Ultimate Level 1

Every step took him back toward town and his friends, yet each moment was lost in thought, as he battled countless problems and conflicts about everything he knew.

If Phaius isn’t bad, then who is? Why do neither of the gods want Thuyja to arrive? How strong are the other skills, and who has them?

Unable to come to any answers and knowing that things were probably not going well in Windsor Wheel, Max began to run, trying not to ruin any more crops than he had to and even killing a few goblins that happened to be on the way.

As he approached the town, he slowed, seeing smoke rising in different sections and the panic that filled those huddled outside in groups.

“What’s going on?” Max asked as a pair of guards rushed by, carrying a bleeding child to a pair of adventurers who were healing those brought to them.

“Some buildings collapsed, sir, and…”

The older guard, his salt-and-pepper hair now messy from the exertion he was putting out, looked up, seeing Max and how he appeared.

“You’re Seth Pendal.”

His voice sounded like a question, but that statement brought the eyes of everyone who had heard, a few gasps and repeating of his name.

“Where can I help?”

“There are plenty of wounded in there but—”

“I’m on it,” Max said, waving and casting an air spear, jumping and landing on it before sending it streaking across the sky, trying not to laugh or grin as people called out “ He’s flying ” as he made his way into town.

Looking down at the city, he could see that centered around the temple, multiple buildings had collapsed. Near the ruins were his four party members, all pulling people out and moving them safely into the street.

Even with all the chaos below, the smoke from where a few fires had started, apparently put out by a mage smart enough to use ice magic to extinguish it, was a red-headed elven woman giving orders and moving gracefully. Near her was Batrire, the glow of her healing helping those who were brought to her by Fowl and Cordellia.

Heroes through and through…

Trying not to cause a fuss, he started to fall, casting his Demonic Teleportation and appearing in a small alleyway, running to join his friends.

“Tanila!”

All four turned, seeing him as he came, eyes filled with questions that all of them held off asking.

“What do you need me to do?”

“There’s a group of people hurt to the south. We’re bringing them here where it is safe,” their mage replied. “Fowl has the north, and Cordellia is taking the west. A group of guards has the east.”

Nodding, he turned, racing in the direction she told him, not wasting time.

Multiple buildings had been toppled, no matter if they were stone or wood, all impacted by a force that radiated from the temple.

I caused this… or I guess my ability did… by preventing Phaius from coming here. If he tried and managed to stop, then I guess he saved these people.

Shuddering at what it might have meant had the human god forced himself to appear here, and how much potential destruction and death might have occurred, Max found himself frowning.

Bob… I really need you… Everything I know… It’s not… true?

Silence was his only reply, and he was thankful to see where he could help.

A pair of men were shouting, yelling, and calling out to a group of low-level adventurers, trying to lift some wooden beams that had collapsed and blocked an entrance to a large shop.

“Lift together! We can do it!”

Unable to hide the grin that appeared, Max recognized the overweight barber who had given him his first haircut, calling for the five adventurers to help.

No matter how hard they all worked together, the beam wasn’t moving, and Max’s Sonar could see that another beam was blocking it.

“Let me help,” Max said as he slowed down, seeing the group of five and the barber turn as he spoke.

Theodore the [ Barber ] scrunched his eyebrows as he saw the bald-headed adventurer approach.

“It’s stuck,” the dwarven warrior called out. “We can’t budge it.”

“I know, just give me a second, I’ll take care of it.”

Letting his Sonar skill tell him about the structure of the stone and wood shop, Max could see that if he pulled the beam out completely, a section of the roof would cave in near the entrance.

“We can’t move that, or the roof will fall in. Let me see what I can see.”n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Jumping high into the air, Max spotted an opening in the roof and a wooden floor strewn with debris.

[ Demonic Teleportation ]

Appearing on the floor, he turned and sensed the huddle of ten or more people in the shop.

Two were injured, and one was a young child, no more than five years old, with a blood-soaked cloth put against her head.

“Let me help,” Max said as he moved toward the group, which all looked startled at his sudden appearance.

“She… she is unconscious,” the woman he assumed was the girl’s mother got out, sniffing between words. Trails of tears ran down her dust-covered face. “A part of the roof hit her.”

He didn’t wait, pulling a greater healing potion from storage and pulling the cork.

“Let me help.”

A simple mouthful was put in, and the tiny bit that dribbled down her lips and chin brought murmurs of shock from the others gathered nearby.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Closing her mouth, he kept it sealed, watching the child finally swallow, and her body glowed.

“Momma?”

Both of her eyes were open, and the light streaming through the hole in the roof reflected the blue color.

“My baby!” the woman exclaimed, tears streaming down her face as she hugged the now-struggling child. “You’re okay!”

“Stop, Momma! You’re squishing me!”

Laughing, the mother let her child go, wiping tears as her daughter sat up.

Max didn’t wait, moving to an older woman whose arm was broken.

“Here. Drink some of this.”

“Please, don’t waste that on me,” the spindly old woman pleaded. “I can’t ever repay what that must cost.”

