Chapter 611: Chapter 611
Jazzjak’s foot tapped rapidly as he stood next to the shard in the private room of the adventurers’ house.
“You going to be okay?” Max asked, giving his helper and friend a gentle pat on the back. “You look great. The black suit goes well with the… well, your white fur.”
A scoff came from the vorpal rabbit as he shook his head. “I know what this day means to you, and you voiced your concern. Master Dougan is bringing her in here in a few minutes with your wife. I’ve never imagined being in a situation . Frankly, I’m a bit nervous.”
“Because she might not unlock or because of what I’m going to do if she doesn’t?”
Jazzjak grunted, his head bobbing from side to side. “Both. No one wants the attention of the Archons and the system on them. It’s a mystery how a black skill works. Every god knows about them. A few might have more knowledge about them than the rest, but outside of the Nine and the Archons…” He huffed and then smoothed out his black suit jacket, the silver and embroidery reflecting the glow of the crystal, the size of an average person’s head. “You told me about what your skill did before… that shouldn’t be allowed or possible. And then mentioning how it was—”
“He,” Max corrected. “Bob’s not a thing to me.”
Clearing his throat, Jazzjak nodded. “Bob… how Bob managed to give Rakonath access to the tower when he shouldn’t have had it, but then got locked up for a while… That is what makes me nervous. If you get their attention, then they’ll be looking at me as well.”
“You should be fine,” Max replied. “I’m sure there are bigger problems than you doing your job.”
Max smiled as his daughter stood in the open doorway.
She wore a simple white robe with a simple braided gold belt that accentuated her figure. This was one of those rare moments when her hair wasn’t braided, the long, gold strands hanging over and behind her shoulders. Two golden eyes stared at him, a small smile given before it vanished.
She has your ability to look calm even when she’s trembling like a leaf in the wind.
I’ll not point that out right now.
A slight cough from the hallway came, and Miranna started moving toward the crystal that was on Max’s right.
Behind her, Tanila walked with the ease of someone who spent their life in the palace, learning how to move gracefully. She had chosen to match their daughter today, and Max couldn’t help but wink as their eyes locked.
She rolled her eyes at him before winking right afterward.
As the pair moved inside and past the door, it closed on its own.
“You ready?” Max asked as he focused his attention on his daughter.
She nodded, glancing around the small nine by nine foot room. “Seems a bit tight. I thought you’d spring for a bigger space since it’s my birthday.”
“Well, they had a broom closet, but another god had it already reserved.”
A slight giggle came from Miranna before she took a deep breath.
Max nodded and glanced at Jazzjak, his foot still tapping rapidly against the stone floor.
“Then touch the crystal, Miranna Hoste. See what the system has for you,” Max said. “Whatever it gives, know that your mother and I will do whatever it takes to train you to shine brighter than all the other stars out there.”
As he spoke, Tanila moved to the other side of the crystal.
There in a small room, bare walls, an ornate door, a pair of gems on the wall giving off a soft light, Max waited. His sonar told him that as calm as Tanila appeared, his wife’s fingers were fidgeting behind her back.
She’s ready. You can sense it.
Max knew Bob was right. Miranna took one more deep breath, closed her eyes for a few seconds, and then let the air out, opening her eyelids. After doing that, her trembling stopped.
She took a single step forward, stood with her feet shoulder-width apart, and reached out with both hands. Her tanned skin showed as her sleeves exposed her arms, and Max waited, feeling the energy around the crystal begin to grow as her hands drew near.
The span of time between his daughter’s skin touching the smooth crystal felt like forever as the very air around her compressed.
The light, multi-colored crystal began to change colors the moment her skin touched it. Max could feel it pull Miranna toward it, her body taking another half step as both hands were flattened against the edges. She drew in a deep breath, eyes widening as her skin began to glow.
I don’t know! Wait! Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾·𝗇𝖾𝗍
Max glanced at Tanila, who was rapidly changing her gaze from him to their daughter.
Jazzjak now had his soft, fur-covered finger in his mouth, teeth chomping down on one of his nails.
Seconds turned to ten and then to thirty. Each second, the color of the gem changed. Every color of the rainbow was there, including the clear and the black that had come for Max on his Choosing Day.
Nothing. Right now we can’t do anything.
Miranna’s skin grew brighter, giving off an aura like the sun. Her golden eyes were blazing like stars on a clear night, her hair matching their intensity.
“Maaaxxx,” Tanila said, not hiding her fear.
“We wait,” he replied, doing his best to appear calm. “Bob says we wait.”
A grunt from his wife told him that she didn’t like that reply, but they waited.
Miranna began to rise onto her toes, her bare feet arching as her hair spread out around her head like a fan.
Almost a minute came before a clap like thunder echoed in the room. It was at that moment that their daughter was sent flying backward from the crystal.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Max blinked across the room, catching his daughter, absorbing the impact as she slammed into him.
They shattered the door she had entered through, Max holding Miranna as gently as he could.
“To Batrire!” Max shouted, sensing his wife moving through the door as he slid down the hallway, ten yards past the wooden barrier they had destroyed.
