Ultimate Level 1-Chapter 442: Time to Party

“I still can’t believe you were flying on the back of a dragon,’ Fowl muttered as the whole party watched Sog’thollech take out another group of animals that seemed to overrun this floor.

“That’s what impresses him and not some demon who's killing everything.”

Max chuckled as their warrior and archer bantered back and forth, content to have his arm held by Tanila, gently rubbing her belly.

“She’s right,” Batrire said. “I mean… I knew… but seeing it… him doing that is a bit scary.”

Sog’thollech’s body wasn’t fully recovered. He had healed quite a bit since eating the corpse Max had given him, but there were still hundreds of scars that covered his skin. Patches of black, purple, green, orange, and even white created a jigsaw pattern of flesh.

His body was a bit misshapen, having four arms and a bit of a pudge, not the muscular and athletic toned body that had been left on this world over a month ago.

“As I mentioned, he needs this just as much as you all do. Besides, you’re not getting any real experience either way. We just need to finish this floor and the next before we reach the 19th.”

“Is he going to help with whatever comes on that floor?”

Nodding, Max heard their ranger snort.

“He’s not that bad to look at… I can see what you described hidden underneath that… hodgepodge of flesh.”

Tanila and Batrire started teasing their ranger whose cheek turned red as she gave them the middle finger.

I’m glad he’s getting power off of these things. Four floors have already affected him greatly.

And his natural strength and speed allow him to cut down those beasts quickly. I wonder what came up with them. Who needs a twenty-foot-tall flaming… bull? I guess that’s what we would call them.

Chuckling to himself, Max knew that was part of their warrior's nickname for these beasts.

Each one left a fire trail as they ran, the scorched stone littered with trails that took minutes to dissipate. As they breathed, plumes of flame shot out, and their horns were covered in a blue flame, growing hotter as they got angrier, which seemed to be a constant state.

Loud moos and roars came as Sog’thollech continued his path of destruction, ignoring the flames and using both swords to land massive gashes, which quickly ended the lives of his opponents.

I’ve stored one complete body. The cut-up corpses have been put in Fowl’s and Cordellia’s space. Now, all we need to do is find an end to this floor and keep moving on.

And then you’re going to stick with the plan?

Tanila’s laughter caught his attention.

White frosting was oozing between their mage’s fingers after she’d snatched the incoming pastry from the air.

“Ladies… let’s try and behave. I mean… we’ll look like fools if you two can’t stop acting like children.”

Batrire’s comment led her to be assaulted by a new cupcake and the previously thrown one as Fowl shifted around the group, keeping well away from the flying pastries.

“It’s good to see them laugh,” their warrior stated upon reaching Max’s side. “For once… it feels like old times.”

“Now all we need is a forty-foot-tall flaming bull to appear, and then it will be just like old times,” Max replied, winking at his friend.

“Gods no… that’s not what we need. Still, I do not doubt we'd be fine between you and your friend. I know I said it before, but you seem… different.”

“Not talking about me being taller, are you?”

Fowl shook his head slowly.

“No… you’re more confident and… focused. Whatever happened, and I’m not asking, with that gnome… you’ve changed. Just know if you ever need it, I’m here.”

Patting his friend on the shoulder, Max nodded and sighed.

“Leadership of a party is one thing. A world… that’s even worse. Toss in what I feel is expected of me and… well, it can be a bit overwhelming. Bob and I have spoken a lot, and I’ve shared what I can with you all. Whatever is coming… it’s beyond any of us right now. Tom’s got two days to finish up what he, Jazzjak, and Quilazmore are working on. After that, we need to return and focus on the tower for a bit.”

Rubbing his chin, Max could feel his jaw tightening.

“Inside me… something tells me that I need to hurry… Don’t get me wrong, I’m not planning on finishing the tower in a week, but with everything pulling us in different directions, we need to focus on it at least in the short term.”

“Whatever you need, I’m here. You know that.”

As the two of them watched the three women smear frosting on each other, both allowed themselves a moment to smile, ignoring where they were or the smell of burnt flesh that permeated the air.

***

“That dimensional space of yours feels… weird,” Sog’thollech stated as he prepared to enter it again. “Almost like I’m cut off and yet… not… I think the bond we share keeps me from feeling overwhelmed.”

“You said that the first time you entered it. For a moment, I thought you were going to pass out.”

Grinning, the demon picked at a piece of flesh he was tearing off of himself, removing a patch of green skin and revealing a glossy black patch underneath.

“When you’ve traveled to different planes, realms, worlds and other things like I have, you learn to deal with how they feel. Some are painful, like I’m being stuck with a dagger all over my body. Others make you feel submerged under a liquid, sometimes calming and other times completely the opposite. In your space… it’s like everything, but the thread that connects you and I isn’t there. A void… it’s like a void I’ve only once witnessed and never ventured into. I’m not certain I could escape it.”

His demon friend’s comment caught him off guard, and Max smiled, realizing he hadn’t tried doing that from inside.

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“What?” Sog’thollech asked, seeing the grin on his face.

“You gave me an idea to try later. For now, we’ll just do what we’ve done with every floor. Put you inside and then bring you back out once we’re on it.”

“Cheating the system… I like it. Perhaps you’ve got a little bit of demon in you after all. As you know, we’re all about finding loopholes.”

Both of them laughed as Sog’thollech stepped inside and sat on the chair Max had put in there for him.

