Chapter 2: A Not So Natural Disaster

Returning to Elcid, Maxim checks his arm and realizes that the fracture has been completely healed. Thankful for that, Maxim wonders briefly what happened to heal it, then continues on his way. He was going to Tia's shop again, but he noticed that it was getting late and decided it best to wait until the next morning. He walked inside the inn and waved to the keeper, a rather average man with blonde hair and dressed in a green shirt under white overalls. The keeper smiled, and said to Maxim, "Hey Maxim! It's getting to be pretty late, eh? Geez, you're a mess. Where were you?"

To this, Maxim replied in a stoic tone, "I was in the cave up north, taking care of the problem up there." The Inn Keeper turned his back as Maxim explained what happened in more detail, cleaning various things and walking around the inn performing an inspection but all the while listening to Maxim's tale. He walked back to behind the counter just in time for Maxim to finish the story, and he said, "That's our Maxim! Nothing's too difficult for you, is it?"

Maxim was somewhat disbelieving about whether what the keeper said held the truth, but he replied, "Well, I wouldn't say that. There are quite a few things I'm not too good at." The inn keeper closed his eyes and replied, "Eh, if you say so. Now, did you come here needing a place to rest?" Maxim simply yet hesitantly nodded, to which the keeper replied, "Well don't worry. To me you're like family. You know you're always welcome here. I just fixed up the beds, so go ahead to the back. There'll be no charge." "Oh really? Wow, thanks!" Exclaimed Maxim. He stretched and yawned, then chuckled briefly before saying, "I guess today took more out of me than I thought." He walked to the back, and without even bothering to change into something perhaps more suitable for sleep, he flopped onto the bed that he chose and was soon asleep.

As Maxim slept, he had a strange dream. It was a dream involving the woman Iris, her message to Maxim, and hesitance from Maxim seeming to result in the red ball of light Iris mentioned flying overhead and crashing into the ground. This resulted in a massive explosion from which an army of monsters seemed to suddenly appear and exterminate all of humanity before dancing all over their writhing, dying bodies. At that point, Maxim saw his own face bright and clear, as well as three other faces that seemed to be obscured by the darkness. The faces suddenly vanished to make way for the presence of a sword-shaped silhouette that was also obscured by the darkness.

Maxim woke then, and was surprised to find that morning had come. Blinking, he asked himself, "How long was I asleep?" He rubbed his forehead, then smiled and waved a farewell to the innkeeper as he left, determined to be on his way to Tia's shop as he had intended to do the previous day. Almost as soon as he walked inside the shop, he was embraced by Tia, who cried into the man's chest with relief. Maxim was confused, though that confusion didn't last very long as Tia exclaimed,

"Maxim! Thank goodness you're here! I had this really strange feeling." "Oh? About what?" Asked Maxim. Tia swallowed hard, then replied, "Well, I had a feeling that you were going somewhere, or worse that you had hurt yourself..." Maxim laughed nervously before saying, "Tia, you don't need to worry about me. You know that." Tia laughed in response, then said to Maxim, "Yeah, you're right. I don't need to worry. So what's up? Did you need something?" Maxim nodded and reached into the pouch where he keeps his money. He pulled out 20 gold pieces, and said to Tia, "I'm here to buy a boomerang. I don't know why, but I have a feeling it'll come in handy."

"Oh? Well okay." Said Tia. She went into the back and grabbed a boomerang from one of the boxes. She gave it to Maxim after returning to the counter, and took the 20 gold pieces before saying farewell. Maxim walked quickly to the border of the city, and after looking back just once, he hurried to the cave separating Elcid from Sundletan. He was met at the entrance of the cave by a lizard, but after that he didn't really find much resistance. Returning to where he met Iris, Maxim used the key he obtained from the corpse of the lizard man he fought to unlock the door that led outside on the side of the cave where Sundletan is located. Outside, Maxim located the border of the village of Sundletan. Just as he was about to make a dash for it however, he spotted two blue jellies coming his way.

