Ultimate Level 1

The following two days had been nothing more than the usual clearing of the ogre dungeon as a group, followed by Max taking Aimee through only the orc dungeon.

She had managed to get level eleven and was closing in on twelve, but the leveling experience was starting to slow.

The treat Max had received from her and Mr. Wright was a special cake.

It stood three feet tall and looked like him, bald head and all.

Max had brought Fowl, Batrire, and Tanila at Aimee’s request, and they had laughed at the single massive brown spike on his shoulder. Every part of him was detailed, like looking in a mirror.

Even the spear he held and his red cloak matched the one used while fighting in the dungeons.

“This is amazing,” Max finally got out as he walked around it a few times.

Mr. Wright had closed Big Buns for this private moment with Max and his party.

“I don’t think I could say thank you any other way,” Mr. Wright stated, holding his daughter against his side. “What you have done for me and Aimee goes beyond anything I could ever have imagined.”

Max saw the older man wipe a tear away from one eye, his daughter squeezing him tightly as they both watched Max admire their work.

“How long did this take?”

“Oh, about five days for everything,” Aimee replied. “Dad let me help, and we did it secretly in the back kitchen. Forming molds, using some other baker tricks, and more. The real fun was getting it to look like you. Dad won’t say it, but he called in a favor and got some magical assistance.”

Her dad gave a playful frown at her before he kissed her forehead and nodded.

“I’m… I’m…” Max fumbled over words.

“Tis a shame, really,” Tanila said as Max stood there, mouth open like a fish. “The person who helped with this obviously had never seen the real Seth. If they had, this would not look as nice as it does.”

Everyone broke out in laughter, even Max.

“It’s true! This cake looks much better than Seth ever has,” Fowl added. “Smells better, too!”

That night, they took the cake across the street and celebrated with patrons staying at the Two Headed Ogre and a few special guests of Aimee and Mr. Wright. Everyone couldn’t believe the different flavors of cake that layered the creation, each being perfectly moist and flavorful.

At one point during the evening, Aimee snuck Max away to a corner and glanced around to ensure no one was watching.

“Are you ok?”

She nodded and bit her lip for a moment. “Seth… I have to ask again because my dad doesn’t believe me. Are you hoping that there is going to be something between us?”

Seeing her face and realizing what she asked, Max smiled and shook his head no.

“I’m not, and I know that you are not either.”

Aimee’s eyes widened, and she tried to speak but couldn’t.

“You have a friend who comes by even more than I do. She is a nice girl, from how you two always talk and laugh. Does your dad know?”

She nodded, glancing across the room and seeing her dad and Big D laughing as they told stories to anyone willing to listen. “He does. He just wanted to ensure I hadn’t led you on or that you weren’t hoping for something. I can’t repay you any other way and would be willing –”

“No,” Max said, cutting her off, his tone firm and louder than he had meant it to be. Sighing, he smiled, put a hand on her shoulder, and shook his head. “I mean it, no, I don’t want that from you. I am content to call you a friend and to help you be the best baker you want to be. I would never ask you to do that or anything else. The cake you made for me is greater than anything I could have imagined.”

A few tears had trickled down her cheeks, and Max held his arms open, smiling as she moved in. They hugged for just a moment, squeezing and then letting go.

Aimee wiped the tears away as she smiled and laughed.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “More than you know.”

He nodded and then motioned to the room. “We need to get back, or you might have rumors get out about us, and the gods know I wouldn’t want that to ruin your reputation.”

She laughed harder, poking him in the chest as she shook her head. “That is true… I have suffered enough already for having you in my shop as often as you are.”

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Laughing, they both moved to join the others in celebrating the night.

“Seth, you are an interesting human.”

Max glanced at Tanila, who was slowly rotating her mug of ale as she watched him.

“What does that mean?”

She set her cup on the table and leaned across it in their booth.

“I have been around humans for a few years. As an elf, we are taught many things about your race. Some are good, and unfortunately…” she paused, sighing, “Most are bad. Those elves you ran into back in that other town. There are other groups of like-minded individuals. They only see the threat men posed long ago. Meeting you and watching how you treat everyone, even when dealing with the things you have… experienced. I think I understand why you were given what you have.”

Glancing at the empty room, Max leaned closer and tried to read his teammate’s demeanor. “I’m not sure I follow.”

She snorted slightly and nodded. “I can understand that. You are kind. That girl… she asked me about you and if I thought you wanted that. She couldn’t believe that you didn’t. Most men would have… taken advantage of that situation. Most would have taken advantage of her.”

Max frowned, knowing Tanila was right.

“But that’s not me. I’m not like that.”

