When Hera walked into her apartment, it felt like she was coming back home after a vacation. There was a layer of dust on everything, and the air in the apartment was stale since the window was closed. Thankfully, the Guild had taken care of the rent, and Hera already paid them back when she left the MAZE. The Explorer felt more comfortable when there was no debt hanging over her head.
Her weapons had to stay in the Guild since they couldn't allow people to walk with swords and spears in the middle of the city. She could wear her armor, as long as there weren't any offensive capabilities, and bring any other harmless item along.
However, since there was a very secure storage area in the guild, Hera decided to leave everything there. There was no need for her to be showing off the things she got. After all, she had magic now. Nothing would be as impressive as creating a ball of light in her hand.
The first thing Hera had to do was a thorough cleanup. Even if she wasn't sure if she would stay in this place for much longer. She was already at level 4, as far as she knew, the first layer only had creatures up to level 5. The Explorer also had made quite a bit of money in just a month.
She even checked some of the rent prices in Brinefront, and considering the 15 thousand sitting in her bank account, it was possible to get a place about the same size inside. Sure, everything was much more expensive inside the MAZE. However, that was almost ten times more than what she was used to getting every month.
As Hera was changing the sheets, she realized that getting her own place would mean either doing chores in the house or paying someone to do that. She couldn't just leave everything a mess all the time. If she did, then she would have to deal with MAZE born bugs. That very thought sent a chill down her spine.
One of the main reasons she was considering moving was to have a place to keep things she bought. For now, her focus was on adventuring. However, once she started to go deeper into the MAZE, she would want to bring back souvenirs. And living in hotel rooms didn't sound like a good idea.
For now, aside from some rations and a first aid kit, she didn't have to carry anything around. That wouldn't last long. It was already clear that as time went by, she would have more and more items. Especially once she started to see the type of magic infused furniture that she could get. Shelves that helped dry dishes, self making beds, pillows that always felt like the cold side. The possibilities were near endless.
After a couple of hours, she finished cleaning her flat. This wasn't how she pictured spending her first day back, but it wasn't all bad. During the process, Hera noticed a few books she had on a shelf. She bought them on sale in the bookstore she worked at and had yet to even open them. In the end, Hera decided to buy the e-book version of them since she couldn't carry books around the MAZE.
With one exception. A story about a world without a System, where strange monsters roamed free. It followed a woman who was the first one to ever get a System and her adventures, and she tried to spread that power to the right people.
It sounded fun enough, and Hera could read it on the way back to her hometown. After all, she really needed the distraction. It would be the first time her family would see her now that she was an Explorer. She was sure Grandma Triss would be over the moon. The problem was her mother.
The last time they spoke was before the test. They were never on good terms, but storming out like that was new. She dreaded Stella's reaction. The last time they had a big fight, Hera left the house for good. On that same day she arrived at Brilansis with a bag full of clothes. Thanks to Mr. And Ms. Kahele, she got a place to stay and after a couple of days, a job. Still, Hera believed her mother wouldn't cause a scene on Triss's birthday.
Would she?
Her tablet buzzed with a message from Blue. The Controller was asking for her opinion on the clothes she was packing. Welcoming the distraction, Hera spent a couple of hours talking with her and helping her remember to pack everything. She also received a text from Helena, just letting her know that she was already in the city but that she would have some stuff to do during the weekend. On Monday, they could meet and talk.
On Sunday morning, Hera went to her hometown. It would be easier to sleep in the city, but she didn't want to give her mother any more ammunition to complain. This time she didn't even ask her father to pick her up at the station. Talking to him still felt uncomfortable. Their last few messages were basically just both checking in if the other was doing well. Hardly the type of thing you would do with a close family member.
Instead, she opted to take a cab and arrived at her grandmother's house a bit before noon. The party was a barbecue, and she was sure that the party was already going. Her family was fond of gatherings that lasted the whole day.
She stopped at the door, taking a deep breath before ringing the bell. Hera could hear the noise coming from the house. Loud music, people yelling while they talked. It was a nostalgic feeling, even though the yelling bothered her a bit. After a few moments, she heard the steps of someone approaching.