With a nod, he closed the opening, watching the demon he felt a bond with vanish.

“That’s creepy as heck,” Batrire stated, a shiver running through her. “The way both of you laughed just then… yeah…”

Tanila winced and nodded once, causing Max to look at his friends standing near the tower's portal.

“Was it that bad?”

“Oh, gods no,” Fowl replied. “I mean, unless you don’t like sounding like some homicidal killer.”

Clearing his throat, Max almost said something but stopped.

Am I…

Changing? Yes… Don’t worry, though. I won’t let you go down that path. Now I see the danger of giving in to the hunger. For so long, you fought it, but that one moment with Nimyn awoke what I could not stop from being there. The truthis that if you wanted, you could snuff out the lives of so many and easily possess everything about them. What made it worse was how you set it up. It was personal, and you were delighted to know what was going to happen, no matter what she said.

Wincing, Max felt the stares of his friends and then tapped his temple.

“Bob says he won’t let me become something dangerous.”

Laughter that almost sounded forced came from them all, the truth of that statement seeming harder to believe than he had expected.

“Anyways,” Fowl said, using his thumb to point at the portal behind them. “We’ve got a boss… or whatever floor to do. The 19th floor ain’t going to just surrender itself to us because I’m so handsome.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Cordellia said. “If looks could kill, that Gorgan would have asked you out on a date.”

***

“Well, ogre shite,” Cordellia cursed as they appeared in a room similar to the one they had experienced on the 9th floor. “Are we really in for another fight against a group?”

Max didn’t reply, moving to the blank screen that covered a wall with chairs facing it.

The screen illuminated as if on cue, and a new being appeared on it.

“What in the gods is that?” Fowl asked as being started to speak.

“Greetings, tower climbers! Your time has come to face the next challenge! Take a seat and let’s discuss the glory you’re about to embark upon! Sit! Time is short, and you’ll only get one chance to prepare for what many call the fight of your life!”

The sound of laughter came from the screen and all of them turned and looked at each other, shrugging and moved to the padded stone chairs in the room.

Before them was a timer counting down, and the being on the display was shifting side to side.

This one was a reddish-pink color, still almost like a gelatin of some sort, with a single large orange eye set in the middle of the mass. A large brain floated behind it and pieces of flesh ran from the eye back to it.

“That’s… hideous?”

“You making a statement or a question?” their warrior asked.

“Oh, I’m sure somewhere, something or someone thinks they're attractive… but yah… I’m not into that.”

Batrire was the last to sit, and the moment her rear touched the pad, the timer ended and the being on the screen began to move again.

“PERFECT! Now, just so you know, per TC Rule 42, each party has ten seconds to leave this fight the moment the bell sounds. Simply cry out, “I’m not worthy!” and you’ll be transported back to your world. Remember, everyone watching will see you’re a coward, but don’t let that impact your decision.”

Max saw the look on everyone’s faces, eyebrows lowering as they frowned.

“Now on to the good stuff! You’ll be facing off against four other teams! Exciting right? Death is always a possibility, but today, it’s a guarantee! Don’t worry, though. It’s not permanent until the end!”

An eerie sound of laughter filled the room, and Max couldn’t help but wonder what they were hoping to accomplish by having such a sound after.

“We’re playing the contest everyone knows and loves! I’m the best and above the rest!”

The screen flickered and a circular area filled the screen. Different views started to appear with a top-down version, a side one, and another that moved through it. Thick tan stones, each at least four feet wide, were used to create the fighting area.

“As you can see, there are walls that create a maze to the center point of this arena! To make things fair we have also implemented a forty-foot ceiling to prevent giving those fliers an advantage!”

Five dots appeared evenly around the outer edge, and then a bell sounded.

As one they began moving through the maze, working towards a center section.

The three different views zoomed in on the area in the middle. It had to be a hundred yards in diameter without any walls or defenses.

Surrounding it were multiple areas with shortened walls, holes in them, and corners, all providing ways to see and potentially attack the middle.

A single glowing section about twenty feet wide was made of red-colored stones, resting against a stark tan stone area.

“Want to win? Be the team to control the middle point for the longest! The battle will last for sixty minutes! If, at any point, a team holds the middle for over thirty minutes, the fight will end. Now for the good part. When you die, you’ll respawn back at your starting spot. Now for the important details!”

A column appeared with names and numbers laid out in rows.

“Each of you is given three deaths. Die less than three times, and you’ll find yourself back home at the end of this game, losing only your honor. Fall four or more times in battle, and if you don’t win… well, let’s just say the tower thanks you for your sacrifice!”

Cheers seemed to ring out from all around them, and Max watched his friends turn their heads, trying to find out where it came from.

“You’ve got five minutes before we start! Good luck and start planning! Only one team can win, but remember, everyone can work together to ensure someone dies!”

The screen returned to the three different views of the fight about to take place, and immediately, the room temperature changed.

“Four teams… we have to fight them?”

Max nodded at Cordelli, who grimaced.

“We’ll be fine,” Tanila said as she stood up. “All we need to do is figure out who our opponents are and then devise a plan. If nothing else works, perhaps Max can just stand on the center and kill everyone who comes after it.”

Fowl was the only one who laughed, coughing and stopping when he realized it wasn’t a joke.

“I guess it’s a good thing we brought a sixth. When we get inside, I’ll bring Sog’thollech out. No matter what. We’re not losing.”

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