Chapter Two

Seamus found himself in the room where he�d spent time with Victoria before entering Alpha World. As he turned around he saw Victoria seated behind the desk, waving him over to the chair across from her. �Greetings, Seamus. I hope you have been enjoying yourself,� her warm voice carried a hint of amusement.

�Hello, Vicky. It has been interesting so far, that�s certain. I�ve had some fun times, but I want to register a complaint about the full pain threshold. I�m sure the waivers I�ve signed negates a whole lot, but having bolts of flame hit you or swords cutting into you is not fun in the least. Tell me that it can be arranged for the pain threshold to come down to even half?� Seamus finished his mini rant as he took the seat across from her.

Victoria let a ghost of a smile touch her lips, �Only the slider was set to maximum, Seamus. You�ve been stabbed before. Did the pain really feel that bad in the game?�

�Very, very close, Vicky. It was great when a heal would land though, the pain just faded away. I�m curious as to why we are talking, as well as what the patch is all about.�

�Well, since the game is down for the day I thought we could chat. It gives me a chance to gauge your mental state after a full week of immersion as well as get feedback from you. As for why we pulled the game for an emergency patch after a week, would you like to see the patch notes?� Vicky was suddenly holding a couple of sheets of paper.

�Yes, if that�s okay. I was also meaning to ask what am I allowed to tell people in game about me and my situation? That goes for players and the non-players as well. What are you guys calling the NPCs internally, by the way?�

�Those are some very good questions Seamus. Would you like to review the patch notes first or chat? Both have information you might want to focus on.� Victoria leaned forward, gently fanning herself with the patch notes while wearing a small smile.

�The patch notes can wait a few moments, then,� Seamus replied. �I�ve been putting people off who�re asking about me. I would like to be able to answer them.�

The papers she held vanished as she sat back, �Well then, to answer your last question first, internally we have been calling them NPCs. But if one of the workers goes in game we call them people, as all players are two-souled. As for what you can tell others, we don�t want your name or story out in public, at least not yet, so please don�t divulge that. As for how you are able to keep playing for such long periods, you can tell them you�re testing a new system that should be making the news soon. The government has given us the go ahead for a small trial run of month-long immersion systems, so we will be going public with that in the next week or so.�

�I wouldn�t think many people will be able to manage a whole month off at a go,� Seamus mused, as he considered who had that kind of time.

�We already have hundreds of people who will be invited to the initial test run. They have previously expressed an interested in longer periods of immersion. You�ve already grouped with one of them on multiple occasions,� Vicky let her smile grow.

�Karen or Fluffball then would be my guess,� Seamus replied quickly as he considered the two women. �Fluffball would be my final answer.�

�Very well done, Seamus. The person who is Fluffball was indeed the one I was speaking of. She has done some work for us in the past as a free agent. It is well known that she can easily take a month off to do something she loves to do, such as play games.�

�What kind of artwork has she done for Mindblown?�

�She designed a few of our more interesting set pieces that you won�t encounter until much later in the game. Her take on the Dark Lord�s castle, for instance, was head and shoulders above what we got from anyone else. The one other thing that was implemented in Alpha World was a quaint little caf� in Stormguard.� Victoria watched his eyes narrow for a moment before she continued. �Yes, that caf� was indeed her work. Did you like it?�

A bemused chuckle escaped Seamus, �It was fun, actually. It also seemed to do a fairly okay business with the people of the city.�

�It does well enough to get by. We do expect it to get more attention once other two-souled find it. The person behind Fluffball is such an interesting person that I look forward to how she handles a full month in game.�

�I hope it helps her break out of her mold a little. She seems like she wants to be more extroverted, but keeps failing to take the next few steps.�

�That is true, but do not most people have things in the past they would rather not deal with?� Victoria�s eyes seemed to bore into him as she asked the question.

A small shiver ran through Seamus at her words, �Human nature, isn�t it?�

Her voice was filled with sadness, �Yes it is, sadly. I have even seen people create entire false memories to avoid a horrible truth that they didn�t want to deal with.�

�Well, I hope Fluff is able to move forward. One of the NPC�s offered to help her, too, I think,� Seamus said.

Victoria could sense Seamus wanting to get away from the subject of memories, so she changed the topic. �How have you found the long-term immersion? Has it altered your view of what reality is in any way?�

�If I am going to be there for years it seems like a good idea to build up goodwill with people I will interact with repeatedly. As such, I�ve been thinking of it as an alternate reality with a game like setting more than just as a game. Most people don�t care what the NPCs think in a game, but the NPCs in Alpha World with the AIs behind them seem way more real than previous games, which makes it easier to treat them accordingly.�

�Is that why you spent time training the guards?�

A small chuckle escaped his lips, �Nostalgia mostly was the cause there, but yes, also because I wanted to have goodwill with the guards. Doubly so since Summoners don�t seem to be well liked.�

�Every world has history behind it. A question about your new minion. How did that come about?� Victoria asked, leaning forward to rest her head on-top of her interlaced fingers.

�That is an interesting question, and I�d like to know myself. I was going to ask you pretty much the same thing.�

�Do you object to it?�

�Hardly. Stacia is a good girl and we do seem to click.�

�You have no issue having a relationship with an NPC?� Victoria�s eyes focused intently on him as she asked her question.

Frowning, Seamus paused to really consider her question. �No, I don�t actually. All in all, it�s probably for the best, even. A player would eventually want to meet up and that is impossible, obviously. That isn�t an issue with Stacia. The only issue is when things like this happen and I need to step away from Alpha World for some reason. She hasn�t really tried to pry into my past and frankly I don�t think she cares about it at all. So, all in all it seems like the best possible solution I could ever get.�

�You never really had a deep relationship before, do you think you will be able to handle one in Alpha World?�

Brow furrowing Seamus puzzled over Victoria�s interest in this topic. �I don�t see why not. For me it was always more a matter of finding a woman who could understand me and accept what my life was. For Stacia, most of those old problems don�t even exist. I am no longer bound to not date a felon, I don�t have a job I care about and�� He broke off as his mind went back to the image of Kaylee laying in the hospital bed broken and crying. �I no longer have someone to care for on the weekends,� the last came out rough and his hands shook.

Victoria watched him closely for a moment before she nodded, �I understand. Do you think you will be happy with Stacia by your side?�

Seamus looked around the room avoiding Victoria�s eyes as he wiped away a few tears that had slipped out. �I think so. I was completely taken by surprise with the whole succubus thing, but I think we�ve worked that out.�

�She truly seems to care for you.�

�I wish we knew why, though,� Seamus replied. �She doesn�t even know what pulled her to me originally. I was starting to think it was a hidden quest or something.�

Victoria shook her head vigorously, �No. I assure you it wasn�t even considered. In fact it took the devs completely by surprise. That is the reason why this patch is a full day instead of the few hours we thought it was going to be originally. The dev team has to figure out exactly how it happened so they can make sure it doesn�t happen again. Would you care to see the patch notes now?�

�Please,� Seamus replied, taking the papers she handed to him. Seamus started to read the patch notes, wondering what else they were going to be tinkering with.

Patch Notes for Alpha World version 1.01:

�The Portal Guild has undergone massive changes. The long wait times to get a portal have been greatly reduced. Set up an account with the Portal Guild to reduce waiting time even more.

God's Grace now lasts twelve hours, until you log out or until you initiate combat with another player. God�s Grace renders a player immune to PvP and assassin attacks while active.

Players will no longer respawn during boss encounters. Players killed during boss encounters may be resurrected during the fight by other players who have appropriate abilities, and will revive normally once the encounter is ended.

NPCs can now be hired for a variety of jobs, including bodyguard, maid and many more.

NPCs can now join an adventuring party. Doing so will entitle them to an equal share of the rewards unless the NPC is a mercenary who has a contract in place.

Creatures killed by guards no longer award loot or experience to players.

Guilds may now be created at the town hall with a minimum of three people. The cost is one hundred gold. The town hall also has rooms available to rent for guild functions, such as meetings.

Guild halls are currently being developed, along with player housing. Stay tuned for more information about these exciting developments.

Guild chat requires a Guildstone, available when a person creates or joins a guild. The guild chat log will be visible for a rotating 24 hour period. As with friend lists and messages, no indicators of a player�s availability or on/off-line status will be available.

The Immersion setting has been split, pain is now its own separate bar. Pain has a minimum setting of 10%, so players will be aware of taking damage. The maximum setting for pain is now 50%. Environmental immersion retains the full range, 0-100%.

Classes with the ability to resurrect a fallen ally can now mark players in their group to extend the respawn timer to five minutes, in order to allow a group to be fully resurrected at their current location.

All stats will now include bonuses from loot shown in parentheses to help players know just how big a boost their gear is giving them. EX; Strength 35 (15).

New class sets are now available. These new sets can be acquired by multiple players at the same time, unlike the original class sets. Original class sets that no player owned any piece of have been removed from the game. Those sets that players had begun collecting will remain available in game.

All major guard factions now have a higher level of combat training and will no longer give reputation gains to those who spar with them.

Rare and Boss monsters can no longer be physically prevented from using abilities. Stuns and interrupts may be effective against some abilities.

NPCs can no longer become minions to those classes that get minions.

Summoner minions no longer have loyalty, happiness, or reputation. All minions will continue to have distinct personalities that will dictate how they interact with you. Summoners will have the option to reset their abilities the first time they log in after the patch. Summoners will also receive the option to change current minions to new ones, one time, the first time each type of minion is summoned.

Necromancer abilities are now clarified to better reflect which undead they can have multiple copies of for each ability choice. Necromancers will have the option to reset their abilities the first time they log in after the patch.

Lunari Berserkers will now have the option to select claws as a weapon if they chose dual wield previously. Players choosing claws will have the ability to drain the enchantments from a one-handed weapon and apply the enchantment permanently to their claws. Visit a trainer to change or remove enchantments from claws.

Trapsmith ability Trap Sense now is 50% less effective passively and 25% more effective when used actively.

Elementalists can now opt to choose a second mastery of elements, so long as it is not the opposing element of their first mastery.

Shaman ability Spirit Speak will now allow them to speak with any spirit or shade they encounter. Be aware, not all of the restless dead are friendly or trustworthy.

Druid ability Battle Revival is now on a 10 minute cooldown. This cooldown will apply to all druids in a party.

Assassin damage has been reduced slightly to help rebalance their burst potential. However, their poison damage has been increased to keep them competitive.

Priest ability Divine Heal can now be used while stunned or incapacitated.

Defender ability Unbreakable can now be used while stunned or incapacitated.

Defender and Paladin stun abilities have had their cooldowns reduced from 30 minutes to 10 minutes.

Paladin ability Lay on Hands has had its cooldown increased to an hour.

The Gods have suffered a major upheaval and many minor deities have perished in the turmoil. All Paladins and Priests will be prompted upon logging in to select a new deity to follow. All previous reputation with the old churches will be carried over to the new church.

Due to the many changes in the game world taking place, the world will have advanced two weeks into the future when the game goes live again. Any time sensitive quests have been removed from your logs with no penalties for failing them. Players will have the option to reacquire most time sensitive quests from the original quest source.

Seamus looked up from the papers as he finished reading, a sense of failure washing over him. He had promised Stacia he would be back shortly and to her it would seem like half a month. Victoria watched his face pale.

�Is something the matter, Seamus?�

�Stacia thinks I will be back tomorrow, I promised her I would hurry back. But these patch notes say it will be half a month to her.�

�Ah, yes I see. Would you like to send her a message to let her know it is going to be longer then you anticipated?�

Head tilting slightly, he looked at Victoria with a puzzled expression, �How would that even work?�

A faint smile came to her lips as she replied, �I can get a letter to her. Would you like to do that?�

�Yes, please, if it�s not an inconvenience.�

Victoria pulled a sheet of paper from the desk she sat behind, along with a pen, �Once you�re done just hand it to me.�

�Thanks, Vicky,� Seamus said, and began to write.

Stacia,

It seems the portal between worlds is going to be down for two weeks. There is nothing I can do to get back to you before that. I was able to get this letter to you, so you�d be aware that I will be unable to make it back to you before that. Please understand, as soon as I can I will be back there. I�m sorry that there is going to be an extended period of absence. It is not what I wanted. Please have faith in me when I say I will be back as quickly as I can.

Your master,

Alburet.

He folded the paper then slid it across the desk to Vicky, who took it with a smile. She placed the folded sheet of paper on her hand, where it shimmered into a blue bird. The bird hopped a few times before meeting Vicky�s gaze. With a chirp, the bird took to the air before it also vanished.

�There. It will be with her before a single day has passed for her. Does that help?�

Seamus nodded, �It does. Thanks, Vicky. How much longer is it until the game goes back up?�

�Still over twenty hours. Would you like to play a game or two to pass the time?�

Chuckling, Seamus shook his head, �Only if you promise not to cheat.�

Victoria laughed, �As you wish. How about a game or two of chess to start with?�

�Might as well start out with me losing,� Seamus replied as a chess board appeared between them.

Seamus just shook his head at how fast Victoria annihilated him in the first game, ten moves and it was over. The second game he mostly played randomly, only taking a few of her pieces here or there before he lost again, but at least this time the game lasted a few minutes. �I see I shall probably never beat you in chess, Vicky.�

�Don�t feel bad, no one at Mindblown has either. Is there a game you would prefer to play?�

�Poker again, if you don�t cheat like last time. Hmm, could you make up a handful of other people to play with as well?�

Victoria smiled broadly and the room vanished, replaced by a western saloon. He sat at the table in appropriate attire while Victoria sat next to him in a beautiful floral dress. Around the table were six other men all dressed for the scene. The last person at the table was a professional dealer who was shuffling the cards.

�The game is Texas Hold�em. Small blinds are a buck, big blinds are two,� the dealer said as he finished shuffling, �You, sir, are the big blind,� he nodded to Seamus.

Seamus smiled and tossed in the two chips he needed to. Once the small blind was added the dealer began the game. The next six hours were fun, as each of the other players all had different personalities. Eventually it came down to Victoria and Seamus left at the table with the chips roughly evenly split between them.

�That was fun, Vicky. I think we should move on though.�

Pouting, Victoria paused, �Are you sure, Seamus? We could do one more hand. Winner takes all.�

Seamus chuckled, �You like to win don�t you, Vicky?�

She just smiled as she pushed her stack of chips into the middle, �Maybe.�

Shaking his head, Seamus matched her, �Okay, winner takes all. How about we toss another wager on top? I�m sure you have connections outside Mindblown, if I win you get me an update on Kaylee.�

Victoria�s face went blank as she eyed him, �I would require something similar from you if I win, Seamus. Say, having you walk through a memory you would rather not?�

His eyes narrowed as he considered her, �You promise that this will be straight up?� She nodded, to which Seamus sighed then took a deep breath, �Fine. I agree.�

The dealer dealt the hand face up as there was no reason to hold back the hole cards. In the end Seamus ended up with a pair of aces, but Victoria had kings and twos. The saloon faded back to the library they had started in as Seamus acknowledged his defeat. He sat there a little bleakly as he wondered what Victoria would make him see this time.

�I am sorry, Seamus. I will see what I can do to get you the news you want but it will take some time. Currently, you owe me a memory. Are you ready?�

Seamus closed his eyes as he nodded his head, �Hit me.

Seamus found himself abruptly bodiless, looking down onto a scene he recognized instantly. He was suspended near the ceiling of the court hallway, as if he was the camera on the wall of the place where he�d committed his crime. A second later he saw himself plus the criminal walking in from the jail side door, the inmate taking small steps due to the ankle shackles. Seamus felt his heartbeat increase as he watched the duo walk towards him, knowing what was coming.

A few steps later he watched his double�s foot step deliberately onto the shackles holding the inmate�s legs, causing the inmate to fall to his knees. The double leaned down with a firm hand on the inmate�s shoulder, keeping the man in place on his knees. He watched the side arm being drawn as his double leaned in to speak into the inmate�s ear. He knew the words he had said, so he heard them clearly. He had known the camera in the hall hadn�t been equipped with audio pickups.

�You took away her innocence as well as harming her to the point of never being able to walk again, you miserable little shit. You thought you were going to see the judge but that isn�t going to happen today. Today, I mete out the justice that you really deserve and when we meet again in hell, I will hound you for all of eternity. This is for Kaylee.� His double put the gun against the back of the inmate�s head and pulled the trigger twice. A split second of panic showed on the man�s face before the two hollow points ripped his brain and head apart, covering the hallway with his brain and blood. Seamus�s agency didn�t use hollow points in their side arms, but he had come prepared for just this moment.

Stepping away from the body, the double set the gun down then lay face down on the floor and cuffed his hands behind him. He could hear the yells and screams from those nearby along with frantic radio traffic about shots fired. He remembered feeling nothing but calm acceptance as the court bailiffs came running out and found him. A few minutes later he was surrounded by his once fellow officers who took in the scene, aghast at what they saw. Many turned away from him in silence while a few cussed him for what was about to befall the agency, when the feds showed up to investigate. Only one person looked on with a sad face.

He watched as his old friend Sergeant Grey took a knee next to him, leaning in to speak softly, �Why? Why did you do it?�

Seamus turned his head to look at his old sergeant before he replied, his eyes lifeless, �Kaylee.� He turned his face forward again and cleared his throat, �Can I be read my rights please, and get booked in?�

The officers blinked at him in shock at his calm, even tone. He was hauled roughly to his feet and one of the officers tightened the cuffs even more. The sergeant of investigations read him his rights and Seamus was led away to the jail.

Suddenly he was back in the room with Victoria, who was watching him intently. �Would you care to comment on that memory, Seamus?�

Seamus looked over at Victoria with flat, lifeless eyes, �He deserved it.�

Victoria frowned slightly for a second, �Did you notice anything unusual?�

Seamus shook his head, �Nothing, it is as I remember it.�

Her frown deepening, Victoria shook her head, �I�ll leave it there for now Seamus, but there is something wrong with what just transpired there and I am not talking about you killing the inmate. I hope you will be able to see it one day.�

Brow furrowing, Seamus wondered what she was getting at but before he could say anything else Victoria stood up. �Well, that concludes our time for now. I look forward to our next visit. If you ever wish to ask me a question while in game, I have gotten approval to let you send in-game messages to me. Just send it to Victoria AI, it has been added to your Mindstone. I will reply as I can once I�ve made sure it is something you are allowed to know.�

Seamus stood up, his eyes still flat, �I want to say thank you Vicky, but right now I can�t. Until the next time.�

The room vanished, leaving him in darkness with a blinking clock flashing away before him, telling him he had fourteen hours before the server was back up. Closing his eyes, Seamus wished he could just skip the next fourteen hours.

Seamus woke to see the clock ticking down the last thirty seconds, which brought a smile to his face. He closed his eyes to wait them out, eager to be back in Alpha World. A brief moment of uncertainty swept through him as he thought about Stacia. Would she be mad at him or understanding of his not being able to get back? On top of that he briefly wondered how Alistern would take his sudden disappearance for a two-week period. Taking a deep breath, he tried to center himself as he heard the clock ticking away the last few seconds until the server was live again.

Chapter Three

Blinking, Alburet looked around to find himself at the Homestone location in the graveyard just outside the Dead Man Inn. He glanced around, seeing a few others who were as eager as he was to be back in the game appearing as well. Some of them seemed upset that they had been moved to their Homestone locations during the server downtime. Alburet heard quite a few disgruntled mutters.

Alburet ignored the bitching from the other players and headed for the inn. As he entered the inn, he dismissed the notification of the chance to reset his abilities. When he cleared the notification, he found Alistern waiting for him with a grim look. Alburet came to a stop and gave a polite nod, �Alistern.�

�We need to talk. Follow me,� Alistern turned to go down the hall beside the stairs.

�I will be glad to speak with you in ten minutes. First, I must do my best to fulfill a promise now that I have been able to get back to this world. Stacia has been waiting for me ever since the bridge between our worlds was closed. So, I ask that you give me ten minutes to reassure her that I�m back first.� He spoke politely but firmly, so Alistern would know he was serious.

Alistern�s eyes flared as he turned to face Alburet, his voice rising into a yell. �First ya abandon me daughter for weeks and now ya refuse a simple request?!�

Alburet didn�t flinch away from the enraged father, instead standing his ground while meeting the angry eyes of Alistern. �I will speak with you once my duty to Stacia is discharged and not before. Your daughter has been waiting for me and her welfare is of much greater concern to me than yours.� He finished speaking and started to walk towards the stairs.

Alistern�s face twisted as he took a single step to block the stairs, when Lilith appeared behind Alistern. She touched his shoulder, stopping him. �Dear, stop this please. He will speak with us shortly, give our daughter the chance to see her master first.� Lilith spoke the words softly so only Alistern and Alburet, who was just outside of Alistern�s reach, could hear them.

Alburet nodded his thanks to Lilith a fraction of a second before bounding up the stairs two at a time. He rushed to the room he had rented, flinging open the door to see Stacia standing in the middle of the room looking anxious as she twisted the skirt of her maid outfit. When his eyes met hers they both felt a tug of emotion and they rushed together into an embrace. Kisses and words of love were exchanged as they clung to each other. Alburet was a little overcome with just how much his heart had yearned for her in the single day apart.

�I�m sorry, Kitten. They closed the bridge between our worlds and I couldn�t get back any sooner than now.�

Stacia met his wet eyes with hers, which were equally wet, �I know, master. I got ya note from the bird messenger two weeks ago, just a bare hour after ya left. I thank ya for getting me that message, without it I might have despaired. Even with it I grew anxious and the seeds of doubt began to grow in me heart.� She tightened her grip on him as she buried her face in his chest, taking a deep breath to pull in his scent. �I missed ya so much that every day me heart ached at ya absence.�

Kissing the top of her head, Alburet tightened his hold on her. �No more worries for a time now, Kitten. Other than the fact that I have to go speak with your father in a minute. I think he�s a bit upset with me.�

Nodding, Stacia filled him in on the last two weeks, �The mornin� ya left both Da� and Ma� came to talk to us. I told them ya had been recalled to ya other world. Da� has been in a mood ever since, doubtin� ya was comin� back. Ma' and me tried to tell him different but he did nay want to listen. For the last week, Stewart and he have been switching off watching the bar, waitin� for ya to come back. I will go with ya to speak with him.� Her eyes were bright, her happiness that Alburet was back with her evident on her face.

Tilting her face up a touch more he kissed her with love, not turning the kiss into a passionate one but a lingering one instead. When he finally broke the kiss, he leaned his forehead against hers, �I will always want you by my side Stacia, my wonderful fiery kitten. Let�s go speak with your father, maybe we can show him how together we are whole. But first change into another outfit. You�re more than just my maid now, you are so much more now.�

Stacia nodded, reluctantly leaving the embrace to change her clothing. She ran into a problem almost immediately, as her only other outfit was her set of adventuring leather. She explained the problem to Alburet to get his advice.

�Put on you adventuring clothes for now. We shall fix that, right after we finish speaking with your father.� Once she was changed Alburet held out his arm to her, �Come, Kitten.�

Taking his arm with a broad smile Stacia snuggled up to him, �As master wishes.�

He made a note to speak with her about the different connotations that word had to him, later. He just smiled back at her as they went downstairs to find Alistern. It didn�t take long, as he was still at the bottom of the stairs along with Stewart, Grimgar, Almira and Lilith. Alburet looked over the group and gave a polite half bow, �As I said I would, I have come back, sir.�

Alistern growled, �Follow me. Stewart, make sure he doesn�t try to run off.�

Lilith sighed at her husband, just shaking her head as she trailed after him. Grimgar and Almira watched Alburet and Stacia with interest but no hostility. Stacia greeted both of them before they all followed Alistern. Alistern led them to the private dining hall as the room had magic on it to dampen any sounds.

