Chapter 288 - The other side of the story (Patreon)

Everyone in the council chambers was staring at Valyra. It wasn't simply because of what she said, but the words came out of her mouth with absolute confidence. Even Kadmek seemed a bit shaken by the way she phrased her remark.

"What do you mean we will lose more than just our culture?" Rutigan asked.

"This is… a complicated story, but I'll do my best to explain it. When we first noticed this type of behavior was about 50 years ago. At the time, I was working as a…."

"Valyra, crap or get off the can. We don't have time for the ramblings of an old crone," Kadmek interrupted.

"Why is that?" Hera asked.

"Because Kevin is taking a bath right now. It's better if the Guild is not aware of this discussion," Kadmek explained.

"How can you be sure he still is in the bath?" Ogryn asked.

"I have a spell," Kadmek shrugged.

"You have a spell that tells you when someone is taking a bath?" Hera frowned.

"What? No, he told me he was going in. The spell is there to tell me when he comes out."

"That's even creepier…." Hera took a step back, unconsciously.

"NO! For fuck's sake. It's not that I have a spell that tells me when someone is coming out of the bath. I just set up an alarm. When he comes out of the bathroom, I will know," Kadmek explained, "Anyway, we don't have time for this. Look, don't join the Guild. I know it seems all fancy and full of benefits, but they are sneaky and will change you little by little. In a few decades, you won't even recognize who you are anymore. Besides, they hide most things about the other races, don't consider our point of view when talking about progress, and part of their laws is to allow people from Earth to buy land even in your rooms. I know you have a human here, and she probably only sings the guild praises, but they don't care about keeping our culture. All they want to do is assimilate it."

"Ok, first. Breathe, or you will end up passing out. Second, I don't constantly praise the Guild. In fact, it only took so long for me to become an explorer because of their stupid rules. Third, that law thing seems bull. Kevin should've said something about it if that is what actually happens. And how do you know all that, or why do you care? And why all the secrecy? It seems really unfair to say all this when Kevin is not here to defend the Guild," Hera scoffed. Just because she was part of the Guild, it didn't mean that she liked everything it did. At the same time, she always hated people who accused someone without giving them a chance to defend themselves.

"We care because we don't want more people to lose their history. And we know because we saw it happen again and again. My own people ended up casting aside some of our beliefs because of the Guild. I understand that most humans here are not the religious kind, but in my hometown, the only church we had dedicated to the system was bought off and transformed into a branch of the Guild, essentially killing our religion. That's not all. Our paintings, fables, songs, legends all died off and were replaced with stories made by humans. If Kevin was here, he would have excuses for each argument we give. Excuses that ultimately don't change the fate of the people who join the Guild," Valyra sat in a chair to speak.

"They even like to pretend that the only Heroes we have are human. They build shrines for those three and ignore all other six," Kadmek said.

"What do you mean, other six? There are only Three Heroes," Hera had a confused expression.

"See, they don't even teach you about it. There are 9 Heroes, nine people who changed the MAZE forever. Among them, we have dwarves, elves, beastmen, and other races. Yet, the Guild only talks about the three. They always used the excuse that they didn't want to cause a panic on Earth and talk about other races, but even now after lifting those restrictions, they still keep them a secret," Kadmek huffed.

"Wait, who are they? What did they do, and why are there no shrines, statues, paintings or even books talking about them?" Hera didn't know what to believe. The Heroes were supposed to be a beacon of hope and unity. How could someone lie about them, and if what Kadmek said wasn't a lie, why would the Guild hide the information about the rest?

"I'm afraid I don't have time to tell you about all of them, but the UMN was founded by one of the heroes. She was an elf called Euruwan, the North Star. Because she is the one that guides us even after her death. I can send you a book about her and the other five later if you want." Valyra smiled at Hera.

"Yes, please," Hera replied, still feeling shell-shocked.

"So, you want to say that the guild won't be looking out for our best interest?" Rutigan asked.

