RubieKanary » Lair » Maximus

Maximus

(#33328308)

...shan't hold lovers apart.

Familiar

Wintermane Bowman

Energy: 0/50

Personal Style

Apparel

Skin

Scene

Physical Attributes

Battle Stats

Measurements

Length

21.86 m

Wingspan

19.91 m

Weight

7996.17 kg

Genetics

White
Petals

White
Butterfly

White
Stained

Hatchday

May 28, 2017
(6 years)

Breed

Adult
Imperial

Eye Type

Light
Common

Level 25 Imperial

Max Level

STR

133

AGI

DEF

QCK

INT

VIT

MND

Lineage

Parents

Offspring

Biography

..........“...Hello. I don’t believe I’ve seen you before, but it’s always a pleasant surprise to have a new face around the inn. I do wish that you’ll enjoy your stay.”

“You seem concerned. Is something the matter…?”

“The inn..? There’s nothing to worry about. Me and Lord Yukro make sure that the area surrounding the inn is cleared of dangerous critters of any kind, and those who are not meant to find the inn will never stumble onto it. Your are safe as long as you do not wander away from the inn.”

“Ah, speaking of which, that reminds me- Under no circumstances should you leave the inn before your path has been paved. Though the inn and the woods surrounding them are harmless, should you wander too far into the depths of Starwood Strand, you will be lost into the void forever. I do my best to find and guide dragons who have decided to go off into the woods back to the inn, but I was not able to save all of them. To this day, some dragons are still lost within the void of Starwood Strand.”

“...No, no. Hadn’t I just made it clear? You cannot leave the inn while you are still lost; You’ll never make it out of Starwood Strand that way. Only when you realize where your destiny lies, should you see the way out of the inn and out of these woods. I will do my best to guide any dragons that I find lost within the woods back towards the inn, but if you should leave the inn behind my back, then there is nothing I can do to help you.”

“Anywho… That is enough talk for now. I’m sure you already have plenty on your mind to think over, and I would hate to disturb you from your thoughts. Just remember- The inn follows a very strict set of rules; It will provide you sanctuary, as long as you are within it, but should you leave its domain before your way has been found… Heh…”

....................Maximus, the Protector

The looming imperial, and one of the main protectors of the inn, Maximus. Much like the other innkeepers, Maximus has taken a keen interest in the wellbeing of those who reside within the inn. Unlike the other innkeepers, Maximus remains one of the most distant and aloof keepers of the inn. The imperial’s speech is strategic and diplomatic, saying only what he needs to relay information that needed to be gotten across, then withdrawing before the duration of the conversation would imply having to indulge in additional pleasantries. Many other dragons have attempted to approach him with questions and concerns to glean more information than the imperial thought was necessary from him. Most failed.

Though his indifferent demeanour may appear strange at first, you will find that the reason for Maximus’ perceived indifference might not be as hard to piece together as you may first believe. Bandages of dark and gold cover most of his body, with scars of filigree lining his scales. His wings, perhaps once a shimmering, iridescent white, is now a patchwork of dark, gold, and grey. There has to be a story behind each of those features, though it remains to be seen if there might be a dragon brave or daring enough to ask the imperial for it.

Even though the past wounds littered all over the imperial’s body would imply weakness, the truth couldn’t be further from this assumption; In battle, Maximus is brutal and vicious, each strike he deals landing with such precision, accuracy and purpose that most foes are felled near instantly after his initial strike. It is said that he and the guardian Yukro make a terrifying and effective team in repelling some of the dangers lurking within the woods surrounding the inn, if you are to believe the tales spun by some of the other residents of the inn. Still, it would hardly be wise to get yourself lost within starwood strand to confirm the accuracy of these tales now, would it…?

