“He might not want that,” Alburet said evenly.
“I don’t care what he wants, the Crown might very well be in danger. He will do what his King decrees, or he will have bigger issues than getting to Peace.” Eyes going steely, Ioaniss turned his attention to Gerald. “Sir Gerald, your King will require this of you.”
Straightening, Gerald nodded slowly, “I will do as I must, Sir Jones.”
“Contact me tomorrow night if he moves. If he does agree to take you, delay him until the morning,” Ioaniss said as he got to his feet. “I must go speak with the King. Lunch is already paid for.” Pausing at the door, he looked back at them. “Do your best to level as quickly as you can between now and then.” With those parting words, he left them alone in the room.
“Well fuck,” Karen sighed. “Fucking Nobles, present company excepted.”
“Thank you,” Gerald said as he got to his feet. “We should do as he says, though, and head out. We can get at least another level today. We seem to be getting a bit over a level with each set of quests, so we might be able to push to level 76 or 77 if we do what we talked about.”
“No time to waste then,” Alburet said.
As they exited the building, Alburet Summoned Tiny, Bob, and Kitten to his side, before quickly Copying Bob and Tiny. “Be on guard, as we have some serious leveling to do.”
“Yes master,” the trio said in unison.
Alburet
Half-blood Infernal Summoner
Level 72
Strength: 293 (288)
Agility: 293 (288)
Constitution: 234 (204)
Intelligence: 204 (174)
Wisdom: 908 (593)
Charisma: 323 (288)
Health: 5,940
Mana: 12,680
Spells:
Demon Skin- Rank 7
Demonic Retribution- Rank 7
Summon Improved Imp
Fire Blast- Rank 7
Sap Strength- Rank 7
Demonic Haze- Rank 7
Summon Greater Destroyer
Demonic Vitality- Rank 6
Fire Burst- Rank 6
Summon Improved Succubus
Abilities:
Personal Spells
Flame Weapon
Copy
Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Ally)
Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Big Boom)
Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Demonic Shell)
Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Comforting Touch)
Copy
Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Essence Drain)
Still Caster
Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Burning Cleanse)
Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Savage Roar)
Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Bash)
Copy
Racial Abilities:
Cast spells without verbal components
Physical damage reduction 25%
Magical damage reduction 10%
Influence emotions
Fire resistance 50%
Reputation gains at half value
Chapter Twenty-nine
Alburet woke to find himself without anyone on either side of him. Sitting up, he discovered all of the women were further over on the bed, Stacia and Karen cuddling with Fluff. In the unusual position of being the first to wake, and not pinned by another body, he slipped out of bed and made his way to the kitchen.
Tying on the apron, he rummaged around for stuff to make breakfast. While he did, he recalled the almost frantic rush they seemed to be in last night. They had knocked out two zones after their lunch with Ioaniss, all of them focusing on trying to level. Their normal banter had dropped off, as they went all out to get as much done as quickly as they could.
Alburet got bacon cooking on the griddle, then went about getting coffee going. As he worked, his mind drifted back to the first zone they’d torn through after lunch.
He hadn’t been expecting Orcs, since it had been so long since the last time they’d fought them. Heavily armored, and smart enough to employ good tactics, it might have been difficult, if not for all his minions. Between Stacia’s mind control and Tiny as their off tank, they’d been able to gather two groups at a time and mow them down, using one group against the other. Bob had been happy enough to repeatedly run out of mana by using just Fire Burst, then dropping down to gouge out eyes before flying off again.
The dungeon was a war camp, with the chieftain, named Thrull, riding his giant war-pig, Tusky. The boss didn’t have an aggro table, but all the adds that joined in did, so the tanks held them while Bob, BJ, and Alburet did the majority of damage to Thrull and Tusky. Karen and Fluff added on damage when the boss came near them, but otherwise stayed on the adds.
Shaking his head as he finally got the kettle onto the stove for the coffee, Alburet frowned at the memory of Tusky’s enraged squeal when Thrull had been killed. Not that the war-pig had lasted much longer, but it was sad the way the pig had nosed at the body of his rider before it joined Thrull in death. With the chieftain dead, the other adds ran off and left them with a completed dungeon.
Flipping the bacon over, Alburet was happy to see the right amount of crispiness on the first side. He grabbed the mixing bowl and eggs, and started on scrambling them. Adding pepper and milk to the eggs, he whipped them into a frothy mixture before pouring them into the pan.
Gently moving the eggs, Alburet’s mind went to the second zone they had sacked. Yetis, which they hadn’t seen for some time either. The zone was quickly dealt with, his minions again making it easy for them to deal with the normal mobs. The dungeon, though, had taken them some time; it had been awhile since they had seen a multi-boss dungeon.
