Celenia Longstem was a [Flower Mage]. Her class bonus, while important and specific, was unlike most others. While someone like Max could cast magic through the medium of water and space, any other medium would cripple his mana reserves almost instantly. Celenia was the opposite.

Her magical medium of choice was nature itself, but when she controlled flowers she received a bonus. Instead of reduced mana costs, flowers allowed Celenia to bud and bloom akin to a lily or a Tulip. In essence, the young Elf received mana from flowers, thus making her mana pool significantly larger than someone of equal level – that is, if she was using her class namesake.

Her mentor and [Druid] teacher, Dreamstem, was thrilled to work with a [Flower Mage] when they first met.

“[Druids] with the bases of flower magic are an endless font of beauty,” she would say.

As Dreamstem would go on to explain, flowers carried the seed of all magic. If their user could tap into the wellspring of potential, endless excitement could be obtained. That was why she forced Celenia to carry all types of rare and exotic seeds with her at all times.

Besides giving her fuel for spells, the extra potential would give the aspiring [Druid] near infinite mana after a few class evolutions.

But, as all things went, Celenia’s vision for the future had faded with the revelation of just who the Druid Order was. How her master was. How her future comrades would have been. It was sickening, in such a way as a child being lost in a crowded street. There was no end, there was no retribution, only hopeless wandering.

She had a few around her like her mother or friends that would always be near to give helpful advice. But that was all it would be, advice. There was only one person who pushed her forward and was around to help her mistakes. His name was Max and he was not from this world.

His most recent idea of ‘helping’ was insane to the point where Celenia thought of ending their relationship. That wasn’t true. Not really. Or at all. Celenia was just exhausted to the point of dreaming of a future of rest.

“A-are you sure about this?” She asked her partner while standing in a naked night sky.

Cold air whipped snow up in odd patterns as it rushed up and over the mountain peaks and valleys. The chilled harsh breeze caused a ripple of shivers through the Elf, something of which did not seem to effect the Human and little monster that stood beside her.

“Yup.” Max answered, “They might be a bit high-level, and counter element, but I think you should be able to do it. If not Emi or I can assist. You’ll get less experience, but the gains should still be worthwhile.”

Emi nodded along, “Lava is weak to water. We don’t have to do much.”

“That’s true. If we were against lightning elementals, than we might think twice. But beings of lava are something we’ve had experience with.”

Max and Emi both shivered thinking back to the undead-reanimated Legendary Beast Basilisk Mallor Henbar had brought along to Esmel. They could still smell the Empire member’s melting flesh.

Celenia padded her hesitance, “But I don’t even think I can harm the wyrms. Just look at them! They have molten rock armor. I use roots and vines!”

Below, a flume of flame basted out of a of a small geyser lighting up the monster den. A steady trickle of lava melted the nearby snow, creating plenty of steam and obscuring lines of sight. At one particular edge, a small cliff deposited a stream of lava to the lower levels of the mountain. A chute of melted and hardened rock drifted down the steep drop.

The monsters themselves were two or three people long, thicker than most trees, and had a black spiky outer shell. A hideous hag face, male or female, protruded out of the wyrms’ head, where they would occasionally belch lava. Occasionally enough to make a small pond of the orange-red liquid rock.

Max had already thought this issue through, “You have a spell that gives armor and weapons thorns, right? The thorns add to the weapon’s damage when the armor gets hit they do bonus damage to the attacker?”

“Yes…” Celenia hesitantly said.

“Great! Then cast the spell on my sword and I’ll slay a few. Hopefully you’ll gain some levels, at least enough to boost your Intelligence stat high enough to deal damage through the rock armor.”

“Or” Emi brought up, “you can fight yourself, and we can focus on your defenses. That way you will get more experience.”

Max nodded, but added, “Or that. But we can start with the thorn and sword first. That way you will be able to get a gauge of how powerful these wyrms really are. Or at least we’ll be able to figure out a weak spot or attack pattern.”

“But what if you two get hurt?”

Max gave his girlfriend a soft smile. He knew very well that she knew they could take care of themselves, but the worry was still appreciated.

