Alex was partway through packing her clothes when her father knocked on the door behind her. She glanced back over her shoulder in surprise; she’d left the door open, after all. Eric was leaning up against the doorjamb, his eyes filled with half-hidden worry. “So?”

She sighed. “It doesn’t seem like it’s entirely a trap. Not yet, at least.”

“That’s hardly reassuring.”

The disapproval in his voice convinced her to turn around again and give him a level look. “I know. I also know that they aren’t going to let me just disappear, not with all this ‘Red Blade Revolution’ stuff in the media. Better to get through it and find out what I can about Greylight. I’ve already found one of the ones who hurt Mom, after all.”

Eric’s expression grew a little darker. “I know.” He shook his head. “You know why we’ve never gone after them, right?”

Alex turned back to her packing, avoiding the question for a few moments. “It would be dangerous.”

“That’s right. And not just for us. For you. For anyone else we’ve known.” Eric stepped forward and caught her in a bear hug. As usual, her ribs creaked a little, but not as much as before. Her increased Life apparently had made her a bit more resistant to fatherly affection. “I just… I don’t want you to lose sight of that, okay?”

She wormed her way around to poke at him with an elbow, and he let her loose. Then she gave him her own hug back. “I know. I’ll be careful. I promise.”

“That’ll be the day.”

Her mother’s voice drifted down the hallway, and Alex heard her father’s quiet huff of laughter. She let go of Eric and raised her voice loud enough to respond. “You’re just mad you can’t come too!”

She heard her mother muttering something, and a pan made a clanking noise. Fortunately or unfortunately, Muriel had recognized her supervisor’s name. Ryan ‘Abbott’ Costello had still been a young Surveyor when the Crimson Blade had ‘died’, but he’d already established a name for himself as a solid fighter and a reliable teammate. The little that Alex had found online had confirmed that, along with turning up the fact that Abbott had actually worked with her mother once, on a single Survey a while ago.

It meant that there was no chance for her mother to lurk around the compound this time, either. If Abbott recognized her…

Alex shook her head and finished stuffing the clothes back into her suitcase. The company was sending a car to pick her up; they’d asked her to stay in the on-site dorms for at least the first few months when she wasn’t on leave, to get more training time in. She’d agreed; at least they didn’t seem as closed off and cultish as the Red Blade Securities folks had been.

Her father stepped back with a sigh, still clearly unhappy. “Remember. A text every day at a minimum, and a call after every Survey. If you or the others need to get out, send the passphrase to my phone, and we’ll be there in less than thirty minutes.”

“I know, Dad.” Alex zipped up the suitcase and lifted it. It didn’t feel nearly as heavy as it would have before; her steady investment in Strength was still paying off. “I’ll stay in contact.”

“Good.” He looked her over one more time, and then nodded. “Do your best and come home safe as soon as you can. We love you.”

Alex grinned and gave him a one-armed hug. “Love you too, Dad. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Welcome to your first day of training!” Abbott’s cheerfulness had somehow not diminished at all since she’d seen him. It actually bothered Alex a little, but she tried to put it aside and focus.

She was standing with the others in front of the portal, preparing to step into the vortex. Abbott was there as well, this time in the equipment of a Surveyor. He wore what looked like heavy armor and he carried the massive battleaxe over his shoulder with an ease that spoke of a heavy investment into Strength. She still wasn’t sure what kind of skills he had, or what his technique would look like, and until she did, he’d seem like a dangerous cypher. After all, if he turned on them during this mission, it would be fairly simple to just dismiss it as a training mishap for some under-leveled Surveyors.

He showed no sign of animosity or deception, at least, none that she could tell. Alex still watched him closely as he glanced at each of them. His smile lessened a little when he reached her, but Abbott gave a simple shrug and continued.

“Here’s how we work at Royal Purple. Each response squad is usually made up of two separate teams. The first one, normally the less-experienced one, is called the Evaluation Team. They go in, perform an Explore Survey, and come back to report on the situation to the Exploitation team.”

Alex exchanged a quick look with Sam. He was mid-eyeroll.

