73. Meeting the Team

The flickering lantern light in the briefing room clashed with Alex’s modern idea of a briefing room. He’d normally see a harsh glow over those gathered, but instead, the warm light made the area feel somehow less serious despite the maps that were spread across the conference table and the high-level officials that were present. Alex sat in his chair, shifting constantly to find a more comfortable position. His eyes were fixed on the current speaker, Major Coleman, as the officer gestured to the pinned images of dense forest terrain.

“-anticipated resistance based on number of hostiles counted,” the major continued. “Their movement patterns suggest that work on the ritual is required to continue around the clock. As Mr. Moore has pointed out, this is likely to prepare the ritual to accept mana for activation.”

Alex nodded at appropriate intervals and chimed in when was necessary, but they were largely past his contribution and into airspace logistics and ground team movements. His eyes remained focused, but only half of his mind processed the military jargon. For one of the rare times, Alex’s primary consciousness was focused inward, on Maelis’s voice and illusory images that were projected in his vision to highlight key learning points.

[Parallel Mind] was running constantly, and after his recent title gain and increase in stats, plus his Rank Advancement three days before, he felt like he had more than enough mental stats to split between two minds.

He thought briefly back to where he’d started, with just sixes in his mental stats and a paltry three points in his Willpower. Now, even without being able to utilize all of his Willpower and with his stats split between two minds, he was still almost four times that base number.

Magical Stats:

Intellect: 32/31

Willpower: 230/229

Mana: 37/38

Wisdom: 52/51

I don’t feel all that much smarter…

“You shouldn’t! You’re not smart. Stop getting distracted,” Maelis growled, and the rune before him pulsed with an irritated red glow. “This arrangement of yours isn’t working, kid.”

“I’m doing my best.” Alex studied the complex ball of mana floating in front of him. Even though it was the size of a bowling ball, the illusion was still created to mimic the tight threads of the elven ward net. This was the hardest version of the puzzle that Maelis had created for Alex so far, though even Alex knew it wasn’t as complex as the real thing. “I really don’t see how I’m supposed to break through something like this. Why does their skill seem so much higher than just D Rank?”

“Hmmph. The higher you go in Ranks, the more of a drastic difference there is between the top and bottom power levels of the Rank.”

In the briefing room, Sullivan leaned forward, and for a brief moment, Alex wondered if the other man was trying to catch him not following along. “Mr. Moore, your thoughts?”

Alex’s secondary consciousness snapped to attention, and he listened to his own response. “I’m not sure that the insertion point is something to be worrying about. The camp itself was pretty small, and if the goal is to make a b-line to the portal, then as long as we can get through the barrier, then the path to the Rift should be pretty much the same.”

“That’s true, we already know that they don’t have any warriors with them,” someone said to Alex’s left.

Alex shook his head and spoke up again. “They don’t have warriors like Jonathan. But I’ve already told you all that you need to stop thinking of mages as weak. Every one of them is a mage, likely much stronger than those on Earth. I had a tough time just causing one of them to stumble, let alone win the fight because their personal shields were so strong.”

“He’s right,” Director Matthews said. “If their offensive capabilities are remotely close to their defensive ones, then we have a tough fight ahead. It doesn’t do any good to go into this underestimating the opposition.”

Inside of his mind, Maelis pulled at his attention. “Show me the Barrier Rune. Let’s see if you’ve learned anything worthwhile.”

Alex complied, using threads of his mana to curl up from his fingers and trace the pattern of the barrier rune from memory. The rune took shape, made of complex triangles pointed inward and interconnected, stabilized with lines between them. He worked methodically, making each shape with intention. Finally, he pushed his willpower and intent toward the rune while running his threads through the shape in the mana-setting pattern.

“Too slow,” Maelis snapped when Alex completed the entire process. “Much too slow for combat conditions.”

“It’s right, though,” Alex argued.

“It being done right means nothing if you’re dead before completing it. Do it again. Faster.”

