As the howls continued, the villagers scrambled to Max. Water was starting to form into protective dome, pulling mud and dirt from the ground and blocking the inside from view. Similar to last time, a small door cut-out was made to allow the panicked citizens entry to the safe haven. Some were hesitant, especially the few who had no clue who Max was, but eventually found themselves sitting on a completely dry floor with water oscillating around.

After the proof of concept during the previous outing, the [Water Mage] had thought through his protection plan and came up with a more efficient version. The water dome began to freeze over after the last villager entered. Not only would this allow Max and Emi more time to recover their mana, but it also allowed for less brain power to be focused on keeping the water spinning. The only issue was that it was significantly colder, but if the monsters passed quickly, it shouldn’t be a problem.

A small flame lantern was all lit the impromptu bunker. Around were scared faces of children and adults alike. Some were crying as others prayed, but a hushed silence filled the void of sound. Only howls could be heard as the monsters trampled the outside venue. Suddenly a resounding crash slammed into the ice dome, along with a feral cry. Max and Emi quickly reinforced the harmed section of the dome, filling it with extra water and ice. Three more slams came in quick succession, each bringing a new force and structural damage. But then, silence. The howling stopped along with the sound of trampling and rampaging animals.

“We’ll be right back.” Max whispered to the villagers, before disappearing.

They stood on an Immovable Platform, high in the sky. Below was the village and the costly damage the monsters had done. Homes were broken into, valuables were in the streets, farm animals were dead, and trails of blood were dragged into the forest. In the center of the village square, looking directly at the ice dome, was a bipedal monster. It stood in a crouched manor, mushrooms and fungus growing out of its skin and fur. It had long sharp claws and a pointed snout ending in serrated teeth.

Fungus Controlled Lycan Alpha

Level 56

Max’s inspection was felt by the intelligent creature. The Lycan’s eyes darted around in the air, searching for the usurper. It found Max and Emi, letting lose a raging battle cry. The world seemed to stop for the two mages, as the fear from their foe gripped their very beings. But both had felt real fear before, Max in loneliness and Emi not knowing if a loved one was harmed. They both snapped back to the humanoid wolf with a clear understanding.

It was a spell effect? Can that thing cast magic? Max asked while gathering water.

No. Emi answered while gathering her own pool. Racial.

Below, the Lycan charged the ice dome. A rain of ice spears began to fall, turning the charge into a dance of death. But, running on four legs had its advantages, as well as thick skin and fur. Spears glanced off the beast or shattered upon impact, littering the floor with quickly melting ammunition. Three solid walls formed in its path, ending its momentum by the second. An explosion rang out, followed by another and another. Both Max and Emi focused their efforts on Steam Bombs, which were modified by adding shards of metal into their water housings. The resultant explosion was much the same, but the dirty effect left shredded devastation in its wake.

The Lycan was bleeding as its fur and skin had been forcefully torn apart. It hobbled away slowly as blue-green ooze trailed along with its every step. It began to violently throw up, chunks of fungus and mushroom bulbs trashed the surrounding grass. It howled in pain, an ear-piercing shriek for life, one which Max was hard pressed to give. It was out of commission, unable to fight back. But something drew Max’s attention to the side. Just beyond the tree line, three small Lycan cubs waited, along with a slim and older female. Their fur was unlike the male’s. Where the male’s was matted, slimy, fungus ridden and horrid, theirs were clean, silky and invader free.

Whether it was a stroke of empathy or stupidity, Max released his final deadly spell. Water began to flow from the surrounding battle to the alpha. It began to heal him, while pulling at the mushroom infestation. The Lycan continued to hack-up chunks of vile material, eventually collapsing into a euphoric bliss as the final mushroom was removed. It looked to Max and Emi with thanks in its eyes.

“Thank you.” The Lycan said. “I was not myself…”

“You can talk?” The Lost Lord asked.

“Of course? All Lycan can… Is that not why you healed me?”

“No, I guessed that you were being controlled, but I had no idea that you were intelligent enough to speak…” Max said.

