Ultimate Level 1

“Gods Max, you and the stuff you always show… a dragon egg?”

Nodding, he let each of them touch it, their eyes wide and hands trembling as the hard outer silver shell almost seemed to vibrate as each of them drew near to it.

“It’s going to hatch soon, isn’t it?” Batrire asked.

“Yes, and I’m still not sure where to take it. It will need someone or another dragon to watch over it and help protect it.”

“Uh… quick question,” Cordellia asked as she looked around the egg that was approaching the size of Fowl. “You’re not planning on keeping it as a pet, are you?”

Chuckling he shook his head.

“It’s hard enough caring for a dwarf warrior, I can’t imagine the problems we would face trying to keep others from killing a baby dragon. There is no telling how much it will eat and what will be required for it to learn. All things I’m not sure of. Now then, if you don’t mind, I need to put it in storage again. It slows down the hatching, but soon I won’t be able to stop it. The chest that Igarra had it in was different. I only wish I could have kept it, but there was no way to store it. All this different kind of dimensional magic is so weird.”

Fowl’s thick fingers traced the egg, his eyes never leaving the silver treasure.

“Still… a dragon… a baby dragon. You have no idea what this would mean to a dwarf.”

Snorting, their warrior nodded.

“The king would pay everything you asked for such a pet… yet… now I know it’s not a pet.”

“When did you go and get smart?” Batrire teased as she winked at her man.

“Bah, woman, stop that. You know I put a single point in intelligence!”

Everyone laughed, and Max turned to study Tanila, who was still shaking her head slightly, one hand on her stomach the other on the dragon egg.

“You okay?”

She nodded and smiled.

“So much life lately. It feels weird after having been doing nothing but killing in the tower nonstop and now… I guess it’s just the motherly side of me I never imagined.”

“You’ll be a fine mother,” Batrire said, moving to hug her friend. “Hopefully, this child has hair, though.”

Everyone laughed as Max lifted the egg, trying to ignore how it shook every time he touched it.

“Soon, you can be free. For now, rest, little one. I’ll find you a home.”

Having stored the egg, he swapped it out for a sheet of paper and placed it on the table they had been gathered around.

“Okay, now down to business. You’re good to go if you want to explore the town today. Go in sets of two, and you should be fine. No going off alone.”

Everyone nodded, and Max then tapped the buildings he had sketched out on the paper.

“We’re going to set up here for the show. I’ve secured a spot with our gracious host for a small fee. I told him one of my companions was excited to see a Choosing Day for humans, and he was more than happy to make it work. I’m not certain what may or may not happen, but we won’t act unless we need to.”

“By need to, you mean someone is declared unskilled?” Fowl asked.

“Correct. I won’t let them ruin another person’s life. My real hope is that no one suffers that fate. Still, I want to talk with those who come today. There are a few questions I need to ask.” 𐍂ã𐌽Ｏ₿Èŝ

Tanila made a tsking sound but said nothing when they looked at her.

“We’re vastly more powerful than anyone in town, so if something does happen, please don’t get flagged, but also don’t worry about it if you do. No one is going to harm you. Trust me.”

“Trust me, he says,” Batrire snorted. “Like I’m pretty sure not many in the three kingdoms could give you any trouble.”

Shaking his head, Max frowned.

“I wouldn’t bet on that. I’m confident some out there can. The problem is not knowing who until that moment comes. For now, this is just to ensure my sister has no problems. After that moment, then things will go sideways.”

Fowl coughed and scratched his beard.

“You’re certain you want to cause problems?”

“I want answers. The problems only come if they don’t answer. You don’t have to be a part of this if you aren’t comfortable with it.”

Shaking his head, their warrior frowned.

“I wouldn’t dream of not supporting or helping you in this cause. I believe it’s the right one, but it’s a road we can’t return from. Still, had this been something my people dealt with, I know for a fact you’d help Batrire and me.”

“I’m with Shorty,” Cordellia said with a grin.

Sighing, Max nodded and then took the paper and stored it.

“Well then, with that settled, I have one last thing to do today, and after that I’ll be done.”

Four bags of coins appeared in his hand, and he tossed one to each of his party members, who all grinned as they opened them up.

“Why are you giving me a bag of gold?” Fowl asked. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“Profits from our regents back in Rumstant. I forgot to give, and since you might end up wanting to shop today, I made certain to remember and give them.”

“But I didn’t have any part of that,” Cordellia said. “Why give me some?”

“You’re family, and that’s what family does. Besides, you have a large amount ready to draw upon, Everett said. All of you actually do.”

“Like, how much is a large amount?” Batrire asked, her teeth showing between her beard as she smiled.

“A little under five thousand each.”

Coughs and sputtering came from both dwarves and their archer as they tried to comprehend such a vast amount just casually tossed out.

“Five thousand! I have five thousand gold?!” Fowl exclaimed.

“A little under, but yes,” Max replied with a wink. “Don’t go spending it yet, though! You got a wedding to prepare for, and from what I’ve been told, it ain’t cheap, and as the groom, you’re expected to pay for most of it.”

One moment, Fowl was smiling like he had won a jackpot; the next, his face went white as he turned to see Batrire rubbing her hands together.

“I’m going to have one of the greatest weddings our kingdom has ever seen!” she cackled.

“Dear Ockrim, please kill me,” their warrior cried out.

