skills was fairly straightforward, though they needed to be reassured that they¡¯d be able to continue training with the next few days. Others were harder; Sean had questions about magic that she couldn¡¯t really answer, though she promised to ask Joanna and Sam when she got the chance.


    It took just under two hours to kill all six patrols and return to the portal. Alex watched the four Surveyors disappear through the portal, obviously tired but somewhat cheered up by their success. Alex took the chance to prowl around the portal, moving so that Motion Trance could help her recover her stamina. As she did, a pair of other teams returned, giving her curious looks as they passed her by.


    Finally, the next team came through¡ªtwo Acolytes, a Porter, and an Adept. She winced at the prospect of such a magic-heavy team and gave them the same speech she¡¯d given the first group.


    Then she led them back out into the city. One down, five more to go.


    A crackle of lightning snapped over her head, and Alex ducked low. She risked a quick glare in Anthony¡¯s direction, and the Acolyte had the grace to look a little ashamed at the near miss. Alex continued her motion, ducking and weaving to avoid a Knight¡¯s blade. Her axe cut it down, and then Anthony¡¯s next try took out an Archer that was aiming for her.


    It had been a bit more complicated to work with a team that was nearly all ranged fighters, but in the end it had still worked. They¡¯d already cut down three patrols, and this fourth one was already being picked apart by lightning and fire, blinding sunlight and the Porter, Miguel, wading in with his own axe and shield. A handful more minutes, and the last of the Grue fell, leaving Alex to nod as the bodies burned.


    Her own Quests had been finished a long while ago, and she was ready to pass back through the portal. Once the others had another couple of patrols finished, she¡¯d follow them through so she could pick the next team up¡ªwhile also adjusting her own Skills.


    For the moment, her body still seemed to be doing fine. Motion Trance was already proving to be worth her weight in gold; every stretch of walking or jogging rejuvenated her. She grinned as she pictured Wells¡¯ baffled expression when she came back through the portal in a little while, still mostly refreshed.


    She nodded to the others as they gathered the resources left behind by the Grue. ¡°Hey Anthony, nice shots on those Archers, but you may want to either take Aim or Focus if you want to be a bit more¡­ precise. Miguel, you did a great job against that Knight, next time just hold your shield a bit higher. Combined Arms would be great if you chained your Melee for Shield and Axe! Willa, I¡­¡±


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quest Completed! +120 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! +80 Experience]


    She let out a breath as she looked at the text. Even with the help of Motion Trance, she was starting to feel a little bit of an ache in her limbs. Worse, Alex thought she was starting to feel the Shade staring at her. In a way, it was a good thing; she could kill that many more Grue as they piled in at Liliana¡¯s direction. Of course, it would be that much more dangerous for the others, but she couldn¡¯t stop now.


    [Battle Maneuvers increased from 25 to 28!]


    [Combat Balance increased from 21 to 25!]


    [Melee¨CShield increased from 22 to 25!]


    [Motion Trance increased from 22 to 23!]


    [Combat Balance has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Combat Balance to gain a Title?]


    Alex hesitated. In the long term, resetting her Skills as much as possible was the better decision. In the short term, however, she had another four teams to protect. If she was too risky with her Skills, it was possible that she¡¯d end up taking a wound, or being too slow to keep one of the others from being wounded.


    Then again, Battle Maneuvers was still nearly at maximum. If she could make it work for at least a handful of fights¡­


    She reset it before she could back out of the decision.


    [Title Trained gained (Increases Skill grade of Combat Balance, Battle Maneuvers, Battle Mastery, and Battle Dance by one.)]


    Alex blinked. It was an interesting Title, but it didn¡¯t affect any of the lower Skills. At the very least, it hit Battle Maneuvers as well, but she hadn¡¯t expected that kind of result. Still, any increase was a good one.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    She ignored the option to reset either Melee Skill, waiting until her familiar decision presented itself once again.


    [Skill Chain available. Do you wish to combine Melee¨CAxe and Melee¨CShield?]


    [Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels]


    Yet again, she took the Skill that formed the basis of half her combat ability. The rush from the combination was almost familiar now, though she felt a hint of confusion as she read the next notification.


    [Skill Chain unlocked! Skills Melee¨CAxe and Melee¨CShield removed. Skill Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield gained! Skill Chain bonus gained! Title Ferocity gained (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by one.)]


    She blinked. Apparently, she could regain a Title that had been upgraded to another version. Good to know.


    [Skill Choice available. Please select an additional Skill.]


    Alex hesitated again. With Combined Arms, Battle Maneuvers, and Combat Balance, she had three fairly strong Skills associated with direct combat. Motion Trance gave her plenty of chance to recover and move quickly. Taking another Melee ability would be fairly sensible, even if she would never have the chance to Chain it with anything. It would get her that much closer to matching the C rank griefer she meant to ruin.


    Then again, there was no guarantee that she would ever be able to equal Wells¡¯ combat abilities immediately, at least not until she was a C rank herself. If he had really modeled himself after her mother, then it was very possible that she¡¯d never quite reach the same close combat prowess. If that was the case, taking Melee yet again would be a waste.


    Yet if she didn¡¯t take Melee, what would she take?


    Alex thought it over for a moment, running through the options available to her. Resist seemed interesting; so did Inspect or Sense. Yet in the end her attention kept drifting back to one particular option, one that she¡¯d been wanting to take for a while now, despite her better judgement.


    In the end, it was the irritating nickname they¡¯d given her that decided things. After all, was there any better choice for a Valkyrie than Holy¨CStorm?


    She smiled to herself as the light surrounded her, taking her back home for a brief moment¡­


    The Shade came back during her fourth team¡¯s run.


    Up to that point, things had been almost pleasant. She¡¯d been given the chance to visit the restroom¡ªwhere she texted her father to let him know she was safe¡ªand grab something to eat before she headed out again. Her third team had consisted of nothing but close combat Squires and Porters, something that told her that Wells was definitely organizing the teams to be as lopsided as possible. He had given her a satisfied grin as they headed out once again.


    Fortunately, the slower speed of her teammates had given her that much more of a chance to bring her Skills back up to normal. After the first handful of fights, Alex didn¡¯t even feel nervous about charging into the thick of things again, tearing the Grue apart and making sure they weren¡¯t paying attention to the literal shield wall that closed in on them from behind.


    She¡¯d also taken the opportunity to start using her newfound magic. It was strange, like suddenly discovering a limb she hadn¡¯t had before. Flexing it was exhausting in a way that she had to be careful about; Motion Trance didn¡¯t apparently have any effect on magical power, and she quickly ran out when she tried to use it. Mostly she just managed to blow a bit of air in the face of Grue that were bothering her, at least for the first few fights.


    A little under two hours, again, and she dropped the third team off to pick up a team of three Squires and a single, worried Acolyte. Once again, she¡¯d led them back out into the city, feeling only a little tired from the combat she¡¯d survived so far. She¡¯d led her new team into one patrol, then another.


    Then, as they were tearing through the third patrol, she caught sight of the Shade watching her from the street corner. Alex felt a burst of dread and glanced at her teammates. They didn¡¯t seem to have noticed¡ªunderstandable, given how they were slaughtering the Grue in front of them¡ªand when Alex looked back, Liliana was already gone.


    Still, she knew what it meant. The next few teams were going to have a much harder time than the first four.


    Alex got team four back to the portal well ahead of time. She¡¯d gone through with them, resetting Battle Maneuvers this time since both Combined Arms and Combat Balance were once again at maximum. Trained had become Experienced, and her power had grown a little more.


    Wells had raised his eyebrows at her as if to express his surprise, but Alex had simply ignored him. She rushed to the bathroom to text her father again, grabbed whatever food she could, and then paced restlessly as the fifth team got ready. Alex led a Page, two Adepts, and a Porter through, knowing what she¡¯d find on the other side.


    Barely an hour and a half later, Alex dragged team five back to the portal and watched them go through. None of them had been wounded, but they had ambushed twice. Both times she had sensed Liliana smirking at her, something that did not improve her mood as the sixth team took what seemed like forever to come through.


    As she waited, she saw a harried-looking Sam come back with his own team. She waved to him, and he gave her a steady look. ¡°You still alive Valkyrie?¡±


    ¡°Alive and kicking.¡± Both Clara and Sam had taken turns lecturing her about what she was doing, but Alex just smiled. Just another hour or so, and her day would be done. After Sam¡¯s team went through, she practiced a bit of her magic, toying with making the occasional breeze and lightning off a few sparks. Exhausting her magic made her feel a little off balance, but not in a way that her other abilities couldn¡¯t adjust for easily enough.


    Then the last team came through, three Porters and a Squire. They all looked a little sullen, but Alex simply motioned for them to join her. She gave her version of the speech on the run; after all, she could already see Liliana watching her from the window.


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quest Completed! +120 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! +80 Experience]


    It was her third time seeing the text in the day. Alex was feeling tired now, but not oppressively so. She dismissed the text and let the next wave of notifications wash over her.


    [Battle Maneuvers increased from 0 to 18!]


    [Motion Trance increased from 24 to 25!]


    [Holy¨CStorm increased from 6 to 12!]


    Alex grinned at the last notification. Her burgeoning magic power wasn¡¯t exactly inspiring; she had yet to use it especially well in combat, but it still made her grin. After all, her mother had never really bothered with magic. She was treading new ground.


    [Combat Balance has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Combat Balance to gain a Title?]


