First Meetings with a New Foe?:
The next morning both Aqua and Maximus were laying in the bed, both of them wrapped in each other's arms. The light of the morning sun shined throughout the room and into the small gap between the thick bed curtains which were draped down on each side.
Maximus' eyes saw the stream of light barely lit the inside. A part of him did not want to leave her side and had the thought to ignore the call from the sun to wake up. He looked down at Aqua and noticed her peaceful state. Her soft fair skin upon his body was a welcoming feel as they laid there naked under the blanket.
"I don't want to get up, last night ended so well for us both starting with that kiss under the single star with the last little light of the sun nearly below the horizon. Then moved to the two of us having such a passionate night. I remember how nervous she was, shaking so much when she mounted me and who could blame her, it was her first time and mine as well." He paused for moment, studying her a little more.
He saw she was not sleeping with her mouth open like she usually does. Her right hand rested upon his chest and her right leg sprawled across his waist. The warmth of her body had a welcoming embrace to it. Her head resting upon his shoulder.
He soon noticed he was not sore like usual and wondered how that was. He gave it no more thought as his mind circled back about her.
"I just want to stay in this bed with her in my arms and just cuddle the day away. In fact, I may end up doing that anyway." He said to himself.
Aqua soon woke up and had an exhausted smile on her face. Her eyes weighing heavy and she rubbed them a little as she yawned.
"Good morning Maximus, did you sleep well?" She inquired looking up at him.
"After last night's event, I will say with much confidence, yes indeed. Having you in my arms does the trick for me. How about you, I trust your night's rest was pleasurable." He replied.
She turned away a little, looking down as last night's event was still fresh in her mind. She remembered how her heart was pounding against her chest when she mounted him at the start, she was so nervous. She looked back up at him and smiled once more.
"Yes," She moved up to kiss him once more. "I did sleep quite well."
He moved his right hand and gracefully rubbed the backside of his fingers against her cheek. Their eyes focusing into each other's for a moment.
"Maximus, I want to stay here, in this bed for the rest of the day and not leave it at all. Because if we do, the moment we touch the floor,"
"We will lose the feeling from last night as a new day would or could change things." He said to finish what she was saying.
She nodded her head and began to lean down to kiss him once more. The moment their lips were about to touch, the entire castle was rocked by a sudden and violent eruption. The explosion rattled everything in the room, causing some of the furniture to fall over or move from their spots.
"What in all of Heaven is going on?" Maximus shouted with bewilderment.
They both held onto each other until the vibrations stopped.
"Was that who I think it was and if so, why did she have to ruin this moment and at this hour?!" Aqua wondered as anger quickly mounted.
She took hold of the blanket and ran to the window. After opening it, she cast her gaze around the field of view to look for the obvious culprit. Aside for the large smoke cloud she could not find Megumin as the trees acted as cover or she fired her spell from a distance.
She took a deep breath and shouted to the open air. "Megumin, when I find you, I will make you regret interfering with my most precious morning, you hear!" Her voice echoed across the top of the trees. "I know you are giggling like an idiot right now as well!"
Maximus could not help but smile a little as he chuckled a bit and soon felt angry about the interruption as well.
"So, how much damage did she cause?" He asked knowing Megumin would try something while he was going to live in the castle.
"Huh," Aqua turned around for a moment briefly then looked around. "I don't see anything that has been damaged from where I am standing." She said feeling a little curious about the situation. "Did he predict she would employ such a thing!" She said to herself.
He snapped his fingers to form a bird familiar and sent it out the window. Brushing by her at high speeds, the magical animal almost blew the blanket from her grasp. For a few moments he saw her exposed buttocks and smiled.
"Hey, what are you doing? You almost blew the blanket away!" She snapped at him holding onto it tightly.
"That was the point in an effort to get you away from the window to have you come back to me." He said chuckling.
"Hmph, the mood is spoiled now anyway, I am going to get dressed." She said to tease him.
The familiar circled the castle and saw no visible damage at all. It continued until it found Megumin being carried off by Darkness in the forest.
"It did not burn to ash as you had hoped. The punishment he will likely thrust upon you is mind numbing. Oh, if only he were to do that to me more often. Yet he seems to only have eyes for Aqua and had not done his usual berating to me. Which is something I deeply miss." She said with the thought of him tormenting her.
The familiar flew upward and noticed the direction they were heading. The next moment it vanished after relaying the information to him.