Tanila didn’t flinch or hesitate, her hand touching his body, knowing what he was about to do.
[ Planetary Travel - Waypoint ]
“So there I was, drinking—” Fowl’s words stopped as they appeared amidst the rest of the party, each of them hearing the clattering of plates, food, and other items when Max charged through a table, his daughter held sideways in both arms.
Without hesitating, their healer, who had kept them all alive in the tower, stepped forward, a glow already surrounding her hands.
Light once again bathed Miranna as he drew close to Batrire.
“Big heal down, Divine heal used!”
No one spoke; every eye locked upon the young girl in Max’s arms.
“Breathe, star, breathe,” Max whispered. “Twinkle for me…”
“Set her down,” Batrire said, her hand on his arm. “Let me see her.”
Max stood there, trembling, his daughter’s hair and eyes having lost their glow. The gold strands were the same color as before, yet he could sense the life in his child fading away.
DO IT MAX! PUT HER DOWN!
His skill’s thundering words broke his fog as his heart ached in ways he hadn’t imagined.
Without waiting another moment, Max laid Miranna on the floor, a pillow having been placed on the stone by Rakonath as his dragon took a step backward.
“Dear gods,” Sog whispered.
“Batrire?” Tanila gasped.
Max’s heart broke as he heard the pain in his wife’s voice.
“Give me a minute, please!” Batrire said. Her voice was loud and calm. Gone was the beautiful dress, the matching shoes, an outfit created for this special moment. Now she wore her gear from when they had defeated the tower. Every ounce of power and magic flowed through their healer as she closed both eyes, a glowing hand pressed against Miranna’s chest.
His hand found Tanila’s as he stood, giving room, pulling his wife close as they clutched each other.
“What happened?” she asked.
Max was speechless in response to his wife’s question. He didn’t have answers for his own questions.
Bob?! What can I do? What happened?
I… I don’t know… I’m sorry, Max, the system, I see something, but it’s… weird. Almost as if it’s choking her thread.
“I need a second!” Max exclaimed, carefully pushing his wife aside, ignoring her protest and taking a few steps back, knocking aside platters and smashing muffins.
A knife appeared in one hand, and he slit his wrist.
[ Demonic Summoning ]
Golden eyes stared at him, trembling for a moment. In the time it took for the kaleidoscope of the world to shift, he saw his wife nod once at him, knowing what he was doing.
I need time! We need time!
The world expanded around him, and the room seemed to recede as the spell he had cast came to life.
Miles stretched, making everyone he wanted to watch and be close to shrink as the area he stood in grew. Finally, after it had done so for over half a dozen miles, his blood began to gush from his body.
It was different than before. Immediately, it turned black. The shapes and runes that came were unlike ones he had ever seen before.
His Omnilingualism skill ached, battering against a wall of things it couldn’t comprehend.
Blood continued to flow, a river and then an ocean. Max kept taking a step backward every so often, watching the runes ignite, adding more blood, changing colors as they flared blue, red, and white. Once again, they returned to black, a blackness so dark and empty of light that Max found himself almost pulled toward them.
You can sense it. I can sense it. This isn’t Gykewotik. The power we’re feeling is beyond him.
Max already wondered and felt the fear of that. He had sensed that truth an hour ago, as his blood never stopped pouring out of him.
A crack came, thundering inside the space his spell had created. Each of the kaleidoscope panels vibrated. The ones under his feet felt like they might shatter from the force of the impact.
Pain ached through his entire body. His ears bled as the noise destroyed his eardrums, and yet they didn’t heal as they should have, the red liquid joining the stream from his wrist.
More began to flow from his nose and then his eyes.
His heart raced, and for the first time Max could remember in so long, he felt concern. Fear was for his daughter’s life. Right now was for what was about to come.
A large door began to form as the draining of his blood reached an end. There were a few drops that raced to join the rest, creating a door two miles high and a mile wide.
His eyes couldn’t comprehend what he saw. All he knew was that the door gave off an aura of pain. Darkness yanked at his soul and heart as he sensed something.
Impossible… It can’t be…. Can it?
Bob didn’t reply, but Max could sense the same concern he had as the door opened.
Slowly, it revealed a figure behind it as the doors swung outward and into the area his spell had created.
A demon strode forward. A single massive eyeball, redder than Max could remember. Below it was a maw of teeth; each one appeared able to chew a mountain in half. Then there was the body, human-like but with purple and black colors meshed together. Pulsing red lines of liquid ran between the protective plates, he recognized.
When the doors finally stood open, he saw the demon before him, standing against a background of darkness. Wails and cries came from behind it as it took a step forward.
Max felt Bob move him, flying upward and out of its way.
The crystal floor seemed to buckle and flex as it stepped. A two-mile-tall demon laughed as it moved into the domain of Max’s summoning spell.
And then it spoke. Chills ran down Max’s spine when it did.
“Max Hoste… Or would you prefer Seth Pendal? I have waited so long for this moment. Tell me, did you get my gift?”
Bob’s warning was the only thing holding Max back as he stared at the demon he recognized from the 50th-level dungeon challenge. Every muscle in his body tightened as he stared at a god he knew was far beyond his level or power.