The Hunt for the Black Fang:
The next morning Maximus had made his way to Wiz' shop to inquire about other items they may need on their trip. As instructed by Aqua he began to carry her to town and she notice he was having no troubles with her being in his arms.
"His strength is so awesome; he doesn't seem to have troubles with me at all and we're nearly at town!" Aqua said to herself feeling ecstatic with her star struck gaze still fixated on him. "I wonder if he is thinking about me right now?"
"I wonder what else Wiz might have that I can use for this quest or a later one." He said to himself. He briefly turned to notice Aqua's face while still feeling her arms around his neck. "She wasn't acting too silly and clingy this morning like usual. I wonder what could be turning in that head of hers."
The two of them arrived at the gates and he let her down.
"I wanted you to carry me the whole way, but I made myself a promise and I will do my best to live up to it." She said to herself trying not to show her disapproval.
They arrived at the Guild for a brief moment and he noticed Chris wasn't in attendance. He brushed it off thinking she was busy and reminded the rest of the party he would make a stop at Wiz' shop to see what else was there they could use. Aqua and the others decided they would wait for him at the Guild. He noticed Aqua was once again not acting in her usual jealous manner. She had sat next to him at the table during breakfast without hugging him so tightly.
"What is she up to, this isn't like her usual routine, something is off about this and I wonder what that something could be?" He wondered to himself.
He pressed on towards Wiz' shop and looked around. He saw what he was after along, with a couple of other items. She had noticed he was in a hurry and the two didn't say much out of a casual greeting. She bid him good luck and he returned to the Guild.
"Alright, I got what I needed for us on this quest. Is everyone else ready to go?" He inquired.
The four of them notice he was carrying a large bag in his hand and all wondered what it could be. They nodded in unison while still focused on what he was carrying.
"Alright, let's go over what the plan would be when we reach the forest where the Black Fang is known to wonder. Because of the serious nature and difficulty of this quest, I will be present, but only acting as a last resort to defeat the creature or should the encounter prove too much for all of you combined." He informed them. "Darkness,"
"Yes," She responded in an inquiring manner.
"You will take your place at the front of the fight once it starts and act as our main line of defense." He said.
"I understand and will gladly take the blows from the creature." She had responded in a serious tone before moving into her masochist behavior. "The thought of being torn apart by this monster is so exciting!" She said to herself with her arms wrapped around her chest.
"And there she goes again." Both Kazuma and Maximus had the same thought.
"I wonder what he is going to have me do?" Kazuma wondered and feared the worst.
"Kazuma," Maximus turned to him.
"Yes," He flinched with a little fear.
"You're the next line of defense and will support Darkness during the fight. Also, before the fight begins, I want you out in front." Maximus informed him.
"How am I supposed to do that, I don't have any cool skills to fight against the thing? Also, why am I at the front before the fight?" He protested with an inquiring manner.
"You and I have Enemy Detection, so it will make it easier if one of us is at the front and decided it would be you. You can keep an eye out for the beast at the front and me at the back. Also, use the Lurk skill Chris taught you when the battle begins in order to stay alive. You can strike the beast in its blind spots. Does that help explain what you are going to do?" Maximus informed him.
Kazuma felt uncomfortable about what his tasks before and during the battle.
"Just stick to the training I gave you and it will get you through this." Maximus finished.
"Okay." Kazuma replied with less confidence than before.
"Megumin and Aqua," He turned to them.
"Yes," They both answered in unison.
"You two are the support with me as your last guard should Darkness fall unconscious or worst case, die. But I will step in if she is overwhelmed at any time. Got it?" He instructed.
They both nodded their heads as Aqua had a more determined demeaner.
"Something is wrong here, why is Aqua not being too much like her usual self. I would suspect she throw a fit about this, yet she hasn't done any silly protest or behavior. What's going on and is this something I should worry about?" He said to himself with his gaze focused on Aqua.
"Huh, is there something wrong Maximus?" Aqua inquired.
"No, nothing is wrong, I was expecting you to protest this is all." He replied and turned around to head for the door. "Well, let's get under way."
"I wonder if he is impressed with me acting a little more refined than usual. But how long can I keep this up, it's so hard." She said to herself trying not to show her discomfort. "No, I made a promise and I am going to stick to it." She declared.