Once everyone was inside and seated Alistern spoke up with an angry voice. �Why did ya run off and leave me daughter for two weeks?! What kind of man are ya to take me daughter, turnin' her into ya succubus then abandon her like ya did?!�

Stacia opened her mouth to speak but Alburet stopped her with a gentle squeeze of his hand. She glanced at him and stayed quiet. Alburet smiled at her then began to speak. �It wasn�t a choice, Alistern. The connection between this world and the one we two-souled come from was closed for a time. When that happens, it yanks us from this world and we can�t come back until it reopens for us. This will happen at times. Normally we have more warning than we had this time. It also normally won�t be as long as it was this last time, I hope. I had to call in a big favor to just get a message back to Stacia before the connection was brought completely down. As for turning her into my succubus, as you well know I am sure, it was a surprise to all of us, except her and Lilith. It is also something I would not change for anything in either world at this point. The fact of the matter is I love your daughter for who she is. Even if she wasn�t my succubus I would still love her.�

Squeezing Alburet�s hand Stacia added her two cents. �I willing and gladly bound meself to him, Da�. He did nay turn me into his succubus as much as I tricked him into being me master. If ya object to the bond we have, then we shall leave until ya do accept us.�

Alistern�s eyes went wide, his jaw dropping as he stared at his little girl. While he was momentarily speechless Lilith spoke up, �That will not be necessary, Stacia. We will never turn our backs on you or the man you love. In fact, since you both love each other so much and we still wish to keep the family secret hidden as much as we can, I have a plan.� Lilith�s smile grew as her eyes swept her friends at the table. �I think you two should marry.�

Alburet had thought Alistern looked shocked before but now he knew what a shocked Alistern really looked like. A stiff breeze might have knocked the man over. The same could be said for Stewart, who was also open mouthed at the suggestion. The other two at the table nodded slowly, seeing Lilith�s wisdom for what it was. It would be much easier to play off the devoted wife adventuring with her husband than a maid following him around.

Alburet himself had been blindsided by the idea and was trying to figure out how he felt about being shotgunned into a wedding in the game. Stacia had let out a squeak, her eyes wide while a smile blossomed on her lips. She turned to Alburet, her eyes hopeful and eager, hoping he would agree while also fearful that her mother might be moving too fast for him. Alburet looked at Stacia and felt his heart beat a little faster seeing the sheer hope in her eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Alburet came out of his shock before the other two. �I don�t know if I am worthy of that, but if Stacia wishes it I will marry her.� As the last word left his mouth Stacia tackled him, knocking him to the floor and kissing him with passion as tears of joy fell from her eyes.

Chuckles and smiles came from Grimgar, Almira and Lilith as they watched the happy couple. Stewart finally got over his shock, and seeing Stacia so deliriously happy, felt his own heart warm at the sight. He shook his head as he watched his goddaughter kissing the man she loved, remembering a lost love he once had.

Alistern finally got his mouth closed and stood up, his face turning red. �No, I will not allow�� was all he got out before a hand slapped the table, cutting him off.

�Alistern, it be time to let her go, me old friend,� Grimgar said. �It be time. Let her flex her wings and soar with happiness. Iffin ye try to cage her now she will never come back to ye again.�

�He�s right,� Almira added, �just look at how happy she is. Isn�t that what all parents want for their children, happiness?�

Stewart coughed gently, �Even though I worry old friend, I see how happy she is and I do not wish to change that.�

�But�� Alistern tried again only to stop as Lilith rubbed his shoulder.

�We found love and happiness, dear. Doesn�t our daughter deserve the same chance?� Lilith said softly.

Bowing his head, Alistern gave in, afraid that he might indeed drive his daughter away if he kept at it. �Iffin he agrees to it I will stop the objections.�

Alburet broke the kiss to reply from his place on the floor. �I agree to marry your daughter, Alistern. I will also give you my word to always protect her as best I can, as you would Lilith.� He got to his feet, pulling Stacia up with him. �I thank you all for believing in me. I will do my best to prove your belief in me well founded. Now, how does one go about getting married on this world?�

Lilith beamed, �I�ll make all the arrangements. We shall have the event in four days, but the day before I shall need Stacia all day.�

Stacia was vibrating with excitement as Alburet replied, �Thank you, Lilith. Seeing as it�s the middle of the night and it�s been some time since Stacia and I had time together, I think I am going to abscond with her. Grimgar, Almira, we�ll be by after sunrise to sell off some gear when we go out to buy some things. Stewart, thank you for backing Stacia�s wishes.� Alburet paused to firmly face Alistern, �Sir, I will always protect and honor your daughter. Give me a chance to prove my word. Lilith, thank you for your help in this.�

Alistern nodded once, �I will give you the chance as my wife and friends have asked me to.�

Alburet gave a small bow to those at the table before he offered his arm to Stacia. Once she took it, with a smile still plastered on her face, he escorted her out of the room. He led her back up to his room, ushering her in before shutting the door behind them. As soon as the door shut he pulled her back hard into his chest as she had been a step in front of him. As soon as her back collided with his chest he wrapped his arms around her. One went around her waist, securing her to him, while his other snaked up so his hand ended up on her throat while his forearm nestled between her breasts. He took a firm grip on her, tilting her head back and to the side so he could whisper into her ear.

�I�ve missed you, Kitten. We have a few hours to kill before the shops open. I�m thinking I should reward you for waiting for me as well as you did,� Alburet let the need he felt for her come out clearly in his voice.

Stacia shuddered in his embrace as she ground her ass against his groin, �Please, master. I�ve been a very good girl.�

Alburet nipped her ear hard, which made her shudder as a yip came from her. �Do you want it rough, Kitten?�

�Yes,� she replied, panting in need, �take me master, control me, use me, please.�

For the next four hours Alburet used her as he saw fit, all the while Stacia begged for more. When they stopped, Stacia lay with her head on his chest while her bruises faded slowly away. �Thank ya, master. I�ve been yearnin� for ya firm hand to guide me again.� She nuzzled his chest, breathing in his scent, �What are we going to do today?�

�Well, we�re going shopping to get you some new clothes for certain. I�m sure Karen and or Fluff will be on later and will ask to group up as well, so we could go hunting. We�ll see how the day develops after we take you out for clothes.� He trailed his left hand up and down her right thigh, which was hitched up on his waist. �Let�s get cleaned up, have some breakfast, and then we�ll head out.�

�Did ya wish a bath or just me cleaning ya with a cloth and the basin?�

�The basin is enough for now, Kitten,� Alburet replied, giving her a quick kiss as she slid across him to get out of bed. As she cleaned him he remembered to explain to her what the term master meant to him. She giggled during his explanation of BDSM but otherwise didn�t interrupt as she cleaned them both.

�So, I be a submissive masochist?�

�That would sum up your sexual tendencies. Luckily it meshes very well with my own. I don�t love causing pain as much as others but I love being in complete control. As you want me to control you to such a degree I am more than happy to give you what you desire, which is pain.�

�Karen be a dominatrix? I notice ya didn�t try to dominate her when the three of us played together.�

�I�m fairly certain she is. She might be a switch, but I don�t think that�s likely. Anyway, now that we�re all clean I think it�s time for breakfast. Go get us some tasty noms. Once we�re done we�ll head out.�

Stacia quickly donned her adventuring outfit then hurried downstairs to get them food. Alburet took the time to get up and had his gear together by the time she returned. They spent the next hour sipping coffee and eating. During the meal Stacia asked him about his past relationships, so he took the time to explain his few relationships and why he had so few attempts at them.

�It never bothered ya, master?�

Alburet shrugged, �Not as such. I eventually gave up on the idea of having a relationship. I was happy enough to hang out with David and Kaylee�� He trailed off his face closing down as the name came out of his mouth.

Stacia frowned as she watched his whole demeanor change as he cut off, �Master? Be ya okay?�

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Alburet looked up at her with a strained smile. �I�m fine, Kitten. Just a bad memory.�

She took his hand as her eyes conveyed her concern. �I will listen iffin ya want to talk about it, master. I can see it pains ya in some way and I want to help ya feel only joy.�

His hand shook slightly at her words while he blinked his eyes to stop any moisture from escaping. �I�ll keep that in mind, Kitten, but not right now. We are about to go get you some clothes.� He stood up, pulling her up with him. �Shall we?�

She took note of his strained smile but didn�t comment as he clearly didn�t wish to talk about whatever was upsetting him right now. �I will follow ya anywhere, master,� she said as they exited the room hand in hand.

They made it down the stairs, where Stacia was pulled from his arm by her sisters. Alburet marveled at the genetic lottery the family had won before recalling it was a game. The three older girls were all as beautiful as Stacia. One had strawberry blonde hair, though technically it was red hair with blonde highlights, called Erin. The next had deep auburn hair with a good bold red still very visible, called Marian. The last of the older three, called Deidre, had the same vibrant red hair as Stacia. All four of the older girls shared roughly the same build, give or take a cup size. The last of the sisters was the nine-year-old he had seen on his second day in the city, called Emily.

They surrounded Stacia and were congratulating her on the upcoming wedding, then they all turned their attention to Alburet. Alburet, coming under the intense combined gaze of them felt like he was being weighed and measured. His cheeks heated slightly, not used to being stared at by so many beauties at once. He brought himself to attention then bowed to them deeply, �Ladies, it is an honor to meet the sisters of my love. I do hope I am not a disappointment in your eyes.�

Erin smirked, �Oh, a right fancy one eh? Do ya have a brother tha� I might talk to, love?�

Marian snickered, �She�s heard Stacia crying out when cleanin� the halls at night and has been a bit jealous. Can�t say as I blame her if ya was able to tame our sis.�

Deidre sighed while shaking her head, �Forgive them, iffin ya will m�lord. Stacia did tell each of us a little about ya over the last two weeks. What she did say makes me welcome ya with open arms.� Deidre stepped forward and hugged him. �Welcome to the family, Alburet.�

He soon found himself mobbed by the other two as well, leaving him as the meat in the middle of them. Stacia cleared her throat a few seconds later as none of them seemed inclined to let him go right away. �Tha�s enough, ya lot. We are goin� out, so clear off me master.�

Grumbling, the three older sisters let him go and headed back to their work while chuckling and speaking softly amongst themselves. Alburet cleared his throat, trying to center himself again when he felt a gentle tug on his shirt sleeve. He glanced over to see Emily standing there, �Yes, Emily?�

�May I have a hug as well, brother?� She looked away when she asked.

Lips quirking up slightly, Alburet bent down and gently hugged the child, �For Stacia�s youngest sister, of course.� He turned her loose after a second, �Now back to work. Don�t want your father upset, now do we?� Emily nodded before hurrying off with a skip to her step, seemingly happy to have been treated equally. �Cute kid,� Alburet said, watching her go.

�Aye,� Stacia said, taking his arm again. �She does the best she can. She always feels left out though, bein� so much younger than the rest of us. Be mindful of me sisters. They very well might try to get ya to bed them.� Stacia said as they left the inn arm in arm.

Alburet's mouth twisted in distaste, �No. Just, no. I would never do something to cause you harm or grief like that. While any man would be lucky to entertain one of them, to do so when engaged to marry you should warrant a death sentence.�

Eyes full of love, Stacia squeezed his arm, �Thank ya, master. Not knowin' anythin' about the world ya come from it be hard to know what is and is nay acceptable there.�

�Even on the other world sleeping with your wife's sister is not a good thing. Not that stupid people don't do it anyway, but it almost always leads to broken relationships.� He stopped her for a second to meet her eyes, �I will never do that to you.�

Stacia leaned up to kiss him softly once, �It makes me happy to hear.�

Alburet started them moving again. �Let's go sell stuff then get you some more clothes.�

They made it to Almira�s shop just as she was flipping her sign to open. �Welcome Stacia, Alburet. I see you are eager to get about your day. Show me this armor you want to get rid of.�

It didn�t take them long. She took all of the armor, even the chain, at a fair price. Once she handed off their coin she dropped the shopkeeper personality. �I wish you both the best going forward in your soon to come joined life. I look forward to the big day.� She kissed both of them on the cheek before showing them out.

They made it to Grimgar�s shop next, again just as he was opening his shop. �It be good to see ya. Let�s handle business first, eh?� He took the weapons they didn�t want, giving them coin in return. Once the transaction was done Grimgar turned to Alburet with a grim countenance. �Lad, just a word in ye ear. While I believe ye will treat Stacia right, iffin ye ever don�t I will be displeased.�

�I understand, Grimgar. It warms my heart some to see so many worried about her. You will never have to take action on that warning.� Alburet shook Grimgar�s hand before he left the shop with Stacia on his arm.

�Does it worry ya master, havin� all of them threaten ya like tha�?� Stacia asked as they started towards the tailor.

�No, because they all said if I hurt you, which is something I will never do intentionally. It does make me happy that you have all these people who care about you,� he replied while patting her hand with his free one.

After that they walked in companionable silence until they reached the shop of Margret Wilson, Silken Needles. The sign said the shop was open so Alburet ushered Stacia in to the sound of the small bell that all shopkeepers had to announce customers. Margret looked up with a professional smile, welcoming them to her shop. Her smile faltered just slightly when she recognized Alburet. �Welcome to Silken Needles. How can I help you today?�

Alburet walked Stacia up to the counter, keeping his smile in place, �Mrs. Wilson, I have brought you someone very important to me. She needs a variety of clothing. The only outfits she has to her name are her old work clothes, and this one adventuring outfit. So, I brought her here as I know you do excellent work. Let me introduce you both. Margret Wilson, owner of Silken Needles, this is Stacia who is to become my wife in four days.�

Stacia smiled with a bow of her head, �It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mrs. Wilson.�

Margret returned a real smile, �It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Stacia. What kind of clothing are you looking for exactly?�

�I�m not sure, it seems I will be accompanyin� me husband into the wilds to hunt monsters mostly, but I think a few sets of clothin� for the city would also be good.� Stacia looked at Alburet, wondering if that was the right response.

�She is correct,� Alburet said as he dropped ten gold onto the counter. �If you need more, just let me know. I�ll be sitting out of the way.� He gave Stacia a quick kiss before he retreated to one of the chairs in the shop.

Margret swept the gold up before she came around with her measuring tape and began to take Stacia�s measurements. Alburet ended up taking a small nap during the next few hours as the women worked on Stacia�s outfits. He woke to find his message notification flashing, just as Stacia was coming out of the back. He checked the message, to find it from Karen.

Message from Karen:

Hey you. If you�re around I was thinking of hunting orcs today if you�re up for it. Message me back if you are up for it and ready for some fun.

Alburet sent a reply that he was interested if she was okay with having an NPC along. He got another message just a few seconds after he sent his.

Message from Karen:

If you think they can hack it, then sure thing. I�m interested to see how that works. Meet up at the portal guild in say fifteen minutes?

He sent back an affirmative, looking up as Stacia came over to him with a broad smile on her lips, �I am done, master.�

Alburet smiled and kissed her, �Glad to hear it. Mrs. Wilson, a pleasure as always. I am glad you are tolerating my presence.�

Margret frowned slightly at the title Stacia used, but otherwise ignored it, �The young lady has done nothing but sing your praises, Alburet. Makes me think I shouldn�t have been as hasty as I was just because of your vocation. Her clothing will be delivered to the inn you�re staying at as I get them completed. I do wish to congratulate you on your pending nuptials, as well. It is the first time I�ve heard of a two-souled in a relationship with one of us normal folks.�

�Thank you, Margret,� Alburet gave her a bow of his head. �It is good to know that my choice of vocation isn�t going to be held against me, at least by you. I�m sure we will be back for any other clothing needs we have.� He offered his arm to Stacia, who accepted it as they said their goodbyes and exited the shop.

As they walked towards the portal guild it struck him he had never dismissed Stacia after summoning her just before the patch. �Stacia, I want to find something out. Step into this alley with me.� Once they were in the alley he told her what he had in mind. �I want to dismiss you, then I�ll summon you back to me. That means you are going to have to switch back to human form after I do, okay?�

�Yes, master,� she said and vanished in a puff of smoke.

Alburet waited about a minute as he tinkered with the spell, changing the words needed to summon her. Once he had it ready he tapped his hip, �Come to me, my fiery Kitten.� Another puff of smoke and Stacia appeared in all of her Infernal glory. A second later she changed her appearance to become her normal self in her adventuring gear. He dismissed the pop up offering him the chance to change the minion. �Where did you go when you got dismissed?�

�Our room, master,� Stacia said, puzzled. �I thought I would be sent to the Infernal realm, so why was I sent there instead?�

�Good question, I don�t know. Maybe because you�re a half blood and not a full blood. But it does answer a question. It will be impossible to hide that you are my succubus from Karen and Fluff. I don't think it will impact your family any though if they know about you. Are you okay with them knowing?�

�Yes master, I trust them both as well.� She molded herself to him and kissed him passionately.

When he finally surfaced from the kiss he was breathing fast. �Okay, then. Let�s go meet up with Karen.�

They arrived a few minutes later to find Karen in front of the building. Alburet waved at her as they trotted over to her, �Morning, you dangerous and devious mynx.�

Chapter Four

�It�s good to see you again,� Karen said to Alburet before hugging Stacia. �You�re the one coming with us, Stacia?�

�Aye,� Stacia said returning the hug. �Master has taken me huntin� with him a few times before.�

�Wait, you went out with her before the patch?� Karen said, looking over at Alburet with a single raised brow.

�Yeah, she was out with me and a few others. In fact, she was with us when we killed off the Orc Chieftain the night of the patch.�

�I want to do that, but I need to get another level or two first,� Karen replied. �Well then, I guess she knows what she�s doing. I wonder about that outfit, though. It doesn�t seem very practical, Stacia.�

�It belonged to me Ma�. She used it when she was adventuring with Da�. I�ve only taken a single hit both times we�ve gone huntin�, so it works well enough.�

Alburet chuckled, �If we are done with the fashion critique for now, maybe we should head inside to see how long the wait time is now?�

�Good point,� Karen said, leading the way. �Ladies first, right?� She let her hips sway as she walked.

�Oh,� Stacia said catching up to Karen and linking arms with her, swaying her hips in unison with the assassin. �Ah he likes tha�, does he?�

Alburet stopped dead watching the two well-formed posteriors swaying along before him. He coughed while looking away before following behind them. �Ladies first in all things, though I would swear I proved that point when you joined the two of us in bed, Karen.�

Karen glanced back over her shoulder, �Oh yes. Letting me get off twice and Stacia three times before you did was ample proof that you do indeed follow that motto.� She winked, �I did thank you for that evening, but I�ll say it again. Thanks. It was a fun celebration.�

�Can we invite her again, master?� Stacia asked, looking back at him as they entered the doors to the portal guild.

�I�m not opposed to the idea, but that is up to her, Kitten,� Alburet replied, shaking his head. He suddenly wondered if having the two highly sexual women out hunting with him was a good idea.

Inside, a line formed at the reception desk. It stretched almost back to the door, even with two receptionists working the desk. �I thought they fixed this,� Alburet sighed.

�Right?� Karen shook her head as she looked over to the waiting area. �No one is in the waiting area, which is odd.�

Alburet confirmed her observation, �That is odd. Well, the line does seem to be moving decently so maybe this won�t be so bad.� He did note that the line was kind of single file, save for the small groups of two or three clustered in the line in places. One of the groups had just gotten to the desk and had to approach the receptionists one at a time. �Doesn�t look like you can do a whole group at a time anymore, either.�

�Well, guess we wait and see,� Karen said, pulling one of her daggers and checking its edge. �Going to need new daggers in a level or two. What was the name of that shop? Grimgar�s Weapons?�

�Grimgar's Weaponry?� Stacia answered in the form of a question.

�Stacia is right. He happens to be a friend of her family, as well.� Alburet supplied, watching the line move up. �He has good stock and gives decent prices. If you go, mention my name or Stacia if we aren�t with you. Oh, and you should exchange info with Stacia while I think about it, Karen.�

Karen blinked, �Wait, she can use a Mindstone?�

�Everyone in this world can, as well as Homestones.�

�Wow. That is kind of neat,� Karen said, fishing out her Mindstone and tapping it to Stacia�s. �So now I can send her dirty messages about innovative positions.�

Alburet face palmed, �What did I just do, ugh.�

Karen chuckled, �Gave me a way to see if she ever gets free of your grasp. If she does, I very well might have to snatch her up, for her massages if nothing else.�

�I will never leave master�s side,� Stacia said, linking arms with him. �He be the only thin� I want in the world.�

Alburet shook his head, �Never going to let her get away. You might understand a bit more when we get out to hunt.� He smiled, then noticed his message icon blinking. Checking it he found a message from Fluffball.

Message from Fluffball:

Al, thinking of hunting again today. Are you up for joining me and if so are you bringing Stacia along again?

Alburet replied to her and got another message a few seconds later. He chuckled and informed the women with him. �So Fluffball wants to join us. I told her we�re at the portal guild already and that she needs to hurry.�

�Oh tha� be nice, I like her master. Iffin she gets me Ma� to help her she will be even better.�

�Is that the Lunari Berserker you�ve mentioned?� Karen asked as the line moved forward again.

�Yeah, she was with me and Stacia over the last two days. She was with us, Gerald and Marysue for the Chieftain, too. I can attest that she is good at what she does, though she is very reserved and blushes easily. So maybe kid glove her for a little bit until she gets used to you.� Alburet said, directing the last bit at Karen.

�We will see, though I normally don�t change who I am for anyone.�

They were only two people back from the front when Fluffball came hurrying up to them, �Oh, good, I made it. Sorry about the delay.� Fluff smiled at Alburet and gave Stacia a quick hug before greeting Karen. �I�m Fluffball. It is good to meet you.�

Karen tossed her an invite to the group, �Good to meet you, Fluffball. I�m Karen. I�ve heard about your adventures killing the orcs over the last few days. That�s where we�re headed now. Is that okay with you?�

�Oh, sure,� Fluffball said, grooming an ear. �Just glad to be able to hunt with my friends.�

Karen�s lips quirked up when Fluff groomed an ear, �Maybe I can be counted among them by the end of today, then.�

�Hey, no line cutting,� one of the people said behind them.

Alburet turned to meet the eyes of the man who had spoken up. �She is part of our group, she was just a tad late, is all.�

�Well if she�s part of your group I guess that�s okay,� the guy said with a shrug. �just no more additions, okay?�

Alburet and his group were the next ones to see the receptionists. �Not a problem,� Alburet replied, turning to the front. He motioned Fluff and Karen to the other receptionist first, as he and Stacia stepped forward to Kim.

�Morning, Kim. Looks busy today,� Alburet greeted the receptionist.

�Well, it�s the first day we�ve been open in two weeks. We remodeled to help mitigate the waiting times. To start with, we just need to set you up an account and have you deposit some coin in it. We then issue you a soul bound gem that is linked to your account. Once you have that you can follow the signs and use any portal you want; the cost is automatically deducted from your account. The cost of using each portal is listed on the door for that portal. You can check your account balance at any time by holding the gem,� Kim told him in a brisk voice, as if she had been relaying the same information all morning so far.

�Okay then,� Alburet placed twenty gold on the counter. �Set me and Stacia up please, Kim.�

Kim smiled, taking the gold as she picked up gem in her other hand. �Alburet a two-souled Summoner, account being opened with ten gold.� The gem seemed to pulse with light for a moment before she held it out to him. �Just accept the gem and bind it to you, once that�s done you are free to go.� Her smile was real, not the professional one she had been wearing when they had made it to the front. She repeated the same for Stacia, frowning slightly over the lack of a class for Stacia but ignoring the discrepancy when the gem activated as normal.

They accepted the gems and bound them, clearing the pop up notification. He noted Fluffball was done and Karen doing the same thing with the other receptionist next to him. He smiled at Kim, �Thanks, Kim. With this change it looks like we won�t be having the chance to talk as much anymore.� He saw Karen stepping past the desk to where Fluff waited and gave Kim a small bow, �See you later.� He dropped an extra gold piece on the counter as he left.

