It was the last day before the Empress had to meet her new team. In the evening, she would have a farewell party of sorts with her friends and family, but now, she was on top of the mountain to the side of the city. The architects had already come here to build the layout of the mausoleum. It was just the foundation, the 'skeleton' of the building that would be constructed in the future. Naka liked the idea of that being also a fortification for times of war, which meant the walls had to be properly reinforced, and that required more effort. Hera felt it might be a bit weird to use their future graveyard as a defensive position. However, the guard captain felt differently. Having a place where they kept their dead as a fort would make them more eager to fight if they were invaded. Not to mention, they could eventually make a hidden passage that went underneath that mountain back to the city. After all, this was the plan. The top would be the keep, while the underground area would be the catacombs.
Scryotra's altar would be just by the entrance to the mausoleum, watching over those who walked down the stairs leading to the lower floors. The actual sculpture had some of the ideas Hera had in mind, but Fethy was the one who took charge. She had heard about the Dia de los Muertos and decided to use those decorations as inspiration. The dwarves didn't have a culture of celebrating death, and the Dutches hoped to change that. Especially if they would be involved in something where many people might die.
The base of that altar was surrounded by skulls made with something similar to white limestone. Each skull had drawings of various colorful gemstones all around it. The original version should be made with flowers, but Fethy said it wouldn't be something close to them. The dwarves were more familiar with minerals, and that should reflect on what they did. Following that, there was a pillar with some decorations that you would find in an ceremonial podium. But half of it was covered by what looked like a silk cloth with a very 'homey' pattern. It was split into several smaller squares, each with a different drawing. From fruits to animals and plants, even toy cars and random patterns. Hera couldn't help but think about her deceased grandmother while looking at that. She was sure Grandma Triss had something similar to it in her kitchen. All homemade, of course. But the most impressive thing about that was that it wasn't actual silk. Instead, the towel was made out of stone and only sculpted to mirror the effect of the cloth.
Above it, there were some more skulls, these bigger and even more colorful than the ones on the base, with almost no white in their make. And small orange and yellow crystals fill the empty spots. The crystals were carved to all look the same, but each had the symbol of one of the families of Boothudurn underneath them. There were also a few empty vases and bowls for people who wanted to bring flowers and other offerings for their loved ones. Above it all, there was an arch made out of various shades of green gems shaped like stars, framing the sculpture that Hera made with her dad. It was the only wooden piece of the entire thing, but it had the same kind of protection runes attached to it, so it should be able to last for a long time like the rest. And even if it didn't, Fethy liked the idea of having one piece needing to be replaced every half a century or something. That would allow them to make an event out of it and maybe a competition for people who might want to carve the next Scryotra sculpture.
They made all of this in a single day, even if some of the dwarves decided not to sleep to complete the project. Hera never asked them for that. It was something they did it on their own. In the end, finding the right place took longer than the actual installation of the statue and the foundation. Even with all that, everything was done before noon. The Empress stayed there long after things were over. She already had placed the resentment in the altar itself. It was in a hidden compartment at the base. Right above one of the skulls with the symbol present on the stone. Hera ended up just talking at the altar as if it was an old friend. Venting about her frustration with the guild and complaining about how her life wouldn't be in her hands for a while. However, there was a lot of good that came along with that, too. She would be traveling a lot and helping people. The Ophidianite was somewhat worried about her new party, but she hoped they would get along. In fact, a part of her imagined that she could have some lifelong friends in this new group. Trauma bonding was a real thing, and she knew that for a fact with her current companions. She doubted Bonnie and Blue would've stuck together for so long if they hadn't gone through so much together already.
Hera spent the entire day here; at one point, she even asked Nimbus to go back to the city and bring a picnic basket. This would likely be the last chance she had to rest for a while. She was having fun talking with her court, sharing memories, and messing around. The Empress also added some food as the offering for Scryotra and jokingly said, "If you don't eat before we leave, I'll have to take it. We don't want monsters to come after it."
When the sun started to set, she was already a bit tipsy. Nimbus was able to get a new concoction the dwarves created out of the fruits that existed here. It was a super concentrated version of vodka that was still tasty when being the equivalent of something with 150% alcohol content.
Seeing that no notification popped out, the Ophidianite let out a long sigh, "I guess we need to get rid of the resentment then. I think I should toss it in a dungeon in the Gartinet Hollow. Shane did mention that there was one close to the entrance. That way, if the effects still work while it's inside there. At least it will be like a trap for the guild if they ever try to come here."
