Ultimate Level 1

“It’s a city made with moving gears,” Fowl said, his eyes wider than Max could ever remember. “I mean look at it! There are moving parts and if my eyesight isn’t wrong, those are automatons of some sort on the walls!”

Everyone else nodded, seeing what Fowl was excited about.

An entire city made of metal lay before them about a quarter of a mile away. Large golems made from metal with giant gears on their chest patrolled an enormous wall of patch worked metal sheets.

The city before the wall had houses made of different colored metals with steam and smoke rising from them. Inside the area were creatures moving around, but they were still too far off to make out what kind they were.

“This is stuff of legends,” Batrire said. “Dwarves used to create stuff like this a long time ago, but the knowledge hasn’t been talked about or shared in a few generations. Apparently, the power of those creations was dangerous and the other races asked for no more to be made.”

“I can see how a twenty or thirty foot tall golem made of metal might upset those who used melee weapons or arrows,” Cordellia replied. “I guess what chance do we have against something as powerful as that then?”

Max felt Tanila’s gaze and turned his head slightly, smiling as he winked at her.

“We’ll be fine. Nice and slow. Besides, we have a few extra tricks up our sleeves. Both Tanila and I have lightning, and even our ranger can shoot arrows infused with it.”

A few grumbles came, but everyone seemed willing to try fighting whatever the tower had thrown at them on this floor.

“You’re certain?” Fowl asked as he and Max moved a few yards ahead of the three women. “Those golems or automatons, as some had called them, can pack a nasty hit. Many were rumored to have been infused with magic.”

Max grunted and shrugged.

“Eventually we’ll face something bad and I don’t want to play that game of skipping floors. You and I both know we’re nearing the halfway point to floor fifty.”

His dwarven friend nodded and began rotating his shoulders.

“Fine, but if things go wrong, just remember, I told you so.”

***

Seventy yards from the outer edge of the city, outside the gigantic walls that ran around whatever inner city was inside, they got to see the creatures they would face.

“Those are a type of goblin and some halfbreed of dwarf,” Batrire muttered. “For them to work together like that is against everything Ockrim professes!”

Max and Cordellia stood next to each other, looking at the packs of enemies that were moving around the town in groups of four to seven. Usually only one wore plate-like armor with the others dressed in leather. A few had a rifle as Batrire had explained it. An ancient item for dwarves that could still be seen in the museum in the dwarven capital.

“So two ranged dwarves, one dwarven warrior, and I’m not sure if that’s a goblin caster?”

Cordellia shook her head.

“It has a lot of belts across its chest and waist, and I see about twelve potions of some kind strapped to it.”

“A ranged potion throwing goblin…” Max muttered. “This is going to be fun.”

Their ranger snorted and shook her head.

“Fun… You’re crazy but it will be interesting. What’s the plan?”

“I’ll assume the guns can shoot as far as your bow. I do not know how hard they will hit, but we’ll have to assume it will hurt. The goblin surely can’t throw that far. So you focus the ranged one on the right, Tanila focuses the one on the left. Fowl will get their attention and I’ll go in via stealth and try to kill the goblin.”

“And if things go wrong?”

Shrugging, Max pointed at their warrior.

“Hopefully he doesn’t die.”

***

Max was halfway to the pack, moving faster than he had ever believed possible while stealthed. No other groups had come close to this one and as he counted down the seconds, he felt the ice spear enter his sonar and knew the fight was about to start.

Cordellia’s shot was empowered and it knocked down her target. A glowing, shimmering white shield had flashed around it before breaking in a dazzling display of light, ripping through its chest.

Tanila’s spell hadn’t been affected by the barrier and her ice spear put a helmet-sized hole where the other ranged dwarf’s heart should have been. The warrior raced forward, its jet black beard flapping in the wind as it charged Fowl, who roared back at it.

The goblin yanked off a potion and tossed it on the injured ranged dwarf, causing it to glow and Max watched as the dwarf stood up in a few seconds, the hole now gone.

Almost immediately another potion was being tossed, and it landed against the healed dwarf, covering it in a purple glow, causing not just the gun wielding creature to grow twice as big, but its equipment as well.

Moving as fast as he could, Max got near the goblin and swung his weapon, the blade of his halberd taking the head off the creature.

For the first time in so long, a cold rush filled him and Max grinned.

[ 8 Intelligence Consumed ]

[ 8 Wisdom Consumed ]

[ Consume has successfully Consumed a skill ]

[ Would you like to learn [Alchemy]? ]

[ Yes / No ]

Ignoring the option for a skill he hadn’t fathomed ever having, Max moved toward the ten foot tall dwarf that was pointing its long gun at the pack.

An explosion rang out from the weapon and something flew from the weapon so fast that Max could barely sense that an object had actually come from it.

Cordellia’s scream filled his ear and as her health plummeted, Max crossed the seven yards between him and the dwarf that was bringing the weapon back to near its face.

His halberd was a blur, slicing into the dwarf’s leg and cutting it clean off.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The gun boomed again as the gunner fell, firing upward into the air.

With one eye on the dwarf and his other focused on their ranger's health bar that had dipped down to twenty percent and was now back up to about ninety, Max brought his weapon down, tearing through the dwarf’s shoulder and severing the arm left arm.

Another strike ended its life and as another cold sensation came, Max ignored it for a moment, turning to see Fowl was bashing in the dwarf's chest he was facing.

