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Maxine could still feel the pain from the impact of the war hammer. She didn't think that she had any broken bones but the wind was definitely knocked out of her. It caused her to stagger back several feet and attempt to catch her breath. This was something that she was finding incredibly difficult and she even went down to one knee. It had been some years since she had felt pain like this.

From the shadows she could see a man stepping into the light, he was a large man but even when she was on her knee Maxine was still a little taller than him. His muscles were obvious to see and he carried a large war hammer as if it barely weighed anything. This did impress her but she could see that he had a smile on his face. His thick beard did hide some of his mouth but she could still tell it was there.

The pain that Maxine was experiencing was still enough for her to not speak. She knew that if it were not for her armour and her size that she would have likely died from the impact. Slowly she began to stand up and she still gasped for air as she did. This made the large man in front of her chuckle.

"I was told that you were big, but my you're the biggest man that I've ever seen," said the Large Man. He felt that the end for her was nearing.

"I-I am no man," replied Maxine. She was just able to say these words but she gave a huge cry of pain when she felt the war hammer strike her left leg. Almost immediately she went down again and she could feel nothing but pain.

"In that case I might just let you live, I do need someone to warm up my sheets and I've never been with a maiden larger than myself. It'll be an experience that I'll never truly forget."

"I-I'm not done yet." She tried to get back to her feet but the pain was too much for her. Once again, the impact had dented her armour and she truly felt helpless. Her sword was in her hand but it seemed like it wasn't much use to her. She also figured that he was one of the McGrath brothers.

"But then again I do have my orders to kill you and I don't want to disappoint the boss lady." He took another few steps toward Maxine and raised his hammer up into the air. "But still, a man's gotta do his job."

"N-Not tonight."

Despite the pain that she was experience Maxine used her strength to quickly lift her sword up in a slashing moving. With his hammer raised into the air the large man's lower parts such as his chest were unprotected. This was the opening that she needed in order to strike him down as her sword pierced his flesh. The strike cut him from the top of his chest to the bottom in a diagonal line. It was deep enough to strike many of his vital organs and no sooner had she done this he dropped his hammer and fell to the ground.

With her enemy defeated the towering woman slowly got back up to her feet. She was still in pain but it was beginning to subside a little. She took a couple of steps forward but she had an obvious limp thanks to the injury to her leg. Her armour had saved her life once again and she looked down at the man that she had struck. She could see the life leaving his eyes but rather than just stepping over him she stopped for a moment. This wasn't her first kill but it was still something that she didn't take lightly.

"I took no pleasure in ending your life," said Maxine to the fallen man. "Your actions led to this demise, for better or for worse. Know that all your troubles are now at an end. May you find peace in the next world."

With that Maxine carried on but she was much slower than she was before. She could still feel the pain but she carried on anyway. She knew the life of a little girl was at stake and she couldn't allow her to die. It also increased her determination as finding the mayor's daughter and bringing her back would bring great joy to many.

Thanks to her limp she was forced to place her hand onto a nearby wall in order to help support herself. She felt both annoyed and somewhat embarrassed by what had happened and she continued to walk forward. A small part of her hoped that she would be able to walk off her limp but it didn't seem to be working. It was obvious that she had sustained some kind of injury.

For the next few minutes Maxine continued to walk forward but her and she eventually saw another large man standing in front of her. He was blocking her way and as she looked at him she saw that he had a striking resemblance to the man that she had just killed. It didn't take a genius level intellect to figure out that he was the brother of the dead man but there was something different about him. Rather than having a large war hammer this one was armed with two axes. Each could be held in a single hand and she stopped and looked at him for a moment.

"Halt," said the Man, "You will go no further." His voice had a commanding tone to it and he was surprised to be looking up at Maxine. This still didn't stop him from taking his threatening tone.

"Let me guess, you're the other McGrath Brother," replied Maxine. She took her hand off the wall and stood up straight. She wanted to make it seem like she wasn't backing down from a fight.

"That I am. Barry McGrath and I'm guessing that you killed my brother."

"Yes, he put up a good fight." She then lifted her sword toward him. "And if you don't stand out of my way you'll be joining him." She hoped that he would back down as she didn't know how well she was going to fight.

