It took them two hours to climb the mountain. Not because it was that far away but because the terrain was so uneven that getting up was a struggle. However, that was their choice since they could have flown over. After all, Hera, Blue, and Alex had ways of doing that, and Helena could use her teleport through a light arrow. However, since Legan was with them, Hera asked the group to not help him 'skip' the actual climbing. Because of that, they decided to just cheer him on while he tried to get to the next safe spot in the mountain. At the same time, they could work as a safety net. If he were to fall, one of them would be able to catch him in time.

Hera herself was also climbing by hand. She wanted to know how much her body changed, not just visually or when walking around, but what she could actually do with her new self. Her first idea was to use the tail to grab onto ledges, but that didn't work that well. Unlike her hands, her tail didn't have a good grip, especially from the sides. It didn't take long for her to try a few other things and realize the best way to go about it. In a way, her tail was a third leg. One that could push off against rocks or help lessen the weight on a single part of her body. As a matter of fact, the strength of her tail was one of the biggest surprises. Not only could she hold her entire body weight with it, but she was able to swing side to side using large roots as an anchor point. Doing that didn't even hurt. Her first attempt to do so left her dangling by the tail while she moved, which was not only awkward but also embarrassing. Trying to change things up, she did a handstand before swinging, making the whole process much more comfortable and practical. Hera already put this on the list of things to practice later. Run, jump, do a half flip to let her tail grab onto branches to fling herself forward, ready to strike.

They also faced a couple of monsters, but due to their low level, the Empress couldn't use them as practice dummies. Still, it was a good warm-up for her and the humans. Legan struggled a bit when a large rodent with long, floppy ears attacked. He used his undead pets to attack, but the monster didn't seem to care due to their size. Instead, it went directly to the dwarf. He had to fight against it using his spear and the combat styles he learned from the guards. There were a couple of close calls when he was almost pushed down the mountain, but he was able to dodge. Not that he was in any danger. Nimbus was already flying a bit below them to catch the man in case anything were to happen. Hera also had a few court members watching closely and ready to intervene, as well as a potion from Risli in her hand if Legan got seriously injured, but she was hiding everything she was doing. The whole idea was to let him make the mistakes he was going to make, let him fall, and even get hurt. That way, he would gain experience. Proper combat experience and not in a controlled space where he knew someone would bail him out.

After reaching the top, Lurize and Hera glanced down at the city. It was a familiar sight for the two of them, even if that only happened at a different time.

"I think we were a bit further back," Lurize said after a moment looking at the city.

"Yeah, we can't see the entrance all that well here. Also, that place is missing the defenses, isn't it?" Hera focused her eyes, remembering the ballistae that were by the doors.

"That is true, but the actual stone slab that blocked the entrance should be the door they used to barricade the passage to Deakoshara, right?" Lurize turned to the Empress.

"I think so. Unless we find out that the stone barrier is hidden somewhere in the city."

"Do you have any idea why?" Helena asked.

"I really don't. I don't even know what actually happened in the vision. I mean, I wasn't following someone. Instead, I was just doing what I wanted. At the end of the vision, that giant monster was going towards the city. I think it had some sort of absolute stealth from one side or something. I wasn't able to see it until it was right over me. And the city had the same problem. I had to yell to warn them. That's why the monster flooded the cave I hid in with acid," Hera explained.

"And what did that monster look like again?" Alex asked.

"A centaur scorpion with the torso of a praying mantis," Lurize replied.

"And it spits acid?" Blue asked.

"And it can't be seen from the front," Hera added.

"You know… I hate everything you just said," Alex sighed.

"Me too," Blue nodded

"Same here. Are we sure this place is safe?" Legan turned to the Empress.

"It should be. That happened thousands of years ago. Not every monster can live that long. Even if I have met my fair share of them," Hera turned around, recognizing the path ahead. There was a single gap in the path, exactly where Scryotra, the giant scorpion praying mantis centaur, killed the leopard that was chasing her when she arrived at this location in her vision. She turned to the left towards the mountain itself and noticed how some vines were swaying in the wind on a spot that seemed to be part of the ground, "I think that's the cave!" the Empress gasped with a smile.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"That grass?" Legan tilted his head.

"Yeah. See how it's moving more than its surroundings, and it's not following the direction of the wind? That means an air current is passing there," Hera pointed to the foliage. She waited until Legan was able to recognize that difference before walking forward. As she approached what could be the cave, she stopped and raised her hand, signaling for the rest of the group to halt.

"What's wrong?" Legan asked in a whisper.