�Good hunting, Alburet, and you as well, Stacia,� Kim said as they walked by her before she turned to help the next person.

Stacia let out a relieved sigh, �Thank ya, master. I was hoping we would nay have an issue like the duel last time.�

�Duel?� Karen asked as they climbed the stairs heading for the portal rooms. �What duel was this?�

Alburet gave her the quick rundown as they looked for the correct portal. He finished as they found the one they wanted. A plaque next to the door listed the portal as the Orc Grasslands, with the cost being a single gold. �Huh, so it�s as cheap as if you had a full group. Nice they aren�t gouging us.�

�I thought for sure it was going to be the two-gold fee like it was if you went alone,� Karen said. �Are we ready to go?�

The others agreed they were ready. Karen stepped onto the rune, followed quickly by Fluffball. Alburet snagged Stacia for a hug, �You ready to let them see you in a different way?�

�As long as ya be with me, master,� Stacia replied, a hint of nervousness to her voice as she held him. Alburet shifted them both onto the rune, so they appeared in front of the fort still in the embrace.

�Okay, now that everyone is here let me go grab the quests for this area real quick.� Karen said before she darted away into the fort.

�Stacia, go get some jerky and tea from the quartermaster,� Alburet said, giving her ass a playful slap. He watched her hurry off with a smile before he turned to summon his other minions. He summoned Bob and had to dismiss the prompt asking if he wanted to change minions. �Heya, Bob, welcome back. Ready to kill some orcs?�

�It has been awhile master, is everything okay?� Bob asked, looking around a little nervously.

�Yeah. The bridge between worlds was down for a bit. You okay there? You seem a bit nervous.�

�Are you going to replace me master?� Bob asked bluntly, while looking at Alburet directly.

�Nope, not going to happen. I take it you�ve heard about the option, though.�

�Yeah, the IRS held a meeting and informed us that it was being offered to all Summoners. Then you didn�t call on me or Tiny for almost two weeks, so we were getting a bit nervous.� Bob replied before letting out a deep breath, �Now I feel much better, having heard it from you.�

�Yeah, sorry about that. You are one of my family Bob. I am not going to get rid of you. Now let�s call Tiny up and reassure him.� Alburet turned and summoned Tiny to the world. �Hello Tiny. Welcome back, sorry for the delay, and no you are not being replaced.� Alburet said as he dismissed the prompt asking if he wanted to replace his current minion.

�Thank you master, it is good to be able to protect you again. I was not worried, though Bob was getting a bit frantic over...�

�No I wasn�t,� Bob huffed as he puffed out his chest. �I was not getting frantic at all and how do you even know that word?�

Alburet chuckled, �Enough, guys. I�m sorry for the delay but I�m back now and we have a new addition to the family. Are you ready to meet her?�

Bob and Tiny both nodded that they were indeed ready. Alburet smiled as Karen and Stacia came out the gate and over to the group. �Well, now that we are all here, let us walk a bit away from the guards before I summon my last minion.�

The other seemed a bit puzzled but followed him. After a few hundred yards he stopped and turned to the group. �Fluff, Karen, Bob and Tiny, it is my pleasure to introduce you to my last minion. Stacia, if you would please.�

Stacia shimmered followed by a puff of smoke. When it cleared she stood there in her full Succubus form. �It is a pleasure to meet ya all in me other form,� she said, but her words were distinctly tinged with worry.

Tiny was the first one to speak, probably as Bob would have pointed out that he was too dumb to be surprised. �Welcome to the family, Stacia. It is good of you to join us in helping the master.�

Stacia giggled, �Thank ya, Tiny.� Her relief was evident when she spoke.

�Buh, what?� Bob finally got out. �But a half blood can�t be a minion.�

�We aren't sure that she is a half-blood anymore, Bob,� Alburet said. �Even the people over at the Infernal Retinue Service don�t know how it happened.�

�So, that patch note was your fault?� Karen said.

�It seems that way,� Alburet shrugged. �I wouldn�t trade her for anything, though.�

�Well duh, not with the massages she gives. Wow, that is so cool.� Karen said taking a step towards Stacia. �Can I touch your wings and tail?�

Stacia smiled, nodding quickly, �Aye. Thank ya for not rejectin� me friendship.�

Karen paused as she traced the tip of a wing, �Why would I?�

Fluff interjected, �Half-bloods are barely tolerated in Stormguard. Full blood demons inside the walls are almost unheard of. No doubt she was worried we would spurn her as a friend now that we know.� Fluff stepped forward and gave Stacia a hug. �I will never reject a friend just for being themselves, Stacia. I was happy to know you before and I am even happier to know you now.�

Stacia sniffled as she returned the hug, her words soft, �Thank ya, Fluffball.�

Karen wrapped her up in a group hug from behind, �Me, too. If anything, you look even sexier now. Makes me want to see what round two would be like now.�

Stacia giggled a little, �Master likes me this way, too. I was so nervous when he first summoned me, but he has quashed all me doubts.�

Alburet smiled at the women all hugging, �So there we have it�� he cut off as he noticed Stacia was no longer in the group. �Wait, why is she no longer in the group?�

Karen jerked back quickly checking her interface. �I didn�t remove her, hang on I�ll reinvite her.� After a few second Karen shook her head, �It gives me an error saying minions can�t be part of a group.�

Fluffball pursed her lips in thought for a second, �Stacia, shift back to human please.� When Stacia did Fluff turned to Karen, �Try again.�

A second later Stacia was back in the group, �Right. Now that is weird,� Karen muttered.

�Stacia, can you shift back to demon form?� Fluffball asked.

Stacia did and as soon as she shimmered she was kicked from the group. �Oh, I get it now,� Alburet said. �As long as she�s in human form she can pass like anybody else. If she goes full on demon, though, it treats her like a minion. Good thinking, Fluff.�

�It was the only thing that made sense,� Fluffball replied, as she groomed her ear, with a small smile.

�Well, there we have it. Stacia is my succubus. I am going to ask that you keep it amongst us though, please. She doesn�t want any backlash at her family because she�s a minion now. They�re worried what others in the city would think if they found out,� Alburet informed the others. Both Karen and Fluff agreed to keep it between them.

�Now that we�re ready, can we go hunt?� Karen asked.

�Sounds good to me. What do you think, two imps, two destroyers, or two succubi?� Alburet asked.

�Two succubi, they can crowd control both orcs in the patrol groups. We can go through them one at a time starting with the wargs.� Karen replied, her eyes lighting up, �That should make it easy as pie.�

Alburet turned to Stacia and used Copy on her, and a second Stacia appeared. Unlike the previous times he had used Copy on Tiny or Bob, this time the copy wasn�t a washed out version of the original. The second Stacia was just as vibrant as the original. Both Stacia and her copy wobbled on their feet for a moment and Alburet steadied the two of them. �You okay, Kitten?�

�Yes, master,� both versions of her said in unison. Brows furrowed, a moment later only the one answered, �It is weird. I am getting vision, hearing and the rest from both bodies at the same time. I think I have it under control now.�

�If Stacia is okay, let us commence with the slaughter,� Karen said as she began to move further into the grasslands followed by the others.

�Two succubi. Double the pleasure and double the fun,� Bob chuckled.

Alburet rolled his eyes, �Oh, you so funny, Bob.�

�I want to try tha�,� Stacia said as she walked along on either side of Alburet.

Bob cackled at her words, making Alburet sigh, �Enough, Bob. We will discuss it later, Kitten. Do you know instinctively which one of you is the first you, by the way?�

The one to his right raised a hand, �Aye. I can even separate me thoughts enough to make my bodies do separate things easily.�

Bob broke up laughing at her comment. Before Alburet could say anything though Tiny spoke up.

�First pack,� Tiny rumbled as he took the lead.

Alburet darted forward and buffed him, �Okay. Tiny, take the warg first. Stacia, you know what to do with the orcs.�

Both Stacias began to sing a wordless song and the two orcs who had turned towards Tiny stopped dead, eyes going vacant as she sang. Tiny met the warg head on, blocking the first attack with his shield before hacking at the mob himself. Karen appeared and stabbed the warg in the flanks as Fluff leapt into the fray with twin axes flashing. Alburet blinked a little in awe of how fast the fight went as the warg quickly died.

�Wow, that was awesome,� Alburet muttered before shaking his head. �Stacia, we�ll be taking the one on the left first. Go ahead and join the others in melee once it breaks out of the daze, but keep the other one locked down.�

�Aye, master,� one of her answered as Tiny moved to hit the one he had indicated.

A minute later the combat was over and Tiny had barely been scratched. �That was so sad,� Karen chuckled. �I am so tempted to suggest we move off to the gnoll area instead, even if they are level twenty.�

�Hmm that�s a bit of a level gap there for me, much less you, Karen,� Alburet replied.

�Tomorrow would be okay for that area though, if we can get her a level or two,� Fluff put in.

�That still leaves all day to farm these orcs, so let�s do it hard and fast,� Karen said winking at Alburet. �If you can keep up with all of us women, that is.�

Fluffball went crimson at Karen�s double entendre, ducking her head and grooming her ears, while Stacia giggled as she pushed both of her bodies against Alburet. �Okay, this is not going to help us get Karen a level,� Alburet said before slapping Stacia on both of her asses. �Come on, we are going to grind like hell.�

�Promise, master?� Stacia giggled as she ran out of his reach. �Karen, he promises to grind us hard if we get ya a level.�

�Incentive, I like it,� Karen said, taking each Stacia by the hand and running off towards the next closest patrol. �Come on Tiny, we need you.�

Tiny jogged after them while Bob skipped along behind, laughing all the while. Alburet sighed, shaking his head then looked over at Fluff who stood frozen in place. �Sorry, Fluff. This is the way Karen is all the time. She gets worse, it seems, when Stacia is around.�

Shaking her head to clear it, Fluff looked at Alburet. �It� it�s okay. I can handle it.� She gulped as she followed along behind the others, �Maybe I should talk with Lilith soon.�

Alburet gently touched her shoulder as they started after the others, who had already started the fight. �If it gets bad let me know and I�ll rein in Stacia, okay? I don�t want to cause you distress, so just let me know. Okay?�

Fluff paused, glancing over at him, �Thank you, Alburet. You have been very kind to me. Maybe it�s time I take the offer of help and see if Lilith can do anything. Tonight would be okay. I�ll ask Stacia if she can ask her mom if tonight is good.�

�Alright,� Alburet replied as they started moving. The others had already killed the warg and started on an orc. �I happen to have some news you might be interested in as well, Fluff. Mindblown is going to be doing limited testing on month long immersion soon.�

Fluff stumbled at his words. They reached the rest of the group as the first orc died. �What? Where did you hear that?�

�A friend who works for Mindblown told me during the down time,� Alburet said, stepping up behind Tiny to hit him with a heal.

Karen looked over, �What took you two so long?�

�Sorry, was telling Fluff about something I had heard. Mindblown is going to be starting a clinical month long immersion test soon.� Alburet replied, then laughed as Karen stopped attacking and turned to face him. �Oh, did that get your attention?�

Karen turned back and killed the orc with her next thrust, �Fucker, you did that on purpose. Now. Spill the beans.�

Alburet smirked, �So now you want me to talk. Before you just wanted to run off and kill things.�

Karen�s eyes narrowed, �So I have to pummel you to get you to talk?�

Tiny stepped in front of Karen, �No hurting the master.�

Bob just laughed, �Now this might get interesting.�

�It�s fine Tiny, she isn�t going to hurt me,� Alburet said. �Why don�t we keep going and I�ll talk as we kill things, okay? Two birds, one stone.�

�Two succubi, one bed is better,� Bob interjected.

Alburet sighed but ignored Bob's comment, �Is everyone else okay with this plan?�

Everyone agreed, but Karen had to add an addendum, �If you stall I will make it painful for you later.�

Alburet held up a hand in mock surrender, �My word.�

They started towards the next closest patrol as Alburet relayed what Vicky had told him about the upcoming test. �That�s all I really know about it,� he finished, looking at Karen who sighed.

�Well fuck. That means I won�t be able to get in on it then,� Karen said as she furiously attacked the orc she was on, venting her anger on it.

�Why not? Alburet asked as the last of the patrol fell over dead.

�That survey at the end of beta. I said no to potential long term testing, since I couldn�t take extended time off then.�

�Could you really take the time away from work now?�

�I own the damn dojo, my father built it when he retired from the military. I've been running it since his death.� Karen replied, shaking her head, �Time off is fine. Hell, since the tourney ended I've thought about just turning it over to my assistants and taking time off anyway.�

Alburet nodded, �Everyone needs a break now and then, but for business owners it�s always so difficult. I could talk to my friend, see if they have any pull to get you on the list.�

Her head snapped up to meet his eyes, �Will you?�

�For a friend, I will do anything,� Alburet said, pulling his Mindstone out and sending a quick message to Vicky. �There, message sent. I can't guarantee it will happen but I've asked.�

Karen glanced at Fluffball, �Did you ask for her, too?�

�Didn't have to, my friend mentioned she was already on the list when they told me about it.�

Fluff blinked as she gazed at Alburet, �Who is your friend there?�

Holding up a hand Alburet explained, �I will have to ask if I can name drop before I do. I actually know of two people who work at Mindblown, though I haven�t talked to one of them in some time. Anyway, it�s done and I look forward to seeing what happens. Shall we continue on with the slaughter for Karen?�

Fluff nodded slowly, �Okay. Your friend didn't say anything else about me, did they?�

Alburet could see the fear in her face as she asked the question. He was sure it stemmed from her previous trouble with stalkers. He gave her a small smile, hoping to defuse a potential issue. �They said something about your art, but since it wasn�t coming from you I basically ignored it. After all, you would tell me anything you think I should know. I am not about to listen to gossip or pry into another�s life. Goodness knows I wouldn�t want anyone to do that with me.�

Her shoulders relaxed as Fluff let out her held breath, �Oh. That�s good to know. Shall we keep on going then?�

�Sounds good. Let�s get Karen that level or two,� Alburet agreed.

They broke for some jerky and tea after a few hours, sitting in the middle of the grasslands with Tiny and Bob on watch. Alburet had briefly dismissed the double of Stacia and she was joining them for food. �That�s one level down,� Karen said as she finished off her food. �Think we can get one more tonight?�

�Depends on how long you�re going to be on for,� Alburet replied. �An hour out of game to deal with real life would probably be good if you�re thinking of going for another level.�

�I�m going to take off for a few myself,� Fluffball said. �I want to contact some people and verify what Alburet told us about the testing. I should also get some real food and stuff, too.�

�Speaking of the testing, I was thinking about checking out making a guild,� Alburet said.

�That could be fun,� Karen nodded. �If Fluff and I can both get into the test we could really go full out as a team.�

�That might work. If we want to do dungeons, though, we�ll need a tank and healer. Maybe invite Gerald and Marysue to help round us out,� Fluff suggested.

�We could always just ask them when we need them, though. I was thinking of inviting everyone who�s in the long-term testing. If we do that then we could be sure that everyone is around most of the time.� Alburet mused as he considered the options. �Should we start one up now though, or wait until people are in for the long term?�

�Let�s do it tonight after we�re done farming me some XP,� Karen said. �Then we can celebrate our new guild.�

�Patrol,� Tiny interrupted them.

Alburet used Copy on Stacia again and they quickly dispatched the mobs. �Okay, we can do that. Fluff, you want to dip out now for the hours you wanted too? What about you, Karen? You want to take an hour or two as well?�

�What about you?� Karen asked.

�I�m already testing. I�ll sit here and wait for you.�

Karen and Fluff blinked at him. Karen found her voice first. �Why didn�t you tell us before?�

�NDA. I was cleared during the downtime, which is why I mentioned the long-term testing as I was given the okay.�

Fluff nodded, �I�ll be back in three or so hours. Thank you for telling me, Al. I�ll see you in a bit.� With that she vanished, logging out where she was.

�I guess I could go for a bit, too,� Karen said. �I�ll check in with my staff and grab some real food. See you in an hour or so. And Alburet, regardless of if I get in or not, thanks for asking for me. If I do get in, maybe I�ll give you a special reward.� With a wink and chuckle she vanished as well.

�Master,� Stacia said once the others were gone. �Would I be able to join the guild?�

�Good question, Kitten. We�ll check. If it�s possible, we will get you in. Okay?�

She hugged him from both sides, using both of her bodies, �Thank ya, master.�

Alburet smiled, �You are welcome, Kitten. In the meantime, we shall sit here and just deal with the patrols that come to us.

After the next pack of patrols Alburet decided to take the time to figure out his mana situation. He was losing 10% mana for Bob, 15% for Tiny and 20% for Stacia. Factor in Flame Weapon�s 5% and the Copy of Stacia taking another 10% on top of the rest. So, 60% of his mana was just gone just to have his minions and his one weapon spell up, leaving him with 786 mana left. Shaking his head, he could see why people considered his class the weakest.

If he buffed Tiny before attacking, it would eat up another 200 mana and leave him at 586 mana. Alburet sighed and rubbed his eyes as he continued on with the mental math. Each Fire Blast took 60 mana, which would mean a maximum of 9 casts before he was tapped. But he would regain about 19 mana per second in combat and the spell took 2 seconds to complete. If he was figuring right, that gave him another 9 or 10 Fire Blasts before he ran completely out of mana. Shaking his head to clear it of all the math, he did wonder how good or bad it was for the other casters.

�Is somethin' wrong, master?� Stacia asked.

�No, was just trying to figure out how long I could cast before I run out of mana. Not important right now, and I haven't soloed for quite some time so let's try this out.� He smiled at her, then nodded to Tiny who advanced towards the patrol that was closing in on them.

Chapter Five

Nearly two hours later Karen showed back up. As Alburet and his minions were busy fighting a patrol, she wasn't noticed right away so she waited until they were done then tossed him an invite. �I'm back, how was the wait?�

�Kind of boring, all in all,� Alburet replied. �Just killed the patrols that showed up in range of Fire Blast while we waited. It does take significantly longer without you and Fluff to kill the patrols, but even then, Tiny is holding up well.�

�It�s still a few levels until he gets more stats, right?�

�Level twenty-eight or something, I think,� Alburet nodded. �Which means come level twentyish mobs he�s going to start having a rougher time of it until I can summon him with better stats.�

�I will be fine, master,� Tiny rumbled. �I will never fail to protect you, no matter what may come.�

Bob shook his head, �He doesn't understand the concept of being vastly weaker than a foe.�

�Anyway,� Alburet cut in before Tiny could reply, �Fluff should be back in an hour or so. I�m thinking stay in this general area while we wait.�

�Works,� Karen agreed. �Question, though. Do you know why she�s so shy?�

�She once told me she had stalker issues in the past. From the vibe that I get, she might also have had a few bad relationships that have made her leery of people in general.�

�Hmm, I see. I hope she�s able to overcome it. I think she would be a blast if she could relax.� Karen shrugged as she pulled her twin blades, �So, how far are we going to range while we wait?�

Another two hours passed before Fluffball reappeared. She found them waiting right where they had been when she left. �Oh, I'm sorry. You could have gone ahead I would have caught up.�

Alburet shook his head, �It�s all good, Fluff. Let us go forth now and conquer the grasslands in our name.�

Karen cheered as she invited Fluffball to the group. �Now that the band is back together we can rock and roll all night.�

A small smile turned up Fluffball's mouth. �Thank you both. I shall do my best.�

The group set forth, intent on annihilating every patrol in their path. A few hours later the sun was about to set so Alburet called a halt to the fighting.

�I�m sure the city hall closes shortly after sundown. We should head back and see about registering our guild. Meet you two at city hall?�

Both the women agreed and used their Homestones to get back to the city. Alburet nodded to his minions, �Well done again today, Bob, Tiny and Stacia. You are dismissed Bob and Tiny, Stacia I'm dismissing your double.�

After both Bob and Tiny vanished along with Stacia becoming a single person and reverting to her human form Alburet pulled his own Homestone, as did Stacia. �Alright, Kitten, let�s go meet up with our friends and see about starting a guild.�

�Yes, master,� Stacia said before she vanished, quickly followed by Alburet.

He linked arms with Stacia once he appeared in the graveyard before they set off towards City Hall. He didn't need to look at his map as Stacia knew the way, having dropped off paperwork there for Alistern before. When they reached their destination Fluffball and Karen were already waiting, as they both had less distance to cross to make it there.

�What are we going to call ourselves?� Fluffball asked once they were all together.

�Fluffy Buns?� Karen jokingly suggested.

Alburet smirked but shook his head, �Yeah, no. I'm thinking something simple like Alpha Company.�

�I�m okay with that,� Fluff said.

�Military like, eh? Okay, but which of us is going to be the leader?� Karen asked, glancing at Fluff.

�I'll do it, as currently I am the only long-term tester. I can ask my friend to let the people who do get into the testing know about the guild.� Alburet said with a shrug, �I am going to be very hands off though, just so you know.�

�That is not how I think of you,� Karen smirked. �Very hands on, as I recall.�

�What magic hands they be, too,� Stacia agreed.

Fluffball blushed as she glanced away from them, her hand snaking up to groom an ear. Alburet chuckled. �Behave please,� he admonished the duo. �Now that we are here and we have a name, let's go see what it takes to register a guild.�

As a group, the foursome entered the ornate building. White granite with fluted columns greeted them as they walked up the three wide stairs that separated the building from the street. The large double doors were of golden oak with a relief of the First Emperor, Maximus the Just, holding a sword aloft.

�Reminds me of the statue in front of the main temple in the city,� Alburet noted. �I can't recall the name of the god, though.�

�Justice,� Stacia informed him. �Justice, God of Law is who ya be thinkin' of, master.�

Sighing, Alburet shook his head, finding the name lackluster. �Figures it would be something like that. Is the God in charge of Demons called the Dark Lord?�

�Of course,� Stacia nodded, �what else would he be called?�

Karen groaned, �Failure.�

Fluffball giggled, �I hear his temple fits his name. His temple out in the Dead Lands is supposed to be a sight to behold.�

�I'm so going to see that when we get there, then,� Alburet said recalling Vicky telling him about Fluff having created that place. �I'm sure the person who designed it went all out.�

Fluff blushed deeply, glancing at him slightly to see if he knew. Alburet kept his face calm, not giving away that he knew she was the artist. �I'm sure all the artists did good work,� Fluffball stammered as she spoke.

Nodding, Alburet agreed with her, �I�m sure they did. Anyway, let's stop wool gathering here, we have a guild to found.� Opening the door, he gestured the women in before following them.

They entered a large lobby. A number of desks were around the edges of the room with people busily working at them. The middle of the marble flooring held a large round reception desk with two people manning it inside of the circle. A small plaque informed them it was the information desk.

Heading over to the central desk, Alburet greeted the clerk facing him. �Greetings, sir. We are looking to register a guild.�

The man sighed, �Just before closing time, too. It costs one hundred gold to register a guild, along with assigning a name and crest. Can you afford the fee and do you have a name and crest ready?�

Alburet sighed, �The coin and name yes. Let me confer with my friends to see if we have an emblem for the crest.� He turned to the women with a raised brow, �Any of you got something in mind?�

Fluffball nodded, �I can make one while you deal with the paperwork.�

�Way to go, Fluff,� Alburet grinned. Turning back to the clerk he smiled, �We have everything ready.�

The clerk pointed to a desk in the back right corner of the hall. �That desk will help you, and have a pleasant night.�

The group thanked the clerk before heading for the desk indicated. Behind the desk, they found a portly bald man signing paperwork. As he seemed engrossed with his job Alburet gave a polite cough. �Excuse us sir, we are here to register our guild.�

The man sighed, looking up, �Do you have...�

Alburet interrupted, �We have the coin, name and if you give us the paperwork we can get the emblem drawn quickly as well.�

�Well then,� the portly man mumbled. �That would be a first for today.� He picked up a stack of paperwork, placing it before Alburet. �One hundred gold, please,� he asked with a professional smile.

