Tier 3+ - Accidental Champion (Book 2) - Chapter 86 - Keep Your Friends Close, and Your Enemies Closer

[I was wondering when you’d come to this conclusion, Xavier Collins.]

[If you truly want to befriend me, you have no other choice.]

Xavier had just outlined his wishes, stating that for Adranial to come to Earth, she must make a contract with him. At first, he’d worried a contract would not be possible over a Communication Stone, but according to Adranial, making contracts over long distances was one of the functions a Communication Stone had. He didn’t ask her why his Identify skill hadn’t told him that—he assumed it was because it wasn’t a high enough rank to reveal everything about an item he was examining.

Which means there may very well be more things I’ve Identified that I don’t know as much about as I thought.

[Oh, let me assure you, there is always a choice. Choices are about the only thing we have in this universe. The problem is we can never take back the choices we make. Never walk backward on the path, as the System is so fond of reminding us.] The woman paused. [I’m glad you didn’t kill your friend.]

Her voice sounded different than it had before, lacking the self-assured confidence and humour that had practically been dripping off of it. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say he heard some sincerity in it.

[Like you care what happens to Howard. He told me what you did—that you taunted everyone in that arena and made them attack you. You didn’t have to do that. You were powerful enough to survive the arena without killing. I’m sure of it.]

[Interesting. From the memories I saw of you, I did wonder about your sense of morality. There is a difference between doing what I did—killing total strangers in a situation where their deaths are only to my advantage, and killing a friend. Yes, you are correct in asserting that I care nothing for Howard’s life, not because I am callous, but because there are trillions of lives in the Greater Universe that are simply of no consequence to me. How could they be? But it would be different if it were the life of someone I trusted. Did you know that I’ve been training with my party since the moment I could walk? On my world, we know a little about how cohorts are formed, and so we take everyone who was born on the same day on the same year and have them train in the same classes. I, of course, had my tutors outside of that. But this comradery—it forms a bond. A strong bond. I would feel much pain if I were to have to kill one of them, and I would not take it on lightly.]

Xavier took a moment to digest the woman’s words. He felt like he was learning something more about the Greater Universe the more they talked. [You… were testing me, weren’t you? There were other ways you could have made that contract with Howard. You just wanted to see what I would do. How I would react. And something tells me you could find your own way to Earth without his help.]

[Ding, ding, Xavier Collins. Ding, ding. You’re absolutely right. There are many ways I could have gone about this. I’ll sign your contract, as long as it is to my liking. And in doing so, I will release Howard from his.]

Xavier blinked. [Just like that? What’s the catch?]

[Ah, my dear Xavier, that comes later. You’ll have to wait.]

Am I making a terrible mistake?

Xavier looked at Howard once more, and thought of Earth. This all seemed a little too easy. There must be a thousand variables he hadn’t thought of. Things he didn’t even know to think of. But if this Adranial would truly sign a contract with him, then he had to do it, didn’t he? How else was he going to hide who he was from the invaders in his sector? He thought through the contract he wished for her to sign, then sent it though.

XAVIER COLLINS has sent a System Contract to ADRANIAL ------

Xavier tilted his head to the side. The woman’s last name was blocked. Interesting.

Contract details:

XAVIER COLLINS agrees to provide ADRANIAL ------ with coordinates to planet Earth in the Silver River sector and provide her with safe harbour as long as she does not pose a threat to him or the people of Earth.

ADRANIAL ------ agrees not to harm a single Denizen from Earth unless there are exceptional circumstances and harming them is only in self-defence. This self-defence clause, however, does not include being allowed to defend herself against the members of XAVIERS COLLINS’S party—

There was an interruption, the text cutting out. Adranial’s voice rang in his mind. [That basically says any members in your party can attack me and I can’t do a damned thing in response. Now, now, that doesn’t seem fair, does it?]

Xavier bit his lip. [Neither is the corner you’ve put me in to get this, Adranial. Besides, we’ve agreed to give you safe harbour, remember?]

[You’ve agreed to give me safe harbour. It says nothing about your party members. Which means there’s nothing stopping them attacking me at all, especially the one who may just have a grudge against me.]

[And whose fault would that be?] Xavier paused. Sighed to himself. [Fine. I’ll change that line.]

ADRANIAL ------ agrees not to harm a single Denizen from Earth unless there are exceptional circumstances and harming them is only in self-defence.

