Chapter 371 - A celebrated return (Patreon)

Hera walked to the temple, but unfortunately, no one was there. Since she was the only one who could open the entrance, there was no reason for anyone to visit that structure at the moment. Without stopping, the explorer kept going, moving towards the path that would lead her to the camp.   Before getting too far away, she pulled up her tablet again and marked the location of the dungeon's exit on the map. Only the entrance appeared on its own. Hera wasn't sure if that was because of the cave-in or if there was another reason for her [Treasure Map] not to have updated automatically. Then again, she had other things to worry about.

Remembering that she also had a level up, Hera opened her status window.

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Hera Kingsley -- Role: Explorer Level: 20
Stats:    
Strength:  54 Endurance: 54
Agility:  54 Charisma:  54
Intelligence:  54 Luck:  54
Mana:  10340/10340
Remaining attribute points: 26

Skills:
Passive:
Exponential Growth
Observe: Red sight 3
Treasure Map
Handaxe Combat 3, Chakram Combat 2, Wire Trap Style 2, Subtle Strike 3
Dodge 2, Run 2, Improved Stamina 4, Flee 1, Jump 2
Mana Recovery 4
Improved Regeneration 3
Ailment Mastery 3
Poison Mastery 1
Wind resistance 2
Mana sensitivity 2
Nature connection 1
Silver Lining
Shaper of Mana
Reinforced Mana
Ancient language 2
Naga poison

Active:
All in 2
Inspect 2
Hide 3, Sneak Attack 3
Local Guide
Weapon Maintenance 2, Weapons Rebalance 2
Etching 2
Medical Reference 2
Green Thumb 1
Chain of Command 1

Role Skills:
Private Room
Explorer's Assassinate
Explorer's Map
Hunter's Catalogue
Explorer's Hunt
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Hera increased all her stats by 2. This level felt much more like the ones during her time in Boothudurn, where she got only a handful of attribute points, and most of them were because of her level. This was their price for leveling up too quickly or being boosted by a dungeon. She was also impressed with how much her mana had increased in just a few days. It was likely because she was constantly refilling the mana in her stones or because of her attempt to create a new spell. She made a mental note to look up what other people considered as the better way to increase one's mana pool.

After walking towards the narrow path for a few minutes, she reached the first of the Naga emperor's tombs. There was a group of people in front of the structure. Some who she recognizes. They were the archaeologists that she met in the previous week. They also called someone inside the tomb, letting Hera know Shane was still around. Hera talked with everyone for a while, trying to figure out where the rest of her party was. Apparently, Blue, Alex, and Leo had returned to the forest of dreams, and they were waiting for her there. Hera felt slightly hurt by that. A part of her expected them to be in the camp. She tried to be understanding but considering the news of her grandmother was hard not to be emotional.

"Really? C'mon, guys, stop playing," Shane spoke as she got out of the tomb. The explorers hugged before Shane continued, "I'm glad you're alive, and don't listen to them. Your friends are back at the camp. They did go back to the city but only for a day in a supply run. Every single one of them refused to leave without you."

Hera gave Shane a weak smile, "Thanks. I kind of needed to hear that today."

"Did something happen?"

"I got some bad news. I don't want to talk about it, but I need to talk with you about something. Can you come with me to the camp?" Hera asked.

"Sure, give me a minute."

Shane went back inside the tomb, and five minutes later, she came back outside along with Mylo. The three started walking, and after crossing the narrow path, Hera double-checked if there was anyone else around with her sensory net. Then she told Shane about the dungeon. How she found Darni, the Naga hero, and the members of his party. She also added that she tried to get more information about the Court of Heroes or another member but didn't get much out of it. Hera mentioned the blademasters thinking that maybe the court had some association with another group of mercenaries. In reality, this was just a way to take her mind off things.

"Really? That is amazing! It's been a long time since we found another Hero in a dungeon. You would imagine that they would be there more often. About the mercenaries… I honestly don't know. I mean, I don't think they had anyone being a part of the court, but then again, it wouldn't be strange if they had some… let's call them external contractors," Shane replied.

"There were others?" Hera asked, feeling a bit sad about not being the first one to find a member of the Court of Heroes in a dungeon.

"Just a couple. One is in the 18th layer, and another is in the 20th. The first one is not the main character of the dungeon, but we can talk with him for a long time. The second one is the hero of the dungeon, but since she has to fight against some of the monsters it is harder to have a good conversation," Shane explained.

"Ah, I kind of get why Ninleyn didn't tell me about them then. It will be a while before I can even get to those layers," Hera sighed.

"I hear ya. I want to get there too and see if I can get anything out of them, but now this might be even better. Any tips about the dungeon?"

Hera explained how things worked in the dungeon, and she also added that the entrance was right in front of Chika's nest, which could end up being an issue. She still wasn't sure if the snake was kind to her because that was her nature or if her [Naga Poison] skill had anything to do with it.

"Right, and who is this, Chika? The name sounds cute," Shane asked.

"Oh, it's the giant white snake. You know, the one that lives in the abyss," Hera explained.

"What?" Shane gasped.

Hera proceeded to explain what happened when she fell and her interactions with the snake. Even Mylo seemed interested in that, and he joined in. The explorer also told them Chika's story and what she learned about the creature in the dungeon. By the end of it, Mylo was in tears while Shane had a sad expression. It wasn't that long after finishing the story that they arrived at the camp.

