The King Wants You Home

The succeeding quests didn't take as much time as Elliot initially thought. Like the goblin mob, they were easy to handle. Lance didn't even need to lift a single finger while they were on their quests.

That was until their eighth and last quest.

"I'm sorry," Glitch said. "There are no more Meteorite quests."

"A Meteor then," Lance said.

"But you do not meet the minimum number of participants," Glitch uttered.

"I'll sign a waiver," Lance said.

Glitch nodded and took a paper under his desk. Handing the paper to the vice guild master, Glitch smiled. "I won a game against Sun. He said you won't use the waiver."

"You all know I do it all the time," Lance grinned and signed the paper. They were given permission to go on a Meteor quest but if anything happens to them, the guild has no responsibility.

"Are you sure about this?" Elliot asked.

Lance raised his brow at him, "I go on solo missions every time. Don't worry."

Elliot nodded and smiled. "Okay."

When they had the quest, Elliot uploaded it to his console.

'Upload quest?'

"Yes."

'Quest uploaded.'

[ < Orc Invasion >

Level: Meteor

// The orcs are terrorizing a small trading village in the South. Help the villagers!

Reward: 200 gold ]

'New Quest available.'

[ < Finish a Meteor-level Quest >

Reward: Random recipe ]

I get to receive a reward after finishing a quest? Elliot asked himself. He smiled and returned the parchment to Lance.

"What are you grinning at?" Lance asked him.

Elliot shook his head. "Nothing."

"Well, we need to go as soon as possible," Lance said. "The conquest was moved because we suspect that the boss is migrating."

"Migrating?" Connor asked. "I thought bosses stay on their nests?"

"No," Elliot replied. "Those only apply to the Five Kings. The other bosses would often migrate."

"Oh, okay."

The three walked to the village entrance but was greeted by a tall man in gold armor.

"Oh, Adventurers," he said. "I am Officer Duncan from the Royal Capital. The King needs three healthy Adventurers to complete a quest for him."

"I'm sorry sir," Lance said. "But you need to request in the guilds for that. I believe we cannot help you until before you file for a quest."

"But I am an Officer of the King!" Duncan yelled. "How dare you order me as if you were higher than me?!"

Lance gave him a stoic look and passed through the man. The officers behind Duncan brandished their swords and pointed it towards Lance. "And you walk past me without bowing?! This is unacceptable!"

In a blink of an eye, all the swords pointing at Lance were cut in half. A menacing aura started to emanate from the boy.

He grabbed something from his pocket and showed it to Duncan. "Prince Lance Alorde. Will you still not let me pass?"

Duncan was speechless. The pin Lance was showing I'm was a symbol of the Royal Family. The city's name was derived from their centuries worth of rule over the kingdom.

"Y-Your highness…" Duncan stuttered. "You were our mission, sir. The King wants you home immediately."

"I just escaped from that hell hole and you want me back?" Lance grinned. "No."

His shadow expanded, reaching to Elliot and Connor. He placed his finger on his lips as the shadow rose, covering the three inside.

"You might want to feel a bit of dizziness," Lance warned. "Let's go!"

Elliot felt like he was getting pulled under the ground. The black dome made from Lance's shadow flattened to the ground. It moved from the shadows until it reached the hills.

"That was epic," Connor cheered. The dome started to disperse, retreating back to Lance. "Why didn't we travel through that before?"

Elliot raised his arm and pulled Connor. "You're the prince?"

There was a moment of silence. Lance slowly nodded, worried about the fear that was in Elliot's eyes. "What's wrong with that?"

"What if we get in trouble?" Elliot asked. "That the Royal Family would accuse us of kidnapping the prince or something. They have been merciless with the poor for centuries. Maybe we'll be their next victim."

"I will never let that happen," Lance said. "My father, his father, and all the fathers before him weren't indeed as kind to the kingdom's people but I am not like them. And if they do accuse you, I will testify. Frederick and the guild had never been in trouble before too. So, trust me."

"Okay," Elliot said and sighed. "I'm sorry I just… I don't know what came over me. You had helped us a lot. Why…"

"Shh," Lance placed a finger on Elliot's lips. "You don't have to apologize."

"So, you're rich?" was Connor's question after their moment of silence.

"I'm not rich," Lance chuckled. "My parents' fortune is the kingdom's fortune. In fact, after I reached the age of 15, I had always declined what they gave me. I strived to get what I needed through hard work."

"So, you're like a broke royalty?" Connor asked.

Lance snorted before nodding. "Something like that."

Connor's forehead scrunched and he pursed his lips. "How many gold coins do you have right now?"

"About 50,000."

"You're not broke then," Elliot and Connor chorused.

The tension about Lance's origin dispersed as the three walked to the village that was invaded by orcs.

"Hello," a woman greeted after they got to the entrance. "My name is Laura, the village head."

"What seems to be the problem here?" Lance asked.

"There are about 15 Level 40 orcs roaming the area. Our villager's warriors couldn't handle them," Laura cried. "4 had died already. Please, we need your help."

Lance looked around the village and nodded. "Okay. Where are the orcs now?"

"They retreat every three days," Laura said. "They were just here yesterday so we expect them to not show up until the day after tomorrow."

"That's long," Eliot said. He leaned over to Lance and whispered, "Do we have that much time?"

Lance thought for a moment. "The conquest will take place 4 days from now. I think we still have a chance."

"I'm in," Connor grinned. He was already Level 21. The increase in his level gave him a new level of confidence. "I'm always in."

"Show us our rooms," Lance muttered.

Laura's face was plastered with a happy expression. The frown on her face was gone after the Adventurers agreed. "Thank you so much."

"By the way, how did you know the levels of the orcs?" Lance asked her.

"A few of us were Adventurers from small guilds. Unable to make a living out of it, we decided to stop Adventuring," she said. There was a sad smile lingering on her lips. "Here is your room. Three beds and your meals will be delivered on time."

"Thank you," Elliot said and bowed. "Hey, Connor. Here."

He handed Connor the bracelet he Crafted. The recipes were all showing items for the Acolyte branch and none for him. Although he was in desperate need to have items so he could get stronger, he was also worried that Connor was having a hard time keeping up.

So far, he had given 4 items to enhance Connor's stats. And they were in need of strength now that their enemies were stronger than they were.

Along with giving Connor freebies, Elliot had been leveling up secretly. He was currently Level 34. After he gets more materials and recipes, he'll pull Connor up the levels with him. The younger boy had always been on his side and had always been a good friend ever since.

"Connor, what'd you say if we level up faster?"