System Change

Derek put the communication crystal away after speaking with Osian. He sighed, then looked up at everyone.

“Well?” Avery asked.

“Osian and Edgar have already been in contact,” Derek said. “Edgar and Vanessa are teleporting to Eloria as we speak, and Blitz will be flying there as quickly as he can. If things get bad there, either Silvi or I will travel there to lend some help. At least, that is what Osian thinks would be best. He is the king of his country. There was nothing I could say to change his mind about protecting Eloria.”

“Aye!” Braxton said as he tipped one of his jars of brew up and let it run into his mouth. “Kings are all alike. He’ll want to defend until his last breath unless there is absolutely no way out for his people.” The dwarf gave Derek a look, then said, “Had you been any weaker during your war, I doubt he would have surrendered as easily as he did. Had that Old Goblin—a great name for that relic, by the way—decided to help, he also wouldn’t have surrendered.” He took another drink and continued. “I could just be spouting nonsense. But I know my brother, and I’ve met kings before.”

“Well,” Derek said with a sigh, “they have three of the most powerful people on the continent in Osian, Edgar, and Vanessa. If we include Blitz, then I’d say that they have a decent chance of defending without any more help. Blitz’s ability to target groups is crazy, and both Osian and Vanessa are great against single, powerful opponents. Not to mention that Edgar is just pretty good all around.”

“Speaking of that,” Avery said. “I was looking over the list of Champions and Guardians. Based on how we are all listed, I think it may have listed us in order of strongest to weakest.”

Derek frowned, then looked over the list again. “You may be right,” he said. “What do you think?” he asked Braxton.

“I’m humble enough to admit that you are stronger than I am,” Braxton said. “The Old Goblin would give me a run for my money, and the Dawn Siren would likely defeat me if she were here, but for the top three… I would agree. I don’t know enough about the rest.”

“Edgar could probably defeat me in the end,” Avery said. “Just on pure strength, that is… give me some time, and he wouldn’t have a chance.”

“I see,” Derek said. “If that is the case, and Kelvin happens to be the Azureblade, then that would mean that everyone other than ‘Trischa’ is stronger than he is.”At that moment, Braxton took out a glowing communication crystal from his storage ring. He held it, nodded a few times, then put it away. “Nyx and the others are all headed to Eloria since I am here,” he said.

“That’s even better,” Derek said. “I was going to go see if Marrick wanted to come back, but it’s possible they won’t need him for the time being. He may be needed wherever he currently is more.”

“You can go,” all of a sudden, Silvi said as she appeared on Derek’s shoulder. “Go hunt Champions. I’ll stay here. Protect Savannah and weaklings.”

“We just may do that,” Derek replied. “I was kind of thinking the same thing. I just plan on seeing how the beginning of the invasion goes before I make my move.”

Over the next couple of days, more and more people showed up in Savannah. It seemed that Edward had issued a command for the majority of soldiers over the level of 225 to aid Savannah in its protection. Even former king Edwin showed up, ready for battle.

Derek kept in communication with Osian the whole time. The king, even with his tense relationship with Nyx, appreciated the Assassin’s Guild’s support. With only a little under an hour left, and all the plans sorted, Derek moved to the outer wall of Savannah—just inside the mana circle surrounding the city. He looked out and counted the lights, indicating the teleportation arrays that were visible to him. This may be a long few months.

***

“As your commander and a Champion of the Universal System, I command you to come here and take your place as a captain!” Kelvin shouted from a screen as Jace watched while yawning.

“Yeah… that’s not going to happen,” Jace said with a terrifying grin. “I got all the notifications, too. I have been deemed ‘worthy,’” he said with air quotes. “Worthy to invade this other system. It doesn’t look like I need anyone’s help to get there, so you and the other council members can fuck off. And if you don’t like it, you’re free to try to come get me. I’ve been waiting, after all.”

Jace didn’t think that Kelvin’s face could turn any more red, but at that instant, it was such a shade of crimson that it looked like his head was actually about to explode. Jace smiled, then ended the communication. A few moments later, he received a communication request from someone else.

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“Your lackey couldn’t get the job done, so you’re calling now?” Jace asked as soon as he accepted the communication request from Darvin. In all the time since Jace had left Earth, they had only met a single time. Jace didn’t know too much about the person other than the fact that he was the head of the council that he wanted no part of.

“Jace,” Darvin said. “What will it take for you to come? You don’t want to be captain? That’s fine. I will give you a seat on the council. Just come here. Lead any soldiers who happen to be sent to the same array as you, and I will do what I can to reward you well.”

“That is exactly what I don’t want,” Jace sneered. “People interfering with my battle? Yeah, not going to happen. I’m fighting alone. I don’t need this team of mine, either. I ain’t leading nobody when there’s so much fun to be had. If you haven’t spoken to that red bastard yet, I already gave him my answer—you can ask him about it. Good luck not dying.” Jace finished speaking, then cut the communication before Darvin could say anything else.

