Chapter 15

Maximus opened his eyes and all around him all he could see was darkness. "I think it's time we spoke, child," a voice said, and he knew it was the same voice that had spoken to him before, the one that had unsheathed his blade. "Where am I?" Maximus asked.

"Why, we are inside your head. Not to worry, your body is still asleep. Just think of this as a dream."

Maximus wasn't sure what was going on but that had been happening a lot lately so he decided to just go with it. "Alright then, who are you?" Maximus asked.

"I am afraid I cannot tell you that. My identity remaining unknown is very important to my safety at the moment. But to you I am a friend." Great, Maximus thought, a voice in my head wants to be my friend. He was pretty sure this was one of the first signs of insanity. "So, friend, this blade is yours?" Maximus asked.

"In a way yes, but you can have it, you just have to do a favour for me," the voice said.

"And that would be?" he asked.

"Nothing too complicated of course. As you noticed this is an energy weapon. To be more specific it is a heat blade. The way it works is that it generates heat around the blade that greatly increases its attack power. The heat increases depending on your strength and willpower, and sometimes it is also influenced by emotion," the voice said.

Maximus thought about this and said, "Like when I got angry while fighting the manticore?"

"Exactly," the voice said. "Now you are free to use it as you please as long as you follow one condition, when you come across a powerful enough energy source allow the blade to absorb it."

Maximus was quite sure that he needed professional psychiatric help now. He wasn't even able to understand the voice in his own head. "I'm not sure I follow," he said.

"It's simple, you just keep fighting monsters and anything else you feel like, everything has energy inside it and the blade will automatically absorb it, you need not do anything extra. But if I were to detect a powerful enough force I need you to go and absorb it."

"And how do I do that?" Maximus asked.

"Simply make it come in contact with the blade. And you need not worry about locating them either, I will let you know if I sense them. So Maximus do you agree?"

Maximus didn't like any of this business deal. But he knew that the blade was really powerful and he probably wouldn't get another one like it in his lifetime. He decided that the best course of action would be not to over-think it. "Alright then, it's a deal," he said. The voice sounded pleased by this. "Excellent, now it is important that you do not tell anyone that you have spoken with me. Otherwise I will make sure that the sword returns to being a useless piece of junk. Most would not believe you anyway. And to show my appreciation in our new-found friendship I shall give you this parting gift."

The darkness began to fade away and soon Maximus was standing in a huge room. The walls and pillars were red and gold, and there were two Minotaur soldiers standing guard at the entrance. The walls were decorated with every kind of weapon imaginable including swords, shields, guns and even a couple of RPGs. At the centre of the room was a huge throne made of gold and encrusted with rubies. Its seats and cushions were made from red silk, and the top of the throne was decorated with a golden spearhead with a single huge triangular ruby at the centre. The red and gold spear was the symbol of Lord Ares. Behind the throne was a huge portrait of Ares standing in a battlefield with his spear raised in one hand and the beheaded head of a Cyclops in the other. Maximus realized that he was standing in Ares's throne room. A chill ran down his spine. This really was one of the last places he wanted to be right now.

"Do not worry child, no one can see you here," the voice said, "neither can you interact with anything that happens. All you can do is watch and observe." Just then the doors to the throne room opened and three men entered. And the one in the middle was none other than Lord Ares himself.

Maximus had seen Lord Ares before, but only while giving speeches through a monitor. But seeing him in person was not the same. He stood at about eight feet tall, easily dwarfing the two Minotaur guards at the door, and his body was as muscular as it was large, with arms the size of tree trunks. He was wearing a red uniform with a matching general's cap with his spear symbol in the centre. His uniform was decorated with many medals and even buttons made of gold. His hair was short and he had a full grown but neatly trimmed beard, and both were a fiery red. He walked in and sat on his throne and it was easy to see from the expression on his face that he was not happy.

