MAZE - The Endless Quest 76 Prize

"How did you control the ring?"

"I honestly can't say. I'm not good with formulas, so I just think about what I want to happen. I never considered it to be a ring. I only pictured a radar of sorts going to a single place," Hera explained.

"Ok, and the ring, did you do something different with the mana?" Bonnie asked.

"Not really, at least I don't think I did. The weird thing is that it didn't register me in the area. It was like the mana came out of my entire body, not just from my hands. It was a weird feeling."

"I think I understand. It's like sketching before going for the full drawing, right? You need to have an idea of how that works and then just do it," Blue said.

"Yeah, that's a way to look at it," Hera said.

"For you, I have no idea. Do you mind letting me know when you are going to use the spell again? I would love to try to figure out its formula," Bonnie said.

"Sure, but can you do it?" Hera asked.

"Yeah, that seems something too advanced even for you," Blue commented.

Hera and Bonnie stared at the controller.

"Look, I don't mean anything bad by it. You just learned how to use spells, Bonnie. Reverse engineering something you see will be really hard. It's like you just figured out how to make instant noodles, and now you are trying to figure out how a five-star restaurant makes its dishes," Bleu explained.

"Don't worry. You have a point, but that is a skill that would help me a lot. If I can figure out the equation used in a spell like that, I can learn other ways to fight and live honestly just by watching people training," Bonnie said.

"It's a good idea, but be careful. Helena told me that mages are very private with their spells and research. Try not to make anyone angry with that," Hera said.

"I'll be careful. I promise."

A little part of Hera had some doubts about the researcher's statement. Choosing to focus on the task at hand, she went back to the harvesting. It took just a bit over ten minutes to get all the frog parts, but they were outside the drones' range. Carrying guts and pieces around wasn't a very appealing idea. Yet, leaving the bodies here felt like wasting money, none of them were willing to do so.

They kept hunting through the afternoon. The group was feeling comfortable with the setup they had. Hera and Alex would take an a.s.sa.s.sin role, while Leo and Blue were the vanguard and Bonnie as a ranged attacker. It was a good thing that the frogs were predictable too. Their attack pattern was mostly the same. Starting with a tongue strike, then either a tackle or a bite, depending on how close its target was. By the end of the day, they had made close to 1 000 gold each.

Going back to the guild so that Leo could finish the last quest he needed, they decided to take a day off. Bonnie protested, but unlike the rest, she only hunted for a day. The others spent most of the week fighting the frogs. Even if they managed not to get hurt, it still took its toll.

"If you want, I can practice my pulse spell with you tomorrow," Hera said.

Begrudgingly, Bonnie accepted. She knew it was for the best. Having some time to practice her own spells could be even better, and she owed Hera a couple of hours in an ATR.

Leo completed the quest and told the group he was going home for the night. The recruitment was in Brilansis, but not in the guild they received their training. It would be in a small arena near it. He wanted to be rested and ready. Maybe he could even get some information about his uncle.

As the hunter left, Hera completed the quest Helena had given to her. Along with the contribution points, there was also a large parcel as a reward. Hera was about to open it when Gemma said that it was best to open rewards like that in a private place. Since she wasn't aware of the contents, it could bring the wrong kind of attention to her, depending on what it was.

The group left the guild and walked back to the inn, discussing their plans for the next day. Blue and Alex wanted to try to unlock their mana stat and asked Bonnie for help. Excited, the researcher suggested that they rented an ATR to train together. Having a first-hand experience with it, the woman knew how much help the trainers were.

Hera agreed with the idea but said she might join them later. She was very curious about the other side of the cave. She planned to see if she could find a boat that was going to the edge of the room and back.

Arriving at the inn, Hera and Blue went to their room. The controller walked straight to the shower while Hera sat on a chair and opened her reward. Inside the parcel, there was a book and a small letter. The letter had a website, a username, and pa.s.sword. It was a website for the Order of the Lost Court, and that was her access to login. There she could find information, check quests, and buy things with the contribution points. Any items she purchased would have a delivery fee to be paid in gold. But aside from that, all the prices were in the order points.

There were a mult.i.tude of items, from weapons and armor to potions and odd devices. A spygla.s.s that revealed invisible creatures, a hairpin that paralyzed your hair, making it unable to move. The items all seemed solutions for specific problems. She could also buy books, food, even mercenary contracts for a while, and skills. Opening that option, Hera saw hundreds of different skills for sale. According to the description, each skill was actually a compendium that you could teach you how to acquire and use the skill. The prices varied wildly, from a couple of hundred gold to millions.

Out of curiosity, Hera filtered the prices looking for the most expensive one. It was a spell called Elemental Typhoon. According to its description, it created a swirling ma.s.s of energy that made the elements clash and collide with each other. It had an area of effect of one kilometer, and it had a warning that it would destroy anything in the area. It was valued at 1 950 platinum or 195 million gold, but you could buy it using 100 million contribution points.