"It is as I feared." His voice had seemed to be calm but then he gripped onto his axes and his body filled with rage. "You will pay for what you have done!"

Faster than what Maxine thought possible Barry ran forward and went to strike her with his axes. Thankfully she was just able to get her sword up in time to block it. She felt the power behind the blows and it caused her to take a step back. She grunted as they pressed their weapons against one another.

Barry seemed to be stronger than she anticipated and she was using her own great strength to keep him at bay. It was difficult for her as she was still suffering from the hammer blows from a few minutes earlier. But she didn't anticipate him backing off for a moment and then lunging forward to strike again. She blocked his one axe strike but missed the second one which struck her side.

Once again, her armour had saved Maxine from being seriously hurt as the axe found itself stuck in the metal for a few moments. It hadn't been able to cut down to Maxine's flesh but it was enough to damage the armour itself. And she had felt the impact and it caused her some pain, she couldn't help but shriek as it struck and Barry seemed to enjoy this. She was the woman that killed his brother and he wanted to ensure that he had his vengeance upon her. She was bigger than he expected but he still thought that he could win.

Maxine backed away again as she nursed the new injury that she had. She as she backed it had forced Barry to let go of the axe that was still stuck in her armour. Using her free hand, she quickly ripped it out and threw it behind her. She wanted to make sure that he couldn't use it against her again.

There was still a tense atmosphere in the air as the two combatants stared each other down. Maxine was currently the one who was in the worst shape. Her side was likely bruised, her limp had not improved and she still had some difficulty breathing after being struck in the chest. Barry on the other hand looked fresh and if he could go for another hour while his opponent looked as if she could fall within minutes.

"Your end is near murderer," said Barry. "Then my brother's death will be avenged." He took a couple of steps closer toward her. He could see that she was struggling to breathe but despite this she stood tall.

"Says the man who is protecting someone who has kidnapped a child," replied Maxine. "The only mercy you will get from me is a quick death."

Barry screamed at the top of his lungs as he raced toward Maxine with his axe. He was ready to strike her, this is what she wanted as she used her sword to try and slice off his head. This is exactly what he expected as he ducked down below the blade and struck her right where her armour had been dented by the first hammer blow.

Once again, the axe had not been able to penetrate her armour but it was enough to cause her pain and to stagger back. She even dropped her sword and went down to one knee. She could hear Barry chuckling as he walked up to her. He had a smile on his face as he looked down at his seemingly defeated opponent.

"See you in hell," said Barry with some anger in her voice. He went to strike her right between the top of her armour and her helmet so that he could reach her neck. However, he quickly stopped when he felt something around his own neck.

A large armour-clad hand had grabbed his neck and was choking him. It was Maxine who slowly rose back to her feet and lifted Barry up with a single hand. He could see her eyes through her helmet and he could see the pure rage behind them. The grip around his neck was tightening and he was doing all he could to try and stop her. He had dropped the axe and was trying to pry her hand away from his neck but she was simply too strong for him.

Suddenly there was a large cracking sound and Barry's body immediately went limp. The life completely drained from his body as death embraced him. As soon as the deed was done Maxine through his lifeless body to one side and tried to nurse the injuries that she had sustained.

She had taken more damage than she had originally anticipated and she winced in pain a little. She also looked at the body of Barry and she felt a little guilty, it was the first time she had killed a man with her bare hands but given the situation she would have likely been killed if she had done nothing.

Despite all the injuries that Maxine had suffered she carried on walking forward. Before she did so she told Barry the same message that she had given to his brother after she had killed him as well. After she was done she continued to walk forward, she didn't forget to pick up her sword but she knew that she was close.

After walking for a few more minutes she eventually came to a door. It was the only one that she had seen so far and she tried to open it normally. She wasn't surprised to discover that it was locked. Using her good leg, she kicked the door off of its hinges and walked through.

There she saw a little girl who was tied to a chair. Standing next to her was another familiar girl, it was Violet Bucket but that wasn't what caught Maxine's attention. There was a cannon pointing right at her and a man kneeling down beside it. It was the same bandit that she had seen run down the tunnel earlier and she could do nothing as she watched him light the fuse.

