(Max)

"Thank you, Big Flame," me say. "For not telling Boss and Boss-Boss where Max be going."

You're welcome, he says. And good luck.

"Thank you," me tell him, then sit down and remove my boots.

After wiggling my toes a little, me put Max's boots in me Inventory, then pull off me pants and put that in me Inventory. Me pull out a pair of shorts and pull them on. Does Boss know such things exist? They only be down to me knees, rather than down to me feet. This place be far too warm to wear full clothes, like what we be wearing in Maelnor and the valley. Then, me remove me tunic and put in me Inventory, too. From there, I pull out a different style of tunic. This one be without any sleeves at all. Boss maybe knows about them, even if he never see them.

After pulling on the tunic, me equip me sword and knife on me belt, then stretch.

This place be way too warm. Me not like it. Max not liking the sand everywhere, either.

Taking a few breaths, me focus on calming self. No time for high energy, no time for goofiness. Must be serious. Last time me be here, Max was forced to fight in the pits. That not be fun. Forced to kill.

This time, Max might have to kill again. But me not fighting in the pits this time. Me here for something else. Two somethings. And me not leaving without them. No matter what.

After checking Max's equipment, me start walking, descending the steps of the Dark Temple and into the street. Lots of people here. Average person under Level 10. Average guard around Level 25. Top-tier Adventurers around Level 50.

Max be Level 51. Max also be Dark Knight who also happens be Elementalist. With lots of Intellect. Maybe only two or three here able to stop Max who not be Dark Knights or Blood Priests. Six or seven if me include them, but they likely not try to stop me.

Big Flame will probably tell them 'no' and 'bad people!' if they do. He said he already talk to them, so maybe he already said that?

As me walk, Max gets lots of bad looks from people. Suspicious looks. Disgusted looks. Angry looks. Furious looks. They no think much of me because me be a beastborn. They not Dark Knights, they not accepting.

They not thinking me allowed to do what me be doing. Not allowed wearing more than a loincloth, if even that. Must wear a collar to show inferiority. Me put collars on them, they try to put any on me!

Calm, Max. Caaaaaalm. Must be calm. Focused. Serious.

Me twitch ears as walk, listening. Paying attention. While Max knows where me is heading, must pay attention to others here. They will be try to stop me, even not knowing what me want. They will no doubt ignore the warnings of the Great Crystals, try to force me into servitude, despite me obviously having Level.

Then again, me be a higher Level than most here. Thank you, Gold, for getting that information. Me needed it to know for sure.

They come from behind me, grabbing Max's arm. Before they have chance to turn me around and speak, me act. Grab their hand and kick as spin. Me foot connects with his chest, denting his armor. Me pull his arm, throwing him to the ground as take step forward, drawing knife to cut through the magician's Barrier. He stumbles back, startled, and me knife him in the arm. He howls in pain. Coward. We beastborn feel far more pain than that because of you stupid assholes.

Max punch him in the face, then swiftly draw sword and block the second warrior's sword. Gold be letting me borrow his Dark Sword for this, so not my normal steel one. I stop attack, then jump and kick him in the face as sheathe me sword and knife. He drops to ground, and first knight tries attack again. I summon my Claws and kick with my foot, cutting up his face.

Then, me spin and catch the arrow. It be fast, but me Max. Me has Agility, too. Me look at the archer, who gives Max a stunned look.

Me hold up a hand.

"Flame Lance," I say, and lance of fire forms above Max's palm. "Brace self."

The archer pales, and Max throws the Flame Lance, then turn away before it impacts. Still hear the boom, though. It probably destroy part of a building and set stuff on fire. Oh, well.

"You commit crimes," me say as people stare at Max in shock. "You attack Dark Knight and beastborn. Me not allow you do that. Me heard you talking about put collar on me. You violate law from the Crystals. Try again, you end up like archer. Dead."

"It talks!" Someone gasps.

"He talks," me glare at him. "Beastborn be people. Crystals say so. You be call me a 'he', not an 'it'. Or you evil and need punishing."

He flinches back, and me step over the first knight and keep walking, releasing Claws Skill. After that fight, word goes through the City. Me is avoided, though me also know they be planning on something stronger. On calling the greater Adventurers. The two or three who can actually do something about Max but also not be serving Big Flame.

No worries there, though. Big Flame promised he would ensure that anyone I cannot handle, the Dark Order members living here will.

