When Serys descended the stairs, she found most of the guild's leadership gathered around the call board.
With Exousia's strongest members back in town, they'd taken it upon themselves to clear some of the older quests that had remained untouched. The Impossible Quests were challenging assignments from the Registry—too difficult, too complicated, or simply undesirable—that were compiled over the course of the year and redistributed each spring to guilds capable of completing them.
Although some were nearly impossible, the Registry sweetened the pot by adding bonus rewards the longer a quest remained unsolved. Rieze, Gress, and Serys had taken part in this tradition since the founding of Exousia. It had become something of a yearly ritual—not just for the bounty but to test their strength, sharpen new skills, and see how much they'd grown.
"We'll need a full party for this expedition guide quest to the Hundred Swords Castle," Rieze said, holding out a parchment to Gaius and Gress. "We've never been there before."
"We might need to compromise on damage dealers and bring more healers since we'll be escorting a group of researchers," Gress noted thoughtfully.
"You're best suited for this as the front tank, Gress," Gaius suggested.
"If that's the case, I'll take Serys with me—and the new dryad who joined last week. Gaius can cover the rear. Or maybe Rieze, if we're cutting back on offense—his damage output's higher."
"We can sort that out later. So… are we taking this one, or do we trade?" Rieze asked.
If a quest couldn't be planned around, resolved, or resourced, guilds had the option to trade with others during what Eldorian guilds jokingly called 'The Spring Exchange'— the annual meetings held to reassign leftover quests that remained unresolved by the following spring.
"Let's do it! I've got a new shield that just finished crafting, and Serys could use the warm-up," Gress said with a grin.
"I vote to trade!" Serys shot back, frowning at the group. "And rude of you all to decide without me."
"Well, you don't get a say anymore, Madame," Gaius replied with a booming laugh.
Rieze and Gress tried to hold it in but ended up chuckling anyway.
"Oh, may I remind you that my bakery is closed until further notice?" Serys said, arms crossed.
"We know. That's what makes this quest exciting!" Gress teased.
"This is probably the last one," Rieze added. "We've got three more quests to trade. Since the bakery's shut, let's meet Heena and Kael at the Registry, see what they've got."
"Was I not informed that my bakery is now an extension of the Registry?" Serys asked wryly. "When did that happen?"
"Since you opened," Gress replied with a shrug. "Where else can you get a drink and a pastry? The Registry doesn't do that."
Later that day, Rieze, Gaius, and Gress met Heena and two of her guildmates at the Registry, along with Kael and one of his men, Deimus Dmitri.
"What took you so long?" Heena asked, her tone tinged with annoyance.
"It wasn't that long," Kael muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Tch. You could've played along with the joke," Heena replied.
"Glad you're all here," Halen interjected. "We're about to start the trades."
The three guilds followed him up to his second-floor office, where two of his assistants and several other guild leaders were already waiting.
Halen personally supervised these trade-offs to prevent foul play. Each guild presented quests they couldn't take on—whether due to difficulty, lack of manpower, or missing gear. Halen occasionally stepped in with sharp questions or increased the bounty for tougher challenges, ensuring the right quests ended up with the right hands.
At last, only one quest remained on the table.
"Looks like someone traded in an extra," Halen said, picking it up.
"I-It's ours," Heena admitted, clearly embarrassed. "We don't have the manpower. Literally."
"What do you mean? You had enough strength to drag my mother to the festival," Gress said, raising a brow.
"Goblins?" Halen asked.
"Yes. The scroll was wrong. It wasn't a cave—it had become a dungeon. Some of my girls barely made it out. One quick-thinking rookie collapsed part of a corridor to buy them time. And one of them…" She hesitated. "She was stripped of her gear. Luckily, nothing… worse happened."
Halen rubbed his temples.
Then Carol, one of his assistants, spoke up.
"I—I remember that quest. I'm the one who took it from the client," she said.
"Didn't you verify it?" Halen asked, his concern deepening.
"I did. It was just a group of goblins that had taken over a cave. I graded it low-level. I didn't expect them to reshape it into a dungeon so quickly," she said, visibly agitated.
Halen was silent for a moment, then gestured for Carol to take back the quest scroll.
"It's alright, Heena. We'll regrade the quest and have the Registry investigate further."
"Thanks, Halen. I know Gress would volunteer to lead this one, but I'm glad you're putting safety first."
"Sometimes knowing your limits takes more courage than pushing past them," Gress said, tapping the bridge of his nose and winking.
Heena scoffed but smiled faintly.
"That's good," Halen said. "And while we're on the topic—I'd like to bring up the issue of monster migration—"
A knock interrupted him.
"Just in time… Come in," he called.
Prince Sylvas stepped inside. "I hope I'm not intruding."
"Not at all. You're just in time."
The prince scanned the room and took the empty seat beside Serys, earning a sharp glare from Rieze.
"Now that we have Eldoria's strongest in one room," Halen continued, "let's discuss the migration. Thanks to Exousia's scouts, we have some solid leads. Rieze?"
"Of course," Rieze said, clearing his throat.
"A few weeks ago, we received reports of odd monster activity in the western regions. Our scouts—and some from Versarre—were sent to investigate. They reported consistent northward movement," he explained, pointing at a large map unfurled across the central table. "Interestingly, the monsters seem to be avoiding the capital."
"But we had to pause investigations to prepare for the festival," he added.
"The migration patterns suggest they're looking for new territory," Heena said. "Possibly due to disruption in their natural habitats. We can confirm once we resume scouting."
Halen turned. "Serys, you mentioned something as well?"
"It's just rumors for now," Serys replied. "But during the festival, I overheard a few customers mention movement heading southward too."
"There are ancient relics that act as protective wards around the capital," Prince Sylvas added. "That might explain why the monsters are avoiding it."
"I see…" Halen said, stroking his beard. "Then we can assume two things. First, the capital remains safe as long as the wards hold. Second, if the southern movement is true, something may be triggering this migration."
"My older brother is stationed in the southern continent. I'll send a message to confirm it," the prince offered.
"I'd appreciate that, Your Highness. We'll be busy tackling these leftover quests, but do let us know what the Crown Prince says."
"Of course."
"Rieze, how fast are they moving?"
"If undisturbed, they'll reach Eldoria by late autumn."
"Good. We have time, then." Halen's voice took on a firm tone. "You have two weeks to complete these unresolved quests. I understand some of you will return to long-term assignments. The rest—report back here, same time, in two weeks. We'll plan our next steps then. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!" came the unified response.
Chairs scraped the floor as the seasoned adventurers rose to leave.
Two weeks. It could be the longest stretch of their year. But every one of them had sworn the same oath the day they registered—to protect the kingdom, its people, and its future.
Even if it meant giving everything they had… until they couldn't.