Ultimate Level 1

Chapter 299

The foxkin had taken his last breath and Max wondered just how much Igarra knew about the strength of each competitor.

I would say even blindfolded I could have defeated him, but he was broken after she came down.

Do not fool yourself. What we are facing are strong compared to many. I allow us to continue to grow and keep pace. Igarra is a monster. For now we stick with the plan and use them as a stepping stone to get strong enough to return home.

The noise of the spectators forced Max to give them a gesture of appreciation for their applause as he moved toward the gate.

I guess we'll have to grind here for a while then.

***

“What do you mean we are moving? We just got here?”

Kauakan roared with laughter as he put a bit of his blood on a paper one of his attendants had before him. Chaos was everywhere in the house as people moved furniture out the door.

“How do you know?” Max asked, ignoring Aimee and her attempt at getting involved in the conversation.

“Two were there who could at least keep their heads raised the whole time. The moment she revealed herself, let her aura out, I was like that fool Rhomadous, face first on the glass floor.”

He spat, shaking his head as a purple tongue came out of his mouth, licking the spot his upper teeth connected.

“At least he had sand to fall face first into. Now, you have been invited to the next ring. We are going to be gifted a place to stay by someone who would like to meet you and purchase your contract from me.”

“Wait! Wait!” Aimee shouted. “We are not slaves that can be traded away.”

Grunting, the insect pointed a curved blade at the lizard woman as he shook his head.

“You keep thinking you have power. You are nothing without him, and yet I have looked past that. I ignore every instinct to cut you down and ensure that others know you are not to be harmed because of him. Yet you still seem to think I owe you anything.”

Max wanted to interrupt, but he forced himself to stay silent, watching his companion shake with anger, fury, rage, he wasn’t sure, but the waves of frustration were easy to pick up coming off Kauakan.

“I have given you more tokens than you could ever hope to earn. I know why you are with this one. Someday you hope to become strong off of his blood, and why he lets you, I have no idea. Now, if you want to have that chance, stop interrupting me and understand that from this moment on, in the next ring of the city I am nothing. You are nothing.”

Kauakan pointed a claw at Max, waving it in the air.

“Only he is something.”

Like a damn that broke, Aimee’s facade of being powerful vanished.

She hunched over and nodded once, gazing at the ground, becoming silent.

“Kauakan, was that necessary?”

“Yes!” he exclaimed. “If she acts like that in the next ring of the city, I cannot promise you that one or two or a dozen might not end her life or try. Some might try behind the scenes, and even while poison is frowned upon except on the field of battle, there are those who would do such a thing to snip the string that binds you to her.”

He took a deep breath, multiple times, each exhale sounding like a small growl while he waved his claws in the air.

“You are slowly learning our ways. She must become strong soon, or she will not be able to follow you much longer. If you do not—”

An attendant rushed up, chattering something.

Max almost reacted but didn’t when Kauakan’s bladed arm removed the head of the attendant.

“One who is weak never interrupts the strong unless they are prepared for what might come. Now, collect your things. We need to leave tonight.”

The insect gave a small bow and then stuck a claw in the head he had liberated, lifting it to his teeth, biting off chunks while another pair of attendants came, dragging the headless corpse away. 𝔯ÀꞐỒ𝖇ÈȘ

***

“He’s right,” Aimee said quietly, turning the glass cup in her hands slowly. “Unless I get something that separates me from the rest, I will be like the one he killed just now.”

Max frowned, and Romandis sat there like a statue, not saying a word as he tried to catch up on what had happened downstairs.

“How much more do we need?”

“Two more fights here would have been enough. Even with us betting everything, there isn’t a way to know for certain.”

Max reached across the glass table and squeezed Aimee’s arm.

“I made a promise. I’m going to keep it. Just like I promised my newest friend here, we’re going to build him a shop with a nice door. Even if it means we wait till this next ring of the city or the one after that.”

Water spewed across the table as Romandis choked on the drink he had just taken.

“So… sorry,” he gasped, wiping his mouth. “You cannot be serious. A shop in the next ring? Or the one after? I… I have no skill for that… the money alone, and the competition… it’s impossible… No it would be better to leave me here or let me return back—”

“No.”

Max’s eyes were hard, harder than he had wanted as he glared at the smith.

“I… I need you two. All this killing requires a balance, and I shall see something good come from this. You shall get your shop, and she will get her power.”

The smith opened his mouth then closed it before groaning.

“Very well. Thank you, Max. I am grateful for your friendship.”

“Good. Now that this is all settled, we need to be ready to go. I have my staff and robe. Do the rest of you need to collect anything?”

Aimee and Romandis both chuckled, each of them shaking their heads.

“It would appear that both of us, like you, only have those who are gathered in this room.”

Reaching over, Max gave the smith a pat on his arm and grinned.

“Well I guess that means we are ready. In the meantime, would you be interested in practicing what I showed you?”

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Romandis nodded, then pulled an etching tool from his pouch and a small piece of wood, closed his eyes, and sat there.

