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MAZE - Chapter 1023 - A warm helping hand
🕑 Added 2025-03-05 01:11:04 +0000 UTCAfter hearing about Pandora's situation, Hera ended up giving her one of the bracelet snakes that could generate a vial of Ophidianite essence every day. The ones that could give, or increase the rank of a skill of her species. She made it clear that this did not mean Pandora was already accepted as an Ophidianite, but it was a way to get ready for the process. Even if they were not entirely sure when that would be available. And that if something happened, she could take the snake away without any warning. And Pandora couldn't say anything about that. But at the same time, the Empress knew that she was all bark and no bite. It was very likely that she wouldn't have the heart to take the snake bracelet back before Pandora was able to become an Ophidianite.
But at the same time, the Empress was worried that her future people were already starting to be all about nepotism. Every single person who could ascend was someone she was close to, someone she liked. And not only she had no belief that she could have 10,000 friends she trusted to become part of the Ophidianites, she was also worried about ending up with a society that believed too much in being handed things instead of achieving them for themselves.
And that's why she made a mental note of deciding a number of people that she would personally assist in becoming an Ophidianite and sticking to it. Even if she wanted to say she was going to be fair with everybody, it didn't change the fact that she was the one who discovered this possibility. People could only ascend because of her. So, in her opinion, she had a bit of a right to do whatever she wanted.
After finishing that dungeon run, they didn't get any more of the items they were looking for. Either the drops were really that hard, even harder than the drops that people really wanted with the exception of the Unbound orb, or they were doing something wrong to get the item. Once that run was over and she confirmed that the rest of the teams were also struggling to get the drops they wanted, Hera decided to pull the big guns. She was going to call the guide of the room and ask specifically about how to improve the chances of getting the drop she wanted.
It was possible that there was nothing the guides could tell to help, and that's why she hesitated so much about using the skill for this, but everybody was starting to go a bit nuts. Especially Shane. She was getting increasingly irritated by their lack of progress. She had already waited for so long to start exploring Deakoshara and now what was stopping them from doing so was something that shouldn't be that much of a problem. Especially since they could just buy other versions of the items even if they were either extremely expensive, costing a few billion gold, or something similar with side effects or something that would be much weaker than the items they were going to get here. She was even more frustrated since she had wasted her skill asking about the best ways to find and hunt the Jarnak before the final boss of the dungeon. But that seemed to result in nothing.
Thankfully, everybody was already more or less aware that Hera and some explorers had abilities to ask questions and get truthful answers. Which meant that the Ophidianite didn't have to come up with long-winded explanations on what she was about to do or how she discovered that piece of information to the rest of the teams. Even better was the fact that Pandora truly understood what she was about to do and let her call the guide in their hotel room. It was always good to have a proper place to do that kind of thing and not just make a bunker out of stone and rock somewhere in the middle of the guide's room.
Before calling, Hera also did what she usually did. She bought some food and snacks, things that she expected the guide to enjoy, and prepared a nice comfortable place for them to sit. Despite how annoying he was, and the fact that he was still a prick in her opinion, Percy taught her to be mindful of the location she was calling a guide to. Unless she was in a situation where she couldn't do anything about that. She wasn't going to be stingy if she was stuck somewhere else again.
With everything set up, and the soundproof bubble active around the room, the Empress sat on the ground and spoke the words to activate her skill. "I call upon the guide of the Thornspire Vale. As an Explorer, I have proven that my motives are pure."
There was a pause, almost as if the skill didn't work, but Hera was able to tell that wasn't the case. There was something specific about this skill that always indicated when it was working properly. The guide was just taking their time to get here. Which wasn't a problem after all, the countdown only began after they had a brief introduction, which was one of the aspects Hera liked the most about the skill.
"Just a minute, dearie," a voice came from behind the bed. Hera glanced around and saw a large cauldron behind her, a few steps away from where they were sleeping. She heard small steps coming from that giant pot, each of them echoing through the metal slowly but steadily. The first thing she saw was a knitted cap with two cat ears on top flickering ever so slightly. Then came a wrinkled face of a cat with grayish fur, some of it not seeming to be just a natural color but a fur that was already showing its age.
The guide was wearing a long scarf together with some very heavy yarn clothes and she moved slowly, groaning a bit as she seemed to be ascending the steps of a staircase. "Even after all these years, those steps will be the death of me," the guide said. Hearing that, Hera froze, trying to suppress her feelings.
It wasn't just the voice, which was very similar, but there was a very specific smell coming from them. The smell of bread and coffee with a hint of cinnamon. The same smell that Hera's mind associated with Grandma Triss. Every time she went to her late grandmother's house, she was always making some bread with a fresh cup of coffee that had just a splash of cinnamon. Some times that splash was part of the baked good, and others of the coffee itself. The smell and the voice in the same grandmotherly tone caught the Empress off guard.
