CHAPTER 91: Not the Only One
“Oh sweetie, I heard you had a bad day at work,” Alissa’s voice said, full of sympathy.
Adam stood in the dark, looking at her. He didn’t move. [Kinetic Impact] made his hands glow just enough so that he could see the frown on Alissa’s face while she watched him stay in a fighting posture.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, not moving forward but also not moving back.
His mind went to all the worst places. What they could do to him using the form of the girls, or any of his friends. What they could get him to do for those friends.
Honestly, he wasn’t sure. It was both reassuring and scary in his own mind when he realized they couldn’t get him to do much to betray Earth or his people, even if his friends were in danger. That would just become fuel for the next group of invaders he faced.
“How do I know you’re Alissa?” Adam asked dangerously.
“What are you talking about?” she asked with surprise.
“I’ve received a letter from the mind controller after clearing a base. She’s attacked my friends before, as well as trying to trap both me and them,” Adam admitted without letting his guard down. “I’m far from my base and no one knew where I went. How could the real Alissa be here?”
Alissa took a deep breath. She looked to the ceiling.
“Adam, don’t be a dumbass! Just use the skill for the sovereign to find his appointed. That skill is how I found you,” Alissa said impatiently.
“Oh. You got a skill for that? I, uh, don’t have skills, remember?” Adam felt flummoxed and the tension deflated. Then he opened his status menu. On the Loyalty tab he clicked on Alissa’s name, “Avenging Angel,” and then an arrow appeared in his view pointing to the person in front of him, with an outline drawn around her.
She saw his demeanor change and then walked over to him.
“Come here, sweetie,” Alissa said, once more her voice held compassion. “Everyone was worried for you when you rushed off. Us girls gave Emily a good talking to and even threatened to kick her out of the Wives suite for what she did. We know your day was bad, and that you haven’t experienced stuff like that in your life. Just come over here.”
Adam got closer to Alissa. She put both hands on the sides of his face and rested his cheek on her chest. Then she pulled him to the floor where she sat cradling his head. She hummed quietly as she rocked him. He allowed himself to be led.
“Why did you close our connections?” she asked.
“I didn’t close them,” he answered absentmindedly.
“Oh? Then where are they?”
He went to check on them. He dove into himself while feeling the warmth of her hands, arms, and chest. What he saw there made him tense. Part of his very soul was frozen, like the time he had disconnected his body to keep from attacking his friends. It affected the connections and soul, altering the flow of energy around him, affecting his emotions.
“Sorry. I think it’ll take a bit for them to come back,” he said apologetically.
“What happened?”
“After seeing the suffering from the people we rescued in the Labesatis raid, and then having those pathetic guys threatening us and making demands, I wanted to strike out at them but held myself back. Then we found those women…seeing the kids in that place, I just wanted to explode and take everyone with me. Freezing a part of me was the only way to keep from going on a killing spree, something I probably would have regretted,” explained Adam once he understood what he saw inside himself.
Alissa just cooed soothingly as she held him.
“I’m sorry you had to experience that. A lot of bad things happen to people. A lot of people do bad things. It isn’t your fault or responsibility. There were assholes before the invasion happened and there will be assholes after you kick the invaders off Earth,” Alissa said, trying to comfort him while she brushed her hands through his hair.
“There is so much to do. So many problems,” Adam sighed.
“It must be difficult to hold yourself back for the rest of us. You could probably be taking down invader bases left and right, like tonight, but you’re waiting for us. Just remember, we’re getting stronger, and you won’t have to carry us much longer. In all honestly, the rest of us feel like we’re being held back by the army as well,” admitted Alissa. “You aren’t the only one determined to win this war.”
“Huh,” was all Adam said as he pondered those last words. It was true that they were getting stronger. His friends weren’t just the highest level because they had been fighting longer, they were also very good at their roles. The extra power they had gotten from the appointment titles showed in their better classes and skills. Maybe it would be ok for him to clear out more bases with them, letting the others in the Sentinel Army go at a slower pace. Not everyone can be the strongest, and there would be plenty of bases across the planet even after his friends had their pick.
Adam took his time laying there with Alissa. Usually she was the rowdy, in your face one, and while she had been blunt with him, she was also being quite gentle. It helped his insides thaw, and the connections came back. Earlier he knew that he needed something else to balance the anger, and at this moment he felt like he had it.
