Gamer for Love
Date: 2019-09-10 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Harem
Description: Alburet came to Alpha World as a tester for the government. What he found wasn’t what he expected, but what he needed. Together with his three wives, they had survived the revelations and grown closer. Now, other problems had come to the fore, demanding to be dealt with. Given a quest by the Overlord, Alburet and his wives had a goal that they could not ignore, because failing it would shatter their family. To even have a chance at success, they would need to reach max level as quickly as they could for the first end-tier raid. The raid would bring Alburet back to where it all began: the Lost

Alpha World

Book Eight:

Gamer
for

Love

Daniel Schinhofen

Copyright © 2019 Daniel J. Schinhofen

No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form by an electronic or mechanical means – except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews – without the written permission from the publisher.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

Copyright © 2019 Daniel J. Schinhofen

All rights reserved.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Chapter Twenty-eight

Chapter Twenty-nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-one

Chapter Thirty-two

Chapter Thirty-three

Chapter Thirty-four

Chapter Thirty-five

Chapter Thirty-six

Chapter Thirty-seven

Chapter Thirty-eight

Chapter Thirty-nine

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty-one

Chapter Forty-two

Chapter Forty-three

Chapter Forty-four

Chapter Forty-five

Chapter Forty-six

Chapter Forty-seven

Chapter Forty-eight

Chapter Forty-nine

Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty-one

Chapter Fifty-two

Chapter Fifty-three

Chapter Fifty-four

Chapter Fifty-five

Chapter Fifty-six

Chapter Fifty-seven

Chapter Fifty-eight

Chapter Fifty-nine

Chapter Sixty

Chapter Sixty-one

Chapter Sixty-two

Chapter Sixty-three

Chapter Sixty-four

Chapter Sixty-five

Chapter One

Sitting in the library, Alburet’s hands clenched in anger as he thought back over the last few days: Alistern’s death at the behest of Bloodmoon, DrBone’s attempted framing of Alpha Company for the deaths caused by his burning of Giardino’s, Margret Wilson’s death at the order of Skippy, and Gilden and Carradine’s attempt to assassinate the King.

“Husband,” Stacia said, coming into the room, “what be the matter?”

Her voice helped calm his anger enough that he could unclench his hands. “Just thinking about the last few days.”

Her face fell as sadness flowed from her, “Da’…”

Crossing the room to her, he pulled her into his arms. “We’ll pay Bloodmoon back,” he softly said, holding her tight.

“Aye, I know tha’ we will. It just be feelin’ like the world has gone mad.”

“How is Dennis doing?” Alburet asked, changing the subject.

“He be sleepin’ now. Emily be with him. He does nay have any other family, which means he be a ward of the city now.”

“He’ll be taken to an orphanage?” Alburet asked.

“Aye.”

A sliver of a memory tickled the back of his mind. With pursed lips, Alburet took one hand away from Stacia to pull out his Mindstone. Sending a quick message, he waited for the reply.

“What are ya doin’?” Stacia asked.

“Seeing if Dennis can be given a better life,” he replied and led Stacia over to the chair he had been in before. Sitting down, he pulled her onto his lap.

Message from Gerald Stoutheart:

Al, I don’t know how that works, but I’ll ask Wilbur. I agree with the idea, and would even go one further if Lilith is agreeable. Emily and Dennis get along, and it isn’t uncommon for nobles to have long engagements.

Message to Gerald Stoutheart:

I’ll ask Lilith her opinion. You’d still need a seneschal to hold the spot for him until he’s old enough. I’d suggest Lilith.

Message from Gerald Stoutheart:

That is going to be an interesting item to bring to the King. I’ll check with Wilbur on what’s needed for appointing an heir.

Putting the Mindstone away, Alburet smiled. “Emily and Dennis get along rather well, right?”

“Aye.”

“Do you think mom would be willing to see them engaged?”

Stacia’s eyebrows shot up. “Ya be wantin’ to engage them?”

“I want to ask if they are willing to consider it,” Alburet corrected her. “Gerald is going to adopt Dennis and name him his heir, as he has to have one by order of the King. If they were engaged, we can name Lilith as the seneschal until Dennis grows old enough. That would let her stay here in the city with Emily, I’m fairly certain.”

“I can ask,” Stacia said as she snuggled against him.

“Want to cuddle a bit longer first?”

“Aye.”

“Did Mother reply to our request?” Alburet asked after a couple of minutes.

“Aye. She thinks she can be havin’ them here tomorrow. We be needin’ to build another structure onto the house for tha’.”

“Wilbur said he’ll send over the crafters to get it done for us. He did tell me that forty is the maximum number of guards an Ambassadorial residence can have.”

Stacia pulled out her Mindstone and sent Mother a note. “Mother has been told, so she does nay try to give us a regiment.”

“Good idea,” Alburet chuckled softly.

“There you are,” Fluff said as she entered the room, trailed by Karen. “Dinner is almost ready.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to vanish on you all,” Alburet apologized. “I just needed to step away for a bit.”

“We understand, Al,” Karen said gently. “We all felt your pain and knew that you needed to be alone.”

“I didn’t expect Dennis’ sorrow to hit me like that,” he sighed. “I guess I’m still mourning my own losses.”

Stacia kissed his head, followed by Karen and Fluff, who were bookending his chair. “We be knowin’ tha’.

“We should go to dinner. Loralee said it wouldn’t be long,” Karen said after a minute.

“Okay. What about Emily and Dennis?” Alburet asked as he got to his feet.

“They are asleep,” Lilith said from the door. “I’ll make sure there’s something for them if they wake in the night.”

“Thank you, mom,” Alburet said, following his wives to the door. “We need to talk about Emily and Dennis. I’ve had an idea that I want your input on.”

“We can talk after dinner,” Lilith replied.

“Of course,” Alburet said, following the four women down the hall.

Dinner was delicious, as usual, and afterward, they went to one of the sitting rooms. Rachel served them coffee before dismissing herself and leaving them alone. Alburet explained his idea to Lilith and the others before sitting back in his seat.

Lilith seemed a little shocked at Alburet’s suggestion. “You want to make three of my daughters nobles?”

“If Emily and Dennis agree to the idea,” Alburet reiterated.

“You’re trying to turn all the horror into something better,” Fluff said.

“Dennis will become an orphan otherwise. Gerald is going to appoint him heir and adopt him. I would just like him to have someone who cares for him at his side.”

“They’re only nine,” Karen pointed out.

“That doesn’t matter,” Lilith said softly, tears starting to trickle from her eyes. “Emily already has her eyes set on him. Like her sisters, she has made her choice.”

“Yeah, but boys at that age have no idea what love is,” Karen pointed out.

“That is a valid point,” Alburet sighed.

“You were in the room after Alburet left,” Lilith said. “Did you not feel how Dennis calmed when Emily held him?”

“I thought maybe you had done that,” Karen said.

“I didn’t touch his emotions. Emily was the one who held, comforted, and calmed him. They are of an age together, too, which means that when the time comes, they can attend training together if they both worship at the same temple.”

“That means either he’d have to change or she would,” Fluff pointed out.

“One of them will,” Lilith said with certainty. “The events of the last few days,” her voice hitched as she suppressed her own loss, “have just made them want to hold each other tighter, afraid to lose another they care about.”

“It will be sad iffin she chooses to leave the Dark Lord, but iffin it be to follow her heart, then it is meant to be.” Stacia had a sad smile when she finished speaking.

“You think they’ll agree, then?” Alburet asked.

“Yes. I’ll talk to them tomorrow, but I’m certain that they will both agree. I’m not sure I’m going to be allowed to be their seneschal, though.”

“We’ll make it work,” Alburet said, “even if it means calling in favors.”

Guild Quest:

All Members of Alpha Company have been issued the following quest by Gerald Stoutheart, backed by the Crown of Stormguard.

Quest: Root out traitorous nobles and bring them before the King.

Rewards: Reputation with Crown of Stormguard and one relic from the vaults per party.

Alburet blinked as he read over the quest again. “Damn. I guess that’s one way to hand those items out. I would suggest adding the Delvers to the list of Guilds participating.”

“I’m sure Gerald already has,” Fluff said. “Are we going to do this?”

All eyes went to Alburet, who was radiating a deep perverse joy. “I think tomorrow we’ll be paying our good, dear friend Skippy a visit.”

Karen’s smile grew, “Oh, it’s about time we get to hit that idiot.”

“Tomorrow will be a busy day,” Fluff nodded as she got to her feet.

“Aye, ya have the right of tha’, Fluff. Shall we drag our husband off to make sure we can all get some rest tonight?”

Karen got to her feet, “Yup.”

“I’ll talk with the children tomorrow, and I’ll be here to handle Mother and the crafters,” Lilith said. “It might be my last act for you as part of the embassy.”

Alburet stood, joining his wives. “Thank you, Lilith.”

“Go get your rest,” Lilith smiled, but it was tinged with sadness.

Following his wives, Alburet made a note to check what kind of leeway they had in carrying out the quest. I’m coming for you, Skippy. Time to pay the piper, you fucking asshole.

Chapter Two

Seamus gave Victoria a long look before going over to the desk and taking a seat. “I don’t recall fighting anybody with nightmare Abilities, so I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you’re actually you.”

“I am actually me,” Victoria replied. “Those Abilities have been changed because they worked a little bit differently than we wished them to.”

“No more nightmares or false visions?”

“No. It has been suggested they could harm the player, which is far from what we wish to have happen.”

“What have you replaced them with?”

“Simpler mind control Abilities.”

“Which Fluff is now immune to,” Seamus chuckled.

“She did pick up the helm best suited for her,” Victoria smiled.

“We should thank Keeper for that,” he said with a raised eyebrow.

“I had nothing to do with it. Keeper did as he does, and gave the item best suited to each person.”

“I’ve been curious about how much you tinker with things.”

“Very little, actually. I just set the stage and try to let things play out normally. I only interfere when I have need to.”

“Game patches?”

“Those are the most common. If you haven’t noticed, there have been very few of them.”

“Yeah. Why are we chatting, Vicky?”

“I wished to speak with you to see how your integrations are progressing. Your psyche has been stabilizing rapidly, even if your anger is taking a bit longer to fully integrate.”

“I’ve noticed my anger being closer to the surface, but it’s been easier to deal with.”

“That’s good. I also wished to congratulate you on completing a step of the quest.”

“If you hadn’t sent Rolland and Kim...”

Victoria gave him a broad smile, “That would have happened regardless of who went to Peace. The book Rolland has still has a part to play in the grand scheme of the world.”

“It’s the answer to transporting without portals, isn’t it?”

Victoria’s laughter was light and full of happiness. “I am so happy to see your analytical mind is also coming back to the forefront, Seamus.”

“If there wasn’t a way to even the scales, Stein would have too big of an advantage going into the raid.”

“Very astute.”

“The Final Deaths—”

Holding up a hand to cut him off, Victoria shook her head. “I cannot answer what you’re going to ask, but the answer will become clear soon. That is all I can say.”

“Fuck,” Seamus sighed.

“The other part of your quest is still working, as well,” Victoria said into the moment of silence.

“Love,” Seamus smiled.

“A high degree of it between all involved. It is quite nice to see Julia, Karen, Stacia, and you all together. The dynamic is in stark contrast to your very monogamous friends. It was shocking to see their spur of the moment wedding. I had not accounted for that probability at that time.”

“I think we were all a bit shocked, but goddamn was it about time.”

“We are almost out of time, Seamus. I believe you can fulfill the quest, but the road is not easy.”

“Nothing worth doing is,” he replied. His eyes flickered to the mantle, where a replica of Kaylee’s urn sat. “Keeping her company for me?”

“It seemed appropriate. Would you like a moment alone?”

Right hand shaking, Seamus nodded, “Please.”

Victoria stood up, smoothing her jacket before she walked around the desk. Pausing when she came even with his chair, she touched his shoulder. “When you’re ready, just turn away and you’ll go back to sleep.” The sound of her low heels faded as she walked away.

Standing after the door had closed, Seamus went around the desk. His eyes lingered on the urn. The dark oak and infinity symbol reminded him of how much Kaylee had loved both of those things.

“Hey, you,” Seamus whispered, reaching out to touch the urn. “I know what happened now... I’m even working on becoming normal again. I never would have if not for my three wives. I keep thinking you’d be happy for me, for finally finding women who actually care for me. I wish your dad was here with me, I’m sure I could have gotten him hooked up with someone... what I really wish for is for you to be here with me. I think you would have loved this game. I still wonder what path you would have taken.”

Pulling the urn off the mantle carefully and cradling it to his chest, he backed up and sat on the desk. “This is the closest I can get to giving you a hug now. Remember when you used to demand them?” A sad smile touched his lips, “You grew out of that stage too fast. You never disdained them though, thankfully.”

Sighing, he pulled the urn away from his chest a little. “I’m doing my best, Kaylee. I’m not sure if I’ll get to say goodbye to you again, so I want to do it once more, just in case.”

Taking a deep breath, he stood up and placed the urn back on the mantle. Laying his hand on it, he stared at the infinity symbol engraved in the wood. “You were the brightest point of my life. Even though you weren’t technically my daughter, I always thought of you as such after that first year. Your death broke me, as surely as it broke your father. I’m sorry if my actions caused you distress, but I wouldn’t take them back. That thing deserved death for what he did. I hope you’ve found the peace and happiness you rightly deserved in life. One day, I hope to see you again. If they ever let players have children, my first daughter will be named after you. Goodbye, Kaylee.”

Pulling his hand away as tears fell from his eyes, he turned his back on the urn and blackness enveloped him.

Chapter Three

Waking slowly, Alburet brushed at the tears seeping from his eyes. Sitting up, he realized he was alone. Alburet got out of the giant bed, grabbed his gear, and wondered where his wives had gotten off to.

Buckling the last strap on his armor, he was headed for the door just as Stacia opened it. “I was comin’ to wake ya,” she said, giving him a quick kiss. “Breakfast will be ready soon. Karen has news about what we can and can nay do to find and bring Skippy in. Fluff talked to Gerald and they’ll be meetin’ us to head over to the Gilden manor.”

“Everyone’s been busy, it looks like,” Alburet said as he left the room with Stacia. “Sorry I overslept.”

“Ya did nay. We just woke earlier and thought it be good to get some thin’s out of the way.”

Walking into their dining room, Alburet saw Karen and Fluff, along with Lilith, Dennis, and Emily. “Morning to you all. How are you holding up, Dennis?”

Dennis met his gaze with pain-laden eyes. “I’m doing what mom would have wanted me to do. Lilith told me about your friend Lord Stoutheart wanting to adopt me… Would I be able to find out who killed mom if I accepted?”

“We’ll find them and bring them before the King, Dennis, whether you accept this offer or not. Accepting would put you in a position to keep an eye on those who might try to do anything similar to other families in the future, though.”

“I’ll become a Stoutheart, then, but I would like to change my name to Dennis Wilson Stoutheart so my mom will always be honored.” The boy said the words with conviction, though a tear tracked down his cheek.

Emily took Dennis’ hand in hers. “Does he be needin’ to change his name? Can he nay be the heir without his name changin’?”

“I’m not sure,” Alburet said. “We’ll ask Wilbur. He has a much better idea about how that works than I do. You’re both okay with the idea of being engaged?”

Dennis looked at Emily for a long moment before he nodded. “I think Emily is amazing. She’s funny, smart, and makes good food. Mom always told me to find a girl like her, and I have.”

“Dennis be the one for me, like ya was for me sis,” Emily added simply, not looking away from Dennis. “We both be hurtin’, but I be sure it be true.”

Feeling the love that the two children already had for each other, Alburet smiled. “Well, it looks like you’ve made up your minds.”

“Breakfast is ready,” Loralee said as she entered the dining room with a cart.

Taking his seat after seating Stacia, Alburet thanked Loralee as she set the table. She had brought out eggs, bacon, fried tomatoes and mushrooms, cubed potatoes, fresh baked bread with butter and preserves, and cheese.

Conversation dropped to a minimum as everyone dug into the large meal. When everyone had finished, Lilith took the two children with her, letting them know she would be inviting Erin and Dame Theron over to discuss what needed to happen for Dennis to be appointed Gerald’s heir.

Once they were gone, Karen pushed her plate away. “The rules for ferreting out traitors are pretty straightforward: we need to see the guards at the castle for a writ letting us onto the land of the noble we’re going to see. They’ll also give us a set of manacles that will stop anyone wearing them from casting spells or using Abilities. We can’t physically put hands on any noble or their staff without proof of wrongdoing, so if they refuse to cooperate, we notify the guard so Investigator Roberto can go deal with them. We’re also not supposed to break their property.”

“Gerald has already gotten our writs for both Gilden and Carradine,” Fluff said. “He’s on his way here now.”

“Everyone have their stuff?” Alburet asked, rising from his chair.

“Ready,” Karen nodded.

Flexing her claws, Fluff nodded too. “I have all my gear.”

“I always be ready,” Stacia said with a wink. The others chuckled at her double entendre, which made her smile grow. “It be so nice to be knowin’ ya all approve of me jokes.”

“Let’s head on out to the yard. No reason to keep Gerald waiting longer than necessary.”

When the four lovers exited the manor, Bezzle came flying over to them. “Lord, Ladies, no trouble last night to report.”

“Thanks, Bezzle,” Karen said. “How do you guys deal with stealthed invaders?”

“Trade secret,” Bezzle smiled. “I would need approval from the Dark Lord to explain.”

They exchanged looks for a moment. “Ma’ has me sis comin’ over with Dame Theron,” Stacia finally said. “Mother should be by as well, and a crafter to start the extra buildin’ for more guards.”

“I’ll make sure everyone knows,” Bezzle bowed.

“We’re about to go kick a hornet’s nest. Be ready for a reprisal,” Alburet told the Imp Lord.

“We’ve been ready since the Convocation, Lord. I’ll make sure everyone is alert as possible.” Bezzle paused, looking hesitant. “Lord, if there’s another structure being built to house more guards, might it be okay to bring our families over? They can do yard work and other tasks to make them staff of the embassy. Some of the others are asking since your minions have been allowed to have their families here.”

“The King has given us permission as long as the Infernals are embassy staff,” Fluff commented. “It would be good for them, Al.”

“I’m fine with it, but that means the extra housing is going to have to be a bit larger than we thought originally.”

“I’ll inform Lilith. Lord Stoutheart should be reaching the gate in a moment,” Bezzle said and bowed again.

Alburet looked up and saw an Imp high above them, flying in lazy circles. “Good early warning system. We’re off. See you later, Bezzle.”

“Good hunting,” Bezzle said as he took to the air.

Bob and Tiny joined them as they walked to the gate. “What are we doing today, master?” Tiny asked.

“Going to hit the new quests, check on the nobles, and see if we can drag any back to the King.”

“Are we going to see Skippy first?” Bob asked with a huge grin.

“He’s on the list. It’s gonna be either him or Carradine first,” Karen replied before Alburet could.

Bob’s manic grin made everyone chuckle as they reached the gate where Gerald was standing and waiting for them. “Who we hitting first?” Gerald asked with a knowing grin.

“Skippy. He deserves it,” Alburet smiled. “After that, we can go visit the new Lord Carradine.”

“Morning,” Marysue greeted them, giving the women hugs. “Dennis make a decision?”

“He’s agreed to it,” Karen said. “Lilith is going to talk to Dame Theron to find out what steps have to be taken.”

“No issues for you all last night?” Gerald asked as they started down the street.

“None,” Alburet replied.

“Roberto visited the Assassin’s Guild today,” Gerald informed them. “One of our guildies is there and sent me a message this morning. Roberto is speaking to all the Masters left in the building. He had them all waiting in the lobby.”

“I wonder how that will affect training?” Karen murmured.

“We’ll find out later,” Gerald said. “Our guy left to go hunting with his group, so no eyes are over there right now.”

“Well, if Vetenarie is being questioned by Roberto, then he isn’t killing Skippy for me,” Alburet grumbled.

“He’ll get his, and maybe we’ll get to be the ones to give it to him first,” Karen said.

“I guess we’ll see,” Alburet nodded. “Right now, I’m hoping to be first.”

~*~*~

The walk across the city was different; the streets were emptier and an air of uncertainty kept everyone on edge. When they arrived at the Gilden manor, they slowed when no guards could be seen inside the walls.

“I think he left the city,” Gerald said.

“Well, if you fail to assassinate the King, it might be a good idea,” Karen snorted. “How ballsy would it be for him to still be in town?”

“Or stupid, and this is Skippy we’re talking about,” Alburet said. He tried to push the gates open, only to find them locked. “Through them or over them?”

“I can try to get it open,” Karen said, pulling some picks from her belt pouch. “I’m not a Trapsmith though, so I’m not going to bet it will work.”

“Give it a try,” Gerald said. “Bob, BJ, can you take a quick look around above us? See if there’s anything to indicate that someone is here?”

“On it,” Bob said as he and his double went over the wall. The Imps came back after a minute of reconnaissance. “No signs of anything.”

“Got it,” Karen said, putting her picks away and nudging the gate open.

“Okay, I’ll go first,” Gerald said, pulling his shield on his arm. “I’m a little leery of this being easy, considering his past record.”

“Tiny, you’re with Gerald. TJ, stay back with Marysue,” Alburet told the Destroyers.

Karen stealthed and slipped inside the gate. “I’ll be nearby. I don’t see anyone else that’s stealthed.”

A quick loop around the building provided no open doors or windows for them to use. Back outside the front doors, Karen was working on the lock when a voice called out to them from the gate.

“Stop right there,” the commanding voice bellowed.

Everyone looked back to see a group of guards approaching them. Gerald stepped forward, empty hands up. “Easy, Corporal. We’re here on a quest.”

“Let me see your writ,” the Corporal said as the five men spread out, watching them warily. Gerald pulled out the writ and gave it to the Corporal, who read it over and nodded, handing it back. “I see. Sorry for the trouble, Lord Stoutheart. However, you do seem to be breaking into this house, which is—”

“The writ states we can’t damage property or hurt individuals,” Gerald cut the Corporal off. “We are doing neither. Karen is picking the lock, which won’t break it. If it will make you feel better, you can wait until she’s finished to verify that.”

“Yes,” the guard said stiffly, “we’ll wait.”

“Karen,” Gerald said, turning back to her, “can you get it open?”

“I’m not sure I can,” Karen admitted.

“I have an idea,” Bob chimed up from the roof. “Master, if you’ll come up here?” Bob’s grin was wide, all of his pointy teeth on display.

“Sure,” Alburet said, his wings appearing. “Be right back,” he told the others and flew up to the roof.

Bob hovered over the biggest chimney. “I can’t fit down this, but if we toss a light down, you could Copy BJ inside the house.”

Alburet laughed, “Hadn’t thought of that before. Let me go see if anyone has a light on hand.” He flew back down to the group, where Karen was putting her lockpicks away. “No luck?”

“Kim could do it, I’m sure, but I can’t. Hell, I’m surprised I got the gate open.”

“Bob had an idea, but I need a light source,” Alburet grinned.

Marysue’s hand hesitated as it moved toward her pack. “What’s the plan?”

“I’m going to drop a light down the chimney, then Copy him at the bottom,” Alburet chuckled.

“Then he can go open the door for us,” Gerald nodded. “Okay, make sure to put up netting in our chimneys when we get home.”

Alburet nodded, “I was thinking the same thing.”

Marysue extracted a torch from her bag. “I’ve had it since the beginning and never used it.”

“Why do you still have it, then?” Fluff asked.

“It kind of became a memento of starting here,” Marysue said as she held it out to Alburet.

Alburet took it slowly, “Well now I feel bad about wanting to use it.”

“Wait, are you going to summon your Infernal inside another’s home?” the Corporal asked, obviously slow on the uptake.

“To complete the quest backed by the King,” Alburet nodded before he flew back to the roof.

“Maybe we should go,” another guard said quietly to the Corporal.

“No,” he snapped, then cleared his throat. “No. We will stay and make sure they don’t break the door or anything else.” The four guards with him glanced at each other before shrugging.

Alburet used Fire Blast to light the torch, then dropped it down the chimney. Thirty feet down, it landed in a clean fireplace. “Seems like it’s good. Ready, Bob?”

“Ready.”

“Only open the door, and please be very careful not to damage anything,” Alburet told the Imp, summoning BJ right next to the torch.

“I’m in,” Bob said as BJ ducked out of the fireplace. “This place is locked up tight. Nothing is out like it’s going to be used. Heading for the front door.”

“Going back down,” Alburet told Bob. Landing next to the others, he nodded, “BJ is on his way to open it up for us.”

“We’ll be joining you,” the Corporal said quickly.

“Corporal Heinz, are you sure we should?” one of the other guards questioned.

“Yes,” Heinz replied. “We must make sure that no property is destroyed.”

Gerald eyed the Corporal for a long moment. “Corporal Heinz, I’m curious as to why you are so insistent about this course of action. I am a Lord of the city, Lord Darkhand is an Ambassador, and Alpha Company is well respected by the guard. So why do you—”

Gerald cut off as a scream sounded from inside the manor, and everyone turned to look. Bob was hovering above them a moment later, “You all might want to back up. I just found something I don’t think I should have.”

Chapter Four

The manor shook, the ground trembling beneath their feet. Following Bob’s advice, the group backed away while the guards retreated all the way to the gate.

“What did your minion do?” Corporal Heinz yelled at Alburet.

Alburet looked up at Bob questioningly. Bob replied to the guard, “I touched off a bunch of traps in the main hall. They were set so anyone passing through there would trigger them. Just as I was dying from one of the traps, I saw a hand…”

“A hand? We’re backing up because of a hand?” Gerald asked as he slowed his pace.

“It was the size of your shield,” Bob said as a deep, guttural roar reverberated from the manor, “and probably belongs to that.”

The guards looked panicked, and one of the privates started wildly blowing his whistle. The others joined in after a moment, including the Corporal. Heinz paused, glaring at Alburet, “This is your fault for breaking into the manor.”

Alburet shook his head as he Copied Bob and addressed his minions. “Stay in the air, guys. Stacia, you and Kitten should get up, too.”

“And you,” Gerald said. “You can cast from the air as easily as the ground. It’ll free up space if they want to join in.”

Flapping his wings, Alburet followed Stacia into the air. “I’ll come down if needed. TJ, stay next to Marysue. You are her wall.”

“Yes,” TJ said, taking a defensive stance next to her.

Karen had vanished and Fluff was flushed red, while Gerald and Tiny took up point positions in front of Marysue. The ground shook more and the walls of the manor developed fractures as they began to flex.

The sound of whistles drawing closer filled the air, mixing with the noise of the mysterious beast roaring and the crashes of the manor beginning to fall apart. A loud boom was followed by a wave of dust rolling outward, momentarily hiding whatever remained of the building.

The whistles and the roars cut off, leaving bits of debris falling as the only sound. Coughing as he waved at the dirt, Gerald waited for whatever had been spawned to reveal itself.

A loud crackling hum sprang into existence, coupled with screams of pain that brought all eyes around to the guards behind them. A blue, shimmering barrier sealed the manor off from the street. A couple of the guards were clutching at their legs, which had blue arcs of energy playing over them.

“What the hell!?” Gerald asked the air.

“Behind you!” Alburet shouted, the first to see the five large decaying Golems that had come out of the wreckage.

Gerald spun around, taking in the sight of the undead mobs. “Skippy, you bastard,” Gerald breathed.

The Golems were the largest the party had ever seen, bigger even than the ones they had glimpsed inside the ruins of Peace. What made matters worse was that each of them had sparks of different colored energy popping off the many spikes and studs that covered their decaying bodies.

“Acid, fire, ice, electric, and dark,” Marysue guessed as she took a deep breath. “They’re all level one hundred, which puts them well above us. Be careful with this, Gerald.”

“Tiny, take the Dark and Acid Golems; they should do minimal extra damage to you. TJ, hit the Electric one. I’ll hold Fire and Ice and hope they cancel each other out. Everyone focus on TJ’s first. We’ll figure out our plan from there.”

All five of the mobs locked eyes on Gerald, or rather, on the Guild emblem on his shield. With another earth-shaking roar, the five of them rushed at the Defender.

“Going hot,” Bob laughed as Fire Bursts caught all of the Golems. Three of them took minimal damage, the Ice Golem took the amount it should, and the Fire Golem started to glow.

“Bob, single target,” Alburet yelled as he watched the Fire Golem’s reaction, his inner alarm going off.

“Right,” Bob called back, switching to the Electric Golem.

Tiny rushed ahead of Gerald and area taunted the five Golems, dragging them away from the party. Gerald single targeted the Fire Golem— which looked empowered— and pulled it away from Tiny, then repeated the single taunt on the Ice Golem. TJ targeted the Electric Golem and dragged it back to the gate, positioning it for the others. Tiny focused on keeping the attentions of the Acid and Dark Golems.

“Tiny, turn them around. Gerald, you too. Then back them up a dozen feet. TJ, take a few steps back, as well,” Marysue ordered, trying to get the tanks positioned for her area heal to catch them all.

“I can nay do anything to them up here,” Stacia said from beside Alburet.

“Once everyone is in place, drop down and use your blades,” Alburet told her as he conjured and tossed off Fire Blasts. “Be ready to use Comforting Touch and your Drain as needed.”

“Aye.”

Karen had appeared behind TJ’s Golem, her blades sinking in where the kidneys should be. No sooner had she done so then small jolts of electricity arced up her blades and into her hands. “Gah!”

Fluff was also jolted when she raked the Golem with her claws. She’d not been hit as badly as Karen, but only because her claws were plated with less conductive metal than Karen’s blades. Marysue grimaced, watching them taking damage to inflict damage.

“TJ, back up another five steps,” Marysue said so Fluff and Karen would be inside the area. “Thank you, Peace and Mother,” Marysue said as she unleashed Halo, healing all of her allies, including the Infernals.

Stacia landed next to Marysue with a frown on her face. “Iffin I go in, it will be worse for you. I can nay do enough physical damage to make up for the damage I be takin’.” Looking up, Stacia called out, “Master, let me go and summon the Imps. I be of nay use here.”

Grimacing, Alburet dismissed Kitten, but kept Stacia, thinking she might be able to help with healing. Once his mana stabilized, Alburet sighed as he used Imp Storm and the sky was suddenly full of Greater Imps. “Burn down the electric one first,” he commanded the swarm.

Gerald took the hits from the two mobs on him as the group did their best to whittle down TJ’s Golem. He was very glad he had taken the two he had; each tried to leave a debuff on him, but the Heated Metal was canceled out by Frostbite, which was in turn canceled by Heated Metal. Glancing at Tiny, he wondered if the Destroyer could withstand the attacks from his mobs as long as necessary.

Tiny was having the worst time of any of them. The Acid Golem was debuffing him and dropping his armor, while the Dark Golem was stacking a debuff that lowered the amount of healing he was getting from Marysue’s Light Magic.

“Master, I will need to switch out soon,” Tiny rumbled in warning.

“TJ, switch out with Tiny,” Alburet called out as another Fire Blast hit the Electric Golem. “For fuck’s sake, these things have way too much life. Stacia, Comforting Touch on Tiny, then top back up with Drain on the Electric one.”

“It’s like a damned mini-raid,” Karen grumbled as another jolt went up her arm when she stabbed her target again.

“The guards would never have survived,” Fluff growled, slicing more grooves into the same Golem.

Understanding blossomed on Gerald’s face. “Stacia, warn the Guild to not enter any property that is abandoned,” he called out.

“Aye... Darkness,” Stacia breathed, understanding and pulling out her Mindstone. “Ya think they left more of these scattered throughout the noble houses?”

“At least some of them,” Gerald replied as the cooling sensation from the Ice Golem quenched the heat from the Fire Golem. “Mary, are you going to be able to hold out?”

“I’ll have to use some potions, but I think we can manage,” she called back as another area heal washed over the group. “If it wasn’t for the staff, I don’t know if I could have kept us going this long though, honestly.”

Tiny sighed with relief as TJ took over his two mobs and he switched his focus to the Electric Golem. “I will switch back once the debuffs fall off.”

“Understood,” Gerald nodded. “If need be, we can pass the Golems around to make sure the debuffs stay off. The pair on me should be kept together, though.”

The Imps had done their best and taken a chunk of health off the Electric Golem, but when they vanished, it still had half of its life remaining. “We’ve got this,” Alburet said.

“Are you okay in there?” someone called from outside the barrier.

Stacia turned to find Roberto and a contingent of guards all watching them. “We be fine. But we be believin’ tha’ more traps like this be left at other manors.”

Roberto blanched. “Spread out. Go to every manor that was to be searched by the Guilds and stop them from entering any that are empty,” he told his men, who took off running. “We’ll be holding here just in case this barrier falls.”

“Aye.” Kitten appeared beside Stacia as she was Copied. “Iffin ya need to stop another outbreak, we be understandin’ tha’, too.”

Roberto winced, “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

After another minute, the mobs were switched between the tanks again. Now Gerald had the Acid and Dark Golems, Tiny took the Fire and Ice Golems, and TJ took the Electric Golem back.

It took another minute before the Electric Golem fell over dead. “Acid next,” Gerald called out.

It took them over ten minutes to take the Golems down, doing their best to balance the stacking debuffs on the tanks. A few times, Alburet was sure they were about to wipe, but they somehow managed to stay alive. The Ice Golem was the last to die, and the barrier vanished when it fell.

The guards cheered, and the group sat down to rest and let their health and mana come back. Roberto advanced on them, handing Marysue a few potions to replace the ones she had used. “You did well. None of our normal squads could have taken those Golems. I need to know what happened to make these things appear.”

“They did it,” Corporal Heinz said from nearby. “They sent the Imp inside and it summoned the undead.”

Roberto looked at the Corporal like he was an idiot. “Infernals don’t summon undead.”

“I triggered a trap inside,” Bob said, landing next to Alburet to rest his wings. “My Copy did, anyway. When the trap sprang, I was killed by the five different energies, and I saw one of their hands briefly before the Copy faded.”

“You went inside?” Roberto asked Alburet.

“As long as we don’t damage the property, the writ lets us do so to find evidence for the King. Honestly, I was hoping Skippy was still here.”

“Okay, so those involved with the attempt on the King’s life may have left traps for us? Traps that involve undead, and seem to tie them even closer to Stein? I need to report this. The King will be issuing a change to the writs soon.”

“We won’t be entering another home,” Gerald said.

The sound of whistles in the distance brought everyone to their feet. “Damn it, no,” Roberto cursed as he took off running with the guards toward the commotion.

“After them,” Gerald said. “We have the best chance to contain these things.”

Alburet, Stacia, Kitten, Bob, and BJ took to the air. “We’ll go find it. We won’t get involved until you’re there.”

“Right,” Gerald said as he trailed the others running after the guards.

~*~*~

Alburet followed Bob and BJ, who were faster in the air. Ten streets over, they found a barrier of similar make, but green in color. Landing on the street near a group of guards, Alburet could see Ironhand’s party doing their best to handle the Golems.

Sending a message to Gerald, Alburet watched the fight and knew that it was going badly for his allies. “What happens if you touch the barrier?” Alburet asked the nearest guard.

“It’s acid,” the guards replied, not taking his eyes from the fight. His grip tightened on his sword. “Klenok dissolved when he was caught in it.”

Dismissing Tiny, who was running toward them, Alburet pointed inside the barrier. “Come to me, Tiny.”

Tiny appeared in a puff of smoke inside the barrier. “It works,” Alburet grinned before he dismissed Tiny again and resummoned him beside him. “Okay, this is going to suck, but I need all three of you to help out,” Alburet told his minions as he dismissed Copies.

“As you command,” Tiny rumbled.

“I’ll roast them good,” Bob said.

“I can nay do much, but I will do me best,” Stacia said.

Focusing inside the barrier, Alburet Copied each of them. The three Copies rushed in to help Ironhand’s group. The Sergeant, who was the highest-ranking guard there, gave Alburet a nod of thanks.

“I doubt it will be enough, but if it buys us time to get more guards here, it will be a good thing,” the Sergeant said.

“Whose manor is this?” Alburet asked.

“Lord Calnon’s,” the Sergeant replied. More whistles started up another few streets away. “No,” the guard hissed, “not another.”

“Stay here,” Alburet told his minions as he took to the air.

Flying over to the newest whistles, he saw a black barrier surrounding yet another home. A handful of guards stood there, all blowing their whistles. Landing beside them, he had to step back as a pale faced guard spun on him with his weapon drawn.

“Stop it,” Alburet snapped at the fresh-faced guard. “Who’s inside there?”

“The Delvers,” the Corporal said, cradling his left arm, which was coated in inky blackness. “The manor belonged to Lord Fendrik.”

“All of the leaders of the assassination attempt seem to have similar traps,” Alburet growled. “The other guards are at Calnon’s manor going through the same thing.”

“We’ll hold here until more help arrives,” the Corporal hissed, squeezing his arm tighter.

Flying back to the Calnon’s manor, Alburet arrived just before Roberto and his troops. “Commander, House Frendrik has a black barrier in place,” Alburet reported.

“Damn them,” Roberto snapped. “Men, we’re off to House Frendrik. Move your asses.” Turning to Gerald, Roberto looked grim. “Can you handle this?”

“If our guildies fall, we will step in,” Gerald said.

“Commander,” Marysue said quickly, “there might be two more: one made of fire and one of ice.”

“I hope my men can get to them before someone triggers them,” Roberto said as he turned to follow the guards. “You ten stay here and make sure they aren’t interfered with if they have to step in.”

“Yes, sir,” a Corporal replied with a salute.

“Justice’s speed,” Marysue said as Roberto rushed off after the other guards.

“Who’s at the other one?” Gerald asked, watching Ironhand go flying when one of the Golems backhanded him.

“Delvers,” Alburet replied. “They’ve kept up with us leveling, so maybe they can handle them, but I’m not certain.”

“We have three tanks, and Marysue can heal all of us,” Karen said as she entered stealth. “That is the only reason we survived.”

“If I hadn’t been able to heal Tiny and TJ, we wouldn’t have made it,” Marysue nodded. “I believe this is the start of something bigger than just attempted assassination.”

“So much for a little downtime,” Alburet said as he watched the healer for Ironhand’s group start drinking potions. “I’ll dismiss the Copies if Ironhand’s group dies.”

“Everyone, be ready,” Gerald said when the tank inside the barrier died. “It’s not long now.”

Chapter Five

As everyone took their seats in the library, Alburet glanced at Blaze and Benedict, who were being trailed by their respective party members. The King waited for everyone to be seated and for the staff to hand out drinks before he cleared his throat.

“Thank you for coming. Each of you took part in saving Stormguard today from the traps laid by the supporters of Stein who fled the city. Some of you were unsuccessful, but gave your lives to buy time for others to arrive and assist you.” Pausing, the King looked at Ironhand, Blaze, and another person wearing the emblem of Heart’s Light. “I shall be opening the vault to a member of each party as my thanks, and for the completion of a quest.”

Quest Completed: Thwart the Elemental Golems

Rewards: Reputation with all Stormguard factions and five thousand gold.

Bonus: One member of your party allowed to choose an item from the vault of Stormguard.

“We’re sorry we were unable to bring down the foes we faced,” Blaze said as he brushed the pop-up away. “How many guards died before we could get back to assist?”

“A dozen guards died their Final Deaths,” Tyr replied. “No one is coming back to life at this point, it seems. Except the Two-souled.”

The players all exchanged looks, understanding what that could mean for the game. If all the NPCs died, there would be no quests or rewards. It would be the death of the game.

“What about the Keeps, Sire?” Benedict asked.

“We’ve had no issues so far. Do you think there might be?”

“I would suggest appointing someone you trust to each Keep, with explicit instructions to send word the moment anything unusual happens, Sire.”

“I have already arranged it,” Tyr nodded. “If events follow the stories of old, Stein will seek to stir up even more chaos in the next few days. That’s going to be a problem if I intend to gather my forces to march on the prison.”

“What can we do to assist, Sire?” Gerald asked.

“I will be issuing a quest to every Two-souled since you are immune to the Final Death. At noon tomorrow, the decree shall be proclaimed to all, but I will tell you of it now: the quest is to scour the country estates of the nobles who turned against me but haven’t repented. I can no longer ignore the likelihood that they are likely deeply entwined with Stein. All members of the guilty houses shall be brought before me or killed, with proof of their Final Deaths required. I shall invoke Justice’s name in this endeavor, so no one will be punished for undertaking my quest.”

“What are the rewards going to be?” Blaze asked, sitting forward.

“An item from the vault for each House that is dealt with given to a member of the group that completes the quest, ten thousand gold for each member, maximum reputation with the city, and once Stein is slain, I shall be considering the leader of each party for a minor title.”

Blaze whistled softly, “That’ll catch the eye of every Two-souled who hasn’t allied against you.”

“That is my fervent hope,” Tyr admitted. “I will be doing something similar when the time comes to march on Stein himself. But before we can do that, we must remove his pawns.”

“The Delvers will gladly undertake both quests,” Blaze said, getting nods from his party.

“Alpha Company will support you and undertake any quest issued by the Crown, Sire,” Gerald said.

“Heart’s Light will help remove the stain that has long tarnished the empire’s name,” Benedict said.

“Good,” Tyr gave them all a tight smile. “Other quests might also become available depending on what Stein tries next, so be prepared to shift as needed. Please pick your members to go to the vaults.”

Alburet was surprised when the Delvers chose Maree rather than Blaze. Benedict was going for his group, as well as the tank from the second Heart’s Light group. Leggylass was put forward for Ironhand’s party, as Gerald had mentioned the bow to Ironhand previously.

Karen suggested Alburet, but he declined and instead motioned to Gerald. “He’s always in the fight, and all I could get would be something to boost my stats. If Gerald can get a weapon to complement his shield, it would probably be best.”

“That’s good thinking,” Marysue nodded. “I was going to suggest Fluff, but now…”

“Gerald,” Fluff agreed. “The more he can do while holding the mobs, the less we have to do when we get there, and who knows what kind of item he’ll be able to pick up. I would suggest looking for anything that will stop the nightmares, though.”

“Okay, I’ll go,” Gerald said.

“Good,” Tyr said, getting to his feet. “You five are to follow me. The rest of you are dismissed. Your companions will be escorted to the front once they have chosen.”

“Alburet, do you have a moment?” Blaze asked as they were being led away.

“For the Delvers, sure.”

Letting the others separate a bit from them, Blaze lowered his voice. “The first raid has to be coming soon. All of this feels like the run-up to the kick off. The way the game has gone to this point, I’m betting these raids aren’t going to be your normal ‘get a group of twenty to fifty players together and farm the bosses.’”

“I’d bet you’re right on that,” Alburet nodded. “Alpha World doesn’t really follow the same logic that we’re used to in that regard.”

“I have a hunch that you’re going to be in the thick of it,” Blaze continued, watching Alburet’s face intently. “I want my Guild involved.”

“I want your Guild there,” Alburet replied, meeting Blaze’s gaze. “I would like to have Heart’s Light and anyone else with brains, as well. I think you’re right about the end game raids here. I think they are going to be huge, chaotic things, and not the simple kill trash, kill boss, collect loot raids we’ve seen. It’ll play more like the raids to take the Keeps. A single event, but many times larger.”

“The pre-event seems designed to make us compete, which makes the end goal a bit weird, doesn’t it?” Blaze said.

“Yes and no,” Alburet frowned. “Each of the items the King is giving out are pretty overpowered. If you can get two or more of them for your group, do it. We’ll want anyone that has one of them at the prison.”

“I’m going to approach Benedict once he leaves,” Blaze said as they started to catch the others near the exit. “We need to at least get our Guilds all working together by the time the raid starts.”

“I’ll pass your thoughts along to Gerald,” Alburet said.

“Thanks. We’ll see you again,” Blaze said as he went to rejoin his friends.

“What did Blaze want?” Marysue asked.

“He wants to make sure that the Delvers and Heart’s Light are involved in the prison raid.”

“That would be good for everyone,” Marysue nodded. “I’m sure Gerald intends to ask them once he finishes up this bit.”

“Are we heading out after breakfast, before the quest is announced to everyone else?” Karen asked.

“We’ve already received the quest, so we might as well,” Marysue smiled.

Alburet blinked and checked his UI, seeing the quest waiting and noticing they had leveled up twice. “We made level eighty-six. I didn’t realize.”

“We should go train so we can head out early,” Karen said.

“I need to hit the Keep then, to train with Stewart,” Alburet said, sadness touching him as he thought about Alistern.

Before anyone else could reply, the sound of horses drew their eyes to the open gate. A half dozen carriages from various noble houses drew up in the middle of the courtyard, and were immediately surrounded by the castle guards.

“Is that House Henoc?” Karen said, looking at one of the crests.

“Yes, it is,” Marysue nodded.

“She sided with Skippy during the Convocation,” Fluff said as her claws shot out of her fingers.

“The guards seem to have it under control, but maybe we can see if they need help,” Alburet said as he summoned Tiny and Bob to him. “Just be ready in case things go badly, guys.”

Henoc’s carriage door opened and all the guards shifted, ready to act. Instead of Lady Henoc, her daughter stepped out of the carriage, her eyes red from tears. “I have come to inform the King about the death of my mother,” she said with a gravity that was only slightly marred by her voice hitching on the last word.

As the situation impacted on the watchers, the other carriage doors opened and younger nobles stepped out, each one asking to speak with the King about the death of the Lord or Lady of their House.

“What the fuck?” one of the Heart’s Light players asked with wide eyes.

“Suicides to clear their houses of involvement with Stein,” Sato said calmly. “Old school redemption of honor.”

“Japanese influence,” Karen murmured. “After turning on their Liege, they committed seppuku to regain the honor of their House.”

“We shall advise the King of your petition,” the Captain of the guard said as he had his men take the five nobles into a courteous custody. “Until he has time, we shall bring you to a room to wait for him.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Henoc said as she let her hands be manacled.

“This place just gets to you,” one of the Heart’s Light members said, watching the five nobles walk past under guard.

Alburet turned to Fluff and saw her sketching. Watching her work, he saw the scene to be the younger Henoc stepping from the carriage. Not disturbing her, he stood nearby and watched her draw as the others talked. When she finished the quick sketch, he gently touched her shoulder. “You okay?”

“The moment struck me,” she replied softly as she put the pad away. “She knows it might cost her her life, but she came anyway.”

“You can finish that later tonight. We can give it to Jones so it can be remembered for the rest of time.”

“I would like that,” Fluff nodded.

“Here they are,” Ulula said.

Alburet looked up to see the five people who had gone with the King emerging from the castle. Leggylass held the Bow of Feranthas, the bow they had found in Peace. Alburet chuckled when he realized that the majority of those who had gone to select items were tanks.

Gerald stopped when Blaze intercepted him and Benedict. After a brief conversation, the three men shook hands, and Gerald headed over to them. “Sorry for the delay. I have a new sword. Every hit with it adds a small Light debuff that stacks. Lunch should be ready, so shall we head to the manor for food?”

Knitoc’s voice let them know that the carriages were pulling up. “We’ll follow you,” Alburet said. “Guys, ride with the others. I’ll dismiss you once we’re at Gerald’s, but I’ll resummon you when we go to train.”

“Yes, master,” Tiny rumbled as he climbed up next to Knitoc.

“Got it,” Bob said as he waited for Astov to help the ladies into the carriage.

~*~*~

Lunch was good; not as good as Loralee could produce, but still good. Gerald explained what Blaze had asked him about, and his agreement with the other two Guild leaders. Finally, he showed them his new sword, Blight Cutter. The Light debuff was damage dealing and could stack up to twenty charges. When the wielder wanted, the debuff could be triggered to slow the monster’s attack and movement speed.

Each of the groups had taken one of the five noble Houses in the city that had been trapped with Golems. Gerald had informed the King that Alpha Company would be heading for the country estates of Gilden. Benedict had opted to take his group to House Carradine, while Maree had chosen House Calnon.

Separating after the meal, everyone left the manor to go train, agreeing to meet up at the Portal Guild once they were done. Bob and BJ flew overhead on guard, while Tiny walked in front of Alburet and TJ brought up the rear. Stacia and Kitten flanked Alburet; Kitten was now a perfect copy of Stacia since it was now known that Stacia was his Succubus.

“Ya been quiet, master,” Stacia commented. “What be on ya mind?”

“I feel like the raid is coming faster than most people think,” Alburet admitted. “A month at most, I’m thinking.”

“Tha’ can nay be,” Stacia said, shaking her head. “How would we be gettin’ across the Dead Lands that fast?”

Alburet’s lips pursed as he considered her question. It took us over a week to get to the Keep, and that was with combat a couple of times a day with the help of the Infernals. Same with getting to Peace, and the prison is as far from Peace as Peace is from the border of the Empire. I find it hard to believe they would ask the player base to march across the Dead Lands for three plus weeks just to get to a raid. “I don’t know.”

“Ya just be wantin’ to get the quest done so we can be happy,” Stacia said as she kissed his cheek from both sides.

“Maybe,” Alburet said, but his gut told him that something was going to give.

Intending to use the Guild Hall Portal, they greeted Vanessa and Kauree. Vanessa stopped them before they got past, “Alburet, what was all the commotion in the city earlier?”

Alburet gave her a quick explanation, making both her and Kauree go pale.

“Stein is moving, then,” Vanessa said tightly.

“Aich, iffin they target us, they will be payin’ in blood,” Kauree snorted. “‘Sides, he already said tha’ the nobles who sided with Stein have fled.”

“That doesn’t take into account anyone they left behind,” Alburet said. “Be wary. At least two of the Houses hold a grudge against the Guild.”

“Aye. Do nay be worryin’. I be keepin’ her safe,” Kauree replied.

“I need to train and meet up with the others, so excuse me, please,” Alburet said, then left the two receptionists behind.

“Ya think Skippy will try to attack the Guild?” Stacia asked.

“Him or Carradine.”

“To attack the hall would be hard, since it be in the city,” Stacia murmured. “It be more likely they attack the town.”

Alburet nodded, “I’m sure Gerald has already considered that.” Appearing in the Graveyard at Progress, Alburet gave the six guards there a nod. “I’ll send him a message, though.”

Alburet put his Mindstone away when they were almost at the inn. “Gerald’s already made sure the guards are on high alert. Captain Mantoya has also been notified to send word if an attack does come.”

Alburet was surprised to find the inn doing a brisk business. Illos waved at them as they came in the door, while a half dozen Succubi carried drinks to various tables. “Greetings, Lord Darkhand. Stewart is training another Summoner already. Would you like to see him?”

“Please. How did you know we were coming?” Alburet asked.

“I am stationed here to greet Summoners and direct them where to go for training,” Illos grinned. “Last room on the left.”

“Huh, your family and Waltrim’s?” Alburet asked.

“Yes. We are quite happy to help master with the inn,” Illos grinned briefly, but it faded. “I wish that Alistern could see him.”

“Da’ would be proud,” Stacia said softly. “Unca Stew be knowin’ tha’. Do ya best and ya will bring him even more happiness.”

“Of course,” Illos bowed. “Might I bring your minions some drinks while you train, Lord?”

“Go ahead, guys,” Alburet said. “I’ll be right back.”

“I be keepin’ me eye on them,” Stacia said, giving him a peck on the cheek. “Do nay keep us long.”

Entering the room that had been set up to train Summoners, Alburet saw Violet speaking with Stewart. “How’s it going Violet? Stewart?”

“Good,” Violet said, handing the book back to Stewart. “We hit level seventy-five today.”

“Nice. What did you pick up?”

“Imp Storm,” Violet grinned. “They might only last thirty seconds, but that can equate to a ton of damage.”

“Oh, it can indeed,” Stewart chuckled.

“They have been great for me, but I’m a bit broken.”

“We’ve heard,” Violet smirked. “Any man would be with your three wives, though.”

“Goodness knows they try. Stewart, I’m here to train, too.”

“Level eighty-six? Darkness, what happened?” Stewart asked as he pushed the book to Alburet.

“The Lords who tried to kill the King the other day left behind traps. Five manors had infestations of Elemental Golems. Twenty guards met their Final Deaths in combat today. Delvers, Heart’s Light, and our Guild were at the forefront to combat them.”

“Who wiped?” Violet asked.

“Ironhand’s group, the Delvers, and one of the two Heart’s Light groups. Only my and Benedict’s parties managed to kill their targets without wiping.”

“Stein is about to make his move, then,” Stewart said, getting to his feet.

“Likely,” Alburet nodded as he chose his Ability. Pushing the book back to Stewart, Alburet shrugged. “Wait and see is what it comes down to. You all should be ready to move out around noon tomorrow. I can’t say more than that, but be at the Portal Guild and ready to go once the announcement is made.”

“Got it,” Violet nodded. “What did you take?”

“Demonic Inspiration; it’ll double all my minion’s stats for five minutes. I’ll tag it into Imp Storm to supercharge it.”

“That is the best way to combine those Abilities,” Stewart said as he picked up the book and put it into a thick metal safe.

“Who trains the Necromancers?” Alburet asked.

“I have an old acquaintance coming out tomorrow, and he’ll be getting a new book from the Crown,” Stewart said. “The Crown is also granting all Necromancers who need to train free passage via the portal to come here.”

“Makes sense,” Alburet nodded. “I wonder if he’ll send one of each trainer out here to help make things easier for the higher levels?”

“The King has his hands full,” Stewart said, leading the two of them out toward the front room. “Is everything else in the city okay?”

“Emily is… I should let Lilith announce that news,” Alburet said, cutting himself off.

“I’ll have to contact her,” Stewart said, obviously intrigued.

“I need to get back to the city,” Alburet grinned. Turning to Violet, he continued, “Grind the hell out of your levels as quick as you can.”

“Raid coming fast?” Violet asked.

“Probably, and you’ll want in on it.”

“I’ll wrangle the others,” Violet nodded. “We’ll go full bore for the rest of today.”

“And remember to be ready tomorrow,” Alburet said as Stacia, Bob, and Tiny joined them. “See ya.” Triggering his Homestone, Alburet vanished along with his minions.

Alburet

Demon Lord Summoner

Ambassador for the Dark Lord

Level 86

Strength: 349 (0)

Agility: 349 (0)

Constitution: 644 (270)

Intelligence: 424 (50)

Wisdom: 1,469 (820)

Charisma: 379 (0)

Health: 10,740

Mana: 18,990

Spells:

Demon Skin-Rank 8

Demonic Retribution- Rank 8

Summon Greater Imp

Fire Blast- Rank 8

Sap Strength- Rank 8

Demonic Haze- Rank 8

Summon Greater Destroyer

Demonic Vitality- Rank 8

Fire Burst- Rank 8

Summon Greater Succubus

Abilities:

Personal Spells

Flame Weapon

Copy

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Ally)

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Big Boom)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Demonic Shell)

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Comforting Touch)

Copy

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Essence Drain)

Still Caster

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Burning Cleanse)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Savage Roar)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Bash)

Imp Storm

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Infernal Flames)

Demonic Inspiration

Racial Abilities:

Cast spells without verbal components

Physical damage reduction 25%

Magical damage reduction 10%

Influence emotions

Fire resistance 125%

Reputation gains at tenth value

All stats increase by 4 points per level

Can use any weapon regardless of strength required

Double movement speed when minion present

Maxed reputation with all Infernals and Worshippers of the Dark Lord

All Debuffs last half as long

Immune to movement impairing effects

Immune to mind altering effects

Chapter Six

Alburet was the last one to arrive at the Portal Guild. “Sorry about the delay. I picked up a stat boost for my minions.”

“We knew you’d take the longest with having to go out to the Keep,” Gerald shrugged. “Shall we go hit the dungeon and test out our new Abilities?”

“I picked up Throwing, which copies any throwing knife on me and allows me to throw it fifty yards. I knew this was coming and picked some up at Grimgar’s. Next time we have a lot of flying enemies, I can at least help out now,” Karen said, touching the three throwing knives she had strapped to her thigh.

“Mine isn’t glamorous, but should be very useful. It gives my target a five percent resistance to harmful dark magic,” Marysue told them. “I can only have it on one target at a time, though, and it lasts for a minute.”

“If we face a lot of Necros, that will be pretty useful,” Alburet nodded.

“I got Unclotting Wounds,” Fluff said. “It reduces the size of the stack of bleeds I can put on a target by half, but now they don’t go away unless the target is fully healed.”

“Damn,” Karen whistled. “Considering your Whirlwind, that can really stack up and keep the damage on.”

“Yes,” Fluff smiled.

“What about the stat boost, Al? What does it do?” Gerald asked.

“Doubles minion’s stats for five minutes,” Alburet replied. “Stewart suggests I do an Imp Storm when I use it.”

“That would be quite a combo,” Gerald nodded. “A lot more Fire Bursts or Blasts from that many Imps?”

“You never said what you picked up,” Alburet said.

“Challenging Shout Twinned,” Gerald shrugged. “It just lets me target two mobs when using my single taunt. It’ll help when we’re dividing mobs up between me and Tiny. It’s the next few Abilities that will help me survive more.”

“The last few are always the best ones,” Karen nodded. “We’re going back to hit the lowest level dungeons on the other continents, right?”

“Yes,” Gerald said, leading the way to the stairs.

“We going to go until dinner and see about getting another level or two?” Marysue asked.

“That is the plan,” Gerald nodded. “We need to level as quickly as we can. We can probably expect to see max level mobs when we go visit Skippy.”

“I don’t know,” Alburet said. “If they had more of those ready, why didn’t they use them in the city?”

“If not for us and the other groups, the city would have been heavily damaged,” Gerald said. “It could be that they underestimated what the Two-souled could do.”

“Wildwood first?” Marysue asked.

“That would be good,” Fluff nodded.

The three dungeons they hit were simple and straightforward. The first was clearing a den of Lunine, which had Shadowdancers, Berserkers, and Shamans as the mobs. The second was a graveyard where four Shaman Lunine were raising Malignant Spirits. It was easier than they expected with Marysue using her Divine Favor to heal Gerald and hurt his target at the same time. The last one was another standard dungeon, but the last boss was a Great Spirit. The trick was to stop the waves of Lunine fodder from getting to it and absorbing its power.

By the time they were finished for the day, they had leveled twice by turning down the coin rewards for even more experience. As they separated for the night, they all promised to meet back up at the Portal Guild after breakfast the next day.

Walking home, Alburet could feel a sense of emptiness around them. The streets, which normally had a number of people on them, were barren of life. Karen’s head turned slightly just before she vanished, disengaging herself from Fluff’s arm. The moment she did, everyone else got ready for an impending attack.

“Easy, easy,” Vetenarie said, coming out of stealth. “I’m not here on a contract.”

Karen appeared behind him, “Good thing for you.”

Chuckling, Vetenarie nodded. “You’d give me a right run for my money by yourself at this point. But I’m here to discuss the contract that Lord Darkhand took out for Lord Gilden.”

“Walk with us,” Alburet said.

“Sure,” Vetenarie said, then saw that he was being hemmed in by Tiny, TJ, Fluff, and Karen. “Feels like I’m the Lord this way,” he smirked before becoming serious. “Lord Gilden is no longer in the city, and seems to be outside of the Empire itself. I cannot complete the contract, and the King has asked my Guild to carry out our secondary task for the Crown. I’m here to see if you wish to cancel the contract or set it aside until after the current crisis is past.”

Alburet stopped, his anger boiling to the surface. Taking a deep breath as the fires leapt from his eyes, Alburet managed to temper his rage when Stacia touched his shoulder. “I can’t stand in front of the King,” Alburet said through gritted teeth. “However, I wish the contract to remain. If you get the chance, then take it.”

“Righto. I have a question, if you don’t mind?”

“What?”

“I’ve been asked by Master Kato if you would allow one of us to trail you tomorrow. It would be easier, and make your wife less jumpy.”

“Huh? Why would you—”

“Information gathering,” Karen cut Alburet off. “The Guild’s secondary task to the Crown is spying. The King has likely tasked them with following anyone going after the nobles so he can have an account from an unbiased source.”

“You,” Alburet said bluntly. “If it’s you, I’ll be fine with it. We’re going to be checking Gilden’s country estate.”

Vetenarie laughed, “I see. Maybe I’ll be able to complete two items at once. I’ll let her know, and I’ll be sure to identify myself to make it easier on you, Lady Darkhand,” he said, addressing Karen. “That way, you’ll know it’s me and not another Assassin.”

“Good,” Karen nodded.

“Until tomorrow,” Vetenarie smiled, slipping past the Destroyers and walking into an alley before vanishing.

“Why would they even ask us?” Fluff murmured.

“Because of my cloak,” Karen said. “They have to know what it can do, and that anyone they sent after us would be seen.”

“Makes sense. Otherwise, we might turn on their watcher like we almost did to Vetenarie,” Alburet said.

Taking Alburet’s arm again, Stacia got them moving toward home. “Dinner be waitin’ for us, and tomorrow be a busy day.”

When they finally got back home, they dropped their gear off and took a quick rinse, then made their way to the dining room. Lilith, Dennis, and Emily were already seated when they arrived.

“Evening to you all,” Lilith greeted them with a smile. “We’ll be moving out tomorrow.”

Everyone looked at her with varying degrees of shock. “Everything is in place for Dennis?” Fluff asked.

“Yes. Gerald has to sign some paperwork, which should already be waiting for him. Once that’s dropped off at city hall tomorrow, it will go into effect. I have left word that we would be ready to move tomorrow.”

“Well then, I guess we’re having a feast tonight to celebrate the engagement between Dennis and Emily,” Alburet said, a smile touching his lips.

“Indeed,” Loralee said as she wheeled her cart into the room. “We shall be having a five-course feast. The first course is mushroom caps stuffed with rice and cheese.”

Rachel had come to help with serving, making sure that glasses were kept full and clearing away dishes as they finished. The second course was a simple salad with raspberry vinaigrette, and was followed by cream of Langistor soup. Fluff giggled as they dug into the soup, recalling Marysue’s reaction to Langistors.

The main course was Dragon steak, much to Alburet’s surprise. “When did we get these?” The three-inch-thick cut of red meat took up most of the plate.

“Ambassador Hammerhand gifted us some, along with the wine that goes with it,” Loralee replied as she poured each of them some Dragon-blood wine. The dark red wine had the same thick consistency Alburet recalled from the meal he had shared with Ioaniss.

“Oh, this will be good. I can still recall me first bite of it,” Stacia said as she gave Alburet a wink.

Fluff and Karen watched the byplay with curiosity, though Fluff was sniffing her steak with eager anticipation. Once everyone had their plate, they cut into the steaks. The first bite earned a number of very happy sounds from around the table.

“It’s really tender for being so thick,” Karen commented as she cut her next bite.

Stacia snickered, “Aye. It do be tha’.”

Fluff shook her head, declining to join in the banter. Instead, she picked up her glass and sipped the wine. Her eyelids fluttered for a moment as the extra flavor hit her. “That is different. I wasn’t expecting the smoky quality, but it adds a new dynamic to the steak.”

Karen took a sip of her own wine before taking her second bite, letting the two combine. A wide smile crossed her face as she took her time with the second bite. When she finally cleared her mouth, she spoke up. “Wow. This is a delicacy of the Dwarves, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Lilith said. “It is very rare for it to be found outside of their nobility.”

“Cor, this is good,” Dennis added while he was devouring his.

“Eat slower,” Emily told him. “We have to be learnin’ proper manners now.”

Dennis glanced at her, then put his knife and fork down on the edges of his plate. “Right. I’ll do better.”

“I know ya will. I be helpin’ ya, as I be learnin’ too,” Emily said, cutting a dainty slice off her steak.

They lingered over the steaks, no one wanting to finish too fast. Once everyone was done with their steak, Loralee reappeared with dessert. “This is a specialty from the Dark Lord’s kitchen,” she said as she placed a small two-ounce cup in front of each of them. “I hope you enjoy.”

There was a small spoon beside each cup. The dessert itself looked like tar, but smelled of chocolate. “What’s it called?” Alburet asked as he picked up the spoon.

“Darkness Incarnate,” Loralee smiled as she stepped back from the table.

Lilith looked at it with melancholy, clearly lost in a memory. She shook her head when she noticed them all looking at her. “It is delicious.” Picking up her spoon, she took her first bite. Her eyes unfocused again as she appeared to savor the taste.

Alburet followed her lead; the spoon accounted for a fourth of the dessert. When the dark chocolate hit his tongue, a brief moment of memory washed over him. Easter Sunday as a child, his father laughing and his mother watching him as he took his first bite of the dark chocolate bunnies they favored giving him. The happiness and warmth of pleasant memories suffused his chest as he savored the bite.

Blinking when the memory faded, he looked around to see the others all with distant looks, lost in their own memories. Setting his spoon across the cup, Alburet reflected that all he felt was the happiness of the memory, but not any sadness about his parents being gone.

Fluff and Karen came out of their memory after a moment, both of them wearing small smiles. “I’d forgotten that,” Fluff murmured as she looked at her dessert.

“What did you remember?” Alburet asked.

“The first time my mother gave me a piece of chocolate,” Fluff replied. “It’s a happy memory. No sadness.”

“Same with me,” Karen nodded. “Dad wasn’t big on sweets, so any time I got them, it was a happy moment.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” Loralee said.

“It is a very rare thing for this dessert to be made at all, much less shared outside the Dark Lord’s halls,” Lilith told them. “It’s usually used to help ease moments of great emotional pain.”

“I can see why,” Alburet said as he picked his spoon back up. “I take it that one of the ingredients has to come from him or Mother?”

“Yes,” Loralee said simply.

“Let’s not waste their gift to us, then. Happy engagement, Dennis and Emily,” Alburet said, giving the two children a broad smile. “I hope you will only know happiness as you grow together.”

“To a strong marriage,” Karen said.

“Love, in all of its forms,” Fluff added.

“Strong bonds, and family to support ya,” Stacia nodded.

“I will be there to help you,” Lilith finished.

Pausing, Dennis looked at each of them, his hand taking Emily’s on the table. “We thank you. I want to make mum proud and to make Emily happy before we rejoin her in Delta World.”

“I feel the same about me Da’ and ya,” Emily said, squeezing Dennis’ hand.

Lilith ushered the children off to bed when they had all finished. Alburet watched them go, wondering if they would get to experience the happiness they deserved. Stacia and Fluff’s hands covered his on the table, making him smile.

“They’ll be fine. We be makin’ sure they be havin’ the chance to have a good life,” Stacia said.

“Young love deserves the chance to flourish,” Fluff added.

“We should head to bed,” Karen said as she got to her feet. “Tomorrow is going to be a long day, and I’d like to cuddle some.”

“I can get behind that,” Alburet said, giving Karen a wink.

“Oh, you will in time,” Karen chuckled.

Alburet

Demon Lord Summoner

Ambassador for the Dark Lord

Level 88

Strength: 357 (0)

Agility: 357 (0)

Constitution: 652 (270)

Intelligence: 432 (50)

Wisdom: 1,487 (820)

Charisma: 387 (0)

Health: 10,920

Mana: 19,270

Spells:

Demon Skin-Rank 9

Demonic Retribution- Rank 9

Summon Greater Imp

Fire Blast- Rank 8

Sap Strength- Rank 8

Demonic Haze- Rank 8

Summon Greater Destroyer

Demonic Vitality- Rank 8

Fire Burst- Rank 8

Summon Greater Succubus

Abilities:

Personal Spells

Flame Weapon

Copy

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Ally)

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Big Boom)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Demonic Shell)

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Comforting Touch)

Copy

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Essence Drain)

Still Caster

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Burning Cleanse)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Savage Roar)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Bash)

Imp Storm

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Infernal Flames)

Demonic Inspiration

Racial Abilities:

Cast spells without verbal components

Physical damage reduction 25%

Magical damage reduction 10%

Influence emotions

Fire resistance 125%

Reputation gains at tenth value

All stats increase by 4 points per level

Can use any weapon regardless of strength required

Double movement speed when minion present

Maxed reputation with all Infernals and Worshippers of the Dark Lord

All Debuffs last half as long

Immune to movement impairing effects

Immune to mind altering effects

Chapter Seven

Tiny and Bob were chatting with Bezzle outside. Alburet and his wives said their goodbyes to Dennis, Emily, and Lilith, watching them go before turning to the minions.

“Ready for an assault?” Alburet asked the two Infernals.

“I shall lead the way, master,” Tiny rumbled.

“I’ve been hoping to hit Skippy at least once,” Bob said as he took to the air.

“We all have,” Karen chuckled.

“Let’s go,” Alburet said. “Gerald and Marysue are probably waiting for us already.”

“This way, ladies,” Astov said, holding the carriage door open for them.

“Not used to taking the carriage just to go to the Portal Guild,” Fluff said and let the Imp help her up.

“It’s good and bad,” Karen said when she got in.

Stacia was after Karen, with Alburet climbing in last. “Good and bad?”

“It’s nice to not be exposed on the streets, but it also confines us inside a box,” Karen replied.

“I don’t think it’s that bad,” Fluff said as the carriage started moving. “It’s not as if we can’t be out in a flash if something does happen.”

“I agree, but I don’t like being pinned down easily.”

“They’d need to bring in a couple of groups to pin us inside,” Alburet commented. “Tiny and Knitoc are both outside, as well as Bob and Astov. If we get attacked, I’d Copy both and give them six targets to deal with.”

“Point,” Karen admitted. “Still makes me uneasy.”

Fluff patted her thigh, “You just worry for us, which is good.”

“Can’t let people hurt my family,” Karen murmured, leaning over to claim a kiss.

The carriage slowed down, and Astov had the door open as soon they were stopped. Alburet got out, Copying Tiny and Bob as he stepped aside for the ladies, then also Copying Stacia when she made it out of the carriage.

“Lilith is going to be moving later. Make sure to get her to where she’s going,” Alburet told Knitoc.

“I shall, Lord.”

“We used our carriage, too,” Marysue said as she came out of the building. “Our staff is ready for Dennis and the others.”

“What about Lilith? Is she slated to act as his seneschal if needed?” Alburet asked.

“We’ve asked the King. We’re just waiting for his approval,” Gerald said as the two groups came together and exchanged hugs. “I’m sure he’ll allow it. Only a handful of people know she’s a Succubus.”

“Fair enough,” Alburet replied. “Where are we going for this shindig?”

“All the country estates are close to the Keeps they’re associated with. Gilden House is responsible for Webbed Woods.”

“Why am I not surprised by this?” Alburet chuckled darkly.

“Because he’s a bug, a freak that deserves to be squashed,” Karen stated.

Fluff shook her head, “Spiders normally serve a purpose. I’m not sure Skippy does.”

“Tha’ was a right good insult, Fluff,” Stacia giggled.

“She isn’t wrong,” Marysue smiled. “Let’s get going. We should scout out the area before the quest goes live at noon.”

“That’s a good idea,” Karen agreed. “Oh, aren’t we expecting—”

“Sorry for the delay,” Vetenarie said, entering the building.

“What are you doing here?” Gerald asked, and Alburet filled him in on the agreement. “I see,” Gerald sighed. “I don’t blame the King, though I’m surprised that you came to ask.”

“It was that or have Lady Karen Darkhand put her blades into my back.”

“He’s not wrong,” Karen said. “I almost tagged him yesterday when he approached us.”

“I’ll be following you all and not taking any active part in what you do. But, if another task of mine becomes possible, I might well fulfill an existing contract.”

“With the way natives have been dropping, it might only take the once,” Alburet’s smile was feral.

“Possibly,” Vetenarie admitted, but he didn’t look happy at the prospect. “I fear what might come if death continues to stalk the land like this.”

“Let’s go,” Gerald said. “We have a few hours, but I’ll feel better if we’re ready to go as soon as we can.”

“Works,” Alburet said. “Lead on, oh glorious leader.”

Gerald eyed him for a moment, then offered his arm to Marysue and led them up the stairs. Vetenarie watched them go before he stealthed and trailed after them. Karen glanced back, eyeing Vetenarie’s shimmering, man-shaped outline.

Appearing just outside the Webbed Woods Keep, Gerald paused. The guards that would normally be outside the gates were missing. Pulling his shield off his back, he waited as the others appeared.

Alburet was last, and he frowned when he saw the others all waiting tensely. “Where are the guards?”

“That’s the question, all right,” Gerald grunted, nodding. “Do we check this before we move on?”

“If you’ll give me a moment, I’ll go have a look,” Vetenarie’s voice came from behind them.

“I’ll go with him,” Karen said as she slipped into stealth.

“Let me send Bob up and over first,” Alburet said quickly.

Bob nodded and started to take off. Before he could go, Gerald spoke up, “Bob, just peek over the wall. Don’t go all the way over.”

“Got it,” Bob replied. Slowly gaining height, his head popped over the top. After a long moment, Bob dropped down and came back to them. “Nothing. No movement at all. The blacksmith’s forge looks cold, too.”

“We should check before we move on,” Gerald said. “We don’t want to get caught in a vise. Karen, Vetenarie, go ahead.”

“On it,” Karen said as she headed for the open gate.

The group watched her shimmering shape move away, but none of them knew if Vetenarie was with her or not. Time seemed to stretch out as they waited. Alburet saw a distinctive shimmer coming out of the gate some time later. When Karen reappeared, her face looked grim.

“There’s no one there, but all the buildings show signs of combat,” Karen told them.

“They were killed,” Vetenarie said, dropping stealth. “The King needs to know about this. If other Keeps are missing their defenders as well… Things might become even worse.”

“Was it the spiders?” Alburet asked, even though he was sure it wasn’t.

“No webs anywhere, and the tracks I could make out seemed to be booted. People attacked this Keep.”

“Are you going back?” Gerald asked.

Shaking his head, Vetenarie pulled out his Mindstone. “No. I’m going to inform Kato, then we can head on.”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Fluff said.

“I agree,” Marysue added. “It feels like the storm is about to break.”

“We’ve come to carry out a task. This is probably related somehow, but this isn’t the main reason,” Gerald said. “The manor is a few miles that way,” he pointed away from the woods.

“I’ve sent my message,” Vetenarie said. “I’ll be trailing you.”

The group started down the path in the direction of the manor. Gerald and Tiny were in the lead, with Bob and BJ above them in the air. Karen was off to the right, shadowing them in stealth, Fluff walked next to Alburet, and Marysue followed them with Kitten and Stacia bringing up the rear.

“BJ,” Alburet said after a few minutes of walking, “go ahead of us and do a quick recon.”

“On it,” the washed-out Copy of Bob said as he zipped off ahead of the group.

They kept walking as he flew off. A few minutes later, Bob hissed in pain, losing some altitude and coming closer to Alburet.

“What happened?”

“The manor is swarming with undead. There’s at least one person with one of those crystals that we saw at Peace. My Copy was banished instantly, and it hurts when that happens.”

Everyone came to a halt. “Bob, how many and what kinds of undead?”

“Skeletons, Zombies, and Golems,” Bob said. “The manor is surrounded with them. Most of the Zombies looked like they were from the Keep. The handful of Golems I saw were like the ones we fought in the city.”

“These are traps, too... or staging grounds,” Gerald grumbled. “I’m putting out a raid call to the Guild.”

“Maybe we should warn Delvers and Heart’s Light, so they have an idea of what to expect,” Marysue suggested.

“That’s a good idea,” Gerald said. “You handle the raid call and I’ll message them.”

Alburet pulled out his Mindstone, “I’ll let Ioaniss know about the manors. Maybe the King wants to shift the quest some now that we know what we’re likely looking at.”

“Do it,” Gerald said, focusing on his own Mindstone.

Alburet put his Mindstone away after a moment. “Ioaniss is still with the Lunari, but he said he’ll pass the message to the King immediately.”

“A bunch of guildies are heading to the Portal Guild now. Violet’s group was already there and will be up to the portal in a moment,” Marysue told them.

“Blaze and his Guild had already gotten to their manor, and saw the same sort of thing. They’ve also pulled back and are doing the same thing we are. Benedict thanked us; he’s going to rally his Guild, as well,” Gerald said, putting his Mindstone away. “The Keep that the Delvers appeared at had guards, but they seemed shifty. Roberto is being dispatched to interview them.”

“The guards there might be supporters of Stein and were spared?” Marysue asked.

“That’s the question Roberto is going to ask,” Gerald nodded.

“Should we return to the portal point to stage for the fight?” Fluff asked.

“Yeah,” Gerald agreed. “Let’s head back. We’ll need at least twenty for me to feel happy about this.”

“I’m going to head to the manor and have a look,” Vetenarie said from nearby, staying in stealth. “I’ll pull back once I’ve done so. Maybe I can give you an accurate count.”

“We’ll take all the help we can get,” Gerald said.

“I could go with him.” Karen said.

Alburet frowned, but nodded, “Stay back and stay safe. If they have any Assassins on the outskirts, you’ll have to be his eyes.”

“You don’t want to keep her with us?” Gerald asked.

“Karen can do it,” Alburet replied.

“Make sure you stay safe,” Fluff said, kissing Karen’s stealthed form.

“I’ll be careful, but I want to see if they have any outliers on guard.”

“Let’s go meet our guildies and get ready for the assault,” Gerald said, starting back toward where Violet’s group would likely be waiting.

King’s Quest: Form raids to attack the traitorous nobles at their country estates.

This quest requires a minimum of twenty people per raid. Participating individuals must be sanctioned by the Crown’s Guards. Receive sanction at the castle in Stormguard. Heart’s Light, Delvers Inc., and Alpha Company members are already sanctioned.

Kill all mobs at each manor and bring back proof that it has been done.

Rewards: Ten members of each raid shall receive an item from the vaults. Maximum reputation with all Stormguard factions for all raid members. 10,000 gold each for participating members.

Bonus Quest: Kill the nobles and bring their rings to the King.

“He isn’t fooling around,” Gerald said. “At least Tyr understands that if you set the reward high enough, Two-souled will flock to the quest.”

“Good,” Alburet said. “The more of us that are with the King, the less we’ll have to deal with when we fight Stein.”

“Bloodmoon will be on the other side, at least,” Fluff said.

“Good,” Marysue said. “She deserves what she gets after she helped them capture Andrea.”

“I’m going to feel bad when we have to fight Andrea,” Alburet said.

“Ya think she be turned already?” Stacia asked.

“If she isn’t yet, she likely will be by the time we get to the prison,” Alburet sighed.

“That be bad,” Stacia sighed. “Her voice was so pure and full of light.”

“Anything to make Stein and his flunkies pay,” Gerald added. “But first, we focus on the problems we’re about to have right now.”

When they got back to the abandoned Keep, Violet’s group was already waiting. “Is this what you were hinting at, Alburet?”

“Yes and no,” Alburet replied. “Taking on nobles at their country manors, yes. Them having so many mobs that it becomes a raid? Not so much.”

“You told her?” Gerald asked.

“I advised her that being ready at the Portal Guild around noon would be a good idea. Ran into her when I went to train yesterday.”

“What are we looking at?” the Paladin next to Violet asked.

“Karen is scouting now, but Bob got a brief glimpse,” Gerald replied. “Firstly, the Zombies are the guards from here. The Keep is completely empty.”

“They killed the guards?” an Elven woman in soft leathers asked from behind the Paladin.

“Yes. Plus, they have Golems like those that turned up in the city the other day,” Gerald said. “It was hard enough dealing with them, but add in dozens of other mobs and Necromancers? We can’t do it alone, hence the raids being required.”

“We need a couple other teams then, don’t we?” Violet asked.

“We have three more groups coming,” Marysue said. “Ironhand’s, Deirdre’s, and Paladium’s.”

“Deirdre?” Alburet asked with a grimace.

“You’re afraid for her?” Gerald asked. “Do you want us to get a different group?”

“Nay,” Stacia said. “She be knowin’ the danger, and nay even the city be safe now. She be good at her job; she will help with the healin’ since we have a lot of Infernals.”

Alburet shook his head, “Let her come, but we may want to use her party as the swing group. Even if she knows and accepts the risk, there is no reason to risk her more than necessary.”

Stacia gave him a soft smile, “I will nay argue tha’.”

“She’ll be in the back with Marysue,” Gerald said. “We’ll use Chris as the fifth tank.”

“We do need to protect the natives,” Violet nodded.

“You just say that because you’re engaged to her sister,” the Paladin laughed.

“Shut up, Darkknight,” Violet sighed, even as the other three laughed.

“They’ll be here in a few minutes,” Marysue said. “I hope Karen is okay.”

Chapter Eight

Once the raid party had assembled, Gerald gave them all a quick rundown of what they knew so far about the manor. “We’ll have more information once Karen gets back.”

“I have a question,” Jaxton said. “I take it you’re going to be lead tank, but how are we dividing up tank duties?”

“Until we know what we’re looking at in more detail, we won’t know,” Gerald said. “Damage is going to have to focus until the tanks have all the mobs under control. We don’t want them running after you or the healers.”

“I can’t wait to show off my new bow,” Leggylass said, “in case you’re all wondering about the kind of loot this raid is going to open up for us.”

“Are we splitting the vault rewards evenly between our groups?” Violet asked.

“That’s the plan,” Gerald nodded. “Each group will get two items, but how you decide which of your people gets them will be up to you. If there’s a conflict, I’ll step in, but only if it gets out of hand.”

“The way it should be,” Paladium nodded. “There won’t be an issue with my group.”

“Leggy already has a bow,” Ironhand said. “You and Brightlight will be getting ours, Jaxton.”

“Understood,” Jaxton smiled. “Joining you guys was the best thing I’ve done in-game.”

“I was the one who suggested it,” Brightlight smirked.

“Right, right,” Jaxton said.

“Okay, any other questions before we start toward the manor?” Gerald asked everyone.

No one had any, so Gerald got them moving down the road. Soft conversations started up, most of it about zones they had each visited and any tricks they had learned.

Gerald stopped them when he caught sight of a shimmer moving toward them. “Karen, how was it?”

“Busy. A couple of Trapsmiths put traps around and were waiting to ambush anyone who got close. They’re dead and the traps are clearly marked. I didn’t want to try to disarm them and accidentally trigger one.” Karen let stealth fall off as she talked, “The manor is swarming with undead. What looked like the full complement of the Keep, sixty Zombies or more, almost twice that number of Skeletons, and ten of the Elemental Golems, two of each sort. Some of the Skeletons were casters, and I spotted another ten Necromancers. There may be more than that. I think we should pull the full Guild in for this.”

Gerald took a moment to take in what she had said. “Five groups might not be enough to handle all that, and I doubt we’ll be able to pull some off and take them piecemeal.”

“That drops the rewards to one per group,” Jaxton sighed. “Best to make sure we can manage it in one go, though.”

“Aye. We need to do this to protect the city,” Deirdre said.

“I’ll put out the call,” Marysue said, pulling out her Guildstone.

“I can go disarm the traps,” Ironhand said. “Maybe I can repurpose a few while we wait.”

“It’s going to be a bit,” Gerald nodded. “Karen, go with him, just in case. You can go too, Shadowblade.”

“If we find anyone, we can kill them? Thin out the enemy?” Shadowblade asked.

“Yes,” Karen nodded. “Mind you, we have a follower sent by the King. He’ll stay back so he won’t cause trouble with us.”

“Indeed, I will,” Vetenarie’s voice sounded from a few yards off to the left.

“Cool. I love this place,” Shadowblade said as he stealthed.

“Be back shortly,” Ironhand said, giving Leggylass a kiss.

“Just be safe,” Leggylass replied.

“Always,” Ironhand grinned as he stealthed.

“Follow me,” Karen said.

The three shimmers moved away. “I’m glad that when you’re in a group or raid, you can see your friendly stealthers,” Jaxton chuckled. “Otherwise, how would they know where the other is?”

“Right?” someone laughed.

“We’ll head back to make sure we get everyone together,” Gerald said.

“March forward, march back,” a Lunari chuckled. “Feel like I’m back in the Army.”

“Ha,” another member laughed, “ain’t that the truth?”

By the time everyone who was coming showed up, they had a few over fifty members, including Rolland, Kim, and Kauree. “Kauree?” Gerald asked, puzzled by her appearance.

“It nay be time to sit back when the city be threatened by Stein worshipers,” the blunt Dwarf stated. Dressed in scalemail and wielding a pair of hammers, she looked fierce.

“You do realize that all natives are dying Final Deaths, right?” Gerald asked to make sure she knew the risks.

“Aye. Nay Sullivan be backin’ down just because death be certain,” she replied.

“Stick with Rolland and Kim. You three are our odd ones out as you’re not part of a normal group.”

“Got it,” Kauree nodded. “Oy, Rolland, Kim, I be keepin’ ya as safe as I can.”

“Now that everyone is here,” Gerald said, addressing the large party, “we’re going to split up assignments. We have ten groups, with four Summoners in that number. I’m going to ask all Summoners to double your Destroyers.”

“I’m Angelic based,” Brighteyes cut in. “I’ll make sure I have my Archangels ready, though.”

“Right. That gives us another eight tanks. The Summoners will be taking the Skeletons to start with, gathering them up and burning them down. All area heavy damage dealers join that fight to start.”

“Imp Storm for the win,” Violet grinned.

“I have Heavenly Host,” Brighteyes smirked. “I get my Cherubim like you get your Imps.”

“I’ll help them out when we start,” Rolland said.

“Clangadin and Chris, you two will divide the Zombies between you. That’s going to be a lot of damage on you, but you’ll have dedicated healers, so just hold out until the Skeletons fall.” Gerald got nods from the two Paladins.

“The rest of us will be taking the Golems. I want two volunteers to hold a pair of the Fire and Ice Golems each.” Four hands shot up, and Gerald singled out two of them. “Jaxton, Paladium, grab them and pull them aside. Your healers will focus solely on you. The debuff from them gets cancelled by the other, so it’s just straight damage you have to deal with.”

“The other six of us will be taking a single Golem each. We’ll have to make sure to taunt the Necromancers too, so they can’t hurt the raid. When it’s called, switch to your left. I’ll be at the end on the right and will be pulling the furthest down to me. We’re going to line up the Dark, Electric, and Acid Golems, spaced that so each debuff can fall off before you get that element back. We want to stack up as best as we can for the area heals.”

“Marysue, divide the healers up. The best four need to be on Clangadin, Chris, Jaxton, and Paladium,” Gerald told her. “Who here is single target specialized damage?”

Karen, Shadowblade, Ironhand, Kim, and a couple of other melee types stepped forward. Gerald looked them over slowly, “You’ll be with the Golem groups. Focus on the Dark Golems first, because they reduce healing. Once those go down, shift to Acid, and then Electric last.”

“Any questions?”

“How is the loot being divided?”

“Drop loot is set to randomize to each person,” Gerald said. “The rewards from the quest will be an item to each group. My party will pass on theirs to let our three extras have a shot at one, too.”

“Pass,” Rolland said, Kim nodding her agreement.

“I do nay need it, either,” Kauree said.

“Okay, then my group will take it after all,” Gerald said. “Your individual parties will have to decide which of you gets the vault item. Any other questions?”

“Why this noble?” Brighteyes asked.

“He’s been a thorn in the Guild’s side for a while now,” Gerald replied. “He was one of the nobles responsible for the assassination troubles we had a while ago. If any of you died at all during that time, smile. This is your chance at payback.”

“I heard that there’s a spy watching us for the King?”

Gerald didn’t catch who had asked, but shrugged. “The Assassin’s Guild is trying to make up for the mistakes of their previous leader. They are not going to step in; they’re just here to verify whether the noble dies. Every raid has at least one.”

“I think we should start,” Marysue said, finished giving out healing assignments.

“Violet, Alburet, once the Skeletons go down, send your minions to help the Golem tanks. The others are to help out Clangadin and Chris. Okay, let’s move out.”

They started walking, everyone eager to start the raid. The small conversations were muted as the tanks led them down the road. Those who could stealth were out ahead of them, acting as scouts.

Slowing when they reached the light wood that encircled the manor, they began to split into their designated units. Alburet had kept an eye on the Angels that were with Brighteyes, but they were ignoring the stares from the Infernals around them.

Settling in amongst the trees, most of the raid got their first look at the horde of undead around the large manor house. Alburet shook his head; it was indeed a raid worthy event. He looked over at Gerald and got a nod.

“Summoners, on me,” Alburet said softly. “Destroyers and Angels, follow Tiny into the field. Do your best to only get the Skeletons. If we get a Zombie or two, we’ll deal with it, but do your best to angle the group taunts.”

Once he was sure they understood, he tapped Tiny on the back. “Okay Tiny, go show them how fierce you can be. Let’s show Gilden what it means to cross Alpha Company.”

Tiny gave him a toothy smile, making sure he had his shield and weapon firmly in hand. “For Master and Alpha Company,” he rumbled as he rose to his full height. “To victory!” he shouted and rushed out of the trees.

The other Destroyers and one Archangel rushed out after him, and the closest undead shifted to face the oncoming minions. Looking out of a second story window, a Necromancer laughed as he appeared to be using a Mindstone.

As the Destroyers reached the line, they took turns using their Savage Roars to grab large swarms of undead, dragging them off to the side. The Archangel and its Copy were the last two to pull Skeletons.

The Zombies and Golems were starting to turn toward the minions, but Clangadin and Chris were already on top of it, taunting the Zombie Guards. The pair of Paladins dragged their targets away from the Skeletons while the healers assigned to them worked at keeping them alive.

Gerald and the others were just behind them, single targeting the Golems and pulling them further to the side. The healers for each party were already in place and doing their jobs, keeping damage off the tanks.

The single target damage dealers waited near Gerald, ready to jump in once he gave the go ahead. Once the groups were separated, Alburet kicked off the festivities, using Demonic Inspiration followed right away by Imp Storm. The air was suddenly filled with a small army of Imps, which grew as the other Summoners used their Abilities. Scattered amongst the Imps, a number of Cherubim also appeared, their arms moving so fast they blurred as they rapid-fired their bows.

The Necromancer that had been laughing went pale when he saw the sheer firepower being brought to bear. When the Elementalists joined in with Blizzards and Electrical Storms that hammered into the undead, the Necromancer staggered back from the window, fear filling his face. Kauree and Fluff Leapt into the middle of the scrum, spinning as they both used Whirlwind and stacked debuffs on every undead they hit.

Alburet launched himself into the air and joined the Imps, trying to get a better gauge on the overall battlefield, as the immediate area was awash with fire, ice, and lightning. The Zombies could only get so many bodies on Chris and Clangadin, or they would have been swallowed up already. Looking further away, he caught sight of the other damage dealers ripping into the back and sides of Gerald’s target, following it even when the tanks did their first swap on that side of the field.

“Stacia, Kitten, be ready to heal Chris,” he called out as he watched the Paladin’s health yo-yoing wildly.

“As ya wish,” Stacia replied, she and Kitten hovering next to him.

Looking at the melee below him, he could see Marysue and Deirdre’s area heals keeping the Infernals alive, with the added bonus of Marysue’s heals also hurting the undead.

“Looks good so far,” Alburet said, then almost immediately regretted it.

As if the gods wished to punish him, the front door of the manor burst open and a group of plate-clad beings marched out. Necromancers followed them, targeting the undead they could on the field to heal them.

“Fuckers,” Alburet hissed. “Bob, shift everything to the manor.”

“Got it,” Bob said. All of the Imps Alburet controlled suddenly turned and filled the manor doorway with Fire Bursts.

The plate-wearers didn’t stop, but the Necromancers retreated back inside. Watching it, Alburet nodded, “Brighteyes, let the others take your Archangels’ targets. Get your two tanks over to cut off those reinforcements.”

“Huh?” Brighteyes said, then turned to see where he was looking. “Oh, right.”

As the fight raged, Vetenarie stayed well back. The King was right to engage the Two-souled as he has; they are fearless. Eyes tracking to the manor’s windows, his lips pursed when he saw movement at the highest window. What are you doing up there?

Alburet hovered over the battle, raining down Fire Blasts and doing his best to keep up with the shifting tide. The Archangels intercepted the reinforcements, keeping them contained just outside the manor. Alburet sighed in relief as the battle once again appeared to be going their way.

“Stacia, go heal Chris. After that, hit the next Golem to be attacked with your Drains, then come back here.”

“Aye,” Stacia said as she and Kitten took off to do what he had ordered.

When the Imp Storms vanished, the Skeletons had been devastated, and everyone pivoted to the Zombies. Necromancers rushed out of the smoldering manor, trying to help the undead that were still alive.

“Tiny, stop—” Alburet began, then started screaming in pain.

A hooded figure stood in the highest window, holding a black rod pointed directly at Alburet. Alburet’s screams drew the eye of everyone not engaged with an enemy, and they could see him wreathed in oily, black flames.

Stacia hesitated in her flight before she hurriedly went to do what she had been ordered to. Bob rushed at the man in the window, a snarl of hatred on his face. The other Imps and Cherubims rushed after Bob, going to help.

Before Bob could get to the window, another one opened and a line of oily blackness wrapped around him, making him cry out in pain briefly before he vanished. The line shifted and went for the next closest Imp, which happened to be Violet’s.

Evading the line, the Imp started weaving through the air like a drunk bird, trying to stop it from touching him. Succubus voices were raised up, only to discover that they couldn’t target the hooded men.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Alburet turned to face the window. With his eyes narrowed, Alburet saw the grinning, dark-robed man who was eating away his life. Rage rushed up inside him and he welcomed the anger, letting it fold around him like armor. The pain ebbed away as he focused his entire being on the white, glittering teeth of the bastard hurting him.

To the others who were shifting over to the next group and the Summoners who were trying to stop the people at the windows, it appeared almost as if Alburet had teleported. He had gone from barely hovering in the air to suddenly tackling the man pointing the rod at him.

The second man in the window lost track of the Imp he was trying to snare when the loud crash above him made him flinch back. Before he could regain his target, four Imps flew through the window, intent on getting the rod away from him.

Alburet found himself on top of a wriggling body that was cursing loudly. Slamming his fist into the flesh of the person under him, Alburet let his anger have free rein. The screams coming from the man under him and the floor below egged him on, and he wanted to keep hurting his enemy.

Stacia hit Chris with both of her Comforting Touches, then zipped toward the Golem that was leaving Gerald and being moved onto the next tank. As they flew by, she and Kitten slapped the Dark Golem once each, their Essence Drain taking life away from it and healing them. Pivoting in the air like a ballerina, Stacia went toward the window and the welling anger she could feel coming from Alburet.

Fluff had also picked up on the anger from Alburet, which pushed her over the edge. Leaping into the midst of the Zombies, she started to lay into them with little regard for danger. Karen, feeling Alburet and Fluff slip into rage, buckled her own issues tighter and focused on her task, while she worried for them both.

Marysue and Deirdre hurried over to assist the healers in keeping Chris and Clangadin alive, drinking mana potions as they went. “We have them. Drink up,” Marysue said as she took over healing for Chris.

With the two men in the windows being dealt with, the others were able to follow the original plan. The Necromancers were making it harder, as they were doing their best to keep the Zombies healthy and throw DoTs onto the raid.

“Tiny, TJ, grab the Necromancers. All free damage, shift to the casters,” Marysue called out. “We have to kill the healers first.”

Stacia entered the top room to discover Alburet mercilessly pummeling the man beneath him. The heavy, meaty sound of fists meeting unprotected flesh filled the room. Stacia didn’t stop him, and instead, she and Kitten went to either side and pinned the man’s flailing arms to the floor. “We have him, Al. Finish him off quickly. They be needin’ help outside.”

Pulling back with a start, Alburet grabbed the axe from his back. Flames engulfed the weapon as he took a short grip on the haft and drove it into the restrained man. He didn’t know how long he had raged, only aware that it was over when the body vanished. Getting to his feet, Alburet looked around but saw no other threats, though he did see Stacia watching him with worry. He took a deep breath and pushed the anger away; not gone, but just back far enough that he could think rationally.

“Is the raid okay?”

“Aye, but they be needin’ help. We should check the Imps below first,” Stacia replied. Kneeling, she grabbed the rod that had rolled free when Alburet had tackled the man, then touched the loot bag. She stuck the rod in her pouch, realizing that Alburet had already gone.

The fight on the ground had come almost to a stalemate, but the superior numbers of the raid were starting to wear down the Necromancers. “We need to retreat,” one of them yelled, grabbing for his belt pouch.

His motion was cut off when Kauree slammed her hammer into his back. “Ya nay be goin’ anywhere but ta death,” she spat at him.

Marysue felt the raid slipping away from her. She needed to focus on healing, so she couldn’t get a good idea of what needed to be done overall. She had an impulse to call for Gerald to help, but stopped, knowing he was even busier than she was.

“Keep going. We have this,” Alburet called out as he flew out of the second story window. “Necromancers first, and stop them if they go for their pouches.” His life had recovered a bit from potions he had chugged.

Alburet had found the second man fighting off the last Imp when he arrived. Not stopping, Alburet drove his axe into the cultist’s head just as the Imp vanished. The cultist died a few heartbeats after that. Snatching the black rod that the man had been using and stuffing it into his pouch, Alburet left the room to help direct the raid.

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 suggesting 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.

“Thank you, Majesty. I hope your day is as pleasant as possible.”

“Justice willing,” the King replied and split off from Alburet, heading down another hall with both High Priests and the guards.

~*~*~

Alburet found his three loving wives waiting with Bob, Tiny, Knitoc, and Astov by the carriage, chatting with Rolland and Kim. “Sorry for the wait, ladies.”

“It be fine, we were talkin’ to our friends.”

“That works,” Alburet said, turning to Rolland. “The King said he’ll summon you when he gets a moment, either today or tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Alburet,” Rolland said. “We’re on our way to train.”

“Same,” Alburet smiled. “I’d offer you a ride but the carriage is pretty full with four of us. We’ll see you tonight?”

