Ultimate Level 1

After the chaos that ensued when Max announced their plans finally settled down, Greta procured a quest for them that would grant a large number of points toward the next rank within the adventurer guild.

With silver coins in their pockets and a major chance at growth tomorrow, they each left to collect the supplies and materials they needed for the next day.

After having returned to his inn, Max promptly used a proper toilet and then dropped off his gear in his room. Once it was secured he headed downstairs, noticing the inn was less crowded tonight as the goblin dungeon had opened back up.

“You look like you need a good meal tonight.”

Folding the quest sheet for tomorrow in half, Max finally noticed Peter, the inn’s favorite red-headed dwarf, waiting to take his order.

“I could actually use two plates tonight.”

The dwarf eyed him and nodded. “I don’t mean to pry but I noticed yer quest sheet. Is that really for a dungeon boss?”

“How did you know?” Max asked surprised as he was certain he had kept the text at the bottom hidden.

Snorting, Peter stroked his finely manicured beard before tucking it back into his belt. “It’s the border. Only the bosses have the silver and bronze intertwined border. Guessin' since it’s yer first one, you didn’t know that.”

“Still a F rank obviously,” Max replied as he shrugged. Unfolding the paper he put it on the table before Peter. “I’m still trying to figure out all the information on the bottom under the warning section.”

“Ahh the possible skills it might have.” Peter tapped the two listed. “You know how the boss's skill choices work?”

Shaking his head, Max sighed before he spoke. “Let’s say I don’t because I’ve been accused of not always paying attention when people talk.”

Peter laughed and glanced around the room. “Give me a minute. Let me go get yer food, and I’ll come tell you how it works since we aren’t busy right now.”

“That would be great! Thank you, Peter.”

Waving off his thanks, Peter walked toward the kitchen with a spring in his step. It appeared he was as excited as much as Max was.

“Now, all the dungeons are separate at this level, but as I’m sure you probably forget, the dungeons after a certain point are community ones. The bosses for each are connected and yet separate.” Peter paused as he took a drink from his mug and wiped the foam from his beard. “If two parties are fighting a boss in a lower dungeon at the same time, having actually engaged it, it cannot despawn. Normally as you know when the boss is defeated the magic of the dungeon resets and all monsters are despawned. However, since both bosses are engaged the dungeon is weird and does not despawn the second one. It will stay until the other party defeats it or escapes.”

Max nodded, writing down a few notes on a piece of paper Peter had given him.

Peter’s jovial face went grim as his eyebrows lowered and almost touched his nose. “Now the problem is when a party dies to the boss. The dungeon boss can grow stronger, gaining experience from those slain adventurers. When that happens if it levels up and gets a higher level skill.”

Tapping the skills at the bottom of the paper, Peter pointed at the first one.

“Strong Attack is the starting skill for the kobold boss. He will have a sword and can use the skill every minute. It will deliver twice the damage and even when blocked injures the fighter. It is noticeable as the sword glows for just a second before it strikes so be on yer guard.”

“How much damage is taken if someone blocks it?”

A snort escaped the dwarf's pudgy nose, and he regained his usual grin. “The strength and quality of the equipment has an effect but all I can say is some have lost their shield or weapon completely, others have had bones broken, and the occasional have still lost the arm behind it. Dodgin is best but if yer out of luck and that is yer only option, block it.”

Max’s charcoal pencil scribbled down those notes so he could make sure to share them with the whole party.

“If the boss has leveled up then he will have the next skill. Berserk

is a horrible thing for a low-level hero to fight against. He will glow red and attack twice as fast and strong. All tactics the creature might employ go out the window as he does everything possible to kill what is before em. If he goes berserk yer options be limited.” Peter grabbed his cup and took another long drink before banging it on the table. A slight scowl on his face. “Truth be if it goes berserk you better hope you can kill it fast before it slaughters the one it’s focused on. It will last ten seconds unless it kills its target. If it kills his target, the skill refreshes and the boss usually kills the entire party.”

“Goblin shite,” Max muttered. He had stopped writing down his notes as he listened. “Does it ever grow too strong for a group to kill?”

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Nodding his head, Peter frowned as he glanced around the quiet room.

“They have special individuals that have never cleared the boss who come and reset it. Dangerous business adventuring be. In fact seven patrons last week died, never returning to collect their stuff or pay off their bill.”

“What?!”

“Yup. Adventurers like you who pay for days or weeks at a time often leave stuff in their room and then are never heard from again. After two days all inn owners put yer stuff in a special storage room and tag it. A week later they can sell it, notifying the adventurer guild. If by some miracle the adventurer ever returns, the inn has to pay them ninety percent of what they got for their gear.”

Grabbing his cup, Max took a long drink. His throat felt really dry suddenly.

How many times had I been close to death and only made it because of my skill…

“Stop looking so gloomy, Seth. I’m sure if you got that quest it means the guild hall believes yer team is strong enough for it.”

