Reep was happy. Happier than she had been in a long time. She had friends, she had family. She was free and she was safe. She didn’t have the drive that Clammy had, she didn’t have the goals that Max had. She was happy and that is all that matters to her. However, that brings an issue. If she allows herself to become complacent, would her friends leave her?

That’s the big picture for Reep. At the end of the day, Reep had to remain strong. She had to remain useful for her team, otherwise they would throw her out. Of course, she was wrong with her line of thinking. The others would never do anything to intentionally harm her.

As far as the others are concerned, Reep is a part of the team, just like each of the others. Without one, the team is nothing. Reep also saw the way people looked at her. She saw the cold stares and the looks of pity. She hated it.

Maybe that's why she remains quiet most of the time. Why would anyone listen to a former slave? Why would anyone listen to her? But then again, Max, and Clammy listen to her. They followed her plans during their quest in Leafhall. Maybe she is just being cynical. It is to be expected however, with the life she lived, she has every right to be a cynic.

Reep held on to the little things. The things that reminded her that she was alive. That she was free. She hid it well, under her mask, but she was still afraid. Afraid that one day Denny was going to come back. That he was going to take her. Force her. Harm her. That is why she chose lightning as her second class.

She held on to the feeling of being numb. Of electricity. She kept her emotions under lock and key and would zap herself if they bubbled up. When she killed the slave archer in Leafhall, she hid the burns well. It wasn’t healthy, she knew that, but it reminded her of her past. Of her horror.

Maybe she would find peace one day. Maybe she would simply become immune to electricity. Who knows? But that is her simple existence. Forever in a battle with herself. Forever in a battle with her past.

Reep liked Bishop. It wasn’t because of his skill set, or his outgoing personality. No, he was the one who saw something in her. He was the one that believed in her. Sure, the others believed in her, the others saw her potential. But they had known her before she was free. Before she lived.

Bishop saw her not as a former slave, but a student. He saw a young girl with the potential to create her own fate. He knew of her past, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t take pity, he didn’t stare. But again, she was wrong. The others saw her as a person. It was because he saw her as a person, that Max fought for her. It was because she IS a person that she is a part of the team. She is a person; she just didn’t know what it actually meant.

Reep glance at Vel and Max when they entered. Max had his eyes glued to a small cube. She could tell there was something magical about it but ignored him for the moment. For now she had a goal. Land a hit.

She and Clammy had been attacking Bishop for the last few hours. They have taken breaks to rest and for criticism, but the lizard seemed to be perfectly fine. Reep and Clammy on the other hand were tired.

“Last rep, then we take a break.” Bishop announced.

During their latest sparring session, Clammy had found to strike quickly and with meaning. She did exactly that. Without waiting for confirmation to start, Clammy launched into a measured attack. She swung her hammer aiming for Bishop’s vital points. He expertly dodged with minimal effort. It was almost as he was toying with the girl.

But in reality, he was conserving energy. It was a technique many struggled with. Bishop would purposely dodge with the most minimal distance from him and the hammer. The outcome would be that he could run circles around Clammy, while dodging arrows from Reep.

Of course, one small mistake and Bishop would pay the price. But, at the end of the day, he was training right along with them. He was getting faster, he was experiencing different styles of battle, and he was staying fit.

Reep signaled Clammy, and they started to enact Reep’s plan. They had found that individual attacks are useless against the [Weapons Master]. They had to attack together, they had to play off each other’s strengths.

Reep loosed a lightning constructed arrow, a technique that Reep was on her way to mastering. The arrow purposely missed wide, while a second was aimed true. With precise timing, Clammy swung her hammer putting Bishop in a position to dodge into the swing or into the arrow.

Instead, he jumped high. But this was expected and where the plan came to a head. Clammy reversed the gravity on the first arrow making it redirect back. She attached the attraction point onto Bishop’s back and kept swinging.

At this point, Bishop had to dodge three things. Clammy’s hammer, Reep’s new arrows, and the arrow flying at his back. Bishop smiled as he thought, They are learning.

Bishop’s eyes turned to slits and he disappeared a heartbeat later. A dagger made of arcing electricity was held to Reep’s throat. The sudden movement caught both Reep and Clammy off guard. An arrow suddenly pierced into Clammy’s shoulder. The electric nature ripped a hole through her armor and deep into her muscle. Her body twitched as she tried to shake off the volts coursing through her body.

