- Text Size +

With their objectives in mind both Maxine and Gregory made their way out of Teasel through the main gate. One thing they noticed was that the deceased gatekeeper was being tended to by a couple of women. They were preparing to take the man to a place where he could be prepared for a proper burial. Gregory had seen this a few minutes before and he walked over to the women.

For the moment Maxine stayed where she was as she didn't know what he was telling them. A part of her thought that he might be attempting to flirt with them but she knew better. This was neither the time or place to be doing such things and she waited for him to return to her. She could only hear him thanking the two women before he stepped back toward the towering, armoured figure. They carried on walking as they knew that time was short but she did turn her head to look down at him.

"What were you talking to those women about?" asked Maxine. Her voice was not stern but this time it was merely curious.

"I informed them about our former colleagues," replied Gregory. "They might not have been the most polite people in the world but they still deserve to be tended to. Hopefully their passage will be peaceful."

"The more reason why these animals should pay for what they have done." She became annoyed but did not vent her frustration on her friend. "Four men lie dead and one child has been taken captive. I knew bandits could be dangerous but this is something that I thought was beyond them."

"Well don't you worry, after they're captured they'll surely swing."

"That's not if I get to them first."

"Hmm, I thought that you didn't kill." He was not against her killing them, as a knight it came with the job sometimes.

"I never said that I had a no killing at all rule. Just no killing under certain circumstances, but right now I am seriously considering rescinding that rule. Even if they were not the ones who performed the deed they are still just as guilty."

"We'll at least bring some of them back with us. Let the mayor hang a few of them at least. With everything that's happened he will probably appreciate that."

"Only if they surrender, if not then I'll make them a head shorter."

Gregory could tell that Maxine wasn't joking around, this sent a shiver down his spine. He was glad that she was on his side as he wouldn't want to be against her. One thing that did cross his mind was what they would find in the abandoned mines when they arrived. Traps were something that seemed obvious and they would also likely be outnumbered. If it was indeed their base of operations then every bandit in the group would be present and the numbers would still be against them.

In his mind he thought that Maxine would count for several men but even he knew that she had her limits. His own value was not diminished either, his skill with a blade was amongst the greatest of those in the land. Even so if there were enough numbers against them it didn't matter how skilled they were. They would both eventually fall.

For almost an hour the pair continued down the road that they had been informed about. They kept a lookout for any abandoned mines but in the darkness, it was difficult for them to make anything out. One thing that they didn't miss was a very large oak tree that stood near the path.

The tree itself was a few hundred years old and the tallest tree present. Maxine looked up at it and she didn't seem to be too impressed. She had seen living beings that were taller than this but it was something that she hadn't spoken to Gregory about. But it was a good sign, it meant that they were very close to their destination and they began to look around for the mine in question.

In the darkness they could just about make out a large hill. One odd thing that they noticed was a light that could just about be seen at the bottom of the hill. This was enough that they needed to investigate further. It did seem a little too obvious but it did mean that they were one step closer to finding the Mayor's Daughter.

Carefully they crept toward the light and as they got closer they could see it clearer. It was coming from an entrance to the hill which they figured was the abandoned mine that they had been told about. Rather than simply entering the mine straight away they held back as they observed the area.

Voices of several people could be heard although they seemed to be distant. There was also someone sitting outside of the entrance as well. It seemed obvious that he had been placed there to guard the entrance but there was something odd about him that Maxine picked up in an instant. His movements were slow and somewhat erratic, she could also hear him hiccupping.

It seemed obvious to both of them that the man keeping guard was drunk. This would make it easy for them to incapacitate him and simply walk inside. This was something that they didn't want to do just yet. They needed to formulate a plan first before they could take any action.

Gregory was more on the side of caution while Maxine thought that hitting them fast and hard was the best course of action. In her mind, by going down this route it wouldn't give the bandits time to react and produce a decent counterattack. One thing that Gregory was worried about was that the bandits would harm the young girl if they didn't reach her in time. They had no idea where she inside.