"As I suspected, Megumin did in fact cast her spell upon the castle and in a twist, Darkness seems to be helping her this time. What are they up to?" Maximus wondered out loud.
"I would definitely like to know, because they spoiled my morning." Aqua pouted with a displeased look.
"Well, we can always start over again by having you join me." He said with an inviting gesture.
Her face had a smile and returned to him immediately. She dropped the blanket and rushed over to jump into the bed with him. She laid on top of him looking into his eyes as the curtains closed.
"By the way, how did you know she was going to do that?" She inquired keeping her gaze focused on him.
"Ever since she last casted that spell on the castle before battling against Leech, I noticed she had not employed her spell. I am surprised she waited this long to use it. So, I cast a bounded field to repel all magical attacks. But it seems the field did not work as expected." He explained as his mind trailed off.
"What do you mean by that? I thought it worked perfectly fine." She wondered.
"Her spell was still powerful enough to cause the castle to quake, so I will have to employ a stronger one before tomorrow." He replied.
"What if she is inside the bounded field?" She asked.
"If that were to happen, the Anti-Magic within will activate and zap all her mana before she can cast it. You will not be able to see or sense it, but there are pockets within the air which will activate once a spell, outside my own design, is activated. Theses gaps will unleash small amounts of the Anti-Magic to cancel the spell depending on its potency. From there the field itself will absorb the mana supply of any intruder." He explained. "Now then, where were we?" He said placing his hand on her face once more.
The next moment a knock was upon the front door to the castle. They both heard it from the small magical device Maximus had employed at the door last night when they entered. Both of them wondered who it could be and Maximus employed another familiar to investigate.
"Why does this seem to happen?" She wondered out loud on the verge of crying. "Can a Goddess spend an entire day with her lover without someone interrupting! I finally get to have you last night in a meaningful way and wanted it to last throughout today as well! I wonder who dares have the nerve to do such a thing!" She shouted with her anger mounting by the second as she sat up clenching her fist.
The next moment the familiar was beginning to land by the door and a tall pole formed from the ground for it to rest on.
"Oh, well, hello there. Have you been sent to welcome me into this castle?" The man inquired having a sense of curiosity.
The familiar studied his appearance, relaying what it saw to Maximus. His hair was long and blonde in color with eyes blue as the sea. The clothing he wore was that of a nobleman or someone who was employed by one.
"Shall I attempt to communicate with you or will your master be joining us soon?" He asked in a playful manner as though he knew what was before him.
Maximus exited out of the familiar and began to sit up to get out of the bed.
"Uh hey," Aqua protested him getting up from the bed and away from her embrace. "So, who is it?" She inquired.
"I am not sure, I have never seen this man before, have you?" Maximus inquired as he held out his hand and a magical image of the person at the door appeared.
Aqua tilted her head a little and soon a flash of an old memory appeared. "I do remember him when I went to borrow money from the Loaner. He was sitting in the back on one of my visit's to get money, but I never got to know his name." She responded.
"Great," He paused his thought, snapping his fingers to have their clothing appear on them. "I had a feeling this would come back, but not in this way." He mumbled out.
Aqua was feeling sad by her clothing suddenly appearing. "Oh, I wanted to tease you while I get dressed for today." She said.
"You can make it up to me by undressing out of those clothes and into your pajamas tonight." He said with a grin and his eyes focused on her.
"I hope you will enjoy the show for tonight, I may even give you something extra afterward." She said giggling with a wink.
"I will hold you to that then." He said leaning down and the two kissed. Their lips quickly pecked each other and he leaned back up. "Now, let us go welcome our unexpected guest."
She nodded and the next moment the two appeared before the front door to their home. Once the doors opened the man stood with a confused look on his face.
"Hello, how can I help you? Are you lost and in need of directions? If you are looking for Axel, follow the main road at the bottom of the hill west and you will arrive there in a short time." Maximus said wondering who the man could be.
"Oh no, I am here to discuss something with you my good sir. May I enter into your domicile, please?" He asked with a cheerful smile.
"It is rude to not offer your name before entering a stranger's residence." Maximus said still studying his every move and demeaner.
"Oh, my apologies, where are my manners, my name is Maxwell. I have been sent here to discuss a business proposition my master wishes to offer you." He replied.
"Very well, my name is Maximus. Please come in so we can discuss this proposition further." Maximus said standing off to the side.
