Annabelle’s Bastion

The looks of shock and wonder on the returning group’s faces were both annoying and satisfying; of course, Aria was right! But they also wasted so much time.

“Who would have thought?” Anna asked sarcastically, smirking at the group as they entered the camp, her hands resting on her sides. “Aria was right.”

“And we’ve confirmed it,” Cole, at the head of the group, replied. ”There is no such thing as being too safe, not when it comes to our lives.”

“Sure, sure.”

She agreed, but it was still annoying.

Soon, the group was gathering around the center, with six people naturally at the front as the defacto representatives. Anna’s enemies made up half. Although the long-haired man, Cole, seemed more amiable, with a noticeable desire to fight Aria instead of barely hidden animosity.

That animosity from Ashton’s new minion only confirmed Anna’s earlier decision.

Jaxon still stood behind them without the intent to say a word. It made things a little more difficult, but she had a plan. He would probably weigh in if asked reasonable questions, especially in relation to procedures. Hopefully.

Regardless, they should be able to finish the conversation quickly and end the core today. That would be more than a little slight success story for the academy to use! Despite her distaste for Aria’s treatment, Anna wanted nothing more than to see more resources she and her friends could use.

Everyone should have the opportunity to try an expedition—even she wanted a redo since this one was disappointing.

The rest of the expedition soon settled around the six, and Ashton stepped forward first.

“So?” Anna asked.

Ashton dryly smiled, shaking his head. “No need for any snarky comments, Annabelle. I’m sure you understand why we had to do it,” Ashton said.

It bothered her to hear Ashton use her name—it felt like it was used intentionally to patronize her. But she also didn’t want him to use her nickname, so she ignored it.

Anna shrugged and said, “Confirmation. Right.” She scoffed. “And how did that go?”

“We confirmed it,” Cole said before Ashton could begin arguing with Anna. “The ones I checked appeared similar to Aria’s; some kind of storage and bedding. Not very sophisticated, but enough to mean some intelligence.”

“Yep! That’s exactly what I saw,” said one of the six, an energetic girl nearly as tall as Aria with long blonde hair tied into a ponytail and hazel eyes. Anna recalled her name was Rose, learned during her enhancement. “They were very simple but were definitely home to intelligent life at some point!” She sounded excited.

“Right,” Ashton said. But he lightly shook his head. “But they might not be of our intelligence. Remember, animals are more than capable of making complex homes.”

“Sure, sure,” Rose dismissed and simultaneously waved him off. “But I prefer what I said.”

Ashton wryly chuckled.

“So we can say with comfortable certainty that the core doesn’t have any corrupted for us to fight.” Cole sounded disappointed. Although it was hard to tell if that was for the lack of good battles or the lack of Sigils. Probably both.

They were all likely somewhat disappointed, especially given the less enthusiastic atmosphere.

The only positive for participating in the expedition was the chance for Sigils and battle experience—they weren’t ready to be heroes for nothing. And the latter probably didn’t matter to some. To confirm there was nothing was... disheartening, to say the least. Which made the coming conversation far more challenging.

“So it’s a straight shot to the core.” Anna sighed. “This is a bit of a problem; we have far too many people for that.”

“On that,” Jaxon raised his voice before anybody could respond to Anna, “You don’t have to worry. As much as I’d fucking love to watch you argue over who gets to go, that won’t be a problem.” He darkly, suspiciously chuckled. “All of you will go.”

“Oh...” Anna exclaimed. “Right, duh.”

The corrupted become corrupted somehow, after all—no way was it a straight shot to the core.

“Some kind of psychological attack,” Cole said as he nodded. He crossed his arms and stared down in silent contemplation. 

Rose just quickly shook her head in disgust.

“In other words, most of us will be eliminated simply heading into the zone,” Ashton said. He didn’t look pleased after that, his gaze directed at the forest. “This is... difficult.” He fidgeted with something in his pocket, something that looked like a coin.

Was he the type to fidget when he was nervous?

Anna poked Aria’s side, grabbing her attention. When she turned, Anna smirked and sent a quick wink before turning back to the group. If there was anyone capable of resisting it, it was probably Aria.

Might as well cut to the point.

“That’s bad, but it does help solve a problem we had,” Anna said. Once the group’s eyes turned to her, she continued, “No need to beat around the bush—only one of us will get the Sigil from that core.”

That earned her a collective breath and a round of murmuring. Did no one think of that? Only one person would walk out of the expedition with more than experience to show for it.

“That is... true.” Cole sighed. “An argument we’ve yet to have solved fairly easily.”

“No, no, no,” Rose said as she repeatedly shook her head and waved her hands. “Some of us will get through—the problem isn’t solved at all! You’re just assuming only one of us will!”

“She’s right; we still need to have that discussion.” Ashton lifted his head as if his frustration hadn’t occurred. “I propose we vote for it.”