Taking the bandit guarding the entrance was an option as they could question him. But one problem that they would have that he wouldn't be very useful in this intoxicated state. Another problem that they had that when it came to tight passageways, stealth wasn't that much of an option. There would be nowhere to hide and enemies could come from the front or behind.

Another problem that Gregory didn't want to say out loud was the fact that Maxine's size would likely be a hindrance. If the passageways were as small as he thought that they'd be then it would be difficult for the nine-foot woman to move around in such a cramped space. Normally her size would be her biggest asset but in a place like that it would likely be her biggest weakness.

The pair were behind a large bush and watching on. They saw a couple of people arriving on a horse and cart. It was not one that either of them recognised but there was a chance that it had come from another town close by. They watched as the two bandits that had been using it simply parked it by the entrance and went inside. The bandit on guard didn't seem to bat an eyelid. They thought that they could use this to their advantage as he was in too bad of a state to properly react to the situation.

Maxine was the one who stepped out of the bush first and walked toward the mine. As expected she was quickly spotted by the drunk bandit. In his intoxicated state he couldn't properly tell what he was seeing. He thought that it was a bear walking on his hindlegs. Rather than reacting in fear he looked on with curiosity as the towering woman stepped toward him.

"W-Who are you?" asked the Drunk Bandit as he saw her walking toward the entrance of the mine.

"Nothing for you to be concerned about," replied Maxine. She could see that he was no threat and thus she didn't draw her sword. "You've had a lot to drink tonight, it's best that you sleep it off."

"C-Can't argue with that."

With that the drunk bandit leaned back on his chair and quickly began to drift off to sleep. It happened faster than Maxine had expected as within moments he was completely out. She could probably slap him with her large iron clad hand and he would still be asleep. This was perfect for now and she knew that she would have to keep him in mind. She planned to take him back to Teasel to face justice as well.

Gregory watched what had happened and he couldn't believe the good fortune that they just had. Rather than looking in amazement he quickly made his way over to Maxine. She waited there for him and when he arrived they looked at the entrance. The mine looked to be very deep and they could hear the echoed voices of several people inside.

One thing that Maxine did notice was that the ceiling looked quite low. Too low for her to be able to stand up straight. This would limit her manoeuvrability but she still thought that she could still put up a decent fight. The passageway looked to be too narrow for them both to walk in side by side so they had to go in single-file.

Gregory went ahead of his much large ally and as they entered they could see numerous torches along the walls which lit up the route ahead of them. Almost as soon as they entered they began to hear a metallic scrapping sound. He thought at first that it was something that he should be worried about. It took a few moments to realise that it was the top of Maxine's helmet scrapping along the ceiling. With all the echoed voices that were going on it was difficult, if not impossible for anyone to hear them.

As they continued to carefully walk through the passageway they were surprised with how little resistance they had faced so far. They expected to meet up against a few bandits at least but so far there had been nothing. This surprised them but they also took it as good fortune, however they knew that it was something that couldn't last long so they continued to move on as quickly as they could.

An immediate problem did appear before them when they saw that the passage way split two ways. This was something that they hadn't entirely expected and the problem had a simple yet potentially dangerous solution. It was quickly decided amongst themselves that they would split up. Gregory would take the passageway to the right while Maxine would take the one on the left.

Splitting themselves up was quite dangerous as it meant that they would be vulnerable. But with the safety of the young girl at stake it was a risk that they were willing to take. They nodded at one another and said a few brief words to one another before they split up. Both were somewhat worried about the other but came to the conclusion that they were more than capable of looking out for themselves.

Maxine moved as quickly as her large body would allow in the passageway. One thing that she did find somewhat relieving was the fact that the ceiling was getting higher as she walked. Eventually she was able to stand up straight without her head touching the ceiling, but that was when she spotted someone. A particular bandit was walking down the passageway with some food in his hand. Almost immediately he stopped when he saw her, since he had just walked around a bend he hadn't seen her until she was within arm's reach of her.

