Ultimate Level 1-Chapter 427: New Games

Kauakan's chittering laughter made Max join in. The insect stepped up, bowing slightly and crossing both of his sword-like arms.

Like the rest of his body, each of them was now covered in shimmering metal. That wasn’t the only immediate change he noticed, realizing that the insect was a foot taller than before.

“I have evolved thanks to you and Jazzjak. Do you like it?”

“It looks good on you. Very dangerous. When did you get the idea for it? Also, I heard you’re still running the arena in your ring.”

The others of his party gasped as he sensed them appearing, knowing their eyes had just adjusted to the tower's departure.

“What in the gods is–”

“Everyone, this is Kauakan,” Max said before anyone could possibly offend the warrior. “He is the one who gave me a spot in my first arena fight and helped me progress through the city. Kauakan, this is Tanila, Cordellia, Fowl, and Batrire.”

Greetings came from his party and the insect bowed again. He walked slowly and then carefully bent to a knee before their mage, resting a blade against the stone bricks that made up the ground around the tower.

“It is an honor to meet the ones he spoke so highly of. Even if he hadn’t told me your name, I would have known you were the elf he loved.”

Tanila’s cheeks turned slightly red, and she bobbed her head.

“That means more than you might realize,” she replied. “Thank you for watching over him.”

“Surely you jest! He is the one who took care of me and provided protection against those who might end my life. Even now, he has taken care of me and is paying for the shards I have acquired. The best thing he has given me is learning what a true friend is. A rare thing to find one like him in this world.”

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Max moved to where the arena leader was and held out his fist, chuckling when Kauakan tapped his bladed arm against it.

“I’m surprised to see you here. Should I ask?”

“Oh, it’s nothing special. I planned on adventuring with these two to help them grow stronger for the arena. This catkin is Huklano and the lionkin is Gomorodo. Both have potential, so I am hedging my bets as you once told me.”

The two warriors behind him kneeled and mimicked the actions of the one who had brought them.

“So you just happened to be here while I was?”

“Not at all. I had planned to take them sometime soon, but word reached me that you were doing the impossible again, so we arrived a little while ago, and I decided to wait and see if you were beating the floors as fast as I had heard. What one are you headed to next?”

“The 9th,” Max replied.

A chittering noise of laughter came, and Cordellia started to giggle.

“He sounds–”

“Don’t forget how it feels,” Tanila said.

Blushing immediately, their ranger winced.

“Forgive me… I–”

“No need to apologize. I thought the same thing. Your voice is so much nicer than those here with you. The pitch is perfect while the men, especially the ones in your group, sound like someone is dragging metal across my blades.”

“Is he flirting with her?” Fowl whispered to Batrire, who shrugged.

“Still, the 9th floor is impressive in just two days. I wish you luck in your attempt. Feel free to come to my ring sometime. I will host a fight in your honor. Perhaps you could even just show a fraction of your power but not kill everyone in the process.”

“If my schedule allows that, I would like to,” Max replied. “Let me know if you need anything. I’m happy to help.”

Shaking his head, both of his metal mandibles opened and closed.

“You have helped me more than I could ever repay. And yes, I remember that friends do not have to repay, but still I cannot ask for more.”

Giving Kauakan a gentle tap against his blade, Max pointed at the portal.

“We’re going to head in. I’ll have Jazzjak send you a message later.”

“Be safe, Ifrit. May your glory burn forever.”

***

“So this is new,” Fowl quickly pointed out. “Where are we?”

Frowning, Max knew exactly what kind of place they were in.

“This is like the waiting rooms for the arena. I think we’re about to be in one.”

All around them were white stone walls and a very tiny display screen that had yet to light up on one wall. Light came from nowhere and everywhere, casting a perfect glow that left no shadows.

“So… we’re about to be in an arena?”

“I’m not sure, but I think so.”

Fowl grunted and banged his shield and weapon against each other.

“Batrire?”

“I’ll cast my enchantments. That’s what I love about you, always thinking ahead.”

Tanila pulled on Max’s arm and drew close to his ear.

“Are we really about to be in something like you were?”

“I’d bet gold on it. Still, it’s silent and that’s unusual.”

Two arena scenarios? What gives?

Let me pull out the magical item that tells me the future… oh wait… neither of us has one… The tower is the tower, and we are in one from a different world. Part of this seems normal. Why wouldn’t a world with such things also have them in the tower?

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Grunting, Max summoned a few chairs and set them down.

“Take a seat, I’ll try something.”

Moving to a white wall, he touched it with his hand and tried using his Stone Mastery, but he could not do anything to the magically imbued material.

“Performance problems?” Fowl asked as he watched Max lower his hand.

“Yeah… we’re in a box similar to the one I would be put up in during an arena fight and often there was a door here that Quilazmore would create. I was trying to see if I could form one as well but I can’t.”

“Are we in trouble?” his friend whispered.

“That depends on how this works. If we fight as a group, then I’m confident it won’t be a problem. If it’s individual fights… I think we should all be fine. A lot just depends on what we face.”

