ALEXiThymiA: Interlude VI

Interlude VI

Thursday

Time Until Integration: 1 Month, 29 Days, and…

Captain Rayne Johnston

It was a miracle made flesh. Dragons were killed. No, not just killed, but slaughtered by nearly the dozen. If the intelligence that Rayne was getting was to be believed, they were all killed by Alexa Thyme, her new not so secret weapon in the upcoming Integration war.

The girl was a walking miracle even seeing her lead her pack of now freed werewolves across campus, gave Rayne hope that more could be done to prevent the upcoming Integration. As a dragon bonded, well now former dragon bonded, again she couldn’t get used to that thought. Former dragon bonded; those words just made her feel alive. As a former dragon bonded, she had been aware of the upcoming Integration since the time of her trials. Everyday her Eyes of the Architect gift allowed her to see how close her impending doom was.

Now she could see the entire course of events, but rather than feeling a pit of revulsion welling up inside her, she felt giddy. Rather than dreading each and every day, she now smiled viciously as she imagined directing Alexa at any and all dragons. Speaking of which there were already a few dragons that were out and causing mayhem. Seeing the recent mayhem, Captain Johnston felt it would be in not just her best interest but the Tri-State area’s best interests for her to take an unknown Super in training on her first subjugation mission.

This of course would be made easier since Judge and Warder both just so happened to be in the area. Then Captain Johnston could see the true destructive powers of Alexa Thyme in person. Rayne didn’t care that she was a Baroness for the elves, she didn’t care that she was clearly able to cure werewolves of devotion to their orcish masters. No, right now, the only thing Rayne cared about was that she could rid the world of each and every dragon before they set up roosting spots here on her planet.

Thinking about everything that would happen, Captain Johnston smiled to herself.

Oh, that’s right, there is also the dragon problem in jolly old England. If what my informant told me is accurate, then the Prime Minister’s daughter has already hit up Alexa for more help. We will of course assist in any way we can, as a means of improving our diplomatic relationship with our partner countries,Rayne thought to herself as she imagined more and more dead dragons laying on the ground.

Just thinking about killing dragons brought a giant smile to her face. While she herself might be unable to actually do much if anything against the dragons, she could at least begin setting up teleportation relays to England. Who knows, if Rayne offers enough assistance, then she might get her own titles that would help her stand up to her former masters.

Hehehe.

Rayne smiled to herself.

“Captain, are you smiling?” Bullford asked.

Suddenly aware of her surroundings and the fact that she had been rubbing her hands together excitedly like some movie villainess trying to get puppies, she stopped herself. Then regaining her composure, she did what she always did, she deflected.

“No, I am just cold you moron. Now get these bodies out of here for processing.” Rayne said, in her Captain voice.

“Ri, right away captain.” Bullford nearly stammered, before correcting himself.

Seeing that he didn’t stammer the entire time, Rayne wondered if she was losing her touch. That or, the man has seemed to change a lot since he too was freed from the bonds of servitude. That’s what everyone was calling the compulsion to work for one of the big three, bonds of servitude.

She was free of hers, which was good, as she never claimed them. While others like Mackie also never claimed them, he made his allegiances pretty clear from the start, when you worked with him. Remembering her first encounter with the man sent shivers down her spine, as she recalled how he was willing to not quite kill her, but definitely leave her out on her own during missions. That was of course until she proved that she hated being a dragon’s lap dog as much as he hated the dragons himself. That animosity towards her captors was her only reason she still existed to this day. That fire was also what kept her going, waiting for a cure, a cure that came in the form of an elven baroness. Just the thought of the title sent a minor wave of revulsion through her, but she accepted it as being better than working for the dragons. Dragons who wanted to conquer the world and reduce the population down to a tenth at most of its current size. Dragons who intend to subjugate everyone with a modicum of backbone.

No, now was not the time to scoff at potential allies. She could accept the elves and their representatives, for now.

***

Judge and Warder

The two finally had a moment to talk together, not as former Supers attempting to join their children’s school as volunteers, but as two parents. Parents who after first being told of the situation with their daughter, then witnessing the news, they came immediately.