"I think I'm smelling something weird," Hera licked the air in front of her. When doing this, the muscle from the tongue would stretch much farther than anyone expected. The sight really hammered the idea that the Empress was no longer human. However, it was clear the Ophidianite wasn't familiar with this motion. Her tongue flailed around awkwardly in the air before coming back to her mouth, "Ok… this is weird, but I think that's a monster nest."

"How can you tell?" Blue asked.

"You know how snakes can taste the air to smell? Well, I can do that too. In a way. And I can smell something coming from there."

"So… do you taste whatever it is?" Alex frowned.

"Not really. Basically, I have a second nose inside my mouth. And that nose is super powerful. The good part is that there is a muscle that I can control to cover or open it, so it's not always active," Hera explained.

"That's… strange." Legan said but quickly corrected himself, "Not that there's anything wrong with it. I just don't know what to think."

"Don't worry. We can talk more about this later. Let's see what's in there," Hera walked over, calling Viper and Crimson to her hand while Livy and Lurize walked beside her. Nimbus was still flying, making sure that no monster was coming from above.

Slashing the vines, she opened a path towards the cave. Just as the light reached the ground, they all heard some skittering noises of small claws scraping against the rocks.

"Let me take care of this one," Hera didn't look away from the tunnel.

"Go for it. The monsters here are, at most, level 18. It shouldn't be a problem for you," Alex lowered her daggers. She was still ready in case of an attack but in a much more relaxed position right now.

"Yeah, I want to see how you fight," Blue crossed her arms and leaned against the entrance.

Without looking away, Hera smiled, "I don't think you will be able to see the beginning of the fight. But I'll make some light later."

No one was at the right angle to see it, but the Empress' eyes now had slit pupils. She could see the inside of the cave without much worry, all in an infrared light. This place was a nest for some of the large rodents with floppy ears that Legan fought earlier. Right now, they were all cowering in the back of the cave, staring at the invaders.

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Overgrown Flemish - Level 18

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Only one of them was that level; all the others were weaker. If this was a nest of squirrels, Hera would be a bit conflicted about attacking the monsters, but these Flemishes were too aggressive. Not to mention that they were rabbits. If they reproduced like the ones back on Earth, leaving them alone could cause problems in the long run. Sure, for the room to be like this, there had to be a natural way to control the population of monsters like that. However, now there was a big variable: the people of Boothudurn. Maybe their presence here would give a chance for the Flemishes to grow uncontrollably. That was Hera's train of thought, her justification for why she was going to kill an entire monster nest.

A lot of people wouldn't bat an eye about killing monsters inside the MAZE, especially when they reached a certain point. To them, it was just nature. Monsters wanted them dead, so they should kill them. It was as simple as that. For better or worse, Hera wasn't quite there yet. She could kill monsters outside a dungeon when they attacked her, but when they didn't, she had to rationalize her decision. Even if her logic was somewhat flimsy.

Brushing those thoughts aside, Hera dashed forward, moving in a blur. Hera's tail was pointed back, shifting her center of gravity to keep her balance even as she targeted creatures close to the ground. Twisting the daggers in her hand, she aimed at the neck of the two larger Flemishes. Only when the Empress' weapons were piercing the first two monsters did the rest realize what was going on and spring into action. There were still four alive, and they jumped to the sides, flanking Hera.

The Ophidianite noticed that and closed her eyes, using her flashbang spell to blind the monsters before following up with a couple of dancing lights to brighten the place. The Flemishes were stunned by the sudden light and weren't able to see Hera's tail coming at them. The first attack was a wide swing, sending the creatures flying against the wall. The Empress then jumped forward and opened her fangs, sending a jet of poison at one of the other two monsters. The stream of orange liquid splashed against the Flemish torso and started to be absorbed through its fur. The last of the creatures jumped at her, its large, jagged teeth ready to bite down. Hera let go of Viper and grabbed the monster with her hand. She felt the fangs trying to break through her scales but to no avail. As a response, she coiled her tail and used it as a spear. The blow sent the Flemish flying to the ceiling of the cave, and by the time it fell back to the ground, it was already dead.

Sniping around, she looked at the two she hit with her tail first, but they were already dead. The impact against the cave wall was too much for their bodies, and the Flemish, who was covered in poison, couldn't move. It wasn't dead just yet, but it was a matter of time.

Blue whistled, "So… the tail really works, doesn't it?"

"Better than I expected. But that last move wasn't as strong as I hoped. I thought it would pierce it," Hera replied.

"Well… you can add something to the tip of the tail. Like a blade or something to do that," Alex suggested.

"Maybe. But we can talk about this later. For now, let's keep going. I can see a tunnel up ahead," the Empress gestured to a dark corner of the cave.

They all nodded and continued walking while Hera thought about the fight that just happened. She never expected to feel this comfortable with her new body. It felt like this was who she always was and who she was supposed to be.