Chapter 6 – The Resting Bench Village

“What is taking so damn long?!” Tom screamed, clobbering his fist against the gates while holding Pete up with his other hand, his voice cracking from fear and exhaustion.

Sarah’s sobbing grew louder, her legs turning to jelly beneath her as she struggled to keep standing still.

Meanwhile, Maximus had already collided with the assassin woman. His lupine legs filled him with explosive speed and unnatural stability. Each step was a burst of primal power. I’ve never felt anything like this… This is truly magical. In my previous life, I dismissed physical transmutation as the crude domain of unrefined beast-clans… Maybe I was wrong after all… His thoughts wandered for half a heartbeat before reality snapped brutally back as the tall man lunged at him, slashing across his flank.

Maximus positioned his blade vertically and pushed back with his enhanced legs to parry, only to be tossed backward with a loud, bone-rattling crunch.

Maximus grimaced as his clawed legs dug deep grooves into the red sandy ground, catching him before he toppled completely. He quickly summoned a mouthful of seedlings and chewed them furiously. His Barkskin membrane flickered, thin fractures cracking along its surface, still holding, but barely. Unfortunately, the sharp ache in his ribs confirmed that several ribs were broken, and his legs were almost done working as well.

A System window blinked:

Quest Created: Defend the people counting on you as you wait for help and survive.

Rewards: 2 Talent Points

This is new… And remarkably redundant. As if I possess any other alternative, though rewards are always nice, Maximus muttered mentally as he forced himself up through pain, blade in his right hand, while his left hand gathered nature energy for Nature’s Wrath. He didn’t have the time to test edits or improvements; he needed the raw blast ready.

“You’re a stubborn one, huh?!” the tall man mocked, then surprisingly added, “How about you join us? I see potential in you.”

“Brock, don’t be ridiculous!” the assassin woman snapped sharply. “You know how the boss feels about fresh recruits. Stop wasting time, finish the job!”

A job… They’re hunting us intentionally! But why? Maximus had no idea whether they wanted him or the trio behind him, but he had no intention of waiting to find out.

He exploded forward, his enhanced legs propelling him with feral grace as he slashed at the assassin. She twisted away from the wide arc with effortless precision, releasing six daggers in a fan-like burst; Maximus avoided some, but a few stabbed through his Barkskin, shallow yet deep enough to lodge into muscle, spraying sharp bursts of pain through his nerves, but he didn’t stop, because she wasn’t his target.

Brock’s body shifted, his flesh taking on the exact hue of the scorched desert dirt as he swung with terrifying force, only for Maximus to raise his left hand and release his spell.

Spirit energy twisted violently, gathering into green, star-like fire before exploding outward in a beam of emerald flames.

The beam struck Brock square in the face, sending him tumbling backward with a scream as a misty trail of blood marked his fall.

Oh wow… This! I can work with this! Maximus thought, exhilarated, just as the assassin shrieked in rage and burst forward in another blinding rush.

Damn it. Where is that damn help?! Maximus tried to dodge, but this was the moment his battered body finally betrayed him. His legs buckled.

“Are you kidding me, Maximus?!” he roared at himself as he toppled backward, vision blurring and darkening at the edges.

“Hell, you will!” he snarled, refusing to pass out as he hurled one last spell, Thorn Whip, blindly.

He felt the vine connect with something, a thud and a scream, just before the darkness finally swallowed him whole.

***

Maximus opened his eyes with a sharp inhale, instincts snapping into place as he scanned the room in a rush, only to realize he wasn’t outside anymore but lying on a simple wooden bed, his clothes and a satchel tossed over a nearby chair, and his upper body wrapped in thick bandages, some patches already soaked through with dried, darkened blood.

He pushed himself up instinctively, but a stabbing pain in his ribs forced him back down with a grunt. This won’t do… Who knows who could attack me while I’m lying here like a helpless hatchling?

He summoned a handful of Seedlings with a thought and shoved them into his mouth, the intensely sour taste making his whole face scrunch as he forced himself to swallow. This truly tastes horrible… A curse disguised as medicine, though proper medicine should be sour…

Once the unpleasantness had settled, he opened his Info Log, remembering the last thing he saw before losing consciousness.

Quest Completed: Defend the people counting on you as you wait for help and survive.

It looks like someone did come to our rescue in the end. Whoever it was, they sure took their sweet time. He thought and opened his status screen.

Name: Maximus Reid | True Name: Aurelius Sovitus (Concealed)

Race: Human (Reborn) | Age: 23

Level: 5

Talent Points: 4

BT: 360

Class: Druid – First Awakening

Arcane Path: Sealed

Health: 159/375 Spirit: 147/150 | Mana: Locked

Physical Condition: Weak Human Vessel (Broken Ribs, Blood Loss, Exhausted)

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Spirit Strength: F

—

Skills: Seedling (F) LV.3, Thorn Whip (F) LV.7, Minor Shapeshift (F) LV.2, Barkskin (F) LV.2, Seedling Companion (F) LV.1, Nature’s Wrath (E) LV.2

Soul Traits: Otherworldly, Archmage (Dormant), Death Defiant, Library, Will of the Sage, Circle Breaker, Cosmic, Liberator

Body Traits: Spiritborn (SS), Mana Sense (E)

Class Traits: Natural (F) LV.2

—-

I should’ve gained only two Talent Points from the quest, but it looks like that also doubled thanks to my trait. Good to know! Maximus mused, nodding to himself. I’ll save them for now. This picture is starting to look much better than when I first arrived… But I should keep my advantage quiet. Who knows where this body’s murderer is lurking…

His thoughts spun rapidly until the door suddenly swung open, making him wince and clench his fist, ready to strike.

“Oh, you’re awake!” Tom said, bursting in with a relieved grin, only to immediately sprint back out, leaving the door wide open as if subtlety were a foreign concept to him.

A few minutes later, a bald, dark-skinned man stepped inside, wearing a dark green military-style uniform. “Well, look who finally woke up. Our hero,” the man said warmly as he dragged a chair closer and sat beside the bed.

“I’m this town’s healer,” he continued. “You were in terrible shape, fresh wounds, old wounds, and one especially nasty one on your back. Honestly, that one should have killed you. How are you even alive?”

“When I arrived in the Planes, someone attacked me. I lost my memory because of it. Someone else must have healed me and left me there,” Maximus explained, keeping his voice flat. Not exactly a lie.

“I see,” the man nodded. “Well, whoever healed you is better than me by a mile.”

He flashed a disarming smile. “Name’s Jax. I heard you saved your group twice before you collapsed. We could use a man of your character in this village.”

“What do you mean, in the village? How do you plan to pass the first stage then?” Maximus asked sharply. “By waiting around for ninety days?”