Novels by Maxtang

Both Cyrus and the Pawn rush forward grabbing the first weapons they can find. Cyrus grabs hold of a long-handled axe that has been propped against one of the pillars, while the Pawn rushes for a thin staff laying on the ground ahead of him. The two take their given weapons and dash towards one another sending shivers up the spines of the spectators. The two weapons clash violently as they try to force each other back. They lock together, neither able to gain any advantage over the other. Cyrus's blade slides down the side of the Pawns staff as he twirls it around his back, slamming it into the side of Cyrus's head. Cyrus takes a step back from the blow but quickly regains his footing as he parries the following stabs sent towards him. He lowers his body weaving swiftly between the blows as he charges at the pawn with his axe. Swinging his axe upwards as the Pawn sidesteps him, Cyrus brings it down toward him with all his might. The Pawn manages to jump out of the way just in time a

His cloak vanishes and he is carried to the nearest medical room by a group of guards as the cheering dies down.Elaine hurriedly follows along behind the guards carrying her wounded companion.After a brief examination, Elaine is told that she can stay with him until he wakes up.She immediately enters his room and sits beside him.Cyrus opens his eyes and stares blankly at the ceiling."It's good that you're alright." She says with a smile.Cyrus lets out a sigh and his expression changes as he looks over at her."How long was I out?" He asks."Two days." She answers.Cyrus looks away from Elaine and continues to look at the ceiling. "Where are we?""In the healers' ward of the arena. They said that you were lucky to even be able to fight through all of the injuries you sustained in your fight." Elaine replies.Cyrus lets out an uncomfortable laugh. "I guess I just don't know my limits. I don't know how much more punishment my body can take before I'm down for good next time."Elain

Cyrus crosses his arms taking the full impact of the blow, coughing up blood as he grabs The Executioner's leg causing him to fall over as well. Cyrus quickly throws himself over The Executioner and mounts him as the two begin to wrestle each other. Cyrus pins him down before pounding into him with a barrage of punches. Cyrus then reaches for The Executioner's neck and pushes his arm into it as hard as he could while The Executioner Claws at Cyrus violently. The two warriors refuse to give up as they continue to punch and claw each other. They are locked into this position for a few minutes until The Executioners' struggles begin to lessen. Seeing this decrease in strength, Cyrus pushes down even harder until finally. The executioner is completely still. Cyrus struggles to stand and looks around the arena. The crowd is completely silent as they watch Cyrus's movement. After letting out a heavy breath He throws his head back and raises his fist in the air with the last of his ener

Cyrus and Elaine leave the library and check in to a local inn for the night.Cyrus Wakes up early and heads out before Elaine to get more accustomed to fighting with the collars restraints on. While going through his routine Cyrus notices that he can still feel two energy sources. One of them was the same energy that he felt when obtaining the cloak. Tapping into this power manifested the cloak around his shoulders.Tapping into the second source manifested a pair of black greaves with a pattern of dark red streaks running through them. This power was different from the first one. It feels like the energy is being burned away the longer he wears them. Throwing out a kick with the new greaves sends a sharp wave of flames that cut through the air. Along with the new being able to use the flames for combat he was also capable of moving at an incredible speed in short bursts using the flames. Although doing so had all but drained the energy stored within the greaves as they shortly conce

"That's two pieces down. how about we get moving on to the next one. After all, we need to get this over with as soon as possible." Cyrus says."Agreed. I don't want to sit through this story any longer than I already have." Elaine agrees."So where are we headed to next? The Knight, The pawn, or the king?"The pawn would be our best bet for now," Elaine says."really? Why is that?""Because the pawn is the easiest for us to reach. Or should I say for you to reach."What do you mean?" Cyrus asks"You're going to become a gladiator!""A what!?" Cyrus exclaims."You're becoming a Gladiator. A warrior who fights in the arena. It's a very common thing here." Elaine explains."Alright. but how does this help get my hands on the pawns piece?"Easily. All you have to do is battle in the Colosseum and win. The more you win, the more opponents you will get to face, and eventually you can make your way to the top. I'm guessing you can figure out who's at the top by now right? The other two piec

