Trish inhaled sharply as things fell into place for her. Her eyes widened as she stared at Stern. “You mean... you’re related to them?”
Stern nodded slowly, watching her as he tried to untangle her emotions. “Yes.”
“Who?” Cyra asked.
“Rescue Squad group one, Darkhand,” Stern said.
Cyra spun to stare at Stern, her eyes going wide. “You’re related to the head of Rescue Squad?”
“Seamus Masterson is my father. Of his three wives, all of whom wanted to be called Mother, my birth mother is Stacia.”
“But that means…!” Cyra whispered as the implications hit her. “The Hand of Law came because of you being arrested?”
“Yes,” Stern said. “He gave me a letter before I left. It clearly states that he has a vested interest in my well-being and that, if he’s notified, he will come and find out what has happened to me. His name is Gerald, by the way. He kind of hates the nickname, but his wife loves it, and he doesn’t go against Marysue.”
Cyra leaned against the counter, her mind whirling. “Would they…?”
“Know about your parents? It’s possible,” Stern said. “They weren’t well-known at that point in time. They were still climbing and making a name for themselves. They can help, though,” Stern said. “If they find out… would you still run with us?” He didn’t want to ask the question, afraid she’d say no.
“What?” Cyra blinked, then upon seeing his expression, her heart swelled. “I will never leave you.”
Trish watched them as she tried to gather her thoughts. “Stern? Or is it Alistern?”
“Stern, please,” he said.
“You could easily have them help you achieve so much. Why are you doing it this way?” Trish asked.
“I want to be seen as my own person. If I have them help me, people will all say I only made it because of them. I want to prove to my parents that I can be as strong as they are.” He paused, then spoke on, “That’s not true. I want to prove that I’m stronger. I want to find all of the dungeons and clear them. The Goddess has promised that anyone who clears all of the dungeons in this world will be able to speak with her. I have so much I want to ask her.”
Cyra and Trish stared at him before Trish stood up. “Fine. We’ll help you.”
Stern met her eyes and swallowed at the conviction in them. “Thank you.”
Cyra was suddenly beside his seat and knelt, taking his hand in hers. “Stern, unless you drive me away, I won’t leave. We are a crew, but more importantly, we’re in a relationship.”
Her green eyes sparkled as she stared into his, and his heart pounded. He reached out and stroked one of her ears without thinking. She closed her eyes and tilted her head, her lips pursing. Stern leaned over and kissed her softly. When he pulled back, his head was tilted up and Trish claimed a kiss of her own.
“I feel kind of stupid,” Stern said when Trish let him go.
“Did you think we’d storm out?” Trish asked.
“It was a thought, or that you’d start asking about what my parents could do for us and calling me an idiot for not using them as much as I can.”
Cyra covered his hand with hers. “As little or as much as you want.”
“What Cyra said. Besides, they are helping you, aren’t they?”
Stern looked away. “They gave me a lot when they sent me off. I know they hope I’ll tell them how I’m doing, at least.” He looked back at them and smiled. “So you know, my mothers will like you both. Karen will love you, Trish, and Julia will adore you, Cyra. My mother will try to coddle you both, and then ask when we plan on marrying and having kids.”
Both women flushed when he mentioned marriage and children.
“Thanks for understanding and supporting me,” Stern added.
That brought both of them from their thoughts, and they leaned in, kissing his cheeks on either side.
“I need to finish the dishes,” Cyra sighed as she got back to her feet. “Write a letter before we go?”
“I should,” Stern agreed.
“Wait,” Trish said, starting to laugh. “Your dad named Pawly, you said?”
“He did,” Stern said slowly.
“One of the most powerful men in the world gave your companion a dad joke for a name?”
Stern laughed. “Well, yeah. When you meet him, you’ll understand.”
Trish laughed, but her heart soared at his words. Stern hadn’t said if she met him, but when. Cyra looked over, her heart full of love because she knew he’d included her in that statement.
Stern felt his anxiety fade away as the love in the room soaked into him. Trish brought him some ink, a pen, and a paper, taking a seat beside him to pet Pawly as Stern wrote his family a letter.
Character Sheets
Alistern “Stern” Masterson
Half-Infernal/Half-Human
Badge: Lead-3
Perks:
Infernal Heritage- Night Vision; darkness doesn’t constrain me. See in the dark.