"They won't, but then again, neither will the UMN. However, we won't actively try to change you and will support you with what we can with fewer constraints. Each time you ask the Guild for something, you will have to give something back in return. Let me also add that you won't be asked to sell your land right from the get-go. That will come later when the Guild feels that you owe them enough to start charging. They already asked for some land and then they will expand little by little until only a handful of buildings belong to your people," Valyra explained.

"But for what they talked about during the meeting, having a guild here might be very beneficial. If we join the UMN, we won't have access to that," Naka was still worried about the prospect of someone trying to invade them. She had never seen a war or a dispute between nations herself. No one in Boothudurn knew what that was actually like. But the previous captains had some journals recounting large-scale conflicts that Weston shared with them. Just the thought of something like that becoming a reality made her shiver in fear.

"You can have one either way. Most rooms that are a part of the UMN have a guild brach that works as both an actual Explorers' Guild and an embassy. They might not offer the same type of benefits such as high-speed internet connection or advanced training rooms. But, protection against Rampages and patrol missions are things where they use the best resources available for everyone," Kadmek added.

"Sorry, but I'm confused. Didn't you say they were bad? Why are you defending them now?" Fethy asked.

"They are not bad. Not intentionally at least," Valyra shook her head, "They won't push everything away with bad intentions. It's not like they want to hide the other races' involvement or wish to get rid of their culture. However, despite their intentions, this is the result of their actions. And that's why I'm giving you this warning."

"I see… This is something we will have to consider," Rutigan replied.

Kadmek stopped moving for a moment, "Kevin is out of his bath. We should go."

Valyra nodded, "Very well. I apologize for the interruption, and even if you do decide to join the Guild, the UMN will still want to deal with your kingdom. This is not a threat of animosity, just an advice coming from an individual, not a request for our alliance."

"One last question," Hera stopped the elf before she reached the door, "If we ask Kevin about the UMN without you around, will he have a similar issue with how your organization deal with things?"

"I'm certain he will. There are two sides to every story but know this. My warning doesn't come from greed or self-interest. It comes from grief for what was lost," Valyra said before she left the room.

"Well… that makes things more complicated," Ogryn sighed.

"It does. Anyone already formed an idea about all of this?" Rutigan asked, but no one replied. They were leaning towards becoming part of the Guild, but everyone's thoughts were scrambled after this new information. Not wanting to waste to much time, the King turned to the only human in the room, "How about you, Hera?"

"I… I don't know. I told you guys about the Three Heroes, and the fact that the Guild hid those who are not human is… disturbing. The Three Heroes are supposed to be something sacred. Then again, we don't know for sure if Valyra was being honest or not. The way she came to talk to us felt too sneaky, like she was doing something wrong. I think staying with the Guild could be the best option."

"Weren't you worried about how the humans would treat us?" Naka asked.

"I still am. Humans can be greedy and only care about money, but at least we will know what to expect. But the UMN, today was the first time I ever even heard about them. Who's to say they won't do even worse? Did any of them tell you what they would need from Boothudurn?" Hera turned to Rutigan.

"Yes, the Guild asked only for a space to build a branch and some hotels. And the information for the dungeons. With that, they can make something called a compendium and share it with other people. Aside from that, they also asked to set up some shops to sell the things we make here. Kevin also said that we will need to pay taxes at some point for all the infrastructure and everything else, but that would come later and it could be deducted from other deals. Oh, and to open all the dungeons for anyone who wants to go in," Rutigan double-checked his notes. Unlike the ambassadors, all the dwarves had small notebooks to write down what they considered important.

"Right… how about the UMN? Did they ask for anything?"

"They did. They asked for the same space but also to open trade for minerals and food. But they wouldn't be able to help to build the... towers? I believe those are what we will use to access the internet. We still would have to open a branch of the Guild or at least a version of it though. It seems like that is a prerequisite if we want to join any part of the world. If we wish to have a better infrastructure, we would have to pay for that ourselves," Rutigan continued.

