Chapter 34 - Return to the King

As soon as their ragged expedition shuffled out of the great stone doors back to the realm of the obsidian dwarves, they were met by an entourage of thirty dwarves all armed and armored, standing in two neat groups. At the door towards the room, lay a dead dwarf in a pool of blood.

This was no welcome committee, waiting for them with open arms and smiles. All of the thirty people waiting for them wore tight expressions and dark eyes, ready for violence.

“These are the High-King’s men,” Fulgrum whispered to Max. “The dead man is Dormoguddumukun, a messenger of ours. He was supposed to wait here and deliver a message to King Durum when we arrived.”

“So that’s how it is, huh?” Max said, grimly and immediately drank a [Potion of Greater Mana Regeneration] and muttered to himself, casting [Alter Gravity] on his revolver and himself.

One of the thirty men of the High-King stepped forward and addressed Fulgrum. As he listened, he started to increasingly tremble with suppressed fury.

Max didn’t understand what was being said, but he understood very well what was going on. And he would have none of it.

“Tell them to lay down their arms and I will spare them. I have nothing against any of these individuals. But if they choose to fight for their treacherous Thief-King, I will show no mercy.”

Fulgrum turned to him, wielding an expression of horror and respect. He regarded Max for a moment longer, before he turned to the captain of the men of the High-King and told them what Max had told him.

Their captain barked out a nasty laugh and many of his men joined him in it. That was all Max needed to justify action. He stepped forward and tethered the captain to a spot on the ground before Max. The captain skidded towards Max, flailing his arms around and yelling.

When the captain came to reach, Max punched him in the face with the butt of [The Maverick]. A strange sensation passed through Max, as if the weapon had liked that.

The captain fell and Max peppered his face with magic bullets, until the Framework gave him a notification.

Defeated level 10 [Soldier of the High-King of Avarice]

You gained 200 experience points

The last of the laughter of the High-King’s men had died. Max gave them a dark, challenging look. They would take nothing from him. They had not faced the unspeakable horror that had almost slaughtered them all. The High-King deserved nothing of this loot, and Max would go beyond reason to protect what he and the expedition had earned for themselves. Still. Max hoped these theatrics of killing the High-King’s captain would be enough to fend the rest of them off. Max didn’t want to spill blood in vain. These were people, afterall.

It wasn’t meant to be. The second in command shouted something, And Fulgrum barked at his tired men to form a line. Not a single man remaining of the expedition would die on Max’s watch. They had faced the horror with him. He would protect them.

Max cast [Gravity Well] near the other group of fifteen men. He cast the spell beyond the ledge of the platform, over the glowing magma. Six dwarves were pulled into the core of it, two skidded over the ledge and died instantly. Max let the spell go and the other six were dropped.

The other group further from Max, charged at the expedition. Max cast several [Tether] at the charging line and they all stumbled and fell. Some bouncing off each other by the force of repulsion, hitting the other fighters, some tangling with each other, sandwiching other members. All fifteen of them fell. Max shot a few rounds in there with [The Maverick] but the rest of them were jumped on by the expedition, screaming in incoherent anger as they hacked the High-King’s men to pieces.

What was left of the group closer to Max were almost at him. Max cast [Alter Gravity] on himself, followed by a repulsion [Tether] next to where he stood. He hadn’t tried this trick before, but he knew it would work as intended, because of his study of Mana and the nature of the spell.

Max blasted off fifteen feet away, skidding to a stop next to the carts of the expedition. He kept shooting, tethering and skidding about. The smartest of the High-King’s men changed targets from Max to the dwarves from the expedition. Those were the ones Max shot down first.

When there were not but a few of the enemy left, Max tethered them down and shot them one by one, until not a single one of the High-King’s men were breathing. All of the enemy died struggling defiantly, none of them cowering or begging. Not that it would have mattered. Max had given them a chance to back down. Now he had let a darkness in, that cooled down only when the last of his enemies lay dead. The amount of experience Max received in total was over 4000.

Level up! [Level 15 Graviturgist]

You have gained + 1 Constitution, + 2 Intelligence, + 2 Wisdom, + 2 free attribute points

[Cultivation System Unlocked]

You are now Quartz-level Cultivator (lesser)

+5 to all attributes

Achievement: [Cultivator of The Heavenly Arts]

Reward: [F-tier Cultivation Pack]

[Cultivation path choice available]

[??? Unlocked] - > [Quartz Meditation Technique: Basic Mana Cycling]

Level requirement to use met

[Talent unlocked: ???] - > Talent: [Mana Instinct I]

Level requirement to use met

[Mana Instinct I]: All cycling techniques are 5% more effective

Max was almost overwhelmed by the amount of notifications. But not only that. Something in his body awakened. It was like water made of light flushed inside him, making every cell inside of him shimmer with excitement and power.

His muscles convulsed and when Max tried to breathe, it was like drawing in cold mountain air after swallowing a packful of mints. So fresh, so cool, so acute that it physically hurt. The sensations flushed over him, until the only thing that was left was a slowly pulsating sense of Mana coursing inside him. It had a familiar sense, a flavor similar to the intimations of the nature of Mana he had gotten from training with [Tether].

After settling down and adjusting, Max looked at the carnage before him that he had created. Conflicting emotions struggled within him.

All these things I’ve unlocked… I feel so empowered. I don’t know what all this means, but this is better growth than I could have ever imagined when I stumbled down that cave. If I were to face that giant insect monster again, I would not flinch. I have changed down here.

Fulgrum talked frantically to his men. Something about getting word to King Durum immediately to bring reinforcements. Max barely listened. If more of the High-King’s men attacked, he would deal with them.

You need to be hard, Max. But don’t become a monster. These people are not the enemy. The petty High-King is not worth a breath. What matters is what King Durum can give me and my people. I’ll need to learn what I can here, return to Joshua’s camp and go hunt the enemy.

It wasn’t long before a slew of men came in a stream of stout, shiny blackness inside the room. Max was relieved to see Durum, taller than the rest and dignified as befit his station.

He rumbled something in his tongue that Max could not understand. Max asked Fulgrum to give the amulet to Durum and he bowed to Max and did as he was bid.

“My dear subjects,” King Durum said in almost a tender voice. “Is this all that is left of you?”

Fulgrum fell on a knee and bowed his head, as he told what had transpired to King Durum. The king turned to Max in surprise and then turned to look at the dead men of the High-King scattered around the room in their pools of cooling blood.

“Max,” Durum said as he turned back. “It seems you have taken upon yourself protecting my people with your life. That is heroic in the very sense of the word.”

Max bowed. “Thank you, my liege.”

“But this mess you have just created…” Durum waved a hand. “I suppose it was necessary. I can even turn this into our advantage… Yes… This could be my chance…”

He muttered to himself, steepling his fingers full of rings as he thought. Then he snapped out of it and looked at Max with excitement in his eyes.

“We must act quickly now. My men will escort all of you back to my estates. You will be fed, bathed and clothed and treated with utmost respect. Then we shall have a wake for our fallen men and I will reward each of you as I see fit. After that I will have an audience with the kings and you will all testify. Let us waste no time and go!”