Alex began again, determined to improve. Creating and deconstructing it to conserve mana, all the while his runic mentor berated his attempts, often saying he was taking steps backward rather than forward.

Back in the briefing room, the meeting began winding down, and officers stood and gathered their notepads. Some notes were taken and passed to lower enlisted to be run to the outside world, and Alex could feel the tension slowly rising. He reversed his mental focus, letting his consciousness in the briefing room take priority while the lesson with Maelis faded into the background.

As the room emptied, Director Matthews approached Alex. “You seem distracted today.”

Alex rubbed his face with both hands. “I’m still concerned about the barrier. I have a feeling that the bombarding tactic isn’t going to work. I’ve been thinking of a way to pierce the barrier, but I’m not sure it’ll work either. There has to be a better way.”

“Good,” Matthews checked his watch. “I’m glad you’re giving it thought. We need people to think outside of the box. If anything, this crisis has shown me where we need to invest some recruitment focus for the Hunters.”

Alex shifted in his seat, noting how it was the second time the director had made a statement like that. “If you’re looking for someone to invest in, you already have a man focused on spellcasting. Kazuo is taking a similar approach to things as me, just with spellcasting instead of rituals and runes. I would lean on him if you’re looking for people with potential. He is determined and making progress despite most of the people I saw doubting him.”

Director Matthews nodded gratefully. “Thank you for the recommendation.” He paused and checked his watch again. “The time dilation here is valuable, but our window is still limited. Make the most of your time and be ready for things to change.”

“I thought you said we had ten hours.”

“Yes, but things can always change. We’ve been in here for sixteen hours already, meaning almost half of that time has been used. Make sure you rest while you can. If the military taught me anything, it was to get as much sleep as you can, when you can.” He gave a tired smile along with the advice as he gave a wave and moved to his next meeting. “I believe Jonathan wanted me to send you all to his team in the training facility after this meeting. Susan can take you.”

Olivia and Sam stood from their chairs against the wall, and the three of them followed Susan as she led them through the complex's tunneling hallways.

The training facility echoed with the sounds of controlled chaos. Alex, Olivia, and Sam stepped through reinforced doors and into a huge room outfitted like a forest. There were concrete barriers and cement flooring around its edges, but within the barriers was a dirt floor filled with trees and a terrain that resembled the Sun Elf area. It wasn’t a direct match to the forest, but it was close.

“Woah,” Olivia said from his side.

“It’s a little hard to remember that all of this is built inside of a Rift.” Alex shook his head.

Alex saw Jonathan’s team moving through the nearby trees with perfect coordination. Alex could see three people close to them but saw flashes of movement of two others on the far side of their formation.

A burly man with a close-cropped beard stepped from behind a wide trunk on the far side and struck out with an empowered punch. When it struck the dummy that was anchored into the ground, there was enough force to uproot its base and send the entire thing flying into a tree twenty feet away.

Nearby, a lanky woman with a single braid hanging down her back stood perfectly still with her eyes closed. Three other operatives in different colored vests emerged from different positions and closed in on her. The moment they were close enough to attack, she disappeared in a blur of speed, reappearing behind the furthest one. She removed a pistol from her waist, pointed it at the man’s back, and pulled the trigger, a paintball slapping into his armored plate carrier.

Olivia gave a low whistle of appreciation. “That’s some serious speed.”

A third member of the team, slim with dark skin and sharp features, wove between trees. Several streaking bolts of mana flew toward him, though each time, he managed to either slip past them or duck behind the thick trunk of a tree.

The fourth was a stocky woman who watched from the original position next to the final member of the team. She seemed to monitor the positions of the three active members and Alex saw her cast something from her hand with blue mana, but couldn’t tell what it was from the distance he was.

The final member stood on a rise with his eyes glowing white and had short blonde hair. His mouth worked rapidly as if chanting something, and although it looked extremely menacing, Alex couldn’t see any substantial amounts of mana moving around the man.

“Where is Jonathan? Isn’t this his team?” Alex asked Susan as they waited for the group to finish their exercise.

