Ultimate Level 1-Chapter 422: Rakonath’s Secret

Chapter 422 - Rakonath's Secret

“He’s got a bloody throne room,” Fowl said as they moved down a hallway to the quarters Max wanted to spend time in. “A throne room!”

“You’re just jealous,” Cordellia teased as she poked the dwarf from behind.

“You bet your ogre nuts I am! Imagine having a world look up to you as their champion and having a throne and everything else that goes with it!”

Max groaned as his friend continued to lament a little bit about the things the dwarf considered special.

“He doesn’t understand,” Tanila whispered as she walked beside him, watching Everett talk with Quilazmore as the dark elf guided the party to where they would be for a while.

Aerthen and Rakonath were both trailing behind everyone, bringing up the rear.

Max could sense that they were speaking somehow, almost telepathically to the other.

Is it weird that I can almost hear him when he talks like that to her?

Any weirder than you and I being able to converse and him knowing we are?

No… I guess not. Still we need to figure out what to do about those skill options. You don’t mind that I’m going to ask about the Legendary+ rank do you?

A chuckle came through their bond as Bob seemed overly amused by that question.

When has it mattered if I mind? I already told you I’m not sure exactly how that works but I can sense a difference in your skills. You could tell that weapon and dual wield skills were higher than yours when we fought, even to the point we couldn’t stand toe to toe long term. Which means there is enough of a difference between those and the others.

But does that mean that you might rank up to Legendary+ first before ever reaching Godly?

Gone was the laughter and amusement, now a sense of uncertainty that felt almost overwhelming.

Another question I have no answer for and yet it scares me. I can sense the amount of power I have gained from both of the two we recently defeated. Compared to Igarra it was a little less and yet when one looks at how much more I need… the pool of what I need seems so deep.

I guess what bothers me even more is that if there is a rank after Legendary like that, how many more could there be? What if there are two or three? How much power will I truly need to finally evolve to what I feel I must?

A gentle elbow in his side brought Max out of his discussion and he saw the look Tanila was giving him.

“Just talking with a friend.”

“Oh, I knew what you were doing. It’s more of what you were discussing and waiting to hear about the results. You seem a bit more… overwhelmed? Confused? I’m not sure what the right word is.”

He nodded and kissed her hand after bringing it to his lips.

“Yes to all those. Once we are settled, we have a lot of things to discuss and it may take days or weeks to figure out everything if that is even possible.”

“Weeks?” she asked. “What could be that… big?”

“Besides two dragons, a beautiful elven princess, a strange new world and everyone wanting to fight each other?” Max joked. “Oh, just wait and see.”

***

“I’m sorry about almost poisoning you,” Max said, scratching the scales along his dragon’s neck.

“You can’t blame yourself and I was foolish for thinking with my stomach first instead of my brain. Aerthen spent the time as we walked here to ensure that I understood the danger such a thing could have caused. Had it been bad enough she said I might have corrupted you through our bond.”

“Really?”

Moving his large head up and down, Rakonath snorted.

“I feel… frustrated that we have been bonded for so long and still have yet gotten time to learn more about each other and the bond. Do not think of me as some pouty child or eggling who needs attention. I can sense the bond between you and your mate–”

“Tanila,” Max said quickly.

“Yes… Tanila. She is very protective of you and yet seems not to keep me away. Still with your child growing inside her, I know there is a bond I’ll never match.”

Frowning, he shook his head and leaned against the silver dragon.

“Don’t say that. I’m not sure how this bond works and no one else does either. It has grown stronger and you know it. When Aerthen was hurt and you were worried, I could sense it. For that to happen, we must grow closer. Who knows what it will be like in the next ten or twenty years.”

Thrumming, Rakonath shifted and wrapped his neck around Max.

“Twenty years… you speak like that is some long time. What about in a hundred or two?”

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“Uh… you know most humans barely live to be one hundred or maybe two hundred if they are exceptionally strong and have progressed high into the tower?”

His thrumming grew loud enough that Max could feel the sound waves almost passing through him.

“She didn’t tell you!” Rakonath exclaimed. “I know something you don’t!”

His outburst had gotten the attention of everyone sitting around the table on the other side of the large 100x50 foot room Max had set up for them to stay in.

“What is it I don’t know?”

Moving his head to where his jaw was against the floor, the laughing dragon gazed into Max’s eyes with his silver ones.

Because of our bond, you will easily live hundreds of years! Aerthen says that anyone who bonds with a dragon has a prolonged life. Some other races, she says, have lived thousands of years, and their dragons live the same amount of time.

“How? How can you know this?” Max asked, feeling the shock of what he was hearing.

Our Father gave her dreams after you saved us. She told me just a week ago and informed me that she would tell you when the time was right.

A chain to a weight that had dragged his heart down for so long suddenly snapped, causing his whole outlook on the future to suddenly brighten.

“What are you two laughing and smiling about?” Tanila asked as she drew closer to them.

Slowly Rakonath moved his head slightly, allowing room for her to come to where Max was standing.

Tell her. I can sense how much you wish for her to know.

He felt his eyes trembling and saw Tanila’s expression change. Her eyes looked worried as they scrunched together, and there was a slight frown.

“Nothing bad,” Max whispered as he grabbed her hand and drew her close. Wrapping both arms around her, he gazed into her eyes and smiled, sniffing back the wetness he didn’t care had formed. “My… Rakonath has informed me of something that has changed everything.”

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“And what is that?” she asked, leaning back slightly so she could look at both him and the silver dragon at the same time.

“Why don’t you tell her.”

