Ultimate Level 1 - Book 6 - Chapter 330

“Finish it!” Fowl shouted as the last scorpion tried to jab him again with its tail, instead striking the shield and taking damage from it.

“I’m coming!” Dexic shouted as she yanked her sword from the scorpion she had just slain.

Max wasn’t sure what he wanted to do for the longest time as he covered the hundred yards to where his friends were battling the last scorpion.

He knew Tanila was low on mana, her spells getting smaller with each one she sent.

So he did what he could, summoning an ice spear, pouring more mana in it than he needed and sending it at the last one when his dwarven friend called for help.

His spell penetrated the insect’s head, coming from above and pinning it to the ground as it flailed for a moment.

“Finish it so you get the experience!” Max shouted, just ten yards from behind Tanila and Cordellia.

He watched as the most beautiful red headed woman he had ever seen slowly turned around, tears in her green eyes that matched his.

“Max?!” Cordellia exclaimed. 

“Holy elf tits! Max!” Fowl cried out after he smashed his weapon into the scorpion once more before the voice that had called out made him turn around.

“Tanila, I’m back.”

His voice broke as he moved toward her, catching her as she started to fall.

“You… you’re really here?” 

He nodded, brushing her face with his hand, her voice having just been a whisper.

“Yes… every day…” Tears ran down his face, matching hers, and he choked for a moment. “Every day I fought to return… I—”

He went silent as strength returned to Tanila, and she grabbed his neck, pulling him close and pressed her lips against his.

Max let himself go, pulling her close to him, sitting down on the ground and wrapping his arms around her.

Nothing mattered, not the dungeon they were in and the rocks he was sitting on, or the four people who surrounded them, all in shocked silence as they stared, tears flowing down all of their faces as well.

“I need to breathe,” Tanila finally gasped as she pulled herself back a little, her hand rubbing up and down on his armor on his chest. 

“You are the air I need every day,” Max replied, ignoring the groan Fowl let out.

“How… what… I… I knew you were alive,” Tanila said as she reached into her robe and pulled out her necklace. “Each day I woke up, and could go on, just because I knew you were still alive.”

Max pulled his out and showed it to her, smiling as he did.

“I’m grateful the gods or the tower gave us these. I cannot imagine the strength that gave you.”

She nodded and pulled him in again, kissing him as she had just moments before.

“Uh, not to interrupt, but we can leave the dungeon if you need to finish that,” Fowl said after clearing his throat.

“No, I’m fine,” Max replied, winking at his brother in arms. “I just got back about seven or eight hours ago. Tom told me you were in here, so I raced through the tower to find you.”

“So you cleared a tower wherever you were?” Dexic asked, her left eyebrow lifted high as she cocked her head.

“Not exactly… I… well, let’s not worry about that for now. If Tanila will let me stand, I would love to give each of you a hug as well.”

Clearing her throat, Tanila nodded.

“As long as you come back right after.”

“I promise,” Max said, giving her a kiss on her forehead.

Rising to his feet, Max grabbed each of them in turn, hugging his healer and lifting her off the ground.

“She’s missed you, we all have,” Batrire whispered in his ear. “You better have a good story, or so help me I’ll kick you in your nuts every morning.”

Coughing, Max nodded and set her down, moving to Fowl who already had his arms open wide.

“Gods, you look stronger than before!”

“As do you,” Max said as he gave his friend a good squeeze.

Cordellia waited next, shuffling a little, and she perked up as Max held his arms open, and she dashed toward him, returning his embrace.

“Welcome back, Max.”

He couldn’t help but laugh as she accented his real name.

“It’s good to see you, Cordellia. I’ve missed you and your low voice.”

“Gods, I finally had Fowl trained, and now you’re going to get him going again.”

Both of them chuckled as they let go, and Max turned to Dexic, standing there in her gold armor, no helmet as she studied him from a few yards.

“You’re not the boy I met in the adventurers hall. You’re something else. I can sense it.”

“I owe you a debt for helping my friends and protecting them.”

She shook her head and held out her hand.

“No, they have shown me the power of a family and an amazing group. You are fortunate to have them.”

Max grabbed her hand and pulled her close, giving her a hug and patting the taller woman on the back.

“I owe you… I’ll find a way to repay you,” he told her quietly.

“Let’s say we’re even. You saved my life.”

Nodding, he gave her a pat on the shoulder as they broke their embrace and turned his attention back to Tanila who was just a few feet behind him.

Holding out his hand, he smiled as she grabbed his and let him pull her close.

“So… tell me. How goes the tower climbing?”

