Ultimate Level 1
Chapter 498: Max and a Troll

Chapter 498 – Max and a Troll

“You’ve been staring at those for a while. Are you expecting something special to happen?”

Shaking his head, Max gave Tanila a playful scowl before returning his attention to the materials laid out on the workbench.

All the various crafting items he had acquired so far were laid out in order next to the dragon’s tooth he had been given. Inside him was a sensation that he was close. Max could almost envision the weapon it would create in his mind. He wasn’t ready yet to start sketching on the paper he had purchased from Buwingrid, knowing it would only get one chance.

He was still afraid to even sketch it on normal paper, knowing that doing so might permanently force him in a direction that might change.

“I’m close… real close. I just need a few more materials and then I think I can do what needs to be done. Part of me wishes Buwingrid were accessible. I would almost return to that world with the gnomes, dwarves, and goblins. Perhaps there I could find–”

“No.”

Tanila’s tone was stern and while she didn’t shout, it carried a weight that stopped him immediately.

“We’re not going to start traveling to different worlds again. The last few times have been… dangerous. Unless there is no other option, we don’t need to risk such a thing.”

Sighing, Max nodded.

“I yield… no more traveling to other worlds for now.”

He could sense her shifting in the padded chair he had brought her. Their child was moving and her hand was pressed against her side.

“Does it hurt?”

“Hurt? No. Is it unkind to my insides? Yes.”

Grinning, Max held up his hands in surrender.

“I’m going to stop asking questions before I get myself in trouble.”

Tanila said nothing, watching him for another second or two before returning to the book in her hand.

Tapping his chin, Max mentally noted what else he thought he needed and decided not to repeat that comment again.

I really wish you were here, Bob. I could use your help with the crafting and what not to say to Tanila.

Unable to help himself, Max began to chuckle, ignoring the glance he got from the only other person in the room.

***

Max nodded at the guard who stood there, his mouth still open.

Selecting the 55th floor, he moved in first, leaving Everett, Tom, Dexic and Batrire to deal with the questions that continued to come.

As his eyes started to work, he saw the boss' floor he could already smell before him and started to chuckle.

“I’m not sure I like the–” Everett stopped talking, his eyes now spotting what had made Max laugh. “A swamp? For a boss floor?”

“Which most likely means something nasty,” Max replied. “That’s why I brought Batrire. You four will stay here and wait for me to find the boss and clear a path. We don’t need to have any mistakes.”

He leveled his gaze upon the four.

“If anything comes while I’m not here, you leave. Don’t wait, don’t even try to fight it. Understood?”

“You sure you don’t want me to kill it for them?” Batrire asked as she pulled a chair from storage and sat down.

“Is that… one of the faction chairs?” Tom asked.

“Maybe, maybe not. Surely there are lots of chairs out in the city that look alike.”

“It has two axes carved into the arms,” their trainer stated.

Without missing a beat, Batrire smiled and shrugged. “Perhaps I got a deal because they had leftovers.”

Dexic started to laugh and a moment later ,a matching chair appeared in her hands.

“Both of you?! No wonder they are always missing!”

Max took a deep breath and let it out as the four started to discuss the cause of the missing Faction chairs.

As they debated it, he pulled out his weapon. “Remember, stay put, don’t fight.”

“Sure thing, Dad,” Dexic said as she mimicked Batrire, pulling out a book and pretending to read.

Praying the four didn’t act stupid, he took off, scouting the tepid water and looking for what needed to be killed.

***

“That is one ugly boss,” Dexic proclaimed as she looked down upon the thirty-foot-tall oversized troll. “I mean… It’s a troll… but it’s not.”

“Way too fat and thick,” Tom said. “A female one?”

The sound of a golden plate glove striking their trainer’s helmet made Max laugh, and Batrire and Everett soon joined in.

“And that’s why he’s single…” the golden warrior stated. “Now then, we’re safe up here? This thing isn’t going to suddenly vanish?”

“Hopefully not,” Max replied as he winked at her. “Besides, it's only seventy feet in the air. Surely you won’t die.”

“But it would hurt like hell.”

Nodding, he waved at the four of them and flew toward the boss.

It was uglier than most trolls he had seen, and the fact that it was fatter and had flesh hanging in spots it didn’t usually hang made him wonder if Tom was right for a moment.

Two large clubs with pieces of metal were held in both hands and the clearing it stood in was filled with water to its shins.

A horrible place to fight for a normal person. Easily over Fowl’s head.

Charging the boss, he flew at its head, ignoring its short-lived roar as his weapon severed its head in a single attack.

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[ Power Strike ]

[ Rampage ]

Without missing a beat, he caught the falling body part and quickly stored it, wondering how Alfreda would react upon having it set before her.

[ Consume is Locked ]

Max froze in mid-air. The reminder that his friend had been missing for so long suddenly caused his chest to ache a little bit.

Bob… I really need to figure out how to help you.

A few seconds passed as Max blinked, wiping his face with the back of his hand.

When everyone on his team was present, he could get past it, now here, it felt almost hollow.