“Hey! All of you!” he turned and shouted at his team.

“Sir!” They all saluted.

“Stop that shit!” Jace shouted, and they stopped. “You are all pretty weak, so even if you are deemed worthy, you shouldn’t accept this invasion. Though I doubt you are accepted. If you are, and you choose to go, you’re on your own.”

“Sir,” one of the team members stepped forward to speak.

“Nope,” Jace said, holding his palm out. “That’s all. You’re all fired. Y’all can go look for a job somewhere else. I have things to do and people to see. We’re done.” The man then walked out of his tent and toward the battlefield.

As he walked away, his team—former team—watched his silhouette grow smaller in the distance. They saw a gleaming metallic blade appear in each of his hands as he replaced the old ones on his back. Soon enough, they could no longer see him.

As soon as he was gone, Rodrick ran forward and collected the blades that he’d been taking care of for so long. They were chipped, but still sharp. He couldn’t even count the number of times they’d been brought to him—broken and almost unrepairable. He’d gained so much trying to upkeep the kukri.

He’d worked so much and so hard that he was no longer even a blacksmith. In his last class upgrade, he was given an epic weapon repair class, and he jumped at the chance to take it. Even if Jace hadn’t been easy to get on with, he’d never actually treated them poorly. Rodrick’s future was bright. Because of his new class and skills, he’d always be in demand. Not even grandmaster blacksmiths could fix the things that he could. His family would never want for anything thanks to his lieutenant.

Rodrick stored the blade, then saluted in the direction that Jace had left toward one last time. After that, he turned and left. He was as happy as could be. His lieutenant had fired him, and he no longer had to serve in the system military. His contract was even gone. He never wanted to step on a battlefield again. He was going to go set up shop with his family.

Jace sat on a broken stump in the forest—his Battle Instincts skill activated and pushed as far as he could push it. He’d already scouted the area and knew exactly where all the strongest beasts were. Jace pulled his legendary kukris off his back and stared at his reflection in the blades. Who knew that a blade could have the same skill as its owner?

He’d no longer have to worry about repairing his weapons. The longer he and his Battlelust Kukri fought, the sharper, stronger, and more durable they would become. Jace was not thankful to very many people, but he almost considered leaving the grandmaster blacksmith a tip after reading the abilities… almost.

Jace looked at the countdown timer and saw that there was less than an hour remaining. When it hit twenty minutes, he would make his move. The people of the other system wouldn’t know what hit them.

“That bastard!” Kelvin threw a bottle against the wall, and it exploded. He was gathered in a room with all the other Champions, and his soldier had embarrassed him. He’d been trying to recall Jace for the last two days, to no avail. No amount of rewards or coaxing had made the man listen, and his threats hadn’t worked either. Darvin had even gone to his office to contact him privately. Though I don’t know why he wants that bastard here so much. Not long after those thoughts, Darvin stepped out of his office and back into the council room.

“I spoke to Jace,” Darvin said as he sat down at the table. “I agree that he works best alone, so I have decided to allow him to do so. We will see how far he can get by himself. It just means that we will need to find another commander for those who enter.”

“What about all those who aren’t part of the military who choose to accept the invitation to the invasion?” Amelia asked. “I’m sure the number won’t be small. The opportunity to complete a mission from the system itself will be very tempting.”

“The commanders will try to bring them into their companies,” Darvin said. “If they are able to do so, great. If not, they will be on their own as well. We won’t have time to worry about stragglers. You all know the plan for the Champions. None of you can be defeated. I want a flawless victory. I don’t know if the rewards will be better, but as you all know, the better you accomplish a task given out by the system, the better the rewards you receive.”

“What about… Dere—” Kelvin started.

“We do not know that he is one of the Guardians,” Darvin cut him off. “If he is, then it is all the better to follow the plan.”

“This is so fucking stupid!” Jakis slammed his fists on the table, causing a long crack to run through it. “I should be on the frontline. I want to battle.”

“Stick to the plan!” Darvin shouted back at the young council member. “The Champions will not act until necessary! Disobey, and there will be hell to pay once this is all over.”

Jakis gritted his teeth but didn’t say anything else.

“Good!” Darvin said. “Are there any more questions?” Seeing that nobody else spoke, Darvin looked at the countdown timer. “Twenty minutes remain. You all know the plan. As soon as you get there, execute it.”

Jace saw the countdown timer reach twenty minutes, and an almost evil grin appeared on his face. He stood from the stump he was sitting on and began walking. He was going to have so much fun that he wanted to break out in laughter. However, he held back. Finally, he spotted the first beast… it died before it even saw him. He took a moment to look at the glow starting to appear on his blade, and his smile grew wider. With that, he ran forward, and his battle began.

***

Derek nervously stood on top of the wall as he watched the countdown timer. He took a deep breath and then let it out. Dave’s going to owe me big time for all of this, he mentally said to himself. Finally, he looked at the timer one last time. 3… 2… 1…