When they reached the training room after breakfast, Abbott was already there waiting for them. Alex marched over to where he was waiting, a gigantic training axe in his hands. The other D ranks started to murmur to each other as she walked over to him, with Trips even going far enough to take bets. She ignored them and focused on Abbott.

  He grinned at her. “You’re still sure about this, Valkyrie?”

  “As long as you reset a few Skills.” She smiled. “I did just about all of mine except for one. Hope that’s okay.”

  Abbott smiled. “Oh, I reset a few, all right. Kept one or two to play with, though. Wouldn’t want you to actually beat me, after all.”

  Alex grinned as she collected a practice axe and shield. “You sure that’s going to be enough? You aren’t the first C rank I’ve fought, after all.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Is this some of the backstory from your last company?”

  She grimaced, and he chuckled. “Well, don’t worry. Whoever you fought, he probably wasn’t that good a Surveyor. Otherwise, you probably wouldn’t have fought him, I’d guess.”

  Alex stepped inside the training cage and glanced back at him. “Why do you say that?”

  “You’re a bit reckless, but you aren’t an idiot. Besides, I know of at least one C rank you didn’t try to fight.” Abbott stepped down into the cage and closed the door behind him. He glanced up at the nullifier array, as if to make sure that it was working correctly.

  There was something in the way he’d spoken that set off an alarm bell for her. She backed away from him slowly, suddenly alert for any unexpected moves. Wells had been fond of ambushing her, and she didn’t know if it was some kind of tradition among C ranks to keep each other on their toes. “Who would that be?”

  Abbott watched her retreat with a raised eyebrow. His smile had gone a little crooked. “Nobody famous, actually. His name was Dylan Forsmith.”

  Alex froze in place, mid-step. She carefully forced herself to relax and continue her withdrawal towards the middle of the cage. “No. You’re right. Forsmith and I never fought.”

  “You did work with him a while, though, right?” Abbott’s smile was still there, but it didn’t seem as kind as it had been before. “I never was able to find out what happened to old ‘Clean-Slate’. Maybe you would know a bit more.”

  Before Alex could respond, Abbott took a single heavy step forward. Then, before she could completely brace herself, he lunged forward so quickly that the air seemed to crack.

  She got her shield up just in time, even as she threw herself to the side. Her shield barely managed to turn aside the blow—not even block it, just deflect it away from the centerline of her torso. His practice axe cracked off the solid floor of the practice cage, and he snorted in frustration as she danced a bit further to the side.

  “It’s been a while since I’ve reset things. It’s going to take some getting used to.” He straightened up and turned towards her. “So? Do you know what happened to him?”

  Alex didn’t wait for him to attack again. She darted in at him, hoping to get the chance to get him on the back foot. He blinked as she tried to shield-check him. He countered it by smashing at her shield with the haft of his axe; the blow felt like a Brute’s war hammer had struck her. When she swung at him in retaliation, he simply took the hit, barely even wincing as she struck home.

  Then he swung back at her, and she had to duck low to avoid being smashed across the cage. “Good hit, Valkyrie. Still waiting on that answer, by the way.”

  She leaped backwards as he swung a second time. The breeze from the blow ruffled her hair as she started to circle him, looking for an opening. “I can’t… talk about it. Signed an NDA.”

  Abbott laid the axe back across his shoulders and smiled. “I doubt that Golden Swallow is eavesdropping on the training cages here, Alex.”

  Alex ignored the obvious opening he was presenting her. It had to be a trap. “They aren’t the only ones who’d want to know.”

  His eyes narrowed for a second, before flicking over to the watching D ranks, and then beyond them to the symbol of Royal Purple Contracting on the wall. He nodded slowly. “I see.”

  The combination of the distraction and his casual stance was too much at that point. Alex charged in, trying to part the wind before her as she ran. Her legs were still a little sore from the morning’s run, but her feet still pounded across the cage in three quick leaps. Her fourth stride would have had her right on top of him.

