Maxine immediately regretted standing infront of the refugees. Without the distraction of interacting with the children, she felt the full weight of her androphobia. She could quite literately feel the gazes of every man nearby. It took a conscious effort for her to stay vigilant to whatever may come out of the forest. She had been hoping that the delegation would have taken their heads out of their asses and let the refugees in. But even after twenty minutes of waiting, she hadn't seen a single sign of them changing their mind.

However she noticed the hero that she yelled at before was walking towards her with a complicated expression on his face. "Miss Cinderson, it isn't a beast horde that's coming. It's an orcish army," the hero said once he reached Maxine, "They number over two thousand. Even the weakest amongst them is stronger than most C ranked heroes. Their leader is at least the very top of A class, if not S class." Oh, shit. No wonder they won't open up the gates. But don't they know that with that kind of strength, that wall might as well be made of styrofoam. Their leader would just tear right through it. And unless those automated turrets have guass cannons on them, they will have a hard time hitting the bulk of that orcish army.

"I see. Thank you for telling me, but I sitll won't leave this spot," Maxine said. I may not need to fight if it's a bunch of orcs. From what I've gathered, they don't like attacking non-combatants due to their sense of honor. It brings them no honor to kill someone too much weaker than themselves. I wonder. Could I challenge their leader to single combat to resolve this without a lot of bloodshed? It's worth a try, but first, let's see how strong he or she actually is.

"Please, go inside. It's not too late if you go now," the hero pleaded with Maxine, "They will be here in less than ten minutes." 

"Thank you for the warning, but I already told you. I intend to stay right here until the refugees are safely behind the city walls," Maxine answered calmly, "Just a quick question, has anyone ever challenged an orc warchief to single combat before?" 

"Yes, but before you get your hopes up, everyone that's tried that has died horribly," the hero replied.

"I bet none of those that challenged an orc warcheif were S class or S class equivalent. Am I right?" Maxine asked.

"Well, you're not wrong," the hero said, "But you're a healer. You don't stand a chance against an orc that has lived and breathed battle for who knows how long."

"I can handle myself," Maxine answered more calmly than she felt. She really didn't like him being this close to her.

The hero opened his mouth to protest some more, but what sounded like a warhorn sounded off. Oddly, it was at this moment that the refugees were being directed inside the walls though a small door built into the main gate. Better late than not at all. At least, they are bringing in the children first.

Maxine scanned the forest with her spiritual sense. She found that the orcs were taking their time at a slow walk. However they would still get here before the refugees finished getting behind the walls.  

She quickly found the orc warcheif. He was grotesquely muscular and his strength was at gold stage rank two. He was wearing heavy metallic armor, not that he needed it, and wielded an oversized war ax strapped over his shoulder. But what was most intimidating was his sheer size. He was close to seven feet tall. Wow, talk about a beefcake. I'm not sure if I can beat him without my battleform, but then again, I've only been in one real fight since I formed my ki core. Still, all that muscle will most likely slow him down and his weapon should be slow as well. I should have the advantage when it comes to speed. Still, I don't want to fight him. Perhaps I can get the refugees inside of the walls faster. 

Maxine tried to think of a way to get the refugees inside the city walls faster, but she kept coming up with plans that either revealed her status as a Shadow Queen or another ability that would get her just as much attention. She couldn't even bring her Shadow Wolves to bear because they were currently protecting Emily, and the others.

As if Maxine's thoughts summoned her, Emily ran out of the city to Maxine's side. Emily glanced over to the children behind Maxine and a look of understanding covered her face. "Looks like I can't convince you to go back. You always had a soft spot for children," Emily said knowingly, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"It would make me feel a bit better if you were covering the children's retreat into the city," Maxine admitted after a few seconds of thought.

"On it," Emily said, but she gave Maxine a reluctant look. She knows that I sent her back there to be out of the fight. But why wouldn't I? She has almost no offensive abilities. 

