Merchant Of Yliaster

It didn't take long for the inn owner to realize that one of his customers was unconscious. Soon, some kids working for the owner carried the man to his room. They seemed used to the situation.

Maxwell was quite amused by the whole ordeal. Ultimately, all was fine as far as he was concerned, as the man gained a lot from this encounter.

"I reinforced the furniture and some parts of the walls. They should have the same durability they had before the initiation," he told the owner.

"Thank you, lad. I wonder what happened to that kid. It's too early to pass out," the owner said thoughtfully. He sounded worried.

"He will be fine, he was just sleeping," Maxwell said to ease the man's worries. It was apparent that Toren was more than a random stranger to the man. It was even possible that this was an inn used frequently by the rebels, considering that the owner knew about Toren's identity.

"Can you scout the surrounding area for Gendor and Bob?" he mentally asked Blueberry. It was high time that this search ended.

The bird seemed to be relieved that she would finally have some freedom. Thwarting Maxwell's expectations, she immediately took off without a comment, phasing straight through the roof. Maxwell rolled his eyes, seeing the unreal scene. The dumbfounded looks he got from the inn didn't help.

He petted Felix absentmindedly. At least you are predictable, he thought, looking at the dog, before realizing what he was holding. The dog was anything but predictable. He barked happily at him, enjoying the attention.

"You are even weirder than your friends, kid," the owner said, shaking his head.

"Thank you," he said to the man before leaving the inn. Blueberry would be able to find him through the etheric bond, so there was no need to stay inside. He looked at Felix, who was walking beside him. I really need a better way to carry him. Walking at a slow speed was fine, but the dog was still too young to move with them when they travelled at high speed.

He really wanted to increase Felix's level, but he was not sure how the dog would fight. Considering his nature, Maxwell somehow doubted that he would have trouble with normal opponents.

He walked through the city for some time, just exploring. Blueberry would probably find Gendor and Bob soon enough, assuming that they were nearby. He was not sure how they ought to proceed from now on, but getting into one of the rifts should probably be their priority.

There was a couple ways they could do that, but Maxwell preferred to first hear what Gendor's ideas.

As he walked, he couldn't help but notice someone on the side of the road, as she looked out of place.

There was a little girl with oversized clothes on the side of the road. She was holding a teddy bear in her arms, as she was hugging it, as if her life depended on it.

What captured Maxwell's attention was the girl's state. While most of her body was covered with oversized dirty clothes, Maxwell could still see that the girl was covered with bruises.

He abruptly stopped and looked at the girl thoughtfully. While he was apathetic after seeing so much loss and pain, he remained a human at heart. Seeing the girl's disheveled state dug out some of the embers still burning in his heart. He observed the girl.

Actress - Level-1 - Hungry

Actress? Maxwell was surprised to see the class. The girl didn't look older than six years old, and it was strange that she could choose a class. He was not really sure if there was an age limit for choosing a class, but it felt wrong to lock someone into a class due to the choices they made as kids.

"Hi," he said, approaching the girl. She looked at him curiously with innocent eyes. Maxwell could see pain and suffering radiating from them, but still, the innocence inside the girl was somehow unharmed.

"Hi," she responded shyly. In the next moment, she saw Felix, her eyes shining with excitement. "A puppy!" she shouted and hugged Felix with one of her arms, kneeling before him. The dog was more than happy with receiving attention, getting up on his hind legs, and putting his front paws on the girl's shoulders.

Maxwell noted that even now, she didn't let go of the teddy bear she was holding. The teddy bear was an old one, with many signs of wear. It was light brown with beadlike eyes that gave Maxwell a weird feeling as he stared at it.

He didn't know why he had done it, but he observed the teddy bear on an impulse. A feeling told him there was something wrong with the toy.

Mary's Only Friend - Tier 1

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

It is an ordinary toy, yet it holds a deep meaning for a little girl. Intense emotions and Mary's constant proximity caused the toy to change subtly with the initiation.

A great amount of negative energy resides inside, as the toy protects the girl from the accumulation of it.

Maxwell was dumbfounded by this toy. This was definitely more occult than magical, but the things explanation suggested didn't make Maxwell very happy. Now that he knew the truth, he could actually discern an accumulation of energy inside the teddy bear with his prima sense. Even looking at the energy made him feel depressed.

He watched the girl as she played with Felix. The dog was happily wagging his tail, and the girl was giggling, not showing any signs of being unhappy.

Maxwell walked to a nearby food stall and bought two sandwiches. He paid with a silver coin and left without receiving the change. He could hear the seller making some dumbfounded sounds behind him, but it was all a haze. He didn't really care.

He sat near the girl, holding out a sandwich towards her. He could see the hunger in her eyes as she looked at the sandwich with unsure eyes. "This is for me?" she asked, sounding disbelieving.

