Ultimate Level 1

“Why is it you always make life dangerous and hard for everyone?”

He knew Tanila was trying to make a joke, but Max also knew it felt like people were in danger for being around him.

“It’s something I need to figure out and take care of,” he replied. “Somewhere, people are being kidnapped, possibly killed, or worse, and no one seems to know why.”

“What’s worse than death?”

Everyone looked at Fowl, who held his hands up before him.

“I mean… I know there are some things worth than death, but I mean death is death… it’s hard to be worse than that.”

“Torture? Maiming? Starving to death? Pieces cut off slowly, burned—”

“Whoaaa,” their warrior exclaimed. “Let’s not go down the dark path, Cordellia. I was just wondering what Max might think was the worse side, not needing nightmares for a while.”

“I don’t know. It has to be something to do with their powers, and it seems unlikely they would just kill someone. Especially after the way Molly and Macy acted.”

“Sorry,” she said after the carriage went silent for almost a minute. “I didn’t mean to ruin the mood.”

“It’s not you, dear. It’s what Max has told us,” Batrire replied. “I can imagine things someone might do for those kinds of skills, and what bothers me is that he is usually right. As much as it pains me, his intelligence is higher than all of ours.”

Fowl groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Always got to make fun of me, don’t ya, babe.”

She winked and nodded, leaning over and giving his beard a quick tug.

“Someone has to keep you humble.”

***

“My gods, boy, it is you!”

Pete deftly dodged a few adventurers who had stood up, all turning to see the party of five that had just entered the Stuffed Goblin.

“Pete!”

The two of them grabbed each other’s arm and drew in for a quick hug, patting each other’s backs before separating.

“What the hell have you been eating? You feel like a mountain of muscle, not that thin stick I remember.”

“Oh, I finally found inns with decent food and not this slop,” Max fired back with a wink.

“Bah, don’t speak bad about my food, or you’ll find a foot up your arse!”

Both of them chuckled, and the sound of a throat being cleared behind him reminded Max that he wasn’t alone.

“Pete, I’d like you to meet my party. Cordellia is the greatest ranger in the tower. Fowl, the shield we all hide behind. Batrire, our healer who has managed to keep us all alive.”

He paused and held out his hand, bringing Tanila to his side.

“And this is our mage and my special friend, Tanila.”

“Damn, it seems you gave her the worst introduction of all,” Pete declared as he bowed and winked at them all. “Welcome to my inn! Come let me get you a booth and get all these people sorted out! Oh, Seth Pendal, how I’ve missed you.”

Once Pete had said that name out loud, the sounds of chairs moving and scraping across the floor filled the room.

Then whispers began to drift across the eating area, and Fowl let out a groan that opened the floodgate.

“Goblin shite! Is that him?!”

“They’re the ones that beat the fiftieth tower floor!”

“Impossible! Why would they be here?!”

Wincing, Pete saw the commotion and then shook his head.

“Forgive me… that was not a smart move on my part… perhaps you can join me in the room we used before.”

Chuckling, Max nodded, and the five of them moved through the dining area, every eye fixed on them as mouths hung open. A few tankards that had been knocked over drained off the table and onto the floor.

“Ohh… part of me wants to be mean,” Fowl whispered as they followed Pete.

“Don’t do it,” Batrire warned, scowling at him.

***

Pete sat on the edge of his desk, Max finally realizing it was slightly smaller than most, custom-made for the dwarf’s height.

“You, my boy, have done far more than I thought you would… and the speed! It was just yesterday you were here! Tell me, why have you come back? It’s not the zealots, is it?”

Max shook his head as he caught the slightest change in the dwarf’s gaze, looking at the two elves in the room.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“No. I’m headed home. Done hiding and need to look into some things. After that we’re going to the dwarven capital. These two are getting married.”

Jumping off the desk, Pete strode forward and held out his hand.

“Congratulations!”

Batrire shook it, while Fowl frowned.

“I’m assuming he’s housebroken?”

“Almost… but you know dwarven men… not all of them can handle a dwarven woman.”

Both of them laughed as Fowl muttered something under his breath.

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“Anyways, a lot has changed in this town since Seth left,” Pete informed them as he returned to his desk. “After he helped us capture some zealots that were killing the new adventurers, the guards have been a lot more involved in tracking who is going in and out of the town together. We owe a lot to this man.”

Max ignored the glances he got from the other four as they looked back and forth between what they had just heard and the guy they knew was always trying to help others.

“Let’s ignore all that,” Max said. “I’ve got somewhere to go and need to be there in a few days. If I’m right, time isn’t on my side. We would like to make a quick exit and escape some of the attention that you have just drawn upon us by saying my name.”

“Me?” howled Pete. “Boy, you draw attention wherever you go if I am right.”

“Dear gods, yes, he does,” Cordellia exclaimed. “Everywhere!”