Seconds after Emily went to the children, Hero Alec Ard seemed to just appear beside Maxine. He was decked out in armor and had a massive war hammer in his hands. "What do you want Hero Ard?" Maxine asked so coldly that her expression became that of an ice queen.

"I'm here to apologize for Malcolm's behavior. I told him not to use his abilities, but he ignored me," Hero Alec Ard said remorsefully. Maxine looked at him angrily, but once she saw his eyes, she knew he was telling the truth. It genuinely surprised Maxine that he apologized and meant it.

"Are you here to convince me to go behind the city walls as well?" Maxine asked neutrally as she turned back to face the forest.

"I was," Hero Alec Ard admitted, "But after seeing how your companion failed to, I doubt that I will have any chance at all."

"Then why are you talking to me?" Maxine asked.

"Is it wrong to talk to the only woman that I've cared about other than my mother before I have a life and death battle?" Hero Alec Ard said. Maxine whipped her head around and looked at him in disbelief. That sounded a whole lot like a love confession.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Maxine asked while trying to keep her calm.

"I'm going to battle it out with the orc warchief in a death match to protect you and I just wanted to talk to you before I did," Hero Alec Ard answered more clearly, but he was far too calm. It was almost creepy. Maxine didn't think she could beat the orc warchief and she estimated that Hero Alec Ard would put up some fight before being killed.

"You'll die. He's more powerful and more skilled than you are," Maxine told him.

"I know, but if it keeps you from having to face that beast, I'll die with a smile on my face," Hero Alec Ard announced bravely. Well, that settles it. He really does love me or at least, he thinks he does. So, Hero Malcolm did that shit on his own. Now I feel like shit for thinking Hero Alec Ard put him up to it. Now all I need to do is stop this love-struck idiot from commiting suicide.

"I'm faster and more agile than you are and that muscle-bound orc doesn't look like he has either attribute in high supply. Neither do you for that matter. Thus, I have a better chance at winning than you," Maxine affirmed, "I don't care how well you can take a hit. That oversized ax will do some serious damage if it hits you."

"Thank you for worrying about me. You have no idea how happy that makes me feel," Hero Alec Ard said happily, "But I will not be detered from this fight."

Maxine glared at him angrily, but before either of them could say anything a booming voice said, "Why don't both of you come together? Humans and elves are so weak it's the only way you will have a chance at beating me." Both of them whipped their heads to the side and saw the Orc Warchief standing a few hundred feet away. Apparently he had arrived, got within earshot and heard them arguing.

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"Are you sure?" Maxine asked, "You can't decide to only fight one of us mid-way through the battle."

"Yes, yes. Unlike humans, orcs keep their word. The terms of our match are simple. Should you beat me, my warriors will leave peacefully," the orc warchief said and added with a wicked smile, "But should I win, I will take your heads and claim this city as my own."  

"Agreed," Hero Alec Ard said.

"I don't agree to the taking my head part, but feel free to do that to this big idiot beside me," Maxine said angrily, "I intend to live." The orc warchief smiled at Maxine's comment.

"I'm Grom Stonescream, Warchief of the RocRoc clan," the orc warchief said as he pulled his ax off of his back and took a very aggressive stance.

"I'm Maxine Cinderson, daughter of the hydra," Maxine answered politely as she took a fighting stance, but when Maxine noticed that Hero Alec Ard hadn't gotten announced his name yet, she scolded him, "Tell him who you are. Don't you know proper dueling etiquette?"

"What? Oh! S-class Hero Alec Ard," Hero Alec Ard announced and hefted his warhammer. 

After a breif moment, Grom Stonescream roared and charged at them. Maxine cursed under her breath at how close they still were to the refugees, and charged forward to meet him.

