Bonded Summoner

Book 6. Chapter 24: Alex - Earth Integration

Alex dug deep, finishing the final squat lift for the set. His heart was pounding as he placed the weight back on the rack, his chest heaving as he tried to fill his lungs with air. Sweat poured down his face, so he grabbed a towel and rubbed himself dry before cleaning up his area.

Utterly exhausted, he checked his smartwatch to see if the strange contraption deemed his efforts over the last two hours were finally worthy.

Nice work! Workout completed. +10 XP

Strength increased from 11 to 12 +500 XP

Bonus Level 5 Reached! +10% Attribute bonus in game earned.

Alex pumped his fist, and just barely kept himself from exclaiming out loud. The last time he did that, several people in the gym glared at him.

In the last year he had begun working out for benefits within the newest game, Infinite Labyrinth VR, and had finally reached an important milestone.

How it knew he was stronger now as a result of his workout he didn’t know, but the results spoke for themselves. Alex had come a long way in the last year, where he was only a pitiful 7 in strength, in just horrible shape.

He would finally get a significant advantage in the game, the previous levels only granting mild improvements to earnings or unlocking special additional training events and resources.

Why a VR game started providing benefits for personal improvement outside the game was beyond him, but he was a sucker for earning benefits inside of the addictive game. Even the strange books he read within it had a benefit to this bonus, but they topped out at a certain point.

Besides, one could only read so many books on weird magical theories before your brain just felt fried, even if it appeared to help his character in the game for some reason.

That working out helped his body become better than its original…oblong, unflattering shape, was an immense benefit.

What he really did enjoy was how skills in the game appeared to transfer decently in real life, especially after his body improved. On a whim, he had joined a beginner’s martial arts class, and had caught on insanely quickly–his experience in foot work and balance from his tank class in the game transferring substantially.

Alex wasn’t the only one, as many other people were noticing the power of the special VR in learning unique skills. From dancing to sword fighting, people could learn skills in The Infinite Labyrinth VR, and then use them in real life–or vice versa.

Finishing toweling off, he left to the locker room to get changed. He’d head home, and then–

[Tess: Are you almost done? Hurry up and get online, so we can run another dungeon! I have a cool new staff I want to show you!! =^.^=]

Alex smiled at Tess’s text. The girl was cute, and fun to be around. They had been playing together for a year now, and she was a part of the motivation for him to improve himself. The two made the perfect team: he was the tank, and she was a healer.

That allowed them to team up with nearly any DPS and have a solid group, or just adventure together just the two of them.

Though, it was just her in-game avatar that was cute. He had no idea what she looked like in real life, as she would divert the conversation anytime conversation started heading that way–which was fine for him because he was the same way. The only thing he knew for sure, which excited him, was that she lived nearby.

For whatever reason, the server it set you up on was aligned geographically.

Alex hadn’t been proud of his real life body, at least until now. He hoped that soon…they’d be able to meet in person. They had flirted with each other in the game, but something about it was just not the same. Besides, the game didn’t allow for more… adult activities.

[Alex: Heading home now. I finally got it: Bonus Level 5!]

[Tess: Wow, way to go, Alex! I’m…still only at level two, and most of that was from reading those weird books. You must’ve been working really hard!]

He sent a thumbs up emoji and started his trek home in a hurry. Of course, he had some guesses about Tess’s situation. She was nearly never not online, and he had earned a couple of hints.

Multiple times she had mentioned a profound dislike for hospital food and doctors, and he thought there was a strong chance she lived at one, or at the very least spent a long time at one.

Arriving home, he showered and had a quick premade dinner.

He was sitting at his small table by the window finishing his meal, when something crazy happened: the entire sky was blanketed in golden light. Like golden…hexagons covered the sky, and strange sigils like the ones he saw in game appeared.

It said that…the Framework had arrived, and–

His TV turned on suddenly, and on the display was a strange…green and black golem of some kind. It kind of stood there motionless, with symbols that said there was an important announcement. It only took about thirty seconds of this before his phone rang–it was Tess on the phone.