Cyrus clears his throat and continues. "I'm a member of the Order of the White Rose. I was sent by the queen to assist you in the quest of defeating the evil forces that have been plaguing your land."As such, I have begun investigating and have found the hiding place of these creatures. I've brought with me one of their limbs as proof of my work."The Order of the White Rose? I have never heard of such a group. What faction do they belong to? Are they in any way related to the knights?" Elaine asks."They are a secret society that resides within the shadows of the kingdom. They are sworn to protect the people of Eleuthera and were created centuries ago."My group is composed of individuals who possess special abilities known only to a select few. We use our talents to aid those in need. It's a very secretive organization and we do not reveal ourselves to outsiders.""So don't ask any more questions," Cyrus mumbles under his breath.Elaine looks at him with a raised eyebrow."What did

The passenger side door swings open to reveal A thin passenger with long hair tied up into a ponytail. He was dressed casually in a white collared shirt and black slacks. "Welcome back brother. You made quite the entrance I must say." Jonathan said with a smile from within the vehicle. "So how was your vacation?" Luke looked at his brother with disdain, "What are you doing here!? Why did you have to show up now!?" He growls angrily. "That's a silly question. I'm just here to pick up my brother and his companion." His older brother explained, "why don't you have a seat so that we can catch up. It's about time that we have a talk." Jonathan suggests with a grin while gesturing with his hand out towards the passenger seat. "Don't get your hopes up. I wouldn't ride in the same space as you if you paid me to." Luke retorted coldly. "How about you run on home and wait for me to tear you down, just like I did with Marilyn." Luke tells him with a scowl. "I'm sorry to hear that, but I don

Luke watched on in shame at the mess taking place in front of him. The room was already cluttered as is with the bodies of the guests scattered about, but now Ella and Le were making an even bigger mess of things. And all over a single bottle of liquor. "Haha, your going to have to try harder if you want to catch me." Ella remarked as she kept away from Lee while holding on to the bottle loosely in her hands. "You think you're funny!?" Lee huffed in frustration as he attempted to tackle her but she effortlessly dodged him and quickly disappeared behind the bar. "Ha Ha Ha! Very cute Lee." She taunted him as she tipped the bottle upside down, allowing the liquid to flow down into two glasses. She handed one of them to him with an amused look before downing her own glass in an instant. "Hey! You can't just drink it like that! It's not a shot!" He said while pointing his finger accusingly at her. "Oh yeah? Well I don't have any patience today so I'm going to just drink it however I d

A week and a half passes and Luke, Ella and Lee are now able to see land. It wouldn't be long now until they were back on solid ground. "Ahhh, Doesn't it just look so nice?" Ella exclaimed joyfully while looking out the transparent plane covering their room. Her eyes were fixated on the land as if it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Luke couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm, but he also found it somewhat amusing seeing her this way given how much she had been through recently. "When I get back I'm going to take a nice long bath with extra bubbles and candles. Maybe even light some incense while I soak under the starry sky. Then I'll get out and dry off slowly while laying out by a pool somewhere in the desert with an ice cold beer in my hand." Ella continued on with her fantasy. "What about you half-pint? Are you going to go back to your family to tell them what happened? I'm sure that they would want to know how their youngest son almost died on his business tri

"So how long do you think it will take before we set foot on solid ground again? I'm starting to get a little nauseous." Ella said while looking down at her stomach. "Not too long I hope." Luke replied while staring ahead at the transparent plane covering the room. It's been a little over a week since we set off, so I would guess that it would take around the same time going back" He told her while scanning through different screens on the walls. "At this rate, my boredom is going to kill me before Jonathan can get the chance. I can only sit here so long without going insane." Luke complained with a groan, as he sat down in one of the seats. "I need something to read, or do... anything would be nice" Luke added as he began scanning around the room for any kind of entertainment that might be lying around. Searching the cluttered floor, Luke spotted a few different magazines that were spread open on the ground. grabbing a few of them, Luke tossed one of them over to Ella as he began

