Tier 3+ - Accidental Champion - Chapter 75 - A Quest Like That Could Justify Anything (Patreon)

Siobhan paced back and forth, not that there was much space on the pillar of rock that was the Safe Zone.

Justin stood in the dead centre of the platform. His forehead was creased, looking toward the side where the door to the Staging Room was. It was on the side of the pillar of rock that they stood upon. When they left, they’d have to lower themselves down, and the kid clearly had a fear of heights.

Howard looked deep in thought, his head down, his arms crossed over his large chest. His eyes were closed too, and if she didn’t know any better, she would think he was asleep.

I hate not being able to do anything, Siobhan thought, glancing back over where Xavier had gone, floating alone on the chunk of rock that had taken him away. She looked at the timer for the Safe Zone, keeping it in the corner of her vision. Less than twenty minutes had passed.

Siobhan knew their best course of action was to follow Xavier and support him in any way they could. The man was powerful. With his titles, he must be the most powerful human from Earth.

She didn’t know exactly how powerful he was. He’d told them about the extra titles that he received, but as she couldn’t seethose titles, she didn’t understand how wide the gulf between him and everyone else was.

What she did know was that he was her best bet for returning to Earth as quickly as possible. And when I’m back on Earth, I can find my sister. Supposedly, those not old enough to be integrated into the System were protected by it, put into Safe Zones like the one they stood in now.

But Siobhan was fairly sure Safe Zones weren’t safe. Not really. On a floor of the Tower of Champions, maybe, but on Earth? When it was being invaded?

One of the first things she’d done when Xavier had left them was turn to Howard and ask if she could test something on him, explaining to him why.

When he’d nodded that she could, he’d set his arm on fire with her fireball. Justin had stared at what they were doing with wide eyes. It wasn’t as though they hadn’t sparred before, but throwing spells at one another simply wasn’t something they had done yet.

Siobhan had been hoping the spell wouldn’t harm him. Not that he’d be strong enough to be immune from the flames, like Xavier might be, but that he’d be unharmed because they were in a Safe Zone.

But that hadn’t stopped him from getting hurt. Even from friendly fire.

“What the hell did you do that for?” Justin had asked, his mouth hanging open after the words had fallen out.

Siobhan had raised an eyebrow at him. “Weren’t you listening?” She used Heal Other on Howard. The burns on his arm disappeared completely.

The fireball hovered over their heads. The three stood in a triangle, facing the middle, their shadows cast behind each of them as the fireball was in the centre between them.

Justin shook his head. “I was… lost in thought.”

Howard dropped his arm. “Safe Zones aren’t safe.”

Justin glanced behind them, staring off into the absolute darkness. “What do you mean, Safe Zones aren’t safe?”

“They’re safe from the beasts, and from any other enemy on this floor, I’m sure. But… I was able to harm Howard.”

“O…kay. But we’re not going to hurt each other, so what’s the problem?”

Howard stared at Justin. His face was a mask. “My children and her sister are in Safe Zones. Those Safe Zones will stop beasts from attacking them, as the wildlife on Earth has apparently been turned into beasts, but will it stop the invaders?”

“I—” Justin’s face scrunched up. He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Planets that are integrated like ours are, with interlopers finding them… that bartender said we have a one in ten thousand chance of our people surviving,” Siobhan said slowly. “If that’s the case, the Safe Zones probably don’t do a damned thing against the invaders. How could they? If we were integrated normally, we’d be locked off from invaders completely, only fighting against the animals that were turned into beasts, levelling up and learning things slowly, rather than having to scramble and defend ourselves from foes that know all about the System.”

“Which means my kids might not be safe.” That was when Howard had dropped his head. Crossed his arms.

And that was when Siobhan had started pacing, back and forth, on the pillar of rock, wishing she could do more, the minutes passing her by as she worried, unable to do a damned thing.

“Xavier’s back,” Justin said.

Siobhan frowned, glancing over at the direction he’d originally gone, only to see the man standing atop the floating chunk of rock, heading straight toward them.

Her eyes widened involuntarily. The man glowed silver, shrouded in those dark robes of his. Even his weapon glowed. Siobhan knew why. He’d told them about the Spirit Infusion spell.

Still, holding that scythe, draped in black, that dark look on his face, Siobhan couldn’t help but feel a shiver of fear run up her spine. While they’d been locked out of the tower floors, hanging out in the tavern or the Staging Room, Xavier had looked… normal, in his Mage robes.

Now, he looked like something else entirely.

He looks like Death.

Siobhan’s rational mind trusted Xavier. She didn’t feel as though she had a reason not to trust him. She’d seen what he was capable of—the way he’d destroyed that army, the way he’d tortured that hell beast just to gain a few ranks in one of his spells. Not only that, she’d seen the grin on his face as he’d taken down those soldiers. Elves. Humans. It hadn’t mattered, he’d enjoyed the thrill.

And that made her worry what else he might be capable of.

He’s on a quest to save Earth. A quest like that could justify anything.

The very thought made her shiver, knowing that she was capable of horrible things herself. Flashes of memory assaulted her mind; of the day the System had come. The day she’d been plucked out of her normal life and thrown into this.

Thrown onto a plain of grass that looked so perfect it didn’t seem real. Pitted against a girl not that many years older than her sister.

She must have only been sixteen. Just old enough to be integrated, like Justin.

The girl had been holding a baseball bat, wearing a baseball uniform. She must have been plucked straight out of a game, as there was dirt on her knees.

The System had made them fight to the death. Siobhan hadn’t wanted to.

But she hadn’t had a choice. She’d yanked that bat straight out of the girl’s hand and collapsed her skull with it.

I didn’t have a choice.

She reached up to grasp her pendant. A half heart, the other half around the neck of her sister. (She knew it was cheesy, sentimental, but she’d bought the matching pendants when she’d left home, leaving her sister behind with their parents, it had been a symbol to say she’d come back for her when she could).

But her fingers clutched nothing. The pendant, of course, was gone. Taken by the System just as she had been.

Siobhan bit her lip, pushing away her memories of the day the System came. Pushing away her worries for her sister—as much as that was even possible—and focused on Xavier as he leapt off his platform and landed neatly on theirs.

There was an air of confidence about Xavier that hadn’t been there the first day they’d met, a day that felt years in the past but hadn’t even been a week ago. An air of danger. Of power. Something intangible, something that she was sure had nothing to do with his aura, as she knew that he was containing that now.

If we’re going to save Earth, we need people like him. People who will be ruthless. People who will do anything to save the world.

Siobhan just worried about what that anything might be, and whether they would still be able to hold onto their humanity when their world was finally safe.

She also worried about herself. After what she’d done to that girl… what was she capable of, if her life, if the life of her sister, and the lives of all the world, were at stake?

Her fingers grasping at the nothing where her pendant should have, Siobhan’s thoughts went, unbidden, to her sister once more.

I’ll find you, Luna. I’ll find you, make sure you’re safe, and take you away from our parents like I always promised I would. And I will do anything I have to to protect you.

Anything.

“Let’s get out of here,” Xavier said. Even his voice sounded deeper than it used to, like all the attribute points he’d been getting had had an effect on it. “Then head straight back in.” He looked at Siobhan, grinning. “And the three of you will be coming with me. There’s something that I want to test.”

Before he’d chosen his Soul Reaper class, Siobhan might have found that grin endearing. Now, it sent another little shiver of fear up her spine.