#### Author's Note ####

  And we have the title drop for book 2! Enjoy!

  Also, Here since all chapters are togheter I'll keep posting them with the cotinuous numbers. Even if this is technically book 2 chapter 1.

  ##################

  Hera basked on that feeling of being submerged in warm water. The temperature was just right, and it gave her such peace. It wouldn't surprise her if there were people who crossed Doorways just to feel this. Then again, there were countless reasons to enter the MAZE.

  However, the strangest part was how everything happened. Her body didn't lock up instantly, instead, it was a slow process. Almost as if she were slowly being frozen. Yet, there was no fear, no worry, just peace.

  After about 30 seconds, little by little, Hera's body began to tingle. Not in an uncomfortable way, but as if she was just waking up. The blinding light that forced her to close her eyes vanished, and she opened them to see where she was.

  The first thing that caught her attention was a large tree in front of her. It looked like a maple tree, but it was purple.

  The leaves had a vibrant magenta color, while the trunk shared the same color as an eggplant. As she got closer, Hera realized that it wasn't only the leaves that were purple. The grass was purple too!

  "Hey, watch it!" Blue yelled.

  Hera looked back and saw that the controller had stopped in front of the doorway. That made the next group bump on her as she they arrived.

  "Helena told us to move. It's your fault for staying there," Bonnie said.

  "Well, sorry. But how can you not stop and look? Everything is purple."

  "Not everything," Alex said, looking to the side.

  As Hera got closer to Alex, she could see that they were atop a hill. Below was a sizeable town. The buildings seemed to be mostly made of wood and brick. It didn't look like a modern city in any way. She was looking at a place that came straight out of a fantasy book.

  The wall encircling the city had a soft yellow tone that made the purple foliage pop even more. The streets had a stronger yellow color that reminded Hera of the famous yellow brick road. On the edge of the town, all the houses had the same color pallet of red and white, but as it reached the center, they started to vary from oranges to greens and even blues.

  The one building that stood out was a three stories high reddish-orange brick tower. However, it was large, larger than any other buildings in the town. At the top of the building, there was a symbol. It was a doorway with the doors open and the skyline of a city inside of it, the symbol of the Guild branch inside a MAZE. Unlike the emblem that everyone used, this picture was very regulated, and could only be placed on the official branches of the guild itself.

  Her eyes kept scanning the city until it reached a port, small boats were docked while a few others seemed to be leaving towards the lake. Hera looked towards the horizon, following the water. It seemed endless. The lake kept going, farther and farther away until vanishing on the horizon.

  That's when a breeze hit her. A salty smell reacher her nostrils. This was no lake, but a piece of the ocean. Everywhere around the city, and where her eyes could reach, revealed that the vegetation of this place followed the shades of purple they were seeing on the tree in front of the doorway.

  Despite the strangeness, everything felt natural. It wasn't as if they were looking at fake trees, but at trees that existed in this way since the beginning.

  "Holy crap, are those pillars?" Leo asked.

  Following the eyes of the man, Hera saw a large stone pillar that was raising up to the sky until it vanished into the clouds. Not only that, but there was no actual sky. Above the clouds, there was a gray stone ceiling. This whole place seemed to be inside a cave, a ridiculously vast cave.

  "We really are not in our world anymore, are we?" Bonnie asked.

  "You are wrong," Hera said, "We are finally in our world."

  The group smiled at the comment. She was right.

  They saw the group that arrived after them going down a path that seemed to curl around the hill and lead towards the town. Following the trail, they left the doorway, heading towards the Guild to figure out their next step. Most people would take around 20 minutes to walk from the doorway to the Guild.

  Yet, Hera and her friends took almost one hour. They stopped to look at each tree, each house, and each shop. Hera and Blue also wanted to eat something at one of the restaurants that were around here. It took some convincing, but the duo finally agreed to wait to do it after they went to the Guild.

  The town could look like something from a fantasy setting. Or a picturesque small city in a less developed area of the countryside. However, technology was still very present. Screens showing different products, electronic cashiers, and all sorts of daily appliances were easy to spot. It gave Hera the feeling of being in a theme park.

  After some time, they arrived at the Guild. The brick tower was even more imposing up close. The front door was a white entrance that raised to the symbol at the top. Almost mimicking a Doorway.

  Many people were walking inside the Guild. A few were lounging at the small bar to the side of the entrance. Others were looking at the various boards spread around the ground floor. There was also a big counter in the back of the room with a couple of people dressed in familiar clerk uniforms.

  The group approached the counter, introducing themselves to the attendant.

