The Reward & Wiz' Shop:

Maximus awoke the next morning feeling stiff and noticed Aqua laying on top of him. Her legs were sprawled out and one of them was once again wrapped around one of his legs. He wanted to move, but at the same time he didn't want to wake her up. Feeling the warmth of her body against his was comforting and he couldn't help but think about her.

"To think she is peaceful when sleeping, however once she wakes the helpless side of her kicks in and she's begging for help no matter what. Wait a minute, shouldn't she be going to work right about now." He thought.

He raised his right hand and lightly tapped her head. "Hey, it's morning, don't you have work to go to?"

She briefly turned her head to the other side. "No, I quit, I don't want to go to work. I just want to stay right here and have you all to myself today." She replied slightly smiling.

"What's going on with you all of a sudden, why did you quit your job?" He inquired.

She slowly raised herself up and rubbed her eye. "I thought it would have been obvious, I want you to give me a child so it will save this world and bring me more followers. Then I can bathe in money." She said with fatigue in her voice.

Maximus laid there knowing part of the reason why she wanted him, but never knew about the rest.

"You do realize the folly in that right?" He inquired.

"What do you mean." She shot back with her tired gaze.

"Well, for starters, our child would get all the praise and worship instead of you." He briefly explained.

"No, once they find out who that child's mother is, they will," She stopped for a moment as their conversation finally registered in her mind and she began to blush. She was feeling embarrassed after accidently admitting why she wanted his child. "I-I-I-I mean that's not the reason why I want to have your child. It's mainly because,"

"Aqua," He said to get her attention. "I'm flattered, I really am, however," He paused for a moment looking to the side at the stalls they were within.

Aqua began to have tears forming in her eyes and soon began to cry uncontrollably. She buried her face upon his chest and he laid there unsure of what to do.

She raised herself up once more and took a hold of his black shirt. "What's wrong with you, is my body not good enough? I am a Goddess after all with a beautiful alluring physique that will always be ripe for you to take. You should be wanting to do more than just sleep with me, you should be,"

"Aqua, that's not it," He snapped at her and took hold of her arms. "I would think you want to do that kind of deed in the comfort of a bed instead of a haystack." He finished looking to the side.

"So, you do want me then?" She inquired sniffling her noise.

"I just think it would be more comfortable in a bed than some unforgiving haystack. I haven't had a goodnight sleep ever since we started sleeping here. Not to mention it would be more private in a bedroom than a stall where someone could walk in on us." He said sitting up and embraced her.

She sat there unsure of what to do and began to feel happy and tears of joy were escaping her eyes.

"Okay then," She paused for a moment standing up as though nothing had happened. "Let's go find us a house." She said with a cheerful tone.

"That would be nice, but unfortunately there still isn't anything available." He said standing up and massaged the back of his neck.

"Well, I don't mind terribly if we do the deed here on this haystack right now. You know, humble beginnings and all." She said pulling down her shirt to tease him.

"As tempting as it sounds, we have to report to the Guild. Luna said they were going to present us with something." He said tiding himself up and put his coat on.

"I hope it's a house and maybe then he and I could," She stopped to notice he was moving out of the stall. "H-hey, wait for me!" She shouted.

"Well, get dressed so we can see what the reward is." He shot back.

Maximus went into the next stall and noticed Kazuma wasn't within. He figured he went to town a little early and turned around to see Aqua ready to go. She smiled as she took hold of his arm and the two walked to Axel.

After arriving through the doors Luna happened to be waiting for him near the board. Everyone cheered and congratulated him once more. He responded to them all and soon noticed Luna standing with a card in hand. The two started to approach one another and Aqua was still holding onto him.

"Maximus, now that you are here, I can go ahead and award you with this." She handed him the card. "For your victory over the Demon King's General Verdia, I award you three hundred million Eris, congratulations!" She finished in a cheerful manner.

"Hold up, party meeting time!" Kazuma shouted seemingly out of nowhere.

Maximus turned to look at him with an annoyed look wondering what he could want. The whole party was encircled around one of the tables. Chris had walked into the Guild and noticed Maximus next to Luna. The two were staring at the rest of the party and she immediately latched onto his left arm.

"Hello Maximus, it's good to see you again." She said with a smile.

"Huh, oh, hello Chris, how's your morning going so far?" He inquired.

"Great now that I am with you." She giggled and stood next to him.

