Gamer for Love (Alpha World Book 8)

by Daniel Schinhofen

  Rolland called up to Alburet, “Al, I can lock down either the Necromancers or the Zombies for two minutes. Which ones should I do?”

  “Golems! Give those healers and tanks a chance to recover,” Alburet called back. “Leave the current target alone if you can.”

  “Understood,” Rolland said, stepping back and beginning to chant, his arms going wide as if pulling magic from the air.

  “Welcome back, Al,” Marysue shouted. “Let me top you up.”

  “I got him,” Deirdre said, already in the process of healing him.

  “Damage focus on Kauree’s target. We need to wear them down,” Alburet shouted as he dropped a Fire Blast onto the Necromancer Kauree had knocked down. “Kauree, you’re point. We’ll follow your targets.”

  “Aye, try and keep up,” she shouted as she hammered at the enemy in front of her.

  That was the turning point for the raid; the Necromancers couldn’t withstand the damage. Three of the Necromancers did manage to use escape crystals before they were killed, but the other seven died. From there, the raid turned on the Zombies, and then finally got to the Golems. The Elemental Golems took the longest time, but with the sheer number of tanks and damage on hand, they did eventually fall.

  When the last one died, a loud cheer went up as the Guild celebrated their victory. Alburet, Violet, and the other Summoners resummoned their defeated minions while the first cheer still echoed in the late afternoon stillness.

  “Bob, you okay?” Alburet asked when Bob appeared.

  “Those things make it feel like you’re being pulled in two,” Bob shuddered. “I didn’t see him, sorry.”

  “You were going to help Al,” Fluff said, grabbing the Imp and squeezing him hard. “You did what I wished I could have.”

  “Aye, ya went to his defense,” Stacia said, kissing Bob’s head.

  “I was so worried for you two,” Karen said, making it over to them. “You both went crazy for a few minutes.”

  “I was able to control it after a minute,” Fluff said, letting go of Bob, who collapsed to the ground with a grin plastered on his face.

  “I was able to as well, but it took Stacia coming to help me,” Alburet admitted.

  Stacia touched his cheek, “Ya did nay need me for tha’. I only held the man down, tha’ was all.”

  “Al,” Gerald said, coming over, “were either of the men in there Skippy?”

  Alburet and Stacia checked their pouches, but both of them shook their heads. “No. I have his butler’s contract, though.”

  “Damn... he must be at the prison, then,” Gerald sighed.

  “You did well,” Vetenarie said, coming toward them through the raid. “I have already sent word to Master Kato. May I check the house in case he’s hiding inside?”

  “If he was there before, he’s well gone by now.” Turning to the raid, who were all grinning like crazy, Gerald raised his voice, “Alpha Company, again you have proven why we are among the elite. Take a few minutes to check inside. We’ll be burning it down before we leave, so don’t take long.”

  Over half the people in the raid ran for the manor, while others looked at Gerald with questioning expressions. “Why are we burning the manor?” Kim asked.

  “Homestones only work if the building is standing,” Gerald said darkly. “His place in the city is gone. If this one goes away, too, then he’ll not be able to use that as an out.”

  “The King might have wished to keep the manor, but I can’t disagree with the logic,” Vetenarie said. “I think the cultists are all using those crystals, though.”

  “I need to speak with the King,” Rolland said tiredly. “My book… it might have an answer or two for him. I’ve been reading it during all my free time. That’s what let me use my Ability without collapsing like I would have before.”

  “We can let him know when we go for our rewards,” Gerald said. “Your timing was beautiful; it gave them a chance to drink some mana potions, and let our debuffs fall off while we drank healing potions.”

  “Al told me,” Rolland said.

  “He’s our best bet for raid control,” Marysue said. “He has the best view and can be effective while calling out orders.”

  “I agree,” Ironhand said, having joined the conversation a few minutes ago. “Eyes in the sky trumps boots on the ground for that.”

  “Al?” Gerald asked.

  “I can do it if it’s outside. In a room, it won’t work much. Like we saw, enemies will be quick to target me.”

  “We’ll be ready for that next time,” Gerald said.

  “You guys mind if I interrupt?” Violet asked, approaching the group. “What do you think is going to happen next?”

  “Good question,” Gerald said with a thoughtful expression. “I wish I knew.”

  Chapter Nine

  Alpha Company, Delvers Inc., and Heart’s Light took up most of the floor space in the throne room. A handful of guards stood around the room, while the balcony was populated by the city’s remaining nobles. Tyr sat on the throne, flanked by the High Priests of Peace and Justice.

  “I thank you for removing these three Houses,” Tyr said. “There are still a number of others currently being contested.”

  “It was our honor, Sire,” Gerald replied and bowed.

  “Justice must be upheld,” Benedict added, placing a hand over his heart.

