It didn’t take long for the mercenary groups to cut down the skeletons. As the mobs fell, a ripple of surprise went through the members of Alpha Company. Eyes wide, each member checked their status to find that they had indeed leveled, just like the others in the guild.
“What the hell?” Gerald murmured as he tried to make sense of what just happened.
“Fifteen high level mobs split equally to all members of the raid. There doesn’t seem to be a negative modifier for the lower level players, so we all got an equal share. For those of us who need a lot less XP, it was enough for a level.” Fluffball rationalized out loud, chewing on her lip after she finished speaking. “This is something Mindblown will want to know.”
“I’m sure they’ll figure it out in the next day or two,” Gerald replied to her. “It’s not like any of us here can send them a message easily.”
Alburet looked away without saying anything. He knew he should send a message to Victoria. As the group began to move east again, he slipped to the back of the group he was in. He pulled out his Mindstone and sent a quick message to Victoria about the experience they had recieved. Feeling like he had done what he needed to do, he moved back up, giving Stacia a smile as he did.
“I’m sure they’ll get eyes on the situation quickly,” Alburet told them as they walked. “So many people leveling so quickly is bound to get someone’s attention.”
“It could be a breaking point, if people can exploit the leveling curve in such a manner,” Marysue said thoughtfully.
As the players talked, Ioaniss, Stacia, and Roberto all listened in with curious expressions. Ioaniss finally spoke up, “Who or what is this Mindblown you speak of?”
The group exchanged glances for a moment before Alburet replied to him. “Mindblown is the organization that controls the gateway on the other world, that allows us access to Alpha World. I believe they have agreements in place with the Gods of this world.”
Ioaniss cupped his chin for a moment, “That is interesting. You seem to imply that Mindblown might be able to convince the Gods to change the way things work here.”
“Pretty much,” Karen added. “Is it known how much experience one can earn if a larger group takes lower levels like us out here?”
“If they die, they never come back. The final death always claims those who try to rush forward too quickly. But you’re two-souled, and will alway come back. There’s no way of knowing what the Gods might demand in compensation.”
“They might demand my men in return,” Roberto commented in a grim tone.
A pall settled over the group for a moment at Roberto’s words. “We didn’t know that,” Alburet finally said. “That might have changed the plans, if we had.”
A dark laugh came from Roberto. “This is, without a doubt, the greatest adventure the Empire has undertaken in generations. The King might have put together an expedition in the next few years due to the latest information about the Forgotten Prison, so if we are going to make headway in that direction it might as well be now. Besides, no one truly knows the will of the Gods.”
“The Dark Lord be the one tha’ gave us the directions to Gwain’s Keep,” Stacia told Roberto. “He be interested in us doin’ this, at least.”
Roberto nodded, his eyes lingering for a moment on her reddish skin. “He gave you the same ‘gift’ as your husband,” Roberto hesitated at the word, as if checking that she did consider it a gift. At her nod he continued. “Seeing as the Dark Lord has blessed you both, maybe he will look upon the rest of us with favor as well. It makes me wonder what Justice might think about this expedition.”
“He should be for it,” Ioaniss interjected into the conversation. “Reclaiming the Empire’s ground has been a fervent desire of his for some time.”
“Maybe we fear for nothing then,” Roberto replied.
“Gods willing,” Alburet added.
Silence fell among the group as they walked on. All around them small snippets of conversations drifted from other groups. Alburet caught a glimpse of Deirdre and Chris in the group just before them. “Stacia, why don’t we go check in with your sister for a second?”
“That would break the formation we set up to keep things safe,” Roberto pointed out.
“True, but I should move around some to check in with my guildies. This way they know I’m keeping an eye on them to make sure they’re doing okay,” Alburet rebutted quickly.
Nodding reluctantly, Roberto agreed, “Fair. Just come back between groups so we can keep track of you.”
“We’ll be back shortly then,” Alburet started forward with Stacia at his side.
Deirdre noticed them as they approached, reaching out to give Stacia a hug. “This be amazing, Stacia,” Deirdre gushed. “Thank ya, Alburet, for this chance. Joinin’ Alpha Company has been like a dream. So much has happened in such a short time.”
As the women chatted, Alburet eased over to Chris Eveningstar, “How have you been, Chris?”
“Very well, sir,” Chris clapped a large hand onto Alburet’s back. “You introduced me to Deirdre, invited me into your guild, and have allowed me to accompany you on this grand adventure. I can be nothing but happy.” He lowered his voice and dipped his head slightly, speaking softly so as not to be overheard. “On a related note, how long do you think one should wait before asking for a woman’s hand in marriage?”
With a large smile spreading across his face, Alburet chuckled softly, “I might be a bad person to ask about that. Stacia and I weren’t together for long, and it was an impromptu moment. If you feel strongly enough, then you should do it. I would suggest waiting until after the keep is captured and we have the portal rune up. And you’ll want to do it at a family dinner.”
