The building groaned, not even giving us enough time to move. Wood splintered and burst, as the front of the house and any structural points were pulled away as if sucked down into a hole. Of course, I had little time to react or see the perpetrator, due to the upper floor collapsing down upon us.

Pain and darkness washed over my body. Warmth from something bleeding, but otherwise I felt cold. Near freezing, despite the body of Ren laying beneath me. Perhaps I could have done something more useful than throw myself on top of her - for all the good that it did. A wooden beam had skirted my body and struck her. I could see an icon above her head in the darkness. Unconscious.

With my elbow, I broke the healing charm I always kept in my belt. Warm radiance flooded through me and I felt slightly less dead. Couldn’t move the weight of the wooden beams covering me. Chat came up. Avoiding my tech-phobia for a moment, I drew up a Group Chat with all the Party.

[Max: Report in?]

Nothing but silence and the continued clatter of remaining house-parts settling into a neat pile around us.

[Quinn: Leg fucked, one arm trapped^]

[Wolf: o]

[Max: I’m pinned, Ren is unconscious.]

None of us dead, at the least. I imagined that Wolf either couldn’t work the chat, or didn’t care to. That he hadn’t burst from his position in angered rage meant he was probably trapped or injured as well.

I had always wanted to bring the house down, but this was… well, perhaps neither the time nor place for such a joke.

“Think that killed them?”

“Doubt it. Lady wants the two of them alive, yeah? Can leave the other two.”

“Fuck no. After they killed Rolo, I want to have some fun.”

If I hadn’t felt cold previously, I was practically frozen now. Two male voices, but I anticipated a group of four. No doubt my companions could also hear the discussion, but kept quiet. A good performance was tight and controlled.

“Think I saw purple over there. Let’s dig the asshole out.” Third voice, this one was female and oddly soft considering the context.

Ren began to stir, the icon fading away as her tired eyes opened slowly. Confusion over her face as I put my finger against her lips. She unfocused as she went through the chat messages.

[Ren: What are we dealing with?]

[Max: Rolo’s group. Intending to capture us.]

[Quinn: You two, anyway…^]

[Wolf. O ooo o]

Footsteps, crunching against the debris as figures approached us. Purple light illuminated the dark space where Ren and I were trapped, as my eyes were incensed at the approaching evil. Her bloodied hand rose up in the pocket of space that the couch had allowed, to run along the side of my face.

No words spoken, but I could tell by the look on her face. It was time for another show - a little improv required, but we’d recovered from worse. Determination. She seemed to visually cool off when it came to looming violence, just as I did. It’s what made her the perfect protégé.

“If they’re lucid, just zap them with your stun, and I’ll net them.” First male voice - gruff but intelligent.

“Uh. If they struggle and we accidentally kill them…” Second male voice - older sounding, but with an odd inflection to it.

The woman sighed. “Perhaps stop verbalizing your plans... they may be listening in.”

With a grumble, the gruffer voice spoke in a murmured tone as he started to shift the wood away from where we were trapped. “Think you’re so smart because you didn’t have to take the Red.”

A follower of the Lady that didn’t need to take her blood? Perhaps I wouldn’t kill them all as quickly as possible. I still fully believed there was a fourth figure standing there, being quiet. One that didn’t need to talk - or didn’t like to unless necessary. This was quite the pickle I found ourselves in… and they were all waiting for me to make the first move.

As planks, ruined furniture, and whatever tiling was previously on the roof was noisily removed from where we were entombed, there was currently only one thing I wanted to do.

Fighting against the weight and pressure of the wood on my back, I shifted slightly, so that I was more face-to-face with the elf. She looked rather miserable. Not even sad or pained, really. Just fed up - perhaps annoyed that we were already bloodied after just having a bath. System just couldn’t allow us anything nice.

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“Your head is bleeding,” she whispered, barely audible over the grunts and moving debris.

“Ren.” I took a deep breath, which hurt in a way the adrenaline and nerves didn’t seem to dull.

“Max?” she responded, her scowl softening. It was dark in this small pocket of relative safety, after all.

“I… love you.”

For all intents and purposes, this could have been the end of me, and I would be rather content. Crushed under the shifting house, blasted away by the skills of our enemies, heart broken from-

“I love you too, trickster.” Her hand came back up to cradle my face.

Just the first two options remaining, then. I leaned down to kiss her, agony twitching through my torso. Pretty sure that I was tearing muscles as I fought against whatever had me pinned. But I sealed the deal, at any cost. The show wouldn’t have it any other way.

We parted in the gloom, and she delivered a heal to me, fixing the damage I had done to myself and bringing me to near full. Her hand went down to pop her own charm, and I could see the relief on her face as some of her wounds cleared up. I felt for the other two, but Wolf was hardy, and Quinn was resourceful.