When she looked back, she saw Abbott raising his eyebrows at her. “The team is called the Exploitation team because they are going to take the Salvage mission and complete the stabilization work that the first team has started. Their commitment is normally longer, anything from two hours, up to a full-scale Raid. If needed, the Evaluation team goes in a second or third time with supplies, or equipment, usually taking the Explore or Patrol missions when they do.”

Joanna nodded solemnly. “So we’re going to be on the Evaluation teams to start with?”

“That’s correct!” Abbott nodded to her. “As D rank Surveyors, you’re pretty much at the bottom of the pile here. It’s not a bad thing, but we wouldn’t want to throw you in against something you weren’t ready for yet.”

Clara raised her hand, looking a little uncertain. “What exactly are we going up against? We aren’t going to be attacking Anchor Points, are we?”

Abbott shook his head with a reassuring amount of certainty. “Not at your level, no. At least, not unless something has gone completely wrong.” Clara grimaced and didn’t quite look at Alex, but the message was already sent. Alex just gave her a half-hearted glare before Abbott continued.

“Most of the threats in a C rank portal you’ve already seen before. There won’t be any Soldiers or Archers; most of the basic patrols are going to be Killers and Knights now. Brutes are going to be more common as well, and you’ll probably run into Mages too.”

Alex winced. Her mother had spoken about Mages before; from what she’d said, Alex was not exactly looking forward to tangling with Grue that could use magic. “I think we can probably handle that.”

He gave her a stern look. “In addition to that, you’ll also start seeing things like Shifters and Ogres.” Alex grunted, and he grinned. “In case you haven’t heard, Shifters can get about as big as a tank and have the ability to fly. The only good thing about them is that they are generally alone. Ogres, on the other hand…”

Abbott shook his head. “We usually only see them close to an Anchor Point. Picture a massive Grue, one the size of a building. They do come in packs, so if you start seeing them, get away from the area fast.”

Sam seemed to be trying to keep his voice neutral. “Really big hands? Head the size of a semi-truck?”

When Abbott looked at him, Clara chimed in. “Does anything kill those? My crossbow didn’t seem to do anything.” Joanna gave her a steady look, and the Acolyte blinked. “Or it doesn’t seem like it would, anyway.”

Abbott was studying them all as if he was trying to figure out the joke. He shook his head slowly. “You really shouldn’t have to worry about that yet. By the time you engage one of those, you should have a lot more options at your disposal.”

Joanna’s smile was not exactly a nice one. “We’ve found it helps to be ready ahead of time. The unexpected occasionally has a way of finding us, after all.”

He blinked, and then shrugged. “If you do wind up going after an Ogre, I’d go for the eyes and the ankles. They hit as hard as you’d expect, but they aren’t accurate. Run in ways that make you hard to hit, and try to wear it down, if you can. Try to use the terrain to your advantage and keep an eye on the ones you aren’t fighting directly. They have big strides, and like to surround their prey.”

Alex nodded. It sounded like the advice her mother had given her, not that she had any intention of facing an Ogre any time soon. The one that she’d seen coming through the Anchor Point on Earth had been more than impressive enough to make her avoid them in the future.

Joanna raised her own hand, however. “What about a Shade?”

Abbott looked at her in surprise, as if he hadn’t expected the question. “A Shade?” He grimaced. “Those things are ugly, but they only go after certain targets. They have some magic sometimes, but they tend to try and hunt down people who have shattered Anchor Points. You shouldn’t need to…”

He trailed off as they began exchanging looks. A slightly baffled expression formed on his face. “This training is going to be just as interesting for me as it is for you, isn’t it?”

Sam snorted and nodded. “Watch out for this one, Alex. He’s smart.”

Abbott raised his eyebrows at Sam. “As if that’s going to make me feel any better.” The others chuckled a little, and he grinned. “Still, I think I’ll get used to whatever craziness you’re bringing. Just remember, the harder we train, the easier your actual work’s going to be. Stay close, fight hard, and we’ll do fine. Come to me if you have any other questions.”

The others nodded, and Abbott glanced at the vortex. “Then let’s be about it. Alex, would you care to lead the way?”

