Chapter 364 - The path up (Patreon)

Hera came down the tunnel and got close to the edge. Everything was dark, and the mist was slowly going away, but she couldn't see the giant snake anywhere. Leaning over the edge, she called, "Chika? Are you still here?"

A rumbling came from below the alcove, and the massive snake head appeared from the darkness. Chika let out some bioluminescent mist to allow Hera to see better.

"Hey, sorry, but that's a dungeon. Can you take me up?"

Chika just stared at Hera, not understanding the question.

"How can I go up?" Hera asked again.

Chika pointed to the tunnel with its snout.

"That's a dungeon. Can you take me up?" Hera asked one more time, but Chika still seemed unable to understand the request.

Hera spent the next hour trying to ask Chika to take her back to the valley, but every time the explorer asked about an exit or a way to go up, the reply was the same. Despite being very bright, the snake was still an animal or monster, depending on how you look at it. Its intelligence wasn't exactly on par with that of a person. Maybe it was because it spent too long here alone, or perhaps because Hera was talking in English and Chika was used to a different language. Still, it didn't seem like there would be any progress. Looking back to the tunnel, the explorer pulled up her tablet and sent another text to Blue and the others. She explained what just happened and how the only apparent way out was a dungeon and, although they were not that common, some dungeons could have exits and entrances in different spots. She also added that she had no idea what to expect inside the dungeon. It could be something quick, or it could be something like the Kobold Battlefield that would last a few days. In either case, they were not to send messages to Silah about her disappearance or apparent death unless the guild confirmed that she was actually dead. The last thing Hera wanted was to make her girlfriend worry even more.

So far, Hera saw no reason to doubt Chika, but it was hard to tell if the creature could understand the concept of a dungeon. However, it wasn't like Hera had too much of a choice here. She didn't even know how to get back to the chasm, much less if she could make a staircase go up again or if she would even be able to stand on that ground. So far, she couldn't see the bottom of the room. Yes, she could see Chika moving about, and it was likely that the bottom was just a few meters below her, but when she looked down, Hera could only see darkness. Even throwing a stone or something down, she couldn't see a thing, and using a dancing light spell didn't work. The magic would be snuffed out before she could see the floor. It was too eerie, and Hera had no intention of trying to figure that out on her own, much less in a situation like this.

Turning back to the tunnel, Hera waved to Chika once more and headed to the dungeon. She went to grab her chakram, only to realize that she had lost it. She was holding it while chasing the spider, since the weapon could deal spirit damage and the monster's physical form seemed to be unstable, but she didn't have time to tie Yarnball on it. With a sigh, she kept going. It was a shame to lose her weapon, especially since it was one of the first pieces of equipment she ever had, but it wasn't like she could go back and search for it. After a few minutes of walking, the notification appeared once again.

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Would you like to enter the Eternal Bond dungeon?

[Yes] [No]

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Pressing yes, the invisible wall that stopped her from moving forward disappeared, and Hera kept on walking. Another five minutes passed until she reached an opening. She took one step into that area and stopped. It seemed like she was again in the alcove, but as she walked towards the edge, she noticed that the cave was very different. Tossing a few dancing lights around, she saw how the tunnel was much smaller and covered in jagged rocks, almost like what you would expect from an underground river.

"Careful, newbie. Don't go falling on us now," a voice came from behind her, but it wasn't human. The words came in a loud whisper, and some of the letters dragged for longer than they should. Hera turned around and saw a familiar face. Well… not exactly familiar, but a face she recognized and least.

It was a red Naga with verdant scales and yellow eyes, but unlike the projection Hera had seen, their clothes seemed different. It wasn't that ceremonial brag with shoulder pads and adorned leather armor, but something with a more simple design. A black coat covered most of their torso and tail, only stopping a few centimeters above the ground. Their armor was a brown leather vest that didn't have a single metal. It was also much sleeker than the version in the projection. It seemed to fit the Naga better, not that one would realize that unless they could compare the two versions.

"Stop picking on the newborn, Rris," another Naga appeared behind the green one. This one was completely white with green eyes. They wore a robe of sorts, filled with several colorful lines and runes all over the place, and had a pair of bracelets with an oval pearl on them. Could that be Darni? Almost as a response to the question, a small snake with one silver eye appeared from the Naga's coat. Hera instantly recognized Chika, even if this form was ridiculously small in comparison.

"Hum… hi?" Hera waved.

"Still star stuck, newbie? Stop that, we are just people, Naga like everyone else," a blue Naga with dark blue arrow-like markings all over its body emerged from the tunnel. This one wore long navy robes and carried several packs filled with scrolls and other materials.

"No… Hum. Sorry, is just that… where are we again? What are we doing?" Hera asked.