“It is his team, though he doesn’t normally participate in the standard formation exercises. His combat style… doesn’t play well with others.” She pointed up to his right without taking her eyes from the exercise.

A lightbulb felt like it went off in Alex’s head, and he recognized the fact that Jonathan was called the Berserker.

The exercise ended abruptly at a sharp whistle from the direction Susan had pointed. Alex saw Jonathan watching from a catwalk overhead, the walkway spanning most of the training area from left to right, allowing him to walk along the space and observe his team regardless of their position.

The fifth member, whose eyes had been white during the use of a skill, looked up to Jonathan and, receiving a nod from the larger man, returned the gesture and whispered a few more words. There were no high-fives or congratulations. The team exchanged brief hand signals, and Alex heard the heavyset woman giving feedback to the largest man, but that was all.

The team moved toward the new arrivals, and Alex was impressed with how they moved both on and off of the field. Jonathan stepped forward and stood at the front of his group. “Team, meet our civilian consultants.”

As Alex, Olivia, and Sam looked at the team of operators, they saw varying expressions. Some were curious, while others were skeptical or assessing.

“Damien Kovac,” Jonathan indicated the bearded man who had demolished the training dummy. “Close-quarters specialist and bruiser for the group.”

Damien nodded curtly, and his gaze hovered on Olivia for a moment.

“Leila Reyes is our scout and movement specialist.”

The braided woman smiled and seemed genuinely happy to see them.

“Martin Noor,” Jonathan gestured at the slim man, “dodge specialist and team decoy.”

“Teresa Anise is our support specialist. One of the few awakened healers willing to step into the thick of things.” Alex felt Sam perk up at his side in response.

“And Greg Pike, team coordinator with telepathic linking capabilities.” The fifth operator simply inclined his head. Alex realized that was what he was doing while moving his mouth through the exercise- not chanting an incantation, literally talking to his teammates. “Team, go ahead and run the last formation for zone control.”

Alex looked at the team appreciatively, and his eyes moved back and forth between them. He wanted to use his Heavenly Eye to scan them and see not just their levels but their classes. It’d be good to know their builds before going into combat, but he stopped himself.

It was clear that scanning someone was rude at best, and if one of the Hunters had a skill or item that could alert them to his probing, it could lead to some nasty conflict in the group. The relationship was building and he felt that he could likely ask Jonathan about it and get an answer, though he wasn’t sure he wanted to share his own information with his most recent development.

The team exchanged glances before Leila nodded and said, “Setting up for Sierra.”

As the team dispersed to their positions in the indoor forest, Jonathan turned to Alex. “Got a second?”

Alex followed him to the raised catwalk and could look down on the team clearly. Below them, Sam and Olivia were guided by Susan to safe viewing positions.

"This drill was made specifically to work at countering mages," Jonathan explained. "Most of our formations are set up to work around cover or melee combat, but with the potential for the elves to have powerfully enchanted items, we've been thinking up different situations to counter them."

"So what's your approach?" Alex leaned on the railing to look down, curious how they might deal with a mage. While it might be for the elves at the moment, he had no doubt that, if effective, it could be used against someone like him.

"Disruption." The berserker gestured toward his team as they took positions. "Pike links the team mentally, allowing silent communication. Leila identifies targets but Martin is the key difference. Watch how he draws fire in this scenario. Damien waits for a signal and breaks through to melee while Teresa is on triage."

As if on cue, several staff members that were positioned at different points around the forest launched skills toward the team. All of them were ranged and had various elemental effects.

Jonathan's team moved in what appeared to be chaotic patterns individually, until Alex realized that they were cutting off and closing in on the outer "enemy."

"Your team works well together," Alex said while watching with interest. "How long did it take you guys to build this level of coordination?"

Jonathan's expression darkened somewhat. "Too damn long… We lost three other Hunters while figuring out issues early on. That's why we're so damn touchy about untested elements in the field."

