Maxine mentally complained to herself as she continued her research on a library computer. Her search for a disgruntled subordinate at the russian embassy was pointless. Not a single person there hated ambassador Andrevich. In fact, most of them respected him immensely. She even went so far as to consult with the local Bratva, russian mofia, to see if they could help her contact the leadership back in Russia, but they turned her down once they found out her history with the good ambassador. Fuck, I hate doing research and to compound the problem, I'm doing research on events that happened nearly ten years ago.

She was looking for news reports that involved a missing girl or boy after their family had been wiped out and cross referencing it to a list of possible cultivators. This was an attepmt to find someone that managed to escape from the russian kidnapping squads. If I'm lucky, I'll find someone soon. I've already been at this for two days and tonight is Lucas' playdate with Sarah. It doesn't help that my mind works faster than the computers in this damn library and I have to make other searches to make it look like I'm keeping my knowledge on Earth's customs up to date. Hmm? What's this?

Maxine looked at a particular news article that described the gruesome murder of a single father by the name of Hector Barnes and his daughter, Michelle Barnes, was missing. The man had suffered a tremendous blow to the chest that literately caved it in and the neighbors had heard some shouting in russian. However, his attackers were also found at the scene and there was a trail of blood leading away from her house into the nearby woods. Perfect, let's see if I can find any reports about a young girl matching Michelle's description popping up in any hospitals within 100 miles of her home. After an hour of searching, she found no mention of any teenage girls matching Michelle's description or any sightings of any young women hiding in the local forests. This will have to do. I really hope she's actually dead. I would feel absolutely horrible if she's actually alive and I pin the ambassador's death on her. I'll need to search around the area where she disappeared, but for now, I need to form a mental image of her to work with.

Maxine made a mental image of Michelle in her mind and aged her up. Afterwards, she proceeded to add some scars from her fight with the russian kidnappers and from any beasts that she may have encountered while fleeing for her life. There, that should be suitable. I just need to figure out what she liked to wear before her disapperance and I need to find out a few of her personality traits. Although, even if I make a few mistakes, it won't matter. She literately watched her father get murdered infront of her and had to fight and kill to escape her attackers. That kind of trauma would inevitably twist her personality in horrible ways, so even if she suddenly appears out of nowhere for revenge, no one would suspect a thing. Still, I can't be careless with this. It will take me at least a week, probably longer, to tweek this construct to the point that it will pass off as the real thing. I'll also have to keep coming to the library to make it appear as if I'm looking into what's happened on Earth the last ten years. It's strange that I'm so comfortable using a dead girl's identity to get my revenge. I hope I'm not turning into some kind of monster.

She glanced at the time and moves to leave the library. I better head back and get Lucas ready for his play date and I need to take a shower since I've been using my energies to clean myself off. I just want to feel really clean while I keep an eye on Lucas. After getting outside, she creates another arch and walks through it to see a grumpy and wet-haired Lucas on the couch.

"You still don't like to take baths?" Maxine asked in surprise, "Did someone get soap in your eyes?"

"Yes, he did," Hellen said, "I told him to close his eyes, but he didn't listen."

"I bet he will listen now," Maxine commented as she walked up to Lucas and gently said, "Lucas, don't forget you have a playdate with Sarah today. First impressions are very important, so it won't do to have a grumpy look on your face."

Lucas loooked at Maxine for a moment before nodding his head and his expression became more neutral. "You only have an hour to get cleaned up Maxine, so you best take your bath now."

"Alright, mom," Maxine said as she headed to the bathroom. She saw fresh blouse with a floral pattern on it and set of jeans laid out for her. Silky really does good work. I still havn't figured out how she got the blouse's neck to accomodate my quills without exposing too much of my skin.

Maxine got into the shower and created dozens of thin tendrils to scrub herself down as thoroughly as she could. She heard the bathroom door open and saw that it was Hellen. Thus she didn't pay it any mind. Hellen left after setting something down next to the clothes that were already laid out.

As soon as Maxine was done with her shower, she saw what Hellen left her. It was a set of special shoes and gloves that were virtually identical, aside from the size, to the ones that Lucas had. Finally, I don't have to worry about shredding my clothes if I'm inattentive while using my energies to blunt my claws.

After getting dried off and dressed, she found Lucas sitting on Hellen's lap as they watched cartoons and glanced at the time. I can let them spend a few more minutes watching cartoons. We have a good half hour to get there and it would take us only a minute to get there. Hmm, I can use this time to send out my ravens and wolves to search for any traces of Michelle Baker. I really prefer to confirm that she's dead rather than hope she is. If I can't find her remains, I'll have to figure something else out.

After sending out her ravens and shadow wolves to search for Michelle Baker, Maxine sat down beside Lucas and Hellen and got a little surprise a few seconds later. Lucas got off of Hellen's lap to sit on hers. A smile blossomed on Maxine's face and ruffled Lucas' hair playfully. He didn't seem to mind it and continued to watch his cartoons. However just before the cartoon ended, Lucas looked at the time and glanced at Maxine with a anxious look on his face.

