alix-roche

[alix-roche]

The Hunt for the Teumessian Fox

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

I couldn’t get a hold of Jansen before breakfast the next morning, so I was going into this mission blind. There weren’t any documents attached to my mission card by the morning.

I dug up everything on the Teumessian Fox from the archives, using my Magidex, but it wasn’t anything I didn’t already know: It was a giant red fox, the last time it ended up on Earth was around two hundred years ago, and its Force-Paradox ability was simple but powerful—it could never be caught.

That didn’t mean that it could never be tamed, though.

I gave up trying to find any more information myself and hoped that there would be enough time to prepare while travelling. We had two long car rides and a flight cooped up with the mission squad, and we would figure something out, I hoped.

These were some of the top Guardians, after all.

If there was one thing I loved about the Union, it was the fact I was able to travel all over whenever I wanted, and I didn’t even have to be sent out on a mission. There were special allowances for what most Guardians called “research holidays” but formally known as “research retreats.”

I could take one and explore an area, and as long as I came back with some new information for the database of the Union, I would be good to go. I was so excited to get the chance for one next month. An actual holiday…

A Guardian had to have the freedom to explore, but the Syndicate didn’t believe that to be the case. 

The agents’ Ispoleens usually got restless, which resulted in internal tournaments to pass the time between assignments back in Prague. 

But I lacked practical field experience. Like most of the recruits, I was raised along with at the Syndicate. Their method of teaching was… restrictive.

I had adapted to the ways of the Union too quickly, so much so I was scared to tell Raze that.

The Syndicate was my home, and I would do anything to serve the Inner Circle, and Raze in particular. I owed them everything.

But the opportunities I had gotten while here were…

I had to focus and get the most out of the few hours I had before leaving for Basel. My assignment’s outcome would be decided by this very mission.

I walked downstairs to the dining hall where, like every other day, there was a buffet spread of anything I could have thought of for breakfast.

After filling my plate with an omelette, some bread, and a zucchini pancake, I headed for my usual spot in the back of the room, where I could eat in peace… usually…

But before I could take a bite of my food, a tall and slender figure slid into the seat next to me.

“What do you want, Stella?” I asked, biting the inside of my cheek and making it a point not to look her way.

Maybe she would leave me in peace. I had completely overlooked she was also assigned to this mission.

As much as I was thankful to finally work with Devin, working with Stella again was souring my mood.

“You’re coming on a mission with me, and I thought it would be good for me to tell you how things go on high-ranking missions like this,” the young woman started off.

She smoothed back her long red hair, and I was tempted to tell her to keep it out of my food, but alas, I was going to be stuck with her for a while if this mission was to go smoothly.

She was one of the longest-standing members of Jansen’s department.

“If you’re going, it isn’t high ranking enough.” I smiled and shoved a big bite of my omelette into my mouth so I would have to chew instead of entertain the idea of physically putting her in her place like I did last time she insisted on sparring with me.

“You just happened to have the crystal of an Ispoleen that is fit for this mission. If Tina hadn’t backed out last minute—”

“Well, at least you can be happy about one thing.” I interrupted her as I finally turned around and stared her down. I forced my voice an octave lower, driving my threat home. “I am nearly guaranteed to be on debrief duty. Unless you don’t want me to volunteer you for it or drag you into it with me, try not to get on my nerves for the rest of the miserable time, we would have to spend together.” 

She angled her head and stared back at me as her nostrils flared. 

“I’m also likely getting transferred to Jansen’s department after this. Get used to seeing me around.” I smiled. Riling her up was fun. And deserved, after I had to drag information crystals outside a cave by myself because of her for hours.

We stood like this for a moment before something behind me caught her attention. 

I turned around and saw it was the other member of the mission squad, Andreas Lyko, heading our way.

“Good morning, ladies. I see the two of you are already talking. I don’t know if I should be happy about that…” he trailed off as he sat in front of Stella and turned to her. “Jansen is testing you after your stunt last month. You know that, right?”

