MAZE - The Endless Quest

Hera was by Thalion side, as a request from the commander. Apparently, someone who was part of the Sovereigns PR team reached out to the elf and asked the Ophidianite Empress to be by his side once they disembarked. Thankfully, it didn’t take too long for someone to find Hera after that information was relayed to Thalion.

With the help of Vash, Neria, Skyler, and Helena, the Empress got dressed up. Fling and Roan also assisted by finding some accessories for the crafter to make. If she was going to appear in a more official setting, it would be better to have her showing some signs of wealth and power. People in a leadership position usually had a different attire to stand out from everyone else.

Thankfully, they were no longer hungover due the previous day. Everyone drank a bit too much in the celebration, especially Vash and Skyler, but having a healer at the party had some perks. In the end, all they could do was brush Hera’s hair and braid it with Twiggy, as well as adding a few clay flowers along the hair. There wasn’t much she could do about clothes, though.

The Empress currently only had a casual outfit, a black shirt and a pair of pants, or her armor, which was also considerably revealing since it was made to enhance her [Ophidianite Scales]. The somewhat baggy pants that accompanied that outfit really made it seem like she was from one of those old tales about people who lived in the desert. Hera didn’t think that was a bad look by any means, but if this was going to be her first official appearance as an Ophidianite, whatever she was wearing would end up being seen as the kind of clothing her people wore. And Deakoshara wasn’t exactly an arid room. Not from what she had seen from it, at least. For that reason, showing up in armor could be better. People would understand a different style more easily since people agreed that the skills of the equipment were always more important than the looks.

As the ship arrived at the port, Hera groaned before getting close to Thalion. Whatever was about to happen wasn’t something she wanted to be a part of, but heavy was the crown of a leader. Or that of the only member of a species.

Thalion was also wearing his armor, plus a royal blue cape that was supposed to be worn only in more official settings. Despite his position, it was a simple attire. Green metal shaped his body without any details or decorations. If anything, it looked like a mundane piece of armor, without any spells or skills. But Hera could tell that wasn’t the case with a glance. Thanks to the [Mana Touched] title, the Empress had a sensitivity to mana that went beyond almost anyone. And looking at Thalion now was like staring at a mana crystal that was about to break. The magic seeped from every opening in his armor, the internal effect almost becoming visible in her eyes. Seeing that almost made her feel that her own gear was improper. As if the right thing to do was to have something like what the commander wore. But those thoughts were quickly pushed aside. After all, if she were to pack all the magic coming from her entire court in a single item, the effect should be much greater than what she was seeing.

“Thank you for being here,” the commander nodded to Hera as she took her place by his side.

Hera just gave him a defeated smile, “It’s not like I have much of a choice in the matter. Sovereign Stofin asked for my presence and we are literally in the center of his kingdom.”

Thalion chuckled, “I underestimated how much you dislike these kinds of proceedings.”

The Ophidianite shrugged, “You know who I am, and who I was. This kind of thing never sounded fun. Too much effort, and no one says what they want to say. It’s just… annoying.”

“If at all possible, avoid saying that in the presence of Sovereign Stofin and his retainers. Your position here is higher than mine, but you are also technically working under me, since you are part of the army. So if you offend anyone, they might ask me to reprimand you, which will be a problem on itself.”

“Don’t worry. I have no plans of causing any trouble,” Hera thought for a moment, “But at the same time. Almost no one knows about where I’m from,” she glanced at him with an impish smile, “There is very little they can do if I make a scene saying they offended my ancestors with a specific action. Or some other excuse.”

Thalion sighed, “I’ll keep that in mind. But please don’t.”

The bridge connecting the ship and the pier was finally lowered, and the two started walking down. Hera made sure to keep up with the commander’s pace and to not keep her tail on the ground as she became used to. For some reason, dragging it felt too casual for the situation.

‘Hey, he’s hot!’ Twiggy’s voice sounded as excited as always, ‘Ok fine, almost everyone else is saying that Neria is hotter, they like her burgundy stripes.’

