Team Player

"Hello, my name is Earl Persimmons. I'm going to be your Observer today." The man in the plain grey uniform stuck out a hand and smiled.

Alex shook his hand and tried not to resent his presence. She doubted he was going to move as quickly as her team could, but at least all of the teams were going to be slowed by about the same amount. "Welcome to the team."

She glanced back at the others, who were all waiting for their turn to enter the portal. Joanna was sweating a little, but her hands were tight around her sword's hilt. Sam was mostly just staring at the vortex like it had personally offended him. Clara was alternating between watching the two of them, as if she couldn't decide which one to be more worried about.

Clearing her throat, Alex got their attention. "Salvage Quests would probably be the best thing to take this time, right, guys?"

Sam gave her an exasperated look, but she twitched her head towards the Observer. He grimaced and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. Either that or Patrol."

"Actually, Patrol might be better this time." Clara shrugged when they looked at her. "With Liliana around, we're going to be hitting all kinds of patrols. We'd probably knock it out pretty quickly, and then we can salvage whatever we can grab without getting stuck there."

Alex hesitated. Then she shrugged. "Take whichever one you want, then. We just have to get to the Quarry, do our best, and make sure everyone comes home."

They all nodded, and Alex turned her attention back to the portal. The Blackmist Surveyors were just vanishing through the vortex, and she saw one of them glance back at her. Her eyes narrowed as the Surveyor paused. Then they stepped into the light and vanished.

It was their turn. Alex stepped forward with the others, bracing herself for the coming fights. Earl went first, followed by Clara and a reluctant Joanna. Sam paused right on the cusp of the portal, hesitating for the barest moment.

He stepped in a moment later, and she followed him into the light…

[D Rank Pioneer Alex]

[Ascension Level: 9]

[Role: Porter (Role Skills: None)]

[Role Level: 4]

[Experience: 3140/5500]

[Attributes: Strength -> 9, Speed -> 10, Life -> 8, Devotion -> 0, Control -> 0]

[Current Skills: Combat Balance(45), Motion Trance(12), Combined Arms–Axe/Shield(45),

Holy–Storm(45)]

[Permanent Skills: Battle Maneuvers***(21)]

[Current Titles: Empress of War (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Combined Arms, Weapon Mastery, and Battle Maneuvers by five.),

Aggression (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, Combined Arms, and Combat Balance Skills by five.),

Fated Hero (Increases Skill grade of Dodging, Anticipate, Battle Maneuvers, and Inspect by five),

Eternal Motion (Increases Skill grade of Recovery, Running, Marathoning, and Motion Trance by five.),

Tireless (Increases Skill grade of Recovery Skills by three.),

True Sentinel (Increases Skill grade of Deflect, Dodging, Blocking, Resist, Zeal, and Combat Balance by five.),

Still Flow (Increases Skill grade of Meditation, Focus, Recovery, Arcane, Sense, and Motion Trance by five.),

Elite (Increases Skill grade of Combat Balance, Battle Maneuvers, Battle Mastery, and Battle Dance by five.),

Lethality (Increases Skill grade of Melee, Weapon Mastery, and Combined Arms Skills by five.),

Consecrated (Increases Skill grade of Holy by five.),

War Prowess (Increases Skill grade of Battle Maneuvers, Rush Assault, and Heavy Assault by five.),

War Momentum (Increases Skill grade of Combat Balance, Riposte, and Battle Dance by five.),

Blitz Master (Increases Skill grade of Combined Arms, Lunge, and Charge by five),

Deliberate (Increases Skill grade of Battle Maneuvers, Anticipate, and Combined Arms by five.),

Swift (Increases Skill grade of Motion Trance, Evasion, and Charge Assault by four.)]

Alex nodded at the words, waiting for them to change. The agonizingly slow increase of Battle Maneuvers was starting to get to her, but at least she was closing in on C rank. Just a handful more Surveys, and she'd be there.

[Current Portal Status: Stable, Magic Level Stagnant]

[Current Portal Level: D3]

[Anomalous Readings Registered!]

[Salvage Oriented Objectives Recommended]

[Local Area Population: 50 D ranks, 9 E ranks]

Her team was one of the last ones to go through, so everyone was already on the other side waiting. It wasn't unexpected, but it was still a little intimidating to know there were that many Surveyors gathered in one place.

The words shifted, and she had new choices to make.

