“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–Axe/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—if it was even air that she was breathing in this chamber of light—and 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–Axe/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–Axe/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—and 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.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
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—the Grue that she’d knocked down with her shield—and 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–Axe/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—urgh…”
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–Axe/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.