“You’re sure?” Vel asked the Nymph and captain of the guard Shatterwind.

“Yes… We have confirmed his mana signature. Red Mask is dead.” She set a small memory globe on the table. And image of a beheaded man sitting on a marble slab played through the device. The man wore black robes and a familiar red mask laid next to his body. “Yel was able to find his hide out after the battle yesterday.”

“Good.” Vel sighed. “Took her long enough.”

“What about the man who hired him? The [Lancer].” Max asked.

“We have confirmed sighting of him leaving the city through a Gate, towards Hidel’s Hideout.”

“A criminal’s wonderland.” Vel scoffed.

“Thank you, captain.” Reep said. “Is everything still in order for this afternoon’s outing?”

“Indeed. Nothing has changed. If that is everything, I will take my leave. Good day.” Shatterwind stood and left.

“You okay, Celenia?” Max asked. Celenia had been a bit off since yesterday, but that was more than understandable. She had been in a deadly fight and was almost killed. Belopi had tried to console her, but it seemed that she would just need time.

It took her a few moments to gather her thoughts, “Can I come with you and Reep?”

Max and Reep shared a glance. “Why would you want to do that? We are just running around the surrounding area passing out rocks.”

“A-after yesterday… I-I just don’t want to be helpless.”

The table shifted uncomfortably. “You can come…” Reep said slowly. “But we are not expecting to fight anything. We’ll be traveling the main roads straight to the marked villages.”

“What about Dreamstem?” Max asked. “Would she allow you to-“

“Dreamstem does not control me!” Celenia shouted. The table fell silent. None of them had ever heard the young Elf raise her voice like that. “Sorry. I-I- You’re probably right… It’s just when we couldn’t find you right after the battle… I-I felt so powerless.”

Max hugged her. “I understand. I understand.” He said with a certain level of softness. “How about this; ask Dreamstem for [Druid] combat training. If she says no, then I’ll get Vel to help you. And I think Reep is right, this is going to be a long and boring journey.”

Vel scoffed but didn’t disagree. Celenia nodded a few times, her head still buried in Max’s chest.

“By the way, boy.” Vel said. “How were you standing on air, anyways.”

“When I was testing with tunnels, I accidentally made a rock stick to space. I just did the same thing, but on a larger scale. Even got the spell for it.” Max sent the spell around the table.

Immovable Platform (Epic): Create a platform of modified physical space.

Lasts until canceled or broken.

Mana cost dependent on size.

“I did some testing when we got back, and the ‘immovable’ part seems to be rather accurate. Well, at least until it shatters. I couldn’t find a way to move it without breaking it.” Max said.

Vel scoffed again.

An unimaginable weight had been lifted from Max’s shoulders. He hadn’t even realized the amount of stress Red Mask had brought him. But now that he was gone, the young Lost Lord found a refreshing take on life. He practically frolicked to his next class, even though it was Arithmancy. Sure, math meeting magic might sound cool in concept, but he had a sinking suspicion that this class would be his least favorite. It was also nice to have Belopi accompany him and the others on their morning walk. She seemed to be biting at the heel to be able to venture out into the city, and now that that was possible, she seemed more than content.

The Arithmancy classroom was much like he was expecting. Small, crowded, and tired. The class wasn’t one of the popular or glamourous, rather it was needed and nearly hated. No one seemed to like math, even on Nava. The teacher for this class is by far the youngest teacher of Max’s. [Constructor] Silen, a burly male Beastkin who seemed to command the room with his presence. He was one of the few Mage Guild members with muscles and one of the fewer that had a non-combative class.

Silen began the class just like the others. Disclaimers and syllabi. He explained that while the class was taught in a practical sense, most of the information they would cover would never be used by them. The class taught a wide array of information, some of which won’t pertain to certain classes or jobs. But the information was important in the grand scheme of things. Midway though Silen’s opening presentation, a familiar face come bumbling in late. Max waved to Elliot, inviting him to a nearby free seat.

“Hey there, Elliot.” Max whispered as Silen explained the basics of multiplication and division. “I figured I might see you in this class.”

“Max! Did you hear about what happened at the Church two days ago? I was worried that you might have been caught up in the attack.”

“I was, but I’m fine. I’ve even heard they caught the guy after the attack yesterday.”

“Y-you were in the fight?”

“Sort of. I didn’t cast any spells or anything. I just stayed behind the barriers some Healers set up.” Max had thought about lying to Elliot but felt slightly uneasy at the prospect.

“Did you see the attacker then?” Elliot asked, his eyes wide.

“An [Assassin] named Red Mask. But that’s not important.” Max gestured to the front of the room. “I don’t want to get to far behind already.”

