434 Hit the Books

"How do I win this game?" Doevm asked.

Maximus let out a sigh: "Straight to the point, just like always."

'Like always?' Doevm thought.

"Sit." A single word out of Maximus's mouth ignited a rebellion in Doevm's legs, turning his body against his mind and locking himself into an upright-sitting position. Without a floor, he still floated.

Doevm's stomach sank. Even though he knew what Maximus did and how he did it, he was still stuck. 'What if he had ordered me to kill myself?' he thought, the Grand Shaman's face flashing in his mind.

Maximus seemed to see straight through Doevm's complicated expression. He laughed in an attempt to relieve the tension, "Don't worry. I was merely demonstrating why you needed to learn the basics."

Doevm scrunched his lips. "You're just as petty as I am, fath…Maximus."

"I don't know what you mean," Maximus said, making a show of shrugging his shoulders.