“Hello? Are you seeing this, Tess?”

Her voice was filled with excitement, “I am! Are you okay there, Alex? Car alarms are going off here and some people are breaking windows!”

Alex looked around outside seeing nothing really out of the ordinary, and he raised his brow. “I’m…good. What about you, are you okay? That sounds…dangerous.”

“I’m fine. I don’t think people will bother me where I’m at. Are you seeing this golem guy on the TV?”

“Y-Yeah.”

The golem began to speak, his voice deep and rumbling. “Greetings, People of Earth. You may be shocked that your scheduled programming is interrupted with my…strange, to you, visage. Or maybe you were listening to the radio, or speaking with a loved one on a video call–or you tuned in once you saw the strange warning in the sky. Nevertheless, I have taken control of all means of communication for the moment.”

The creature continued, “My Name is Administrator Kintrel, an Earl of the Alliance. I have important news, and not all of it is what you might consider good. Earth is at war, and has been at war for thousands of years in secret against a terrible eldritch entity we call Tartarus. It threatens to consume everything, and it cannot be reasoned with. Your only choice is to fight, or hope that others can protect you and your world in your stead. In this war, people fight this entity in battles against monsters that resemble those seen in MMORPG games. Most significantly, The Infinite Labyrinth.”

Alex was a bit shocked that the game he played had something to do with any of this.

“The biggest piece of good news is that in this secret war on Earth, the first battle was already won. Thanks to thousands of individuals over your past, your world has now been safely integrated into the Yggdrasil and the Framework, granting you potential and opportunity both. Ten of the top parties involved in winning this opportunity will be here to aid in your integration, and should be venerated for their merit.”

“For if they hadn’t succeeded, this message would be much more grim. Monsters would be encroaching your cities and slaughtering people in your suburbs with little warning. The humans of Earth were far from ready for this threat, and thus a tremendous opportunity has been won instead, but the war still continues. Even in just your Sector, there are around a thousand worlds just like Earth fighting against Tartarus, the war never-ending. Having won the first battle, it will be a time before the next. However, Earth must prepare.”

Administrator Kintrel continued to talk, about how the mana in the world would increase over the coming years. It would change their world, changing how technology was required to work, as electronics would not function properly with mana as they were.

It appeared there was an EMP-like effect from mana being drawn into the world that couldn’t be fully avoided. Electronics would go haywire during this time, unable to function when mana levels were at a certain threshold.

Then, anyone could now join the Framework, turning himself into…a video game character–just like the ones in The Infinite Labyrinth VR. In fact, this was designed as a training simulation for the millions of players that used it, and even this bonus system was created to prepare people’s bodies and minds for this very event.

“I…I can’t believe it. Magic is real!” Tess appeared to be filled with excitement.

“You…aren’t you scared about this war? Why are you excited?”

“I…have my reasons. Besides, isn’t it kind of cool? We can become like our video game characters!”

Alex did think that was kind of neat, but he played a tank. Didn’t that mean he would get his ass beat-down by everything? Just imagining a big monster flinging him across the room caused him to shiver.

They listened to Administrator Kintrel for a time, until he revealed a startling detail, “Earth is a special world, with a population exceeding eight billion. It has a unique heritage, with bloodlines from all over the multiverse. It is for that reason, that the Sector Council have approved a special integration event.”

The golem gestured, and a map of the world was shown with many dots. It spun as the golem talked, and Alex thought he saw one where they were: New York.

“Temporary artificial dungeons will be formed across the world, to regulate the mana levels of Earth. Those that complete them within the coming years will receive substantial benefits, unlocking paths to power far above those seen in a newly integrated world. Once joined to the Framework, you will be forced to fight in this war, but this event will postpone the requirement for joining Incursions or defending Contested Worlds. Instead, this is a tremendous opportunity, that Earth should embrace with wide arms.”

