Ultimate Level 1

Max ran through the town, dodging the merchants on the street, trying to entice the flood of adventurers returning. A large number had already made their way back since he had cleared the dungeon, not wanting to waste any more time out there with nothing to kill for another day.

Weaving between the streets, Max finally reached the place he was looking for.

“Back so soon?”

Max saw the woman was wearing a similar outfit as last time. The only difference was that her robe today was a ruby red color, making her skin and hair stand out.

“Yes, ma’am,” Max said as he rushed to the counter she was standing behind. “I was wondering what you might charge to identify these bracers.”

The woman cocked an eye at Max before turning her gaze to the black leather bracer he was pointing to on his arm.

Her eyes blinked a few times and went wide before looking at Max’s face.

“Where did you get those?” she asked, her voice was steady, but Max felt he could detect a higher tone this time.

“From the goblin boss.”

She snorted and shook her head for a moment.

Her fingers drummed the top of the glass counter she was standing behind as she considered him for a moment.

“I’ll charge you one silver.”

Without waiting, Max nodded and began taking both of them off.

“Wait!” she ordered as she pulled out the same purple cloth as last time and unfurled it over the counter.

When she was finished and patted the middle of the cloth, Max deposited the bracers where she had motioned and watched.

The woman closed her eyes and a pink glow appeared as before. A few moments passed and the woman’s eyes, even though closed, squeezed tightly as she strained. Her eyes opened up as she gasped. “Impossible,” she whispered.

“Can you not do it?”

“By the gods, I can, but I should have charged you more… you are certain you got this from the goblin boss?”

Max nodded, and she watched him, reading his face.

“That is impossible. These are beyond that level. The only way that could possibly happen is…” her voice trailed off as she worked out the problem in her head.

Max was trying not to shift around, wanting to have these identified so he could leave town. He glanced at some rings nearby and considered how much they might cost and what they would offer. He had a lot of silver in his pouch because of Serhmy, but he had not managed to count it yet.

“You soloed the boss!”

The woman’s statement snapped his attention back to her. He saw her eyes wide as she leaned forward, her finger pointed toward him.

Max swallowed the lump in his throat and took a step back, afraid she might grab his tunic.

“What?”

“That is the only way. You killed this with no help from anyone else!”

Max sighed and nodded, watching the woman's face react to his admission.

“How is that… I mean, how could you…” the woman stumbled over her words. The calm and graceful demeanor she had portrayed the first time he had come was gone. “Who are you?” she asked.

“I’m just an adventurer.”

She shook her head and scoffed. “I have been here a long time, boy. Something tells me you are more than that. I told you it would be one silver for this, but I must charge five, or you will have to take this elsewhere. The mana drain this will take–”

“I will pay five,” Max said, interrupting her as he fished out the coins and put them on the counter.

The woman laughed. It reminded him of how Peter occasionally laughed as her whole body shook.

“You… oh, how I wish I were younger. Something tells me there will be no dull moment with you, adventurer.”

Max shrugged as she emphasized the last part of her statement and just gave a grin.

“This may take a minute, but I will sort it out.”

The woman closed her eyes, and for a solid minute, nothing happened. Max stared, wondering when he might see something take place. A flash of red light suddenly appeared around her hands and his bracers, pulsing with power and lighting up the inside of the shop as it did. He could feel the mana somehow.

It must be because I have Ice Magic now.

Sweat began to run down the woman’s face, her forehead scrunching together and creating an army of wrinkles. She was biting her lip, and Max could hear the deep breaths she was taking in through her nose. He was afraid what she was doing would draw the attention of those walking past her shop as the red light pulsed. Suddenly, it stopped, and the woman fell forward, catching herself with her hands on the counter.

“Are you ok?” Max asked as he moved closer to her.

Nodding her head, she took a few deep breaths, pulled a handkerchief from somewhere, and dabbed the sweat off her face.

“It has been a while since I have had to cast that spell. I must say I have forgotten how hard it is to do, but the results speak for themselves.”

With one finger, she tapped each of the golden stars on one bracer.

“This is something special. I have not seen anything like it in a long time. You must take great care to never reveal the stats to anyone.”

He saw her biting her lips as she stared at the bracers for a few seconds.

“Are you ok?”

She gave him a small smile and nodded. “My greed makes me think bad things sometimes. My age reminds me of the danger of those thoughts.”

Max picked up the bracers one at a time and put them on, tightening them to his forearm.

“Holy dwarf balls…” Max cried out as his body surged with power.

[Inspect Bracers]

*****

Rare Bracer of the Hobgoblin Lord

+3 Strength, Constitution

Tough Skinned - Wearer’s skin will become more resistant to slashing and piercing. 15% damage decrease from slashing and piercing attacks.

Bonded

*****

“I couldn’t agree more,” she replied with a chuckle. “Those bonuses are beyond what anyone would hope for. They should last you a very long time, and when you actually do replace them, someone will pay good money for them.”

Max nodded, realizing the Tough Skinned bonus greatly boosted his survivability.

