Old friend

The creature slowly drowned its head back into the water, disappearing into the river suddenly. The intimidating gaze of the creature was still vivid in Asher's memory, causing his body to stiffen, and leaving him speechless instantly.

"Hey, we should probably hide. The nectar effect won't last long, Ash." Chronos patted Asher's shoulder, his face looking tense.

Chronos immediately pulled Asher's hand without thinking and they immediately hid behind the nearby bushes. Chronos' prediction seemed to be correct because not long after, the group of large butterflies returned to the banks of the Venus River.

"Chronos, we have to find a way to retrieve those light beads." Asher stroked his chin, his brow furrowed.

"Well, that's true. But as you can see for yourself, we can't touch the light beads at all." Chronos shook his head, his frustration slowly mounting. "Ah, shit!" he said with a grumble.

"How about we ask the guardian of the Venus forest?" Asher snapped his fingers, a serious look on his face. "He should know something about the Venus river, right?" Asher raised his eyebrows. his voice sounded stern.

"Ash, are you sure?" Chronos' voice sounded doubtful. 

"Well, at least we're trying, rather than being here with no certainty," Asher suggested, trying to convince his word to Chronos

"Fine, fine I agree with your idea, Ash." Chronos nodded his head, a stern look on his face.

Finally, they decided to go back and ask the Venus forest guardian fairy directly. However, when they got there, the Venus forest guardian fairy suddenly vanished.

"Huh, where's that old fairy?" Chronos narrowed his eyes, a puzzled look on his face. "Ash, do you see him?" he asked curiously.

"Wait, but that guardian fairy should be around here somewhere." Asher rolled his head, anxiety starting to rise from within his mind.

A few minutes later, Asher was finally able to see him. He saw the old fairy enter the Venus forest and flew off alone somewhere. They eventually settled on following him until the old fairy finally stopped in front of a wooden plank in front of him.

"What is the old fairy doing there?" Asher furrowed his brows, curiosity evident on his face.

Asher struggled with his thoughts again. He wanted to ask the old fairy directly, but on the other hand, he didn't want to disturb the old fairy. He could see that something was wrong with the old fairy, as seen from the gloomy expression on his face. There was something that made him sad, but Asher had no idea what it was.

"Chronos, we should wait until the old fairy leaves and then check what's written on that wooden board," Asher whispered, with a tense expression on his face.

"Yes, I agree with your idea, Ash." Chronos nodded his head, a stern look on his face.

After waiting for a few minutes, the old fairy slowly limped away from the wooden plank. As soon as the situation was safe, they approached the wooden plank, confirming the inscription itself.

"Fuck! The writing is blurry, Ash." Chronos narrowed his eyes, trying to see more clearly. "Wait, but I think I see someone's name: Jack. Who is he?" Chronos furrowed his brows, curiosity slowly rising in his mind.

"I don't know, but maybe he's a pretty important figure to him." Asher touched the rough surface of the board, a curious look on his face.

Both of their minds were so focused on the wooden plank, that they didn't realize that someone was observing them for several minutes. And unfortunately, neither of them seemed to have realized it, until the figure appeared, which made them both stand still.

"Hey! What are you doing with my best friend's grave?" The old fairy's gaze looked sinister, showing displeasure at Asher and Chronos' actions.

"Wait, uh... we've been looking for you. We just wanted to ask you something. " Asher's lips trembled every time he spoke, his face pale.

"Yeah, we just want to know what you're doing here. That's all. We didn't mean to disturb your best friend's grave at all." Chronos sighed, trying to calm the situation.

Looking at the faces of Asher and Chronos, it seemed that the old fairy was sure they were telling the truth. The old fairy only sighed, and then he began to tell a little about his past. About what had happened to his friend.

In the past, he had a good friend who always accompanied him to guard the forest of Venus. Unfortunately, when darkness began to spread throughout the region, the village elders of Altaria assigned his friend to come and help defeat the darkness. Since then, he had been waiting to hear from his friend, hoping that he was still okay.

"There are rumors that my friend is dead, but somehow I don't feel that way." The old fairy bowed her head, his face looking weak. "I was supposed to prepare flowers for today in hopes that he would return. But, it seems I forgot to bring them." He scratched his head, a sad look on his face.

"Hey calm down, we can help you. What do you say as long as you promise to help us after this?" Asher shook his head, his voice sounding reassuring.

The old fairy smiled at Asher's words, her frown visible, " Okay, I promise."

"Quest 5: Give to the best friend (required)"

Recommended player level: lv 6-7

Reward: 300 gold coins, 2x potions

The old fairy needs your help to bring a bouquet to Altaria village as a form of respect for his friend.

Recommended classes: -

The frown on Asher's face was obvious. A bouquet? This was a straightforward quest to complete. Finding a bouquet wasn't difficult, especially since Asher remembered there was a flower cart in Altaria village. They could find the bouquet they were looking for.

The two of them finally returned to the Altaria village, looking for a flower cart that was nearby. Luckily, the God of Fortune was still on their side. The flower cart was still there, not moving an inch from its position. Without lingering they rushed to the cart, hoping to get a bouquet for the old fairy.

"Hello, welcome to the flower shop "Arian Flower Shop" How can I help you?" a long-haired female elf greeted them, her smile looking dazzling.

"Well, we're looking for a bouquet for our friend from afar." Asher's eyes moved, looking at the various bouquets on display. "Do you know which bouquet we should choose?" Asher scratched his head, a confused look on his face.

"Oh, okay. If it were me, I would choose the Zinnia bouquet. This flower symbolizes friendship, I think it's suitable for your friend." the yellow-haired fairy suggested, her voice sounding confident.

Hearing the female fairy's explanation, both Asher and Chronos immediately bought the bouquet without hesitation. The bouquet cost about 500 gold coins, quite a bargain for such beautiful flowers. Afterward, they hurried back to the forest of Venus, met the old fairy, and gave the bouquet to him.

'You have completed Quest 5: give to the best friend.'

'Gained 1000 Exp.'

'You have obtained 300 gold coins, 2x potions.'

"Alright, I'll keep my promise. What do you want to ask me?" a curious look appeared on the old fairy's face.

"It's about the guardian of the Venus River. We want to know how to defeat it." Asher asked curiously, his shoulders instantly tensed.

"There's no way you can defeat those creatures because they are one of the sacred beings here." The old elf shook his head, his voice sounding stern.

"Wait, so we can't take the beads of light at the bottom of the Venus River?" Chronos shook his head, his hopes slowly dashed.

The old fairy smiled broadly, looking like he knew something that both of them didn't know. "Hmm, are you sure about that?"