"Who are y..." said the Bandit but before he could finish his question he felt Maxine's grab him by his mouth. She put a lot of force into her grip and it caused him enough pain to drop the food that he was carrying.

It took Maxine a few moments to decide what to do with him. She had struck so fast that he hadn't had time to draw out any weapon. Her mind was telling her to kill him but a small voice told her not to. Instead she struck him with enough force to knock him into the wall on his right side. It was enough to knock him out and she simply stepped over him when she was done. This had been too easy at this time and she knew that it was going to become very difficult, very quickly.

As fast as her large body could move she made her way through the passageway. Her hand was constantly on the handle of her sword. She was ready to draw it out at a moment's notice in order to strike down anyone that got in her way. She could barely notice that she walked by a doorway and instead just kept walking.

Maxine did spot one bandit ahead of her, like the other on the outside he looked to be a little drunk but he was still aware of what was happening. When he saw her there he knew instantly that something was wrong. He watched as she drew her large sword and walked toward him. In response he too drew out a sword that he had been carrying and went to attack his much larger opponent.

This didn't work very well for him as Maxine swung her sword at his with such force that it knocked his sword out of his hand. It fell to the ground and the bandit could only fall to the ground in fear. He then felt her iron clad foot step onto his chest, she placed enough force down on him to cause him discomfort but not pain just yet. She needed answers from him and she couldn't do that if he was dead.

"Where is the girl?" asked Maxine. Her voice was sharp and to the point. She looked down at him and if he could see through her helmet he would have been able to see the glare that she was giving him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," replied the Bandit. One thing that he did notice was that there was another bandit behind her. He was approaching her with his sword and seemed like he was ready to strike. But then Maxine increased the weight on the bandit's chest causing him some pain.

"I won't ask again."

Maxine seemed to be completely focused on the man in front of her and she didn't seem to notice the bandit behind her. This bandit lifted his sword in a stabbing action but his foot hit the floor a little harder than he had expected. This allowed her to hear him and in one quickly swing of her sword the confrontation between the pair was over. The sword wielding bandit dropped his sword and then fell to the ground. The wasn't the only part of him that struck the ground as both of his hands had also been cut off. The shock of it all left him unconscious and bleeding heavily.

The bandit underneath Maxine's foot saw what had happened and his fear of her increased dramatically. He saw her looking down at him again, he thought that he too would suffer a similar fate if he didn't tell her where he kidnapped girl was. He was in pain as she momentarily increased weight being forced down onto her foot and thus onto his unprotected chest.

"S-She's at the end of this tunnel," said the Bandit. "But she's being guarded by our strongest members. You won't get to her very easily."

"I didn't expect it to be easy," replied Maxine. "How many of them are there?" This time she didn't increase any of her force as she felt that there was no need to do that. She was getting the answers that she needed.

"Only two but they're the McGrath brothers. Even you don't stand a chance against both of them."

"Maybe, maybe not." She then took her foot off of his chest and continued to look down at him. "Your friend here is going to die of blood loss unless you help him. Just be sure that you're both not here when I come back."

Maxine didn't wait to hear an answer and instead simply stepped over him and continued to walk. She kept in mind about what she had been told, the McGrath brothers was not a name that she had heard before. She wasn't too surprised by this and simply kept walking but she stayed vigilante.

Her sword was still in her hands but there was also blood on it. She looked at it for a moment and then thought that she would have Charles clean it for her when she returned to Teasel.

With seemingly nothing standing in her way Maxine continued to walk down the tunnel with authority. If she were to have her way it would be impossible for anyone to stop her but she still stayed cautious. Her father Sir Tucker had taught her that the biggest mistake a knight could make was being overconfident. It was easy to think that because of her size and strength that she was unbeatable. This kind of thinking would likely lead her to biting more than she could chew.