The five of them began to make their way out of town and headed to the forest where the Black Fang is said to wander. They were traveling on the road when Maximus noticed Aqua didn't take the chance to be up close to him.
"Just keep this up and he will be impressed with how I am behaving today." Aqua said to herself.
Maximus was at the rear pulling the cart behind him as he studied Aqua a little further who was walking in front of him at his two o'clock position.
Aqua took in a deep breath. "Ah, the weather seems to be very agreeable today, don't you think?" She inquired out to everyone.
"Yes indeed, the weather is much more welcoming than last night from what some people have said. But within a couple of months winter will arrive and then the days and nights are going to be unforgiving." Darkness said and paused for a moment. "The mere thought of freezing in the ice-cold temperature sounds delightful." She blurted out.
"Is there nothing you don't enjoy, also, will you stop with that attitude already for more than ten minutes!" Maximus said with a little discomfort about her demeaner.
"That is just like you, to set an unforgivable condition upon me. If only I could have you torment me more often." She said with excitement as she spun in place.
"No thank you, I would rather put up with Aqua's childlike and crybaby attitude than endure your weird perverted masochistic ways all day long any day of the week." He quickly shot back.
Aqua remained steady in her pacing with one foot in front of the other as Maximus' comment rang loudly in her ears.
"He would rather be with me than anyone else, yes, I am that much closer to winning him over!" She said to herself with excitement.
Darkness had troubles keeping pace while quivering in joy from his comment. She pressed her hands together and tilted her head against them.
"Your words hit like hammers with your honesty. Please do,"
"One more word from your mouth and I will call off this Kill Quest faster than you can blink your eyes!" Maximus shouted, quickly interrupting her.
Darkness stopped in her tracks, spinning around on her heel to face him and was about to protest him when he raised his hand with his index finger pointing up.
"Not one word." He ordered her.
"I believe she was going to say something on the lines of 'but that isn't fair and you are so cruel'. You should act a little more refined than that Darkness. Don't you think it's a bit shameful to act in that manner as a knight?" Aqua said.
"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Aqua?" Maximus inquired.
"Seriously, you are not acting like you normally would and it's kind of freaking me out." Kazuma added.
"Huh, what do you mean by that? I am the Goddess Aqua, the most refined out of all the Gods who looks after this world." She said with grace and a gentle voice.
Kazuma couldn't help but burst out laughing after hearing her said "refined" moments ago.
"Listen, I don't mind you playing dress up and act like you're a Goddess but could you do it when you're not with the rest of us. It's kind of embarrassing when you do that around us." Megumin said.
"But I am who I say I am." Aqua protested and began to cry.
"There's the Aqua we all know," Maximus said to himself and began to think for a moment. "I wonder why she was wanting to put on a show like that, wait, could she have tried to impress me ever since this morning?" He wondered further.
Maximus walked up beside her as she was kneeling on the ground.
"There, there, let it go. Here," He paused to pick her up and sat her on the cart. "You can ride on the cart until you are ready to walk again."
"Thank you, Maximus for doing that." She sniffed her nose a little and he patted her shoulder.
"No worries, besides we need to hurry if we are going to finish the quest in time before the night begins." He said with genuine care for her. "And here I am looking out for her once again. Why am I doing this," He wondered a little further.
"Are you seriously babying her right now!?" Kazuma inquired interrupting his thought.
"Do you prefer we just sit around and wait for her to,"
The next moment, before Maximus could go on, a large rumble echoed from beneath their feet. It was the sound of something large banging up against the hard rocks underground.
"What was that?" Both Kazuma and Maximus asked at the same time.
"Oh yes, I was hoping we would run into these creatures." Darkness said with a disturbingly contained tone that hinted with excitement as she unsheathed her sword.
"What creature would this be exactly?" Kazuma asked.
"Maximus, don't make a sound,"
Before Aqua could finish and the moment he was starting to turn around, a Giant Earthworm sprung from underneath the road. The head of the creature quickly broke through the cart, rising several feet above Maximus' head and caught Aqua within its grasp.
"Maximus, please help me!" She cried out to him with desperate tears forming in her eyes.
