“You scared them all away,” Tiny rumbled with a hint of laughter.
Bob stopped describing his last sexual escapade after Tiny’s words. Glancing around he frowned, “Prudes.”
A crimson cheeked Fluff had stayed where she was next to Karen. She had been listening in, even though some of Bob’s more enthusiastic descriptions made her squirm in her seat. “Maybe you can tell her more later?”
“Oh sure,” Bob agreed as he looked at Fluff, and her proximity to Karen. “Hey, are you two—”
“Bob,” Alburet cut him off. “Let that snake lie.”
Lips pursing into a petulant pout, Bob nodded reluctantly. “Fine. I was just curious was all.”
Karen gave Bob a quick hug, “No we aren’t, not yet anyway. Off you go, before he gets upset.”
Letting out a contented sigh Bob wobbled in place once Karen released him. “Hugs are so nice.” He surreptitiously looked to Fluff, “How do you rate her hugs?”
Eyes widening, Fluff looked at Karen then away, “9.2.”
Eyes shining to match the smile that blossomed on her lips, Karen leaned down and kissed Fluff’s ear. “That was a very sweet thing to say, Fluff. Thank you.”
“We should go get our things,” Fluff suddenly blurted as she took off for the tent.
Karen watched her go for a moment before following her. Stacia leaned against Alburet, looking at the tent they’d both vanished into, “They be sure to be fine. It makes me happy to see our family comin’ along so well, do ya nay agree me husband?”
“It makes me happy to see them both coming to acceptance. Why do you keep calling us all a family, though? We’re friends, guild mates, roommates even, but family?”
Her smile was enigmatic as she stood up, offering her hand to him, “There always be hope.”
Lips creasing as he took her arm he grunted, “Not letting go of your dream, then?”
“Nay, it be what we both want and what they want. Even iffin ya still be fightin’ yaself every day. I believe ya will come around in time. It be time to start another day of travel, though. I do hope this new plan keeps me sister safer. Mayhap I should stay here in camp with her, me bein’ a ‘native’.”
Hearing her obvious desire to not give away that she was his minion, Alburet agreed. “That is a good idea, losing you would probably kill me, after all.”
“We can nay be havin’ tha’,” Stacia murmured as she entered the tent to grab her stuff, followed by Alburet and his minions.
Not quite an hour later everyone was packed and ready to go. The crafters as well as those few natives of Alpha World in the guild stayed inside the camp that was left for last. Banthor coordinated picking up the other Campstones. Tension rose as the guards and mercenaries waited to be attacked. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and after several minutes Banthor sucked at his teeth, clearly annoyed.
“Damn it, had hoped tha’ would work,” Banthor spat.
“We tried,” Roberto shrugged. “Now we know why people don’t do it this way.”
“We dropping the last camp and waiting for the mobs to hit us, then?” Alburet asked the Captains.
“Sadly, tha’ seems to be the only way. We mayhap want to put three sets of guards into the very interior to help better defend those we need to guard most,” Banthor scowled.
“I’ll let them know,” Alburet replied. “If you can get everyone arranged and ready, Roberto?” Roberto nodded and started calling out orders to his men, echoed by Banthor.
A moment later the group of crafters and native Alpha Worlders of the guild appeared. As soon as they did fifteen guards surrounded them in a circle. Eleven seconds after the last Campstone was removed the sand around the raid group shifted to reveal their first attackers for the day. The mobs that appeared from the sands were unexpected, even Roberto and Banthor were taken aback. Instead of the groups of skeletons they’d been expecting, three Sand Worms erupted around the raid group, surprising them all. Mature Sand Worms had never been seen this far from the center of the Dead Lands. Five Immature Sand Worms sprang up in the middle of the group, as well, but those had been expected after yesterday.
Deirdre was shoved aside by the guard closest to her, saving her from being swallowed. DrBone was also able to dodge his attacker today, skipping to the side as the Immature Worm rose from the sand under him. All five of the Immature Sand Worms missed their selected targets thanks to the reactions of the guards and guild members who had been waiting. The Three Sand Worms, though, attacked the outer ring of the raid, swallowing entire groups as they came out of the sands.
“Holy fuck,” Ironhand shouted, shocked at the size of the larger worms. They were easily ten times the size of the Immature Worms.
Alpha Company didn’t hesitate, attacking the smaller worms that had targeted their companions. They cast glances at the larger worms that were being attacked by the mercs and the guards, in awe at the size of the beasts. Ioaniss stood between the two groups while holding a book in one hand, pencil in the other, taking notes as fast as he could. Alburet joined in attacking one of the Immature Sand Worms, his axe leaving large gashes in the lower portion of the exposed worm. Karen and Fluff had both leapt onto the same worm, their weapons slashing at it. Bob cackled as he tossed Fire Blast after Fire Blast, his spells bigger and brighter than before.
