“Alright.” Max said after sitting down with everyone. “What’d I miss?”

“After you passed out from healing Bishop and yourself, we held off the remaining bugs until the guard took post. Buzluc had set up wards similar to what I had done in the warehouse. [Arbor] Dripleaf was afraid of sending her men through and opted to wait for one of us.” Vel explained.

Max nodded. Sounds about right. No wonder there was no one else in the street or guards coming to investigate. Buzluc had secured the area.

“What about this death bomb or whatever?” He asked.

“Death bombs are implanted inside a person's body. If they die, a magical explosion is supposed to obliterate their killer. They have been outlawed across the world and are rather rare now-a-days.” Bishop said with a shiver.

“What about the situation over the last week?”

“Mallor keeps sending small waves of undead at the city. The first and second wave caught us off guard, killing a few soldiers. But we have regrouped and now the waves are little more than an annoyance.”

“Anything with the living sacrifices?”

“We’ve found and detained two more. We have also received word that a specialist from Salae is on his way once the city is safe. I have been assured that he will have insights that will help these people, potentially curing them.” Honeygreen spoke.

Max sighed in relief. He was hoping that someone would come through for those unlucky souls. He didn’t want to see them locked away, or worse, for the rest of their lives.

“No sightings of Mallor?”

“None.”

Max took a deep breath. He trusted everyone in the room, but Honeygreen was slightly different. He was an outsider of their team. Simply someone who they needed contact with to be able to operate within Esmel. Sure, he’s proven himself trustworthy but the secret that Max was thinking of sharing was big.

“I have something to say. I have no issue with my team hearing it, but you [Arbor] Honeygreen, I have reservations.” Max said.

“I understand. If you wish me to leave th-”

“No, I need you to hear this.”

“I see. Personal, I presume?”

Max nodded.

“I [Arbor] Denitum Honeygreen, swear on the God Lentu, that I will not share the information that Max is about to tell me without direct consent from him. If I break this vow, I will be smited down with Divine punishment.” A faint glow filled his hollow eyes.

Max looked to Vel, who nodded.

“When I was bleeding out, I saw a vision. A being calling himself Tiodepth told me that if I do not live, the tomb will be breached.” Max bent the truth slightly, but it was good enough.

Honeygreen looked from around the room. He noted the blank expressions from Max’s comrades.

“This is not the first vision?”

“No. I’ve had others from Tiodepth. I think that was why Seetrin sent us here. It’s all connected somehow.”

“I see.” The [Arbor] fell silent.

Minutes of awkward tension came and passed, before Honeygreen finally stood up and spoke.

“Come with me. I’ll show you why it is impossible for Mallor to breach the tomb, even if you were dead.”

Everyone stood up slowly and followed the wooden man. They walked down, further down than Max had ever been inside Honeygreen. They walked in a spiral, slowly making their way deeper into the ground. Hundreds of steps later, they stopped.

“I wasn’t originally in this plot of land. I moved after my wife died.”

“You moved?”

“Yes, I uprooted myself for a second time and used my body as a blockade for this.” He gestured out into the room. “Welcome to the Tomb of the Dead God, Tiodepth. Or at least the entrance.”

Millions of wards and runic carvings littered the room. Every inch of the floor, walls and ceiling were covered. It physically hurt Max to look deep into the room. It wasn’t a headache pain he had experienced looking at Tiodepth, it was like someone was striking him all over his body. His chest throbbed, his thoughts throbbed, it was harder to breathe… He had to look away. Max saw the others, all of them had already looked away. Each of them stared at him strangely.

“How did you do that Max?” Clammy asked.

“Do what?”

“Look down there for so long.”

“What do you mean? I looked away after a few seconds.”

Everyone looked at each other. Concern and confusion radiated from the group.

“What’s wrong…?” Max asked, unsure.

“You were looking down the hallway for a good five minutes. We all had to look away after a few seconds…” Vel said.

“No. I looked away quickly.” Max whispered.

Emi sent her memory of Max standing perfectly still, staring down the long hallway.

“I... see...” Max said, dropping into the infinite beach.

The water was rough, but there was no Tiodepth. It was weird, Max had never seen the waters choppy like this. Every time he had come to his inner world, the water was calm. There was a sense of harmony and bliss in the air. It was welcoming. Now, the water was unsettling, waves crashed with force, and all of the pleasant feelings vibrated with some emotion Max couldn’t place.

He resurfaced back to himself. Weird. He thought.

The others were discussing different interpretations of what Tiodepth had told Max. Ideas were spit out about the Tomb being the city itself, or that Max’s subconscious was simply trying to wake him. Max joined the conversion adding his own thought that it was a literal warning.

They moved back to the war room; the wards were making them all uncomfortable. They began discussions about what to do next. Max assured Honeygreen that speaking to the city's populace, on a public platform, would do wonders for him and his people. He would be able to hear their concerns and help the best he could. To Max, Honeygreen seemed genuine in wanting to be better.

Max talked about some ideas from Earth. Most of the ideas had to be detechnified, since Earth’s technologies were far above Nava, but the intent was what mattered. Honeygreen especially liked “Fireside Talks”. Max explained that one of the old leaders from where he was from used to talk to the entire population every week.

He would use some sort of relay that almost every citizen had access to. He would speak to everyone about current issues, political standing, food recipes and what else came to mind. Max explained that while important information was often spoken, it was the less important talks that made the population love him. He was more personable in the eyes of the citizens.