Grunting, the dwarf shoved him playfully and pointed at the three women watching them.

“Let’s sit down with them so they don’t think we’re doing something wrong.”

***

Hours passed, and everyone was on edge no matter what kind of small talk, card games, or books they tried to read.

Finally, the display activated and an image appeared on it.

“God’s he’s ugly,” Cordellia stated.

Gazing upon them was a being of some kind that looked like jello and yet had a brain and six eyes floating in the orange goo.

“Welcome, climbers! Your opponents have arrived! Prepare yourself, as your team shall be transported to the arena below in five minutes. Know that what you face will bring honor! Glory! And most importantly, powerful items!”

Afterward, a weird sound like a collective group of something cheering came, and each of them glanced at each other for a moment.

“Now, once you reach the arena floor, a five-second timer will begin counting down. Be ready to kill; the others won’t hesitate to do the same! And good luck!”

Their ranger snorted as she shook her head.

“He… it… whatever that thing was, it sounded like they were underwater trying to talk.”

“Who cares,” Tanila said as she stood. “Max, what are your thoughts?”

“Standard formation, Fowl near you three, I’ll take point and we see who or what we’re up against. It said opponents, so I’d bet there will be more than one. Still… for it to say they arrived… a climber from another world?”

“Don’t start to think like that,” Batrire quickly said. “We’re fighting for our lives, not making friends from a different world.”

“Something always dies,” Fowl stated. “I’d prefer it never to be us.”

Max could see the determination on each of their faces. No smiles, no jokes. Each of them understood that whatever happened next, no matter what, they had to live and something had to die for that to happen.

You all have changed. This is good.

Bob’s comment felt right, and Max knew they had reached an agreement in the previous month.

Nothing will stop us from finishing the tower. We’ll burn down whatever we must to do so.

***

As his eyes adjusted to the space around them, Max heard the reactions of his teammates, each of them getting to see who or what exactly their opponents were. A small arena only a hundred yards around, stone floors, and forty-foot-tall walls kept them inside an enclosed area.

Seven half-spider, half-muscular, dark elf-like creatures faced them. All of their opponents had hair so white it almost seemed like the color of perfect snow, secured in braids that ran over their shoulders.

Four of them wore plate armor, while three had what appeared to be cloth that stuck to their bodies.

Dark faces, red eyes and tiny horns gave off a demonic look as they all began to wave weapons and gestured at them.

“Bags of flesh! We shall feast!”

“I call the small ones! You can have the hairless one!”

Laughing, Max shook his head and spun his weapon around, having formed it back into a bladed spear.

“Should I ask?”

“Oh, the one with the bow, it wants you to eat,” he informed his dwarven friend. “It appears none of them want me, as I have no hair.”

“You can understand them?” Cordellia asked.

“I can, but I won’t try to communicate with them. Something tells me it won’t matter. Besides, the timer has started. You four do whatever you want. I’ll protect if they get close. Let’s see how they stack up against you.”

A moment after he finished talking, a bell rang, and the seven opponents spread out. Three armored ones with shields and spears approached them while the one with a bow began to fire shots in their direction.

Max sensed the air wall Tanila summoned and let the arrow bounce harmlessly off it instead of trying to block it.

An ice spear began to form from their mage, and an arrow flew from Cordellia’s bow, impacting with the shield of the largest spider foe in the middle and shattering it.

“How?! Attack!”

Spells came at them, one a web of some sort launching from the caster in the back with a large wooden staff that glowed. Next to that one was one with two bone wands or staves of some sort and a dark orange liquid began to flow from their open mouth, up into the air and at the spot they stood.

“I got it!” Tanila called out as she summoned another air wall before the rising jet of liquid, causing it to splatter all over the stone bricks before them.

Max stood there, watching as Fowl raced forward, finding himself about half the size of their opponents. His returned hammer swung and crushed the leg it struck in a single strike.

Done imbuing mana into the ice spear, Tanila threw it to impale the warrior on the left, skewering it completely and sending it hurtling back toward its allies.

Max thought he saw a look of panic as the remaining spider creatures seemed to stop their approach. Their mouths started to open, and their black skin scrunched up into folds.

“What are they? How is this possible?!”

Two more fell immediately, arrows taking their heads off, and in seconds, the only one left alive was on the ground, each of its eight legs crushed by their warrior, trying to drag itself away from the dwarf that had brought it down.

“Eat me, will you!?” Fowl shouted. “Try and see what I taste like!”

A hiss and scream that was much higher than any sound Cordellia had ever made came from the beast.

“End it!” Batrire shouted.

A single blow to the head squashed its skull like a bug under one’s foot.

Three seconds later, a bell sounded, and a display appeared in the air.

Once more, the thick, orange being appeared, bouncing around and shaking from side to side.

“Congratulations, climbers! You have… defeated your opponent in record time! Prepare for the…”

Its voice stopped, and though it had no eyelids or anything else to give a visual cue of how it might react, Max knew something was up when its entire body froze, not a single part of it jiggling for the first time since they had seen it.

Somethings wrong…

Oh yes… and I’m certain we’re about to find out what.

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