Once Maxine returned to Kerrigan's hive from her walk, she saw Kerrigan in her bathrobe while weaving a backless dress on a maniquinn that had the same body shape and proportions as Kerrigan. Good, she planned ahead. Although, I am curious why she's making a seemless one though. Those can take awhile to make even with a cultivator's speed. Doing things quickly doesn't mean it will be of high quality. She hadn't gotten more than a small portion of the dress done.
"I bet that dress will look absolutely amazing when you're done," Maxine commented, "Although, it would've been made a bit faster if Silky were doing that."
"I'm well aware, mother, but I like doing things like this myself," Kerrigan replied, "Anyways, Silky is busy showing her boyfriend off to everyone to have much time to help me. Although, I do recall Silky mentioned that a few girls tried to flirt with Lan, but with a hanful of words, she was able to chase them off." Well, I kind of expected Silky to be very possessive of Lanitherin. It's a common trait amongst arachne. They rarely ever want to share 'their man' with anyone. I still don't know how Jack convinced the arachne twins to date him at the same time.
"Oh, alright," Maxine said, "So, how do you like your new form so far?"
"Like I said before, it's different," Kerrigan replied, "I found that I like having hair, but I think I would prefer it to be shorter. I think shoulder length should be just about right. Otherwise it will get in the way when I fly."
"Braiding your hair is another alternative," Maxine offered, "But regardless of what you decide, I think you will look great. Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. I need to craft a few more nutritional potions to replenish my stock. I ran out a few days before I got hurt."
"Thank you for letting me know, mother," Kerrigan said without taking her focus off of the dress, "I will let my warriors know to avoid this room to avoid disturbing you."
"Thanks, sweetie," Maxine said gratefully before sitting down in a corner and retrieving a dozen different medicinal ingredients. This should be enough for six different potions and two of these should be enough to replenish my internal stocks of vitamins and minerals enough for me to finish healing up. I won't even need the purple snake fruit smoothie.
Maxine took her time and made the potions, but during the process, she accidentally used too much heat at one point. It turned the medicinal ingredient into a powder, but it was still useable. However it gave her a brief moment of enlightenment on how to make alchemical pills. I'm an idiot. I should've realized that pills should use powders instead of liquids. It solves one of the questions on my mind. Thankfully no other problems occured while she was making the nutritional potions and got the expected six potions from the effort.
She quickly drank two of them and felt a refreshing sensation eminating from her stomach. Ahh, much better. She checked on her left arm and saw it was healing at a much faster pace than before due to the infusion of nutrients. She estimated that her bones and muscles would finish healing by this evening without any further attention.
She put the remaining nutritional potions away in her dimensional ring and straightened as she felt someone's spriitual sense brush against her mind. [I'm sorry to bother you while you are recovering, but this Kelborn brat wants you to act as a witness for Sandra's trial,] Elder Miyan said, [And for some reason, he's insisting we leave immediately to Seton Academy to commence her trial.]
[Why? I barely know her and I was quite occupied fighting for my life during the last battle,] Maxine retorted.
[I told him that, but he seems to believe you were the one that Sandra got that potion from,] Elder Miyan replied. Something isn't right nere. If he wanted me to come along, he should've said it while he was here earlier. Why bring this up now? He might have something planned. I better prepare for his stupidity. With a thought, Maxine ordered her dragon to enter her shadow.
[Now why would he have gotten that idea?] Maxine asked. It's best I don't admit to selling that damn thing to Sandra. I really don't want to go through a bullshit trial. Considering the mindset of some clans, I could be considered a co-conspirator.
[He forcibly searched her mind without my permission and said he saw you hand her a potion,] Elder Miyan said with a hint of anger in her tone. That's not good.
[You're giving me all this trouble over a few healing potions?] Maxine asked incredulously. It's not technically a lie since I actually traded some healing potions.
[Unfortunately, the other elders are,] Elder Miyan replied sadly, [Or rather they said they are being forced to by the academy.]
