Ultimate Level 1

“We need to hurry!”

Max was shouting at the rest of the team as the faction house looked like an ant hill with people scurrying everywhere.

“Which gate?” Fowl shouted as he ran down through the dining hall they had been eating in.

“South gate! We’ve got a portal stone down below, but we need to hurry!”

Tom was ushering the members who were around to the lower level of the Faction house toward the room that would send everyone who could go to the south gate.

“What kind are they?” Batrire asked as they ran past their trainer.

“Manticores! They cap at level forty, but with this break, rumor has them being closer to forty-five or fifty in some spots!”

Curses came as they ran through the stone hallway and found themselves packed into a room with two other groups, both newer ones that had joined in the last few weeks.

“That’s everyone!” Tom yelled from down the hall. “Send them!”

Max looked at Everett and Alfreda, the older woman who managed all the Faction’s crafting materials. They stood near a tiny gem that looked like the one back in the adventurer hall.

This room was a square room about fifteen feet wide and might hold two more parties before it was completely full. The same crystal ran along the wall, and one wall had a small indentation where the older two Faction members were standing, outside of the crystal square on the floor.

“Be safe! Use those poison potions and don’t die!” Alfreda shouted as Everett put both hands on a small crystal jutting from the wall near him.

The gem in the center of the room pulsed, and a bright light flashed.

“I’m going to be sick,” one of the dwarves from another party said before losing the food he had just been eating upstairs.

The sun was about two hours from setting, casting shadows and creating problems for the local citizens who were fleeing toward the safety of the gates. Shouting and yelling was coming from the line of people fleeing with their possessions, trying to reach the safety of the walls.

“Adventurers!”

Max and the rest turned, seeing a pair of guards who were standing near the spot they had appeared at.

“To the south! There are some smaller adventurers who have already ran out there but news is bad,” a female guard shouted as they moved toward her. “Most of the groups that arrived first are out there, but the monsters are above what they should be!”

“Any other factions yet?” Tanila asked as Batrire cast her buff.

“Not yet! You’re here a lot quicker than we expected!”

The two newer groups from their faction looked at them, waiting to hear what they were going to command.

“You two, stay close to each other, work this main road. Ensure the people get here safely. We’ll race ahead and work on clearing a path to the dungeon and defeat the boss!”

All of them nodded and began casting buffs before quickly running in the direction everyone was fleeing from.

“We don’t got time for this and I would rather not use my ability if I don’t have too. So forgive me,” Max said as he motioned at Tanila and Batrire.

“You’re seriously going to carry us?” their healer asked.

“And Fowl. We don’t have time. Only Cordellia can keep up and we need to go.”

A sigh came from their warrior who held his arms out sideways.

“Let’s get it over with,” he muttered.

Without waiting, Max scooped up both women, quickly setting them over his shoulder and ignoring the glances he got from the guards as he picked up Fowl.

With a speed that was only possible with the dexterity he and Cordellia had, they took off running, quickly catching up with the first two parties that were making their way through the streets.

“Be safe!” Cordellia shouted as they raced by, grinning as she saw their expressions.

“At least the manticores aren’t in town or the flying kind,” Fowl shouted. “That would be way worse!”

***

Outside of the city the farming area was fine for about another mile and then they saw the horde of manticores pressing against the adventurers that were answering the towns call for help.

Giant creatures about six feet tall with a lion's head and body and a large scorpion tail on the monster’s ass.

“They're getting overrun!” Cordellia shouted as her bow appeared in her hand.

“We can help for a minute or two, and then we need to head toward the dungeon! The longer we stay, the more that will come out. We’ll only hurt more people by helping longer!”

Max hated saying that, but Tom had already warned him at the beginning when the call came out. The man knew how much Max hated to see people in trouble, but also knew if he stayed too long, more people would be at risk of death and injury.”

Without slowing down, he raced toward the area where two groups had banded together, trying to fight the pack of four manticores that appeared too much for them.

A dozen yards from the group, Max dropped Fowl and quickly set down Tanila and Batrire.

Memories of what it had looked like when the other adventurers or Faction members had come and saved their lives played through his mind as his first swing sliced a manticore in half.

Within mere seconds of arriving, all four were dead, one killed by Fowl, another two killed by Cordellia and the last slain by Max.

“Thank you!” a male human warrior exclaimed as he gasped for air.

“Whose poisoned?” Batrire asked as she moved through their ranks.

As their healer began helping, Max swapped out his weapon for a bow and joined in the target practice with Cordellia, killing the other creatures that were within range, thinning the ranks of the monsters quickly.

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“I’m done!” Batrire shouted about thirty seconds later and Max turned, stowing his bow and looking at the two groups who appeared ready to drop from exhaustion.

“You all need to run to town. We’ve got the dungeon. Protect the city from the streets if you must, but don’t stay out here.”

“But–”

“No buts,” Max ordered as he moved to where Batrire was, ignoring the frown she had as she held her arms up slightly.

“Fight another day. You did your job. Leave the rest to us.”

A few nodded, and Max hoisted Tanila into place while grabbing Fowl.