    She took the option. There wouldn¡¯t be fighting the next day, just training, which meant she¡¯d have the chance to get things back in working order fairly quickly.


    [Title Experienced upgraded to Title Veteran (Increases Skill grade Combat Balance, Battle Maneuvers, Battle Mastery, and Battle Dance by three.)]


    [Motion Trance has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Motion Trance to gain a Title?]


    She hesitated a moment, knowing that it would make the first day a bit of a nightmare. Then she chose it anyway.


    [Title Calming Flow upgraded to Title Peaceful Flow (Increases Skill grade of Meditation, Focus, Recovery, Arcane, Sense, and Motion Trance by three.)]


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield to gain a Title?]


    Again, the choice was easy to make, but still painful to pay for.


    [Title Ferocity upgraded to Title Savagery (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by two.)]


    Aside from Battle Maneuvers, she was once again left without her best Skills. Alex grimaced, feeling the fatigue suddenly rush in on her now that Motion Trance was gone. Then she let the light carry her back to where she could get some rest¡­


    Wells was waiting for her in the portal room.


    Most of the rest of the Surveyors had already gone. She could see the members of her last team walking out of the door. For a moment, she envied them. The last thing she wanted to do was give a report to the griefer in charge.


    He waited until she had approached him, his eyebrows raised. ¡°Surveyor Morrison. You seem rather tired.¡±


    Alex gave him a crooked smile. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ve had a busy day, Chief Wells.¡±


    ¡°That you have.¡± Wells leaned a little closer in. ¡°I must admit, I am impressed with the level of effort you put towards this project of yours. Every team came back on schedule. Some of them were actually ahead of time. Significantly.¡±


    She nodded, not trusting herself to say anything. He continued in an even tone. ¡°The troops were also impressed. A lot of them were complimenting you.¡±


    He paused, waiting expectantly, and Alex simply cleared her throat. ¡°I am glad that I lived up to the company ideals, Chief Wells.¡±


    ¡°I am as well.¡± The tone of Wells¡¯ words didn¡¯t even come close to matching the content of what he was saying, but Alex didn¡¯t comment on it. ¡°I hope that at the very least, you have learned how much sacrifice it takes to pursue such ideals.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Are you intending on continuing this effort next time?¡±


    His tone was an obvious hint that she shouldn¡¯t. Alex paused, as if thinking it over. In truth, she¡¯d already long since decided.


    ¡°I will, Chief Wells.¡±


    Wells nodded, his eyes cold despite his smile. ¡°I thought so. Well, I have always admired your dedication.¡± He smiled. ¡°Unfortunately, since the Surveyors were all busy with you today, they left some chores undone. I hope you can take the time today and the next few nights to help out. Otherwise, I don¡¯t know that I could let this¡­ experiment continue.¡±


    She blinked. He held her gaze, and Alex began to fume internally as she recognized what he was doing. Wells couldn¡¯t take back the process she¡¯d started, not without creating problems among the rest of the Surveyors. After all, she¡¯d proved it was possible to accomplish it, and he¡¯d been hotheaded enough to allow it to start. The instant he pulled it back, the Surveyors would practically riot, or just as bad, simply refuse to go along with crunch when he asked.


    So instead, he was going to try to restrict her. He¡¯d cut into her ability to join the celebrations¡ªhopefully cutting her ties with the other Surveyors too¡ªand if that didn¡¯t work, he¡¯d move on to having her join the support staff instead of training. It was the kind of pressure that might have worked on someone who was doing the work out of ambition or pride, and would probably have convinced any number of people to back off and stay in line.


    Unfortunately for Wells, Alex wasn¡¯t motivated by any of those things. So she met his eyes and smiled. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to help out wherever I can, Chief. Have fun at the party tonight.¡±


    He blinked, his face going blank. Then he held out a list of janitorial tasks and watched as she stalked out. Alex felt his eyes on her back as she headed for the restroom to recover her phone. She had more plans to make.


    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re not really being careful, Alex.¡± Her mother had taken on the chiding tone that Alex had grown far too familiar with. ¡°How much do you think you can irritate a C rank Surveyor like that before he really retaliates?¡±


    ¡°A C rank griefer, Mom. One that¡¯s allied with Greylight Industries.¡± Alex shook her head, continuing to mop the floor she¡¯d been assigned. ¡°He¡¯s planning on retaliating, anyway. This way, I might actually be ready for it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re ever going to be ready for a C rank, dear.¡± Her mom seemed to restraining a laugh. ¡°Trying to be able to take him in a duel might be a bit too ambitious, even for you.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it worked for my last supervisor.¡±


    Muriel snorted. ¡°That was a bit of a special case¡ªand it didn¡¯t exactly take, did it?¡±


    Alex smirked a little, thinking through a few different responses. She reached the end of the hallway and turned back to go recover the wheeled bucket she was using. An idea occurred to her, but she hesitated for a long while before she asked her next question. For a long moment, there was nothing but the squeak of the wheels as she pushed the mop towards the next hallway.


    Then her mother laughed. ¡°Well? Are you planning on asking me?¡±


    Alex blinked. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your mother, Alex. I know you don¡¯t stay quiet this long unless you¡¯ve got a question you want to ask, but you think you shouldn¡¯t.¡± She could almost hear her mother¡¯s grin, and Alex grimaced. ¡°I thought we raised you braver than that.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± She pushed the bucket into the next hallway and paused. The floor already looked spotless, but cleaning wasn¡¯t the point, was it? Alex¡¯s jaw clenched for a moment. ¡°Wells fights like you do. He probably has the same moves, the same Skills, everything.¡±


    Her mother paused. ¡°I suppose he has at least some good taste. Too bad he¡¯s a griefer.¡± The disgust in her mother¡¯s voice made Alex grin a little, but her smile faded.


    ¡°If I¡¯m going to fight him, I need to be able to beat, well, a copy of you.¡± Alex drew in a breath. ¡°So I need to know how they did it. How did they beat you?¡±


    Silence was her only answer for a long moment. Alex almost started to apologize and stopped herself. Instead, she just started mopping, running the wet strands over the floor in quiet as she waited.


    When her mother finally spoke again, she started with a long sigh. ¡°Well. I see why you didn¡¯t want to ask it at first. I never had told you much about that day, had I?¡±


    Alex simply kept mopping and let her mother gather her thoughts. Muriel gave another sigh, and then she started talking.


    ¡°We had six on our team at that point. Four of us were B rank, two were C¡¯s. I was the strongest of us, though. A few more Surveys, and I might have reached A rank.¡±


    ¡°The Agency got a tip that Greylight was making some kind of exchange in the Greensboro portal. Some kind of meeting between their Surveyors and some belonging to a rogue group. Our source assured us that we¡¯d be getting evidence that would help us take down half of Greylight¡¯s executive board. It seemed too good to be true, but we couldn¡¯t pass it up. We refused to miss the chance.¡± The regret in her mother¡¯s voice made Alex¡¯s heart ache, but she just listened as Muriel went on.


    ¡°My team arrived, announced a surprise inspection, and went in. The Greylight folks weren¡¯t excited to see us, but they didn¡¯t try to protest a Regulation team investigating.¡± Muriel paused. ¡°That should have been our first clue. They always protested before. This time they wanted us to go in, though, so they let us walk right on into the trap.¡±


    Muriel paused again, this time for long enough that Alex had to check her phone to make sure it was still on. When she spoke again, her voice was heavy with anger and regret. ¡°We got to the rendezvous site, just an empty dead-end street between two lines of rowhouses. Three men at the end of it, just a bunch of E rankers that happened to be Greylight employees. All three of them froze when they saw us. One even started to babble something about making a deal.¡±


    ¡°When we got halfway to them, Max yelled something about an ambush. Then they were on us.¡±


    The pain in her mother¡¯s voice twisted at Alex¡¯s guts again, but Muriel didn¡¯t pause this time. ¡°There were at least twelve of them. Probably closer to fifteen or sixteen. They hit us from all sides at once; Lany didn¡¯t even get the chance to draw her bow. Dave went down fighting three of them at once, and Shane only lasted long enough to roast the E ranks they¡¯d used as bait.¡±


    ¡°Betty was the only real reason we got out at all. She used every ounce of magic she had to put up a barrier, and Max and I hammered our way past the A rank they had at the front of the street. Max had to carry Betty with us at that point, and we ran for it. They chased us back across the city to where the portal was waiting. We didn¡¯t think about the fact that they gave up on us a few streets from the portal. Betty was hurt bad, and both Max and I were wounded too. We needed medical help and support. So we ran straight for the portal.¡±


    Muriel¡¯s words became that much more bitter at that moment. ¡°It wasn¡¯t unguarded, though. There were three Greylight Surveyors standing in front of it. They attacked as soon as they saw us. Betty died there; Max lived long enough to kill the guy who got her. I was too busy dodging the other one to help either of them after that.¡±


    ¡°Even surprised, I could dodge most of the arrows they shot at me. A couple of them bounced off my armor, and I got to the guy before he could do anything else. Must have been a B rank; he looked surprised when I killed him. I had a clear path to the portal, but when I turned back to look at Max¡­¡±


    Muriel¡¯s voice faltered, and her word seemed broken when she spoke again. ¡°The last one must have been another A rank. He killed Max. Stabbed him right through the chest. He didn¡¯t seem bothered at all by the mess we¡¯d made of his friends, and when I looked back I saw the rest of the ambushers catching up.¡±


