Maxine was practicing her blade skills using a dancelike routine with a pair of weighted wooden blades with Lanitherin, whom was training his own skills on the other side of the room. A few days ago, she had figured it wouldn't do her any favors by slacking in her training any longer and furthermore, it might help Lanitherin learn how to better his own skills from watching her.

While she trained, she lamented the previous week. Her androphobia came back with a vengeance. If Emily hadn't been there to comfort and talk with Maxine after what happened to her, she didn't know what kind of shape she would be in. As it stood, she had nightmares every night for a week and she had an incredibly hard time healing injured male heroes without her hands trembling. She had needed to constantly remind herself that her fears were irrational. It helped that most of the injured male heroes were incapable of even standing when they were brought to her. Unfortunately, she had no idea how much longer it would be before she managed to squash her fears this time. She had just gotten to the point where she only slightly distrusted men before all of her progress had been destroyed by that bastard of a Four-Horned Kanzil.

Thankfully, her androphobia didn't extend to children and she was able to train with Lanitherin without any issues. He had become extremely motivated after he heard what had nearly happened to her, but Maxine knew it wasn't for her sake. The boy had looked at Silky with fearful concern before he had rushed off to train like a madman. 

Aenwynn, on the other hand, visited her nearly every day since that incident and many of the heroes she healed in the past wanted to check on her as well. She had to send them away, but they kept coming back to check on her. It wasn't until Emily told them that their presence was making Maxine feel worse that they finally left her alone with one exception.

She was brought out of her own thoughts when Lanitherin asked without stopping his training, "Teacher, why havn't you taught me how to dual wield blades? It seems like an amazing skill." 

"I would like to, but you need to learn how to use a single blade before you can use two. Also, there are other requirements you need to meet before I will teach you how to dual wield," Maxine answered calmiy.

"And what are the requirements?" Lanitherin asked.

"Well obviously, you need to know how to use one blade first and you need to know how to use both hands equally," Maxine replied, "I had to use my left hand to do everything for half a year before I could use my left hand with the same level of proficiency as my right. That is unless you are naturally ambidextrous. That reminds me, you are right handed, right?" She glanced at Lanitherin and saw his incredulous expression. 

"I think I will stick with one blade," Lanitherin affirmed. 

Maxine chuckled before she said, "I never believed you would want to go through that kind of training anyways. Very few are willing to go through with it." Lanitherin didn't respond to her. Instead he became more focused on his training regiment.

Both of them continued training for another hour. Lanitherin panted heavily while leaning up against a wall, but Maxine continued with her dance like exercise. She only stopped a short while later when she noticed Aenwynn watching. She's here again? I thought she would have realized by now that I'll get better on my own. Or, just maybe, she's here to tell me how their interrogation of that four-horned bastard is going. They practically insisted to be the ones to force information out of him. 

"Do you want something to drink?" Maxine asked Aenwynn.

"No, thank you," Aenwynn said with a small smile, "The men wanted to discuss the peace treaty without me. I didn't mind overly much and decided to come pay you another visit."

"That can't be the real reason you're here. You've visited me every day for the past week and you've seen I'm stable," Maxine commented, "Tell me what you are really here for."

 Aenwynn sighed before she answered, "You are having trouble being around men, arn't you?"

"That's right. And?" Maxine asked while raising an eyebrow.

"You need someone to talk to about it. To help you heal," Aenwynn said firmly, "Without it, you may never be able to be comfortable around men ever again."

"I don't need help," Maxine answered as she placed both of her weighted training blades on a weapon rack, "I already know exactly what steps I need to take to recover."

"How do you know how to do that?" Aenwynn asked as she forced Maxine to face her.

"Because I've had to do it once before," Maxine answered sadly and she began to explain, "I wasn't raised by my biological parents and the father that I had periodically beat me since I was a small girl. I didn't even know who my real parents were until about three years ago."

"No elf would hit a child," Aenwynn said in disbelief more to herself than to Maxine.

"It wasn't an elf that did it. It was a human," Maxine answered as she looked at the ground partially in shame and noticed that Aenwynn had a look of utter disbelief on her face, "I didn't always look like this. I used to look like a human girl with brown hair. Hell, I didn't even know that I would physically change until it happened."

"But that's impossible," Aenwynn said, "There's no way such a metamorphosis could happen and even if it could, there is no way you would appear as a human in the first place."

"How many elven and hydra half breeds have there been?" Maxine asked.

"None that I know of," Aenwynn answered.

"Then how would you know what's possible and what's not in this situation?" Maxine asked.

"That's true, I suppose. And it would explain why your appearance doesn't quite match up with what our guardian spirit said you should look like," Aenwynn commented to herself.

