"Ok, so far, I like your group even if it has a longer name. But why would you take new explorers? It sounds like it's more for people who are already established," Hera asked with a frown. She was still sitting on the rooftop of the guild, enjoying her graduation party while talking with Helena.

  Helena took a sip of the mead, "Well, a few reasons. First, we might see something in them. Maybe a skill or a drive that seems to be beneficial to our group. Second, it's common to need something from the lower layers of the MAZE. Be it materials from monsters, items we find in shops, even information."

  "There is still something missing. I mean, you could just pay someone for all that, couldn't you?" Hera pressed. Her recent conversations made her realize that there were always traps in a deal, and as much as she trusted Helena, she didn't want to jump into something without knowing what she was signing up for.

  "You are right. There is one thing missing. One thing doesn't follow the logic. Emotion," Helena smiled, "The bottom line is, we as individuals want people we care about to join. Not because we want to exploit them but because we want them to be a part of our club. So, my invitation is not just because I want your help with my research. But because I want to hang out later, and having the excuse of being part of the same organization only makes that easier."

  Hera nodded, "Ok now I'm sold."

  "So you weren't before?" Helena chuckled.

  "I don't know. If the offer was good enough," Hera teased.

  "I have just a few more questions. Do you guys have a rule about accepting quests from other organizations or companies? And can I work with people from other organizations?" Hera asked.

  "Yes, and yes," Helena nodded, "though there have been times when a company or an organization was shunned for a while, those were not specific to our organization, but a decision from the whole guild. That only happens when someone messes up big time. I'm talking like international problem big. The last time that happened was because a party stole another party's loot from a dungeon. The problem is, the party that lost the loot was part of the US military. They played it as a direct attack and demanded the loot back. It was a whole thing that ended with an apology, their loot back, and the guild punishing the entire Night Cats alliance for a year."

  "I think that was uncalled for, but we all had to abide by the guild ruling in that case, even if it was just about politics. And the Night Cats were fine. They enjoyed the notoriety even though I agree that what they did was wrong. Aside from that, in the case where a company or organization does something wrong to us, we ask you to stop working with them. It gives us a bit of leverage when things go wrong. But it will be an ask, not a demand. Aside from that, you can work with whoever you want. We don't mind. As long as you keep our secrets," Helena finished the explanation.

  "Yeah, I mean, they were in the wrong, but the government saying it was an attack seems too much."

  "Anyway, any other questions?"

  "Just one, where do I apply?" Hera said.

  Helena quickly sent her a link where she could apply. Since the mage had a high rank inside the alliance, she could approve Hera right away. This wasn't something so unusual since headhunters could recruit someone anywhere and speed up the approval process.

  "For the first couple of months, you are considered in the trial period. So try not to cause any international incidents, ok?" Helena joked.

  "Sure, I'll wait for the third month before targeting the military," Hera went along with it.

  They laughed and kept enjoying the party. Helena told Hera a bit more about her new faction. She was explaining how to request something from their armory or ask for help. She also showed the explorer a few pictures of the higher-ups, just in case. To Hera's surprise, the leader of the organization was an Elf called Ninelyn, a human with long pointy ears who'se lifespan reached 500 years. Altought the odds of meeting him would be very small on her early days as an explorer. The now graduated explorer wanted to ask more about him, but it felt rude to do so just because he was from a diferent species. After a few more hours, people started to leave, and Hera looked for her friends. There was one last thing she wanted to do today.

  After a few minutes, she found Leo and Blue talking near the food table.

  "Hey guys, have you been recruited already?" Hera asked.

  "Nah, my master told me about a few organizations, but none of them are here. I'll apply through their website later. The ones here feel a bit too specific," Leo said.

  "Me neither. I wanted to work with Frostbite, but after seeing that she made an offer to Anaya, I'm not sure anymore. I'm positive they would make us work together, and I don't need to say why I hate that idea," Blue explained.

  Hera and Leo nodded. Working with Anaya was the last thing any of them wanted to do.

  "What about you?" Blue asked.

  "I joined the Order of the Lost Court," Hera said with a big smile.

  "What's that one?" Alex asked.

  The trio jumped. They had completely failed to notice the woman approaching them.

