The Path to Peace

by Daniel Schinhofen

  “Ye spellcasters use books. Those of us who are more martially inclined have to learn through doing,” Charles said, the corner of his mouth twitching.

  “My trainers do something similar,” Karen nodded. “Training the poisons is the worst.”

  Charles’ lip pulled back. “Bah, tricks. Poison will nay defeat me.”

  “Thank you again, Charles. I’ll be back when I’m ready to train again,” Fluff said, bowing her head to the Dwarf. “Did you go to the café like I suggested?”

  A tinge of red appeared just above the beard on the Dwarf’s face. “Aye.” Eyes darting at the others in the room, he coughed, “Ye should be goin’. No time to talk, me be thinkin’.”

  “Thank ya for showin’ us how ya train our wife,” Stacia said, giving Charles a broad smile.

  “It be nothin’, good day to ye all,” Charles said, going to the far side of the room to a table and keeping his back to them.

  Once they were out of the room, Karen giggled, “You sent him to the maid café?”

  “He likes tea, but was having a hard time finding a place that didn’t make him want to fight,” Fluff said. “I thought it would be good for him. He mellows if there are women present, and one of the maids is a cute Dwarf.”

  “Ya wanted to see iffin she would be interested in him?” Stacia asked with a bemused smile. “Ya be a true romantic, our precious little Fluff.”

  Fluff looked down, her cheeks pinking. “I just like the idea of people finding love.”

  “Like us,” Karen said, spinning Fluff around for a kiss.

  Fluff was a touch breathless when the kiss broke. “Like all of us,” she said, smiling at Karen.

  “I’ll meet you all over at the Dead Man Inn,” Karen said as she went back into stealth. “I can make it to and from mine without any trouble—you all be careful, though.”

  “We’ll be as careful as we can,” Alburet said. “You should be careful, since you’re the one walking into the Assassin’s hall.”

  “It’s bad form to attack another Assassin inside the hall,” Karen said before moving away, “see you all soon.”

  “Master?” Tiny rumbled.

  “Yeah, off to the Dead Man Inn,” Alburet said as they fell into formation for the walk.

  “What are ya goin’ to be trainin’?” Stacia asked with a mischievous smile.

  “Copy is one of the choices, I think. If it is, then I’ll be grabbing it so I can have two of all of you up,” Alburet said. “It’ll give us even more options while hunting, since I won’t have to pick or choose which Copy to leave out.”

  “I will grow in power when you advance again,” Tiny rumbled from in front of the group.

  “I thought your rank up was coming soon,” Alburet grinned. “Looking forward to it?”

  “It will be nice to attain my previous strength once again,” Tiny rumbled. “My wives have been very happy that I have not wallowed in the lower ranks. They send their thanks to you, master, and hope you will come and visit when you can.”

  “If we make it back to the Infernal Realm, we’ll try to stop by and visit,” Alburet chuckled. “Tell them I’m happy to be invited.”

  “My place, too,” Bob called from the rooftops. “Both of my wives want to meet you.”

  Laughing, Alburet looked up at the Imp, “Of course, Bob.”

  “Ya will visit me home as well?” Kitten purred from behind them.

  “I think your home is the place most likely to lead to sex,” Alburet deadpanned, his eyes darting to a grinning Stacia.

  “Of tha’ ya can be assured,” Kitten replied. “Bring ya wives, I do so like the soft ones.”

  Fluff shook her head. “You are being bad.”

  Pouting, Kitten stuck her lip out. “I nay bein’ bad. Ya will love what I can do for ya.”

  Alburet rolled his eyes. “Enough, Kitten.”

  “As ya wish, master,” Kitten demurred.

  “She just wants to let ya all know how eager she be to be with ya,” Stacia managed to say with a straight face.

  Alburet slapped her on the ass as they walked. “Behave, the both of you.”

  “As ya wish, Asthore,” Stacia husked.

  Fluff reached around Alburet to touch Stacia’s back. “We both know he’ll do that later for you. Maybe…” Fluff trailed off.

  “Aye, iffin ya wish, ya be more than welcome to help him tame me,” Stacia replied eagerly. “Ya, Karen, and our husband can all tame me,” a small shiver ran through her body. “Later, though. We need to train, then we be goin’ huntin’ before dinner. I will be ya dessert.”

  Fluff pinked a little at how openly Stacia was admitting about what she wanted. “It might help me with my own issues, but later.”

  Blinking, Alburet was shocked at how quickly the conversation had turned and the direction it had taken. Clearing his throat, he added to the conversation, “If Fluff is okay with it, then I’m all for it.”

  “Ya be for it regardless, ya just do nay wish to hurt her,” Stacia murmured. “Ya nay be allowed to go after her, though. I be the dessert tonight.”

  “If that is—” Alburet began, but stopped suddenly, his legs going wobbly.

  Dimly aware of what was going on, Alburet could see Fluff, Stacia, Tiny, TJ, and Kitten all in the same condition, Sapped. He hoped Bob would free them, but his interface showed that Bob had the same debuff. Nine Assassins appeared around the group with evil grins on their faces.

