>Sometimes, you're just an unfortunate person. Max wasn't gifted with grand powers, nor was he born into a powerful family, and nor was he thrust into a grand destiny that told of heroism and legendary victories over great evils. No, his fate revolved around something else.
>Whether it was to be blown up on a regular basis by his crushETERNAL NEMESIS, sent on gathering missions by a sadistic doctor for a simple plant he probably had a thousand of in his cupboard, finding said plant only to be assaulted by not one, but TWO FUCKING FOREST BEARS and having to get the fuck out of dodge, only to return and have the priest tell him 'you need to undergo some workout regimes in order to be better prepared for danger, it's for your own good' which included a TEN MILE JOG THROUGH THE MARKET DISTRICT EVERY FUCKING MOR-
>Needless to say, Max was not a fortunate person. Now, panting hard as they came up to the second mile of their particularly long and arduous journey to come, he wheezed and spluttered out what little sound his poor throat could muster.
I wonder... if being mauled by a bear... would be easier...
Bears are likely to kill you Maxwell, unless you kill them first. I, however, find it much more fulfilling to keep you alive.
>Riest Konotir, sadist extraordinaire and makeshift workout guru jogs alongside Max, making sure that the young man kept up the pace.
And what is easy is not necessarily what is good, as I'm sure you've found out from being faced with my...treatment. Now speed up, or else we'll have to double ten miles to twenty, and I'm sure you wouldn't want to deal with that, now would you?
>True to his word, Riest speeds up, jogging past the young man and a few paces ahead, making sure to glance behind him every now and again to ensure that his victim patient kept up with his regime.
>>41241693 >20 miles instead of 10? No. No thankyou. Not in a million years or as long as he still had legs to move on.
Are you sure this isn't just going to injure me further..?
>A solid argument, but given that he'd managed to keep up with him somewhat on these runs, there wasn't really any chance of that happening. Perhaps his saving grace was simply that he'd managed to endure all of those explosions and keep going, giving him a well of stamina he didn't even know he had.
Nonsense Maxwell. Exercise does a body good, it'll help build up those muscles. Next time you find yourself in an encounter like that, you'll be able to survive for a little longer before you need my care again. And surely your goal is to spend as much time away from me as possible?
>Riest continues his jogging, watching Maxwell do his level best to keep from falling over, and somehow managing to succeed. Maybe taking a damn good punishment was what he was built for? Well, that suited Riest fine.
And even if your feet DID fall off, as long as I found them, I could sew them back on. Then you'd have to run even more to get used to them again.
>They continue jogging along through Kingsmeet, until the two of them happen upon the Kingsmeet Church of the Holy Flame. Riest's running slows down as his eyes alight on the place, a thoughtful look crossing his face. It HAD been a while since he had visited...
>Riest abruptly stops and turns his head towards Max.
Rejoice, Maxwell Bolzen, for your wish has been granted. You'll have a chance to sit down, if you accompany me in here.
>He indicates the church that they were passing by.
I have an overdue visit to make, and our little job just now has reminded me of it...Now come, let us inside.
>And with that, Riest sets off at a far less punishing pace towards the grand doors of the Church of the Holy Flame.
>>41241735 <And surely your goal is to spend as much time away from me as possible? <spend as much time away from me as possible? <away from me?
>There was a well of power and ability that knew no bounds surging up inside Max at that moment. He could run 10, 20, a hundred miles each morning if the true goal and purpose of all this was to prevent him from having to return to that hospital wing to have his body sewn back together by that guy.
OoooooOOOOHH!
>His pace picked up, his body felt wild and raring to go despite whatever he'd said earlier. Suddenly he was in the game, in the zone, and he was ready to run his damned legs off any-
<Rejoice, Maxwell Bolzen, for your wish has been granted. You'll have a chance to sit down.
Oh, thank fuck...
>Trudging along behind the man, Max's sense of purpose all but rushed out from him as he thought upon the value of a good sit down and a breather.
>The two of them strode into the church, as immaculate as it ever was, and as remarkably empty as it ever was. A smile found it's way onto Riest's face as he looked around the place. He always felt nostalgic in these places.
>He didn't have to look hard to see the young priestess, clad in red and a face like an overcast Lunair
Caella Itra. Your smile as radiant as ever, and this church as clean as ever...Surely there comes a point where you've swept enough?
>He aims a sardonic smile at the broom wielding woman, as charming as he ever was.
>Inside the church, there was not a living soul inside that was praying to anyone. No one was speaking, no one was donating, it was as dead as can be, save for a woman in red, brushing the floor of the only church she was in charge of. She remembered starting out with so much optimism and expectations for how she'd run the church. She had wanted to help people in any way she can, as per her religious beliefs, but as time went on, she had grown older, mature, wiser, and most of all, jaded.