The door opened, and a thin girl with brown hair was on the other side, "Hera!" the girl gave Hera a tight hug.
"Hey, Amelia! How are you?" it was nice seeing her cousin. While Hera helped her study for the college entrance exams, the two got close.
"I'm great. The uni is awesome. But I was worried about you. What's this about you being an Explorer now?" Amelia asked.
"Yeah. A lot happened. Let me talk to Grandma Triss, and I'll tell you all about it."
As Hera walked into the house, everyone stopped talking and stared at her. Even Amelia seemed uncomfortable with the scene.
"There she is, my beautiful daughter," Stella came out of the kitchen and headed towards Hera, giving her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, "So brave, so strong. Come, come. Sit down and tell us all about the MAZE."
Hera wasn't sure how to react. Her mom never was this supportive. Stella guided her daughter to the couch, sitting by her side and holding her hands. The entire time, everyone was still staring at her, with an expression that Hera couldn't decipher.
"Humm...Hi everyone. Where is Grandma? I got a gift for her," Hera tried to break the silence.
"I'm here. Hang on. The old legs are not as fast as they used to be," Grandma Triss came from the kitchen with her cane. It has been a while since she started to have some difficulty walking around. Hera remembered that she once asked her dad to look for the price of healers to fix her legs, but it was too expensive for them.
Hera got up and helped her grandmother sit on her favorite chair, "Here, grandma," she gave a small box to Triss.
"Hera, you didn't need to get me anything," the elderly woman kissed Hera on the cheek.
"You deserve even more. Now open it."
Triss opened the small box, showing a transparent plaque with a single white circle on the edge, "Just touch that circle," Hera explained.
Her grandmother touched the circle, and above the plaque, a scene appeared. There was a lion cub, a boar, and a weasel walking through a tree trunk, with the moon behind them. The three were bobbing its heads in the same rhythm, and as they moved, the cub grew larger until it became a fully grown lion with a red mane.
"Hera..." Triss's eyes started to water.
"I know how much you love that movie, and that this was Grandpa’s favorite part. You would be surprised how quickly they made this one. The plaque can work anywhere, but there is a base that you need to plug into an outlet to recharge it. It recharges really quickly and can last 10 hours of playing. And," Hera pressed a small light on the corner of the plaque. The illusion started to play music, the same one that existed in the scene, "That's not all," the Explorer smiled and tapped the second light that had just appeared on the opposite corner.
Now, both Triss, and Zakary, her late husband's voice started to play with the song. It was from one of his last birthdays. Hera just took the recording they made and the crafters did their magic. Quite literally. The cherry on top was what happened with the image. The clouds in the background started to shift like they did in the movie.
Instead of a lion, it was the image of Triss and Zakary singing.
Triss gave Hera a big hug, tears rushing down her face, "This is amazing. Thank you so much, dear."
"What happened, grandma? Why are you sad?" Michael, one of Hera's little cousins, asked.
Triss didn't let Hera go right away. After a few moments, she released her granddaughter and turned to little Michael.
"Grandma is just happy," she pressed the button, activating the illusion, "This scene was your grandfather's favorite bit. Every time I see it, I remember his goofy smile when he sang the song," she turned towards Michael, "I'm sorry you weren't able to meet him."
Triss completely took over whatever Stella was doing and turned to the newly returned Explorer. She asked Hera to tell everything about her life inside the MAZE. Everything she could at least. They were all aware that some aspects of things were not supposed to be discussed.
The kids were in awe of talking to a real-life Explorer, and even the older side of the family seemed interested in her stories. However, Hera noticed two very odd things. First, Silvia, her aunt, seemed very conscious of what she talked about near Hera. Second, her mom was being very nice, way too nice.
She grabbed food or drinks for Hera on multiple occasions and wouldn't stop singing her praises. She even went as far as saying that the two were so close that sometimes it felt like having a little sister. That gained some stares from Silvia, her actual younger sister.
The barbecue continued for the entire day, and once night came, people slowly started to trickle out. Hera still had to take a train before going home, and she had the meeting with Helena in the morning. Before leaving, she looked for her grandmother to say her goodbyes.