I was just slowly angering. Every inch closer the Crimson Shadow got to us, my fury rose up a couple of notches. It wasn’t as though I could burst out from the ruins with my untenable rage, but if they thought I would be easily caught, then they were about to receive a short lesson in why you don’t fuck with Max.

Ren’s brow furrowed as she continued to watch me. She could sense it too - it wasn’t just the glowing eyes… mentally I had grabbed the crowbar and had started popping open the Other Max boxes that we tried to keep nailed shut. Even in the worst times, I tried to keep a tight grip on it.

But no longer. I had something greater to protect now.

I allowed it to consume me, flood me with the memories and experience that I had gained in killing demons in Hell. Practically humming with energy, I felt the true shape of things. Knowledge of truths that I’d kept hidden even when they had been so fucking obvious. I could almost laugh out loud, if it wouldn’t tip off the soon to be murdered dipshits.

Demon Hunter Max had used a last-ditch ability to get out of a bad situation in Hell. A portal to anywhere conjured up by my pact demon. It saved my life and brought me here just at the same time as the magician Max came through.

But the System had put two and two together, and gotten five.

For my demon was bound to me, and came through too, in a way. Not a real person or humanoid capable of becoming a Player, the System had melted them down and swirled them around inside my joined souls.

I wasn’t a demon, but something within me could be.

Right now, I planned to test that theory.

“Just set fire to the other two. Leave it too long and they’ll get out. The bear is going to be tough as fuck if he gets free.”

“Get the others out first,” the woman replied. “I’ll not have accidental collateral.”

Not taking the blood had left her with some common sense. Shame I was going to split her head open and mash whatever misery lay within all over the dirt. I ached and fidgeted. Wanted out. This was maddening - a sour feeling when I had already let whatever sanity that remained sift through my fingers.

They were getting closer now. Some of the daylight started to make through the smallest of gaps. My heartbeat pounded in my chest. Eyes darted up through my Inventory, cycling things even faster than usual. Both souls were aflame and passionate to put on a display - something they’d never forget. Or remember.

A cold sensation ran up my neck, and I realized Ren had put her hand upon me there. It felt oddly uncomfortable, yet I didn’t shirk it away. There was an energy in her eyes. She had seen the tide vanish and knew there was a tsunami coming. Excited her half as much as it scared her.

“Kill them all, kill them for me,” she whispered.

I said nothing, but smiled. Such a dangerous request, yet so alluring. Who was I to deny such a simple request from the one who loved me? Ren loved me, and I loved Ren. Such a juvenile thing to amuse my overheated brain with right before the stage lights came on… but it was as good a motivation as any.

“Getting close now, careful,” the gruff man warned. “The magician is supposed to be tricky.”

“One jab with my spear and he won’t be a problem,” the other man responded.

[Quinn: I’m afraid I cannot offer assistance^]

[Wolf: oooopooiio]

[Max: Be ready.]

And there it was. The heat of my rage hit a limit, and was released as steam, cooling me. I felt the glow leave my eyes, our space returning to dim shadow, yet I still felt different. More… complete.

Ah, I had truly accepted that I was One Max. Not just pandering to the worser half of me, now that the cat was out of the bag, there was no getting it back inside. This was who I was now. How fortuitous that it happened at the same time that I was able to be honest with Ren about my feelings. Coincidental, I was sure.

More sunlight streamed through as bigger chunks were removed.

I played dead for now, just waiting for the right moment. Ren was tense, ready to assist me however she could. While they were all pinned, I would mostly be on my own. Four Players… with unknown level or skills. Almost too easy.

From my Inventory, I withdrew a blue flower to drop into her hand. A sweet gesture, which she appreciated—I could tell—but there was a secondary purpose to the action. She also understood this - and I wished I could gush to someone about how amazing this elven woman was, who could read me as though we shared thoughts.

[Max: Ren is really amazing.]

[Fiona: What? What does that have to do with Othea?]

[Fiona: Answer me, asshole.]

I closed the Chat.

All in all, I didn’t feel too bad about the whole collapsing house thing. It had forced my emotions out with Ren. Gotten me to truly accept being a Demonic Magician. Given us someone with more than two brain cells who we could…

“If I don't kill one, I’ll need to be bad cop…”

Ren scowled at me and pouted. “Fine. Dickbag.”

Clarity breezed through me, just a beam of sunlight came through and struck her hair. The radiance was usually uncomfortable when I was being like this, but now it was… stunning. Even more than usual, it was like a beacon - a rallying flag for me to go above and beyond.

“I see purple…” the gruff man announced, and paused. “Unmoving, possibly trapped or injured.”

I closed my eyes and smiled. All those things were true. I was humbled by simple wood and an ambush, injured and unable to move more than a little without breaking myself.

My eyes opened as two cards bloomed into my hands.

Still, the show must go on.