Aqua tugged on his sleeve of his black shirt and he leaned down for her to whisper into his ear. "Hey, what is the big idea? I am sensing something off about this guy." She said feeling a little hostile and fear mixed within.
"It will be alright, besides, if he tries anything magic wise, he will not be able to employ any spells within the bounded field." He whispered back.
Aqua was still unsure about the situation but decided to remain close to Maximus as his words from before came to mind. They walked their way to the living room and sat upon the red furniture. She sat right next to Maximus still clinging to him with her arms around his left arm as Maxwell sat across from them.
"Shall I offer you tea to lighten the mood a bit before we begin?" Maximus inquired and snapped his fingers.
The next moment a tea set appeared on the small coffee table in between them. Aqua was amazed at how he could do such an employ of magic.
"Why yes, tea would help with the mood. Tell me, do you have,"
Before Maxwell could go on, Maximus snapped his fingers once more. He had already read his mind on the tea he wished for and it appeared in the cup before him. Maxwell was astonished at Maximus' skill. He reached down and began to fix it the way he liked and took a sip.
"Hmm, refreshing as always." He said and placed his cup down on the small plate. "Now then, to business which my master has sent me on."
"And what sort of proposition does your master have for me?" Maximus inquired. "Something is wrong with him, when I looked into his mind earlier all I found was a mostly blank and empty mind with very little memory." He said to himself.
Maxwell sat there for a moment as though he forgot about why he was there. The next moment he remembered what he needed to do and reached into his inside pocket.
Maximus at first leaned forward a little as to anticipate danger but was relieved when he saw a folded parchment. Maxwell read a little and turned back to them.
"My master, Lord Alexie Barnes Alderp, wishes to hire you for a job and has asked you sign over your castle to him." Maxwell informed him.
"Who is this Alderp guy?" Aqua inquired tugging on his sleeve once more.
"He is a high-ranking Nobleman from the capital, some say he is second only to the King of the country. I remember overhearing a couple of adventurers talking about him once. One of them had her sister taken away to be Lord Alderp's wife and after having his way with her, he threw her away like yesterday's trash. He is basically a rapist, a wild dog that needs to be put down. I am surprised you would even admit to working with him." Maximus informed her.
Aqua leaned a little closer to him shivering at the thought of being violated by this Lord Alderp. Maximus sat back on the sofa and wrapped his arm around her.
"So, your master wishes to hire me and then turns around to say he wants my castle. Why would he even want that?" Maximus inquired feeling a little annoyed with his eyes closed.
"It is because my master has been named to be the Governor of Axel and would only accept a place worthy of his position. He is willing to offer you ten million Eris for the property." Maxwell responded.
Aqua was a little surprised at the amount and looked up at Maximus. "Please tell me he is not going to accept that. I worked hard for this place darn it!" She said to herself.
"While ten million is a decent amount, however, it is nowhere near enough to sell this to him. After restoring it and redoing the interior, it is at least worth ten times that much. On top of that,"
"Oh wait, I meant to say one-hundred million Eris." Maxwell said pushing up his glasses.
Aqua was shocked as her mind went to thinking about living a life of luxury again.
"Even if I were to take you up on such an offer, I am afraid I must decline." Maximus said.
"Wait, what are you saying, you should think this through before turning down such an offer!" Aqua snapped at him.
Maximus turned to her. "Think about it longer than ten seconds will you." He said feeling annoyed with her in that moment and she sat there with a dumbfounded look. "We lost our room at the Inn because we did not have the money to keep it. If we were to take the money all we will wind up doing is living in the cold uncomfortable stables. Do you really want to suffer from the winter nights when it arrives?" He shot back.
The next moment Aqua was beginning to remember the cold sting of the fall nights and remembered telling him how cold winter usually is.
"You are right about that well it looks as though your master is out of luck. But what does he want with Maximus, what job would call for him to ask for his aid?" She inquired.
"I am glad you asked, it is quite simple really, all he wants is for you to go and defeat the Demon King as my master's chosen champion. No wait, that is not right, he has already chosen another champion within the capital. Let me see my notes one more time." Maxwell said looking over the parchment. "Ah yes, I had it all wrong with that part. My master wishes you to surrender the rights to your castle in order to pay a debt to him as he will soon be arriving to Axel as the Governor."
"What debt are you implying may I ask?" Maximus inquired. "I bet it has something to do with the Loaner I dealt with not long after arriving here. The one who had sent those unsavory men to collect a debt Aqua had tallied up." He said to himself.
