One by one the horse and cart would go to each manhole and Maxine would place a heavy barrel onto each of them. There was nothing too particularly valuable inside of the barrels. Most were filled with water or sand, it didn't matter too much what was inside of them. Just that they were heavy enough to keep the manhole covers in place.

Gregory would steer the horse where it needed to be while Maxine would place the barrels down. The others were keeping an eye on the entrance to the underground tunnels just outside of Teasel. They were waiting to see whether anyone would try to enter or leave. They were an ambush of sorts and all they had to do was wait.

Like the night before Charles remained behind and was writing a few more things into his book before he attempted to get some sleep. Maxine was still tired from the previous night as she hadn't slept enough to re-energise herself. This caused her to soldier on as best as she could but she wouldn't mind getting a little shut eye.

"How many of these do we have left?" asked Maxine as she placed another barrel down onto the manhole. Gregory watched on and he could see how easily she was able to move them. He knew that with their size it would take at least two men to move them while she made them look light.

"That should be the last one," replied Gregory. "Now they can't use these manholes to slip into Teasel."

"You make it sound like we've already succeeded. But to tell you the truth I don't think that we have. Call me crazy but I think that what we're doing is redundant."

"And why would you say that?"

"We know how they're getting in and out of the town. If I was a strategist I wouldn't continue using this method. Instead I would try and come up with another tactic. If the enemy knows your moves then you make new moves if you know what I mean."

"That is a point there." He was still riding in the cart with Maxine walking alongside it. "What strategy would you come up with?"

"I'm not sure. Would definitely be something discreet." She did think that this was something that sounded absurd coming from her. She was a nine-foot woman wearing heavy armour, discretion was something that was completely alien to her. A person could see her coming from a mile away.

"Until we spot them for now we can only go with what we know. If we try stabbing in the dark then we could be wasting our time over nothing. Until we have more evidence we'll just carry on with our current strategy."

Meanwhile just outside of the town the three knights continued their vigil. They were hiding in the bushes and with the help of the darkness they seemed to be completely invisible. This seemed to be the best for them as they completely blended in. Two of them were located in a bush on the one side while the final one was located on the other.

The two in the bush were Arthur and Sir Darren, they were keeping their eyes open but they didn't like the situation at hand. It had still mainly been Maxine who had told them to do this and they didn't believe that she had the right to do so. Despite this her intimidating presence made them unable to speak up against her. Instead they just went along with what she said and now they found themselves out there.

"By the gods we'll be out here for hours before anything happens," said Arthur. He gave a grunt as he wasn't that happy with the situation. He did take some solace in the thought that when the ambush was sprung that they would finally get some action.

"Sometimes good things come to those who wait," replied Sir Darren. He seemed to be a little more relaxed about the situation than his colleague. "Besides we're basically being paid to sit here and do nothing."

"I guess you're right there. But still a little action wouldn't hurt. I missed it all last night." He stopped as he suddenly noticed someone walking by. Both he and Sir Darren ducked a little more and began to watch. They expected to see one of the bandits trying to enter the nearby tunnel.

Before Arthur could do anything, he felt a sharp pain in his neck. This was coupled with the sensation of not being able to breathe. With some fear he raised his hand to his neck and he felt something, something that was not supposed to be there. It was long and made out of wood, it also had a metallic tip and it only took him a few moments to realise that this was an arrow.

The next thing he felt was blood oozing out of his mouth before he finally fell to the ground. His life was at an end and for a few confusing moments Sir Darren didn't know what was happening. This all changed when he felt a similar pain in his neck, he too began to fall to the ground as he had been fatally wounded. It seemed a little funny to him, after everything that he had achieved in his life he was dying in a bush outside of a town that was hard to find on a map.

Up in the trees there were three archers looking down on the men that they had just killed. All three of the knights who had been positioned there now lay with arrows in their necks and whatever remained of their lives completely broken. The archers carefully climbed to the ground and made their way toward the town. Rather than going through the tunnel they went beside it and started to make their way toward the main entrance.

Like every other night the entrance was gated and manned. For them it seemed to be just like any other night but when the gate keeper opened the slot to see through he was met with an arrow right between his eyes. This caused him to fall down and his end came quickly and relatively painless.

One minor problem that the trio faced was the fact that with the gatekeeper dead the gate to the town remained locked. This was quickly solved as with the help of his colleagues one of the archers was able to climb over the gate. When he landed on the other side he quickly unlocked it and opened it up so that the others could enter. Before they moved on they perched the dead gatekeeper on his stool to make it seem like he was still performing his duty and not immediately raising suspicion.