[Current Objective Budget: 500]

[Select Priority Objective]

The obvious choice was some kind of salvage option, but she had another objective to put first.

[Priority Objective: Save three D rank Surveyors and one E rank Surveyor. Possible rewards: 90 Experience. Accept?]

Alex would have chosen more, but she could only gain the experience for just the Surveyors who left through the portal right in front of her, from what she'd seen the last time. Better to just focus on her own team at the moment, no matter how much she wanted to help Alessa and Audrey, too.

[Select Additional Objectives]

Her eyes narrowed. There had to be a salvage option in the system, but how did she bring it up? It wasn't like she could just focus on objects like Hidden Flowers and have it respond.

[Additional Objective: Salvage six Hidden Flowers. Possible rewards: 120 Experience. Accept?]

She blinked. Apparently, it was possible. Every time she thought she had a handle on Pioneer, it went and pulled the rug out from under her again.

Alex considered the Objective, wondering if she should push it higher. Six Flowers didn't sound like a lot, given the number that she'd seen growing inside the Quarry, but at the same time, she didn't know how many the others would need to get in order to solve their own Quests, or how hard it would be to harvest them with so many Grue hovering around. Especially with Liliana stirring things up all that much more.

Still, it was achievable. Especially with her team. She agreed.

Of course, Flowers weren't the only thing she could grab. If she'd seen correctly…

[Additional Objective: Salvage four Shining Slivers. Possible rewards: 120 Experience. Accept?]

Alex agreed again, guiltily aware of how much easier this would have made some of the previous Surveys. It would have made things at Emerald Bay that much better, at least, instead of forcing them to hit all the Outposts they'd known about at once.

[Additional Objective: Clear two Outposts. Possible rewards: 60 Experience. Accept?]

She accepted again, with only a slight hesitation. It would probably take clearing at least that many to get the salvage she had committed to. It couldn't be that hard, hopefully. Then she wouldn't have to deal with nearly as many patrols.

[Additional Objective: Destroy at least twenty-two patrols. Possible rewards: 110 Experience. Accept?]

Alex agreed to the last of the objectives and sighed. One way or the other, they would be back within six hours. At least it wasn't a full-on Raid, but it was still going to be a long day.

She was still thinking that as the light overtook her…

Alex stepped out into the Factory, and saw the other teams gathered at the front entrance, like runners waiting at a starting line. She glanced at the others before she started towards the doors and paused. All three of them looked a little stunned, and the reason why came to her a second later. "It worked?"

They nodded, and she tried to sound a little firm. "Good. Right now, we need to move, though."

Sam blinked and seemed to come back to himself. "Yeah, sure. You're right." He glanced at the portal, and then followed her towards the front of the Factory, trailed by Joanna, Clara, and a mildly befuddled Earl.

When they reached the doors, the Observers exchanged a look and nodded. One of them, the one with Alessa's team, spoke up. "All right, we're all here. The time starts now. Let the Rush begin!"

The Surveyors reacted instantly. All ten teams turned and began to stream towards the Quarry, with some of them breaking off along side streets. Alex shook her head as the Blackmist team vanished between two massive trucks and turned to Clara. "Any ambushes?"

Clara shook her head. "Everyone's still moving out. Lots of Grue patrols, but none nearby."

Alex caught sight of Liliana lurking in a nearby building. She grimaced. "That won't last long. Let's move."

The first ambush found them while they were still in the industrial park. Clara yelled a warning, and a pack of Grue came howling out from behind a cement mixer of some kind, their weapons raised and ready.

Alex and Sam ran to meet them, their boots pounding the cement as they crossed the distance together. A salvo of arrows shot out towards them, and she channeled a burst of wind to shove them aside. Scattered projectiles clattered across the ground, crunching beneath their boots. As they closed on the pack, she heard him yell over their howls. "Fourth from the right!"

She nodded and adjusted the angle of her attack, charging for one of the Soldiers that seemed to be a little less committed to the attack than the others. It had enough time to flinch just before she smashed into the pack. That part of the line crumpled like a tin can as she battered her way into the ranks, her axe carving through the Grue as if they weren't even there. Sam hit the line just a heartbeat later, ducking and stabbing his way through the Soldiers as they started to panic.

A trio of Knights charged forward, only to come to a dead stop as ice erupted at their feet. Two Brutes raised their hammers and then fell grasping at their faces as bolts pierced their eyes and sprouted thornbushes. Archers collapsed as flames burned in their ranks, and Killers toppled as Clara's crossbow rang out again and again.

