Tilting his head slightly in bewilderment, Alburet nodded, “I have no intentions of doing so. I can't promise something so broadly, though. If the empire for some reason aims harm at me or those I care for I would have to respond.”
“I understand and would not ask someone to stand aside while a loved one is being targeted. You must understand why your kind is so despised.”
“I don't, but I will make it a point to find out.”
“Very well. It will cost another ten silver to have your clothes delivered to the inn tonight. If you make it twenty I will have the other set delivered tomorrow as well.”
Alburet placed a single gold on the counter, meeting her gaze steadily. He could see an old pain in her eyes, “I thank you, Mrs. Wilson.” He noticed she reacted slightly when he used Mrs. “I thank you for treating me fairly and with the kindness you have. If I can do anything for you or your family someday, I will do my best to show you that not all of my profession are evil.” He stepped back from the counter bowing to her formally, then turned and walked out of the shop feeling her eyes on his back.
Once on the street again he paused, looking through the people who moved past him. He wondered what exactly had happened in the past that caused Necromancers and Summoners to be treated as they were. Something to ask Stewart he decided before heading off towards the portal guild.
When he reached the portal guild the receptionists were changing shift as the sun was beginning to set. The one who had been kind to him smiled warmly, “Welcome back, sir. I'm going off shift right now but my coworker will be more than happy to help you.”
The second receptionist eyed him coolly, “This is the one you were talking about, Kim? He is far from what I would call a gentleman.”
Kim blinked, “What? He has been very polite and has been one of the few who’s been tipping us regularly.”
A gentle cough came from Alburet, “She is referring to the fact that a friend of mine along with myself were being inappropriate when she was on shift the other day.” He turned to face the second woman directly and gave her a deep bow, “I apologize.”
“Whatever, where are you going?” The second one said dismissively.
“Stormguard fort near the goblin fort, please,” he dropped two gold on the desk.
She took the coins before replying, her voice still frosty, “Have a seat.”
Alburet turned to go to the waiting area to find Kim walking along beside him. “Can I help you Kim?”
“I was wondering exactly what you did to twist Francine's knickers like that?” Kim's eyes flashed with humor.
Alburet took a seat in the waiting area and explained the antics he and Karen had gotten up too. By the time he was finished Kim was chortling. “No wonder she’s all upset. Her family is very prim and proper, so of course she acts that way as well. She’ll get over it after a bit. I wish you luck with your journeys tonight.” She stood and with a parting smile walked out the doors.
Alburet watched her go, then the same old portal mage that had been working with Francine the other day approached him. “Your portal is ready, sir,” the old man spoke in a neutral tone.
Alburet followed the mage, ignoring the glare from Francine as he went by. He tipped the mage a gold before stepping on the rune that teleported him to the fort.
Appearing right outside the gates, he walked into the fort nodding to the men who greeted him. As he approached Sergeant Jasper he noted the Sergeant was talking with another player who promptly ran off. Alburet greeted the Sergeant with a salute.
“Are you back to speak with the Commander, Alburet?” Jasper asked after returning the greeting.
“Yeah, that was the idea,” Alburet replied.
Jasper asked the Quartermaster to watch his desk for a minute. Leading Alburet up the stairs Jasper asked, “So what happened to your partner?”
“She had some stuff to do for a bit. I’ll be meeting back up with her later tonight to celebrate our victory over the goblins and orcs.”
“I wish you luck,” Jasper said as he knocked, then ushered Alburet into the Commander's room. “Sir, Alburet has returned with word.”
“Very good, Sergeant. You are dismissed.” The Commander said, giving Jasper a salute. Once Jasper left the Commander turned to Alburet, “Report.”
It took only a few minutes for Alburet to get the Commander caught up on the ambush and the death of Death Tracker Grugh.
“Very good,” the Commander said, pushing a parchment across the desk. “Take that to the quartermaster. You’ve done the Empire a service by stopping the two races from joining forces. Well done.”
You are now Friendly to all Stormguard Guard Factions
Alburet picked up the parchment with a smile and saluted the Commander, “Thank you, sir.”
The Commander returned the salute before dismissing Alburet, who gratefully left the room. He wandered down to the main room to find Private Jenkins speaking with Jasper. Jenkins moved over to intercept Alburet.
“A moment, if you don't mind, sir,” Jenkins said.
Alburet stopped with a single raised brow, “Yes?”
Bowing his head, Jenkins spoke softly but with conviction. “I wish to apologize for my actions when we last met. I let my prejudices and emotions get the better of me.”
A small smile flitted across Alburet's face as he thought back to a young guard he used to work with who was much the same as Jenkins. When he replied, his tone was level, “I accept and hold you no ill will, Jenkins. Part of being human is making mistakes. The key is to learn from them.”
