Maxine felt annoyed as handled the controls of her her ship while it slowly descended to Earth. Ugh, I hate this bullshit. I understand why the governments of Earth insisted that cultivators register with their respective departments. But why do I have to return to Earth on a ship!? Daddy insisted on it since it would explain why no one could find me on Earth. I hate having to go through this kind of hassle. Still, I'm surprised daddy managed to recover the four-horned kanzil ship that I abandoned. How he knew where find it is beyond me, but I'm not going to complain about that.
[Maxine, remember to visit the registration office as soon as you arrive. The local government will get quite upset if you try to avoid it,] Hellen reminded Maxine via spiritual sense, [And don't worry about little Lucas. We will look after him while you are on Earth.]
[Thank you again, mom,] Maxine replied, [I just can't take the risk that he will hurt someone. I will make sure to visit you guys daily from now on, even if it's only through one of my clones.]
[I'll hold you to that,] Hellen said happily, [Now concentrate on flying that ship. I don't want you to crash it after your father went to the trouble of finding it.]
[Alright, mom. Talk to you later,] Maxine said as she devoted her concentration to the controls as she entered Earth's atomasphere.
Maxine held the control stick steady as she used her other hand to adjust the thruster controls to ensure her descent was a smooth one. After a few minutes, her efforts paid off as she found herself near St Louis. A small space port had been built as far away from the international airport as possible while still remaining within the city limits and designated one mile around it as a no fly zone for airplanes to ensure that no accidents happened.
"Ground control. This is the 'Quilled Maiden.' I'm on approach and request a landing site," Maxine said while the communications array was active. I'm still not happy that daddy gave my ship that name. It's just another thing that's irratating me today.
"This is St. Louis Ground Control. You're clear to touchdown on landing pad 5," a woman responded to Maxine's query, "Please, take the designated flight path. It should show up on your nav systems now."
"Roger that. Proceeding to landing pad 5," Maxine said and manuevered her ship towards landing pad 5. It was nearly impossible to miss it since it had a huge number 5 printed on it using the arabic and alliance numberal systems.
As soon as she touched down, she took a look at her clothes and sighed. She was wearing a white tank top and a pair of modified denim shorts to accomodate her tail. Remaining in my transformed state is severely limiting my outfit choices. It's just so hard to find a shirt that can accomadate these quills without being torn to pieces. And since my Shadow's Embrace armor was nearing it's damage threshold, I have to let it regenerate before I can use it again. At least, it's warm enough for me to get away with wearing this stuff.
She made her way to the hatch of her ship and was surprised to find a set of mobile stairs had been pushed up to the exit hatch of her ship. How thoughtful. As she walked down the steps, she saw a group of the space port's personnel approaching her. However, they stopped to gawk at her for several seconds while she slowly descended the stairs.
"I plan on staying here for awhile. How much do you guys charge for the rental space in a hangar?" Maxine asked them in english when she got within earshot.
The one in the middle, a middle aged man, quickly shook his head and spoke up, "Your hangar fees for the next six months have been paid in advance. I simply need you to give your signature for our records." After he finished speaking, he held out a datapad for her to sign, but there was no writing utensil.
"You wouldn't have something to write with, would you?" Maxine asked as she grabbed the data pad, "My claws are extremely sharp and I'm afraid that I will destroy this thing by accident if I were to try to use my finger to sign my name."
"Here you go and thank you for taking that into consideration," the middle-aged man said with a smile as he handed her a small ball point pen.
"Think nothing of it," Maxine replied as she deftly signed her name and handed the datapad with the pen on top of it back to him, "Now, where is this 'cultivator registration center'? I heard that I needed to go there if I intend to stay for any length of time."
"We have a registration office in the space port for the convenience of our guests," the middle age man replied, "I can escort you there if you like."
"I would appreciate it," Maxine said and followed the man around. It was a short walk into the facility and to the cultivator registration office within the spaceport. It was rather busy so she had to wait for a short while before it was her turn to register. However, when she walked to the counter she felt herself being scanned. Of course, they're logging an imprint of my energies. It's more accurate than scanning my finger print.
