Alex shrugged it off and smiled sincerely. “I can see where you were coming from,” she admitted. “I don’t know if I would have been too keen on trusting a rookie.”
“You don’t handle yourself like a rookie. That was some expert commanding I saw going on back there. Not a lot of people can get that much teamwork from a team on their first mission, let alone someone who hasn’t gone through the Nest’s training program. Like I said, impressive.”
Alborn and Alex talked more as they made their way to the facility. Alborn explained that leadership wasn’t something he had ever wanted, nor was it something he felt suited for. But his family had always been military, thus he was military. He said he wished he could have been a farmer instead.
Alex listened intently as Alborn spoke. She hadn’t thought about how the war had affected people who hadn’t wanted to pick up a sword to begin with. It was impressive that there were people like Alborn who had answered the call of duty, regardless of their own desires.
Once Alborn was finished, Alex returned to Team Boundless, listening to Brath and Jollies talking to each other. Brath was amazed by the last attack Jollies had performed and was trying to get the pixie to tell him how she had done it.
Jollies playfully refused, trying for as many compliments as she could get. That was when Brath admitted he had been having problems with Furi. Turned out, the gnome’s and the dragon’s personalities were too similar, both brash and angry. It made it hard to manage together.
Gill cut into Jollies’ and Brath’s conversation. “That’s why I keep saying you need to start meditating with me,” the drow said. “It would help you calm down. Give you some inner stability.”
Brath sighed and tried to ignore Gill, but he just reiterated his point, not taking no for an answer. “I’m sorry!” Brath finally exploded. “It’s just so boring. Who wants to sit in a forest for an hour with their eyes closed, concentrating on their breathing? I’m surprised you don’t go crazy.”
“Calm is something a warrior must embrace. It allows one to look at the battlefield coolly rather than being overwhelmed. Take Alex, for instance.”
Alex threw up her hands, trying to keep the conversation from turning to her. “Whoa, hold on there,” she interjected. “Don’t bring me into this.”
Gill gave Alex a quizzical look. “Why not? You were the definition of calmness today,” the drow said. “We were clearly outnumbered and didn’t have the support of our comrades, yet you took charge and led us to victory.”
Alex blushed as she tried to find words. “Okay, for one, I didn’t lead us to victory. We were all there, and we all did our part. Secondly, I was not calm. I was freaking out the entire time. Honestly, I’m surprised we’re still alive.”
“Exactly my point. Inwardly, you might have been tumultuous, but outwardly, you were in control.”
Jim shifted on his mech’s back and laughed. “Yeah, that’s how Alex always was in VR,” he added. “She never seemed stressed about any of the crazy stunts she was pulling. Made them look easy. Like today, when she went for the balrog’s head? I would never have had the guts to do that.”
Alex remained quiet, embarrassed by their praise. Chine’s voice cut into her head. Your friends respect you a lot, and so do the other dragons. It’s admirable, and you’ve earned it.
Alex scratched the back of Chine’s head behind his ears. You have too. You were amazing out there.
We were amazing.
When the dragonriders landed at the mineral processing plant, they were greeted by the mech riders who’d transported the materials and Commander Pinelt, the overseer of the facility. Pinelt brought them inside and led them to the dining hall, where they could have a meal.
The mech riders were extremely grateful for the support Boundless and Alborn had provided. They said they would mention it in their reports.
The dining hall wasn’t much different from the one at the Nest, although not nearly as magical. The dragonriders helped themselves to food from the buffet area and took their seats, ravenously eating in silence.
During the meal, Alex checked her messages to see what their next step was going to be. Their mission outline hadn’t included information on what to do once they had finished transporting the minerals. “Are we just supposed to wait here until someone gets in touch with us?” she asked Gill.
Gill put down his fork and pushed his plate away. “I’m not certain,” he admitted. “Probably something we should have figured out ahead of time.”
Alborn and the rest of his squad had left the dining hall some time ago. Alex rose from her chair and brushed her hair back from her face. “I’m going to go check with Alborn,” she told the team. “He probably has a better idea of what should happen next. I’ll catch up with you guys in a bit.”
Alex left the dining hall and wandered through the facility. She didn’t have the slightest clue where she was going but figured it couldn’t be any harder than finding her way in the Wasp’s Nest, and that was when she had mostly been blind.
As Alex walked around, she saw the different areas of the facility. It seemed to be more of a processing plant than a military base. There were glass walls everywhere, which allowed her to watch the weapon-making process. Giant machines were pounding the minerals.
Elvish mages in white coats walked between the machines, checking the integrity of the minerals.
Another section was an active firing range where dwarves tested energy weapons, firing at moving targets of trolls, giants, and griffons.
Alex walked past a mage who was dressed in white and carried a clipboard. “Excuse me,” Alex called. “I’m lost. You think you could help me?”
The mage looked up from his clipboard, not trying to mask his annoyance. “What are you looking for?” he snapped.
“I’m trying