In what seemed like no time at all, the last of the Grue collapsed to the ground, their bodies already burning with purple fire. She looked around, debating whether it was worth it to collect the salvage.

[Objective Progress: 1 of 22 patrols destroyed.]

Then Earl spoke up from behind the forklift where he'd taken cover as soon as the battle had started. "Wow. I'd heard you were good, but still…"

Joanna gave him a disdainful look. "You could have helped, you know."

He shrugged. "I'm an Observer. I don't get paid to fight, and even if I did, they wouldn't want me to help you." The man didn't seem all that broken up by his helplessness, which just seemed… wrong to Alex.

Sam frowned at him. "So, what are you going to do if we get killed?"

Earl winced. "Well, all of my abilities are in Stealth, Running, and Dodging, so…"

Alex shook her head. At least he wasn't going to be a threat. "We can discuss it later. We still have way too far to go." They nodded, and soon they were running together, heading out beneath the continually clouded sky.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

An hour and eight ambushes later, Alex and her team came to a halt on a road filled with abandoned vehicles. There was a cluster of apartment buildings nearby, one that Alex remembered from when she'd looked out over the Quarry. It meant they were close, which was a relief. Liliana had already thrown quite a lot at her team already.

Earl blinked as he looked around at the others. He seemed a little out of breath, but was mostly untouched. The E rank had more or less avoided any of the battles they'd fought in; if anything, he'd preferred to either hide behind the D ranks or simply take cover behind a nearby vehicle.

Not that Alex could blame him. His Skills seemed to leave a lot to be desired, from what she'd seen. He didn't even actually have an offensive weapon, just armor and a shield. Even if she'd wanted him to, she didn't think he'd be able to do much more than run in and die.

Fortunately, her team had done well. The patrols that Liliana had been channeling in their direction had failed to do much more than charge them and die, though the Shade had already started to send the Grue in groups of two rather than one at a time. As a result, she was nearly halfway done with the patrols that she needed to deal with, which would hopefully make the trip home that much easier.

As they paused, Sam crept forward and peered around the edge of the building. He looked back and shrugged. "I can see the main entrance for the Quarry from here. Do we go in that way, or do we want to try another approach?"

Alex frowned, thinking over their options. She thought she could hear the noise of fighting in the distance. "What are our options? Alessa and Audrey were… distracted when they showed me the place."

Joanna rolled her eyes. "Option one, we go in the front gate. That puts us in the Gravelyards with all of the dirt piles and sifting machinery outside the pit. There should be lots of Outposts and Camps, but it's also the route that will be the most obvious."

Sam raised his voice from the spot at the corner. "It looks like a team just went in that way. One of the Goldiron groups."

The Adept nodded. "Option two, we go up the road in that direction for a while and then hang a left. We'd come in around the Drainage Pool and hit the Gravelyard from behind. We'd be slower, but we might avoid some of the obvious chokepoints."

Clara raised her hand. Her eyes were glowing. "I vote that option. I'm already seeing plenty of Grue and Surveyors running around the front."

Alex looked at her in surprise. "We aren't going to get stopped by a few Grue, though, and we actually want to take down those Outposts before we have to get close to the Anchor Point, right?"

The Acolyte shrugged. "We can clear an Outpost or two without having to dive straight into the middle of everyone fighting. It might be easier to avoid… accidents that way."

Her reminder of the possibility of 'friendly' fire during the battle was unpleasant, but needed. Alex nodded slowly as Joanna continued.

"Option three, we sneak in past the Drainage Pool and ignore the Gravelyard entirely so that we can go straight into the Pit itself." She paused and made a face. "Seems like that would be the best way to get ourselves killed, since we'd be literally surrounded by Grue and diving right into the thick of them."

Sam looked back again. "Less overlap with the others, though, and more opportunities to hit fresh Outposts that haven't been cleared. Not saying I like the option, but it does have an upside."

"A suicidal one." They all looked at Earl, and he shrugged. "I might not be fighting, but I do have to come with you. I would like to get home in one piece."

Alex grinned at the Observer. "Are we worrying you, Earl?"

He grimaced. "All I'm saying is that the patrols are a bit thicker than they were last year, and even if you are quite skilled, everyone has their limit. I don't want to get caught in the middle of the Grue when you find yours."