[I don't care who you are being forced by. I'm not going,] Maxine said forcefully, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kerrigan straighten in alarm. In the next moment, she felt ten different peak gold stage cultivators attempt to suppress her with their various energies.
[I'm truly sorry about this. I never thought Seton Academy elders would stoop this low,] Elder Miyan said regretfully, [Please, surrender. Several of them are at the same level as that four-horned kanzil that you fought and even if you could fight them, your 'daughter' is nearby. They would use her to make you come with them.] Maxine glanced at her injured left arm. I could barely keep up with one person that strong when I wasn't injured. That many would prove damn near suicidal to fight.
[Fine, but your academy has made an enemy today,] Maxine growled angrily and told Kerrigan in english, "Get all of your various drones and warriors inside of your hive. I'm going to send you back to Earth after I cause a distraction."
"But mother...," Kerrigan pleaded, but Maxine cut her off, "I can't fight them or even run away if I'm worried about you. Now do as I say."
"Yes, mother," Kerrigan says and Maxine shadow steps outside of Kerrigan's hive.
"I'm over here, assholes," Maxine roared at them in Alliance common to get their attention away from Kerrigan's hive as Kerrigan moved her brood back into her hive.
"Mind your tongue," one of the male elders roared at her.
"Go to hell," Maxine snapped at him angrily as she hid a small glass orb inside of her fist from her dimensional ring.
The male elder flew down towards her and raised his open hand to hit her. But Maxine crushed the glass orb and threw it at his face. It didn't stop him from slapping her viciously, but his screams of agony the next moment were worth the pain.
His eyes were bleeding and his skin was beginning to discolor as he feebly attempted to use his nails to dig out the contact poison. Idiot, it's no longer on your skin. It's already absorbed into your blood stream and it will soon spread to every inch of your body. I'm glad I made that stuff to deal with idiots while I was still on the hero world. It won't kill him though, but it will make him wish he had died before it wears off.
"Give him the antidote!" another elder roared at her as they surrounded Maxine.
"It's not lethal, just very, very painful and poisons have no effect on me," Maxine retorted while she put itching powder into her right hand from her dimensional ring, "So why would I make an antidote?" All, but one, of them lot of them just angrily glared at Maxine and that one elder was already helping their screaming compatriot back to the ship.
"Was that really necessary?" Elder Miyan asked as she floated down from the sky.
"What were you expecting me to do once you essentially used my daughter as a fucking hostage to get me to leave with you?" Maxine asked rhetorically as the last of Kerrigan's brood entered the hive, "Do you honestly believe I would be cooperative about it? Because that would be retarded." Without warning, Maxine threw a handful of itching powder into the air. They all stepped away from her reflexively.
"What was that?" Elder Miyan asked as she used a small pulse of energy to blast the itching powder away from her.
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"Itching powder," Maxine said honestly with a cruel smile on her face, "It causes an intense itch on any exposed skin that it lands one. It's been known to get so bad that a few people have actually scratched their skin off." A few of them paled slightly as few of them unconsciously started to scratch their neck. So long as their eyes are on me and not Kerrigan, I don't care. I need to get her out of here.
Maxine next ordered all of her shadow wolves to create a portal under Kerrigan's hive and send it to Earth in the same spot it occupied before.
"You are just making this harder on yourself than it needs to be, Maxine," Elder Miyan warned Maxine, "If you do anything more, the academy will believe you are Sandra's accomplice. No matter what you do we are taking you and your 'daughter' with us, so stop this foolishness."
"Fine, but you are not going to lay a hand on Kerrigan," Maxine said coldly as Kerrigan's hive vanished into the ground just in time for all of them to look in that direction. A few jumped into the air in persuit, but the portal closed before they could reach it.
When all of their eyes were back on Maxine, Elder Miyan simply sighed and ask Maxine, "Why did you put all that effort to portect a hive matriarch that wasn't even your real daughter?"
"I don't expect you to understand," Maxine said neutrally and briefly felt a familiar spiritual sense brush over her, "Just what you're going to do." Maxine held out her hands and allowed them to place manicles on her. The second they snapped closed, she realized that she couldn't used her energies at all. She could still use her spiritual sense, but that was it. While she was distracted, one of the elders tried to take off her dimensional ring, but it wouldn't budge.