One interesting effect of the [Empress Palace] was that the court could still communicate with those inside. Meaning that, even in a situation like this, where Hera walked alone with Twiggy, she could still have the input of all of her blades. Hera knew that it was likely she had a few ways to abuse that effect, but she didn’t exactly know how.

‘Just to confirm, you really couldn’t see anything yesterday, right?’

‘We couldn’t. The screen to watch you was dark the entire time,’ Twiggy replied.

‘Are you sure? Because Neria always wears long sleeves, which cover the stripes in her arms. And there are none in her face. Sure, she uses skirts, but her legs are clear too, or at least until you go up to her… I’m going to stop talking now. Can’t have my mind going there,’ Hera held the urge to shake her head.

‘Was it that good?’ Twiggy asked.

‘It really was. Now shush,’ the Empress pushed all those thoughts aside. The last thing she needed was to talk with one of the members of the council while thinking about something so… distracting.

“Empress Quetzaveth, Commander Skor’ide, welcome to Neptara. It is my utmost pleasure to be the one greeting you,” Sovereign Stofin smiled and gave the two a very soft bow, barely even lowering his head.

Thalion answered in kind, but his bow was more what one would expect, lowering his head completely, “It is an honor to be greeted by your majesty.”

Hera also bowed, but hers was more moderate. Still a wider motion that what Stofin did, but nowhere near as subservient as the one given by the commander. This was the kind of thing Hera hated. Not the bowing itself, but the fact that there were so many rules around it. As an honorary member of the council, she had to greet the ruler of the land in a way that showed respect, but that her position wasn’t below him. If she lowered her body too much, articles with titles like ‘The Ophidianite Empress bends the knee to the Triton’ would spread like wildfire.

All of that because she said hi in the wrong way. That was just annoying.

“I greet Sovereign Stofin. It is an honor to be received with such a warm welcome,” Hera was copying what Queen Typhera said in her last meeting with a member of the council. People knew the Children of the Sky were the ones who first found the Ophidianite. So it made sense they were the ones who taught her some of the etiquette surrounding everything.

“Please, there is no need for such formality. Come, I know you must be tired from your long journey. Tell your troops to disembark and I’ll guide you to the place you will be staying myself.”

Stofin didn’t wait for a reply and turned around, a few of his guards quickly stepping closer to stop anyone who would try to harm their ruler. Hera and Thalion simply followed along, a couple of steps behind Stofin as the rest of the army left the Moby Dick.

In the end, Hera had her chance of sight seeing. Despite saying they should be tired, Sovereign Stofin gave the Empress and the commander a tour of his city. They passed by farms, which mostly produced bananas, coconuts, and pineapples. As those were the best crops for the weather on the island. There were also a couple of chicken farms, but no pastures for larger animals. From there, they walked to the beach on the opposite side of the pier. The island of Neptara had an odd shape. Very narrow at the center, allowing people to go from one side to the other in a matter of minutes, but the edges were massive, growing to a few kilometers wide at the largest points.

Their tour, however, focused on the central narrow path. After seeing the beach, and hearing about the beautiful waves, festivities, and surf competitions that happened there, they went back around, passing by an entertainment district filled with clubs, bars, and open areas for people to dance. Adding that to the large fabrics creating some shade over the city gave the entire place the permanent look of a music festival.

Sovereign Stofin continued to work as a tour guide, mentioning the difficulty in building some clubs and how he had to approve one law or another to finish the district. He also made a point of talking about at least one large artist that performed in each of the stages. Hera knew a few of the names, but only truly recognized two Bright Night and Black Star. That made her realize how detached from the MAZE culture she was. Ever since she first stepped foot in Brinnefront, her only focus was the MAZE itself, not the people and what they did. Maybe when the war was over, she could try to change that.

