Ultimate Level 1

As Alfreda put away the last item, Max couldn’t ignore the scowl on Everett’s face.

“You had two of those items… one of which has no record of where it came from.”

His fingers tapped the jar of silver liquid he had taken from Igarra’s collection, part of the crafting material that Buwingrid had shown him on that planet.

How this got here is a question I would be interested in also. Does that mean the tower can drop items from a system that ours isn’t supposed to have? Like all those robotic ones?

Potentially. Though dropping those items isn’t the problem. It’s finding a use for them. There may be ways of to craft with them that none have knowledge of but that once someone did. If Everett is right, that item could be over three hundred years old.

“I think you’re right, but after pondering that thought a bit, how many items do you have that adventurers have brought in over the years that no one can figure out a real use for?”

Scratching his gray hair, the Faction leader frowned.

“Many materials go into a scrap section, melted down or dismantled. Some things end up as basic crafting supplies if we can’t find a real use for them. Eventually, we would have overflowed with stuff if everything someone brought back was kept. You wouldn’t believe the number of adventurers who used to chop up trees, bringing them back and trying to sell them. It’s not a bad business, but one doesn’t get rich fast because eventually, the truth is most places don’t have the ability to craft with those materials.”

He paused, his eyes moving side to side, and Max knew what he was doing.

Soon a book appeared, and the older man laid it on the stone counter.

As he flipped through it, Fowl coughed and motioned to the container Max was still tapping.

“So, that’s some secret dwarf crafting material on another world, but you’re not sure how to use it yet?”

“Like I mentioned before, there are most likely an unlimited number of ways to craft things, depending on the system for each world. It’s like my magic.”

Max summoned a small stone rock about the size of his head with his Elemental Mastery skill. Setting it down on the counter, he used his Stone Mastery skill.

It began to rise, spinning as he desired, and then split into hundreds of smaller pieces, each maintaining the spherical orbit before he forged them back into one solid piece.

“Tanila can’t do this,” he stated before dismissing the rock, and it vanished.

“What in the gods was that?!”

Alfreda’s sudden outburst reminded Max that not everyone knew the extent of his skills. He knew his face was turning red as warmth flooded his cheeks.

“You can cast magic too?!” she asked, slamming the lid to the wooden chest with a bang.

“I can… though it’s more of a secret to many.”

“How? I mean—”

Max saw how quickly she stopped talking and then where her gaze was and could sense Tanila shaking her head.

“Forgive me. It’s not my business to pry. You just startled me with that display of power.”

“I’m the one who forgot you don’t know of some of my abilities. Still, I’d prefer it if no one learned about it from you.”

With her fingers, the older elf motioned that her lips were sealed.

“And this leather?” Cordellia asked, holding out the four yards of rolled-up red leather he had produced that matched what was in the chest. “What does this come from? It feels amazing to my fingers. It bends well, and yet I couldn’t poke a hole in it with my harvesting knife.”

Everett shrugged, and Max joined him in mimicking his response.

“I’m not certain. The perk of killing someone who wants you dead is you get their stuff. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean I know where it came from.”

“Which goes back to the tower being similar across different worlds or connected in some way,” Tanila said. “There are books I wish I had access to in my… capital that would probably talk about this.”

“Yes, dear, but those wouldn’t be something we could access, most likely kept in the royal library.”

A chuckle came from Cordellia, who grinned at Alfreda’s comment.

“That is true. I should have thought of that,” Tanila replied.

Shrugging, the older elf picked up the box and began taking it to its place on the vault wall.

“So with two or three other items, I think I can make some legendary weapons that will change our minds on what is possible. Still I’m a little upset you won’t let me have that Fire-Forged Bar,” Max said as he watched the Faction leader tap his finger on a line in the book. “What did you find?”

It was obvious Everett wasn’t going to deal with Max’s request again for the special bar that Fowl had already drooled over.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“This isn’t my book but the leader before me. What you said triggered a memory, and she wrote that our Faction had discussed this very topic with a few other ones. Read this.”

Max took the book that was slid toward him and saw the passage Everett was talking about.

***

… The Emerald Knights have shown great knowledge of a mystery that has plagued my thoughts for a while. Their leader admitted that there is a record in the vaults which points that tower floors above the 60th are considered beacons to another world. Some reported that those who travel there occasionally find creatures that are sapient and can converse. Not all are beings that desire to simply kill the climber. Those floors are considered rare, but it raises the question of why those later floors might be like this.

