For the past three weeks, Maxine had been taking a general census of Earth's population and it was down right depressing. Out of the 7 billion people originally on Earth less than 10 million remain. There were no survivors in the jungles and Australia had only one settlement with around 1000 people. The only positive thing to note was that the vast majority of beasts have long since stopped hunting humans. The few remaining were hardly a threat to the remaining human population. They're doing a lot better than I thought. I still feel guilty that this happened. Damn it, daddy. Why couldn't you have introduced chocolate and gotten this Earth's human population some protection?
Maxine sighed and began walking around the camp. Within moments, a flock of children were following her and greeted her by calling her 'scary lady.' She couldn't fault them for giving her that nickname, but it didn't keep them from wanting to touch her scales or play with her. Their parents had shown a lot of resistance to them playing with her, but they relaxed when they saw how gentle she was with them. It also helped that her mood was much better when she was around them as well.
"Scary lady, can I ride on your tail?" one of the kids asked.
"Not right now, little one," Maxine said firmly, "Today, I've got to talk to the boss man. Is that okay?"
"Okay," the little boy said in disappointment.
"Don't get too upset. I might not be able to play with you, but I heard that there are some new chores that you guys could do for some chocolate," Maxine pointed out and all of the children practically bolted towards the task hut. I'm rather happy I thought to suggest giving out chocolate as a reward for doing simple chores around the camp. It definitely motivated those little ones to help out more.
"I still can't believe how good you are with kids," Mike said as he walked up to Maxine, "I'm almost surprised you havn't tried to have any yourself."
Maxine stopped walking and looked Mike straight in the eye. "My body changes shape twice a day. Which makes carrying a child to term nearly impossible. Not to mention that my blood is both super toxic and so acidic that it melts through a steel plate in seconds. And worse still, I may accidentally poison to death my mate with an accidental scratch before he can even finish," Maxine said in a hollow tone, "So, that's why I havn't tried to seek out a mate or have children. Do not bring this up again." I've tried multiple times to discourage him from pursuing me. I think telling him straight to his face that I'm incapable of having children and that I would kill him during the act of sex should discourage him entirely. If not, I have a backup plan already in place.
"I.. I'm sorry," Mike said emphatically, "I won't mention it again. I promise."
"I don't even know why you're trying to be with me. I've made my opinion and stance on this matter known on multiple occasions," Maxine said firmly and continued walking towards the command structure, "It's particularly irksome since your companion, Sophie, clearly feels deeply for you."
"Wait, what?" Mike asked in disbelief, "How the hell do you know that?"
"Why else would she hang out with you so much and give you looks of longing when you're back is turned?" Maxine asked in return, "I bet half the camp knows that she likes you. You've just been too blind to see it yourself since you were so focused on finding my sister."
"I know that, but I don't think I can reciprocate her feelings," Mike admitted after pausing for a few seconds.
Maxine immediately swatted him upside the head with her tail. "You have a woman that loves you. The least you could do is give her a fucking chance," Maxine roared at him while blasting him with some of her dragon fear, "Now, you're going to go over to miss Olivia and get the specialty chocolate that I had her make. Then, you're going to give it to Sophie and spend some time with her. Am I understood?" It's not like he can be that picky with the population being so low.
"Yes, ma'am," Mike said fearfully before running off. She heard a few snickers from the surrounding soldiers, but she didn't really care.
"Thank you for giving that young man a swift kick in the ass," General McKenzie said and Maxine whirled around to face him.
"How the hell do you keep sneaking up on me?" Maxine asked out of genuine curiosity. She had no idea how he was able to do it since she was always acutely aware of her immediate surroundings.
"Trade secret," General McKenzie said with a small smirk, "But that's not why you've been looking for me, is it?"
"No, it isn't," Maxine admitted, "I felt a few long range scans earlier this morning. So, you can expect some company today or tomorrow at the latest."
"Thank you for letting me know," General McKenzie said calmly, "Do you know which group scanned us?"
"No, but the odds of them being hostile is low," Maxine replied, "And if they are, I'll deal with them."
"I would still like to...," General McKenzie grunted in shock mid-sentence as a powerful scan washed over them. The other scans were subtle enough that Maxine barely felt them, but this scan had all the subtly of a sledgehammer to the face. Even, ordinary humans could feel it to some degree. The only benefit to performing such a scan is that it's nearly impossible to hide from it, even with stealth techniques.
"I wonder if they've heard of the phrase 'bull in a china shop' before," Maxine said out loud, but that heavy scan did give her a clear idea of where it came from. With a thought, she sent out her spiritual sense in a narrow angle to massively increase her range and found the culprit. It was the Divine Marks clan. A heavy scan on an uninitiated world isn't exactly illegal, but it's a near thing. There is a reason why it isn't expressly illegal either. No one is dumb enough to do it since there is no hiding any secrets from such a scan. It's more or less a declaration of war. I wonder which idiot thought it was a good idea to use that heavy scan.