"Don't even think about it. That's a gift from my grandpa," Maxine said coldly.
"I don't care who it's from. We can't allow you to take it with you," one of the elders snapped as he pulled out a knife.
"Leave it alone," Elder Miyan said angrily, "So far, we don't have any evidence that she knowingly aided Sandra. As it stands, we have already gone beyond what the rules of the academy allow by placing the cultivation sealing manicles on her. Or are you trying to rob a junior?"
"I would never do such a thing! I just don't want her hurling more of those irksome poisons at us," the elder retorted while scratching his neck furiously.
"She only used those things to distract us while she sent her 'daughter' away," Elder Miyan reminded them, "She has no reason to do it now and don't forget, her poisons were non-lethal."
"Tell that to Rocklan. I can still hear him screaming," the youngest elder complained, "How long is that poison supposed to last anyways?"
"A few hours, I think," Maxine replied, "But I can't be sure. I've never tested it on someone as strong as he is. Still, he should've known better than to get that close without having his guard up. I'm the student of a poison master for crying out loud."
"Yes, he should have," Elder Miyan agreed as she hefted Maxine up over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, "I think you would prefer it if I carry you back to the ship."
"Yes, I do. I don't like men, at all," Maxine said coldly and noticed Elder Miyan loosened her grip slightly. However she still carried Maxine over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. However just Elder Miyan returned to the city and approached the ship from Seton Academy, she stiffened.
"What are you doing here Brant Kelborn?" Elder Miyan demanded.
"You know perfectly well why I'm here," Brant Kelborn said coldly, "Now hand that bitch over, so she can face her punishment with Sandra." I'm a bitch now? Anyways, I knew he was up to something. I just didn't think he would move this soon. Still, I was prepared for this bullshit.
"There is no proof of your accusations," Elder Miyan retorted, "And even if Maxine sold that potion to Sandra, she is innocent by the laws of the Alliance."
"I don't care. Either hand her over or fight the other Seton Academy elders to protect her. Your choice," Brant Kelborn stated coldly.
"Or you can beg me for your life so keep my dragon doesn't kill you," Maxine countered as she gave her dragon an order.
"What dragon?" Brant Kelborn asked just before a huge slivery claw burst out of his shadow and pinned him on the ground. A single claw was pressed against the back of his head as the rest of Maxine's dragon pulled itself out of his shadow.
"What's going on?!" one of the elders roared in surprise. However Elder Miyan simply sighed and set Maxine back on the ground. She even removed the manicles off of Maxine.
"What are you doing?!" a different elder asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Elder Miyan asked, "I'm releasing her so her pet doesn't kill Brant Kelborn. Do you believe his clan won't come after all of you for failing to protect him? Or do you think I'm too stupid to realize that he paid all of you off?"
"I won't let this go," Brant Kelbron said calmly. Does he not realize I can kill him? On second thought, I have a better idea.
"I guess there's no cure for this kind of stupidity," Maxine complained out loud and decided she had enough of the Kelborn Clan's idiocy. She created a worm-like construct and threw it at Brant Kelborn. He looked on in horror as it pierced his neck and wormed itself into his body.
"What have you done to me?!" Brant Kelborn screamed in panic.
"Nothing immediately life-threatening," Maxine answered non-chalantly, "It's just an insurance policy of sorts. So long as I live for the next twenty years, so shall you. So it's in your best interests that I remain alive. Oh! And don't try removing it. You could set it off by accident." Well, an immortal might be able to remove it with a few days of concentration. It's literately embedded around his heart now, but that's just part that's just the portion of it that's obvious. I had it detach literal thousands of worm constructs smaller than white blood cells into his heart and brain as well. In the event that someone were to remove the larger construct or one of the smaller ones incorrectly, the remainder would detonate at the same time. Good luck removing that!
"This changes nothing," Brant Kelborn said angrily, "The people who harmed my cousin will be brought to justice."
