Annabelle’s Bastion

Anna was out all night, a dreamless slumber while she presumably peacefully absorbed the storage Sigil. Apparently, some Sigils could knock a mage out during absorption! It was a scary prospect, and she’d have to be extra careful when absorbing any more Sigils.

At least she didn’t have to deal with whatever odd feelings such a Sigil might bring.

She was completely undisturbed, courtesy of Jaxon. But he had an out-of-character barrage of questions to ask once she awakened. Things like how she felt, how her mana behaved, if her head felt strange, and if she felt anything different internally. 

Anna actually felt better than ever! It was like she had slept in a bed of clouds rather than a hard ground. Her mana was still, and she felt the Sigil’s knowledge within her.

Jaxon must have seen her body absorbing the Sigil, and she likely had some weird reactions to it.

Unfortunately, he dismissed his questions as a curiosity because the storage Sigil, despite seeming mundane, was a Spatial Sigil. A convenient excuse, but Anna didn’t buy it. His asking her that barrage of questions was a bit too out of character.

Once his interrogation ended, he briefed Anna on the scouting results… and she didn’t miss much.

There wasn’t any danger—not even from an animal—and the scouting duos returned when Anna’s Sigil began to wear off.  No duo reported anything of significance, and there weren’t any complications.

They could have reached further, but Jaxon described them as slow and unorganized.

It was good, however, because the further into the forest they went without seeing corruption, the weaker the core. At least, that was the general rule.

But Jaxon still seemed concerned with it, a concern that seemed different than as a teacher for the safety of his students.

He left her after informing her that they would all wake soon and gather to continue the hunt for the core immediately. Apparently, there was also a complication outside of the core she needed to see.

Anna had time to explore her new ability!

After a round of stretching and a big yawn, she sat crosslegged in her tent.

Her black ring hummed above her palm, and the space inside was filled with a void-like shade that seemed like a still lake. Once again, she was awed by the color. There was black, and then there was Anna’s ring. It was like looking into a void.

When she focused on the black pool, she felt like there was a space within it that she could reach into as simply as reaching into a closet—a room that was right in front of her.

The size did not disappoint! Perhaps it was her high purity at work, but she felt that it was about the size of the average bedroom. That was already enough space to pack... well, Anna didn’t know how she could fill that much space. Maybe she’d run into trouble if she had to pack a whole camp.

How big was Jaxon’s space, then?

Regardless, it meant she had a Sigil that she didn’t have to worry about upgrading anytime soon.

She placed her palm on the sleeping bag.

With the thought of pulling it with an invisible limb, a black glow covered the bag with a light, nearly soundless shimmer. In an instant, the bag disappeared as the glow faded, leaving no indication of its presence behind.

She felt its distinct presence within her space, and she could pull it out with just a thought and a destination. Actually, she felt she knew a little more about the sleeping bag. There was a negligible tear in the bottom right, a blade of grass beneath the top, and a strand of hair within it!

If she were to upgrade the Sigil, it might even be possible to use it as an identification tool! What if she could place a Sigil in it and immediately know what it does? Such a power was ridiculous. She’d have to interrogate Jaxon and Alisha!

The only minor issue was that the whole process did take a few seconds. It could probably be improved through training to bring items in faster, which may be important for more complex items. If only she had a Sigil to test it on.

“This is so cool!” Anna giggled.

She could barely resist the excitement urging her to try it on anything and everything she could get her hands on!

And so she didn’t.

She plucked a piece of the dark green grass and willed it into her space. It barely made a light puffing sound as it vanished in a light black flash, its presence appearing in her space. That one went almost instantly.

Then, another blade of grass.

Then a handful.

Even some dirt and a sizeable rock, which she was able to tell had some cracks in it.

This ability was too good! Whoever gave it to her deserved thanks, regardless of their intention!

She found the pack she stored extra clothing in at the edge of the tent and swiftly placed it into her space—it took a second, likely due to how stuffed it was. No more bug worries!

Technically, that pack should have survival stuff. But the others probably had all they needed—and a lady needed clothing. She doubted it would matter anyway, not with Jaxon around.

That, and it’s not like she kept survival kits on hand.

There wasn’t much more to test until she had bigger or more complex items. So Anna left her tent shortly after, having had her fill teleporting random blades of grass into her space.

People were already awake, gathering toward the camp center, and nobody seemed to pay her much mind as they chattered. Jaxon was there in the center, his presence easily making him stand domineeringly over the students. 

He did not seem very happy—even by Jaxon standards. It was a stark contrast to him just an hour ago when he debriefed her.

