Chapter 282

He could see and sense the perplexed looks on the warriors’ faces, two of them with a staff like his, one with a thick mace, and another with a scimitar and shield.

The one on the far left said something, and Max shook his head, tapping his ear.

“I can’t understand you! You don’t want to fight me!”

All four began to spread out slowly, and Max decided he needed to put on a show of strength, since words obviously didn’t seem to work.

Summoning a fireball, Max began to push mana into it, light from the ball of flame shining around the stone and sand.

Each of the warriors paused, looking at him and then each other.

The same one who had yelled first said something, and then Max saw it lower his bladed staff to the stone slowly and stand up.

It began to mess with a ring on its finger, making noises as it did.

“I can’t understand you!” Max exclaimed, holding off on making the fireball any bigger, ignoring the fact it was now about four feet wide.

“Wa… wait… I…”

“I can understand! You and I—”

Max was ecstatic at being able to hear the slightest bit of words from someone after so long, but the kemonomimi held up his hand and went back to touching the ring.

“Almost… close… say something.”

“What do you need me to say?”

A toothy grin appeared over the beast, and it nodded, saying something Max couldn’t understand at the other three.

“Who are you? Why have you attacked our brother?!”

“Why do you have women in there and treat them like that?”

Max could feel the eyes of all of them, moving between the weapon at the warrior at his feet and the fireball hovering above his head.

“They are ours. Earned through combat and money. How else should slaves be treated?”

Frowning, Max couldn’t think of a good answer for that statement.

As he considered his words, Max started summoning his fire elemental, and when it appeared, the fireball grew a quarter bigger, causing the four of them to back up, eyes widening in shock.

“You have a collar. Where is your master?”

“I have no master,” Max replied. “I want to get this off, but I am also not a fan of slaves. Tell me, where is a town that I can get this removed?”

Laughter came from the other three when Max touched it, until the cat he spoke with said something and made them stop.

“I am Max. Tell me your name.”

“My people call me… in your words it would be Strong Runner. Are you a user of magic?”

Motioning to the fireball on one side and the glowing elemental hovering in the air near him, Max grinned.

“And you have crossed the wasteland alone?”

Frowning, Max nodded.

Strong Runner winced and said something again to the other three, who all took another step back, lowering their weapons once more.

“Forgive me… Max. We”—he paused, bending a knee and bringing a fist and palm together—“mean no di… disrespect. Tell me, how can we make this moment right?”

That ring is translating for both of us… something doesn’t convey, I guess, from my language to his.

“I need a weapon, a ring like yours, and a guide to a city to get this collar removed. Something tells me that you four might not be the guide I need. Let me have the lizard woman who is in there, and I will go.”

Even as Strong Runner made faces, teeth appearing as he growled for a second, Max began sending more mana into the fireball, causing it to grow even larger.

All four of the cat men began to discuss something, and while the tension between them was apparent, the two times his translator pointed at Max eventually got whatever point needed to be made across.

The one with the shield and scimitar bowed, laid his weapons on the ground, and went inside, returning in just a moment with the one Max had said he wanted, who was bucking as he carried her out on his shoulder.

The warrior set her down, not in the gentlest manner, on the ground, so that her face was pointed at Max.

Her eyes widened at what she saw, and her lips began to move upward, a creepy smile appearing as she took in the view.

She said something, earning a grunt, and one of the men moved forward until Strong Runner said something.

“Look at the one beneath your blade. He has a ring on his second finger. Take it.”

Max bent down, never taking his eyes off the four of them, and found the ring they were discussing.

Lots of weird symbols were on it, but it was actually a pair of rings, fused together.

Pulling it off with one hand, Max slipped it over his middle finger.

A sensation of white noise and something touched his brain, and Max moved his jaw, popping his ears.

“Now turn the ring so that the xrea and the broea are lined up.”

Glancing at the ring and the symbols, Max had no idea which one was what.

“Send the lizard woman. She can do it.”

Strong Runner gave an order, and the one who had carried out their slave came forward, pulling a dagger from under its robe and quickly cut the cords that bound the woman.

She spat at him, moving away a few feet on her backside before climbing to her feet.

An exchange of words came between her and Strong Runner before she turned to Max and studied him.

Slowly she moved, to where he was, bowing her head a few times and holding out a gray scaled hand, waiting for Max to give her his hand.

Nodding, he did, and she gently touched the ring, turning it a few times. When she stopped, the woman bowed.

“Thank you for my freedom.”

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Her voice sounded nothing like he had expected.

In his mind she might sound like a snake, long drawn-out s ’s and all, but instead, her tone was like a child, a happy child.

“You are welcome. Now tell me, will you lead me to a city where I can get this removed?”

She grinned, or Max assumed she was grinning, and nodded.

