Playing For Keeps (Alpha World Book 4)

by Daniel Schinhofen

  “Mornin’, me lord and master,” Stacia murmured back as she kissed his chest. “We accomplished the task.”

  “Yes. Yes, we did. We should get up and see what everyone is doing. We need to head back to Stormguard, and let your parents know that everything is fine. I need to train all those abilities that I got during the journey, and Bob really wants a new toy.”

  Stacia giggled softly, “He did provide a good distraction.”

  “He did indeed. I owe him and Tiny both new abilities, I really need to see what else I can take,” He rolled her off of his arm, giving her a kiss before getting out of the bedroll that they had spread on the bed.

  Stacia let him go, stretching out languidly, watching him watch her. “Do we need to leave so soon?”

  “Get up, you insatiable sex demon,” Alburet laughed as he started to dress.

  Pouting, Stacia got out of bed, “As ya wish, master.”

  Alburet slapped her ass after he pulled his gloves on. His lips twitched into a smile at her yelp. “Oh shush, you like it.”

  Light laughter came from her as she jutted her hip out, “Ya nay goin’ to kiss it better?”

  Picking up his bags, Alburet shook his head, “Get dressed and meet me downstairs.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek as he went past her. “I want to see how Fluff and Karen are doing today.”

  Stacia grabbed the bedroll off the bed, quickly rolling it up and stuffing it into her bag. “Aye, tha’ be a good point.”

  Alburet waited at the door for her, then they left the room together. Guards were posted outside the doors to the main room. “Morning, gentlemen,” Alburet greeted them.

  “Morning, sir. Captain Roberto is waiting for you in the dining room,” one of the guards told him.

  “Understood. Do you know which room my companions are in?”

  “There is a guard stationed outside each of their rooms on the floor below this one, sir.”

  With a nod in thanks, Alburet took Stacia’s arm and they proceeded down the stairs. The third floor had a lot of traffic as mercenaries and guards bustled about helping to clean up the building. Addressing a guard obviously on station in front of a door, Alburet asked whose room it was.

  “This room was claimed by Gerald and Marysue, sir.”

  “Which one holds Fluffball and Karen?”

  “Around the corner, sir,” the guard replied.

  Following the directions, the couple found the indicated door also guarded. “Any issues, soldier?”

  “None, sir,” the guard replied.

  Alburet tapped out ‘shave and a haircut’ on the door. He heard a voice ask them to wait, so he gave Stacia a kiss on the cheek and waited. A moment later Fluff opened the door a crack, peeking out through the narrow opening. “Yes? Oh, Alburet. Come in.”

  “Thanks,” Alburet said as he motioned Stacia in before him. Karen was just sitting up in bed, her naked body gleaming in the light of a lamp. Fluff was wearing the pajamas she’d worn each night during the trek to the keep. “Did you have a good night?”

  Karen’s grin broadened, as she nodded vigorously, “It was glorious.”

  Fluff blushed but a smile came to her lips, “She was very gentle with me.”

  “As she should be,” Alburet affirmed, kissing Fluff’s cheek. “I’m glad you’re happy. We were going to head down to talk to Roberto and see if Rolland had the portal up yet. Care to come with us?”

  “I would love to come with you,” Karen smirked as she got out of bed, stretching provocatively.

  “You and Stacia would keep me in bed for days if I let you,” Alburet chuckled.

  “Wouldn’t that be a nice way to spend a weekend? Or a month?” Karen asked, though she did start gathering her scattered armor.

  “I struggle to think of anything that would be more pleasant,” he agreed. “I assume that Fluff would be allowed to join if she wished.”

  “Of course,” Karen said with a touch of indignation. “Fluff is always welcome to be with me no matter what I’m doing.”

  “I don’t think I’m ready for that yet,” Fluff added, sorting her gear.

  “I will never push you,” Alburet reassured her. “We’ll be in the dining room when you guys are ready.”

  “Why do ya nay go ahead, master? We be catchin’ up to ya,” Stacia said as she made eye contact with the other two.

  All three women turned to him, clearly waiting for him to leave. He felt a momentary pang of worry, but bowed deeply despite his misgivings. “As you wish, m’ladies.”

  Giggles and whispers floated through the door as he closed it behind him. His skin itched, knowing they were plotting something. He gave the guard a wry smile as he left the door, making his way down to the main floor to find Rolland in the middle of a chant.