    ¡°I went for the A rank. I knew it was stupid. He was an A rank, and I should have tried to escape. It might not have worked, but even then¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°He hit me in the face with some kind of sunlight spell. Blinded me and burned my eye out. I was still staggering when he cut my arm off and kicked me backwards. By sheer dumb luck, I flew back through the portal.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember a lot of what happened after that. The observers from the Regulation Agency must have saved me and called for an ambulance; Greylight wouldn¡¯t have bothered. They never found any evidence of the ambush in the portal when they went in afterwards. They probably left after the observers followed me to the hospital. The ¡®official¡¯ finding was that some kind of Grue must have done it. That my team, my friends, were all killed by Grue.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s the story of how we died. We were lured into an ambush by a source we trusted, and then they just surrounded us and tore us apart. We didn¡¯t go quietly; I¡¯m pretty sure four or five of the first group died, and only the A rank survived the second part, but in the end, the suits at Greylight got what they wanted. My team was gone, and so was I.¡±


    Alex tried to picture it. The chaos, watching friends fall, and then the wounds at the end¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. I knew the risks, and I knew what Greylight was capable of. I should have been more careful, should have watched what was happening more closely.¡± Muriel¡¯s voice seemed to recover some of her usual charisma a moment later. ¡°So I hope you won¡¯t make the same mistakes, okay? Keep your eyes open. For your sake, and the sake of your friends.¡±


    ¡°I will, Mom.¡± Alex swallowed, her arms still dragging the mop across the floors. ¡°I will.¡±

 B2Ch21: Beating the Odds

    Sleep hadn¡¯t come easily to her, despite her fatigue. All the same, Alex rose the next day and went up to the wall. She¡¯d half expected Sam to meet her there, but the only person waiting this time was Ed. He waved to her as she came up the steps, a grin on his face.


    ¡°Hey. We missed you at the celebration.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Wells said that he needed my help with something else.¡± Alex shrugged and then raised an eyebrow at his running gear. ¡°You coming along with me today? I thought you¡¯d given up on trying a week or two ago.¡±


    He laughed, a golden sound that made her heart flutter a little. ¡°Maybe. Though I¡¯ve made a bet with myself that you¡¯ve probably reset whatever Skill you¡¯ve been using to keep ahead of me, so maybe I might have a better shot against you than I normally would.¡±


    She winced, unpleasantly aware of her lack of levels in Motion Trance at the moment. ¡°I suppose you might.¡± Then she shrugged. ¡°Though Wells might not like you associating with me. Apparently I¡¯m trouble.¡±


    ¡°When haven¡¯t you been?¡± Ed laughed again at the expression on her face. ¡°Wells won¡¯t mind it, even if he does hear about it. You really shouldn¡¯t antagonize him so much, you know? He¡¯ll end up transferring you at this point, and I don¡¯t want to miss out on seeing you.¡±


    Alex shrugged again, her cheeks feeling a little flush. ¡°Well, I make no promises. Let¡¯s get moving. We¡¯ve got training later, after all.¡±


    To Ed¡¯s credit, he did manage to keep up for most of the first lap. Once she gained back some levels in Motion Trance, though, he started to struggle. By the end of the second lap, he was already waving her on, trotting down the stairs with an exasperated expression and a face covered in sweat.


    To be fair, the pace she¡¯d set was an impressive one. The laps kept flying by as she ran, and as the levels came in, she felt her muscles recover faster and faster. When the E ranks started to file into the exercise yard, she was finishing her last lap at a pace that would have made her jaw drop earlier in life, and trotted down the stairs and off to the gym with a smile. A few of the E ranks cheered her on as she went by, and she waved back to them as she left.


    Sparring was once again a minor pain, though Battle Maneuvers helped her get through the worst of it without much trouble. By the time she faced Wells, she felt relatively confident in her abilities again, though she still was knocked across the room with ease.


    The next two days seemed to speed past just as quickly as she fought to get herself ready for the next burst of Surveys. Wells had announced that once again, there were twenty-four Surveyors that he¡¯d found to be underperforming. Once again, she stepped forward to accept responsibility for them, as Wells had glared at her.


    Which was how she found herself stepping through the portal early the next day, surrounded by the light¡­


    [D Rank Surveyor Alex, Gatekeeper]


    [Ascension Level: 6]


    [Role: Porter (Role Skills: None]


    [Role Level: 1]


    [Experience: 1780/2800]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 6, Speed -> 10, Life -> 2, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Combat Balance(20), Motion Trance(23), Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield(21),


    Holy¨CStorm(12)]


    [Permanent Skills: Battle Maneuvers(29)]


    [Current Titles: Empress of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by five.),


    Aggression (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, Combined Arms, and Combat Balance Skills by five.),


    Fated Hero (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by five),


    Endless Motion (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, Marathoning, and Motion Trance by three.)


    Tireless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery Skills by three.)


    True Sentinel (Increases Skill grade of Deflect, Dodging, Blocking, Resist, Zeal, and Combat Balance by five.)


    Peaceful Flow (Increases Skill grade of Meditation, Focus, Recovery, Arcane, Sense, and Motion Trance by three.)


    Veteran (Increases Skill grade Combat Balance, Battle Maneuvers, Battle Mastery, and Battle Dance by three.)


    Title Savagery (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by two.)]


    Alex grinned at the list of Titles; it was getting gratifyingly long. Her Skills looked fairly good as well; in fact, they were probably going to be about as good as they were going to get for the majority of the day. She was planning on resetting them as often as she could without getting herself or others killed.


    [Please select your intent]


    [Exploration]


    [Vengeance]


    [Patrol]


    [War]


    [Salvage]


    It would be another day full of Patrols, but at least by the end of it she¡¯d reach the next level of Porter.


    [Your intent is to Patrol]


    [Quest Issued! Clear at least eight Grue patrols.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    She stepped forward into the light¡­


    Liliana was already hunting her.


    She was on only the second team of the day, but the Shade was already beginning to stalk her from the shadows. Alex grimaced as she cut her way through the latest patrol that she¡¯d run across. If the Shade was already here, then the rest of the day was going to get a lot more dangerous, quickly.


    At the moment, she was handling the situation easily. Her strategy of hurling herself straight into the mass of Grue and letting the others charge up in her wake was still scattering the Grue like bowling pins, and the E ranks were progressing quickly. Her first team had managed to get through the portal a full ten minutes ahead of schedule, leaving her enough time to prowl around and recover while the next team took their time to arrive.


    Yet she¡¯d also planned to reset some of her Skills. If Liliana was already going to be threatening her, she¡¯d need to shift her priorities. Survival first, after all.


    Alex caught sight of the indistinct form of her once-supervisor laughing at her from a nearby window and grimaced as she finished cutting down a Brute. At some point, she¡¯d settle things with that monster again. Yet another task on her list of things to do.


    ¡°Valkyrie, you doing all right?¡± The concern in the E ranker¡¯s voice was clear, and Alex waved him off. She thought his name was Mark?


    ¡°I¡¯m okay. Just slipped a little.¡± Alex gave Mark a reassuring grin and forced herself back to her feet. It was the third patrol, and things were already getting hairy. She¡¯d taken the risk to reset both Combined Arms and Combat Balance, upgrading Savagery to Brutality, and Veteran to Seasoned respectively. Battle Maneuvers she¡¯d left at maximum, hoping it could cover the risk she was taking.


    Unfortunately, the Brute in the first patrol had gotten a bit lucky, and she¡¯d nearly been knocked on her back. It had jumped after her, howling in victory¡ªand her other Skill had come in handy. Holy¡ªStorm had allowed her to twist the Brute¡¯s feet beneath it with a gust of wind, and it had stumbled as it landed, just enough to let her regain her balance and kill it.


    Still, it had been an effective use of the power, and it showed her she was at least progressing with it. Now she just needed to finish things without getting killed.


    As if summoned by her thoughts, she heard howling at the next intersection. She looked up and saw Liliana¡¯s Shade flicker away as a patrol of Grue sprinted around the corner and came for them. Alex grimaced and fell into a crouch. Things were going to be a bit more difficult than she¡¯d expected.


    ¡°Ahead of schedule again, Surveyor Morrison?¡± Wells seemed amused by the fact, almost as much as he was by the bedraggled look of the rest of her team. They were the fourth one she¡¯d led through the city; they hadn¡¯t even made it more than a handful of blocks before they¡¯d been half-buried in Grue.


    ¡°I¡¯d hate to let you down, Chief Wells.¡± Alex gave him a tight grin, one that she hoped would mask her nervousness. She¡¯d chosen to reset Combined Arms and Combat Balance again, gambling that she¡¯d be able to build things up fast enough to prevent her last two teams from being swamped. She¡¯d even reset Holy as well for the first time, gaining a Blessed Title that would hopefully make the magic more effective. Time would tell.


    It was a risk, but one she was willing to take if it helped her put a stop to all of this. She went to send her usual text message, and then grab some food. Only two more teams to save.


    Alex paced back and forth in front of the portal.


    She¡¯d just escorted the fifth team through. Her initial fights had been risky, but not as bad as she¡¯d been expecting. Resetting Combat Balance had raised Seasoned to Elite, which had naturally boosted the effects of Battle Maneuvers. Between that and the relative help the others had given her, she¡¯d been able to build her Skills back up to near maximum in no time.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    It had been helped by the fact that the Grue appeared to be hunting her specifically now. Grue had been appearing around every corner and at every intersection. She¡¯d barely needed to lead her team out into the city, and Liliana¡¯s Shade flickered in the edges of her vision every time Alex turned her head. In only an hour or so, she¡¯d already been taking them back to the portal.