The comment was pointed, though Alex felt it was tactfully approached. "Like Olivia and Nox, you mean?"

"I do." Jonathan didn't soften the blow. "But it's not about personality clashes or personal preferences. It's about the mission and efficiency."

The exercise concluded with Damien dispatching the final "enemy," driving his fist into an enchanted training dummy that absorbed the impact before toppling backward. Jonathan signaled for the team to continue their drills without him.

"The Hunters Association doesn't have the ability to wait for the perfect awakened to come along," he continued. "So we're standardizing what we can — at least for the advanced teams. Every Hunter has the same base kit. We fill all ten active skills and five passives. Everyone has at least a movement, defense, and crowd control, or “CC-break,” skill, regardless of their trait."

"Wouldn't it make more sense to let everyone specialize or form the abilities on their own?"

"That might be optimal," Jonathan said with a shrug. "But, again, it's about the mission." He pointed to Teresa who was demonstrating something for Sam at the edge of the training area. "Anise is naturally a long-range caster, but she has a close combat movement skill that looks a bit ridiculous when she uses it since it causes her legs to swell like she has bodybuilder muscles. Doesn't really matter, though, since it's saved her life three times already."

Alex nodded at the sensibility of it all. "So you prioritize function over form. I like that. It makes a lot of sense."

"Function over everything... that's what I'm trying to tell you. Getting the mission finished is what matters. Not whose feelings you hurt or if you look goofy doing it. Adapt or die."

Alex couldn't help but think of some of the games he'd played. There were some people who wore things for the way that they looked, while others didn't care how ugly and mismatched they looked as long as they were optimized.

Alex thought about his own path and how he'd had the thought before to fill his skill slots to at least utilize something rather than leave them empty. He realized that creating a similar rule to Jonathan's for his own team might be worth it. As far as he knew, he and Olivia were the only two with an actual movement skill, if he didn't count Mark's [Charge].

They watched as Pike directed a complex finish to the current scenario.

A half hour passed with the two team leaders discussing training methods until they heard Susan call out to them, and they walked back down to rejoin the group. Teresa and Sam had delved deeper into their discussion about healing skills while Olivia and Martin had started to compare evasion tactics.

"I figured we could run the breach sim again," Damien said to Jon as he approached and gestured to the section where staff members moved with purpose. "Might be relevant to what we're heading to do."

"I'd like to see that," Alex agreed as he felt his interest piqued.

The silence that followed was a bit awkward as Greg spoke up. "Pulling in these civvies last minute is just going to complicate things, Jon. Even if we had some time to train together, they wouldn't fit into the rotation we've worked on for months."

Even if they didn't want them around, Alex felt a growing respect for the team. Their constant training and higher levels reminded him in some ways of the training that he went through in the Celestial Rift, how he was constantly pushed to adjust what he knew and was working toward.

"We're not here to disrupt your team dynamics," Alex said. "But all three of us are high enough leveled and good enough in combat that you'll probably want to use us regardless. Also, my knowledge of the magic being used is definitely something you're going to want."

Gregory made a strangled sound of amusement. "Would we even need your knowledge, though, if the elves hadn't stolen it from you in the first place? Seems like it's your mess that we're scrambling to clean up."

Alex bristled, but Jonathan cleared his throat and spoke up. "Enough. Run the next sequence. Alex, the director is motioning you over." He nodded his head off to the side, where Director Matthews was watching the exchange with a knowing look.

There was a chorus of affirmations and "rogers" from the group as they turned and jogged back into the wooded area and prepared for another simulated battle.

Olivia and Sam stayed to watch, talking amongst themselves, and Alex gave them a short wave as he moved a few meters away to talk with the Hunters Association leadership.

Alex followed both of them, and Jonathan started speaking as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Sorry to pull you away like that, but I feel this needs to be said. I'm not going to beat around the bush here. Moore, your friend is a liability for this operation."

Alex frowned. "If Olivia says she can control Nox, I believe her."

