Ultimate Level 1 C.250: Before Three Queens

Both of the queens sat on matching thrones, watching as Max and Dexic entered the room the guard had discussed.

It was larger than the dining hall area of the Faction house and yet other than the two thrones and a large chair off to the side for the queen, no other place to sit was present.

A long table with an assortment of food and some masked acrobats that quietly changed positions, bending and hanging off of each other was the only distraction from the five people Max immediately knew were the real players.

Everett stood there, his gray hair fixed perfectly in a perfectly pressed black outfit, a pair of golden axes pinned to his jacket.

Next to him stood an older elvish man with white hair and in a long flowing gown. Each of the man’s fingers was decorated with a jeweled ring and he had two piercings in each ear.

The elves' silver eyes never left Max or Dexic as they entered the room. His face looked old even if there were no wrinkles and a single scar marred his otherwise perfect face, a gash along the left cheek.

Both of the twin sisters sat on the thrones, each having colored their hair. It appeared black. Their eyes followed the two of them as they strode toward them.

Dexic was struggling to walk, her eyes constantly shifting at the Elven Queen who sat on an ornate chair, gold hair and eyes lighting up where she sat. Bright red lips seemed out of place against her pale skin, and the woman appeared to be sneering as they moved toward Everett.

“Queen’s Macy and Molly, may I present warriors Dexic and Seth, members of the Golden Axe Faction.”

“Seth Pendal,” Macy said, her voice coming across sweet though every word felt heavy. “It has been a while since you last stood before us. It would appear you continue making enemies faster than most.”

Giving a deep bow, Max said nothing, ignoring the wave of force he felt itching to attack his mind.

“Oh please sister, you and I both know he seems unconcerned with that fact as the young man still hasn’t fled the capital and hid somewhere else,” Molly stated. “Besides, it would appear he has grown in power.”

Both of them licked their red lips, eyes twinkling as a red glow appeared for the briefest of moments.

A slight cough came from the elvish man, and Max watched as Everett fought back a smile.

“Forgive me,” their leader said with a slight bow. “Niccolo, may I present our two who shall face your champions later tonight.”

Huffing slightly, the elf spun and let his robes flare out. Like a dancer he moved, showing off the fine fabric that the red, green and white colors decorated.

“There is still time for you two to withdraw your insult and pay a fine,” Niccolo said, his voice already pompous and high as his nose lifted upward into the air. “We wouldn’t mock you too much if you both admitted the error of your path.”

Dexic scowled, but Max put a hand on her wrist and let out a chuckle.

“Usually when one asks for the other to withdraw, it means they have realized they are the weaker of the fight,” Max said, holding Niccolo’s gaze, watching those silver eyes throb and shake. “I guess we should allow you the same chance if you feel the loss of honor and respect you will suffer before your queen is what you truly fear.”

The room was silent except for a single gasp and grin that came from Molly.

Niccolo’s eyes went wide and the leader of the Faction that had sent so many to die by his hand trembled.

“Be still.”

The sound of Queen Sylvandra’s voice carried a hint of the tone Max had heard Tanila use before.

He smiled and gave a slight bow at the elvish woman who stood, her solid red robes gliding across the floor as if assisted by magic, revealing a very shapely woman that seemed in such a stark contrast to most elves he saw.

“A human who appears to have a mouth and a mind,” she continued. “It is rare for one so young to have such a thing, and yet I see in his eyes no concern for how I look. Just the opposite, in fact, from how the famed golden warrior I have been told so much about.”

Max didn’t need to look, letting his Sonar skill reveal that Dexic was frozen in place, her mouth open and eyes staring at the queen who commanded a powerful presence.

Niccolo seemed to be completely calm now, his eyes resting on the one that was gliding toward him.

Everett kept his eyes low, not looking at the woman as she passed, having already learned the warnings of allowing himself to be drawn in by her.

“Careful,” Queen Macy said. “Attempt nothing before the fight.”

Laughter that seemed like a cool drink washed over Max as the Elven Queen let out what sounded like true amusement. Even as she laughed, those golden eyes never left his, focused on him and how he stood there.

“I wouldn’t think to spoil the games and no matter the outcome, I am intrigued by how I believe this fight will end.”

The few seconds of silence as no one spoke seemed like ages as each person waited for someone to give in.

Waving his hand while sighing, Max shrugged.

“It’s a shame, really. I feel bad having to know we’ll end up killing two of your people. I actually enjoy most elves that aren’t bent upon my destruction.”

The slightest twitch came from the queen, only caught by his sonar, which revealed more than Max desired of Sylvandra’s body twitching under her outfit.

“Is that so?”

Silence came again, and no one spoke as Max and the queen locked eyes, the tone in which she spoke not hiding the displeasure she had for his words.

“Unfortunately yes. Even worse is I had really hoped to earn more money off this fight,” Max replied as he glanced past the queen and where Everett stood, head still down slightly, but the Faction leader’s eyes widening with every word Max said.

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He knew I was going to do something. I’m just guessing this wasn’t what he expected.

“It appears even all the bookies in town felt the odds against your warriors weren’t worth the risk. Some said if it wouldn’t have been an insult, they might have made them one-to-one odds.”

Max saw Niccolo start to open his mouth but nothing came out as Sylvandra jerked her head forward.

“You dare to tell me to my face that you will win that easily?!”

Her voice echoed off the walls, and Max smiled as he kept his composure. He could feel each of the Queens sitting on their thrones leaning forward. There was a quickening of a pulse from almost every person in the room.