  “Always glad to help out,” Blaze chimed in.

  “I believe two of your Guilds are currently still fighting?” Tyr said.

  “Yes,” Blaze smiled.

  “You are correct, Highness,” Benedict added.

  “I hope to hear of their success soon,” Tyr smiled. “Now, as for your groups here, have you chosen who will receive items from the vault?” Thirty people stepped forward. “The Keeper will be assisting you with your rewards. You may request a different item, but he has rarely been wrong with his choices.”

  “Sire, did you wish to announce the other quest?” Justice’s High Priest asked.

  “Yes, but these stalwarts will not be undertaking those quests. I am sure they would rather help by leading the vanguard of the assault.”

  “Of course we will, Highness. However, many of our members are not high enough level for that task and will gladly aid in any other endeavors you might have,” Benedict was quick to say.

  “Same,” Blaze nodded.

  “Us as well, Sire.”

  “Well then, starting today, I am issuing quests for groups of fifty Two-souled to man the Keeps. The normal guards will be pulled back to the capital to start preparations for the march on Alctriuz.”

  King’s Quest: Guard the Keeps.

  Requires a minimum of thirty people per Keep. Groups must be sanctioned by the Crown’s Guards. Visit the castle to be sanctioned once you have a full complement. All members of the Guilds Heart’s Light, Delvers Inc., and Alpha Company are automatically sanctioned.

  Those defending the Keeps will be tasked with keeping the monsters of the zone in check during the Stein upheaval.

  Rewards: Everyone who participates will receive reputation, gold, and items based on their contributions.

  The players smiled when they read the quest, and thought about their guildies who hadn’t been able to help during the raid.

  “Now that that is done,” Tyr said, rising to his feet, “if you thirty will follow me? This meeting is adjourned.”

  “We’ll see you tonight at the sendoff and welcoming banquet,” Gerald told Alburet. “I’m going to rally the lower level folks and get them organized to take one or two Keeps. With the newer players that are likely to join, we should have a nice range of levels to work with.”

  “Gerald,” Blaze called out, “if you end up short, let me know. We can combine partial groups to make sure we cover each other.”

  “That goes for us, too,” Benedict said, “depending on how short we each end up to cover an extra Keep.”

  “We might want to separate out by level and combine…” Marysue was sug
gesting as Alburet followed the other twenty-nine players to the vault.

  “We’ll be waiting outside,” Stacia called after Alburet.

  “I’ll try not to keep you waiting too long,” Alburet said.

  “Dude, don’t you have enough bonuses?” one of the others asked while they walked down a hall, with guards walking in front of and behind them.

  “I tried to get Gerald to take it,” Alburet shrugged. “They insisted it should be me.”

  Snorting, the caster gave him a smirk, “Sure.”

  Shaking his head, Alburet slowed his pace so the caster walked away from him.

  “Don’t mind Hamlin. He’s an asshole,” another person said, coming even with Alburet. “If he wasn’t the top damage dealer in the Guild, I’m sure Benedict would have kicked him by now.”

  “There’s always one in every group,” Alburet chuckled. “At least you know who it is with him around.”

  Laughing, the scalemail-clad man nodded. “That’s a good one. I’ll have to pass that around. Your Guild is the one that beat ours to the second Keep capture, right?”

  “Yeah. Delvers beat us both.”

  “Damned right we did,” a confident female voice chimed in. “Though we didn’t take a Keep as deep into hostile territory as Alpha Company. Now, had we picked up a second or third Keep like Heart’s Light...”

  “We all have our strengths to play to,” the armored man chuckled.

  “Surprised none of the leaders jumped at the idea of getting more gear for themselves,” the woman said casually. “Of course, some still think you’re the real boss of Alpha Company.”

  “They would be wrong,” Alburet shrugged. “I handed that off once I saw what it was going to take to run the Keep.”

  “Right?” the woman laughed. “Blaze is a madman. He’s trying to keep the Keep going, run the Guild, and lead the best team.”

  “Benedict handed off the Keeps to another officer to handle,” the man added. “I think that’s the best bet. It gives him more time for actual playing.”

  “Gerald’s doing what Blaze is,” Alburet admitted. “If anything, I think he’s thriving more now than he was before.”

  “Yeah... he seems the type to get more focused the more the pressure he’s under,” the guy nodded.

  “Kind of like Blaze. Before the Keep, he was all over the place, but now he’s got goals he wants to meet.”

  “We’re almost there,” Alburet said, pulling the conversation up short.

  The others looked at the doors coming up and their excitement spiked. Alburet kept his laughter contained, picturing the whole group as kids eager open Christmas gifts.

  The King opened the doors and stood in the doorway, with the guards formed up in the hall on either side. “I shall bring you in one at a time. Please form an orderly line.”