They were watching the live stream version of the news, not the edited upload to media sights, but the live stream version that clearly displayed Alexa Thyme, their daughter, and proudly proclaimed her to be a Baroness. Fortunately, Mr. Mackie, or a plant at the news company got hold of the original and edited it before it went live to streaming sites.

“You ready?” Judy asked, once they found a mostly secluded spot that was out of the way of traffic and seemingly clear of magical enhancements.

Warder nodded, then activated his Nullification Array ability to encapsulate both of them. While it wasn’t perfect, it should block most scrying, remote viewing, and other power related viewing abilities. The minute the power went active, Judge felt a suppressive tingling sensation cover her body.

“Yeah.” Warder replied in confirmation that the power was activated.

“So…” Judy began, a distant look in her eyes.

“So indeed.” Jim replied.

The two just stood there in silence for a moment, finally Judy spoke.

“Do you regret it, what I forced us to do? Our decision?”

“What? This again?” Jim said, as he reached out and clasped his wife’s hands. “I told you, I was with you every step of the way, from the very beginning. I agreed with you, this was the only way to save her, so we did it.”

“Right, but now she is a Baroness for them. A Baroness, I don’t even know what that means.” Judy said, a note of panic filling her voice.

“It’s okay, that just means she will have an important role to play when the Integration finally takes place.” Jim said, reassuringly.

“But I thought we didn’t want that? I thought we wanted our children to be free of the burden we placed ourselves in, for them. That was our deal when making that pact right?” Judy said, as she was clearly getting flustered.

“And Alexa made her decision, like we wanted her to be able to. Nothing has changed.” Jim said, as he scooped up Judy in a hug and held her.

Instantly the tension that was causing Judy to go wild with frustration began to ease.

“I know, but now things are just so real. She is just sixteen, why does so much keep happening to our little girl. I mean for Via’s sake, she just fought a Necromancer two days ago. Then a dire-werewolf last night, then a dozen dragons today.”

“Hey, it was only ten dragons. Also, you were a great help on that Necromancer, thanks for the assist.” Warder said sarcastically, his tone causing Judy to laugh slightly.

“Yeah, I heard the rookie almost pissed himself.”

“Yeah, even there at the end I almost felt that he was going to do something stupid. Fortunately, he didn’t. At least he hasn’t, not yet.” Warder said.

“But that is the thing. Another Necromancer, now there are stories of Dragons, Orcs, and even rival elven factions here. Not to mention our own forces that General Mackie is already in the process of linking up with.” Judy said with an exasperated sigh.

“It will be okay, we knew this day was coming. But on the bright side, our kids, both of them, have slotted classes now.”

“Yeah, I heard. Right before the party last night.”

“So what is there to worry about, from everything we have heard, regardless of what happens, they will at least have Legendary classes by the time they fully awaken at the Integration.”

“That’s only if they survive that long.” Judy said.

“None of that now.” Jim said, holding up a finger in protest.

Judy looked like she wanted to say something, but then just nodded. It was clear getting in an argument over negative thinking was only going to make the situation at hand worse.

Silence.

“So what do we do now?” Judy asked.

“Well, I don’t know if you saw the request, but it looks like Judge and Warder have been asked to come out of retirement to hunt down a few dragons that have gone free in the tri-state area.” Jim said with a mischievous smile.

“We would be killed.” Judy said, with shock in her eyes as it was clear she wanted nothing to do with facing off against dragons.

“They,” Jim corrected before continuing, “won’t be doing anything other than providing protection details over the newest Super in training, Aru’ka.”

“Oh gods, I can understand her liking the name because it began and ended with the ‘a’ but seriously, the Long hero?”

“She might have wanted it to be the old school version.”

“You mean the same school that the carpenter went to? If so, then yes, that would be Healer, but seriously.”

“Okay, we did a poor job raising our kids. We still have time.” Jim said, reassuringly, “but hey, if the name is the only issue we have with her being a Super, then I’d say we did pretty darn well.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

A slight pause.

“Also, this time, we shouldn’t have to worry about another seven page letter from a super fan confessing their undying love for you.”

“Gah!Stop that.” Judy said as a disgusted look covered her face. Then a look of sadness overtook her.