  At least, it would have if her feet didn’t suddenly sink into the floor of the cage. Her jaw dropped as it felt like someone had put both their hands on her shoulder and simply shoved downwards, trying to push her further into the suddenly quicksand-like floor. She couldn’t stop her momentum entirely, and by the time she slid to a stop, both legs were nearly encased up to mid-shin.

  Then she looked up and saw Abbott looming over her. He had both hands on the axe haft, and he seemed like he was about to swing as hard as he could. His expression was entirely serious, and there was no mercy in his eyes.

  So Alex bared her teeth and sent a small lightning bolt snapping directly at his nose. It was a borderline pathetic strike, but it didn’t have to do much to him. She just needed the distraction.

  To her shock, Abbott took the bolt directly in the face and simply smiled. “Nice try.”

  Then he swung, and Alex ducked behind her shield. The blow shoved her back and down, plunging her deeper into the ensnaring mud. A second, follow-up blow nearly shattered the shield, and left her on her back.

  Abbott looked down at her and smiled. “Yield?”

  Alex thought about trying to fight her way back out of the mire. Then she sighed and went limp. “Yeah.”

  “Good. Stubbornness can help, as long as you don’t take it too far.” He reached down, and she grabbed his hand. The C rank pulled her up and out of the muck easily. Behind her, the floor shifted slightly, and when she poked at it with a foot, it was solid again.

  When she looked back, Abbott had leaned in close. His expression was serious. “Would you tell me? If you could?”

  Alex nodded. “Yeah. Next Survey.” She glanced at where the others were standing and sighed. “Better yet, we’ll be able to show you.”

  He blinked. A smile began to tug at his lips. “Sounds a bit like a threat, Valkyrie.”

  “More like a warning.” She shrugged. “A Shade’s going to be on the next Survey, and she’s going to be after us.”

  Abbott blinked. He laughed. “Pull the other one, Alex.”

  She raised an eyebrow and spread her arms. “You’ll see.” Then she pointed a thumb back at the entrance. “Mind if I grab a new shield?”

  He shrugged and grounded the head of his axe on the floor, leaning on it like a walking stick. “Sure. Though I think we just proved that I’m still a bit too much for you, Valkyrie.”

  “We’ll see.” Alex jogged back to the entrance.

  She found Joanna and Sam waiting there. He already had a shield in his hand, and he handed it over to her. “Still good, Alex?”

  “Yeah. Just a bit… different than it was with Wells.”

  Sam snorted, and Joanna folded her arms. “Hopefully.”

  Alex nodded her thanks to them, and then turned back, letting them shut the door behind her. She looked back at Abbott, who was still watching her from the center of the cage.

  He didn’t fight like Wells, or her mother, for that matter. Both of them had relied on strength, speed, and aggression to finish things for them. Neither had used much in the way of magic, and fighting them had always felt a little like taking part in an elaborate dance.

  Hitting Abbott felt like smashing into a wall, one that could fight back. He was strong, obviously, and probably had been a Squire at least once in his career. Of course, he was durable too, which suggested he’d been a Porter. Between those two… “You’re a Trooper.”

  Abbott raised an eyebrow and straightened up a little. “Compliments will get you nowhere, Alex.”

  “That’s your Role. It’s what you get from a Squire and Porter combination.” She tilted her head and started to circle, still studying him. “You have magic, though, and not as weak as mine. Your extra Attribute points must have gone to Devotion or Control.”

  He shrugged, shifting his stance slightly. “Why not both? Limiting myself to one seemed boring.”

  Alex nodded. “That must be what you’ve been using. Holy—Foundation and… Arcane—Gravity? Some combination between them?”

  “Useful for securing my footing and knocking others off of theirs.” Abbott smiled. “Still, I don’t think this was a lecture, right?”

  She saw him shift slightly and assessed her options. He wasn’t as fast as other high ranks she’d fought, but he didn’t need to be. If she tried to dodge around and flank him, she’d get trapped in his floor snares. Up close wasn’t much better; he could tank any hits she dished out, and his strength meant that she was only going to be able to take one or two strikes from him.