Another Naga came from the tunnel, this one red with black rings on its scales. They were wearing a beige shirt and had some straps around their shoulders with hammers and other tools wrapped around them, "Hang on. Did you really ask that?" Hera just nodded awkwardly in response, causing the red Naga to burst into laughter, "I told you your explanation was too confusing. Even I was zoning out. You need to stop beating around the bush so much, Asher."

The red Naga was looking back to the tunnel from where the fifth and final Naga appeared. They had yellow scales and were dragging two seemingly heavy bags behind them, "I swear… I'll rip your scales… one by one…" the Naga seemed exhausted and barely could speak a few words before having to stop and catch their breath. They turned to Hera, "Help… I'll take it… as an apology."

"Sure," Hera went over and picked one of the bags. They were filled with a random assortment of tools, and they were heavy. It was likely that her weakened stats played some part in that, but still.

"You two really need to stop making those stupid bets," the white Naga said before turning to Hera, "Now, to answer your question. We are here because we want to make a place to teach our skills to future generations. Think of it as a school of sorts, but for a more specialized set of skills. Your part in all of this is just to take care of our camp and keep Chika here company. Our sacred beast is still young, and it would easily get bored during something like this. Our camp will be here. It's an easily defensible position, and we don't have to worry about any creature coming from that cave. Going up the tunnel, we will reach the valley where we will build the structure we want. Again, that part is on us, not you."

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You have received a dungeon quest

Darni, the enchanter, is building a place where he and his team will pass their skills to the next generation. Your job is to take care of the group's basic needs and to keep Chika, the sacred snake, entertained.

First completion rewards:

80 000 gold, Naga Relic

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You are the first ever to enter this dungeon. If you complete the Dungeon Quest, you will receive the following bonus rewards:

Naga Relic Selection

+ 1 Level

These rewards are permanently forfeited if you leave the dungeon without completing this quest.

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"Holy crap, this is a lot of stuff," Hera gasped, reading the notifications.

"We can be a bit of a handful, but I promise it won't be that bad," the white snake chuckled.

"Actually, we never had a proper introduction, did we? What's your name, new blood?" the red Naga asked.

"I'm Hera."

"Hera? First time I heard that name. Different, I like it," the yellow Naga replied and followed it with a bow, "I'm Asher, one of the best mages from the empire. This rude and obnoxious creature is Naph. He's a… decent blacksmith."

"Decent my tail! I'm the best blacksmith anyone has ever seen. Even the emperor has to beg me to make his equipment," Naph scoffed, then turned to Hera, giving her a courtesy bow. The Naga followed that up by pointing at Asher, "This Sunflower here is just pissed because he lost a bet, or is it because he's too weak to lift a hammer. I can never tell. Then again, the forge is no place for a man."

Asher tried to pull one of Naph's scales, and the two started arguing again.

The white Naga sighed and ignored the two while stepping, well slithering, forward, "Those two are always like that, but they have each other's back, I promise. Even if it's mostly because they want to be the ones to kill each other. Either way, this is Rris, the captain of the royal warriors and my blood brother," they gestured to the green Naga.

"Blood brother?" Hera asked.

"Ah, apologies. I forget that this is more of an unknown. In simple terms, we have gone through a ritual that binds us together. There are a couple of skills involved, but that is only worth doing with someone who has your complete and absolute trust. I can explain more to you later, but lastly. This is Casks, our genius star mapper and the best painter I've had the pleasure of knowing."

"Says the greatest hero that our empire has ever seen," Casks chuckled and bumped the white Naga's shoulder.

"Can you two please stop flirting? We talked about that already," Asher sighed.

"Fine, fine. To finish off, I am Darni. Some may call me a hero, but I believe myself to be just a talented enchanter and controller," the white Naga concluded.

"Darni! What can you tell me about the Court of Heroes?" Hera asked straight away. She was talking to one of its members. Since they were already making the temple, it should be a version of him that already knew about all that since, according to Shane, the construction only started after a specific meeting with the court.

"What can I tell you about what?" Darni asked.

"The Court of Heroes. I know it might be a secret, but I'll take anything you can say," Hera pressed.

"What is a secret?"

"The Court of Heroes."

"Am I… supposed to understand that?"

"Darni, can you give me a perception, enchant? I need to double-check if there are any signs of monsters or something here," Asher was by the other side of the alcove, in what would become future Chika's nest.

"Of course," Darni turned back to Hera, "We'll have more time to talk later. Let's get to work setting up our camp here."

Hera tried to stop him, but the Naga didn't reply. She wasn't sure what he meant about not understanding what she asked. That could make sense since the system was translating the language to allow her to do the dungeon. Either way, this was a huge lead. Not only had she helped Shane find an actual legacy, but now they had access to a dungeon with one of the court members. There had to be something for her to learn from Darni, and she wasn't going to let this opportunity pass.