The Ceremony

"Hera, sweetie. Are you sure you want to do this?" Helena asked as they were walking towards the doorway in Brinefront that led to the outside.

"Not really. But Peter had a point. If I talk about what happened to you, maybe someone will have an idea. That's why I set up the email," Hera replied. She was still hurt, but after the treatment she received from Cameron, the high-level healer, she felt much better. Even so, the wound on her back and her right leg were still a problem. She also had a couple of small cuts on her face and the burn on her ear that, according to all the staff that took care of her, it wasn't worth fixing now since they should focus on the more significant wounds.

"If you get too nervous, focus on us, ok? That is a trick that my dad taught me. Focus on a single person in the audience," Blue said.

They all had come along with here. Helena had invited the group to stay at their house, living with them. All but Mark had accepted the offer, his workshop was in Brinefront, and the commute would be too much. Bonnie got very excited by the idea of helping Helena with her research, but to her dismay, Helena only allowed Hera inside her lab.

Hera spent a lot of time thinking if she would accept the card. Silver cardholders were the majority among the guild. Most people who went past the 5th layer would eventually get it. Helena explained that she would also get a few perks. Discounted services from the guild, priority crossing on any doorway that had a checkpoint set up. And she would even have priorities if she wanted to rent an ATR. Lower layers didn't have the training rooms exclusive for silver or gold members, but if she was waiting for a reservation and someone canceled theirs. The guild would let her know about it. There were also more crucial quests that would be available to her, but then again, those were rare to come by on lower layers.

The main reason she agreed to the ceremony was so she could talk about Helena's situation. The mage agreed to talk about it. That way, they could have a more extensive network of people with potential leads. No one was expecting much on the subject of actual treatments. But people might have clues about items or skills that could help. People could also share information about legacies, but that was very unlikely. No one was willing to give up the chance of getting one of those skills.

As they entered the guild, the group was led to the terrace where their graduation party took place. They were received by a woman with a light tan, long chestnut hair, and thick glasses, wearing a salmon-colored skirt going to her ankles and a flower stamp t-shirt.

"Oh, hi! Wow, that's a big group," she looked around the new arrivals, "Hera must be... you right? I mean, the bruises give it away a bit."

Hera nodded, "Yeah, that's me. Sorry for this. I'm not much of a fan of makeup."

"What? Oh no! No, no, no, I didn't mean it like that. You look great. It's just. You are the only one that seems to have been fighting to the death recently," the woman tried to explain.

"Don't worry. I get what you mean... Sorry, I didn't catch your name," Hera said, turning on her customer service switch. When she worked in the bookstore, a few shoppers had similar reactions when talking to new people. Because of that, Hera was their regular attendant.

"Oh, I didn't say it, my fault, not yours. I'm Livia, Livia Erhis. Nice to meet you," Hera shook Livia's hand, "Ok, so we were supposed to do the ceremony and then the interview. But there was a small change, and we are going to swap that. Is that ok?" Livia asked.

"Sure. I'm not exactly excited for either. We can do it in any order," Hera said as Helena sighed.

"I know, right? These things are so stuffy. I just want to get it over quickly. Having to dress up is really annoying. I wish I could go like this. But you look great!"

Hera was wearing a long grey coat and a purple shirt with jeans and boots. Helena and Blue tried to convince her to use the dress she wore to their graduation, but she refused. Hera was already doing something that made her uncomfortable. The last thing she needed was an outfit that made it worse.

"Thanks. So are we ready, or do we have to wait?" Hera asked.

"We are all ready. Let me introduce you to the interviewer," she led Hera to the back of the patio. Just before the stage, there was a setup with a few cameras and two chairs. There was a woman with pale blue hair and large white rings painted around her eyes that she recognized in one of them, "Hera, this is Becca Swan."

"Hi, I recognize you from the assault. Did you manage to save your crew?" Hera asked while greeting Becca.

"Well... save is a strong word. I helped them ran away and held back one of the creatures before the cavalry arrived. It was mostly due to luck that we all get back."

Hera nodded, "I can relate."

Becca smiled, "I'm sure you do. Are you ready to start?"

"Not really, but let's go."

Becca chuckled, "I said the same thing during my first broadcast. Now we are just gone give you some basic makeup for the camera."

Hera sat on the chair across from Becca, and the makeup artist came along. A few minutes later, the interview started. Most of the questions were very basic. What was the creature? Where did she find it? How was the fight? Things that Hera had answered more than a few times over the last few days. Then, Becca asked about her origins, where she came from, and how she became an explorer. This was the only question that Hera already knew about. It was also her cue to talk about Helena and the email address.

"I know she will say I'm wrong. But I do feel like I owe everything to Helena. Without her, I wouldn't be here, and the guild might not have this information. That's why I set up that email, and I hope anyone who has any clues could reach out," Hera turned to the camera when asking for help and said the email address, following Becca's directions.