  When her mother had talked about fighting such threats, she had always mentioned that it was important to break through their defenses quickly. Her solution had always been to smash through using overwhelming power and avoid their counterattacks.

  Alex was going to have to try a different way.

  She saw Abbott gather himself for another lunge, and sprinted directly towards him. He paused, as if surprised by the move. Then his eyes narrowed, and Alex saw the fingers of his left-hand flick as if he was loosening his grip on the haft.

  Without waiting to see if he’d just used his magic to set a trap, she jerked to the right and started to circle again. Abbott tilted his head to watch her and pivoted to track her path. As he moved, Alex turned again, her legs screaming as she changed course to charge at him a second time.

  This time, Abbott crouched and charged towards her. When he did, Alex changed course again, this time darting off to the left. The change in angle meant Abbott’s lunge went wide. He still tried to slash at her as he passed, but she ducked beneath the attack.

  Then she changed course again and charged after him, her legs eating up the distance. He was still turning around, the dust still rising from the floor, when she sprinted into melee range.

  She attacked without hesitation, hacking and slashing with her axe. Abbott grunted as the strikes went home. Alex focused on his joints, hoping to hit a vulnerable point. Elbow, knee, neck were hit in quick, brutal succession.

  Abbott staggered backwards and brought his axe back to swing. Alex charged in close, her shield raised. She clashed with the weapon just as it had started to come forward, robbing the strike of most of its momentum. The impact still shook her arm, but at least it didn’t send her flying. Before Abbott could recoil, she used the hook of her axe to catch his haft, and tried to twist it loose from his grip.

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  The move had worked on countless foes, but this time Abbott shifted his hands and yanked in opposition to it. It countered the pivot completely, locking her in place. She grunted as a shot of pain ran through her arms, but she tried to force the issue by setting her legs and twisting harder.

  Which is when the ground beneath her feet abruptly softened, denying her a solid foundation. Alex yelped as Abbott’s magic stole her footing, and his strength abruptly lifted her bodily into the air. He swung her around like a dog with a favorite chew toy before slamming her back to the ground. She was sent pinwheeling across the practice cage, bouncing along until she fetched up against the far side of the cage.

  The impact drove the breath from her, and for a moment, her vision doubled. When it resolved, she saw Abbott falling into a crouch that seemed awfully familiar. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she tried to force herself upright, to get ready to dodge. Unexpected weight dragged her down, and it was hard to tell how much was from the impact, and how much was Abbott’s magical tricks.

  Either way, it was too much. One moment Abbott was a quarter of the cage away. The next, he was there, the broad blade of his practice axe right alongside her neck.

  He grinned up at her from the crouch he had landed in. It had to have taken a terrifying level of self-control to make that leap and still not touch her with the axeblade. A part of her wondered if he would have smashed what was left of her completely through the cage if he had followed through.

  The other parts of her still-dazed mind recognized exactly where she was at the moment, and Alex slumped. “I yield.”

  “A wise choice, Valkyrie.” Abbott straightened up, removing the axe from her with the same motion. He let the butt of the haft smack into the ground with a ringing sound; his free hand he placed on his hip as he looked around the practice cage. “You know, this has been kind of invigorating! Maybe I should come down here more regularly to help out. For everyone, of course. Can’t let anyone think you’re being favorited.”

  There was a faint, incredulous curse word from the D rank audience. Abbott’s grin grew a bit more, and then he leaned in a little. “You were actually doing quite well, Alex. I’d understand if you wanted to stop, though. Care for another match?”

  Alex glanced at him, her breath still coming a little short. Her limbs ached, and she could already tell that she’d be getting Clara to practice her Restore Skill on her sooner rather than later between bouts. Either that, or she’d have to make another visit to the infirmary that night, a fact that would start making her paycheck look awfully small.

  Then orange text flared across her vision.

