Ultimate Level 1-Chapter 426: A Different Tower

Chapter 426 - A Different Tower

Max stood outside with the others, smiling as he watched Aerthen and Rakonath fly through the air above them.

“They look in their element up there,” Tanila stated. “Of course, it is pretty obvious just how much growing your little dragon has to do. Next to her, he seems so small.”

“Small she says,” Cordellia said. “I mean the thing is bigger than a house, and he is small . I can’t imagine what he will be like in a decade or two.”

“Bah you two stop that,” he protested. “I don’t want to think about a decade or two right now. We’ve got enough stuff to deal with and worrying about what Rakonath will be like in ten or twenty years isn’t on my list. We must focus on this tower and whether it’s even worth attempting.”

Fowl started to chuckle until an elbow from their healer caught his ribs.

“What did you hit me for? He’s acting like the leader.”

“Because it’s not funny. Max is right,” she replied. “We’re on a different world and walking into something none of us have any ideas about. He might be safe from whatever is on the other side, but that doesn’t mean we are. So let’s focus for a bit and see what happens. I, for one, don’t want to deal with any surprises or problems.”

***

“What the hell are those!?”

Batrire’s shout made Max laugh as he slaughtered the four creatures that had run toward him.

These things are as big as an ogre… yet they use their hands to move like a gorilla.

You seemed more focused on that than the six tongues that extend from their mouth and keep trying to wrap you up?

Bob’s comment only made him laugh louder as his new weapon took on the shape of a two-handed sword, and he cleaved the creature clean through in a single swipe.

“They’re dead! Move up!”

He could hear Batrire cursing under her breath and wanted to pull out a bar of soap, yet refrained, knowing she wasn’t in the mood.

“Of course, the first tower floor is a dark forest with things like that and the other creatures. I guess we should be glad none of these are that strong.”

Nodding at Fowl, Max pointed at the remains of what Fowl had killed.

“They look like a troll or something like one made love with a shark and a crab. Whoever… or whatever species this is… I’m not sure how they continue to repopulate,” Max stated.

“Perhaps it’s really dark when they get together.”

Chuckling at his friend's joke, Max stored a few pieces of the bodies and checked on the trio that Tanila and Cordellia were helping.

“You… we are grateful, Ifrit!”

Two male catkins and a female wolfkin bowed low, each wearing a hodgepodge of leather and chain armor.

“We save them, and he gets the thanks,” their ranger whispered, knowing full well he would hear her.

“Perhaps you three should return to the entrance and stay closer. The further you get in here the worse it is as you saw how many came.”

All three nodded and bowed low again.

“Wait,” he said as they started to leave. “We’re not going to take all of these things. If you want, help yourself, but be safe.”

“You… you’re sure?” the wolfkin asked. “They are your kills and thus are your spoils.”

Nodding, Max pointed at the fifty-plus dead creatures that were scattered over a hundred-yard area within the forest.

“Again, we’re leaving for the next level. You three, stay safe. Also check in with the new office for tower climbers they just opened in the city. I’ll tell them you three are coming and perhaps they can assist you with getting some better equipment. You also might look for a fourth member, as I think you might be able to go further on this floor safely with one more.”

The three of them all lifted a fist to their chest and bowed.

“You honor us too much, Ifrit,” the wolfkin stated. “We shall carry the story of your kindness. A rare thing in our city.”

***

“Five floors in a single day seems crazy,” Fowl stated as he put his foot up on a stool, resting his mug of ale on his stomach. “I mean, none of them were difficult but the kinds of things we fought were…”

“Ugly? Misshapen? Out of a nightmare?” Cordellia asked.

“All of the above,” Batrire muttered. “What kind of floor needs an eyeball with tentacles with mouths and shoots energy beams out of its eye?”

“A crappy one,” their warrior said.

Tanila said nothing as she snuggled up against Max.

Holding her tight, his hand rested on the small bump he knew was their child.

Two years… it’s going to take two years for this one to be born.

It's better than the four it takes for an elf. Or perhaps not. She is strong, fighting in the tower next to you, never complaining about how tired she might be or how the constant drain might impact her.

And yet you bring it up again…

You would be smart not to mention it to her unless you want to endure another hole being torn in your backside.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Chuckling, he shook his head and tapped his temple when she looked at him.

“Aren’t you tired?” she asked.

“No… not really. My body has changed since the first time I arrived here. I don’t need as much sleep or food. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy resting, especially being beside you, but I can easily go a week or two without it. The stronger I get, the less I need it.”

Covering her mouth as she yawned, Tanila nodded.

“So, no boss on the 5th floor. I guess it’s every 9th one?”

“That’s what I hear, though no one has reached the 19th floor yet. I have no doubt we’ll be the first if we want it. I’m curious to see what the first one is like.”

“I’m just glad to see that we encountered other people in the tower,” Tanila said. “After almost never seeing other climbers, it’s good to know we’re not alone.”

