“We need to clear that Temple quick,” Alburet murmured. “After we clear it we can head straight back and see what we can learn about the attacks. We can turn in the quests tomorrow.”
“That should work,” Gerald agreed. “I don’t see a path to the Temple, though.”
“You going to swim for it?” Bob asked. “All that plate would make you sink like a stone.”
“I’ll have to unequip it until we hit land,” Gerald muttered.
“Or,” Bob added with a grin, “you can check the glyph I see on the ground a dozen feet to your left.”
“Bob?” Alburet asked with a blank face. “Why didn’t you mention that in the first place?”
“I wanted to see what he would do,” Bob shrugged. “Besides, I told him before he stripped down. I mean, no one wants to see him naked.”
Marysue muttered something under her breath, too softly for anyone but Fluffball to hear. Fluff blinked, her lips curving up slightly as she caught the words.
As they moved towards the glyph Fluff fell in next to Marysue. “Does he know that?”
“Huh?” Marysue asked, her eyes widening.
Lowering her voice so only Marysue would hear her, Fluff said. “That you want to see him naked.”
Marysue looked at Fluff with a shocked expression before she shook her head a fraction. “I’m sure he knows,” Marysue whispered back.
“I understand. I put off Al seeing me naked for a while, too. I still have a hard time letting him touch me, when I’m without clothing. We all have to take things at our own pace,” Fluff confided.
“He just wants everything to be perfect,” Marysue confided. “It doesn’t need to be, but he wants it to be so much that I hesitate.”
“Do what you think is right. If anything, he’s afraid that you’ll drive him away,” Fluff told her in the same soft voice. “You might need to take the lead if you want to go faster.”
“When did you learn so much?” Marysue asked curiously.
“Stacia, Karen and Al have been helping me learn. Each has their own way of helping me see what I’ve been missing in my life. I’m growing because of their love for me. I just hope that you two can flourish and be just as happy.”
Marysue nodded, a smile growing across her face. Her hand rested on Fluff’s shoulder, “Thank you Fluffball. I don’t have many friends. It’s hard when people only want to be your friend to get something for themselves. You though, you don’t want anything from me. Can I call you my friend?”
Smiling back, Fluff nodded, “Only if I can say the same for you.”
“You two done with that private conversation?” Alburet called out to them, where they had paused a few feet back from the others.
Both of them looked up with slightly guilty looks. “Err, yes,” Fluff stuttered.
Chuckling, Alburet waved them over to the glyph carved into a tree stump set flush with the ground. “Well, come on. We have a Temple to explore.”
Gerald eyed Fluffball and Marysue as they approached the others. He knew that Marysue had never really had many friends, because of her background. Seeing her and Fluff talking, he had the impulse to interrupt to make sure Fluff wasn’t trying to use Marysue, but he knew Fluff wasn’t that kind of person.
“You okay?” Gerald asked Marysue softly while Stacia examined the glyph.
“Yes,” Marysue beamed at him. “Fluff and I are friends, real friends.” Her bright smile made Gerald smile in return. Alburet, Stacia, Fluff and Karen all felt Marysue’s simple, childlike joy at finding a friend and realized just how rare it must be for her.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Gerald told her. “What was the conversation about?” he pried, unable to completely shake his old habit of being her protector from the unscrupulous.
Marysue looked away, “She was telling me about how she’s working through her issues. How being in a relationship is helping her grow.”
Gerald felt a pang in his chest at her words. They hadn’t really moved past the opening stages of their own relationship. They slept in the same bed, but fully clothed and without real contact. He wanted more, but he knew it should all be perfect so he hadn’t tried to advance the relationship any.
“When we get back to the city, and after we figure out this whole assassin thing,” Marysue took a deep breath, continuing resolutely, “we should talk.” She licked her lips in a moment of hesitation, “I think we should take another step.”
Eyes wide in shock at her words, Gerald’s mouth went slack, “Uh.” He didn’t know what to say as he stared into her own uncertain face. “I don’t want to hurt you, or rush you.”
She took his hands, meeting his eyes firmly. “It doesn’t have to be perfect, Francis. I just want you with me.”
“Mary,” Gerald murmured, leaning down to meet her lips with his own.
The kiss lingered for a moment, before a snicker caught their attention. Looking up they found Bob and BJ looking down at them. “About damn time,” Bob snickered again. “Does she taste like strawberries? I bet she does.”
Marysue went red and Gerald’s face went white. “You little…” Gerald spat as he glared up at the Imps.
“Bob,” Alburet sighed. “On the ground. I think you forgot what I once told you about baiting him.”
Bob froze for a moment, “Ah damn it.” He dropped to the ground at Gerald’s feet. “I was just congratulating him.”
Gerald drew back his hand, his anger palpable. Before he could swing Marysue touched his hand. “Let it go, Gerald. We’ll have to deal with much worse when we return to the world. We need to learn to ignore the comments,” Marysue said.