A single thrum came and then Rakonath moved his head close enough that his breath caused her braid to move.

“Max will easily live two or three hundred years because of his bond with me.”

He caught her as her knees gave out, a gasp escaping her mouth as he held her tight and helped her back to her feet.

Matching tears started to run down her cheeks as she looked at him and saw him nod in agreement.

“When? Who says? I mean…”

“Every question I asked as well,” Max stated. “Apparently, Aerthen learned this from the one who approved the bond. I just found out and… as you can see I am just as excited about this as you are.”

With a happy shriek, Tanila squeezed Max tight, and he returned the embrace.

After a moment, she freed herself, and he let go, sensing the direction she needed to take.

“Rakonath… thank you. For so much, but especially this. Know that I will always be grateful for what you have given him… me… us,” she said as one hand touched her midsection which had started to show slightly and the other touched his snout. “Never feel like you are not part of us. Forgive me if I have been… not as close as I could have been.”

The slightest thrum came for a few seconds and then Rakonath pressed a little more against her hand.

“Know that you, your child and your man are under my wing. I shall protect all of you the same.”

For the next few minutes, they spent time together, just enjoying the joy of a simple thing like the potential to live a few hundred years.

“Can I ask a question though?”

Both Tanila and Max looked up at the dragon who had his head cocked sideways.

“Go for it,” he said.

“If I remember correctly, isn’t age not a problem though if you defeat the tower? I mean—”

Tanila string of curse words was in the elven language, and Max could sense a sensation of warmth coming from her.

“We’re fools!” she muttered. “This whole time I was so anxious and upset because of thinking you were going to grow old and die on me… and then I get excited when Rakonath tells me you’ll live for hundreds of years… only for him to then remind me that age won’t be a problem after we defeat the tower.”

Chuckling, Max nodded and shrugged.

“I… did forget that as well… who knew all these intelligence points were wasted on both of us.”

A low thrum came from the silver dragon as he lay near the pair.

“Aerthen had mentioned this might happen. Still, I find it humorous that neither of you pointed it out yet.”

“That’s what I get for being focused on the wrong things,” Max replied. “Still, I can’t help but laugh either way. Just knowing we’ll get to grow old and tired of each other is a blessing.”

Both dragon and man laughed as Tanila groaned, giving each of them a hand gesture.

***

Quilazmore seemed to be enjoying where he sat between their Faction leader and archer, chatting up both of them as everyone waited for Max to finish his time with Rakonath.

As they approached, Max saw the dark elf was animated. His hands went everywhere as he talked, glancing back and forth between the pair every other second.

Jazzjak looked like an infant, his legs hanging off the chair as he sat next to Aerthen, who always kept her own chair with her.

No one seemed to care that Fowl and Batrire were feeding each other fruit similar to the grapes from their world. Both of them lost in the other’s eyes as they gorged on the small feast placed before them.

Clearing his throat, Max got their attention as he moved to where they were and pulled out Tanila’s chair.

After sitting in his, he saw the looks each of them gave him.

“Care to share what’s so good to make you smile like that?” Fowl asked.

“Just happy to be alive and with all you.”

“Bah, that’s a load of dragon… er ogre shite,” their warrior replied, seeing the glare Aerthen had just given him.

A few chuckles came but he ignored them, glad to see everyone enjoying this moment of peace.

“I know it’s been a crazy day or two for us and even more for Jazzjak and Quilazmore. I want to get into a few things because we’re only here maybe a month before we need to return home and start getting things that I’ve been unable to deal with resolved.

“I’m glad to see that each of you has been talking with the others because that’s exactly why I have brought each of you to this place.”

A few pieces of paper appeared in his hand, and Max entertained them all as Bob used Wind Magic to deliver them to everyone around the table.

“Show off,” their ranger muttered as she plucked hers from the air.

“Take a look at what I’ve listed, and if you have any questions, save them for later. Instead, I need to ask Everett, Aerthen, Jazzjak, and Quilazmore something that could potentially impact all of us down the road.”

Faces changed as they stopped reading the page before them and focused on him.

“I’ve known you for a while now, Max and you never seem to stop surprising me. So is this going to be one of those moments?”

Nodding at their Faction leader, he took a deep breath and rubbed his bald head for a moment.

“We all know the ranks for skills as we progress as adventures. Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary and Godly.”

Grunts of affirmation came from everyone, and their gazes felt even more intense than they had been a few seconds before.

“So what I want to know is if anyone here has ever met someone with a Godly rank?”

“I swear to all that is holy, if you tell me you have a Godly ranked skill I’m going to kill you,” Fowl muttered.

Shaking his head, Max watched as his dwarven friend sighed.

“I do not have any, “Aerthen said as she leaned forward. “I know of none that have had one.”

“Bah, I only have one,” Jazzjak said as he glanced at the dark elf. “I’m certain I don’t know of any who had one.”

“Not even Igarra?” Max asked.

Quilazmore shook his head.

“She had lots of legendary skills. That was one of the things she boasted about. If she had a godly one, I have no doubt she would have talked about it.”

“Max… why are you asking this?”

“Crafters on our world say they have Godly skills,” he replied. “Even here, one of the crafters I know says her mother has godly crafting skills. But what if they really don’t?”

Everyone went silent.

He could see the looks of confusion on some of their faces.

Then he sensed Tanila’s hand coming to where his forearm was.

“What is it you know that we don’t?”

Patting her hand, Max smiled.

“I think there are ranks between Legendary and Godly.”

“ Think ?” Everett asked. “Or know?”

His smile gave everything away as their dwarf let out a groan before passing out and falling out of his chair.

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