MAZE - The Endless Quest

Hera was on the train, thinking about the test. Two images kept popping in her head. The b.l.o.o.d.y kobold lying motionless on the floor, and the Leader with an evil grin.

She shook her head. What she needed right now was to take some time and process everything. The MAZE was a dangerous place. She knew that. But knowing and feeling it on her skin were two things very different.

She was heading to her parent"s house. It would be just for the weekend, or at least that was the original plan. Now, she wasn"t sure she would return to the guild. Not on Monday, at least. Was she truly ready to put her life on the line every day?

Thinking about her future, she nodded off with her head against the window. Hera was on the train, heading to her hometown. It wasn"t far from the capital where she was living, just a four-hour trip. She was going there mainly to see her father and grandmother. They were the only ones who always believed in her, no matter what.

Hera woke up, almost jumping from her seat. She stared outside, trying to figure out where she was. It was already getting dark out. That means she should be close, or that she had missed the station. Looking around, she saw a screen that read "Weshurst". She was still two stations away.

Hera grew up in a town called Burtois. It was a small town with just over 10 000 people there. Even with a population like that, it felt like everyone knew each other.

Hera dozed off again, before shaking her head quickly. She didn"t want to miss the station, even if it would still take about one hour to get there. She picked her tablet and scrolled through her digital books. She preferred to read the physical versions, but tablets were extremely handy on long trips.

Looking through her books, she stopped at one about the Three Heroes. It was one of her favorites when she was younger. It had been a while since she read it, but right now it felt weird. She knew how dangerous that life was. She kept scrolling and found a mellow book she had yet to read. It was about a boy and a girl who would change bodies at random. It was a book she had seen many people asking about, that"s why she bought it. She knew that there was nothing about the MAZE in the book and seeing as this was as good of a time as any to start, Hera opened the file.

The rest of the trip went by fast. As she arrived at the station, Hera picked her phone and sent a text to her dad. It was a simple text just to let him know she was in town and would take the bus to get home. As she walked through the platform, Hera noticed a van parked just outside the station.

It was a brown van that had a paint job to look like it was made of wood. On the side of it, in big golden letters, it reads.

KINGS LAY in our

WOODWORK

It was her dad"s van, the one he used to make deliveries. The Kingsley name was in a fancy font that made the A look like an E and the "in our" part was in small letters. Hera remembered how excited her dad was when he updated the logo. Saying it would be a new era for Kingsley Woodwork. Sitting on the driver"s seat, a big burly man looked around the station searching for someone.

Feeling a bit nostalgic, Hera activated her [Hide] skill before leaving the station. It was already dark out. She could probably stay hidden even in open s.p.a.ces.

She quickly moved through the parking lot and towards the van. Circling around it, Hera walked past the pa.s.senger door and to the back. She tapped her fingers in the rhythm of the "happy birthday" song on the back door.

"What?" A loud voice came from inside the van.

With a smile, Hera crouched and tapped her fingers again. This time on the right side of the van, following the same rhythm as before.

"Who"s there?" the voice said.

Hera crept closer, now tapping the song nonstop.

"If that is a joke it ain"t funny!"

Holding back her giggle, Hera couldn"t believe this still worked. She tapped on the driver"s door and kept watching out for some movement. Last time she did this, she got hit in the face by the door.

"Someone better tell me what is going on, or I start swinging," the voice said in a demanding tone.

Hera tapped a few more times and jumped, screaming.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIMMY!"

What followed was the noise of a large man jumping towards the other seat while cursing life itself.

Hera started laughing, and when the man finally calmed down, he said.

"I come here to be nice and you pull this c.r.a.p? Why did it have to be the song from that movie? How could you be such a cruel daughter"

Hera"s dad opened the pa.s.senger door and walked towards her.

"Maybe it was those times you woke me up using a hose."

Hera walked towards him and gave her dad a big hug.

"I missed you goldilocks."

Hera giggled, she hadn"t heard that nickname in a long time.

"And I missed you grumpy bear," she said.

When they finally let go of the hug, the duo got in the van.

"You know, I kind of miss being called papa bear," Eridan said.

Hera laughed, "C"mon dad. You know that sounds weird. Especially after that valentines day."

"I"ve told you, your mother was just trying something."

The man blushed while he drove off.

"Yeah, yeah. I don"t care. My parent"s love life is the last thing I want to know about." Hera cut him off quickly.

"Ok, fine. New topic. What"s the news you have to tell me? Did you get promoted? Changed jobs? Is it a boy? Are you engaged? Let me see that hand!" Eridan moved closer to Hera, trying to look at her fingers.

She quickly jumped to hold the steering wheel.

"Dad! Watch the road!"

The road was empty, and the car had barely changed course with all that. But it still made Hera nervous. Eridan had been in a car crash when she was little. The car got hit by the side and ended up upside down. Lucky her dad wasn"t very hurt, just some light bruises, and a broken rib. But the sight of him in the hospital was something she never wanted to see again.

"I"m watching, I"m watching. You worry too much. Now tell me what"s going on," her dad said.

Hera let out a sigh.

