It was just past sunset; the group was looking for a good place to stop for the night. As the speeder and its occupants traveled along its path to the next town, they found trouble. They had encountered monsters or overgrown bits of the road, but this was the first actual trouble. In front of the group was a downed log. Leaning against the log as two men. They both were wearing normal adventurer clothing and carried weapons.

“Bandits.” Bishop said quietly.

“This will be a good learning experience. Handle it Titans.” Vel smirked.

“Ugh.” Max and Clammy grunted at the same time, showing their dismay.

Taking the initiative, Reep jumped from her seat on the speeder to the ground. Max leaned over and whispered something in her ear. She then took a few steps forward, her bow in hand.

“Is there going to be a problem?” She asked, making sure to stand big.

“Not if you give us all your stuff, there won’t.” Man, number one said.

“Not going to happen.” Reep said.

The man brought up his fingers to his mouth and whistled. 5 more people made their presence known from the surrounding trees. Each held varying weapons or were precasting a spell. Reep made sure to note which ones were able to use magic.

“What about now?” Man, number two asked.

Reep slowly nocked an arrow and aimed straight up. Electricity started to arc from her arrow, causing the bandits to act. An arrow from Reep’s right blind spot was fired, it was stopped by a wall of water rising from the ground. A small rock subsequently was fired at the now revealed 8th bandit.

An ear-splitting shriek was let out which caused the other bandits to act. Reep finished charging her arrow and let it fly. Bishop had been teaching Reep many simple lightning techniques. This particular one caused her arrow to constantly expand with light and lightning. Max had called it Flash Flare, imitating a flash grenade and a flare.

The arrow flew high into the night sky and exploded causing those looking to be momentarily blinded. The arrow fragments cascaded down in a sparkling area of lights, brightening the dark forest.

Clammy quickly fired off two rocks at the mage, who was able to raise a shield made of stone in time. The stone shield partially cracked, causing a moment of hesitation in the mage. This moment allowed Clammy to apply her Gravity Magic to the shield, raising its weight significantly. The mage struggled to keep the extra weight up and was unable to block the next lethal rock. Clammy made her way off the speeder.

Max’s role for his team was primarily defense. Sure, he could hit hard, but the others didn't have much defense and he was able to provide it. Clammy could make a Gravity Shield, but it was primarily used against projectiles. A melee attacker could apply more pressure or move their weapon at a different angle, causing the shield to fail.

Max raised a curtain of water blocking the melee attackers from Reep. She used his wall to create distance to get a clear shot. She fired off two arrows in quick succession as soon as Max dropped the curtain. One of the bandits was able to dodge in time while the other wasn’t. A third arrow finished him off.

Clammy’s task was taking care of the people coming in from behind the speeder. She had Max for support, but she knew he had to split his attention between defending himself and Reep also. She chose to act slow until the others could help. The bandits were in a triangle formation. One directly behind the speeder, the other two were off to the sides slightly.

She levitated two small boulders and kept them close, allowing the flexibility between offence and defense. She waited for one of the bandits to make a move. The center bandit moved in, causing Clammy to launch her boulders at the other two. They each had to dodge, giving Clammy enough time to charge forward. With one powerful strike, Clammy broke through the bandit’s guard and broke his arm and shoulder. Clammy moved on to a second target.

Max and Emi sat in the speeder with Vel and Bishop. After dropping the water curtain for Reep, Max moved on to slowing down the two other bandits that were racing to reach Reep. Working in tandem with Emi, ice paths and Water Bolts plagued one of the bandits, allowing Reep to land an easy shot. One of the bandits had a bow, and Max made a special note to keep walls up around her, blocking her vision. It wasn’t until Max made sure Reep was safe from melee weapons that he switched his attention to Clammy.

He watched as she traded a slash from a bandit with a Gravity Slam from her hammer. The slam killed the bandit, his leather armor providing no protection for such a powerful attack. Clammy was breathing hard, her open wound proving to be too much. She retreated back to the speeder under Max’s oversight.

