Shane was so excited that she could barely contain herself. Finally, they could start their journey to the Wailing Valley. She's been looking for the place described in the old texts she found for a couple of years, but even when looking through everything the guild had about the MAZE, things only got close, but they were always missing something. Not this time. All the indications were there, gigantic valleys of orange stone. Where the sun gives you only a small reprieve from the overwhelming shadows that devour all.The labyrinth of stone and silk. If there was anything missing it was the howling beast that came from the abyss, but the room was still new. A creature that matched that description could be hiding somewhere in that room.

The group walked out of Boothudurn, using the main gate that would lead them to the mountain. The dwarves were finally starting to build something outside. As a first experiment, they were making a small farm to see the effects the snow would have on their vegetables and herbs. Hoping to improve their relationship, the guild offered to help and even bring some seeds that were suitable for the weather, but Lural refused. He wanted to understand the crops and try to deal with this new environment before asking for help. Another structure that was built was a large auditorium with a glass ceiling. Rutigan requested the builders to make an observatory where people could look at the sky with some comfort. This had become one of the city's main attractions, and people had to make reservations to visit the observatory. However, that was only the case for the dwarves. Anyone who came from a different room found this odd, and some even considered it a waste. That didn't matter for the people of Boothudurn. Even if they never felt trapped, being outside meant that they were truly free.

Hera and her group walked past that area, following a trail of trees with a yellow line painted on them to reach the next doorway. It wasn't a long stroll. In just 20 minutes, they arrived at the stone staircase that was carved from the mountain. That led to a small alcove with a large grey doorway. On top of the frame, there was an image of some white hills, and that was it.

"Oh, guys. Before we head out. Let me run a few things by everyone," Shane stepped in front of the group, "So, I'll have more to say when we arrive in the Wailing Valley, but for now. How many of you have ever been in a room without roads?"

Bonnie, Alex, and Blue raised their hands.

"Does this room count? We had to come down the mountain," Hera asked.

"I'll give you a half yes. Actually, no. You cheated. That doesn't count," Shane shook her head.

"What do you mean I cheated?" Hera scoffed. In response, Shane just made a bird with her hands and mimicked the movement of wings. Hera was confused for a moment, but when she saw Shane's expression, something clicked. She was talking about Capri, "Oh…. Yeah, a little bit."

"What do you mean you cheated?" Blue turned around.

"It's an explorer thing. Our relics can do a thing, but we need to be alone," Shane replied.

"That's why you left me in the cave?" Blue asked.

"Yeah. I'm still not sure how much I can talk about it. It's a weird thing," Hera sighed.

"You could have told me," Blue crossed her arms.

"You wanted me to tell you that I have a thing that I can't talk about? I tried that, remember?" Hera rolled her eyes.

"Ok, ok. Ladies, stop with that bickering. It doesn't matter what happened before, you know now. Anyway, let me continue. Since four of you never went to an untamed room, there are some general rules to avoid getting lost. First, stay close to the party. Since we all have the communicator, as long as we stay in range, that's fine too. It's even better if you set up the color code for it. That way, if you are in the red, you should come back," Shane showed the same model of communicator that Blue bought them. After that, Mylo and her started to show everyone how they set up the color change for their distance from each other.

"Second rule. Not all monsters want a hug," Mylo said.

"So… some do?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah. Some just want food and a hug. They can be very cuddly," Mylo nodded with a smile.

"Ok then…" Alex turned back to Shane, "Anything else?"

"Yeah. Sure, monsters can be good but don't count on it. Unless you're Mylo. If you see a monster, let everyone know and keep your guard up. More often than not, if we don't do anything to them, they won't do anything to us."

"Really?" Bonnie perked up.

"Yeah. It's like seeing an animal in the wild. Sure, if they are hungry or we are invading their territory, they might attack, but if you are just passing by, they might just ignore you. Well… I say might, but it's like a 50/50. Unless they have something that proves otherwise. Like, if they are eating, they won't bother us, and if they have babies around, get ready for a fight. Ah, it's too many variables to explain now. Just be careful and let everyone knows where and what they are. Also, from the 5th layer onward, be careful when using the Observe skill. Some monsters can tell when you've used it on them. Here we probably won't have any issues. Still, it's good to watch out," Shane continued.

"Oh, and bathroom breaks. Do you all know how to bury your stuff?" Mylo asked.

"Bury our... stuff?" Bonnie had a horrified expression.

"Oh, no, I don't mean your time of the month. When you go to the bathroom, if you don't bury it, it might attract monsters," Mylo explained.

"That's what I thought you were saying!" Bonnie gasped.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Well, it seems odd, but he's not wrong. Strong smells can attract the wrong type of attention," Shane added.

"Is there anything else?" Blue asked.

"Just one more thing. If you get hurt or anything, let everyone know. We can't have people hiding injuries just because they 'don't want to be a bother,' it doesn't matter how small it is. If you get so much as a paper cut let us know," Shane glanced at Hera then at Mylo, making both of them look away. In just a few days, Shane already understood some of the dynamics of this new group.

"Teacher?" Mylo rose his hand.

"Oh, for fuck…." Shane mumbled, "What?"

"If we heal the paper cut ourselves that's not a problem, right?"

