Alexander decided to head to Congo several hours earlier than Ridley and he had initially agreed upon. To Alexanders abject horror, he saw a line of several dozen employees holding up signs as he pulled into the parking lot. Scrawled on cardboard cut squares were several concerning statements.

  ‘Don’t take my phone!’

  ‘More work, more dinero!’

  ‘No more spiders in the bathrooms!’

  Driving past the employees, he instinctively hid his face as they jeered at him. As he parked he noticed an unusual number of open spots. Whatever Ridley had done had been effective.

  After he passed through security he found operations ground to a halt. Only a few of the robot sorters were still operating. The whole distribution center felt eerily still as the bustle of employees was distinctly missing. He first made way to see Susan in her office.

  When he knocked on her door she cursed as she scrambled to shuffle some papers.

  “Come in!” She shouted.

  Alexander stepped inside to see a visibly distressed Susan.

  “Alexander! I need your help. If I can just find a few dozen people to come in off shift and work overtime for a few weeks we can wait these miscreants out!”

  Alexander sighed, “Susan, have you looked outside? A massive storm is about to hit us.”

  “What? There were no storms in any forecasts.”

  “It came out of nowhere, as you know, the weather teams aren’t always the most reliable. It may be some kind of squall. I would recommend we send people home rather than call them in. You could say its for safety concerns.”

  “I suppose it could cover for this sudden turn of employees. Maybe it will cool their tempers. Drat! Let me get a look outside before I make the call.”

  Alexander gestured that he would follow. They crossed to the airport runway and looked out at the approaching storm. Electricity was in the air, but Alexander had a sense that only he would be able to feel it. As he trailed Susan he touched his glasses and activated them.

  ^

  Glasses of Discerning Magic

  Grade: Uncommon

  Ability: When you use Detect Magic while wearing this item you gain additional insights

  Alexander got the idea for these glasses when he saw Gruffel’s expression as he played with his monocle. He had a feeling the old goat had tried to give him many subtle hints to bypass the systems restrictions.

  As he used detect magic the electricity he felt in the air intensified and he could see a magic surge in the center of the runway. As he focused with his glasses he could make out a shifting color outline of the phenomena. Unexpectedly, he could also see a faint trail of wispy color leading to the air traffic control tower. As he focused on the trail he received a prompt.

  ^

  Hidden Quest!

  Summoned Resentment - part 3

  An unknown entity is targeting you for capture by hijacking one of the world quest

  portals, threatening mass casualties and property destruction.

  Objective: Capture or kill the summoner

  Quest rewards:

  -1000 xp

  -50 silver

  -Mystery box (rare)

  Time until event: 1 hour 13 minutes

  Alexander felt a small wave of nausea as he read the quest. Most of the employees were away from the portal, but he needed to get the rest of the employees to safety. He regretted being forced to push Susan along, but he felt magical coercion was the right move at this point.

  “That storm front looks abnormally strong. I suggest we get people to safety as well as inform our striking employees of the danger.”

  As he cast the suggestion a silver wisp of what he assumed was mana formed a pattern that extended from his chest and touched Susan's forehead. When it connected it faded away like smoke into the air.

  “Yes, of course you are right. That would be the logical best step.” Susan said turning to head back to her office to a rarely used speaker system that would make the announcement.

  Alexander felt bad about his actions, but didn’t follow her. He instead went to get his war bag.

  Alexander sat in wait for people to start leaving Congo before pulling out his equipment. First, he had prepared for the weather. Alexander donned his company-issued rain jacket—brown with navy blue sleeves, typically worn by cargo loaders working outdoors in the rain. He descended the steps at an abandoned loading ramp down to the airstrip. Looking up at the control tower he felt annoyance at whomever was trying to complicate an already taxing situation.

  Moving to cross the runway he paused, reconsidering his approach. He stepped into a camera blind spot and pulled out a spell book he had been saving, “minor invisibility.” Upon choosing to learn the spell the book disappeared.

  Looking down, he found it disorienting to see no trace of his body. However, he appreciated the spell's practicality—particularly in evading employees who wasted time with endless questions already covered in the employee handbook.

  Invisible and weather ready, he marched forward to investigate the tower.

  Halfway across the runway, Alexander sensed a shift in the magical energy to his left. The space where the major energy he detected before was gathered. He stepped towards it to get a better sense for it. As he got close his glasses began to glow and he felt lead to focus and concentrate on the swirling magic.

