Quest 52: Shovel A Mess
45 5 4
X
Reading Options
Font Size
A- 15px A+
Width
Reset
X
Table of Contents
Loading... please wait.

“Why do I have to do this?” Oliver asked. Winter had started not long ago, but it was already freezing outside. He didn’t think much of it until guards approached him. They gave him directions to a specific spot in town and told him to help The Unnamed Team. Oliver originally thought that some sort of emergency had occurred. He rushed over to help defeat whatever monster or sin had appeared. It was an intense moment that lost all meaning once he arrived at his destination. There was no emergency. There was no problem. The Unnamed Team was simply shoveling snow and asked him to do the same.

“Because you’re our friend and you love us,” Nicholas said. Love was a bit of a strong word. Oliver was familiar with the team. That was it. He was growing fond of them because they were heroes and invited him to the capital, but that admiration was always knocked down whenever they pulled a stunt like this. Apparently, The Unnamed Team held their own snowball fight within the city. All of the bystanders initially thought the bout was charming. The team was showing their more human side rather than their ever-present heroic aura that people envisioned them with. It wasn’t a problem until skills were used. Now, the team was being forced to clean and enlisted the help of their friends.

“Stop talking and shovel. We won’t get this finished by sunset at this rate.” Robyn said. The capital’s guards were kind enough to refrain from arresting the heroes. Instead, the team was instructed to clean the mess. They’d be arrested and forced into civil service if they couldn’t clean the streets by sunset. The group was also given explicit instructions to cease skill usage until their job was done, so the task was that much more difficult.

“Can’t believe your little boyfriend is making us do this,” Rex said. The person spearheading this punishment was none other than Prince Morgan. He witnessed the battle’s end and immediately began issuing orders. When the team ignored him, he summoned the guards and gave his conditions for freedom. It didn’t feel right to punish heroes that he was praising earlier in the week, but no one was above the law.

The Unnamed Team was lucky to get off with such a light statement. The skill [Blizzard] that Nicholas used froze over most of the local area. Buildings were visibly frosted. Doors were frozen shut. Some people even saw their fires extinguished within their homes. Adding to this were the numerous snowballs thrown by Rex’s skill [Meteor Strike] which dented several buildings. Robyn’s skill [Absolute Authority] scared some people into stopping their movements even though they weren’t her targets. Then, there was Xander who was mistaken as a thief because he stood on someone’s roof. The presence of a Demon Slime was practically an afterthought, though that was also brought up on the list of complaints.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you two had gotten close. Congratulations, Robyn!” Emma said with an award-winning smile. She was extremely happy for her heroic friend. Young girls always dreamed of meeting their own Prince Charming. It might not have been her, but that was alright. Robyn deserved to meet some of such a high caliber. A hero and a prince. It sounded right. Unfortunately, she was wrong.

“It’s just a joke. You really shouldn’t take everything we say at face value.” Xander said while pinching his brow. Emma and Oliver had been with The Unnamed Team ever since they arrived in the capital. The team’s constant banter and sarcasm should have been easy to identify by now. Xander wondered how much longer it would take for his friends to adapt. Hopefully, they'd all soon be able to converse without the added admiration or naivety.

“Yeah, we’re not a thing. He’s a prince. I’m an…outsider. He’s someone that swore to uphold the peace in the capital, even if it means forcing us to clean up after our snowball fight.” Robyn said as she sulked. She wasn’t from this world. She didn’t know the first thing about its nations or its laws. She didn’t even know the king’s name until a few weeks ago. A simple otherworldly commoner should mind her own business. Besides, Robyn wasn’t sure how much longer she or the others would stick around…

“Princes can marry commoners. It technically isn’t against the law. Plus, Morgan is not the one who will succeed the throne, so it wouldn’t be a major scandal among higher nobility.” Oliver said. He tried to console the hero by mentioning the nation’s law. Of course, he wasn’t aware of whole heroes from another world concept. To him and everyone else, The Unnamed Team was simply a team of commoners who made it to the rank of heroes. Why wouldn’t he support them with their endeavors? Even if it might be frowned upon by envious nobles...

“Don’t give her any ideas,” Nicholas said. Consolation was fine, but over-optimism wasn’t. The team shouldn’t be making lofty goals while two sins and the Demon King still roamed. They didn’t even know what would happen after they finished their goals. Would the Genesis Program create a new mission? Would it send them across the continent? It was best to follow the demands of the omnipotent voice until they could finally settle down.

The group continued to shovel in relative silence after a brief discussion of balancing work and life. Emma and Oliver tried to comprehend what the heroes were talking about, but they were lost. They weren’t privy to The Unnamed Team’s mission. Fighting the Demon King was practically suicide. Had they known, the duo would have tried to convince their friends otherwise. The six managed to clean a considerable amount of their mess. They were adding the finishing touches to the street when a new person approached them.

“I’ve cleaned the outer perimeter of [Blizzard]’s effects. Everything else should be here.” Eins, the Demon Slime, said. They were sent to clean the farthest corners of the capital that fell victim to the team’s snowball fight. The mentioned skill was powerful. Most of it was contained within the city’s main street, but patches of intense snow landed throughout the city because of it. Eins was the quickest member of the team, and they had the best method of fixing damages and melting ice.

“What’d you do with the snow?” Rex asked out of morbid curiosity. The team had recently grown a significant amount. It wasn’t surprising that most of their skills and secondary effects were still unknown. They didn’t even know what the team’s most impressive skill, [Greed], did. They planned on testing it out after the snowball fight, but things got out of hand.

Eins wasted no time showing one of their many talents. They pointed their hand at Rex and ejected a small snowball. It rocketed through the air and smashed into their target’s face. As a slime, Eins could store a great amount within their body. They even changed their inner acidity to preserve certain objects. It was how they managed to keep the snow they collected in perfect condition.

“Oh yeah?! You wanna go?! Round two, baby!” Rex said. His skill [Irresponsible] was triggered after being attacked. It was hard to fight his negative skills. After all of the risen levels and class changes, he mostly had the skill under control, but it still managed to beat him in some scenarios. His mind practically slipped away as he started to make bad decisions. Soon, the rest of the team was swept into the commotion.

It didn’t take long for the group to have yet another snowball fight, much to the displeasure of both the townsfolk and the prince.

4