“Holy hells Bishop!” Vel yelled from the sidelines. Water quickly surged and began to heal Clammy. “That could have killed her.”

Bishop’s eyes turned back to normal, and he released Reep. Reep rushed to her downed friend. Bishop scratched his head.

“I thought she would have dodged…” Bishop faltered.

Clammy was just getting to her knees, when a big lick from a certain water monster landed on her face.

“Thank you, Emi, I’m alright… Where’s Max?” Clammy looked around. The others had gathered around her, making sure she was fine, except Max. He sat in a corner staring intently at a cube.

“Boys…” Vel muttered glancing at Bishop and Max, disappointed.

Emi shot a ball of water at Max, forcing him to look up.

“Wha- Oh did Bishop win?” He asked uncertainly.

Everyone rolled their eyes, causing him to mutter about crazy people or something.

“Sorry about that Clammy, I thought you would have dodged.” Bishop repeated.

“Yeah, I should have, but I forgot about the arrow. I was so focused on tracking your movement that I didn’t realize that you moved so that I was in between the arrow and you.”

“Good, good. You know your mistake. What about you Reep?”

“I stood still, when I could have been repositioning or flanking.” She spoke.

“True, but I’m talking about when I had you pinned. You didn’t even try to fight back. Create an arrow in your hand and stab me with it. Shock me with an open palm. Try and break my grip, anything. Don’t just stand there and accept your loss. That’s how you lose.”

“I understand.”

“Good.” Bishop broke into a great smile. “That was amazing progress. I had to get serious at the end there.”

“You moved so fast…” Clammy muttered.

“Indeed. But you both should be able to reach similar speed with your skill sets. For Reep, you already know the precursor to what I used. Electrifying your muscles in quick bursts. Clammy you should simply always be able to be that fast. It may cause some mental strain, but if you get the hang of it, you’ll really fly.”

“What do you mean, mental strain? I just lower my gravity, that’s easy.”

“But what if you did what you did with the arrow but on a grander scale. Lower your personal gravity, but also pull yourself where you want to go. I’ve seen you do it before individually, but not combined.”

“That does sound pretty taxing…”

“Right, but if you can maintain a battle trance, then the sky’s the limit.” Bishop gestured wide with his arms.

Vel did a double take at the mention of battle trance. She chose to ask about it later.

“That does sound pretty useful…” Clammy smiled.

“By the way, what is Max doing?”

“Solving a puzzle cube [Arbor] Xylem gave him. It’s supposed to train him in Space Manipulation.” Vel answered.

“Ah! I’ve heard about those. They're supposed to be really difficult.” The system expert in Bishop was starting to show.

“He solved the first one in a few minutes.”

“Really? Maybe I should... go see if he needs help…” Bishop quickly left at the amusement of the others.

“Any plans for the day?” Reep asked.

Vel shook her head. “Unless we want to look for mana potion abusers, no. If something happens with Salvia, then maybe.”

“Calm before the storm.”

“Indeed.”

The girls sighed and wandered over to Max. Emi hitched a ride on Clammy’s shoulder. Bishop was staring intently at a solved cube. Vel recognized it as the larger.

Already solved the second, huh? Vel figured.

“Remarkable. After looking at it’s creation, I bet I could make something similar but with lightning. It, however, would be difficult to hold…”

“Rubber.”

“Come again?”

“If the lightning’s voltage was weak enough and you wore thick rubber gloves, you should be safe.” Max answered his attention still on his cube.

A predatory smile stretched on Bishop’s face. “Interesting…” He sat down and got to work.

Max put the cube away and focused on the others. Emi gave him the stink eye, but when he summoned a small fatty fish, she became his best friend again. The others chuckled.

“Any plans for today?” Max asked, causing everyone's eyes to roll.

Pharen La was, for all intents and purposes, a spy. His mission, while simple, was also boring. He was tasked, by [Arbor] Honeygreen, to report all of [Arbor] Salvia’s moments. He documented every person that he spoke to, every place he went, even a description of his appearance and attitude.

Pharen was similar to Wepish in that he was trained from a young child to be a spy. But unlike Wepish, he wasn’t tied to Honeygreen. Sure, he worked for the old man, but he was more in the capacity of mercenary rather than son.