He grabbed her chin and kissed her, “This is what we do. Kill monsters. Now back through the Pocket World entrance with you, I don’t want you to fall if something happened.”

Celenia reddened before entering. A moment later she exited on a snow bank a safe distance away from the lava and monsters. Truthfully, this angle made the wyrms look less threatening. From up above it was easy to see how many were around, how they moved, how they slithered through lava. It was a bit intimidating. But, down on foot, only part of that could be seen through the steam.

“Okay! Hit me with your most powerful thorns spell.” Max said after creating a very detailed sword of ice in his hand of water. He would have to maintain its frozenness, but that was a cake walk for him at this point.

Celenia nodded before focusing intently on the blade of ice. Answering her call, the ground shifted slightly before opening to a few small holes. A couple seconds later, a thick vine like roots shot towards the sky. It grew until it reached Max’s hand where it began to coil like a snake and grew thorns like dorsal fins.

One side effect was that the sword was effectively tied to Max’s hand, which also gave him a pseudo buckler guard. The root twisted and stretched, continuing up his fake arm and to his chest. It wrapped around, encasing his body in what looked like barbed wire. A few moments later, he was armored-up with enemy damaging protection. Max gave a smile before teleporting to the closest infernal hag wyrm.

Celenia and Emi watched the Lost Lord appear above the wyrm in a falling plunge attack. He stabbed out with his sword, using his weight as a driving force. He landed with a dull thud before teleporting and doing the exact same attack again.

The two-pronged attack looked comical from their vantage, but Emi instantly saw the strategic effect. It took Celenia a moment, but she eventually realized the, she wouldn’t call it genius, but genius idea Max had.

He had landed on top of the wyrm twice, each time stabbing hard and near the same spot. But the double body slam was the true attack. The added thorns across his body dealt damage to anyone that hit him. Or, in this case, dealt damage to anyone he collided with.

As if expecting a third attack, the wyrm quickly recovered from being knocked into the ground. It rolled to the side, flushing itself of lava in the process. Max predicted this and was in position to stab its unprotected belly. His sword easily entered the monster’s flesh, a weak spot in relation to its rough upper shell. Max disappeared before the lava had a chance to seep near him.

The added thorns ripped at the monster’s life, causing torn bleeding flesh to slow its movements. It’s hag face screeched out in pain, shaking the nearby dead trees. But its grubby brethren didn’t react.

“Max says he doesn’t think it can hear.” Emi said, conveying her partner’s thoughts from their shared bond, “Others aren’t reacting.”

Celenia was impressed at the display, her smile showed as much, “Or the other wyrms don’t care. Maybe they are independent but live together? Maybe they like the warmth but don’t like each other?”

A moment passed before Emi spoke again, “Max said that was a good idea. I agree.”

The onlookers watched as Max appeared before the monster’s face and stabbed powerfully into the beast’s forehead. A final shriek sounded before the wyrm seized up and stopped moving. Max then appeared besides them just as a notification popped for Celenia.

Congratulations, you have assisted in killing a level 37 Infernal Hag Wyrm.

You have gained 3,194 experience!

Congratulations, you are now level 15!

You have gained 4 stat points.

Congratulations, you are now level 16!

You have gained 4 stat points.

Congratulations, you are now level 17!

You have gained 4 stat points.

Congratulations, you are now level 18!

You have gained 4 stat points.

Incredible golden light pulsed out of the Elf in a magnitude befitting of four level-ups. Bliss and harmony stretched through the air as euphoric vastness crashed into Celenia’s body. Every ache she had, every crick, every throb, all of her soreness disappeared like blowing out a dandelion fluff.

“How many was that?” Max asked, “Six?”

“Four…” She fluttered back.

Max nodded along before doing a double take, “Wait. How did you level up four times from an assist? What level were you?”

“I was level Fourteen.”

Even Emi’s eyes widened, “What? That low?”

Celenia turned red, “Master- I mean Dreamstem wanted me to have more than one shift before classing-up. We purposefully didn’t look for experience.”

Max straightened his posture in realization. His girlfriend had been abandoned. His confusion and outburst was incredibly rude, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to- I uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I’ve always thought you had a second class.”

