Hidden Grotto

Hera was surprised by the sheer magnitude of the power of the dinosaur. She wasn't expecting an easy fight by any means, however, the monster was much sturdier than she was expecting. Hitting it was like trying to hit one of the invisible walls at the MAZE. There was just a little bit of give to make you think that you're doing something, but not enough to actually do any damage. If that wasn't enough, the one hit that glanced her was enough to almost pull her arm out of its socket. Only thanks to Oberon's [Shadowlight Form] that she didn't broke her bones.

She also quickly noticed that even the poison that she tossed at the creature was struggling to keep up with its recovery. And no one, not even Eira, with her defense penetration, was able to do too much damage on the creature. It was a shame, but it wouldn't take long for her to need to tap out and ask Insomniac for help. But at the same time, this was a pleasant surprise. She could actually hold back a creature of this level. That was something that not many people would be able to do when they were twenty levels below it.

Not to mention, something told her that while she was not really fighting the strongest looking monster in the area, she ended up picking an opponent that didn't mesh well with what she could do. It was likely that there were other enemies here that she wouldn't struggle as much to fight. Maybe even that Sulfuric Ankylosaur. Maybe she could trigger her poison to cause some issues for the creature. But one way or another, that's what she was doing now. And trying to figure out another option wasn't really something worth doing.

That is until a giant shadow covered the sun. One of the Brontosaurus, or at least, something that looked like one, was tossed into the air and slung across the valley. Only to land almost on top of Hera. She managed to dodge away from the massive creature, but so did her opponent. The impact caused by the dinosaur was enough to create a crack on the ground, causing it to collapse into itself.

The moment Hera felt herself rushing down, she tried to call her court, but they couldn't keep up with her speed. The only one who could do that was Nimbus, but he was also unable to spread his wings in such a narrow space. Not wanting to land after this fall, she quickly did something else. Using [Blade Accord] and [Noble Shroud] she created a net under her that allowed her to stop her descent. It was nowhere near as soft as a proper net should be, but it was enough to save her from a fall. Even better was the fact that her chain was able to pierce the sides of the walls in a way that made it sure she wouldn't be just dragging the entire thing down.

Only then she called the court again, all in their weapon forms, as they were too big to properly fit in this somewhat narrow passage. She heard some noise to the side and watched as the dinosaur that she was fighting collapsed nearby, slamming on the wall repeatedly before landing on a particularly sharp spike in the floor. The spike pierced half of its torso, but the creature was still moving.

Not wanting to let the monster move around again, Hera quickly created another chain and wrapped it around the beast's head before jumping down and pulling the creature into the spike. At the same time, the court started to pummel it from above, making the stones and spikes pierce deeper and deeper into its form until it stopped moving completely. 

In a situation like this, killing the creature was much easier than she was expecting. But then again, it was pretty normal for the MAZE to have environmental hazards that could kill the creatures inside of it. And a sharp rock, although a bit anti-climatic, it was still the type of danger that could exist anywhere.

"Hera?" Nimbus quickly asked. Are you okay?"

The Empress nodded, "That had but kind of hurt a little bit but nothing I can handle. And thanks for the save, Oberon. I'm pretty sure that if it wasn't for the quick activation of that skill I would be in trouble."

"It is my utmost pleasure to be of assistance. However, I am not entirely sure if my aid was truly required. I didn't feel the strain on the skill as much as I thought I would."

"Maybe my own scales were able to take the brunt of it. But the skill helped, I'm sure." The Empress glanced up, "Why is it always a hole in the ground?" 

Before anything else was to happen, Hera stopped to survey her surroundings and try to gather her bearings. The hole she found herself in was still somewhat deep. She couldn't see the bottom, but looking down didn't give her the same sense of dread it would give to stare into an endless abyss or something. 

Maybe that was just because of how the walls would move back and forth, creating tiny platforms or maybe it was just a natural sense that this wouldn't take her into the depths of this room or something like that. But one way or another, Hera felt fine being here.

She glanced back up, trying to see if there was anything outside that she could be waiting for. Maybe Insomniac was going to help her or something. But that wasn't the case. She heard some strange noises from above, but that was about it. And once more, the area was too narrow for Nimbus to appear and take her flying out. 

The one option she felt she had would be to use [Blade Accord] to attach various chains on the walls and then climb up. In different circumstances, maybe she could even have her court using the chains to drag her up. But that wasn't something she could do very well. It seemed like if they were in their weapon form, they wouldn't be strong enough to carry her up. Even if they were all working together, even if all the titled blades were joining. 

They could give her some boost, but not carry her several meters up. 

Hera glanced around one more time, trying to see if there was any good way to progress, when she noticed that to the left, there was some light. Sunlight, specifically, but it seemed to be reaching much deeper than she was expecting. It was still a bit far away and would take some effort to get there, but by all accounts, that could be a better way to climb back up.

Using the [Blade Accord] in addition to the blades doing their best to help the Empress and an occasional stone's shape spell to create a step for her to go over, Hera quickly moved sideways towards that light. It took very little time and very little effort for the Empress to reach that particular area. But when she did, she was surprised by what she was seeing.

Hidden deep in this chasm was a tree. And not just any tree, but a cherry blossom tree. It was hidden after a small gap in the walls connected to this open hole with a small patch of grass underneath the trunk being bathed in the sunlight that reflected from a couple of crystals and the natural opening above. 

But instead of the pink coloration, these petals had a more bluish color to them. The tree itself also followed the prehistoric feeling of the rest. Showing some sort of uneven trunk, almost as if the tree itself too didn't know what its final form was supposed to be. It was like a bonsai tree forming a curve with the cherry petals above.