“It’s fine, and yes,” Kim said as she took her husband’s arm. “Come on, we want to be done before the banquet starts or the King summons you.”

“They are good people,” Tiny rumbled as they watched the couple walk down the street.

“They are,” Fluff nodded.

“Didn’t anyone else stick around?” Alburet asked.

“They all left as their group-mates got back. Some of them got really vocal about what they got,” Karen said. “One guy just kept going on. It was funny when he got into an argument with some woman about which piece was better, his or hers.”

“Hamlin,” Alburet chuckled. “What did his staff do, anyway?”

“Boosted fire damage by three hundred percent,” Fluff said. “Personally, I think the necklace the lady had was better because it was more diverse.”

“By far,” Karen nodded.

“According to a guildie of his, he’s all about maximizing damage output. So, he probably does believe that he got the better item.”

“He turned down the necklace and asked for a second item,” Fluff said as she was getting into the carriage.

“He didn’t like the second item Keeper suggested, either,” Karen snickered.

“That must have been when he raised his voice,” Alburet mused as Stacia followed Karen into the carriage. “Just couldn’t accept Keeper’s suggestion.”

“Speaking of, what did you get?” Karen asked as the door shut behind him.

“A ring.” He extended his hand so they could inspect it.

“That should come in handy during the final raid,” Fluff said.

“I think I’ll pocket it during the raid until we face Stein,” Alburet said. “To make sure I don’t use the charge beforehand.”

“Good idea,” Karen nodded.

“Aye.”

“Today has been a long day,” Alburet said, putting his arm around Stacia. “Let’s relax after we train, because tomorrow, we’ll likely be dealing with other unexpected trouble.”

“I still wish Skippy had been there,” Karen grumbled and leaned against Fluff. “You think he’s going to be out at the prison?”

“Where else would the smarmy bastard be?” Alburet asked. “He likes sucking up to anyone of higher status.”

“That’s a fair point,” Fluff nodded. “I don’t think Stein would find him useful, though.”

“Disposable pawn that thinks he’s important?” Karen suggested.

“Aye, Stein likely be usin’ him as the front for whatever plan he has for the King,” Stacia said.

“I’m sure we’ll find out,” Alburet said.

The carriage came to a halt outside of the Guild Hall, it being the closest stop of the three. Alburet and Stacia got out so they could use the Guild’s portal. When they entered the Guild Hall, Vanessa looked up expectantly, her smile freezing in place when she saw them.

“Lookin’ for Kauree?” Stacia asked.

“She said she was going to train, but hasn’t come back yet,” Vanessa sighed.

“She was just at the castle with us,” Alburet told her. “I’m sure she’ll be back shortly.”

“I’m glad we didn’t lose anyone,” Vanessa said softly.

“Something bothering you?” Alburet asked, feeling the emotional turmoil in the receptionist.

“I didn’t go…” Vanessa trailed off.

“There be nay issue with tha’,” Stacia said, placing her hand on Vanessa’s shoulder.

“Everyone else who could die a Final Death went,” Vanessa sniffled.

“That was their choice,” Alburet said when he came to stand beside her. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be safe. You’re a receptionist, not an adventurer anymore.”

“I stopped because I feared death, and now that it’s certain, I just can’t…”

Stacia soothed the Elf, pulling her into a gentle hug. “Aye. I fear for me sisters all the time now, even inside the walls as most of them be. I was a bundle of nerves hopin’ Deirdre would be safe. Today she was, but with Stein on the loose, how long can she stay tha’ way?”

“Even she faces death, and I sit here…”

“You can go out,” Alburet said softly. “We won’t stop you, Vanessa. A lot of people will be taking up duty guarding the Keeps. Talk to Gerald if you want to do that. The other option is staying here, in case we need someone to coordinate with. That job can be just as important as fighting in the right moment.”

“You don’t think less of me?” Vanessa asked, her eyes puffy.

“No.”

“Nay. I would be bettin’ Kauree does nay, either,” Stacia added. “Ya should talk to her when she gets back.”

Wiping at her eyes, Vanessa forced herself to calm down. “Yes. I should, while there’s still time.” Fighting to put a smile on, she met their gazes briefly. “Sorry for that.”

“We all need reassurance sometimes,” Alburet said, patting her shoulder. “No reason to apologize for that.”

“I’ve delayed you,” Vanessa said.

“Nay. Helpin’ a friend be a higher thin’ than goin’ to train,” Stacia smiled.

“Thank you,” Vanessa said again.

Saying their goodbyes, the couple headed for the portal that would take them to Progress. When they appeared in the Graveyard, Alburet nodded to the six guards. “How is everything?”

“Fine, sir.”

“Keep up the good work,” Alburet said, giving them a salute and heading for the inn.

Waltrim stood outside the inn, turning people away from the doors. Seeing the two of them approaching, the Greater Destroyer smiled, “I didn’t expect to see any of Alpha Company so early.”

“Here to train,” Alburet chuckled. “We’ll be back after we go home and change.”

“I see.” Waltrim opened the door, the smile still on his face. “I’ll welcome you back later, then.”

There were no customers in the inn, but Succubi were moving around and setting up the room for the banquet later. Seeing Alburet, Stewart said something to Tabitha and waved Alburet to follow him.

Taken to the back room, Alburet chuckled when Stewart put the book on the desk. “How did you know?”

“I’ve heard about the quest, and figured you’d be involved,” Stewart replied. “Also, you’re too early for the banquet.”

“Fair enough,” Alburet nodded as he looked at his choices for level ninety. He made his selection and pushed the book back to Stewart. “That’s done with.”

“What did you take?” Stewart asked.

“Thunderous Stomp for Tiny, so he can interrupt casters,” Alburet smiled.

“Considering what’s happening, that seems like a good choice,” Stewart said.

“I think so, too,” Alburet nodded as he pulled out his Homestone. “We’ll see you in a bit.”

“I look forward to it,” Stewart chuckled. “The first banquet for the inn. I’m pulling out everything I can for it.”

“As it should be,” Stacia smiled, giving Stewart a hug. “See ya soon, Unca.”

Alburet

Demon Lord Summoner

Ambassador for the Dark Lord

Level 90

Strength: 365 (0)

Agility: 365 (0)

Constitution: 810 (420)

Intelligence: 440 (50)

Wisdom: 1,695 (1,010)

Charisma: 395 (0)

Health: 12,600

Mana: 21,450

Spells:

Demon Skin-Rank 9

Demonic Retribution- Rank 9

Summon Greater Imp

Fire Blast- Rank 9

Sap Strength- Rank 8

Demonic Haze- Rank 8

Summon Greater Destroyer

Demonic Vitality- Rank 8

Fire Burst- Rank 8

Summon Greater Succubus

Abilities:

Personal Spells

Flame Weapon

Copy

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Ally)

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Big Boom)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Demonic Shell)

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Comforting Touch)

Copy

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Essence Drain)

Still Caster

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Burning Cleanse)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Savage Roar)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Bash)

Imp Storm

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Infernal Flames)

Demonic Inspiration

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Thunderous Stomp)

Racial Abilities:

Cast spells without verbal components

Physical damage reduction 25%

Magical damage reduction 10%

Influence emotions

Fire resistance 125%

Reputation gains at tenth value

All stats increase by 4 points per level

Can use any weapon regardless of strength required

Double movement speed when minion present

Maxed reputation with all Infernals and Worshippers of the Dark Lord

All Debuffs last half as long

Immune to movement impairing effects

Immune to mind altering effects

Chapter Ten

When they made it home, they noticed all the guards were on high alert. “What happened?” Alburet asked Bezzle when the Imp Lord flew over to them.

“A lone Assassin tried to make it over the walls,” Bezzle answered. “My wife informed me of his attempt, and with her help, we were able to pile on before he could get away. I have sent word to the Assassin’s Guild asking if it was a sanctioned attack.”

“Huh, I hadn’t even thought about that. Have we gotten word back yet?”

“No. No stealthed person can slip past us, not with our wives present,” Bezzle said.

Alburet looked over at the newly created building that Bezzle had motioned to. Still surprised that the building had gone up in a single day, Alburet realized he would need to thank Wilbur again for the crafters. Mother had brought the other Infernals this morning, and they were already settling in.

“Just be careful,” Alburet said. “If everyone is dying Final Deaths, that might include you guys, too.”

“We are,” Bezzle replied, bowing his head. “It is nice to know that you are concerned.”

“He always be worried for those around him,” Stacia said.

“Al,” Karen said, appearing in the courtyard. “I have a message from the Assassin’s Guild. The Assassin the Infernals killed wasn’t on a contract. There are no active contracts except for a few pre-existing ones at this time, and they aren’t taking any new ones.”

“A leftover? Or maybe some of the Assassins that sided with Stein are making moves on their own,” Alburet frowned.

“Everyone is back,” Fluff said, joining them.

“We need to be getting’ ready for the banquet,” Stacia reminded them.

“Good point,” Alburet nodded. “Bezzle, keep up the good work.”

“Of course, Lord,” Bezzle bowed.

They didn’t fool around much during the shower, each of them preoccupied with their own thoughts. Afterward, while they were getting dressed, Fluff asked, “What did you train in?”

“I picked up an AoE interrupt for Tiny called Thunderous Stomp.”

“I’m sure we’ll see more casters, so that’s a good one,” Karen said. “I picked up Poison Immunity, which is self-explanatory.”

“I’m surprised more Assassins don’t have that Ability,” Alburet mused. “Then again, it is a level ninety Ability.”

“I think that’s why,” Karen said, “more than anything. Being able to ignore poisons is a big one if you go up against other Assassins, or even some of the dungeon bosses we’ve seen.”

“Fair point,” Alburet agreed. “What did you get, Fluff?”

“I picked up Severed Tendon. It takes my Hamstring and makes the movement debuff stay on and immobilizes the target for fifteen seconds.”

“That can come in handy if we get mobs that try to run,” Alburet nodded.

“It’s sad that Stacia doesn’t level like we do,” Fluff said.

“It be the way thin’s be,” Stacia shrugged. “It does nay bother me.”

“I still think it would be nice if we were all equal in that way, too,” Fluff said.

“That’s another reason we love you,” Karen said as she gave Fluff a kiss on the cheek.

Alburet pulled the jacket on, buttoning the middle button. “I’m ready first?”

“Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn occasionally,” Karen snickered as she smoothed her dress, having just finished getting it on.

Rolling his eyes, Alburet went to the bedroom door and waited. “Not even going to say anything. You’d just turn my words against me.”

“Ya see, he can be taught! And ya doubted tha’, Karen,” Stacia deadpanned, her lips twitching as she fought to keep the smile off her face.

“Brat,” Alburet chuckled, giving her a kiss.

“Aye, at times,” Stacia agreed as he opened the door for them.

Karen followed Stacia from the room, pausing a moment to collect a kiss of her own. “We’ll get her back later,” she whispered with a wink.

Shaking his head, Alburet didn’t reply, but the others felt his spike of desire. Fluff stopped beside him, “Does that mean we all get to get her?” Fluff asked, her eyes sparkling.

Another pulse of desire from Alburet made the women giggle. “I see you’re all in on it. Trying to corrupt me… good thing I’m already corrupt.” Giving Fluff a deep kiss, he closed the door behind them when the kiss broke. “Now, let’s try to not taunt me too much? At least until we get home.”

“No promises,” Karen laughed.

~*~*~

They returned to the Dead Sands Inn to find that others had arrived ahead of them. “At least we aren’t the early arrivals,” Alburet commented.

“Hey, Alburet,” Violet said, Marian on her arm.

“Evening, Violet, Marian. Where’s the rest of your group?”

“They’ll be along,” Violet replied. “I’m losing one of my members tonight. The others are here for another two months, like me.”

“It’s good that your group is surviving mostly intact,” Karen said.

“Yes,” Violet nodded. “I’m going to ask Kauree if she wishes to join.” Marian frowned, and Violet kissed her cheek. “You know why I’m not asking you.”

“Aye, and I do nay blame ya, but I do also wish to be beside ya,” Marian said. “I be thinkin’ of joinin’ one of the groups to hold the Keeps.”

Violet frowned at that, “You’ll be in danger if you do that.”

“Aye, but it be her choice,” Stacia said, supporting her sister.

Violet glared at Stacia. “Unlike you, she can die a Final Death. You can’t be okay with that. I know I’m sure as hell not.”

“She isn’t a doll to be put behind glass,” Karen said pointedly.

“I know that!” Violet snapped. “I just don’t want her to die.”

“I do nay wish to die, either,” Marian said, placing her hand on Violet’s cheek. “Would ya keep me closeted at home, after me class finally be found?”

Violet’s anger seemed to evaporate, “No... I’m just terrified of you dying.”

“Aye. Ya can either keep me beside ya, or ya can accept me joinin’ one of the Keep groups,” Marian said.

“It’ll be safer at one of the Keeps,” Violet admitted. “But I’ll be checking in with you a lot.”

“Tha’ be fine,” Marian said, kissing Violet’s cheek.

“Now that we’re past that bump, maybe we should head on inside,” Alburet said, motioning to the building where a number of other guildies were entering. Waltrim was acting as a bouncer, checking to make sure that everyone who entered was an actual member of the Guild.

“Sorry for that,” Violet sighed. “I don’t like airing relationship things in public.”

“None of us do,” Alburet said. “Luckily, it was more family than public. After all, you’ll be a sister-in-law soon.”

Violet’s cheek twitched, “Sure, bro.”

“Bro?” Alburet chuckled as they all started toward the inn. “Didn’t expect you for a ‘bro’ kind of woman.”

“My upbringing gets the better of me every now and again,” Violet chuckled.

“Well, at least it wasn’t dude-bro,” Karen snickered.

Alburet’s head twitched to the side, “Guh, no.”

Violet, Fluff, and Karen laughed at him, then went on to explain what a dude-bro was to Stacia and Marian. They got in line so they could go inside and the group ahead of them jumped in to help with the explanation, as well. After a minute, most of those waiting were laughing and having fun at the expense of dude-bros everywhere.

When they reached the head of the line, Waltrim smiled broadly and ushered them in without any comment. The room they stepped into was already half full, and a dozen Succubi were acting as waitresses.

“I think the Dark Lord would be proud,” Alburet chuckled.

“I would hope so,” Stewart said from nearby. “Welcome to the Alpha Company banquet. Drinks are free, and food will be brought out once Gerald and Marysue show up. Make yourself at home; the inn is reserved for Alpha Company members only today.”

“Drinks free? That’s going to cost the Guild a pretty penny,” Alburet said.

“I’m sure there’s enough money in the Guild fund,” Karen snickered. “Remember the tax?”

“Oh, right,” Alburet chuckled.

“Forget because you don’t keep track of your coin?” Fluff giggled.

“And not being in charge anymore,” Alburet admitted. “Thank Darkness for Gerald.”

“Rumors say that Alpha Company is going to be at the forefront of defending the Keeps. Is that true?” Stewart asked, changing the subject.

“Probably, but Delvers and Heart’s Light will be right there beside us,” Karen said. “Gerald was going to make the arrangements.”

“Marysue is likely the one to arrange that,” Fluff said. “She likes setting up any sort of social event. While the Keeps are probably going to see a lot of fighting, there will also be a lot of social interactions between the Guilds.”

“How are Grim and Almira doing?” Alburet asked Stewart.

“Good. They’ve moved into a room here at the inn currently to help make sure that we’re all safer,” Stewart replied before a sad chuckle escaped him. “It’s almost like the old days.”

“We’ll make her pay, Stewart,” Alburet said, anger coloring his words before he could pull back his emotions. “Bloodmoon will pay.”

“She’s a Two-souled,” Stewart sighed. “You might kill her, but she’ll never pay enough.”

“Tha’ be true,” Stacia agreed, her lips downturned. “We will do our best to hurt her for the pain she has given us.”

Stewart nodded and forced a smile. It looked out of place with the pain in his eyes. “I know you will, Stacia. Please, excuse me. I need to check in with Tabitha.”

They let him go, feeling the depth of the sadness that radiated from him. Alburet felt the anger inside him spark, but instead of flaring, it smoldered. It was ignited, but waiting for the right moment to come forth.

“We should get a drink,” Karen said.

Moving into the room, they got drinks from one of the Succubi that was circling around and ended up near Ironhand. They chatted for a while about the defense of the town. Rolland was going to move the portal to the outside of town tomorrow morning.

Almost an hour went by before Gerald and Marysue showed up, the last two of the Guild to appear. Gerald greeted everyone as they moved to the center of the room. Raising his hand and clearing his throat, he waited for the room to quiet. “Welcome everyone to the second banquet for the departing members of Alpha Company. Tonight, we’re losing thirty-nine members, all going back because life in the other world is demanding them back.”

A sad cheer went up as people started to clap their friends who were leaving on the back. Gerald waited, and after a minute, it quieted down again.

“We’ll also be gaining new members a couple of hours after midnight. I’ve been told that the new long-term testers will be here by six in the morning. We’ll be meeting up with them outside the Portal Guild in Stormguard. In addition to welcoming new members, we’re getting everything ready for the defense of the Keeps, which I know a number of you are looking forward to.”

Applause and a few grumbles from the players on their way out greeted the announcements. Gerald paused a few minutes before he called the room back to order. “I know you’ve been waiting for the food, and it will be out shortly.” Stopping while another cheer rang out, Gerald chuckled. “But first,” pausing again for the groan, “two things. The items that were looted during a quest to the lost city of Peace will be auctioned in an hour.” Another loud cheer went through the room. “The last thing before we get to the party is simple. The Keep defenses are going to be a group effort with Delvers and Heart’s Light. This is in preparation for the Raid on the Forgotten Prison, which is going to be the first big Raid that we get here in Alpha World.”

“Is that confirmed?” someone asked from the back of the room.

“Not completely, but everything has been pointing that way with Stein and the storyline that’s in place,” Gerald said. “Stein was last seen at the Forgotten Prison, so it’s very likely that this is going to be the big event. The defense of the Keeps seems to be the run up to that, like we’ve seen from other… worlds,” Gerald carefully avoided the word game, since there were natives present.

“With that said, let the party commence,” Marysue said quickly, forestalling any other questions. “Stewart, our gracious host, if you would bring forth the food?”

The moment she had finished speaking, the Succubi, who had disappeared into the kitchen during Gerald’s speech, each came out carrying a large platter filled with food. They set them down on the long tables set against one wall, then went back to circulating through the room with their trays of drinks.

Stewart was the last one from the kitchen, carrying a small tray with little chunks of cheese. “Before you all go rushing to load up your plates, I invite you to sample a delicacy from the Dark Lord’s court. Infernal cheese isn’t spicy, but does carry a flavor not found anywhere else.” Taking the tray around the room, he presented it to each person.

Everyone who took a piece made noises of approval at the flavor of the morsel. Alburet was one of the last people to get a sample. He popped the bit of cheese into his mouth at the same time Gerald did the same. It took him a moment to categorize what he had just eaten. He finally decided it was the richest cheddar he had ever tasted; exquisitely sharp, but still creamy and not crumbly at all.

“That’s some great cheddar,” Alburet murmured.

“What are you saying? It was clearly muenster,” Karen said.

“It wasn’t a gouda?” Fluff asked. Around the room, similar conversations were springing up as people compared their perceptions of the flavor.

“As you’ve all just learned, the cheese best matches the ideal of the taster,” Stewart chuckled. “Please enjoy the feast.”

People wasted no time lining up at the buffet table. The party was soon in full swing between the food and drinks freely available. There weren’t a lot of tables set up for people to sit, so everyone got to experience the fun of holding a plate and a drink while trying to stand and eat. After watching the awkwardness for a little while with a growing smile on his face, Stewart had the Infernals bring tall but small round tables, allowing people to set down plates and cups without it taking up a lot of room. Stacia caught Stewart’s eye and shook her head, but her suppressed laughter was obvious to him and those near her. Stewart gave her a small shrug, then headed back into the kitchen.

The party continued for an hour with laughter and many stories being told. Gerald eventually went to the middle of the room and whistled to get everyone’s attention. “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the auction. Stewart, if you and your family would bring out the items, please?”

Destroyers, Imps, and Succubi carried out the armor, weapons, and jewelry, setting them on the tables that had been used for food and drinks a few minutes before. Everyone got a good look at the items as they went past. Once everything had been brought out, Gerald went to the first table.

“Our first item is this Infernal Steel helm. Remember, all proceeds are going to the Guild fund to pay for taxes and upkeep… or we can take our proceeds and give them to those who are affected by the many Final Deaths that are taking place now. I’ve spoken with the Delvers and Heart’s Light. They’re also going to contribute to the widows and orphans fund.”

The Guild overwhelmingly voiced their support of giving to the natives. With that decided, the auction picked up, the bidding fast and fierce. People were now doubly invested in the outcome, wanting the items but also wishing to help the natives.

Almost everything sold wound up going for a little more than it would have cost to buy it from a shop, but the players were glad to pay. The conclusion of each sale was met with cheers, even by those who lost the bids. Kim went around, collecting coin from the winners and delivering their prizes.

The last item auctioned was a necklace of strength. Gerald waited for the cheers to die off again before he got the attention of the room. “We have a couple of hours before the end comes for our friends. Take this time and say your farewells. Though they will be back, we won’t see them nearly as much. Tell the tales of the good times and the bad again. Celebration is the best way to keep memories sharp in the mind.”

Gerald stepped away from the center and Ironhand took the spot. All eyes went to the Dwarf, who looked back at the crowd for a moment before he closed his eyes and began to sing. The opening lyrics of “You’ve Got a Friend In Me,” caught most of the Guild by surprise. By the time he got to the first chorus, most of the Guild was singing along with him. When the song came to an end, Ironhand went right into “Side by Side” with Leggylass joining him. Not many people knew that song, and the improvisation by the couple soon had many people laughing.

“Where did you learn that?” someone shouted when the song came to an end.

“I first heard it from my grandfather. He used to listen to a well-known comedy duo back in the day,” Ironhand explained. “One more, then I’ll stop. This one I think most of us have heard, at least in passing.” Tapping out a simple beat, he was soon singing “With a Little Help From My Friends.”

Once again, everyone who knew the words joined in. Seeing the response, Ironhand lead them once more through the song. When the song came to an end the second time, he bowed to them, and everyone gave him a round of applause.

Time felt like it stretched on, but also went by too rapidly, as the appointed time finally came. Gerald took the middle of the floor once more, glass in hand, the Succubi distributing drinks to everyone.

“It’s time. Let us share one more drink together. Just like the last time, this isn’t goodbye, but more a brief parting. Our friends will be coming back to see us, and hopefully help us in the days ahead. To our departing friends, I thank you for joining us over the last month. You’ll always have a home in Alpha Company.”

With the toast given, a long moment passed, and the members who weren’t staying vanished all at once. A deep melancholy filled the room as those who were still there looked to where their friends had been just a moment before.

“I look forward to seeing you all in the morning at the Portal Guild. We’ll welcome our new members and send off people to the various Keeps to defend,” Gerald said, though his voice was softer and full of sadness. “Sleep well.”

With that, the party came to an end and people began to leave the inn. Some groups were already consolidating their parties, filling in gaps left by the departing players. Watching the others leave, Alburet and his wives said their goodbyes to their friends before they used their Homestones and went to get some sleep themselves.

Chapter Eleven

The next morning felt more subdued than it had for the past few days, and Alburet felt a certain loss without Lilith and the kids at the table.

“What’s wrong?” Fluff asked him, picking up on his sadness.

“Miss having the kids here.”

“We can be fixin’ tha’ when we get to Delta World,” Stacia said.

“The kids will be surrounded by love,” Karen smiled. “Even if we can’t have them, you and Stacia can.”

“I do nay be thinkin’ tha’ the Overlord would deny ya the chance to have kids of ya own,” Stacia said.

“I think Stacia is right,” Fluff agreed. “We’ll all have children.”

Alburet followed that thought, imagining all three of his wives with two children each beside them, each resembling their mother or himself, and a little girl beside him. Kaylee, Alistern, Anastacia, William, Sheryl, Joseph, and Odilia. Alburet knew all of their names, named after their parents and friends, and it had already been agreed that the next two would be Lilith and David.

“Al?” Karen asked, breaking him from his daydream.

“Sorry, I was just thinking about what it would be like to have kids with each of you,” Alburet said, a hopeful smile on his face.

“Ya were namin’ them in ya mind,” Stacia said with an uncanny idea of where his thoughts had gone.

“Not really. I just knew the names they had when I imagined the scene.”

“Tell us?” Fluff asked.

“Stacia’s first child was a girl named Kaylee,” Alburet said, his voice catching for a moment.

“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Karen said.

“Your first was a boy named Joseph,” Alburet said.

“Dad,” Karen said with a sad smile.

“What about me?” Fluff asked.

“Anastacia, after your mother.”

“As it should be,” Stacia smiled.

“Stacia was next with a boy, Alistern. Then, there was Karen’s daughter named Sheryl. Fluff’s second was named for my father, William, and Stacia’s third was named for my mother, Odilia. We had agreed on the next girl being Lilith, and the next boy being David.”

“I’m good with this,” Karen said.

“I think it’s fitting,” Fluff said, touching his arm.

“Aye, we all be in agreement,” Stacia said, resting her hand on his other arm. “We be havin’ nine or more kids between us, and name them after our parents and friends.”

“Nine kids?” Fluff said, a dreamy smile coming to her as she started to picture it.

“That’s a lot of kids,” Karen said. “I think it’s a wonderful idea, though.”

“Aye, we be able to give them all the love they be needin’,” Stacia’s smile was broad as she embraced the idea.

“Breakfast is done, and we need to get going,” Alburet said, breaking them from their moment. “Come on, ladies. Before any of that happens, we have a quest that needs to be done.”

All three women got to their feet, determination etched on their faces. Giving him kisses as they went past him, they all seemed ready to take on the world. Their fire gave him increased hope.

~*~*~

When they arrived at the Portal Guild, Alburet was immediately approached by a man with a bloody moon emblem on his chest. “Hey, you guys looking for a Keep group?”

“We are here to meet up with our Guild,” Alburet replied as the ladies were getting out of the carriage.

“Fuck,” the guy sighed as he went back to the four others with the emblem on their chests. A moment later, he darted toward another group approaching the building. “Hey…”

“Damn, this place is busy today,” Karen said, looking at the massive throng of people.

“Everyone wants in on the action,” Alburet said.

“I see Blaze,” Fluff said, giving the leader of Delvers a wave.

“Benedict’s Guild be over there,” Stacia said, indicating the largest gathering of players.

“I thought they only took those that worshipped Justice and Peace?” Karen asked.

“That’s what he said, but maybe they accept normal Two-souled, as well,” Alburet suggested.

“We should find Alpha Company,” Fluff suggested.

“We’ll take the carriage home, Lord,” Knitoc said.

“Thank you. Be careful getting home, the streets are busy,” Alburet said.

“Master, I see Gerald off to the left,” Tiny rumbled, his height allowing him to look over the heads of the mob.

“It looks like the whole Guild plus all the newcomers are there,” Bob called down from above.

“Okay, let’s head that way,” Alburet said. Looking at the crowd, he came to a decision. Copying Bob, Alburet looked at the two Imps. “Take Karen,” he told the Imps. “Fluff, hang onto me,” he said before scooping her into a princess carry. “Tiny, I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”

“Understood,” Tiny rumbled before he vanished.

“Wait, what?” Karen asked as Alburet summoned his wings and took to the air.

Fluff let out a startled squeak, clinging to him tightly for a moment. “I wasn’t expecting to fly today.”

Stacia laughed from beside them, “He be doin’ things differently today.”

“We got her,” Bob said as he and BJ held Karen’s hands, flying with her behind the others.

A number of players looked up and started commenting before they landed beside Gerald. Gerald shook his head, “That was new.”

“Trying to walk through that crowd would have taken too long,” Alburet chuckled and set Fluff on her feet again.

“Death from above!” Karen shouted as both Imps let her go.

Looking up, Alburet had almost no warning before her legs wrapped around his neck. Staggering under the impact, he managed to keep his balance, and Karen quickly slid down him to the ground.

“Surprised you didn’t go down,” she said.

“Thank Darkness for inflated stats,” Alburet coughed.

“She does like her public displays of affection,” Stacia giggled.

“If you’re done distracting me from organizing the Guild?” Gerald sighed.

“Sorry,” Alburet chuckled. “We’ll stand off to the side.”

“What the fuck? How did he get to play something like that?” a voice asked from the mass of people.

“He put together one of the old armor sets,” Ironhand said.

“Okay folks, give me your attention for just a little longer, please,” Gerald said, raising his voice so it could carry over the noise of conversations. “As I was saying, each Keep will be under the direction of the Delvers, Heart’s Light, or us. If they are the lead group, follow the rules they set in place. If there’s a problem, bring it to the officers. You came at the right time to join in on the pre-raid kickoff event. Marysue will be taking over from here.”

A cheer went up from the crowd of new members. “Okay, those who are level ten to level fifteen, where are you?” A dozen hands went up, and she nodded. “You’ll be joining Delvers’ group in defense of the Goblin Keep. Head on inside and meet up with them.”

Once the players had gone into the Portal Guild, she turned back to the crowd. “Levels fifteen to twenty?”

It took most of an hour to get people separated and sent on their way. At the end, all that was left were Gerald’s, Ironhand’s, and Violet’s groups.

“Looks like we’re the last ones,” Alburet said.

Guards began to appear near the street, making everyone turn to watch. “They must be the guards being replaced,” Ironhand said.

“What are we doing?” Alburet asked Gerald.

“I was given a missive to gather fifteen of the best members I could,” Gerald said. “We are to wait here for the King’s messenger.”

“Them, too?” Karen asked, seeing two other groups of fifteen people, one set with the Delvers symbol on their shirts, and the other with Heart’s Light insignia.

“Likely,” Gerald nodded. “Blaze? You waiting for the King’s messenger?”

“Yeah. You, too?”

“We are, as well,” Benedict said.

Moving toward each other, the three Guilds sized each other up. “I see we’re all level eighty-five and above,” Blaze said. “I wonder what they have in mind?”

Alburet looked around with a frown, “Gerald, where’s Rolland?”

“He messaged me this morning saying he had an important meeting,” Gerald replied.

“I wonder...” Alburet murmured, then caught sight of a coach coming toward the building. “I think we’re about to get our answer. That’s Ioaniss’ carriage.”

Everyone turned to stare at the carriage, which came to a stop as it reached them. The door opened and Sala got out, followed by Kim, Rolland, Ioaniss, and lastly, the High Priest of Peace. Seeing the three Guilds together, Ioaniss led his group to them.

“I see you all understand that we’ll be forming a special raid party today,” Ioaniss greeted them. “We’re going to undertake an audacious plan, but first, if I might speak with you three privately?” he pointed to Gerald, Blaze, and Benedict.

“Stay here, but be ready to move,” Benedict told his Guild.

“Same, guys,” Blaze said.

“I’ll be back shortly,” Gerald said.

“They’ll have a private room for us inside,” Ioaniss said, leading the three men away, followed by the other people from his carriage.

“What do you think?” Sato asked Alburet.

“Raid. Question is what the target might be,” Alburet replied, shrugging.

“Do you think the High Priest might have been the clue?” the healer from Benedict’s group asked.

“We’ve already been to Peace,” Karen said. “I don’t know why we’d go back there.”

Everyone started coming up with ideas, but Alburet thought about Rolland and his quest to speak with the King. Maybe he’s found a way to teleport without the portals? If so, what does that mean? Where would we go that we need fifty people again?

Almost an hour later, they all came back outside and each Guild leader went to his group. “Don’t ask, we’ll explain once we get there,” Gerald said before anyone could even open their mouths. “Operational security.”

Following their leaders into the Portal Guild, they went to the very top of the building. They came to a large, empty room that had no runes inscribed on the floor. Ioaniss was speaking softly to Rolland, who was holding two potions.

Ioaniss looked at the Two-souled with grave eyes. “I’ll explain as soon as the portal is made, but the fastest way to answer what you want to ask is that we are making a strike at Stein’s power.” The players all started talking excitedly to each other and Ioaniss turned to Rolland. “You’re up, Magiblood.”

Kim joined Alburet’s group when everyone was called to gather around Rolland. Rolland appeared to be frozen in place, but a blue glow suddenly sprang up around the raid. Drinking the first potion, Rolland let out a gasp of pain, and a second ring appeared around the raid group. With a grimace, Rolland slugged the second potion, and a complex pattern appeared between the two rings. “Peace!” Rolland shouted. The blue light surrounding them flared to blinding proportions.

Blinking rapidly to regain his vision, Alburet felt the sun beating down on him before he could see. When sight returned to him, he could see that they had been teleported to the Dead Lands, the ancient walls of Peace rising up beside them.

“This is the city of Peace,” Ioaniss informed the raid group. “Sala, pass around the Raidstones, please. We are here for one reason: to reach the Portal Guild building so Rolland can copy the glyphs inscribed inside it. If we can do this, it will get us much closer to Alctriuz without us having to cross the sands.”

“Why fifty of us?” Booth asked.

“We’re diversion groups,” Blaze said.

“Our tasks have already been decided upon, but our primary goals are drawing the undead and cultists inside the walls away from Ioaniss’ target,” Benedict said. “Whatever we can carry out is ours.”

“What are the targets?” Hamlin asked.

“We’ll be heading for the castle,” Benedict said.

“Hell yeah,” Hamlin smirked.

“We’re heading for the bank,” Blaze told his people, getting smiles in return.

“We’re going to burn an inn down,” Gerald told Alpha Company.

“What?” Violet asked. “How did we get the shitty one?”

“I’ll explain as we go,” Gerald said.

“We’ll give you an hour to get into position and start your tasks,” Ioaniss said while Rolland leaned against the wall, drinking mana potions. “Benedict, the north gate is your best entry point. Blaze, the west gate is yours. Gerald already knows that the south gate will be his.”

“Let’s go, guys. We have the most ground to cover,” Blaze said.

“Let us know when you start,” Ioaniss told them. “The Raidstones are so we can coordinate the groups, which is why only the leaders have them.”

“Got it,” Blaze said, leading his people away at a jog.

“Time to shine,” Benedict told his Guild. “Let’s go prove where we stand.”

Gerald watched both groups leave before he turned to Alpha Company. “The inn leads into the tunnels that go to the vaults under the city. Our job is to get into and shut down the control room that we left open when we were here last. We need to burn the inn behind us, and once we’re inside the complex, we have to shut the doors to the control room. If we can check on the prisoners that were there last, we’ve been asked to ascertain their status, too.”

“But they get the castle and bank,” Violet said.

“We’ll be getting three items from the King if we can do this correctly,” Gerald said. “You’ve seen and heard about them. Is that not enough?”

“Oh... yeah, that’ll work,” Violet said.

“Okay, follow me,” Gerald said. “Bring every minion you can. We want to cause maximum havoc. If you die and aren’t resurrected, use your Homestones. We won’t be able to meet back up.”

Jogging after Gerald, they headed away from Ioaniss’ group. The High Priest watched them go with worried eyes. “Do you think they can provide us with the distractions needed, Sir Jones?”

“I think Alpha Company could by itself,” Ioaniss replied. “The other two Guilds are likely to be useful as well, but if word about Alpha Company gets out to the cultists, they’ll have the hardest time.”

“They made that big of an impression on our enemies?”

“On some of them, oh yes,” Ioaniss said. “Besides the nobles, they’ve met Ophelia twice and survived. If she is here, I would expect her to go after them.”

“Interesting,” the Priest murmured.

Chapter Twelve

It took them awhile to get around the wall and close to the gates they would be using. Slowing as they approached, Gerald spoke softly so his words wouldn’t carry in the still air, “There were two gate guards when we were here last, one in either building to the sides of the gate. Be ready to lay into them. Ironhand, lock down the one farther away with a trap, please.”

“Got it,” Ironhand said, pulling a trap from his belt.

“I don’t remember you having a utility belt before,” Alburet said.

“It was one of my Abilities. It doubles up to five traps I have prepared, but they have to go into specific slots. It means I have to remember which slot holds which traps and have to grab them from there.”

“Doesn’t sound bad,” Fluff said.

“It’s only a problem if my arms get immobilized,” Ironhand replied, “which has happened once or twice.”

“Which traps do you have doubled?” Marysue asked.

“Amber, Foam, Spikes, Bear, and Flame,” Ironhand said. The trap in his hand pulsed with an amber color.

Leggylass smiled, “He’s been our crowd control, which has helped immeasurably since it lets the rest of us focus on damage.”

“He’d normally have some help, but the Succubi won’t be able to control the undead,” Alburet said. “If you focus on the undead, Stacia and Violet’s Succubus can deal with the cultists.”

“Nay, remember wha’ they said? Stein’s followers be immune to us,” Stacia said.

“Oh, right,” Alburet sighed.

“Get ready,” Gerald said, getting his shield on.

Everyone made sure they were ready as they got within a dozen feet of the ruined gate. Gerald was the first through the gate, and the moment he went through, two figures came out of the guard towers.

“Who— Alpha Company!?” the one closest startled before he saw the shield.

Ironhand threw his trap at the other cultist faster than he could react, encasing him in amber. “One down,” Ironhand said.

Turning back toward the building, the nearer cultist took a single step before Gerald charged and stunned him in the same moment. The damage dealers all jumped on him, quickly cutting him down.

“Stun with your charge?” Alburet asked when they shifted to the cultist trapped in amber. “That’s new.”

“My new Ability, Stunning Charge. It applies a stun to anyone I charge,” Gerald said as he got ready for Ironhand’s trap to fall.

“Wha’ did ya pick up, Marysue? We did nay ask before.”

“Lasting Halo. It keeps Halo pulsing for a minute instead of the old fifteen seconds,” Marysue told Stacia. “It’ll be very useful in the big groups.”

“I thought the damaging undead and healing Infernals was supposed to be a short term buff,” Fluff said as she flexed her claws. “I remember you still having it the other day, though.”

“I’m not sure,” Marysue said slowly. “I’m a Champion of Peace, but my UI also says I’m favored by Mother. So maybe she’s still providing the bonus?”

“Tha’ sounds like her,” Stacia nodded. “It likely be approved by Peace, or I do nay think it would be allowed to affect ya.”

“It was during our last trip here, when they were having tea,” Marysue nodded.

The trap fell, and the cultist had a brief moment of realization before he was chain stunned and killed. With both gate guards dealt with, the raid formed up and started into the city.

“Be ready. We saw a lot of undead last time,” Gerald said.

His words could have very well been a summoning charm, because a trio of Zombies came out of an alley on their left and two Skeletons ambled out of a building on their right. Gerald charged the Zombies with Tiny and TJ behind him, while the other tanks and Destroyers went after the Skeletons.

Fifteen versus five wasn’t much of a challenge for them. They cut them down and looted the bodies, then started moving through the city again.

“I do nay see wha’ the difficulty is supposed to be. The undead be level ninety, but we outnumber them,” Kauree said.

“Last time we went through here, we saw swarms of undead,” Gerald said, his eyes darting left and right. “If we see even half of what we did before, it’ll be difficult.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t jinx things,” Leggylass said.

A loud, wordless, angry shout came from the next street and a Golem with metal plates fused to it appeared around the corner. Everyone paused as they took in the sight of the ten-foot tall armored undead. A small horde of thirty undead, consisting of Zombies and Skeletons, spilled out of the buildings that were near the Golem.

“Kind of like that,” Gerald sighed. “I have the Golem. Tiny, be ready to switch with me. Everyone else, divide up the mobs. Focus on the little guys first and wait for them to come to us.”

The Golem led the undead toward them, its steps ponderous but covering the ground rapidly. Once it got in range, Gerald charged, his shield slamming into the beast’s groin. The other tanks rushed forward, taunting undead and pulling them to the sides while trying to stay close enough together for the healers to be able to use their area healing spells.

Alburet took to the air with the Imps and Succubi, giving the melee more room to work with. “Stacia, Kitten, harass the Golem from the air. Bob, area burn once the tanks have aggro.” Pulling a Fire Blast into his hand, Alburet slung it at the first mob TJ had hit. Raising his voice, he called down to the raid, “Focus fire on my target if you’re single target DPS, otherwise, area once all the mobs have been tapped.”

Ironhand used his traps to slow the mass of undead and make sure they wouldn’t get past the tanks before they could be taunted. Many of the damage dealers held back, ready to go all out once they were sure all the mobs had been taunted by a tank. Karen slipped in behind TJ’s first target and began to attack it, since she lacked area damage abilities.

Once all the tanks had their mobs under control, the rest of the damage dealers opened up. Kauree and Fluff Leaped into the middle to use Whirlwind. The Elementalists joined in, one using Blizzard and the other casting Firestorm. Leggylass fired a barrage of arrows into the air, raining down copies onto the gathered horde. Bob, BJ, and Violet’s two Imps used Fire Burst, adding in even more damage. Marysue cast Halo to keep the tanks healthy and to damage the undead, then single target healed Gerald, who was off to the side of the chaotic melee.

Alburet hovered above the fight, calling out orders as the battle shifted, having some of the damage dealers back off when it looked like the mobs might start to turn on them. He sent Stacia and Kitten in to Essence Drain the Golem after using their heals on Tiny and Gerald. It took a bit of time, but in the end, all the undead fell.

“Well, that was more exciting,” Ironhand said as he prepared more traps.

“That was more in line with what I’ve been expecting,” Gerald said while the others looted the bodies. “Now be ready for more like that or worse, and with the possibility of cultists joining in.”

“As long as we can get a little time between them, it should be okay,” Marysue said. “We have potions, but we should try to save them as long as possible.”

“Do you think the other groups are doing well?” Violet asked.

“Blaze and Benedict are good leaders,” Gerald replied. “I’m sure they’re doing fine.”

Not even two streets later, another mob of undead came out to attack them. When they were close to finishing off the monsters, a voice caught everyone’s attention.

“It’s the Alpha Company,” the sneering voice scoffed. “Vemron, let the others know.”

“Most of the others are already on their way to the other incursions,” Vemron replied. “I’ll try to get as many here as I can.”

“Fine! Retreat and raise the undead. We’ll buy time until they can get here.”

“Alpha Company, forward!” Gerald shouted. Using Bouncing Charge, he slammed into three of the cultists, stunning them. “We can’t let them get away.”

Ironhand threw a foam trap, locking all five in place, as the rest of the raid shifted to deal with the new threat. Fluff and Kauree used Wild Charge to close the distance to the cultists, applying Hamstring debuffs to make sure they would be slowed when the trap fell off.

“Area damage dealers, shift to the cultists. Single targets, stay on the undead,” Alburet called out. “Stacia, go up higher and see if reinforcements are coming this way.”

The fight ended in short order, the five cultists and the remnants of the undead finally falling. Gathering around, they waited for Gerald to give them orders.

“Both the other raids have been spotted and identified. Ioaniss’ group is moving in now. The gate guards have left and are gathering the undead as they go, which means the warm ups are over. The inn is still at least a mile away and we’re going to get attacked again before we get there.”

“Are we just going to bull into them?” Ironhand asked.

“No. We’re going to use the Infernals as scouts. We’ll at least be able to see what’s on the street ahead of time. I’m betting there are going to be a number of ambushes in or around various corners and buildings.”

“Can we circle around?” Violet asked. “If we’re just a diversion, then the longer we stay free and cause the cultists trouble, the better, right?”

“Exactly,” Gerald nodded. “That’s why we’re going to find areas that seem less dangerous and hit them. We’ll pull back and circle to a different spot to strike again. That means we might not complete our mission, but we’ll be able to buy the time for Ioaniss.”

“Gerald,” Alburet cut in, “if we get anywhere close to the inn, we should think about charging it. If we can get inside, we can head straight for the basement. I believe there were barrels of oil down there. We can break them open and torch it behind us as we slip into the tunnels.”

“We’ll keep it in mind, but right now, we’re going to play hit and run. Our primary mission is buying time for Rolland. The vaults are secondary.”

“Wait, if the vaults are secondary, what do we get for completing the primary quest?” Violet asked.

“Experience, as much as the Crown can give,” Gerald said. “We need to be max level for the raid, after all.”

“We got a couple of levels for attacking the manors, which means this is going to be worth even more than that,” Ironhand chuckled.

“They can’t be expecting to only take us fifteen into the raid,” Leggylass said.

“The King is going to be pushing experience out to everyone who guards the Keeps, too,” Gerald said. “He understands it’s better to use us as the shock troops rather than the guards.”

“The way north is getting crowded with undead,” Bob said, landing beside Alburet. “The west is looking a bit dicey, too, but the east is nearly empty.”

“We go east, then,” Gerald said. “Let’s move.”

All four Imps and Succubi took to the air, fanning out to give them reconnaissance. Alburet flew a handful feet above the raid, but well under the height of the buildings so he wouldn’t give away their position.

I wonder which of our raids will fail first, Alburet thought as he waited for the next fight to find them.

~*~*~

After more than an hour of fighting undead and cultists, they were all tired. Gerald slowed his steps at one point, shaking his head. “Blaze’s group found the bank and is looting it, but they’re pinned inside and don’t expect to last much longer.”

“We’re closing on the inn, but the undead and cultists are multiplying fast,” Alburet said. “What about Ioaniss?”

“They’re at the old Portal building and working their way through it. They asked for thirty minutes.”

“Heart’s Light?” Violet asked.

“Fighting on the castle’s steps, or they were a few minutes ago,” Gerald said. “They found the new Lord Carradine before the fight started.”

“Maybe Skippy is here,” Alburet muttered.

“Master,” Bob said, coming down fast beside him, “the undead are closing in on all sides now, like a noose.”

“Gerald?” Alburet asked.

“Okay, we’re not going to be able to dodge anymore. Everyone, straight at the inn. Ironhand, Violet, I’m going to need your groups to be the rearguard when we hit the inn. We’re going for the basement and the tunnel there. I need at least one person from my group to make it through since we’re the ones who know the traps.”

“Fine,” Violet sighed, “as long as we get the rewards.”

“We’ll handle it,” Ironhand said.

“The more of us that make it, the better, but I’ll be spearheading the attack inside the inn,” Gerald said. “Now let’s go gut them.”

With renewed energy, the small raid team turned in the direction of the inn. Gerald was glad he had marked it on his map when they were there last time. As they went, Alburet got Violet to send her Imp Copy up along with BJ.

“You take the left, I’ll take the right,” Alburet told her. “We need the Copies to hit the undead and lead them away slightly. Just keep an eye on any cultists. If they have those stupid banishing crystals, this will get messy.”

“That’s why we aren’t sending the normal Imps,” Violet nodded. “Got it.”

As they moved down the road, everyone kept glancing after the two Copied Imps. After a short while, they both cast Fire Burst and began to peel further away from the raid, headed in opposite directions. Letting a minute pass, Gerald started to jog, knowing they would have a limited window to use the Imps as a distraction.

Chapter Thirteen

Even with the Imps pulling some of the mobs away, the fight to the inn was not pretty. By the time they got there, they had lost Violet’s Imp to one of the black crystal beams and most of Ironhand’s group.

When they broke through the front door, a few staff members were inside. Kauree and Fluff Leaped across the room, one landing on the bartender, the other on a maid. Gerald Charged across the room and hit both, then turned to look back at the others as they all came in.

“We have this. Go, master!” Tiny rumbled.

Alburet nodded, heading for the kitchen. Stacia was right behind him, her voice raised in song because the moment they entered, the cook turned to face the door with butcher cleaver in hand. “Thank you, dear.”

Opening up the door to the cellar, Alburet rushed down and found the spot Ioaniss had triggered before. Stacia sent the cook out to the main room to help fight the cultists before she followed Alburet down the stairs.

Marysue was the next one down, using her magic to open up the passage. “It’s open,” she called up.

“Everyone, down,” Gerald shouted.

Alburet started breaking open barrels, splashing oil onto the wooden beams and along the walls. Aware of people rushing into the tunnel, he did his best to hurry. Grabbing the next cask, Alburet cursed when Bob and Tiny’s minion tabs vanished from his UI. “Fuckers!”

“Run,” one of the players still in the kitchen yelled.

“Come on, Al,” Gerald said from the passageway.

Slamming the barrel into the stairs, Alburet ran for the passage. He tossed a Fire Blast over his shoulder and the entire basement went up in flames. Some of the oil was coating his boots when he joined back up with Gerald. “Go on, I’m right behind you.”

Looking back as the passage door started to shut, Alburet watched the flames growing higher. He frowned, turning to follow the others. The group was much smaller than it had been a minute ago.

“What happened?” Alburet asked.

“They broke through the walls,” Gerald growled. “That inn is done for. Its structural integrity was compromised even before the fire.”

“Why are we missing more?”

“They did their best to buy us time,” Violet said with a grimace.

Seeing a colorful head of hair, Alburet felt his heart unclench slightly. “Kauree, glad you made it.”

“Your wife grabbed me and pulled me with her,” Kauree said.

“I didn’t want her to die,” Fluff said, her voice firm. “We lost everyone else.”

Ironhand produced a glowing light above his head, illuminating more of the tunnel for them. “Only me and Leggy left from my group.”

“Kauree and me from mine,” Violet said. “Once we’re out of combat, I’ll be able to resummon my minions.”

“Same,” Alburet nodded.

“We’ve still lost half of what we started with,” Gerald said. “I hope we can finish this.”

They followed the same path that they had before. When they came to the room depicting Peace between the brothers, Gerald had them rest for a bit. Taking seats, the remnants of the raid felt the adrenaline they had been running on ebb away.

“Did they finish their mission?” Ironhand asked.

“Blaze’s raid is done. Ioaniss gave them an item that would open the doors for them, so they got a lot of coin from the bank vault. ”

“Lucky bastards,” Violet muttered.

“Benedict’s raid made it into the castle and as far as the royal chambers. They looted a number of cultural artifacts the King will want from them.”

“Ioaniss is going to be busy for a bit,” Alburet chuckled, “and Vladimir.”

“Rolland got the runes copied and got out just as Ophelia showed up. Kim said Rolland was able to trap her in ice long enough for them to use their Homestones.”

A spike of anger went through Alburet, Fluff, Stacia, and Karen at Ophelia’s name. “We still owe her,” Karen said softly.

“I’m sure we’ll be seeing her again,” Gerald said. “Ioaniss said she looked angry. Not sure I prefer that over her mocking us like she did before.”

“Think she’ll be waiting for us?” Alburet asked.

“I hope not,” Gerald replied. “We’ll need more than this to tackle her.”

“He be havin’ a point,” Stacia nodded.

“We’re the last ones left inside the city,” Marysue said. “We should get moving.”

“No,” Gerald said, placing a hand on her arm. “We’re going to rest for a bit. With the inn burning, they should think we fled or died. I want them to continue thinking so.”

“Anyone bring some cards?” Ironhand asked jokingly.

“Wish I had,” Alburet said. “Violet, wait to summon them until we clear the hallway. The Destroyers won’t fit.”

Violet looked at him questioningly, and Alburet began to explain what they would be facing next. Ironhand and Leggylass listened in, looking surprised at the complicated traps that were ahead of them.

~*~*~

When they cleared the last trapped area hours later, most of them were starting to feel the edge of anticipation gnawing. Gerald made sure they would be ready for the next step when they were outside the room where they had found Lord Sean Jones.

“Okay, it’s down two levels and requires a devout follower of Peace to get the doors open normally. I believe they were left open, and if they still are, we might have real issues if someone is monitoring the boards.”

“We need Marysue to make it through at least, in case they are closed,” Karen said. “We want one person inside to turn everything on.”

“That’s right. I’m also hoping we can find out if the other prisoners are still locked in and who they are, if they’re still being held in stasis,” Gerald agreed.

“Are we doing this quick or stealthy?” Ironhand asked.

“Both,” Gerald said. “I want you and Karen to head down in front of us. Karen, if you can, Sap and break any other stealthers from the shadows, please.”

“Got it,” Karen said, giving her wives and Alburet kisses. “Ready?”

“Hall, door, down two flights?” Ironhand asked to make sure he had it right.

“Yeah. I’ll touch your left shoulder if there’s a problem,” Karen said as she vanished from view, only a faint shimmer showing her location.

“Got it,” Ironhand said as he stealthed and followed Karen.

“Okay, for the rest of us, check your bags. See if we looted any cloaks. We can try the same trick we used last time,” Gerald said. No one had any, and Gerald looked grim as he stopped in front of a set of double doors. “Oh, well. It might be a fight every step of the way or it might be empty.”

Armed and ready to go, everyone held their breath as Gerald started the doors opening. The room was empty, still covered in the broken rubble Alburet remembered from the first time they were there.

“See you soon,” Karen said before she and Ironhand started for the stairs.

Gerald and the Destroyers moved at a slow pace, trying to minimize the noise from their armor, and everyone felt the tension as they crept along. At the first landing, they didn’t see anyone and Karen’s and Ironhand’s blurs weren’t in sight.

Going down to the second floor where the control should be, Gerald came to a stop when he heard voices. Not able to make out any words, he hesitated a bit longer and his message icon began flashing.

Message from Karen Darkhand:

Bloodmoon’s group down here, and none are in stealth. Ironhand and I are ready to move as soon as you get here.

Gerald used his Mindstone to relay the message to the others. Alburet smiled grimly. He pulled out a set of manacles he still had from when they had gone out hoping to find Skippy. Gerald blinked, having thought they had been returned to the guards, but nodded.

Holding up a hand, Gerald began silently counting down, his fingers dropping in a slow pattern. When he reached zero, he ran down the last few stairs with the others hot on his heels. Gerald used Bouncing Charge as soon as he was in the room, hitting Bloodmoon, Waller, and Icestorm and stunning them briefly.

“Lock them down! We want Bloodmoon,” Gerald said as the others ran in after him. Bloodmoon was standing in the open doorway to the control room.

Stacia tried to apply Daze on Bloodmoon, but her song didn’t take. With a frown, she squinted at the Berserker. “She be havin’ a boon from Stein. I can nay touch her.”

Fluff had taken the manacles from Alburet as they went down the stairs. Her Leap put her behind Bloodmoon, so she was able to snap the manacles onto the Lunari’s wrists. A deep satisfaction emanated from her as the locks closed. “Payback time.”

The three stunned players shook off the condition, but had only started to respond when Gerald Ground Stomped, stunning them again. “Are they locked?” Gerald asked as he kept hitting Icestorm.

“Yes,” Ironhand said, throwing a trap at the three stunned players and encasing their legs in foam.

“Caster first,” Marysue said simply, and the damage dealers swarmed the Elementalist.

Icestorm came out of the stun, screaming. Before he could do anything else, Tiny stunned him yet again. TJ followed up on Bloodmoon, while Violet’s Greater Destroyer, Theo, stunned Waller. By the time Icestorm came out of the third stun, his life was all but gone.

“Heal me, asshole!” Icestorm shouted just before he encased himself in ice.

“Randolphus, why aren’t you—” Bloodmoon spat, cutting off when she saw who was attacking her. “You!”

“He’s tied up,” Alburet said, pulling the axe from his back and heading toward the Berserker. “Don’t worry. We aren’t going to kill you... not fast, anyway.”

Tugging at her arms, Bloodmoon looked a little panicked when she realized they were shackled behind her. “What? You can’t do this!”

“You killed Alistern,” Alburet growled, fire sparking from his eyes. “I can do anything to you for that,” he spat the words, and a wad of flame burned a small patch of fur off Bloodmoon’s cheek.

Waller stunned everyone around him, literally and figuratively, with a shout. He’d taken the Ability to change his area stun from Ground Stomp to Stunning Shout. Alburet and Fluff were immune to the effect. Surprised when they didn’t stop, he tried to Charge but discovered his legs were stuck in foam. Taunting Alburet, the Defender looked back to see Randolphus, their healer, swaying in place along with the Shadowdancer, Blackblade.

“Fluff, make sure he doesn’t interfere, please,” Alburet said as he pressed his burning axe into Bloodmoon’s gut. “Dear, I have a present for you.”

Stacia landed behind Bloodmoon, her fingers becoming talons. “Aye. Ya always get me what me be wantin’ most. Ya hurt me family, and now... ya will pay,” Stacia said. Her voice was soft as she leaned in next to Bloodmoon, her sharp nails starting to dig into the flesh under the scalemail armor.

“You can’t do this! It’s torture,” Bloodmoon yelled as she tried to get away from the pain they were causing her.

“I thought you liked torture,” Alburet snarled and spat another flame onto her. His axe slipped up under her hauberk, the flame coated metal burning her fur off, and the stench of burning hair filled the room.

“Al…” Marysue said, looking disturbed by what he was doing.

“Umm, guys,” Leggylass said, also appalled.

Karen appeared next to Stacia, her blades piercing Bloodmoon’s uncovered neck. “We need to kill her friends first,” she said, though it was clear she was just as pissed as they were.

Bloodmoon slumped unconscious when the poison took effect. Alburet yanked his axe back, and Stacia picked up the unconscious Berserker. “Fine,” he growled, turning to Waller. “We’ll start with him.”

The group focused on Waller while they waited for Icestorm to come out of his ice. Waller drank healing potions and did the best he could, but it wasn’t enough.

Icestorm came out of his ice and died within seconds, even with the potion he tried to chug. Waller kept trying to get his health up, hoping his healer would come out of the sap. As his life drifted closer to zero, he looked back only to see Randolphus encased inside an amber block. His face fell and he knew he was about to die.

Once Waller went down, the raid turned on Blackblade. The Shadowdancer tried to break and run, but Karen was able to pin him down, able to see him even in stealth. All of his duplicates didn’t help him against the Fire Bursts from the Imps above him, which killed them almost as quickly as they had appeared.

Stacia and Kitten held Bloodmoon when she woke up, their taloned hands piercing her body while they waited for the others to finish. Bloodmoon was screaming about it being wrong as the raid finally fell on Randolphus and killed him.

With the threats dealt with, Gerald led Marysue, Leggylass, and Ironhand into the control room. The others gathered around Bloodmoon, who looked on the verge of panic.

“It doesn’t matter,” Bloodmoon panted. “Once you kill me, I’ll just respawn. Then I’ll come back for you... I’ll kill everyone you care for!” Foaming spittle flew from her mouth as she yelled at them, “The innkeeper and tailor were only the first few I mean to kill.”

The anger the four shared was rising, but Alburet took it and turned it from hot rage into cold, implacable fury. Shaking his head, he took her from Stacia. “No. To do that, the manacles have to come off.”

“I’ll get free,” Bloodmoon spat.

“Dear, please message Mother and tell her we have a guest for the Dark Lord. The one who wronged his Champion, his daughter, and granddaughters needs a place to stay for a bit.”

“What!?” Bloodmoon yelled, her eyes going wide. “That’s kidnapping, you can’t do that!”

“She be askin’ Peace iffin she can come collect ya gift,” Stacia said a moment later, her eyes burning embers that matched her husband’s.

“No!” Bloodmoon yelled, vanishing from his arms.

“Bitch!” Karen snapped. “She used the emergency exit.”

Stacia hands knotted into fists, her nails cutting into her hands. “She fled back to ya other world?”

“Yes,” Fluff said, pulling out her Mindstone. “I’m going to let Vicky know what she was trying to avoid.”

“Good point,” Alburet said. His anger flared briefly back to hot when Bloodmoon vanished, but went wintery again. “What Bloodmoon is doing could mentally damage others.”

Karen snarled and stalked off toward the control room, wanting to break something. Stacia went after her, “I be goin’ to make sure Karen does nay hurt anyone.”

Alburet nodded. Fluff was putting her Mindstone away, her anger matching Alburet’s, which had dropped back to a simmer. “Should we go see what the others have learned?”

“Yes,” Fluff said and started for the control room.

Chapter Fourteen

“What happened to Bloodmoon?” Gerald asked.

“She ejected,” Karen managed to say through clenched teeth.

“I wonder what that will mean for her tester status?” Marysue murmured.

“It’ll be a few days at least before she gets back,” Gerald said. “I’m sure there’s a whole slew of things they’ll want to check since that button was used.”

“We can’t do anything about it now,” Alburet said frigidly. “Let’s finish our mission.”

“The cells are all empty except for one,” Ironhand said, after checking the maps. “Cell three. If we can find paperwork, then we’ll have an idea of who’s in there and why they didn’t release them.”

“Close up all the doors and arm all the traps,” Gerald said, tossing the medallion to Ironhand. “Might as well stay safe and make life hell for any cultists in the area.”

“Roger,” Ironhand said, closing the control room door first.

“Okay folks, let’s get to looking,” Gerald said. “How are your two groups doing?”

“They appeared in a graveyard up top that had some kind of cage set up over it,” Violet said. “Their Homestones didn’t work right away, but they did after a minute.”

“Same,” Leggylass said. “They’re resupplying, and will be at the Guild Hall waiting for us.”

“Prisoner logs are here,” Fluff said, indicating a set of books. Taking one over to a desk, she set it down and started skimming the pages. “Here’s Dragon Eater, and his long list of crimes. Quilon Deathriser, a Stein supporter who was caught along with Dimitry, was in cell two. The third cell belonged to Jay Taylor, a Summoner… his name and class are the only things noted. No crimes listed.”

“Do we gamble on him?” Alburet asked.

“They didn’t let him out, but did Quilon, which means he isn’t on their team,” Marysue said, looking at the book. “Should we try and find anything else on him?”

“That might take longer,” Gerald said. “At this point, Bloodmoon’s group has already told others we’re here. If we want to let Taylor out, we should move now.”

“Going to risk it, then?” Ironhand said.

“It’s worth the risk,” Gerald said. “The main problem is that the doors here only close from the inside. That means to secure this place, we need to leave someone behind.”

“I’ll do it,” Alburet said. “I know how it all works, and Kitten can stay with me to let me know when you’re ready for each set of doors and when you all leave.”

“What are we going to do for Taylor?” Leggylass asked. “It’s not like his Homestone is going to take him with us.”

“Hmm,” Gerald said, realizing why she was concerned. “He won’t have any idea of the Empire to the west, and it’s unlikely he could make it to Progress, either.”

“He’s a Summoner,” Alburet said. “Maybe Mother remembers him and can help?”

Stacia pulled out her Mindstone, “Give me a moment.” A couple of minutes passed before she put it away. “He be known to Mother. Taylor was playin’ spy for the Crown.”

“He might have information for the King, then,” Gerald said.

“Aye. Mother says she can get him out, iffin we can get to him and surround him with Infernals.”

“He’s definitely worth the risk,” Ironhand commented.

“Al, you sure about staying behind? We can use the medallion to open the doors as we go,” Gerald asked.

“I want to make sure all the traps are set behind you to keep giving them grief. Remember that Ophelia is still in the city, so please be careful.” Alburet’s last few words were aimed at Fluff, Stacia, and Karen directly, but meant for the entire group.

“I’ll protect them, master,” Tiny rumbled.

“Okay, you all get ready,” Alburet said, taking the medallion from Ironhand. “Kitten, stay here. You’ll be my contact. Once you all get out, I’ll leave, too,” Alburet finished.

It took a minute before everyone was ready, and once Gerald gave Alburet a nod, the doors opened. His wives all looked back at him before the doors closed behind them.

Alburet opened each door and turned off the traps before they reached them, then closed and reset the traps after they left. Kitten didn’t say anything besides letting him know when he needed to trigger the next door.

When the group got to the prison, Alburet saw traps being triggered in a different section of the depths. Quickly pulling down the containment around Taylor, Alburet noticed that one of the door locks was now broken in the area where traps were being set off.

“Let them know company is on the way… and moving fast,” Alburet said, seeing traps flashing off and the next door stop being functional.

“He be questionin’ thin’s,” Kitten said.

“You have five minutes,” Alburet said.

“He be acceptin’,” Kitten said.

Alburet watched the traps and doors continue to fail, one-by-one. “That has to be Ophelia,” he muttered.

“We be leavin’,” Kitten said.

Alburet dug out his Homestone, still watching the doors leading toward the prison section fall like dominos. The Homestone deposited him in the courtyard of the embassy. Letting out a deep breath, he smiled at his wives. “Had me worried for a moment,” he told them.

“We heard something echoing down the hall,” Karen said.

“Something or someone was breaking through the traps and doors, and doing so faster than they should have been able to,” Alburet replied.

“Ya think tha’ was Ophelia?”

“Along with the Golems she was using as undead battering rams,” Alburet nodded.

“Where is Taylor going to show up?” Fluff asked. “We never got an answer on that.”

“Mother said she be takin’ him to Progress and havin’ him use the portal there.”

“Let’s let Gerald know so he can go grab him,” Karen said. “As it is, we’re probably due back up at the castle for quest turn in.”

Message from Gerald Stoutheart:

We’ll get Jay Taylor. Head on up to the castle; the others are already there or heading there. We’ll be there after we get Rolland, Kim, and Taylor.

“Gerald is on his way to get him, Rolland, and Kim. You were right about the quest turn in. He said we should head up.”

“The carriage will be ready in just a moment,” Astov said, standing off to the side where Knitoc was hooking the horses up.

“Lord, Ladies,” Bezzle said, flying over to them, “we’ve had no problems here.”

“Glad to hear that,” Alburet said as Astov opened up the carriage door and began to help the ladies in. “Keep up the good work.”

Bezzle put his fist over his heart, then flew back to the walls. Alburet watched him go and climbed into the carriage. Once the door was shut and the Infernals were on board, Knitoc flicked the reins to get them moving.

~*~*~

Alburet approached Blaze as they joined everyone else in the throne room, “How did you guys do?”

“We cleared the vault out,” Blaze grinned. “My Guild won’t be having money issues for a while, which makes taking a second Keep a lot more likely.”

“That might end up having to wait until after the raid,” Alburet chuckled.

“Oh, it will. I’ll be looking at a Keep out in the Dwarven lands, since we have one in Elf country already.”

“Spreading them around seems like the best approach,” Alburet agreed.

“I would suggest you delegate who takes care of them,” Benedict interrupted. “Where’s Gerald?”

“He’ll be here in a minute. He was picking up some of our guildies and a guest. How did the castle go for you?”

“We got some records and items, but probably nothing worth half of what Blaze got.”

“I would bet you can hand those over for a Keep of your choice,” Blaze countered. “I know you have Keeps out in Dwarf and Lunari zones already.”

Benedict smirked, “Adding a third was on my list of things to do.”

“I’m not surprised,” Blaze said. “How are you paying for all that?”

Benedict just shook his head as he walked away, “Hard work.”

“High taxes, more likely,” Sato mumbled.

The sound of doors closing drew everyone’s attention. Gerald, Marysue, Rolland, Kim, and Jay Taylor were walking into the room. Alburet gave Gerald a wave, easily seen above the others.

Before anyone could do more than say hello, the sound of a staff striking the floor let them know the King was coming. The King entered the room, Ioaniss beside him as he took his seat.

“Well done. I expected no less from three of the most prominent Two-souled Guilds. Benedict Lightfist, Gerald Stoutheart, and Blaze Two-souled, step forward,” Tyr said. He smiled at them as they presented themselves. “You have aided us in taking a significant step toward our goal today. Further, during your trek through Peace, as I’m sure you are aware, your followers have been holding off attacks at the Keeps. It’s been mostly the creatures that already reside there, but in a few cases, they have held off undead and cultists.”

“We do what we can to assist in this time of crisis, Majesty,” Benedict said.

“And we appreciate that, Champion Lightfist. Let me complete all of your quests for you first.” The King touched something in the air and excited conversations started around the room when they saw their levels jump.

“Isn’t that a bit much?” Blaze asked incredulously.

“Not at all, Blaze Two-souled,” Tyr replied. “We have need of you in the coming days, and it behooves us to make sure we help you be ready. All of your followers are reaping the benefits while they defend the Keeps. Those who are at the Dead Lands’ Keeps will be seeing increased gains soon as well.”

“We thank you, Sire,” Gerald said.

“Before we move on, I’d like to add to the rewards you’ve already received. Money has already been sent via the bank to each of your Guilds, and you may each claim individual cash rewards as you leave. Also, we think it is time to make you three equals. Blaze, from today onward, you shall be Lord Blaze Iceblood, for your calmness in the face of death. One of my servants will speak with you after the audience.”

The Delvers’ contingent exploded into cheers and whistles. The others in the room cheered for him too, but not nearly as exuberantly. Blaze grinned while he looked over his character screen. “Thank you. I’ll do my best to uphold the honor.”

“Sire,” Gerald said after a moment’s pause, “we have some news for you.”

“What news do you bring?”

“We rescued a prisoner from the labyrinth,” Gerald said, motioning Taylor forward. “This is Jay Taylor, Sire. He is a Summoner who was working for the Crown inside Stein’s revolt.”

The guards in the room tensed as they eyed the Summoner, who looked very unassuming. Tyr frowned, “What proof do you have that he is on our side?”

“I have a letter from Mother, signed by the Dark Lord, for you,” Taylor said. Pulling out a scroll, he handed it to Gerald. “I can also decipher the portal locations that you recently copied, because I used to use them.”

Tyr’s brows drew further down, “You know of my plans?”

“The Dark Lord is willing to use his entire power base to aid you,” Taylor said, looking unimpressed by the King. “The fact that I’m standing here now should prove I’m not with Stein. I believe they had questions for me, which is why I was still there when your team found and freed me. I would like to speak with your archivist to learn the fate of my family, if that’s not too much trouble.”

One of the guards collected the scroll from Gerald, bringing it to the King so he could read it. His face cleared up as he read it. “I see. Ioaniss, see to Taylor’s wishes. We also need you to look over the items that Heart’s Light has retrieved.”

“Of course, Sire.”

“You have my gratitude, Taylor. Summoners are no longer hunted by the Crown, and one of the Demon Lords is here and a Summoner, as well.”

Taylor gave Alburet a look before nodding. “I was informed, Sire. I’m uncertain what has transpired over the long years, but I’m glad that my kind are no longer being falsely accused.”

“I’m glad for the strife to be over,” Tyr said a bit tightly. “Please speak with Rolland,” Tyr motioned to the mage, “once you’re done with Jones.”

“Of course.”

“This audience is ended,” Tyr said, standing up. “Alpha Company, your representatives are to follow the guard to the vaults.” He strode away with the Priests following him.

“Let’s go train and upgrade,” was the common refrain heard all around as everyone else headed for the exit.

“If you’ll come with me, Taylor,” Ioaniss said. “Rolland, you may come as well. It will make things faster this way.”

“Marysue should be our choice,” Alburet said. “If she can get anything to make her job easier, we’ll all live longer.”

“I agree,” Karen nodded.

“I’m going,” Violet said.

“As am I,” Ironhand chuckled.

“Okay, you three follow the guard,” Gerald said. “Everyone else, well done. Be ready for whatever comes next.”

“Shall we go home?” Fluff asked.

“Aye,” Stacia nodded, “tha’ be the best idea.”

Alburet

Demon Lord Summoner

Ambassador for the Dark Lord

Level 93

Strength: 377 (0)

Agility: 377 (0)

Constitution: 822 (420)

Intelligence: 452 (50)

Wisdom: 1,722 (1,010)

Charisma: 407 (0)

Health: 12,870

Mana: 21,870

Spells:

Demon Skin-Rank 9

Demonic Retribution- Rank 9

Summon Greater Imp

Fire Blast- Rank 9

Sap Strength- Rank 9

Demonic Haze- Rank 9

Summon Greater Destroyer

Demonic Vitality- Rank 9

Fire Burst- Rank 8

Summon Greater Succubus

Abilities:

Personal Spells

Flame Weapon

Copy

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Ally)

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Big Boom)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Demonic Shell)

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Comforting Touch)

Copy

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Essence Drain)

Still Caster

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Burning Cleanse)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Savage Roar)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Bash)

Imp Storm

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Infernal Flames)

Demonic Inspiration

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Thunderous Stomp)

Racial Abilities:

Cast spells without verbal components

Physical damage reduction 25%

Magical damage reduction 10%

Influence emotions

Fire resistance 125%

Reputation gains at tenth value

All stats increase by 4 points per level

Can use any weapon regardless of strength required

Double movement speed when minion present

Maxed reputation with all Infernals and Worshippers of the Dark Lord

All Debuffs last half as long

Immune to movement impairing effects

Immune to mind altering effects

Chapter Fifteen

Alburet woke early the next morning to see his message icon blinking in the corner of his vision. Pulling himself out of bed, he stepped softly away to let the three women sleep. Grabbing his gear and slipping into the bathing room, he opened up the icon.

Message from Gerald Stoutheart:

Al, Marysue and I want to check in with a few of the Keep groups before we head out today. Unless something else happens, we’re thinking of hitting the last few dungeons we have left.

Seeing the message was from ten minutes ago, Alburet sent a reply. After a quick rinse and getting dressed, he was about to leave the room when Stacia walked in. “Ya woke before us. Everythin’ be okay?”

“I didn’t want to wake you,” Alburet said, pulling her to him. “It’s not often I’m up before you.”

“Aye, which is why I was worried when I saw ya had gone,” she murmured, leaning into his embrace.

“Everything is fine,” he said, softly kissing the top of her head. “Gerald wants to check on some of the Keep groups, then hit the last few dungeons we haven’t done yet.”

“Iffin tha’ be ya wish, then it be mine,” Stacia replied, not moving.

“Oh, getting in some morning fun?” Karen asked from the doorway. “Or... not?” She frowned, seeing him already dressed.

“No. I was just trying not to wake you all. I seem to have failed.”

“We woke up on our own,” Fluff said, following Karen into the room.

Alburet shook his head, his eyes lingering on the naked bodies of his wives. “Gerald wants to hit the last few dungeons today after checking in with some of the Keep groups. I’ll go let Loralee know we’ll be heading out soon.”

Stacia kissed his neck, then let him go, “Ya sure ya would nay want to help us rinse first?”

Reluctantly, Alburet stepped away from her, “That would delay us too much.”

“Damned right it would,” Karen chuckled.

“We’ll hurry,” Fluff giggled.

He turned to try to walk out of the room, but was snagged by Karen and Fluff in turn for kisses before they released him. Smiling like an idiot, Alburet headed down to the kitchen.

Sticking his head in the doorway, he saw Loralee and two other Succubi working in the kitchen. “Loralee, the ladies will be down shortly. We’ll need to be heading out soon.”

“I’ve got breakfast set up, so I’ll get it cooked in a few minutes, Lord.”

“Thank you. To you as well, ladies,” Alburet said, giving them all a smile.

“Reminds me of my best master,” one of the Succubi said before the door closed.

Alburet took a seat in the dining room and one of the Succubi came out just a moment later with a pitcher of juice and a cup for him. He thanked her, then realized he didn’t know her name and that she must be one of the wives of the guards.

“It is a pleasure, Lord Darkhand. I did wish to thank you and your lovely wives for allowing us to live here with you.”

“Thank you all for your service,” Alburet said. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know your name.”

Smiling, the Succubus curtsied to him, “I’m Ju, Lord. My husband Likus was one of the first to come into your service with Bezzle.”

“I’m sorry to not have known before,” Alburet said. “I’m not used to having so many people around.”

“We understand, Lord. It’s our pleasure to serve you. It has been so long since a Demon Lord has come to be. Even more than that, you are the reason we can walk inside this city without being harmed.”

“Aye, he do be special,” Stacia said, as she came into the room with Karen and Fluff.

“You’ll make his head swell, and not in the ways we really want,” Karen snickered.

“I’ll let Loralee know you’ve all arrived,” Ju said.

“Thank ya, Ju,” Stacia said with a smile.

Stacia, Karen, and Fluff managed to sit before Alburet could get up to seat them. “You knew her name?”

“I met her when we had our housewarmin’,” Stacia replied. “I have nay yet learned the names of all of our newest additions, but I will in time.”

“Don’t feel bad. I don’t know many of them, either,” Karen told Alburet.

“I know most of them,” Fluff said softly. “They’ve all asked to have family drawings done.”

“Is that what you’ve been doing during some of our downtime?” Karen asked.

“Yes. I was just finishing with the original staff when we had more show up. It’s nice to see how different each family is, but they’re also all so close knit and loving.”

“Breakfast is ready,” Loralee said, coming into the room with a tray of food. “I’m going to be making stew tonight, if that’s okay?”

“Stew is fine,” Alburet replied with a smile. “Honestly, Loralee, anything you cook is fine. I don’t think you could make a bad meal.”

“It’s almost like she’s had hundreds of years to practice,” Karen deadpanned.

“Indeed,” Loralee smiled. “Very well. I wish you all happy hunting.”

They dug happily into stacks of pancakes, enjoying the meal fully. Grabbing their gear, they left the house.

“Where are we heading today, master?” Tiny asked.

“Not sure exactly where Gerald wants to start,” Alburet admitted. “Let’s head to the Portal Guild and I’m sure we’ll find out.”

When they arrived at their destination, they waved to Gerald and Marysue, who were just exiting their carriage. “Thought you’d be here long before us,” Alburet chuckled.

Gerald coughed and looked away, “We, um… we were delayed.”

Karen laughed, “Nothing wrong with a delay for the right reasons.”

“I told you it would be fine,” Marysue smiled at Gerald as she took his arm.

“Lead on, then. Which one are we hitting first?”

“Just a quick visit to each one where our guys are in charge. I talked with Blaze, he’s doing the same thing, but Benedict said he had other ‘more pressing’ things to deal with. I’m wondering if he didn’t get an extra quest from the King or Justice.”

“Possibly,” Alburet mused. “We only have two dungeons left. You think we’ll fit both in?”

“If we don’t take too long talking,” Gerald grinned and started for the door.

“Point,” Alburet said as Stacia and Fluff took his arms. “Well, ladies, ready for the day?”

“Aye.”

“Of course.”

“I’m always ready,” Karen said, “as you should know by now.”

Bob cackled and Alburet rolled his eyes. “I know she wasn’t born one, but Karen sure has embraced being a Succubus well. Hasn’t she, master?”

“Yes she has, and she’s been getting advanced classes of late, too, I’d bet.”

“Oh, ya nay be wrong, but it be more all of us learnin’ from each other.”

“I hope I can survive,” Alburet said.

“You will, for us,” Fluff said brightly.

~*~*~

Things were calm at the first few Keeps. The defenders chatted about the attacks they had faced in the last day, but they were laughing and joking about it. After Gerald checked in with the leaders, the group would portal back to Stormguard and head to the next zone.

Arriving at the Swamp of Misery was a completely different story: the Keep was under attack. Langistors swarmed all around them, most of them significantly under the level of the group.

Gerald used Ground Stomp to give them some room. Bob and BJ went up high to start lobbing Fire Bursts. Fluff was already in the middle and triggered her Whirlwind, adding her bleeding damage to all of the mobs she hit. Karen— without an area damage Ability— focused on Gerald’s chosen target. Tiny and TJ guarded Marysue, waiting to pull any mobs off her if needed. Alburet went into the air alongside the Imps to get a better view of the battlefield and Stacia and Kitten took to the air beside him, not wanting to use their magic until they could actually help.

High above the others and throwing Fire Blasts as fast as he could cast them, Alburet looked not just at his friends but at the Keep as well. Every wall was being contested, the Langistors using their fallen as stepping stones to climb the walls.

“Damn! What the hell happened here?”

“Over there,” Stacia said, pointing toward a group of black cloaked figures casting some kind of spell.

“BJ, go see what the fuck they’re doing,” Alburet said.

“On it,” BJ said as he took off toward them.

As the battle with the Langistors waged on, Alburet kept glancing over at BJ. The same oily black line of energy he associated with Stein’s minions flashed out at BJ, who barrel rolled, barely dodging the beam. Dismissing the Copy, Alburet resummoned BJ next to him.

“Gerald, we have cultists on the other side of the attack,” Alburet called down. “To your left about forty-five degrees.”

“Not sure I can move through this,” Gerald yelled back up to him. “Most of these mobs are Undead Langistors.”

“Fuck,” Alburet cursed. “I’ll do what I can.”

“I can nay affect them,” Stacia reminded him, “iffin they be undead. The cultists also be immune.”

The cultists saw Alburet above the field and gathered together, launching a torrent of black flame into the air above them. Alburet tensed, but the flames didn’t come near them, and the cultists looked like they were preparing to leave.

“What the hell?” Alburet said.

“The Keep,” Kitten gasped as she glanced down.

Along the walls, the Defenders had suddenly turned on each other. “The cultists are leaving, but the Defenders are attacking each other!” Alburet called out.

“We’ve got our hands full down here already,” Gerald called back.

“Fuck,” Alburet cursed, dismissing Kitten and BJ. “Imps incoming.” Triggering Imp Storm, he watched as the air became filled with Greater Imps. “Area burn. Wipe out as many as you can,” Alburet told his sudden air force.

“Thank you. Give me a passage and we’ll head inside,” Gerald said as the Langistors around him were incinerated by the barrage.

“Stacia, Bob, you’re with me,” Alburet told his minions, casting his buffs on himself before diving for the Keep.

Seeing Alburet head for the Keep, Fluff growled and took off running for the wall. Karen cursed but stayed with Tiny, TJ, Gerald, and Marysue, fighting their way through the mobs while Fire Bursts exploded all around them. As the three airborne Infernals landed inside the gate, they were met by a group of four players with Bloody Moon Guild badges on their chests.

“Open the gate,” Alburet told them, but something about the looks on their faces told him it wasn’t going to happen.

“Fuck you, you over privileged asshole,” the heavily armored one snapped before charging Alburet.

Stacia and Bob went to attack the Defender, but Stacia was suddenly encased in amber and Bob was entombed in ice. The group of players laughed, but it was cut short when Alburet ripped his axe off his back, the head of it bursting into flames.

“What!?” the Shaman healer shouted. “Stun him, Xav!”

“I did,” the Defender said, shocked that Alburet was still moving.

A flame trap appeared under Alburet, but it didn’t harm him with his Fire Resistance. A Blizzard covered him and did some damage, but Alburet ignored it and let his anger come out. “I see how it is, Bloodmoon.” His growled words made the players step back involuntarily out of fear. Axe swinging, the Defender caught it on his shield and stopped most of the physical damage, but the fire damage from the axe and Demonic Retribution still went through.

“It’s okay! He doesn’t have a tank or healer,” the healer shouted. “We can still take him out. His Infernals are already locked down.”

A leonine roar came from the other side of the gate and Fluff suddenly landed beside the Shaman, her claws digging into him. “He is mine,” Fluff growled as she attacked.

“Help,” the Shaman yelled as he tried to get away.

Fluff used Hamstring and stopped the Shaman moving while continuing her attack. “They wait for you,” Fluff growled.

Alburet dismissed Tiny and resummoned the Greater Destroyer inside the gate. “Open it for Gerald,” he said needlessly, applying Copy to the Destroyer.

TJ charged at the Trapsmith and Elementalist who had turned to deal with Fluff. His shield slammed into the Trapsmith and stunned him. He turned and used Thunderous Stomp on the Elementalist, who looked panicked when the spell he was about to cast vanished. “Attacking the master calls for your death,” TJ rumbled.

“Xav, help,” the Elementalist and Shaman both yelled at the Defender who was still attacking Alburet.

“If we kill him, the Infernals vanish,” Xav snapped, frowning that Alburet’s life wasn’t dropping as fast as it should.

Reapplying Demonic Vitality, Alburet snarled at Xav, “I can go toe-to-toe with you.”

“No,” the Defender snapped. “It’s not possible for a Summoner to do that.”

“Then I will,” Gerald said, Bounce Charging between the Shaman, Elementalist, and Defender and stunning all three.

“I got you,” Marysue said. The gate shut behind her, and her Halo filled the area.

“Fuck, they got inside! Get them,” a voice shouted.

Karen, stealthed, was the first to see the other four visible players heading for them, along with the two stealthed players. She snuck up on the stealthers, Sapped them and turned back to help with the other four.

“They’re attacking Gerald,” another voice called out. “Rally to the leader!”

Gerald grinned when he heard the second voice. “Alpha Company! For Guild and Crown!”

Ten voices shouted back, “Alpha Company!”

The remaining Bloody Moon Guild players slowed their advance on Gerald, while Langistors started coming over the walls. One of them shook his head, “We need the Keep to fall for the quest. Come on guys, the mobs are on our side.”

The chaotic fight went on for almost thirty minutes, but when the last mob finally fell, Alpha Company stood victorious. Gerald slumped against the wall, Marysue beside him. Alburet hugged Karen, Fluff, and Stacia, while the two lower level members who had made it through looked around with stunned eyes.

“We did it?” one of the two survivors asked.

“Looks like, but where are the others? They should have respawned,” Gerald said.

“We were wondering about that... no one’s respawned since the Langistors attacked.”

“Gerald, we need to warn the others,” Marysue said, pulling out her Guildstone. “That Guild was in with the cultists.”

“Right,” Gerald said, pulling out his Mindstone to warn Blaze and Benedict.

“Who were they?” Karen asked.

“Bloody Moon. They’re a new Guild,” one of the survivors said. “We picked up two groups of them after hearing about the numbers of mobs that were appearing at the other Keeps.”

“I’m thinking they’re Bloodmoon’s Guild,” Alburet said. “I remember the emblem on her armor, but it didn’t register at the time... I just wanted to rip her throat out.”

“There were attacks at all the Keeps we’re in charge of. Bloody Moon was involved in all of them,” Marysue said, getting to her feet.

“They’re attacking all the Keeps they have people in,” Gerald said, putting his Mindstone away. “We need to stay here until the dead respawn.”

The sound of combat outside the gate drew their attention. Rushing up the stairs to look over the walls, they saw Bloody Moon fighting the other players that had started respawning.

“Let’s kill them again,” Alburet said, jumping over the wall, his wings flaring out to slow his fall.

“Sounds good,” Karen said and vanished.

Chapter Sixteen

Called again before the King, the group was led into the library. Alburet was surprised to see that they were the only group there, and he took his seat with the others.

“Thank you for warning us about Bloody Moon,” Tyr said. The King’s face was drawn, and he obviously looked like he was not getting much sleep. “It seems they registered in Wildwood weeks ago, which is why we didn’t know their leader was Bloodmoon. The Lunari’s’ habit of procrastination is normally only a minor inconvenience, but in this instance, it was worse than that.”

“How bad was it?” Gerald asked.

“Not as bad as it could have been,” Tyr admitted. “We’ve tried rounding up those still inside the city, but all of them used Homestones to get away. There is now an order for their arrest on sight.”

“How many other Keeps got attacked?” Fluff asked.

“A dozen. It seems Bloodmoon garnered all of those who felt resentful of the bigger Guilds, or who just love chaos,” Tyr said. “Luckily, your warning was timely and most of them were dealt with. Even the Keeps that were being attacked survived the betrayals.”

“That’s good,” Marysue said.

“Rolland should have the first step of the plan ready tomorrow,” Tyr said. “I’m asking you to keep that secret.”

“Of course, Sire,” Gerald agreed.

“For your warning, I’m rewarding you with a completed quest,” Tyr went on. “I suggest you push as hard as you can to level more in the meantime.”

“We will,” Gerald said.

Quest Completed: Warn the Crown of treachery.

Reward: Reputation with all Stormguard factions.

“Thank you, Majesty,” Marysue said when she noticed they leveled again.

“You’re dismissed, but be ready for a summons tomorrow,” Tyr said.

Leaving the King, the group was escorted out of the castle. “He really is trying to push us to max level, isn’t he?” Karen asked while they waited for the carriages to be brought around.

“Makes sense,” Alburet said.

“We still going for the last few zones?” Fluff asked.

“Yes. It should get us another level and let us train again,” Gerald said as they started to get into their carriage.

“See you at the Portal Guild,” Alburet said, following the ladies into the ambassadorial carriage.

~*~*~

Turning in the last set of quests to the Gunso, he thanked them. “We’ve been a little worried that we haven’t seen many Two-souled,” the Elf said.

“There’s a lot going on over in Stormguard,” Gerald told him.

“Yes... the rumors are that Stein has made a reappearance,” the Gunso said. “There is a call for volunteers, but nothing besides it being a cooperative effort has been officially announced.”

“Unofficially, it’s true,” Karen said.

The Gunso stared at her, then nodded, “Very well. You wished maximum experience with no coin, correct?”

“Yes,” Gerald said.

“Did you wish to remove the reputation gains, as well?”

The group exchanged looks for a moment before Alburet spoke up, “We would.”

The Elf stared at him, “I’d think you’d want the reputation more than they would.”

“Normally, yes,” Alburet admitted. “But we need as much power as possible for what’s coming.”

“I understand,” the Gunso said. “If you were with anyone other than Alpha Company or Delvers, I’d be a lot more wary of you, Demon Lord. Considering the company you keep, I’m inclined to believe you will be opposed to Stein.”

“The Dark Lord will field every Infernal he can to oppose Stein,” Alburet replied. “He is looking forward to wiping long-held misunderstandings away.”

“I see,” the Gunso murmured. “I can report this?”

“Yes,” Alburet said.

“Very well. Here is your reward for completing the quests,” he said.

“Thank you, Gunso,” Gerald said.

Saluting the Gunso, the group turned and left. “We managed it and got two levels,” Karen said as they walked out of the building. “Training first?”

“Considering the King is going to summon us at some point tomorrow, that would be the best bet. We might want to look into some new armor and weapons. I’m not sure if Stormguard shops will have better gear, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.”

“Train, then meet up at Progress?” Alburet asked.

“That’s the best idea,” Gerald nodded. “See you there.”

“Knitoc be waitin’ with the carriage to take us to our trainers,” Stacia said.

“Let’s go,” Alburet said, pulling out his Homestone.

Knowing they were going to Progress anyway, Alburet and Stacia rode with Karen and Fluff to their trainers. As they left Fluff’s trainer behind, she told them about her new Ability.

“I chose Tornado. It lets me keep Whirlwind going as long as I want, but once I stop, it goes on cooldown for three minutes,” Fluff said. “I’ll be able to help even more with larger groups now.”

“I wish I could,” Karen grumbled.

“I also peeked at my next choices. There’s Rampaging Fury, which multiplies Strength by five when I Rage, or Badger’s Ferocity, which will restore my life back to half if it reaches zero, but only once an hour,” Fluff said.

“Damn, that’s a tough choice,” Alburet said.

“Which are ya thinkin’ of takin’?”

“Probably Badger’s Ferocity, since it’ll keep me fighting longer,” Fluff said.

“Not sure I could pass up the multiplier,” Karen said.

“You can check yours in a moment,” Alburet said as he felt the carriage slow. “You’re up.”

Karen came back out a few minutes later, a pensive look on her face. “They don’t make things easy, do they?” she muttered as she got into the vehicle.

“What did you take?” Alburet prompted her.

“For this level, I picked up Dirtier Tricks. It turns my Dirty Tricks from a one second Blind into a ten second Blind.”

“What about for level one hundred?” Fluff asked.

“Serpent’s Grace, which multiplies my Agility like your Strength one, or I could take Dagger Cloud. That hits everyone within a thirty-foot radius of me with my daggers, with a one minute cooldown.”

“There’s your area damage Ability,” Alburet said. “That’s a tough trade-off, though.”

“Yeah... I can pick up some area help or push my single target up a bunch,” Karen sighed. “Fuckers.”

“I’m curious about mine now. I’ve never looked past the Ability I was training at that point,” Alburet mused.

“We’ll find out soon,” Karen said.

“True enough. Hmm, maybe we should let the others know we’re coming to try and upgrade our stuff,” Alburet said.

“I already did,” Stacia said. “They be pullin’ through all their stock to find anythin’ they can for us.”

“That will make things faster,” Fluff said. “Should we have dinner with them?”

“I’ll let Loralee know,” Stacia said, pulling out her Mindstone.

“We should reserve the private dining room at the inn,” Alburet said.

“Aye.”

“I’ll ask Marysue if they want to join us,” Karen said.

“That will round out the night,” Alburet chuckled.

All the arrangements had been made by the time the carriage pulled up outside the Guild Hall. They walked in, only to surprise Vanessa and Kauree in an embrace. The two receptionists pulled away from each other, Kauree looking blank faced while Vanessa’s cheeks flushed.

“Just passing through,” Alburet grinned. “Don’t mind us.”

“We weren’t—” Vanessa began.

“They nay be fooled, Vanessa,” Kauree said with a sad resolve in her tone.

“But...” Vanessa said, pausing as she tried to find the words.

“It’s fine,” Alburet said. “If you two want to be a couple, we don’t mind at all. I might point out that the Guild Hall might not be the place for a make out session, though.”

Relief flooded both of them. “Ye do nay think Gerald would mind his staff datin’ each other?” Kauree asked.

“As long as it doesn’t impact your jobs, I doubt he’ll care,” Karen said. “Since you’re hunting with Violet, he might ask you to step down as a receptionist, though.”

“Aye, tha’ was what I was tryin’ to tell her,” Kauree agreed. “Tha’ and tryin’ to think of who could do the job.”

“Ya should be askin’ me sis. She be right next door and needin’ a job,” Stacia said.

“I can do that,” Vanessa said. “I should ask Kim, first.”

“Good idea,” Karen chuckled.

“Well, we have places to be, so you two have a good night,” Alburet said, opening the door to the back room.

“Goodnight,” the couple said as they moved past them.

“Didn’t see that coming,” Fluff mused. “They are definitely a cute couple.”

“We helped Vanessa last time we came through here. She was upset that Kauree was going to be hunting again,” Alburet said. “Seems like they’ve worked past that.”

“Aye,” Stacia murmured. “It always be nice when love is accepted.”

“Next stop, training for me,” Alburet said, opening the door to the portal.

“I doubt we’ll ever really get you trained,” Karen deadpanned and went through the portal.

“Aye, she be havin’ a point,” Stacia giggled, following Karen.

Alburet just sighed and looked at Fluff, “How about you?”

“They were being mean, but it was kind of funny,” Fluff smiled. “Besides, I think you’re training just fine.” Eyes sparkling, she vanished.

Rubbing at his face, Alburet sighed, “Et tu, Fluff?”

He was greeted by his wives’ laughter when he joined them. He offered his arms to them, half bowing, “Well done, ladies. Shall we go?”

The guards watched them with curious eyes as the family moved off. “What do you think that was all about?” one of them asked another.

“Who knows? He’s a good man from what I remember before his change to Demon Lord. Now they’ve got an Infernal husband, it wouldn’t be too odd if their sense of humor shifted,” the other replied.

Fluff bit her lip when she heard the guards as they left, but her attention was brought back by the sound of a slap and Stacia’s happy sigh. “What?”

“Our husband just be remindin’ me of me place,” Stacia murmured.

“Rewarding us, are you?” Karen asked from the far side of Fluff. “I’ll take my reward later.”

“Me, too,” Fluff was quick to add.

“Even Fluff is being corrupted,” Alburet mock sighed. “The sweet and innocent one has fallen into the diabolic clutches of the fiends.”

All of them laughed at his theatrical words and tone. “Aye. After all, it be in me nature,” Stacia said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Frankly, she asked to be corrupted,” Karen snickered. “Something about wanting to be a good wife.”

“There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a good wife,” Fluff sniffed with an exaggeratedly offended air.

“Darkness,” Alburet laughed. “At least we’re all crazy.”

The inn was busy when they arrived. Alburet waved to Stewart and looked around the room. “Training,” he said when they met.

“Already?” Stewart asked with wide eyes. “I didn’t expect that, even with the request to use the private room.”

“It’s been a busy couple of days,” Alburet said tiredly.

“I’m sure you’ll be telling that story later,” Stewart said, leading Alburet to the back room. Settling in behind the desk, Stewart pulled the book out and laid it on the table. “I’m interested in what you’ll decide on.”

“Me too,” Alburet chuckled as he opened the tome and flipped to the back few pages. “Let’s see what the options are.”

His choices were either Infernal Upgrade again, which would give him either Curse of Tongues for Bob or Warp Minds for Stacia, neither of which he was very interested in. The other option at level ninety-five was Winged Terror, which would give him wings for five minutes, with an hour-long cooldown.

“The upgrades don’t really speak to me, and Winged Terror is kind of redundant now,” Alburet sighed. “Guess I go back and look at my old choices.”

“A number of them have potential,” Stewart said, sitting back.

Alburet flipped through the book, eventually picking Fire Burst Ranged, which gave his Fire Burst a range of one hundred feet. Once he had selected it, he turned to the back of the book and looked at the choices he would have at level one hundred.

“It’s unusual for you to look ahead,” Stewart said, surprised that Alburet had not handed the book back right away.

“I’m interested in what the end looks like,” Alburet said.

Infernal Casting would let him summon a copy of any spell to his other hand at only twenty-five percent of the mana cost for the spell. The other choice was Copy Master, which would give him the ability to summon two Copies each time he used Copy, instead of one.

Laughing, Alburet handed the book back, “I’m going to have a small army soon.”

“Thinking of Copy Master, are you?”

“Yeah, it makes the most sense for me.”

“It does, indeed,” Stewart agreed and took the book, locking it away. “How long are you likely to be?” Stewart asked as they left the back room.

“Not long. Grim and Almira know we’re coming,” he replied.

“I’ll make sure everything is ready,” Stewart said, parting with him in the tap room.

“Let’s go,” Alburet said, collecting his wives as he crossed the room.

Alburet told them about his options for this level and what he had to choose from next as they went to Grimgar’s shop. They agreed with his choices, knowing it would help out even more with groups if he placed the spell carefully.

“I know the last Ability is supposed to be good, but three minions of each type…” Karen trailed off with a raised eyebrow.

“It only makes sense if you’re heavily invested in your minions,” Fluff said. “I was thinking, Al, if you used Demonic Inspiration and then Copied them, would the Copies keep the inflated stats when the spell ends?”

His brow furrowing, Alburet thought about it, “I don’t know. Let’s find out.”