"Can we stop by grandma? I want to tell you both. You know how she will get if you hear it first."

Eridan shivered, he loved his mother. But by the system, the woman knew how to make you feel guilty.

"Ok, well stop by before going home. Just call her to give a head up."

Hera nodded, and they started talking, Eridan telling her how much business was blooming and how well things were going ever since he bought the land he wanted.

"Hera, thank you again for lending me some money. I know how hard you were working to save that much. But without that tree grower, I don"t know what would"ve happened. Give me just a few months to stabilize things and I"ll pay you back."

Hera gave him a soft smile. There was no reason to thank her. Kingsley woodwork was a party of the family.

"Don"t worry, dad. Consider the money an early birthday gift."

"Hera, don"t even joke about that. It"s too much money." Eridan stared at his daughter, feeling guilty for having to rely on her.

"Maybe, but it"s worth seeing you like this. I don"t remember the last time you were so happy."

Eridan blushed a bit. He really was acting like an excited kid these last weeks. Around fifteen minutes later, they arrived at her grandmother"s house.

Hera rang the doorbell, and a few moments later an elderly woman opened the door. She had thin white hair, a pair of gla.s.ses resting on her nose. She wore a light blue handmade sweater and a pair of beige pants. With the pink bunny slippers, Hera had given her for christmas.

"Hera! Sweetheart it"s been too long." The woman said before pulling her granddaughter for a hug.

"I know grandma Triss. I"m sorry about that." Hera said, hugging her back.

"Come, come. Get in, you must be hungry." Grandma Triss pulled Hera inside.

"Actually, mom, we are going to have dinner later," Eridan protested.

"Shush. You are not stopping me from feeding my granddaughter. If you want, you can go home and Hera eats the whole chicken pot pie," the elderly woman said.

"You... you made chicken pot pie?" Eridan stuttered before coming inside his mother"s house.

Hera couldn"t help but giggle. It was a mean move, making his favorite dish. She had never seen her dad say no to a chicken pot pie.

It was barely seven o"clock, and they were already eating dinner. Grandma Triss was a genius in the kitchen, and she didn"t even have any skills. She never got her level up. They talked about the old times, sharing a few stories that Hera rather forget.

When they started to eat dessert, a chocolate cake with strawberry jam and sprinkles, grandma Triss asked.

"So dear, what was the big news you had for us?"

Hera swallowed the bite she was chewing.

"Well... it was just something to tell. But after today I want your advice too."

Eridan and Triss stopped eating, feeling the situation could be more serious than they expected.

"To start... well.." Hera picked her status card and showed to them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hera Kingsley

Level 2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I won a raffle. The jackpot was a level up and well, I got it," she explained.

Hera immediately saw both her dad and grandmother faces light up.

"Hera! That is amazing! I"m so happy for you, you can try to become an explorer now. I missed that spark you had before you... you know," Eridan said.

Grandma Triss agreed, saying that she even looked happier now. Even if it would take a while for her to be an explorer.

"Here is the thing, grandma. It won"t take that long."

Hera told them what happened in the last week. From meeting Helena and discovering her skills all the way through the test she had today.

Her grandmother listened quietly, while her dad kept complaining about how Mr. Greyson was a bad teacher and how that test would just traumatize the students.

"Now, I"m not sure what to do. Being an explorer was everything I"ve dreamed of since I don"t know when. But, can I do this? Risk my life every day, kill monsters and whatever else happens inside the MAZE."

Hera looked at the two people she loved the most.

"What do you guys think?" she asked.

Eridan scratched the back of his head before speaking

"Look, honey. It"s kind of hard for me to tell you what I think. I mean, you are asking if my daughter should have a job where she could die at any moment. It"s not something I can wholeheartedly say."

Grandma Triss slapped his arm.

"Since when did I raise such a selfish fool as my son?"

That reaction shocked both Hera and her dad. Before any of the two could say a word, Grandma Triss started speaking.

"Hera, darling. Your father might be right. But what we feel shouldn"t matter. Now, if you are asking if I believe you have what it takes to be an explorer. Then my answer is yes. Since you were a little girl, I saw you climbing trees, fighting the boys in the playground, and trying to find hidden places around town. There is no doubt in my mind that you would be a wonderful explorer. But most of all. Can you think about another thing you want to do as much?"

Hera kept looking at her grandmother"s eyes. They were old, wise and full of wrinkles. She had a long and happy life, Hera knew that.

"I"m scared I won"t have as much time as you grandma, not if I become an explorer," Hera said. Finally admitting to herself that fear.

"If it"s just because of fear, we all will die someday. And you already have your grandfather waiting on the other side, so you won"t be alone there. But let me tell you this. The things that scared me the most, are the ones that made me happier. Like marrying your grandfather or giving birth to your father. After all, thanks to him I have you," grandma Triss replied.

"Hey! I"m still here, you know," Eridan complained.

The three of them laughed and finished the dessert.

Hera kept thinking about what her grandmother said. She had to make a decision.

Could she live knowing she gave up on her dream?

Could she be happy doing anything else?

Did she have what it takes to be an explorer?