The next day went about as well as Max and the others could have hoped for. Tom had orange rings waiting for them, offering a similar effect as the ice ones. He had taken back the ones he loaned them for the ice dungeon and laughed when they asked about the ones needed for the tower. He had smiled and promised to come to the party for Fowl in three days, even bringing Everett and some of the other Faction members.

The fire dungeon was cleared faster than the ice one. With the heat mostly abated and no snow impeding their vision, they watched Tanila work her magic, easily slaying everything. Even the boss couldn’t withstand her ice spells. Talina weakened it to a point where when Max moved in, he killed it with a single blow to the head.

The lack of stats or skills Consumed was a moot point. Everyone but Max was almost level forty-six as they exited the fire dungeon and made their way through the troll one. Clearing it to the boss, they found themselves closer to level fifty with time on their hands.

“We've got four hours at least,” Max said as they left the troll dungeon. “Do we want to farm another dungeon at one of the other halls or call it a day?”

“It’s not worth the trip,” Fowl replied. “Tomorrow, we can clear the troll dungeon and then check out one of the other halls. Besides, Batrire and I need to do a little shopping if you two are okay with us going off on our own.”

Max and Tanila glanced at each other, both nodding.

Batrire smiled and then grabbed Fowl’s hand. “Let’s go! Time to spend some money on me!”

Smiling, Fowl let himself be led away, mouthing help me at the both of them.

“What about you?” Max asked. “Wanting to do anything?”

Tanila looked at Max, gently biting her lip, hoping he didn’t notice. “I’m probably going to go shopping as well. I need to get something for the party. What about you?”

“Wait. We need to dress up?” Max asked, surprised by this revelation. “I didn’t realize we needed to.”

“Oh, Seth,” Tanila said as she shook her head. “Yes! As the party host, you need to be dressed in something other than the clothes you typically wear. This will be a big deal, and people expect you to look nice.”

Sighing, Max frowned. “I don’t suppose you would be willing to help me shop? I honestly have no idea what to even buy.”

Smirking, Tanila nodded. “I’d be happy to help!”

“What do you think?” Max asked as he spun around in the outfit he never expected he might one day own.

Tanila moved around him, studying the suit the tailor had put him in from every angle. The black jacket had silver embroidery running along the lapels and arms. The legs had a matching pattern going down the outside seam. Underneath was a red shirt that caught the eye before drawing her gaze to his face. Even the black boots that were polished and shined like gems. She could see he felt uncomfortable.

“I’d almost say with a cape or a cane, I could take you to see the queens, but for this event, I doubt you would need anything nicer than this,” she said, continuing her path around him.

Standing on the small platform, Max watched Tanila look him up and down. They were the same height for the first time, and looking at her from this angle felt weird.

“There is no way I’m wearing a cape or carrying a cane. It’s bad enough that it feels like this jacket is trying to strangle me!”

She laughed, and the tailor standing a few feet away chuckled quietly.

“We’ll take it,” Tanila said, turning to the older man. “We need it in two days. That won’t be a problem, will it?””

The older man adjusted his glasses and shook his head, his silver hair never moving from its affixed position. “I can do that. Let me take a few final measurements, and I will have it ready for pickup.”

Tanila smiled and nodded.

As the man got back to work measuring, Max almost coughed when the man’s knuckle brushed his manhood.

“Which side, sir?”

Max blinked, staring at the man, not having any idea what he was asking. “Sorry? Which side what?”

Glancing over his shoulder at Tanila, who was smirking, the tailor looked back at Max and spoke in a hushed tone. “Which side do you hang on?”

Max felt his face get warm and knew it probably matched the shirt's color. “Oh! The right!”If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

“I suspected,” the tailor replied, making a mark on the outside of the black pants with a piece of white chalk. “Now then, please hold your arms out to the side.”

Across the room, Max could see that Tanila was having more fun than he thought was possible as the man began the last round of measurements.

Just wait… your turn is coming next!

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Tanila asked, frustrated at Max’s response.

“I mean, you look amazing in all of them. How am I supposed to say one is better than the other?”

Tapping her foot, she turned and looked in the three mirrors behind her, admiring her green dress. It was a little more formal than she preferred, but the material reminded her of outfits she had not worn in a long time. The smooth and soft fabric felt amazing on her skin, and it hugged her in the right spots, showing the curves that she often kept hidden under her Mage’s robes.

“I’m not sure there is a good answer for me,” Max said. “The yellow one was kind on your hips and accentuated the front portion of your body with how low the cut went. That red one would match my outfit, but we both know it wasn’t you. Your face told me as much the first time you saw yourself in it.”