"Really? Then why not go after the bitch that actually fed him that damn potion?" Maxine snapped back, "I just sold her a potion to her that she requested. How the hell was I even supposed to know what she was going to do with it after that?!"
"I don't care about your excuses," Brant Kelborn growled, "Whether you knew it or not, you are still in part to blame for what happened to my cousin and you have to be punished for it."
"Are you trying to get killed?" Maxine asked, "Because you should know I can remote detonate that thing wrapped around your heart." They stared at each other before Brant Kelborn sighed in defeat.
"I'm forced to leave this as it is for now," Brant Kelborn said in a defeated tone, "But don't think for an instant that I will forget about this."
"Remember, you were the one that invited all of this to happen by bribing the Seton Academy elders to abduct me," Maxine retorted, "Now if there is nothing left, I'm leaving." She walked towards the shadow of the large ship still hovering in the air once it was clear no one was going to say anything to her.
"Well done, Ms. Levings," a very familiar voice said from above Maxine just before she could shadow step away. She whipped around and looked up. It was Turan and he was smiling, almost joyously. Shit, I thought I felt his spiritual sense earlier. But why is he here so early? He must've already been nearby when they got the word out that another Maxine was in the area.
"What do you want, shadow lord?" Maxine growled, "And who is this miss Levings?"
"My apologies. I was almost certain you were someone I'm familiar with," Turan said apologetically as he floated down to land infront of Maxine and she noticed that he was holding a strange device in his hand, "Are you sure you don't know me?"
"Positive," Maxine said coldly.
"That's too bad," Turan said lamentingly, "Regardless, I need to observe you for the time being. Your master has made things difficult for my people. I don't know how he did it, but he rendered any DNA scan on these other Maxines useless. But whatever he did doesn't last more than a few months. So that's how long I will be observing you for. I do apologize for the inconvenience."
"So long as it's that machine watching me and not you," Maxine said grumpily.
"As you wish, Maxine," Turan said with a bow.
"I don't recall telling you my name," Maxine said suspiciously.
"You know as well as I do that the name you are going by is Maxine. That is unless you wish to tell me your real name. Otherwise I shall continue to call you that," Turan replied, "But I'm still very optimistic about you. Out of all of the other Maxines, you are the closest to the original."
"Whatever," Maxine said and glanced at the four-horned kanzil's army before flying back to where she had Kerrigan's hive at originally. Unfortunately Turan followed her, but she shrugged as she connected to the spiritual mark on Kerrigan.
[Mother, are you alright?] Kerrigan asked in a panic.
[Yes, I'm fine,] Maxine reassured Kerrigan, [I was able to resolve the problem, but I can't bring you back for now, sweetie. Do you want me to bring you back here?]
[That's alright, mother. So long as we can talk like this, I'm happy,] Kerrigan replied, [Just be sure to talk to me at least once a day.]
[I'll try my best to, but you know I might get into a situation where I can't risk talking to you,] Maxine reminded Kerrigan.
[I know, mother,] Kerrigan replied, [Just be sure to be here for Silky's wedding. She'll be furious if you are not.]
[It doesn't take a genius to figure that out,] Maxine replied, [Well, I need to find a place to bunker down for the night.]
[I understand, mother. Try to be safe,] Kerrigan said happily, [Now I best let grandpa know what's going on before things get out of hand.]
[Take care, sweetie,] Maxine said and severed their spiritual sense connection.
Maxine looked over her shoulder as she continued her flight. Turan was maintaining a distance of four hundred feet. She didn't like him following her at all. She created a portal directly ahead of her that would send her to the basement of hospital. She slowed down just before she entered it and closed it as soon as she was through. I really don't like him following me like that. At least, I have this dusty basement room to rest in. I would've prefered it if I could stay in Kerrigan's hive, but I can't risk putting her in danger again.
Next, Maxine ordered her dragon and other constructs to return to the shadows. With a sigh, she began to meditate after getting comfortable and suddenly smiled. Her cores were accepting their respective energies again. I should let them recover a bit more before I risk any rapid cultivation. I don't want to damage my cores.