Chapter 135
Going Home
Alexa walked forward, her movements in that forced auto-mechanical state where she was moving forward just by mere momentum. However, with each step, she felt slightly more assure of herself, certain that she was doing the right thing, regardless of how hard the moment was.
As she approached the guard shack to check out, she saw a set of familiar guards on duty, but could not recall their names at the moment. Realizing her faux pas, she just waved at the two.
“Ale…I mean Aru’ka welcome back. How did you…?” The guard trails off as he looks at Alexa still wearing her Aru’ka uniform and then realizes what he needs to do in just such an incident. “I’m sorry, wait one second,” the guard said, as he began pushing a few buttons on his command panel.
Beep.
“Hello?” A voice rasped out loud over the speaker system, no doubt only meant to be heard by the humans in the booth, but given Alexa’s increased Attributes what most people could only hear in the same room, she could hear outside as if it were standard conversation.
“We have her.”
“Who? Was someone going out after we imposed the lockdown?” Ms. Peacock’s unmistakable voice could be heard on the other end of the speaker.
“No, Al…Aru’ka is here.” The guard said, almost spilling Alexa’s identity twice in as many minutes.
“Here? Already?” Ms. Peacock said a bit flustered, before asking, “but how?”
“I don’t know ma’am. I’ve given up trying to figure out how most of you all operate, that said it is clear that this is her.”
“You used the biometric scanner?”
“What, oh of course.” The guard said, a faint note of embarrassment in his voice as he visibly pushed a button on the underside of the consol. At that, Alexa felt a wave of energy wash over her. The energy was of a type that her body greedily absorbed at first, but with a force of will, she stopped her body from absorbing the ambient energy.
“One second, it seems that our first scans were inconclusive. Trying again.” The guard said, a note of nervousness in his voice.
Whoosh!
Just as he pressed the scanner again, there was the distinct feeling of mass being displaced, as a burst of energy erupted next to the guard shack. Then a second later, a thinly built man appeared. Seeing the human, Alexa couldn’t help but be reminded of Kelvin, the friend, who was still waiting for her on Stage IX of the Trials of Ascension.
The man was of course none other than Mr. Mackie, the head of discipline here at Dawning Light Academy. Just seeing him, let Alexa rest a little bit easier, as seeing him meant that she was finally home. Of course, that sense of relief was short lived as she knew for a fact that if Mr. Mackie caught wind of her true intentions, or true motivations, then he would turn on her in a heartbeat. Right now, she still had the ace in the hole, the idea that she could bring his son, Kelvin Mackie, to him. If she could introduce the two, then maybe, just maybe, he could join her faction. Of course, that was far off in the future, as she still had to get with Luke to even make such an event possible. While she seemed to have some sway over the dungeons, so far the only ones that truly listened to her on such a level were the ones that she freed. Also, she didn’t know if the dungeons would have listened to her on sending Kelvin to her home as well. There were too many variables, while she figured that the dungeons would likely listen to her, she couldn’t be for certain.
Of course, all of these were just reasons she told herself, to help her feel better about her decision. Honestly, the true reason she left was because she needed human contact. Her body twitched as she remembered how empty she felt inside of the various dungeons she went to. This was a completely novel experience for her, and not one that she particularly cared for. Before there had never been a problem, with her being in a dungeon. While most felt the mere thought of being permanently surrounded in a living death trap, Alexa had never felt that way. She welcomed the challenges that each dungeon posed. She also enjoyed solving problems, figuring out solutions, and above all she actually found herself enjoying being herself without the fear of being recorded, judged, or mocked. Inside a dungeon she was no one, and that was how she liked it, normally.
This time however, she felt her resolve slowly slipping away, the longer she stayed within the various dungeons. While she did feel some satisfaction for pushing through and freeing the various dungeons from their dragon masters, that was only a dull hollow piece of everything she had been feeling.
Energy pulse.
Mr. Mackie gave a quick scan with his golden eye, as Alexa felt a wave and ripple of energy pass over her. Once again, Alexa felt her body desperately crave the foreign energy being pressed against her body, but she held back her desire to absorb the energy. Instead, she just stood there, waiting for the scan to be over. A few of the waves that entered her body were absorbed automatically by her class, unfortunately such things were to be expected, but were nonetheless annoying to deal with.
“It would appear that you have once again grown in power.” Mr. Mackie said.
Hearing that Alexa could only nod in agreement, it had been what a month? Since he last scanned her. Since the last time he scanned her, she had done a great number of things, the most obvious was completing her Dragon Trials, and freeing over a dozen dungeons. Then there were the levels of magic she had learned and mastered. Looking at the man before her, Alexa wondered if for the first time in her existence if she could take Mr. Mackie in a fight. The fight would have to involve magic, something that Alexa was certain that Mr. Mackie was lacking in. Also, his network of runes were rudimentary at best, easily able to be oversaturated with her own power and thus be overtaken at a moment’s notice. In fact, she made a note to put in fail safes around campus that could allow her to take control of the network if needed. If it came to a head long fight, with swords or fists, Alexa was certain that her Attributes would not compare to Mr. Mackie’s, but that would imply she would fight him in a fair fight. All Alexa really had to do was get away, avoid the initial barrage of attacks and seek shelter while she prepared a magical defense.
