The first thing that Hera did was look around in the camp. She was in the same location where she had first entered the mountain biome. It was a small path, with a large slope to one side and the wall to the other. However, the tunnel made by the Talaruk and its babies was nowhere to be seen. Instead of the opening by the wall, there was a small campsite with four people around. Two of them, who seemed to be seasoned explorers, were preparing a tent. Another man was preparing a meal in a large pot with a map of its size, and a woman was writing something in a notebook.

Hera looked at the journal, but it was in a language she didn't understand. The woman seemed thrilled with whatever she was doing, while the others had more serious expressions. The ones taking care of the tent had nothing to help her, leaving only the man making food to give Hera something to go off of. She walked over and saw he was holding a locket in his hand. There was a small picture of a woman holding a baby inside the locket, and the man had a pained expression. Looking at the map, Hera could see two cities with a large mountain range in the middle. There was a road connecting the towns, but it went all the way down, going around the massive alps. That path went through a large river, then a gigantic forest, and what seemed like a wasteland. In red, there was a second line going straight through the mountain.

"Oh, this one is easy then. They came here to either learn the spells or make a tunnel with the Talaruk's help. That's my answer," Hera announced.

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

You have completed the Hunter Biome – 3rd task

Your answer is correct. People searched for the Talaruk in order to learn from it.

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

Time started moving quick. The group walked around the mountain while Hera watched. They found the Talaruk and approached it much like she had done so. Only the woman with the notebook was interacting with the creature, while the rest just watched from a distance. She did the same thing that Hera had done during her test and helped open a path on the top of the mountain, reuniting the Talaruk with its babies.

"We came here in search of knowledge," A feminine voice appeared from behind Hera, "We heard tales about a creature that could shape the mountain. It was our hope that we could learn from it."

"You wanted to know how it did that so you could connect the cities. The journey around the mountain seems too long and dangerous," Hera replied to the scholar who was now behind her. Unlike the peppy expression that she had while working with the Talaruk, this version was gloomy and saddened.

"Yes. That's why we tracked it. My goal was to share the knowledge I gained with others and eventually create a new road. However, others among my group had a different plan," as the woman spoke, the Talaruk finished creating the path and showed its nest to the humans. They all went inside, and a few moments later, the hunter that had the locket left the cave holding a net filled with the Talaruk's babies. Another of the hunters followed the first, pulling the Talaruk with a rope. The last one was carrying an unconscious scholar on her shoulder.

"Leave him alone!" Hera yelled.

"That was the same reaction I had, and you can see how well that went."

"Why are they doing that?"

"Like I said, they had other plans."

The group dragged the Talaruk down the mountain and forced it to create a tunnel to the other city. The humans threatened it by using its babies and didn't even allow the creature to sleep. The hunter who had the locket grabbed one of the babies and hit it in front of the Talaruk every time it seemed to rest. Three days passed, and the tunnel was completed. Instead of letting it go, the hunters killed the Talaruk and all the babies. The one with the locket walked over to a house and came out with a small kid in his arms. The child had a pained expression and seemed to have a fever. He gave a kiss on her forehead and walked inside the tunnel.

"What were you doing all that time?" Hera asked, furious about what she had just seen.

"I was a prisoner. They locked me inside a house until the tunnel was finished. When I tried to escape, they accused me of trying to kill the chief's daughter. She was sick and needed medical attention, but the medicine she needed came from the city you saw on the map," the scholar replied.

"Am I supposed to feel bad for him? There was no need to be that cruel. The Talaruk would be happy to help if you had just asked!"

"I'm not here to tell you how to feel. I'm simply telling a story," the scholar replied without changing her expression.

"How can you say that? Even king Gwendelan felt sorry for killing another human. Are you telling me you didn't feel a thing about that?" Hera scoffed.

"Me, no I didn't. I'm not alive, nor I was at the time. The scholar left the city after this, but I'm not her. Despite my appearance."

"Fine, then ask your damn question so I can get going. I don't want to stay here."

"You already answered. The question was why we wanted to learn from the Talaruk."

"What now, then?"

"Now, you have one last question to answer," a familiar childish voice came from her left.

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As Hera looked over, the slave kid from the desert biome was standing in the middle of an empty room. Hera herself was in the same room, and the mountainside had vanished.

"And because you managed to complete two of the biomes without failing, you have two chances to answer," the old crone from the jungle biome was on her right.

"The question is simple," the scholar said.

"Why do we hunt?" all three asked at once.

"What kind of question is that? Each of you had a different reason to hunt," Hera scoffed.

"I am referring to the collective we and not the individual us. Now answer," the kid spoke.

"Why do we hunt?" all three asked once more.

Hera stared at the three figures. Each of them had a specific reason for hunting monsters. The kid needed food, the crone and the villagers wanted to protect their people, and the scholar wanted to learn something. The reasons were too different, and Hera couldn't see the connection. Not between all three, at least, the crone and the scholar had a very similar motive.

"You wanted to protect someone," Hera replied.

"That is incorrect. Although that could apply to some of us, not all would hunt for protection," the crone shook her head.