    Of course, now she was waiting for the sixth team, and she had just caught sight of Liliana standing in the open street, her grey eyes fixed on Alex.


    It was only a minute later that she heard the howls start. Alex grimaced, glancing back towards the portal. If the team didn¡¯t come through soon¡­


    She risked a look outside and saw the patrol, already barreling towards her down the street. Alex grimaced and pulled back inside the doorway. At the very least, she could wait until the things were at the entrance of the portal building. Once they reached it, though, she¡¯d need to charge into them, whether or not the team had arrived. Otherwise, they¡¯d be exiting the portal directly into an ambush.


    Howls rose above the city again, and she gritted her teeth. Her hands clenched on her weapons. How was she going to handle a whole patrol on her own? Her Skills had been getting higher, but there was a limit to everyone, and even her muscles were starting to tire. Could she hit them and then lead them away? She¡¯d risk the team just going back through the portal, or wandering off on their own, but they¡¯d still do better than jumping straight into the teeth of the Grue.


    Alex was still thinking over the possibilities when there was a roar and the sounds of battle echoed through the street. Blinking in surprise, she stuck her head out of the entrance again and found another team of Surveyors fighting the Grue. There were four of them, three unfamiliar faces who were busily dismantling the Grue at close range, and a fourth that stood well back, her crossbow picking off Knights.


    She grinned as Clara gave her a quick wave, before settling back in to pepper the Brute with a pair of well-placed shots that blinded it. Then she gestured, and both bolts erupted in a cloud of thornbushes that made Alex wince. Vines and hedges kept growing up to engulf the other Grue, pinning them down for Clara¡¯s teammates to kill. In mere moments, the team had finished them off and came trotting down the street towards her.


    ¡°Hey! How¡¯s it going?¡± Alex tried not to sound too relieved, but Clara gave her a raised eyebrow, anyway.


    ¡°We¡¯re done for the day. Just ran across that group on our way back.¡± The elaborately casual way that she said it made Alex think the Acolyte had spotted them with her weird magical sight and intercepted them on purpose rather than on accident, but she just smiled.


    ¡°Thanks, I owe you one.¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that something? Hear that, guys? The mythical Valkyrie owes me one!¡± The other Surveyors chuckled, though a couple of them seemed uneasy. Clara just grinned and grabbed Alex¡¯s shoulder for a moment before passing her by on the way to the portal.


    Alex was still grinning when the sixth team finally arrived a couple of minutes later. They gave her looks that ranged from curious to worried, but she just waved for them to follow her. After all, Liliana was going to make sure it didn¡¯t last long.


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quest Completed! +120 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! +80 Experience]


    Finally, another day done. This time had gone even faster, thanks to Liliana. If only she didn¡¯t have the feeling that next time would be much, much worse¡­


    [Combat Balance increased from 0 to 25!]


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield increased from 0 to 25!]


    [Motion Trance increased from 24 to 25!]


    [Holy¨CStorm increased from 0 to 16!]


    Virtually all her Skills were now at maximum. Were things even close to normal, she¡¯d feel satisfied with that fact. At the moment, however, she just felt like things were only going to get harder.


    [You have reached level 2 as a Porter!]


    [+2 Life gained. +1 Free Attribute awarded.]


    Alex broke into a grin now. She¡¯d hoped the last full clear would push her over the edge, but the confirmation was reassuring. The extra point went into Strength again, and she sighed in satisfaction.


    Of course, now there were other decisions to make.


    [Battle Maneuvers has reached level 30! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Battle Maneuvers to gain a Title?]


    She¡¯d been holding off, but now there was no reason to do so anymore. Even if Wells did something unexpected, she¡¯d have at least three days before he could shove her back through the portal, and in that time she could at least get her Skills back to a decent level. She accepted.


    [Title Fight Specialist gained (Increases Skill grade of Battle Maneuvers, Rush Assault, and Heavy Assault by one.)]


    She blinked at the new title and then shook her head. The list grew longer.


    [Combat Balance has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Combat Balance to gain a Title?]


    She agreed in. In for a penny, in for a pound.


    [Title Battle Flow gained (Increases Skill grade of Combat Balance, Riposte, and Battle Dance by one.)]


    Alex grunted. Another one.


    [Motion Trance has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Motion Trance to gain a Title?]


    She agreed yet again, knowing that as painful as the workouts were, they were the thing that was making her defiance of Wells possible.


    [Title Endless Motion upgraded to Title Eternal Motion (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, Marathoning, and Motion Trance by four.)]


    She reached the last option and agreed almost before it appeared.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Combined Arms ¨C Axe/Shield to gain a Title?]


    [Title Barbarity upgraded to Title Lethality (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by five.)]


    [Additional equipment awarded! Select new equipment.]


    She once again upgraded her axe, which became even heavier and sharper. It felt lethal and well balanced, in a way that made her smile warmly. Better to be on the handle of that thing than the poor unfortunates receiving the hit.


    Fatigue rushed back in, as well as a bit of dread since nearly every Skill was now at zero, but she knew the payoff would be more than worth it. All she needed to do was last through another handful of fights.


    That thought stayed with her as she passed once more through the light¡­


    As always, Wells was waiting for her.


    He watched her emerge from the portal with narrowed eyes, as if he was searching for signs of weakness. She kept her head up and steadfastly refused to give him any, though the exhaustion of having her Skills vanish out from under her still wore at her.


    Alex walked over to him, hating every step, but knowing it was necessary. As long as she didn¡¯t give him any sign that she knew exactly what he was, he¡¯d keep thinking that she was just some uppity Surveyor with delusions of grandeur. She wanted him to think that right up until the moment when she chopped his legs out from under him¡ªperhaps literally.


    His fingers twitched as she approached, but he showed no other sign of a reaction. Instead, he simply nodded. ¡°Another day of this¡­project completed, Surveyor Morrison. I hope you are not feeling too overly tired.¡±


    The venom in the words went perfectly with the mask of hostility that he wore. She smiled in the face of it. ¡°I am fine, Chief Wells. I hope that the other Surveyors are progressing more how you would expect.¡±


    Wells nodded slowly. ¡°They have been showing some improvement, perhaps, but I am still not convinced about the reasoning behind this move. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to reconsider?¡± She just looked at him, willing him to take the next steps. After a moment, he sighed. ¡°So be it. I do want to bring up one problem with you, however. You have done an exemplary job returning ahead of schedule¡ªit makes me question why you weren¡¯t able to do so before now, actually¡ªbut it has created a problem. Some of the later Surveys were starting hours before they were meant to start, which caused a lot of confusion on our side of things.¡±


    Alex frowned. She couldn¡¯t come out and ask what he was getting at, but she knew he was winding up for some way to screw her over. ¡°I see.¡±


    He sighed again. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m going to have to ask you to stick to your assigned schedule from now on. Two hours for each assigned Survey team, no more, and no less.¡± She blinked, and he continued. ¡°That means if you send a team back early, then you will need to wait for the next team at the assigned time. We won¡¯t rush them through to you anymore.¡±


    She nodded slowly. It meant that she¡¯d be spending quite a bit of time alone in the other world, with Liliana sending wave after wave of Grue after her. Of course, she could come back early and fail her Quests, but that wasn¡¯t exactly something she wanted to do.


    ¡°Of course, our support staff could use your assistance as well, Surveyor Morrison.¡± Wells handed over a list of chores. This time, she noticed that he¡¯d marked her down for shifts every night until the next Survey was scheduled. ¡°I appreciate your efforts on behalf of the company.¡±


    Alex looked up at him, nodded, and left. If she could move fast enough, she might be able to finish the chores and then be up on the wall for a run before it got too late.


    The next three days were a haze of frantic training and painful chores. Alex spent her time flying along the walls as fast as she could push herself, fighting to regain her Skills in the sparring ring, and cleaning some obscure corridor in the compound. Even with the bonuses of Motion Trance, she was starting to feel the drag of what she was doing.


    She kept getting worried comments from the others in her barracks, especially Clara, but she tried to reassure them as best she could. After all, the more she put into the effort, the harder that Wells would have to work in order to justify continuing the crunch. Without the crunch, his whole plan would fall apart.


    Of course, that was hard to keep telling herself when she was stuck cleaning toilets after a night full of training, but Alex simply told herself that the time was coming that she wouldn¡¯t have to ever think of it ever again. All she needed to do was hang on.


    It was on the day before the next Survey, when she was completing her most recent set of chores, that she noticed one of the support staff was watching her.


    He didn¡¯t seem hostile. In fact, the older man seemed almost sad to see her with them. When she looked at him, he looked away quickly, as if he didn¡¯t like being caught. Yet out of the corner of her eye she saw him watching her, weighing her actions.


    It took her a while to recognize him. He was the same man that had given her the original warning about Wells. Why was he here, now, instead of in the administrative building?


    Alex tried to keep going about her chores. She needed to empty the trash in a few more rooms, and mop a couple of hallways, and then she¡¯d be done for the night. That would leave her with enough time for another run along the walls, which would hopefully leave her and her Skills ready to take on another rush of Surveys.


