perizou
patreon
MAZE - Chapter 1040 - Betreyal
🕑 Added 2025-04-09 01:26:50 +0000 UTCOnce she had the full set of poison resistance gear, Hera showed it to the rest of the teams, all who got very excited about the rewards. Shane more than anyone, since the extra set of gear was going to allow them to have two people participating in the expedition instead of just one. This was exactly the type of thing that the enchantress wanted. To be able to explore the ancient Naga homeland. Even if initially she still wouldn't be able to enter the depths of Deakoshara, this one item already made it more likely for her to not just be able to join Hera on her more extended expeditions, but also try to increase her own poison resistance abilities.
And even if there was an argument to be made that the team should split the set items, since it wasn't bound to anyone, no one felt right about doing so. Just by seeing how much Shane was smiling at getting that one set of items, it was hard to ask her to give it to someone else. Like asking a child to give away the birthday gift they just got.
But that wasn't all, the dwarfs would stay here and continue trying to get more Jeweled Poison Sets. The reason was that this was a very good place for them to train. Challenging fights, but not to the point that were too dangerous for anyone, and with enough of support staff in the room for the Royal explorers to properly grow without being coddled.
Hera agreed with that decision and even said that she was going to send more of the royal explorers here. After all, just because they had found a new place for the both of the dwarfs, that doesn't mean their job was done. Rutigan still very much expected them to continue exploring the MAZE and finding new and useful things for his people.
There was also another underlying mission that all the Royal Explorer shared. Finding Kul Doru. Their original homeland. The place where their ancestors came from. And no single dwarf was willing to give up that task.
Since it was late, Hera decided not to do another run. Instead, she dropped by her private room to talk with Nana Mittens about the new dungeon variation. She was not expecting the guide to be so direct in revealing what was needed for that to happen. And in fact, she wasn't entirely sure about that either.
"You see, dearie. I knew about the existence of the variation, but even I wasn't aware of the specifics on how to trigger it. The system tends to keep a few things hidden from us if it realizes we would try to go around its rules," Nana Mittens looked down. "I do apologize for that."
"I don't understand," Hera frowned. "Why are you apologizing?"
"Your friends will tell a few things about this new dungeon variation. I did not know things would happen like that. But actually, it seems like I can tell you this. The variation of the dungeon is not great. I don't mean that in the sense of rewards or anything of the sort. That's something you have to figure out on your own. But the story that is telling is rough, to say the least. Remember how the Feywyrm was killed by creatures that lived near the corpses and digested bodies that her experiment resulted in?"
Hera nodded. "Yeah, that's kind of hard to forget."
"Well, let's just say the Jarnak will be utilizing that. The name of the dungeon is Island of Decay and pretty much everything will start to decay thanks to its powers. The Feywyrm really did create an incredible life form that could adapt and overcome basically everything. But after spending a few years in the middle of the valley just feasting on all the corpses, it was no longer the same. So in the end, everything you did resulted in an alternate history where the Jarnak became a living corpse. Not only that. But something that is constantly in the process of decay due to the amount of decay Mana it consumed."
"Are you saying that the Jarnak is now constantly in pain?" Hera asked.
"I don't think so. From what I understand the Jarnak... changed… I can't say how exactly. But it's no longer the same creature you've met."
Nana Mittens let out a sigh. "I honestly feel guilty about everything that happened. If I never told you how to get those items, maybe this would never be the case. Actually no. It was that last piece of the puzzle. How you made the Jarnak kill the Nactra-Valls that created this result. But still. At leasts it's in a dungeon. The creature that lives now is nothing more than a manifestation created by the system. Not a truly living being."
"Wait, what do you mean it's my fault? Wasn't the only way to get the jewel for the set to have the Jarnak kill the Nactra-Valls?"
Nana Mittens shook her head. "No. The way you were doing it first was exactly how things were supposed to be. The odds are just smaller for that particular piece. But they're still bigger than trying to get the other set."
"Oh," Hera gasped. "So I did all that for nothing?"
"I wouldn't say that what you did was for nothing. You created a dungeon variation. And you also got a better reward, and yes, the way you finish the dungeon would give you an even better chance at acquiring those items."