“Dreamstem wanted it to remain a secret. [Slave] is the only class, besides a few really rare ones, that can be forced upon someone before they unlock their second class. Before their first one, as well for that matter. It played into the lie, helped keep up appearances sort of thing.”

“You don’t have [Slave] as a class right now?”

“No. That was removed the day after you took me to Lesterwood.”

Max smiled softly, “Good. Sorry. Classes and… what I’m trying to say is that I’m ignorant of plenty of things about Nava.”

Celenia stepped closer and wrapped her hands around him, “I know.”

They stayed like that for a few minutes, “Any idea what you want to take as a second class now?”

“Hopefully [Druid]. If not, well, I’m not really sure. Something good, I hope.”

“[Guardian of Thorns], [Thorn’s Authority], maybe even [Pretty Flower].” Max said with a smirk.

Celenia reddened before pushing him away and giggling. A few seconds later, her expression became just as serious as the roots that broke the soil beneath her feet. With the added stats, her magic moved unlike before. It felt powerful, something she had been missing all this time.

For a first attempt, the sword Celenia created was… pretty good. It was a simple thick and taut stretch of roots with plenty of prickly barbs. But as she swung it, it whistled through the air like a whip – not what she was going for.

But she realized something in that moment. She was no sword fighter. Before today she hadn’t ever thought of using one. She was a mage, and unlike Max, she couldn’t teleport to safety. His hit-and-run tactic wouldn’t work for her.

The barbed sword reformed, but this time it coiled around itself and created a ball of briar. Celenia made sure to place a single flower in the center of the spellwork, thus adhering to the bonuses of being a [Flower Mage]. The spell virtually didn’t cost mana, so she made a few extras.

When she was done, ten balls of thorns had been created, each just a bit better than the last until a spell box appeared.

“Flowering Thorn Bolt!” Celenia said.

“Congrats!” Emi said, creating her own bolt of water. She tried to mimic the flower but found her detailing skills lacking.

Max looked to the horizon. The sun was just about peaking past the far off curve, “We better hurry, I want to get there as they open. One wyrm and we got to go.”

The Elf nodded and slowly walked towards the lava. Max and Emi were right behind her.

The next battle was rather rough. Celenia’s bolts did little more than annoy the monster. Its shell was simply too hard for a projectile to do much, they simply didn’t have the thrust a sword did. So, Max ran and teleported around the wyrm trying to get the monster to either show its face or belly to the [Flower Mage].

It took a long while but eventually the monster died from many serrated fleshy cuts. Bleeding an enemy out was looking to be Celenia’s best bet when it came to armored foe. In the end, she leveled another four times and moved her one step closer to her goals.

Max and Emi arrived in the city of New Mundo. A moment later Celenia and Alia stepped through the Pocket World entrance. After Max explained his reasoning for this trip, Isaac decided it was best for him if he didn’t venture into this particular city.

New Mundo was famous for their Church, more specifically, their Church of Healing.

While Isaac had no hold-ups against God Subuntu, the thought of religion and the Divine still weighed heavily on his conscience. Maybe he wouldn’t feel that way in the future, but for now, he just wanted to be free. He had already decided to help those he could, but he had to help himself first.

Alia yawned, stepped out of a cold puddle and looked to Max, “Do you mind?”

Celenia watched the water vacate the princess’s boot and dissipate into the air, “Couldn’t have picked a better exit spot?”

The teleporter frowned, “Not really. There are not many alleys in this city, well, you’ll see.”

They ventured out of the damp alley and out onto a damp street. Hundreds of tents were lined up in rows and paths, each equally spaced from one another. Greens and golds colored the streets, each tent imparting the Healing Church’s primary colors along with their Divine mascot – a dove.

Personnel walked around, each wearing simple white robes with golden trim, each housing their God’s crest across their chest. Some carried devices, others meditated to gather mana faster, but the majority stood under the tents healing.

Patients of all kinds and all backgrounds sat under the tents. The rich was with the poor. The battle hardened were with normal citizens. Humans were with Beastkin, Elves with Gnomes. Here, everyone received healing – unlike Hunlun.