The bell on the door to the Garden of Globes rang, and Vel pushed through.

“Welcome bac-”

Belopi interrupted herself and rushed to Max. She engulfed him in a hug while tears formed in her eyes. Max’s surprise dropped and his gaze leveled. A smile overtook his face.

Just another reason it’s good to be alive. Max thought about all the lives he’d already touched.

The two broke apart and it was only then that she noticed his missing arm. He gave her a heart-felt smile, but her tears still fell.

“It ca-can still be heale-d right?” she asked through her sobs.

That was a question Max had not asked yet. Duh, magic. Max chided himself.

Vel answered. “It is unlikely. Max healed his arm already, using a very powerful spell. If that couldn’t do it, not much other than a Divine intervention would. Regrowth isn’t what healing spells are for.”

Max shrugged. Belopi, however, was not as easy-going.

“How could you let this happen?” She yelled. “Your own student lost an arm fighting? He was in a coma for a week? What kind of teachers are you!”

Vel raised an eyebrow, getting ready to rebuttal, but Bishop spoke first.

“I know.” He said quietly. “It is my fault he lost an arm. It is my fault he was injured. He was my responsibility and I failed him. I have no excuses.”

“Bishop…” Max said.

Before Max could say any more, Bishop left, heading upstairs to his room.

“Thank you Belopi. But I don’t need you to fight my battles. Bishop did his best and almost lost his life trying to protect me. He would have if I had not regained consciousness. There was a lot more to that fight than you will ever know, and Bishop did nothing wrong. If anything, I am only alive because of him.”

Belopi was taken back by Max’s response. The others were also. It was unlike Max to confront others; he was normally a calm lived person.

“Bu- but your arm!” She retorted.

Max walked over and gave her shoulders a slight squeeze.

“I know. But the enemy ambushed us and had thousands, millions even, of bugs at his command. One slipped through MY defenses.” He emphasized his missing arm.

“Millions…” She muttered.

“That's right.” Vel said. “Buzluc, a member of Vast Empire. Wanted for thousands of deaths across the continent.”

Vel interrupted, adding more information about Vast Empire.

Max took this as his chance to slip away. He knocked on Bishop’s door and entered anyway after hearing no response. Bishop was curled up on the floor, in the corner. None of the mana lights were on, making the room a depressing shade of dark. Max slowly walked in and sat on the bed.

“I don’t blame you Bishop. What I said earlier is what I meant. I wouldn’t be alive if you were not there. I would have been taken or worse, only you stood in the way. Belopi is wrong, she doesn’t know what the battle was like. Only we do.”

Bishop looked up, his age showing on his face.

“Max…” He spoke. “What she said was all true. We both know it. But that’s not why I’m upset with myself.”

He took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts.

“I have always tunnel visioned. It was something my team knew about, and they were able to work around it. One of my racials is called Berserk, it’s an uncommon racial but one of the reasons many stereotypes about Drakes were made. It essentially forces me to act on instinct rather than with my head. I gain some offensive bonus, but things like what happened with the bugs happen.”

“What do you mean, the bugs?”

“I had many openings to escape the bugs and help you. But… I couldn’t. My racial forced me to fight off the bugs even though I knew you were in peril. It wasn’t until my bloodlust lowered that I was able to finally switch.”

Max stared at the Drake for a while, thinking.

“Okay.” He finally said.

“Okay?” Bishop echoed.

“Yeah, I understand and there are no hard feelings from me.

Bishop nodded.

“Don’t feel too bad Bishop. Everything worked out in the end. Buzluc is dead and the only cost was my arm. Hell, if you would have failed, then who knows what would happen to the city.”

Bishop nodded again.

“Thank you, Bishop. I mean it.” And with that, Max left. He didn’t know what more to say. Cheering others up was never a strong suit of his.

As he was heading back down, Belopi was heading up.

“Oh. Max, I was just going to apologize to Bishop. I should have said what I did.”

“I’m sure he’d appreciate that.”

She nodded and knocked on the door. Max knew it wasn’t his place to interfere and he chose to head back to the common room. He found a seat next to Vel.

“Bishop was sitting in the dark… Depressed?”

Vel nodded, understanding his concern.

“He can be a real cry baby.” She affirmed.

Max didn’t like the way she put it, but he had to agree. Max kept telling him it was alright; it wasn’t his fault. He understood some self-pity or hatred, but sitting in the dark alone? Seemed beneath the giant Drake.

“He’s always been like that, however. Ever since I met him, he’s chided himself because of his racial. He hates it and everything it stands for. Sure, he’s faster and stronger when it's active, but he can’t live with himself after seeing the damage it caused.”

“But why is that? I feel that since it's racial, he would have grown to accept it.”

“Perhaps, but while it has brought him many triumphs, it has also caused many injuries and even deaths in some cases. Bishop is an only child. His mother had Berserk, she was the one who passed it to him. Both of his parents died when he just started adventuring. I don’t want to go into all of the details, but his mother was enraged in a fight, unaware of the situation around her. She wasn’t able to assist his father. She lived through the battle but took her life shortly after the funeral.”

Max stared silently ahead, processing her words.

“I think that's why he’s so laid back. He actively tries not to initiate his racial.” She thought for a moment. “That's also why he left to become a solo adventurer. No need to worry about his racial if there are no teammates around.”

“How should I cheer him up, then?”

“Don’t worry about him.” She waved her hand. “He will come around in the morning. He always does.”

“That can’t be healthy.”

Vel nodded. “That’s the life he lives.”