Almost instantly the cannon fired and Maxine was too big and slow to get out of the way. It struck her square in the chest and sent her flying several feet back. It was the hardest that she had ever been struck and she didn't even have a chance to cry out in pain as she fell to the ground and was seemingly dead. There had been a scream from the Mayor's daughter as the cannon blast had startled her.

The cannonball that had struck the towering woman had been quite small but was still shot with enough force to cause her a lot of damage. It would be enough to kill a normal person or cause them to lose a limb if struck in the right place.

Violet began to laugh and walk over to her defeated enemy. She still had a child like laugh but it sounded evil. She kicked Maxine where the cannonball had struck her and she even spat on her for good measure. It almost seemed completely surreal to see a little girl do such a thing but the truth was that Violet was no real little girl.

"You think that you could get the better of me?" asked Violet in an angry tone. She kicked a small part of Maxine's armour out of annoyance. "And look where it got you, you should have minded your own business you giant freak!"

Suddenly Maxine began to move again which caused Violet to take several steps back. She was more than surprised to see that Maxine had survived the cannon blast. Her moves were a lot slower though, her arms moved but it wasn't toward Violet. Instead it was toward her own helmet which she quickly took off.

Suddenly she began to cough and there was some blood that shot out from her mouth and onto the ground. It was obvious to her that she had suffered some kind of internal bleeding. She was in worse shape than she had expected but she was thankful. If it had been a full-size cannonball she would have killed.

Despite all of her injuries Maxine slowly began to rise up to her feet much to the surprise of everyone there. It was a relatively slow process as she was struggling to breathe, but she seemed to rise taller as the giant of a woman stood closer to her full height. Violet was still in disbelief that someone could take a cannon shot from point blank range and yet still be getting up to their feet. She looked at the bandit who was still remaining and she gave him an angry expression.

"Don't just stand there you idiot!" stated Violet. "Reload and fire at her again!" These words were heard by Maxine and this caused her act faster. Surviving the first cannon shot had been a combination of luck and her own durability along with her armour. Taking a second shot would likely kill her and this was something that she couldn't allow to happen.

The bandit quickly began to reload the cannon but with everything that was happening his nerves were completely shot. He was shaking a little and it made him difficult to reload the cannon.

This was all that Maxine needed as she finally stood up to her full height she staggered forward and had to bend down to get through the door that she had just kicked open. Blood was still trickling from her mouth and she saw that he had placed the cannonball into the cannon itself.

Before it could be fired Maxine used what little strength she had to kick the cannon. It wasn't intended to damage the weapon but instead move it so that it wasn't pointing at her anymore. The bandit who was about to light the fuse again fell over as he was knocked by the weapon. It caused him to fall and before he could get himself up to his feet he felt an armour-clad foot strike him in the head. It was enough to knock him out and this left Violet alone in the room with her hostage and a very angry giant woman.

"Don't come any closer," said Violet who was trying to think of a way that she could turn the situation to her advantage. There seemed to be nothing of any value as her own body was too small and weak to do any life-threatening damage to the hostage. She just backed away as Maxine stepped closer to her. "I-I mean it!"

Unfortunately, within a few moments Maxine had been able to stagger close enough to her. She was able to reach down and grab the evil girl and lifted her off her feet as if she weighed nothing. Seeing Maxine's angry expression was scarier than anything that Violet had ever seen, especially knowing that she could easily kill her without much effort. She was more than certain that her life had come to an end.

"It's over," said Maxine. "Everything that you've worked for ends tonight!" She had a very angry tone of voice. Even so it also sounded a little like she was struggling to talk. Even so she stood strong and made herself seem bigger than she was.

"If you're going to kill me then do it," replied Violet who didn't seem to be phased that much by what was happening. "Don't just stand there and talk about it."

"Do not tempt me little one!" A lot of thoughts were going through her mind, she imagined just how many people's lives Violet had destroyed. But looking at her she could also see a little girl and this weighed on her heavily. Even though she knew that Violet wasn't a normal girl she couldn't bring herself to kill her. If she were to become a knight then killing children would be something that she couldn't do. "No, your life does not end here. The courts will decide your fate."