Chuckling, Max watched as the beastkin’s face scrunched, trying to tap into the mana inside him.

“I’m going to lie down if that is ok,” Aimee stated as she pushed her chair back a little.

Nodding, Max watched as she went to the door and left quietly.

Being kind isn’t easy.

Often kindness is what gets one killed or taken advantage of. Just like love, it can be powerful and destructive. Remember, in this world, it is most likely the latter in both cases.

Knowing his skill was right, Max turned his attention back to Romandis and began whispering tricks to try to find the way to harness his mana.

***

“A mattress… a real mattress.”

“Is that what the call them in your world?” Romandis asked as he watched Max bouncing up and down slightly on the cushion that was upon the glass bedframe.

“Yes. What do you call them here?”

“A pad.”

Shrugging, Max couldn’t help but smile at seeing a single flower in a jar. Its purple leaves were partially wilted, but still it was the first sign of something beautiful that wasn’t food.

“Is your room ok?”

Coughing, the smith nodded.

“I have never imagined something so fine. Even if I died today, I would be happy.”

“Well, wait till you have a shop with a metal door.”

Both of them laughed and turned to leave the room, heading downstairs to where their new host awaited them.

***

If Fowl were here, we both would be dead…

Great willpower was required to keep from laughing as Max listened to his new host and soon to be representative talk.

“Now I have servants for you all, and as I mentioned to Kauakan, this guest house is all yours for the remainder of our partnership.”

Max nodded at Jazzjak. A four-foot-at-best-tall white rabbit with ruby red eyes and massive teeth studied him.

Even though everything seemed cute there was a sense of overwhelming danger that made the others stay back.

“Oh, please, I promise you, while you are guests in my house, no harm will befall you.”

Aimee, Kauakan, and Romandis all nodded, yet it was evident that they were not convinced.

“Ok, forgive me, especially since you are our host, but what kind of creature are you?”

His right ear flopped over sideways when Jazzjak cocked his head a little.

“Ahh, that is right. I am probably new to you. My kind do not typically spend much time outside of this ring unless we are hunting and growing. I am known as a vorpal hunter.”

“And how powerful are most of your kind?”

Even though he had a pink nose, white fur, a fluffy tail, and whiskers, a sinister smile somehow removed all cuteness.

“I know you could kill me, even if I snuck up on you, but those three, I would be able to murder all of them before they even blinked.”

Looking at his companions, Max saw the three of them nodding in unison.

Note to self… don’t pet random cute animals…

“Now then, if you don’t mind, we need to talk business, and I prefer to do it in my house.”

***

Part of Max wanted to smile; the other part of him was tempted to stand, but still he sat on the carpeted floor, already knowing what he was going to ask when alone with Aimee or Romandis about fabric.

Jazzjak’s office was a decent sized room with a desk built for his size and a single chair that he sat in. One’s only option was to stand or sit on the floor. After Aimee took a seat, Max joined her, ignoring when Kauakan stayed standing. Their smith friend had gone back to his room, content to test out the pad on his bed.

“Standard contract states that you will get twenty percent of all tokens I acquire from the fight,” Jazzjak rattled off as he flipped through pages of paper. “Aimee is to receive five percent as Ifrit’s muse.”

He paused and clicked his teeth together.

“Tell me again what a muse is?”

“Someone that inspires me to destroy all my opponents,” Max replied. “She has really made me a better killer.”

“I need to get one of those,” the rabbit muttered before moving his paw along the lines.

He read a few last things and then nodded, both ears bouncing up and down when he did.

“Everything looks to be in order. Now then, I added one last addendum this morning, which you had no problems with, is that correct?”

Kauakan coughed and nodded.

“That is correct.”

“What did you add?” Max asked.

“As long as you are in this ring of the city or the next, fighting under my representation, Kauakan can reside here. If you die, he shall be given twenty days to return to his ring.”

“And if I get past both of these?”

Clearing his throat, a grin came over Jazzjak’s tiny lips.

“If you manage to make it to the innermost ring, I shall procure for him a house here of his own. Something modest, and I will assist with a few business ventures.”

“What about Romandis? You know what I want for him.”

Clicking his teeth together rapidly, the rabbit nodded.

“Win a match. After that, I will procure the building. Win a second match, I will outfit the building with the needed materials, purchase a stone door, and hire him two workers.”

“And if I make it to the center ring?”

When the rabbit laughed, and then snorted, Max almost lost it, the memory of Cordellia and her laugh coming back to him.

“If you make it to the center ring, every one of these three shall never need to work again, and if they desire to, it will be at their own leisure.”

Nodding, Max leaned forward and watched as the rabbit bit his paw, pressing it to the paper.

“I’m still impressed that we don’t need to sign anything.”

A cough came from behind, and Max knew it had been Kauakan.

“I take it you are still learning our ways?”

“I am.”

“Then I am certain your companions will tell you why that is.”

It is because they are nothing. If they break a contract they die.

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