It took close to half an hour for Hera to return to the cave. She kept looking around for things to make a sled. There were plenty of branches and twigs for her to grab, but nothing that could be used to tie them up together. Hera also had no clue on how to make an actual sled with the materials at hand. Since that wasn't an option, her second-best idea was making something to immobilize Blue's foot. Together with a large, sturdy branch. Maybe it would be enough for her to walk, even if very slowly.

"Are you ok?" Blue asked as soon as Hera appeared.

"I'm fine, just cold. Why?"

"It's been almost an hour since you left. I thought you died."

"Sorry, it took longer than I expected to find strong branches. By the way, do you know how to make a sled with this?" Hera asked.

"I have no idea. I thought you knew how to since you mentioned it."

"Yeah, I don't know either. But I know how to make a splint to make sure you can't move your foot. I got a stick that you can use too," Hera dropped the large stack of branches on the ground.

"Let's try the splint. If I can't walk with that, we can figure something else."

Hera nodded and started to break the branches to immobilize Blue's foot. She was taking her time, making sure to cut the twigs in the proper size.

"So? Did you find something with your thing?" Blue asked.

"I did. Again, can't say how I got it, but I can guarantee that it's all true."

"Sure, it's not like I have much of a choice but to believe in you here."

Hera sighed, "I know you have no reason to trust me on that, but have I ever lied to you? Well, aside from that time you asked if you snore."

"That's true, but it's still hard to trust you when you are not telling me everything. I mean, I know we fought together, and I can trust you to have my back, but this feels different. You are hiding something from me."

"I know. But if it helps, it's not just you. I can't explain this to anyone. And to help you trust in me, think about what I could gain by lying to you. We are friends and are in a place with no access to the guild or any supplies. It is us against the people who live here. Not to mention the monsters that can reach level 15," Hera said.

"Wow, wow, wow. Back up. There are people here, but we are stuck? What did you find out?"

Hera explained all that the guide told her. Not mentioning how she got the information. She also left Capri's last line out of it. She had no idea what the storm, and the egg were, and adding such a random piece of advice could only make Blue doubt her more.

"So we are stuck here," Blue stared at the campfire.

"Yeah. You can start yelling, and I'm really sorry for this."

"I'm not going to yell. I freaked out when I realized that we might be stuck somewhere and took it out on you. You did all you could, and honestly, I'm not entirely sure I would risk my life to save you the same way you did. To be fair, I wouldn't know how to find the path, anyway."

"Honestly. It wasn't just a selfless act. I did think about leaving you there, but then I thought about how I would feel later. I think the guilty would drive me mad. As you guys say, I'm too nice sometimes. I mean, I'm the only one who was worried about the people from our role tests."

"Still, it doesn't change the fact that you might have been able to survive on your own. Thanks for not abandoning me," Blue said.

"Don't worry. I would do it again in a heartbeat," Hera opened her armor and cut a part of her t-shirt to wrap around Blue's foot, "I think I'm done. Ready to try walking?"

"Help me up."

Blue used the large branch as a crutch, but after a few steps, the splint unraveled. Hera asked her to sit down and tried once again. The second attempt was better, but Blue still felt the wood moving around and hitting her foot. Hera managed to make the splint tight enough not to break away as they walked on the third try. Blue would still feel pain, but unless they got a wheelchair, there wasn't a way to make the journey painless.

Feeling secure, Hera and Blue walked outside. Hera noticed that the sun was still rising during her time in the open, meaning it was still morning in this place. She had no idea how long it would take to reach the gate Capri marked, but being on a mountain at night felt like a recipe for disaster.

The hours went by as they traveled through the mountain. Aside from their location on the map which would only complete itself after they passed through an area, the only indication they had of progress was how far away the peak seemed to be. The sun was already hidden by the mountain's shadow, and Blue wasn't doing so hot. The pain was increasing, and she had to keep popping painkillers just to keep it bearable. Hera only got some minor, over-the-counter meds. There was nothing to help with the pain of a broken foot.

Oddly enough, they didn't see any monsters or fauna aside from the small patches of trees. Hera tried to distract Blue by talking. The subject was irrelevant. It was mostly a way to lessen the pain. When they were making a big circle around the side of the mountain, a loud cry echoed throughout the entire room. It was hard to identify what type of creature could make such noise. The sound was distorted by the echo.

Hera and Blue glanced at each other and started moving faster. The cry seemed to come from far away. They weren't even able to see the creature, but if it was loud enough for them to hear, it would be loud enough to cause an avalanche.

"Hold on," Hera said as she lifted Blue off the ground and started running through the snow.

Both of them knew how much of a bad idea this was, but it was much better than being buried alive in snow. Hera skidded a couple of times but managed to recover her footing. After about three minutes, they left this small group of trees, seeing a path clear of any snow and frost ahead. It was still rocky and uneven, but now it was much easier to see where they were stepping.

"I think you can stop running," Blue said, still on Hera's back.

"Are you crazy?" Hera gasped.

"No, but there is no sign of movement up there," Blue pointed to the mountain.

"Are you sure?"

