Hera and Shane walked back to the center of the tomb, where the stone coffin and the spiral ramp were located. As per Shane's request, Hera also activated the soundproof bubble before sitting down by the side of the entrance.
"So, what do you want to talk about?"
"Well…" Shane scratched her head, "First of all, I'm sorry for what happened back there. This really wasn't how I wanted things to go."
"Shane, we already had this conversation. I'm fine, I didn't like what you did, but I'm not the one you should apologize to," Hera sighed. This entire situation wasn't something she liked to deal with, and having Shane give her a proper apology but not to Blue or the others would only make things worse.
"I did. They just don't accept it. Still, I'm more worried about what you think," Shane continued.
"You never said the words 'I'm sorry' or 'I want to apologize' to them. It might seem stupid, but that matters a lot. Either way, I'm not the one who had problems. I get why you were so paranoid, even if I hoped that you trusted us enough not to worry about things like that," Hera explained.
"I do. I mean, I trust you and Lena since I've known her for a while. For the rest… I don't know. Alex is too closed off, Blue seems like she doesn't care about much, and Silah, honestly, I didn't get a chance to talk too much with her."
"What about Bonnie? You two seemed to be hitting it off pretty well," Hera asked.
"Bonnie is… too hungry for the lack of a better word. She wants knowledge, and it feels like she would do anything to get it, and that scares me. I don't know how far she would go to get something. People like that are too unpredictable," Shane sat down by the stone coffin.
"Ok, then why did you lash out at Blue? She already has a Legacy. There was no reason to lash out at her. Anyway, we already talked enough about it today. Is this what you wanted to talk about?" Hera had a serious expression.
"Right, no, it wasn't. Look, without you, I doubt I would've found the legacy. Or at least it would take much longer for me to find it. We wouldn't have found this place without you and Silah. You used that coin to open the thing with the journal, not to mention making a spell out of your ass to open the temple. I know how much of an unreasonable request that was, and you pulled through. I don't know how I can ever repay you for this," Shane looked at Hera.
"I mean, this was part of the test to get my own clue about a court legacy," Hera replied, not entirely sure about what to make of this.
"I know, and honestly, if you guys had just come here and helped me find the tombs, that would be more than enough for the whole test thing. You went above and beyond," Shane continued.
"You never said what we had to do to complete the test. If you had told us that we were done, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have come this deep. Especially Bonnie," Hera shrugged.
"She really hated the idea of eating spiders, didn't she?" Shane chuckled.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure she's starving right now. I think there are only a couple of rations left, and she's saving them for tomorrow," Hera sighed. It was one thing not to want to eat something, but this situation could be dangerous for Bonnie.
"Still, the first thing I wanted to do to pay you back is telling you about the legacy. I'll keep you updated with any new information about the Court of Heroes that I get from him too," Shane turned to the side and after a moment continued, "You don't know what that is? But the legacy itself had 'court' on the name," there was another pause, "I see. Well, for now, Willow doesn't remember anything aside from kind of recognizing the name. It's weird because I'm the first person he's talking to in English. Before that, he spoke only with naga, and some of the words are still in a grey area."
"So he can understand naga?" Hera asked.
"No, I asked him about that too. He understands the language of the legacy holder, but when it changed, the language he can speak changed too. The big problem is that he knows the language but doesn't understand the differences. So anything that I ask about the past, he has to remember in a different language that he doesn't have access to anymore. It's going to be a while before we get more information," Shane explained.
"Ok, so what can you tell me?"
"I want to tell you the name of the legacy first of all. It's called the Enchanting Court, and as the name suggests, is all about enchantments. I don't know much, but from what I understood, it works kind of like a mana reinforcement on steroids. Like, the thing I did with the Silver Giant, it was just a fire enchantment. Willow told me that since I'm new, the effect would hurt the target, so I should only use it on weapons that can resist fire. I didn't expect it to work so well as armor breaker," Shane picked a dagger and started heating it up. It took a few seconds, but the blade started to glow with the heat.
"And is that just for fire? Or you can do anything?" Hera was staring at the dagger.
"I can do anything I understand how to use as an enchantment. So I have to not only know the spell to do it but also how it affects whatever I'm enchanting. For now, I can do fire, ice, and electricity. I'll probably have to study a bit to get a wider range of ideas."
"That's cool, really cool, but I don't get why you are telling me all this."
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"Right, sorry. I got excited. The point is, according to Willow, the naga wasn't who created the legacy, so the Court of Heroes should be even older than the naga people. With time, his memories might come back, or I might find out more about the court, and as a way to repay you for everything you did for me, I want to share everything I find with you. Be it spells, locations, history, whatever you want. I can send you everything I already have too. Not just that, if you need someone to do research or something, just let me know. Think of me as your assistant. I think that's the only way I have to pay you back."
