Ultimate Level 1

Having never been to one of the larger cities, Max was not prepared for the size of it at all.

Rumstant was a major hub of trade and adventurers, only smaller than the actual capital city, Peltagow. Still it boasted a surrounding area of at least ten miles of farmland around it. Roads were packed as people brought goods into town and Max saw carts headed back in the direction they came from.

The sight of the thirty-foot walls that ran around the massive city that he found out was over fifteen miles across left him wondering how they had acquired all that stone. From miles away, he could see the walls and tried not to stare like a fool.

Different crops grew in the fields and as they rode together, Roan had pointed out that there was an irrigation setup that came from the river that ran through the town from the northeast to the southeast.

He saw adventuring parties on foot and horseback headed toward the wild dungeons that lay out in the wilderness.

“You going to join a party here or have a party waiting?”

Max had tried to ignore most of Roan's questions about his plans. The man couldn’t help himself, wondering what level he was and just how powerful of a team he might be part of.

“I have some plans, but as I mentioned last night, some things can’t be shared. It’s better that way for everyone.”

Grumbling, Roan snapped the reins, taking his frustration at being shot down again out at the horses, who moved a little faster at his action.

“Well, I can give you advice on places to stay if you want. I’m sure you are well aware of the center of town hosting the adventures guild house.”

Max nodded, lying the whole time.

When they got to the gates, guards directed the caravan to an area where they could check the wagons and the merchant documents before sending them into the warehouse section of the city.

It took them over an hour to reach the warehouse Felix owned in Rumstant and Roan wasted no time going inside and securing the promised payment for Max.

“Don’t go flashing this purse around,” Roan whispered as he handed it to Max. “There is thirty-four silver in there. You can find me here for another week if you feel it isn't fair.”

Max shook his head, taking the coins and activating his temporal storage, and dropping the pouch inside.

Chuckling, Roan smiled and bobbed his head. “That is definitely handy and proves you are what I thought you might be.”

After saying his goodbyes, Max had taken off and headed toward the center of town to find the adventurers guild. Streets were flowing with people calling out things to sample and stores to visit. There were food carts on the street, and he stopped at one, finding the smell of the meat skewers they were selling impossible to resist. As he tore into it he couldn’t help but stare at all the people here.

He had seen more people today than he had on the Choosing Day. Even in the crowded streets, the one advantage of the city's layout was that finding the middle of town was easy. There were multiple main roads leading to it, and he could see the massive keep where the duke, baron, or whoever managed this city lived.

Max picked up his pace and wanted to get to the adventurer hall as quickly as possible. There were so many new dungeons to explore, and deep in his heart, the real reason for his excitement.

So many stats and skills to possibly gain.

As Max came to the center of town and found the giant waterway that cut off the four-mile center section, he had to walk along the water until he reached the northern bridge that led over. Only four bridges crossed over, and at each of them were guards who watched anyone traveling across.

They had asked to see his adventurer token when he tried to cross over. After they knew what he was doing and where he was going, they paid no more attention to him than they would a fly.

The bridge was massive, spanning fifty yards across and over a quarter mile long as it rose slightly in the middle before descending to the other side. Massive stones were wedged in a consistent pattern, with some bonding agent holding them together.

The amount of traffic on the bridge impressed Max as he saw a steady stream of adventurers walking in the same direction as him or returning to the main city. He stopped counting by the time he was halfway across after counting over a hundred adventurers.

The walls of the adventurer guild were massive compared to the ones back at Windsor Wheel. Here, they stood twenty feet tall and had statues carved at the top every so often. Different classes and races were scattered among the statues, all looking outward at those who walked under them.

Finding the entrance was easy as the flow of people all moved toward one of the main gates, again guarded by men and women wearing chain armor who stood in small shacks to the side, protected from the hot sun.

As he walked through the twenty-foot wide opening, Max almost tried not to stumble, not realizing the massive courtyard with fountains, manicured fields of grass, benches, trees, and more that made up the property was just the entrance to it.

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It was far grander than any property he had ever seen in his life. He wondered what the keep must look like if this was the entrance to the adventurers guild. Groups sat on benches, under gazebos, and on the lawn.

Three hundred yards away was the actual entrance to the building that Max had not realized was part of the guild when he had been looking at it from the bridge. He had assumed it was a building for something else.

It towered over five stories high, with windows decorating the stone walls. Massive columns ran along the side of the building.

Doing his best not to walk around with his mouth open, Max nodded and smiled at those who had acknowledged his presence as he made his way to the entrance.

The two huge wooden doors were propped open as people flowed in and out.

Max almost tripped when he heard the noise from everyone talking and saw the mass of people moving around.

There has to be at least three hundred people in here…

Multiple sections with counters were set off to the back with roped-off lines that had parties waiting their turn to approach an attendant. Multiple large quest boards were stationed ahead of him. He noticed attendants adding and removing quests on both boards at the same time.