  "Oh, sorry. I'm not used to the role skill just yet. It triggers by accident," Alex said.

  "Which role? Ghost?" Blue bleated.

  "Assassin. It upgraded my hide, so now it has a passive effect," Alex explained.

  "If you keep doing that, I'm getting you a bell," Leo said.

  After joking, Hera told them about the order and said she could check with Helena if any of them wanted to join. Blue, Alex, and Leo said they wanted to look at some other groups first, but Bonnie, who caught the end of their conversation, was very interested in the idea.

  Hera asked them when they would go to the MAZE. They wanted to go soon, but Bonnie and Leo had a few things to take care of before going. They agreed to meet up on Wednesday to go in together. Before that, they were all excited about the rewards. Not only they gained something here, but aside from Bonnie, they also had Gwendelan’s token.

  The group waited for an opportunity and moved to the elevator. Going straight down towards the guild armory on the same floor as the doorway. They got some directions from a guild clerk and proceeded to the left hallway, following the sound of metal hitting metal.

  Walking through the corridor, the group reached a large glass wall. Inside it was a big workshop where a few people were hammering away at different types of metals. Just by glancing at it, Hera could see one of the forgers sharpening a spear.

  "I never knew we had a forge in here," Alex said.

  "I know, right? Do you think they use magic to keep the smoke away?" Blue asked.

  "Maybe, but good old engineering could do that too," Leo answered.

  Past the forge, there was a door that led to what looked like an equipment shop. There was a large balcony with various weapons, armor, and accessories in the display. Near the register, there were a few flasks with a variety of liquids inside. Above the register, there was a small sign that read 'The Armory.'

  A thin man with an uneven chin beard was sitting on the counter, doing something on his tablet.

  "Hi, we are here to get our gear. We got a token for graduating," Blue said as she approached the counter.

  The man let out a long sigh and got up, placing his tablet on a desk behind him.

  "All of you?" he asked.

  "Yeah, all of us. We have a token from the quest too. They told us that we should redeem it here," Blue said.

  "Fine. Show me the tokens, and I'll see what you can get."

  The group looked at each other. Some of their excitement had toned down after talking with the man. One by one, they showed the letters and tokens. The grades gave them a certain amount of store credit to shop, while the tokens gave them a pass for a few hours in the ATRs. Leo had the wooden token would give him only 2 hours. The bronze one gave Blue a 5-hour coupon. She could use it for a couple of hours and then use the rest of the time at a later date. Alex and Hera got a 10-hour coupon.

  They could also exchange 5 hours on a basic ATR for 1 hour on the advanced ATR, the same one they used the day they learned about the roles.

  The man also said that any unused credit from the store would go to waste, so they could either go over the credit and pay the difference or use it up by buying a bunch of rations and miscellanea.

  With the explanation out of the way, the group started browsing. Hera didn't need a weapon since she already had Iris. Even if the weapon was staying in the Guild for now. People couldn't carry swords and axes out in the street, and since she would only use them inside the MAZE, there was no need to keep it anywhere else.

  However, she could use a chakram, maybe tying it with the Yarnball could give her a ranged attack until she figured out something better.

  After about half an hour, all the recruits got everything that they wanted. Leo had a spear and a set of moss green and brown clothes that could mix well with a forest. Alex picked a couple of daggers, an enchanted cloak, and a pair of boots that made her steps even quieter. Blue took the longest to decide and ended up picking a full set of kevlar armor. When trying it, she looked like a superhero. Bonnie got a hat that channeled mana and an orb that increased her magical capabilities. Even if the girl was yet to learn magic, she was already getting ready for it.

  Hera picked a set of waterproof clothes, a belt with various satchels around it, a pair of boots made for heavy impact exercise. She also got a spring cane about her hand's size, but at the press of a button, it turned into a 2-meter tall metal rod. To put it away, all she had to do was twist the ends, and the rod would go back to its pocket size.