Hera gave Shane a weak smile, "I appreciate the offer, but what's the point? Look, I might be understanding about what happened, but that doesn't mean that it didn't affect me. You don't trust us. What you did back there proves that. Why would I trust you with something important?"
"But I trust you, Hera," Shane's voice sounded sad.
"Ok great, you say that, then pull that crap. Again, I understand why you were paranoid, and I realize I'm giving mixed signals here, but that's the truth. You showed that you don't trust my friends, my best friend as a matter of fact. If I ask you 'find this room for me' or something like that, I will always wonder if you are actually going to tell me when you find it or you are just going there trying to find what I was after. Trust goes both ways, and you broke ours."
"But I didn't mean you."
"Doesn't matter. Taking a shot at someone I care about is the same as taking a shot at me. I'm honestly surprised at how upset I am. The more you talk about this, the angrier I get, so let's just drop it," Hera crossed her arms.
"Hera… I'm sorry."
"Again. I'm not the one to whom you need to apologize. And about the whole assistant thing. I don't know. Sure, getting information would be great, but if you want me to ask for something, don't hold your breath," Hera said.
"I'm… I understand. I'll try to make this right, I promise. And if there is anything I can do for you, let me know," Shane was staring at the ground, avoiding Hera's eyes.
Hera stopped for a moment to think, "Did you take pictures of the entire journal already? I wanted to put it in the coffin as the owner wanted."
"I have. I did that last night while I was trying to figure it out. One moment," Shane rummaged through her bag and passed the journal to Hera.
"Thanks," Hera got up and walked to the stone coffin. She pushed the lid to the side, revealing the skeleton of a naga completely spread out, unlike the coiled ones on the other crypts. Both of its hands were placed around its ribcage. There were no other things inside, no jewelry, no clothes, nothing, just the skeleton.
Carefully, Hera lifted the hands and placed the journal under them, "I hope you two are in a better place together."
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By placing the journal with the bones of Lantra, you have completed Darni's last wish. The brothers are finally reunited, and their memories give you their thanks.
A different coin was used to open the hidden location of the journal. Your sacrifice has been noted.
The journal was not delivered within a day of its discovery. Your greed has been noted.
Part of Darni's essence is present. Your connection has been noted.
You were unaware of this quest. Your heart has been noted.
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Hera was surprised by the notification. While she was trying to read everything, another window popped up right above that one.
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Secret quest completed
Brother's bond
Lantra and Darni were very close through all their lives. Even after Lantra's passing and his crimes came to light, Darni never lost the love he had for his brother. He kept a journal telling his brother of his life until he died of old age. His last wish, given to two of his disciples, was to place the journal on his brother's hidden tomb so they could be together again and his brother's spirit could finally find peace.
Due to the crimes committed by Lantra, the disciples refused to help the forgotten emperor and hid the journal inside the tomb, but away from the coffin. Hoping that with that, Lantra would never find peace.
Lantra had a similar wish. He wished that he could meet his brother one more time since he was away during the forgotten emperor's deathbed.
By placing the journal inside the stone coffin, you have reunited the brothers and fulfilled both their last wishes.
Your reward has been calculated.
Rewards:
Naga Poison Skill
Observe upgrade - Red Sight
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Naga Poison
You are able to create poison effects as they are natural extensions of your body. Your poisons can become more varied, and you can imbue different types of mana to the poison itself.
Poison mana efficiency + 50%
Poison effectiviness + 20%
Poison resistance + 30%
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Observe - Red Sight (rank 3)
Allows the user to see the basic information of the target.
You can also focus your vision to see the target through infrared.
The information available is limited by the rank of the skill.
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You have completed the quest Common Mysteries
Explorer exclusive quest
Discoveries are not just hidden treasures or forgotten lands. At times, someone might need help finding a lost pet or discovering a reason for their constant tiredness.
You have solved the mystery of the brother's last wishes.
Rewards: Relic Upgrade
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"Holy shit," Hera gasped, seeing all the notifications pop up.
"Holy shit too. This is amazing!" Shane gasped.
"Did you get something too?" Hera turned to the side.
"Yeah," Shane lifted up her gauntlet and activated, then a small green glow covered the entire thing turning the steel weapon into one made out of jade, "My legacy got something. What did you get?"
"A bunch of stuff, and a Relic Upgrade from an explorer's quest, but Yarnball is just the same," Hera sighed after checking her relic.
"Oh, that's because you can pick. Check the rewards where you would find random boxes. It should be there," Shane explained while still looking at the jade gauntlet.