The magnitude of it all was overwhelming.

“Need help?”

Shaking his head a little, Max turned and saw a brown-haired woman in one of the attendant uniforms smiling at him. Her brown eyes and soft smile held his attention for a moment before he finally responded.

“I’m new here,” he replied, his voice squeaking much to his displeasure.

She chuckled and nodded as she motioned to the job boards and slowly began to walk toward one.

“I figured as much,” she stated as she motioned for him to follow. “My name is Dawn, and I would be happy to guide you around.”

Nodding, Max held his spear close before realizing carrying it around might not be the best choice. Activating his temporal storage, he quickly put it inside and, when he looked up, noticed how Dawn had cocked her head slightly.

“Sorry, I didn’t want to risk hitting anyone with it,” he said, realizing that he should have done that earlier.

“That is a wise decision. So tell me, adventurer…”

“Seth. Seth Pendal.”

“Adventurer Seth Pendal,” she said, her smile growing wider as her head just so slightly moved up and down. “I have heard that name somewhere before. Maybe I will remember where.”

Max felt his head turning red and then followed Dawn’s eyes as she looked behind him and up.

Turning around, he saw a massive tapestry depicting the hero’s name he had chosen, his spear plunged into the eye of one of the twin dragons who was breathing fire underneath him. As a gentle breeze blew through the room, the tapestry moved slightly, giving the image he was watching a lifelike feel.

He heard a slight chuckle and then a cough behind him, and when he faced his helper, she was smiling, her cheeks a little red.

“Sorry, it was not a joke I should have made.”

“You are fine,” he replied, giving his best grin as he motioned to the banner with his thumb. “It isn’t the first time, or I doubt the last time I hear someone joke about my name.”

Smiling, she nodded and then motioned to the questboard again.

“If you are ready, you can follow me.”

Almost an hour later, Max waved goodbye and stuffed two quest sheets in his pouch. Having asked him his level, he thought she looked surprised when he said ‘level seven.’’ He had gained over 15 points so far from his skill, so it felt like the right answer.

She had shown him the entire complex, pointing out the dungeons that were within the building he would be best suited to attempt. Guards were stationed outside some of them to verify adventurers either met certain guild ranks or had a party strong enough to accompany them. Magically infused walls had been built to keep the portals from allowing creatures to be spawned outside.

She had dropped him off outside a level five dungeon and wished him luck.

Standing there, he eyed the blue portal that sat in a small white stone room ten yards away.

A smile appeared, and he pulled his spear from his storage space.

Max pulled his spear from the hobgoblin's throat, flicking the blood to the side as he looked at the carnage around him.

Doing some quick math in his head, he counted twenty-three corpses. This dungeon was listed as a duo or solo dungeon, as the packs were never more than three at a time. He knew why Dawn had dropped him off here, not wanting to risk killing a new adventurer on their first day in town.

He was bored. Not one of these creatures had managed to get a single hit on him, and using a corner made this far too easy. Pulling his backpack out of storage, he dumped out all the stuff of Serhmy’s he didn’t want and began the long process of harvesting all the ears and items. He needed to get out of there and find a challenge. Something he could get stronger from.

Impressed at how fast the lines had moved, Max turned in his two quests, knocking out two ten hobgoblin quests and earning some coin. The attendant at the counter had been nice. The male dwarf had pointed him over where he now stood, waiting for his turn to be called.

“Next!”

Trying not to grimace, Max felt a twinge in his stomach when the one who had called for him turned out to be an elven woman with golden eyes and silver hair. Her face and ears were different, but it reminded him so much of Faylen that it unsettled him.

“You lost?” she asked, obviously frustrated at how Max was looking at her.

“Sorry, was thinking about a few things. I was told I could get a shield here.”

The woman nodded and looked at the clipboard she had, turning a few pages over before pulling one out of the stack and moving it to the top.

“What kind are you wanting? Enchanted or regular?”

Making a stupid noise with his lips as he blew air between them, Max scratched his chin.

Magical… that might work.

“How much are the magical ones to start, and what do they give?”

The woman sighed as she was obviously not excited about what she felt was going to turn into a long and drawn-out shopping experience.

“Let me make this easier,” she stated, cocking her head slightly to the side. “How much do you want to spend on a shield?”

Doing some quick math in his head, Max figured out he could spend up to fifty silver coins.

Holy goblin shite… I’m about to spend a fricking gold coin.

“Uh, no more than one gold coin,” he whispered as he leaned forward a little.

Her facial expression improved, and Max saw her lip curl slightly on one side.

“Well then, that makes things much easier,” she replied, now smiling as she glanced down at the paper before her. “Tell me the stats you care most about.”