Elliot hastily nodded, removing a small round of paper from his bag along with a metal casted quill. So far, Max hadn’t taken any notes for any of his classes. But, for some reason he figured he was going to have to for Arithmancy. But why take notes the normal way, quill and ink? That was child’s play. Water Write was one of the first spells he had learned, and one of his least used. But, as the class progressed, nothing of value was taught. Sure, the other students seemed to be writing full essays of notes, but everything said was rather basic. But then again, it was the review class. Hopefully next week the class would become more interesting.

With the class ended, Max and Emi bid Elliot a fair well. The pair hastily rushed to the western gate, where they would Reep waiting with two others and four mounts. The mounts were four legged and something akin to horses, but much more stout and short. They were called vocen and were the equivalent to Earth’s oxen, if oxen could reach a maximum speed of 15 kilometers per hour. They were fully armored in flexible shiny metal, along with Lesterwood’s guard crest.

The two others were male and female, both Human and both rather timid looking. They shifted uncomfortably on their mounts, obviously unfamiliar with riding. They wore the standard guard uniform with the outside of the gate set of armor. The male carried a bow while the female carried dual daggers. A quick teleport later, and Max was standing besides Reep.

“Ready to go?” He asked his unflinching teammate.

“Yes. Come on, I’ll introduce you all when we get outside.” Reep hoisted herself on her mount and pulled its reins through the open gate.

Max shrugged and did the same. Emi lazily found a comfortable spot on the vocen’s shoulders, and promptly fell asleep. His vocen followed his directions with grace and focus, obviously a veteran mount. He had only been riding twice in his life, and both times when he was just a boy. But he quickly took to the learning curve and caught up with Reep.

“Max, meet Olie and Serin. [Archer] and [Rogue], respectively.”

“Hi there, I’m Max [Water Mage].” Max pointed to Emi. “This is Emi.”

“Err Hi.” Olie said.

“Hello…” Serin said.

“Reep tells me that you both are full time guards?”

“Right. We are both new, but Reep said we have promise.” Serin answered puffing her chest out slightly.

“Did she now?” Max raised eyebrow at his teammate.

“We were the only ones to cause her to actually try when sparing.” Olie shrugged. “Besides that [Lancer], and we both saw what happened with him.”

“Are you just a [Water Mage]?” Serin asked eying Max “I didn’t even see you walk over here. In fact, no one did.”

“Leave him alone. You know that’s a rude question.” Reep interjected.

Max shrugged to the recruits. “You know how it is. Why’d you want to accompany us? We didn’t expect to see any action today.”

“First time outside of the gates, for me.” Olie answered. “I’ve been a bit nervous and wanted something calm for my first time.”

“Oh, come on.” Serin chided. “You can be such a baby sometimes.”

“Oh yeah? Why did you come then?” Olie shot back.

“Someone had to watch over you!”

The two continued to argue, drowning the party in an annoyed but safe feeling. The adventure west was just as they expected, boring and slow. They followed the dirt roads, passing by large caravans and small guard patrols. The forest was quiet but not in eerie way. Birds and squirrels along with many of the usual inhabitants had long since disappeared for winter. Only scavengers and hunters remained, and they were smart enough to hide during the day, especially around the roads. The first village they came upon was a part of the main road.

Besides a general resupply store and a small tavern, only housing for the locals made up the infrastructure. A population of 13 either hunted or gathered while not tending to small gardens that made up a majority of the surrounding land. This village was also the most defended, as travelers usually had protection of some kind this time of year. Max found a safe cleared area besides a small tool shed for teleportation and gave the leadership a child shaking stone.

On the way to the next village, the party came across a pack of feral wolves. They were easily picked off by Olie. After burning the bodies, they resumed their trek. It was mid-day when they reached the second village. It was the same story. Small population that mainly had crops and sold to weary travelers. But, unlike the first, this village was off the main path and instead connected a lesser used trail from the north. The leadership showed great thanks when Max explained what the stone did but was obviously hesitant when he said he could arrive quickly. But, in the end, they accepted that he would try his best if the need arises.

They reached the third village just before dusk. This village worked a small mine and were unwilling to leave their lively hoods unguarded. Bandits and thieves often made waves in the area specifically to attack [Traders] as they traveled to Lesterwood with the wares from the mine. The leaders were suspicious but just before the group was about to leave, a young boy ran from the forest screaming.

“MONSTERS!” He yelled, gathering the attention of everyone nearby.

Everyone instantly took up arms. Reep and Olie prepared their bows while Serin unsheathed her daggers and move to a flanking position. Max and Emi teleported straight up and stood on an Immovable Platform. From above they could see branches and leaves bend as whatever raced under the canopy. What ever was rushing towards the village was large, but small in numbers.

“I counted five.” Max said appearing next to Reep. “I couldn’t really tell what they were.”

She nodded. “Can you sway them away?”

“I don’t think so. They are too close.”

“Alright… Villagers! Gather up.” Reep yelled before whispering to Max. “Remember how Vel said to protect them?”