Ella follows Luke as he opens the door leading further ahead inside the ship. Covering their eyes to shield themselves from the sudden increase in brightness, The duo enter into the vessels bridge. The sun is raised high in the sky outside, and the warm air from the heat vents makes itself known throughout the ship, creating a strong contrast against the dimly lit interior of the ship. "This thing looks like it's straight out of the 2000's." Ella mumbled aloud as she followed behind Luke, staring down at the small computer consoles on the wall before them and their array of buttons and dials. Luke turned around and nodded while he scanned through the screens and monitors displayed in front of him on the wall. "I hope this isn't as complicated as it looks." He said as he reached out his hand and pressed a few buttons on the panel in front of him, causing the ship's lights to brighten up. "I guess I know what this does now. Hmmm, Let me check on some things real quick." Luke tells her

Turning his back to his sister's unmoving form, Luke walked over to where Ella stood and wrapped his arms around her. Holding her close to him as he tried desperately to hold on to what little sanity he had left. He had acted confident in the moment, but had yet to fully realize what he had just done. Once again, he had managed to find his way back to the path that his brother had set for him. He was finally beginning to take control of his life and destiny and yet, once again he found himself on the verge of losing it all. "What is wrong with me?" Luke whispers into Ella's ear while tightening their embrace. His hands shaking as he attempted to calm himself down, but the thought of what he just did continued to plague his mind and make him panic. "I killed Marilyn. I didn't just kill her, I actually strangled her with these hands. I watched her life leave her body. What the hell have I become?" Luke asks as he tries to calm down and regain his composure. Ella could feel his hands

As soon as they entered the sanctuary that was Amanda's office, the two of them were immediately enveloped by a welcoming sense of peace. Zach looked around the room, observing the plain décor and finding it rather odd. There didn't seem to be anything interesting or unusual about it. It wasn't exactly how he had imagined it to look but he supposed there was nothing inherently wrong with it either.It was just a simple room with a single desk and chair for working purposes along with a few cabinets here and there for storage. There seemed to be very little in terms of decorations apart from a large picture window in the wall directly behind where her desk sat.The only thing out of place in this otherwise unassuming environment was the mountain of papers that seemed to take up a majority of the desk space. He wondered what had been on these documents as she quickly began shuffling through some stacks before placing them inside of a folder with a nervous expression on her face."Ah...

Amanda felt her arm jerk as Zach freed himself from her grip, his eyes full of fury directed toward a group of women that stood near one another chattering away behind her back. She didn't understand what it was that had so suddenly set him off but before she could ask, Zach was already upon the small crowd who froze when they saw him bearing down on them."I won't stand for this!" he shouted at them furiously before pushing through the crowd and coming face to face with the supposed ringleader herself. "What the hell is wrong with you all?" He demanded as he faced the woman glaring daggers at him through angry blue eyes."Ah... you must be the girl's little plaything. You know, I've read quite a few stories about you. How is it that you managed to get your hands on this little girl? Don't tell me that the Carter's are even willing to sell themselves to make up for their poor management skills." She said with a sinister smile as she glanced at Amanda. Her voice sounded like an old wit

Zach followed closely behind as Amanda led him into the elevator and pressed the button leading to floor five. As they rose, Zach noticed that Amanda had been oddly silent, only fidgeting a bit with her fingers while checking the watch that hung off her right wrist. Feeling a bit uncomfortable in the silence, Zach spoke up. "I know that you've only recently become the president of this company, but how have things been so far? Has the leadership role been difficult for you?" he inquired cautiously not wanting to tread onto any dangerous territory. After all, he wanted nothing more than for them to form a successful working relationship and work well together. It wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that. Though, it didn't mean he wasn't curious.Amanda seemed surprised by the sudden inquiry before letting out a half hearted sigh. "I guess I should be honest right? Truthfully, It’s been a pretty rough ride. The company was already going under even before It found its way under my control

