Forming the Company (Alpha World Book 2)

by Daniel Schinhofen

  Alburet kissed her cheek, “I will always listen to you though, Kitten. I might be ‘in charge’ but your happiness affects my happiness.”

  “As ya wish mas... asthore,” Stacia purred at him.

  Fluffball:

  See you in a few at the Portal guild, then. I’ll be in the waiting area.

  They made it back to city hall and got a copy of the emblem easily enough, it only cost a few silver. As they left the building Stacia looked up and down the street, calling out to a kid. “Kevin, would ya like to make a handful o’ copper?”

  A reed thin eight-year-old boy came right over. “What do I need to do?”

  “Take this scroll to Smith’s Carpentry. The faster ya do it the more coin ya get. Deal?” Stacia asked, holding out the scroll.

  Kevin grabbed the scroll and took off at a sprint down the street. Alburet watched him go, “How do you know he’ll complete the task?”

  “It generates a quest for him. When I was younger and runnin’ errands for dad I would often get a quest or two from others while I was out. When he completes it I’ll be notified, and he will get his coin.” Stacia explained as she took his arm, “We can go meet up with Fluff now.”

  They found Fluff in the waiting area just as she said, her eyes pinched slightly as she tried to ignore a guy talking to her. “Oh, come on baby, help a brother out. Just group up with me for a few hours killing goblins. It will be easy with your level, right?” the tall, dusky skinned man was saying as he stood two feet away from her, leaning down to stay in Fluffball’s field of view.

  “She already has plans,” Alburet spoke up as he and Stacia came forward. “Sorry. She promised yesterday to go gnoll hunting with us.”

  Fluff let out a small sigh of relief as she got to her feet, carefully so as to not touch the guy talking to her, “See? As I told you, I already have plans.”

  The guy’s lips twisted as if he had tasted a lemon as he looked over at Alburet. As his eyes reached Stacia though, he smiled again. “I see. You just got some game, man,” the man told Alburet before eyeing the women again. “I understand you’re busy then and it ain’t no big deal. If either of you honeys get tired of this dude, though, I can help you out. Let’s just trade info, so you can get ahold of me later.” The guy pulled out his Mindstone giving it a small waggle with thumb and fingers. “What do you say?”

  Stacia’s lips formed a condescending smile, “Tha’ line be old, heard it too many times in me life already. Me thinks ya would be best served by tryin’ to be less smooth, it comes across as fake.” She hooked one arm through Fluff’s while holding Alburet’s with her other. “Iffin there be nothin’ else?”

  The guy stepped back as if he had been slapped, “Ain’t no need for that. Just say you ain’t interested, don’t go making it personal. If you two think this dude is better than me, that’s your bad. I was just trying to show you what a real man could do for you is all.” The guy snorted through his nose before walking off as if he had shown them.

  Alburet’s eyes narrowed briefly as the guy walked away, then he let out a deep breath to get rid of his irritation. “Nicely handled, Kitten,” he said as the trio began to move towards the stairs.

  “Thank ya, asthore. Last time ya got into a duel so it seemed better if I tried to dissuade the man this time.” She gave him a sweet smile, kissing his cheek.

  Fluff smiled, “Thank you for extracting me from that situation. You did a good job running him off, Stacia. I’ve never been good at telling people to go away.”

  The trio waved at Kim as they went past. Kim waved back at them with a smile, wishing them luck. The trio tossed back wishes for a pleasant day to her before they climbed the stairs. They met Rolland coming down from above. “Back at it again today?” Rolland asked with a smile.

  “The monsters won’t kill themselves,” Alburet laughed.

  “True enough,” Rolland replied. “It’s just that you two-souled are always off to hunt. Don’t you ever feel like taking a week off and enjoying your loot?”

  “Just had a few days off,” Alburet told him. “Went to the castle, met with Sir Jones, visited the Royal Museum and got married to Stacia here.”

  Rolland’s jaw opened slightly, as he tried to take in what he had been told. His eyes grew round. “But, I mean, you’re a two-souled…”

  “It be true,” Stacia interrupted his stunned attempt at speaking. “Alburet married me the other day at the Temple of the Dark Lord. The reception was held before the Dead Man Inn. We even have a house as well as a building for our guild.”

  “It’s a nice place,” Fluff added softly.

  Rolland finally seemed to regain some composure, “Well, that is news indeed. If I had known I would have brought Kim along to the wedding. A belated congratulations to you both.”

  Stacia nodded her head in thanks, dipping a one handed curtsy as she kept her other attached to Alburet’s arm. Alburet’s grin broadened, “Thank you, Rolland. If I had known you would have come I would have made it a point to let you know. We’re off to hunt gnolls today. We hope your day goes well.”

  Rolland took the hint, “I’m sure it will. Just a quick question, your guild, what is it called? I see you already registered it with city hall by the emblems on your armor.”

  “Alpha Company,” the trio replied slightly out of synch but close enough to not drown each other out.