Why was she doing this? Why was she planning a possible attack on Mr. Mackie, the truth was as simple to understand as it was to execute, right now Mr. Mackie was on an opposing faction. The mother of his child was also on said opposing faction. The only chance she figured she had on switching him over would be the sight of his son. Of course, seeing his son might have a negative side effect that she was not able to account for, which was why she was trying to go over all possible scenarios now. Watching Mr. Mackie move, it was clear she would lose a head to head battle, which was why she was now beginning to come up with counters and contingencies in her mind.
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“No doubt you bring word of what happened?” Mr. Mackie asked. In those few words were volumes of underlying questions, questions that only Alexa could provide the answer to.
Alexa nodded. “Yes, I am ready to give a debrief, but I would first like to make sure that Luke, Gina, and Julie are there as well.”
“You want them present for the debrief?” Mr. Mackie asked, this was a big deal, as it effectively meant that these three would know the true identity of Aru’ka. While it was hard to keep such a detail away from the public, and it was assumed that everyone knew who the six foot four battle healer on campus was, it was still meant to be a secret. The fact that she would ask for people by name to be at her debrief meant that she was okay with these people to know her secret identity. Again, this was all being done to prepare Alexa and the other potential Supers of what it truly meant to have your secret identity compromised. Everyone here was still young, and most would go on to change their secret identity at least twice more before they actually made it to the professional leagues.
Alexa nodded her agreement, she tried to speak, but then found that her voice had clamped up on her.
“Very well, follow me.” Mr. Mackie said, as he escorted Alexa back over the campus.
As Alexa walked, she noticed that winter had indeed taken its toll on the campus. The normal bright green blades of grass had turned a slightly brownish color, as if part of the grass had died in preparation for the harsh winter that awaited. Seeing the grass, Alexa wondered if it had been like that before she left, she did remember that the grass had begun to change slightly, but not to this extent. The effects of winter were also apparent as all of the trees had finally let go of their last few leaves. Piles of brightly colored leaves lay on the ground as they all slowly turned to a shade of brown.
These were the first things Alexa remembered seeing on her way in, and while she had seen it all before, just two days ago, well two or maybe three days ago now, as it looked like the day had finally shifted into late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.
Crunch.
Mr. Mackie’s feet made crunching sounds as he walked across the dead leaves. Alexa too walked over the same leaves, but her footsteps were quiet in comparison.
“Everyday I am amazed at how much closer you seem to become an elf.” Mr. Mackie commented, apparently also noticing the way her Agility perk that she stole from the elves made her move similarly to the elves.
“I have learned a lot from them.” Alexa said truthfully, she had, though her manner of learning was far different than the way most people would normally use to learn from the elves.
At that Mr. Mackie nodded as he continued walking through the grounds. The moon shone down brightly, it looked like it was nearly full, but wasn’t quite there yet. Seeing the moon, shine down brightly over the cloudless sky, Alexa couldn’t help but think that this would be the perfect time for her to ask the question that had been weighing on her so heavily. Thinking that here, out in the open, far away from prying eyes and ears was her best chance to broach such a subject, she decided to jump right in.
“I have met Kelvin.”
Shuffle Stutter.
At that, Mr. Mackie stopped in his tracks completely, as his mind registered the comment. Seeing him pause, Alexa too paused and stopped to look directly at Mr. Mackie.
“You mean it?” Mr. Mackie asked, his eyes scanning her with their odd truth telling powers, searching her for any sign of deception.
“Yes, he is healthy, and level 57 last time I checked.”
Slight tremble.
Mr. Mackie’s body trembled slightly for a second, but it had been enough for Alexa to notice and register the involuntary reaction.
“You saw him?”
Alexa nodded, “yes on stage seven, there with his mother, princess Portia.”
“Portia?” Mr. Mackie asked, his eyes going glassy as he looked off into the distance at a place that only he could notice.
Alexa nodded. “I think I have a way that we can get Kelvin out.”
“Kelvin? But how?”
“Trade secret I am afraid.” Alexa said.
There was a tense silence as Mr. Mackie just stared at Alexa, then seemed to come to a conclusion on his own. “Would this by chance have anything to do with the way you were last seen entering a newly formed dungeon in Stonehenge, then the next time we see any sign of you is here on campus?”
Alexa nodded, “the same, but different.”
“What of Portia?”
At that, Alexa shook her head. “I am afraid it might not be possible with Portia, as she is just a Summoned Aspect of her true self. While Kelvin is a real half-human half-elf.”