After a bit more time, Alissa leaned down and gave Adam a gentle kiss on the lips. Then she sat up.
“We’d better go, the others are waiting,” she said.
“Others?” questioned Adam.
They walked down a dim tunnel and saw a flickering of fire light. When Adam walked out into the main room, open to the stars, he saw a large campfire surrounded by his friends. They were grilling and eating some kind of…well, he was confident it was meat in some form. It had a white, pulsing quality to it and his stomach growled loudly.
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“Don’t worry, boss. We saved most of it for you,” said Tom, passing him a long stick with plenty of the meat on it.
When Adam took a bite, he thought it tasted like a more tender chicken. Then he thought again, wondering if mutated chickens still tasted the same. Maybe they would find out at some point.
“What kind of meat is this?” Adam asked Lamar, who was cooking and seasoning it.
“Snake. It was hell trying to follow you and we ran into a nest of these snakes when we crossed into an invader base by accident,” answered Lamar.
“How did you guys even know to follow me?” asked Adam.
“Are you seriously?” Nick asked while dripping sarcasm. “The most powerful person, the leader of the whole army, angrily drives off, leaving without telling anyone or taking people with him. You didn’t even take a radio. That panicked more than a few people. Some thought that after the gossip from the afternoon, you were abandoning us. I can guarantee the rest of the city with be searched for level 0s quickly and thoroughly to follow your edict.”
“Really? But no one stopped me or asked where I was going.”
“Darling, you looked like you were going to commit genocide. No one was brave enough to stop or ask you,” answered Andrea.
“Some guards called the command center to see why you were going out alone. The center called the colonel and your mom, who was freaking out, by the way. Get her something nice as an apology, nicer than these rocks. Your mom called me. Then I called the group,” stated Nick, explaining his game of telephone.
“By the time we were leaving, the whole base was awake and on alert,” said Lucas.
“I’m pretty sure the entire army would have come after you if they knew where to find you,” said Lamar. “Brittney had to threaten the unit commanders to get them to stay in Jackson.”
“Nothing funnier than seeing our small girl here berating and threatening large, grown men,” Alissa laughed and gave a blushing Brittney a hug.
“I recorded it. We can watch it again later,” said Ed, while looking at a laptop and pointing to a near silent drone hovering above them. The drone was clearly rebuilt with a different design and metals. It took more space than before but moved around smoother and without the buzzing.
“I didn’t see what the big fuss was,” said Joseph. “We told them you were probably just going to kill some invaders. For some reason that got them even more panicky.”
“That’s because you didn’t specify that they weren’t nearby,” retorted Elias. “People thought they were attacking.”
“Thanks for the extra title, by the way,” said Tom. “We got here just in time for it. How fast were you even going to get here so far ahead of us?”
“150 mph,” Adam answered.
“Damn! I’m riding back with you,” said Brittney with a grin.
“Did you work everything out, Adam?” asked Abbey, scooting closer to him.
“I think so, at least for now. What it comes down to is that even if I could kill all the invaders, I still need your support. I need our connections to keep me balanced. I also need you guys to get stronger so I can share more of the load,” said Adam.
“We’re working on it, buddy,” added Nick, slightly disgruntled.
They sat for a while in quiet like that, listening to the crackle of the fire and the sizzle of the cooking meat. By the time the sun started to lighten the sky above them the fire was burned to embers and Adam was laying with Alissa on one side and Abbey on the other. He let out a contented sigh.
Far from the city. far from the invaders, everything felt peaceful to Adam. He might not want to spend every day like this, but he needed to preserve enough so that they could come out and recharge themselves every now and then.
“So…snakes, huh?” Adam said lazily, eyelids half closed.
“Yup,” answered Lucas. “Good skin on them too.”
“Hmm. Might help us make better leather armor,” pondered Adam.
“And more durable purses,” purred Alissa at his side.
“I could use a more stylish coat for this winter,” said Carlos, drawing a laugh from Andrea.
“You could use a more stylish everything for all seasons,” Andrea smirked.
“Harsh,” said Randall with a laugh.
As one, everyone stood up, grabbed their stuff and headed towards the vehicles.