She nodded, and they all strode over to the portal. It hadn’t become any less… intriguing as it had been before. The way the energy curled and twisted inside that hole in reality, as if it were beckoning her, seemed haunting, somehow.

Alex shook her head, and stepped forward, letting the magic wash over her…

[D Rank Surveyor Alex, Gatekeeper, Realmwalker]

[Ascension Level: 7]

[Role: Porter (Role Skills: None]

[Role Level: 2]

[Experience: 2860/3600]

[Attributes: Strength -> 7, Speed -> 10, Life -> 4, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]

[Current Skills: Combat Balance(25), Motion Trance(25), Combined Arms – Axe/Shield(25),

Holy – Storm(25)]

[Permanent Skills: Battle Maneuvers(25)]

[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 of 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.),

Consecrated (Increases Skill grade of Holy by five.),

Combat Prowess (Increases Skill grade of Battle Maneuvers, Rush Assault, and Heavy Assault by three.),

Combat Momentum (Increases Skill grade of Combat Balance, Riposte, and Battle Dance by three.),

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Offense Master (Increases Skill grade of Combined Arms, Lunge, and Charge by four)]

Alex looked at the report the Screen displayed for her and paused.

It had been too long since the last time she’d seen it, and for once, she had no reason to think about greater conspiracies or deadly missions. For a moment, she ran her eyes over the words that represented the rewards of her sacrifices and hard work. All the dangers and threats that she had fought against for the past sixteen months had led to these Titles and Skills.

Yet they weren’t what held her attention. Instead, she focused on two pieces of the Screen at the top of the report.

The first was her Experience. She’d gained enough that she was already close to the next level. Another pair of full clears would help her reach it easily enough, and even partial victories would get her there in three. At the same time, she was still three full levels from reaching her next rank. Surviving until she reached that point was going to be a difficult proposition at best, with her and her friends facing portals that were a full rank higher than they would normally have been expected to fight.

She shook her head. They had survived overly dangerous portals before, and they’d had fewer options back then. Now they had Skills they had developed, they had teamwork they’d refined, and if she could trust Abbott, they might even have an ally they could trust. Perhaps that would make all the difference they’d need.

Of course, it could also just be the first part of a trap that Greylight could use to kill her.

Still shaking her head, Alex focused on the other, stranger part of her Screen. She’d noticed it before, but she hadn’t been able to concentrate on it, not in the middle of her final assault against Chief Wells.

The first part of her Screen was different than it should have been.

It was something she’d asked her mother about, but for once the Crimson Blade had not had any advice to give her. Whatever the Gatekeeper and Realmwalker descriptions meant, Muriel had never run across them before, and she hadn’t ever heard any stories about them either.

Alex spent a small eternity studying the words, trying to think back to when they had first appeared. Realmwalker was a fairly easy one to place. As far as she remembered, it had shown up on her very last Survey, the one where she’d gone out to destroy Chief Wells. She doubted that the Screen itself had cared much about her purpose that day, but the Survey before…

Her eyes narrowed with the memory. The Survey before had been the first time she had entered the other world through one portal and left through a different one. It was something that, coincidentally, Muriel had also never heard of being done before.

Had making that journey changed something in her Screen? She hadn’t noticed any benefits or abilities thanks to doing it. Yet that description was still there, taunting her with its very existence.

Gatekeeper was just as mysterious. Unfortunately, she hadn’t noticed when it appeared, but if it followed the same pattern as Realmwalker, then it had probably shown up after she’d done something unusual. Given the description, and the pattern her life had followed…

She thought back to when she had destroyed the Anchor Point on Earth. The Screen had issued some kind of emergency Quest when the Point had been forming. Had Gatekeeper been some kind of reward for it? None of the others that had been there had mentioned seeing the new description. Why would it have only shown up for her?

Then the words faded, and she was once again faced with a familiar choice.

[Please select your intent]

[Exploration]

[Vengeance]

[Patrol]

[War]

[Salvage]

A part of her almost chose Patrol simply out of habit. Her continual missions for Red Blade Securities had conditioned her to reach for that option, but fortunately Royal Purple apparently had other priorities. Full of gratitude, she picked Explore.

