A voice called out from somewhere in the darkness all around him. It echoed through the space in a way that might have been almost beautiful if it weren't so deeply unsettling – and the mysterious figure still refused to show themselves.
"...State your name... You're not supposed to go down here at all..."
Maximus found himself freezing in place for a moment. Not supposed to be here? He'd thought this whole thing was just some kind of trap he'd stumbled into by accident – so what was actually going on down in this endless dark?
Confusion washed over him as he tried to figure out how to handle things without starting a fight, deciding to take the diplomatic route first.
"Look, i don't even know how i ended up falling in here to begin with... one second i was walking above ground and the next thing i knew i was dropping into this hole. So please, i just want to keep things peaceful between us."
But the hidden figure didn't seem to buy a single word he said.
"That's a lie."
Maximus felt a pang of frustration in his chest – he hadn't lied at all, every word had been the honest truth as far as he knew. He was pretty sure this person standing somewhere in front of him didn't have any kind of lie-detecting power either. It was probably just anger talking... or maybe even deep-seated hate?
Before he could think any more on it, the figure suddenly swung their arm forward – a dagger clutched tight in their hand, aimed straight at him. Maximus stumbled back in hesitation, his body reacting slower than his mind could process what was happening. But then the blade struck something just a centimeter away from his neck, sending the figure reeling back several feet with the force of the impact.
"Look, I don't want to fight you right now – I really don't. So you can either calm down and we can talk about why you're acting like this... or–"
Maximus never got to finish his sentence.
"No!, I don't believe a single word you say!, you humans are all just killers!, killers!, killers!!..."
'Okay... i guess she's got some real deep hatred for humankind... What could've possibly happened to make her feel this way?, but more than that... she definitely sounds like a girl.'
The figure kept lunging forward, swinging that dagger again and again at him with wild, uncontrolled movements. But thank the spirits for the Mighty Sword of Eia – just like always, it flared up with a faint glow and blocked every single strike coming from her direction. Even so, he still couldn't shake the question that was bugging him: why hadn't the sword protected him when that first dagger was thrown?
'Mana orb!'
He quickly fumbled into his sack and swapped out his regeneration orb for the mana disruptor one instead. The moment he pointed it towards where the figure was hiding, he could see them stagger a little – their body suddenly looking fatigued and slow, like all their strength had been drained away for the time being.
"Alright, this will solve the case once and for all."
He stepped forward carefully and reached out to pull away the dark cloak that was hiding the figure from view. Underneath, he found a young girl with bright blonde hair that marked her clearly as an elf – a forest elf, from what he could tell just by looking at her features.
"Your an elf?, what the hell could've happened to you down here?"
His eyes quickly scanned over her body and he saw it – dozens of minor bruises, deep cuts and old wounds that looked like they'd been infected for a long time. How was she still standing? How could anyone endure this much pain, stuck down here all alone with no way to treat her injuries?
"How can you even stand up like this?... I mean, for normal humans, if bacteria gets into open wounds and they're never treated properly, most of us would be dead within just a few days."
Without waiting for her to answer – not that she seemed like she would anyway – he pulled out his regeneration orb again and carefully pressed it against the center of her chest, right where her mana core would be located. He could feel the orb start to glow warm as it worked its magic, healing every cut and wound all across her body in just moments.
"There. That should take care of most of it."
The girl didn't move to stop him, didn't even push him aside as he helped her. She just stood there completely still, looking shocked and surprised – like she'd never even imagined a human would do something to help her.
Then suddenly she snapped out of it.
"Stay away from me!"
She swung her arm hard and smacked his hand away, the movement so sudden it almost sent his regeneration orb crashing to the ground and shattering into pieces.
"Hey!, don't do that when i'm holding something this important!... You almost broke it!"
But his voice quickly softened and his expression shifted to something more calm and serious as he really looked at her face. She seemed so lifeless, like all the emotion had been drained out of her except for the anger still burning bright in her eyes.
"Are you fine?, because you certainly do not look okay to me – not even a little bit."
The girl just stood there facing him straight on, her gaze sharp and unwavering as she looked him up and down.
"Why would i look fine? After everything that's happened?"
Maximus let out a soft chuckle and scratched the back of his head, trying to lighten the heavy mood a little bit.
"Oh right... Guess that was a pretty stupid question to ask. Look, I'm genuinely curious to know what your story is – all of it if you're willing to tell me. I'm always open for listening to people's stories, no matter how hard they are to hear."