ALEXiThymiA: Chapter 111 Never Accepted

Chapter 111

Never Accepted

Friday (Morning)

“You’re still here?” Alexa said, staring at the teenager who looked and reminded her so much of Mr. Mackie, her school’s dean of discipline.

Rain drops falling.

For a moment only the cold sensation of the freezing rain falling on the pair could be heard. As rain drops continued to blanket the entire countryside.

When the boy finally did speak, he did so as a question, “you banished them?”

Alexa just nodded, years of remembering first interactions telling her that her first response of clearly, would not go over well. Still there was a swell and surge of energy that was released as the different summoned aspects were all dispelled. Alexa’s apex level class of Absorber was already taking in that ambient energy and converting it into attribute increases. Either Alexa was already at the brink of advancement, or banishing the Summoned Aspects created a lot of ambient energy, regardless of the reason, the fact still remained that just by being here and standing still, Alexa felt her body swelling with energy. A system message soon proofed this to also be the case.

Attribute Increase (12): All Attributes increased by 10% (120%).

Seeing the message, was a reminder to Alexa about how powerful of a class she had. Even now her class was leveling up passively due to the dungeons she cleared and the dragons, elves, and orcs she had slain. In two more stages, she would have to make a choice, either keep this slotted class and all of its benefits, or try her hand at a new class. The possibilities were endless as to what would be allowed, but she knew that as it stood an Apex level class with fourteen dungeon completions, 20 dragons slain, and numerous other achievements would mean a lot of levels, especially as she was under leveled throughout most of those encounters. Still that was a thought for the future, once she got out of this, she still had a long way to go, she first had to solve this dungeon and make her way out of it. Then she could allow her mind to drift to thoughts that require such depth. For the moment she still had one obstacle hindering her progress.

“It’s so odd, you are a human, meaning you are flawed, and yet I can’t help but wonder if all humans are like you?” The warrior, Kelvin, asked, his sword drawn, blade slightly to the side to not pose an immediate threat, just the intention of a threat.

He of course was speaking to the fact that she had both Enchanting Voice, and Allure as powers that were stolen from the elves. This along with her already enhanced attributes and conditioning made her stand out even more. To Kelvin who had been brought up in elven society often saw and admired the beauty of the elves, even though that beauty was a shell that hid their wickedness underneath.

Alexa just stared, not knowing exactly what he was asking. It was clear the boy had questions, but Alexa didn’t exactly know what he wanted to have answered. Pausing for a moment, Alexa took a second to scan him.

Tall Thin-Half Human-Half-Elven Teenager: Kelvin Mackie: Level 57, Status: Healthy, Disposition: Captivated

Seeing his status, Alexa noticed something that she also decided to speak about, “you leveled.”

Kelvin visibly paused at that, he had leveled, there was a two person team of orcs that were roaming the countryside looking for something. It was clear that their attention was elsewhere, that was why he had been able to sneak up behind them and quickly strike them both from behind with clean well placed strikes of his blade. They weren’t warriors, and were little more than gatherers, but their deaths, well the deaths of their Summoned Aspects was enough for him to gain a level and two augmented crystals. Crystals that he then promptly used on himself once finding a safe place to stay while the pains set in.

“You, you noticed?” Kelvin asked, a note of wonder in his voice. No one ever noticed his accomplishments, he was always the one who had to state what he did, meeting requirements set out by mother or by trainers alike. It had been so infuriating, because then he got titled as a bragger, when all he was doing was meeting the standards that were set for him. The elves were quick to notice when others met requirements, but never when Kelvin did. Also, Kelvin noticed that the elves and orcs seemed to take a lackadaisical approach to leveling, knowing that the levels gained here would not affect their real bodies, knowledge was more important and that was what most of the elves spent their time learning, new attack patterns, new spells, new skills, all of those would transfer back to their real selves. But levels, that was nothing, especially as they wouldn’t transfer back to their real bodies. That was what made his mother’s progress so amazing, she was level 239, well over a hundred levels higher than her real form. Of course, all those levels were now useless, as they meant nothing to her real body. In fact, she should likely have gone back long ago to transfer her knowledge to her real body, but the allure of power was so great that she stayed on.

Kelvin’s father, Markus, was the cause for the power gains. Originally the orcs and the elves had been relatively equal in power, but after Markus wiped out the orc settlement three times with Portia in tow, she gained multiple levels. As time went on, she was able to wipe out the orc settlement on her own, until she finally grew tired of destroying their settlements over and over. Her position in the trials meant, the alternate way people could advance, the slaughtering of the entire other side was stopped. This caused a bottleneck, or a choke point where those who chose to side with the orcs would be slaughtered ruthlessly over and over. This meant that barring a few outliers, most orc sympathizers were stopped from advancing. This was why only elves had openly displayed themselves as a true faction that would be present after the integration. Them and of course the cursed dragons, but no one really cared about them, those that chose to follow dragons were all cursed in some fundamental ways.

“Clearly.” Alexa said, this time unable to keep her mind from going with its first thought. She still smiled wickedly at Kelvin, teeth bared in a sign that she was ready for anything.

“You do realize that you should surrender right? I have you by 57 levels, and I have a weapon.” Kelvin said.

At that Alexa just smiled wider, “I should, but I’m not going to.”

Hearing that, Kelvin let out a long breath, then centered himself. Pulling his blade forward to face directly at Alexa he spoke, “then you leave me no choice.”

With that he began charging forward.

“Finally.” Alexa said, as she too charged forward.