Salvia had become increasingly jumpy over the last few days. He began to scream and degrade his followers for simple and inconsequential mistakes. Pharen made sure to make a special note about these incidents. A few individuals were even beaten for their misdoings.

After following the [Arbor] for 4 days, Pharen had thought that Honeygreen was wrong. Salvia was a dick, but not a traitor. However, on the 5th day, Salvia made his move. He ventured out late at night. Under the cover of darkness Salvia thought himself safe. He ventured deep into the forest, unimpeded from normal [Arbor] movement restrictions, Pharen noted.

[Arbors] are land classes. It was highly unusual for them to be able to move outside their territory, but Salvia seemed to do it with no consequence. Pharen followed the man until view of his destination. A camp.

Pharen knew he had to tread carefully. He knew about Mallor and Buzluc. He knew their strengths and their power. Watching from afar, Pharen used multiple magical items to view through the camp's wards.

The camp was equipped with a highly specialized type of ward. Illusionary wards create a field of something else. In this instance, Pharen saw a desolate and empty hunter’s camp. The illusion was so detailed, Pharen thought he could smell the blood dripping from the hanging gutted wolf.

Through the use of his magical items, the camp turned into field barracks. Thousands of undead prowled their temporary home. Rotting flesh and the stench of death caused Pharen to puke. It was a terrifying sight, but this information alone was worth more than his lunch.

Pharen left the camp carefully. He had to get this news back to Honeygreen.

An emergency meeting had been called. Everyone of importance except for Salvia had been called. Chatter sounded through the war room while the occupants waited for the meeting to start. The final few shuffled in and the meeting officially started.

“Everyone. It has been confirmed that [Arbor] Yewl Salvia has been confiding with the enemy. He was spotted just a few hours ago walking into the camp of Mallor Henbar.” Honeygreen announced.

Surprise exploded from the crowd. This meeting, unlike the one previous, contained everyone of importance. Guard captains, militia men of note, healers, mages, and renowned adventurers filled the room. The [Arbors] for the most part remained silent during these revelations. Ever since the last meeting, the seeds of doubt had been planted. It was obvious to the ones closest to him that he was the culprit. There were simply too many coincidences.

Honeygreen banged his wooden hand on the table, gathering everyone's attention.

“I will direct the next portion to [Farseer] Pharen La.” He gestured to Pharen.

Honeygreen chose to keep the Elf’s identity as hidden as possible. As of late, Honeygreen was running low on spies. Keeping one’s identity, a secret was the best he could do in these trying times.

“I have seen the camp.” Pharen said. “Thousands of undead behind illusionary wards. Salvia walked into the camp a few hours ago. He had been increasingly paranoid and irritable. It is my opinion that he was scared and fled.”

A wave of chatter ran through the room.

“What we need now is discussion. We have found the enemy's base. What is our next move?” Honeygreen ended his sentence looking at Vel.

She took que. “How many undead did you say? What types?” Vel asked Pharen.

“Thousands easy. Various levels of decomposition, some completely bone while others had a majority of their flesh. A few had weapons, nothing more than simple iron.”

“It's a bait.” Vel affirmed.

“Bait? How so?” The [Arbor] of grass, Mertle asked.

“Mallor should have tens of thousands, hundreds even, of undead. Among those should be abominations, revenant, wraiths, knights of varying types, and horrors. I cannot believe that Mallor’s army to destroy Esmel is only skeletons.”

The audience took in what she just said. Everybody had heard the stories of previous battles with [Reanimators]. Armies of undead wreaking havoc across the lands. That's why most believed Vel in her conclusion.

“I see.” Honeygreen finally said. “Let’s start with Salvia. In favor of immediate execution, raise your hand.”

Hands were raised. Around half the room. This was surreal to Max. He understood that Salvia was a spy, but just calling for someone's execution left a bad taste in his mouth. Max held his tongue on the matter, however. His opinion hardly mattered in situations like this.

He was an outsider, and a child. Who would listen to him? He might be able to convince Vel, but what then? Was he really alright with allowing a man who has the death of hundreds of citizens to live? Could an [Arbor] be jailed? Could he be banished? Max chose to remain silent.

“In favor of the capture of Salvia?” Significantly less hands were raised.

“It is decided then. Captain Ism, please round up the higher ranked members of his faction. Make sure they are unable to interfere.”

Captain Ism nodded and left; a few men followed him.