A huff escaped Stella, and from the corner of my eye, I could swear the ends of her ears had gone as red as her hair. 

Well, I guess it was time it bit her in the ass.

Last month, we were on a mission together, just Stella and I. We were sent to retrieve a new batch of information crystals for the Academy from the Jura mountains to make Magidexes for the new Guardians.

Let’s just say she was a little trigger-happy when she saw the Ispoleens guarding that particular dungeon and got herself locked out while trying to show off. To me, of all people…

I had to drag out the crystals myself and load up her Stone Sentinel Ispoleen so we could transport them back to the Academy. 

It took us twice as long to get back. Jansen and Neumann were beyond disappointed.

I still couldn’t believe she only got a slap on the wrist from Jansen while I had to hole up in Archiving for a week when I wasn’t even to blame. If going on a mission with me was her punishment… 

I couldn’t wait to transfer.

And I couldn’t wait to go head-to-head with her daily in training. She was good, but she overestimated herself. I liked to use that against her.

“Devin is in a meeting up until our leaving time. He is driving as always, so we won’t be leaving without him,” Andreas said, averting his gaze from Stella and locking eyes with me.

“You’ve been on a lot of missions together, I figure?” I smiled up at him, hoping to steer the conversation in a more productive direction. I wanted to make friends, after all. 

There was a lot I could learn from both of them. They were both in the top 100 of the Guardians at this Union location.

“Stella and I have been on the same team since our time at the Academy. Jansen picked us up right after we graduated. Devin has come and gone. Stella and Tina were inseparable up until Tina decided to give mentoring another try.”

“I could never take it up now. It feels like a retirement plan,” Stella said… though no one asked for her opinion. I gritted my teeth so the words wouldn’t escape me.

I didn’t know if she was actually annoying or if I was just jealous of her and the opportunities she has gotten. How could one person have it all?

“Tina felt ready to do it again. That’s all that matters. And who knows, maybe Kaira, here, will fit right in. Devin said you’re taking her spot after we get back from the mission.” Andreas turned the conversation to me. “He has been looking for a new partner, you know? Jansen has been on his ass about it ever since his slip-up in Prague last month.”

“I wasn’t aware this was that kind of an arrangement,” I said and felt my stomach drop. No, it wasn’t the food.

“Of course, you weren’t. Andreas doesn’t know how to shut up,” Stella sneered at him.

Alright, maybe it wasn’t just me; she was like that with everyone.

And as happy as I was about the turn of the conversation and the fact Stella had dropped most of her attitude toward me, it took everything in me not to be smug about what I was hearing.

Devin’s slip-up last month in Prague… That was all Raze’s doing. He nearly had him captured without much help from me beyond the mission information I had dug up from the Magidex documentation.

Jansen’s biggest strength and weakness both lay in his immaculate record-keeping.

I had spaced out of the conversation for a few moments, but by the time I came back to it, Stella was heading to fill her plate, Andreas calling after her to hurry up.

Despite that, I now knew two things: I was being tested, by both Jansen and Devin, for a potential at the exact spot in their department I had been after for the past three months. 

And I had a very good chance of getting the spot of Devin’s partner as well.

If all went to plan, I would have a reason to call Raze as soon as I returned.

* * *

Devin didn’t show up to breakfast, which was expected, given the meeting time slot I saw last night. Instead, he stormed out of the Academy’s main entrance to the car that Andreas had parked out front, where the three of us waited for him.

He was packed light, just like all of us. Whatever his conversation with Jansen, it must have shaken him because he asked Andreas to drive before swinging his luggage in the trunk.

Stella had called shotgun right before he showed up, banking on him driving like he normally did. This meant he was stuck sitting next to me… or was I the one stuck? I awkwardly sat down on the other side and shuffled in my seat.

“I guess we haven’t been properly introduced before,” he said once he buckled his seat belt, then extended his hand. “Devin Leone, nice to meet you.”

“Kaira Alliguery,” I answered and shook his hand.

