Book 2: Chapter 57 (Patreon)

Daniel sulked as they packed.

Packing consisted of throwing everything they wanted to carry on Orrin’s bed, as he shoveled items into his dimensional space.

As for why the [Hero] was sulking? Surfing did not exist in Asmea. After a brief bout of disappointment, Daniel had been more than excited to try recreating the sport in a new world. Those hopes were dashed when Leanthun overheard them talking and confirmed that the ocean didn’t have waves large enough for what Daniel was describing.

Instead, they packed and planned their trip back to Dey. Arandir was disappointed but simply said they would be welcome back anytime. He had convinced Daniel to share his Quest with a few senior warriors. During the investigations, the elves found out that Gwynnestri had picked some of the weakest members of her forces the first time around. The layers of betrayal were still being discovered.

Orrin waited for the inevitable attack or kidnapping that would pull them back into the war but as Leanthun waved to them at the edge of the forest, he found himself a bit sad. He’d grown used to the sun flitting between the trees and the slow and peaceful mood of the elven city.

“Should we [Teleport]?” Orrin asked after a few minutes.

“We discussed this,” Madi answered. “We can walk for a few hours, then you can get us back home. Better to be safe.”

Orrin had grown up in the information age, with the internet at his fingertips. He’d argued that he’d used so many powers in front of so many people that surely any enemies they had could compile a full list of what he could do. Madi’s explanation of information brokers, spy networks, and disinformation had boggled his mind. He was surprised to learn that Silas had been working for him and Daniel, spreading false narratives about their skills and spells to better protect them.

As they walked, Daniel and Madi discussed what they wanted to do back in Dey. Daniel wanted to meet up with the Guildmaster again. Madi was trying to get her story straight for her father. She wasn’t going to lie to him but she still had to select which pieces of information to give him while withholding Orrin’s Administrator powers and otherworlder status.

Orrin started doing math.

Dey was well over a hundred miles away from their current location. Something that would have taken a few hours in a car was going to take them much longer on foot. The elves hadn’t offered horses. The plan to use his [Teleport] spell would cost a lot of mana as well. Even with his buffs, fifty mana per person for every ten miles was going to eat into his mana pool quickly.

Orrin slapped his forehead. He stopped walking and pulled up his status. Specifically, he clicked the [Teleport] spell.

[Teleport] – teleport   to any known point within 10 miles. 50 MP per person (5,000/5,000)!

He selected the exclamation point that he had forgotten about.

Would you like to upgrade [Teleport] for 10 AP?

Yes or No

Orrin checked the upgrade.

[Teleport]   Level Two – teleport to any known point within 50 miles. 25 MP per person (0/10,000)

Orrin currently had twenty-six ability points. He double-checked the rest of his skills. [Heal Small Wounds] was getting close, as was [Increase Will]. He used [Increase Will] more than any of his other buffs, usually keeping himself topped off throughout the day.

I should try to do that with all my buffs. Faster leveling.

Orrin pulled the trigger and spent the points.

Madi glanced back at him. “What are you grinning like an idiot about?”

Madi, Daniel, and Orrin landed in the square a few yards from the Catanzano household. Orrin noted that the guards leveled their weapons a little quicker than they might have a few months ago. Silas had instituted a lot of changes after Daniel had been kidnapped on his front steps.

Speak of the devil, Orrin grimaced as Madi’s dad wheeled himself out the front door before they could sneak inside.

“Madeleine Catanzano.” Silas’s voice echoed down the streets with the volume only a parent could project. “Where. Have. You. Been?”

“Hello father,” Madi dashed forward and ducked behind him. She grabbed the handles of his wheelchair and turned him quickly. “Let’s discuss this in your study. Orrin, can you drop my stuff in my room? Thanks.”

Silas sputtered as his once-obedient daughter ignored his complaints. She manhandled him back into the house, with his own guards watching helplessly.

Daniel waited for the door to shut before he started to laugh.

“We’ve been a bad influence on her, haven’t we?” Orrin chuckled.

“Our little Madi is growing up. Did you see Silas’ face?”

Daniel accompanied Orrin to Madi’s room, dropping off her spare clothes and the few knickknacks she’d brought. They were still sharing a room at the Catanzano’s house and found all their things where they’d left them.

Daniel jumped on his bed and stretched. “It’s good to be back.”

Orrin pushed stuff off his bed and fell facedown.

A comfortable silence settled as the constant stress of the last few weeks dissolved. Orrin thought back to the dungeon they’d defeated, the new Administrator powers and information he’d learned about, the elven forest and second dungeon, and the still-ongoing war between Odrana and the elves. Everything was behind them. No need to get out of bed for days. He could drift off to sleep and ignore the world for a bit.

“We should tell Madi about the other Quest.”

Orrin groaned into his pillow. Something bounced off his back.

“Turn over and listen. I think she’s earned it, don’t you?”

Orrin grabbed a sheet and pulled it over his head.

“Don’t be a dick. If you have a reason we shouldn’t tell her about the Demon Lord, let me know. You’re the one who has a better idea of what we’re going to be facing.”

Orrin finally turned on his side. “Why do you still think that? Have I been able to predict anything that’s happened? I’m hanging on by my fingernails here too man.”

Daniel threw his feet off the side of the bed and sat up. “O. I think it’s time we go all in and trust her. She knows all about your weird powers and nobody is here breaking down the door to steal you away.”

He knew Daniel was right but sometimes his stubbornness flared for no reason. “She’s going to punch me.”