“You still feeling bad about calling him Lukums, in front of his girlfriend?”

“Oh, you think they are together? He hasn’t told me a thing.” Judy said, angrily.

“They are together, that much is clear.  Though for how long, that is anyone’s guess.” Jim said.

“He’s changed a bit since he left the old school.”

“Yeah, must have been hard going from a place where you are top dog and having to look out for your sister. To a school where the roles are reversed and your sister the anti-social powerhouse is actually top dog.” Jim said.

“Yeah, as much as I hate to admit it, this has been a good spot for them.” Judy said.

“It worked for us, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for them. Also, I hear that Alexa has a girlfriend.”

“She just has a friend who happens to be a girl.”

“Right, what did I say?”

Judy shook her head. “No, our Alexa can’t get bogged down by romance, not yet.”

“Hey, they had that dating site.”

“You and I both know that was her way of getting free meals, and moneys from boys who had too little sense to understand what was happening.” Judy said.

“So why do you think she quit?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe between the Necromancers, the Dire were-wolves, the fact that she still has seven stages of her Trials of Ascension, along with battling dragons, I believe her evenings might be a little full right now.” Judy said.

At that Jim just shook his head in agreement. “I kind of walked into that one, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, you kind of did.”

Silence for a moment as the two just enjoyed being near each other, in their one stolen moment of quiet.

“So dragons?” Jim asked.

“You asking or telling me?”

“Telling?” Jim asked, his voice going extra high at the end to stress the question of his word.

Judy just glared up at him for a moment, before taking in a deep breath. “At least this time we will be there to provide assistance.”

With that Jim nodded.

***

Polyglot

One thing that no one seemed to understand was the amount of time and focus that went into crafting linking teleportation runes. While most people just went about their days, never quite seeing the benefits of using such a complex language, for Rune Scribes (Legendary), like Polyglot they saw the world differently.

Generations upon generations of Rune Writers of different class ranking levels existed. Each level of rarity showed a different level of commitment to excellence. Polyglot, or Richard Kane as he was known as a civilian, had the benefit of having unlocked his Legendary class at the age of 17. That was the moment when two things happened, first he slotted his class and second, he stopped pushing himself quite so hard. What was the purpose of pushing yourself so hard if you were already head and shoulders above 95% of the Earth’s population.

The fact that he was guaranteed a Legendary class showed to many that he could do the work, that he was in fact five class rankings above the starter Common level. A level that most people never push themselves beyond. While he was not the highest ranked rarity of class, he was two steps over the hump that previously marked the pinnacle of the human experience, the Expert level.

In fact, looking at the rankings of classes it was clear to see why Polyglot thought so highly of his achievement.

Class rarities went as follows:

Common -> Uncommon -> Adept -> Expert (Pre-System maximum) -> Epic (top 20%) -> Legendary (top 5%) -> Mythic-> Transcending -> Apex (Top 0.00001%).

Also, it should be noted that there was the rule of threes that applied to each class ranking. Every Uncommon could expect three more attribute points per level than someone with a Common version of their class. Likewise, a Legendary class holder should expect three more attributes per level than a Epic Class holder. Of course, this difference only factored in the bare minimum of effort, and assumed that the user didn’t seek to progress their Primary or Secondary Attributes through either crystalline advancements, or from personal hard work.

Richard was nothing if not studious, taking every moment of his spare time to make him out to be what others would consider a Min-Maxer, one who specializes in their chosen class and does nothing other than improve their ability to perform said class. While this was often seen as a detriment, particularly for those supers who wish to go out into the field, Richard learned that the field work while being glamorous, might not be what he was cut out for.

Shortly after the Necromancer incident he put in a cancel request to transfer. After seeing what a Necromancer was capable of first hand, he decided getting transferred away from the only known healer who could in fact fight off the afflictions caused by a Necromancer was a bad life choice, not just a bad career choice.

That was why, when he was given the task of potentially helping out said Healer’s next campaign, he leapt at the opportunity. A decision he now found himself seriously regretting as he drove another ten miles by GPS, as he looked for the next secure location to set up another linked teleportation site to his own network he was currently working on.

