Accidental Champion of Earth - Chapter 20 - Meet The Party

Xavier felt oddly giddy and nervous as he walked up the stairs. He wasn’t the only one heading up there. There were about twenty people walking up the same set of stairs as him. None of them talked to each other, but they all had a mix of eagerness and dread upon their faces.

As he looked at them, Xavier couldn’t help but remember how many people Sam had told him would likely even get to Tower of Champions. Only ten percent of people who chose Champion made it. Not only that, he knew that people died while at the Tower of Champions, especially as they would be pitted against other World Champions. Xavier got the feeling that meant they might have to go up against World Champions from other, established worlds. People—whether humans or those of another sentient race—that had been Denizens of the Greater Universe since the moment of their birth.

Unlike Xavier and those around him.

How many of these people will survive? He wasn’t worried about himself. Perhaps he should have been—maybe it was arrogant not to be—but the fact that he had more stat points than anyone lent him that confidence. I can do this. I will do this. Maybe I can help to keep some of the others alive, too…

He was the first of them to reach the top of the stairs, which wasn’t too much of a surprise given he was the fastest. He reached the locked door that he had come upon the day before when he’d been exploring.

He put a hand on the handle and was about to turn it when a notification appeared.

Would you like to enter this instance?

Xavier frowned. This hadn’t happened the day before. He’d just tried to turn the handle and hadn’t been able to. Another instance, like the tavern? The tavern hadn’t had this notification, though he supposed the door hadn’t been locked, either. Maybe it only lets certain people in at certain times.

As he didn’t want to hold up the line that was forming behind him, he thought, Yes, as quickly as he could. Instead of stepping through the door like he had to the tavern, he was teleported straight into a large room with four chairs, facing a stage. The room had torches burning along dark stone walls and looked a little like a theatre. Maybe it is a theatre.

If anything, it reminded him of one of his classes. Except, less chairs. He sat at the chair on the far right, shifting in it, feeling oddly uncomfortable. He checked to make sure his Storage Ring was still safely on his finger. It was there, as it always was. It had never disappeared or fallen off, checking had simply become a habit of his.

His staff was inside his ring. He didn’t expect to have to do any fighting during the orientation, but he also didn’t know what to expect. Another thing he’d been practicing while locking himself in his room was summoning his staff to his hand quickly.

When doing so, he’d felt almost like a child drawing a fake gun while staring into a mirror. Like he thought he was cool, but anyone looking on might think he was just being silly.

I’m sure the skill will come in handy.

It wasn’t long before another person arrived. Oddly, it wasn’t one of the people that he’d seen on the stairs. I suppose if they were teleported here, they could have come from anywhere in the hallway.

The man looked to be in his mid to late forties. He’d chosen the Basic Warrior class, and was wearing the typical thin, light leather armour that Xavier had seen all the other Warriors wear. He had a sword and dagger sheathed at his belt. Though there was no sign of a bow, he likely had one stashed in his Storage Ring.

His had dark brown hair and a close-cropped beard with grey streaked through it. He had a stocky build, but Xavier had no idea if that was from stats or from pre-integration. He gazed about the room with a critical eye before nodding sharply at Xavier then taking a seat beside him.

He turned to Xavier, offered a hand. “Howard.”

Xavier took it. “Xavier.”

Howard sat back in his chair, crossed his arms over his beefy chest, eyes narrowing as he looked at the stage. “So, you have any idea what this orientation is all about? We’ve been chatting about it in the tavern. No one has a clue, and that barkeep’s tight lipped.” The man grunted. “Least he’s been keeping the drinks flowing. Lord knows we need ‘em.”

“I… I’m not sure. I guess we’ll be finding out what our mission will be.”

Another person appeared. A woman in grey robes much like his. She carried an almost identical staff to Xavier, though a bit shorter, and had a wide-eyed look about her. When she saw Xavier and Howard, she smiled, giving a small wave. Xavier struggled to pick her age. Mid-twenties, perhaps. She had red hair, sharp green eyes, and a spotting of freckles on her cheek.

Though she didn’t look like much of a fighter as Howard did, Xavier wasn’t about to underestimate her. He knew that anyone who’d made it here had been through… well. A lot.

That was another thing he’d tried not to think about. The real reason he hadn’t talked to any of these people. Xavier had killed. Goblins.Fifty of the little green bastards. But these people? Unless they’d had opponents like the one that Xavier had had, well… then they’d killed another human being to get here. They’d been thrown into a one-on-one deathmatch and not only decided to fight for their life against another human, they’d come out on top.

Right now, if he were thrown into that situation, knowing what he did—that he would be struck down if he refused to fight—he would have done it. He would have fought. For himself. For the world. He shouldn’t judge those around him if he would do the exact same thing, but it still gave him an odd feeling in his stomach when he thought about it.

I’m surrounded by murderers.

The woman sat next to Howard. She gave them both a smile. “I’m Siobhan. I guess the two of you are my party?” She had a slight accent. Was that Irish? He supposed it must be, with a name like Siobhan, that red hair and those freckles. Though the accent sounded a bit diluted, like she didn’t live there anymore.