"Yes, we should get going," Maxine said to soothe him, "But remember Sarah is really fragile. So when you play with her, you have to be gentle. No rough play got it?" Lucas nodded.

"I already let him know how much strength he is supposed to use and to avoid scratching her," Hellen said calmly.

"Oh, good," Maxine said partly in relief, "Let's get going then." Lucas got off her lap and Maxine created an arch before they both walked through it.

Maxine looked at Amanda's house and noted that it was rather plain considering her wealth. It still had a simple and well kept flower garden to either side of her front door.

She grabbed Lucas' hand before walking up to the door and knocking on it gently. She waited for a few moments before Amanda greeted them as she opened the door, "Hey, Maxine and this little guy must be Lucas. Sarah has been excited to meet you." As if summoned, Sarah peeked her head around Amanda's leg.

"Hi, I'm Sarah," Sarah said happily.

"Lucas," Lucas said almost as if in a daze as he gently patted his chest.

"Come on," Sarah said as she rushed forward and practically dragged Lucas inside, "I have a game we can play." What the hell? He's actually letting Sarah drag him around?! Maybe, he's not resisting out of worry that he will hurt her by accident.

"I better follow them," Maxine said with some concern, "I'm a touch worried that Lucas will forget how strong he is."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"Don't worry about it too much. I made some preparations in advance," Amanda said, "Sarah is wearing a rechargable, protective pendant. It can block multiple attacks from a peak iron stage expert. He couldn't hurt her if he tried."

"That couldn't have been cheap," Maxine commented.

"It wasn't, but neither are your potions," Amanda remarked, "You should've told me how famous your 'brand' is."

"Found out about that did you?" Maxine said as she mentally winced.

"Do you have any idea how expensive they are?" Amanda asked.

"Not really," Maxine answered honestly, "I just sold them for whatever price they offered and bought more alchemy ingredients."

Amanda sighed in frustration, "Your potions sell for more than double of a standard healing potion. I need to modify your pay accordingly."

"We're friends, and I'm already wealthy. So you don't need to give me more pay," Maxine said calmly, "But can we talk about this later? I'm getting a little worried that I havn't heard those two playing since they left."

"You're right," Amanda said as her brow furrowed with concern, "Let's go check on them." They looked around and found Lucas playing Castle Crashers on an Xbox. Lucas' character was just wandering all over the place and randomly swinging it's weapon. He'll figure out how to play it properly in a minute and probably be playing it better than Sarah.

"You didn't tell me you had an Xbox," Maxine commented, "I wouldn't have been so worried if you had mentioned it earlier."

"I forgot Chris bought that a couple weeks ago," Amanda said offhandedly, "They play that game together from time to time."

"Well, I just hope Sarah doesn't get too mad at Lucas for playing so poorly," Maxine said, "He's never played a game on a console before."

"He seems to be learning fast enough," Amanda commented, "I think we can let them play for a little while without breathing over their shoulders."

"Alright, but I'm still going to have one of my ravens keep an eye on them, just in case," Maxine replied.

"That's fine," Amanda said, "You will still be able to help me make dinner, right?"

"I can, but I will warn you. Both me and Lucas eat a lot," Maxine warned Amanda.

"How much are we talking about?" Amanda asked cautiously.

"I can eat five pounds of food per meal and still feel hungry," Maxine replied, "If it's meat from an essence beast, three pounds should be enough."

"Jesus," Amanda said, "How do you afford your food bill?"

"I don't. I hunt for most of our food," Maxine replied, "I suppliment it with vegetables grown in rich black dirt."

"I don't blame you for that in the least," Amanda said, "And I just realized that I don't have anywhere near enough food set out to feed the both of you. So, I hope you're not upset that I won't be making you any."

"Don't worry about it. I never planned on staying for dinner anyways," Maxine replied, "I just want Lucas to enjoy spending some time with other children. It's good for his developement."

"By the way, how many other children has he played with?" Amanda asked.

"None, most either run away as soon as they see him or their parents drag them away before they can," Maxine answered.

"Assholes," Amanda said angrily.

"My thoughts exactly," Maxine agreed, "Anyways, you said you needed help with making dinner. Do you still want me to give you a hand?"

"That would be great," Amanda replied, "But we don't need to work on it for a few more hours yet."

"So what would you like to talk about?" Maxine asked.

"For starters, why weren't you wearing those wierd shoes earlier?" Amanda asked as she pointed at the special shoes that Guan made for her, "I was constantly worrying that you would damage the floors at my guild every time I saw you walking around barefoot."

"If I had them before today, I would've worn them," Maxine replied honestly, "You have no idea how hard it is to keep my claws constantly coated with my energies. They are frighteningly sharp."

"Just how sharp are your claws?" Amanda asked.