[Your intent is to Explore]

[Quest Issued! Explore one of the following Areas: Greenhouse, Grain Silos, Harvester.]

[Quest Issued! Explore one of the following Areas: Charging Station, Slaughterhouse, Water Tower.]

[Hidden Quest Issued!]

[Hidden Quest Issued!]

She grimaced at the idea of going anywhere near a place in the other world called a Slaughterhouse. If she was honest, the Charging Station didn’t sound much better; something told her she’d find intact Anchor Points in both places. Then again, it wasn’t like she had a whole lot of options, and at the very least, she was being given the option to just visit the places rather than trying to destroy the things.

Still shaking her head, she stepped forward and into the other world…

As Alex left the portal, she found herself in an entirely new place.

The two other portals she’d had experience with had both been fairly similar. One had been in some kind of suburban town, while the other had been in the middle of a ruined city.

This time, however, Alex found herself staring at a dilapidated farm, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Neglected fields had grain mixed with tall weeds as far as the eye could see, and grain silos rose in the distance. A little closer, a small house next to a much larger barn were the only other landmarks she could see, apart from the occasional patches of trees and a set of mountains even further away. Above her, the ever-present clouds of the other world stretched across the sky, looming over the landscape.

Something about the wide-open terrain made her feel uncomfortable. It almost seemed oppressive, the way that the world was so open and unguarded. It felt like the Grue could see her from every direction. There could be ambushes behind every stalk of corn. How would they even keep track of where they were?

Then her eyes fell on the rest of her team, and she relaxed a little. The sight of Joanna, Clara, and Sam waiting there reassured her. After all, it would take a particularly tricky pack of Grue to ambush all of them working together.

The sight of Abbott was a little less reassuring, but she did her best to set aside the concerns she felt about him.

He gave her a nod, which she returned. Then he grinned again. “All right, let’s get moving. I want us in motion and on our way before they start coming after us. What are your objectives?”

Alex spoke first. “Greenhouse, Grain Silos, or Harvester. Charging Station, Water Tower, or… Slaughterhouse.”

Costello didn’t react all that much to the names as she’d been expecting him to. Instead, he turned to the others. “All right, any similarities for the rest of you?”

Sam nodded. “I’ve got the Greenhouse and the Harvester.”

Clara raised her hand. “Greenhouse for me too. That’s the only one.”

Joanna grunted. “I don’t have any of those. Just Duck Pond, Stables, or General Store.”

Abbott shrugged. “That’s to be expected. The Screen seems to like giving us all a broader experience than we’d like.” He glanced at Alex. “We’ll try and hit at least three locations to help everyone get the Main Quests done, but I don’t know if we’ll make it to yours right away, Valkyrie. It might be a little more dangerous than we’re ready for as a team to reach those locations.”

Alex frowned. She started to open her mouth to protest, but then a painfully familiar howl rose over the empty fields. It was something she’d heard before, back when Forsmith had entered the gate to help her. The others must have heard it then as well; they all shifted on their feet and gripped their weapons a little tighter.

By contrast, Abbott just nodded to himself. “Looks like a Shifter’s already gotten my scent. Unless you want to make a really close acquaintance, we should move. Now.”

The howl rose again, and Abbott jogged east, in the opposite direction. Alex shared another incredulous look with the others, and then they were all moving after him.

Following Abbott was not as hard as Alex felt it should be.

The C rank was obviously powerful—it showed in every stride and hop, if it hadn’t already been obvious from the casual way he wore his heavy armor and carried the massive axe over his shoulder.

At the same time, Alex was fairly sure that she could have outpaced him easily. Motion Trance gave her the kind of endurance and sprinting power that even Abbott probably couldn’t have matched. Even Sam seemed to notice it, and he only had Marathoning. Had the C rank never bothered to put any of his progress into improving his movement?

She had been preparing herself to just be disappointed in Costello’s abilities when the first patrol appeared.