They all chuckled as Fowl let out a groan.

“It’s slow… like weeks without a real bathroom slow.”

“Well, if you all want, we could skip this place and head back to the Faction house. I’m certain we’d much rather talk about what has happened there than in here.”

“I’m fine with not being able to enter for a while,” Dexic said.

“As am I,” Cordellia chimed in.

“Why would we wait to enter the tower again?” Max asked, smirking as he did.

Their ranger shook her head.

“Did you forget that if we leave, there is a cooldown?”

“No I remember,” Max replied. “However, I was thinking about us finishing this floor. If that’s okay with you all.”

“You want to fight with us or just clear the way?”

“I had a better idea,” Max informed Fowl. “I mean I could just carry you all if you wanted.”

“There’s five of us Max,” Batrire stated. “You can’t carry all of us.”

He gave Tanila a kiss on the cheek and winked at her.

“If you’re willing, my love, could I have just a moment to free my hand? I promise I’m not going anywhere without you.”

She gave him a sideways look, narrowing her eyes for a moment, and slowly bobbed her head, letting his fingers free from her death grip.

Moving a few yards away, Max cracked his neck and did a few small squats, putting on a show for them.

“Now listen. I won’t have a lot of time once I do this, so just be aware I’m going to grab you all and do my best to not injure anyone.”

He winked at Tanila who was shaking her head, and snapped his fingers, his chest piece vanishing into storage.

“Holy elf tits,” Tanila muttered.

“Okay, someone needs to tell me where he got those,” Fowl stated as he pointed at Max’s shredded physique.

“Sorry, this is more for the ride, I don’t want anyone getting slammed into the armor. Besides, if this floor is like the other ones, we’ll be fine.”

“The other ones?” Dexic asked.

Max didn’t reply, he simply transformed.

[ Ultimate Form ]

“HOLY ELF TITS!” Cordellia shouted as Max grew to eleven feet tall.

“Does everything get bigger?” Fowl asked.

Batrire swiped absently at her man, missing him completely as she couldn’t take her eyes off of Max.

“Time’s ticking, and we need to hurry, so hold on tight.”

***

Max and the others moved out of the portal and found themselves standing on the platform, surrounded by over two hundred people. Everett was there with Tom and many other members of their Faction.

“Impossible,” Tom stated.

“Everett!” Max exclaimed, moving to where the gray-headed man stood, staring at him in disbelief.

“Seth… it’s you… Tom said… and his story… flying and then the guards… Major Greyson… how… how in the gods?”

“Perhaps we can talk about that back at our Faction house,” Max whispered as he gave the man a quick embrace.

“Alright, everyone, I’m sorry to disappoint you by not being able to stick around and chat, but I’m finally back and need to return with my family and friends.”

Murmurs and some groans came from those gathered, but most were quiet, watching the man most believed was a legend who had vanished without a trace, returned in the most impossible way ever.

“Major Greyson, can we take our leave?” Everett asked, regaining his composure after a moment.

“Yes… I shall personally escort you and your members.”

He whistled and motioned to some soldiers who moved to where the carriages were, bringing a trio of them to where they could take everyone home.

“Let’s go home, my love,” Max said, whispering in Tanila’s ear.

***

No one spoke as his group, along with Tom, Everett, and Dexic, all sat in the Faction leader’s office, listening to the tale Max shared.

“Imprisoned, on another world,” Tom muttered when it was finally over.

“Yeah, focus on that and not him killing two dragons!” Dexic exclaimed as she pointed at the scales and teeth Max had deposited on the table.

“I would assume I don’t need to mention no one shares any information about this outside this room?”

Everyone nodded at Everett’s question.

“Good, then all we will say is that Max took a trip overseas and just returned. Nothing else. Understood?”

Once more a bobbing of heads came as Fowl fondled one of the dragon scales.

“What I want to know is what your plans are,” Cordellia asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Seriously? Come on, Max, you ran through that tower floor and didn’t have to fight anything. If I had to guess you can probably solo the forty-ninth boss!”

Sighing, Max felt everyone’s eyes on him, waiting to hear his response to her question.

“Fowl, do you remember the day you met me in Rumstant?”

“That’s a day I’ll never forget,” replied their tank. “You were green… so green.”

“What did I want to do?”

“Become stronger.”

“Have we done that?”

His dwarven friend nodded.

“Some more than others.”

Grinning, Max turned to Everett.

“What did we say our group was going to do?”

“Beat the tower,” their Faction leader replied with a grin.