"Then you shouldn't have taken the money, I guess." Alex looked back at the others. "What do we want? The flanking run or the frontal assault?"

Clara glanced at the others. "I say we flank." Joanna hesitated and then nodded, followed by Sam. Alex grimaced at the lost time and then reminded herself that a little delay was better than getting stabbed in the back by the Blackmist team.

She hefted her weapons. "Then it's time to move." They nodded, and they set out along the road, ignoring the turn that would have led them to the entrance.

They made their way along the road, listening as the distant noise of battle continued to get louder. Clara led the way, occasionally directing a glowing green glance at the trees to their left. Then she motioned to the others, and Alex led them straight into the woods, pushing through the undergrowth towards the Quarry.

She burst out of the trees a few moments later, her boots slipping a little on the dirt slope that led down into the rest of the area. Below her, she could see a cluster of Grue around a Camp's crystal, all facing in the direction of the sounds of battle. It looked like a number of their fellow creatures had already headed off in that direction, leaving the Camp far less defended than it would normally have been.

Alex sprinted down into the defenders, her axe and shield already raised. The closest Grue started to turn towards her, only to be shield-checked out of existence; by the time the others howled, the Surveyors were already among them, lashing out with ice, thorns, and mental blows that silenced them immediately. One Grue lifted a horn to try to call for help, only for Clara to shoot them down with a precise bolt to the face. Another lunged for the dropped horn, only for an icicle to burst from the ground and impale them.

The battle for the Camp was over in heartbeats, and the crystal shivered itself to pieces. Alex didn't pause to collect anything, however. Instead, she turned and headed up the dirt road, following it back in the direction of the Gravelyard. Her team followed, all moving as quickly and quietly as they could.

Their efforts at stealth paid off. Just up the road, they found an Outpost, nestled near the bottom of one of the debris piles. A massive pair of dump trucks had been turned on their sides, forming an impromptu fort; Alex could see flowers growing and crystals glowing within. The Grue guarding the place were all facing in the wrong direction, their anxious stares directed towards the louder conflict within the Gravelyard itself.

[Additional Objectives Located]

Alex charged the place, shaking away the orange text as it tried to float in front of her. A line of Mages, Killers, and Archers were gathered near the driver's cabs of the trucks, clearly expecting enemies to charge them from the other end. She slammed into their ranks at full speed, her axe already tearing wounds in their torsos and her shield smashing them to the ground. Sam was there a heartbeat later, his spear lashing out in precise, deadly strikes that left Grue to collapse in his wake.

As the other Grue started to turn, some of them found their feet frozen to the ground, pinning them in place. Others stiffened and collapsed as Clara's crossbow went to work, striking down Knights and Soldiers alike with precise shots. Another hornblower was cut down, and a burst of thorns prevented any of the survivors from getting to the instrument it had dropped. A Brute roared and charged forward, ready to bring its hammers down, only for Joanna to dart in front of it. Her blazing sword hacked straight through both weapons and plunged deep into the thing's chest, killing it instantly.

With the backline already down, Alex launched herself into the remainder of the defenders, her axe continuing to do a grim work among them. The fight was a few more moments of hot, bloody work, but the Grue stood no real chance.

[Battle Maneuvers*** increases to 23!]

[Objective Progress: 1 of 2 Outposts cleared.]

As the bodies burned, she turned to see Clara and Earl running up to join them. She gestured to the now-vacant Outpost. "Grab as much as you can. We need to keep moving."

Her team nodded, and Clara began pointing out the Flowers hidden among the rest of the weeds and other vegetation. Alex grabbed what she could, pausing long enough to yank shining crystals out of the rocks inside the truck beds as well.

[Objective Progress: 2 of 6 Hidden Flowers collected.]

[Objective Progress 3 of 4 Shining Slivers collected.]

Their efforts lasted only a few moments, but they seemed to last a lifetime. Alex spared just a few moments to grab a handful more things—a pair of slabs from Knights, a remnant left by a Brute, a handful of feathers from the Archers—and then they ran out of the Outpost, headed for the next location.

Alex led them in the direction that Clara pointed, heading for a small, boxy trailer a little further into the Gravelyard. It was surrounded by Grue, but it was clearly another Outpost. Flowers grew in beds placed just below the windows, and there was another cluster of slivers in a carefully arranged clump next to the larger rubble pile.