***
“They’re in my hair! THEY’RE IN MY HAIR!” shrieked Carlos as smaller snakes dropped from the trees onto him. Everyone rolled their eyes at him.
“[Tricky Play],” Carlos used his evasion skill, allowing him to slide out from under them before they could get any grip. He then used [Varying Strike] to create damage increases as he hit the snakes. Some he was able to poke straight through with the strike, and others he barely scratched at all as he only got glancing blows.
“[Steady Shot], [Quick Release]!” Lamar used his own skills, one to improve his aim and the other to get the shots off faster. Arrows ripped through the snakes that Carlos hadn’t killed.
“Lame!” teased Andrea as she stood in front of another tree. There was a much larger snake wrapped around the branches above her. “You are the information class, Mr. ‘Gathering Hand’ Carlos. Try using [See Life] before walking into an area.”
Then Andrea cast her spell [Volt Cutter], sending out a stream of lighting that split the snake and the tree into pieces before igniting both. The sudden fire startled a few other large snakes, almost three feet in diameter. They burst out of the underbrush. One went right towards Alissa.
“[Blessing of Wrath],” Alissa said casually, gaining a washed-out yellow glow and a hefty boost to her Strength and Agility. Then she grabbed the head of the snake as it lunged at her. “[Take Life].” The snake tried to squirm out of her grip as its vitality was slowly drained from it.
A [Shield Bash] from Brittney stunned the advance of another while Elias used an [Earth Spike] to pin it in place for the supporters to get some XP. The third one was grabbed by Adam, who just walked it over to the rest of the group to get their hits in.
They had almost cleared out the forest and were near the boss. It lay coiled up in a clearing. It was probably sixty feet long and thicker than any of them.
“Anyone else notice something weird about the boss?” asked Carlos.
“You mean other than it having a crocodile head?” volunteered Nick.
“Or how stumpy those human-like arms on its side look considering its length?” asked Brandon.
“Maybe he means the fact it’s Tier 3?” threw in Randall.
“Whatever. I guess it’s just weird,” admitted Carlos. Then his eyes flashed red as he used his skill [See Weakness]. “Its weak points are its eyes, the spots where it should have ears, and its inside.”
Adam lifted the great sword that Garrett had made for him. It had a six-foot-long, triangle blade with a razor edge and tip. It could be used for slashing or stabbing. The two-foot-long handle was counterbalanced with a large and heavy lump of metal that Adam could use for crushing.
“You don’t say,” said Adam. Then he used [Gladiator’s Approach] to arrive right in front of its mouth while he was slashing. The snake’s crocodile lower jaw was cut from its head. “There, now you can exploit it’s weakness easier.”
“Just like the good old days of fighting goblins,” reminisced Tom.
“Though without being gutted,” said Brandon with a shudder.
“Or being overwhelmed,” added Nick.
“And a lot less blood,” said Alissa.
“Are you guys just going to chat or can we kill it?” asked Lucas. He used the skill [All Weapons] to increase his ability with the axe in one hand and a sword in the other.
Brittney didn’t wait for the others and used [By Your Side] to help soak any damage they might take. She hefted the shield that was almost as big as her. “Better hurry. I think Joseph is going to try and [Headhunt] it before you can even get there.”
“All the XP is mine!” yelled Joseph as he charged forward. As the slowest of the group, everyone else was able to catch up and get a hit in.
Regardless of how easy it was to kill as a group, it still took some time. Their blades had trouble penetrating its skin, and it was fast enough to keep its head out of their reach. Adam allowed them all to fight and only stepped in when Joseph found himself coiled by it and Ed was tripped by its tail while he watched his laptop.
As they took their second invader base of the night, with Adam decoupling both and returning them to Rifts with a barrier protecting it, they all looked refreshed despite being up all night.
“Looking good. You guys are definitely more capable than against the goblins,” Adam praised.
“That’s not saying much,” complained Randall.
“Having better skills make it much easier,” said Nick.
“Better coordination as well,” added Andrea.
“Should we hit that Ogre base on the way back?” asked Randall. They all stared at him blankly.
“The scouts said they were called Horkos,” corrected Elias. The stares turned to him.
After a minute they shrugged or nodded.
“Yeah, ok. Let’s go hunt some Ogres,” said Lucas, which brought a smile to Adam’s face.