He was surprisingly gentle… His handshake was weak, which threw me off—he didn’t seem like that type of person from what I had observed at the Academy. Or what I’d been told about him.

For a second, I was almost starstruck as I looked up at him. 

Tan skin, dirty-blonde hair and the face whose picture I had cursed and spat at for months. So much so that I had memorised the arch of his eyebrows, the upturn of his nose and how one of his eyes stayed always half-closed.

Devin became famous, even outside of the Union, because of his quest to find the Scepter of Onyx. No one knew why he was so obsessed with that artefact, even when I asked around the Academy. 

It shouldn’t have really mattered to me. It didn’t matter to Raze, after all. 

All I needed to know was that Devin was my only ticket to finding and delivering it to the Syndicate.

Andreas and Stella were bickering in the front of the car about the music, which got old fast, so after exchanging a few awkward glances with Devin, he butted in and started talking to Andreas about one of the devices he was working on.

It was going to be a long three hours before we got to the airport.

* * *

At some point, Devin finished his conversation with Andreas about the device. Something to do with the weakening barrier of the Academy, but I couldn’t really understand what it actually did.

A tense silence filled the car, quickly cut through by Devin turning to me. “So, Kaira, how has the Academy been treating you? I heard you transferred pretty recently.”

“I did. I transferred in March. It has been quite the change, not going to lie.” I tensed. I hadn’t known I was going to be interrogated.

“What about before? Where did you transfer from?” 

“Kazakhstan, I was in the Astana HQ,” I lied. My paperwork was forged. But the Kazakhs were pretty bad at documentation, so I had a possible out if I got caught.

“Makes sense,” Stella called out from the passenger seat.

“Just because she’s Asian doesn’t mean—” Andreas started.

“It’s fine,” I interrupted. “I am only half-Kazakh. Actually, my mom was from Astana.”

“I’ve never been. Did you live there for a while?” Devin asked.

“Yeah,” I lied. “I left for Russia to live with my father’s family for a few years but eventually came back to Astana.”

Devin locked eyes with me, then angled his head. “Then what brings you here?”

“I wanted to explore Europe,” I said with a smile. “And practice my French, of course.”

“And your Ispoleen affinities? Dark, Push, and Air? Right?”

I smiled and nodded. He had done his research on me; I’d give him that.

Just like I had done mine on him. His affinities were Light, Pull, and Earth.

“Devin, if you are going to interview her, you could have waited, you know?” Stella whined from the front. “There was going to be plenty of downtime to do that later!” 

Had they been interviewed in a similar fashion to be in Jansen’s department? I wondered.

“Don’t act like you two weren’t going to be nosy about it later. I thought I could kill two birds with one stone,” Devin replied. “Now, Kaira, would you mind telling us why and how you became a Guardian?”

My heart skipped a beat, and something in my chest shrunk. I used all of my willpower not to physically fold.

“That’s extremely private,” I mumbled.

“Jansen will ask you, too, later. You should be prepared to tell him, at least,” Devin warned me.

I tried to swallow, but my mouth had gone dry. I slammed my hand onto my knee so my leg wouldn’t start shaking before answering.

“I got caught up in a fight between some Guardians from the Union and the Syndicate. Got hurt in the chaos and rescued by my mentor, who took me in for training right away.” I lied through my teeth. It was close enough to the truth, but instead of the Union, the Syndicate took me in. “I know most Guardians show their powers at around sixteen to seventeen. I got mine at ten when I had to defend myself.”

“Not what I meant.” Devin shook his head. “But you’ve got quite the story there. You’ll have to tell me more about it.”

“Of course you would,” Andreas called out for a change. “Didn’t Jansen rescue you from some Syndicate agents when you were thirteen or something? Prodigy complex much?”

I did my best not to laugh, but Devin didn’t, and a snort escaped him.

“You’ve got me there,” he said, closing his eyes for a second before continuing and looking up at me for validation. “It’s a lot different to go to the Academy with no prior knowledge than attending after having years of using your powers intuitively.”

