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MAZE - Chapter 1010 - Bricks and Booze
🕑 Added 2025-02-07 17:29:47 +0000 UTCEverybody rushed toward the Aerie. They were all excited about the prospect of going to a new dungeon and a new room. Even though Pandora was more or less used to the area they were going, she was also looking forward to it. And just like the dwarf suggested, on the day they left Zaxalam, they stopped to buy some of the supplies in the Aerie, since it was cheaper. Hera might be swimming in money, but there was no reason to buy expensive things just for the hell of it.
Once they reached the Harpy homeland, Hera dropped by and talked to Typhera just to see if there was anything that needed her urgent attention. Thankfully, there was nothing. As far as the Empress could tell, the MAZE was peaceful for a change, or as peaceful as a place with giant monsters that wanted to eat you could be.
Although “peaceful” might not be the right word for it. There were still a few people who supported the New Dawn and the guild, causing problems here and there. But the alliance had already set up a few groups to chase after them and make sure they were brought to justice. It did mean that travel through some of the core areas of the alliance territory was on hold.
For most people, that meant only alliance members could move around freely. Humans specifically had even less freedom to move around in certain areas of et MAZE. But a few exceptions were given to those who were clearly on their side, such as Alex and Bonnie, who played such an important part in the recovery of those affected by the Soldiers of Strength experiments.
Shane also got a free pass for a very different reason. She had actively participated as the liaison between the dwarves from Boothudurn and the Harpy Kingdom, which meant she had the personal approval of the Harpy Queen to go in and out of her domain. Still, this didn’t mean they were completely free from the scorn of the other alliance members. There was still a lot of anger at what the humans did, and it wouldn’t be unusual to see someone acting with hostility.
Then again, this was only a problem if they weren’t walking with Hera. After all, she was still the Ophidianite Empress, someone whose very existence was so unique that very few people were not aware of not just her, but also her companions. There were several articles and social media accounts dedicated to talking about her adventures and the people she took along on those missions. And not just that, but also deep dives into the profiles of her party members, from the ones who were with her from the beginning, such as Bonnie, Alex, and Blue, to the ones she had temporarily grouped with, like Neria, Adriel, Thomas, and Runir.
Which meant that anyone who was angry at the humans shouldn’t take long to realize that the members of this group were not the target of their rage. Even then, there was a lot of pain still lingering among the members of the alliance. There were so many people captured and made a part of the Soldiers of Strength program that it was hard to go to an area where no one knew Alex and Bonnie, even if they were not as famous as the Empress. And considering the region they were going to, Shane also had a good chance of being recognized.
Pandora explained that the dungeon was in the territory of the Children of the Sky, and because of that, the people might have seen the enchantress talking to their Queen or one of the dwarves who became their neighbors.
Once they finished gathering the supplies, they would get in the Aerie. They continued the journey toward Thornspire Vale. It was still going to take them about a day and a half to reach since it was a place six rooms away from Zaxalam. At the very least, they wouldn’t have to worry about sleeping outside, as there were enough hotels in the rooms leading to that island.
It was the first time in what felt like a lifetime that Hera could travel across the MAZE without a worry. There were no pressing deadlines, nothing that was about to fall on top of her. No issues, no danger that she had to look out for, nothing. Just simple travel from point A to point B while enjoying the sights. The last time she did something like that was when she traveled with Alex to the Waperath Kingdom and eventually got her legacy.
Thinking about that, she couldn’t even begin to remember what life was like before having her court. They had become such an intricate part of herself that it was impossible to think about being without them.
In just a couple of hours, they arrived at the room they were going to stay in for the night. It was called Bricklayered Gardens. As the name suggested, it was a large city made out of bricks in various shapes, forms, and sizes. Some were the classic ones you would see in construction, others more unique, the type one would see in an amusement park or in a very tailor-made house, and even some that shouldn’t really work the way they were supposed to. Shapes that didn’t match well together and were more of a problem to lay out properly than they were worth.
But it wasn’t a person who was putting the bricks in place, which solved the problem those strange bricks brought. Still, it was a majestic city. Large buildings connected by suspended bridges and arching hallways created an amalgamation of walls that allowed people to say the entire room was a single structure. There were almost no monsters, with the exception of the ones called Brickkeepers. They were creatures that ate bricks, very much like termites if they were the size of small dogs, but mostly harmless to people unless someone made the mistake of attacking one of their queens. In that case, they would need to fight off the entire hive of those creatures, which was an event in itself since every few years, the population of those creatures could get to numbers so high that they became a real threat to the integrity of the structure in the room.
Pandora suggested they go out at night and enjoy the various clubs and bars located in the city. There was a lot of commerce here, mostly because the structures were created by the MAZE itself. It was one of the rarest places where people didn’t have to build in order to live. The entire thing was given as a gift. The only issue was the actual layout of the buildings. They were not designed by an architect, not in the classical sense of the word at least. Small rooms were connected to a series of other small passages, massive open areas connected to large archways that connected themselves to other archways on the floor above.