Hera stopped to think for a moment. She was still angry about what they did with the Talaruk. Trying to cool off, she took a big gulp of water from her bottle.

"Ok, let me think."

What was the kid doing? Why was it hunting scorpions? They were hungry. It was all because of food. The crone and the villagers wanted to live in peace, but the orangutans wouldn't allow it while they were around. It was a kill or be killed situation. The scholar just wanted to learn something to get stronger or help her city. The chief, on the other hand, wanted to save his daughter. Everyone wanted to save someone. However, things were different to the kid. They were just trying to stay alive. That gave Hera an idea that she could only hope was right.

"You hunt to survive. Be it by getting food, protecting yourself, or making things easier for you and your people," Hera replied.

The three figures smiled, and the kid started speaking, "That is correct. Humans are a hunting species. Ever since the first humans walked on Earth, we hunt."

"Even after we acquired technology and grew our own food, we still hunt. Be it land, knowledge, money, or whatever else we desire," the scholar added.

The crone took a step back, "And we will keep hunting for our entire existence. We hunt experiences and new ways to extend our lives. We hunt for partners and companions to spend the rest of our days and even hunt for a grander meaning for what we do. Humans were born as hunters, and we shall die as hunters."

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

Hunter Biome – Final Task Completed

You have understood the reason for the creation of the hunter role.

You will receive an increased reward upon completion of the role test.

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

Hera waved off the notification, and the three figures had vanished. Now she was alone in an empty white room with a singular black door behind her.

"Was that it? All that show and tell just for a random ass question? Why the hell did they show me the Talaruk being hurt then? Wasn't there a better way to give me the lesson? What kind of sick fuck thinks it's ok to show a puppy being tortured?" Hera yelled, but there was no one to reply to her. She just stood there, angry about how they attacked the Talaruk and frustrated about how people treated the kid. The jungle was the only place that didn't have any awful behavior. It sucked that they were at war with the orangutans, but the people at least were taking care of each other.

"This is bullshit," Hera yelled as she headed towards the door.

"Hey, kid. How did it go?" Peaches asked.

"Humans suck!"

"Not all, but I agree that some of you do suck."

"Seriously, is every test going to be this messed up?" Hera asked.

"Not all. Some have less jarring situations as their origin."

"Which ones?"

"I can't say, kid. That's part of the rules."

"I hate those rules."

"I can't do much about that, unfortunately," Peaches shrugged.

"Don't worry. I'm not blaming you," Hera sighed and looked up to the timer. There were only 4 hours and 58 minutes remaining, "Aw fuck. Really? Two minutes?"

"If I'm honest, you completed the quest 9 seconds before the clock hit 5 hours. So… yeah, you won the bet."

"Really?" Hera opened a big smile.

"You stopped being upset really quick," Peaches squinted at her.

"Well, everything sucked, but those are just history lessons. It's like being angry because of a war hundreds of years ago. It's fine if I'm upset, but I can't change a thing. What I can do is make sure not to let those kinds of things happened ever again," Hera explained.

"I mean, that's a good way to see things, but you still changed your mood way too quickly."

"Yeah, I killed a guy in the last test, and after everything that happened with me, I decided to wait to deal with my emotions when I have a moment to stop and breathe."

"I'm not sure if that's a healthy way to go about it, but at the same time, it sounds like a good idea."

"Well, it's what I'm doing to cope. Can't say if that's a good idea or not, but it's not like I can actually talk to my shrink right now," Hera sighed.

"Right, you are stuck in Capri's room. Don't worry, kid, I believe in you. You'll find a way to go back home," Peaches smiled.

"Thanks. It's hard sometimes. If it wasn't for Blue, there would be no one who understands what I'm going through."

"I can't say I understand but know that I'm rooting for you. Even after you get out of here."

"Well, that won't happen for the next few hours. We still have some time to hang out," Hera winked.

"True, wanna talk about something? Or should I pull up something for us to watch?"

"Can you do that?"

"As long as it is not the news or something like that, yeah. In here, I can only pull up movies or TV shows you guys stream." Peaches said.

"Oh. Really? Can you pull talk shows or something like that?"

"It's kind of finicky. I can only play works of fiction that wouldn't give you any knowledge that could affect the test or any new knowledge from Earth. So, anything that gives information about mountains, jungles, or deserts is off-limits. Then again, it depends. If it's just a scene where the characters are racing through the desert or a mountainside, it's fine. Talk shows and things like that I can only show if they aired at least a year before the last time you last exited the MAZE."

"What about mafia? There was this show about a mobster who goes back to his home country to get a hidden stash of diamonds under a building, but I ended up in Boothudurn before the last episode came out," Hera asked.

"Oh, that one I can do, but do you mind if we watch the second to last episode too? I haven't watched that one yet."

"No problem. As long as we can keep talking, and you tell me what the scouts are."

"Sure, let me pull up the show. Oh, and grab the popcorn and sodas from the rest area, please," Peaches asked as the biggest screen in the reception turned on and played the intro for a streaming service that Hera didn't know. It was called Guide Watch, and there were three profiles, one for Peaches and one for each of the Kobold sisters.

"Don't start without me. Let me just use the bathroom real quick," Hera got up and headed to the reception.