He woke as the clock floating in front of his eyes was ticking down the last fifteen seconds. He smiled in anticipation. Soon he would be back with the woman he loved and surrounded by his friends.
Chapter Four
Alburet reappeared in bed, exactly where he had been when the server shut down. He just had time to turn his head when he was pounced on by an overjoyed Stacia. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face into the crook of his neck with a happy cry. He put his arms around, pulling her even closer. “Morning, Kitten. Told you I would be back.”
“I know tha’, master. It does nay stop me from worryin’,” came her muffled replied as she nuzzled his neck. “There ha’ been a lot of people over tha last couple days, stoppin’ by to see what the guild be about. Kim has been handlin’ it all with ease, says there be nothin’ so important to worry about right away.”
“We’ll probably be having guests in short order, Kitten. Lots of two-souled have also returned and a number of them will probably be stopping by to get a scroll to register with the guild. So let’s get a few pots of tea ready and head over to the guild hall for a bit.”
“No,” came the reply from Stacia. “I be wantin’ time with me master.”
Alburet felt conflicted. He really wanted to stay in bed with her, showering her with love for caring so much and wanting to be with him, but he also felt the weight of responsibility descending on his shoulders. His relationship with Stacia was far from standard, so he chose the second path. He tangled a hand in her hair and pulled her head back, eliciting a small gasp of pain from her. “You will get time when we have time, Kitten. Failing to obey will net you a punishment, and acting like a spoiled brat will net you worse punishment. You know this because we’ve talked about it before.”
Stacia whimpered, “It has been so long since we last had time for us, though.” She pouted at him looking up at him through her lashes as her lips trembled. “Please, master?”
Alburet snorted, “I don’t cave simply because of a pout and whimper, Kitten. Your choice is simple, continue as you are and you won’t be getting any rough play, not even a spanking, for a week. Or you can do as I say, and when we have free time next I will take you as hard and as rough as you can stand.”
Stacia sprang up from the bed and scampered toward the kitchen, “Tea be ready in a few moments.”
Blinking, Alburet couldn’t help but laugh. Shaking his head, he realized that he might have just been played into the corner Stacia had wanted all along. He got up and gave himself a quick rinse before getting dressed. Stacia came back in a few moments later to get dressed for the day as well. “Kitten, you never did ask for your reward the other day.”
“I know,” Stacia giggled, her eyes sparkling. “Ya said it could be anythin’ tha’ I wanted. I be thinkin’ on it for now. It be nice ta have a blank reward of me own choosin’, just waitin’ for me.”
“You set me up a minute ago, didn’t you? Playing on what we’d discussed awhile back.”
Stacia looked over her naked shoulder at him with wide eyes, “Would I do tha’, master?” Her lips quivered, turning up at the corners, as she obviously stifled her laughter.
“Yeah, that pretty much proves it. Devious little Kitten. I think you might be taking after your nickname more than I had expected when I gave it to you.”
Laughing, Stacia slipped her shirt on then wrapped the belt with her daggers around her waist, “I just be wantin’ ta be the best I can for ya, master.
Chuckling, Alburet took two quick steps and wrapped Stacia from behind, cupping her breasts through her leather top. “Naughty little Kitten. It’s a good thing I love you just as you are.” He spoke softly into her ear and nibbled the lobe, making her squeal and squirm in his grasp. After a second he stopped, “Now finish getting ready then meet me at the hall.”
A soft murmur was her reply, “As me lord and master wishes.”
He quickly left the room and house so as not to get sidetracked again. He had very nearly caved into her desires, as well as his own, to throw her on the bed. Taking a deep breath, he crossed to the guild hall and set his hand on the latch when the knife sank into his spine, instantly killing him. Gazing down on his corpse in surprise, Alburet watched a dark clothed figure remove the knife and clean it before stepping away, vanishing as they did.
Two minutes later Alburet respawned in the graveyard outside of the Dead Man Inn. His nostrils flared as his anger finally started to catch up to his surprise. “Motherfucker,” he snapped, his jaw clenching and unclenching. Jaw set, he used his Homestone, appearing on the street just as Stacia came out of the house.
“Asthore, ya be okay?”
Alburet turned to look at her, his eyes filled with anger over having just been killed by an assassin again. “Not so much. I was just killed by an assassin.”
Stacia’s brow knitted. “Did ya get a look at him?”
“No,” Alburet ground out, reining his anger in as best he could. “I was struck from behind just as I unlocked the guild door. The assassin then stepped out of the arch and vanished.”
“I’ll go check on Erin,” Stacia said, and bolted through the door to the guild hall.
Alburet watched her go, understanding the urge to check on family if an assassin was about. He stayed outside for a few more minutes, trying to calm himself. Stacia, Erin and Wilbur were all gathered in the main room when he finally went in. “What’s going on?”
Some flicker of emotion, gone too quickly to identify, flashed across Wilbur’s face. “I was visiting Erin tonight. I hope that isn’t an issue?”
