The first thing Hera noticed about the Wailing Valley was the heat. She just felt the familiar warmth from the transfer, but that was replaced by dry and scorching heat. Even if they were under the shade, it wasn't enough to give them some reprieve. The next thing Hera noticed was how the surrounding area felt odd in comparison with the temperature. The place was dark, almost as dark as a cave. Looking up, Hera could see she was at the bottom of a massive ravine that should be a few hundred meters high. The sunlight was only hitting the top of the walls. In a way, this place felt like a prison one would see in fantasy stories. A place where you could only wait for a small reprieve from the darkness.
This was only her initial thought as she was staring up. As soon as Hera looked around, her impression changed. The outpost here was still being built. So far, only the guild and the infirmary were ready. Everything else was temporary, from the bathrooms to the bonfires that illuminated the area. In fact, looking around, this felt like a summer camp. People were walking around outside, talking and laughing. Torches were set up in the surrounding area, making it look even more like a camp for kids.
There was a surprising number of people in the area, but not as many as they had in the Forest of Dreams. Here it seemed like people were focusing on defending the outpost and building the structures. Only a couple of groups seemed to be the type who would be interested in exploring the area. Shane was thrilled with that. The fewer people that seemed interested in discovering the room, the more chances she had of being the first to find the ruins.
It was early morning, despite the darkness of the area. This also meant that they had a lot of time to move around and start their search. Shane pulled Hera to the side before gathering everyone.
"Do that thing, please," Shane asked.
"What thing?"
"That green thing that doesn't let other people hear us."
"Oh, right," Hera tapped her foot, and a green barrier covered the two, allowing them to speak without being heard.
"Thanks. So I wanted to talk to you about the guide. Let's hold off on calling them for now," Shane spoke after making sure that no one would listen to them.
"Ok, but why? Isn't it better to just ask where the ruins are? We can call them twice."
"Well, we don't know what to expect in the ruins. If it's a place that has too many secret passages or a full library, how can we find the information about the court? That's why I'm saying we should save that. At least for now, you know. If we can't find the ruins on our own, we can call the guide and ask about them. I just don't want to waste a question with something that is going to end up being easy," Shane explained.
"That's fair. I'll hold off on calling them. But even if we end up not needing their help. I want to see what the guide here looks like," Hera said.
"Oh, for sure. I'm curious too. It's going to be the first time I call a guide with someone else," Shane smiled.
"With someone else? I don't think we can do that even if we have the skill. Wasn't the whole thing about not sharing because people started to call them in groups?" Hera asked.
"Yeah, no. It was just a figure of speech. I have no clue if calling them in a group would work, and honestly, I have no intention of risking getting a strike."
"Ok. So what's the plan for now?"
"Let's get everyone to talk about that," Shane left the soundproof bubble.
They gathered around, and Shane passed her strategy along. Since the texts talked about a place that was covered in webs, they had to find the nest of the spiders. The ruins should be somewhere around there. Hera and Shane would be using their relics to get a better sense of where everything was, with Hera's dowsing rod being the hail mary in case they couldn't find anything before calling the guides.
"Everyone, listen up," Shane pulled the group to the edge of the outpost, "Everything here is dark, so we have two options. Either we put a bunch of lights around us and attract the monsters, or we manage without it and be very careful while we walk."
"We are a large group. I think using the lights would be better," Bonnie said.
"Are you sure? It's like a massive 'free meal' sign," Blue replied.
"Not free. If they try, we just kill them," Mylo gestured with his staff.
"I like the posture, but that might not work. Don't forget that the monsters here should be higher level than Bonnie and I," Alex said.
"Right, what level is everyone again? I'm 28, and Mylo is 25," Shane asked.
"Blue and I are level 18. We should be around the same level as the strongest monsters here," Hera replied.
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"I'm level 23, but the strongest thing I ever fought against was just level 15," Silah added.
"I'm level 15, and Bonnie is level 13," Alex added.
"I'm level 14, actually. I got a level up a couple of days before we left Boothudurn," Bonnie puffed her chest proudly.
"I'm level 18," Helena said.
"Still Lena? I thought you were level 18 the last time we saw each other. And that was what? A couple years ago already."
"I know, but I was focusing on my research. For a mage, that is a very ineffective way of leveling up."
"Still, shouldn't you have gotten a level at least? After everything that went down on the wall and all," Shane tilted her head.
"You don't have to tell me. I assumed that the penguins and weird bear things we fought would've given me a level at least, but here I am," Helena sighed.
"Well, I imagine that your attributes will go through the roof then. I mean, that's what? 3, 4 years at level 18?" Bonnie asked.