Fire Resistance; not hot stuff. Fire doesn’t burn you as easily as others.
Empathic Soul; awash in a sea of feelings. Other’s emotions will always be felt by you.
Summoner; never alone in life. Summon an animal friend.
Improved Companion 1; best friends give back. Your summons will improve slightly. Improvement based on the summon.
Improved Companion 2; best friends keep giving back. Your summons will gain something new. Improvement based on the summon.
Improved Companion 3; best friends never stop giving. An additional improvement to your companion. Improvement based on the summon.
Cyra Walot
Rabbit Lykian
Badge: Lead-3
Perks:
Lykian Heritage- rabbit; did you hear that? Increased hearing.
Elven Heritage- increased vision; I see you. The sharp eyes of an elf.
Powerful Kick; kicking ass and taking names. A chance to stun anything kicked.
Life Sense; life surrounds us all. Able to sense the living in a twenty-foot radius.
Minor Life; bandages? We don’t need no stinking bandages. Refresh an ally with life, close minor wounds, and negate the least of poisons. Usable once per day.
Extra Minor Life; you’re a walking healing kit. Minor Life is now usable three times a day.
Self-help; Don’t I count? Able to target yourself with any perk or spell that you use.
Trish Moxxy
Human
Badge: Tin-3
Perks:
Crafter; good with your hands. You have an innate skill for crafting.
Leatherworking; the dead can be repurposed. You have an innate skill for leatherworking.
Poison Resistance; it’s like water to you. You ignore minor poisons and are resistant to stronger ones.
Protector; saving others is in your blood. Trade places with someone next to you if they would be injured. Useable once per day.
Improved Protector; now, it’s a way of life. Protector is usable three times per day.
Thick Skin; good for ignoring the barbs of life. Your physical skin will become thicker, letting you brush off the least of troubles.
Dark Vision; Low-light? No problem. As long as there is some light, you can see as if a full moon is hanging in the sky.
Iron Skin; that tickled. You become more resistant to injury.
Weighted Blow; smash them hard. Your bludgeoning weapons hit harder.
Armorer; weapons are good, but armor is better. Making armor is easier for you. This stacks with Crafter and Leatherworker.
Author’s Note
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A big thank you to my editors, Samantha Bishop, and Sarinia Phelps. 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: Ian McAdams ~*~ Dame ~*~ Jay Taylor ~*~ Zee ~*~ Scott Brown ~*~ Kevin Kollman ~*~ Justin Johanson ~*~ Kenneth Darlin ~*~ Rob Bunting ~*~ Aoife Grimm ~*~ Peter LaFemina ~*~ Tanner Lovelace ~*~ Tim? ~*~ Carl Gheradi ~*~ ~*~ Dimitri Shadow ~*~ Matt Case ~*~ Richard G Stahl ~*~ Cheyene Adams ~*~ A Madsen ~*~ MrNyxt ~*~ J. Stone ~*~ D Smith.
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Other Books written by Daniel Schinhofen:
Binding Words:
Morrigan's Bidding
Life Bonds
Hearthglen
Forged Bonds
Flame of War
Lost Bonds
Aether’s Revival:
Aether's Blessing
Aether's Guard
Magi's Path
Luck’s Voice:
Suited for Luck
Cashing In
Apocalypse Gates Author’s Cut:
Rapture
Valley of Death
Gearing Up
Elven Accord
Downtime and Death
Can of Worms
Unexpected Dev-elopments
Alpha World: (Completed.)
Gamer for Life
Forming the Company
Alpha Company
Playing for Keeps
Fractured Spirit
The Path to Peace
Darkhand
Gamer For Love
Last Horizon: (Completed.)
Last Horizon Omnibus
NPC’s Lives: (Hiatus)
Tales from the Dead Man Inn
Resurrection Quest: (Hiatus)
Greenways Goblins
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. Scottie combines parody with zany humor that keeps me laughing.
https://www.amazon.com/Scottie-Futch/e/B00NCSEN28
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 and Indiegogos.
https://www.michaelscottearle.com/
Eden Redd: She might be m
entioned 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
To find more LitRPG Books, please check out the Amazon store: https://www.amazon.com/litrpg
You can also find out more about LITRPG stories at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGGroup/
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