The fact the dungeon was a harem themed cave had been unexpected. The Yeti King had his three wives between the entrance and himself. Each wife had different Abilities that revolved around elements: the first had been wind, then earth, and the last was ice. Recalling that he had been forced to dismiss all of his minions before each fight still rankled him a little, but the bosses’ health all scaled to the number of people in the dungeon when engaged, so it had been necessary.
The eggs were firming up as he recalled the Yeti King. Massive, he stood ten feet tall at least, with a stunning roar that caused bits of the ceiling to fall. The fight had been difficult even with just him. He’d had an abnormally large health pool and seemed to be a cross between Defender and Berserker. The fire from Bob and Alburet had done a little extra damage to the boss, which was good, because plain physical damage seemed to be halved.
When they finally dropped the boss, looted it, and returned to drop off the quests, it was close to midnight. The group promised to meet up at the same time they normally did, which meant they’d gone straight home and collapsed after a quick shower. His last thoughts before sleep had been amazement that they’d managed to make it to level 74, and that they would need to pause after the next zone to train Abilities again.
He moved the pan of eggs to the back of the stove, taking them off the heat. The kettle let out a small whistle, and he poured the hot water into the coffee pot, then turned his attention to the bacon.
Nodding to himself, Alburet felt good about what he’d accomplished. Turning, he found his wives all staring at him silently. “Err… morning?”
“Mornin’ master,” Stacia grinned. “Ya look good in just the apron. The food be ready for all of us?”
“Yeah, sit down ladies,” Alburet said as his eyes darted from one naked body to the next. “I’ll serve you today.”
“You serve me whenever I pin you,” Karen said with a snicker as she took her seat.
Plating the food, Alburet chose to ignore her comment. “It’s just eggs and bacon, I didn’t do toast or anything else.”
“That’s more than enough,” Fluff said, pouring coffee for everyone. “I’ll help.”
“Thank you,” Alburet said, leaning over to kiss her cheek.
Fluff set the coffee down as Alburet started bringing plates over. He took his se
at after serving Fluff and laid the last plate before his spot. “We’re heading for another of the Dragon zones first, right?”
“That’s the plan,” Karen said around a mouthful of eggs. “After I get killed a few times,” she added after swallowing.
“He still wants to do that today?” Alburet asked.
“Gerald needs to be there for it,” Stacia said simply. “Tha’ be what he said last night, though he hopes for a breakpoint soon. It seems a few of the more enterprisin’ guild members kept the deal runnin’ with the Assassins outside the mornin’ hours for the extra coin.”
“Oh,” Alburet blinked. “Yeah, that should’ve put a dent in things.”
“We’ll find out this morning, hopefully,” Fluff said. “This is good, thank you Al.”
“You’ve all fed me, so it seemed only fair. Though I’m a little confused how I ended up apart from the rest of you.”
“I had a night terror last night,” Fluff said, looking down at her plate.
“We helped her though it,” Karen said. “You were dead to the world.” Alburet might have imagined the note of annoyance that edged her words, but he felt the emotion under it easily enough.
“Karen…” he began, but stopped as Stacia held up her hand to him.
“She be knowin’ tha’ it be her old mindset tha’ brought tha’ forward,” Stacia said as Alburet felt the shame from Karen.
“She’s right,” Karen sighed, “sorry.”
“I love you all so much, I would never purposefully ignore any of you when you are in need,” Alburet said, making sure his love and certainty were felt by the women.
“I know, Al,” Fluff said as she glanced at him. “I think I might have been trying to go too fast with you. That’s what we think triggered it last night. That, and the worry about the quest and Vladimir.”
Reaching over, he gently rubbed her ears. “I understand, and no, I’m not upset by needing to slow down, Fluff. I’ve told you before—your pace is the pace we will go at.”
Nodding, she moved her chair next to his and hugged him. “Thank you. I just seem to be taking a step back every time I think I’m moving forward.”
“And all of us will be here every time to help you,” Karen said.
“Aye,” Stacia agreed.
“Always,” Alburet finished, and raised Fluff’s face for a light kiss. “Now finish your breakfast, we have to head out soon.”
“Okay,” Fluff smiled as she scooted her chair back and began eating again.
“I’ll get ready, then take care of the dishes while you all get ready,” Karen said, quickly leaving the table.
“I’ll go with her,” Stacia said, following her a moment later.
Alburet could feel the cloud of mixed emotions from Karen, but left it to Stacia to untangle. He wished he could help, but felt that it would be better for Stacia to be the one to be there for her right then.
“She’s still having problems accepting what we have,” Fluff murmured. “She’s afraid that Vicky will take you away and we won’t be allowed to go with you.”
“So am I,” Alburet admitted, “but I’m going to do my best to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“I know, and that makes me want to do even more to help,” Fluff said as she stood up, her plate empty. “You’re going to be the last one ready again.”
