Chapter 11 – On Their Merry Way

[Pyromancer’s Staff (E)]

Fire damage increased by 12% when held.

Fire spells’ cast time reduced by 15%.

Mana regeneration increased by 4%.

Usable by Level 10+ Arcane Classes.

“Well, that is underwhelming, and here I was hoping for something useful. Can’t even use it to bash someone over the head…” He shook his head and tossed the staff back into storage before pulling out the skill stone.

[Skill Stone: Flaming Retreat (E)]

Contains skill Flaming Retreat (E) – Lunge backwards 5 meters, leaving behind a fiery explosion that burns unquenchably for 15 seconds. Costs 350 mana to cast, and goes on cooldown for 1 Hour.

Requires a Class proficient in Fire magic.

“Well, shoot me with an arrow in the back and call me a porcupine. Talk about useless rewards.” He sighed. “I can probably sell this to some fire mage for a decent bit of coin.” He waved his hand dismissively and stored the Skill Stone.

[BT: 1,470]

He stared at his tokens. It’s a decent amount… Let us see. He opened the Store and browsed through the Staves section.

Primal Druid’s Staff (S)
‎BT: 158,780

Staff of the Frost Giants (S)
‎BT: 136,043

Roaring Tempest (S)
‎BT: 149,696

Branch of Recovery (A)
‎BT: 101,542

Staff of Thousand Venoms (A)
‎BT: 102,444

A loud burst of laughter broke the silence of the room. “Hey, Astrae, did you drink that near-poisonous mead of the Stone Dwarves to price these this high? Who in the name of Solastra can afford any of this?” He laughed at the absurd prices, then scrolled down toward the cheaper options, the ones he could actually hope to buy.

Crescent Scepter (E)
‎BT: 9,004

Earthen Stave (E)
‎BT: 7,832

He scoffed again and scrolled all the way to the bottom before something finally caught his eye.

Druid’s Enhanced Beginner Staff (F)
‎BT: 820

Natural damage increased by 10%.

Plant-based skills enhanced by 5%.

Spirit recovery rate increased by 2.5% when held.

Usable by Level 5+ Druid Class

“I’ll take it… I need a proper staff, and what is a Mage without his staff, anyway?” He shook his head, fully aware he was about as far from a traditional mage as one could get.

He spent the tokens, and a simple branch-like staff appeared in his hand, rough and unrefined, as though freshly cut from a living tree, save for the faint green runes etched gently along its length.

He gave it a small nod and cast Thorn Whip through the staff this time.

A much larger magic circle formed than before, and a thicker, more robust vine lashed out from the tip of the staff, snapping against the wall with force and leaving a deep scar in the stone where it struck.

“Good… This will do in a group fight… Alone, I’ll rely on my sword and shapeshifting.” He muttered. It was a simple plan, but for now, it was the most practical one he had.

“Hey, Sprout, let’s go practice our spirit absorption. You could use some energy, you sleepyhead.” He lifted Sprout from the front pocket of his vest and placed him gently on his knee as he settled into a meditative posture.

He closed his eyes and reached out with his senses. With a steady inhale, he drew in thin strands of spirit energy and guided them toward the translucent crystal seed within him, while splitting smaller fragments and feeding them to Sprout.

Sprout sat in the same position on his knee, mimicking him and began to emit a soft, thick green, albeit faint, aura that wrapped around its small form, easing Maximus’s mind and calming the surrounding space.

Anyone passing by would catch the scent of freshly cut grass, tinged faintly with mint.

Slowly, the two, druid and spirit, sank deeper into the rhythm of the natural world, absorbing what they could from the unseen flow around them.

Hours passed like that, in a quiet, nature-touched haze, until at last Maximus’ eyes snapped open, glowing faintly with a flash of green.

Trait Leveled Up: [Nature’s Seed (E) Lv. 3]

Skill Leveled Up: [Seedling Companion (F) Lv. 3]

Maximus smiled softly. “Good job, Sprout. We did well. Now let’s get some rest.” He picked him up and lay down on the simple wooden bed, its straw mattress covered by a thin white sheet.

I’ve slept in worse… This will do. He thought, as his eyes slowly closed.

***

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Maximus rose early and cleaned the house, making sure everything looked as it had before, well, except for a few scratches and the small hole where his laser had pierced through the wall the night before.

“Let’s go, Sprout. No time to waste.” He said as he stepped outside, heading toward the makeshift hospital Jax had been using to treat the injured, which was now filled to the brim.

He checked a few rooms before finding Pete asleep on one of the beds. Sitting beside him, he gently nudged him awake.

Pete opened his eyes and smiled. “Oh, Max, hey! How are you?” he asked immediately, smiling gently.

“Hello Pete, I’m fine. I’ll be heading toward the City of Beginnings, so I wanted to say goodbye for now. If fate allows it, we’ll meet again, whether on another Plane or back in the world. Just take care of yourself.” Maximus said.

“I figured you would.” Pete smiled warmly. “I’ve got a feeling you’re going to turn this world upside down.” He added. “Did you see Sarah and Tom? They’ll be sad to see you go as well. We’ve been through a lot… Even if it was only a single day.” His voice cracked slightly.