“No, that’s fine,” Alburet replied. “You’re both adults, so you can do as you please. We’re probably going to have guests shortly. It’s up to you if you want to go before they start arriving, or hang around and meet them.”
“I have a question if you don’t mind, actually,” Wilbur said. “Erin was asking to go hunting with me on my next day off, which is today. She went so far as to say that if I didn’t take her out, then you and Stacia would. I am concerned about her sudden desire to court death. Why did you offer so readily?”
“Because she wouldn’t even get scratched with us at her side, Wilbur. I have ample protection for her. I did insist she ask you first though, as it seemed you two were getting along. You are getting along, aren’t you?”
Wilbur grimaced, “Well, with issues, but yes.”
“His family said they were going to disown him iffin he keeps seein’ me,” Erin cut in. “I told him we do nay need his family iffin they goin’ to be like tha’.”
Wilbur looked back at her with a frown, “I won’t just cut my family out of my life, Erin. My father wouldn’t disown me, I know that.”
“It’s your brother again, isn’t it?” Alburet questioned.
Wilbur sighed, “Yes. We have never seen eye to eye. He wants wealth and power and I want to see the family name become a beacon to the citizens of the city. Too many of the nobles have lost touch with people, like Erin, who work to survive every day.”
Alburet nodded in agreement, “Same story everywhere you go. My other world was much the same for a long time, and still is to a degree. It is up to the common man to elevate himself though, not have it handed down from those above them.”
“I agree, but we shouldn’t be pressing them back down, either. My brother actively tries to stop the more successful middle class from gaining the ranks of lower nobility. I think they should be encouraged, to show those even lower down the rungs that it is possible if they work hard enough.”
Grin spreading across his face, Alburet eyed Wilbur with a bit more respect. “I think I’ll like you as a brother-in-law.”
Wilbur grimaced and looked away, “I don’t think I would object, as I would have even a month ago. However, I don’t think that it is going to be. If I married Erin my father might well be swayed by Skippy, and he would have me disowned. I couldn’t come to Erin as a penniless, houseless beggar.”
Erin stomped her
foot, “Bah. I still say tha’ does nay matter to me, ya pillock!” She ran towards her room, wiping at her eyes.
Stacia gave both men a level look, then followed her sister. Alburet sucked on his teeth watching them both go, while Wilbur hung his head.
“Maybe I should go for the night?” Wilbur sighed.
“Just make sure to come back when the sun is up and take her hunting, Wilbur,” Alburet told the man. “Also, you should consider what it is that you want, and not what your family might do. People would still take heart that a noble, no matter how minor, risked his name to court and wed a woman of lower rank out of love.” Alburet’s lips curled up in a happy grin as his brain finally nudged him about a quest he’d been given. “In fact, if you are willing to marry Erin, I might have some way to make your brother furious and leave him unable to harm either of you.”
Wilbur raised one eyebrow, “You seem to have a scheme in mind, Alburet.”
“I do indeed. After you take her hunting we should do dinner. I’ll make the arrangements, all you need to do is bring your conviction with you.”
Frowning slightly, Wilbur nodded, “Okay. I will see you later, then. I hope your guests aren’t too disruptive.”
Right on cue, Alburet’s guild icon started flashing. “We shall see very shortly. Good day, Wilbur.” Alburet saw Wilbur out, checking his guild messages as the door closed softly behind Wilbur.
Message from Gerald:
We are here. Be bringing the recruits by the guild hall in about thirty minutes.
Message from Karen:
I’ll meet you guys there.
Message from Fluffball:
Should I bring something with me?
Message from Alburet:
Just you, Fluff. Hurry up, Karen, we could use more hands. We started tea for the recruits, how many we looking at?
Message from Marysue:
About a hundred agreed before we got to the medical exams.
Message from Gerald:
It should be between fifty and a hundred.
Alburet let out a soft whistle before he replied again, then he went to find the sisters. He found them in Erin’s room with Stacia holding Erin and rocking her. “You going to be okay Erin?” Alburet asked as he took in the scene.
Erin sniffled looking over at him, her eyes all red and puffy. “Why does he nay understand?”
“Because men are dense,” Alburet told her. “But I’ll bet good money he comes by later to take you hunting. I’m going to give you the day off, and we’ll do dinner for you after. I just need you to do something for the guild right now, please.”
Erin wiped her eyes, getting to her feet. “Wha’ be it ya need?”
“Go borrow a hundred cups from your father, please.”
Both sisters blinked at his request, speaking in unison, “Ya want what?”
“We have anywhere up to one hundred people showing up shortly. We need more cups than we have at least for tonight. In the morning we can get more. But for tonight, I need to borrow them from your father. Promise him payment when we return them, just get them back here as quick as you can.”
Erin looked skeptical but nodded, “We only be needin’ another twenty, then. Kim purchased a large supply of cups the other day.”