  “Told you two groups would be enough,” one of them was saying as they all advanced on Alburet. “Him first, then the others.”

  It was over with quickly, and Alburet found himself spawning in front of the Dead Man Inn, Fluff appearing beside him a moment later. “You okay?” Alburet asked.

  “I was coming out of the Sap when they got to me, but I wasn’t fast enough,” Fluff frowned. “They were upset that Stacia vanished when you did.”

  “Fuck,” Alburet said, summoning Stacia back to his side. “Bad news. They paid attention and know you’re a minion.”

  Stacia nodded, lifting her head regally. “It be fine. We can just say I was made a full Infernal iffin we need to. We be fine, I have faith in ya.”

  Pulling her into a hug, Alburet nodded. “Okay. We should let your family know, though.”

  “Aye, I will tell Da’ while ya train,” Stacia said, giving him a quick kiss. Stepping back from Alburet, she looked at Fluff. “Ya be okay?”

  “They didn’t linger over it,” Fluffball said, “that was good, at least. We didn’t have much chance against two groups.”

  “They can nay make tha’ much coin, iffin they be splittin’ it ten ways,” Stacia said.

  “Maybe Gerald’s plan will make it all a moot point,” Alburet said as he took their arms. “Let’s go train, shall we?”

  As they approached the entrance to the inn, Alburet’s message icon started flashing.

  Message from Karen:

  What happened?

  Message to Karen:

  Ambushed by two groups, we didn’t stand a chance. Respawned in front of the inn, going to train now.

  Message from Karen:

  They got all of you?

  Message to Karen:

  Yes, they took me out first, then got Fluff.

  Message from Karen:

  Fuckers! I’ll see you soon.

  Message to Karen:

  Stay safe, see you soon.

  As he was putting the Mindstone away, the icon started to flash again. With a sigh, he traded another round of messages with Marysue before putting the stone away. “The others know what happened. They’ll meet us here for lunch, then we’re off to the next zone.”

  “Is Karen okay?” Fluff asked.

  “Yeah, she’s training now and doesn’t expect a problem when she goes to leave,” Alburet reassured the Lunari as he led the two women into the inn.

  “Alburet,” Stewart nodded, “Stacia, Fluffball, it’s good to see you. Just stopping by to train?”

  “Meeting th
e rest of the group here for lunch, but yeah, training is the key point of why we’re here,” Alburet said, shaking Stewart’s hand before Stewart gave the two women a hug.

  “Follow me, then. We’ll get you done quickly so you can enjoy your meal,” Stewart said, leading Alburet towards the back.

  “Ya can find us in the private dinin’ room when ya be done,” Stacia called out as Alburet and Stewart left the tap room.

  Making it down to the room under the inn, they headed straight for Stewart’s desk. Taking a seat, Stewart pushed the book across to Alburet. “Take your pick.”

  Flipping to the page for level 70, Alburet quickly chose Copy. “Done,” he said, pushing the book back.

  “That was fast,” Stewart chuckled as he looked at the book. “I figured you’d take that.”

  “I like my minions, and having two of each is just too handy to pass up,” Alburet replied. “On that note, the fact that Stacia is really a Succubus is likely to come out soon. I keep getting assassinated in the streets, and between the Assassins and any bystanders who happen to be nearby, it’s unlikely to stay secret for much longer.”

  Stewart nodded, “Figured it might come to that. Do you have a plan?”

  “If it comes up, we’re going to say she was transitioned to a full-blooded Infernal as a gift from the Dark Lord. I might be able to spin it as me asking for a boon so she wouldn’t die a final death.”

  Lips pursed, Stewart nodded. “That’s a bold play. Since Infernals can walk the streets now when they’re with their masters, it should work out okay. Alistern and Lilith might come under some scrutiny, but they should manage to weather the storm.”

  “Stacia should be telling Alistern now,” Alburet said, glancing at the rune by the desk. “We should head back up.”

  “Have you made any progress on finding a place for me to start an inn?” Stewart asked as he got to his feet.

  “You’d have to ask Gerald, he’s in charge of the town area,” Alburet said. “I have no idea what’s going on out there. We’ve been needing to level quickly for a quest.”

  “Going zone to zone then?” Stewart asked as he got to his feet.

  “And skipping monetary rewards for more experience,” Alburet added.

  “Risk, reward, but if you need the levels quickly, that is the way to go. You Two-souled always seem to be in a rush. It’s odd to those of us who are used to hunting at a much more relaxed pace.”

  Alburet looked around the room as he stood next to the glowing glyph on the floor. Not seeing anyone paying attention, he leaned in towards Stewart and quietly mentioned, “I’ve been given a quest from the Overlord, so I have to level quickly.”

  Eyes going wide, Stewart blinked like he’d been poleaxed. “You what?” The words came out strangled as he tried to fully grasp what Alburet had said.

