Once Hera opened her attribute sheet, she was able to see a whooping 132 points to spend. She used them to increase all her attributes by 3 using [Exponential Growth]. If it wasn't for that skill, increasing one single attribute would cost 18 points. Meaning that she was spending the equivalent of 2 attribute's worth to bump all of them by 1. It was still staggering to think about it. Even if people around her level could have one, and maybe two, attributes higher than the Empress, she was still leagues ahead of the rest of them.
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Hera Quetzaveth -- Role: Explorer Level: 59
Legacy: Court of Blades [Blades]
Title: Mana Touched, Wardbearer, Ophidianite Progenitor, Legacy Hunter
Total Stats: 1098
Strength: 183 Endurance: 183
Agility: 183 Charisma: 183
Intelligence: 183 Luck: 183
Mana: 15 065 021/15 065 021
Empress Core: 18 068 859/18 068 859
Passive Mana Regeneration: 20 338/s (36 608/s with items)
Active Mana Regeneration: 38 918/s (70 052/s with items)
Empress Core Regeneration: 20/s (37/s with items)
Remaining attribute points: 22
Skills:
Legacy:
Court Ruler, Courtship, Bestow Title, Army of One 2, Revocation of Nobility,
Royal Quest, Bestow Gift, Royal Seal, Venomous Arsenal, Blade Graveyard, Empress Core, Noble Houses, House Heirloom, Battle Bond, Empress Palace, Convergence of Blades, Magnetic Rule (+1), Noble Crest (+1), Imperial Domain (+1), Noble Shroud (+1), Blade Accord (+1), Adaptive Chains(+1)
Passive:
Exponential Growth (36)
Observe: Red sight 3
Treasure Map
Bladed Weapon Combat
Wire Trap Style 3, Subtle Strike 4, Dorohla style 4
Throwing 1, Cutting 1, Blocking 1,
Battle Dancer 3, Attack Pathing 2, Synchronized Battle 3
Dodge 4, Run 4, Improved Stamina 5, Flee 2, Jump 2, Climbing 1, Acrobatics 1
Mana Recovery 5, Mana sensitivity 4, Shaper of Mana 2, Mana Vessel, Reinforced Mana 2
Improved Regeneration 3
Elemental Mana Mastery
Earth resistance 2, Wind resistance 2, Water resistance 2, Sturdy Body 4,
Magic Armor Proficiency 3
Nature connection 1
Silver Lining 2
Ancient language 5
Pathfinder 1, Awareness 2, Lockpicking 1
Dancing 3
Cooking 1, Cleaning 1, Polishing 1, Sewing 1,
Ophidianite Skills:
Ophidianite Scales 4, Ophidianite Poison 6, Ophidianite Vigor 2, Ophidianite Sight 1, Ophidianite Mana Sense 2, Ophidianite Resistance 1, Ophidianite Regeneration 1, Ophidianite Adaptation 1
Active:
All in 2
Inspect 2
Hide 4, Sneak Attack 3
Weapon Maintenance 4, Weapons Rebalance 3, Weapon break 3
Etching 4
Medical Reference 3, Identify Ailment 1
Green Thumb 2
Chain of Command 5
Toxic Mist
Grasshopper Stab 2, Grasshopper Slash 2, Grasshopper Draw 1, Grasshopper Throw 1
Role Skills:
Local Guide
Private Room, Meeting Room
Explorer's Assassinate
Explorer's Map
Hunter's Catalogue, Explorer's Hunt
Explorer's Research
Explorer's Blueprint
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The one thing a bit frustrating was her [Empress Core] it was growing too slowly and the more her normal mana pool increased, the harder it would be to add a new slot for her court members using that skill.
After dealing with her attributes, the Empress also had one more thing to do today. Talk to Typhera and the council about her reward. After all, she was the aspirant hero. And anytime she was tasked with doing something, she was supposed to be given a reward.
This time, she was talking with just Typhera and King Thrain Stonebeard. They were the ones who answered the call mostly because the rewards they had in mind were related to their kingdom. Typhera on account of being the Empress's mentor and the dwarf because there were very few people who could do better weapons than the dwarves. After all, his was a civilization of crafters.
"So, Empress, what is the mission report you have for us?" Typhera had a cup of tea on her claw and was sitting at her desk. They were not using some sort of hologram style meeting, just a regular video call using their tablets or whatever camera they had available.
The Dwarven King was also at his table with a large mug of ale by the side. Which didn't mean that he was drunk, but dwarves, generally speaking had a very high tolerance to alcohol and poison in general. Not as high as Hera's, of course, but still high enough that a single cup wouldn't be an issue for the king.