“We have twenty,” Stacia put in, “help me grab them from the house, sis.”
Alburet was left looking around an empty room. “Well, at least the people around me are more prepared than I am.”
He went around, making sure all the public rooms were well lit and got ready to start welcoming people. Stacia and Erin returned a moment later with the cups, then began to ferry kettles of tea from the house as well as starting more tea in the kitchen Kim had installed in the guild hall. Karen and Fluff showed up in time to help get everything set up in the main room, which was the biggest space they had. Twenty minutes later Gerald and Marysue came along, leading the seventy plus recruits behind them.
Everyone was able to fit inside the main room, but only just barely. Alburet climbed onto the reception desk to address everyone. “Okay, first off welcome everyone to Alpha Company. I’m Alburet, the leader of the guild. You’ve all met Gerald, who’s the second in command. You should also have met the three officers, Marysue, Karen and Fluffball. Here in the guild hall we have two receptionists. One of them is here now.” He pointed to Erin, who got a few appraising looks from the guys in the room, “Her name is Erin Crowley, and she is the assistant to our head receptionist and guild accountant, Kim, who isn’t here currently. I should mention to those with a gleam in their eyes that Erin is currently seeing a city guard, so maybe cut those fantasies a little short.”
A few groans and chuckles greeted his words, before Alburet continued. “If you wish to join us you first need to know what our guild is about. All of us are testing long term immersion, that’s one of the prerequisites for joining us. The reason it’s required is simple, this guild will be looking long term. This isn’t so much a game once you’ve been here for a month or more, it’s more an alternative reality. However, if you drop from the test you can stay in the guild. The second thing our guild stands for is treating the people of this world like real people. Do not tarnish the guild name by being an unrepentant asshole, because if you are I will boot you. Everyone has bad days, but if you have a bad day apologize for it the next day.”
Silence greeted him as he paused to look around at his audience. He flashed back momentarily to the days when he’d been one of the instructors for new cadets joining the detention facility. He shook his head to clear the image and continued. “Third, treat your fellow guildies with respect. We all have people we would rather punch in the face,” laughter made him pause for a second. “But don’t do it. If you have some disagreement with a guild mate and can’t work it out, then both of you come to an officer. We will figure something out. We want everyone to enjoy themselves here. So those are the basic rules, and now that they’re out of the way let’s hit the good news about what you get for joining.”
A cheer rose up from the crowd and Alburet paused again with a smile. “We have a number of agreements in place with various merchants in the city. Guild members get a bonus ten percent discount when you buy from them. We’ll provide you with a list. Also, the cost of using portals is cheaper for guilds. You’ll wind up paying half of what you have been for portals, though the actual set up is a little more complicated. The guild has a fund set up that is charged the discounted rate every time a portal is used by a guild member. There’s also a matching tax on the player, which keeps the guild’s portal account funded. It all happens automatically though, so you just get to enjoy the discount.” There was some initial muttering as Alburet mentioned the tax on portals, though it died quickly as people realized they were still getting a better deal.
“Next, more good news. Ours is the first two-souled guild to be recognized by the crown. What that means is that we should be seeing unique quests come our way from a variety of sources as we gain levels and reputation. So, don’t blacken the guild name and we should be seeing some really good shit by the time we hit the Dead Lands.” Alburet wasn’t entirely sure about that part, but another large cheer drowned him out so he let it be. “Lastly, and this is going to be the bad news,” more boos sounded, “There is a guild tax in place on all looted coin.”
Alburet had to pause as people started asking questions. He held up his hands until it died down, “Hold up. This building has to be paid for, there are regular taxes levied by the city. The receptionists have to be paid, as well. We’re well set up here to be the forerunners on a whole lot of stuff, but only if the guild doesn’t get shut down for lack of funds. A guild leader can impose a tax on damn near anything a player can do, including buying and selling items. I’m trying hard to keep taxes for our members as low as possible and I’ll always be up front about them. The tax is a simple five percent of looted coin and only looted coin.”
Alburet glanced at Gerald who gave him a small nod, “Okay, th
at’s all we have. If you still want to join up I’ll give you a scroll. Take it to the city hall in the morning and they’ll give you the Guildstone and you’ll be a member. Any questions?”
“What guarantee do we have that the tax is being spent like you said?” a pale, lanky man who all but screamed Necromancer asked. The man’s name came up as DrBone when Alburet looked, confirming his class.
“None whatsoever, besides my word,” Alburet replied calmly. “The choice to join is yours. But if you stick around you’ll see that I was right.”
“Who’s the other redhead behind you?” a massive, muscle bound man asked.
Pulling up the name of the player, he replied, “That is my wife, Stacia. She is not an officer, but she’ll be helping us as she can. Is that going to be an issue, Croman?”
“Fuck. Do all the hotties in here have guys already?” Croman sighed.
Alpha Company (Alpha World Book 3) Page 4