Maxine peered into the ship and saw someone she hadn't expected to see. But it made some sense as to the reason for the idiotic moves. Adam Marks, why am I not surprised that you would pull a bonehead move like this? It's never good to have someone that isn't overly intelligent that has also been overly indulged by his mother. At least, it looks like his 'advisor' looks suitably pissed off at his behavior.
"... the dumbest things you've ever done," the elderly advisor admonished Adam Marks. I couldn't agree more.
"We found her, didn't we?" Adam Marks replied with a smug smirk, "That's all that matters."
"Yes, you most certainly did that and you notified her we are here," the elderly advisor said camly, "And she is currently monitoring us. Be grateful that it's unlikely that she doesn't understand a single word that we are saying."
"I just have to make her fall in love with me and bring her back to the clan, correct?" Adam Marks asked. He's in for wake up call if he thinks that's going to be easy.
"Correct," the elderly advisor advised, "But it's unlikely that she will be trusting towards strangers and is likely to only give you one chance. So, you need to be very careful on how you approach her. You do remember why we need her in our clan, don't you?"
"Yes, yes. Our clan needs her father's alchemical expertise," Adam Marks replied grumpily, "I just wish she wasn't so ... monstrous. It will make this difficult to pull off."
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
"To some, she would be an exotic beauty," the elderly advisor pointed out, "Just focus on a characteristic of hers that you find beautiful."
"Now that you mention it, her eyes are quite beautiful," Adam Marks commented.
"That they are, young master," the elderly advisor agreed and a beeping noise from a nearby console caught the old man's attention, "It seems the Kavros clan's matriarch will over take us soon and will reach our destination a handful of minutes ahead of us."
"Then, why are we moving at such a slow pace!?" Adam Marks demanded, "We need to get there before she does!"
"Young master, I thought we went over this three weeks ago," the elderly advisor said calmly, "That young woman is expecting her kin to arrive, not us. Hence if we arrive before they do, it will seem suspicious at the very least and it will make it immensely more difficult for you to get close to her. And after your stunt with the intense scan, she might even treat us with outright hostility. It's best to give her some time to calm down. So, I recommend that we arrive a full day after they do at the earliest, not the handful of minutes that you intend."
"Fine," Adam Marks said grumpily, "Have you heard anything from the Alchemist Association?"
"Not much, I'm afraid," the elderly advisor replied, "They seem to have taken the wait and see approach. Its the wisest course of action for them if they wish to obtain Guan's knowledge. Afterall, there is no guarantee that the girl even possesses his inheritance."
"I see your point," Adam Marks said calmly, "Is there anything else that I need to know before we arrive?"
"Yes, I suggest you abstain from 'sampling' the local girls," the elderly advisor said calmly, "Monogamous relationships are the norm on this planet. So, if you wish to have any kind of success with Guan's daughter, you should give her your singular attention."
"That's ... going to be difficult," Adam Marks said.
"I'm aware, young master, but if you wish to succeed, you must follow through," the elderly advisor reminded him, "Now, shall we continue to practice your english?"
At that point, Maxine withdrew her spiritual sense. There was no point in it. She had heard all that she needed to. Or rather, she confirmed what she already knew. However, it was a pleasant surprise to find out that the Alchemist Association was taking a more laid back approach in this timeline. Although, she hadn't shown any signs that she knew alchemy in this timeline either.
General McKenzie had already left and she made her way to the chocolatier's hut. She wanted to have some chocolate prepared in advance for her grandmother. It would make arranging for protection agreement since earthlings were the only ones that know how to make chocolate.
As she picked up some chocolate, she felt a very familiar spiritual sense envelop her. She could feel both intense joy and sorrow within the spiritual sense of her grandmother. Maxine spread out her spiritual sense immediately to see how close her grandmother was, but she was still outside of Maxine's range, even when she tried focusing in the general direction that her grandmother's spiritual sense was coming from. She must be extending her range by focusing it into very narrow beam. However, a moment later, Maxine could sense anguish coming from grandma Victoria's spiritual sense. Oh, she must've found the Orianna and her son's graves. I really wish she hadn't. Regardless of the fact that this is another timeline, she's still my grandma and I don't like to even know she's hurting that bad.
[I'm so sorry,] grandma Victoria said via spiritual sense, [Had I known that you and your sister existed sooner, I could've saved her and your nephew.]
[You have nothing to apologize for,] Maxine answered, [Our true father is entirely to blame for this.]
[I agree,] grandma Victoria said softly, [Can you tell me your name? And that of your sister and nephew?]
[Mana,] Maxine answered simply, [My sister was called Maxine and my nephew was called Shaun.]
[Thank you. I'm your grandmother Victoria,] grandma Victoria said to finish the introduction.
[So, you are the one that sent that scout,] Maxine remarked.
[Yes, I am,] grandma Victoria said in confirmation.
