Ultimate Level 1

Chapter 180: Demonic Summoning

Max cursed, removing his bracers for a moment with a thought of his mind, his halberd replaced with his new dagger and cut the top of his forearm.

In less than a second he was bleeding, and his armor was back on, halberd in hand.

[ Demonic Summoning ]

The world shifted, and every color changed. The boss froze, and so did Max, as the world looked like something through a kaleidoscope he had played with as a kid. Part of him wanted to tumble and fall, and the other part felt a strong urge to vomit.

Blood flowed from his arm like a geyser, spraying into a pattern in the air.

Max wasn’t certain he had that much blood, and when he tried to activate Regeneration, nothing happened.

The shape of the pattern began to mesh with red and black orbs of light that fled from his body, turning the blood color into an image of flames.

Before him, a portal began to open. Large clawed hands reached to where the portal was and began to force it open wider. Black skin with long claws, covered in red and fiery veins, came forth from it. The portal soon almost took up the entire space that the massive wooden door had, easily fifteen feet tall as a giant body of twisted flesh and power stepped through the portal and onto the stones before Max.

“You dare summon me?!”

As the claws approached within inches of his body, an explosion of power blew the demon’s clawed hand back, and it howled in pain. Holding its hand with the other, it shook in fury and then breathed a cone of flames from its mouth.

Max watched as the flames parted right before him, not even the heat of the fire touching him.

“HOW?! How can you control me?! I am not one to be trifled with mortal!”

Its voice felt like nails on a chalkboard, yet Max couldn’t help but smile at this moment. The world around him wasn’t moving at all; he was somewhere else.

“You are bound to me for two hours,” Max replied. “As is the bargain.”

“What do you know about the bargain?!” it hissed, stomping around the area, glancing at the world around them. “Why? Why have you summoned me?”

Max knew a little bit from the description of the spell he had used and had never intended to cast it, but with time running out and his party trapped, he couldn’t wait. There were no other options.

“You will fight for me. Defeat my enemies on this tower floor and you shall be free to go granted you do not harm me or my allies.”

A slight change in the demon’s red eyes took place when Max mentioned the tower. It spun around, studying the area it was in. It could see the giant werewolf and Max’s friends.

“You would allow me to leave early? Why?”

Max had no idea how to deal with a demon. He knew they were evil, sought power, and hated most races.

“I may require your services again down the road. I won’t call often, but when I do, it will only be for a specific thing. Unlike those like me who might enslave you and your kind, my needs are simple: Defeat my enemy before you. Protect my allies and myself. After that, you may return home, provided you do not attempt to harm me or my allies.”

The demon began to laugh, cackling in a way that almost made Max feel like he needed a bath. It studied him and shook its head.

“You think you could stop me from killing you and your friends?”

Something inside Max changed, and he realized it wasn’t him but the skill that was there. A sensation he couldn’t begin to understand offered itself at this moment. Slowly, Max opened himself up and felt it begin to trickle like a tiny spring. Each second added power and a sensation of something greater than himself or that demon.

It too noticed as it began to move back a step, banging into whatever wall of multicolored glass was behind it.

“Who are you?! What are you?!” it demanded, actively trying to move further away from Max.

From inside, the voice came, and Max recognized it as his skill.

“A bargain has been made. Accept it or forfeit your soul and all those you have collected. Many more souls may be gained in the coming moments and an army of those lesser than you is headed here. Choose now. Be the servant or die at my hand.”

Max watched as his right hand rose, his fingers prepared to snap.

The demon’s eyes began to shake in their black, scaled sockets.

“I accept!” it howled immediately. “The bargain made, I shall accept!”

Max nodded, and his hand lowered back down to his side.

“Prepare yourself. This realm is ending.”

Whatever had bubbled up inside began to disappear, and Max felt himself returning to normal, amazed at what had just happened.

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The demon turned, studying the glass or crystal walls that began to shatter and appeared to be breaking. It faced the werewolf and began casting a spell. Two black swords began to come from a portal and it grabbed each of them, arming itself.

A shattering sound filled Max’s ears, and the howl from the boss turned into a grunt as two black swords plunged at it.

Somehow, it backed up enough to only be cut by them, a hissing sound coming from where the blades had burned it.

Max stood there, dumbfounded, as he watched the demon begin to assault the massive werewolf.

Pieces of flesh from both began to fly as each one landed hits. The claws of the werewolf tore off a massive chunk of flesh from the demon’s chest as a strip of flesh was cut from one of its legs.

“Help it!” Tanila shouted.

Racing forward, Max dodged around both of the creatures and their bodies, the two of them almost brawling from how close they were. The demon needed more room, but the werewolf didn’t give any to it.

A glow covered the boss, and Max watched as its claws moved at a speed and combination that meant one thing.

Rampage.

The demon howled, backing up and slamming into the open door, struggling to stand from the massive gouges in its body.

