by Wolf Golan
“Yeah,” He said snapping out of it. “My gun.”
She took off her vest and hung it on one of the hangers.
“So you slept at Jenny’s?” Max asked.
“Yeah, we talked into the night and I fell asleep in her room.”
“What was the Library like?” Max asked.
“Really fascinating! You should go sometime! You'll love it!” She said walking over to the dresser. “It's huge! Like 4 stories of books.”
“Wow!” He replied. “What's Jenny researching?”
“The history of Chandeera specifically Densmere,” she replied. “She's on a mission to write them a children's history book, quite an ambitious woman.” Alex opened a drawer and took out a gray sweater. She took off her black sweater and had on a brown bra. Max's heart started to ache at her beauty.
“I love you.” He said.
She looked at him, smiled, and turned to button her sweater. “I know. I love you too.” She threw her black sweater on the laundry basket, put her hair in a pin, and turned to him. “So we going to dinner?”
“Yeah,” Max replied. Max was a little perturbed over her lack of enthusiasm. “What’s wrong?”
“What do you mean?” She turned to him finishing her hair.
“‘I know?’ You never said that before when I told you I loved you.” He walked over.
“I’m sorry, I’m just… tired I guess, lot on my mind.” She stared at her dresser.
Max slipped his arms around her and started kissing her neck. She smiled back.
He kissed began kissing her passionately. “Maxy we should go to the Dining Hall,” she stopped him. “The Wangs are waiting.” She told him as he continued to come onto her.
“They can wait.” Max replied.
“No! They can't!” She said giggling as he tickled her by kissing up her neck.
“Stop it!” She gentled pushed him.
Max backed away with a smile, as she continued to dress.
“Okay,” Max replied.
Max and Alex came into the South Dining Hall to see the Wangs already eating.
“So good to see you two again!” Terry said squeezing her face in happiness. “We said some prayers for you two!”
“You Christian?” Max asked sitting down by her.
“Yes! We are both from Korean Christians United in Keol.” Terry said gesturing to Donald smiled hugely.
“Max and I both grew up Episcopalian.” Alex said sitting by Max.
“Yeah I use to help my aunt all the time at the church kitchen during breakfast.” Max said.
“Great Max! Yes we start services down in Densmere City, we were given a good building.” Terry said with a cheery smile.
Max raised his eyebrows and Alex raised hers too. They looked at each other and back at the Wangs. “Really?” Max said eyes wide with a bit of shock. `You’re missionizing here?”
“Yes,” Terry said smiling.
“Interesting, how are they taking it?” Alex asked.
“Very well, our congregation has grown to thirty.” Donald explained.
“Wow! This could change the whole planet.” Max commented.
“I know.” Alex added, snapping her head to him.
“We asked the King for permission and he gave it.” Donald added.
Max and Alex slowly nodded their heads with their mouths open.
“Would you two like a Bible?” Terry asked.
“Sure,” Alex replied. “I don't know why we didn't think of it before do you have an NKJ?”
“Oh yes we can produce them from our Computer Unit but can make one for you.” Donald answered before taking a sip of his soup.
“Interesting,” Alex commented again.
“Interesting indeed,” Max nodded in agreement.
Chapter 15
The morning light gently shown through the windows, Max and Alex snored peacefully. A knock began thundering at the door.
They awoke.
“Yeah?” Max answered half-awake, his bushy hair over his eyes.
Alex moved but tried to stay asleep.
“Sir Max?” A voice came from the door.
“Yeah who is it?” Max asked squinting at the door.
“Knight Guyin,” the voice replied.
“Oh! Yeah!” Max said sitting up. “Yeah! Okay!” Max rubbed his eyes and quickly got up. “I'll be right out!” He said. Looking around, he spotted his boots and started pulling them on.
“What’s going on?” Alex said lifting her head half-asleep.
“Sword practice, I got to go!” Max said sitting up and slipping on his boot.
