Playing For Keeps (Alpha World Book 4)

by Daniel Schinhofen

  “If this was normal I would cast Demonic Haze, Demonic Vitality and Demonic Retribution, which would eat up 475 mana and leave me at 2,291 mana. With Fire Blast costing 150 mana that would mean about fifteen casts at 2 seconds each. Or about a half minute of continuous casting.”

  Chewing his lip, he factored in his mana regen, which in combat was about 102 mana per second. Chuckling as he considered that he could cast Fire Blast continuously while still regaining mana, at a surplus of 54 mana every two seconds.

  “I guess dumping all my points into Wisdom has helped out,” Alburet chuckled again.

  “Of course it would,” Stacia added as she sat up with a languid stretch. “Mornin’, me lovin’ husband. Did ya sleep well?”

  His eyes drank in her perfect skin, which was on display as she wasn’t wearing anything. “Yes. I’ll go get breakfast for everyone. Relax until I get back,” he quickly pulled on pants and tunic, not bothering with armor just yet.

  “Aye,” Stacia replied as she lay back down to hold a currently naked Karen, who was holding a likewise naked Fluff.

  Blinking at the exposed bevy of naked flesh when he turned back to them, Alburet coughed softly. “Yeah, I’ll be right back.”

  As he left the tent, shaking his head, Karen cracked an eye open. “He didn’t do anything, boo.”

  “Ya can nay smell him or feel his desire as I can. Trust me, he very much liked the sight of us.”

  “Even me?” Fluff asked with a slight tremor to her voice.

  “Oh aye, ya be the one that got his heart beatin’ the fastest,” Stacia replied as she sat up again. “We better dress, though, or he be liable to have one of his panicky moments.”

  “Aww, but he looks so cute when he gets flustered,” Karen laughed as she followed Stacia’s example.

  “We do nay want him to back out of tonight,” Stacia reminded her.

  Fluff paused with her shirt half on, “Is it okay?”

  “Aye,” Stacia reassured her. “Get dressed quickly.” She waited until Fluff started to dress again before she continued. “He will accept the idea more after tonight, and be on the verge of givin’ in to what we three be wantin’. Do nay give him leeway now, Fluff.”

  “Okay—” She hesitated, “I just don’t want to make him feel like he has to.”

  “Oh, he wants to,” Karen added as she finished dressing.

  “Aye,” Stacia added as she started to strap her leathers on. “Ya can nay see him struggle with ya, Fluff. He is drawn to wantin’ ya in his arms and berating himself for wantin’ it. He feels like he mayhap be takin’ advantage of ya soft, sweet nature.”

  “So, he does like me in that way?” Fluff asked her cheeks pinking as she put her chainmail on.

  “I would say so,” Karen replied. “Remember how his anatomy greeted you when you pressed against him?”

  Looking down, Fluff nodded, “I still have trouble accepting that he feels that way for me.”

  “Ya will know soon,” Stacia soothed her fears. “He be almost back,” she told the others as Kitten slipped back inside the tent from where she’d been acting as a lookout for the girl talk.

  “I’m back,” Alburet announced a minute later. He was surprised to see the women all dressed in their gear and waiting for him. “Seems I’m a bit behind this morning. I’ll gear up after our meal of bread, cheese and bacon.”

  “Bacon!” Karen cheered as she took hers. “One of the heavenly foods.”

  “Everyone likes bacon,” Fluff agreed.

  With that sentiment, the group ate their food in companionable silence. Karen and Fluff grabbed their bags and headed out when they were done. Stacia moved to follow them, pausing at the tent flap to turn back to Alburet.

  “We have all our stuff, master. Ya can break down the tent when ya be done.”

  “Will do, be along shortly,” Alburet called to her as she left. He turned to get his gear only to discover Kitten holding the stack out to him from her knees. “I have a bad feeling about this…”

  A devious smile settled on the Copy’s lips, “Ya fear me mayhap askin’ ya for a little somethin’ of me own to devour?”

  Shaking his head, he looked down at her with a smile, “Yeah, pretty much, my insatiable sex demon.”

  Licking her lips seductively, Kitten’s eyes began to burn with desire, “Would ya be havin’ me any other way?”

  Shaking his head, he gave in to her desire, “No. Frankly, I’m not sure I even deserve you, my little fire kitten.”

  He left the tent half an hour later with Kitten behind him, a satisfied expression on her face.

  As he put the tent away, Alburet looked around the camp. Stacia, Karen and Fluff were talking with Marysue over by her tent. Stacia gave him a wink as his eyes met hers. Shaking his head, he turned to where Banthor and Roberto were talking. “Gentlemen, how are you feeling?”

  “Doin’ fine,” Banthor replied. “It was good of ye to remember our friend like tha’.”

  “Least we could do,” Alburet said. “Is there a plan for this morning’s attack?”

  “We discussed it over breakfast,” Roberto answered. “We should be leaving the Immature Sand Worms behind today or tomorrow, but we’ll start seeing more of the bigger ones. Luckily, they tend to attack the first group that crosses their path instead of targeting the weakest people. We should also start to see Infernals in the next day or so. The Imps fly the skies, while the Destroyers and Succubi walk the sands. Though, the Succubi will take to the air during the fight.”