The Administrator continued, this forced broadcast continuing far beyond what Alex expected. It took nearly thirty minutes for the golem to drone on about all the details.

Alex imagined the governments of the world were not going to like this, but it appeared those in power had no control or power over this Administrator and his technology, let alone how the golden hexagons appeared in the sky.

The message in the sky was much shorter, the strange glyphs somehow readable to Alex’s mind. However, it only warned about the war, Nexus Nodes, and Alliance HQ’s, and to seek them out, along with the warning of the EMP-like effect coming in a time.

Unfortunately, despite the efforts of the Alliance, a small amount of mana would flood the Earth when they created the Alliance HQ’s and the dungeons, and there was a countdown timer for when this would happen.

Tess had gone quiet for a time, and Alex didn’t know what to make of all this. He had enjoyed fighting in The Infinite Labyrinth VR, but that was without pain, and without true danger. While it sounded like he would be resurrected if he died… wasn’t dying incredibly painful?

He couldn’t imagine how terrifying it would be to actually be eaten by one of these horrible monsters. His bones crunching as giant teeth pierced his flesh… he shivered.

Tess’s voice was firm. “Alex… I’m going to do it. I’m going to join.”

“What! Tess…why? You want to fight in a war?”

“You heard him, we can learn magic! Our bodies will be changed… I need it. I… could use your help, Alex.”

“Need my help? Why?”

“I… haven’t told you this, but… I’m dying. They won’t let me leave the hospital on my own, so, I’ll need your help to sneak me to this Nexus Node thing they talked about.”

Alex gasped in shock, and it felt like he was punched in the gut, learning this. While he had guessed something like this, he was still shocked that things were so dire for her. His heart felt like it was being gripped at the news of his… friend dying.

Despite not knowing her in person, he felt like he cared about her a lot. They had been through a lot together and were the best of friends, and he really enjoyed his time with her.

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His voice was quiet, his thoughts conflicted. “Then what? You’ll just fight in this dungeon by yourself?”

“If I have to. I might get lucky! What if I can be a healer like I am in the game? I might be able to just heal myself! And if I die from my heart… won’t I just get resurrected?”

“But you’ll have to keep fighting. It seems retirement is possible after many years, but that means your life will be full of battling monsters!”

“We kind of liked it when it was a game, at least? I think it’s great, we’ll be able to explore new worlds and travel, something that I can’t even do right now. It’s better than dying alone in the hospital. If I have to choose to be weak or fight to be strong, I choose to fight! I’ll do it alone if I have to.”

“Alone! I…” Alex hesitated.

“You don’t have to join too if you don’t want to. If you just get me outside and into a wheelchair, that’s all I need. I… don’t have anyone else to ask, Alex. Please?” Her voice sounded desperate, and Alex’s chest tightened.

Just why didn’t Tess tell him about her situation? He cared about her, and that she didn’t open up to him kind of hurt. Thinking on it further, he realized she probably didn’t want to burden him with it. She definitely seemed like someone who didn’t want his pity or sympathy. Perhaps, it was only because of this strange situation that she brought this up at all.

“Is there a reason you have to be in such a hurry? We should be able to go any time.”

“Now’s the best time to break out! The EMP thing should only last a few minutes, but also… I might not have that much time left. Remember how I was gone three weeks ago? That surgery…didn’t go too well.”

Worry gripped Alex, his heart leaping out of his chest for his friend. “I… I’ll do my best to get you there. Just tell me where to go.”

“Great, I knew I could count on you, Alex! Now, my hospital is located…”

Alex wasn’t sure what he would do once he got her out, but he was filled with determination. He would help Tess, that he was sure of. There was still time before this EMP-thing, but some details were given about where the Nexus Node would appear too–the general area. If he was quick, he just might be able to make it in time.

***

Arriving at the hospital, Alex only had about thirty minutes left–since he had made a quick stop at the local Walmart for some scrubs, and the traffic downtown was crazy! At a glance from a distance, he would at least look the part somewhat.

