The moment his head hit the poor excuse for a pillow, Max fell asleep. The exhaustion from what had transpired and all of the changes in his physical body finally caught up with him at that moment.
Dreams shifted multiple times as he replayed how that fight in the street could have gone, sometimes dying, sometimes killing Tanila, and other times never returning to who he was.
The dream repeats of the scene finally wound down before he found himself in a dark place...
All those fears you have make no sense. I have shown you what we can be if you let me help.
Staring at his reflection, the way it stared back at him was almost unnerving. His reflection’s eyes were sometimes red, sometimes green, and occasionally just black voids of darkness.
“What are you? I mean, really. How can you be inside me?”
That same laughter he always heard echoed around him, and yet his reflection stood there like a statue.
I already told you what I am. Without a host, without you, I am nothing. Together, we can be–
“A god, I know,” Max said, cutting off his shadow as he held up his hand. “Why did I resist Edward’s skill but only partially whatever skill the Queen had?”
A smile formed on his reflection's face. Teeth far sharper than Max’s were displayed as its lips moved apart.
That is an intelligent question. The boy had a skill that came from me. You are not ready for that knowledge yet, but know nothing that is a child of mine can hurt us. They help us to grow.
Wait and listen, his reflection said. Then Max’s vocal cords suddenly stopped working. That ‘queen’ has something from one of my sister’s skills. We are still weak and, as such, could only partially resist it. As we grow stronger, none of those will be a threat.
The pressure around his throat was gone, and Max realized he could finally speak again.
“This hunger inside me… does it ever go away?”
His image howled in laughter, cackling as its whole body shook.
Does a fat noble decide they have eaten enough and stop? No… it never goes away. It will always be there. One day, perhaps, it might end, but when that moment comes, nothing will be able to stand against you.
Those words left Max confused and scared. He was already starting to like the power he had experienced and knew it would be harder to resist the stronger he got.
Do not worry right now, his reflection said, reading his mind. I can wait; eventually, you will need to give yourself to me again. It always happens that way. When the next time comes, I won’t let the bargain be as much in your favor.
His reflection raised its hand and tapped his forehead with a finger.
Go. Enjoy the last gift I have for you.
Hearing that name finally woke him from his slumber. He turned, surprised to find Tanila staring at him from the doorway.
The memory of what he had just experienced flooded his brain.
“Sorry,” she said once she saw he was awake. “I figured you might want to get out of bed and meet with our guests.”
Rubbing his eyes, Max spun his legs over the edge of his bed and stretched, his body feeling better than he could ever remember. He knew the voice inside him was correct. He wanted to feel this every day.
“Can I ask who our guests are?” he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
“Batrire and Fowl are waiting for us,” she replied, grinning as his expression changed at her words. “Now get dressed and come join us.”
She left the room, closing the door, and he jumped to his feet, quickly getting dressed and pulling his boots on before opening the door and glancing toward Tanila’s room.
As he prepared to step into the hallway, a notification popped up.
[ Consume is Cleansing JIH1U08 ]
[ Consume will notify when finished ]
The message made Max pause.
Cleansing what? What are you doing?
Nothing replied, and after a moment, Max took a deep breath and tried to forget about it.
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Tanila’s door was open, and he could hear laughter and a few whispers as his friends waited for him to join them.
As he entered the room, Batrire stood up from a chair while Fowl appeared ready to catch her if she fell.
“Gods, you are an idiot,” Batrire said, scowling at Max as the red murderer glow caught her eye when he entered the doorway. “I leave you alone for one–”
Max was across the open space, picking her up off her feet, giving a hug, and squeezing her tight. She returned the embrace and, after a moment when Max set her back down, wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Thank you,” Batrire said, sniffing as she held up a hand to keep Fowl away. “I’m grateful for what you did to save me.”
“I would have given anything, you were–”
“Forget me,” Batrire cut him off with a wave of her hand. “I have already heard about what I endured and what you three have done since I was put in the stasis spell. What I don’t understand, and what Tanila hasn’t told us about, is what happened yesterday.”
Fowl was walking around Max, shaking his head in disbelief as Batrire spoke.
“Holy elf tits,” Fowl cursed, coming up next to Max and punching him in the arm. “Tell me, what in the gods' name did you do?”
Pointing at the chairs, Max moved to the doorway and looked toward the other end of the hall, where a door was closed and guards were stationed on the other side. Shutting it, he held up a finger to his lips.
“Sit… it’s going to be a story…”
Fowl grimaced, groaning at the news that Max now had Bulwark, the same skill he had just picked up at level twenty-five. “You seriously aren’t going to need us at some point, are you?”
