Once more, Ascalon and his friends visited the headquarters’ building, resolved to take on their second task. On the way, Lilithra proposed to check out the rankings—since their curiosity regarding the topic had been piqued the day before—but ultimately decided to leave it for later!

It didn’t take long for them to meet with Kain, and, as they sat across his desk, they were filled with uncertainty. The question of what their second quest could be made the air thick with anticipation, with Lilithra leaning slightly forward, eager and ready for anything!

Kain let out a thoughtful ‘hmm’ as he traced the air with his fingers, likely reading some information in his network interface. After a few minutes, he glanced at them with a confident gaze, prompting a blue window to appear in front of them.

A new quest has been created!

Quest title: ‘Delivery.’

Objective: Deliver the ‘Black Box’ to the specified target.

Time to complete the quest: Five days.

Conditions to complete the quest: Safely deliver the ‘Black Box’.

If not delivered within the time limit, or if the ‘Black Box’ is opened, lost, stored in the Gifted network, or damaged, the quest will be considered a failure.

Do you accept the quest?

Confirm / Deny

As the group read their next task, they all shared the same surprised expression, as it was a completely different quest from the last one. Ascalon found the information quite intriguing, and narrowed his eye as he pondered. The wording was a bit suspicious, especially the multiple ways they could fail the mission—the part about losing the box particularly gnawed at him.

Lilithra let out an audible gasp, her wide smile and shiny eyes making it clear she was incredibly excited about the quest. On the other hand, Selorien simply crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, more curious than enthusiastic.

Without hesitation, Lilithra pressed the ‘confirm’ button. Kain nodded in acknowledgment and raised his hand to his ear, activating the earpiece as he spoke into it.

“Bring in the box.” The Canidae commanded before resting his hand on the desk once more.

Lilithra glanced at her friends and beamed with palpable anticipation in her eyes. Ascalon let out a soft sigh at the sight, feeling her excitement from the distance, just as the door to their room slowly opened.

The group turned in their seats and watched as a staff member came in, carrying with them a moderately sized black box in their arms. Their eyes immediately focused on the object, admiring the strange crate with awe.

It was unlike anything they had imagined at first. It was the size of a small chest, with a smooth surface made from a similar material to that of the scythe’s blade, but not quite the same. The resemblance was due to its black, void-like color, seemingly unable to reflect any light.

It had no visible handles, locks, or openings, which made for a confusing sight, as they wondered how it could even be opened. It had no other redeeming features, and looked like a squarely-shaped stain of ink, causing their curiosity to increase further.

The staff member walked toward the desk, carefully setting the box down, and bowed slightly before leaving the room. Kain examined the box with mild curiosity, then looked at Lilithra with a firm stare.

“Now then. You have to deliver it to this person.” Kain began, fiddling with his interface and causing another window to appear in front of them. This time, it was the picture of an elderly man, his long gray hair tied up in a top-knot above his head. Countless wrinkles marked his face, causing the impression of his eyes appearing to be completely closed, and his bushy, voluminous brows added to his aged appearance.

The bottom-half of his face was adorned with a neatly trimmed, lengthy beard that matched his long mustache. The photo only showed his upper half, but they could see some kind of white uniform covering his torso. Just by the picture alone, the group could feel an air of importance coming from him. While Lilithra saved the picture, Kain spoke up again.

“You’ll find him—Mr. Litak—in the Musashi Academy in the Southern district, but—” Kain commented, causing Lilithra to jolt in her seat.

“Musashi Academy? Wow!” She interjected, earning a raised eyebrow from the Canidae.

“S-sorry.” Lilithra apologized with a dejected voice, and Kain sighed in resignation as he continued.

“As I was saying… you’ll have to go to the Southern district, but just so you know, the box is highly sensitive to motion.” He explained, causing the group to exchange confused looks. “This means that if you move too fast, it will start to destabilize.” Kain added, prompting a surprised gasp from Lilithra.

“So no running too fast, no vehicles, no flying, or any other form of quick travel—or the box will collapse onto itself, and its contents will be lost.” Kain stared intently at them, his serious gaze emphasizing the weight of these repercussions.

There had to be something important inside, so they needed to take proper care of the box. Lilithra was clenching her fists with a mix of determination and excitement in her face, a gleeful grin spreading across her cheeks.

Selorien looked amused, his hands tightly clasped behind his head, giving off an air of confidence. The only one considering the possible dangers was Ascalon, who had a strange, foreboding feeling still gnawing at him.

