“I would like tha’,” Marian said.
“I’ll be back,” Alburet said as he used his Homestone.
True to his word, Alburet was back with their bags in no time. Karen and Fluff rejoined him, handing over all the loot they had acquired while they all fervently hoped they wouldn’t need it. Kim was nonplussed but took the gear. She excused herself and took it all away.
Rolland chewed his cheek for a moment before he spoke up, “All of it? You’re not staying, are you?”
“I won’t be, and they likely won’t be, either,” Alburet agreed quietly. “It isn’t widely known, so please keep it that way.”
“What about Stacia?” Rolland asked.
“I can nay be sayin’, but I am nay upset at what is to come,” Stacia replied.
Eyes going bright blue, Rolland stared at the four of them for a moment, “Connected by the strings of fate... Whatever it is, you’ll all be together.”
“Please, dear gods,” Karen murmured.
Rolland’s lips turned into a sad smile, “We’ll miss you a great deal, all four of you. I won’t tell anyone besides Kim.”
“Thank you,” Alburet said, gripping Rolland’s shoulder. “We’ll always remember you. I hope that if your first child is a boy, he’s just like you. If it’s a girl, she’ll be beautiful, just like Kim.”
“That would be nice,” Rolland smiled. “Go join the party. I’m sure people are waiting for you.”
“See you there,” Alburet said and led the others to the throne room.
The doors were open wide, allowing them to see the dozens of tables and few hundred people milling around the room talking to each other. Marysue smiled brightly at them as they approached.
“I’m glad you all made it,” Marysue greeted them.
“We had a reminder to be here,” Karen snickered.
“I just thought you might lose track of time,” Marysue replied, eyes twinkling with laughter.
“It mayhap have happened, but we wished to see our friends off,” Stacia said.
“Ironhand and Leggy are over by Gerald. I know they wanted to see you.”
“Alburet,” Jaxton called out, spotting them, “you made it. There was a small pool going on if you would.”
“What were our odds?” Karen asked.
“Pretty even, all told,” Brightlight said as she joined the conversation. “Come in and grab a drink. A lot of us weren’t there for the finale, and we want to hear how it ended.”
“Go mingle, there’s still plenty of time,” Marysue said. “Can we get together the day after tomorrow?”
“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Alburet said. “Have fun guarding the door.”
“It is a hostess’ duty to greet the guests,” Marysue said primly.
Joining Jaxton’s group, Alburet took the offered wine. “I didn’t get a count... how many made it through from our Guild?”
“A dozen, maybe,” Jaxton replied. “Similar for Delvers. Add in the Ambassadors, the King, and a handful of others, and that was it. Less than fifty in total, I’ve heard.”
“But damned if we won’t remember it,” Hilda said, cutting into the conversation. “Best damned raid ever. Man, this is going to be remembered for years.”
“Benedict is pissed,” Shadowblade said, joining them. “Friend of mine is in their Guild, and the officers had a meeting once they respawned. It seems all respawns were delayed while the final boss was engaged. Word is they thought that even if they wiped, they would get a second run at it before we finished Dimitry.”
“I knew he was a pro gamer,” Alburet snorted. “Probably going to spout off about how we’re being given preferential treatment next.”
“That’s the scuttlebutt in their Guild, but they aren’t going to say it publicly. It would be bad for their standing with the factions, considering how highly Delvers and Alpha Company are viewed now.”
“Serves them right,” Karen groused. “If they had just waited, it would have been easier. We could have warned them about the Faceless.”
“Oh man, the Faceless,” Shadowblade shuddered. “I hope they remove those things. Having to hurt the ones you love is just not right.”
“I’m sure if the complaints are loud enough, they will.”
“At least they didn’t have to deal with the black fog like we had under Peace,” Fluff mentioned.
“What fog?” Jaxton asked.
“I got this,” Karen said as she cleared her throat. “When we went with Ioaniss and Vladimir under Peace a month ago…”
Karen went into detail about the undercover raid they did and the fog effect. When she finished, she had a rapt audience, all of which had expressions of revulsion on their faces.
“They can’t seriously think that is a good idea.”
“I’m certain that is being taken out,” Alburet said. “The detrimental effects to our minds is something they take seriously.”
“Thank gods for that,” Shadowblade said after he took a big drink. “Oh, only a little time left now.”
“Al, do you have a moment?” Ironhand asked from behind them. “I’d like to speak privately with you.”
“Excuse me, folks,” Alburet said, stepping away.
“You as well, ladies,” Ironhand amended.
“We’ll be back,” Karen said, finishing her drink.
Following Ironhand out of the throne room, they ended up in a side room. Leggylass was already there when they walked in. “How are you all?” Leggylass asked as she collected hugs from the ladies.
“We’re good. How are you two?” Fluff asked.
