Fowl’s hand shook as he accepted the vial from Max.

“Are… are you certain?” Fowl asked, his voice shaking as much as his body was.

“I am,” Max replied with a smile. “Of course, I guess you think this is me being nice, but I’m just trying to help the team, and you’re the weakest one, obviously.”

Fowl saw Max wink at him and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Obviously… still… I’m not sure how I can ever repay you for this.”

“Oh, it’s simple. Just name your firstborn after me, even if it's a girl.”

Batrire choked, and Fowl started to chuckle.

“It’s a deal!” he exclaimed, ignoring Batrire's look. “I can see it now: Sethie, the dwarven warrior.”

Tanila laughed as Max shook his head in defeat.

“Maybe I should change my request…”

“No takebacks!” Fowl said as he popped the top and downed the potion.

After light poured from his mouth, Fowl stuttered for a moment.

“Batrire, my love…”

She narrowed her eyes and frowned as Fowl turned towards her, his face as white as a dwarves arse. “What?”

“I’m afraid we’ll have to name the first two children after him… I got two skills…”

“WHAT?”

Max started to laugh, and Tanila shook her head in disbelief.

“I got Thorned Defender and Taunting Aura… both are… clear skills…”

Batrire began to cough and turned to look at Tanila, who stared at the two of them, unable to comprehend the truth of what Fowl had just said.

“I’m sorry? Two clear skills? Is that possible?” Max asked, knowing they were both considered as strong as a red skill.

“No… it’s not,” Fowl said, his face still struggling to regain color. “One is worthy of a place within the king's guard… two would be…”“Someone under the king,” Batrire finished. “Has there ever been a record of anyone receiving clear skills from one of these elixirs?”

Tanila shrugged as her dwarven friend stared at her. “No one really shares what they get, and most try to hide the fact that they even got the potion. Still… how is that possible?”

“It was his potion,” Fowl muttered, pointing at Max. “It wasn’t meant for me… had he taken it… what would he have received?”

All three stared at Max, and he shifted slightly under their gazes.

“What do you mean meant for me? Are you certain a specific elixir was meant for each of us?”

“They were listed under our loot. No one but you could have taken yours,” Tanila replied. “Batrire gained a skill that will be a major boon in the tower, heck, even outside it. Mine is… broken this early on. I gain a twenty-five percent bonus to damage with my spells and a twenty-five percent reduction in mana cost and cooldown…” She sighed and then shook her head.

“Seth, what makes it worse is that I don’t just have an ice familiar. I can choose which familiar I want from the elements and have it active. So if we are facing something that is weak to fire and I choose that familiar, I will be even more deadly. This is a rare skill gem drop in the thirty-plus tower range. Some god wanted us to be ready for the tower… and whatever they meant for you in that elixir would have been… broken.”

Rage and anger inside him came from his skill, knowing there was power he had passed up. Wincing, Max forced it down, choosing to focus on why he had done what he had.

“Do you think whoever made this happen knew I might give it away?” Max asked. “That if I choose that path, it would be rewarded to Fowl? Perhaps it wouldn’t have been anything special if I drank the elixir.”

“Who the goblin’s arse cares?” Fowl exclaimed, coming to where Max was and giving him a huge hug. “I’ll never be able to repay you, even if I name all twelve children Batrire is going to have after you.”

“Twelve? What the hell do you think I’m going to be doing that will allow me to have time for twelve kids?”

Max and Fowl laughed as Batrire glared at them, her face redder than Max’s old cloak.

“Let’s forget this for now,” Max said. “What’s done is done. We are stronger and need to finish these last five levels of experience. If we can accomplish that, Tom will help us prepare for the yeti and fire lizard dungeon.”

“Again,” Tanila pointed out, “The skill and chest rewards right before we go in… someone is watching, and that scares the heck out of me.”This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Seth’s right,” Fowl proclaimed as he leaned in and took his token for the boss. “We need to worry less about that. If we hurry, we can easily kill some trolls and get to level forty-five.”

“Trolls?!” Batrire shouted. “You want to just go jump into the troll dungeon?”

“Why not? She’s got a fire skill and an elemental familiar. Seth has fire spells and a crap ton of other broken things,” Fowl replied. “You’ve got a broken protective barrier, and I’m basically able to tank and taunt anything provided I have stamina, which, due to my current one hundred and thirty-three constitution, isn’t going to run out anytime soon.”

“Are we sure Fowl didn’t get some intelligence from one of those elixirs?” Max asked Tanila.

Fowl groaned and held up his middle finger at Max. “Bah, don’t think I won't talk back just because I owe you. Now, get your tokens, and let's go! I wanna test this stuff out!”

“This seems too easy,” Max said with a grimace. “I mean, I’m almost one-shotting them. Fowl is easily tanking their hits, and when Tanila fireballs them, it’s not even fair.”

Batrire muttered as she nodded. “Still… we’re traipsing through a swamp in a dungeon most people our level wouldn’t consider, especially without a full party.”

Max nodded and laughed as he stored the two clubs he had taken from the dead trolls. “Don’t forget to get those testicles!” Max called out as Fowl cursed and fumbled with the knife.

“I should have never said I owed you,” Fowl grumbled. “This is worse than you can imagine.”