The next instant she was swallowed whole and Maximus could see the large lump indicating where she was. Within the same instant he began to quickly concentrate his aura into the magical sword. He took hold of it and swung his sword before him horizontally and a curved blade of energy launched forth. It easily carved into and through the worm before it could react. The large portion of its body began to wiggle around while the smaller portion landed lifeless and still upon the ground.
"Aqua, hang on, I'll get you out of there." He ran for the portion where Aqua was within and reached in to pull her out.
The moment he had freed her from the creature's dead body, he heard and felt the rumbling on the ground beneath him. He quickly moved in time to avoid another worm from surfacing, rolling away as it lunged down trying to swallow the two of them. He swung his sword upward and just barely cleaved the side of its body. The wound was not deep enough to cause harm, but enough for it to consider retreating from him.
He jumped in the air and hovered over the rest of them using the magic he knew from his time of being a Mage on his world. Aqua was crying her eyes out after being swallowed and covered in its saliva and small traces of its blood.
"Thank you, Maximus." She barely said sniffing her nose and rubbing her eyes.
She was feeling traumatized and began to remember the time being swallowed by the toads.
"I can't believe I have been bested by a Giant Worm as if the toads weren't bad enough, now these lowly creatures." She said and buried her face against Maximus' chest.
"It's okay now, I got you, you're safe from those things." He said in order to comfort her. "Poor thing, she really isn't doing so well ever since coming to this world." He said to himself, feeling sorry for her. He turned down to the others. "Everyone, don't move a muscle, I have a strong suspicion these worms react when their prey is above them."
"Oh, that's great. So, what are we supposed to do then?" Kazuma inquired.
Megumin was beginning to panic as Darkness began to grin from ear to ear with a thought. The next moment she took a step forward, intentionally making it as loud as she possibly can. The clanking of her armor ringed and Kazuma slightly turned toward her. Before he could say a word, Darkness was swallowed whole by another Giant Earthworm. The creature landed on the ground and began to move its way back underneath.
"Darkness!" Kazuma shouted and accidently took several steps back.
The next moment he too was swallowed whole by another worm. Maximus was annoyed the two of them would not listen to his instructions and noticed Megumin hadn't moved a single inch since the first one appeared. She was having troubles keeping her composure after seeing her teammates swallowed up by the worms.
"I-I don't know how much longer I can keep still." She said with every inch of her shaking with fear, trembling at the thought of being eaten by another worm.
Maximus quickly swung his blade twice and cleaved the worms in two. Kazuma slid out with his face traumatized and gasped for air. Darkness was entranced with excitement and disappointment soon mounted as she was denied going through the worm's digestive track. She had the look as though she could check off an item on her to do list of being tortured in life.
"This must be how Aqua felt when she was first swallowed by those toads when we first started our adventure. I feel so violated right now." Kazuma said barely over a whisper as he began to break down.
"If only I could have enjoyed being digested by that creature, it would have certainly been worth the long suffocating wait. But," She paused to look up at Maximus. "I am glad he saved me. It looks as though I am going to owe him a debt of gratitude again. I wonder what he would have me do in order to repay him." She thought to herself.
Maximus quickly swooped down and grabbed them and flew some distance from the area. After flying for a few moments, he saw a river nearby and landed next to it.
"Thank you for the save, I was so frightened I couldn't move." Megumin said feeling grateful.
"It was no trouble at all besides, it was good you didn't move or else you would have endured the same torment the others went through." He said.
Kazuma was upset his outfit was drenched in the worm's saliva and went over to the water to rinse off. Darkness was sprawled out on the ground laughing with joy and Aqua was still latched onto Maximus crying.
"Here," Maximus said to Aqua and she turned to face him tears still streaming out of her eyes. "We better get you washed up before continuing on with this quest." He walked over to the river side with her by his side.
He began to help remove the thick saliva off by dousing the water on top of her. He also brushed his hand over the majority of the thick substance and left a couple of spots on her to wipe off herself. The two of them didn't turn their gaze from each other the whole time. As they stared into each other's eyes the two of them began to feel a little deeper connection.
"Thank you, Maximus." She said with admiration.
"Your welcome." He smiled and winked at her.
