MAZE - The Endless Quest

“… And so, today we celebrate the brave souls who fought against the humans in order to protect our children. As well as honor those who lost their lives in order to save them,” Sovereign Stofin continued his speech. Now began the long process of giving the medals to each and every single one of the army members who came here. The Harmony Guardians were already on the field, being thanked by the triton ruler, and so was Helena.

Hera was behind the stage with Thalion and Kaela, the leaders of the army would be called before her. After all, she was now an Aspirant Hero. A fucking Aspirant Hero. Hera could barely believe she heard that right. No one had that position in thousands of years. Only during a brief period in time people actually had Aspirant Heroes. It was after Khan for one, maybe two generations, and that was it. It clearly became evident that the position was too much pressure and would only cause problems. Some even said it was cursed.

Aspirant Hero. Aspirant fucking Hero.

As the name suggested, it was a position given to people who were believed to be on the path of becoming Heroes. Not just a random hero as someone who saved someone else, but someone who should stand beside Khan, Undine, Balkan, Eruwan, or Cyrus. That was the weight of the position. They also made Hera an official council member. What they discussed before was that she would only have a seat once the population of Ophidianite grew. But now, since she was, somehow, playing a prominent part in the war effort, they wanted to make that position more official. Hera still would be free to move about, and she wouldn’t be required to participate in all the meetings, just like things were right now. But she would have the authority to take over any operation or battle. Which, in her mind, was just stupid.

There were countless of other people who would be better leaders. And the Empress made it clear that she would never take over the command of someone who had more experience than her. Which was exactly what the council hoped. They wanted to show how even their leaders understood that other people could be better suited for various tasks. And having one of them be in the trenches would be good for the troops. They would see their leaders truly were doing everything they could. Despite Hera’s constant objection, Torah, the beastmen matriarch, put the final nail in the coffin.

“The fact is, Hera. None of us can say we’ve been as willing to risk ourselves to help with the war as you have. And none of us have faced the Soldiers of Strength, the best weapon of the human army, and lived to tell the tale. Not giving you a position would make it seem we were trying to suppress you, and that is even worse.”

And that was the same argument for giving her the position of Aspirant Hero.

Fucking Aspirant Hero.

When that was used, way back when, people died in droves soon after receiving that nomination. It was a mix of people being jealous, political issues, and the sheer pressure that came with being in that big of a spotlight made people keep trying to prove themselves. More often than not, that resulted in their death.

In the end, all of that was just a PR move, and the council said that explicitly. They agreed that, although the Ophidianite had shown her bravery, no one believed her to be on the same level as the Heroes. Not yet, at least. Her actions were not big enough to shape the reality of the MAZE. Not really. So far, her biggest accomplishment would be finding Deakoshara, but that wasn’t really Hero material.

The end goal was to make the alliance think they had a Hero watching over them. Or someone who would one day be one. A guardian angel watching over everyone. It was purely a morale boost, something that the Ophidianite was, annoyingly, used to being. The one potential issue that was brought up was the guild’s reaction. Having Hera being an Aspirant Hero would turn her into a target, but since she would still try not to be in the front lines, that might help them distract the humans. As long as they spread rumors about her being in a battle or another, they would try to find her, and that could give the alliance an opening to strike back.

Thalion and Kaela were called to the stage and Sovereign Stofin continued his speech, praising them for their efforts and thanking them for saving the families. He also spent some time praising them for being able to create such a cohesive army in such a short notice.

Hera was barely listening to all that, she had Twiggy, Daskka, and the twins out to help her notice any cues and remember what she was supposed to say. She wasn’t the only one with weapons in hand. Kaela had a pair of daggers around her waist, hidden by the cloak in a way that was just in view enough to make people curious. And Thalion had a ceremonial long sword on his hip. It had a dull blade, but it had various mana stones encrusted in the hilt, making it seem exceedingly magical. Even if, in reality, it was just a fancy battery.

‘Fuck, what did Dr’lyar do?’ Hera grumbled in her mind for whoever wanted to hear.

‘Dr’lyar?’ Daskka turned to her.

‘Yeah, the triton Hero,’ Hera replied.

