After 30 seconds, little by little, her body began to tingle. As a reaction, Hera tried to move around. It wasn't hard to move, but it felt like she was walking through water. There was a thickness to the surrounding air.

Hera opened her eyes and saw a white glowing tunnel moving around her, leading to an open area where she could only see a purple glow coming from it. The area approached, and the tunnel came to an end in what it felt like a natural way. It was supposed to end like that.

Now able to move around like she was used to, Hera took a few steps forward. The first thing that caught her attention was a large tree in front of her. It looked like a maple tree, but it was purple.

The leaves had a vibrant magenta color while the trunk shared the same color as an eggplant. As she got closer, Hera realized that it wasn't only the leaves that were purple. The gra.s.s was purple too!

"Hey, watch it!" Blue yelled.

Hera looked back and saw that the controller had stopped in front of the doorway. That made the next group tumble on her when they arrived.

"Helena told us to move. It's your fault for staying there," Bonnie said.

"Well, sorry. But how can you not stop and look? Everything is purple."

"Not everything," Alex said, looking to the side.

Hera walked towards the a.s.sa.s.sin. She was standing beside the doorway, looking towards what looked like an enormous lake. As Hera got closer, she could see that they were atop a hill. Under it, there was a sizeable town. The buildings seemed to be mostly made of wood and brick. It didn't look like a modern city in any way. She was looking at a place that came straight out of a fantasy book.

The wall encircling the city had a soft yellow tone that made the purple foliage pop even more. The streets had a stronger yellow color that reminded Hera of the famous yellow brick road. On the edge of the town, all the houses had the same color pallet of red and white, but as it reached the center, they started to vary from oranges to greens and even blues.

The one building that stood out was a three stories high reddish-orange brick tower. However, it was large, larger than any other buildings in the town. At the top of the building, there was a symbol. It was a doorway with the doors open and the skyline of a city inside of it, the symbol of the guild.

Her eyes kept scanning the city until it reached a port, small boats were docked while a few others seemed to be leaving towards the lake. Hera looked towards the horizon, following the water. It seemed endless. The lake kept going and it would vanish behind a hill before she could see the other side of its sh.o.r.e. Another thing she noticed is that it seemed like all the vegetation in this room was predominantly purple.

"Holy c.r.a.p, are those pillars?" Leo asked.

Following the eyes of the man, Hera saw a large stone pillar that was raising up to the sky until it vanished into the clouds. Not only that, but there was no actual sky. Above the clouds, there was a grey stone ceiling. This whole place seemed to be inside a cave, a ridiculously vast cave.

"We really are not in our world anymore, are we?" Bonnie asked.

"You are wrong," Hera said, "We are finally in our world."

The group smiled at the comment. She was right.

They saw the group that arrived after them going down a path that seemed to curl around the hill and lead towards the town. Following the trail, they left the doorway, heading towards the guild to figure out their next step. Most people would take around 20 minutes to walk from the doorway to the guild. Yet, Hera and her friends took almost one hour. They stopped to look at each tree, each house, and each shop. Hera and Blue also wanted to eat something in one of the restaurants that were around here. After some convincing, they agreed to wait to do it after they went to the guild.

The town could look like something from a fantasy setting. However, the technology was still present. Screens showing different products, electronic cas.h.i.+ers, and all sorts of daily appliances were easy to spot. It gave Hera the feeling of being in a theme park. After some time, they arrived at the guild.

The brick tower was even more imposing up close. The front door was a white entrance that raised to the symbol at the top. Many people were walking inside the guild. A few were lounging in the small bar. Others were looking at the various boards spread around the ground floor. There was also a big counter in the back of the room with a couple of people dressed in a familiar clerk uniform.

The group approached the counter, introducing themselves to the attendant.

"Welcome, it is always good to see new explorers. Although, to be honest, we were expecting you on Monday. I got worried only those two had pa.s.sed the test this time. Oh, and I'm Gemma, nice to meet ya."

Blue groaned. Hera didn't need to ask why. None of them were happy that Anaya and Kenjiro were already around.

"Now, let's finish the introduction quest, and... All done. You can now take new quests from any of the boards. The boards are split by the type of client. In the front, you can see the ones from companies in the outside. The ones on the right are from shops and locals, and those on the left are from the groups and private clients. We also have a set of introductory quests if you guys are a bit lost," Gemma explained.

"Do we have a limit on the number of quests we can take?" Alex asked.

"Well, not really, but we advise new explorers to keep it under three quests at once. Newbies tend to get distracted easily, and it's a bit of a problem if you accept a quest and take too long to finish it," Gemma said.