  "Welcome. It is always good to see new explorers. Although, to be honest, we were expecting you on Monday. I got worried only those two had passed the test this time. Oh, and I'm Gemma, nice to meet ya!"

  Blue groaned. Hera didn't need to ask why. None of them were happy that Anaya and Kenjiro were already around.

  "Now, let's finish the introduction quest, and... All done. You can now take new quests from any of the boards. The boards are split by the type of client. In the front, you can see the ones from big companies and large clients. Those usually focus on simple tasks, hunting, gathering, things that are requested in bulk. The ones on the right are from shops and locals, and those on the left are from the groups and private clients. We also have a set of introductory quests if you guys are a bit lost," Gemma explained.

  "Do we have a limit on the number of quests we can take?" Alex asked.

  "Well, not really, but we advise new explorers to keep it under three quests at once. Newbies tend to get distracted easily, and it's a bit of a problem if you accept a quest and take too long to finish it. While most don't have a time limit, it makes the Guild and you look bad if you take months to complete a simple quest," Gemma said.

  "Where is the library? I'm looking for books about spells and magic," Bonnie jumped in front of the group.

  "It is towards the doorway. Look for a corner store that sells flowers, and turn left. It's a building that looks like a mansion. We have a quest that asks you to do a small tour of the city as part of the introductory quests that I mentioned. If you finish it, you get a voucher for borrowing two books from the library if you are interested."

  Bonnie took the quest on the spot. It was very simple, just walk around the city and collect a stamp on the map app of their tablets. There was also a hunting quest, a gathering one, and a quest specific for each role. The one available for Hera was discovering the three legends of the town.

  "Oh, and Hera. You have another one. This was sent specifically for you."

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  First task - Client: Helena Ditrro

  Hello, sweetie. I know you must be excited to start doing your own thing, but don't forget about little old me. I still want your help with my research. Before being able to help me, you need to learn a few things.

  For starters, learn a spell! Any will do, you just need to unlock your mana stat. Don't worry about the time. Do it at your own pace.

  Buuuuuuttt

  Magic is amazing. It can help you so much. If I were you, I would put learning a spell as a priority.

  P.S. Did you know that the contribution points that this quest gives you are enough to trade for the compendium for a skill in the order?

  Objective: Learn a spell.

  Rewards:

  Baby's first spell book.

  50 Contribution points with the Order of the Lost Court.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Hera read the quest with a smile. Helena could be really silly at times. This could help her a lot, but she wondered what the baby's first spellbook was. She thanked Gemma and left the Guild with her friends.

  "So we start with the tour and then go hunt?" Leo suggested.

  "You guys can go. I'm staying at the library," Bonnie said.

  "Why? We can wait for you," Alex intervened.

  "You can't. I'm staying there until I learn how to use magic."

  "Oh, live a little. You worked so hard to get here, and the first thing you do is go back to a library?" Blue asked.

  "I'm going precisely because I want to live," Bonnie paused for a moment, then let out a lengthy sigh, "Look, I'm not good with weapons like you all. I'm not strong like you, Blue, proficient like Leo, quick like Alex, or crafty as Hera. If we go out now, I'm going to be in the way. I know it, and you guys know it too. But with magic, I have a fighting chance, or at least I hope I do."

  "Are you sure?" Hera asked.

  "Yes, please go, hunt, explore. Do your thing. You can find me at the library. Also, we need to figure out where we are going to sleep, or you guys want to go back home every day?" Bonnie asked.

  Hera completely forgot about that. They were close enough to go back and forth from the real world, but that idea bothered Hera. She didn't want to commute to the MAZE every day. Even if it would be almost like going to the Guild like she had done the past month. She was inside the MAZE, and she wanted to be here.

  "Maybe they have hotels, or someplace we can stay for a while. Did anyone check with the Guild?" Hera asked.

  The group shook their heads.

  "Well, we have the tour quest. Let's check it out, and then we can ask them," Leo suggested.

  "Why would we.... Give me a minute," Alex rolled her eyes, and she walked the few steps back towards the counter. Seconds later, she returned, "Ok, so part of the tour will take us to the housing bureau. They can help us find a place to stay."

  They started their tour right away. It asked them to visit a few places with the basics they would need. The first stop was a shop in the middle of a street filled with restaurants, markets, and coffee shops. A place very reminiscent of the food court in the street mall near the Guild.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Next, they stopped in the crafters' district, where they could find every type of store. From armor and weapons smiths to people selling potions, salves, accessories, clothes, and even household appliances. Funny enough, that was the one thing that interested the group the most. They had heard that inside the MAZE even a cup could have a unique effect. However, seeing cups that were enchanted to be always cold. Plates that could heat up food using mana, water bottles that created water. Blue even found some nail polish that could change colors if there was a monster nearby.