“She’s right,” Tanila added.

“So you don’t need a room?”

“I wish, but there is still light in the day, and I want to be on our way as soon as possible. I just needed to stop by and see a few people real quick.”

Cocking his head, Pete’s face contorted as he was in obvious thought.

“While I know I was special… I can’t think of anyone else.”

“It’s better that way. Trust me. As you know, I always seem to cause problems wherever I go.”

Bobbing his head, Pete moved forward and extended his hand.

“Well then, let me say thank you for letting me know I played a hand in helping to keep our newest hero safe.”

As they shook, Max felt Tanila poke him in the back.

Turning, he saw her make a motion of pulling a cork from an invisible bottle and drinking it.

“Oh, that’s right, I almost forgot.”

A box appeared in his hand, and Max held it out toward the inn owner.

“These are for you, and you’ll be getting monthly deliveries of these and possibly other potions in the foreseeable future.”

Pete took the box from Max’s hand, both eyebrows becoming one, and set it on the desk, opening it slowly.

“Ockrim’s beard! You’re certain?!”

“He is. By the gods, he is,” Fowl muttered.

“Why?” the dwarf asked as he turned around. “Why do this?”

“Because you have a heart almost as big as mine… maybe even bigger, and want to help people like I do. So I figured, why not give the dwarf who helped me when I was starting out an endless supply of healing potions to give to adventurers? If you notice the bottles, you’ll see something.”

Quickly turning around, Pete pulled one of the light green potions from the padded section and looked at the etching on the glass.

*****

Stuffed Goblin Potion

Try not to die!

Tell Pete if you paid for this!

*****

“OH MY GOSH! You thought of everything!”

“I figured if you’re giving them away, better to make sure they know where they are coming from and that it’s not to be paid for. Besides, I’m certain you’ll make a fine coin with all the adventurers fighting over getting to stay at your inn.”

Pete sniffed as he put the potion up and turned around, a few tears running down his weathered face.

“Boy… I…” He paused, taking a deep breath. “I’d say you were half dwarf if you had any hair on your chin at all.”

Batrire and Fowl started to howl with laughter as Max just shrugged, massaging his bald chin.

“Take care, Pete, and thanks again.”

The dwarf nodded, clearing his throat as Max patted him on the shoulder.

“Be safe, Seth.”

***

“You going to go in?” Fowl asked.

Max blew a raspberry as the others stood by him, ignoring the traffic of people nearby.

“I don’t know… it was… Last time I was here I felt a small connection to someone or something… How it happened or if it will happen again, I’m not sure.

Tanila squeezed his hand.

“You’re not alone, though. I’m here, as are the rest.”

“True, but should a pair of dwarves and elves go inside Phaius’s temple?”

He could feel their frowns and facial pains at that question. His Sonar picked up the faster pace of their hearts the longer they tried to decide.

Giving Tanila’s hand a squeeze, he let go and took a step forward.

“No… I need to do this. I’ll be right back.”

Moving up the stairs and into the temple, Max took a deep breath and let it out.

There was the same statue that he remembered from the first time. An overly muscular carving of a god he wanted to crush still stood in the middle of the temple.

Near it was the coin box he remembered had changed everything.

“Come to pray?”

The priest’s approach hadn’t surprised him as Max felt the robed figure moving toward him, the two of them the only ones in there.

“I am.”

“Good. Go and give your gift, and then lift your prayer to Phaius. He is a god who hears the prayers of his followers.”

Hesitating, it took him a moment to cross the floor, ignoring the scent of incense.

Standing at the base of the statue, Max closed his eyes, pulled a gold coin from his storage, and flicked it into the same box as before.

His heart raced as he waited, a prayer in his mind.

The temple started to shake, and Max heard a shout coming from inside and outside the temple, his eyes scanning the room.

Cracks began to form in the statue, and he heard Tanila calling out his name.

The robed attendant was pressed against the wall, and a look of terror held both of his eyes wide, as dust and stone fell from the ceiling.

Running out, Max saw the other four, all anxiously standing at the bottom, mouths open and their eyes looking left and right at the building.

People were shouting, calamity taking place as Max noticed it wasn’t just the temple that was shaking but Windsor Wheel itself.

A loud sound of thunder echoed off in the distance, and Max knew what had just happened.

“Stay here! DO NOT FOLLOW!”

He was gone before any of them could protest, running in the direction the sound had come from.

The townspeople didn’t even appear to be moving as he streaked past them, a blur most of them wouldn’t have noticed on a normal day, now invisible in the midst of the confusion by all of them.

In a moment, Max was outside the town, spotting a shape that was hurtling in the same direction he had just come from.

Both of them slowed down, as Max’s armor replaced the clothes he had been wearing.

Bob… if you’re there… Now would be a good time to talk.

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