“Let’s go!”

***

It took about ten minutes of running to reach the portal that was glowing green. Cordellia had killed at least a hundred manticores as they raced toward the dungeon, not even needing to slow down as she ran, raining down death with each shot.

“Hold on!” Max shouted as he ran into the portal.

Crystal lines ran through a rocky black canyon that was raised about fifty yards on each side. As soon as he zoned into the dungeon, his sonar recognized the incoming wave of creatures, headed toward them, seeking to exit from where he had just entered the dungeon.

Setting the three down, he pulled out his weapon and pointed at the pack of about thirty creatures racing toward them.

“Let’s clear and keep moving!”

Without waiting, Max raced toward the creatures, noticing that these had a darker hide, almost gray instead of the brown color the ones outside had.

Between the five of them, thirty of the beasts were dead in mere moments, unable to withstand the power they now possessed.

“I can cheat if we don’t want to fight!”

“How far can this go on for?”

Shrugging at Fowl’s question, Max pointed at the canyon that made a turn to the left about fifty yards ahead. He started moving towards it while yelling back at the rest.

“I have no idea, and this could go on for miles. Every second allows the creatures outside to move toward the capital and possibly kill another adventurer or citizen!”

It only took a second before Tanila’s voice rang out.

“Let’s cheat! We may need to fight in the next one and not have this option!”

Stowing his weapon, Max stopped and turned, seeing the other four moving to get near each other.

Smiling, he laughed as Fowl held out his arms and shook his head.

“It’s a good thing I like you or I’d kick your shins.”

Nodding, Max quickly had all three women on his shoulder and lifted Fowl off the ground.

“Hold on tight. I’m not sure how the spider walk will work with you all and I don’t want someone falling off.”

***

The canyon was over five miles long and the twists and turns of it made the entire party glad he cheated. What would probably have taken at least ten times or longer to get through was over in almost four minutes.

Sweat was beginning to form from the pace he was setting, but there was no time to complain. Each second meant the life of an innocent in his mind.

Having used a rope to descend to the green portal, Max killed a pack of thirty that had just come through it. This pack was black-skinned and at least a foot taller than the previous group they had killed.

“They’re getting stronger! I’ll clear the portal on the other side!”

Not waiting for them as the group slid down the rope, Max crossed through, finding himself now in a wide open plain area. The only light came from the half moon that was barely visible, hidden behind clouds. Even though he was in the middle of an open area, no wind was present.

Snarls came all around him and turning Max saw about a hundred yards away the next wave of manticores coming toward him, shimmering in the moonlight.

“Goblin shite, that's a lot of them!” Tanila said as her eyes adjusted.

“Even worse is I do not know where the portal to the boss room might be.”

His bow was releasing death and when Cordellia had made it through the portal, she began helping with the incoming threat.

“Which way?” Fowl asked as he stood there, ready to do something if a beast actually made it to them.

“I’m open for ideas!” Max replied as he shot another one through the heart.

Two more arrows sped from his bow, killing the closest manticore, leaving only about a dozen more that were now within thirty yards.

Fowl moved out to face a pair as they drew close while Talina speared one with her ice spell. Arrows and spells finished the last of this wave quickly.

“Time is important, but these plains could go on for miles in every direction. Do we split up? Is that even safe or worth it?”

Tanila’s question pained Max in a lot of different ways but she was right. Time was important and if they split up, twice as much ground could be covered. The problem was how to split the group and he wasn’t sure if a smaller team could defeat the boss.

“I can race around with my Haste and see what I can find, but I would prefer not to break us up if we don’t have to.”

“Then carry us again,” Fowl said, grunting as he flicked the blood from the two beasts he had killed off his weapon. “Time… that’s our real problem.”

Nodding, Max moved and loaded up everyone as usual.

“Hang on!”

Breaking into a run, Max made sure he was moving as fast as possible before activating the skill. Going from nothing to haste speed was never appreciated by the group.

[ Haste ]

The plains streaked by as he ran through openings in the lines of manticores all headed toward the portal they had just left. In almost thirteen seconds, he had covered a mile, a dust trail formed behind him as he raced ahead.

If I wasn’t carrying everyone, I could go even faster…

A black stone wall came into view after seventeen seconds and with no portal visible, Max turned left, trying to cover as much ground as possible before his ability ended.

Fowl was moaning and the three on his shoulders held on as he turned as safely as possible.

His haste spell faded and the world quickly came back into its normal speed, yet he didn’t set down anyone, not wanting to waste more time.

“Still nothing!” he shouted as he ran across the grassy plains.

“I may have puked!” Batrire shouted back.

Miles passed as he dodged the monsters of this zone, each one taking a little less than a minute.

After ten minutes, a red glow up ahead came into view and Max cursed, wondering if he had picked wrong and should have gone right instead of left.

“I think I found the portal!”

“Now find my stomach!” Fowl replied as they drew nearer to it.

With everyone standing and each of them taking a quick drink and preparing for what was inside, Max looked at Tanila who was frowning.

“A red portal…”

He nodded and motioned to it.

“We weren’t ready then. We are now.”

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