Forming the Company (Alpha World Book 2)

by Daniel Schinhofen

  Fluff paused, glancing over at him, “Thank you, Alburet. You have been very kind to me. Maybe it’s time I take the offer of help and see if Lilith can do anything. Tonight would be okay. I’ll ask Stacia if she can ask her mom if tonight is good.”

  “Alright,” Alburet replied as they started moving. The others had already killed the warg and started on an orc. “I happen to have some news you might be interested in as well, Fluff. Mindblown is going to be doing limited testing on month long immersion soon.”

  Fluff stumbled at his words. They reached the rest of the group as the first orc died. “What? Where did you hear that?”

  “A friend who works for Mindblown told me during the down time,” Alburet said, stepping up behind Tiny to hit him with a heal.

  Karen looked over, “What took you two so long?”

  “Sorry, was telling Fluff about something I had heard. Mindblown is going to be starting a clinical month long immersion test soon.” Alburet replied, then laughed as Karen stopped attacking and turned to face him. “Oh, did that get your attention?”

  Karen turned back and killed the orc with her next thrust, “Fucker, you did that on purpose. Now. Spill the beans.”

  Alburet smirked, “So now you want me to talk. Before you just wanted to run off and kill things.”

  Karen’s eyes narrowed, “So I have to pummel you to get you to talk?”

  Tiny stepped in front of Karen, “No hurting the master.”

  Bob just laughed, “Now this might get interesting.”

  “It’s fine Tiny, she isn’t going to hurt me,” Alburet said. “Why don’t we keep going and I’ll talk as we kill things, okay? Two birds, one stone.”

  “Two succubi, one bed is better,” Bob interjected.

  Alburet sighed but ignored Bob's comment, “Is everyone else okay with this plan?”

  Everyone agreed, but Karen had to add an addendum, “If you stall I will make it painful for you later.”

  Alburet held up a hand in mock surrender, “My word.”

  They started towards the next closest patrol as Alburet relayed what Vicky had told him about the upcoming test. “That’s all I really know about it,” he finished, looking at Karen who sighed.

  “Well fuck. That means I won’t be able to get in on it then,” Karen said as she furiously attacked the orc she was on, venting her anger on it.

  “Why not? Alburet asked as the last of the patrol fell over dead.

  “That survey at the end of beta. I said no to potential long term testing, since I couldn’t take extended time off then.”

  “Could you really take the time away from work now?”

  “I own the damn dojo, my father built it when he retired from the military. I've been running it since his death.” Karen replied, shaking her head, “Time off is fine. Hell, since the tourney ended I've thought about just turning it over to my assistants and taking time off anyway.”

  Alburet nodded, “Everyone needs a break now and then, but for business owners it’s always so difficult. I could talk to my friend, see if they have any pull to get you on the list.”

  Her head snapped up to meet his eyes, “Will you?”

  “For a friend, I will do anything,” Alburet said, pulling his Mindstone out and sending a quick message to Vicky. “There, message sent. I can't guarantee it will happen but I've asked.”

  Karen glanced at Fluffball, “Did you ask for her, too?”

  “Didn't have to, my friend mentioned she was already on the list when they told me about it.”

  Fluff blinked as she gazed at Alburet, “Who is your friend there?”

  Holding up a hand Alburet explained, “I will have to ask if I can name drop before I do. I actually know of two people who work at Mindblown, though I haven’t talked to one of them in some time. Anyway, it’s done and I look forward to seeing what happens. Shall we continue on with the slaughter for Karen?”

  Fluff nodded slowly, “Okay. Your friend didn't say anything else about me, did they?”

  Alburet could see the fear in her face as she asked the question. He was sure it stemmed from her previous trouble with stalkers. He gave her a small smile, hoping to defuse a potential issue. “They said something about your art, but since it wasn’t coming from you I basically ignored it. After all, you would tell me anything you think I should know. I am not about to listen to gossip or pry into another’s life. Goodness knows I wouldn’t want anyone to do that with me.”

  Her shoulders relaxed as Fluff let out her held breath, “Oh. That’s good to know. Shall we keep on going then?”

  “Sounds good. Let’s get Karen that level or two,” Alburet agreed.

  They broke for some jerky and tea after a few hours, sitting in the middle of the grasslands with Tiny and Bob on watch. Alburet had briefly dismissed the double of Stacia and she was joining them for food. “That’s one level down,” Karen said as she finished off her food. “Think we can get one more tonight?”

  “Depends on how long you’re going to be on for,” Alburet replied. “An hour out of game to deal with real life would probably be good if you’re thinking of going for another level.”

  “I’m going to take off for a few myself,” Fluffball said. “I want to contact some people and verify what Alburet told us about the testing. I should also get some real food and stuff, too.”

  “Speaking of the testing, I was thinking about checking out making a guild,” Alburet said.

  “That could be fun,” Karen nodded. “If Fluff and I can both get into the test we could really go full out as a team.”

