A week after the incident with Captain Morgan, word got around that she had perfect control of her transformed state and various shifters came to her for advice. A handful of priests approached her as well for other reasons that they wouldn't reveal unless she visited their church. She had no intention of doing that and at the moment, she was dealing with a werewolf that came to her for advice.
"I'm getting tired of repeating myself," Maxine grumbled to a much smaller young woman, "Do not consider the 'beast' as separate being from yourself. It's just another aspect of your personality that you normally keep under wraps. By giving that aspect of yourself a separate identity, you are giving it power over you. In simpler terms, you must accept, understand, and embrace the bestial aspect of yourself. This has to be done wholeheartedly, no half measures. Only then will you gain complete control of yourself in your shifted state. If you can't do that, you will continue to loose control every time that you change."
"I don't want to become a monster," the young woman said firmly.
"You're not listening," Maxine growled, "That 'thing' is a part of you! You can deny it all you want, but it won't change anything. What you can change is how you approach the problem. If you can't do that, don't come around here anymore. I don't need the stress."
The young woman glared angrily at Maxine as if Maxine had just lied to her before storming off. Maxine sighed. She really wished that the shifters would listen. "They're persistent," Emily said from behind Maxine.
"And consistently refuse to believe me," Maxine complained as she turned around and glanced at Emily's swollen belly, "How are the two of you doing?"
"Fine for the most part," Emily said calmly, "I just feel a few odd cravings is all, but you already know about that."
"I'm just surprised that you're not suffering from any of the other pregnancy related issues," Maxine said, "Even cultivators can suffer from nausea during a pregnancy, but you are perfectly fine. It's a rarity, not that I'm complaining."
"I for one am very happy to have an easy pregnancy," Emily said happily, "It's just the birthing part that has me worried. You know that my mom had an equally easy pregnancy as I have had, but she went through eight hours of labor before giving birth to me."
"I've heard that story from Howard at least a dozen times before we came here," Maxine reminded Emily.
"Yeah, he kept forgetting that he told us," Emily smiled fondly, but her expression became worried the next moment, "I hope he's still with us when we get back. I want him to see his great grand child."
"He is an iron stage cultivator and started cultivating later in life than most," Maxine pointed out, "So, he should have at least another couple decades in him."
"I know, but I still worry," Emily answered honestly and swiftly changed the subject, "Anyways, do you plan on visiting that church?"
"I havn't decided," Maxine replied, "They were evasive when I asked why they were interested in me."
"It probably has something to do with the goddess of creation and destruction that they worship," Emily pointed out and Maxine felt like smacking herself upside the head, "And judging by your expression, you forgot to look into the local religions."
"Yeah, I sort of did," Maxine admitted.
"Fine, I'll explain. It's not particularly complicated," Emily said, "There are two major religions. The most popular one is the Twin God religion. Those twins represent order and chaos. Their battles were said to have created the forces that lead up to the birth of life within the universe. This religion boils down to a good vs evil aesthetic. Now the goddess of creation and destruction is far more interesting. She is often considered insane by non-believers since she destroys and creates things in equal measure, but she's actually maintaining a balance of sorts. By destroying old and dying things, she creates room for new life and matter. There is even some lore showing instances of her directly intervening to protect children, or rather new life. But the most interesting part is that there is very little conflict between these religions. They get into theological debates, but rarely ever fight it out."
"Oh?" Maxine said in surprise, "That's surprising. Still, I rather avoid getting involved with any religious group." I don't want to find out what those guys are willing to do once they find out that I don't follow similar beliefs. Although, once they find out that I have near overwhelming power compared to everyone else, they may end up worshiping me instead. I DO NOT want that kind of attention. I'm not a narcissist. Not to mention I would glow like a torch at midnight to any race with advanced sensors if I were to use more than ten percent of my full strength. There just isn't enough high level cultivators on this planet to conceal my energy signal.
"I don't blame you," Emily agreed. They both knew the kind of horrors that humanity can and will inflict upon itself due to differing religious beliefs.
"Anyways, what are you and mom making for dinner?" Maxine asked.
"A stir-fry with those large stringy grains that they have here," Emily said before she began to complain, "I really miss rice. Why couldn't they have a variant of it around here?"
"Rice is unique to our homeland," Maxine pointed out, "Trust me, I've tried finding alternatives in the past. None of them are suitable."
"That's too bad," Emily remarked, but after glancing out a window, she added via spiritual sense, [Are we being watched, again?]
"Yeah, we'll just have to work with what we've got," Maxine complained, [Yes, there are twelve people from at least three different countries watching us. And another two that I have no idea what their intentions are, but those two are highly trained. If it wasn't for a few very minor tells, I wouldn't have even noticed them. It's possible that those two are hiding, like we are.]
"At least, the local butcher sells the most flavorful meats," Emily commented, [Is one of those twelve that grocer across the street?]