Letting out a ragged breath, eyes still locked on Bob, Gerald grunted. “He shouldn’t say such things about you.”
“Nothing he says hurts me. Nothing can, if you’re with me,” Marysue told him as she touched his cheek.
Eyes closing, Gerald nodded, “If this is what you want.”
“I’m sorry.” All eyes turned to Bob, who was bowing to the lovers. “I didn’t mean to provoke, well not much anyway. I just wanted to shake you up. You’re so uptight with her. If you loosened up, maybe she’d feel like she could approach you, without being so formal.”
“Bob,” Tiny rumbled, “they come from a different world. Maybe it’s like that there?”
“No,” Bob shook his head vigorously, as he stood back up to his full height. “Master isn’t like that.”
“Tha’ be true,” Stacia added as she stepped back from the glyph, which had begun to glow. “The portal be ready. It just needed the missin’ line to be added.”
“We’ve wasted enough time standing here,” Alburet said, breaking the conversation up. “Bob, stay out of their relationship, got it?”
“Yes, master,” Bob replied as he fluttered over to Alburet. “Are you going to do what he didn’t?”
Alburet flicked Bob’s forehead without a lot of strength behind it, “Done.” He turned to Gerald and Marysue, “Are you two ready?”
Nodding, Gerald hefted his shield with a brief glance to Marysue. “I can take on the world right now.”
Blushing lightly, Marysue smiled, “I will stand with you against all comers.” She turned her eyes to Alburet, “We’re ready.”
“Let’s do this,” Karen cheered as she stepped on the glyph and vanished.
Chapter Thirty-five
They ran into a little trouble when they landed on the island. It turned out to be stone, with an opening in the center that had a ramp leading downward. Three Champion Langistors attacked them as they appeared on the island, two coming up from the water and the third coming up the ramp. Alburet dismissed BJ and Copied Tiny. TJ appeared next to Tiny and the two Destroyers picked up the two Champions from the water on either side of the island. Gerald took the one that came up the ramp.
Karen, Alburet, Bob, Karen and Stacia all attacked the one on Tiny first. The Champion Langistor used its Lay on Hands Ability, as well as getting a number of Bleeds stacked on Tiny. Stacia
used her Comforting Touch to heal him, then Drain Essence to get some back from the Champion. Alburet put all of his buffs up on Tiny and renewed Demonic Vitality as needed. When they switched over to TJ’s Champion, TJ’s life had ebbed to almost nothing so Alburet banished the Copy. Tiny picked up the Champion as his double vanished, and BJ reappeared.
“We’re doing fine with the third,” Marysue told them, “The only issue is the Bleed damage.”
Bob spun and used Burning Cleanse on Gerald, making Gerald hiss in pain as the Bleeds vanished, burned away by Bob’s spell. “I hope that helps,” Bob replied to her, as he summoned another Fire Blast to his hand to hurt the target he had been fighting.
“A little warning next time, please,” Gerald hissed.
“It does. Thank you, Bob,” Marysue said.
The second Champion died easily as they fell into a rhythm, it just took longer due to the Lay on Hands the Champion had. When the second one died they transitioned over to the one on Gerald. Stacia put her blades away and stood next to Marysue, as there was no room around the Langistor for her.
When the last one finally fell the group let out a collective sigh. “That took longer than normal,” Marysue said as she finished healing Gerald. “The quest is to explore the Temple. It doesn’t mention a boss, though.”
“A little odd, but we’ll find out why soon,” Alburet said as he looked down the ramp into the Temple.
“Another guildie has been assassinated,” Stacia informed them.
“What in the fuck,” Gerald snapped. His gaze went distant as he read over the recent guild chat. “We need to hurry this up so we can go try and find out what is going on.”
Karen went a few feet down the ramp, “Then let’s get going.” They looted the Champions before following Karen. She had paused ten feet in and was kneeling, examining the floor with a frown. “Something about this floor looks off to me,” she muttered.
“Trapped?” Gerald asked her.
“It might be. My skill is well below that of a Trapsmith, but I at least have a chance to detect them,” Karen said as she stood up. Her eyes went to Tiny, “Tiny, this might be a trap. Will you trigger it for us?”
Alburet frowned at how quick she was to offer up Tiny as the guinea pig. “Wait,” Alburet interjected quickly, as Tiny had started forward. Dismissing BJ he brought TJ back into being, “TJ can do it instead.”
“As you wish,” TJ and Tiny rumbled in unison as TJ stepped past the group. When his foot came down on the patch Karen had been examining, a spear shot out of the left-hand wall. It banged off TJ’s shield, entirely by luck, as he hadn’t been prepared to deflect the attack.
“Okay,” Karen said as she stepped forward to examine the spear, which was slowly retracting back into the wall. After a minute, she touched a few spots on the wall and a smile crept over her mouth. “It’s disarmed.”
“Why do I have the feeling this is going to be a Dungeon that Trapsmiths love and the rest of us hate?” Gerald sighed.