‘Wasn’t that Fakili? The healer who destroyed several plagues and created antibiotics?’ Viper asked.

‘No, no. The triton have two Heroes. I think…. Yeah, they have two. Fakili is the healer, Dr’lyar he was a fighter, but I’m pretty sure he was a harpy,’ Crimson added.

‘Ok. Hang on, we have Khan, the Wallbreaker, who broke the wall. Cyrus the Golden, who created the guild to face an army of monsters. Undine the Firebringer, she single-handedly cleared the devil hunt. Those are the human ones, despite everything, people still respect them. Then, Eruwan, the North Star. The elf who basically created the Alliance. Balcan, the Lucky. A beastmen who… what did he do again?’ Hera frowned.

‘He’s the weird one!’ Crimson spoke up, ‘He kept causing problems where he went, but those problems were always much smaller in scale than what they could become. He doesn’t have one single thing that made him a hero, but a bunch of smaller things.’

Hera nodded, Nereus was still going on and on about all the challenges Thalion and Kaela had to go through.

Daskka continued, ‘Then we have Kroaan, the Unbroken. A revolutionary that fought against a tyrant hell bent on ruling the MAZE. He and the revolutionaries were able to steal the key to a room and trap the tyrant’s troops there for 50 years. While the rest of the MAZE recovered and prepared for a counterattack. Not to mention how the tyrant’s army was severely weakened since they were in a room that didn’t have as many available supplies as one would hope. But by stealing the key, Kroaan was captured and tortured during all the 50 years while the tyrant tried to get information on the key’s location.’

‘Got it… so back to Dr’lyar. He.. Built? No, he was the classic warrior. The one who fought against the bugs, right?’ Viper asked.

‘Yes!’ Hera almost gasped, ‘He’s the harpy that asked for help when a type of bug, kind of like a mix of ants with beetles, started to grow too much. They marched across a room, aiming for a large nest used by the Children of the Sky. He asked for help but held down a pass for 1 week on his own, against creatures who were higher level than him. They say he killed 100 thousand monsters before reinforcements arrived and that half of all harpy eggs were in that nest he saved.’

‘So that leaves… Casper?’ Daskka frowned.

‘What did they build again?’ Crimson asked.

‘Oh shit! We’re dumb, they build this city!’ Twiggy gasped.

‘Oh fuck, you’re right. There was a massive tsunami in the room that drained all the water here. It even covered the waterfall. People fled in time, but all the buildings were destroyed. Then Casper came back alone, and rebuild Neptara by herself. She’s the one who created the idea of mixing coral and sand to make their version of concrete. That is used everywhere were we build stuff underwater,’ Hera nodded.

‘Mum! You’re up,’ Daskka pulled Hera’s hand forward, making her start moving.

The Ophidianite didn’t doubt the herald by a second and simply walked forward. The flashes of cameras reflecting against her scales the moment she stepped onto the stage. Nereus had helped her get some clothes for the occasion, she had a long deep blue dress that wrapped around her tail, hiding the base but showing the rest. The dress left her back exposed, with only a string tied around her neck to hold the fabric in front of her chest. She had a pair of sandals of the same color as the skirt that kept her claws out in the open, but protected the soles of her feet. Over her shoulders was a translucent pale blue shawl that went halfway down her torso, making her scales even harder to see, but it also gave an ethereal feeling to the look. Daskka was also under the shawl, making those in the audience unsure if that was a real snake or not.

“This is Hera Quetzaveth. The Ophidianite Empress. She is a member of the council who is assisting with the war effort, fighting in the front lines with our troops. Not just that, but she has fought and defeated three of the Soldiers of Strength on her own, while being at their level, if not lower,” as Nereus continued speaking, gasps spread out through the press. Rumors about Hera’s feats were spreading already, but hearing a confirmation like that was very different. After a brief pause, the Sovereign continued, “Although, on her own might not be the right way of saying things. Empress, could you call your court?”

Hera gave a slight nod, part of the deal was to show her legacy that way people could recognize not just the Ophidianite, but also her blades. With a steady voice, the Empress said, “To me.”