The five smaller worms died first, allowing the raid to turn to the other battles. They were just in time to see the three Sand Worms spit up the people they had swallowed. Covered in viscous liquid, the freshly regurgitated mercenaries slowly got to their feet. The worms retreated into the sand a moment later. Roberto called out, yelling to be heard by all. “Get ready, they will come back up again.”
Not five seconds later the worms did as he said, exploding up out of the sand swallowing more people as they did. The raid pivoted on the Sand Worms, those in the center focusing on one of the worms with spells and ranged attacks. The first worm was slain rapidly with all the damage pouring in. As it died the people it had swallowed were dumped unceremoniously onto the sand. The melee that hadn’t been close to the first target had converged on the other two and focused on them, doing enough damage to cause them to expel their victims before vanishing beneath the sand once more.
The next time the Sand Worms burst forth the raid split into two groups to kill them, able to do enough additional damage to drop them both before they could vanish again. As the last one fell dead, a moment of utter silence settled over the raid. A few seconds after that a loud cheer went up, starting with the mercenaries who had been attacked first, quickly picked up by the guards then Alpha Company.
“Sand Worms this early on?” Banthor spat after the cheer died down. “Bloody hell, someone must hate us.”
“Nothing great was done without obstacles,” Ioaniss commented as he put his book away.
“Is everyone okay?” Marysue asked as the groups sorted themselves back into travelling formations.
“No fatalities, and the injured are being healed,” Roberto told her on his way by, going around to check on his men personally.
After a few minutes, the raid was set back into marching order and started their journey for the day. The rest of the fights for the day turned out to be more normal, with Forgotten Guards and Forgotten Elementalists along with an Immature Sand Worm or two. Eventually the journey was called to a halt and camp was set again. The levels gained by those in Alpha Company were still a popular subject for discussion, but the after dinner entertainment Marysue had set up was also the subject of much speculation.
Alburet
Half-Blood Infernal Summoner
Level 44
Strength: 93 (88)
Agility: 93 (88)
Constitution: 30
Intelligence: 158 (128)
Wisdom: 431 (256)
Charisma: 123 (88)
Health: 2,500
Mana: 6,510
Spells:
Demon Skin- Rank 5
Demonic Retribution- Rank 4
&n
bsp; Summon Imp
Fire Blast- Rank 4
Sap Strength- Rank 4
Demonic Haze- Rank 4
Summon Destroyer
Demonic Vitality- Rank 4
Fire Burst- Rank 4
Summon Succubus
Abilities:
Personal Spells
Flame Weapon
Copy
Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Ally)
(4 Upgrades to be selected)
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 Twelve
Alburet took most of his armor off, keeping his boots, gloves and crown on as he knew he was going to be fighting Karen in a bit. As he turned to leave the tent he saw Karen smirking at him.
“Afraid of me?” Karen chuckled.
“I just want an even chance,” Alburet told her. “With your stats, I need to have these on to be even with you.”
“She is going to hurt you?” Tiny rumbled from behind Alburet.
“Possibly. We’re going to have a training session. It’s fine, she won’t kill me. You two did well today. Go home to your wives and enjoy the evening.”
“Aww, I wanted to watch her kick your butt,” Bob snarked just before he vanished.
“You can win, master,” Tiny added before he also vanished.
“I be cleaning the tent while ya all enjoy ya selves,” Kitten purred from the far corner of the tent where she was looking over Alburet’s discarded armor.
“I be good like tha’,” Stacia giggled at his expression as she left the tent.
“I want a good fight before we go walking in my mind again” Karen added, then turned to address Fluffball. “May I escort the Lady Fluff to dinner?”
Fluff took the offered arm with a warm smile, “Of course.”
They went out, leaving Alburet alone in the tent with Kitten. “Master,” Kitten spoke up as the flap fell closed behind them. “Are ya goin’ to be ready tomorrow for us to see ya memories again?”
Looking away as he recalled the last memory, he nodded. “Maybe not something involving David or Kaylee.”
“Aye, mayhap we can show a bit of ya old job then?”
“Not much there worthwhile.”
“I be thinkin’ I can find somethin’, but ya be dallyin’ and nay in a way we both would be enjoyin’. Go have ya food and fun, and we be walkin’ with Karen tonight.”
“See you soon, Kitten,” Alburet told the Copy of his loving wife before he left the tent.
Dinner was a stew again, like it had been every other night. As he ate, Alburet asked Roberto about it. “Stew? It has been tasty every night, but why always stew?”
“It’s the easiest thing to do for a camp full of people. If it was just five, then maybe it would be steaks, but for over a hundred and fifty stew is just the easiest thing.”
“Fair point,” Gerald chuckled between bites. “And it will make us more appreciative of some variety when we’re done with this.”
“I’m thinking Langistor soup when we get back,” Karen commented, her eyes on Marysue.
Shuddering gently, Marysue shook her head, “You said that deliberately.”
“Yup,” Karen replied as she took another bite.