    When she emptied the last trash can, however, shoving the bulging bag down the too-narrow trash chute, she turned to find the older E rank looking at her. He seemed to hesitate before he spoke. ¡°Hello.¡±


    Alex nodded back carefully. ¡°Hello again. Calvin, was it?¡±


    The man blinked, as if he was surprised she remembered. Then he nodded. ¡°Yes. Calvin Harris. And you are Alex¡ªthough a lot of us call you Valkyrie instead. Name¡¯s kinda catchy, you know?¡±


    She shrugged, wondering where the man was going with the conversation. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad to see you again, Calvin.¡±


    Calvin smiled. ¡°Yes. I only wish that it was in more pleasant circumstances.¡±


    There was an unsaid ¡®I told you so¡¯ hidden in the words, and Alex sighed. ¡°I agree, Mr. Harris. I¡¯m sorry, but I have to finish this so I can get a bit more training in. We have kind of a long day tomorrow.¡±


    He nodded, but he didn¡¯t move out of the way immediately. ¡°I know. I¡¯ve heard. You¡¯ve got it especially bad.¡±


    Alex frowned, still watching him. He might be older, and his rank was lower than hers, but he could still produce a weapon or a magic spell at any moment. As her mother would have said, better careful than dead. ¡°I¡¯m just doing what I can.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re doing a good job of it. Too good.¡± Calvin shook his head. ¡°Wells isn¡¯t going to let you win. This is his house, and his rules. If you don¡¯t follow them, you¡¯ll come to a bad end. I warned you before.¡±


    She straightened up as he spoke, looking him a bit more directly in the eyes. There was fear there, but also a stubborn, gentle kind of determination. ¡°I know he¡¯s dangerous, but so am I.¡±


    Calvin shook his head. ¡°Not like him. Not many people are like him.¡± He glanced back along the hallway, as if checking for eavesdroppers. ¡°If you¡¯re not careful, it can always get worse. I just hate to see a promising Surveyor¡¯s time cut short. Be careful.¡±


    He turned to leave, but Alex reached out and stopped him. Calvin looked at her, seemingly surprised. ¡°You were a Surveyor too, right? What happened?¡±


    There was a moment of hesitation, and then he smiled. ¡°I¡­ washed out, a long time ago. It wasn¡¯t Wells, just someone like him. I couldn¡¯t handle it, and so I had to go.¡± He shook his head. ¡°There was no room for someone like me. I¡¯m not a Surveyor.¡±


    Alex tightened her grip on his arm. ¡°You are, though. If you wanted to, you could still fight. Any of you could.¡±


    Calvin just kept shaking his head, tugging slightly to pull away. ¡°Maybe if someone like you had been around¡­ But life doesn¡¯t always turn out that way. It¡¯s best you just stay clear of Wells and his plans, and get free of here as soon as you can.¡±


    He started to walk away, but Alex spoke up one last time. ¡°If someone stood up to him, if someone stopped him, would you help?¡±


    The question brought him up short. ¡°I don¡¯t know how I could, Miss Valkyrie. I¡¯m just support staff, like all the rest of us.¡±


    Alex kept staring after him for a long moment, her heart stubbornly telling her the old man was wrong. He wasn¡¯t just support staff. Just like all the rest of the washouts, he was a Surveyor, one brave enough to warn her even though he probably was putting himself at risk.


    It only made her more determined as she turned to speed through the rest of her chores. If she was going to go through the next three Surveys, she needed to put her all into the work. No matter what.

 B2Ch22: Upping the Ante

    [D Rank Surveyor Alex, Gatekeeper]


    [Ascension Level: 7]


    [Role: Porter (Role Skills: None]


    [Role Level: 2]


    [Experience: 60/3600]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 7, Speed -> 10, Life -> 4, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Combat Balance(19), Motion Trance(21), Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield(18),


    Holy¨CStorm(16)]


    [Permanent Skills: Battle Maneuvers(14)]


    [Current Titles: Empress of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by five.),


    Aggression (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, Combined Arms, and Combat Balance Skills by five.),


    Fated Hero (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by five),


    Eternal Motion (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, Marathoning, and Motion Trance by four.),


    Tireless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery Skills by three.),


    True Sentinel (Increases Skill grade of Deflect, Dodging, Blocking, Resist, Zeal, and Combat Balance by five.),


    Peaceful Flow (Increases Skill grade of Meditation, Focus, Recovery, Arcane, Sense, and Motion Trance by three.),


    Elite (Increases Skill grade Combat Balance, Battle Maneuvers, Battle Mastery, and Battle Dance by five.),


    Title Lethality (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by five.),


    Blessed (Increases Skill grade of Holy by one.),


    Fight Specialist (Increases Skill grade of Battle Maneuvers, Rush Assault, and Heavy Assault by one.),


    Battle Flow (Increases Skill grade of Combat Balance, Riposte, and Battle Dance by one.)]


    Alex considered her situation and grimaced a little. Her training had been more than a little disrupted by the constant chores that Wells had assigned her, and even worse, it seemed like he¡¯d started to catch on to how exactly she was managing the trick of fighting all day without getting tired. She¡¯d seen him watching her as she ran on the walls the previous day. If he figured that out¡­


    She shook herself. There was time enough for that later.


    [Please select your intent]


    [Exploration]


    [Vengeance]


    [Patrol]


    [War]


    [Salvage]


    She actually felt lucky to be choosing Patrol again, given what she was worried awaited her on the other side of the vortex. Liliana had been sending an almost constant stream of Grue at her before; somehow, she didn¡¯t believe that it would be less of a problem now.


    [Your intent is to Patrol]


    [Quest Issued! Clear at least twelve Grue patrols.]


    [Quest Issued! Destroy at least eight Grue Brutes.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    Alex grimaced as she registered the appearance of another Main Quest, and an even worse requirement for the one before. As if things weren¡¯t already hard enough. She pushed forward into the light¡­


    The difference in the city was almost immediate.


    From her very first step outside the portal, Alex felt Liliana¡¯s eyes on her. It was as if the Shade had been waiting for her, those grey eyes peering out from some window with a good view of the portal. The feeling disappeared after a moment, but she doubted that the Shade had somehow forgotten about her.


    Alex¡¯s hunch was confirmed a moment later as she trotted out of the portal building with her team and turned left, only to see a Grue patrol prowl out and around a corner two blocks away. The monsters turned to face her team and howled, immediately trotting towards them with their weapons ready.


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy twenty-four Knights and twenty-four Archers.]


    Alex blinked as only one of her Hidden Quests revealed itself. How hard was finding out the other one going to be?


    Then she shook her head and charged forward, refusing to let herself get distracted. To her surprise, the other Surveyors charged along with her, even though they had no chance of matching her pace. She spared them a glance as she left them behind and then focused on smashing through the ranks of the Grue in front of her.


    The Soldiers seemed to melt away as she hit them; the Knights didn¡¯t seem to last much longer as she burrowed deeper into their ranks. When the Brute reached her, she blocked a hammerblow, ducked inside its reach, and cut it down in a handful of brutal, sharp strokes. After that she danced and dodged her way past a handful of Soldiers¡ªusing slight brushes of wind to knock the spearpoints aside, and then tore some of the Archers apart.


    She turned and found that the other Surveyors were only now reaching the line, so she idly just dodged attacks and wounded the Grue that came near her, leaving them for the rest to clean up. As the last one fell, notifications popped up in her vision.


    [Battle Maneuvers advances to 15!]


    [Combat Balance advances to 21!]


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield advances to 20!]


    [Holy¨CStorm advances to 17!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 1 of 12 targets destroyed!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 1 of 8 targets destroyed!]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 4 of 48 targets destroyed!]


    Alex relaxed slightly as she read through the words, the bodies of her enemies burning around her. She cocked her head and turned, finding Liiana watching her from a nearby pedestrian bridge. The Shade flickered and vanished, leaving Alex to sigh. Hopefully, they¡¯d have enough time to gather the materials before the next patrol appeared.


    It was looking like it was going to be a very long day.


    Team one¡¯s day was over just an hour and a half after it started. They barely made it five blocks from the portal and were grateful that she turned them back when she did; at least two Grue patrols ambushed them on the way, and the younger Surveyors were already worn from the other four they had fought earlier. Alex had bid them farewell with a certain amount of fondness. After all, they had already started to improve; their combat times were getting dramatically better already, and a lot of them had taken to Chaining their Skills and developing them enough that she was sure they would hit D rank, given enough time.


    Unfortunately, time was something she now had in abundance. With almost half an hour until her next team appeared, she was left to herself and the Shade, who kept appearing and disappearing at rather irritating intervals. Alex was sure that Liliana wouldn¡¯t avoid the opportunity that Wells had handed to her; after all, it was her chance to catch the person she¡¯d hated the most alone and unsupported.


    Sure enough, a Grue patrol came trotting along the street just five minutes after team one had left. Alex hesitated for a moment, but there was no real point in trying to avoid the combat. Most of her Skills were already close enough to maximum, and it was early in the day. She might as well see if she was still capable of handling things on her own.


    So she left the portal building and faced the patrol. They howled and charged immediately, their snarling breaths tearing the still air of the dead city around her. Alex watched them come and crouched, ready to charge into them again.


    Then she caught a flicker of motion nearby and ducked behind her shield. A pair of Killers¡¯ arrows slammed into it a moment later, nearly knocking her back. She grimaced as she picked out the lethal snipers¡¯ forms a moment later, hiding on top of a nearby abandoned cargo truck. So, Liliana had upped her game, had she?


