Ultimate Level 1

They had been riding in the cart for most of the day, except for those few times they had stopped.

Tanila and Max watched Batrire and Fowl sleeping against each other. The two of them were snoring loud enough to scare off any wildlife for miles.

“They do make an… interesting couple,” Max said, trying not to laugh as he stared at them. “It’s weird for me. Seeing dwarves like them. My town only had a few, and I can’t say any of them were very friendly.”

Tanila nodded and stretched, ignoring the bumps in the road and thankful for the blankets Max had taken out of his storage. “They have always been two peas in a pod. Fire and ice, oil and water, clean and stinky.”

Max turned and saw Tanila looking at him. He realized this was one of the first times he had seen her hair unbraided. “Your hair looks nice like that. Is there a reason you don’t always wear it down?”

Cheeks going red, Tanila bit her lip and nodded slowly. “You don’t know much about elves, do you?”

Max shook his head. “I didn’t get to spend any time with the elves in our town. Most were either in higher jobs or paths I could never reach. A few were trainers for those wanting to be mages. Other than that, no, I don’t have a clue about elves… except for the four who tried to kill me.”

Frowning, Tanila nodded as she pulled a brush out of her pack and started combing her brown hair. Even in the setting sun that streamed in through the opening behind them, it shone with each stroke.

“It bothers me that you experienced that. There are some just like them in every elf village or town. Those who preach and proclaim the destruction of all the races. The rulers keep them and their message suppressed, but… there are always young ones who join, lured by the power they promise and the blessing of our god.”

She paused as she worked a spot in her hair with something in it.

“Elves are proud, and many would call us grouchy. I, of course, am not like that,” she stated, chuckling when Max snickered at that statement. “The hair is a symbol of many things. Some never cut their hair. Others may keep it short. For women, their hair is almost always braided whenever they are in public. If they are married, they might not have it braided when out with their spouse… to see an elf like me with her hair down could mean a lot of things.”

Max sat there, not saying a word, keeping a small smile on his lips.

She grinned, impressed that Max hadn’t spoken, and continued brushing her hair. “Some say it means they were flirting with a man by having her hair down, or it might mean they felt safe or considered them family. Batrire and Fowl have seen my hair like this many times.”

“And me?”

Tanila rolled her eyes, but the smile never left her lips as she watched Max’s face, looking for emotions he might let slip.

“I am safe with you. I know that means something to you… we both have been hurt, and that makes it hard to trust… You are also kind, and it is easy to see how you might have been taken advantage of in your younger years.”

She put the brush down and picked up a comb made of a bone Max had never seen, the red color catching his interest.

Lowering her voice, Tanila leaned closer to Max to ensure the men driving the cart up front couldn’t hear her. “You have a skill that could grow stronger by taking advantage of others and their trust. A knife, spear, or sword during the night would give you power most could never dream of, and yet…” Tanila bit her lip hard enough Max was almost afraid she would break the skin. “You don’t. We couldn't have stopped you if you attempted to strike Batrire or myself down. Part of me isn’t certain the three of us could take you.”

“I would never–”

She held up her hand, stopping his defense of himself.

“I know. We all know,” Tanila said as she motioned to the two dwarves sleeping soundly. “That is why they can sleep like that. They trust you and know you would protect them if something were to attack.”

She sighed and ran the comb through her hair a few times, getting out the last of the knots she had found.

“Seth, I will follow you wherever you ask because I believe the four of us are meant to be together. I believe someone is pushing us down this path.” Taking her comb and shaking it at Max, she smiled before returning it to her pouch, pulling the brush out again, and working over the spot she had just untangled. “Elves believe the gods do that. I believe the gods do that.”

Max just nodded and said nothing. He leaned his head against the cart's edge and held back the sigh he wanted to let out.

“Thank you.”

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He couldn’t see Tanila with his left eye, but he could sense everything about her as she sat beside him, watching him again.

“You’re welcome. Now, find out how much longer till we stop for the night. Unlike those two hairy dwarfs, I prefer to sleep without bouncing around all the time.”

Max had taken the first watch when they stopped, assuring the men that he wanted to do it. It had brought only a few complaints when they realized he was serious. No one asked questions after he went to their wagon and came out a few minutes later with his armor and spear.

A gentle breeze blew, and the fire in the center of camp crackled and popped as it burnt the logs he had added a little while ago. The moon hung in the sky, one half-hidden, the other a brilliant white.