“Are you sending out the schedule for the after dinner events?” Fluffball asked as Marysue finished her meal.
“In just a minute. We’re starting with Karen and Alburet. Roberto and Banthor are going to have a match as well. After the other five fights that were requested we’ll be moving on to some small plays. Turns out that some of the guild used to do various plays at ren faires, so they’ll be putting on a show for us tonight.”
“Sounds good,” Ioaniss opined, “but what is a ren faire?”
The group paused to consider how to explain it to him, looking at each other blankly. Fluff was the first to speak, “It’s an outdoor fair. There are various cart vendors that sell food, jewelry, and other items. A number of small stages are erected for minstrels, actors, or others of artistic bent to perform on. There’s also usually one large area set aside for combat.”
“Sounds like the Spring Festival,” Ioaniss nodded. “Always a good time.”
Conversation slowed as those still eating focused on the food. Once Alburet was done he moved off a bit from the others and began to stretch out. He noticed Karen doing the same thing a short way off. He met her eyes as they stretched out. Her eyes were full of laughter and confidence. He was sure he would be trounced yet again, but he would do his best.
Minutes ticked by as the last few people finished up their dinner. Marysue eventually asked Gerald to call for attention so she could make an announcement. “I’m sending out a raid message about the events planned for tonight. First up is our guild leader against one of our officers again. Last time he was defeated by her. Will he be able to right the scales or will she prove victorious again?” With a bow she stepped away with Gerald at her side, leaving an open space for the fight.
Karen entered the space first, taking up a stance on one side, to many cheers and whistles. She bowed to the crowd before turning to face Alburet, who had stepped into the opposite side of the square. More cheers and encouragement were thrown to him as he bowed to the crowd before turning to Karen.
“Okay, Sensei, let us see if I have improved,” he bowed to her.
Her smile was broad as she bowed back, “Come, deshi, let me see your improvement.” She stepped into a ready stance, her arms out before her.
Alburet settled into his own stance, arms and legs a bit wider. They just stared at each other as the seconds ticked by. The crowd started to call out to them to fight as the seconds continued to tick by. Alburet started to advance slowly, his feet shifting inches at a time to keep his balance as close to perfect as he could. Karen matched him as she also started to glide towards the middle of the square.
They came to rest with her just out of Alburet’s reach. “I was hoping you would attack first,” Alburet told her as he paused.
“Same,” Karen replied simply. “Alas, we are forced into conflict for the crowd.”
“Well it was—” he cut off as Karen darted forward, her leg snapping out.
Backpedaling, he slapped her snap kick away. Before he could try to counterattack though, she had dropped and swept his legs. Going to the ground he rolled away, Karen just missing a crescent kick aimed for his gut. As he rolled to his feet he felt her arms clinch around his waist.
He reached up and back as he dropped his weight. He caught her shirt, and used that to pull at her, trying to bring her over his shoulder as he stopped her from tossing him. He was unable to complete the move as Karen went to the ground, retaining her hold on him.
Alburet grabbed at her hands at his waist as she twisted him face down into the sand. He locked onto her left wrist as her right came free and punched him twice in the kidney. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he kept his grip on her as he yanked. Karen was pulled from his back, allowing him to turn to face her even as she slipped her hand free of his grip.
A grin was plastered on her face as she tackled him back to the ground. He was taken by surprise by the frontal attack, so she was able to straddle him as he fell back to the sand. He covered up as she tried to elbow bash his face, like he had done to her last time.
Her elbows struck at his forearms that were in the way. Attempting to buck her up so he could twist his hips proved futile; he would have to take the hits so he could get better leverage with his arms. As he dropped his right arm away from his face to grab at her, he felt the pain of his nose breaking. Karen had anticipated his move and planted her elbow square into his nose as he moved.
“How’s that feel?” Karen panted, driving another elbow into his face.
Teeth clenched against the pain, he lashed
out with his right hand and caught her belt. Using his arm and legs he strained against her even as she continued to hammer him. She hadn’t expected him to pull her straight up, figuring that he would attempt to break to the sides. She was shocked when she went over his head, followed closely by him.
Now on top of her, blood dripping down onto her from his battered nose, Alburet pinned her arms down before driving his head into her nose. He hadn’t managed to straddle her and she’d gotten her legs wrapped around his waist when he rolled them.
The audience was cheering at them, enjoying the fight. Stacia grinned, sharing a whisper with Fluff at the sight of the two of them locked as they were. With Alburet between Karen’s thighs and her bucking her hips it looked more like a grudge fuck than a fight. Fluff giggled as she watched her friends, seeing what Stacia was saying.
Karen growled as she squirmed in Alburet’s grip, pulling her head down to avoid the next headbutt. “Oh, it’s on now,” she growled as she turned her head. She released his hips and pulled her knees up to her chest in one quick movement, kicking out before Alburet could respond.
Playing For Keeps (Alpha World Book 4) Page 12