    [Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy eight Killers]


    Of course. Alex snarled and then charged forward. She had no doubt that the Killers wouldn¡¯t hesitate to shoot into their own kind, but at least it would make hitting her harder, and she could winnow down their numbers a little before team two arrived. A spattering of arrows from the Archers came towards her, but she scattered them with a hint of her magic.


    It occurred to her, as she charged, that for the first time in a long while, she wasn¡¯t being watched by anyone. She could unleash her magic however she wanted, and there wouldn¡¯t be any reports making their way back to Wells and his friends. Alex smiled.


    As before, she slammed into the front ranks of the Grue and began cutting them to pieces. Soldiers didn¡¯t stand a chance against her axe and shield; their spears snapped as easily as their bones, and she barely acknowledged them as a threat anymore. The Knights were tougher, with their own shields and their massive swords, but her Skills were all near maximum now. She dodged past their blades, blocked their seemingly feeble strikes, and cut them down the second an opening presented itself.


    The lumbering Brute presented more of a threat, but Alex simply ignored it. She dodged past its wild swings and cut her way through the rearguard to charge the Archers. This time she didn¡¯t have to leave any for her friends to fight, so instead she scattered them like a fox among hens, slaughtering them while they panicked.


    Then the Killers fired again, and she was forced to sidestep their arrows. They grinned at her, equally malicious and hateful; their grey eyes flared as they reached for another arrow, each ready to try to end her life again.


    So she reached out to the Storm and pointed with her axe.


    Lightning abruptly crackled, orange streaked with yellow. One of the Killers staggered, its face burnt from the bolt of lightning, and Alex cackled. She struck out again, knocking it from its perch and onto its back, dead before it hit the ground.


    The other Killer snarled and loosed another arrow at her, but she was already moving aside to let it pass by. She sprinted straight for the remaining Killer, her speed making the buildings look like a smeared painting on either side. Wind whistled in her ears, and she grinned as she realized that if she could use her magic to split the air in front of her slightly¡­


    Alex accelerated even more, and within heartbeats she reached the Killer¡¯s roost. She jumped onto the truck¡¯s hood, and then ran straight up to where it waited. The thing had dropped its bow, but it was still trying to pull out its daggers when she fell on it, her axe flashing. It managed to deflect one axe strike, she blocked a stab with her shield, and then her axeblade tore into its side. A second strike severed its head, and she spun to face the remnants of the patrol below her.


    The Grue were still chasing after her, but their pace slowed. Wide grey eyes were staring at her; even the Brute seemed shocked at what she¡¯d done. Alex felt her grip on her weapons tighten, and she threw her head back and laughed for a moment, magic searing through her veins. A handful of the Soldiers actually came to a stop, seeming unsure if they should continue forward.


    She didn¡¯t give them a chance to retreat. Alex was on them only moments later, and there was no mercy for the Grue in her axe. A few of the Soldiers did end up turning to run, but she focused through the fog and let lightning snap out and into their backs. By the time she was finished, the road was clear of her enemies, their broken forms already burning with purple flame.


    Notifications appeared shortly after.


    [Battle Maneuvers advances to 24!]


    [Motion Trance advances to 22!]


    [Holy¨CStorm advances to 22!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 7 of 12 targets destroyed!]


    [Main Quest Progress: 7 of 8 targets destroyed!]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 36 of 48 targets destroyed!]


    [Hidden Quest Progress: 2 of 8 targets destroyed!]


    Alex didn¡¯t bother to collect the materials scattered in the street. Maybe some of the other Surveyors would pick them up, but she had other things to do. She began a calm, leisurely jog around the portal building, searching for hints of Liliana. She might not be able to kill the Shade, but perhaps she could take out more of the thing¡¯s pawns while she waited.


    Alex only ran across one more patrol before team two came through. She decimated it as quickly as she had the first one, along with the pair of Killers that had lurked along in their wake. It seemed like she could almost taste Liliana¡¯s frustration as she loped back to the building to welcome her new team, but even then, it wasn¡¯t like the Shade was done yet.


    Patrol after patrol came howling out after Alex and the other Surveyors, but she helped her teammates tear their way through each of them in turn. It seemed almost simple, now, to rip a hole in the enemy formation and let the others clean up the riffraff. She kept an eye out for more Killers, but the majority of them appeared to be looking for her as a lone target.


    When the last of the patrols fell¡ªwhile she had team two already back on its way to the portal, of course¡ªshe straightened up from the burning wreckage of the Grue to see Liliana once again glaring at her. The Shade disappeared, but not in a subtle way this time. Glass shattered as a window broke, and the other Surveyors jerked in surprise.


    Alex just shook her head at them and told them to collect the materials. They had to finish their Survey, after all.


    Team two made it almost all the way back to the portal before the Killers showed up again.


    Alex had only a hint of warning before the arrows slashed down. Only a sudden gust of wind kept them off target; there had been a single arrow for each of the younger Surveyors. She spun to face the enemy with a snarl. They had taken up cover in a building on the side of the street, and were leering at her from the second floor.


    She glanced at the others. ¡°Get back to the portal. I need to deal with these ones.¡±


    Their eyes wide, the other Surveyors obeyed. Alex ran along beside them, blocking the incoming arrows or catching them on her shield. Occasionally, she sent one of them tumbling away with a burst of wind.


    Then, as the others sprinted for the vortex, Alex changed direction. She ran straight for where the Killers were hiding, seeing a nearby doorway she could use to get inside. Arrows slammed into her shield with all the force of a wrecking ball, but she kept going, her feet eating up the distance between her and her enemies.


    She smashed through the glass door of the building, letting the pebbles of safety glass roll off her armor. Alex caught sight of the Killers starting to run, their sleek forms already racing along the balcony where they had been crouched. The stairs were only a temporary barrier; she was up to the second floor and racing after them in an instant, weaving her way through the discarded office furniture that littered the vacant balcony.


    The Killers were waiting for her. Two of them shot at her, the arrows blurring across the distance. She dodged one arrow and knocked the other aside. Her other two targets were already crouching with knives drawn, waiting for her.


    She might have paused for an honorable duel once, but she chose another way. The moment she drew close enough, she unleashed a burst of lightning that slammed into both of the closest Killers. They jerked and twisted as the lightning crawled over them; her vision blurred slightly as she exhausted most of her remaining magic.


    Then she was on them, and two brutal swipes of her axe finished both. Alex barely even slowed; she was on the remaining two before they could throw down their bows. One tried to block her axe with the curved wood. It snapped in half, and her axe cut its head in two. The other threw the bow at her as it went for its knives. A simple swipe of her shield cleared the way, and another axe blow turned its torso into a ruin.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    As the four Killers slumped to the stained carpet of the balcony, Alex let out a satisfied breath. She glanced up to see Liliana¡¯s Shade staring at her from the window of the opposite building.


    [Hidden Quest Completed!]


    Laughing, Alex waved at the thing before it disappeared. Then she went back to the portal. Unless she missed her guess, she¡¯d earned some extra rest time between now and her next Survey team.


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quest Completed! +140 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! +80 Experience]


    It was hard not to gloat at the full clear, despite all odds. She didn¡¯t know how much worse it would get, but unless Liliana pulled something extreme out, it was only going to get better.


    [Battle Maneuvers increased from 14 to 30!]


    [Combat Balance increased from 19 to 25!]


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield increased from 18 to 25!]


    [Motion Trance increased from 21 to 23!]


    [Holy¨CStorm increased from 16 to 25!]


    The sight of so many of her Skills near maximum made her want to cackle as well. If Wells only knew, he¡¯d probably be gritting his teeth.


    Of course, he¡¯d probably try to ¡®transfer¡¯ her faster, so it would be better to keep concealing her progress. In fact, she started wondering if she should begin holding back during the sparring sessions¡­


    [Battle Maneuvers has reached level 30! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Battle Maneuvers to gain a Title?]


    She agreed. Battle Maneuvers increased slowly, but she would be able to use this run of Surveys to bring it back up quickly. If there was a time to invest in it, it would be now.


    [Title Fight Specialist upgraded to Title Skirmish Specialist (Increases Skill grade of Battle Maneuvers, Rush Assault, and Heavy Assault by two.)]


    The next option appeared a heartbeat later.


    [Combat Balance has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Combat Balance to gain a Title?]


    This time, she declined. She needed some of her Skills available, to make it so that she could survive. As nice as it would be to reset it each time, Battle Maneuvers and Combat Balance were going to need to switch off.


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield to gain a Title?]


    Combined Arms, however, she¡¯d take the risk for. She still had Combat Balance at full, after all.


    [Title Attack Master gained (Increases Skill grade of Combined Arms, Lunge, and Snipe by one.)]


    Despite herself, Alex frowned. She¡¯d hoped for something a bit more impressive, but she would just have to take what she got.


    [Holy¨CStorm has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Holy¨CStorm to gain a Title?]


    Alex grimaced. She¡¯d just gotten the Skill to where it was useful; resetting it would hurt. All the same, it was better than allowing it to stagnate.


    [Title Blessed upgraded to Title Favored (Increases Skill grade of Holy by two.)]