"True," Maxine agreed, [Yes, he's one of the more overt ones. Melvin told me that he's from this nation. That man was sent by one of the more paranoid noblemen to make sure of our 'peaceful' intentions.]
"Anyways, I should go back to the kitchen to help mom with dinner," Emily said as she turned around and walked away, [That's idiotic. Are they trying to sow discord with their lack of trust? And who are those two you're not sure about?]
"Alright, try not to over do it. You might hurt the baby," Maxine warned Emily, [That lovely couple that moved in next door and it was several small things like how the missus held her knife when cutting vegetables or how her husband's hand always gravitated towards his waist whenever something unexpected happened. Hell, the way they move is a giveaway of their extensive training and experience.]
[That doesn't prove anything beyond their abilities,] Emily pointed out, [They could have retired and chose this area to raise a family.]
[True,] Maxine agreed to that point, [That's why I said that I didn't know what their intentions are. Regardless, I'm not going to go pick a fight with anyone as long as they don't.]
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
[Fair enough,] Emily replied, [Oh, it looks like Melvin hasn't given up on you just yet. I just spotted him heading for the front door.]
[Thanks for the heads up,] Maxine said as she severed the spiritual sense connection and she moved towards the front door.
She opened it right as Melvin Temmil was about to knock on it. He immediately gave her an annoyed look. "You're going to have to tell me how you keep doing that," Melvin Temmil complained, "This is the third time in as many days that you've opened the door before I could knock."
"My sister-in-law saw you approaching from the window," Maxine said bluntly, "And I opened the door just as I caught your scent. Good enough for you?"
"My scent?" Melvin Temmil asked out loud before he smelled his armpit, "I don't smell anything."
"That's because you're used to it," Maxine said bluntly, "Your natural musk is rather potent, at least, to shifters."
"Oh, is that why they keep giving me those odd looks? Because I stink?" Melvin Temmil asked.
"Not exactly. Your scent is just more potent than most," Maxine replied, "Why do you think most shifters bathe daily? We find strong smells very unpleasant." Technically, I'm not lying. Most shifters actually have an incredibly sensitive sense of smell. Although, in my case, it's more of a sense of taste. I never realized how sensitive it was until I could literately taste the stink coming off of a hunter that hadn't bathed for a few days. It took me hours to get that taste off of my tongue!
"That's unfortunate," Melvin Temmil said with a slight wince and had a sudden look of realization, "That toxic sludge smells so that it leaves my nose burning. I can't imagine what it's like for you to bathe in it."
"Actually, to me, it's a rather pleasant smell," Maxine replied honestly, "I'm not entirely sure why."
"Who knows," Melvin Temmil said, "Biology has never been one of my strong subjects."
"It's not important," Maxine said, "Anyways, is there any other reason you came by? Or are you just visiting?"
"Yes, there is a reason," Melvin Temmil said while scratching the back of his head, "Our nation is acting as a neutral ground for the Chanti Empire and the Lentin Republic to commence their peace talks in a week or so. I'm here to request that you act as one of the guards to keep the delegates safe."
"And how much are they going to pay me?" Maxine asked.
"A gold piece a day and the peace talks are expected to take at least two weeks ," Melvin Temmil said calmly. Maxine raised her eyebrow at that. The pay was very generous.
"Am I expected to maintain my shifted state?" Maxine asked cautiously and noticed Melvin Temmil wince slightly.
"Yes," Melvin Temmil answered. So, they want to reveal that they have shifters stable enough to stand guard.
"I won't be the only shifter there, will I?" Maxine asked.
"No, you won't," Melvin Temmil replied, "There will be at least dozen others."
"Fine, but I expect to be fed," Maxine demanded, "My shifted state uses up a lot of energy."
"We expected that," Melvin Temmil said calmly, "A massive table heaped with various high density food will be made available during the peace talks. It should be able to sustain everyone for a long period of time."
"That'll suffice, but make sure there's at least forty pounds of meat and fruit for me on that table," Maxine said and she got a strange look from Melvin Temmil.
"You're joking, right?" Melvin Temmil asked uncertainly.
Maxine smiled and said in a serious tone, "Alittle, but truthfully, I need about ten to thirty pounds of meat and/or fruit daily while in my shifted state. It all depends on the quality of the food being served and how active I'll have to be."
"But your shifted state is so ... small compared to other shifters. It's extremely odd that you would need more food than they would," Melvin Temmil reasoned.
"I'm also stronger, faster and more resistant to damage than they are," Maxine pointed out, "Thus, I need more energy to sustain that state. Although, if I'm in a toxic environment, I don't need to eat at all."
"I see," Melvin Temmil said to himself, "I'll do my best to accommodate your nutritional needs."