A pillar of stone appeared behind the werewolf, and Max raced for it, jumping onto it and planting his feet.

[Power Strike]

His blade cut a gash the entire length of the werewolf's back, slicing through is spinal cord a few feet above its hips.

Both legs gave out immediately, and as it fell, the demon reacted in a moment.

The blades came together, catching the werewolf’s neck, acting like a pair of scissors and taking it clean off.

An icy and hot sensation flooded Max, and he stumbled, falling off the stone ramp.

[ 6 Strength Consumed ]

[ 6 Dexterity Consumed ]

[ 6 Constitution Consumed ]

[ 6 Intelligence Consumed ]

[ 6 Wisdom Consumed ]

[ 1 Greater Soul Consumed ]

[ 1 Greater Soul Given Away ]

His body felt on fire, and he could see the demon staring at him in fear.

“You… you are that one.”

Max nodded and stood up, frustrated at not getting a skill, but then again, he wasn’t sure why he had gotten those stats or soul. He hadn’t killed the boss. The demon had.

Howls came from around them, and Max and the demon turned to see a horde of werewolves approaching.

“I will shut the door and handle this. I owe you for saving me.”

A sense of frustration seemed to emanate from the demon.

Max nodded and ran back inside the walls, watching the door swing shut and listening to it slam.

All around them, the sound of werewolves filled the city, and then the sounds of carnage could be heard.

Yelps and cries of pain and agony moved around them as Max knew the demon must be making its way through the horde.

Tanila stared at Max in shock. Batrire, too, focused on Fowl and Cordellia, who were both no longer succumbing to the intimidation.

“The experience… it’s still going up.”

Max felt his eyes widen at that knowledge, realizing that there was a constant string of notifications being sent to him for a moment till it suddenly stopped

[ 1 Soul Consumed ]

[ 1 Soul Given Away ]

[ 1 Soul Consumed ]

[ 1 Soul Given Away ]

[ 1 Soul Consumed ]

[ 1 Soul Given Away ]

[ 1 Soul Consumed ]

[ 1 Soul Given Away ]

[ 1 Soul Consumed ]

[ 1 Soul Given Away ]

[ 1 Soul Consumed ]

[ 1 Soul Given Away ]

I have stopped that. It was annoying me.

What did I do?

Max waited, wondering what his skill might say, wondering what was happening.

You summoned a demon. It is bound to you for good or bad. Had it died, you would have suffered. You saved it. An act no one else would have, and the demon knows it. That part of you that is connected. As such, it is an ability in some ways. I’m not certain what will happen the next time you summon a demon. If the same one returns, perhaps then we may find out more.

That makes no sense! I didn’t want to bind to a demon! I just…

Max stopped himself, knowing that he had acted in desperation. There was most likely no way they would have defeated that boss and survived the horde outside these walls.

“Tell me when it stops,” Max said silently.

Tanila nodded, watching his face and the scowl he now wore.

After an hour of fighting, Max heard the door begin to open. He had made certain everyone was off to the side, unable to see what was beyond it, hoping Cordellia and Fowl wouldn’t know what had happened just yet.

Walking through the small opening, Max saw the demon covered in blood, its body glistening in the moonlight. All around him were the twinkling of yellow gems.

“You are free to return to your realm,” Max said, giving a nod.

The demon started to laugh, both of its swords vanishing into a portal that appeared on each side.

“I will go, but do not hesitate to call me again. Today’s battle was far greater for me than I think you realize. My rank shall rise because of this, and some will wonder how, but I will protect your secret since you saved me.”

Max nodded slowly, trying to get a read on the demon who lived for the power and blood of its enemies and yet somehow understood the potential their relationship might provide.

“I don’t know when it will happen again, but thank you for keeping your word.”

The demon waved its hand in a pattern, and a portal opened up behind it.

“Until we meet again, destroyer of worlds.”

Max wanted to shout after it, but it was gone. Its last words to him almost sent him into a frenzy.

I’m not a destroyer of worlds?Am I?

No answer came, and Max took a deep breath. He looked around the courtyard, and his eyes stopped, freezing on something he hadn’t expected.

Spinning in the middle of the air, a few feet from the ground, was a small key.

It wasn’t huge like the normal chest keys that came from a chest boss. This one was like any normal key he had used in his life. Small enough to fit in his hand and looked to be made of nothing special.

His mind immediately told him what it was for.

Moving to it, Max quickly put it in his storage and then grabbed the door. Pulling it open, he saw the rest of his party anxiously awaiting his return.

“I’m sorry, but collecting all of these gems will take us a while.”

The four of them moved to where Max stood, and their eyes struggled to take in the number of glowing gems littering the entire stone courtyard.

“Holy elf tits,” Cordellia said quietly.

“My thoughts exactly,” Fowl replied.

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