For the user, the transportation would be a near instantaneous process. The only problem was, the process first had to be performed by a talented Rune Writer who happened to be in the area and have already laid down the path.

“These are the unspoken stories of valor,” Richard told himself, as he made yet another drive ten miles before stopping randomly on the side of the road.

Again, luckily most roadways already had runic circles etched into them now. What this meant, was Richard only had to link this one to his previous five dozen or so linked rings, which all led to his master ring at TSI control.

“So many hours of my life wasted, driving to the scene of combat. Well before the real supers who gain credit for being at the right place at the right time. No one ever asks how they got there so quickly, no, they just thank the heroes for their work and move on with their life. Heck, if it wasn’t for my constant GPS tracker showing my movement and my dash cam, I don’t think I would actually get paid for today…” Richard mused to himself as he hopped out, put up an official TSI flag while he worked. Then proceeded to add his own unique linking runes to his framework. Of course, Richard used permanent marker, one that would eventually wear away after enough time, but one that would last long enough for the purposes of this current mission.

“There.” With the final touches of his mark done, he got back in his vehicle. He made sure to update his path on his satellite tracker. Then saw the next spot highlighted ahead on his map. With his new destination set, Richard waited for a chance to merge into traffic, then set out for his next destination.

“Another exciting day in the world of being a super.” Richard said to himself. Of course, he could go out in his uniform, but he decided against it. After nearly baking himself in the summer heat in preparation for an offensive that never manifested, he opted to just use seasonal clothing. Which in this case consisted of a jacket with a hoodie that could be pulled up over his head when needed.

“Crime waits for no one, but the Supers wait for the Rune Smiths to get them a ride.” Richard said to himself, as he made his way ever forward, finally feeling content with his role as the preparation artist for the team.

***

Gina Rojas

Life had been amazing for Gina, she had once again passed her most recent heart exam, this marked four in a row.

“So, do you happen to know that Aru’ka healer?” Her mother asked.

Just hearing the name of Alexa’s super identity sent a shiver of excitement down her spine. But Gina tried to remain calm, when her heart beating let her be anything but.

“Maybe…”

“Oh, is she another interest of yours? I could see why there would be an attraction.”

At that Gina smiled brightly. Her mother was the first to accept her for who she was. Her father, well he took a bit longer to come around.

“Oh, I do have some good news.” Her mother said.

At that Gina’s ears perked up. “What is it?”

“We have decided to come down and give you a visit.”

“We?” Gina asked in confirmation.

“Of course, with your recent improvements, we have decided to come down and visit you and your, friend.”

Badum, badum.

Gina’s heart began to beat wildly. Her parents were coming down to visit her?

No wait, it isn’t about me at all, it was about Alexa. They wanted to come to visit her, not me. Gina thought to herself, as she realized the true reason her parents were coming.

“Wait, you can’t…” Gina began.

“Nonsense dear, we are already on our way. We have our flights booked and everything.” Her mother’s musical voice rang out.

“Great…” Gina forced through her gritted teeth, “can’t wait to see you.”

“Me either, it has been far too long. But I must pack, our flight leaves in an hour.”

Normally such a claim would mean a missed flight, but when it was likely a chartered personal flight, from one of many personal jets, it was clear that the plane would leave only when her parents were good and ready to leave.

“Awesome, I can’t wait to see you…” Gina lied.

“Me either. Oh, and be sure to bring along your girlfriend, I’m sure your father would just love to meet her.”

There it was, confirmation that the only reason her parents would come to see her was because of the one true friendship she had made.

“Sure thing.”

“Toodles.”

Click.

“AHHH!” Gina threw her phone hard. Granted she thew it at her plush bed on purpose, so the thing wouldn’t break, but still there was something cathartic about the controlled act of aggression.

Grabbing her phone on the bounce, she let out a long sigh, then realized she needed to warn Alexa before her parents ambushed her.

“GAH!” Gina screamed again, before rushing out to the Healer’s hut, knowing that she was already half late for her shift. Hopefully if she hurried in time, she could make it to her, before she got sucked up by a dungeon or attacked by alien mutant insects. So many random things happened around Alexa, that Gina almost wondered if she was cursed. Or some black hole that seemingly attracted all of the universe’s evil, her father included.