  “That might work. If we want to do dungeons, though, we’ll need a tank and healer. Maybe invite Gerald and Marysue to help round us out,” Fluff suggested.

  “We could always just ask them when we need them, though. I was thinking of inviting everyone who’s in the long-term testing. If we do that then we could be sure that everyone is around most of the time.” Alburet mused as he considered the options. “Should we start one up now though, or wait until people are in for the long term?”

  “Let’s do it tonight after we’re done farming me some XP,” Karen said. “Then we can celebrate our new guild.”

  “Patrol,” Tiny interrupted them.

  Alburet used Copy on Stacia again and they quickly dispatched the mobs. “Okay, we can do that. Fluff, you want to dip out now for the hours you wanted too? What about you, Karen? You want to take an hour or two as well?”

  “What about you?” Karen asked.

  “I’m already testing. I’ll sit here and wait for you.”

  Karen and Fluff blinked at him. Karen found her voice first. “Why didn’t you tell us before?”

  “NDA. I was cleared during the downtime, which is why I mentioned the long-term testing as I was given the okay.”

  Fluff nodded, “I’ll be back in three or so hours. Thank you for telling me, Al. I’ll see you in a bit.” With that she vanished, logging out where she was.

  “I guess I could go for a bit, too,” Karen said. “I’ll check in with my staff and grab some real food. See you in an hour or so. And Alburet, regardless of if I get in or not, thanks for asking for me. If I do get in, maybe I’ll give you a special reward.” With a wink and chuckle she vanished as well.

  “Master,” Stacia said once the others were gone. “Would I be able to join the guild?”

  “Good question, Kitten. We’ll check. If it’s possible, we will get you in. Okay?”

  She hugged him from both sides, using both of her bodies, “Thank ya, master.”

  Alburet smiled, “You are welcome, Kitten. In the meantime, we shall sit here and just deal with the patrols that come to us.

  After the next pack of patrols Alburet decided to take the time to figure out his mana situation. He was losing 10% mana for Bob, 15% for Tiny and 20% for Stacia. Factor in Flame Weapon’s 5% and the Copy of Stacia taking another 10% on top of the rest. So, 60% of his mana was just gone just to have his minions and his one weapon spell up, leaving him
with 786 mana left. Shaking his head, he could see why people considered his class the weakest.

  If he buffed Tiny before attacking, it would eat up another 200 mana and leave him at 586 mana. Alburet sighed and rubbed his eyes as he continued on with the mental math. Each Fire Blast took 60 mana, which would mean a maximum of 9 casts before he was tapped. But he would regain about 19 mana per second in combat and the spell took 2 seconds to complete. If he was figuring right, that gave him another 9 or 10 Fire Blasts before he ran completely out of mana. Shaking his head to clear it of all the math, he did wonder how good or bad it was for the other casters.

  “Is somethin' wrong, master?” Stacia asked.

  “No, was just trying to figure out how long I could cast before I run out of mana. Not important right now, and I haven't soloed for quite some time so let's try this out.” He smiled at her, then nodded to Tiny who advanced towards the patrol that was closing in on them.

  Chapter Five

  Nearly two hours later Karen showed back up. As Alburet and his minions were busy fighting a patrol, she wasn't noticed right away so she waited until they were done then tossed him an invite. “I'm back, how was the wait?”

  “Kind of boring, all in all,” Alburet replied. “Just killed the patrols that showed up in range of Fire Blast while we waited. It does take significantly longer without you and Fluff to kill the patrols, but even then, Tiny is holding up well.”

  “It’s still a few levels until he gets more stats, right?”

  “Level twenty-eight or something, I think,” Alburet nodded. “Which means come level twentyish mobs he’s going to start having a rougher time of it until I can summon him with better stats.”

  “I will be fine, master,” Tiny rumbled. “I will never fail to protect you, no matter what may come.”

  Bob shook his head, “He doesn't understand the concept of being vastly weaker than a foe.”

  “Anyway,” Alburet cut in before Tiny could reply, “Fluff should be back in an hour or so. I’m thinking stay in this general area while we wait.”

  “Works,” Karen agreed. “Question, though. Do you know why she’s so shy?”

  “She once told me she had stalker issues in the past. From the vibe that I get, she might also have had a few bad relationships that have made her leery of people in general.”

  “Hmm, I see. I hope she’s able to overcome it. I think she would be a blast if she could relax.” Karen shrugged as she pulled her twin blades, “So, how far are we going to range while we wait?”

  Another two hours passed before Fluffball reappeared. She found them waiting right where they had been when she left. “Oh, I'm sorry. You could have gone ahead I would have caught up.”

  Alburet shook his head, “It’s all good, Fluff. Let us go forth now and conquer the grasslands in our name.”

  Karen cheered as she invited Fluffball to the group. “Now that the band is back together we can rock and roll all night.”