The word caught Kelvin by surprise, the last time she spoke such a word was when she squared off against the demonic minotaur. The one that his mother expressly forbid him from going near, the one that injured mother for a month when they last fought each other. Kelvin remembered the way she charged after the minotaur, despite its advantages. He also remembered the intense crying pain that the beast let out, as it was banished back to its demonic plane of existence. For years, he had been raised, being told how that monster was an unstoppable juggernaut, that it would destroy everyone and everything it could lay hands on. To Kelvin, that beast was the epitome of fear, and she had charged forward without a shred of reserve or hesitation, now that same woman was doing the same to him. Using the same words, and driving forward with the same relentless force.

Also, if Kelvin was being completely honest with himself, he didn’t want to kill this warrior. First she had fought bravely, but second and more importantly mother said she had a way to convert her to their side. This meant that she could be with him, that he didn’t have to kill. Knowing all this, Kelvin held back, angling his blade so it wouldn’t cut cleanly, so that the wounds inflicted wouldn’t be devastating. This was like a lamb going against a lion, a level zero warrior with nothing, being forced to go against him, a level 57 Mage-Knight, the balance was too unfair. Or so he thought.

Clanging-sparks.

Two fingers.

Kelvin watched as she met his blade with two fingers. He didn’t know what she did, but her fingers seemed to have changed and forged of some deeper stone that he had never seen before. Those two fingers met his blade and forced the momentum to shift down. Simultaneously, the girl left the ground and used her fingers on the blade as a pivot point. Causing her body to rotate off the ground, hips and feet flying forward in a dazzling display that he had never seen before. She was fighting unarmed, but doing so with a grace and power that he had never expected possible.

Pow!

So enraptured by her graceful movements and odd fighting style that he missed the moment when her foot swung around and struck him square in the face.

Oof.

Kelvin, was dazed by the blow. Not only had she countered his strike, but she had delivered a blow of her own, using her feet of all things.

Before Kelvin knew it, that same foot that struck him square in the face was now being used to drive him down to the ground.

Thud.

His back cracked against the ground, forcing the air out of his lungs, then her foot landed and continued to drive his face into the ground. He was so focused on his face, and getting her foot off of his face, that he failed to notice what else was going on around him. He failed to notice the way his hand automatically lost its grip on his sword. Only after a brief hesitation did he realize that his sword was missing, idly he waited for the distinct clatter of the blade landing, but nothing happened.

Kelvin found himself opening up his eyes, well his one eye that was not being pressed into the ground to see if he could find anything about the blade. The minute he did, he saw the blade, his blade, pointing straight into his eye.

This was it, this was exactly as his mother had warned him, exactly as all his instructors had warned him, he was weak, slow, and would die to someone that he didn’t blindside or sneak up on. He had grown complacent, as he could all but feel the power of so many attributes and levels coursing through his body, making him that much stronger and faster. But she was fast, not as fast as him, but her skill in combat more than made up for any deficiencies she might be lacking.

Kelvin had but one chance to end this, he would take the permanent loss to an eye, if it meant he could get out. There were healers, so long as he got out, he might be able to get one of them to heal his eye. He would of course be mocked, and his mother might make him bear the injury for a time, to make sure he never got complacent again, but it would mean he would live. With that, he started slowly turning his body.

“Stop. I wouldn’t do that.” The cold voice of the predator above him spoke, her words cold, though her face all but dared for him to try anyways.

Kelvin moved, ever so slightly, this wasn’t trying to spring an attack, this was just getting comfortable.

Crack!

A sharp jabbing pain pulsed up his inner thigh, making it so he couldn’t help but contort and try to ball up into a fetal position. As he did, more and more debilitating strikes were launched. Her other foot that had been balanced on his stomach, kicked out, striking different muscle groups in his thighs, legs and arms. Each blow causing immense pain and agony. Each Kelvin noted were muscles he had been planning on using as part of his escape plan.

Pain.

Unimaginable pain struck him, as her heel drove deeply into clusters of nerves that Kelvin didn’t even know he had. Clusters of nerves that left him feeling completely overwhelmed as different parts of his mind swore at him that everything was broken.

Tears.

It was unbecoming to shed tears in front of the enemy, but in this moment he couldn’t help but have tears of pain flood his face. Mercifully she had avoided the groin entirely, but muscles all over his body were now unresponsive to his brain’s frantic screams to move.

“I didn’t break anything.” She said, a hauntingly sweet lilt to her voice.

Chest heaving.

“What do you want?” Kelvin finally managed, through pain filled gasps for air.

“I want, what I believe anyone would want. To go through these stages without being harassed. To solve the dungeons, to earn their treasures of knowledge and then move on.”

“Treasures of knowledge?”

“Yes, those runes you now use, that is a treasure of knowledge. The combat skill I used to disable you, that is knowledge, all of it gained from dungeons.”

“What? Why are you telling me this?” Kelvin asked. If what she said was true, then she was giving away information, valuable information that she could have kept to herself. In fact, as he thought about it, she could have just killed him outright and then never had to worry about this secret getting out.

“I know your father, Markus Mackie.” Alexa said.

At that, Kelvin felt a slight swelling of emotion from deep within his chest, the fact that she spoke his name all but confirmed this.

“You know my father?”

“I do, he runs security for the training facility I live at.”

“He’s trained you?” Kelvin asked, if this was true then her prowess made sense, she was trained by father, the person who single handedly slaughtered the orc settlement three times. The person who made it so Stage VII was the final resting point for all Orc sympathizers for the past nineteen years.

“Not me directly, but the people he is in charge of have.” Alexa said.

As she spoke, Kelvin could see that she was speaking the truth, his skill allowing him to see that clearly.

“So what now?” Kelvin asked.

“That all depends on you. Would you want to see your father?”