Chapter 13: Somewhat competent heroes

One week had passed, and the party had managed to earn 1250 bronze coins through their chocolate business. Ethan and Blake were sitting in their new house, boasting about their success.

The exterior of the house had a traditional, medieval-inspired stone appearance, but the interior was spacious and had a modern decor with comfortable furniture and colorful accents. On the first floor, there was a living room with a fireplace, a fully-equipped kitchen, and a dining room. Upstairs, there were four bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. Despite being small, the house was fully furnished and welcoming.

As Ethan and Blake bragged about their achievements, Charlotte and Lucy glared at them, clearly annoyed. They then returned to reading the new books they had purchased. Charlotte was excitedly flipping through the pages of a thick, leather-bound book on advanced healing techniques, while Lucy was reading about summoning spells.

Suddenly, Ethan burst out laughing maniacally as Blake showered him in bronze coins. Ethan's face contorted with joy as he tried to catch as many coins as he could, his body shaking with laughter. Blake, on the other hand, had a satisfied smirk on his face as he watched Ethan's delight. He chuckled to himself as he continued to throw the coins, his actions fueled by Ethan's infectious laughter.

"So Ethan, why did you choose to switch to an archer class?" Blake asked

"I didn't want you to copy me, so I wanted to be original," Ethan replied.

"Do you even know how to aim with it?"

"No, but I can use it like a shotgun if need be," Ethan joked.

"Come on, guys, it's been a while since we've done a quest," Lucy pleaded, her bright blue eyes imploring her friends.

Ethan and Blake, who had been lounging on the couch, looked at each other with a mixture of boredom and reluctance.

"I don't know, Lucy," Ethan said, stifling a yawn. "I was kind of hoping to just relax today."

"Yeah, I'm not really in the mood for any more danger," Blake added, rubbing his hand over his face.

But Lucy was having none of it. "Remember how much fun we had last time?"

"I don't consider being burned alive as fun," Blake responded.

"How do you expect to take on the demon queen if you're like this?"

"I guess we can bribe her." Ethan chimed in.

"I heard if we become a higher adventurer rank people tend to get harems."

"Aye Blake I think we should do quests."

"I guess we have to become stronger sadly. I guess we'll have to hire a manager or something while we do quests next time."

Blake and Ethan picked up their new weapons. Blake had a sleek, black sword with a silver, curved blade that had intricate engravings and a large ruby pommel. Ethan's bow was a wooden one with a quiver of arrows on his shoulder. The bowstring was made of durable synthetic material and the arrows had sharp, steel heads.

With a final, reluctant nod from Blake, the group set off toward the guild.

They arrived at the quest board.

"Orcs sound fun. Yall down?" Blake asked

"Shit I mean with our new gear we should be fine," Ethan responded

Lucy and Charlotte nodded and the group went toward the territory.

As they approached the orcs' territory, the smell of rotten meat and feces became overpowering. The sound of grunting and shouting could be heard in the distance. Charlotte covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve, trying to block out the putrid smell. She gagged and stumbled, nearly losing her balance. "Ugh, this is disgusting," she muttered, visibly nauseous. Blake and Ethan, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by the smell and noise, their expressions determined as they drew their weapons.

"How are guys not affected by this smell?"

"We have to become competent to defeat the demon queen," Ethan responded.

"Ethan I'm just here to be here, to be honest," Blake said

"Well, let's become stronger so we can have a cool fucking fight alright?"

"Fine with me."

"Lucy don't use any spells for now. Let me and Ethan test out our skills. If we say help then do what you have to do." Blake said.

Lucy nodded sadly.

As Ethan approached an orc, he quickly grabbed his bow and used it like a shotgun, firing a flurry of arrows at the enemy. The orc, caught off guard by the sudden attack, stumbled backwards as the arrows penetrated its skin. With a fierce cry, Blake charged at the orc, swinging his sword with all his might. The blade sliced through the air and struck the orc's arm, chopping it off as it reached out to hit Ethan. The orc let out a pained cry and stumbled to the ground, defeated.

Ethan, however, was not out of danger yet. Another orc came up behind him and smacked him hard, sending him flying into a nearby tree. Blake, who had been laughing at the sight of Ethan being knocked around, suddenly found himself in the same predicament when another orc came up behind him and slapped him into the same tree.

As they both lay there, dazed and bruised, they called out for help.

Lucy raised her hand and released a powerful electric wave, stunning the orcs and Ethan and Blake.

Lucy than walked up to the stunned orcs and fired off a close fire blast which vaporized the orcs one by one.

"You know I was expecting a fire blast instead of lightning."

"I'm not really in the mood to hear you guys complain right now. Hey Charlotte heal them- QUICKLY. There is still more orcs."

Charlotte healed the two but they were in immense pain. Even though they were in pain they were able to move.

More orcs appeared. The orcs that appeared were tall and muscular, with rough, leathery skin and thick, tangled hair. They were armed with crude weapons, including spears, swords, and shields. The big, strong orc in the center was the largest of them all, with bulging muscles and a fierce expression on his face. He carried a massive battle axe with a jagged, serrated edge, and his eyes blazed with a fierce, animalistic intensity.

Ethan, Charlotte, and Blake knew what was coming and ran away telling Lucy to explode them. Lucy did not hesitate and vaporized all the orcs except for the big one. It seemed to be immune to magic. The blast also got Ethan and the others and Charlotte quickly healed them.

"Guys! My magic doesn't work on this one. I need you guys to fight him."

"Yeah- no," Blake said.

"Who do you think we are? If it is still standing after what you did then why would we fight it?"

"If you don't I will blow us all up."

"Ayo? Fine, we'll do it."

Ethan limped forward.

Blake speed walked ahead, his sword at the ready. The orc they faced was massive, towering over them with its battle axe held high. Blake swung his sword to block the attack, but the force was too great and he was sent flying.

"DICKKKKHEAAAAAaaa-" Blake said as he was sent flying.

Charlotte quickly cast a spell on Ethan, causing him to glow with a bright light, but also causing him immense pain. He collapsed to the ground, but with a determined look on his face, he pulled out his bow and shot an arrow at the orc from close range. The shot seemed to be amplified by Charlotte's spell, and the orc fell to the ground, defeated. Ethan was knocked unconscious from the pain of the spell.

"Well the two of them actually did better than I thought," Lucy said posing with her wand.

"Go find Blake. I'll heal Ethan until you bring Blake back.

Lucy than used her fire magic to explode the trees.

As Lucy's fire magic exploded the trees, the area was filled with a bright, intense light and a loud, deafening roar. The trees burst into flames, sending sparks and embers flying in all directions. Blake was revealed, standing amidst the wreckage with his clothes and skin singed and burnt. He looked like a charred, blackened skeleton, his body covered in burns and blisters. Charlotte saw him and ran to him, her eyes filled with panic and concern. She reached out her hands, sending a wave of healing magic over his body. Blake gasped and convulsed as the magic worked its way through his system, repairing the damage and relieving the pain. He fell to the ground, unconscious from the intensity of the healing process.

"Lucy you should really hold back. You might actually kill them." Charlotte said.

"If they die they die." Lucy said

"They are making us rich remember that."

"I guess I'll hold it back slightly."

Lucy and Charlotte struggled to carry the unconscious bodies of Blake and Ethan back to their house. Despite this, they managed to lift them and slowly make their way back home.