Dropping the gold on the desk, Alburet picked up the paperwork, �Where can I fill this out?�

�The side boards have pens,� the man pointed before picking up the gold. �Bring it back as quickly as you can, please.�

The group wandered over to the side of the room to find a long counter with pens on it. Alburet handed off the emblem paperwork to Fluff as he quickly filled out the rest of it. Ten minutes later he was done and Fluff had the emblem finished.

�Here you go, Al,� Fluffball said, handing over the art.

It showed a stylized A and C interlocked with each other with flames coming off the top while shadows pooled around the base. �Wow,� he said, showing the others. �That is awesome, Fluff.�

Fluff blushed, looking away, �It's nothing big.�

�No, he�s right. That is great work, more so for only ten minutes of work, Fluffball,� Karen enthused and gave the Lunari a hug. �I�m going to have to ask you to design my next tattoo for me now.�

Fluff went still when she got hugged but a smile crept over her face as Karen spoke. �Okay,� the single word was soft but filled with happiness.

�Well, we have it, so let's go see the clerk again,� Alburet said, leading them back to the desk. Once there he smiled as the portly man looked up, �Here you go, sir.�

The man leafed through the paperwork, a smile growing on his face, �Very well done. First time today someone actually did what they were supposed to, on the first try.� He placed the paperwork onto a stack of others before handing Alburet a large bronze disk. �Take that to the information desk and you are ready to go.�

Thanking him, the group went back to the main desk. �We are back, sir,� Alburet said placing the bronze disk on the desk.

�Very well,� the clerk said. �How many are in your guild currently?�

�Us four,� Alburet replied.

The clerk pulled out four stones, setting them on the desk. �These are Guildstones. They work a lot like Mindstones. Once you pick one up it will ask you to bind to it. Your paperwork should be processed in an hour, at which point they will begin to work. If you want to add anyone else to your guild, just give them a letter and send them to us.�

They each picked one up, agreeing to Soul Bind it to them. �Many thanks sir, I hope the rest of your night is pleasant.� The women echoed Alburet as they turned and left the building.

�So how does the crest thing work?� Karen asked. �Is it going to appear with our names or something?�

Alburet shrugged, as did Stacia. Fluff spoke up a moment later. �Once the guild is formed you will be given the option to have the crest appear on the left breast of whatever clothing or armor you have equipped. You can turn it off or on via the options menu.�

Alburet opened up his menu, finding the toggle switched on by default and left it there. �Well then ladies, shall we go celebrate our new guild?�

Karen whooped, �Party. Where do we want to go?�

Alburet chuckled, �I know a place that Fluff showed me a bit ago. It isn't so much a party place but I loved the atmosphere.�

Fluff went crimson, her eyes wide as she tried to protest, but no words came from her mouth. Karen upon seeing Fluff like that chuckled, �That sounds perfect. Let's do that.� Karen linked her arm in Fluff's, �I shall escort her, if you escort Stacia.�

Alburet nodded, taking Stacia's arm, �Let us away then, to celebrate.�

Fluff was still stammering and red as she let herself be towed along by Karen. �But... but...�

Karen stroked Fluff's arm where it came through hers. �Shh, it will be fine. I won't let anything happen to you, Fluffball. Can I call you Fluff by the way?�

Fluff seemed in a state of mild confusion as she nodded, grooming her ear with her free hand, �Okay.�

A few minutes later they arrived at Heaven Maid. Alburet opened the door for the women before following them in. The women all paused just inside, being greeted by two maids and three butlers.

Alburet grinned and signaled the elven butler, �If you can take care us while we are here?�

The butler replied easily as he stood up from his bow, his words like silk as he spoke. �It would be my great honor, Master. Welcome home Mistresses and Master. If you will follow me, please.�

Alburet motioned the women to follow as he brought up the rear. Once they were seated, the butler left them with menus. As he looked over the menu he noticed Karen staring at him with a raised brow, �Yes?�

�Seriously, an anime cafe? How is this even here?� Karen asked, her voice filled with incredulity.

�Alburet chuckled, �I like it myself. I always had a good laugh with maid cafes in anime.�

�I like it as well, master, though it be odd being called mistress.� Stacia said as she snuggled up to his side in the booth. �What do ya think I should get?�

Fluff spoke slowly, her words soft, �You don't like it, Karen?�

Shaking her head Karen replied, �No, no, it�s fine actually. I�m just thrown for a loop. I mean, who would have thought this would be here? As soon as news of this hits the web this place is going to get swamped by anime lovers I�m sure, am I right?�

A small smile crept onto Alburet's face as he studied the menu. He was sure Karen was right. �I had a crepe last time. I'm thinking I�ll go for the omelet this time.�

�I am going to get a chocolate crepe,� Stacia supplied.

�Just like Alburet did,� Fluff mumbled, glancing at the duo across from her and Karen.

�Oh, he got a crepe eh?� Karen smirked at Alburet. �Did he happen to get some on his cheek?�

Fluff went crimson as she looked away, �Not really.� She quickly groomer her ear.

Karen glanced at her and giggled, �Oh, you did eh?�

Fluff turned her face away as the blush spread down her neck. Fluffball didn't answer and Alburet caught Karen's eye and shook his head slightly. Karen sighed slightly and gently touched Fluff's shoulder. �Hey, Fluff. I'm sorry, okay? Sometimes I get a little carried away with my jokes.�

Fluff looked over at Karen. Seeing the honesty, she nodded. �I forgive you. I'm just not used to people and sometimes it is hard.�

Karen smiled gently and put her arm around Fluff, �I understand. When I was younger, I was awkward and nervous around people. It can get better. I do like you and want to be able to keep calling you a friend, okay?�

A bright smile bloomed on Fluffball's face, �Thank you, Karen. I will try harder to accept things as well.�

�We should both totally get crepes,� Karen replied. �I'll get the banana crepe if you get the strawberry one, deal?�

�Deal,� Fluff said, feeling some of her natural nervousness slide away.

Alburet watched the interaction over the top of his menu while squeezing Stacia's hand under the table. �Well, if you are all going to get crepes I should as well. The caramel sounds intriguing to me.�

Chuckling, Karen winked at him, �Caramel for dessert eh? I can think of things that go well with that.�

A wicked grin came over Stacia's lips, �Oh, I like tha' idea.�

Sighing, Alburet was about to reply when the butler came back to the table. They gave him their food orders, along with getting coffee for the table. Once the coffee was brought to them Alburet cleared his throat gently.

�Ladies, as the leader of our newly formed guild I think I should lay out some ground rules. Firstly, the most important rule: Have fun. Secondly: Enjoy your friends.�

Alburet was cut off by Karen before he could continue, �I like enjoying my friends. Don't you, Stacia?�

Stacia giggled, nodding her head in agreement but didn't get a chance to reply as Alburet continued as if he hadn't been cut off. �Thirdly: Respect your fellow Alpha Company members. Fourth, but not least: Accept each other, even the flaws we all have.�

He paused as Karen rolled her eyes, a smirk twitching his lips. �This deserves a toast. To Alpha Company, may we explore, fight monsters and find happiness together.�

The women all toasted and sipped their coffee along with him. Conversation shifted to different things they�d each found and enjoyed so far until the food came. They each sampled bites from the others crepes, enjoying each flavor. This time no cr�me ended up on anyone's cheeks. An hour later they departed the cafe, thanking the butler for his service.

Once out in the street, Fluffball spoke up. �I need to get to bed. I'll be around tomorrow in the late morning until about dinner if you want to group.�

�Wish I could, but I need to see about getting some of my paperwork in order. I�ll be on maybe a little after noon, so maybe then.� Karen added, �I'm sure Alburet will be around if nothing else.�

�I will be, feel free to let me know when you�re on.� Alburet replied to the half question with a shrug. �Anyway, I'm going to take Stacia home now. See you two later.�

Karen chuckled, �I can take her home if you would rather not.�

Alburet made a shooing gesture, �Away, mynx, tonight she is mine.�

�I will always be with ya, master,� Stacia said as she hugged his arm that she held.

�Why don't you walk Fluff home?� Alburet suggested.

Fluffball shook her head, �No, it�s okay. I will be fine.�

Karen glanced at her with a small smile, �You sure, Fluff? I kind of like the idea of taking you home.�

Her face went crimson as Fluff looked at Karen, stammering. �Err... umm...�

Karen linked arms with her before saying goodbye to the other two. �See you later, alligator. I'm taking the soft one home.�

Alburet laughed as he waved goodbye before leading Stacia home for the night. As they walked he voiced an opinion, �I�m a little unsure of Karen at times. She is brash, impulse and aggressive most of the time. I wonder if she might not have set her sights on Fluff as an option for romance.�

�She does like them pliable, master,� Stacia supplied.

�True enough, I guess, and Fluff is certainly submissive enough to suit her tastes. Enough of them, tonight I am thinking a bath then some quality time with you and possibly with two of you.�

Stacia shivered at the thought, snuggling his arm tighter, �As master wishes.�

Chapter Ten

Alburet leaned back in the very well-padded chair he was seated in. �What do you know about the Crowley family?�

Ioaniss grinned, �Well, they have a very long history in this city. Let�s do recent history, though. Alistern is Stacia's father while her mother is a woman known only as Lilith who seems to have been unknown before she began to adventure with him and his friends. I did some research once I was told that she would be coming with you. My research turned up some interesting theories. My current theory is that Lilith is Alistern�s succubus. That would make all of his daughters half-bloods who do not show any signs of their demonic heritage. All of them lacking a single class amongst them does help bolster that theory.�

Stacia had gone stiff as Ioaniss spoke, her eyes shifting around the room as if seeking a way out. Alburet put his hand on top of hers as their chairs were right next to each other. �It�s okay, Stacia. Sir Jones says this is a theory. As such, I�m sure he hasn�t told anyone about it, as without proof it would be a horrible thing to claim.�

Ioaniss grinned, bowing his head slightly, �Indeed, it would. I have no desire to slander anyone�s name and my theory will stay with me alone. Do you even know the history of your line?�

Stacia seemed very leery as she shook her head, �Nay, not as such.�

�Well, then. One of your ancestors did a service to the crown, some time ago. The reward they received was the right to open and operate the tavern your family currently runs. It is why your family has never run afoul of the guards all these years, even though it is known that Necromancers and Summoners congregate there. When your father�s group broke apart following the loss of one of their members, he settled down to run the family inn. When his father died shortly after that, it solidified his position as the new head of the Summoners in the city. I�ve also taken the time to look into your mother�s history. The name Lilith has sprung up time and time again as the succubus of various Summoners in history.� He paused as Berk came back with the coffee for them. �Thank you, Berk. You may go for the next hour.�

Berk bowed, �As you wish, Sir Jones. I shall be waiting your summons in the green room.� He left the room, leaving an extra pot of coffee behind on the cart he had brought in with him.

�Where was I?� Ioaniss mused before nodding, �Ah yes, Lilith. She never did anything spectacular to make herself stand out but the records do not lie. My research shows that no two demons have ever shared the same name. It is almost as if the demon races come closest to immortality that we�ve seen. Which is to say, none of them have ever died a final death from old age, that we know of. So, now tell me about you two, please.�

Stacia glanced at Alburet, her worry clear in her eyes. Alburet took her moist hand in his steady firm grip, meeting her eyes with his calm gaze. �It�s okay, Stacia. Nothing bad will happen.� He turned his gaze to Ioaniss, �Why so interested in two such minor people?�

Chuckling Ioaniss shook his head, �Minor. You say that with such a straight face. You are the first person to retrieve any artifacts of the Forgotten Prison. More so, you were level six when you brought them to Vladimir. So no, I won�t consider you a minor person at this point. I also hear that you helped lead the guards on a new round of training here and at a few forts. On top of that, you are becoming known around town as a generous two-souled. To add more to this growing list, you seem to have found a person of this world to marry. So yes, all of these things lead me to become very interested, as a historian if nothing else.�

�When you say it that way it almost sounds like I�m some kind of aberration. I don�t think I�m too different from the rest of the two-souled, aside from one thing. But you were asking about us as a couple. The truth of that matter is Stacia made the first move, she seduced me. Not that many men wouldn�t have fallen for her. After some time, we seemed to become closer. I took her out with a few friends on her first hunt. Her father was quite upset over her wanting to go out with me, but finally let her. After that our connection seemed to grow more and eventually we decided to go further.�

Ioaniss�s brow furrowed, �Hmm, less interesting than I had hoped. Do you know why her father objected so much?�

�Flora,� Stacia said softly. �She was the druid Da� hunted with. She was special to Unca Stewart. She died in the Dead Lands durin� a raid against Experiment 9. It was her loss tha� caused them to all stop huntin� and settle down.�

�Correct, Stacia. She was one of the people who died on that raid, along with a number of the men from the fort in the area. That loss still haunts them all to a degree, I think. They were a group that had been making a name for themselves before that time.� He paused to sip his coffee before continuing, �Well, since that isn�t as interesting as I had hoped let�s move on to the reason I asked you to attend tonight. Tell me, Alburet, about where and how you got your hands on the book and letter opener, please.�

Alburet began to relay the story of how he came to own the two items. �As I understand it, the gods have decreed that when two-souled first come to this world they are supposed to appear in certain areas. Well, when I first crossed the bridge or portal between our worlds I was sent somewhere else. I appeared in a ruin that was infested with skeletons, so I did what my kind do. I went exploring. What I found was the intake wing of the Forgotten Prison.�

Ioaniss sat up straight, a bit of coffee sloshing out of his cup. He didn�t even seem to notice as he stared fixedly at Alburet. �You were there? You know where it is?� He cleaned his hand absently as his gaze stayed focused on Alburet.

A grin came to Alburet, �Possibly, if what Vladimir said about Traveler's Maps is true. Upon exploring the place, I found the book and letter opener in the records room. Hoping they might be worth something, I picked them both up. When I left the building I was greeted by a massive structure that must be the Forgotten Prison, as well as a gated area with a set of massive double doors. I was met there by a very challenging skeleton when I tried to leave. I was barely able to survive it. Finally, free to go, I must have triggered some long-delayed spell, as I suddenly found myself at the gates of the city.�

�Can I see your map please?� Ioaniss asked, his excitement clear.

Summoning his map to his hand, Alburet spread it out on the desk between them. �I wouldn�t even know where to think of looking.�

�It has to be somewhere near the Dead Lands. No one has ever found it and that is the largest area of unexplored land we have. My own father, Sean Jones, has gone to the Dead Lands to try to find it, following some old texts that hinted about its location. Can you zoom to just the Dead Lands please?�

Alburet did as he was asked, noting the blur in the upper left of the zoomed in map that masked out all detail but obviously was something unlike, the vast stretch of just blankness. Ioaniss seemed excited as he also spotted the blur. �That has to be it. I would love to know why the map is blurred, though. May I copy this?�

�Since you already know where it is having seen this questionable blur, I don�t see why not.�

Ioaniss quickly pulled out his own Traveler�s Map, �Just tap your map to mine.�

Shrugging, Alburet tapped his map to Ioaniss's map. A pop-up asked if he wished to trade just the part of his map currently visible or all of it. He selected the visible part, not seeing any need to do it all at that point. �There you go,� Alburet said as he put his map away.

Ioaniss spread his map out, looking over the possible location of the Forgotten Prison compared to the parts of the Dead Land he had mapped out. �That is quite the trek, all the way to the far side of the Dead Lands. Rumor always said it lay at the heart of a mountain chain, with a tunnel dug through to a canyon.�

Stacia seemed more relaxed now that the conversation had turned away from her and her family. She leaned towards Alburet to speak softly, �We need to be back by midnight.�

Alburet checked the clock on his interface, showing they still had close to three hours, �Plenty of time left, Kitten.�

Ioaniss looked up, �Sorry. I always get distracted by new information about old relics. I should thank you properly for giving us this lead. Is there anything you would wish from the king?�

Alburet sat back to consider the open-ended offer he had just been handed. It would be simple to put a foot wrong here and upset their host. Licking his lips, Alburet asked, �I don�t want to put a foot wrong, Sir Jones. Could you elaborate on what kinds of requests would be acceptable? Also, Vladimir has asked that I share this information with him, is that acceptable?�

Ioaniss frowned slightly at the last part before nodding, �Yes. He did, after all, bring the book and opener to the king. Even if I don�t like the idea in general, his Highness would say it should be done. As for what you could request, the choices are long; coin, a minor title, something from the Royal Treasury, perhaps.�

Stacia licked her lips as she realized just how open the request was. Alburet squeezed her hand gently, �Could I ask for three small boons?�

Ioaniss sat back his eyes narrowing slightly, �Let me hear what they are.�

�Firstly, I am the leader of a new guild that was registered yesterday. We are called Alpha Company. In a few weeks, our numbers should grow quickly, as more two-souled will soon be able to stay in this world longer than we currently can. I am hoping a large number of that group will join me and my friends in our new guild. As we will be one of the few guilds that will be able to help people every day, all the time, minus when the bridge between worlds is closed, I would like our name to become known as trouble shooters. One boon would be to be recognized by the Crown, a royal charter as it were.�

Ioaniss nodded, �That is very simple and easy to do. What is the second request?�

�I was attacked not long ago by assassins sent by a minor noble who was upset with me. As a Summoner, most of my power resides with my minions, which are forbidden in the city by law. I ask that Alpha Company and friends be excluded from this law, allowing us to summon our minions inside the city. It will only be to defend ourselves or to train our minions in the confines of our private abodes.�

Rubbing his chin, Ioaniss thought over the suggestion, �I think I can get the King to issue such a decree if it applies only to Alpha Company.�

�I would be bold enough to ask that the same apply to the Dead Man Inn as well. As it is well known to be a hangout of our kind, it shouldn�t cause a major stir to allow them to summon minions inside of the building.� Alburet asked, pressing just slightly. �Thirdly, I ask to be viewed favorably by the Court.�

A chuckle escaped Ioaniss as he shook his head, �This is really all you are asking for?�

�Yes,� Alburet replied. �I am a two-souled adventurer. I like earning my rewards for the most part. My kind also has a saying, 'Playing the long game', which means thinking far ahead. While a boatload of gold now is useful, it doesn't put me or my guild in any key positions. What I am asking for does, while also easing a small burden on others of my class.�

�I shall speak with the king tomorrow morn. I will meet you at the Royal Museum two hours before midday to show you around with Marcus, if that is agreeable. I will have your answers there,� Ioaniss said as he stood up.

Alburet stood, helping Stacia to her feet as well, �That is most agreeable, Sir Jones. I look forward to seeing you on the morrow.�

Pulling a green bell-pull, Ioaniss waited a moment for Berk to come in, �Berk, we are done for the evening. Show our guests out, please.�

Berk bowed to Ioaniss, before turning to the couple. �If you would follow me, please.�

The couple were lead back the way they came, the hallways now empty of everyone but the occasional servant going about their tasks. Berk led them back out the door in silence, where the carriage stood waiting for them. �I do hope your visit was pleasant, and I wish you a good night.�

Alburet helped Stacia into the carriage, but she paused just inside before taking her seat. Alburet followed her in to find Vladimir in the back. �Vladimir, didn't expect to see you here,� Alburet said civilly.

Vladimir chuckled softly, a hint of fang visible as he did so. �What can I say? The possibility of new information is exciting to one of my age. Did Ioaniss agree that I could have a copy of the information?�

�Yeah. Said he would rather not, but that the king would agree to it so I should go ahead and share it with you.� Alburet replied, pulling out his map. Vladimir already had his map out and ready. �Why the rush, though?�

Vladimir eyed him for a moment, �You do not understand just how much knowledge should be contained in that structure. It was the last great work of the first empire. Almost any piece of it will fetch a high price, or a significant boon from the king.� His hand twitched slightly, �Are you ready?�

Checking his map to make sure it was still set on the blur in the Dead Lands, Alburet nodded. �You will probably be disappointed by what I can share.� He tapped his map to Vladimir's, transferring the current data over. �There you go.�

Vladimir opened his map, looking at it intently for a moment. His brow furrowed, �Why is it blurred?�

�No idea. Sir Jones didn't know either. I would assume it is some kind of safeguard put in place by the people who built it. After all, you don't hand blueprints of a prison to just anyone.�

A short bark of laughter came from Vladimir as he put his map away, �You make a valid point. What did you ask for as your boon?�

�Three small things that Sir Jones needs to check on with the king. I will have my answer on them tomorrow. Nothing that should impact you in any way,� Alburet replied. The carriage had not yet moved. �Can we get going? We have another appointment to keep tonight.�

Lips pursed slightly, Vladimir nodded. Opening the door, he climbed out. �I will see you again at some point, Alburet. I wish you a pleasant night,� He shut the door and a few seconds later the carriage started to move.

You are now viewed as Friendly by Vladimir Dracon.

Stacia let out her breath, �He be even more dangerous than he seemed, me thinks.�

�I am sure. He is an old vampire that has won favor at the court. One of the reasons to try to keep him on our side. We�ll have a couple of hours after we get back before you�re taken by your mother. I�m thinking cuddle time is in order.� Alburet said. He draped an arm around her shoulder as he dismissed the notification.

A soft sigh of contentment was her reply as she snuggled into his arm. �As master wishes,� she murmured a moment later.

When they arrived back at the inn, the place was packed full of people who all fell silent as the duo entered the establishment. Stewart was right next to the door instead of at his customary table in the back. �Follow me,� he said as he walked through the room. The crowd parted for him, leaving a one-person path for them to follow. Alburet urged Stacia just ahead of him and trailed after her. When they got to the foot of the stairs, Stewart stepped out of the way. �Your mother will fetch you in two hours.� He turned back to the room, now filled with excited chatter as all eyes followed the duo.

Alburet took Stacia's arm again as he led her to their room. Once inside he let out a sigh and leaned back against the door. Stacia presented her back to him. �Master, can ya unlace me please?�

The soft words brought Alburet out of his thoughts, a smile falling into place, �Of course, Kitten.� Once he had the laces undone for her she doffed the dress while he got out of his outfit as well. He snagged her after she put the clothing away, dragging her to the bed firmly but gently. He threw them both onto it, pulling her tightly against him. �Cuddle time,� he murmured softly as he nuzzled her neck.

The next two hours he spent just holding her as he considered just what the next two days would mean for him. A wife? He�d given up on the idea of any kind of committed relationship years ago, yet here he was about to have a wife. Did he even deserve this? Alburet's mind churned at the thought. He knew what he had done and he was sure happiness should not be given to cold blooded murderers. He shivered against her as he wondered if this was all going to be snatched from him soon.

He felt Stacia pull him tighter to her, �It be fine, master. Nothin' will keep us apart soon.� Her words struck home, as she seemed aware of his turmoil.

He was about to reply when a knock stopped him. Lilith's voice came clearly through the door. �It is time, Stacia. Say goodbye and come with me now.�

Stacia pulled back just enough to meet Alburet's troubled eyes with her own loving eyes. She leaned down, touching foreheads, her eyes locked on his, �We will be one soon, master. I can nay thank ya enough for all the love ya have given me.� She kissed him gently then left his arms.

Alburet watched her dress quickly then go, wondering if everything would really be okay. She glanced back at him once as she opened the door, blowing him a kiss with a giggle before she left with her mother, the door closing quietly behind her.

Left alone in the room, Alburet tossed and turned on the bed for some time before sleep claimed him.

~��������� ~��������� ~

The phone woke him up. Grumbling, Seamus reached for it. �What?� he asked, his voice a bit snippy.

�Seamus, it�s David,� David�s voice was fast and filled with fear. �Meet me at the hospital, please. It�s Kaylee.�

His eyes snapped open as he flung himself out of bed. �What happened? Is she okay?� He shot back quickly as he yanked clothing off the bedroom table.