***

“I must say we don’t get many requests for a private room, but based on your ranking and desire to keep your presence a secret, we shall make this exception for you.”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Max nodded. As the guild attendant left, shutting the door behind him, Max stared at the shard, which was smaller than all the others he had seen.

It barely resonates with power. This one feels like a dim connection to the system.

Are you sure you want to attempt this? Aren’t you worried about the problems this might cause?

The plan that you want requires a few things. I’m willing to take the risk, and I doubt anyone besides those who may act in time will notice at first. As long as I don’t spend too much time we should be fine.

Max moved to the skill shard surrounded by a metal frame without waiting any longer. The piece of crystal was barely bigger than both of his hands and had enough protection wrapped around it to ensure someone didn’t just walk off with it.

Gone was the fear that had once overwhelmed him.

I’m ready.

Then touch it and let me see what we can do.

Both hands touched the cool surface, and a moment later it turned warm as lines of notifications began to scroll by.

***

[ Connection Rejected - Entity does not meet - ]

[ Connection Override ]

[ Max Hoste ]

[ 19…. ]

[ Connection Terminated ]

[ KHLF4 U5ER ]

[ Backdoor Connection Acquired ]

[ System Access Granted ]

[ System Access Noticed ]

[ Attempting to Evade ]

[ Prepare for Integration Transport ]

Pain erupted in Max’s mind, and his eyes felt like they were going to melt from a bright light that raced toward him.

****

We need to move. Quickly.

Blinking, the pain that had been there was gone, and Max’s mind felt crushed by what he was witnessing.

Every color imaginable and then some streaked by him, all twisted and intertwined together. Different strands raced off in other directions, a vast web of colored lines.

Where?… what?…

We are inside the system. This is what I see when I am here.

Only then did Max realize they were moving, and he wasn’t in control of whatever body they were in.

How come I cannot control anything?

This isn’t your domain. It is mine.

Bob’s reply felt weird, but as they raced along a strand of lights that stretched like a road, pulsating with power, they turned sharply, and something streaked by, barely missing them.

His skill raced to the edge of the strand they were on and then leapt into darkness, suddenly streaking across an empty void until Max realized they were hurtling toward another strand of light further away.

What was that?

A part of the system is designed to lock on to us and track us so they can determine who we are and why we are here. Now be quiet for a moment. I need to see what I’m looking for.

As they landed on the street, a whole world began to appear: blocky buildings, each with letters and numbers that started to reveal themselves to Max’s new skill.

Planet 4-92819-069 List

System Skill Sets

Rules for Skill Sets

Entity List

Bob streaked past them, and unable to turn and look more, Max began to understand a portion of what his skill had discussed before.

Up there, do you see that?

A muscular, glowing black hand and arm appeared in their vision, pointing to a building that shined brighter than the others. It was surrounded by many lines of energy that pulsed in every direction.

What is it?

Where we need to be in order to access something. Now we don’t have much time. Hold on.

Max wanted to ask Bob what he meant, but one moment, the buildings next to him streaked by so fast that they seemed to blur into a solid line. Even though he didn’t think this body was real, a sensation of nausea came over him, and Max found that they were flying toward a set of windows, large red bars pulsating with power over them.

How can we fit—

Watch.

[ System Manipulation - Phase ]

The wall near the bars turned translucent, and their approach pattern adjusted. They moved through the wall into a room lined with a dozen large crystals, each similar to the one their Faction had.

All of them were connected through thick strands of light that flowed into the floor and then vanished.

This one. Now then, let me see if we can do what I want.

Bob moved to the one his attention had been focused on, dodging certain parts of the floor, which seemed weird until Max recognized that traps were littered around them.

Two black hands reached forward and touched the crystal, causing it to change color from the clear one it had been a moment ago to black like the hands that held it.

A high-pitched noise appeared in his head, unlike anything he had ever heard before, and a steady stream of information tried to overwhelm him.

It’s too much! I can’t—

Quiet! I need to focus!

Something was happening, and whatever it was, he could sense that Bob was doing it. The stream of data that flew by was immense, and it came in thousands of different languages. He could catch just a glimpse of some, and he was almost able to read and understand them. Others were beyond whatever skill he had, still a mystery.

Then, a section of data appeared, and the language was nothing like Max had ever imagined. Each one was like a twenty-sided object, with different runes, symbols, images, and lines denoting things.

Whatever language Bob was using, he navigated through it with a precision that made Max marvel at how his skill enabled him to do whatever he was doing.

Then the spheres shifted and changed, moving around until everything began to pull back and his vision returned to normal.

A wave of exhaustion hit, and Bob almost stumbled.

Are you okay?!

Yes… that was… harder than I thought. We need to go. They are coming for us.

Who? Who is coming?

One of the five.

***

The throbbing pain in his temple was still there, and Max found himself leaning against the stone shard. His body ached as if he had been beaten by a stick for hours on end.

What?… What happened? I can’t remember…

That last part was too painful. I couldn’t dodge the attack, and so… I need to rest. Do not worry. When Choosing Day comes, a trap has been set. I… I should be fine by then .

Bob! What did you do?

Laughter came inside him, making the throbbing pain slightly worse.

You’ll see… watch the color of the gem…

Max started to call out, asking more but he sensed that Bob had disappeared. Like when Tanila was really asleep, he could sense the change in her breathing, his skill was doing the same.

“God damn you Bob…”

Turning, Max moved to the door.

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