Reep ran around the side of the speeder after dispatching the bandit archer. Two remained, one trying to stand with broken bones and the other with his hands up in surrender. Reep held her bow up, ready. Max hopped out of the speeder and drew water to Clammy, healing her wound.

“That went pretty well. What do you think, Bishop?” Vel asked over the tense silence.

By now, Reep’s flare arrow had lost its light, returning the forest into darkness. Bishop held an open palm with a ball of lightning, creating a light source.

“I was honestly impressed. I saw some areas for improvement, but good job!”

Max wasn’t sure if he liked helping kill people then being told good job. But he would think about that when he was out of this situation.

“Wait. Improvement? Was this ALL A TEST FOR THEM?” The uninjured bandit broke in. “YOU USED US AS A TEST?”

The man, in a last-ditch effort of rage, threw a hidden blade at Clammy. An arrow quickly pierced his neck, ending his life. Max reacted by Space Skipping in front of the blade. It hit him in the shoulder, a non-life-threatening injury. Reep shot a second arrow into the man, confirming his death.

A murky water cage quickly surrounded the last bandit, disallowing him movement. A hand of water ripped the knife out of Max, causing him to scream in pain. His injury started to heal also. The man in the cage started to laugh.

“AHAHA! Serves you dickheads right! That knife was poisoned! AAHAH-” His laughs abruptly ended as a sickening crunch sounded from his bones. Vel crushed the cage into the man, killing him.

All eyes turned to Max, who simply shrugged. “I’m immune to water-based poisons. Can you coat a knife in powdered poison or something?”

“Sure, but that's highly unlikely. Most poisons are made from venom, which is already a liquid…”

Bishop said. “How are you immune to water-based poisons?”

Max gave him a depressed smile. “Lost One, remember?”

“Oh… Right…”

The awkward moment was ended by a golden light surrounding Clammy. Max checked his notifications.

Congratulations, your team has killed 8 level 7-14 [Bandits].

Your share of the Experience is 6,128.

Congratulations, Manipulate Water has become level 7!

The group moved the bandits' bodies deep into the forest. They didn’t want any monsters eating their remains close to the road. Bishop had gone through their possessions, but they were traveling light. He said that there was probably a camp somewhere close with the rest of their stuff. The group voted on NOT looking for it. They were all tired and they wanted to rest for the night.

They traveled a little bit further before camping for the night. The next day they would reach the village and they would have a mana message sent to Lesterwood, explaining the situation.

“Feel proud of what happened today. You all ended a bandit team that would have robbed, raped, and killed other travelers. You saved lives today.” Vel said right before they went to bed.

The next few days turned back into boring travel. They had dropped off the skins in the village, as well as sent a mana message to Lesterwood. The group continued on their path, completing quests and visiting villages. Some villages had special requests of them, ones not through the adventuring guild. Some requests were more mundane than others such as moving heavy pallets or rerouting a well water source. Most of the jobs were easy and the team opted to be paid in various foods or goods.

Good food while traveling was hard to make. Campfires gave little control over heat placement making cooking very difficult. Using Max’s inventory, he could store large amounts of food. They wouldn’t go bad or spoil while in there, making Max, once again, the pack mule.

Once the group was on the last stretch of the trip, they had seven completed quests as well as visited 6 villages. All in all, Max was glad he got to see part of this world. Even though it was shitty and dangerous, Max still enjoyed his trip.

“Where is that fool?” A shadowy figure of a woman asked her associate through a magical projection device.

“He said to start without him.” A dark-skinned Elf said. “His plans are apparently coming together.”

“Dugal. Don’t. Lie. To. Me.”

The crushing weight of each power word forced Dugal to answer.

“Mall-or’s pla-n IS on secdu-al.” Dugal said, barely able to choke out the words.

The shrouded woman released her spell, causing Dugal to take multiple deep breaths. The woman gave him a moment before continuing.