“Now then. What do we do about the undead camp?” Honeygreen asked the room.

Ideas sprouted from different people. Among those were to completely destroy the camp. A counterpoint was brought up that if it was actually a bait, Mallor could attack the city or the raiding party. Next was to have a small group of elites destroy the camp. Again, the point of a surprise attack outweighed the end results. Even Reep had input. She said to do nothing. A few calls for her to be removed followed, but she didn’t falter. She amended her statement by adding more details.

“We would watch the camp. A few individuals stationed far enough to view could watch the camp and look for changes. If it really is a bait, we shouldn’t attack.”

More calls for her removal sounded. Honeygreen threw out the main offenders, making Reep smile subtly. More ideas were said, and more ideas were ignored. Honeygreen asked Vel and Bishop for input, both agreed with Reep, surprising her.

“I agree.” Honeygreen added. “It is the safest plan for our position. Of course, the details will have to be worked out, but I put my vote in Reep’s plan. All in favor.” A few raised their hands, but most were lowered. Every [Arbor]’s hand was raised, however.

“Unanimous [Arbor] vote. The plan passes.” Honeygreen announced, causing a ripple of yelling.

“SILENCE!” Honeygreen bellowed. “When will you ungrateful fools understand that acting like that provides nothing to the conversation and only hinders the city? Do you want to remain in this meeting until the end of days? Until Mallor attacks and you watch your loved ones die?” Honeygreen looked over the audience. Most cowered away while a few fools stood headstrong under his gaze. They faltered under the crippling pressure.

“We do nothing. That is the plan. In the meantime, we bolster our defenses and have rotating scouts watching the camp. Anyone else?”

“We need to look for holes.” Max said, remembering the warehouse.

“Where?” Someone asked.

“The hole I found was in a warehouse that was full of mana potions. Oh that reminds me, report anyone who is drinking an absolutely crazy amount of mana potions.”

“Mana potions?” Someone asked again.

With a sigh, Max began to explain the theory behind mana potions. When he got to the part of the story where Buzluc appeared, murmuring circled around the room. Max hadn’t noticed it before, but he recognized wrong words. It took him a few moments to realize what was happening. They were speaking in Elvish, and his system was translating it.

Most everyone spoke in common. Max had gotten so used to understanding everyone, that it didn’t even register that people had been speaking languages other than common.

Weird. Max thought. How many languages have I heard, but not just realized?

Seeing how uncomfortable he looked, Bishop leaned down.

“Everything alright?”

“Can you understand them?”

“Elvish? Sure, every other word or so, why?”

“I just realized they had been speaking a different language than common. I think my brain, or my system, blended the words together…”

“Max… You know that you’ve been speaking Elvish right? Why do you think Honeygreen had a seat for you and Vel? You are the only ones that speak Elvish in our group.”

A sickening feeling came over Max. He didn’t know what, but something was really bothering him. He thought back on his time in Nava. He used the Translation Scroll during his first day. How many times did he speak a different language? How many times did he overhear private conversations?

Max tested the languages he knew. Elvish, Orc, Faye, even Kepu. An idea struck him. He tried to sing a famous German song. He butchered the pronunciation and sounds. The scroll doesn’t work for Earthen languages. That brought the question; how did Goddess Ofes know English? Max hadn’t used the scroll yet, but she was speaking fluent English, he was sure of it.

“Max? Talk to me.” Bishop whispered.

“Wha- Oh, nothing. Just a little confused at the moment.” Max shook his head and focused back on the meeting.

Elves he didn’t know were arguing back and forth. A few in Max and his team's favor, and a few not. Now that he knew about the language barrier, it made sense why Reep, Bishop and Clammy had been quiet. They couldn’t understand the insults.

The group opposing Max was using that argument that more Elves had died since their arrival. The group in favor, led by [Arbor] Dripleaf, argued that a lot more would have died without their help, and that it was her fault so many died at the warehouse.

The argument culminated into name calling. Honeygreen ended it and gave a short speech about the unprecedented information that Max, and his team had found. But Max wasn’t listening. Instead, he focused on the one word he didn’t know. Nacittib.

Max said the word a few times, feeling the unfamiliar word through his lips. The word didn’t make sense to him. He tried it with different pronunciations and accents. Max felt like he was missing something. Something important.

Maybe not important to the current situation, Max realized. Max had noticed his scatterbrained thoughts as of late. It was almost like he was in two places at once. One in real life, and one in a world of his own.

