Chapter 534 - Unexpected Opponent (Patreon)

Hera's Status

Soon after they finished eating, Hera and her group went to the fountain surrounded by the four statues. They all had the same odd feeling when looking at those armored figures. Even if they had no physical differences from one another, each of the sculptures seemed to give off a unique emotion: anger, sadness, happiness, and fear. And, considering what Shane told them, it was likely that this was also a hint about the challenge. This and the drawings they saw spread around the island were all possible tips to help them complete this task.

Before coming here, Hera and Nimbus went to the location where Blue and Helena found the ruins and the drawing on the ground. Thanks to the Sentinel, they were able to fly and take a few pictures, just in case. Then, they regrouped with everyone and were now in front of the fountain.

"If we want to start the challenge, we have to step into the fountain?" Adriel asked.

"That's what the notification says. All you have to do is touch this, and it will show up," Bonnie touched the rocks at the base of the structure, and the notification appeared in front of her, "Yeah, this is the Cratic Island."

"Ok then, how do we do this? Do we just.." Blue walked inside the fountain, and before she could finish her words, the water splashed her like a geyser, and the controller was gone.

Hera let out a long sigh and recalled her court, "Honestly can't she talk a bit before doing things? I'm going after her."

No one protested since Hera was the one better equipped to deal with any unexpected situation. After all, she was never alone. When she stepped inside the fountain, the water splashed just like it happened with Blue. For a moment, Hera felt like she was on a water slide. Suddenly, the water stopped, and she was on top of the same fountain, but now there were no statues around. The forest seemed thicker but, at the same time, less wild. A stone path was leading away from this small clearing, and Hera could feel the warm sun peeking from beyond the trees. Hera took one step out of the fountain, and a notification appeared in front of her.

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You are attempting the Cratic Island challenge.
To return to the Seven Islands room, step into the fountain.
If the conditions have been met, doing so will complete the challenge.
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"Oh, great. You are not even telling me what I have to do?" Hera sighed and looked around, but she couldn't find Blue anywhere, "Blue! Are you there?"

After a few moments, it became clear that there wouldn't be any response to her question. Summoning her entire court, Hera asked Nimbus to take an aerial look in the area while at the same time having the rest of her blades spread out and look for anything interesting.

"Do you think I should use the bracelet right away?" Hera turned to Daskka, who was around her neck.

"Not yet. We don't know what we are doing here, and if you just try to send them all out, you will end up wasting a lot of the snakes by looking at something that is not actually helpful." Daskka replied.

'I agree with her. We should wait until we can get a more clear idea of what we need to do,' Nimbus added while he was still flying, 'Speaking of which. I can see a large building. I believe it should be around the area where Blue found those ruins.'

"How large is it?" Hera looked up.

'It looks to be a... House? An old one, with a tower and at least three floors from what I can gather. It's not big enough to be called a mansion, but not small enough to be just a regular house.'

"Is there anything else that seems different?"

'The forest seems… off. I can't explain why, but it doesn't look the same. And towards where the doorway is located, there is a hill. Maybe it would be directly on top of the doorway, but I'm not sure.'

"Alright. Keep looking, Nimbus. If you discover anything else, tell us."

Hera returned her attention to the forest and started walking in the direction Nimbus indicated. She wasn't going to waste too much time on this. First, she wanted to figure out what this place was about, and then she would worry about completing some challenges. Not to mention she still had to try to find Blue, even if there was a chance that each of them would be sent to an individual location. Or, maybe, they had to go in the fountain together.

'Hera, someone is calling your name!'

Hera turned around, and she saw the other members of her court approaching. Apparently, Nimbus had discovered something.

"What is it?" Hera rushed to the side, towards the beach. When she finally saw why Nimbus was calling her, she gasped and lost her footing, falling face-first into the sand, "What the hell is this?!" Hera yelled with a face full of sand.

"For someone with so much agility, I figured you wouldn't have problems running around, kid," Peaches snickered.

"Of course, she would fall when her eyes looked upon the magnificent me," Capri raised both his wings to the sky, "Fear not, for we are not here to harm you... for now."

"C'mon, Capri. Don't spoil everything," Laika said.

Hera got up and could see all the guides she could message in front of her. Peaches, Berthellemy, Capri, Nina and Talpa, Jackie, Laika, Kelpi, Johnny, and even Calina, the polar bear guide for the White Desert. Hera could message her, but they ended up not talking much, yet here she was, "What are you all doing here?"

"Well, dear. This room is a bit special, you see. A while back, the guide responsible for this place created the challenges in a way that no one would get hurt. He did all that because he was trying to make a place where we could have some fun with the people we know," Jackie, the southern raccoon, stepped forward.