  By the end of it, she still had 150 gold in credit. She was thinking about spending it all on potions for the group when she noticed a dark iron chakram in the wall. It had a grip on the base instead of the middle like the ones she used before. The blade had a simple design for the most part, but spikes that looked like wings would curl up, forming a spiral pattern.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  The weapon was marked as being on sale. But it was still 350 gold. Even if she used the credit, it would still cost her 200 gold. She checked the status of the weapon, just to be sure it was worth it.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Mayura's feather (Chakram)

  Rarity: Uncommon

  A chakram created by a blacksmith's apprentice. Crafted from the feathers of a dusk peacock. Due to the technique used in its conception, the feather changed the color of the iron instead of strengthening it.

  Attribute scaling:

  Intelligence x 1.07

  Additional effect:

  Increased magical compatibility.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Seeing its stats, Hera couldn't understand why it was on sale.

  "The weapon is a failure. The feather was supposed to increase agility, but it went to intelligence instead."

  "But the effect seems really good," Hera frowned.

  "Would you rather pay full price?" the man crossed his arms, shooting down any other questions she had about the weapon.

  Despite its being something that would eat up some of her savings, her friends persuaded Hera to get it.

  "When we go inside, we will help you make that money back," Blue promised.

  The group left the store after paying for the equipment and were about to get into the elevator when an attendant stopped them. She explained that they couldn't walk around with weapons and such and lead them all to separate locker rooms where they could keep their adventuring gear.

  Hera was already aware of that and followed along to her locker. Those were very different from the ones near the gym on the ground floor. Each locker was a small walk-in closet. The area they had to move around was about the size of a bathtub. There was one cabinet embedded in the wall with a couple of coat hangers inside. They could leave their belonging there and also change into their MAZE gear when there.

  After making sure their new gear was safe, the group agreed to wait until Wednesday to go inside the MAZE together. As Hera made her way back home, she wondered if she would be able to sleep before going to the MAZE.

  Hera did her best to keep herself busy for the next couple of days. She used the time coupon for the ATR. There she finally was able to customize her own trainer. There were dozens of different options, from gender to personality and even if it was going to be humanoid, a ghost, or even an angel. After going through her choices, the result was an androgynous spirit with a personal trainer personality.

  Confirming her choice, the silhouette shifted. It became an orange creature with flowing hair and big eyes that had no irises, just a yellow glow coming from them. It seemed to wear fire in the place of clothes.

  The appearance surprised Hera. She didn't expect the trainer to look so different, even with an odd appearance. It looked so real.

  The trainer looked at the handaxe and chakram and materialized the same weapons in its hand.

  She spent the full two hours trying to improve her combat ability by focusing on the throwing aspect of the chakram. She wanted a boomerang-like effect using Yarnball, but according to the AI trainer, the closest thing would be the Japanese kusarigama.

  That was just enough to understand the basics of the idea. The chakram would work as the weight while the handaxe acted like the hook. The key difference from the traditional weapon would be her ability to swap between the different techniques each weapon offered.

  When her two-hour period came to an end, she felt that with some training, this could work. But at the moment, using the chakram that way would be deadly to her. She had several bruises from the wooden weapon she used during the training.

  As she left the guild, Helena sent her a text about the rest of her graduation gift. The mage still wanted to take Hera to a hair salon.

  If that had come up yesterday, Hera would have said no. However, after the training she just went through, the idea of having shorter hair seemed appealing. More than once, Yarnball ended up tangling with her hair. It wasn't something too difficult to fix, but if that happened in the middle of a fight, she would have a lot of problems.

  Hera accepted Helena's invitation as long as she could pay for herself. Even after buying her new weapon, she still had some money, and Helena wouldn't take her to a place too expensive if she was the one paying.

  Helena accepted the terms and asked Hera to meet her at the guild later that day. Seeing that she had some time to kill, Hera took a stroll through the street mall. It was supposed to be just a way to kill time, but she ended up finding a pop-up store selling some culinary books. One title caught her attention.

  Quick and easy recipes for camping.

  Since she was going inside the MAZE, this could come in handy. The title even came with an ebook code to download. She bought the book, and when it was time, went back to the guild. When the two of them met, Helena took Hera towards a parking lot near the guild where the mage's car was parked.

  The drive wasn't too long but still took Hera to a part of the town she never seen before. After some time, they finally arrived at a small windowless store in front of a park. Inside the store, there was an elegant beauty parlor with light blue patterns across the white wall, five sets of chairs, and a long red couch in the back. Every piece of furniture, aside from the sofa and the chairs, seemed to be made of diamonds. They sparkled and glittered, making the whole room feel like it was being seen through a glow filter.