"Thanks," Maxine said, "Regardless, I'll be able to remain in my shifted state for most of the day without eating much, but I'll still need to have one of my 'bathes' for at least a few hours once I'm done for the day to replenish my reserves."
"That's reasonable," Melvin Temmil said, "But I'll still make sure there is sufficient food present in case there is trouble. We need you to be at your best."
"Good," Maxine said, "Now, is there anything else we need to talk about?"
"Nothing comes to mind, unless you've change your mind about going out on a date with me," Melvin Temmil said with a smile.
"Sorry, but no," Maxine said, "And it's for the best that you give up on me right now."
"I won't do that," Melvin Temmil said firmly.
"Anyways, it's best that you get back to work," Maxine said calmly, "I've spent too much time talking to you as it is. My golden liquor won't brew itself."
"I really wish you wouldn't call it that," Melvin Temmil complained, "It almost sounds like you're making alcohol from urine, even though I now that you're using honey." Only a pervert would think like that. Seems like I learned something new about Melvin that I didn't know before.
"Would you prefer honeyed brew?" Maxine asked.
"Please," Melvin Temmil practically begged her.
"Alright, I'll call it that from now on," Maxine acquiesced, "Still, I really should get back to it."
"In that case, farewell," Melvin Temmil said as he bowed his head slightly before leaving.
"Farwell," Maxine said to his retreating form. Finally, some peace and quiet. His persistence might be charming to someone else, but to me, it's downright annoying. And to be honest, there isn't much to be done in regards to making mead. I've already got a dozen barrels in various stages of fermentation and they don't need constant attention. I was just using that as an excuse to get away from him.
Maxine walked to the small storage room filled with several barrels of fermenting honey and thumped each one on the side to gauge how far along they were. With a slight nod of her head, she left the storage room and went to the kitchen to find something to eat. She grabbed a small fruit and munched on that while she made her way to the clinic.
About halfway there, she frowned in annoyance when her clone, Thera, encountered a rather annoying patient that refused to pay when they clearly could. It happened every once in awhile, but Maxine knew how to handle them. She just had to give them a little scare. Unfortunately, Maxine couldn't have Thera do that since she had Thera act like a very gentle person.
Maxine entered the clinic and said, "Hey, sis. Is someone trying to take advantage of you again?" Maxine intentionally made her right eye glow briefly while she glared at the culprit and it just so happened to be an obstinate merchant.
"I'm the victim here!" the merchant roared, "Her feeble skills failed to heal my injured wrist. I refused to pay!"
"Oh, if she's unable to cure you, we need to amputate it immediately," Maxine said as she moved swiftly to grab a saw.
"Amputate?" the merchant said fearfully.
"Yes, it's most likely a horrible infection that literately makes your flesh rot away," Maxine said grimly as she swiftly grabbed his hand and forced it down on the table, "If we don't amputate it now, you will loose more than just a hand. Now, hold still." She swiftly placed the saw just above his wrist and he started struggling to free himself.
"WAIT!" the merchant wailed, "I may have exaggerated."
"So, you lied," Maxine said flatly as she loosened her grip, "Are you an idiot? Lying to a healer is one of the dumbest things you can do. Otherwise, we might accidentally chop something off that didn't need to be or let an illness go untreated. I don't know what was going through your head when you lied like that. I mean I might get it if you were poor, but clearly you've got money to spare. I mean no one is THAT greedy to refuse to pay a healer for their work when they can pay." She watched as the merchant's face winced repeatedly while she reprimanded him.
"Fine, fine. I'll pay!" the merchant acquiesced as he dropped a small bag of silver on the table and Maxine finally released him.
"You could've just done that in the first place," Maxine said calmly and had Thera speak up immediately after, "Come now, Maxine. I think he's had enough of a scare."
"Fine," Maxine said as she made her eyes glow gold before walking away to the back of the clinic. She enters the room she uses to compound her beauty creams and shuts the door behind her before sitting down. Within moments, she was already working on making more of the beauty cream. She did it more to keep herself occupied, but grunted in surprise when the obstinate merchant began to offer to buy a lot of the beauty cream from Thera at their usual price. So, that's why he started up a fuss earlier. He wanted to drive down the price per jar due to her 'poor' treatment of him. Bastard. I'll make him sweat it out and force him to buy it at a little more than our normal price. Either way, he'll make a killing once this stuff has been proven to work as advertised. Afterall, what woman doesn't want to retain her beauty longer? And as a bonus, we'll have more money saved up. Never know when we might have to leave this city and start over somewhere else. It's irritating that we have to hide at all. If those greedy alchemists had half a brain, they would leave me alone. I've already proven that I'm very capable at making poisons. Sadly, it's just not enough to keep them in line. On that note, I need to find a way to speed up my cultivation. That way I can do a show of force to scare them off and I refuse to go around killing people like daddy did. It would accomplish the same thing, but I'm not a psychopath.