Maximus smiled at her and turned back to the others. Luna took hold of his other arm and looked up at him. She was about to say something but decided to wait.

"Now, that he's rich, he will more than likely want to settle down. This would be my chance to see about being with him more." She said to herself and decided to stay silent.

The others had yet to notice both Maximus and Chris weren't in the meeting.

"Do they realize you are not there?" Chris inquired.

"Let it sink in, they'll realize it soon." He said and turned to Luna. "I thank you for this reward the Guild is presenting me."

Luna smiled and kept silent. She leaned a little more on him and looked over to the others.

"Now that we are all here, I am announcing my retirement." Kazuma proclaimed.

"I say we should split it 90-10 all of it should go to me." Aqua declared.

"No, we should have equal share evenly." Megumin ordered.

"No, we split it equally all according to everyone's performance, right Maximus?" Darkness said and finally noticed he was still next to Luna. "Wait, I thought we were having a meeting about splitting the reward?" She inquired.

"If we had all participated it would be a fair split, but since only two of us truly stepped into the battle after him and it was awarded to him alone, he should deal it out as he sees fit. Right Maximus?" Chris said squeezing down upon his arm.

"I think it's only fair to do it that way, since only two of you came to my aid while the rest of you did nothing, though I don't blame you for not stepping in. Who knows what might have become any of you?" He said feeling a little sense of concern for them.

"Any way, since I was contributing to a large part of the battle, I should get the most of it." Aqua said with an innocent yet stuck up tone.

"Seriously, despite you jumping in, you still did nothing, just for that you will get something, but not a whole lot." He shot back and Aqua became depressed. "Darkness, because you shielded me from the curse, I will award you a happy sum. How does one third of the amount sound to you?"

Darkness gasp with amazement and shock. "Th-that is more than enough."

"Aqua, your part will be to pay me off and from this point on I will give you a certain amount of allowance every month. Knowing how much you waste money on the wine in this town, I think it's more appropriate I keep an eye on you and your money. So, we'll combine our finances from here on." He informed her.

"Oh, okay." She said with annoyance and wanted to protest it but knew it would be fruitless.

"The rest of you, I am afraid I cannot award anything." He informed them.

"That's alright Maximus, as long as I stay with you, I believe I will be alright." Chris said leaning against him a little more.

"Hold on, that's not fair at all!" Kazuma protested. "We're a party after all,"

"I have made my decision and it is final!" Maximus snapped back raising his voice. "If you had tried to step in the battle, you would have gotten a share equal to your own performance and nothing else. Equal shares don't work out in this case, now get over it. However, I am willing to give you some, so long as you make a loan with me. Otherwise, be about your business." He said turning around and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Darkness inquired.

"There's a new shop in town and I was wanting to check it out. You're more than welcome to tag along if you wish." He responded. "Oh, Luna, I was wondering if you would like to go on another outing with me sometime?" He turned to Luna.

"Uh, sure, I would love that." She said with a smile on her face. "Another step closer to being with him forever." She said to herself.

"I'll come back later to discuss the details, until then, I want to check out this new shop." He said waving and she waved back.

Aqua, Chris, and Darkness tagged along to see about this new shop. After entering he noticed Wiz was nowhere in sight.

"Oh, welcome to my shop. Please feel free to browse and if you see something you like, go ahead and pick it up." She informed them. The next moment she noticed Maximus was standing at the door as the others began to browse the selection. "Oh, Maximus, it's good to see you again." She said feeling excited to see him.

"Likewise," He paused and gave her a smile.

"Hey," Aqua shouted grabbing hold of the belt strap of Wiz' robe. "What's the big idea you big titty bimbo, how do you two know each other already and when did you two meet?" She ordered Wiz in anger.

"I-I'm sorry, who are you to him?" Wiz inquired trying not to retaliate.

Aqua let Wiz go and she fell to the floor feeling dizzy. Maximus instantly caught her and held her in his arms.

"Well, if you must know, I am the Goddess Aqua, worshiped by the noble Axis Sect." She declared to her.

"You should not drink anymore." Both Chris and Darkness said in unison.

"I haven't had anything yet!" Aqua protested.

Wiz began to have a sense of fear come over her and she began to take hold of Maximus' coat. "Wait, you're the Lady Aqua."

"Is she that popular?" Maximus inquired.

"At least among her followers, who are said to be wildly unruly and crazy people." She explained.