The other two men were not exactly ordinary citizens either. They were the two second-in-command officers in the army and were only outranked by Lord Ares himself. Maximus recognized the two generals. They were Deimos, the god of fear and Phobos, the god of terror. Both men were also dressed in the army's red. Deimos looked young like he was in his late twenties but Maximus knew he was much older. He was the strongest mage in the army and was dressed in robes with a hood like most army mages. He also carried a long staff with him. Phobos on the other hand was a pure warrior. He was almost as big as Ares and had long black hair till his shoulder, but no beard. He was dressed in full battle armour and had a huge skull of some monster for the shoulder guard. He had no weapon on him now but Maximus had heard that he used a giant club and a machine gun in battle. Last, he had heard both these generals were at the front line in their war against Athena; if they were called back it must be for something important.

"Sir, the report says that the convoy was attacked by a group of four. But that the prisoner escaped when the soldiers were assaulted by a manticore while engaging in battle with the attackers," Deimos said. Ares looked at his generals with rage. "I do not want a report, I want Daedalus back in chains!"

"Do we know who did this" Phobos asked, his voice was like rocks grinding each other.

"Well it does not take a genius to figure out it was one of Athena's men," Ares said.

"Yes my Lord, but all of her most powerful soldiers are still on the front line including her champion, we already checked," Deimos said.

"So?" Ares said, it was easy to see that he was annoyed.

"Well my Lord, of the attackers a swordsman, he was said to be quite powerful, he almost took out the entire convoy single-handedly. It is also likely that it was he who took out the manticore. He is definitely no ordinary fighter."

"What difference does it make if Athena begged for outside help? I do not plan to send a weakling to hunt down someone who dares steals from me," Ares said. Just then a woman entered the room and said, "Brother, the soldiers you asked for have arrived."

Maximus knew this woman as well. She was the third and final of Ares's generals, Eris. She was also his sister. Eris was called the goddess of discord. A name she had earned due to her deceptive methods in battle, which she used to turn allies against each other. Maximus didn't know the details, this was just something that he had heard while he was in the army. She had red hair like her brother and she let it grow long. Also, she would have been beautiful if her face wasn't stuck with a permanent scowl. She was in full red battle armour that had enough jewels on it to buy a four storied mansion. Maximus couldn't believe that he was actually witnessing a meeting between all the top officers of the army.

"Send them in," Ares told his sister. On her command four soldiers entered. It was none other than Captain Debra Sharp and her team, the ones that had survived anyway. Only two humans and the Minotaur Lod were left with her.

"Captain Sharp is it? Can you explain to me why my prisoner did not reach me?" Lord Ares asked almost mockingly.

"I have no excuses my Lord," Captain Sharp said with her head bowed.

"Good, because I really wasn't in the mood to hear any. But you see, whatever the reason, I am not someone who takes failure lightly."

"Please, my Lord. The swordsman that attacked us was no ordinary man," Lod said, "and then the manticore..." but Lord Ares had just got off his throne and that was enough to stop Lod in mid-sentence. Ares then walked up to the Minotaur and grabbed his neck. Then he lifted him with the ease of lifting a baby. Lod's feet were not even touching the ground. "Perhaps you are trying to tell me that it was my fault for not providing adequate security." He was choking Lod and he could barely speak.

"No...No my Lord..." Lod had begun to say. But it was too late. Ares, with a squeeze of his arm snapped the Minotaur's neck. Lod lay dead on the ground the next second.

"Well Captain, I expect you to return with my prisoner or not to return at all, now go," Ares said angrily. The captain and her subordinates left with a bow, not saying another word.

"And someone get this carcass out of my sight," he continued. The guards at the door came and took away Lod's body, they seemed to be used to doing this.

"Are you sure we should not let someone more capable bring back Daedalus my Lord, perhaps one of us?" Deimos said.

"Yes I am aware of that, but not any of you, Deimos. I want you and Phobos to return to the front line immediately. Eris, go join them within a few days with whatever supplies are needed for the war."

The three generals nodded in agreement to this. Ares continued "And dear sister, give the task of finding Daedalus to our champion."

Eris didn't seem too sure of this "Are you sure of this brother, to trust such an important task with the barbarian?"

"Yes, I believe he is more than capable," Ares said, "just make sure to tell him that I want Daedalus alive and not to feed him to those wicked horses of his." Then suddenly the scene began to dissolve and Maximus awoke with a start.