Chapter 30 – Unsurmountable Differences

As Maximus returned, Felix and Oscar had already gathered the corpses into a pile.

“Are you alright?” Felix asked.

“I will be. Damn them.” Maximus frowned as his gaze fell upon the pile of bodies. “Lunar Flare.” He spoke coldly, and white flames descended, consuming the corpses.

“We found some staves, and a skill stone appeared when the blonde died,” Felix said, handing it over.

Oscar said nothing; he kept his mouth shut. He didn’t like it when Maximus slipped into that cold, detached state; it unsettled him in a way he couldn’t quite put into words.

“I also found a pouch of stones on her body,” Maximus said simply as he took them out and began appraising them with a distant, indifferent expression.

[Skill Stone: Poison Resistance (D)]

[Skill Stone: Bite (F)]

[Skill Stone: Clean Shot (E)]

[Skill Stone: Savage Swing (F)]

[Skill Stone: Enrage (E)]

[Skill Stone: Magic Missile (F)]

“I’ll take Poison Resistance, if you don’t mind. Felix, take this one, it’s called Savage Swing, it should come in handy.” Maximus explained.

“Oscar, apologies, there’s nothing suitable for you,” Maximus added.

“Don’t you worry, I’ve got more than enough,” Oscar muttered, his voice low. “Did you… Did you have to finish them all off? They were only lasses, Max…” he asked, his face pale as a sheet.

“Gender has nothing to do with survival, Oscar, men, women, young, old… Any of them can be the end of you if you’re careless. They would have killed you even after you handed over everything you owned. They didn’t value the lives of others, so how could I justify sparing them? How could we move forward if we constantly had to watch our backs? Tell me, Oscar?” Maximus’s voice rose as he spoke, his irritation seeping through his words.

“Max, we’re not like you. It’s not easy to take lives, especially of our own kind.” Felix cut in, trying to steady the situation.

“Do you think it’s easy for me? Do you think I don’t realize they could have been mothers, sisters, daughters? I am not a monster!” His voice cracked as he spoke.

“Then let me ask you this: what about goblins, kobolds, lizardmen, and the rest? Why are they worth less than humans? Is it easier to kill them simply because they’re not your kin?!” Maximus exhaled sharply.

“You two need to understand this before it gets you killed somewhere out there. Life isn’t simple enough for you to choose who deserves to live and who doesn’t. Anyone, and I mean anyone, who tries to kill you once will try again. Leaving them alive is the same as marking yourself as prey for the rest of your life.” Maximus shouted, a single tear slipping down his cheek as the image of Ariene flickered across his mind.

“The world isn’t black and white, Max…” Felix muttered quietly.

“You know what, Felix? I wish it weren’t. I wish our enemies could see reason and we could all walk forward together. But that… Is nothing more than a foolish dream.” Maximus sighed, shaking his head, disappointment heavy in his expression. “I just hope you never have to watch everything you love turn to dust. I hope your choices never lead you down that path.”

With that, he turned and walked back into the cavern.

***

“Mate… I’m gutted for starting this. I just couldn’t stay quiet after watching him do those lasses in so cold-blooded like that.” Oscar muttered.

“He’s not wrong, you know. They would’ve burned us alive… But I still can’t accept that killing was the only option. He could’ve restrained them, we could’ve taken them to a village… Or something,” Felix said, lowering his gaze.

“I don’t know… I just know this whole thing is properly messed up.” Oscar spat to the side as he sat down, staring at the darkened ground, his face still pale.

***

Maximus returned to the cavern, where Silex and the others tensed, ready to attack. “It’s me. Calm down.” Maximus said, his voice colder than usual.

Silex stared at him for a moment before snapping his jaws and gesturing toward him with a sharp motion. “I am fine, buddy. The enemy is dead.” Maximus replied simply, causing Silex to stare for another second before lashing his tail against the ground.

“You don’t need to curse. There will be other battles for you.” Maximus argued, somehow understanding, deep down, what the beast was trying to say.

Embi and Sprout, on the other hand, climbed onto his shoulders and head, squealing and buzzing with concern.

“I am not upset… Just disappointed. The younglings do not understand what is necessary.” He sighed deeply. “I fear that it will cost them their lives one day.”

He lowered his gaze, exhaustion and frustration weighing on him.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Fools…” he muttered quietly as he sat down and began recovering his energy.

***

The remainder of the night and the following morning, Maximus spent absorbing spirit energy alongside Sprout, both growing stronger internally, while Embi and Silex stood guard. Silex, especially, had become aggressive towards Felix and Oscar, who were forced to sit farther away, both unwilling to approach Maximus for their own reasons.

Once both his seed and Sprout reached Level 5, Maximus finally opened his eyes. There is no use wasting time here any longer. I’ll take a cluster or two with me, but we should start moving. He sighed inwardly as he stood up.

After digging out a couple of the larger crystal clusters and storing them, he turned toward Oscar and Felix. “Let’s go. We’ve spent enough time here already,” Maximus said simply. Though his tone was calm, he held no resentment toward them; he knew well that they were still young and inexperienced, and he would do what he could to protect them while he was still around.

“Aye, boss,” Oscar muttered as he pushed himself to his feet.

“Max…” Felix began, but hesitated.

“It’s alright. Let’s move.” Maximus said, not giving him room to continue.

Felix nodded and followed, keeping his distance from Silex, who still seemed openly hostile toward the two. It was clear the beast did not take kindly to how they had spoken to his new friend.

Even Sprout paid them little attention now, remaining close to Maximus, while only Embi floated innocently between Oscar and Silex, unaffected by the tension.