Alburet snorted as he took a big bite, watching Fluff retreat down the hall. He worked to keep his own fear and worry at bay, so as to not push them onto the others. Having the emotional bond was a blessing, but in moments like these, it could also be a curse.
Standing up, he turned for the bedroom just as Karen came down the hall in her leathers. “Karen, I—”
“I know, Al,” Karen said, grabbing him in a tight embrace. “I’ll do my best too, like Fluff. I won’t let them take you from me, not ever. It would hurt me, but I think it might break Fluff, and that would break me.”
“Okay,” Alburet said, kissing the top of her head. “You need to let me go so we can do the best we can.”
Pushing him away, she glared at him, but couldn’t quite keep from smiling, “Sure, sure.”
Shaking his head, he snagged her for a quick, passionate kiss before letting her go. “I’ll try to follow up on that soon.”
“You damned well better,” Karen said after him as she began picking up the dishes.
Alburet grinned as he headed for the bedroom, passing Stacia on her way to the kitchen. “Thank you,” he said softly as he passed her, earning a smile in return.
Fluff was slinging her backpack onto her shoulders as Alburet entered the bedroom. “Can you take this out for me?” Alburet asked as he untied the apron, “I forgot I was wearing it.”
Fluff’s eyes traveled down his body before she nodded. “Yes.”
“Thanks,” he handed it to her, then snagged her for a hug and a kiss, “for everything.”
“Isn’t that my line?” Fluff asked, letting the hug linger.
“Maybe it’s both our lines. You, Stacia, and Karen are the only reason I’m still here and mostly stable.”
“I understand,” Fluff said, nuzzling her cheek against his. “Hurry up, we have a lot to do today.”
“I hear and obey, Fluff,” Alburet chuckled as he reluctantly let her go. “I’ll try and be quick.”
“That would be unusual for you,” Fluff giggled as she went towards the door, looking over her shoulder at him.
Jaw dropping, Alburet blinked at her. “Wow, I see you really are learning from Karen.”
With another giggle, Fluff shut the door behind her without replying to his shocked expression. Shaking his head, Alburet began to get his gear together. A couple minutes later, he was ready and went to the living room, but only Stacia and Fluff were there.
“She went on ahead,” Fluff said as she opened the door.
“Makes sense, and here I am holding us all up again.” Stepping over, he took the door from Fluff. “Ladies, after you.” Each of them gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as they exited their home. He stepped around them to open the door to the guild hall, smiling as he collected two more kisses. “Being a gentleman comes with a lot of perks, it seems.”
“Tha’ be because so few men really be so,” Kauree said from the desk.
“Gerald and the others are in the back room,” Vanessa told them with a slight shake of her head at Kauree’s comment. “Are you waiting out here for Karen again?”
“That’s the plan,” Alburet said.
The door opened behind them, and all eyes focused on the man who entered with a hopeful expression on his face. “Oh, good, I do get to see him today,” Cody Carter said, nodding to Alburet. “If I might have a moment of your time?”
Eyes going flat, Alburet sighed, “Ladies, if you’ll excuse me for a moment.” He motioned Cody over to the corner, where two chairs sat. “Over there, Sir Carter.”
“Excellent, thank you.” Smiling broadly, the lesser noble took one of the chairs and waited for Alburet to sit before he started speaking again. “I have recently learned of events happening in the Dead Lands that I believe are of importance. I see you are quickly reaching the level needed to venture into the Dead Lands on your own. I would point you towards trying to find the city of Peace…” he trailed off, looking faintly alarmed as Alburet’s eyes pinned him to the seat at the mention of the city.
“What do you know about Peace?” Alburet asked intently.
“There is a secret that has been buried there for ages,” Cody said slowly, licking his lips nervously. “My family had a task in the city, but when it fell, my ancestors fled and left their task undone. I am quite interested in getting there and completing what my ancestors should have done before fleeing.” His speech didn’t falter, but Alburet could feel the shame Carter felt at saying the words out loud.
“We might head that way, and if you tell us what it is, we might be able to help—” Alburet started before Cody cut him off.
“I can’t,” Cody said quickly
. “It is part of the task laid at the feet of my family. Over the years, a number of my family have ventured into the sands, but none ever returned and the Quest still hangs over us. If I can have your promise to take me with you, I should be able to share the Quest when we reach the city itself.”
Alburet felt as if an outside force was pushing him forward, and he briefly wished Vicky would let up, as he already had her quest. “I’ll contact you later tonight,” Alburet said finally. “We might be leaving faster than you expect, so get your things in order, as we won’t wait for you when the time comes.”
“I’ve been ready since your first trip into the Dead Lands,” Cody said, a hopeful smile on his lips. “I thank you, Alburet Two-souled.” Standing up, he gave a deep formal bow to Alburet. “This might finally let my family know peace.” He left the guild hall in a hurry, as if he had things to arrange.
The Path to Peace Page 27