"Maybe, like I imagine you are right, but I still can't be sure until I actually level up."
"I hope that happens soon. It would be a big boost to our group. Anyway, going back to the plan. Since Alex and Bonnie are lower-leveled, you two stay by my side. I'll be on the lookout for any sneak attacks from monsters. I know you are more of a frontline Alex, but try to avoid that just until we are familiar with the creatures here," Shane's request was met with a nod from Bonnie and an annoyed grunt from Alex. Still, the assassin knew that this was the best option.
"The rest of us can be anywhere. I will take the front," Mylo pulled his staff from his back and moved to the front of the group.
"I guess that's it then. Let's get going. Stay on the lookout for the spider nest. It should be a corridor filled with webs and spiders, or at least that's what my clue says," Shane turned around, and the group started walking.
"Hera, do things don't change in the MAZE?" Silah asked as their journey began.
"What do you mean?"
"Like, if something was written down some years ago, will they always be like that?"
Hera thought for a moment, "Not really. Major landmarks will most likely stay, but everything else can change."
"So… how can Shane be sure that the ruins we are looking for will be in the middle of a spider nest?"
"I don't know..." Hera looked towards Shane, who was close enough to hear the conversation.
"I'm not sure, I'm not even sure if the texts I found spoke about this particular room. But that's our best bet for now. The only lead we have. So instead of going around running like headless chickens, we at least have something specific to look for. If it works, great. If not, we just keep moving," Shane explained.
The group left the safety of the outpost, and the light spells were triggered. Hera, Bonnie, Shane, and Silah used light spells to illuminate a large area around them. Helena could help, but light spells would go against the affinity, which made the spell way too costly to be worth. Instead, Helena could use a night vision of sorts, even if it was only for herself.
For the first few minutes of their search, nothing happened. Everyone had a copy of the aerial view of the area, and they could overlay it with their maps. After half an hour walking, they were still in the first crevasse, and no one had ever seen where it would branch out. Even monsters were nowhere to be seen and in almost complete darkness. That was unsettling, even if they knew that this was supposed to be like that. Unlike when they traveled through the rooms, here everyone was tense, and there was little to no talking going on, which only made the silence even more evident.
Another ten minutes went by when they reached the first branching path. A howling sound was coming from the path to the right, and the valley there was more narrow. Everyone looked at Shane to know where to go next. This was her quest, and she would be the one taking the lead. She placed her gauntlet on the ground and used her sonar ability. When she got up, the explorer pointed to the new path. Hera sent a couple of dancing lights ahead and tried to keep them about fifty meters ahead. That way, the light could work almost like the light of an anglerfish. A trap to lure creatures in its direction, making the monsters reveal themselves to the group. Several times, the shadow of a creature seemed to creep up on the edge of the light, but it quickly vanished. They couldn't tell if that really happened, or it was just the situation playing tricks on them.
Shane pulled up her map and sighed, "Guys. I know we are being careful, but I think we need to pick up the pace a bit. If we keep this going, it's going to take a year to go over everywhere. Is everyone ok with moving faster?"
"I'm fine with faster, but we shouldn't be running," Hera said.
"Yeah, it's just walking at a normal pace and not at this careful march we are doing," Shane nodded.
The group started moving at a more steady pace and reached another crossroads in just a few minutes. Hera pulled up her map again and started to check the information the guild already had. They had explored about a quarter of the room, but no one had found the nests of any of the creatures that lived here. It was assumed that the Roly Poly nest was above the valley, since most of them fell from above, but no one could be sure about that. Some explorers were able to fly, but that was considered a high-level skill since it required a massive amount of mana.
The closest part that had yet to be explored was to the left path and up. Shane, however, had other plans. She wanted to keep pushing ahead, to where the spiders and the scarabs kept fighting each other. Her reasoning was simple. There had to be a reason for both species to be so interested in that particular spot. Following their leader, the group continued walking until the sun was high in the sky, giving a small break from all the shadows and illuminating most of the valley.
Around that time, they arrived in the area marked as being the battlegrounds between scarab and spider. The two armies were already there, fighting each other. It was evident why that specific area was so desired. Looking in the opposite direction, Hera could see a long corridor going west, meaning that in this small patch of land, the sun would shine for much longer than in other areas.
The battle actually looked like a fight between two armies. The spiders were throwing themselves on top of the scarabs, biting and ripping them apart with their legs and fangs. In contrast, the scarabs focused more on blunt force. Their two frontal legs were massive and armored. They slammed them against the spiders and used two smaller arms to shot out projectiles as a defensive measure.
"We are not jumping in there, are we?" Blue asked after watching the fight for a while.