System Change

Amelia floated extremely high up and far away from the city where she had defeated the Guardian. Now that she was alone and safe, she had some time to think about everything. She hadn’t become one of, if not the strongest, people in the entire system by acting rashly. She always put some thought into her actions, and she had developed some kind of sixth sense when it came to danger.

Who else other than The Ascending Monarch would have seen that I was in a battle with The Queen and rushed to her so quickly? The Queen was at the very bottom of the Guardian list, so Amelia had been able to get a bit of an understanding about the Guardians’ power.

Her ability had been different and more interesting than she’d expected. If all the other Guardians had similarly different but stronger abilities, then the invasion could become quite difficult. Still, she struggled with her decision to run away from the approaching Guardian. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. In the moment, it was the best decision she could have made. Now that she was safe, The Queen was defeated, and she had collected herself, she struggled with the decision to return to the base or go confront the Guardian.

In the end, she sighed and decided to play it safe. With well over two months remaining in the invasion, there was no sense in risking it so early on. So, with a final look towards the city, she turned and began her travel back to the captured Stronghold. As she was traveling, she brought her wrist up and began to send some messages.

***

“So… a giant red woman with the power of force?” Derek repeated the summary of what he’d learned back to the elf.

“Force, gravity… I am unsure,” the elven guard replied. “Whatever it was, it was extremely strong. The woman sent us guards miles away with a single flick of her hand. Who knows where the others are? The only reason I was able to return swiftly was because of my traveling skills.”

“I see…” Derek replied. Gravity or force was definitely an interesting affinity. He couldn’t help but wonder how the woman’s power would feel if used on him.

“I am only thankful that the woman chose to allow Queen Serta to live,” the man said. “She never seemed like she wanted to kill any of us during the fight… if it could be considered a fight.”

“That’s good to know,” Derek said. “I wonder how many of the other Champions feel the same way.”

“I hope to never have to find out,” the guard said.

“I doubt you’ll run into any of them again,” Derek replied. “Unless you want to help guard the Stronghold on this continent. I’m sure that Marrick and David Brandt would appreciate the backup.”

“Marrick?” The guard’s eyes brightened. “You mean, Sir Marrick? The elven elder?”

“Ah… he did spend some time here, didn’t he?” Derek asked.

“He did!” the guard replied. “He made quite the name for himself—both good and bad. Queen Serta offered him many positions. So he is the Old Goblin?” The elf went quiet for a moment, then snorted. “Of course he is. I only laid eyes on him once. He has distinct goblin-like features. I should have known. But to be strong enough to become a Champion…”

“And the third strongest one,” Derek supplied.

“It’s no wonder the assassins all failed,” the guard sighed. “Those nobles were just throwing people’s lives away…” He clicked his tongue. “Had the queen known that he was the Old Goblin, I believe she would have gone to the remaining Stronghold on our continent to look for him. My brethren and I will have to talk to make a decision on whether to do so or not. We would want revenge, of course. However, knowing that our queen was not slain and has been protected by the system may change things.”

“Well… that’s up to you,” Derek said with a shrug. “Anyway, I’m still on a hunt, so I’d better get going.” With that, he opened the void directly in front of the guard, then walked inside and closed it.

Outside the closed portal, the guard sucked in a breath. He wasn’t keen on speaking with humans, but the man had come to try to rescue his queen. He was also the strongest Guardian that the system had. And after seeing, and feeling, the skill that he just unleashed to travel with, he could only let out a gulp and be happy that they didn’t have any conflict with him.

***

“We have company,” Nyx said to Edgar and Osian.

“Another army?” Edgar frowned.

“No,” Nyx said. “It is a single person… a Champion.”

“Oh, really?” Edgar smiled wide. “And they are coming here?”

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“That seems to be the case,” Nyx said. “He spotted the scout, but left him alone.”

“Should we prepare the traps?” Osian asked.

“No,” both Edgar and Nyx said at the same time—though for very different reasons.

“A single person, and a Champion, no less…” Nyx said, shaking his head. “The traps would just be a waste of resources.”

“That is true,” Osian replied. “And he was apparently able to get past all of my barriers and security, too.”

“And I’ve been itching for a fight,” Edgar said.

Soon, a short man with dark skin and black hair walked out of the forest that surrounded Eloria. The man approached slowly, but confidently. Finally, before he reached the Stronghold circle, he stopped.

“I sense a Guardian inside the Stronghold!” the man shouted. “Come out! I have an offer for you.”

Edgar and Osian looked at one another. Osian looked conflicted. He wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. He knew that Edgar wanted to go fight right that instant, but Osian wondered if they should all attack at once with everyone, including the Assassin’s Guild members.

“I’m going!” Edgar finally said, then jumped down off the tree.

“Then I shall go, too,” Nyx said and followed.

Osian clenched his fist, then followed as well. It was one Champion, after all. “Might as well hear him out,” the king muttered as he floated down from the tree.

Soon, Edgar, Nyx, and Osian walked forward until they stepped out of the Stronghold circle.