“But?”

“Th-there might be a problem. Veline of Lesterwood and Arc Flash Bishop were reported to be traveling to Esmel.”

The woman thought for a few minutes.

“This might be good.” She tapped her finger to her throne. “Yes. I think this will be good. If Veline and Bishop are in Esmel, regardless of the outcome, they will die.”

“But what about Mallor?”

“Who cares. He wanted to enact his plan early. After his failure at the ruins, I could care less about his life.”

The dark Elf could only pray for his friend.

“One more thing…” Dugal said in a hushed voice.

“What is it now?”

“Nix has resurfaced in Lesterwood.”

“That creatin is still alive?”

“Yes… He apparently tried to use a Book of Pestilence but failed.”

“I thought I was missing a volume… Well, it doesn't matter. If it contacts you, tell it I want to see it.”

Clammy lowered herself from the sky into the speeder. She wore a huge smile.

“I could see the Trees.”

Max looked around. “I can too.”

“What?” Clammy asked. “Oh right, you don’t know about Elven cities.”

Max rolled his eyes.

“Elven cities are famous for always having at least one [Arbor]. What I saw was not normal trees. It was THE Trees.”

“[Arbor]? On Earth we had Arbor Day, anything similar?”

“Earth worships trees also?” Reep asked.

“If Earth is anything like how Lester described it all of those years ago, no, no they do not.” Vel said with a snort.

Max nodded. “The people in my world were actively destroying most of the inhabitable land regardless of trees and forests. It was actually called deforestation.”

Clammy and Reep’s eyes widened.

“Best not to say that word around here. We should already be within Esmel’s territory.” Bishop said.

Max nodded. “Back to [Arbors]?”

“Right. [Arbors] are considered a pseudo tier four class. Also known as Land Classes. There are a few different types, but they all for the most part work the same.” Clammy spoke. “People have to reach a tier three class while also meeting certain conditions. Through a ritual or divine blessing, the person can become a Land Class.”

“But… What is a Land Class?”

“People who choose to become Land Classes essentially become the land around where they evolved. In the case of Esmel, the Trees are sentient and often have final say in city affairs.”

“So, the trees are people?”

“Yes, they are often the previous leaders or highly renowned individuals. The more [Arbors] in an Elven city, the longer and more influence it normally has. Esmel is a rather new settlement, being around seven hundred years old.”

“Seven hundred is rather new?”

“Oh sure. On the continent of Mepid, there is the Elven capital city. If I remember correctly there are almost three hundred [Arbors] taking up hundreds of kilometers of land.”

While Max and Clammy talked about Elven cities and common knowledge, Vel and Bishop were keeping a watchful eye. Both of them had been to Elven cities before and knew their feelings towards outsiders. Most cities, unless there was a good reason, did not want outsiders around. It wasn’t that Elves were overtly racist or speciesist, they just want to keep the pristine beauty of their natureous city. Ask any [Druid] and they would act the same towards their personal groves.

As the speeder moved along the overgrown path, many hidden Elves watched. The Elven city guard used the natural trees of the forest to relay messages to each other. The outer scouts first noticed their presence and quickly alerted the proper chain of command. The city guard has been under a lot of stress lately. The overarching dread of a potential cult attack has caused multiple safeguards to be put in place.

Since the group's presence had already been marked, armed guards were waiting for them just outside city limits. There were no city walls like Lesterwood. Clammy had explained to Max that one of the primary jobs of the [Arbors] were city defense. The reasoning for this was simple. Artificial walls were ugly.

The guard’s wave for the speeder to stop. There were a total of 4 guards blocking their path. Max could feel others waiting in behind trees or shrubs.

“This is just like the bandits all over again.” Max said, starting to draw water.

Vel’s hand quickly grabbed his wrist. “These are city guards you nit!”

“But there are others hiding!” Max hiss whispered.

“Do you not remember that there is suspected cult activity here? They are probing us!”

Max realized his mistake and slumped down, embarrassed.

