Ultimate Level 1

“Fireball!”

Fowl’s shield blocked most of the spell as the fireball as wide as him struck, sending flames around his body.

Max and Tanila both unleashed an Ice Spear at the giant on the right, dropping it to its knees.

Cordellia had used her empower shot on the one on the left, piercing an eye and sending the fire giant into a state of rage and fury. It was sending a fireball every ten seconds at Fowl, some hitting and some missing as its vision was obscured.

The third giant was swinging its large flaming club at their tank, the sound of the impact filling the air.

“Sometime soon!”

Max was already moving, knowing their warrior needed help as he endured the attack of magic and melee. Fowl’s newest skill was paying dividends. His elemental skill granted nice resists yet even with the Demon and Dragon boon, getting any resists from armor was hard for most others. Choosing it had been the right call for his level fifty skill, allowing their tank to shrug off a good chunk of the damage.

These giants were smaller compared to the ice ones, standing only twelve feet tall, but still they wore chain armor that was heated to a point it almost burned one's hands while looting.

His halberd cleaved through the giant's knee as it started to swing downward at Fowl again.

The loss of its limb sent it crashing to the floor almost on top of the dwarf, but he managed to dodge out of the path, immediately assaulting the toppled giant with his hammer.

Max raced toward the one Cordellia was struggling with, sensing the boulder that was coming from the sky and racing at the one he and their mage had already weakened.

A fireball was forming, and Max grinned as his legs propelled him across the twenty yards between them in a heartbeat.

His weapon was death and before the giant could react, both legs were hacked off at the knees, sending the caster to the hot stone beneath it.

A single bounce was all the giant was granted before Max’s blade took off its head, cleaving it with ease. Cold ran through him and Max enjoyed the brief reprieve it granted.

[ 8 Intelligence Consumed ]

[ 8 Wisdom Consumed ]

[ Skill Consumed is Equal to Rank of Current Skill ]

[ Storing Power ]

Smiling, Max raced toward the other caster, sensing it was almost dead, and removed its head as well, enjoying another rush of cold.

[ 4 Intelligence Consumed ]

[ 4 Wisdom Consumed ]

[ Skill Consumed is Equal to Rank of Current Skill ]

[ Storing Power ]

Frowning, Max grumbled to himself, knowing he had just capped out the stats in those two areas, sprinting toward the last giant and wanting to see what he was going to get from it.

“Hey!” Fowl exclaimed as Max came over and finished off the giant the dwarf had been beating to death.

[ 7 Strength Consumed ]

[ 7 Constitution Consumed ]

“Sorry, I wanted to see something,” Max replied, ignoring the frown he spotted on his friend's face.

“That wasn’t too bad!” Batrire called out as she came toward them. “I barely had to heal Fowl.”

“Whose cursing what now?”

Snorting, she ignored Fowl’s question and pointed at the fallen corpses.

“Remind me again who gets the task of harvesting those?”

Max and Fowl both immediately shook their heads.

“We’ve done our share. It's someone else's turn,” Max replied. “You three can figure that out while I scout a little.”

Groans came from the three women, and Max laughed as he began moving toward the town and the next pack of giants.

I’m glad for once I don’t have to harvest those ball sacks… then again, I’ve never seen someone so excited at how many we bring. Alfreda is always ecstatic when we bring back sacks of them.

Putting the thought of the older elf woman and what she must be making with all the testicles they retrieved out of his mind, Max focused on the scouting ahead.

***

The giants were denser, with packs of two or three every seventy yards or so. A few pairs or trios were inside the houses and if it hadn’t been for Max’s sonar skill and the windows, he would have found out that fact the hard way.

As he began moving back toward the group, Max almost tripped, seeing another group of five facing his group. Getting closer, his eyes realized what he saw.

Elves!

Jogging toward them, Max had his weapon stored, ready in a moment to move and react if needed.

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Batrire turned slightly when he got close and saw the glances of the other group, along with a few frowns appear for a moment.

“I’m telling you this is not the path you want to continue down,” Max heard Tanila say as he got in range of them with his sonar. “Doing so will not end the way you think it will.”

The Elven man before her, who was wearing some very nice plate armor, laughed and shook his head.

Max wanted to already hit the elf because of the way he smirked and leered at Tanila.

“This isn’t a fight you can win. I’m here simply to convey a message and trust me, you do not want to be on the bad side of who this comes from.”

Those blue eyes cut from her to Max as he joined his party, seeing each of the elves bristle at his approach.

“I’m assuming you’re here to see me,” Max said as he came to a stop next to Tanila.

A snort and roll of the eyes from the male elf immediately set Max’s mood to pissed and the rage he felt inside was beginning to boil over.

This is a moment you can choose to let me handle.

That thought almost made him visibly wince, but he fought it off, knowing that such an expression would only fuel the elf’s attitude.