"My master knows what you did with one of his agents he has spread throughout the country. For some time now, he noticed a part of his income from Axel was missing and after careful investigation, concluded it was you who did the deed. It was confirmed when collaborating with witnesses who said you were the last to see this agent before his supposed death. Also, the aura which was found at the scene of the crime was at first Demonic in nature and was suddenly replaced with Holy Aura during the night. After your battle with Verdia, our investigators discovered the same Holy Aura used at the crime scene." Maxwell informed him.
"I see where this is going, your master wants me to compensate him for his loss. Well, tell him I will not give up my home I have only begun to live in. Nor would I ever allow it to fall into anyone else's hands or possessions. Tell him I do apologize for the inconvenience; however, I was protecting a friend and would have preferred if my encounter with the Loaner finished on a better note at the time. That being said, I wish for you to give him this message. Tell him to fall upon his own sword and do the town of Axel a favor by never returning it to an expensive tax rate again." Maximus informed him.
He stood up from the sofa with Aqua quickly moving with him.
"I see, you will not comply to his demands, very well, I will inform him right away." Maxwell said and finished his tea. He stood up and walked out the castle. After crossing the threshold of the front door, he turned around once more. "I am sorry for troubling you this day." He bowed a little and proceeded to return to his master's side.
After the door closed Maximus had an unsettling feeling. "I feel as though we may have made an enemy of a Nobleman. While the idea of that sounds enticing, I cannot help but think something unsavory will become of this." He said out loud looking down at the floor.
Aqua walked up to him and looked into his eyes with a smile to cheer him up. "Don't worry, I am sure some lowly human such as he would pose no threat to the likes of you. I mean come on you defeated a powerful Lich within the Demon King's Army. What could he possibly do to you to make you worry at all?"
"You do have a valid point," He paused for a moment wondering if some unseen circumstance were to arise. "However, we should take as much precaution as possible. There is more than one way someone of his influence can do to strike at someone who is their superior in terms of abilities." He paused once more. "On another note, we should see about going into town for food supplies and breakfast with what little money we have."
She nodded her head and he picked her up, exited out the doors, and flew off towards Axel.
"By the way, did you really,"
"End the life of a lowly scoundrel, who turned out to be someone working for another lowly cur?" He said, interrupting her and halted the flight to look at her. She had a concerned look with a little fear growing. "Yes, I did so in order to look after you. As I said before I would watch over you when we began this journey. What I did not say was how or what methods I would use to ensure that. Also, I was ignorantly testing my abilities, although I still do not feel much different from when I was on my world, but there are other abilities besides strength I was curious about. I am sorry if this puts a damp on your image of me." He finished explaining.
She leaned up to look him in the eyes and noticed the somber sight within them.
"I do not mind if it were to protect me, you will not have to worry about my thoughts about you on this matter. Besides, after piecing things together, such as, the prices of everything went down quite a bit after the Loaner died. Sometimes you have to do a little evil in order for good to prevail. So, don't worry too much about it." She said flicking his forehead and winked at him.
"Thanks for that, I am not sure how I would have continued if not for your support on this matter." He said feeling relief.
They continued to fly towards Axel and a few minutes later they arrived at the gates and noticed the guards were present on the outside. He noted they had a nervous look on their faces as he approached them.
"That's odd, they usually are sleeping on the job or not even around when entering the gates." He whispered.
Aqua heard him and wondered about it as well. The moment they were at the gates the guards positioned their lances to block entry for them.
"Halt, you are not permitted to enter here." One of them ordered.
"Fellas, it's me, Maximus, the one who,"
"Shut your mouth monster! You have some nerve to show up here after the stunt you pulled!" The guard shouted with fear in his eyes and anger in his voice before Maximus could go on.
"Hey, what's going on, why are you so angry with him as though he did something wrong?" Aqua inquired with a bewildered expression. "Aside from ending the life of the Loaner what else could they be mad at him for?" She wondered to herself.
"Are you seriously asking that?"
"Wait, she's the witch who is in league with him." The second guard interrupted the first.
Aqua was infuriated with what the guard said and jumped down from Maximus' arms.
"You have some nerve calling me a witch. I shall have you know I am a Goddess darn it! My name is Aqua, the Goddess of Water! Can you not tell by my fabulous sky-blue hair and my sapphire blue eyes? I am worshipped by the noble Axis Sect!" She informed them.
Both of the guards snorted at her and began to laugh. Aqua stood there devastated they did not believe her.