"Oh? And what 'should' I look like?" Maxine asked out of curiosity.

"He said you should have a long whip-like tail, be covered in scales, and have retractable envenomed claws on both of your hands," Aenwynn said numbly and Maxine started sweating.

"That's absurd," Maxine snorted trying to cover up her fear of being discovered. Shit, I don't need her spreading word about that detail. It may attract the Shadow Lords.

"Yes, I agree entirely," Aenwynn agreed, "Although I don't see how you are related to a hydra, or any snake for that matter."

"Oh? That's easy enough to show. Watch this," Maxine said as she held up her hand and gently lifted one of her scales with her fingernail, "See? I have scales, but they are so smooth and thin that most people can't see them. Unless, of course, they get a very close look."

"Incredible," Aenwynn said as she reached out and ran her fingers along Maxine's skin, "I can't feel or see your scales, but I know they are there. How durable are they?"

"They give me, at most, ten percent more resistance to slashing and peircing attacks than you have. That's about it," Maxine said. 

"Ten percent is enough to change a wound that would cause certain death to just a severe injury," Aenwynn pointed out and her gaze drifted to the golden opaline jewel on Maxine's forehead, "I don't understand why you keep that jewel out in the open. It looks like a treasure. You should take it off and put it in your pocket if you must carry it with you. Keeping it out in the open like that is probably the reason why you were attacked by that 'thing' in the first place."

"I can't take it off," Maxine said and when she saw the confusion in Aenwynn's eyes, she added, "It's part of my body. It's literately part of my skull."

"Really?" Aenwynn asked and immediately reached out to touch the opaline golden jewel on Maxine's forehead, "It looks like it should come right off, but you're right. Removing it could kill you."

"I told you," Maxine said without sounding too smug, "By the way, did that red-skinned demon tell you anything yet?"

"No, he hasn't," Aenwynn said grumpily, "Aaron and the others have subjected him to all manner of inhumane tortures to get him to talk, but all that sick monster does is laugh." 

"I doubt it's that inhumane if he's laughing," Maxine said offhandedly.

"Aaron was skinning that monster alive and using healing potions to regenerate it's flesh so he can do it again every other hour," Aenwynn stated coldly. Jesus! It's been a week since they took him! I can't imagine how long I would last under those circumstances. 

"How can he withstand that sort of pain?!" Maxine exclaimed, but she had heard of worse things done before. In the previous timeline, some lunatic fused a woman with a tree and infested it with termites. The woman could feel the termites crawling around inside the tree and each bite as they widened their nest. She could only imagine the pain that woman had suffered before someone had mercifully killed the woman by cutting off her head with an ax.

"I don't know, but Aaron suggested that he might be capable of switching his pain receptors off," Aenwynn explained, "Thus rendering any kind of physical torture useless."

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"That does present a problem," Maxine said as she nodded her head in agreement.

"It would be easier if we could simply 'read' his mind directly," Aenwynn hinted.

"No," Maxine said firmly, "I will never approach that bastard again, not unless it's to kill him."

"You could teach me how," Aenwynn suggested and Maxine hesitated, "Consider it returning the favor from when I gave you that cultivation manual." Shit, there is that. 

"Very well," Maxine said reluctantly, "But be warned this technique can backfire, if the one you are using it on has a stronger mind than yours or are caught unprepared for their retaliation."

"I understand," Aenwynn said resolutely.

"The only method I know of has a high chance of either killing or rendering your target an idiot," Maxine explained, "First off, I need to know if you can sense your surroundings without using your eyes."

"Yes, I can, but it's difficult," Aenwynn said.

"Good, that makes this easier," Maxine said before she explained the complexities of the technique, "Use this awareness and compress it into either a blunt or sharp object. The shape really doesn't matter though. It's the intent behind it. You are seeking to attack and weaken your target's mind. Once your target is knocked unconsciouss, push this awareness into their mind. After that, you can read their mind, but be quick. If your target regains their senses, they can counter attack and trust me, it can be bad. Also, your attack will most likely damage their memories as well and probably will permnamently damage their mind. They are an unfortunate drawbacks to the technique."

"Understood," Aenwynn said, but she quickly commented after, "I can't believe how easy that technique of yours is though."

"I know," Maxine agreed, "But believe me, it's dangerous and should only be used when there is no other option."

Before either of them could say another word, Olga came bowed to Maxine and said, "Mistress, Hero Alec Ard has come to see you again. Should I send him away?" That's the fifth time this week. I just wish he would stop bringing me gifts and leave me alone.

"What did he bring this time?" Maxine asked in exasperation.