“You’re right.” I nodded even though I didn’t quite understand what he meant.

“Anyway, what I meant to ask is, why are you an active Guardian? What made you want to be out here? What made you want to master your powers?” he reiterated.

Raze made me, I said in my head. There was really no other choice for me.

“I wanted to be powerful enough to be in charge of my own destiny,” I said out loud instead, straightening.

I guess that was a satisfactory enough answer, as all three nodded. Even Stella’s face lacked malice or snark.

The conversation became more casual after that. Andreas and Stella shared stories of their time at the Academy, and I learned they were a lot more than just partners on missions.

Devin didn’t really speak at all after that, opting to stare out of the window. Whenever someone was talking to him, he needed a second to realise they were indeed speaking to him. 

Andreas had to repeat himself three times before Devin could tell him which turn to take at the intersection when we were about to arrive in Basel.

“And what about Vixair? How did you acquire him?” Stella asked as we were nearing the airport. She had shared the story of how she got her first Ispoleen crystal just before.

I wrapped the string on which Vixair’s crystal hung on my neck by around my finger. “I’ve had him for ages. He was my first bonded Ispoleen. I discovered him on a mountain hike when I was eleven. It was him that came to me,” I chuckled. It hadn’t happened quite like that.

Raze had taken me to the mountain cave the air Ispoleens were known to inhabit on the Czech-Slovak border. I hiked up there every day for weeks until Vixair finally relented and took pity on me. The two of us needed years before we really started to gel into the team we were today.

“Well, he is an impressive Ispoleen and should be able to track the Teumessian Fox once it feels we are on its trail. It’s why Jansen decided you should be leading the mission with me,” Devin noted.

“I don’t think that’s the case. I was told I am a last-second stand-in,” I said.

“No, you are leading it. At least the hunt portion will be yours to handle. I have the crystal of the Ispoleen of Laelaps, and he can hunt down anything he is told to,” he explained. “And because we will be hunting his opposite force—the Teumessian Fox, the one who can never be caught. Vixair will be the only Ispoleen that will be able to keep up with them, so you’re coming with me.”

That was an interesting development, for sure. I didn’t know Devin had that particular Ispoleen’s crystal. I certainly didn’t see it on his mission record. He must not have acquired it on a mission.

“Then what are Stella and Andreas here for?” I asked.

“Apparently, Jansen won’t let me go anywhere without backup anymore.” Devin sighed.

“And we’re milking it for all we’ve got,” Andreas added. “We want the royal treatment as well!”

“Royal treatment?” I asked.

“Just wait until we get there. You’ll see what we mean,” Stella laughed from the front seat.

I had to give it to them; spending a three-hour car ride with those three taught me a lot about their dynamic.

I could see myself enjoying my time in their company in the future. Even Stella’s. Once she dropped the attitude, she wasn’t half bad.

I was excited to potentially make a female friend at the Union.

------

A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

I will be posting the rest of the novella chapters shortly. You should follow me so it will pop up in your feed when I publish it.

In the meantime, you can check out my published work here.

[alix-roche]

The Hunt for the Teumessian Fox

Chapter 1

A loud beep from my Magidex startled me as I lay in my bed after running Neumann’s latest obstacle course. He was my dispatcher ever since I arrived at the Union’s Academy in Annecy and got assigned to his department.

If he wasn’t running us ragged in training, we were out in the field on a mission. A notification pinged; it looked like I was just assigned one.

It was only the fifth time I had heard that sound in the three months since my arrival. That meant I wouldn’t have to run that damn course again. It was nearly summer proper, and I itched to get out of Annecy for good.

I slipped the Magidex out of its holding case, which I had discarded on my bedside table as soon as I had returned from training. 

This magical device, specifically developed by the Union, was integral to my work as a Guardian here. 

Everything I needed was contained within it—from the lunch menu at the cafeteria to an extensive search algorithm that gave me access to the Union archives.