  “That doesn’t tell me what the plan is,” Alburet chuckled.

  “Aye,” Banthor was grinning as well. “I be thinkin’ the lass who took him to bed last night scrambled his brain. Tell us the truth, Roberto, are the Two-souled any different in tha’ respect?”

  Roberto coughed once as his brow arched, “A man should never kiss and tell.”

  “One of my guildies? Tell me it was her idea, at least,” Alburet asked with mock severity.

  “Aye, she had him by the belt, or somethin’ in tha’ general area anyway,” Banthor laughed.

  “Yes, it was her idea,” Roberto replied as he ignored Banthor. “As for the plan, it’s just a minor variation of what we’ve been doing. We’re going to set up in concentric circles, no groups except those in the outer ring to catch the Sand Worms. The idea is to try to limit the number of people who can be hit by the Forgotten Elementalist’s area spells while keeping people close enough to deal with any Immature Sand Worms.”

  “Sounds good,” Alburet replied as Gerald walked over to join them.

  “I’ve spread the word already about the plan for today. We’re already just a handful of jewelry away from everyone having a piece, too. The last two days have been heavy on the jewelry,” Gerald added. He glanced at Alburet, “I was meaning to ask the other day, but we were all distracted by the death. How are you doing after Karen dismantled you so thoroughly the other day?”

  Rubbing the back of his neck, Alburet chuckled, “Don’t break her bones, that is what I’ve learned. We have an agreement not to break any bones in the future.”

  “Hah, right, she’d hurt you even worse next time,” Gerald laughed.

  “Not really. I told him I would take it out on the second in command,” Karen added as the women came over to join them. Gerald, standing with his back to them, hadn’t seen them approach.

  Jumping slightly, Gerald spun, “Well then, I’m really glad he agreed not to break any more bones.”

  “She wouldn’t do that to you,” Marysue commented.

  “Did you enjoy your chat?” Alburet directed the question to Stacia, knowing that Gerald was paying attention.

  “Aye, we were just comparin’ notes. Girl talk,” Stacia added, catching the twinkle in Alburet’s eye.

  Gerald’s face went blank, “Talk?”

  “Nothing for you to worry about,” Marysue commented with a smile. “They were asking me a few questions, is all.”

  “We would never interfere with y
our budding relationship, right ladies?” Karen added with a broad grin as she kept her eyes on Gerald.

  Eyes darting from face to face, Gerald seemed suddenly uneasy. “Do you mean that?”

  “Not in the least,” Karen laughed.

  “She’s just messing with your head, Gerald. You’ve faced down my dad a few times, don’t let Karen get under your skin. What we are doing, or not doing, is entirely up to us. They were just showing me some of Fluff’s art and wondering if I wanted her to draw me in the next few days.” Marysue looked over at Fluff as she finished talking, “Sometime soon?”

  “We can make it work,” Fluff replied calmly.

  Eyes shifting to Fluff, Alburet’s brow furrowed slightly. He noticed her standing more upright, her head up and a new confidence to her tone. He couldn’t help but smile as he looked at her. His eyes drifted to Stacia, who gave him a small nod and a smile of her own. Exchanging a silent moment with Stacia, he made a mental note to thank her, as Fluff seemed even more confident today, than she had over the last few days.

  “Nay tonight, though,” Stacia added, her eyes still on Alburet. “We have plans for tonight, aye?”

  Karen’s grin became large, her eyes sparkling as she also looked over at Alburet, “Oh, yes. Plans that were pushed off once already. Our personal thank you to Fluff, for her masterful performance the other night.”

  Fluff looked over at Alburet, a little uncertain but seeing his acceptance of what was to come. “That was put off, so yes we do have those plans for tonight. Gerald, Marysue,” Alburet said, his smile broadening as an idea occurred to him, “We’re going to be having dinner in the tent tonight to thank Fluff. Would you like to join us?”

  “That sounds gr—” Gerald began, but Marysue’s elbow in his gut cut him off with a grunt.

  “No, we have plans ourselves,” Marysue quickly interjected after cutting him off.

  Gerald frowned at Marysue, “We do?”

  “We do now. I have some things I need to talk with you about,” Marysue told him.

  “We be ready to move,” Banthor announced to the raid as a whole.

  Roberto directed them to their assigned spots before the Campstones were pulled up. Once everyone was in position, with weapons out and ready for the coming attack, Banthor called for the camps to be broken. Shortly after the Campstones were removed the attack came as it had every other day. This time the sand erupted in twenty places, disrupting their formation as Immature Sand Worms targeted individuals. Eight people were swallowed, while the others were able to dodge the initial attack. Stacia was one of those swallowed.

  “Collapse on the worms,” Roberto bellowed a second before the entire raid did so.