Tanila said she would react, and by the gods she is rising like cream!

Shrugging, Max motioned to Dexic, who was struggling to move or respond, her face not hiding the shock of his words as her mouth hung open.

“It’s true. I mean, how many have supposedly died by my hands? The rumors are almost so large now that some believe I could fight each of the ones you picked one on one without a break and defeat them all.”

A cough escaped Everett’s mouth and the speed at which Sylvandra’s finger moved almost surprised Max.

“Is that a challenge?!” she bellowed.

Max continued his performance, moving sideways away from the Elven woman and giving a slight nod to Queen Molly and Macy. Their eyes glowed and each of them was locked onto him.

“That would be up to the Queens. Surely the chaos it might cause in the betting pools would easily be resolved with only a few minor changes. I mean, after we defeat whatever pair you throw at us, I would gladly turn down any healing offered, wait on the floor and duel each of the other two, one on one. Again turning down all offers of healing between each match.”

Molly’s smile turned almost sinister as her white teeth appeared between those red lips, nodding her head slowly.

The Elven Queen turned, power radiating off her, golden hair continuing to rise off her shoulders slightly.

“Queen Sylvandra,” Molly said, her voice carrying a presence Max had experienced once before. “Do not forget where you are. A challenge has been issued. Will you accept?”

If those golden eyes were daggers, Max would have been attacked.

Several seconds passed before the golden-haired woman turned and nodded.

“Unless he wishes to add anything else to the challenge, I am ready–”

“One last thing!” Max said, interrupting the queen and watching as Niccolo almost came unglued, his forehead wrinkling so bad it aged the elf by a few centuries.

“I will wager twenty thousand gold on each of the three matches to be bet against the fighters from the Enlightened Souls Faction. If that wager is too much, then obviously they don’t have faith in their warriors and there is no need for me to bother wasting my time.”

A grunt look of concern flashed across Niccolo’s face while the Elven woman next to him bristled at the added insult.

“I accept!” she shouted, pulling her head back slightly when the volume of her voice reached her own ears.

“Then it has been witnessed and confirmed,” Molly quickly replied. “Guards, take those two down to the floors. Increase the guards and notify my personal attendant of the changes to tonight's bets. I have no doubt there will be some chaos in the coming moments.”

Max nodded and turned, ignoring the gaze that every eye in the room had locked upon him.

“Seth Pendal!” Macy called out, forcing him to turn and give a deep bow.

“Forgive me, my queen, I simply moved to obey your sister's order.”

She rolled her red eyes and chuckled.

“I must say, I now realize how much I missed you. The chaos and excitement you bring, its…” the Queen shivered and grinned, holding herself as she did. “Intoxicating. May tonight's fights bring honor to those worthy of taking it.”

Giving one last bow, Max turned and grabbed Dexic’s arm and led her away as they made toward the doors.

***

“What in the gods have you done?!”

Max was grateful she had waited till they were locked into the room that looked out over the colosseum dirt floor. Announcements were already being made to the crowds about the changes to tonight's fight and from the sound of the people’s applause and cheers, everyone was excited at the potential two extra fights.

“What needed to be done,” Max replied as he pulled out a padded chair and placed it on the plain stone floor. “Sit and let me talk.”

“Sit?! You feel you can command me like a dog or some other weakling?! Do you forget who I am?!”

Sighing, Max shook his head and pulled out a second padded chair, placing it across from the first, and took a seat.

“No, I don’t, but we need to talk. Everything that is happening has been planned and only two people were allowed to know about it. Now sit if you will and I’ll share with you the plan.”

Grunts and frustration came as Dexic stared at the chair and stomped towards it. It took her a few seconds and a couple of breaths before she plopped down in it, crossing her arms and nodding her head.

“Everett only knew that I would attempt to goad Niccolo into more fights. Even he didn’t know about how I was going to poke the bear.”

“But she’s the queen!”

Waiting for Dexic to calm down, Max nodded.

“She is, which also means that Niccolo can’t override what she said. Had he been the one to accept my challenge, the queen could have undone it. Now there is no way to prevent the second two fights.”

“But no healing! Surely you don’t believe you can win without getting injured!”

“Oh, I’m not worried about that," Max said as he pulled a potion from his storage. “The only rule was I couldn’t be healed by the healers. In her anger and fury, the queen failed to fix what I had said, trapped and unable to go back without losing face. From what I have been informed, if there is one thing Queen Sylvandra hates, it is to look bad.”

“And what happens if you actually win each of these fights? You’ll piss off the queen and her country!”

Max grinned and shook his head.

“Actually, I will look even better and those who seek to do me harm will need to seriously consider any more potential moves against me. Not only that, the one who will suffer more is the queen herself. From a close Elven friend, the king will not take kindly to how she handled herself or the fighters lost by her foolishness. Retaliation wouldn’t be wise as doing so would also lower King Savantus before Queen Molly and Macy.”

Dexic opened her mouth and though her jaw moved, words got stuck it appeared.

Smiling, he waited, giving the woman time to see that what he had just done was a trap set long before the moment they walked into the colosseum.

“You knew we would stand before all three queens?”

Nodding, Max tapped his head.

“Again, I was told by a very close friend the queen cannot help but flaunt who she is. There was never a doubt we would meet.”

Sighing, Dexic rubbed her face with a hand and then groaned.

“So now what?”

Max leaned forward, a twinkle of something sinister in his eyes as he grinned at Dexic.

“We go collect some blood those elves owe to every human they have slaughtered.”

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