Chương 11: On Their Merry Way

[Pyromancer's Staff (E)] Fire damage increased by 12% when held. Fire spells' cast time reduced by 15%. Mana regeneration increased by 4%. Usable by Level 10+ Arcane Classes.

"Well, that is underwhelming, and here I was hoping for something useful. Can't even use it to bash someone over the head…" He shook his head and tossed the staff back into storage before pulling out the skill stone. [Skill Stone: Flaming Retreat (E)] Contains skill Flaming Retreat (E) – Lunge backwards 5 meters, leaving behind a fiery explosion that burns unquenchably for 15 seconds. Costs 350 mana to cast, and goes on cooldown for 1 Hour. Requires a Class proficient in Fire magic.

"Well, shoot me with an arrow in the back and call me a porcupine. Talk about useless rewards." He sighed.

"I can probably sell this to some fire mage for a decent bit of coin." He waved his hand dismissively and stored the Skill Stone. [BT: 1, 470] He stared at his tokens. It's a decent amount… Let us see. He opened the Store and browsed through the Staves section. Primal Druid's Staff (S) ‎ BT: 158, 780 Staff of the Frost Giants (S) ‎ BT: 136, 043 Roaring Tempest (S) ‎ BT: 149, 696 Branch of Recovery (A) ‎ BT: 101, 542 Staff of Thousand Venoms (A) ‎ BT: 102, 444 A loud burst of laughter broke the silence of the room.

"Hey, Astrae, did you drink that near-poisonous mead of the Stone Dwarves to price these this high? Who in the name of Solastra can afford any of this?" He laughed at the absurd prices, then scrolled down toward the cheaper options, the ones he could actually hope to buy. Crescent Scepter (E) ‎ BT: 9, 004 Earthen Stave (E) ‎ BT: 7, 832 He scoffed again and scrolled all the way to the bottom before something finally caught his eye. Druid's Enhanced Beginner Staff (F) ‎ BT: 820 Natural damage increased by 10%.

Plant-based skills enhanced by 5%. Spirit recovery rate increased by 2. 5% when held. Usable by Level 5+ Druid Class"I'll take it… I need a proper staff, and what is a Mage without his staff, anyway?" He shook his head, fully aware he was about as far from a traditional mage as one could get. He spent the tokens, and a simple branch-like staff appeared in his hand, rough and unrefined, as though freshly cut from a living tree, save for the faint green runes etched gently along its length.

He gave it a small nod and cast Thorn Whip through the staff this time. A much larger magic circle formed than before, and a thicker, more robust vine lashed out from the tip of the staff, snapping against the wall with force and leaving a deep scar in the stone where it struck.

"Good… This will do in a group fight... Alone, I'll rely on my sword and shapeshifting." He muttered. It was a simple plan, but for now, it was the most practical one he had.

"Hey, Sprout, let's go practice our spirit absorption. You could use some energy, you sleepyhead." He lifted Sprout from the front pocket of his vest and placed him gently on his knee as he settled into a meditative posture. He closed his eyes and reached out with his senses. With a steady inhale, he drew in thin strands of spirit energy and guided them toward the translucent crystal seed within him, while splitting smaller fragments and feeding them to Sprout.

Sprout sat in the same position on his knee, mimicking him and began to emit a soft, thick green, albeit faint, aura that wrapped around its small form, easing Maximus's mind and calming the surrounding space. Anyone passing by would catch the scent of freshly cut grass, tinged faintly with mint. Slowly, the two, druid and spirit, sank deeper into the rhythm of the natural world, absorbing what they could from the unseen flow around them.

Hours passed like that, in a quiet, nature-touched haze, until at last Maximus' eyes snapped open, glowing faintly with a flash of green. Trait Leveled Up: [Nature's Seed (E) Lv. 3] Skill Leveled Up: [Seedling Companion (F) Lv. 3] Maximus smiled softly.

"Good job, Sprout. We did well. Now let's get some rest." He picked him up and lay down on the simple wooden bed, its straw mattress covered by a thin white sheet. I've slept in worse… This will do. He thought, as his eyes slowly closed.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Maximus rose early and cleaned the house, making sure everything looked as it had before, well, except for a few scratches and the small hole where his laser had pierced through the wall the night before.

"Let's go, Sprout. No time to waste." He said as he stepped outside, heading toward the makeshift hospital Jax had been using to treat the injured, which was now filled to the brim. He checked a few rooms before finding Pete asleep on one of the beds. Sitting beside him, he gently nudged him awake. Pete opened his eyes and smiled.

"Oh, Max, hey! How are you?" he asked immediately, smiling gently.

"Hello Pete, I'm fine. I'll be heading toward the City of Beginnings, so I wanted to say goodbye for now. If fate allows it, we'll meet again, whether on another Plane or back in the world. Just take care of yourself." Maximus said.

"I figured you would." Pete smiled warmly.

"I've got a feeling you're going to turn this world upside down." He added.

"Did you see Sarah and Tom? They'll be sad to see you go as well. We've been through a lot… Even if it was only a single day." His voice cracked slightly.

"How is your leg?" Maximus asked, shifting the topic.

"Healing slowly. Feels like I'm rotting in here." Pete sighed.

"Let me see what I can do," Maximus said as he activated Rejuvenation. Hmm… There isn't much I can change here. The limits are far stricter with this one. He observed the swirling formula spiraling within the magic circle hovering above his palm. What if I add a restriction instead? He adjusted a few elements, guiding the structure with delicate precision, his fingers moving like a maestro conducting a silent symphony.

