Tier 3+ - Accidental Champion (Book 8) - Chapter 1 - You said you had some ideas?

Roln smiled. “Honestly, I haven’t figured that part out yet.” The mental construct ran a hand through his hair. He looked over at Palini. “Though, I’ve got a few ideas…”

Xavier bit his lip. Having chosen to believe this man was the genuine article, someone actually here to help him—the same being who’d created that spark of light.

The light that saved me…

Well, it didn’t exactly banish all his misgivings. Xavier had refused the help of others in the past, worried that if someone told him this is how you do it, he wouldn’t discover better, more innovative ways. However, though that had worked for him more than once, he had become far, far more confident in his ability to do what others deemed “impossible.” Besides, he’d benefited from others, too, hadn’t he? If not for finding someone to instruct him in the ways of the Time mage, it would have taken him a hell of a lot longer to get this far. And wasn’t he, even now, being instructed in physical combat by Palini? Even if they hadn’t exchanged a single word regarding one another’s technique, their almost unceasing sparring was certainly an education.

Armed with his past experience of defying expectation, what harm could more knowledge do him?

Roln chuckled. It came so abruptly Xavier assumed it must have been in response to his thought. “Oh, knowledge has an equal amount of power to bring harm as it does to bring help. The only problem is identifying which parts of knowledge will do one or the other.”

Xavier tilted his head to the side. “Doesn’t that entirely depend on the person receiving that information?”

Roln nodded. “Indeed. I have seen one man crumble and another woman thrive when hearing the same thing. I will tell you this—I won’t always give you the answer, not if I think you won’t benefit from it, but I will always tell you the truth.”

“Not that I can ever be sure of that,” Xavier muttered.

Roln winked. “You’re just going to have to trust me on that one.”

The young dragonkin sighed. “I guess I am.” He followed Roln’s gaze. The dead Wanderer was staring at Palini. “You said you had some ideas?”

Roln folded his hands together in front of him, the long, billowing sleeves of his robes covering them. “I do. Many. Though we both have to consider something.”

Xavier raised an eyebrow, waiting for the other man to continue.

“Anything that I do tell you will change the course of your path forever, and we can never know if I’m taking you the right way or the wrong way. I have access to a level of knowledge no one in your universe possesses.” He shook his head. “No, saying that isn’t enough…” His forehead creased. “I have access to more knowledge than the combined minds of several different corners of the multiverse.”

Xavier’s eyes widened as he contemplated that. Honestly, it was something he couldn’t even fathom. It filled him with excitement. At the same time, he wilted. There was something the man had told him, about himself and the other Wanderers. That despite how powerful they were, they’d hadn’t been able to save a single universe.

“Ah,” Roln breathed. “I did wonder if that little tidbit of information would be a mistake to provide.”

“If you all…” Xavier sighed. He raised his hand, stopping the other man from responding. “Please, do let me get this thought out. I thought having access to another path of cultivation would make me different. Would make me stronger than any other version of myself had ever been.”

“It has,” Roln said.

Xavier gritted his teeth at the interruption. “Even so, you’re saying you and your fellow Wanderers have that and more.” He shook his head, looked at the broken throne again, and thought of all he wanted to do. If they failed…

Before Roln could say anything, Xavier stopped that train of thought dead. Yes, he’d learnt something worrying. But what, exactly, did that change? In all his searching, no one had ever tried to do what he wanted to do. No one had ever tried to unite a universe against the end. Had they?

“Some have tried,” Roln whispered. “None were you.”

None were you.

Xavier turned his gaze to the domed ceiling and looked out at the stars. What he had to do had always been unimaginable. It didn’t matter how powerful these Wanderers were. One of those Wanderers was standing before him, having died because he believed in him. A man with the knowledge of multiple corners of the multiverse thought he had a chance where others had failed.

Xavier didn’t need anyone else’s confidence in him to keep going—to keep trying—but it was still nice to have.

“I’m not worried about what you said. About anything you do changing my path.” He shrugged. “That’s a foolish thing to worry about. No one knows what my path might or might be. Overthinking such a thing would be crippling. All I can do is keep walking forward. So again, tell me: How are you going to help me?”

Roln smiled, so wide it showed what felt an abnormal number of teeth. “You were about to spar this man with that spear of yours, hmm? Well, go ahead, and I’ll show you exactly how I can help.”

Xavier peered at the dead Wanderer curiously. After a moment, he returned to where he’d been sitting, crossing his legs and laying his spear over them once more. He still needed to consolidate his gains in a mental simulation. Closing his eyes, he retreated deeply into his mind and took up the spear and trained. All the while he couldn’t help but be aware of the new presence in his mind. It was a strange thing to know you were being constantly watched, but it was also something he’d grown used to ever since the fifth floor.