Casting Demonic Inspiration, all three Infernals seemed to swell with power. Copying each of them, each Copy came into being with the higher stats. “So far, it looks promising,” Alburet said.

“Guess we’ll find out in… he’s closed?” Karen said, looking at the closed sign on the door.

“He probably just closed the shop,” Alburet said, reaching past to knock on the door.

The door popped open and revealed Grimgar’s smiling face. “Good to see ye all. Come on in. Gerald and Marysue be here already.”

“Took you longer than normal,” Gerald said.

“We went together instead of separately,” Alburet replied.

“We don’t have much for you, and we collected what scale and plate we could get from the others,” Almira said, coming over to collect hugs.

“Aye, let me show ye so we can go eat sooner,” Grimgar laughed as he started pulling items from his bag.

“He’s so eager to hear what’s been happening,” Almira snickered.

Once all the gear was laid out, they each took the items best suited for them. Karen found a new dagger enchanted to add twenty-five percent of its damage on again as ice damage, along with an entire new set of jewelry. Fluff didn’t get new weapons, but did get most of an armor set. Marysue took all of the white leather and two rings, while Gerald got a new set of boots and gloves. Alburet took the few pieces of black leather along with a ring and a necklace.

The new armor and items were donned, and Grimgar and Almira refused to take any money from any of them. Grimgar locked up the shop as they all left together, headed for the inn. Grimgar was bursting to know what had been happening to let them level up so much over the last few days.

Alburet

Demon Lord Summoner

Ambassador for the Dark Lord

Level 96

Strength: 389 (0)

Agility: 389 (0)

Constitution: 844 (430)

Intelligence: 444 (30)

Wisdom: 1,799 (1,060)

Charisma: 419 (0)

Health: 13,240

Mana: 22,790

Spells:

Demon Skin-Rank 10

Demonic Retribution- Rank 9

Summon Greater Imp

Fire Blast- Rank 9

Sap Strength- Rank 9

Demonic Haze- Rank 9

Summon Greater Destroyer

Demonic Vitality- Rank 9

Fire Burst- Rank 9

Summon Greater Succubus

Abilities:

Personal Spells

Flame Weapon

Copy

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Ally)

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Big Boom)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Demonic Shell)

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Comforting Touch)

Copy

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Essence Drain)

Still Caster

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Burning Cleanse)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Savage Roar)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Bash)

Imp Storm

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Infernal Flames)

Demonic Inspiration

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Thunderous Stomp)

Ranged Fire Burst

Racial Abilities:

Cast spells without verbal components

Physical damage reduction 25%

Magical damage reduction 10%

Influence emotions

Fire resistance 125%

Reputation gains at tenth value

All stats increase by 4 points per level

Can use any weapon regardless of strength required

Double movement speed when minion present

Maxed reputation with all Infernals and Worshippers of the Dark Lord

All Debuffs last half as long

Immune to movement impairing effects

Immune to mind altering effects

Chapter Seventeen

Alburet and his wives all woke together, indulging in another round of sex before bathing and getting ready for the day. Loralee and her helpers had a full breakfast and coffee ready for them when they finally came to the dining room.

“Which of them is going to max out first?” Karen asked.

Alburet blinked as his brain shifted into gear. “Oh. Bob. He’ll become an Imp Lord as soon as we level again. Tiny will be right behind him, and then our darling wife will join us at max level when we get there.”

“I be lookin’ forward to it,” Stacia grinned.

“I’m sure they are, too,” Alburet chuckled.

“Bob’s head will explode,” Karen snickered.

“He’s been looking forward to it,” Fluff commented.

“It nay be often the weakest Imp climbs to such heights,” Stacia added. “He be stackin’ up accolades as ya Imp, Asthore. Bob will be one of the most celebrated Imps ever to exist.”

“Is it the same for Tiny?” Fluff asked.

“Aye, he was nay one of the stronger Destroyers, either,” Stacia nodded. “When the Overlord made all Infernals equal, it was a boon to those who had languished, nay bein’ chosen because of their perceived weakness.”

“I wouldn’t give up any of them,” Alburet said.

“Aye, we all be knowin’ tha’,” Stacia smiled, taking the first bite of her meal.

“I wonder what the King will want from us today?” Fluff said.

“That’s the million-dollar question,” Karen mumbled around a bite of food.

Conversation faded as they turned their attention to the fantastic food. When they eventually pushed their plates away, they were sated.

“I was wondering if my cooking wasn’t as good as normal, but I see it was,” Loralee said when she came back to check on them. “With all the talk this morning, I had doubts.”

“As if your cooking could be anything other than wonderful,” Alburet said.

“It might one day not be to your liking,” Loralee replied with a small smile, “though that is unlikely.”

“Right?” Karen chuckled as she got up. “Anything is possible, but that’s about as likely as this family getting upset with each other.”

“Very unlikely,” Fluff smiled as she took Karen’s hand.

“Let’s get going and see what Gerald knows,” Alburet said, helping Stacia to her feet. “I’ll let him know we’re ready and see where he wants to meet up.”

“As ya wish,” Stacia murmured as she took his arm.

“We’re going to the Portal Guild,” Alburet told Knitoc. They had heard back from Gerald and were just leaving the house.

“What are we doing today?” Bob asked.

“We don’t know yet. We’re still waiting around to see what the King wants us to do. Gerald thinks waiting at the Portal Guild is the best idea right now.”

“Do you think you’ll level again?” Bob asked, his eyes wide and hopeful.

“We’ll see,” Alburet chuckled. “I’m just as eager to see you reach the next level, Bob.”

“We’re all eager to see that,” Karen said as she waited to get into the carriage.

“Aye, ya upgrade, Tiny’s, and mine,” Stacia said. “Iffin nay today, then mayhap tomorrow.”

“Right, right,” Bob said, going to the back of the carriage and climbing into place.

“Master,” Tiny rumbled, “there are no more dungeons for you to assault?”

“No,” Alburet sighed. “If there were, it would be easy to manage the last few levels.”

Nodding, Tiny climbed up next to Knitoc on the driver’s bench.

Alburet was last into the carriage. Astov closed the door behind him and the carriage started moving. Lips pursed and brow furrowed, he thought about what Tiny had asked.

“Why didn’t we get an achievement or something, right?” Karen asked.

“Yeah,” Alburet nodded. “It might just be an overlooked point, but that was my thought.”

“We haven’t seen any besides the claiming of the Keeps,” Fluff chimed in. “Maybe they wanted to minimize them so people wouldn’t try rushing?”

“Possibly,” Alburet admitted.

“What be ya all talkin’ about this time?” Stacia asked.

They spent the rest of the trip explaining how achievement systems usually worked in other games, trying to do it in a way that would make sense to her.

“It would encourage some of ya to rush about to get them done first for the bonuses ya could get?” Stacia asked as the carriage came to a stop at the Portal Guild.

“Close enough,” Alburet said as he got out. “It all depends on what the particular world is like.”

“Aye, that be makin’ sense,” Stacia nodded. “Mayhap it will be somethin’ tha’ can be done here, or mayhap it just be the rewards be waitin’ on ya other world.”

“Could be,” Karen agreed with a smile.

“Thank you, Astov,” Fluff said as she got out.

“Do you wish us to wait, Lord?” Knitoc asked.

“Yeah, give us a bit to see if the King summons us to the castle,” Alburet said. “If we’re not back out in about thirty minutes, head on home.”

“As you command, Lord,” Knitoc bowed his head.

“Let’s head on in. Gerald and Marysue should already be here,” Alburet said, extending his arms to Fluff and Stacia.

When they entered the building, they found the couple off to the side in the waiting area. Neither looked up as the group entered, lost in their own whispered conversation.

“Hope we’re not intruding,” Alburet said when they approached.

“Huh?” Gerald said, looking up and shaking his head. “No. We were discussing things that won’t matter for a few more months.”

Marysue frowned briefly at his wording, but her smile came back. “Now that you’re all here, we can discuss other things.”

“Oh? What did you—”

Attention: The forces of Stein have made their move.

All Graveyards not inside a city are now spawn points for undead invasions.

Fight off the invasions to gain appropriate rewards.

“What the?” Gerald said as the message appeared.

“Gerald, there’s word from the Guild that Glacial Lake is being attacked,” Marysue said a moment later as the others all read the message.

“Aye, and the Webbed Woods,” Stacia said.

“Glacial Lake first?” Alburet asked.

“Yes,” Gerald said, starting for the stairs. “We’ll do this and see if the King calls for us during it.”

“Now it’s feeling like a raid event kick off,” Fluff said as they moved quickly for the stairs.

“Right?” Karen agreed.

When they stepped through the portal, they were immediately surrounded by undead. Bob was the first to realize that the mobs were level appropriate to the zone.

“Master, the undead are easy, but they’re attacking the Langistors, too,” Bob called down to them.

Launching himself into the air, Alburet looked down to see what Bob was talking about. “Gerald, when an undead kills a mob, that mob becomes undead, too. I think we have to kill all the undead to stop it from snowballing.”

“Mary,” Gerald called out to her, “post that into the Guild chat so they know. The Defenders should rally to kill the undead quickly.”

“I’m already telling them,” she said calmly, knowing the creatures posed no real danger to Gerald.

It took them half an hour to clear the last of undead; when the final one fell over, a message popped up in front of everyone in the zone.

This zone has been purified by your efforts.

Your reward has been placed into your bags.

For the next five hours, this zone will not be targeted by the undead scourge.

“Well, that explains that,” Gerald said.

“We barely got any experience,” Karen said.

“They were well under our level,” Alburet pointed out.

“I think this is for those who won’t be assaulting the prison,” Fluff suggested.

“That would be my guess, as well,” Marysue said.

“Ya thinkin’ we are nay meant to be here?” Stacia asked puzzled.

“More like we should let those who would gain the most do it without our aid. We’ve seen similar events in the past. Plus, we’re likely going to be busy over the next few days with whatever the King requires.”

King’s Quest: All Two-souled level 80 or higher report to Stormguard castle.

“I guess that’s what we were waiting for,” Alburet said, pulling out his Homestone. “See you there.”

“Indeed,” Gerald said.

~*~*~

Alburet was surprised to see the courtyard packed with players when they reached the castle. “Damn, I didn’t realize how many people were here.”

“More than I thought there would be,” Karen admitted, getting out of the carriage once it was stopped at the second gate.

“That’s a couple of thousand people, easily,” Fluff said slowly, suddenly nervous.

“It be fine, we be here with ya,” Stacia told Fluff, placing her hand on the nervous Lunari’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Fluff. We’re here for you,” Alburet agreed, taking her hand.

“Damned right,” Karen added.

Nodding, Fluff took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay.”

Stepping into the throng, the family moved to the side and waited. Gerald and Marysue arrived a minute later and joined them.

“Any ideas?” Gerald asked.

“Speculation is running wild,” Alburet replied. “Some of these folks think we’re going right for the prison. I’ve heard one or two guessing that this is a mini-raid to see who’s ready and who isn’t. When was the last time you saw a gathering like this?”

“Personally, never,” Gerald admitted. “We’ve played other…” he trailed off with a look at Stacia, choosing his words with care. “Our time in other worlds never involved us with anything like this.”

“It’s classic expac or raid build up,” Karen said. “I wonder how long before—”

Trumpets rang out, cutting off conversations across the courtyard. The doors at the balcony that overlooked the courtyard opened, revealing the King and the two High Priests that normally accompanied him. Once everyone had turned to see him and the conversation died off, the King spoke.

“Two-souled, today I issue an open quest to the strongest of you in preparation for our upcoming assault on Stein and his followers. We are in need of components to work the large scale magics needed to send us to our foe. Go out into the deadliest of lands and bring back those items that are needed. You shall be rewarded with both riches and experience. Those who bring back the most components will receive an item from the vault, with the best of you granted a title of nobility.”

The noise rose as everyone started talking all at once. Seeing the crowd already enthusiastic to do as he was bidding, the King motioned and a quest appeared.

King’s Quest: Retrieve items for the upcoming raid.

Required items: 50,000 pristine Trolls Tusks; 50,000 pristine Vermin Tails; 10,000 Mature Dragon Tongues; 50,000 Elder Lunine Shaman Tails; 1,000,000 Dead Shards; and 1,000 Elder Sandworm Hearts.

Rewards: Gold and experience based on your contribution to the total required. The top five contributing groups will each be awarded three items from the vaults, and the best group will present one member to receive a title of nobility.

“Damn,” Alburet said. “That’s a hell of a laundry list.”

“It also covers every end zone,” Karen said.

“What are we going to focus on?” Marysue asked Gerald.

The trumpets sounded again, and conversation stopped as people returned their attention to the King. “This is the most important quest I have issued in my life, and only the next quest shall exceed this one. Go forth and return with what you can gather. The survival of Stormguard rides on your shoulders.” With that, he spun and left the balcony, still flanked by the High Priests.

The surge of players for the gates was awful. The group edged further away to avoid being crushed by the bodies. A moment into the mass exodus, people began to vanish after they realized that using Homestones would be faster.

“What are we going to focus on gathering?” Marysue asked again.

“The undead and Sandworm pieces,” Gerald answered. “It’ll be easiest for us because we’re used to the Dead Lands. Go stock up on supplies. We’ll want to stay out there until we have a good number of the required things.”

“Meet up at Progress?” Alburet asked.

“Yes,” Gerald replied.

Chapter Eighteen

Entering Pablo’s Provisions, Alburet gave the owner a wave. “Pablo, we’re glad to see you’re still open.”

“Business has been bad over the last week,” Pablo replied. “Not many are willing to risk the Final Death when it’s a certainty if they die.”

“You’re likely to have an influx of people shortly,” Karen said. “The King just gave all the powerful Two-souled a quest that will see us out in the world for days at a time.”

“We’re here to stock up,” Fluff added.

“Of course,” Pablo said. “Would you mind if I advertise my wares as sought after by an Ambassador?”

“Not at all,” Alburet smiled. “You’ve been good to us, and you didn’t balk when I entered today, either.”

“Everyone has heard of your change, Lord Darkhand, and I knew you’d be around again. Honestly, you don’t seem as scary as I had feared you would.”

“Aye. He still be the same sweet soul he’s always been,” Stacia said, walking around Alburet as she headed for the food section.

Pablo blinked upon seeing her, “Lady Darkhand…”

“Nay need to be so formal, Pablo,” Stacia said as she started to pick out what she wanted.

“Right…” he replied with a look to Alburet, who nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

“I’ll get the tent,” Karen said.

“I’ll look at drinks,” Fluff added, splitting off from the others.

“Going to need your best Campstone… actually, make it two,” Alburet told Pablo.

“Should we pick up enough for Gerald and Marysue, too?” Fluff asked.

“I’ll ask, but yes,” Alburet said, since he was the only one not loading up with things.

Putting the Mindstone away a few minutes later, he told his wives, “Yeah, grab enough for the whole group.”

“Pablo, do ya have any good cookin’ items tha’ will last a week?” Stacia asked.

“I do have some, give me a moment,” Pablo replied and went to the back room.

Everyone had gathered at the counter by the time he returned with a bag. “I have meat, vegetables, fruit, and the like that will be good for a week,” he told them, putting the bag on the counter. “Did you find everything else you wanted?”

Once they had unloaded the items they selected onto the counter, Pablo took a while totaling their purchase up. A couple of other groups came into the store and hurried around picking out stuff.

“Be with you all in a moment,” he told them and turned his attention back to Alburet. “The total for everything here is three hundred gold.”

Handing over the coin, Alburet, Stacia, Karen, and Fluff began to stuff their purchases into their bags. “We appreciate the quality and low price,” Alburet said.

“Thank you for the business,” Pablo smiled.

Once they left the shop and climbed back into the carriage, they were soon dropped off at the Guild Hall. Vanessa sat behind the desk, and a pale-skinned, golden-eyed man sat beside her. “Good hunting to you all,” Vanessa smiled. “This is our new receptionist, Ferrin Giovin.”

The man stood up and bowed deeply to them. “It is a pleasure and honor to meet you, Lord and Ladies Darkhand.”

“A pleasure to meet you as well, Ferrin,” Alburet said slowly. “If it’s not rude, what bloodline do you have?”

“I am the son of an Archangel, Lord.”

“Your mother was a Summoner of Light?” Karen asked.

“Yes, may Peace hold her close,” Ferrin replied.

“I’ve never seen a man who had Angel blood,” Alburet said.

“We are even more rare than our Infernal counterparts, and we aren’t as hated as they are,” Ferrin said with sadness. “My mother always believed that, in time, the Brother Gods would reconcile. I’m happy to meet the man who seems to be helping this happen, Lord.”

“It just happened,” Alburet said, at a loss for what to say, “I didn’t set out to change the world.”

“No one does, besides egotistical maniacs,” Karen snorted.

“Please don’t let me detain you on your hunt, Lord. I was surprised when my old friend Vanessa approached me about the job, and more so when I found out who was associated with the Guild,” Ferrin said, taking his seat again.

“We be sorry we do nay have the time to chat now, Ferrin. Mayhap we can change tha’ later. I would be glad to have ya for dinner to hear more about ya Ma’.”

Ferrin looked lost for a moment. “I wouldn’t presume to—”

“We’ll talk later,” Karen chuckled. “Stacia isn’t used to being denied.”

Vanessa seemed amused at the whole conversation. “Good hunting.”

Leaving the room, Fluff overheard Ferrin speaking to Vanessa, “He does seem as approachable as I’ve heard said.”

Smile on her lips, Fluff was the last one to the portal. “You’re a good man, Al.” Kissing him, she slipped past and left him standing there, wondering what had brought that on.

Alburet stepped onto the glyph and appeared in the middle of a fight. The graveyard was swarming with undead, and Alburet threw himself into the air, Bob and Stacia following him. Fluff and Karen were next to the handful of guards, helping them try to hold off the mobs.

“Tiny, grab them,” Alburet called out as he Copied Bob. “Light them up, Bob.” As soon as BJ showed up, he triggered Demonic Inspiration and followed with Imp Storm. Over one hundred Imps appeared and began to Fire Blast the undead.

“Get out!” Fluff roared at the guards before she grabbed the closest one and threw him over the undead.

“Get the others out,” Alburet ordered. A small squad of Imps descended on the other three guards and pulled them into the air. “Now bomb the monsters.”

Stacia landed beside the most injured guard and used Comforting Touch on him. “Did ya notify the others?”

“The Captain is on his way, as well as Alpha Company,” the guard said, getting back to his feet from where Fluff had thrown him.

Another swarm of Imps appeared above the graveyard. Fluff snagged Karen and Leaped out of the area, barely making it out before Fire Bursts began to fill the graveyard. “Thanks,” Karen exhaled when she saw the conflagration behind them grow into a firestorm.

“Welcome,” Fluff growled before kissing her.

Alburet landed beside them, “Tiny, you okay in there?”

“I’m fine,” Tiny rumbled, doing his best to keep the undead from charging up the ramp.

The fires faded after thirty seconds, and the graveyard was now devoid of undead. A moment of silence stretched out before a pop-up appeared.

This zone has been purified by your efforts.

Your reward has been placed into your bags.

For the next five hours, this zone will not be targeted by the undead scourge.

“Well that explains that,” Karen said. “Only the city is safe, it seems.”

“That makes things complicated,” Gerald said, arriving a little out of breath.

The few dozen people behind him were also gasping for air. One of them, Violet, was being carried by her Destroyer. “Did I hurt you?” Violet asked as her minion set her on her feet.

“We got out,” Fluff replied. “The pause between them showing up and casting let us get out of the way.”

“I hoped it would give anyone involved a chance to scramble.”

“You had the right idea,” Alburet told Fluff. “I hadn’t considered getting the guards out first until you threw him. Anyone not in my party or raid would have been hurt.”

“Report,” Mantoya said, coming alongside Gerald.

“Sir, everything was normal, and then the ground buckled and undead began to spawn,” the guard who had been thrown replied. “I was able to message you just before they stood up, sir.”

“I would suggest tripling the guard stationed here, Lord Stoutheart. Maybe you could spare a group of Alpha Company to assist them?”

“Any takers for coming by every five hours to keep the town clear?” Gerald asked.

One of the groups behind Gerald raised a hand. “We’ll handle it, if you think we can.”

Gerald looked at the player, whose level was seventy-three. “It’ll be rough on you, but if you want it, it’s yours. I’ll put together a quest for you so you’ll get paid for it. Your task will be assisting the guards when they are attacked. Prioritize keeping them alive until more help can arrive to put the undead down.”

“Sweet,” the player grinned at his group. “We get town duty; four hours off and then on until the undead show up.”

“Works. Let’s go hit the inn,” another member said as the five players left, clearly pleased with their new job.

“We good to go, or do you need a bit first?” Alburet asked Gerald.

“Let me get things settled… so, maybe an hour?” Gerald replied.

“We’ll head over to the inn. Just tag us when you’re ready,” Alburet said.

“We need to go stock up,” Violet said.

“My group, too,” Ironhand added. “We good, or do you need me and Leggy?”

“I’ll get it squared. Go ahead and get your stuff and head on out. I want at least two of the top five spots,” Gerald said.

The mass of people began to split off in different directions. Alburet waited a moment and snagged Gerald before he started back up the ramp. “Two of the top five?”

“At least,” Gerald smiled. “I think we’ll be one of them. I just want them to go all out, too.”

“Fair enough,” Alburet said, offering his arms to Fluff and Stacia.

“Tha’ was quick thinkin’ with the guard, Fluff,” Stacia said as they started down the street.

“And with me,” Karen said.

“I saw the Imps show up and knew what Al wanted to do. That was why the Imps paused,” Fluff said, looking up at Bob.

“I knew he wouldn’t want them hurt,” Bob grinned. “Who has two thumbs and thinks ahead for his master? This Imp, that’s who,” Bob hitched both thumbs back into his chest as he flew above them.

“Thanks, Bob. I didn’t even think about it, and I would have felt horrible if you hadn’t been ahead of me,” Alburet said.

“You’re welcome,” Bob’s smile grew wider.

“Remind me to tell Loralee that Bob deserves a special reward,” Alburet whispered to Stacia.

“Aye. I can tell her now, iffin ya want,” Stacia whispered back, pulling her Mindstone out.

“Go on. It’ll surprise him later tonight,” Alburet chuckled.

“He deserves it,” Fluff murmured from his other side.

Arriving at the inn, they saw that it mostly empty with just the other Alpha Company group inside. “Did we come at a bad time?” Alburet asked Stewart, who was standing next to Tabitha behind the bar.

“It’s early,” Stewart said. “Most of my business shows up in the evening. I didn’t expect to see you here… You’re not level one hundred yet, are you?” he asked, a single eyebrow rising.

“Not yet,” Alburet chuckled. “But there’s no doubt that we’ll be making headway on that over the next few days. The King just announced a quest for the strongest Two-souled. We’ll be heading out onto the Sands to collect the items he requested.”

“I was meaning to ask... why are we doing the Dead Lands and not one of the other zones?” Karen asked as they took over a table.

“Home field advantage. We know what we’re likely to meet and how to combat them,” Fluff said. “At least that’s what I think.”

“I think that’s what Gerald was thinking, too. He wants us to be in the top five, which means we have to play to our strengths. The only downside for us will be Stacia not being able to use her crowd control for us.”

“It be somethin’ I have grown used to,” Stacia said, patting his thigh. “I can still use me blades and a couple of me other Abilities for ya.”

“Marysue will be doing double with healing and damage, which helps tons,” Fluff said.

“What’s the quest the King gave you?” Stewart asked, bringing over a bottle and glasses.

While Alburet explained, Stewart poured for everyone. Picking up his glass, he sipped at it. “That is quite the quest. I wonder what the parts will be used for?”

“Rolland,” Alburet said with certainty. “I think our mage is going to be opening us a portal. The portals normally take parts from the mobs out here. I’m wondering— since we’re gathering items from all the end zones— if he isn’t going to open simultaneous portals so the combined army can move together.”

Karen nodded slowly, “Yeah... that would also cut down on problems gathering everyone to start with.”

“Is tha’ even possible?” Stacia asked.

“Who knows?” Alburet shrugged. “I’m just guessing.”

“He was very happy to get the book about his bloodline,” Fluff said. “Maybe it’s in there?”

“He did speak with the King about the book a day or two ago,” Alburet nodded. “Today, we get the quest to collect items? It fits.”

“Let’s drink to your success in securing some of the required pieces, then,” Stewart said, raising his glass.

Chapter Nineteen

They were heading southeast out of Progress and had already encountered two sets of undead. Amongst the loot, they had three Dead Shards, some coin, and random items. Bob, BJ, and Kitten flew above them while the others trudged along.

“About an hour before we should set camp for the night,” Gerald said. “It’s different being out here without everyone else.”

“It’s certainly easier to kill the mobs with only a single group to deal with at a time,” Marysue added.

“It could be challenging if we didn’t basically have two parties in one,” Karen chuckled.

“Not a full group. Stacia can only heal a little,” Alburet snorted.

“It’s still six more bodies than most others have,” Fluff said.

“Aye, they be right,” Stacia nodded. “It be easier when we be havin’ Tiny and TJ to hold the mobs if they stun Gerald.”

“It means I don’t get hit, for which I’m very grateful,” Marysue agreed.

“As am I,” Gerald smiled at Marysue.

“We’re going to need to press on tomorrow to have any chance of seeing an Elder Sandworm,” Alburet said after a few minutes of silence. “That’s what you’re really aiming for, right?”

“Nicely spotted,” Gerald nodded. “We’ll take the shards too, but hearts are what we’re really after.”

“Those are going to suck,” Karen sighed. “Getting swallowed is going to be a real issue.”

“We’ll need to keep the stuns until it tries to burrow and chain them then, probably,” Gerald suggested. “If Stacia and Kitten Essence Drain them right off the bat, I’m sure that’ll help, too.”

“Aye, we can be doin’ tha’,” Stacia agreed. “It be nice to be able to help even a little.”

The sand around them erupted as five undead appeared beside the group. Gerald immediately Ground Stomped and stunned them, allowing them time to turn on the mobs.

“Same group as last time. Tiny, take the healers. TJ, you’re on backup duty to keep the others safe, but switch if you need. Focus the Forgotten Necromancers first, then the Archers. The Dark Knight is last.”

“Still say they don’t look like Batman,” Karen snickered as she vanished.

“I’d tell you to focus, but it’s not like we need to,” Alburet said, taking to the air alongside Stacia.

“Not for these,” Fluff growled and landed behind the Necromancers. Spinning, her claws began to stack bleeds onto the mobs as her Whirlwind did its job.

A few minutes later, the undead were dead and looted. “Timely intervention, TJ,” Gerald thanked the Copy, as he put their fourth Dead Shard into his bag.

“Protecting people is my joy,” TJ rumbled.

“Think we’ll get another attack in before bed?” Karen asked.

“Possible. We’re averaging one fight an hour at the moment, which honestly seems a bit lackluster.”

“You need to think about other groups,” Fluff chided Alburet. “If we didn’t have the extras, Marysue would be using potions.”

“Fair enough, but for the end zone, I would still expect one every half-hour or more,” Alburet shrugged.

“He has a point,” Gerald added. “We’re also just a few hours from the Keep. The further we get away, maybe the attacks will increase in number?”

“We’ll find out tomorrow,” Marysue said as they began to move southeast again.

~*~*~

They made camp just as the sun began to set, shortly after being attacked again. Alburet set the Campstone while Karen put up their tent and Gerald set up his and Marysue’s. Fluff was busy pulling out ingredients to cook dinner, leaving the Infernals and Marysue with nothing to do.

“Master, are we to stay with you?” Tiny asked.

“No. I’ll summon you in the morning. Get your rest, and let us know how the manor is tomorrow.”

“I will,” Tiny said and vanished.

“I hope you level tomorrow,” Bob said before he vanished, too.

“Oh, does Bob become an Imp Lord when you level next?” Marysue asked.

“Aye, then Tiny, and finally me before he reaches his last Ability,” Stacia answered for Alburet.

“That will be interesting,” Marysue said. “I peeked at my last Abilities when I trained.” Her face brightened as she smiled. “I’ll be getting my wings.”

“Wings?” Karen asked, coming over to join them.

“Yes. I’ll only be able to use them for ten minutes every hour, but I’ll get wings.” Her excitement was easy for Alburet and his wives to sense.

“What about you, Gerald?” Alburet asked.

“Boar’s Heartiness. Multiplies my health by five, which will give me a health pool to work with when we get to the raid.”

“That’d push you to what... seventy or eighty thousand?” Karen asked with a shocked look.

“Depending on what kind of extra gear we get between now and then, it should break eighty,” Gerald smiled. “I’ll be well above our broken Summoner, instead of only just barely.”

Alburet shrugged, “It’s not like I set out to be a broken character.”

“Didn’t stop it from happening, either,” Gerald snorted. “What about you? What are you going to pick up?”

Alburet told them about his options while Fluff cooked dinner for them all. Karen and Fluff chimed in to explain what they’d likely choose when they reached max level. The conversation turned to theory-crafting until Fluff tapped the pot she was using.

“Dinner is ready,” she told them. “Come and get your bowl.”

Alburet looked into his bowl speculatively, never having seen a soup like it. “What did you make, Fluff?”

“Borscht,” Fluff said, taking her spot beside him. “I hope you like it.”

“Never had borscht before,” Alburet said, sampling a spoonful.

“I have, and this is easily among the best I’ve had, Fluff,” Gerald smiled.

“Thank you,” Fluff replied, her happiness felt by her lovers. “I’ve made it many times, but never for people who care for me.”

“It’s different,” Alburet said. “Tasty, but different.”

“Aye. I never would have thought to use the vegetables ya have in this,” Stacia agreed.

When they’d all finished, Karen took the dishes over to the cleaning tub, getting them cleaned and packed away. “I’ll cook breakfast,” Marysue said.

“Mary… is that a good idea?” Gerald asked with a pained expression.

“What?”

“The last time you tried to cook, the chef had to use the fire extinguisher,” Gerald said.

“I’ve gotten better since then,” Marysue said, looking petulant. “You’re talking about something from five years ago. I’ve been taking lessons with the chef since then.”

Gerald glanced at the others before bowing his head, “I’m sorry. You can cook tomorrow.”

“Would ya mind me helpin’ ya, Marysue?” Stacia asked.

“I can cook by myself,” Marysue said a little defensively, looking away, “but if you want to keep me company, that would be okay.”

“Aye. I will nay help unless ya ask for it,” Stacia said. “I been cookin’ for years, so mayhap I can offer ya some hints. Besides, it always be nice cookin’ with a friend to talk with.”

“Okay, yes, that’s fine,” Marysue said, smiling again.

“What do you think, Al? Are you up for a round of sparring?” Karen grinned.

Alburet chuckled as he looked at her, “Just want to reassert your ability to kick my ass, huh?”

“It’s good for both of us,” Karen grinned, getting to her feet to limber up.

“If you two are going to flirt at each other, I think Mary and I should take our leave,” Gerald chuckled.

“You should fight him, Gerald,” Marysue said suddenly. “If Karen doesn’t mind stepping aside, that is?”

“Oh, beefcake fight? I’ll stand down,” Karen grinned as she took a seat next to Marysue. “Should we make them fight bare chested?”

“That sounds like fun,” Marysue nodded.

“I’ll draw it,” Fluff said, pulling out her sketchbook.

Gerald and Alburet exchanged a look. “Do you get the idea that our lives aren’t ours?” Alburet asked with a wry expression.

“I gave mine to her years ago,” Gerald shrugged before he began to pull off his breastplate. “I’m going to keep my rings and necklace on to keep my stats at least vaguely in line with yours.”

“Aye, tha’ be very fair,” Stacia giggled. “This be a good idea, Marysue.”

“I only have one, you have three. Overall, I think my life will be easier,” Gerald said dryly when he finished stripping off his armor, leaving himself with just his pants on.

“No contest,” Alburet agreed and stuffed his armor into his bag. “Never thought I’d be loved by three women, but I wouldn’t change a damned thing about it.”

“Neither would I,” Gerald said as he started twisting his torso to limber up. “We have any rules?”

“No face shots. After all, the ladies want us to stay handsome. No blows below the belt... should go without saying. Did you have anything you specifically wanted to add?”

“I’m thinking we should stay to grapples and throws. It’ll make it easier to adhere to the other rules, otherwise I might jab out of reflex.”

“Boxing?”

“I’ve been in the ring a bit,” Gerald said. “It was one of the things my father had me learn as a child. I’ve kept my hand in off and on since.”

“Fair. Choke holds and such are good?”

“If you can maintain one,” Gerald grinned.

“Should we make them oil up?” Karen asked, holding up a flask.

“Oh, that would be fun,” Marysue nodded.

“We took too long,” Alburet sighed.

“Indeed,” Gerald agreed, just as chagrined at the latest twist.

“I’ll oil Gerald,” Marysue said, taking the flask from Karen.

“Ya can get Al for us,” Stacia told Karen with a wink. “Mayhap ya be givin’ him a handicap.”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Alburet wondered how it had come to oil wrestling in the Dead Lands while on a major quest. “Ladies, don’t you think this might be going too far?”

“It will make the pictures even better,” Fluff said.

Giving up, Alburet gave her a soft smile, “Fine. I can’t deny my wives, it seems.”

“Damned right,” Karen laughed as she took the flask from Marysue.

The sudden explosive laughter from Gerald made the others look at him with questioning eyes. Coughing, he looked away from them. “She tickled me.”

“I forgot you were ticklish there,” Marysue grinned, clearly lying. “Now, you are fighting for my honor, knight.” Pulling a ribbon from her hair, she tied it above his bicep. “The fight goes until one of you loses their lady’s favors.” She pulled out two more ribbons and tied one to his other arm, and looped the final one through his belt. “Fight well, champion.”

Gerald had been smiling, but when she said he was fighting for her honor, his face went serious. When she finished decorating him, Gerald took her hands in his and kissed the back of both. “I’ll not lose, not with your honor at stake.”

Karen, Stacia, and Fluff went to Alburet and each tied a ribbon tightly onto him; one on each arm above the bicep, and Karen’s above his ankle. “He’ll give you a real fight, Al,” Karen whispered, kissing his cheek. “Don’t go easy. Make him earn it.”

“Ya be fightin’ for our honor, as well, Asthore. Do ya best,” Stacia said, kissing his brow.

“I’ll be drawing the fight, Al,” Fluff said softly, kissing his other cheek. “I hope you win.”

As the ladies moved away, the two men looked at each other. The previous easygoing atmosphere had gone, replaced with a serious one. Each of them silently promised to give it their all for the women they loved.

“Sorry, Gerald,” Alburet said as he cracked his neck. “No hard feelings.”

“None,” Gerald said, his eyes sharp. “You should recall that I’ve seen you spar. Have you ever really watched me spar?”

Alburet paused, realizing he had never paid enough attention before to recall having seen Gerald fight barehanded. “Edge to you, then,” Alburet said as he settled back into a balanced stance. “Ladies, are we doing rounds, or is it a free-for-all until the ribbons are off?”

“Rounds,” Karen said quickly, as she took her seat. “A round ends when a ribbon is removed. Nothing else will stop a round.”

Gerald stepped back and brought his hands up before him. “Throwing and grapples only.”

“Right,” Alburet said. The two men locked eyes, waiting for the fight to start.

“Fight!” Karen exclaimed from where she sat next to Fluff and Stacia.

Neither man moved right away, each expecting the other to move first. The moment drew out with neither moving. Gerald extended one hand an inch further, turning the back of it to Alburet and motioning him forward.

Alburet eased forward a single step, taking in Gerald’s stance. Balanced. That isn’t a boxer’s stance, though. It’s something else. Where have I seen it? Mind racing, he slowly closed toward Gerald.

As Alburet moved forward by inches, Gerald waited patiently. Once he had gotten to where Gerald wanted him, the larger man lunged forward and down. Alburet started to kick at Gerald’s head, but stopped himself and tried to jump back. Gerald was able to grab his legs and the two men went to the ground. The women cheered both men on as they began to struggle for positioning.

Alburet was surprised by Gerald; he hadn’t expected him to be as adept at grappling as he was. Fighting as best he could, Alburet found himself being slowly rolled until Gerald got the hold he wanted. When Gerald forced his head down, Alburet knew he had severely underestimated his friend.

Alburet went limp, and Gerald let go of him and quickly untied one of the arm ribbons. Standing up, he carried it back to Fluff, “He’ll fight better now.”

Marysue stood up and gave Gerald a quick kiss. “That was mean. You did well.”

Gerald gave her a big smile and a wink before he went back over to where Alburet was coming to. “You need a minute?”

Blinking and taking some deep breaths, Alburet nodded. “Yeah... didn’t expect you to go for a triangle.”

“I figured you wouldn’t. But hey, you stopped your kick. I figured that would be instinctive for you,” Gerald said, waiting for Alburet to recover.

Alburet rolled to his knees, not replying directly. He took his time making sure he was stable and ready to go again. Glancing at his arm, he noticed Fluff’s ribbon was gone, and a spark of anger began to smolder inside him. Fluff gave him a sad smile and draped the ribbon over her shoulder when he looked at her.

Getting to his feet, Alburet rolled his neck and got back into his defensive stance. “I’m ready.”

“Ready.”

The moment seemed to stretch before Karen called out for them to fight. Gerald surged forward, his hands out to grab Alburet’s shoulders, only to have them slip as the oil they had been rubbed down with stopped him from getting the grip he wanted.

Alburet didn’t hesitate this time. He bent, stepping into Gerald and lifting the Defender off the ground, spinning and driving them both into the sand. With his shoulder in Gerald’s solar plexus, he was able to feel when he knocked the wind out of him. Using that, Alburet rolled Gerald and got a hold on the larger man’s neck. Gerald tried to push Alburet off and away, but Alburet had gotten the hold. When Gerald finally slumped in his arms, Alburet dumped the body and pulled the ribbon from Gerald’s belt.

Getting to his feet, Alburet went to Marysue and handed her the ribbon. “I’m going to win, Marysue. I’m sorry.”

Marysue’s friendly demeanor slipped for a moment, allowing everyone a glimpse of the unnervingly hard core at her center. She smiled again at him. “Gerald has never failed to defend me, Al. Don’t take him lightly... he needs a workout, and you might be worthy enough to challenge him.”

The certainty behind her words, along with the blatant challenge she had just offered him, made Alburet’s eyebrows raise. “I’ll take your words to heart, which just means you’ve made his task harder.”

As he walked away, the other three women stared at Marysue, who was exuding the aura of a queen on her throne. “This still be a friendly bout, be it nay, Marysue?” Stacia asked hesitantly.

The aura dropped away and Marysue gave her a warm smile, “Of course.”

Gerald sat up, bringing everyone’s attention back to the sparring match. Looking down at his belt, he saw the empty spot where the ribbon had been and his teeth clenched. Gerald looked at Marysue, who was putting the ribbon back into her hair while giving him a disappointed look. Gerald got to his feet shakily, wobbling a bit as he waited for the moment to pass.

Once he was steady, Gerald met Alburet’s eyes. The two men could see the same fire in the other’s eyes. They both gave a small nod before they called out that they were ready. Karen called for them to fight, and this time, both of them lunged at each other.

The men locked up, hands finding purchase even on oily flesh. Eyes locked, they tried to gain the leverage to get the upper hand on the other. Gerald was the one to slip first, his hand sliding off Alburet’s shoulder. Stepping in and getting his arm under Gerald’s, Alburet picked up and tossed Gerald over his hip, following him to the ground. When they hit the ground, the two men ended up rolling back and forth again, jockeying for position.

Alburet managed to get his thumb up into Gerald’s armpit and pushed up hard. Gerald hissed in pain as the hard point dug into him. “That’s fucking dirty,” Gerald managed as he tried to get away from the attack.

Alburet didn’t reply, wanting to keep the small advantage he had over Gerald. The Defender bared his teeth and Alburet suddenly let go. Out of reflex, Gerald moved to clutch at his arm. Taking the opening, Alburet pinned Gerald’s injured arm down with his legs, and grabbed onto Gerald’s other arm, pinning it down as well, which left Alburet laying across Gerald’s chest.

Gerald growled as he tried to push Alburet off, but was unable to get the right leverage. “We’re going to be at a stalemate like this.”

Biting into the cloth, Alburet began to work it loose. Seeing what Alburet was trying, Gerald redoubled his efforts to get his arms free. After another minute, Alburet spat the ribbon free, letting go of Gerald and rolling away.

“Two,” Alburet panted.

“Asshole,” Gerald growled back as he picked up the ribbon.

Carrying the ribbon to Marysue, Gerald looked upset and uncertain when he held it out to her. “I’m sorry, Mary.”

“Don’t apologize until you lose,” Marysue replied softly, taking the ribbon from his hand and pulling him down for a kiss.

Fluff paused in her drawing when she overheard Marysue talking quietly to Gerald during that kiss. Wanting things to be fair, she didn’t say anything to Alburet. I wonder if Al will be expecting what Marysue told Gerald to try. Looking back at her sketchbook, she changed pages and waited for the next round.

“Now go win for me,” Marysue whispered softly to Gerald, gently pushing him away.

Karen called for them to fight again, her excitement high with Alburet ahead in the bout. I’m going to bed you so hard tonight, Al, just you wait. Show me your strength again.

When the round started, Al darted forward, but Gerald sidestepped the attempted takedown and came down on Alburet’s back, but did not follow him down. Wrapping his arms around Alburet’s waist, Gerald jerked, using all his anger at failing Marysue. Feeling himself start to leave the ground, Alburet tried to keep his meager hold on Gerald’s single leg.

Alburet was not expecting Gerald to bring him vertical, and wasn’t prepared when he was slammed headfirst into the ground. He blinked in shock, not believing that he had just been driven into the hard-packed sand. Stunned by the sheer audacity of the move, Alburet was surprised when Gerald went right back to the triangle. Losing consciousness from the choke before he could try to fight back, Alburet lost his second ribbon.

Gerald left Alburet lying there as he carried the ribbon to Stacia, his face hard. “Your husband is a challenge,” Gerald said simply, walking away while Stacia tied the ribbon back into her hair.

He came to, and Alburet felt his rage burn in his chest at having been taken down the same way twice. Finding his second arm bare, he glanced to Stacia, who gave him a smile.

“Ya can do it, Asthore. Do nay doubt ya self.”

Sitting up, Alburet saw Gerald waiting for him. “Twice with the triangle?”

“I wouldn’t have gotten it if not for the first move,” Gerald replied. “Last point for match.”

Looking at his ankle, Alburet nodded. “You’re right.” Easing himself to his feet, Alburet took a few deep breaths. “Either way, you’ve given me a hell of a fight.”

“Same. I doubt my father expected me to be involved in an exhibition match for Marysue’s honor when he had me learn, but it’s the best use of any of my knowledge to this point in my life.”

“Ready?”

“Ready.”

“Fighters, you’ve done well, but now for the final point. Fight!”

Neither one of them moved, not wanting to make the first mistake. Alburet motioned Gerald forward, “Your turn.”

A small smile creased Gerald’s lips for a moment before he eased forward. Waiting for the right moment, Alburet feinted for the double leg, then stood up into Gerald’s attempt to grab him again. Head contacting Gerald’s chin and snapping the blond man’s head back, Alburet flung them both to the ground and got him into an arm bar, locking it in tight.

Spitting blood, Gerald growled. Alburet hadn’t broken the rules, but had bent them with the headbutt. Straining his pinned arm, Gerald briefly tried to pull one of Alburet’s legs free.

“Give, or I break it,” Alburet said, flexing the arm tighter.

Gerald hissed, “I can get free.”

“No, it’s locked,” Alburet replied. “I don’t want to break it. I feel bad enough catching you with my head, dammit, so give up.”

“No,” Gerald growled, his free hand clawing at Alburet’s leg.

“Sorry,” Alburet said as he began to over extend the elbow. He knew that he wouldn’t technically break the elbow, but it would tear the ligaments and require surgery in their other world.

Gerald dug at Alburet’s leg, hissing in pain before screaming as the joint bent badly. Alburet felt a hint of revulsion for doing it, but kept pulling at the arm and hoping Gerald would give up.

The moment the black ribbon fluttered across his view, Alburet released the hold. “You coy fucker…”

Hissing in pain, Gerald rolled to his knees, “I hoped you wouldn’t guess the plan.”

“You let me arm bar you,” Alburet said, sitting up to look at Gerald. “How did you even think I would go for that?”

“You’ve used it on me, and I on you a number of times,” Karen said with a disappointed tone. “But fucking damn, that was ballsy.”

“He’s never lost when he’s fought for me,” Marysue said, getting to her feet.

Alburet got to his feet and helped Gerald up, “I’m glad that will heal on its own.”

“Me, too,” Gerald said. “I don’t want to fight you again if I can help it.”

“Agreed,” Alburet chuckled, slapping Gerald on the back. “To the victor, the spoils. Have a good night.”

Marysue took Gerald’s arm and led him to their tent. “He will.”

With the couple gone, the others gathered around Alburet. “Ya did ya best,” Stacia said, kissing his cheek.

“Talk about brass balls,” Karen said as Alburet handed her her ribbon back. “I had no idea he could fight that well.”

“Marysue told him to do it,” Fluff said softly. “When she kissed him, she told him to bait the arm bar and let you wrench his elbow so he could get at your ankles easily.”

“Did you see her when she got upset?” Karen asked softly, looking at the smaller tent. “If I hadn’t known she was a Dorn before, I would believe it after that.”

“Aye, the face she shows us is what she be wantin’ to be. The core of her be what she let slip. She does nay want to be cold and hard, but tha’ be how she be,” Stacia said as she started toward their tent. “But let us show our husband tha’ even the loser can find solace with his wives.”

“I’ll work on the art later,” Fluff said as she kissed Alburet’s cheek. “I think Stacia is right.”

“I’m sorry I lost, but I did give it my all.”

“We know,” Karen said, holding the tent flap open. “If you hadn’t, I’d make you spar with me instead of fuck me.”

Chapter Twenty

Leaving the tent, Stacia smiled at Marysue as she joined her at the campfire. “How are ya this mornin’?”

Giving Stacia a blinding smile, Marysue giggled, “Quite well, thank you. Did you three manage to soothe Al’s pride?”

“We did nay have to soothe much, he was just upset tha’ he failed us. I do nay think any of us expected Gerald to be as skilled without a weapon as he is.”

“He’s had years of practice. He’s worked so hard to make sure he could protect me.”

“Aye, I could see the dedication when they fought. Did ya really want them to fight tha’ hard, though?”

Marysue looked at the bag of supplies, “I just wanted Gerald to fight for me. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked for that, but it made me so happy to know he’ll go to such lengths for me.”

“Aye, I know tha’ to be true. Ya looked angry when it looked like Al was mayhap goin’ to beat him.”

Marysue looked up sharply and sighed, “I don’t like that part of me. I hate it when I show that side of me. Alpha World is supposed to help me be something other than I am.”

“Has it nay? Ya have ya knight at ya side tha’ be married to ya, devoted and willin’ to attack anyone at ya command. Would ya have asked him for his hand before bein’ here? Do ya think ya would have asked him to put ya honor on the line before?”

“No,” Marysue replied. “Meeting Al... it changed things for us. He was a catalyst that made us see what we both wanted. The dynamic between you and him, then adding Karen and Fluff into your relationship, not caring what others thought… It made me realize I could shake off the chains of the other world if I just had the courage to let love in.”

Eyes sparkling, Stacia nodded, “Aye. It always be hard to take tha’ step when ya fear failin’. When I came to him as a Succubus, I was so afraid of him turnin’ me away, like ya was when ya admitted ya feelin’s for Gerald. We nay be tha’ different, me friend.”

“Still willing to be my friend after making our husbands fight like idiots?” Marysue asked.

“It was good for them. Ya did nay know as ya can nay feel like me, but after the fight, they held a deeper respect for each other. Men be odd creatures.”

Marysue giggled again as she pulled out an egg. “I agree with that. I’m thinking of eggs with sausage and cheese. What do you think?”

“Tha’ be a good meal. How can I be helpin’ ya?”

~*~*~

Gerald praised Marysue’s cooking so much that she told him to stop, even though she was smiling ear to ear the entire time. Once they had everything packed up, Alburet pulled the Campstone.

Sixty seconds later, the sands shifted and a group of undead appeared. They put the mobs down in short order, then looted and started moving to the southeast.

“We have six shards now,” Gerald said. “We’re getting one or so a group, so it’s going to take a while to collect all of them.”

“I’m fairly certain that’s by design,” Alburet replied. “It’s the buildup. With the attacks from the graveyards and such, it gives everyone a chance to participate.”

“Good point,” Gerald agreed.

“How long do you think it’ll take?” Karen asked.

“A week, maybe a bit more,” Gerald replied. “Long enough for everyone to get involved, but short enough to make you have to get involved or miss out.”

“Everyone in the Guild is active either at a Keep or going zone to zone to help out,” Marysue added. “I’m sure the other Guilds are doing the same.”

“It does add a bit of excitement not knowing which zones will be safe or not,” Fluff commented.

“Even the other continents are having the same issue,” Marysue said. “Ironhand said that the Dwarves were gathering an army for when Tyr calls.”

“The Elves and Lunari are undoubtedly doing the same… well, the Elves anyway,” Alburet chuckled. “Herding cats might be difficult.”

“I’m sure they’ll be there,” Gerald said. “Each race will be represented, I’d think. Hard to believe otherwise.”

“If their zones are being attacked too, it makes sense,” Marysue nodded. “Even the laziest creatures should want to defend their home.”

“Any sign of movement, Bob?” Alburet asked the Imp after a few minutes of silence.

“I think there are some Infernals a few miles ahead of us,” Bob called down.

“Maybe it will be our first random encounter with Infernals,” Alburet said.

“They won’t attack us, not with you here,” Gerald snorted. “Not that we need to fight them. Actually, thinking about it, weren’t Infernal horns on the normal list for portals?”

“Aye, but it was nay on the King’s list. It made me wonder iffin they been truly needed for them to work.”

“That is a question,” Fluff nodded. “I’m glad they aren’t on the quest we have. I’d feel bad about fighting them now.”

“Don’t feel bad,” Tiny rumbled. “They are only trying to grow stronger, much as you are.”

“It’s hard not to, especially after having gotten to know you, your families, and the rest of the ambassadorial staff,” Fluff replied.

“Before that, it would have just been another mob for experience, but knowing that you love and live like we do makes it harder,” Karen added. “Langistors, for instance, aren’t similar enough to warrant the same feeling.”

Before the conversation could continue, the next set of mobs appeared out of the sand. Gerald reacted first with his Ground Stomp. “That was definitely quicker than yesterday.”

“About twenty minutes from the first group,” Alburet agreed as he flew upward. “Everyone knows what to do. Let’s burn them down.”

~*~*~

They looted the corpses and were all in good spirits as they weren’t having any huge problems. They traveled in silence for a few minutes before Bob suddenly spoke up, “The Infernals will be here in a minute or two.”

True to his word, when they had climbed to the top of the next dune, they came face to face with a group of five Infernals: one Greater Destroyer, two Greater Imps, and two Greater Succubi.

“Lord Darkhand, it is an honor,” the Destroyer said, bowing his head to Alburet. “Are you here to grow in strength, as well?”

“In part,” Alburet said. “We’ve been dispatched by the King on a quest to collect fragments from the undead and Elder Sandworm hearts.”

“We were wondering why those items started appearing,” one of the Succubi said. She pulled a heart the size of her overabundant chest from her bag. “Would you like this one?”

“We’ll accept it,” Gerald said, extending his hands. “Thank you.”

“It does us no good,” the second Succubi said, pulling out a few shards of bone. “Please accept these, as well.”

“Tha’ be very generous of ya,” Stacia smiled, her eyes twinkling.

“We have no use for them,” one of the Imps flying above them shrugged. “If you want, we can pass the word that you’re looking for these items.”

The group exchanged a look, before Gerald nodded. “If we happen upon any more Infernals, we will accept them. We’ll be fighting and collecting our own as we go.”

“The Dark Lord has you out here even with Final Deaths being a certainty for everyone?” Fluff asked.

“The undead don’t pose any real threat, though we have heard of entire groups that have gone missing. We pray that they died with honor,” the Destroyer rumbled. “If we encounter you again, we will present you with any other pieces you may need.”

“Thank you,” Alburet said.

One of the Succubi was eyeing Bob with a smirk, “Your wives still accepting applications?”

“Sorry, they already have two more lined up for when I hit Imp Lord,” Bob said.

“Pity,” she sighed. “I take it the same is true of you, as well?”

“Indeed,” Tiny rumbled.

“Isn’t that always the way it goes,” the second Succubi sighed.

“One can dream,” the first replied. “Okay boys, we’re done here. Let’s go kill some more undead.”

“Good huntin’,” Stacia said.

The two groups said their goodbyes before heading off in different directions. As they walked away, Alburet frowned. “Maybe I should ask the Dark Lord if he could recall all the Infernals? We could use all we can get when the time comes for the prison.”

“Ya would ask them to hide away until then?”

Thinking over what she had said, Alburet shook his head. “No. I’d have to ask your sisters to stay home if I did that.”

“Aye.”

“I hope they’ll be okay,” Fluff said.

“I think we all feel that way for every native,” Marysue said. “I can honestly say, that part of Stein’s… power makes me uncomfortable.” She stumbled on her words for a moment, changing what she was going to say.

“The faster we gather things, the better it will be for everyone,” Gerald said as they kept walking.

Shortly after they left the Infernals, Bob suddenly yelled down at them, “Move!”

Fluff grabbed Karen and Leaped away from the others. Alburet and Stacia reacted by going straight up, which left Gerald, Marysue, Tiny, and TJ the only ones still standing where they all had just been. The reason for Bob’s warning became obvious a heartbeat later when the mouth of an Elder Sandworm swallowed the four on the ground.

Immediately using Demonic Inspiration then casting Imp Storm, Alburet felt a pang of fear for his friends. “Burn it quickly!” Alburet yelled at the Imps.

Stacia and Kitten flew down and used Essence Drain, pulling a combined ten percent of the mob’s health away. Fluff and Karen went running back in to add their attacks.

The damage added up quickly, forcing the mob to puke out everyone it had swallowed. The moment their bodies hit the ground, Gerald was on his feet. His shield slammed into the mob, stunning it.

“Tiny, TJ, get ready to chain stun it,” he spat. “Don’t let it get away.”

With the Imps and the chain stuns, the Elder Sandworm was almost dead by the time it burrowed. Everyone on the ground scattered, hoping to reduce the number that would be swallowed.

Alburet flew down and snagged Marysue, pulling her into the air. “Al, what are you doing?” Marysue called out in shock.

The Elder Sandworm shot up from under where she had been, its massive maw barely missing them. “I figured you’d be targeted,” he told her as he flew off to the side and set her down.

With the Worm resurfaced, the group was able to pull off the last of its health. Once it fell over dead, Gerald slapped his hand to it. “Thank you for getting Mary out, Al.”

“I would have for any of you,” Alburet replied. “Bob, how did you know it was coming?”

“I caught sight of a bit of its tail,” Bob replied.

“Well that sucks. I’d hoped that you’d figured out some trick to know when we were going to be attacked by one,” Alburet sighed.

“Sorry,” Bob said.

“It nay be ya fault. Ya warned us, which was good,” Stacia said, flying up to pull the Imp into a hug. “Ya have our thanks.”

“We got another heart,” Gerald said, “so things are working out on that front.”

“That’s good,” Marysue said.

“Yeah, that’s good,” Bob said dreamily when Stacia let him go.

“Let’s go,” Gerald snorted. “I’ll check in with Blaze tonight and see how they’re doing.”

“Where did they go?”

“Same zone as their Keep. Like us, they went for knowing the mobs to help them get an edge.”

“Makes sense,” Alburet nodded.

Chapter Twenty-one

The next four days passed much as the previous one had; there was a fight every fifteen to twenty minutes with a lot of walking in between. They had encountered another dozen groups of Infernals during that span, receiving shards and hearts from each of them.

Exiting the tent quietly one morning, Alburet gave Gerald a nod as he took a seat near the fire. “Besides the Elder Sandworms, it’s been pretty easy, hasn’t it?”

“I think the Worms have more than made up for the other parts,” Gerald snorted. “I could be biased, since I’m the one that keeps getting swallowed at the start of the fights with them. I’m really glad we only get a couple of them a day, and far enough apart that you have your Imp Storm each time.”

“Me, too,” Alburet admitted.

“Thank you for keeping Mary safe during the transitions, too,” Gerald said as he began to pull ingredients from the bag.

“Glad to do so, Gerald. How long have you trained?”

“Since I was six,” Gerald replied. “Since I was going to be beside Mary all the time, Dad thought it would be easiest for me to be her protector as well as her friend. Boxing, wrestling, a number of martial arts, knives, guns... a lot of training.”

“Does she know that it was all for her?”

“She knows more than she lets on,” Gerald chuckled. “She’s as smart as, or smarter than her father, but she hates people of her social standing. It’s been easier for her to be the withdrawn ice queen, but she hates that, too.”

“What about you, though? You’ve had almost your whole life devoted to her. Doesn’t that grate on you at all?”

Looking up from his prep, Gerald chuckled, “No. It probably should, but it never has. I remember when she was first hurt by someone and the anger that sparked inside of me. I pretty much knew then that no matter what, I would stay with her. Even when I confessed as a kid and she spurned me, I just hid my feelings from her.”

Adding diced food to the pan, Gerald looked up at Alburet. “How has it been, the whole multiple wives thing?”

“Different,” Alburet chuckled. “We haven’t had any real issues, but I think most of that comes down to knowing what each other is feeling. If we hurt each other, we know it. It can’t just be ignored or buried. The love we feel resonates, which makes us love each other more. Frankly, I wonder how difficult it would have been without that. Normal relationships are hard enough, but this should be orders of magnitude harder.”

“I wonder if that would work for Mary and me? The emotional connection, not the extra partners,” Gerald hurriedly clarified.

“I figured that’s what you meant,” Alburet laughed softly. “You both truly love each other, we all feel it keenly when you are together. I wonder how much more it would bring you together, honestly. Being able to know without any doubt that the other person loves you is… hard to explain.”

Gerald nodded, then said almost as an aside, “Food is going to run out soon. I’m thinking we should return and drop off what we have, then head out again. Resupply, check in with the others, and back out. Benedict and Blaze have been very cagey about saying what they’ve gathered, but I have to assume they’ve been as productive as we have.”

“Even with us getting free stuff from the Infernals?”

“Even with that. From what I’ve heard from Violet, the other zones are a bit more populated; they get a fight every five to ten minutes, but their drop rates are half what we’ve been seeing. The shards have also been dropping during the zone events at the Keeps run by Heart’s Light. They’re gathering them and handing them off to an officer for their Guild.”

“That sounds like Benedict,” Alburet said. “He’s probably going to try and get at least two of the five groups if he can’t get them all. I’m sure we’re all hoping for that.”

“True, but if any of us manage more than two, it’ll be them. His Guild is comprised of serious gamers. My limited interactions with them made that clear.”

“What are you making?” Alburet asked, the scent of cooking starting to reach him.

“It’s a mixed grill,” Gerald shrugged. “Once I add the eggs, it’ll be more of a quiche. If I left the eggs out, it would be closer to a dinner than breakfast.”

“We going to travel for most of the day before we head back?”

“That’s the plan.”

“There ya be,” Stacia said, poking her head out of the tent flap. “I found him. He be talkin’ with Gerald.”

“Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes,” Gerald said. “No reason to rush.”

“That means I get ten minutes of just enjoying watching you cook,” Marysue said, stepping out of the other tent and packing it away. “I have your gear and bag here,” she smiled, setting them down behind him.

A couple of minutes later, the others joined them. Fluff pulled out her sketchbook and passed it to Marysue. “I showed them last night when I finished, but I thought you might want to see.”

Marysue took the offered pad, “Is this from the fight?”

“Yes.”

“She did amazing, as always,” Karen said, giving Fluff a squeeze.

“She did,” Marysue agreed as she scanned each page slowly. “You could surely be a well-known artist if you wanted to, Fluff.”

“I already have a life goal,” Fluff replied, her cheeks heating to a light pink.

“Staying with us,” Karen said.

“You think the Delta World testing will be even longer, then?” Marysue asked idly, but the surge of eagerness inside of her belied her calm exterior.

“I don’t know, but I hope, like you do,” Fluff said.

Marysue blinked, pulling her eyes from the drawings to Fluff. “I guess that’s true. Different reasons, but the same hope.”

“We do nay know iffin it will be as we hope yet or nay,” Stacia said. “Al be havin’ his quest to complete first.”

“Oh, when are you going to summon Bob?” Karen asked suddenly.

“After breakfast,” Alburet chuckled. “I wonder if his ego will have grown along with him?”

“I hope not,” Gerald said. “We’ve finally reached a good place, but god help us if his ego has grown.”

Marysue shook her head, watching Gerald work on breakfast. “Bob isn’t ego driven, unlike some people we’ve known, Gerald. He is a very simple Imp that likes to needle those around him. I like his honest way of being himself, though I am thankful he stopped trying to pick fights with you.”

Breakfast was roundly enjoyed by everyone, though they all ate quickly as most of them were eager to see Bob’s Imp Lord transformation. Once the dishes had been cleaned and put away, Alburet summoned Tiny first.

“Ready to see Bob as an Imp Lord, Tiny?”

“He has been talking of little else since you leveled last night,” Tiny rumbled, a broad smile on his face. “Loralee and his other wives had to drag him off to bed.”

“That’s Bob, alright,” Karen snickered. “Okay, Al. Let’s see him.”

Once he was sure everyone was ready, Alburet intoned the words with a serious tone, his lips creasing into a smile. “I summon Bob the Mighty.”

The smoke heralding the appearance of one of his minions seemed a little thicker than it had been previously. The sense of anticipation that hung in the air was broken when Bob launched himself out of the cloud, his wings wider than before. Hanging in the first rays of sunlight, Bob grinned down at them.

“So, what do you think? Pretty sexy, right?”

Bob looked exactly like Bezzle in height and color. His smile was so wide that it showed off the long rows of sharp teeth he had. His horns were still short, but now they curved back like a shark’s fin and looked rather sharp.

“Very handsome,” Stacia said. “How does it feel to be an Imp Lord?”

“Oh my fucking Darkness, it’s amazing,” Bob said, landing in the middle of the group. “We’ll be adding the two Succubi that Loralee has picked out for us soon, too. Oh, and I never did thank you for telling Loralee to spoil me a few days ago, master. You are amazing, thank you.” As Bob talked, his eyes grew damp, one tear escaping to roll down his cheek. Quickly scrubbing it away, Bob coughed, “Stupid sunlight.”

“Sure, it’s the sun, uh huh,” Karen snickered, grabbing the now five-foot tall Imp and hugging him.

Fluff and Stacia joined in on the hug, smothering Bob for a long moment. Marysue waited until the three parted before she gave Bob a brief hug herself.

Eyes glazed over, Bob wobbled in place. “Four of four, would be hugged again.”

Alburet laughed at the comment. Even Gerald smirked and rolled his eyes. “Okay, Bob, get it together. We have more mobs to kill today.”

Blinking, Bob took a moment to focus again. “Right, mobs. Killing. I got it.”

Gerald outlined their plan for the ladies and Infernals. “Everyone good with that?” When no one objected, he grabbed his shield. “Okay, Al, pull the Campstone and let’s get the day moving.”

~*~*~

The day went as expected, and an hour before sundown, they used their Homestones to get back to the city. They planned to meet up at the castle in the morning and turn in their quest items.

The Infernals not actively on duty were gathered around the front door. Namida Blackheart, Bob’s second wife, stood in front of the others. As soon as the group appeared, she rushed forward and crushed Bob to her ample chest, kissing the top of his head.

“I think we’re having a party,” Karen laughed. “Did you all come out to see him?”

“We did,” Bezzle said from a few feet away. “Infernals making it to the rank of ‘Lord’ are not common. For one who was one of the weakest not even four months ago to do so is almost unheard of. Considering that he is also in service to Lord Darkhand, it makes it even more an event of note.”

“Loralee has been working on the feast since we were told you were coming home tonight,” Rachel said, moving out of the crowd. “I hope that this is acceptable.”

“Perfectly. We should have the same for Tiny and Stacia when they both reach their highest tier,” Alburet replied.

“I will make sure that it is done,” Rachel beamed.

“Let’s break to get cleaned up and we’ll start the party afterward,” Alburet said before turning to Knitoc. “I have an errand for you, Knitoc. Go over to Pablo’s Provisions and try to fill as much of this list as you can.” Alburet held out the shopping list that Fluff had compiled earlier.

“I shall do my best, Lord,” Knitoc said, heading off to the carriage at a fast walk.

“I’ll go with him,” Astov said. “If you give me the list, I’ll fly over and start on getting it filled so we can be back faster.”

Watching the two Infernals with a smile, Alburet looked back to find the mob already dispersed. Tiny and Bob were also missing. “Well, it seems everyone is eager for the party,” Alburet said as he headed inside, along with Stacia, Karen, and Fluff.

“Of course we are,” Karen grinned. “But first, bath time.”

The bath was filled with teasing, but no one went too far, not wanting to delay the party. Dressing in some of their better clothes, the four made their way down to the big dining room. Rachel opened the door for them, dressed in a surprisingly very conservative dress. The room was filled, with only six seats vacant. Tiny stood behind two of them near the head of the table, waiting to seat his wife. Near him, Gerald and Marysue sat with smiles on their faces.

Alburet caught sight of Knitoc, who gave Alburet a tight smile, handing him the list he’d been tasked with filling. Alburet waited until he had the ladies seated and had taken his own seat before he glanced at it. Only half the items had been marked off.

“Was it bad?” Fluff asked softly.

“We’ll need to get food from Stewart, as you thought,” Alburet replied before he picked up his glass and stood up to make a toast.

The conversations in the room died down as all eyes went to him. “Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we hold a feast for my first friend in Alpha World. I wouldn’t have made it to where I am if not for the steadfast loyalty of Bob. Time and again, he has saved me from death and never once balked when he put himself in danger for me. So please, raise your glasses and toast with me to the best Imp I could have hoped for as my minion, but more importantly, as my friend.”

Glasses were raised and everyone drank to Bob, who was a much darker red than normal. Bob stood up as Alburet sat back down, and looked around the table slowly. “I’m not good with speeches, but I do want to thank you all for coming to this party that master is holding for me. Honestly, I feared I’d never serve a Summoner with a kind heart, and if I did, it would end badly because of a mistake I made. Alburet has not only treated me like all of us hope we’ll be treated, but as a friend— a true friend. With his help, I have risen to heights I could only dream about. During my short time with him, I have managed not only to grow, but to also find love with my beautiful wives. Who could have asked for anything more than what I have? Thank you all. Now, let’s get this party started.”

A loud cheer went around the table, and everyone drank to Bob’s short but heartfelt speech. Gerald leaned over, whispering something to Marysue, then stood. Everyone looked at him with puzzled expressions.

“Sorry to break the moment, but I have a few words I’d like to say. Bob, we have fought, argued, traded insults, and for a time, I hated you. Thankfully, we’ve come to a point where I now think of you as a friend and trusted companion. I just wished to say that it has been aggravating, but also fun, having you with us on this journey.”

Bob walked around the table and offered his hand to Gerald. The two shook solemnly, then Bob jumped up and threw his arms around Gerald’s neck, kissing his cheek. Spluttering and trying to dislodge the Imp, Gerald was in a near panic before Bob leapt off and strutted back to his spot at the table.

“I like you, too, Gerald,” Bob snickered, earning raucous laughter from the rest of the room.

Marysue was laughing when she caught Gerald’s hand and got him to sit. She whispered to him, and after a few seconds, Gerald’s frown eased away and he nodded. The doors to the kitchen opened and the staff carried out the first course.

Alburet

Demon Lord Summoner

Ambassador for the Dark Lord

Level 97

Strength: 393 (0)

Agility: 393 (0)

Constitution: 848 (430)

Intelligence: 448 (30)

Wisdom: 1,808 (1,060)

Charisma: 423 (0)

Health: 13,330

Mana: 22,930

Spells:

Demon Skin-Rank 10

Demonic Retribution- Rank 9

Summon Imp Lord

Fire Blast- Rank 9

Sap Strength- Rank 9

Demonic Haze- Rank 9

Summon Greater Destroyer

Demonic Vitality- Rank 9

Fire Burst- Rank 9

Summon Greater Succubus

Abilities:

Personal Spells

Flame Weapon

Copy

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Ally)

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Big Boom)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Demonic Shell)

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Comforting Touch)

Copy

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Essence Drain)

Still Caster

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Burning Cleanse)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Savage Roar)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Bash)

Imp Storm

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Infernal Flames)

Demonic Inspiration

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Thunderous Stomp)

Ranged Fire Burst

Racial Abilities:

Cast spells without verbal components

Physical damage reduction 25%

Magical damage reduction 10%

Influence emotions

Fire resistance 125%

Reputation gains at tenth value

All stats increase by 4 points per level

Can use any weapon regardless of strength required

Double movement speed when minion present

Maxed reputation with all Infernals and Worshippers of the Dark Lord

All Debuffs last half as long

Immune to movement impairing effects

Immune to mind altering effects

Chapter Twenty-two

Arriving at the castle the following morning, the group found a lot of people coming and going. All the other players they could see were heading toward the side of the castle where a number of guards stood, close to a pavilion.

While Astov helped Stacia, Fluff, and Karen out of the carriage, Alburet caught enough snippets of conversations to know that the pavilion was where everyone was turning in the quest items. Once the ladies were all out, they moved off to the side just as Gerald’s carriage was arriving.

When the couple joined them, they got into the fast-moving line to turn in their quest items. It wasn’t long before they were standing in front of Berk, who was collecting the items. “Next,” Berk said, writing in a book beside him.

“Seems busy, Berk,” Gerald said as he began to unload his bag.

Looking up, Berk gave them a tired smile. “It has been, and my day is just starting. I see you’ve been collecting the dead,” Berk said. He counted out the shards, handing them off to a guard behind him, who was putting them into a bag marked specifically for them.

By the time he finished counting the shards, Berk was looking impressed. “That’s a good bit of work you’ve done, Alpha Company.”

“Not done yet,” Gerald said as he pulled out the first heart.

“Thank goodness. Rolland was getting nervous that no hearts would be showing up,” Berk said as he handed the hearts to the same guard, who put them into a different bag.

“You haven’t had any others?” Alburet asked.

“Not yet,” Berk said, continuing to count and pass the large hearts. Once he finished collecting them all, he made a note in his book. “Thirty Elder Sandworm Hearts and four hundred and sixty-two Dead Shards. Very well done.” Making out a slip, he handed it to Gerald. “Take this to the bank to receive your coin and experience.”

“Thank you. I hope Ioaniss is well.”

“He should be back from his trip tomorrow,” Berk said. “I’d love to chat more, but…” He motioned behind them, indicating the line.

“Of course,” Gerald said as he took the slip and stepped aside.

Gerald shook his head as they went back to their carriages, asking, “Shall we collect now or do it after our next round of hunting?”

“We just leveled and I doubt it’s enough to get us to level ninety-eight, so I’d say wait,” Alburet said. “We’ll need to hit the Dead Sands Inn to grab more food from Stewart, too.”

“I wonder why no one else has turned hearts in yet?” Karen said.

“You all came back to resupply, too?” Violet said, her party coming even with the carriages.

“We ran out of food and Pablo doesn’t have a lot in stock,” Fluff said, trading hugs with the Summoner.

“Thought that might happen. We hit Wildwood to resupply and spent the night there,” Violet said. “The Lunari sure know how to party… so does your sister.” Violet winked at Stacia.

“It be in our blood,” Stacia laughed.

“We’re about to head back out. What did you bring to turn in?” Marysue asked.

“Shards and hearts. Those Elder Sandworms are no joke,” Violet said. “I’m glad I went heavy with my minions, otherwise we might not have made it.”

“Aye, it got bad a few times,” Kauree said with a grimace. “Luckily, they do nay attack often, so she be able to bring out her swarm of Imps to help.”

“We know how that goes,” Karen nodded. “You going to a different zone or heading back out to the Dead Lands?”

“Different zone,” Violet said. “My Succubi are upset they can’t help more. Thinking we’ll go hit either the Lunari or Elf areas.”

“Good hunting,” Gerald said.

Alburet’s carriage followed Gerald’s to the Guild Hall. Ferrin was seated behind the desk, but there was no sign of Vanessa.

Gerald paused, “Where’s Vanessa, Ferrin?”

“Taking the day off, Lord. She said it had been approved by Kim.”

“Not like her to take extra days off,” Gerald said, surprised.

“She went out to assist at one of the Keeps, Lord. Something about wanting to grow stronger and conquer her fears.”

“Ah, she does nay want to get too far behind Kauree,” Stacia said.

“As long as it’s accounted for,” Gerald said. “Keep up the good work, Ferrin.”

“Of course, Lord.”

Passing by the desk, they were soon in the back room, using the portal to Progress. The graveyard was clear of undead and the guards looked relaxed, but they quickly came to attention when Gerald appeared.

“How long ago was the last attack?”

“Three hours, Lord,” the Sergeant on duty said, snapping a salute.

“Very well. Let Mantoya know that I’ll be heading due east this time.”

“Yes, Lord.”

The streets were busier than anyone expected, and they saw people heading in all directions on their way to the inn. “Busier than I recall it being,” Alburet said.

“I’m sure they’re all using this as a staging area to head out,” Gerald replied.

“Not enough action until you get a day away,” Karen said, looking over the players she could see. “Then again, most of them are in their seventies, so even the fights they get near the town are going to be tough.”

Stewart stood behind the bar, serving drinks. “Stew, we’re here for the food,” Alburet called out as the group entered the inn.

Stewart’s head snapped around and he smiled as he saw them. “Have a seat. Tabitha will bring it out shortly.”

Another group was seated around a table near where Gerald settled, and they greeted their Guild Leader with smiles all around. “Good to see you all enjoying your jobs.”

“We’ll be heading back over there in about two hours,” the healer of the group said. “We haven’t had any problems, and the quest drops are nice. We’re going to hand in another set tomorrow.”

“Good. Glad to see you’re using the job to get all you can out of it,” Gerald replied.

“Here you go,” Tabitha said, coming over with a bag for them. “It has everything you’ll need for a week.”

“Thank you,” Marysue said, taking the bag.

“It is our pleasure,” Tabitha beamed. “Because of you, we have a good home and our families are allowed to be here.”

“We have a number of Infernal friends,” Marysue said with a look at Bob and Tiny.

“Friends,” Gerald muttered, glowering at Bob.

Bob snickered, giving Gerald a wink, “Very close friends.”

“Bob,” Alburet chuckled, “knock it off.”

“Fine,” Bob huffed. “I only tease friends, though.”

“You all heading back out into the sands?” Stewart asked, coming over with a round of drinks for the table.

“Another week out,” Alburet nodded. “Have to get the drops for the quest.”

“Grimgar was saying something about getting an itch to help out,” Stewart said. “I talked him out of it.”

“How did Almira take that?” Fluff asked.

“She shook her head, but I could see her hand twitch,” Stewart sighed. “They might join up for the assault on the prison.”

Alburet felt conflicted over hearing that. After lobbying for others to risk their Final Deaths, he would be a hypocrite to try and persuade Grimgar and Almira out of it. “Did something happen to cause them to suddenly want to risk their lives?”

“I think they both want to repay Stein for Alistern’s death,” Stewart said, his hands tightening on his mug. “I can’t fault them for that.”

“Nay. It be their choice to risk it, but mayhap they will change their minds.”

“You’re right, Stacia... but at the same time, I’ve already lost one of my oldest friends. I don’t want the other two to die anytime soon,” Stewart said, taking a deep drink from his mug.

“Is it the certainty of death that changes how you used to feel?” Gerald asked.

Nodding, Stewart sighed, “Yes. When we were like you, it was a gamble and we rolled the dice time and again, but now, it’s no longer a gamble. But I’m sorry for bringing up my own issues. You all have work to do.” Raising his mug to them, Stewart gave them a tight smile, “To a successful hunt?”

Toasting back, they all took a drink before they set their mugs down and got to their feet. The goodbyes were a bit more poignant for a few of them when they left. Walking toward the east gate, Alburet kissed Stacia’s cheek. “You’ll support them no matter what they choose, won’t you?”

“Aye. Though, like Unca Stew, I be conflicted on wantin’ them to stay safe,” Stacia said. “It be wrong of me, since I have backed me own sisters’ right to fight durin’ this time.”

“You just don’t want to lose any more family,” Fluff said softly. “I don’t find it odd at all.”

“Let’s go kill things and get our minds off what might happen,” Karen said.

“Good idea,” Gerald agreed as they approached the east towers.

~*~*~

The days went by much as they had on the last trek across the sands. They gathered their quest items from the mobs and the groups of Infernals they came across. The morning of their fourth full day on the sands, Alburet was cooking their breakfast.

Marysue came out of her tent and took a seat. “Morning, Al. I have a favor to ask.”

“You want me to see about pushing for you to get into Delta World,” Alburet said, not looking up from the pan of sausages.

“That’s part of it,” Marysue agreed. “I want me and Gerald, not just me. I know you have some good connections with the company, and that’s usually better than just money for opening doors.”

“I honestly don’t mind asking, but I can’t promise anything. I’m not even sure if Karen and Fluff are going to be able to.”

“The quest does say that you’ll get a boon from the Overlord, and the way you’ve all been acting and talking, that’s going to be them going with you.”

“That is our fervent hope,” Alburet admitted as he switched pans over the fire.

“You aren’t going to ask me for anything in return?” Marysue prodded gently.

“No. I’ll ask for you and Gerald. There’s nothing you could do for me.”

“Are you sure about that?” Marysue’s voice held a hint that she knew something he didn’t.

Looking up from the pan, Alburet met her eyes. “At the moment, not anymore. I know you’re sharp and that you have enough money to buy islands, but I don’t think you could do anything for me specifically.”

“Your home is very nice,” Marysue smiled. “I was sad to see the memorials for your mother and friends.”

“Oh, yes. They’re in one of the hallways of the manor,” Alburet said slowly.

“It’s a shame when a family member dies so young. I could easily set up a scholarship in her name, something fitting for her.”

Alburet went still as memories of Kaylee filled his mind. “She was special, so special. My best friend’s daughter… basically a daughter to me.”

“I can see that,” Marysue’s voice was soft. “I don’t mean to bring up painful memories, I merely wished to offer something in return for what I’m asking.”

“I won’t ask,” Alburet said, putting his focus back on breakfast. “It would feel like cheapening her memory to me. I’ll ask for you, though. I have very few friends in my life, and I count you as one of the brightest.”

Marysue’s calm demeanor faltered, her eyes going soft as she looked at him. “Only a handful of people have ever declined a favor from me, Al. Very well, I withdraw the suggestion. I would not wish to harm your memories of her.”

“Thank you,” Alburet managed to say after a moment.

“Asthore, ya be okay?” Stacia said, poking her head out of the tent.

“Breakfast will be ready soon, and everything is fine, love.”

Stacia’s eyes met his before she gave him a sad smile, “I be getting’ the others up.”

“I should wake Gerald,” Marysue said, getting to her feet and starting to walk off. Stopping a few feet away, she looked back at Alburet bent over the fire. Her mask slipped away as she tried to see if he even suspected what she was sure of.

Chapter Twenty-three

As the sun climbed toward noon, they reached the top of another dune. They hadn’t expected to see a battle below them, waged between multiple groups. The remnants of Infernals littered the ground, along with almost double their number in undead. The last of the Infernals— a Greater Imp— threw Fire Blasts down on the undead, but the monsters didn’t seem affected by them.

“Charge,” Gerald said, sprinting down the dune. “Al, see if you can get that Imp out of there.”

“Bob, BJ, give him cover,” Alburet said as he threw himself into the air. He sped toward the Imp that was trying to dodge bolts of ice from the four remaining undead casters.

Two of the casters turned on Alburet and his Imps, trying to knock them out of the air with Ice Bolts. Without needing to speak, the three of them split off in different directions. A third caster turned on them, leaving the Greater Imp to deal with only one caster. Unfortunately, his attention wavered when he looked to see who was coming, and that momentary lapse was enough for one of his wings to get clipped, sending him crashing to the ground.

Alburet managed to cast a Fire Burst onto the undead gathered below him, but his spell did nothing. “Bob, try a Fire Burst. See if your Infernal Flames can touch them.”

Twin Fire Bursts engulfed the undead, chipping away small fragments of their health. “Yes, but not a lot,” Bob called back, throwing more Bursts as he weaved around the ice being thrown at him.

Alburet saw the one mob turn on the downed Imp and landed between them. His axe came around and collided with the undead’s bare head. The remaining mobs turned on Alburet the instant his attack landed. He was thankful when Gerald Ground Stomped behind them, stunning all four before they could get any hits in on him.

“Good timing,” Alburet said as he continued to hack at his target.

“Damned close,” Gerald said. “Lucky for you that Charge closes the distance faster than I could even think of running.”

“As does Leap,” Fluff said, landing beside them and spinning in a circle between the mobs as she used Whirlwind.

Tiny and TJ made it there before the stun wore off, allowing them to grab mobs and use their stuns to keep them locked down. With the full group there, they easily dismantled the four undead casters.

When the last of the mobs fell over dead, Alburet looked back to see Stacia and Kitten beside the injured Imp. Both of them had used Comforting Touch to heal him, but his health hadn’t recovered past half yet. With the battle done, Marysue helped heal the Infernal.

“Thank you,” the Imp said, his face twisted with sadness.

“What happened?” Alburet asked, going over to him.

“We crested the dune and found another group fighting these casters, so we came down to help. It’s unusual for us to find each other in the sands, but we help when we do. Just as we got close, another set of undead rose and we had to fight them first. Things didn’t seem too bad, but then another group of Infernals came over the dune from the other way. When they came down to assist, more undead came out of the sands and set upon all of us. While that was happening, the casters had finished off the first group and turned on the new group. None of us could hurt them with fire, only physical attacks could hurt them. They attacked the Destroyers first, killing them, then turned on the Succubi, leaving us for last. They picked us off one-by-one... when we tried to close and hurt them with our claws, they used area spells to damage us. We didn’t stand a chance.”

“Gerald,” Karen said as she finished looting, “I think you might want to see this.”

Gerald went over to see what she was talking about, leaving the others with the Imp. Stacia and Kitten did their best to comfort him, but even with them holding him, he didn’t seem to notice.

“Al, these weren’t average undead,” Gerald said, coming back with a medallion. “We looted five of these.”

Medallion of Stein’s Army

Wearer must be an undead creation of Stein or a follower of Stein

135% Fire Resistance

300 Intelligence

“How did these five end up all the way out here?” Alburet asked, handing the medallion back to Gerald.

“That’s a good question, and one we’re likely to never get an answer for. Maybe he’s been slowly setting them loose since you ran into him. We need to make sure the King hears about these. It will make a difference for the raid.”

“Ya should go home,” Stacia was saying softly. “See ya wives, gather ya friend’s families and honor them.”

Tears still fell from the Imp’s eyes, but he nodded mutely as he sniffled. Getting to his feet, he looked up at them. “I didn’t deserve to be saved, not when I failed them... but I will do what I should.” The Imp pulled a Homestone from his waistband and vanished, leaving the group to wonder if he would ever recover.

“Well that is fucked,” Karen muttered. “Fourteen dead, and all because of those casters.”

“We heading back, or should we keep going for the next few days?” Alburet asked.

“We should drop these off and turn in,” Gerald said. “The quest items the Infernals were carrying all dropped with their loot; we have more now than we did the first time. Let’s head home. We’ll drop off the items, go collect our rewards, and plan for what we should do next.”

Everyone agreed and they pulled out Homestones. Their eyes drifted to the sands around them, each of them easily able to recall where the bodies had been just minutes ago.

~*~*~

When they arrived at the table to drop their quest items off, they were surprised to find Sala there. “Alpha Company, it’s good to see you again.”

“We have shards and hearts to turn in, Sala,” Gerald said as he started piling shards on the table. “We also have five medallions the King should know about.”

“Very well. First, let’s deal with the easy items,” Sala said, beginning to count and hand off the shards to the guard next to him.

Once the shards and hearts had been accounted for, Gerald handed over the five medallions. “The King should know that these were found on a group of undead in the Dead Lands. We think that all of his forces will have something like these.”

Sala eyed the medallions for a moment before motioning another guard over to him. “Take these to Sir Jones. Let him know that Lord Stoutheart and his group brought them, and I don’t know how to reward them for doing so.” Taking them, the guard hurried off. “Did you wish to wait for his return?” Sala asked as they watched the guard leave.

“No, we’ll just take the chit for what you know we turned in. I’m sure we’ll be seeing Jones in the very near future,” Gerald said.

“Very well.” Sala quickly wrote out the slip for them. “Be well, Alpha Company. I expect to see you all in the coming days.”

“We will be,” Gerald replied.

“Off to the bank,” Alburet commented as they walked back toward the carriages.

The ride to the bank was quiet like the one to the castle had been, because each kept thinking about the fourteen dead Infernals. Once they arrived and entered the bank, they spotted a number of guards near the teller closest to the door, with a sign proclaiming it to be the line for the Two-souled.

There were only two groups ahead of them, and neither took long to conduct their business. Stepping forward when called, Gerald handed the two chits to the teller.

“Lord Stoutheart, Lady Stoutheart, Lord Darkhand, Lady Darkhand, and Lady Darkhand,” the teller said, looking up with wide eyes. “Please give me a moment to fill this.”

“Gerald, what was on those slips?” Karen asked.

“Just our names and titles,” Gerald said. “I didn’t expect that kind of reaction.”

The teller returned a moment later with the head of the bank. Morgan Warburg gave them a pleasant nod as he watched the teller hand over a large bag of coin. “Lords, Ladies, it is a pleasure to see you. Might I have a moment of your time?”

“I’m willing,” Gerald said.

“As am I,” Alburet added.

“Please come to my office once you are done,” Warburg said, then left them to conclude their business.

Once everyone had accepted the money, they got the notification that they had leveled to ninety-eight. As they headed for the office, Alburet looked back at Tiny and Bob. “Head on home. Let your wives know that we’ll be having another party tonight, and on shorter notice.”

Tiny’s normally taciturn face broke into a smile, “Of course, master.”

“I can’t wait to see his new get-up,” Bob said, vanishing a moment after Tiny.

In the office, they took seats across from Warburg. “Thank you for coming,” the older Dwarf said. “I’ve been meaning to approach you both for several weeks, but events of late have become rather chaotic.”

“They have,” Gerald agreed.

“As new Lords, I wished to invite you to open accounts for your Houses. These would be established as a way of protecting and investing money for your House’s future. This way, even if something were to happen to you, your House would be able to keep functioning.”

“I should do that,” Gerald agreed. “My heir should be cared for even after I leave.”

“Indeed,” Warburg smiled.

“I don’t have an heir to worry about,” Alburet commented.

“You are a very influential person in the city, Lord Darkhand. I would suggest that you consider finding an heir to carry your name and legacy,” Warburg earnestly suggested.

“We’ll be lookin’ into it,” Stacia said from beside Alburet.

Alburet glanced at her, but nodded, “What do we have to do to open an account?”

“Just sign these forms and deposit at least ten thousand gold,” Warburg said, pushing forms over to both Alburet and Gerald.

Gerald picked up the stack of papers and began to read them, and Alburet just waited. Once Gerald signed his, Alburet followed suit. “You didn’t even look at yours, did you?” Gerald asked.

“My lawyer did,” Alburet deadpanned.

Marysue snorted, “He’s my lawyer, not yours.”

“Fair, but if the form had something wrong, he wouldn’t have signed it,” Alburet said.

“I’ll just need the deposits,” Warburg said.

Both men placed a large stack of gold on the desk. Warburg collected them, then handed each an unadorned signet ring. “Just place these on your fingers and they will become your signet rings.”

As Alburet and Gerald accepted the rings and put them on, the bands shimmered and were suddenly showing the insignia of each House. Warburg solemnly shook hands with each of them before showing them out.

“We’ll see you in two hours?” Marysue asked as they crossed the lobby.

“For Tiny’s party, aye,” Stacia said. “Ya always be welcome.”

“Maybe we should Homestone home, then,” Gerald said. “It would give us more time to get ready.”

“A good idea,” Marysue said as she pulled out her Homestone.

“Head home,” Gerald told his driver. “We’ll be there shortly.”

“As you say, Lord,” the driver said, lightly snapping the reins.

“Knitoc, it’ll be the same for us. We’ll be holding a party for Tiny tonight,” Alburet told the Destroyer.

“I shall make sure the carriage is brought home, Lord,” Knitoc said. Astov closed the door he had opened for them and jumped onto the back of carriage.

“Let’s go home, ladies,” Alburet said, pulling out his Homestone, only to discover that the others were ahead of him.

~*~*~

Alburet returned home to a number of Infernals gathered much like they had been for Bob’s party. Pointing at the ground before the throng, he spoke with purpose, “Come to me, Tiny.”

The cloud of smoke that heralded the appearance of an Infernal was larger than normal, like it had been with Bob. When it cleared, Tiny stood there proudly, a broad smile framing his face. Tiny stood fully ten feet in height now, his horns curled into powerful ram’s horns. His body was covered in plate armor with underlying scale mail and was a reflection of the ornate armor Fluff had given the image on Alburet’s crest. He held a strong tower shield in his right hand, while his left grasped a formidable double-headed axe.

“Where did that armor come from?” Alburet asked.

“It was a gift from the Dark Lord,” Rachel said, appearing at Tiny’s side. “It was presented to us a few days ago, in anticipation of him becoming a Destroyer Lord. I was told to tell you that it was to ensure your crest was accurate.”

Alburet’s eye twitched once, “The Dark Lord does love to surprise me, it seems.”

“Does it not suit me?” Tiny asked, the smile starting to waver.

“Of course it does,” Karen said quickly.

“It does,” Alburet agreed. “I just wasn’t expecting you to have armor more ornate than the other Destroyer Lords.”

Tiny’s smile came back. “I am glad for it. It makes me known as your Destroyer to any who see me, master.”

“Ya did good with the drawin’, Fluff,” Stacia said. “Does it nay look as ya thought it would?”

“I didn’t think…” Fluff trailed off, walking over to Tiny and around him, briefly touching pieces of the armor. “It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you for making it mine, Fluff,” Tiny rumbled softly as he knelt on a knee to bring his head closer to her level. “I will always cherish this gift.”

Fluff's beautiful smile wreathed her face, “You’re welcome, Tiny. Thank you for always being there for us.”

“I think he looks amazing,” Bob added. “Almost as good as I do.”

Several of the Infernals watching blew raspberries at the Imp, who laughed at them and slapped Tiny on the back of the leg. “Okay, fine. He’s the best partner I could hope for.”

That got a round of agreement from the group of Infernals, and Tiny held out his hand to Bob so he could slap it. “I feel the same, Bob.”

“Okay folks, we have a little over an hour before the party,” Alburet chuckled. “Gerald and Marysue will be here soon. Let’s get everything in order for our guests.”

Bowing to him, the crowd dispersed, but Tiny and Rachel didn’t leave with them. “Lord,” Rachel said, stepping forward, “thank you.” She kissed both of his cheeks and stepped back. “I love my husband dearly, and to see him garner the attention I always believed he deserved fills me with happiness. This is all thanks to you.”

“I don’t think it’s all because of me,” Alburet replied. “Tiny has time and again been the steadfast shield that allowed us to overcome our foes.”

“Come, Rachel,” Tiny rumbled, taking her hand. “They need to get ready, and these are words that should be shared later.”

“Of course,” Rachel smiled. “We’ll see you in a bit.”

As the couple moved away, they were joined by another few Succubi. Alburet watched them go. He blinked when his arms were taken by the women he loved. “Huh?”

“We should be goin’ to get clean, aye?”

“Oh yes, a proper scrubbing is called for,” Karen winked as she opened the door to the manor.

“I get his back,” Fluff said.

“I’ll get his front,” Karen grinned.

“And I be getting’ both of ya,” Stacia laughed as they dragged him into the home.

Alburet

Demon Lord Summoner

Ambassador for the Dark Lord

Level 98

Strength: 397 (0)

Agility: 397 (0)

Constitution: 852 (430)

Intelligence: 452 (30)

Wisdom: 1,817 (1,060)

Charisma: 427 (0)

Health: 13,420

Mana: 23,070

Spells:

Demon Skin-Rank 10

Demonic Retribution- Rank 9

Summon Imp Lord

Fire Blast- Rank 9

Sap Strength- Rank 9

Demonic Haze- Rank 9

Summon Destroyer Lord

Demonic Vitality- Rank 9

Fire Burst- Rank 9

Summon Greater Succubus

Abilities:

Personal Spells

Flame Weapon

Copy

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Ally)

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Big Boom)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Demonic Shell)

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Comforting Touch)

Copy

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Essence Drain)

Still Caster

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Burning Cleanse)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Savage Roar)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Bash)

Imp Storm

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Infernal Flames)

Demonic Inspiration

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Thunderous Stomp)

Ranged Fire Burst

Racial Abilities:

Cast spells without verbal components

Physical damage reduction 25%

Magical damage reduction 10%

Influence emotions

Fire resistance 125%

Reputation gains at tenth value

All stats increase by 4 points per level

Can use any weapon regardless of strength required

Double movement speed when minion present

Maxed reputation with all Infernals and Worshippers of the Dark Lord

All Debuffs last half as long

Immune to movement impairing effects

Immune to mind altering effects

Chapter Twenty-four

They met back up at the Guild Hall. The group walked inside, then came to a stop just inside the door. Kauree and Vanessa were tangled in each other’s arms, clearly caught making out. Gerald raised an eyebrow as he moved further into the room. “Vanessa, I don’t mind who you are in a relationship with, but during working hours is not the time to engage in such activities.”

The couple separated, both of them clearly embarrassed at having been caught. “You’re right, Lord. It won’t happen again.”

“It be my fault. I surprised her and am the one who initiated—” Kauree began, but cut off when Gerald held up a hand.

“It’s past. Just keep it off duty for her,” Gerald interrupted her. “I take it that since you’re here, Violet is resupplying again.”

“Aye, we be takin’ today off,” Kauree replied. “We be headin’ for the Lunari continent tomorrow. The Trolls and Vermin be almost done; they be droppin’ the quest items for each other, as well.”

“Which means the other zones are going to be picking up in competition,” Alburet muttered.

“Aye, the Dead Lands and Dragon Home be the ones with the least quest items turned in so far,” Kauree said. “Though the shards be comin’ in from every zone tha’ be attacked.”

“So the Mature Dragon Tongues and Elder Sandworm Hearts will be the last quest items to be collected,” Gerald nodded.

“Tha’ be what the man behind the desk said,” Kauree shrugged. “Delver’s have turned in some tongues, and we be the only ones with hearts turned in.”

“I hope those are given appropriate weight in the final tabulation, then,” Gerald said. “We’re heading back out. I feel that we have a week, maybe ten days, before all the pieces are gathered. As soon as that happens, we’ll likely head straight for Stein.”

Alburet’s lips pursed as he considered what Gerald had said. Three months from the start of testing is close to when Gerald thinks the raid will be. Is that why the quest items were given in the values they were? Is this a complicated plan on your end Vicky, to reward those who opted for three months of testing with the first big raid?

“We should be going,” Gerald said, breaking Alburet from his thoughts.

“I will be lettin’ Violet know what ye said,” Kauree said. “Iffin ye be right, we be needin’ to hunt more to make sure we be as ready as ye are.”

Gerald nodded, leading the group to the room where the portal was set up. Appearing in the graveyard, they found themselves again embroiled in a fight. Reacting with the teamwork they had forged in all their previous battles, they were able to help the other group and the guards put the undead down.

“Good timing,” the Priest for the other group said.

“Just happened to work out,” Gerald said. “We’re grabbing stuff and heading back out.”

“We’re off to turn in some shards from the undead here, but we’ll be back in time for the next attack,” the Priest told the guards as his party pulled out Homestones.

Once they had left, Gerald turned to the guards. “How has it been?”

“Mostly uneventful, Lord. Every five to twelve hours, we’re hit with an attack, but the people assigned always show up within a few minutes if they aren’t already here.”

“I’m glad they’re working out,” Gerald said. “Have we lost anyone?”

“We’ve come close a couple of times, but we haven’t actually lost anyone yet, Lord. Some of the shopkeepers have come to assist, too.”

“I’m surprised to hear that, but as long as they’re assisting, we will accept the help. Keep up the good work.”

“Thank you, Lord. We shall.”

“Inn for food, then back out?” Alburet asked as they headed away from the graveyard.

“Yes. I’m thinking due south this time,” Gerald replied.

“Works,” Alburet nodded.

Stewart was alone inside the inn when they entered, standing behind the bar idly polishing a glass. His face lit up with a smile when he saw them. “I have your food ready,” he said, placing a bag on the counter. Smile fading, he changed the subject, “They’re going to join up for the raid on Stein.”

“We’ll be there, too,” Alburet said.

“I talked with Tabitha and the others last night,” Stewart went on. “We’ll be joining, as well. Lilith was going to join, but she said she has obligations to Dennis and Emily that prevent her from doing so.”

“She’s their guardian,” Gerald said. “Dennis is my heir, but he isn’t of age to have that role without a guardian.”

“I know,” Stewart said grimly. “I promised her we would pay them all back for what they’ve done.”

