Hera and Blue were finally ready to go inside the new dungeon. After killing the Sky Ruler, their equipment was still banged up, and it took some time to get it fixed. Kahala made both their armors, and the armorsmith refused to do anything in a hurry. It was a good thing, since it allowed Blue to get used to the complete legacy and for the guard to check if anyone else could join the dungeon run.
The message that showed up in the dungeon entrance said that some people wouldn't be able to get the first clear rewards, but that wasn't all. As long as the MAZE identified you as the descendant of those involved in the events that created the dungeon, it would stop you from entering it altogether. All guard members had tried, and even some civilians like Fethy and a few of the mages tried to enter, but the result was the same. A notification appeared in front of them, saying that they couldn't be the first to enter the dungeon. Hera and Blue were the only ones that saw the notification asking if they wanted to enter or not.
At least it wasn't all bad news. Now that the threat of the griffons was gone, there were some small excursions to the mountain through the front gate. Of course, the dwarves were still being careful, since no one was entirely sure if there was any griffon left on the mountain. Even so, that was the talk of the town. The fact that Hera and Blue had killed the Sky Ruler was quickly replaced by discussions of how soft the snow was or how pretty was the sky. It was weird realizing that most people inside the city didn't have an actual concept of the sky. Most were even calling it 'the ceiling outside.' The term wasn't technically wrong since there was an invisible wall on the top of the room, but it still felt weird looking at the blue sky and calling it a ceiling.
Another thing that changed was the dungeon. The griffons no longer had the cloud barriers to protect them from the dwarves. Now any member of the guard was more than capable of killing the Sky Ruler's Spawn and even the rulers from the hard mode. Since Blue now had the legacy, all the effects it created previously were gone, which even translated to the dungeon. According to Stormcloud, the legacy herald, the only reason even the dungeon was affected was that the sky ruler was the one responsible for creating that dungeon. That happened long before the dwarves arrived. But Stormcloud couldn't tell her anything more specific.
Blue also noticed how Stormcloud now had more of a personality. Before completing the legacy, the herald was much like a virtual assistant that comes with a phone, and now it would joke, complain, ask about things, and even make different suggestions. Stormcloud was much more alive, but it was also very lazy. Almost every time Blue called it, the herald wasn't in the mood to talk and only wanted to watch the same episode of a show that Blue had downloaded on her tablet before getting stuck in Boothudurn.
Hera couldn't see any of that. Or at least, she only saw one side of the conversation. It was like watching someone talk on the phone. During the five days that passed, Blue learned much more about the legacy than during the months with just a single piece of it. Now, she could store up to three different clouds made by her blank cloud spell and instantly trigger them. But it wasn't like she was storing the cloud that was created. Instead, she stored how the cloud functioned and could call upon the finished product like any other spell. She also learned how to make cloud limbs that helped her move around the battlefield.
Another thing that Stormcloud showed her was a way to create a cloud that could lift her short distances like an elevator. It wasn't quick or practical, but it showed that Blue would most likely be able to fly around freely with practice. Lastly, now Blue didn't have to worry about being subjective when creating new spells for her legacy. With the complete Stormcloud legacy, she could keep using the code she used for other spells to control her newfound abilities.
Blue also became more aware of the limitations that came with this new power. For example, she could only create, or affect, violent or heavy clouds. One possibility she now had was to control naturally formed clouds, but again the restrictions applied, and the bigger the cloud, the more mana she would need to move it in any way. Another issue was that some spells could be changed to function as part of her legacy as soon as she got them, and using the version that wasn't connected to Stormcloud was now much more costly.
When Blue talked about everything Stormcloud told her, Hera couldn't help but find it similar to Peaches and the other guides. They always answered the questions directly and gave any extra information relevant to what she asked, as if they were reading her mind to understand what she wanted. Well, Peaches was a bit of an outlier, but that was only because he was in charge of the tests and not answering her questions. The next time Hera saw Peaches or another guide, she would have to ask about the heralds.
The day after their armors got fixed, Blue, and Hera went to the dungeon. Silah wanted to join and wait by the entrance, but after Hera explained that some dungeons could last for days or even weeks, the blacksmith agreed to let them go alone. However, that wasn't exactly an option. King Rutigan and Fethy escorted them to the dungeon. Both were very interested in what would happen inside since the wedding with the overgrown plants wasn't something that ever happened in Boothudurn. Still, after some research, Rutigan found a diary that talked about the last day of their city before the fire that made them flee the kingdom. There was a single mention about a wedding that almost didn't happen because of something that went wrong. It was a very small passage, but enough to make the King and the Duchess of Culture believe that this dungeon was a window to their long-lost culture.
When the four arrived at the dungeon entrance, Hera turned to the two dwarves that followed her, "Listen. I understand how excited you are about this, but mind your expectations. Dungeons are weird. They are like a spoken story that already went through a dozen different recountings. The events that made it happen may not be exactly like what we see inside."
Blue nodded, "Yeah. We know one that showed us an entire war in 2 days. Things may not be 100% accurate."
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"You two are saying that it may not have been like what you will see. Does that mean that there is a possibility that you will see the old kingdom exactly like it was?" Fethy asked.
"Well. I guess so, but try to expect the worst result. That way, anything good that comes out of this is already above your expectations," Blue said.
"Are all humans so negative? If this is not what we expect, it will be a shame, but we still will be one step closer to connecting our cultures," Rutigan opened a big smile.
"That's true," Hera smiled back.