Daniel threw his head back and laughed. “That’s what you’re afraid of?”

“She might try to stab me?”

Daniel laughed harder. Orrin smiled a bit and sighed. He put his face back in his pillow and mumbled something.

“What did you say?”

“Mur ma mad.”

“Did you say ‘go ahead?’”

Orrin held up a thumb but didn’t move his face. The pillow was nice. The bed was warm. He was sleepy.

For all his bluster, Daniel was also too scared to tell Madi about the Demon Lord Quest by himself. He shook Orrin awake when she came by after talking with her dad.

“I told him the highlights and hinted that Arandir was going to open some new trade routes with our house. That old shit better after all we did for him.” Madi pulled a chair away from the wall and sat. “Do you still want to go talk with Guildmaster Pritus? I’m sure she’s gotten a full report on us by now.”

Orrin eyed her, looking for her spear.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Daniel was sitting on his bed, while Orrin was still stuck under a sheet. He realized his predicament and began to hurriedly untangle himself.

“We’ve agreed to tell you something, Madi,” Daniel started. Her eyes flashed and Orrin fell off the side of the bed. “For fuck’s sake, Orrin.”

“If you two have another secret, so help me…”

“Daniel has a Quest to defeat a Demon Lord,” Orrin nearly shouted from the floor. “His secret. Not mine.”

“Traitor.” Daniel hopped back over his bed, waiting for the incoming attack.

But Madi didn’t swing at them. Instead, she turned from one boy to the other, a lost look on her face. “That’s not possible. You’re not serious. Tell me that’s a joke.” Her voice getting higher with each sentence.

Daniel moved his hand and flicked toward her. Orrin knew he’d just shared the Quest.

After a minute of silence, Orrin crawled over his bed and reached toward her. “Madi, are you ok?”

“It’s just a Quest,” Daniel added. He kept his distance though. “We’ve completed almost all of the ones we originally got.” He paused, then, “Well, except for the war one but that doesn’t count.”

“Why doesn’t that count?” Orrin risked a glance at Daniel.

“How are we supposed to stop a war? That’s not fair.”

“We have to warn the lords,” Madi whispered. “I thought it wasn’t even possible for a… This changes everything.”

Orrin and Daniel exchanged a quick look.

“What do you mean?”

The scared look in her eyes told Orrin more than her words. He’d seen her stare down Arandir and fight monstrous beasts without breaking a sweat. She was terrified.

“The Quest says the Demon Lord has already assembled his armies. We have to defeat him before he moves through the Pass and attacks. That’s our only chance.”

Daniel finally stepped around and moved within striking range. “What are you talking about? There isn’t a timer on this Quest. We can find out where the southern lands are and go defeat him once we level some more. He’s not going to come to Dey.”

Madi read the Quest language “‘The dark armies have been assembled. Seek out and defeat the Demon Lord before the Dark Horde attacks.’ Do you know what that means? A Demon Lord is going to attack Dey. A Dark Horde is what we call it when a bunch of demons attack all at once. There hasn’t been a Demon Lord in over a thousand years.”

Daniel’s brow creased with worry. “How many demons are you talking about?”

“Hundreds, if not thousands.”

Dey had struggled against two demons during the last Horde attack. If it hadn’t been for Orrin and his [Utility Ward] buffs on the entire Dragoon team, the second demon might have escaped anyway. Orrin tried to imagine the people of Dey dealing with hundreds of the same.

“They wouldn’t all be the same level as the Fogbinder, would they?”

Madi shook her head. “I doubt it, but every demon who gets through the pass has every incentive to kill as many people as it can. They get experience from killing us. It would be a bloodbath.” She shuddered. “That’s not even the part that scares me. A Demon Lord is supposed to be just as powerful as a [Hero], guys. We have to tell someone so we can get more scouts into the Pass. Odrana and Veskar need to be warned so we can put together some sort of stand against them.”

Orrin was confused about one thing. “Madi, there were Demon Lords in the past, right?”

“Yes,” Madi responded but her thoughts were running away, chasing every plan they could implement.

“Why is Dey still here, then? It should have been destroyed the last time a Demon Lord rose up.”

“Questions like that and I never figured out you weren’t from here. What is wrong with me?” She shook her head. “A [Hero] always went through the Pass and defeated the Demon Lord before they got that far. You got this Quest when you arrived, didn’t you? Whoever the Demon Lord is has had this entire time to move and get ready. They’ll know you’re coming and we’ve been spending time doing nothing important.”

She stood and started pacing.

“Even if we could get an expedition together and send Daniel through the Pass, he wouldn’t survive at his level. What we should do is—”

Orrin stopped listening and pulled up the Quest.

Defeat the   Demon Lord – In the southern lands, the Demon Lord has risen. The dark armies   have been assembled. Seek out and defeat the Demon Lord before the Dark Horde   attacks.

Reward:   1,000,000 XP and Dark Essence Unlocked

“Madi, when does the dark armies become a Horde?”

“What?”

Daniel put his hand on Madi’s shoulder. “Orrin’s using his teacher’s voice. I’ve found it best to just answer. He’s trying to figure something out.”

She pushed his hand away and answered, “I don’t know for sure, but we never call a group of monsters a Horde until they enter the Pass. Maybe then?”

Orrin nodded. “If what she says is right, we have to get to the far side of the Pass and defeat the Demon Lord before his armies enter it.”

“That would be suicide,” Madi argued. “We wouldn’t survive the Pass at our level.”

Daniel cracked his knuckles and grabbed Gertrude from his bedside. “Then we better power up.”