[But you're not the only one that hired him,] Maxine pointed out, [There were two others that hired him as well.]
[The Alchemist Association and the Divine Marks clan,] grandma Victoria said calmly.
[Are they a threat?] Maxine asked.
[The Alchemist Association isn't a threat, but the Divine Marks clan could send their young master to pester you,] grandma Victoria answered, [I will do my best to protect you from such nuisances.]
[I see,] Maxine answered and changed the subject after a moment of thought, [Would you like me to prepare anything for you to eat? We don't have much here, but I could try to make you something.]
[You don't need to. We have plenty of food here on my ship and you're welcome to join us for a meal whenever you want,] grandma Victoria replied.
[I won't say no to free food,] Maxine answered, [For now, I'll just wait in this camp until you arrive. Until then, farewell.] She felt her grandmother's spiritual sense retreat from her and she proceeded to pull out a comically large haunch from her shadow to snack on while she waited. It was a minor annoyance that she needed to eat frequently to maintain her health while in this state.
She got a few odd stares while she ate, but otherwise, most of the people within the camp left her alone. This wasn't the first time she did something completely absurd while in the camp and they had more or less gotten used to her over the top abilities.
Meanwhile, she sent her spiritual sense skyward to keep an eye out for the Kavros clan's ship. It took a couple hours before she sensed the ship and put the haunch away while making her way towards General McKenzie.
"Hello, Mana," General McKenzie said while overseeing a few training exercises, "Is there something wrong?"
"We've got company coming," Maxine said simply while pointing skyward, "If they don't change directions, they'll be here in roughly an hour and a half."
"Friendly?" General McKenzie asked.
"The owner of the ship identified herself as my grandmother, but until I can actually meet her face to face, I won't know for certain," Maxine replied, "But if you pushed me for an answer, I would say friendly."
"And how would you know if she's actually your grandmother?" General McKenzie asked.
"Females within the same family tree share a similar energy wavelength," Maxine answered, "It's easier to distinguish this energy wavelength in close proximity."
"Ahh, yes, I believe I read a report about that before," General McKenzie remarks.
However, before their conversation can continue, Maxine feels a slight tug on the end of her tail and sees a small girl. "Is there something the matter?" Maxine asks the small girl.
"Mama's throat hurts, so she can't sing for me," the little girl says sadly, "Can you sing me a song? Please?"
"Of course, I can," Maxine said with a gentle smile, "Go get the other kids as well. I bet they will want to listen too." The little girl smiled and scampered off. A few seconds later she heard her starting to shout for the other children.
"I still can't believe that those children are that comfortable around you," General McKenzie remarked, "There are many full grown men that are anxious around you even now."
"Children are more adaptable," Maxine pointed out.
"True enough," General McKenzie agreed, "By the way, what are you going to sing?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Maxine replies, "Perhaps, I'll just sing something spontaneously."
"I look forward to it," General McKenzie said as several children arrived. Maxine could see more through the crowds swiftly approaching.
Once all of them arrived, Maxine began to sing 'Red like Roses' parts 1 and 2 from the show RWBY and used her energies to mimic the sounds of the instruments. Aside from the children, everyone's faces showed a momentary shocked expression when they heard her singing voice. She didn't care about their surprise, but she was slightly surprised when she felt the area around her being scanned. Grandma must be checking on me or something.
She continued singing songs from other TV shows and continued to draw an increasingly larger crowd. She smiled and just enjoyed herself. However, she noticed that many people were giving her surprised looks after a while. She thought it was odd, but didn't pay it much mind. All she wanted to do was entertain the children and relieve a little stress through singing. It wasn't until she had been singing for an hour and a half that she realized that she only had two arms and that her hands had returned back to normal. However, her skin was still a silver grey. Fuck. That wasn't intentional. I didn't think I could get so caught up in singing that I wouldn't notice. If I had been dancing, I would've noticed almost immediately if I started to change. Although, it doesn't really hurt me. It could just be played off that being stuck in a transformation is more psychological that physiological.
Maxine intentionally stopped singing and looked at her hands with a shocked expression. Very carefully, she brought her hands up to feel both her face and hair. When she reached her pointed ears, she showed a moment of confusion, but in the next, she laughed happily.
"Just as I thought, her problem is purely psychological," Malcom stated and Maxine glared at him as she swiftly returned to her full-hyrbid form.
"I wish you hadn't done that, doctor," General McKenzie grumbled, "That was one of the few moments where she was genuinely happy and you ruined it for her by speaking up."
"Is scary lady an elf?" one of the children asked innocently.
"I don't think I am," Maxine answered the small child, "I may have to ask my grandmother when she gets here." And as if on cue, Maxine saw a speck in the sky that was clearly her grandmother's ship. I hope grandma doesn't do her customary hug tackle. I don't think I can absorb the force of that impact without either hurting her or heavily damaging the camp.