“That cannot be all…” Ascalon voiced his thoughts aloud, garnering everyone’s attention. “A simple delivery feels too easy for a test.” He added, regretfully sowing a seed of doubt in his friends.

Kain, however, flashed a smug smile for a moment. “He, you’ll see.” He said ominously, shoving the box slightly forward on the table, urging them to take it. “The test will start once you pick it up.” His words prompted the group to exchange looks, and Lilithra looked at Ascalon with clear resolution.

“You carry it, Ascalon!” She commanded in a cheerful voice, her train of thoughts aligning with those of a leader. Ascalon nodded enthusiastically, proud of her decision.

While he was the obvious choice to carry the box—for various reasons—Ascalon feared Lilithra would have taken it upon herself to shoulder the burden. Fortunately, she had done what any sensible leader would do!

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“As you command, leader!” Ascalon replied with a gleeful tone, causing Selorien to chuckle in his seat. As the knight picked up the box, Lilithra raised both arms in a show of enthusiasm.

“Alright, let’s go!” She proclaimed, leading the way. Selorien followed with a mischievous grin on his face, and Ascalon promptly joined them. Watching them go, Kain bowed slightly.

“Good luck.” The Canidae said in a confident tone as the group slowly made their way out of the headquarters.

Once outside, Ascalon inspected the box in his arms. It wasn’t particularly heavy, but it did occupy both his hands, making it hard for him to utilize one of them without risking the object’s integrity. He also didn't feel like it had something inside, though that was clearly not the case.

Watching him ponder, Lilithra tapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll be your hands!” She chirped half-jokingly, and Selorien took the chance to chime in with a teasing remark.

“Even if he has to go to the bathroom?” He squinted his eyes, a huge grin on his face. Lilithra blushed and puffed out her cheeks as she hit him in the shoulder.

“In that case, I’ll just carry the box for a while, dummy!” Lilithra retorted with irritation, causing Selorien to chuckle heartily while Ascalon shook his head.

It was then that the knight felt a strange sensation, as if someone were watching them—no, not someone, multiple people, from different places. He narrowed his eye as he scanned the surroundings in wariness.

“I assume it is just part of the test, to confirm the box’s integrity…” Ascalon began, prompting his friends to focus their attention on him. As they realized the change in his demeanor, Ascalon continued. “But just in case, be on your guard—we are being watched.” He declared, prompting Lilithra and Selorien to observe the surroundings carefully.

A few minutes passed and nothing happened, so they eased up a bit. Lilithra slumped her shoulders as she spoke up.

“Ugh, we just started and I’m already feeling tense!” She said with a shy smile, trying to lift the mood. Selorien patted her shoulder reassuringly, and Ascalon smiled gently at her.

“Alright, let’s focus!” Lilithra began walking, urging her friends to follow. “We gotta go to the Southern district on foot… hmm…” She commented thoughtfully, with Selorien nodding behind her.

“Yeah. Gonna take a while…” The elf added, prompting Lilithra to agree with another nod.

“From here to the Musashi Academy… it will take a few hours!” She exclaimed confidently, while Selorien shook his head.

“No, more like an entire day if we keep up the pace.” He replied, causing Lilithra to stop walking and turn around, her face one of utter shock.

“What?!” She stepped back, blinking a few times.

“Yeah… you’re too accustomed to trains, Lil.” Selorien shrugged with an accompanying sigh, his smile a mocking one. Ascalon chuckled slightly at the revelation, while Lilithra blushed.

“Come on, let us not waste time then!” Ascalon stated, his authoritative tone feeling truly reassuring. Lilithra nodded with confidence and turned around, leading them once more, with Selorien smiling gently at Ascalon’s side.

The next hour or two were completely uneventful. Lilithra was using her phone to find the shortest and most convenient route, with one of its ‘applications’ serving as a guide. Once more, Ascalon marveled over the many uses of these tiny contraptions, and wondered just how many other handy tools remained to be seen.

At some point, Lilithra had repeated again the name of the ‘Musashi Academy’ excitedly, causing Ascalon’s curiosity to urge a question. “What is this Musashi Academy?” Ascalon questioned, and Lilithra beamed at him, clearly happy to explain.

“It’s a renowned academy of martial arts!” She began, skipping with joy. “Some of the strongest Gifted ‘graduated’ from there! Like Dario, the guy that fought Richard in the colosseum. Remember?” She tilted her head, wondering if Ascalon recalled the battle.