“Ahh... okay.” She leaned her head back down and went back to sleep.
Max came to the bathroom, splashed some water on his face and patted down his hair in the small mirror on the wall. He walked to the hanger, grabbed his jacket, and opened the door. Guyin stood there in his armor and mail.
“Good to see you there Max. You ready to go the practice grounds?” He asked resting his hand on his sword hilt.
“Yeah let's go!” Max replied.
Guyin started down the hall and Max followed and took one last glance at Alex slumbering away. Max quietly closed the door and followed him.
The training grounds were on the roof of the Great Hall. It was a large clearing with Knights practicing swordplay and spear. Other Knights practiced with wooden men and other training equipment.
Guyin led Max to a spot with a pole placed in the stone floor. He showed Max how to hit the pole with the sword in the stances. Guyin’s first lesson was getting use to chopping with the sword, so Max lightly hit the pole for two hours, until blisters grew on his hands.
“Ouch!” Max cried shaking his hands in the air.
“This is just the beginning Maxwell.” Guyin said grinning as he walked by him.
“Great,” Max quietly replied with a smile, before restarting.
Max went on all day long until dark.
Max returned to the bedchambers after dark.
He walked into the bed chambers letting out `Aww's' and `oouu's' as he hung up his jacket. He felt bruises and whelps from the wooden swords, his body sore, and hurt all over.
Alex was gone again.
He kicked off his boots and made his way to the bathroom.
They had made a shower with a small gadget: it stuck to the brick stall with a small drainage at the bottom. The gadget had a tube leading into a small barrel on the other side of the stall. Max turned it on and the water felt great as it hit his body. Max enjoyed his shower and then dried himself.
He put on his pajama pants, brushed his teeth, and slipped into bed. The bed felt great. He smiled over his long-waited rest, when Alex pranced through the door.
“Hi!” She said in a spunky way.
“Hi,” he slowly replied lying in bed.
“I had dinner already!” She said.
“Good.” He replied with his eyes closed.
She slid a chair next to him and sat down.
He could feel her staring at him, so he turned to her finally.
“What?”
“Nothing… just staring at my handsome boyfriend.”
Max smirked.
“I'm beaten up and I want to sleep Alex.” Max said barely opening his eyes. “Why are you in such a good mood?”
“Because I got a job,” she said folding her arms.
“Really,” Max said waking up a little. “Congrats! I'm happy for you.”
He said trying to keep his eyes open.
She stared at him longer and cracked a smile.
“You tired?” She asked.
“Yeah isn’t it pretty freakin obvious!” He said sarcastically with a light laugh.
She got up, walked over to her side, and started unbuttoning her sweater.
“I don’t know why you're learning sword. We're going to get the ship fixed and leave soon.”
“We don't know how long it's going to take, and plus military is in my blood remember,” He said closing his
eyes.
“You’re retired.”
“Alex my PM-10 is going to run out someday and I have no ammo, so it'll be useful to know the sword.” Max said with eyes still closed.
“Whatever,” Alex replied.
Max attempted to sleep.
Alex took off her pants, put on her shorts, and slipped into bed by him. She turned away and fell asleep.
In the morning, Max awoke to see Alex still asleep, so he left.
It was another round of grueling combat training, as Guyin practiced blocking techniques as he swung the wooden sword at Max in numerous ways and occasionally landing blows. Max writhe in pain at each blow. When Guyin felt Max had enough, he made him practice footwork and light jogs. As it got dark, Max again retired to the South Tower beat up again.
This schedule went on for two weeks, and within the second week, Sir Guyin taught him shield blocking as other Knights came at him from each direction swinging wooden swords.
Guyin let him off and allowed Max to be a little late the next morning, because the Knights had an Armory Detail and had beaten Max good.
It was dark, so Guyin allowed him to leave.
Max was in a lot of pain, as felt he deserved a cup of ale before heading to the bedchambers. He took off the armor and started down to the Great Hall. It would be a long walk, but he felt he deserved liquor.