Glancing at the other three, he saw Cordellia was standing up slowly, a hole inside her armor where her right shoulder was.

“I got it!” Fowl shouted as he finished off his foe.

Turning, Max moved quickly, grabbing the gun from the one hand that still held it and then moving to the goblin he had killed, carefully cutting away the leather belts and storing them and the potions.

***

“What happened?”

Cordellia sighed as she tapped the spot with her left hand on her shoulder.

“Whatever that was that came from the gun, it moved so fast I couldn’t dodge it. It blew through my shoulder and for a moment I was afraid I was going to die.”

“I had you,” Batrire said, her tone a little more chipper than usual. “No matter what, I'll always have your back.”

Their ranger nodded and touched the spot where her armor was missing. The hole was the size of a gold coin and Max shuddered to think what that might have done to Tanila or Batrire had it hit them.

“Now I remember why guns were no longer made,” Batrire said. “The damage of them against non warriors was unbelievable. In the hands of a skilled gunslinger, they could take down a mage or ranger before they ever heard the sound of the gun.”

Max winced and nodded, now a little more concerned about the need to move through the city.

A small notification waited for him in the corner of his vision and focusing on it, Max felt his eyes widen.

[ 8 Dexterity Consumed ]

[ Consume has successfully Consumed a skill ]

[ Would you like to learn [Gun Handling]? ]

[ Yes / No ]

Selecting yes, Max felt the knowledge of the weapon skill enter his mind.

[ Skill Knowledge Requirement Met ]

[ Processing Possible Upgrade ]

[ Four Ranged Weapon Skills Acquired ]

[ Combining Skills into New Skill ]

[ Range Weapon Mastery Acquired ]

[ Skill Level Upgraded to Epic ]

His mind exploded with knowledge as he learned about a slew of other ranged weapons he had never known. Pulling the gun from his storage, Max inspected it and flipped the switch that would activate it, feeling it power up in his hands. On the side of the gun he saw six glowing lines and knew it meant there were six more shots left in it. He also knew this was a rifle and there were smaller guns that fit in a single hand.

“Ugh… I should have searched the bodies for these,” Max said as he slid a cartridge out of the rifle. “This is the ammo, kind of like arrows, that the gun needs to work.”

He saw everyone but Tanila’s faces go slack as their jaws descended.

“You can use those?!” their ranger asked. “How?”

“Part of my skill,” Max said with a shrug. “What’s scary is I can tell this is not something I want getting out in the world. Batrire’s right. If people had these again, the damage they could do would be insane against healers and leather wearers.”

“But not against us?” Fowl asked, closing his mouth finally.

“No… I can tell you the bullet would bounce off our armor. It would hurt from the impact but wouldn’t do what it did to Cordellia.”

“So what are you going to do with the two guns you picked up?” Tanila asked.

Frowning, Max nodded.

“We can collect maybe two more and after that, stop. A few more cartridges would be nice for myself, but I’d prefer to keep this a secret from most.”

Everyone nodded slowly and Cordellia was still frowning at Max, who was reading the skill he had just gained.

[ Skill Description - Ranged Weapon Mastery ]

*****

Ranged Weapon Mastery - Epic Skill: This skill provides mastery of all ranged weapons, even ones not previously learned. Every attack will be more likely to successfully hit the location they aim at. Attacks will have a higher chance of critically striking and doing increased damage. Mastery grants an improved understanding of combination attacks. With this rank of skill the ability of an Empowered Ranged Attack is granted.

Empowered Ranged Attack - Epic: Provides 2x normal damage for one ranged attack. Thirty minute cooldown.

*****

“Seth? Are you listening?”

Shaking his head, Max focused on their ranger, who was tapping her foot, glaring at him.

“What?”

“You said one day you’d tell me about your skill. Is today that day?”

Sighing, Max shook his head.

“Not yet, but once we hit the fiftieth tower floor, if not before then, I’ll tell you.”

A low groan came from her, but she nodded, ignoring the looks the others had been giving.

“Give me one more moment if you don’t mind. I’m reading something on the skill.”

Instead, he selected yes to learning Alchemy and immediately possessed the knowledge of making potions and their effects.

[ Skill Description - Alchemy ]

*****

Alchemy - Epic Skill: The user may craft standard potions of epic quality. Potions crafted have a twenty percent chance to be twice as strong as the standard version. Potions have a five percent chance of being considered three times stronger. Materials used may aid in the chance of higher-grade potions. Potions may be stored for one week in dimensional storage during the crafting process with no degradation of the process. Skill also grants the ability to understand the properties of all potions equal to skill rank. Potions above the skill rank may be partially identified.

*****

His mind now knew exactly what those potions in his storage did. Even though he had only glanced at them for a moment, it was as if he had a note with the effects for each written down.

Oh boy… When Fowl lets me use that one potion on him he is going to love me.

Inside was one more of the growth potions that granted the one it splashed against twice their normal size, including armor and weapons, two times their normal strength and constitution, while lowering their other stats by half for one minute.

Two other healing potions also granted massive healing. The other six were a combination of explosive or poison potions to be used on others.

“That must be one long skill description,” Fowl said as he elbowed Max slightly. Are we good to go?”

Nodding, Max grinned and motioned at the town.

“Very ready!”

Groaning, Fowl pulled out his weapon and shield.

“Something tells me you’re having too much fun.”

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