“...no more comments or idea’s let's end the meeting.” Max missed the first half.

When no one answered, Honeygreen opened the doors and people began to shuffle out. [Arbor] Xylem was the first to approach Max.

“Still working on the prism?” He asked.

Max scoffed. “The jump in difficulty between the last cube and this is crazy.”

Xylem smiled. “That’s because the cubes are meant to be training devices while the last one is an actual puzzle. As far as I know, thirty-six of those were made by [Arch Space Mage] Zenn. Last time I checked, only twenty some odd were solved.”

Max recognized the name. [Arch Space Mage] Zenn was the mage who created the gate network that ran along the continent. She lived a few millennia ago and was an unparalleled genius at her craft. She single handedly revolutionized travel and the economy.

“You never solved it?” Max asked.

Xylem raised an eyebrow, causing Max to cringe at his question. Xylem chuckled.

“No, I had a more pressing event happening around the time I was giving the prism.” He gestured to his wooden self. “I hope that one day you can unlock the secret she locked inside.”

“You're giving this to me?”

“Sure. I haven't attempted to open it in a century. If I keep it, it would just collect dust.”

“Thank you.” Max bowed.

“No need for that. You are allowing me to teach you was payment enough.” He chortled.

The two chatted a bit more, but a nervous looking man stood off to the side. He was obviously waiting for Max and [Arbor] Xylem to end their conversation, but his bouncing signified urgency. Xylem said his goodbyes, promising another lesson tomorrow evening.

Max waved the nervous man over to him and the others.

“Yo- you were the one with the mana potion theory?” he asked.

Max nodded. “I think we can confirm it to be true, but yes.”

“I think I know someone like you were describing. She drinks potions like water.”

It was then that Max actually took a look at the man. He wore a sergeant’s guard uniform. His tabard had an embroidered emblem that Max didn’t recognize.

“Does she wear mana regeneration enchanted items?” Vel asked.

He thought for a moment. “Now that you mention it, she does have new jewelry…”

“When was the last time you saw her?”

“Before I went to bed… She’s my w-wife.” His voice hitched.

“Oh fuck.” Vel muttered.

Vel took a deep breath. She waved over Honeygreen.

“Alright, start at the beginning.”

The man, Isra, told them how he thought his wife was cheating on him. She came home late one night, refusing or unable to tell him where she was. Isra was a mage and part of the mage division of the guard. He explained that he had been sleeping at the barracks while he was on shift. He would often be out of the house for a few days.

Isra cried during his story. Going from thinking your wife is cheating on you to a mind-slave to a terrorist would do that to anybody. A few days ago, Isra noticed his wife only drank out of a flask. When questioned about it, she would deflect. He figured the stress was getting to her, and she was drinking.

It was common for spouses of guards to have significant stress. They would often worry about their loved one. If they were safe if they’d come back. Max could empathize, he understood the worries of military parents or spouses. Her wearing jewelry wasn’t new, she often treated herself. Afterall, she was a co-owner of an enchanted jewelry shop.

Vel snapped her fingers in realization. “We didn’t check jewelers or tailors. High quality enchants could easily supplement mana poisoning for a while.”

“Isra.” Honeygreen spoke softly. “Where is your wife?”

“A-at her sto-re…” He sobbed. “It shou-ld be open by now.”

Bishop put the poor man to sleep. A wooden body popped from the wall. It was the less detailed version of Honeygreen that had invited Max to his trunk so long ago. The stick man picked up Isra and carried him off to a bed.

“It’s going to crush him if it turns out to be true.” Clammy whimpered.

“We can only pray.” Vel said.

Max felt like the numer of people following was overkill. His group plus 2 guard units and a unit of mages followed along the streets to the jewelry store. After what happened with Buzluc, no one wanted to take any chances.

The jewelry store was posh and large. It was built with large panels of glass and wooden strips. Wards were purposely left visible to deter potential thefts. Through the large windows, two workers stood behind display counters. A woman was discussing with a customer about a slender necklace. The other, a man, was the first to notice the large influx of people outside.

He signaled the woman just as the first guard unit entered. Max and Vel entered next, leaving the others and the second unit outside. The woman reacted differently than how Max figured she would. She started to cry. The man rushed over and began to comfort her.

“Step away sir.” A guard said.