"It's a good call," Lurize nodded and looked back to the altar, "But we should take out the food you placed there first. Like you said before, we don't want to attract monsters here."
"Yeah," Hera got up and walked over to the altar.
However, she stopped as she got closer. Noticing something moving behind the wooden statue of Scryotra. From the shadows, a small stealth spirit emerged. It didn't have a specific shape, but Hera could see several small tendrils working as its legs and a torso similar to that of a monkey. She had no idea what the face was since it was covered in shadow and completely hidden from her.
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"Hey, little guy. What are you doing so far from home?" the Empress asked.
The stealth spirit moved in a flash, reaching out for the food on the altar with one of its tendrils. Yet, there was a sound coming from the pyre where the offerings were supposed to be. Like a rock had just been tossed inside. Then, the spirit jumped down from the altar and vanished. Even Hera's senses couldn't follow it anymore. With a frown, the Ophidianite looked at the receptacle where the food was before. Inside it was a single pearlescent rock, with the drawing of the two claws spinning around each other in a mix of yellow and orange. In the center, instead of the mouth, was a simple tombstone with nothing written on it.
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Scryotra's Gratitude
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This was what her [Observe] told the object was. She grabbed it, and another notification appeared.
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You have completed a hidden quest.
By solving Scryotra's resentment against the Naga and giving it its role as a guardian beast, you have fulfilled its destiny, allowing it to finally do what it believed it should have done.
Reward:
Scryotra's Gratitude
Level up
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You have leveled up
Current level 39
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Without thinking twice, Hera used [Inspect] on the item.
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Scryotra's Gratitude - Legendary
Bound to Hera Quetzaveth
An item containing the essence of Scryotra, the guardian beast of the dead. It was also imbued with the powers of a stealth spirit due to the nature of its origin.
This item can be combined with an existing item to have it inherit the properties that Scryotra possessed , or it can be used in the production of a new item to increase its capabilities.
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Before Hera could even finish reading everything, Daskka spoke up, "Hum… mum. This is a bit weird, but you can use that to make a new titled blade."
"Wait, really? Who?" Hera turned to the herald.
"Yeah…" Daskka turned to Viper and Crimson, the two daggers that not only had the Naga elemental affinity but were a reward from Darni's hard-mode dungeon. A place that was filled with various Naga and very connected to their culture.
'Wait? Really?' Viper asked.
'We can be titled blades? Both of us?' Crimson gasped.
"That's what the legacy is telling me. I don't know how it will work, but that's the deal," Daskka explained.
"Hang on…" Hera stopped everyone. She instantly felt how the twin daggers were disappointed with her reaction, "Wait. No. I mean, hang on, I have another idea. Remember that painting we got in that dungeon? The one I used to give you two a small buff?"
'Oh yeah. It was really pretty!' Crimson nodded.
"Do you think I could use it on the gratitude?"
"You want to make a legendary item even more powerful?" Nimbus asked.
"Yeah…" Hera looked away.
"That's badass," Livy smiled.
"Just don't be sad if it doesn't work," Lurize warned.
"That's ok. I kind of need to use that thing anyway. I mean, what's the point of saving an item that I'm never going to use?"
Hera recalled her court, and they all flew back home. Eridan complained about her arrival since he was preparing things for the party, but the Empress was too focused on the task at hand to notice any of the decorations.
She rushed to where her belongings were and found the scroll called Spirit of the Spiral Mural. Before anything, she looked at her attributes. She had a total of 85 points to distribute, which let her increase all her attributes to 110. This would help Viper and Crimson as they became titled blades.
After that, she tried to use the scroll on Scryotra's Gratitude. A single mote of light appeared and started dancing around the picture. It was the mural that was in Spiral. The one she saw in Darni's dungeon a long time ago. So much had happened that she barely remembered what she did to get this item. But she still had two charges left. Well, one now. The process took a few minutes, and the mote of light danced around, finding more lights and spreading across almost all of the drawings. Then, they gathered in 8 specific ones, and all jumped on Scryotra's Gratitude.
Hera used her [Inspect] again. The entire description remained the same, with only one new line added at the end of the window.
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Scryotra's Gratitude - Legendary
Bound to Hera Quetzaveth
An item containing the essence of Scryotra, the guardian beast of the dead. It was also imbued with the powers of a stealth spirit due to the nature of its origin.
This item can be combined with an existing item to have it inherit the properties that Scryotra possessed , or it can be used in the production of a new item to increase its capabilities.
Darni and the people of Spiral thank Scryotra for its service.
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Hoping that this would mean the item was improved, Hera asked Daskka's help to create one or two new titled blades.