“This is more than I was expecting, if I’m being honest.” Max said in awe, “From how I understood it, this city just formed. Like as in a month ago.”

“Explains the tents. Temporary, I would assume.” Alia said, “But what is this? I’ve never heard of New Mundo.”

Emi laughed, “Remember the ‘A New Age has begun’ notification everyone received? This is the start of a New Age.”

Max let that information fester for a moment before adding, “I don’t know much about their goals, but [High Priest] Manus Milvarn had briefly told me about what they were starting out this way.”

“But why here, out in the middle of nowhere?” Celenia asked.

Nowhere was a bit of an understatement. There was no nearby cities, let alone settlements or villages. New Mundo was nearly as far centralized as possible on the continent of Salarin – a primarily coastal-ish continent. Most cities were within a week’s walk from the ocean, except for Salae and the Mountain, both of which making use of natural landscapes for their reason for growth.

Max pointed behind the group, past the alley they exited from and up an out of place staircase, “That right there is the reason.”

Chiseled stone raised up, creating a staircase that led up a pyramid-temple. The structure was ancient, but the clear signs of restorative stone magic filtered cracks and chips into smooth glossy steps. It raised high into the sky, easily dwarfing the nearby flat land. At the top, a single and instantly recognizable construct stood.

A Gate Hub.

“Apparently, this Gate had never been in common use since there are no nearby resources or hunting grounds.” Max continued, “But, a location without monsters and plenty of flat land is perfect for a mass-healing city. Unlike Hunlun.”

Alia’s eyes lit up, “I recognize this place now! This was once a Temple of Elrin! She abandoned this location randomly if I remember correctly. My father was concerned at the time.”

“Correct.” A voice from behind suddenly spoke, “Well, I’m not sure who your father is, but you are correct about this city’s origin. There is a rumor that my God was gifted this location from Goddess Elrin after he healed a wound worthy of the Divine title.”

A woman, no taller than Max’s waist smiled with certainty and grace. She wore elegant detailed white robes, something unique in the sea of Healers. Her attire, while similar to the average Healer, spoke of her rank and experience. This woman was the [High Priestess] of New Mundo.

“Greetings.” Max said with a bow, the others mimicked his movements.

“To continue on about the history of this place, Goddess Elrin chose this location because of all of the rain.” She motioned to the sky, “I’ve been here since the first tent was hammered into the ground and I have not seen the sun since.”

New Mundo’s location was perfect for the Goddess of Lightning and Storm. What God wouldn’t want to have a temple erected in a place befitting of their image. For Healers, however, this location was less than ideal in relation to its weather.

The woman looked from the sky to Max, “Who are you and why do I feel my God’s mark on you?”

“My name is Max Fowler.”

The woman’s eyes widened like a clam showing off its pearls. She regained her composure and looked at the little monster, “You must be Emi, then.”

“Yup!” Emi said back before giving her a big sniff. She retreated back to Max’s side after giving a nod of approval.

“It is an honor, Lost Lord Max, Lady Emi. I am [Head Priestess] Lusia, the person in charge of this place.”

After a round of introductions and a short tour, Max spoke up, “I’m sorry but I’m not sure what kind of timeframe I am working with. So, I think I need to be upfront with my reasoning for coming here.”

Lusia studied the Lost Lord before nodding to continue.

“I need an amulet or a ring, something that is enchanted to protect against plague, diseases, mind altering illness, things of that nature. A city called Lullin has just been attacked by Vast Empire. I do not recognize the conditions the bodies are in from my medical knowledge.”

“So if the Empire is using a plague, you think its magical in nature? What kind of condition are these bodies in?”

“Translucent skin is the primary symptom.”

Lusia stopped walking and focused on Max, “Translucent skin is a symptom of many rare diseases, all of which are magical. But if you say Vast Empire is involved, then I commend your hesitance. What else can you tell me?”

Max thought back from his time stocking the streets of the wounded city, “Bodies were found in odd places. Beast howls could be heard the night of the attack. Multiple people Inspected the beast as classed; the only issue is that each person Inspected a different race and class. I’ve seen living sacrifices be used before, so I would guess that is the reason for the confusion.”

