MAZE - The endless Quest 58 Unexpected skill

"Because every role gets one, that's how the system made it," Peaches answered.

Hera stared at him, confused.

"But explorers don't have a role skill. They never choose something to focus on. That's why they were left with nothing."

"That's half right. The thing is, explorers, focused on exploring. Then, the system gave them a skill that would help with that. But unlike the other ones, this skill won't evolve or affect other skills. To balance it out, the system created the custom gear you get," Peaches explained.

"That doesn't make much sense. Why give a skill like that and not something like the other roles? And what is this about losing the skill if I tell someone about it?" she asked.

"Well, complain to the system if you want, but I doubt you will get any replies. I have no clue why it chose the skill to be like that. You losing the skill is sort of a punishment because of something that happened long ago. Some explorers used to set traps for the guides, and when they started to get close to succeeding, the skill had that change. The first change was that if a guide was about to be attacked, it would vanish. Now we also have someone who will evaluate the test deciding if the explorer is trustworthy enough to use the skill responsibly," Peaches said.

Hera stopped for a moment, "So does that mean that that you trust me?"

"Yeah, I trust you."

"Is this because I saved you from being stuck inside the water spring?" Hera snickered.

Peaches coughed, "Maybe... Now anyway, back to the skill. You can't talk to people about it. And I mean can't, not shouldn't. If you try, the system will freeze you, like when you are going through a doorway."

"So... how can I know If I can talk about it?" Hera asked

"That's up to you. Ask questions around the subject, but avoid saying it outright. Even mentioning that the skill exists is forbidden. I think the worst part is that if you are talking with someone that has the skill, the system won't tell you even if a question would be off-limits otherwise."

"What do you mean?"

"Like, If you ask me, 'Did you see a talking green apple in the test?' That would be a question that would count as you breaking the rules once. But if I have the skill, nothing will happen. But you don't know if the question would give you a strike or not."

"So, it's kind of like a game of charades that you lose if you give a wrong answer?" Hera asked.

"I would say Pictionary where you can't draw what it is, but sure."

"That doesn't make any sense, how can I draw things that are not the word?" Hera sneered.

"That's how I played, don't like it, don't join in." Peaches scoffed as he turned around.

"Awww don't be like that," Hera said.

"Nope, you lost your invitation. Better luck next time," Peaches replied.

"So there is going to be a next time?" Hera asked with a smile.

"Maybe, that's up to you, kid."

"How?" she asked.

"Just keep being an explorer, I can't say much right now. If you play your cards right, we might meet again."

Hera looked at her new friend. He had done so much. It was nice knowing that they could meet again. Yet, she didn't know how long it would take. Getting teary-eyed, she rubbed her face.

"Yeah, you really need to go, kid. You must be in a lot of pain."

Hera shook her head, "It's not that. I'm just going to miss you."

Peaches turned away, his cheeks turning a bit brown. "I'm gonna miss you too, kid."

A few moments passed, with Hera smiling at Peaches while the slime got increasingly more embarrassed.

"Well, your test is done, you can go back and finish the paperwork to be a fully-fledged explorer."

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

Role Test: Explorer

Quest completed

Return to the Explorer's Guild to receive your reward

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

As soon as the notification appeared, a pearl white doorway materialized behind Peaches. Hera got up and started walking towards the door, stopping by the table and giving Peaches a big hug.

"I'm not hugging you back because, you know, no arms. But consider yourself hugged kid," Peaches said.

Hera laughed, "Ok, Thanks for everything, Peaches."

"Anytime, Hera."

She walked towards the doorway, looking back to the slime. He was sitting on the table, smiling at her. She touched the door, and her body froze. A tingling sensation was covering her limbs. At the moment, a thought crossed her mind. What was going to happen to Peaches? Would he be alone there until someone else showed up? Or would he go some place else?

Before she could reach a conclusion, the light changed as she heard the bustling sounds of the MAZE reception inside the guild.

"Yo, a recruit came out!" a tall man said.

"Hey, congratulati.... what the hell happened to you?" a burly man asked.

"Are you ok? Oh, girl, you need a shower," a woman wearing a leather jacket said.

"Ok, ok, all of you give her some space. Hera, right? I'm Bianca, one of the attendants, could you come with me, please?"

A woman with short dark hair and glasses approached Hera. She was wearing the guild uniform, a vest with a dress shirt, and black pants. As she walked, her heels made a loud clack noise.

"Hi, it's a pleasure to meet you," Hera put out a hand, but the pain on her abdomen made her recoil.

"Can you walk? Do you need a wheelchair?" Bianca asked.

"I can walk," Hera replied weakly. She felt as if it was harder to breathe in here. Her body felt heavier.

