MAZE - The Endless Quest

"Do you guys wanna try to go to the cafeteria or try someplace else?" Pamella was standing between Hera and Leonidas, waiting for the two of them.

"Well, I know nothing about the neighborhood. So unless one of you is a tour guide, I think we should go to the cafeteria. Maybe they have pasta. I would love some lasagna," Leonidas grabbed his wallet from the bag and got up.

"You say pasta, but I would really go for a burger right now," Pamella said

"We could go to the strip mall, is just a couple of blocks away." Both of them looked at Hera, "I worked near here, I know a few places to eat," She smiled.

"All settled, Hera will guide us to the strip mall," Pamella made a gesture like she was pointing with a sword as if she was a knight.

"Could... could I go too?" Alex was standing a bit behind the group.

Leonidas gave her a soft smile and was about to say something when Pamella put her hand in front of him.

"That depends on one thing," She stared at Alex with a serious expression. Hera looked at the blue-haired girl, not understanding her reaction.

"Can you tell me what you do to make your hair so silky?"

Alex blushed a bit, "Oh, I use a papaya conditioner that comes in a bamboo bottle. It's not that expensive, just hard to find. It's called Fuzzy Panda."

"I think they sell those in a market nearby. I remember seeing the bottle. The logo is a baby panda is taking a bath, right?" Hera thought about buying that one last time she went to the market but ended up getting her same old brand.

"Yeah, that's the one. Most people think they are for kids, but they are actually pretty good." Just after Alex finished talking, Pamella clapped her hands together.

"Okay, new plan, we go to the market and then to the strip mall. Don't even try it, Leo. You don't want to be between a girl and her hair."

"Well... I wouldn't mind if we ate first," Pamella looked at Hera in shock.

"And you call yourself a woman? Just because your charisma is higher than mine doesn't mean you don't need to take care of yourself."

Hera looked away. She never used beauty products. The only reason she was different now was her stat change, which wasn't even that high. She was sure Pamella, Alex, and every other recruit had a Higher Charisma.

"Pam, drop it. You don't have to be mean," Leonidas told her with a stern voice. Pamella seeing Hera's reaction looked at her with a guilty expression.

"I'm Sorry, Hera. I crossed a line there. It was supposed to be just a joke."

Hera shook her head, "It's fine, Pamella... I mean Pam. But.. why do you think my Charisma is higher than yours?"

All three looked at Hera, surprised.

"You are joking, right?" Alex asked after a few seconds.

"No.. Why would I be?" Hera felt uncomfortable with the stares.

"Ok, I'm sorry if I'm being mean again, but do you have a mirror? You are flipping gorgeous," Pamella huffed while rolling her eyes.

"I'm not. It got better after I leveled up, but I'm far from being pretty."

Leonidas got up and stood between Hera and the girls.

"Yeah, no, you are pretty, Hera. But let's change the subject before Blue loses it."

"Oh, no, you don't," Pamella shoved Leonidas aside, "You are infuriatingly pretty Hera and never forget that. You look like your charisma could be way above 30."

Bot Leonidas and Alex looked at Blue, twisting their noses.

"Pamella, I know you are trying to help, but that's a stretch, and it doesn't help. Hera is beautiful, but saying her stat is at 30 is like saying she above those supermodels. Not that you are not really pretty Hera, but they are just... on a different realm than the rest of us," Alex said.

Hera nodded, "Don't worry. I agree those models are something entirely different. Can we even call them humans? Maybe angels?" models earned a lot of money, so it wouldn't be a surprise if they could level up and spend all the points available in charisma.

"Some we can call skeletons. They look like they never eat," Leo joked, and the group laughed.

"Ok, but I'm not done with this. Hera, what's your Charisma? I want numbers," Pamella seemed to be in a better mood but still went back to the subject.

"Well, it's 12," Hera wasn't sure if she should mention that she had a skill that lowered her stats. Most explorers seemed to hide what their skills truly did. It felt like an unspoken rule.

"See, it's not that high, I'm at 12 too," Alex said, smiling to Pamella.

"And I'm at 13. The difference is not that high," Leonidas smiled, which only made Pamella take a big step back.

"That's really not fair. I'm the only one here that's under 10?" She lowered her head, looking at the floor before jolting it back up, looking straight at Alex, "We are going shopping NOW," she grabbed her by the hand and started to drag the girl to the outside.

Leonidas looked at Hera, both still in the classroom, "How long do you think it will take for her to realize you are the only one that knows where they sell the conditioner around here?"

