Ultimate Level 1

Chapter 318

Two days later, Max emerged from the weapon shop, feeling tired but glad he had done his part.

Buwingrid had been a taskmaster, and the knowledge that he had given her three weapons instead of the two they had originally promised earned him gratitude from the dwarf.

Even the older one had forced a smile as he was led out of the forge.

I’m about ready to pass out… Even as much as I learned, promise me you’ll talk me out of being stupid in the future like that.

That isn’t a promise I can make because we both know you never stop doing stupid stuff.

Chuckling to himself, Max ignored the looks of those who saw and smelled him as he moved along the street. Blackened sections of skin, marred by the time in the forge, also stood out.

At least you kept the weapon as whip. Walking with that halberd would have been really weird for most.

It is true… very few carry anything over a dagger or swords. No large weapons like mine.

Soon Max found himself back at his place, almost tackled by a white ball of fur the moment the door opened.

“TWO DAYS! TWO DAYS! You didn’t send me a note to tell me you were going to be gone?!”

Jazzjak’s nose was moving faster than any other time, twitching like crazy as his left foot tapped the ground constantly.

“I… uh… forgot? Sorry, Mom.”

A scowl came, and those red eyes narrowed at him, then the tiny paw came forward with a single claw wagging in the wind.

“It’s not funny… I’m here in this house, unable to leave because I don’t know if something happened to you. For two days all I can think about is how I might be dead the moment I walk out that door. Or perhaps that won’t matter and someone will come inside and kill me.”

Sighing, Max bent down on his knee and smiled.

“I’m sorry, Jazzjak. I didn’t realize. Now tell me, what’s really bothering you.”

The tiny mouth opened and then closed, chomped down quick enough to bite a finger off.

Snorting, he glared at Max before finally growling for a few seconds.

“I’m nothing here… even now I realize that every day. I want to ask something, and I understand if you say no… but can I… can I get a skill shard from what you win?”

“Absolutely, and once again, I’m sorry. I keep forgetting what it must be like for you here. You were the top of the food chain in your circle, and now… all you do is cook and shop for me.”

The vorpal rabbit held out its middle finger.

“Don’t say it that way! Still… thank you. I know I can’t stay here forever, and I’ll need to try to return one day to my wife and children. When that happens, I’ll have to be stronger. Especially if she found a new mate.”

Blinking a few times, Max tried to not laugh at the vision of watching Jazzjak return home, only to find another male rabbit sitting in a chair, surrounded by a dozen tiny furballs.

“Ok, well, next victory, we’ll work on getting you a skill shard that can help you. In the meantime, I need to clean up and sleep. I’m exhausted.”

“And for being gone this long, all you brought home was a whip?”

Grinning, Max stood up and removed it from around his neck and chest.

He winked once, and the weapon shifted, returning to its original design, the halberd he had wanted from Buwingrid.

“A… weapon that transforms… how… how did you pay for this?”

“Through two days of blood, sweat, and more sweat. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to sleep. You can notify Quilazmore I’ll be ready for a fight tomorrow.”

Those red eyes seemed to glow when Max said that, and he nodded quickly.

“Want food first? I could make some while you clean up.”

A grumbling sound came from Max’s stomach, and both of them laughed.

“Food sounds good. Just make sure to cook my meat this time.”

Cackling, the rabbit hopped off toward the kitchen, while Max moved toward the stairs.

***

Cheers came as Max dodged another shot from the two-headed ogre.

It was twelve feet tall, and its six arms currently kept him on the defensive.

Both bows it wielded required no arrows, and the constant barrage never ended.

One arrow had been all it had taken to know they hurt, though an anti-healing effect had been cleansed by Bob.

Weaving behind the metal pillars that stood every fifty yards, Max cursed inside.

She is fast… you’re faster, but you and I both know the six swords that decorate her hips and back also tell you it's going to be one hell of a fight.

And I love how this arena floor doesn’t have any stone, sand, or wood. I mean, I know they’re gunning for me, but come on…

Her green eyes were always watching as she shifted around the arena, moving between metal pillars, staying far enough away that charging her would be potential suicide if skills were used.

She’s shooting at least twice a second from a hundred and fifty yards. The one time I tried to get close she danced and evaded around the floor with ease. Tell me how a two-headed ogre can move that fast!

Because she can focus on two things at once… her two heads allow that. One controls the body, and the other the tactics. You’re trying to do everything.

Max sensed the arrows changing and dodged as two came around the pillar on the side he was hiding behind.

Racing across the floor, he was behind another pillar in a moment, a wall of air shattered as it stopped the two that had almost struck him from behind as he moved.

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Can we do that? Can you and I work together where I move around, and you cast the spells? Is that even possible?

A barrage of arrows began to rain down around him, and the four-foot-wide metal column he was hiding behind.

[ Demonic Portal ]

Cursing under his breath, Max made it to another hiding spot, the game of cat and mouse having him unable to react.

My last fireball didn’t even get close, as she dodged it long before it would hit from this range.

Give me a moment. I’m doing something. Just focus on staying alive, and don’t cast anything unless you have to.