That seemed absurd, not only for the price but for the amount of points needed. Even if Hera worked her entire life, she could never get that much money. Or at least, that is how things were before. Now, maybe she could reach millions and millions someday.

Before losing herself in the skills she could buy, Hera checked the rest of the reward. The book looked like a travel journal. It had a leather cover and a string that you could use to wrap around a small clasp in front of the book. Hera opened it and saw that the first few pages were inside a plastic envelope a bit larger than the pages behind. Inside them, there were a few handwritten notes. The first one had the words 'Baby First Spellbook' in large stylized letters. Under them, in the same place where an author would put its name, there was a familiar signature.

Helena Ditrro

Hera read what the notes said. They were an explanation of how mages kept their spellbooks. It was all beautifully written with drawings and patterns decoration the sides. The pages were clearly made by someone who enjoyed arts and crafts. According to Helena, even with skills, it was good to have a place where you saved the information about how to use your spells. As time went by, your repertoire would increase, and memorizing how to use all your spells would become quite complicated.

Not only would it help to have a list of everything you can do, but the spellbook could help someone develop theories about new spells and improve existing ones. In the next pages, Helena described a few ways to write down the spells. Using equations, you should specify what each part of the calculation did and make notes on the places where it would appear in other spells. As a code, it was very similar, with each function having a commentary explaining what it did. For the subjective approach, it could vary wildly. Some people wrote down feelings, other lyrics, poems, and drawings. It was all about figuring out what worked best for each individual.

The last pages in the plastic folders talked about how Hera should consider developing a code for the book. If someone else steals or finds your spellbook, they might use it to learn the spells she worked hard to get. There were a few suggestions in front, from making a new alphabet and a simple cipher to creating something more complex like the j.a.panese kanji. But ultimately, it was Hera's choice to make.

One thing that Hera noticed, what that the examples all seemed to be for the same spell. The poem talked about revealing the secrets hidden in plain sight, the lyric about casting out the darkness, and the drawing was a lit candle. It seemed to be a light spell, much like the one Helena showed her almost a month ago.

Hera gave it a try, following the ideas that were showing in the book. She focused her mana on coming towards her hand and moving toward her finger. Making the mental image of a flame coming from her finger, she started to push her mana to the construct. Every time she did that, the mana would gush out instead of keeping its shape. Even before Blue left the shower, Hera had spent all her mana trying to make the light.

Since she had to wait, Hera looked through the rest of the book. After five more pages with the plastic folder, the rest of the thick tome was blank. Hera wanted to write about her pulse spell, but she didn't have a pen on her. Sending a text to Blue, letting her know she would be out for a few minutes, Hera left the room. As she was heading towards the stairs, Bonnie approached her.

"Hey, I was just going to ask if you guys wanted takeout."

"Oh, thanks. I'm heading out. I need to find an office supplies store. Send me a text with the place you are going, and I'll tell you my order," Hera said.

"Why do you need office supplies?" Bonnie asked.

Hera explained to the researcher about her reward, and that she needed some pens and pencils. Bonnie's eyes started to s.h.i.+ne when she heard about spellbooks, and the woman asked to take a look at the book. Unsure if she should share something Helena made, Hera asked for some time before showing, explaining that she wasn't sure if she could share information that came from her Order. She sent a text to Helena, asking if she could tell Bonnie about the book.

Bonnie agreed but asked to join her in the supply run. That way, not only the researcher could buy something to make her own spellbook but also have some help while bringing the food back. The two left the inn after sending a group text asking about what everyone wanted to eat.

It didn't take long to find a few stores that could sell spellbooks. On the map, even a couple of shops specialized in those items showed up, but they were all closed. They ended up in a general store where Bonnie found a simple small notebook that she could carry around even while hunting. Hera picked a few different colored pens and some tabs to use on her spellbook as well as a pencil case, and a book cover that she could place it all in and strap it on herself. It was an impulse buy, but one day she might not have a safe place to leave the book.

As they went back to the inn, Hera received Helena's reply.

"h.e.l.lo, sweetie.

If you want, you can share that information with anyone. It is part of the basics of being a mage, although it would be hard to find it in such a compact and easy-to-read format.

Buuuuuuuttttt

This seems like a great chance to recruit someone with potential. Bonnie is very talented, and you mentioned that she made a spell? That is proof that she will be a great a.s.set.

Still, that's up to you. If you want to invite her, tell her about the order and see if she is interested. If the answer is positive, let me know, and I'll talk to her soon."

Hera smiled, seeing the text. Having one of her friends in the order would make it feel less daunting.

"Say, Bonnie. Have you ever heard about the Order of the Lost Court?" Hera asked.