"Grandma, I'm going now. I have some things to do tomorrow."
"That's ok, dear. Thank you so much for the lovely gift. I wasn't expecting something so beautiful," Triss replied, getting up to hug Hera. Watching her grandmother have so much trouble just to walk those few steps broke Hera's heart.
"Grandma, do you remember how much was the healer to help with your legs?" the explorer asked.
"I'm not sure, dear. I think it was 15,000 gold or something. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I know I just gave you a birthday gift, but can I give you another?" Hera smiled.
"Hera, you don't need to do that. I'm fine, just as I am. I don't want you saving every gold you make for years to waste on me," Triss said.
Hera picked at her tablet and opened her bank account. "What if I told you it would be just another month?"
The older woman looked at the tablet. She blinked a few times and even put on her glasses before sighing, "I knew explorers made a lot of money, but this is just unfair," Grandma Triss pouted.
"Well, it's a good thing you have a very caring granddaughter that can pamper you," Hera chuckled.
Grandma Triss hugged her once more before letting her leave. She promised to look into the Healer and tell her granddaughter about the actual price. Hera walked away and told her goodbyes to everyone. Stella was a bit dramatic about her daughter not staying the night, but it was very different from her usual behavior.
Eridan offered to give her a ride to the station. The Explorer paused for a moment, before reluctantly accept. She had been avoiding her dad, but it was time to change that. It wasn't a complete fix, as there were still a lot of baggage between the two. All the times Eridan could have stood up for her, and instead took Stella's side. Yet, the man was trying.
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Sometime after midnight, Hera was back in her apartment. The day wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, and tomorrow she would meet Helena. Not only did she miss her friend, but she was also worried about what had happened with the Mage. Helena was too cryptic about the entire situation, and that was bugging her.
Hera did her best to try to sleep early, giving up after a couple of hours. She opted for watching TV until she passes out. Even after sleeping late, Hera woke up early the next morning. The first thing she did was send a text to Helena, letting her know that she would be ready to talk whenever. Not wanting to leave her friend waiting, she quickly went to take a shower and be ready to leave, just in case.
After leaving her bath, Hera saw Helena's reply. The Mage was also anxious about their discussion and wanted to get out of her house. Apparently, some family came to visit her, and she needed a break. She asked if she could go to Hera's place. The discussion had to be in a more private location.
Hera quickly replied with her address and a couple of directions before realizing that she had nothing to eat in her place. She rushed quickly to the nearby grocery store to buy some food and coffee for the two.
In less than fifteen minutes, Hera had her basket full and was waiting in line to pay. The closest place was Mr. Kahele's store, and that was perfect for the Explorer. She got some fruit, bread, jam, some pre-cut vegetables, cheese, coffee, and a bottle of wine. The store still sold the New Dawn oranges, but Hera wanted to stay clear of that.
"Next in line, please!" Amanda, the teen who was working as a cashier, called.
Hera placed the basket on the counter, "Hi Amanda."
"Hey, Hera! Long time no see. I'm great. What about you? Oh, silly of me to ask. You are probably amazing being an explorer and all. How was it inside the MAZE? I bet it was awesome. What brings you back?" Amanda spoke in a single breath.
The girl was never that energetic before, and the way she talked was frantic. Hera stared at Amanda. There was some weird, translucent, shiny smoke coming out of her body. Almost as if she were sweating glitter which instantly evaporated.
"Amanda, what did you eat today?"
"That's a weird question. What did I eat? Oh no, is my breath bad? Or can you tell me what I ate now that you are an explorer? That is soo cool. Or brilliant, as the British would say. At least that's how they speak in shows. Do you think they are right? The TV shows I mean. It's so fun! Ace, Cheers, Blimey," Once more, the girl spoke in a single breath. Hera knew some people who struggled to focus but this was on a whole other level.
The Explorer asked to see Mrs. Kahele, Amanda's grandmother, with the excuse that it was just to catch up. Amanda could be very stubborn when something was wrong. While she waited for the elderly woman to come to the shop, Helena sent a text letting Hera know that she had just arrived. Hera asked her to come to the store just before Mrs. Kahele arrived.