Absolutely not!

Anna snorted. “Absurd.”

Rose nodded and said, “Yep, no way I’m gonna vote for someone else to get the fruit of all our work.”

“Agreed,” said the 6th man, the silent type. He had dark blue eyes and messy brown hair, and he didn’t really seem to pay anything happening around him much mind. He just stared at the forest, even while speaking. “It should be competitive, not a popularity contest.”

“That method can be a last resort should we fail to find consensus.” Ashton’s own ally, Cole, was against it. Though Anna probably can’t call him his ally anymore. Not with that venomous glare he received for just an instant.

“Alright, guys,” Ashton said, his hands raised placatingly. He didn’t seem too hurt by it. “I just wanted to put it out there.”

Of course, he wanted that. Despite Anna’s distaste for him, he did seem the type to make others go along with him. Should it go to voting, Ashton could likely convince others to vote for him—worst case, using whatever power contracted him to kill Aria. Ashton’s other partner would certainly vote for him. He hadn’t said a word but nodded his affirmation to everything Ashton said like a puppy.

But to be safe, Anna had her simple plan.

“Sir,” Anna shouted, looking at Jaxon. He turned to her with his signature glare that Anna may have jumped at had she not gotten used to it in their short time together. He looked perpetually annoyed at anybody who dared speak to him! “If this were an official expedition, how would the drops be handed out?”

Ashton’s face soured, but he recovered quickly.

Anna felt more than a little giddy and had to resist mocking him. That’s right, she had the perfect pretense—official precedent! Why bother arguing when it was that simple? And everyone probably knew what that precedent was.

“Good idea!” Rose shouted. “After all, this is supposed to be an example!”

“It would be decided during the planning stages and written into contracts,” Jaxon explained. “Damn annoying without a plan, but in the rare cases it’s not contracted, then it’s usually just whoever deals the blow gets the Sigil. Nice and simple. Some might have you fight for it, bet, auction, shit like that.”

“Is that what you would do?” Rose asked. She cleared her throat. “S-sir.”

Jaxon nodded. “If I cared for fairness, yes.”

“And if you didn’t?” Anna asked.

“I, as the leader, would decide who gets what. Saves from stupid fucking drama.”

“What would you do for this expedition, sir?” Cole asked. “With only a core, there will only be one Sigil. We can’t possibly decide how to hand it out among sixty people.”

“Crying to me for help?” Jaxon snorted. “Good idea, but this is fucking pointless. Normally, I’d say deal with it yourselves... But this is an unusual case, and it provides a perfect filter.” He paused and looked over the group of 60 people. “I suggest you do it like this; the first to reach the core gets the Sigil. Simple.”

Anna internally cheered!

The others were obviously underestimating the corruption! It wasn’t as simple as resisting its effects on the mind and pushing through to reach the core. They might not know about it, but the core was way more than just mental corrosion and illusions. Jaxon would have to rescue most of them, and even those that could break through would have to fight!

“I don’t see another fair way to do it,” Anna said. “I assume most people here are equal in capability, so why not just do that?”

“Up to you guys.” Jaxon shrugged. “I don’t give a damn how you do it.”

Rose slowly nodded but said nothing. 

“This is the best way,” Cole agreed. “At the end of the day, we all got to experience something no other student has—an alien world and a core.” He smiled and nodded. “That is enough of a reward.” 

It seemed he actually believed it, which gave him a few bonus points!

Maybe if Aria’s life wasn’t in active danger, Anna could feel the same, basking in the alien world and doing a little exploration.

“I suppose that is the fairest way,” Ashton said, agreeing with surprisingly no change in his expression. However, he then sighed and looked at Annabelle. “But we should make it as fair game as possible.”

That wasn’t good.

“How?” Anna asked, her eyes squinted.

“We wait until tomorrow, and you can use your ability on everyone again.”

“Good idea, actually!” Rose exclaimed, practically jumping with a newfound will. “That would make it possible for all of us!”

Anna silently clicked her tongue while Rose shouted her agreement. 

It absolutely wouldn’t!

Even if she went now, there was a high chance she wouldn’t make it with her mana drainage from the day’s buffs. Plus, she had no idea how capable her own mind was! It was just as much a gamble for her as it was for them—she just had confidence in Aria.

And yet she couldn’t argue against it.

She couldn’t knowingly refuse an enhancement that could save tens of lives if things went sour. These people didn’t do her wrong. Nobody other than Ashton deserved to die. 

So Anna nodded and said, “I agree.” She sighed and shook her head sadly. “I’m fine losing my chance for the Sigil—I want all of us to live.”

Besides, she really wanted to hear that sound they talked about before they left.

“Right, Frost,” Cole exclaimed, shocked as his eyes widened, and he looked at her with a newfound light in his gaze. “Are you sure you want to do that? If you use your enhancements on 59 people, you’ll have no mana to fight the core, let alone how much it will take to resist the corruption.”