They weren’t the mass of Knights, Soldiers, and Archers that she’d still been half-expecting, despite Costello’s warning. Instead, she faced a wall of Knights backed by a crowd of Killers behind them. Brutes stomped along among their smaller brethren, and at the very rear, she could see the hunched forms of Grue wearing cloaks she’d never seen before. They had to be Mages, and her heart leapt in her throat as they spread their arms, dark flame gathering above their outstretched claws.

[Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy four Grue Brutes and twelve Grue Knights]

[Hidden Quest Discovered! Destroy four Grue Killers and two Grue Mages]

Alex sprinted forward, her breath burning in her chest as she charged. The world around her blurred as she went hurtling in at the enemy, her weapons clutched in her hands as their formation tried to brace for the impact.

Clara shot one of the Mages, putting a crossbow bolt into its head. As it staggered, the Killers returned fire, sending a shower of spear-thick shafts towards her and the others. She brought her shield up and felt the projectiles snap and shatter as they hit the boss. The others shouted and dodged as they tried to avoid them as well.

She started to grin, and then the Mages launched a wave of fire at her. Alex hurled herself to one side, trying to dodge, but she failed to avoid it completely. A half-desperate jerk put the shield between her and harm again, and she winced as the magic slammed into her only remaining form of protection. Purple flame crackled and burned, as if it was trying to eat away at her shield. Her charge faltered as the Mages poured even more fire in at her. The others were trying to help, but the Killers were still firing a shower of arrows at them, keeping them from rejoining the fight.

Then Abbott flew past her, having put all of his sizable strength into a single jump. He cleared the front line easily, slamming back down to earth in a sudden cloud of dirt. The closest Killers had half a heartbeat to step backwards before his axe swung in a broad arc. Shattered remnants of Grue sprayed backwards as the survivors tried to backpedal and target him.

Alex grunted in relief as the Mages abruptly turned their attention to the C rank. She sprinted forward and dove into the other Grue. Knights surrounded her in a howling mass, their swords and shields raised. Each swing of her axe killed or crippled them, but they just crowded in around her anyway. Brutes roared and raised their hammers, ready to bring them down on her. Her axe flashed as she deflected the blows and her shield battered the blades and hammers aside, but she was starting to get overwhelmed by the sheer numbers she was facing.

Then Sam and Joanna were there, striking with magic and weapons. Knights crumpled to the ground in front of Sam as he speared them or broke their minds; Joanna carved her way through them with a sword that shone with power. As the lesser Grue fell back, Alex darted in towards the Brutes.

The closest one swung at her with both hammers, but Alex jerked to the side and struck. Her axe cut the strength from one of its arms; the hammer dropped to the neglected road as it reeled backwards. Alex ducked a swing from a second Brute and followed her target, hacking away at its torso. It tried to bat her aside with its crippled arm, but she smashed the blow aside and jumped at its face. She could see its eyes widen in shock as she grinned. Before it could withdraw, she delivered three brutal strikes to its head.

When she fell, the Brute’s corpse crashed down beside her.

Alex was moving again even as she touched ground. She lunged aside, just ahead of a hammer smashing down; the Brute wielding it tried to hit her again and again, literally hammering the ground as she sprinted around it. A Knight blundered into its path as it pivoted, and Alex saw the opening instantly. She changed course and darted in again. By the time the Brute had shoved its smaller kin aside, she was already in under its reach and hacking at its ankles.

Two quick hacks, and the Brute fell backwards. Alex followed after it, her axe slashing repeatedly as she climbed up the falling Brute’s torso. By the time it hit the ground, she was already level with its head. A single hard swing at its throat finished the thing; her axe actually struck sparks from the pavement beneath it as it punched through its smokey flesh.

As the Brute thrashed its remaining life out, Alex dove back into the ranks of the Knights. They had been focused on trying to survive the others’ onslaught, and she caught them with their backs turned. Another six went down in quick succession, and Joanna gave her a grateful nod as she dashed past, her sword already glowing as she ran at another Brute.

Sam just laughed and killed another Knight. “Mind if I take that one?”

He pointed to the last remaining Brute, and Alex grudgingly nodded. The Surveyor laughed again, killed another Knight with a glance, and lunged to face the massive Grue.