She asked about Amanda's eating habits and found out that the girl had been eating New Dawn oranges. According to what Hera remembered, they shouldn't affect people at level 1, and Amanda was still 17. It wasn't possible for her to be level 2. While Hera was talking to Mrs. Kahele, Helena walked into the store.
"Lena! Great to see you, but first. Amanda here could use some help," Hera said, trying not to agitate the girl. She didn't know how she would react to any bad news at the moment.
"Hello, sweetie. I can help, sure, but what is going on?"
Hera explained the situation, and Helena quickly called for an ambulance.
"Can't you do the thing you did with me?" Hera asked, confused about Helena's reaction.
"I can't. The best thing I can do is call the right kind of emergency. Those symptoms are from mana overdose. It's when our body consumes more mana than we can handle and has no way of letting it go. We need someone who can take that away. What level is she?" Helena asked.
"Level 1, she is 17," Mrs. Kahele replied.
Amanda, who was talking nonstop since Helena arrived, stopped making a sound, but her mouth was still moving even faster than before. Her nose started to bleed while her eyes rolled back.
"Hera, quick! Grab her wrists and focus your mana. You know how to cycle it, right? Do that, but with the mana inside her body. Like you were using a mana stone," Helena commanded.
Hera grabbed Amanda's wrist but paused before starting to use the girl's mana, "Isn't this dangerous? What you did to me seemed hard."
"It was, but just because you were already level 2 and had your own mana. She doesn't have it. You can just pull everything that is there, and it won't affect her growth. Even if it ends up happening, is that or risk her dying."
Grabbing Amanda's wrist, Hera took a deep breath and started to pull the mana towards her. She activated all her buffs and kept using Pulse after Pulse spell to spend the mana. It was much different from using a mana stone. The energy wasn't still and would just come as she asked. It was like a rushing river that would try to flood her and escape her grasp at the same time.
In less than ten minutes, an ambulance had arrived as well as a couple of Healers from the Guild. They took over the situation and put Amanda inside the vehicle before driving off to the nearest hospital. Hera and Helena stayed for a few minutes in the store until Mr. Kahele arrived. He thanked the two and finished Hera's purchase before closing the shop and heading to the hospital.
The Explorer tried to refuse, but the man said it was the least he could do. If it were up to him, he wouldn't even let her pay, but Hera was adamant against that.
"Lena, what is going on?" Hera asked while carrying the groceries in front of the store, still unsure of what just happened.
"Let's go to your place. We need to talk."
Hera and Helena walked back to Hera's apartment. The Explorer made some coffee and set up the food on her small table.
"Here, I forgot to get milk, sorry," Hera gave a cup to Helena.
"Don't worry. I like it black."
Hera chuckled, "Really? With all the sweetie, I thought you liked more sugary things."
Helena smiled, "Not on my coffee. But if you have some cake, I won't say no."
"Crap, I forgot the cake," Hera sighed.
"Don't worry. You got more than what we needed. Sit down, let's talk."
Hera sat down on her bed. She only had a single chair, and Helena was using it. The mage had a serious expression. She took a deep breath and looked back at Hera.
"What happened, Lena? Why couldn't you help Amanda back there?" Hera asked.
"Ok... I'm sorry for taking so long to talk to you about this. It has to do with what happened in the Qeeroni Wilds. I got hit by one of those Wendigos, but it was an odd version. They managed to hunt it and figured out that the monster ate a curse mage with a bug in her stomach. By that, I mean she was sick. She had a tapeworm, but it was in the early stages. The only reason why they found out about that was due to the Wendigo eating her bracelet. Anyway, the tapeworm made the monster change too. Its claws became coated in a weird slime that was filled with eggs from the new version of the parasite the Wendigo had created."
Helena raised her shirt, showing a large black scar on the side of her body contrasting with her dark skin, "The monster got me good. I was close to dying for a while there. They did their best to heal me and increase my natural recovery, but no one expected the parasites. They changed, and like the Wendigos, they can become stronger the more they eat."