  [Combat Balance advances to 4!]

  [Motion Trance advances to 24!]

  [Combined Arms—Axe/Shield advances to 5!]

  [Holy—Storm advances to 3!]

  Her breath caught for a moment. It would have taken half a dozen duels to equal the gains that she’d just gotten in two quick exchanges. If he was willing to keep fighting her, how much higher could she get her Skills before the next Survey? Visions of going through the portal with her Skills already nearly at full flashed before her eyes.

  Then she looked at Abbott and shifted her shoulders. “I’m ready if you are, Abbott.”

  His smile grew, and he walked back towards the middle of the cage. Alex shifted her grip on her weapons and got ready to charge.

  It was going to be a good day.

  She was not quite as enthusiastic by the time they had reached lunch. It felt like her entire body was one big mass of bruises and sprains, and as she limped to the table with a plate full of hamburgers, fries, and chicken nuggets, she tried to put on the most pathetic and weary expression she could.

  Clara, however, took one look at her and sniffed. “I’m not changing my mind, Alex. If you’re going to get yourself beat up, you need to feel some of the pain. Otherwise, you’re just going to keep getting hit.”

  “To be fair, she was trying to dodge. It just didn’t work.” Sam dodged the French fry Alex threw at him and chuckled. He spread his arms wide. “Hey, I’m not going to pretend that my bout against him went any better. I’m pretty sure if he hadn’t pulled his punches, I would have been unconscious still.”

  Joanna nodded. “My attempt did not go much better.” Then she looked at Alex and lowered her voice. “You know, for someone that was supposedly attempting to remain unnoticed, you’re doing your usual poor job of it.”

  Alex winced as she lowered herself into the seat. She picked at one of the fries and dipped it in ketchup. “The D ranks were already going to talk about me, Joanna.”

  “True, but it isn’t just them now.” Joanna glanced around the room and lowered her voice a little more. “There’s already a few C ranks that are hearing about you fighting with Abbott for half the training period. Nobody even came close to how well you did, either.”

  She shrugged, trying to emphasize the wince of pain that followed. “I’m sure a lot of them will catch up.”

  The Adept snorted. “Not according to the rumor mill. Did you know that a lot of them didn’t believe that you took down Wells by yourself? Plenty of the Surveyors figured it was just an exaggeration of some kind, and that a whole group of us did it together. I think that might have even been part of why they focused on us so hard during the team exercises.”

  Alex grunted. That disbelief would probably have both been a frustrating problem and a useful lie. “Well, they just saw Abbott throw me around like a ragdoll, so shouldn’t they buy it?”

  “Abbott is a veteran Surveyor who has been going through that portal multiple times a week for well over a year. He may not have advanced his level or his Skills that much, but he has experience and a reputation to match. Wells, on the other hand, was a mostly lazy weasel who was resting on past laurels so he could beat on D ranks for a power trip.” Joanna finished her statement with another bite of her meal, leaving Alex to think the words over.

  The observation was characteristically blunt and accurate, of course. Even with all her Skills at maximum, Alex didn’t really think there would have been any way for her to beat Abbott alone. She shuddered at the thought and then looked around. The other Surveyors—especially the C ranks—had started ignoring her and her friends after the first couple of days; now there were a disturbing number of people watching her.

  She looked back at Joanna and saw utter seriousness in her friend’s eyes. Alex sighed. “How bad is it?”

  Joanna stabbed a bit of her salad with a fork. “Some of the D ranks are openly betting on which C rank Surveyors you could beat. The odds are not high enough to be flattering for the ones they are putting you up against.”

  Alex winced, this time as much from the words as the twinges of pain. “Well, it’s not like they can do it, right? After all, the only C rank that seems to be free to spar with me is Abbott.”

  “For now. I wouldn’t count on that in the future. Especially if Warner starts making changes.”