Eventually she came to a large cavern inside of the mine where it seemed obvious to her that much of the mining had taken place there. It was a mostly large and empty space but she did see a bandit sitting down and eating some food. He didn't seem to notice her at first but when he began to hear the distinct metal clinking sound of her armour he turned his head toward her and saw her stepping toward him.

The Bandit instinctive ran toward her with his sword and she simply stood still. She waited for him to strike which he did by slashing the sword onto her chest. He hoped that this would cause some damage but thanks to her thick armour the sword couldn't cut through. This surprised him but the next thing he felt was her hand grabbing his neck.

Without much effort Maxine picked up the bandit by his neck and threw him over her head and he landed on the ground behind her. It was enough to stun him for now and she simply walked away. One thing she did was kick his sword to one side and left him there. He was no threat to her so she simply left him be.

This had not gone unnoticed as there had been others on the far end of the cavern that had seen the brief encounter take place. This had fallen under her notice at first but when she saw half a dozen more bandits draw out their swords and quickly make their way toward her. She quickly made sure that she had a tight grip on her own sword but there was one thing that she noticed.

One of the group, hadn't stopped to fight, instead he had run down a passageway that was on the far end of the cavern. She suspected that he had gone to warn the others but there was nothing that she could do to stop him. Not with the bandits ahead of her but as she stepped closer they began to see just how big she was. She was by far the largest human being that they had ever seen and this terrified them. They took a couple of steps back and their fear was obvious for her to see. These were not trained soldiers but rather a group of ne'er-do-wells who had barely been trained with a sword. Taking them out would be effortless for her and she just calmly kept walking.

"This is your one and only warning," said Maxine in a commanding tone. She had also begun to truly master the art of intimidation. If she could win this battle with words she wouldn't have to bloody her sword anymore than she needed to. "Stay out of my way and you will not be harmed." There were a few seconds of silence before one of the bandits screamed and charged at her. The others did not follow and his efforts were met with a strong kick to the chest that sent him flying back several feet. There was a loud cracking sound that was a strong indication that at least a couple of his ribs had been broken by the impact. He landed on the ground and quickly started coughing and wheezing in pain. Maxine looked at him for a few moments before looking at the group again. "Would anyone else like to fill his shoes?" Not a word was spoken but each of them shook their heads at her and dropped their weapons. "Good." She then began to walk by them and they did nothing to stop her. "If you're still here when I come back you'll be heading to the gallows."

The bandits could do nothing but watch as she continued to walk toward the other passageway. They wanted to stop her but they knew that they were incapable of doing so. They had only joined this group so that they could get some easy money, now they were facing a threat that they were woefully unprepared for.

One of the bandits went to try and strike Maxine when she walked him. However, one of the other bandits stopped him, he knew what would happen if the attempt had been a success. It would only annoy the towering woman and would probably do little to hurt her. At least this way he was able to walk away with his body still intact.

She didn't seem to notice this and simply kept walking. She knew that she was close to reaching her goal, she imagined that in a few short minutes that she would be taking the little girl away from the mines and bringing her back to her father. Everything seemed to be going well, a little too well for her liking.

Maxine soon found herself in another small passageway. This one wasn't lit up as well as the other one had been and she was finding it difficult to see where she was going. There still didn't seem to be anything that could slow her down. Instead she just kept walking but she suddenly heard something.

There was a loud metallic smashing sound that met the ears of the nine-foot woman. This was quickly accompanied by a terrible sensation of pain in the chest of Maxine. It was enough to make her stagger back a few steps and gasp for air. She could tell that she had been struck with a hammer but not a tool hammer. From its size and impact it felt much more like a Warhammer.

Maxine continued to stagger back and she even went down to one knee. Her thick armour was dented and when she looked ahead she could see the outline of a large built man. She couldn't see what he looked like exactly but she knew that she was in a lot of trouble, maybe more than she could deal with.

You must login (register) to review.