"We've seen her slip once already," Matthews interjected quietly.

"It's not even just about her shadow cat. I've fought The Night in more than one Rift. They're nasty motherfuckers, and I'm sure if she had it under control, it'd be a boon for us. But it's the fact that she can't even admit to being a problem that is setting off red flags." He shook his head. "My team operates on a lot of trust. More so in this crazy theater than any of the others they've been deployed to. If her control breaks at a critical moment, people are going to be caught out. Trust me... I know more about losing control than most."

"You know," Olivia said, and the skin on the back of even Alex's neck prickled as he realized she'd approached the group without being noticed or making a sound. "If you have concerns about me, you could say them to my face."

Jonathan sighed heavily and turned his shoulders square to her. "I was trying to handle this with some diplomacy."

"By deciding my role without me?" Olivia's eyes flashed.

"Jesus Christ. How old are you?" Alex saw something just as dangerous flash beneath Jonathan's eyes, and the man clenched his fist. "I'm not over here to do something behind your back. I came over here to ask them in case my decision was overridden, then your position wouldn't have been undermined in front of my team. But this decorum stuff has always been above my paygrade anyway. There's absolutely nothing that I'd say to someone else that I wasn't ready to say to their face. So I'll reiterate: I. Don't. Want. You. On. My. Mission."

A long silence hung in the air. Just as Alex was about to speak up, Sam surprised him by speaking up and stepping up next to Olivia. "Olivia's risked her life for our team repeatedly. She's helped us close a bunch of Rifts, and she definitely deserves to be there. I trust her, and I know Alex does."

Alex's surprise grew as his mind assessed his friend’s body language. While Sam might not fully understand who Jonathan was or how powerful he was, Alex saw him in a new light here. Despite the colossal size difference between them, Alex saw Sam as a young man standing up for a friend, regardless of the obstacle. He was clearly scared, as Alex's keen eye caught his hand shaking by his side before it clenched tightly into a ball.

While he could appreciate Sam's growth in the past few months, he felt like the situation was slipping, and his friends truly weren't making the best showings of themselves.

Olivia's expression softened momentarily at Sam coming to her defense, and Alex saw Jonathan's stance soften some as well.

"I’m not doubting her courage. But this isn't about deserving to be there. It's about the mission and making sure it's successful, even if it hurts our feelings. Worst case scenario, this involves the lives of everyone on Earth." He gave Alex a pointed look, no doubt referencing what they’d talked about earlier, and then raised an eyebrow at Olivia. "Are you willing to gamble the success of that kind of mission on the amount of control you have over your bond?"

Olivia deflated, and color rose in her cheeks.

He turned to Alex. "The entire priority of the mission will be on getting into the encampment and getting you to the ritual site. Even at the cost of our own lives, if needed. You're not even a combatant in this scenario, Moore. You need to get there as fresh as possible and do everything you can to stop whatever they're doing. You're the package, and we're escorting."

Alex nodded in understanding. "And Sam?"

"A support position. Outside of the perimeter as a triage healer."

Sam chewed on the idea but glanced at both Alex and Olivia. She put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Fine. I don't like it, but I get it. Sorry… it's just that doing nothing feels wrong."

Before anyone could respond, Greg came barreling over with a note in his hand.

"Director, Jon… we just got a message relayed from the outside. We have a situation."

Director Matthews accepted the note and scanned its contents, his expression seeming to darken with each passing line. "Jonathan. Gather your team and meet us at the war room. Everyone else, follow me."

Within minutes, the entire group was assembled in the war room and looking over still-warm, freshly printed images.

"These came through four minutes ago," he explained. "Thermal readings of the camp show an increase in body count, and scouts report that they're all Elves. Their numbers have spiked, and those with mana sight skills report an increase in skill usage."

Alex looked at the images quickly and noticed the positioning of several of the heat signatures at key points in the image. "They're starting to funnel mana into the ritual. They're accelerating the timeline?"