“Living sacrifices? It has been seventy-five years since-“

“They were used in Esmel.” Max said coldly.

Lusia hesitated on what to say before her eyes suddenly went wide in realization as a voice spoke into her mind, “Follow me.” She said after a moment.

The small woman took long strides towards what looked to be a centralized administrative tent. It was significantly larger than those around it, and Healers wearing detailed robes walked in and out constantly.

Lusia ignored the prodding questions from those below her rank and continued to the heart of the tent. She flipped open a runic carved wooden chest and carefully extracted a metal box. After removing the lock, she revealed a twin set of pendants.

The pendants were green and gold, simple but complicated. The design and construction of the jewelry were nothing to look at, but the carvings and inscriptions were a hole other monster. Hundreds of lines were etched into the golden metal, each impossibly detailed and coursing with magic.

“It is not every day I hear the voice of my God.” Lusia spoke in a whisper, “It is even less that I hear my own voice thinking about opening this box. And even less that I actually do. Whatever you’ve gotten yourself into has attracted the attention of a God. Remember this moment; it does not happen often.”

Max chuckled to himself, “It happens more than you would think. May I?”

He reached his hand out and took one of the pendants. As soon as he grasped the necklace, his insides warmed. He cleared his throat, swallowed a wad of spit, and shifted uneasily – but a good kind.

Perfect Protection Pendent of Preserved Pandemic (Mythic - Divine):

Touching this Divine Blessed item removes all illness from the holder while protecting them from all future illness.

Note: This item does not protect against physical harm.

Note: This item does not protect against unknown ailment.

“Do not wear it for too long, otherwise your organs will start to fail. Two months on, one month off is our regulation.” Lusia said.

“What does ‘unknown ailment’ mean?” Max asked.

“As long as God Subuntu has healed the illness before, the pendent will protect against it. If not, well, you have discovered something we all will need to prepare for.”

Max slowly nodded, slipping the necklace over his head. He took the second one and double wrapped it around Emi’s neck.

Hopefully that won’t come off, He said through their bond.

Feels good, Emi replied with an image of warm sun shine.

“Thank you, [Head Priestess]. I will have these back to you as soon as I can. Salae has already sent for Healers, but if I think the city needs more, I’ll alert the nearest branch.”

“Now wait just a moment.” Lusia said with a smirk, “You didn’t think my God would just give you those, now would he? He wants something in return.”

Max sighed, “You couldn’t have said that before I felt the pendant’s effect?”

“He said that you would say that. All Subuntu wants is for you to look in to a way to prevent the rain from reaching the tents here. Having wet patients is unfun for everyone.”

“So I don’t have to find a way to block out, remove clouds, or disperse the rain? I just have to try?”

Lusia frowned, “He trusts you will do the right thing.”

“Fine.” Max said with a sigh before ripping open a hole in space. Celenia and Alia silently walked in as Emi set herself on her partner’s shoulder, “Good luck with the city. I look forward to seeing it when real infrastructure gets put in.”

“Good luck to you as well.”

A moment later, the Lost Lord and his bond were gone. Only empty space in their place.

Max and Emi arrived to Lullin before mid-morning. The city was still waking up and patrol shifts were switching out. The streets were low in foot traffic, but Max didn’t really care if he was seen. He changed his clothes to make him look like an average citizen, blending in in plain sight. Emi still had to hide in his coat, however.

With the pendants on, the duo began their investigation at the small foot bridge. A steep staircase led in to a frosty creek; each step marked with Ikzag’s Divine vile footprint. Max froze the creek as he walked along the bank, following the fading mana to a drainage pipe.

The pipe was small in diameter, just large enough for a full-grown man to get stuck in. The dead, decomposing, transparent body explained as much.

Max grimaced as he put the body in his inventory then placed it from his inventory onto the ice. Before he could begin to search the man, a scream broke his concentration.

Originating from the pipe, a man yelled with disgust and confusion as he phased through the sewer, “No! Please! Don’t touch me! I-I just need help!”

A quick conversation happened between the bonded pair. Max confirmed that Emi could not see the distraught man speaking before them. Which only meant one thing.

A ghostly witness.