  That last discovery made Hera a bit upset. Her Explorer Relic was supposed to have the same function, and people were able to replicate that? Then again, she expected Yarnball to be a stronger version of it. At least, once she herself became stronger.

  They also stopped by the library and had to drag Bonnie away from it. She could come back after finishing this quest. There were numerous books there, and access to a MAZE exclusive database of information. If someone wanted, they could also get compendiums as long as they were willing to pay for them.

  Unfortunately, after a quick search, everything they found about unlocking their mana involved either very expensive training regiments, consuming large amounts of mana potions, or spending a long time in the MAZE.

  After the library, they went to the healing center, a hospital full of actual healers. The guards' barracks, who worked as the police force in the city, as well as protecting people from roaming monsters that might try to attack. The mayor's house as just a tourist attraction. It was a wooden keep made using only the purple wood that could be gathered here. Their last stop was the housing bureau. A single building with the pictures of some houses available to rent in front.

  Talking to the bureau, the group discovered that explorers on the quest could take three rooms in a hotel for up to a week. The quest would give them a week's stay. After that, it would be 50 gold a day. Alternatively, they could rent houses, and the price varied a lot depending on the size, number of rooms and location.

  "I get that I'm the one who will be taking a single room, but this feels unfair," Leo complained as the girls quickly decided to share a room amongst them.

  "Have menstrual cramps, then we'll talk," Blue mocked.

  Going back to the Guild after going to the rooms they rented, the group received the reward for the tour. A voucher for borrowing two books in the library, one small health potion, and the map of the city and its surrounding areas. Thankfully, the rewards were individual.

  The moment Bonnie got her rewards, she sprinted out of the Guild towards the library.

  "See you at dinner, I guess," Alex sighed.

  "I bet 5 gold she sleeps in the library," Blue added.

  "I'll take that. She is not sleeping tonight," Hera said as Bonnie's bright yellow hair vanished outside.

  "Let her do her thing. You guys ready to hunt some frogs?" Leo asked.

  "Ugh, I hate slimy things. Also, we should eat first," Alex pointed to the food street as it was very close to the guild.

  Begrudgingly, Leo accepted the suggestion after Hera and Blue's insistence. Yet, barely ten minutes after they sat down, the Hunter had finished his meal.

  "Ok, you are done eating. Can we please go?" Leo asked.

  "Dude, I still have some fries left. Why are you in such a rush?" Blue replied.

  "I'm not in a rush. I'm excited. We are in the MAZE. Let's go explore and do something," he said.

  "Leo, I'm excited too. But we need to eat. If we went out now, we would need to come back to eat in just a few minutes. Using our supplies because of that seems a waste," Hera said.

  "You know, it's hard to see your point when you have frosting on your nose. How many cupcakes did you eat?" the man asked.

  "Just two..." Hera looked away. She had to admit, the strawberry frosting they had here been out of this world. Quite literally.

  "Lies, that's your fourth. But I can understand why. These purple chocolate cupcakes are amazing," Alex said.

  "It doesn't matter, can we just go?" Leo asked.

  They were in a diner at the edge of the Lepidolite district, where the city had most of its restaurants and simple stores. There were a few other customers inside the diner that stared at the man urging the three women to go.

  "Leo, can you sit? Please? We are almost done, I promise," Hera said.

  The man grumbled and sat back in the free chair. He looked away while the rest of the group finished their meal. Hera tried to ask what was wrong and why he was in such a rush, but got no answer.

  Ten minutes later, they left the diner and were already heading towards the city gate. Leo was walking at a fast pace, fast enough to make Hera and Blue regret having such a big lunch.

  As they reached the gate, they noticed a couple of guards with metal helmets armed with spears by the entrance. They seemed to be watching everyone who was passing by. Out of curiosity, Hera activated her [Observe].

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Stanley

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Timothy

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  She only focused on the guards, but two explorers who arrived in the town stared daggers at her. Hera blushed, seeing their reaction. She had forgotten that there were people who could tell when they were being observed.

  Even so, the guard intrigued her. Could they be people from the outside working here? Or would they be denizens of the MAZE?

  They passed through the gates and walked towards the path that lead deeper into the purple forest around the city. On the road they used, there were a few groups that looked like explorers. Not only did the weapons seem to have designs that they had seen around the Guild, but most of them carried the Guild issued tablet in a holster. This was a bustling city, and the large population proved it. Even outside, it was hard to find a place that didn't have people.