"Yeah it is! We don't know if there could be any poison or something on whatever cuts you. And please, by the love of the system, don't call me teacher," Shane gasped.

"So, stay close, watch out for monsters, and communicate. Anything else?" Alex asked with an impatient tone.

"For now, no. Let me just send you all a file. It has all the information the guild has about these rooms we are going to see. Let's hope there is not a snowstorm going on," Shane sent the file in their group chat with basically everything. Directions for the doorways, locations of the dungeons, and types flora and fauna they could find, it was all there.

Shane turned around and raised the hand with her relic, "Then let's go. Onward to adventure!"

Her shout was followed by a dead silence. Everyone was just staring at her, wondering what that was all about.

"She's trying to find a good motivational catchphrase. I think this means that we should go," Mylo leaned over the rest of the group to whisper. Hera never realized, but the man was huge. He should easily be 2 meters tall.

"Ok, Yay, let's go," Blue tried to give an excited shout, but it only made things more awkward.

One by one, they all went through the doorway. Shane waited for Mylo's turn and asked, "Was it that bad?"

"Around the same level of the 'adventure awaits us,'" Mylo replied just before crossing the doorway.

Hera went right after him, and touching the pure white frame, a notification appeared in front of her.

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

Would you like to be transported to

White Desert - 4th Layer

[Yes] [No]

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

Pressing yes, Hera felt her body being covered in that warm feeling and the white light became intense enough to force her to close her eyes. A few moments passed until the warmth was replaced by a biting wind.

"Holy shit. Why is this place so cold?" Blue was rubbing her arms.

"I don't know. Where are we?" Alex looked around.

They were inside a cave. It was similar to the entrance to the Wooly Plains in a way, but the ground was covered in snow, and the walls were made out of ice. Silah grabbed Hera's hand and held it tightly. It was the first time she saw something this alien, and it felt unnerving. Helena and Shane were the last ones to appear, and with the entire group together, they started moving. Following the light at the end of the cave, Mylo took the lead until they reached outside. Surrounding the explorers, the ice became clearer and clearer, reaching a beautiful shade of blue before giving way to the cloudless sky. Beyond the cave, there was a massive expanse of white. Fresh snow covered the entire area for miles on end. The only point that had a different color was the ice cave they just came out of.

"This is… amazing," Silah gasped.

"It is beautiful but a bit unsettling," Bonnie nodded.

"Let her enjoy this," Blue poked the researcher with her elbow.

"I'm just worried about how easy it would be to get lost here. There are no landmarks and nothing that could tell us where we are," Bonnie kept looking around with a worried expression.

"You don't have the map skill?" Mylo asked.

"Oh… right, I do, but mine is a bit different," Bonnie open her [Atlas] to take a look, "Yeah, no, forget about that. I can see where we are."

"Keep that in mind. There is a reason why everyone learns this skill. Also, we might have trouble if there is a snowstorm. The ones here can interfere with our map skill," Shane added before pulling up her tablet, "Ok… so now we have to go north until we reach the wall of the room, then we head east."

"For how long?" Mylo asked.

"About… three hours to the wall, then another three to the east," Shane replied.

"Can't we just go straight to the doorway?" Alex asked.

"We could, but there is the risk of getting lost. Also, the snow is deeper in the middle of the room, reaching up to Mylo's chest at some points, and some monsters hide in the snow. Going around takes longer, but it's less risky," Shane kept checking her tablet to confirm the information she had.

"Yeah, it's better to be safe. There is no need to take a risk without reason," Helena nodded.

Hera looked over to the mage, who seemed taller than usual. Hera glanced down and saw a couple of those shadowy tentacles coming from under the snow and wrapping around her waist, lifting her from the ground.

"Lena… are you carrying yourself?" Hera asked.

Helena stared at her for a moment, "Maybe."

"Can you carry me too? I have never been carried," Mylo asked.

Helena looked at him for a moment and moved her hands. Four tentacles appeared around the man and wrapped around his waist before lifting him off of the ground, "Man, you're heavy."

"I'm just a bit bloated right now. I don't remember the last time I had a cucumber avocado salad," Mylo looked away, crossing his arms.

"Can you do that with everyone?" Shane turned to Helena.

"Not really. I can carry myself for a really long time, but if I add Mylo, that can last maybe an hour. The more grabbers I make, the more mana they cost," Helena explained.

"You call them grabbers? They are clearly tentacles. I mean, look around. They even have those sucking cups," Blue said.

"That's the name of the spell. It's not my fault they show up like that," Helena shrugged.

"Still, this would help a lot. We can take turns resting while Lena carries us around," Shane smiled.

"I just got better, and you guys already want to use me?" Helena gasped.

"Well, you are the one who can carry people around. I don't see a problem with that, and it gives you a chance to use spells like you've been doing," Hera nudged her with her shoulder.

"I'm not a carriage!"

"True, a carriage would be able to carry more people. You are like a two-seat bike," Bonnie replied.

The group laughed and started their journey. Mylo kept forgetting he was being carried and tried to walk even when his feet didn't touch the ground.

On the other side of the room, a large creature sniffed the snow, sensing the presence of different prey. It growled quietly, and five other beasts rose from the snow in response. There was a pause and more sniffing for a while, until, with another growl, the six dove in the snow once more and vanished from all sight.