Chương 123: 122 - Questions

Sitting in Albert Dumries' office, Alexandra observed the man's face. She knew he was old, and his wrinkles proved it. How old exactly? She had no idea. Older than Raymond, that was for sure, but the system and ranks had a way of hiding true age that she hadn't quite wrapped her head around yet. All she knew was that Albert was above Diamond rank and that for someone so powerful to look old meant that he was dangerous.

"We're making progress," Albert said, tapping his fingers on the table.

"Your destination has been decided. Hanton, a region in the west of this continent, where Platinums and above are not allowed."

"How will we get there?" she asked.

"My people have set out from Goodpeak to prepare for your arrival. You'll be able to teleport there once it's done." He paused.

"Of course, Raymond would be able to stop you if you were to teleport under his eyes, so we'll need to act at the right moment. The Iron Library is also enchanted against unauthorized teleportations. A basic safety measure, but it means we'll need to do it from the outside." Alexandra nodded slowly. Alfred coughed.

"It just so happens that the Magus is planning a trip to the Abyssal Fissure in the coming weeks." She frowned. Wasn't that a little too convenient? Though she figured Raymond wouldn't stay put forever.

"How do you know his schedule?" Alfred's fingers paused on the table.

"I have people near him. As I'm sure he has people near me."

"So he might know about this conversation."

"He knows we've spoken. He doesn't know what was said." A pause.

"I assume."

"Great…"

"Be ready," the old man continued.

"We'll move as soon as possible." Alexandra left the office and was escorted back to the academy. Even if she was free of the sickness of paranoia, there was still something about Albert's behavior that didn't quite feel right to her. As she made her way back to her room, she went over everything that had happened since she'd arrived in Laika. She'd appeared in the middle of nowhere and had found refuge in Lanterne and a few people to help her.

Then she'd moved to Esmera, where she'd befriended Louis and fought against the Merinus family. In that city, she met Sera. Not by coincidence. She'd met the Keeper because Raymond had sent her after her. She pushed the door to her room and locked it behind her. Resting her back on the wood, she breathed. Alexandra had fought the Yshant and its masters because it felt like the right thing to do.

"No. Fuck that." She did it because of her quest, at least in part. She'd followed Sera. She'd listened to Raymond. She took the classes he wanted her to take. She let them guide her, steer her. And now she was fucking doing it again with the Dumries. Yeah, leaving Raymond's grasp sounded like a good idea. Sure. Everything sounded like a good idea at first. Finding refuge in Lanterne had been a good idea until they all started hating her.

Leaving the village sounded like a good idea until everyone there died because she wasn't there to protect them. Following Sera to the Iron Library was the best course of action, and now Louis was dead.

"I'm a fucking dumbass." She'd done it once: Lara and Therion died. Twice, Louis died. She was about to repeat her mistake a third time. Who would die this time? Kam? Willow? Herself? She slapped her cheek, stepped inside her room, and pulled out Clarity of Mind from her drawer. She needed it right now. She exhaled.

"Okay." First, she wanted to put her finger on what was bothering her so much. After all, Willow was a friend, so she had to consider the possibility that her family didn't have malicious intentions. As far as she could tell, Alfred Dumries wanted to make use of her abilities. Alexandra knew better than anyone that her quests were powerful. Even more so now that she'd unlocked a way to share the benefits. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

While she was still limited by her skill pool, it would take a while for her teammates to afford new skills from the contribution point shop, but it was possible. Just that was enough, and it would only get better. Her perks would evolve. She tapped her index finger on her desk. So, Alfred Dumries wanted access to her quests. Maybe not now, but when she became powerful enough that it would matter. That was… fine. Her build was clearly pathing toward quest sharing.

Doing that with someone who'd helped her was acceptable. But that obviously wasn't the only reason he wanted her on his side. She didn't need to read between the lines to see that Raymond and Alfred's factions didn't exactly stand for the same things. They'd both admitted as much. All of this was why she'd agreed to Alfred's plan. She wanted out and didn't mind paying for it.