  "Hera, this is Quinn, the best hairdresser in the world," Helena announced.

  Beside her stood a short woman with flaming red hair that would stop just above her shoulders. She had large blue eyes that popped even more due to the glittery purple eyeshadow she was wearing. Quinn opened a big smile that showed her canine teeth to be a bit more pointy than usual.

  "It's so nice to meet you. Lena has been talking about you for the whole month," Quinn said.

  "Hey, don't sell me out," Helena complained.

  "Don't be late for girls' night next time then," Quinn retorted.

  Quinn showed Hera where she could sit and gave her a small crystal tablet. Telling her, she could tap the various hairstyles on the screen and get a preview in the mirror. It wasn't a perfect simulation, but it did get quite close.

  Hera browsed through the styles. She needed to choose a short one, so she didn't even try to look at the longer ones. It would only make her want to keep her long hair. She looked through them, trying to find something that suited her. Mohawks and buzz cuts were out of the picture. She would look weird with those. A pixie cut was also a no go. Last time she tried it, she felt like a child.

  After a while, she stopped at a style with shaved sides and a longer middle, pulled back, making a backward wave. It was gorgeous, but she could never pull it off. She looked for another one close to the one she saw. The length of a pixie cut on the sides and the top would be wavy and messy, being longer in the front. That one seemed long enough, so she could still do some less daring styles. The one on display would be mostly for when she needed to fight.

  She told Quinn she had made a decision, and the hairdresser quickly started her work. First, washing Hera's hair and then starting to cut. Quinn wasn't talking much aside from asking questions about how Hera wanted the style. It was relaxing having someone take such good care of her hair. Looking in the mirror, Hera could see a satisfied smile on Quinn's face. The hairdresser also kept humming a soft tune under her breath. In a situation like that, it was hard not to fall asleep.

  Luckily for Hera, the haircut didn't take long. In a bit over thirty minutes, Quinn spun Hera around to see the finished product.

  The explorer took a moment to realize what she was seeing. Her blonde hair was forming the wave she wanted, but it fell softly on her forehead. Not only that, but it also had some volume. Enough for her to let the hair fell to the sides if she wished to change the style.

  "I have to say. It's been a while since I worked with such pretty hair. Most blondes who come here are not natural, so the hair is a bit damaged. I can see you treat yours with a great deal of care," Quinn said as she placed the finishing touches.

  "Thank you. I don't know how you made me look so pretty," Hera said, still staring at her reflection.

  "Let me tell you a secret," Quinn put her face beside Hera's looking at the explorer through the mirror, "I only made your hair different. The pretty part is all you."

  The hairdresser gave such an honest smile that Hera couldn't help but smile back, even if she didn't agree with what Quinn said. She could pretend it was true for a few moments.

  "One last thing. Let me send you a quick tutorial. It's a simple 5 step way to turn this into a pulled-back style, that way you can do it inside the MAZE. I'm also adding a step by step video how to make this style. It won't be exactly the same as it looks right now, but that's just because I'm amazing," Quinn said, puffing her chest.

  "You really are, thank you so much," Hera said.

  "Now, as I promised. You can pay, this one is just 50 gold," Helena chimed in.

  "Can you please not give my price to my customers? But yes, you get a friend discount, Hera. It's going to be 50 gold," Quinn explained.

  "Thank you," Hera wanted to protest, but it was hard to argue with Quinn. She made Hera feel so comfortable.

  "So let's go. Pay the bill so the three of us can have dinner. It's my treat," Helena said.

  "Lena!" Hera protested.

  "What? I only said that I would let you pay for the haircut. I never said a thing about dinner," Helena answered with a playful smile.

  The trio went to an all you can eat pizzeria. At first, Hera felt a bit awkward. She was a heavy eater, and being with someone new, even if it was Helena's friend, made her worried about her eating habits. However, as the slices started to come, she realized her worries were unfounded. Quinn gobbled slice after slice, barely stopping to breathe. Hera soon started to follow her lead.

