Maxine and Charles were taken out of the warehouse and very close to the shoreline. Although it was still daylight, the two men didn't seem to have any problems with moving around out. If anyone did see them, they did nothing to help and instead just went on with their own business without giving the group a second thought.

For most of the time Maxine had been struggling as best as she could but it was of little use. She couldn't help but fantasise about being her normal size and throwing the two men in whatever direction she wanted and then crushing the skull of the Weasel. But right now, this wasn't possible but something else began to creep into her mind.

This was a lesson that her father had taught her some years ago when he had been training her. Even then she was around eight feet tall and strong enough to overpower practically any man. Sir Tucker knew that Maxine's size and strength would allow her to get out of almost any situation that she found herself in... but not all of them. Size and strength only went so far and a knight had to use strategy as well to win a fight or a situation where they were at a disadvantage.

This was such a situation and rather than kicking or screaming Maxine instead calmed herself and took some deep breaths. Although she was very angry with everything that had taken place, she still knew that she couldn't allow her anger to guide her hand this time. Instead it would take brains rather than brawn.

As she tried to think, the first thing that she thought about was exactly what she had on her person. Immediately there wasn't anything that came to mind that she thought would be useful. She would have liked her hunting knife but she had given that away when she had gotten the information that she needed. Now, she somewhat regretted doing that but she didn't think that it entirely mattered.

Instead Maxine also looked over to Charles and she could see that he was scared. In a way he was having a panic attack as not only was the situation getting the better of him but the trauma of the night at the cultist inn. Her biggest regret wasn't losing her size or her dagger, instead it was putting him in this scenario in the first place.

With everything that Charles had done for her, putting him in harm's way was the last thing that she had wanted. He was the only man that she truly considered a friend and if he were to get hurt or worse than she would blame herself for the rest of her days. She wasn't just thinking of a plan for her own benefit, it was also because she wanted to save him and not because she could gain a life debt over him.

One thing that she did notice was that the guard carrying her did have a knife on his belt. It wasn't much but to her, it did give her an idea. However, before she could make any decisions, she had to wait to see how events played out.

"So, what do you want to do with them?" asked One of the Guards as they both continued to carry Maxine and Charles. They had noticed that they were barely struggling but this was something that wasn't unexpected. Sometimes they captured people, they would struggle at first and then accept their fate. It seemed like Maxine and Charles had done the same thing. "The boss said that we could do whatever we want with them."

"I say we dump him and have a little fun with her," replied the Other Guard. He was a little shorter than his colleague and he was the one who was holding onto Maxine and a smile appeared in his face. "That sound good to you?"

"Yeah, I'll see you in a minute." This was when Maxine realised that she was about to be separated from Charles, this was something that she couldn't allow to happen as he would likely be killed before she could help him.

"Wait, you don't want to do that," said Maxine. She had a few moments to think before but now she was going to have to be cautious.

"Why not?" replied the shorter Guard. He still had a firm grip on her and she could only imagine what was running through his mind.

"It wouldn't be wise I can tell you that."

"Oh, I'm all ears."

Although her arms were short, they were still long enough to reach the knife that was on the Shorter Guard's belt. Before he even knew what was happening Maxine grabbed onto the knife and stabbed him in the arm with it. She had put some power into it and the pain that he experienced was enough to cause him to release his grip on her. Rather than trying to recapture her, his attention was instead drawn to the wound on his arm and he held onto it as he could still feel the pain.

The Taller Guard was taken by surprise by all of this as he didn't know exactly what was happening. All he could see was that Maxine was free and his colleague had blood running down his arm. Before he could think about what he should do he felt a sharp stabbing pain in his leg. Like the shorter guard, he fell over in pain and in turn let go of Charles who seemed to be just as confused as him.

Out of all of them, it was Maxine who was standing tall. She held the bloody knife in her hand and looked down at the two men who had wanted to kill both her and her squire. This angered her a great deal and normally she would have gone for a killing blow, instead she thought that the wounds that they had were non-life threatening. She remembered the promise that she had made to her mother and despite the situation she was determined to keep this promise.

"Your wounds are serious but will not take your lives if you see a Healer quickly," said Maxine. Both of them seemed to be losing quite a lot of blood and she just glared at them. "I suggest you make a move before you bleed out."

The two men remained quiet for a moment; they knew that they had a job to do but they also realised that there was a chance that they could die from blood loss. Because of this they valued their lives more than their jobs as they quickly moved away from the pair. The guards needed each other to move themselves along but all they could do was glance back at Maxine before they went for emergency medical attention.

Maxine couldn't help but give a sigh as her heart had been beating very quickly. She had been nervous as she wasn't sure if she could have fought off the guards if they decided to stand and fight. Now that they were alone for the moment, she went down to Charles who was still on the ground. She still had the knife in her hand and although she knew that he would be nervous around it, she needed to keep it for protection.

