She stood as Max approached. She wore the same torn and dirty rags. She had large bags, deep and dark, under her eyes. She bowed deeply, tears starting to form.

“My Lord! Thank you for killing that man and his brother. You got harmed before I could act. I will take whatever punishment you deem worth.” she said, head still bowed.

“What? Punishment?” Max looked at Iris.

She leaned over whispering in his ear. “The common practice when a person kills a slave master, they take over their slaves. She is yours now.”

Max’s face started to turn red. He calmed down looking at the pitiful woman.

“No. I think not. What is your name?” Max walked closer, putting both his hands on her shoulders. She shuddered, Max immediately removed them, feeling like a dickhead.

She's been abused, raped, and tortured, I’m such an idiot. Max mentally cursed himself.

“I was given the name Reep, at birth Lord.” She still wasn’t making eye contact.

“Reep. From today onward you are free. I will house you until I can’t any longer or you choose to move on. I do not like the idea of owning another person, and I hope that Lesterwood, being a town created by someone from Earth, would agree with me?” He directed that towards Iris and Domic. Anger bubbling over his expression.

Reep started crying, Clammy approached. Trying to comfort the woman. Snot and tears, covering her already dirty face, she spoke again.

“My Lord, I will serve you then. I have no family, nowhere to go.”

“No. You will not serve me. Not anyone if you don’t wish it. You will be your own person. Free from all. Alright?”

She cried even harder, trying to nod, but physically couldn’t. Her emotions being too much. Ax turned to Iris and Domic. Expecting an answer. Domic was the one to give it.

“Slaves are not allowed to be sold in Lesterwood. They are, however, legal. Lost [Arch Mage] Lester, fought with the royals for years on this matter. Even his influence couldn’t end slavery. He did however get some... Safety measures made for slaves. Abuse and rape are highly illegal. Punishable by death.” Max’s eyes widened. He turned back to Reep.

“Reep. I know this is going to be a hard request. But I need you to show Domic what that man did to you. If it was anything like what he did to Clammy, you should have scars. Domic needs to see. Can you show us?” Max asked with a very apologetic tone.

Reep meekly nodded. She lifted her shirt just enough that her belly button was showing. Her normal tanned dark skin was grey. Grey from so many scares. There must have been thousands of scars, some large and deep, others tiny. She started to move her shirt up further, other hand reaching to lower her pants. Max stepped in, stopping her.

“Explain how Denny was not executed. Because just based off the little we can see, that looks like fucking abuse.” Max was angry. Like how he felt watching Denny, cutting Clammy. Power started emanating out of Max. Domic started sweating. Being the focal point of such energy would take a toll on anyone.

The civilians in the lobby started to feel the effects also. The weak and old started to pass out. Healers rushing to them. Guards turned, drawing and pointing their weapons at Max, not knowing if he was a threat. Max didn’t move. Reep touched his shoulder, breaking him out of his death stare. Power quickly left the air, and the civilians started to breathe easy again.

“Stand down!” Domic ordered the guards. “Denny should have been executed. But... he hid it well. I’m sorry Max, Reep. Lesterwood has failed both of you.” He bowed his head.

“Who is in charge of slave relations?” Max asked calmly.

“That would be Sir Cletis Dow. The secretary of personal affairs of Lesterwood. He commands the city guard in situations such as this.”

“I want a meeting with him before the end of the week.” Max turned to Reep. “Come on, let's go buy you some clothes and see our new house.” He turned and looked around the lobby, seeing the devastation caused just by his anger. He was changing and he knew it. He needed to be careful.

Reep brushed off her tears. Following him, a few steps behind. The others got over their shocked states, soon following also. Vel gave Domic a soft smile, mouthing “we can only hope”.

The group started to make their way through the streets. Max mentioned that he was hungry, making Iris take the initiative to show him the market. Since coming to this world, he had only seen a few people. The market, on the other hand, was crowded. The street was packed. Carts selling fruit, stalls selling trinkets, small buildings with signs and pictures of items out front. Max started to notice the different races.

People with animal legs, people with animal ears, people with unusual colors of skins. Scales, fur, glowing eyes, horns, long ears, no ears, one eye, 7 eyes…. The list went on and on. Max’s curiosity finally got the best of him.

“How many different types of races are there?” To his surprise, Clammy answered.

“No one really knows. From lost or dead races to the secluded, best guesses are in the thousands. Although some are very similar, oftentimes confused for each other. This is very common for the Feline Beastkin.” She seemed proud of herself for her answer.

Max turned to Domic. “Stop me if this is rude, but uhh what are you?”

“Not at all. Questions like this happen all the time. I bet if you were off somewhere isolated, you would be asked what you are. I am a Flame Devil.” He said with a hint of pride.

