Reaching the kingdom of Elves closest to Bastion City, Khalor was surprised to see how relaxed the Elvish people were calm, given the invasion happening in their forests. But, with how many adventurers seemed to go to and from the city gates, he assumed something kicked them into action.
'They reacted earlier than last time. Was it because of Leon? Or the ambassador, maybe?'
It mattered little to him, but it wasn't bad. The more able-bodied people were still alive the actual invasion started, the better position they would be in to fight it back.
For now, the demon forces crossing over should still be minimal. And the larger kingdoms should have no issue beating them back.
The issue lay in the smaller kingdoms, and the ones still budding. It was a miracle that the kingdom they had just established before the ten-year time skip was still standing.
Landing his drake close to the gates, Khalor walked his way inside, not wanting to cause a commotion, if unnecessary. He needed to reach the kingdom of the Undead race as soon as possible.
The thought reminded him to text Astaroth. Normally, he wouldn't have bothered, since he was always left to do his own thing, anyway.
But it was better to keep at least him and Phoenix in the loop for the future. They were his allies, after all.
Texting both of them, he sent a brief message, saying the following.
*I will be busy for a while, in the Undead lands. A large part of the invasion will happen from there, and I want to make sure I mitigate it as much as I can before it blows out of proportion. If you need me, send a message, but it might take a while before I can answer.*
The first reply came from Phoenix, which surprised him, as he half-expected her to ignore his message.
*If you need help, you can message us too. You are still part of the guild and an officer, even if you act like a disgruntled teenager.*
He laughed at the answer. He wanted to rebuke her, but she was partly right.
Even though he wouldn't have used the insult, disgruntled teen, he knew he could come off as such to people. He was trying to do everything on his own, and was often rude and condescending.
'I really should include them more in my plans. But they are a variable I don't want to factor in. It's easier to do everything alone.'
Astaroth wasn't responding, but he just assumed the Ash Elf was busy. As long as he saw the message, it was fine, though.
By now, Khalor had reached the portal in the Elven city. He walked over to a guard and presented his adventurers' license.
The man gave a small nod, asking him, "Where to?"
Once Khalor had given him his destination, the guard stamped a magic sigil on the license and gave it back to Khalor. After which, the Undead walked into the large portal.
Once he reappeared in an Undead citadel, he breathed in the impure air of the dark continent.
'So much to do, and so little time.'
***
Across the ocean, in the Ash Elf territory, Silent Light and his little party were finally reaching the location Astaroth had given them. Walking over a small hill that gave into a large valley that looked like a huge natural bowl, Silent Gawked at the sight.
In the middle of the valley, a large tree, around the same size as the tree palace in Bastion City, stood tall, surrounded by the same wall-like rock formation. It was like he was watching a copy of Bastion City before they had conquered it.
At the foot of the walls, an enormous wolf was standing in wait, and that was the only thing they could see from this far. But Silent knew this wolf wasn't alone.
Taking the group down into the bowl-like valley, he had to tell them halfway to stow their weapons. The newbies were eager to fight the entity waiting next to the walls, not knowing it was an ally.
Once they had reached closer, Silent could finally catch sight of Astaroth, who was lying on the top of the walls, taking a nap.
"Leader! We are here!"
He saw Astaroth lift his head and turn it toward them, before breaking into an enormous smile.
"You are just in time!"
Jumping down the wall, Astaroth landed next to Silent Light, catching him in a hug.
"Long time no see, buddy. I imagine your travel here wasn't too harsh on you?"
His guild leader's reaction discomfited Silent Light, but he didn't retreat from the hug. Once Astaroth was close, he whispered into the Priest's ear.
"Are they trustworthy?"
Silent was not quite decided on the matter himself, so he responded through private chat, while he talked about his trip here vocally.
"The trip wasn't much of a challenge. The zones we passed were mostly still normal, and what ones were overrun with corruption were in the lower levels."
'I'm not sure yet. They seem to be trustworthy, but I can't be the judge in the end.'
Astaroth kept his smile, nodding in response to both messages, and turned his head to the new guys.
"I take it you guys are to thank for bringing him here in one piece. Thank you. But the mission isn't over just yet."
The Orc player stepped forward, flashing a wide grin.
"Guild Leader Astaroth! My name is SharpTusk, and I—"
"We can talk later, Tusk. As I said, the mission isn't over," Astaroth said, interrupting the Orc by raising his hand.
"How confident are you in your ability to fight off monsters in large numbers?"
The Orc player didn't complain about being interrupted, and kept up his smile.
"My party and I are quite capable, and I think we can handle a large group of monsters well. Our record was about fifty monsters of level 30."
Astaroth rubbed his chin, trying to calculate their skill level from that information. A group of five, taking on a group of fifty, even if they were ten levels higher than the monsters, wasn't a minor feat.
But they would have to do much better in the coming minutes.
"Alright, then you are getting challenged again soon. A horde of corrupted monsters is on the way here, and should arrive in about fifteen minutes.
"I will leave my wolf with you guys to make sure you stay alive, and there will be help from a powerful warrior, too, if needed. But me and Silent will be gone in the meantime. Is that ok with you guys?"
The Orc smiled, glad to prove himself to the leader, and nodded vigorously.
"We will not disappoint you, sir!"
Astaroth nodded, turning his head toward Genie and petting her side.
"Make sure they don't die too fast and fetch Kloud if the horde reaches over four hundred."
Genie nodded, and Astaroth grabbed Silent, melding with Morpheus, and launching off with the priest player in his arms.
Meanwhile, the Orc player was paling by the second.
"F… F… Four hundred? Was that a mistake? He's joking, right?"
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