  Kim was nearby, “He’s setting up the portal glyph to the city. It should be done in a bit.”

  “I’ll be back after breakfast, then,” Alburet replied. “When the ladies make it down here, send them my way please.”

  Kim chuckled, “Sure. Captain Roberto was looking for you. He’s in the dining room.”

  “That’s where I’m heading.”

  The dining room was bustling, people sitting around eating and chatting and a constant stream of guild members, guards and mercenaries coming and going. Spotting Roberto in the back corner with Banthor, he made his way over. “Gentlemen, is everything okay?”

  “Alburet,” Roberto greeted him. “Everything is fine. we have the walls manned and are putting the men to work cleaning. We got the barracks cleaned up first, then I had the men wait until this morning to start the general cleaning. The crafters are working on the walls currently. We might have an issue with sleeping arrangements later with all the men we have. We need more beds.”

  “Have the crafters work on adding another barracks or two inside the walls after they’re done with those.”

  “We thought tha’ would be yer order,” Banthor said. “I’ll go pass along the word. Iffin it be fine with ye, me and the men will start out today to clear the town again.”

  “He’s been chomping at the bit to get his men out into the town, he wants the loot pretty bad,” Roberto chuckled. “Rolland was looking for you earlier. He was setting up the sending portal in the main hall, said he should have it done any time now. He was hoping to speak with you before he started on the return portal, down by the graveyard.”

  “I’ll catch up with him after I eat,” Alburet assured Roberto. He took a bite of jerky, looking up as Karen, Stacia and Fluff walked into the dining room and headed toward him. Alburet set out extra jerky and some tea for them. “Kim told me that Rolland is going to have the portal up soon.”

  “We should hurry, then,” Karen commented as she began eating. “After we train up, what’s the plan for the day?”

  “Aren’t we taking the day off?” Fluff asked. “We’ve been on this mission for two weeks. Taking a day off to just relax might be good.”

  “Aye,” Stacia agreed. “A day of massages and relaxin’, does tha’ nay sound nice?”

  Karen gave her a grin, “I like the way you think.”

  Roberto excused himself with a wry twist of his lips. “Have a good day. I’ll get the men organized and a schedule set.”

  They said their goodbyes to Roberto, just as Gerald and Marysue came into the room. Alburet waved them over, setting out jerky and tea for them. “How was your night?”

  A contented smile made itself at home on Gerald’s face, “It was restful. Yesterday really felt good. Beating Gwain was an amazing feeling, even if I did die.”

  Marysue touched his shoulder, “You did the best you could. He was way over our level, and our gear wasn’t all that great either. Gaining five levels for beating him and taking the keep is maybe a little insane, even so.”

  “We were talkin’ about takin’ the day off,” Stacia told them. “Did ya have plans?”

  “Taking a day off is a good idea,” Marysue interjected before Gerald could answer. She glanced
to him, “We can take the day to get better gear, take a long bath, do dinner.”

  Gerald, who had been starting to say something when Marysue answered, closed his mouth and looked at her fondly, “If that is what you want.”

  Her own lips curled up as she met his gaze, “We shall start with armor, to keep you alive longer.”

  “Rolland will have the portal up soon,” Alburet commented, breaking into their moment gently. “Have some food first.”

  “Right,” Gerald said, suddenly remembering the other four people at the table. He pulled a chair out for Marysue, seating her and taking the spot next to her. They both accepted jerky and tea from Alburet. “What’s your plan for the day?” Gerald asked.

  “I’m sure we’ll be doing the same as you guys. Gearing up and training the abilities we all have waiting. We can all meet up for a nice, proper celebratory dinner where champions dine.”

  Stacia grinned, “Tha’ sounds like a good idea. The officers of the guild havin’ a dinner in celebration.”

  “We should do a fancy dinner for the guild tomorrow night, too,” Marysue added as she sipped her tea.

  “That’s a good idea,” Gerald agreed. “A proper banquet for the guild.”

  “That works,” Alburet nodded. “Talk to Kim, maybe she’ll have some ideas. Use the guild funds for it.”

  “Will do,” Gerald replied, popping the last of the jerky into his mouth.

  “Breakfast seems to be done,” Fluff said as she stood up. “I really want some new armor and new weapons to help with my claws.”

  “New armor, for sure,” Karen added as she got to her feet, putting her arm around Fluff’s waist. “Let’s go see Rolland.”