By the time he descended the Grand Steps, Max was aching in pain. The walk down the main street was almost as bad, he held his rib cage. He got to the tavern and walked in.
It was calm and slow tonight.
He calmly walked to the bar and sat down. The Barkeeper was an older but pretty woman with brown hair and bright eyes. She had the whipped hat and the black corset over a full brown tunic.
“Can I have a cup of ale?” Max barely got it out.
“You look like you need two! Sure!” She put down a stack of plates and took a cup from below the bar. She placed it in front of him and poured. He drank it immediately and slammed it down. “Aaaww... that's what I'm talking about.”
Max smiled at her with foam on his mouth.
She smiled back, a little charmed by him.
“So you're one of those Star People everyone is talking about?” She said in her fast, high tone voice.
“Star People? Is that what they're calling us?”
“Yeah you people descended from the stars, what else are we to call you?” She said. She started rummaging under the bar looking for an item. She appeared to be a very active and busy woman. She started wiping dishes and placing them on a rack.
“Yes I suppose the name is befitting.”
He took another drink.
“What’s ‘your’ name young man?” She asked.
“Maxwell Wilkes, but everyone calls me Max.” He replied.
“Nice to meet you Max, I’m Pondwa.” She nodded.
“Nice to meet you,” he smiled.
She returned it but continued cleaning her dishes.
“So what is Prince Cornigan like?” He asked her.
She stared at him for a moment, thinking about the question.
“I don’t know. What can I say? Handsome, promising to be a great King, all my women friends like him.”
“Great,” he said drinking the rest of his ale.
He finished, and she poured him another one and when he was about to down it as well, Alex grabbed it away and drank it. Pondwa smiled and walked away, leaving them to talk. Alex finished and slammed it down.
“Aaaww... ” She said smiling then burped. “Oops!” She giggled.
Max smirked. “Where the hell you come from?”
“I had a feeling you were going to be down here, so I decided to peek in and here you are.” She lightly brushed his shoulder off. “Guyin eased up on you?”
“No! He got worse! There's no hope he will ease up. I have a lifetime of Knight Training to squeeze into weeks.”
“How long are you going to train anyways?”
“I don't know.” Max said. He took a drink then turned back to her.
“What's the plan? The crew?”
“We're supposed to have a meeting soon. The ship got back a week ago and they placed it in a barn in the city, where J.T. and Dallas have been diagnosing it.”
“Good! The sooner we get things rolling, the better.”
Max gestured for Pondwa to pour him another.
Alex put her hand over the mug and shook her head to Pondwa, so Pondwa smiled and walked away.
“Everyone feels it shouldn't be too long.” Alex said to Max.
Max furrowed his eyes at her, then, sighed at Alex, before taking a silver coin out and sliding it forward for Pondwa.
“Where'd you get money?” Alex asked.
“Mr. Wang for packing his things to his stall on Saturdays,” Max replied.
“Oh,” she said taking another drink.
“Alex?” Max asked.
“Yeah?” She replied.
“I'm a little bothered that you met the Prince out in the yards.”
“I hope this is the alcohol talking.”
Alex rolled her eyes and glanced away for a moment before snapping her head at him. “Remember this is why I left you on Shin Bay, absurd jealousy and not wanting to let things go.” Alex snapped. “Just like how you snapped at me for not coming home, thinking I was screwing Pilots from Brideera.”
“Let things go?!” Max yelled his violent retort. The Barkeeper looked at him. “I'm not jealous! I just don’t like it when you’re gone a lot and I don’t know what’s going on!”
“Well, I wake up earlier than you, I always did. Wake up earlier, get involved, if you want to be with me more.” She said in a more irritated tone.
“So this is my fault? I snooze I lose shit?” He said.
“It's not a matter of ‘losing’.” She replied. “It’s a matter of being responsible! Something Native men have struggled with for centuries post-contact.”