“Howard,” Howard said. “This here’s Xavier.” The man frowned. “A party is like a team, right?” He scratched his beard. “I’ve never played one of them video games, though people keep telling me that that’s what everything has turned into.” He shook his head in obvious dismay.

Siobhan’s smile didn’t slip away. “Yeah, a party’s a team. Looks like we have two Mages and a Warrior.” She looked back at the door. “I wonder who’ll step in next.”

Howard raised an eyebrow. “You’re taking all this well, aren’t you?”

Siobhan shrugged. “I figured I should either embrace it or I’d go a bit insane.” She smiled, a bit too brightly.

“Suppose that’s… healthy.” Howard’s raised eyebrow didn’t drop until the next person arrived.

It was another Basic Warrior class. To Xavier’s surprise, the man looked younger than him. Couldn’t have been more than sixteen. He was the youngest person Xavier had seen so far. Sam had said that Denizen’s gained access to the System at sixteen.

Everyone from long-integrated worlds will be his age, won’t they? Which means, what, we’ll be pitted against teenagers? It was a strange thought, not that he was all that much older. Though four years felt like a large gap when it was the difference between a teenager and an adult.

The kid had dark hair in long need of a haircut, and a whisp of stubble on his chin that looked like a weak attempt at a beard. He gave a small wave. “Hello.” He had his bow slung over his shoulder and a hand on the hilt of his sword. He dropped the hand. “I’m Justin.”

“Hey, Justin!” Siobhan beamed. Xavier wasn’t sure how she was so calm, let alone happy. “Come on over, meet the party!” She patted the last chair in the line, then introduced herself and the others. “We’ve only exchanged a couple of words. I don’t think I’ve chatted to any of you down in the tavern yet.” She looked up at the stage. “I think we still have a few minutes before orientation starts. Maybe we could go around, say something about ourselves?”

Xavier shut his eyes and suppressed a sigh. This reminded him of sitting in a new class at the start of term and going around a circle one by one. He’d never really known what to say then, and he didn’t know what to say now.

“I guess I’ll start, then. Like I said, my name’s Siobhan. I am—well, I suppose I was—an Assistant Marketing Manager... which sounds more important than it is. It was for a small, indie games company. That’s actually why I know a bit about them. I… play a lot of video games in my spare time.” She rubbed the back of her head. “I’m also a 2nd dan black belt in Taekwondo. I used to fight competitively. In my teens…” She looked at Justin. “What about you?”

Justin blinked. “Uh. I’m still in high school. I don’t really play much video games.” He looked down at the sword at his hip. “I’m actually an Olympic fencer, so when I’m not studying I’m training for that.”

Xavier frowned. Looked at Justin. An Olympic fencer, really? He hadn’t expected that from the kid. Then again, he hadn’t expected Siobhan to be a 2nd dan black belt. Though he supposed he shouldhave expected something like this. There had to be a reason these people survived their deathmatches, after all. Did Justin have his rapier on him when the system integration started? Did Siobhan… kick her opponent to death? He bit on the inside of his lip. I don’t think I should think about this,he told himself. If we’re going to be a team, I need to learn how to trust them, not imagine how they might have killed people.

“Guess it’s my turn.” Howard had a gruff, somewhat clipped manner. “I’m a cop. Was a cop. Before all this.” He sniffed, arms crossed at his chest again. “Got a wife and two kids back home.” His voice cracked, ever so slightly. “Worried sick about ‘em.”

Siobhan nodded, her smile slipping. She ran a hand through her hair. “I suppose… that’s something we should mention… I’ve got a little sister out there, somewhere. Only fourteen. My parents… I just hope they’re with her.”

Justin looked away from them. “Just me and my mum.” He sniffed. “Hope she’s alright.”

After a moment, their eyes all fell on Xavier. He hadn’t said a word yet. Not since he spoke with Howard before the other two had arrived. Honestly, he’d been hoping the orientation would start before he had to speak. A cop, a martial artist, an Olympic fencer, and I’m a… writer. Yeah, they’re not going to think much of me, are they? At least, not until they see me fight…

“I am—was—a student at university.” Xavier didn’t mention where. None of the others had. “I wanted to be a writer, but… that doesn’t seem like it’ll be an option. Really.” He scratched the back of his head. “My mum’s out there, somewhere…” He probably should have sounded more concerned. He was a little concerned, to be honest, after he’d heard what might be happening to the rest of the world, what with Earth not being locked, and people able to invade. But mostly, he knew he needed to focus on what was in front of him. He wouldn’t be able to help her, or anyone else, if he got too stuck in his own head about it.

Besides, they’d grown distant over the past few years. Ever since he’d admitted what he wanted to do with his life, really. The others waited, staring at him, as though they were expecting more. Maybe they wanted to know if he was secretly trained as an assassin or something. Surely they were wondering how he’d made it here.

After a few moments of awkward silence, a notification appeared.

Orientation begins now.

On the stage, a man wearing glowing, golden full-plate armour appeared. He was ten-feet tall, though he looked human, and… Xavier frowned, narrowing his eyes. Was he transparent?