After spending so much time with the elves Max was beginning to wonder what it was like to be around humans again. It was hard to know with the way they normally reacted to him. He was born clumsy and most people didn't like clumsy people. He figured that he would be fine so far from home.
Just as long as no one called him an idiot then he would be fine. He hated it when people assumed he was stupid when he was just clumsy. That was one of the reasons he was so happy to be so far from home. Here he wasn't a village idiot here he was just another fool wondering around in a place with monsters he had never seen before.
Even though he was happy that Homaira watched over him and kept him alive but he hated the fact she loved a clumsy fool. Now so far from home he wished that he could just find a way to be more like other people who didn't fall flat on their face when they tried to get past a root or even a crack in a wood sidewalk. It would have been just great if he could be free from the cage of clumsiness that made him different. Even if she wouldn't free him from it he wished she would at least explain why he was this why.
As always, he found himself about to get his answer. A growl came from behind and he turned to find not one or two but for wolves. He felt his hart sink and he knew what he was about to fall down or something worse.
He smiled and said. “Nice puppies?”
The one closest to him looked at him showing its glowing red eye. “Shit!” He turned and began to run. “Hell Hounds.”
He ran as fast as he could but knew it wouldn't take long for the extra-plainer mutts to catch him. He dogged threw trees and under branches keeping them at bay for the moment. He came to a fork and noticed that one trail glowed as if to show him where to run. That was the road he took.
The hellhounds were gaining on him and he was getting tired. He barely had time to notice the strange sculptures that had begun to appear in the under brush. Then the ground under him was gone and as he expected he fell down a shout into a buried temple where he landed on his back and hit his head. The pain overtook him and he drifted into darkness.
* * *
Max began to wake up. His head still hurt but not as bad as it could have. He hoped that other then the bump on his head he would be fine. With any luck he wouldn't open his eyes and find a hellhound staring back at him.
He slowly opened his eye very slowly and found he was alone in a dark room. It was better then the alliterative but it wasn't as good as he hoped. If he couldn't find a way out then he would starve in here. That wasn't a fun idea from his point of view but if it was the way it always was. Homaira was once again testing him and wouldn't let him die.
He pushed himself up then pulled out his bag of holding and hoped that he could find a touch and his tinderbox. It was so dark that he couldn't see what was in the back. He began to cure the dark then a strange glow entered the room. Max turned to see a beautiful ethereal woman.
“Hello Maxamillin.” She smiled. “I am happy to finally meet you face to face. I have seen you from afar but this is the first time I've had the chance to get a good look at you.”
Max squinted at her. “Who are you?”
“You don't know me, Max.” She looked hurt. “As often as I have helped you out of a jam you think you would know me. So what if you have never seen me.”
“Homaira?” Max bowed his head. “Forgive me my goddess. I hit my head when I fell into here.”
“It's okay.” Homaira smiled. “I didn't expect you to recognize me. You couldn't know what a god looks like. At least you know what I look like now. Now, on to what I brought you here for.”
“You brought me here?” Max said in shock.
“Yes.” She said sheepishly. “Sorry about the hellhounds. I need to get you in here and I couldn't tell you so I had them chase you to the hole.”