Hera quickly gave them an explanation, talking about the Wendigo's powers and how the fight went. But she also made a point of not sharing the details of the location aside from it being in the Blackwood Forest. She had other plans for the part about the Wendigo being inside the dungeon.
"I see," the Queen nodded with a smile. "I'm glad we sent you. This sounds like something that could develop into a problem if we didn't stop it sooner."
"I agree. And Helena's device worked perfectly. Meaning that we can start mass producing and possibly installing it everywhere. I really think that's the best option."
The Dwarven King nodded. "We should also make sure to have a priority mission for anyone who lives in the area once the device recognizes the Devourer mana."
"I would split it into two," Hera spoke up. "One mission to scout and confirm if it really is a wendigo and another to kill it. Better to have someone find the creature and give back a description instead of just sending a large group randomly into the middle of the area only to realize that it wasn't what they were looking for."
Thrain nodded. "Yes. That's a very good idea. We'll keep that in mind. Now about your rewards," the dwarf started, but Hera interrupted him.
"Before that, I think there are a couple more things you should be aware of. First of all, we not only were able to capture and kill the monster, but we also salvaged its body and the pieces are mostly intact."
"Very well," King Stonebeard nodded, "This will be very helpful for our researchers."
"I also noticed a couple very strange things about this particular Wendigo that could be valuable for the researchers. But I must say that without the proper reward, I'm not entirely sure if this is worth mentioning,"
"And what exactly is that information?" Typhera frowned.
"Well, it's related to how Wendigos interact with some fundamental aspects of the MAZE. And I do think it could be invaluable," Hera added.
"Then why are you stalling to tell us?" Tharin frowned. While Typhera just watched.
"Because one way or another you will know about it, and I know that some private companies in the alliance are buying this kind of information at a very high price. I was just making sure that I would be properly rewarded for my efforts."
"What are you talking about? You are supposed to be a future hero" the Dwarven King huffed. "Are you really more worried about a reward than about the safety of the people?"
Hera just gave the man a blank stare. "Both are one and the same. If I'm stronger, I can protect more people, and if this information is sold to someone else, people will know about it either way too. I understand where you're coming from, King, but that's not an argument that really applies to the situation."
The man growled a little bit, but Hera saw a smirk on the harpy Queen's face.
"Very well then. I suppose we can increase your rewards depending on the information. As we had discussed, our initial offer was to supply you with a new set of blades for your court. I assume you want something else instead?" King Stonebeard asked.
"No, I still want them. But I would like to reduce the number of weapons from nine to seven and make sure that they are all at least of Epic Rarity with two Unique in the mix."
"What? That's absurd!" the king replied.
"I'm not done," Hera continued, "Considering the body that I'm supplying and the information, this is well within the value. In addition, I would like a couple of sheets of a unique metal. They don't need to be treated or prepared in any way, I just need the raw metal."
"Your work does not require this type of payment." The king crossed his arms.
"You're right. My work doesn't, my results do. If you don't like it, I can just sell the Wendigo body to one of the many companies that are trying to buy it and use that money to actually look for the items I'm interested in. Considering the state of the body parts, I might even set up an auction. I'm sure I could get a very good price for it."
Seeing that he was on the back foot, the king went for a counter offer. "Five Epic weapons and I'll make sure to enchant them with our best crafters. One of them might end up being Unique."
"Six weapons with two guaranteed Unique. I'm okay if the rest are mass produced. But I do get to pick the types of skills that they have."
The dwarf squinted at the Empress. "Yes, but you're only getting the rejects. The weapons that have broken attributes that don't fit really anyone.
"Plus the metal, let's not forget that," Hera added.
The dwarf grumbled a bit but seemed to accept. "Six weapons with two Uniques. All with broken attributes that don't really make sense to work together. And no enchantment on any of the weapons. Plus the metal?"
"Deal," Hera said before the dwarven king could go back on his word.
Hera knew that on the enchantment part, she might not have to worry. After all, she knew the one person with an enchantment legacy and it seemed like Darni was teaching Shane how to craft some permanent enchantments.
With that out of the way, the Dwarven King asked, "Then what is this information that you feel so strongly about?"
"Wendigos can enter dungeons if certain conditions are met."
That gave the two members of the council some pause and they asked for clarification. Hera had to explain that she wasn't sure of the conditions and that the Wendigo was unable to simply walk inside the dungeon if they wanted to. But she explained that if they were attached to a legacy, they were able to go inside a dungeon. The two councilors got really worried about that, especially when Hera confirmed that she wasn't sure if the legacy was required for them when they go to enter a dungeon. After all, there were some dungeons around the MAZE that did not really give you a prompt asking if you wanted to go inside or not. They would just teleport you inside as soon as you crossed the threshold.
