Gerald nodded, “That may be why we haven’t seen any push back. Just keep it in mind if we’re going to rock even more boats.”
“Will do,” Alburet replied.
The portal delivered them to a vista of rolling hills covered in brown, dead grass. The requisite guard stood watch just outside the gate of the fort.
“Alpha Company?” the guard queried. “You lot sure are busy today.”
“What do you mean?” Alburet asked.
“Already had two groups from Alpha Company come through here.”
Alburet looked at Karen, “We aren’t going to have to go far today, I think.”
“Do you remember anything about the members of either group?” Karen asked the guard.
“Well, the first group had a dwarf with a green beard, which is a bit unusual. The second group had two Lunari. The red-furred one was a mean bitch.”
Alburet sighed, “Great, just what we need, idiots who won’t listen.”
“What’s up?” Gerald asked.
Alburet filled him in about the issue between Ironhand’s group and Bloodmoon’s group. “We’ll probably be hearing from Ironhand soon.”
“I’ll go grab the quests from the fort,” Marysue cut in. “I’ll share them with you when I get back.”
“I will go with ya,” Stacia said.
The two of them went into the fort while the others talked. “She was a bit pushy back at the testing facility,” Gerald recalled. “Should have considered that before bringing her along when we came back into the game. You think the healer and DrBone will step away from her?”
“They seemed like they might. They looked pretty unhappy about what Bloodmoon’s been doing. It very well might devolve into a fight.”
“Hmm,” Gerald chewed his lip. “It’s possible. I don’t think they’ll do very well, though, if they’re stupid enough to initiate a fight.”
“I’m more worried about the other group,” Alburet replied. “We can wipe the floor with them, but I don’t know how Ironhand’s group would do.”
“Which way did our guildies go?” Karen asked the guard.
“North-easterly,” the guard pointed out the direction.
“Gives us a place to start,” Alburet sighed as he summoned Tiny. “Tiny, we’re going to be hunting in the Blighted Hills. We might wind up getting into a fight with some other two-souled.”
“I will protect you and the mistress, master,” Tiny rumbled.
“Sounds good,” Alburet nodded and summoned Bob. “Bob, we’re in the Blighted Hills today. Might also see some fighting against other Two-souled.”
Bob was grinning like a maniac, “Sounds good to me.”
The quartet outside the gates looked at Bob a little oddly. Karen spoke first, “Bob, you okay?”
“I have two wives! Two gorgeously hot, sexually inventive Succubi Ladies!” He bounced up and down, “I got married last night. It was so awesome!”
They congratulated Bob, who was energetically bouncing in place wearing a huge grin. “The best part is they already have more lined up. Once master gains enough prestige, they’ll invite even more to the family. Or if I can reach the rank of Imp Lord. Or even both.” He looked awestruck at the thought.
Marysue and Stacia got back in time to hear the last part, “Tha’ be wonderful, Bob. Ya be a married Imp, now. How does it feel to know they be countin’ on ya?”
Bob stopped bouncing and his face became pensive, “It’s a little frightening, actually. I mean, their livelihood now rests squarely on me as their husband to provide for them. Neither of them is talking kids yet, which is a blessing, but I’ve only ever had to worry about me before.”
Alburet grinned, “But how does it feel to know that they love you and will be there to pick you up?”
Bob started bouncing in place again, “It is so wonderful. I understand now what Tiny had been telling me.”
Gerald coughed once, “Maybe we should get moving and talk on the way?”
They headed out, going north-east. Stacia and Marysue shared the quests with the rest of the group. Bob was waxing on about how wonderful married life was, not caring whether anyone was listening.
Quest: Kill twenty Restless Dead
Reward: Improved reputation with Stormguard guards and fifty gold
Quest: Kill twenty Boney Dead
Reward: Improved reputation with Stormguard guards and fifty gold
Quest: Kill twenty Rotting Dead
Reward: Improved reputation with Stormguard guards and fifty gold
Quest: Kill the Renegade Necromancer
Reward: Item from the Quartermaster stores, improved reputation with all Stormguard factions and a hundred gold
“The quests don’t seem to be very varied, do they?” Karen asked.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Gerald frowned. “I was sure they’d have had their best AI’s working on this.”
“Stacia,” Alburet asked to make a point, “what was your eighteenth birthday like?” Stacia began to describe her birthday while wearing a goofy grin as she recalled a night of laughter and mistakes. When she finished, Alburet gave her a peck on the cheek, “Thank you, Kitten.”
Gerald frowned but nodded, “Point. But that just makes the quests seem even more odd.”
“What if it’s so they can gauge how well the AI’s do? We know the natives can hunt and do quests, too,” Fluff put in her thoughts. “It might explain why the gods have set things up as they have. Why have strict classes, spells and abilities if not to test the AI’s?”
“Ya be talkin’ about Delta World, then?” Stacia asked.
“Delta World?” Gerald asked.
Stacia started to tell them about the legend of Delta World, only to be interrupted as the ground around Tiny exploded upward, showering them all with dirt. Three skeletons stood up from the disturbed earth, surrounding him. The group converged on them. Gerald picked up two of the Boney Dead, leaving Tiny with just one to worry about. Karen, Fluff and Bob all targeted the one on Tiny. Alburet cast Demonic Vitality and Demonic Retribution on Tiny before taking up his axe and imbuing it with flames.
The skeletons wore pieces of leather armor and wielded older weapons that didn’t have as much rust as some others they’d collected before, but it didn’t help them against the combined onslaught. Alburet was barely able to get a single hit in before the others killed it. As they moved over to the two on Gerald, Stacia joined them with her blades out. “Me Daze and Ally abilities do nay work on them,” she told the group.
“Like the spiders, then,” Gerald grunted as he blocked another attack. “Two Imps, then, after this fight.”
“You got it,” Alburet replied as he swung his axe at the next target. “They don’t seem very tough.”
“We’re in the zones we should be in,” Karen shrugged. “Little surprised the others are out here, though.”
“Must have been hoping that Bloodmoon would leave them alone if they jumped to a higher-level area,” Marysue opined.
As they cut down the last skeleton Alburet’s message icon started flashing, so he left looting to the others as he tapped it.
Message from Ironhand:
Bloodmoon is here in the Blighted Hills with us. We hoped that going into a higher-level area would help, but it hasn’t. She’s being more aggressive now. She followed us once already when we moved. She’s going on and on about how Gerald is taking over the guild from you and promised to promote her to second in command and how we should just quit the guild now before she kicks us out.
Alburet snorted as he read the message, “She’s causing trouble. This time, she’s tossing your name around, Gerald. Ironhand says she’s saying you’re going to usurp the guild and make her your right hand.”