Several moments went by Maxine stood there, the sound of the rain that was now pouring down outside. If she hadn't seemed terrifying before to a normal person, she certainly did now. There was also a look of annoyance on her face as she and Charles had been to several inns that day and each told them that they were full.

"C-Can I help you?" asked the Innkeeper. She always considered herself a tall woman but next to Maxine's she felt tiny.

"My squire and I require a room," replied Maxine who didn't realise that she had just rhymed. To her it wasn't important as she simply wanted to find somewhere to rest for the night. "Do you have any spare?"

"I-I think that we do have a room but..."

"That'll do." Maxine quickly interrupted the Innkeeper before she could explain anything about their room. To the large woman it didn't matter, the only thing that was important was that it was unoccupied."

After paying the fee for the room, both Maxine and Charles followed the Innkeeper and it wasn't long before they came to their room. However, it wasn't what they expected as they looked into the room that they had just rented. The first thing that they noticed was just how small it was. The ceiling was relatively low and the walls were quite close to one another, it seemed like there was no room to really move.

Worse still, there were no windows inside the room so the only light came when the door was open and that was barely any to begin with. As Maxine made her way into the room, she could feel the walls on either side and her head striking the ceiling. She was too big for the room, as far as she was concerned, any average sized adult would be too big for the room in question.

There was also no bed to speak of and if Charles had to guess, this was a room that was used for storage more than anything else. But all the objects had been cleared out so that it could be used to house people who were desperate for a room, such as themselves. They couldn't didn't have a choice but to stay inside as there were no other rooms left in any of the other inns that they had visited.

"Well, I guess this is where we're staying for the night," said Charles as he tried to find the bright side of their situation. Unfortunately, there wasn't really much that he could see that could make things better. "I think I'll take this side of the room and you can take the other, what do you say?"

"I say you help me out of my armour and we can go to sleep," replied Maxine who was far from pleased with the situation. The room made her feel somewhat claustrophobic as her body was simply too big for the room.

"A-As you wish."

The task of removing Maxine's armour was incredibly difficult in such a small space. Not just that but they had to keep the door open so that they could get as much light into the room as they could. A task that normally only took a few minutes, inside here it took over half an hour to complete the job.

Even then, there was a problem with where to put the armour after it had been removed. There was so little space that when Maxine lay down, she could feel her armour pressing against her feet. Not just that but Charles had to lay down beside her again, the ground was hard and cold but it was still better than lying out in the rain.

Even though the floor was cold, he still felt warm as Maxine's body heat helped with this greatly. Like the night before, she couldn't help but wrap her arms around him as she drifted off to sleep. With everything that had happened that day, she really needed a good rest to make sure that she was ready for the morning.

A sleeping arrangement such as this wasn't ideal as what she really needed was a comfortable bed and enough room to move around. Her feet were pressing against her armour and her head was very close to the door. Even when she tried to curled up, she still felt quite compressed and to her it was annoying.

However, Maxine still enjoyed having her friend in her arms and it did help her to sleep. To her she had a lot to look forward to as she thought that getting through the qualifiers would be her first step towards knighthood. Because of this she began to sleep with a smile on her face, as far as she was concerned. Everything was going to go well.

Hours passed and eventually Charles was woken up but he still found himself in darkness. With no windows in the room and the door shut, it was close to impossible to determine what time of day it actually was. Because of this, he slowly got up to his feet and this time he noticed that he was able to get out of Maxine's grip. It hadn't been as strong as it had been the previous night so that was a good reason for it.

Carefully he stepped over the sleeping giantess and opened the door. He had to shield his eyes from the bright light that suddenly came flooding in. For several moments he couldn't see a thing but after almost a minute, his eyes adjusted and he could finally see clearly in the light.

From what he could see, it was morning and there were also some people who were up and moving around. Charles was able to ask the time from one particular patron, this was when he realised that they didn't have too much time before they had to arrive at the qualifiers. There was still some time but he thought that if Maxine slept for much longer, they might not get there in time.

Quickly, he went over to the sleeping giantess and attempted to wake her up. Like the day before, this was a very difficult task as nothing he did seemed to do the trick. He even resorted to slapping her cheeks but this still didn't work either. She was sleeping like a log and it seemed like she would only wake up when she wanted to.

Suddenly an idea did appear in Charles's head as he quickly picked up some money and then made his way downstairs to the main area of the inn. Around a couple of minutes later, he returned with what looked to be a cherry pie. Carefully he placed it not too far away from her face, it was similar to the technique that he used the previous day but he had learned his lesson from it.

