A loud crash resounded as a metal hammer sailed through the gateway and directly past Ray’s head, slamming into the wall behind him.
“How many times have I told you you must make a formal request?!” Freia yelled as she snarled at the gateway.
“What?” Ray asked cautiously, peeking his head back through the gate.
“Oh, sorry, Ray, I thought you were someone else… Wait, does that mean?”
“Yep,” Ray said, stepping through the portal and holding out the orb.
“Wow, so your theory about the whatchamacallits overlapping was correct then?”
Ray sighed. "Haven't you enchanted before?"
“Yeah, but it was all simple stuff like a glowin’ ring or somethin’ else like that. "
Ray sighed again before taking the orb back and setting it down on his workstation.
“I’m going to make a few more of these to sell if you don’t need help with anything today.”
“Well, actually, we did just get a rush order for 100 spears for that group. We made the bolts and crossbows for a while back.”
Five hours later, Ray emerged, exhausted from the workshop. Although they completed all 100 spears, he lacked the time to work on his personal project before Erith's scheduled return. He made his way up to the front entrance, taking the time to save the training ground into the orb's memory. When he finally got to the gate, he did not have to wait much longer before Erith appeared. Sh broke into a sprint upon seeing him hug, tackling him to the ground.
“It's only been one day,” Ray said, groaning from the impact.
“I know, but I missed you,” Erith said, burying her head in his neck.
The pair stayed like that for a while before finally getting up and reminiscing about the last day’s events. Erith told Ray all about these bat-like creatures they went out to hun while Ray regaled her with the tale of his newly created item. The pair talked like this for around an hour before deciding to go out for dinner tonight. They decided to go to the same place they had gone to for lunch during the first date, quickly teleporting up to their room before changing and heading out. Luckily, there were open tables when they arrived, so they did not have to wait before being seated. They ordered and were making small talk when the mood suddenly changed.
“Special quest received.”
Invasion evolution quest
Requirements for compilation
Prevent the birth of the sixth horde by defeating one commander 0/1
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Time limit
99 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes
Rewards
All xp gains related to the hordes are doubled for the duration of the quest
Upon failure of this quest, the sixth horde will be born within the endless plains.
Upon failure of this quest, all members of the horde within Carinthia will grow in number until only 50% of the current human population remains.
Ray sat with his mouth agape as he read through the new quest.
“We need to go back and help,” Erith said, breaking the silence.
Ray could only nod as he thought about Chio and the other members of their clan and the destruction that would come to Promises Echo if a horde came to be in the nearby plains. The pair promptly rose from their seats and began quickly making their way towards the castle. Thoughts raced through Ray’s mind as they walked.
Sixth horde? Invasion evolution? Why would the elder not mention any of this? Did he even know this was a possibility?
He was about to voice his thoughts to Erith before looking over and seeing the same confused expression on her face he had. Ray snapped out of his stupor for a moment and pulled out the gateway orb, creating two gates.
“You go start packing. I'm going to tell Freia what's going on,” he said.
Erith nodded and stepped through the portal leading to their room as Ray stepped through the one leading to the workshop.
“Freia, are you still here?” he called out.
‘Yeah, I'm just finishin’ up in the back. What's up?” she asked.
“Erith and I just received an urgent quest. Would you be able to tell your mom and Arabella when they return?”
“Sure, but what's the quest if you don't mind me askin’?”
Ray showed her the quest and watched as her eyes widened the further she read.
“You mean those beasts from your homeland could be comin’ here?” she asked.
“Yes, we will leave soon, but with this orb, we should be able to return each night after we finish traveling. I just want to make sure that your mom and Arabella are aware of what is going on should they come back while we are traveling.”
“Sure, sure, take care Ray, and I hope I will still see ya every once in a while when you're back.”
“Yeah, of course. There are still some things I want to make before going up against those hordes again.”
The two exchanged farewells, and Ray opened a portal to join Erith in packing.
“So?” Erith asked.
“I let her know what we are doing and to let Zenith and Arabella know if we are not back when they are,” Ray responded.
“Alright, I have most of what we need for traveling in our packs.”
Ray nodded. “Let's get going then.”
The pair left the castle and began their journey back towards their homeland. They traveled until the moon was high in the sky before Ray added the point they reached with his orb and teleported them back to their room. The pair climbed into bed, exhausted from running all afternoon and night. Ray stared up at the ceiling as he tried to make sense of the day's events once more, one question repeatedly playing through his mind.
What are the shrieking hordes?