“Good and bad,” Leggylass replied. “We’re sad that this sign up for both of us is over.”
“Not coming back?” Karen asked as everyone took seats.
“In a month… maybe,” Leggylass replied. “I do need to go home and check in with the fam.”
“We’re also going to meet up,” Ironhand added with a grin.
Leggylass broke out into a smile, “And that.”
“Oh! Grats,” Karen cheered.
“That is good, I hope you two are happy together,” Fluff added.
“It’ll be a bit weird, but we had a few long talks before the raid and then another last night.” Ironhand rubbed his head, “It came down to us wanting to see if the spark is there too or just here.”
“You’ll be fine,” Alburet said. “As long as you’ve been honest with each other on what to expect.”
“It’s going to be an adjustment,” Leggylass said, with a shake of her head. “I had no idea he was famous.”
“I just wanted to have fun and not be me. Trust me when I say that being in the news is horrible.”
“I know,” Alburet murmured.
“Just a month away?” Fluff asked, trying to make sure no one followed up on Alburet’s comment.
“Possibly,” Leggylass smiled shyly at Ironhand. “It will depend on how things go.”
“We’ll be back in a month or three,” Ironhand said. “Gerald has hinted that he and Marysue might have to step away for a while, too. He wanted to make sure that the Guild would be in good hands, so I wanted to see if you would pick up the mantle again.”
“I can’t,” Alburet replied. “I’ll be leaving before you get back and I won’t be coming back at all.”
Ironhand and Leggylass sat there stunned, their eyes going from him to Stacia, Karen, Fluff, and back. “Uh…” Ironhand began slowly.
“Do nay let it worry ya,” Stacia said, breaking into the awkward moment. “Me husband loves us and we love him. Thin’s will work out.”
“I’d explain, but NDA,” Alburet added.
“I’ve dealt with enough of those to understand,” Ironhand said. “I’m sure Mindblown has a solid one in place. I’m not sure whether to offer condolences or congratulations, though.”
“A little of both,” Karen said. “We’ll all be sad to no longer be here with you guys.”
“All three of you are leaving?” Leggylass asked.
> “Maybe,” Fluff said. “Again, NDA.”
Standing up, Ironhand held out his hand to Alburet. “Best of luck, then, and maybe we’ll see each other again at some point.”
“I’d be good with that,” Alburet said, standing up and taking the offered hand, giving it a firm shake. “Best of luck on your own adventure.”
“Thank you,” Leggylass said.
Hugs were exchanged around the room, then a knock made them all turn to where a guard stood in the doorway. “Lord Stoutheart has requested that you all return to the event.”
“We’re on our way,” Alburet said.
Returning to the throne room, the groups split apart; Ironhand and Leggylass had seats at the main table, while Alburet’s group was just to the right side, at the closest table. Gerald smiled at them as they took their seats. A couple of minutes passed while Gerald spoke quietly with Ironhand.
Getting to his feet, Gerald tapped the small gong on the table, getting everyone’s attention. “Alpha Company, it is time once again for us to say goodbye to friends.” Boos rose up from around the room, and Gerald nodded in agreement. “Agreed, but it also means that we’ll have new friends joining us tonight, as well.”
“Fresh meat,” someone said from the back of the room.
“Likely,” Gerald chuckled. “Before we say our goodbyes or hellos, there is another event that we should celebrate first: Stein’s death.”
The loud cheer echoed through the room, forcing Gerald to wait. After a minute, Gerald struck the gong to restore some order.
“I understand, but during that monumental undertaking, we also lost some of our own,” he said, his tone somber. “Kauree Sullivan, Vanessa Brightflower, Ivonna Darkheart, Deirdre Eveningstar, and Chris Eveningstar.” Sadness grew in each person present with each name. “We will miss our friends and family, but they will never be forgotten. Starting tomorrow, the best sculptors we could get will be erecting a monument to them in the graveyard at the base of the Keep. They will always be there for us, watching over us. Let us take a moment to honor their names in silence.”
The moment of silence turned into a long one of introspection. Clearing his throat, Gerald broke the silence. “There is also good news. Our friends and merchants who came to assist us in combat made it out safely, as did Ferrin Giovin, our receptionist that mans the Stormguard office. They have promised a steep discount for anyone who was present during the raid.”
A muted cheer went throughout the room. Gerald nodded to Stewart, who stood up at the table he was at. “I’ll be brief. We went to avenge our dear friend, and with Stein dead, we can say it was done. All of you will be remembered and we will honor the work that you undertook, even when we stepped back from the battlefield. It pained us, but hearing how the fight against Stein went, we know that we wouldn’t have survived. Thank you, all of you.”
The few Guild members who hadn’t been high enough level to participate in the raid grumbled a little at not being in the same club as those who did.