Carrying his backpack, he should look like a nurse that just arrived for his shift–he hoped.

And as he walked through the front doors, he realized that this just might work. The lobby was nearly packed, people worried about their loved ones. Nurses and doctors flittered about, far too busy dealing with the crowd and patients.

Alex realized that there were certain types of patients that might actually expire in just a few minutes while the electronics went haywire if special precautions were not taken.

Thankfully, it was not a true EMP effect, and once the mana levels stabilized, electronics would begin to work properly once again, according to the…golem guy. Despite not really knowing the layout of the hospital aside from Tess’s directions, Alex did his best to make his steps look purposeful, like he belonged.

He wore his old student ID on a lanyard, though he had his ID facing the wrong way as he walked through the hospital. Arriving in the room she identified, seeing her hooked up to all the machines was like a punch in the gut.

Her body was small and emaciated, a ventilator hooked up to her face. IV’s were hooked into her wrists, and she had several grafts on her for connecting other tubes–which were not connected at this moment. He was completely shocked at the number of them and her weak form, as she turned to face him.

Tears filled her eyes, as she removed the ventilator. “That look–that’s why I didn’t want to tell you. I… didn’t want you to know me like this. Close the door.”

“I–I’m sorry. It’s just…a shock.” He closed the door, and moved further into the room.

“I…know that. I don’t blame you…but it still hurts.”

Alex did his best to meet her eyes, and keep his thoughts away from thinking about how she must have suffered. With his help, she would be moving onto a better life. Still, he looked at all the machines with a bit of worry.

“What um…do you have? Are you sure… you can make the trip?”

Tess sighed. “I have CHF, congestive heart failure. We’re a bit lucky: they disconnected the dialysis machine in preparation for the event. The oxygen mask just helps me keep my oxygen levels high, so I can last…quite a bit of time outside, a few hours should be possible. Enough time to become a player!”

“Things are…starting to get a bit crazy out there. I’ll do my best to bring you to the Nexus Node, but it seems like it could be dangerous.”

Car alarms were going off everywhere, and police were already out in full force. They were trying to prevent rioting and looting, and Alex figured they had already somewhat barricaded the area near the destination.

“Stand over there, and get ready to hide if a nurse comes to check on me.”

As they waited for the moment, she walked him through how they would make their escape. She had a wheelchair already for making it to the bathroom on her own, having worked hard both for the privilege and the capability.

They killed a bit of time browsing their phones, watching their various feeds of information. It seemed talk about this Framework was all over the news.

Tess giggled. “Look at this!”

She showed him a strange woman, with horns on her head, eating various foods. Tess licked her lips, watching the girl happily crunch on odd food, some of which looked like … some very exotic foods. Almost like monster parts?

Alex frowned. This was like the weirdest thing he ever saw people watch. Why would anyone want to watch someone else eat? “Why are you watching her eat? … And why is she cosplaying like that? Do people get off on that, or something?”

Tess blushed. “I–I don’t get off on it! I… can’t eat very much, let alone anything I can enjoy, so I like to watch other people enjoying eating lots of food.”

“I…okay. That’s just…weird to me.”

She groaned. “It–It’s not that weird! Lots of people watch her, it’s called mukbang, see! She has over a million followers now! But that’s not why I’m showing you, look!”

The camera suddenly backed away, and Alex’s eyes widened in shock. It was…some kind of snake woman, with golden scales and white hair!

The woman waved, “Hi, watchers! Bestest Snake Girl here! The Framework has come to Earth, and so now I can talk to you! Guess what? I am very real, just like the… Administrator Kintrel guy. And I have news for you too!”

The girl went on, to tell them more about the multiverse, guilds, and more. The two of them listened intently, until the video came to an end.

“Wow, she’s the Champion of the goddess Echidna, and going to be coming here, to Manhattan! We might see her! Oh, she’s not the only one.”

Alex frowned. “Echidna? Isn’t that like the bad guy, usually?”