"Maxine," said Charles. He could see her nose beginning to twitch as she was beginning to pick the smell of the pie. "I have a nice piece of cherry pie for you here, but you're going to have to wake up."

"Cherry pie?" replied Maxine as her eyes quickly opened. Before Charles knew it, the muscular giantess had sat up and taken the pie out of his hands. He looked and he could see that it was gone within a couple of bites. It wasn't enough to satisfy her but it had done the job that it needed. She was awake and she quickly looked towards him with some anticipation. "Is there any more?"

"That's not important right now." There was a small amount of distress in his voice. "You have the qualifiers to participate in and if you're not there in forty-five minutes, you're going to get disqualified."

"Forty-five minutes?" This made her even more alert than she had been before. "Then what are we doing? We have to go, right now!"

Quickly Maxine got up to her feet but in her haste, she forgot just how low the ceiling was. Because of this, there was a loud thud as her head struck the ceiling. There was a grunt of annoyance from her as she was far from pleased with this. But she faced a further problem of putting on her armour.

Of course, Charles was there to help her but even so, in the limited space it was a very difficult task. This activity took around fifteen minutes off of their time so when they were finally ready to leave the inn, they only had half an hour in order to get to where the qualifiers were taking place.

Originally, they had planned on eating some breakfast before leaving but now it was an impossibility as they rushed as fast as they could. Maxine however was having difficulties moving at such speeds. Her armour still restricted her movement but taking it off wasn't an option. Instead she would have to endure and hope for the best while she could hear her armour constantly striking itself.

Missing breakfast could prove to be a costly mistake and for Maxine in particular she hadn't drunk her ale that often helped her get up in the morning. Plus, she did need food to keep herself going as her large body needed energy. She had eaten a piece of pie earlier but for someone of her stature, that was nothing more than a sweet snack.

Running was also somewhat difficult for Charles as although he was able to keep up with the armoured giantess, he was still getting use to moving around with his sword. Feeling it moving around somewhat awkward for him and he was afraid that it would strike him as he ran and cause some kind of injury to himself. However, since it was sheathed, this was something that wouldn't happen. Even so it was still a worry but like her, he couldn't stop in order to make himself more comfortable.

Several people did look at them as they ran by as they thought that it was interesting and also quite comical. There were a few chuckles that could be heard and normally Maxine would give them a glare or some kind of harsh words but this time she couldn't do a thing. She feared that if she stopped then she would end up being late.

Unfortunately, the closer that they came to their destination which was close to the centre of Lake Town, the busier the streets became. Not only were there the qualifiers taking place that day but also a market that was held there twice a week. There were merchants selling their wares in almost every direction that the pair looked. There was even a chance that some of the weapons and armour that the Martel family had forged in Morgan.

Thankfully, it wasn't difficult for Charles to keep track of Maxine as she towered above everyone else in the crowd. There were a few moments where he thought that there was too much distance between them and quickly, he picked up the pace. He had been able to catch up with her relatively quickly. So that she didn't lose him again, she grabbed onto his hand and in her haste accidentally held on too tightly. This caused him some pain and when she glanced back to him, she could see the discomfort in his face. Seeing that her grip was too strong, she carefully loosened it so that he wasn't in pain anymore.

One other advantage to Maxine's size was that she was able to force her way through any crowd. This one of merchants and the general public was no different as many got out of the way of the nine-foot woman and her squire as they came by. A couple of people who didn't get out of the way in time did feel her armour push against them but they didn't fall over. They had been able to move just enough away so that the force of her body didn't knock them down. Even if she had, it was unlikely that she would have stopped to help as she was simply in too much of a hurry.

After several minutes, Maxine was able to see the building that they needed to attend. It was a large, stadium like building which was the largest in town. It was used for other events rather than just duels between knights. Quite often, it was used to hold livestock as people would come from quite far around to buy and sell such creatures. There were also some people who were entering so that they could watch the qualifiers take place. Rather than requiring tickets, they simply paid to go inside and find their own seat somewhere in the spectator area.

Despite her haste, she couldn't help but be blocked by a horse and cart that happened to be walking right in the way. Unfortunately, her momentum was too great for her to stop and she slammed into the side of the creature. Normally the horse would remain standing but due to the sheer size of Maxine, it found itself falling to the ground.

The person who had been steering the horse found himself thrown to the ground as well as the cart toppled as well. Never had he thought that a single person would be able to knock over his horse singlehandedly. Even though, it wasn't intentional, the act had still been done and people who were there already seen it.