“That includes you all, as well,” Stewart said. “We’ve heard about you helping the guards when the King had them retreat to the city.”
The few who had looked upset suddenly looked embarrassed when everyone looked at them.
“Thank you, Stewart,” Gerald said, pulling all eyes back to him. “After dinner, we will be holding a raffle for equipment from the raid, thanks to members’ generous donations. This raffle will be a little different than the last few: each member who has need of an item will be entered into the drawing for that item. There is no entry fee, you will be in every raffle that has the items you need.”
Gerald had to stop, drowned out by excited comments and conversations springing up. Giving everyone a few minutes to vent, he took a drink and spoke with Marysue before nodding.
Tapping the gong, he brought them back on topic. “I’ve been corrected. Marysue suggested that the items be raffled to anyone who uses those stats, regardless of level.”
A cheer from the lower leveled players erupted at his words, while a few of the higher levels booed them.
“Okay, calm down,” Gerald said. “If you win an item, you will be excluded from the following drawings to help spread the gear out more. Now I think we’ve waited long enough… let’s eat.”
Gerald sat down, which was the signal for staff to come bustling into the room, setting food and more drinks on each table. The room filled with a low buzz from many people all chatting.
Later, when the meal had wound down, Gerald stood back up. “I do need to note the generosity from one group in particular in tonight’s raffle. Alburet, please stand up.” Alburet rolled his eyes, but stood. “Alburet and his wives donated every single item they received from the raid,” Gerald said. “Would you like to say something?”
Alburet gave the room a moment to calm down, because the announcement had caused a stir. “I won’t be long.”
“Thank the Dark Lord,” Violet said, getting laughs and an elbow from Marian.
“The raid wasn’t about gear for us. It was about family. Alistern Crowley was the first victim of the cultists in Stormguard. He was the father of my wife, Stacia, as well as Marian’s father,” he gave a nod to his sister-in-law. “We went as Stewart, Grimgar, and Almira did: to avenge his death. I was thankfully able to talk them into stepping back before the last fight, or we might have lost them, as well. If you win any of those pieces of gear, please do Alistern the honor of remembering him every time you wear it.” Taking his seat, Alburet could feel the serious tension he had instilled in the others. “It’s all yours, Gerald.”
“That is a very good point,” Gerald said. “Remember our fallen every time you use a piece of gear from tonight. Be it the ones immortalized, Alistern Crowley, or another native you knew.”
“Amen,” someone said, and the tension faded a little.
“We are about to start the raffle,” Marysue said, getting to her feet. “After it’s over, we will be removing the tables so we can dance, mingle, and party until we have to say goodbye.”
The evening went well: everyone cheered for and congratulated the winners during the raffle. A number of people danced, but Ironhand and Leggylass stole the floor with their ballroom dancing. As the appointed time neared, tension mounted in the room.
With ten minutes to go, Gerald had the musicians stop playing. “We have ten minutes, take the time to say one more goodbye.”
At two minutes to go, Gerald hit the gong. “A toast to our friends who are stepping away. We had adventures, we found friends, and in some cases, love.” Gerald nodded to Ironhand, who was holding Leggylass to his chest. “Any last words from our two officers who are leaving for a bit?”
“This world is a damn sight better than ours in many ways,” Ironhand said. “Some of us will hurry right back, and others of us will be taking time to get things in order for a longer dive. Most of us will return to the daily grind and miss our friends all the more with the limited time we have. Think about us, and welcome us back when we do have the time to show up.”
“And don’t dismiss something found here,” Leggylass added. “There is the chance that lasting relationships can start here.”
“Preach it,” Karen said, earning laughter from a number of people.
“To paraphrase the words of a great man,” Ironhand said as he watched the time tick down, “I came to your world, and to the people of Alpha World, I say, I shall return.” The moment he finished, all of the testers whose time was up vanished.
“Douglas MacArthur,” Alburet murmured, “on his departure from the Philippines.”
The mood of the party dimmed, but Gerald spoke up, “Please stay. Rolland and Kim are meeting the new testers who wish to join us, and they’ll be here shortly.”
Alburet and his wives slipped out the door a few minutes later, using their Homestones to return home. Retiring to their bedroom, the four lovers spent another night entwined with each other, hoping that they would be allowed what they had asked for.
Chapter Sixty-two
Dressed in their best clothing, Alburet, Karen, Stacia, and Fluff made sure they had plenty of time to make it to the Convocation. Breakfast was a light and easy meal, with nothing that could stain or make a mess. The carriage ride to the castle was uneventful, but slower than normal. When they arrived, Alburet found out why.
“Is everyone attending?” Alburet asked as he stared at the stream of people heading toward the long line snaking through a number of switchbacks.
Gamer for Love (Alpha World Book 8) Page 54