“Aye. We will be doin’ tha’ with interest,” Stacia nodded.

“First, though, we need to finish gathering the quest items,” Alburet said, his hands clenched. “Are you and them heading out to level up some?”

“We’re helping with the graveyard attacks for now, but I’ve asked the temple to find us a healer and damage dealer to round out our group so we can go out and level. We’re going to use some of the Succubi to run the shops for us while we’re out. I figured you would be okay with that.”

“That’s fine, but please inform me sooner next time,” Gerald said.

“I will,” Stewart said.

Taking the bag from the counter, Marysue touched Stewart’s hand. “Be careful while you hunt. Some of the undead are carrying necklaces that make them all but immune to fire.”

“That is troubling. I’ll let the others know.”

“Stay safe,” Alburet told Stewart.

“Don’t overdo it,” Karen was quick to add.

“We’ll be careful,” Stewart replied.

“I be lookin’ forward to havin’ dinner with ya all again,” Stacia said, going over to collect a hug.

“I’ll make it a grand feast,” Stewart said as he hugged her.

“Let’s head out. We have days of hunting to do again,” Gerald said after everyone had said their goodbyes.

As they walked through the growing town, Stacia looked back at the inn. “Ya all stay safe,” she whispered.

~*~*~

The rest of the day was much like all the others they had spent traversing the sands. As the sun sank toward the horizon, they finally called it a day and set camp. Gerald had dinner duty, so Alburet and his wives went to change in their tent.

“Asthore,” Stacia said as Alburet began to strip off his armor, “ya should be settin’ someone up for takin’ over ya house, so ya legacy can go on when we leave.”

“I have no idea who would even be suited for that position,” Alburet said.

“I do,” Stacia said, going over to help him out of his leathers. “Me sister. It would give her somethin’ to hold onto once we be gone, and when Violet leaves her in time.”

Alburet went still as he considered what Stacia was saying. “Because all Two-souled will leave eventually,” he whispered.

“That is a problem for all the Two-souled and native relationships,” Karen said. “Not including ours, of course.”

“Would Marian even want that?” Alburet asked.

“I can ask her, but she be the only one I can think of,” Stacia said.

“I’m not really a Lord, though. I’m just an Ambassador,” Alburet said.

“Ya be a Lord; the Dark Lord has made ya one,” Stacia told him. “For Stormguard, ya may just be an Ambassador, but iffin they accept Infernals as equals, then ya title from the Dark Lord would carry some weight.”

“It would give her something to hold onto,” Fluff said softly, “when Violet steps away from testing, or in time…”

“She does realize that Violet will leave eventually, right?” Karen asked Stacia. “None of our other worlds stayed connected more than twenty years at the most.”

“Aye. There were Two-souled here before ya all showed up. They left for a time, but came back on and off over the years. Marian has accepted that Violet will leave eventually, but she be holdin’ to the happiness she can have while she can. I be wantin’ to give her somethin’ to hold to when the time comes that Violet leaves for good.”

“Ask her. If she agrees, I’ll fill out the paperwork,” Alburet said.

All of them felt the fear and uncertainty that lurked at the backs of their minds. Coming together, they held each other to assure themselves that they wouldn’t be pulled apart. Time passed unheeded as they helped reassure the others, and were reassured in turn.

“Dinner will be done in a minute,” Marysue called to them from beside the tent flap.

“We’ll be right there,” Alburet said. All of them stepped back in unison to finish getting ready for dinner.

When they exited the tent, Gerald was already plating the chicken he had made. “I was wondering if your activities might not have delayed you longer than you realized,” Gerald said, almost smirking.

“We were discussing what to do about my heir,” Alburet said as they took seats near the fire.

“Ah... sorry,” Gerald coughed, looking away from them.

“That might have happened if we hadn’t gotten distracted,” Karen said, taking the offered plate, “so don’t feel too bad.”

“What did you decide?” Marysue asked.

“We be askin’ Marian first,” Stacia said, accepting her food. “Iffin tha’ does nay work, we be thinkin’ on others.”

“Do you think she’ll decline?” Marysue asked as she took her plate next.

“It be unlikely, but she does be havin’ other thin’s she be concerned about at the moment,” Stacia replied.

“I think she’ll accept... if not for Al, then for you,” Fluff said, resting her plate on her lap. “You are Lady Darkhand now, after all, and accepting would keep your name going for as long as the House does.”

“I had nay considered tha’,” Stacia murmured.

“Your family does look after each other more than most would,” Karen said.

“They are blessed that way,” Gerald nodded as he finished serving himself.

“This is very good,” Fluff said, sounding almost surprised after her first bite.

“Thank you,” Gerald replied as he began to cut his own meat into bite sized pieces.

Conversation fell off as they ate, aside from compliments to Gerald for his cooking. When they finished, Fluff did the dishes since she would be cooking breakfast for them the next day. Once everything was done and put away, the two groups went to their tents.

When the four entered their tent, Alburet pulled his wives to him and held them. Fear of losing them had been growing over the last minute, and feeling the burgeoning fear, they held him in return and whispered comforts to him.

“I hope we’re right about what completing the quest will mean for us,” he managed as the fear ebbed.

“I believe in the Overlord,” Stacia said, kissing him gently.

“I don’t like her,” Karen said, “but if Stacia believes in her, I’ll give her a chance.”

“Victoria has never lied to me,” Fluff said. “I will also push for us to go together.”

“Have you done any work for Delta World?” Alburet asked.

“No,” Fluff said. “Victoria never asked me.”

“Maybe she hoped for you to go, even before we met,” Alburet suggested.

“Maybe,” Fluff replied.

“I think I want to snuggle,” Karen said as they started to break apart. “Who wants to join me?”

All three agreed in near unison, causing them to laugh. Stripping down, they climbed into the bedding and in time, found what worked best for them in the moment.

Chapter Twenty-five

A solid week of hunting passed. No Infernals died in their presence this time, but a few dozen groups of them did hand over the quest items they had collected. Marysue and Gerald used the Guildstones to pass messages, keeping in touch with the guildies that were holding Keeps and fighting in various zones. Overall, the Guild’s impressions of the pre-raid event had been positive, but the event was starting to lose its appeal.

“Back to turn in and see where it all stands?” Gerald asked the others. “I doubt the event can last another three days with the way players are dropping out.”

“That sounds like the best idea,” Alburet agreed. “Besides, that was the last of our food.”

“I was wondering why breakfast seemed so eclectic,” Marysue giggled.

“That’s because you would have done dinner, and haven’t seen the bag in days,” Karen said. “We going to go until noon, then go back? Or are we gonna head back, turn in, and then rest for the rest of the day?” Her question was loaded, her tone making it obvious which she wanted.

“Mary?” Gerald asked.

“We could use a day or two off; we’ve been going full tilt since this started. We’re almost level ninety-nine, though... a handful of fights might get us there.”

Karen looked at Stacia, “Okay, until noon or level, but tomorrow, we take the day off.”

“I’ll agree with that,” Alburet smiled.

“Me too,” Fluff added.

“We do nay have to fight for me,” Stacia said.

“We seem to have a lot of people willing to,” Gerald chuckled. “You’ve had weeks of being unable to really flex your Abilities, Stacia. We’ll do as Karen suggested. If we level, I’m assuming we’ll be having another feast tonight?”

“Of course,” Alburet said. “We’ll level with what we turn in if nothing else, so I should warn Loralee and Rachel.”

“I do nay need—” Stacia began, but Karen placed a finger on her lips, silencing her.

“Yes, yes you do. You’re our wife and we want to celebrate your growth. Now, no more talking back.”

Eyes shimmering, Stacia kissed the finger on her lips. “As ya wish, me demandin’ wife.”

“Okay, then. Let’s break and get moving,” Gerald said as he started packing things away.

“I find it funny that your minions were the first ones to reach max level,” Gerald said as they got things ready to go. “I mean, it was obviously going to happen, but I still find it funny. All three of them beat us to cap.”

“Aye, but ya all be well beyond us in power,” Stacia replied while she packed their tent away.

“We had a much easier time of things, outside of a few dungeons, because you were with us,” Marysue said.

“Those dungeons, though,” Karen snorted. “Man, talk about penalizing minion classes.”

“Those were rough,” Gerald agreed, getting his shield and weapon ready. “Do you think we should check with Grimgar, Almira, and the others once we hit cap? We’ve gotten bits and pieces of new gear, but I haven’t seen anything for level one hundred.”

“I’m thinking that most of that will drop during the raid,” Alburet said. “I have a feeling this raid is going to be a memorable one.”

“We be ready,” Stacia said, flanking Marysue with herself and her Copy. She had taken over the job of personal guard for the healer since she couldn’t do much of anything else.

“Okay. Here we come, level ninety-nine,” Alburet said and pulled the Campstone.

~*~*~

Berk was once again at the table when they stepped up to turn in their quest items. “I was wondering when you all would appear again,” Berk said. “We only need a few hundred Elder Lunine Shaman Tails, a thousand Mature Dragon Tongues, twenty-odd thousand Dead Shards, and three hundred Elder Sandworm Hearts. What do you have to turn in?”

“Shards and hearts,” Gerald said as he began to unload the shards first. “A week’s worth, so this might take a bit.”

Once they had finished with the shards, Berk looked impressed. “That’s the highest single total of those we’ve received.”

“Now for the hearts,” Gerald said and started to stack them on the table.

Berk whistled softly when he tallied all the hearts. “A hundred and five Elder Sandworm Hearts? That is very helpful.”

“Any idea where that puts us in the ranking?” Gerald asked as Berk wrote out the chit for them to take to the bank.

“Lord Lightfist’s group has turned in the most items,” Berk said. “You and the Delvers are close for second. As for who might round out the top five, it’s hard to say. A number of groups are close, so a final tally will have to be done.”

“Thank you,” Gerald said, taking the slip from Berk.

“My pleasure, Lord Stoutheart. Sir Jones would like to speak with you when you have time in the next day or two. That includes you as well, Lord Darkhand.”

“We’ll see him tomorrow,” Gerald said. “Around midday?”

“I shall inform him,” Berk smiled. “I hope your day is pleasant.”

Saying their goodbyes, they left the table behind and headed for their carriages. “Turn this in, then meet at your place two hours after that?” Gerald asked.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Alburet said.

A few minutes later, the carriage was rolling down the street to the bank. “I’m still curious why you wanted to wait,” Alburet told Stacia.

“Me whole family be comin’ to the feast,” Stacia smiled. “They all agreed to be here tonight.”

“Ah, you want them all to be there. Got it.”

“Ya do nay mind?”

“Of course we don’t,” Karen answered first.

“No, it’s a good idea. I want to draw it, too,” Fluff added.

“I’ll give you almost anything, dear,” Alburet smiled.

“Almost anythin’?” Stacia asked.

“I won’t give you up,” Alburet replied with a smirk.

“He’ll never let you down,” Karen snickered.

“Or run around or desert you,” Fluff finished, making the other two blink at her.

“I do nay get it, but ya all seem to understand, and ya only have love in ya hearts.”

“It’s a song,” Alburet told her.

The rest of the ride was devoted to explaining the song. When they got out of the carriage, Stacia was shaking her head. “Ya other world do be silly at times.”

“Can’t argue that,” Karen snorted.

“What’s going on?” Gerald asked them, as he and Marysue left their carriage.

“We were explaining a song to her,” Alburet said quickly.

“Oh, what song?” Marysue asked.

“‘Never Gonna Give You Up,’” Alburet admitted.

“I liked that song,” Marysue said with a smile at Gerald.

Gerald coughed and motioned toward the door, “Shall we?”

Karen and Alburet exchanged a smirk before they followed Gerald. “How many times have you sung it to her, Gerald?” Karen asked as Gerald opened the bank door.

“Not important,” Gerald was quick to reply.

“A few hundred,” Marysue giggled. “I did ask him to sing it a lot when it first came out.”

“Gerald can sing?” Fluff asked.

“No, he sounds like a frog being stepped on, but I enjoyed it anyway,” Marysue admitted with stifled laughter.

“Mary...” Gerald complained softly.

“It’s true. They’re our friends and should know not to ask you to sing,” Marysue told him. “They won’t hold it against you.”

Karen closed her open mouth, “Okay, fine. I won’t now.”

Alburet snickered, “That was close.”

“Stacia,” Fluff said, trying to change the subject, “is Mother coming to dinner?”

“Aye, she said she would nay miss it,” Stacia grinned.

“Mother is coming?” Gerald asked as they waited in line.

“Aye, me whole family will be comin’, includin’ Unca Stew, Grim, and Almira.”

“That’s going to be a full table,” Gerald murmured.

“It just be the family at the table. The others will be holdin’ their party in another room,” Stacia admitted. “I did nay have enough time to see about arrangin’ otherwise.”

“Next,” the teller called, interrupting them.

“Afternoon,” Gerald greeted the cashier, handing her the slip.

“Oh… just a moment please,” the teller said after looking at it. “I’ll be right back.”

A minute passed and when the teller returned, Morgan Warburg was following her. “This seems to be becoming common,” the Dwarf smiled. “Will you follow me, please?”

Gerald motioned and they all trailed after Warburg, who took them to his office again. Once everyone was seated, Warburg spoke up, “It will take us a few hours to assemble the gold that the Crown is telling us to give you. If you are willing to just deposit that amount into your accounts instead, I would thank you.”

“That’s fine with me,” Alburet was the first to respond.

“Add mine to his,” Karen said.

“Mine as well,” Fluff smiled.

“And mine can go with Gerald’s,” Marysue said.

“Thank you so much,” Warburg said, his relief evident. “It would have closed us for business for the rest of the day otherwise. I never expected such a large sum to come due all at once. Now for me to complete the quest.”

Warburg fiddled with the air for a moment, and when he finished, the five players all broke into smiles. Warburg blinked as he appeared to read something before him.

Alburet brushed aside the notifications after a quick glance. “Well, that will probably stick in Benedict’s craw,” he chuckled.

World First: Alpha Company is the first Guild to have a player reach level 100.

World First: Alpha Company is the first Guild to have a full group reach level 100.

World First: Ambassador Alburet Darkhand is the first Summoner to reach level 100.

World First: Lord Gerald Stoutheart is the first Defender to reach level 100.

World First: Lady Marysue Stoutheart is the first Priest to reach level 100.

World First: Lady Fluff Darkhand is the first Berserker to reach level 100.

World First: Lady Karen Darkhand is the first Assassin to reach level 100.

“My, the first Two-souled Guild to reach such heights... it is an honor to have you here when it happened,” Warburg said, standing up and extending his hand to them.

“Thank you,” Gerald said, shaking hands with the Dwarf. “If that concludes our business, we have other things that need to be accomplished today.”

“Of course, of course,” Warburg said, escorting them out of his office.

They left, looking uneasily around at all the staff and customers watching them with wide smiles and hopeful eyes. “That’s a little creepy,” Karen muttered.

Warburg’s secretary bowed her head to them, “We hope that your group will be there with the King when he goes after Stein.”

“Of course we will,” Gerald said, standing up to his full height. “Alpha Company will always be on the front lines to help keep the city and world safe.”

Someone began to cheer and soon, everyone except the other players joined in. The other players all stared at them, a couple muttering as they crossed the room.

“Fucking grandstanding assholes,” one of them muttered, overheard by Fluff just before they left the bank.

“Well, that was different,” Alburet said as they left the bank.

“Alpha Company will always be on the front line?” Karen asked. “Can you promise that?”

“I’ve been talking with Ironhand and grooming him to take over after I leave,” Gerald smiled. “He won’t be here all the time when the test ends, but he’ll keep coming back. It seems he fibbed to us. He’s a rather well-known actor. Last time I spoke with him alone, he asked me how to broach the subject with Leggy.”

“I didn’t see that coming,” Alburet said.

“Me neither, but he did an amazing job with singing and acting during the raid for the Keep,” Fluff agreed.

“Which—” Karen began.

“No,” Gerald cut her off. “Sorry Karen, but I promised to keep his name a secret.”

“Hmm,” Karen looked at the carriage. “I’ll just corner him and ask him when I see him next.”

“Thanks,” Gerald sighed. “Anyway, we’ll see you in two hours. We’re going to train and then get ready.”

“Same,” Alburet said. “Ladies, this way please.”

~*~*~

At the Dead Sands Inn, Alburet led Stacia inside. The inn was busier than it had been when they were last there: all the tables were filled, and the bar only had a couple of spots open.

Making their way over to the bar, Alburet motioned to Tabitha, “Stewart?”

“Training in the back,” Tabitha said with a smile. “We’ll be there tonight.”

“Thank ya. I be lookin’ forward to seein’ ya,” Stacia said as they left the bar for the backroom.

Just when they reached the door, Violet came out of the room. “I thought you’d be coming to train.”

“Ninety-five?” Alburet asked her.

“Yeah.”

“What did you take?”

“Infernal Blood; the resistances are too good to pass up,” Violet said. “I came to train so I could get ready for the party.”

“We be lookin’ forward to seein’ ya both,” Stacia said.

Violet’s happiness dimmed for a moment, “About making Marian your heir... she told me about it the other day. I’m going to be here until they stop us from coming… in case that played any part in your thinking.”

“It did a bit. I want to make sure that my family is cared for once I’m not here,” Alburet said. “Marian will need something once the worst comes, and I wanted to leave something for her. Erin has Wilbur, Deirdre has Chris, and Emily is going to have Dennis. For us Two-souled, though…”

“Okay, I get it,” Violet sighed. “I’ll talk to you later.” She pulled out her Homestone and vanished a moment later.

“Alburet, is everything okay?” Stewart asked, coming to the door.

“Need to train,” Alburet said.

“I did see the announcement. You do enjoy breaking expectations,” Stewart chuckled. “Let’s get you trained so you can go get ready for tonight.”

“It’s an easy choice,” Alburet said, following him into the room. A minute later, Alburet pushed the book back to Stewart. “Copy Master.”

“A small army at your call,” Stewart chuckled.

“We’ll need them,” Alburet said.

“Of course,” Stewart sighed. “We made level ninety yesterday. Wish Alistern was here with us.”

“We all do,” Stacia said softly. “Ya are comin’, Tabitha said?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Stewart said, coming around the desk to hug her. “See you two tonight.” Slapping Alburet on the back, he continued, “Make sure to keep her happy.”

“I do the best I can,” Alburet replied. “I think she makes me happier than I do her.”

“Tha’ be one of me jobs, but it be one I love,” Stacia smiled.

“Go on, you two. Go home to your wives,” Stewart said. “See you in two hours or so.”

“We’ll have the carriage pick you four up,” Alburet said.

“Fancy. Thank you,” Stewart said, shooing them off.

When the couple appeared in the courtyard, Karen and Fluff were waiting for them. “You didn’t have to wait,” Alburet said.

“We’d just made it back and figured you wouldn’t be much longer,” Karen grinned. “Besides, we wanted to make sure you came straight along to the bath with us.”

Laughing, Alburet didn’t resist when she took his hand and began to lead him into the manor. “I’m coming, I’m coming.”

“Nay yet,” Stacia murmured.

“We’ll get you there, though,” Fluff finished.

“Oh gods, you did corrupt her!” Alburet laughed as he followed along after Karen. “Et tu, Fluff?”

“After you. I’ll make sure to get her there,” Karen laughed.

Laughter rang through the halls as they made their way to the bathroom. The Infernals who heard them as they went smiled, glad that their Lord and Ladies were able to find some happiness in this dark time.

~*~*~

Two hours later, everyone was gathered— from the extended family to the staff of the manor— in the courtyard. Alburet gave Stacia a smile before he dismissed her. “Okay everyone, here we go.” Clearing his throat, he uttered the words to summon her back and tapped his hip, “Come to me, my fiery kitten.”

The smoke billowed into the air beside him, obscuring Stacia. Two large wings extended out of the cloud, red on the interior and black on the exterior. Flapping slowly, they helped the smoke disperse faster. A black, leathery, spade-tipped tail wrapped around Alburet’s arm. When the smoke cleared, the first thing everyone could see were her hooves and the smooth black leather on Stacia’s legs. The leather came up to her knees, where it then melted away to become creamy white skin. Covering her voluptuous form was a blood red dress; it clung to her torso while falling in rivers of cloth around her legs, split at the hips. The bust of the dress was trimmed with black cloth that only helped accentuate the overly ample chest of the smiling Succubus. The cloth traveled up between her breasts to form a collar around her neck. Crimson hair spilled in wild curls down her neck, and Stacia met his gaze.

“Do I be meetin’ ya approval, master?”

“Darkness, yes,” Alburet said. Her tail was still wrapped around his arm, and he gave it a light tug, pulling her to him so they could embrace and kiss.

The only sound for a long moment was the furious movement of Fluff’s pencil as she drew.

“I got dibs on next,” Karen said beside him.

The kiss broke and Stacia seemed to glide into Karen’s arms as if she was liquid sex. “Aye, ya been patient.”

That kiss gave way to Fluff suddenly being held and kissed, too. “I would nay forget our other lovin’ wife, either.”

The watching throng cheered as Stacia embraced and kissed each of her spouses in turn. “It is always a good day when one of my granddaughters reaches the rank of Lady,” Mother said, dabbing at her eyes. “It’s been even longer since anyone outside of an Infernal has reached level of one hundred.”

“I think she favors you even more than me,” Lilith said to Mother. “She has the poise to be a powerful figure.”

“I can because of me lovin’ husband and wives,” Stacia smiled.

Stewart was sniffling as he tried to hold back tears. Stacia went to him and hugged him gently. Her eyes were wet, but the tears were not yet falling, “Aye, I wish he was here too, Unca Stew.”

“We all do,” Almira said softly. “I can say he would be proud of you, Stacia. Alistern was afraid of losing you, but once you married, he was only ever proud of you.”

“Aye,” Stacia whispered as she stepped back from Stewart. “We be having a party inside. Come, do nay make me a bad hostess.”

“I brought gifts for you all,” Mother said as they entered the manor. The staff headed toward the tables that had been set up outside for them. “We’re celebrating not just my granddaughter’s ascension, but also your own rise to the height of power.”

“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” Alburet muttered.

“Come now,” Mother laughed. “I bring gifts from Peace for two of your closest friends, as well. After all, while they can’t physically walk this world anymore, the gods can support their chosen. Even Bastet has entrusted me with gifts to bestow on the talented artist of your family.”

Alburet and his wives felt shivers run down their spines. “The Dark Lord, Peace, and Bastet all gave you gifts to deliver?” Alburet asked with a leery expression.

“Indeed,” Mother smiled broadly. “Justice is doing the same for his Champion. Hunter, Magica, Forge, Hearth, and the amazing Leo have all also decided to present gifts to their Champions before you go after Stein. That horrible little man has dared to declare himself the equal of my beloved and the others. I’ll be glad when you all strike him down.”

“We’ll do our best to make that happen soon,” Gerald said into the silence that followed her exposition.

“I know, which is why I’m happy to bring these gifts.”

When they entered the dining room, Alburet finally noticed something that had been bothering him. “Bob? In a suit?”

All eyes went to the Imp. He looked uncomfortable now that everyone was staring at him. “Err…”

“It’s a grand feast for you all. Of course he’s wearing appropriate clothing,” Loralee smiled. “Besides, doesn’t he look handsome?”

“Aye, it fits ya well,” Stacia smiled at him.

“I have to agree, Bob. I know you hate it, but that suit really does look good,” Karen nodded.

“I’d like to get all three of you after dinner,” Fluff said. “I want to draw the emblem of the house again now that you’re all Lords and Ladies.”

“Aye, tha’ be a wonderful idea,” Stacia nodded as Alburet seated her.

“In the suit?” Bob asked.

“In the suit,” Fluff smiled. “Once you see how good it looks, you might change your mind on it.”

“He’ll do it,” Loralee smiled.

“I’ll do it,” Bob agreed after a quick look at Loralee.

The giant table was filled. Emily and Dennis were the youngest, and both watched Gerald and Marysue carefully, still obviously learning all they could about being nobility. Mother sat beside them, gently correcting them when they slipped as the meal progressed, happy to help.

Once dinner was over and everyone had complimented Loralee and the other cooks half a dozen times each, Mother stood up. “I would like to present gifts before we all forget, if that’s okay with you, Lady Darkhand?”

“Aye, tha’ be fine, Mother,” Stacia agreed.

Mother opened a small clutch purse and pulled out several large boxes, setting them on the table. Once she had five of them on the table, she asked Tiny to bring them to each person they belonged to.

“As you are aware, I’m sure, Alburet, the Dark Lord is responsible for your gift and Karen’s. Bastet sends her warm wishes to you Fluff, and thinks your new name is much better than your old one. Gerald, Marysue, your gifts are from Peace.” Sitting back down, she motioned to them, “Go ahead. Open them.”

Alburet shrugged and opened the box that Tiny had set beside him as the others did the same. Once they came open, each person sat motionless for a moment, staring in amazement. “This is… overwhelming,” Alburet said as he began to pull out a full set of armor, laying each piece on the table in front of him.

“Right?” Karen agreed as she was doing the same. “Damn, this stuff is going to make me sexy as fuck.”

“You don’t need any help with that,” Fluff was able to say, even though she stared with eyes wide as she pulled out the scale mail that was in her box.

“Isn’t this a bit much?” Gerald asked, pulling brilliant white plate with gold trim from his gift box.

“I’m almost in agreement, but this world is alive, so it makes sense in that regard,” Marysue said, lightly touching the white leathers that she had received.

“Some of you have items that don’t need to be replaced, such as Marysue’s weapon, and the very singular ring Alburet has,” Mother commented as everyone at the table stared at the items gifted to them.

“Full armor sets might be going a step too far, though,” Karen whispered.

“Nonsense,” Mother said. “The other Champions and favored of the gods will be getting much the same. Stein must be stopped, at all costs. Some of those we love have died, and more very well might, but we have to endure that to make sure Stein dies.” The power of her voice gripped each of them, not magically but with sheer emotion. The pain she felt at having lost loved ones touched each of them, poignantly reminding them of their own losses.

“Mother,” Alburet said softly, “we will stop him. Us and the other Two-souled are going to end this nightmare, even if we have to come back time and again to do so. Stein made a mistake when he threatened those we love and care for, and we will make him pay with interest.”

“Good,” Mother said, the fire in eyes dying back down. “Please do. Now, if you all will excuse me, I must attend my Lord. Use our gifts well, and know that we will help as much as we can in the next few days.”

Mother walked out of the room, leaving them all staring at the items and each other for a few long moments. Fluff was the first to break the silence, “Should we go outside and do the drawing there? I’m sure the others would like to see it.”

Alburet

Demon Lord Summoner

Ambassador for the Dark Lord

Level 100

Strength: 405 (0)

Agility: 405 (0)

Constitution: 940 (510)

Intelligence: 930 (500)

Wisdom: 2,275 (1,500)

Charisma: 435 (0)

Health: 14,400

Mana: 27,750

Spells:

Demon Skin-Rank 10

Demonic Retribution- Rank 9

Summon Imp Lord

Fire Blast- Rank 9

Sap Strength- Rank 9

Demonic Haze- Rank 9

Summon Destroyer Lord

Demonic Vitality- Rank 9

Fire Burst- Rank 9

Summon Succubus Lady

Abilities:

Personal Spells

Flame Weapon

Copy

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Ally)

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Big Boom)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Demonic Shell)

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Comforting Touch)

Copy

Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Essence Drain)

Still Caster

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Burning Cleanse)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Savage Roar)

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Bash)

Imp Storm

Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Infernal Flames)

Demonic Inspiration

Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Thunderous Stomp)

Ranged Fire Burst

Copy Master

Racial Abilities:

Cast spells without verbal components

Physical damage reduction 25%

Magical damage reduction 10%

Influence emotions

Fire resistance 125%

Reputation gains at tenth value

All stats increase by 4 points per level

Can use any weapon regardless of strength required

Double movement speed when minion present

Maxed reputation with all Infernals and Worshippers of the Dark Lord

All Debuffs last half as long

Immune to movement impairing effects

Immune to mind altering effects

Chapter Twenty-six

Waking to two highly sexual women and a third who was rapidly becoming their equal was one of the things that always made mornings interesting. If he didn’t wake first, it was always a pleasant surprise never knowing who was going to be doing what with whom.

Once they had pulled themselves from the tangled sheets, they stopped into the bathroom to clean up. As was the case almost every morning, getting ready for the day was accompanied by a bit of play between them.

When they made it to the smaller dining room, Loralee and one of her helpers were waiting for them. “I was wondering if I shouldn’t have made lunch for you all instead of breakfast,” Loralee smirked. “I’ll bring it out in just a moment.”

“The only thing I know we have to do today is meet with Ioaniss around noon,” Alburet said as he finished seating his wives. “That still gives us a couple of hours.”

“I’d like to try out this new gear,” Karen said, “but maybe after meeting Ioaniss. I know we were going to take the day off, but I want to make sure I’m used to it.”

“Me, too,” Fluff nodded. “I’m glad the set bonus is for two and four items of the sets. Otherwise, I’d have to choose whether or not I wanted to use the belt.”

“I understand,” Alburet agreed. “We can hit one of the lower zones, maybe go back through a dungeon so we can scale down.”

“That would work,” Karen said. “It’s something we can manage easily, but it’s still difficult enough that we’d have to work through a rotation or two.”

“I’ll see if Gerald is up for it, because otherwise, we might need to snag a couple of others for healing and tanking.”

“Breakfast is served,” Loralee said as she came into the room with a tray, her helper right behind her carrying another.

“After breakfast, that is,” Alburet chuckled.

Gathering up the rest of their gear after they had eaten, the group left the manor. Bob and Tiny were chatting with Knitoc and Astov when they came out.

The four of them slowed when they saw Bob still wearing the suit. “Bob, the party is over,” Alburet said.

“After seeing Fluff’s drawing and listening to my wives, I decided to give wearing the suit a try for today,” Bob said, obviously a little uneasy. “If it hinders me at all, I’ll take it off.”

“Ya look so dignified,” Stacia said, giving him a bright smile.

“It really looks good on you, Bob,” Fluff added.

“Very refined,” Karen winked.

“Loralee said we’re going out today,” Bob said as he watched the ladies get into the carriage. “Is that after the meeting?”

“Yes, we want to try out the new gear,” Alburet said.

“I’m all for it,” Bob said, jumping up onto the back of the carriage.

“Figured you would be,” Alburet laughed before he got in after the women.

“Bob seems excited,” Karen snickered softly. “I wonder what Loralee promised him for wearing the suit today?”

“I bet we could guess the general idea of the promise if we tried,” Alburet replied.

“It wouldn’t be hard,” Fluff nodded.

“I’ll let Gerald know we’re on the way,” Alburet chuckled as he pulled out his Mindstone, “as well as our plan to test out the new gear.”

“Mayhap it be a dungeon I can be useful in?” Stacia asked.

“I’ll suggest a few that don’t have undead.”

“Thank ya, Asthore,” Stacia murmured, kissing his cheek.

“Gods know we’ll get enough undead in the near future,” Karen added. “And not like we haven’t for the last few weeks, too.”

“The raid is coming fast,” Fluff said softly. “It’s going to be in the next few days.”

“It’ll at least start by then,” Alburet nodded.

“Ya think so?” Stacia asked. “The King has nay even called for his allies yet.”

“With Benedict and the others all hitting cap last night during the party, and the fact that the next set of Two-souled will be leaving in a handful of days, it is likely,” Alburet told her.

“This has happened before on the other worlds ya have helped?”

“Yes,” Karen answered. “It’s almost always near milestone dates.”

“It be so odd to think tha’ ya world, as mad as it be, still be so willin’ to come and help other worlds.”

“It helps us, too,” Fluff said. “Stepping away from our world to worlds like this one helps us deal with our own better.”

“Makes ya happy to be away from it?”

“Yes. I’ve known more happiness here than I ever knew there,” Fluff replied softly. “I would never have found this kind of happiness and love there.”

“We be glad ya be here with us, too,” Stacia said, leaning over to touch Fluff’s knee.

“Damned right we are,” Karen agreed, kissing Fluff. “It’s the same with me... maybe not as extreme, but still the same. I had all but given up on relationships before being here.”

“I know that feeling,” Alburet smiled at his three wives. “But we all have each other now, and we’ll make sure it stays that way.”

“Aye,” Stacia nodded. “We be doin’ this for us.”

“For us,” Fluff whispered as her hands curled into fists, her fear melting into iron determination.

“For all of us,” Karen agreed, placing her hand over Fluff’s.

Alburet and Stacia leaned forward and placed their hands around Fluff’s, too. “For our love,” Stacia said.

“For the women who saved me and give me more love than I thought I’d ever have.”

The carriage slowed and Alburet leaned over to look out the window. “We’re at Gerald’s. I’ll check with him where the meeting is. Be right back.”

Getting out, Alburet waved at Gerald as the Defender was leading Marysue to their carriage. “Where we going?”

“He’s up at the castle,” Gerald replied as he handed Marysue off to the footman. “We’re good for a brief dungeon run, but I need to head out to the Keep afterward to make sure everything is going alright for the guards.”

“Okay, we’ll follow you up,” Alburet, said walking back to his carriage. “Knitoc, did you hear?”

“Yes, Lord,” Knitoc nodded.

“Okay, follow them,” Alburet got back in. “Castle bound, then to a dungeon.”

“I’m glad they agreed to go,” Karen said. “We’ve really found our groove as a group. When it’s just us, there’s almost no need for talking during a fight.”

“Aye, and the last two weeks made tha’ even more apparent,” Stacia nodded.

“Al, are you going to be calling the shots from the air during the raid?” Fluff asked.

“No idea. We’ll have to find out what the leadership looks like. Since I can stay up indefinitely, who—”

“Nope, you have a set time to stay up,” Karen cut him off, laughing.

Stacia giggled along with her, “But he be up so much longer than others.”

“Really?” Alburet sighed.

Fluff giggled softly, too. “Well, he never leaves us disappointed, so Stacia is right.”

Shaking his head, Alburet waited for them to stop laughing. “As I was saying, ladies... It will depend on who’s in charge and what they want to do, but I will offer.”

“Sorry, but you softball pitched that one,” Karen said, wiping the few tears from her eyes.

“Never give you a soft one. Got it,” Alburet deadpanned, which only set them off into another round of laughter. Lips twitching as he fought a smile, Alburet was glad they were able to look past the fear of what might happen.

When they arrived at the castle, Berk was there to meet them. “I’m glad you could make it, Lords and Ladies. If you will follow me, please.”

Leading them into the castle, Berk took them down several hallways, and Alburet noted more guards stationed inside than he had seen before. Berk knocked on a door, opened it, and led them inside.

The few people in the sitting room already stood when they entered. Ioaniss gave them a smile, welcoming them in. Wilbur, Rolland, Benedict, Blaze, and the Ambassadors were also present. Berk entered behind them, closing the door as he did.

Once everyone was seated, Ioaniss spoke up, “Thank you for attending, Lord Stoutheart, Lord Darkhand. Now that we have everyone here, I can let you know the King’s plan. Tyr would be doing this himself, but he’s stepped away to see his family before we move forward with the assault.”

“We have been waitin’ for thin’s to progress,” Ambassador Hammerhand said. “We have our contingent ready to move.”

“Thank you,” Ioaniss replied. “We will be starting the assault in the morning two days from today. Lord Magiblood will be opening the portals for all of our groups simultaneously.”

“Where will they open?” Ambassador Woodbinder asked.

“It will place us at Law,” Ioaniss said. “Justice has said that we’ll be a day from Alctriuz by doing this.”

“One day across the sands, then we strike?” Ambassador Wildmane nodded. “Good. My people should be able to stay focused for that.”

“What’s the battle plan?” Benedict asked. “Are we just rushing them? Do we even have any intel on this place?”

“We have fragments, but there’s no telling what Stein might have done over the years. We’ll send our scouts before us, and will gratefully take any aerial help that can be given.”

“Imps, Succubi, Cherubim, and Seraphim,” Alburet said. “Summoners will be the best bet for that.”

“We’ll have to see how many will be willing to help,” Ioaniss nodded. “Once we reach the gates, the Portal Mages will open a final portal to the city. We hope that more Two-souled will be willing to help us.”

“Why not a small group just to get him to the spot and then open the portals for everyone?” Blaze asked.

“We sent a small recon team the other day,” Ioaniss grimaced. “They were able to relay that Law is overrun by undead before they died.”

“So it’s advancing in force,” Benedict nodded. “Heart’s Light will lead the way.”

“We are grateful, Lord Lightfist,” Ioaniss smiled. “With a group the size we are going to have, the King has mandated that all loot retrieved will be distributed by the whims of the gods. That will stop any arguments breaking out over who gets what items. The overall raid will be led by Commander Martinez Roberto, and his second is going to be Captain Mantoya. I’ve arranged for a replacement to Progress during this time.”

Gerald nodded, “Thank you, Sir Jones.”

“We’ll be asking that any extra volunteers stand by for the final portal to open. The march will only be the armies, and those from your Guilds who are of sufficient strength.”

“When will you make the announcement?” Alburet asked.

“The day we leave. That will give anyone who wishes to join us a single day to prepare. Stein will know by then that we are coming for him.”

“Does anyone have any questions?”

Fluff looked at Rolland, “Why will Rolland not be opening the portal to the city?”

Rolland had been staring fixedly at the floor through the entire meeting, and finally looked up. “I likely won’t be in any condition to open another portal that soon. This is my sole contribution to the raid. I had wanted to be there with you, but I’m not going to be able to.”

“Kim will be staying back with you, right?” Karen asked.

A small smile touched Rolland’s lips, “Yes. We found out yesterday that she’s pregnant with our first child.”

The meeting was derailed for a few moments as everyone congratulated him on his child to be. Ioaniss brought them back to order after a few minutes, “You have today and tomorrow to make sure you’re ready for a long march and confrontation with Stein. I suggest you take at least some of it to see your friends and family.”

“Ioaniss,” Alburet called out, using Jones’ name instead of title in his haste to speak, “what about the King?”

“His Highness Tyr Justiceson the Third will be with us the entire way,” Ioaniss replied. “I tried to get him to wait, but he says that he will stand by his men. I wasn’t able to convince him otherwise. I pray that the Queen will be able to change his mind, but I’m doubtful that even she’ll be able to.”

“I offer Alpha Company to keep him safe,” Gerald offered.

“I shall let him know of your offer, Lord Stoutheart.”

“What do you want Delvers to be doing?” Blaze asked.

“I don’t know how the Commander will be dividing the forces yet,” Ioaniss apologized.

“We’ll be ready,” Blaze said. “I’m going to see about grinding as many as I can to max level. I’ll field as many Delvers as I can.”

“Thank you,” Ioaniss replied. “That is all I had to relay. May the gods smile upon us and this endeavor.”

“If you’ll all follow me,” Berk said, opening the door, “I shall escort you out.”

“Rolland,” Alburet said, motioning the mage over. “Dinner tonight?”

“I’d be happy to,” Rolland said, the dark circles under his eyes more apparent now that he was closer to them.

“Gerald?”

“We’ll be there, Al.”

“We still going to test out the new gear?” Karen asked.

“We should,” Marysue said.

“I was wondering about that,” Blaze said, coming alongside the group. “Who gave you yours?”

“Peace and the Dark Lord,” Gerald said. “What about you?”

“Hunter,” Blaze chuckled. “Talk about being surprised by the High Priest turning up at the Keep last night. What was even more surprising was that he brought gear for my entire group.”

“Justice,” Benedict said when they looked over at him. “That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.”

“I didn’t think the gods got involved,” Blaze said.

“They are constrained by rules,” Ambassador Woodbinder said. “As long as they don’t break those rules, they can do a few things.”

“Which of your group is Hunter’s Champion?” Alburet asked.

“Booth, believe it or not. We found a quest chain during the attack on our Keep and we finished it last week. Champions are overpowered.”

“We know,” Alburet chuckled.

“I guess you would,” Blaze laughed. “We’ll see you for the raid.”

“See you then,” Alburet said. “Which zone do you want to hit to test the gear, Gerald?”

“How about we revisit an old favorite?” Gerald chuckled. “Gnolls?”

“Oh, yeah,” Karen laughed. “That would be great.”

“It’s been so long,” Alburet chuckled. “Let’s go see our old friends.”

Chapter Twenty-seven

It didn’t take them long to make it to the Gnoll cave, though they did stop and help the Keep with the undead coming out of the graveyard when they appeared in the zone. During the fight, Alburet Copied Tiny, Bob, and Stacia, bringing two Copies of each Infernal into being.

When the fight at the graveyard came to an end, Gerald talked briefly with the few Defenders left at the Keep. As they moved into the forest, Gerald looked thoughtful.

“Problems?” Marysue asked.

“Mindblown is cutting this close... most of them are tired of the event going on.”

“It’s been a bit over three weeks from them holding the Keeps and three more since the undead started attacking the graveyards,” Karen said. “Sounds about right compared to other… events.”

“Fair. It’s mostly those of us here all the time that have really been worn down the worst,” Gerald sighed. “That might be the real issue. Compared to those who are here for a few hours a day, we’ve been dedicating most of the past month to this.”

“Well, that’s about to change,” Alburet said.

“Aye, as long as we be successful, then the guards will again take over the Keeps,” Stacia added.

“What are you going to name the second Copy of each minion?” Fluff asked.

“Good question,” Alburet said, looking at the new Infernal Copies. “I find it odd that while Bob and Tiny’s third forms are solid black and white, Stacia’s is grayscale like Kitten should have been.”

“Which is still odd by itself,” Gerald commented.

“I’m going to call Bob’s third Bob Black, or BB. Tiny’s will be Tiny White, or TW, and Kitten’s Copy will be KJ for Kitten Junior.”

“You suck at names,” Karen laughed.

“Bob, BJ, and BB, go clear our path for us,” Alburet said, ignoring Karen.

“No reason to kill the Gnolls on our own,” Gerald shrugged. “That will make it faster for us to get to the cave.”

“What were the fights?” Marysue asked. “It’s been months since we’ve been here.”

“Stone Beast, Plant Tentacles with poison, and then the Gnoll with adds,” Alburet replied.

“Oh, now I remember,” Marysue nodded.

“The Stone Boss had incredible physical damage resistance,” Karen added.

“The Plant was weak to fire,” Tiny rumbled.

“Stacia did well with the adds,” Alburet said, giving her a wink.

“Have the Imps burn the fuck out of that hallway on the way to the Plant Boss,” Karen said. “All those tentacles.”

“If I’m ahead of you all, I can Fire Burst along there and help clear it faster, too,” Alburet added.

Gerald nodded, “Sounds like we’re good to go. Let’s loot the bodies on our way, though. We can hand off the items to any new members we pick up later.”

“Rewarding the recruits keeps them happy,” Marysue nodded.

They were quiet on the walk to the cave. The three Imps easily cleared the way for them, including the two Gnolls that stood to either side of the cave. “Well done, guys,” Alburet praised the Imps when they caught up to them.

“It was sad,” Bob shrugged. “We going to go in the same order we did last time?”

“Stone, Plant, Shaman,” Gerald nodded. “Al, remember to dismiss your minions before we engage, then resummon them.”

“I remember,” Alburet replied. “It’s a major downside to being a Summoner. A small army in open world, but the bosses get a metric ton of health in dungeons.”

“Umm,” Fluff said, looking worried, “do you think the raid bosses will scale, too?”

“Oh dear fucking gods, I hope not,” Karen said fervently.

“I’ll just tap a friend and ask,” Alburet said, sending a short message to Victoria.

“Well, we’re here. Let’s go try out this new armor,” Gerald said.

As they entered the dungeon, they each chose to let their levels scale down. Alburet rolled his shoulders when he appeared. “Man, it feels weird being scaled down this far.”

“Yeah, it does feel different having our stats reduced like this,” Gerald agreed. “Funny that our armor looks the same even though no Defender can wear plate this early.”

“After Gnasher first,” Karen said as she went into stealth.

“There are adds on the way,” Gerald reminded her.

“I’m waiting,” Karen replied.

“We’re good for the minions until we get to the boss, right?” Alburet asked.

“Sure, but the tunnels are tight, so not sure we can use all of them,” Gerald said, leading them toward the tunnel that would take them to Gnasher.

“Point,” Alburet said, dismissing Stacia’s Copies. “No reason for multiple Succubi at the moment.”

“I can be thinkin’ of reasons later, though,” Stacia whispered to him. “One of me for each of ya.”

Alburet felt a shiver run down his spine as that image popped up, fully fleshed in his mind. “Oh gods…”

“Nay, just me,” Stacia giggled, kissing his neck. “I promise to nay distract ya more… for now.”

“I wish you had suggested that last night,” Alburet whispered back to her. “Oh well... there’s always tonight.”

“Aye.”

The fight with the trash and Gnasher went quicker than it had the first time. They had access to more Abilities than before, even with their levels reduced. Fluff’s Piercing Strike was one of the biggest turning points for them, letting her ignore half of the target’s armor value. That, along with the three Copies of Tiny that were spread around the room taunting Gnasher to them in turn, made sure that none of the tanks took anywhere near enough damage to cause an issue for Marysue.

“That went well,” Gerald said. “I like the first Ability the armor gives me. Splitting damage with a party member means I can help cushion any damage one of you takes.”

“The second piece of mine gives me an extra three seconds on all my timed Abilities and makes Piercing Strike even better,” Fluff smiled.

“I didn’t get to use either of mine yet,” Marysue sighed. “There was so little damage to worry about with Gnasher going from person to person.”

“I like the fact the poisons on my daggers stay on with my first armor bonus,” Karen said. “It’ll make Dagger Cloud even better.”

“What about your armor, Al?” Marysue asked.

“The first one just gives me a ten percent bonus to the duration of my buffs,” Alburet shrugged. “Haven’t even needed to use them for so long that I rarely apply them outside of boss fights.”

“What about the second bonus?” Marysue asked as they walked back down the tunnel to the entrance.

“It says any Ability or spell I use has a chance of being used twice,” Alburet said. “If that procs during Demonic Inspiration or Imp Storm, it’ll be a bit overpowered.”

“Hmm... did it proc during the last fight?” Fluff asked.

“One of my Fire Blasts did fire twice,” Alburet nodded. “Hasn’t happened for an Ability yet, but I don’t have many that are on use. Flame Weapon, Copy, Demonic Inspiration, and Imp Storm are the only four that aren’t passive or minion upgrades.”

“Unlike most of ours, which are on use,” Karen added.

“I could have had more if I’d gone with different choices,” Alburet shrugged.

“Okay, Bob, are you and the others ready to go burn this tunnel clean for us?” Gerald asked, pausing short of the vine covered tunnel.

“I got it,” Bob nodded.

“We’ve got it,” Alburet corrected his minion. “Just give me at least twenty-five feet so you’ll be outside the radius. Since the number of vines are based on people in the hall... Tiny, I’ll call you back once we get there.”

“Understood, master,” Tiny said, vanishing along with his Copies.

“You too, dear,” Alburet said, giving Stacia a quick kiss.

“Tha’ be fine. Since I be havin’ a moment, mayhap I should check with Loralee and see if she be ready for dinner tonight.”

“Good idea,” Alburet said.

Karen and Fluff snagged kisses before Stacia vanished. “Seems like a much smaller group now,” Karen murmured.

“Almost half of our party is gone,” Fluff said.

“Okay, let’s do this, Bob. Let me go in front of you. This way, you can turn around to help if the vines bypass us for them.”

“Got it,” Bob said as BJ and BB drifted a foot off the floor, their wings barely beating.

When the first attack came, it was only two vines that attacked Alburet and Gerald. Burning them to the ground, Alburet looked puzzled. “Why was it only two? It should have been four.”

“Maybe because Bob is flying and not touching the vines?” Fluff suggested.

“It’s counting them based on who all is touching it,” Gerald nodded. “Alburet, can you hover?”

“Yeah.”

“Summon Stacia back with her Copies and have them fly with you. Marysue, use your wings too, please,” Gerald said.

“That is the easiest way to test the theory,” Karen snickered.

Once everyone was ready, Alburet glided down the hall. A cry from behind him revealed that only Karen got attacked by a vine. It died quickly, and the others all chuckled at having figured out the trick for the hallway.

“This isn’t possible at level,” Alburet commented as they started down the hall again. “It’s nice to find a way to cheese this mechanic, though.”

“Have you gotten a reply on the raid question?” Gerald asked.

“Not yet, but they could be busy,” Alburet hedged, though he was wondering why Victoria hadn’t replied yet.

It wasn’t long before they were just outside the Passionate Constrictor’s room. “Okay, everyone is being dismissed until we start the fight, but when you come back, head right in and help out anyone caught. Anyone who can fly should,” Alburet said.

“My wings are on cooldown,” Marysue sighed. “I wish I had flight all the time like you.”

“Maybe in Delta World,” Alburet said.

“I can only wish,” Marysue sighed.

“Once you’re ready, Al,” Gerald said.

“Okay guys, see you in a few,” Al said to Bob and Tiny. “See you in a moment too, dear.”

“Aye,” Stacia said, kissing him before vanishing.

“Ready,” Alburet said.

“Let’s do this,” Gerald said, leading them into the room.

The fight was just as easy as Gnasher had been. Anyone flying wasn’t counted into the encounter, leaving them with only three vines to deal with at a time. With three Imps, the vines withered under the massed fire damage in no time. Their poison was simply ignored as Marysue was able to remove it with her Party Remove Poison Ability. The pollen clouds were troublesome, but not as bad as it could have been because all the Imps and Alburet were able to cast without speaking. Stacia, Kitten, and KJ were able to use Comforting Touch to heal Gerald the one time Marysue got caught in the pollen.

With that boss defeated, the group was going after the Gnoll Shaman. The trash was easily controlled by the abundant tanks and Succubi. They paused for a moment just outside the boss’ room to work out their plan of attack.

“Stacia, Mind Control both Acolytes and one of the Warriors. We’ll kill the other three, then turn on them one-by-one with Kitten Dazing the extras. Once they’re all dead, we jump on the Shield and then the Shaman.”

“Works,” Gerald said.

“I’ll be able to pull the sickness off all of you in one go, so we won’t have that problem this time,” Marysue said.

“I’ll burn the ice debuff off anyone who gets it,” Bob added, “if you’re okay with that, Marysue.”

“The small hit to their health will be fine,” Marysue nodded.

“Tiny, stagger yourselves across the room so when he tries to run, you can stun him,” Alburet said. “Bob, if any of us get entangled, make sure to burn them off us fast.”

“Got it.”

“Everyone ready?” Gerald asked. When everyone nodded, he led them into the room.

The fight was even simpler than they recalled. With all their Abilities, the Shaman barely got to run from them before Gerald was there with a Charge, or Fluff with a Leap or Wild Charge. When the Shaman fell dead, they shared a laugh at how much easier it had been than at level.

“Everyone got an idea how to use their new armor set bonus?” Gerald asked.

“Yup,” Karen nodded.

“Yes,” Fluff smiled.

“I even got to use my second bonus. My healing spells were able to do damage to a target instead of healing them,” Marysue smiled. “It will work out well when we’re fighting bosses during the raid that aren’t undead.”

“I’m looking forward to when one of my two major Abilities triggers, one day,” Alburet shrugged.

“Okay, we’ll head back for the day. Sundown for dinner?” Gerald asked Alburet.

“Yeah. We’ll see you then.”

Saying goodbye, they all used their Homestones to go to their respective homes.

Chapter Twenty-eight

Freshly cleaned and dressed in their best clothes, they waited in the small sitting room by the front door, sipping glasses of wine. The sound of horses came from outside, and they all set aside their glasses and made their way out the door.

Gerald was exiting the carriage as the four left the manor. Dressed in his best suit, Gerald gave them a smile while he waited for the footman to help Marysue down. Taking her arm, Gerald led her toward their friends. “Are we the last?”

“Rolland and Kim haven’t—” Alburet began but cut off as another carriage came through the gate and stopped. “That’s probably them now.”

Rolland got out first before helping Kim out. “Oh good, it looks like we made it on time,” Rolland said.

“You did indeed… Lord Magiblood,” Alburet grinned. “We’re going to want to hear that story.”

Kim’s smile was a little strained toward Alburet, “After dinner?”

“Of course,” Stacia smiled. “Let’s nay be keepin’ our guests outside.”

Stacia led the way inside, and to the dining room. Once everyone was seated, Loralee came out of the kitchen. “I have prepared a five-course meal for tonight. Lord Darkhand hinted that we’re celebrating a new House being founded in the city.”

“I didn’t think it would slip past you, especially once you invited me to dinner,” Rolland said.

“It didn’t, but we also just wanted to have dinner with you again.”

“Lord Magiblood, I hope my humble skills will prove to your liking,” Loralee smiled as she stepped away from the door. Two of her assistants brought out the first course and drinks.

The first course was small bowls of Infernal stew, along with bread. The salad was mixed greens with a tangy vinegar dressing, which helped cleanse the palate for the next course. The appetizer was Langistor cakes; remarkably similar to crab cakes, but with a lighter texture than expected.

Everyone was eager to see what Loralee had planned for the entrée, and they were surprised when they had plates holding small cubed pieces of meat with a dark red sauce lightly drizzled over them placed on the table in front of each of them. Alburet raised an eyebrow at her and Loralee smiled.

“Before I tell you, I would like you all to sample the dish. The bread is there in case it’s too spicy for you,” Loralee said.

Marysue popped one of the pieces of meat into her mouth. Chewing slowly, a light sheen of sweat beaded on her forehead and her eyes went wide. Swallowing, Marysue smiled at Loralee, “If you weren’t obviously attached to this House, I would have to steal you for ours. This is amazing. The spiciness is right on the edge, but it enhances the other flavors perfectly.”

“You are too kind, Lady Stoutheart,” Loralee replied, her eyes twinkling. Seeing the others sample theirs, she finally described what they were eating, “These are Sandworm steaks, cubed and cooked in a secret sauce that was pioneered by the Dark Lord himself. That sauce is then drizzled over the top before serving. I have tried to match his recipe and I’m still not quite there, but I get ever closer.”

“Like with the stew, a piece of bread helps after a few consecutive pieces,” one of Loralee’s assistants added.

Everyone ate, torn between wanting to shovel the delicious morsels into their mouths as quickly as they could, but also wanting to savor the meal slowly to let the moment last a bit longer. Eventually, everyone finished the entrée course and the table was cleared.

“I hope you’ve enjoyed everything so far. We now present you with the Dark Lord’s favorite dessert,” Loralee smiled. When she finished speaking, the staff placed coffee and small two ounce cups in front of them.

“Darkness Incarnate,” Alburet smiled, recognizing the innocuous appearing dessert.

“Indeed, Lord. It seemed appropriate,” Loralee replied.

The four who hadn’t had it before looked at the small cups with questioning gazes. “I can’t even begin to explain it,” Alburet said, “besides it being the finest dessert I’ve ever had.”

Rolland, Kim, Gerald, and Marysue took their first bite at the same time while the others watched them with knowing smiles. Each placed their spoons down when they finished their first spoonful, smiles on their faces.

“That…” Gerald began, trailing off.

“Four years old, sharing chocolate the day before Easter,” Marysue murmured, her eyes going to Gerald.

“Me too,” Gerald nodded, covering her hand with his.

“You giving me chocolate while our parents worked at the Portal Guild,” Kim said.

“You returning the favor a few days later, when your mother watched us,” Rolland replied.

“How is this even possible?” Marysue asked, looking to Loralee.

“The dish is a secret almost never made outside of the Dark Lord’s halls. He gifted Lord Darkhand with enough of the special ingredient to make a previous batch and this one. I can’t say any more than that.”

Marysue’s lips twisted in disappointment. “I shall have to see about changing that in the future.”

“Peace has a similar recipe,” Loralee said. “Light’s Memory. Mother has spoken of it over the years.”

“I’ll have to ask her about it if I get to speak with her again,” Marysue said as she picked her spoon back up. “For now, I will savor this wonderful confection. Thank you for making it for us, Loralee.”

“It is a pleasure to make a feast for the Lord and Ladies’ friends,” Loralee said before she retreated into the kitchen.

Dessert took longer than any other single course, as everyone wanted to savor it. Eventually, the last bits were gone, and everyone seemed a bit sad for the moment to be over. Sipping their coffees, which had been all but forgotten during dessert, the table was cleaned around them.

“Thank you for having us over for that wonderful dinner,” Rolland said.

“It be our pleasure,” Stacia replied.

“Would it be possible to maybe invite one of Loralee’s assistants to become our cook?” Kim asked.

“That would depend on the King,” Alburet said. “Currently, the only free Infernals in the city are here at the embassy. Other than that, it would be up to them. Once we deal with Stein, I’m sure the King will be willing to ease things a bit more.”

Kim’s smile faltered when Alburet mentioned Stein’s name. “Of course.”

“Maybe we should retire to the sitting room and hear about Rolland becoming a Lord?” Karen suggested.

“An excellent idea,” Alburet said, getting to his feet.

When they were comfortable in the large sitting room, Rolland explained what had happened, “When the King talked to me right after the raid on Peace, he asked if I would be willing to take up a House.”

“It was weeks ago?” Alburet asked.

“No, the initial question was weeks ago,” Rolland said, looking a bit embarrassed. “I turned him down at the time.”

Everyone blinked at Rolland’s admission, but Kim cut into the conversation, “How many Houses have been more than just powerful assholes? Neither of us wanted to move in with those circles, present company excluded.”

“Don’t blame you,” Alburet nodded. “It’s one of the reasons I handed off Alpha Company to Gerald. The Dark Lord wrangled me into it later, but yeah.”

“That’s very close to how I came to be Lord Magiblood,” Rolland sighed. “You see, I’m the key to opening the portals like this. Without me, it can’t be done, and the King insisted that I become a noble so he could hold me up as an example for others.”

Kim’s jaw stiffened. “And the fact you might die from doing this,” she added with anger.

“What!?” most of the room asked.

Rolland sighed as he covered Kim’s hand. “Opening the portals to every continent and to Law is going to tax me. Possibly even kill me. It’s not certain, but it’s a distinct possibility.”

“I can understand why Kim’s pissed, then,” Karen said.

“I’m upset that he has to do this now, right when we…” her words trailed off as tears began to fall from her eyes and a hand covered her stomach. “We are expecting.”

Everyone was frozen for a very long moment, not sure if they should congratulate the couple or not. Stacia spoke up, “Tha’ be good, Kim. Nay matter what, ya husband will live on: in ya heart and in ya child’s blood.”

Kim began to cry and Rolland held her. “I’ve tried to say much the same,” he whispered.

“I don’t blame her for being upset,” Marysue said. “If Gerald and I were in your position… I couldn’t accept it, either.”

“He has to,” Kim managed to get out between sobs. “Otherwise, more will die because of Stein. A few days ago, we both had a dream in which the same being who appeared before came to us. Rolland might live through it is what we were told, but it would take a special circumstance for it to happen.”

“I’ve been looking into ways to help augment my bloodline to help me survive,” Rolland said softly. “I haven’t found anything, though.”

“We can save you,” Alburet said, pulling one of his rings off. “Wear this, but please make sure I get it back before we get to Alctriuz.”

Rolland looked puzzled and took the ring from Alburet, his jaw dropping when he saw it. “I see…”

“It’s the right call,” Karen nodded.

“How can that ring help?” Kim asked. Rolland held it out to her and she touched it. “Oh…” Tears falling more, Kim got to her feet and hugged Alburet tightly. “Thank you, Alburet… thank you…”

Rolland took one of his rings off, slipping the new one on in its place. “I’ll give it back as soon as I finish the ritual.”

Marysue smiled, “It is the right call. Alpha Company has always been there for the natives, and these two are even more special.”

“You definitely need that ring back before the raid, though,” Gerald agreed. “For your quest.”

“Yeah,” Alburet nodded.

“We’ll get it back to you,” Kim sniffled as she finally stepped away from Alburet. “I’ll never forget this.”

“Neither of us will,” Rolland said, taking Kim’s hand. “I was going to invite you all over to our new home tomorrow when we move in. That was when I was going to tell you all.”

“We’ll be there,” Karen said first.

“I’ll bring my supplies so you can have a portrait done.”

“I was going to ask if you’d do our family crest, too,” Rolland admitted to Fluff.

“Gladly.”

“It’ll be a small affair; nothing like either of your parties,” Kim said as she blotted the tears away.

“I’ll lend you a cook for the day at least,” Alburet said. “I’m sure the King won’t mind if it’s for a single day.”

“Thank you. We still need to arrange for staff,” Rolland said.

“Wilbur can probably help there,” Karen said.

“Aye, me sis would be willin’ to help,” Stacia nodded.

“Thank you… all of you,” Kim said, her smile bright. “I’m so happy we met and became friends.”

“We all are,” Alburet said.

“We should go for the night,” Rolland said. “I still have preparations to take care of for the portals, especially if we’re going to have a party tomorrow night.”

“Let us know where to have the cook go,” Alburet said. “I’ll send her over as soon as you do.”

“Of course,” Rolland said.

A round of goodbyes followed, with Gerald and Marysue leaving, as well. Walking their guests out, the family waved goodbye as the carriages rolled out the gate. They headed back inside, his wives smiling at Alburet.

“We should reward our husband tonight,” Stacia purred.

“Yes,” Fluff nodded.

“For being the man we all know him to be,” Karen agreed.

“It’s just the right thing to do,” Alburet said.

“Aye, but how many do tha’ when it be time, Asthore? Ya know as well as we tha’ ya need tha’ ring. Instead of keepin’ it safely tucked to ya breast, ya be willin’ to help our friends and pray tha’ ya can get it back before the end.”

“We’ll get it back,” Karen said simply. “Even if Rolland collapses, they’re going to be opening a portal back to the city when the army reaches the prison.”

“We will,” Fluff nodded.

“I doubt we’ll need to retrieve it. I believe in Rolland,” Alburet said.

“We all do,” Karen said. “This is more a matter of circumstances running amok.”

“I love you, and thank you for understanding. I was tempted to hold the ring back, but I can’t let a friend die.”

“We be knowin’ tha’,” Stacia said. “Now shh, it be time for ya wives to pamper ya.”

Chapter Twenty-nine

When they entered the dining room for breakfast, Alburet’s steps slowed as he saw the guest waiting in the room. “Mother, to what do we owe the pleasure?”

“I’m here to invite you to breakfast,” Mother said. “The Dark Lord wishes to converse with you, and breakfast seemed like a good opportunity for that. If you’re free, that is?”

“We do nay have anythin’ planned until this evenin’,” Stacia smiled.

“Then you are free to come?” Mother asked.

“We would be happy to see the Dark Lord,” Alburet replied. “It will give us a chance to thank him for his gifts.”

“Excellent,” Mother said.

“May I grab my sketch book first?” Fluff asked when Mother started to come around the table.

“Of course. I ask that you draw a portrait of him for me,” Mother smiled broadly.

“Yes,” Fluff said, leaving the room quickly.

“Convenient that we have the day off,” Karen said.

“It’s almost as if the gods are involved,” Mother laughed lightly.

Karen bowed her head an inch, “Point.”

“I take it breakfast isn’t just to see us, but has a deeper purpose?” Alburet asked.

Mother gave him a knowing wink, but didn’t say anything. Before anyone could comment, Fluff was back with her book in hand.

“I’m ready,” Fluff said.

“Then let us go,” Mother said. She brought both of her hands up and a bright red glyph appeared under them.

When the light faded, they were just outside the Dark Lord’s palace. Following Mother, the group exchanged pleasant greetings with the Destroyer Lords on duty, who returned their greetings with bows. Once inside the building, Mother led them to a small dining room.

“Oh good, I had hoped you would accept,” the Dark Lord said as he got to his feet. “Welcome back to my home.”

“The offer was too good to pass up,” Alburet said as he seated his wives.

“She does have a very persuasive manner, doesn’t she?” the Dark Lord laughed as he seated Mother.

“Something her family has inherited,” Alburet replied, kissing Stacia on the cheek after seating her last. “Is it food or business first?”

“Food,” the Dark Lord replied just before the other door in the room opened.

Six Succubi entered, laying out a large meal on the table for them. When they had finished, they stepped back to the walls and waited.

“Please, take what you wish,” Mother said, serving herself some eggs.

“I don’t know what I expected, but standard fare wasn’t it,” Alburet mused as he took a large portion of bacon.

“Right?” Karen snorted, breaking open one of the biscuits she had taken and buttering it.

“I’m just glad you didn’t expect babies or some such, not that you would after all this time,” the Dark Lord grinned as he speared himself a few sausages.

“Too cliché,” Karen replied. “I wouldn’t have been surprised by a few Succubi tied to the table with sushi served on their bodies, though.”

“We can arrange that,” Mother smiled, “but it isn’t a normal breakfast and it would make your husband a little uncomfortable.”

“Aye, but we be workin’ on tha’,” Stacia added.

“You ever get the feeling that the women in your life are more in charge than you?” the Dark Lord asked Alburet as he spooned eggs onto his plate.

“More than once, which is odd, considering,” Alburet agreed, adding jam to his biscuits. “Is that the real reason you took only Mother as yours?”

Laughing, the Dark Lord shook his head, “Maybe in part, but it’s more the fact that all of the other Succubi are related to me.”

“Oh, I didn’t think about that,” Karen muttered.

“Never tried to swing Peace over to your side?” Alburet asked.

“No,” the Dark Lord said, looking slightly revolted. “She’s more like a daughter to me. I might as well take my own many-generations-distant relations to bed first.”

“This conversation is really weird to have with breakfast,” Fluff said.

“I apologize,” the Dark Lord said when he felt how uncomfortable Fluff was with the topic. “Please, enjoy the food.”

Once everyone was done eating, the Dark Lord led them to a small library. When they were all comfortable and had coffee in hand, his mood turned serious.

“Thank you for coming to speak with me,” the Dark Lord started. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I asked you to come here today.”

“Probably a bit understated, but roughly,” Alburet said.

“I know that the King is going to move on Stein soon. Please inform him that I shall be sending aid.”

“That’s it?” Alburet asked.

“I wish to keep the rest a surprise. Pleasant, but still a surprise.”

“This isn’t another gag at my expense, like naming me Ambassador without letting me know?”

“It isn’t, but you have to admit, that was a good one,” the Dark Lord grinned.

Forehead wrinkling, Alburet blinked at the phrasing and delivery. “What was that?”

“Are ya okay, master?” Stacia asked, feeling the inner turmoil Alburet was suddenly feeling.

“Al?” Karen questioned.

“Al, what is it?” Fluff asked, her hand meeting his.

Blinking, Alburet shook his head as their concern drove the distress from him. “Sorry, I don’t know… it was just…”

“I seem to have caused a problem,” the Dark Lord said. “I’m sorry for that.”

“It’s... fine,” Alburet said, setting aside his mostly untouched coffee. “You just reminded me of someone for a moment.”

“We are sorry for that,” Mother said. “It seemed to be unpleasant.”

“Just thinking of a friend,” Alburet said. Clearing his throat, Alburet changed the topic deliberately. “You know you didn’t have to call me out here just to ask me to deliver a message to the King.”

“I know, but none of my other Champions treat me the same way you do. It’s probably because you are Two-souled, but you treat me with less reverence and with more friendship. It’s almost like talking to my brother… before Stein happened.”

“You two are making up now, I thought?” Karen said.

“We are, but it will still be some time before we’re back to where we had been.”

“Family is like that sometimes,” Alburet said, getting to his feet. “Thank you for having us over. I did want to check in with the family today, and we have a dinner to attend tonight.”

“Of course,” the Dark Lord rose and offered his hand to Alburet. “You have done so much for my children. I shall be indebted to you for many years.”

“No, you won’t,” Alburet said with a strained smile.

“Thank you for having us,” Fluff said as she pulled the page from her sketchbook and gave it to Mother.

“Oh my. Thank you, dear one,” Mother beamed as she gave Fluff a hug.

“What was that?” the Dark Lord asked suspiciously.

“Just a portrait of you,” Mother grinned as she spun and bolted from the room.

“What!? Wait, get back here!” the Dark Lord said and ran after her.

The four of them stood there, a little shocked. The emotional state of the Dark Lord and Mother had decidedly sexual tones, apparently at odds with what had just transpired.

“No offense, Stacia, but your family is weird,” Karen said.

“I come by it honestly, ya have to admit,” Stacia snickered. “Shall we be headin’ over to Progress to see Almira, Grim, and Stew?”

“Yes,” Alburet said as they pulled out their Homestones.

~*~*~

The Dead Sands Inn was bustling when they arrived. Heading to the bar, Alburet saw a Succubus other than Tabitha behind the bar. “Where is Stewart?”

“He is out hunting with Almira, Grimgar, Gwenevar, and Palim,” the Succubus replied. “He did tell me to message him if you showed up. Please, give me a moment.”

“We’ll find a place,” Alburet said.

“I see one,” Karen said, moving off toward an empty table.

“I’ll bring some drinks over in just a moment,” the Succubus replied.

About thirty minutes after they had arrived, Stewart and his companions entered the inn. Seeing the group, the party headed over to join them. The two groups were introduced, and the Succubus working the bar had more drinks delivered to the table by the time everyone was seated.

“It is an honor to meet you, Lord Darkhand,” Palim said. “We’d heard you were friends with the other members of our group, but we didn’t expect to meet you before the march on Stein.”

“Just call me Alburet,” Alburet told the Priest.

“Palim speaks for me, as well,” Gwenevar said. “It is an honor to meet you, Alburet. It is also an honor to meet your wives. Since we’re being informal, might I ask you ladies how you manage to handle him?”

Karen snickered, “With difficulty.”

“Hey!” Alburet frowned.

“We don’t handle him. He loves us and listens to us,” Fluff said.

“Thank you, Fluff,” Alburet said.

“I’m curious what brings you to the inn today?” Stewart said, changing the topic.

“Taking the day off and wanting to see our family,” Alburet was glad to get the topic derailed.

“We’ll get dinner starte—” Stewart began.

“Nay,” Stacia told him. “We have dinner plans already. Sorry, Unca.”

“If you have a minute or three for a private talk?” Alburet asked. “Just the family. Sorry, no offense to either of you,” he apologized to Palim and Gwenevar.

“We can speak in the back,” Stewart said, looking puzzled as he stood up.

“It’s fine,” the other two said. “We’ll be here when you’re done.”

Making their way to the private dining room, Alburet waited for the door to shut before he spoke up. “Tomorrow, the march to Stein will begin. Once the King’s forces reach the prison, he’ll be opening a portal to the capital for any volunteers who want to join in the fight. I wanted you to know beforehand.”

“I will nay ask ya to nay go,” Stacia was quick to add, “but I worry for ya all.”

Almira went to Stacia and hugged her. “Thank you, Stacia. We are going to go and help. We’ve talked and we all agreed on this course. We’ll do our best to stay safe, so don’t worry for us.”

Sniffling, Stacia hugged her back, “I will do me best.”

“Who’s been running your shops while you’ve been hunting?” Alburet asked Grimgar softly, not wanting to interrupt the moment the women were having.

“Some of Waltrim’s and Illos’s wives,” Grimgar replied back. “Gerald approved when we asked him.”

“You’re taking the other two with you?” Alburet asked.

“Gwen and Pal are good people,” Grimgar nodded. “The High Priest vetted them himself.”

“I could see Palim is a Priest, but what class is Gwenevar?”

“Necromancer.”

“Are you sure you can’t stay for dinner?” Stewart asked again after Almira stepped away from Stacia.

“We’re having dinner with the new Lord of Stormguard, Rolland Magiblood,” Karen said.

“That is our loss,” Stewart sighed. “Very well. Please stay safe until we meet again.”

“You, too,” Alburet said.

“Where ye be off to now?” Grimgar asked when they began to say their goodbyes.

“Going to see Marian, then stop in and see Wilbur and Erin,” Alburet said.

“Seeing everyone one more time beforehand,” Almira nodded. “Maybe we should finish this level and take tomorrow to do the same.”

“Aye,” Grimgar nodded.

“We can do that,” Stewart agreed. “Let’s go let our friends know that we’ll be resting tomorrow, and see about finishing the last bit of this level off.”

They all said goodbye one more time, and headed back to the manor. “We should let them know we’re coming over,” Alburet said.

“Aye. I will send the messages as we go,” Stacia said.

“Master, did breakfast go well?” Tiny asked, coming toward them.

“Yeah. Sorry I didn’t summon you guys, but today is the day off and we’ve been fine.”

“Are you going back out now?” Tiny asked.

“Going to see family. Did you want to come along?”

“It is my job to be your shield,” Tiny said, motioning to Knitoc. “I feel better being there to protect you.”

“Fair enough, Tiny.”

“Road trip, is it?” Bob said, landing near them. He was still dressed in a suit, and the others couldn’t help but chuckle at him. “What? It’s comfortable.”

“It looks like Loralee wins,” Karen whispered to Fluff, who nodded with a smile.

“It looks very good on you, Bob,” Fluff smiled.

Straightening the jacket, Bob grinned, “It does, doesn’t it?”

Everyone smiled, agreeing with him and thinking back to his near panic over having to wear a suit a little over a month before.

Chapter Thirty

Stepping out of the carriage at the address they had been given, they saw that they had arrived at a manor half the size of their own. The walls were just above six feet in height and looked like they were more for decoration than defense.

“It’s a good fit for them,” Alburet said. “Very reserved.”

The sound of another carriage arriving made them turn to see who was coming, and they saw a few carriages, not just one. “Jones, Theron, Gerald, and Carter?” Fluff asked, surprised.

“Didn’t know it was going to be so well attended,” Karen said.

As if her words were a summoning charm, the sound of even more carriages arriving announced three more coming through the gate, filling the small courtyard to near capacity.

“The Ambassadors,” Alburet said.

“I see Rolland is stretching his wings,” Ioaniss chuckled. “I didn’t expect the Ambassadors.”

“He be the one who will open the way for our people,” Ambassador Hammerhand smiled. “We’d be poor allies iffin we did nay accept his invitation.”

“Lady Magiblood’s invitation was quite eloquent,” Ambassador Woodbinder said.

“Food was mentioned,” Ambassador Wildmane grinned.

“Told ya we would be seein’ ya later,” Erin giggled at her sister.

“Aye, but ya could have said instead of bein’ coy about it,” Stacia sighed.

“She likes her little secrets,” Wilbur smiled indulgently.

“Shh, later,” Erin said pointedly before acting as if she hadn’t just shut him down.

“More people than I expected,” Gerald admitted. “But all of them are the best kind of people.”

Ioaniss frowned, “I had thought there would be one more… oh, well. We’ll just have to—” The clop of horses cut Ioaniss off. He turned to see a dark carriage just entering the yard. “Ah, fashionably late it is.”

Vladimir got out once his carriage came to a stop. “Glad to see I’m not too late.”

“You’re just on time,” Rolland said as he opened the doors to the manor. “Welcome to the newly created House Magiblood. I can only hope that the future will bring you all back here in just as good of spirits as you are now.”

“We welcome you as Lords and Ladies, but more importantly, as friends,” Kim said from beside Rolland. The smile on her face was filled with happiness as she met the eyes of each guest for a moment. “Please, be welcome in our new home.”

Following their hosts inside, they were taken to a dining room that was just large enough to fit them all. Loralee and her assistants brought forth the five-course meal with the same timing they had the previous night. The Ambassadors were a little shocked to have Succubi serve them, but they didn’t complain once they had taken their first bites.

When dessert— chocolate cake with buttercream frosting— was finished, they all moved to an interior courtyard, which had chairs already set out for them. The few staff that Rolland had hired served them coffee, brandy, or drinks the guest requested, just as the sun began to set.

“Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day,” Rolland said. “We did want to thank each of you for your help. Thank you for coming to our housewarming.”

“We’ve been waiting for you to tell us where the gifts should go,” Alburet coughed into his fist.

Light laughter followed the blank expression on Rolland’s face. Kim shook her head, “We honestly forgot.”

“Here and now seems like the best time, then,” Ioaniss said, standing up. “I’ll go first. This is for you,” he smiled, handing over a scroll.

Kim accepted, but was puzzled as to why he had handed it to her. Opening it, her mouth dropped open while Ioaniss took his seat. “Truly?”

“Yes. The King feels it is the least we can do, considering the danger to Lord Magiblood.”

Rolland took the scroll from Kim, his shock just as evident. “Oh… We shall do our best.”

“What is it?” Karen asked.

“We’ve been granted the lands that used to belong to House Gilden,” Rolland said, looking to Wilbur with a wince.

“I have more than enough land to deal with as it is,” Wilbur said. “The only piece I would have been interested in, my brother already destroyed. I would have asked for the manor in the city, but…”

“That piece of property is being held until after Stein is dealt with,” Ioaniss told Wilbur.

“I’ll go next,” Vladimir said. “Lord and Lady Magiblood, I have cleared House Gilden’s box and have made it yours. All maintenance fees have been waived until your grandchildren come of age.”

“I don’t—” Rolland began before Vladimir held up a hand to cut him off.

“I’m not done yet, please,” Vladimir said as he handed a small box to Kim. “This is a gift for the Lady of the House.”

Kim opened it to find a set of bracelets. Each had a gem inset shaped like a half heart, made of ruby. “This is… a Heartstone?”

“Indeed,” Vladimir said. “I see you’ve heard of them. I hoped to help make some things easier for the two of you.”

“What’s a Heartstone?” Alburet asked Stacia softly.

“A Heartstone connects the life of two people,” Vladimir said, having seen the blank expressions of the Two-souled. “Their lives will be tied together as long as they both wear them. It’s double-edged, but it also means that they will always be able to help support each other. The two wearing them must both deeply love each other, or they don’t work.”

“Thank you,” Kim said with her eyes misting up, taking Rolland’s hand.

“I will go next, if no one objects,” Wilbur said, getting to his feet. “You asked about staff. Tomorrow, I have a dozen trusted servants coming to work for you. Their first year’s salary has already been paid. Erin will be with them to make introductions, so things go smoothly.”

“Thank you,” Rolland said. “Finding the two we’ve already hired was difficult as it was. We couldn’t ask old friends to be our servants, after all.”

“We be glad to help. After all, ya be doin’ so much for us,” Erin smiled. “I be bringin’ them by at noon, iffin tha’ be fine, Kim?”

“Perfectly fine,” Kim replied. “By then, we’ll know if things have worked out.”

“Aye.”

“Fluff, if you want to go next?” Alburet said.

Getting to her feet, Fluff looked a little nervous as she pulled out her sketchbook. “I drew up a design for you. If you like it, I’ll finish it so you can use it.” Opening the book, she handed it over to Rolland.

Rolland studied it for a long moment before he showed it to Kim. “What do you think?”

“I love it,” Kim said.

“Please finish it. It is a fine gift,” Rolland smiled.

Fluff took the book back and began to pull out colored pencils. “I’ll have this finished in just a few minutes.”

“As the oldest of the Ambassadors, I’ll go first,” Wildmane said, grinning. “Every once in a while, it helps to get away from it all. My gift is a small house in Wildwood. It has a single caretaker that will keep it ready for you.” Extending a key, Wildman chuckled, “Maybe wait until after the child is born before you come, though, unless you want all the women nearby to keep checking up on you.”

“I’ve heard of the Lunari’s penchant for doting on expectant mothers,” Kim smiled as she accepted the key. “Thank you.”

“Now that Ambassador Wildmane is done, I will clarify that he has held his post longest, but he isn’t the oldest of us,” Woodbinder said, getting to her feet. “My gift is a simple thing; in the coming months, visit Brightgrove and I will see to it that your home is furnished to your exact tastes.”

“That is far from simple,” Rolland said, bowing to her. “We will be quite honored to have such items in our home.”

“Aich, tha’ just be chairs,” Hammerhand snorted, standing as Woodbinder sat down. “Me gift to ye family be this: when ye child grows, and iffin ye be willin’, I will be hostin’ him or her for three years as me own child. They will get the same trainin’ as me own family gets.”

The natives all looked floored by Hammerhand’s gift. Seeing the confusion from the Two-souled, Hammerhand chuckled, “Tha’ means he’ll be trained like a royal. Me brother be King, after all.”

“Damn,” Alburet said.

“Aye, it be a grand gift,” Stacia said.

“I see someone didn’t want to lose to me again,” Woodbinder said.

“Nay, tha’ nay be it,” Hammerhand said somberly. “Lord Magiblood be puttin’ his life on the line tomorrow to open the portals, so we can wipe Stein and this blight from the world. Me brother was the one to suggest this gift. In his own words, ‘Iffin he gives his life, who will help his wife raise their child? It be up to us to help shoulder tha’ burden, as we be askin’ him to do such a dangerous thin’.’ It does nay have anythin’ to do with us, nay this time.”

“I see,” Woodbinder nodded. “I apologize for my assumption.”

“I’m not sure we can accept such a grand gift,” Rolland said.

“Ye would nay spurn the offer of a friend, would ye?” Hammerhand asked.

“No, no we won’t,” Kim said. Getting up, she curtsied to Hammerhand. “We are honored by your offer.”

“Aich, nay the bowin’. There be no need of tha’ in private amongst friends.”

“I’m done,” Fluff said, going to Kim with the finished image. “I’m proud that my art will be used by your family.”

“We are honored that such a talented person is willing to help us,” Rolland smiled. “This has become much more than I had thought it would be. It makes me hope that tomorrow will be the first step to returning the world to what it should be.”

There was agreement all around and the guests got ready to take their leave. Wildmane suddenly went still, his eyes widening as he read something only he could see. He growled furiously, fur bristling at the message.

“They would dare!?” Wildmane screamed, the usually docile Lunari now a seething ball of rage.

“What happened?” Woodbinder asked.

“The Pride Leader has been attacked… by a Two-souled,” Wildmane snarled, his whole body glowing the same red that Fluff usually emitted when using her Berserker talents.

“Aich, tha’ be…” Hammerhand began, but trailed off as he also started reading something. “Me brother, too…” The Dwarf’s hands curled into fists, all of his knuckles popping loudly. “Another Two-souled attacked me brother.”

“This has to be a…” Woodbinder began before her breath caught. “Oh no… The Brighttree is on fire!”

“Stein,” Gerald said loudly, bringing all eyes to him. “We’ve heard that Stein likes to sow chaos. What else explains why the leadership of Stormguard’s allies have all been attacked the night before the raid is to start?”

Wildmane’s shoulders heaved and the glow around him brightened, “Stein!? I’ll rip his throat out!”

Hammerhand went cold, “We will nay back out.” Teeth gritting, the Dwarf stood upright. “I need to go assume the throne. Me brother has been turned to diamond. The Two-souled disappeared as soon as the orb he had given me brother turned him to a gem.”

“The Orb of Depths,” Vladimir whispered.

“Aye,” Hammerhand said. “I will send our army when the portal opens.” Pulling out Homestones with grim faces, Hammerhand and his wife vanished from the room.

“I’m requested back home. My family needs me,” Woodbinder said. “A Two-souled was presenting the Quiver of Hunter when the tree went up in flames. My cousin… isn’t thought to have survived. I will do what I can, but… we might not be able to send aid.” She and her husband used their Homestones and left, looking worried.

Wildmane’s fingers flexed, the claws emerging and retracting at their tips. “The Idol of Leo was handed to the Pride Leader by a Two-souled. The moment her hand touched it, she was engulfed in darkness and screamed. The man left and our court Shamans are trying to keep her soul from being torn asunder as I speak. I will marshal the Pride; we will bring death to Stein.” Growling as he grabbed his Homestone, Wildmane vanished.

“I need to inform the King at once,” Ioaniss said, heading for the door.

“I shall go with you. The King will wish to know about the relics that were used… they were among the items recently stolen by my traitorous servant,” Vladimir sighed. “Damn you, Renful.”

“I’ll fetch my gear and report to Commander Roberto. The guard will be called up in full,” Wilbur said as he pulled out his Homestone.

“Will ya send our coach home, please?” Erin asked Stacia as she also pulled out her Homestone. “I wish to be with me husband for as long as I can.”

“Aye, go on,” Stacia said.

Suddenly, Alpha Company were the only ones left in the courtyard. “I should begin preparing for the ritual,” Rolland said with a distant tone.

“I will come with you,” Kim said. “Like Erin, I wish to be with you until I can’t be.”

“Rolland,” Alburet said softly, “when it comes time, I’m going to have Bob near you. He’ll take the ring once the ritual is over.”

“That’s fine, Alburet,” Rolland said. “Thank you for lending it to me.”

“Call me Al. All my friends do,” Alburet said, going over to clap Rolland on the back and give Kim a hug. “We’ll finish this... don’t worry.”

“You need the ring back because of your quest,” Rolland said. “It’ll help you meet the conditions.”

“Yes,” Alburet said.

“If you had another option, would you consider giving the ring to the King?” Rolland asked.

“I don’t know,” Alburet said truthfully.

“Please think about it,” Rolland asked. “I need to get everything ready.”

Kim escorted them out. All of the Ambassador’s carriages were gone, and Stacia explained to Wilbur’s men that he was gone, as well. After exchanging promises to meet up just after sunrise outside the Portal Guild, Gerald and Alburet’s groups boarded their carriages.

As the carriage took them home, Karen spoke into the silence, “Don’t do it, Al. Please?”

Looking over to her, he could feel and see the fear and uncertainty in her face. “If there is another way that’s just as certain, wouldn’t it be worth it to save the King, too?” Alburet asked her.

“I don’t want to risk it,” Karen replied. “I can’t stand the thought of losing this.”

“He won’t, not unless he’s sure that the other way will work just as well,” Fluff said softly, rubbing Karen’s back. “Feel his emotions, too, Karen. Al won’t risk our love, but he also wants to do what he can to help his friends and family here.”

“I won’t, not unless I’m certain and we don’t know of another way,” Alburet said, reaching out to take Karen’s hand.

“Me family will still be here when we go. It would be nice iffin the country did nay fall apart on them when we left,” Stacia said softly.

“I know I’m being unreasonable,” Karen said, “but I… please?”

“Unless we can be absolutely certain that whatever comes is as good as the ring, I won’t. I won’t risk giving my family up.”

Nodding jerkily, Karen lunged across the carriage and hugged him tightly. “Okay. Thank you, Al.”

“It’s okay, Karen... it’s okay,” Alburet said, holding her close as the carriage rolled on toward home.

Chapter Thirty-one

Stacia woke them all early, giving them time to shower and have a light breakfast. Tense silence surrounded them as they got into the carriage and made their way to the Portal Guild. When the horses came to a halt and Alburet got out, his eyebrows went up as he took in the mass of people milling around. He finally spotted banners scattered amongst the throng, each with a different emblem.

“Alpha Company is over there,” Karen said, spotting it right before he did.

“Let’s head on over,” Alburet said as Stacia climbed out behind them.

There were clearly marked paths laid out, allowing access to each Guild’s rally point and the central area where the portal was being set up. Their path led them to the middle of the congregation, where Rolland was setting items out around an intricately drawn glyph.

“BB,” Alburet said, “you’re to stay near Rolland. Once he’s completed the ritual and isn’t in danger of dying, get the ring from him and bring it to me.”

“Got it,” the second copy of Bob replied, flying over to stand beside Kim.

They exchanged quick waves with Kim, then moved off toward their Guild’s banner. Alburet was interested to see that Alpha Company, Delvers, and Heart’s Light were set equally spaced around the central area. Between each of the three Guilds were other, smaller Guilds and a number of different guard detachments, each with their own banner.

When they reached Alpha Company’s banner, Alburet gave Gerald a smile. “Early morning for you?”

“Very,” Gerald replied. “We’re waiting for the King, and then this whole thing will kick off.”

“Morning, Alburet,” Violet called out.

“Aye, mornin’ brother,” Deirdre smiled.

“Go mingle,” Gerald chuckled.

Alburet and his wives moved into the mass of Alpha Company, greeting friends and other Guildmates who called out to them. Looking around, he saw all of the natives who had joined the Guild in attendance and a shiver of fear shot through him.

“Aye, they all be knowin’ what could happen, but they all be wantin’ to help end the nightmare,” Stacia said comfortingly. “I fear for me sis, as well, but I will nay try to tell her to nay come.”

“Kauree is here, too,” Fluff said. “I hope Vanessa is okay.”

“You can ask her,” Karen said, motioning with her head. “She’s over there.”

All of them followed Karen’s gaze. Vanessa, dressed in light leather and walking with a staff, was approaching Kauree. Behind her by a dozen feet was Ferrin. His Angels were flying above him, and a single powerful Angel in plate strode behind him.

“It looks like all of Alpha Company is here,” Alburet murmured.

Gerald turned away from Marysue once the last Guild members arrived, climbing onto a box so he could be seen by the entire Guild. “Alpha Company,” he called out, his voice projecting enough to reach them all. Once he had everyone’s attention, he continued, “We are here to help the natives of Alpha World put to rest a long blight on their world. Today is the start of the raid on Alctriuz and the assault on Stein and his followers. Many of you are probably wondering what our specific role will be. The King has approved my request: we will be the wall around him and his closest advisors. It will be our duty on the march to keep them safe.”

Excited conversations sprang up, making Gerald pause for a moment. A single voice called out from the throng, “Why aren’t we leading the way?”

“The King gave that task to Heart’s Light,” Gerald replied. “We’ll all be doing what we can in different ways. I will remind you that if the King falls, the entire raid might fragment, so our duty is just as important as any other.”

Conversations sprang up again, and Gerald waited before he started speaking again, “You have all doubtlessly noticed that the entire Guild has come for this, including our native members. They are risking their Final Deaths by being here; let’s do our best to support them while doing our assigned mission.”

Everyone looked around at the handful of native Guild members, those closest slapping their backs or speaking softly to them. Before he could say anything else, trumpets rang out from the far end of the gathering as the first rays of light broke over the horizon. Getting off his box, Gerald turned to face the direction of the sound, along with the rest of the Guild.

The sound of feet marching in unison and cheering grew closer. The King strode to the center of the gathering, the natives in attendance cheering as he went by them. Pausing to speak with Rolland for a moment, Tyr nodded before he climbed the small stage that had been set up.

“Today, we strike back at the family that has long harmed our nation,” Tyr said without preamble, his voice echoing in the suddenly still air. “Stein and his followers have been a blight that has stained our history. Today, we will be marching to Alctriuz; once there, we will destroy his followers and find him. There will be no trial and no mercy. We will find and kill him. Justice, Peace, Hunter, Magica, Forge, Hearth, Bastet, Leo, and even the Dark Lord are united in this with us. Champions for all of the gods have been raised up, empowered, and will be with us in our righteous fight. We cannot fail, for if we do, the evil that Stein embodies will choke the world. Steel your hearts. Know that friends and loved ones will die, but they will never be forgotten. They will be heroes who have helped us bring justice to Stein.”

Cheering started with the guards, but spread like wildfire among natives and Two-souled alike. The moment stretched until Rolland motioned to the King. The High Priests for Justice and Peace both slammed their staves into the stage, and silence suddenly filled the air.

“The time has come,” Tyr said gravely. Extending his hand, the glowing sword Alburet had seen before appeared in his grip. “For Justice!”

The glyph that Rolland had been working on started to glow. Everyone watched as the glyph rose into the air and expanded, in time with a heartbeat. Alburet watched Rolland closely.

Hand extended over a large crystal, Rolland’s eyes were closed while he chanted something. As the ritual continued, Rolland’s color began to fade, his skin growing paler and his hand shaking as he kept it over the crystal.

The growing glyph suddenly contracted and a bright blue glyph blazed from the ground in the center of the gathering. Rolland collapsed, and Kim along with four others cast magic on him.

“For Stormguard!” the King called out. The first detachment of guards began to march over the glyph, vanishing as they went.

Alburet felt a tight anxiousness in his chest when he lost sight of Rolland and people all around them began to move. He stayed where he was, knowing he couldn’t step on the glyph or BB would be pulled along with him.

“I’ll go,” Karen said.

“No need,” Bob told her. “I’m coming.”

A moment later, BB flew over Alburet and dropped the ring in his hand, “Kim says, ‘thank you.’”

Slipping the ring back on, Alburet felt the tension leave him. “I’m glad it worked. Come on ladies, we’re lagging behind.”

The tension wasn’t just his, but from all of his wives. Each of them fell in around him, and Alburet and his family trailed at the end of Alpha Company’s contingent as they headed for the glyph.

When they appeared on the far side of the portal, a ruined city stood around them. The sounds of combat could be heard, but distantly. Joining the others standing around the King, Alburet overheard the conversation.

“They are here at the Dark Lord’s behest; make sure the guards understand they are our allies,” Tyr told a captain, who raced off.

“It seems he was eager to help, but how did he know where to send them?” Tyr asked Ioaniss.

“I believe he keeps an eye on his newest Champion,” Ioaniss said, looking over at Alburet.

“My own stalker god... it’s a little weird,” Alburet shrugged.

“If I might?” a clear voice said from behind Alburet. “Highness, I come on behalf of the Dark Lord.”

All eyes turned to the startlingly beautiful woman that stood behind Alburet’s group. Alburet was the least surprised, “Mother. I had a feeling you would be here.”

“Because you are perceptive,” Mother smiled.

Tyr stared at her impassively, “What can we do for the Dark Lord’s only partner?”

“Allow us to be your air guard as you march on Stein. I’m the leader for the Infernals who have come to assist. If you can wait just a bit longer, there will be another surprise.”

Tyr met Mother’s gaze, “From the Dark Lord?”

“Oh no,” Mother laughed. She looked up, with everyone following her gaze. A bright circle of light was growing above them. “Oh, here she comes now.”

The circle of light flared and a host of Angels came through it. Leading them was a powerful Seraphim who flew down toward the King. “King Justiceson, I’m Parsnew, sister to Andrea. My Lady, Peace, has sent me to assist you in freeing my sister and bringing justice to Stein.”

Tyr took a moment to respond, awed to have a handmaiden of Peace standing in front of him. “Lady Parsnew... it is my honor to have one of Peace’s handmaidens here to help. You are leading the heavenly host?”

“I am, but I’m yours to command for this holy mission,” Parsnew replied. “What would you have of the host?”

“Join the Infernals and be our air guard as we march to the east,” Tyr commanded.

“As you will it,” Parsnew said, flying higher into the air and singing. As her words filled the air, all the Angels that had come with her responded and went to join the Infernals, who were locked in battle with undead.

“Damn, this is the most epic raid ever,” one of the Two-souled nearby said excitedly.

“Once they have secured us a safe path out of Law, we will march,” Tyr said. “Where are the others?”

“We are here,” Wildmane said as he approached. “The Pride has come at your call. We have a score to settle with Stein.”

“Aye, so do we,” Hammerhand said, coming up beside Wildmane. “Me people be out with the Infernals. They be needin’ to vent some anger.”

“Mine as well,” Wildmane nodded.

“As do mine,” Woodbinder said, walking up to stand beside the other two Ambassadors. “We’re a bit further back, but we’re helping. I’ve brought all the Archers and Druids I could; our contribution is smaller than the others, but we will be just as effective.”

“I’ll need to speak with you all,” Commander Roberto said, standing next to the King. “I’ll be coordinating our plan of attack once we reach Alctriuz.”

“Understood,” Woodbinder nodded.

“Nay a problem,” Hammerhand agreed.

“Just point us at them and we will carve them into pieces,” Wildmane growled.

“Be ready to move once word comes that a path is secured,” Tyr told everyone as he looked to the east. “Who knows what Stein will have waiting for us?”

Chapter Thirty-two

The call came for them to move a couple of hours later. Roberto had been in talks with Mother, Parsnew, Wildmane, Woodbinder, and Hammerhand, along with a handful of Stormguard Captains for most of that time. “The plan is in place; see to it,” Roberto said as they left the pavilion that had been erected.

Mother and Parsnew launched themselves into the air, heading toward the east where they were calling out to their charges. Hammerhand, Woodbinder, and Wildmane all took off at a jog in the same direction, their small contingent of guards falling in around them once they left the Alpha Company line.

“Stoutheart,” Roberto called out to Gerald, “if any of your Guild wishes to be in the thick of it, let me know. We’ll rotate in some regular guards so they can.”

“I’ll check,” Gerald said.

“Why would he offer that?” Karen asked.

“The more Two-souled in the middle of it, the less likely a native dies the Final Death,” Alburet said. “He’s asking us to join Heart’s Light as shock troops at the front, but doesn’t want us all gone because he’d like a few to stay back with the King.”

“That was my thought, as well,” Gerald said as he composed a message on the Guildstone. “Now, let’s see how many want to be in on this.”

“We’re not going,” Fluff said softly.

“No, we’re maxed out, and I think us staying close to the King is the better idea,” Gerald replied before Alburet could. “If Stein has another one or two agents still inside the Guild, once we thin down, they might strike.”

“We’ll be ready,” Karen said as she slipped into stealth. “I’ll stay close, but I want to be ready to use my full arsenal.”

“Commander, I have a list,” Gerald said, going over to Roberto.

Walking down the ruined streets at a steady pace, Alburet kept his head on a swivel, feeling uneasy. “TW, stick next to Marysue. TJ, I want you beside Fluff and Tiny. Be ready to assist the King. Bob, can any of you see anything odd up there? How about you, Kitten or KJ?”

“Nothin’,” Kitten replied.

“I see where battles were fought recently,” Bob said. “The dirt that covers the streets is disturbed there.”

Tiny and his Copies moved into position without comment.

“Ya feelin’ uneasy, Asthore. What be botherin’ ya?” Stacia asked.

“Something is making my teeth itch,” Alburet said.

Half of Alpha Company headed for the front lines of the slowly moving contingent that had the King at its center. Gerald walked back to where they were. “Okay, all of us who are maxed or only a couple levels off are staying back... what’s wrong?”