They spent a few hours enjoying this unique mix of bar and restaurant. Even so, the Empress was unable to relax completely. Every time she got close to it, she would see a flash on the side or someone would pass by, causing Hera to snap toward the movement, worried about what was happening. And every time, it was nothing, just one of the servers or someone waving at another person.
The Ophidianite had to admit it was strange. She never felt this jumpy before, not even when she was actively participating in the war. Sure, she wasn’t considering the moments she was fighting or sneaking through a dangerous area. But when she was supposed to be just in a restaurant, eating and having fun, this was the first time she ever felt so scared for no good reason.
Before she could think too deeply about that, Pandora, already a few drinks deep, called her to the side.
“Hera? Did I ever tell you how much I’m grateful for everything you did?”
The Empress shook her head. “I don’t think so. But you don’t have to say anything. I’m honestly a bit tired of everybody thanking me for that.”
“No, no. I have to thank you. You have no idea how awful my life was before you got here,” Pandora downed another drink before asking for a refill. “I know people were saying Trillian and Legan were the first Dwarven Explorers we had seen in Boothudurn, but let me tell you a secret. That was a lie. I became an Explorer just a few weeks after you and Blue got to the mountain,” her speech was slightly slurred. But considering how many times she asked for a refill, it was amazing she was still standing.
“Really? But no one told me about that. Were you keeping it secret or something?” Hera asked.
“Yeah. My parents wanted me to be a Crafter. So I got the Explorer role and got the Crafter role a bit later. But it was very messy to do that. I had to sneak to the doorway in order to get the test, and that caused a bunch of problems.”
“Why all the secrecy?”
“I just didn’t like the idea of being a Crafter. Not forever. And there was so much that I didn’t like about that mountain,” Pandora started to hiccup. “I even tried to escape it, you know.”
“What?” Hera gasped.
“I was little. And if it wasn’t for Naka, I would have been killed by a Sky Ruler. I ran from home and sneaked out. Then the monster came.”
“Why did you do that? You had to know how dangerous it was,” Hera asked.
“I did. But I was very curious about the world outside. I didn’t understand why we had to be stuck underground without being able to see the sky. And I ended up almost getting me and the captain killed. But I don’t regret it. Going out, I mean. I do regret making Naka risk her life.”
“Hang on, did I hear that right? You became an Explorer just after Hera and Blue got to Boothudurn?” Callena chimed in.
Pandora felt her cheeks burning, but she ignored her embarrassment and nodded. “Yeah, I was.”
“Why didn’t you say anything? A lot of people were curious about what the Explorer role was like. And I’m sure people would be more than happy to help you get your role skills,” Farica asked.
“I wasn’t sure people were going to accept what I was. I went against tradition and became an Explorer despite not being supposed to,” Pandora admitted.
“Girl, that’s just stupid,” Callena scoffed. “You are more than just your role. If you wanted to get the Explorer role, no one had the right to say anything bad about it. Your role is fine; it’s just part of who you are. Anyone who has a problem with that didn’t like you from the start.”
“I’m not sure I agree with that sentiment,” Yerel interjected. “Roles are part of us, yes. But they are such big parts that they kind of define our existence.”
“Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean that your role is your definition. You can be an Assassin and be a good person, look at Alex. And you can be a Healer and a jackass, look at you,” Callena replied with a venomous smile.
Yerel was taken aback, and the two started to bicker. Hera wanted to stop the two, but Farica just shook her head. “They are always like that. Eventually, they start laughing.”
With a shrug, the Empress turned to Pandora. “I don’t know if you are going to remember this in the morning. But I do agree with both of them. Yeah, your role does not define you, but it’s also a big part of who you are. The most important thing is to pick what you wanted, the role that makes you think, ‘Yeah, that’s me.’ Everything else you can deal with as things come.”
Pandora nodded, tears in her eyes, but it was hard to tell if it was just the words or the booze. She tried to get up but almost fell down, causing Alex to step in and help her stay up. The Purifier considered removing the alcohol from the dwarf’s system but decided against it. Pandora wasn’t exactly the quietest of drunks, and not remembering a few pieces of the night might be a good idea.
Comments
aToTeT
Ending last chapter into beginning of this one works… but might be more satisfying rephrased on both ends better parity—nothing wrong with changing minds, mind: very normal, personable thing to do. But it is an oddly framed form of it, and might well do better describing Hera as unbelievably rich—without also undercutting her… monetary mindfulness. Anyways, infinite love. <3 Edit: the ‘, they would get in the Aerie’ sentence has an odd comma placement… probably better just cutting that fragment and attaching the preceding section to the sentence which follows with comma used as adjoiner.