Maxim got ready to fight, but as they were right on top of him, there was a sudden earthquake that caused Maxim to fall on his rear. The jellies continued to come after Maxim, and as the earthquake stopped he leapt into a standing position and stepped out of the way, then turned and sliced one of the jellies in half. He quickly made another slicing motion with his sword arm, and the second jelly was soon with its buddy on the ground in two pieces. Maxim wiped a bead of sweat from his brow before making his way to Sundletan after the not so nice encounter. Within the border of Sundletan, a young man, maybe a year younger than Maxim, with blue hair and a simple blue cloth outfit started to greet Maxim, but then noticed that he was somewhat dirty. Because of this, he asked Maxim, "Did you fall when that last earthquake hit? It seemed somewhat more powerful than the others."

Maxim simply nodded before responding, "Yeah, I fell because of it. Say, any idea where it came from?" The blue haired man chuckled before replying, "Well, I would say yes, but unfortunately it's all merely theory. You see, the village elder claims to have seen a giant catfish he calls the Master Catfish, creating these earthquakes. Preposterous if you ask me. How can a fish create earthquakes anyway? And on top of that, why would it? Although whatever it is, the earthquakes have destroyed the bridge in the small shrine to the north."

Maxim groaned softly, then asked the blue haired man, "The village elder you said? Where is he?" To this, the blue haired man replied, "I don't see why it matters, but he lives in the biggest house in the village. It's at the very back, you can't miss it." "Thanks." Said Maxim. He then made his way silently toward the house vaguely mentioned by the young man, simply as the biggest house in the village.

Once in front of it, Maxim knocked on the rather overly decorated door and got the response of, "Who is it?" The young man cleared his throat, and replied, "I am called Maxim. I need to speak to you about something very important." There was a gruff, unmistakably elderly sigh of exasperation, and then the voice from inside said, "Oh alright. I haven't been able to sleep anyway because of that blasted catfish." The door opened, revealing an old man who was unusually fit for his age. He turned away and walked toward a chair to sit down, then beckoned Maxim inside. Once Maxim was inside and closed the door, the old man asked him, "So, what was it you wanted to speak to me about?" "Well, actually it's about your claim that there's a catfish causing trouble."

Replied Maxim. The old man gasped suddenly before saying, "So...does that mean you believe me?" To this, Maxim responded, "Actually it depends. I want to investigate the problem so I need you to tell me where you saw this catfish." The elder smiled softly, then said, "I can tell from the look in your eyes that you believe me. You will find the catfish in the basin deep within the Lake Cave to the northwest. Thank you, young man." Maxim sighed softly before saying, "Sure thing old man. I'm outta here." He walked toward the door and turned the knob, stepping outside before jogging toward the western village border. Now beyond said border, Maxim immediately noticed a bridge crossing the southern edge of the lake to the north, where there was an island in the center of the lake.

Maxim chuckled before saying, "Well, this must be the Lake Cave. Pretty unmistakable." He approached the entrance and suddenly there was another quake. As a result of this one Maxim stumbled but did not fall. Like with the previous one it was for some odd reason accompanied by monsters. This time there were three, a Mosquito, a Bat, and a Spider. Maxim heaved a sigh and drew his hunting knife. Looking at it he sighed again and put it away before drawing the Battle Knife he used against the Lizard Man.

He assumed a combat stance and made the first move, rushing forward with a ferocity that surprised the monsters. Before they could regain their bearings, Maxim slashed the Spider into two pieces, spilling its blood on the grass. This worried the bat, who flew the coop leaving just the Mosquito. It seemed somewhat worried, but it didn't flee. Maxim got closer and without losing a bit of his composure the whole time, he slashed the Mosquito cleanly in two. Thrusting his knife into the ground, he wiped a bit of sweat from his brow and sighed. Pulling his knife from the ground, he stated, "Time to get moving." He cleaned the blade and sheathed the knife before proceeding in.