“Excuse me. Excuse me.” She poked her way through the crowd. “What’s everyone—” Anna’s mouth fell open, and she rubbed her eyes a few times. She opened and closed her mouth a few times in shock; surely, the sight before her was some illusion! “Aria?!”

Aria—the current victim of Jaxon’s vicious glare. She stood there with her ordinary, cold expression and amber eyes meeting Jaxon’s gaze as if her presence was natural. She was tall, but Jaxon was still taller.

It was so tense that Anna felt like her intervention might just make it all explode. But she couldn’t help herself!

When Aria heard Anna’s shout, she turned, and the ghost of a smile came to her lips. “Hello, Annabelle.”

She seemed proud of herself!

“Excuse me,” Anna said as she pushed through the few people remaining in her path. Once she was before Aria, she gave her arm a few pokes. “Wow, this is real!” She laughed. “Why? When? How are you even here right now?”

She was happy, of course! No wonder she didn’t seem as concerned about it and left quickly when Anna entered the castle!

But the amount of trouble she would get in...

“That’s a good fucking question, isn’t it?” Jaxon said, his icy tone reminding Anna of his presence and causing her to swallow nervously.

It was almost a tangible thing—a pressure in the area. It seemed like even those Jaxon’s anger wasn’t directed at were at risk of his wrath.

Anna quickly glanced between him and Aria but chose to wisely remain silent. 

Yet, Aria appeared unapologetic as she met Jaxon’s vicious glare. “I activated the portal again shortly after you left.”

“I don’t fucking care how you did it,” Jaxon said as he crossed his arms and squinted even further. “Do you have any idea how fucking serious of an offense this is?” He shook his head. “I should have your head for this, and your damn lucky I haven’t.”

“I will accept any punishment.”

“You think that matters? That you can wash this away with your acceptance?” Jaxon scoffed. “I don’t know, nor fucking care what you thought you’d accomplish by doing this, but it was fucking useless. What was it? Rebellion? You aren’t a child anymore, so don’t think for a moment that damn Dwarf can save you.”

“I wanted—”

“Hold on!” Sensing that Aria wasn’t about to make it easier, Anna quickly stepped up. ”Sir, what’s going to happen now?”

Clearly, it wasn’t as simple as teleporting her back to the academy.

Jaxon snorted, but his glare didn’t leave Aria. “Nothing. The expedition continues as planned,” He gestured toward Aria. “And this insubordinate fuck will stand by and watch. She will receive nothing for this but a stain on her record.”

“You can’t send her back, sir?” Ashton, who had weaseled his way to the front, suddenly asked.

Annoying.

Jaxon looked at him like he was an idiot. Well, he was—obviously, he couldn’t. “How do you suppose I do that, dumbass? We have one return spell.”

“Sorry, sir,” Ashton said as he dipped his head and returned to the crowd.

Jaxon immediately returned his attention to Aria. “You will be harshly punished when we return.” He scoffed for what felt like the umpteenth time. “And for what?”

“The experience,” Aria replied instantly, her tone unchanged. “The one robbed from me by your company.” 

Anna cringed at that audacity, but Aria was absolutely correct. If Aria hadn’t been absent for two weeks and had been allowed a Sigil, she’d have been at the top in her combat class—of the academy. And it wouldn’t be close. Barring more interference, she would have attended the expedition. 

Jaxon seemed momentarily stunned, but he shook his head. “The circumstances do not make you above our rules.” But his tone was lighter. As someone subordinate to Alisha, he had to know how absurd it was that Aria was treated the way she was. ”You will stay with me until this ends and will reap no rewards from their work.”

“That’s fine,” Aria replied, lightly nodding.

Anna sighed.

That was fine, too! Aria could potentially absorb the Sigil before returning to the academy.

A win, even if Aria wasn’t there with her in the forest.

“Annoying ass...” Jaxon grumbled. He turned his attention to the students. “Ignore her presence. Today will continue as planned; find the end of the corruption, then return to camp.”

“Sir, what about that sound last night?” A blonde-haired man asked. “Should we be wary?”

Sound? Anna considered herself a light sleeper, yet she wasn’t awakened by anything. 

“Figure that out yourselves,” Jaxon said. He looked down at Anna. ”Frost, will you be able to apply your spell to the expedition?” 

“Of course!” However, she shook her head. “But, sir, I would still like to participate in the—”

“You can’t, Annabelle,” Ashton interrupted, emerging from the group once more. “You’re a supporter without combat ability; we can’t risk you getting injured.”

Anna scoffed. “Tell that nonsense to Jared.”

“Catching someone off guard doesn’t make you strong,” Ashton said, shaking his head and appearing unaffected by her words. “Even then, the chasm has grown since that fight, Annabelle. You’re our only supporter. If you get hurt, what are we to do?”