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Mirror Poem by MythicalViper

We are two sides of the same coin
Tragedy and misery interlaced
Yet I find it hard to believe
You could turn out so devoid of hate

We started out the lowest of the low
I was an orphan long since left behind
A worthless, lowly, useless scum
Meant to stay out of sight and out of mind

And yet I, like you, boldly refused
To give into what the world had deemed my Fate
I knew that I was meant for more
So I worked my way up to a higher place

I proved myself to the ruling lord
Became a warrior on the battlefield
Made my achievements speak for themselves
As I gained more merits than Fate had willed

I worked hard to prove my name to the world
Changed my tattered clothes to shining scales
Unsheathed a sword of gleaming gold
As I rose up to become the lord’s advisor

My strategies were magnificent
I won in clashes of wit and of war
Struck terror into all that dared to fight me
Let my name carry far and far and far

Yet, all victory comes with jealousy
As I fought, my lord’s eyes only grew more bitter
Spite and suspicion replaced awe and respect
As his faith in me began to wither

And one day came the betrayal
My own soldiers rushed forth in treachery
Ignorant of all that I had risked in his name
My lord sought to put an end to me

Axes, arrows, sharpened blades
My neck barely escaped the slash of silver
My blood seeped like ink across the floor
In the throne hall where I had been praised as the advisor

The rest of the story, I told you so
I escaped by the breath of a hair
And wounded here at this tiny inn
That was everywhere and always nowhere

And cruelty can make you kind and caring
Or it can make your heart dark and cold
And you can choose to be a believer
But I choose to never again be a fool

Nobody deserves any sort of kindness
There’s always an ulterior motive or a goal
The only “kindness” that can be found are in those
Who seek to use you as a stepping stool

But just like me, you were betrayed
And barely escaped with just your life
So why is it that you could go back again
Put yourself at risk of further lies?

After all, we’re two sides of the same coin
Melded from the same tale of tainted gold
So how can you still believe that good in others
Can in any way ever be possible?

Story by MythicalViper

..........“I swear to the Arcanist, if he throws up one more time, I am throwing him into the drink.”

Maximus stormed across the courtyard, Mei fluttering behind him and Liam sprawled facedown on his back. The poet was mumbling something that might’ve been Mei’s name or his next “greatest work ever,” and if he started warbling songs again, Maximus was going to throw him into the trash chute or lake, whichever one he ran into first.

It wasn’t the first time the poet had gotten drunk, of course. He did that far too often than was good for his liver. But he’d drunk himself one cup shy of alcohol poisoning tonight, and as the dragon on duty, Maximus had to deal with his sorry behind. He was not happy with this. It was late. Or early. Either way, it wasn’t the time of the day/night he wanted to deal with a drunkard, and if he was being honest with himself, he never wanted to deal with a drunkard, especially not one like Liam.

Liam’s head whacked against every corner they turned, and Maximus felt some sense of joy from that, never mind the minor concussion the Skydancer was probably developing. He headed down the hallway, ready to get to Liam’s room and throw him in, when there was a flash of yellow at the edge of his vision and he looked up, startled, to see Canary swoop by.

“Canary!” Mei exclaimed as Maximus slowed. Liam’s head might’ve been bleeding. Maximus was also pretty sure he didn’t care. “Thank the gods you’re here. Liam’s been throwing up for several minutes now.”

Maximus glared at the Skydancer, who giggled and then groaned in his semi-unconscious haze.

“Oh, that’s not good. Why didn’t you stop him?” Canary looked tired, shadows dark beneath her eyes and feathers only hastily groomed, and Maximus could tell she’d been woken up for his. It made him grit his teeth and also accidentally bump Liam’s head into the nearest wall, because he was mature that way. “Well, at least he didn’t drown himself this time, that would’ve been a lot harder to fix,” she said with a chuckle. “Come on, let’s get this good-for-nothing to his room. He’s lucky I stocked up on dried pollack soup, or he’d puking into the trash bin for the next six hours.”

“Canary!” Mei protested. “Also, I think his head is bleeding.”

“It is?” Canary took a look, then waved dismissively. “Ah, he’ll be fine. Alcohol’s probably killed off most of his brain cells, so it doesn’t matter if he loses a few more. Could you take him up on that side so he stops hitting the walls, Mei? Maximus, help me over here.” She wiggled over his back to position Liam. The Skydancer groaned and whacked her with his head, and she punched him. “We’ll have none of that, featherbrain!”