"It's easier to show you," Maxine said as she carefully took off one of her gloves and picked up a nearby pencil, "This is how sharp." Maxine closed hand and left only her index finger extended before dropping the pencil horizonally onto her claw. The pencil was cut halfway through before it stopped and she simply wiggled her finger for it to cut itself the rest of the way through.

"Jesus!" Amanda exclaimed, "But that can't be the only reason you're so worried. You could easily heal people if you accidentally cut them."

"You're right," Maxine admitted as she put her glove back on and after after hesitating for a moment, she added, "My claws are naturally envenomed with a super toxin that kills anyone with a cultivation below silver stage, even with the antidote."

"So, that's why you avoided touching anyone," Amanda commented out loud as she visibly paled.

"Tell me about it, but the upside is that I won't have to stay in this state for more than a couple more weeks," Maxine said, "I already feel like I'm getting a better handle on my aggression."

"Really?" Amanda asked in a tone that said she didn't believe Maxine, "Then do you care to explain why you almost ripped the good ambassador to pieces the other day?"

"If I hadn't made any progress, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself at all and he would've died along with anyone else that tried to stop me," Maxine replied, "I've already gone completely berserk once already and I do not want that to happen again. Just thinking about what I did gives me nightmares."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up those memories," Amanda apologized and Maxine gave her a questioning look, "Emily told me. She's worried about you."

"I know," Maxine said, "But let's talk about something else. What's the latest fashion?" Amanda smiled and took her changing the subject in stride before they talked about fashion and a few other thing.

Maxine still kept an eye on Lucas and Sarah to make sure they were playing nice. Somehow she managed to talk Lucas into holding still while she tied ribbons onto his tail using a bow knot. More than one time Lucas gave Maxine a pleading look, but she didn't interfer. It's best he learns how to say no himself.

Eventually, it was time to leave and Maxine bid Amanda and Sarah farewell. "I think those two have had enough fun for one day," Maxine said as she gestured at Sarah, whom had collapsed onto the couch while using Lucas' tail as a pillow.

"He's so sweet to let her get away with that," Amanda said approvingly, "Will the two of you come by again?"

"It depends on Lucas," Maxine replied, "But my guess is that he enjoyed the play time."

"He should've. They spent half their time on that console," Amanda pointed out, "Just let me know when you want to come by again."

"Will do," Maxine said as she stood up and Amanda went over to pick up Sarah before carrying her upstairs to her bed, "I'll let myself out. See you later."

"Alright. Take care," Amanda said before disappearing behind a door.

Maxine made her way out of Amanda's house with Lucas in tow. However before she could create a portal back home, her shadow wolves sent her a report. They found a fresh scent of a solitary girl. She had only one of her wolves follow that scent while the rest continued their search. It's best to find out who that is. It might not be Michelle at all.

Still, she needed to get back home and opened an arch that lead back to Hellen and Guan's home. "Welcome back," Hellen said as Maxine walked through the arch with Lucas, "How was the playdate?"

"Sarah loved it. Not so sure how much Lucas did," Maxine repled, "It all depends on him if he wants to go again."

"Again?" Lucas asked out loud while he tilted his head before answering, "Yes, again."

"Oh? Do you like Sarah?" Maxine asked.

"Yes," Lucas replied, "Pretty hair."

"You think her hair is pretty?" Maxine asked with a smirk, "Did you tell her that?" Lucas immediatley shook his head.

"Girls like it when you give them compliments," Hellen chimed in.

"That they do," Maxine agreed and quickly added, "So long as you avoid giving compliments to their attributes covered by clothing."

"'Kay," Lucas said right before his stomach growled and he shamelessly added, "Hungry." Maxine smirked while Hellen chuckled at his antics.

"Me and grandma will go into the kitchen and put something together," Maxine told Lucas, "If you still feel like playing, go see if grandpa is free." Lucas trembled slightly as he looked away at the mention of Guan and promptly went to watch TV. I think I need to talk with daddy. He's obviously scares Lucas and I need to find out why. It could be that he is just that powerful and Lucas' instincts are screaming at him to avoid daddy.

Maxine went to the kitchen where Hellen was already working on cutting various meats. Maxine saw a rather sizeable pile of vegetables and recognized what Hellen was making just from what was set out. She promptly grabbed a knife and began cutting the vegetables. However as she cut the vegetables, her shadow wolf that was tracking the woman sent her a report. It had found the woman in rags hunting outside of a rather large arachne web and she looked ninety percent similar to Michelle Baker. Damn, I can't kill him, but this brings up a new possibility. I wonder how much hatred she feels for the man responsible for her father's death. She deserves to have the first crack at him and if she wants to kill him, I'll give her an opportunity to do it as well as a means to escape without a trace. But regardless, her being alive changes things immensely and I don't want to do another round of intense research. I guess I will just have to give up on killing him, but that doesn't mean I can't destroy his life.

Maxine pulled out her communication disc and called Zephyr. As soon as his face appeared, Maxine said, "Hey, uncle Zeph. I need some help. Do you know any native information dealers?"