    At least she¡¯d have plenty of time to practice the thing, if Liliana kept having her way. She closed her eyes and stepped forward into the light¡­


    The portal room was filled with the buzz of conversation, though some of the Surveyors stopped chatting and stared up at her as she exited the vortex. Alex blinked and looked back at them, surprised they had even noticed her arrival. She saw Clara looking up at her with a raised eyebrow and shrugged back at her.


    Then she went over to where Wells was waiting, tapping his foot impatiently. ¡°Surveyor Morrison.¡±


    ¡°Chief Wells.¡± Alex nodded to him. ¡°The first two teams performed extremely well, despite a lot of patrol activity on the other side of the portal. I think they are learning well.¡±


    ¡°So I hear.¡± Wells folded his arms. ¡°I also heard that there were Killers active. And that you charged them on your own.¡±


    Alex paused. She obviously didn¡¯t want to reveal too much of her capabilities, but she also didn¡¯t want to give him an excuse to pull her from her remaining Surveys. ¡°They weren¡¯t that much of a problem. I managed to catch them off guard, and nobody was wounded.¡±


    Wells studied her for a moment longer, and then nodded. ¡°Okay. Please report if there are any more Killer sightings for your next Surveys. If there are more out there, we might have a problem where we need to purge more Camps to bring the activity back to normal.¡± She nodded, and he gestured for her to be dismissed. ¡°Be ready for the next Survey. You¡¯re leaving in thirty minutes.¡±


    She nodded and headed for the ready room. First some food, then a text to her father. All in all, a good start to the day.


    With the third team, the Grue started to come even faster than before. It seemed like Grue spilled out of every alley and came howling from every building. Liliana¡¯s Shade was appearing more and more frequently now, her baleful eyes staring out from windows, street corners, and bridges.


    The attacks were constant enough that even Alex was starting to feel a little tired by the time the sixth patrol fell. Part of it was the fact that she wasn¡¯t getting the chance to jog much between combats, but the other part was just the sheer number of fights. Watching for any incoming Killers wasn¡¯t helping either, though none of them showed their faces that quickly.


    Once she took team three back to the portal, barely an hour after they arrived, the story quickly changed. Suddenly each patrol that came running at her was accompanied by at least one or two Killers, and they were running towards her even faster than before. Alex went out to meet them; there was no point in waiting for the Grue to come to her, and she figured it would be better to keep the area clear in case other teams were coming back. Besides, she wanted the chance to let loose with her Storm abilities some more.


    If her Skills hadn¡¯t already been nearing maximum before the rush of enemies, she might have been overwhelmed. As it was, Alex was left breathing hard over the remains of her sixth patrol alone, watching as their bodies burned and wondering how much more she could take.


    [Main Quest Completed!]


    [Hidden Quest Completed!]


    [Holy ¨C Storm advances to 25!]


    Blinking in surprise, she dimly realized that she¡¯d already completed all of her Quests. She glanced back at the portal building, which was barely a block away. It hadn¡¯t quite been enough time for team four to be ready to come through, but it was getting close. If she came back through the portal, it might tip her hand to Chief Wells¡­ but at the same time she could maybe fit even more than three Surveys into the rush.


    Alex hesitated over the choice for only a moment. Then she was running back to the portal, Motion Trance carrying her past the scattered remnants of the Grue in a flash. After all, she was putting the work in. Why shouldn¡¯t she get the reward?


    Alex stepped out of the portal with a grin. Team four was still walking in through the door, so she hadn¡¯t overestimated the time she needed. She¡¯d probably not have time to text her dad, but he wasn¡¯t really expecting another note from her for at least another hour or two.


    She trotted over to Chief Wells, who had both his eyebrows raised. ¡°Surveyor Morrison. Are you giving up for the day?¡±


    ¡°No. Just popped back through to make sure everything was still on schedule.¡± She¡¯d also just reset another batch of her Skills, of course. This time, she¡¯d chosen Combat Balance, Combined Arms, and Holy¨CStorm. Favored had changed to Hallowed, Attack Master had turned to Strike Master, and Battle Flow had turned into Tactical Momentum.


    It would leave her just a little vulnerable on her next Survey, but it would be worth the chance to keep boosting her Skills. If the next three teams went just as quickly, she might even be able to be most of the way to her next level by the end of the day¡ªand each Survey she completed got her closer to Wells¡¯ level.


    Wells seemed a bit nonplussed by her response, and he nodded slowly. ¡°Still no signs of those Killers?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to report.¡± The words were technically true, and if Wells noticed she hadn¡¯t actually answered his question, he showed no sign of it.


    ¡°Good.¡± He nodded and then gestured to the portal. ¡°I believe you have another Survey to do. Get to it.¡±


    Alex nodded and then trotted over to her next team. Things were going well indeed.


    Less than an hour later, team four was back through the portal, and Alex faced the madness of the Grue alone.


    They had been a decent team. Some of them had looked nervous about being out with her. Understandable, given what the other teams had probably told them about the swarms of monsters waiting for them. A couple of them had eyed the materials that she¡¯d left strewn across the streets around the portal building and given her strange looks, but she¡¯d just encouraged them to gather what they could between fights.


    She let them scoop the crystals and other materials from the ground while she paced around each new battlefield, her eyes alert for incoming patrols. Alex could see Liliana more and more now. The Shade was lingering longer, seeming more and more solid every minute she stayed in the other world. For now, the thing was still just sending Grue to fight, but part of her was starting to worry that she¡¯d be fighting Liliana herself soon.


    Once team four was safe, then she turned herself loose on the patrols that Liliana continued to send at her. Killers were appearing in groups of three now, sending their hateful arrows to try to catch her off guard. Patrols almost didn¡¯t wait until the previous one had been killed before they showed up, howling for her blood. Alex lost herself in a haze of violence and desperation as she fought her way through them.


    In less time than she¡¯d thought possible, her Screen was informing her that her Quests were done, and Alex broke away from the latest patrol to run back towards the portal. She heard some of them still howling behind her, but she just accelerated away, knowing that she¡¯d have plenty of chances to destroy them once she got back. For now, though, she needed some food, and the chance to text her father.


    Some things were important, after all.


    Alex felt a bright sort of weariness as she walked out of the portal room.


    Wells had been just as frustrated as before, though he seemed to be containing himself when he gave her the slight break she¡¯d been expecting. She had nearly forty minutes, thanks to how quickly she¡¯d finished things.


    Not that she¡¯d just left things as they were. She¡¯d reset Battle Maneuvers along with Combined Arms and Holy¨CStorm this time. Skirmish Master had become Combat Prowess, Strike Master became Assault Master, and Hallowed had turned into Sanctified. It would be a pain to bring her Permanent Skill back up to maximum again, but every reset brought her that much closer to where she¡¯d be able to be confident of her chances against whatever Wells had planned.


    She passed Mary on her way into the bathroom and went straight to where her phone was stashed. A quick text let her parents know she was still okay¡ªthough her muscles were starting to protest about her mistreatment of them¡ªand then she went back towards the ready room. They¡¯d have some kind of dinner set up there; one of her teammates had mentioned something about tamales that she had every intention of investigating.


    On her way there, though, she ran into Ed, who was going the opposite direction. He gave her an amused look. ¡°Still doing all right? You know everyone would understand if you called it a day, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing just fine. Just have to make it through another couple of Surveys.¡± She grinned at him. ¡°What, are you worried I¡¯ll get too strong to spar with?¡±


    Ed grunted with a surprising amount of sourness. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ worried about you, you know. You¡¯re pushing yourself too hard, and it might be getting dangerous. Sometimes it¡¯s better to admit defeat so you can survive another day.¡±


    Alex studied him for a moment, surprised by the fact that he was pushing the subject. Was he that worried about her? She put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Ed. It¡¯ll turn out all right.¡±


    He stepped away, clearly not convinced. ¡°Okay. Just¡­ be careful, all right? I don¡¯t want to see anything happen to you.¡±


    She watched as he passed by her in the hallway, still thinking over his words. Something was obviously bothering him, and he wasn¡¯t the only one that had mentioned danger. Calvin had said something similar; were they picking up on rumors about retaliation from Wells?


    Then the smell of tamales brought her back to her original plan. Whatever was going on with Ed could wait until she needed to deal with it on a full stomach. A quick nap probably wouldn¡¯t hurt either.


    [D Rank Surveyor Alex, Gatekeeper]


    [Ascension Level: 7]


    [Role: Porter (Role Skills: None]


    [Role Level: 2]


    [Experience: 1260/3600]


    [Attributes: Strength -> 7, Speed -> 10, Life -> 4, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]


    [Current Skills: Combat Balance(25), Motion Trance(25), Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield(0),


    Holy¨CStorm(0)]


    [Permanent Skills: Battle Maneuvers(0)]


    [Current Titles: Empress of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by five.),


    Aggression (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, Combined Arms, and Combat Balance Skills by five.),


    Fated Hero (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by five),


    Eternal Motion (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, Marathoning, and Motion Trance by four.),


    Tireless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery Skills by three.),


    True Sentinel (Increases Skill grade of Deflect, Dodging, Blocking, Resist, Zeal, and Combat Balance by five.),


    Peaceful Flow (Increases Skill grade of Meditation, Focus, Recovery, Arcane, Sense, and Motion Trance by three.),


    Elite (Increases Skill grade Combat Balance, Battle Maneuvers, Battle Mastery, and Battle Dance by five.),


    Lethality (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by five.),


    Sanctified (Increases Skill grade of Holy by four.),


    Combat Prowess (Increases Skill grade of Battle Maneuvers, Rush Assault, and Heavy Assault by three.),


    Tactical Momentum (Increases Skill grade of Combat Balance, Riposte, and Battle Dance by two.),


    Assault Master (Increases Skill grade of Combined Arms, Lung, and Charge by three)]


    Alex studied the words, feeling a little glutted with both Titles and tamales. Team five had been ready for her once she¡¯d finished resting, and they were going in on her fourth Survey of the day. If it was anything like the past two, things would definitely move quickly.