Why am I so quick to distrust? What is this world doing to me? Max knew he was slowly changing. He hoped acknowledging this change would weaken its grasp.

“Who goes there?” The lead guard yelled.

“Adventurers from Lesterwood who are tasked with a quest in Esmel.” Reep shouted back before Vel, or Bishop could. Vel raised an eyebrow at the once timid girl.

“Team name?”

“The Humble Titans.”

The lead guard moved from his spot to a nearby tree. He placed his hand upon the bark and closed his eyes. A few moments later he returned to the road and signaled for the speeder to approach.

The guard looked at each passenger, Inspecting them. He slowed his gaze when he looked at Emi. The man looked like he had questions, but his professionalism outweighed his personal curiosity and he moved on. When he reached Max, he stopped and adopted a defensive posture.

“Remove your anti inspect item.” The guard said.

Max looked around his group for help. None came. “I can’t. It’s uhhh… Involuntary?”

The others each had an idea of why Max was un-Inspectable. Vel and Bishop’s were the closest to the actual truth, but nonetheless wrong. It was after all one of the few secrets Max had been able to keep.

“Involuntary?” The guard echoed, causing a few hidden Elves to make their presence known. “Have any identification?”

Max hastily took out his black Guild plate from his inventory, causing the guard to flinch slightly.

“Black plate huh? Let me guess. The Adventuring Guild Master gave you this before he tried to cause a plague in Lesterwood? Did you really think I am that stupid?”

“I-uh, no?”

The guard made a hand signal to a comrade. He and the others all drew their weapons.

“Step out of the carriage.”

“Woah woAH WOAH! I was given this plate by the MAGE Guild Master Domic. I was also the one who was able to identify that the Book of Pestilence Nix was trying to use was evil.”

Once again, the guard flinched.

“Can you prove that?”

“Not me, no. But you can send a mana message to GM Domic, Mayor Silverjewl, and guard captain, Olivia Shatterwind they can confirm my story.”

A ruin on a nearby tree started to glow blue. The closest Elven guard placed her hand on the ruin, receiving the message. She moved to the main guard and whispered something in his ear.

“Seriously?” He asked the informant. After she nodded in conformation, he signed and redirected his attention back to Max.

“[Arbor] Honeygreen has vouched for your story. You are free to proceed.”

Max and the others sighed in relief.

“Ah I see. Thank you.” Max said, before Bishop started the speeder back up.

As the speeder drove further down the path, the lead guard turned to his informant subordinate.

“When was the last time [Arbor] Honeygreen spoke?”

The subordinate simply shook her head, unknowing.

“Max, what the hells is wrong with you?” Vel chided after they had resumed their travels for a few minutes.

“What do you mean?”

“Why did you speak to that guard like a bumbling child? You stuttered almost every sentence.”

“I... I was never able to talk to the authorities back on Earth. Something about them just makes me nervous.”

“BUT you have nothing to be worried about!”

“Maybe that's the problem? I subconsciously try to act innocent, even though I already am.” Max watched as Vel shook her head. “... Anyways, who is [Arbor] Honeygreen and why did they help us?”

Bishop answered this time, “[Arbor] Honeygreen is the founding [Arbor] of Esmel. There is a legend about him. It is said that he removed his roots from the ground and walked himself from his original land. Other than that, there's not much information about him. He simply chose this land and protected its residents.”

“He also stays out of city affairs and politics, opting to live a quiet secluded life. For him to speak, the situation must be grave.” Vel added.

“What are you saying is that he is probably is working with Seetrin?”

“It is very likely. We should seek an audience with him if one is not already set up for us.”

Somewhere, just outside of Esmel’s view, a man sat surrounded by dead bodies. The man wore large hat and bloodstained clothes that would have signified nobility, if they were clean. Second son to Marquess Pell Henbar, Mallor Henbar the estranged and disowned black sheep, reveled in his success.