  However, Hera's focus was on something else. The forest was incredible. Not like the one Hera saw during her test. Every tree here was unique, even if they were all the same type. Young trees, old trees, trees that grew in odd ways, trees that grew around rocks, trees that swayed with the wind and trees that seemed to be as sturdy as a wall. Hera could also hear life, not just the leaves rustling in the wind but small bugs and critters moving about.

  "Hera, can you move? Every few seconds you stop to look around, we have stuff to do," Leo complained.

  Hera apologized and focused on the path, not wanting to delay the group, but Blue rebuked her.

  "Don't you dare apologize, Hera. We are all enjoying this. And Leo, can you just take that stick out of your ass?"

  The man argued for a while, but they never stopped walking. After twenty minutes, they reached the area where they would find the frogs they were required to hunt. Hera had her tablet open on the map and quickly checked the quest.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Introductory mission

  Frog hunting

  Kill giant frogs in the forest outside of town. Due to its fast respawn, if not kept in check, the frogs can spread their territory, which causes problems for Brinefront.

  Hunting has a set reward. However, in most cases, the target monster also has valuable materials that can be sold at the Guild.

  The frog has three well sought out materials by the Guild. The value of said material varies depending on the state they are delivered.

  Pair of legs - up to 20 gold

  Tongue - up to 28 gold

  Eyes - up to 10 gold each.

  Objective:

  Hunt 10 frogs for each member of your party:

  0/40

  Reward:

  50 gold

  Giant frog basic compendium

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "It's a shame we don't get the compendium before hunting them," Hera said.

  "Yeah, but my guess is that this is a bit of training they are giving us. We won't have information on everything we fight," Alex said.

  "That's true. If it were something really dangerous, I doubt they would hold back information," Hera asserted.

  "Hera is right. After a certain level, every mission that involves hunting monsters gives us a compendium about the target. And the basic versions usually are pretty cheap, so there is no reason not to buy them," Blue explained.

  "How do you know that?" Alex asked.

  "What do you mean, how? Mr. Greyson told us that during class."

  After thinking for a moment, Hera exclaimed, "She's right. I completely forgot about that."

  "Bonnie is not going to believe this. Blue remembered something from class," Alex heckled.

  "HEY!" Blue complained.

  The three girls laughed but were cut off by Leo, who shushed them and pointed forward. After a few bushes, there was a large frog, about the size of a poodle. Its back was black, almost as if it was covered in tar, but its belly had a light green color.

  "Ok, this must be the frogs. We should check if there are any more around. Just to be safe," Hera said.

  Before the explorer finished speaking, Leo jumped forward and stabbed the frog with his spear. Piercing through its stomach, the man pulled his weapon back and struck again, this time aiming for the frog's head.

  With the creature clearly dead, Leo grabbed his tablet and started to look for something.

  "What the hell, Leo?" Blue yelled.

  Leo just waved her off and kept doing something on his tablet.

  "Leo!" Hera called.

  "Leo!" Alex followed.

  "What?" he said, annoyed by the yelling.

  "RUN!" the three women yelled.

  Leo looked back and saw a giant frog coming out of the bushes. It looked just like the one he had just killed, but it was the size of a Great Dane. Even while standing on all fours, it could easily reach Hera's shoulders.

  Just as the hunter started to run back to his group, the frog opened its mouth, and the sound of a whip snapping roared in the forest. Leo tumbled forward. The frog's tongue hit his back and started to pull his cloak.

  Seeing her friend fall, Hera froze. She wasn't expecting the frog to be so big. At her side, Alex looked at the creature in shock, her hands shaking at the sight of it. Blue charged in, grabbing Leo and helping him get up. All the while, the frog kept trying to pull its prey back.

  "Hera, Alex, help me out here!" Blue yelled.

  Coming out of their stupor, Hera jumped forward. She went past the man and used the handaxe to slash at the frog's tongue. The blade slid across the thin muscle, making the frog let go of the cloak. The tip of its tongue dangling outside its mouth with blood gushing out of it.

  Hera wasn't expecting the attack to be that strong. She glanced at the weapon and mumbled, "Thanks, Iris," before helping Leo move towards Alex.

  The frog didn't attack right away as it was still recoiling from the pain. Still, Blue kept glancing over her shoulder to watch out for any attacks, but he was just staring at the group. She tossed Leo over the bush at the same time the frog let out a loud croak.

  Spinning around, the controller got ready to defend against any attack that was coming her way, but the frog just kept staring at her, its tongue dangling in front of its body. Hera helped Leo to hide behind a tree before turning to the still frozen assassin.

  "Alex. Help, Leo!"

