Ultimate Level 1

Chapter 411: A New Beginning

“So you’re leaving again?”

Ignoring his sister’s frown and tone, Max nodded, choosing instead to tickle and play with Callie, who was babbling a little bit and cooing in response to his actions.

“Part of adventuring is that you will always be headed somewhere. You have the advantage of being in this capital and that there are enough dungeons you don’t have to ever leave. Most adventurers don’t have the coin or family for such an endeavor like this and often have to grind their way through the other cities.”

“It’s not that,” she groaned, waving her hands in the air as she shifted on the couch. “You were gone for a year! Suddenly, you’re back. For so long you were my dorky brother. who wanted to bake cookies and stuff, and now…”

Stacy paused and motioned to the room the Faction had set her and their parents up in.

“Look at this place! There is art… ART! We grew up in a home where the paintings we did as kids never even made the walls of our own house. Then you have these couches and chairs! Every one of them is finer than anything I dreamed of sitting on. And our beds… it’s like sleeping on a cloud.”

“So you want to live in a house without these things?” Max asked, knowing what she was complaining about but not giving his sister an easy time.

A chuckle from Tanila, sitting next to him, letting him know his joke wasn’t missed.

“You’re a bastard.”

“Argg!” Rising to her feet, Stacy gave him the middle finger and then laughed as she moved to where he was. “Give her Callie.”

Without waiting, Max handed his niece to the woman he loved and watched as her green eyes seemed to sparkle the moment she held the cooing child.

His sister reached out and grabbed his arm, and made him stand before she wrapped both arms around him.

“I’ve missed you. You wool-headed fool.”

“I’ve missed you as well, sister,” Max replied, hugging her back and slowly stroking her hair. “One day, perhaps we’ll get more time, and I’ll be able to go on a few more dungeon runs with you, but for now, I have another world to take care of.”

Leaning back, he looked into her eyes and smiled.

“Some of us have taken on obligations, and as much as I wish I could pass them on to another, I can’t.”

“So, what? Two weeks? Maybe three?”

Shrugging, Max chewed on his lip for a moment.

“I’d like to say no more than a month, but it’s been so long, and there are a lot of things I need to figure out. I’d take you if you were stronger, but I won’t risk you as you are right now. Perhaps one day.”

Stacy huffed and stepped back, biting her lip as he had done.

“Just don’t vanish again like before. Mom and Dad are both doing better, but as you can guess, they didn’t come today because seeing you leave is always hard on them. It was even worse when they learned you would be leaving our world again. Mom can’t get over how she feels about you being so far away.”

A knot that he had ignored inside his chest tightened.

“I feel the same way. Trust me, I hope one day this won’t be required but honestly… I’m certain someday everything may change.”

“When you defeat the tower?”

Nodding, Max pointed at Callie.

“Someday, she is going to have to grow up, and when she does, we’ll both be able to be there, helping her choose the path she wants.”

“Woah there… let’s not talk about her growing up already,” Stacy said. “I’m not wanting to walk in the door tomorrow and find her starting to work on skills or classes just yet. Let’s let her enjoy the good life you’ve given us for a while. Besides, we both know you’re going to be her favorite uncle.”

“I’m her only uncle,” Max proclaimed.

Shaking her head, Stacy grinned. “Not anymore. Now she has a hairy dwarf for one as well.”

***

Tom groaned as he looked over the stack of papers Everett had given him.

Max tried to not smile too much, watching the one responsible for helping him to hone his fighting technique on the sparring grounds seem to struggle with the other part of running a Faction.

“You know you have help,” Everett said as he pulled a few more items from a chest that was sitting on a table behind the desk. “I’ve spoken with Alfreda, and she will take care of all the materials members bring in. All you need to do is keep the peace, deal with the new applicants, ensure the bills for the building projects are paid on time, keep track–”

“Stop!” Tom cried out, closing his eyes as he leaned back in his chair. “I’ve read the lists… I want to sign up for this trip as well. Find someone else to do this. Someone with a better business sense.”

“Unfortunately, there is no one but you that I trust with everything,” the grey-headed leader declared. “If there were, I’d have already offered them the job. We both knew this day would come at some point.”

Grunting, Tom opened his eyes and glared at his friend.

“No… You always said it would. I promised to quit and find a group to return to the tower with.”

Both men said nothing momentarily, eyes locked in a battle of gazes until Tom gave in and looked away.

“Tell me you’ll make his life difficult on the other world.”

Max shrugged. “I doubt it will be rainbows and mugs of alcohol. The truth is I need to find out what we can do to ensure the place runs without problems. My real desire is to find a way to communicate with them on a better basis and maybe find a partner in managing this world. Had I thought about it, I would have asked Phaius about that.”

“ I would have asked Phaius about that ,” Tom mimicked, shaking his head. “Now he acts like he and the gods are drinking buddies.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“Oh, what I wouldn’t give to taste what they drink,” Everett declared, smiling as his eyes started to move, looking up at nothing. A few seconds later a bottle of alcohol both men recognized appeared in his hand, and he moved to the desk and set it down.

“This is yours for taking over this job for me. Try to not drink it all in one day.”