“Right, good idea,” Chris replied with a serious expression, making a mental note of the advice.
Chris introduced Alburet around to the rest of the group Deirdre and he had formed. Alburet and Stacia spent some time chatting with each person, then said their farewells. They made their way back to their own group to check in. “How are they?” Fluff asked as the duo came back.
“Excited,” Alburet replied. “I think the celebration when we get back to Stormguard after conquering the keep might be even wilder than I had initially thought.”
Stacia eyed him for a moment, “Hmm, tha’ will be well received by me sister.”
Karen chuckled, “Your family moves fast, Stacia.” Her chuckle faded after a moment, her eyes tracking over to Violet. “I wonder how Marian is doing.”
“Ya can always send her a message,” Stacia replied.
Shaking her head, Karen looked away, “No, she made her choice. It’s just a passing regret now.”
Stacia opened her mouth to speak when Alburet stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him questioningly, and he shook his head slightly. “Sometimes things work out differently than we want,” he told Karen as he released Stacia’s shoulder. “Maybe this regret will mayhap become a stepping stone to something better. If you want to talk later we can, once we have set camp and have some privacy.”
Karen met his eyes for a long moment, searching his words and tone. Eventually, she nodded once, “Later.”
“Gerald, you want to go talk to one of the groups?” Alburet asked after a moment. “Not sure if I should be talking to everyone.”
“You should, actually,” Gerald gently rebuffed him. “Most of them have had little contact with you. The officers are the people most of the guild knows best.”
“Well, I guess it’s off to the next group then,” Alburet took the reply in stride. “Be back—” he was cut off by the sand erupting in four places around the mercenaries. “Or I can wait a few minutes.”
The order to halt went through the traveling group as the mercenaries engaged the skeletons that erupted from the sands. Those in the middle formation who were close enough launched spells into the melee, just for fun. Alburet whistled twice as he spotted flashy spells or abilities being used by those in the merce
nary groups. The first time was for a massive blue-white hand that slammed into the group of monsters to his left. It left the mobs coated with ice after it hit them, the hand vanishing into the ground. The second one that caught his attention was a brilliant flash of gold from off to his right. A bright, golden ring of energy appeared encircling the skeletons fighting that group. It hovered just above the ground, casting a golden glow on everything within the circle.
“Those looked impressive,” Fluff murmured.
“Frozen Hand,” Roberto identified the first spell that had caught their attention. “An Elementalist spell that damages all enemies it touches and slows them for a time. It can turn the tide of a battle if withdrawal is needed to heal.”
“The other one was Halo,” Marysue added. “That’s a Priest ability that opens at level seventy. It heals allies and damages undead inside the area for the duration of the spell. It sticks around for a bit after it’s cast.”
Karen chuckled. “I don’t think any of my abilities will be that flashy.”
“Mine either,” Alburet agreed.
“A few of mine get a little bloody,” Fluff said. Seconds later, the mobs were dispatched, causing the lower level Alpha Company members to level again. Fluff’s eyebrows drew together as she frowned, “I hope they know we aren’t trying to cheat.”
“Nothing we can do about it right now,” Gerald shrugged. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
“Now, I’m off to talk to the next group.” Alburet headed out again, his minions and Stacia in tow.
The next group that Alburet approached consisted of Greenbeard, Leggylass, and Ironhand, along with two other people Alburet hadn’t met yet. “Greetings, Alpha Company. How goes the day?”
Ironhand laughed, “Two levels for just taking a stroll. I’d say we’re doing pretty good.”
“Feels almost like a cheat,” Leggylass added with a small frown at Ironhand.
“We’ll see what Mindblown thinks about it, soon, I’m sure,” Alburet replied quickly. “It does feel a little off, but it’s not like we set out to do this leveling thing.”
“I was talking with our guards here,” Greenbeard said, motioning to the five guards near them. “It seems this sort of thing is highly frowned upon. Anyone of our level who tries it dies the final death if they die out here.”
“Roberto told me that, too. We have some suspicions about what that’s going to mean for us and them, but I’d really rather not speculate out loud under the circumstances.” Alburet steered the conversation onto a new tangent. “How was the hunting going for you before we set out on this?”
Leggylass bounced a little as she walked, “It’s been good. We’ve pretty well learned the best way to work together over the last week. It works out.”
“Glad to hear it,” Alburet replied. “I hope you guys enjoy the trip to the keep and the fight when we get there. Especially since it’s going to eat most of what’s left of the first month.”
“We’re trying do something big that might go down in gaming lore.” Greenbeard said, waving aside Alburet’s final remark. “As long as we don’t pull one of the classic blunders, we might make actual gaming history here. Not many people get to do that. This is kind of on par with the whole bug city thing in the old Warcraft.”
Alburet shook his head, “I hope we don’t end up in a ‘Death of the Sleeper’ moment, myself.”