  Helena stared at those two kind and gentle souls in front of her. They were so sweet, so lovely, so cute, and yet both were already on the seventh slice and showed no signs of stopping.

  "That's just cheating. If I eat like that, it will all go to my hips," she thought to herself.

  The trio spent the whole night eating, drinking, and talking. Hera was amazed at how much Quinn had done. Backpacking through Asia, the scholarship to a culinary institute in France, dropping out of the institute to learn cosmetology, helping build an animal shelter. She was amazing.

  When they left, Helena called a taxi for everyone. She was in no shape to drive. Hera woke up the next day with a nasty hangover. Still, she had worse. Since it was still Tuesday, she took the day to rest and make the world stop spinning. Using her usual cure, she made a large pot of black coffee, ate a pile of black and green olives, and ordered in the biggest, greasiest hamburger she could find.

  At the end of the day, she called her grandma to tell her about going inside the MAZE. She also sent a few texts to some friends, just to let them know she might be unavailable. There were some places inside the MAZE where she still could use the internet, but cellphones were a no go. Only the tablet would work, and her messages would be filtered by an AI controlled by the guild, as long as she was sending them to someone back on Earth.

  She also sent a text to her dad to tell him the same. However, Hera still didn't want to talk to him after what happened last week.

  When Wednesday came, her whole group woke up early and agreed to go straight to the guild. Hera stopped to thank Helena for everything before going down to the doorway floor and changing her clothes. When she was ready, she looked in the mirror.

  She was wearing a pair of black jeans pants, a belt with a few satchels, a gray long-sleeved shirt that fit her body, and a dark brown leather jacket. It would look like she was going to a rock concert if it weren't for the chakram and the handaxe on her belt.

  Hera left the locker with her backpack. She had stopped to buy a few bottles of water, a first aid kit, and a few power bars. Walking towards the Doorway to wait for the rest of the group, she noticed a few stares aimed at her. After scanning the area, she realized that no one else had a backpack as she did. Maybe seasoned Explorers had other ways of carrying their stuff. Sometime later, the rest of the group arrived, and to Hera's relief, Bonnie and Leo had their own backpacks.

  "You two are not taking backpacks?" Bonnie asked.

  "I have a satchel, a backpack can be a problem for my role," Alex answered.

  "Everything I need is in my pockets or my belt. Water, food, a change of underwear. I'm good," Blue said.

  "I hope I brought enough. I have three bras and four panties," Bonnie said.

  "It's probably fine. We can probably figure out a way to wash them there. Even if that means waiting for it to dry later," Hera said.

  "You guys... brought underwear?" Leo asked.

  The four girls stared at Leo.

  "Leonidas, shut up. I don't want to hear a single thing you have to say on the subject," Blue demanded as she walked towards the Doorway.

  Helena was there waiting for the group. She gave them a quest to introduce themselves to the guild in Brinefront. She also told the group a few ground rules and what to expect inside the MAZE. When they regained their senses, they should move first and look around later.

  Crossing the Doorway was close to being at the end of an escalator, if they waited too long, more people would appear behind them. And while no one was going to push them out, it could clog up the place and cause some problems. She also gave Hera a big hug, sent her the basic database from the Order and told her to check the quest board in the guild before heading out to explore.

  The five thanked Helena and walked towards the Doorway. They waited in line to get in. There was just a single group in front of them at the moment. Hera started to feel her stomach flutter. She was finally going inside the MAZE. Not a simulation, not a test. This time it was the real deal.

  They stopped in front of the doorway and looked at each other with big smiles on their faces. Nodding to her friends, Hera reached out and touched the doorway.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Would you like to be transported to

  Brinefront - 1st Layer

  [Yes] [No]

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The group looked at the notification and counted down together.

  3...

  2...

  1...

  At the same time, they all pressed yes. Hera felt a familiar feeling. As if she were being submerged in warm water. That relaxing state that made it seem everything was going to be ok. Her eyes closed naturally, and she knew that the moment she opened them, she would be inside the MAZE.

  Yeah, it ends just as the enters the MAZE I know it's mean, but it's also a way for people to want to read book 2. If there is one thing I learned over these 6 years of writing is how to make a cliffhanger lo

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