Each of the men wore hoods and moved quickly in relative silence. They used hand movements to signal to communicate with one another. It seemed like none of their motions were wasted, they had a particular task that they needed to complete and it seemed like nothing could stop them.

Despite this they were still cautious, they didn't know exactly how many knights were patrolling and they hadn't run into the one that they had been warned about. They had been told about the one who was supposedly taller than a house with the strength of ten men. They knew this to be an exaggeration but it didn't mean that they could take them lightly. Two of their colleagues had been taken the night before. Although their colleagues were low ranking it still gave them reason to be cautious.

They stayed mainly to the shadows and were heading toward one of the largest houses in town. This house wasn't being targeted by random, there was something inside incredibly valuable, something that they had killed for and were not going to leave before they had taken it.

Mere moments later the trio arrived just outside of the house in question. They remained low and prepared themselves. Each one was at a different of the house, one even peered inside and saw someone who they were expecting. This was the Mayor sitting in the on a cushioned seat and reading a book. Even though the house belonged to him he was not the target of this attack.

The option of going in loud and fast was an option but one of the archers was able to open up one of the windows with a small amount of force. It was large enough for him to be able slip through without causing a sound. He landed inside and he landed on the ground without making a single sound.

Quickly he made his way through the house with each step he took taken with great care. He slowly made his way through the house and he purposely left out the room that the Mayor was sitting in. For now, it seemed like the official didn't realise what was going on and just continued to read.

Carefully they were able to enter a room that was their primary target. Rather than having anything of great wealth the room contained a lot of toys that were thrown around the place. There were drawings that were plastered on the walls and lying in the bed was the prize that they had come to take.

Lying in the bed was a little girl who was fast asleep. She had a small, stuffed bear in her arms and she looked to be very peaceful. Most likely she was experiencing pleasant dreams and had no idea about the danger that she was in. This was all soon changed when she felt a hand over her mouth. This quickly woke her up but she was in too much of a daze to fully realise what was happening.

With little effort the kidnapper picked up the little girl and began to hurry his way out of the house. There was a note that had been left on the bed but as he made his way out the girl was kicking and screaming as much as she could. Her voice was muffled by the hand that was covering her mouth but she could still kick as much as she could. Her foot caught an object that created a large amount of sound.

Almost instantly the sound alerted the Mayor in the other room who quickly got up from his chair and went to check on his daughter. That was when he saw the kidnapper taking his most prized possession away from him. He was silent for a moment but before he could do anything to save her he felt a strong kick to the gut. It was enough to send him back a few feet and he slammed against a nearby wall.

Rather than finishing the job the kidnapper just quickly went out the window that he had gotten through. The other two kidnappers were already there waiting for him as they had seen what happened inside. They had their prize and quickly made their way back toward the gate that they had used to enter the town. The streets were empty and there seemed to be no sign of either Maxine or Gregory at all.

This was a blessing that they didn't fully realise that they had. Despite this they still carried on their way. They moved faster than they had before and the little girl was still kicking and screaming as much as she could. It was no use as she was simply too small to prevent what was happening. She could do nothing as the kidnappers ran out through the opened gate and into the woods that surrounded Teasel.

On the other side of town Maxine and Gregory were oblivious to what had just taken place. They were still going through their normal rounds and Gregory was even still on the horse, he was planning on returning it back very shortly but he found himself walking alongside Maxine. She was walking forward but she was keeping an eye out for any activity, so far, she had seen nothing that peaked her interest.

"How long are you going to keep that squire of yours around anyway?" asked Gregory as he continued to trot along in the cart. The horse wasn't as reliable as his own but it had been able to get the job done.

"Until his debt to me is repaid," replied Maxine. Her voice was a little sterner than it was before but she didn't sound too aggressive.

"And when will that be exactly?"

"Whenever I decide that he has, but still I might keep him around for a while. He's proving himself quite useful. I could never get my armour as clean as Charles has, plus it is a little nice to have some company."

"Yeah I know the feeling, having someone to travel with you can make those long journeys feel a little shorter."

"Are you going to train him to be a knight as well?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well most times when a knight takes on a squire it isn't just so that they can do all the unfavourable tasks. It is also to build them up to becoming a knight themselves, but to tell you the truth your squire doesn't look like a fighter."

"Charles can't fight to save his life." Her words were a little stern but she didn't truly believe what she was saying. "But I will likely teach him some basics so that he can defend himself. Besides I am not a knight myself so I can't train him to become one."
"That is true, but you know if you give some minor lord enough gold they would knight you there and then."

"A knighthood should be earned, not bought. If one is bought it becomes hollow and meaningless."