"That is a very noble thing you are doing. I hope you know that. Not only are you willing to risk your life for your friend, but you are also even reaching out. I think we can all take some inspiration from your selflessness," Becca shifted on the chair, "But now, you brought an interesting point. Do you believe that the guild should remove the stat restriction for new recruits? You said it yourself if it wasn't for Helena and some luck, you wouldn't be here. Some people could have died if it wasn't for you."

The question surprised Hera. She wasn't expecting something so political to be brought up. Removing the restriction was something that she never thought about. If the question were asked before getting her level up, she would've said yes in a heartbeat. But now, after that fight and know how dangerous the MAZE could be, she wasn't sure. Hera started mumbling something in a low voice while trying to think.

"It's ok. Take your time. This is not live. We can cut to your answer," Becca said.

Hera took a deep breath and organized her thoughts. When she was ready, she started speaking, "I don't know. I don't believe I'm experienced enough to give my opinion on the matter. It's been less than three months since I started my life as an explorer. I can understand why the restriction is there, but I also know how it is like to be rejected by the guild. Yet, now I can't say if they are right or wrong."

Becca smiled, "Even high-level explorers would have trouble to give such a level-headed answer. Thank you for that. Now, let's change the topic for a moment. What is it like to be the fastest silver cardholder that the guild ever had?"

It was hard to get used to Becca's way of interviewing. She would ask simple questions and follow it up with more heavy and complex topics. Hera imagined if that was a trick to make people drop their guard or let something slip.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. By all accounts, it doesn't make any sense. I didn't hunt down the wendigo or went after a rumor. It was a coincidence, and I had to fight to survive. I still don't know why they gave me the upgrade," Hera replied honestly.

Becca turned to her crew and made a motion for them to cut the cameras, "I'm going to say this off the record because I hate when people are used without realizing. I think this is all a publicity stunt. The public's view of the guild plummeted after the attack on the wall. Very few people actually trust the leadership now. They want to use you for a few things. First, to show that Wendigos are not the boogeymen, since even someone who barely started could beat them. Second, to have something to celebrate. The best way to make people forget a bad thing is to flood the news with other things. Third, they still need to show that Wendigos are not to be toyed with. I say that is even the reason for not healing fully before the interview and why they asked to have your wounded ear on camera."

"But it's the wrong side. The camera is only getting my left ear," Hera said.

"Oops, I must have forgotten about their request. Oh, well. We have too much footage to redo the interview. They are going to have to deal with it," Becca waved her hand.

Hera chuckled, "Thanks. For the advice too. But is it ok for you to say this here? And how can you be so sure they are doing that?"

"Just a professional tip, but avoid asking more than one question at once. It's easier for them to dodge it. And don't worry. I trust my crew, and I'm guessing you trust your friends too. Even if someone here reports to a big shot. I'll be fine. Now, you can keep that reply, and maybe the guild will give you some trouble in the future. Or you can rephrase it and ask the questions without appearing so... aggressive."

"And how can you be so sure about all that? I mean about the publicity stunt," Hera replied after considering her options.

"I can't say I'm sure, but I've been working with the guild long enough to understand how they think. I'm not just a reporter, but part of the PR team. If you end up doing something that might hinder what they want to achieve, the guild might retaliate. Then again, it won't be like they will put a hit on you or something. It's more like being in their good graces or not. For a situation like this, it seems a waste not to take advantage of it."

Hera looked at her friends and nodded. Helena already had enough problems. She didn't need to add the guild's wrath to the list.

"Let me try answering the question again," Hera said after putting some thought on the matter.

Becca nodded and made a motion for the crew and spoke as if the interview had never stopped, "Even high-level explorers would have trouble to give such a level-headed answer. Thank you for that. Now, let's change the topic for a moment. What is it like to be the fastest silver cardholder that the guild ever had? "

"I'm not sure that it sank in yet. I mean, it's a great honor, but am I worthy of it? I did what I did to survive, but at the same time, it helped the guild. I can only hope to prove that I truly deserve the silver card in the future."

Becca smiled and asked a few more questions, mostly about her skills and dreams. Hera was focused on helping Helena, and she admitted that in the interview. Having enough content, Becca thanked her for her time and reassured Hera that her first answer wouldn't be a part of the broadcast. After that, Livia returned wearing a black fitted suit with a white shirt and a black tie. It was like looking at someone else entirely. They set up for the ceremony, and as it was about to start, Livia took the podium.

"Today, we are here to honor a member of our guild for her exemplary effort to help us all. As the guild master of the branch responsible for her training, it's hard to put in words how proud I am of our graduate. She fought and defeated a Wendigo on her own. The creature was found in the first layer, and its body recovered, confirming reports that those monsters are not exclusive to the 25th layer. Yet, we must not forget the sacrifice that was made when these creatures first surfaced, and we must remain steadfast against their attacks...."

Her speech lasted another half an hour. She was mostly talking about what the guild was doing to protect people against the Wendigos. At the end of it. Hera received her silver guild card. It had the same design and engravings, but now, her name was glowing. Even with all the weirdness of it all, Hera couldn't help but feel emotional. Six months ago, her life was awful, and she could only pray for things to get better. Now, just three months after her level up. She was recognized as an honored explorer.