  “Good to know. You might want to know that the portal guild can set up guild accounts, which give a vast discount on portal fees. Kim downstairs can fill you in on that if you want,” Rolland said as he slipped by them, pausing as he was still headed down.

  “If it gets us a discount, we might as well check it before we head out,” Alburet replied. “If you don’t mind a small delay, Fluff?”

  “A small delay is okay,” Fluff replied even as her brow furrowed slightly. “If it takes more than a few minutes though, I might head out before you. I won’t be on tomorrow and I was hoping to try out my upgraded skill from leveling the other day.”

  “We be quick about it, then,” Stacia said as the trio followed Rolland back down the stairs.

  Kim glanced up, puzzled, as Rolland led them over to her. “These folks have a guild registered with the city and wanted to see about setting up a guild account with us,” Rolland told her as they got to the desk.

  Kim’s eyes twinkled, “Oh, first two-souled guild to ask about that. It’s simple, it works just like the personal portal accounts do but the deposits come from the guild leader or the guild bank account. You should see about setting up a guild bank account if you haven’t already. Anyway, it requires a two hundred gold deposit for a guild account. Anyone in your guild who has permission from the guild leader will use the funds from the guild account when portalling. If the account is too low, it uses the person’s personal portal account. All of that can be accessed via the guild menus if you’re the leader or an officer. Did you want to open an account with us today?”

  “Err, what is the rate if you’re using a guild account?” Fluff asked in her usual soft tone.

  “Half of what it costs normally,” Kim replied.

  “If we get a lot of people though, it could deplete that account fast,” Alburet mused.

  “That’s a reason to set up a guild account at the bank,” Rolland added. “You can then set a guild tax on your members for various things. Using a portal with the guild fund, selling items, even when coin is gained as loot. One of the reasons why guilds have always been so hit or miss is because of the taxes that can be imposed. For instance, with the portal guild here we get free use of the portals, but we lose half of all money looted if we go hunting.”

  Stacia whistled softly, “Tha’ must hurt a bit.”

  “Yes, it did. Back when we,” Rolland motioned to Kim and himself, “used to hunt with some friends it really put a dent into our loot. That is the only tax the guild imposes, though. If we go hunting we might die the final death and as such deprive them of talented people. Everyone who works for
the portal guild is required to be a member.”

  “Means I need to hit the bank tomorrow, then,” Alburet muttered as he looked into his coin purse to see if he even had two hundred gold on him.

  Stacia nudged a small purse into his hand, “I have almost a hundred gold.”

  Alburet nodded, pulling out a little over a hundred himself, “That thins the coin purse right down.”

  “I want to pitch in,” Fluff added holding out some coins, “fifty from me.”

  Alburet smiled his thanks to Fluff, taking her coins while adding his and Stacia’s. “Okay. Two fifty to open an account for Alpha Company, please, Kim.”

  Kim took the coins and began to enter information into a book before her. She wrote quickly then turned the book around to Alburet, “Sign the page and the account will be good to go.” Alburet did then handed the pen back to her. “Okay, the account is functional. Congratulations on being the first two-souled guild to set up an account with us.”

  GUILD FIRST: Set up a Guild Account with the Portal Guild.

  Reward: The fee for guild account maintenance is waived for the guild Alpha Company

  Alburet blinked, “Well, hell. Now I need to run over to the bank and see if they have something similar.”

  Fluff sighed softly, “That would be best.”

  Alburet glanced at Fluff, a grimace on his face, “I’m sorry, Fluff, but if we are serious about long term then I need to go.”

  “Me and Fluff can go hunt orcs for a bit while we wait for ya, asthore,” Stacia said, handing Alburet a thick coin purse. “Iffin ya need a deposit use tha’.”

  Brow furrowed, Alburet put the coin purse away than looked at Fluff, “That okay with you? I’ll message you when I get back here, then we can go after single gnolls.”

  Fluff glanced from him to Stacia, her face reflecting her uncertainty, “I don’t want to be a bothe…”

  “Good, it be settled then. See ya soon, asthore,” Stacia said, taking Fluff’s arm and towing her up the stairs.

  Rolland chuckled watching the ladies leave, “Well, those two are vastly different.”

  Kim nodded, “Yeah. You’d think a Lunari Berserker would be more aggressive.”

  “I got to run, guys. Thanks for telling me about the guild account.” Alburet told them as he turned to go, “See you in a bit.” He took off at a jog for the bank, which was just down the street from the portal guild.

  Rolland watched him go, “He really does seem different from most two-souled, doesn’t he?”

  “Yes, he does,” Kim replied, “I believe I pointed that out to you first, though.”

  “True enough,” Rolland laughed as he started to walk away. “See you later hun.”

  Alburet made it to the bank a few minutes later, pausing to look at the exterior of the place. It looked more like a temple than anything bank-like that Alburet knew. Columns supported a large overhang, and the words Royal Bank were etched into the wall above the overhang. Two guards in dress uniforms stood outside the main doors, pikes in hand with swords on their belts. They stood staring straight ahead, giving the impression of Buckingham Palace guards but without the big hats.