  “I’ll explain in the dining room,” Alburet said, stepping on the rune.

  He was halfway to the inn’s door when Stewart appeared in the graveyard, having taken a moment to come out of his shock. “Wait a minute,” Stewart called out to him.

  “Inside,” Alburet said, not pausing his stride.

  Stewart rushed to catch up to Alburet, ending up a few steps behind him inside the tap room. “You’re just having me on, aren’t you?”

  Seeing Marian behind the bar, Alburet gave her a friendly wave and headed for the dining room. “Ya seen Violet recently?” Marian called out to him.

  “She’s been hunting, I think,” Alburet replied as he slowed his pace a moment. “Is there a problem?”

  “Nay, she just promised to go huntin’ with me today and has nay shown up,” Marian said, a small frown marring her beautiful face.

  “She might have run into issues, as the entire Guild is being hunted by Assassins right now,” Alburet said. “I’m sure she’ll be by if she promised.”

  “Aye, ya be right,” Marian said, her lips evening out as she forced the frown off her face. “Da’ be in the dinin’ room with sis already.”

  “That’s where I’m headed,” Alburet said. “You can always send Violet a message, Marian. I doubt she would take it wrong if you tell her how excited you are to go hunting with her again.”

  “I may do tha’,” Marian said before shooing him away. “Off ya get to the room before me sis be gettin’ mad at me for keepin’ ya.”

  “As if she would,” Alburet grinned at his sister-in-law. “Have a good day, sis.”

  “Aye,” Marian replied, a small smile finally appearing on her lips. “Have a good meal.”

  “That’s easy to do here, since the food is so good,” Alburet called back over his shoulder.

  “Alburet,” Stewart said sternly, “answer the question, please.”

  Stopping just outside the dining room, Alburet met Stewart’s gaze for a moment. “Inside first.” Opening the door, he stepped in, followed by Stewart, who was muttering under his breath.

  “Asthore, why do ya be upsettin’ Unca Stew?” Stacia asked as they entered.

  Seeing Alistern and Lilith already in the room, Alburet slapped Alistern on the back and bent to give Lilith a hug. “Mom, Dad, good to see you both,” Alburet grinned, winking at Stacia.

  “Alburet Two-souled, answer my damned question,” Stewart snapped.

  “Damn Stew, you’re getting a little heated over there. Take a seat and I’ll explain. Since both Alistern and Lilith are here, I won’t have to repeat myself,” Alburet said as he took the seat between Fluff and Stacia.

  Once everyone was seated, Alburet gave them a quick overview of Victoria and the quest. The three natives were all doubtful until Stacia confirmed his words, then their expressions shifted to outright shock.

  “That’s where we are right now,” Alburet shrugged. “We’re giving up the coin and items for increased experience. The others will be here shortly to join us for lunch, then we’ll head right back out.”

  Alistern shook his head. “Ya keep doin’ things tha’ have nay been done before. I do nay know iffin to be proud to call ya son right now, or fearful of what might be comin’ because of ya.”

  “Both?” Lilith suggested, giving her husband’s hand a squeeze. “It could be that, because he is here, whatever is coming will be mitigated. The world has shifted on pivotal moments before, and we could be approaching one of them.”

  Stewart sucked at his bottom lip for a moment, “There’s nothing we can do to help?”

  “Be ready, just in case,” Stacia said simply.

  “We eating back here?” Karen asked as she entered the room.

  “I will go get ya food ready,” Alistern said, getting to his feet. Pausing, he looked at Alburet. “Ya do what ya need to do; me daughter’s happiness be on the line.”

  “Which means more to me than anything else I can think of right now,” Alburet replied.

  “I will help you, husband,” Lilith said as she got to her feet. Smiling at the group, she continued, “I have a feeling you will keep all of your wives happy.”

  “I guess I’ll go, too,” Stewart said as he went to follow Alistern.

  “Are we eating back here?” Gerald asked, opening the door before Alistern could.

  “Aye, we be bringin’ the food soon,” Alistern said as he stepped around the Defender.

  “Any other issues besides that attack?” Gerald asked.

  “No. Are you two ready for more hunting after this?” Alburet asked, looking at Marysue.

  “Yes,” Marysue said. “I picked up Halo, an AoE Heal that pulses every three seconds for fifteen seconds, and Gerald upgraded his flat passive mitigation.”

  “Sounds good,” Karen said as she took a seat. “My poisons will now stay on until cleansed or until combat ends, but that’s it.”

  “I picked up the next Copy Ability, so now I can have all three copied at once,” Alburet said. “We’re going to have even more options for fights, and even more health to chew through on boss fights.”

  “No, we’ll make sure to dismiss them before we fight a boss
,” Gerald said as he took his seat, “unless it’s like the Dragon, which attacked us by surprise.”

  “Which zone are we tackling next?” Fluffball asked.

  “Dead Sea?” Marysue asked hopefully.

  “You know we’re going to get a lot of undead once we hit the Dead Lands,” Karen said.