“Oh! Three Guardians?” the short man’s face formed a grin—a terrifying one. His teeth were all pointed and sharp. However, after a second, he frowned. “No… not three… two,” he scoffed. “One of you has no business here… leave.”

Even though he was the one who didn’t belong, Nyx didn’t miss a beat and kept walking forward.

“Fine,” Jakis said. “Whatever.”

“Who are you?” Osian finally asked once they were in speaking range.

“I am Jakis, Head of the Shinestra and now Champion of the System,” the man answered quickly and confidently. Ever since arriving, Jakis had been moving around quietly, gathering information. Once he realized that Darvin and many of the other Champions were not even on the same continent, he’d been pleased. He was not a fan of how Darvin wanted to fight.

Besides, Darvin wasn’t even a Champion. Jakis had told the man what he wanted to hear during their meetings, but since he found his chance, he decided to take it. Now, he was there to do what the system wished them to do—fight Guardians and take Strongholds.

“You’re third,” Nyx said.

“I am,” Jakis answered. “But the system is being lenient to the Ul’oc. I can take him.”

Hearing that, Osian tensed. “You said you have an offer?” Osian asked. “What is it?”

“A fight!” Jakis answered quickly. “Normally, I would want to lead an army against you and have a glorious battle. However, I’ve not been able to find many of my own. So, a duel will have to suffice. But both or even all three of you may come at once.”

Nyx looked to his left and right at Osian and Edgar. “It is up to the two of you,” he said. “But you know what will happen once you enter into battle.”

“One less Champion,” Edgar said with a chuckle. “You two go back. I’ll fight.”

Nyx looked at Osian and shrugged. “It is his choice.”

“No, both of you,” Jakis insisted.

“You’ll be getting more than you bargained for, whether you beat me or not,” Edgar said. For a moment, he thought about calling to Blitz, but he didn’t want to risk something happening to him. Blitz was big…and dumb. He was an easy target, and Edgar didn’t know how strong someone who was second on the list would be. “If you beat me, you can fight the next Guardian.”

Jakis looked at Nyx and Osian and frowned. “He doesn’t seem all that willing,” he said.

“Oh, he will be… he will be,” Edgar replied. “Now, what are the rules of the battle?”

“We fight until one of us is incapacitated,” Jakis said. “It is as simple as that. I saw how you treated the invaders from my system. You did not kill and you let some go. For that, I will only defeat you. I will not kill you. But do not hold back. If you hold back, I will take it personally. Don’t worry about my safety.”

“You haven’t even asked who I am,” Edgar said. “For all you know, I may be first on the list.”

“You aren’t,” Jakis replied confidently.

“You sound confident,” Edgar said as Nyx and Osian turned to walk back into the circle.

Jakis shrugged. “I gave up looking for him. He never stayed in one spot long enough, so I came here.”

“Oh… well… you got lucky,” Edgar sighed. “But if you’ll do me a favor, really quick, I want to make sure we get to have a good battle.”

“A favor?” Jakis narrowed his eyes.

“Yeah…” Edgar said as he bent down and picked up a stone. “Catch!” He threw the rock hard, and Jakis raised his arm—causing it to shatter on impact.

Jakis took a step forward with anger in his eyes, but Edgar raised both hands.

“Wait!”

“Wait?” Jakis was both angry and confused.

Edgar looked at the invasion status and smiled. Just like he thought, both he and Jakis’s status changed to ‘in battle.’ “Yeah… shouldn’t be too long now.”

Jakis narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. “I don’t know what you’re pla—” he started, but stopped when the feeling of dread hit him.

“Like I said,” Edgar said. “I don’t want to be interrupted after we’ve started.” A second later, there was a rip in space, then… Silvi hopped out. “Wrong one…” Edgar said. “Give it another second.” He turned to Silvi and said, “Sorry, we’re having a duel.”

Silvi wasn’t wearing her collar or rings, so the bunny just nodded. While Derek was away, Silvi was there to keep an eye on everyone—mostly Savannah, but she moved fast enough to protect Eloria, too.

Jakis stared on, dumbfounded. “What… is… this?” he muttered, then his eyes went wide. “Wait… a horned rabbit with a purple coat and horn…” He took a deep breath in, then chuckled. “I see…”

Moments later, the same dreadful feeling washed over everyone, and another rip formed in space. A man in dragon scale armor from his neck down, with a purple glow surrounding his body like a second skin, stepped out. Once he shut the portal behind him, he looked around.

“Oh, Silvi!” he said. “You beat me here.” He turned and looked at Edgar. “Sorry, I don’t check the status as often as I should, but Avery is on top of it. I’m glad I was already back.”

“It’s okay,” Edgar said. “You got here quick enough, and it seems that this Champion is honorable.”

“Derek Hunt…” Jakis said.

“Jakis! Is that you?” Derek said happily. “You know, if you are Jakis, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“You would have found me if you had stayed still long enough for me to get to you,” Jakis said with narrow eyes. “So, I am to fight you? The Ascending Monarch?”

“Of cou—” Derek started, but was interrupted.

“No!” Edgar said. “Me first! No interfering.”