  Alburet attacked the Immature Sand Worm that had swallowed Stacia. His heart hammered as he attacked the beast wildly, the two-handed hammer that he had started using yesterday covered in flames as he slammed it into the hide of the beast. Fluffball went flying over his head as she climbed the Worm, her claws leaving bloody rents in her wake. Gerald, Tiny, and Karen all slammed into the sides of the beast to help him. Bob didn’t cackle even once as he conjured and threw his Fire Blasts, his little heart hammering—not as hard as Alburet’s, but still hard.

  “Let go of the mistress,” Tiny roared as he slammed his mace into the beast over and over again.

  They were so focused on their own battle that they ignored the rest of the raid, so they were surprised when Ironhand, Leggylass, Greenbeard and the other members of that group added in on the same Immature Sand Worm. Stacia was puked out of the worm with her life bar almost gone. Alburet hit her with Demonic Vitality and Demonic Haze as quickly as he could cast them. His hand burned slightly from the acidic bile that covered her.

  His breath shuddered out of him as he realized she was alive. He let the hammer fall from his hands as he hugged her, heedless of the damage he suffered from the acid covering her. He shook as he held her, while the others continued to kill the Worm. When it fell over he was still holding her, silently casting Demonic Vitality on her again. A minute passed before he became aware of the others all looking down at them.

  “Sorry,” he coughed once.

  “Isn’t she your…” Ironhand began, but he cut off as Karen stepped on his foot.

  “Ixnay,” Karen told him. “The other natives don’t know. Keep it close to the vest, okay?”

  “Why would it matter?” Greenbeard asked curiously.

  “Her family would suffer. Half-bloods have it bad enough. There are laws about Infernals inside the walls of the city,” Gerald told him.

  “But, wait. How does that...” Leggylass murmured, drifting to a stop as she worked out part of the logistics. “That’s why you have the copy, to act like she’s your Succubus?”

  Alburet nodded as he got to his feet, pulling Stacia to her feet with him. “Yes. It would cause issues for her family, so she’s a Half-blood now, having accepted the same blessing from the Dark Lord that I did. If I ever get the chance to transition to a full Infernal, then she will as well.”

  “The rest of the armor set?” Greenbeard asked as he stroked his green beard.

  “Very likely,” Alburet said as he picked up his weapon and slung it on his back. “I do wonder about some of the things that led me to the first two pieces. I’m sure it’ll be awhile before I find any of the others.”

  “Ha,” Gerald laughed once. “The way things happen around you, I would bet the other side of that.”

  “We are moving,” Roberto called out to the raid.

  “We’ll keep it secret,” Greenbeard said as he and the group he was with moved off to take their places in the raid.

  “Thanks for the help,” Alburet called out to them as they separated.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The raid was in better spirits that night when they made camp. The members of Alpha Company had gained another three levels and no one had died. Alburet closed the guild message tab, having looked over the entertainment that Marysue had arranged for the evening. He felt a warm feeling that the people he had met so soon in Alpha World had turned out to be so dependable. Gerald was all but running the guild, while Marysue was handling the new burgeoning social aspect of the guild.

  After setting up the tent, Alburet dismissed Tiny and Bob. “You did me proud today, guys. Your quick reactions helped us keep from having to explain things to some of the others. You’re both free to go home.”

  “She is your wife, making her the second most important person to protect besides you,” Tiny rumbled.

  “You would be really cranky if she died. Can’t have that,” Bob added with a straight face.

  “Thank you, Tiny. It’s nice to know she’s that important to you as well. Bob, get bent, and you'” Alburet replied to them, keeping his face straight though he wanted to smile.

  Bob vanished with a cackle, his teeth visible as he laughed. Tiny nodded before he also vanished in a cloud of smoke. Alburet watched them vanish, knowing they both cared as much as he did.

  Alburet went into the tent, stripping off his gear. He heard the women come in behind him chatting about the day. Dropping his bag and most of his armor in the corner, he pulled off his shirt to put on a different one for dinner. Turning as he pulled on the red shirt, he found the three women all sitting on their bedrolls while Kitten was setting out an array of food.

  “Dinner?” he asked with a frown.

  “Aye,” Stacia replied. “Ya told the others tha’ we had dinner plans tonight. Do ya wish to prove those words to be false?”

  Her words drove home what tonight was really supposed to be. Alburet pulled up short, as he looked at the trio being served by Kitten. “We aren’t going out to mingle then?”

  “Trying to get out of what you agreed to?” Karen asked, a hint of an edge in her voice.

  His eyes flickered to Fluff, who was watching him. She had been smiling, though his words caused her expression to fall. “No, no I’m not. I don’t have many friends, you two plus the other two and David. M
aybe Alvin as well, I still owe him for my being here I believe. I’m still a little uncertain that what’s going to happen is the best thing, but I don’t back away from a friend who I’ve made a promise to.”

  Fluff seemed to twitch at Alvin’s name, but she did perk up some by the time he finished. “Do you want to see the drawings I did last night?”

  Head tilting slightly, he vaguely recalled Marysue mentioning some drawings, but he had forgotten after the excitement of the Immature Sand Worms. “You did more drawing after the one featuring Gremin?” Fluff nodded in reply, so he took a seat next to her. “I would love to see more of your work, Fluff.”