Ultimate Level 1

“Seth Pendal!”

Max couldn’t help but grin as he saw Bardunac shuffling toward him, the inside of the alchemist shop now looking like it had been spruced up.

Giving a small wave, the five of them stood there amidst the rest of the people who were waiting in line to speak with one of the three workers at the stone counter.

“You’ve gotten bigger, and your eye! It’s healed!”

“It has, and it appears you are doing really well for yourself!” Max exclaimed. “Even better, you have a beard again!”

Every one of the dwarf’s teeth showed as he began to stroke the braided blond beard.

“Yes! Not only that, but I’ve found a way to help keep it shiny and soft!”

“Shiny and soft?!” Fowl asked, moving past Max to get closer to their alchemist friend.

“Yes! Normally I charge for those first few bottles, but you four have earned them and…” Bardunac paused, looking at Cordellia, a single bushy eyebrow raising as he did. “New member?”

“Pleasure to meet you!”

She came forward and shook the alchemist’s hand before stepping back with the others.

“Now then, do you have more items for me? Have you come to collect the money you’ve earned?”

“A little bit of both,” Max answered with a small wink. “Do you got somewhere… a little more private?”

Grinning, he led them to a back room, informing his workers he would return soon.

After the door was shut and the dwarf ran his hand along some runes that glowed, he turned and motioned to a stone counter in the middle of the ten-by-ten room.

“Sorry it’s a bit cramped, but I don’t usually have more than one or two people in here with me at a time.”

“No worries. Can I put stuff on the counter?”

After sensing the nod, Max moved to it and stood there tapping the stone, sensing a barrier between it and his fingers.

“Magical barrier to keep things from ruining the counter?”

Bardunac’s eyes widened before he grinned. “Should I ask how you know that?”

“You could but it doesn’t matter. I’ve got a few things for you, and since you were kind enough to start us off on our journey, I wanted to show you something most won’t ever get a chance to work with.”

Pulling out a backpack, Max donned a pair of alchemist gloves he had acquired and reached in. A second later a large liver as long as Max appeared in both hands, and he carefully set down the wet and squishy organ.

“Dear gods! Is that really a—”

“Dragon’s liver? Yes.”

Bardunac’s hand trembled as he reached for it before stopping a few inches away.

“Bah, I need gloves!”

Seconds later, they were on, and he began to touch it, inspecting it all over.

“How? When? Where? I mean… no reports of dragons being killed or anything that would have something this size is anywhere in our kingdom! And you… you brought me this?! Why?”

Max moved around till he could see the dwarf, his mouth still open as a hand rested on the organ.

“You did us right. I checked the bank. All the gold has been put in every month, and based on the amount in the account, you have done well for both of us.”

Snorting, Bardunac shook his head.

“I gave you my word! What kind of dwarf would I be if I broke it?”

“An oath-breaker,” Fowl chimed in.

“Exactly! I wouldn’t want my family name to carry that tarnish! But still… you could sell this for…”

Max couldn’t help but grin as the dwarf’s mouth began to lower, and his eyes widened even more, the skin on his face bunching up and creating waves of wrinkles near his hair.

“Seth… Seth Pendal… the tower climber… the one who defeated four elves all by himself in the arena—”

“Just three,” he corrected the stuttering alchemist.

“That’s you?! I mean… the name seemed foolish, and I often wondered how many of you damn humans were running around with that name… You! You are the one they are talking about!”

Nodding slowly, Max ignored the groans and eye-rolls he felt coming from his allies.

“Please, for the love of Ockrim, don’t help his head get any bigger,” Batrire pleaded. “We can barely get his helmet on as it is.”

Laughter echoed in the stone room, and Bardunac took a few moments to compose himself, smacking his mouth as he stared at the group.

“But… you have a faction. Surely they could use this!”

“They have one,” Max informed him. “Besides I wanted you to have this. We all talked about it, and they agreed if you had kept your word, we wanted to give you this and a few other items to help you out.”

“More?!”

“Take a look.”

Bardunac moved with a speed that seemed unnatural for a dwarf of his size, and was at the backpack, peering inside.

“Holy elf tits…”

“A cultured dwarf!” Fowl exclaimed before breaking out in a grin.

“You… you can’t be serious,” the alchemist stuttered. “I mean… the—”

“It’s yours, Bardunac. I only have one request.”

Swallowing and turning to see Max, the dwarf nodded.

“Anything!”

Sighing, Max shook his head.

“I’d prefer you not to agree until you hear what I say. Regardless, I want you to send healing potions to a dwarf in Windsor Wheel. His name is Pete, and he runs the Stuffed Goblin inn. I’ll tell him to expect some, and they don’t have to be major ones, just minor ones to help new adventurers have a better chance at surviving.”

“Just healing potions?” Bardunac asked as he turned his head sideways, eyes flickering between everyone in the group. “Not gold? Not something better?”

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“I don’t have that request, but you can do more if you want. I’m a fan of paying it forward.”

“Yes! Absolutely! And I… I’ll find other things that might help!”

Nodding, Max moved to where his dwarven alchemist was and extended his gloved hand.

“Then consider this deal done.”

Clasping Max’s hand with both of his, the dwarf shook it with every ounce of strength he had, smiling the entire time.

“Do you all need anything else? I’m not certain what I have would be worth it since you five are all… above tower floor fifty.”

