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–Axe increased from 18 to 20!]
[Melee–Shield 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–Axe and Melee–Shield?]
[Warning: Chained Skills lose all previous levels.]
Another offer, and another painful choice. Better safe than sorry, this time.
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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—Alex hadn’t known Paul was connected, but it made a lot more sense now that she thought about it—but 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 façade 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—just long enough for Liliana’s face to darken in rage again—and 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.