"A complete corpse of a Bladed Terror," Olga answered and Maxine felt genuine surprise. Bladed Terrors were terrifying creatures that were extremely difficult to fight. A Bladed Terror was similar to a land-based octopus, but besides their shape they were very different kind of creature. Each of it's six inch thick limbs were as strong as a snake of the same thickness and instead of having suckers, they had bone-like blades in place of them. To get caught by such a limb, would result in quickly being turned into minced meat. What made matters worse was the whole creature had armor-like scales covering every inch of exposed skin making it extremely difficult to kill and they were at a minimum Silver rank. The only reason there was to hunt them was for the rare, not to mention durable, metals that exist in the bone-like blades and scales. 

Aenwynn arched an eyebrow and said in an amused tone, "My, my, he's trying quite hard to court you."

"Too bad for him, I'm not interested," Maxine said coldly.

"Maxine, did you see that thing Hero Alec Ard left on your front lawn?" Emily asked as she walked into the training courtyard and saw Aenwynn. 

"No, but I know what it is," Maxine answered, "I wish he would stop bringing me things."

"Then tell him to fuck off," Emily said directly. Huh? But didn't you tell him just that yesterday? Words just won't work on him.

"If only it were that easy," Maxine said.

"I could chase him off for you," Aenwynn offered.

"Thank you, but I need to deal with this myself," Maxine said firmly as she headed for the front door of her mansion. At least this way, I can force my subconscious to realize men really are not a threat to me. 

As soon as Maxine opened the front door, she saw Hero Alec Ard's expression transform from concern to joy. Uhh, that's unexpected. He's acting like a man in love. Oh, god. Don't tell me he's ...

"What do you want from me?" Maxine asked coldly to mask her nervousness.

"I just wanted to see if you were getting better," Hero Alec Ard said. Maxine could tell he was saying the truth, but something still felt off about him. Still her expression softened slightly, but she didn't completely drop her mask. However she could feel sweat starting to form on her brow from nerves.

"As you can see, I'm nearly recovered," Maxine answered, "If that was all you wanted, you could have just asked Emily about my condition. So I ask again, what do you want from me?"

"I want you on my team. You're a combat healer, someone that can both fight and heal. The only other one like you is only D rank," Hero Alec Ard said.

"Not interested," Maxine answered, "I prefer the role of a pure healer. I will only fight as a last resort." 

"That's a shame," Hero Alec Ard said disappointedly, "You were amazing the other night. I've never seen anyone fight like that other than an elven blademaster." Maxine noticed that statement caught Aenwynn's attention. Great more questions. 

"Thank you for the compliment," Maxine said calmly, "But, I must to return to my quarters. As I said before, I've not fully recovered from that night." 

Maxine quickly retreated back into the mansion without waiting for Hero Alec Ard's reply. A few moments later, she heard Emily and Aenwynn following behind her.

"I knew you fended off that creature with Hero Alec Ard, but I was under the impression that you merely acted as support, not as a fighter," Aenwynn stated, "But that was before I saw you training earlier. Now I'm rather curious what your role really was."

"I was the one that fought it while Hero Alec Ard acted the fool," Maxine said, "Although he was helpful towards the end when he tackled it to the ground."

"That must have been quite the sight. You must be quite skilled. Do you know what your blademaster rank is?" Aenwynn asked.

"I don't," Maxine answered truthfully.

"From what I could tell earlier, you're at least a third circle blademaster, perhaps even a fourth circle one," Aenwynn said, "I would have to spar with you to be certain though."

"And what's the highest rank?" Maxine asked out of curiosity.

"Fifth circle is the highest rank anyone has attained," Aewynn answered. So I'm amazing by their standards. By the Alliance standards, I'm at the adept level at best. I've still got a long ways to go before I'm considered a master.   

"So, Maxine's a rather gifted blade user," Emily stated.

"Yes, she is. Even more so, considering her youth," Aenwynn said. 

"And what gave you any idea that I was young?" Maxine asked with genuine curiosity.

"Your bearing," Aenwynn said, "I imagine you are no older than fifty." I wonder how she would react if I told her I'm sixteen and a half. Well, to be fair, I've lived two lives with fourty-two years between them. Emily's light chuckle brought her out of her internal thoughts.

"She's much younger than that," Emily said with amusement, "She's the same age as I am."

"That's not possible," Aenwynn said softly in disbelief, "Even if you were born holding a blade, there is no way you could be that skilled at your age."

"But it's true. I'm sixteen years old," Maxine answered truthfully.