"Are you alright Charles?" asked Maxine as she held out her free hand. He didn't really say anything as he simply nodded his head and took her hand. Helping him to his feet was a much more difficult task than she remembered. Despite her lack of size and strength, she was able to achieve the task. "Good, I'm sorry that it came to that but now we're at a disadvantage. The Weasel knows who we are and pretending to be high borns isn't going to work now."

"What are we going to do?" replied Charles. He was scared but he knew that being afraid wasn't going to help in this situation. Not just that but he also made sure that he couldn't properly see the knife in her hand.

"Simple, we go back inside and take what is rightfully mine. You're at risk, I don't need to explain why. If you want, you can wait for me just outside of town, if I'm not back by dawn tomorrow, leave without me."

"No ma'am, if you're risking your life, I am willing to do the same." These were brave words although he wasn't sure if he could properly back them up when the time came. "We're in this together."

"I appreciate your loyalty and I promise that said loyalty will be rewarded in time. However, we can't go in without a plan."

"Are we going to leave for now and then come back sometime later" This was something that he was hoping but he knew that it was very unlikely.

"No, we can't leave. I can't risk it being sold while we're sitting around and twiddling our fingers. If I don't leave here without my size and strength then I'm not leaving here at all." Charles wanted to believe that her words were simply pride but by now, he knew that she was serious.

"I think I have an idea. If you're willing to listen."

"Right now, I'm interested in any plan that is thrown my way.

Meanwhile, inside of the warehouse the Weasel was still disappointed about the fact that he hadn't sold the magical sphere. But he still had it in his possession and that was something, but he was also feeling cautious. Although he was sure that Maxine and Charles had been dealt with, he couldn't help but feel that there was a small chance that they had somehow survived and escaped.

Because of this he was sure that they would return at some point to try and take the sphere back. He had seen the look in Maxine's eyes, her look and determination were all he needed to know that this wouldn't be her only attempt if she was still alive. Because of this he was sure to send words to the other merchants and hired muscle in the area to keep a look out for the pair. He didn't think it was too important as he was sure that his men had dealt with them, but he hadn't gotten to where he had without being cautious.

One thing that the Weasel did was to make his way to a room that was inside of the warehouse. In comparison to the large area where he made his deals, this one was much smaller and more secure than that one. It had been locked up with a large padlock that looked to be too big and strong for anyone to break. There was only one key in existence belonged to the Weasel himself and there was always someone stationed outside of the door.

Not a single word was spoken as he walked up to the door and carefully unlocked the door. Once it had been unlocked, he removed the padlock and chain before opening the door and entering. It was quite dark inside but once a small torch was lit on the wall, he could see the contents that were inside.

Many people would call this a treasure room as the vast majority of the items inside were worth more than any normal person could hope to earn in a lifetime. All of them were gotten through less than legal means and it was likely that quite a lot of it, he would sell it for less than it was actually worth. Then again it would still be much more than he paid for it and this was what allowed him to stay in business like this.

There was one thing that the Weasel was curious about. He had been told that the sphere of magic that he had obtained allowed someone to become bigger and stronger than they had been before. When he had seen Maxine, all he could see was the small and weak woman that she had become. He couldn't help but be curious to think about how big she was when she had the magic inside of her. He imagined that she would probably be head ducking through doorways tall. If he fully realised just how big she was when she had the magic inside of her. It would terrify him to no end.

Just outside of the warehouse Maxine and Charles had hidden themselves but they could see the entrance. It wasn't the main entrance that they had used before but instead seemed to be a side entrance. It too was guarded and for a moment they simply observed what was happening rather than actually going to it straight away. The man standing there didn't look particularly strong but if he was on the Weasel's payroll there was a chance that he was more capable than he seemed.

The situation did seem a little hopeless but if they stuck to Charles's plan there was a small chance that they would be able to succeed. At this moment in time, Maxine was more or less willing to try anything in the hopes of becoming her former self.

Charles did grab a small metal object that he had found nearby. Without saying a word, he gave Maxine a couple of hand signals and quietly she moved into position. During that time, they made sure that they couldn't be seen whatsoever. It was one of the few times where her lack of size.

After a few moments she was able to get a decent distance from him but not far enough away. She took a glance over to him and he gave her the ok sign. In response she nodded and then began to cough quite loudly. Almost immediately the man standing at the door heard the coughing and moved to investigate.

With the guard distracted Charles quickly moved behind him and then struck him in the head with the metal object that he had found. Although he struck the guard with all the strength that she had, it wasn't enough to kill him. Thankfully this was what Charles had expected and the guard fell down to the ground. He was mostly unconscious and he was groaning why he lay on the ground.