“I’ll always need someone to cut the balls off the ogres I kill,” teased Max. Looking at Batrire, who had sat there the entire time, barely saying a word, he saw how she looked at him.
Having drawn attention to how she was sitting, Tanila and Fowl looked at her, waiting to see what she might say.
“How long till we have to move again?” Batrire asked.
She leaned forward in her chair and looked at Max, staring at him sternly. “Are we going to have to leave this city because of the group you just fought? Is word going to get out about what you did and make it so we cannot stay? How many more times will we need to pack up and move?”
“Batrire, why are you–”
Her glare cut Fowl off. “I almost died. I should have died, yet you saved me. For that, I am grateful, but I am also concerned for my other friends. I tried to trust that Ockrim must have some reason for us meeting and grouping with you, but now… I’m scared. I’m scared, Seth, of what you might become and what might happen to us.”
Max nodded, staring at the ground.
No one said anything after Batrire finished speaking. Fowl glanced back and forth between his three friends, waiting for someone to talk.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Fowl said, jumping to his feet and moving to stand before Batrire. “He risked his life for you to get the money so you could live. Everything he has done has been to protect us. You don’t understand what that pressure is like!”
Cutting her off by slapping away the hand that Batrire had raised toward him, Fowl shook his head and glared at her. Snorting, he pointed a finger at her, then turned and motioned to Max.
“He is a warrior, a protector, and one of the few humans I would completely trust with your life. In fact, I already have, and it is only because of him that you are alive today! If you cannot handle him with all the faults and struggles he openly shares, then we are done.”
Those last four words echoed in the room, all caught off guard while Fowl stood there, his rapid breathing causing his mustache to flare in and out.
“Are you serious?” Batrire asked.
“There are only three things in life that I am serious about,” Fowl replied. “First, I love you more than anything. Second, I would die for you. Lastly, I will never abandon a friend.” Pointing his finger at Max again, Fowl shook his head. “He is a friend and, as we said multiple times, family. Family isn’t perfect. We make mistakes, we upset each other, but we do not abandon each other. You… you know my hope is to return one day to my family, prove my worth, and earn back a spot with them.”
Tears ran down Batrire's cheeks, disappearing into her beard. She nodded and glanced past Fowl at Max, who sat there stunned by his two dwarven friends' words.
“Fowl,” Tanila said, getting his attention for a moment. “She is coping with almost dying, and it takes time to–”
“How many of us have almost died?” Fowl asked, cutting her off. “I have. Did I pack it up? No. You all made sure I kept pushing because this is the life we chose for ourselves. Not everyone here can go back to baking.”
Fowl’s random comment caught them off guard for a second, and everyone chuckled slightly. Fowl winked at Tanila and smiled. In a rare feat, his wordplay was working as intended.
Getting down on his knees, Fowl leaned against Batrire as she sat in her chair. He put a hand on her knee and squeezed.
“You know I am right. It doesn’t happen often, and I will remind you of it often, but deep down in your beautiful heart, you know I am right. We cannot abandon Max.”
Watching his friends fight about him hurt. Max didn’t want to endanger them, and the idea that he was causing this much conflict hurt even more. Yet Max understood just how much he meant to Fowl and the others for the first time in a long time.
A notification appeared, and Max felt something in him change.
[ Consume is Cleansing JIH1U08 ]
[ Consume has finished Cleansing JIH1U08 ]
Something had happened, but Max couldn’t figure out what.
“Holy dwarf balls,” Tanila muttered, her eyes on Max as she covered her mouth with her hand.
Both dwarves turned their attention to Max, and he saw each of their eyes widen in shock.
“I cursed first,” Tanila said, standing up and moving to where Max was sitting, looking at the three of them. “It’s gone.”
She walked around him.
“The murderer’s aura… it’s gone…”
Standing up, Max glanced at himself and knew why he felt different. He couldn’t see any aura around him and realized they were right.
“How in the gods' names did that happen?” Fowl asked.
“My skill… it said it was cleansing something… could it really?”
A knock on the door made them all jump.
“Who is it?” Tanila called out, her voice squeaking from the shock of everything.
“It’s Captain Vella. Can I come in?”
Tanila held up her hands as she looked at the other three.
Max shrugged and motioned to the door.
The door swung open, and the commander walked in, her short brown hair hanging nearly to the plate armor she wore.
“I'm glad you all are here. I need to…” Her eyes went wide, and her brow scrunched in confusion as she saw Max standing before her. “How in the gods…”