Chapter Seventy-Six: Going Postal

  When Jace, Dex, and Alice finally reached the front of the line, Brutus was waiting there, his massive frame cutting an imposing figure. With a flick of his hand, a series of magical scrolls unraveled in midair, shimmering before them. His one-eyed gaze swept over the trio, a glint of recognition in his eye.

  “Ah, Jace. There you are,” Brutus said, his voice a gravelly rumble of familiarity. He searched through the floating scrolls with deliberate slowness, as if savoring the moment. “Give me a second... Ah, yes. This one.” His lips curled into a slight grin, an expression that made Dex shift uncomfortably beside Jace.

  Brutus leaned forward. “We usually hand these out randomly, but I’ve been holding onto this one. Something about it felt... special. And based on your performance in the Scholarship Exams, I reckon you’ll be up for the challenge. Nothing too dangerous,” he added with a wink, though it did nothing to ease the tension in the air. “But you’ll need sharp eyes. It’s personal.”

  Jace nodded, his stomach tightening. Personal never meant easy. Beside him, Dex and Alice exchanged a glance.

  “Your missions today are not glamorous,” Brutus continued, his voice rising to address the room. “They are not grand quests of legend, but they are necessary. Dismiss them at your own peril.”

  Jace unrolled his scroll, his heart pounding in time with the quickened rhythm of the room. Brutus’ voice cut through the low murmur of conversation. “You are to investigate why deliveries to the University have stopped. A village in the hills has gone silent—a local delivery waypoint for packages to and from M.O.U. And with it, we have a number of missing deliveries being reported. Find out what’s happened and report back to me.”

  Jace swallowed hard. Beside him, Dex leaned in, peering over his shoulder. “Missing mail?” Dex muttered with a hint of disbelief.

  Brutus’ voice softened as he continued. “Oh, and one more thing. Among that missing mail... there was something for me. A package from my sister, the Beast Keeper at the Upper World University in the Great Plains. And I was expecting something from my brother too—he’s a Master of Games at Asgard University. My family has a long tradition of working for the best Universities in Mythica. Anyway, it was my birthday two months ago, and they both said they had sent a few things over. None of it ever showed up.”

  He paused, his one-eyed gaze growing distant for a moment. “We write regularly, my sister and I. She was sending me an heirloom from our parents.”

  Dex raised an eyebrow. “Why not just use Magic Missives?”

  Brutus turned to him, his expression a mix of amusement and weariness, like Dex had suggested: why not just throw the package into the ocean and hope it makes it.

  “Magic Missives? Even enchanted paper birds need a rest on a journey that long, kid. And packages? Hah, no chance. Between the Universities, anything magical gets flagged by protection crystals, checked for security risks. And half the stuff that’s sent gets incinerated by accident. With tensions so high—what with the war on—false positives happen more than you’d like to think. Anything important has to be sent the old-fashioned way, cart and carriage. Only way to avoid it getting blasted by detection magic.”

  His voice dropped lower. “If you come across it—my heirloom, the packages—I’d be grateful. But don’t go risking your life on my account. It’s probably just lost or someone slacking off on the job.”

  Jace nodded, his fingers tightening around the scroll. Dex shifted beside him, the usual smirk nowhere to be found, replaced by a more serious look as the gravity of the task began to sink in.

  With a quick motion, Jace tucked the scroll into his satchel. Around them, the room buzzed with the murmurs of other groups receiving their assignments, excitement brewing in the air. For many, this would be the first time stepping beyond the Academy’s gates. Some, like Jace’s group, would be venturing beyond the protective barriers of Olympus and into the unpredictable world of local towns.

  The scroll in Jace’s hand shimmered faintly as it unraveled itself, the magic gently pulling the parchment open to reveal their mission. As the details appeared on the page, a familiar prompt materialized in his vision.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Quest Accepted

  Missing Mail

  You have accepted the quest to locate the missing deliveries to the University. If the mail cannot be found, uncover what has happened and report back.

  Rewards:

  Reward #1: Increased Reputation with the Hero’s Guild - Variable, based on performance

  Reward #2: EXP - Variable, based on performance.

  Optional Quest: Brutus’ Heirloom

  Brutus has requested your help in recovering two personal packages. Find the packages or discover what has happened to them and report back to Brutus.

  Optional Rewards: Bonus EXP and Personal Gift from Brutus

  The scroll’s glow dimmed as it finished revealing the quest, leaving Jace and his companions exchanging uncertain glances.