Maxine didn't fall to the ground but she was a little unsteady on her feet for a few moments but she was able to recover relatively quickly. It was only then that she realised what had happened and she groaned as she had suffered an impact injury from the collision. The injury still stung but it would likely not last for too long.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked the Driver as he was able to get up to his feet. The cart that he had been steering was thankfully empty so that there was nothing that fell to the ground and could be damaged or stolen. He was a relatively short man and even though he realised just how big Maxine was, he didn't seem to be afraid of her. "You could have killed me!"

"You're the one who drove a horse right in my way," replied Maxine who was far from pleased with the situation that she had found herself in. "You're lucky that you haven't broken a bone."

It was quite a surreal sight for Charles to see. This man who was only around as tall as him was practically squaring up to a nine-foot armoured woman who had a relatively short temper. He didn't think that it would end well and he knew that he had to make sure that the situation didn't become any worse.

"You hurt my horse!" stated the Man with an angry tone. "I'll make sure that you pay for that!"

"Lower your tone to me little man," replied Maxine who was allowing her temper to get the better of her. "Or else it won't only be your horse's health that you'll have to be worrying about."

"Let's all calm, down shall we?" asked Charles as he stepped forward. He made sure that he stood between them so that he could create some space between them. "We don't want to be losing our heads."

"Tell your woman to know her place!" answered the Man and Charles knew that this would light a fire right under Maxine. Before he could say another word, he could see a giant, armour clad hand reach down and grab him by the throat. Without any hesitation and with little effort, she was able to lift him off his feet and bring him up to her level.

"Say that to me again!" demanded Maxine as she was seeing red. She knew how easy it would be to simply snap his neck right there and then. To her it would be as easy as simply moving her wrist. "I dare you!"

The Man was struggling to break out of Maxine's grip and it was an impossible task for him. The only way that he would be free is if she released him. At that moment in time it seemed like something that was unlikely to happen.

Charles could see that his worst fears were about to take place and he knew that he needed to do something quickly. He doubted that Maxine would kill this man but he could see the pure rage on her face and there was always the possibility that there could be an accident which resulted in something that couldn't be taken back.

"Maxine!" stated Charles with some anxiety in his voice. "Please, you have to stop!" He held his arms up to her and he watched as she looked down to him.

There were several moments where Maxine turned her head and looked down at her squire. She could see the worry on his face and because of this she did release her grip around the Man's neck. Unfortunately for him, she hadn't lowered him when she did this so he fell down to the ground.

A thud could be heard when the man struck the ground and Maxine took a few steps away. She then looked down at the horse that had been knocked over, from what she could see, it didn't look injured. It just couldn't get back up to its feet thanks to the harnesses that attached it to the cart.

With some effort she was able to help it up to its feet and also turn the cart back to its right position. Such a task would normally be impossible for a normal person but for someone like Maxine, it was very much possible. Even though it wasn't a simple task, she had the strength to succeed.

"Come along Charles," said Maxine once she had completed her task. As she looked at the horse and cart, it looked as though it could just walk away if it wanted. "We're running late, leave him be."

Charles didn't waste any time in running over to her and following her towards the stadium like building. The Man was sitting on the floor and he had a hand around his neck as he could feel some discomfort. He couldn't see that there was a red mark on it where her hand had been. It was likely that this bruise would last for some time but eventually he would recover from such injuries.

One thing that he did notice was that his horse and cart were now upright and slowly he stepped towards it and climbed into the driver's seat. He looked over to Maxine as it was easy to spot her from a distance. He was still far from happy with everything that had happened but rather than pursue any further he decided to cut his losses and simply go on with his day and try to forget what happened. It seemed that his stance of always standing up for himself had not worked out well for him this day.

Maxine gave him no more mind as she quickly continued to make her way towards the building with Charles close by her. Thankfully there were no more distractions for them and they soon arrived at one of the entrances. Unfortunately for them it wasn't the entrance that they were looking for. Instead it was one of the spectator's entrances but there was someone there who could point them in the right direction.

It was a few minutes later before Maxine finally arrived and at first, she wasn't allowed to enter. This was something that she had expected as there were a couple of people standing at the competitor entrance where they made sure that only those who had registered could go inside. They had to make sure that she had actually registered and when they looked up her name, they could see it in black and white.

However, there was a slight problem when it came to Charles entering. At first, he wasn't allowed entry and one of the guards on duty even laughed at him a little as they couldn't believe that someone like him was entering the tournament. However, Maxine ensured that no real abuse came to him. She threatened those who even considered insulting her squire and she was more than willing to back up her words. Even if it meant being disqualified from the tournament. She was sure of one thing, no one disrespected her friend.