�She went out last night with someone she met on campus. She was supposed to be back hours ago, but I just got a call from the hospital. She�s in emergency surgery. They won�t tell me anything else yet. Please hurry,� David said, his voice catching as the call ended.

Seamus cussed loudly as he tugged on pants and shirt. Snatching his keys and gun from the bedroom table, he ran for the door, slipping his shoes on as he went. He dimly noted that he didn�t have socks on as he jumped into his car and tore ass out of his driveway, skidding onto the street and accelerating as he went. He was only five miles from the hospital in the rural town he lived in, and at three in the morning the few cops on patrol were not likely to be between him and the hospital. Luckily.

His foot pressed down on the accelerator, easily hitting triple digits on the flat open road. He braked hard to make the two turns he had to make, glad that he didn�t spot another car on the way. He skidded into a spot in the emergency room parking area and ran into the building. He found David in the surgery waiting area, pacing the room.

�What�s happening?� Seamus said quickly as he grabbed his friend by the shoulder.

David spun to him, his eyes red and dripping, �All they�ve said is major damage to her spine and internal bleeding. I�m waiting for the doctor to see me after the surgery.�

Seamus took a deep breath, trying to calm his own fears as he squeezed David�s shoulder. �It will be okay. The doc will come out tell us she�s okay, then we�ll see her.�

David took a shuddering breath, nodding his head, �Yeah, of course. Everything will be fine.�

Knowing his friend might be dealing with mild shock, Seamus stepped out to the snack area to grab two cups of coffee. He was glad he was off today, but tomorrow would be work again. Taking the two cups, he headed back to his friend.

�What do we know about the circumstances?� Seamus asked as he shoved his anger and fear aside, putting on his professional face.

�She got asked out by some kid a week ago, for a date. She was supposed to see the new Star Wars movie, get some dinner then be back around eleven last night. She didn�t come home. I was worried, but thought maybe it ran late and they�d stopped for coffee and talk. Then I got a call from a deputy, I don�t recall the name. He told me that Kaylee was here and about to go in for surgery. I got here then called you.� David�s hands shook as he spoke, �Why? Why her? What happened?�

Seamus pulled his phone out as he stepped into the hall. He called the on-duty sergeant for patrol, �Fred, it�s Seamus. What can you tell me off the record about Kaylee McMullen ending up in the hospital?�

�Seamus? How did you even hear about that? Look, it�s a mess okay? The man who attacked her is in custody. He�s looking at a long list of charges, not least of which is attempted murder, or murder if she doesn�t make it. The detectives are going to be taking over here in a few minutes. I�m just making it to the crime scene now.�

�Alright, thanks. I�ll see you in a few days to get the whole story.� After exchanging goodbyes Seamus hung up and headed back into the waiting area.

David seemed to have gotten a hold of himself some, �What did you find out?�

Seamus took a long sip of coffee before replying, �She was attacked. The big charge the guy will face is going to be attempted murder. Fred told me there are others but the detectives will be stepping into the investigative role.�

David�s hand crushed the cup he was holding sending coffee over his hand, that he ignored. �That piece of shit attacked my little girl?� His voice was hot with venom as he spat the words.

Slapping his hand onto his friend�s shoulder, Seamus shook his head, �Just wait until we get the full picture. We don�t know it was the guy she went out with, but no matter who it was they will pay for it. My word on that.�

David seemed to collapse in on himself, �Okay, but I want justice. I won�t settle for anything less.�

They fell silent as they waited for news. Almost sixteen hours later the surgeon came to find David, his face grim. �Mr. McMullen? I�m Doctor White. I was the surgeon for your daughter.�

~��������� ~��������� ~

Alburet jerked awake covered in sweat, his breathing ragged as he tried to recall where he was. Daylight was just beginning to brighten the sky through the window. Shuddering, he got out of bed, moving to the basin and pitcher of water. He poured some water into the basin with a shaky hand and splashed some onto his face. Taking deep breaths, he finally calmed down his racing heart. �It�s in the past now. She�s recovering with David by her side to help her,� he said to himself before he stepped away from the water.

He went to the table, taking a seat as he tried to push the memory away. �Supposed to meet with Ioaniss at the museum this morning, while Stacia is with her mom doing bridal things.� Shaking his head, he got back up to wash and get dressed. A knock sounded at the door just as he was finishing. Brow furrowed, he opened it to find Deidre there with a tray of food.

�Mornin,� Alburet. Since Stacia nay be here it was decided tha� I would bring ya the breakfast today,� Deidre gave him a warm smile.

Alburet stepped aside for her, �I wasn�t expecting this, thank you.� He closed the door behind her and followed her to the table where she began to set out the different items.

�We hope ya did nay mind us tryin� to get a rise out of Stacia the other day. None of us really wants to do anythin� with ya, but she was getting� a bit insufferable always yammerin� on about ya. Alburet this and Alburet tha�, ugh, it was enough to make even us want to slap her.� Deidre kept up a bright chatter as she finished setting the table. �Now then, here ya be, breakfast for ya. Curious as to wha� ya plans be for today.�

Alburet blinked as he realized she had asked him a question. �My plans? I am to meet up with Sir Jones at the Royal Museum for a tour of the place. Other than that, nothing planned. Really at a loss without Stacia around. Funny how she seemed to become such a key point to my life in such a short time.�

Deidre giggled, �Aye, she has always dominated a room when she be about. We hope ya will be takin� good care of her in the comin' years.�

�Worried for your sister? That is sweet of you, but you shouldn�t worry. At this point I think it would take an act of the gods to separate us.�

�Aye, tha� be good to hear. Iffin there be nothin� else, I be leavin� ya to ya meal,� Deidre said as she stepped to the door.

�No this is fine, thank you. Also, thank you for clearing up that you all glomming onto me the other day was an act. I was really concerned for a time about that. Stacia seemed a bit worried as well.�

�Good, it worked. We felt the need to make her worry. Ya be safe from us, though. I be hopin� to catch me a Paladin of the Dark Lord. Erin be wantin� a nobleman and Marian is more into lasses than lads. Me thinks she liked the looks of the assassin ya�ve dallied with before. Our youngest sis still thinks boys are dumb, bless her heart.� Chuckling, Deidre opened the door, �Good day to ya.� With that she was gone.

Shaking his head at how talkative she was compared to Stacia, Alburet turned his attention to the food. Eggs and bacon like Stacia normally brought him. A cup of coffee with the right amount of cream already added. �I guess Stacia set this up for me. I should thank her for that when she gets back,� he murmured before digging into the food.

Chapter Fourteen

As the couple reached the table Alistern spoke up, his voice carrying easily. �Family, friends, and complete strangers who wanted free food and drink,� he had to pause as people laughed. �Thank ya for comin� to the reception for me eldest daughter, Stacia, and her husband Alburet. The toast will come after the food, so let me nay delay us. The food will be brought out to each table in just a moment. Take this time to grab a seat and enjoy our hospitality.�

People began to claim chairs, those that weren�t already seated. Alburet pulled out Stacia�s chair to seat her, then he went down the table seating each of the sisters, leaning in just a touch to speak softly to each of them in turn. �I will do my best to find someone suitable for you, please be patient with me as I do.� Each of the sisters gave him a nod but otherwise stayed silent until he got to Emily.

�Eww, boys. I don�t want one,� Emily said to him softly, her nose wrinkling.

Chuckling, Alburet crouched down next to her, �I will do my best to find a friend for you, then, okay?�

Emily considered, then nodded, �A friend would be okay.�

He went back to his seat as the food began to come out of the inn, being carried out by a small horde of very pretty women. Alburet wondered where these helpers had all come from when Stacia leaned over to tell him. �Da� has a friend who runs a few of the comfort houses in the city. These be some of the workers from the houses.�

Blinking, Alburet shook his head as he figured out the waitresses were all prostitutes. �Ah. Well, that explains how he found so many moderately attractive women.�

The food turned out to be a variety of different dishes, some of which Alburet had no name for, but all of them were delicious. After clearing his second plate Alburet spotted Karen and Fluffball at a table. He excused himself to head over to them, a smile creeping onto his lips. �Karen, Fluff, I�m glad you could make it.�

�You ass, why didn�t you tell us sooner?� Karen said, her voice slightly peeved.

�I didn�t know there was going to be a big public ceremony. As soon as they told me I messaged you.�

�Could have told us it was in the works at least,� Karen shot back.

�We barely made it to the temple before they closed the doors as it was,� Fluff interjected softly.

�I am very sorry to you both. Please forgive me,� Alburet said with sincerity.

�I do,� Fluff replied, followed a second later by Karen.

�Fine, if Fluff will I guess I will as well,� Karen said, still obviously a little peeved.

�On a related note, I am to find someone to match up with each of Stacia�s sisters. I happen to know that Marian would love it if you would be her chaperon tonight, Karen,� Alburet watched her carefully.

Karen glanced at Marian, a small smile flitting across her lips and vanishing, �I can�t leave Fluff by herself.�

�You should go,� Fluffball told her. �I�ll be okay��

�There you are,� Marysue exclaimed upon spotting them. �I was wondering where in this madhouse you were. Who do we know that�s involved in this wedding?�

�Marysue, would you keep Fluff company?� Alburet interjected. �I need to take Karen with me for something, which means her seat will be free.�

�Okay, but I still want an answer,� Marysue replied.

Alburet took Karen�s hand, �Come on you, help a fellow out. Fluff, will you fill Marysue in please?�

Fluff nodded. As she watched Alburet lead Karen away she frowned for just a second. She turned to Marysue with a smile to fill her in on who was involved and how. As she did that, Alburet led Karen over to the seat beside Marian.

�Marian, I present your chaperon for the evening. This is Karen, a two-souled friend of mine, who you might have seen a few times before.�

Marian�s face lit up like she had won the lottery, �Oh, now, tha� be the perfect match for me, Alburet. How could ya know tha�?�

�I have my ways. Karen, this is Marian Crowley. If you would be so kind as to escort the lovely and single lady tonight?�

�I would be delighted to,� Karen all but purred as she took the seat.

As he was about to go back to his seat Alburet spotted Margret Wilson and her son on the edge of the crowd looking for open seats at a table. Chuckling, he bee lined over to them, �Mrs. Wilson, it is an honor to have you here.�

�Thank you, Alburet. This is quite the feast it seems,� Margret answered. �I wish you a happy future to you and your bride. I have to say you�ve been quite generous and provided a nice boon to my business.�

�You do excellent work. I do need to ask a favor of you, if that would be okay?�

�What is it you need?� Margret inquired.

�Actually, it is in regards to your son.� He turned to face her son, Dennis, �I wonder if you would like to be the gentleman to escort the young lady at the main table?�

He looked at his mom, �Is that alright, mom?�

Margret looked at the table where Emily sat at the end before she nodded. �I think it would be fine. If you want to, Dennis, go ahead.�

�Sure, mister, I can be a gentleman,� Dennis responded as he brushed at his shirt as if to smooth it of wrinkles.

�Well then, follow me,� Alburet nodded his thanks to Margret as he led Dennis over to Emily.

�Emily,� Alburet said to get her attention. �I have brought a person to sit with you. Dennis Wilson, this is Emily Crowley. Dennis is the son of Margret Wilson, the tailor of Silken Needles. Emily is the youngest daughter of the Crowley family. The ladies in matching dresses are her sisters. Are you okay with him joining you, Emily?�

Emily looked at Dennis, her eyes shy while she tried to act aloof, �I guess that would be okay.�

�Dennis, if you would be so gallant as to sit and keep the lady company.�

�Sure, mister,� Dennis said as he took the seat next to Emily. �So, what�s it like living at an inn?� Dennis asked, his curiosity obvious.

Alburet went back to his seat as Emily launched into a detailed description of what her day was like. He took his seat and got a kiss on the cheek from Stacia, �Ya doin� well, asthore, but the last two are goin� be more difficult.�

�I have an idea already for one of them, if he shows up. The one that is going to be more difficult is going to be a Paladin of the Dark Lord.� Alburet shook his head slightly as he wondered if he could pull off what he wanted to do. �I�ll do my best, but there is no way for me to know...� He paused and facepalmed, �I�ll be right back.� He gave her a quick kiss before getting up and heading over to Almira.

Almira watched him approach, �What are you needing, Alburet?�

�I wonder if you could tell me if there are any single male Paladins of the Dark Lord here that you know of. I am trying to perfectly match the sisters with what they desire, but not knowing the Dark Lord�s Paladins puts a crimp in my plan.�

Chuckling softly, Almira winked, �Ah, trying to matchmake the best you can. How sweet of you. I�ve seen too many just pick people at random to fill those seats. I do know of one young man that meets your requirements.� She pointed to a dusky skinned young man who was very broad of shoulder, �Chris Eveningstar, a promising new Paladin.�

Alburet took her hand and kissed the back of it which earned him a slight growl from Grimgar. He looked at Grimgar with a single raised brow before turning back to Almira, �My deep thanks, Almira. I shall depart before your guard attacks me.�

Laughing, Almira waved him off as she patted Grimgar�s hand. She leaned over to whisper to Grimgar as her eyes tracked Alburet, who wasted no time heading for Chris. �Settle down you, he was just being polite.�

�Excuse me,� Alburet said as he approached Chris, who was seated at a table with Captain Roberto. �I know I�m intruding and I apologize, but I am on a mission most urgent. I need a strong man who can shoulder a heavy burden, and I was told that you might be able to do so, Chris.�

Chris sat up straighter, looking Alburet over, �What is it you need of me, sir?�

Roberto chuckled, �You�re not interrupting much, he was asking if he could sign up for the guards with his vocation. We�d just settled the matter, and I must be getting back to the barracks. Good luck to you and your new wife.� He shook hands with the two men before heading out.

Alburet turned back to Chris, �I�m sure you know the customs of your religion. As such, I hope you would be willing to take a seat at the head table. One of the young ladies would love to make your acquaintance.�

Standing up, Chris towered over Alburet by a good foot, �Lead the way, sir.�

Broad smile in place, Alburet led Chris back to the main table next to Deidre. �Deidre, may I introduce Chris Eveningstar, a Paladin of the Dark Lord. He has been kind enough to agree to become your chaperon for the evening, if he suits your fancy.�

Deidre�s smile became blinding as she motioned Chris to the seat beside her, �Oh yes, he be perfect. Please sit, Chris, and tell me about ya self.�

Alburet got out of the way, noting as he did Erin�s slight frown. He stopped next to her, leaning down to whisper. �I have someone lined up for you, Erin, but he has not made it here yet. Please bear with me and I will do my best to get you a chaperon that suits you.�

Erin glanced at him, her face showing her sudden chagrin, �Sorry, it be just that ya got them all people so quickly that I was feelin� a bit left out. Iffin ya can match me as well as ya have them, then I be willin� to wait.�

Alburet thanked her, returning to his seat and getting yet another kiss from Stacia, �It be good to see ya workin� hard to make me sisters happy.�

�I will do the best I can, but the last one might be a touch tricky. We shall see if the person I want to seat next to her shows up soon. The sun is about to set, so he should show up in the next hour.�

�Ah, tha� mean it be a guard tha� works the daylight shift. I think ya are lookin� at the wrong type of guy iffin tha� be ya intent.�

�Have faith, Kitten,� he replied as he patted her leg under the table.

�Attention, please,� Alistern called out as he stood up and raised his glass. �It is time for me to give a message to the new couple.� The crowd settled down enough to hear him speak, �Today me eldest wed a two-souled. This be the first event of its kind, as far as we know. With tha� comes a whole slew o� questions about what differences there may be between them and us. The only thing tha� I worry about, though, is tha� he might run back to tha other world and leave me daughter behind.�

Alistern turned to Alburet, �He does nay strike me as the kind to do tha�. He already had the chance when the two-souled left us for two weeks, but he came back and the first thin� he did was run to her, to reassure her tha� he still loved her and to apologize for bein� away so long. He has proven tha� he does love her in me eyes. As such, it be me great joy to welcome him into our family while he takes her into his. So, a toast to the first two-souled with enough heart to know his soul should reside here all the time.�

Everyone raised their glasses and drank to the toast. Once everyone had drunk the toast, Alistern went on, �It be time now to show them how much we care by givin� them gifts to ease their way into their new life. Me and me closest friends be goin� first with this one. Grim, Stew and Almira, come on up. It be time to show Alburet what it means to be part of our family.�

The trio came forward from their table to join Alistern and Lilith. �A dwellin� of ya own be our gift to ya. It would be a little odd iffin ya kept stayin� at the inn while bein� married to me daughter.� As Alistern spoke Grimgar placed a key on the table. �The place be more than ample enough for ya both. It be big enough ya can use part of it for ya guild, as well. May the Dark Lord bless ya for years to come.� The quintet bowed to the couple when Alistern finished.

Stacia gently tapped Alburet�s foot with her own as a pause was evident. Alburet took the hint and replied to them, �This is a most generous gift from my new in-laws and their friends. We are honored to accept this. Our deepest thanks to you.� He formally bowed in his seat. A murmur went through the throng as others started to come forward to form a line.

The group shifted aside and Ioaniss was next to step forward. �Today has been a day that I am sure will be remembered for years to come. A two-souled and one of our own Alpha Worlders wed in bliss, something unique indeed. I do not bring material items with me to bestow upon you, instead I will bestow the gift of knowledge. If, at any time, you need aid with history of this world you may call upon me to help you acquire such knowledge to my utmost ability.�

Stacia bowed her head as she replied before Alburet, �Tha� be a mighty boon, as ya time be a precious thin�, Sir Jones. We accept your generous gift in tha spirit it is given. Thank ya.�

Ioaniss stepped aside with a broad smile, to be replaced by Vladimir. �A truly unique couple at this time. As a man who loves the truly unique and special, I will give you something in kind. I hereby declare as Head of the Royal Auction House that you will be granted a full year to attend any auctions in said house, even though you are not of the nobility.�

The crowd seemed to explode with whispers at Vladimir�s announcement. Alburet, unsure of how to respond to this, gave Stacia a quick glance. Stacia smiled gently to Alburet before turning to Vladimir to accept his gift. �Tha� be somethin� very rare indeed, Sir Dracon. The gesture by itself is a gift tha� will be remembered unto our late years. Iffin we ever do find ourselves with the ability to attend one of the auctions, we will be sure to do so.� Stacia bowed in her seat to him.

Vladimir bowed back and stepped aside for the next person to come forward. The line went on for some time, each person giving the couple an item or the promise of an item to be delivered to them. Very quickly, the house they had acquired was to be filled with the needed things.

Once the giving of gifts was done, an hour after the sun had set, the dancing would begin. As a group of people set up off to the side with instruments, Alburet noticed Wilbur Gilden in the group gathered around waiting to see the first dance. Excusing himself, Alburet headed for the guard, who was out of uniform. He had to step around people who were hanging extra magic lights to illuminate the graveyard even more, as well as another group setting out smooth interlocking wooden squares to make a dance floor.

�Wilbur, I�m glad you could make it,� Alburet greeted the guard.

Turning, Wilbur nodded, �I was interested to see what the event was like.�

�I wonder if I can impose upon you for the evening?� Alburet asked after a moment of silence.

�What is it you want?�

�There is a maiden who has no escort for the party. As the dancing is about to start, she�s getting slightly depressed that no one is with her. Would you be willing to be her escort for the rest of the evening?�

�My father always told me that every maiden should have a companion during an event. I will accept. Where can I find this maiden?�

Smile broadening, Alburet lead Wilbur over to Erin. �Wilbur Gilden, of House Gilden, this is Erin Crowley. Erin this is Wilbur Gilden, son of Gilden House but also a proud guard of the city. He has agreed to be your escort for the evening, if that is acceptable to you.�

Erin had looked uncertain until Alburet introduced them, then her smile had blossomed. �It be an honor sir, iffin ya would care to sit with me.�

Wilbur had slowed as they had approached the table and seemed very uncertain of being at the main table. When Erin smiled at him though, his face softened. When she offered him the seat beside her he bowed deeply. �It is my pleasure and honor to be your escort tonight, Miss Crowley.�

�Call me Erin please, sir, we be an informal family,� she replied as he sat, their gazes locked on each other.

Alburet moved back over to Stacia, who was watching her sister with a smile of her own. �Tha� looks like it worked out well, asthore. Ya have done well for me sisters.� She paused as the musicians played a few notes. �It be time.� She stood gracefully, taking his hand as they walked to the dancing floor, which was surrounded by the crowd.

They walked to the center of the dance floor with all eyes on them. Alburet leaned in slightly to whisper to Stacia, �Is this supposed to be a certain dance?�

�Nay, any dance will do,� Stacia whispered back as they reached the center of the floor.

Feeling slightly relieved, Alburet smiled as he brought her in close, one hand up with the other on her hip. �Well then, my lady wife, let us begin shall we?�

The band started to play a slow, elegant piece. His eyes locked with Stacia, Alburet led her in a simple flowing box in time with the simple rhythm. Eyes sparkling with happiness Stacia followed him flawlessly. About a minute into the dance Alburet began to change the steps just slightly to make the dance more intricate. Stacia flowed along with him as if she was gliding above the floor, never missing a beat. As the song came to an end he dipped her gracefully, kissing her gently as the last few notes hovered in the still air.

The crowd erupted into cheers, whistles and applause as he brought her back to her feet. They thanked the crowd, then Alistern called for attention, �It be time for the money dances. Iffin ya wish to dance with the groom or bride then come to the main table. We be handin� out numbers once ya donate coin. Everyone else is also allowed now to use the floor to dance with any other.�

Alburet lead Stacia over to one side of the floor as they waited. His brows rose as he saw the queue form to take numbers to dance with them. �Well, looks like it is going to be a long night,� Alburet said quietly as he glanced at Stacia.

�Aye, but it will help us establish our new home.� Her words were filled with love as she met his eyes. �It sounds so good, does it nay?�

�Anywhere with you will always sound good, Kitten.� The band began to play again as a few couples made their way onto the floor. A man and woman each holding small slips with the number one on them came over to them. The first man up was Ioaniss, who bowed over Stacia�s hand, kissing the air just above it before leading her onto the floor. Alburet found Stella Rivenblood waiting for him, her hand extended. �Madam, it is my honor to dance with you tonight.� He led her onto the floor and danced with her, keeping his pace slow and measured in a simple box for her.

During the dances, he did notice each of the sisters on the floor multiple times with their escorts, save Emily who seemed to be playing some kind of game with Dennis over at the main table. Losing track of time, Alburet wasn�t sure when he finally got a break from dancing but he did see that Stacia still with a line waiting for her hand. He stepped back to find Stewart there with a drink for him.

�It will not be much longer,� Stewart told Alburet. �Tonight you will stay at the inn for the last time. We have arranged for all the gifts to be taken to your new residence and to have things set up. Tomorrow, after you both wake we will be going over to show you the place.�

Sipping the beverage, pleased to discover it was a simple cider, Alburet nodded. �Sounds good to me,� he replied then noticed Karen walking towards him with paper in hand. �Looks like I have one or two more people to dance with, please excuse me.�

Karen stopped just short of Alburet, �So, now that you�re married is it hands off?�

�Yes, though I do thank you for the fun times we have had,� Alburet answered as he led her onto the floor. �Besides, I thought you had your sights set on Fluff at this point?�

�I�m getting mixed signals from her,� Karen sighed softly as the dance began. �I mean, she�s cute as a Lunari, and she is definitely submissive by nature, which is perfect. Yet, she�s too reserved, if you know what I mean. She did mention something about Lilith helping her with her issues though, so maybe in time something will happen. Until then though, Marian seems more than willing to help me out with any itch I might have. So, thank you for that.�

Chuckling, Alburet shook his head, �Thank Deidre. She told me that Marian had mentioned she was interested in you. All I did was arrange matters when I saw the chance.�

�I�ll do that later, she looks busy with that Paladin,� she motioned to Deidre, who was dancing with Chris.