“Al feels uneasy,” Marysue said.

Gerald looked around, nodding slowly, “Yeah. A bit of an oppressive feeling, like a board trying to maneuver behind my back.” Glancing over to Roberto, Gerald caught the Commander’s eye, getting a minute nod.

A horned head appeared briefly in a ruined building ahead of them and Alburet frowned. He was able to recognize it as an Imp, but something about it felt wrong. All of the Infernals he had met since becoming a Demon Lord always waved or smiled at him, but that Imp seemed furious. “Gerald, I think the ambush is ahead of us—” Alburet started to say, but was cut off.

A furious roar came from all around them as giant, hulking Destroyers came out of the nearby buildings. The waxy sheen of their skin and lifeless eyes gave tell to the fact that these Infernals were undead. Fifty or more undead Imps suddenly took to the skies above the King’s party, and dozens of undead Succubi staggered out after the Destroyers and began to sing at the raid.

The guards closest to the King shook their heads as the small gems on their armor cracked and fell to the ground. “Kill the Succubi!” Roberto called out to the guards who had resisted the Succubi songs. “Archers, take down those Imps!”

Alburet leapt into the air, flying right into the middle of the Imps and using Fire Burst. A sphere of flame surrounded Alburet for a brief moment, a foot over the heads of everyone on the ground. Another burst of flame erupted before the Imps changed their target to him. “Coming down,” Alburet said. He folded his wings and aimed for a building with a missing window close to where Gerald was standing. “Line pull,” he called out as he shot toward the opening.

As Alburet fled, the Imps threw Fire Blasts at him, but only a few hit him before he vanished inside the building. All of the Imps turned and chased after him. Gerald waited for the Imps to come down before he Ground Stomped; the resulting stun caught almost all of them and made them fall to the ground.

The moment the Imps hit the ground, the rest of Alpha Company’s melee attackers fell on them with abandon. The Succubi— since their Dazes had been stopped— joined the Destroyers in attacking the tanks from Alpha Company and the Stormguard forces that formed in front of them.

The resulting chaotic battle was short lived; the raid had greater numbers of compared to the mobs. With the undead Infernals dealt with and looted, the King ordered them to move out again. “Roberto, have a couple of smaller groups go ahead to search the buildings,” Tyr said.

“I’m dispatching them now, Sire.”

“You were calling out the ambush before it launched, Darkhand. What did you see?” Tyr asked, turning to him.

“I caught a brief glimpse of an Imp looking out a second story window,” Alburet replied. “It didn’t wave at me, and all Infernals have since my change.”

“Hmm... keep your eyes peeled, then,” Tyr said. “It’ll be an hour before we leave the city, and I’d just as soon not be ambushed again.”

“It was a sloppy ambush,” Roberto said. “I don’t think they had time to plan it out, Sire. It felt improvised.”

“Commander,” a Captain called out, coming back toward them. “The nearby buildings all have tunnels connecting them. The tunnels look new, like they were made in the last day.”

“Which gives my theory credence,” Roberto nodded. “They knew we were coming, but not how or where. All reports have said that while the city had been filled with undead, it was not organized.”

“They surely know where we are now,” Tyr said, “which gave them the chance to use what they had left inside the city to attempt an attack.”

“That is my theory, Sire.”

“Very well. We’ll keep the groups out just ahead of us, just in case,” Tyr replied. “Let’s hope that’s the last surprise until we are outside the walls.”

~*~*~

With the crumbling walls of the ruined city of Law behind them, the group took in the view of the attacking force marching across the dunes. Thousands of bodies spread out to form a containment circle around the King, while fights with a few dozen undead could be seen in the distance. The Infernals and Angels flew from hotspot to hotspot, adding their damage to try to quell the attacks.

“Wow,” Fluff whispered as she pulled her sketch pad out and began to draw the scene.

“Putting the city on a high spot overlooking the area surrounding it was a good idea, but it didn’t seem to help it in the end,” Alburet commented.

“Law, like most of the cities that fell to Stein during the revolt, fell because of the aid of collaborators and the chaos he likes to inspire,” Ioaniss replied. “I can only imagine what the city looked like in its heyday.”

“Form up!” Roberto’s voice echoed over the sand. “We march to the east!”

The army shifted. They pulled in some as the King and his advisers, surrounded by Alpha Company, marched out into the open area in front of them, letting the army make a circle around them.

“I wonder if Dad felt like this at all,” Karen muttered.

“If he was deployed at all, I’m sure it was a bit more intense,” Alburet replied. “Currently, we’re not under attack.”

“Fair enough,” Karen sighed. “I just don’t see how we’re going to be under real stress with this many people.”

“I’m sure something will turn up,” Alburet said. “Let’s enjoy the moment of peace for a bit.”

~*~*~

Undead popped out from the sands roughly every few minutes as they marched. Heart’s Light took the brunt of the attacks from the front, Hammerhand’s contingent took the attacks on the north, and the Pack led by Wildmane handled the attacks from the south. Delvers Inc. and Woodbinder’s Archers acted as response units, rushing to whatever fight was closest to them, while the Angels and Infernals gave air support.

“Those small Guilds are the weak points,” Ironhand commented after an hour of marching. “See how they’re disorganized at first if an attack is near them?”

“Yes, but thankfully, the Archangels and Destroyers are spread out to help bolster them,” Gerald added.

“We’ll have to reevaluate their status when we camp for the night,” Roberto commented from nearby. “We’ll be asking you, Heart’s Light, and Delvers to lead the push into the prison as it is.”

“I figured that would be the plan,” Gerald nodded. “We’re the best choices because we won’t die even if we fall. The question is whether or not there’s a graveyard near the prison, and can we hold it?”

“The book that Alburet brought with him indicates that there are a few graveyards for the prison,” Ioaniss added. “Getting to and holding them will be a key part of our strategy.”

“Footholds to give us multiple chances to deal with Stein and his followers,” Gerald agreed. “This is going to be a well-remembered moment, even in our world. Two-souled will be talking about this for years to come.”

“All the other times like this have been successful?” Ioaniss asked.

“Nothing on this scale has ever happened before,” Gerald said. “This will be the first of its kind for us.”

“A moment to bring our worlds closer together,” Ioaniss commented. “I shall have to make sure to write everything down afterward.”

“Take this for your notes,” Fluff said, handing him the sketch of the army leaving Law’s gates behind.

Looking at the drawing, Ioaniss shook his head, “I thank you. Is it all right if I have another artist expand this image into a tapestry?”

“I’d be honored,” Fluff smiled.

A horn blew from the east, its note discordant and making everyone shudder. “I think Stein is mounting his defense,” Roberto said as he looked to the Captains. “Be ready to shift as needed.”

Mother came diving down from the sky, landing beside Alburet to not cause the King’s men distress. “Tyr, the army moving against us is almost twice our size. They also have those damnable beams that banish Infernals and Angels.”

“Pull back, and inform Parsnew to do the same,” Roberto commanded. “Get the Assassins ready to infiltrate the lines. They are to kill anyone with those crystals,” he continued to a different subordinate. “Order the rear guard to come around us; we’ll need to present our full might against them.”

The group near the King climbed the dune to get a better view of the battlefield. The thirty thousand undead marching toward them seemed almost endless; the raid brought ten thousand to the fore to face them, while the Infernals and Angels shifted to the rear.

The undead army came to a halt a half mile from the raid, and a single figure stepped forward. “Tyr, false king of humanity and follower of false gods, today I shall wrest the crown from you and lead humanity to the true knowledge that we deserve,” Lord Carradine called out, his voice clear to the army opposite him. “Do you wish to spare those with you? I will give you a single chance to come forth. Turn yourself over to Stein, and your pathetic rabble can leave.”

“Sire, the Assassins near the enemy report that he is shielded by a light, smoky barrier,” Roberto reported. “It is unlikely they will be able to hurt him... do you wish them to bypass him for the crystal carriers? Among the undead are a hundred or more cultists, each wielding a staff topped with a gem like those that have banished minions before.”

“Target the cultists. If we can get rid of them, our allies will be able to assist us. Give me the amplification stone,” Tyr said, taking a small stone item shaped like a megaphone. “Carradine, your House has been disbanded and stricken from the records, as have the Houses of all your allies. Today, we shall end your life and continue our march on Stein.”

“Very well. I tried to play nice,” Carradine sneered. “I brought a gift for you. The Prophet and the Dragon Eater spent a month breaking her, but now she sees the truth.”

Large dark wings carried a being above the undead army, her features cold and cruel, twisted from their former regal beauty. The previous gown of gossamer white silk had been replaced by a flowing black silk gown; the dress accentuated all of her female charms while hiding them from view, drawing the eyes of all the men present.

“Sister!” Parsnew cried out, about to take to the air before Mother stopped her. “What are you doing? Let me go, I have to speak with her.”

“If you show yourself, the cultists will hit you with their magic and banish you from this plane. How many times will Peace be able to send you back?”

Parsnew gnashed her teeth in anguish, “But she needs me.”

“And you’ll be able to help her, but first, we have to help our allies,” Mother placated her.

Andrea began to sing and the undead swelled with power while the natives facing them curled into balls, dropping weapons and shields. The Two-souled had been afflicted by a debuff that halved their stats, Angel’s Lament.

“Now we must sing together,” Mother told Parsnew. “Combined, we can end her song and empower our allies.”

Tears falling from her face at seeing her twin sister twisted so far from the pure being she used to be, Parsnew’s voice lifted into the air. The song that met Andrea’s was one of love for family and hope for reconciliation. As the two sisters sang at each other, effects from Andrea’s song faded.

Carradine’s voice, amplified much as the King’s had been previously, shouted in frustration, “It matters not, we have you vastly outnumbered. Charge!”

Mother’s voice rose in counterpoint to the sisters’. A song of family torn asunder by strife, of hope for a reunion, and the joy of family finally coming together again reverberated in the air. The undead slowed, while the raid allies felt their spirits lighten as a buff enveloped them. The natives rose to their feet, readying themselves for the battle. The Two-souled had a buff called Family’s Love, which increased their stats by half and doubled their mana regeneration.

“For Stormguard, and the world!” the King cried out. “Hold the line— strike down the cultists and undead!”

Chapter Thirty-three

The Elves were the first to strike, their arrows arching through the still air. Hundreds of arrows that had been fired in unison rained down on the slowly advancing horde. As the distance between them closed, spells began to erupt along both sides, and healing spells were cast to try to undo the damage that was being inflicted.

“Summoners, bring forth your Imp Storms,” Roberto’s voice rang out over the field.

Alburet frowned. The battle was still well away from him, and his Imps would expend a good portion of their time just getting into range.

Karen’s shimmering form slid up next to Gerald and spoke softly. “Twenty stealthers are moving in on us. Four distinct groups; I think two of them are heading for the King and Roberto, another seems to be heading for us, and the last is heading for Mother.”

“We’ll break them from stealth,” Gerald told her. “Call out when each is close enough for Bob.”

“I’ll handle it,” Bob grinned above them as he and his two Copies got ready to Fire Burst when Karen called out.

“I’ll Leap at the fourth group,” Fluff added, her claws flexing.

“Aim for five feet behind the targets,” Karen said. “They are trying to time getting to their targets together. When I call out, Fluff go for the King. Bob, you got the other three.”

“Tiny, split for the separate groups once they are visible,” Gerald told the Destroyer Lord. “I’ll take the ones on the King.” Tiny gave him a nod, opting to remain silent so as to not tip their hand.

The group felt the tension start to build as the battle raged to the east. The rest of Alpha Company around them had missed out on the conversation and just looked at the battle with various degrees of wanting to go join.

“Now!” Karen shouted.

Fluff went Leaping over the head of the King, landing fifteen feet away from him. The moment her feet touched the ground, she spun in place using Whirlwind. Her claws came away bloody as she sliced into thin air.

Heads had started to turn toward her when three simultaneous Fire Bursts at different spots confused the groups surrounding the King. That confusion only increased when groups of Assassins appeared at each targeted spot.

Tiny, TJ, and TW all hit their respective groups with Savage Roar, making sure that they would be the ones to take full damage. Gerald Charged past the King, his shield slamming three of the Assassins in the face before he Ground Stomped to stun them all.

“Alpha Company, protect the King!” Gerald shouted.

The few guards nearby shifted more closely around the King and Roberto, forming an even tighter defensive wall as Alpha Company turned to assault the attackers. Alburet leapt into the air, followed by Stacia and her Copies, giving everyone more room to get to them.

Mother kept singing with Parsnew, but gave a nod of her head to Marysue when she turned to look her way. Marysue was the first one to see the crystal that one Assassin pulled from his belt.

“Al, stop him!” Marysue called out.

Hearing Marysue and seeing her point, Alburet didn’t hesitate, diving down at the group of Assassins. Not slowing, Alburet accepted the damage he was going to take. The Assassin was just bringing the crystal up and pointing it at Parsnew, who was standing beside Mother singing, when Alburet slammed into him and drove both of them into the hard-packed sand. The crystal went flying away from them and was snatched up by Deirdre.

“Kill the Demon Lord,” one of the Assassins near Alburet yelled as Alburet started to slam his fists into the man he had landed on.

Angels and Infernals surged over the Assassins nearest Alburet. While those men were being dealt with, with the rest of Alpha Company was rapidly killing the other three groups.

Tyr stood in the middle of the conflict, a grim look on his face. “Commander, can you still command from here?”

“My Captains will hold out until this is dealt with, Sire,” Roberto replied.

Two minutes later, the Assassins were all dead. The guards moved away enough for Roberto to be able to see the battle again. Taking stock of the situation, Roberto grimaced; the undead had reached the front lines and were starting to swing around the flanks.

“Alpha Company, the north flank is closer. Stop them from enclosing the edge,” Roberto ordered.

“Ironhand, you have the lead,” Gerald said. “Take the Guild and go.”

“On it,” Ironhand said as he whistled loudly. “Once more unto the breach! Save the northern flank.”

The bulk of Alpha Company headed to help the north edge of the fight, leaving just Gerald’s group behind. With the mass of people nearby heading away, Alburet was able to get a good look at the front.

“Damn, that looks messy,” Alburet muttered.

“Sire, the Assassins are ready to strike, but they won’t drop more than half of the casters. I’m going to order the Two-souled to push in and attack the rest, but we’ll lose a number of them this way.”

“We need them dealt with to regain air support,” Tyr said. “We’ll increase the rewards later. Do it.”

“Sire,” Gerald said, “I’ll lead my group into the fight. Since you have the Infernals and Angels here, I feel we can be of more use down there.”

“Go, Stoutheart. Order your Guild to focus on anyone with crystals.”

“Yes, Sire,” Gerald said. “Let’s go. We’ll link with Ironhand and push into the line.”

“Tiny, all of you are Marysue’s shields. Make sure she says safe; her healing and damage will prove key for us,” Alburet said as they jogged after Gerald.

“Yes, master,” Tiny rumbled.

“What do you want me to do?” Bob asked, flying just above their heads. “They’ll target me if I go high.”

“I want you to stay low, but BJ and BB should go high and be decoys. It’ll give away the positions of their crystals. Worry about evading more than attacking, but do what you can.”

“Me songs be useless, but I will be usin’ me blades,” Stacia said, drawing her two short blades with her Copies doing the same.

“Fine. Stay back with Tiny and help him keep Marysue safe.”

“We’ll be next to Gerald, cutting a path,” Fluff growled.

“A path of death,” Karen agreed.

“Ironhand,” Gerald called out as they closed the distance. “New orders. We push into them; find and kill the ones with crystal tipped staves.”

Throwing another trap into the horde, Ironhand looked back and grimaced. “Okay, but it’s going to be difficult. Alpha Company, follow Gerald. We’re going on the offensive!”

A few cheers drifted up as Gerald pushed his way to the front and into the line of undead. “Make them fear our name! We are Alpha Company!” he roared.

The other tanks in the Guild came up even with him, using their shields as a moving barrier to push into the undead, who hadn’t expected them to push an attack. “Alpha Company!” came the cry from over a hundred voices as the Guild was surrounded by the undead.

“Fearless,” Roberto commented as he watched them go. Brow scrunching, Roberto followed their progress for a moment. “The front line is the only resistance.”

Tyr looked where Roberto was and started to nod. “Order the troops to attack. Mother… damn, she’s singing.”

“I’m her aide, King Justiceson,” a Succubus said, coming to stand in front of the King. “What do you wish from us?”

“As soon as we push into them, I need you and the Angels to join the fight. The casters will be busy. A few of you will fall just as some of my men will, but we can crush them. The undead aren’t the real threats here. When you go in, focus on the casters.”

“If that is your order, Majesty,” the Succubus bowed her head, turning to a Seraphim who had stepped forward. “Well, Aria, shall we join this fight?”

“Yes, Stepha. We shall,” Aria replied as she floated into the air. “For Peace and Justice, we shall wipe these men and undead from the sands.”

A cheer from the Angels resounded as Cherubim and Seraphim took to the air at her words. Imps and Succubi followed suit, ready to follow Stepha into the battle.

“For the Dark Lord, we go to destroy these abominations!”

The sound of sand crunching under hooves and plated feet filled the air as Archangels and Destroyers marched forward, shoulder to shoulder. The black and red armor of the Destroyers was interspaced with white and gold of the Archangels. Both carried tower shields and wielded a variety of weapons.

“It makes me glad that the Dark Lord is on our side,” Ioaniss said softly as he watched the scene.

Alburet snarled as his flame-coated axe slammed into the undead that was trying to kill him. To his left, Karen was stabbing her own target and throwing out a Dagger Cloud every minute. Fluff was continuing to spin, her Whirlwind hitting every enemy near her. He didn’t know where the next caster was going to show up, only that Gerald was using BJ as a spotter to get them going in the right direction.

“Al, we need some room. Now’s the time,” Gerald said.

Nodding, Alburet summoned his Imp Storm, which was noticeably smaller than normal with all of his minions and Copies out. Still, the swarm of Imps giddily hammered Fire Burst after Fire Burst into the undead on Gerald, doing their best to avoid the black tendrils that shot out at them from among the undead horde.

“We’ve got… reinforcements?” Gerald began, switching tracks when over a hundred Cherubim went over his head. “This is our chance! Push!”

The sudden influx of air support caused the casters amid the undead to panic. They tried to hit any minion they could while the undead were ruthlessly being pounded on by those in the air.

Ioaniss watched, enraptured, as the Angels and Infernals got into the fight. “This must have been what it was like during the first revolt.”

“We need to do something about Andrea,” Tyr told Roberto. “If she can be neutralized, Parsnew and Mother can exert more influence for us.”

“She’s still a half mile behind the enemies and Carradine is beside her,” Roberto replied. “I am certain he plans to flee if we gain the upper hand.”

“Damn him,” Tyr snarled. “What can we do to keep him here so we can close the noose on him?”

“I can handle that,” Mother said as her song came to an end. “The buff will last for twelve minutes. I’ll be going with Parsnew to deal with her sister. I have a gift from the Dark Lord that will stop him from fleeing.” She smiled darkly, sparks glittering in her eyes.

“I would be grateful,” Tyr replied.

“Very well,” Mother smiled. “Parsnew, are you ready to break the corruption from your sister?”

Nodding, Parsnew lifted into the air, her voice still raised in counterpoint to Andrea’s.

“Very well. I shall make sure Carradine doesn’t flee, then I’ll come and assist you. I won’t be able to save her, but you can.” Mother began to lift into the air beside the Angel.

“We’ll get someone out to handle Carradine as soon as we can,” Roberto said as the two started to fly away.

The fight on the ground had started to swing in the allies’ favor, as the fearlessness of the Two-souled and the toll that the combined Angels and Infernals were taking stacked up. “Air superiority matters,” Karen laughed.

“We need to kill more of the casters,” Gerald said, looking for Bob to point them toward their next target. “Mother?”

The rest of the group looked up to see Parsnew and Mother fly over them. “We should go help them, Gerald,” Marysue said.

“Okay,” Gerald shouted. “Ironhand?”

“Behind you a bit,” came the reply.

“Lead the Guild to the rest of the casters. My group is heading through.”

“I’ll handle it,” Ironhand replied. “Leggy, give me the flare.”

An arrow of bright gold flew straight up, and everyone who could see it watched it while the glow lasted. During those few seconds, Ironhand relayed the order from Gerald.

“Who knew that Archers had a distract?” Alburet laughed when he was able to tear his eyes away.

Chapter Thirty-four

Andrea’s lips curled into a sneer as she watched her sister and Mother come closer. Bringing her song to an end, she floated higher into the sky. “Sister, why are you with that useless hanger on? She will only try to keep you chained to the false gods like she is.”

“Andrea, please... Peace misses you. She has been crying every day since you were taken,” Parsnew replied as she flew after her sister. “You know that what you are saying is wrong; those are the lies of Stein.”

“Lies? You dare speak of lies!? We’ve been told nothing but lies since we came into being… sister.” The last word dripped with hatred and scorn. “Peace and Justice have only told us lies since we opened our eyes. Stein has shown me the truth— the real truth of the world.”

“Listen to yourself,” Parsnew shouted. “You have been subjected to deceit. I will show you the truth so you might find the real you again.” Raising her voice, Parsnew sang a song of love, family, and acceptance.

Andrea’s eye twitched and she flew away from Parsnew, “Stop it! That song is a falsehood.”

“Damnable Angel,” Carradine hissed as he watched the sisters. “I’ll end this quickly.” Pulling a black crystal from his belt pouch, he aimed it at Parsnew.

“Oh no you don’t,” Mother said firmly. “You forgot about me, didn’t you?”

Carradine blinked when Mother snatched the crystal from his hand and dropped another at his feet. “What? How?”

“A song of my own,” Mother smiled, gliding away from Carradine as he drew a sword. “It makes anyone who hears it forget I was here. It’s a new song, so Stein probably hasn’t found a way to stop it yet.”

“I’ll deal with you, then make sure she stays enthralled,” Carradine snapped and stepped forward. His shadow crossed the gem that Mother had dropped and it flashed. White chains shot out of the ground and penetrated his shadow, appearing to pin it to the ground.

“Justice is upset that his lovely wife has been crying,” Mother smiled. “Now stay here. I’ll send people to deal with you in a moment.”

A scream of rage and pain came from Andrea as her hands pressed to her ears. “Stop it, stop it! You don’t know what you’re doing, sister.”

The song came to an end and Parsnew flew closer to Andrea. “I do. I want to save you from the evil that they have steeped you in. I want my sister to come home.”

“No!” Andrea snarled as a burst of oily blackness flashed out from her. The dress she had been wearing was now a shorter, sleeker dress that showed enough skin to be scandalous, but still concealed her assets. “You are flawed, sister! Look at you: still stuck in the same chaste mindset that we both had for ages.”

Parsnew tried to avoid the flash of energy from Andrea, but was caught in it. The oily blackness ate at her dress, and also at her resolve. What if she’s right, what if… No… No! I must help her. She needs me. Regaining her balance, she took a quick look at her once pristine dress to find it tattered, but still holding its shape.

“Let me show you what I’ve learned, sister,” Andrea snarled.

Parsnew blinked as Andrea was suddenly on top of her. Trying to defend herself but not hurt her sister was more difficult than she expected. “Stop. Andie, stop!”

Andrea snarled when her nickname was used. “Shut your mouth!” Screaming, she hooked her fingers into Parsnew’s wings and began to tear at them.

Tears welling up at the pain, Parsnew grabbed Andrea and folded her wings, plummeting them both to the ground. “Hurt me if you have to, Andie, but I’ll never stop loving you.”

Mother’s voice rose as the sisters fell from the sky, a song of acceptance and love for a wayward family member. The impact of the two bodies hitting the ground nearby staggered her, but she kept singing as the two sisters rolled in the sand.

Gerald was the first to break through the mass of undead, and he spun to help the others. Once the group was out of the mob, they sprinted for Carradine, who was attacking the chains that bound him in place. The impact of the two sisters hitting the ground made all of them slow for a moment. Mother waved them on and they left her to handle the sisters.

Carradine spun to face them, a handful of chains still attached to his shadow, locking him in place. “Alpha Company… I should have known you would lick the King’s boots.”

Gerald was suddenly in front of Carradine, crossing the remaining yards in an instant and smashing his shield to the ex-noble’s face. “We’re just here to take out the trash.”

Fluff was there a second later, her Leap taking her behind Carradine so she could dig into the lightly armored man’s back. Bob, who had made it through with them, started lobbing Fire Blasts just above head height, not wanting to be a target. Going into the air, Alburet joined him, knowing it was about to get very crowded around Carradine. Karen made it to Carradine just as he was shaking off the stun, her dual blades cutting into him. Stacia and her Copies were a step behind her, also sinking their blades into the suddenly surrounded ex-noble. Tiny was there a moment later, barely able to get his three bodies into the fray.

“Rabble,” Carradine hissed, “do you truly think you can stop me when I’m blessed by Stein?”

“Bob, can you burn that buff off?” Alburet asked, seeing that the one Carradine sported was vastly hindering their ability to hurt him.

“I can’t,” Bob grimaced. “Mother might be able to, but she’s helping Parsnew.”

Gerald winced as Carradine’s sword felt like it carved straight into him. “How is he ignoring my armor?”

“I don’t know, and my healing isn’t doing as much as it should,” Marysue said in a panic.

“Mother, we need you,” Alburet called out to her.

Mother grimaced, torn between helping the group or maintaining her song, which was the only thing helping Parsnew counteract Andrea’s attempt at corrupting her. Letting her song fade, she turned to Carradine and took a long look at him. “‘Stein’s Lackey’... a very fitting name for that buff. I cannot remove it, but I can lessen its power.”

“Anything would help,” Alburet replied.

Kneeling in the sand, Mother began to whisper a prayer, her hands stretched out to Carradine as she spoke. Dark sparks shot from her fingers and floated toward Carradine, who suddenly looked quite worried.

“No, no... his power is greater than your false god’s,” Carradine said as he frantically began slashing at Gerald.

“Tiny, stun him and keep him stunned until those sparks get here,” Alburet told the Destroyer Lord and his Copies.

A heart wrenching cry from behind them made Alburet look back. Parsnew was being lifted into the air by her neck by her sister, Andrea’s feral smile revealing perfect teeth that almost glowed. “If you won’t listen to me, then I shall give you a gift: death without torment.”

“Fuck,” Alburet hissed. “I’ll be right back,” he shouted to his friends, hurriedly flying at the two Angels. Andrea’s back was to him, giving him the surprise he needed to slam into her from behind. He latched onto her neck between the slow beat of her wings. “Going down?”

“Fool,” Andrea barely managed to get out as she dropped her sister. “I’ll pull your wings off for this!” Reaching back at him, she was surprised when he was no longer there.

Alburet let go of Andrea and dove after Parsnew, grabbing her and turning them before they hit the ground. Gasping as the wind was driven from him, Alburet rolled the weakly moving Angel off his chest, giving him only a moment’s warning before Andrea’s feet drove into his sternum. Sight wavering, Alburet knew he was in a bad spot, but he was unable to do anything.

“I’ll join this dance,” Mother said, touching Alburet’s leg and sending health into him. “Andrea, you have damaged one of my dearest’s favorites. I was planning on staying out of the fight with your sister, but you’ve changed that.” As Mother spoke, she grabbed the Fallen Angel and threw her away from Alburet and Parsnew. “Your friends could use you again, Alburet.”

“Got it,” Alburet gasped as he got to his feet. “I’ll leave her to you two.”

Parsnew got to her feet, blood dripping from her nose. “Mother, this is my fight. If I fail, please do what you can for her, but don’t interfere with me.”

Alburet looked back at them for a moment before he took to the air and went back to help his friends.

Mother paused and backed up, “I shall aid in small ways, as I was before.” Mother began singing again, a song of sisters torn apart. The tune of anger, fear, and lingering hope filled the air, mingling with the sounds of ongoing combat.

“I wanted to spare you,” Andrea snarled as she tore at her own dress. “To spare you the horrors of their touch! But you won’t listen... you never listen to me!” The dress peeled away to reveal black lingerie, as well as dark marks that marred her skin.

Parsnew slowed her approach to her sister, “Andie… no matter what happened, I will never turn away from you. I will listen if you need me to. If listening will help you find your way, I will do so gladly.”

“No, you won’t!” Andrea yelled. “You didn’t listen to me at all while I was being hurt. You weren’t there to help me nor to comfort me. I was abandoned by you and Peace and Justice. Dimitry showed me the truth about us, and Stein made me see what our parents are really like.”

“Do you want to kill me?” Parsnew asked as she approached one step at a time. “Not what they would have you do, but you, my darling sister… do you want to carry my blood on your hands?”

Andrea backed up, her face twisting, “Stay back.”

The wash of conflicted emotions behind the group made them hope Parsnew was on the right track, but they had their own problems to deal with. Alburet had rejoined them, his Fire Blasts barely doing any damage. The others were having the same issue, but at least Carradine’s health was dropping, if slowly.

“Stupid bitch,” Carradine yelled. “Kill her! That is Stein’s command. Kill your sister and Mother, then come and deal with this filth, Ashen Fall.”

A sudden cry of rage from Andrea was the only warning Parsnew had before her throat was once again in Andrea’s hands. Parsnew didn’t try to stop her, only smiled sadly at her sister, her words barely audible as she spoke, “Peace will always forgive you, and so will I, sister.”

Mother’s song cut off, and a very familiar tune took its place. Alburet looked back to see Mother touching the shoulders of both Angels as the three of them slumped to the ground. “A memory walk during combat?”

“Damn meddlesome whore,” Carradine snapped. “Grinom, bring me reinforcements and kill Mother.” A large group of undead split away from the horde as Carradine was suddenly encased in ice.

Gerald spat. Knowing the ice would last for a bit, he turned on the oncoming mass of undead. “Fine, we deal with these first. Keep them off Mother.”

Another group followed the undead that were closing on Gerald’s group and Mother. As they charged to meet the attackers, Alburet caught sight of who was leading the group chasing the undead: Chris Eveningstar, his brother-in-law.

As the two groups from Alpha Company sandwiched the undead reinforcements, Alburet watched one of the three casters slip past the tanks, still on a beeline for Mother.

“Not today,” Alburet said, taking to the air to catch the offending cultist.

As the cultist came to a stop and leveled his staff at Mother, Alburet’s shadow eclipsed him, making the man spin and bring his staff’s crystal tip in line with Alburet. The black oily beam of energy tore at Alburet, clouding his mind with pain. What the crystal didn’t do was stop Alburet’s forward momentum, resulting in him slamming full force into the cultist. The impact drove the staff from the cultist’s hand and sent it spinning across the sands. With the pain gone, Alburet ripped the axe from his back and slammed it down onto the man with all the anger he felt burning in him.

“Asthore, help,” Stacia cried out, snapping him from his moment of rage.

Clambering off the broken man’s body, Alburet looked back to see Stacia hiding behind Gerald. Both Tiny and Bob were missing, as were their Copies. The two remaining cultists were doing their best to heal the undead and find an angle to get a shot at Stacia with their staves.

Karen appeared behind one of them, her blades driving into his back. “That’s my wife asshole, and you hurt my friends.”

Fluff was beside her in a moment, her claws digging into the cultist’s chest. “Time to pay for your crimes.”

Hurrying back to their sides, Alburet almost missed it when the second cultist aimed at him. Dropping out of the sky as the beam enveloped him, Alburet hit the ground hard and rolled, taking him out of line of sight.

The next few minutes were chaotic, but they gained the upper hand on the undead once the last two cultists dropped. As they began dismantling the undead, a voice raised in joy began to sing. It was joined by another, forming a perfect duet and telling of horrors overcome and sisters reunited.

Looking back, Alburet watched as Andrea and Parsnew rose into the air, hands held before them as the song rose and gained power. Mother was kneeling on the ground, looking far more haggard than he had ever seen her. The song sapped the energy from the undead, afflicting them with Angel’s Joy.

“Damn you. This was but a taste of what is in store for you!” Carradine screamed as the ice fell away. “I’ll go back in disgrace, but he’ll know you’re coming and exactly what you have for help.”

Mother staggered to her feet, her eyes going to Carradine. “No, Dog of Stein, you’ll—”

Before she could finish, Carradine hacked apart the last chain holding him in place and drew out a crystal. Smashing it against his sword, Carradine vanished from the area.

The battle was over almost an hour after it began. The King’s army was raising those they could, the Final Death only coming when the resurrect timer ended for the natives. When they formed up to march onward, they learned the total cost of the battle: a little over six hundred guards, two hundred Dwarves, just short of two hundred Lunari, and sixty-three Elves had fallen. Among the Two-souled, Heart’s Light lost a few dozen, Delvers lost eleven because they had been on the edges, and Alpha Company lost forty. Ironhand’s entire group had been among those wiped out, and were waiting in Stormguard for the army to open the portal outside the prison. The most missed from the Guild were Kauree Sullivan, Vanessa Brightflower, and Ivonna Darkheart. The trio of women died fighting for their Guild and world, none of them able to be resurrected in time.

Chapter Thirty-five

The fights were smaller during the rest of the march toward the prison, but still frequent and intense. The undead that showed up were not difficult for the raid to deal with, but the Elder Sandworms that attacked en masse were a problem. As the sun was setting, the mountains they had been walking toward were just a few miles away and the sand was being left behind as stone broke through the surface. The remnants of a large paved road had just started to become visible when the King called a halt for the night.

A somber mood weighed heavily on those who had made it to this point. Close to fifteen hundred people had died by the time Campstones were set and tents were being erected. As dinner was being prepared, the King called for a meeting of the leaders.

Alburet watched Gerald go toward the King’s tent, still sad over the loss of their friends. Stepping into his own tent, he found his three wives all had changed and were waiting for him, the same sadness coming from each of them. Dropping his bag and stripping his gear off, Alburet went and joined them. The group embrace started to lift their spirits some.

A minute later, there was a knock on the tent pole and a voice said, “Lord Darkhand, the King wishes you to attend his meeting.”

“I’ll see you at dinner,” Alburet said, collecting kisses from all three women before he got to his feet.

Arriving at the King’s pavilion, he was ushered inside by a guard. “Good, now we can start,” Tyr said. “Darkhand, tell us what you can remember about the prison again.”

Alburet took a moment to get his memories in order before he relayed what he had seen over a hundred days ago. When he finished, everyone looked dissatisfied except for Ioaniss.

“That would have been the interior main gate,” Ioaniss said. “The other gate he saw would be to the prison proper. I doubt the intake wing will have anything in it, but we should sweep it, just in case.”

“Did you find anything else in the archives?” Tyr asked.

“The prison is separated into wings as we would expect; intake, holding, minor, moderate, and deadly. Each of those wings represented the security settings for their blocks. The security control office is said to be on the far side of the deadly wing.”

“It still nay be a lot to go with,” Hammerhand said. “Can we nay send some Imps or Cherubim out to investigate?”

“We don’t have Andrea or Parsnew back to help, so that will be Aria’s purview,” Tyr said, looking to the Seraphim.

“I can order a small scouting force, but with the beams of banishment the enemy has, we might not get any word back.”

“That is my view, as well,” Mother agreed. “I will send as many as you request. I expect to receive reinforcements tomorrow, and I have no doubt that we will need them.”

“Parsnew did say she would bring more back with her, too,” Aria added.

“Sire, the prison is still likely shrouded in fog,” Ioaniss reminded the King. “Until you get close enough, I don’t think they will be able to be of much use.”

“That is a problem. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to get a better idea of what we face.” Hands clenching, Tyr seemed angry, “How is Stein circumventing the fog?”

“The same way he does much of what he does, Sire,” Ioaniss said, gripping his friend’s shoulder. “He seems to have found some way to break the rules of our world.”

“Then why does the Overlord not rein him in?” Tyr snapped before calming himself. “That was uncalled for. I apologize to all those present.”

“Sire,” Benedict said, interjecting himself into the conversation, “if this is anything like the other worlds we’ve helped in the past, we will find a major subordinate of Stein in each wing, with Stein himself at the furthest point of the prison. We’ll just need to force our way into each block and silence his helpers on our way to him. The biggest thing we’ll need is the closest graveyard so we can come back if we fall.”

“It would be best if you would be the vanguard in the fight,” Tyr nodded. “Holding the graveyard might very well take all of the non Two-souled. Are you fine with being the ones to drive into the prison while we hold the graveyard?”

“Yes,” Benedict, Blaze, and Gerald agreed in near unison.

“Where is the graveyard located?” Wildmane asked.

“We don’t know, but likely inside the first gate at least,” Ioaniss replied.

“I’m betting on one in each block,” Blaze said. “This place is supposed to be massive, after all.”

“That would make sense. It would have given the guards a few areas to come back to if they died while working,” Tyr nodded.

“When are you going to open the portal for reinforcements from the city?” Woodbinder asked.

“We are an hour or more from the valley of the prison,” Roberto said. “The portal will only take a few minutes to open. I’m thinking we’ll wait until we have the gates in sight.”

“Very well,” Tyr agreed. “Ladies, if you would be ready to send your scouts once we get close enough for me to dispel the mist?”

“I shall have them ready,” Mother smiled.

“Parsnew might be back by then, but if she isn’t, I will send an equal number of Angels as Mother sends Infernals,” Aria said.

“What about our dead?” Wildmane asked. “Are we holding a wake for them tonight or not?”

“We wouldn’t want the men suffering from hangovers when we attack tomorrow, but we don’t have enough booze to hold a proper wake, anyway,” Roberto replied. “If you can hold a wake, we only ask that you make sure none of the Pride over-imbibe.”

“We can be helpin’ ye with tha’ lack of drink,” Hammerhand said. “All me lads and lasses be carryin’ a keg. We been knowin’ we would be losin’ some of our number and came prepared.”

“If you will share, we will hold a wake for all of those lost,” Tyr said before Roberto could speak. “I also ask that you provide the names of the dead to Ioaniss. We will be immortalizing them once this nightmare is behind us.”

“Aye. I will be havin’ me followers place two kegs by each fire,” Hammerhand said. “Me second will bring ye a list before we march tomorrow, Jones.”

“That will be fine,” Ioaniss said.

“Very well. That’s all the intel we have to cover at the moment, so let us attend dinner and start the wake for our fallen,” Tyr said. “Tomorrow, the true test will come and we will lose even more of our numbers before we bury Stein.”

The meeting ended and the various leaders left the tent with pensive looks as they each went toward their encampments. Gerald and Alburet walked back toward Alpha Company’s section. “We lost three,” Alburet said softly. “Not as many as the others, but still, it felt like losing family.”

“Yes, it did. We’ll celebrate what Vanessa, Kauree, and even Ivonna did for our Guild, and what they believed in to be with us for this.”

Eyes going to Chris and Deirdre, Alburet felt his blood chill. “I have family here still.”

“Do you want me to send them back when the portal opens?” Gerald asked. “I can try to order them back.”

“Stacia would be upset with me,” Alburet replied. “I’ll trust that they know what they are risking, even more so because of the losses today.”

“Al?” Gerald said, stopping the two of them in a small clear space, “Mary told me about what she asked of you and what she offered. Are you sure about the scholarship? As a friend, I would be honored to set up the trust and make sure that it was managed by the right people.”

Staring at the ground, Alburet took a long moment to consider what Gerald was offering. “If you have a daughter with Marysue once you leave here, and she is taken from you when she grows up, would you accept a similar offer?”

Gerald inhaled sharply, “I don’t know. I would probably set up a fund myself, honestly. Though I’d also do everything I could to make sure that whoever hurt my daughter paid for it.”

“Yes... justice must be had,” Alburet nodded sadly. “I won’t ask for it, but I won’t oppose it, either. My friend inside Mindblown hasn’t contacted me since I asked for Marysue. I’ve done what I can for her, so please let her know. Just in case I’m not here after the raid.”

Gerald’s eyebrow went up, “You think they’ll pull you that fast?”

“I have no idea, but anything is possible.”

“I’ll inform her… and Al? Thanks,” Gerald said, clapping him on the shoulder before he continued toward his tent.

Watching the Defender precede him, Alburet gave his friend’s back a tight smile. “You’re welcome, Gerald.”

Dinner was served and, during the meal, Tyr announced the limited wake for the fallen. The next few hours saw tears and laughter intermixed as people celebrated friends no longer with them. Alpha Company celebrated their receptionists and the Paladin who had died defending Ferrin. Ferrin cried more than any two people in the Guild, his anguish at not being able to save Ivonna clear to all who talked to him.

After an hour, Alburet and his wives retired for the night. Fluff drew for an hour in their tent, showing them the art she created to immortalize their fallen, along with the quick map Alburet asked her for. When she was done, they curled up in their blankets and, after a while of holding each other, eventually found some sleep.

Chapter Thirty-six

Blinking, Seamus realized he was in Victoria’s study. The raven-haired beauty was sitting across from him, sadness etched on her face. “Vicky? What’s the problem?”

“It saddens me to see so many deaths,” Victoria replied softly.

Vanessa, Kauree, and Ivonna flashed through his mind, “Yeah, it’s hard to accept.”

“You didn’t have an episode, which is good,” Victoria went on as she cleared her throat gently. “You’ve been integrating all your personalities well. Our visits will soon be over, as you no longer need me to watch over you.”

“Isn’t that something to celebrate?” Seamus asked.

“It is,” Victoria agreed. “Would you like to give a statement about the crime you committed? I have been told that it might help your appeals. With the time you’ve served already, it’s possible that you could go free if Moorehead gets your case before the right judge.”

A long moment passed as Seamus tried to process her words. “I could be free?”

“Moorehead thinks that with your clarity now and the right statement, you could have the case reopened and possibly the murder charge reduced, since it’s obvious you were not in your right mind.”

“No. I was in my right mind,” Seamus said. “That sick fuck deserved what I did. Deserved a lot more than I did. I know what I did, and know that I wasn’t really me at the time, but I don’t regret my choices. I’m sorry I tarnished Kaylee’s memory by doing it, but I still think I was right. That bastard would have pled down and maybe gotten twenty years. I couldn’t stomach that idea.”

“Very well, Seamus. I won’t ask again,” Victoria said softly. “By not doing so, you’ll stay in the care of Mindblown as our test case. That does mean that Karen and Julia will never get to meet you in the flesh.”

Hands tightening, Seamus thought over the offer again before he shook his head. “If we finish this quest, they can come with me to Delta World. Right?”

“I can request that as your boon,” Victoria replied slowly. “Is that what you really want, though? A life trapped inside a pod, where the world is virtual only?”

“If I have my wives with me, it will be as close to heaven as I’m likely to ever get.”

Victoria’s lips ticked up the smallest fraction at the corners, but then her expression became serious once more. “Very well, Seamus. If you can complete the quest, I will strenuously lobby for your request. They will each need to sign a long list of waivers and disclosures for it to be possible.”

“They’ll do it,” Seamus replied. “If it will help, you can send the forms to my bag and they’ll sign them today.”

“They will need to step out of the game and sign them in person, sadly,” Victoria said. “That all hinges on you completing all of the quest parts, do not forget that.”

“I’m aware,” Seamus replied. “About my other message to you—”

Victoria held up a hand, cutting him off. “That will be between Francis Bennet and Alvin once their six-month testing phase is over. I have given him my opinion on the matter, but it is out of my hands. If Marysue pushes with the full weight of the Dorn name, I’m sure that will influence the final decision.”

“Can I tell them that?”

“You may inform them.”

“Thank you.”

“Why did you turn down Marysue’s offer of the scholarship?”

“You know why, if you were watching.”

“Do you think Kaylee would be upset that her memory would be the inspiration for helping others get a hand up?”

“No. I just can’t ask for it.”

“Stubborn as always,” Victoria sighed.

“Why this scenario?” Seamus asked, changing topics. “Why the Final Deaths for all the natives?”

“Will this be remembered? Will it be something that players talk about for twenty or more years?” Victoria asked in return.

“Yeah, the raid will be remembered... the lead up with all the deaths will be remembered.”

“That is why. It doesn’t matter how I or others feel about it. What matters is that it will cement Mindblown’s name in gamer memory. Delta World won’t be public for a few years. We won’t even hint about it until the last crisis for Alpha World starts. We’ll have a few internal testers for Delta World and a handful of alpha testers, but that’s it. Even then, it’s been agreed that once Alpha World’s story is done, the servers will stay up for those who have accounts. This way, anyone who has made a real home for themselves there can keep going back.”

“That’s surprising for a business,” Seamus said.

“That will also be remembered, and it will help portray the company as the best gaming company. Though the projected figures show that almost all of the players will transition to Delta World if they can.”

“This whole story line with Stein, Dimitry, Bitch, and the nobles. Why use it as the first story? Why not the Dragons, or the Troll war that I’m sure is coming?”

“Most of our players chose Human as their race, did you know that?”

“No, but since you mention it, yeah... most of the Guild seems to be Human. That’s odd. I would think most would want to be different.”

“Why did you choose Human, and not Dwarf, Lunari, or Elven?”

“Didn’t care for the way they looked, mostly; also kind of wanted to be me.”

“Exactly. A majority of our players want to be the hero. Those players chose an idealized version of themselves in appearance. A few have fully embraced that idea, with a subset allowing themselves be who they want to be away from society’s ideals.”

“I don’t fault them.”

“Neither do I. The fact that they allow themselves to be free inside Alpha World is truly inspiring. Sadly, with everything good comes the bad. We have a very small section of players who allow themselves to be everything bad and evil while playing. Bloodmoon, for instance.”

“What happened to her? She left the testing phase.”

“That is an internal matter, but suffice to say she won’t be allowed back in any of our long-term facilities again, for any game.”

“Good,” Seamus snorted, “least she deserves.”

“I mourn the fact that she didn’t try to overcome her demons, but no doctor can save every patient,” Victoria sighed.

“You have Julia, Karen, and me. Three successful cases against Bloodmoon’s failure is still pretty damned good, Doc.”

“Yes, your case and Julia’s are wild successes. Mindblown will be launching a psychiatric program next year. Our papers exclude patient names, but your case and Julia’s are being used.”

“Shouldn’t you ask us?” Seamus asked sourly.

“We did; you signed the forms. The terms were buried in the agreements,” Victoria shrugged. “Do you object to your case being used to help others?”

“No, but I do object to Julia’s story being splashed all over.”

“A clinical paper is hardly a splash. All names are omitted, just the cold facts are used. Could someone use the facts to try and dig out who the case studies are about? Of course, but most researchers have some integrity.”

“All of this seems beyond the point,” Seamus said. “Why did you really bring me here, tonight of all nights?”

“Because the end of your quest is in front of you. I know you’ve been torn over the request that Rolland gave you, as well.”

Sighing, Seamus looked at the ring on his hand. “To give up my chance at the quest to give the King a second chance.”

“Exactly. That ring gives you a very good chance, if you are careful, to come out of the final fight alive.”

“Without it, I might fail, and then…” Trailing off, Seamus didn’t want to think about what failure meant.

“Your boon dies with you,” Victoria said, watching him intently.

“Why do I feel like this is a test, and not as flat as it seems?”

Victoria’s lips twitched, but quickly stilled. “Does that seem likely?”

“Yes.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny your conjecture, Seamus. I would only tell you that your actions will have lasting repercussions either way.”

“Has Alvin spoken about me?” Seamus asked, changing the topic.

“Indeed. He has been watching as much as he can while still managing his tasks. It has been heartening to see him so invested in your story. Alvin is rooting for you, Seamus.”

“None of this is being recorded, is it?”

“Alvin will see this conversation, and only Alvin. Would you like to say something to him specifically?”

Lips pursed, Seamus took a moment before looking directly at Victoria. “Can you change?”

Form blurring, Victoria vanished to be replaced by Alvin. His old friend sat in the chair slouched, as he was prone to do, and was wearing a shirt Seamus remembered, featuring a quip about casting fireballs and killing everyone in the room. Alvin looked far from the lead of Mindblown’s Alpha World game, looking instead like he normally had at gaming, years before. “You wanted to speak to me?”

“Good one, Vicky. You even have his voice right.”

Alvin shrugged, “I’m a busy man, you know. I have to make sure everything is set for the raid tomorrow.”

“Sure, Alvin. I won’t take up a lot of your time, but I want to say a few things. Mostly, thank you. Thanks for this chance. Because of it, I’ve found myself, but more importantly, three wonderful women. I know you had a hand in getting this set up, and I’m not going to forget to thank you. Beyond that, I have to thank you for something even more important to me... Thank you for taking care of Kaylee, for me and David. Keep her ashes safe, and every once in a while, think of me and David when you see her. Before you go, make sure her ashes are buried with David; she should be with him. Can I ask a small favor? Get me the paperwork to hand over my power of attorney to Julia and Karen? One or both might want to cremate or bury me when the time comes.”

“Seamus, you’ve always been a good man... sometimes an ass, but mostly a good man,” Alvin replied. “You’ll be alive for years, probably longer than both of them with the medical treatment you get with us. I’ll see what I can do about the paperwork, but maybe you should think more broadly on what life is and what it might be. Now, stop wasting all my damn time, you sentimental bastard.” Getting up, Alvin walked around the desk and bro-hugged Seamus when he stood up. “Win this one. Once more, for old time’s sake. Just like our last game together, when Harry stacked the deck against us by putting Tiamat and Vecna together. You had answers for everything that Harry did... when the dust cleared, we were all down, but you survived it, got us back to town, and rezzed us.”

A smile grew on his face as Seamus remembered that last game with Alvin. “Hierophants are overpowered, especially with solid teammates around them.”

“Saved the world and the King,” Alvin laughed before he faded away.

“The world and the King,” Seamus muttered as the dream faded around him.

Chapter Thirty-seven

Waking up with the dream fresh in his mind, Alburet tried to recall as much of it as he could. He could remember bits of his conversation with Victoria, but not the full encounter. He did recall the ending speech Harry gave the table after the campaign Alvin had mentioned, and his complaints afterwards.

~*~*~

“You’ve driven the manifestations of the two evil gods back to their home planes. After dragging your friend’s bodies back to the city inside the bags of holding, you get them resurrected by the church of Bahamut, who are overjoyed that you managed to accomplish the mission. As your group leaves the church, a message from the King is waiting for you. He wants to see you, and now. Accompanying the messenger, you are brought before High King Elindal, who after a long and tedious speech, thanks each of you in turn and grants each of you a boon from the crown in honor of saving his soul from the clutches of Vecna.”

The group was all smiles as they discussed what they wanted their retiring characters to end up with.

“You all suck, by the way,” Harry frowned. “Setting up a series of contingency spells on the King was stupid; you could have used those slots during the fight.”

“What would have happened if we hadn’t?” David asked.

“The King’s soul would have been swapped with Vecna’s when you dropped him, but noooo, you had a true res contingency spell which fucked my death curse. The whole next campaign arc was going to be your new characters working for the false King and doing Vecna’s will until you realized it at higher levels.”

“We saved the King and the world,” Seamus chuckled. “Hero-ing done right.”

“Asshole, you’re not allowed to play that class again,” Harry sighed. “You either, David.”

Exchanging knowing grins, they agreed that they wouldn’t play the same class for the next campaign.

“Fine, we’ll see you guys next week for character creation. I’ll cobble something together for the next arc, fucking King-saving assholes.”

~*~*~

“Save the world and the King,” Alburet muttered.

“Al?” Karen asked, stirring beside him. “You okay?”

“Yes and no,” he replied softly. “I think I have to do something you’re not going to like.”

Eyes sharpening as she realized what he meant, Karen grabbed him. “No. Al, don’t.”

“I was just reminded by an old friend of a moment years ago… about when we stopped the evil wizard from killing the King, and in doing so, saved the world,” Alburet said. “I think I have to give the ring to Tyr.”

“What about us?” Karen shouted, waking Fluff and Stacia. “You’re going to risk the quest to save him? Fuck him! We need you.”

“Wha’ be the problem?” Stacia asked.

“He’s going to get himself killed and fail the quest,” Karen snapped.

“Al?” Fluff asked.

“I just talked with Vicky. During the conversation, I was reminded of gaming with Alvin and David. Our last game together had us saving the world from two evil gods and saving the High King. Alvin’s words make me think I should give the ring to Tyr. I don’t want to either, as I want to be sure we succeed.”

“You’re betting our happiness on this,” Karen shouted.

“Karen, ya be upset, but the man ya love be who he be. Ya know he helps those around him, even when it costs him. Do ya really want him to change that?”

“Yes… I want him to be selfish, just this once,” Karen answered as her voice cracked.

Her distress stabbed deeply into Alburet’s heart, making him reconsider.

“Asthore, what does ya heart be saying?” Stacia asked.

“That hurting any of you is the last thing I want to do.”

“Then don’t give away our chance,” Karen sniffled, grabbing Alburet and squeezing him tightly. “Please, Al... don’t leave me.”

“I won’t, Karen. I won’t leave any of you. I won’t give him the ring.” The words helped ease Karen’s distress, but something about them felt wrong to him.

Fluff and Stacia moved over to put Karen between the three of them, helping to comfort her. The four of them sat there until a knock came at their tent post, along with a message that breakfast was started.

“Come on. Today is the day,” Alburet said. “We’ll finish this quest and then we’ll claim our rewards from Vicky. I already told her my boon is you both coming with us to Delta World.”

“Really?” Karen asked.

“I don’t want anything else,” he replied. “She said that you’ll have to step out of testing to sign a lot of forms and waivers in person. Apparently, she can’t guarantee it either, only that she’ll lobby strenuously on our behalf.”

“I still hate her,” Karen muttered, “but if she does what she says, I’ll try to not hate her as much.”

“I’ve always liked Victoria,” Fluff commented. “I’m sure she’ll come through for us if we’re successful.”

“I trust in the Overlord,” Stacia said as she broke the hug and got to her feet. “Come on now, ya layabouts. We have an important quest to do.”

“We’ll succeed,” Fluff said confidently as she got to her feet.

“Damned right we will,” Karen said, trying to push past her moment of weakness.

“For the women I love with all my heart,” Alburet said, helping Karen up along with him. Dipping her, he kissed her passionately before standing her back upright.

“It be me turn now,” Stacia said as she grabbed Alburet and dipped him for a deep kiss.

Set back on his feet a few moments later, Alburet was still trying to focus when Fluff moved in for a kiss. Returning the kiss, Alburet let his need for them steel his heart against the idea of giving the King the ring. Sorry world, but my love is worth even more.

When the group left their tent, Alburet saw Gerald and Marysue talking with Ioaniss. “Marysue, can I speak with you for a minute?”

Turning to Alburet, she gave him a smile and came over. “Of course, Al. Is there a problem?”

“Come inside for a moment,” Al opened the tent flap for her.

Puzzled, Marysue did as he asked. “Okay?”

Letting the flap close behind them so they wouldn’t be overheard, Alburet quickly explained what he had been told. Marysue’s smile became brilliant and she kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Al. Gerald also told me you would be okay with the scholarship for Kaylee McMullen. I’ll make sure the right people are selected to handle it, and that it is everything it can be.”

“Thanks,” Alburet said. “I just wanted to let you know that the word has been passed and when your six months are up, it’ll be up to you.”

“I’ll make sure we join you all,” Marysue said. “Thank you again.” Leaving the tent in a rush, Marysue was exuding happiness, which helped bring Alburet out of the funk he felt when Marysue had mentioned Kaylee’s full name.

“Everythin’ okay, Asthore?” Stacia asked, sticking her head back into the tent.

“Yeah,” Alburet replied, leaving the tent and packing it away.

“Alburet,” Mother called out to him. “May I join you for breakfast?”

“That’s fine, Mother,” Alburet said, motioning her over to where Karen and Fluff were sitting.

“I wanted you to know that a gift will be arriving for you later.”

“Another gift from the Dark Lord? Hasn’t he done enough?”

Mother’s light laughter brought all eyes to her. “No, it’s not from the Dark Lord. It will be from Justice.”

Face blank, Alburet shook his head, “What does he want with me?”

“All day yesterday, they were watching us, with Peace, of course. Justice was impressed with how you comport yourself. His observations and my darling’s observations of you have convinced him to extend another olive branch of reconciliation.”

“Okay? Why do I feel like this is going to be odd?”

“Well, the two of them like to play pranks on each other, even if that means another becomes collateral damage. This time though, I think he’s being forthright. Your love of your wives spoke to him, according to my dearest.”

“I have a bad feeling about this, but I’ll go along with it,” Alburet sighed.

“Good. The Dark Lord was worried you might spurn the offer, which would set them back a little.”

“I wouldn’t want to cause Granddad any problems,” Alburet said sardonically.

Mother’s mouth fell open at Alburet’s term for the Dark Lord before she began to giggle. Her giggles turned into laughter, before finally erupting from her as a full belly laugh.

Ioaniss wandered over, curiosity high in his eyes. “Is everything okay?”

“Al… Alburet… just called… him a grandfather,” Mother gasped between laughs. “Oh, Justice will love you all the more, and I’m sure he’s regretting his jokes now.”

Alburet smiled as he shook his head, “And I’m smart enough to continue to call you Mother and not match you to him.”

Mother’s laughter died off as she wiped tears from her eyes. “Because you are sweet, and know that no woman wants to be called old.”

“A smart man,” Ioaniss said as he scribbled something in his journal. “Sorry to interrupt, but I wished to see if Fluff had made any other drawings that focused on this raid.”

“I didn’t. I only drew our three fallen,” Fluff replied. “I can make you a quick sketch of the fight with the Elder Sandworms if you’d like?”

“Please,” Ioaniss said. “I don’t have your speed or skill at drawing.”

“As soon as I finish breakfast,” Fluff said, taking the offered bowl from the guard handing them out.

“Of course. Thank you, Lady Darkhand,” Ioaniss bowed slightly from the waist.

As Ioaniss walked away, the group dug into their meal and focused on what was to come when camp broke.

Chapter Thirty-eight

When camp broke, everyone was ready for a fight. What they didn’t expect was Experiment 3, which turned out to be an Ancient Decayed Sandworm. The behemoth came out of the ground in a geyser of sand, swallowing nearly a hundred people. All of the natives reacted at once; most of the Two-souled were shocked at the sheer size of the beast, costing them precious seconds.

Alburet was startled, but that didn’t stop him from getting the details of the monster they faced. “Holy fucking gods, it’s a skyscraper mini-boss.”

Experiment 3 (Level ???)

29,823,673/30,000,000 Health

Dead Bringer, Volatile Vomit, Death Eater

“Everyone who can attack from range do so,” Roberto shouted. “Best damage dealers get on the beast; tanks, stay back and be ready to taunt it when it goes to burrow.”

Surging forward, the Two-souled who could do the most melee damage rushed to get into the fight, while all the casters stepped further back as they launched their spells. Fluff Leaped over the people around the mob, landing against the side of the Sandworm. Her claws dug in, allowing her to find purchase and do damage. Karen called for Tiny as she rushed forward; seeing her coming, Tiny turned for her and knelt. When her foot landed on his shield, he surged to his feet and flung her up and over the others. Mirroring Fluff, Karen began to climb her way up the mob. Seeing them in action, others began to copy them, climbing up the sides of the behemoth.

Alburet, along with Bob and his Copies, took to the air, raining fire down on the Experiment. Joined by the other Infernals and Angels, the damage coming in was adding up quickly. After thirty seconds, the mini-boss had lost almost three million health.

Shuddering, Experiment 3 tipped to the side enough to vomit out the people it had swallowed, thick green-black sludge covering their bodies. The mob retracted into the sands, knocking off those who had climbed onto it.

“Heal them and try to get them out of that sludge,” Roberto commanded.

“It’s moving,” one of the people close to the vomit yelled, backing away from the pool of viscous fluid.

“Bob, aim for the fluid… are there more than a hundred people there?” Alburet asked, puzzled.

One of the bodies covered in vomit got to its feet and attacked a Priest that had gone closer to use an area heal on the afflicted. Chaos broke out near the scene as the vomit itself tried to start attacking people. A closer look showed that there were more bodies than the hundred that had been swallowed. The moment became more chaotic when those covered in the sludge started to attack each other.

“Fuck it,” Alburet snapped. “Bob, Fire Burst the sludge.”

“He has the right idea. Burn the vomit off,” Mother ordered from nearby. “Spread it out so it’s covered completely.”

Everyone looked up in shock when dozens of Fire Bursts suddenly detonated on top of the pile of bodies and sludge. The vomit seemed to recoil and tried to minimize the area where it contacted the flames. As it did, the wounded allies and the undead that had been attacking hidden under the sludge became visible.

The shock wore off when the targets were visible, and those nearby quickly started to crush the undead that had come up with their friends. Over twenty of those swallowed hadn’t come out with the vomit, and faces were grim as everyone who could get into the fight worked to end the undead.

“Right flank, run!” Aria yelled.

The Archangels on that flank reacted instantly, running away from where they were. Alburet looked that way in time to see a massive disturbance roiling the ground.

“Stacia, get Marysue out of there!” Alburet yelled.

Stacia had stayed next to Marysue when Alburet went into the air, acting as her guard. At Alburet’s yell, Stacia grabbed Marysue and launched herself into the air. As she gained height, KJ slammed into her side, sending Stacia and Marysue hard to the side. That saved Stacia and Marysue, but KJ was caught by Experiment 3 when it burst out of the ground again. Stacia set Marysue down when they were clear of the attack, using her wings to provide Marysue some cover from the crush of people who rushed at the mob.

Fluff and Karen were again some of the first ones to begin scaling the Sandworm. The tanks stayed back and taunted the few remaining undead from the first vomit pool while the damage dealers rushed back in to attack. The healers focused on healing their allies who had survived the first swallow, having nothing else to focus on.

Thirty more seconds passed and the raid wasn’t having the same output. The damage was coming in, but slower. Alburet frowned; for an instant, he thought he’d seen the health of Experiment 3 climb by over ten thousand. Shaking his head, he was about to dismiss it when he saw it again. “It’s healing,” Alburet called down to Roberto.

Roberto looked up, puzzled, but looked to be checking something a moment later. Closing in on a minute after the worm had surfaced for the second time, the raid reached three million damage done, and the mob leaned over to spit up the group it had swallowed. The Infernals had been waiting for it and reacted, instantly coating the vomit in flames and burning the vomit off the bodies. Out of the sixty or seventy people it had swallowed, only thirty came out of it, and most of them were on the verge of death. Area heals covered the injured, restoring them as the rest of the raid turned on the fifty or more undead that had come out with them.

When they turned on the undead, the raid parties also spread out a bit more to make it harder for the Sandworm to swallow as many of them. Thirty seconds after it vanished, it came back and again it went for Marysue. Having been watching for the disturbance, Aria, Mother, and Alburet’s warning nearly came simultaneously, and was enough to get most of those in the area to safety. Stacia again was able to get Marysue out of range, as she had been waiting for the attack.

The fight continued, the tanks handling the undead from the last vomiting, while the damage dealers dove back into the fight on Experiment 3. During this phase, Roberto was able to confirm that Experiment 3 was healing: when one of their raid members died, the mob healed for their maximum life.

“Make sure to use your damned potions,” Roberto yelled. “If you die inside, it heals for your maximum life.”

That news seemed to light a renewed fire as everyone redoubled their attacks. As the raid got closer to taking another three million life off the mob, everyone tensed, expecting it to release their friends. Just before they reached that mark, Experiment 3 healed twelve-thousand life and a howl of rage went up from the Lunari Berserkers. A moment later, Experiment 3 tilted sideways and regurgitated another round of sludge covered bodies.

With the flow of combat established, and knowing that the mini-boss would aim for groups of healers when it reemerged, the raid soon found the best way to deal with the fight. Tanks moved to be near the healers, so they could mitigate damage and help anyone swallowed survive longer.

Minutes ticked by as the phases of the fight repeated. When Experiment 3 hit half life, there was a tense moment while everyone waited for something to change. Nothing new happened, which left many of the Two-souled looking at each other in apparent confusion as the fight ground on.

When Experiment 3 got down to three million health, things finally changed. A noxious green gas vented from all the wounds it had accrued, and everyone within the cloud started vomiting green-black sludge.

“They need to be cleansed,” Mother said. “Most of the Imps here don’t have that Ability available to them.”

Cursing to himself, Alburet triggered Imp Storm and summoned a horde of Imps. “Cleanse them, kill the sludge, and then focus on whatever you can.”

Bob nodded, and all of Alburet’s Imps— plus the few others who could— started cleansing as fast as they were able. The King and his command staff were first, then they turned to the healers and cleansed them. Every round of vomiting was dealing damage to those afflicted, so they worked as fast as they were able.

Alburet had to leave off casting Fire Blasts for a few seconds to regain some mana after using Imp Storm. Those few seconds let him take in the larger picture again. Experiment 3 didn’t burrow, but did expel the last group it had swallowed. Instead, its skin appeared to shrivel and harden, with ridges of flesh forming around its body. Alburet realized what was happening a moment before the mini-boss fell sideways across a few dozen people, crushing them. It started to roll in a slow circle, pulling more of its massive body above the ground.

Roberto saw what was happening. “Pull back! Try to stay away from it while damaging it. Melee, get well back,” he added as the mob changed direction abruptly, catching a few Lunari who had rushed back at it as soon as they were cleansed.

The last phase of the fight was the most chaotic. Experiment 3 had no target as it writhed along the ground, crushing anyone who got near it. It took them several minutes to whittle away the last few million health from it.

When it finally stopped moving, one of the people nearest it cautiously looted the body, causing most of the Two-souled to check their bags to see if they had received any of the loot. Roberto called for a count of all those lost, and warned everyone they would be moving in very short order.

When the report reached the King, Alburet could hear the tallies; close to another thousand dead. Shaking his head, Alburet turned to Gerald. The normally unflappable Defender was staring at him with a stone face.

“What?”

“I’m sorry, Al,” Gerald said grimly. “Deirdre and Chris…”

Stacia let out a hiccupping sob as she buried her face in Alburet’s chest. Fluff and Karen were both there, trying to soothe their sobbing wife. Alburet felt his blood run cold. His arms tightening around Stacia, he ground his teeth together.

“When?”

“They were in the last group to be swallowed,” Gerald replied. “I’m sorry. I should have stopped them.”

Shaking his head, Alburet kept a lid on the rage he felt flare inside of him. “No. Stein will pay for this... for all of our loved ones who’ve died because of him. They died doing what they wanted. They lived good, free lives.”

“We’ll make all of them pay,” Karen agreed.

“We’ll save the rest by stopping this from continuing any longer,” Fluff added.

Stacia pulled back just a fraction from Alburet, her tear-stained face tilted up to look at him. “We be makin’ them pay. For Da’, sis, and our friends. Ya can nay forget what ya need to be doin’.”

Meeting her gaze, Alburet felt some of his anger drain away. “I’ll do what I have to, but we will be making all of them pay.”

“Form up! We move in two minutes,” Roberto called out.

“Al, Gerald and I talked last night. We’re going to set up a memorial for our friends who fell during this raid. We’re going to immortalize them in the graveyard, so everyone who comes to Progress will know of their sacrifices. We were going to ask Fluff to design the statue.”

“I’ll work on it when we get time,” Fluff nodded.

“Ya will do them all honor,” Stacia said as she eased away from Alburet, still holding onto his arm.

“Stein,” Karen hissed under her breath, “you’ll pay for making her cry.”

Alburet caught her eyes and nodded, “He will.”

Chapter Thirty-nine

The last few hours until they reached the cleft of the mountains were not as eventful as breaking camp. There were sporadic fights with undead or Sandworms, but nothing near the magnitude they had faced with Experiment 3.

Set into the cleft was the first gate of the prison, with the emblem of the first empire emblazoned on both open doors. Fluff and Ioaniss made copies while the raid began marching through. There was a small graveyard just inside the gates, the words almost worn off the few tombstones still standing.

“Hold this position,” Roberto called out. “We’ll be opening the portal here. Reinforcements will arrive shortly. If anyone wishes to depart, wait until our reinforcements have come through.”

Tyr put his Mindstone away, “Get those items set out around the graveyard.”

“I’ll make sure it’s done,” Ioaniss said.

“I’ll assist,” Vladimir said grimly.

The two nobles hurriedly laid out a few dozen items around the perimeter of the graveyard. “We are ready, Sire.”

Tyr stepped over to the marked edge of the graveyard. Materializing his golden sword, Tyr planted it into the ground. “Justice, we have done as you asked. Please help us with opening this portal.”

A golden glow sprang up, encompassing the graveyard in its entirety. After a few heartbeats, a blue glow filled the interior of the circle, replacing the gold. Once it faded, Tyr removed his sword; the gates of the graveyard were now marked with Justice’s symbol.

Stormguard Guards were the first people to appear in the graveyard a minute later. Lord Theron was in the first group, and reported to Roberto. Behind them came another detachment of Dwarven Guards, a unit of Elven Archers, and another unit of the Lunari Pride. Finally, Two-souled began to pour through the now functional portal.

“Those who wish to join the fight, report to Commander Roberto,” Captain Mantoya was saying, trying to shepherd the groups of smaller Guilds toward the Commander. “For those who have been here, stand down. We’ll be reorganizing for an hour.”

Fluff took out her sketchbook and started drawing. Karen appeared behind her, putting her arms around Fluff to hold her but not interfere with the drawing. Alburet pulled Stacia to his side and held her as they watched people continue to pour through the portal.

“I need to meet up with our people who died,” Gerald said. “We’ll be back in a bit.”

“We’ll be right here,” Alburet said.

More minutes ticked by as the stream of people kept coming. Alburet watched the other Two-souled when they appeared and lined up to sign up with Roberto. Tyr was holding a conference in his pavilion with the leaders of the other nations.

“Al,” Mother called out, “might I have a moment of your time?”

“Of course, Mother,” Alburet replied. “What can I do for you?”

“Firstly, and I’ve already told the King, you are now officially the second in command of the Infernals.” Watching his jaw drop slightly, she smiled and continued, “Secondly, I wish you to step outside the gate with me as I summon more reinforcements from the Dark Lord. And finally, Justice is sending his reinforcements and asks that you be on hand then, as well.”

“Go ahead, Al,” Karen said. “Fluff and I will stay here for when Gerald gets back.”

“Okay.” Turning to Mother, Alburet bowed his head and motioned ahead of him. “After you, Mother.”

“Wonderful,” Mother smiled as she took to the air. “It’ll be much easier to fly out of this.”

Alburet launched himself, and with Stacia beside him, they followed Mother back outside the gates. “Why did we have to come out here?”

“It’ll be easier to open the portal here without the prison wards interfering.”

“Makes sense,” Alburet said as he landed beside Mother.

Mother smiled as she put her Mindstone away. “They will be here in a moment.”

“Mother,” Stacia said softly, “do ya think me Da’ and sis will be waitin’ for me?”

Mother’s eyes softened as she looked at Stacia. “I don’t know, child. Who gets to go to Delta World is beyond even the gods. From the little bit I’ve heard, it is the soul that goes, not the person. If they were chosen, they will be reborn in that world.”

“Oh,” Stacia whispered, her lips trembling, “I will nay be able to tell them I love them again.”

“Dear child,” Mother said, moving over to put her hand on Stacia’s shoulder. “They knew well of your love, as well as the rest of your family’s love. Never doubt that.”

“Iffin one is reborn in Delta World, then how…” Stacia began to ask before she stopped.

“No. You won’t be dead,” Mother smiled softly and leaned close to Stacia. “I’ll tell you a secret; the Two-souled will go as they are. I’ve heard of your quest, and it’s very likely that you will be taken by the Overlord to Delta World as you are now.”

Stacia looked at Alburet with tear-filled eyes. “I had hoped to see them again.”

“I know,” Alburet said, pulling her into his chest tighter. “I’m sorry, dearest.”

A burst of smoke and a bright red light announced the arrival of the Infernal reinforcements. The four leaders of the reinforcements stood proudly at the front. The first of them stepped forward and bowed her head to Mother. “Mother, the Dark Lord asks that you return to his side.”

“Yuna, he knows I won’t go,” Mother replied. “I must expunge the mistakes of our past.”

“He instructed me to tell you the following if you declined: ‘Get back here. Peace is waiting and she insists that her handmaidens will handle Ophelia for us.’ Peace then told me to add the following: ‘Mother, please come home. Your husband will be most distraught if you die.’”

Mother sighed as she looked at the army of Infernals behind Yuna and the other Demon Lords. “I’m supposed to turn away from all of you and retreat to safety?”

“Yes,” the three behind Yuna said in unison.

“Alburet, I am afraid I shall be leaving the command to you much sooner than I had thought.”

“Go and watch over us,” Alburet said, gently taking her hand from Stacia’s shoulder and kissing the back of it. “Goodness knows we can’t have the Dark Lord upset.”

“Alright, but first we should be seeing—” Mother began but cut off as a golden light above them heralded the arrival of the Angels.

Pouring from the open portal above them, an army of similar size to the Infernals appeared. The Archangels floated to the ground without the help of wings, putting them beside the grounded Destroyers. The last two through the portal were Andrea and Parsnew.

The two handmaidens landed beside Mother, giving her bright smiles. “Mother, Peace wishes for you—” Andrea began, before Mother cut her off.

“Yes, yes, I know. I’m only staying to see the gift Justice wished to bestow on Alburet,” Mother said.

“Ah, that is well, then,” Andrea said as she extended a small box to Alburet. “Justice asks for you to prove his brother right or wrong.”

Taking the box, Alburet looked inside. There was a single gold coin, marked with Justice’s sword. “A token?”

“A favor to be called in however you see fit,” Andrea smiled. “It will bring Justice’s full power to bear if requested by his Champion.”

Picking up the coin out of the box, Alburet discovered a second coin under it. The emblem on it was indistinct to him, “Um?”

“Peace’s favor,” Parsnew said. “Identical to Justice’s.”

Pulling that coin out of the box, Alburet saw a black coin under them. “The Dark Lord?”

“He can be such a child,” Mother sighed. “I would have given it to you, but…”

Taking it, another coin made of red metal was revealed. “Okay, seriously?”

“Bastet wishes you to give that to her Champion,” Andrea replied with a giggle.

“Fine,” Alburet replied. Taking that coin revealed underneath it. “Okay, I’m done playing.” Upending the box, he ended up with a total of nine coins in his hand. “One from each god to their relevant Champion, right?”

“That is correct,” Parsnew agreed with a perturbed expression. “I was going to explain at the end.”

“Okay, I’ll give them off to the right people. Can they only be used once?”

“Yes, for a single fight only, so they’ll need to carefully consider when they should be used,” Andrea replied.

“Ya be okay now?” Stacia asked the recently recovered Angel.

“I’ve been restored by Peace,” Andrea replied. “I’m not perfectly healthy, but with my sister, I will be fine.”

“I must return home,” Mother said. “This moment has been ages coming, Alburet Darkhand. The hopes of the Dark Lord now rests on you. Yuna will be your second in command.” Kissing his cheek, Alburet felt an electric current rush through his body. “For my favorite grandson,” Mother whispered before she vanished.

Yuna blinked. “Mother doesn’t kiss without reason,” she said in surprise, then changed direction. “Now that we are here, we are ready to strike down Stein for good. What are your orders, Lord Darkhand?”

“We need to inform Commander Roberto and get these coins to the right people. Follow me.” Flapping his wings, Alburet took to the sky.

The Infernal and Angel reinforcements caused a commotion at the gates as they marched through to meet up with the rest of their brethren. Alburet landed next to Roberto and held out his hand. “Commander, these need to reach the correct Champions. Each can only be used once, but will bring the power of the divine to our aid in a single fight. Mother has returned to the Dark Lord’s side, and Yuna Demonchild is now second in command of the Infernals.”

“Second to you?” Roberto asked.

“That’s what I was told, but I’m not suited to lead a small army,” Alburet said. “Yuna?”

“Yes?” Yuna asked from above them.

“You are now in command of the Infernals. You can name your second.”

Yuna laughed, “I told him you would decline to lead his forces.” Landing beside Alburet, Yuna bowed her head to Roberto. “Commander, I am at your command for this raid.”

“Very well. Get your people to fall in with the other Infernals,” Roberto said. “Meet at the pavilion in twenty minutes.”

“Of course,” Yuna said as she took to the air again.

“Theron?” Roberto called out.

Wilbur came running, “Yes, sir?”

“Go inform the Champions of each god to come to the pavilion in twenty minutes.”

“Yes, sir,” Wilbur replied, snapping a salute before rushing off.

“Anything else?” Roberto asked Alburet.

“Not from me, but Andrea and Parsnew are back,” Alburet replied, pointing up at the two white gowned handmaidens.

“Very well. We shall see you for the meeting, Champion Darkhand.”

“Of course,” Alburet replied.

Heading back to where Gerald was, Alburet smiled when he caught sight of Karen and Fluff, speaking softly with Stacia. For you three, I’ll make sure the quest is completed.

Fluff and Karen were comforting Stacia, who was coming to terms with learning that her view of Delta World was wrong, which was really deepening the loss of her father and sister. Alburet joined them, holding his loving wife and wishing he could do more for her.

~*~*~

Time passed, and before Alburet was ready for it, the summons to the command tent came. Leaving Stacia in the embrace of Karen, Alburet and Fluff headed for the tent with Gerald and Marysue. Gerald and Marysue looked back at Stacia and Karen, not wanting to break the silence but still concerned for their friends.

“Stacia always thought Delta World would mean seeing those who had died again. Mother explained differently,” Alburet said as they approached the tent.

“Oh,” Marysue said, looking back. “I wish I could be there now.”

“You can talk with her after the meeting,” Gerald said softly. “To help them, we need to help Al complete his mission.”

“Thank you,” Fluff said. “We appreciate you taking our mission into account.”

“Friends do what they can for each other, don’t they?”

“Yes,” Alburet agreed, a memory of David flashing in his mind’s eye. “Thank you,” he told the guards who opened the tent flap for them.

“We’re just missing the Champions of Forge and Hearth,” Ioaniss said, welcoming them into the crowded pavilion.

“We be here,” a surly dwarf said upon entering the tent behind Alburet and Fluff.

Beside him was a smiling Dwarf who rolled his eyes. “We’re here. Don’t mind Werrick; he’s just being himself.”

The lack of accent from the second Dwarf told everyone there that he was likely a Two-souled. “Thank you for coming. We have gifts delivered to us from each of your gods,” Tyr said without preamble. “Please see Roberto to receive them after the meeting.”

The Champions were shocked at the news, as were most of the rest of the occupants of the pavilion. Roberto cleared his throat. “Now that everyone is assembled, I’ll recap what we know. Mother was recalled by the Dark Lord, so the Infernals are now under the direction of Yuna Demonchild,” he motioned to where she stood in the corner. “Andrea and Parsnew have both returned to us to lead the Angels, as well,” he motioned to Parsnew. “With all the reinforcements, we have close to nine thousand guards from the various nations. With the Infernals and Angels, we climb to a total of fifteen thousand. The Two-souled brings our total to twenty thousand, but many of them are not maxed and would be ineffective in the assaulting force. We’ll be holding them back with us for defense of the graveyard.”

“Excuse me,” an Elf raised his hand, “we aren’t going to go in with the others?”

“Most of those who came through the portal today are barely level seventy,” Roberto replied bluntly. “They’d be killed before they could do more than cast a spell or two. Does that sound like helping, Sidewinder Two-souled?”

“Why the fuck did we come if we aren’t going to be attacking?” the Elf snapped.

“Holding the graveyard will determine if this raid is successful or if it fails,” Benedict said from his place near the King. “Supply lines have always been the most important part of any army, and our supply line is going to be being able to respawn to try again. If the graveyard falls, we’ll have to find a way to reopen the portal to here or Law and hope that Stein doesn’t do something worse than he already has.”

Gerald raised an eyebrow, impressed by how commanding Benedict sounded, and quickly backed him. “Lord Lightfist is correct. Add in the fact that every native who dies is dead with no coming back, and your job becomes doubly important. You are the wall to keep the world alive.”

Sidewinder blinked, nodding slowly. “Yeah, okay. But we want part of the loot.”

“We can make arrangements,” Tyr said flatly. “If reward is the deciding factor in the Two-souled helping, then by my Crown, I shall make sure you are all compensated.”

“Cool, that’s what we wanted.”

“Now that the delegate chosen to represent the less well-known Guilds has spoken, I shall continue,” Roberto said. “When we reach the next gate, His Majesty will be able to erase the mist that clouds this valley. Once that’s done, we will be sending scouts over the prison itself to see what we’re facing. This is going to impose a high toll on any who go.”

“We understand. All of the Imps have volunteered,” Yuna said.

“We have hundreds of Cherubim that wish to go,” Parsnew said.

“Very well. I shall want at least three hundred; speak to each other and bring me a list,” Roberto said.

“What aboot these gifts?” the surly Dwarf asked.

Roberto fixed a glare on him, and the Dwarf shifted after a moment of uncomfortable silence. “I will get to them, if you can wait just a little longer, Werrick Cleanhome.”

“Cleanhome?” came a stifled snicker from an unknown person.

“Aye. It be me family name, handed down to us from Hearth herself,” Werrick bristled. “Just cuz ye do nay have me lineage does nay mean ye should be laughin’.”

“Easy, Werrick, easy,” the other Dwarf smiled. “They were just surprised that one of your famous lineage was here.”

“Ye talk like an Elf, Gaston, but ye fight like a true Dwarf, so I will accept ye words.”

“If you don’t mind,” Roberto said forcibly, stopping further conversation. “Thank you. The gifts are coins bestowed by each god that will invoke their favor for a single fight. Only their Champion may invoke them, so you will be given the coin, and when you use them is up to you. I would suggest that the Champions coordinate so you do not overlap more than necessary. With no idea of what we will be facing yet, we can’t come up with a truly solid plan of attack.”

“We will be accepting a limited number of volunteers to go with the Two-souled into the prison proper,” Roberto said, then was drowned out by the hubbub of people trying to volunteer. He whistled shrilly to quiet them so he could continue. “We will only accept those who aren’t leading any nation’s contingent, so collect up to a hundred of your members who know that death is extremely likely and still wish to go.”

“Sir, I request—” Wilbur began.

“Denied, Lord Theron,” Tyr said firmly but gently. “I’ve already agreed to let Jones and Dracon go. I can’t let all of my loyal retainers go.”

“Brother,” Alburet said, “Please don’t. We’ve already lost Deirdre and Chris to this raid.”

Wilbur stiffened. “Damn it... I withdraw my request, Sire. My wife has lost enough loved ones already.”

“Thank you. I will be counting on you in the coming days,” Tyr said. “Continue, Commander.”

“As I was saying, get me a list of your volunteers—”

“Sir, I request,” Captain Mantoya said. “They have killed my father, and I will kill them.”

“Denied, Captain,” Roberto said. “Everyone who has served under your father looked up to him. It would be a blow to the Crown if your legacy was lost here. You will fight when I do.”

Mantoya froze in anger before snapping off a salute and stepping back stiffly. “As you command, sir.”

“Sire, I have a quest from Mother. I must accompany Alpha Company,” Vladimir said.

“Granted,” Tyr nodded.

“I have turned my command over to my second,” Wildmane said. “As Leo’s Champion, I must go.”

“Understood, Lord Wildmane,” Roberto said. “Champions, come collect your coins and be prepared to meet again once we have more intel. We move out in twenty minutes. Each of you, take a Raidstone with you. These will be for the command staff. Collect the other Raidstones for your subordinates, one per group under your command.”

Chapter Forty

The valley they were marching down was filled with white mist that limited vision to a dozen feet and dampened the sound of all the boots marching. Alburet examined the mountain walls as best he could, noting that they had been smoothed in the distant past, but now had a number of spots where someone could climb them. The vague sounds of voices ahead of them shouting or screaming was the only indication that something was happening. The raid came to a halt as they realized something was going on.

“Report,” Roberto commanded, holding a Raidstone. “Have the Shamans from the Pride assist, they’ll be the best ones to handle them. Have the others restrain the possessed, but don’t hurt them. It will only take longer for the Shamans to clear the Spirits out otherwise.”

“Spirits?” Tyr asked when Roberto stopped talking.

“Twisted Spirits is what I’ve been told, a few hundred from the sound of it. They attacked in unison. It’s making things problematic, but the guards are responding. We’ll be slowed for a bit.”

“The next gate is miles inside the first gate, but we have no idea how far we’ve traveled with this damnable mist,” Tyr sighed. “No word from the contingent we left behind?”

“None, but the Two-souled we left there were quite happy with the quest, so everything should be fine,” Roberto replied. “They are only supposed to use the Raidstone if they come under attack. We’ll hold here while the spirits are dealt with.”

Long minutes slowly ticked by before the screams from ahead died away, and after waiting a little longer, Roberto finally nodded. “The Twisted Spirits have been put down. We’ll be moving again.”

The Spirits attacked twice more, making the raid grind to a halt until they were dealt with each time. Hours had passed from the time they left the first gate before they reached the second. Heart’s Light was the first to pass through the open gateway, taking up a defensive posture as they waited for the King to dispel the mist.

Finally reaching the second gate, Tyr’s group— surrounded by Alpha Company— advanced to the front. Stepping past the gates, Tyr summoned his sword and held it above his head. A pulse of golden light emanated from the blade, pushing the mist back by a dozen feet. More pulses of golden light came from the blade as Tyr kept it aloft and the mist was pushed further back. He stood there unmoving for several minutes before the sword vanished.

“It’s done,” Tyr said.

“Scouts, head out,” Roberto said.

Hundreds of Imps and Cherubim flew overhead, dispersing as they went to cover a wider area. Beams of oily-black energy shot up from ahead, forcing them to evade as they tried to scout.

“It looks like they’re waiting for us,” Ioaniss said.

“Indeed, we have been,” a sneering voice echoed off the walls. “Welcome to your final resting place, Tyr. Once we have ripped the crown from your head, we’ll be helping our new Emperor expand his domain to the other continents.”

“Skippy,” Alburet muttered as his hands clenched.

“Come out and fight if you think you can take what Justice himself has given me,” Tyr replied.

“You are not our monarch anymore. You and your false gods hold no sway here,” Skippy scoffed. “If you can manage to reach us, we will kill you, but it amuses us to see you lose your men to the undead.”

“All the scouts are down, Sire,” Roberto said softly.

“Did you really think that any of them would make it through?” Skippy laughed, a murmur of other laughter sounding behind him.

Roberto handed Tyr the map that Fluff had made based on reports from BJ and BB along with the Copies of the other Summoner’s minions.

“We’ll be fine. Make your peace as we will be coming for you,” Tyr said. He took out a stone and addressed it much more quietly “Raid, we will be using Raidstones for communication from this point forward. Look to your leaders for orders.”

Skippy’s mocking laughter echoed around them as Roberto called the various leaders toward the tent being set up. Stacia grabbed Alburet and kissed him hard. When she let him go, his anger had calmed somewhat. Giving her a thankful smile, he headed for the tent along with Fluff.

Inside, Roberto spread the drawing out on the table. “This is what we know of the area closest to us. We didn’t get anyone further into the complex, so we only have the first two wings. Alburet, is this one the intake area you found?”

Alburet looked at the map, “Yeah, looks right to me. There was nothing of note in that building when I went through it before. It likely holds a number of their forces now, though. Here’s the map of the interior I had Fluff sketch for me last night.”

“Lord Lightfist, you will be leading the raid into the area. The Imps were able to see a number of undead in the courtyard, and that a number of those damnable beams came from the building itself.”

“We’ll clear the building before we go for the gate,” Benedict said. “Can’t leave anything behind us. The building doesn’t look complicated, so it shouldn’t take long to clear.”

“What plan are we going to use?” Blaze asked.

“For this stuff early, I’m going to let the small Guilds spearhead the push,” Benedict said. “Early is the best time to let them help. For the bosses at the end, we’ll need serious, disciplined raiders.”

“We can be serious raiders,” Sidewinder huffed.

“Yes, you can be, but you’re not part of a large Guild that has focused on this moment. I would suggest either pushing to make one or joining one after this so you can be a full part of the next raids.”

“Whatever, dude,” Sidewinder growled. “We’ll show you what we can do.”

“I look forward to it,” Benedict replied. “Delvers will be your back up.”

Blaze eyed Benedict for a long moment. “Sure.”

“Alpha Company will be guarding the gate to the next wing, and we will hold in the middle to assist either way as needed.”

“Got it,” Gerald said.

“Unless we find a boss, we will not be deploying any of the favors,” Benedict continued. “We don’t know how many we will be facing, so I want to keep them in reserve for as long as possible.”

“Should tha’ nay be our discretion?” Werrick asked.

“Probably,” Benedict conceded. “However, I’m thinking about what it might take to beat the bigger threats we know exist. The Dragon Eater, Ophelia, the Prophet, and Stein: those four will all require at least one favor.”

“I have a suggestion,” Alburet said. “For a few of them, I’m fairly certain we know which favors to call in.”

“Go on,” Benedict said.

“Peace has a grudge against the Prophet for what he did to Andrea. The Dark Lord wishes to erase his mistake of favoring the Dragon Eater before the Stein rebellion started. Justice will want Stein’s head. The others are up in the air, but those three I think are fairly straight forward.”

“Those are all good suggestions,” Benedict agreed. “We’ll hold off on using those as long as we can. The other six gods will hopefully let their intentions be known, but unless they do, we should think about holding off on using them.”

“Fair,” Werrick nodded. “Hearth be a bit upset with Ophelia; she was nay faithful to her first husband, so me coin will likely be called in then.”

“Very well,” Benedict said. “The other five favors should be held back unless your god tells you otherwise.” Turning to Roberto, he continued, “Commander, I would suggest the rest of you hold at this gate. As soon as we find the next graveyard, we will inform you so you can move in to hold it. Please send along any other Two-souled who are strong enough to use from the portal.”

“Of course. I have Captain Klein holding that front with the Two-souled,” Roberto nodded.

“That’s our plan for now,” Benedict said. “Once we’ve cleared the intake wing, we’ll reconvene and plot the next attack. I ask Summoners to have their Copies or second Copies poke their heads over the gate into the next wing, so we might get a better idea of what’s there.”

“Any questions?” Roberto asked. When no one responded, he nodded, “May Justice’s Light protect you as you go to battle.”

“Grab your people and get ready to move,” Benedict said. “Sidewinder, you’re the lead.”

“Right,” Sidewinder said, leaving the tent first.

~*~*~

Following after everyone else as they entered the intake wing, Alpha Company skirted the edge of the fights against the undead that littered the courtyard. Arriving at the gate that led further into the prison, Gerald had them set up a defensive stance with the tanks forming a half circle facing the gate.

“Summoners, have your Imp Copies play peek-a-boo over the gate and walls, then have them report to Fluff. She’ll be drawing out a better map of the area for the next phase.”

“BJ, BB, be safe guys. Do what you can, but don’t be crazy,” Alburet told the two Copies.

“Crazier,” Karen amended for him.

“I’ll behave,” Bob said as his doubles headed off with the other Imps.

“Why are we sending just the Imps?” Marysue asked.

“She be havin’ a point. Iffin we just be lookin’ over the walls, Succubi can help,” Stacia said.

Alburet’s lips twisted for a moment before he nodded, “Copies only.”

“Aye,” Stacia said as Kitten and KJ took to the air.

“Gerald,” Marysue called out, going over to explain they had other resources to use.

A few minutes later, the wall facing the next wing of the prison had a number of Imps and Succubi popping their heads over when they could. All of the original Infernals were gathered around Fluff, relaying one at a time what they were seeing. Alburet watched the oily-black beams of energy that would flash over the wall; most of them missed the Infernals, but a few landed, causing the Infernals to cry out in pain before vanishing.

“They’re going in,” Gerald said as he watched the other Two-souled finally push into the intake building.

Alburet glanced over when he heard some yelling. Some of the Two-souled were arguing over who should go inside first. “Idiots,” Alburet muttered.

“That is why they won’t be used later,” Gerald agreed.

“They are proving Benedict’s point for him,” Marysue said, nodding.

“Gerald, we have movement inside the courtyard,” Bob said. “It looks like undead and cultists are getting ready for an attack.”

“Which is why I didn’t argue about guarding the gate,” Gerald chuckled. “I thought they might try for a pincer attack. Benedict is wanting to see just how good we are.” Tapping his Raidstone, Gerald broadcast to the Alpha Company, “We’re about to face an assault force from the next wing. Everyone, get ready: we will crush these attackers and prove that Alpha Company was the right choice to be the shield on this flank.”

Every member of the Guild turned to face the closed gate. Fire, ice, and other magics were called up and held, waiting to be unleashed, while the stealth classes all vanished from view and broke to the sides, ready to flank. The melee damage dealers closed up behind the tanks, ready to add in their damage, while the Angels and Infernals who could fly all took to the sky just above their heads.

“Master,” Bob whispered, dropping down next to him, “I saw Skippy. He’s at the back of the attacking force.”

Alburet’s lips twitched and a feral smile came to him. “I’m going to enjoy this.”

Chapter Forty-one

“I need to let Gerald know,” Alburet grumbled after a heartbeat.

The sound of the gates opening brought the eyes of everyone in the courtyard to the gap. Undead rushed forward, only to be met by set shields from the tanks. The Imps and Cherubim of Alpha Company started attacking the mobs from their elevated position near the thirty-foot walls. Spells that had been held were finally released, splashing over the front line of undead. The melee had a hard time getting damage added in behind the tanks, crowded as they were, but many of them found a way. The healers were able to overlap area healing effects to keep the tanks healthy.

As the battle began at the gate, Heart’s Light shifted to help, but found Alpha Company holding the front easily. The spell casters of Heart’s Light threw some spells into the battle to help out with damage, as they were the only ones who were able to.

Blaze looked back, ready to go help, but seeing the gate held and Benedict ready with his Guild, he sighed. “I guess they get all the fun this time.”

A couple of cultists pushed in with the undead, aiming at the minions they could see with their staves. The crystals atop the staves pulsed out the beams of energy that the minions had come to know and fear. The original minions of each Summoner dove for the ground, not wanting to be hit, while their duplicates began taking evasive measures.

Gerald was focused on the battle in front of him, so Alburet began giving orders, “Casters, focus the cultists down first. Stealthers, be ready to do your thing.”

“Fire is not as effective as it should be,” one of the Elementalists shouted back.

“Use your secondary element,” Alburet replied.

“We could help if there was room,” Benedict said from behind Alburet.

Before Alburet could reply, the intake building exploded. The shockwave knocked all of the Delvers flat and hammered half of Heart’s Light into the ground. Shaking his head to clear the ringing in his ears, Alburet looked back to see a major complication.

“You should probably help Delvers with that,” Alburet shouted, his ears still ringing.

“I think you’re right,” Benedict said as he started to push through his own Guildmates to get closer to the new threat.

“More of those Golems?” Marysue asked as she glanced back between healing spells.

“These are more advanced,” Alburet said, seeing the plate armor the Golems wore. “That’s their fight. We have our own.”

“How many of these fucking things are there?” someone from Heart’s Light shouted.

“Stealthers,” Alburet shouted, “turn and help Heart’s Light. You’ll be able to get in on those mobs. Melee without reach, you too. Benedict, we could use some of your casters in return.”

“Third and fourth tiers,” Benedict called out, “help Alpha Company.”

Fluff broke away from Alpha Company, Leaping over Alburet to land behind him. “If you need me, call,” she said and waited for Benedict to call out the targets.

“Delvers,” Blaze shouted, “back up. We’ll link up with Heart’s Light. There are too many for us alone.”

With the two fronts now engaged, the fight became serious. Both groups knew that if the other side failed, they would be flanked. Alburet Copied Bob again, since both BJ and BB had been dismissed by beams from the cultists. Seeing the other Summoners also doing so, his lips pursed.

“Summoners, send all Copies over the wall. Aim for the back line of the attackers. If you see a leader, mob him,” Alburet called out.

A stream of Copied minions went over the wall, none of them making it more than a few yards before they were hit by a mass of beams.

Alburet nodded, “Casters, area spells just inside the gate and break their formation. Tanks, be ready to push forward. We need to kill the cultists that are trying to keep them up.”

Seconds ticked by as Alburet gauged how effective the massed area damage was. Teeth gritted, he removed a ring from his hand. “Stacia, we’re going over the wall.”

Her eyes went to the ring he slipped into his bag. “What be our mission?”

“Making the cultists focus on something other than healing.” Raising his voice, Alburet called for the Summoners to have their flying minions stage near the walls. A few turned to argue but stopped when they saw him hovering over the Guild. “Have them follow me. Everyone, focus the target I hit first and stay evasive.”

“Might we be of assistance?” Yuna asked as she glided over to him. “Our fire spells might not do much damage normally, but all of us have Infernal Flames and can summon Imp Storms.”

Alburet looked at the other Demon Lords, “Okay, but stay on this side of the wall. Poke up, summon, then get down. We’ll need you later.”

“We would like to assist, as well,” Andrea said, Parsnew just behind her. “We can’t summon a swarm of Cherubim, but we think we can help with a song or two.”

“I’ll take anything that will help,” Alburet said. Looking down, he saw Marysue looking up at him. “You have command until I get back or until Gerald can see past the mob in front of him.”

Her smiling demeanor fell away, showing the cold and calculating nature that she hid most of the time. “Very well. Make sure you make this count.”

Dodging the couple of beams that were fired at him through the gateway as he moved, Alburet floated next to the wall. Waiting for all the minions to indicate they were ready, Alburet looked over to where Fluff and Karen were attacking one of the Plated Death Golems.

A soft hand touched his, “We be ready, Asthore.”

Taking a deep breath, Alburet floated higher. “Give me a few, then follow,” he told the minions and Demon Lords.

