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Chapter 505 - Calling the explorers
🕑 Added 2022-08-20 13:01:03 +0000 UTC"You're kidding. The System said that?" Shane burst out laughing.
"Yes! Can you believe it? The worst part is that I can't even argue because the bracelet works with me," Hera sighed.
"I don't understand why you're so upset. You always said that you like the Naga. Why is it a problem that the voice of the mountain is calling you one of them?" Bertrand, one of the Royal Explorers, asked. He was a researcher who had just turned 61. In human terms, he would be in his mid-20s. The dwarf had droopy black eyes and silky gray hair going to his shoulder with a bun in the back made for practical use, not aesthetic. Unlike most people of Boothudurn, he was very tanned, something that only happened after the Sky Ruler was defeated and the dwarves were allowed to go outside the city. He had long hands with some eternal ink stains on the tip of his fingers, and his clothes were simple and severe. The only thing that showed the man was conscious about appearance was his preference for small details in green in all pieces of gear he was wearing.
"It's not like I'm offended because the Naga are bad. But it feels weird to have the System calling me a different race. Imagine if you did something and the System went, 'oh hey, you're human or an elf.'"
"But I'm a dwarf," Bertrand replied.
"Exactly! It's like the System is saying I'm not who I think I am. It feels weird," Hera shook her head.
"But the voice of the mountain didn't say anything like that to me. Since it said that to you it must mean that you are a Naga and not a human," Bertrand said with a deadpan face.
A dwarf sitting beside him let out a long sigh, "Bert, do you remember what we talked about? When someone is talking about their feelings, you have to put yourself in their shoes to understand better. Just because you are a researcher doesn't mean you can't have social skills."
Bertrand looked at Rayna, a fighter with large brown eyes, and her lush red hair was pulled into a bun giving her a 'business' look. She was very tall for a dwarf but moved with elegance. In contrast, she wore bulky armor, and every piece was hand painted blue, which gave off a very different feeling from how she acted, "You are right. I'm sorry about this, Countess," Bertrand turned back to Hera.
"Bertrand, you can call me Hera. And it's ok. Just be careful when you are talking with other people like that. Not everyone will understand that you don't mean anything bad by what you say," Hera nodded. Bertrand was a bit of a unique case in the Royal Explorers, he showed some promise, but his lack of social skills made the Countess of Exploration hesitant in adding him to the group. However, Ogryn stepped in and vouched for the man, even if Bertrand himself seemed to hate the old mage. In the end, Bert was the only researcher that passed the interview and Hera decided to accept him. The role would be too helpful in certain situations, and forcing the man to interact with more people would help him understand how to talk to others.
"Okay, let's get back to business. Are you sure everyone can unlock the hard mode?" Shane asked.
" I think so. It would be harder for other people, but I think they can. Darni and I talked about this, and we assume that the dungeon is about trust, not protection. People have to be good babysitters for Chika. And I don't mean just protecting her or making sure she's safe but also letting her have fun and maybe grow. Teach her something new. We guess this would make the rest of the Naga more open to you, and then on the last day, you can say, 'hey, what about spiders?' That's the thing I'm sure of. Mentioning spiders on the last day is important," Hera explained.
"Yeah. That would make a lot of sense. But what's the plan? You said you wanted to have the real explorers doing the dungeon? Isn't that too big of a group? Also, can I join? The dungeon, not the Explorers," Shane tried her luck. Going for the first clear of a dungeon was something hard to happen, and she was still frustrated that she missed her opportunity in a couple of other dungeons that existed in the room.
"As per our rules, we have to put that to a vote. When doing something with a large group, everyone must be consulted before adding someone else or making any big changes. We have that rule to avoid any conflict, just in case," Hera looked to the dwarves, who nodded in response. Rayna didn't say anything, but she was impressed with the Countess. The fact of the matter was that she had all the authority to override the rule, yet she was following the same protocol everyone else had to instead of abusing her power. Ironically, Bertrand didn't think anything of it. For the researcher, having everyone follow the same rules was something obvious.
"Fair enough. I hope you guys agree. But what are we going to do? Everyone will join in the same run while you talk to the Naga? It would be a bit tight to stay in that cave," Shane thought for a moment.
"I don't know. I thought that we could split into a few groups and then have everyone try something else. You and I can go alone since we have a better chance to interview the Naga about their culture," Hera turned to the two dwarves inside their tent, "Also, I kind of wanted to see how much information you can get. I know for a fact that if you push too much, the Nagas will just give you the cold shoulder. So this could be a very good place for you to learn how to extract information in a somewhat controlled space."
"That's why you vanished, Hera? You were trying to find this new dungeon for us?" Rayna asked.
"More or less. I know it was a bit me of me to just send you guys to do your thing and vanish for a couple days, but I wanted to see how you would react. That's even why I split Blue and the others among your groups. My idea was to have them just look out for you guys, but they wouldn't stop you from returning to Boothudurn or something. It's not like I wanted them to be monitoring you guys, but they are more experienced with this place. For the dungeon, I intended to send you guys there, but doing a new dungeon is an experience that not many explorers have, so it's an added bonus," Hera explained.
