Ultimate Level 1
Chapter 519: Leading is Hard

Chapter 519 - Leading is Hard

Max patted his sister’s knee and squeezed it.

“Welcome to the hardest part of being the warrior,” he said softly. “Loss is… hard.”

Stacy nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out.

“It’s my fault. I pushed them too hard.”

“Do they blame you?”

She shook her head. “No. I mean, not to my face at least, but I can see it in their eyes. They hem and haw about whether we should go into a dungeon. They're scared, and I’m unsure if it's the fear of dying in the dungeon like Grella, our mage, or of me.”

“It’s not you,” Max replied. “But you’ve just experienced what will be one of the hardest challenges to overcome as an adventurer. True loss.”

Tanila didn’t say a word, just nodding as she held Callie in her arms, the child fast asleep.

“We’ve all been there. Fowl and I have spoken many times about the weight we feel rests upon our shoulders as the warriors. The truth is that every member feels it to a degree, even if it’s different. Your healer feels awful because they couldn’t heal Grella in time, prioritizing someone else. Your archer is most likely sick about being unable to do enough damage to prevent the spider that got your mage. And the off-tank is drowning his sorrows in another mug of ale because he couldn’t do the one thing he thinks he’s supposed to do.

‎ “It’s not you. It’s the weight all of you feel. The hard part is that you must bring them together and move past this. You must talk it out, cry, remember Grella, and honor her. Trust me, it’s only going to get a lot worse.”

“But, what if I had drunk that potion you have for me?! I’d have been faster and–”

“No. Then you’d feel even worse for having stats twenty levels higher or more than everyone else in your party.”

“Just like her brother,” Tanila scoffed.

Squeezing Stacy’s knee again, Max smiled at her.

“If you need to cry, do it. Trust me, I’ve cried more tears than you can imagine. There is no weakness in admitting the pain of what you feel for the loss of someone you knew and care about.”

A few sniffles came from her and then the dam broke as she fell into his arms, sobbing as he held his sister tight.

He could see a few tears rolling down Tanila’s face as she mouthed I’m sorry at him.

Blinking, Max could feel tears in his eyes, knowing that this would not be the last time his sister cried like this.

***

“FINISH IT!” Max shouted, driving the wooden stake into the heart of the vampire rabbit he towered over on the ground.

A roar came from Fowl as their warrior thrust the one he held in his hand into the chest of the other vampire rabbit. Its red eyes faded and began to dim as its body dissolved.

Max felt the sensation of cold coursing through him and almost let out a moan of pleasure as the notifications scrolled by.

[ 100 Intelligence Consumed ]

[ 75 Wisdom Consumed ]

[ Consume has Consumed 9 Skills ]

[ Skills do not Match Entity Type ]

[ Consume has Successfully Converted 1 Skill ]

[ Power Stored for Future Use ]

[ Would you like to learn [ Blood Healing ]? ]

[ Yes / No ]

Gone was the moment of excitement, replaced with frustration as the tower hit him with more abilities and skills that seemed impossible to use or convert.

I know this is the 4th time I've said this, but you must be kidding me. Four bosses and only four skills… And the stats gains haven’t been as impressive as I thought.

You’re complaining about your Strength, Dexterity and Constitution being stuck at 1683. Do you remember when you only had four or five in each of them less than two years ago?

Okay… fine…. But the skills? Blood healing? Am I going to grow teeth and start to suck the blood of my enemies?

Most likely not. Again, I would say don’t take it, but it’s your call. The truth is it may come with a version of corruption like Death Magic. At this point, I doubt you’d give in to it, but you decide.

Sighing, Max selected no, causing Bob to absorb the skill.

[ Power Stored for Future Use ]

“That look on your face tells me it wasn’t what you hoped,” Fowl said as he moved to where Max was. “Still, that fight wasn’t as bad as I feared, knowing we just defeated the 89th floor!”

Unable to help himself, he smiled and nodded.

“Yeah. Blood Healing was an option. I turned it down, though.”

His friend frowned and nodded.

“Still, I can’t complain about how amazing my skill is,” Fowl exclaimed. “I’m telling you, I wanna go pick a fight with Dagon now and see if I can beat him alone.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Glancing down at the smoldering remains of the vampire he had slain, Max grinned.

“Well, it does triple all your stats for a minute, so I’m guessing you probably have him beat in that department. Then again, you still don’t know the name of what his ability is, and trust me, it wasn’t just stats that always killed us.”

“It’s the hammer, you idiots,” Cordellia said as she drew near. “We’ve had this discussion twice already, and I’m telling you the hammer is what does all the damage.”

“No,” Fowl shot back. “It’s not just the hammer. It’s everything Dagon has. His armor and weapon date back to the original dwarves if legend holds true. No one but the royal line knows the true power they possess.”

Their ranger groaned and shook her head. “I’m not going down that rabbit hole again.”

Max groaned as Cordellia started to chuckle.