“You’re sooo unreasonable sometimes!” Max gritted his teeth and tensed his hands.
“Nothing happened!” Alex snapped again. “I just ran into the bozo taking my morning walk!”
She stopped herself, closed her eyes, and exhaled.
Max took a drink and slammed it down in anger.
“What is it honey!” Alex said.
“Every time I try to talk to you about my concern, I end up on this slid going down!” Max
said angrily.
“It's all in your mind.” She snapped back.
“You're a bitch sometimes!” Max shouted. Alex dropped her mouth in horror.
Pondwa broke from speaking to a patron to stare at them.
“I chased you across the galaxy and across this world, and this is how you treat me?!” Max shouted.
He left Alex shocked at the bar and stormed out the tavern.
He came out and started up the main street. A buggy went by with its hay smelling of manure, but it didn't bother him. Max actually liked it because it took his mind off Alex. As he neared the grand stairs, he veered left and started down the docks. He walked into the nearest Port Tavern and it was a lot wilder and crowded.
Max ordered ale and drank a couple more before getting buzzed.
A Raidin sat down by him and Max turned to him.
“Oh, a Raidin!” he said buzzed. “We call you guys Elves in our world! Which name do you like better?” Max slurred.
The Raidin didn't respond, only slowly removed his hood and revealed his long pointy ears. He had a nice middle-aged face with long brown hair.
“A Cherry wine?” The Barkeeper asked him.
He nodded.
The Raidin slowly took out a pipe and lit it with a stick he put to the table candle.
“Mr. Raidin what brings you to Densmere?” Max asked. The Raidin took a puff and slowly turned to him, waving the stick out.
“Supplies,” he answered, so casual.
“What's your name? I'm Max.”
“Holt Braik.”
�
�Well, I’m pleased to meet you Holt. I already forgot your last name.” Max laughed.
The Raidin remained oblivious to his drunkenness. It obviously wasn’t the first time he had seen a drunk Baelyin.
“I'm sorry I'm Max Wilkes.” Max said nodding and putting his hand to his chest.
The Raidin raised his eyebrows as he turned to him. “I've heard of you! You’ve become a Great Warrior. Tywor said you saved the Waywong and greatly assisted him in the South Woodlands.”
“Well… I didn't do anything the next Fleet Soldier wouldn't've done.” Max said slurping again, as he took another drink, now getting drunk.
“Hey!” Max said over to him almost slobbering. “My girlfriend caused me some pain again tonight, like she did on Shin Bay. Do you know how I can escape the pain?” Max asked drunk.
The Raidin took another puff of his pipe and answered without looking.
“The Gorendor Caves.”
“The Gorendor Caves?” Max repeated it almost sounding sarcastic. “What the hell is that?”
“Do not speak of it so loudly.” Holt gestured him down. “We Raidins do not tell many Baeylins our secrets, due to their excessive appetites.” He looked at Max serious. “But you Max Wilkes are different, and the Raidin Kingdom has looked upon you with affection.”
“So if you want, I can tell you. “ Holt replied with his deep, spooky, green eyes.
“You Elves are creepy sometimes.”
Holden turned back forward taking another puff.
“What are they?” Max asked trying to be serious.
“They are caves one goes to forget the past, present and future, your life, memories, pain, peace unknown anywhere in Chandeera. They say there's a wellspring that gives this magic. Some have stayed there their entire lives living off small animals and berries. There are ponds within the cave that give healing baths and drinking water.”
“Well,” Max said slapping the bar. “Sign me up! Now where the hell is it?!”
“Two leagues south pass Werzuck Borders.” He emptied his pipe.
“I can take you.” He said turning to Max.
Max twisted his lips for a moment then nodded to him. “Sure,” he nodded. “Sure let's go! I got nothing else to do!” The Raidin finished his drink and started out, Max followed.
###
Max stepped down from Holt's wagon, before the Grand Stairwell, and almost puked.