Ray gaped open-mouthed at the elder. Anger rose in his chest. Why would the man who called his parents weak after sending them to their deaths now ask him to save his granddaughter from the same fate?

  “And why should I!?” Ray shouted at the elder. “Why should I help save your granddaughter when you didn't do the same for my parents?”

  “Lower your tone,” the elder said in a near whisper. "It is prudent to remember that our conversation may not be private."

  The elder’s eyes scanned the surrounding area before returning to Ray. Ray was about to yell at the man again, but the elder clamped his hand over his mouth with surprising speed and power.

  “Listen to me, boy. If it were within my power, I would send no one to face those heaven-forsaken hordes, but our clan has entered an agreement with the surrounding clans. I can't break it. Even for my own blood,” the elder said, a somber expression on his face.

  Ray calmed down enough that the elder felt it would be ok to remove his hand.

  “What agreement, and why don't you and the other clan elders just band together to defeat the horde?”

  The old man sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

  "I guess if I am to place such a burden on your shoulders, then you deserve to know the truth. Life on our continent has only existed because of a set of unbreakable rules. Number one. No clan may have more than one member above level 80. Number two. The leaders of the shrieking hordes must never be slain. And finally, number three, when a horde comes close to a clan, they must send at least fifteen members to divert it before moving. I would keep her out of that group if I could, but I fear the clan would fall apart. Too many have lost loved ones to my system for me to avoid being a victim of it as well."

  “But that does not explain why you only send out people who cannot reach a level threshold before the horde arrives.”

  “That is this old man's true sin against his clan,” the elder said before looking around once more to confirm that they were still alone.

  “The difference between a common spark and an uncommon one is like the difference between a small wisp of flame and a raging fire. This old man’s true folly was trying to create a clan strong enough to defeat the hordes once and for all, breaking none of the rules in the process.” He sighed once more before continuing. “It is rare but possible for one to upgrade their spark’s grade without having to ascend. I tried to create a breeding ground to trigger such a change by setting the competitions in place, but now my hubris has caught up with me, and my granddaughter is in the crosshairs of the system I created.”

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  “If you want to defeat the hordes, then why ever follow those rules to begin with?” Ray asked.

  “To explain that, I will need to tell you a story from 200 years ago. Those rules had been in place, but the reason had been long forgotten until one elder thought training 6 disciples up to level 80 and completely wiping out one horde would pave a path to destroying them forever. He succeeded on both fronts, but when the leader died, a pulse was sent out from the middle of the forest, and a horde that contained 3 commanders and a horrifying creature took control, leading the horde like a veritable army.” The old man paused for a moment, looking like he was staring straight into the past while telling his story. “The horde traveled to where the last commander was slain and not long after found the trail of the elder and his disciples. By dusk of the next day, no survivors remained in their clan. Since that day, the army's leader has been missing, yet every elder diligently follows the three rules to avoid incurring its wrath.”

  Ray rubbed his chin thoughtfully after hearing the story. He still hated the man in front of him with every fiber of his being, but he finally agreed to take Erith and run.

  “I will help Erith, but not as a favor to you, but because she is my friend.”

  The elder nodded, handing him a map of the surrounding forest and clans.

  “You have my gratitude. I have put a mark east of here on that map. You should be able to hide out there until the horde has passed, and for what it's worth, I am sorry for my words when your parents died. I had hoped that your father would become one of the strongest soldiers in the clan, and was blinded by rage when he spent more time with you and your mother than improving his level, but I think I finally understand why he would throw away power for his family.”

  Ray turned his back on the old man without a response and started the walk back to his hut. He lay down on his bed, his eyes red and cheeks stained with tears. His father had given up power for him and had died for it. He silently sobbed for a while longer, staring out at the stars through a small hole that had opened in the hut's roof as he drifted off to sleep. The next morning he got up and headed toward the village marketplace before it was time to go hunting. If he and Erith were going to have to hunt for themselves for a while, he would need a new bow. He browsed the stalls, passing several selling different food or clothing items, before he saw his target. It was a small stall containing a row of unstrung bows. A kid who looked to be half Ray’s age manned the counter.

  “Hi Richie, is your father around?” Ray asked.

  “No, he will be back in half an hour, but I should be able to help you with what you need,” Richie responded.

  “Ok, I need a new hunting bow, preferably one with a heavy draw weight.”

  “Hmm, this one should do the trick,” Richie said, pulling a traditional bow from the rack.

  He struggled to string it for a moment before handing it to Ray.

  “Try that one out.”

  Ray pulled back on the string, feeling that it was slightly heavier than his father's bow. He then used appraisal on it to see if it would supply any additional information.

  Common traditional bow

  Grade: Common

  Durability: 100/100

  Attributes

  N/A

  “How much?” Ray asked

  “That one is 2 silver coins,” Richie responded.

  “I'll take it.”

  Ray placed the bow on his back while walking back towards the village entrance. Noticing that he was still early, he decided to use his three remaining crafting points on his new bow.