I had to admit I frequently forgot to use the Magidex for its intended purpose and often wasted time looking for materials in the physical archives.

In reality, it was nothing more than a moderately fancy tablet disguised magically as a book. Still, instead of connecting to the internet, it connected to the internal Magitome system, which stored all of the Union’s data.

The information crystals embedded in the spine and cover—the ones responsible for magic and technology intertwining seamlessly—sparkled as I opened the pale green leather-bound Magidex, and a text box flashed into existence on the screen in front of me.

But to my surprise, the sender wasn’t Neumann. It was Jansen.

You have been assigned a new mission: The Hunt for the Teumessian Fox.

Objective: Capture the recently awakened Ispoleen of the Teumessian Fox and bring it back to the Magidex Union Academy.

Squad: Stella Byrne, Andreas Lyko.

Squad Leaders: Devin Leone, Kaira Alliguery.

Mission Start: 12 a.m. May 24th.

Mission Location: Thebes, Greece.

To accept the mission, take the card now.

A black mission card with a red and white crystal illustration materialised out of the Magidex and floated in front of me.

Devin Leone… I blinked at the screen in disbelief.

I had gotten a mission from Jansen’s department last month, but this…

I was able to land on the same mission squad as him. 

I couldn’t snatch the mission card fast enough.

It had been my aim all along to work with Devin. He was the Union’s best Guardian, the reason I was here.

I looked at the time on my Magidex and realised it was already 9 p.m., which meant Jansen would not be available to talk. And the mission was starting tomorrow.

A new lot of Guardians were starting their studies at the Academy in a week, and Jansen was clearly too busy with that if he was sending out mission cards this late in the day.

My mind still reeling, I flipped the card around to learn more about the Ispoleen we would be going after.

I am going to Greece with Devin Leone. Tomorrow.

Another notification beeped from the Magidex; my schedule. I opened it and started reading. The faint blue glow of the screen became more familiar with every mission report I had to type on it. 

As I scanned my schedule, I dialled Raze, who should be ecstatic to hear the news of my upcoming mission.

When he picked up, I read out the mission card.

“I thought you were calling me to say you’re on his permanent team. I’m disappointed. It’s taking you too long to get this done, Kaira.”

I took a deep breath and swallowed the sourness filling my mouth.

“You and I both know he doesn’t do the search for the Scepter on Union time,” I reminded my mentor. “I need a lot more than being on his team to get to that.”

A moment of silence stretched.

“I’m busy with Syndicate business. We have a trail on the Auclair family’s hideout, and our resources are focused on that. Stay alert at the Union about developments on that front as well. Complete your mission as normal, and don’t contact me until you have something meaningful to report.” Raze clipped his words and hung up.

I understood what he meant, but it didn’t stop me from grinding my teeth. I was so over Raze’s attitude about this.

Why had he sent me on this assignment if he wasn’t invested in it? Finding the Scepter and capturing Leone should be his top priority.

I fiddled more with the mission card as I thought about my possible courses of action.

Because the mission assignment was short notice, the message had been sent after the end of Jansen’s working hours. That probably meant I wasn’t the first one considered to fill this spot on the squad. 

This wasn’t surprising, as I was relatively new to this division of the Union, and they were still trying to find which position to assign me long-term.

An unfamiliar notification pinged from the Magidex, but I eagerly opened the email.

I scanned the text, in disbelief at my luck…

It was a transfer document between Neumann and Jansen. I was on loan to Jansen’s department for the next mission, and if successful, I would be transferred fully.

I had been trying my best to steer the Union into putting me out in the field, switching me over to Jansen’s department for months. 

I would have rather torn out my hair than do paperwork willingly. However, it seemed that Jansen was looking for an archivist that could still give his squad a run for their money out on a mission—a hard thing to find, as most archivists and researchers were specialising in that because of their lack of combat abilities.

I had made it pretty clear I wanted that spot. I guess they were finally giving me my shot. 