“You think that’s what it was?” Anna crossed her arms and stared Ashton down. Well, up—her height made it a bit difficult to appear threatening. “No, I’m just stronger than him. I’m stronger than you, too. I am more than capable of scouting.”

He was definitely stronger than her, but she wasn’t about to show that!

Still, his calm expression didn’t change—the annoying kind of enemy. “Perhaps you are, but that doesn’t mean we can risk our only supporter here being hurt.”

Seemed like an oversight on their part, only bringing her along as a supporter.

His tone made it seem like he actually cared, which made it all the more frustrating. But he probably just didn’t want Anna to get her hands on Sigils. Yet, any attachment he had to her should have ended when she beat Jared. Why was he so keen on this?

“I’m not a healer,” Anna argued, “and I’ve been told on numerous occasions that even supporters are expected to be on the frontlines.”

“But we don’t need to take that risk. Our only goal is to spot the corruption today, there’s no need—”

“It isn’t up to you, jackass.”

“Shut the fuck up, both of you,” Jaxon commanded. However, he shook his head at Anna. “You’re technically correct, Frost.”

Anna would have smiled in victory, but she detected the cold water coming. “But…”

“But that doesn’t always apply to expeditions. Something I’m sure that fucking hack didn’t inform you of.”

Ashton smirked.

It took Anna a moment, but despite how anxious she felt about objecting to this monstrous presence, she absolutely could not stand down.

“And…” She looked up at Jaxon, meeting his gaze. “If I decide I don’t want to use my supporting ability?”

“Roles are important, Frost.” Jaxon squinted. “You’re only here because of your talent in support.”

Anna clicked her tongue.

Publically, that was why she was there. 

Anna knew he would say that and that Alice hadn’t been entirely forthcoming about the intricacies of their jobs as supporters.

But, still. 

She didn’t want to argue with the man, and his logic made sense… in any normal scenario. Obviously, the supporters shouldn’t fight if they don’t need to. However, this wasn’t a usual scenario. 

“Sir, the academy didn’t specify why anybody here was chosen.” She challenged Jaxon with a resolute stare of her own. Before Jaxon could rip into her, she continued, “That isn’t to say I’m against using my ability—far from it. But what benefit would I receive from participating in this expedition if my only role is to sit in this camp as a battery? That can’t be what the academy intended.” A light bulb went on in her head. “If my life is a concern, let me scout with Aria.”

“Yes,” Aria instantly added and nodded beside her. “I can protect her better than any.”

Some people in the group sucked in some air. 

Yet Anna stood strong, taking Jaxon’s glare despite how nervous it made her feel. She had never been on the receiving end of a glare like that, but she had seen it from her father on many occasions.

Hopefully, he understood that she wasn’t just being childish. It wasn’t a convenient excuse; she genuinely believed that leaving her out of the expedition made little sense.

Contrary to what she, and probably everyone likely expected, Jaxon nodded. “Congratulations, Frost; you’re fucking correct. There wasn’t an official role selection for this damn expedition—like there normally would be—and I would be failing my…” He shook his head in disgust. “Duty as a teacher if I didn’t allow you to experience the core.”

“Thank you, Sir!”

“But—” Ashton started.

“However!” Jaxon said, his tone changed to steel, and he moved to stand directly before Anna, staring her down. Aria moved forward, slightly covering Annabelle behind her. The tangible pressure he exerted had to be from an ability. He stood directly above Anna like a titan, only made worse by the height difference. “Do not make a fucking habit of questioning your superiors, Frost. I’ll allow it since your point is valid, but if this weren’t the academy?” He shook his head. “You wouldn’t get away with a mere warning.”

“I’m sorry, but I just…” She stopped. It wasn’t necessary. Again, Anna was reminded how happy she was to be planning on making her own squad and that Aria agreed. She could never unquestioningly obey orders. 

“What if I find the orders ridiculous?” Aria interjected. 

Anna barely resisted facepalming. 

“Shut the fuck up,” Jaxon didn’t even look at her. He stepped back and scanned the students to direct his words to all of them. “If you have an issue with your leaders—and this goes for all of you—you bring it up privately. And if that fails, you take it to another for review. Never cause a fucking problem during a fucking expedition. You’re all lost causes if I have to explain it.”

Anna understood. It would be proper decorum to try to reason her issues with her so-called captain privately, away from the gazes of sixty eager people. Otherwise, she could create problems with the expedition team. In some scenarios, the drama could probably lead to deaths.

That was probably why Jaxon was angry at it, even if he did agree with Anna and Aria’s logic.