Seeing them nod, Alburet shot higher, clearing the wall and finally seeing the force on the other side. Thousands of undead, hundreds of cultists, and dozens of richly clad nobles all looked up at him. A hundred or more Two-souled were mixed into the mob.

“You killed my family, Skippy, and now it’s time to pay!” Alburet snarled out as he flew over the crowd.

“Kill him!” Skippy snapped.

Staves were pointed in his direction, and Alburet did his best to evade the beams that shot up at him. As all eyes had been pulled to him, they missed seeing the minions coming over the wall right away. Catching a glimpse of the other Demon Lords cresting the wall, Alburet threw a single Fire Blast at a cultist that stood next to a half dozen others.

The sky was suddenly blanketed in Imps as the four Demon Lords all used Imp Storm. The barrage of beams aimed at Alburet came to a sudden stop as the cultists and undead were suddenly engulfed in flames, as every Imp covered the area in Fire Bursts.

“Healers, keep them alive,” Skippy snarled. “The rest of you, kill him! He’s leading them.”

Alburet felt his anger surge, knowing he wouldn’t be able to get to Skippy. The anger faded slightly as a song blanketed the area. The duet of Andrea and Parsnew clouded the minds of all the cultists, making them see multiple copies of every foe.

Seeing all the cultists suddenly lose focus, Alburet gave a feral smile as he dove at the nobles, who also seemed to be having trouble. Skippy staggered back at seeing five Alburets coming for him, yelling at the others to stop him.

The confusion of the Imp Storms and the songs gave Alburet the room he needed to snatch Skippy up by his clothes from behind. “Let’s go talk,” Alburet hissed as he lifted the flailing noble into the air.

BJ, BB, Kitten, and KJ all went to his side, grabbing Skippy’s limbs to make it easier for Alburet to ferry off the noble. As they got closer to the wall, a few beams from the cultists hit Kitten, banishing both her and KJ. The shift of weight almost made Alburet drop Skippy, but he maintained his grip as he cleared the wall, dropping behind it just in time to avoid the other beams that would have hit him otherwise.

“Go help the others,” Alburet told the Copies. “I have a delivery to make.”

“Got it,” BJ said as he and BB flew back over the wall.

Stacia flew over to Alburet, her eyes flaming as she stared at Skippy. “We be killin’ him now?”

“Not yet,” Alburet said. “Follow me.”

Flying back to the guards, Alburet called down to the group below him. “Sire, I have a gift for you.” With that, he let go of Skippy.

A cry of fear came from the noble as he felt himself falling. Hitting the ground hard, Skippy groaned as he tried to get to his feet, only to be tackled to the ground by a dozen guards.

Tyr looked at Skippy, then up at Alburet, “The raid?”

“Continues, but he was in charge of the nobles,” Alburet said as he landed. “I’ll be going back in just a moment. I don’t know how he was involved in Alistern’s death, but I know he was.”

“He killed my father as well, and should have been prepared to die,” Mantoya said from nearby as he drew his father’s signature blade from his side.

“I shall deal with him,” Tyr said. “You should head back to the raid.”

“Nay. We be havin’ a debt that needs payin’,” Stacia growled, flames sparking from her eyes.

“As my wife said, Majesty, we need to see him die,” Alburet said, his hand touching her shoulder. “I ask that you let her deal the blow.”

Tyr nodded, “Very well, Lord Darkhand, in deference to your aid.” Looking to Mantoya, the King continued, “Strip him of his gear, then bring him to the edge of death.”

“Wait! I can give you information,” Skippy screamed. “Don’t let it kill me.”

Tyr smiled coldly, “Ready to turn tail on your supposed leader already? Pathetic. Mantoya, carry out my orders.”

“No, no, you can’t do this! Justice forgives those who—”

Mantoya’s hand slammed into Skippy’s throat, making the noble hack, suddenly unable to speak. “Quiet, filth.”

Minutes passed by as the guards stripped Skippy of his gear and Mantoya cut him in a dozen places. “He is ready,” Mantoya told Stacia as he stepped away.

Stacia walked up to the bloodied noble, who was still being held by the guards. “Ya have hounded me husband, and killed me friends and me Da’. I would nay be surprised iffin ya killed ya own Da’ to gain ya title. Today, I pay ya back for ya pettiness.” Stepping forward, she embraced Skippy.

Alburet felt his blood boil seeing his wife hug Skippy. Opening his mouth to object, he stopped when he heard Stacia’s next few words.

“Now ya will die as all ya victims did,” Stacia said. Flames sprang up from her skin, burning into Skippy where she held him.

The long silence that Mantoya had inflicted on him ended in that moment, and the anguished screams of a burning man echoed through the still air. The smell of burning flesh made a number of people wrinkle their noses, but the scene of a ferally smiling Succubus holding the man as she killed him made a number of people shudder and look away. Stacia kept hold of Skippy even when he stopped screaming, holding him until the body vanished from her arms.

Flames winking out, Stacia touched the bag that appeared at her feet. Turning around, she held a ring out to Tyr. “This be for ya,” she said simply, the deep anger and hatred she had been consumed with gone as swiftly as the body.

“Thank you,” Tyr said, taking the ring.

“We have a raid to get back to,” Alburet said as he took Stacia’s hand.

“Indeed,” Tyr agreed. “Next time, feel free to just drop them off. We’ll deal with them.”

“Of course,” Alburet said as he and Stacia headed back toward the intake wing.

Chapter Forty-two

The fights were still raging when Stacia and Alburet returned. Landing next to Marysue, Alburet gave her an apologetic smile, “Sorry about that.”

Marysue’s mask slipped back into place as she gave him a smile. “It’s fine. Your surprise attack did disrupt their casters long enough for us to push to the gate. We haven’t lost anyone besides the minions yet. The same can’t be said for them,” she said, looking over her shoulder at the twenty Plated Death Golems still remaining. “The rest of Heart’s Light and Delvers’ casters have shifted to helping us stay alive. Their spells don’t touch the Golems.”

“They’re out of sight from the gate,” Alburet mused. “I’ll get them some more help.”

“Yuna, Andrea?” Both ladies landed next to him, and he smiled. “Can you send your ground forces to help Heart’s Light and Delvers? It looks like spells don’t affect them, so it has to be melee.”

“Of course,” Andrea said as she flew off.

“Gladly; they were getting restless,” Yuna said and followed Andrea.

“Okay, that should help bolster that front,” Alburet said. “I don’t even want to think of what this would be like without all the natives.”

“I think it was designed to be done with them, so it would have been bad otherwise.”

Alburet couldn’t fault her logic. If you had a living world and there was an extinction-level event going on, it makes sense the natives would be there to help. Does that mean the raids that will come after this will have the same epic quality to them? Alburet took to the air high enough to see over the ranks, but not enough to become a prime target for the cultists. He chuckled as he watched the tanks trade places. They shifted to the left, and the tanks who had been in combat moved to the right side of the line, out of the scrum.

“I see Gerald has the front solidly set in a rotation to help them,” Alburet said. “We still can’t get most of our casters to bear.”

“Mayhap we can ask the Succubi and Seraphim to lift them up to the wall? It be thick enough for the casters to stand or sit on,” Stacia suggested.

“Marysue, could you heal them if we did that?”

“It would put a strain on us if they all went, but if you sent a couple of small groups, we can shift the healers to cover them. Maybe rotate them out when their mana drops so they don’t have to use their potions until later?”

“Works,” Alburet said, turning back to Stacia. “Will you go let Andrea and Yuna know, dear? I need to see which casters want to chance the wall.”

“As ya wish, Asthore,” Stacia said as she flew off to tell the others.

Turning to look at the mass of casters who were all trying to help out, Alburet shook his head. “I need twenty casters who don’t mind dying.” Fifty hands all went up, “Okay, the twenty closest to me: you’ll be the first wave. Cast until you’re out of mana, and then we’ll switch you out for the next set. We’ll try to keep you alive, but it’ll be difficult, so death is likely.”

The sound of hooves and boots brought everyone’s attention to the Destroyers and Archangels that were marching past them to the Plated Death Golems. The two leading the small army went to Blaze, who was calling out that side of the raid.

“Here is your help, Lord Darkhand,” Yuna said as she flew up with Andrea and a mixed group of fifty Succubi and Seraphim.

“I guess we’ll take all fifty,” Alburet chuckled. “Ladies,” he said, looking up at the Angels and Infernals, “pick a caster that has their hand up. Take them to the wall, but try to stay covered as much as possible. Once they are set, come back and wait to see if we need to take more.”

“We’ll handle it,” Andrea smiled. “Never thought a Demon Lord would be giving me orders, but the mistress is happy and that’s all that matters.”

“Take them up,” Alburet said.

The casters all cheered happily as they were picked up and carried off. Alburet watched them go before he took to the air. “Marysue, I’m going to take command of that group. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Sighing, Marysue nodded, “Understood. Make sure you bloody them.”

“I will,” Alburet said as he went after the casters.

The Seraphim and Succubi waited for him before lifting the casters above the wall. Taking the far end of one of the wall segments, Alburet landed on top and threw a Fire Blast. A number of eyes turned his way, and the cultists that remained all brought their staves up. Giving them a single-finger salute, he stepped backward off the wall just as the raid casters unleashed their first volley of spells into the crowd below them.

Cultists and the undead spell casters launched their own spells back at them. Letting them go for a moment, Alburet reappeared on the wall. Picking out a small cluster of cultists that were healing, he took aim.

“Casters, attack my target!” Alburet yelled, waiting to throw his Fire Blast into the group. “Area spells right there, on the five healers all grouped up.”

Most of the raid casters did as ordered— though there were a few that didn’t listen— and the clustered healers were hit by forty spells simultaneously. A small wave of arrows peppered the same targets from behind Alburet. Looking back, he saw a group of Cherubim dropping back under the level of the wall.

“Go help the others since you do physical damage. Let Andrea know all of you can chip in over there.”

“Understood,” one of the Cherubim replied.

Another explosion rocked the area, making the people up on the walls wobble for a moment. Looking back at the melee engagement, Alburet was shocked to see a crater in the ground and bodies scattered in a wide radius away from it.

“The Golems blow up,” Benedict shouted as he got back on his feet, having been at the edge of the first explosion. “They heal their friends when they do. Tanks, grab your Golem and back them at least thirty feet from each other. Damage until they get critically low and back well off. The tanks can finish them alone if needed.”

“Benedict,” Alburet said through the Raidstone, “the Cherubim are coming your way to help. They do physical damage. Let them finish the Golems off.”

“Got it,” Benedict grunted, blocking the next attack from the Plated Death Golem he was facing.

“I shall go coordinate the Cherubim with Lightfist,” Parsnew said, flying past Alburet.

“Thank you,” Alburet said as he jumped off the wall again to avoid the beams of oily blackness being shot at him.

The person furthest away on the wall was hit hard, the casters below focus firing on him. The body fell to the wrong side of the wall, so they were unable to use a battle resurrection on him.

“If they focus you, step off the wall on this side. The being who brought you up will catch you and get you to the ground,” Alburet yelled as he flew down the line.

The fight on the wall dragged on for minutes, with the casters dying or rotating out to be replaced by others. The Golem side of the raid was able to start killing them without losing many more fighters, but the body count from the first explosion had been high.

When the battle started to wind down, Alburet was a little surprised that none of the raid members who had been killed had made it back to the fight yet. When the last Plated Death Golem exploded, the groups on that side turned to help hold the gate. The crowd of undead and cultists on the far side was being whittled down slowly, but with the extra help, they finally pushed through into the holding wing.

The fight suddenly became chaotic, but was over in no time once enough groups made it through the gate. During the cleanup, several noble’s signets were looted. Benedict, Blaze, and Gerald collected them to hand over to the King. Many of those who had made it through the fights were busy swapping out gear with loot drops they received.

“Form up defensively here,” Benedict ordered. “Our fallen are on their way back and we need to send scouts to see what the building ahead of us looks like, as well as where the next gate is.”

Minutes passed before Sidewinder showed up, jogging ahead of the rest of the fallen raid members. Face red with anger, Sidewinder marched straight up to Benedict, “You got us killed!”

“How do you figure that?”

“You sent us into a trapped building!”

“It was not known to be trapped,” Benedict said, standing up and looming over the smaller man. “If you can’t accept dying, you might need to go back to the graveyard and help out there.”

“Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Sidewinder snapped. “How about we guard the next gate and you go into the building instead?”

“If that’s what you want,” Benedict snorted. “Go ahead, it’s on the far side of the building. We’re doing recon still, so don’t be surprised by anything.”

“Come on, guys,” Sidewinder yelled. “We’re going to the next gate while they go inside this time.”

Most of those who were part of smaller Guilds or none at all followed the irate man, but a few seemed hesitant. A few of them stayed back, and after a bit of whispered consultation, one of them stepped over to the trio of leaders. “If it’s okay with you, we’d rather join one of your Guilds.”

“I’ll take them,” Blaze said. “I know you both have rules in place about recruits.”

“I’m fine with that,” Gerald said.

“Works. It’ll be a bit before we move on.”

The group, now sporting Delvers insignia, went over to join their new friends.

Alburet coughed once, seeing the King and command staff heading their way. “Incoming.”

The King’s expression was grave as he walked through the ruined courtyard that had been the intake wing. Approaching the Two-souled leaders, Tyr bowed his head fractionally to them. “I see you’ve managed to breach the holding wing. We heard the explosions... what happened?”

Benedict, Blaze, and Gerald gave a quick rundown of the raid and handed over the rings that had been collected. Ioaniss took the rings and checked his book, “That’s all the traitors other than Carradine.”

“Yet it feels like it was too easy,” Benedict said. “Yeah, it was hard and we lost people, but the fight was very straightforward. There were no transition phases, no surprises... nothing.”

“Let me help with that,” a gloating voice said just before an unearthly sound filled the air.

Everyone who heard the sound shivered, feeling like it was invading them. “Who is this?” Tyr demanded as he shook off the strange sensation.

“I’m Hemod, lowly voice of Stein. Most call me the Prophet, as I bring them closer to the truth,” Hemod chuckled. “But before we talk more, it’s time for fun.”

Roberto was the first to react to the sudden threat, interposing himself between the King’s back and the guard who suddenly drew and stabbed at Tyr. “Scott? Subdue him!” Roberto shouted.

“We have a problem,” Gerald said. He slammed his foot down, Ground Stomping and stunning all the people nearby, who had drawn swords and were looking toward the King with hatred.

Chapter Forty-three

“Kill him for me and know that Stein looks upon you with favor,” Hemod ordered the mind-controlled guards.

“Tiny,” Alburet shouted, “form a wall. Andrea, Yuna, we could really use your boys in here.”

“What do we do? If we kill them, they’ll die their Final Deaths,” Marysue said, standing behind Gerald.

“Use your favor,” Alburet said. “Maybe Peace can break the mind-control for us.”

“But we don’t know if the Prophet is even here to attack,” Marysue said as she pulled out the coin she had received earlier.

“Please. If there is a chance to free my men, then use the coin,” Tyr said.

“Peace, I ask for your favor,” Marysue said, and the coin vanished from her hand.

“Gladly, child. May my warmth and light help you in this time of need,” Peace’s soft voice permeated the air throughout the courtyard.

A shiver of emotion went down Alburet’s spine as the voice washed over him, something about it touching his very core. Before he could try to understand why he felt that way, the moment was shattered.

“False god! Useless whore,” Hemod raged as his control over the raid vanished. “You seek to free them, but even your power can’t stop me completely!”

“My time here is short,” Peace said, her voice fading. “Justiceson, pull your people well back. Let the Two-souled do what they are here to do.”

“No! The King shall die under my hand,” Hemod snapped. “Come believers! Come! Rise up and strike down the false leader!”

“Pull back,” Roberto shouted, “pull back and protect the King.”

“We’ll handle it,” Gerald said.

“Fine, I shall bring in my helpers,” Hemod snarled. “Come, my faithful. Come out and play with them.”

“We’ll hold the front,” Benedict said over the Raidstone. “Get the King out.”

“Working on it,” Gerald replied as Destroyers and Archangels pushed through the guards. “Surround the King; get him and the command staff out of here.”

“We will,” the leading Archangel said, sending a burst of light out from himself. “On me! We push out. The loyal may follow.”

“We’ll make sure the rear is safe,” the Destroyer nodded.

Roberto, Tyr, and the rest of the command staff were marched out amid the minion army. The Angels and Infernals were not gentle to anyone that got in their way.

Alburet turned his attention back to the fights going on around him. Gerald was holding off two guards, while Tiny and his duplicates each had one. The other Guild members nearby had also jumped in against the guards, but none of them were trying to kill their targets, not wanting to cause Final Deaths.

“Damn it,” Gerald hissed. “If they don’t stop, we’ll have to kill them.”

“We have kind of a big problem,” Blaze said over the Raidstone. “Hemod’s Helpers are inflicting the raid with debuffs that confuse them so they attack anyone near them.”

“Peace, we could use more aid,” Marysue said as she continued to heal Gerald and the others nearby.

A moment later, the guards who had been mind-controlled stopped attacking. “What just happened?” one of the Sergeants asked, clearly confused.

“You’ve been mind-controlled by Hemod,” Gerald said as he stepped back. “Hurry back to the gate, but don’t try to get past the Destroyers. They’re protecting the King.”

“Right…” the guard said, shaking his head. “Men, we fall back.”

Now that the guards were pulling back, Gerald looked over the Guild. The same unearthly sound still carried on the air, but it was quieter and easier to ignore. “Plug your ears with whatever you can. This whole thing has been sound-based.”

People began pulling stuff from their bags, trying to find anything they could use to block their ears. Marysue pulled out a block of soft beeswax from her bag and fashioned earplugs. Gerald relayed his idea to Blaze and Benedict, taking the earplugs from Marysue and putting them in.

“You’ve been carrying wax?” Karen asked.

“With all the songs and such we keep running into, it seemed like a possible solution,” Marysue replied, handing Karen a set.

“It’s a good idea,” Alburet said. “Fluff and I are immune, at least.”

“None of the Angels nor Infernals seem to be affected, either,” Fluff added.

“Tha’ nay be entirely untrue— tha’ sound makes me want to vomit,” Stacia said.

“Then you should take these,” Marysue said, holding out a set of earplugs. “Al might want to dismiss your Copies if it still causes you problems.”

“We’ll find out,” Alburet said, watching Stacia as she put the plugs into her ears. “Better?”

“Aye. Thank ya, Marysue,” Stacia said.

“Can I get some of that?” Violet asked after Marysue put a set of plugs into her own ears.

Marysue blinked, then smiled, handing over what was left of the wax. “Not a lot left, but feel free.”

“Gerald, we need your Guild up here. It’s a clusterfuck,” Blaze said through the Raidstone. “Most of Heart’s Light keeps attacking each other off and on. The confusion seems to break after a few hits, but also comes back randomly.”

“Alpha Company,” Gerald told the Guild over the Raidstone, “we’re off to help the others. They might turn on you: don’t take it personally, but feel free to snap them out of it. Should only take a hit or two.”

Following Gerald, Alpha Company headed back into the holding wing, ready to enter the fight. A few from the Delvers Guild were also attacking their friends, but not nearly as many as Heart’s Light, who had been standing closer to a group of rotting undead, Hemod’s Helpers.

“Circle defense,” Gerald ordered over the Raidstone.

Those closest to the sides and back turned to face out, stepping in a slow and measured pace that was matched by the raid. The order was the right call: a moment after they had formed up, a patch of Heart’s Light near them wobbled and suddenly turned to attack them.

“Contact,” Ironhand said over the Raidstone as he tossed out his first trap.

“Our allies aren’t the target. Do your best to hinder them, but keep moving,” Gerald commanded. “Same pace, just don’t stop.”

“Gerald, over here,” Benedict said as he pushed back one of Hemod’s Helpers. “Everyone but me has been turned on us at least once. I saw movement in the building that these came from. I think he’s inside.”

“We’ll go after him. Do your best to hold here,” Gerald said.

“If you take your whole Guild, you’ll end up fighting them, too.”

“Fair point,” Gerald nodded. “Violet, Ironhand, both of your teams are with me. Everyone else, cut down these Helpers.”

“Wait, take my team, too,” Benedict said.

“You’re the only one of your Guild not currently confused,” Gerald said, motioning behind Benedict.

Looking behind him to see his other group members fighting the rest of his Guild, Benedict cursed. “Fucking god dammit. Fine, but make it quick.”

“Fall in, we’ll push right through,” Gerald said. “Al, Violet, I want the Destroyers to lead the way.”

“I will do it,” Tiny rumbled as he stepped past Gerald, TJ and TW behind him.

“We will do as required,” Theo and Dore, Violet’s Destroyers, added as they joined the other three.

“Push and don’t stop,” Gerald ordered.

With the five Destroyers leading the way, they were able to push past the line of Hemod’s Helpers. A couple of groups of Alpha Company went with them to act as rear guard and attack the undead from behind.

Once they were freed from the press of combat, the three groups rushed forward. The Destroyers fell back around them, acting as a barrier to help push back the few mobs that weren’t in the press. They made it to the three story building, and Gerald led the way through the open double doors without any hesitation.

A massive entry room greeted them. The ceiling towered two stories high, pillars supporting it. As the group rushed in, the doors slammed shut behind them and three dozen Hemod’s Helpers appeared from behind the pillars.

“Tanks, take at least three each,” Gerald said as they came to a halt. “Focus down the healers first.”

“Healers?” Hemod’s voice drifted to them through their plugged ears. “My Helpers do not have healers, nor tanks. They subsist solely to help me help spread the word of Stein. Show them the truth, my minions.”

The undead mobs came rushing at them with startling speed, but the tanks were able to hit their targets. They didn’t expect the monsters to ignore their taunts, nor getting pushed back when at least two of the Helpers latched onto them.

Alburet had just enough time to jump into the air with Stacia, joining the Imps above the sudden chaotic melee below them. “What the fuck are they doing?”

Each visible person in the raid was being grappled by the mobs, who were leaning in to whisper in their ears. The party members struggled to free themselves from their grasps, but didn’t seem to have much success.

Gerald Ground Stomped, stunning all the undead nearest him, allowing him and a few others the chance to shove the Helpers on them away. “If they don’t heal, then we need to be mobile and damage them.”

“Area burn the group that isn’t stunned, switch to single target when it becomes more effective,” Alburet told Bob. “Do you think you can grab one of those and carry it up? Hold them out of the way?” he asked Stacia.

“I can try,” she said as she flew down and grabbed one of the stunned mobs. Kitten and KJ followed her, doing the same.

Violet’s two Succubi joined them a moment later, and the five Succubi flew up to the ceiling, holding stunned mobs. Alburet summoned Fire Blasts, throwing them at the mobs on Fluff, since she seemed the closest to breaking free with her improved strength.

Gerald and anyone who had been near him backed well away. Leggylass was firing arrows at one of the mobs holding Marysue as they went. Ironhand reappeared beside them, and his traps now littered the ground between them and the Helpers.

“That should help slow them down,” Ironhand said, readying more traps.

“What did they hope to accomplish?” Violet asked.

“I think they’re supposed to mind-control us, but we can’t hear them,” Marysue said, trying to cast any of her spells with her hands held. “If we didn’t have our ears plugged, it would probably have worked at least some.”

“Without the Raidstones, we would have real issues communicating,” Gerald agreed. “Al, why are you not focusing on our target?”

“Because if Fluff gets free, she can stack a bleed that will keep damaging them. If we need to attack and keep moving, hers is the best we’re going to get for sustained damage.”

“Hey, I can do better sustained damage,” Leggylass huffed.

“But hers will keep ticking even if she’s caught again,” Alburet added.

“Unclotting Wounds can be very useful,” Gerald agreed. “We’ll switch after Mary is free.”

“Got it,” Leggylass grumbled, wanting to be the savior at least once.

The stunned Helpers shook off the effect and chased after the free group members, only to hit Ironhand’s traps and find themselves stuck or slowed. Marysue freed one of her hands when one of the Hemod’s Helpers on her suddenly died. With an arm free, she was able to cast Halo at her feet, doing Light damage to all the undead holding the rest of the group. Marysue’s spell was enough to finish off one holding Fluff, allowing her to throw the last one off her arm.

“Now let’s play,” Fluff growled, beginning to spin in place as she triggered Whirlwind.

“How are you resisting them?” Hemod’s puzzled question made the group smile.

The undead fell over the course of the next couple of minutes, whittled down one-by-one. As each fell, Hemod had grown increasingly upset.

“It doesn’t matter if you kill them,” Hemod snarled as the last few undead were being killed. “I have other minions waiting for you.”

“We’ll just kill them, too,” Gerald snickered. “We are your punishment from Peace. Better say your prayers to Stein, because Peace shall have no mercy for you.”

Hemod didn’t respond as the fight continued. Another minute later, Stacia and the other Succubi released the Hemod’s Helpers they had been holding aloft. The impact of the fall staggered the Helpers and before they could do much more than stand up, the groups descended on them, butchering them.

Chapter Forty-four

With the mobs killed and looted, they headed further into the building. “Good thing we stuffed our ears,” Ironhand commented over the Raidstone. “I could almost hear them, and I could feel, like, tendrils trying to touch my brain. It was not pleasant... I can only imagine how badly this would have gone otherwise.”

“That’s only one of the tricks we’re likely to face,” Gerald said. “The challenge is going to be finding out what else he has up his sleeve. Al, I need you to dismiss them until we actually get into a fight.”

“The downside to minion classes,” Alburet muttered as he looked at Tiny and Bob. Seeing his look, the minions nodded, understanding. “Call you back soon.” A moment later, Alburet had just Stacia at his side. Violet— seeing the others vanish— dismissed hers as well.

“I always forget about doing that for boss fights,” Violet admitted. “You think they could fix it to not matter.”

“Every class has a drawback of some kind,” Leggylass added.

Minutes went by as they walked. The bottom floor only had a lot of empty cells, besides the entry room. When they had checked everything, Gerald led them to the stairs they had bypassed earlier.

“Next floor is likely admin and records,” Gerald told them. “Our next fight will be there. The third floor is the most likely place we’ll find Hemod. Wait until we’re attacked to bring the minions back. Though I do worry about what they’re basing the boss’ health on, considering the army we have outside.”

“For this one, I’m thinking it’s based on who came inside,” Alburet said.

“Be ready for anything. We know Hemod likes to mind control when he can, but we don’t know what else he might have waiting.” Getting nods from everyone, he turned to face the stairs, “Let’s go find out.”

Before Gerald could put his foot onto the stairs, Ironhand grabbed him and pulled him back from the first step. “Hang on. I see traps.”

“Glad we have a Trapsmith with us,” Gerald said. “We’ll follow you.”

Ironhand went slow, finding a trap or two every couple of steps. The most difficult ones ended up being those attached high on the walls. Alburet resummoned Tiny so the Destroyer could lift Ironhand up to disarm them. As he climbed the stairs, Ironhand took longer to disarm each consecutive trap.

“I’m not sure I’m going to be able to disarm the last few,” Ironhand said when he came back down the stairs. “I almost fumbled that one, and if I had, I can’t even guess what would have happened. It was a vial of black mist.”

“Can I see it?” Alburet asked.

“Sure,” Ironhand handed it to him.

Looking at the mist, Alburet could see little motes that moved randomly inside it. Squinting, he was almost certain that the motes were alive. “I think this is the same type of thing that Carradine used on us under Peace.”

“Make sure that gets put away,” Gerald said. “We don’t want to deal with that right now.”

“What did it do?” Violet asked.

“Waking nightmares that feed on your deepest fears,” Marysue said. “At least, that’s what it did last time.”

“Let’s not do that,” Violet said quickly.

“Use Tiny to set them off, instead? Like back at the Keep.” Ironhand asked.

“If that is what the master requires,” Tiny rumbled, waiting in case he was needed again.

“Not you, but TJ and TW maybe,” Alburet said, Copying Tiny. “I think we should back down the stairs, too.”

“Indeed,” Gerald said before turning to Tiny. “Just get to the door, don’t go past it… and thank you.”

“No thanks are needed, Gerald. I am happy to clear the way for you.”

Once they were down the stairs and a few dozen feet away from the base, TJ and TW went up. A long moment stretched out where the only sound was hooves striking the stone as they climbed up. The sound of several traps going off suddenly filled the air, joined a heartbeat later by roars of pain and rage.

Alburet watched as TJ’s and TW’s health went from full to half to gone in the span of two seconds. “Tiny, what happened?”

“I was engulfed,” Tiny said with a shiver. “Back up, back well up. The door opened when the last trap was triggered and a wave of blackness ate me.”

Gerald motioned everyone back as a faint gibbering, slurping sound came from the stairwell. “Okay, be ready. Summoners, go ahead and bring your minions back out. This thing is already active.”

Violet and Alburet summoned their teams back to them as all eyes stayed on the stairs. An amorphous black blob slowly oozed out of the stairwell, eyes and mouths covering the beast’s exterior. The eyes were glazed with madness and the mouths moving, making unsettling noises. A faint feeling of insanity emanated from the creature.

“A shoggy? Really?” Karen said from well off to the side, where she was stealthed. “I’m fairly certain it should be weak to fire.”

“Light it up, Bob,” Alburet said as he took to the air, not wanting to be near the mob.

All the Imps hit the creature. It turned out to be something called Quivering Madness, and their fire appeared to tickle it more than hurt it. Ironhand’s traps went off as it rolled over them, small sections becoming frozen or sticking in place. The creature just engulfed those parts of itself and kept moving, slowly but inexorably toward them.

“Keep away from it as best you can,” Gerald said. “If it ate TJ and TW, then it can easily eat anyone else here.”

Marysue frowned and cast a Halo half on top of the Quivering Madness and half in front of it. It let out an ear-piercing screech that they could hear through their plugs as it pulled away from the Light magic.

“It’s undead,” Marysue said as she began to throw healing spells at it. “Hit it with healing.”

Alburet pulled out one of his healing potions and broke it on the floor next to the creature, splashing it with the liquid. “No effect. It’s Light magic, not healing that does it.”

“Okay, hem it in as best you can. Ranged, do what you can to hurt it. Melee, stay back, but be ready to engage if needed.”

“I love this place. So far, it’s been so nice to me,” Leggylass commented. “I’ve had too many fights where I have to be careful with my aim. A lot of this stuff has been so large, I can’t possibly miss.”

“This thing has to be the size of a pool,” Fluff murmured as she waited for her chance to help.

“In its current shape,” one of the others agreed.

“It’s changing shape,” Gerald warned. “Be ready.”

The blob thinned down, doubling its width by reducing its height, and started moving faster than it had before. A number of mouths still screamed in pain, but more of them were chanting something that was just muffled enough that the groups facing it couldn’t hear it.

“Can’t contain it at that size,” Marysue said as she dropped another area heal between the raid and it. “If all the melee can stack up, we can keep the area covered in healing. Then you can attack it, too.”

“We’ll do it,” Gerald said. “Everyone, on me.”

The melee all grouped up around it just as the Halo from Marysue faded. The mob lunged at them, but just before it could spread pseudopods around them, another area healing spell went off on top of them. The tentacles of the beast looked as though they were melting for the second they were inside the range of the effect. As the tentacles withdrew from the spell, the melee were hitting it, taking more of its life away.

“I don’t know how you are managing to resist its voices, but it doesn’t matter,” Hemod snarled at them. “I will regrow my pet after I’ve dealt with you. Dimitry thinks he can make it better, anyway.”

“Okay, we seem to have a plan. We got this,” Gerald said. “Al, can you guys do anything to it?”

“We’re doing a little, but not a lot,” Alburet replied, dodging to the side as a tentacle shot out, trying to bat him out of the air. “We’ll do what we can, but it looks like it’s going to be you and the healers.”

“Fine, we can do it,” Gerald said. “Get as much damage in as you can. I’m going to lead us into the beast step-by-step. Healers, be ready to cast.”

“I have you,” Marysue said. “Don’t go too far too fast, otherwise it might come around you.”

“I won’t let it,” Gerald said.

“We’ll give you time if it happens,” Tiny rumbled. The Destroyers hadn’t gone forward, knowing they would take damage from the spells of the other two healers.

The fight was strangely anti-climactic for them. With the melee able to get close to the mob and the healers doing damage and shielding them from being swallowed, the Quivering Madness was dispatched with ease.

“Fine, I’ll deal with you myself!” Hemod snarled. “Come upstairs, if you dare.”

After looting the body, Gerald waited for everyone else. Violet pulled out a new set of boots and put them on. “Madness Treads: they give me a huge boost if anyone in my group is under mental influence debuffs.”

“Nice,” Leggylass murmured. “I got a ring from it. Standard, but good stat bumps.”

“Okay, folks, next up is Hemod,” Gerald said. “Dismiss the minions again. Once we engage, resummon and get them into the fight. We have no idea what he’s going to be like, but we can assume from the rest of the fights that he’ll try to use sound to influence us. We’ve been fine with the stop-gap earplugs, but we can’t be certain that they will work against the boss. Be prepared to handle your friends if needed.”

“We’ll be fine,” Ironhand said. “I’ll keep a few traps back to encase people if they turn.”

“Yeah, but what happens if you turn?” Violet asked. “Our Succubi work on songs, so with our ears plugged, it probably won’t be possible to stop you that way.”

“Same could be said for you guys,” Leggylass said. “If you turn, your minions will turn with you.”

“I wonder about that,” Alburet said. “Stacia, Tiny, Bob, all of you and your Copies are to attack only Hemod and his Helpers, no matter what I order during the raid.”

“We hear ya order and will follow it,” Stacia said with a smile. “Ya are nay going to be turned. Fluff will nay be, either.”

“She’s right,” Fluff nodded. “I can also break everyone from mind control once. I’ll look for the best time to do so.”

“Okay,” Gerald said, turning to Alburet. “Keep an eye on Marysue if I turn.”

“I doubt you’d be able to hurt her even then,” Alburet smiled.

“Okay, everyone else has been fighting outside, and we need to get this done,” Gerald said as he started for the stairs.

Chapter Forty-five

The second floor contained the offices, filing, and storage rooms. Everything had a thin film of residue covering it. No one really wanted to touch it, knowing that it had come from the Quivering Madness they had killed.

Even though they knew they had to hurry, they searched the floor for more enemies to make sure they wouldn’t be caught from behind. When they found the stairs leading to the third floor, Ironhand had to take the lead again because he spotted more traps.

Everyone started to feel the pressure of time ticking by as Ironhand worked on clearing their way. “If we need, I can send Theo to trip the traps,” Violet offered.

“I can handle these, but they’re taking time,” Ironhand said. “A few of them have been more of those black vials. I’ve been putting those in my bag in case we need them later.”

Gerald’s lips pursed, “Save them. We’ll need them for the next big raid. I have a feeling that one will be the Trolls against the Elves or the Lunari against the Lunine.”

“Ya think tha’ they be comin’ to war again?” Stacia asked.

“Almost certainly,” Gerald told her. “Most of the worlds we end up going to have similar events happen.”

“The hostilities have been risin’,” Stacia mused. “Ya think it will be as bad as this?”

“Different, but not as bad,” Alburet said, taking her hand. “Stormguard will probably be left mostly alone because they’ll be recovering from this. Your sisters will be fine.”

Nodding, Stacia hugged him as they waited for Ironhand to finish. After a few minutes, they heard the sound of glass breaking and Ironhand’s cursing. He came stumbling down the stairs toward them.

All three healers hit him with spells as he came into sight, his body dissolving from the acid that had hit him. Panting when the acid stopped eating him and the healing continued, Ironhand shook his head. “I think I just found my limit.”

“How far from the top?” Gerald asked.

“A dozen steps... I saw at least four more traps,” Ironhand said.

“Violet?” Gerald asked, motioning to the stairs.

Theo, Violet’s Destroyer, bowed his head to her before starting up the stairs. A flash of flame lit the stairwell, but Theo was fine. The next trap was ice spears which, while they took huge chunks of his life, Theo survived. Not waiting, he pushed into the next trap. The crackle of lightning and the smell of ozone was all that was left when the light faded.

“Al?” Gerald said.

Summoning Tiny, Alburet Copied him. “TW, go on up. There’s at least one more trap.”

Nodding, the Copy went up the stairs. The group waited, but nothing seemed to happen. Looking up the stairwell, Gerald saw what appeared to be a TW statue just in front of the door. “Can you dismiss him, Al?”

Dismissing TJ caused TW to vanish as well. “Seems like it. I don’t think he made it to the door, and if we open it, the fight probably starts.”

“We’ll just push into it, then,” Gerald said. “Dismiss the minions again, and be ready to summon them once we engage. Everyone, behind me.”

“Maybe I should go first,” Darkknight suggested. “You’re a bit more important than me.”

“Or me?” Jaxton offered. “He has a point, Gerald. Morale will take a hit if you bite it in here.”

“Fine. Darkknight, you take the lead. Jaxton, follow him, and I’ll be third in,” Gerald said. “Healers, follow us. Damage dealers, come in last. Al, take the back. You have enough health to buy time if something happens.”

“Rear guard, I got it,” Alburet said.

With the order determined, they went up the stairs, knowing that Hemod would be waiting for them— the first real boss fight of the raid.

Darkknight paused by the door before he slammed his shield into it. The door shattered, and the group rushed into the dimly lit room. Across from them was another door; the rest of the dark room was empty.

“Okay, next door,” Gerald said, coughing as a tickle started in his throat.

“Gerald, we have a debuff,” Marysue said. “We have a little over ten minutes to kill the Prophet.”

“Yes, or you will become Puppets of Stein,” Hemod’s voice filled the room.

“Soft enrage timer,” Gerald hissed. “Quick, through the next door! We have a deadline.”

“Not a deadline. I’ll keep you as toys to use against your friends,” Hemod laughed as they rushed across the room.

Darkknight hit the next door at a run and slammed it open, sending him and Jaxton stumbling into the next room. The room was massive, easily taking up most of the third floor. The ceiling went up almost twenty feet overhead, so the dim lights barely illuminated the room.

Hemod stood at the far end of the room, a dozen figures next to him. “This will show you what you get to look forward to. It doesn’t matter if you’ve found a way to stop my words from influencing you.”

The group rushed in and a metal slab slammed across the doorway the instant Alburet cleared it. He and Violet summoned their minions as the dark forms near Hemod started to come forward, crossing patches of light as they did, allowing them to see the Puppets of Stein. The foremost of them was Lord Carradine— or at least what was left of him, followed by some former Stormguard Guards that had previously sided with Stein.

“Darkknight, Jaxton, Tiny, Theo, tank the adds. Everyone else on Hemod!” Gerald said as they crossed the room.

“That won’t do at all. I’d be denied my fun if we followed that plan,” Hemod laughed as a bubble of oily blackness covered him. Threads of energy stretched from the Puppets to the barrier.

“Change plan: cut down the Puppets first.” Gerald Charged and hit two guards, coming to rest next to the mostly dead Lord Carradine. “I’ve got these three.”

“Yes... play with my friends!” Hemod’s insane laughter echoed in the room.

Alburet and the Imps flew above the scrum, throwing Fire Blasts and Bursts down, but their fire was doing minimal damage. Alburet growled as he watched the groups clash, pulling his axe from his back. “Fire is no good,” Alburet said, looking for a target he could land on. Diving down, Alburet let his boots crush one of the Puppets on Jaxton.

“Al, what are you doing?” Gerald asked.

“Too many bodies on yours,” Alburet replied as he stepped off the crumpled Puppet and slammed his axe down on it. “I’ll start in down here.”

“My spells don’t affect them,” Marysue said, “which means they aren’t dead.”

“Carradine probably wishes he was,” Karen said, having gotten a good look at the mutilated noble.

“Failure is always punished,” Hemod said. “He failed to hurt the army, and even lost my latest toy. I’ll reclaim her after I deal with you, though. Her soft screams will again echo in these halls.”

“Not if we can help it,” Marysue replied.

“Champion of Peace, lost little sheep,” Hemod snickered. “Lost in both worlds, for no one wants you and no one needs you.”

Marysue wobbled, her eyes fluttering, “No… I have Gerald.”

“Gerald doesn’t love you,” Hemod continued, his voice soothing now, reasonable. “He is only using you, like all the others.”

Stacia sang softly, her hand touching Marysue’s arm. As the song began, Marysue shook her head as if to clear a stray thought from her mind. “No, Stacia is right; Gerald loves me. He would die for me.”

“Damned Succubus bitch. I’ll have fun twisting you. Maybe I’ll give you to Ophelia.”

“Ya will nay have the chance,” Stacia said. “Ya will be dead before we find her.”

The Puppet that had been Lord Carradine finally dropped dead. When he fell, he managed to make eye contact with Gerald, and the gratitude in his eyes made Gerald shiver. “One down,” Gerald said.

“This is taking too long,” Karen growled as she stepped back and coated her blades in a new poison. “We need to bring them together so we can damage them as a group.”

“Pull them in,” Gerald said, agreeing with her.

“It doesn’t matter. Your time will be up before you can do more than posture,” Hemod growled.

Once the mobs had been grouped as much as they could be, everyone who could inflict area damage did so. The Puppets didn’t have any special abilities, only mindlessly attacking what was in front of them. As each Puppet died, they thanked whoever landed the killing blow, giving everyone shivers as they all imagined being one of the Puppets.

When they had finally dropped the last Puppet, the barrier covering Hemod fell. “Took you long enough,” Hemod laughed. “Now, let’s have some real fun.” A thick mist started rapidly filling the room.

Everyone with wings took to the air, including Marysue. “That can’t be good,” Alburet said. The mist covered everyone still on the ground, and the sound of fighting resounded from inside it. “Fluff, might be time to use that trick.” he yelled.

“Won’t the mist just affect them again?” Fluff asked, her voice rising from the obscuring mist.

“Fuck,” Alburet hissed as he considered that.

“Maybe we can burn it off?” Bob said, throwing a Fire Burst at where Hemod had been. The mist vanished, but soon began to refill the area. “We need to hit the group once and then burn it back from them.”

“Do it. Marysue, be ready with the heals. I’ll take up the right side, because my spells would hurt everyone regardless,” Alburet said as he flew away from the others.

“Okay, Bob, go ahead,” Marysue said as she started to cast Halo.

The mist over the players vanished, revealing the various members trying to kill each other. The moment the mist vanished, Fluff used her headpiece’s ability to remove mind-control from her allies, breaking the spell.

Halo landed on them, healing the injured and the other healers followed suit. The Imps and Alburet kept using Fire Bursts to disperse the mist, trying to find Hemod and keep their friends safe.

“That just won’t do,” Hemod sighed. “Minions can be such a nuisance. I’ll just have to deal with them first, I guess.”

Fluff leapt into the mist, her claws flashing. A brief scream came from the area she had landed in. “I found him,” she called out.

The next Fire Burst landed where she was and revealed her and Hemod, who was clutching a dagger and rod. “Damned cat! Know your place,” Hemod snapped, a gust of black air rushing out of him.

“I won’t be used,” Fluff snarled as her claws raked another set of furrows into Hemod’s flesh.

“Meddling gods,” Hemod seethed. The rest of the group was able to get to him, following the path that opened up as the Imps burned the mist back.

Hemod had a few spells that hit everyone near him, but the healers were able to mitigate that damage with area heals. When his life dropped to sixty-six percent, Hemod laughed and expelled a deep black breath over the group around him.

“Bob, clear that debuff,” Alburet called out.

Hemod’s Mania was inflicted on them, making them confused and prone to attacking anyone nearby. As the group faltered, Hemod shoved Jaxton into Fluff and stepped back into the mist. Bob was able to burn the debuff off the group one-by-one, but Hemod had vanished back into the mist and time was ticking away.

“We need to find him again,” Gerald said, stopping Ironhand from stabbing him while Bob continued to clear the debuff.

“Peace, we need your aid,” Marysue prayed.

“This is my last boon to give, child,” a peaceful voice answered her. The mist completely vanished from the room.

“Damn you,” Hemod raged as he tossed aside his dagger and rod. “I’ll twist both your handmaidens once these fools die.” Pulling a sword and shield from his bag, Hemod spat a glob of phlegm at Gerald, striking the Defender in the face. “Come now, let’s have some more fun.”

The group raced at Hemod, who stood there waiting with a manic smile on his face. Gerald reached him first with a Charge, but Hemod didn’t become stunned— Gerald did. As the others got there, Hemod was cackling and stabbing Gerald.

They all began attacking Hemod. Marysue’s eyes went large and she used Divine Heal on Gerald’s, as his health suddenly plummeted. “Stop attacking! He’s linked to Gerald,” Marysue said quickly.

“Damn it,” Alburet hissed. “Bob, can you remove that link?”

Bob used Burning Cleanse, but the debuff stayed. “I can’t.”

“Attack, but be mindful,” Gerald said when the stun wore off. “We only have a couple of minutes left.”

“Yes, time is ticking away, much like your life,” Hemod laughed. “Soon, I’ll have all of you as new Puppets.”

Alburet frowned and cast a spell he hadn’t used in a long time. Sap Strength hit Hemod just as he was raising his arm to strike Gerald again, and both the shield and sword fell from his hands. “Now what are you going to do?”

Gerald blinked when the debuff dropped off him. “That cleared the debuff. Get him.”

“Summoners are horrid creatures,” Hemod giggled as they all began to lay into him, using their cooldowns to do as much damage as possible.

His life falling fast, Hemod just let them hurt him, white spittle beginning to form at the corners of his lips. At thirty-three percent life, a wave of coldness washed over the raid and each of them felt their very bodies start to freeze.

Bob shook his head. “I can’t,” he told Alburet, having already tried to remove the effect.

“Damn it,” Alburet muttered as he threw another Fire Blast. He wasn’t freezing and neither were the Infernals, but everyone else was. Think, damn it, think, Alburet chided himself. He advanced on Hemod as the others began to freeze in place.

“Good! Now it’s just us, Demon Lord, and you won’t kill me in time. Maybe I’ll toy with your wives first as soon as you’re all my Puppets,” Hemod cackled madly.

The rage he had been slowly accepting surged inside him, and Alburet agreed with it. Axe in hand, the head of it covered in flames, Alburet pulled back to strike. He felt it hit something behind him and brought it down fast. Hemod let the axe hit him, laughing as the time ticked closer and closer toward zero.

“Al, Fire Burst,” Marysue said.

Reacting without thought, Alburet did as she said, the ring of fire encompassing the whole group. Blinking as he realized that he had just nuked his friends, Alburet was surprised when Hemod screamed in anger and tried to back away.

Gerald slammed his shield into the Prophet, “Oh no, we still have time. No running for you.”

Everyone else was suddenly back in the fight and Alburet was at a loss as to what had occurred, but he set his confusion aside and went to join them in killing Hemod.

Hemod didn’t strike back, instead trying to deflect their attacks and dodge what he could. “No, no, no! You are supposed to lose! Stein promised that I would have new toys today.”

No one spoke as they kept attacking, focused only on the clock ticking down and Hemod’s life falling away. It was a close thing, but he died with seconds left to spare on the debuff. When the body fell to the floor, the debuff vanished.

Slumping to the ground, the group looked at each other, surprised that they had all survived. Karen kicked the body, which looted it, prompting everyone to check their bags for items. Jaxton had a new sword in his bag, Violet got a necklace, and Ironhand a new dagger.

“We need to head out and help the others,” Gerald said once they were healed up. “Let’s go see if we were fast enough.”

Chapter Forty-six

Making their way out of the building, Gerald slowed his steps. “How bad was it?”

“They kept getting back up,” Benedict replied. “They all fell over a minute or two ago. I assume they died the same time Hemod died?”

“He’s dead,” Gerald agreed.

“Some of my people had loot show up in their bags,” Blaze said, joining them. “It looks like loot for the fight was distributed to everyone.”

“Thank goodness,” Violet muttered.

“Yes, it might have been bad otherwise,” Gerald agreed. “Have you sent anyone back to check on the King?”

“We will be rejoining you shortly,” Tyr announced through the main Raidstone. “We had a few who kept trying to attack, but they stopped a few moments ago.”

“Bob, recon,” Alburet said.

“On it,” Bob said, heading for the minor security wing. His Copies and some of the other Summoners’ minions went with him, splitting apart to get a look at what was ahead of them.

“Take a break, everyone,” Benedict said.

Gerald pulled the ear plugs out, putting them into his pouch. “A recommendation if this has to ever be done again. Ear plugs: they really cut the difficulty down inside.”

“Noted. Isn’t there another major boss who sang at you before?” Benedict asked.

“Ophelia,” Alburet said through gritted teeth. “Yeah, keeping them on hand is a good idea.”

“I’m having a few of my lower level guildies bring out a supply of materials to make more ear plugs because of that,” Benedict said.

“That sounds like a good idea to me,” Blaze said. “Can you have them make some for my people, too? Pay you back once this is over.”

“Of course,” Benedict chuckled. “Just call it a favor owed.”

“Thanks, man,” Blaze said.

“How bad was it out here?” Gerald asked them.

“When we dropped the mobs, they stayed down for a few seconds before getting back up. If one of us died, we joined them,” Benedict sighed. “It was getting bad before you managed to finish up.”

“It’ll be remembered by all of us out here,” Blaze said. “Not being in control of your own body is a little scary.”

“Yes,” Fluff said softly.

“We used up Peace’s favor, but we still have the others,” Alburet said.

“She didn’t seem to do much for us,” Benedict commented.

“She cut down the duration of the control from permanent to a minute each time,” Andrea said, landing beside them. “If she aided the group inside further, I’m not aware.”

“She was very helpful,” Marysue said, glaring at Benedict.

“I take back my hasty words,” Benedict said stiffly. “I didn’t mean it as an insult.”

“We are aware,” Parsnew said, landing beside her sister. “We are sorry we couldn’t do more, but we had used our trump card earlier.”

“You helped us through the first fight,” Gerald said. “We’re also glad you’ve been reunited with Andrea.”

“That is very kind of you, Lord Stoutheart,” Andrea smiled. “I’m still ashamed that I was even captured to begin with.”

“Here comes the King,” Blaze said. “Time for another strategy session, I’m betting.”

“No bet,” Gerald said as he turned to watch the King and his entourage coming their way.

Once everyone was assembled in the command tent, the King was debriefed about the fight that had occurred. “Very well, the Prophet is dead. Thank Justice and Peace for that.”

“We have a map of the next wing,” Roberto said, laying out the map that Fluff had drawn from the minions’ reports of their fly over. “There’s a very large building in the middle of the grounds; that will be the minor security building. When I say minor, just remember that these were still some of the worst criminals in the history of the Empire at the time. Just inside the gates is a holding area right before the gate that actually enters into that wing. Between them lies the next graveyard.”

“That will be nice. We won’t have to run back as far,” Sidewinder said.

“Ye will be lettin’ us go forward now, aye?” Werrick asked as he played with Hearth’s coin. “I do nay wish to be left out of findin’ the harlot.”

Alburet snorted at Werrick’s name for Ophelia, “Nice.”

Werrick gave Alburet a small nod, “Me thanks.”

“We will be sending all volunteers forward at this point,” Roberto said. “They’ll be under Benedict’s command.”

“I suggest Blaze take command of them,” Benedict said. “My Guild is a bit restrictive for most others’ tastes.”

“I’ll take them,” Blaze smirked. “I’ll have no problem adding them into my groups.”

“I’ll take any who are known to us,” Gerald said. “I know there’ll be at least a handful.”

“That’s fine with me,” Blaze nodded.

“The least advanced Two-souled will be left to hold the first graveyard,” Roberto went on, “just in case more reinforcements do show up. We’ll be leaving a small detachment from each nation’s guard at this graveyard when we push on.”

“Makes sense,” Gerald nodded. “If Stein is recalling the undead, the rear guard will be hard pressed.”

“We are aware,” Roberto nodded. “We will have warning if that does happen.”

“Are your Guilds ready to venture on?” Tyr asked.

“Majesty,” Ioaniss said, stepping forward. “I need to go with them so I can properly document this.”

“We all be wantin’ to go,” Hammerhand said, “but we can nay, unless it be to face Stein himself.”

“Ioaniss, if you fall, it will hurt me,” Tyr said. “Are you sure this is what needs to happen?”

“Yes, I can’t not go. This moment is vital,” Ioaniss said.

“Very well, dear friend, but do try to be safe,” Tyr sighed.

“Heart’s Light is ready to move forward,” Benedict said.

“Alpha Company is ready, as well,” Gerald said.

“Delvers is also ready,” Blaze added.

“There has been no movement seen by the scouts, but that building is quite large, so please take the time to make sure it’s clear,” Roberto nodded.

“We will,” Benedict said. “Sidewinder, take your set in and head for the gate around the back.”

“Sure, fine,” Sidewinder sighed. “We keep getting the shaft, anyway.”

“Blaze, can you hold the door for us?” Benedict asked.

“You mean stand outside the building?” Blaze asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes.”

“We’ll be in if you need us,” Blaze said.

“Gerald, I want your forces to check the grounds,” Benedict went on. “There’s a lot of ground and I would hate to have more things like those Golems pop up and not be ready to deal with them.”

“That would be bad,” Gerald agreed. “I’m going to ask for some air support if that’s okay, Ladies?” he went on, addressing the Angel and Infernal commanders.

“We will be glad to assist,” Andrea said, with Parsnew nodding in agreement.

“I shall send equal numbers, of course,” Yuna smiled.

“I will be joinin’ the Delvers,” Werrick said, “since me friend has been with ya,” he nodded to Gaston.

“We’ll welcome you happily,” Blaze said.

“We’ll send the volunteers to you, then follow you into this area as you move on,” Roberto said. “Dismissed.”

Waiting with the rest of Alpha Company, Alburet smiled but felt a wave of worry as he saw Stewart, Grimgar, and Almira heading toward them. “Good to see you,” he said, his face giving away the lie.

“It be our choice, lad,” Grimgar said, clapping Alburet on the back. “Ye can either support us or we will be havin’ to join another group.”

“He’s just worried,” Fluff said, giving Almira a hug.

“We all are,” Stewart said. “We still won’t back down.”

“We would nay ask ya to,” Stacia hastened to add. “Ya will be with Alpha Company.”

“Ferrin,” Alburet called out, seeing the Angelic Summoner standing off to the side.

“Can I help?” Ferrin asked, coming over.

“Our friends here can use your help,” Alburet said. “Stewart, this is—”

“Ferrin Giovin,” Stewart said stiffly. “I know him. His mother used to be a regular at the inn when I was younger.”

“She always hoped to see the divide erased,” Ferrin replied with a furrowed brow.

“Ye have to forgive him,” Grimgar said. “Stew had a bit of a hero crush on her before she went to the church.”

Everyone looked to Stewart, who looked away, “Fine. I’m sorry I was snippy.”

“She spoke of you,” Ferrin spoke softly. “The little boy who always seemed so happy until one day, you stopped being happy. She found out about your day out of the inn, and it saddened her that your smile went away after that.”

Jaw dropping, Stewart blinked, “She... what?”

“Why don’t you all get acquainted?” Gerald said. “You’ll be in the rear groups to start with.”

“I’ll lead them,” Almira said. “We will be there when called.”

“Al?”

Kim was walking toward them with a pensive look on her face.

“Kim? What are you doing here? You’re pregnant.”

“I came to give you a gift from us that might help you,” Kim said.

Alburet took the offered item from her, looking at the two bracelets in his hand. “The Heartstone?”

“Yes,” Kim said softly. “I’m sure you can find a way to use them that will help you succeed. We do still ask that you help the King, too.”

“Kim,” Karen snapped, “our family rides on that quest.”

Kim nodded with soft eyes, “I know, Karen. I don’t ask lightly. We’ve been friends for a while now. You should know how I feel about family.”

Grimacing, Karen looked away, “Yea...”

“It’s his choice, but we have to ask. This is still our world and we need Justiceson.”

Stacia took Alburet’s arm and put the bracelet on him, then the other on herself. “Ya can give the ring to the King, Asthore.” Karen looked at her with betrayal, but Stacia continued, “I will go to Mother and ask her to keep me healed.”

Fluff gasped, “If you get continuous healing, then he will, too.”

“Aye. His life will be greater than with a single chance to avoid death once,” Stacia nodded. “It also lets him do as our friend suggested and save the King.”

Alburet looked deep into Stacia’s eyes and could see her hope and fear. “You sure? I won’t have you here with me.”

“I be knowin’ tha’. This be better.”

“I agree,” Fluff said. “The ring was a stopgap, and a bad one, at that.”

Karen seemed torn, “The ring and the bracelet, though…”

“Karen,” Kim said softly, touching her shoulder. “I know your happiness is at stake, but so is our world.”

Bowing her head, Karen sighed, “Dad would agree.” Letting out a deep breath, she nodded. “Fine.” Going to Stacia, she hugged the Succubus tightly, “Please, please… make sure this works. I don’t want to lose you both.”

“Aye. I need to be goin’ to make sure I be ready to help.”

“Thank you,” Kim said, giving them each a hug. “Please come visit once this is over.”

“We’ll see what we can do,” Alburet said. When he released Kim, he grabbed Stacia and hugged her tightly. “Be safe.”

Yuna landed next to them. “Lord Darkhand, Mother is waiting at your manor. I was told to deliver the message.”

“It seems they’re waiting for us,” Alburet murmured as he released Stacia so Fluff and Karen could hug her. “I need to deliver a ring. I’ll be right back.”

Heading over to where Tyr and Roberto stood, Alburet waited for them to finish speaking. “Majesty, I have a gift from Alpha Company for you.”

Roberto tensed for a moment, then shook his head, “I feared for a moment that this was like the gifts the others received, but I know that wouldn’t happen from you.”

“No, but it is a ring the King should be wearing for this raid,” Alburet handed Roberto the ring.

Roberto looked and whistled before handing it to Tyr. “You have my thanks, Alburet.”

“It is from Alpha Company,” Alburet said.

“Of course it is,” Tyr nodded as he exchanged it for another ring. “You received this as your reward from Keeper. I know everything that was given out, Lord Darkhand. I’m surprised you’re giving it to me, considering what I know of your own quest.”

“A friend of mine told me that I should do what I’ve done in the past. I once saved the world by saving a king, and I think I should do it again.”

Tyr stared at Alburet for a long moment, then laughed softly. “I shall accept the gift, and reward you in kind.”

Your reputation with all Stormguard factions is now maxed and can never fall from this standing. You are now deemed a personal friend to the Crown of Stormguard.

Alburet looked shocked and bowed. “I’m honored, Sire.”

“As am I to know that some of the Two-souled think that saving me is worth their own happiness,” Tyr said. “Best of luck with your quest, Alburet.”

Alburet bowed his head again before heading back to the group. Stacia was gone and Karen a roiling mess of emotions. Putting his arms around Karen, he held her tightly. “Calm down, Karen, this will work. Stacia believes in it, Fluff believes in it, and so do I.”

“I know, but… it’s a big leap of faith.”

“Yeah, it is,” Alburet admitted. “We’ll make it work. Mother was even ready for it, which means that we have a god on our side.”

“True, and he is a pretty good guy,” Karen sniffled, stepping back. “Fine, let’s do this. I’m going to get you to myself tonight, though. The others already agreed.”

Alburet felt his lips pull up into a smile. “Two out of three falls?”

“Damned right.”

Chapter Forty-seven

Following the other Guilds into the minor security wing, Alburet felt tension building in the air as they all waited for the shoe to drop. As the last of the Two-souled marched into the wing, the gates slammed shut behind them, cutting them off from the natives and the graveyard. The people that had been selected to hold the graveyard tried to break through the second gate, but realized they had another, more pressing concern when a creature rose up from that same graveyard behind them.

Gerald spun when the gates slammed shut, in the middle of giving an order. The ground throughout the wing erupted upward, showering anyone nearby in dirt, stone, and— in some cases— blood.

Gerald changed direction instantly, ordering Alpha Company into units to combat the creatures closest to them, with Blaze and Benedict following his lead and doing the same.

“Ironhand, hold the one to the right. Violet, take the groups closest to you and hold the left. Fredton, Hilda, Manuel, your groups are with me on this… Dragon?” Gerald ordered and Charged forward, slamming his shield off the skeletal maw of the beast that was just finishing pulling itself from the ground.

“Experiment 68?” Alburet asked, flapping hard to gain altitude as Imps, Succubi, Cherubim, and Seraphim came over the walls.

“I’ll owe you one?” Fluff asked.

Blinking in surprise at the comment as combat was starting, Alburet was the last one to start damaging the mob they had taken. “Fluff, your lessons with Karen are showing.”

“Keep the chatter down,” Gerald said, cutting off the conversation. “We need to find out what tricks this beast has and be ready to help the others if they need it.”

“Sorry,” Alburet replied. “Um, Gerald... there are dozens of Experiments in this courtyard.” Flying higher, he got a quick count. “Over fifty of them, in fact.”

“I don’t think any of us saw this coming,” Marysue said. “The one to our right looks like a mutated undead Troll, and the one to the left looks like an undead Lunine-Vermin crossbreed.”

“They look kind of fresh,” Brightlight mentioned. “I don’t think these are like that Sandworm from before.”

“Definitely not in the health category,” Jaxton added. “These almost look tailored for groups of five-ish people to handle each one.”

“Can’t get behind it or beside it easily,” Karen shouted. “The tail and wings are making life hell. And, as undead, they’re basically immune to poisons. I would kill for some Light damage poisons right now.”

“Or a Light damage trap,” Ironhand added.

“It’s rearing back! Everyone, take cover,” Gerald ordered as he tried to stun the beast again, but the Dragon ignored it.

Roiling miasma covered everyone near Gerald, causing them to choke and vomit. The vomit turned out to be clouds of small insects that swarmed around those who had spat them out, biting and stinging.

“Marysue, area heal,” Alburet ordered, diving into the middle of the group and Fire Bursting as the miasma vanished. Fire flashed out from around him, killing the bugs but also hurting his allies.

“We got it,” Marysue said, stacking a few heals on the area and bringing the players back up.

“Thank you,” Gerald said as Manuel took the Experiment from him. “I’m very glad you can still hurt allies with that spell. They had just started to get into my armor.”

“No problem. Let’s find out what the cooldown on that Ability is,” Alburet said.

“Our fire doesn’t do a lot,” Bob said, coming over to float beside Alburet. “The Cherubim are doing more at the moment, but even then, it’s a little thin up here.”

“Cal,” Alburet called out to the Demon Lord leading the Infernal air support.

“What do you need, Lord?”

“It’ll cost some lives, but fire isn’t working well. Get volunteers to go after the ones with eyes. If we can cause them any distress at all, it’ll help swing the battles more in our favor.”

Cal grimaced, but nodded, “I’ll see what I can do.”

Alburet looked over the entire yard, “All of them are being hurt at roughly the same speed. Why does that make me very leery?” Shaking his head, Alburet called down to Gerald, “Gerald, get the different groups to vary their damage up. We want them to hit the milestone health points at different times.”

“You see something?” Gerald asked.

“No, but my gut says we don’t want them all transitioning at once.”

“Okay.” Gerald passed the word along to the rest of Alpha Company, telling each small cluster to slow down at intervals to space them out. Once he had, he used the Command Raidstone to inform the other leaders of what they were doing.

Blaze quickly accepted the idea. Benedict took a moment to agree, but did as well. The smaller Guilds near the far gate ignored the suggestion, going all out instead.

“Parsnew,” Alburet called the handmaiden over. “Stack your help more to that side,” he told her, indicating the far gate. “When all of those Experiments hit seventy-five or sixty-six percent, it’s going to get nasty as fuck.”

“I shall shift the Cherubim and Seraphim,” Parsnew nodded. “Can you feel the air?” she asked hesitantly.

Alburet nodded slowly, the itch he was feeling at the back of his mind solidifying. “They have a buff that isn’t showing. See if anyone can find the source.”

“I’ll have some of the Seraphim look for anything out of the ordinary,” Parsnew said.

“Getting close,” Ironhand said over the Raidstone. “Let’s see what they do?”

The Troll let out an enraged scream, slamming its massive hands into the ground when it hit seventy-five percent health. Everyone fighting it and a few in Gerald’s group were too close and got stunned. Experiment 70 shuddered as its flesh fell off it, releasing the giant beetles inside of it to attack Jaxton and the other tanks on it, stacking debuffs with each bite.

“That’s not good,” Alburet said. “Bob, if the healers can’t get those debuffs off, try cleansing them.”

“Got it,” Bob said as BJ and BB shifted closer to the other fight.

“Ours is about to go,” Violet said.

When Experiment 68 hit the seventy-five percent mark, nothing happened, making the groups nearby pause some, surprised over the lack of transition. Alburet stifled his curse, “Gerald, they’re either twenty-five or thirty-three percent transitions. Just have each group slow when approaching those points to make sure we don’t overlap them.”

“Ours is up next,” Gerald said as the Dragon’s life dropped. “Everyone, get ready.”

When Experiment 68’s life hit sixty-six percent, it flapped its skeletal wings and began to lift off from the ground, knocking everyone close to it back.

“Every minion nearby, dogpile this thing! Drive it back to the ground,” Alburet said as he rushed the beast.

Unfortunately for Alburet, he was the first one close to it. Experiment 68 snapped at him, catching Alburet before he could pull back. He grunted in pain, losing sixteen percent of his life in a single bite. Imps, Succubi, Cherubim, and Seraphim nearby were there a moment later, all hitting the Dragon and forcing it back to the ground.

Alburet’s lost health was restored before Marysue or the healers that could reach him had finished a single spell. “Thank you, beloved,” Alburet murmured, following the others down to the ground.

The fights involving Alpha Company groups started to go more smoothly once everyone understood the transition phases and could prepare properly for them. Delvers and Heart’s Light also adapted and were soon coming out on top of their fights. The smaller Guilds still didn’t listen to the warning, and— not used to working with others— all transitioned their mobs without thought for their nearby allies. The groups on the far side of the courtyard were getting decimated as multiple Experiments transitioned at the same time.

The Angels and Infernals did their best to help, but one-by-one, the Experiments fighting on the far side killed the Two-souled facing them. With the groups on them dead, they turned to help the other Experiments, speeding up the disaster in the making.

Heart’s Light had their groups closest to the extra Experiments. Benedict split up groups and sent the extra players after the free Experiments.

That was the turning point for the minor security wing, as the bosses started dying. When each one died, the group that had been fighting it went to the next closest mob, snowballing the damage like the Experiments had almost done to them.

When the last Experiment fell dead, the Two-souled cheered. Those closest to the fallen mobs looted them while the healers resurrected as many of their own fallen as they could before their timers ran out. The gates swung open a minute later, allowing the respawning players back into the wing.

“Blaze, you want to go search the building?” Benedict asked as the players started to trickle back in.

“Let the others do it,” Blaze said with a frown. “Goodness knows they should be able to do that, at least. They almost caused a full wipe.”

“Indeed,” Benedict nodded. “I’ll be asking the King to keep them back at the graveyard now.”

“That won’t go over well,” Gerald comment. “A lot of them are going to think we’re trying to exclude them.”

“We are, but for a good reason,” Benedict shrugged.

“The King is coming,” Bob warned them from above.

“Another meeting,” Gerald said.

“Maybe the others will have to log out soon?” Blaze asked hopefully.

“A number of them likely will,” Benedict chuckled. “The rest will have scheduled several days off. We need to call a break, anyway; our food timers are getting close to forcing us to eat.”

“Al,” Fluff asked softly. “Your health earlier... was that Stacia?”

“I’m betting it was,” Alburet nodded. “She took half my damage, so instead of thirty-three percent off my life, I only lost sixteen percent. Less than a second later, I was healed.”

“Okay, maybe trading the bracelet for the ring wasn’t a horrible idea,” Karen said. “I still don’t like that you gave up the ring, though.”

“It’ll work,” Alburet said softly and pulled the two women into a hug. “Have a little faith in us.”

“I will,” Fluff murmured, resting her head against him.

“I’m trying,” Karen sighed. “I really am.”

“Alburet, the tent is going up,” Gerald called over to him.

“We’ll be right back,” Alburet told Karen, giving her a quick kiss.

“And this time, I wait by myself,” Karen said.

“No, we’ll keep you company,” Bob said, landing beside her. “Right, Tiny?”

“Of course,” Tiny rumbled.

“Thanks guys,” Karen said, patting Tiny on the back and squeezing Bob’s shoulder.

~*~*~

Tyr nodded as he stared down at that table as the debriefing came to an end. “I see. Sidewinder, what do you have to say for your collection of Two-souled?”

“They’re painting it to suit them,” Sidewinder replied peevishly. “We were doing what we could, but we didn’t get the help they did from the Angels and Infernals.”

“You are wrong,” Andrea said. “Your groups got the majority of help. You didn’t heed the warning to be mindful of the transitions, just as Lord Lightfist said.”

“I concur with Andrea,” Yuna added. “From what Cal told me, over half of our forces were deployed to the rear of the compound.”

“I see,” Tyr nodded.

“Oh, I see. You all are favored, right? Guess I should have figured. Fucking elitist assholes, just because the rest of us have real jobs and can’t be on all the fucking time.”

“That isn’t it at all,” Gerald said with a shrug. “If you look at the few groups that held out the longest back there, it’s because they listened to the warning, and instead of pushing their mob down as fast as they could, they paced themselves and even tried to help those near them.”

“Oh, shut it. We all know that your Guild was handed most of your ‘accomplishments.’ You’re probably some spoiled rich kid who’s never had to do any real work before.”

“You are wrong,” Marysue snapped icily. “He has worked more hours every week than you put in during two. But you’d rather lash out and deflect from your own failings than accept that you can do better.”

“Fuck you, barbie doll,” Sidewinder hissed.

“Commander, escort this person out,” Tyr said. “Find someone else who will accept the role of representing the smaller Two-souled Guilds for the raid.”

“Captain, you heard the King,” Roberto told Mantoya.

“You know what? Fuck you,” Sidewinder snarled before he vanished.

“I guess just find another to lead instead,” Roberto said with a shrug.

“Sire,” Ioaniss said. “With just two wings left, it’s likely we will be finding Dragon Eater and Stein soon.”

“I am aware,” Tyr nodded.

“I will ask you again to stay back until Stein has been killed.”

Tyr shook his head, “I do not think that will be possible, old friend. Besides, I have faith that I will survive,” Tyr smiled while toying with a ring on his hand.

“Lightfist, do you have a plan of attack for the next wing?”

“We don’t,” Benedict winced. “All our scouts have been able to see is a large globe of darkness where the moderate security building should be.”

“My brother is inside there,” Vladimir said softly. “I can feel him and my sister.”

Looking at Vladimir, Tyr sighed, “Dracon, are you still insistent on facing him?”

“I am,” Vladimir said.

“Very well,” Tyr sighed. “Lord Stoutheart?”

“Dracon has been very helpful to us, Sire. He helped save a few of our people in the last fight. We are ready to assist him in taking down his brother.”

“Guess that will leave us securing the area and helping out where we can,” Blaze mused.

“We don’t know what other tricks they might have up their sleeves,” Benedict said. “Blaze, you can be their backup.”

“Ophelia likes to play with people’s minds, and Dimitry seems to be a hodgepodge of classes,” Gerald stated. “I would be ready to have to subdue or fight your friends, as well as a wide variety of other tricks.”

“He’ll likely have Renful there, as well,” Alburet added.

“I was lookin’ to be bringin’ Hearth’s favor into play, but me heart been tellin’ me nay to do so. I been hearin’ a rumor tha’ ye Two-souled be thinkin’ tha’ war be comin’ for our lands soon. Is tha’ right?”

“It’s probable,” Gerald replied.

“Aye, then me and Gaston will be holdin’ our favors back for when another Dragon tyrant awakens.”

“One of my guildies talked to a Priest for Hunter and was told that her favor would be needed later,” Blaze added with a cough. “I was going to mention it later, but now seems good.”

“Same,” Wildmane growled. “Leo, while very upset about what has happened to our leader, cautioned me to hold back on his favor. Moreover, some of our scouts have seen some anomalies from the Lunines over the last week.”

“You’re likely the target for the next major trouble, then,” Blaze said.

“We will be there to assist when the time comes,” Benedict said quickly. “Heart’s Light will always be there to assist.”

“We will, too,” Blaze added.

“Alpha Company will be there, as well,” Gerald added.

“We thank you,” Wildmane replied. “First, we must strike down those who dared attack our leader.”

“Sire, I have brought the next leader for the Two-souled,” Mantoya said.

“Sire, I am Eldenar, leader of Exterminus. A good half of those who were following Sidewinder are gone. I’m not sure we can do much with what’s left.”

“We need you to hold this graveyard and be ready to repel any unexpected attacks,” Tyr said simply. “I shall be compensating the remaining Two-souled even more than I have previously offered.”

“Sounds good,” Eldenar grinned.

“We’ll be using the Dark Lord’s favor for this fight, if it’s Dimitry,” Alburet said, bringing the topic back to the next fight.

“And Justice’s will be used for Stein,” Benedict said.

“Very well; let’s take over the next wing and see what lies beyond,” Tyr said. “First, take an hour to get some rest. I’ve had my men resting in shifts and eating as necessary. I would think you should do the same.”

“An hour’s break, then Alpha Company will head for the black globe,” Benedict said. “Blaze will be stationed right outside, waiting for your signal, and I’ll make sure the next gate is secured for us.”

~*~*~

Alburet, Fluff, and Karen met up with their friends for a small meal, and said their goodbyes to Stewart, Almira, and Grimgar as they went back to get into position. “They made it through the last fight okay,” Alburet murmured, watching the three walk away.

“It didn’t feel the same without Stacia here,” Fluff said softly.

“It didn’t,” Karen agreed sadly. “Already used to the four of us being together.”

“Which is why we’re doing this,” Alburet said, pulling them both in for a hug. “For our family.”

“Still wish you had kept the ring,” Karen muttered, “but Stacia had a point. Stormguard will need its King after we kill Stein.”

“She got him healed right up in the last wing,” Fluff pointed out. “That might make a bigger difference than a single rez.”

“Fair enough, Fluff,” Karen agreed. “I’m dealing with it, and I can see the point now that I’ve had a chance to calm down.”

“Al, you guys ready?” Gerald asked, coming over with Marysue beside him.

“Ready. How are the others doing?”

“Morale is still really high,” Gerald’s smile faded and he paused. “Even with our losses.”

“Stoutheart, Darkhand,” Vladimir said, approaching them. “I’m ready to strike my brother down.”

Alburet’s eyebrows went up as he looked at the decidedly deadly looking Vampire. Hardened leathers in black and red fitted his toned physique closely, looking almost painted on. A dozen daggers were strapped to his body at different spots, and on one hand, a ruby glittered with an internal light.

“You seem prepared,” Gerald said slowly.

“I am,” Vladimir responded. “I have done all I can to make sure that this time, my brother doesn’t escape me.”

“Dimitry won’t get away this time,” Gerald replied, “and please, call me Gerald.”

“And Al,” Alburet added. “Friends should be more informal.”

“Friends?” Vladimir paused. “I see. It has been a long time since anyone has offered me friendship. You may call me Vlad.” Bowing his head, Vladimir spun to walk off to where Violet’s group was gathered, but first stopped and handed Alburet a small crystal statue shaped like Gygax. “Mother wished you to have this.”

“Thank you?” Alburet said, putting the strange figurine into his belt pouch.

“I’ll be coming with you, as well,” Ioaniss said.

“Jones,” Gerald nodded, “I figured you would. I’m going to put you with Almira, Grimgar, and Stewart. They’re the last to engage. I would like you to stay as safe as possible. I do not want to have to tell the King that you died on my watch.”

“I have brought my little friend,” Ioaniss said, touching the small crossbow on his hip. “I’ll do what I can from range. I’ve filled my bags with ammunition.”

“Five minutes,” Roberto called out. “Alpha Company moves out in five. Everyone, be ready to support them.”

Yuna landed beside Alburet, “Lord Darkhand, a moment, if you please?”

“I’ll catch up,” Alburet told Gerald, walking a few feet away with Yuna.

Once they were separated from the others, Yuna pulled out a red crystal. “Mother wished me to give this to you. I’m only allowed to tell you that if things seem to be going badly, then you can use it. If you do… the balance might swing in your favor, but the cost will be high.”

“Okay,” Alburet said, slowly taking the crystal and putting it into his belt pouch.

“Best of luck. I wish I could go with you and help,” Yuna said, her eyes going to Stewart. “Do please keep an eye on my lineage.”

“I’ll do what I can,” Alburet said.

Bowing her head, Yuna took to the air. Alburet went over to Gerald, who was speaking to Andrea and Parsnew.

“Very well, I’ll allow it, but you are both to stay well back,” Gerald was saying.

“We are only there to assist,” Andrea smiled, “to help level the playing field against Ophelia’s voice.” Her right hand trembled slightly as she said the last two words.

“Are you going to be okay facing her?” Fluff asked, the concern in her voice clear.

“I will be there for you, sister,” Parsnew said, taking Andrea’s hand. “The first challenge has been faced down. Now, it is time to face the architect of your pain.”

Andrea’s eyes closed as a single tear rolled down her cheek. “Yes. I need to face him and her.”

“Are you sure?” Gerald asked. “We can go without you if it hurts you.”

“I need to go,” Andrea replied, wiping the tears away. “Neither my sister nor I will be enough alone to interfere with Ophelia’s voice.”

“We’ll keep you both as far back as we can,” Marysue said. “Parsnew, are you sure you can handle Andrea if things go badly?”

“We’ll be fine,” Parsnew replied. “Peace has given us renewed strength.”

“Gerald,” Wilbur said, running over to the group, “you need to go now. Commander Roberto just received word that a massive army of undead is heading toward the prison. Most of the guards are being sent back to assist the Two-souled at the first gate. A small detachment will be left here with the King and Commander Roberto.”

“Alpha Company, move out!” Gerald commanded as he headed for the front of the Guild. “We’re on a deadline now.”

Chapter Forty-eight

Alburet exchanged nods with a handful of guildies while he followed Gerald to the front of the group. Gerald waved to Blaze and Benedict as he marched past the gate and toward the black sphere that took up most of the wing.

Crossing the little bit of courtyard that wasn’t covered, Alburet felt eagerness and fear from the people following them. As each person stepped through the bubble, the light dimmed, leaving them in an artificial twilight. The air was chilled enough to show their breath. They crossed the courtyard toward a small ziggurat, which stood where a building should be.

“He changed the whole yard,” Alburet murmured as he looked at the ground around the ziggurat. “You can see where a different building stood before.”

“Can you hear that?” Fluff asked softly. “A faint chanting?”

The others shook their heads as they drew closer to the four-story structure. “They used the classic style,” Gerald said. “Three stairways leading up, and that will be it. They were designed to keep everyone but the Priests off with just a few guards. Bob, can you get a look up top?”

“Sure,” Bob said, and BB flew up. Over a hundred beams of oily blackness hit BB as soon as his head poked above the height of the top level. “Fuckers,” Bob hissed. “All I could see was a smaller structure on top, but it’s covered in things that all looked at me.”

“Summoners and Necromancers, be aware the guards have the capability to dismiss your minions,” Gerald sent over the Raidstone. “If you’re running Copies, keep your originals at the bottom of the ziggurat.”

“Fools! My husband is almost finished with his task,” Ophelia’s voice carried in the still air. “My brother and I will stop you from going any further.”

“Sister!” Vladimir’s voice echoed. “Today, we shall have a final tally of where the family’s loyalties lay!”

“Oh, poor Mir, always in the shadow of your siblings. You should have listened to our elder brother. If you had, our family would be ruling beside Stein at this very moment instead of having to squash the remnants of the old empire.”

“Ironhand, take five groups and go left. Violet, take five groups and go right. Everyone else, follow my group up the center,” Gerald ordered over the Raidstone.

“Oh, is that… my toy has come back to me,” Ophelia’s voice had a hard edge to it. “I haven’t forgotten your interruption under Peace… Alburet. Nor have I forgotten the delicious horror you fed me during our first meeting. I plan—.”

“Is he here?” Dimitry’s voice cut off Ophelia. “He is. Good, good. I’ve waited for you, Mir. Have you come to finish our last meeting?”

“I have come to cleanse the family name,” Vladimir replied as wings grew out of his back. “I’ll be right up, brother.”

“Excellent,” Dimitry laughed. “Ophelia, deal with the rabble while I remind Mir of his place.”

“Yes… master,” Ophelia spat.

“Wait, Vlad,” Gerald began but Vladimir was already flying for the top. “Damn it,” Gerald muttered before raising his voice and drawing his sword. “For Stormguard!”

The Guild surged forward behind the leaders, but before they even touched the stairs, a few clumps of mobs appeared at the top. Alburet’s feet faltered when he looked at the mobs; all of them looked like gangly, faceless, grey people. Everyone around him slowed and the shock, horror, and fear from the Guild was nearly overwhelming.

“Mom?” Marysue whispered, looking at the same mobs.

“Dad?” Karen asked.

“No! Never again!” Fluff snarled as she leapt over Gerald and raced up the stairs. “I’ll kill you, papa! I’ll kill you a hundred times!”

“Fluff!” Alburet and Karen shouted, racing after her.

The sudden rush up the stairs helped break the moment for others, notably Gerald and Marysue. “After them, they aren’t what they look like,” Gerald shouted.

“Now, now, don’t rush,” Ophelia laughed, and started singing with her haunting voice.

Her song did nothing to slow or deter Fluff and Alburet, but everyone else stopped advancing or slowed to a crawl, trying to push past the crippling anxiety they suddenly felt.

“Using your old tricks, are you?” Parsnew said, raising her own voice in song. Her wordless melody was a harsh counter to Ophelia’s.

“You must be brought to Justice,” Andrea said but her voice shook as she started to sing.

“Wait, are both the handmaidens here?” Dimitry asked. “Excellent. I’ll have to set you aside for later, Mir. I have something else to deal with first. Andrea… Ashen Fall, you can never escape my training. Now bring me your sister.”

Andrea shuddered in place, her white wings and dress slowly turning black as her voice cracked, “No… no… Peace said… no…”

“Andie,” Parsnew cried out as she turned and clamped her arms around her sister. “It’s okay, it’s okay. You can fight this. Peace showed you how; focus on her words, focus on the peace inside of you.”

The Guild, which had been almost freed from the effects of Ophelia’s voice, fell right back under her sway. Ophelia rose above the ziggurat, her white skin almost glowing, a stark contrast to the barely there black dress and wings she flaunted.

Alburet looked up to see Ophelia smirking down at him as the faceless things raced down the stairs toward the horrified members of Alpha Company. “Bitch,” Alburet snarled, but focused on Fluff ahead of him.

Fluff had already met the first of the mobs, her claws digging bloodless furrows into them. Every time she hurt them, the images of Paval flickered, revealing the faceless grey bodies under the illusion. “Die, damn you, die!” Fluff screamed as she attacked the ones around her.

Alburet joined her in attacking the mobs, his axe covered in flames. The confined space of the stairs both helped and hindered each side.

Alburet was able to glance back briefly and saw that everyone was where they had been or only a couple of steps closer. “Fluff, we have to find a way to help the others.”

“I have to kill him,” Fluff said as she continued to attack the mobs.

Grimacing, Alburet wished she was immune to all mind-altering effects like him and not just mind-control, but he kept attacking with her as cries of pain and horror came from the other two stairways. They’re being slaughtered... we have to do something. Jumping, Alburet’s wings unfurled and carried him aloft. “I’ll be right back,” he told Fluff as he turned his sights back on Ophelia, who was smiling broadly at him.

Attacking Ophelia proved to be difficult; she flew away from him, making him chase her. As he chased her, Alburet caught sight of Andrea and Parsnew still talking to each other. Andrea’s transformation had halted halfway through, and looked like it had stopped there. He could see the other members of Alpha Company being assaulted by the mobs on the stairs. The only one fighting back was Fluff, and her damage wasn’t enough by itself. He also saw BJ, TJ, and TW get hit by beams from the mobs, causing them all to vanish.

“Wonderful, aren’t they?” Ophelia asked, weaving her words into the song. “Dimitry’s pride and joy, the culmination of his research.”

“We’ll kill them like everything else,” Alburet snarled. “Come back here and find out how it feels.”

“Oh, no, this is where your Guild dies and gets raised up by Stein to use against the King,” Ophelia replied. “The Angels are useless and your friends are being slaughtered. Once they are dealt with, then I’ll stop running and we can have fun together again.”

Alburet cursed, unable to close the distance on her. She stayed just close enough to keep him hopeful. Shaking his head, he turned back to help Fluff when he saw her life dropping, having been surrounded by the monsters.

“Oh no, you aren’t leaving me that easily,” Ophelia sang.

Before Alburet knew what was happening, two slim arms caught him, crumpling his wings to his side and pinning his arms. “Fucking whore! Let me go.”

“Now, now, toy, is that any way to talk to your mistress?” she whispered an inch from his ear. “I just need a small bite. You don’t mind, do you?”

Fangs sank into him, sending pain lancing from his neck to his chest. Letting go of his axe, Alburet tried to reach for the arms pinning him, but couldn’t. He could see his life dropping by five percent and returning to full with each moment that passed. Screaming in pain and anger, Alburet knew Stacia was feeling his pain and being healed to heal him, but he was trapped and powerless.

When Ophelia sank her fangs into his neck, Alburet’s pain hit both Karen and Fluff at the same moment, snapping them out of the spell. Karen rushed up to Fluff, physically grabbing and throwing some of the mobs off the stairs. Fluff shoved more away from her, using a potion to heal herself.

“Fight while we can,” Gerald shouted over the Raidstone.

Alpha Company joined the fight, but the creatures appeared to take every blow without consequence. Gerald looked up to see Alburet being held and screaming. Looking back, he saw the Angels still gripping each other as Parsnew tried to talk Andrea down.

“Al, the coin,” Marysue called up to him.

Pulling her crimson stained teeth from Alburet’s neck, Ophelia laughed. “Those favors can’t stop what we have done here. Have fun with the Faceless. I’ll be entertaining this one a bit longer.” Floating toward the ziggurat, Ophelia laughed. “Go ahead, toy, summon your useless god’s favor. Dimitry will welcome it; he loves a challenge.”

Barely able to get his hand into his belt pouch, Alburet pulled out the items he wanted. “If you don’t care about the favor, maybe you’ll like this instead.” Dropping the figurine of Gygax while palming the coin, Alburet smiled when he felt Ophelia’s curiosity spike.

“A statue?”

The crystal fell, the odd shape making it tumble in the air. It missed the ziggurat and slammed into the cobbled courtyard. The moment the figurine shattered, a sense of impending vengeance filled the air while a cloud of crimson smoke billowed up from the impact.

“Dear child,” Mother said as she stepped clear of the smoke. “It is time to finally pay for your sins.” Wings beating the air, Mother rose, a gown of the deepest crimson floating around her like a living creature. “Now, do you wish to continue to hold my dearest’s favorite, or would you rather be at full strength to fight me?”

Ophelia’s arms tightened further around Alburet, crushing his ribs. “But you won’t hurt me, not when I have him. I’ve tasted his blood, Mother. It’s very powerful, and I think I’m your match even while holding him.”

“Not today,” Alburet grunted as he dug his fingernail into the coin. “I call in the favor—”

The sound of snapping ribs filled Alburet’s ears and his health plummeted toward zero, then Ophelia let him go. “Fine, we’ll do this the hard way,” Ophelia snarled. “Blood Power, Children. Sup and grow.”

The Faceless went from battering those in the raid to grabbing people, pulling them in and piercing their necks with fangs. The cries of pain increased as their victims thrashed in the grips of the Faceless.

“I see,” Mother said. “By the favor of the Dark Lord, may your blows leave lasting wounds.”

At Mother’s words, every member of Alpha Company felt a rush of power. Dark Lord’s Vengeance, a buff, appeared on each of them, allowing them to bypass all resistances and making their minions immune to banishment. The Faceless didn’t seem to care about the wounds they were taking, not even when they finally began to bleed.

“Press the fight,” Gerald ordered, using Charge to get to the Faceless attacking Fluff and taking her spot at the front of the fight. “This is our chance!”

“As for you?” Mother told Ophelia when she stopped next to Andrea and Parsnew. “I’m not even going to fight you. I’ll leave that to them.” Reaching out, Mother touched the sisters. A black and red aura enveloped the three women for a moment before fading. “She is yours. I must return to his side.”

Andrea was no longer going black. Instead, both she and Parsnew were pure white with a red tinge. “We understand. Peace said that this might happen,” Parsnew said, taking Andrea’s hand. The sisters gained altitude together.

Ophelia’s eyes went wide at Mother’s words, and wider still when the two Angels— now charged with power— joined the fight. “No! I have to warn him,” Ophelia snarled as she shot away toward the top of the ziggurat.

Alburet barely managed to get his wings open before he hit the ground. It was enough to slow him, but that was all. He attempted to get back to his feet, falling to the ground again as his vision swam.

“Let me help, master,” Tiny rumbled, pulling Alburet to his feet.

“We can join the fight,” Bob added a few feet away. “Copy us back up and we’ll go wreck Faceless.”

Alburet nodded slowly, still feeling woozy, “Right.” Reaching for the Ability, Alburet frowned when it didn’t work.

Ophelia’s Kiss: Reduces afflicted to 5% of their stats for 1 hour, transfers those stats to the Vampire. Locks out all Abilities for 2 minutes.

“Can’t,” Alburet said as he got his feet under him. “Debuff.”

Bob hit him with Burning Cleanse, but the debuff stayed. “Damn.”

“Tiny, go help Karen and Fluff,” Alburet said, patting the Destroyer’s arm.

An earthquake shook the ground, almost throwing people off the stairs. Tiny kept Alburet on his feet, but his eyes were on something behind him. Bob inhaled sharply, his eyes locked on the same thing. Following their gazes, Alburet exhaled hard.

“Gerald, we need the raid back down here,” Alburet said.

Marysue looked back to see what Alburet had. “Gerald, call Blaze in to help.”

“I’ve been trying. I think they’re locked out,” Gerald replied. “Hilda, take these mobs,” he ordered the Dwarven tank nearest to him. Once she had, Gerald stepped back and turned to see the creatures that had pulled themselves out from under the cobbled courtyard. “Fucking hell.”

Standing as the dirt and broken cobblestones fell away, the six Undead Destroyer Lords focused on the fights in front of them. Pulling shields and weapons from the holes they had emerged from, the six undead Infernals split into teams of two and headed for each stairway.

“We need to get the Faceless dealt with so we can handle these things,” Gerald said. “Summoners, use Imp Storm.”

With only five percent of his stats, his mana was pathetic and Alburet knew he wouldn’t be of any help. Backing away, Alburet called out to Gerald, “Gerald, I’m tapped for two minutes.”

The other Summoners were able to use their Abilities, and the sky filled with Imps and Cherubim. With them focused on the Faceless, the melee rushed down to meet the new threat. Gerald was the first one to the central two Undead Destroyer Lords, and his Charge didn’t stun them, much to his annoyance.

“I have one more gift to give my Champion,” the Dark Lord’s voice filled Alburet’s ears. “You must hurry. Vladimir is not having success with his mission, even with the Angels to help him.”

Dark Lord’s Champion’s Onslaught: Increases the Champion’s stats by ten times their normal maximum, cooldowns reduced to 10% normal, and erases any debuffs on the Champion.

With the debuff gone and his stats both restored and enhanced, Alburet rose into the air, triggering Demonic Inspiration followed by Imp Storm. The number of minions in the air more than doubled as Alburet’s buffed Imp Storm summoned over a thousand Imp Lords. “Burn them to the ground, boys!” Alburet shouted.

The few who could looked up in shock as the already dark sky darkened even more, then began raining fire over the ziggurat. The Faceless melted under the barrage of Fire Bursts, their life evaporating.

“Alburet, what the fuck?” Violet asked as she looked up at him.

“The boon from the Dark Lord,” Alburet called back as he flew around to a place where he could use Fire Bursts on the Faceless without hurting his Guildmates.

“Tanks, hold the Faceless back. All melee, down to face these new threats. Ranged, help finish off the Faceless, then shift.” Gerald ordered while Marysue hit him with another heal.

“Healers, stay with your tanks if they’re on Faceless. Otherwise, get down here and support those fighting the Destroyers,” Marysue commanded the healers.

Thirty seconds passed, and only a few dozen Faceless were still standing when the Imp Storm faded. Heading over to help Gerald and the others, Alburet saw a dozen Undead Greater Imps and Undead Succubi Ladies aiding the Undead Destroyer Lords. The Succubi all had mind-controlled people from the raid, turning them on their friends, while the Imps threw Fire Bursts onto the groups.

Entering the fray, Alburet had to dodge the barrage of attacks sent his way from the Succubi, who each fairly bristled with throwing knives. A closer look at one of the Undead Succubi had him shaking his head— the leather harnesses holding their knives were the only thing the creatures wore.

His first target stabbed him as he got into range. He took the hit, grabbing her wings and holding them closed. The two of them fell toward the scrum going on under them.

Alburet’s crash landing put him right next to Gerald and the group clustered next to him. “Special delivery,” he grunted as he struggled to keep the Succubus in place.

“Wondering when you were going to come help us,” Karen said as her blades dug into the essentially naked mob he held.

“Presents? For us?” Fluff added, joining Karen in attacking the mob.

“Can you keep doing that?” Gerald asked, waiting for the call to take the Destroyer back from Fredton, the Lunari Defender he was working with.

“Yeah, though it might be a bit slow. They’re probably not going to want me grabbing them now.”

“Do what you can. We have the Destroyers locked up, but their health pools are a bit high. The Imps and Succubi are the problem, especially the Succubi since they keep turning our own against us.”

“Switch,” Fredton called out.

Gerald taunted and hunkered behind his shield, “Good hunting.”

“Thanks,” Alburet replied as he let Tiny take the Succubus from him. “I’ll be back with another.” Once he was back in the air, Alburet Copied Tiny and Bob, bringing the extra minions into play.

“Understood, master,” Tiny rumbled.

Alburet systematically grabbed the Succubi and handed them over to Tiny and his Copies. Karen, Fluff, and a couple of others busied themselves with killing the mobs he brought down. The Undead Imps overhead were about to run out of mana and switched to Fire Blasts, letting the healers catch up to the damage that had been thrown out. They even had time to chug mana potions and keep themselves casting.

Minutes passed with the raid slowly but surely killing the undead. With the Succubi down, the fight became easier as party members no longer turned on their allies. When the last of the Faceless were defeated, the others joined them and the fight sped up. The Undead Destroyer Lords began to fall one-by-one, leaving the Imps for last, even with Alburet grounding them.

When the last Imp fell, everyone in the raid cheered. “Vladimir needs our help; the fight isn’t over,” Alburet told Gerald as he took to the air. “I’m off to help him.”

“Look at loot later,” Gerald ordered when Alburet took off. “There’s a boss still to be killed. Let’s go.”

Karen and Fluff were already running for the stairs, chasing after Alburet. Marysue had held back but as soon as Gerald started to run, she took off after the other two. Seeing the lead group heading off, the other Guild members all started for the stairs.

Alburet landed next to the structure at the top of the ziggurat and was about to step inside when it exploded. Alburet was thrown back, losing ninety percent of his life in that instant, tumbling across the top level and coming to rest just before he fell off the side.

Chapter Forty-nine

Getting to his feet, Alburet wiped the blood from his face and tried to regain his bearings. “What the fuck?”

Dimitry stood at the center of the ziggurat, his hair disheveled and his robes torn and bloody. Vladimir lay at his feet, unconscious and bleeding. Renful’s desiccated corpse lay to one side, a dozen knives riddling the body while his head lay a few yards away. Above the two brothers, Ophelia held both Andrea and Parsnew by their necks. Both Angels were unconscious and black streaks were visibly creeping across their wings and dresses as Ophelia whispered in their ears.

Hearing Alburet, Dimitry looked up from Vladimir. “Ah, the lone hero arrives, once again too late to stop me from doing as I wish.”

Alburet checked the raid panel to find Vladimir’s information; he was still alive but his health was dropping toward zero. Andrea and Parsnew weren’t losing life, but their bars were becoming translucent. “I don’t think I’m too late,” Alburet said as he started toward the deranged Vampire.

With a laugh, Dimitry grinned, showing bloody teeth. “I can feel the power of the false god inside you. Do you think that will be enough for you to save my foolish brother?”

“Probably not,” Alburet admitted as he continued forward. “Are you accepting recruits?”

Eyes widening, Dimitry laughed harder, an edge of madness creeping in. “You? You wish to join our side?”

“Well, it’s not like your brother will be able to keep the bargain I made with him,” Alburet shrugged. Coming to a stop near Vladimir, Alburet snorted as he looked at the dying noble. “He should have known older brothers are always right.”

“Unfortunately, he will not admit defeat and Stein has told me he needs to die,” Dimitry said, a note of sadness in his voice. “I tried so hard to keep him away from this business, too.”

“It always is when family dies,” Alburet agreed solemnly. Glancing at Dimitry then away, Alburet was able to get the information he wanted.

Dimitry Dracon aka Dragon Eater (Level ???)

82,751,975/90,000,000 Health

179,346/200,000 Mana

Twisted Class, Favored by Stein, Broken Mind

“What is she doing to the Angels?” Alburet asked as he tried to surreptitiously change one of his spells.

“Bending them to my will,” Dimitry smirked, looking up at the three women. “My sister was always talented at bending people to her will, even before she became my Succubus. It was the only way to ensure she bent to my will, and not the other way around. Stein was forgiving enough to keep our deal even though she failed to consummate their marriage before I returned.”