The man did.

“Is… Is Isra alright? Please tell me he’s alri-ght!” The woman cried.

Everyone looked at each other. It was a moment before they realized what was happening. She assumed they were coming to inform her of her husband's passing. He was, after all, a guard and the life expectancy for guards has been rather poor. A guard moved the man and the customer to the side. The lead guard began to explain that her husband was fine.

“I see! What can I help you with then.” She sniffled.

Vel took over from this point.

“What’s your name?”

“Gwen.”

“Alright Gwen. Do you have any missing time? Gaps in your memories?” Vel spoke softly.

“What? I don’t understand what's going on here?”

“Have you been drinking mana potions?”

“Mana potions? No?” Max had to hand it to her, she was convincing.

“Why are you wearing mana enchanted jewelry?”

“These?” She exposited her earrings and necklace. “Pretty aren't they! I have the collection right here if you are interested in buying.”

“Gwen. You didn’t answer the question. Why are YOU, a saleswoman, in need of mana regeneration items.”

“These are a part of our mage bundle! Don’t want you running out of mana when it matters!” Gwen had a large fake smile.

Max and Vel shared a look. Something was wrong.

“Do you mind if I search your person?”

Her smile dropped. “Why are you here? Is it my husband Isra? Is he alright?”

“Isra’s fine. He mentioned that you have a flask, he needs it. Can you give it to me?” Vel pushed her hand forward.

“I don’t have a flask.” She retorted.

“Have you been noticing anything wrong with your body? Uncontrollable sweating, headaches, weakness, craving? Anything?”

Her eyes glazed over for a moment, before a smile spread across her face.

“Hi. Welcome to the Enchanted Jewel. Can I show you a collection or do you have something specific in mind?”

Vel nodded. “I do have a request. I need you to sleep.”

The woman fell hard, crumbled like a sack of potatoes. Max and the guards cringed.

“Well?” Vel looked at Max.

“Besides the mood swings, she feels very wrong. What about you, Emi?”

Emi nodded. Same.

“Emi agrees.”

Vel sighed. “Alright. Let's take her back to… the bank?” She turned to a guard. “Send word to [Arbors] Honeygreen and Xylem to meet us at the bank.”

The guard saluted and ran out.

“What a shit show.” Vel muttered.

The [Arbors] were already waiting when they arrived with Gwen. Everyone entered the already opened vault. Max watched with fascination as the time dilation slowed the guard closing the door. Last time he was a little preoccupied to really appreciate the magic.

“Well?” Honeygreen asked.

“She has some sort of anti-questioning charm enabled. When I asked specific questions, she would forget the last few seconds. Max also felt something from her.”

“Why the bank?” Xylem asked. “I’m sure we could find a cell to question her in.”

“Heh. Are you forgetting that she is essentially a living bomb?”

Everyone in the room paled.

“Right, good choice.”

Max took the silence as a go ahead to search her. Being as careful as possible, he patted her dress. In her right pocket, Max pulled out a small flask. He handed it to Vel, who opened and smelled it. She nodded, confirming the contents. Next, he moved on to small markings he noticed behind her ears.

Small black dots, similar to freckles, littered her fair skin. As Max inspected the marks, they shifted. Every few seconds they should shake and move. It was slight, but after you noticed, it became very apparent.

“Any ideas?” Max asked the room, folding Gwen’s ear down.

He received no’s, and head shakes.

Max was at a loss. He searched through the parts of Gwen he was comfortable looking over. He could feel that something was wrong with her, just not what specifically. Besides the dots, he found nothing. Max finally gave in. He stood and shook his head to the others.

“It’s alright Max. Just being able to confirm that the living sacrifices exist, and they are in the city is enough.” Honeygreen reassured.

“No, it’s not that.” Max said. “It’s that I can feel something is wrong with her. I just don’t know what. Maybe with more information I could find a trail to the others, or heal her? I don’t know.”

“Well regardless. This is a huge boon.”

Max could only nod.

“What do we do now?” Reep asked.

“For now, we keep her here. I’ll call over a specialist to induce a coma. Past that? I’m not sure.” Honeygreen said.

“We will have to widen our investigation. With the inclusion of enchanted gear, we will have our work cut out for us.” Vel said.

“I’ll set up a Space Safe for her. Max, do you want to watch?”

Max nodded enthusiastically; Xylem chuckled.