  ^

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  Would you like to attempt to identify the anomaly?

  Yes/No

  “Well this is convenient.” Alexander exclaimed, mentally patting himself on the back for investing in his eyewear.

  Without hesitation he chose yes.

  A flood of automated calculations surged through his mind, pulling from every book he’d read and even unfamiliar knowledge that clicked into place. He grabbed his head with his hand as a sharp pain resolved into a minor headache

  ^

  Identification successful. The anomaly is a node primed for a singularity.

  This is where a dimensional rift is potentially about to open.

  You have gained a level in the intermediate skill Arcana!

  Arcana level 6:

  You have 2 points to distribute to your Arcana skill tree.

  Alexander took a second to gather himself after the surprising pain. As he read the prompt he was glad to see Arcana level up again so quickly. Looking at the potential dimensional rift and thinking about the army threat, he decided now might be the ideal time to test his idea.

  He opened his skill tree and placed his new points into the intermediate skill glyph chain. An ability that allowed him to make a series of glyphs that would trigger together and even cascade into other glyph conditions. His intuitive knowledge and mental flexibility combined into a mental picture of glyphs with beautiful arcs and complex angles. He took a step back and imagined enemies pouring through a gate before pulling out a grease pen from his backpack. Nodding to himself, he knelt down and began to draw.

  Alexander lost himself in a giant tapestry, almost oblivious to the individual glyphs, as those were but a small part of the massive canvas. Four, then eight, then sixteen glyphs were done over the course of the next twenty minutes. He had to sharpen the pen a half dozen times. Each glyph took a chunk of his mana points and before he realized it he had downed one of his canteens of coffee, surging his mana up past his original pool size. After another fifteen minutes he took a deep breath and relaxed.

  Standing up he looked at what he considered to be a practical and efficient chain glyph. He begrudgingly had to admit that there was a creative aspect to what he had done. Eight large outer glyphs, surrounding twelve medium sized glyphs, and at the center four smaller core glyphs. The glyphs, in all, covered a thirty by thirty foot area. There was room for improvement, but Alexander was content with the result. He was slightly disappointed he didn’t receive any skill levels for it.

  Alexander wondered if his dexterity had helped him cut down the time it took to draw the circle when he checked the time. Feeling pressed for time, he turned and continued toward the tower.

  At the door, he faced a problem: no keycard. He focused on the door gap, specifically on the latch bolt. Concentrating on his own will for how he wanted the spell to manifest, he pictured a small sharp blade of wind cutting through the metal as he muttered.

  “Piercing wind.”

  ^

  You have gained a level in the skill Spell-casting!

  Spell-casting level 7

  You have 1 point to distribute to your Spell-casting skill tree.

  A small, intensely sharp blade of wind sliced into the metal, but didn’t cut all the way through. This did not bother Alexander, as he was glad it wasn’t always so simple. Magic would get boring if it was a perfect solution to every problem. Seeing that the mana used was negligible, he cast it again. After four castings he had cut deeply enough to yank on the door handle and snap the rest of the way through the security door.

  Peering through the door he froze, finally realizing he was about to break the law. Not a simple trespassing infraction either. This would be a felony for certain given aviation’s strict regulations. Panic set in as he questioned the mighty weight of the law that loomed over his head. After a minute of calming himself and weighing his choices, he resolved himself.

  “Congo needs me to do this.”

  Closing the door behind him, Alexander climbed the tower’s steps, avoiding the tiny elevator to prevent being exposed if it opened to a crowded room. Near the top, he overheard two men discussing an action hero movie—something about an iron man.

  Their equipment was on, but they were idly playing on their phones, discussing movie theories. One had long hair in a ponytail and a scraggly beard; the other sported comic book-related tattoos. A faint silvery magical aura radiated from their heads, though their senses seemed dulled. Alexander watched them for a moment but assumed that these two were not the perpetrators. It may be a mental magic used on them as he had just witnessed a similar color of mana when he had used the suggestion on Susan.

  Alexander felt a stronger magic in the area and he followed it to the other side of the large windowed room, to a door labelled ‘break room’. Pressing his ear to the door, he was able to make out a muffled female voice shouting. Twisting the handle he slowly pushed open the door, he peeked inside and saw a large woman seated at a table, her back to him.