"Huh?" the clerk said with a stunned expression. Maxine spied a name tag over her left breast with the name 'Darcie' in plain text, but thankfully Darcie snapped out of it to continue speaking, "It says you've already been registered, but that can't be right. Your cultivation is off the charts and I'm sure we would know about you if you were a local. This will just take a second to sort this out." I know damn sure that daddy didn't set that up. Don't tell me that they're using my profile from when I was helping the military. It would make sense for them to include me. I know I gained two more cores, but the overall energy signature will be the same. But why did they keep me on public files after my supposed death? Maybe they put them back in after Emily revealed that I was still alive somewhere offworld?
"No, this has to be wrong. It's saying that your a 22 year old human female by the name of Maxine Levings," Darcie said, "You're clearly not her."
"Yes, I am," Maxine said, "My birthday was quite literately two weeks ago."
"You're not even the right species, so don't even try to trick me," Darcie said in warning.
"Just bring up the photo that you have on file and see if it matches my face," Maxine said in exasperation, "If that isn't enough, just contact a member of the Kavros Clan. I'm their young miss and quite a few of them have seen me in this state."
"Or you could always have them call your uncle," a very familiar voice called out from behind her. She turned around as a smile spread across her lips.
"Uncle Zeph!" Maxine shouted happily as she hugged him while being mindful of her claws and quills, "What are you doing here?" Oh, he's wearing a blue vest. He's still wearing black pants though, but it's better than his edge lord appearance from before.
"They need someone to oversee our clan members, so they sent me," Zephyr said with a smile and he gently pushed Maxine out of their embrace, "Now, young lady, if you check the attached photographs of her file, you will find pictures of my neice in her current form." Wait, is he the one that updated my file? It would make sense.
"Uhh, sure," Darcie answered as she quickly performed a few commands on her computer, "It is indeed her. But can I ask why she has quills instead of normal hair?"
"That's a question regarding her special bloodline and if I'm not mistaken, you're not allowed to ask about that sort of thing, miss Darcie," Zephyr warned her gently.
"Oh, yes. You're right. I'm terribly sorry," Darcie apologized.
"It's alright," Maxine said, "I can't blame you for being curious. Do you need anything else from me?"
"Yes, I do. Can you relay what kind of jobs that you can perform?" Darcie asked, "It's for our files, but you don't have to give any specifics."
"Alchemist, blademaster and healer," Maxine replied and she saw Darcie's jaw drop.
"You're an alchemist?!" Darcie asked incredulously, "As in you're registered with the Alchemist Association? Can I see your badge to confirm this?"
"Sadly, I no longer have it. I had a bit of a disagreement with the association and returned the badge," Maxine replied, "However I was rated as a gold-teir alchemist before we parted ways if that helps." As she finished speaking, she saw the people waiting turn to look at her in surprise.
"I'm sorry, but I can't list it as one of your occupations without proof," Darcie said apologetically, "But the other jobs you mentioned are already in your file. I was just confirming it. Give me a few moments and I will get your temporary registration card printed out. Do you have an address that we can send your permnament one to?"
"Just send it to my place," Zephyr said, "I'm sure you're aware of where that is."
"Understood, sir," Darcie replied and after a few moments, she handed Maxine a sheet of paper, "Here's your temporary card. The permnament one should arrive at Kavros compound within a week. Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No, you covered everything. Thanks," Maxine said as she left the desk and walked beside Zephyr, "So, how have you been?"
"Busy," Zephyr replied, "This world's governments are not easy to deal with. But right now, I'm more concerned about what happened to your hand. Hellen didn't mention anything about you missing a finger when we talked last night."
"I doubt she would have," Maxine commented, "She didn't notice that my finger was missing until I was eating and it took both me and daddy nearly an hour to calm her down enough to explain that my finger would grow back."
"What about that hydrakin child that you brought back with you? Why didn't you bring him with you?" Zephyr asked, "I would've liked to meet him. He is the first of his kind afterall."
"I doubt you would've enjoyed the encounter. He's almost completely feral," Maxine replied, "I just couldn't take the risk he would see the ordinary people as prey and attack them."
"I can see how that could be a problem," Zephyr agreed, "Now, I suppose you want to see Emily and Silky, right?"
"You guess it," Maxine said, "Do you know where they are?"
"Silky is working at a guild as an outfiter, so she will most likely be busy until this evening. And Emily is most likely at the cultivator's hospital. She's quite the gifted healer," Zephyr answered, "But I recomend that you visit Claudia, your birth mother, first. I know you don't want to meet Jonathan Levings, so now would be the best time to see her since that man is currently working."