>She figured it was time for a short break, thus, she set aside her broom and lifted her arms into the air, softly groaning as her stiff shoulders loosened up from all her cleaning. And just in the middle of her act, she heard the sound of the church doors opening, something that she hadn't expected to hear, especially in this time of day.
>As the two made their way into church, they'd take notice they were the only ones that had bothered even entering the church. They would see the stretching priestess right in the middle of the large room. Her long brown hair was tied up and wrapped around with a red and white ribbon that covered up the entire back of her head, much like how her outfit covered up her entire body. Her skirt flowed all the way down until it reached her brown pair of laced boots while her shirt, while normal, only presented her shoulders and upper arms. The rest of her arms, however, were covered in a white drape that was tied down to with red ribbons. With her arms raised, however, the two were able to see bandages wrapped around her chest, as though she were concealing any sort of sympathy that her heart could give to anyone. And with the people that had just arrived to her church, she had no real reason to give sympathy to them of all people.
>She made eye contact with the both of them, and they could both see that they were not the eyes of a priestess that was happy and willing to help at the drop of a pin. No, her eyes were as dead as the church surrounding her. She then turned to Riest now, returning his smile with a cold, apathetic expression and ignored the sarcasm.
Oh. Riest. Didn't expect to see you come into this Holy place. I figured you'd have already been burnt just by stepping within its boundaries now.
>Finally she lowered her arms and picked up the broom she had put down earlier. Her short break was over, thus she continued sweeping whatever's left of the dust bunnies.
I see you've also brought a friend along. What'd you take him to this place for? Come to try and convert him? We could always use more followers, after all.
>>41241771 >>41241798 >As tired as he was, the fact that Riest was talking to someone caught his attention, and as he wandered inside the church his eyes glanced over to the figure in red, and immediately his young teenage instincts took over. That was a pretty rockin' bod hiding behind the tighter parts of those robes and it wasn't something he could easily ignore and, being a priestess, wouldn't she end up looking like a heavenly ange-
>NO. >Those were not the eyes of an angel. >Those were the eyes of death itself.
>Any sense of impending masculinity was immediately destroyed upon making eye contact with those tortured pearls, because he had a sudden and overwhelming feeling that were he to even look at her the wrong way, he was going to be out of the door faster than Riest could berate him for taking the inevitable inflicted wounds that would undoubtedly fall upon his frail form.
Uh, hi. Don't mind me, I'm completely non-threatening in every possible sense.
>Riest remained undaunted by the coldness of Caella. He was used to it, after all. The long and unfailing process between a hopeful, shiny young priestess and a jaded, lifeless old maid. Well, old in spirit. It was perfectly natural, he'd gone through a similar process once before.
Still as sharp tongued as ever, eh? One would think you'd put this to use with some followers instead of harassing a poor old man like me...And as for this young man.
>He claps Maxwell on the shoulder, grinning down at him with a gaze like a predator toying with his prey.
This is Maxwell Bolzen, a member of the Guild I'm currently attached to.
>He claps Maxwell again, a little harder this time.
Now now, Maxwell. Introduce yourself properly to Miss Itra. Your conduct with women so far has been absolutely shocking, and I expect to see an improvement at some point. Now would be a good time to start with Miss Itra. Look at that vision of loveliness.
>He points at the soulless expression of unending pain currently etched into her face.
She should be treated as a lady of fine class and wealth, Maxwell. Go ahead, I'll wait for you to start.
>>41241811 >Awkward. >That was the first thing to come to her mind once she heard this new one speak. He reminds her of herself when she was younger and more optimistic, but those days are all long gone now. However, what has this boy got to do with Riest? Was there something she was unaware of since the last time they had met?
>>41241846 >Ah, it looks like he was just a young man taken under his wing. Of all the people it had to be, it was the one that tried to be a smart ass at every turn with her.
Maxwell Bolzen, hm? You're full of surprises today, Riest. First you come into this church after what felt like forever, show me that you haven't changed a single bit since then, and now you bring along an underling who looks like his libido is going to explode at any moment.
>Finally, she turns to Maxwell and introduces herself as if she had just forgotten everything she had said to him prior to greeting him.
As you have heard from Riest, I am Caella Itra. I run this branch of the church and have been for quite a while now. If you weren't able to tell that just by seeing my complexion, then I have to admire your obliviousness. But I have to say, to be taken into this man's personal harem...
>As she said that, she pointed a finger at Riest and frowned at him.
..Well, I'll pray for you and all the others. Tell them the church is always open for them if they need salvation.
>>41241846 >This man was a snake and a torturer. No, a demon in the guise of a healer. It was one thing to know what this man's true powers were capable of, but it was another thing entirely to not be able to do anything about it. Max needed that help when he got into trouble after all, and even if he didn't, he most certainly did not want to get into a fight with the man.
>>41241880 My libido isn't about to explode! It's perfectly healthy, thank you very much, and I maintain it rather well- uh, I mean...