Nimbus and Livy appeared on her left, while Lurize and Vulcan took the right. The other blades all appeared, flying above them, almost forming a crown. Viper and Crimson were still as daggers on her waist. While discussing this ceremony, the council mentioned that having the twins show up might cause some disturbance, since they looked so much like a mix of an Ophidianite and a Naga. That discussion could take away from what they wished to be the focus of the announcement.

“Empress Quetzaveth is not simply the ruler of her people, but also the holder of a Legacy. One that makes sure she is never alone, and can always fight against unsurmountable odds. For that reason, and for all her accomplishments during the war. Killing not one, but two wendigos, one by herself and another during the rampage in the Cinderspire Citadel. Helping uncover a secret lab where the humans were experimenting with new weapons. Delivering supplies to an active battle front and protecting our troops from a Soldier of Strength, helping the battle in Crater of Sky, killing another two Soldiers of Strength, and having her court play a pivotal part in the siege of the human city, and helping us locate the source of the Soldier of Strength project. For all of that, we, the alliance as a whole, have decided to give her an honor never seen in over a thousand years. Hera Quetzaveth, the Ophidianite Empress, now has one more title to her name. Aspirant Hero.”

The gasps were even louder, Even Thalion and Kaela were caught off guard. The only people in the room who knew about this, aside from Hera herself and Nereus, were the Harmony Guardians and Helena, who started cheering right away. Others soon followed in a rousing applause.

Hera did her best to not show anything on her face. Apparently, she should look regal and confident, instead of showing her true emotions which were telling her to dig a hole, jump inside and never leave it again. Nereus gave the people a moment to celebrate before stepping to the side so Hera could approach the microphone.

“Empress Quetzaveth, do you have a few words to say?” that was a rehearsed question, and so would be Hera’s answer. She stepped to the podium and looked at the crowd. Even with the light on her, she could see them more or less clearly. The Ophidianite already had forgotten everything she had to say, but thankfully her court was there to help. Once Sun gave her the line, she started.

“It is a great honor to be called a council member, and an even grater one to be considered Aspirant Hero. But I must admit, I am not sure I am deserving of such a position. However, discussing that will come at a later date. Now, we have a bigger problem in our hands. The MAZE has never seen a threat like this, and to make matters even worse, it is a threat being created by someone who we used to call our own. Humans are calling us monsters, mindless beings that cannot leave the MAZE, and believe it’s their birthright to own not just all rooms, but our very lives,” Hera paused, she knew what she had to say next, but she didn’t agree with the statement. The idea was to demonize the humans in a way. It was the idea of fighting fire with fire. But the council had given her authority. She wasn’t about to go directly against what they asked her to say, but maybe she could already plant a seed of truth. Which meant she had to ad lib.

“In all honesty, their actions make little sense to me. Not just because of how abrupt their change was, but because of the fanaticism that follows their steps. I’ve met many humans, kind souls who would want nothing but peace. In fact, some of them are even here today. They helped us liberate Crater of Sky,” Hera noticed Nereus’ reaction to her going off script. The Sovereign of Dominion kept half his face neutral, the half that was facing the press, while the other half had a small smile. He seemed to understand and approve of the direction she was going. Even if most of the council didn’t think sharing about the mind control was the right move.

“But I cannot believe in good conscience that all my previous interactions with the humans were lies. Something must have happened to make them change in such an unnatural way. Unfortunately, I have no proof of what I’m saying. And it might all just be a naïve hope. But that hope still exists, and I do wish to be correct. To find someone pulling the strings in the back. Someone who, once defeated, will stop all the fighting,” Hera gave the crowd an amused smile, “Maybe this is already the position of Aspirant Hero going to my head. After all, things become much easier if all it takes to stop a war is for the Hero to defeat the villain. But that is something I intend to keep an eye out for. Any path that leads to a quicker end to this war with less suffering is a path I’m willing to take. Either way, this is my promise to all members of the Alliance. I will not rest until all members of the Alliance can sleep soundly at night, until all children can play without fear. This is not a war we started, or that we wished for. But it is a war we will end.”

There was some applause, not the same rousing kind when they announced her as an Aspirant Hero, but it was still more than what the Empress expected. She was never good at public speaking, and if she was going to be front and center of this kind of thing in the future, maybe she had to work on that.