"Thanks for the tip," Maxine said gratefully, "But I don't intend to visit that place at least for now. I don't want to make things any harder for mother by showing up looking like this. She's already suffered enough for simply being known for birthing and raising me." She gestured towards the quills on her head and her tail. I don't want to give her a heart attack.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"I understand, but still she wants to see you," Zephyr said, "Just remember that she worries about you and at the very least, deserves to know that you are alright."
"I'll see her later," Maxine said and turned towards the cultivator's hospital, "Now I best be off to see Emily."
"Alright, take care," Zephyr said before Maxine took flight towards the cultivator's hospital. She spread her spiritual sense ahead and all around her to avoid any collisions. She landed gently infront of the hospital.
She walked inside of it and looked around. There were injured humans and beastkin waiting to be treated in the waiting area, but their injuries were no more severe than a broken bone or laceration. However she spotted a young boy standing beside his mother, whom was yelling at the receptionist.
"We've been here for over half an hour. What's taking so long?" the woman asked angrily.
"I'm sorry, but a large hunting party arrived with their injured just before you did," the receptionist said apologetically, "We will see you when we can."
"My family gave a large donation to this hospital just so we could come in and be treated by cultivators," the woman growled and eyed the beastkin in the waiting area with suspicion, "I demand to see one of them to look at my son this instant." God damn it. She's one of those people, but that kid shouldn't suffer for this. I might as well offer to take a look at him.
Maxine approached them and said, "I can take a look at him." The woman looked at Maxine and recoiled before pushing her son behind her.
"Stay back!" the woman yelled and Maxine stood in place.
"Despite how I look, I'm an excellent healer," Maxine reassured the woman, "And if it will make you feel better, I will only touch the little guy with the tip of my tail."
"I said stay back," the woman said firmly and Maxine finally saw raw hatred in the woman's eyes, "And keep your 'tail' to yourself." Oh, great. She's also a xenophobe. I tried.
"Whatever you say, lady. I only offered because I hate seeing children in pain," Maxine said as she turned to the receptionist, "Is Emily Herst busy at the moment?"
"Yes, she is currently giving emergency treatment to four different hunters," the receptionist said, "If you're willing to wait a little while, you can take a seat in the lobby. Can you give me your name so I can let her know you're here?"
"Sure, it's Maxine Cinderson," Maxine said.
"Alright, I'll let her know as soon as she's free," the receptionist said.
"Thanks a bunch," Maxine said and turned around to face a catkin. He had black tail to match his equally black hair, but she knew he wasn't a pantherkin. The shape of his ears and tail were wrong.
"You're a healer right?" he asked Maxine, "Can you look at my mate?"
"Of course, I can," Maxine said with a smile, "But I can't guarantee that I can heal her. I normally heal battle injuries."
"That's fine. She's right over there," he pointed to a catkin woman with the ears and tail the exact same shape as his. However the young woman was in very clear pain as she held her stomach. Cultivators normally don't get stomach aches and only a handful of illnesses that cultivators can get cause that. It most likely internal bleeding from an injury she suffered.
Maxine walked over to her and carefully scanned the catkin woman's belly. Maxine immediately noticed that the beastkin woman had severe bruising on her abdomen. When she scanned deeper, she found the beaskin woman's internal organs had taken a massive hit and her liver had ruptured. The only reason she wasn't dead was due to her immense vitality as an iron rank 5 cultivator. This catkin woman didn't have the time to wait for a healer to get to her, so Maxine immediately moved the catkin woman's hands out of the way before pressing her palm gently against her stomach.
"Hold her hands. I don't want her scratching my face off," Maxine told the catkin man and channeled her energies to close up the wound as she explained the catkin woman's condition, "Your mate has a ruptured liver and has some internal bleeding. She should've been seen as soon as she walked in with this kind of wound. It may not have killed her before she was seen, but she would've suffered a lot in the meantime."
"Thank you for treating her," the catkin man said, "Will we be able to go home today?"
"She should be able to walk out of here after I'm done, but make sure she takes it easy for a few days," Maxine said, "What I'm doing isn't much more than putting her flesh back where it belongs and healing it just enough that she can heal on her own. Any undue stress could cause her to end up having to come back here for further treatment."
"I understand," the catkin man said, "Thank you, again."
"Don't mention it and don't worry about paying me," Maxine said with a smile just as she finished.