There was some rope close by that had been used to tie up the Mayor's daughter. Maxine picked it up and used it to tie up Violet to prevent her from escaping, the bandit leader didn't allow this to happen quietly. She kicked and struggled as much as she could but there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Within a couple of minutes Violet was completely tied up and unable to move. She was still shouting at Maxine who simply ignored her. The larger woman instead turned her focus on the Mayor's Daughter who remained quiet. She was still terrified and she became even more scared when she saw Maxine draw out a large hunting knife. Rather than using it to harm the girl she used it to cut the rope that had tied her to the chair.

"You don't need to be scared now," said Maxine. Her tone had changed, rather than being angry it sounded more like she was caring. Despite the injuries that she had suffered she still wanted to seem warm and comforting. She held out her hand toward the girl so that she could grab onto it. "Shall we go back home now?" The girl didn't answer with words, instead she nodded and grabbed onto Maxine's large hand.

Before they left she was sure to pick up Violet and she staggered out as best as she could. She still kept her a slight grip on the hand of the Mayor's daughter. She wanted to make sure the little girl was safe. As long as they were together nothing would be able to harm her, not while a nine-foot woman was with her. She was also sure to pick up her helmet and anything else that she might have left. The last thing she wanted to do was to leave such precious things behind.

As they traversed their way through the passageways they had to step over the dead bodies of the McGrath brothers and the unconscious bodies of several other bandits. Violet was being carried under Maxine's arm and even she was surprised with what she was seeing. She found it hard to believe that one person had been able to do all of this. It was almost insane for her to think but she could see the evidence before her.

After several minutes Maxine was able to reach the entrance and just as she did she saw someone else approaching her. It was the figure of a man and at first, she thought that she might need to put up another fight. Instead as he approached her she could recognise his face, much to her relief it was Gregory. There was a small amount of blood on his armour as well but other than that he looked like he had gotten through unscathed.

The first thing that he noticed about his large friend was that not only did she have the Mayor's daughter but she also had Violet. It looked as they it was a win all around until he could see how damaged her armour was. He could only guess what had happened for the time being and was just happy to see that she was alive.

"Greetings Maxine," said Gregory. "I see that you've found what we came here looking for." He gave her a small smile. "Although it does look like you've been through hell to get there."

"Y-You're telling me," replied Maxine. She could see that the Mayor's Daughter seemed to be afraid of Gregory. This caused Maxine to look at her and she smiled. "Don't worry, he's my friend. Your father also sent him to rescue you." She still didn't say a word but she just nodded. It was obvious that she was traumatized after what she had just been through. "You'll be home soon enough."

"From the looks of it you took down most of the gang. The way I went there were a few but I took care of them. Even took out one of the guys who said that he killed our colleagues. As you can imagine I wasn't too impressed."

"There are a few unconscious bandits where I went. If you can tie them up and bring them back to town. I can imagine that the Mayor would wants to exact justice onto them." She looked over to the horse and cart that was there. "We can use this to transport them back to town."

"I hear you and maybe we'll get an extra reward for bringing them back alive." She could feel Violet still struggling under her arm. This made her annoyed and she glared at the tied-up bandit leader. "If you don't behave I'll crush your skull with my bare hands." This did nothing as Violet continued to struggle, this led to her being roughly placed into the cart. She was still unable to escape and so could do nothing but lie there.

Before venturing back into the abandoned mine Maxine did place the Mayor's daughter on the passenger part of the cart. She instructed her to stay there and that they would be back in Teasel before long. This seemed to get a positive response from her and the two warriors went inside in order to do what they needed to do.

One by one each of the unconscious bandits were tied up and then taken back to the cart. The ones who were dead were simply left as neither of them had the time to give them a proper burial. It took several minutes for them to get all of them and when they were done there was a dozen of them.

Something that Gregory had noticed almost straight away was the fact that Maxine was limping. Throughout the time that he had known her he had never seen her in such a bad shape. It made him wonder what she had been through in order for her to end up like this, he was sure to ask her eventually but right now all he cared about was her health. She had limits just like everyone else and it seemed like she was very close to reaching her own. It would not take much for her to fall.

When the last bandit had been loaded into the cart Gregory climbed into the driver's seat and took the reins. The Mayor's Daughter was next to him and she felt better now that they were definitely on their way back. He offered a place in the cart for Maxine but she turned it down. She knew that she was too big and with the weight of the bandits inside she knew that the horse might struggle with the load. She would help where need be but, in her shape, she probably wouldn't be able to do much.

