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Chapter 316 - Getting Answers
🕑 Added 2021-09-22 13:01:04 +0000 UTCHera sat down, ready to call the guide of the Wailing Caverns to help her, when she realized one thing. She had no idea what was the name of the place they were searching for. Ruins were just too generic. What if there was something else that could be considered a ruin in this room? She pulled up her tablet and sent a message to Shane, asking about the name or any other identifying trait that the place they were searching for had. A minute went by, and there was no response. Shane didn't even read the message. Hera deactivated the soundproof spell and opened the box she created. Moving back to the outpost, she looked for Shane and the rest of the group.
"Shane, come here for a minute," Hera pulled the explorer over.
"That was fast. Did you ask a big question?" Shane asked.
"Not yet. What's the name of the place we are looking for? Just saying ruins won't work. What if there is a collapsed cave, or a structure made by the monsters that ended up being destroyed?" Hera explained.
"Oh… I guess that's a good point. I honestly don't know the actual name. But it should be a temple for the naga."
"Naga?"
"Yeah, imagine a snake with arms and a torso… sort of," Shane explained.
Hera stopped for a moment, trying to picture that type of creature, "So… do they have..."
Shane cut her off, "No snake tiddies."
"How did you know I was going to ask that?"
"It's the first thing most people ask. I was bummed when I found out too," Shane sighed, "Anyway, it should be some sort of graveyard, mausoleum, or something with a spiritual significance."
"Ok… that doesn't help that much. If they have something like that here, it wouldn't be a surprise if there was an entire city somewhere in this room," Hera replied.
"True, but that's not a guarantee. Some ancient civilizations used to have graveyards in different rooms. Bringing the deceased to those places was something almost ritualistic."
"Are they still around? The naga people, I mean."
"As far as I'm aware, no. They are all gone. But I wouldn't go past the idea that there is a civilization of that race still living somewhere in the MAZE."
"That's true. Well, I'm going back to the box. I'll be right back."
Hera turned around and left the outpost again, returning to that makeshift bunker where she could talk with the guide without being interrupted. She blocked it off again and created the soundproof barrier before taking a deep breath and activating the skill.
"I call upon the Guide of the Wailing Valley. As an explorer, I have proven that my motives are pure."
Unlike the other times where just a rift appeared, this time, a well-made mahogany door appeared in one of the walls of this box that Hera created. It was adorned with some engravings of trees and intricate flowers on the frame and a small brass knocker in the shape of a lion. Aside from the fact that the door didn't even reach Hera's knee, it seemed like the entrance to a very elegant place. She waited for the guide to come out, but a minute passed, and nothing happened. Hera leaned over the door and called.
"Hello? Is there someone there?" but no one replied to her, "Should I?" Hera got close to the door and used the brass lion to knock on the door.
"I'll be right there. Just a moment," a gruff voice came from inside the door.
"Oh, right. Sorry," Hera replied and took a step back, sitting on the floor.
A few minutes passed, with Hera becoming increasingly more worried. The guide was still on the other side of the door, and there was no clock around, but that wasn't a guarantee that the time of the skill wasn't already ticking. Then again, this was most likely just her being paranoid. Every guide she ever met was fair and would let her know when the time started.
Finally, the door opened, and a creature with a chameleon's head and a humanoid body dressed in pristine Victorian attire came out. He wore a navy blue dress shirt with a white jacket and a black scarf around his neck. The guide also had a small cane with a silver hawk's head on the pommel and a shiny black top hat.
"Hello, I am Percy Bodwitch. The one and only guide for the Wailing Valley. At your service," the guide gave a small bow while taking off his hat, revealing a set of colorful spikes on the top of his head.
"Oh, hi," Hera replied, still distracted by the guide's entire persona. Sure, the kobold sisters also wore clothes, but they were more modern, and their entrance was less flashy, aside from the dance routine.
Percy frowned, "It is polite to introduce oneself when you meet someone for the first time. Just because the system already told me your name, it doesn't mean that manners should be ignored."
"Sorry. I'm Hera. Hera Kingsley."
Percy looked around for a moment, "Well, I see that you weren't able to provide decent accommodation after inviting me here. Very well," the guide pulled up a pocket watch, at the same time an analog clock appeared in the air above the door.
"Sorry. I had to make a place hidden from everyone else. If I got chairs or something, it would draw too much attention," Hera explained.
"That is a poor excuse, my dear. If you are able to make a box like this, you are more than capable of making some proper seating arrangements," Percy scoffed.
"I don't think I can do that. Not to mention that I never tried to make something so delicate as a chair," Hera crossed her arms.
"That is a shortcoming you should have considered before inviting me here. Nevertheless, let us start with the questions. I do not wish to stay here for longer than I have to," Percy clicked the button on his watch, and the clocks started to move.
Hera was surprised by that. So far, all guides had asked before starting the time. The way Percy acted was also weird. He wasn't as polite as everyone else. Coming here seemed more of a chore than something he was excited about. She looked at the clock, 10 seconds had gone by, and she didn't ask a single question.
"Right. For starters, answer my questions with yes or no. Don't elaborate unless I ask, ok?" Hera pulled up her tablet and opened a file with some questions she had prepared with Shane's help.
"Yes," Percy replied without looking away from his watch.
"Are there any ruins in this room?"
"Yes."
"Are they from a human civilization?"
"No."
"Are they from the naga civilization?"
"Yes."
"The ruins are on this floor?"