“Huh, interesting. On Earth, devils are sins, whether they are alive or just human nature, no one is sure. It’s one of the great arguments of religion in my world.”

“Yes, Vel has mentioned something similar.” Domic explained.

“Vel? She’s not a Lost One? Is she?” Max looked around for the small woman but couldn’t find her. “Where did she wander off to anyways.”

“No, she’s not a Lost One. But she is probably the closest thing to an expert we have in Lesterwood. But that is her story to tell. And well let’s just say, she doesn't like crowds and she has an invisibility spell. She will probably meet us at your house.” Domic gave a shrug.

Max and the group wandered around for a few hours, Max stopping to try any new exotic food. He did find a shop selling pizza. Domic explained it was of Lester’s “creations” and quickly became popular. Reep, Clammy, and Max ate to their heart's content, at the expense of Domic. Max noted that Reep was eating anything she could touch. When Max looked at her, he felt sorrow, anger, and pity. He wanted to help her. He needed to help her. That line of thinking was what brought them to their current location. A tailor.

The sign read, “Silk-n-Imports”, with a picture of a purple bolt of fabric, presumingly silk. When Max picked the shop out, the others gave him a confused look. Max had a plan. While walking around the market, he started to pick up prices, and the general rules of bartering. The shirt he was currently wearing would cost less than a gold, maybe 20 silvers. Max had a lot of gold, figuring clothing would be a good way to help Reep, Clammy, and himself. Max mentally gave himself a budget of 30 gold.

The shop was nice, much nicer than the others he had been in. The shopkeeper instantly greeted them. Max noted the familiar feeling of the Inspect spell. Common practice for business owners was to inspect anyone who entered, this was primarily used as a deterrent. [Thieves] were apparently a problem. They would know to stay away from the shops that could Inspect, preferring the smaller, oftentimes poorer stores.

Once the shop keep finished her inspections, frowning when she couldn't read Max, she turned and deeply bowed to Domic. Stating it was an honor for him to be in her shop. He casually waved her off, like he has done probably thousands of times before.

“What can I do for you all?” Max had to give it to her, her smile was charming. Max wondered if there was a charisma stat, and how to unlock it.

“I would like three sets of clothes for me, and these two lovely ladies.” Max answered by gesturing at Clammy and Reep. Both of their eyes widened in surprise. Reep’s mouth hanging open. But of course, the moment had to be ruined.

“Max, I don’t think the Guild would approve of this. I do have a budget. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it Domic, I will pay for it.” Max turned back to the woman. “So how about it? I would like two sets of shirts and pants. If you make something that goes under the pants that would be great! One set of robes also... Purple in color if you have it. And whatever they would like also.” Max figured if he was going to be a mage, he should try wearing robes at least once.

The girls just gawked, Reep not understanding. Clammy on the other hand rebounded quickly, filling her order. One nice sundress, and two sets like Max’s “normal” choices. Reep had no idea, she hadn’t had anything other than rags for years. Clammy just doubled her order, taking over for Reep. Clammy chose greys and blacks for her colors, and for Reep she chose yellows and oranges trying to match Reep’s eye color.

With their orders set, Max took a simile green dress off a rack putting that on the counter. Eyeing Reep, trying to guess the size correctly. Iris and Domic kept looking at each other, wanting to see where this was going.

“Alright, your total comes to 43 gold, 16 silver. I will factor in a discount of 20 percent.” She nodded towards Domic, Domic rolled his eyes when he saw her turn back. “With the included discount you total will be… 39 gold 63 silver.”

Her voice slightly stuttered when Max materialized the coins out of thin air. Inventories, while not common, were certainly not rare. Often [Mages] of great power were the ones with them. After all, the primary way to make one was through magic. The shopkeeper quickly packed everything in a nice sack and pushed it at Max.

“I am sorry for the inconvenience. Please come again!” With that, the group walked out. Max knew that she was ripping them off, but Max didn’t want to cause of ruckus. After they turned a corner, Reep bowed. Again. Max simply sighed. He looked at the others, Domic and Iris smiles. Clammy her normal solemn expression. She couldn't wait any longer. She had a question. She needed to ask.

“Max. I have a question.” Clammy said with completely serious.

“Go for it.”

“Can I… Can I perhaps, if it's not too much trouble, ask you for a room? I mean at your house?” She was growing increasingly embarrassed.

“What? Oh, you're serious. Yes, of course. I thought you already knew that. Sorry, I just assumed you would come with me. You don’t have any family here, right? And the rest were with you on your way here right…” Max’s voice trailed off when he noticed she was staring at the ground.