Aqua turned around and saw Wiz in Maximus' arms. "What are you doing being held by him?!" She shouted and started to run towards them with her hands reaching out in a harmful manner.

"Aqua!" Maximus shouted at her and she instantly stopped. "Behave yourself or I am throwing you outside to sleep on the cold hard grass tonight instead of the haystack." He ordered her. "Not that it will make a difference either way, but at least she can try to behave." He said to himself becoming frustrated.

"No, anything but that, I swear I will be on my best behavior from now on!" She said frantically.

"Now, how are you feeling?" He inquired setting Wiz down upon the counter.

"Much better than a few moments ago." She said feeling a little nervous.

"That's good to hear." He said and turned around.

"Now's my chance." Chris said to herself and jumped into Maximus' arms who quickly caught her. "Oh, my Maximus, it's a good thing you caught me since I slipped and lost my balance."

Aqua became more infuriated after Chris made her move. "You didn't trip over yourself, you just jumped right into his arms on purpose!" She shouted and Chris briefly smirked and stuck her tongue at her.

"Would you like to be held in my arms then?" Maximus inquired.

Aqua stood there with her eyes watering up as she remembered the last time she was in his arms. "Yes, please would you allow me this right now?" She asked.

"No." He quickly replied.

Darkness gasped in jealousy. "Oh, the feeling of being rejected by him after asking to be comforted. I must experience this torment right now." Darkness sprinted over to him and he noticed her loud clanking armor barreling down at him.

"And here she comes, right on cue." Maximus said to himself.

"Maximus, I-I-I-I wish to be held within your arms at this moment!" She said and began to brace herself for the obvious outcome.

"No." He quickly replied.

The next moment Darkness hugged herself and felt excited of being rejected.

"So fast and so cruel, you didn't even hesitate to deny me some assemblance of comfort from you at all." She began to breath rapidly.

Maximus placed Chris down and walked up to Darkness. Before she noticed him there, she was immediately picked up by him. She felt a little unnerved from the act and looked up to see the caring look on his face. She began to feel a little embarrassed and quickly tried to shake it off.

"Oh, the humiliation of being lied to, such a shameful thing you have just committed. What other horrible lies do you have in store for me?" She shouted still blushing.

"Should've known you were going to do that." He said to himself and smiled a little that made her blush further.

"Oh no, do you have something hideous in those thoughts of yours? Tell me, do you have other shameful things for me to endure?" She inquired.

"No." Maximus put her down and walked back to Wiz.

"Oh, the horror of not knowing if that was the truth or a lie." She continued on.

"The truth hurts just as much as a lie does, doesn't it?" He replied.

Darkness quivered in excitement and began to shiver from his torment.

"Anyway, I was wondering if you have a sword I can buy and take off of your hands?" He inquired.

"Oh, well, I do have a magic sword in the back. Let me go get it and see if you like it." She leaned to drop down.

He helped her down by picking her up and lowering her down with ease. She nodded at him and went to the back.

"He's so kind and has hands that are so firm and gentle at the same time. I have never felt this jittery for a very long time." Wiz said to herself feeling excited.

"When are you going to hold me?" Aqua inquired with her arms folded, feeling annoyed as if she were on purposely being ignored.

"I will hold you tonight, is that alright with you Lady Aqua." He said in a sarcastic tone.

"Hmph, I will allow this to slide, but from now on you have to carry me to and from town." She said.

"Fine." He responded. "What have I gotten myself into these days? I should have never taken her with me. It makes me feel as though I am living a life of Hell with her at certain times." He thought to himself.

"Here we go," Wiz said dragging Verdia's sword from the back. "This was the sword Verdia had used quite often. He always loved this sword, he said it's supposed to increase the users magical abilities." She informed them.

"Wait, what?" Maximus quickly inquired after hearing the explanation. "How do you know that?"

Wiz immediately heard what she said to them and began to panic.

"Oh, I mean, uh, well, you see," She stopped for a moment and sighed. "I happen to be one of the Generals of the Demon King, formally." She said revealing her identity.

Maximus was unsure of what to do and Aqua began to have a sinister glare in her eyes. Darkness and Chris were standing still wondering what to do. The next instant Aqua speared Wiz to the ground, pinning her.

"Ah ha, I got you. Now all I have to do is defeat you and claim my reward." Aqua said and charged up her God Blow attack.