“Because it’s probably filled with traps?” Alburet agreed with Gerald. “Maybe we should wave this dungeon off for the day?”
“Master,” Tiny rumbled, “I do not mind triggering all of the traps for you.”
“I can’t say that is what I want,” Alburet told his minion.
“You need to level,” Tiny rebutted. “I can do this. Just keep Copying me and TJ will trigger all of them moving forward.”
“He has a point, and it will make him happy, knowin’ tha’ he aided ya in this way,” Stacia added.
“All in favor of Tiny doing the death run through the place for us?” Alburet asked the group. Tiny, TJ, Bob, Stacia, and Kitten all raised their hands immediately. After a moment Karen’s hand went up, followed by Fluffball. “Et tu, Fluff?” Alburet asked. Gerald and Marysue raised their hands, leaving only Alburet with his hand down.
“He wants to help and we need to level you as quickly as we can,” Fluff told him evenly, though he felt her sadness over sacrificing Tiny. She also couldn’t ignore Tiny’s steadfast willingness to do anything he could to aid his master.
“Fine,” Alburet sighed. “TJ, you’re the trap springer. We’ll be a few dozen yards behind you. Karen, follow him and see about disarming the traps.”
“On it,” Karen said as she patted TJ on the back, “So, big, strong, and deadly, you ready?”
“Yes,” TJ rumbled as he started forward at an even pace. “Tell me if you think a trap is close.”
“Ya do nay like this,” Stacia stated in a whisper to Alburet.
“No. It feels like I’m using him as a sacrificial lamb and it bothers me,” Alburet replied just as softly to her.
“Did ya nay feel his sense of pride when ya agreed?”
“I did, but it doesn’t really make me feel any better about it.”
“Ya have a good heart. Ma’ has told me of some of her past masters tha’ were nay as lovin’ towards her and the other minions, as ya be with us. Ya be softer on us than even Da’ or Unca Stew be with their minions,” Stacia smiled softly.
“I don’t want to lose any more family,” Alburet told her, his face creasing in remembered sorrow.
“Ya be thinkin’ we nay be able to take them with us when we go?”
“I don’t think we will, but who knows what Vicky has planned?”
“Trap,” Karen said loudly to TJ.
The next two hours were spent exploring the three levels of the temple, each level larger than the last. Well over fifty traps had to be dealt with during their exploration. TJ died more than two dozen times, and Karen was only able to disarm maybe a dozen of the traps. The rest the group marked, just in case they had to come back. They eventually found the main room, which had bas-relief carvings of Justice and Peace preaching to an audience of Humans along the walls.
“Well it is in the Human Empire,” Alburet murmured, knowing it was probably a Temple devoted to one of those two gods, but still hoping it might be something else.
“What’s that on the altar?” Marysue asked, squinting. They peered at the altar, trying to get a better look in the pale light coming from the patches of bioluminescent fungus that provided all the light inside the Temple, aside from the glowing shields of Gerald, Tiny, and TJ. “Maybe an Icon that we can retrieve?”
“I don’t think TJ should touch it,” Alburet said quickly.
“Marysue, you worship Justice, right?” Karen asked, turning to the priestess.
“Peace, actually,” Marysue replied. “You think I should grab it?”
“I think it would be better than any of us doing it,” Karen suggested.
“I’ll go with, just in case,” Gerald added.
“Okay,” Marysue agreed. She walked slowly towards the altar, with Gerald at her side.
Ten feet from the altar, Gerald froze in place. “I can’t go on,” he frowned. “I have a debuff, Holy Light. It says only a Priest or Paladin of Peace or Justice can step to the altar.”
“There has to be a way around that,” Alburet muttered as a pop-up appeared.
Congratulations!
You have explored the Lost Temple of Peace!
“The quest is done even before we grab the item?” Karen puzzled. “I wonder if this is one of the Class Quests?”
“What?” Alburet asked.
“Like your armor, there are quests only certain classes can do,” Fluff answered his question. “The only exception to that is Assassins, they can take bounties to kill people instead of getting quests.”
“Do you think that’s what is happening to our guildies?” Alburet asked.
“I can try to find out once we hit town. I’ll run over to my class trainer and see what I can find out,” Karen told him.
While they talked, they watched as Marysue slowly walked forward, her face suffused with wonder. “So beautiful,” Marysue whispered as she finally reached the altar. “I understand and will do so,” she whispered as her hand wrapped around the item on the altar. She slipped the thing into
her bag, and the debuff on Gerald vanished. “I’m ready to go,” she told them, looking at them with a broad smile.
“Homestones,” Alburet said. “We’ll split up and see what we can find out. Meet at the old guild hall in an hour?”
“Works,” Gerald agreed as he pulled his Homestone. “See you there.”
The quartet appeared before the archway that led to their home and first guild hall. Ironhand hailed them before they even had a chance to move, “I was coming to see you guys.”
Alburet turned to greet Ironhand, “What’s up?”
Fractured Spirit (Alpha World Book 5) Page 33