Spearbound Ch. 60

Kade wasn’t even able to take in the comforting blue sky before the interface appeared with the summary.

Rift Zone Summary:

Lifeforms Killed: 3

Monsters Killed: 2,381

Direct Kills – 1,924 (19,240 points)

Indirect Kills – 457 (1,371 points)

Bonus: Be the catalyst for the rift zone’s destruction (5,000 points)

Total Points from Rift Zone: 25,611 points

Total Ranking Points: 35,409 points

Currently Ranked #1 in North America.

He skimmed over the points earned and noted that he received more per kill compared to the previous rift zones. He had also finally overtaken Anita Shah on the leaderboard.

Kade carried Eliza to the bike she had ridden and pulled the leaderboard up to satisfy his curiosity.

North American Rankings:

1. Kade Beckett (Arcane Lancer) – 35,409 points (+25,611)

2. Anita Shah (Archivist) – 19,482 points (+7,192)

3. Eliza Brooks (Mage) – 18,779 points (+12,388)

He really wanted to find out who the hell Anita Shah was and ask her what miracles she was performing to still be ranked number two.

Kade found it hard to believe that Eliza still hadn’t overtaken her after what they had been through in the rift zone.

Anita changed her Class.

He stared for a second before dismissing it. Everyone had their own path, and even if he couldn’t understand it, it was apparent rampaging into danger wasn’t the only way to be formidable.

Kade gently sat Eliza on the bike and checked her pulse for the first time. His expression fell when it was far too weak.

“System, how urgently does Eliza need a healer?” He was already shifting her back into his arms.

“This information is unavailable. Eliza Brooks is no longer in your party.”

“Fuck,” Kade muttered under his breath. He could feel Hellion in the vicinity and originally intended to wait for the bird to come to him, but there would need to be a change of plans.

Hellion could easily defeat the monsters on Earth, so a delayed reunion posed no danger. He left Eliza’s bike behind and started a steady jog to avoid jostling her as much as possible.

Kade could run much faster, but it could also hurt Eliza more. Besides, the jog he was in was faster than cars on city streets.

***

“Matt!” Kade called out, relieved to see a familiar face the moment he entered the city.

“You’re back!” Matt beamed before the smile quickly dropped off at seeing Eliza. “We organized a small party for you both when we saw the updated rankings, but I guess we should postpone it.”

 “Get me Celine and a few other healers you trust. Eliza might be in a critical state.”

Matt rushed off before Kade could tell him where he was going to be. He shook his head and made his way to the hotel, telling the guards by the door to keep a lookout for the healers, and went to the room he had previously stayed in.

Kade noticed how much the city had changed in the time he had been in the rift zone. While most of the people still look disheveled, the looks of shock and loss had decreased.

There was a far greater level of order in place, but he didn’t know if it was mostly because of Finn’s group or the collaborative efforts of multiple groups in the city.

He would find out once Eliza was stable.

However, one thing was very obvious. Every single person he passed had a look of awe as they stared at him. The guards at the hotel’s entrance looked made him feel like a mythical figure as he passed them.

Kade lay Eliza on the bed, staining the sheets with blood, before moving to the window, staring at the purpose-filled movements of the people below.

“System, were my actions in the rift zone recorded?”

“No, mandatory recordings are only for the initial rift zones. However, you may choose to record your actions if you wish.”

Kade found that new information interesting, but since there was no new recording, the looks of awe he received were puzzling. He couldn’t believe his rank was the reason.

Sure, that would get similar looks from some people, but not everyone who glimpsed him.

“Kade, uh, sir, we’re here.”

Kade turned with a raised eyebrow to see a nervous Celine with two unknowns behind her. He assumed these were the additional healers he requested.

“Eliza’s pulse is weak, and she had a lot of blood taken from her. Do what’s necessary to have her recover.” Kade stepped aside to get out of their line of sight, wanting to put them more at ease.

Celine and the healers got to work, though their back were stiff from tension, letting Kade know they were hyperaware of his presence.

He didn’t miss how nervous Celine was when she greeted him. It was a stark contrast with how they interacted before he left of the Class D rift zone. The mystery of why he was put on a podium grew.