Hera laughed a bit, "Honestly, I don't know, maybe a few mi..." before she could finish her sentence, a cry came from the hallway.

"Heraaaaaaa, we neeeeed youuuu," Pamella yelled.

"Guess we didn't give her enough credit," Leonidas laughed while the two of them walked out of class.

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Greyson was in a lounge for high-level explorers at the guild. He had ordered a meatloaf from a nearby restaurant.

For most people, that was a weird order. Especially since it was a cheap one, and he was a very successful explorer. But that wasn't the point. Greyson truly enjoyed the dish. It was simple, and it reminded him of his home and his grandmother.

He was sitting on a table and getting ready to eat. First placing the dish on his plate and then a napkin on his lap. It was an odd sight, that burly callous man having such table manners, but it was how he learned, and he wouldn't change the way he was raised.

The meatloaf was wrapped in bacon, and it had a steamed veggie filling. Greyson cut the first slice and smelled it. The crispy bacon smell mixed with the veggies, and the meat was enough to make his mouth water.

He cut a slice and moved it towards his mouth when a heavy hand slapped him in the back, making the slice fall back into his plate.

"Calvin! Still teaching, or did they kick you out for beating up a recruit?"

The man frowned and looked back to a big muscular woman, with pale skin and long deep blue hair that was braided and pulled back, making one single braid at the back of her neck.

"Can't a man eat his meal in peace?" he said, knowing she was the only one who would greet him like that.

"Don't be so stingy I know you would be bored out of your mind with no one to talk to about the training," the woman sat on the table across from him and started to eat an apple.

"Fine, ye are not wrong. The recruits are green, very green, most don't even know how to pick up a sword. But there are some hidden gems around," the man said before taking the first bite of his meal.

The woman raised one eyebrow, "Oh, really? For you to be saying that they must be really special. Did they get a good score in your first trial?" she said the last sentence, mocking Greyson, who just rolled his eyes in response.

"Aye, at least two of them. A girl doubled her strength in a counter, and there is a boy that seems to have some experience using a spear," he took a bite out of his meatloaf.

"Ok, so there are two gems? That's a pretty decent amount for one group," the woman cut another slice of the apple with a knife.

"Actually, there might be four... Ok, three gems and one interesting one," He mumbled while cutting another slice of his meatloaf.

"You got to give me more than that, Calvin," the woman said with a big smile on her face.

Greyson let out a long sigh and slumped a bit in his chair.

"Fine, Janna, Ah have two powerful warriors, a grappler, and the spearman. A Girl who got the map skill in just a little over one hour. And the interesting one is someone who tried to become an explorer five years ago. Ah never see any recruit who can focus as much as her. She also has a good brain in her head, asking the right questions. And she has an average stat of 12," that piqued Janna's interest.

"And why is she not a gem? An average stat of 12 is something really rare in a recruit. The way you spoke of her. It seems like she is the most promising one," she took another slice of the apple.

"She's too green, can barely hold a sword the right way. If the other three are gems, she is just a lump of coal," Grayson cut off another big slice of his meatloaf, leaving two slices in the plate.

"Thanks, Calvin. If you can just give me their names when the test is over, you won't owe me anything else," she winked at him.

"Honestly, Janna, why did ye take this job as a headhunter? Ye're Frostbite, for fuck's sake,"

Janna waved and got up, having just finished her apple.

"A job is a job, Greyson. I don't intend to die in the MAZE. Also, it's a great way to meet interesting people," she said as she walked away from the table.

"Can I still count on you next week?" Greyson called out while she heads towards the door. Without stopping, she looked back and answered with a smile.

"Of course, Calvin. It will be a great way to see those gems for myself,"

Greyson looked back at his plate and finished his lunch. Even if the taste had turned bitter.

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The recruits had arrived at the training area. Hera ended up getting not only the conditioner in the bamboo bottle but a few other beauty products. Pamella refused to let her leave the store until she got them.

Hera didn't mind. It would be the first time she honestly wanted to take care of herself. Even if she didn't think anything would change. Her thoughts stopped roaming around and focused on the teacher as soon as he walked in, dragging a big black box.

Mr. Greyson was in a sour mood, and no one could understand why.

"All right, ye lot need to know how to handle any type of weapon before choosing yer own," he placed his hand in the black box and opened it.

"Here we have swords, that's the lesson for today. Ah'm gonna show you how to handle this without ye taking off yer own eye."

The teacher grabbed one of the swords. It was a plain wooden one, but it had a weird feeling to it. As if the surrounding air was thinner.

Hera took a deep breath to calm down. She was going to learn how to fight.