That was Alexa’s hypothesis anyways, not that she would even think about trying to deal with the Princess in any meaningful fashion. In fact, if she ran across the princess, Alexa would try to avoid her at all costs.
There was a pause as Mr. Mackie clearly contemplated everything being said. “You mean it, that you think you have a way to bring him back.”
“I think so, he managed to follow me to Stage VIII of my Trials of Ascension, assuming everything goes the same way, he should be able to follow me when I complete my next stage as well.” Alexa admitted truthfully.
There was a slight pause, “how did you manage to leave the Trials midway through?”
Alexa just shook her head, “trade secret I am afraid.”
At that Mr. Mackie paused, “is this similar to the way the three people that you summoned all have fully awakened into their Legendary or higher classes?”
At that Alexa paused, her high from absorbing so much magic was gradually wearing away, but she still could feel the faint tug of her emotional mind almost giving away her true thoughts and feelings. Instead, she took in a deep breath, and answered slowly. “It is similar, yes.”
The similarity was that they had all gone into the same dungeon together, when Alexa walked the others through how to solve the puzzle rooms that were laid out before them. In that same vein, Alexa going to other dungeons to complete her trials and finish many of the stages by completing the true challenge of each dungeon, versus the self-imposed trials created by the Elves and the Orcs was similar in that it too happened in a dungeon. Again, minor technicalities, but something that an emotional Alexa could lie through omission quite freely.
With that Mr. Mackie just stared at Alexa for a moment, his all-seeing eyes taking everything in.
“When can you go back in to bring him back to me?” Mr. Mackie asked.
At that, Alexa nodded in understanding. This was something she had been expecting, and quite frankly she was pleased that it had gone this far. This meant that Mr. Mackie was indeed invested in the future of his son, which she could use.
“First I need to explain what happened, then after I rest, I can go rescue your son.”
“Rescue?”
“Yes, it seems that he was able to follow me to the next stage of the Trials, and has therefore been separated from the princess and the other members of her tribe.” Alexa said, truthfully.
“Well then, we should not waste any more time.” Mr. Mackie said.
Chirp.
At that, one of the communication crystals on Mackie’s body lit up.
“Yes?” Mr. Mackie asked, clicking the device to life by pushing a bit of energy into the rune.
“I have all of the students gathered as Aru’ka requested.” Ms. Peacock says through the communication crystal.
“Copy that, we will be there in a minute.” Mr. Mackie said back into the crystal. For a moment it looked like he wanted to say something more as he looked to Alexa, but then for whatever reason decided not to. With a nod of his head, he led her the rest of the way to the debriefing room.
Once she got to the room, she felt her heart stop for a moment as all she could do was stare out into the room of so many familiar faces. Faces that had grown to mean so much to her over just a short handful of weeks.
Entering the room, Alexa thought she would be strong enough to handle this, to move on. Yet, all it took was one question from her brother to take the strength right out of her legs.
“How is father?”
Three words, those three simple words were enough to break apart the thin veil of strength that Alexa had built up. The strength that she used to get here, the strength that she used to fight her way through dungeon after dungeon.
Alexa opened her mouth, but then stopped as her voice seemed frozen, forever lost in the moment. Then as if realizing how weak she was, how she wouldn’t be able to tell the truth, not now, all she could do was close her mouth and shake her head. Despite having most of her face covered with her super mask, her normally blank and expressionless face spoke volumes.
“Oh.” Gina said, as she was the first to move, to tackle into Alexa with a warm embrace that felt so warm, so reassuring. Feeling her there, it was like a piece of herself that had been missing was momentarily filled. Alexa tried to breath, but her body both fought to restrain her emotions that had all been bottled away to this point, and with a gasp she tried to hold them back, but it was too much. The pain was too much, everything was too much, and she felt tears roll down her face, onto her mask where they cut clear patches through the dirt that had built up over the course of her travels.
Looking at her, she looked like she had been through hell and back, never having had time to rest between any thing that happened.
Alexa looked up to lock gazes with Luke, but he was already being held tightly by Julie. Seeing the two of them together, Alexa couldn’t help but let out a slight smile, she was glad he found someone. Then almost as if to not be forgotten, Gina tightened her grip around her, all but forcing Alexa to look down and see that Gina was crying profusely. Seeing her, Alexa couldn’t help but smile and gently pat stroke her hair with her gloved hand. Emotions were still tough, and the more she got used to them, the harder she felt they would be. But for now, Alexa was happy. Oh, she still missed her father and not a minute went by that she didn’t think about him. But Alexa had managed to work her way through most of her grief on her own. Now she was just thankful for the family that remained and the friends she had made. Friends that were willing to suffer right alongside her. And that was when Alexa truly relaxed and let herself cry out the last of her sorrows. Today she would let herself be mortal, if only for a moment, for tomorrow she would deal with all the problems that could wait. For now, she was with her family, her pack, and there was no place else she would rather be than here.