"Where is the library? I'm looking for books about spells and magic," Bonnie jumped in front of the group.

"It is towards the doorway, look for a corner store that sells flowers, and turn left. It's the building that looks like a mansion. We have a quest that asks you to do a small tour of the city as part of the introductory quests that I mentioned. If you finish it, you get a voucher for borrowing two books from the library if you are interested."

Bonnie took the quest on the spot, and the group agreed that it was a good idea to do those starter quests. They would need to deliver letters for a few people, which would give them an idea of the town's layout. There was also a hunting quest, a gathering one, and a quest specific for each role. The one available for Hera was discovering the three legends of the town.

"Oh, and Hera. You have another one. This was sent specifically for you."

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

First task - Client: Helena Ditrro

h.e.l.lo, sweetie. I know you must be excited to start doing your own thing, but don't forget about little old me. I still want your help with my research. Before being able to help me, you need to learn a few things.

For starters, learn a spell! Any will do, you just need to unlock your mana stat. Don't worry about the time. Do it at your own pace.

Buuuuuuttt

Magic is amazing. It can help you so much. If I were you, I would put learning a spell as a priority.

P.S. Did you know that the contribution points that this quest gives you are enough to trade for the compendium for a skill in the order?

Rewards:

Baby's first spellbook

50 Contribution points with the Order of the Lost Court.

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

Hera read the quest with a smile. Helena could be really silly at times. This could help her a lot, but she wondered what the baby's first spellbook was. She thanked Gemma and left the guild with her friends.

"So we start with the tour and then go hunt?" Leo suggested.

"You guys can go. I'm staying at the library," Bonnie said.

"Why? We can wait for you," Alex intervened.

"You can't. I'm staying there until I learn how to use magic."

"Oh, live a little. You worked so hard to get here, and the first thing you do is go back to a library?" Blue asked.

"I'm going precisely because I want to live," Bonnie said. The researcher then let out a lengthy sigh, "Look, I'm not good with weapons like you all. I'm not strong like you Blue, proficient like Leo, quick like Alex, or crafty as Hera. If we go out now, I'm going to be in the way. I know it, and you guys know it too. But with magic, I have a fighting chance, or at least I hope I do."

"Are you sure?" Hera asked.

"Yes, please go, hunt, explore. Do your thing. You can find me in the library. Also, we need to figure out where we are going to sleep, or you guys want to go back home every day?" Bonnie asked.

Hera completely forgot about that. They were close enough to go back and forth from the real world, but that idea bothered Hera. She didn't want to commute to the maze every day. Even if it would be almost like going to the guild like she had done the past month. She was inside the MAZE, and she wanted to be here.

"Maybe they have hotels, or someplace we can stay for a while. Did anyone check with the guild?" Hera asked.

The group shook their heads.

"Well, we have the tour quest, let's check it out, and then we can ask them," Leo suggested.

"Why would we.... Give me a minute," Alex said as she walked toward the counter. A few moments later, she returned, "Ok, so part of the tour will take us to the housing bureau. They can help us find a place to stay."

They started her tour rig away. It asked them to visit a few places with the basics they would need. The first stop was a shop in the middle of a street filled with restaurants, markets, and cafes. Then, an armorsmith in the area where all the exploring gear was sold. They also stopped by the library and had to drag Bonnie away from it. She could come back after finis.h.i.+ng this quest. Then to the healing center, the guards' barracks, the mayor's house, and ending it in the housing bureau.

Talking to the bureau, the group discovered that explorers with the quest could take rooms in a hotel for up to a week. They only needed to pay on the last day, which gave them plenty of time to earn some money. The price was 50 gold a day, it wasn't a five-star hotel by any means, but the price was manageable, especially if they split the rooms.

"I get that I'm the one who will be taking a single room, but this feels unfair," Leo complained.

"Have menstrual cramps, then we'll talk," Blue mocked.

Going back to the guild after going to the rooms they rented, the group received the reward for the tour. A voucher for borrowing two books in the library, one small health potion, and the map of the city and its surrounding areas. Thankfully, the rewards were individual.

The moment Bonnie got her rewards, she sprinted out of the guild towards the library.

"I guess we see her at dinner," Alex said.

"I bet 5 gold she sleeps in the library," Blue added.

"I'll take that. She is not sleeping tonight," Hera stated.

"Let her do her thing. You guys ready to hunt some frogs?" Leo asked.

"Ugh, I hate slimy things," Alex said as they walked towards the town's exit.