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Chapter 786 - Loren
🕑 Added 2023-12-25 13:00:13 +0000 UTC####### Author's Note #######
Happy Yuletide everyone!
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After dropping off the horn at the Alliance center, they called the healers and chemists to confirm if this would work. Hera's team asked the clerk to just let them know if it worked or not. They were going to their hotel room to get ready to leave. Before heading out, the group took a chance to take a quick shower. They might not have enough time to do that during the rampage. Not a real shower, and they were still waiting for Milla to give them the route. Hera also had one more thing to do. She asked Livy to sit in front of the door; that way, no one could walk inside her room and leave her tablet in the shared space.
She did all that for a simple reason. She wanted to call the guide for this room. It wasn't like Hera had anything she wanted to ask, specifically, but she just wanted to meet more of them. Just not to waste the skill, she had one question to ask. But it wasn't related to anything in this room. Not really.
With her preparation ready, she used the soundproof bubble and used her skill. An ink spot appeared on the floor, and from it, a form started to take shape, almost like a creature coming out of a bog. First appeared a pair of tall horns framed by two large bunny ears, but those shapes collapsed into themselves, almost like a cake that couldn't handle its own weight. It tried to reshape itself, becoming a pair of curled horns and large bear ears. Once more, the shape collapsed. Its third attempt worked, forming a black hairless skull and a long white duck beak. The rest of the body was thin and lanky, its limbs moving almost like they were attached to invisible strings.
The guide was eyeless, and the connection between the white beak and the black head became an oddly mixed gray, showing a smile.
"Wow," Hera gasped absentmindedly.
"Hello," the gray spot moved as they spoke.
Hera cleared her throat, "Hi. Sorry about my reaction. I just… didn't expect this."
"Were you expecting someone different?" the gray spots became less 'clean' as if the mixture between the two paint colors wasn't properly made.
"No, no. Nothing like that. Your entrance is just… intense. I wasn't expecting something like that," the Empress replied.
The guide smiled, the gray ink mixing smoothly again, "Well. I am the guide of a room that focuses on art. Not making a proper entrance would be a disservice."
"That is a very fair point. And you seem to be doing great. I'm Hera, by the way."
"Loren, and it is a pleasure to meet you. I've heard a lot about you," the guide waved again, their hand making a trail after it moved.
"All good, I hope," Hera smiled a bit awkwardly. It always felt weird to hear that the guides talked about her.
"Most of it is good. With just the right amount of bad," Loren chuckled.
"Bad? Like what?" Hera asked.
Loren stared at the Empress for a moment, crossing their arms, "Is this your first question?"
Hera shrugged, "If you want, it can be. I don't have any big questions."
Loren shook their head, "No, no. That would be unfair. This information I give you for free. After all, it pertains to yourself," they created a small ink-stained journal in their hands and flipped through the pages.
Hera understood that this was just a performance. All the other guides had told her they could just access any memories they had at any given time without any tools. Still, the Empress appreciated the care. Loren has perfected the expressions and body language of someone trying to read through a journal. Even if they didn't have eyes or a nose.
After a few seconds, the guide snapped their fingers, "Ah. Here. Let's see Hera Quetzaveth's flaws. First, she's a giggle drunk."
Hera felt her cheeks turn red, remembering the times she drank too much with the guides. It was true. When she overdid it, she would turn into the type of drunk who found everything funny. Or someone who gets very sad very fast.
"Reckless and too kind for her own good," Loren continued.
"To be fair, most of the reckless things I do are necessary due to the circumstances I find myself in," Hera protested.
"Either way, that flaw is correct. Also, if you are making decisions that result in situations that force you to be reckless, that is, by itself, reckless."
Hera squinted, "That feels like a roundabout way to get to a point, but ok. Fair."
"No comment about the being too kind part?"
"Not really. But at the same time, most of the good things I got only happened because I was kind. Getting Daskka, Viper and Crimson, Livy, and even Lurize. I think Nimbus is the only one that happened because I was cruel, and it wasn't even that at the time," Hera shrugged.
"That is true. But still, you should be a bit more careful in the future," Loren added before turning back to his journal, "The last two flaws are 'easy to distract' and 'is rude.'"
"Stuff happens, and I lose track of what I was doing. I don't think that's a huge problem."
Loren nodded, "I agree. And the mention was more focused on your build. You've become quite the jack of all trades, never focusing too much on a single thing. Even now. Any comments about the rude part?"
"Was it Percy? If not, I want to know who and how I was rude so I can apologize later. If it was him, then I really don't care."
"Really?" Loren asked with a chuckle.
"Yeah. I don't know what bug bit him, but he was out to get me from the get-go. If he is not making an effort to at least try to be nice and get to know me. I won't do it either," Hera shrugged.