“Gods, she’s as bad at jokes as you are,” Fowl muttered.

“Enough,” Batrire called out. “Look over there, you three.”

Max and the other two turned, seeing a portal that looked like silver metal, shimmering and reflecting like a mirror.

“Ugh… no chest and I’m guessing Chromie is behind that?” their warrior asked.

“You should call him by that name,” Cordellia said. “I’m interested to see if he knows how to make dwarf pancakes.”

Everyone but Fowl laughed as they moved toward the portal.

Waiting for Tanila, Max grabbed her hand as she got close and squeezed it.

“Less than three weeks to clear four bosses. Hard to believe,” he whispered. “Great thinking on hitting the bazaar each time we finish a boss and taking inventory of everything we purchased.”

“Bah, I feel bloated from all the crap we’re carrying. I mean, it was a great idea, not just because I came up with it, but still, we’ve managed to acquire a few good items, according to Alfreda. Even you looked excited at the ore you got from the last one.”

Max nodded and couldn’t help but smile, sensing that he was finally drawing closer to the last item or two he needed to craft the tooth Wekime had given him.

“I’m more interested in knowing what comes next. Five bosses, all hard but able to be defeated when one possesses the items. I won’t say it, but whatever comes next, I’m guessing it will be on a whole different level.”

She nodded and squeezed his hand tightly, her face tightening.

His sonar told him their child was kicking a lot more than usual and had grown, surprisingly faster than he or she had expected, considering the typical time an elf required to go full term.

“You okay?”

“Yes… This little one of ours is attempting to move around like you do. These last ten floors have made me wonder about what the gods told you. I just pray they are… normal.”

“Oh, I pray the same thing. Hopefully, they won’t look like me. That way, they’ll have some chance of being attractive.”

Tanila smiled, shaking her head as they arrived at the portal where the others were waiting.

“Warriors first!” she quipped.

Letting go of her hand, Max let out a playful groan and touched the shimmering mass of silver with his fingers, feeling it suck his entire being into it.

A scent of honey and lavender tickled his nose as his sonar detected nothing around him.

When his eyes worked a moment later, he saw they were in a large hall a quarter of a mile wide and almost a half mile long.

Near the opposite end was a table with five chairs on the closest side. On the other side sat Chromie in his gigantic chair.

“What smells so good?” Fowl asked. “My stomach just growled at me.”

“Food,” Cordellia said, and lots of it.

Max could barely make out the food shapes on the stone table, piles stacked up from one end to the next.

“I guess we’re having a party?” Batrire said. “The real question I have is what we’re celebrating.”

“Not dying,” their warrior replied. “Now then, if my nose is correct and always is, I believe I can smell ale.”

“That’s your breath,” Cordellia teased.

Blowing into his palm, Fowl nodded. “Guess it is.”

“Welcome!” Chromie’s voice boomed through the hall. “Please, come and join me. There is much to celebrate about and discuss.”

Everyone glanced at each other and then moved to where the chrome man sat.

As they drew close, a variety of pleasant scents reached their noses, and Max’s stomach growled. Even though he didn’t need to eat or drink more than once every two weeks, enjoying the taste of something good was still pleasurable.

“Please, take a seat and help yourselves. We must rejoice in you five having made it to the 90th floor of the tower!”

Chromie clapped his hands multiple times, and the sound of applause echoed throughout the room as if they were at the Colosseum.

Fowl didn’t wait any longer, covering the last few yards and grabbing a plate from the chair he had been heading towards. Food began to fill up the plate, some falling off the edges as he stacked a pile taller than his head.

“I assure you, there is plenty,” their host said. “Sit, please. The time has come for us to celebrate before the next phase begins.”

Max and the others quickly mirrored their warrior, picking up a plate and selecting a variety of meats, fruits, vegetables, breads, desserts, and other new foods.

Chromie snapped his fingers, and four cups, all filled with beverages, appeared before each of their chairs.

“I could get used to this!” Fowl exclaimed, wiping some foam from the ale tankard he had just drunk. “Look! It keeps refilling!”

“Please don’t get drunk!” Batrire protested. “The last thing I need is you making a fool of yourself, Fowl Hammerfall.”

“Bah!” was all he said before downing another full tankard. Their warrior set it down on the table again, laughing as it filled up again.

“This is amazing,” Cordellia said as she swallowed a piece of what appeared to be roasted meat. “I’m not a huge fan of meat–”

Fowl began to choke and their ranger growled at him from the opposite end of the table.

“Get your head out of the trash bin…”

Wiping off the liquid he had sprayed everywhere, their warrior just grinned.

Max sighed and motioned toward their host.

“Are you going to eat or…”

“I cannot help but make you all feel more relaxed by talking while you eat. Or, if you preferred, I could depart and return when it appears you are all done with this food.”

Max looked at the others digging in, and they all shrugged.

“We’re fine. Go ahead and say whatever it is you need to say.”

“Very well,” Chromie replied. “Let me begin.”

‎