Max saw the pain. He knew it all too well. After all, they were in similar circumstances. Max walked over, wrapping his arms around her. She tried to muffle her cries, but they all knew. They all stood there, Iris and Domic, creating a pseudo barrier around them, trying to keep onlookers from staring. Reep stared at them, a longing look in her eyes. They eventually broke apart and headed to the house.

When Max thought of a house, he thought of a suburban neighborhood. A calculated plot of land, with a home conforming to the rules of the HOA. Not whatever the hell this was. The plot was on the river, the river acted as a natural zoning line for the city. North of the river was commercial, south residential. Lester's house instead was in the river. There was a portion of the river that widened. A few thousand meters across at the widest point. Lester's house was smack dab in the middle. Two bridges connected this small island to the rest of the city.For the first time since awakening in Lesterwood, Max realized the scale.

This city has a lake in the middle of it. Max was in complete awe. Reep and Clammy also.

Max couldn't see much of the house itself, being too far and too dark, but he could see the island and bridges. The bridge is an arch bridge, made of dark stone with a matt finish. Lamp poles were evenly spaced out, creating light over perfect intervals, illuminating the bridge perfectly. The island was green, full of grass and trees. Max guessed that this would be any billionaire's dream island. Perfectly pristine, even around the industrializing city. The group approached the bridge. A gate stopping their journey. Domic urged Max to touch the gate, obviously very interested in what would happen.

“Every now and again, a [Thief] has the wise idea to try and look at the island. They always show up in a clinic covered in burns.” This did not make Max feel better.

Max touched the gate. His eyes closed; butt clinched. Nothing happened. Max turned to look at Domic. He opened his mouth to speak, when the lights around them started to become brighter. Worry came over Max’s face. The realization of where he was. An [Arch Light Mage]’s home. Light can burn. Max started to panic. But then a figure started to come to light.

The light seemed to coagulate, like rain on a windshield. More and more light was coming together. A figure started to come clearer. It was a tree. It started as a sapling, growing, until it was a full oak tree. One Branch was lower and stretched out further than the others. More light was moving to the branch. An owl appeared calmly perched. The owl regarded the group, its eyes lingering on Max.

“Icarus?” Vel seems to appear out of thin air. Shocking everyone except Domic.

“Ah, Veline. Long time no see.” The light owl spoke. Completely calm.

Suddenly a water ball crashed into it. Passing straight through and colliding with the side of a building a few hundreds of meters away. The wall was destroyed. Crumbling into dust. Max’s eyes widened.

“LONG TIME MY ASS! You fucking asshole. Where is Lester? How could you be here and not him? Tell me, you feathered fuck!” Vel screamed.

Max wasn't sure what was more surprising. A small Asian looking woman cursing an owl, the thought of a long lost [Arch Mage] being alive, or that no one else, other than Max’s group, looking at the massive glowing tree, with the talking light owl. Most passersby were looking at the destroyed shop. Confusion on their faces.

“I am sorry. I cannot speak of Lester. Sorry, but that was his order. I can, however, test the kid, see if he is an Earthling. I have been instructed that a Lost Earthling can receive the island and the many secrets it contains.” The owl looked back at Max.

Vel popped the cork on her gourd. Water started to flow out and into the air. Vel adopted a battle stance. Suddenly a cage of flame surrounded her. She turned to look at Domic. He shook his head. Vel made and one of the most deranged sounds Max had ever heard a human make. Her water flowed back to her, creating a chair. A chair made of water! How cool. Her robe wasn’t even getting wet!

Minutes passed as everyone regarded each other, well... Max regarded everyone. The rest just looked at him. He took the hint.

“What's the test?” he asked, squinting at Icarus.

“It is simple. Fill in the blank. Lester said any Earthling would know the answer.”

“Alright, hit me.” Max was nervous. When was the last time he had to answer a fill in the blank question? College?

“Heh. Lester used that phrase. You are the only other I have heard speak of, that was not in his circle.” Icarus looked reminiscent. Shaking himself out of his funk, he spoke:

” Luke, I am your___” Indicating with his wing when the blank would appear.

Max didn’t notice but the question was asked in English.

“Father?” Max said in English.

“HA! CORRECT!” Icarus let out a wild screech, the gates opening, and he started to take off. He turned into a white-yellow blur moving so quickly that it took him a minute to process what just happened. Meanwhile, the tree started to rescind back into the nearby light sources.

People nearby quickly jumped, thinking they appeared out of thin air. Two males, three females, one of who was in a fire cage, hell the fire cage alone would normally scare Max.

“Mass invisibility.” Vel scoffed. “Lucky someone didn’t walk into the field.” She turned to look at Domic, nodding to the cage. The flames fell. She sauntered off to the shop she destroyed, pulling out a large sack of what Max guessed was gold.

Max turned to the other. “Shall we?” gesturing to the open gate.

Only Iris responded, letting out a nervous “Sure!”