Zach had awoken from the pleasant dreams induced by his time with Amanda the night prior. the scent of freshly brewed coffee lingered in the air signaling the start of yet another busy day for both of them. It was already 8 am by the time Zach had managed to force himself out of the comfortable linen sheets of his bed and into his bathroom to wash up.Amanda had left him a set of clothes to wear for his first day as her assistant. A pair of dark gray dress slacks, along with a crisp white shirt and a black vest adorned with a silver clip pin shaped like a teardrop which marked it as belonging to her company. Surprisingly, the clothes fit his body perfectly despite him not going with her to have them tailored to his specifications."She must have a really good eye to be able to get everything right without measuring me or anything," Zach noted aloud while inspecting the outfit in front of the mirror before deciding how he would style his hair today. His short brown hair looked just as

Zach turned around to bring Amanda out to see his work when he found his face only inches from her own. She had managed to sneak up on him while he was distracted by his creation and was already peering over his shoulder with a hungered gaze."O-oh, I was just about to go find you!" Zach stuttered as he stumbled backward in a panic.Amanda didn't seem phased in the slightest as she moved closer, taking another sniff of the food while staring at him in admiration. The woman's eyes lingered over the beautifully cooked halibut. It was all so delicious that it made her stomach rumble in hunger."Did you really make this all yourself? You are such an amazing chef." Amanda exclaimed in surprise before quickly covering her mouth with both hands in shock when she realized that she might have been too loud.Zach smiled widely, his cheeks blushing slightly under Amanda's scrutiny before looking away shyly. "Well, why don't you give it a taste? I bet you’re dying to eat something nutritious afte

"Ugh. Why is this so hard?! It’s like trying to pull a massive fish out of a rushing stream!" Zach grumbled under his breath as he fell backward onto the dirt ground, exhausted after failing to pull a weed from its roots for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.The sun beat down heavily from above as his forehead pooled with sweat. "Man, why can't this just be easy." Zach wiped his brow dry with his arm as he stood up to overlook the progress he had made. The yard was far from finished and he had only been able to free less than a third of the space from weeds and dead grass.It was a slow process but the payout would be worth it. Seeing Amanda's smile after he revived the yard would be more than enough for him to continue on."Well, time to get back to it then." He mumbled softly before reaching bending down to wrap his glove covered fingers around another long stalk. "One. two... three!" He tugged at it sharply which caused the plant to begin to rise off the soil that surro

Hiro focuses his mana and summons a barrier around himself while Rio rains down fire on the crowd of Larissa clones. Rio's orbs tear through the clones like paper. Each one falling to the ground after receiving a direct hit from Rio's barrage. The sound of impact echoes across the area as dozens more clones fall to the ground dead or dying. Seeing the destruction that the wolf was able to cause in such a small amount of time, Larissa gasps in amazement. "This is what it means to have real power. I'll definitely make you mine." Larissa whispers softly. Her eyes glow brightly with excitement as she approaches Rio. "Come on now, come to mama." She charges forward at him, avoiding the fire coming from above Rio. As she gets closer, He readies himself. Stabbing her dagger towards RIo, Hiro swiftly moves in to block the strike with his sword and slashes downward towards her. Larissa dodges the slash effortlessly but her eyes widen in shock when Hiro grabs her arm with his free hand.