Maxine did come out of hiding and she looked down at him. She was still armed with the knife but rather than stabbing him she just looked at the guard. For a moment she looked over to Charles and she felt impressed with him. It was likely that the guard would wake up with a severe headache but hopefully nothing more than that.

"You really took him out," said Maxine as she looked down at the guard again. She nudged his arm with her foot and he barely responded.

"Yeah but he won't be down for long," replied Charles. "We should move him away before anyone notices."

Normally this would be a task that Maxine could achieve by herself with minimum effort. However, now she didn't have a chance so she grabbed onto the Guard's wrists while Charles grabbed his ankles. It took some effort for them to pick him up and move him away, it was somewhat embarrassing for them but after a few minutes they placed him down in a pile of waste that was close by. His body was mostly covered with objects such as wood, some metal and even some food.

One thing that the pair did before they left the guard was to take the set of keys that he had on his person. They didn't know whether they would need them but it was best to have them and not need them, rather than need them and not have them. It was Charles who decided to have them on his person since Maxine still carried the knife.

With their task complete for the time being, Maxine and Charles stepped through the door that had been guarded. Neither of them knew exactly how many people the Weasel had hired in order to protect the warehouse. They didn't know exactly where he was as well but it was likely that he would know where the magical sphere was.

Their plan seemed to be, finding the Weasel and then forcing him to give Maxine her size back. She seemed to be willing to remove more of his fingers if that was what it took. However, Charles knew that such a plan would be foolish and with the lack of information that they had, there was still more that he needed to discover before he could fully decide on the true course of action.

Almost immediately as soon as they stepped inside, they found themselves in low light. It made it difficult for them to properly see where they were going but it was partially due to the fact that they had been used to being in sunlight. It would take a minute for their eyes to adjust before they could begin to look clearer again.

Maxine was the one who wanted to go in like a bull but even she knew that this was unwise. They were quite lucky to escape the last time with their lives intact. It was unlikely that luck would smile on them in such a manner again. Also, the Weasel was unlikely to take any chances with their demise. All in all, it didn't paint a very good picture for them if they were to fail.

As Charles had instructed, neither of them spoke a single word. Instead they would communicate with some hand signals. Each message would be relatively simple and also, they would listen out for anyone. Carefully they made their way through one of the small corridors in mostly darkness. This would work to their advantage as it made them harder to spot, not just that but because of their below average height. It would take just that moment longer for them to be spotted and it could be the difference between life and death.

Just as they went through the corridor, they eventually came across a door which for the moment seemed to be unlocked. Charles hid to the side of the doorway and he still held the metal object that he had picked up earlier. Maxine was the one who opened the door and she had a firm grip on her knife just in case she needed it.

The door was opened carefully and Maxine was ready to go into action if she needed to. Thankfully for the both of them, there didn't seem to be anyone on the other side. The only sound that the pair made was a small sigh of relief. Since the coast was clear they began to make their way down this hallway. It seemed to have been used years ago when it came to transporting fish from one area to another. The smell of fish was still evident, even though it had been some years since a fish last graced this place.

Just as they continued to walk down the hallway, they suddenly began to hear some footsteps. It caused them to quickly stop where they were and for a moment neither of them moved. They observed for a moment but when they realised that the footsteps were coming closer, they quickly tried to find a place to hide.

By the wall there was a barrel that looked to be large enough to hide Maxine. She didn't know exactly what was inside but with her limited options she quickly made her way inside. One thing she did find some difficulty with was her dress. Even though she had been wearing it for a couple of days, she was far from used to wearing it and because of it there were a few times that she struggled with.

Once Maxine was inside it was Charles who had to quickly find a place to hide. This was more difficult for him as there didn't seem to be any obvious hiding places at that moment in time. There was still the barrel but he couldn't hide inside of it, instead he was forced to crouch down by the side of it and hope that he wasn't spotted. When he sat down beside it, he tucked his legs as best as he could. He also lowered his head and tried to make sure that the barrel completely blocked the view of his body. It was hopeful that he wouldn't be spotted but by now it was all down to luck.

"You going down to the brothel after this?" said a Male Voice. The sound of footsteps continued to be heard. By now Maxine and Charles realised that it was two different set of footsteps that they could hear.

"Yeah, it's been a while and I have a hole in my pocket," replied another Male Voice. "You wanna come?"

"Nah, I'm knackered after all of this. Besides I think we'll be working overtime. Dan and Robert haven't come back from their little job. I can imagine that the boss is going to get jumpy. Wouldn't be surprised if he wants us to work extra today."