  The reminder about the new CEO made Alex close her eyes and hang her head for a moment. Then she shook her head and grabbed a burger. “All right. We can handle a little competition, as long as it gets us ready for what we’re heading into in a couple days. Unless anyone thinks that Liliana isn’t going to make things interesting for us?”

  Clara swallowed a bite of her sandwich. “She was bad enough in a D rank portal. Shifters might be the least of our problems.”

  Joanna spiked another crouton. “We’ll see. After all, we have a whole day and a half for Alex to come up with something worse.”

  Alex stuck her tongue out at the Adept, who continued muttering darkly as she ate. Then she turned her attention to the food. She only had so much time before their portal study session, and she needed to convince Clara to heal her before the team exercises destroyed her later. Otherwise, the infirmary really was going to be inevitable.

  Her hopes were fulfilled about halfway through the following lecture. Clara patiently ignored her groans and winces until she finally relented. The healing put her in a much better mood to study the information on the last couple of portals—one of which had an exit that nearly dropped Surveyors off the side of a bridge in the other world—and definitely prepared her much better for the teamwork exercise afterwards.

  Fortunately, it seemed like Abbott had had enough of them duking it out in a wide-open arena. When they arrived in the arena, they found the place changed. Temporary buildings had been set up; false walls divided the room, creating a small, cramped neighborhood instead of a massive empty space. Platforms gave the arena some verticality, simulating second floors and roofs. There were even small drones skittering back and forth, simulating wildlife.

  Each team had been assigned a spot in the maze of plywood and plastic and told to wait until the signal to start was given. Alex and her friends had been told to wait on the bottom floor of a false shop. Cardboard cutouts of shelves and drawn images of freezers decorated the place. It wasn’t exactly the most inspiring location, but it would have to do.

  Once they had settled in, she looked at Clara, who was walking around the fake store and staring in all directions. “Any of the other teams close to us?”

  Clara nodded, her expression a little absent-minded. “We’ve got at least four of them. We’re kind of surrounded on all sides.”

  Definitely not the best start, then. Alex grimaced. “Which one’s closest?”

  Joanna spoke up, her voice incredulous. “You’re thinking of going out after them?”

  “It’s either that, or we wait here until a bunch of them fall on us.” Alex looked from her to Clara. “Is there one that’s closer than the others?”

  Clara pointed to the left wall of the store. “Two buildings that way, I think. They’re hunkered down on top of the roof.”

  Sam spoke up from where he’d been lurking at the back of the shop. “Any idea which team they are?”

  “Seems like it might be… Grumps’ team. One full yellow, one yellow-red, a green, and a blue-red.”

  Alex nodded. Grumps, also known as Donald Septon, was a grim D rank who had been an Adept, and then chosen Squire with his first Role Switch. He had a double-Page, as well as a Page-Squire, and a full Acolyte as well. The Roles fit, but the entire team was known for sniping. A roof was not the best place to face them.

  She sighed. “Any ideas? Other than just charging in at them, of course.”

  Joanna paused, obviously thinking her options over. Clara, on the other hand, spoke up right away.

  “I can provide some cover while you guys head in. You should be able to reach them and take them down at close range.”

  Alex frowned. She looked at the others, and then back at the usually calm Acolyte. “You’re sure?”

  Clara smiled. She hefted her crossbow. “This isn’t just for show, remember? Just get ready to run.”

  A moment later, the low tone announced the start of the exercise, and they all set off at a light jog down the false street. The building with Grumps’ team loomed large, and Alex watched it with a tense feeling. She didn’t know if any of their Surveyors could see through walls like Clara could, but if they did, then her team was walking into a trap. As they drew closer, she felt herself grow tense.

  Then she nearly jumped out of her skin as Clara dropped to one knee ahead of her.

  “Go.”

  The command was delivered in a calm, collected voice that seemed at odds with her friend’s usual attitude. At the same time, Clara fired her crossbow, just in time to catch someone as they peered over the edge of the roof. Vines exploded along the rooftop, creating a hedge of vegetation that blocked the view of the street below.