Once the confusion was cleared up, Charles was allowed to enter as they realised that he was not entering as a competitor but rather a squire. Even though some still found it funny that a man was the squire of a woman. Even though she was nine-feet tall woman with muscles bigger than most people's head, it was still a humorous for them to see.

Such words did take a knock on his confidence but to her she simply ignored it. As far as she was concerned, they were just words and actions spoke far louder than they did. Plus, if she did anything like that, she would most likely be disqualified from the entire tournament. This was something that she couldn't allow to happen.

Now that she had been fully registered and had arrived in time, Maxine and Charles was led into a relatively large hall where there were other people there waiting. Her arrival did bring some attention as she was by far the largest person there. It also gave her a few moments to eye up the competition.

The first couple of people that she noticed were the two men from the Bathhouse the previous day. She gave them a glare and they quickly turned away as they were still terrified of her. Some of the others that she could see did interest her, there were competitors of all different shapes and sizes. From what she could see, her mind could tell which competitors would be focused on strength and which would lean more towards speed.

There was one competitor that did catch her eye. He leaned against the wall of the hall and his armour was shining in a manner that Maxine didn't think was possible. It looked as though it was brand new but from the way that he presented himself, it didn't seem like he was some kind of rookie.

She couldn't put her finger on it but there was something about him that seemed strange to her. Something that she thought would be worth keeping her eye on as he didn't seem to be like the other people in the hall. One thing that she had noticed was that he was one of the few people to not really take notice of her.

There wasn't much that Maxine could tell of the armoured man in terms of appearance. His body and face were covered in the armour, to the point that she could only see a small part of his brown beard underneath his helmet. He was around average height and although she couldn't see his body due to his armour, she thought that his build was also average.

It seemed somewhat confusing for why a man who seemed to be so average besides his armour would decide to enter such a tournament. Even though it was just the qualifiers, it was unlikely that he would be here if it wasn't for some kind of skill behind his blade. There was something about him that reminded her of her father, she knew that it wasn't him as a back injury that he had suffered a few years ago would prevent him from such a competition. Not just that but her mother wouldn't allow it, she would likely grow to giant size and pin him to the ground in order to prevent him from doing such a thing.

Her notice hadn't gone unnoticed by Charles who also looked over to this mysterious competitor. He could see her looking over to him with some determination on her face. He had seen this look before when she took a person or threat seriously. Because of this, he wasn't sure what to make of this and simply stood there with some confusion and muteness.

"Excuse me, can I have everyone's attention?" asked a Voice. This drew everyone's gaze to a man who was standing next to a blackboard. He was a portly man with a balding head and a black moustache. It was obvious to anyone there that he wasn't a competitor of any kind and looked to be some kind of official. "Before we begin, thank you to everyone who has decided to enter today. "Unfortunately, there are an odd number of competitors this time around so it does mean that some of you will be fighting more matches than the others in order reach the finals in Royal City. Now to go over the rules, the only weapons that are allowed to be used are the ones that a contestant has registered. Any additional weapons used will be a violation and thus said contestant will be disqualified."

Maxine listened to this and she didn't have to worry about this. She had registered her sword and armour already. There was her hunting knife but she didn't plan on using that and it was likely that Charles would be the one in possession of it when she would be battling. That way she wasn't tempted to use it.

"Killing will be permitted in this tournament unless it is seen as unnecessary force," said the Official. "For an example, if a competitor kills another competitor who has already been defeated then they will be disqualified on the spot and likely face some criminal charges." He looked over at the competitors and he couldn't help but feel intimidated by them somewhat but he still kept his composure. "Now we shall begin the draw to see who will be facing who in the tournament. Whichever place you are put is set and it is impossible to change it once it is official."

One by one each of the competitors stepped up so that they could draw numbers and then they would know where they would rank. It was a difficult draw to predict and some of the competitors were pleased with what they drew while others were disappointed. None of them wanted to battle in the extra matches and were hoping to get a bye.

Eventually the time came for Maxine to step forward and draw a number. All eyes were on her as she stepped forward and picked out a number out of the box that had been placed there. It took a moment for her to get her hand inside as her armoured hand was initially too big to fit through the hole that had been made. It took some effort but she was able to complete the task as she pulled out a piece of paper.

Quickly she opened it up and saw the number seventeen written onto it. Even though she wasn't able to read very well, she understood numbers. Because of this she looked to the board and could see her name being written down under the number seventeen. Much to her annoyance, she could see that she had an additional round in comparison to a fair few of the other competitors.

In the end, she decided that it didn't matter as it was only an additional opportunity to show off her skills and hopefully impress those in attendance. Now she had something to look forward to as if everything went to plan, by the end of the day, she would qualify for the main tournament and be on her way to glory.