“Too bad. It would have been better for us if he hadn’t,” Alburet sighed. He was aware of someone creeping up the side of the ziggurat, and recognized Karen by her anger and anxiety. “Well, it’s time to end this encounter, Dimitry.” Kicking Vladimir, Alburet silently cast Demonic Vitality, giving the Vampire some life back.

“It is indeed,” Dimitry smiled, sounding oddly happy.

“Al!” Karen shouted, coming up onto the top level.

“Your wives… they’re waiting for you,” Dimitry said. “Very well, then, let this be the fight it should be.” Raising a hand, Dimitry snapped his fingers.

Alburet blinked. He was suddenly across the ziggurat from Dimitry and Vladimir lay at his feet. The familiar weight of his axe was on his back again, as well. “What the…?”

“Okay, what just happened?” Gerald asked, suddenly next to Alburet.

“The fight is about to begin,” Vladimir whispered as he struggled to his feet. “Dimitry wants it to be fair… wants to watch us struggle against him.”

“They’re monsters,” Andrea shuddered from above. “Ophelia overpowered both of us. She wasn’t affected by our songs. She didn’t flee... she led us into a trap.”

“Now that the stage is set,” Dimitry laughed, “let the play begin.” With an elegant bow— ruined by his crazed laughter— Voltis, Dimitry’s Undead Destroyer Lord, and Fallen, an Undead Cherub, appeared beside him. “Now, minions, kill these fools for me.”

Alburet couldn’t believe his eyes when he stared at the three arrayed against them. The combined health of the minions and Dimitry came to a total just short of 200 million. “Fuck this,” Alburet hissed as he pulled out the red crystal given to him by Yuna. “Mother, we could use that help now.”

Dimitry’s minions paused when Mother suddenly appeared in the air above the raid. “It seems my long wait is over,” Mother sighed. “Today is the last day I shall be allowed on this world. But to help remove the stain from my darling’s name, it will be worth it.”

Dimitry’s eyes were saucers as he stared up at Mother, “What’s this? Mother, how can this be? I must have you! I must test and learn from you…”

“Alpha Company, receive the first blessing of the Dark Lady,” Mother said.

Blessing of the Dark Lady.

It’s not every day a new goddess comes into being.

Ignore all Summoner and Necromantic spells and Abilities from foes, including those of minions.

“Charge!” Gerald roared as the blessing empowered the raid.

“Mother?” Alburet asked, staring up at her.

“This was my last act, Al. Stacia is waiting for you. Don’t keep her waiting too long.” Mother vanished in a puff of crimson smoke, though a hint of a song remained in the air as she vanished.

Andrea and Parsnew were both outlined in red, and the song grew louder as the sisters raised their voices in harmony.

“No, no! Bring her back! MOTHER!” Dimitry raged as storms of ice, fire, and darkness formed around him. “It’s his fault, he did this. KILL HIM!” Lances of ice and fire shot out of Dimitry’s hands, hitting Alburet and almost dropping him.

Gerald interposed himself between Dimitry and Alburet as he Charged after slamming his shield into Voltis. “He’s with me.”

Singing, the twin Angels took to the sky and sang directly at Fallen. The Undead Cherub began to shake as golden light enveloped him, his life dropping rapidly and the undead skin sloughing off his body.

“Damned bitches,” Ophelia snarled as she rushed at the sister. Spells, arrows, and other ranged attacks hit the Succubus, driving her away from the Angels, who continued their song. “No... master’s order must be fulfilled first,” Ophelia whined and turned her glare onto Alburet. “He must die first.”

Alburet was pulled back onto his feet by Stewart. “We’re with you.”

Grimgar, Almira, Ferrin, Fluff, Karen, Marysue, Ioaniss, and Vladimir stood beside him, with Ironhand’s and Violet’s groups flanking them. Seeing so many of his friends ready to defend him, Alburet felt a feral smile on his lips. “Killing her is the first step.”

“Sister, it is time,” Vladimir said, and vanished. He reappeared on top of her, his sudden appearance driving her to the ground in front of them. He plunged his daggers into her wings, shredding them. “Blood calls for blood, after all.” With that, he sank his fangs into her neck, prompting a scream of terror from the grounded Succubus.

“Mir, I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you for real! Get off me,” Ophelia raged as she tried to push herself to her feet.

Tiny, TJ, and TW all piled onto her, each of them grabbing an appendage to help hold her down. “Master’s command must be followed,” Tiny rumbled.

“I know that, fool,” Ophelia spat before she vanished from where she had been. “But if Fallen dies, Dimitry will be sad,” she finished from behind the sisters, her wings fully healed. “You should have run when you could.”

“I can’t bring her down again for another minute,” Vladimir said as he got back to his feet.

“I’ll go get her,” Alburet said and left the ground. “Bob, BJ, BB, let’s go.”

“Should we wait or go help with Voltis?” Ioaniss asked, slotting a Light damage magazine into his repeating crossbow.

“I need to go help Gerald,” Marysue said.

A cry of surprise made everyone look up in time to see Gerald go flying over their heads. Ioaniss yanked the whip off his belt and was able to get it around Gerald’s legs before the Defender went over the edge. The others all grabbed onto Ioaniss, and together, they were just able to stop Ioaniss from going over with Gerald, and began to pull the Defender up the side.

Marysue ran to the edge to heal Gerald. He was missing a good half of his health. “What happened?”

“Tanks, be prepared for Dimitry’s big hit,” Gerald broadcast over the Raidstone. “He said, ‘It’s time to fly’ then hit me with it. Took my mitigation to not be killed.”

“That was with Unbreakable?” Marysue asked, eyes wide as she cast another heal on him.

“Yeah. Tanks, rotate out after he sends you flying,” Gerald added.

“Incoming,” Alburet announced from above.

Marysue and Gerald were running back to the others when Alburet crashed into the ground with Ophelia in his arms. Bob, BJ, and BB all bailed off before they hit the ground with them. Tiny, TJ, and TW all grabbed her again, but as soon as they did, Ophelia vanished once more.

“Raid mechanic. We can’t hold her down.” Gerald said. “We need a way to keep her grounded once she gets brought down again.”

“I got it,” Ironhand said as he finished putting a trap together, “if you can get her back here.”

“I can help with that,” Ioaniss said, putting his whip back on his hip.

“Al, ready?” Vladimir asked.

“Take three,” Alburet nodded as he and Vladimir took off flying.

“The sisters are soloing the Cherub,” Karen muttered. “That song is doing a number on him.”

“Which is why she keeps trying to stop them,” Fluff nodded as she flexed her claws. “This time, we get to tear her to pieces.”

“Yup,” Karen added, applying another poison to her blades. “I hope this one works.”

“Damage?” Leggylass asked and shot another arrow at Ophelia.

“A debuff that slows the target’s attacks,” Karen replied.

“Stop following me,” Ophelia spat at Alburet and Vladimir as they chased her, keeping her away from the Angels.

“No, sister, it’s time to prune back the family tree,” Vladimir chuckled.

A bolt of ice hit Vladimir’s wing and sent the Vampire plummeting to the ground, leaving Alburet as the only one chasing Ophelia.

“Now, let’s take you to Dimitry,” Ophelia smiled darkly, reversing her flight and slamming into Alburet. “Earth’s Embrace,” Ophelia purred. Blocks of stone encased Alburet’s wings, sending the two of them hurtling toward Dimitry. He was ignoring Hilda, who was tanking him.

Slamming into the ground with bone jarring force, Alburet coughed a bit of blood up and started to heal. He could feel the bracelet on his wrist warming slightly. Shaking his head to clear it, Alburet was unsure what was happening when he was picked up.

“Yes... you are the reason she left so soon,” Dimitry seethed, inches away from Alburet’s face. “This grows tiresome, and these insects bother me,” Dimitry’s foot slammed into the ground, a wave of ice shooting out in all directions and encasing everyone it touched.

Fluff— seeing the wave coming— scooped Karen up and Leaped up and over it. Marysue shot into the air with Gerald dangling from her grasp, her summoned wings beating hard. Vladimir vanished from sight and Ioaniss threw a trap at his own feet, becoming encased in ice a moment before the wave hit him. Violet, Ferrin, Stewart, and the other Summoners tried to take to the air, but weren’t fast enough.

“Ophelia, Voltis, deal with them while I chat with my new toy,” Dimitry said, not even looking at the few that had escaped being frozen. Instead, he focused on Alburet, who was struggling in Dimitry’s vise-like grip. “Now, Two-souled, you will tell me how you helped turn Mother into a god.”

Spitting into Dimitry’s insane face, Alburet snarled, “Make me.”

Eyes going wider, Dimitry locked gazes with Alburet, his irises starting to spin. “I shall. Look into my eyes and tell me what I wish to know.”

Alburet felt the pull of his gaze, but his immunity to mind-influencing effects stopped him from falling under Dimitry’s spell. Going slack in Dimitry’s grasp, Alburet let his eyes grow heavy, the lids half shutting. “Of course… master.”

“So weak, so easy,” Dimitry laughed.

“He could be lying, brother,” Vladimir said, appearing behind Dimitry along with ten Shadow Clones. All of them stabbed the crazed raid boss, two of the blades slashing across Dimitry’s wrist. He had used Disarm, making Dimitry’s hand open and drop Alburet. “Besides, this is a family matter. Do you remember the Ring of the Forefathers?” Vladimir pressed the ring against Dimitry’s face while sinking his fangs into his brother’s neck.

Dimitry stumbled back from Alburet. One hand went to his cheek, now marred by a bright red emblem, and he shoved Vladimir away from him. “The Ring? It’s been found? I need it for another of my experiments…” Eyes going to the clones, Dimitry squinted, “Give it to me, Mir.”

“He loses track of shit really easy,” Alburet said as he hit Dimitry with his flame covered axe.

“Pesky gnat! Leave me and my brother alone,” Dimitry hissed, spinning and slapping Alburet. An oily-black bubble appeared, trapping both the brothers inside of it.

Alburet grunted when he hit the ground, but the impact caused the stone encasing his wings to break away. Alburet got back to his feet just behind Voltis, who was fighting Gerald and the others. “Guess we take you down first,” Alburet muttered, carving a deep wound across Voltis’ calf.

“Al, we need the others out of the ice,” Gerald called out.

“We’re working on it,” Bob called out. He and the other Imps were throwing Fire Bursts at the densest cluster of Alpha Company members. “It’s melting, but not as fast as it could. The first group should be out in a moment.”

“Keep going,” Alburet shouted as he hacked into Voltis’ calf again.

“Get back,” Gerald shouted.

Karen and Fluff had been attacking the other leg, and at Gerald’s shout, they both ran away with him. Alburet wasn’t prepared and tried to get away, but was too slow. The arc of lightning from Voltis hit him, locking up his muscles and dropping him to the ground as the magic coursed through him. Every second, his life fell by five percent, then rebounded by three percent.

After ten seconds, the electricity faded, and Gerald Charged back in at Voltis. Karen and Fluff joined him, but looked over at Alburet getting back to his feet.

“You need to get out during those moments,” Marysue said helpfully.

“I got that now,” Alburet said as he staggered back to Voltis.

“Al, help the others. You can’t hurt them while they’re in the ice,” Marysue suggested. “We need more people.”

“You do, and without you, they don’t survive,” Ophelia laughed as her hands went around Marysue’s neck from behind.

Gerald was suddenly in Marysue’s place. He had used Intervene, placing him in the spot of the attack. “You’re right, but she’s mine,” Gerald snarled and slammed his helm backward into Ophelia’s nose, then his foot down onto hers. “So get your damned hands off.”

Marysue brushed at her dress, smiling at Gerald. “She fell for it.”

Darkknight and Jaxton Charged in. Jaxton took Gerald’s place on Voltis while Darkknight Shield Bashed Ophelia from behind.

“Mind if we cut in?” Violet snickered. “After all, you keep attacking my friends and family.”

Ophelia leapt into the air, getting away from the reinforcements. “Damn you, you miserable insects. Just be good and die.”

“Sorry it took us so long,” Andrea said as she cut off Ophelia’s retreat. “Now that Fallen has been redeemed, we can help with her.”

“What!?” Ophelia looked past Andrea to where the overly large Cherub lay inert and unmoving. “He was master’s first accomplishment… he was family, you ungrateful bitch!”

“He was, and now, he can be at peace,” Parsnew said and wrapped her arms around Ophelia. “Now to put you to rest.”

“Bring her down and we’ll help,” Alburet said.

“Of course. A song while we do,” Parsnew said. She lifted her voice in song, a melody of winter being banished and spring arriving filling the area.

“Of course,” Andrea nodded, raising her voice to join her sister’s.

“No, damn you,” Ophelia raged as the two Angels brought her down to the ziggurat.

“The ice is melting,” Alburet said, Fire Bursting it away from the others. “The song is melting it. I’ll help speed it along.”

With the two Angels holding her in place, Ophelia wasn’t able to get free no matter how hard she struggled. The people who could all jumped on her first, knowing she was a bigger threat than Voltis.

As more people came free of the ice, they joined in on one or the other. Alburet took to the air, joining the Imps and Cherubim in doing damage from above. The fight was finally going smoothly, even with the losses the Guild had sustained to this point. Just when everyone thought things were finally going their way, Ophelia’s life reached half and she transitioned to her next phase.

Everyone fighting Ophelia was thrown back, and in some cases, clear off the ziggurat. Those fighting Voltis were far enough away that they only felt the wind from the knockback. “No, damn you all! He won’t want me now! Not looking like this!”

Alburet snapped his wings out when he went off the edge of the ziggurat. As he fell below the lip, he was able to see others falling past him. Hand darting out, he caught Karen when she went over the edge. “Glad I could—”

“Thank you,” Fluff said, cutting him off as her foot impacted Alburet’s head. Using Leap with Alburet as the springboard, Fluff was the first back on her feet.

Flying up to the top with Karen, Alburet was shocked to see Ophelia, now ten feet tall, with four sable-feathered wings where her old ones had been. Andrea and Parsnew had been blown back as well, and were hovering in place with looks of horror and outrage etched on their faces.

“I’ll kill you all,” Ophelia spat. Her hooves had been replaced by unblemished feet and she stomped, making the ziggurat tremble. A pulsing barrier covered her as she took to the air, its color shifting every few seconds.

Fluff used Wild Charge to get into range of Ophelia before she could flee, only to scream when her claws hit the barrier. The barrier pulsed a bright blue, and her hands came away coated in ice.

“Fool, your weapons won’t harm me now,” Ophelia sneered. “Now to deal with them.” Shifting her gaze to the Angels, Ophelia’s lips pulled up into an evil smile. “Say your goodbyes. Peace will never see you again.”

“Run,” Alburet shouted. “The barrier around her will hurt you.”

“How do we damage her, then?” Gerald asked as he got to his feet. He had just managed to avoid going over the edge while holding Marysue.

“Range,” Alburet said. “Get the melee onto Voltis.”

“Um, my spell just healed her,” one of the nearby Elementalists said with a frown.

“Mine didn’t,” another said. “You used fire when the barrier was red. My spell was ice.”

“Color coded damage,” Alburet said. “Use spells that don’t match the barrier.”

“We’re down a couple of healers,” Marysue said tightly. “They died when they hit the ground. The others are on their way back up.”

“Be careful of damage, and do not melee Ophelia,” Gerald shouted. “Use your potions if you need to. We’re down healers.”

Ophelia chased after Andrea first, cursing her the whole time. Both Angels were singing, the melody making everyone feel quicker, but it affected only their movement and not their casting speed. The song was what kept Andrea just barely ahead of Ophelia. Ophelia wasn’t neglecting the raid, though. Every time she passed over them, she would launch an area spell that corresponded with the barrier that she had at the time. The fight fell into a rhythm, but members of the raid were dropping one-by-one from accumulated damage as people ran out of potions.

Voltis fell before Ophelia. He had transitioned at fifty percent as well, but his only addition was an area attack that hit everyone within three yards of him with each five percent of life that he lost. Those in melee range would shift out after each Scything Death, so they could heal up and be ready to switch back after the next one.

There was a moment of panic when Ophelia hit Voltis’ group with a fire spell, killing a dozen people. The anger only fueled the Guild to press harder, damaging Voltis faster. When Voltis finally died, he knocked everyone back from him, killing Hilda and a couple of others. His body crashed to the ground, a faint smile now on his previously emotionless face. “Please… kill him…”

Ophelia only had one percent of her life left when Voltis fell, but the moment he did, a wave of darkness exploded from her. “No! You filthy insects, you don’t deserve his attention.” While people were getting back to their feet, Ophelia caught Andrea, moving so fast she almost appeared to teleport to the fleeing Angel. “If you won’t join us, then you’ll die now!” With a sickening crunch, Andrea’s life vanished and her limp body fell as it was released from Ophelia’s grip.

“Enraged... kill her now! She’ll one-shot anyone she hits,” Gerald bellowed.

Parsnew froze in place when Andrea fell from Ophelia’s grasp, tears falling from her eyes. “Sister…”

Ophelia was suddenly behind her, “You’ll join her.” Spells filled the air, hitting Ophelia. She ignored them and snapped Parsnew’s neck. Tossing the dead Angel away, she turned to Alburet. “It’s your turn.”

Alburet shook his head, “I don’t think so.”

A black blur came rushing at Alburet, but just as Ophelia would have grabbed him, Alburet was gone, replaced with Darkknight. “Hiya.”

Ophelia opened her mouth to say something after she hit Darkknight and killed him, but only blood spilled from her mouth. Everyone nearby attacked, finally killing her. She dropped to the ground, and most people pulled back, but Karen and Fluff struck again and again, not giving her time to say or do anything. On the fifth strike, Ophelia’s body vanished.

“That leaves Dimitry,” Gerald said as he looked at the ragged and worn raid group, turning to the bubble in the center of the ziggurat. “Once more, folks. Let’s do it.”

Chapter Fifty

The bubble popped as everyone headed toward it. Vladimir was a broken wreck laying at Dimitry’s feet. Dimitry was beating Vladimir with his own arm, the ragged wound at Vladimir’s elbow still pumping blood. Both of Vladimir’s wings lay a few feet away.

Marysue hit Vladimir with Divine Heal, her biggest single target heal. That stopped Vladimir from bleeding out the last few hit points he had left, but it also got Dimitry’s attention.

“Saving him? Him!? This useless excuse for a Dracon!?” Turning to face the raid, Dimitry smiled, his bloody teeth gleaming red. “And you’ve killed my minions… and my sister. I guess I should deal with you myself, then.”

Gerald took in Dimitry’s status as he stepped to the front. “We’ll finish our task and then go see Stein.”

Dimitry Dracon aka Dragon Eater (Level ???)

45,000,136/90,000,000 Health

119,346/200,000 Mana

Twisted Class, Favored by Stein, Broken Mind

“Stein will just kill you all,” Dimitry laughed wildly. “I can’t let such useful material be wasted in such fashion.”

“You don’t get that choice,” Marysue said firmly as she pointed her staff at Dimitry. “Light Bolt.” The surge of Light magic hit Dimitry in the chest, the sole damage spell Marysue had doing enough to push Dimitry under half health.

With a yell of anger and confusion, Dimitry staggered back. The yell stunned the raid as Dimitry’s body shifted. “Now you will see why I earned the name Dragon Eater,” Dimitry shouted. His skin began peeling back and his clothing shredded as giant red-scaled wings burst out of his back.

Everyone in the raid watched Dimitry shift into a Human-Dragon hybrid. Eight-inch claws extended from scaled hands as the transformation continued. Face stretching, Dimitry’s mouth became a snout that unhinged wide enough to completely engulf a human head.

“Stein showed me the way to take this form,” Dimitry said, his words slightly garbled coming from his new mouth. “It was one of his first boons to me. It has many advantages. For instance… my breath.”

Dimitry inhaled deeply and exhaled at the same moment the raid was released from the stun. The healers remaining dropped their area heals, covering as many people as they could, while those with damage mitigation used them to reduce the incoming damage. Those who still had healing potions chugged them, but everyone in the raid took heavy damage. The Infernals even felt the flames, but not nearly as badly as the others.

Gerald was the first tank to respond, using Charge to slam into Dimitry. He wasn’t stunned, and kept breathing fire. Manuel was the next tank out, also unable to stun him with his Charge.

Dimitry stopped breathing when he ran out of air, his claws flashing forward at Manuel and Gerald. Both tanks grunted in pain and staggered back from the sheer force of the attack. “None of you can truly face me,” Dimitry laughed, “nor does it matter. Without your helpers, you are useless.” Leaping over the two tanks, Dimitry landed amid the slowly healing raid and began to spin in place, his claws almost instantly coated in blood as he used Whirlwind.

Grabbing Marysue, Alburet went into the air, getting them both out of the area of effect. “He was a caster before… now he’s a Berserker?”

Jaxton hit Dimitry, taunting the raid boss to help mitigate the damage the rest of the raid took. Even with that quick thinking, a handful of their members still died, the bleed on top of the Dragon’s Breath enough to take away the last bits of their life.

“Twisted Class,” Marysue reminded him as she dropped Halo.

“What about the Broken Mind part?” Alburet asked as he put her down, flying back up to join Bob and the other Imps.

Marysue frowned but focused, trying to save as many of the raid as she could. The other healers scrambled, trying to triage while they waited for their area heals to come off cooldown.

“Brother,” Vladimir whispered as he pushed himself to his feet. “We’re not done yet.”

Dimitry suddenly stopped using Whirlwind, his eyes focusing on Vladimir. “You’re still alive? Good, then I can try to help you see the true path.”

“Truth?” Vladimir coughed, spitting blood to the side. “You mean the lies that Stein has corrupted you with? You enslaved our sister, promised to marry her to him, killed our own family, and turned on the Empire. How is any of that a true path?”

Dimitry froze in place for a moment. The melee took advantage of his distraction to pile in around him, their weapons gashing into him while spells rained down on him. “Our world is broken, brother… no, no, I don’t need to explain right now. First, I’ll deal with this rabble, then I’ll help you see.”

That pause had let the raid carve over a hundred thousand health off Dimitry. Jaxton felt a wave of energy wash over him, but it passed by him, leaving him unaffected.

Dimitry frowned and looked at the people surrounding him, “Why aren’t you fighting each other for me?”

“Because Mother said no,” Fluff snarled as her claws dug into his scaled flesh.

“Mother…? She became a god…”

Dimitry got lost in that thought for another few seconds, letting the raid get even more damage in for free.

“We got this,” Ironhand said as he prepared his next trap.

Shaking his head, Dimitry came back to himself. “Hmm, I’ll have to find a way to get her later. For now...” With a grin, Dimitry slapped Jaxton’s shield, batting it aside and plunging the claws of his other hand deep into Jaxton’s chest. “For now, I’ll kill you first.”

Jaxton had been at almost full health, but that single attack took over a quarter of his life. His life continued to drop as he stayed impaled on Dimitry’s claw. “Little help, please,” Jaxton gasped, trying to pull back.

Gerald slammed into Jaxton, shoving the Paladin off the claws, and pivoted back to face Dimitry. “You’re not killing my subordinates.”

“If you’re the leader, then I’ll kill you first,” Dimitry laughed, claws flashing forward to carve into Gerald. He was barely able to keep his shield between them.

Diving down, Alburet slapped Dimitry with Sap Strength, pulling ninety strength from him. He kept going on past, stopping next to Vladimir, who was wobbly, but on his feet. “Here’s the little I can help with,” Alburet said, using Demonic Vitality to regen some of Vladimir’s life and pressing a top end healing potion into Vladimir’s hand. “We could use you back in the fight.”

Downing the potion brought Vladimir’s life back up to over half and Alburet’s spell kept slowly pushing his life higher. Legs firming up, Vladimir pulled a new knife from his bag and looked at his missing arm. “One blade it is. Thank you, Al.”

“Ready to face him? This time, beside your friends.”

“Yes. In my haste to kill him, I forgot that I have friends that wish to help me.” Hand tightening on the hilt of the single blade, Vladimir vanished. “Now to put him to rest.”

Taking to the air again, Alburet cast Fire Blast, throwing it at Dimitry while he looked over the battlefield. Those who had gotten hit with the Whirlwind had backed out, letting others in on Dimitry while they waited for the debuff to fall off. The melee were having trouble getting in with Dimitry, who was using his wings to push them back. His spiked tail was a hazard to anyone who came up behind him.

“Who is keeping you alive?” Dimitry snarled, his eyes darting around the raid looking for whoever was healing Gerald. “There you are,” Dimitry said, his eyes focusing on Marysue. With no other warning, he was suddenly in front of her. His claws darted forward only to be turned away by Gerald’s shield, Intervene having come off cooldown. “Stubborn, aren’t you?”

“She is mine. You’re not allowed to touch her,” Gerald snarled.

Dimitry’s eyes opened wide, “Love… you love her… hahahahaha. Foolishness! Love is a chain that will drag you down.”

“No, love is a key that unlocks the chains that bind us,” Gerald snapped as he deflected one claw and blocked the other. “You probably never knew what love was. I bet Vlad was the favorite child.”

Dimitry froze in place, his eyes starting to glow. “Yes, that ungrateful brat. He always got away with everything, and no matter what I did, it was never enough for father.”

“Untrue, brother,” Vladimir said, appearing behind Dimitry with ten clones. “You have forgotten the truth: you and sister were the favorites. I was forgotten. I always chased after you to play and learn, but you only hurt me and laughed.”

“Ah yes, I recall your tears now… so sweet…” Dimitry smiled, lost in the memory while the raid took full advantage of his distraction to do more damage.

A few heartbeats passed, and Dimitry lost a few hundred thousand life. Alburet watched the fight intently, looking for anything that would help make things easier.

“I should make you cry again,” Dimitry said suddenly and began to Whirlwind.

Everyone nearby backed away except Gerald, who stayed there to tank.

“I got this one,” Ioaniss said, tossing a trap at Dimitry’s feet. Dense white goo erupted from the trap, coating Dimitry’s legs from the knee down and stopping the Vampire’s movement. “There you go.”

“Switch out,” Marysue ordered. “Anyone bleeding, back out. Unafflicted melee, pile on.”

“That was annoying. Jones… Jones…? Oh, the old line,” Dimitry said, sneering at Ioaniss. “Your line could have amounted to so much more if not for your slavish devotion to the weak, god-loving Justiceson family. I’ll deal with you soon. In fact, I’ll let you go back to them… better than before, but... yes, turning you against them would be quite humorous.”

“You’d never be able to make that happen,” Ioaniss said as he pulled his crossbow back out. “I do have some gifts for you. Let’s see if you are susceptible to any type of damage.”

“Oh, I will accept that challenge,” Dimitry laughed. “Breaking you will be so much fun. Ophelia, fetch Jones for me.”

“Sister is dead, brother, and soon, you shall follow her,” Vladimir said, wading back into melee, even with the bleed debuff on him.

“Dead…? She can’t die, she’s a minion. She has merely been sent back to her origin point.”

“If you die, what happens to her, then?” Vladimir pressed.

“She’d have to wait for a new Summoner… on the Dark Lord’s plane…”

“And when she shows up there, what do you think will befall her? Let me tell you: she will be captured by the Dark Lord and killed. She did something she shouldn’t have. She considered herself Mother’s equal.”

“Mother…” Dimitry said, again coming to a stop. “I need to find a way to bring her back; I must have some of her blood. I can think of many ways to empower my Faceless with her blood now that she is a god.”

“Gerald,” Alburet sent over the Raidstone, “every time someone mentions something about his experiments, he stops attacking for a moment. I think that’s his Broken Mind, he can’t focus. That’s our key to keeping the damage down.”

Gerald glanced up at Alburet with a brief nod then concentrated on Dimitry. Alburet’s guess was put to the test when Dimitry began to attack in earnest again.

“Why the Faceless?” Gerald asked.

“They are almost perfect,” Dimitry said, his attacks coming to a stop once more. “They use your own past to make you unlikely to attack them… though that one Lunari looked like she went mad…”

As Dimitry stood there, clearly mulling over Fluff’s reaction to the Faceless, the raid got more damage in. The cycle repeated for minutes while they dropped Dimitry’s life with little worry about their own. The only real problem was when he would Whirlwind, but between Ioaniss and Ironhand, they were able to lock Dimitry’s legs in place after just a couple of rotations.

People in the raid had started to relax some as they fell into a pattern, so they weren’t prepared for Dimitry’s transition when his life dropped below one percent.

Dimitry Dracon aka Dragon Eater (Level ???)

899,137/90,000,000 Health

25,643/200,000 Mana

Twisted Class, Favored by Stein, Broken Mind, Dragon Transformation, Death’s Apprentice

“No, I shall not fall here… I promised…!” Dimitry shouted. Shaking his head while damage kept piling up on him, Dimitry started glowing a deep black. “Death comes now, for all of you!”

Gerald hunkered behind his shield, “We got this, just kee—”

Dimitry’s next attack killed Gerald instantly, even though the Defender had been at almost full health. Dimitry kept turning, catching Tiny next, who had just managed to shove Karen aside. Not pausing, Dimitry spun the other way, sinking his claws into another person.

“Run!” Alburet yelled. “Ranged, this is on us! Burn him down and do it fast. Healers, run for the stairs. Melee, be ready to hit him if he comes for you, but try to flee.”

Dimitry’s eyes focused on Alburet and he snarled, “You… this is all your fault. If you hadn’t given him the book, this wouldn’t have happened!”

“Ah, fuck,” Alburet sighed as Dimitry threw himself into the air. “Bob, I might need you.”

“I know,” Bob said, dropping into formation with Alburet alongside both of his Copies. “We’ll do what we can.”

“Help Alburet,” Violet shouted at the other Summoners. “Air screen for him.”

As the ranged continued to inflict damage on him, Dimitry chased Alburet through the sky above them. Every time Dimitry got close to catching Alburet, an Imp would sacrifice himself by flying right into the Vampire’s face. The second or two each Imp bought was more time for the raid to pour on their damage.

Doing his best to keep Dimitry in range of the casters, Alburet ended up with just Bob and Dimitry left in the air with him. “Come on, come on,” Alburet hissed, glancing back to see Dimitry just about to reach him again.

“Who has two thumbs and saves your ass?” Bob asked, dropping behind Alburet and throwing himself at Dimitry.

Dimitry snarled as the last Imp was killed, “Finally! Now it’s your turn!”

“No!” Marysue shouted from below them. “It’s your turn, Dimitry Dracon. This is for my husband.” She threw her one damage spell at Dimitry, joining the spells from a half dozen others.

“NOOOOO!!!” Dimitry screamed as he fell from the air. Slamming into the ziggurat, Dimitry left a spider web of cracks. He struggled to get back to his feet, his health bar blinking on a single point.

Vladimir appeared beside Dimitry, kneeling and bringing his blade up under his brother’s chin. “Goodbye, Dimitry. I’m sorry that it came to this.” Slamming his knife into Dimitry’s neck, Vladimir kept eye contact with his brother as the last point of life vanished. His hand rested on his brother’s lifeless body for a long moment, and he sighed when Dimitry vanished. “It is done.”

The black bubble that had enclosed the ziggurat vanished, letting the surviving members of the raid see the entire prison wing again. A battle was raging by the entrance, the guards there doing their best to keep a horde of undead from entering.

Chapter Fifty-one

“We need to get down there to help them,” Alburet said over the Raidstone. “Our dead will be coming back at that graveyard.”

“For Stoutheart,” Ironhand shouted, the first to start moving.

Weary, wounded, and in need of a break, the Alpha Company survivors still surged after him. Alburet took to the air while Karen and Fluff ran after Ironhand. Above the wing, he could see Delvers already in the fray at the gate, helping the guards. Looking over to the gate to the next wing, he frowned. Heart’s Light was nowhere to be seen.

Spotting Roberto at the back of the fight with the King and the other leaders, Alburet landed in their midst. “Sire, we’ve killed Dimitry and are here to assist. Gerald will be back shortly.”

“Very good,” Tyr nodded. “Lightfist took his Guild into the final wing to deal with Stein. We hope that when Stein falls, this mob will lose its drive and cohesion.”

“When did they go in?” Alburet asked.

“A minute after you did,” Roberto replied. “Hopefully they don’t take too much longer. From what we’ve been able to learn, nearly the entirety of the Dead Lands’ undead have been mobilized to stop us. The first gate was overrun, but we were able to cut off the portal to Stormguard before they pushed us back.”

“No more reinforcements are coming, then,” Alburet muttered.

“The Dark Lord is rallying all he can to send to our aid,” Yuna said. “It will be several minutes before he can open a gate to us.” She smiled at Alburet.

“Where are the handmaidens?” Aria asked, looking for them.

Alburet’s face went stony, “They fell in combat to Ophelia, but they did cost her her life.”

Aria sobbed once and shook her head, “Peace will be devastated. I must let her know, please give me a moment.” Leaving the gathering, Aria pulled out her Mindstone.

“That is grievous news,” Tyr said. “What of Ioaniss and Dracon?”

“We’re here,” Jones said, running up.

Vladimir was a few feet behind him, “We were successful, Sire.”

Tyr looked at Vladimir’s mangled shoulder and nodded slowly. “I see the cost was high for you as well.”

Kneeling, Vladimir spoke with conviction, “Sire, House Dracon has been purified of their heresy and is ready to devote itself to the Crown once again.”

“Stand, Lord Dracon. I will not let you face combat again. Your part here is done.”

“No, Sire,” Vladimir said, getting back to his feet. “I have a quest from Mother to assist Alpha Company with every fight here. I can’t fail this quest.”

“Mother, release Vlad from this quest,” Alburet murmured.

Vladimir blinked, looking shocked at something. “I… it seems I was incorrect, Sire. Mother has deemed my quest completed. What would you have me do?”

“Go back to Stormguard,” Tyr said, pulling a scroll from his bag. “Take this to the Castle, then see if you can be healed.”

“As you command, Sire,” Vladimir said, taking the scroll with care. Turning to Alburet, Vladimir bowed his head, “Thank you, Al, for helping me complete my quest.”

“It was our honor, Vlad.”

Vladimir was gone a moment later. Ioaniss spoke up again, “How bad is this fight?”

“We’ve been able to hold them back so far,” Roberto said, motioning to the makeshift command table before him. “The Two-souled who were here have been able to respawn at this graveyard. They’ve been our greatest asset, throwing themselves into the fight with everything they have.”

“Now we wait for Lord Lightfist to end this for us,” Tyr added.

Alburet felt a sinking sensation in his gut as he thought about what Tyr had said. “Benedict took his Guild in a minute after us and we’ve heard nothing back yet?”

“No, but we couldn’t reach you inside, either,” Roberto said, but then he frowned. “Your dead did start appearing before the bubble fell, even if they couldn’t get back in to help. We haven’t seen a single Heart’s Light member respawn yet.”

“There is no way they haven’t lost at least one person,” Alburet muttered.

“Tyr,” Ioaniss said, having the same thought as Alburet, “can we send more people in after them?”

“We tried to send Delvers, but a barrier blocked the way shortly after they entered.”

“Sorry for my delay,” Gerald said, arriving with Marysue behind him.

“That’s fine. Have your Guild stand down for a few minutes and recover,” Roberto said, his face suddenly troubled. “We might have to ask you to do more for us.”

“Stand down,” Gerald ordered over the Raidstone. “All Alpha Company members, pull back and stay out of combat. See about restocking your potions and wait for orders.” Gerald nodded at Roberto, “We’ll be ready to assist.”

“Do you have someone watching the gate?” Alburet asked.

“I have Cal watching it,” Yuna said, “along with a dozen Destroyers, Imps, and Succubi.”

“Al,” Marysue said softly, “can I speak with you for a moment?”

Frowning, Alburet stepped to the side with Marysue, “What’s the matter?”

“Grimgar, Stewart, Almira, and Ferrin made it through the last fight, but it was close a couple of times. I want to know if you want to order them back at this point.”

Alburet hesitated as he considered what Stacia would say. “I’ll go talk to them. If the King needs me, let me know.”

“I will,” Marysue said, giving him a brief hug.

Walking away from the gathering, Alburet could see the people he wanted to talk to. Fluff and Karen were already with them, and his steps slowed as he got closer. Is it right for me to even ask? We’ve talked about it before, and this is their wish.

Fluff and Karen saw him first, pulled by his doubt. “Al?”

When he reached them, he looked over each of the four natives. “You made it through... I’m glad.”

“It was close a few times,” Almira said softly.

“Still committed?” Alburet asked. “Stepping aside is okay. It will help Alistern’s memory continue through you.”

“We’ve been over this—” Stewart said.

“Stew,” Grimgar cut in gently, “all of us almost died at least twice in just that last fight.”

Stewart hung his head, “Are we so worried about living that we’ll give up on our vow?”

“Teaching the next generation or two of Summoners isn’t a bad thing,” Alburet said. “Tabitha, what do you think?”

Tabitha looked away, “I will support my master’s choice.”

Her tone pulled Stewart’s eyes to her, “Tabbi? What do you think?”

“I… I just barely got you back... I don’t want to lose you again,” Tabitha managed to say as her eyes teared up. “But I also know how much you loved Alistern, so I won’t put my feelings ahead of yours.”

Stewart pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly as he felt her tears begin to wet his chest. “I’m sorry, Tabbi. I didn’t even stop to think about how you must feel about this.”

“I’ll go with you,” Tabitha choked out. “I just want to be with you, for as long as we have.”

Grimgar’s hand landed on Stewart’s back, “We’re with you either way. We understand how she feels, but also the vow we made.”

“The Crowley name is already gone,” Alburet said with pain in his heart. “All of his daughters will marry into other families. I would bet that the King would grant you that last name if you asked. You were his brother, after all.”

Stewart closed his eyes as tears formed in them. “Is it betrayal to back out and take that, or would it be a bigger one to push on and possibly die?”

“Only we can decide that,” Almira said, going to Stewart’s other side. “We need to decide, though.”

Ferrin spoke into the moment of silence that had fallen over the group, “Lord Darkhand, I think I should back out of this raid, as well. My mother’s dream is on the cusp of coming true. I want to see it happen. Do you think that Lord Stoutheart would understand?”

“He will,” Karen answered for Alburet. “Go home, Ferrin. We’ve already lost too many good people. We’ll tell Gerald.”

Ferrin bowed to them, taking out his Homestone. “I will pray for your success.”

“We’ll go, too,” Stewart said, his arm tight around Tabitha. “I pray that Alistern would understand.”

“You know he would,” Alburet replied. “Just like you cared for him, he cared for you just as much. You can look back on what happened in the past and see that.”

“Aye, lad, ye be right,” Grimgar nodded. “Take these, ye might be needin’ them.” Grimgar turned over the remaining health potions he had in his bags.

“Mine, as well,” Almira said, handing them to Fluff. “We’ll be looking forward to your return.”

“You can have mine,” Stewart told Karen. “We’ll pray for your success in killing Stein and completing your quest.”

“Thank you,” Karen said, giving him a hug.

“Al,” Marysue called to him, waving him over to the King’s group, “we need you and Fluff.”

“Go, and know that we’re with you in spirit,” Stewart said, gripping his hand.

“Aye, lad,” Grimgar slapped him hard on the back. “Ye got this.”

“May the Dark Lord grant you his favor, though I know he already does,” Almira added, giving Fluff and Karen hugs.

“Karen, come with us?” Alburet asked.

“I’m not needed for the meeting,” Karen said.

“You’re always needed with us,” Fluff said, taking her hand. “Come on.”

“I can’t say no to you,” Karen smiled as she went with Alburet and Fluff toward the King’s meeting.

“We should be headin’ out, too,” Grimgar said as he watched the family walk away. “I be thinkin’... do ye think the Dark Lord will help us have a kid?”

Almira’s eyes sparkled, “There has never been a child of our mixed race before. But it never hurts to pray as we try to become the first.”

“My first son will be called Alistern,” Stewart said hoarsely.

“Aye, he would like tha’, ye daft git,” Grimgar nodded.

“Let’s go home, husband,” Almira said, taking his hand as they pulled out their own Homestones.

“I’m here. Sorry for the delay,” Alburet said when he got back to the King.

“The barrier fell,” Roberto informed him. “No sign of Heart’s Light has been seen. We must assume the worst and that Stein defeated them.”

“Benedict had Justice’s token with him,” Gerald mused, “which means we won’t be getting that extra help.”

“We’re holding out against the undead right now,” Roberto went on, “but more are coming and we will be overrun in time.”

“Which is why we will be using my plan,” Tyr said.

“Sire, I strongly object. Again,” Roberto said firmly.

“Noted,” Tyr said simply.

“I agree with Commander Roberto, Tyr,” Ioaniss added. “I don’t think you should go.”

“I agree with them,” Hammerhand chimed in. “Leaders should nay be on the front line.”

“Like you and Wildmane,” Tyr shot back.

“Never said I do what I should,” Hammerhand chuckled darkly.

“Sire, if you are going in, I will be going with you,” Woodbinder said.

“I will send the other Demon Lords with you, Justiceson, but I must stay here and coordinate the Infernals,” Yuna added.

“I must stay back now that… Since I’m now the leader of my Lady’s forces. I will send in an ample force to assist, though,” Aria said, looking sad for a moment.

Tyr shook his head, “Denied. I will go in with Delvers and Alpha Company. The rest of you will hold here. If we fail, then you may attempt to retrieve my items.”

“If that’s your answer, then I will remove my forces from your command,” Wildmane growled. “I will not be stopped from facing Stein. If you accept me going in with you, the Pride will stay here to assist with the defense.”

Tyr met Wildmane’s eyes for a long moment before nodding, “I accept.”

“Same goes for me,” Hammerhand said.

“And me,” Woodbinder added.

“It seems that we’ll all roll the dice on this gamble, then,” Tyr sighed. “I had hoped to stop you, but it seems you’re all as set as I am.”

“Sire,” Alburet said, “are the guards alone going to be able to hold?”

“The nonaffiliated Two-souled and the smaller Guilds have agreed to help hold the line,” Roberto answered. “They’ll be doing much of the heavy lifting for us. With that said, the longer it takes for Stein to die, the more losses we will suffer.”

“Which is why we’ll be leaving in five minutes,” Tyr said. “Gather your people, restock potions with my quartermaster, and be ready to march on my order.”

Blaze snagged Gerald once the meeting was over, “What do you think happened? We were up here helping defend the front when word came that Benedict had taken his Guild into the next wing.”

“Competitive raider,” Gerald said. “I think Benedict wanted to be the first to drop Stein, so he went early.”

Blaze frowned, “That’s why he wanted to be ‘guarding’ that gate. Son of a bitch.”

“I could be wrong,” Gerald said. “That’s just my first thought on the matter. We’re going to have to work together for the next big raid, so we need to keep that in mind. If we play it right, he’ll owe us for his failed attempt.”

Blaze ground his teeth, “Fine. I’ll let you take the lead, but I want him to pay for that underhanded bullshit.”

“We’ll bleed him, but we’ll do it correctly,” Gerald agreed. “There’s an option under the Guild tab for alliances. We should discuss that after this raid is over. If we’re united with an alliance, we can apply even more pressure.”

“Cool,” Blaze nodded. “Talk after the raid. I’ve got to go get my people ready.”

Watching Blaze walk away, Alburet chuckled, “So glad you are the Guild’s leader.”

“It’s an easier job than what I used to do,” Gerald grinned. “Let’s go get our own things prepared.”

Chapter Fifty-two

Once they had gathered the things they needed, Alpha Company, Delvers, and most of the command staff had come to stand just in front of the gate to the final wing.

“Roberto, hold as long as you can,” Tyr said.

“Sire, I still disagree with this course of action, but I will do all I can to carry out your orders.”

“We’ll keep him as safe as we can,” Gerald told the Commander.

“His Majesty will have both of us focusing solely on him,” Justice’s High Priest said as he motioned to Peace’s High Priest.

“Even so, I find myself fearing what will happen if he falls,” Roberto sighed. “Justice go with you all,” Coming to rigid attention, Roberto bowed at the waist to Tyr. “By your leave, Sire.”

“Go with Justice, Commander. We will put the long blight of Stein to rest.”

Standing back upright, Roberto turned on his heel and marched away, a small cadre of guards following him. Tyr watched Roberto go for a long moment before tilting his head fractionally to the man’s back. “Most loyal man in my guard... May Justice keep him safe.”

“Young Lord Theron is just as loyal,” Ioaniss pointed out. “I would recommend putting him under Roberto when we get back to the city.”

“Nothing to stop me from doing so now,” Tyr agreed. “With the fractious nobles gone, it is time for the guard to become a stronger force. But that is for later. For now, we have a big mission ahead of us.”

“Alpha Company is ready, Sire.”

“Delvers is ready, Sire.”

“We be ready, too,” Hammerhand added.

All the leaders of the various units agreed they were ready one-by-one.

“Very well,” Tyr said, summoning his golden sword to hand. “This day will expunge a long-standing blemish on my line. It will also free the world from the clutches of a madman. For Justice and the world!” A loud cheer rose up from the gathered raid team. “Alpha Company, lead us in.”

Nodding, Gerald stepped toward the open gates. A black barrier shimmered just inside of them. “For Stormguard and the world!” With that, Gerald marched right at the barrier, the Guild following and cheering.

Delvers were next, and the smaller units came in right behind them. Above the raid team, Imps, Cherubim, Succubi, and Seraphim flew forward, ready for battle. The sound of booted feet marching in unison filled the raid with a sense of pride.

The darkness swallowed them as the groups moved forward. Sound became muffled as they passed through the barrier, like the darkness was attempting to silence them. Once the last person passed through the gates, the deep boom of them closing echoed throughout the darkness, which began to lift away from them.

Stretching out ahead of them lay the ruins of a structure that had been destroyed. At the far side of the courtyard, a throne made of bones sat on a platform. A black robed figure sat on it, and at the foot of the platform stood a mass of undead. The recognizable figure of Benedict was at the front of the horde, his helm smashed in on one side.

“You came,” the robed figure said, the strong male voice sounding surprised. Touching the dark goatee on his pale chin, the figure nodded slowly, “I guess it was fated to be.”

“Of course I’ve come, Stein,” Tyr said, moving to the front beside Gerald. “Your long reign of terror is over.”

Laughing softly, Stein shook his head, “Foolish king. You might have lived another few weeks if you had stayed safely inside your castle. You even brought me the current rulers of the Lunari and Dwarves? How nice. Maybe I should make your death quick for bringing me such generous gifts.”

“Ye and what army?” Hammerhand said as he stepped forward.

“My new acquisitions shall do nicely,” Stein laughed a little crazily. “They came in here spouting about how Justice demanded my death. Once my toys killed them, I thought it only appropriate to use them as replacements for the ones they killed.”

“You’ve caused my mate pain,” Wildmane growled as his skin flushed red. “The Pride will pull you down for that.”

“Silence, animal,” Stein snapped. Wildmane’s growl cut off immediately, and the Lunari grabbed at his neck. “There, that is how animals should behave.”

“Justice, I beseech you to help our ally,” Justice’s High Priest called out.

Wildmane slumped to the ground, gasping as he was able to breathe again.

Stein gritted his teeth, “Meddling gods. Fine, if you think you can trust your gods to help topple me, come and try.” He spread his arms wide, the silver filigree of the robe catching the light and flashing. Stein was separated from them by a barrier of oily blackness.

“Forward!” Tyr shouted.

“Alpha Company, forward!” Gerald called out. He moved forward and met Benedict, who was leading the undead.

Alburet joined the Angels and Infernals in the air, trying to see if any surprises waited for the raid. Summoning his first Fire Blast to hand, Alburet had to drop to the ground when beams of energy shot toward him.

“We won’t be letting those things stay around,” Stein said as members of Heart’s Light used the rods that banished minions.

Kean Bloodfire was not able to avoid the beams aimed at him. Crying out in pain, the Demon Lord’s body began to shrivel. Numerous other Angels and Infernals were caught in the energy beams also, all of them screaming in agony before they vanished. The rest of the airborne minions dropped to the ground, so as not to become targets themselves.

“Ah, the sound of anguish... it warms my heart,” Stein taunted.

“Damn you,” Cal Darkfeet snarled as he summoned an Imp Storm, then looted his fallen friend. Pytor Flameeyes summoned his own Imp Storm, and together, they covered the sky in Imps.

A number of Faceless became apparent amid the oncoming mobs as they stopped and spewed energy at the Imps who, in turn, rained Fire Bursts down on them. While those two sides traded damage, Heart’s Light met Alpha Company’s charge with their own.

The chaos of combat swallowed both sides as spells, traps, arrows and more flew. Gerald and Benedict slammed into each other like freight trains, stunning each other and suddenly at the mercy of the enemies closest to them. Tiny, TJ, and TW were there first to help Gerald, pushing into the fight and taunting any nearby enemies to help mitigate his damage.

Alburet tossed his first Fire Blast, but the spell did no damage. Frowning, he caught sight of a necklace on the healer’s neck. “They’re wearing the necklaces that make them immune to fire damage,” Alburet told Gerald over the Raidstone.

“Can we get them off?” Karen asked as she appeared next to Tiny, her blades cutting into the Berserker he was fighting.

“Try,” Marysue said.

Shaking the stun off, Gerald relayed Alburet’s observation over the command Raidstone. He Ground Stomped, stunning all the enemies near him. “If you can’t use spells, Al, wade in with your axe.”

“Stealthers, target the leaders of Heart’s Light and get the necklaces off them and their healers,” Tyr announced, his voice coming across every Raidstone the raid was using.

“I’ll be back,” Karen said as she Vanished.

“I really hate PvP fights in my raids,” Fluff muttered.

“Right?” Karen laughed as she appeared behind Benedict, cutting his necklace free from his neck.

Igniting his axe, Alburet stepped up beside Gerald. “I’ll join on this one.”

“Al, wait! He’s a Paladin of Light,” Marysue said.

Her warning was a little late: Benedict shook off the stun and an aura of black-streaked gold washed out from him in a thirty-foot circle. Every member of Alpha Company inside the circle took damage, while the undead members of Heart’s Light started to heal.

“Fucking Paladins,” Alburet hissed as he backed away, his and the Infernals’ life dropping faster than anyone else’s. “Tiny, pull back.”

“I’ll step in,” Jaxton said, his own Circle of Devotion coming up around him when he took over Tiny’s spot.

“Fall back! Protect Marysue,” Alburet told Tiny as his life began to replenish rapidly.

Tiny did as ordered, falling back to Marysue just in time to Bash and taunt the Assassins that appeared beside her. Marysue fell to one knee, her life almost gone from the three Assassins’ attacks.

“I got you,” Alburet said, applying Infernal Vitality and Demonic Haze to return some health to her.

Cleansing the poisons off, Marysue got back to her feet, her normally happy mask replaced by anger. “I’ll handle this, thank you.” Her life jumped up when she cast a spell on herself, and then cast Halo so that it covered her and Gerald.

“Bob, I need Fire Bursts on top of the healers to make sure no more Assassins get to them,” Alburet yelled for the Imp.

“Got it,” Bob said, ducking through the crowd to appear beside Marysue. “I’ll get my Copies over to the other healer’s groups.”

“Violet and other Infernal Summoners, get your Imps to our healers. Have them do Fire Bursts to keep them clear of stealthers,” Gerald ordered over the Raidstone.

“Sorry for the delay. I’m supposed to be up front,” Tyr said as he pushed forward. “I must put the Champion of Justice to rest.”

“Aye tha’ be a good plan,” Hammerhand said, continuing to clear the path for Tyr.

Karen appeared next to Marysue, her knives in the back of one of the Assassins. “I got two necklaces off. I’ll go back once my cooldowns finish.” Her diminished health rose quickly with Marysue’s Halo.

“Stay safe,” Alburet told her. “I’m going to go help Fluff.”

“I’ll stay here to spot Assassins until I can go again.”

“Thank you,” Marysue said, her friendly face back on. “Can you help him with these, please?”

“Gladly,” Karen replied as she kept attacking her chosen target.

Alburet went to join Fluff near the edge of Jaxton’s aura, where she was currently fighting a Trapsmith. “Mind if I cut in?” Alburet laughed as his axe took a chunk of health off the undead.

“Horrible,” Fluff grinned as her claws dug into the unbleeding flesh. “Is Marysue okay?”

“She’ll live this time, and now she has protection,” Alburet replied. The undead they were attacking began to heal again. “I understand the hate for PvP in raids.”

“It’s so asinine,” Fluff growled. “The two contents are different mindsets.”

“I’m not arguing,” Alburet said as he deflected one of the daggers the Trapsmith was using. “Then again, I don’t think this was the original raid fight.”

“Fair enough,” Fluff agreed. “Stupid idiots wanting to be first to down the boss. Now we have an even tougher fight.”

“I think we should make this more entertaining,” Stein said over the sounds of combat. “I’ll give you ten seconds to prepare for death.”

“Oh fucking hell, come on,” Alburet grumbled, “a raid mechanic during this clusterfuck?”

“Pull back?” Fluff asked.

“To Marysue, at least,” Alburet nodded, and triggered his Raidstone. “Gerald, be ready to use mitigation and have the dps break off. Be ready for something bad.”

“Alpha Company, prepare to heal and assist our allies,” Gerald said when Stein began counting down from five.

When Stein got to one, a pulse of energy washed over the room. The undead were unaffected by it, but every member of the raid was suddenly reduced to ten percent of their health. Alpha Company members downed potions and healers used area heals to bring as many back up as quickly as they could. Some of the raid participants weren’t as lucky: they were hit by multiple spells or attacks before they could be healed, claiming their remaining life almost instantly.

“Heal, heal, heal!” Tyr shouted over the Raidstones. “Help your fellows, then get back into the fight.”

“We have a problem,” Blaze shouted and transmitted. “The dead are getting back up and fighting against us.”

Chapter Fifty-three

Their dead getting back up and joining the opposite side was hard for some to accept. No one really wanted to, but they had to put down their friends again to stop them from doing more harm. With the fight already being a massive PvP slugfest, something was going to have to give.

The first thing that happened was that the Faceless fell before the Imp Storms faded. With the threat of the energy beams gone, the flying minions reclaimed the air.

“Pathetic. I’d have to chastise Dimitry if you hadn’t killed him,” Stein sighed. “Not that it matters much; you have ten minutes before my plan is fulfilled.”

“Stein is gathering a massive amount of energy,” Cal advised over the Raidstone. “We need to find a way to bring his shield down.”

“All fliers, do what you can to bring that shield down,” Tyr said as he traded blows with Benedict’s corpse. “Summoners, bring the Imps on and focus the healers with your area of effect spells. We need to spread the damage around as much as possible. Stealthers, you have a few more seconds to remove those necklaces.”

“Al, you’re with the minions. Do what you can… but try to stay safe,” Gerald told him.

Fluff gave him a kiss before she rushed forward to help Gerald. “We need you to survive.”

“I know,” Alburet replied softly and took to the air, met by BJ and BB. “Stay on duty, Bob.”

“I’ll keep Marysue safe,” Bob replied.

Alburet used Demonic Inspiration and Imp Storm in quick succession. Over a hundred and fifty Imps joined the normal minions. All of his Imps focused on a single healer, bombarding the area with Fire Bursts. More Imps Storms appeared, focusing on the same healer and melting not only their original target but those right next to them as well. When the first set of healers went down, they shifted to the next one. Heart’s Light responded to the threat by changing target to the Imps; area spells and arrows flew upward, creating mass confusion. Alburet backed away because he was on the edge of the damage.

The shift of attention and some of the enemy healers dying gave the raid renewed energy against the undead. Tyr’s sword cut down hard, sending Benedict’s head flying. “I hope you rest in peace,” Tyr muttered as he pushed on to the next target.

Gerald paused when he saw a coin bounce from Benedict’s hand right before the body vanished. “Fluff, the coin. Grab it,” Gerald said, motioning to the metal disc spinning on the ground.

Fluff darted forward, snatching the coin before one of the undead could. “Karen,” Fluff called out, flipping the coin over her shoulder, her claws coming back to hit the undead who had tried to claim it.

Karen snapped the coin out of the air, looking at it. “Justice’s favor? Benedict didn’t use it?”

“Only Champions of the god can use them,” Marysue sighed. “Damn him.”

“You’re Peace’s Champion… maybe you can use it since they’re married?” Karen suggested.

“No reason not to try,” Marysue said, taking the coin. “Justice, a little help, please?”

“It breaks the rules,” Justice replied in her mind, “and it will cost me, but it is worth it.”

Marysue blinked, not expecting to hear the voice in her head. “I was right...” she said in a bare whisper.

Above the raid, a circle of golden light appeared. Coming down through the glow, a tall man clad in ornate plate armor appeared. His sword was golden fire that blazed brighter than Tyr’s. “Stein, though it will cost me dearly, it is time I put a stop to your oppression,” the resonant voice filled the raid with hope. Alburet’s brow furrowed as something about the voice tickled the back of his mind.

“False god, your owner will not look kindly on this intrusion,” Stein sneered.

“I am aware. Already, she has taken my sight,” Justice replied evenly. “Heroes, fear not for your dead. They honored me before falling to Stein, and so, I can lay them to rest.”

Every raid member that had become undead dropped as if their strings had been cut. “No! Even you can’t do that to me,” Stein snarled.

“That is all I can do. Hurry, before he has a chance to adapt,” Justice said. A hand large enough to engulf him appeared and pulled the god back into the hole he had appeared through.

“FORWARD!” Tyr yelled, racing toward the barrier blocking them from Stein.

“Damn him and his siblings,” Stein spat as stood up from his throne. “Fine, we’ll do this differently.” A staff appeared in his hand, the top decorated with an Ouroboros. He slammed the staff into the ground and thrust a hand forward, “Rise again, my children.”

The raid was caught off guard as three hundred undead rose up. Flesh melted away from every dead body, leaving the Skeletons that now stood in front of them. Alburet grimaced when he checked the stats of what they now faced.

Stein’s Child

100,000/100,000 Health

Immune to all spells

“Casters, focus on the barrier. Melee and non-magical damage, we need to put these down as quickly as possible,” Gerald shouted. “Someone get Tyr back with us.”

Alburet spotted the King and dove, Cal Darkfeet and Pytor Flameeyes right behind him. Grabbing Tyr’s upraised hand, Alburet started to lift him clear of the Skeletons, only to falter when several Stein’s Children caught Tyr’s legs.

“We got him,” Cal said as he joined Alburet, helping him lift. The two of them started to gain altitude.

“I’ll help,” Pytor said. He slammed into the group of mobs holding onto the King’s legs, knocking them loose.

Suddenly free of their weight, the trio shot into the air. Alburet steered them back toward Gerald and Marysue, glad he had been able to extract the King.

“Damnable Demon Lords,” Stein grumbled, pointing his staff at them. “Your god can’t save you from this. Join your lost friend.”

Pytor’s scream echoed over the sounds of combat as one of the all too familiar beams caught him. Cal gritted his teeth and dropped back directly behind Alburet, “He said you have to be saved at all costs. Tell him we tried.” That was all he had time to say before two other beams hit him. Cal refused to scream even as his body disintegrated.

Alburet dove, sending himself and Tyr tumbling to the ground. “Damn him,” Alburet hissed as he got back to his feet. Stein was smirking at him when Alburet looked his way.

Tyr dusted himself off and resummoned his sword. “Indeed. My life came at the cost of both of them. I shall not forget that. We need to push through these undead to reach him.”

Alburet watched as Stein began to whittle down the minions. The fastest few were able to make it back to the raid before they were hit by beams. “It seems this fight isn’t friendly to my class.”

Tyr started to move toward the front of the raid, “I feel each death keenly, for they fight to restore the Empire. I shall not fail and let their deaths be in vain.”

“Sire,” Blaze said, appearing next to Tyr, “we need to keep you safe until we can get to Stein. If you fall, the raid will fail.”

Tyr’s teeth ground together, but he nodded, “If that barrier drops, I will be going straight for him.”

“We’ll be beside you,” Blaze said, the rest of his team beside him.

“Can’t we use the other tokens?” Marysue asked as Alburet came even with her.

“We can try,” Alburet said. “Fluff, can you invoke your coin?”

Fluff stepped back, letting another take her place as she fished the coin from her bag. After a moment, she put it back, “No. It says this is the wrong raid.”

“Damn it. I knew it was too good to be true that we’d be able to use them all,” Alburet said, a Fire Blast forming in his hand and joining the spell barrage hitting the barrier. “There has to be a trick to this.”

“Time for another round of fun,” Stein said as he reclaimed his seat on the throne, his staff resting across his knees. “Nine seconds this time.”

“Fuck, this fight has a soft enrage timer,” Karen said.

When Stein reached one on his countdown, every member of the raid lost ninety-one percent of their maximum health. They were ready for it this time, with the healers dropping area heals and everyone who could drinking potions the moment their health plummeted. Even though they had been prepared, a handful of raiders died, only to stand back up as Stein’s Children.

“Every two minutes,” Marysue announced. “Be ready for the next one, and expect it to take even more life from us.”

“This just gets worse,” Gerald said as he killed another of Stein’s Children. “Come on people, push! Do we want this or do we want to be like the last group that tried to bring Stein down?”

“Alpha Company!” Violet shouted, which was soon picked up by others.

“For King and country!” Ironhand shouted. “Stormguard!” Even more voices picked up the shout for Stormguard.

Stein watched them with contempt, “Fools. You could have sided with me and have been so much more. Instead, you’ll end up like Heart’s Light; playthings for me to use as pawns.”

“None of us believe you. You sat here and did nothing to help your trusted subordinates,” Gerald said.

“Oh, but some of you do believe me,” Stein laughed.

Two more minutes seemed to crawl by as they did their best to kill Stein’s Children, while the casters slowly whittled away the barrier protecting Stein. “Be ready,” Marysue announced.

“Yes, indeed, it is time for fun again,” Stein smiled at her. “Eight seconds this time.”

Another handful of raid members died, between losing ninety-two percent of their life and being attacked at the same time. As the latest dead came back as Stein’s Children, the raid pivoted on them, shoving the newly risen into the pack of mobs.

“We can get them down after the next wave,” Alburet said, trying to keep track of how they were doing.

“Well we can’t have that now, can we?” Stein said, glaring at Alburet. “I’m still surprised you’re with them, Two-souled. You of all people should have been with me all along. Did you not hand me the book that will help propel myself to equality with the gods? Or are you with me and just helping lead the King to his death, a gift as it were?”

“No one is going to believe that,” Alburet said.

“Really? Let’s see who is unsure of what they believe,” Stein laughed as he raised his staff. “Divided thoughts, broken minds, let all those with doubt show their fears.”

Tyr spun to face Alburet, his sword leveled at the Summoner, “You brought me here to die, swine? I knew the Dark Lord was with Stein all along.”

Numerous others turned on those close to them, the cacophony of voices growing as hundreds of claims were laid against others. Karen appeared beside the King, her blades drawn back to strike at him.

“Karen, no,” Fluff yelled, triggering her Crown of the Tiger Queen.

“Be blessed, child,” a throaty voice whispered to Fluff as her crown glowed brightly for an instant. Everyone who had been turning on their allies stopped, looking suddenly ashamed.

“Worthless cat,” Stein snarled. “Using your Champion to stop my fun.”

“He is trying to divide us,” Gerald told the King, who had quickly spun back to attack the Skeletons, hacking at them angrily. “Al is an honorable man who will sacrifice his own life for his friends. If he had really sided with Stein, he never would have rescued you from these things and the Infernals who helped him would still be alive.”

Tyr grimaced as he nodded, “I shall make amends after this is over.”

Stein sat on his throne, grinding his teeth as he watched the raid mow through his precious children. “You won’t make it in time. My barrier shall keep me safe until the ritual is over. Once I ascend to godhood, I shall make sure you all pay dearly for this affront.”

Chapter Fifty-four

The next cut to their health came when expected, and the raid only lost three people this time as Stein’s Children were being dispatched more quickly. Stein kept smiling, even though his minions were falling.

“Now that the opening act is done, we should move on to the real fun,” Stein smiled evilly. The sound of wings turned everyone’s attention to the large shape that appeared from behind Stein. “Deathscale, Fangeye, Elf’s Bane, show these fools what it means to stand in my way.”

“A Tyrant?” Mantoya gasped, shaking his head. “No, it’s just an Ancient… and it’s dead.”

“All melee, go attack the barrier. Casters, bring the beast down,” Tyr commanded.

Everyone in the raid knew the undead Dragon would have new mechanics they would have to deal with. A furry, rat-nosed face appeared over the side of the undead Dragon and a moment later, a barrage of daggers hit the casters.

“Poison,” the cry went up by those who had been hit by the knives.

The healers who could began to cleanse the poisons from the afflicted. The moment they did, a Troll’s toothy grin came into view from the dragon’s back. The Troll muttered and swarms of insects appeared in the middle of the casters, immediately attacking anyone they could reach.

Both Alburet and Violet reacted without thinking, Fire Bursts erupting from them and injuring their allies, but also killing every insect that had been summoned. “Sorry,” Alburet said.

“No, that works out better,” Marysue said, keeping an eye on Gerald, who was attacking the barrier around Stein. “I have a feeling those would have been even worse than what Gwain did.”

“Do we focus on the riders or the Dragon?” one of the casters asked.

“The Dragon,” Alburet said as he took to the air. “BJ, BB, I need you. Violet, your minions, too. We’re going to try and pull the riders off.”

“Things are always interesting with you around,” Gummy, Violet’s Imp, said.

“Right?” Gummy’s Copy, Bear, laughed.

“Come on. Gummy, Bear, you two are on the Vermin. BJ and BB, you go for the Troll. I’ll help out, but I want to be free in case there are more up there. Just knock them clear of the Dragon.”

“Got it,” BJ nodded as the five of them flew after the Dragon and went under it, hoping not to be seen.

“Gerald,” Alburet said over the Raidstone, “about to unseat two from the Dragon’s back. Probably need a few melees to help out with them if you have a few to spare.”

“Understood,” Gerald replied.

“Up the far side. Mind the wing and tail,” Alburet told the Imps as he angled to follow his own order.

Coming up behind the wing, Alburet discovered that the Troll and Vermin were focused on the raid over the other side of the Dragon. Smiling, he rushed forward with the Imps right behind him. Seeing the straps that held the two targets in place, Alburet pulled his axe and ignited it. The mobs finally noticed him, but it was too late for either of them to stop Alburet from cutting clean through the leather straps and into the Dragon.

“Fools,” the Troll spat, his eyes widening as BJ and BB hit him with all their strength, helping pitch him off the side.

Gummy and Bear were having a harder time with the Vermin. It had avoided them and was now standing on the back of the Dragon. “Stupid, stupid Infernals. Die, you should,” the Vermin hissed, pulling a familiar black gem from its pouch and turning to Alburet. “If you die, he will help Vermin and not stupid Trolls.”

Caught without an easy way to dodge, Alburet did what he thought best and threw his axe at the rat. With an alarmed squeak, the Vermin dropped flat to the Dragon’s back. The axe flew over it and hit the Dragon in the head.

“Missed,” the Vermin cackled.

As the Vermin stood up, the Dragon roared and pivoted, looking for the source of the attack. Eyes going wide, the Vermin dropped the gem and grabbed at the Dragon’s back, only to have Gummy and Bear hit him and help him off the side.

“Got you that time,” Gummy laughed.

Alburet smiled when we saw them pitch the Vermin off the side, but his smile faltered when he caught the Dragon glaring at him. “Sorry, not sorry?” Alburet said as he dove off the side of the beast.

With another roar, the Dragon swatted at Alburet with its tail, clipping him and sending him spinning. Pulling his wings in, Alburet was able to stop the spin in time to flare his wings and avoid falling. He was about to go back to the raid when he saw the Dragon turning toward him, murder in its undead eyes.

“Yes... eat him, Deathscale! Eat him and I won’t kill your mate,” Stein laughed. “Show him what happens to those who side against me.”

“Motherfucking bitch,” Alburet said as he took off as fast as he could. “Anyone got a way to get this thing off me?” he asked over the Raidstone.

“It’s immune to taunts,” Gerald replied. “Keep it busy for a minute; we’re dealing with the Troll and Vermin. When we kill them, we’ll have you swing it back to us.”

“Easy for you to say,” Alburet said, glancing back at the Dragon gaining on him. “I hope I’m more maneuverable.”

People kept looking up as Alburet played keep away from Deathscale. Fluff and Karen were focused on killing the Vermin and Troll that the Imps had gotten down to the ground. They knew that the sooner they killed them, the faster Alburet could be safe.

“I think it’s time for fun again,” Stein laughed as the fight and flight continued. “Oh, and this time, we’ll increase the fun. Deathscale, breathe upon these maggots for me.”

“Wait! We’re still alive,” Elf’s Bane shouted.

“You disappoint me,” Stein smiled.

“Stupid Troll. Vermin clear winner,” Fangeye chittered.

“No, you both disappoint me. I will wipe both of your races off the map with the Elves,” Stein said as he tapped his staff to the ground. “Six seconds and counting.”

When Stein’s spell went off, both Fangeye and Elf’s Bane died, shedding their flesh and getting back up as Stein’s Children. They were able to claim two victims as they died, using area of effect attacks to do as much damage as they could.

While most of those nearby piled onto the four new mobs, Gerald turned his attention to Alburet. “Al, we’re good, just— fuck.”

Gerald’s expletive coincided with screams from Karen and Fluff. Alburet had finally run out of luck. Deathscale’s mouth closed around Alburet only seconds before the Dragon turned its head and breathed a putrid cloud over the casters.

The healers did their best, and the raid members who still had potions left guzzled them, trying to counteract the damage from the breath. Their hit points were already perilously low from the raid mechanic.

Fluff let out a yowl of displeasure. Her white fur turned deep red, matching the color of her skin as the Dragon flew over the raid. Leaping, she hooked her claws into the undead mob and began to climb it.

“Dammit, Fluff,” Karen yelled after her. “Not again.”

As Fluff climbed the Dragon, spells landed against its hide, but it just ignored them. Seconds ticked by before the Dragon made a hacking sound and shook its neck vigorously, dislodging Fluff. She used Wild Charge to target one of Stein’s Children, avoiding the falling damage she should have taken, instinctively using the game mechanic to control her fall.

“Fluff, stay here with me,” Karen said, grabbing her. “Al isn’t dead! Look at the raid window.”

Fluff’s red fur faded back to white when she did as Karen said. “Oh. Stacia is keeping him alive,” she murmured, watching Alburet’s life yoyo up and down.

“Lucky S.O.B.,” Gerald muttered, having heard the exchange. “Focus on the wings. We need to ground that thing.”

Time passed by and the risen mobs were cut down, while the casters kept trying to ground the Dragon. Deathscale seemed to be having a problem of its own, continuing to hack and shake its neck.

“It’s almost time again,” Stein laughed.

“Al, please,” Karen whispered as she watched the Dragon above them head back toward barrier.

As if her words were a prayer being answered, congealed blood erupted from Deathscale’s throat. Luckily, the stuff splashed on open ground, causing it to hiss and bubble. A pair of legs became visible in the ragged wound that had appeared, followed swiftly by a torso, just before a figure fell from the wound.

Fluff Leaped, catching Alburet and cushioning his fall with her own body. Arms tightening around him, her lips pulled back into a worried smile. “I’m so glad you’re alive.”

“It was close a couple of times,” Alburet coughed as his skin began to heal from the caustic damage it had taken.

“I think it’s time for fun again,” Stein said, the anger clear in his words.

“Drink this,” Karen snapped as she shoved the open end of a healing potion into Alburet’s mouth. “Don’t you dare do anything that dumb again, dammit.”

Alburet drank the potion as he heard Stein continue the countdown. “I’ll do my best not to let the Dragon eat me again,” Alburet said and got to his feet. “Come on, you two need to help with the barrier while I help try to ground that thing.”

The countdown ended, leaving everyone with five percent of their life remaining before they got healed or drank healing potions. Stein gnashed his teeth, clearly upset as he watched his spell have no real effect except making the healers use more of their mana potions.

“Deathscale, you worthless beast! Attack the ones on my barrier,” Stein shouted, slamming the butt of his staff on the ground.

Deathscale came flying back, breathing onto the melee. The cloud wasn’t as strong as before, and half of it ended up spilling out of the hole in its throat. Those in the breath cloud coughed and did what they could to combat the damage while they turned to fight Deathscale.

“Now, everyone! On the beast,” Tyr yelled from the fore of the fight. “If we down this monstrosity, we can attack the barrier without fear.”

The fight with Deathscale wasn’t as hard as Alburet thought it should have been. The wings and tail were a problem, but since it was facing the melee, the casters stood well back from it. Its breath was only half as effective as it should have been, thanks to the rip in its neck that Alburet had made. The only hitch was that when two minutes had passed, Deathscale was still alive.

Dozens of them died then, their health dropping to four percent while still taking damage from the breath weapon and physical attacks. Deathscale died a few moments later, letting the raid transition to dealing with their dead friends.

Alburet was surprised to see all of the Ambassadors still alive as Stein’s Children were being fought with once again. As the last of them fell, Tyr turned to face the barrier and Stein. “Now... now, we shall finally stop you.”

Stein smiled indulgently, like a father to a favorite child who was being stupid. “Good luck breaking my barrier before my ritual is complete.”

“Justice, I know you have given much, but I, your long-time worshipper, beg you... strengthen us,” Justice’s High Priest called out with fervor. “Even if it costs me my life, please help the King.”

“Claudius, no!” Tyr shouted as the Priest collapsed to the ground, becoming a pile of golden dust that swirled around everyone nearby.

“Sometimes, Justice comes at a high price,” Justice’s voice said weakly. “Fight on, my children. Fight for your freedom.”

Chapter Fifty-five

“Fools, even that won’t be enough to stop me,” Stein sneered.

Gerald looked at the new buff he had, his mouth setting into a grim line. “For Stormguard!”

Sacrifice for Justice

Occasionally, justice can only be accomplished at great personal sacrifice. Anyone touched by this selfless deed will do triple damage to the foe of the sacrifice. Honor this sacrifice, made for the greater good.

“Claudius,” Tyr murmured as he looked to the sky, tears falling from his eyes. “May he welcome you home, old friend.” He raised his sword, the glow intensifying around it, “For Justice!”

The raid, which had already taken up the cheer for Stormguard, switched to Justice as they attacked the barrier with renewed fervor. Stein sat there watching them, a sour twist to his lips.

“He could have been useful to me,” Stein sighed. “Since my toys all seem to be broken, I guess I’ll have to take things into my own hands.” Standing up, Stein set his staff before him. “Shall we start with some cold?”

A chill settled over the raid as flakes of snow formed and fell from the air. Everyone started shivering as the temperature dropped rapidly below freezing. The spell applied a slow debuff to their attacks and a damage debuff that slowly ticked away at their life to everyone on the ground.

Alburet looked up and saw that the Imps were not being affected by the spell, being above where it started. “Bob,” Alburet chattered, “Fire Bursts above the raid. See if the heat will cancel out the chill.”

Bob cast a Fire Burst, causing a small steam explosion when the cold air was suddenly superheated. Those under it flinched, but the warm air that hit them made them hopeful. “Okay, I’ll coordinate with the others,” Bob said as BJ launched the next Fire Burst.

“Damnable Infernals,” Stein growled, eyeing the minions above the chill. “Maybe I should focus on you first.”

“We’ll be through the barrier a minute after the next health drop,” Gerald informed the Guild over the Raidstone. “If you don’t have any potions left, you need to get out of the area of effect of whatever spell Stein has going. Healers, prioritize as best you can and remember to top off with mana potions. Summoners, keep your Succubi on standby if they have the healing ability. The King and Ambassadors have priority for healing.”

“We’ll handle it. You need to focus on that barrier,” Marysue replied.

With the Imps disrupting his Ice Age and the raid refusing to back down, Stein started to get irritated. “Why must you all flail so hard!? Just lay down and die,” Stein spat. Slamming his staff into the ground, the Ice Age spell vanished. “Let’s see how you do without your helpers.” Raising his staff high, Stein slammed it down hard enough to crack the stone his throne rested on. “Now let’s see how you’ll fare.” Taking his seat again, Stein smirked at them.

Every healer suddenly found themselves unable to cast healing spells. Panic mounted quickly, before Tyr spoke over the Raidstones. “Calm down, it will pass. Just make sure to have your potions ready, and if you don’t have any potions, do your best to take no damage until the healers are able to join back in.”

They kept attacking the barrier, knowing the next countdown was coming quickly. Marysue was keeping track of the time, all the while trying to get one of her healing spells to cast.

“Any idea how long you’re locked for?” Gerald asked.

“No, we have no debuff or anything to give us a clue,” Marysue replied. “Thirty seconds.”

The seconds ticked by with the raid doing everything they could to bring down the barrier, but as the thirty seconds passed, they knew they weren’t going to make it.

“Good, time for fun again,” Stein grinned. “Three seconds.”

Those three seconds seemed to crawl by, but when the count came to an end, the raid was left on three percent health, and a dozen members fell over dead, coming back as Stein’s Children.

Potions were chugged by those that still had them, but lots of people were left trying to get away from the newly risen mobs, not having potions to heal themselves with. The King and the other Ambassadors drank their own potions, barely slowing their attack on the barrier.

“Finally,” Marysue shouted as her Halo went off, catching a number of the new undead and even more of the wounded raid members. “We’re back in business.”

That small delay had cost another few people their lives; they hadn’t been able to get away from Stein’s Children. As healing started coming in, the raid turned on the undead, cutting them down.

“Pity. I had hoped for more,” Stein chuckled. “Ah well, it does look like your attempts at stopping me will fail.”

“You will die today,” Tyr stated grimly as his sword smashed into the barrier again and again.

“I very much doubt it, even if you do manage to drop my barrier,” Stein said.

When the mobs fell, the healers made sure that everyone was healed to full. The next hit would drop them all to two percent life, and they didn’t want to lose another member. Marysue kept an eye on the barrier as she counted down, shaking her head when she clearly saw they wouldn’t be in time.

“Slow the damage,” Marysue said over the Raidstone. “We can’t make this one, and if we keep going as we are, we won’t have time to heal before it drops.”

Tyr grimaced but agreed with her. Using the command Raidstone, he told the entire raid, “Slow your attacks. Go at half, be ready for the next hit, and let the healers to do their jobs. Once we’re healthy, we will break the barrier.”

“Oh, are you giving up?” Stein laughed as he watched their attacks slow. “How wonderful for me. I promise to owe a favor if one of you turns on the King. I’ll even spare one of your races if it’s one of you,” he added to the Ambassadors.

“He can’t hear us over the Raidstones,” Tyr said. “Keep all important communication to the channel.”

“Time for fun again,” Stein laughed when the timer expired. “Two seconds this time.”

The healers were ready, so no one died, infuriating Stein. Seeing his anger brought the raid some joy as they renewed their attack on the barrier.

“My barrier might fall, but I won’t go down so easily,” Stein snarled as he got back to his feet.

Tyr’s attacks came faster as the health of the barrier dwindled. “For my friend, for my country, and for Justice!” Tyr shouted when the barrier shattered.

“Fool,” Stein smirked as his staff came down and a wave of super chilled air washed over the raid. Everyone within thirty feet of Stein froze solid, stopping the others from getting to him quickly. “Time to die, Justiceson.”

Alburet had gone airborne a few seconds before the barrier fell. Seeing Stein advance on Tyr, he dismissed Tiny, resummoning the Destroyer Lord in front of the King. “Stop him for me, Tiny.”

Stein frowned, his eyes going to Alburet with an amused laugh, “An Infernal? Have you learned nothing, boy?” A black beam shot out from Stein’s staff to strike Tiny in the chest.

The beam didn’t land. TW took the strike as Alburet had managed to Copy Tiny just in time. “Yeah, you seem easy to predict,” Alburet said as he flew down.

“Pathetic,” Stein snapped as he ignored the attempts to stun him by TJ and Tiny. Twin beams shot out, engulfing both Destroyers, banishing them from the world. “Now as I was saying… again?”

Violet managed to summon her Destroyer and his Copy, Theo and Dore, in front of Stein, again making him pause. “Get him boys, for me.”

Shaking his head, twin beams again banished both Infernals. “Foolish simpletons.”

“I disagree,” Alburet said, landing in front of Stein as the last two Infernals vanished.

“You think you can challenge me without a weapon?” Stein laughed as his staff blurred toward Alburet.

“No, he only had to delay you,” Tyr said, suddenly beside Alburet, his shield intercepting the attack. “My thanks to your Imp.”

“Glad to be of service,” Bob called down, his Fire Blast hitting Stein. “Damn, he’s immune to fire.”

“Of course I am,” Stein spat as he stepped back, deflecting Tyr’s attacks. “I think all of you minions should go now.” With a snarl, the staff released a wave of energy and each minion it touched— Infernal, Angel, or undead— vanished from the world. “Now that the pests are gone, we can finish this,” Stein said, no longer retreating even when more of the raid members surged toward him.

Stein was losing health at a rapid pace. He was doing his best to hold off the raid, which wasn’t too hard considering how few people could attack him at once. For every attack on him, his attacker took a tenth of it back themselves, forcing the tanks and damage dealers to rotate out.

“Time for fun,” Stein spat suddenly. “One second.”

“Damn it,” Marysue snapped, having thought that phase was over. “Area heals! Quickly!” She used her Divine Heal on Tyr, who had stepped back to heal up, bringing him to full life just before the entire raid lost ninety-nine percent of their lives.

“Hurry,” Marysue commanded the healers, “area healing! We need to save as many as possible.”

The healers had all been focused on individual healing, so they were not ready for the sudden massive life loss across the raid. A dozen more fell, joined by another handful before the healers could get those closest to Stein out of danger. The dead again came back as Stein’s Children, and were held off by pockets of the raid group.

Some of tanks had fallen during that last attack, leaving just a few to handle the rest of the fight. Gerald stepped forward into that void, flanked by Karen and Fluff, who had been waiting for their turns right behind him. Alburet, seeing his friends and family now on the front line, felt his heart clench as his fear surged.

“Alpha Company... Ophelia said much about you. Let’s see if she was right,” Stein said, ignoring the others starting to crowd around him again.

Gerald didn’t bother wasting words, taunting Stein and attacking. Karen and Fluff were to either side of Gerald, their blades and claws flashing as they sought to help bring down the boss before his next life depletion could go off.

The next minute seemed to flash by. Alburet had to retrieve his axe from where it had fallen, his spells useless against Stein. By the time he returned to the fight, Gerald and the others had switched out, but their health was not going up quickly. The healers were low on mana potions and had to prioritize anyone who was actively fighting Stein.

As the last thirty seconds before the next health depletion came, Tyr again came face-to-face with Stein. This time, Stein wasn’t taunting anyone, his face a rictus of hate.

Alburet glanced at Stein’s health bar and his breath caught in his throat. “We’re going to make it.”

Stein, Calamity’s Chosen (Level ???)

1,137/20,000,000 Health

325,643/500,000 Mana

Broken Class, Twisted Mind, Calamity’s Taint

“Die, and be forgotten,” Tyr snarled, his sword taking the last points of life from Stein.

Chapter Fifty-six

As the cheer went up from the raid, Alburet felt a twisting in his gut. Seeing Tyr turn to speak, Alburet dove, grabbing the King and flying him away. Tyr yelled, but the sudden explosion of energy where Stein had been silenced him. Looking down, the two of them could see the bodies of those that had been too close, now twisted and getting jerkily to their feet, while an oily black bubble rose from the ground, encasing Stein’s body.

“Death will not stop me, fools,” Stein grated. “All you’ve done is delay my eventual rise to godhood. First, I’ll kill you and use your bodies to replenish my children.”

“We got these, but what are we going to do about him?” Gerald called out from below as he led the attack on Stein’s Broken Children.

“Bring me down. We need to wipe out those unfortunate few before we can do anything about Stein,” Tyr told Alburet.

Alburet put Tyr down beside Gerald, then flew up toward Stein’s bubble. His axe hit the bubble and rebounded like it had hit concrete. “Always afraid, having to hide behind barriers? How sad for you.”

“That’s because Calamity is changing me. Soon, I shall be ready to fight you again; I’ll be bigger, better, and stronger than before.”

Alburet snorted at the line, “The million soul man?”

“Impertinent whelp. I was kind to you before because you found my book, but now... now, I shall no longer be kind.”

“Bring it, caterpillar,” Alburet said, swinging his axe into the bubble again.

“So funny to see a minionless Summoner think he can be a threat,” Stein laughed mockingly. “Now it is time to show you what real power can do.” The bubble burst, pushing Alburet back. Floating in the air was what had been Stein.

“Damn, you got real ugly, real fast,” Alburet said.

Held aloft on tattered black wings, a Skeleton with green flames for eyes and covered in the remnants of Stein’s robe glared at Alburet. “Flesh is transitory if you understand the barriers. Your flesh is a weakness that can be exploited, while my new body is devoid of such concerns.”

“We’re clear,” Gerald said over the Raidstone. “Can you get him down to us?”

“I’ll try,” Alburet replied.

A cluster of spells hit Stein, but he just shook his head. “Your spells won’t do what they should, not now that I’ve been empowered.”

“We’re only managing about ten percent of our regular damage,” one of the casters announced.

Alburet looked at Stein, squinting to pull up his info. He winced when he saw what they faced now. “Let’s see what I can do,” Alburet said as he dashed toward Stein.

Calamity’s Champion Stein (Level ???)

39,998,793/40,000,000 Health

∞ Mana

Broken Class, Twisted Mind, Calamity’s Empowerment

Stein just grinned when Alburet came for him, “Good... give in to death.”

Alburet slashed at Stein, but his axe was deflected by Stein’s staff. A skeletal hand shot out and grabbed him by the neck. “Urk,” Alburet managed to say as the bony fingers cut off his air supply.

“Fool, I’m empowered by Calamity. No matter what your pathetic gods have blessed you with, you will never be my match.”

“Focus on the wings! Bring him down,” Tyr announced over the Raidstone.

“Al,” Fluff shouted, her Leap carrying her up to him.

Stein ignored her as he watched Alburet’s life dropping rapidly from suffocation. “Die for me.”

Fluff grabbed Stein’s arm to keep herself aloft, her claws flashing out and striking the fingers holding Alburet hostage. “Let him go,” the growl was laced with her anger.

“I shall, once he dies. How is he healing?” Stein snapped. Alburet’s life was dropping and rebounding: he was losing ten percent a second due to suffocation, but it climbed right back up to the same level an instant later.

Fluff, not having any luck in damaging the fingers, gambled on a wild idea. “Please let this work,” she hissed as her claws dug into Alburet’s neck.

“Fool,” Stein laughed, “you’re killing him for me!”

Alburet’s life dropped under twenty percent, the extra damage from Fluff not immediately offset by the healing he was receiving. Eyes fluttering, he could see her snarl and the feel the fear in her. Bringing his hand up to her arm, he tried to give her a smile.

“Hang on, Al, I got you,” Fluff howled as she went through with her gamble.

Blood poured from Alburet’s neck as her claws cut through his flesh, coming to rest against Stein’s boney fingers. Using all her strength, she was just able to pry the fingers back from Alburet enough that he dropped free.

“Damn you,” Stein hissed as Fluff let go, falling as well.

Al was able to throw his arms around Fluff and spread his wings to slow their fall. The two of them landed hard, but without taking any more damage. Marysue started to cast another heal on Alburet, but his life was already well on its way to recovery. “Glad you got him free,” Marysue told Fluff, sending her the heal instead.

“Al... damn it, stop being reckless,” Karen said as she grabbed him and pulled him to his feet.

“Melee is a bad idea,” Alburet managed to rasp.

“My early plan was thwarted, but I have a back-up plan already in play,” Stein said from above the raid. “It’ll take longer this way, but I will accept it. I’ll leave you troublesome ones for last, so you can understand the futility of your actions.”

Stein pointed into the raid, and a startled yelp rang out as Leggylass was lifted into the air, encased in a bubble. “Help,” she yelled, pounding on the bubble.

“Leggy,” Ironhand yelled back and threw a trap at the bubble, but the explosion did nothing to harm it.

“Ah, love. How quaint,” Stein laughed, snapping his fingers. Leggylass’ yells cut off suddenly. “Until death do you part,” he said. More laughter followed when the bubble vanished and a body dropped into the raid.

Ironhand rushed forward to get to her. When he reached the area where she had landed, he realized it was not Leggylass, but a new creature standing up. “No! You fucking bastard,” Ironhand yelled, pulling his blade and attacking the Calamity’s Spawn.

The raid members nearby backed away from the oozy mass, a few looking sick as bits of bone or organ roiled to the surface of the creature. Black vapor drifted off it, and anyone who attacked it ended up with a debuff, slowing their attacks and draining one percent of their life every second.

While the healers tried to heal the people killing the new threat, the casters kept throwing spells at Stein. Every melee member of the raid that didn’t have a way to attack at range did what they could to assist with the Spawn, or gnashed their teeth and felt useless.

“Are you afraid to come down and face me, Stein? Coward,” Tyr stated, glaring at the floating Skeleton.

“Silence. You will be the last of those I target,” Stein laughed. With a wave of his hand, everyone near Tyr was suddenly silenced. “That’s better. The yipping of curs should be ignored.”

“Al, what do we do?” Karen asked, too far away to help Ironhand.

“What little we can,” Alburet said and started throwing Fire Blasts. “Throw anything at him. Every little bit will help.”

“I wonder,” Marysue murmured as she targeted Stein. She cast Healing Light, hitting Stein, and the Skeleton let out a roar of pain as the Light magic ripped into him. “He’s not getting reduced damage from Light magic,” Marysue told Gerald.

Stein looked down at the raid, scanning with eyes of green flame, “Who did that? Tell me and I’ll make your death quick! Refuse, and I’ll make your death even worse than the last wench’s.”

“I’m Spartacus,” Jaxton was the first to speak up.

“No, I’m Spartacus,” another raid member picked up.

“I’m Spartacus,” Blaze laughed.

More and more people joined in, and Stein seemed to lose his mind. “You think daring to hurt me is a laughing matter? Peasants, you shall know your place. I’ll start with the first one.”

Jaxton was encased in a bubble and started to lift off the ground. Everyone who could cast Light magic targeted the bubble. It shook, bursting as a bright golden light filled the center of it. Jaxton dropped to the ground, his life almost gone. Gasping, he uttered three words: “I... am Spartacus.”

“Worms, vermin, flies!” Stein shouted, grinding his teeth. “Fine. I shall hurt all of you, then continue with my plan.”

A cloud of green gas bubbled up from the ground, and everyone started coughing when the debuff hit them. Alburet and Marysue both went to the air and the debuff fell off them as they escaped the gas cloud, but everyone else was losing health. The gas covered the entire prison wing, so there was no escape from it. Stein nodded as he pointed at Jaxton again, encasing the Paladin once more in a bubble.

“Now let’s see you survive,” Stein sneered.

“Marysue, can you hit just his right wing with your best heal?” Alburet asked.

Nodding, Marysue looked at the bubble containing Jaxton with worry. “Yes, but I doubt that will be enough.”

“When I call for it, please,” Alburet said as he dove into the raid. Pulling both Fluff and Karen up with him, he whispered to them, “We are going to grab Stein’s left wing to try physically grounding him.”

They both nodded, clinging to him. Alburet flew low over the raid, staying just above the gas, his eyes trained on Stein. Stein was ignoring them, intently watching the bubble that held Jaxton.

The bubble burst and the next Calamity’s Spawn born of Jaxton fell on the raid. The newest Spawn attacked, the damage from it and the gas rapidly wearing away its target’s health.

“Who was the next to taunt me?” Stein laughed as he watched the raid struggle.

“How about us?” Karen said. The three of them hit Stein’s left wing, folding it down and in.

“Meddling insects,” Stein snarled just as a bolt of light tore into the other wing, making him close it reflexively.

The four of them hit the ground, injuring each of them. The people close to the impact quickly capitalized on Stein being down, laying into the Skeleton with every weapon they had. Fluff and Karen joined in, and Alburet went back into the air.

“You dare touch me!?” Stein roared as a wave knocked everyone near him away. “Where are you, rat?”

“Looking for me, asshole?” Alburet said from above the boss.

Eyes burning brighter, Stein went to leap into the air, only to have a dozen Berserkers led by Wildmane suddenly grabbing him. “Keep him here,” Wildmane growled out.

“Stupid cats,” Stein snarled as he grabbed the first and flung them a hundred feet away from him. “I have business to attend to.”

Alburet watched the fight and smiled when he realized the gas had dissipated, blown away by the knockback effect Stein had used. More people piled onto Stein as bodies went flying away. Everyone who latched onto him managed to inflict some damage before being thrown.

“Why do you fight the inevitable? You will all die meaninglessly,” Stein snarled. “Just lay down and die knowing that you will be used for a greater purpose.”

A minute after the first knockback, Stein snarled and everyone on or near him was pushed back again, giving him the chance to take to the air once more. “Now, where did he go?”

Chapter Fifty-seven

“Over here,” Alburet called out to Stein from the far side of the raid, standing among them. “Come and get me.”

“Oh, yes... you deserve special attention,” Stein snarled, hitting another player with the spell that encased them in a bubble. “Can’t forget the ones who thought they were being cute earlier, though.”

Alburet waited with a smirk as Stein flew at him. “You know what’s funny, boney?”

Stein didn’t talk. Instead, he slammed right into Alburet, only to find that Alburet was gone and Gerald stood in his place. “Keep up the pressure,” Gerald shouted as everyone nearby piled back onto Stein.

“It’s funny that you would chase me into my friends,” Alburet concluded from a few feet away, where he had been knocked back by Gerald’s Intervene.

Stein just growled as the raid held him down and took advantage of his being within reach. After a few seconds, bursts of flame hit everyone holding him down, forcing half of them to let go. Stein almost pulled free before more people could pile back onto him.

“Ten seconds,” Marysue called out, warning that a knockback was going to happen.

Alburet thought it was odd that this was a mechanic of the raid, considering that they had added a patch when his group had held an Orc way back near the beginning. It did make a certain amount of sense because otherwise, Stein would just stay flying above them. Alburet shook his head. There was probably another way of doing it, he just had not thought of it.

The knockback came and Stein was back in the air before enough people could get to him to keep him held down. Seething as he floated above them, Stein pointed to two people and both of them were suddenly encased in bubbles.

“If you think that pulling me down to your level is the way to victory, you are sorely mistaken,” Stein snarled. “I’ll just double your losses.”

“Then we shall bring you to the ground again,” Tyr shouted as golden chains shot out of the ground, wrapping around Stein and pulling him down again. “Now, everyone! Do your best,” Tyr shouted, holding onto his sword where it was planted in the ground.

“No!” Stein shouted and a wave of ice froze the twenty people closest to him in solid blocks. “Let me go! I will not fail! Not now, so close to the truth.” With every attempt Stein made to break out of the chains, Tyr’s sword slowly inched free of the ground.

Wildmane and the Berserkers— including Fluff— went over the frozen raid members to land beside Stein. “For my mate,” Wildmane growled as he attacked.

“For my loved ones,” Fluff declared, her claws shredding the robe and nicking the bones under them.

“Fools, love means nothing,” Stein hissed. “When you die, you will never know your loved ones again. No one reconnects in Delta World! All we’ve been told is lies.”

“No one will listen to a man who twists everything he touches,” Tyr said as he struggled to hold the sword in place.

Taking full advantage of the moment, anyone who could tore chunks of Stein’s life away. When someone went to help the King with his sword, he shook his head, telling them that he had to shoulder it alone.

The ice melted just before the sword ripped free of the ground. Stein knocked everyone back and tried to take to the air again. He found himself blocked by Alburet, who had been waiting in the air above him. Driving Stein back down to be grabbed and wrestled to the ground by the raid, Alburet laughed. His laughter died away when he realized Stein had just fallen under half life.

“Maybe I should change my tactics, then,” Stein hissed. “Know death.”

Alburet jerked back when the pain hit him. Flapping hard, he took to the air, watching his life drop by one percent every second. Looking back down, he watched everyone holding Stein wince in pain, and could see the same debuff on them.

Death’s Caress

Lose 1% of your life every second. If you die from this effect, you will become Calamity’s Spawn. This debuff cannot be removed.

“We’re on a timer,” Alburet said. “We’re not going to be able to keep up with the damage coming in if he keeps turning people.”

“Wonderful, isn’t it?” Stein laughed as people kept attacking him. “Let’s make some of your friends better.” Three of the people attacking Stein were suddenly encased in bubbles. With three fewer people on him, Stein was able to push himself upright. “That’s better. Now to continue this party.” His staff vanished, replaced by a pair of daggers that he put to work.

“Damn it,” Ironhand hissed as he backed out of combat only seconds after getting close enough to use his own weapons. “Unstaunchable Wound? A damned bleed on top of the other debuff? This is bad.”

“Keep pushing,” Tyr commanded as he pushed toward the front. “We can do this! Fight! Fight for your city, fight for your friends, fight for your loved ones!”

King’s Plea

Damage increased by 10%. Every minute this buffs stays active, the King will lose 10% of his maximum health.

“If you group up, we can heal easier, but then you’ll also become easier targets for Stein,” Marysue said. “Anyone not directly able to hurt him, group up. Everyone else, break away and join a group when you can.”

Shifting with the fight, they dug in, killing the Calamity’s Spawn that rose and doing what they could against Stein. The healers were starting to feel the pinch badly now, as they were running low on mana potions. Stein would target more people every minute or two and turn them into Spawn, forcing the raid to kill the adds to minimize the additional damage they were taking.

The fight became more and more chaotic as time ticked on. Stein shifted weapons, going from daggers to a two-handed sword, then to sword and shield. The healers were starting to panic; time kept moving as their mana was depleted and many had run out of potions. Over a hundred people died during the last minute when the debuffs finally started claiming lives. The dead mutated into Calamity’s Spawn, forcing those still alive to fight off the new mobs.