Inside he immediately encountered a Blue Jelly. Just one. He quickly killed it and readied his short bow, seeing a lever on an island to his left, sitting in water that's too shallow a depth for him to use. He shot the handle of the lever, having precise enough aim and enough strength to get a hit that moved the handle. It swung to the other side of the mechanism in which the handle rested, and the ground started to shake softly as water rushed into the room, raising the water level to a usable depth. Now extremely glad that he's wearing lightweight armor, Maxim dove in the water and swam north. Pulling himself up and out of the water, he cut down a mosquito that almost seemed to have been waiting for him, and then opened the door before him in order to delve further into the cave.

Beyond the door was an ambush by a Blue Jelly. It jumped on Maxim's arm, causing him to scream in agony as it released its powerful digestive enzymes to feed. Maxim tried to shake the jelly off but it was stuck on. Growling, he drew his hunting knife and twirled it in his hand so it was pointed at the jelly. The monster was stabbed, and it slumped off of Maxim's arm. It was dead, but Maxim was wounded. Reaching into his pack, he took out a potion and quickly drank it. Within seconds his wound closed up and he was ready to roll again.

He didn't get very far before a mosquito was in front of him. Maxim growled and yelled, "I think I've had enough monsters for one day!" He rushed forward, drawing his battle knife and sliced the insect in two. The pieces fell behind him and he moved on. Slowly and carefully opening the door, Maxim slipped through and, to his great relief there was nothing waiting in ambush. Sighing, he walked forward and found a Baby Frog to his left, and a Beetle to his right. They both noticed him at the same time, and rushed at him. He jumped over the frog, causing it to run into the Beetle. He landed and spun on his heel, quickly slicing the frog with his Battle Knife, and then stepped around the corpse to quickly kill the dazed Beetle. With both monsters now dead, Maxim pressed onward, only to be shaken by another earthquake. When that ended, he looked forward and saw the door he had been approaching. Getting to his feet, he tried to open the door, only to find it sealed for some reason. He looked to his left and found only a wall. To his right, however, was a lever across a hole.

Maxim readied his bow and took aim, striking the lever straight on with the arrow so the mechanism was activated. He heard the whirring of gears indicating that something was happening, and then a section the wall that was now behind him moved down into the floor to reveal a path. Maxim shrugged his shoulders and walked along the new path, which led him to a door that he was able to open. Walking into the next chamber, he found a large pond. He cautiously approached and suddenly the most intense earthquake yet hit, causing Maxim to lose his footing and fall on his butt. From the depths of the pond a huge fish, a catfish to be exact, surfaced, a smile on its face. The smile soon faded, and the catfish said,

"So you are the only man man enough to come play with me? Such cowardice the people above show me. Oh well, might as well make the best of it." "Wait what? What are you talking about?" Asked Maxim. As an answer to his question there was another earthquake. Maxim growled when he felt it, and yelled, "So you're the one! The elder was right! Well enough of it, the entire village is in distress!" The catfish laughed, though it sounded more like a series of bellows. He then glared at Maxim before mockingly saying, "Of course I'll stop...if you can beat me. That won't happen though." "Say what?" Asked Maxim. The catfish smiled again, and bellowed, "Prepare yourself, little man!"

Maxim's eyes got somewhat wider as he looked at the catfish. It was glowing, and that could only mean that it was getting ready for something. Something, yes, but what? He soon found out as an energy bolt quickly rose from the catfish's body, causing the glowing to cease. The energy bolt made an arc in its path, and fell on Maxim as the fish yelled, "Flash!" Maxim cried out in sheer agony, feeling as though a thousand blades were stabbing him all over his body while he was being burned alive. The spell ended, and Maxim's pupils had shrunk to almost non-existence. Lightning arced over his body, and continued to do so even as he collapsed. The catfish laughed and said, "Oops, I think I may have overdone it a little."