"Yeah you're right there." Suddenly they began to hear a noise which immediately brought the attention of them both. It sounded like the ringing of a bell but it wasn't like a large bell that would be heard in a town. Instead it sounded like a smaller bell that could be held in a person's hand. "What's that?"

"I'm not sure but it could be a trap. Take that horse back to where you found it, I'll go and investigate."

"As you wish Maxine, but be careful."

For the moment the pair parted ways as Maxine walked closer to where the ringing was coming from. She did walk with some pace but wasn't outright running, this was something that was difficult to do in her armour. Thankfully the padding underneath prevented the armour from rubbing onto her skin and causing her discomfort.

After a few minutes of walking and following the sound Maxine eventually began to approach the home of the Mayor. She could see him standing outside with some tears in his eyes. She didn't know what was happening at that moment in time but she could see that something was seriously wrong. Over the last few times that she had seen the Mayor he had always seemed stern and possessed a large amount of authority. Now he seemed to be a shell of a man with tears rolling down his face and an uncomfortable shaking.

After the insults and trouble that he had caused her a small part of her did enjoy seeing him like this but she knew that something was very wrong. She stepped towards him and looked down, her face was obscured by the helmet that she wore but he knew that it was her based on her sheer size.

"Thank the gods that you're here," said the Mayor. "Please you have to help, they took her away."

"Took who?" replied Maxine with a small amount of confusion in her voice.

"My daughter Alexa, they broke into my house and took her away from me. Please you have to help me, she's the most precious thing in the world to me." Maxine continued to look over him and the mean-spirited mayor seemed to disappear and instead replaced with a desperate father. As much as she had disliked how he had treated him she couldn't let this innocent girl be taken away.

"You have my word, before dawn your daughter will be returned to you." She didn't know how she was going to do it but she still made her vow.

"Thank you." He held onto her hand and lowered his head. Tears continued to roll down his face. "Thank you."

There was one thing that the kidnappers had left behind which was a ransom note. Originally Maxine was going to step inside of the home but the tight door and low ceiling made the activity very undesirable. Instead she chose to wait outside as he brought the note to her. At first the very large woman tried to read it herself but her reading skills were not up to task so she passed it back to the Mayor.

The note was little more than a ransom note as it stated that the little girl would be returned to the Mayor for a hefty sum. It was more than the Mayor had and the only way that they could afford it was dip into the taxpayer's money. This was something that he was extremely reluctant to do but with the prospect of losing his daughter forever he would resort to doing what had to be done.

Upon hearing what had been stated Maxine became enraged, she was angry that they would drag a child into this. She thought it was the lowest a person could go in order to make money and made her blood begin to boil. On the outside she still looked to be calm but under her helmet the Mayor couldn't see her face.

"Please ma'am," said the Mayor. Tears were rolling down his face, for the first time since she came here Maxine actually pitied him. "You have to help me get my precious daughter back, she means the world to me."

"You have my word," replied Maxine. She placed her large, armour clad hand on the seemingly small shoulder of the Mayor and she looked directly at him. "By dawn your daughter will be safely returned to you."

"Thank you, thank you." This was all that he could say as he was overcome with emotion. The concept of losing his daughter was very real to him.

"Those bandits that I captured last night, are they still incarcerated?"

"Y-Yes."

"Then I'll pay them a visit. With your permission of course." The Mayor said nothing and simply nodded. But he did quickly write something down on a piece of paper and handed it to the tall woman. She didn't know what it said but she had a good idea what the parchment was all about.

Quickly Maxine began to walk away from the Mayor's house with a task in her mind. She had promised to return the Mayor's daughter to him and she didn't intend to let him down. Her father would have done the same thing and now she was going to do it as well. But there was something else that she had in mind as well. She had made sure that the three knights that been posted to guarding the tunnel should have stopped the kidnappers. She didn't know that all three of them had been slain.

After a few minutes walking she eventually found herself standing outside of the town's jail. As it was late the place was lightly manned but it was open as the jail never technically closed. Maxine was able to squeeze her body through the front door and she was quickly met with a jailer sitting behind a desk.

The Jailer hadn't expected any kind of visit and the utter size of the woman standing before him also caught him off guard. Since she was wearing her full armour along with her helmet it was difficult for him to see that she was indeed a woman. He was confused at first but she placed the parchment down onto the desk. He picked it up and took a look it at. With that he understood what needed to be done.

Quickly the Jailer got up from his chair and picked up some keys that were sitting close by. The giant woman followed him as he walked by a series of cells, some were occupied but it was the one at the end that was of the most interest to her. Sitting there were the two bandits that had been captured the night before.