"But..," the catkin man said, but Maxine cut him off, "No buts. I'm doing this for free. Just think of it as my good deed for the day." Maxine pat him on the shoulder and found an empty chair to sit down in. Every waiting was looking at her with curious gazes, but she didn't care. She was here to see Emily, and this was where Emily worked. So, Maxine wasn't going to cause any trouble here. Not that I would anyways. This is a hospital. People don't come here to pick fights.
After nearly an hour of being stared at, Emily came to the front desk. She wasn't wearing a doctors coat, but she still exuded the aura of a nuturing healer. Maxine immediately stood up and started walking towars her. However, Emily didn't see her and turned to talk to the receptionist.
"I got your message. Where is she?" Emily asked and the receptionist simply pointed at Maxine.
"You're looking good as always," Maxine said just as Emily turned around to face Maxine.
"Maxine?!" Emily exclaimed before she moved in to hug Maxine, "What's up with your hair? I've seen your transformation before, but you had hair, not quills. And why are you in that state? You're not going to fight anyone are you?" Huh? I don't remember her seeing me in my transformed state. Hmm, she must've seen a picture or holovideo of it.
"My bloodline has been causing me to be more tempermental lately, even when I'm not transformed and by staying in this state, I'm learning to better master it so that it effects my emotions less," Maxine replied, "And as for my quills, they just sort of appeared after... an event I rather not talk about." Emily backed out of their hug and gave Maxine a wierd look.
"That bad?" Emily asked with concern.
"I have nightmares about it," Maxine answered sorrowfully while avoiding looking Emily in the eye, "If you really want to know about it, I'll tell you, but not here. It's not something that I want others to know about."
"I understand," Emily said gently and Maxine felt as if there was some sort of misunderstanding going on.
"Anyways, when do you get off work?" Maxine siad with a more cheerful tone.
"At around five in the afternoon," Emily answered. That's another six hours. I will just have to find something else to do until she's done. She's probably using part of her lunch break to talk to me.
"And with this crowd, you are definitely going to have your hands full," Maxine remarked, "Do you need me to give a hand?"
"No, the hospital doesn't like it when outside healers help out," Emily explained, "It's so the outside healers don't get into trouble if they mess things up."
"Alright, I guess I will let you get back to work and come by around five," Maxine said, "I'll go check on Silky."
"I'll see you later," Emily said and gave Maxine a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Later," Maxine said as she turned around to leave, but before Maxine walked more than a couple steps, she felt Emily grab her left hand before bringing it to her face.
"What happened to your hand?!" Emily demanded.
"One of my fingers was cut off two days ago," Maxine answered honestly, "Some wouldbe kidnappers thought to blackmail Guan into doing something by holding me and wanted to use my finger as proof that they had me." Emily looked at Maxine with disbelief for a few moments before becoming angry.
"What did you do to them?" Emily asked with a bizarre calm which scared Maxine a little.
"I didn't kill them, if that's what your asking, but considering the events that lead up to my escape, the main culprit's chances of survival is pretty dismal," Maxine replied.
"I see, but you're going to tell me what's happened these past six months in detail," Emily said forcefully. Maxine was surprised. She had never seen Emily behaving this forcefully.
"I fully intend to," Maxine said and saw middle-aged woman staring at them, "Now, you better get back to work before your boss gets cranky. She's been staring at us since you grabbed my hand."
Emily glanced over her shoulder and visibly relaxed, "Oh, that's Maggie. She isn't my boss. She's one of the senior nurses that works under me."
"Oh, alright. That doesn't explain why she's watching us though," Maxine said.
"She is very portective of everyone that works here," Emily said, "And she's not very trusting of beastkin. I don't think it's easy for her to adapt to this whole situation." Oh, I can't fault her for that. Things have changed a lot lately.
"I see. Well, I best get going before I make her any more nervous than I already have," Maxine said and gave Emily a gentle kiss.
"I'll see you after work like we discussed," Emily said while smiling, "And don't be late."
"I wouldn't dare be late," Maxine said before watching Emily walk back and through a door. She stared at the door for a few moments before she left the hospital. Now if I remember correctly, Mom told me that Silky has been hired as an outfitter for Amanda and Chris' school. She should be there now. I hope I'm lucky and she's not busy when I get there.
She decided to walk and she felt various people staring at her. Most of them were looking at her with a combination of caution and curiosity, but there were a small number of people that looked at her with hatred and disgust. Yeah, there will always be racist pricks no matter where you go. At least, most people are not afraid of me and that's a good thing.