“We have been told you are going to join the challenge in the colosseum next week. It would not be wise for you to do so,” the warrior said, his tone sounding like he considered Max worth less than an animal. “There are others who have claimed you already and I would prefer to avoid the hassle of having to deal with them over one like you.”

Max glanced at Tanila, who was visibly trembling. Her hand was on her wrist, moving slightly to where her bracelet was that hid who she really was.

Slowly, Max put his hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze.

“And if I ignore that? Then what?”

Those blue eyes seemed to burn with anger as the elf frowned, moving closer to Max until they were less than twelve inches apart.

“Then I would tell you to say your goodbyes. Trust me when I say you will die and it will not be in a manner anyone wishes to endure.”

Max wanted to punch the elf in the face. His smug look was grinding on him and the fact the man continued to push closer only made the whole thing worse.

As he began to reply, Max felt the presence of three others entering the area of his sonar. They were stealthed and moving quickly from where the entrance of the dungeon was.

“Tanila. You four back up now. No questions.”

He turned and saw her shake his head but he leaned in close.

“Three stealthed and coming. Only help if I need it. You’ll know.”

One of the elves nearby spat when he moved close to Tanila but as soon as he pulled away, she began backing up, giving him room and motioning at the others who did the same.

Max could sense their fingers tightening into fists. He knew his party was ready to react and respond in a moment.

“Ten more yards,” Max said, smiling as the elf who had been standing in his personal space also backed up a few yards.

“Do you really plan on taking on all of us by yourself?” he asked. “Surely you can’t be that stupid.”

The three were coming quickly and Max heard the laughter in his head. His skill knew his thoughts and saw and felt everything he did. One of the ones stealthed was flagged. How they had made it into the tower as such was hard to imagine, but if he had learned anything, Max knew there was a group that wanted him dead. Apparently even enough to be this foolish in a tower.

These elves are higher in the tower, but surely you can sense they are nothing compared to us. I am here if you need. Either way someone today dies.

The party of five elves had moved back about fifteen yards, the speed at which they seemed to glide across the open ground told Max a lot about their stats. They were most likely in the same tower levels as Dexic. Their gear appeared to be high quality but what really bothered him was the speed at which the stealthed one moved.

His halberd appeared in his hand and Max shook his head.

The three who were stealthed moved between the group, the one who was flagged as a murderer on his left. That elf moved quicker than the other two, racing against a timer, but also with a speed that told him they had to be either well equipped or at the same floor level as these other elves.

Am I really that much of a threat? To send this much power after me… after us…

Soon… soon they shall all learn how great we are. How strong you and I have become.

Time seemed to slow down. The smirks each elf displayed on their smug faces told Max they all knew what was coming. Not one of them had reacted when he moved his friends back or pulled out his weapon. They were absolutely certain he was about to die and perhaps all of his friends if they tried to intervene.

The problem with a sword and dagger is the reach.

For the one coming to attack from his left side, Max also knew he had them well out classed.

The moment they were within range and Max knew there was no chance for the rogue to dodge, he acted.

Stealth engaged, and a split second later, his weapon slashed through the air.

He came out of stealth almost as immediately as he had entered it, almost appearing to simply vanish from one's sight as if they had blinked a little too long.

Next to him a female elf appeared, her body sliced in half from her shoulder, through her chest and out her opposite lower side.

The smallest trickle of cold came over him.

[ Consume has Consumed a Higher Rank Skill ]

[ Stealth - Rare has been upgraded to Stealth - Epic ]

The other two who were stealthed froze.

Each of the other five likewise reacted differently. Two swords appeared from the elf who had been talking down to him, scowling while the other four stood there, mouths open and in shock.

“Perhaps you should make sure someone isn’t wearing a ring of see invisibility when you send an assassin who is a murderer,” Max growled as he pointed his halberd slowly in the direction of the other two. “I can see you as well. Unless you want to join her, I suggest you drop this charade and go.”

Immediately two elves unstealthed, rage and hatred causing their eyes to shake. A male and female elf both stood ready to pounce, each holding a pair of daggers as they didn’t move otherwise.

“Epic stealth to last that long. That means you are all trained for one thing. Perhaps you’d learn I’m not an easy mark and your constant failed attempts have made me prepare for them. Now leave or I’ll gladly kill you both.”

Each of them smirked, glancing at each other and started to slowly surround him while the other five elves prepared for the moment they hoped for.

Behind him Max felt Tanila move her hand toward her wrist and he groaned slightly.

The eyes of the five facing them changed first and a second later all five were on their faces, putting them against the hot stone of the tower floor.

Both of the assassins saw in the corner of their eyes a glow and turned, seeing Tanila standing there, golden hair, golden eyes and radiating power.

They too joined the first five on the ground before their heart could beat twice.

“Tanila…” Max said as he felt her coming closer.

“You don’t have to fight every battle by yourself. It’s about time I got involved in this one.”

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