"Geez, get a room you two." Megumin bluntly said.
"Don't you dare ruin Goddess' tender moment!" Aqua instantly spun on her heels to shout at Megumin.
"It's alright, maybe we can have one later." Maximus said to her chuckling.
Aqua's face puffed up in anger and her frown got more noticeable.
After the saliva was off, he began to walk back to the rest with her by his side.
"I'll build us a fire so we can dry your clothes off after washing in the water." He instructed.
She nodded her head and he turned around, remembering the bag with the equipment he bought for this quest.
"Oh great, the bag I need is back where all the dead worms are. Wait here while I go and get it. This won't take long." He said to them.
The next moment he leaped towards the direction they escaped from. Once he was over the area, he saw the bag surprisingly off to the side of the road with small debris of the cart sprawled throughout the area. He quickly landed next to it and immediately jumped back to the others, barely escaping another worm.
"They are faster than I originally thought." He said.
He landed a few feet from the river and began to open the bag. He pulled out some poles and rope to make a clothesline.
"Holy crap, you weren't kidding when you said that wouldn't take long." Kazuma said with amazement.
"Alright, you three will need to dry your clothes, then we'll continue the Kill Quest afterwards." Maximus instructed.
He turned around and walked up the small hill hiding the river to keep an eye out. Kazuma stayed behind for a moment before being instructed by Maximus to join him. After a couple of hours went by and when their clothes were dry, they proceeded onto the forest.
At the foot of the trees to the forest Maximus noticed the sun was beginning to set on the horizon. He wondered if they will even find it in time before night or if they would possibly have to check any caves in the area.
"Uhm, is anyone else worried about hunting this thing at night, I mean what if we are ambushed by this creature or other creatures?" Kazuma inquired out loud.
"Then I will deal with them accordingly, however our target is a bear and from what I know about them if they at anytime sense danger, they will more than likely come straight towards us." Maximus replied.
"Are you serious about that?" Megumin asked.
"Yes, bears are known to be easy going until they are either hungry, protecting their turf or young, and of course sensing a threat. I am confident we will find this Black Fang before long." He explained and set the bad down. "Now, all we need to do is draw it out and this might prove difficult since we are in the fall season. They tend to hibernate until spring within their caves. But that is where this will come in." He said opening the bag and pulled out a piece of meat wrapped in paper.
He began to make a fire and ran a metal rod through it to hand on the two poles over the fire.
"This will surely get its attention and if not, we'll take any other animal or monster that shows up." He took hold of the bag and began to walk away from the fire.
"Where are you going?" Darkness inquired.
"I am going to be far away from this as possible while the four of you will battle the Black Fang when it appears." He said and Aqua was about to protest. "Don't worry, I will be in close proximity to you should the situation get out of hand and aid you accordingly. Until then, good luck."
He began to make his way into the forest as the others had a panicked look on their face. Darkness' face had a slight grin that turned into an overly excited smile.
"Do not worry for I will shield them should they need to escape." She said to him.
The moment he got just out of sight from the light of the fire they all heard a loud roar belonging to a large beast.
"No way, does that thing known we are already here?!" Kazuma said feeling extremely nervous.
"Any thoughts on what this could be?" Maximus inquired of the others.
"The way it sounded could be either a dragon, or a fire drake." Megumin informed him.
"I would not mind fighting against either of those. The thought of having my clothes burnt to ashes and my skin instantly boiled is something I would greatly look forward to." Darkness said with her excitement flowing out of her as she unsheathed her sword.
"At least I will be done with you and your discomforting ways." Maximus said.
Darkness flinched in excitement and Aqua had already taken her place beside Maximus.
"Whatever happens, you'll protect me like you said, right?" She asked.
Maximus kept his gaze in the direction where the echo of the roar had sounded off. The next moment he remembered his conversation with Wiz before the quest began. She informed him about the item's potency which will attract any predator nearby.
"To think it would work that well enough and I wonder if I ended up attracting something else by mistake." He said to himself.
The next moment they all heard the thundering sound of heavy footsteps running towards them. The following that they heard the report of another roar which was the same only louder. The sound of the trees breaking echoed and many smaller creatures howled with panic in their cries. The ground was rumbling more vibrantly than before.