Smiling, Max just nodded and gave her a gentle kiss.

“Get a room,” Cordellia said as she winked at them. “From what I hear there are a lot of rooms in this ugly silver place. Some are purple and some are silver. I mean who made that horrible decision?”

Laughing, Max shrugged.

“I remember the first time I laid eyes upon it. It was a bit gaudy. As I already mentioned, there were over twenty portals that went to different places. The amount of power she used to maintain a certain look and control was unbelievable.”

“Still having portals to the other rings within the city would be a good thing. Right?” Cordellia asked.

“It would, but if I need to go there I can always bother Quilazmore to assist me. He has a skill similar to mine except the cooldown and number of places he can go to are way better. Of course, it only works from a set home point and is at the city's center.”

“Makes me a little jealous,” Fowl stated. “Imagine being able to pop into any ale house within range whenever you wanted!”

“That’s what you’d use a power like that for?” Batrire asked. “Drinking?”

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“Well… uh… and to take you to shops you want to go.”

Rolling her eyes, their healer shook her head. “Sometimes I wonder about you. It’s a good thing I love you.”

“Bah, we’re married. You don’t have to talk sweet to me, I’m going to always give you what you want.”

A retching sound came from their ranger, and Max started to stand.

“On that note, I think it's time for us to turn in. Tomorrow morning we can do the tower again. Provided nothing goes bad we should be on the 9th floor later in the day.”

***

“So what did you say about nothing going wrong?” Fowl asked, elbowing Max as they stared at the puzzle before them.

“Yeah, yeah… Batrire’s already giving me an earful. I’m not sure if I should be excited or sad about the fact we’re facing puzzles on the 8th floor.”

They were now in a room where the doors had sealed themselves, a magical barrier surrounding the fifty-by-fifty-foot room. On the stone floor of the room they were in were 42 tiles, each with different symbols that Max could read, yet none of them made sense to him.

“I’m almost done cataloging all of them,” Cordellia informed everyone as she drew the symbols in her book with the definitions of each one.

“Sand, bread, blood, fire, hammer, scythe… I mean… there is a connection right?”

All he could do was shrug at Tanila who looked as lost as he was.

“I’m guessing it’s something a local person from this world would understand,” Max answered. “I’ve seen most of these things and there are a few that I think I know but over half of them are a mystery. Take for example, the sand and glass one. I’m fairly certain they go together. The child and mother seem like a good pair and the seed and tree. Some… I’m just not sure.”

“Finished!”

Their ranger sighed and put away her journal and pencil, moving to join everyone else.

“So… how does this start?” Fowl asked.

“You be yourself. Go touch one and see what happens,” Batrire answered. “Don’t worry though, I’m pretty confident I can heal you in time if something bad happens.”

Had their warrior been a medusa, their healer would have been a statue. He moved to where the first tile was and touched it.

All of them began to glow, and then each one had the same image of the tower on top.

“Uh… now what?”

Max moved to where his friend was and bent down, touching the closest one. It shimmered and revealed a catkin. Touching the next one made it shimmer and it revealed a child. Two seconds passed and both glowed, returning to the tower's image.

“It’s a pattern game,” Tanila said. “I’ve done lots of these as a child. Usually they’re pretty straightforward.”

“Except we’re in a tower, and it can’t be so easy that we keep trying out pairs until we find the right match,” Cordellia pointed out. “Is there a time limit or a number of guesses?”

When he touched the two next to the first ones he had revealed, water and a rabbit were revealed. Then, as before, the tiles returned to the tower image.

“So we keep guessing until we get a match we know. Should I record them?” their ranger asked.

“No, I can remember them. Don’t forget I’ve got points in intelligence.”

***

“I’m guessing this wasn’t how the puzzle was intended to go,” Tanila called out from inside the dimensional space. “You’re cheating, and you know it.”

Max shrugged and moved to the tiles closest to him. They were floating in the air as he was, somehow suspended by magic, yet unable to support him when he had tried standing on them. Bob was using their flight skill to keep from falling into the pool of acid that had been under the stone floor.

It seems kind of dangerous, as after the twenty-first flip, the floor started to fall from the edges of the room.

Again, a group of people from this world would most likely be okay with solving this puzzle, unlike us, who have flubbed the last seven matches.

Touching the one that was the symbol for air, Max moved to where the next tile to attempt was. The symbol for leaves appeared and both tiles glowed green, vanishing from the remaining ones.

“How do those two have anything in common?” Cordellia asked.

“Beats me, but we’re almost done. Trial and error. And flying. Seems like a good way to win.”

***

Appearing outside the tower, Max sensed the presence of a few others and took a step forward, putting himself between those and his group.

“You’ve grown, Ifrit.”

The voice made him smile, and Max knew who was before him as the insect he immediately recognized by sound appeared.

“Holy hells, Kauakan! What happened to you!?!”

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