Howard took a step back and to the side as the woman came out of the dungeon. He now stood protectively in front of Siobhan.

Just in case this woman got any ideas.

She was wearing light leather armour and carried a wooden bow. She looked young. Maybe eighteen. Maybe younger. But her eyes told him she’d had to grow up fast. Whether pre-integration or post—probably both.

Unless she’s from another world.

But he didn’t think so.

He tried to scan her, but wasn’t able to. That made him frown. How was she able to block his scan? A skill, or an item?

The woman froze when she saw them. She came out of the dungeon with an arrow already nocked in her bow. Now, the string was pulled back. She didn’t look as though she’d have any compunctions putting it through one of them.

“Who are you?” she asked, her voice steady.

Howard raised his hands. His shield and double-bearded axe were both within his Storage Ring. He could summon them in a moment, but hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. Even though he couldn’t scan this woman, he still figured he was stronger than her. His Bulwark spell should be more than capable of stopping one of her arrows.

Assuming I’m able to summon it fast enough.

“My name is Howard,” he said. “This is Siobhan.” He looked her up and down. “We’re from Earth. I’m hoping you are too.”

He remembered the carnage that had been left behind. He looked behind her, but no other people had stepped out of the dungeon. As far as he could tell, it was just her.

She did all of that alone?

“I’m from Earth,” the woman said.

“The dead elves. Your handiwork?”

“They were trespassing on my territory,” the woman said. She hadn’t offered her name yet. “I don’t take kindly to that.”

Howard glanced at Siobhan. “Well, you’ll be pleased to know we’re just passing through. Good work, though, taking out that invasion force.” He sniffed. “You do that on your own?”

The woman smiled. “Maybe.”

“You can lower your bow, you know,” Siobhan said. “We don’t mean you any harm.”

“And how, exactly, can I trust you on that?”

“We could sign a contract.”

The woman frowned. Laughed. “I’m all out of paper right now.”

Howard’s forehead creased. “A System contract.” He tilted his head to the side. “You don’t know what that is, do you?”

“A System contract binds two or more people to the words of the contract. The System enforces a punishment if one or more parties goes against the rules set out in the contract. That punishment could be stripping one of their level, or of their life,” Siobhan explained in a calm voice. “It’s quite effective at developing trust.”

The woman didn’t look convinced. “What if I don’t want to develop trust? I’ve been doing perfectly fine on my own here.” She still hadn’t lowered her weapon.

“The world is in danger,” Howard said. He almost called her kid, but something told him she wouldn’t appreciate that, even if he was old enough to be her dad. “Invaders from other worlds, as you’ve already seen, are trying to take what’s ours. We don’t intend to let them. Considering what you did back there, seems like you’re of the same mind.” He shrugged. “We have a base. A leader. A strong one. We just wondered if you’d like to join us.”

He hadn’t gotten to the part about wanting information from her. Especially since by the looks of it, she hadn’t left this area since the System came down. That was a disappointment, but if they could gain some benefit from having waited around outside the dungeon for her, then at least it wouldn’t have been a waste of time.

While the woman didn’t stop pointing the bow at them, Howard couldn’t help but notice that her aim dipped a bit lower, and that her shoulders were relaxing slightly. “What’s in it for me?”

Howard frowned again. “Don’t you want to save the world?”

The woman stared into his eyes. “Not at the expense of my own life.”

Howard supposed he could understand that, even if he would never feel the same way himself. He’d learnt that there were things he would sacrifice his life for if it came to it. His family, being at the top of the list. His world was on that list too.

He’d sacrifice himself for his party, too, if it came to that.

But not everyone worked that way, and that didn’t mean they couldn’t be an asset. People didn’t have to be willing to die to do some good. His wife, she was never one to risk her life—something for which he was eternally grateful—but that didn’t mean she wasn’t helpful. That didn’t mean she wasn’t good.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Still, Howard was well aware that not everyone wanted to help. There were plenty of selfish people out there. People who only did things out of their own interests. People that had no regard for others.

Else he wouldn’t have needed to become a cop in the first place.

This woman could have fled the forest. Could have left the elves to have it. Instead, she’d taken them on, and as far as he could tell, she’d done it all by herself. Seemed wise to get someone like that on their side if he could.

“Levels,” Howard said. “Ranks. Spirit Coins. Resources.” He paused. “And power. That’s what’s in it for you.”

This seemed to get her attention. The arrow she had nocked in her bow was pointing at the ground now.

“How do we make one of these System contract?” the woman asked.

“First, it would be nice to have your name,” Siobhan said.

“Melissa,” the woman said. “Melissia Donavon.”

There was a noise, somewhere in the forest to their left. The woman had her bow up again, pointing through the trees. Howard glanced around. He couldn’t sense any auras close by. Unfortunately, that was more unsettling than reassuring. If whatever had made that noise also had the ability to mask their aura…

He summoned his tower shield and double-bearded axe to his hands. As he wrapped his fingers about the leather wrap on the shaft, it was as though everything in the world felt just a little bit more right.

Having a weapon in his hand had always been reassuring, it was only more so now the world had gone to all hell.