�Fair enough,� Alburet replied. The rest of the dance was in silence. When it ended, Fluffball was waiting for him. �Lady Fluffball, it will be an honor to lead you around the floor tonight.� He took her hand gently, leading her onto the floor.

�I want to thank you,� Fluff said as they danced. �You�ve been very kind and helpful to me. You introduced me to Stacia, which led me to Lilith. She�s helping me a lot with my issues.�

�I�m happy for you, Fluff,� Alburet replied as they moved across the floor amongst the other dancers. �I really hope that you�re able to overcome whatever is in your past. I�ll be here if you need to talk, okay?�

She nodded and bowed her head, resting it on his shoulder, �You never pushed, thank you.� Not having a reply, Alburet gave her hip a gentle squeeze as they finished the dance in silence. As it came to a close, Fluffball gave him a slightly strained smile, �I�ll see you tomorrow afternoon?�

�I have no idea what tomorrow looks like right now, but if things are clear then yes, we can go hunt as a group again.�

Fluff�s lips quirked up slightly into a small smile, �I would like that. Goodnight.� She vanished, having logged out right there.

Alburet wondered if she would be okay. She seemed so fragile at times, like a glass doll. His eyes drifted over to the inn door where Karen was leading Marian inside with a smirk on her lips. He noticed Deidre doing the same with her date, as well. He spotted Erin and Wilbur walking off down one of the streets laughing as they went. The party seemed to be winding down.

�Ye did well, lad,� Grimgar said from behind him.

Turning, Alburet shook his head, �I did the best I could. Deidre was the one who gave me the information I needed to make it look so well done.�

�Aye, tha� may be, but many before have been told thin�s and do nothin� with the info. Ye acted on it, which gave each of them a night to remember. Even Emily seemed happy when Lilith took her off to her bed an hour ago. Stacia has just one dance left then ye can retreat with her,� Grimgar told him while watching Stacia take the hand of the last man in line, �Will nay be long now. Sleep well.�

Alburet watched Grimgar for a moment before he walked to the edge of the dance floor, watching as Stacia danced. As the music came to an end she curtsied to her partner. Excusing herself, she came to Alburet, her hand extended, �One last dance for the night, me husband?�

�As you wish, my lady wife,� Alburet grinned as they stepped onto the empty dance floor. The three musicians played a soft tune that seemed filled with love as the duo danced across the empty floor, lost in each other�s eyes.

When the song ended Alburet thanked the band, then led his new wife into the inn and up to their room. The rest of the night was spent making slow, gentle love to each other, neither one wanting the night to end as it seemed magical to them both. Eventually sleep claimed them as they cuddled, with Stacia wrapped in Alburet�s arms as if he was protecting her from the world.

Chapter Sixteen

The next morning Alburet woke to breakfast being cooked, the scents of bacon and coffee pulling him from the bedroom. He found Stacia in her leathers with an apron on over the top of them at the stove. He paused taking in the sight of his wife cooking breakfast for him, a dopey smile filling his face.

�Now that is something I will not get tired of seeing,� he remarked.

�Ya be sayin� tha� now,� Stacia smirked at him over her shoulder. �It will be a few minutes until the eggs be done. Ya could get a quick wash in and dress for the day. I do nay doubt the others will want to go huntin� at some point.�

�That does make sense. Be back in a few, Kitten,� Alburet replied as he headed for the washroom. He recalled that he needed to inform Ioaniss that they now had a guild building set up as well, completing both requirements for the boons he�d asked for. He grabbed his Mindstone and sent a quick message before going heading into the bathing room. By the time he finished, he had a reply.

Message from Ioaniss Jones:

You need to register the building at the city hall as your guild headquarters. I will have the proclamations drawn up once that is done.

Making his way back to the front room after he�d dressed, he found Stacia setting the table. �It be ready for ya, me husband and master,� Stacia told him, stealing a kiss and sitting down with him at the table.

�It smells good, Kitten. Is this the first meal you�ve made for me?� Alburet asked, unsure who had been doing all the cooking at the inn.

�Aye,� Stacia said as she chewed her lower lip nervously while he took his first bite.

Alburet let the flavor of cheese melted into the egg with a hint of garlic fill his mouth before he swallowed. �Delicious, Kitten,� he complimented her, to ease her worried expression. �Did your mother teach you all how to cook?�

�Grandma� did tha� mostly, though ma� did say to stop by soon to learn how to make her stew.�

�We need to make sure that happens soon, then,� Alburet quickly replied, �her stew is very good.�

Nodding as she ate, Stacia agreed with him. They lapsed into silence as they focused on the meal. Once they were done, Alburet helped carry everything over to the washtub in the kitchen. Stacia seemed a little puzzled and bemused when Alburet helped her wash the dishes. Mostly because Alburet looked shocked as each dish, when dipped into the washtub, came out perfectly clean without having to be scrubbed. �It be part of the magic of the tub, master,� Stacia told him when he asked. �Just as the camp stones be used to fully contain a campsite.�

Shaking his head Alburet chuckled, �Well, some things in this world are much easier. It is going to take me some time to adjust to it all.�

�Aye, master,� Stacia said as she dried the dishes. �Ya will always have me with ya to help ya adjust.�

Once the dishes were clean and put away, Alburet informed Stacia about having to go to city hall this morning. They made a tentative itinerary for the errands they needed to run before going hunting. The sky was overcast when they exited the house, causing both of them to glance up at the grey sky. �First time I�ve seen it so cloudy,� Alburet commented as they started for city hall.

�It has been a bit since there been a good rain,� Stacia replied as she glanced up again. �It may rain for a day or two. Tha� be the normal way it be.�

�That will be interesting,� Alburet muttered. �Does the rain cause sickness to people out in it, or damage to equipment?� he asked, thinking about catching a cold or his leathers having issues.

Shaking her head, Stacia seemed a little puzzled, �Nay, why would it?�

Alburet tried to tell her about colds and how they could be caught by standing out in a cold rain. He also tried to explain how a lot of wet could damage leather. They reached city hall as he talked.

Stacia seemed puzzled over what he was saying, not understanding it. �Ya other world seems to have a lot of issues.�

�Ain�t that the truth,� he snorted. �Well, let�s see how long this will take then head out to sell our loot from yesterday.�

It didn�t take long, as it turned out, a simple form in triplicate was all that was required besides a fee of ten gold. They left city hall heading for Grimgar�s. The bell on the door jangled to announce them as they entered.

Grimgar looked up with a smile in place, �Ah, the newlyweds. What is it ye be needin� today?�

�Just some junk to sell,� Alburet told him as he began to unload weapons onto the counter.

�No new weapons for ye today, then?�

�Not yet, the axe I have is working for me right now.�

�Well, when ye be ready lad, I be havin� what ye be needin�, do nay doubt.�

�I�m sure you will, Grimgar,� Alburet chuckled.

�Aich, ye be family now, lad. Ye be callin� me Grim,� Grimgar told Alburet.

�If that�s what you want, Grim. I don�t want to upset you, after all.�

�Ya will nay upset Unca Grim unless ya hurt me,� Stacia softly giggled.

�Guess that means I�m safe, then.�

�Here be ye coin, lad,� Grimgar handed over a handful of gold.

�Thanks, Grim,� Alburet put the coins away, then paused. �Would you like to become the weapon outfitter for my guild?�

�What are ye promisin�, an� what do ye want?� Grimgar asked, his tone becoming more businesslike.

�I�m thinking the guild would make your shop the one we send our recruits to and use ourselves for any weapons we buy, and in return you give us a ten percent discount.�

�Does nay sound bad to me, but iffin it doesn�t work out well then I be reservin� the right to cancel the deal.�

�Fair enough,� Alburet held out his hand.

Grin forming, Grimgar shook his hand, �Deal then, lad. Will ye be offerin� the same to Almira?�

Guild Quest: Set up a trade deal with a merchant.

Rewards: Better deals with the merchant the deal was struck with.

Guild Quest Complete: Set up a trade deal with a merchant.

Receive: 10% discount on all goods for those in your guild.

�That was unexpected. Nice. That was my plan, Grim. Also thinking of offering the same to all the other shops I�ve used regularly. Going to be heading to a few them this morning, until my friends get here to hunt.�

�Well, hope ye day be profitable, then. Just keep the lass safe.�

�He always does, Unca,� Stacia said, giving Grimgar a peck on the cheek before they left the shop.

Greeting Almira as they entered her shop, they received a broad smile in return. �So, newlyweds, what can I do for you today?� Almira asked as they came up to the counter.

�Selling junk as per usual. Also wanted to know if you would like to become the leather shop for our guild,� Alburet asked as he started piling leather armor onto the counter.

�Hmm, I can give you the usual rate of ten percent off for your guild as long as you direct them to me. I will reserve the right to terminate the deal if it seems not to bring me enough business.�

�Works for me,� Alburet said as he finally put the last piece of gear onto the counter. �Does that work when we sell things to you?�

�No, the rate for buying is fixed by the Crown. Sorry,� Almira said as she began to add up the price for all the loot.

�Too bad, but I understand. So you guys don�t make any profit off this stuff?�

�We do, but it�s copper on the gold variety, not enough to get by on if this was all we did. Thankfully, there are only a few of each kind of shop in the city which helps keeps a steady business for all of us.� Almira began to count out gold coins, �There you go.�

Alburet took the coins, slipping them into his pouch without counting them. �Thanks. Going to hit up a few more shops this morning to see if I can lock down discounts for the guild. Any other advice to give me?�

�Take care of your wife,� Almira deadpanned.

�He does tha� very well,� Stacia interceded for him.

�In that case, get a sign for the outside of your guild so you�re easy to find. Maybe put a decoration inside the nook as well.� Her face became thoughtful, then she smiled. �Better yet, give me five gold and I�ll take care of that decoration for you.�

Alburet hesitated a second, but Stacia put five gold onto the counter. �We will leave it in ya hands, then. We be hopin� the rest of ya day is a good one.�

�I�m sure it will be. Have fun with your hunting today,� Almira said as she saw them out the door.

The next few stops were quick, without much conversation. The owners of the chainmail and plate armor shops set the same deal that Grim and Almira had. With the gear sold, they walked towards the portal guild.

As they walked along linked at the arm, Stacia asked a question. �Asthore, did ya want to stop by the carpenter to see about a sign?�

�I don�t see why not. Almira did suggest it,� Alburet replied.

�We need to go over two streets then, tha� be were the craftsman who made the sign for the inn be.�

Accepting her directions, Alburet led them to the shop she indicated. The outside of the shop had a half dozen signs declaring it a carpenter�s shop, one that obviously specialized in signs. Entering the building, they found a teenaged male behind the counter. �Welcome to Smith�s Carpentry, what can we do for you today?� His eyes roved over Stacia, completely ignoring Alburet.

Alburet glanced at Stacia, getting a smirk and shrug in return. Shaking his head he faced the boy. �We�re looking to have a sign made for our guild building. Is the master carpenter in?�

�The Master is busy, sir. I can assist in his stead, my name is Adam,� the teen said, peeling his eyes from Stacia reluctantly.

�Very well then, Adam, we need a sign with our guild emblem for our guild hall. Something durable, as it will be unprotected from the elements. What do you suggest?� Alburet asked, a frown starting to form as Adam�s gaze had gone right back to Stacia.

Stacia put her hand on Alburet�s shoulder, �Do ya want me to handle this, asthore?�

The kid�s eyes flickered from her to Alburet before he looked away, his cheeks tinging pink. The teen replied before Alburet did. �I�m sorry for my actions. Your lady is rather distracting. You were looking for a guild sign?�

Alburet let out a soft sigh, patting Stacia�s hand. He addressed the teen again, �That is indeed what we seek. What kind of price and time are we looking at?�

�It depends on how the sign is to be hung, what kind of wood is used, if you want it just burned into the wood or colored.�

�We will require a post as well as a sign so we can place it next to the entry. Pine should be decent enough for the wood, and colored would be good.�

Adam�s eyes drifted again before he caught himself, �A sign of pine, colored emblem and a post as well to affix the sign to. All of that together will run you five gold. We will also need a copy of the emblem you want used.�

�I�ll get a copy of the emblem to you later today,� Alburet said as he put five gold on the counter.

Adam scooped up the gold and wrote up a quick bill of sale, asking Alburet to sign both copies. �That copy is yours sir, you will need it to claim the sign. The sign should be ready in six days after we get the emblem. Thank you for your patronage.�

Alburet nodded, taking Stacia�s arm, �Time to go, love.�

A soft sigh and curse could be heard from Adam as the couple left the shop. Stacia giggled, �I did nay think I was tha� distractin�.�

�Enough to make a dead priest take notice,� Alburet replied as they exited the shop. �Let�s go visit city hall again to get a copy of the emblem for the sign maker. After that we can head over to the portal guild.�

�As ya wish, asthore,� Stacia said as they began to walk again. �It is getting� on well into the mornin�. When do ya think the others will be here?�

�Afternoon is likely,� Alburet said absently, as he considered what else they might need for the guild hall.

Stacia stroked his arm lightly as they walked, letting him think. She did glance at him from time to time, a small smile on her lips every time she did. She wondered briefly about his new-found passion for monogamy, though. The Dark Lord�s teachings told his followers to take as many wives as one could comfortably support and defend. Alburet, though, wasn�t a born follower of the Dark Lord being a two-souled, which meant he had other beliefs. Shaking her head, she noticed the guild icon flashing at the same time Alburet did.

Fluffball:

Is anyone up for hunting?

Stacia:

We have another errand to run first, but me and Alburet will be glad to join you.

A soft snort from Alburet made Stacia glance at him. �It�s fine, Kitten,� Alburet said to her puzzled gaze. �Just being reminded that we�re a couple, and as with most couples I�ve known, the wife is in charge. Which is doubly funny considering everything.�

Stacia put her Guildstone away, �Iffin ya did nay wish to go, we would nay go, asthore. I answered as I did as it was obvious we would go. Ya control me body and soul, as such iffin ya ever wish to do differently I will nay fight ya.�

Alburet kissed her cheek, �I will always listen to you though, Kitten. I might be �in charge� but your happiness affects my happiness.�

�As ya wish mas... asthore,� Stacia purred at him.

Fluffball:

See you in a few at the Portal guild, then. I�ll be in the waiting area.

They made it back to city hall and got a copy of the emblem easily enough, it only cost a few silver. As they left the building Stacia looked up and down the street, calling out to a kid. �Kevin, would ya like to make a handful o� copper?�

A reed thin eight-year-old boy came right over. �What do I need to do?�

�Take this scroll to Smith�s Carpentry. The faster ya do it the more coin ya get. Deal?� Stacia asked, holding out the scroll.

Kevin grabbed the scroll and took off at a sprint down the street. Alburet watched him go, �How do you know he�ll complete the task?�

�It generates a quest for him. When I was younger and runnin� errands for dad I would often get a quest or two from others while I was out. When he completes it I�ll be notified, and he will get his coin.� Stacia explained as she took his arm, �We can go meet up with Fluff now.�

They found Fluff in the waiting area just as she said, her eyes pinched slightly as she tried to ignore a guy talking to her. �Oh, come on baby, help a brother out. Just group up with me for a few hours killing goblins. It will be easy with your level, right?� the tall, dusky skinned man was saying as he stood two feet away from her, leaning down to stay in Fluffball�s field of view.

�She already has plans,� Alburet spoke up as he and Stacia came forward. �Sorry. She promised yesterday to go gnoll hunting with us.�

Fluff let out a small sigh of relief as she got to her feet, carefully so as to not touch the guy talking to her, �See? As I told you, I already have plans.�

The guy�s lips twisted as if he had tasted a lemon as he looked over at Alburet. As his eyes reached Stacia though, he smiled again. �I see. You just got some game, man,� the man told Alburet before eyeing the women again. �I understand you�re busy then and it ain�t no big deal. If either of you honeys get tired of this dude, though, I can help you out. Let�s just trade info, so you can get ahold of me later.� The guy pulled out his Mindstone giving it a small waggle with thumb and fingers. �What do you say?�

Stacia�s lips formed a condescending smile, �Tha� line be old, heard it too many times in me life already. Me thinks ya would be best served by tryin� to be less smooth, it comes across as fake.� She hooked one arm through Fluff�s while holding Alburet�s with her other. �Iffin there be nothin� else?�

The guy stepped back as if he had been slapped, �Ain�t no need for that. Just say you ain�t interested, don�t go making it personal. If you two think this dude is better than me, that�s your bad. I was just trying to show you what a real man could do for you is all.� The guy snorted through his nose before walking off as if he had shown them.

Alburet�s eyes narrowed briefly as the guy walked away, then he let out a deep breath to get rid of his irritation. �Nicely handled, Kitten,� he said as the trio began to move towards the stairs.

�Thank ya, asthore. Last time ya got into a duel so it seemed better if I tried to dissuade the man this time.� She gave him a sweet smile, kissing his cheek.

Fluff smiled, �Thank you for extracting me from that situation. You did a good job running him off, Stacia. I�ve never been good at telling people to go away.�

The trio waved at Kim as they went past. Kim waved back at them with a smile, wishing them luck. The trio tossed back wishes for a pleasant day to her before they climbed the stairs. They met Rolland coming down from above. �Back at it again today?� Rolland asked with a smile.

�The monsters won�t kill themselves,� Alburet laughed.

�True enough,� Rolland replied. �It�s just that you two-souled are always off to hunt. Don�t you ever feel like taking a week off and enjoying your loot?�

�Just had a few days off,� Alburet told him. �Went to the castle, met with Sir Jones, visited the Royal Museum and got married to Stacia here.�

Rolland�s jaw opened slightly, as he tried to take in what he had been told. His eyes grew round. �But, I mean, you�re a two-souled��

�It be true,� Stacia interrupted his stunned attempt at speaking. �Alburet married me the other day at the Temple of the Dark Lord. The reception was held before the Dead Man Inn. We even have a house as well as a building for our guild.�

�It�s a nice place,� Fluff added softly.

Rolland finally seemed to regain some composure, �Well, that is news indeed. If I had known I would have brought Kim along to the wedding. A belated congratulations to you both.�

Stacia nodded her head in thanks, dipping a one handed curtsy as she kept her other attached to Alburet�s arm. Alburet�s grin broadened, �Thank you, Rolland. If I had known you would have come I would have made it a point to let you know. We�re off to hunt gnolls today. We hope your day goes well.�

Rolland took the hint, �I�m sure it will. Just a quick question, your guild, what is it called? I see you already registered it with city hall by the emblems on your armor.�

�Alpha Company,� the trio replied slightly out of synch but close enough to not drown each other out.

�Good to know. You might want to know that the portal guild can set up guild accounts, which give a vast discount on portal fees. Kim downstairs can fill you in on that if you want,� Rolland said as he slipped by them, pausing as he was still headed down.

�If it gets us a discount, we might as well check it before we head out,� Alburet replied. �If you don�t mind a small delay, Fluff?�

�A small delay is okay,� Fluff replied even as her brow furrowed slightly. �If it takes more than a few minutes though, I might head out before you. I won�t be on tomorrow and I was hoping to try out my upgraded skill from leveling the other day.�

�We be quick about it, then,� Stacia said as the trio followed Rolland back down the stairs.

Kim glanced up, puzzled, as Rolland led them over to her. �These folks have a guild registered with the city and wanted to see about setting up a guild account with us,� Rolland told her as they got to the desk.

Kim�s eyes twinkled, �Oh, first two-souled guild to ask about that. It�s simple, it works just like the personal portal accounts do but the deposits come from the guild leader or the guild bank account. You should see about setting up a guild bank account if you haven�t already. Anyway, it requires a two hundred gold deposit for a guild account. Anyone in your guild who has permission from the guild leader will use the funds from the guild account when portalling. If the account is too low, it uses the person�s personal portal account. All of that can be accessed via the guild menus if you�re the leader or an officer. Did you want to open an account with us today?�

�Err, what is the rate if you�re using a guild account?� Fluff asked in her usual soft tone.

�Half of what it costs normally,� Kim replied.

�If we get a lot of people though, it could deplete that account fast,� Alburet mused.

�That�s a reason to set up a guild account at the bank,� Rolland added. �You can then set a guild tax on your members for various things. Using a portal with the guild fund, selling items, even when coin is gained as loot. One of the reasons why guilds have always been so hit or miss is because of the taxes that can be imposed. For instance, with the portal guild here we get free use of the portals, but we lose half of all money looted if we go hunting.�

Stacia whistled softly, �Tha� must hurt a bit.�

�Yes, it did. Back when we,� Rolland motioned to Kim and himself, �used to hunt with some friends it really put a dent into our loot. That is the only tax the guild imposes, though. If we go hunting we might die the final death and as such deprive them of talented people. Everyone who works for the portal guild is required to be a member.�

�Means I need to hit the bank tomorrow, then,� Alburet muttered as he looked into his coin purse to see if he even had two hundred gold on him.

Stacia nudged a small purse into his hand, �I have almost a hundred gold.�

Alburet nodded, pulling out a little over a hundred himself, �That thins the coin purse right down.�

�I want to pitch in,� Fluff added holding out some coins, �fifty from me.�

Alburet smiled his thanks to Fluff, taking her coins while adding his and Stacia�s. �Okay. Two fifty to open an account for Alpha Company, please, Kim.�

Kim took the coins and began to enter information into a book before her. She wrote quickly then turned the book around to Alburet, �Sign the page and the account will be good to go.� Alburet did then handed the pen back to her. �Okay, the account is functional. Congratulations on being the first two-souled guild to set up an account with us.�

GUILD FIRST: Set up a Guild Account with the Portal Guild.

Reward: The fee for guild account maintenance is waived for the guild Alpha Company

Alburet blinked, �Well, hell. Now I need to run over to the bank and see if they have something similar.�

Fluff sighed softly, �That would be best.�

Alburet glanced at Fluff, a grimace on his face, �I�m sorry, Fluff, but if we are serious about long term then I need to go.�

�Me and Fluff can go hunt orcs for a bit while we wait for ya, asthore,� Stacia said, handing Alburet a thick coin purse. �Iffin ya need a deposit use tha�.�

Brow furrowed, Alburet put the coin purse away than looked at Fluff, �That okay with you? I�ll message you when I get back here, then we can go after single gnolls.�

Fluff glanced from him to Stacia, her face reflecting her uncertainty, �I don�t want to be a bothe��

�Good, it be settled then. See ya soon, asthore,� Stacia said, taking Fluff�s arm and towing her up the stairs.

Rolland chuckled watching the ladies leave, �Well, those two are vastly different.�

Kim nodded, �Yeah. You�d think a Lunari Berserker would be more aggressive.�

�I got to run, guys. Thanks for telling me about the guild account.� Alburet told them as he turned to go, �See you in a bit.� He took off at a jog for the bank, which was just down the street from the portal guild.

Rolland watched him go, �He really does seem different from most two-souled, doesn�t he?�

�Yes, he does,� Kim replied, �I believe I pointed that out to you first, though.�

�True enough,� Rolland laughed as he started to walk away. �See you later hun.�

Alburet made it to the bank a few minutes later, pausing to look at the exterior of the place. It looked more like a temple than anything bank-like that Alburet knew. Columns supported a large overhang, and the words Royal Bank were etched into the wall above the overhang. Two guards in dress uniforms stood outside the main doors, pikes in hand with swords on their belts. They stood staring straight ahead, giving the impression of Buckingham Palace guards but without the big hats.

Alburet headed up to the doors, nodding to the guards who didn�t move in any way. He silently wished them the best, knowing some people would love to just come and torment them as people tried to do to the Buckingham guards. The interior was done in white marble and golden oak polished to an almost mirror shine. There were only half a dozen teller windows, along with a number of desks off in a corner behind walls of glass. A desk stood just inside the door with a receptionist behind it.

�Greetings, how may we help you today?� the male Lunari asked with a professional smile.