Then again, he was a stickler for the rules, even if they weren’t applied fairly.

“Sorry, sir,” Anna said as she bowed her head. 

Well, she wasn’t, but she should have asked him privately. 

“Good. As long as you understand,” Jaxon said, nodding. He turned toward the group. “Line up for her spell!”

“Yes, sir!” Most shouted.

Anna released a shaky breath, happy to see that over.

“Come on,” she said to Aria. She saw how her friend moved to protect her from Jaxon, even though she was nothing but an ant to someone of his caliber. It made her feel warm.

The camp quickly formed something of a line in front of Anna for another round of enhancements. Aria stood by her side, and Jaxon menacingly took a spot behind her.

Anna decided to keep the effects to the bare minimum, just enough pain resistance to not get petrified by it and no flow enhancement this time. By doing that, she would be able to offer some aid to Aria. Still, the mana drain was hefty, and she couldn’t do much.

“This color is a little lighter,” Ashton said as he received his. “Is that normal?”

The color got darker the more she wanted it to do, but the shade was hard to notice since it was just a negligible amount lighter than yesterday. Leave it to him to be the annoying one to notice it.

Anna smirked. “No, I decided to poison you. 5… 4… 3—”

“I understand,” Ashton said, raising his hand to halt her. “I just hope your… desire doesn’t bite us.” He bitterly sighed as he left.

If one didn’t know any better, they might think he actually cared about the expedition as a whole.

“Annoying,” Anna whispered.

“What should I do, sir?” The last man asked. He had long black hair, a scruffy beard, and a rougher facial structure. Those hazel eyes were filled with strength. His gaze at Anna meant he was probably supposed to be her partner. 

Anna had a good impression of him, at least at first glance. Hopefully, Ashton, part of his trio, wouldn’t poison his mind.

“Same as yesterday; you three performed the best.”

“Yes, sir!”

Once she was done, they didn’t have time to dally as Jaxon directed the groups outward. He said they would have had more time to chill out and talk, but that was only possible after ascertaining the core’s location and danger level.

“What was the noise that guy talked about?” Anna asked once she and Aria were the last.

“Some kind of warped foghorn.” Jaxon sighed. “Fucking terrifying for you lot.”

“A monster?”

“It came from... everywhere, and it was… sad,” Aria added. “Like the planet was crying.”

Jaxon scoffed but didn’t say anything. Even he sounded grave when talking about it—he clearly had no idea what it was either. Maybe that was why he had a more active role in the expedition.

“That... that sounds horrifying.”

Yet exciting.

She couldn’t believe she slept through it!

“It was,” Aria said. “I’ve never felt anything like it. What kind of beast makes that sound?”

“One we aren’t here for,” Jaxon said. “We will destroy the core and let Bastion deal with the anomaly.”

“Deal with it?” Anna shook her head. “We’re the ones on its home. Plus, if it was violent, I think we’d all be dead already.”

She couldn't guess Jaxon's strength, but the creature sounded like it was above even him.

“Is that your opinion of us, Frost?” Jaxon snorted. “The researchers will not seek to harm the inhabitants of this planet.”

“Okay, but what if it attacks first? Will you kill it?”

“If we have to, obviously.”

“That’s…” Anna didn’t argue—it just felt bad. Technically, he was right to say that. But it didn’t feel right to be the interlopers, the break in the food chain, and to inflict death on the creatures defending their homes.

But she also adored the idea of exploration and research. 

A conundrum she couldn’t find a satisfactory answer to.

No matter where she went or what she did, she would be the intruder. There would be no shortage of alien monsters or sentient beings she may have to kill. It just made it more… real to have Jaxon talk about it.

“You two head out,” Jaxon said.

“Really?” Aria asked. Even she didn’t seem to think Jaxon would actually agree.

“I never thought I'd have to play the damn actor," Jaxon said, shaking his head. "The letter Alisha gave you saved you from my wrath,” He gestured toward Anna. “I don’t know what she’s planning, but count your lucky stars. And since Frost wants to see the core, I need someone capable of protecting her. I don’t think I need to stress how important her talent is for Bastion. Protect her. If harm befalls her... Well.” He coldly chuckled. “I’m sure Alisha’s wrath will be enough of a punishment.”

None of that felt like an act to Anna! 

“Annabelle won’t be hurt.”

“Good, now go.”

“I feel like a commodity.”

“Because you are, Frost—thank your purity. I couldn’t name you ten people with your level of talent.”

And with that talent came the burden of responsibility, one Anna was sure she’d live up to. 

Thus, Aria led them out of the camp and into the Titan Forest. Anna could feel her heart beating in excitement as she ventured into the city of trees.