Kade watched the three work on Eliza before coming to an agreement. The two unknowns left, leaving Celine in the room.

“So, I’m a sir now?”

Celine laughed awkwardly. “With your new position, I can’t be so casual anymore. If it makes you feel better, it feels weird for me, too.”

“What new position?” Kade asked, confused why she acted like he should already know.

“Uh, well, you’re the head of the Beckett Organization,” Celine said slowly. “We’re all working for you now.”

It took several seconds for it to click into Kade’s mind. The looks he had been getting, the nerves the healers felt, Celine’s awkwardness.

He looked into Celine’s eyes. “This is the first time I’m hearing about it. Who made this organization? And how did I become the head of it when I wasn’t anywhere near the city?”

“Woah, I’m just a healer.” Celine raised her palms and stepped back. “Finn is the one you should ask all these questions.”

Kade hadn’t realized he was glaring until now and immediately softened his expression. “Sorry, I’ve been a little on the edge. Where can I find Finn?”

“I’m sure he’s on the way, but Matt should know more.”

“I’ll look for him.” Kade nodded and looked at Eliza. “I heard a little of what you discussed with the other healers. So it’s mostly a time thing, then? Will she be back in action in a week?”

Celine looked happy to be on a topic she was comfortable with. “It could be more to get her back to a hundred percent. But I expect her to wake soon after we start treating her.”

“Thank you… and I hope you don’t hold the misdirected anger against me,” Kade said.

Celine waved him off with a smile. “You’re the boss, even if you didn’t know about it. It’ll take more than a mean look to make me hold a grudge.”

Kade chuckled and said, “Take care of Eliza while I’m gone.’”

“Gotcha, Kade,” Celine gave him a mock salute.

He left the hotel room and found Matt waiting at the end of the hallway near the stairs.

“Is everything alright?” Matt asked with concern.

“Nothing serious.” Kade held up a hand to stop him from replying. “When were you going to tell me that Finn used my name to make a group?”

“Ah, I hoped to break that to you myself. I was going to tell you as soon as we met, but Eliza’s condition was a priority.”

Kade sighed and noticed some eyes looking at them from their posts. “Take me to Finn and tell me more about this organization I’m supposedly leading.”

Matt nodded eagerly and led them down the stairway. “Finn and I found that using your clout on the leaderboard made people much more likely to go along with our suggestions. We only intended to get ourselves a stronghold that we could call home, but one thing led to another, and we suddenly had thousands of people wanting to join us.”

Kade’s steps faltered at the number of people. “All of this happened in the few days I was gone?” He asked incredulously.

“A few days?” Matt was confused. “Kade, you were gone for nearly a month.”

Kade fell silent as he listened to Matt dismissed the vast time difference to describe the banalities of running a rapidly expanding organization. He was more focused on wondering how warped the time in the rift zone was.

Whatever was considered days in there made no sense to him, and more worryingly, it revealed time dilatation was a very real thing when dealing with rift zones.

It was only a month this time, but there was nothing ruling out a year passing on Earth when he might only experience a few weeks in a rift zone.

“We’re using this school as our temporary headquarters for now,” Matt said, bringing Kade out of his thoughts. They passed crudely armed, but disciplined guards patrolling the grounds.

“Why not use them for repelling the waves of monsters on the border?” Kade asked as they entered the school, though it looked nothing like one on the inside.

Boxes filled the hallways, stacked to the ceiling, and nearly every room was used.

“That would be ideal, but rivaling groups are honestly more of a concern,” Matt grimaced. They entered what must have been the principal’s office. “Wait here. I’ll get Finn and he can tell you more about it.”

Kade was alone, with a few gawkers peeking in from outside to get a glimpse of him. It felt like he was a movie star, and he couldn’t say he loved it.

What he didn’t love even more was Matt telling him that competing factions had already risen and required significant manpower to defend against.

The world has gone through a catastrophe and humans still can’t stop fight against each other.

This was exactly what Kade feared would happen when Finn showed his ambition. The worst part was he knew there was nothing he could do to stop it. If it wasn’t Finn, it would be someone else.

He sat down in the plush chair and winced. It reminded him that he still needed to get healed.