"Then why am I so bothered about it?" she whispered, slumping on her bed.

"All I wanted was to grind my streak. Why does everything have to be so complicated?" She summoned her journal in her hands. Holding it above her head, she flipped through the pages, looking for a reason to feel better. Daily quests summary: Three Quests Completed -> +30 exp, +1 STR, +3 CON, +1 PER Daily Quest Streak: 78 -> 83 She relaxed. Nothing like seeing the one number that mattered go up. She'd kept herself busy in the past few days, grinding contribution points in preparation for her escape.

Manyfold Style 5 -> 7 Basic Enchantment 5 -> 7 Manyfold Style Training Quest Completed x 4 -> 2, 000 contribution points Manyfold Style Training Quest Completed x 3 -> 1, 800 contribution points Manyfold Style Training Quest Completed x 1 -> 700 contribution points Basic Enchantment Training Quest Completed x 3 -> 300 contribution points Basic Enchantment Training Quest Completed x 4 -> 480 contribution points Basic Enchantment Training Quest Completed x 2 -> 280 contribution points With Willow and Kam's contribution, she had gathered quite a sum.

Contribution Points: 9, 462 She'd decided to keep enough in her budget to purchase Stasis Core Seal and perhaps save up enough to browse uncommon skills. She wasn't yet sure what the best use of her points was, and only gaining access to the uncommon section of the shop would resolve that for her. She closed her journal and threw it on the ground. Lying on her back, she looked at the ceiling, trying to make sense of where she stood. The issue was that it was entirely out of her control.

Everything since she had arrived on Laika had been dictated by someone else. Lanterne, Esmera, even her presence here in the Iron Library was the result of Raymond pulling strings. Now, she was simply trading one master for another, swapping Raymond's cage for Alfred's. She stared at the stone ceiling. Alfred wanted her in Hanton because it was a sanctuary where high-rankers couldn't follow. It was the obvious solution on paper.

But it still required her to wait for his signal, to teleport when his people were ready, where he had decided she'd go, and to move only when Raymond left. She was a piece on a board, being slid from one square to the next. Alexandra rolled onto her side, her mattress creaking softly under her weight. Her hand brushed against the cool leather cover of her journal, where it lay on the floor. She didn't pick it up. The streak was hers. It might be the only thing that truly was. A knock sounded at her door.

Alexandra didn't move immediately. She lay still, listening to the silence of the corridor outside, before she slid her legs over the edge of the bed. Her feet hit the floor with a dull thud. She walked over and pulled the door open just wide enough to see who was standing in the dim light. Kam stood in the hallway. His expression was characteristically flat.

"Where are we going?" Kam said, glancing past her shoulder into her room.

"Hanton," Alexandra said, letting him in.

"Maybe." She closed the door behind her. He looked at her.

"Maybe?"

"I don't like it." Alexandra leaned against the wall.

"Hanton?" She blinked.

"No. No, I don't know much about Hanton. I don't like not being in control." Kam stared at her, his dark eyes unreadable.

"Then don't." She frowned.

"That's the issue. We have to go."

"Then go. Without his help." Alexandra rolled her eyes.

"Right. Because it's easy." Kam didn't answer. He stepped further into the room, grabbed Clarity of Mind, and threw it to her. She caught the book.

"What?"

"The enchantment isn't working."

"It is," Alexandra said.

"Then why are you not thinking straight?" he asked. She opened her mouth.

"It won't be easy. But you're not just anyone," Kam continued. Alexandra looked at him.

"Yeah." She paused, then repeated.

"Yeah. You're right. I'm a damn heroine, and I'm fucking done with this shit." She slapped the book down on her desk.

"Get your things. Tomorrow, we leave at dawn."

"Alexandra," Kam said.

"Yes?"

"Slow down." She took a deep breath. Right. She couldn't just pack her things and go. She needed a plan. A destination.

"Okay," she said.

"Any idea?" Kam shook his head.

"You're the heroine." She nodded. It was more than time she took her destiny into her own hands. Only, she had no idea where to start.