Ultimate Level 1

“What in an ogre’s tit are you doing?!”

Fowl’s words never sounded sweeter as Max felt the fight go out of all three of them for a moment before each of them began fighting again.

“Fowl? Cordellia? Batrire? Are you back?”

“Back?! What the hell are you talking about?” the dwarven warrior replied. “Why are you gripping me between your legs?”

Laughing, Max let go of Cordellia first who rolled off his chest and stood up quickly, glancing around and seeing Batrire tied up.

“What happened?” their ranger asked. “Where is Tanila?”

“And why the hell am I tied up?”

Max stood up and began untying their healer, seeing the looks of concern on each of their faces.

“She fought the boss and appears to have won,” Max replied as he cut the rope with a knife he pulled out. “You three were being mind controlled and tried to attack us, so I had to—”

Max held up a hand, stopping Batrire, who had just cut him off.

“Tanila said it was a Mind Reaver. You three were attacking me and trying to attack her, so I had to hold you down while she fought the boss.”

“Alone?! You sent her alone?”

Sighing again, Max shook his head before glaring at Cordellia and the way she was glaring at him.

“She told me to deal with you three and she would take care of the boss. It appears she was right. My only other options were to kill you all.”

Fowl grunted and gave a quick nod.

“Glad that didn’t happen,” the dwarf said before snorting. “Now I guess we’ll need to find where our hero is?”

Cordellia glanced at the two men before seeing Batrire shrug as the last of the rope fell from around her.

“Another day with this group,” their healer stated. “Fowl’s right though. We need to go check on Tanila. Her health is fine, so I’m guessing she’s probably looting whatever chest she found.”

“Gods no!” Fowl shouted as he raced toward the center of the boss floor, leaving Max to chuckle as he escorted the other two.

“You ok?”

Max nodded and gave Batrire a gentle squeeze on her shoulder.

“The only one I had to worry about was little miss biter over here,” he teased as he pointed a thumb at Cordellia.

“I don’t bite!”

“That’s what Fowl says, but he lies as well,” Batrire replied, causing their ranger to turn red in the face.

***

“You’re ok!” Max exclaimed as he raced to where Tanila was lying on the stone floor. “How do you feel?”

Smiling, and accepting his help to sit up, Tanila grabbed Max and drew him close, kissing him on the lips as the other three came towards them.

“I’m fine,” she whispered. “Thank you for trusting me with this.”

Coughing and clearing his throat, Max nodded and smiled.

“Perhaps I should let you fight more bosses by yourself,” he said as he pointed at the hole in the floor near her filled with some water. “What did you do that caused a hole that deep?”

“You could drown a dwarf in there,” Fowl muttered as he got close.

Tanila laughed and smiled.

“I’m just glad you four are okay. For now, let’s not ask any more questions and just loot the chest. If I’m honest, I really need to get back and take a nap.”

Everyone nodded and moved toward the clear crystal chest they had seen when they were approaching. The pedestal was gone, now replaced with a massive clear chest.

Emblazoned in red was an image of the Mind Reaver with red runes lining the top and bottom area around it.

“I’m assuming as the one who beat the boss, you get to open the chest,” Max said as he gave Tanila a gentle push on her back toward the chest.

Sighing, she moved over and pushed the lid open, looking in first before stumbling a step and grabbing the edge.

“What is it?” Batrire asked as she moved behind her friend. “Are you ok?”

“Look inside,” Tanila replied, her voice cracking as she spoke.

Each of them looked at what had surprised their mage, gasping at the loot waiting for them.

Two items waited for Tanila. One was a necklace with a heart shape on it. The other was a pair of slippers that almost looked like glass. Batrire, Fowl, and Cordellia each had a clear ring waiting for them. Max had a necklace that looked like Tanila’s. There was one bracelet that each of them could roll on, but in the chest that had everyone's attention was a potion no one but Tanila seemed to recognize. Inside were also six red crystals.

“What is that?” Fowl asked. “It’s not like the others.”

The glass was filled with a dark red substance, but there was no doubt it had to be rare for Tanila to act as she had.

“If I’m right, we need to not take it,” their mage whispered. “If one of you inspects it and it is what I think it is, things won't go well.”

“Then what do we do with it?” Batrire asked, frowning at the way Tanila’s face seemed bunched together.

“I’ll take it and destroy it over there, away from everyone. That way, no one will wonder if I stole it.”

“But what if it isn’t what you think it is?” Fowl asked. “Then we are destroying something amazing.”

Tanila turned and smiled softly at Fowl, who shifted under her gaze.

“IF it isn’t what I believe the potion to be, then I will bring it back and we can decide who gets it. You trust me, right?”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

He nodded and cleared his throat.

Tanila reached in, pulled out the clear vial with the red liquid and moved away.

That is something we could use. To destroy it is a waste.

What is it?

Some would say evil. Others would say power. It just depends on which side you stand on when everything is over.