The Lycan made a snort. “And here I thought I found a sympathetic Human.”

“Sorry, you are the first Lycan I have ever met.”

“Truly? I thought Human culture knew about Lycans… Does ‘Werewolf’ sound familiar? I know that is a common name for us.”

“I’ve heard of Werewolves.” Max said. “You’re not going to attack the village again, are you?”

“No… That was the fungus… I could fight if from killing my pack, but not against the villagers… Apologies.”

Max sighed. “I understand, but I’m pretty busy. So, if you are going to leave with your family, you should get on with it.”

The Lycan gave his newly freed and healed limbs a good stretch, before stepping forward. “Thank you, Human. I will remember this. May I ask your name?”

“Max, and this is Emi.”

The Lycan bowed. “Max, Emi, I am in your debt.”

“Sure, just don’t come back. I don’t want to have to show up again.” Max said with a bit of bite.

With that, the Lycan turned and ran off towards his awaiting family. After confirming from the sky that the danger had disappeared into the overgrown foliage, Max melted the ice dome. He explained the situation to the villagers and received an unexpected argument with the village chief.

“You just let it go?” The old woman asked.

“Yes? He was being mind controlled; he had no way of stopping himself.” Max said.

“But it was a Lycan! You are supposed to kill those on sight! No one wants their curse!”

“But he seemed friendly enough.”

“That- That’s not the point! Have you never heard the tales of the Werewolves of Albridge?”

“No? Should I?”

“YES!” The old woman screeched. “Everyone knows it! Did your mother never tell you stories before bed?”

“Evidently not.” Max growled. “Why don’t you enlighten me.”

“Long story short, the Werewolves of Albridge killed all of Albridge to infect their children with their affliction!”

“Okay? But are those Lycan that were here, in this village, the same as the ones who attacked Albridge?”

“No, but-“

“But nothing. That’s just prejudice at this point.” Max said. “Look, I get that people are afraid of Lycans, but that is no reason to kill them on sight.”

“You- You just don’t understand!”

Max shrugged. “I guess I don’t. But I was the one to respond to your distress, and I decide what to do with the reason of such distress.”

“But look around!” The woman said. “Look at what they did!”

“You mean look at what the fungus that was controlling it did? I’m not really seeing what your point is.”

The woman was going to rebuttal, but a hairy arm landed on her shoulder. A gruff and dirty old man silently shook his head. “Thanks, lad. We will take it from here.”

Max nodded at the old man, before walking away. Behind him the woman yelled at the old man, who silently accepted her words. Max sighed; the situation had left a bitter taste in his mouth. On one hand he had protected a village from a deadly threat, no one got hurt, and he was able to save the life of a Lycan. But on the other, he was screamed at for his decision making. Had he made the right choice? Should he have shown no mercy? He simply didn’t know, and maybe that was what was bothering him. The Lycan didn’t seem to be a murdering psychopath, like the Werewolves of Albridge. He was just unfortunate and had a fungus infestation, but maybe that was only a ruse. Maybe the Lycan was just as deadly as the stories told… Max sighed, it was time to return to Lesterwood and ask some questions.

Max and Emi arrived in the infinite bedroom of Lester’s mansion. The room was in its ‘off’ configuration, leaving the two new arrivals in a solid white box. Before the two even had a moment to orient themselves, light began to pull from the neighboring sources and form into a small owl.

“I take it the village is still intact?” Icarus asked.

“Yes.” Max answered truthfully. “But I had some concerns…”

“Should I get the others?”

Max shook his head. “The monster attacking was a Lycan. It was being controlled by some sort of fungus.”

“Did you kill it?”

“No, I almost did. It was able to rid itself of the infestation and regain its consciousness. From there it left with its pack, but I was told I should have killed it by one of the villagers.”

“And you don’t know if you did the right thing.” Icarus said. “Yes, I can see how you may not understand. Truth be told, I do not know if you made the right choice. Lester, many years ago, chose to spare a Lycan and he never once regretted it. But I have heard stories of others not sharing in his glory.”