�I was looking to set up a guild account, possibly,� Alburet replied, looking around the interior.

�You will need to see the bank manager then, sir. If you will just take a seat over there, I will inform him that you are here.� The receptionist pointed to a few chairs off to one side.

Alburet thanked the receptionist and took a seat, wondering how long it would take. About five minutes later an exceptionally attractive elf approached him, �Would you be the gentleman looking to open a guild account with us today?�

Alburet came to his feet, �That is correct, miss.�

�I just need to check that you�ve met the requirements before I take you to the manager, sir. I can see you are a registered guild from the emblem on your armor, which is always the first stumbling block. You also need an agreement with at least one business in the city, as well as two hundred gold to open an account.� She paused with a professional smile, as if many people had balked before at this point.

�The coin isn�t an issue. What kind of proof do you need for the agreements?�

�We use a Truth Stone to verify the accuracy of your statements.�

�Well then, we�re good to go,� Alburet replied.

�Very well, sir. If you will follow me,� She turned, leading him towards a door near the glassed-in area beside which another guard stood, this one with a shield on his back and a hammer on his hip.

Alburet followed, nodding to the guard who eyed him as if sizing up a potential threat. The elf led him into an unoccupied office with another door in the far wall next to a cherry wood desk. �Have a seat please, sir,� she said before she vanished through the far door. Alburet opted to not sit, but leaned on the desk as he waited. A moment later she returned, motioning him towards the room, �The manager will see you now.�

Alburet inclined his head to her as he went by and entered a richly appointed room. The walls were paneled wood, the desk of the same dark oak with silver filigree inset in the corners. A number of shelves held various knickknacks. An ornate silver portrait frame sat on the desk, its back to Alburet. The man behind the desk was a dwarf with grey hair and a long beard.

�You want to open a guild account with us,� the deep voice rumbled from the wide chest of the dwarf. �Please sit, sir, so we might discuss this. I am Morgan Warburg, the head of the bank here in Stormguard.�

�It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Warburg. I�m Alburet,� Alburet�s mind tickled him at the last name of the banker, as if he should remember it. �I�m hoping to set up an account for my guild today.�

�We have had a number of people come by for that, as well as setting up personal accounts to make things easier in the city. Any of our staff can help with a personal account, but with the amount of money a guild moves it was deemed necessary to have managerial approval for guild accounts.� Warburg spoke in the same deep voice, his words the clear professional tone of one who has long done things the same way. �Since you two-souled have come to the world, many of your kind have failed to meet the simple requirements to set up a guild account. My secretary says you told her you have all relevant things in place. Is this true?� Warburg�s hand rested on a small clear crystal.

�I have the coin with me, I have already set up an account for my guild at the portal guild along with a few other agreements with a handful of merchants, and as you can see from the emblem on my armor we are registered.� Alburet replied evenly as he drew out the coin purse Stacia had given him.

Nodding, Warburg put the crystal into his pocket, �It seems everything is in order. What services besides holding funds and transferring them to the portal guild did you wish set up today?�

�I�ll need the account available to pay taxes on the guild hall as well, but I don�t think anything else is required at this time.�

�We can arrange that,� Warburg said, pulling a thick tome from a desk drawer. �There is normally a two percent fee for any transaction, along with a flat fifty gold maintenance fee at the end of each year. Are you amenable to these fees?�

�When you say �any transaction� do you mean both deposits and withdrawals?�

A chuckle that sounded like boulders rolling down a hill came from the dwarf, �Goodness, no. We aren�t pirates here. The fee applies only to money leaving the account, that isn�t to the portal guild.�

�Sounds fine then,� Alburet replied before asking his next question. �How do you get the coin from the loot tax, exactly?�

Warburg�s lips witched, �The gods. They decreed long ago that the tax would deposit coin directly to a guild�s account at any officially sanctioned bank. This stops all sorts of minor issues like people not paying their fair share. It is the same with any other taxes you as guild leader can institute. The money from all taxes is deducted straight away and appears in the fund. We will be giving you a tome that shows your current funds as well as detailed records of all transactions. I would recommend hiring an accountant to keep track of them so you aren�t blindsided by anything.�

�Sounds like another thing to look into, then,� Alburet agreed. �What do we need to do for this to happen?�

Warburg turned the book he had been writing in to Alburet, �Just sign at the bottom and hand over the two hundred gold required to set up the account.� Alburet did both, noting that the coin he was using was the bridal money. �Welcome to the Royal Bank of Stormguard. Should you have need, we can transfer money to any other bank in the world for a small fee as well. So, if you end up on a different continent and need to tap your account, it can be done.�

Alburet nodded a little absently, wondering why Stacia had given him their bridal money to open the account. That had wiped it almost completely out. He would have to talk with her about that when he caught up to her and Fluff. He blinked, realizing that Warburg was holding out a book to him, �Sorry, lost my train of thought for a second.�

�It happens to the best of us when we are handing over so much gold,� Warburg replied with a chuckle. �I wish you a good day, Alburet. Oh, one more thing. Only people in your guild with rank of officer or higher or your accountant if you hire one, can access this book. Is there anything else we can do for you today?�

�No, thank you,� Alburet said, taking the book and shaking hands with Warburg, wincing as the dwarf squeezed.

�Sorry, about that,� Warburg apologized. �My hands used to hold axes in my youth. All of my strength is still there but sometimes I forget.� Warburg had eased up on the handshake when Alburet had winced.

Alburet paused as he finally realized Warburg didn�t have an accent like Grimgar. �I wonder, sir, why you don�t seem to have an accent, if that isn�t rude to ask?�

Warburg shook his head, �The accent you refer is how most of my kind talks. I have trained myself to speak more clearly since my job is so important. It helps prevent any number of misunderstandings.�

�Ah, that makes sense. Thank you again, sir,� Alburet gave a small bow before he left the room. He found the secretary behind her desk, she stood as he came out. �Thank you miss, for your assistance.�

�It is our pleasure to help people open accounts with us,� she said smoothly. �Would you like to open a personal account at this time, as well?�

�Not right now. I have things that need to get done today,� Alburet said, tucking the book into his bag.

�I wish you a good day then, sir.� She opened the door leading to the lobby for him.

Alburet just nodded as he exited the room. He pulled out his Guildstone as he crossed the lobby and let Fluff and Stacia know he was on his way back to the portal guild. He put the stone away as he got outside. The sound of rain on stone greeted him as he stepped out through the doors. A heavy downpour was soaking the street. Sighing, Alburet looked down the street towards the portal guild. Shaking his head once, he ran for the portal guild, the rain striking him and beginning to wet his hair and face as he went. He noticed a number of people using umbrellas and made a mental note to get one soon.

Chapter Seventeen

Alburet frowned as he pulled at the wet clothing and armor stuck to him. Maybe he wouldn�t get a cold from being caught in�a downpour, but it still sucked. Hoping it wouldn�t take all day for his clothes to dry, Alburet leaned against the wall just inside the portal guild. He opened up the guild tab to check over what he could tax at what percent while he waited for the women. He could tax the usage of guild funds to use the portals. If he set it to max, it would deduct from a player the same amount that was used from the guild account for each portal. The net effect would be to give all of the guild members a fifty percent discount on portal use, while also keeping the guild portal fund topped off. He could tax the sale of loot sold up to half, and also tax all coin looted up to half. He set the portal tax to max and the coin tax to ten percent, just finishing up when Fluffball came through the door. She paused to shake water off an umbrella before she put it into her backpack.

�Sorry for the delay, Fluff,� Alburet called out to her as he came off the wall, pulling again at his wet clothes.

Fluff looked at him, her expression curling into a small amused smile, �Caught in the rain?�

�Yeah, didn�t think it was going to pour like that,� Alburet sighed. �I definitely need to get me an umbrella when I get a moment, because wet clothes and leathers suck.�

�You haven�t had wet fur, at least,� Fluff replied. �You don�t have to worry about catching a cold, either.�

�Yeah, Stacia told me about that. I didn�t even think about having my armor and clothes plastered to me, though. Now I know even without fear of getting sick, rain still sucks.�

�I brought ya an umbrella from home, asthore,� Stacia said, having snuck in the door without them noticing.

�Not my best color, but even that will beat being soaked.�� Alburet looked at the pink umbrella for a moment before he took it. �Now that we are here, let�s head out. We can tackle the solo gnolls, I think. I set the guild taxes already, portals will cost you the same amount deducted from the guild fund and all coin looted gets a ten percent cut.�

Fluff nodded, �I have no problems with that. Means we get the portals at half the previous cost at least. Why a ten percent tax on coins though?�

�To pay the taxes on the guild house, mostly, but I think there might come a time when the guild might need coin for other expenses.�

�It can be adjusted?� Stacia asked as they started walking towards the stairs.

�Yeah, pretty easily at that,� Alburet replied before waving at Kim, who smirked at his wetness.

�Umbrellas are cheap, Alburet, you might want to look into getting one,� Kim called out to him.

�I�ve got one now, just didn�t when I was out earlier, but thanks for the warning,� he replied before the group got out of view.

They climbed to the correct portal room. When they arrived at the fort, the sun was out and no clouds were visible in the sky. The two guards outside the gate looked at Alburet with grins. One of them chuckled as he spoke, �So, raining in Stormguard is it?�

�Nope, I just love taking showers in my clothes,� Alburet deadpanned back.

The other guard snorted, �Well, good luck with your hunting today. Fighting in wet armor sucks.�

Alburet just nodded, walking towards the woods with the women in tow. �So only nine more days until the testing. You excited, Fluff?� Alburet asked before he summoned Tiny. He slapped Tiny on the back with a welcoming nod, �How are you today, Tiny?�

�Ready to protect you, master,� Tiny rumbled.

�I�m excited and nervous all at once,� Fluff said a moment later, grooming an ear. �The idea of being able to stay here for a solid month is amazing. I still need to tie up a few lose ends before then, though. I�ll be taking one or two days off before it starts so I can make sure everything is in order.�

�We will be glad to have ya with us more often,� Stacia told Fluff. �How goes the talks with me Ma�? How was the massage by Marian last night with Karen?�

Fluff blushed red, averting her eyes, and studiously grooming her ears. �Your sister can really work out a person�s tension. Karen teased me a little, but she was just happy to have me there. Lilith is making progress with me, I think, but she thinks it will be a while before I get over some of my more serious issues. I still don�t understand how she does it.�

Bob popped into existence as Alburet finished summoning him, �So just Fluff today? What, she blushing already? What did I miss?�

Alburet sighed, �Nothing, Bob. Outside of her recounting the wild sex she used to have.�

Fluff went a darker red while Bob stopped dead, his mouth falling open, �I missed that? Why didn�t you summon me first, then?� Bob�s lips quivered slightly as if he had just been told that his birthday had been canceled.

Alburet burst out laughing, �Sorry, Fluff. I really wanted to see how he would respond. Seriously, Bob, she didn�t say anything of the sort. She was talking about how Lilith was helping her with her issues.�

Bob let out a huff as he glared at Alburet, �That wasn�t nice. First you won�t let me stay and watch Stacia and her double, then you do that to me.�

Stacia giggled, �The life of an imp is tough.�

�I know,� Bob nodded, �bad enough when your friend is as smart as a rock, but then to have your master deliberately taunt you like that is awful.�

�It shows he cares,� Tiny rumbled. �Remember what Grefluzan was saying, his master won�t let him speak at all. Master, on the other hand, engages you on your own level.�

Everyone blinked at Tiny, who had lapsed back into silence. Bob sighed. �Okay, fine, you have a point. But it still wasn�t nice.�

�You�re right Bob, I�m sorry for teasing you like that. And I�m sorry for embarrassing you even more, Fluff. Stacia, if you would give Bob a hug to make him feel better, please?� Alburet asked just as he copied her.

The two Stacias converged on Bob, who froze in place, his eyes going wide. One Stacia picked him up, hugging him tightly to her chest. He let out a muffled gasp as the other Stacia sandwiched him from behind. After about ten seconds they moved back, letting Bob flop to the ground, gasping.

�I�ve died and the Dark Lord sent me to paradise,� Bob finally panted a moment later, his eyes glazed.

Fluff let out a stifled snort, her cheeks pink as she looked at the imp, �He really is passionate about Succubi, isn�t he?�

�Alright Bob, we good now?� Alburet asked. They�d reached the edge of the tree line.

Bob sprang to his feet, standing at attention and snapped a salute, �Yes, master!� He skipped off as if floating on air, up to the front with Tiny.

Fluff gave another muffled snort of laughter, �He is funny.�

�Da�s imp was serious and never played jokes. Bob is completely different. He be more like Unca Stew�s imp, who loved to play pranks on the other infernals,� Stacia added as they entered the woods, heading for the first path to set an ambush.

�I�m glad he isn�t into practical jokes,� Alburet chuckled. �Okay, Kitten, we start like before with you dazing the gnoll. Tiny will grab it after I blast the plant life off its back and then we gang up on it until it dies.�

They followed that plan for close to two hours, taking a break around noon for jerky and tea just after Alburet leveled to nineteen. Fluff asked about his new spell. �Demonic Vitality rank two. It now gives ten health per second for its minute-long duration. That should help Tiny a bit more. Just one more level until a new ability.�

�Ya be getting� the chance to take an ability for one of us next level then, master,� Stacia told him as she finished her jerky. �I look forward for what ya think will be the best way to go. Mayhap ya will take the other option instead, though.�

�I doubt it, upgrading you three is a major priority. Plus, the really cool abilities will be later on, I would think,� Alburet smiled at her. Before he could add more the guild icon started flashing.

Gerald:

We�re here, are you all hunting already?

Fluffball:

We�re killing single gnolls. If you two come out we can tackle the camps again.

Stacia:

Aye, it be boring doin� the single ones, come and join us.

Gerald:

We�re on the way.

Alburet put his Guildstone away, not seeing any point of adding anything. �Guess I get to be the strong silent type with you all around,� he mused.

�Aye,� Stacia giggled.

About thirty minutes later they retreated to meet up with Gerald and Marysue at the edge of the woods. A round of hugs and handshakes went on as they merged into a single group with Alburet sending invites to the duo.

�Did you use the guild fund at the portal guild?� Alburet asked as they started into the woods.

�Yeah we did. Why did it deduct coin from me?� Gerald asked.

Alburet filled Gerald in on the guild fund and the guild account at the bank as well as the taxes. �This will help build our funds for later expenses plus taking care of the guild hall, without it becoming too intrusive I think.�

Gerald mulled it over, �I�m not sure if ten percent is the right way to go. Five percent will do the same thing. More so once we add in other long term testers. Since our guild can hunt longer and more often, a lower rate is even more attractive for those we are looking to add. I think most of the other guilds will go ten percent or more, they�ll have to to even get a permanent guild building, I think. It�s funny that we already have one and they haven�t announced the system yet.�

Blinking, Alburet pursed his lips, �I hadn�t thought of that. I bet they�re going to announce it when they kick open the long term testing in nine days. Wouldn�t be surprised if they take,� he caught himself, looking at Stacia, �the portal between our worlds down for a day, to update things before they put you all in for the test.�

�They want us there a day early, for prep,� Marysue added. �That email came this morning. So your thoughts have merit.�

�Are you two going to take a day or so off before that to square things away?� Alburet asked. �Fluff mentioned doing so already.�

�Yeah, I should,� Gerald sighed. �Mary doesn�t have to worry about it, but I do.�

�I�ll take the day off if you do, Gerald. You know dad doesn�t want me playing without you with me. I tried to tell him that I�m perfectly safe in the game, but he won�t listen,� Marysue sighed. �It�s like he can�t understand that nothing really bad can happen to me while I�m in Alpha World.�

�All parents worry,� Stacia said softly. �Me own Da� all but forbad me from huntin�. If nay for Alburet, I would still be stuck in the inn.�

Alburet gave one of her a squeeze, �Here we are. Time to get our game faces on.�

They fell into position and launched their attacks with what was fast becoming practiced ease. Alburet and Bob threw Fire Blasts onto the shelters, drawing out each set of two. Stacia dazed both casters while Tiny and Gerald each picked up a melee. Fluff was just behind them, focusing Tiny�s opponent down first. Bob and Alburet focused their attacks on the same one. Once it died, they switched over to the one on Gerald, dropping it in short order. Once both melee were dead they single focused down the casters, with Alburet burning the spores off their backs first. A minute later they were looting and heading for the next camp.

Pausing on the trails to kill the lone wanders, they went from camp to camp for the next five hours, slaughtering gnolls with brutal efficiency. With an hour or so of daylight left Fluff spoke up after they killed another camp. �I need to get going for the night. I�m supposed to stop by to see Lilith before I log off.�

The rest of the group spent another hour killing gnolls, each camp taking just a bit longer without the damage Fluff contributed. Just as the sun was setting at six, they called a halt for the night. Marysue was supposed to have dinner with her father, though she seemed reluctant to go. They decided to turn in quests first so the group headed back to the keep. Once they�d turned in their quests, Gerald and Marysue logged out for the night.

Left to themselves, Alburet looked around, �We could go back to soloing for a bit.�

�Or we could go home, have dinner and a relaxing bath. Mayhap a massage then climb into bed,� Stacia said as she sandwiched him with her two bodies.

Bob let out a wolf whistle, �Option three, take the imp with.�

Face palming, Alburet shook his head, �That is never an option, Bob. I don�t do imp.�

�That�s fine as long as she does,� Bob winked at Stacia. �You know Stacia, they say once you go imp��

�Goodnight, Bob,� Alburet cut him off with exasperation.

�Spoilsport,� Bob muttered before he vanished.

�Hunting tomorrow, master?� Tiny asked.

�Yeah. Karen will be here tomorrow instead of Fluff. Gerald and Marysue should join us in the afternoon, as well.�

�He is a good protector,� Tiny rumbled before he also vanished.

�Wait, did he just compliment Gerald?� Alburet muttered.

�Aye, me thinks he sees the same in Gerald as himself. Complete devotion to guarding another,� Stacia replied as Alburet dismissed the copy of her.

�Well, Kitten, you ready to go home?�

�With ya, master, anywhere is home. But I do look forward to tha� bath. Just one thin�- do ya want food first, ya bath first or perhaps me?� With a wink she vanished, having used her Homestone.

Alburet paused, chuckling for a moment, �I wonder where she picked up that line. Oh well, time to go make the hard choices.�

He appeared before the house, with the rain coming down hard. He scurried into the house, already dripping from the short time he was outside. As he entered the house, he saw the line of wet leathers and clothing Stacia had been wearing that led to the bedroom. �Well, that answers that,� he smirked as he began to do the same, stripping as he made his way to the washroom where he could hear the shower running.

Waking the next morning, Alburet found Stacia in the kitchen, with meat on the stove sizzling away. �Morning, Kitten. What are you making today?� Alburet asked as he wrapped her up from behind, nuzzling her neck.

�Steak and eggs, iffin ya do nay distract me into burnin� the meat,� Stacia whispered to him as she ground her ass against him.

Giving her bust a quick squeeze, he released her and stepped away. �Don�t want to ruin your cooking, Kitten,� he replied with a smirk at her disappointed sigh from being released.

�Then go get ya shower in, so ya don�t tempt me to leave the food cookin� to drag ya to the floor,� she mock growled at him as she looked over her shoulder at him.

Blowing her a kiss, he went and did as she suggested, coming back out to the front room just as she set plates on the table. �See, tha� be good timin�, though I was all for leavin� the steak for a ready sausage.�

�You surely live up to being a succubus, Kitten,� Alburet chuckled before taking a bite of perfect, medium rare steak.

�Thank ya master, it be nice to be complimented,� Stacia grinned at him.

Shaking his head, Alburet enjoyed the perfectly cooked steak, still amazed at what had transpired for him in the short time he�d been here. After they finished their meal and washed the dishes they got ready to head out for the day. The guild icon started flashing.

Karen:

Hey, I�m on and wanting to go kill some gnolls, anyone want to come?

Stacia:

Sounds good to us. Meet you at the portal guild in a bit. It sounds like rain today so you might want to grab an umbrella.

As she put the Guildstone away a crash of thunder rumbled overhead. �Maybe today I won�t get as soaked,� Alburet chuckled as he pulled out his pink umbrella. He locked the door as Stacia opened her blue umbrella. Arm in arm, the couple walked through the rain towards the portal guild. Alburet noticed how much emptier the streets were than normal. He mentally shrugged, figuring people here didn�t like to get drenched any more than they did on Earth.

When they got to the portal guild, Karen was already there and chatting amiably with three guys. �Sorry guys, the guild leader is here. Got to go do guild things, you know how it is,� Karen said.

�How do we join?� The tallest one, who had a shield asked.

�Are you part of the immersion testing group?� Alburet asked.

�Oh, come on, they only invited like friends and family to that. Nobody outside of the select few are really getting into that,� one of the others cut in to say.

Karen laughed, �Wrong. I got invited in and I don�t have friends or family with Mindblown. It was dependent on the survey they sent out to beta testers.�

�I filled out that survey,� the tall one added. �I still didn�t get an invite.�

�They only picked a few hundred from what I�ve heard,� Alburet shrugged. �They�ll pick up more people a month or two down the road, I would bet.�

�Still, how are you going to find out who is or isn�t in?� The third guy asked.

�I won�t be completely sure, but it will become obvious after a few days. The pods have an automatic eject if you try to go past a full day in them at the moment, so it won�t be hard to tell.� Alburet replied, holding up a hand, �Anyway, aren�t taking more people into the guild until after the test starts up, sorry.�

The tall guy shrugged, �Well then. Maybe next month I�ll be seeing you. Good hunting to you.� The other two mumbled goodbyes then the trio of guys headed for the stairs.

�Wasn�t expecting that,� Karen muttered. She looked at Alburet, �We good for gnolls?�

�Should be. Gerald and Marysue should be on in a few hours, so we can pick them up to hit the camps. Until then we�ll have to prowl for singles.�

�Here I was thinkin� ya had given up tha� pastime, once ya got me,� Stacia mock pouted at him with twinkling eyes full of mischief.

�Well, a man with my stamina needs a few women to keep him satisfied,� Alburet shot back without thinking.

Karen ran a hand across the back of his neck, �Oh really?�

�So ya do be wantin� a harem then, asthore?� Stacia added quickly.

Face palming, Alburet sighed, �I yield, ladies, I yield. I spoke without thinking. Please have mercy.�

Karen pouted, �Teasing isn�t very nice.�

�Says the woman who teased me vigorously when we met, as I recall.�

Stacia giggled, �Ya recall complimentin� me on me nature this morning�, asthore?� When Alburet nodded, she continued, �I will nay object to havin� others join us, it be part of me nature. I know ya have reservations about it though, so for now it be just us. Iffin ya want to expand later I be more than willin�, okay?�

Karen began to smile, �If he does Stacia, let me know.�

With a deep sigh Alburet shook his head, �We going hunting today?�

Karen took the arm Stacia wasn�t on, �Of course. Today we are hunting Summoners�� she said with an Elmer Fudd voice.

�Rabbit season,� Alburet muttered as he started walking them towards the stairs.

Stacia looked a bit confused, �Why do we be huntin� Summoners?�

They said hello to Kim on their way past while Karen tried to explain the idea of the Looney Toons to Stacia. Stacia was still frowning when they reached the portal room. She was nodding though by the time they reached the edge of the woods. �So it be like a hand puppet show of silliness,� she finally nodded.

�Close enough,� Alburet said to stop the conversation, as he had already summoned Tiny and two Bobs. Knowing that they would be tackling only a single gnoll at a time for now, it made sense to up the damage instead of having two succubi.

As they started into the woods, Tiny took the lead. They soon found the first trail and settled into wait for the first patrol. They fell into the pattern they had used before, with Stacia Dazing the gnoll so they could surround it. Then Alburet would hit it with his axe full of flames, killing the spores on its back. Finally, Tiny grappled it so the others could attack with impunity. After the dead gnoll was looted they would move off to the next ambush point and repeat the process.