Hera wasn't sure what exactly she could say. She still stayed there with Nana Mittens and, more specifically, Filigree talking with the new title blade and trying to get a sense of who she was. But it felt very much like speed dating or something like that. Just asking questions to the Weaver, who didn't know the answer to most of them. She didn't have a favorite movie since she never watched one, there was no food she enjoyed aside from the ones that she had already tried over the last few days. It was the same with music, games, and pretty much everything.
Hera eventually remembered what happened to the other title blades once they were created. The issue wasn't so much that she needed to get to know them. But that they needed to get to know themselves. And that kind of thing took time, so rushing it wasn't a good idea.
In the end, the empress simply returned to her hotel room and told everybody that she was heading back to Deakoshara to continue the expedition. She wouldn't leave right away though, but instead would be leaving in the morning since it was late, and she wasn't in the mood to travel in the night.
As they already had discussed, Shane, Bonnie and Alex were joining her. But all the other dwarves, including Pandora, decided to stay behind. The Dwarven explorer was able to create a unique part of her relic together with the scale she got from the hard mode dungeon. Now, her Cloud Griffin had a small visor that could shift and become a monocle for one of her eyes. When she was using that, her eyesight increased tremendously, and she was able to see things in ways that she couldn't before. The flow of mana and the issues happening in someone's body. They all became visible under that new spell.
However, it required a lot of mana and not to mention brain power. If she kept using that monocle for a long time, she would get a splitting headache due to the sheer amount of information that was being given to her. Nonetheless, she was happy with the results. After all, that kind of thing wasn't something everybody could do. And that one item created a variation of the Mana Vessel skill that allowed the first of the Ophidianites control magic better. From what Pandora was describing, it was just like when Hera saw the mana particles during the vision to remove Alex's curse. But to a lesser degree.
Still, Pandora's decision wasn't just because she got the item. But also because people seemed to be struggling to complete this new variation of the dungeon. According to her own team who attempted to enter it, there was a warning before anyone walked inside, letting them know that the final boss of the dungeon would be on the same level as the strongest member of the team that went inside the dungeon. That's why the teams that were attempting to run that new variation were always close to each other in levels. But no one was able to even reach the boss so far.
From what they told her, everyone who tried to run the dungeon would be stuck in the undead corpses that were surrounding the island. Even the harpies who could fly above it couldn't handle the intense toxins that were being released by the island that were completely covered in rot and decay. It was a situation that very much fit the name of the dungeon. Island of Decay. But until they were able to complete it the new quest at least one time, Hera wouldn't be able to attempt her own run. Which was another reason for her to decide it was time for her to move on.
That was not only because the empress was willing to explore Deakoshara entirely on her own, but also because she believed that by solving the issue with the poison, more people would be able to join. Maybe people who would create natural outposts in the room.
As Hera and her friends reached the Arie of First Flight, Queen Typhera sent a message that she had to talk to the Empress on a matter of urgency. Worried that something might be happening, the Ophidianite quickly looked for the harpy queen in her office. She was quietly drinking some tea while talking to her assistant and smiled warmly when the empress entered her room.
"Hera. I'm glad to see you're doing okay. Did you get what you needed from that dungeon?"
Hera nodded, still a bit confused by the situation. "I did. But what was the emergency? You sent a message a few hours ago. We were coming here and just rushed because of that."
"Oh, you didn't have to do that. It's urgent, yes, but you could take your time."
Hera rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm here now. What's up?"
"I'm afraid it's one of the things that you hate the most. And there's no way out for you this time," the harpy Queen pulled a black envelope with gold trim.
Hera took a step back. "No."
"I'm afraid so."
There was a shuffling noise coming from a different room and Hera snapped her head back to Queen Typhera, "You knew I was coming?"
"Of course I did. I knew the moment you stepped inside my kingdom and how quickly you were rushing here."
"Why are you doing this?" Hera pleaded
"Because, my dear, that's part of the job. Now please behave and let us dress you up." The queen smiled as a battalion of harpies walked into the room. Every single one of them carrying a different dress and various bags filled with makeup.
"This is just the test dressing. The actual event will be in a couple of days," the queen added.
Hera turned around, searching for anyone who could have some sympathy, but she found none. All the harpies were here for a job and one that they were very proud of doing. Make sure the Aspirant Hero was up to the part during the formal event.
Comments
aToTeT
‘Found a new place for the both of the dwarfs’… might do with a look at that sentence, and the nearby ‘but not to the point that we’re too dangerous for anyone’