  Alex shook her head and looked at Hera and Leo, "G.. got it. Go help Blue. I'll be right there."

  Hera rushed back just in time to see other two frogs coming out of the bushes. Thankfully, these were about half the size of the one they were already fighting, but their underside was light blue instead of light green.

  "Blue..."

  "I don't think we can run. Can you distract one of the small ones? I'll manage the other two," Blue said.

  "Ok, just try to hold them off. When I'm done, I'll help you."

  In sync, the two jumped towards their targets. Hera aimed at the smaller frog on the right while Blue went straight for the big one.

  Hera tried to move around the blue frog, hoping it would have problems turning around. Before she was able to get out of the creature's line of sight, the monster opened its mouth, and with a crack, its tongue went flying off towards the Explorer.

  When the frog started to open its mouth, Hera ducked and swung her chakram up. She felt the creature's whip-like tongue brush her cheek at the same time that her slash connected. The frog recoiled, giving Hera an opening to move to the side of the creature.

  The frog had to jump at an angle to start to reposition itself, but Hera was faster. She took another step, making a circle, and slashed at the monster's legs, trying to hinder its movement.

  The handaxe hit the joint and made the frog lose part of its foot. Trying to keep the momentum, Hera aimed the chakram at the creature's throat. But instead of cutting it, she ended up shoving the weapon inside the frog's mouth. Having the monster stuck to her, she raised her handaxe, aiming at the neck of the beast. As she brought down her weapon, she heard Alex screaming on the other side.

  "You disgusting, slimy, useless piece of garbage! Just fucking die already!"

  The yelling was enough to distract Hera, messing with her aim. She heard a loud clang noise when Iris hit the edge of Mayura's feather, removing the top of the frog's head. She quickly pulled her weapons back and saw a small mark on the chakram. Making a mental note to fix it, she double checked if the frog was dead and rushed to her friends after confirming it.

  Alex was mounted on the blue frog, slashing at its back even with the creature clearly dead. Blue, on the other hand, seemed to be in a tug of war against the big frog, who had grabbed the controller's wrist with its tongue.

  Unsure of how the frog was able to attack like that again, Hera quickly scanned the area. Only to find that the tip of its tongue had grown back while the part she cut was sitting on the floor at the frog's feet.

  An idea popped into her mind. Quickly grabbing a thick stick she saw on the ground, she wrapped it with a string from Yarnball and tied it to a branch of a nearby tree. Hoping her relic was strong enough, she dashed towards Blue and stabbed the twig in the middle of the frog's tongue.

  The creature let out a loud croak, different from the one it used before, and retracted its tongue, but it was stopped midway by the twig embedded in it. As the beast pulled back its tongue, the twig was making it rip in half. A large flow of blood was coming out of the hole made by the makeshift stake.

  "Nice work, Hera!" Blue complimented.

  "It's not dead yet," Hera said as she ran towards the beast.

  Unable to run or to use its primary form of attack, the frog was killed quickly by the explorers. After confirming the creature was dead, Hera rushed back to the tree where she left Yarnball During the rush, she didn't even attempt to remove the string from it, letting the lighter light relic dangling from the branch

  "I'm so, so sorry. I'll try never to let go of you again," Hera said as she untied the string.

  "Are you really talking to your gear?" Blue asked.

  Hera put Yarnball back on her belt after cleaning it up.

  "Yeah... why?"

  Seeing the look on Hera's face, Blue just said, "Nothing. It's cute."

  Alex was still stabbing at the corpse of the blue frog.

  "Alex? Are you ok?" Hera asked.

  The woman jerked her head up; her eyes were wide and bloodshot, but she seemed to calm down after seeing her friends.

  "Yeah... sorry. I just hate frogs."

  "Noted. Are you going to be able to deal with this quest? We can see if there is something we can do," Blue said.

  "Yeah... I have to do this. Shock therapy, right?" Alex said.

  "Ok, but if you need to stop, let us know, ok," Hera asked.

  Alex just nodded as they saw Leo getting up and rubbing his shoulder. He tried to carry his lance with the injured arm, but he was clearly struggling.

  "Where are they? Are you ok?" he asked, looking around for the enemies.

  "You can talk? Perfect," Blue paused, "Actually, does anyone want to take this, or can I do it?"

  In response to the question, Alex stomped towards Leo and grabbed him by the collar pulling the man down to her eye level.

  "What the fuck do you think you were doing?" She yelled at him.

  Blue and Hera glanced at each other.

  "I think this awoke something in her," Blue said.

  "I guess so," Hera said as she looked towards Leo, who seemed even more shocked than the two of them.

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