  “This is bullshit,” Hamlin muttered and rushed to be near the front.

  Alburet stepped back and waited for the line to form, taking position at the very back. One of the Priests gave him a knowing nod as they walked up to stand beside the guards. Alburet waited patiently, not joining in with the renewed conversations taking place along the line while it moved slowly. Instead, he took the time to go over the raid and what they could do to improve their flexibility.

  Hamlin’s raised voice made Alburet roll his eyes. A minute later, the smug looking asshole walked past him with a bejeweled staff in hand. Seeing Alburet at the end of the line, Hamlin snickered. “Good luck getting anything worthwhile all the way back there.”

  Alburet ignored the man. Assholes are assholes wherever you go, he told himself.

  The line moved and the scalemail-clad man he had been talking to stopped next to him, a massive gauntlet on one hand. “What do you think?” he asked, holding his hand up so Alburet could inspect the item.

  Alburet touched the gauntlet and nodded respectfully. “That should give you some oomph. I was wondering about your class. Berserkers can really dole out some hurt. I wonder if that can be used with a party member casting the spell?”

  Mage Slayer’s Grasp

  Legendary Berserker Glove

  Armor 350

  Constitution 150

  Strength 300

  Indestructible

  Any spell focused on the wearer can be pulled into the glove, powering extra damage of that type into any attack by the wearer. Extra damage lasts for thirty seconds.

  “I was wondering the same thing. Since my group has an Elementalist, I’m going to find out soon.”

  “Luck. If it does work, you’re going to be packing some serious hurt in a surprising way.”

  “I hope so,” the man laughed.

  “What did you pick up?” the woman asked, stopping to chat once she had gotten her item.

  The Berserker showed off his glove and she whistled softly. “That’s legendary, all right.”

  “What about you?”

  Lifting her neck, she let them see the necklace she was wearing. “Go ahead and inspect it,” she smiled.

  Both of them reached out to touch the necklace. “Damn,” the Berserker breathed. “Juno would kill for that thing.”

  Elemental Attuner

  Legendary Elementalist Necklace

  Ice Shield now has a passive charge that will protect the wearer from any fatal damage. This can happen even if the Elementalist isn’t Ice Focused.

  Fireball can now be used, and ignores 150% of Fire Resistance, even if the Elementalist isn’t Fire Focused.

  Shocking Word now chains to the two closest enemies beside the target. This can stack with the Ability Shocking Shout if the Elementalist is Electric Focused.

  Earthen Might can now affect all allies within twenty feet of your target.

  “I think any Elementalist would,” Alburet said.

  “Yeah,” she smiled. “Good luck with your pick.”

  “Thanks. I hope to see you both again.”

  “I’m sure you will at the prison raid, if nothing else,” the Berserker said.

  “If not before that,” the Elementalist laughed. “I want to show this to Hamlin. He was so proud of that staff. What do you think he’ll say when he sees it?” she asked the Berserker as they both started toward the exit.

  “Oh man, I’m not sure his staff can match that,” he laughed.

  Alburet didn’t have to wait very long since most people took the first offering from Keeper and left with happy smiles. Alburet finally made his way into the room and saw the King waiting. “I’m the last, Sire.”

  Tyr looked up and gave Alburet a tired smile. “Many of them make me feel positive about the Two-souled,” Tyr said with a sigh. “A couple of them even explained to me why some of the Two-souled would side with Stein.”

  “People are people,” Alburet agreed. “Keeper, what do you have for me?”

  “I would offer you this ring,” Keeper said, holding out a ring.

  Alburet took the ring and looked it over. “Thank you, Keeper. This might help me complete a quest I have.”

  Second Chance

  Legendary Ring

  Constitution 250

  (Wisdom) 300

  This ring’s primary stat is based on the wearer’s highest stat.

  Second Chance will instantly bring the wearer back to full life and mana once per day if they are killed.

  “I see the strings around you, and thought it would be useful,” Keeper replied just before the light in the statue’s eyes went out.

  “He normally doesn’t look that deeply,” Tyr said with a thoughtful expression.

  “I’m glad he did,” Alburet said as he replaced another ring with the new one. “With this and the levels from the quest completion, I feel like I have a chance to complete a very important task.”

  “Tyr, the nobles are waiting for you,” the High Priest of Peace said.

  “If you will excuse me, representatives of the noble Houses who neither assisted nor attacked me wish to meet with me,” Tyr said as he led Alburet from the vault.
>
  “Of course. Sire, a small request, if that’s okay?”

  “What is it?”

  “Rolland Magiblood wants to speak with you. He thinks he might have information valuable to you, from the book he received from Peace.”

  “I shall call him to see me today or tomorrow,” Tyr said.