“It’s free, just for today. Now drink, please, so I can help get all of you out of here,” Max replied, winking at her. “Unless of course, you prefer to stay in a building that might cave in at any moment.”

Coughing, the older woman winced and then nodded, accepting his potion and drinking half of it.

“By Phaius’s arse!” she exclaimed. “What is in that?!”

“Family secret,” Max replied, holding out a hand and helping the woman to stand, her broken arm having already healed.

“Who are you?”

Max turned and saw an older man who was wearing an apron with the same logo as the sign that had fallen off the storefront on it.

“Seth Pendal. Now then, if you all will do me a favor. I need to get you out so I can try to help some others. Gather here. I’ll protect you, and forgive me, sir, but your shop may not be the same.”

“Why wouldn’t it…”

Before the worker could finish his question, Max summoned a stone wall and an ice wall, not caring right now who knew what he could do. The area they were in was on the verge of collapsing, and each one provided support to the weakened section.

Gasps came, and he sensed the people shrinking back from him slightly.

“Please stay close; that section may fall at any moment. We need to get out now.”

Moving to the entrance, he summoned an air wall and carefully set it under the section of the roof he knew would fall in.

“Everyone, stand here. In a moment, I will clear this section of the wall. After that, you’ll need to move quickly before it possibly falls in.”

“Let’s go, baby,” the mother said, moving to where Max was and starting the throng of others who fell in line.

“Theodore! Move away from the entrance! We’re coming out!”

He could hear and sense the group moving away, and when he knew they were gone, Max grabbed one of the beams and deposited it in his storage the moment he lifted it.

A few boards fell and with a deftness and speed none could see, he caught them, tossing each one to the side so fast it was a blur for all those who were near.

The last set of beams was next, and Max pointed at them as he retrieved a large shield as big as himself from storage and held it over his head.

“Everyone close. This part will get tricky.”

Like baby chicks under their mother hen’s wings, they gathered close, and Max used one hand to quickly remove the two beams, storing them and deflecting all the pieces that fell with his shield or free hand.

You could have easily repaired this building in a few moments. Starting with the weaker sections…

And then I would be dealing with tons of requests to repair others while also sharing what I can do. For now, I’ll do this the old fashion way.

Once the doorway was clear, he led them to it and out.

Like a flood, they raced by, thank-yous called out as each one found safety from the building.

“Everyone needs to move further away. It’s going to cave in,” Max said as he left the building.

“Are you certain? Is anyone else inside?”

Shaking his head, Max knew it was empty, his Sonar telling him everything about the building he needed to know.

Dismissing both the ice and stone wall caused the roof behind to cave in, a cloud of dust blowing out the open doorway he was standing in.

Amidst the coughs and the people moving about, Max felt the approach of the barber.

“Is it really you, boy? I mean… you’ve grown so fast.”

Laughing, he nodded and held out a hand to the large man, giving a smile.

“It is. You still the best barber in all of Windsor Wheel?”

“Please, you flatter me… but Seth… the Seth Pendal… Champion of the Colosseum, first to break past the fiftieth floor in so long and—”

Holding up his hands, Max stopped Theodore from the titles that continued to flow.

“Yes, but I need to go and help the others who need it. Don’t worry, I’ll swing by later if you’ve got time and get a quick razor even though I don’t really need it.”

Blubbering and words not coming out the barber nodded, his face lighting up like the sun as he grinned.

Giving a quick wave, Max moved a few yards and pulled the pieces of the building out of storage, setting them carefully on the ground. He tried his best to ignore the looks and comments he got from those as he handled the long beams like a stick.

A little further to the south he saw others calling out for help, and without waiting any longer, set off to offer his aid.

***

Everyone was watching and waiting, their eyes and expressions not hiding the questions each of his party members had.

Finishing the drink that he had been given by Pete, Max was grateful for the dwarf giving them a private room to eat and dine in as the whole town was abuzz with what had happened and how their party had assisted so much.

“I can see you won’t let me wait any longer before answering your questions. So who wants to go first?”

“What in the gods happened?” Fowl asked, using his hands to mimic his words. “One minute you were inside, the next the city shook like the ground was going to erupt like a volcano!”

Tsking his tongue to his teeth, Max nodded.

“So I have a skill which blocks others… or gods who have the ability to teleport in. I didn’t realize what happens when someone has a higher skill and it overwrites mine. The destruction that takes place is a side effect, I think.”

“But who…” Fowl started to ask, blinking as a rare train of thought began to form. “Phaius?”

Max nodded and pulled out the gold coin the god had given him.

“I offered this and said a prayer. Apparently, it caught his attention… or I did… or something had, and when he tried to appear, that caused a problem. So he stopped trying to come into town, not wanting to injure people or destroy it and instead appeared outside the range I had set.”

Their dwarven warrior rubbed his eyes, letting out a groan.

“Gods… I mean… bah, you know what I mean!”

“Oh, you had it right the first time,” Max replied with a grin. “Now sit back and let me just tell everything as it happened.”

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