Turning her attention back to Hiro, Larissa places a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "I think I'll take my sweet time getting rid of you first. Then I can take my time with your companion," With that Larissa teleports behind Hiro and wraps her arms around his neck. Hiro struggles against her grasp but finds it difficult as he can feel his power fading as she takes hold on him. Hiro continues to struggle against her, until Fye sends Larissa crashing to the floor. Hiro quickly distances himself from Larissa to catch his breath and as he does so Larissa steps out from the crater left from her landing. "I'm going to ask that you don't interrupt me when I'm working, young lady. I will get to you when it is your turn. In the meantime, How about you play with these guys." Larissa snaps her fingers causing the ground to shake. From within the earth rise several zombies which crawl out from the soil. Each zombie stands tall and menacing with rotting flesh covering their bodies. "Now t

6 months fly by as Hiro continues his training under Gaius. With every passing day, Hiro becomes more comfortable with using his magic. Rio was worried when their training had begun taking longer than he had hoped but, his worries faded when he looked at how much time he had left. Despite being in the trial for 6 months It seemed to have only been around 6 days outside. And with all this time Rio was able to reap the benefits of Gaius's training as Hiro was becoming more and more powerful. Hiro was now at a state where even Gaius was beginning to have trouble handling him, and Gaius knew that Zack would be ready to head out into the world. Gaining permission from the king, Gaius gave Hiro a set of armor and weapons. Hiro wore the outfit proudly as he headed out to the castle's entrance. There he met Zack who was waiting for him. Once they arrived, Hiro was given a map with a destination marked on it. Zack told him that this was a place known as the city of the dead. According to

Gaius walks out into the field and tosses his spear at Hiro. He fumbles with the weapon for a bit until it finally slips from his grasp and bangs against the ground. "Don't break it now. I only have one of those" Gaius chuckles as he watches Hiro pick the spear up from the ground. As soon as Hiro picks up the spear, Gaius plants his feet and stares down the boy. "Come on now, don't make me wait too long. Just come and give me your best shot. Hiro swallows nervously and clenches his fists tightly as he stares at Gaius. He had spent the previous night practicing how to use his power defensively but had failed to learn how to use it offensively. Knowing that his best choice would be to just try his best, Hiro runs at him with the spear in hand. He wields the weapon clumsily as he rushes at Gaius. Before he can make contact, however, Gaius blocks Hiro's path by raising his arms to block the attack. Gaius grips him by the neck and throws his body back to where he started. "I know y

The next morning, Rio and Hiro hurry to the training grounds as per Zack's request. Hiro's eyes were red and swollen from lack of sleep. His hair looked messy as if he hadn't washed it recently either. Despite these signs, his face remained full of determination as he faced off against his mentor. Gaius was already waiting for them when they arrived. He stood tall and proud with his spear held by his side. "By the look of you, I'm guessing that you didn't get much sleep." Gaius states bluntly as he looks over Hiro. Hiro shakes his head in response. "I might not have gotten much sleep, But you will see the impact of all of my efforts soon." Hiro explains confidently. Gaius narrows his eyes slightly before responding. "Cockiness is not an attractive trait, But I will allow you a bit of pride if what you say is true. Now then, How about you prove to me how strong you are today?" Gaius says as he steps forward with his spear raised high above his head. Without hesitation, Hiro readi

"Again!...Again!...AGAIN!!!" Gaius shouts as he continuously slams his spear and fist into Hiro. Hiro groans as he pushes himself up to his feet yet again. Not giving up, Hiro takes the beating while attempting to draw on the power from before. But no matter how many times he tries it, Hiro remains unable to protect himself. Gaius smacks Hiro upside the head with his free hand, sending him flying through the air and crashing into a training dummy. Hiro hits the wooden structure with such force that it cracks beneath his weight before collapsing entirely. "Damnit!" Gaius curses as he runs over to Hiro and picks him up off the floor. "Maybe we should take a quick break. If we continue at this pace, you won't live long enough to even see real combat." Gaius sighs while dusting Hiro off. "We'll come back tomorrow when your wounds have healed. Until then, I want you to keep practicing on manifesting your power." Hiro nods in agreement with his exhausted body. As Gaius walks away from