Other videos of some of the other heroes from Earth were found, various warriors from all over the world using some form of news show or social media to interact with the people of Earth.

Alex noted, “They’re really recruiting us. Huh, this must be a real opportunity for both sides then. Are people from Earth really that useful?”

A knock on the door sounded, and Alex dived underneath the bed. They nearly got caught, a nurse suddenly checking on her. Tess was happy to alleviate the nurse’s concerns after she turned off the oxygen pump. Only a couple of minutes left to go.

“You’re such a little trooper, Tess! I’ll check in on you as soon as I can. A few of us will be pumping oxygen manually for the more dire patients, but hopefully things will sort themselves out quickly. Ten minutes is not that long. You sure you don’t need anything?”

“I’m good, thanks. I’ll be…fine on my own.”

The nurse left, and they both breathed a sigh of relief.

When the lights went out and they felt a minor earthquake, they made their move. He wheeled her out an emergency exit, happy that the alarm didn’t even go off. Outside it was nearly pandemonium, but he weaved her through the crowds toward their destination at a light jog.

Tess’s small body bounced, but she held on, keeping herself from falling out of her chair. To Alex’s shock, he saw fires lighting up, and even heard some gunshots.

Grimacing, he picked up their pace. This was supposed to be a relatively safe integration, but he was sure some people had already died. They were getting close to Central Park, but Alex was starting to worry about getting Tess there safely.

Thankfully, the two buildings were already visible. The Alliance HQ and the Dungeon could be seen in the distance, a tower and a monolith that didn’t look too large compared to the various skyscrapers in the city.

“Oh my god, Alex, look! A plane is falling!”

Alex’s eyes widened as he looked at the sky, slowing his pace. “Holy fuck! It’s going to crash into that building!”

“I thought they should have landed, knowing about the EMP-like effect coming. Did they ignore it?”

Suddenly something shifted, almost like when he felt the earthquake before. A wave of bright lights exploded from near the Alliance HQ, and four forms rose to the sky, colored in red and gold.

Alex couldn’t even make out their descriptions from this distance, but most of them were red and gold armored humanoids, some with wings, all covered with a veil of flaming magic.

But one of them couldn’t fly. A massive snake woman towered over the police barricade, and one shot after another came from a terrified police officer’s gun. Each plinked off the woman’s red and gold armor–or rather, did Alex see a small flame instead?

“Look! It’s Bestest Snake Girl!”

Alex couldn’t believe it. She was huge!

Her voice sounded annoyed, her face scowling at the policeman who shot her, and his gun flew from his grip. “Hey! We’re your friends, not your enemies. You better be nicer, or… I’ll feed you to my axe!”

She held out her massive axe, and the face on the side of it growled, its terrifying tooth-filled mouth salivating, and almost wrestling itself from her grip as it neared the police officer.

As freaky as that was, many turned their gaze to the flying figures. The plane falling from the sky was hit with a burst of magical wind, and a strange creature covered in feathers suddenly appeared in a brilliant white light.

The plane slowed and rose slightly from the powerful currents until it halted, the winged creature having some dominion over the fierce winds. It then gestured with its hands and directed the large jet to lurch in one direction, guiding it to land in the pond of Central Park.

With a splash the large jet landed safely, and the massive audience began clapping and hollering in excitement.

“Wooow. I wonder what level they are,” Tess said with amazement in her voice.

Alex snorted. “Probably at least level fifty. These are supposedly the great heroes of Earth!”

He frowned as he tried to plan out the path to bring Tess over to the Nexus Node. Some people appeared to be gathering near there, but suddenly, the police barricade shifted to block the path, an angry officer barking out orders over a megaphone.

While this was happening the flying figures helped put out fires, one, a fox-tailed woman, sucking them into an orb floating near her. Another riding on a…magical horse helped push the plane onto the edge of the pond, beaching it.

The electricity then returned, lights on the avenue turning on and alarms blaring once more.

Alex’s phone turned back on, and many people started taking theirs out–to record.