Before then. I’ve had the feeling of being watched since I was integrated into the System.

This, however, felt different. Now, he was being watched even inside his own mind.

My every thought…

It was something he would need to shake off. He reminded himself that this Roln person wasn’t alive anymore. If everything he said was true, the mental construct existed only in the confines of Xavier’s mind. He’d read about things like this in science fiction and fantasy books before. Implanted AIs that ended up having a personality of their own, or the spirits of the dead that haunted a particular person, or even multiple consciousnesses stuck in one body.

Roln suffered a true death. Without a soul, a body… all that’s left is his mind. What does that make him now? Akin to some sort of computer program? A mere memory?

Xavier knew the mental construct heard these thoughts, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t going to try to hide them. He wasn’t going to allow himself to become self-conscious simply because he was being watched.

Still, he pushed this from his mind and fell into a training trance in a simulated environment in his mind. When he emerged, Roln hadn’t moved.

“Are you ready?” the man asked.

Xavier nodded and rose from the marble floor, holding his spear in both hands. The weapon felt so much more natural. Again an extension of his body. He couldn’t wait to use it. He encompassed Palini into the time dilation field once more but left the other Denizens outside it.

Palini blinked, taking note of this, and clearly seeing that Xavier had moved, narrowed his eyes. “What are you up to?”

The truth contract they shared didn’t allow Xavier to lie, not that he wanted to, but that didn’t mean he needed to give him the whole truth. “There’s something I want to test. I’d rather not have everyone’s eyes on us while I do.”

Palini frowned. “Unlike you to be self-conscious, but as you wish. Let’s see what you can do with that spear of yours. I’ve never seen you wield the thing, after all.”

Xavier was curious to know how the fight would go. With the sword, he’d come to the point where though his pure swordsmanship wasn’t yet on Palini’s level—for how could it be, when the man had been training for several thousand years—he could now defeat him every time.

The spear was a different beast of a weapon altogether, and Xavier had never seen Palini fight someone with a spear before. He didn’t know how that would change the way he moved.

With all he’d learned and how powerful he’d become, Xavier fully expected to be able to defeat the man in a sparring match, or to at least come to a draw. But he didn’t want to get ahead of himself.

They each came forward. Palini, usually one to circle his opponent briefly before making his first strike, instantly attempted to close the gap.

Xavier didn’t back away from the man’s advance. He met it head on, sweeping downward and going for Palini’s legs. Xavier’s opponent smoothly leapt out of the way. Something shifted in the way the other man moved. The change abrupt. A flurry of strikes came at Xavier and only his superior speed allowed him to block.

In these sparring matches, Xavier hadn’t been using his wings to their greatest advantage. This was by design. Though he would need to integrate their use once more soon enough, he wanted to keep these fights as matched as possible. They weren’t about winning; they were about learning. At this stage he would learn more by restricting himself then allowing himself to go all out.

 Xavier had been so focused on the sparring match that when words flashed not across his vision, but through his mind, their presence made him falter. Palini’s blade slapped his spear to one side then thrust forward straight for his neck. Xavier only just managed to pull himself backward. Muscle memory alone was what saved him. Lines appeared on Palini’s forehead. Xavier didn’t usually falter like that.

Initiating Combat Assistance Overlay Version 0.1…

Xavier took a few hurried strides back, creating a gap between him and his sparring partner. Palini didn’t hesitate to try and close it, but in that time, Xavier was able to grasp what was happening. Though Roln had said he was going to show him how he might help, he’d had no idea what form that help would take. The effort required to spar Palini had made him tunnel visioned, and he hadn’t spared a thought for the mental construct since.

Combat Assistance? Don’t for one second think about controlling my actions!

Did you miss the word Overlay there? This won’t control anything you do. Besides, I would need permission for that, remember? Not that I would actually do that—it would teach you bad habits.

The voice entered his mind just as a spirit’s voice, or his soul bound weapon’s voice, might—which was the first time Roln had communicated with him this way. He supposed it was less distracting than having him speak aloud as though he were in the throne room.

Palini, sensing weakness, closed the gap and came at Xavier with a wicked combination. Somehow, he seemed faster than when Xavier fought him with a sword. Or maybe Xavier was just slower.

So, what exactly does this thing do?

Xavier pushed his speed to its limit, whirling the spear about to block the flurry of attacks like it was a damned propeller. There was barely any true grace in his movements.

You just wait and see. It’ll be ready… now.

Combat Assistance Overlay Initiated.