With that Gregory forced the horse to move forward, it took the animal a little effort but eventually it did begin to move. Maxine walked alongside them and they also noticed that it was beginning to become light thanks to the upcoming dawn. They walked in relative silence for the trip, the main sounds that could be heard was the trotting of the horse and the wheezing of Maxine. This caused Gregory some concern but he kept going anyway as he knew that it would be what she would tell him to do.

Eventually the sight of Teasel greeted them as they walked closer and closer to the town gates. They could see several people there already and at first, they thought that they were going to cause them trouble. But suddenly one of them began to wave at Maxine and Gregory and this was when they realised that they were town officials. One person in particular that they saw was the Mayor himself, he had been pacing back and forth but the sight of his daughter brought a much-relieved smile on his face.

When the cart stopped at the gates the Mayor called for his daughter who quickly climbed down and ran into her father's arms. Both had tears rolling down their face while Maxine and Gregory simply watched. He looked over to them and thanked them both for what they had done for him.

The Mayor also turned to look at the bandits that had been captured and he was none too pleased to see them at all. He wanted to hang them all there and then but this was something he couldn't do without a fair trial, but he was sure to set one up as soon as he could. He was just glad that his daughter had been returned to him and that the threat of the bandits had been wiped away.

Maxine was happy to see the reunion of father and daughter, it reminded her of her own father and she did miss seeing him. These thoughts were dashed away when she felt her body becoming heavier and she went down to one knee. Her fatigue and injuries were getting the better of her and she was in a bad state which was obvious for everyone to see. The Mayor quickly commanded her to be taken to a bed and have a Healer look over her. In her weakened state she could hardly move and she needed the help of six men in order to go where she needed to be.

Several hours later Maxine found herself sitting up in a bed. Because she was so tall a second bed and been placed at the end of the first in order to accommodate her height. Her armour had been removed and her wounds had been bandaged up. She was still in some pain but she had been able to have some sleep and so she did feel refreshed.

She was alone in the room and she struggled to move thanks to her chest still being in agony after what she had been through. It had been treated and was now completely bandaged up. Her shirt that she had been wearing had also been removed but her bare breasts were not on view as they were covered by the bandages. She was staying in a room at one of the inns and her loneliness is just about to come to an end.

"Charles come in here!" said Maxine in a somewhat loud and demanding voice. She lay there and waited as her squire Charles quickly came into the room. He knew better than to keep her waiting as he quickly walked in and stood by the beds. He had been worried about her as he had seen how hurt she was. He was just glad to see that she was alright had responded well to treatment.

"Y-You called for me ma'am," replied Charles. He stood there waiting for any command that she might give. He had already given her some ale which she had drunk quickly and he suspected that she might be hungry. A large pie was already being made for her in the inn's kitchen and it would be ready before long.

"Yes, I take it that you have been able to speak with the Mayor?"

"Yes ma'am, he thanks you again for freeing his daughter and bringing her back to him safely. He also states that whatever reward you want for your actions will be yours. That is if it's within his powers of course."

"Inform him that the original agreed reward will be sufficient for my services. That is what we agreed on and that is what I shall have."

"Very well ma'am, he did also state that the fees for your stay here, food and drink along with the Healer will be nullified by him. He wishes for you to take as long as you need to recover from your injuries."

"That's very kind of him, reply that I thank him for his hospitality and I will leave as soon as my body is fit and able again."

"I will tell him as soon as possible. There is one last thing that he offers to you, since your armour was damaged he has offered to pay for it to be repaired or completely replaced. The local blacksmith will be capable of the job or so he says."

"Tell him that won't be necessary. My uncles own a forgery in Morgan, when I have recovered we will travel there and have my armour repaired. I have been away from home for too long, it is about time I paid them a visit."

Charles didn't respond to this straight away as the thought of meeting Maxine's family was something that had caught him by surprise. He began to imagine what her family would be like, the thought of them all being abnormally tall and very demanding people did creep into his mind. One thing he was sure of, it was likely to be a trip that he would never forget.

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