  The group left the dining room together, exchanging greetings with everyone who greeted them. Alburet patted Chris Eveningstar on the shoulder as he went by, “Have fun speaking with Alistern later today.”

  Breaking the eye contact he had with Deirdre, Chris jerked slightly as the words penetrated his brain, causing a momentary flash of worry. “He’ll be fine with it…” Chris said uncertainly.

  Deirdre covered his hand with hers, “He will be fine. Ma’ will nay let him stand in the way.”

  Chris looked back at her, his smile coming back. “I’m sure everything will be fine.”

  Stacia winked at her sister as she ushered Alburet out of the room. “Stop makin’ him worry, he be good for her.”

  “I know, but I think everyone who marries into your family should get the same disapproving treatment I did,” he joked with her.

  Shaking her head with a sigh, Stacia kissed his cheek, “Ya do nay need to be like tha’, ya should know tha’ me family loves ya.”

  “Now,” Alburet laughed, swinging her up into his arms in a princess carry, causing her to giggle. “If I carry you home, maybe they’ll like me even more.”

  They were the last ones to reach the main hall, as Alburet had to slow to carry her safely. Everyone gathered there turned to look as he carried her into the room. “Didn’t you already marry her?” Greenbeard asked.

  “Yeah,” Alburet said, “but I always wanted to carry a beautiful woman home.” He turned his attention to Rolland, “Is it ready?”

  Rolland’s lips were creased, holding in laughter, “I finished a minute ago. I’m going to set up the receiving area at the graveyard. After I finish that, I’ll set up the portal back to here in the backroom of the guild hall in the city. Then, I’m going to take two days off. I’ll need it to recover from setting up the portals.”

  “That works,” Alburet replied as he carried Stacia closer to the glowing glyph. “Tomorrow night we’ll be holding a banquet for the guild. Kim will send out the information once we have everything set up.” A small cheer greeted this announcement. “That’s tomorrow, though. Enjoy your day, and thank you all for coming with us on this journey.”

  Alburet stepped onto the glowing glyph on the floor, flanked by the rest of his group. “Thank god for a day off.” Alburet vanished from the keep, reappearing in front of the Portal Guild.

  Carriages lined the road outside the Portal Guild, with a number of people standing outside them. Sir Dracon stood next to his black carriage with a pleasant half smile. Lord Wilbur Theron, along with soon to be Lady Erin Crowley-Theron stood next to their carriage wearing broad smiles. A carriage with the crest of House Jones waited, with Berk standing near it.

  “Maybe I don’t get a day off after all?” Alburet sighed as he set Stacia back on her feet.

  Author’s Note

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  A big thank you to my editors (Not to be Named and Daniel Stetson) and beta readers. Seriously, if not for you stalwarts, I would be hammered hard for my lack of proper grammar and the spelling errors. Thank you to my beta readers; Zee, the first beta reader, well done sir. Jay Taylor, thank you for your time with beta reading and also being the admin of my fan page. The rest of the beta readers in no particular order; Justin Johanson, William Reid, Tarcha Saleeba, Authur Cuelho, Josh Holmes, Scott Brown, Ryno Neethling, Isidore Fitch, Sawyer Aubrey, Steve Robles, Robert Peterson, Ian McAdams and Luke Reynolds.

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  I would like to point you all towards some fellow authors whose works I enjoy:

  William Arand: Author of Otherlife Dreams, Super Sales on Superheros, and Dungeon Deposed. You can find his stuff on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/William-D.-Arand/e/B01AY7PSG4.

  Michael-Scott Earle: Author of countless series that range from sci-fi to fantasy and even LITRPG. I would recommend Lion’s Quest and Star Justice, but Tamer, one of his newer series, is also a lot of fun. https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Scott-Earle/e/B019QSNVA2

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  Scottie Futch: Is a prolific author who can be found on Royal Road and Amazon. Galactic Fist of Legend, Earth Tactics Advance, and
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  Harmon Cooper: Has written a number of very well received LITRPG books, not least of which is his well-known Fantasy Online Series, with the Goblin Hiccup. https://www.amazon.com/Harmon-Cooper/e/B00W3CJZVI

  Eden Redd: She might be mentioned last but she is definitely not least, plus she is well worth the read, more so if you like some adult content. Her Lewd Saga series combines erotica and LITRPG. https://www.amazon.com/Eden-Redd/e/B00I8X8BCK

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