The Empress got a chance to use her [Inspect] to check if this was the type of tree that she was imagining it would be.

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Ever Blooming Primal Blossom

The Ever Blooming Primal Blossom is a primordial version of the Ever Blooming Blossoms that exist in the MAZE. Some may say that this is closer to its original ancestor than any of the other existing trees. The Ever Blooming Primal Blossom blesses those who happen to find it.

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Just as the Empress finished reading the description, a specific bluish pink cherry flower that gently floated in her direction attracted her attention. She opened her hands as the flower landed gently on it and a notification appeared in front of her.

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You have been gifted a Primal Blossom Flower.

Primal Blossom Flower.

This flower will bring you good luck for the next three days. During this time, the Primal Blossom Flower might resonate with items that are intrinsically linked to you. If this happens, it is possible to give the item an upgrade. This effect can only happen with new items. Items that already belong to you cannot be affected by this upgrade. Once the three days are over, or an item has been upgraded, the flower will wither.

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Hera blinked slowly at the notification. Reading it one more time just to be sure she truly understood it. It had been a long time since she got something that could upgrade a reward or something that she gained. 

She learned that those kinds of things were really rare to find. Maybe not so much like the scroll she gained from Spiral. But that was very narrow in its applications. As it could only be things that were represented in the painting. Even if the painting itself was rather broad. 

But this was a blanket upgrade if new and there was no restriction. No level restriction, no type restriction, rarity, not even what was the restriction. If she were to turn around and start working on her next role, this particular flower had all the chance in the world to find something to be upgraded. Even though she really doubted that would be the case.

What made her even more confused was why she got this. After all, she didn't locate any unique items. Nor did she complete a quest. She simply found a tree, and the tree decided to bless the Empress with this gift. She was still somewhat distracted by that flower when a voice came from behind her. All the way up back at the surface.

"Hera? Hera can you hear me."

It was Insomniac shouting from the opening to this chasm. Hera quickly scrambled backwards, making sure to keep the flower safely in her pockets, although something told her that she didn't have to worry too much about it. That flower would stay with her one way or another.

"I'm here," she shouted back. "Are you okay?"

"Surprisingly, yes. I'm not even bruised. Not from the fall, at least. The head butt still did a number on my shoulder."

She heard a soft sigh.

"I'm glad. Can you figure out a way to get out of there on your own?"

Hera looked around for a moment.

"I'm trying to, but I think the best way to go about it would be to use the chains."

Insomniac nodded, although the Empress couldn't see. Which made the man quickly say, "I agree. Can you chain reach up here?"

Hera looked up, and there was a good distance between herself and the opening. Most likely, it was a good chance that the chain could reach that far without even having to create a longer chain using one of her blades. Especially if she were to use [Magnetic Rule] to extend the range.

"I think so. Give me a moment."

She called her attention back to the tree. Or at least, the part of the tree that she could see from this side of the hole.

"Actually, you need to come here. You need to come down here right now."

"Now?" Insomniac frowned. "Why now?"

"There's something here you need to see. And no, I can't take a picture and give it to you. You need to come here."

The man sighed.

"Can't you make your chain first, then I climb down?"

Hera paused for a moment and then nodded, though she realized he couldn't see her.

"Sure, give me a moment."

She called all of her blades over. Everybody who was excited about seeing the tree. But before going there, Crimson asked for the tablet so she could take a few pictures with the Primordial Cherry Blossom. That sounded like a good thing to do, and Hera quickly jumped back into the cave to take a few pictures before stepping back out and preparing a very long chain connected from one blade to the other until they reached the top.

Insomniac asked for more chains so he could wrap it around the leg of the giant creature. The body that was still there, and unmoving. The man raised the leg that weighed at least two tons with one hand and let the blades wrap around and properly tie the chains together around it. And then helped Hera to climb back up only when she was safe and on the ground, and after some more convincing from the Empress, did he jump down and follow the path that Hera told him to.

Less than a minute later, he climbed back out, not even using the [Blade Accord]. Instead, he just jumped from down there all the way up here. Which was impressive, to say the least.

"You know, I don't know if you are incredibly lucky or if you had some sort of skill that can tell you where the good stuff is."

"Did it work?" Hera asked with a smile and Insomniac nodded, pulling a small flower from his pocket.

"It was a good thing that you didn't tell me what was exactly down there. And you were kind of cryptic with the actual location."

"Really?" Hera frowned.

The man nodded.

"Really. This is not the first time I find one of those trees and if you had been any more explicit, I don't think I would have gained the gift. Although I do think you might have overdone it a little bit."

"Why is that?" Hera asked

"Because this one is going to go out in a day. And can only affect items that are very rare or lower."

Hera frowned again, "Oh, I'm sorry. Mine is better."

"I imagine it is. I don't know if you remember what those kinds of trees mean. But they give you better benefits if you find them by accident. If you are looking for them, the benefits won't be as interesting. And if somebody straight up tells you where they are, you're not getting anything."

"That kind of sucks," the Empress sighed. 

"It does. But a lot of people believe that finding them is already good fortune. It's going to bring you luck one way or another. Hell, I remember someone saying that if you can find enough of them, you would get a lucky skill or something. But I never figured out how many were needed."

The Empress smiled, then they continued talking while heading back to the doorway. This was the first Ever Blooming tree she ever saw outside of the explorer test. And maybe this could be something else she wanted to do in the MAZE. Find as many of those ever blossoming trees as she could to see if there really was a hidden skill related to them or not.