"Most of what we do is around the guild, so that makes some sense," Hera replied.

"Can I ask you all a question?" Telanz rose his hand.

"Sure, it is time for discussion, my friend," Rutigan smiled at the healer.

"Do we have any reason not to go with the Guild? They have more benefits and will be able to help us more since they are close by. We are having all these arguments based on the word of someone who may or may not be telling the truth."

"Well, we should try to protect our culture, shouldn't we?" Lural scratched his head.

"Why is that an issue? Our culture changes so much and so quickly. Can anyone here tell me how things were 50 years ago?" Fethy raised her hand, "Aside from Fethy. She doesn't count," there was a small pause, "See, and besides, we are really good at keeping track of what we have done," Telanz continued.

"You do have a point there. Our culture is about change. As long as we remember that, our culture will remain. Even if it ends up being completely different, we can always look at our old works," Fethy nodded.

"Besides, with all due respect to your work Fethy, the most important thing is that our people are doing well. Even if we change, as long as we are safe and happy, everything is ok," Rutigan said.

"I agree," Ogryn smiled.

"Me too. Without the people we can't do anything, and happy people make for better artists," Fethy nodded.

"Very well. I believe we have come to a decision," Rutigan clapped his hands.

"There is still much to do, but we at least can start working with who is going to help us now," Fethy got up and walked towards Hera, extending one hand, "And thank you for all the help."

"Don't mention. I barely did anything," Hera shook Fethy's hand.

"You did more than you can imagine, and even if we change, I promise that no one will ever forget what you and Blue did for us," Fethy pulled Hera in for a hug.

After that, everyone went around thanking Hera for everything, even Naka. A few minutes later, the meeting was over, and Rutigan invited them all for dinner, but Hera refused. She wanted to be with her friends and ask about what Valyra said.

Hera quickly went back to her house and talked with the girls. She avoided saying too much about the meeting and focused only on the other heroes. Bonnie and Alex had no idea about them, but Helena had a bit more information.

"Yeah, if I remember correctly, the Order of the Lost Court has something to do with the heroes. I honestly never looked into that, but our leader loves those stories," Helena said.

"Really? Why did you never say anything? You know how Blue and I love the stories about the heroes,' Hera was surprised by the lack of information coming from the mage.

"It just slipped my mind. I joined the order because of the freedom and resources that I could get from them for my research. Honestly, all those fables are nice and all but I never focused too much on them. If you want I can see if the leader can recommend any books or something for you, sweetie. We also have to complete your official admission."

"Really? I'm still not a full member?"

"Not just yet. I'm guessing that finding a new room will be enough to add you and Bonnie's modular spells too. We might be able to get you both as full members at once," Helena said.

"Does that mean you have to go away?" Silah turned to Hera.

"Not yet. I'm staying around until you have internet, then we can talk even when I'm away. But I would love to know more about who those other heroes are, and to actually join the Order of the Lost Court."

"Right… and what is that order you are talking about?" Silah asked.

Hera explained how the order worked and the types of organizations around the MAZE while eating a meal prepared by Silah. There was still a lot to do, but not only things seemed to be going in the right direction, but Hera already had something new to look forward to.

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

Hey everyone. So, this chapter would be the end of Book 2 of MAZE. I wanted to have the ending match the end of the Boothudurn arc.
This doesn't mean anything for the schedule. We are still having another chapter Wednesday. I just wanted to share this small milestone. Without you guys I honestly don't know if I would've gotten this far.
Thank you, everyone, for all the love and support, and I hope you will continue reading my story.

Also, if everything goes well, I'm taking my covid shot today. Wednesday's chapter is almost done, but there are still a few things I have to do. If I have a bad reaction I'm not sure I'll be able to post it on Wednesday, but I'll do my best to not let you guys hanging.
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