About four hours after they started the guild icon flashed, letting them know Gerald and Marysue were on. They met up and went out to hunt the gnoll camps for close to five hours. By that time, Gerald and Marysue had hit eighteen. �We�re a bit under the recommended minimum for the gnoll dungeon,� Gerald commented as they were heading back to the keep. �I�m not sure we should go after the dungeon tomorrow.�

�We can do it,� Karen said with conviction.

�It won�t hurt for us to give it a try,� Alburet shrugged. �At worst we die horribly and then wait to try it again.�

�Okay. So, meet up tomorrow around noon?� Gerald asked.

The others agreed to meet up at noon before they broke up for the night. They each sold off the loot at the fort. Gerald and Marysue took a room at the inn inside the fort complex. Karen said she was off to see Marian at the Dead Man Inn. Alburet hugged Stacia to him, �So, back to our place or would you like to go to the caf� tonight?�

�A date, asthore? Sounds nice,� Stacia murmured as she hugged him back.

Using their Homestones, the couple appeared outside their home. At Stacia�s warning, they had their umbrellas open already, as it was still raining. Arm in arm they walked down to the caf�. When they arrived they found the place packed with people. An elf butler greeted them, �Welcome home, master and mistress. I am sorry that we are not ready for you at this time. Would you mind waiting?�

�We�re fine with waiting,� Alburet told the elf.

�Please take a seat right there then master, and we will be with you shortly,� the elf pointed to a small sofa just inside the door and off to one side.

It wasn�t long before a table opened up and they were seated. A tiger striped lunari walked them to the table, his voice a deep purr as he gave them their menus and took their drink order. The couple ordered crepes to go with their coffee, sampling each other�s without incident before returning home. As they made their way back to their house the rain stopped.

�Three or four weeks before it comes again,� Stacia said as she put her umbrella away.

Alburet frowned briefly then nodded, �The rain always comes every three or four weeks for two days?�

�Aye, tha� be the way the gods made the world,� Stacia replied a little puzzled. �How does it work on ya other world?�

Alburet tried to convey the chaos that was weather on Earth as they walked. He finished shortly after they got home, �That�s the best I can do to explain it.�

�Ya other world be truly mad, master,� Stacia mused. �No way to know what to do with ya life, the weather a chaotic mess and no gods to help ya. Truly, it be a marvel ya were able to get here.�

Pulling her down onto his lap to snuggle, he agreed. �Yes. I can never agree enough with that line, Kitten. That�s why I hope that when we start recruiting others I can get them to understand how much better it is here. Maybe one day the bridge between our worlds can be made permanent so me and others like me can stay here all the time. In another eight days, the bridge will be down again and I will be gone for a day or more again.�

Stacia clutched him tightly, �Ya will come back, though?�

�Always, Kitten. I would fight the gods themselves to come back to you.� The rest of the night Alburet spent comforting and pleasuring the love of his life. He hoped to ease some of her fears that he would disappear and not come back. Eventually they fell asleep with Stacia as the little spoon with Alburet holding her from behind.

Alburet

Human Summoner

Level 19

Strength: 24 (19)

Agility: 24 (19)

Constitution: 30

Intelligence: 54 (24)

Wisdom: 69 (19)

Charisma: 35

Health: 1250

Mana: 1630

Spells:

Demon Skin-Rank 2

Demonic Retribution- Rank 2

Summon Least Imp

Fire Blast- Rank 2

Sap Strength- Rank 2

Demonic Haze- Rank 2

Summon Lesser Destroyer

Demonic Vitality- Rank 2

Fire Burst

Summon Lesser Succubus

Abilities:

Personal Spells

Flame Weapon

Copy

Chapter Nineteen

When they finally got back to the branching tunnel they paused so Gerald could brief them on what he knew from beta. �There are going to be vines periodically that will spring up as we walk to the boss. They�ll grab one of us and begin to constrict, they need to be killed. Those same vines spring up during the boss fight, half of the people in the fight will get wrapped up at a time. I don�t know if it�ll count your minions in that number or not, I never did it with a Necro or Summoner. There is no crowd control needed, so either a second imp or a second destroyer would be better than a second succubus. The boss will spit poison at a random person every half minute, so be aware and prepared to dodge if possible. Any questions?�

�Will you be on the boss the whole time?� Karen asked.

�No. The boss is a giant plant on the ceiling, so it isn�t tankable. Each tentacle we kill does damage to it. Just kill the tentacles as they come up.�

�They�ve changed every boss so far,� Fluff put in. �We should be ready for an extra twist or two,� she finished in her normal soft tone looking at them as if waiting to be rebuked, nervously grooming an ear.

�Good point, Fluffball,� Marysue cut in. �If you notice anything during the fight that wasn�t covered shout it out so we can adjust.�

Gerald nodded, �Yes. That was a very good point, Fluffball. Mary is also correct about telling us if you spot something. Okay then, let�s go.�

Alburet dismissed the second Stacia, bringing out a second Bob. �Okay Bob, this time you get to play with fire all you want.�

�I hope they aren�t too damp to burn,� Bob muttered.

They started down the tunnel to the plant boss. After a few feet Alburet saw that the floor, walls and ceiling were becoming covered in thick vines. Each vine started at about six inches in diameter before tapering off to maybe an inch wide. Each vine had a number of leaves to help disguise just how long each one was.

�The footing doesn�t seem bad,� Alburet mused out loud.

�It be nay good for me,� Stacia replied, having trouble getting traction with her hooves.

�I would offer to carry you, but�� Alburet started to say but was interrupted as a vine shot out and wrapped him up. From his shoulders to his knees, the vine grabbed him and began to squeeze. �Ack, help.�

Stacia, Tiny and both Bobs immediately began to attack the vine.� Karen, Fluff and Gerald turned around to come back to his aid. Fluff and Gerald also got wrapped up as they turned to come help. A fourth vine sprang out, just missing one of the Bobs as it went over his head, then disappeared back into the tangle of vines on the wall. Karen stopped to attack the one on Fluff as Marysue started to attack the one on Gerald.

A few seconds later Alburet was free as the vine holding fell to the floor dead under the assault of his minions. �Help Fluff then Gerald,� Alburet heaved as he came free and he could get a deep breath again.

Less than a minute later everyone was free of vines again. �They damage you every second while you are constricted,� Marysue told them as she healed those who had been held. �It isn�t a lot of damage if we can get you out but if you stay in it will add up fast.�

�There were four vines, one of them missed Bob,� Alburet spoke up. �So, I�m going to say the boss and its adds here count minions in the total. Shall we dismiss all the minions and see if the next set of vines is two instead of four?�

Gerald nodded slowly, �Good idea before we get to the boss.�

�I�ll summon you again as soon as we find out if having you with us is detrimental,� Alburet told his minions.

�But I just got back,� Bob huffed before both of him vanished in the usual puff of smoke.

�I will make sure he is okay,� Tiny rumbled before he also vanished in a puff of smoke.

�See you shortly, master,� Stacia said, giving him a peck on the cheek before she also vanished in the same puff of smoke.

�Okay, let�s test the hypothesis,� Gerald said, and the group moved down the tunnel again.

A few feet down the tunnel a sudden puff of purple haze filled the air around them. Everyone got a lungful of the pollen, as no one had been expecting it. Soon the tunnel was filled with the sound of coughing as all of them got a debuff, Polluted Air. After thirty seconds the debuff went away and they were able to catch their breath again.

�I found something new,� Mary commented as she wiped tears from her eyes. �I don�t recall pollen in the tunnel during beta.�

�Neither do I, which means it might be a mechanic during the boss fight, too,� Gerald sighed. �Vines, poison and pollen, ugh. This is going to be bad.�

�It will depend on me,� Marysue frowned. �If I get hit with the pollen, it�ll stop me from healing for half a minute. The vines do twenty damage a second, which is bad enough. Plus, the poison does damage every five seconds, if I recall correctly. That means I can�t get hit by the pollen or else someone might very well die.�

�We also have our potions,� Alburet pointed out. �Ten percent of our health per dose which, while not a lot, will mean the difference between death and life at times. So, if Marysue gets hit with the pollen, we need to chug-a-lug to keep ourselves up until she�s free to heal again.�

Gerald nodded, pointing to his belt, �I have six of the next dose up, so mine do twenty percent a go. Mary only has three health, but also three�� he paused as he looked at her belt. �Two mana potions?�

�I used one during Gnasher. I didn�t want to use all of them which is why I ran out of mana,� Marysue responded to the question.

�Ah, right,� Gerald acknowledged her reply. �Anyway, we do have some options to stay up until Mary can get us healthy again.�

They started forward again, and after a minute two vines snapped out, wrapping up Marysue and Karen. Everyone jumped on the one holding Marysue first, then attacked the one holding Karen. Alburet noticed that his axe seemed to be doing a bit more fire damage than it should. He looked at the logs after the fight and confirmed it.

�They�re vulnerable to fire damage,� Alburet informed them. �I�m supposed to get fifty fire damage with this axe, but it�s doing sixty to the vines.�

�So, an Elementalist with fire abilities or even your imp once upgraded would do well in here,� Gerald rubbed his chin as he spoke, eyes lost in thought for a second. �It�s too bad your area of effect spell hurts allies.�

Alburet sighed, �Yeah, tell me about it. I don�t get why the Devs did it that way.�

Karen shrugged, �Who knows what evil lurks in the minds of the Devs?�

The other chuckled, then Fluff spoke up. �So no minions for the boss, then?�

�Yeah, I think no minions is the right idea,� Gerald told her.

�What about just two Bobs?� Alburet suggested. �He doesn�t get wrapped so if they do target him they should just disappear like in the tunnel. In the meantime, he can do double fire damage with a bonus against the plants. All it means is maybe an extra vine for us if it doesn�t go for Bob. It might be worth that risk.�

Gerald considered it for a moment, �I�m not sure. It does increase the chance of Mary being wrapped up.�

�Bob can focus on me first if need be,� Mary pointed out. �Also, he�ll help us kill vines faster. I think we should chance it.�

Fluff nodded, �I agree with Marysue.�

�I�ll side with them,� Karen added.

�Fine, bring Bob and a copy of him out, Alburet,� Gerald sighed, giving in to the women�s demands. �If this goes wrong, then the next time we go with no imps.�

�Fair enough,� Alburet said, summoning Bob. �Hey, Bob. We think two of you is the way to go here.�

Bob blinked as he was summoned then copied in quick succession. �I will do my best, master,� Bob responded quickly, glancing at Karen as he spoke.

Karen laughed, �So, you still want that hug, do you?�

�Who wouldn�t?� Bob countered as he smirked at her. �Care to up the ante? If I�m the most valuable member of the fight then you kiss me.�

Karen laughed while shaking her head, �Not ready for imp action yet, Bob. Let�s see if you can earn a hug this fight, then we can see about larger bets in the future.�

�Done,� Bob�s reply was snapped back quickly as he skipped up to Gerald. �So, we going?�

Gerald shook his head with a sigh, �Sure.�

They started down the tunnel again. After a hundred yards or so more purple haze popped into existence, catching them all again including both Bobs. As they started to cough three vines snapped out, one catching Marysue, the other Gerald and the last going over the top of one of the Bobs then vanishing back into the wall.

Hacking as they were Fluff, Alburet and Karen converged on the vine holding Marysue. They swung at it as two Fire Blasts hit it from both Bobs, who were still hacking. Another set of attacks from them all and the vine withered and died, allowing them to turn to Gerald. A few seconds later Gerald was free while they all waited for the debuff to wear off. When it did they stood around catching their breath for a moment.

�I didn�t know imps could cast while coughing,� Gerald said, looking at Bob.

�We do not need to speak to cast our spells, though we still need our hands,� Bob replied, looking a little smug.

�We made the right call I think,� Marysue opined as she patted Bob on the head.

�I�m not a dog, lady. I�m an imp, an Infernal of flame. Next time I�ll burn your hand,� Bob snapped, glaring up at Marysue.

�Why you little�� Gerald snarled as he took a step towards Bob.

Marysue stepped between Gerald and Bob, looking over her shoulder at Gerald, �Stop.� She turned back to Bob and dropped to one knee to be more on his level, �I apologize, Bob. It was not my intent to demean you. Will you accept my apology?�

Bob glanced at Gerald, who was still glaring at him, then looked back to Marysue, �I accept, Marysue. Seal it with a hug?�

Marysue smiled as she pulled Bob into a hug. While she did, Bob let a look of pure bliss cross his face as he looked at Gerald, who was silently fuming. Karen held back her laughter as she turned away from the scene. Alburet sighed, shaking his head in exasperation, while Fluff looked on as if working through a puzzle. Marysue let Bob go after a few seconds.

�We good now?� Marysue asked.

�I am fantastic, thanks,� Bob replied with a huge grin. As Marysue got up and started to turn away Bob winked at Gerald. �We good to go, Gerald?�

Gerald was glaring at Bob still when Marysue turned to face him. �Gerald, what is the problem?�

Gerald jerked as he looked at Marysue, �Nothing��

Marysue frowned, �Stop glaring at Bob, we made up.�

Sighing Gerald turned to face down the tunnel, �Yeah, okay.�

Bob stuck his tongue out at Gerald while pumping his fist once in victory. Alburet thumped Bob lightly on the head, shaking his. �Don�t antagonize him,� Alburet told the imp softly.

Bob shrugged as he skipped along beside the group as they began to move again. �So, I just need to collect a hug from Fluff now to complete the set,� Bob said out loud.

�A small, oversexed teenager,� Fluffball said. �That is what he reminds me of.�

Karen broke out into laughter, �Oh, I think you�re right. That would explain so much.�

Bob frowned, �I�m not small. Just because you all didn�t stop growing isn�t a reason to call others small.�

�We�re here,� Gerald cut in. �We can all look in, the fight won�t start until we cross over the threshold.�

They all looked into the room. It was about the same size Gnasher�s room had been, but this one was covered with leafy vines. Glowing flowers were scattered across the ceiling, providing illumination. The light flowers were reminiscent of sunflowers, with the petals emitting weaker light than the brighter glowing center. In the very center of the ceiling was a huge flower, similar to a passion flower. The vibrant purple of the petals caught the eye. Where the white middle of the flower would be, instead it was a neon green. When it was targeted it gave them its name, Passionate Constrictor.

�Well, that definitely looks like nature warning of poison,� Karen chuckled. �Reminds me of the tree frogs in the Amazon.�

�It will spit poison at a random person, every thirty seconds. The poison splashes in a five-foot area, so spread out a bit but not too far,� Gerald informed them. �The vines come up about ten seconds after the last one of the previous wave dies. We need to get through ten sets of vines, maybe more since we�ll be counting on them missing Bob a few times. Each wave of vines accounts for ten percent of its life, so depending on how many we miss it might stretch out longer, since I doubt it will deduct life from the boss for vines we don�t kill.�

�We might get fourteen or fifteen waves instead of ten, depending,� Alburet opined as he did a bit of quick math in his head. �We can do that. Remember people, use your potions if Marysue gets caught in a vine or is coughing and you need some healing.�

Bob shifted from foot to foot, �I�m on my own, right?�

�Marysue can�t heal you and my own limited heal is probably going to get eaten up by me,� Alburet told Bob. �On the plus side, all you get to worry about is poison spit. I think you�ll be fine. Do you need an order of priority targets?�

Bob shook his head, �Marysue, you, Karen, Fluffball and finally Gerald.�

�That is the order I would give,� Alburet agreed.

�As would I,� Gerald added. �I�ll do the least amount of damage, but can take more than the rest of you.�

�I�ll do my best to keep us all alive,� Marysue cut in. �I�ll be healing in that same order, roughly.�

Karen drew out both of her blades. Fluff pulled her dual weapons as well. �I really hope dual weapons is better this time,� Fluff murmured.

�The vines have very low armor ratings, so dual blades will be the way to go,� Gerald assured her. �Is everyone ready?�

Alburet put Demonic Haze on Marysue to give her more health, then used the ability Fire Weapon to cover his axe in flames. �I�m good,� he told them.

Fluff, Karen and Marysue all gave affirmative replies as well. Gerald walked into the room followed by the others with about ten feet between each of them. As they reached the center of the room the flower above them quivered and the scent of flowers washed over them. As they waited, the vines all around the room rustled in unison aside from the ones directly under them. A second later vines wrapped Marysue, Alburet and Gerald up as the flower above them released a globule of green fluid at Fluffball.

Karen, Bob and Fluff all went for Marysue, attacking the vine on her while keeping an eye on the flower above them. Marysue was freed after fifteen seconds. Once she was free they turned to Alburet, getting him free just as the flower quivered and spat the next globule of poison, this one aimed at a Bob. Bob was able to avoid it as they all turned to help Gerald. Less than ten seconds after that Gerald was free and gasping, as the vine had taken over seven hundred health off of him, as it bypassed all armor value.

Two seconds after the vine fell off of Gerald the next set of three appeared. This time one of them went after a Bob, missing and vanishing into the mass of vines. The other two got Gerald again and Fluffball. The damage dealers piled onto the one on Fluff first, pulling it off of her in ten seconds. They turned to the one on Gerald, getting it off of him in a little over seven seconds. As soon as they freed Gerald they scattered apart just as the flower spat poison down at Gerald.

Gerald wasn�t able to get out of the area in time causing a debuff to stack on him, Putrid Plant Juice. It dropped his constitution by 10 for the duration of the fight. �I don�t remember the poison being a flat Con debuff,� Gerald called out as Marysue cast another heal on him.

The next set of vines came two seconds later. This time they wrapped up Marysue, Gerald and Alburet, just like the first set had. The group responded quickly again. As they cut down the first vine, freeing Marysue, the room suddenly filled with purple haze from the Passionate Constrictor above them. This stopped Marysue from healing as the others turned to free Alburet while coughing. By the time they got Gerald free, he was on the edge of death and had to use a potion to keep himself up as they scattered to avoid the next poison spit.

There was no relief for them though, as the next set of vines appeared wrapping up Fluff, Karen, and Marysue. Alburet, both Bobs and Gerald converged on Marysue, freeing her as quickly as they could before turning to Karen. By the time they freed Karen, Marysue had stopped coughing and started healing again. They had to dodge the poison as they freed Fluff, who unfortunately got hit with the poison.

Marysue was trying to triage them as best she could when the next set of vines appeared. They wrapped Karen and Gerald up as the third missed Bob. They swarmed Karen first, killing the vine quickly before turning to Gerald, whose life was ticking away rapidly. Marysue used her emergency instant heal on him to buoy him up as the others freed him.

�This is getting rough,� Gerald gasped as he came free of the vine.

They scattered again just as the boss spit poison. It missed them all, but they were a bit more scattered than they should have been. The next set of vines appeared, this time getting Alburet and Karen, with the third missing Bob again. They got Alburet free first, allowing him to reapply Demonic Vitality to himself before he joined them to free Karen.

They dodged the next volley of poison and were gathered back up when the next set of vines appeared. It was supposed to be random but again Alburet, Marysue and Gerald were all wrapped up.

�Oh, come on, not the tank and healer again,� Karen groaned as they worked to free Marysue first.

By the time they got Marysue free, Gerald was doing badly, so Marysue focused on healing him as the others freed Alburet. Once Alburet was freed they converged on Gerald to free him. Marysue told them to back off. Puzzled, they did which meant only Alburet got caught by the poison as he�d lost track of the timing. Cussing, he joined the others to finish freeing Gerald.

�Without add-ons it gets a lot harder to keep track of multiple things,� Alburet groused as they waited for the next set of vines.

Luckily, the next set of vines went after Bob and missed, but also Fluff and Karen, allowing the others a small reprieve. It was short lived though, as the next round of vines came right after they dodged the next poison spit.

Gerald, Alburet and Karen were the next victims of the vines and to make matters worse the purple mist came back. Marysue joined in the melee to free Alburet as she coughed, unable to heal until the debuff wore off. By the time they got Alburet and Karen free, Gerald was almost dead. Attacking with passion, they cut into the vine but it killed Gerald just before they killed it.

�Fuck,� Alburet spat as they dodged the next round of spit. �This is going to get even tougher.�

He wasn�t wrong, as the next set of vines caught Marysue, who was still coughing, Alburet and Karen. Fluffball and Bob went to work freeing Marysue first. It took them awhile though, which meant she was able to heal when she was freed but that she was also badly hurt. She started to heal herself, worried about Alburet and Karen. Just as they freed Alburet, they had to scatter to avoid the next poison attack. Converging back on Karen, they freed her but her life was well under half by that time.

�Thanks,� she gasped as she came free.

The next set of vines quickly took their attention attacking Karen, Fluff and Alburet. Bob cussed as he worked to free Alburet. It took almost a full thirty seconds to do, which left Alburet just enough time to move as the plant caught Karen and Fluff with its poison attack. Alburet went to free Karen but noticed her health was far worse off than Fluff.

�Bob, free Fluff,� Alburet shouted as he attacked the same target. �Sorry, Karen, won�t be able to get you both and Fluff is a guaranteed save.�

Marysue frowned but switched her heals over as well, as she noted her mana was getting dangerously low. She used a mana potion to help her as she continued to heal.

Karen died before they could get her out, which also let the vine attacking her get away. That left Alburet, Fluff, Marysue and both Bobs alive. The next set of vines came quickly, taking Alburet again, along with Marysue. The third vine missed Bob.

Bob got Marysue free, but the poison got Alburet and Fluff during that time. As their constitution dropped it also lowered their total hit points. Alburet and Fluff died before they could be freed. When Alburet died, both Bobs vanished abruptly, leaving Marysue all alone. She died shortly after when the next set of vines attacked her, leaving the boss with just a sliver of health.

Once the fight ended the group respawned at the entrance of the dungeon. �Well, that was not fun,� Karen commented as she looked at Alburet. �Why did you switch out priority?�

�Your health was really low while Fluff still had a good amount of life at that point. I doubted we could get you free before you died, so it made more sense to free Fluff.�

�I agree with him,� Marysue added. �I don�t think even if I had focused all my healing on you that you would have made it through. However, there is something to note. The boss kept with three tentacles even after people died.�

Gerald nodded, �So we should go in without any minions, then have Alburet summon and then copy Bob. That should give us only two tentacles during the fight, but still give us the extra damage.�

�Yes,� Marysue agreed.

�That means this fight will be easier for Necros and Summoners, if they know the trick,� Alburet mused.

�Okay, so we going to give it another go?� Karen asked.

The group started down the tunnel towards the Passionate Constrictor a few moments later. No vines or pollen attacks interrupted them as they walked down the path. They paused at the entrance to double check they were ready before they entered.

This time around the fight was much easier, with only the two vines to deal with. Marysue was right in that the boss didn�t add a third vine even after Bob and his copy were summoned, so Alburet summoned Stacia and Tiny as well to add even more damage in. With all the extra damage and with fewer vines to worry about the fight became trivial compared to the first attempt.

Once the plant died the center of the flower fell to the floor. �I think that�s what we loot,� Gerald mentioned as he went over to touch it. Everyone�s loot appeared in a window before them. They each got a Fragment of Passion for the quest as well as their new gear.

Karen got a new dagger with agility, Fluff got a new belt with strength, Gerald a new sword with constitution, Marysue a new helm with intelligence and Alburet a new set of pants with wisdom. Each of the gear had boosts of ten to whichever stat it gave.

�I�m really close to eighteen,� Fluff mentioned as they trudged back to the split tunnel.

�Same here, but for nineteen,� Gerald added.

�Still a ways to go for twenty, myself,� Alburet chuckled.

�I think you�re still in the lead for levels,� Gerald told Alburet. �When I checked the forums this morning someone had mentioned hitting nineteen an hour before I logged on.�

�I wonder if they�ll be in the immersion test?� Alburet said.

�Who knows?� Karen shrugged.