Just as Maxine got into range to attack, Grom Stonescream thrust the end of his axe at Maxine's shoulder. Oh? Not going to use the sharp end of your ax to attack me? Big mistake. Maxine dodged underneith the blow and slashed out twice with her blades as she passed. Unfortunately, his armor was better than she thought and she only managed to score the armor rather than cut through it. Well, that didn't work. I better try a softer spot next time.

Hero Alec Ard was right behind her and swung his warhammer in an overhand swing at Grom Stonescream. Grom simply side-stepped the blow and let it hit the ground with a massive impact before cleaving his ax at Hero Alec Ard's chest. The expected bloodspray didn't happen. Instead Hero Alec Ard went airborne followed by a shower of sparks. 

Maxine didn't pay attention to their short scuffle. Instead she managed to catch up and stabbed both of her blades into Grom Stonescreams knees from behind. I don't care how good your armor is. There is always a place that doesn't have any and one of them is behind the knees! To her surprise, her weapons only sunk in a few inches. She had expected them to go through his legs entirely and explode out of his knee caps. Shit! These blade constructs are too weak!

Before she could react, a huge guantleted fist smashed her in the face in a backhand swing. She dropped her weapons as she was thrown off of her feet and through the air almost seventy feet back. She skid on the ground for a while, before coming to a stop. However she didn't waste a moment and quickly got back on her feet.

Maxine saw Grom Stonescream hadn't moved from where she had attacked him. She smiled to herself as she realized he lost a great deal of his mobility from her last attack. Although she still had no idea how to actually inflict a lethal blow on him and that's when she felt blood coming out of her nose. She took a quick swipe at it with her hand and looked at the blood on the back of her hand. This gives me an idea. I wonder if my blood is toxic as the hydra's was in greek mythology. I already have acid breath and rapid regeneration, albeit a weaker version, while I'm in my Shadow Queen form. Why wouldn't I have at least a weakened form of the hydra's ultra poisonous blood? 

Hero Alec Ard had returned with a roaring charge to fighting with Grom Stonescream. What came next left Maxine dumbfoudned. They were swinging their weapons at each other with very little in the way of defense. It would have been comical if their attacks weren't leaving bloody injuries on each other. That's just stupid. Why would you just stand there taking a beating without making a serious attempt to dodge?! I know Hero Alec Ard can infuse his flesh with metal essence, but that's not excuse. He's taking damage for no good reason.

Maxine quickly coated her fingernails in the blood that had leaked out of her nose. Thankfully, her bleeding had already stopped so she didn't need to worry about accidentally poisoning anyone. 

She quickly charged forward and leaped onto Grom Stonescream's back. In an instant, she found a gap in his armor and started clawing at him. But his skin was so thick that she had trouble penetrating through it. No wonder my blades didn't do much. This guy puts a whole new meaning to thick skinned. Still she had left several smears of her blood on the back of his neck and his skin was starting to discolor. It was a sign that her blood was indeed a contact poison.

Unfortunately, Grom Stonescream got a hold of her braid after knocking Hero Alec Ard away and slammed her violently on the ground repeatedly. Her scalp was hurting more than the rest of her body as she was being used like a mallet. She was promptly thrown of into the distance once Hero Alec Ard managed to return.

When she hit the ground, Maxine checked her injuries. She was mostly bruised and thankfully, nothing was broken. And she had only lost a few strands of hair. Ugh, that hurt. I really wish I could use my Twighlight Iron Blades on this guy, but with just energy formed ones, I can't do much to penetrate that bastard's armor. Well, in any case, he should start feeling the poison any second now. However beyond her expectations, Grom Stonescream kept fighting Hero Alec Ard without missing a beat. Or not. Maybe it will take some time to be fully effective. 

Maxine unsteadily returned to her feet, and reformed her blades before charging again. She slashed twice at his back leaving a couple more shallow cuts in his armor and retreated a step when he swung a backhanded fist in her direction. However she noticed his strike was noticeably slower than it had been before. 