But at the same time, Typhera felt there was no need to be alarmed, at least for the moment. Wendigos were not smart enough to understand the system. At least not according to all the reports that they ever had. In addition to that, a Wendigo going inside of a dungeon would eventually be stuck there. Even if they were capable of completing the quest, there was nothing to tell them how to leave. And the odds of them going back to the same place that they arrived at were very slim.
Not to mention that dungeons, in general had some ways of stopping people from spending too much time inside them. An event or a type of creature that could continuously grow stronger and stronger, or just a moment where there would be nothing left for you to get done inside the dungeon.
That wasn't the case for all of them, since there were a couple of dungeons where people could choose to live forever, and Hera knew she herself had experienced one of them. But at the same time, she felt confident enough that if a Wendigo was stuck in the Summit Peak, it would eventually be killed by either the monsters in there or by the master who taught her the grasshopper skills.
With that explanation out of the way, the Dwarven King thanked Hera for her service once again, even though his tone wasn't entirely approving, and left. Once they turned off the call, Typhera quickly followed up with a new one, but this time, it was just between Hera and the Harpy queen. She didn't waste time with pleasantries and went straight for a question that was burning in her mind.
"Be honest with me, Hera. Were you really going to sell that information?"
"Not really. It would take too long for people to know about it. But I do know that a lot of people are buying information about the Wendigos, and I know you have deals with pretty much every company that's doing so or laws that force them to tell you of any discoveries. I just used a good enough excuse to see if I could bump my rewards a little bit."
Typhera smiled, "Well done. I thought that was what you were doing, that's why I didn't say anything, but it was a pretty well made negotiation."
"Thank you. It did help that the Dwarven King was a bit drunk though."
"I would call that tipsy, not drunk," Typhera chuckled. "Oh, and what about the pieces of metal? Is there something else you're not telling?"
"Not really. I just had some help when chasing the Wendigo. There's this human called Atlas who was working with Helena, and he could use the metal. I figured that trying to negotiate better rewards for a single person was going to be much harder and more expensive than saying that two people did the job and now we want better things."
Typhera stared at the Empress for a moment before she burst out laughing. "Oh, my girl, that's amazing. I never thought you would have that kind of ruthless business sense in you."
Hera chuckled. "Well, ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves. And I'm nothing if not merciful."
Typhera let out a groan, "Did you have to say that? It took me a week to get that song out of my head."
"You're the one that showed that musical to me," Hera protested as the two laughed once more.
They had spent so much time together that it didn't feel like it was a mentor and mentee relationship. They truly felt like old friends. Which was a good thing, since both of them were leaders of the alliance. Even though Hera's position was still a bit finicky.
They talked a bit more and during this time, Typhera got to confirm that she knew who Atlas was and specifically what he had done. But the alliance was believing his words about wanting to make amends. Especially since the people who he saved were vouching for the man. They also had known the full story. Which Atlas himself didn't share, and Hera decided not to ask about it until the man wanted to discuss it.
Typhera also asked where Hera wanted her rewards to be sent, and the Empress confirmed it to be in Zaxalam. She was still going to deal with a few things in this area, mainly the dungeon run that Helena was asking for, but she wouldn't be long before going back home. Typhera agreed and said she would set everything up for her before ending the call.
Hera was excited about going back home and changing her court. Not because she wanted to, but at the same time she was saddened about it. As it always happened when she had to make the change. On one side, she was about to get a big upgrade to her abilities. But on the other, she was going to lose a lot of friends. Even though they were not gone forever, it would still mean that they wouldn't be here in the future. But at the same time, she had a few more days with them and very much wanted to enjoy the most of it.
The negotiation also ended up being much better than she was expecting. The initial idea was to replace all nine blades. But instead, she only needed six. Ada had a royal gift that could bump her up to Hera's current attributes, which would solve the issue of being influenced by her memories or emotions. And Hoop was never an issue. Now having a single level of difference wouldn't be that much of an issue. Meaning that they were barely causing any problems. And the Empress also had gotten one more weapon as a reward from the dungeon. One that, despite the low level of the lighthouse, worked perfectly with her and her abilities. As a matter of fact, depending on how the new weapon interacted with her legacy, it was possible it could become a new permanent member to her legacy. And she couldn't wait to see if that was going to work as she was hoping.