  Dex flung his arms out dramatically, spinning on his heel as the chaos of the courtyard buzzed around them. “Missing mail? That’s our big mission now? We’re basically magical UPS drivers? Should I be knocking on doors, asking for tips? Maybe I’ll get an enchanted fruit basket if I deliver on time. That’s the dream, right?”

  Alice shot him a look, barely suppressing a smirk. “Maybe they’ll throw in a medal. But honestly? I’m fine with it. I could use some boring. With everything else going on, chasing after some lost letters feels like a spa day. Plus, we actually get to leave campus and no one is trying to kill us. So... win-win.”

  Dex snorted, throwing his hands up again. “Oh yeah, because nothing screams ‘adventure’ like a mystical scavenger hunt for undelivered mail. Who knows? Maybe we’ll end up running a scroll delivery service on the side. Go full postal worker. Just hand me a uniform and call it a day.”

  Jace, finally chiming in, shrugged. “Hey, beats fighting possessed friends, right?”

  Dex shot him a finger gun. “Touché.”

  As they crossed the hall, Jace’s gaze locked onto a figure weaving through the crowd. Dark hair bouncing with every step. Ell. But something was wrong. Her expression wasn’t its usual confident self—she looked... wary. And worse, she wasn’t alone.

  “Hey, isn’t that—?” Jace’s voice trailed off, his stomach doing a slow roll as the figure next to her became clearer.

  Dex squinted, then groaned. “No. Freaking. Way.”

  Ell strolled up, her reluctant expression doing all the talking before she even opened her mouth. “Guys, meet our fifth for the quest.”

  Standing next to her, looking like he’d just finished chewing through a lemon, was Marcus. His clothes were duller than usual, but that smug face was the same as always.

  Dex’s jaw practically hit the floor. “What in Medusa’s underpants—?” he blurted, earning a quick elbow from Alice.

  Ell gave a half-hearted shrug, the kind that said, I tried.

  Marcus just stood there, arms crossed, radiating the enthusiasm of a disgruntled porcupine. “Let’s get this over with,” he muttered, voice thick with disdain.

  Jace blinked, still processing the absurdity. “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” he whispered, trying to reconcile the Marcus in front of him with the Marcus who’d probably rather eat dirt than be seen with them.

  Dex, never one to miss an opportunity, threw his hands up again. “No one else willing to take you? Last resort?”

  Marcus’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Believe me, the feeling’s mutual. But here we are, so let’s just move on.”

  Jace’s mouth twitched. “What happened to all your... goons? I mean, ‘friends?’”

  Marcus scowled. “My ‘acquaintances’ are either already grouped up or jumped ship when the whole ‘no logging out’ thing happened. But none of that’s your concern.” His gaze flicked over them, judgmental as ever. “I’m here. So, let’s get this done.”

  Dex raised an eyebrow. “Hero’s Guild, huh? I figured you’d go for something more... pampered. You know, like the Tax Guild. Or is there a Guild for Snotty Rich Brats? How about for Murderous, Sniveling Weaklings?”

  Ell shot Dex a sharp look that could’ve cut stone, while Marcus just smiled, showing a bit too much teeth.

  Dex raised his hands in mock innocence. “What? Just saying what we’re all thinking.”

  Marcus’s jaw clenched. “Listen, I was given a quest directly from Zeus to do this Hero’s Guild thing. I don’t question quests from my patron deity, nor do I ignore them.” His eyes drilled into Dex, cold as winter. “Unlike some, I actually have a sense of duty, of honor. Just don’t slow me down with your… antics.”

  They all stood there, the tension settling like an unwelcome fog.

  “Off to a great start,” Alice said dryly, breaking the silence.

  “I need to talk to Molly,” Dex said, rubbing the back of his neck.

  Ell sighed. “No point. Molly would have given another option if there was one. We either deal with it, or none of us go. So… can we at least pretend to tolerate each other for a couple days?”

  Dex huffed, crossing his arms, but didn’t argue. Marcus sneered but stepped forward, extending a hand, his smirk back in full force. “Oh, I can be civil,” he said, his voice dripping with condescension. “If you can keep your dog from yapping.”

  Dex eyed the hand like it was a trap. “Pass.”

  Jace turned away, tension knotting in his shoulders. He wasn’t sure how this group was going to survive two days together, let alone a quest.

  Alice clapped her hands together with forced enthusiasm. “Great. This is going to be fun.”

  Marcus, unfazed, let his hand drop. “So,” he drawled, “Care to share the details of this quest with me?”

  A soft chime echoed in Jace’s mind.

  Marcus has joined the party.