Only once in our Faction’s history was there any mention of a time when our greatest climber, Selkie, a myth to many, reached the 77th floor and said that his party found only one creature on it. They traded items, and upon that task, the portal appeared, allowing them to leave.

While I doubted that, like most people, now the question I face is, could this be true? Why would the tower change? What lies beyond those higher floors?

***

Frowning, Max slid the book to the right, letting Tanila have a turn before the rest would get a chance.

“So… that tiny painting in the hall of honor… that’s all this Selkie has to be remembered by?”

“That’s what you got out of this?” Everett asked, shaking his head. “Don’t blame me. I don’t handle those items. There might be more, but like yourself, most people who climb that high don’t want that kind of attention or fame. Besides… how he died was… bad.”

Max winced, his mind already doing some math on just how powerful the creatures that high up in the tower might be and how hard it might be to fight them with normal stats and skills.

The system… I believe it is preparing those who are able to finish the tower. Opening their minds to what is out there. The possibility that life as you know it is not that special.

Not that special? I mean, I know we’re not much compared to what I faced on the other planet, but really?

What makes you think you’re special beyond me? Could you obtain the power you have now without it? Is there any chance you might have become strong enough to reach the 50th floor in your entire lifespan? What about your sister? Without my help she would not have the skills nor the power she possesses. Tanila isn’t special outside of her blood and the bonus that grants. Imagine if she had me. Your friends are… only special because of their journey with you through the tower.

He was frowning and didn’t care. The knowledge of what Bob was saying caused a sore he had picked at a few times already to itch. Every part of his mind searched for answers, and the tiniest thing he had heard or read came together, trying to solve a problem that was right before him.

So if one does beat the tower, they will understand potential options or paths. But since Igarra defeated the tower and was still able to be killed by us, that means just completing that task doesn’t grant safety.

A howl of laughter reverberated in his mind.

Max… think! I have warned you constantly that there is never a time when anyone is truly safe. Even the gods who are the oldest realize this, and that is why they have bound themselves to rules. Rules which help them to stay safe while enjoying the power they have. They can play games, affect others, all while limiting their exposure to their existence being snuffed out. It is why… I think myself and the other two black skills are allowed.

Simply toys to play with or pieces to affect. Nothing more than a game between gods…

Yes.

There was a hint of frustration in Bob’s reply, and Max felt his stomach turn bitter at that truth again.

Someone is simply playing a game, using our lives as nothing more than a way to entertain themselves or weaken someone else.

“Max?”

Like a moth to a flame, he turned to see Tanila studying him.

“You okay?”

Nodding slowly, he put on a smile.

“I am… just… considering some things I have learned in the last few months and am not very excited at what that might mean.”

“Which is?” Batrire asked as she watched Fowl push the book back to Everett.

“The tower is putting sapient beings, like ourselves, in the tower at later floors. It might… well, I’m not certain about the earlier floors, but for whatever reason, we may face beings just like us. The question I have is why risk that kind of power and strength? I mean, how many beings might be on a floor? What if we faced a group from another world, competing for the same thing, trying to climb the tower, and each of us are the foe they must face in order to progress?”

Fowl cleared his throat twice as he shook his head.

“So you’re saying we have to kill others or be killed?”

“It’s always been that way,” Max replied.

“You six are awfully gloomy,” Alfreda stated as she moved to stand next to Everett. “Not one of you is smiling, and the things you are saying are not something I want to have to consider. Does it matter? If you want to complete the tower, won’t you be like every other climber before you and do whatever it takes?”

“No,” Max replied. “I won’t simply kill just because someone thinks I should. I’m not getting strong just so I can murder another.”

“It’s not murder, it’s—”

A hand on her shoulder from her older friend silenced Alfreda.

“She is right. Let’s not let this topic take us down a path we don’t want to go. Get some rest, spend some time with your family. Tomorrow, we can go over the last details of what I’ve been able to get information-wise on that camp you believe you have found.”

Nodding, Max took Tanila’s hand in his and kissed it.

“I am all for a little rest and some time with those that I love.”

“Please, no PDA,” Cordellia said with a groan. “Listening to those two make animal noises most days is bad enough. I can’t take it if you two start that.”

Fowl barked twice and then let out a whine, causing everyone to laugh as Everett motioned toward the vault door, which was pulled shut.

“I think this is the perfect time to say goodbye,” their leader said. “I’ll be free tomorrow. Welcome home, Max, and enjoy your time tonight.”

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