A catcall brought Alburet back to reality, “Work it, you stud you.”
“Funny, Bob. Hahaha.” Alburet said, looking over at the imp. “We’re done guys, so go get your rest.”
Both demons vanished, Bob beat boxing some old style porn music, leaving him all alone in the ruined village with the moon starting to descend from its apex. Pulling out his Homestone while shaking his head to clear it, Alburet paused to look at the moon one more time. With a small smile on his lips he invoked the stone and appeared in the graveyard next to the Dead Man Inn. “Home again, home again jiggity jig…” he said softly as he put the stone away.
Taking a single step away from where he spawned, he suddenly felt a searing pain in his back. He tried to move but his muscles locked up and the pain spread through him, radiating from the knife in his back. He wanted to howl in pain but he couldn’t form any sound. He noted two new debuffs on him, Poisoned and Paralyzed. A hooded man came into his field of view wearing a dark grey and green splotched cloak.
“Well, this will count as one. Only two more kills to go now, two-souled. The contract says to let you know that the House of Gilden is quite perturbed with you. However, they decided to take it easy on you for your first offense, just three deaths at the hands of the Dark Nights guild. So keep this in mind, if you upset your betters they send us after you.” A hand tilted Alburet's head so he could see a masked face with two red tinted eyes meeting his. “You will have your reprieve dictated by the gods, but I will be back for you eventually.”
Alburet caught sight of the dagger as it slid under his point of view, followed by the pain of his throat being cut before death claimed him. As soon as his life reached zero he was a ghost floating above his corpse in a washed out world, watching as his murderer calmly cleaned his dagger before vanishing with a dark chuckle. Alburet wanted to scream and curse at his attacker but was unable to as a ghost. Two minutes later he was standing in the graveyard, alive again.
“Motherfucker,” Alburet hissed, his eyes tracking the darkness around him. When nothing happened he checked a new buff that appeared, learning something new.
God’s Will; you have been killed by an assassin or another player. Due to this you are immune from non-monster attacks for one hour unless you instigate them.
Taking a deep breath, Alburet felt his knuckles pop as he clenched his hands. Forcing them open, he tried to center himself. Minutes rolled by until he finally got his anger under control. Once he was mostly centered Alburet entered the inn. The taproom was mostly empty, with maybe half a dozen people about.
Stacia looked up from her spot behind the bar, giving him a bright smile, “Welcome back, sir. Be ya interested in a bit of drink or food before ya retire?”
Alburet looked over at her eager smile, “Dark ale please, and maybe just a snack to tide me over until morning. Can you have them sent to my room, please? I want to bathe first.”
Stacia nodded, “One second, please.” She darted into the back briefly, coming back out followed by what was certainly a sister who took over the bar. Stacia was carrying a small covered plate as she picked up a full mug. “Iffin ya will follow me sir, I will show ya to the bath once I drop off ya food and drink.”
Alburet followed after Stacia, who was all business as she led him upstairs to his room, setting the refreshments down on the table. Alburet dropped his bags and gear into the wardrobe which indicated it was a secure storage place before following her again. She led him out of the room and down an off shoot hallway near the stairs, which led to the bathing room. She opened the door, ushering him into a massive room that held a giant heated tub, a few smaller empty tubs and a row of what he thought were shower heads. “This is the bathing room, sir. The big tub is for after ya are cleaned to relax in. The showers are the first step of bathing,” she paused and looked at him from the corner of her eye. “Ya know it would be easier to just show ya sir, iffin ya be interested.”
Alburet eyed the twenty year old buxom woman for a moment. “I have a bad feeling about this,” he said softly.
“I be havin' a very good feeling about this meself,” Stacia said her hands on the laces of her dress as she held them without loosening them. “The decision be up to ya.”
Alburet took a second to try and figure out what he really wanted. “I am so very tempted to find out exactly how far you would take it, Stacia. However, I’m beat and I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow so I think I’m going to have to pass.”
Stacia pouted her lips, “How about iffin I promise to behave and just wash ya, take ya back to ya room to feed ya, massage ya and then tuck ya in?”
Alburet felt his resolve break at the idea of her hands working on his muscles, “I yield.”
Stacia’s eyes lit up when he agreed, “Aye, first strip all the way down to ya skin, please.”
Alburet did so and was guided by Stacia to a stool under a shower head. She sat him down, showing him the pull chain to wet himself down. She went off to get soap, leaving him to enjoy the warm water falling gently on him, as if he were in a warm thunderstorm. As he enjoyed the feeling a pair of soft hands gently touched his back and he tensed slightly before relaxing, reminding himself that he wasn’t being attacked.
Stacia was humming a tune he didn’t know as she used the citrus scented soap and a cloth to lather him. Alburet relaxed under her hands, letting her raise his arms or bend him slightly this way or that to soap him. He stood when he was asked for her to get his ass and legs before he was told he could sit again. He was in a slight dazed state when he felt her bare breasts rub against his back, her nipples hard as she wrapped her arms around him. “Now be still, I’m only washing ya and that is all,” her words were a soft caress in his ear as her hands gently embraced his manhood.
“Stacia…,” Alburet breathed out in half reprimand, half desire.
“Shh, I be only cleaning ya. I promised to be good, after all,” she whispered again. Her hands were deft and clinical as she soaped him. “See?” she said as she withdrew her breasts from his back as well. “Time to rinse,” she said as she stepped around him, showing off her naked body as she gently tugged the chain to bring the water down on them both.
Alburet drank in the sight of her naked body before him, the water cascading off of her endowed chest allowing it to rinse the soap off her body. He sat there mostly motionless as if in a trance as she wiped the soap from her before taking his unresisting hand and putting it on the chain. He grasped it as she knelt before him and used her hands to make sure all the soap was removed from his body. She did it methodically, robbing some of the sensuality from it but not all. She got him to stand as she knelt there which presented his manhood to her eye level but she seemed to disregard it. He felt a wave of desire urging him to tangle his hands in her hair and take her. His hands trembled and he was about to act on the idea when she turned him around to clean the soap from his back.
Once she was done she stood and led him over to the big tub, helping him settle into it. He leaned back on a contoured seat, the water coming to just under his chin as the hot water eased his tired body. He let out a sigh of pleasure as the tension ebbed away. He briefly wondered why he felt any tension here inside the game, but the thought went away as he just let the water relax him. Some time later a small cough got his attention. Prying his eyes open he found Stacia dressed again, standing next to the tub holding a towel.
“Sir, ya might want to think about getting out now.”
Climbing to his feet, Alburet stepped out of the tub reaching out to take the towel, only to have Stacia chide him gently as she began to dry him. Once he was dry to her satisfaction, she wrapped him in a terrycloth robe and led him back to his room. He wondered briefly about his clothes, asking about them only to be told they were in his room already. When they reached his room, Stacia seated him at a chair near the table and seated herself beside him.