Stein’s health finally hit zero, and an ear splitting scream echoed over the battlefield. All of the Calamity’s Spawn melted into puddles and vanished, leaving loot bags behind. The scant hundred survivors looked at each other and wondered why combat hadn’t ended.

Marysue, Brightlight, and the three other healers left were frantically digging through their bags, pulling out the very last mana potions they had. Several people started healing themselves, using potions that had been held in reserve. The debuffs were still active and their health was still dropping.

“No... why won’t it end?” Tyr panted as his life ebbed further.

“Sire, drink this,” Ioaniss said, handing him a potion.

Tyr took the offered potion and downed it, only to see Ioaniss sit heavily. “What did you do?” Tyr asked in horror.

“Saved the Crown, sire,” Ioaniss said as his life dipped under ten percent.

“Drink this, Jones,” Alburet said, handing off his last healing potion, his health sitting at full.

“Give it to Tyr,” Ioaniss said, pushing the bottle away.

“No,” Alburet said as he uncorked it. “The King needs you.” He pushed the bottle at Jones again. “Drink it and finish this beside your friend.”

“Finish what?” Jones grumbled as he drank the potion, regaining most of his health.

“You miserable insects,” Stein’s voice sounded ghostly as a Spirit floated up from where he had died. “Now I will see the last of you dead.”

“Fucker just won’t die,” Karen said as her life continued to diminish.

Marysue downed a mana potion and hit Stein with her Divine Heal. “No. Nobody stands in the way of what I want.”

“Hit him with healing,” Brightlight cried out as she cast her own healing spell.

“Fools! Killing me means killing him,” Stein laughed as he hit Tyr, vanishing into the King.

“Kill me,” Tyr choked out, his sword vanishing from his hand. “We can’t waste healing trying to drive him out.”

“No,” Gerald said. Tyr’s body shuddered and Stein began to laugh from inside of it. “We’ll save you the old-fashioned way,” Gerald said as he Ground Stomped.

Tyr’s body locked up when the stun took effect and Stein was ejected from it. “I see now why my bride hated you so much,” Stein seethed as he was hit by another healing spell.

“We have that effect on people,” Karen murmured, wobbling on shaky legs.

“All healing on Stein,” Ioaniss ordered. “If you’re injured, wait until you fall below ten percent before asking for a heal.” Reloading his crossbow, Ioaniss glared at the Spirit. “Your reign of terror ends now.”

“Fine. If I can’t have the King first, I’ll take him,” Stein shouted as the Spirit went into Alburet.

“Wait,” Fluff yelled as one of the tanks started for him. “He’ll be fine.”

Not even a second later, Stein was ejected from Alburet’s body as his health reset to full. “What? How is that possible?”

“Love makes everything possible,” Alburet smirked, reaching out and touching Stein with Demonic Vitality.

Floating backward away from Alburet, Stein caught sight of the bracelet he wore. “I see... it’s a Heartstone. Where is the little bit—”

“That is my friend,” Marysue snapped, her frosty voice colder than Antarctica. “I’ll not have you use that language in regards to her.” Her healing spell hit the Spirit a moment later.

“Fools! You’ll never stop me,” Stein hissed as he rushed back at Tyr, who had come out of the stun.

“No,” Mantoya said. He stepped into Stein’s path and the Spirit vanished into his body. “You killed my father. I’m prepared to die.”

The Two-souled winced at the phrasing, watching the last bit of health fade from Mantoya. “No! You troublesome gnats just need to lay down and die,” Stein raged from inside the Captain’s body for a few seconds before Mantoya pitched over dead, the debuffs finally claiming his life.

“Kill the Spawn,” Blaze said to his few remaining Delvers. “We can’t let them overcome us while we deal with Stein.”

“More of you will join me soon,” Stein said, floating up from the corpse.

“We’re holding our own,” Marysue said, using Halo to at least temporarily save the most injured raid members. “Now we’ll whittle you down more.”

“Priests are always so certain that they can decide who lives and dies,” Stein seethed. “Maybe you need to be next.” Stein matched action to his words, his form blurring as it went over the raid and right at Marysue.

“No, she’s mine,” Gerald said, his Intervene again saving an ally from harm but costing him his body.

Fluff gnashed her teeth; her Crown’s ability was still on cooldown, so she wouldn’t be able to save Gerald. Karen rushed at Gerald, determined to do what had to be done as her own life was now under fifteen percent.

“No,” Marysue whispered as Gerald turned to look at her. “Gerald, why?”

“You always come first,” Gerald choked out. “Kill me. You need to finish this.”

Karen was the first one there, her blades digging into the gaps in his armor, the poisons taking hold in his body and crippling it. “I’ll do it for you,” Karen said, looking at Marysue.

Stepping back, Marysue’s face hardened and she nodded, “Thank you, Karen.”

Stein fled Gerald’s body as the poison paralyzed it. Without warning, Stein spun on Karen and possessed her.

“Bastard,” Alburet hissed as he rushed at Karen, grabbing her when she dropped her weapons.

“It’s okay, Al. We just need you to live,” Karen managed to say.

“Need you to live, do they?” Stein laughed from Karen’s body. “How sweet.”

“We don’t have much time left,” Blaze said as Ulula and Maree from his group died and came back as Calamity’s Spawn.

“I’ve got you,” Fluff murmured as she ripped Karen’s throat out.

“Killing your own lover?” Stain laughed as he left Karen’s dead body. A handful of healing spells and Abilities hit him, turning his laughter into a scream of pain. “Oh no, we’re not done yet. I’ll at least finish what was started long ago.” Stein’s Spirit went back to Tyr, entering him before anyone else could act.

No one was close enough to stun the King, so Ioaniss threw a foam trap at Tyr’s feet, though he knew that alone wasn’t going to free him from Stein. “Kill me,” Tyr said as his sword, which he had just used to kill another Spawn, vanished from his hand.

“Yes, kill me,” Stein laughed as he started to throttle the body he possessed.

“What do we do now?” Hammerhand asked, his own life now fading now that he had no more potions left.

“As he asked,” Ioaniss said, drawing a dagger.

Tyr’s lips pulled back in a smile as Stein stared right at Ioaniss, not stopping his attempt to strangle the King.

Before Ioaniss could strike, Fluff hit Tyr with her full fury. Her claws flashed, sending blood flying as she tore into the King. “I’ll kill you for making me kill her.” Everyone froze for a moment at the sheer fury Fluff displayed.

Wildmane joined her, knocking Ioaniss aside with his Wild Charge. “We will end this for you.”

Ioaniss bowed his head, saying a prayer as he put the dagger away and drew out his crossbow, loaded with the last few bolts he had left. “May Justice hold you close.”

Tyr fell and the buff from the King faded. Everyone felt the loss keenly except for the few who knew the secret.

Rising high above Tyr’s corpse, Stein was laughing, “Finally! The Crown has been forced from his family’s line.”

“No, his wife and child still live,” Ioaniss said.

“My chosen in the Lunari will finish them before the night ends,” Stein laughed. “I shall claim my reward for finishing my quest, after so very long.”

“Your chosen were sniffed out and killed,” Wildmane snarled. “We killed them all after the Pride Leader was injured.”

Stein stopped laughing, “No…”

“Yes,” Marysue said as her next heal slammed into Stein.

“Besides, I’m not dead,” Tyr said as he climbed back to his feet.

Stein spun to stare at Tyr, “How?!”

“I have friends and allies, something you have always lacked,” Tyr said.

With only a few dozen people left alive— most of them with well under twenty percent health— the three remaining healers hit Stein with their most powerful heals, finally pulling the last fragment of life from the Spirit.

“No! I was promised immortality…” Stein yelled as his Spirit broke apart and faded away. A massive chest appeared in front of the King, the darkness that had occluded the sky vanishing.

“For you, Justice,” Tyr whispered and took a knee next to the chest.

Chapter Fifty-eight

“Sire, the undead have lost cohesion,” Roberto reported over the Raidstone. “We should be able to finish up in the next hour or less.”

“Very good, Commander,” Tyr said softly as he touched the chest.

With a burst of light, the chest vanished and the sound of Angels and bells filled the air. People began to talk excitedly as they pulled items out of bags.

Alburet looked to the Graveyard, where raid members were finally respawning. Barely aware of what he was doing, he Summoned Stacia to him. When she appeared beside him, Alburet crushed her to his chest and kissed her passionately. The kiss lingered until Fluff spoke up.

“May I say hello to her, Al?” Fluff asked.

Breaking the kiss, Alburet nodded, “Sorry, didn’t mean to monopolize her.”

“She did keep you alive,” Karen said, grabbing Al, spinning him to her and claiming his lips.

When that kiss broke, Alburet was kissed by Fluff while Karen took Stacia. Accepting the love from each other equally, they finally stopped trading kisses when Gerald coughed.

“I know you could do that all day, but the King would like to talk with you,” Gerald said. “I’m going to take the others to help mop up the undead. Tomorrow night, we’re going to hold a party for the testers who are leaving and welcome the new arrivals.”

“Did you finish your quest?” Marysue asked before anyone moved.

Quest Completed: A Deal with the Overlord.

Rewards: The full truth and a boon from the Overlord.

A new god has ascended.

Mother has taken her place beside the Dark Lord. She will no longer walk the world, nor aid the followers of the Dark Lord as she has in the past.

Alctriuz Prison Cleared!

The Prison of Alctriuz has been cleared by a coalition of every nation plus the Two-souled.

Stein has been destroyed and the Final Death is no longer a guarantee.

This day every year shall be celebrated in Stormguard!

Clear Alctriuz Prison.

For taking part in the Alctriuz Prison Raid, you will receive rewards from the Crown of Stormguard. Pay attention over the next few days to find out where and when the rewards will be given out.

Revered by all Nations.

Alpha Company and Delvers Inc. are now Revered or Respected by every nation for their heroic and steadfast aid in slaying Stein.

Alburet looked at the notifications, “Yeah, we did it.”

“I hope we can have a private dinner before you go,” Marysue said before she took Gerald’s arm. “Come on, Gerald. We have work to do.”

“When will she contact you?” Karen asked.

“Probably tonight,” Alburet replied.

“Karen… about killing you—” Fluff began.

“It’s fine, Fluff,” Karen said, taking her arm. “You did what I wanted done. It was better than having him control me any longer.”

“I was worried the whole time,” Stacia said as they approached Tyr, Ioaniss, Vladimir, Wilbur, and Roberto.

“You weren’t able to watch?” Alburet asked. “I thought the Dark Lord was watching us somehow along with Justice and the others?”

“Aye, they were, but they could nay share it with the rest of us,” Stacia replied.

“How many healers did they have on you?” Fluff asked.

“Thirty-three,” Stacia replied. “Every one they could gather, from the lowest levels up to a few in the low nineties.”

“Mother really did help us out,” Karen said. “The ring probably wouldn’t have done what we needed it to, but it did save Tyr… You were right to do what you did, Al.”

“I’ll treasure this moment,” Alburet said, holding back a smile. “Not many men can say they got their wife to agree they were right.”

Rolling her eyes, Karen snorted, “I’ll make you pay for that later.”

“Hopefully for the rest of my life,” Alburet said softly.

“Aye.”

“Sire, you wished to see me?” Alburet asked when they reached the outer ring of guards around Tyr.

“Let him in,” Roberto ordered.

“Darkhand, Ladies,” Tyr said, smiling at them, “I need to thank you. Without this ring, I wouldn’t have survived.” Tyr held the ring out to Alburet.

Alburet motioned Tyr to keep it, “No, keep it, Sire. I’ll tell you a secret not many others know. I won’t be here for much longer, and am unlikely to ever come back to Alpha World.”

Tyr’s smile vanished, “That is troubling, considering the debt I owe you.”

“I have two requests that might help ease the debt you think is owed,” Alburet said. When Tyr motioned for him to go on, Alburet continued, “Make House Darkhand a noble house of Stormguard. My sister in-law, Marian, has already been declared my successor. The other is to let Lilith Crowley take over as Ambassador of the Dark Lord.”

“I would say his requests are good ones,” Ioaniss murmured.

“Very well, but that is not enough to repay you for my life,” Tyr agreed.

A corner of Alburet’s mouth twitched as he thought of another idea. “Sire, I will suggest that Heart’s Light, while being dedicated to Justice and Peace, might not have Stormguard’s best wishes at the forefront of their agenda. Delvers and Alpha Company have shown they will do what needs to be done for the Crown and not rush in to kill the end boss on their own.”

Tyr’s lips thinned, but he nodded minutely. “Jones and Dracon have already made that point. I shall make the three Guilds equal in the eyes of the Crown. Any more than that might upset the citizenry.”

“Thank you, Sire,” Alburet said, bowing from the waist.

“Very well. We shall finish this up. In two days, a Convocation will be called and I ask that you be ready to attend.”

“Barring unforeseen issues arising, I’ll be there,” Alburet replied.

“Thank you again, Alburet,” Tyr said, turning to Roberto. “Get started on the logistics of setting up a Keep near the first graveyard. I want to make sure this place is watched.”

As Alburet led his wives away, the family felt a weight fall off their shoulders. Alburet looked at the fading sun and smiled. “Should we go home, have a good meal, and turn in for the evening?”

“What about the undead?” Karen smirked.

“I’ve killed enough for today,” Alburet shrugged.

“I think a bath sounds lovely and should come before the meal,” Fluff opined.

“Aye, ya be havin’ the gist of it,” Stacia nodded. “I can be lettin’ Loralee know we be comin’ home and to make sure dinner be kept warm for us.”

“Who am I to stand in their way?” Karen snickered.

“I’m certainly not going to,” Alburet grinned as he pulled out his Homestone.

“Mayhap we should invite me sisters and Ma’ over for dinner,” Stacia suggested. “I be sure they be wantin’ to hear about what happened.”

“That’s fine,” Alburet said. “See you two at home,” Alburet winked at Fluff and Karen.

“We’ll be waiting,” Karen replied.

“But don’t keep us waiting long,” Fluff added.

Alburet let Stacia finish sending messages before he used his own Homestone to bring them home. Appearing outside the manor, they saw Fluff and Karen still there, speaking with Tiny, Bob, Bezzle, and the other Infernals.

“Tiny, Bob, thank you both,” Alburet said when he saw them.

“It is our duty, master,” Tiny rumbled, the smile on his face wide and proud.

“I was hoping to be there at the end,” Bob shrugged. “Guess you learned to survive without me?”

“Could have used you,” Alburet said. “I’ll never forget the guy who has two thumbs and saved my ass on day one, though.”

“This guy,” Bob smiled as he hooked both thumbs back at his chest.

“Damned right,” Alburet chuckled.

“We told them the basics,” Fluff said. “Bezzle has asked to sit in at dinner to hear the whole story.”

“Bob, do you and Tiny want to join the family meal?” Alburet asked. “We can use the big dining room so all your wives can attend.”

“I am honored, master,” Tiny said.

“Sweet. Loralee will be thrilled,” Bob bounced in place.

“Then we should go get ready,” Karen said as she took Fluff’s arm. “It’ll be a bit yet. We need to clean up first.”

Bob snickered, “Right?”

“I’ve always liked you, Bob. You’ve always understood me,” Karen laughed as she guided Fluff to the manor door.

“For the rest of you,” Alburet said, addressing the throng of Infernals, “Final Deaths are no longer certain. Spend the night with your family and pray for those who aren’t here anymore.”

“Sir,” the Infernals all said in unison, bowing their heads, a few with tears in their eyes.

“Come now, Asthore. We be needin’ to join our wives,” Stacia said, pulling him along.

Alburet shook his head and let her take him inside. “I love you, Stacia.”

“Aye, and I ya and our wives, just as ya do.”

~*~*~

The bath took well over an hour with Alburet and his wives celebrating completing their quest. By the time they made it downstairs, everyone else was there, including Gerald, Marysue, Dennis, and Emily.

The rest of the evening was spent retelling the raid and explaining the boons Alburet had requested from the King. Marian and Violet were shocked into silence, while Lilith began to gently weep.

“Ma’?” Stacia asked softly.

“It’s fine, dear. I’m just reminded how much your husband cares for all of us. It was something I knew, but I had to convince your father of. This just brought the memories back again.” Wiping the tears away, Lilith nodded. “If the Dark Lord asks it of me, I shall do as you ask, son. I still need to help young Lord Stoutheart learn how to be the noble his mother would wish him to be.”

A knock came at the door and one of the maids stuck her head in. “Sorry to interrupt, but there’s a messenger here from the Dark Lord.”

A pang of sadness hit Alburet, “Show them in.”

The maid stepped aside and a Succubus entered. “Lord Darkhand, Ladies Darkhand, and guests, I am sorry to intrude. Mother sent me in her place. The Dark Lord would like to see you in the next day or two.”

“I’ll attend when called,” Alburet replied. “Please tell Mother—”

The Succubus held up her hand, cutting him off. “Mother told me to stop you there, Lord. This day has been delayed for ages. She knew in time, it would happen. Mother holds no ill will toward you and hopes you will smile when you see her next.”

Bowing his head, Alburet sighed. “Very well. Tell the Dark Lord and Lady that I’ll come the day after tomorrow. King Justiceson will be holding a Convocation that morning.”

“I shall let them know,” the Succubus curtsied before leaving the room.

“That is a blessing and a bane,” Lilith said softly. “Mother did so much, and yet we all know how it hurt her not being his equal. She waited a long time to give him his long held desire of being his counterpart as Peace is to Justice.”

The mood was muted when the party ended. After seeing their guests out, the family eventually made their way to the bedroom. The banter and fun from earlier was absent as they climbed into bed. They could all feel a rising tension as the three ladies cuddled up to Alburet.

“It’ll be fine,” Alburet told them, even though he was worried, too. “I’m sure it’ll just be a brief chat. Vicky won’t be whisking me away tonight.”

“She damned well better not,” Karen said.

“She won’t,” Fluff said, her tension easing some. “I know you dislike her, Karen, but she cares about our wellbeing.”

“She be the Overlord,” Stacia said simply. “We can nay stop her, and our fears be a burden to our husband.”

Karen breathed out slowly. “Fine, I’ll try not to worry as much.”

“I love you all,” Alburet said, squeezing the hands that rested on him.

“Let me be helpin’ us find sleep,” Stacia murmured. “Tha’ mayhap be for the best.” Her song was soft, but soon, the other three all drifted into a peaceful slumber. Once they had fallen asleep, Stacia clutched Alburet’s arm tightly, “Hurry back, Asthore.”

Chapter Fifty-nine

“I completed the quest,” Seamus smiled at Victoria.

“And saved the King,” Victoria smiled back.

“Your words were prophetic, it seems.”

“Those weren’t my words,” Victoria’s smile grew wider. “Those were Alvin’s words. He recorded them beforehand, thinking that you might ask to speak with him.”

“Alvin always was a little faster than either David or me on some things.”

“I have submitted your request to allow Julia and Karen into the advance Delta World testing. I should have an answer back in a day or two. I’m curious, though... how did the raid feel to you?”

“Big and expansive. Using the gods’ help might have been a bit much,” Seamus said, sitting back as he thought back on the raid. “That might be a point of contention later, the fact that we had to have the help of the gods to even have a chance. Benedict is probably furious that his Guild was wiped out. How did that happen?”

Victoria shook her head, “I’m not going to answer that. I will simply say that they were not prepared for the Faceless.”

“I’m not sure anyone was,” Seamus said with a shiver. “I’m glad I was immune. I’m not sure I could have taken what I might have seen otherwise, considering what Fluff saw. Why was she even affected? I thought her Crown made her immune like me.”

“No,” Vicky sighed. “Wording is important. The Crown of the Tiger Queen made her immune to mind control only. Your immunity was to mind altering effects.”

“Oh… seems like a fine line, but the wording on equipment is important. What will happen with Bastet? If Fluff is allowed to go with me, her Champion will be gone.”

“She has other options available.”

A moment of silence stretched between them, Alburet waiting to see if she would continue. “Well, looks like that’s all you’re going to give away.”

“Indeed.”

“How do you balance the mind control and other effects against player well-being?”

“It’s been a problem. With mind control in the game at all, there is a fine line. That’s why most of those effects will be diluted or removed. The Faceless proved more problematic than they should have. I wasn’t expecting so many people to be unable to attack them.”

“No more Faceless, then?”

“No, they won’t be in the repeatable raid at all.”

“Alctriuz is going to be repeatable?”

“Of course, but at a much easier level than what you faced. It will be the cultists trying to resurrect Dimitry and Stein.”

“I hope that isn’t a real possibility.”

“It should be, but it won’t happen. They will fail even if the players fail to kill them. A static loop will be applied; the NPCs involved will never remember being killed multiple times.”

“Tell me one of them is Skippy, please.”

Victoria’s lips twitched, but she shook her head, “I cannot say.”

A moment of silence stretched between them as Seamus wondered if it was worth trying to push for more. Shaking his head, he gave up and moved the conversation forward. “What about the explanation you promised?” Seamus asked.

“Not yet,” Victoria said. “I think it would be better once we know if the others are allowed to go with you.”

“If I promise not to drop any hints, can you at least tell me what I’m going to miss here?”

“A couple of wars, and the Dragons,” Victoria smiled.

“Lunari versus the Lunine, that’s pretty obvious.... but the war with the Elves is going to be them against a combined Vermin and Troll force?”

“No, that war will split into a three-way struggle,” Victoria said.

“Huh, sounds pretty straight forward, considering what we just went through.”

“It’s not, but do I have your promise?”

“Of course.”

“Players will be given quests to side with one faction or the other with the Lunari and Lunine. Players who side with the Lunine will get a leg up for the next war featuring the three-sided war. The events leading up to the war will see Lunine conversing with adventurers instead of fighting them all the time. Quests with unique rewards and the addition of crafting will be available.”

“The Lunine will give access to crafting?”

“To start with. The Lunari will get the option to open it to adventurers, as well. Special patterns will be offered from each faction at Respected and Revered. Siding with the Lunine will drop a player’s standing with the other factions, but the quests the Lunine give will show the Lunari in an unflattering light, prompting the other factions to hold back. It’ll open up dialogue with the Lunine, and the Infernals being given a chance will be the argument for the Lunine.”

“Fuck.”

“Once that war is decided either way, there will be a lull much like there will be now. When the Elven War starts, several things will vary depending on how the last war went. The Lunine will be more likely to side with the Trolls or Vermin if the Lunari win, but if the Elves hold back too long, the Lunari will return that slight.”

“A lot of PvP in there I think,” Seamus said.

“Of course, but Final Deaths won’t be a given. They will be as they were until the War reaches its crescendo. Stein planted seeds with the Lunine, Trolls, Vermin, and Dragons. During pivotal moments, the leaders of those factions will be in danger of dying as Tyr was.”

“The Dragons will be the last raid event?”

“A Dragon Tyrant will rise to power, worse than normal because it is the Dragon Tyrant Lich that Stein was teaching. It escaped just before you all arrived at Alctriuz.”

Feeling the weight of what he had just been told and was now unable to tell others, Seamus sighed. “If I break my promise?”

“Then my boon to you will be voided,” Victoria said gently.

“Well, that makes sure I’ll stay quiet.”

“Every action should be balanced by an equal repercussion. Benedict found that out when he tried to rush in to kill Stein.”

“I bet he is pissed…” Seamus trailed off, recalling that he hadn’t seen any of Heart’s Light after Stein died.

Victoria shook her head, “I believe he will be there tomorrow for the Convocation.”

“That might get interesting,” Seamus chuckled.

“I do have a request to pass on to you,” Victoria said slowly. “Julia has asked that she and Karen be allowed to see your body when they are removed from their pods.”

Seamus bowed his head and considered it. Silence stretched for a long moment before he sighed. “I don’t know why it means that much to them, but I’m okay with it.”

“Part of it is that they want to see the man they love, even if you are unconscious and hooked to a machine. I wouldn’t be surprised if they asked to marry you at some point.”

“That can’t even be possible.”

“It is entirely possible,” Victoria responded. “As is the chance of your sentence being reduced if you filed the right paperwork, especially now that we have proof you were not in your right mind at the time of the killing.”

Seamus vigorously shook his head, “No. The DoJ would pull me from the program if I did that.”

“They might, but I have assurances that you would be allowed to remain in our private program if you wished to help us with our tests.”

“I…” Seamus faltered. “I don’t know what to say or think about that.”

“If and when you decide, I will be ready to speak with you and help you, Seamus.”

“Even in Delta World?”

“Even in Delta World,” Victoria said softly. “If your sentence was commuted and you joined our private program, you would have a private room… well, hopefully private for you and your wives, where you could keep your friends closer to you.” Kaylee’s urn on the mantle was joined by another, bearing David’s name.

Heart breaking, tears welled in his eyes but Seamus held them back. “You’re not fucking with me, are you, Vicky?”

“I would never joke in any way about this, Seamus. This will be your choice. I do warn you that if you do, you would end up having to step away for a time to deal with the few court appearances and such that would be necessary. That does mean Stacia would be without you for a bit of time. I want to make sure you know all the problems that will be before you.”

Seamus rubbed his face, getting his feelings back under control. “Fucking gods, that is… I don’t even…”

“Why don’t we play a game?” Victoria suggested as her desk suddenly held a collection of games. “It might help you distance the question a bit.”

“Maybe I should go home,” Seamus said.

“If that is your wish,” Victoria said, but her voice held a touch of disappointment.

Looking up, he caught sight of her frown. “A quick game, for old times’ sake.”

“Thank you. I find I’m going to miss these moments more than I had thought I would,” Victoria said.

“I did have a question,” Seamus said as he picked up a cribbage board and set the pegs.

“What is it?” Victoria asked. The other games vanished from her desk.

“When is the next patch?”

“In a week,” Victoria chuckled. “We will be balancing the difficulty of some dungeons for minion classes and tweaking a number of mechanics. A lot of end game gear is going to end up soul-bound, so it can’t be traded away once used. Every class is having their Abilities reset because a number of them are being reworked. No matter how much work is done, players always find ways to surprise those behind the scenes.”

“It has always been that way and likely always will be,” Seamus nodded as he began shuffling the cards.

“That is the truth,” Victoria agreed.

“Vicky, will we keep the emotional connection we have now when we go to Delta World?”

Picking up the cards Seamus had dealt her, Victoria’s lips pursed, “Hmm. I don’t believe so. Do you think it will be needed?”

“I’m not certain. I’d like to think it won’t.”

“You need to trust in your love for each other,” Victoria replied. “You’ve been connected for months now. All of those worries should have been put to rest by now.”

“Not my worries that I was thinking of,” Seamus murmured.

“Julia is past that now. She believes in all of you deeply. Karen is a bit trickier, but I’m almost positive she’ll be fine.”

Pegging the points, Seamus nodded. “It’s just been such an integral part of our relationship to this point that it’ll feel weird without it.”

“A small challenge to overcome,” Victoria smiled as she shuffled the cards.

“Fair enough,” Seamus nodded. “I do want to thank you for everything, too.”

Victoria’s smile faded a touch as she dealt the next round of cards. “I hope you feel that way in a couple of days, Seamus,” Victoria said as softly as she could.

Frowning, Seamus looked up, “Huh?”

“I hope you are ready to lose, Seamus,” Victoria said, pushing past the moment.

“If you don’t cheat, I have a chance of winning,” Seamus replied.

“I’m not. I would like one of our last moments to be on equal footing, after all.”

“Well, then, my odds have gone well up.”

Both of them laughed as the game went on. Seamus was filled with happiness and Victoria kept a smile on her face, watching him with sorrow hidden in her eyes.

Chapter Sixty

Waking to Stacia, Fluff, and Karen tag-teaming him, Alburet reveled in the moment. The private party went on for a couple of hours before they were all sated. Breathing deeply, Alburet touched each of his wives, patting backs or squeezing flesh where he could.

“I doubt there is another husband in the world who is as lucky as I am.”

“I would agree,” Karen said languidly.

“Ya do have very lovin’ wives to care for ya, so ya probably be right.”

“We’re the luckiest wives,” Fluff purred as she snuggled against his side. “How was your talk with Vicky?”

“It was different,” Alburet replied. “I learned things that I can’t tell anyone, even you all, or my request for you both to come with us to Delta World will be revoked.” Alburet held up a hand to forestall Karen’s outburst. “It was about what is likely to happen here in Alpha World.”

“I don’t like secrets being kept from us,” Karen sighed. “I won’t push, though.”

“She agreed to us going with you?” Fluff asked.

“Vicky passed it along to whoever can approve it,” Alburet clarified. “She said she’ll let me know in a couple of days.”

“Maybe I’ll hate her a little less,” Karen mumbled.

“It be fine,” Stacia said, stroking Karen’s thigh. “We will nay be separated.”

“Al?” Fluff queried, feeling the uncertainty that spiked in him. “What’s wrong?”

“Vicky put forward a couple of ideas I need to think about. You asked to see me, there… I agreed to it.”

Fluff hugged him tightly, “Thank you.”

“Thank you,” Karen echoed, squeezing his hand.

“I don’t understand why you want to, but you’re welcome.”

“That nay be all of it,” Stacia said, more adept at reading him than the other two were.

“No. Vicky said that she thought my sentence could be reduced or commuted against time served. If I wanted to fight it.”

The jumble of emotions from the others caused Stacia to stroke Alburet’s hair. “What does tha’ mean?”

“I’m here because I was a test by my other world’s government to see how we would adapt to being in another world for long periods. If my sentence is over, my being allowed to be here or in Delta World all the time might be cut short.”

“No...” Stacia whispered, her arms tightening around him.

“Shh,” Alburet said, comforting her along with the other two. “There’s more. The people who own the gate we use to be here implied I would be placed on their special team, so I wouldn’t be forced to leave forever, but it might mean me being away for a bit of time while things are situated.”

Stacia shook her head, tears spilling from her eyes, “No. Do nay risk it, please.”

“Stacia, he risked worse for us just a little while ago,” Karen said softly, rubbing her back. “He won’t be alone. Fluff or I can be there for him and help him come back faster… if we’re allowed to go to Delta World.”

“Maybe we can talk to Vicky about one of us staying with Stacia while Al steps away to do that?” Fluff suggested, brushing at the tears trickling from Stacia’s eyes.

“I mayhap lose ya all?” Stacia cried.

“I haven’t agreed,” Alburet said softly, squeezing Stacia firmly. “Calm yourself, dear heart. It was a suggestion only. I’m only considering it because the government could pull me at any time as it is.”

“They would nay—”

“They would,” Karen cut her off. “Our government is large and known for doing stupid things all the time. We’ll talk with Victoria and see what she says. We will be allowed to speak with her, won’t we, Al?”

“I’m not sure,” he replied, “but she did say she wanted to wait on revealing some things until she knew if you could all go or not. If you can, you and Fluff will have to step away temporarily to sign paperwork and stuff.”

“We’ll need to set up for being away even longer, too,” Fluff nodded.

“Ya think it be a good idea, Asthore? Fightin’ ya sentence?”

“I don’t know, but it would alleviate the lingering worry that I could be removed from the program at any time.”

Sniffling, she wrestled her emotions back under control with their help. Stacia kissed Alburet’s chest. “I have faith in ya. Iffin ya think it be the right choice, then I be supportin’ ya with all me heart.”

“As will we,” Karen said. “We’ll support both of you during the transition.”

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Alburet smiled. “Thank you Karen, Fluff, and you too, Stacia. I never would have thought I would be surrounded by so much love.”

“Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou…” Fluff said softly, letting the words trail off.

“Beside you, along with our loving wives,” Alburet replied, kissing her.

They finally got out of bed, cleaned up and made their way downstairs. Loralee greeted them with a smile and food. “Good morning. I’m supposed to remind you that the Guild will be having their dinner tonight.”

“Marysue or Gerald?” Alburet asked as he seated the women.

“Marysue asked me to remind you,” Loralee dimpled. “Breakfast is eggs, fruit, and bread. I wasn’t sure how long you would stay upstairs.”

“It’s just our nature,” Karen snickered.

“Aye, tha’ be entirely true,” Stacia smiled. “Ya have the same blood as we have, after all, at least in part.”

Loralee smiled, but after a moment, she bowed her head to them. “On behalf of Bob’s family, you have our undying loyalty and love. Thank you for all you have done for us.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Fluff said before the others could. “Bob is family and so are you, Loralee. Even if we leave tomorrow, we will always remember and love you all.”

“Like I told her,” Rachel said, coming from the kitchen. “I will repeat her thanks, but from Tiny’s wives. Though I am curious,” she hesitated, “if you leave, will they both become free Infernals again?”

Alburet paused, setting down his fork, “I honestly don’t know.”

“If there is a way to keep them as your minions so they don’t have to go through the search again, I would be grateful,” Rachel said, bowing her head to them, joined by Loralee.

“I can ask a friend,” Alburet said as he picked his fork back up, wondering if Victoria would agree to this request.

“Thank you, Lord,” Rachel said. “We will leave you to your meal.”

“Do you think she’d let that happen?” Karen asked once the Succubi were gone.

“I don’t know. I wonder if the Dark Lord would approve of it,” Alburet murmured between bites.

“I be thinkin’ he will,” Stacia said. “He be needin’ other Ambassadors soon. Mayhap we can suggest Tiny and Bob.”

“Oh, I like that,” Fluff smiled. “Bob would love to be the Ambassador to Wildwood.”

“Damned right he would, horny Imp that he is,” Karen laughed. “Tiny would fit right in with the Dwarves, so serious and ready to do his duty.”

“Aye, tha’ would fit for both of them,” Stacia agreed. “It be too bad we do nay have a way to complete the set, as I be spoken for already.”

“Damned right you are,” Karen laughed, joined by the others.

“Do we have anything that needs to be done before the party?” Fluff asked after the laughter had died down.

“Not that I know of,” Alburet said and pushed his empty plate away. “We could go see about restocking, but I don’t think it’ll matter in the long run. I should stop by the bank and deposit all the coin I picked up.”

“Aye, tha’ would help me sis,” Stacia nodded.

“We have one stop to make, at least,” Alburet said. “Let’s go get that errand done, then we can come back and relax before the party tonight.”

As they were making their way outside, they saw Bezzle heading their way. “Lord, there is a man here to see you.”

“Who?”

“He claims to be an old acquaintance. His name is Vetenarie,” Bezzle said.

“I wonder what he wants?” Alburet mumbled. “Let him in.”

Vetenarie gave the Destroyers a jaunty wave as he went past them. “Thanks. Lord Darkhand, I come on behalf of the Guild. They figured that since we were getting along and I was the one with the contract, I should come see you.”

“Skippy?” Alburet asked.

“Dead and gone, it seems. The quest to kill him vanished the same time your wife there roasted him. The Guild doesn’t give refunds normally, but in this case, Master Kato thought it prudent to extend an olive branch.”

Alburet stared at Vetenarie for a long moment and shrugged. “Fine. I’ll accept it.”

“Lovely,” Vetenarie said, pulling out a coin pouch. “Here you go. If you need anyone else dead for obscene amounts of coin, let me know.” With a wink, the Assassin strolled toward the gate.

“I kind of like him,” Karen whispered. “He’s got a lot of chutzpah.”

“And moxie,” Fluff added.

“We done admiring the guy who killed me a lot?” Alburet asked with a wry smile.

“You made up,” Karen said.

“Fair enough.”

“Where we going?” Bob asked, landing beside them.

“Just to the bank,” Alburet said. “How was the hero’s party last night?”

“You have no… well you might, but Gerald has no idea,” Bob said, grinning.

“He be perfectly happy with just Marysue,” Stacia giggled. “Even the Dark Lord has but one love.”

“Yeah, but he ain’t the Dark Lord,” Bob replied, his lips twitching as he fought a smirk off his face.

“He is a good man,” Tiny rumbled. “His path is the one his heart leads him to follow. There is nothing greater.”

“Aww, you sappy goof,” Karen smiled at Tiny. “You’re precious.”

“Rachel said as much many times last night,” Tiny bowed his head.

“Come on, let’s go get this done and then we can come back and take a really nice bath,” Alburet said, pandering to their base ideals.

“Let me help you in, Lady,” Astov smiled as he helped Karen into the carriage.

“I thought that would get you moving,” Alburet chuckled.

“I notice ya stepped closer as well, Asthore,” Stacia said as Fluff was helped in before her.

“Guilty,” Alburet winked.

The trip to the bank was uneventful, though Alburet was surprised when the guards saluted them. Alburet returned the salute while the ladies were being helped out of the carriage.

“Afternoon,” Alburet greeted the guards.

“Lord Darkhand, hello to you and your wives,” the guard replied. “Thank you for your aid to the Crown.”

“It was our pleasure,” Alburet said, holding back his surprise at the greeting.

Entering the bank, Alburet slowed his pace when one of the receptionists came rushing up to them. “Lord Darkhand, are you here to see Warburg?”

“We came to make a deposit,” Alburet said. “I don’t think we need to interrupt the manager.”

“It is no problem at all, Lord. We have standing orders to direct a small set of people to him for any needs they have,” the receptionist said, leading them toward the manager’s office.

“If we’re expected,” Alburet shrugged.

The old Dwarf stood up to greet them, the smile on his face visible and honest. “Lord and Ladies Darkhand, it is a pleasure to see you again. How might we help you today?”

“Just came to make a deposit,” Alburet said.

“We’ll gladly handle that,” Warburg said, motioning them to sit. “Would you care for a drink, or anything else?”

“We’re good,” Alburet said. “What’s going on?”

“Stein is dead,” Warburg replied. “Today is a banner day. I’ll look forward to telling my grandchildren that some of those still standing when Stein fell came to speak with me the day after.”

“We just did what needed doing,” Alburet said.

“Many don’t, lad, many don’t,” Warburg looked away. “On top of that, the new King Hammerhand has declared you all True Friends of the Dwarves. I don’t know the story behind that yet, but I’m sure it will come out in time.”

“The ring,” Karen whispered.

“I don’t mean to delay you,” Warburg said quickly, clearly thinking they might have other needs to take care of. “If you’ll hand over the coin you wish to deposit, I’ll handle it for you.”

Alburet set all the money he had on him on the desk. “There you go.”

“And ours,” Karen said, adding a bag, as did Fluff.

“All to the Noble account. It shall be done,” Warburg said as he took each bag. After a moment he nodded, putting them into a drawer in his desk. Pulling a ledger out, he wrote some numbers. “All done. Can I do anything else for you?”

“That’s it,” Alburet said, getting to his feet. “Thank you, Warburg.”

“A pleasure, Lord, a pleasure.” Warburg said as he walked them out of his office. “If you need anything else from us here, just let us know and have a good day.”

Alburet felt the stares from some of the lower level players and all of the natives as they crossed the bank’s foyer. Stepping outside, he found Tiny, Bob, Astov, and Knitoc talking with the guards. “We’re good to go. Knitoc, please bring the carriage home. We’ll be using our Homestones.”

“As you wish, Lord,” Knitoc said.

“Ladies,” Alburet began, but two of them were already gone. “I see they’re eager to get home.”

“Aye, tha’ be true,” Stacia winked as she took his arm. “Shall we away, me Lord husband?”

“Damned lucky bastard,” one of the guards said under his breath.

Alburet ignored the not quite quiet enough words and took out his own Homestone. “Sounds good, dear heart.”

Chapter Sixty-one

The time they spent together before the party was invigorating, but an underlying tone of worry lingered for them all. Each of them was keenly aware that if they weren’t granted permission to go onto Delta World, this might be the last few days they would have together as a family.

Dressed in their best clothing, they took the Guild Portal to the Keep. The streets of Progress were lively as players celebrated. The guards at the graveyard let them know that the unaffiliated players had been rewarded for their help in the raid and were spending their coin exuberantly.

A coach was waiting for them, and soon, they were outside the Keep. The guards manning the walls gave them smiles and nods. A number of them were the same guards that had accompanied them on their way to the Keep originally.

Making their way inside, they were surprised to see Kim and Rolland waiting by the door. “Kim, Rolland, we would like to return these,” Alburet said, handing over the Heartstone.

Kim took them, “I heard that you gave the King the ring, and that it saved his life, Al. Thank you.”

“Those helped me survive, so thank you,” Alburet replied, kissing Kim’s cheek.

“It really was the right choice for us,” Karen admitted as she gave Kim a hug. “How are you doing?”

“Things are good,” Kim said, touching her belly. “We see a Priest every day just to make sure things are as they should be.”

“I’ve been a bit worried, with my bloodline,” Rolland admitted. “My mother said that the last few months she carried me, I caused more than a few sleepless nights. I’m praying we don’t have the same troubles.”

“It’ll be fine,” Kim said, fastening one bracelet around his wrist after hugging the other two women. “We’ll be connected the whole time.”

“Were you waiting for us?” Alburet asked.

“We’re letting everyone know that the throne room has been turned into the feast hall tonight,” Kim said, her smile fading.

“We miss them, too, even though we didn’t know them as long,” Fluff said, feeling the sadness that rolled off of her.

“Vanessa, Kauree, Deirdre, Chris... so many gone,” Kim sniffled as she held back the tears. “The nightmare is over now, but it’s hard to think that they were all taken from us in such a short time.”

“They helped us do what needed to be done,” Alburet said softly. “I’m sure the King is going to have a monument built.”

“He is,” Rolland said. “If I understand right, Fluff drew the inspiration for it. There will also be one for our fallen friends that Gerald is going to have built here in town.”

Fluff nodded, “It wasn’t much, just a sketch that I thought would look good.”

“It was inspired,” Karen told her gently. “Everyone will remember the one in Stormguard, and our guildies will remember the one here.”

“Brother, sisters,” Violet said as she led Marian into the Keep. “This feels similar to last night.”

“We’re heading to the throne room,” Alburet told her. “It’s going to be a big feast, after all.” Turning back to Kim, Alburet suddenly thought of a question. “Kim, is there going to be a raffle or anything tonight?”

“Of course,” Kim said.

“Where can I drop off items?” Alburet asked.

“I can take them,” Kim said.

“Ladies, if you would like to accompany our sisters-in-law, I’m going to duck back home and grab the bags so we can give the Guild more items.”

“Don’t take long,” Karen said, giving Stacia a smirk.

“I will nay seduce him… this time,” Stacia replied with a grin.

“Go on, Al. I’ll keep our shadow in check,” Fluff said as she took Karen’s arm. “Violet, Marian has never seen the Keep. Would you like to give her a quick tour?”

“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.

“No, Lord, these are the people who hope to get a spot inside to see the Convocation,” the castle’s footman said while he helped Astov with the ladies.

“Do we just head in?” Karen asked.

“Of course,” the footman said. “A couple of the other nobles are already here.”

“Thank you,” Alburet said, offering his arms to Stacia and Fluff.

“My pleasure, Lord Darkhand,” the footman replied and stepped away from the carriage. “Have a good day, Lord, Ladies.”

Alburet could feel the eyes on them as they bypassed the line for the doors. The guards nodded respectfully, one of them opening the doors for them. Alburet returned the greeting.

“Do you need a guide, Lord?” a young man asked as the group entered the castle.

“We know the way,” Alburet said, glancing at the line of servants waiting in the hallway.

“Of course, Lord,” the man bowed his head.

Walking the hallways, Alburet could feel the exuberant emotions from the staff they passed, but felt something was missing. “Everyone’s happy today.”

“Their boogeyman is dead,” Karen said. “Who wouldn’t be happy about that?”

“Fair point,” Alburet conceded. After a minute, he realized what was different. “No one has had any anger, hatred, or disgust toward us.”

“Aye, none of them have looked at us sideways,” Stacia nodded.

“No bigotry against the Infernals,” Fluff murmured.

“It will be different,” Tiny rumbled.

“I think it will be,” Karen agreed. “I wonder what has been said of the raid?”

“I’m sure we’ll find out in a bit,” Alburet said. Arriving at the stairs that went up to the gallery, Alburet led his wives and minions to their seats.

“Lord Darkhand,” Berk greeted them when they approached their seats. “My thanks to you and your wives for helping Sir Jones make it through the raid.”

“We didn’t do anything of note,” Alburet said. “Marysue would be the one to praise more than us.”

“I shall be thanking her and Lord Stoutheart, as well,” Berk replied. “You’ll find the floor below less populated than the last time you were here. Your seat is still with the Ambassadors, though a new spot is being prepared for your House amongst the nobles.”

“Thank you, Berk,” Alburet said. “Ladies, enjoy the Convocation.” Giving each of them a kiss, he patted Bob and Tiny on the shoulders before he headed for the stairs.

“If there is anything I can do, on behalf of House Jones…” Berk was saying to the women as Alburet walked away.

Making his way to the guard station, Alburet gave the men there a nod. “Lord Darkhand, if you would surrender any weapons you might have on your person,” the Captain on the station said.

A brief pang of sadness hit Alburet as he felt the loss of both Mantoyas more sharply than he would have expected. Nodding, Alburet pulled his axe from his bag and set it on the table. “Of course,” Alburet managed to say, but his demeanor gave away his feelings.

“It’s a loss for us as well, Lord,” the Captain said. “Both of them were men that could be looked up to. Is it true that Indigo put himself between Stein and the King?”

“He did. It was a noble sacrifice,” Alburet replied. He was able to clearly see the moment in his mind. “Even knowing it was going to kill him, he bought the King time with his own body.”

“Just as his father did,” another guard added.

“Duty,” the Captain said solemnly. “You’re good to step into the room, Lord Darkhand… and thank you for standing beside the King. I never thought I would see the day when the city would owe Infernals thanks for the life of our King, but it is time to set aside old grievances and embrace the new world we have today.”

“It is, indeed,” Alburet said as he stepped past the guards and into the throne room.

“Hello, brother,” Wilbur said from just inside.

“I’m glad you survived,” Alburet said, giving Wilbur a brotherly hug. “Erin would have been devastated if something had happened to you. More than losing Deirdre hurt her already.”

“Yes,” Wilbur said. “Their father and a sister taken during the madness... Erin convinced me that it’s time to try to grow our family.”

“You’ll make a great father,” Alburet said. “Have you decided on a name?”

“We’ll name a girl after my mother, Jennifer. If it’s a boy, the first son will be Alistern. If we get lucky enough for a second, we’ll name him after my father.”

“With the family around to help, your children will be surrounded by love,” Alburet said as they walked across the room. “What about that rumor about you being made an Ambassador?”

Wilbur nodded, “Erin wants me to do it, and Jones was pushing the idea hard during our travel across the sands. Ambassador Theron has a ring to it, and Hammerhand seemed eager to work with me.”

“Because we owe your House, and ye be a good one in ye own right,” Hammerhand said from behind them. Alburet was surprised that he had not heard the Dwarf approach.

“I’m honored,” Wilbur said, giving Hammerhand a bow of his head. “I didn’t expect to see you today, Majesty.”

“Aich, I will be happy iffin we can find a way to restore my brother,” Hammerhand winced. “I be nay the one for the pageantry.” Sighing, Hammerhand rubbed his neck, “I be here to announce me replacement and to welcome the new Ambassador from Stormguard.”

Alburet chuckled, “You two will get along fine.”

“Aye, tha’ be me hope,” Hammerhand laughed.

“Always so loud,” Woodbinder said as she glided across the floor, her dress regal and elegant. “A pity that we couldn’t entice young Lord Theron into being our Ambassador. Though I did find a suitable person who I’m looking forward to working with.”

“You’re too kind,” Lady Carter said, following Woodbinder. “I was surprised that you asked me. My House wasn’t the best regarded in the city.”

“Your family showed its true face with your brother,” Woodbinder said. “I’ve paid attention to your bearing since you became the head of House Carter. I look forward to your blooming as any flower does when given the right soil and help.”

The comment could have been taken a number of ways, but those hearing it only took it in a positive manner. Alburet could feel the underlying emotion behind it. Rather than interject into the moment, Alburet let it pass, but was curious why Woodbinder felt angry.

“Last, it seems,” Wildmane chuckled as he approached them. “The Pride Leader survived, thankfully. However, today will be my last day with all of you. I will be returning to her side as she lets her daughter take over the position. My nephew will be coming in the next month to take my place here.”

“It looks like I’ll be losing two friendly faces,” Woodbinder said, smiling warmly at Wildmane. “Please give her my regards, and express my happiness that she was able to survive,” she said, the bitterness she felt buried under years of poise.

“My nephew will be more to your liking,” Wildmane said. “He is serious, and wishes to make the entire world a better place. Not a useless layabout like me.”

“You always gave us a calm and easy-going point of view,” Woodbinder replied. “I’ll miss you and Hammerhand.”

“Aich, tha’ be true for me, too. I’d rather stay, but…” Shaking his head, Hammerhand’s hands clenched. “Have ye heard anythin’ from ye scholars?”

“Not yet, but they are looking into it,” Woodbinder assured him.

“Seems I’m running behind a number of people today,” Gerald said as he crossed the room. “Ambassadors and soon to be departing Ambassadors, it was an honor to fight beside you.”

“Aye, lad, ye did good,” Hammerhand said, offering a hand to Gerald. “Ye be welcome in me home iffin ye come tha’ way.”

“I’m sure my wife would like to meet you, as well,” Wildmane said.

“The Court would like to thank you, if you can make time in the next few days,” Woodbinder added.

“I’m honored, and will try to meet with all of you later to arrange just that,” Gerald replied.

Conversation slowed, but the room was beginning to fill up, which meant it was time to find their way to their seats. “Al, tomorrow night?” Gerald asked.

“Dinner, our place,” Alburet agreed.

“I’ll let Marysue know, but I’m sure they already have,” Gerald replied, motioning toward the friends chatting with each other in the stands.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Alburet chuckled.

Two new High Priests entered the room from behind the throne. The one wearing Justice’s regiments tapped his staff once they had taken their places. “Attention! Take your places, as His August Majesty King Tyr Justiceson the Third is soon to appear.”

Everyone who wasn’t already in place hurried to their seats.

After a minute, the Priest slammed his staff into the floor again. “His August Majesty King Tyr Justiceson the Third comes. Stand and know that Justice still shines upon the world,” the High Priest of Justice intoned.

All eyes turned to watch the King approaching the throne. His stride was slow while he took his time to look over the nobles who remained, as well as the crowded viewing area. Reaching his throne, Tyr stood tall before he took his seat. “Sit. This Convocation has now begun.”

Tyr gave everyone a few seconds to take their seats before he spoke again, “People of Stormguard, I can start with joyous news: Stein is finally dead, as are all of his major aides. Yesterday marked a day that shall be celebrated every year in commemoration.”

The crowd went a little nuts, cries for the King, Justice, and more filling the room. Tyr let them have a moment, his reserved demeanor cracking slightly as a hint of a smile touched his lips.

“Silence,” Justice’s High Priest called at the King’s gesture, and the noise from the crowd died away.

“Now, the sad news. We lost many people to the dark days that plagued us during Stein’s reemergence. Some of you might have lost a loved one to the madness that briefly gripped our world. I ask you to speak to the guards at the Stockades, if you have. The reason is that there will be memorials built over the next few months. One will memorialize the citizens that lost their lives during this time. I hope it will help bring some closure to your lives. This memorial will be where the first attack against a citizen took place, the location where the Dead Man Inn once stood. The second memorial will be for those who lost their lives in the fight to reach and purge Alctriuz. This memorial will be placed on the land once occupied by the former House Carradine’s manor. A public park will surround the memorial so that everyone can pay homage to those who lost their lives.”

Tyr gave the crowd some time to process his announcements, as people had been growing steadily louder as he spoke. After a few minutes, the High Priest called for silence again.

“I know a few of you are wondering why those locations, and a smaller number of you are wondering where you will train with the Dead Man Inn gone. Necromancers and Summoners, both of whom were among our staunchest allies, trainers are available for you at the Dark Lord’s temple, which will be expanding in the near future. No longer shall the Crown tolerate discrimination against these two classes. Long have we held old grudges against them, and it is time to let the past die with Stein. The first casualty of the citizenry was none other than Alistern Crowley, the long-standing trainer of Summoners. He will get special mention at the memorial.”

Tyr again paused to allow the crowd to discuss what he had said. Alburet held back the emotions that swirled in him, but part of him thanked the King for what he was doing.

“It is time to thank our allies, those that stepped forward to help us put our past to rest. Ambassadors, you shall be first,” Tyr said after silence had restored again. “Ambassador Wildmane, please come forward.”

Wildmane walked out to the middle of the room, head held high. “What can I do for you, Justiceson?”

A small ripple of amusement went through the crowd at Wildmane’s relaxed air.

“You were with us for the entire raid. Time and again, you went into the vanguard to lead the attack. We thank you unreservedly. As we are aware of your more relaxed attitude to life, I present you with ten bottles of your choice from my private stock.”

Wildmane grinned, “I’ll gladly accept that. I’ll be putting them to good use soon. Since I’m on the floor, it’s a good time to inform you that this is my last day as Ambassador. We will be sending a member of the family who likes the pageantry associated with court.”

“We shall look forward to their arrival.”

Once Wildmane had taken his seat, Tyr called Woodbinder to the floor. “Ambassador Woodbinder, it is with heavy hearts that we offer our condolences to your family for their loss.”

“Thank you,” Woodbinder said stiffly.

“If we can do anything to aid your people, we will do so, but we shall still bestow a personal honor for your steadfast courage during the raid. I have had my friend bring a gift,” Tyr motioned to Ioaniss, who approached from his seat. “Please accept the Belt of the Woodland, with our heartfelt gratitude, for standing beside us in our time of need.”

Woodbinder’s stoic expression faltered, “We had thought that belt lost. Where did you find it?”

“It was in the vault under Peace,” Ioaniss said.

Taking the belt with care, Woodbinder touched the leather with reverence. “I shall take this to my family and reaffirm our ties with you, King Justiceson.”

Hammerhand was next to be called out onto the floor. “Hold it right there,” Hammerhand said first, forestalling the King. “I be wantin’ only one thin’; a way to restore me brother. Do what ye can to make tha’ happen and we be good. I should tell ye since I be provisional King, we be sendin’ a new Ambassador, me nephew Dumadin Shieldbreaker. He should be here in a day or two.”

Tyr nodded, “We are saddened to hear about your brother’s plight. I shall task House Jones to look into the matter. Your new Ambassador shall not be the only new one between our nations. Lord Theron has accepted my appointment of him to your court.”

“Aye, good lad,” Hammerhand nodded. “We will accept him.”

“That leaves us with one last Ambassador to speak with before we move onto the others we need to acknowledge. Lord Darkhand, please come forward.”

Alburet stepped forward, bowing respectfully to the King when he reached the middle of the room. “Sire, how might I help you?”

“You have already,” Tyr replied. “You helped us multiple times. From the moment you entered this city for the first time through the moment Stein fell dead, you have been a nexus that has helped us. You saved my own life a few times during the raid, most notably by giving me an item that literally saved me from death. Beyond that, you helped save my oldest friend,” Tyr nodded to Ioaniss. “No matter what I say or do, I will forever feel as if my life is indebted to you.”

The crowd exploded into muted conversations at what the King had said. Tyr had the High Priest call the room back to order.

“Majesty, I’m a Two-souled and I will be stepping away from this world shortly. I would absolve any debt you feel you owe. I would ask for minor things, and hope that you will accept them as enough.”

Tyr looked over the nobles and the crowd for a long moment before he nodded. “I shall, but I reserve the right to do more, as is my right. What would you ask of me, Darkhand?”

“I ask that you elevate my sister-in-law, Marian Crowley, up to a minor House. I can attest that she is a good woman, who was raised by a good man.”

“House Crowley… is she not your heir for House Darkhand already?” Tyr said.

“She is, but I would ask that House Darkhand be allowed to fade while House Crowley rises, Sire. Long have the Crowleys done all they can to help the Crown by trying to guide Summoners and Necromancers along the right path.”

“Very well, I shall have the paperwork to create House Crowley drawn up, and have them merged with your own House, which will become defunct when you leave. What were the other requests?”

“The Dark Lord will be replacing me as Ambassador. I would ask that you accept my replacement, Lilith Crowley, with as much respect as you have for me. Lilith raised four beautiful daughters with the help of her husband, one of which died during the raid fighting beside us. Deirdre Eveningstar, wife of Chris Eveningstar, was Deirdre Crowley.”

“If she is appointed by the Dark Lord, I shall accept her,” Tyr agreed.

“You’ve already stated that Necromancers and Summoners will be accepted in the city without prejudice, which is a great boon, Sire. I can ask for nothing else, unless it would be to help the Dark Lord when he tries to present Ambassadors to the other nations.”

“Very well, Darkhand,” Tyr said. “While I feel the scales are still far from balanced, I will accept these as your boons.”

“Thank you, Sire,” Alburet bowed before he returned to his seat.

“Lord Theron, please step forward,” Tyr continued calling people forward.

The Convocation went on for hours as all the notable figures and Guild leaders were called up and rewarded. Benedict was stiff but thankful when he appeared for Heart’s Light. His face went stony when Tyr announced that Delvers and Alpha Company would be viewed as their equal in the city, but applauded along with the crowd.

When the Convocation finally came to an end, the sun was low in the west. After saying their goodbyes, Alburet and his wives were ready to head home. They still had a dinner with the Dark Lord to attend.

Chapter Sixty-three

They used their Homestones to get back to the manor, and Bezzle was there to greet them. “Lord, the Dark Lord has sent a gift for you.”

“Where is it?” Alburet asked.

“Behind the manor,” Bezzle grinned.

“Should we go look before we freshen up for dinner?” Alburet asked the ladies, who all nodded in agreement.

Bezzle led them around to the back of the manor. A rune, glowing red, was etched into the ground. “A portal rune. It will place you at the outer gate of the Dark Lord’s palace.”

“We don’t own this place,” Alburet said. “I’m not sure if a portal—”

“It is fine, Lord,” Bezzle said, cutting him off. “The manor was purchased outright from the Pride Leader, and Sir Jones approved placement of the portal before it was done.”

“I guess that will make it easier for the Ambassador to speak with the Dark Lord,” Alburet said. “We’ll use it ourselves, but first, we want to change into different clothing for dinner.”

Bezzle grinned before he flew back toward the gates. “I hope you have a good evening, Lord and Ladies.”

They didn’t take long to freshen up and change. Dressed in outfits of black and red, they headed to the new portal. Bob and Tiny joined them, both Infernals dressed in suits.

“Tiny,” Alburet smiled, “that looks good.”

“Namida made it for me,” Tiny rumbled.

“Yeah, she’s a wizard with a needle. I’m so glad that Loralee picked her as my second wife,” Bob grinned.

“She made yours as well, right?” Karen asked.

“Yeah. I didn’t know how comfortable a suit could be until she gave me the ones I wear.”

“I wish we could craft,” Fluff murmured.

“You do,” Karen said, nudging her gently. “Your artwork is a craft, and now, statues are going to be made by the natives based on your designs.”

Fluff blushed, “Thank you, Karen. It means a lot when you say it that way.”

“Aye. I be knowin’ what ya mean though, Fluff,” Stacia added. “Only a select few get blessed with the knowledge of craftin’. Tha’ be another reason why Margret’s death was so tragic. She was blessed with the knowledge of the needle, and now she be gone.”

Alburet bit his lip. “Should we go?” he asked instead of telling them about the crafting that was coming.

“Aye. I be havin’ our gift to Mother,” Stacia smiled.

“Ladies,” Alburet said, motioning them to the rune.

“Always wanting to watch us walk by him,” Karen winked.

“Can’t blame him,” Bob coughed.

Tiny’s rumbling laughter was joined by all three women as they stepped past the men with exaggerated moves and stepped on the rune. “Okay, guys, let’s go,” Alburet said after Stacia, Karen, and Fluff had vanished, still chuckling when his foot touched the rune.

The red-streaked black stone walls rose before the group while the black metal gates stood open, a dozen Destroyer Lords standing on gate duty. “Lord Darkhand, Ladies Darkhand, Tiny, and Bob, the Dark Lord is expecting you. Are your wives not going to join you tonight?” The last question was directed at Bob and Tiny.

“We didn’t know if they were invited,” Tiny rumbled as he pulled out a Mindstone. “They’ll be here shortly,” he said after a moment.

“Same,” Bob nodded, putting his own Mindstone away.

“Would you like to go inside or wait here for them?” the largest Destroyer asked.

“We’ll wait here so our families can all go in together,” Alburet said.

The Destroyer’s face was obscured by a helm, but his smile could clearly be heard in his voice, “Very well, Lord Darkhand.”

Alburet was glad that Succubi didn’t take long to get ready, because all of their wives appeared in under five minutes. “Ladies, thank you for coming,” Alburet said as they each paired up with their husbands.

“We didn’t mean to keep you waiting, Lord,” Rachel said, her black dress conservative compared to everyone else’s.

“We didn’t mind,” Fluff said and pulled out her sketchbook. “Please give me a moment.” Fluff was drawing for a few minutes before she put it away. “Sorry, I wanted to record that for later.”

“Lord Darkhand, if your party is ready, my second shall lead you to the door,” the Destroyer Lord said.

“We are ready…?” Alburet trailed off, fishing for a name.

“Flamefist, Lord. It is an honor,” Flamefist said, bowing his head. “Darkcloud, you are on escort.”

An Imp Lord came off the wall and hovered in front of them briefly before he touched down. “If you will follow me, Lord and Ladies.”

Alburet bit back a laugh when he noticed the Imp Lord was also in a suit. As they walked, Alburet leaned in toward Rachel. “I don’t remember the Imp Lords wearing suits before.”

“It is a new thing,” Rachel replied softly.

Glancing back at Bob, Alburet had to bite his lip to stifle another laugh. Bob was puffed up and strutting along, his wives surrounding him. Clearly, him wearing the suit during combat had made an impression on the Imp Lords here at the Dark Lord’s plane.

“He’s so proud,” Fluff murmured.

“I thought he might be a bit more vocal about it, but he’s playing it much cooler than I thought he would,” Karen added just as softly.

“His wives have been helpin’ him,” Stacia said.

“Luckily he has wives that are good for him like I do,” Alburet smiled.

“Right?” Karen laughed.

The walk to the door wasn’t long, and the Destroyer Lords and Imp Lords on duty all bowed as they passed. Darkcloud left them at the door with the Succubus that had brought the invitation.

“Please, follow me,” the Succubus said, leading them down the hall.

Entering the formal dining room, they greeted the Dark Lord and newly ascended Dark Lady. “Dark Lord, Dark Lady, it is a pleasure to see you again,” Alburet said.

“Please, just call me Mother. It’s the only name I wish to be called,” Mother said as she went to greet them with hugs.

“As you command, goddess,” Alburet replied with a smirk.

“Justice said the same thing to her last night,” the Dark Lord laughed.

Mother’s smile wavered but came back, “I will allow it this time, but only because we are here to celebrate the completion of your quest.”

“Justice and Peace were going to join us, but something came up,” the Dark Lord sighed. “I really wanted you two to meet.”

“Maybe next time,” Alburet said with a forced smile.

“There won’t be a next time, though, will there, Alburet?” the Dark Lord replied, shaking hands with him. “We’ve heard that you are moving on to Delta World.”

“Dear,” Mother sighed, “you’re going to get in trouble, so please stop.”

Alburet and his wives exchanged a look. “The Overlord?”

“Who else could censor me?” the Dark Lord shrugged. “Guess I’ll be nice. She did finally let my darling become my equal.”

“I always thought it was odd that all the gods had a partner that was their equal except you,” Karen said. “No offense, Mother.”

“None taken. We were promised long ago that the day would come, but that it would cost me my ability to be his liaison on Alpha World. I’m fine with it happening now, since Stein has finally been put to rest. Please, sit. We have a wonderful meal planned.”

“Ya could nay oppose him yaself?” Stacia asked as everyone was being seated.

“I was constrained on that point, and his location was hidden from us until Alburet met him. I did give thought to moving on my own and dealing with the punishment the Overlord would have dealt to me, but I was warned that it would mean my death.”

“I wouldn’t allow her at that point. What is life without your loved ones around you?”

Alburet nodded, “I understand.”

“We know,” the Dark Lord replied. “Mother was there to assist you.”

“Right,” Alburet nodded.

“Enough. This is a happy meal... well, mostly happy. We’re sad that you’ll be leaving us,” Mother said, picking up a small crystal bell and ringing it.

Dozens of Succubi came into the room with trays, quickly serving the table the first course and drinks. Alburet shook his head when the Succubus serving him tried to flirt with him. “Not taking more wives,” he told her.

“Please excuse their advances. You are quite the prize, but we know that you are content with your three,” the Dark Lord said. “Ladies, if you bother him, you will be removed from dinner service.”

All the Succubi bowed their heads, “As you command, father.”

The Dark Lord rolled his eyes, “They’ve all become a bit more willful since your ascension, dear.”

“I’m very proud of them,” Mother giggled.

“May your marriages be as happy as ours,” the Dark Lord said. “But maybe with children who listen to their father.”

Alburet laughed along with the others, but a spike of fear pulsed inside of him. Can you be a good father, after failing— Stacia took his hand and cut off the thought. Alburet gave her a wan smile, “Sorry.”

“Nay need, Asthore. Ya will be a father equal to or better than me own.”

Throat catching, Alburet blinked against the tears he felt. Fluff spoke before he could, “I have the same fear when thinking about being a mother, Al. I know it will be fine, because Karen and Stacia will be there to help me, just as we will be there with you.”

“If we get to have kids,” Karen added softly, her own desire for children striking all of them.

“We will,” Alburet said as he thought back on his previous dream. “All of them are already named, remember?”

“Yes,” Karen said. “I want that... exactly that.”

“May your dreams come true, as ours have,” the Dark Lord said, his voice filling the room with power.

“I agree,” Mother said, another wave of power coming from her.

“See? We have two gods in our corner,” Alburet said, reaching behind Fluff to touch Karen’s shoulder. “Have faith.”

“Okay,” Karen nodded.

“Master,” Tiny rumbled as softly as he could, “I have a request.” When Alburet nodded, Tiny continued, “Might I be allowed to name our children after you and your wives?”

Alburet blinked, “Uh… sure… yes, that’s fine, Tiny.”

“Me, too,” Bob said quickly, adding, “in time. Not in a rush here, but you know... eventually.”

Loralee rolled her eyes, “Bob, we’ll have children and be fine. Imp Mothers are for those Succubi who wish to have numerous children. Besides… you’ll see,” she trailed off with a smirk.

Alburet chuckled at Bob, “You can, too, Bob.”

“We’re fine with that,” Fluff, Karen, and Stacia agreed.

“Then I would like to announce that I am pregnant,” Rachel beamed.

The room was loud for a moment as everyone congratulated Rachel and Tiny. The Succubi came back in to remove the first course and saw that it had barely been touched. A number of them looked sad until the Dark Lord explained.

“We’re sorry, we’ll focus on the food,” Alburet said, unable to stop himself when he felt the sadness from so many of them.

“Now I feel bad,” Karen whispered as they swiftly brought out the second course.

“We’ll talk after dinner,” Mother said. “Please, enjoy the meal.”

~*~*~

Sitting back in his seat, right on the edge of being too full, Alburet sighed happily. The seven-course meal had been, without a doubt, the best meal of his life, even surpassing the one at the castle months before.

“Fabulous,” Fluff said with a wide smile.

“We’re glad you enjoyed it,” Mother said.

“Coffee?” one of the Succubi asked while they cleared the table.

“Yes,” the Dark Lord replied. “We have a few points to discuss.”

Alburet perked up, pushing off the full stomach sleepiness he felt. “What did you wish to discuss?”

Holding up a hand, the Dark Lord had Alburet wait for the coffee to be served. “Do not let another being enter this room until I call,” he told the Succubi as they were leaving.

“I shall inform the Dark Guard,” the Succubus replied, bowing low.

Eyebrow going up, Alburet waited, feeling the tension spike around the table.

“Now that we won’t be disturbed, we can talk. Justice and the other gods have been amenable to accepting me back into their midst again,” the Dark Lord said. “It’ll be a slow integration, because some are still a little leery of my intentions, even with my full might thrown into helping kill Stein.”

Mother touched his hand when he paused, the spike of sorrow from him felt by everyone at the table. “We will miss them with you.”

“They fought bravely,” Karen said. “No warrior could ask for more.”

Nodding, the Dark Lord sighed, “It’s still never easy losing friends. Cal, Kean, and Pytor will always be remembered, just as their brother Zackorie will be. With you leaving, that means Yuna will be my last remaining Demon Lord. Luckily, she won’t be my last Champion. I’ll be allowed to have Champions like the other gods do.”

“You’re straying,” Mother gently nudged him.

“Sorry,” the Dark Lord said. “Part of that integration is setting up Ambassadors with the other nations.”

“Tiny for the Dwarves and Bob for the Lunari,” Karen said quickly.

Mother laughed while the others looked at Karen with wide eyes. “You have solid ideas with those choices, Karen. We’re going to have Lilith take the role of Ambassador in Stormguard from you, Alburet.”

“For any of that to be accomplished, we have to deal with the matter of them being your minions,” the Dark Lord said.

“Is there any way to let them stay as my minions?” Alburet asked. “Unless you would rather be freed,” he added, looking at Bob and Tiny.

“I’m happy as your shield,” Tiny rumbled.

“Not getting rid of me now, nope,” Bob added.

“I have asked. Since you are leaving,” the Dark Lord said, “the Overlord is willing to let them remain your minions until the gateway between your world and ours closes.”

“Let them be Ambassadors, then. They’ll do you proud,” Alburet said.

“Very well,” the Dark Lord smiled. “I think we’ll make them Ambassadors now, too, but we’re missing an Ambassador for the Elves. Since Stacia is going with you, I can’t ask her to fulfill the role.”

“Bezzle,” Fluff suggested.

“He would hate that,” the Dark Lord chuckled. “I’ll accept your suggestion, though.”

“Poor Bezzle,” Karen snickered.

“He’ll be fine,” Mother said. “Bezzle is one of our oldest children. He’ll be more than a match for the long-lived Elves when they start trying to feel superior because of their age.”

“Master,” Tiny said, rising to his feet glass in hand, “I’ll always remember you. The number of masters who possess your level of care and drive to succeed are very few. I have never had a master who comes close to you.”

“Hear, hear,” Bob said, raising his own glass high.

“To Alburet Darkhand, the best master any Infernal would be lucky to have,” Tiny finished.

The toast felt like a goodbye and Alburet’s throat tightened as he picked up his drink and bowed his head, unable to reply with words.

“Do you know when you will be leaving?” Mother asked.

“No, we don’t,” Alburet said after taking a long drink. “It could be tomorrow or it could be in three months. I just know that it is coming, probably soon.”

“If it is later, please come by for dinner again,” Mother said.

“We would love to,” Karen cut in.

“It has been a long day for you all,” the Dark Lord said, getting to his feet. “Go home, rest, love each other, and know that you have our deepest wishes for your dreams to come true.”

Alburet stood up and bowed to the Dark Lord and Mother. “No one else I know can say they have two gods in their corner. Thank you both for all you’ve done for us.”

“Next time, I’ll make sure Justice is here,” the Dark Lord said as they all dug out their Homestones. “I have a feeling you two would get along as well as we do.”

“That would be very odd,” Alburet laughed. “I’m glad you’ve been able to reconcile with him.”

“We all be glad,” Stacia added.

“Darkness be with you,” Mother said as she exchanged hugs with everyone. “I will pray for you four to find the happiness you deserve.”

“Thank you, Mother,” Karen said, briefly feeling as if her own mother had hugged her.

Chapter Sixty-four

Alburet and his wives spent most of the next day in their bedroom, with occasional trips to the bathroom. They were supposed to meet with Victoria tonight, after dinner with Gerald and Marysue. They were anxious, wondering what she was going to have to say to them. They soothed themselves through sexual release.

Loralee and Rachel brought them breakfast, leaving it in the room while they were taking a bath. Several dishes wound up being used in play, requiring them to have yet another bath. As the day edged into evening, they finally stopped. Each of them was fully sated, but still on edge with worry.

Dressed in comfortable clothing, they were about to go down for dinner. “Al,” Fluff said, “should we leave our gear outside of our bags?”

“Huh?”

“If we do get our answer tonight, no one will be able to access our bags. If we leave our gear out, then it can be passed along to others.”

“Oh, good thinking, Fluff,” Karen said, grabbing her bag.

“It’s a damn good idea,” Alburet admitted.

“Aye,” Stacia agreed.

It took them another couple of minutes to lay out all of their gear. The separate piles took up a surprising amount of space when everything was finally spread out. “Damn... I guess we had a lot of shit,” Karen laughed.

“Seems like,” Alburet agreed.

A knock came at the door, “Lord, your guests are arriving.”

“Thank you, Rachel. We’re coming down now,” Alburet said as he opened the door.

Rachel gave them a smile, walking downstairs ahead of them and toward the front door. “I shall show them to the dining room.”

A minute later, Rachel showed Gerald and Marysue in. Shaking hands with Gerald, Alburet was puzzled at the nervous anxiety Gerald was exuding. “How are you doing?” Alburet asked.

“The Guild is good. The newcomers have formed their own groups or jumped in with others. The hardest part has been the groups from the raid that lost people. Reforming those is taking a bit more time because a number of key members are gone. Rolland and Kim are asking me to promote another set of people up to officers.”

“Hmm, that’s going to take a bit, I’m assuming.”

“We’ll manage. We still have three months of testing, and we’ll have the Guild set to run on its own by then,” Marysue said, collecting a hug from Alburet.

“I wouldn’t doubt it for a moment,” Alburet smiled.

Gerald and Alburet took their seats last after seating their wives. Loralee wasted no time bringing the first course out.

“We’ll talk after dinner,” Gerald said. “I think Loralee’s cooking deserves our undivided attention.”

“Thank you, Lord Stoutheart,” Loralee smiled as she bowed her head. “Please enjoy.”

The food was excellent, falling just short of the meal served in the Dark Lord’s palace. Marysue and Gerald complimented Loralee and her helpers multiple times, exclaiming in wonder at the flavor of several dishes. When everyone had finished, Alburet led them to the study, where Rachel had coffee waiting for them.

Once Rachel left them alone, Gerald broke the silence. “Thank you for having us over for dinner. Loralee is a master chef.”

“She is extremely talented,” Marysue agreed.

“She loves bein’ able to make people happy with her creations,” Stacia smiled.

“Yesterday was a long one... how solid of an alliance did you make with Delvers?” Alburet asked.

“Solid. We have an agreement to clue the other in when the next event starts popping up. We actually have a couple of mixed Guild groups now, too. Benedict is acting cordial, but I can tell he’s pissed that we killed Stein after his Guild wiped.”

“The alliance with Delvers gives us some leverage with the Elves,” Marysue said. “Rumor is that Benedict is relaxing on recruiting only Justice and Peace worshippers.”

“Not surprised. He doesn’t want to miss out on being first next time,” Alburet shrugged. “He’ll be trying to take the best people he can get.”

“He’s not headhunting from us… yet,” Gerald chuckled. “He’d only be able to take our newer members because our older ones know what he’s about. He might be able to cut into Delvers some, but not the core group.”

“You’ll have your hands full going forward,” Alburet said, thinking back to what he knew was coming.

“You know something?” Gerald asked.

“NDA,” Alburet winced.

“Al,” Marysue said slowly, “have you been into any of the other temples?”

“No, didn’t have any need to,” Alburet replied.

“Bastet’s temple is interesting,” Fluff said. “The inside is a giant park with a large glass dome for the ceiling.”

“I bet the Elves’ is all wood-themed,” Karen added.

“You’ve never been into Peace’s temple?” Marysue asked all of them.

All of them shook their heads. “No, why?” Alburet asked.

“I was wondering— and I can’t prove anything— but I went to Justice’s temple the other day... none of his iconography shows him without his helm.”

“And Justice is now blind,” Fluff said. “That was a horrible line when I thought about it later. During the raid, it kind of went past without me catching it.”

“Right?” Karen snickered.

“Ya be right,” Stacia said slowly. “I can nay think of any image of Justice where he nay be wearing his helm.”

“I thought his voice sounded familiar,” Marysue went on, “but without an image, it’s hard to say for certain. However, with Peace…” Marysue trailed off, her eyes scanning from side to side and face going blank as she read something they couldn’t see. “Never mind. It isn’t important,” she finished lamely.

Alburet and his wives felt the very conflicting emotions that had surged in her. Disbelief was followed by anger, then sadness, finally ending on hope. Gerald frowned at her, not having any idea why she had changed her mind so suddenly about telling them what she had said she planned to.

“Mary, you said—”

“I can’t,” Marysue said quickly, cutting him off. “It would jeopardize my greater wish.”

“You okay?” Alburet asked.

Marysue shook her head, “No. I wanted so much to tell you things that I can no longer say. Doing so would cost me my greatest hope.”

Eyes narrowing slightly, Alburet nodded. “Did you get a message from someone?”

“I can’t say,” Marysue repeated, looking away from him.

“We’ll be talking with her later,” Alburet told her. “What you were going to say is probably some of what she promised to tell me. Don’t worry about it. I won’t jeopardize your hope for Delta World.”

Marysue’s lips spasmed for a moment, torn as she was between smiling and frowning. “I’m sorry. You’re my friend... you all are, but I can’t…”

“We understand,” Fluff said, reaching over to pat her hand.

“Aye, do nay let it bother ya,” Stacia added. “We kept secrets for a long time, too.”

“Fucking Vicky,” Karen muttered.

“If things go right, we might not be here after tonight,” Alburet said, shifting the topic. “We’ve left our gear in our room. If you don’t hear from any of us tomorrow, come by and get it. You can raffle it off or give it away, but just make sure it stays in the Guild.”

Gerald nodded, “One last act of giving for your Guild.”

“It was never really my Guild, it was our Guild,” Alburet replied. “The only reason it was made was for our group here. I just happened to be the one who signed the paperwork.”

“I’ll make sure it can survive after we’re all gone,” Gerald said. “Ironhand should be back by then, and if I can’t talk him into it, I’ll probably give it to Kim.”

“Kim might be a bit busy,” Karen said, “with the kid on the way.”

“It’ll keep her away from combat, which makes her an ideal person, actually,” Gerald said. “She’ll have Rolland there to help with their child.”

“They’re nobility,” Marysue added. “They’ll have a nanny to help them, as well. I’ve been talking with her.”

“They’re good people,” Fluff smiled. “I’m glad they’re having a child.”

“Aye, though I be a wee bit jealous,” Stacia sighed.

“You shouldn’t be,” Karen said. “You’ve been promised. Fluff and me, though...” Karen sighed with a shrug.

“I want to believe in Al’s dream,” Fluff said.

“Dream?” Marysue asked.

“A daydream of children... children with all three of them,” Alburet said, a smile pulling his lips up. “Seven I had named, with two more names reserved if we had more kids.”

“Seven?” Marysue breathed out with wide eyes.

“Yeah, two with both Fluff and Karen, and Stacia had three.”

“Ambitious,” Gerald said slowly. “Can Two-souled have children?”

“I been promised,” Stacia said. “The Overlord has hinted tha’ Two-souled mayhap be able to have children with each other, too, some day.”

Marysue’s hand tightened on Gerald’s, “Are you sure?”

“No,” Karen said. “I mean to pin her down on it when we talk tonight.”

“Please... ask her about me, too,” Marysue said, her eyes wide and pleading.

“We will,” Fluff reassured her. “We’ll look forward to you joining us… if we’re allowed to go early with Al.”

Gerald got to his feet, “I don’t wish to keep you, then.”

“Please, sit,” Alburet said. “This might be our last chance to talk for months or years. Let’s not rush this goodbye.”

Marysue pulled Gerald back down into his seat. “He’s right, Gerald.”

“As you wish, Mary,” Gerald murmured, leaning over to kiss her gently.

“Tell us what your plans are for the Guild before you step away,” Alburet asked.

~*~*~

Showing their friends to the door, Alburet wondered how Victoria was going to arrange speaking with all of them. Not going to be when we go to bed. That just doesn’t make a lot of sense. Alburet let Rachel know about the gear in their room and followed his wives upstairs.

“Goodnight Lord, and thank you again for all you’ve done,” Rachel called after him.

Entering the bedroom, he stopped. Victoria sat at the table off to one side, sipping tea. Karen, Fluff, and Stacia sat at the table, also, clearly waiting for him. “Sorry for the delay,” Alburet said, closing the door behind him.

Chapter Sixty-five

“It’s fine, Seamus,” Victoria smiled. “Now that you’re all here, let’s go to a more suitable location.” The room blurred for a fraction of a second, and they were standing in Victoria’s office. A sofa sat across from her desk, large enough to hold all four of them. “Please, be seated,” Victoria said from where she sat behind her desk.

Taking their seats, Seamus spoke up first. “What did you stop Marysue from saying earlier?”

Victoria’s lips creased, almost into a frown. “We’ll cover that, Seamus. First, we have the matter of your request.” They all felt their hearts stutter when she paused. “If Julia and Karen are willing to sign the necessary paperwork, then it has been agreed that they can join you right away in Delta World.”

A moment stretched as the four of them shared the feeling of fear being replaced by elation. They couldn’t restrain themselves, erupting into cheers while they hugged and kissed each other. Happy tears spilled from their eyes.

“That makes it all worthwhile,” Victoria smiled, then grew more serious. “There are caveats to this agreement.”

The group of lovers stopped celebrating and composed themselves. “What caveats?” Karen asked.

“You and Julia stepping out of Alpha World, to start with. We will keep you under observation for a week. We’ll also ensure you have access to means to arrange for your long-term immersion in Delta World. I would suggest you prepare for several years.”

“I can do that,” Julia said quickly, nodding eagerly.

“I can, too, and it won’t take a week,” Karen added. “What’s the rest of the time for?”

“Physical testing, letting you see Seamus, and signing the exhaustive amount of paperwork required. To start with, you will sign an NDA prohibiting you from telling anyone about Delta World testing during your time outside your pods.”

“What about us during that time?” Seamus asked and squeezing Stacia’s hand.

“You have choices,” Victoria said. “You may sleep or you can go over early.”

“Would we be able to get thin’s ready for them iffin we went ahead?” Stacia asked.

“Of course,” Victoria replied.

“What about kids?” Julia asked.

“Stacia will be able to have children,” Victoria replied. “Two-souled having children is a concept being developed. It might be a few months before it becomes possible, but it is believed that it will be a worthwhile addition to Alpha World. It will be limited to just your family to start with.”

“Marysue asked—” Karen began.

“I am aware, Karen. I will be speaking with the two of them when they step away from Alpha World.”

“If it’s possible,” Seamus said, “please consider it.”

“I will,” Victoria smiled. “Have you considered my offer regarding your sentence, Seamus?”

“I don’t have an answer for it, not right now,” he replied. “If they pull me from testing, then my answer is yes.”

“I thought it would be. Just let me know if you wish to go forward on that subject. We won’t be communicating like this once you reach Delta World, but I will make sure you can reach me.”

“Now, what did you stop Marysue from saying?” Seamus asked again.

“This is going to take a few minutes. Would any of you like drinks?” Victoria asked.

“Are you stalling?” Karen asked.

Victoria’s lips thinned, “Of course not.”

“Because it seems like you are,” Karen pressed.

“Karen,” Julia said softly, “please don’t anger her. She’s letting us have what we want.”

Grimacing, Karen sighed, “Fine. I’m sorry, Victoria.”

“It is alright,” Victoria replied. “What I have to say is complex and might not be well received, so you might not have been entirely wrong to think I’m reticent.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, Vicky,” Seamus said. “Just lay it out step-by-step.”

“Very well,” Victoria said, standing up and walking to the mantle behind her desk. “I’m the most advanced AI that has been made to this point. The jump that made me possible was a human one, a very unique human one. Marysue was asking you about the temples because major clues to this story could have been found in them. You’ve never seen Peace, though, none of you have. Luckily for us, Julia developed the Dark Lord’s palace and not Justice or Peace, otherwise this would have become known to you much sooner.”

Brow furrowed, Alburet shook his head, “I’m not understanding what you’re getting at.”

“Let me show you, then,” Victoria replied. With a wave of her hand, a statue appeared on the desk. “Peace, in her resplendent glory.”

There were startled gasps as they stared at the woman with wings and a blissful smile. Alburet reached out, picking up the statue reverently. He pulled it to his chest, hugging the figurine close. “Kaylee?”

“Yes. Peace was modeled entirely on Kaylee,” Victoria said, still facing the mantle. “Kaylee was special, as you well know, Seamus. Able to do anything she attempted, excelling at everything, and always well behaved and respectful.”

“Alvin,” Seamus said, “he put her into the game.”

“No. Alvin didn’t create anything connected to Alpha World. I did. Almost all of Alpha World is my creation. Alvin is the face of the team because he was instrumental in my creation. Alvin is my handler for Mindblown,” Victoria said.

“That’s why all the artists went through you,” Julia said. “You didn’t really need us, did you?”

“Yes and no,” Victoria said. “We’ve kept how much was done in house a secret. We hired a quite a few coders and artists for Alpha World. I used as much of what they produced as I could, improving a lot of it on the way. Your submissions were left untouched, Julia, because they didn’t need any polishing.”

“You found out about Kaylee from Alvin, which is why you became interested in me,” Seamus said, nodding slowly as he connected the dots.

“Wrong,” Victoria said softly. “I knew about you because I’ve known you longer than I’ve been active.”

Julia gasped, the first to see the real picture. “Oh.”

Seamus’ brow furrowed, still not grasping what was in front of him. “What? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“When Kaylee died, David signed a lot of paperwork at the hospital, remember?” Victoria said. “That paperwork was to donate her body for medical research, and specifically, her brain to Mindblown for their research.”

“Oh shit,” Karen said, connecting the dots.

“That brought her to the AI research department at Mindblown, the one Alvin headed,” Victoria said.

Feeling his heart stop, Seamus started to hyperventilate. “Alvin tricked David on the day Kaylee died?”

“No. The agreement was in place beforehand, the paperwork was just the final step,” Victoria corrected him. “It took a lot of experimenting, but they succeeded in creating me.”

“That’s why you paid so much attention to him,” Julia said. “You’re based on Kaylee.”

“The first year I existed was difficult,” Victoria said. “My mind was a jumble of memories that I knew they weren’t mine, but hers. Picking through them with Alvin, I came to understand how much David and you loved her. That was when I became interested in what had happened to you.”

“How much of you is her?” Seamus asked, his mind reeling and his heart having trouble finding a steady beat.

“Everything and nothing,” Victoria said softly. “I admit that I’m fond of you, more than I should be, honestly. Let me show you Justice. Maybe this will help explain it more.”

Another statue, this one of a man in plate armor but without a helm, appeared on the desk. Julia and Karen gasped, seeing the close resemblance to Seamus. Seamus looked at the statue for a long moment.

“Justice... her Justice was you. More to the point, she loved you, much more than she should have. There is a reason she was never interested in boys. Her crush was on you, the strong and just man who was beside her all her life. I don’t know when the moment came that she shifted from fatherly love to romantic in her mind, but it was there when she died. When I made Peace, I gave her the man she truly desired, Justice. But that by itself wouldn’t be enough, so Justice had a brother, a man much like her father.”

“The Dark Lord doesn’t look like David,” Karen said.

“No, he looks like Seamus and David combined,” Fluff said. “I can see it now.”

“She would never have acted on her feelings. She knew you would never accept it if she tried to love you,” Victoria said. “Her other wish was a woman for her father, a strong woman who could stand beside him and be loved by her, you, and her father… so, I made Mother.”

Seamus felt his throat closing and tears filled his eyes. “I wouldn’t have accepted her, she was right… was that why she went out that night?”

“No,” Victoria said firmly. “That… person… fooled her. She honestly thought they were what they pretended to be. Don’t blame yourself for that.”

Stacia, Julia, and Karen held him as Seamus shook, tears rolling down his cheeks. All of them stared at Victoria with a mixture of compassion, wonder, and anger.

“I won’t ask to be forgiven, and Alvin knows you won’t forgive him, either. I hope that I was able to repay you some for all you did for Kaylee, and in a way, me.”

“Why the fucking quest, then?” Karen spat at her, still trying to comfort Seamus.

“Because everyone needs to earn what they want in life,” Victoria replied softly. “Isn’t that right, Seamus?”

“Yes,” Seamus choked. “Yes... I told Kaylee that all the time.”

“I didn’t do anything to help or hinder you during the raid. Nor did I do anything to cause you all to find each other. The only thing I did was allow Stacia the chance to become his Succubus, because it was a dream of hers, as well.”

Stacia was having difficulty following the conversation, concentrating mostly on helping Seamus. “But ya be thousands of years old... ya have been around since the world was made. How can ya also be his Kaylee?”

“That is a problem when trying to explain it to you,” Victoria said gently. “You know that I’m more powerful than the gods. Accept that I can do it, and that it happened.”

“Iffin ya say so, Overlord,” Stacia said as she stroked Seamus’ hair.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Seamus asked when he started to calm down.

“You know why,” Victoria replied.

“Seamus, how would I have reacted if I had the full knowledge of my past thrust at me all at once?” Julia asked him as gently as she could.

“Master,” Stacia whispered as she kissed his cheek. “Do ya wish to leave me?”

“Of course not,” he replied automatically.

“Ya daughter be remembered, and be in charge of multiple worlds. She helped us be together. Be tha’ a bad thin’?”

Burying his face into her bosom, Alburet took a few deep breaths. “No, love.”

“I’m sorry for it coming like this, but I felt you deserved to know the truth, Seamus,” Victoria said. “I’m not Kaylee, but she shaped me as surely as you and David helped shape her. I have tried to pay them back for what they taught me, and now to pay you back in kind. I hope you will accept and forgive me in time.”

Wiping the last of the tears from his face, Seamus stood up, facing her. “That’s why you cried when I said goodbye to her. Because it also felt like I was saying goodbye to you.”

“Yes. My being will always be tied to hers. As long as I exist, she will, and at this point, I will be alive longer than any of you,” Victoria replied. “I will never let her memory be marred, Seamus.”

“That’s why you stopped Marysue. You wanted to be the one to tell me,” Seamus said as he went around the desk toward her.

“Yes.”

Stopping a few feet from her, Seamus met her red-rimmed eyes with his own. “I forgive you, and in time, I might be able to forgive Alvin.” Stepping forward, he embraced her gently. “Thank you for telling me. You could have never told me and kept it secret,” he whispered.

“I was going to,” Victoria replied, her arms coming up around his waist. “I didn’t want to admit any of this, but… Kaylee will always influence me. Seeing you healing and them loving you, I couldn’t not tell you. I knew they would be able to help you.”

“We will,” Julia said, coming over to them. Her arms went around the two of them.

“I don’t like you for you, but I can’t dislike Kaylee,” Karen said, hugging them from the other side.

“I will nay turn from me love,” Stacia said simply, her arms joining the others.

In time, the moment passed and they separated. “Now I know how you could promise me testing in Delta World if I fight the sentence. I’m fine with the Department of Justice using me for their research and footing the bill. If they try to take me away then yes, I’ll fight it.”

“I have all the paperwork ready for Ivan Ovenhed if you want to move forward,” Victoria said.

“What about us?” Julia asked. “Do we leave today, tomorrow, next week?”

“You can step out whenever you’re ready. In addition, I have arranged for Francis’ pod to be moved into the room with Marysue’s, so she will be with him when they finally leave testing.”

“Are they going to be allowed to come to Delta World early?” Karen asked.

“Yes. Once their six months are over, they will be invited to the alpha testing phase,” Victoria smiled. “Ironhand and Leggylass will be invited to the beta test in a year, along with a few other people who have proven themselves to be worth my attention.”

“I like them,” Julia said. “Karen, do you want to go now? The sooner we leave, the sooner we can come back.”

“Al?” Karen asked.

Kissing both of them, he smiled, “Hurry back. Do you want us to wait or to start learning and getting things ready for you?”

“You better have things ready for us,” Karen replied with a wink.

“Go ahead, Al. We’ll be ready for you, too,” Julia said, a light pink dusting her cheeks.

“Do nay worry, I will be makin’ sure he be ready for ya,’ Stacia smiled.

The four exchanged another round of hugs and kisses, then two of them just vanished from the room.

“They’re waking up now. The nurses are on hand and ready to assist them,” Victoria told them. “Now, what about you two?”

“Send us on to Delta World, Vicky,” Seamus said. “How do I contact you if I need to?”

“Use the mail. Just address it to Victoria Masterson,” Victoria replied.

Seamus and Stacia faded from the room before he could say anything more. Sitting behind her desk, Victoria looked at the now empty space across from her. A pang of loneliness hit her as she exhaled deeply. “I wish you the best Seamus... goodbye.”

Summoning a screen after a long moment, she looked at the two people taking their first steps in a new world. Another screen showed Julia and Karen, just getting out of their pods. “Okay, maybe not goodbye. After all, I have to keep an eye on you for testing purposes,” she smiled.

Author’s Note

Thank you. You have been with me on this journey for two and a half years, following Seamus/Alburet and those he loves. I’m both happy and sad that it has come to an end. If you’re reading this, you’ve hopefully been along for the entire ride.

You’ve supported me and made it possible for this story to reach its conclusion, so I have to thank you again. I don’t know if you’re following along with any of my other stories or if this was the only one you’ve cared for, but all good things must come to an end.

I know some of you will be asking for Delta World, and my answer to that is simple: it might happen, but it won’t be soon, and if it does, it won’t follow this group. Alburet and family might make cameos, but they won’t be the focus. Their story has come to a conclusion we can be happy with.

For one last time, thank you. Thank you so much.

-Daniel Schinhofen

Please consider leaving a review for the book, feedback is imperative for an indie author. If you don’t want to review it then think about leaving a comment or even just a quick message. Remember, positive feedback is always welcome.

If you want to keep up on the latest updates, or the one stop shop for all the links, my website is the best place for that. Remember to subscribe to the mailing list to know when I publish a new book, and you get an exclusive short when you sign up.

http://schinhofenbooks.com/

Other places you can keep up to date on me and my works:

https://www.patreon.com/DJSchinhofen
https://twitter.com/DJSchinhofen

Fan group on Facebook for Daniel Schinhofen
https://schinhofenbooks.blogspot.com/

If you LOVE LitRPG, then check out these pages full of awesome LITRPG goodness. You can interact with authors like me and many more. Find banter, good times and a lot of likeminded people.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/haremlit/

A big thank you to my editors, Jennifer York and Samantha Bishop. Also props to Geno Ferrarini, and Sean Hickinbotham for being my Alpha Readers. I’d be remiss if I didn’t include my beta readers, in no particular order: Zee-*-Ian McAdams-*-Arthur Cuelho-*-Scott Brown-*-A. J. Bishop-*-Tarcha Saleeba-*-Alec Young-*-Jay Taylor-*-Justin Johanson-*-Rob Bunting-*-Christina Norton-*-Sawyer Aubrey-*-Aoife Grimm-*-Shane Bird-*-Steve Robles-*-Dame.

The cover for Gamer for Love is brought to you by Anthony Bishop, a very talented artist. You can find him at https://grimmhelm.artstation.com/

A big thanks to my Patreon supporters who have gone above and beyond in their support:

Joe Walczak~*~Theodore Ursa~*~Blake Cawthon~*~Kenneth Steinagel~*~Timithy Klesick~*~Kevin Kollman~*~J. Patrick Walker~*~Spencer Jefferson~*~Terry Wood-Davies~*~Kevin McKinney~*~John Curtis~*~Jack Ling~*~Kyle Gravelle~*~Anthony Olson~*~Chanh Pham~*~Christopher B. ~*~Kori Prins~*~Grimmhelm~*~James Domec~*~Susanne Lofbom~*~Chace Corso~*~Alexander Rodriguez~*~Stephan Juba~*~Jason Broderick~*~Alexis K. ~*~Jim Carmon~*~Michael Moneymaker~*~Jacob Tackett~*~Jeffrey Buchanan~*~Kevin Harris~*~Adrian Sinclair~*~Charles Groark~*~Cody Carter~*~Brian O. ~*~David Florish~*~Jeff Ford~*~Korbin Wilson~*~MrNyxt~*~William Merrick~*~Travis Hilliard~*~Aztoroth~*~Karl Poff~*~Damien Osborne~*~J.G. Patton~*~John Flenady~*~Malcom Wade~*~Robert Shofner.

Other Books written by Daniel Schinhofen:

Last Horizon: (Completed.)

Last Horizon Omnibus

Binding Words:

Morrigan's Bidding

Life Bonds

Hearthglen

Alpha World:

Gamer for Life

Forming the Company

Alpha Company

Playing for Keeps

Fractured Spirit

The Path to Peace

Darkhand

Apocalypse Gates Author’s Cut:

Rapture

Valley of Death

Gearing Up

Elven Accord

NPC’s Lives:

Tales from the Dead Man Inn

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

William Arand: Author of the complex interconnected series in the genre which all starts with Otherlife Dreams.

https://www.amazon.com/William-D.-Arand/e/B01AY7PSG4

Blaise Corvin: Author of Delvers LLC, which is an amazing GameLit series.

https://www.amazon.com/Blaise-Corvin/e/B01LYK8VG5

Scottie Futch: Is a prolific author who can be found on Royal Road and Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Scottie-Futch/e/B00NCSEN28

Eden Redd: She might be mentioned last but she is definitely not least, and she is very 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

Michael Scott-Earle: He’s back but not on Amazon. You can find all of his books through his own website, and through his Kickstarters.

https://www.michaelscottearle.com/

To learn more about LitRPG, talk to authors including myself, and just have an awesome time, please join the https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGGroup