Spell Weaver [Book 2 Complete]

The helicopter touched down on the landing pad with a gentle thud, pulling Alex from his thoughts. He followed Jonathan out of the chopper, guiding Sam while ducking his head. Wind whipped his hair in all directions, though his blue cloak remained unnaturally still on his shoulders. Several Hunters he recognized from the mission trailed behind or joined their group with urgent news for the director. The short ride through the Safe Zone to headquarters passed in silence, with everyone too exhausted for conversation.

Alex’s muscles ached on a level he never would have thought possible, and he imagined it went deeper than just the physical tissues. His mana channels had been stressed and burned beyond anything he could have imagined, and Maelis constantly clucked at him through their link while fretting over the state of his magic. It was an odd sensation to feel like he had a sunburn throughout his entire body while not actually being on his skin.

He glanced at Sam, whose eyes drooped despite his best efforts to appear alert. He’d proven capable and confident once again, and not for the first time, Alex realized he needed to stop thinking about Sam like a teenager. Not only was he not the same scared kid that he’d found in shock within the Rift, but he was more capable than most adults Alex knew, let alone 18-year-olds.

A short while later, the New Jersey Hunters Association building came into view. No fanfare greeted their arrival, though he did note a large number of people on their phones or tapping away on tablets. They entered the building, where Mark and Sarah waited.

Mark stood as they entered, and Sarah rubbed at her eyes and blinked away sleep. Her blonde hair was slightly tousled on one side, hinting that she’d likely dozed off some time ago.

“You guys made it.” Mark stepped forward and knuckle-bumped Alex. “How’d it go?”

He could see the tension in his friend’s posture and the greeting. “I have a lot to fill you guys in on. Let’s head home for now. Where’s Olivia?”

Mark winced. “She left a few hours ago. Said she needed some rest in an actual bed instead of these crappy chairs.” He scratched his head and shifted to the other foot. “She’s pretty pissed about being left out of the mission. I think she understood, but it doesn’t really ease the sting… ya know? She mentioned something about Nox being agitated, too.”

Alex nodded in response but felt some disappointment settling in his chest.

Sarah joined them with a yawn. “You look like hell.” Her tone was teasing, but she plucked at his singed robes. “All of you,” she added as she scanned Sam, Jonathan, and his team congregating at the far side of the room.

“The robes will fix themselves, but I’m afraid that the hand wraps are pretty messed up. Let’s grab our stuff and get out of here.”

As they gathered their few belongings, Alex looked toward the Director and motioned to speak with him. “Give me a second, guys.” He stepped aside, and Director Matthews pulled the bulletproof vest he’d been wearing during his time on the mission site over his head and handed it to someone before walking over to join Alex.

He met with the director a few meters away from everyone else, and the older man started the conversation. “Mr. Moore, I wanted to personally thank you for your assistance today. The operation would have been impossible without your help.” He paused and studied Alex’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“We did get through the wards and fought… but it didn’t change much in the end. We’re still facing a ridiculous threat, now we just have a bit more time.”

Matthews waved his hand. “Didn’t change much? I’m fairly certain you did so much that the System named you a champion of the planet, son. With as much magic as you pulled from the ritual, it could have been preparing to jump up several ranks for all we know, or maybe jump up and open at the same time. Either way, it was substantial. We also got valuable information on how they fight and effective methods to combat them, even in their enraged state. Time will serve us well to prepare, and if we can utilize the time-dilating effect to our advantage as well, I see a way to come out on the other side.” Alex nodded, and the director added, “Are you sure we can’t get you to reconsider joining us? We could use someone with your abilities and magical knowledge. Not to mention the credibility that someone with that Title could lend to the Hunters Association; I have a feeling that these next couple of months are going to be rough.”

“I appreciate the offer, Director, but no. I think I’m better suited to work independently. That way, I can focus on myself and my team.”

“I understand.” Matthews didn’t press further. “The offer remains open should you change your mind. We’re gladly willing to work with you.”

Alex puffed some air through his nose. “As long as we can have a good working relationship, then I think this is best.”

“Good. One more thing,” he said as he looked at Alex seriously. “If you need anything. You ask me. I owe you one, and I take that seriously. I would be happy to attempt to get a formal reward sent over for your team if you’d like, but I don’t want you to think we’re attempting to buy your favor. You’ve said no to joining us and have agreed to an agreeable work relationship. I respect that and am perfectly happy with that answer, but… You deserve something for that level of bravery and sacrifice. It’s no different than a soldier being injured in a battle. You put your life on the line and came out with grave injuries on the other side…”

Alex shifted to his other foot and wasn’t sure how to answer. “It wasn’t meant to be like that. It just needed to be done, and I knew the magic the best. I don’t want any kind of reward.”

Matthews nodded seriously and stuck his hand out for Alex to shake. “Anything you need,” he repeated as Jonathan approached the two of them.

“Mind if I join?”

The director gestured him into their small circle.