"Wait, Lady Aqua, please don't, I,"

Before Wiz could go on Maximus picked up Aqua and threw her in the direction of a chair and miraculously sat down on it perfectly.

Darkness once again gasp in excitement. "I must experience this torment right away!" She shouted and charged after him. "Maximus, I wish for you to,"

The moment before she could finish her request Maximus quickly took hold of and threw her away from him. Darkness was in a state of bliss, filled to the brim with excitement and Maximus chuckled at himself.

"Didn't even give that a second's hesitation, maybe it's because I know she can take it and finds joy in it." He said to himself.

Darkness landed on the floor before Aqua who began to inquire of her well-being. Chris looked up at him and smiled.

"I'll go check up on her." She said giving him a thumbs up.

Maximus helped Wiz up from the floor and helped dust off her shoulders of the little dirt.

"Oh, thank you, you're too kind." She said feeling a little more nervous.

"It was no problem." The two smiled at each other. "Now, you said formally; meaning you are not of the Demon King's faction, correct?" He inquired.

"Yes, I left under the guise and promise that no innocent civilians would be hurt. My job was to maintain the barrier that surrounds his castle. I also have no bounty placed upon me because of my kind nature." She briefly explained.

"How powerful is that barrier?" He inquired.

"Well, as powerful as you were yesterday, I doubt you would be able to break through it." She said looking down with a sad expression.

"I'm confident I could,"

"Please don't go after him." Wiz interrupted him from continuing and looked into his eyes with a serious gaze that had concern in them as well. "A man like you should not be wasted on such a silly thing. No matter how strong you might become, he is still unable to be bested by anybody who has faced him in the past. Many adventurers have tried and all of them have failed. Please, promise me you will not go after him." She begged him on the verge of tears.

Maximus saw the concern in her eyes and she began to reach up to him. The moment she was about to touch his face she stopped herself and turned away. He took hold of her shoulders and turned her around.

"You're that caring of someone who you just met not even a day ago, why?" He inquired.

"It's just I don't want to see people go to their deaths meaninglessly." She replied.

He continued to stare in her eyes and in that moment they both felt as though their souls were connecting and talking to one another.

"Alright, I promise you, I will not pursue the Demon King. However, I would like to continue going on quests so I don't become complacent with this life. Besides, going on quests would be the most preferable option anyway." He said and winked at her. "That being said,"

"You will need a weapon that would best suit you, which is why I wish to give you Verdia's sword." She quickly interrupted him and handed the sword to him. "I am sure it will serve you well."

He took hold of it and gazed upon the blade, noticing its quality was exceedingly fine.

"How much are you willing to offer this?" He inquired.

"Oh no, take it as my gift to you." She quickly replied.

"Come on, at least let me buy it for some amount, no matter how small or large, I am confident I can afford it. I should take this thing out for a test sometime later." He said.

"Here, let me place this upon the back of your coat." She said taking a hold of his coat and he knew what she was going to do. "I'll have this ready for you in no time."

"By the way, you're taking it pretty lightly of the news that he has defeated a fellow comrade of yours. Aren't you the least bit upset by this?" Darkness asked.

"It's okay, while we were fellow Generals, we weren't the best of friends. Whenever I would visit, he would always roll his head down the hall and peep up my skirt. He was such a pervert." She explained.

The next moment she was finished attaching a device and handed his coat back to him.

"This will work as a way to keep your sword upon you since it's too big for a sheath." She said smiling.

Maximus saw the piece of metal on the back and put the coat on. The moment after he placed the sword upon his back it immediately stuck to it like a magnet.

"Nicely done, I like it. Now about a price for this sword." He returned to a previous subject.

"Please, it's a gift, you don't need to pay for it." She said raising her hands up.

"Call this a donation then." Maximus took some money out of his purse and placed it on her desk.

"Oh, okay." She said not sure how to respond.

"Well, we better see what quests are available, although there probably won't be any at the moment." He said wondering if they could go back to going on new quests. "I'll come by again to see what else you might have; I can buy off you." He winked and smiled at her.

"Oh, wait, would you please keep that information about me being a former General to yourselves?" She begged them.

They all agreed walking out the door and went on about their day.

"I would like to see you again and can't wait for when that will happen." She whispered with her hands crossed in front of her.