“So, I did make the right choice?” Max asked.

“My opinion hardly matters. What matters is yours and Emi’s.”

“I think I did…” Max turned to his partner. “What about you?”

“Let live!” Emi chirped.

“Respectable choice. Maybe one that is better left quiet, also. To us who can defend themselves, Lycan are nothing but a mild threat. But for those without the means, they are nightmarish beings.” Icarus said.

“The woman chided me for not knowing Werewolf bedtime stories.”

“Perhaps you should ask Belopi for some stories.”

The following few hours equated to boring meetings and unofficial visits by Lesterwood’s high ranking members. It seemed that Celenia caused quite a stir when Max suddenly disappeared, she had even nearly kicked down the Guild Master’s door trying to explain the situation. She called for guard parties and adventurer teams to leave the city and rush to help but was promptly turned down. There was simply no one available to travel that far away. But Domic did agree that alerting others was important.

Mana messages were sent to the guard, Adventure Guild, and even the Healers incase Max arrived injured or with injured company. Possibly the most important message sent was to the mansion. Domic did not know where Max would reappear, but the mansion was as good of guess as any. The entire time, Celenia sat in a self-loathing pain. She could only aid Max by alerting people, rather than help like she wanted. She wondered how fast she could fly to the villages. The bird she could shift into was rather small with a less than impressive wingspan. Maybe she could convince her master to take her to the Ire Mountains to find a larger species.

Celenia sighed, But I don’t have time for that… I also need to level soon… And learn to fight…Ugh.

“Something wrong?” Clammy asked the young Elf.

“Max is gone and I’m here doing nothing.” Celenia replied.

“Ah, yeah he tends to do that. But don’t worry, he always turns up.” The princess shrugged, “Maybe missing an arm, but he will come back.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.”

“Let me guess. You don’t think he will have any interest in you if you don’t become strong?”

“W-Was it that obvious?”

Clammy smiled, “Come with me.”

The two ventured deeper into the mansion, down staircases and behind warded doors. Together they stood in the training hall. A pile of dirt from the corner began to levitate before falling into a flat and even patch in between the two girls.

“Attack me.” Clammy said.

“What?”

“Attack me. You want to get stronger; this is the best way.”

“But Max says I should make spells while master Dreamstem teaches me attack spells.” Celenia said.

“Max is many things but an expert in combat is not one of them. Max can spend a few days in this room experimenting with spells and come out ten times stronger. That’s great, for him, but for others, like us, we have to actively work on fighting. Max’s footwork and swordplay is absolutely abysmal compared to Reep and I, but his spells make up for it.”

“I don’t-“

“Come on, we’ll start out light. Just attack with a root or something.”

Celenia hesitantly looked at the patch of dirt, but life began to slowly sprout. Soon a deep red flower appeared, along with the thorny connected stem.

“Is that as fast as you can make it grow?”

“No.” Celenia said. “I can make it grow faster…”

“Then make it grow, attack me with it! I can handle it, trust me.”

Whether it was a fluke due to pent-up stress or a genius at work, neither girl knew. But the single red flower erupted in a blaze of thorns and pedals. The flower moved towards Clammy at frighteningly quick speeds that both girls jumped back in surprise. The flower stopped, but the evidence of strength had already been shone.

“O-Okay.” Clammy said. “I was not expecting that, but that is something we can definitely work with.”

Max, Emi, and Icarus continued talking about the ethics of Lycans and their history on Nava. Their curse wasn’t so much a curse but an overzealous Divine candidate trying to create a powerful mutation potion for a better chance at succession. The candidate’s idea was that if he could create superior racials, then he would advance to Godhood. But the resulting experiments left multiple small towns derelict as the mutation spiraled out of control. No one knows what happened to the candidate, only that he disappeared along with his research.