“Just why are you blocking the path to the Node, officer? The message is clear, that action is seen as an act of war.” A man’s voice echoed out, loud enough that the entire crowd could hear. The voice was strange, like it was coming from everywhere all at once.

The man’s phrasing was strange, but Alex sort of understood. The Alliance HQ and Nexus Nodes were to be seen as embassies to The Alliance. To block access to citizens of an embassy of any country could be considered as such: a hostile action.

“I am Commissioner Davis, and I am blocking the Node because it is a matter of public safety. There are already riots and looting occurring in the city, so I am blocking access to keep our citizens safe.”

“What you said is true, there are riots. But this large crowd of people is gathering for access. By blocking them, you are creating a problem, increasing the likelihood of more issues. You are endangering them, instead. Shouldn’t you be focused on helping those you know are in need?”

“This… Framework has caused damage–”

“That is incorrect, commissioner. Mana is now a part of the world, just as much a part of it as the air we breathe. If not for the Framework and the Alliance, then your electricity would have never come back. They have minimized the damage for now, preventing an even larger catastrophe. Now, remove this barrier, or it will be removed.”

The man then towered over the commissioner, along with the other figures. Now that they were closer, Alex was absolutely shocked by their size. Especially the snake woman, when she rose herself up, she was taller than a two-story building!

But the man in red and gold was already bigger than the largest basketball player combined with the biggest body builder, the commissioner having to crane his head upwards to even see their faces.

Alex didn’t know what the commissioner was going to say in response, but to everyone’s relief, the commissioner’s walkie-talkie went off, a voice wanting to talk to him.

“The president? No way.” He stepped away from them a bit, and after a quick discussion, called to remove the barricade.

The crowd cheered, and began to advance. The series of figures that helped rescue the plane was happy to move aside, allowing everyone to enter the park and head for the obelisk seen in the distance.

The large snake woman suddenly asked, “Does anyone here need healing? Oh! We can just do that.”

Something shifted, and a veil of white energy surged over everyone in the crowd for dozens of meters. Tess gasped, and the entire crowd murmured and shouted, many people still recording with their phones.

As Alex was bathed in the white light, he felt warm, and his aches from his workout earlier completely faded away in just seconds. The man in red and gold started talking as people were recording, talking about the dungeons and his guild.

“Ah! I’m…this light is healing me! Let’s wait here.” Tess’s smile was beaming as she basked in the light, taking large breaths.

“What?! Y-You mean…”

“I can feel it! My heart… I feel so much stronger now! I can even breathe better.”

“Really? That’s great! It means…you don’t have to join now!”

Tess frowned, twisting to look back at him from her wheelchair. “No. I’m still going to still try to join. Bestest Snake Girl might have casually healed me, but I am still grateful for it. If I can become a healer too, then it will be just right. I can help others like me!”

She must have seen the doubt or hesitation on his face as she looked at him. “C’mon, Alex! Let’s do it! I know you’ll be amazing. You’re the best tank I know!”

Alex grimaced. “Yeah, but…that’s just playing a game! You think I can fight big monsters trying to kill and eat me?”

She gave him a strange look, a teasing smile touching her lips. “If you get hurt, I’ll just have to kiss the pain away!”

“I… What! Y-You’re joking.” Alex was shocked at her proclamation.

Her smile grew wider, but her face quickly became crimson. “Hehe–of course not! How could I forget that you’re the reason I got healed? You’re my hero, Alex! If you come with me, I’ll just have to keep rewarding you every chance… I get. C’mon, let’s at least see what classes we can be.” She placed her hand on top of Alex’s on the wheelchair handle over her shoulder, and gave him a pleading look.

Alex was more than a little moved. From the moment he met her, he had always liked Tess. She was fantastic to be around, and just knowing she would be healthy now filled him with joy.

He began pushing her toward the Nexus Node, the crowd having thinned out somewhat. If Tess was going to be a healer and fight monsters, she would definitely need someone to protect her.

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