The berserker extended his hand as well. “I hope we’ll cross paths again soon. I could use some training against a mage like you if I’m going to take on more Sun Elves.”

Alex shook his hand firmly. “I’d like that,” he said. Though, for some reason, he couldn’t get the mental image out of his head of Jonathan in a raging state, beating the already defeated elf to a pulp. “Maybe… we just set some ground rules before we do,” Alex said with a smile.

Both of the other men laughed knowingly.

“We’ll be in touch in the next day or so,” the director said as an assistant waved him down from a short distance away. The area was beginning to bustle as more streamed in, and the next steps were being discussed. The volume of nearby conversation slowly rose.

As they walked back to rejoin the others, Alex could feel the gazes of others on him. Many were curious, and most were respectful. HA members whispered among themselves as he and Jonathan passed; their expressions ranged from admiring to awe. As Alex passed, he overheard snippets like “Integration Champion” and “Did you see that lightning spell?”

“Don’t mind them,” Jonathan said with a smile as he continued to walk with Alex. “Some are just trying to understand their place. They see your power and wonder what it takes to reach that level.”

“I don’t think I mind it… but it’s going to take some getting used to.” He smiled and nodded at someone as they pointed at their tablet and showed a video of his lightning spell reaching over a rise and into the sky. “Their opinion doesn’t change what happened or what needs to happen next.”

Jon began to peel away from him as they approached the group to follow the director. “Take care of yourself, Moore. And the kid, too. He reminds me of my son. David wants to be a healer like Sam more than anything. He’s got a good head on his shoulders.” He dipped his head toward Sam, who stood talking excitedly with Mark and Sarah.

Alex rejoined his team, feeling strangely lighter after the exchange. The admiration he received from some HA staff only reinforced what he already knew.

My path isn’t with a group like this. I need to make my own choices and push myself.

“Ready?” Mark asked.

“More than ready,” Alex replied. “Let’s go home.”

An agent guided the group out of the building and then took them to the checkpoint where Alex had left his car. The drive was quiet, with the agent only speaking to confirm directions. When they reached Alex’s car, still parked in the checkpoint lot, he thanked the man and slid into his driver’s seat.

There was an explosion of excitement as soon as the team was all alone.

“Dude, I knew it was you!”

“He did,” Sarah said, laughing. “As soon as it appeared in our faces, Mark was shouting that it was you doing something ridiculous.”

Alex couldn’t help but join in the laughter. “It really wasn’t—”

“Oooh, no,” Sam cut in. “It was. I got the video from one of the other people in the medic tent. Check this out!” He leaned forward so that both Mark and Sarah could see the video of his gigantic spell. They both wanted details on what had happened, and his large friend became subdued after hearing about the elven ambush and Rylan’s transformation.

Within minutes of settling in for the drive and conversation dying down, soft breathing and Mark’s snores filled the car. Mark was slumped against the passenger window with his mouth hanging slightly open, with Val curled up in a coil on his lap. Sarah’s head had fallen onto Sam’s shoulder in the back seat.

Alone with his thoughts and thankful for [Sleep Resistance], Alex drove through the dark and mostly abandoned outer city toward his house. The events of the past three days swirled in his mind, and he knew his friends had barely slept. It was mind-boggling to think that it had only been three days since the sun elves attacked his house to steal his notes. Things had moved at an insane pace, and he was still impressed that the government was able to mobilize forces so quickly, even with the secret Rare Rift that they had.

He’d barely even had time to celebrate his achievement, the Epic Rarity class, and a new title. The last one still felt strange, like it was supposed to truly mean something monumental, but it just came as a byproduct of something he’d been working toward for the last few months. It wasn’t intentional.

His hands tightened on the steering wheel as he kept thinking through the rushed events, and his mind fell on the fight with Rylan. It felt like an image burned into his mind of the shock, disbelief, and regret on his face in those final moments of the fight.

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And then there were the sun elves. The entire issue caused a huge knot of guilt and anxiety in his stomach. While the title of Integration Champion seemed to cause starbursts in everyone’s eyes when he walked past, he could understand the viewpoint of some who might blame him for the way everything had gone.

Am I any different from Elana? She had a responsibility to run the Guild, but she let Rylan run rampant. She could have controlled him and prevented much of this from happening. But… it was my magic used. Something I created was stolen because I was careless with guarding it. My own negligence and inaction led us here just as much as hers did.

He shifted in his seat and winced as his muscles protested. The thought of the elves and his involvement made him feel the need to push himself. He activated his [Parallel Mind] skill and hissed in pain. It felt like a fire burned in his core and spread out across his already sore mana channels. If he hadn’t been prepared for it, he may have gripped the steering wheel so tightly as to break it or swerve the car. Once the pain passed, he took several deep breaths and decided to leave the skill running so that he wouldn’t need to endure the pain repeatedly.

He looked at his status screen and applied the necessary Free Points from his level up. He hadn’t looked at all of his gains during the hectic events, so he was shocked to take in the changes since he last looked at it.