"Ok, come with me. We will find you a healer first. Then we do the rest."

Hera just nodded as she walked beside the attendant. They moved through a hallway towards a room that looked like an infirmary. There were various beds spread around and curtains that could be used to give someone more privacy. Only one of the beds seemed to be occupied, and a man was sitting in a chair near the door wearing light green scrubs.

"Gérard, can you do an emergency check on her?" Bianca asked.

The man had big bags under his eyes and a vacant expression. He stared at Hera for a moment and got up, walking towards a bed.

"Sit here."

The man seemed off. His mind seemed to be somewhere else. It was like looking at someone who just quit their job but has to work for one more day. Hera looked back at the clerk, who just gave her a confirming nod.

She sat on the bed with some difficulty. Her ribs seemed to move around as she walked.

"Stay still," Gérard said.

He closed his eyes, and a light green glow covered his eyelids. He moved around as if he was looking at Hera with his eyes closed. The man pressed his fingers on her ribs, making Hera flinch.

"Sorry, you seem to have fractured a couple of ribs. Your femur and tibia are also cracked, and there are some lesser tears in your arms. It looks like the injuries you see in people who were found in collapsed buildings. Those puncture wounds are not very deep, but we need to clean them. Can you take off your shirt?" Gérard asked.

Hera's face turned red. She spent the last few days without taking a bath or changing clothes. Take off her shirt in front of a strange man was among the last things she wanted to do. Gérard let out a lengthy sigh.

"Bianca, could you call the little one?" The man asked.

The attendant nodded and left the room while the man walked towards a cabinet and started to prepare something.

"Should I do something?" Hera asked.

"Just say there for a moment, avoid any abrupt movements," the man replied without even looking in Hera's direction.

Hera stayed there, with Yarnball in her hand and Iris resting on her belt. It was strange. Walking around with a handaxe felt more natural now. Although the weight was different than what she was used to, holding Yarnball, on the other hand, felt familiar. Like she used to do it all the time. Hera never smoked or carried a case of floss around, but this small black container felt like part of her.

Distracted by her new relic, Hera failed to notice when a short chubby woman was approaching. The woman closed the drapes around the bed, making a loud noise, snapping Hera out of her meandering.

"Mr. Kaplan, what do I need to do with this one?" the woman asked.

She had long brown hair, with braids coming from each side of her head, she wore light green scrubs as well and had a ring on her nose.

"Clean her wounds, be careful with her ribs. If she moves too much, they might get even more out of place."

"Aye aye, captain."

"Stop playing pirate and get to work," Gérard said.

The woman pouted and proceeded to check Hera's wound.

"Wow, something got you really bad, huh? Do you think you can raise your arms, or is it better to cut off the shirt?"

"I think raising my arms will be too much. And honestly, I'm going to throw this shirt away. It' too dirty." Hera replied.

"Good call, I wasn't going to say anything, but this one seems like a goner."

The woman grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the back of Hera's shirt. Looking down, Hera could see a large dark purple mark on the side of her body. The pain she was feeling increased, making her feel dizzy.

"No, no, no, stay with me, honey. If you pass out now, it's going to be harder to do our job. What's your name? I'm Enrica."

"I'm Hera," she replied weakly.

The woman kept asking various questions while she cleaned Hera's wounds to distract her from the pain. Luckily it didn't take too long. When she was done, Enrica helped Hera to take off her pants and gave her a hospital gown. She then placed all of Hera's belongings inside a nightstand by the bed and locked it using the recruit's bracelet.

"Doc, she's ready for you," Enrica said.

"I'm a healer, not a doctor," Gerás replied as he approached Hera with a syringe filled with a neon green liquid, "Listen, this will hurt for a moment, but then I can place your bones in the right spots and start the healing. You need to be awake because I need you to tell me if the pain gets too strong. Some people have a strong reaction to this potion, but it's the best one for broken bones."

Hera nodded, and the healer stuck the needle near her clavicle. She felt a burning sensation flooding her chest. It felt like someone had spilled hot coffee inside of her. But the pain wasn't too severe. Little by little, the burning sensation started to move inside her. First towards her ribs, and then it split and reached her legs and arms. Hera looked at Gérard. The man had a focused expression, and his eyes had a green glow. He seemed to be staring at the parts of the heat that were moving. After some time, when most of her body was covered with that burning sensation. The healer stopped and sat beside her.

"If you want, you can sleep now. We can even help with that," Gérard said.

"Yes, please. I'm tired," Hera replied.

The healer gave a nod to Enrica, who started to sing a lullaby. His voice was soft and melodic. It made Hera remind of when her grandma would sing her to her as a child. In just a few moments, Hera began to sleep.

Chapter end