Kazuma was in deep panic, hyperventilating, his knees shaking, and his hands gripping his sword tight.
"What is coming right at us?" He was barely able to whisper in a high-pitched voice.
Megumin was sweating and began to quake from the awesome power the creature's thundering footsteps were producing. Her hands were having difficulty holding onto the magic staff she had.
Aqua was petrified, not sure of what to do but hold onto Maximus' arm ever more. She moved a little bit to stand behind him with her head peaking out the side.
Maximus remained calm as he wondered what could be barreling towards them with the upmost urgency. He moved his free hand to take hold of his sword and readied himself for the battle ahead.
Darkness was her usual self, being over-whelmed with joy at the thought of being torn apart by the unknown creature. Her body shaking with excitement and her face wore a disturbing smile, giggling like a child.
The next moment a giant bear appeared out into the small opening they were standing in. The animal stopped in its tracks and roared loud in a manner to taunt and scare them away. It then stood on its hind legs, reaching a height of nearly fifteen feet tall. The fur upon it was dark as night with a white ring of fur around its neck.
Aqua, Kazuma, and Megumin screamed in fear at the sight of the titanic beast and ran away in fear. Maximus and Darkness stood their ground and prepared for battle.
"I have never seen one so big before, let alone meaner looking. I have never seen a bear be more worthy of being called a bear. This thing might be too much for them and possibly me as well. But there is no sense in running now, here goes." Maximus said to himself.
Darkness was frozen in place at the mere thought of being devoured or defeated by the beast. Maximus moved with lightning speeds to cut the animal down. Swinging his sword, he hit the bear but his blade didn't cleave into it enough. He noticed it only went in only an inch.
"Too much fur and too thick of muscles to even put any real damage upon this creature." He said out loud.
The next moment the bear swung its giant paw at high speeds Maximus was not anticipating. He was struck by the beast and launched towards a nearby tree. His chest felt as though he was hit by a falling boulder and his breath escaped him when he smashed onto the tree. His vision went white out and for several moments he was unconscious.
"Maximus," Darkness shouted.
Before she could make a move, the bear slammed its paw against her as well and she felt the same pain as Maximus went through. She slid back several yards and managed to stand her ground despite the pain.
"That was quite exhilarating, I must experience more. Come at me you fowl beast, let us continue our duel!" She shouted and charge at it.
Maximus was barely waking up to see her striking at the beast. She swung her sword three times to clash her sword against the creature and despite the abnormally large size and standing still, the animal was unharmed. Maximus watched in disbelief as she never even once hit her mark.
"Are you kidding me!" He grunted out. "Here I thought she was unable to strike the cabbages because of their size and quick movements. Yet here she is, fighting against this beast, who is more than ten times their size and standing still, and she couldn't hit the thing not even once!"
"I've got no choice but to do this and thank goodness Aqua isn't here to see it be used in this way." Maximus said to himself and began to channel his Demonic Aura into his left fist.
The bear took another swing at Darkness that sent her against a nearby tree. Her armor broke into dozens of pieces and it quickly charged after the rest of the party with unbelievable speeds.
"Oh no, Aqua." He said and saw that Darkness wasn't waking up. "No, why now of all times." He said and bolted towards her.
Meanwhile the others were barely making their way out of the forest when they stopped to catch their breath.
"Do you think they are alright?" Megumin asked.
"How should I know." Kazuma shot back.
"It should be okay, me and Kazuma saw him fight against a Manticore when we first arrived." Aqua informed her.
"Yeah, but that creature is a lot bigger than the Manticore." Kazuma shot back.
The next moment they heard the rumbling footsteps of the giant beast barreling towards them. The thunderous sounds echoed into their bones so deep they were unable to move. They turned around to see the bear standing only a few feet away. The three of them braced themselves after seeing it stand on its hind legs once more and raised its paw high into the air.
The moment before it began to descend its paw onto them, Maximus appeared behind them some distance. He was squatted down in a position to sprint forward. The moment he put pressure into his foot the ground formed a large crater around it. He darted at supersonic speeds with his left fist flying before him filled with Demonic Aura.