“It is a ways away, but we can make it there. Tell me. Why save me?”

Max held up his hand and looked at Strong Runner.

“I need to do one thing before we go. Trust me when I say this. You do not want to fight.”

“There is honor in fighting, but there is no honor in a death one knows cannot be won unless it saves a life of one's family. As long as you do not harm my brothers or I, I will honor the agreement we made.”

Max nodded and handed the weapon to the woman before him.

“Hold this,” Max said as he pointed at the warrior that was still unconscious. “Do not fight or seek revenge. I will be back in just a moment.”

“Where are you—”

The second the woman had his weapon, Max ran, racing along the rock to where he had left his pack. Coming upon it, he grabbed it, turning around and sprinting back.

Upon his arrival the woman had the weapon pointed at the four, eyes wide and glancing around.

“How did you move like that?!” she exclaimed as Max came to a stop beside her.

“Do not worry. I needed my stuff before we left.”

All of the warriors and his newest addition stared at him. Their eyes were like the moon, stretched to the limits of their sockets.

“You carry that? A… stomach?”

“What is he?”

“Where did he come from?”

Grinning, Max ignored Strong Runner and the other two who had asked questions.

“We are leaving. You four may tend to your friend. Trust me when I say, do not follow us.”

Bringing his fist and palm together, once more, the cat warrior bowed and nodded.

“Be safe with that one. She is more likely to bite you than we are.”

The woman scoffed and spat on the one who was unconscious, earning a few growls from the other warriors.

“No more, give me the weapon.”

She clutched it tight and then finally nodded.

Sighing she handed it over, and watched as Max set it down next to his bag before moving toward the sand.

At the edge of it was one of the sand worms he hated. He had sensed it the first time he had encountered the guard, which was why the cat creature hadn’t moved out there.

Yet he wanted his bone and knew if someone else went for it, things might not go well.

When he touched the sand, cries came from them all, yet Max moved to where his bone was, holding out a hand and catching the worm that erupted out from the sand.

It squealed as he gripped it behind its mouth, the acid that covered it burning yet not doing more than slowly dissolving his skin, no longer eating it as it had the first time.

[ Regeneration ]

More were coming, drawn it seemed by his presence, and Max moved back to the rock area, watching as his new traveling partner moved away, holding both hands up.

“It will kill you!”

Smirking, Max shook his head and when safely on the stone and far enough away from the unconscious warrior, squeezed, killing the worm.

Dropping it onto the rock, Max wiped some of the acid on the rock, waiting for the burning to stop.

“How can you survive that?!”

None of the warriors had spoken, only the woman he had bartered for.

“What is your name?”

Cocking her head, she appeared to smile at that question.

“I am called… One Who is Angry.”

Max started to howl, and the woman appeared not happy with that reaction.

“Sorry, your name… it translates… badly to my side. Can I call you something else?”

Recognizing a scowl when he saw one, Max waited for her to nod.

“I had a friend called Aimee. Can I call you that?”

“Ai… Aimee. This is a good name?”

Max nodded.

A frown appeared before she shrugged.

“If you desire it, what can I say?”

Storing the bone in his bag, Max stuffed the weapon inside it as best he could, wincing at how it didn’t really fit without sticking out too much.

“Strong Runner, when someone asks what happened, do not talk about me. There are those who are looking for me, and if they find you, I cannot promise they won’t kill you for knowledge of me.”

It’s seemed impossible, but all four cat warriors started to shake.

“There is one who hunts you who is stronger than you?”

Max nodded slowly.

“Do you know who I am talking about?”

“He means the one… the one past the trees.”

All four of them were whispering but Max heard them anyway.

“If that one hunts you, Max, we shall not tell him. No one wants to meet him.”

“Do you know his name? What he is called?”

A scowl appeared, and Max could hear the slight growl inside all four of them as anger took away their fear.

“He is called…”

A pause came as whatever the man had said took a moment to translate.

“Death of the worst kind.”

Sighing, Max grabbed his bag in his right hand and then looked at his newest party member, Aimee.

“It is time we go.”

Sending the fireball into the sands, shrieks came as the spell washed over an area, some worms dying from the spell.

Dismissing his elemental, Max grinned.

“Which way do we need to go?”

All of them pointed out toward the desert area, slightly away from the wall.

“It is too dangerous for travel at night,” Aimee stated. “To do so is… madness.”

“You may not like this, but I’m going to carry you for a bit, and we will be fine.”

“Carry me? What do you—”

Max didn’t wait, tossing her over his shoulder as best as possible.

One arm had her wrapped tight; the other had his pack.

“Be safe, Strong Runner.”

Turning, Max took off across the sand, leaving the four warriors with their mouths open while a loud shriek echoed through the dark night across the sand.

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