“Oh,” Rose exclaimed. “Right, that. I didn’t even think of that. Sorry.”

“No worries, guys,” Anna said and smiled. It did warm her heart that those two did care. “There’ll be plenty of chances for Sigils in the future!” She shook her head. “I chose to support for a reason; how can I fail that when it’s needed most? And like Cole said—the experience was worth it.”

And that wasn’t a lie, either. Anna got to see a small part of an alien world! It was difficult to believe it as such due to the abandoned forest, but it wasn’t on Earth. It was Sorana, another world. The barely increased gravity and slightly heavier air she had gotten used to confirmed that.

She didn’t want the Sigil anyway; it had to go to Aria. It would be an Apex Sigil that would immediately elevate her to an undefeatable position, now and during her remaining time at the academy. Even beyond!

Hopefully, it was a good one. 

“Thank you,” Ashton said. He bowed his head, but Anna saw his victorious smile as he did it. “I’m happy that you agree, and I’m sorry to have to ask this of you.”

“I’m still going to go so I can experience the corruption’s effect.” Anna dashed Ashton’s hopes. No way his goal was just preventing her from getting the Sigil, which made his idea clear. “Which means Aria is coming with me, as we previously discussed with Jaxon.”

“I only cared that order was followed, Annabelle,” Ashton said as he raised his head, his smile still suspiciously present. “Since you so graciously bowed out, I don’t see an issue with Aria going—you do need someone by your side to protect you.”

What was he planning? That was the same man who objected to the point of challenging Jaxon just a bit ago! 

“Okay!” Rose shouted and clapped once. “That’s settled. What do you think, Sir?”

“Don’t care, as long as it’s done by tomorrow.”“

“Then our plan is settled.” Ashton nodded. “Now, let’s plan it before supper so we can get it done quickly tomorrow.”

“You guys go ahead,” Anna said as she turned around. “I’m tired, and I need to focus on recovering my mana.”

“That’s fine!” Ashton said. “We’ll let you know what we come up with, Annabelle.”

“Sure, sure.” Anna waved him away, then gestured for Aria to follow. “Come on, Aria.”

“Okay.”

And so they left the group. It wasn’t that Anna didn’t care for the planning, but the entire expedition didn’t feel like a real one. There wasn’t even a need for a plan; go in, resist the corruption, fight, destroy the core. 

Aria went along with her until they were in her little tent at the edge of camp and away from the chattering group. Well, they could hear them, but it wasn’t too loud. 

Once Aria entered, Anna zipped it up and sat on the covered ground with a light sigh.

“You said you had a plan,” Aria said and sat in front of her. “Was that it?”

“Partly!” Anna laid on her back and crossed her right leg over her knee. “First, I needed to ensure we had a shot of getting you close to the core. Luckily, we had Jaxon there to give the obvious suggestion. They think you aren’t in the running because of what Jaxon said anyway.”

“You assume I’ll easily resist the corruption.”

“I have confidence, yes.”

Aria went silent for a few moments until she moved a little closer to peer into Anna’s eyes. ”Why?”

To that, Anna offered a smile. “Because you’re strong, nothing more, nothing less…. Faith, I guess you can call it.”

It really was just that. Anna had full confidence in Aria’s mental capability.

There was a chance she was wrong, but she shook that thought away just as soon as it came.

Aria stared for a moment longer, searching Anna’s eyes. Finally, she nodded and said, “I... won’t fail your expectations.” She moved back to her side of the tent.

Anna giggled and shook her head. “Careful, I might just think you’re only doing all of this for me! But I really just want you to get power.” But saying that reminded her of someone probably after power. “Speaking of...” She sighed. “I think he’ll try something tomorrow.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Aria replied instantly. 

“Oh?”

“You all underestimate the corruption.”

That’s what she thought, too! But Aria spoke as if she knew more.

“Hey!” Anna sat up and moved closer. “Do you know something I don’t?”

Aria nodded. “Bastion has lost many to it, including mages far stronger than Jaxon.”

“Oh—” Anna definitely didn’t think it’d be a walk in the park, but she didn’t think it was a threat to people at Jaxon’s level. She swallowed her nervousness. “That’s... terrifying.”

“The strongest mage can have breaks in their mental strength, and that’s all it needs.”

No matter how strong they got, the corruption could still grasp them… what a horrifying force.

But there had to be some way to resist it, a way to grow her mental defenses. She wasn’t even sure how mental capability worked in the world of magic—if it was defense built with her power or a psychological thing that could never change. 

“Do you know how it works?”

“No.”

“Ah.” Anna fell back into her bedroll.

She imagined it worked by attacks on the psyche, but what that entailed was hard to fathom. It could be voices in her head, illusions, or just pain. 

Regardless, tomorrow was the big day, and she wasn’t about to be scared out of one of the most important moments of her life!