Loren nodded, "I can respect that. For what it's worth, they also have a number of good qualities for you. Smart, brave, has a heart of gold. Worries about snacks for a party and doesn't expect us, guides, to bring all the food. There are other opinions, of course. For instance, some really like your taste for music and movies, while others say those are severe character flaws."
Hera chuckled, "OK, I'll tell Ruma that not all movies have to involve the ocean. I mean, c'mon, there is a whole series about a desert planet with giant sandworms. And that one is pretty good."
Loren opened a big smile, which was just a large gray mark on their face, "Oh, I agree. And let me tell you a secret. I helped design the flying vehicle they used in the escape scene. That was just after the system gave some explorers the option to call us to their private rooms. The artists responsible wanted some references to flying monsters, and since they were just pictures without any relevant information about the creatures, I could share them. The way the wings move back and rotate when the vehicle lands. My idea."
"Really? That was a nice touch! But if I'm being honest I was more impressed with the upper and lower set of wings idea."
"Me too. That was an inspired design. I would like to say that it is nice to meet someone who can appreciate intricate designs, but considering the room we are in, that might feel less impactful than it actually is. I'll say that I'm excited to talk more about various movies and designs in the future. Now, unfortunately. I have a job to do."
Hera nodded, "I will like that too. And yeah, let's get to the questions. I'll probably have to run soon."
Loren gestured to the side, and a timer appeared made out of ink, "Five minutes on the clock. We start with the first question."
"Ok. This is a weird one and very… theoretical, if you will. Suppose there is a wendigo in the room, and it has a devour affinity. With the current technology and knowledge about that kind of thing, would it be possible for us to create a sensor or a radar to detect the presence of said wendigo in this room?"
Loren paused for a moment, just staring at Hera. That made the Empress a bit uncomfortable, especially since she couldn't tell where the guide's eyes were. Eventually, they spoke, "You weren't kidding about it being theoretical. That one will cost about half your time. Is that ok?"
"Yeah," Hera replied.
The timer behind Loren shifted to 2:20 before continuing to count down, "OK. To answer your question. If there was a wendigo here and if that wendigo had a devour affinity, it would be possible to create a way to track it using the knowledge you have. And I'm using the royal you in this case. Also, I'm considering the combined knowledge of all the civilizations you know about. This could include things about Naga, other extinct civilizations, or any of the sentient species that are still around. I may be saying this because it's knowledge all of you have or because it's a secret that only one of you has. I won't specify, and you don't have the time to ask me to do so."
"Got it," Hera glanced at the clock; there was still a bit over a minute, "OK, I don't have enough time for much. So this is the last question. If someone was trying to build something like that. What would be the one thing you think they should be careful about?"
"That's a good question," Loren's gray spot shifted to a smile again, "Let me think for a moment."
Hera nodded and gave the guide some time, 'At least we know that Lena is not trying to do something impossible,' she said to her court.
'Yeah, but can she do it? Or will there be some hidden tech stopping her from finishing the project?' Daskka asked.
'I genuinely don't know. I hope she can make it work. It would help so much.'
'Would it? I mean, if we were chasing that one underground. Could something like that find it?' Viper asked.
'I think it depends on the strength of the scanner. Some are able to reach the underground, but that would be at the cost of range,' Lurize added.
'Then again. If it works, it's already enough. The moment the wendigo would get out of hiding, the scanner would get it, and then people would know to be ready. It's a win-win either way,' as Crimson spoke, Viper turned to his sister with wide eyes, 'What?'
'I just didn't expect you to say something smart,' Viper smirked.
'Oh fuck you!' Crimson snarled, turning to her twin in a quick motion.
'Stop it, you two. Don't start in front of a guide. Not when I'm using the skill,' Hera scolded them just in time as Loren turned back to her.
"I gotta say, this feels weird. Usually, we are able to hear anything, even mental conversations. But now, all I can do is see you are talking with your court. I wouldn't even be able to tell who was speaking. If it wasn't for your body language, I would be completely lost," Loren shook his head, "Anyway. To answer the question. The one thing to watch out for is interference. I understand that it sounds obvious, but there would be interference happening in places you wouldn't expect when making something to detect a specific type of affinity. If you can overcome that, it will be easier. Not easy, just easier to make what you want."
Hera nodded, "Ok. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for everything, Loren."
"Thank you for being a good friend to us. Not many explorers who can talk to us spend this long without ever getting one of their strikes."
"I can say the same. About being a good friend. Not a clue what would be the equivalent of a strike for me."
Loren chuckled and waved to her one more time and vanished inside the puddle of ink beneath their feet. Hera sent a quick message to Lena, telling her that she got some information from her skill and headed to the shower. It was going to be a quick one. After all, she still had to run towards a rampage today.