Maximus glanced at Canary, and it was clear that despite her cheeriness, she was exhausted. After herb-picking and dealing with other patients for the entire day, she really didn’t need this extra kind of work. He touched her lightly on one shoulder as they dragged Liam to his room.

“If you’re tired-” he began, but she was already waving him off.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” she said amiably. “Lana would have my head if I let him die in the hallway like this. It’d be a disgrace to my profession if I didn’t help him, and besides, it’s not that hard of a fix. Or it wouldn’t be,” she added with a look at Mei. “If you’d just stop him from drinking in the first place, Mei.”

Mei shuffled, embarrassed. “But he said he needed inspiration-”

“To die?” Canary snorted. “He drinks like a fish on days not meant for binge drinking and all the poems he writes are still the same. I swear, if I read one more poem that starts with the words ‘I saw her standing beneath that cherry blossom tree,’ I’m going to throw him headfirst into the lake myself.”

Mei stifled a laugh as they entered Liam’s room, and Maximus retreated to a corner to watch Canary fuss over him. Maybe it was just the early hour, or maybe it was the strain of having to deal with Liam, but every single word of hers made him grit his teeth. Liam flailed about in his alcoholic haze, occasionally hitting Canary and Mei, and neither of them complained. Maximus looked away, clenching his claws, the ebony lengths scraping against the wooden floor.

“Maximus? Hey, Max, look at me,” he looked up reluctantly, and somehow Canary was there, smiling down at him, and he wondered how she did it. “You alright? You look tired.”

“I’m fine,” he said, flicking his tail. Liam made an obscene giggling sound from his mattress, and Maximus resisted the urge to punch him. “He needs to stop getting drunk.”

“Ha, I’d like to see him try to stop drinking. It’s not going to happen, so the most we can do is minimize the damage,” Canary chuckled. She straightened up. “Anyway, I want to watch his vital signs for a bit and make sure he’s not going to kick the bucket as soon as I go. You want to stay?”

“Sure,” Maximus replied before he could stop himself. He cursed himself mentally. He didn’t want to stay in Liam’s room and watch Canary fuss over him. He’d never been able to understand how Canary could treat her patents so kindly, to give her all to a complete stranger, even when her help wasn’t appreciated or even respected. They’d both come from similar backgrounds, and Maximus had learned from his past the hard lesson of never trusting anyone lightly. Sure, he protected the clan now, but it was out of duty and respect to Yukro, and also because Canary was there. He wouldn’t be able to protect anyone who wasn’t an inhabitant of the inn. He wouldn’t be able to trust them.

Canary, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have learned the same lesson that he had. She was still kind. Still cheerful. She understood other dragons might try to hurt her, or that they might not appreciate her, and she… didn’t care.

Maximus shook his head. He loved Canary, but he could never understand her. Never understood the way she helped others, the patience she had to deal with dragons like Liam, the warmth and cheerfulness she held towards life despite what had happened to her in the past. If he was being honest with himself, Maximus was also envious. Envious of other dragons, for receiving Canary’s care just as well and just as much as himself. Envious of Canary, for surviving what he had but coming out differently, without losing sight of the light.

Maybe it was just him and his head, overthinking things and making it more difficult than it should be. Why wouldn’t Canary care for others? That was her job, her profession, her passion. She was a healer, and it was her duty to care for those under her wing, just like it was Maximus’ job to care for those under his protection. The fact that she treated other dragons the same way she treated everyone else shouldn’t bother him, because he loved her and knew she felt the same. But still. It was hard. Hard, to watch her care for those who didn’t appreciate her help. Hard, to watch her get close to dragons Maximus didn’t trust, could never trust, and didn’t understand how she could trust.

Like Liam. For heaven’s sake, the idiot could drink himself to the edge of death and back again without learning anything from his hangovers. Help the clan? It was more likely he’d set fire to their rooms while drunk.

“Maximus,” Canary’s voice shook him from his reverie, and he looked up to realize that he’d turned one corner of Liam’s room into splinters. He casually leaned forward to hide the mess. He could blame it on Liam later. “I’m done here. Want to head back?”

“Yes,” he answered, glad to be out of there. Mei was watching Liam now, and he sent her his prayers. She likely wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight.