"Shit, Lena. Are you going to die?" Hera asked.
"Eventually, but no, not yet," Helena shook her head and looked at Hera's spooked expression, "Sorry, I didn't mean like I have six months to live or something. I mean that we are all dying someday."
"Oh, ok. Just be more careful, please. I was almost crying already," Hera said, taking a bite of her sandwich.
"Sorry, sweetie. I'll try to be less dramatic."
"No, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just worried. Please, you can talk to me without worrying," Hera grabbed Helena's hand.
"Ok, I will then," Helena took a bite of her apple, "Continuing, the mage that was killed focused on leech spells. Spells that drain the target's mana and life, sending it back to the user. It's a bit finicky, but it is a powerful type of spell. That affected both the wendigos and the parasites. When I reached the hospital, a part of them was eating my life away. The other part was eating at my mana, but no one noticed because mana parasites are not a thing. Well... were not a thing."
"So whatever happened is the Guild's fault?" Hera asked.
"What? No, of course not. It's no one's fault, really. I took a risk and got hurt because of it. Think of it like this. Is the person who discovered cancer to blame for finding it?" Helena did her best to keep a calm expression, but Hera could see her hands shaking slightly.
"No, they are not, but the patient still had to deal with that disease," Hera replied.
"Ok, let me summarize the rest. The mana parasites became too strong after eating all the healing and magic that they poured into me. Now, every time I recover some mana, the parasites eat it up. The doctors say that the creatures are now embedded in me. The only options they had to take them away would give me, at most, a 5% chance of surviving. With those odds, no one is willing to try the treatment. Not even me, to be honest."
Hera held Helen's hand tighter, "So what does that mean?"
"I can't use magic. Since my level is so low compared to the Wendigos, my mana regenerates slower than the parasites eat it. If my level were higher, the treatment would have a better chance of working without killing me. But as I am right now, they have no idea how to fix me," a tear came down Helena's face.
"Lena. I'm so sorry. But you are still here, and we will figure this out. Somehow," even Hera wasn't very confident in her words. She cleaned her throat, "What now?"
Helena brushed the tears away from her face, "Now, in order to not make the parasites grow too much, I'm wearing mana suppression equipment that reduces the amount of mana that I recover to 1 point every hour. I also have weekly checkups at the Guild. They are also supporting me in whatever I'm doing. They will subsidize my lab and give me some money every month as compensation. I can basically retire or go back to work as a clerk. If they ever find a way to cure me, they will let me know. Honestly, I'm not sure I even want to keep my research now. I mean, what's the point? Maybe I should just go live by the beach or something."
"But you love magic so much. Are you really going to let it go?" Hera was surprised by the admission.
"Do I have other options? Or should I just wait for a miracle?" Helena scoffed, her words harsher than the Explorer had ever heard before.
Hera looked away. She knew the Mage wasn't mad at her, but she wanted to help. This woman had saved her from her rock bottom. All that Hera wanted was to help. Her eyes glanced at her bag, the one with the mana stone inside.
"Do you have any poison spells? Or spells that use poison mana?" Hera asked.
"I have a poison resistance spell. Why does that matter?" Helena asked.
"I have a mana stone. Did you try using one?" Hera went to her bag and showed the charged stone to the mage.
"We considered it. But since the parasites eat mana, we were worried that using a mana stone would infect it," Helena explained.
"Ok, so try this. If it gets infected, we just give it to the guild so they can have some more samples to study," Hera held the stone towards Helena.
The mage stared at the mana stone for a while, hesitating to reach for it, "Honestly, Hera, there is another reason I haven't tried that yet. What if it doesn't work? This could be a way to use magic again, but if it fails, this is it. I'll have no other options. Besides, if I'm contagious, the guild would probably ship me off to a place far away from everything."
Hera shifted from her place in her bed and sat in front of the Mage, "Lena. When we met, I felt like the entire universe was ignoring me. I was afraid of everything and thought I didn't deserve to dream anymore. I'm not going to say I'm 100% right now, but I'm much braver than I was. If this doesn't work, we can still look for something else. You can train a fighting style and become a vanguard or get some arrows and be in the back. We can get your tools and gear made so that you can keep your doing your research. We can even try to find a Legacy that allows you to use the mana around you or that lets you change sweat to spells. I don't know. Those things are weird."