This time, however, the Grue had seen them coming. They were howling and trying to rearrange their formation, aiming weapons in her direction. Alex called on the Storm, funneling the air to divert the first hasty shots as she charged towards them. She heard Sam yelling above the sound about hitting the right flank, and she adjusted her course to slice through the Grue between the trailer and the rubble pile.

As they charged the Grue, the battle in the rest of the Gravelyard appeared to grow more intense. She could hear explosions now, and even though most of the other teams were concealed by the massive machinery and looming piles of rock and dust, she could still see the flashes of their magic and hear the echoing booms, howls, and shouts of combat. It sounded like most of the teams were here, in the Gravelyard, though she could also hear some fighting behind them as well, and even some in the direction of the Pit itself.

She set those distractions aside as she slammed into the Grue again, her shield turning aside a burst of purple fire as she hacked her way through a handful of Soldiers. As their ruined bodies fell, she lunged ahead and shield-checked a Knight hard enough to cave in its chest. It fell, and she spun beneath a sword slash to chop the legs from a second Knight. It fell between Alex and the Mage that had tried to kill her, just in time to take a second bolt of fire in the back.

The other Grue tried to turn and face her as she continued to butcher her way through their line, but that just left them open to the others. Sam darted through the lines, his spear killing with terrible accuracy, while Joanna cut her way through a cluster of Knights, her sword slashing through shields and torsos as if they were made of paper. Clara picked off the Mage who was still targeting Alex and followed it up with two more before moving on to targeting the Killers and Archers.

Alex grinned as the panicking Grue tried to pivot again and turned to tear her way through their line from the side. A pair of Brutes rushed at her, clearly hoping to slow her down. She blasted one in the face with a bolt of lightning that blinded it, leaving it to flail while she hacked the life out of its friend. When the blinded one lashed out with a flailing hammerblow, she blocked it with her shield before darting in to finish it off as well.

As the final defender fell, a Knight pinned to the wall of the trailer by Sam's spear, Alex turned to look up the rubble pile. There were Archers gathering at the top, led by a pair of Killers. Some of them were already drawing arrows back on their bows, ready to fire down on the Surveyors below. One shot zipped by her, and she narrowed her eyes. "All right, clear out this spot, then we go on to the top of that hill."

[Additional Objective Completed]

The others nodded, though Earl and Joanna both groaned. Alex yanked one of the Slivers out of the clump, avoiding an arrow as she did so, and then followed the Acolyte into the garden-encrusted trailer to pull more Flowers.

[Additional Objective Completed]

[Additional Objective Completed]

Alex found herself grinning as she tucked the last of the Flowers away. The sounds of battle seemed to be everywhere, but they were doing well. She already had most of her objectives done, and the last of her work would probably be done on the way back to the portal. All they needed to do was withdraw successfully, and then they would—

A low howl rose over the Gravelyard, echoing through the cold air. Another followed it shortly after, joined by another and another. Alex blinked, her mind filling with a sudden feeling of foreboding. She pushed her way out of the trailer and looked up towards the top of the pile, knowing that she'd find the source of the howls up there.

Liliana was looking down at her from the crest of the pile. The Shade looked absolutely triumphant, her staff clutched in her hand. As Alex stared up at her, Liliana tilted her head and glanced behind her.

Then she vanished, leaving only the Archers and Killers in her place. The Grue howled as they drew more arrows back, trying to snipe the Surveyors below.

Earl poked his head out of the trailer and frowned. "Ms. Morrison? What were those howls?"

Alex felt a chill. "I'm going up the hill. Follow when you can!"

She started running, her feet slipping as she sprinted up the side of the pile. The Storm once again answered her call, creating a swirling wall of wind in front of her to scatter the arrows as they rained down on her. Alex held her shield up in front of her, and she felt the impact of several arrows on its face. One of them slid past her guard and bounced off her shoulder armor; another whipped past her leg, opening a small cut.

Alex grunted at the pain and increased her speed, even as the howls continued to rise into the air. Her breath rasped in her throat as she pushed herself up the slope, sending chips of stone scattering back down behind her as she moved.

Above her, the Archers and Killers started to backpedal, their grey eyes wide. Some of them continued to fire at her, but others dropped their bows and drew axes, knives, and swords, preparing to fight her at close range.