"It seems so," the director said. "We don't know if they detected our scouts or if they just finished preparations. Either way, our time is up. We need to move now and extraction from this facility begins immediately. Wheels up in twenty minutes, and we start staging for the assault. Jonathan, prepare your team. Mr. Moore, you and Mr. Grant will board with the deploying team, but the rest of your people will need to come back with secondary personnel."

Alex didn't like being split from his team but could appreciate that the Director had let most of the discussion around his team be decided by himself and Jonathan. However, with the movement in the timeline, he stepped in to make an executive decision.

He found himself herded along with the other HA leadership as documents, plans, and research were quickly gathered and directed toward the exit. Along the way, Mark and Sam were brought to join their group, and all five of them walked toward the Rift exit.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked him as soon as she could.

"Things are changing too quickly," he responded. "They're starting the ritual, and I really don't know how long it'll take them to activate it. By the time we land and they finish trying to break the wards, it could be too late." He glanced at Olivia. "Liv is staying with you guys and can catch you up on the flight."

Alex looked beside her and noted Mark's face was dark with frustration. He wore a scowl that seemed so out of place on his face. Sarah noticed too and gave Alex a slight shake of her head and whispered to him, "He is more mad at himself than anything. The idea that he's not able to join because he's a liability is eating him up."

His thoughts were interrupted as the group exited the Rift and continued to the elevators at a clipped pace.

An agent waited for them at the lifts and called to the approaching mob. "Primary teams and actioned personnel are on the first ride up. If you are not in leadership or action-cleared awakened, please move over here and wait for the subsequent lifts." He spoke loudly enough that Alex knew it had to be a skill and was impressed to see several different colored illusions spring into existence.

Several blue rings were created off to the side where he gestured and had floating numbers in them to signify a counter group. A red line continued ahead of them toward the elevator, clearly guiding the designated people to the first lift.

Alex looked over at his team and gave Olivia an embrace that caused her to "oomph" and chuckle as he gave her a peck on the cheek. He looked at Mark seriously and gripped his shoulder. When his large friend didn't meet his eyes, he squeezed harder and, despite their size difference, used his Strength to make a point until Mark made eye contact. They held it for a moment before Mark nodded, and his shoulders sagged. Nothing needed to be said between them, and Mark made that clear as he gripped Alex's own shoulder and exchanged his own bear hug.

When he was released, Alex looked around and saw Sarah speaking privately with Jonathan. She stepped away and quickly rejoined their group and gave him a smile. "Don't do anything stupid. Let them handle the wards, and then you focus on stopping that Ritual."

"Breaking them has got to be easier than making them, right?" Mark asked, with a subdued sense of his normal humor.

More shouting drew their attention, and Alex and Sam were guided away from their friends and into the lift.

When the elevator doors closed, Alex put a hand on Sam's shoulder and spoke quietly to him. "Hey, I'm going to try and focus on an idea while we travel, okay? I need you to keep an eye out for me and make sure we're where we need to be..."

"Really? Wait, why? What's wrong?"

Alex chewed on the inside of his lip. "I'm worried that breaking through the wards by brute force is going to take too long. I might have an idea of how to strip them down faster, but I'm not sure. I need to focus both of my minds on the problem and test it as much as I can.”

Sam's eyes looked back and forth but seemed to come to a conclusion, and he set his feet in a similarly determined stance as he'd taken earlier. "Alright. You can count on me."

"Great," Alex said. "But first..." He pulled out his phone as they moved and called Edwin, asking him to send over pictures of notes he'd taken earlier.

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Just a quick, note at the end of the chapter!

The dialogue with Olivia here is subject to change. I'm not sure I really like how it sounds, and I've already changed it a few times.

If anything does change I'll make sure to let you guys know and it will likely just be small tonality or her delivery / shown body language that chances. In my mind she seems a bit like a child here. While I do want her to be frustrated and not wanting to admit that she needs help, it just feels off to me.

Even if it does change a bit, the conversation will still largely stay the same!

As always, thank you all for being here and supporting the story!