  Alburet headed up to the doors, nodding to the guards who didn’t move in any way. He silently wished them the best, knowing some people would love to just come and torment them as people tried to do to the Buckingham guards. The interior was done in white marble and golden oak polished to an almost mirror shine. There were only half a dozen teller windows, along with a number of desks off in a corner behind walls of glass. A desk stood just inside the door with a receptionist behind it.

  “Greetings, how may we help you today?” the male Lunari asked with a professional smile.

  “I was looking to set up a guild account, possibly,” Alburet replied, looking around the interior.

  “You will need to see the bank manager then, sir. If you will just take a seat over there, I will inform him that you are here.” The receptionist pointed to a few chairs off to one side.

  Alburet thanked the receptionist and took a seat, wondering how long it would take. About five minutes later an exceptionally attractive elf approached him, “Would you be the gentleman looking to open a guild account with us today?”

  Alburet came to his feet, “That is correct, miss.”

  “I just need to check that you’ve met the requirements before I take you to the manager, sir. I can see you are a registered guild from the emblem on your armor, which is always the first stumbling block. You also need an agreement with at least one business in the city, as well as two hundred gold to open an account.” She paused with a professional smile, as if many people had balked before at this point.

  “The coin isn’t an issue. What kind of proof do you need for the agreements?”

  “We use a Truth Stone to verify the accuracy of your statements.”

  “Well then, we’re good to go,” Alburet replied.

  “Very well, sir. If you will follow me,” She turned, leading him towards a door near the glassed-in area beside which another guard stood, this one with a shield on his back and a hammer on his hip.

  Alburet followed, nodding to the guard who eyed him as if sizing up a potential threat. The elf led him into an unoccupied office with another door in the far wall next to a cherry wood desk. “Have a seat please, sir,” she said before she vanished through the far door. Alburet opted to not sit, but leaned on the desk as he waited. A moment later she returned, motioning him towards the room, “The manager will see you now.”

  Alburet inclined his head to her as he went by and entered a richly appointed room. The walls were paneled wood, the desk of the same dark oak with silver filigree inset in the corners. A number of shelves held various knickknacks. An ornate silver portrait frame sat on the desk, its back to Alburet. The man behind the desk was a dwarf with grey hair and a long beard.

  “You want to open a guild account with us,” the deep voice rumbled from the wide chest of the dwarf. “Please sit, sir, so we might discuss this. I am Morgan Warburg, the head of the bank here in Stormguard.”

  “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Warburg. I’m Alburet,” Alburet’s mind tickled him at the last name of the banker, as if he should remember it. “I’m hoping to set up an account for my guild today.”

  “We have had a number of people come by for that, as well as setting up personal accounts to make things easier in the city. Any of our staff can help with a personal account, but with the amount of money a guild moves it was deemed necessary to have managerial approval for guild accounts.” Warburg spoke in the same deep voice, his words the clear professional tone of one who has long done things the same way. “Since you two-souled have come to the world, many of your kind have failed to meet the simple requirements to set up a guild account. My secretary says you told her you have all relevant things in place. Is this true?” Warburg’s hand rested on a small clear crystal.

  “I have the coin with me, I have already set up an account for my guild at the portal guild along with a few other agreements with a handful of merchants, and as you can see from the emblem on my armor we are registered.” Alburet replied evenly as he drew out the coin purse Stacia had given him.

  Nodding, Warburg put the crystal into his pocket, “It seems everything is in order. What services besides holding funds and transferring them to the portal guild did you wish set up today?”

  “I’ll need the account available to pay taxes on the guild hall as well, but I don’t think anything else is required at this time.”

  “We can arrange that,” Warburg said, pulling a thick tome from a desk drawer. “There is normally a two percent fee for any transaction, along with a flat fifty gold maintenance fee at the end of each year. Are you amenable to these fees?”

  “When you say “any transaction” do you mean both deposits and withdrawals?”

  A chuckle that sounded like boulders rolling down a hill came from the dwarf, “Goodness, no. We aren’t pirates here. The fee applies onl
y to money leaving the account, that isn’t to the portal guild.”

  “Sounds fine then,” Alburet replied before asking his next question. “How do you get the coin from the loot tax, exactly?”

  Warburg’s lips witched, “The gods. They decreed long ago that the tax would deposit coin directly to a guild’s account at any officially sanctioned bank. This stops all sorts of minor issues like people not paying their fair share. It is the same with any other taxes you as guild leader can institute. The money from all taxes is deducted straight away and appears in the fund. We will be giving you a tome that shows your current funds as well as detailed records of all transactions. I would recommend hiring an accountant to keep track of them so you aren’t blindsided by anything.”

  “Sounds like another thing to look into, then,” Alburet agreed. “What do we need to do for this to happen?”