As for the resulting pseudo race, they fell victim to their inner desires and were ostracized by their peers. Over the centuries, the mutation had lived on through one way or another. Colonies of Lycans occasionally sprout up, along with raiding parties by neighboring cities or settlements. People were afraid that their mutation would spread to anyone who they bite, and while true in fact that the mutation could jump genetic lines, simple bites were not enough. Complex rituals had to be performed by the Lycan on the victim, a ritual most Lycan had long since forgotten. The Werewolves of Albridge withstanding.

As they continued to talk, they could hear the definite sounds of fighting coming from the training hall. After sending a quick mana message to Domic, Max pushed open the heavy doors. Inside he found Reep firing arrows in quick succession at a stationary Celenia. Three massive roots breached the soil the Elf stood on before deflecting the arrows.

“Good, good.” [Druid] Dreamstem said. “The spell could be faster, and your control could be better, but you have progressed smoothly.”

But Celenia ignored her, focusing on the newcomers. “Max! Emi! Your back!”

“Hello, hello… What’s all of this?” Max asked gesturing to the newfound dirt flooring that encompassed most of the training floor.

“Combat training!” Clammy said, standing from her seated position. “While you were gone, Celenia and I got to talking and figured somethings out. One of those is combat training.”

“And when Celenia didn’t show up for our evening meeting, I came to investigate. I hope I am not intruding.” Dreamstem said.

“No, not at all.” Max said before Belopi interjected.

“Isn’t she wonderful! My Celenia, learning a combat spell in its entirety in a single evening!”

“Mom! Please! I already had the foundations for root bolstering, I just put everything together…”

“What about your domain spell?” Max asked.

“I’m still going to work on it, but I want to do this… In my free time…” Celenia said.

“I see. That’s great then. I’d join you, but I think I need to-“

“Yeah, yeah. Mr Village Savior is busy.” Clammy said with an impish and sarcastic smirk. “Just be back before dinner.”

“Is the village safe?” Reep asked.

“Yes, it was a Lycan, but he seemed friendly enough.”

“A Lycan?” Dreamstem said. “Tall, brown-grey fur, has a few kids?”

“Yeah, you know him?”

“Yes. I consider him a friend, actually. I wonder why he is migrating…”

“He was covered in a mind controlling fungus, I had to nearly kill him before he could separate from it.” Max said.

“Truly? What color fungus?”

“Dark Blue-green, I tried to inspect it, but I got nothing.”

“That… Is worrying… Which village was this at? I may have to investigate.”

“The second furthest heading east.”

“Thank you, Lost Lord. I will head out immediately.” Dreamstem said. “Sorry to leave suddenly, Celenia. Keep practicing the spell, you will find parallels between other spells you know allowing you to do unimaginable things for your power level.”

“Thank you master.” Celenia said while the older Elf gave her a soft smile. Dreamstem passed by the others, out the door and to the outside where she shifted into a great falcon before heading east.

“Where is Vel and Bishop?” Max asked.

“City hall, I think.” Belopi said. “Can you pick up some meat on the way back, we are running low.”

“Sure. Emi do you want to stay?”

“Help Celenia!” Emi cheerfully said.

Max laughed, “Alright, I’ll be back soon.”

And with that, he teleported to one of the ‘safe teleport spots’ he had found throughout the city. Over the last several days, Max had purposely traveled down isolated alleys and through lesser walked paths, trying to find safe spots where he could come and go as needed. In this particular case, he teleported behind a bakery, startling a group of feral cats in the process. City hall was just around the corner, and no one seemed to bat an eye as the young man stepped onto the busy street. After buying a small pastry, Max entered city hall and approached a receptionist.

“Hi, I’m looking for Veline or Bishop. I was told they may be here.”

The receptionist gave Max a look over. “I’m sorry but I cannot freely give out that information.”

“Alright, if they are here, can you inform them that I am in the waiting room?”

The receptionist gave no indication of if she would or wouldn’t, but as Max found a comfy couch to sit on, he saw her whispering something to an attendant. The attendant nodded and walked off into the back halls. A few minutes later, the attendant returned with a rather relieved looking Vel.

“Come on, boy, there are a lot of people waiting to hear what you have to say.” Vel said.