Okay, so King Oberon dropped this whole "quest" bomb on them, and Ryan felt like he was stuck in a cutscene he couldn't skip. Five quests, one for each hero group? Dude, that was way too much adventure for a guy who spent most of his free time glued to a screen.
The king went on to explain how each group, except Ryan's solo act, had five members. Sarah, the quiet art girl, surprised everyone by volunteering to be Ryan's sidekick. This caused a mini-explosion in the room, mainly because Sarah was,like, the prettiest girl in their class. Yuri, the self-proclaimed leader of the Dragon Hero crew, practically shot lasers out of his eyes at Ryan. Talk about major side-eye.
King Oberon, bless his oblivious heart, seemed cool with Sarah tagging along. "Excellent!" he boomed. "A trusted companion is, like, super valuable on a crazy journey like this."
Next came the whole "travel funds" thing. Guards marched in with leather bags that sounded like overflowing piggy banks. Each group got one, except Ryan, who received a sad, deflated pouch that wouldn't even hold a week's worth of lunch money. Yuri, meanwhile, was struggling with a bag that looked like it could buy a small island.
"Whoa, why'd I get the mini-purse?" Ryan blurted out, unable to hold back the sting of unfairness.
King Oberon's smile wasn't exactly friendly. "The Phoenix Hero," he said, his voice colder than a snowball fight in Antarctica, "doesn't need a ton of cash. Your strength lies in, uh, other stuff."
Ryan's face turned the same shade as his measly pouch. Was the king low-key roasting him because of his weak stats?Maybe the guy had a point. Ryan felt like a video game character with a permanently glitched health bar.
Sarah, ever the voice of reason, squeezed his arm. "Don't sweat it, Ryan," she whispered. "We'll figure it out."
Her words were a lifeline in the sea of his self-doubt. At least he wasn't completely alone in this mess.
Then, King Oberon launched into a lecture that could rival the most boring history class ever. He talked about ferocious beasts that would make dragons look like puppies, treacherous landscapes that would make hiking in flip-flops sound appealing, and evil forces lurking in the shadows like creepy stalkers. By the time he finished, Ryan felt less like a hero and more like a pizza topping about to get devoured by a monstrous oven.
"Alright, heroes!" King Oberon finally declared, with enough enthusiasm to power a small city. "Go forth and conquer!May the light of Aethel guide you and stuff!"
The air crackled with nervous energy. Everyone looked at each other, some pumped, some pale, all wondering where the heck they were supposed to go.
"So," Mark, the Star Wars fanatic, piped up, "like, where do we even start? Do we get a map or something?"
King Oberon chuckled, a sound drier than a week-old bagel. "Maps are for rookies, young hero," he said. "Your path is,like, out there. Talk to the wise old folks in the villages, listen to the wind whispering secrets, and trust your gut."
Awesome. Just what they needed – cryptic instructions for saving a whole world. Yet, despite the fear gnawing at his insides, a tiny spark of determination flickered to life in Ryan's chest. He wouldn't let the king's negativity drag him down.He was a hero now, even if he was a hero with a tiny purse and a whole lot of questions. Maybe, just maybe, he could still rise to the challenge.