Jenkins raised his head to meet Alburet's eyes, seeing acceptance and respect, “Thank you, sir.” With that, Jenkins left.
Jasper cleared his throat, “You know, you are pretty unusual, Alburet. Only a handful of other two-souled have been as considerate as you.”
“I believe tomorrow will bring many, many more of my kind to the world. I wish you the best in dealing with them. Most will be like spoiled children.”
“I do not doubt,” Jasper chuckled, “well, don't let me keep you from your celebration.”
“See you around, Sarge,” Alburet replied before going over to the quartermaster and showing him the parchment from the Commander.
The quartermaster nodded handing him twenty gold. “Let your fellows know that they just need to speak with me to claim their reward, please.”
“Will do,” Alburet replied before quickly using his Mindstone to let the others know. He then used his Homestone to go back to Stormguard.
Once back in the city he turned towards the Dead Man Inn with a smile. He entered the building to see the place was starting to fill up with the evening crowd. Behind the bar was the owner, so Alburet went over and dropped six gold on the counter which got his attention.
“I owed you five for the deal from this morning and the other is for a very good meal for three to be delivered to my room in an hour or so. Stacia will retrieve it for me.”
Lips pursed slightly, the owner nodded, “Aye, it will be done. Stewart was wantin' to speak with ya when ya got back.”
“That works, I needed to speak with him, too. Where is he?”
“Downstairs. Ya know the way, right?”
“I remember it,” Alburet replied, taking the path down into the earth to see Stewart.
After the trek down to the catacombs Alburet looked around, getting a better look at all the people down here. He saw four different Summoners and six different Necromancers, judging by the paraphernalia on the desks that dotted the cavern. At least each race was represented for each class, with Necromancers having two extra humans.
Alburet walked to the back area where Stewart sat leaned back in his chair, his feet up and a book in hand. As he approached, Stewart glanced up with a thoughtful expression. “Greetings, Alburet. Glad you could make it.”
“Evening, Stewart. A quick question, what is the name of the owner of the inn? I just never seem to remember to ask him.”
“Alistern Cro
wley is the owner of the Dead Man Inn. Have a seat. We should talk about a few things.” Stewart let his chair drop forward as he grabbed two goblets and filled them with wine.
Taking a seat, Alburet accepted a goblet, “I do have a question I would like answered, so do you want to tackle that first or these other subjects?”
“What is the question?”
“Why are Necromancers and Summoners so despised?”
“It goes back to the first empire. During the reign of Maximus the Just a Necromancer known as Franklin Stein started an uprising. He gathered to him many Necromancers and demonic Summoners who felt as he did. The strife started by Stein lasted for twenty years. It wiped whole towns from the empire as the plague of undead and demons summoned by their masters overran the countryside.” Stewart paused to sip his wine, “Stein was caught and imprisoned in the darkest dungeon the empire had built, Alctriuz. The prison suffered some calamity that is lost in legend. All that is known is that the place seemed to vanish.”
“It wasn't until the rise of Maximus the Lightbringer, the fourth Emperor, that the rebellion was brought to an end. For the next four hundred years Necromancy and Summoning were capital crimes. Doing either resulted in a death sentence for the practitioner. Two hundred years ago the empire relaxed the law when a pair of adventurers saved the then Emperor from a dragon attack. Those two were Necromancer Steinberg and Summoner Yuna. So, we come to today where the practicing of those paths is frowned upon by many but as long as no undead or demons are summoned inside the city it is tolerated.”
“So it's a deep rooted prejudice,” Alburet sighed, “oh, well.”
“Yes it is, but we can rise in society even with this stigma associated with us. One of the major houses has been focused on demonic summoning for generations. Now that I've answered your question, how about we talk about the things I wanted to discuss?” Stewart smiled tightly as he poured himself some more wine.
Shrugging, Alburet sipped at the dry red wine gingerly. He wasn't big on wine but didn't want to offend Stewart. “Okay, what did you want to talk about?”
“Tell me about the assassin and how that came about first, please,” Stewart settled back in his chair, listening attentively.
Alburet gave Stewart a quick rundown of the events that led up to the assassin attacking him. “So that is the reason, I'm sure, but I still don't understand his motive.”
Stewart face palmed, sighing, “Wilbur is the younger son of Gilden House. Younger by five minutes. His twin brother is Skippy. Skippy is a piece of work. They couldn't be more different if they tried.”
“Wait, so Wilbur hired an assassin because I called him Skippy?”
“No, Skippy probably hired the assassin for that reason. You see, Skippy Gilden is trying to raise his standing in the royal court, but he hates his brother who he thinks is dragging down the family name by being a guard.”
“Ick, politics,” Alburet shuddered, “okay, so I guess that answers that question. I should be going, I should have a friend showing up for dinner soon.”
“Wait a moment, please.” Stewart sat forward, pinning Alburet with his eyes. “Tell me your intentions with Stacia.”