"Of course, go ahead," Maxwell urged the girl.

She took the sandwich and bit into it hesitantly. Immediately after the first bite, though, she started eating like she hadn't eaten anything for weeks.

"Don't eat too fast; you will get sick," Maxwell said, making the girl slow down. He also infused the girl with some vitality. He was not sure how her body would react to the food otherwise.

They ate in silence for a while, Maxwell giving a part of his sandwich to Felix as the dog looked at him with pleading eyes. To his surprise, Mary, who was probably hungry beyond belief, followed along, giving some of her sandwich to the dog.

It was a sad scene, a girl still giving away food to a dog, despite living a life devoid of good feelings.

"Where do you live?" he asked the girl, subtly connecting to her mind. Privacy could go to hell in situations like this.

"I live with my uncle and his wife. They even give me food sometimes," she said, sounding happy. It made Maxwell's blood run cold. What kind of a family could make a child believe that receiving food sometimes was good, he couldn't really imagine. He didn't need to, though, as mental images flooded his mind as she remembered her home.

As memories flooded, Maxwell's expression became progressively graver. In the memories, Maxwell could see that a woman was placing food on the ground as she and her husband dined at the table. The food was for the girl, of course. He watched the memory, as the girl thanked her as the woman made a disgusted face looking at her.

Maxwell could feel the sadness the girl felt seeing that expression, but he could also feel that the emotion was disappearing at an unnatural speed. Soon, nothing but gratefulness for the food remained. Maxwell glanced at the teddy bear the girl was holding. He could now see what the explanation was about. Whenever the girl felt anything bad, the toy absorbed the emotion, making her feel good again.

He was not sure if this was good or bad, as it probably caused the girl to be abused even more easily, but would it be different otherwise? Maxwell was not really sure. The girl probably could leave the house due to her nature. Otherwise, Maxwell doubted that her family would let her out.

"Who is your friend?" Maxwell said pointing at the teddy bear. The girl's eyes shone with excitement hearing her friend's getting mentioned.

"He is my best friend! Pax, say hello." she said, thrusting out the teddy bear toward Maxwell. "Hello, Pax, I'm Maxwell," he said, playing along. Knowing the nature of the toy made it look even creepier than before, but Maxwell could see that, even now the toy was slowly absorbing negative energy from the girl.

"When did you meet Pax?" Maxwell asked, trying to understand the situation better.

"My mother gave him to me when I was a baby," she said, and Maxwell could see the stream of negative energy suddenly spiking with the mention of the girl's mother. The girl showed absolutely no signs of being sad.

"He is a good friend," he said, patting the toy's head. He got up, turning towards the girl.

"Can you show me where you live? I will thank your uncle," he said, regulating his expression. He could probably find the house himself from the memories he received, but a plan was starting to form in his mind. For the plan, he needed the girl. Immediately, after he asked the question, he could see another spike in the negative energy. So she actually sees the reality deep down? He contemplated. This made everything a lot worse.

"Sure! I and Pax need to return too. Uncle will be angry if we are too late." even through the absorption of negative energy, Maxwell could detect a faint fear in the girl's voice.

They walked through the streets, getting away from the inner wall. The buildings got more and more worn out, and the clothes of the people around them left their place to mere rags. Maxwell could see some glancing at him due to his clothes, as he looked too rich to be here.

"Do you walk through here a lot?" he asked. It was already a miracle that nothing happened to the girl while travelling alone in this place.

"Yes, I like streets near the giant wall, they look pretty," the girl said obliviously. Staring ahead. There was a certain tension on the girl's body, as if her body knew what was going to happen despite her mind's ignorance.

Soon, they reached a house Maxwell could recognize from the girl's memories. The house looked relatively better than the others around it, suggesting that the family's situation was a bit better than the average family living here.

Maxwell turned towards the girl to find her hesitant. He could see a constant stream of negative energy going into the teddy bear now, and it seemed to be having some trouble absorbing all.

Sleep.

The girl fell asleep as Maxwell sent a low-strength message into her mind, overwhelming it. He caught her, not letting her fall to the ground, before lifting her and opening the door of the house. It was locked, but the lock broke easily due to his strength, as he didn't even bother weakening it.

The house smelled of alcohol and sweat. It was a small house, Maxwell being able to see all three doors inside the house from where he was standing.

"Gary! the retard is back!" a woman's voice came from to the room on the right, not really causing Maxwell's mood to improve.

In the next moment, Maxwell could hear heavy steps coming from the left room, as a fat man came out the room, holding a wood stick in his hand. It was apparent what his intention was.

Maxwell and the man made eye contact, and Maxwell could see a moment of incomprehension on the man's face. Usually, he would find such things funny, but at the moment, his mind was consumed by a much simpler feeling.

He was absolutely furious.