“Oh, I can imagine it,” Max replied. “I’m seeing it and glad Batrire said we were trading naming of children for any harvesting I don’t want to do.”

Fowl cursed as a testicle dropped into the water, and he had to fish it out. “Damn plate gloves, can’t hold on to these slimy balls!”

“You could take your gloves off.”

Fowl shot Max a glare that could have turned him to stone.

“It looks about as normal as I could imagine,” Max said as they stared at the troll boss. “I guess the question is how good the experience is, and do you all want to fight this and be locked out? There are other level forty-five dungeons. We would just need to travel to one of the other adventurers' halls.”

“Let’s leave it alive for now,” Tanila replied. “Since we’re all level forty-five, we can come here later if we need some quick experience. Besides, with your luck, I’d rather keep running this dungeon and see if the gods give us a rare one. It would be the easiest thing we could imagine so far.”

Nodding, Max motioned to the blue portal behind them. “I guess the troll lives to see another day.”

“Adventurers Seth, Tanila, Fowl, and Batrire, I have some wonderful news!” exclaimed the attendant, helping them with their trophies and tokens. “Here is the reward for defending the city the other day and a discount voucher for the potion shop. We know it isn’t much for many, but if you need anything, please buy some potions from there.”

They all nodded, smiling as Fowl pocketed the coin purse like a well-trained thief.

“One last bit of information,” the female elf attendant said. She was looking at a few pages on her clipboard, flinging her blond braid over her shoulder. I have a note that once the four of you enter the tower, the hall master would like to discuss your future ranks within the hall. It appears you four could be A-Rank within another year!”

They all nodded, smiling as she informed them of the possible achievement.

“Anything else I can help you four with?”

“We’re good, but thank you again,” Fowl said.

She nodded, and the four left, leaving the counter space for another group to come in.

“A-Rank… this fast, that seems…”

“Like a bad thing,” Max said, cutting off Batrire.

She nodded, and the four of them all shook their heads.

“I’d prefer not to get any more eyes on us than I somehow always manage to do,” Max continued. “I’m just glad I didn’t win that damn drinking contest!”

“Bah, you wanted my trophy, and don’t deny it!”

Tom shook his head as he watched the four of them shifting under his gaze.

“Level forty-five…,” he finally said after a moment. “It would appear you four are intent on reaching the tower sooner rather than later. Does this mean you are ready to attempt one of the level forty dungeons?”

“We would have gone in on our own had we not been committed to a Faction,” Max replied. “After your warning, we decided it would be best to take you up on that advice and help with the two dungeons. We were considering doing the yeti one first.”

Frowning, Tom nodded as he made a few notes on a piece of paper. He leaned back in his chair, sitting behind a rarely used desk, and Max and the rest of the party stood on the opposite side, waiting for his advice.

“You can do things a few different ways, but I would prefer the first time without assistance from a magical item,” Tom said as he crossed his arms, still reclining in his chair. “We can give you rings to help with the cold, but there is something to be said about experiencing those dungeons without aid. You may one day find yourself on a tower floor where the item you have doesn’t provide as much assistance as you hoped for. When you’re freezing off your extremities, you’ll quickly learn to appreciate being prepared.”

“How bad is it in there?” Fowl asked. “I’ve heard stories about some of the tower floors and the elements on them.”

Laughing, Tom nodded and reached up with one hand to stroke his chin. He stared at the ceiling, apparently lost in a memory. “One time, we found out the floor had changed as we climbed upward. It was so cold that I wasn’t sure I could get my item on in time. You don’t realize how cold metal can get until it touches your bare skin and almost freezes to it. In combat, you sweat, even in the cold, and when that freezes, the cold wind blowing in places you don’t want it to…”

Tom shivered and chuckled. “I need to stop scaring you four. The dungeon you are going to attempt isn’t that bad compared to what I have faced. Tanila and Batrire, find some gloves, not magical ones that provide heat, but standard gloves. Get some warmer undergarments, and ensure you have a hood for your head. Likewise, invest in a good face covering. A cold mage or healer is bad when quick reactions are required.”

Rising from his chair, Tom turned to Max and Fowl. “You two are going to have it worse. Talk with someone about a few layers of breathable undergarments. Something to catch the sweat but not bring it to the surface and allow it to freeze. Ensure your feet are warm, and a good head covering can go a long way in keeping your ears from freezing off.” Tom tapped his nose a few times. “You could try to find a covering for your face as well, but since I doubt you will go past the first floor before deciding to come back to me, just be smart, and if your healer tells you it’s time to go, don’t argue. Your brain might freeze and cause you to do stupid stuff. Trust them.”

Clapping his hands together, Tom grinned. “Now go have fun, and after your first time, come back and see me. Upon your return, I’ll have items for you to make the dungeon much more manageable. Do you have any questions?”

“Yeah,” Fowl replied, frowning at how excited Tom seemed. “What about the fire dungeon?”

Peals of laughter rolled out of Tom for a moment. “Don’t worry about that just yet, Fowl. Let’s deal with the woes of one thing at a time.”

Grunting, Fowl shook his head. “Something tells me tomorrow I’m going to end up with blue balls…”