“Have we done that yet?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“Which,” Max said as he turned his attention to Tanila, “means I still have a promise to keep. We’ll beat the 49th floor together. We’ll venture into the fiftieth floor and finish it. After that… there are a few things, I need to take care of, and if no one minds, I’d like to spend a little time outside the tower with you all.”

Tanila’s fingers tightened around his, and Max turned to see her smiling.

“I would enjoy some time outside of the tower with you.”

“Gods… she sees one giant Max, and all she can think about is—”

Fowl gasped when Batrire nut punched him.

“Woman… the beans… not in the beans…”

Everyone chuckled, and Max couldn’t help but laugh.

“I think now is a perfect time for me to take my leave with this beautiful woman here.”

“Go,” Everett said, smiling as he did. “Don’t pass up this moment.”

Standing, Max helped Tanila up and began to move toward the door.

“I’m not sure when we’ll leave our room, but trust me, it will be when both of us are ready.”

***

Max sighed as Tanila lay against his chest.

“A bath… with the woman I love… could this get any better?”

He heard her sniff as she ran her fingers along his chest.

“What’s wrong?”

Shaking her head, Tanila looked up at him and smiled.

“So long I have dreamed of this moment. You… and me… it hurt so bad… to know what you endured… to know why you fought so hard… how you overcame everything. I even know there is so much more you haven’t shared yet.”

Running his fingers through her wet hair, Max nodded, watching the candlelight reflect off the water and her wet skin.

“Yes… there are things… that almost broke me. But know that you are what kept me going. Even Bob was willing to help me remember that.”

“Tell Bob thank you for me.”

“I would,” Max replied with a shrug, “except he is silent right now. He’s evolving.”

Her eyes widened, and Max nodded.

“Neither of us knows what that means yet, but there is still so much I need to do, but none of it matters if I’m not with you.”

Tanila nodded and sat up in the water, not bashful at all as her top half was displayed before him.

“What does your Sonar skill tell you?”

Max shook his head as he studied her.

“As in what does the room look like or what I can tell about right now?”

“Close your eyes, Max. Use your skill. Tell me what you can feel and sense.”

He chuckled, and she glared at him, playfully, but he knew she was serious.

“Fine, I don’t need the skill to know how beautiful you are.”

“Just shut up and focus, you fool.”

Going silent, Max took a deep breath and let it out.

His skill surged from out of him as he tried to sense what she was talking about. The room they were in hadn’t changed much, their clothes scattered on the floor, as she hadn’t been willing to let him simply have her or him become naked with the dimensional storage. Water was on the floor from where it has splashed from the tub. Each candle was alive, the fire dancing above the wax.

There Tanila was, smiling as she watched him, her eyes staring straight at him. He could sense small things in her, her heart beat faster, her chest seemed just a little larger but having been gone so long it was probably wishful thinking he thought.

The water sent out small waves of something, and he wondered at first if she was banging her knee or body against the tub, but he realized it wasn’t that.

A fast steady pace that didn’t change.

From inside the water.

His eyes flew open, and his hand surged forward, touching her stomach.

She began to cry and nod, and Max felt his own tears streaming down his face.

“A child? Our child?”

“Yes! Our child!”

“How… I mean, how long?”

“Only a few months ago did I learn. The day I did I prayed you’d return not just to me but to our child.”

He pulled her close, his hand on her stomach, his Sonar penetrating her skin and beginning to form the shape of the small child inside.

“I… I can see them.”

“That’s not fair!” Tanila exclaimed, giving him a gentle slap on his shoulder. “Tell me though… how do they look? Is it a boy or a girl?”

Max shrugged.

“I doubt the cord I sense is a pecker, though Fowl would definitely say it is one… for now they are no bigger than my thumb. Still… their heart beats so strong.”

Sniffing, Tanila pulled Max closer and kissed him again.

“Promise me, Max. Whatever happens, we’ll both be strong enough to protect our child.”

Blinking a few times, he nodded and then pulled back a moment and studied her face. He could see her eyes and the tightness of her lips.

“People won’t want this child to be born, will they?”

She shook her head slowly.

“On both sides, there are many who will not. I need you to help me become stronger. I need to know we can protect our child.”

Max gently rubbed his finger on her belly and nodded.

“I’ve killed a world guardian to get to you. I will tear apart the heavens and stop a god if they were foolish enough to attempt such a thing.”

Tanila smiled and laid her head against his chest.

“I’m tired, Max. Come to bed with me.”

He cupped her chin with a finger and lifted her head up, staring into those beautiful green eyes.

“Every night, as long as you’ll have me.”