It be weird, being back in a City with lots of people. Tens of thousands of them. There is someone everywhere me looks, rather than just concentrated in a few areas. Me got used to Maelnor and its smaller population. It be quieter, but fun. Lots of fun. Me can do lots of stuff there me not able do elsewhere.

Eventually, me reach residence. It be a large one, for a rich man. Not a powerful man in the System, but powerful in money and influence in this City.

Max twitch ears little, focusing on hearing. Someone be attempting not to cry in pain as be beaten, while someone else does their best not whimper nearby. Blood boils. Rage counter starts increasing.

Calm, Max. Caaaaaalm. Focus.

Me take a few deep breaths, then raise a fist and knock on the door.

"DARK KNIGHT!" Me yell. "OPEN UP!"

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The breaths of the sad one and the beaten one catch, while the beater growls. He mutters under his breath about annoying children playing games again, but me hear him moving forward after warning them to not move.

When he opens the door, Max knife him in the chest. Not even give him time react, just knife him. Miss his heart by little bit, but that easily fixed with a second stab. Then me give him third just to be sure, even if his Status had already disappeared. Zack be able bring dead back, maybe Shadow of Life's agents be able do same if not make sure they fully dead?

So third stab definitely be necessary. Plus fourth given to crotch. Just in case he comes back. That way, he not able have kids. That be the good idea. Then me give him fifth stab, this one be in face. Right eye. Sixth stab in left eye. That be enough, me think. He not coming back, and if he does, he not be having kids or seeing anything. Yeah, that be enough.

Me clean knife off on his tunic. Then, me walk into the house and look at the pair of beastborn. They be wearing only their collars, which be leashed to hooks on a wall. He was beating one with a metal stick, it looks like.

Both of them give Max startled looks. They be asking if Max be who they think Max be, and why Max be wearing this and how Max be able kill a master and a lot of other things. But me calmly wait, because me need be calm for this. Serious.

When they finally stop asking questions, me approach.

"Hello," me say, and their eyes widen. "Me have new boss, now. He be Zack. The Zack."

They want to know if me really be talking about Hero Zack.

"Yes," me nod. "Max be talking about him. Max be have System, too."

Max cut their collars with me knife. The Noruva knife be good for that. Very sharp, very powerful.

"As a Dark Knight," me say as sheathe knife. "Under the authority of Big Flame, Patron of the Dark Order, and with the sigil of the Blood Flames, me, Max Blacktail, hereby free you from your slavery."

They be staring at Max in shock. They not sure if me being serious or what.

"Come," me tell them. "Let me take you to Maelnor. There, we get you cleaned up and into comfy clothes. And out of this horrid heat. Me not comfortable here."

They not certain, but they follow me out. It be better than staying and waiting to be arrested and beaten or killed because their master was knifed by another beastborn while they were leashed to a wall. We all know that be what the people here would do, if the Dark Knights not stop it first.

Though everyone be wanting to stop us, no one does. Word went around, me not just weak beastborn boy. Me be strong beastborn boy with Access capable of fighting. With a lot of power. Plus, it seems a Dark Knight did something.

We reach the Dark Temple, then me warp us to Maelnor. They give me a look of shock at it.

"Me be Dark Knight," me tell them. "Me be able to do that, now!"

They still be uncertain and worried, but Max ignore it. Instead, me lead them down the steps and to a nearby house. It be the bathhouse for the servant beastborns of the Dark Order. The ones who live in Maelnor. It was a regular large house, but then Gold had it changed into just a bathhouse, or a house with a lot of baths in it. When he wants something done, he be like Zack: it gets done. The first floor is for bathing and washing, and the second floor is for relaxing and massages.

Me lead them to one of the baths, where Gold is helping a younger beastborn get clean. It be a dog beastborn maybe four years old. Me not recognize him, but when asked, Gold say he just arrived a little bit ago. While me be gone.

"Oh, okay!" Me say, and the little boy jumps, startled. "Hi! Me be Max. Make sure to wash behind your ears and scrub your tail, too, so that they stay nice and awesome, okay?"

He gives me a confused nod, then me strip down and start dumping water on me.

"You two, too," I tell them, and they dump water… on me. "No! On selves! You be washing selves! But backs need washing, too! So scrub each other's backs."

Me scrub Gold's back while he helps the boy wash, then me get tail shampoo and show it to them.