"Exactly. I was a bit excited when you asked about this place. It's been a long time since I've participated in one of these," Kelpi nodded.

"I still don't get it. What is going on? Are we racing against each other to do... whatever it is we have to do here?" Hera got up and was now slapping the sand out of her body.

"Apologies, but we are not competing to complete the challenge. We are the ones who are here to stop you," Berthellemy replied.

"What? Shouldn't I be facing monsters? I mean... that's what Shane told me."

"I'm pretty sure the guide she spoke to never said anything about monsters. Just that there would be enemies and that there was a chance of you getting hurt. And that is only the case for the non-explorers. You and Shane don't have to worry about anything. We are all able to stop you from getting hurt if push comes to shove. I don't mean that other people are likely to get injured, but since, in their case, they won't have a dozen guides looking out for them, accidents can happen," Calina smiled.

"So... I will be fighting you guys? That hardly seems fair," Hera frowned. She knew how the guides were supposed to be almost omnipotent.

"Don't worry. We have a set of rules we have to follow, and we won't be in this shape. Each of us will be using the form of one of the things people should find here. Think of it like we are picking characters in a game," Laika explained.

"And we can even customize their appearance a bit. It still has to look like what it is supposed to look like, but we can make it our own," Talpa spoke excitedly as she toyed with an invisible window that Hera couldn't see.

"Ok... so what is the game? What do I have to do here?" Hera asked.

"That's part of the game, kid. You have to find out. We came here because it would be more fun to have you know who you are up against," Peaches looked to Nimbus and Daskka, "Also, you already have an edge on this. You are not in a team all by yourself."

"Mum, I think we can take them. Sure, they have numbers, but this is what we do. If they can't just make things happen, we can beat them!" Daskka smiled and stared the guides down.

"I agree, Empress. We have the advantage here," Nimbus stepped forward, trying to look intimidating.

Capri let out a burst of resounding laughter, "I will make you eat those words, my friends. You are nothing compared to the invincible me!"

"Calm down. I still have some questions. Is that ok?" Hera turned to the guides and got a nod as a reply, "Is the guide of this room participating as well?"

"He is. Since you haven't called him, he couldn't come here to talk to you. But after you call him. He might join us. Don't worry. He is not upset about that. Honestly, he even praised your self-control. But he will be around," Peaches replied.

"Right... and are you guys participating in all challenges?"

Nina shook her head, "No, only a few. Some won't have you coming to a different place. In those cases, we won't be a part of it."

"And in one of them, we are not the enemies, but the damsels in distress," Jackie winked.

"Jackie, c'mon. Don't spoil things," Kelpi rolled his fish eyes.

"I'm not. That one has a better explanation about what she'll have to do. It's fine," Jackie waved him off.

Hera gulped. A lot was going on, and she had no idea what to expect. After all, this wasn't the kind of stuff she was used to.

"Ok. I think we talked enough, and as I said, this is just a game. You don't have to feel pressured to win right away. If you lose, you can come in and try again," Peaches gave Hera a teasing smile, "I'll be here to kick your ass every time, kid. Do you have any last questions?"

"Is there food and water on this island?" Hera asked, thinking about faking them out with the idea that it would take a long time before she made her move.

"There is. But you can figure out how to find it," Peaches turned around, "Let's go, everyone. We still have some time to prepare."

Behind him, a large portal appeared, and all the guides waved to Hera before stepping in. The Empress couldn't help but chuckle when they were all gone. Not only did she have a chance to play hooky with the guides, but Peaches also gave her a hint, and she knew it was on purpose. If they had time to prepare, it meant that it would take time for Hera to arrive wherever she needed to, so there was no need to search the surrounding area.

"So... we are really doing this?" Daskka asked.

"Where is all that fire that you had a minute ago?" Hera smiled.

"I was just talking smack. Are we really going against the guides?"

"We are, but like they said. It's just a game. Let's have some fun with it. I just need to think of ways of neutralizing some of my spells. I don't want to use poison or things that could kill someone," Hera said.

"I don't think we would have to worry about that. I'm pretty sure we would only be damaging their characters, not them," Nimbus rubbed his beak in deep thought.

"Still. I don't want them to feel pain. I know how poison can make you feel," Hera didn't have to worry about that anymore. Ever since she got the Naga Poison skill, it became hard for her to be affected by that kind of thing, but she still knew the effects her spells would have.

"Right... but what do we have to do?" Daskka asked.

"What did the statue say again? 'What was once created is now lost, waiting for the one who will find it.' So I guess we need to find something? It sounds kind of obvious, but maybe it will be more complicated later," Hera suggested. Then again. It wasn't like she had to figure everything out right now. Nimbus had already found a house and a hill that shouldn't be there, and both were great places for her to start.