"Fine, I believe you, but you will tell me how you are so skilled at your age," Aenwynn said before looking at a clock on the wall, "It seems my visit must end here. I need to head back. The others and our guardian beast will want to know how you are doing."

"Alright, but allow me to escort you out," Maxine said and she escorted Aenwynn out of her home.

After Maxine shut the front door to the mansion and turned around, Emily asked, "She noticed your fear of men, didn't she?"

"Yes, and she even offered to get me some help recovering from it. But as long as I have you, I think I will be able to manage just fine," Maxine said with a wide smile.

"You should've taken her offer," Emily said reproachfully, "Last time, it took you over a year to recover on your own and I can tell it's worse than it was before. It could take you years to recover this time."

"Trust me. If I don't see progress, I will go ask her for help myself," Maxine reassured Emily, "Now where are the girls?"

"They dragged Lanitherin away from his training as soon as you left the courtyard. I believe they are having him act as their taste tester," Emiy said.

"Oh, boy. Which one of them cooked this time?" Maxine asked in amusement. Only Silky had proven to be a half-decent cook. Whereas, Nala and Ilanna's attempts at cooking ended horribly. Either they tasted horribly or were burnt to charcoal.

"Silky," Emily answered, "She seems to enjoy having her cooking complimented. Nala And Ilanna have been tasting each others meals." 

"Should I be concerned?" Maxine asked.

"No, I just think she is starting to treat him as a brother," Emily said.

"Alright, but I better keep an eye on those two just in case," Maxine said, "I would prefer not to break Silky's heart if and when we need to leave this place."

"I know," Emily said sadly, "But we should have a few years at minimum before we need to worry about that."

"True," Maxine agreed and she heard Olga approaching her at a swift jog while holding a communicator, "It seems we have more patients."

"Then we best get to them," Emily said before the both of them left the mansion heading towards the Eastern gate after confirming where their patients were. Neither of them bothered with the carriage as they ran.

However when they reached their patients, Maxine froze up. One of the injured heroes was carrying a young silver grey elf girl in his arms. If she had a golden jewel on her forehead, she would look exactly like a Shadow Lord, but that didn't matter at the moment to Maxine. This elven girl was the most badly injured out of the six that were brought to her. It looked like her left arm and leg had been savaged by a very large animal. 

"We were attacked by a group of Iron Fang Wolves," one of the heroes said, "This elven woman came to help us, but she got caught by two of the beasts. We just barely managed to kill them before they tore off her arm and leg." 

"Put her on the ground now," Maxine ordered the hero, "I might be able to save her limbs if we hurry."

As soon as the elven girl was laid on the ground, Maxine focused her entire being on saving her. the girl had lost a lot of blood. Maxine wove all three of her energies into healing the wounds. She was surprised when the elven girl's flesh started to regrow in palces and stitch back together in others. She hadn't been aware her healing powers worked like that. However this level of healing was draining her extremely quickly. Unfortunately her rapid healing was also draining this elven girl's fat reserves quickly as well. If Maxine did nothing, the healing would kill her just as easily as blood loss would. 

With a thought, Maxine retreived a special nutritional potion from within her clothes and force fed it down the girl's throat before continuing healing her. That thing has enough nutrition and calories to keep Silky fed for a month and it absorbs into the body quickly. It should work enough to keep her alive while I heal her. 

By the time Maxine was done, the already thin elven girl looked like she hadn't had a meal in over a month, but she would live. But Maxine had used up over eighty percent of her energy to perform that healing.

"She will live," Maxine said as she wiped some sweat off of her brow. She looked up and saw a strange look in the eyes of the hero that brought the elven girl here. "I will take her home with me to ensure her recovery. You can go."

"What? But how am I supposed to repay my debt to her?" the hero asked, but again something felt off with him. So she scanned him with her spiritual sense. She found an explosive collar and a few other items in his bag that ignited her anger. That ungrateful piece of shit! He didn't collar her because he's repaying a debt. He didn't want me to kick his ass as soon as I saw it around her neck!

"By leaving her in my care," Maxine said warningly, "And if you are wise, you will leave without saying another word and dispose of that thing in your bag." The hero seemed to catch the hint that she was giving him and left without even getting his injuries treated.

Before Maxine could go to her next patient, the young elven girl's eyes opened for just a moment while looking confused before her eyes focused on Maxine's face. Her confusion was quickly replaced by hatred and a hint of fear just before her eyes closed again. Why would she react like that by just looking at me? We havn't even met before, so I couldn't have done anything to her to earn it. Perhaps she met a Shadow Lord in the past that was a total dick. That would explain it partly, but still whatever feelings she might have for them, it shouldn't extend to me. I should talk to her to find out more once she wakes up.