Knowing his air wall wouldn’t last forever, he quickly flew to where the four were waiting, let them enter his dimensional space and descended to where a chest had appeared on a very small section of land only ankle deep in all the water.

“That looked impressive,” Dexic said as she moved to the chest. “I couldn’t even follow your weapon, it moved so fast. One moment the troll had a head and the next it didn’t.”

“Just another reminder that you don’t want to duel him again?” Tom teased.

“Only if you go first.”

“May I?” Batrire asked, motioning at the chest.

With a nod, Max watched as his friend opened the wooden container. The green and brown surface bore the image of a troll like the one he faced.

“Oh Fowl’s going to be pissed,” Batrire said as she held up a milky white potion.

“Is that what I think it is?” Max asked, looking inside and seeing that there was one for him as well.

“Yup! Shame those three just get items.”

The trio laughed as they watched the pair hold their potions before reaching in and pulling out new items.

“I… this…”

Dexic’s mouth moved but only babbling came out as she held the chest piece that looked as ugly as a pile of troll shite. Based on how the warrior was acting, Max knew there had to be something special about it.

“These bracers,” Everett whispered. “Impossible.”

“My boots… 10% to all stats,” Tom said quietly. “You two?”

The pair nodded and each of them began to smile, quickly swapping out the equipment they currently had on and for their new ones.

“Holy elf balls, that feels amazing,” Dexic said.

Max cocked an eyebrow at the warrior.

“Elf balls?”

“What? Can’t a girl enjoy a nice pair?”

Everyone laughed as Max motioned to the two crystals in the chest.

“You can take those. Saves me the trouble of having to hand them to you later.”

Everett grinned and collected the pair, motioning to the portal that appeared a dozen yards away. “So… how long till we can do the 59th floor boss?”

“OH, now you want me to hurry through the tower,” Max said, grinning the entire time. “What happened to slowing down and taking my time?”

“Bah, we all know you can have us there in no time. Why drag it out?” Tom asked.

Shaking his head from side to side, he pointed at the portal. “Well, I don’t have a ton of time, but if we hurry, I’m pretty sure we can easily finish the next tower floor.”

All three of the faction members darted toward it, leaving a laughing healer and Max in their wake.

***

Callie babbled as Max played with her, doing peekaboo repeatedly, causing the child to laugh and smile.

“You know I’ve never understood that game,” Tanila said. “I mean… I know babies aren’t smart but the way she looks when you cover your face. It’s like she really believes you’re gone.”

“Simple pleasures?”

She shrugged and tickled the chubby toes with a finger, smiling as his niece laughed again.

“You going to spend any time with me in the dungeons?” Stacy asked again. “It’s unfair that you haven’t helped me get easy loot.”

Rolling his eyes, Max glanced at his sister.

“Oh really? Tell me, how do your stats compare to everyone in your party?”

Grunting, she scoffed.

“That’s not fair.”

“Not fair? You’re easily twenty levels past them with the potions you have already drank, and with the other ones waiting to be used, you’re going to be a powerhouse compared to anyone else. Let’s also not talk about how you have nine skills.”

A little bit of red colored her cheeks and her gaze looked away from him for a moment.

“I know… It’s just… the group, it’s so slow.”

Tanila started to snicker and then it turned into a full-blown laugh.

“She has no idea, does she?”

Shaking his head, Max held Callie out to Tanila.

“No, but I guess I can at least spend an hour or two with her. See what improvement I might be able to make by teaching her how to fight.”

“Really?!” his sister squealed. “You’ll take me?!”

“Yes… Just know we’ll train, so I won’t be the one killing most things.”

His sister was on her feet in a moment, bouncing on the balls of them.

“Let’s go!”

Tanila took the laughing infant and shook her head.

“You two have fun. Auntie Tanila will stay here and take care of everything.”

***

“Focus! Block high and parry!”

Stacy grunted, her shield moving quickly to stop the incoming attack from the orc on her left while using her sword to stop the axe coming her way.

The sound of metal on metal echoed off the worked stone hallway, and Max nodded in satisfaction as he watched his sister continue to block the attacks.

“When?!”

“Not yet! Focus on defending and then you can take them down. See the patterns. There are still areas you can improve.”

Another minute passed before he was satisfied with how she handled the pair of orcs. After he whistled, she quickly cut them both down in seconds.

Panting, she sipped the water he held out to her.

“Why? Why make me do this dungeon?”

“Because it’s weak or because you’re strong?”

“Both… the experience sucks, even solo,” she replied, handing back his flask.

“One day you’ll face two, three, or perhaps six creatures. It took you way too long to see that these two attack the same way over and over. They’re not hard to fight and you outclass them a lot. If one of them does land a hit, outside of your face or a few gaps in your armor, it will do nothing. That’s why you will pull two groups next time and defend against them all.”

“Four?”

Max nodded and grinned.

“Show me you can handle four and I’ll take you to a real dungeon. Don’t and we’ll stay here until it’s time to go.”

He watched as his sister’s face became serious and she summoned her weapon and shield again.

“Deal!”

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