He wasn’t ready to sleep just yet. The words Tanila had said nagged at him. The idea that someone was directing his path frustrated him more than he imagined it could.

How can a god make me do something I don’t want to do?

Dwelling on that thought, the dungeon with the ogres came to his mind. He had been forced to fight, unable to leave the second floor. If a god had made that happen, there was a reason.

His head hurt trying to figure out all the little things that might be one large connected web. Some spider out there forced him to retreat and move until he was stuck, unable to escape before they consumed him.

Then, his heart stopped momentarily, and Max felt a new fear come over him.

What if they want me to grow stronger so they can one day kill and consume me…

The next few hours were filled with more frustrating thoughts.

When the time came to wake up the second watch, Max wasn’t sure he could fall asleep. His mind was taking him down a dark hole.

“Did you get any sleep last night at all?” Fowl asked as they waited for the men to finish cooking their lunch. “You have been dragging all day.”

Shaking his head, Max frowned and glanced around the area. “Where are Batrire and Tanila?”

“They needed to answer the call of nature. Why?”

Max saw a look of concern appearing on Fowl’s face. “I didn’t see them go. I guess I really am tired.”

“Take a nap in the wagon. Just a few hours, mind you, but I’m sure you need it.”

Yawning, Max covered his mouth and nodded. “I may just do that. After a good lunch, I will probably pass right out.”

Glancing around, Fowl saw that none of the caravan workers were present and grimaced. “Based on that smell, I doubt it will be a good lunch.”

Max chuckled and, without looking around knew he was safe to do what he did next.

Pulling a box out of storage, Max popped off the lid and reached in. When his hand came out of the box, a strawberry muffin with frosting was in it.

Max saw Fowl’s tongue moving against his lips and waited to give it to the dwarf, was certain he was about to drool.

“Oh, diz is gudd,” Fowl moaned as he shoved the whole treat in his mouth in one bite.

“Shhhh,” Max chided him, pulling a cupcake out for himself and then quickly returning the box to his storage. “Big D and Linda had a treat for me when I left. I figured we might as well eat our dessert first.”

Fowl nodded, licking his fingers and grinning as he did.

“You going to give the girls any?”

Shaking his head from side to side, Max smiled. “You know I will, but if I can make them squirm a little beforehand, I won’t pass that up.”

Laughing, Fowl stood up and slapped Max on the shoulder. “That’s one of the things I like about you, Seth. Finding ways to piss off a woman and not worring about how they will get you back.”

Fowl was right, and Max was asleep the moment he laid down after lunch. Fowl woke him up a few hours later as they continued their journey toward the capital.

Max would read Sam's books, letting Batrire and Tanila enjoy them, but Fowl was content to sleep for hours on end.

Tanila and Max sat by the fire, laughing at stories each shared, trying to keep the noise down as they kept the first watch.

She had decided Max needed someone to help stay awake, and Max was happy to have her company.

When the moon reached the point in the sky that signaled the next shift, he woke up the next two and helped Tanila get into their cart.

“You’re not coming?” she whispered, watching him walk away from the camp.

“No, I need to go and use the restroom.”

She shook her head and ducked inside the tarp, giving Max the privacy he needed.

Ignoring her, Max headed toward the tree line. It had been ages since he had to piss this bad and thought his bladder was going to burst.

Max realized as he stood by the trees, his chain mail armor pulled down past his thighs, that no one ever talked about how hard it was to use the bathroom when prepared for battle.

None of the stories he had ever heard mentioned warriors in full plate having to pee or dropping a load. It would take forever to get that equipment off and on.

Glad no one was able to see him in the moonlight, bare arse cheeks feeling the wind, he let out a groan and heard the heavenly sound of water splashing against the bark of a tree.

Doing his best not to moan, Max stared at the tree before him.

And then he froze.

To the left and right, he felt two people coming toward him slowly through his sonar skill. They were crouching and moving at a pace he knew far too well.

Two people stealthed…

He tried not to panic, but his bladder kept going as they kept inching forward.

Realizing he was going to be caught with his chain pants down, Max started to chuckle, spinning around and sending a spray off in a circle around him.

Both forms paused as he turned around.

The seconds ticked, and Max knew he was running out of time, as were they. Their stealth would end soon.

With no other options left, Max did the only thing he could think of.

“You two going to stare at my manhood all night, or are we going to dance?”