When Death came to Bludon, Maxx was helpless to stop the murder of blues infected with Minyak. Maxx was angry after the snap, angrier than anyone had ever seen him before and the energy halo of the Superconsciousness was always bright at his head.
“Bring him to the Fonlands,” Issac said when Zacchaeus contacted him, and Pultine transported them to the Smiting Chamber.
When they arrived, Owuo was there and before anyone could do anything, Maxx attacked him with all of his might. There were flashes of the yellow energy of the Superconsciousness and everyone there threw up shields for protection. When the dust settled, Maxx held Owuo by the neck. Owuo’s clothes were in tatters but his body was smoking and unfazed. Maxx was in the skin tight uniform of the Guardians, but the veins of the arm that held Owuo bulged, like his hand absorbed something from Owuo.
“How long do you think you can last?” Owuo asked with a smile. “Release me now or my venom will take hold.”
“Maxx, please let him go,” Issac pleaded. “You can’t kill him. You are only risking your own health. I know that you are angry, but this is not the way.”
Maxx threw Owuo against a wall of the Chamber and watched his body bounce from the wall to the floor. The bulging veins in his arms receded as soon as he released Owuo.
“He must pay for what he has done,” Maxx said, practically roaring with anger.
“I will take them both to Agê’s Disc,” Pultine offered and Zacchaeus managed to get Maxx through the portal that she created.
“Do they condone what Owuo did?” Maxx asked under the light that shone down on the forest. They were standing near a gigantic mound that was in a clearing of the forest.
“I doubt it,” Pultine said. “Owuo isn’t the type to discuss things with others, he acts on his own.”
“How can I kill him?” he asked Pultine and looked at her, his face on the verge of tears.
“You can’t kill death, man,” Zacchaeus said. “We should talk to Issac, see what he knows about everything that went down and go from there.”
Pultine was looking down at the dirt and Maxx hadn’t taken his eyes from her.
“There is a way to kill him, isn’t there?” Maxx asked.
“There are only legends, stories about his weaknesses,” Pultine admitted. “They say that Gu fashioned a weapon that can kill Owuo if you stab him in the eye. But who knows if it is real or if it really works? No one has ever tried to kill Owuo. I understand that you are angry, I would be too, but you are not thinking clearly. Come to the mound, the mmoatia are here. This is a good place to calm down and we will answer any questions you have.”
Maxx and Zacchaeus followed Pultine along the dirt road that led to the mound and they were both shocked by the inside, which was smooth walls and ceilings of earth that glowed light blue from moss that grew. There were neat walkways and rooms carved into the dirt, and it seemed empty except for them. Their footsteps echoed around the emptiness as they made their way up a walkway and eventually they came to the elaborate building that was constructed on a flat surface with an opening to the outside of the mound. Inside of the building, they were greeted by other Mmoatia, including Coffey who seemed very happy to see Zacchaeus. When Maxx was alone with Pultine, he asked her more about Gu’s weapon to kill Owuo.
“Do you really want to go chasing a legend that may not be real?” Pultine asked him. They sat on the cool floor of the building, and the Mmoatia known as Ahdis had joined them.
“It is real,” Ahdis said. “I know dwellers of the Fonlands who have seen it first hand and they are trustworthy. But it is Gu’s personal weapon, he keeps it in his armory, and no Fonlander, or other realmer for that matter, is allowed in Gu’s armory.”
“I am not afraid of Gu, or any of the other Vodun,” Maxx said angrily. “Owuo must pay for what he has done.”
Pultine looked to Ahdis who shrugged.
“You can’t kill Owuo, Maxx,” Pultine said. “Even if all of the Mmoatia help you, and I guarantee that if we asked them to join you, they would be happy to, we would be happy to, but we just don’t believe it’s possible.”
“No Fonlander, even the Vodun, can kill Owuo,” Ahdis said. “Not even the mother-father.”
“Fine,” Maxx said, “but tell me how I can find this weapon.”
They told Maxx everything they knew, and before the light over the jungle set, Maxx had disappeared from the mound, determined to do what everyone thought was impossible.
“If anybody can do it,” Zacchaeus said, “he will. I should go after him.”
“Let him go on his quest,” Pultine said. “It is what he needs to cope with his incredible loss. It will be good for him.”
Zacchaeus was hesitant, but he didn’t try to find Maxx, not right away at least.
The home of Maxx the Superguardian has been empty for a long time, but Coxx occasionally flies to stand on the porch and gaze out at the waters that surround it. He hopes to find Maxx there one day, but he knows that Maxx will not return until he does the impossible. He stands there now under the sun, looking up at the sky in the direction of the sun with a hand shielding his eyes.
“Come back to us, Superguardian,” he says, before he leaves the home empty and quiet.
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