There was no hint of trying to be sneaky or deceptive, but Max felt like he could understand whatever the potion had to be.

It took a moment, and then Max felt his eyes widening.

Does that add a red skill?

A slight chuckle came and a sense of something like a nod came over him.

“Seth?”

Batrire’s voice caused him to turn and look at their healer.

“Sorry, just watching and wondering like the rest of you,” he replied after clearing his throat. “Why don’t you three go ahead and loot while we wait on her?”

Max watched as Tanila dumped the liquid out onto the ground. She stepped back a few yards and then sent a fireball at it. She poured more power than usual to where the liquid was.

Tanila came back, smiling and acting as if nothing had been unusual at all.

“I guess that means it was what you thought it might be.”

She nodded and motioned to the rings each of the three held.

“So, what are the stats?”

Fowl grinned, and content with her answer, held his up.

“I get twenty-five strength, constitution and intelligence. Best yet is that the ring has a skill called Formidable Mind which is supposed to prevent me from being mind controlled.”

Both of the other two women gasped and started shaking their heads.

“Mine’s the same thing.”

“Same here,” Cordellia said. “This is a pretty big boon.”

Max motioned to the chest and to Tanila.

“You can go ahead and I’ll wait. I don’t mind going last.”

She nodded and reached in, pulling out a pair of glass slippers, and smiled.

“Something a princess would have,” Batrire said with a groan.

Wrinkling her nose, Tanila nodded and stored them before having them appear on her feet, lifting up her robe and showing off the pair.

“For what they are, they feel amazing.”

Ignoring the applause Fowl and Max gave, she turned back to the chest and pulled out the necklace. It was a crystal chain with a crystal heart.

Her hands trembled as she held it for a moment and her eyes looked up at Max before smiling, putting the necklace in storage.

“That good?” Fowl asked, waiting for her to share the stats.

“Let’s just say I won’t share the details of this one right now.”

Grunting, Fowl motioned for Max to go who went and took the necklace and saw that it matched Tanila’s as well.

[ Inspect Necklace ]

*****

Bounded Heart

+50 Strength, Constitution, Dexterity

+10% Spell Potency

May be joined with another Bonded Heart. Doing so will share the stats of both necklaces. Once shared they may not be unbonded and will break if one of the pair dies.

Bonded

*****

Max stared at the necklace before looking up at Tanila for a moment. She smiled and nodded.

Putting his necklace away, Max grinned.

“Gods neither of you are going to share? That is so unfair!”

“What about the armband?” Cordellia asked, ignoring Fowl’s tirade.

“Honestly, I’m ok passing and letting everyone else roll for it,” Max replied.

“I’ll pass as well,” Tanila said.

Cordellia sighed and looked at the other two, who nodded. The three reached in and touched the spot, watching their faces appear and begin spinning like a top.

Slowly it slowed down and when it stopped, it had an ugly dwarven warrior face upon it.

“Woohoo!” Fowl exclaimed as he reached in, taking the item and grinning devilishly as he slipped it on.

Cordellia stood there, frowning and staring, until their dwarven warrior sighed.

“I’m not sharing anything,” he declared. “Sometimes a dwarf needs secrets.”

Batrire grunted and turned.

“Grab those crystals and let's get our mage home. She looks completely worn out.”

***

Max slowly brushed Tanila’s hair as she yawned, staring at her green eyes.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

A slight frown came, and she shook her head.

“No, but I understand even more now what it must be like for you,” she replied. “The feeling was overwhelming and intoxicating. The amount of power I could have if I gave in would be dangerous.”

“And the potion was one for gaining a red skill, wasn’t it?”

Tanila winced and nodded.

“I’m assuming your skill told you that. Only maybe a dozen people in this world would know what that potion could provide. Had I drunk it, most likely it would have upgraded my red skill or given me a second one. Neither being something I want.”

Max smiled and pulled out his necklace.

A slight crack ran down the middle, where they had joined a section of each of their hearts.

“Part of me wished we had some sort of ceremony or something, but I know why you didn’t want to tell the others about this.”

She nodded and pulled hers out, thumbing the area that matched his.

“You are what helped me to defeat that boss. One day I’ll tell you what I’ve endured and suffered, but know that no matter how much the world might offer me power and protection, if it means losing you, I’ll always pass on that.”

Max smiled and moved closer, drawing her hand to his lips and giving them a kiss.

“And now you know exactly how I feel about you.”

She sighed and nodded, closing her eyes slowly.

“If you don’t mind, I really need to sleep.”

Max grinned and moved slightly, kissing her on the lips before letting her roll over and moving up next to her.

As Tanila’s breath slowed down and she went to sleep, Max found himself thinking about what she must have faced and how hard of a task it had to have been.

It bothered him to know she faced the same struggle.

Power was so tempting, but what was the point of having it if it meant you were alone?

Closing his eyes, he joined her in the worlds of dream, content that both of them shared a heart.

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