Shifting side to side, Max tried to get a read on which direction the arrows were coming from, letting his Sonar tell him which way he was going to have to move.

Two arrows almost clipped his left foot, and racing to the right, Max cursed as his Sonar informed him that another steady stream of pain was already on its way toward his new position. He swiped with his weapon and stopped one, while the other struck his leg, impaling it about an inch.

Heat radiated up it as the notification came.

[ Anti-Heal Detected ]

Ignoring both the burning sensation and the way his leg felt, Max raced toward the next column, wanting to summon a wall to help him make it there but didn’t, trusting Bob to do whatever he was attempting.

Every step had arrows leading him, and Max only avoided and blocked them thanks to his upgraded dexterity and milestone.

Grunting, he ripped the arrow out, watching as blood seeped from the wound, and he waited for the next attack to come.

“Yioreg continues to keep Ifrit pinned down! Can she bleed him out? Will he do nothing but run?!”

Holding a middle finger up to the air around him, Max waited.

Anything?

Soon. I think I can manage it, but the first few times may be difficult. You’ll have to trust me. If you try to take back any portion of the casting of skills or spells, it will block me from helping for a while.

Taking a deep breath, Max let it out.

I trust you, Bob. I’ll do what I can to get us close or in range. You handle the rest.

Fine. Then change your weapon. Make it a thicker sword. It will help you block the arrows while also confusing her. We need to make her hesitate for a moment.

Without waiting, Max focused his weapon into a long sword that had totally disproportionate dimension.

The blade was about four feet long but also about a foot wide. The metal wasn’t very thick, but all he could do was hope it would hold.

I’m ready when you are.

Good, now go! Race to a different one. Start the path. I’ll manage the rest.

Without waiting, Max raced off, his sword easily deflecting both arrows that came. There was a noticeable decrease in time between the following attacks as he reached another column.

Once more. I think I have what I need. I’m going to cast a spell, but it’s going to completely miss. Don’t worry about that.

Laughing, Max took off again, running between the metal protective barriers, reaching them in a moment, sensing the spell that Bob was casting.

A fireball… at this range… okay…

Trust me… now comes the tricky part. Chase her. I’ll call out the directions, and be ready. You’ll know when I expect you to get close. I’ll be using Haste and your Demonic Teleportation.

Just say when.

Wait three seconds, run away, and then four seconds. After that, charge from the left and work your way through the columns. I’ll guide you if I need you to change directions.

As instructed, Max moved when it was time, avoiding the renewed onslaught of arrows and blocking the ones he couldn’t dodge.

When the moment came to attack, he ran toward Yioreg and to the left, almost smiling as her barrage of arrows were not aimed in his new direction, having expected him to be fleeing still.

She adjusted quickly as she began backpedaling, working on keeping the distance.

They were like bugs, hopping around the three-mile battleground, skittering left and right through the large spaces between the columns. She was as fast as he was, and staying ahead was easy.

Ignore the fireball.

Max wanted to laugh when it soared toward the right, causing Yioreg to move left and easily avoid the slow-moving spell.

Now! Get her!

[ Haste ]

He had considered this ability but hadn’t used it, knowing that it might be the only closer he had, and if it failed, he might never catch Yioreg.

Max’s mind barely was able to process the change in speed the moment it kicked in.

One second he was almost two hundred yards away, the next he was in her face.

Both sets of eyes looked shocked at his sudden appearance, and his sword worked like a shield, sending each arrow to the side as he deflected them.

As he drew close the spell he sensed went off.

[ Ice Nova ]

Yioreg had dropped both bows and begun reaching for all six swords, scowling at him with both sets of fangs.

The sound of metal on metal as they pulled free from their scabbards was nothing compared to the impact his sword made against hers.

Yioreg’s speed ground to a halt as the spell touched her, slowing her down tremendously.

Still, Max had to move to the defensive, watching as six blades, all as long as his, moved in perfect harmony, swiping, parrying, and thrusting as he danced around the two-headed ogre.

A strike he thought would hit was parried by two, his blade scratching along the plate armor on her legs, not drawing blood, but the only thing that saved him was a wall of air followed up by a stone wall under the ogre’s feet as she swung at him.

It launched her upward, and Max swung his weapon, surprised when it transformed into a spear, hoping to catch her feet, but the ogre leaped off, doing a backflip and falling to the ground on the other side.

His view shifted, now hidden by the stone wall as her body moved away from him, and both pairs of eyes lost sight of him. A smirk appeared as he realized what Bob was about to do.

In his hand was a weapon he had started his adventure with. It was like an old love, and holding it now brought back memories of Windsor Wheel.

Max thrust upward, wanting to roar with laughter as the notifications streamed by.

[ Power Strike ]

[ Magical Strike ]

[ Rampage ]

Yioreg didn’t know he was behind her as she came down from her flip, preparing to land on the metal floor.

A cry of pain came as his weapon thrust upward, four times in a moment, piercing her back and exploding through her chest.

Each strike hit with a power that very few could deal with.

The ogre wasn’t a tank. She was a fast-moving killer.

But Max had just become something else.

He had become a hunter.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

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