Chapter 44

It only takes three days of dungeon runs to get both Mythryll and Elmira to level 50. That was the minimum safe level to visit the war-torn city nearby, according to the villagers.

Both were very impressed with their Level 50 upgrades. Mythryll got a [Razor Grass] spell that creates a carpet of long grass with sharp edges that easily slices through enemies while folding gently around allies. Between that and her Guardian Tree that gained a second tree at level 50, she can make the battlefield look like a somewhat comforting place to be if you ignore the deadly Vine Whips, that is.

Her clones are no slouch either. They don't seem to gain her gear bonuses, though, as the difference in Vine strength is noticeable. Still, they do a very healthy amount of damage, and three Razor Grass spells together cover a considerable area.

Elmira got a class passive ability called [Successful Abduction] that lets her make herself and one target she is touching gain stealth, becoming mostly invisible and silent. Stealth isn't quite as good as true invisibility, but it's plenty for their purposes, letting her and Cain scout ahead without the creatures in the dungeon noticing.

Every visit, the layout is a little different, and this lets them find patrols or pull other targets in safety. If you get too close, sharp senses like those of the Dark Elves or guards on alert will still notice you, but it's available all the time, which is well worth the trade-off.

A second level 50 party is thrown for the Elf and Pixie pair, and plans are made to leave the next day after picking up supplies. Misha got a few more recipes in the past few days, including Legendary lingerie that any female class can equip. They are missing a few ingredients to create it, though, things they're hoping to find in the city. After the suggestive outfits of the Demon Dungeon, Cain can't wait to find out what the Dark Elven dungeon considered Legendary undergarments.

They have also decided to create a guild before leaving this isolated little village hidden deep in the woods. The only problem they have found is that they can't decide upon a name. Not a single member of their party is any good at coming up with names for things. Misha and Char even used their own names for their characters when summoned here.

The hotel pub goes all out offering to help. Hundreds of bad ideas get thrown around. Still, the consensus by the time they retreat to their room for the night, worn out by the dungeon run and then an entire afternoon and night of partying, is that it must include something about their oddball group. The fact they have four different species deserves a note, the townsfolk insist.

As far as the group, they think that something about the amount of summons deserves mention, but they keep getting stuck on raiders or horde to describe their vast numbers. Char suggests "The Duality Union," but Misha thinks it's too wordy and vague. Mythryll thinks calling the Guild "Vortex" might be good, for the way they draw all sorts in.

It gets no objections, so Cain tries.

[Name Already In Use]

"Well, Vortex is out. Name already in use. What else do we have?"

Both Misha and Mythryll note that while they're all very different, they're all transfers. And that they all prefer the woods to anywhere else. A few variations involving Fae Woods and Elven Forest come up in the conversation but don't seem right.

"I don't want it to seem like we're a group only for fae since we might want to bring people other than party members into the guild eventually. We can reserve the guild name anytime, but we need a place that can be a Guild House to form a Guild officially. We should ask about that when we reach the city."

"Since our group triples in size when we go to battle, how about we call ourselves The Host. Or something along those lines?" Mythryll suggests.

"That's not bad." Misha agrees, but it needs something more. "The Transferred Host? Summoned Host?"

"Elemental Host? The Darklight Host?" Elmira adds.

"Darklight Host isn't too bad." Cain agrees. "We've got a whole range of personalities; we Summon Fae Folk that are considered both light and dark. I like it."

The name is tentatively agreed upon, with no better options presenting themselves, so Cain writes it down in case they forget in the morning when they're sober.

They make a round of the shops the following day, packing meals, snacks, a few potions and some crafting materials Misha thinks she might need later. It only takes a few hours to get what they need and head to the edge of the ruins.

They are extra cautious moving down the path towards the city, as there have been reports of Ogre raiding parties in the area. It's a bit eerie, travelling down the central path between the town and its closest city. There are no signs of monsters or wildlife, probably all scared off by the fighting or eaten. There are also no other travellers or recent evidence of merchant caravans. If they hadn't gotten reliable information that this overgrown path was the correct way, they would have thought they'd gotten lost in the woods.

Near nightfall, it becomes apparent they are indeed headed in the correct direction. The sounds of fighting and war horns start in the distance; an Ogre raid on the city must be happening now. Cain leads the group forward as fast as they dare run through the twilight-darkened woods, hoping to get a jump on the ogres and get into the city before they're locked out after the battle.

The sight is magnificent when they reach the cleared areas around the city. The walls are a tangle of white wood vines with Golden symbols carved in them, reflecting the late afternoon light. Lines of Silver shielded warriors block access to the rank upon rank of archers in the field, while mages look down from their perches atop the walls.

Opposite them, a horde of massive bodies carrying a mismatch of weapons and shields roars their anger, almost drowning out the horns of the Elven army. Cain and his companions are well behind the Ogre lines and off to one side, slightly away from the battle, but the Elven Army is in front of the city gates, so they'll have to go right through it if they want shelter for the night.