She eventually made it to Amanda and Chris' school, but the name above the doors had changed from what she remembered. It was now called the 'Ice and Fire Guild Headquarters.' Huh? I wonder what brought about that. Maybe it's due to some beaucratic bullshit. I wouldn't put it past those pencil pushing pricks.
She walked in through a set of glass doors and walked towards a reception desk. "Hello, I'm looking for Silky. Is she in?" Maxine asked.
"Do you have an appointment?" the female receptionist with the name tag Meagan Tresse said. I'm impressed. She didn't even flinch when she noticed me.
"No, do I need one?" Maxine asked.
"It's recommended, but if you're very lucky, she might not be busy," Megan Tresse replied, "Silky's workplace is just down the hall to your left on the right side of the hall way near the end."
"Thanks for the help," Maxine said as she followed the directions and walked through a pair of glass double doors into a large room with all sorts of clothes on display. All of which were made of arachne silk. But the thing that caught Maxine's eye the most was Silky in her full arachne form with her back to Maxine. No wonder the receptionist didn't flinch. She gets to see Silky walk around like that every day.
"I'll be with you in a minute. I just have to put on the finishing touches to this thing," Silky said calmly, but in the next moment, she froze before turning around slowly, "Mom? MOM!" Silky charged at Maxine and Maxine instantly put an extra thick layer of her energies around her claws and quills to avoid accidentally poisoning Silky before she hug tackled Maxine. I know arachne are extremely affectionate to their kin, but was it really necessary for her to hug tackle me?
"I missed you too," Maxine said happily as she hugged Silky back, "And I'm happy to see you've taken a safe job."
"So was Lan," Silky said as she released Maxine, "I also instruct on the proper use of whips. It's too bad that not many people like using them. I have only like two students."
"That's better than none," Maxine said, "Now, have you two obeyed my wishes since we saw each other last?"
"Yes, we have," Silky responded grumpily, "Grandma Hellen made sure of it."
"I bet she did," Maxine said with a knowing smirk before Silky took a look at what Maxine was wearing.
"Mom, why are you wearing those clothes?" Silky asked with confusion, "They're out of style and the craftmanship on those shorts is terrible. It looks like someone literately used the back pockets of those shorts to make a sleeve for your tail. At least they had the sense to include a zipper to make it easier to put on."
"Actually, that's my handy work," Maxine admitted in embarassment, "I didn't have much else to work with."
"I can tell," Silky said, "I'll make something more comfortable for you right away. My other orders can wait."
"Are you sure about that?" Maxine asked, "It won't lower your reputation will it?"
"I'm ahead of schedule on all of my orders, so I have plenty of time to make you something to wear," Silky said confidently, "Anyways, I'm the only local that makes arachne silk garments."
"What about the other local arachne?" Maxine asked. I know a few spider-type beasts must've evolved into arachne by now. I just don't know how many.
"They sort of decided to work for me," Silky said with an complex expression, "They're shy."
"I can see why. Recent pop culture has turned them into dominatrixes," Maxine said jokingly. God damn anime.
"You have no idea," Silky said while putting her hand on her forehead, "Anyways, can you hang out with me for awhile? I would really like to spend some time with you and I think Lan will be back in another half hour or so. It will be a big surprise for him."
"I don't see why not," Maxine replied, "And you can take my measurements while I'm here. Oh! And I'm going to meet Emily at around 5. So I have to leave a little before that."
"That's fine," Silky said with a smile as she walked around Maxine slowly, "And don't forget to see grandma Claudia."
"I don't want to give her a heart attack when she sees me like this," Maxine replied.
"She sort of already knows. I told her about your transformations," Silky said as she finished walking around Maxine and wrote a few things down on a sheet of paper.
"Well, there is that," Maxine said, "Um, are you going to take my measurements?"
"I already did," Silky said, "I've got a knack for finding out someone's exact measurements just by looking them over."
"That's nifty," Maxine said, "So, any way I can help out while we wait for Lan?"
"Yes, can you fold some of those outfits over there and put them in boxes?" Silky asked, "The names on the labels will let you know which box to put them in."
"Of course, I can," Maxine said as she moved to the stack of finished arachne silk clothes and began packing them into small flat boxex. I do not look forward to seeing Jonathan Levings. He's the father that raised me in this life, but I'm worried how I will react to seeing him again. I guess I will find out later. Hopefully I can control myself.