Pushing back his chair, Peter picked up Max’s plate, turning toward the kitchen. He stopped, returned to the table, and grunted. “Don’t forget the portal to the boss. You can take it out of its lair if yer team doesn’t think you can win the fight, but that will lock you from the boss fer a week. Zone into the boss room, wait two minutes fer the portal to activate, and then attack the boss. Some higher-level dungeons don’t have that option. Those be win or die.”

Quickly scribbling that last bit down, Max sighed. At least if things went bad they could escape.

I wonder how much of this the others know. I feel like I’m two steps behind on everything.

“Still want that second plate?”

Max nodded, still lost in his thoughts about the stuff he had just learned.

“Here,” Max said as he slid Peter ten copper coins across the table. “I owe you for that.”

“Bah, you don’t owe me nothing. Ya paid for a week, and we both know there ain’t nothin' in yer room, so if ya die, I won’t be able to sell anything.”

Max laughed but pushed the coins even closer to Peter.

“Consider it a downpayment then. If I don’t return you got a little extra coin. If I do, it’s for another night.”

Resisting the urge to scowl, Peter finally nodded and slid the coins into his stubby fingers.

“An extra night it is. Be safe and I’ll be lookin forward to hearin bout yer battle.”

Watching Peter move to the other patrons and chat with them, Max ate all he could and pushed the mostly finished plate away.

Stretching his neck, he rose from his seat and made his way to his room.

He knew he would need all the sleep possible to be ready for tomorrow.

They all arrived at the entrance to the guild house just a little bit after the sun had risen. Each of them grinned as they saw the new equipment they now had.

Brutus was showing off his padded armor and a shiny new sword.

Racha had a pack with feathers sticking out and a new quiver full of arrows.

Even Miles was decked out with a new staff and some copper armbands.

“Shopping spree?” Racha asked as they all chuckled taking in each person's new appearance.

“Yes.” roared Brutus. “How long has it been since we have been able to actually afford new equipment? We made more last night than we have in a long time.”

“You all look great and I’m glad you geared up a little. We need to head out though, and I have a ton of new information to make sure we are aware of.”

“Healing!”

Max saw Brutus’s health bar rise on the party indicator from twenty percent to fifty. All day, the heals Miles was casting restored more health due to his new equipment.

Not wasting the moment, Max drove his spear into the last kobold caster’s eye socket, the tip pressing through the small skull cavity for a brief moment.

The feeling of cold water rushed over him as the message he had been banking on came across.

[ 21 Hit Points Consumed ]

[ 7 Stamina Consumed ]

With that threat down, only one final kobold grunt remained. Even before Max could turn toward it, a second arrow pierced its back as it ran away, sending it to the stone floor.

Moving to where it was twitching, Max pierced its neck, enjoying the rush once more.

[ 11 Hit Points Consumed ]

[ 3 Stamina Consumed ]

“My gods, that's so not fair,” Brutus complained as he held his arm, his new armor already sporting a variety of burns from the casters as he waited the last few seconds for Miles to have heal ready again. “Damn, nobles.”

All four of them laughed, watching Brutus’s fake frown turn into a smile.

“Yes, it’s not fair, but I’ll take it,” Miles said as he started to cast heal again. “Knowing he can stay alive without me babysitting him is the only thing that allowed us to make it this far.”

“Oh I ain’t complaining,” Brutas replied. “I mean all of us are level four now and a good chunk into it. Maybe I should ask Seth if I can get a job serving him food once he retires.”

Racha snickered, and Max pretended to consider that request while scratching his chin.

“I’m not sure you would look good in a dress,” Racha stated as she put her bow away and started cutting off the kobold ears. “Besides, it would be even worse if you did.”

Brutus grunted and gave a shrug as he slid his sword into its scabbard and started collecting the items worth keeping from the corpses.

“Just remember, if word gets out and my father finds out I’m here things will be deep in goblin shite. I don’t want to drag you all into my petty family problems.”

Miles sat down on the stone and closed his eyes, focusing on trying to regain mana a little faster. He opened one eye for a second and gave a grin before speaking. “I ain’t saying nothing to no one. These last two days have been the best days of my adventuring career. You could ask me to strip naked and run through town, and I might just do it for another run like this.”

Racha shuddered and shook her head no as she glowered at Miles.

“I won’t ask that,” Max said as he prepared to take the trophies off the kobold he had killed. “I don’t want to draw the ire of the gods by defaming one of their blessed healers.”

Their laughter echoed through the cave as they finished recovering from that fight. Once everyone's health and mana were full, Max started scouting ahead.

A few minutes later he came back, a massive grin on his face.

“You serious?” Racha asked.

Max nodded and motioned over his shoulder with his thumb.

“Portal is just up ahead. If we are up for it, we can try the boss.”