After Blue unlocked the dungeon, they went back to the doorway to check if there was anything different. And as they hoped, the third step had appeared. Now they had to complete the hard mode of the Weeding Disaster dungeon and receive a reward for the first clear, and they would be able to go back home. However, there was a single thing that worried Hera about this. In the Wooly Plains, the first time clear was only available for the first attempt. If they, for some reason, failed the hard mode, could they lose the key forever? That seemed unlikely, but the thought kept creeping into Hera's mind.
"Are you ready?" Blue turned to Hera, snapping her out of her daze.
Hera pulled her handaxe and got ready to fight if needed before nodding, "Yeah. Let's do this."
The two touched the stone door, and a notification appeared.
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Would you like to enter the Weeding Disaster Dungeon?
[Yes] [No]
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They both pressed yes, and the door opened slowly, revealing another tunnel with a few torches illuminating it. The humans walked inside, and Fethy tried to follow, but she was stopped by an invisible barrier and a notification informing her that she could not enter the dungeon. After a few moments, the door closed behind Hera and Blue with a loud echo.
"This is fine, right?" Blue asked.
"I think so. I mean, we are level 16. So we should be 6 levels above anything that this dungeon throws at us," Hera replied.
Blue nodded in agreement, but she got closer to Hera, standing shoulder to shoulder. The tunnel seemed very long, and the intervals between the torches were getting longer. Worst-case scenario, Hera could use her dancing lights to illuminate the path. But since they had no clue what to expect, creating a flare didn't seem like the best idea.
Suddenly, another pair of torches were lit up at the end of the corridor, revealing a large white stone door. Hera and Blue looked at each other and kept moving forward. The sound of metal clashing echoed through the tunnel, followed by loud yells, almost like there was a battle going on.
"Wasn't this supposed to be just a wedding?" Blue asked.
"Maybe the spell created some monsters. Like, those small clay dolls from the Arcanist Lookout," Hera said.
"Crap… should we hurry?"
"Maybe, remember what we learned. The MAZE never puts us into a life or death situation when we enter a room or a dungeon. Not right out of the gate at least."
Blue nodded, and the two kept walking to the door at a steady pace. The sounds became louder, which only made the situation seem worse. Finally, after taking a deep breath, they opened the door. Unlike the battleground they expected to find, they arrived in a large kitchen with dozens of dwarves running around. A row of stone stoves was filled with pots and pans, with several cooks preparing different dishes.
Another group was rushing out while carrying several boxes. Everyone was wearing some kind of uniform. The cooks were wearing white aprons and white clothes, while the ones carrying boxes looked like servers. They had dark blue jackets and grey pants with silver embroidery around the waist and by the sides of both pieces. Hera had to take a moment to understand what kind of pattern she saw in their clothes. It was made of sharp, straight lines cascading into each other, creating what looked like the image of a waterfall going down a mountain.
As Hera and Blue were still in a daze, one dwarf approached them. He had long blond hair that stood up in an obnoxiously big pompadour that gave the man an extra 20 centimeters in height. His clothes were bright yellow, and the design was similar to a Victorian king. Big puffy shoulders with a tight pair of pants that were a bit too revealing. Not to mention the amount of shiny embroidery in his clothes. It wouldn't be a surprise if the man could be seen from hundreds of meters away.
"Finally, you both are here. How dare you come late on such a momentous day? If one guest complains about the decoration, I shall have your heads," the dwarf spoke in a tone filled with self-importance that made Blue flinch.
On the other hand, Hera took but a second to return to her customer service persona and replied with a soft smile, "My apologies, sir. May I ask what task we should focus on for the day?"
Blue stared at her friend with a surprised expression. It was offputting to see Hera change so drastically, so fast. The dwarf just scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Do not try to impress me with such lousy manners. Those are barely appropriate even for a commoner. Now, as you are undoubtedly aware, I am Vetek Rimmok, of the great house Rimmok, Baron of the Valley and Grand Tribune of Stone. You two are hereby conscripted into my aid, and I shall bestow upon you the honor of being my left and right arms during this day. Not literally, of course. I already have a personal butler, and commoners such as yourselves would never be worthy of tending to my every need. Now, chop-chop. You have much work to do, and the ceremony starts at sundown."
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You are tasked with preparing the Wedding Ceremony
Dungeon Quest:
The City of Kul Dorul is preparing for a wedding ceremony.
Several aspects of the ceremony are yet to be finished, and a spell caused some trouble with the decorative flora.
Prepare a wedding ceremony worthy of a princess.
First completion rewards:
25 000 gold, Dwarven Wedding Gift Bag
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You are the first ever to enter this dungeon. If you complete the Dungeon Quest, you will receive the following bonus rewards:
Kul Dorul Tarot Card
+ 1 Level
These rewards are permanently forfeited if you leave the dungeon without completing this quest.
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After reading the notification, Blue and Hera got excited. They could get another level by completing the dungeon. If that happened during the hard mode too, that was a 2 level increase between now and the moment they went back home.
"Ok… but what are we supposed to do?" Blue turned to Vetek.
"Are you that stupid, girl? Prepare the ceremony, do everything that needs to be done, and it better be a fine job, or you will bring shame to the House Rimmok. Now off with you, this discussion has exhausted me, and I shall retire to rest until the guests arrive," Vetek waved and another dwarf wearing similar yellow clothes appeared and escorted his master to a room on the side.
"So… we have to plan the entire wedding?" Blue asked.
"Yeah, and I bet that guy gets the praise," Hera sighed. It wasn't the first time that she had to do someone else's work.
"Right, but… have you ever been to a wedding?" Blue turned to Hera.
"Not really. How about you?"
"Do movies count?"
There was a moment of silence while the two humans realized the situation.
"We are fucked," Blue said.
"Yep," Hera replied with a sigh.