“Of course.” Max began gathering water from the air and nearby well. Now was as good of time as any to test a proof of concept. The water moved to create a large dome with a person sized door. He ushered the civilians in, along with the two guards and Reep.

The oversized bubble was large enough to hold the entire village, but small enough for Max and Emi to still be able to control. As the monsters broke the far tree line, the bubble began to spin. It gathered dirt and mud, turning the once clear barrier murky and opaque. As they worked, sweat began to pour off the [Water Mage] duo. This was by far the largest quantity of water they had ever manipulated and the strain it has over them was very apparent.

The two worked in tandem, fueling each other’s levels with their own and taking the primary mana burden at timed intervals. They had been practicing working together for some time now and between partner casting powerful Ice Lances and working to disrupt each other’s manipulation as a form of training, their bond partnership was stronger than it had ever been. Max could feel the monsters curiously inspect the dome of spinning water, but after a few sniffs they continued their migration south. The dome fell with a sudden pop as all of the water crashed to the ground, soaking everyone in the process.

“Sorry everyone.” Max huffed. “Give me a moment and I’ll dry everything.”

But the villagers had hardly heard him. In fact, they were all visibly stunned by the events that just unfolded. It wasn’t because of the mysterious mage who encased the entire village population in a dome of water, but the timing of their arrival. A few hours later or earlier and who knows what would have happened.

“Take your time…” A middle-aged man said.

“Just a [Water Mage] my ass.” Serin muttered loud enough for Max to hear.

As the water dissipated back into the air or was poured back into the well, it was apparent that the monsters did a bit more than just casually stroll through. Fences and small gardens were trampled, farm animals were running loose, and even a small building was partially collapsed. The sun had long since set by the time all of the animals were recaptured. The villagers were very thankful and tried to offer payment, but Reep declined for everyone. It was ‘their duty’ and not to worry about any payment unless an official Guild quest is issued.

They eventually left back to Lesterwood. The journey would be much more dangerous, but the group figured they could handle it. And they were right, the forest was just as quiet as the day-time journey. Occasionally Max would teleport into the air and check their surroundings and paired with Reep and Olie’s Eagle Eye [Archer] ability, they could view a rather wide radius around themselves. Serin also contributed by casting a [Rogue] ability called Shrouded Silence, which muted the footsteps of everything in the area of effect.

Unlike last time Reep and Max arrived late to Lesterwood’s gates, they were let in right away. Having a guard escort was pretty nice sometimes. From there the group split off into their respective groups. Olie and Serin expressed their thanks and that if they ever needed something from the guard to come to them. Max said the same. He also had two more villages to visit, but he didn’t think that he would invite Reep or the others. Getting back to the city this late was rather a large waste of time, he thought, and that teleporting and waiting for mana regeneration would be quicker. He expressed this idea to Reep while they walked across the bridge to the mansion.

“I was thinking the same thing.” Reep said. “It was pretty boring.”

Max laughed. He expected her to be okay with the idea but not to agree out right. “What did you think of your guard mates?”

“Olie has a lot of potential. His classes are limiting in firepower, however. Maybe he will specialize in tracking or reconnaissance. Serin is going to be accepted into any unit with open arms. She provides a lot of utility with her team-wide buffs.”

“Thinking of adding either of them to The Humble Titans?” Max asked.

Reep thought for a moment. “No. I don’t think so. Between us three, the Humble Titians has every base covered. Mage, archer, frontline heavy hitter or tank, healer, and besides our party of three is going to be a party of four when Emi starts fighting on her own.”

Max looked at Emi, nodding. “That’s very true. One of us can focus on offence the other defense.”

“Right. The only issue is that she is tethered to your shoulder most of the time. It might be wise to try and practice separate.” Reep said. “Being able to hit a target from multiple angles might prove beneficial.”

“Good idea!” Emi said with enthusiasm.

When they entered the mansion, a surprise was waiting for them in the for of a young Human princess and a bulky Drake adventurer. Clammy and Bishop had arrived back in town a few hours after Max and Reep left. They were just wrapping up dinner.

“You guys are back!” Max said finding his way into a hug with Clammy.

“And you guys are late.” Vel chided from the side.

“The last village had a monster problem when we were about to leave.” Reep told her, “Max hid everyone behind a dome of muddy water.”

“It worked then. That’s good.”

Everyone spent the next few hours catching up. Bishop explained what happened with The Prophet and how he told them Clammy was on the right track. During his explanation, Clammy seemed distant. She looked tired physically and mentally but perked up when asked if she was okay. She explained her training regimen and how much effort it took her. Everyone knew how her trance training was going, but adding Divination training on top of that? It was no surprise when she excused herself to go to bed.

Bishop was very interested to see and hear about Max’s time learning teleportation spells. He showed the great reptilian his journals with notes and explained his thoughts about why certain things happened or didn’t happen. But he saved the best for last; teleporting to Esmel. Max made sure to make a memory globe of Bishop’s face before going to bed.