Plus, the Teumessian Fox was a powerful Push Force-Paradox Ispoleen. Being a mission leader for this one meant I would get first dibs on that Ispoleen crystal once we got it back to the Academy. 

It would make me an even more powerful Guardian, given I had the Push affinity. 

I tried to calculate my potential ranking if I could secure it… I would break the top 100 for sure… depending on the synergy score I got for it, I might even break the top 70 Guardians here at the Academy. 

That was a long way from Devin’s number one spot, but it would allow me always to be a consideration for any mission.

Even if I don’t get the Ispoleen crystal, at least I can impress Leone, and he might take me on another of his missions. I tried to reason with myself. I would be able to even request him to join my own missions.

If he would join, that was a different matter altogether, though.

I opened my Magidex again and tried to book a meeting with Jansen. 

It was obvious I was a last-minute stand-in, as normally, there was a three-day preparation period between mission dispatch and departure. I didn’t even have a day’s worth of prep, as we were leaving at noon the next day from the Academy. 

Hell, I hadn’t been to a planning meeting about this. And it was Jansen’s protocol to have at least one planning meeting before taking off on a mission.

I thought there would be one scheduled for the morning, surely, but upon opening my meeting calendar, I saw that it was completely empty and the next three days were blocked out, as I was to be in Greece.

I opened Jansen’s calendar and tried to schedule his earliest time slot for the morning.

Timeslot: Occupied.

Strange, normally, it showed the person who had reserved the spot directly instead of this message.

I tried the next meeting slot, just before I would need to leave for Basel to get on the plane with the rest of the mission squad.

Timeslot: Occupied. Devin Leone.

I was about to curse him out when a tug from my power snapped me out of my thoughts.

The crystal I wore around my neck became uncomfortably hot—Vixair wanted out. He must have sensed my… was it excitement or anxiety? I didn’t know myself, but I was feeling cold.

“Fly out, Vixair,” I mumbled and stroked the crystal, which started glowing.

A silver fox, the size of a cocker spaniel, materialised from thin air in front of me and floated in mid-air. His three tails stretched out, and Vixair blinked slowly at me with his star-speckled eyes.

Took you long enough, he whined, before blowing a gust of wind and following it all around the room, inspecting the mess I had made the night before.

He couldn’t talk out loud to me, naturally, but we communicated through our Ispoleen bond, which we had forged the moment I acquired him. 

He was an elemental Ispoleen. There were many like him, each one with a slightly different skill set. He was an air Ispoleen specifically and could fly without a problem.

I had struggled for years to get him under control. Air Ispoleens were naturally unpredictable and free-willed, but by the time I was twelve, the two of us were the best of friends. It’s why he dared to be a whiny bitch about being cooped up in his crystal… and knew I would give in.

He had been through everything with me.

“We’re going to be hunting the Teumessian Fox tomorrow. I’ll need you to be on your best behaviour, and you’re going to track it for me, alright? We need to impress Leone on this mission,” I called out to Vixair, who stopped his flight around the room, and nodded as he hovered in place, then immediately went to the window, indicating he wanted to go outside.

“Go on, I need some fresh air as well,” I sighed.

Vixair was skilled in picking locks and could potentially open any door. He was more than capable of lifting the latch of the window himself, which he did, and fresh air flooded into the room.

“And check on the state of the Academy’s barrier for me,” I asked him.

He confirmed my suspicion; they had gotten even weaker.

They had been steadily decreasing in power ever since I had arrived.

The evening was becoming night as I watched the lights of Annecy flicker on, and the cold river breeze rushed into my lungs as I leaned on the edge of the window, watching Vixair enjoy his momentary freedom.

Tomorrow would make or break my assignment… and my career as a Guardian at both the Union and the Syndicate.

A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This is chapter 1 of a short novella I wrote as a prequel to the Magidex Academy series.

I will be posting the rest of the novella chapters shortly. You should follow me so it will pop up in your feed when I publish it.

In the meantime, you can check out my published work here.