Blue was the first one to notice Hera and greeted her with a tackle that sent them both to the ground. Everyone was ecstatic with Hera's return and asked the explorer to tell all about what happened. Taking advantage of the distraction, Hera obliged, but only after she could get some drinks and something to eat. It could be the middle of the afternoon for the group here, but to the explorer, she was already way past her bedtime. She wanted at least to get some food and drinks if she was about to keep this going.

One more time, Hera told her story. Since some archaeologists were around, she avoided mentioning the tamer and what she found out about her lead. Blue and Alex noticed a few details in her story that seemed off and gave Hera a confused look, which was just met with a wink. Understanding that this talk should come later, they didn't ask anything and just enjoyed the rest of the story. She was finishing up the tale of how she fought against the moles and the whole arena setup she created when loud noises echoed in the valley. Everyone got up and looked around, trying to figure out if they were under attack. The noises continued. Sounds of explosions and heavy objects slamming against the ground made the entire area shake.

A cry came from the south, from the abyss, and everyone started carefully walking in that direction. Hera had a moment to think about what was going on, and her only explanation was that something was fighting against Chika. That was the only thing that could cause such a commotion in this room. Worried about the snake, she started moving faster. She couldn't actually run since she was too tired for it. Unfortunately, it would take 30 minutes for her to reach the abyss. The camp was intentionally set up away from the valley to avoid encountering the giant snake. She wasn't going alone, her party and some archaeologists were going with her. If there was something really big going on, everyone wanted to know. The only ones who stayed behind were those in guard duty, cursing their luck for not being able to go with everyone. Ten minutes after the noises started, everything went silent again. Some archaeologists got worried that this could attract monsters, and they decided to return, but Hera, her party, Shane, and Mylo chose to keep going.

Half an hour later, they were getting close to the abyss when Hera saw something that made her heart sink. On this side of the valley, there was a massive chunk of a silver snake. Something had ripped a large piece of Chika's body and tossed it towards this side. A river of blood flowed towards the chasm, and all the mist was gone. Looking down, Hera saw the rest of the sacred beast. Most of her body was coiled around with several gashes on her skin and a part that seemed to be cut clean off. The snake was so massive that its curled-up body almost created a bridge to the other side. Feeling desperate, she glanced towards the bridge and saw, on the edge of the other side of the valley, the tip of Chika's decapitated head, with the cut towards the abyss, blood still fresh

She took a few steps back, feeling sick. How could someone kill Chika? She was supposed to be an impossibly strong creature, and she was so nice. The snake never did anything wrong. It even saved her.

"She was just lonely. She just wanted to talk to other people, do something different," Hera started to sob.

"Hera… I'm sure there is a reason for this," Blue tried to speak, but her voice sounded muffled to the explorer.

Hera started to hyperventilate and looked around, searching for the small Chika that had spent the last couple of days with her. Instead, she noticed a small blue object on the ground by the piece of the snake's body. She approached it to see that it was the blue Naga doll that Chika was so happy to have found again. Picking it up from the ground, Hera was amazed because it didn't have a single drop of blood on it. Even during all that, the sacred beast managed to protect her precious plushie. Hera chuckled, realizing that this doll should be Casks and not Darni. It seemed that the bond between the hero and the snake even affected their love by the astronomer. That response made the rest of the group concerned about her current situation, but her laughter soon turned into sobbing. Tears fell on the hand-made doll as the explorer fell on her knees, letting out a primal scream of pain.

During the return to the camp, Hera's mind was a haze. She couldn't stop thinking about Chika, her grandmother, even Darni and the Naga. Why do people have to die like that? What was the point? Everything felt so unfair and so arbitrary. She kept thinking about all these questions to avoid dealing with the loss she was currently feeling, but eventually, the pain overcame everything else. Hera was guided to one of the tents and cried herself to sleep. She dreamt of her grandmother, of her grandfather, who she barely remembered, of Chika and the Naga and an endless abyss filled with dark blood swallowing them all.

She woke up clutching the blue Naga doll and with a notification floating in front of her.

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Chika, the sacred snake, thanks you for keeping her company during her last days.

Chika's will wishes to bestow you with a gift.

Her will recognized Darni's handwork on you and wishes to be reunited with her bond.

Do you accept her request? If you refuse, you will still receive her gift.

[Yes] [No]
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Without a second thought, Hera pressed yes. After everything that Chika went through, she deserved to be with Darni again. It didn't matter how. Her new necklace started to let out some mist, and the black chain turned white.

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Daskka - Ego equipment - Unique

A necklace made by Darni, the old Naga hero. Later, the will of Chika, the sacred snake who bonded with the hero, was passed to the necklace, giving it an ego. The construct created has its own will and can move independently of any orders given by the wielder. Daskka's strength and abilities will grow along with the user.

You can call Daskka by putting mana inside the necklace. To withdraw her, she will jump inside the necklace.

Daskka can move at the same speed as the user.

You can cast spells through Daskka at a distance of 300 meters.

The snake can attack independently. However, it will understand the user's orders, and it is inclined to follow them. Daskka can learn some skills that belong to the user. She will also learn skills and spells that once belonged to Darni, Chika, or Casks as she grows.

If Daskka is destroyed, it takes 730 hours to recover.

Daskka has a natural regeneration equal to 10% of the user.

If the wearer is not Hera Kingsley or someone who was recognized by Daskka as her owner, the necklace won't have any special functions, and Daskka cannot be summoned.

Stored mana 30 000 / 30 000
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##### Author's Note ####

... I think I need to hide in a bunker after this one...

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