After arriving back at the Guild, the whole party noticed no new quests were on the board. The remaining ones were those that were extremely hard. Maximus noticed the one about hunting a creature call Black Fang. He took a closer look at it and noticed it would take a whole day to make a round trip to the area where the quest would begin.

"Well, we could go on this one." He said taking hold of it and studied further. "It's offering two-hundred and fifty-thousand as a reward."

"Then let's take it!" Darkness shouted. "The thought of being ravaged by such a foul creature would be glorious!"

"Are you insane, this quest is super hard, there's no way we could be able to take on that thing!" Kazuma protested.

"What are you complaining about, we have Maximus who could keep an eye on us." Megumin quickly said.

"I'm down with that, I'll even stay out of it for the most part so you all can earn more of the reward." Maximus said taking hold of the parchment.

"But what about if we are in trouble?" Aqua inquired in a protesting manner.

"Relax, if it gets too hard for you all to handle; I'll tag in and take care of the thing. Does that please you?" He asked her.

"Well, if you are going to be there, then I am okay with it." She hesitantly replied.

"We'll start tomorrow and before we go, I'll stop by Wiz' place to see about any items we may need for it as well." He said.

"You just want to see that big chested seductress again don't you." Aqua said with anger mounting and she glared at him intensely.

He sighed in annoyance. "We'll meet up here in the morning, go to Wiz' shop, and set out from there. Is that alright with everyone." He asked.

They all nodded their heads and Kazuma felt as though he would most likely die on this encounter.

"Well, in the meantime, let's get something to eat and relax for the rest of the day." He said.

The whole party ordered their food after sitting down at a nearby table. Darkness and Chris were quickly sitting next to Maximus and Aqua was feeling a little jealous of them. She sat on the opposite side glaring at them and Kazuma and Megumin took the other side of the seat. Luna later joined them after her shift was over. They began to laugh the afternoon away as Maximus told of funny stories from his childhood. On top of that, he would tell tales of heroes of old from his world and they were all amazed, entertained, and devastated from each one.

The night rose over and they began to go about their separate ways. Once Maximus arrived at the gates, Aqua reminded him of their condition to have her in his arms while they traveled to and from town. He sighed annoyingly and decided to comply. Once they arrived at the stables, he put her down and walked inside. She wanted to be carried all the way to the haystack, but decided it was enough for now. He walked into their stall and prepared himself to sleep the night away.

"Hey, you were supposed to wait for me to change clothes." She protested.

He laid down and placed his coat over his face. "Is this sufficient enough for you?" He inquired.

"What if someone sees me?" She shot back.

Maximus sighed and stood at the entry way with his coat in hand. She quickly began to change her clothes and he could feel the sting of the cold mounting within the air as it blew in from the doorway of the stables.

"It feels as though it's going to be a cold one tonight, far more than before. I wonder how cold these winter nights can get." He said to himself.

"Okay, I am finished." Aqua said after putting her pajamas on.

He returned to the haystack and readied himself for sleep. She laid down and before she knew it, he was pressing himself against her back. She flinched at first, not expecting him so quick.

"It's going to be a very cold one tonight." He whispered into her ear.

"The winter nights can get much colder than this one I'm afraid to say. If we don't find a place to stay for us, we'll freeze to death out here." She explained.

"This is so annoying," He briefly said.

She quickly turned around thinking the worst.

"To be stuck out here day after day ever since we first arrived and not once was there a place for rent or buy or even a room in the inn to have. How is it that no one seems to want to leave this town at all?" He said out loud feeling annoyed.

"I can't say for certain, but if nothing else, we could build our own home." She suggested.

"I'm thinking we should have done so from the beginning; however, we didn't have the money to hire anyone up until now. Even if they get started on it, winter would have come and gone and we could be frozen statues before it's finished." He explained.

"What are we going to do until then?" She wondered looking into his eyes.

"We'll just have to buy more blankets and use our body heat to stay warm." He said.

She gracefully wrapped her arms around him and he was surprised to see her do that.

"I really don't mind so long as I am with you." She said as genial feelings began to mount within her. "Am I really falling for him in that way, and not just wanting him because of what I ultimately desire. Could this be the beginning of that kind of relationship?" She wondered to herself.

The next moment she saw his eyes closing and soon went to sleep.

"I'll make you a promise, Maximus. That I won't act silly in front of you again." She declared to herself.

She leaned up and kissed his forehead and turned in for the night.