It continued to laugh, and when Maxim started moving it assumed he was seizing and laughed harder. Maxim, however, was not, which he demonstrated by jumping to his feet and throwing the Boomerang he purchased from Tia. It flew swiftly, smacking into the fish and then falling into the water. Maxim, however, merely shrugged his shoulders, and drew his Battle Knife, which was sparking with electrical energy. At first Maxim thought his knife had somehow absorbed some of the catfish's spell, but then he remembered what someone once told him. Thinking back, Maxim recalled that someone once told him that there are some weapons, armor, etc that change slightly, gaining extra abilities in response to rage. These things had long ago been given a classification aside that of weapons, armor, etc.

They were labelled as Ikari Gear, or something like that. Thinking for a moment, Maxim softly said, "Could this Battle Knife be one of them?" The catfish was stunned by the electrical blade, and apparently frightened, it said, "I-Ikari..." Maxim smirked and looked at the fish with weapon in hand. He rushed toward the pool in which the catfish sat surfaced, looking fearstruck at Maxim. Gathering up the nerve to speak, it said in desperation, "Okay, I yield! I'll never roll out another earthquake I swear! Just please, put that thing away." Maxim stopped and looked at the catfish, whose fear was convincing enough for him to give in. He turned toward the door, sheathed the Battle Knife, and said, "Know this catfish. If I ever recieve word of your actions again, there will be no mercy."

As he walked toward the door, the catfish said, "Yes, I know." Maxim returned to Sundletan and as he walked in, the blue-haired man who seems to act as a village guard ran up to him, saying, "Hey Maxim, didn't you go to the Lake Cave after talking to the elder?" "Yes, I did. Why do you ask and how did you know my name?" Asked Maxim. The blue-haired man said to him, "Well, a young woman came here looking for you. I told her you went to the Lake Cave, and she left immediately so I assumed you two must have bumped into each other." "Oh? Did you happen to catch her name?" Asked Maxim. The blue-haired man shook his head and replied, "I didn't get a chance to ask her name. She was quite the beauty though."

After a bit of thought, added to the fact that the man also told him that the bridge was under construction, Maxim decided to return to the Lake Cave. Apparently there was a woman in the Lake Cave who he failed to run into. Back in the Lake Cave, he ventured through the entire cave, but found nothing. Deciding to return to the catfish's lair, he ended up summoning it from its sleep when he did. It looked at Maxim, and sighed before saying, "You again? I gave you my word and I've been keeping it. It hasn't even been that long. What could you want." Maxim made no move of hostility, and instead simply asked, "Do you know if a young woman came in here?" The catfish closed its eyes, and after a few moments opened them again. He looked intently at Maxim, and said to him, "There is a young woman in a chamber that you probably overlooked.

A Goblin and a Skeleton are in there as well. I don't know what they're doing in there, but I'll tell you how to get there if you feel you need to go." Maxim nodded gratefully, and after getting the directions he went on his way to the designated chamber. The door was open, so he entered. Looking around he heard the crack of a Battle Whip. He looked to his right and saw Tia attempting to use a Battle Whip to keep the Goblin and Skeleton at bay. Maxim growled and ran toward Tia, getting between her and the monsters with his Battle Knife drawn. "Maxim?" Asked Tia. Maxim looked back at Tia and asked her, "Tia, what are you doing here?" "Well, I-" Started Tia. She was interrupted by Maxim, who said, "Nevermind Tia, we'll talk after I take out the trash!"

He turned back to the monsters and growled before slashing with his weapon at the Goblin. It just barely blocked, but it couldn't block the second attack. The Battle Knife cut the Goblin almost in half, and it was dead in an instant. Next was the skeleton, a somewhat more difficult foe. Not only was its sword stronger than a goblin''s club, but some of them have a nasty habit of pulling themselves back together. He slashed at it a couple of times, and though it blocked the first few attacks, like the Goblin it faltered before long. A couple of good slashes and it didn't last long. Maxim turned to Tia and said, "Let's talk outside. It's too dangerous out here." To this Tia replied, "Maxim...thank you." Together they left, bound for Sundletan.