>Sometimes it seemed he forgot where he was and who he was talking to, being the air-headed nerd he was. Trying to escape into the world of mental tinkering was his only hope when faced with impossible situations like this, but more often than not it only got him into more trouble.
>Wait, Riest's harem?
>Max very slowly turned his head to look up at the very tall fellow stood close by, and the sheer horror on his expression was unable to be described when the implications of that phrase manifested in his imagination. That same look of sheer terror turned back towards Caella with a dire cry out for help behind it, but even worse was that he knew he couldn't, what with the man himself stood so close by.
>Even if he did manage to, from the look on her face she would neither bother to do so nor care about the consequences.
... uh-huh!
>A solemn, weak reply. Oh Max, if only you had the testicles to stand up for yourself you poor little pansy-ass nerd.
>For once in Maxwell's time knowing him, he'd see a look of...reproach cross Riest's face, it almost looked alien on him.
My harem? Now Caella, you know very well that my wife and I love each other very much. I have no need for anybody else if she is in my life. Honestly...
>He shakes his head and sighs, the reproach giving way to a sarcastic smile once more.
I'm sure you'll find love in an unexpected place somewhere, but there's no need to project your insecurities onto me...
>>41242016
...'Nor Maxwell, is there any need to release your insecurities unto the world. And in a holy place too...For shame, Maxwell, for shame.
>He chuckles deeply at the young man's discomfort. Ah, it never got old, no matter how many times he tormented him.
And you should speak up for yourself! No one appreciates a limp wristed handshake, and the same is true for verbal communication. Now, I want you to stand up straight, take a deep breath, and try that greeting again. Or would you like me to add verbal coaching to our workout regime?
>>41242016 >The look on the boy's face was enough to make Caella grow a slight smirk on her face. But with her demeanor, it didn't look like a smirk, more like a nasty little grin that is unbecoming of a priestess.
>He really is just as innocent as he looked. She barely knew the boy and she could tell he's got a long way to go before accomplishing just about anything.
>>41242074 >And then the master steps in just in time. By the look on his face, it looks like she touched a nerve, specifically pertaining to his wife. If she doesn't want to turn this church into old ruins for her to fix, she should pry away from that subject before things turn ugly.
Right, right, I almost forgot about that..
>But now, the battlefield was evened out, for Riest had also struck a nerve of hers. The topic of her own love life was something she never wanted to remember existed. All that she could do with it was drink her loneliness away and end up with a massive headache the next day.
>Before she could retort, the man had already gone on to lecture Maxwell on being more self confident. She hates to admit it, but Riest is a good teacher. Maybe the boy will turn out differently than she'd expect. However, there's a chance he'll end up making another Riest, and that sounds terrible in concept already. However, she was becoming impatient enough with them already, just waiting for this boy to get over his own nerves.
>She rested herself on the top of her broom and waved a hand towards the two rather nonchalantly.
Ah, don't worry about the boy, Riest. Just make him come to me another time to give me a proper greeting himself. And, you know bring a little something for the church.
>As she said that, she hinted her head towards the donation box whose only donations now were cobwebs.
Anyways, what are you two here for? Surely it's not trying to set me up with a boy like that, are you?
>Well this was getting to be a heated argument. Riest looked scary most of the time but that was something different, and then the woman over there- that smile was like a demon's smile, and then her expression turned almost more grim than Riest's had only a moment ago. What in the world was going on? Had he been swept up into the lion's den, watching them circle around each other with toothy grins and claws bared!?
<Or would you like me to add verbal coaching to our workout regime?
Uh, um, I er...
>He was only putting forward more evidence that he should, with the rate he was going. This was all too much for his currently frail emotional state to handle, especially when following Riest's orders made him exactly the sort of person who couldn't act confident in the first place!
>Not to mention that Caella was contradicting him on the side, making him even more nervous. Maybe if he was facing the two of them individually, fine, but getting caught in the middle was horrifying.
<Surely it's not trying to set me up with a boy like that, are you?
HA HA HA HA TWENTY MILES, RIGHT? THAT'S ONLY A COUPLE OF LAPS AROUND THE TOWN! AHA ha.... ha...... bye.
>He was already jogging on the spot whilst he spoke, and immediately turned around and sprinted out of the church hall. How his response would be taken by Caella or Riest didn't matter to him at that moment - the repercussions of his actions could come later. For now, he much preferred the intense burning sensation in his legs to the emotional devastation of attempting to socialise with two psychopaths.
>Riest watches Maxwell bolt like a frightened rabbit and cannot hide his mirth. A deep, reverberating chuckle exits his mouth as he stands in that lonely church with only Caella to keep him company.
Ah, he's an interesting young man. Trying to prove his worth to a girl about the same age as him. Of course, she barely even notices him.
>He looks back to Caella, that same evil smile in place as it ever was.
Youth. How refreshing to see, in our old age. Don't you agree, Caella?