Their attempts to brace for her arrival did not help them. Alex tore through the first three Archers without really trying; the first Killer that launched itself towards her was slapped aside, sending their limp body tumbling down the rubble pile. Another Killer drew back an arrow and died as a crossbow bolt slammed into its head. Archers died as flames blasted them from the crest of the pile, even as Alex carved her way through the rest of them, one strike at a time.

The Grue's morale broke mere moments later, and the creatures fled back down the pile. Alex started to chase after them, only to freeze in place as the scope of the battle around her became clear.

It seemed like the entire Gravelyard was consumed by war. Most of the fighting looked like it was happening to the north, where she could see at least four Goldiron teams tearing their way through the Camps and Outposts there. They hadn't made their way very far through the Gravelyard, and it looked like they were being swarmed by Grue. She saw at least one Grue go flying skyward, and guessed that was where Audrey's team was located, but it was hard to make it out for sure.

To her left, there were two more teams attacking the southwest corner of the Gravelyard. They'd come at the Grue from the embankment there. Again, they hadn't made much progress, but they were steadily cutting their way through the hordes that faced them. One of them looked like the Red Blade team, something she confirmed by the way they moved and fought. She remembered that competitive, straightforward way of charging into the Grue from when she'd fought alongside them.

The other team was from Blackmist. They still wore their concealing helmets, and they fought with a disturbing, silent focus. Grue pushed forward, and beams of brilliant magic blasted holes in their ranks. Light and flame burned through the incoming creatures, and counterattacks bounced off the massive shield that another of them carried. Those few who closed the distance were cut to pieces by a tall, wiry man who wielded a sword and knife in a terrifying blitz of attacks, or were smashed to the ground by an armored woman who simply punched the creatures with brutal efficiency.

Yet as the howls rose again, Alex's attention was pulled north and east, towards the entrance of the Pit, and her heart leapt into her throat as she found the Salmon Run team. They had somehow made their way down into the Pit itself, bypassing the Camps and guards on the winding dirt trail to strike at the Outposts at the bottom. Under most circumstances, it would have been an incredible move to gain access to vulnerable resources.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that kind of day.

The Ogres at the Anchor Point were moving, and so was every Grue in the Pit. Alex's eyes grew wide as she saw that horde of enemies close in on the Surveyors below. The Salmons knew they were in trouble; they were fighting to get back up the dirt trail, obviously hoping to escape the incoming wave of creatures, but they weren't going to make it. Their pursuers were moving too fast, and there were too many Grue in the way.

It shouldn't have happened that way. Grue cooperated to defend some places, but a horde like that shouldn't have gathered unless the Anchor Point was directly threatened. The Ogres should definitely not be out hunting without a direct attack, and even the Salmons hadn't gotten anywhere near. Why were they moving?

She thought she saw a flicker of Liliana near the Anchor Point, and she knew, she knew, that the Shade had somehow seized control. When she looked back at the Ogres, she saw at least two of them glance up. Their giant eyes locked on her, just for a moment.

Realization set in, and she turned as the rest of her team arrived on the hill behind her.

"Liliana is coming after us. The Salmons are caught in it."

Clara's expression twisted. "Of course she is." She snapped off a shot at the Camp at the bottom of the pile. Her crossbow bolt struck the crystal itself, wedging itself into the crack. She reloaded as she spoke. "Can we reach them?"

"At least we can clear the Camps on the trail." Alex looked around and grimaced. "And maybe we can keep the Ogres bottled up in the Pit. Otherwise…"

Joanna grunted. "They get to all of us." Clara took another shot, mirrored by the howls of the Grue below. "You know we won't last long against them."

Alex nodded. "We've surprised ourselves before." It was a bold comment, but she knew it wasn't true. A team of D ranks against an Ogre had almost no chance. A team of D ranks facing multiple Ogres…

She shook off the thought and looked at Earl. "If you're coming, then you'll need to keep up."

The Observer's face went pale. He shook his head. "I think I'll… stay here."

Sam coughed into his hand. He grinned at Alex. "I guess that means we won't need to hold back then."

She nodded. With Earl gone, she'd be able to use her Pioneer abilities, hopefully without being noticed. Not that it would make that much of a difference. "Then let's go." Clara fired one last shot, and there was a sudden explosion at the bottom of the pile. Alex looked down and saw that the Camp had exploded; the howling remnants of the defenders were already fading.

Then they ran down the pile, heading straight toward the pathway. The Grue howled ahead of them.