New Skill Detected: > Rejuvenation: Focused Treatment Rejuvenation: Focused Treatment – Focus the full power of the skill onto a single point, increasing the healing strength by x1. 5. The dense concentration of spirit energy places heavy strain on the recipient's body. Can only be applied to the same individual once every 2 days. Wonderful. Sometimes limitations are just as valuable as power increases. Maximus nodded, satisfied with the result, and pulled back the sheet covering Pete's leg.

He placed his hand over the wound and released the skill directly into it. Pete tensed, wincing as his teeth clenched against the surge of energy. A few moments later, Maximus withdrew his hand and smiled.

"How does it feel?" Pete stared in disbelief as he swung his leg over the side of the bed and stood.

"It… Feels as good as new?" He said, confused.

"Good. Here, take this as well. I have enough for myself." Maximus said, handing him a bottle of his homemade potion, leaving himself with three.

"What's this?" Pete asked, opening the bottle, sniffing it, then immediately gagging.

"It's a healing potion, though a bit weaker. You can take two sips a day, no more. It should handle minor wounds just fine." Maximus explained.

"Max… This is too much. Are you insane? Just a single vial of healing potion costs around a hundred Euros back home, and you're giving me an entire bottle?" Pete protested.

"I can make more. Just take it. And Pete… Watch over Sarah! Most importantly, don't trust Tom too much. I have a bad feeling about his intentions." Maximus said before turning and walking off, leaving Pete standing there in stunned confusion. A hundred Euros… He says that, like I'm supposed to know what it is. Don't they use gold as currency? Maximus thought, faintly amused, as he made his way toward the village gates.

As Maximus arrived, Felix was already there, leaning on the village's main gates and sunbathing while waiting for him and Oscar.

"Morning, Felix, was it?" Maximus attempted the mythical art of small talk, the one thing he had never been particularly good at.

"Nice morning we're having, huh?" He continued, causing Felix to shift back slightly.

"You use ice and a sword. I've never seen a combat style like that before. How come you chose it?" Maximus asked, trying to fill the silence with anything at all.

"I got lucky," Felix replied shortly.

"So, there are rare classes then? Like yours?" Maximus pressed.

"Yes," Felix answered simply.

"Interesting! Thank you!" Maximus smiled brightly, perhaps a bit too brightly. Looks like we made a new friend today, Sprout! Maximus said inwardly with a grin. Maximus was about to ask something else when Oscar and Edgar arrived.

"Morning, boys. You seem eager to get going." Edgar said with a chuckle.

"Morning." Oscar greeted them casually.

"He doesn't like to talk much with strangers, don't take it personally," Oscar added with a wide grin, clapping Felix on the back.

"Well, boys… Good luck. I hope I'll see you on the second Plane." Edgar said, waving them off as they finally set out toward the east and the Wildlands.

The trio walked eastward for a while, Oscar chatting endlessly about their time in the Planes since they arrived. It turned out that he, Felix, and Edgar had arrived together, all taken from the same place at the same time. Maximus still wasn't entirely clear on how the whole "plane" system worked, but he was starting to piece together a troubling picture. The Astrae System didn't seem to care what it did to people's lives beyond this place, and he began to question the motives behind such a godlike creation.

"So, do you know how far we are from the Wildlands?" Maximus cut off Oscar's rambling.

"Around fifteen days or so, I think. Here, take a look." Oscar pulled a map from his inventory. Both he and Felix, being over level 10, had unlocked their storage. Maximus took the map and studied it. He saw the surrounding villages and, further ahead to the east, a vast green expanse marked as the Wildlands, with a single bright point on the other side. So, we don't need to cross the whole thing, just push straight through… That's not too bad. He reassured himself.

"There's another village further east, if this is accurate," Maximus noted.

"Yeah. I was thinking we level as we go, from village to village, until we reach the Wildlands. Only problem is that means you'll be on your own for the crossing." Oscar said, a hint of regret in his voice.

"That's fine. I know you two are running out of time. No worries." Maximus replied calmly. He had already expected to face the later stages of the trial alone.

"By the way, Max… Why'd you pick Druid anyway? Aren't they a right pain to level up early on? I know that I've heard that you barely get any useful skills starting out, and since you only get a couple of skills every five levels, it must be quite a pain to make a proper build." Oscar said thoughtfully.

"Ah… Well, you see…" Maximus scratched his head lightly.

"I don't actually remember that part. I was attacked the moment I arrived on the Planes, and I seem to have lost my memory. So, I'd actually like to know the answer to that myself." He chuckled innocently.

"Oh, bloody hell, sorry, mate! Didn't realize it was that serious." Oscar said quickly, his tone turning apologetic.

"Such is life; unpredictable, indeed." Maximus sighed, his thoughts drifting briefly to the Mother and her betrayal. All elves were children of the World Tree… No one could have imagined that the purest being in their realm would be the one to strike him down in the end. Just what were you planning, Mother? Oscar's laughter pulled him from the heavy memory.

"You sounded like a proper old man there. Bloody hell, that was funny." Oscar laughed even louder.

"Oscar, quiet," Felix spoke for the first time in a while.

"There, a group of goblins. But… Something seems off." He pointed toward a small group moving from the direction of the village they were heading toward. Maximus activated Eagle's Eyes and focused. His expression sharpened instantly.

"They're Zombified Goblins." He said in a low voice.

"That means a Lich is somewhere nearby." He added grimly.

"Or someone with a Necromancer Class." Oscar corrected as he pulled out his spear, his stance tightening.

"Boys, time to bash some rotten heads." ‎