"There you two are, I knew you would try to return to this town!" Kazuma's voice echoed from past the gates.
They noticed his clothing had changed from his normal track suit and wore something that would fit an average person would wear around town. His green and golden mantle danced with the wind and underneath was a white shirt with grey sleeves. His pants were charcoal grey and had leather boots.
"Hey, it's Kazuma, looks like you got yourself the right kind of clothing after all this time. I will say your track suit was most certainly not going with the vibe of this Fantasy World, but you are looking great." Aqua complimented him.
"That look definitely suits you, now where have you been all this time the day after I awoke from the fight." Maximus said to him.
"Enough of this, I do not know what you two are talking about, quit acting like you two have known me far longer than it appears!" Kazuma shouted with annoyance.
"It's a good thing Kazuma, the Lich Slayer is here, he will take care of this man and his hag." One of the guards said backing away from Maximus and the other mirrored his movements.
"What's going on here, they are acting as though we are enemies and had done something unforgivable?" Maximus wondered to himself.
Aqua stood next to Maximus, hugging his arm. "What has gotten into him, it's like he doesn't recognize us as his party members. And why do they have to be so mean and call me a witch!" She complained with tears forming.
"I have been waiting for this chance to avenge the town which was ravaged by you two just the other day. I cannot believe you two would do such a heinous crime against those innocent people. What did they ever do to you to earn that fate? Why did the Demon King need them to die?!" Kazuma demanded an answer from him.
"Something is certainly wrong with him and those guards and by that extent, possibly a number of the townsfolk as well. For him to believe we are under the employ of the Demon King is laughable and so outrageous." Maximus said to her sensing foul play within Kazuma's mind. "Kazuma, are you sure we cannot talk this out? Something is obviously at play here; can you not sense it?" Maximus asked.
"The only thing I sense here is your foul tongue trying to persuade me to believe whatever lies you wish to use on me. To think you would actually use words for once to get your way instead of the usual show of force. That being said, if you turn yourself in, I may persuade those within the Law to give you a fair trial and offer a quick death for the witch at your side." He said pointed at them.
"Interesting, what if I were to refuse the idea of turning myself in quietly?" Maximus curiously asked.
"I would have no choice but to deal out judgement upon you here and now. If I were to defeat you in battle, I can easily claim the reward the Kingdom of Belzerg has placed upon you two." Kazuma said out loud feeling a little excited. "After defeating the Lich over a week ago, I am feeling confident in my abilities." He said to himself.
"Ha, I would like to see you come and try,"
The moment before Maximus could finish his sentence, Kazuma instantly disappeared from sight. Where he stood a small indention formed on the ground with a webbing of cracks stretching out.
Maximus was caught off guard and quickly mounted a defense. Kazuma thrusted his sword forward and Maximus countered with a sword he instantly made with his magic. He swung his sword upward to divert the blow away and quickly spun around to his right and kick Kazuma in the stomach. His right heel dug in and forced him back over ten yards.
"That was a good exchange, I'd expect nothing less from you Maximus." Kazuma said and quickly caught his breath.
"Something has happened to him, it seems as though his speed, strength, and durability have gone up considerably. What could the cause of this be I wonder. It's too much of a coincidence this encounter began shortly after declining to give up mine and Aqua's home." He thought to himself as he took a step back to stand at Aqua's side. "I hate to ask this of you, but circumstances are calling for it. Can you hold your own against any enemy and or those guards while I deal with Kazuma?" He asked.
"Well," She paused for a moment not feeling confident.
"If you do not feel confident enough, there is no shame in that. I just need to know before fully engaging in a fight with anyone." Maximus quickly replied. "There are too many unknown variables to consider in our situation. One unknown would be how far this influence has spread throughout the town. It is likely many are not going to welcome us so easily, leaving us with no option to enter the city. I need to figure out what is happening and how it was enacted so quickly." Maximus said to himself.
Kazuma dashed toward him once more.
"I may have to take a gamble and go into the town anyway." He finished his thought and turned to Aqua. "Take hold of my hand, now!" He ordered and she grabbed hold without hesitation.
The moment Kazuma was to strike him, his sword went through an afterimage and he barely caught himself from falling to the ground. "Where are you coward? Show yourself and face judgment for your crimes!" He shouted out and turned to look at the guards. "What are you waiting for, search the town for them, now!" He commanded and the guards quickly ran into the town to search for the two. "They cannot have gone far." He said to himself.