"I see… Is there a reason why we were excluded from the groups and were put here with Shane?" Bertrand had a neutral expression, but Rayna's face was full of curiosity.
"Honestly, it was luck. I rolled some dice to decide the groups. And I didn't want to have groups with more than four people because I thought it would be too much for Alex and the others. That's why I asked Shane to look out for a couple of you," Hera continued.
"I see. I don't believe that is the best way to group us up," Bertrand said.
"Same. It feels like you don't care enough to worry about what we do," Rayna confessed. She expected to have been chosen to help Shane for a reason.
"I'm sorry about that. I agreed that it would be better if I matched you guys in a way that you can compliment each other. But, I also want you guys to work together with everyone in our group and be prepared for any eventual issues. Imagine if you were all in a dungeon together and something happened, and you had to split up. I want you all to be able to work together even if you have the worst possible combo for the situation," Hera noticed Shane smiling in the corner of her eyes, "What?"
"No, nothing. I just think it's cute how much you care about them. I mean, c'mon. You are doing more for them than the guild ever did for you, even when they gave you the silver card," Shane chuckled.
"Well, after I realized how much the guild tosses us in the deep end, I figured out I should do something better," Hera explained.
Bertrand and Rayna had understood Hera's idea and that she wasn't telling them these things right away because they had to get used to the unexpected. They also knew that she would tell them if it was something dangerous. Hera talked about how the rest of the dungeon went, but she avoided talking about how to open the spider door. It was better to explain that to everyone together. After about twenty minutes, some people asked for Bertrand's and Rayna's help. They were in the valley of Kings close to the Naga Temple. Almost everyone who was here was a scholar of some sort. Some were trying to find lost civilizations, while others were specialists in ancient artifacts or architecture, and a few people focused on fighting and protecting their area. For a while, Shane was the leader of this place, but when some people arrived who knew more about Naga or who were more used to the process of cataloging and studying ancient artifacts, she relinquished her position. Still, everyone respected her a lot, and when she asked people to help Hera, they all agreed without an issue.
At first, they were just helping with menial tasks, but it quickly became apparent what they could do to help. Bertrand was excellent at cataloging items. On the other hand, Rayna was more helpful while carrying things around. She was a fighter and had the strength that went with the role. But that wasn't all; she was also a former builder from Boothudurn and knew how to move things around in delicate spaces. When the two dwarves left the tent that they were in, Hera tapped the table Shane had her things and created a soundproof bubble around the two of them.
"Oh? Bad news?" Shane asked.
"Not really, but I'm not sure what it is, and considering the people who are around us, I don't know if it's a smart thing to tell them just yet," seeing Hera's serious expression, Shane adjusted herself to pay attention, " the bracelet wasn't just a reward for me being a 'Naga.' It was also, and I quote, due to the lack of members of the Naga race in the MAZE."
Shane frowned, "Lack of members? Was it worded like that?"
"Yeah. I found it weird too. Usually, the System is pretty direct with these things. I don't know why it would phrase things in a way that can allow people to interpret them differently. Still, there are only two possibilities. Either the Naga are completely gone, or there are so few of them that even the System is stepping in. Also, as a side note. You really have to figure out a way to see the hidden quest. Darni fighting is something to behold," Hera continued.
"I very much intend to," Shane nodded, but then she started to think, "Still, that phrase is something to keep in mind. The System might also be considering that you are the last Naga, and that's why it's a 'lack of members.'"
"I guess, but then I think the system would just say 'since you are the last Naga.'"
Shane nodded, "In the end, this is just another reason why we need to find the doorway. If the Naga came here to make a graveyard, we should be able to find one of their cities nearby."
"Unless their funerals included a long procession. It wouldn't be the first group that has something like that. Elves go to one of their main cities to bury their dead," Hera added.
Shane rubbed her eyes, "Yeah. I know. If they are bringing their dead here, that is a very big possibility, although having a cemetery in an adjacent room is not completely unheard of."
Hera sighed and just stared outside for a few moments, "By the way. Do you know of any sacred rituals I could do? I'm curious about what I can do to increase the bracelet effects."
"I think we found some stuff about that, but we are in the process of translating them. Are you in the mood to help?" Shane asked.
"Might as well. My teams should only get here by the end of the day, and I'm not going to tell them to go to a dungeon while they are tired," Shane nodded and showed Hera the documents that had to be translated. Thanks to her researcher role and the [Ancient Language] skill, she could speed through some of the texts without a problem. When everyone got here, they would have a conversation about the last few days and what comes next.
Comments
Perizou
I'm glad you like them! Some of those 'gems' start of as things to make the world feel more alive but I end up making them into something else because my mind just goes off lol
Gail Burke
Oh wow, I love the tiny gem nuggets scattered everywhere in your work. While rereading for the seventh time from the beginning I've found so many littered there that never showed until you've read chapters that are more recent. I'm wondering what happened to the centaur elimination group? Is what's happening to the explorers there like karmic retribution for being the ones to break the wall that releases the wendigos? Argh, so many thoughts, not enough chapters.