Canary and Maximus headed down the dark corridors back to their room. As they opened the door to their sleeping quarters, he finally asked one question:

“How?”

Canary blinked at him. “How, what?”

“How do you do it?” he waved a claw at everything in general. “Just… caring for others like that. They might not deserve it. They might be using you. How can you still care for them?”

Canary chuckled. “It’s my job, Maximus,” she said, and his shoulders slumped. He’d suspected as much, but the thought of Canary risking herself just for something like a job… well, he didn’t like it.

“Still,” she said after a while. “If you had to ask me, it’s because I want to.”

He repeated. “You want to...?” Get betrayed? Stabbed in the back? Be used? He couldn’t comprehend that. It seemed suicidal. Or, if not, at least terribly foolish.

Canary shuffled her wings. “Some dragons don’t deserve help,” she finally said, entering their rooms. “Some shouldn’t receive help, no matter their situation. And you’re not wrong about that. Some of my patients might be criminals in the outside world. Some might be cruel, some might be calculating, some might be terrible. But sometimes, Max? We heal others. Not because they deserve it, but because we want to. It’s like love, or forgiveness. It makes things easier, if you can forgive, or forget, or simply not care.”

He was silent as he followed her into their sleeping quarters. “I don’t understand.”

She smiled. “You don’t have to. It’s only natural that you don’t. We might’ve gone through similar things, but we experienced them differently, and we learned different lessons.” She patted the space beside her, and he went obediently. “You don’t need to understand me, Maximus. You only need to understand that I love you, and that, no matter how I might look, I’m smart enough to not get myself hurt again.” She nudged his cheek, and gently guided him to sleep.

Late into the night, watching her sleeping form, Maximus thought he understood, even if it was only a mere fraction of what Canary had said. He loved Canary, to a point where it was muscle memory. It was like breathing, or his heart beating, or making a stand; it was necessary. He loved her, and he wasn’t sure why, just that he wanted to, and that he did. Maybe that was how Canary felt towards her patients. She wanted to help them, and that was all there was to it.

Feeling like he’d gotten just a tiny bit closer to her, Maximus fell asleep.

Story by ofkismetandkalon

..........“Just when I thought everything was peaceful.” Maximus groused, glowering across the courtyard.

He’d been making his usual rounds, ensuring that all was well and things were running smoothly, when what had he seen but Finch, his own lovely daughter, and Moony, the son of one of the biggest scoundrels in the clan.

“Finch!” He called sharply. He saw her say something quickly to Moony before coming over to him.

“Yes Father?”

“What in the world do you think you were doing?”

“I was just talking to Moony.” She said, sounding surprised.

“Just talking, eh?” said Maximus accusingly. “That didn’t look like a normal conversation to me.”

Finch rolled her eyes. “Father-”

“Finch.” said Maximus. “Have you forgotten who his Father is?”

“Of course not.” She said. “And I know, it’s Liam, but-”

“And who is Liam?”

“Father I know that he tried to stab you, but it really was a misunderstanding, and-”

“No ands.” said Maximus firmly, “Liam is an arrogant fool, and I have no reason to believe that he raised his son to be anything different.”

“But Moony’s nothing like that, Father! You know that!” protested Finch, “You can’t hold a grudge against Moony because you fought with Liam years ago!” Finch looked over at Moony, who was still standing where she had left him, “He’s really sweet. I think I want to get to know him better.”

“Absolutely not.” snapped Maximus. “You will have no further relations with this Moony, or Liam, or any of his kin. Is that clear?”

“Father.” said Finch appeasingly. “Don’t be ridiculous. Moony and I-”

“There is no Moony and you.” said Maximus. “There is you. And then there is Moony.”

Finch’s eyes narrowed with annoyance. “Just because you and Liam fought a long time ago doesn’t mean that you have to try to force your children to continue your grudges.”

Maximus didn’t answer. He too, was looking over at Moony, who seemed very uncomfortable from all the attention that he was getting.

Finch gave an aggravated sigh. “I don’t know why you care so much. It’s not like he’s the first person that’s tried to kill you.”