The knight pondered for a brief moment. “Oh!” He blurted in realization, finally remembering the event. “I see… so it is like a training facility?” He asked, turning his attention to the box for a moment. It seemed to be holding up well enough!

“Yeah, something like that!” Lilithra replied with glee. “I used to dream about joining them… but I gave up on that.” She commented awkwardly, while Selorien sighed, and Ascalon wondered.

“Why did you give up?” The knight asked, causing Lilithra to shuffle slightly in place.

“I didn’t think I had what it took… and now I kinda strayed off that dream.” She smiled confidently. “I have other goals in mind!” Lilithra clenched her fists and raised them enthusiastically, letting them know that she clearly had no regrets.

Ascalon grinned with relief, glad that she didn’t seem to be too dejected about the topic. Selorien, on the other hand, was wiping a non-existent tear from his eye.

“They grow so fast…” The elf joked, causing his friends to giggle in response.

Out of nowhere, the cheerful atmosphere was interrupted by a sharp, whistling sound, causing Ascalon to turn in its direction. His sole eye caught a glimpse of a fast-moving object—a long, silver javelin aimed directly at him.

With a fluid motion, he shifted his weight to the right side of his body and crouched slightly, while tilting his head just enough to get out of the way. He observed the object curiously as it zoomed past, narrowly but safely avoiding him, before it struck the ground with a thunderous echo.

Lilithra jolted in surprise, the fierce impact generating a commotion among the street’s passersby, who rushed in all directions, panicking. Amidst the chaos, Selorien shot an intense stare toward the origin of the throw. There, above one of the many houses in the area, stood a multitude of shady figures.

They all wore long, slightly tight robes, fastened at the side with decorative black knots that extended diagonally across the upper part of the chest. The clothing featured high, notorious collars, and overall looked both extravagant and graceful. Each of them was clad in a dark violet color, except for the one who had thrown the javelin—his robe was black, which implied some kind of distinction from the others.

Aside from their clothing, they all shared another thing in common: the lower half of their faces were obscured by masks of the same color of their robes, leaving only their eyes and hair exposed.

As the unknown men stood high above, their clothing danced ominously in the wind, silver weapons gleaming dangerously in some of their hands. It was clear they were some sort of group aiming for them—most likely, for the box. Ascalon’s suspicions were then confirmed: this was no simple delivery mission. As he mulled over the thought, Selorien’s voice caught his attention.

“Of course it wasn’t gonna be that easy!” He complained as his daggers slowly materialized in his hands, prompting Lilithra to recall her banner from her own inventory.

“We were too carefree…” Lilithra whispered in regret, realizing they were taking things far too leisurely. But soon enough, she quickly recomposed herself, knowing the source of their confidence stood resolute beside them—Ascalon, with his unwavering gaze set onto the strangers.

The knight took a step forward, the weight of his presence causing the unknown attackers to raise their guard. Ascalon felt both impressed and surprised at the sight, since it was clear these people recognized him as a threat. Up until now, most of his encounters had started with people underestimating him—or more like, overestimating themselves, so this was like a breath of fresh air.

As Ascalon smiled boldly, the black-robed man arched his right arm back, a new javelin appearing in his grasp. The silver weapon sparkled in the light as the man drew it further back, his whole body leaning backward to gain as much momentum as he could. With a swift, fluid motion, he launched his arm forward, propelling the javelin with a fierce, whip-like flick of his wrist.

The projectile cut through the distance with utmost intensity, parting the air with a sharp whistle as it made its way toward Ascalon. It traveled at such speed that it reached the knight in the blink of an eye, but Ascalon was already moving in response.

This time, instead of dodging, he carefully placed the whole weight of the box to his right hand, while Aegis manifested in his left. In that moment—which was perhaps not the best time—he marveled over the Gifted network. The inventory function in particular, had become pretty much second nature to him, and without him even realizing it.

As he shook away the distracting thoughts, he met the javelin head on, striking it with the shield at an horizontal angle. The impact caused it to skid over Aegis’ surface, redirecting it toward the ground at his side. Once again, the earth shook slightly under the power of the javelin, cracks spreading from the center of the clash.

While Lilithra and Selorien jolted in surprise, Ascalon locked his sole eye into his opponent, who met his gaze with an intense, intrigued stare. The delivery quest was going to be quite interesting, after all.