Maxine smiled and started harrying him from the rear. It kept him from investing heavily into fighting Hero Alec Ard. After a handful of seconds, Hero Alec Ard managed to bring his warhammer down on top of Grom Stonescream's head causing it to explode out in chunks out of his now flattened helmet. 

With Grom Stonescream dead, his orc warriors had no more reason to remain. She saw them turn around and treading back into the forest. Maxine sighed out in relief. She had half-expected them to charge in fury once their leader died. 

Finally, she turned to see how badly Hero Alec Ard was injured and winced in sympathetic pain. He was covered in lacerations both big and small. His right arm was completely limp with a huge gash down the length of it and his face looked like a mishappened tomato. If nothing else, he knows how to take a beating. 

As Maxine moved towards him, she heard cheers just before he collapsed onto his back. Without thinking, she scanned his body with her spiritual sense. Aside from the gash on his arm, most of his wounds were superficial. Although, if he didn't get some kind of treatment for the inflamation on his face, he would probably loose one of his eyes.

She walked up to him and quickly healed with the huge wound on his left arm. Partway through, Emily knelt on the other side of Hero Alec Ard and worked on healing his face. Maxine appreciated the help immensely since most of her own energies were going into healing the various bruises on her body. I wonder how hydras in the wild keep up with the energy and nutritional needs for their rapid regeneration. Perhaps it has something to do with their voracious appetite that's often depicted in ancient legends. I might try eating something in a little bit once I'm running low on essence, mana and ki. 

"At least, you arn't hurt too bad this time," Emily said, "I have this big idiot to thank for that. If he hadn't been so fierce keeping that orc occupied, it may have considered you to be the biggest threat and tried to finish you off first." He's still an idiot. 

"Don't call him an 'it,' Emily. Grom Stonescream deserves respect for fighting with honor," Maxine said calmly. They continued to heal Hero Alec Ard.

Maxine had just finished healing his arm and had moved to heal his stomach when she felt someone groping her butt. She quickly turned her head and found that Hero Alec Ard was using his healed arm to grope her butt. He only made things worse for himself by flashing her a happy smile.

"I think I've died and gone to heaven," Hero Alec Ard said dreamily. 

Maxine's expression twisted into rage and felt her right eye twitch several times. "Just because you're injured," Maxine said angrily and she punched Hero Alec Ard in the crotch as she roared, "doesn't mean you can cop a feel!" Hero Alec Ard unleashed a blood curdling scream. Every single man winced sympathetically. Fortunately for him, he was durable enough that she didn't break his balls.

Maxine was so angry that she got to her feet and stormed back into the city without tending to any of Hero Alec Ard's other injuries. Once inside, she saw the refugees were standing just inside the walls under guard by soldiers. They were scared, but unharmed. A few of the children smiled at her and her fury evaporated. She just couldn't stay angry in the presence of children. 

A small girl walked up to Maxine and asked, "Are the big green men gone?"

"Yes, they're gone," Maxine answered the little girl.

"Are they going to send us back outside?" the little girl asked fearfully.

"I don't know," Maxine answered honestly, "But I imagine they will."

"Will you still read to us?" the little girl asked.

"Of course," Maxine said, "But first let me go change. My current attire is hardly suited for storytelling." 

"'Kay," the little girl said and she ran back to the other refugees. Maxine smiled at the little girl's retreating form before heading back to the mansion using flight. She didn't want to keep the children waiting. I really look forward to what kind of people those children will grow into. I just hope Hero Alec Ard won't be a pest after this. Who am I kidding? Of course, he will. But with how things are, I can just avoid him. I wonder if Mara will report that I'm a Shadow Queen. I better plan for the eventuality that she has. Although I doubt they will make a move until they have the backing of the Shadow Lords. So, I shouldn't need to expect them to move for another five years. That should be plenty of time to get that Four Horned Kanzil's ship up and running. Even if it doesn't, I still have that warp crystal to send me to another world.