"Not really, but you are barely hanging on," Blue replied. She could see how tired Hera was. The explorer didn't stop ever since they got launched from the catapult. Now, the constant moving around was taking its toll.

"It's not like we have much of a choice here. You can't walk without my help and I'm the one who got us stuck here, and it's getting dark. We have to keep moving," Hera replied between breaths.

"Fine, but at least let me walk. If you pass out here, we are both screwed."

Hera nodded and carefully dropped Blue. They walked for another fifteen minutes until they reached what looked like a large entrance carved into the side of the mountain. It was about three meters high and five meters wide. It all had an Art Deco feel to it: sharp edges and simple forms joining together to make beautiful patterns. The columns on the side were shaped as if several stone slabs were placed, one behind the other in alternating sides, almost like a deck of cards being shuffled, but each card was slightly bigger than the previous one. The door had the same pattern, but in thinner layers. Despite the craftsmanship, this entrance seemed to be almost abandoned. Several parts of the structure were cracked and dusty. It looked more like ruins than an actual city.

"Is this it?" Blue asked.

"That's the information I got," Hera walked towards the door. Knocking had no results. It was just like hitting solid stone. To the side, almost hidden behind one of the columns, a small rope seemed newer than the rest of the structure. It was connected to a hole above the door, "Should I pull this?"

"What's the worse thing that could happen?"

"A trap, a horde of monsters, an old man streaking, I don't know."

"Did you have to put that image in my head?"

"I didn't have to, but I wasn't going to be the only one thinking about that," Hera chuckled.

"I hate you," Blue sighed.

"No, you don't. Now I honestly don't see any other way. I'm going to pull the cord."

Blue leaned on her good foot and raised the stick, "Ok, whatever happens, I'm with you."

Taking a deep breath, Hera pulled the cord. Suddenly a thumping started to ring. It seemed like it was coming from inside the doors.

"Can you hear that?" Hera asked.

"Yeah. What is it?"

The two pressed their ears against the door and noticed the thumping had a rhythm.

"Is that… jazz?" Blue asked.

"I think so, but it's not a very good song," Hera replied.

They kept listening to the sound when a different thumping started. It was louder, and it reminded them of the sound one would hear inside a mine. It was the sound of metal breaking rock, and it wasn't only sound either. Now they could feel the door vibrating. The two took a few steps back and waited. After a few minutes, the vibration grew stronger, and the door started to shift to the side. It opened just half a meter before a dwarf wearing some loose clothes with a golden badge on his shoulder popped out.

"What in the mountain's name are you doing there? Get inside quickly before the sky ruler appears!" the dwarf said in a hushed voice.

Hera and Blue looked at each other and walked towards him. Hera didn't pull up her handaxe but got ready in case he attacked them. As they entered the cave, another ten dwarves were inside. They started shutting the door the moment the humans crossed over.

"What is the rush?" Blue asked.

"What do you mean, what's the rush? The sky king can come and…" one of the female dwarves started talking but stopped after looking at the newcomers, "Are you… human?"

"Yeah, we are. Is that a problem?" Hera asked, already getting ready for a fight.

"They are human!" another dwarf gasped.

"Stop messing around and close the gate!"

"Yes, sir!" all the dwarves replied at once and went back to pushing the door.

"Sorry about that. We haven't seen a human around in a few generations. May I ask your names, or is that considered rude?" the dwarf with a golden badge asked.

"It's not rude at all. I'm Hera, and this is Blue. Do you mind if I ask what's your name?"

"I'm Wothur Mesca, a pleasure to meet you," he put out his hand for Hera to shake.

"The pleasure is all mine," Hera replied while shaking the man's hand.

Wothur turned around to Blue and greeted her as well. While doing so, he noticed her complexion and the splint, "You two must have gone through some trouble. Our king will want to meet you, but let's get you to the shaman's hut. The meeting can wait until you are feeling better."

"I appreciate it, I'm beat, and Hera is even more so," Blue smiled.

"What are you talking about? I'm fine," Hera tried to play it off, but her entire body felt 3 times heavier. Even taking a single step was an ordeal.

"Don't worry. According to the stories, you two are in much better shape than the last one who showed up."

Wothur led the two deeper inside the cave. They walked together with the other dwarves that were just staring at the two in wonder. They were like kids seeing snow for the first time. The group passed through a path that curved around something. The first thing Hera noticed was the sound. It wasn't music, but the sound of a bustling city. People talking, laughing, and moving around. Paying attention, she could even see that there was, in fact, some music mixed in the noise. When the wall to their left finally opened, they were greeted by a large city. Hundreds, if not thousands, of buildings were spread around in this massive cave, and each had a unique design. Some followed the Art Deco of the gate, while others went in different directions. It was as if every house was made by a different architect trying to make something unique. On the opposite end of the cave, there was a palace. It was made of several tall round towers with a few smaller ones around the main building. To the left, there was a lake, and they could see people swimming. To the right, it turned into farmland where they were growing something with an odd shade of green.

Wothur turned to the humans, "Hera, Blue, allow me to be the first to welcome you into the kingdom of Boothudurn."