“Yes, the more they try, the easier it gets to bear.” mumbled Maximus sarcastically, not really paying attention to her. “Go find your Mother. I’d like to have a few words with Moony.”

Finch flounced away angrily, knowing there was nothing that she could do, and Maximus approached the young dragon somewhat menacingly.

“Good afternoon.” said Moony formally.

Maximus grunted something unintelligible.

“Is there anything the matter, sir?” asked Moony.

“I don’t want you to talk to my daughter.”

Moony’s expression didn’t change, but for a moment he went quite still. “Is there any reason for that Sir?”

“Yes.” said Maximus shortly, “Your Father is a madman, an absolute lunatic. I won’t have any daughter of mine having relations with any of his kin.”

Moony looked as though he was having a hard time controlling himself, but in just a few seconds he managed to hide his anger again. In other circumstances, Maximus would have found this admirable, but now he was more concerned about keeping this young dragon away from Finch.

“Sir, you’re being unreasonable.” said Moony, as calmly as he could.

“It’s perfectly reasonable.” snapped Maximus. “And it’s perfectly simple. Stay away from my daughter.”

With these words he turned and left Moony standing there alone in the courtyard.

..........His wife, Canary, confronted him about the exchange later that night.

“Finch was absolutely crushed.” said Canary gently as she sorted herbs into their proper pouches.

“I’m just trying to protect her.” said Maximus.

Canary looked up from her herbs. “Really? Because to me it seems like you’re just holding a grudge against Liam and trying to get revenge on him by taking your anger out on his son.”

“That’s not true.” said Maximus , somewhat guiltily. “She wouldn’t like him anyway. He’s like a statue. He has no range of expression.”

“Really.” said Canary, “Well maybe he was just intimidated by the unfriendly father of the girl that he loves, who was unnecessarily rude to him.”

“I wasn’t rude.” protested Maximus.

Caray looked at him piercingly.

“Fine.” sighed Maximus. “I was less than polite, but it was better that they heard it now rather than later anyway. I can’t have my daughter seeing a madman.”

“Moony isn’t a madman.” said Canary. “He’s a very polite young dragon, and I don’t think that it would be such a bad thing if he and Finch started seeing each other.”

“Well I do.” said Maximus flatly. “It won’t happen, and that’s final.”

“You should let go of your old grudges.” said Canary softly. “If you’d give him a chance you’d see that he’s of a better kind than most.”

Maximus did not answer her, but stared broodingly into the fire.

..........Maximus awoke in the middle of the night to a strange sound with the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.

He froze, listening intently, and heard the sound again, a kind of soft tapping, scratching noise. He got up quietly and hurried towards where he thought the noise was coming from. He looked out of the window and saw Finch flying through the starlit sky.

He waited for a moment before following her, staying far enough behind that she could not see or hear him, but close enough that she would not lose sight of her in the darkness. Maximus had a feeling that he knew exactly who she was meeting, and if he could surprise them at it, it might just be the final piece of evidence he needed to prove that Moony would never be good enough for his daughter.

He followed his daughter for several minutes before she finally landed on the outskirts of the clan. Just as he had suspected, Moony was waiting there for her. Maximus landed as close as he possibly could without being seen, but he still wasn’t quite close enough to hear what they were saying. He watched them silently from behind the trees.

They seemed to be enjoying their little getaway together, chasing each other around, and dancing wildly in the moonlight. Maximus could hear Finch’s laughter from all the way where he was. Then suddenly, he heard a sound that he wasn’t expecting, one so surprising that for a moment he didn’t even realize what it was. Moony’s laughter. The statue was actually laughing.

Maximus continued to watch them through the trees, fascinated. Moony looked at Finch adoringly, and Maximus could see that he really did love her, more than Maximus had even thought him capable of. Maximus crept out from his place behind the trees quietly and flew away. Finch and Moony didn’t notice him go. A small smile crossed Maximus’ face as he flew. He remembered full well what fools the moonlight made out of lovers.

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Exalting Maximus to the service of the Arcanist will remove them from your lair forever. They will leave behind a small sum of riches that they have accumulated. This action is irreversible.

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