“Seth Pendal,” the woman said, catching him off guard as he looked at her smiling face.

“What? How did you–”

“It’s obvious,” she said, cutting him off and then letting out a laugh. “Did you not think I would do my homework on the hero who had been part of a party that killed the kobold boss? And now here you stand wearing bracers that come from a feat no one could pull off at your level. Even those a few higher levels than you would struggle to do this feat.”

He saw her studying him again. She brought her finger to her chin and tapped it a few times.

“You’re leaving town. The way you are standing, the way you are shifting. You will not be returning to me anytime soon.”

Giving a nod, he glanced around the shop, grateful that no one had come in to see what the glowing red light had been a moment ago.

“Yes. I am leaving the second I leave this shop.”

She bit her lip gently as she gave her chin a few more taps.

“Very well. Let me give you one thing that might aid you on this trip. Do you know where you are planning on going?”

Max knew, but he hadn’t planned on advertising it. Stealth was part of this departure plan, yet something about this woman told him she was not interested in hurting him. If anything, she was intrigued and that meant something. He wasn’t sure what but he didn’t need to fear her. Yet.

“Rumstant.”

A grin appeared on her face and she reached into a pocket, pulling out a small piece of paper. Her other hand suddenly had a pen in it, and she began writing on the paper once it was set down on the purple cloth.

When she finished, she handed it to him and flashed that perfect set of teeth once more.

“Take this to the merchant at the southwest gate. His warehouse will have a giant horse being ridden by a goblin,” she grimaced as she said that last part. “His name is Felix. Give him this paper and tell him you are leaving for Rumstant. He will let you ride with his caravan that should be leaving in a few hours.”

Max glanced down at the paper and saw in the most beautiful handwriting he had ever seen a name written in purple ink. Winnifred.

“Uh, is this your name?”

She nodded and then gave a slight wink.

“Call me Winny, though. My parents wanted a boy, and my dad wouldn’t change the name he had originally planned.”

“Thank you, Miss Winny,” he said, giving a deep bow as he tucked the paper into his pouch.

“Promise me you’ll be smart. Don’t make stupid mistakes.” She paused, her fingers tapping on the purple cloth on the counter. “Something tells me that in the coming years, I will hear of a rising adventurer named Seth Pendal, and I will know I had a role in your growth.”

Laughing, Max nodded and gave a grin.

“I’ll try not to be stupid and make too many mistakes.”

She laughed as well and then began to roll up the cloth.

“Be safe, adventurer.”

Max waved, turning to the door and doing his best not to skip out of the shop.

Someone up there must really like me.

He had found Felix easily enough, and the man had been surprised when he saw the paper with Winny’s name on it. Not asking questions, he let Max sit inside the office, informing him that it could be another hour before the four carts would be ready to leave.

Sitting in the office with no one around, Max took the opportunity to check out the contents in the broach he had gotten off of Serhmy.

Pulling the backpack out of the dimensional storage, Max began laying things on the floor. Standard clothes, none of which would fit him. Some food, another small pouch of silver coins, and other typical traveling supplies rested inside. A few vials of liquid were wrapped in cloth and Max made sure to avoid them, wondering what they could be but imagining nothing good since Serhmy had been a [Rogue].

Inside the backpack, he found two small books. Each was a small leather-bound book with a tie strap around it. Undoing the first one, his heart skipped a beat, and his palms became sweaty. There were names on the first page, twelve of them, all crossed out. Some had drawings by them of what he guessed might be a knife. Another two had what looked to be like a drop of water or something drawn beside them. One had a rope drawn in the shape of a noose.

Turning the page, he found more names, all like the first. Five pages later, his hand trembled. Halfway down the page, under four names crossed out, was his name.

Seth Pendal.

The lump was back, and he took a moment, doing his best to swallow it. This man had known his name and planned on killing him. He had known long enough to write his name down beforehand in this book.

He wanted to scream, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Looking at the names above his, one of them jumped out at him.

Kal Zara.

That was a name he had heard Peter mention had been an adventurer that had not returned. The dagger next to the name left no doubt that Serhmy had done the deed.

Tapping the page with his fingers, Max realized what he needed to do with this.

Tying the strap, he quickly shoved everything else into the pack and put it in the dimensional storage again.

He ran outside and found Felix.

“Excuse me, sir, can I ask for something to be done after we leave?”

The older man squinted at Max, his bushy eyebrows coming together above his eyes.

“Am I going to regret this?” he asked, almost growling a little.

Shaking his head, Max handed the book to the man.

“This needs to be kept closed but turned in to Peter at the Stuffed Goblin after we leave. Tell him it's a gift from an adventurer who has promised to return.”

The man cocked an eye at Max and then at the book.

When Max then showed a silver coin in his other hand, the grumpy expression was gone as well as the silver coin before Max could blink.

“Consider it done,” Felix declared as he turned, walking away and leaving Max standing there outside of his shop.

This is going to be a fun trip if that guy comes along on this journey.

Moving back inside, Max decided to close his eyes and rest briefly. The weight of everything that had happened finally hit him.