-- James --

We were all just starting to catch up when Rowan spoke up to get our attention.

"Uh, guys."

"What's up Rowan?" I asked noticing him looking at the quest egg.

Rowan was squinting his eyes as I noticed there was a screen on the egg, "The egg just went off with the next mission."

"Bullshit!" Violet yelled glaring over at Rowan.

Rowan ripped his eyes away, "No it did." He said handing the egg over to Violet.

"Quite the convents timing," Bay said mockingly.

It was how could the quest suddenly appear when we all only just reunited. It's been at least a week since we received the mission. In that entire time, there was no indication of it going off at all.

"You guys didn't have the next quest?" Aster asked shocked.

"They told us it would go off when an appropriate mission appeared," I emphasized the last part.

"Did they lie, I mean it appears just when I get here?"

"If they didn't lie then it's an incredible coincidence."

"Fine let's take a look." We all gathered around Violet to take a look at the mission.

"Quit shoving," Violet said pushing us back, we all settled actually able to take a look.

Quest - Prove Your Worth - Part 3

Even in a world where everything always moves. Some live at the edge of everything. Some because they left everything behind. Some are searching for answers. And some are creating their own paths.

Conditions to be given out:

-party must complete Prove Your Worth - Part 1 & 2

-Time limit none

Mission:

Protect those at the edge of the world.

Trial III:

Protect:

The world is dark, the monsters grow large. In a deep village far out near the edge, power is growing threatening people's lives.

Go seek out this threat deep in the dark continent, seek the village of those lost, a place those who wish to be left alone, and protect it from the dark. Push back the tide that threatens them, and seek out its source. Ending it before the village is destroyed.

To begin:

The mission will begin once mission is received. Then follow the pull of the egg to your charges.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Failure Condition:

Give Up

Village is Destroyed

Source Escapes

Reward:

Based on performance and deeds.

I felt a knot in my stomach twist as I read the description. We were just five people how could we protect an entire village. My thoughts were interrupted by a hand smacking me on the back.

"Dark continent looks like your getting your wish James." Aster chuckled.

"Well shit." I had long ago tried to convince everyone to go to the continent, but now that we might actually be going could only laugh, "I guess I am."

"I wonder how far into the dark continent it is," Aster said reading for some clue in the mission.

"Yeah, I hope it's not the one up north. It's supposed to be really cold." Bay said with a shiver.

"I just hope it's not on the island," Rowan commented

I looked at the group completely lost, "What are you talking about?"

"The dark continent." Bay said casually, "We are speculating on which one."

"What do you mean?"

The group gave me a look that told me I should know this, "James you do know the dark continent isn't actually a continent?" Violet asked

That didn't make sense, "Then why is it called a continent?"

"Technically, we are on the dark continent. The dark continent starts about five hundred miles outside the seven main cities. "

"I thought that was the wilds?"

"Oh it is, but the wilds include areas between cities. The wilds end at around five hundred miles out, and the dark continent begins." Bay explained

"Why is it called that then?" I was really trying to understand but it just didn't make sense to me.

"The monsters are more dangerous and numerous. There is also the fact that if you die there it can take years for you to come back."

Violet added her own comments, "Not to mention the cities out there can be much more lawless. I've heard rumors of a slave city, and slaves are much more common out there."

"Slavers? But only criminals become slaves?"

Violet shrugged, "True, but there's no way to tell a criminal slave from just a captured slave."

"That's horrible," I said aghast.

"Yeah."

"And we are going out there?" I asked calmly to the group to see if they were still on board.

"If we're going through with this. Then yeah." Violet said seeing everyone agreeing she added, "But no I hurry since it will probably take us months to get where that thing points."

"Months?" I was starting to understand the mission itself and able started to come up with ways to defend a village. It's not like we can't have the people help, but why would it take us months?

"Well yeah, we don't have a vehicle. There are no roads or buses that go near that deep into the wilds, so we'll have to leg it."

"And whatever side quest B's happens on the way." Bay chimed.

Aster looked surprised at how fast Bay and Violet put a plan together when he asked, "You two seem to have given this a lot of thought?"

"So far everything has been playing out like a literal hero story," Violet said exasperated.

"Except the last quest," Bay said as a shiver shot up all our spines.

"And until that happened it was a tale of people surviving, solving puzzles, and overall thriving. It was literally curated for hero parties. I bet the other heroes on this quest have realized it too." Violet said annoyed.

"Do you think they have the same quest?" I asked.

"No." Violet said with a sardonic smile, "Would make for boring TV."

My mind went back to the mission, "Could it be any vaguer?" I asked.

Violet sniffed, "I bet it could."

"You know it's probably to make better footage," Aster commented tossing the egg into the bed.

Rowan's eyes never left the egg as he asked, "What do you mean?"

Aster looked thoughtful as he answered, "They keep it vague so we can't take a bus for it. We might be able to take a car or something." Aster seemed to rethink something, "At least to a point. Once we get close we'll have to go on foot. And who knows how long that will take. They'll get footage of us fighting our way in the dark continent to save the village."

Violet clapped her hands, "Ok! I'm taking bets."

"On what?" I asked.

"On what story tropes will be shoved on us on the way."

"How would they even do that?" I was imagining a bunch of people setting up crates of monsters and random people in a carriage to save. It would be interesting.

"If they're recording us. They can probably track us." Bay pointed out.

"Didn't think of that."

"I bet there's a writers room somewhere too," Aster added.

Bay was the first to through a suggestion, "Injured animal of some sort, we have to save."

"Stumble on a treasure map of some sort." Rowan excitedly speculated. Seems like everyone is starting to get into this.

Violet sprang up, as she said her idea, "What about corrupt government worker needs to be taken down."

"Slavery ring!" Bay shouted.

"Damsel in distress, taken by brigands or something like that?" I said the most stereotypical story I could think of.

Then Aster asked a question I don't think any of us were ready for, "Hey do you think they'll be in on the scenarios or that they just know where these things are happening?"

The room went quiet as we contemplated the possibilities when Violet said what we were thinking, "Fuck!"

"I don't know if this is a good idea anymore," Rowan commented.

"If we run into anything like that. Let's just work on the assumption it's real, and we're getting pushed on rumors, like a cleanup crew." I said trying to bring the mood back up.

The room was still quiet, unsure, until Aster tentatively said, "I could get behind that."