“Huh?”
“Regarding Stacia. I've been told you’ve hired her as a personal maid for the next few weeks. Is that just so you can have a companion at night or is it for different reasons?”
Brow furrowing in confusion, Alburet stood up, “I don't see how it is your concern when her own father okayed it. But to keep our relationship friendly I will say that at the moment it is because she asked me to request it. I'm not averse to the fact that she fucks like a mink and seems to want it.”
Stewart stood up, meeting Alburet’s angry gaze with a level one in return, “I am her godfather, funny as that sounds considering my vocation. I worry about her. Treat her with respect and as she wishes and there will be no issue.”
“I have never treated a woman in a way she objected to. So if that is all?” Alburet stated and at Stewart's nod he stepped onto the rune which transported him to the graveyard outside.
Alburet paused as the night air caressed his face. Shaking his head to clear it, Alburet turned to re-enter the inn just as his message icon lit up.
Message from Karen:
Hey there, be along in a few. Just picking up my coin from the fort then I'll meet you at the inn.
Alburet sent a quick response then entered the inn with a grin on his face as he thought of all the possible fun that might be coming his way soon.
Alburet
Human Summoner
Level 13
Strength: 18
Agility: 18
Constitution: 25
Intelligence: 39
Wisdom: 43
Charisma: 30
Health: 900
Mana: 1080
Spells:
Demon Skin-Rank 2
Demonic Retribution- Rank 2
Summon Least Imp
Fire Blast
Sap Strength
Demonic Haze
Summon Lesser Destroyer
Demonic Vitality
Fire Burst
Abilities:
Personal Spells
Flame Weapon
Celebration
The inn was even busier when Alburet walked in the second time. Making his way to the bar, he got Alistern's attention, “My guest is arriving shortly. Is there any chance the food can be ready sooner?”
Alistern nodded, “Of course, it shall be ready when ya require it.”
Alburet thanked him then made his way up to his room. When he opened the door Stacia was seated at the table. Two cups and a teapot sat on the table. When the door opened she looked over, seeing it was him she stood with a brilliant smile.
“Welcome back, sir,” she curtsied. She was wearing a different outfit than he’d seen her in so far. This one was a nearly standard french maid outfit. The neckline was a touch higher and the skirt a few inches longer than he was used to seeing on that kind of outfit. All in all it held the sexy maid vibe while also giving the impression that she was actually a maid, not a sex toy.
The curtsy still gave him an ample eyeful of her bust though, which brought a smile to his own lips. “Evening, Stacia. We shall be having company soon. One of the people who has been adventuring with me is going to be here to celebrate the quest line we completed today. I ordered a meal for three from the kitchen. Once my guest arrives I would like you to retrieve it for us. I want you to treat them with the utmost respect, please.”
Stacia's brow furrowed for a moment as he mentioned company, but cleared upon hearing that it was a celebration. She curtsied again, “As sir wishes, so shall it be. Ya should sit and relax until ya company gets here.” She picked up the pot, pouring a cup of tea for him.
Alburet sat down and sipped the barley tea with a pleased sigh. “Very good, Stacia.” He twitched slightly as her hands touched his shoulders, but soon relaxed as he felt her begin to massage his muscles.
“Just relax from ya long day sir. I will take very good care of ya.” Stacia said in a whisper right next to his ear, her voice like silk. “What is the name of ya guest, sir?”
Sipping the tea while relaxing under her hands he replied, “Karen. She’s a skilled Assassin.”
Stacia's hands paused briefly on hearing the obviously feminine name. “I see, sir. Other then dinner did ya have other plans that require me for the evenin'?” Her voice become very businesslike, losing the silken edge.
“Actually, yes. I’m looking forward to a massage later. Considering that I told Karen how good you are at giving them, she would probably like one as well. Is this a problem?” The last four words come out with a bit of fire in them, as he tilted his head back to meet her eyes.
Stacia met his gaze, shivering at the sheer force she saw there. She dropped her eyes, her head bending slightly forward so her hair covered her face. She spoke very softly,” No, sir. Anything ya want I will be given to ya if ya ask.”
<
br /> Alburet reached out and gently touched her cheek, brushing back her hair, “Good girl. If you do a really good job I promise you any one reward you want later.”
She tilted her head into his hand, looking at him eagerly, “Anythin' sir?”
Lips quirking up into a smirk at her sudden change, he chuckled, “Oh, so you do want something from me after all. I can't promise anything, but if I reject your first request you can keep asking until I find one I can grant.”
She turned her head a touch further and kissed his wrist, “I will do me best, sir,”
A knock sounded at the door and Stacia went to answer it, smoothing her outfit as she went. As she opened the door, Alburet saw Karen standing there in a black dress that flattered her small figure.
Alpha World Book One: Gamer for Life Page 28