“Mini-map,” Siobhan said. She sounded calm. She hadn’t bothered summoning her Divine Guardian, or bringing out her staff. In fact, there was a smile on her face.

Howard checked his mini-map. Sure enough, toward where the source of the noise had come was a single green dot.

A split-second later, Xavier was standing in front of them.

Melissa’s eyes were wide, staring at him. “Where the hell did you come from?”

Xavier raised an eyebrow at the woman. He didn’t look like he was in a very chatty mood. Howard felt a pit in his stomach at that expression. It was one that bore bad news. Another thing he was used to doing, back when he’d been a cop.

Xavier looked at Howard and Siobhan, ignoring the arrow that was pointed squarely at his chest. Such a thing would be no more than a tiny nuisance to him, after all. “Justin has been taken prisoner.”

Howard gawped. “What?” He hated the small bit of relief he felt that this hadn’t been something about his family. But how couldn’t he feel relief at that? Still, the feeling brought on a wave of guilt.

“How?” Siobhan said at the same time.

“I said, where the hell did you come from?” Melissa took a step forward. The head of the arrow she had nocked began to glow. “This is my forest, and I do not appreciate trespasses.”

Xavier stared down at her. As though she were nothing more than an insect. Howard wondered if the man knew that’s what his expression showed. “Lower your weapon or I will make you lower it. I won’t warn you twice.”

Melissa hesitated, then she seemed to take stock of the situation she was in. Three people standing before her, none of them looking at all worried by her presence, one of them able to move so fast she hadn’t been able to perceive their arrival until he’d been standing still. She lowered her weapon, but there was a look of defiance that stuck to her face. This little interaction sure had a chance at souring their burgeoning allyship.

Not that Howard really cared about that right now.

Xavier explained to them the situation. What Justin had tried to do. What had happened to him as a consequence of that. The device that had taken him to another world—Nasrien—and the woman that had come to the base, with over thirty captives in tow that she’d freed.

“You let an invader have run of the camp while you’re not even there?” Howard said.

“She isn’t an invader. She’s a defector. And she signed a contract.”

Howard gritted his teeth. He didn’t like it. Just like he didn’t like the fact that Adranial and her party were in this world. But neither of these things were something he was going to fight about.

There were more important things to be done.

Xavier paused. He looked at Howard. His expression shifted. There was even a small smile on his face. “Your family is safe.”

Howard blinked. “What?” He took a step forward. “You found them? How?”

“Adranial.”

The sound of the woman’s name made rage flare and burn within him.

“Adranial?” Howard said, venom in his voice. “What did she do to help?”

“Aren’t you wondering how I found you two in the first place? After we’ve been separated for hours?” Xavier raised an eyebrow.

“Wasn’t really on the top of my list of concerns,” Howard droned. “But now that you mention it, enlighten me.”

Xavier made a sharp whistling sound. Something zipped through the air and landed directly in his palm. A stone, glowing red. “This is called a Blood Tracker. Adranial provided me with several of them. They give one the ability to find someone, or someone’s blood relatives, using their blood.”

Howard stared at the stone a moment. “And Adranial just happened to have my blood?”

“She planned this. All the way back in the melee. She’d known things would come to this. That I would save you,” Xavier said.

There was something strange in his voice as he talked. Something Howard didn’t like.

Was that… a hint of admiration?

“And she planned to do something for you in return, after…” Xavier trailed off. Seemed like he didn’t want to mention what the woman had done.

“I remember,” Howard grunted.

Xavier sighed. “She thought this might bring some goodwill. If not for her, I wouldn’t have found them.” He paused. “And if not for finding them so soon, honestly… there’s a chance they might have died without my help.”

This did nothing to soften his anger or worry. “What happened to them?”

Xavier explained. Telling them about the Safe Zone city, with the invaders around it.

Then he’d told them what he’d done.

Throughout the conversation, Howard couldn’t help but notice Melissa, her eyes widening the more that Xavier spoke, so casually, about killing thousands of people in a single spell.

And apparently that wasn’t all that he’d done.

“You travelled to a different planet?” Siobhan asked. “Are you insane? Were you trying to get yourself killed?”

Xavier grinned at her. “I wasn’t trying to, no. Though it almost happened a couple of times.” Then his eyes and voice became hard. “I made a statement. A warning. One I hope the entire sector is wise enough to heed.”

He looked up at the sky, through the canopy of branches, as though he could see the stars even in the middle of the day. Hell, maybe he could.

“I’m hoping they’ve gotten the message.” Xavier’s fingers clenched into a fist. “But after what happened to Justin… maybe I’ll need to make another one.”

“How do we save him?” Siobhan asked. “What…” She swallowed. “What do we do?”

Xavier ran a hand through his hair. “I have a plan.” He paused. “It’s a dangerous one.” He looked at them both. “Any chance either of you have something with Justin’s blood on it?”

Howard did a mental inventory of what was inside his Storage Ring. He’d sparred with the boy enough times. Their sessions often ended in blood. It was always cleaned away… but he’d also collected corpses, and loot, from enemies Justin had slain.

“You know,” Howard said. “I think I might.”