  “Look, if I am going to pay for shipping it should at least arrive within two days! If Congo can do it for free don’t you think that is a reasonable expectation!?” The woman ranted as she tapped a foot impatiently.

  Both of her hands were placed on an open book that radiated magic. Her smartphone was pinned between her shoulder and ear as she continued.

  “I don’t care where it’s coming from! China isn’t a third world country! They have planes don’t they?”

  Alexander slipped into the small break room, noting two sets of tables and chairs, a kitchen area with a refrigerator, and a single bathroom. The book, worn and stained like an antique, lay before her, alongside a packed lunch and a giant QT soda. Dropping his invisibility, he took a deep breath and shouted, “KAREN!”

  “AH! JESUS! What the heck!?” Karen dropped her phone and spun awkwardly, one hand still on her book. “Alexander!? You little narc! What are you doing here? And for the love of all that is Gucci, MY NAME IS SHARON!”

  Alexander was taken aback at the incongruence of seeing Karen here.

  “Is that your lunch? Or are you still stealing them from break room refrigerators? Wait, that’s not important. What is that book? ”

  Sharon calmed herself, took a deep breath, and grinned wickedly. “I have decided to get what I always deserved.”

  “You honestly think you deserve the Human Resources Manager position?” Alexander scoffed.

  “What? No! Eww! What I deserve is an army to do my bidding! I deserve to have a mansion, and my feet rubbed by my adoring followers! And a Lexus.”

  “So you really are a summoner?” Alexander said.

  “And you really are a virgin! What the heck is up with your hat! Ha! You’re a dumbass.”

  They glared at each other before Alexander pointed at the book and cast piercing winds, attempting to cut it to pieces. To Alexander’s surprise, the book’s glow intensified.

  “Aww, are you pumping extra magic into my spell for me? According to the friendly blue screen the more I pour in, the more powerful the army. That’s why I decided not to half ass it this time. Though the effects are still a bit random you might be happy to know that you are still a primary target. Along with my Ex.” Sharon taunted.

  “This time?” Alexander asked as he slowly stepped closer.

  “Of course! Who do you think sent those minions to attack you?”

  “All this because of warm soda?” Alexander questioned.

  “What? That was you? You little…” she huffed, her grin faltering. “Because you got me fired and embarrassed me! Holy crap Alexander! You make me sound so petty having to spell it out for you!”

  “I’m pretty sure you would sound petty no matter how you conveyed your ploy.” Alexander pointed out taking another step.

  As Sharons mouth gaped in outrage at the insult, Alexander lunged for the book. Sharon turned and blocked him with her back, pivoting to keep the book out of reach. They shuffled left and right as Alexander awkwardly tried to reach around Sharon.

  “Ahh! Quit molesting me! Ack! This is assault! Sexual harassment!” she screamed.

  Alexander reflexively backed off at this accusation. He found the confrontation baffling.

  “What? You want some?” Sharon taunted, kicking a leg out towards him, hands still on the book. “Well I got news for you. You’re already too late. Doesn’t matter if you take my book away from me. All it does is change the power of the summoning! And at this point that sucker gonna be huuuuge. I got no time for small fry summonings.” She lifted the book in the air and slammed it shut.

  The magic in the air fluctuated. Alexander could see waves that distorted the air before feeling a tremor in the floor.

  ^

  Update:

  You are invited to a global event!

  Sharon the Summoner is attempting to seize control of a local territory!

  Objective: Stop the army from claiming territory.

  Your Location: Congo Distribution Center - Mekland, OK

  Time until attack: 9 minutes

  Quest rewards:

  -Crystalized Essence of Choice

  -2500 xp

  -50 silver

  -Mystery Box (uncommon)

  “Hell yeah! Here they come, virgin!” Sharon taunted as she danced a jig, “And ya know what? I left an extra bit of magic in the tank just for you.”

  Alexander’s glasses showed magic moving around Sharon as she shouted, “Paralyze!”

  “Webs!” Alexander cast simultaneously before his body went riged and he hit the floor.

  Sharon was pushed against the wall, bound from feet to neck in webs.

  “Release me you nerdy twerp! I am going to sue you so hard!” she shrieked.

  Paralyzed, and thus mute, Alexander couldn’t respond. As Sharon’s profanity laced rant continued, Alexander simply felt dread rising up at the impending damage to his beloved distribution center.