Alex cut down another pair of Knights, and turned to face the opposite direction. Her heart was beating hard, but she knew she couldn’t hesitate. If Costello had been overwhelmed…

Her thoughts seized up a moment later as she caught sight of their team leader. He was standing in the middle of the road, surrounded by the corpses of Killers and Mages both. A Mage and three Killers were left; they were surrounding him and preparing their attacks. The C rank seemed to not notice them; in fact, he raised a hand to his visor, as if he was covering a yawn.

She tensed for another charge; she couldn’t reach him before the Grue attacked, but maybe she could cover him if—

A crossbow bolt picked off one of the Killers, slaying it instantly. The others twitched and looked to the side, but Abbott lunged forward. They flinched again, darting backwards as his axe hacked a deep gash in the pavement, but Alex blinked. His swing had been slow compared to what he’d done before. It seemed almost like he’d meant for it to miss, but why…

Another crossbow shot caught a Killer in the head, and Abbott pulled his axe out of the pavement. He laid it back across his shoulder, as if preparing for another swing. The Grue shifted their attention again, with the Killers both looking back across at Clara, who was already prepping another shot.

The Mage, however, unleashed another wave of flame directly at Abbott. Alex stepped forward, already starting the charge to help him.

Then Abbott swung his axe, cutting through the wave of flame like it was a curtain made of cloth. He stepped forward, raising his axe and pulling the Killers’ attention back to himself. Their arrows bounced from his armor, and then Clara picked off another of them.

He was helping Clara by playing bait, almost the same as what she’d occasionally done for the washouts back at Red Blade. Despite herself, Alex felt a moment of grudging respect as he cut another burst of flame, tanked another pair of arrow shots, and gave Clara a clear opening to put the last Killer down.

Then another pair of Knights attempted to capitalize on her distraction, and Alex was forced to pay attention to her own fight for a moment. By the time she’d dispatched both of them, Clara had downed the last Mage as well, and Sam and Joanna had finished their opponents as well.

The corpses burst into flame a moment later, and orange text flashed in front of her.

[Hidden Quest Progress: 10 of 16 targets destroyed]

She nodded slowly. Clearly the Quests were going to be a bit more difficult to accomplish than she’d expected, but at least she was already making progress on one of them.

Abbott gave a low whistle as he looked around at the burning Grue. “Well done, you guys! You’re even better than I expected.” He looked at Clara. “You put in some good shots there. Are you already done with one of the Hidden Quests?”

The Acolyte glanced at Alex before she nodded, and he grinned. “Good! Try to focus more on the front line from now on.” Then he looked at Sam and Joanna. “How about you two?”

Sam shrugged. “We made progress, but most of them went down to Alex.” Joanna nodded, and Costello chuckled.

“I noticed! Valkyrie, you’re even more effective than I had expected. At the very least, we’re going to be able to have you finish that Quest pretty quickly. Next time, I’ll try and give you an opening to reach the back line while the others take the front. Sound good?”

Alex felt her eyes narrow. She nodded, but not before she felt a burst of suspicion. If he wanted to abandon her to the Grue, having her cut off from the others would be a good way to accomplish it. Still, she didn’t sense any deception as he gestured to the still-burning remnants.

“All right, let’s get that cleaned up.” A howl tore through the air. It sounded… much closer than Alex thought it had been before. Abbott grimaced. “We need to get moving, but at least if that thing catches up, you won’t get a Quest for it.”

Clara glanced in the direction of the howl, her eyes glowing slightly. Whatever her magic sight was showing her, it didn’t seem to encourage her. “Is it going to catch us?”

Costello nodded. “Probably, but I can handle it. Just focus on what you need to do.” He bent to start picking up the discarded slabs, branches, and other debris the Grue had left behind. “Better to worry about what you can actually do than to get paralyzed over what you can’t.”

Alex glanced at the others and then helped to sort through the debris. It was good enough advice, but it rankled. Of course, it didn’t help that another part of her wondered how long they’d survive if their new leader just left them to the literal wolves.