"See this?" Me squirt some on hands. "It be tail shampoo. Not the hair stuff Boss says is tail shampoo, this be real tail shampoo. Kami brought the recipe with her."

Kami be a wolf beastborn in her early twenties. Very wise. Very smart. She be one of the talkers.

"Oh," me says. "But no tell Boss you or me know it just be regular shampoo. He think me not know, so me letting him think that."

Gold snorts. He be the one who told me Boss be pranking Max again.

"Best way to scrub tails," me say. "Be like this."

Me rub the tail shampoo between me palms, then grab Gold's tail and start scrubbing

"Scrubby-scrub, scrubby tail!" Me sing as scrub. "Scrub, scrub, scrubby tail! Scrubscrubscrub, scrubscrubscrub, scrubby-scrubby tail! Scrubby-scrubby tail, scrubby tail! Scrubby-scrub, scrubby-scrub, scrubby-scrubby tail! Scrub, scrub, scrub, scrubby-scrubby tail!"

Me sing song again. It be take about thirty seconds to since it twice.

"You do it like that," me tell them, then rinse out Gold's tail. "And tail gets nice and clean! You do for hair, too. Oops! Me did tail first!"

Gold snorts again. Hair be done first, then back, then tail, because otherwise, soap and shampoo just washes down onto the tail, which then need rinsing again. Normally, Gold wash own hair, but he obviously busy with the boy and making sure the pup gets cleaned.

Me do Gold's hair, then he washes Max's back and tail while me teach the song to the little boy beastborn.

"And remember," I tell him. "Sing it twice as you scrub to make sure you scrub it all, okay? You can sing in head, too, like everyone else here be doing because they be weird."

He nods. He be uncertain.

Once we all be clean, we rinse off. No soaking in bath for us right now, everyone be hungry! So Gold and Max dress, then we take the new free beastborn into the clothing room and let them pick out new outfits. They not really sure of it, but do once we assure them it be fine. They still look scared.

"Gold, can you," Theodore-Flame enters the room, then stops talking when he be see me. "Oh, hello, Max."

"Hello, Theodore-Flame!"

"My name is 'Theodore'," he says. "Remember?"

"Yes," I nod. "But you also be a servant of Big Flame!"

"So are you."

"Yeah, but you be on fire."

"I'm not on fire."

"You were."

"Because Zack set me on fire," he says. "One time."

"Yep!" I grin.

"Who are these?" He asks, and the newly-freed beastborn give him scared looks.

Me look at Gold, who tells me who the boy is, then me look at Theodore.

"He," me point at the little boy. "Is new here. Gold says that he hasn't picked a name yet. He just arrived an hour ago and be very timid."

"And your lookalikes?" Theodore asks. "You beastborn don't all look the same to me, and I can tell that with proper meals and exercise, they'll fill out and look very much identical to you if you tanned up, Max. Are these your brothers?"

"Yep!" Me nod. "We be triplets! Though apparently, their names not be 'Nitwit' and 'Nincompoop,' as me had thought. That apparently wrong, and those apparently be insults. Boss had to tell Max that. Me want to name them, but Gold's telling Max now they should pick their own names unless they want someone else to pick it."

"Gold's very smart," he says.

"Sometimes," me nod, and Gold punches me on the arm. "Do you know where Boss be heading? Boss-Boss be taking him somewhere when me be leaving to free brothers."

"Actually, I do," he says. "Nik was taking him to the Valley of Power, so that he could-"

"That place scary," I shake my head. "Me not like it."

Master took me there once. Not a fun place to be. Oh, not me last master, the one before him. Lots of scary monsters. Gold be giving me an amused look. He be jealous that me be there.

"It wasn't that fun," me tell him. "Monsters there be way stronger. Way, way stronger. Scary. Boss probably be having fun."

Gold agrees.

"He'll be there for two or three days," Theodore informs me. "The rest of your team is being alerted to this as well. Train carefully, okay?"

"Me will do that!" Me tell him. "Also, me hungry. We all be hungry."

"Alright," he chuckles, then looks at Gold. "Gold, could you check the bedrooms in the Dark Temple again when you get a chance? Zack took a bunch of stuff this morning, and he's going to be gone for a few days."

Gold groans. What does Boss even need that much stuff for? He takes stuff every time he's there.

Gold nods, then Theodore leaves, and the newly-freed beastborn look at us in shock.

"Come on," me tell them. "Let's eat!"