“With that done, on to the next step!” Mallor said to his bond while wiping the blood from his hands.

“Very… gooood… Veline….and Bishop… Have entered... Esmel…” Buzluc, Mallor’s bonded Blight Wight, said.

Mallor was once the proud son of his noble birth. As a child, Mallor excelled at dark magics. He kept it hidden well enough, he only had to kill 3 maids over the years. It wasn’t until he chose a class, on his 13th birthday, that his secret came out.

The Henbar’s were a militant family that gained its noble status from generation of excellent service to the Royal Family armies. But when Mallor chose [Reanimator], a banned Epic rarity class, the family became isolated. Pell Henbar, the patriarch at the time, loved his son, even if his class had the potential to ruin their family.

Years of isolation and confinement took a toll on the other members of the family. After Pell Henbar’s passing, the eldest son, Henry, took the spot of patriarch. Henry hated Mallor. Henry felt that every problem that he faced, was brought on by Mallor’s God forsaken class. After a destitute funeral for his beloved father, Henry banished Mallor.

After Mallor’s forced departure, Henry moved the Henbar house back into the limelight. The house gained power and influence under Henry’s watchful eye. The golden spotlight lasted until an old acquaintance of Pell asked about Mallor.

“Where’s your younger brother? What was his name? Mary? Maple? Malovery?”

A few days later the old acquaintance’s body was found hanging from a rope in his country home. It was too late for Henry, however. The seed of curiosity had already been sowed. Many more inquiries were asked about Mallor. People who Henry couldn’t simply silence were among those. Henry decided Mallor’s life was not worth the ruin of the Henbar house and put into motion an assassination bounty.

The Highlane assassin's cost Henry a lot of gold, but he felt it was worth it. The high price was due to the profile of the target. The job had to be done with a level of finesse that your everyday assassins just couldn’t reach.

Mallor during his exile made powerful friends. Mallor had become a member of the startup cult Vast Empire. It wouldn't be for a hundred or so years until Vast Empire’s name became synonymous with fear and terror.

When the assassins came for Mallor, he and his undead army were ready. He was able to quickly dispatch the premium, professional killers. Using his vile magic, Mallor was able to reanimate one of the rotting assassins and was able to extract who ordered his death.

Mallor, by this time, had thousands of deaths upon his hands. What was one more! He thought, during his travels to his family home. Henry’s death was long, slow and painful. After his death, Buzluc, the Blight Wight, was reborn. Reanimation magic, when paired with other horrid magics, can cause some very interesting outcomes.

Buzluc new body looked almost exactly like Henry. The only difference was his grey skin and the plague that radiated from his body. Henry’s mind was broken again and again until Buzluc was able to dominate what little was left of it. Buzluc had agreed to bond with Mallor, under the agreement that he would receive a new body, along with a few other things.

Whose body is better than my own brother, Mallor giggled.

Mallor left his family home, allowing those who did him no harm to live. However, Henry’s mysterious disappearance and inquiries from other noble families started to push political pressure on House Henbar. The new matriarch, Mallor’s eldest sister, folded under the pressure and told the King and Queen about her family's failings.

The House’s punishment was simple. A Royal fine. It became quite apparent that the Henbar treasury was empty after failing to pay the fine outright. Henry’s bounty along with the fine, bankrupted the House. No other noble family would assist in the Henbar’s time of need, and thus the House Henbar was stripped of all its land and titles. Many of the surviving members took their lives in the coming years. Only a few remain, but they live under new names and new lands. The only active Henbar is Mallor.

Glowing red light split the ground, forming a ruin from the cracks. The ruin was positioned to make multiple stars, with each point ending with a dead body. Power started to surge through the ruin and into the center where an alive person sat. The evil power started to drain the dead bodies of their pigment forcing changes within the alive victim.

After a few minutes of unbearable torture, the person in the center died. The ruin powered down, and Mallor let out a long sigh.

“Another failure. On to the next one.” He began to walk away, Buzluc in tow.