They both saw that Maxine was there and they cowered in fear from her. This was a good thing in her mind and the man simply stood by as he opened the door. Neither of the bandits attempted to escape as there was a tower of flesh and metal standing in their way. They could do nothing but watch as she stepped inside of the cell. She was too tall to stand upright inside and she glared down at the bandits. They couldn't see her face which made her seem even more terrifying than she already did.

"I'm only going to ask you this once without any consequences," said Maxine in a stern voice that demanded respect. "Where is your base of operations?"

"Y-You asked me last night," replied one of the Bandits. It was the same one that she had questioned almost twenty-four hours before and had not gotten a satisfying answer from. "I told you that I don't know." He was still afraid as he had felt first had just how strong this woman was and how powerless he had been in comparison to her.

"It is not you who I'm asking." She turned her attention to the second bandit. The previous night she had knocked him out before she could ask him any questions, tonight was different however as he was still fully conscious and was in no position to refuse her questions. It's you that I want."

"M-Me?" replied the Second Bandit. He too was afraid and he watched as the tower of armour stepped toward him.

"Do not make me ask you again." Her voice was intimidating to him and he heard the clanging sound of her armoured plates knocking into one another.

"Please don't make me say, they'll kill me otherwise."

"And I won't kill you now?" She took another step toward him, at this moment in time she was right next to him and he could almost touch her armour. How towering height and large physique made her the most terrifying human being that he had ever seen. "In your body you have bones that are both essential and non-essential to your survival. Guess which kind I will start breaking until I get answers,"

"Please don't, I'm begging you." He was beginning to see that there was a threat of him dying if he told Maxine what she wanted to know. But there was also the current threat of not telling her. She was there right now and capable of going through with everything that she said while the distant threat was far away from him.

"Then tell me what I want to know and no harm will come to you."

"T-There's an abandoned mine a couple of miles away from this town. W-We're using that as our hideout."

"Where exactly is it?" Her voice was still loud and intimidating. Even the other bandit became scared and they both just wanted this nightmare to be over.

"Go down the main road and then veer north once you reach a great oak tree." There was a lot of fear in his voice and he thought that he was moments away from dying. "You can't miss it, please don't hurt me." The next thing he felt was one of her large hands come down onto his shoulder, he was sure that she was going to break his shoulder or a part of his arm, instead she just looked at him. He couldn't see her expression thanks to her helmet and he feared what she would do next.

"There, now that wasn't too hard." Her voice was much less intimidating than it had been mere moments ago. It sounded like its normal tone and very womanly. "Thank you for your help."

"Y-You're not going to hurt me?" He was surprised by this and he was relieved at the same time.

"Of course not, you told me what I wanted to know and I can't really ask for anything more." Her grip tightened on his shoulder, it wasn't enough to cause him any pain but simply to send him a message. "But if it turns out you've been lying to me, well then that would be a different story now wouldn't it?"

The bandit remained quiet, he couldn't move from where he was standing thanks to Maxine's hand. He had never felt such a strong grip in his life but he was able to step back when she finally let go. With her business now done with the bandits she began to step out of the cell. As soon as she was out of the cell the Jailer made sure that it was securely locked behind her. The bandits still had a trial before they were properly punished for their crimes but the aspect of a lengthy jail time or worse was very real to the both of them. There was even a chance that they would be booking an appointment with a man named Terry Roman, the local hangman.

Within a minute or so Maxine stepped outside of the town's jail. Suddenly she saw someone approaching her and in the low light it made it difficult for her to make out who it was. But as they stepped closer he could see that the figure was armoured up and not just that, she recognised him. Her fear of being attacked quickly faded away as she saw that it was her friend Gregory.

"I thought that I'd run into you here," said Gregory. "I've been informed about what's happening, did you find the information that you needed?"

"Yes," replied Maxine. "I know exactly where I need to go, it would also be best if you or one of the others came as back-up."

"That's the thing, the others are dead."

"Dead?" This took her by surprise and she needed a moment to fully process what had been said. "How?"

"From what I saw they were killed by arrows through the neck. Didn't seem like they had much of a chance."

"Damn." Despite the fact that they had not taken her seriously and often looked down at her she was still somewhat saddened to hear about their passing. It was something that she would have liked to have avoided but it also gave her even more motivation to find the bandits and make them pay for what they had done. "Then you will come alongside me, we would have more chance of success that way."

"Will we be bringing your squire along as well?"

"No, there is little that he could do to help us. Let him rest, come morning the bandit threat in this town will come to a sudden and abrupt end."

Gregory nodded in agreeance with her. He was also trying to devise a plan, going in fast and strong was an option but stealth was also something that he considered. The only problem was that Maxine was so big that being stealthy was something that she physically was unable to do.