  Alex didn’t wait to see what else would happen. She sprinted along the street, easily passing both Joanna and then Sam, before she slammed through the doorway for the building. Behind her, she heard Clara fire another shot, and heard the rustle of another burst of vegetation above.

  The building she’d entered was apparently supposed to be some kind of apartment. There was a table, some bookcases, and a stairway headed up. She headed for it immediately, leaping up the stairs as fast as she could while the others piled in after her. Taking the stairs two at a time, she reached the second floor in heartbeats, then turned and headed for the stairs that led to the roof.

  She reached the door just in time for a massive arrow to punch most of the way through it. Alex yelped and ducked, just barely managing to deflect the projectile to the side before it passed through the opposite wall. A second shot was better aimed, but she had her shield up at that point, and it shattered against the boss.

  Alex charged before the third shot could come through, using her shield like a battering ram. The already-punctured door fragmented as she smashed through it. On the other side was Grumps’ team. Their archer, a Surveyor everyone called Mixer was drawing back a third arrow. Grumps himself was throwing fire at the street below; burning vines covered the edge of the wall, and Bugs, their Acolyte, was hurling lightning alongside him. Their fourth member, called Dopey, seemed like they were lining up a shot from the opposite side of the hedge Clara had created.

  She yelled as loud as she could and ran towards Grumps. Mixer tried to connect with her third shot, but Alex took it on her shield again. Dopey turned as well, but his barely aimed shot didn’t even come close. Bugs whirled around, lightning flaring in his hands, and Alex changed course just enough to shield-check him off the building.

  The Acolyte’s yell was followed by him vanishing over the edge of the roof; Alex winced as she heard him hit. She’d have to apologize after the match.

  Then she turned and saw Grumps raising his hands. He was a grim enough person on a good day, but it was obvious that he was furious now. Unfortunately, he was also well known for using Mind to attack enemies, something that a shield couldn’t protect her against.

  Alex mentally tried to brace herself as the pressure of Grumps’ magic bore down on her—only for it to vanish as a crossbow bolt hit him from the side. There was a burst of vegetation, and Grumps disappeared under a sudden cloak of vines and leaves. His frustrated yelling cut off as he realized that he’d been completely pinned.

  She turned to engage the others, only to find Mixer on her back and surrendering to Sam, while Dopey yelped and tried to put out the fire on his armor. Joanna waited until he’d surrendered before she put it out, and then they all grinned at each other. One team down…

  Alex looked up and over the rest of the arena, watching for threats. All around them, the sounds of battle had sprung up, and staying still meant sure defeat. They really needed to move, because if they didn’t…

  “Hey! Another group’s headed our way!”

  Blinking, Alex peered over the edge of the roof and saw Clara crouched next to Bugs. Her hands were glowing with healing magic, and the downed Acolyte was dividing her time between giving Clara a grateful look and glaring up at Alex.

  Alex tried to ignore Bugs’ irate hand gestures. “How many?”

  “Two! We should probably go! Left along the alley looks clear!”

  She looked back, and Sam shrugged. Joanna had paused by Grumps to burn him an air hole in the foliage, but she nodded as well. Alex grinned and headed for the stairs, followed by the others. Things were definitely starting to look up.

  They made it through another two fights before being caught between two teams. With no cover and enemies on both sides, Clara and Joanna had gone down, followed by Alex herself as the other two teams forgot their rivalry to dogpile her. Sam had actually escaped the chaos, but he only made it another five minutes before Trips’ team had hunted him down.

  Still, it was the best they’d done so far, and it was clear the rest of the D ranks saw them as the team to bring down. Bugs was still a little sore about his flying lesson, and Grumps was grousing about everything as usual, but nobody else seemed to hold any grudges. At least, it seemed like they hadn’t; the second hour had seen their team hunted down even faster than before, though it took four teams to outflank them successfully.

  All in all, by the time they all made their way back to the dorms, it had been a good, if tiring, day. With one more like it, Alex would almost feel ready to take on Liliana again.