Tanila smiled. Seeing it on her lips, Max knew she believed him.

“And that is why I think you got the skill you did,” she whispered. “Most men would have set out, doing whatever it took to gain power and get stronger. The potential of what you can become… what you will become could be achieved in horrible ways. You haven’t done that.” Tapping her chest, she smiled and then sighed. “I shared my skill. Imagine if you were that kind of person. I have no doubt they would have struck me down, trying to take it. Every person like me would be hunted. A person without your kindness…”

Max waited for Tanila to finish, but she never did. She closed her mouth and just shrugged.

“Thank you,” Max replied, giving a slight nod of his head.

“For?”

“Trusting me. Telling me this. I won’t lie. There is a struggle inside me. I can feel the skill yearning for power. It scares me. But to be like what you described… I don’t want that. I’m unsure what I would become if I go down that path.”

Tanila put her hand on the table and held it out.

Slowly, Max put his hand in hers and felt her squeeze it momentarily before pulling it back.

“And that, Seth, is why Fowl, Batrire, and I are willing to do everything we can to help you. None of us want to see the man we know become what we fear someone else would be.”

They started later the following day, each of them knowing a few more hours of rest would be good. With just another day of grinding experience planned, they would be fine going in tired.

“That portal is different. What does that mean?”

Tanila was tapping her chin, ignoring Max’s question as the four stood in the shallow water, looking at the portal to the second floor. Instead of the standard blue color, it was purple.

“Can that really be what I think it is?” Fowl asked.

“Fowl, tell me what I’m missing!” Max exclaimed, frustrated after the dwarf had spoken.

“Sorry, Seth. The second floor will be much harder today if the portal is purple. The standard blue portal represents the normal floor. Rarely does one ever turn purple. If it does, the monsters are all a rare spawn variation of the dungeon floor. Everything in there will be worth more experience but also be a lot harder to kill.”

Tanila scoffed, and Max watched as she moved closer to it, moving and circling around the purple portal.

“This is… impossible? I mean, how can this happen?”

Batrire grunted, watching their mage as she walked and talked. “It’s Seth. It has to be.”

Everyone turned and looked at their healer, who stood there, stroking her beard.

“Think about it,” she continued. “How many rares has he seen? No one usually sees that many rares in their lifetime. Let alone in a month? That is the only thing I can think of.”

Max felt the eyes of his team watching him as he considered what they were saying.

“Me? I mean is that possible?”

“Possible? With what you have told us and have for a skill? I’d like to meet this woman you said talked to you in that temple,” Fowl stated.

Max saw Tanila as she furrowed her eyebrows and noticed her eyes darting left and right. She stood there, thumb against her lip as her mind worked.

“He draws rare things to him. Like us… like those monsters…” she paused, her eyes going wide. “Like the break and this portal. I can’t think of anything else that would cause this.”

“So what do we do? Do we risk it?” Max asked. “That break was pretty dangerous.”

“We have to!” Fowl answered, not waiting on the others. “How many people dream about a dungeon with a portal like this?! To not–”

“Would be missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Batrire interrupted. “Each of us would have given anything for one of these to happen. We all know that.”

Tanila nodded and then shook her head as she started to laugh. “Gods, I hate how this makes me feel. It’s almost like we don’t have a choice.”

“Oh we do,” Fowl replied. “We can take this rare opportunity and see what is in store for us or leave and regret this decision for life.”

Everyone laughed and nodded in agreement with Fowl.

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” Max asked as he pulled his shield and spear out of storage.

“Warrior’s first,” Tanila replied, motioning to the portal with her hand.

As his eyes adjusted, Max let out a low whistle. He had gone in first, and seeing the dungeon left his chest feeling tight.

He was standing at the dead end of a long canyon, black rock with glowing blue lines running along the ground that led deeper into the zone. The sky above was purple, with black clouds flying overhead that gave him a feeling of dread.

The eerie blue light that came from those lines almost made the rocks glow.

“Holy elf tits!”

Max didn’t turn around, recognizing Fowl’s voice. He had taken a few steps toward a glowing blue line a little bit ahead of where he had come in and bent down to inspect it. It looked like a crystal, the light pulsing slowly every few seconds.

“Goblin shite. We’re screwed.”

Chuckling a little to himself, Max turned around, knowing Tanila was now with them. He saw that both Tanila and Batrire had joined him and Fowl.

Then Max realized he wasn’t seeing what he had expected.

“There is no portal… Where is it?” Max asked.

Tanila’s back was to him as she stared at the solid wall of black rock forty yards away from where they had come in.

“There isn’t one,” she replied.