She paused, eyeing him then asked, “Necromancer or Summoner?”
“Summoner,” Alburet replied with a blank face.
Closing her eyes Margret, took a deep breath before she opened them to meet his. “Do you promise to never oppose the empire?”
Tilting his head slightly in bewilderment, Alburet nodded, “I have no intentions of doing so. I can't promise something so broadly, though. If the empire for some reason aims harm at me or those I care for I would have to respond.”
“I understand and would not ask someone to stand aside while a loved one is being targeted. You must understand why your kind is so despised.”
“I don't, but I will make it a point to find out.”
“Very well. It will cost another ten silver to have your clothes delivered to the inn tonight. If you make it twenty I will have the other set delivered tomorrow as well.”
Alburet placed a single gold on the counter, meeting her gaze steadily. He could see an old pain in her eyes, “I thank you, Mrs. Wilson.” He noticed she reacted slightly when he used Mrs. “I thank you for treating me fairly and with the kindness you have. If I can do anything for you or your family someday, I will do my best to show you that not all of my profession are evil.” He stepped back from the counter bowing to her formally, then turned and walked out of the shop feeling her eyes on his back.
Once on the street again he paused, looking through the people who moved past him. He wondered what exactly had happened in the past that caused Necromancers and Summoners to be treated as they were. Something to ask Stewart he decided before heading off towards the portal guild.
When he reached the portal guild the receptionists were changing shift as the sun was beginning to set. The one who had been kind to him smiled warmly, “Welcome back, sir. I'm going off shift right now but my coworker will be more than happy to help you.”
The second receptionist eyed him coolly, “This is the one you were talking about, Kim? He is far from what I would call a gentleman.”
Kim blinked, “What? He has been very polite and has been one of the few who’s been tipping us regularly.”
A gentle cough came from Alburet, “She is referring to the fact that a friend of mine along with myself were being inappropriate when she was on shift the other day.” He turned to face the second woman directly and gave her a deep bow, “I apologize.”
“Whatever, where are you going?” The second one said dismissively.
“Stormguard fort near the goblin fort, please,” he dropped two gold on the desk.
She took the coins before replying, her voice still frosty, “Have a seat.”
Alburet turned to go to the waiting area to find Kim walking along beside him. “Can I help you Kim?”
“I was wondering exactly what you did to twist Francine's knickers like that?” Kim's eyes flashed with humor.
Alburet took a seat in the waiting area and explained the antics he and Karen had gotten up too. By the time he was finished Kim was chortling. “No wonder she’s all upset. Her family is very prim and proper, so of course she acts that way as well. She’ll get over it after a bit. I wish you luck with your journeys tonight.” She stood and with a parting smile walked out the doors.
Alburet watched her go, then the same old portal mage that had been working with Francine the other day approached him. “Your portal is ready, sir,” the old man spoke in a neutral tone.
Alburet followed the mage, ignoring the glare from Francine as he went by. He tipped the mage a gold before stepping on the rune that teleported him to the fort.
Appearing right outside the gates, he walked into the fort nodding to the men who greeted him. As he approached Sergeant Jasper he noted the Sergeant was talking with another player who promptly ran off. Alburet greeted the Sergeant with a salute.
“Are you back to speak with the Commander, Alburet?” Jasper asked after returning the greeting.
“Yeah, that was the idea,” Alburet replied.
Jasper asked the Quartermaster to watch his desk for a minute. Leading Alburet up the stairs Jasper asked, “So what happened to your partner?”
“She had some stuff to do for a bit. I’ll be meeting back up with her later tonight to celebrate our victory over the goblins and orcs.”
“I wish you luck,” Jasper said as he knocked, then ushered Alburet into the Commander's room. “Sir, Alburet has returned with word.”
“Very good, Sergeant. You are dismissed.” The Commander said, giving Jasper a salute. Once Jasper left the Commander turned to Alburet, “Report.”
It took only a few minutes for Alburet to get the Commander caught up on the ambush and the death of Death Tracker Grugh.
“Very good,” the Commander said, pushing a parchment across the desk. “Take that to the quartermaster. You’ve done the Empire a service by stopping the two races from joining forces. Well done.”
You are now Friendly to all Stormguard Guard Factions
Alburet picked up the parchment with a smile and saluted the Commander, “Thank you, sir.”
The Commander returned the salute before dismissing Alburet, who gratefully left the room. He wandered down to the main room to find Private Jenkins speaking with Jasper. Jenkins moved over to intercept Alburet.
“A moment, if you don't mind, sir,” Jenkins said.
Alburet stopped with a single raised brow, “Yes?”
Bowing his head, Jenkins spoke softly but with conviction. “I wish to apologize for my actions when we last met. I let my prejudices and emotions get the better of me.”
A small smile flitted across Alburet's face as he thought back to a young guard he used to work with who was much the same as Jenkins. When he replied, his tone was level, “I accept and hold you no ill will, Jenkins. Part of being human is making mistakes. The key is to learn from them.”
Jenkins raised his head to meet Alburet's eyes, seeing acceptance and respect, “Thank you, sir.” With that, Jenkins left.
Jasper cleared his throat, “You know, you are pretty unusual, Alburet. Only a handful of other two-souled have been as considerate as you.”
“I believe tomorrow will bring many, many more of my kind to the world. I wish you the best in dealing with them. Most will be like spoiled children.”
“I do not doubt,” Jasper chuckled, “well, don't let me keep you from your celebration.”
“See you around, Sarge,” Alburet replied before going over to the quartermaster and showing him the parchment from the Commander.
The quartermaster nodded handing him twenty gold. “Let your fellows know that they just need to speak with me to claim their reward, please.”
“Will do,” Alburet replied before quickly using his Mindstone to let the others know. He then used his Homestone to go back to Stormguard.
Once back in the city he turned towards the Dead Man Inn with a smile. He entered the building to see the place was starting to fill up with the evening crowd. Behind the bar was the owner, so Alburet went over and dropped six gold on the counter which got his attention.
“I owed you five for the deal from this morning and the other is for a very good meal for three to be delivered to my room in an hour or so. Stacia will retrieve it for me.”
Lips pursed slightly, the owner nodded, “Aye, it will be done. Stewart was wantin' to speak with ya when ya got back.”
“That works, I needed to speak with him, too. Where is he?”
“Downstairs. Ya know the way, right?”
“I remember it,” Alburet replied, taking the path down into the earth to see Stewart.
After the trek down to the catacombs Alburet looked around, getting a better look at all the people down here. He saw four different Summoners and six different Necromancers, judging by the paraphernalia on the desks that dotted the cavern. At least each race was represented for each class, with Necromancers having two extra humans.