"Hey, as long as he pays us, I don't mind." Just then they reached the barrel and where the pair was hiding. For a moment it seemed like they didn't notice them. However, when he saw a glance of Charles it caused him to quickly stop and look down at him. "Hey, who the hell are you?"

Charles didn't answer but instead Maxine leapt out of the barrel with the knife in her hand and landed on the second man that had been walking alongside him. This confused the first man who could help but turn to look at what was happening. This was when Charles got up to his feet and struck him with the metal object in his hand.

With all the force that he could muster he struck the second man in the head as hard as he could. For a moment he thought that his attack didn't work but he saw the man fall to the ground and barely move. This caused him to sigh in relief but when he looked over to Maxine, he could see that she was struggling.

Although she had taken him by surprise, she didn't have the strength to take him down straight away. After getting over the shock of the attack, the man was able to grab onto Maxine's wrists and squeeze them to the point where she was forced to drop the knife that she was carrying.

Charles was forced to strike the man in the head with the metal object. It wasn't enough to knock him down but there was some damage that was done. It also gave Maxine the opportunity that she needed to attack. Although she didn't have her knife anymore, she was still able to use all of her bodyweight to knock him down to the ground. He was still conscious but she struck him as many times as she could with her fists.

As Charles looked down at her as she continued to strike the man, he could see the same rage that he had seen at the tavern just outside of Morgan. However, since she was much smaller this time than she was last time the damage was not a severe but with everything that had happened it was still enough to knock him out. Even so, she continued to punch him as she vented her frustration. Her own fists were becoming injured from the impact and yet she fought through the pain. It wasn't until she felt a hand on her shoulder that she finally stopped her attack.

"That's enough," said Charles as he felt he did what he needed to do. Not just to save Maxine from injury, but also so that they could move on before someone happened to spot them. "We have to keep moving."

"Fine," replied Maxine. Her voice was sharp and to the point as she stopped her attack. She also picked up the knife that was close by and she looked at the man as well. Although he was knocked out, he didn't seem as injured as she expected from such an attack. It was just a reminder to her that she wasn't as powerful as she had been before. "Don't wait around and come along!"

Charles didn't argue with her although it was basically the same instruction that he had given to her. Instead they continued to search for the sphere, this included going into several different rooms. Before going into any of the rooms they would look through the keyhole to try and spot anyone inside.

For the next several minutes the pair explored around half a dozen different rooms. All were mostly empty, a few of them did contain something that resembled general rubbish and so it was ignored. All of this only added to Maxine's annoyance as she simply wanted to get her size back as soon as possible.

Eventually they did reach quite close to the door where the valuable items were located. This was something that the pair didn't know but they did see someone standing outside, guarding the room. Charles was the one who figured out that if there was something valuable inside if it were to warrant a guard.

He was also expecting Maxine wanting to approach the guard like some kind of raging bull. Instead he was surprised to see that she seemed relatively calm. Not just that but he could still see the condition of her hands. There were cuts on the knuckles from the punching, although she was likely to be in some pain, she still seemed to be in a calm mood.

For a moment they stopped to observe the guard and they made sure to stay out of his field of vision. Not just that but they both ensured that they couldn't be heard at all. An idea did pop into Charles's head, this was the idea of interrogating this guard since there was a chance that he would know where the sphere was. Little did they know how close they were to it and yet still so far.

In his pocket Charles had a small stone that he had picked up earlier. With some effort he threw it towards the opposite direction from where they were. He made sure that the stone was too low for the guard to see it go flying passed him but not too low that it struck the ground before he wanted it to.

When the stone hit the ground, it did get the attention of the guard who seemed to be taken by surprise. He grunted for a moment and looked down towards where the sound had come from. For a moment he turned around and this was the chance that the pair needed. With all their might they ran forward and were able to tackle him down to the ground. Normally it would be difficult for either of them to achieve this task by themselves but together they were successful.

This time, Charles didn't try to knock the guard out. Instead they were able to turn him onto his back and Maxine sat on his chest. Without much hesitation she stabbed the knife into his hand. As the guard screamed Charles covered his mouth and muffled any sound that could be heard. He was sure not to cover the Guard's nose as they still needed a lot of information out of him.

"You're going to do exactly what I tell you," said Maxine. The tone of her voice showed that she wasn't joking around. Charles didn't think that he had ever heard her with such a serious tone before. "My knife is currently sticking in your hand, if you don't tell me what we want I'll start taking off your fingers one by one. Then I'll begin to focus on more vital body parts."

Charles watched on and he thought that she was beginning to go too far. However, a part of him couldn't blame her for her actions. She had something very important to her taken away and she was willing to go to practically any length in order to get it back. If he was in her shoes, he might do the same thing. But now he could only observe but also keep his eye out for unwanted visitors.