"Sorry, dearie. This old bag struggles a bit getting up the stairs," the guide said with a warm smile. Now the Empress could see that the cap she thought the cat guide was wearing was, in fact, a shawl that covered her head and shoulders. But still, hearing that voice and smelling that smell was too much. Hera couldn't even respond to her.
"Are you okay?" the guide asked, finally making the Empress snap out of her thoughts.
"Yeah, yeah, sorry. I just..." she didn't have words to explain. How could you tell a guide that they reminded her of her grandmother?
"Are you sure? If you want, I can come back another time and we can consider that you never used your skill," the guide replied, and after a beat she turned to the side with a frown, "What do you mean I can't do that? It's my part of the skill. I can do whatever you want with it," the guide huffed before cursing at something while waving a wooden spoon. "Fine then, I'll show up in her private room and we can talk then. Is that enough?"
"No, no. That's fine. Sorry," Hera took a deep breath. "I'm okay. Hi, my name is Hera."
The guide smiled. "I know, I know. You are quite famous around the guides. And honestly, I was really excited about meeting you. My name is Jenofrena. But everybody calls me Nana Mittens."
Hearing that, Hera smiled and did her best to steady her voice. "It is an absolute pleasure to meet you, Nana Mittens." Despite her best efforts, there was a slight crack when she said "nana". It had been some time since she thought about Grandma Triss. The last time happened even before the war. Now all of that was boiling to the surface, thanks to this sweet old cat lady guide.
"You don't seem to be doing all that well. Are you sure you want to continue with this?" the guide asked.
"Yeah, yeah. I do have things that I want to ask about, if you don't mind, of course. And I got some sweets from a bakery nearby. Pandora recommended. I hope you enjoy it." Hera pointed at one of the dishes she had set on the floor in front of her. "Now I kind of understand why she suggested that tuna sandwich."
"Oh, tell her thanks when you get a chance. The tuna sandwich they make here is simply amazing. You have to try it," the guide responded, walking to the pillow on the other side of the pick nick blanket Hera had set up.
"I will," Hera smiled.
"Next time we meet, I promise that I will be the one bringing food. Everybody loves my cherry pie," Nana Mittens said.
Even Daskka, who never had a chance to meet Grandma Triss, was starting to hold back from tearing up. She knew the stories, and she knew that cherry pie was one of Triss's specialty.
For a brief moment, the Empress even considered that this guide could be her grandmother reincarnate, only to then realize that was impossible. The guide should be much older than her grandmother, someone who was alive when Triss was still a baby.
"I'll hold you to that," Hera's voice cracked again, but she quickly tried to change the subject, "Please, feel free to eat whatever you like. It's all for you," Hera offered.
"Thank you, deary. And do you mind if we have a little coffee before we start the questions? It's not every day when I am greeted by such warm company," the guide said with a smile. She didn't stop and pointed her spoon at the ceiling. "Don't you start with me right now. I am not saying I'm going to answer her questions."
Hera paused, "Do you mind if I ask who you're talking to? I don't want to give you more trouble, but I just want to understand what's going on."
"I am scolding the system. It is a bit prickly when we are outside and honestly just treats us like children. Sometimes it needs a stern talking to realize that things don't always go the way it wants," the guide replied.
The Empress was absolutely baffled by that answer. She never imagined that someone would treat the system that way. Still, if anyone were to argue that Nana Mittens was not a grandmother, that reaction would confirm her identity. Only a grandmother could do that kind of thing, especially to something like this system.
"Now, how about we have some coffee and a proper afternoon snack before we get to business?" Nana Mittens opened a warm smile to Hera, who just nodded.
"I would love that."
"And please, if you don't mind, can I meet the other members of your court? I would love to see them in person," Nana mittens said.
Since Pandora made sure to warn everyone not to go to Hera's room, the Empress called all of her blades, even the ones that couldn't speak to others, to participate in the afternoon tea, even if they didn't actually have tea.
Nana Mittens was acting more like a grandmother with every second. She would ask about what they did, what they liked, the things they experienced, how that made them feel, gasping with a certain pride in her voice, as if everything that was being said was the most incredible thing she had ever heard with each story Hera and her court shared.
And for the first time ever since getting the skill, Hera spent a good half an hour just talking and enjoying the company of the guide before even using her first question. All the while, the system kept complaining about Nana Mittens's actions, only getting the equivalent of a wooden spoon on the back of its hand as a answer
Comments
DrDankness
I already love her. Nana mittens competing for spot among the favorite guides (I’m biased of course).
