Turning her confused, watery eyes up at the Saintess currently holding her in her arms, Ela’s tremulous voice drifted through the air.

“Maven… What happened? Is it all over?”

“Yes,” Maven said as she gave Ela a crushingly tight hug. “Those bastards are gone and…… now that you’re awake, everyone is safe and sound.”

The poor elf had a rather befuddled look on her face as Maven hugged her tight enough to make her bones creak, but her eyes began to water as her safety gradually sank in.

“I’m just so glad to have you back… I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you.” Maven said apologetically, regret dripping from her voice with every word.

“It wasn’t your fault! Even someone as weak and useless as me could tell you were doing the best you could…… Better than anyone, to be honest. I don’t know a single person who could have done better.” Ela said as she looked down, shame visible in her eyes. “You shouldn’t blame yourself…… I’m okay, aren’t I? I’m the one who should apologize for dragging you into this mess.”

Depressed with her weakness, the fragile looking elf girl still did her best to comfort the delicate looking Maven. She gently brushed Maven’s face as she spoke, basking in the warmth this strange, but strong girl provided. The two exuded such a pink atmosphere as they gazed into each other’s eyes that everyone else hesitated to cut in and spoil the mood.

“I’m sorry, young miss, but we should probably get moving… We’ve made a ton of noise and I don’t think we should be around when those ruffians wake up. I don’t know where we’ve ended up, but maybe there’s some guards we can notify. I doubt we can wrap things up on our own.”

Shayna’s apologetic but forceful tone cut in between the two. She was happy to see Maven making a new friend, but Shayna couldn’t just sit back and ignore the fact they were currently smack in the middle of some dilapidated warehouse that was heaven knows where.

“You’re probably right…” Maven said as she begrudgingly tore her gaze away from the little elf. “Come on Ela, let’s check out where exactly we ended up. That damn Nikol dragged you through the portal before I could do a thing. All we could afford to do was follow you in a hurry, so I have no idea where we are.”

Looking spitefully at the poor Apostle still pitifully trussed up over in the corner, Maven pulled Ela up as she moved toward the door.

“Should we really just leave him behind?” Ela asked as she worriedly glanced at the Nikol and all the goons. Even so, she didn’t loosen her grip for even a second as Maven pulled her by the hand.

“It’s no problem” Maven said confidently. “I’ve bound him up so tightly that even those gods would need some time to unravel it. But…… You have a point. I completely forgot about all those thugs. Just to be safe, why don’t I make it so all these fools won’t be able to move so much as an inch.”

As she spoke, Maven used her divine power to wrap Nikol and all his goons in a powerful barrier. Not only would this barrier protect them from any sort of outside interference, but she also imbued with a powerful space attribute as well. By locking to barrier into specific coordinates in space, she fixed them in place. These goons weren’t going to be able move a finger unless Maven allowed it.

Clapping her hands together after a job well done, Maven turned a winning smile at the insecure little elf girl.

“Now that that’s taken care of, it’s time to explore!” Maven said with childish glee, excited at the mere thought of going on a little adventure in an unfamiliar location. Now that everyone was safe and the aftermath was taken care of, she had the leeway in her heart to act like the young girl she was.

Maven confidently led her companions through the doors which the goons burst in through not even 30 minutes ago, coming face to face with…… a boring old hallway. Maven stormed down the empty corridor, bursting into every room in true protagonist fashion - looking for pots to smash and valuables to collect.

“Awww, why are these guys so poor?” Maven asked, depressed over the general lack of interesting or valuable loot to be had.

She trudged toward the end of the corridor with slumped shoulders and a dark air, utterly disappointed by the results of her exploration. Henna shook her head in exasperation at how quickly Maven’s mood turned for the worse. Heaven knows what she expected from a dingy old warehouse frequented by shady folks.

“Don’t be depressed, Maven. We haven’t explored the whole warehouse yet! Who knows what we might find.” Ela said, encouraging the despondent Maven. She had no idea why Maven was feeling so down, but she still gave her a hug and gently stroked her back.

*Meow*

As if someone had just been waiting for their cue, an adorable little animal cry resounded through the hall.