Beyond that district was the Jet Stream, the opening that would lead to the rest of Neptara. The bulk of the city was actually underwater. Most of it was wrapped in an air bubble created by the MAZE itself, but a large part of the buildings were simply in the middle of the ocean. Something that was no problem for the tritons.

“I am aware that this is the first time both of you come to Neptara. So allow me to give you a safety briefing. The MAZE created the air bubble itself. So you need not to worry about it collapsing. However, we also created a structure encapsulating the bubble to stop any stray fish or debris from falling into the city. In addition, thinking about our brothers and sisters from different species, all structures inside the air bubble also have spells in place that would protect anyone inside if the bubble vanished for some reason. This was one a highly controversial move on my part, the resources and cost to create a safe space for all was debated at length. However, we are triton. Hospitality is our way of life, and if we were not able to allow those who come here to sleep without a worry, we would go against the very thing that made us be who we are today,” Sovereign Stofin said before they walked into the Jet Stream.

“I’ve heard stories about Neptara. It is said to be one of the most beautiful cities in all the MAZE,” Thalion said.

“I will not comment on that, after all, my opinion would be highly biased. But I would love to hear your opinion on the matter later,” Stofin chuckled.

“If we have ways of breathing underwater, would it be ok to look around outside the bubble?” Hera asked.

“Of course. You will need a permit, though. Just so we are aware of the kind of spell or effect is being used. We do that as a way to be able to help people if they run out of mana, or if their spell runs out. In addition, there are tours and services that allow you to explore the underwater city,” as he spoke, they entered the spiral path leading to the center of Neptara.

It was extremely windy, but the gust didn’t have force behind it. The road leading down was unassuming. It had some paintings, screens and decorations and that was it.

There was nothing special or anything of the sort. It was a tunnel, like all others.

After 10 minutes of walking, they reached the ground, and all that changed.

“I would like to welcome you, to Neptara,” Stofin said with a smile.

Nestled within a massive, transparent air bubble spanning several kilometers was the triton capital. This bubble, shimmering with iridescent hues, created by the sun and the glass protecting it from the ocean, was the most prominent feature to be seen. The city’s architecture seamlessly integrated with the surrounding coral reef, creating a vibrant and harmonious blend of natural beauty and Triton craftsmanship. Just like the buildings that were seen from the outside, everything had a sandcastle look, pulling people back to their childhood of playing on the beach.

The city’s skyline was dominated by elegant, flowing structures reminiscent of seashells and marine creatures, all crafted from a combination of coral, bioluminescent algae, pearlescent materials, and white sand. Outside the air bubble, towers spiraled gracefully upwards, their surfaces adorned with intricate carvings of various creatures and vistas. These towers also served as homes, public buildings, and observatories, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding ocean.

Pathways made of luminescent coral lead through the city, connecting various districts. The streets were adorned with vibrant aquatic plants and outside the bubble they were teeming with colorful fish that were considered inhabitants of the city. The central plaza was a grand open space featuring a majestic fountain that drew water from the sea, creating a mesmerizing display of cascading streams and floating bubbles. Once said bubbles reached the top of the bubble, or more accurately, the glass protecting the bubble, they would break, creating colorful ripples that spread all over the city.

After everyone had a moment to appreciate the area, Sovereign Stofin gestured to the side where a few buses were waiting, “We have prepared transportation to take you all to the palace where you will be staying. However,” he turned to Hera, “Empress Quetzaveth, I would ask you to accompany me on my car. We have something to discuss in private.”

“Of course,” Hera nodded, she had no idea what Stofin needed to talk to her about, but if they had a moment alone, she could ask about the Strength Spirits without having to worry.

She asked Thalion to tell her friends about what she was doing just before walking inside the car, where Sovereign Stofin insisted to drive and left all his retainers behind.

A few moments after they took off, and when they were already a few hundred meters away from Stofin’s guard and entourage, he let out a long sigh, “Fuck me that was annoying,” he turned to Hera, “Now we can talk. It’s very nice to meet you in person, Hera! You look great. Also, are you down for a burger, I’m starving!?”