ADRANIAL ------ agrees not to share information about Earth, its defences, or the level of its Denizens—in particular XAVIER COLLINS—with anyone XAVIER COLLINS has not permitted her to share said information with.

[That last one’s a little bit strict, isn’t it?]

[That last one is non-negotiable.]

ADRANIAL ------ is not allowed to harvest any of Earth’s resources without strict permission from XAVIER COLLINS.

ADRANIAL ------ is not permitted to bring anyone with her to Earth.

[I can’t bring my party?] Adranial replied. Xavier could practically hear the pout in her voice. [They’re like family to me, Xavier Collins, and they would be a great help against the invaders you’re about to face.]

Xavier tapped his fingers against the Communication Stone in his palm. He already wondered if he was making a terrible mistake in bringing this woman to Earth in the first place, did he really want to have to worry about her party, as well?

There’s nothing stopping her from sharing information about me with them right now, and instructing her party members to sabotage Earth by releasing that information to the invaders if something happens to her. Maybe I’d be better off securing a contract with them as well…

This was beginning to feel far outside of his control. Adding more elements into play.

If she has a Communication Stone that has no restrictions within the entire Greater Universe, she probably has more like this. She could already have told countless people.

Now, he knew he was starting to sound a little paranoid, but he couldn’t help it. Besides, it was hardly paranoia when people were actually out to get him—or at least, paying close attention to him.

Two incredibly powerful Denizens already know who I am and what I’m capable of. I felt them, watching me again, after I defeated the Endless Horde. If they wanted Earth to fall, there wouldn’t be anything I could do at this stage to stop them.

This is the only way forward—the only way to break the contract currently holding sway over Howard’s life.

Xavier looked at the countdown timer. He’d already spent more time on this than he would have liked. Over half an hour of the two hours he had before they returned to Earth.

[Fine,] he told Adranial. [I’ll cut your party into the deal, but they’ll be under the same restrictions as you, and I’m adding another clause to the contract.]

[Are you now?] There was an interesting lilt to her voice, it almost sounded as though she were impressed. If she were who Xavier thought she was, the descendant of that powerful Denizen that had looked in on him, the Denizen that had probably held the top spot on all the floors before Xavier stepped into the tower, then she probably wasn’t used to being spoken to in this way by someone outside her family.

[If you or your party members do anything to piss me off, I get to ban you from Earth, and you still don’t get to talk about me or my planet.]

Another long pause followed his words, which made him wonder if she was conferring with someone. Her party, or perhaps the ancestor she’d mentioned.

[You may be interested to know, Xavier Collins, that I do not care how your world fairs in the Greater Universe, nor am I going there because I think the world itself is particularly special, though if I do, and I quote, “piss you off” enough to have you throw me out of it, then I will have already failed in my duty, and being barred from a backwater baby planet on the Edge will be the least of my worries.]

Xavier couldn’t help but smirk. He was beginning to wonder… maybe there was more truth than lie in this Adranial’s words. Maybe she did intend to befriend him, and if that were the case… what advantages could he get out of having such a knowledgeable Denizen and her party of Champions on Earth? Opposing Champions might not be able to share information about the tower within the tower, but outside of it?

That could very well be a different story altogether. And he had no doubt that however strong this woman and her party were, he would still be able to defeat her if it ever came to a fight—not that the contract should allow such a thing. She would not have anywhere near the same number of titles as he possessed.

Though who knows what her ultimate motives are…

He couldn’t help but be reminded of that old adage: keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Choosing this course of action would definitely have him adhering to that, whichever she turned out to be in the end.

Xavier spent the next little while putting contracts together for the other members of Adranial’s party. He’d tried to stipulate a clause that would require them to provide information to him and his people, but Adranial had shut that down pretty fast. Apparently, she had contracts of her own already in place that she had to adhere to, and many of them had to do with the sharing—or rather, with the restriction of sharing—information.

The whole negotiation—for lack of a better term—had taken longer than he’d hoped to sort out, but when it was done, the final line of the contract between himself and Adranial being to free Howard from his contract, Xavier watched as Howard got a faraway look, blinking off into space. The big man stood, his armour clinking loudly as he did so, his double-bearded axe sent swinging where it hung from his belt, and looked over at Xavier.

“You… you did it. You freed me from the contract!” The man’s eyes widened. “What-what did you give her?”