For the first time, Percy hesitated before answering, "Yes."
Hera stared at the guide for a moment, "There are no ruins below us. On the floor below us, I mean. Correct?"
"No."
"So there are ruins there?"
"Yes."
"Are they on this side of the chasm?"
Percy just stared back at Hera without answering.
"You can elaborate on that question as long as it doesn't take a chunk out of my time," Hera glanced at the clock. She had spent almost a minute in just these small questions, but there was already a lot of information that would help.
"I do not know what chasm are you referring to. There is more than one in this room," Percy replied.
Hera activated her [Treasure Map] and pointed at the area where they found the abyss, "Here, is beyond that area?"
"Ah. Yes, it is."
"Ok. I'll point to a few places. Can you tell if it is hot or cold? I'm trying to find the location of the ruins. If it's going to cost time, please let me know."
"I can do that, yes. However, each answer will subtract a certain amount of time," Percy replied.
"Forget about that for now, then. Among the ruins, is there something similar to a graveyard? Or a mausoleum? Go back to yes and no answers."
"Yes."
"Are there more ruins aside from a graveyard?"
"Yes."
"An entire city?"
"No."
"Are they all in the same place?"
"No."
"Are they all beyond the chasm I pointed out?"
"Yes."
"Can you tell me if there is a legacy in one of them? Do I have enough time for that answer?"
Percy sighed, "No one has enough time for such an answer. Do you truly believe legacies are such mundane things that can be found with this skill?"
"Well, it was worth a shot. Can you tell me if the ruins have some relation with the court of heroes?”
"No, I can't."
"Ok then. Are those ruins currently inhabited by someone?"
"Yes."
"Monsters or people?"
"Monsters."
"Before the guild got here, was the naga the last people that came to this room?"
Percy showed a surprised expression, aiming both his eyes at Hera for once, "Yes."
"How long ago did the naga left?"
"You don't have enough time for that answer."
"Ok, are there any strong monsters in the ruins?"
"Yes."
"More than one?"
"Yes."
"On another subject. I've seen this floor and one below it. Considering the room as a whole and not an individual building that someone made here. Are there any more floors in this room aside from those two?"
"No."
Hera had gone through the questions she had prepared. The only last option would be to do the hot and cold on the map to find the graveyard.
"Last thing then. Let's do the hot and cold thing."
"Very well. I cannot tell you how much time it will cost until you point at the position and, to avoid any improper use of it, in case an answer requires more time than you have, I shall just inform you that your time ran out without answering."
"That is very unfair," Hera crossed her arms.
"Only if you take too long to find the right location. If you are lucky and intelligent, it shouldn't be a problem," Percy scoffed.
"Fine. Let's do this then," Hera pointed at a specific spot in the map right above the chasm, "Hot or cold? I talking about how close I am to the ruins I asked about."
"Cold," Percy clicked his stopwatch and reduced the remaining time by 10 seconds.
"Then here," Hera aimed above her previous guess.
"Warmer," another click in his stopwatch, and Percy took away 15 seconds.
Aiming a bit more to the left and towards the edge of the room, "What about here,"
"Warmer," with a click, 30 seconds were shaved off. Now Hera only had around 40 seconds left.
"What about here?" Hera pulled her finger more to the left, reaching close to the left corner of the room.
"Your time has run out," Percy closed his pocket watch, and the clock above the door vanished, "Now. I advise you to think more about the guides when you are calling us. Some hospitality would be greatly appreciated. Good day to you, ma'am."
Percy turned around and opened the door, walking inside it and closing it behind him. The only thing Hera could do was to say 'Thanks' before the door vanished.
"Wow… he's kind of a dick," Hera sighed. Sure, this wasn't the most comfortable place to have a discussion, but it wasn't like she could call him over inside a restaurant. Not to mention that the entire interaction felt just like dealing with a tired employee from a store. This felt very weird, especially since the guides were supposed to find meaning in answering people's calls. Or at least that is what Peaches made it sound like.
Hera turned off the soundproof barrier and dismantled the stone bunker before walking back to the group.
"So, did you find anything good with your relic?" Shane asked, already trying to cover any mention about the guide.
"Sort of. It seems like there is something in the corner of the room, but we are going to have to cross the chasm to get there," Hera explained.
"Well... That's an issue," Bonnie sighed.
"Maybe our mounts can help us cross that," Blue suggested.
"Mounts? You have mounts?" Mylo's eyes were sparkling.
"Well… sort of. It's an item that calls a cloud griffon, but they can't fly, just glide. I have no idea how they will deal with all that smoke or if they can even reach the other side," Blue explained.
"Can I see it?" Mylo asked.
"It's better to show you there. If I use it now, it takes a while to call them again."
"Why is this the first I hear about this?" Shane asked.
"Well… we only have two. Three actually, but I'm not sure if Silah has hers," Hera looked to her girlfriend.
"I don't. I left mine back home," Silah replied.
"Yeah, and they can't carry that much weight. So it's a bit unfair, only a couple of us could," Hera shrugged.
"Still, it could've helped!" Shane gasped.
"Well, they will help now," Blue said as she walked over to the area where the bikes were available for rent.
Helena walked closer to Hera and whispered, "Do you have any other reason for not talking about the mounts?"
"Honestly? I completely forgot about it," Hera scratched the back of her head before following Blue. After a few days of mindless searching, they finally had a solid lead to the ruins.
##### Author's Note ####
I'm back baby. Food poisoning sucks.
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