Leggylass cocked her head to the side in puzzlement, while Greenbeard began to laugh. He tried to explain the history of the biggest developer meddling known in gaming history. When he finished telling the story, Leggylass was shocked. “Why in the hell…”
“Good question,” Alburet cut in. “Nobody ever really managed to explain why they thought it was a good idea.”
“It was a huge misstep,” Ironhand nodded.
They spent the next hour trading stories of some of their past gaming exploits. Stacia listened in fascination. Once they were on their way back to their own group, she spoke up, “Asthore, were they speakin’ of other worlds they had assisted?”
His face scrunched slightly as he tried to figure out how to phrase his reply. “That is one way to view it. I hope one day I can explain it better, but for now that will do.”
“Ya used to help these other worlds?”
“Not as much as them, but yes, a little,” Alburet told her, kissing her cheek.
The next attack came from the rear of the formation, the sand erupting to either side of the column. Everyone not engaged in the fight watched, while those with ranged abilities added in some damage. Bemusement rippled through the members of Alpha Company as the end of the fight caused them all to level yet again. Many of the same comments from previous battles were exchanged in regards to the ridiculous experience they were gaining.
That was the pattern for the next four hours as Alburet and Stacia went from group to group, meeting many of their guild mates for the first time. As the sun touched the horizon, the raid party came to a stop so camp could be set for the night.
The guards showed the guild how to set up their Tentstones and Campstones by demonstrating with theirs. Roberto showed Alburet and his group before going off to oversee other arrangements. Marysue produced a two person Tentstone, handing it to Gerald to set up. Karen grinned at them, “Saving money?”
Gerald went blank faced. Marysue blushed just a touch before she replied, “It’s just sleeping. No reason to spend more coin on separate tents. We used to sleep in the same room together all the time.” At that statement, Gerald’s face went pink.
Alburet finished setting the Tentstone that Stacia had picked out for them. A pavilion tent appeared, easily capable of holding a good half dozen or more people. Gerald blinked as an eyebrow rose, “A ten person tent?”
Alburet looked at Stacia, a little surprised himself. Stacia smiled gently at Alburet before looking at Gerald to reply, “No reason to be spendin’ coin on separate tents, it be just sleepin’.”
Karen snorted, “This is what you meant when you said you had sleeping arrangements taken care of?”
“Aye,” Stacia grinned at Karen, “Asthore, meself, Fluff, and ya own self will be sharing this one.” She turned to Marysue, “I would invite ya both as well, but me be thinkin’ ya may want to be sharing ya own tent instead.” Her grin was knowing as she met Marysue’s eyes.
“What’s for dinner?” Marysue asked, abruptly derailing the current conversation.
“We’ll be having stew, you are welcome to join us if you’d like. We have enough food to feed us all for a month. The first week is perishable food, after that we’ll be on rations,” Roberto informed her as he finished setting up a ten man tent.
“We would be glad to join you, but I feel a little bad about just us…”
Roberto chuckled as he cut Alburet off, “All of my men are geared the same, and will be extending the same offer to the groups they’re guarding. With the camp set, there will be no attacks for the next twelve hours, or until we pull the Campstones in the morning. Also, for those who might be sharing tents, once the flap is down they don’t let sound out. You can still hear sounds from outside, just in case someone calls for you. Normal etiquette is to knock on the door post and wait for the person inside to respond.”
Gerald was frowning and looking puzzled, “Just setting up camp makes you safe? That’s weird. It seems like it should be a prime time for monsters to attack.”
“One of the blessings the Gods bestowed on the world. Only those that are part of the party or raid can enter the area protected by the Campstone, and no lethal combat is possible in the area. As far as anyone knows, it’s always been this way.”
“First time camping?” Ioaniss asked as he emerged from his tent. He had changed from his leathers into a set of comfortable clothes, without his weapons or gear.
“It is,” Alburet replied. “I think we’ll take a page from you and go drop our excess gear off. We’ll join you shortly for food.”
“Simple fare spiced with adventure,
which always whets my appetite. See you in a bit,” Ioaniss replied before he went off with Roberto towards the campfire.
Alburet followed Stacia, Fluff and Karen into their tent while Gerald and Marysue went to their tent. Stacia dropped her blades onto one of the bedrolls that came with the tent. “Later we can be changin’ the beddin’ around to be more comfortable.” She turned to Fluff, who was taking off her chainmail, “Iffin ya want, Fluff, we can delve into ya memories again tonight.”
“How about mine tonight?” Karen interjected. She met Fluffball’s eyes for a second, “It feels right that if we’re becoming closer that we all share some.”
Fluff looked away, “You don’t have to—”
“I want to, Fluff,” Karen cut her off. “I have issues of my own that I could use help with. I think having friends with me will make it easier. If you’re willing, if you want to, I will welcome your help.”
Playing For Keeps (Alpha World Book 4) Page 2