“We are good, but thank you,” Tanila answered.

“Well then, one last thing at least!”

His gloves vanished, and Bardunac moved to where Fowl was and suddenly had two orange glass bottles appear.

“These are for your beards… the top one. Use it every three days after a good washing, and it will have a shine like mine.”

Taking the gifts, Fowl quickly pocketed one before handing the other to Batrire.

“Oh, I can’t wait to try this,” their healer exclaimed.

“When are you going to come back?”

Max frowned and then shrugged.

“Honestly, I don’t know, but if I can, I will. Just know I appreciate you helping us out when we were young in our adventuring careers.”

“You say that like it’s been a decade! It’s barely been close to a year!”

“That is correct. Now if you don’t mind, I know you have business to attend to, and we have a few other stops.”

As Max turned toward the door, he felt the dwarf’s hand coming for his arm.

“Uh… could you help me first?” Bardunac asked. “I can’t lift and store that liver.”

Laughing, Max turned and quickly picked up and stored the liver he should have realized might be difficult for most to lift.

“Sorry about that.”

“No worries… I guess this just shows how strong you have become.”

***

“I swear… if we stay here much longer, I’m going to turn into someone like Seth,” Cordellia groaned. “I mean… I’m giving archery lessons to new heroes.”

“Join the club,” Tanila fired back. “I’ve been helping the mages learn to practice, and Batrire has been teaching better healing rotations.”

Max sat there grinning as they reclined in a booth, giving nods and small waves at those who had learned about where they were staying.

“At least Dick’s growing. His place is about to burst.”

“Really, Fowl?” Batrire asked. “Did you just say that because you’re an idiot or—”

The smirk on their warrior’s face was all she needed to make her stop and sigh.

“Anyways,” Max chimed in. “I’m just waiting on one last thing, and then we can head out in two days. I ordered some things for Aimee and her father, and I don’t want to leave before they get here. Besides, I’m not the only one autographing stuff.”

Each of the others grinned and bobbed their heads.

“I think it’s cute you still want to help others, even though you’re some big shot now.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not why you think he’s cute,” Fowl stated as Tanila turned a little crimson in her cheeks.

“So two more days of showing off and signing my name to everything,” their ranger said. “I guess I can live with that. Any longer, and I’m going to be fat from all these treats that baker and his daughter keep giving us.”

After having spoken a carrot cupcake appeared in Cordellia’s hand, and she sighed before using a finger to dig into the frosting and depositing it on her lip.

“Gahhh… sooo good.”

***

“I can’t take this,” Baker Wright repeated again. “It’s too much.”

“Well, I’m not going to take them back, and they’ll just stay here on your counter or until someone else walks off with them,” Max replied.

“Stop being so mean and say thank you, Dad.”

Sighing, the larger man grinned, and his head slowly shook as he took in the ingredients lying on his counter.

“Thank you, Seth… I mean Max… damn, one day I’ll get your name right. But thank you, son. Really. It means more than you can imagine.”

Shaking the extended hand, Max winked at Aimee, who was grinning from ear to ear.

“These ingredients should help you earn a few extra experience points as well as cementing your status as the premier baker in town.”

Snorting, Baker Wright rolled his eyes and then cleared his throat.

“I’m fairly certain your reputation and the fact you come here almost every day has done that. I can’t keep up with the orders for my treats, and even when I raised the prices, people still wanted to pay for them.”

“Success comes to those who are kind. You, sir, are one of them.”

“Bah, he’s not kind. He’s a heartless taskmaster who works us to the bone now,” Aimee teased. “Do you not see the bags under my eyes from having to get up earlier just so he can sell more goods?”

Groaning, the baker couldn’t hide the smile that was on all three of their faces.

“The things I have to do to teach her about running a business. Being a taskmaster is one of them.”

***

“Max… you need to be very careful about how you use this knowledge. Trust me, the people who look into things are scared, and when they respond how they did, this isn’t a good thing.”

Rubbing his face, and trying to not let his frustration show, all Max could do was bottle it inside.

Bob… how much longer? I could use your help?

The presence was there, and yet it wasn’t. Whatever was happening, he couldn’t get a read on it.

“Sam, I appreciate you looking into this for me, but if it’s as bad as you say it is, stop.”

“I’m fine, no one is going to—”

“Stop asking about it, I’m serious. I don’t need another friend to get hurt, and I wouldn’t want to have to come back and get revenge because someone felt they could use you to get to me.”Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Muttering under his breath, the bookkeeper stroked his white beard a few times as each of them sat around the table in the private room of the warehouse.

“Whatever you’re messing with, if what you told me about how the queens responded, it’s bigger than you think.”

“Still... how can that be? I mean they’re the queens! Who could command that kind of power over them?”

“You already know the answer, and both of us know how much power that group holds.”

Nodding, Max glanced at the paper lying on the wooden table again.

***

- S

Don’t keep digging. This bone is buried deep. The AG has ears, and F is gone. Hopefully he didn’t suffer or talk.

- B

*****

Someone is dying for me and this bone… and I’m going to find out who and how.

“I’m serious, Sam,” Max said as he glared at his friend, picking up the paper and storing it. “I don’t need to learn you died from anything other than old age, which as we both know could happen at any second.”

“Ogre shite! I got at least a hundred more years left in me!” Sam exclaimed, slapping his chest a few times.

“I hope so… for your sake, I hope.”

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