Helena chuckled, "Ah yes. The mighty Sweat Mage."
Hera smiled at her friend, "We can workshop the name. Either way, I'm sure we can find one that will help you. And if you are contagious, I won't say a word. I mean, we probably need to figure out a way to make it safe to be around you. Maybe some long gloves and a face mask. I honestly think you can rock the goth look."
Helena stopped laughing but kept her smile, "Thanks, but I don't think I could take wearing black all the time. I always like brighter colors. And you are right. I still have other options to try. I'm not sure how I would keep my research or find the Legacy, though."
"Stop saying I, I told you. We can find it. I'm your assistant, and it will take much more than some level 80 parasite to chase me away. Whatever you need, I'm here," Hera said, placing the mana stone on Helena's hand.
"Hera... you don't need to do that."
"You are absolutely right. I don't need to help you. I want to help. That's the big difference. And I'm not taking no for an answer. Besides, without magic, I doubt you could chase me away even if you tried it," Hera scoffed.
"Wow, that was low. Is that how you treat someone injured?" Helena stared at the explorer.
"No, that's how I treat my friends when they refuse to let me help them. Now try to use the mana stone."
Helena smiled at Hera and stared at the stone. She couldn't help but feel it was nice seeing the Explorer being so assertive. Taking a deep breath, the Mage closed her eyes and tapped into the mana inside the purple gem. Hera held her breath, watching her friend while she activated the elemental sight. Aside from the dark smoke around the mage, some odd particles were floating around like they were molecules of something. Little by little, a small layer of orange fog covered Helena. Hera looked at the mage's eyes and saw tears rushing down her face.
"It worked, didn't it?" Hera asked with a big smile.
"Yeah, it takes a bit more mana than normal, but it worked," Helena wiped the tears, "And I'm glad you are that sensitive to mana. That can be very useful."
"I've been using the Mana Sight spell. It's a shame it doesn't update the compendium automatically. I forgot to update one a couple of times and had to go after the monster again," Hera said.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I still haven't figured out how to make the System update itself automatically. The spell is a work in progress," Helena explained.
"Don't worry about it. Now that you know how to use magic again. What are you going to do?" Hera ate a piece of cheese, already feeling a bit more relaxed.
Helena crossed her arms while she thought, "First, I need to talk to the Guild. They did say they would support me to the best of their abilities. Maybe I can get a couple of simple mana stones and someplace to charge it. I think the main issue would be the layer I'm in. High-capacity mana stones are either very big or insanely expensive. But before anything, I need to talk to the them and confirm the limits of what I can ask."
"Can I go with you?"
Helena shrugged, "I don't see why not. I mean, it's nice to have someone else to bounce ideas off. And if anyone ask, I'll say you are my emotional support Explorer."
Hera chuckled, "I'm not wearing a leash if that's what you are asking. But it's also for them to know that you are not going to be alone. I'm going to help you with everything that I can. Maybe this will let you get some leeway with things," Hera said while staring at Helena.
"Hera, I can't ask you to put your life on hold to help me. You need to do your own thing."
"Lena. Again, you are not asking. What I want to do is get stronger and find more interesting things. Being your assistant will be more than enough for that. Besides, I'll be looking for a way to cure you, so that can get me to some weird places. I'm also counting on you still giving me quests for the order. Those contributions points can get me some pretty nice things."
Helena chuckled, "Fine, I guess you can help me for a while, but when you find something else you want to do, you are free to go. This is not supposed to be a shackle or something."
Hera rolled her eyes, "Yeah, because working with you will be just like a prison sentence."
Helena laughed, "Oh, but you are working for me, not with me. I hope you are ready to do some really long hours."
"Lena, I worked in retail. You can't scare me with that," Hera chuckled.
The two kept talking and agreed to go to the Guild after their meal. They would have a lot of things to figure out.
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