The next instant the Demonic Aura flowed into his hand that shined a crimson light and he buried it into the giant bear. The force of the impact vibrated into the animal, causing its heart to collapse in between its sternum and spine. The cracking sound that followed made it seem as though an explosion had gone off in front of them.
Before they could fully inquire what had transpired, Darkness' body fell before them and the next moment the bear's body fell lifeless to the ground. Aqua quickly sensed the demonic power flowing from Maximus more noticeably than the time he fought the Manticore. She barely saw the last of the crimson light emanating from him. For a brief moment she was unsure of what to make of the whole situation and began to fear him a little more for the first time. She began to remember when he fought the Manticore and recognized the same Demonic Aura from before.
"There's no doubt about it, he has Demonic Blood running through his veins." She whispered out.
Maximus began to control the Demonic Rage that was aching to obtain control over him. He breathed rapidly, forcing himself to take in deeper breaths and noticed it was beginning to be easier to control the force within. Once he was breathing normally, he turned around to face his party members.
Aqua backed away in fear as Kazuma and Megumin turned to notice Maximus was before them and standing in front of the giant bear.
"Holy crap, did you just kill that thing with your bare hands?" Kazuma asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, I guess I did." He said rubbing his hand.
Maximus noticed the look on Aqua's face. She had the look of someone who was staring down at an opponent and a look of betrayal.
"Aqua," He said in a concerned way.
"Don't you come near me, demon!" She snapped at him, raising her arm up and her staff appeared after a moment and pointed it at him.
"Whoa, Aqua, calm down, don't you know that's Maximus you are pointing that staff at?" Megumin said standing in front of her.
"I have a dirty suspicion he has Demonic Blood running through his veins. Tell me, who were your ancestors and why did they have a curse placed upon them?" Aqua ordered him to answer.
She began to recall when they first met about his brief talk about his ancestors. The flower on her staff bloomed and a bright light shined within it.
Maximus sighed with a hint of sadness. "My ancestors were called the Nephilim, the offspring of an Angel and a Demon. Long ago they at one point in time brought the known Cosmos to its knees, from their perspective on what is known. As punishment, they were nearly wiped off the face of all existence, say for three. One of them, a woman, who was the daughter of the other two, was placed with a curse that followed all the way down to me in order to keep the Nephilim in check and to ensure that tragedy never blossoms again. To be more precise, I am more Human than an Angel or Demon, I just inherited their gift like many before me, only I had you erase that curse so that I could easily defeat the Demon King on this world in order to return to mine." Maximus paused for a moment. "At least that's what I was going to do, but now things have changed and I don't feel like going home anymore, because of you." He finished trying to ease the tension.
Aqua kept a fierce gaze upon him waiting for him to make the wrong move.
He turned around to look at the giant bear he had slain and wondered if it was the creature they were hunting for. He took hold of the beast and put a large portion over his shoulder to carry it back.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Kazuma asked.
"What, we can still make it back into town before the cold chill sets in." He said dragging the large animal.
The next moment Darkness awoke to see her armor had been destroyed. Before she was to inquire about the beast, she saw Maximus carrying it.
"Did I miss the battle's end, how long was I out for and what's wrong with Aqua?" Darkness inquired.
"It's a long story, I'll tell you all about on the way back to Axel." Maximus said.
During their trip she was informed about the fight and was disappointed she didn't get tormented by the creature further. Aqua was at the front of the party, away from Maximus. Her mind racing over all the things she had been through with him and wondered about him further after being briefed on his ancestor's full history.
"I remember hearing about that time when a sector of the Universe was under attack, but to think he is their descendant and I was falling for him. That is both shameful and disturbing," She stopped for a moment and turned back at him. "But he has never once shown any evidence to deceive me and he has always cared for me. How do I go on from here after that and should I pursue such a relationship?" She wondered looking down at the road holding a lantern.
They returned back to the Guild and found out the giant bear they defeated was indeed the Black Fang they were hunting for. They received the reward and Maximus informed them they could split it amongst themselves. They all split to their homes and when at the stables Aqua sat there awkwardly, not being her usual clingy self towards him. Maximus could sense the tension within her and decided to sleep by himself against the wall. The two were silent and didn't say goodnight as usual nor did he give her even a fake prayer. He closed his eyes and waited for morning's light to appear.