  A small smile turned up Fluffball's mouth. “Thank you both. I shall do my best.”

  The group set forth, intent on annihilating every patrol in their path. A few hours later the sun was about to set so Alburet called a halt to the fighting.

  “I’m sure the city hall closes shortly after sundown. We should head back and see about registering our guild. Meet you two at city hall?”

  Both the women agreed and used their Homestones to get back to the city. Alburet nodded to his minions, “Well done again today, Bob, Tiny and Stacia. You are dismissed Bob and Tiny, Stacia I'm dismissing your double.”

  After both Bob and Tiny vanished along with Stacia becoming a single person and reverting to her human form Alburet pulled his own Homestone, as did Stacia. “Alright, Kitten, let’s go meet up with our friends and see about starting a guild.”

  “Yes, master,” Stacia said before she vanished, quickly followed by Alburet.

  He linked arms with Stacia once he appeared in the graveyard before they set off towards City Hall. He didn't need to look at his map as Stacia knew the way, having dropped off paperwork there for Alistern before. When they reached their destination Fluffball and Karen were already waiting, as they both had less distance to cross to make it there.

  “What are we going to call ourselves?” Fluffball asked once they were all together.

  “Fluffy Buns?” Karen jokingly suggested.

  Alburet smirked but shook his head, “Yeah, no. I'm thinking something simple like Alpha Company.”

  “I’m okay with that,” Fluff said.

  “Military like, eh? Okay, but which of us is going to be the leader?” Karen asked, glancing at Fluff.

  “I'll do it, as currently I am the only long-term tester. I can ask my friend to let the people who do get into the testing know about the guild.” Alburet said with a shrug, “I am going to be very hands off though, just so you know.”

  “That is not how I think of you,” Karen smirked. “Very hands on, as I recall.”

  “What magic hands they be, too,” Stacia agreed.

  Fluffball blushed as she glanced away from them, her hand snaking up to groom an ear. Alburet chuckled. “Behave please,” he admonished the duo. “Now that we are here and we have a name, let's go see what it takes to register a guild.”

  As a group, the foursome entered the ornate building. White granite with fluted columns greeted them as they walked up the three wide stairs that separated the building from the street. The large double doors were of golden oak with a relief of the First Emperor, Maximus the Just, holding a sword aloft.

  “Reminds me of the statue in front of the main temple in the city,” Alburet noted. “I can't recall the name of the god, though.”

  “Justice,” Stacia informed him. “Justice, God of Law is who ya be thinkin' of, master.”

  Sighing, Alburet shook his head, finding the name lackluster. “Figures it would be something like that. Is the God in charge of Demons called the Dark Lord?”

  “Of course,” Stacia nodded, “what else would he be called?”

  Karen groaned, “Failure.”

  Fluffball giggled, “I hear his temple fits his name. His temple out in the Dead Lands is supposed to be a sight to behold.”

  “I'm so going to see that when we get there, then,” Alburet said recalling Vicky telling him about Fluff having created that place. “I'm sure the person who designed it went all out.”

  Fluff blushed deeply, glancing at him slightly to see if he knew. Alburet kept his face calm, not giving away that he knew she was the artist. “I'm sure all the artists did good work,” Fluffball stammered as she spoke.

  Nodding, Alburet agreed with her, “I’m sure they did. Anyway, let's stop wool gathering here, we have a guild to found.” Opening the door, he gestured the women in before following them.

  They entered a large lobby. A number of desks were around the edges of the room with people busily working at them. The middle of the marble flooring held a large round reception desk with two people manning it inside of the circle. A small plaque informed them it was the information desk.

  Heading over to the central desk, Alburet greeted the clerk facing him. “Greetings, sir. We are looking to register a guild.”

  The man sighed, “Just before closing time, too. It costs one hundred gold to register a guild, along with assigning a name and crest. Can you afford the fee and do you have a name and crest ready?”

  Alburet sighed, “The coin and name yes. Let me confer with my friends to see if we have an emblem for the crest.” He turned to the women with a raised brow, “Any of you got something in mind?”

  Fluffball nodded, “I can make one while you deal with the paperwork.”

  “Way to go, Fluff,” Alburet grinned. Turning back to the clerk he smiled, “We have everything ready.”

  The clerk pointed to a desk in the back right corner of the hall. “That desk will help you, and have a pleasant night.”

  The group thanked the clerk before heading for the desk indicated.
Behind the desk, they found a portly bald man signing paperwork. As he seemed engrossed with his job Alburet gave a polite cough. “Excuse us sir, we are here to register our guild.”

  The man sighed, looking up, “Do you have...”

  Alburet interrupted, “We have the coin, name and if you give us the paperwork we can get the emblem drawn quickly as well.”

  “Well then,” the portly man mumbled. “That would be a first for today.” He picked up a stack of paperwork, placing it before Alburet. “One hundred gold, please,” he asked with a professional smile.