Max moved from where he was standing and approached her, looking closer at the dress she currently wore as she slowly turned.

“The black one looked nice, but it didn’t feel formal enough, especially if I’m wearing that suit you picked out for me. It would be more of a date dress if I had to say.”

Tanila laughed, grinning as she looked at Max’s reflection in the mirrors.

“This one is very nice, but if you choose it, your hair should be red. I think it would do wonders with how your braid hangs down now if you had red hair and some green pins in it.”

Raising an eyebrow, Tanila turned and studied Max’s expression, seeing how he was watching her body in the dress and not her eyes. “Where did you learn about hairpins?”

Rolling his eyes, Max pointed at a wall across the room that was displaying an assortment of hair accessories. “I’ve got a mother and a sister and, thankfully, have two eyes that can see.”

“He seems to be quite a catch,” the dressmaker said as Tanila stood there quietly for a moment. “Not many men or even women I know would point out the things he just did.”

Nodding, Tanila turned and looked in the mirror again, pulling her braid over her shoulder and studying it against the material.

“Can you have it ready in two days?” Tanila asked, not looking at the dressmaker but at her own reflection.

“I can!” she replied happily. “Thankfully, as you might have noticed, your features fit well with it already, so it will only need a few minor adjustments.”

“And shoes? I take it you have some I could look at?”

The woman’s eyes sparkled, and she nodded. “I have many. Should we ask for his opinion as well?”

Max groaned and shook his head. “I’d prefer not to be one to make shoe choices.”

Both laughed, and Max moved to the chair he had waited in each time Tanila went to change.

Can I ever win her heart completely?

His heart struggled with the pain from that thought, knowing she had feelings for him but was scared.

You could make her obey you…

The voice shocked him, having not spoken in days. Max couldn’t figure out what had happened. For a while, it seemed that every moment, it tried to convince him to let it have free rein. Then, it appeared to change after he was willing to lose everything and not submit.

I’m not like that. I won’t force people to obey me.

The same dreaded laughter echoed through his mind.

One day, you will not have a choice. With power comes responsibility, and you will one day have great power. Your choices will shape this world and others.

No hint of evil or desire tainted those words, as they had so often before. Max knew it was simply stating a fact.

He had seen others carry the weight of being in charge and responsible many times, from his early days in the bakery, when he worked hard to acquire that skill, to seeing Baker Wright manage his business while juggling family and work.

Even now, Max felt the weight of leading the group he considered his family. Sometimes, he was afraid of the consequences of his decisions or the direction he pointed the group toward.

Lost in his thoughts, Max began considering what his choices may have cost him and the others when a cough made him look up.

Standing before him was a pair of gorgeous feet in silver-colored heels that made those calves he recognized as belonging to Tanila stand out. Eyes moving upward, he saw the green dress appear, hugging her legs and hips, a slit on the side going up to her mid-thigh.

Wow… all of her skin is that amazing color…

From there, the dress fit her hips perfectly, then came close around her tiny waist until his eyes found her breasts, hidden behind the green fabric, with the tops just visible as the fold of fabric kept the dress secure without any straps. Max couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw the red hair he had mentioned draped over her shoulder with a few pins made of silver with green gems decorating her braids.

Letting his eyes continue rising to meet hers, Max's jaw dropped in awe. Even her eyes were now green, sparkling with a dangerous twinkle.

“Wow…”

Smirking, she shook her head and moved the braid over her shoulder and back. “Just wow?” she asked, begging him to answer that question.

Nodding, Max smiled, keeping his eyes on hers. “I’m not sure you can go like that,” he said.

Frowning, Tanila looked down at herself and then back at Max. “Why not? Is something wrong?”

“Yes,” Max replied, allowing his smile to grow. “If you arrive like that, no one will remember that it’s Fowl’s birthday. Instead, they will all have their hearts stolen by you.”

Tanila shook her head, trying to fight the color coming to her cheeks as Max stared at her. “Dangerous words from an adventurer like yourself. Perhaps you won’t mind keeping me safe from the dwarven horde and their lustful eyes?”

Max laughed and stood, giving a slight bow. “It would be my honor to protect you from everyone but myself.”

The dressmaker behind Tanila laughed, and both of them blushed slightly as they remembered the woman was there.

“Forgive me,” the woman apologized. “You two make the cutest couple.”

Tanila blushed again, and Max smiled.

“We do, don’t we?” he replied.