    [Please select your intent]


    [Exploration]


    [Vengeance]


    [Patrol]


    [War]


    [Salvage]


    At least she knew what she would be getting into now.


    [Your intent is to Patrol]


    [Quest Issued! Clear at least twelve Grue patrols.]


    [Quest Issued! Destroy at least eight Grue Brutes.]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    [Hidden Quest Issued!]


    Alex drew in a deep breath, and stepped forward into the light, ready to take on whatever was waiting for her¡­


    It was a relief to step back into the real world, just a little under an hour and a half later.


    Team five had come back about half an hour to forty minutes before, their Quests completed and their expressions just a little shell-shocked. Alex had stayed long enough to wipe out her own Quests and run back to the portal. Liliana¡¯s Shade had been a relentless stalker, an oppressive presence to the point that Alex had lashed out with a few lightning bolts in an attempt to convince the thing to go elsewhere. She could have sworn that she¡¯d landed at least one hit, and the patrols had slowed down just a little after that.


    Fortunately, she would be even better prepared for the next rush. She¡¯d gone back to resetting Combat Balance, Combined Arms, and Holy¨CStorm. It had given her Combat Momentum instead of Tactical Momentum, Offense Master instead of Assault Master, and finally, Consecrated instead of Sanctified. Something about that last Title had seemed a little final to her; she¡¯d never invested that much in a low tier Skill, so she wasn¡¯t sure what would happen with it now.


    In any case, she had at least twenty minutes before her next Survey, and she¡¯d be done for the day after that. Team six wasn¡¯t a bad batch either; she¡¯d watched their Skills climb dramatically, and if they stuck to plan, they¡¯d all be out well before the time limit. At that point she could reset just about all of her Skills, and commit to training for the next bout of madness later that week.


    She walked away from the vortex, coming to where Wells was standing. Alex made it most of the way to him before she registered something was¡­ off about how he was looking at her.


    He¡¯d displayed plenty of emotions before now. Wells had been mad, he¡¯d been baffled by her behavior, perhaps even genuinely concerned. None of his reactions had been really surprising, not since she¡¯d realized what kind of person he really was.


    Now, though, he was looking at her with a mask of¡­ smugness. It was well-concealed beneath his professional bearing, but there was triumph in his eyes, the kind a cat showed when it intended to play with a broken-winged bird. Alex paused only a moment, a slight hitch in her step, and then she continued forward.


    ¡°Surveyor Morrison.¡± There was an undertone of deep satisfaction in his voice as well. What had changed? Had team six chickened out or something? ¡°Did your Survey go well?¡±


    ¡°Yes Chief.¡± Alex casually looked around, making sure there weren¡¯t any surprises waiting for her in the room. ¡°Just popped back in to rest a little before the last team goes out. Everything going all right here?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Surveyor Morrison, why wouldn¡¯t it be?¡± Wells smiled. It was¡­ unnerving. ¡°Feel free to grab a snack from the ready room. Your last team will be here in a few minutes.¡±


    Alex nodded and moved past him to head for the hallway. She walked towards the ready room and then made as if she¡¯d thought better about it and headed to the bathroom. If something had changed, she needed to check in with her parents a little early.


    She pushed into the bathroom and went to the cubbyhole where she¡¯d stashed the phone. Alex reached into the spot¡­ and froze when her fingers found nothing.


    There was a moment of denial. She groped around in the spot for a few more minutes and then made a much more thorough search around the entire bathroom. Alex didn¡¯t find any sign of her phone.


    She leaned against the wall, her mind running through the possibilities. Someone on the cleaning crew might have found it, and they would have turned it in to the administration or put it in the ready room. A less honest member of the support staff might have kept it, but stealing from Surveyors was generally considered unwise for a lot of reasons.


    Another Surveyor could have seen it, but her name was on it. They wouldn¡¯t have taken it unless they were looking for trouble, and she didn¡¯t think anyone but Wells would have done that. Of course, if he had taken it, he¡¯d just signed himself up for more of a problem than she really wanted, not after she¡¯d worked so hard.


    One of her friends might have grabbed it, assuming she¡¯d dropped it. If that was the case, she¡¯d be able to send a message once she finished for the night. A short delay wouldn¡¯t trigger an automatic reaction from home. No vengeful parents descending on the compound, and no covers ruined.


    It was most likely an innocent misunderstanding or attempt to help, but something about the glow she¡¯d seen in Wells¡¯ eyes made her think something else was going on. Something worse than a simple problem.


    Alex shook her head and went to the ready room. It was nearly empty, with just Ed and a handful of others there. He looked up as she entered, a smile on his face that didn¡¯t quite reach his eyes. ¡°Hey Alex. You almost done for the day?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yeah. Nobody¡¯s turned a phone in, have they? I think I might have dropped mine in the bathroom.¡±


    Ed shook his head. ¡°Nope. No one has brought anything like that here.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Maybe the support staff found it. You could probably ask them later.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Alex nodded again, and then headed for the snacks laid out on the counter. Whatever was going on, she¡¯d get to the bottom of it, just as soon as she finished with one more Survey.


    Team six had the ugliest experience of the day. Liliana was obviously intent on swamping them with every patrol she could find. When team six struggled back to the portal, they were obviously exhausted from fighting six battles in quick succession, but they made it there safely.


    A part of Alex wanted to follow them through, but she wasn¡¯t done with her Quests for the day yet¡­ and aching muscles or not, she wasn¡¯t going to leave the job half completed. Waiting another half hour or so wouldn¡¯t make her phone magically appear, but the increase in her Skills could definitely make a difference in whatever was coming next.


    So she turned away from the portal and went racing into the street. Howls were already starting to rise, and Alex snarled as she sprinted straight into the first of Liliana¡¯s new patrols. Lightning already crackled around her as she closed, and her axe tore holes in their ranks like they weren¡¯t there.


    She heard shouts and nearly caught herself twisting to see who was yelling. Instead, she fell back into her focus, continuing to butcher the Grue crowding in around her until the last Soldiers were burning in front of her.


    A short distance away, she saw a group of Surveyors staring at her in a mixture of shock and awe. Alessa was with them, her staff dangling slightly in her hands and her mouth open. Alex tilted her head and trotted over to them. ¡°Hey Alessa. How was your Survey?¡±


    ¡°G-great.¡± Alessa gave her a strange look. ¡°How are you?¡±


    ¡°Been a bit rough. Liliana¡¯s been a pain.¡± She leaned in close and lowered her voice. ¡°My phone¡¯s gone missing. When you get back, can you ask if anyone picked it up? I need to call home tonight. It¡¯s kind of¡­ important.¡±


    The Porter nodded slowly. ¡°Right. Your phone.¡± She paused. ¡°We thought you needed some, uh, help with that group, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Alex shook her head hard. ¡°Just, please, check on the phone thing. Or at least see if someone has a phone I can borrow.¡±


    Alessa opened her mouth to ask another question, but before she could get a word out, howling rose from the street behind her and her team. Alex looked up and saw Liliana staring at her from the near street corner, her staff pointed right at her. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll handle those guys. Just get back home and don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t forget the phone!¡±


    She yelled the last bit as she pushed past the Surveyors and started running for the corner. A couple of them shouted after her, but she ignored them and accelerated. Alex yelled a warcry as she closed. The Grue, seeing her coming, started to try to fall back.


    It wasn¡¯t enough, and by the time she finished with them, Alessa¡¯s team was gone.


    [Mission Report]


    [Successful Return! +20 Experience]


    [Main Quest Completed! +140 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [Secondary Culling Quest Completed! +80 Experience]


    [All Quests Completed! Glorious Victory! +80 Experience]


    Her happiness over the full clear was clouded by her worry over the phone. She was so close to sabotaging Wells¡¯ plans. Something as small as a phone call couldn¡¯t ruin it, right?


    [Battle Maneuvers increased from 28 to 30!]


    [Combat Balance increased from 0 to 25!]


    [Combined Arms¨CAxe/Shield increased from 0 to 25!]


    [Holy¨CStorm increased from 0 to 25!]


    Her Skills were all at maximum, but she didn¡¯t take any joy from it. Normally she would have tried to reset most of them, but something about the idea made her stomach twist.


    [Battle Maneuvers has reached level 30! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Reset Battle Maneuvers to gain a Title?]


    She denied it, as she did for the rest of her Skills. If she didn¡¯t manage to call off her parents, she might need to do something tonight, and she¡¯d need every bit of her strength for it. One of the offerings did give her pause, however.


    [Holy¨CStorm has reached level 25! Skill is at Max Level and can no longer increase.]


    [Holy¨CStorm has reached capacity for Titles. No more are available.]


    [Reset Holy¨CStorm to add maximum levels?]


    It was an interesting possibility, but not something that she wanted to deal with at the moment. Alex denied it like the others.


    Then she was pushing through to the future, whatever the light held for her¡­