Tom’s eyes grew wide as he sat up in the chair and slowly reached out his hand toward the crystal bottle.

“You’re certain?”

Nodding, Everett motioned to it and moved around the desk to sit beside Max.

“I am. Now then, anything else I can give advice-wise before we leave tomorrow?”

“Nothing that I’m aware of right now,” the Faction trainer replied. “I’m certain the moment you’re gone I’ll have a dozen questions to ask.”

“Erwini has offered to help and a few of the council members will stop by in the coming weeks to give aid if needed. Just know they see this as a test run. Perhaps they might offer you the job before I get back.”

Taking the alcohol from the desk, a glass appeared in Tom’s hand, and he started to pour a finger’s worth of drink.

“I win,” Max replied with a grin.

“What?” Tom asked, glancing at the two men.

Groaning, Everett pulled out a gold coin and flicked it to Max who caught it in the air.

“You bet on this?”

“Of course,” Max replied, putting on a show with the gold coin as it tumbled across the top of his fingers to disappear and reappear over his pointer finger and start its path again. “I told him he wouldn’t make it a minute before you poured a drink. Everett was certain you’d wait till we left or at least offer us all a drink.”

Tom’s middle finger appeared, and he chuckled, lifting the glass with his other hand to his lips.

“I guess I better make sure you win that bet then.”

***

A quarter moon hung in the night sky, the wind blowing softly over the training area.

Lightstone lanterns cast their shadows along the path that led from the gate to the different buildings, only a few guards were present as the group said goodbye to each other.

Max’s parents still hadn’t come, and he knew that Stacy was right. The thought of saying goodbye was too much for them at the moment.

He watched as Tom embraced everyone, making jokes and laughing as Everett tried to shoo him away.

“You ready for this?” Tanila asked, moving to hold Max’s hand.

Taking a deep breath, he nodded.

“We both know I’ve been anxious about this for a while. I can’t stand being responsible for so many lives. Especially when I’m not there to do anything to help.”

“That’s what I love about you,” she said, pulling him closer. “Inside you beats a heart bigger than anyone else I know. Just relax. We’ll be there in a moment. Just one last stop right?”

Rubbing his chest with his free hand, Max nodded.

I can feel the tug now from Rakonath. It’s weird how much it has grown since coming back to Peltagow. Being closer I guess does it.

Only time will tell. You’re certain you want to leave him and Aerthen in the other world if things are safe?

The options are limited, especially if there is another dragon hunting him here. I would hope that her strength and the knowledge that I personally support her might cause those who live on that world and visit it to pause any intentions of evil.

Because we both know there is nothing better than bringing another dragon to a world to rule it right after they were basically enslaved by one before.

We discussed this…

Yes. Familiarity is a powerful thing. Perhaps this time it will be advantageous.

After Tom's last hug was given, everyone gathered around Max.

“Make sure you’re touching me. Everyone ready?”

All of them nodded as they put their hands on his upper body. When he sensed that they were touching, Max activated his skill.

[ Travel - Waypoint ]

A wave of heat came and then vanished a few seconds later, a presence of a silver dragon rushing toward him filled his sonar.

MAX!

Laughing, he stepped forward, freeing himself from the small circle of his friends. Holding out his arms, Rakonath came near.

“Ogre nuts! You’ve grown!”

A grin appeared on the young dragon’s maw, and he pulled up just short of colliding with Max, lowering his head.

I have you to thank for that. I think in another week or two I will have finally completed my absorption of that elf you gave me. She has started forming a very nice core inside me!

“Use your words,” Aerthen said as the red dragon moved toward the group, her form starting to shrink from her normal gigantic state.

“A… two dragons…” Everett said, glancing between the pair. “I mean… you told me… but…”

“I’m going to have to put a limit on the number of people you keep bringing here,” Aerthen said, now in her humanoid form. “Unless of course you’re bringing me one to eat.”

Everett took a step back, and everyone started to howl with laughter as it took him a moment to realize the joke that had been played on him.

“I like him,” the red dragon declared as she moved to where Max was and held out her hand. “Still, I’m a bit anxious about leaving this place. It has been my home for so long.”

“You don’t have to go,” Max replied, his fingers scratching the scales of his dragon’s jawline, getting trills in return.

“And miss out on something all of my kind would gladly experience? Never!”

“She’s been talking about this for the last week since you came and checked on us,” Rakonath said. “And to think she accuses me of acting foolish.”

A growl that seemed to vibrate the air came from Aerthen as she glared at the silver dragon, flashing a toothy smile when he lowered his head slightly after her response.

“It seems dragons aren’t above… uh… tail wagging about whose is bigger,” Fowl teased, moving to where Max was and holding out a fresh quarter of a cow that had just been butchered this morning.

“I like him,” Rakonath declared before using his tongue to free the gift from their warrior's hand.

Shaking his head, Max sighed and chewed on his lip a moment as he looked at everyone.

An old Faction leader… two dragons… and a tower party. What in the world am I worried about?

Do you want me to go over the list or–

It was rhetorical and you know it.

Laughter echoed inside his skull.

Oh, I know, but I enjoyed sensing the way you reacted to my statement. Now, let’s stop this waiting and go. I’m tired of how anxious you are.

‎