“Huh, I didn't think of it that way. I hope you’re right because that would mean I’m helping to further an awesome goal.” Fluffball smiled brightly as she spoke, as if pleased with the idea.
Alburet came to a stop before the merchant and addressed the man, “Good day to you, merchant. I have some items I would like to be rid of, if you are interested in buying them.”
“Let's see what you have,” the merchant replied with a bored expression.
Alburet unloaded the rusty weapons and tattered leathers he had looted onto the table the man had next to the wagon. “This is all of it.”
The merchant went through the stuff, setting aside all the weapons. “I can buy everything but those. The smith across the way might buy them. For the rest of this stuff, say fifty silver?”
“Works. I’ll have some more later to sell you as well,” Alburet said, shaking hands with the merchant before accepting his coin and putting the weapons back in his bag.
Fluffball stepped forward and unloaded all her non weapon stuff for sale. “I also would like to sell you these items, sir. I heard what you said about the weapons so I have kept them.”
“Oh, an adventurer who listens to us, how novel.” The merchant chuckled, “For that I offer you sixty silver in trade.”
Her smile growing, Fluffball accepted with a shake of hands. “A pleasure doing business with you sir, we’ll be back in a few hours with more.”
“I shall look forward to it,” the merchant replied as he watched them walk over to the smith.
As they approached, Alburet noted the dwarf smith setting aside a finished sword. “Greetings sir smith, the merchant tells me you might be interested in buying the weapons we retrieved from the goblin fort?”
Looking up, the dwarf nodded, “Aye tha' I would. Lay them out and I will let ye know wha' they be worth.”
Alburet and Fluffball set their weapons out in separate piles, which the smith looked over. “I will give each of ye fifty silver for the entire lot.” Alburet nodded along with Fluffball, each of them accepting and taking the coin before informing the dwarf they would be back later with more. “I look forward to it,” the dwarf replied, watching them leave the keep.
“So Fluffball, may I just call you Fluff?” Alburet asked as they paused outside the main gates.
“I don't mind, but you told Gerald earlier not to call you Al. Why was that?” she asked as they started into a jog towards the goblin fort.
“I just don't like to shorten the name, but I will let you cut it down.” Alburet replied as they went around the people engaged in fighting.
Bob cackled, “So the women can call you Al, but not the guys?”
“He all but seems to disappear at times, doesn't he?” Fluffball asked, glancing back at Bob. “Then he speaks up to remind us that he’s there.”
“Yeah, but without him I would be way worse off as a Summoner. He has helped me time and time again when things have been going badly. I’ll put up with the comments for that kind of help.” Alburet said, then grinned evilly at Bob, “Unless he gets really bad.”
Bob just yawned as they jogged on, “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”
Fluffball shook her head, “I can just see an imp acting like this if they were real. The AI does an amazing job at lifelike NPCs.”
“Of course I am real,” Bob scoffed, “I'm just not two-souled like you two.”
Alburet was about to reply when he spotted a goblin coming right at them, “Company.” He slid to a stop, casting retribution on Fluffball. “You're the tank, Fluff.”
Fluffball got a red glow to her as she leapt at the Goblin Scavenger the two-handed sword he had given her arcing around to hit the mob. She let out a savage roar as the blow connected and the goblin seemed to pull back slightly from her. Bob and Alburet started peppering it with Fire Blasts as it did so.
The fight didn't last long and Fluffball took minor damage. “That was fun,” Fluffball said as they started moving towards the right corner of the fort that Alburet had used before. “At ninth level I got Intimidating Roar, it shakes the target making them fearful.”
“Useful, but what’s fearful really mean?”
“Good question. I have no idea really, but they do seem hesitant to try and attack me when the debuff is on them. Cool-down is a minute and it only lasts ten seconds. I’ll use it when appropriate normally. Any idea what you get next level?”
“I think the pamphlet said I get a Lesser Destroyer, which I hope is my tank minion.”
“Destroyers are the backbone of the Infernal army,” Bob interjected. “They excel at and thrive on being in the midst of combat.”
“Sounds like a tank minion to me,” Alburet grinned.
“They are slow, stupid and boring,” Bob said with a sigh. “They are only good for smacking things in the face while being smacked in the face.”
“Yeah, sounds like a tank minion alright,” Fluff nodded. “Once I hit ten I think I'm going to jump back to the capital and get my next ability. I might log for the night at that point.”
“Understandable. Here comes the next one.” Alburet said as the next Goblin Scavenger came running towards them.
They fell into a groove for the next hour, killing the mobs that came to them and occasionally pulling a loose one from further away. “It seems slower than I thought it would be,” Alburet said.
“We’re still in early access for the next day. Also, the monthly fee to play is kind of high, but then again so is a good VR rig. Still, it will keep the population low for a while. In a few hours this place should pick up as evening comes around. One of the reasons I like playing in the earlier part of the day.”
“Fair enough. So you going to be on tomorrow?”
“Yeah. If you’re on we can hook up again, unless you grind your way past me.” Fluffball said, getting ready as another goblin was coming to them.
“I'd love to hook up and grind with you,” Alburet said, intending the obvious double entendre.
Fluff blushed and turned away from him to hack at the goblin with extra fervor. Alburet wondered if he had taken it a step too far but focused on the job at hand. Just before the mob died the two-handed sword Fluff was using vanished in a shattering of blue sparkles. Bob's next fire ball killed the goblin thankfully, before it could do any damage to Fluff while she was unarmed.
As the mob dropped Alburet felt the rush of leveling as well as seeing the light around Fluffball. They congratulated each other, taking a moment to drop stat points in. Alburet checked his next spell, which was indeed Summon Lesser Destroyer. “Yeah new minion, woohoo,” he said smiling.
“Good, it means I won't feel bad for running off,” Fluffball said. “I think I'm going to call it for the day after I go train my next ability. Also good to know what a weapon breaking looks like.”
Alburet nodded, “Fluff, my last comment about grinding...”
“No. No, it's okay.” She said quickly cutting him off, “I'm just... Look, what I'm trying to say is we just met and...” Her skin under the fur was bright red.
“Ahh, poor little kitty wants it but is timid,” Bob laughed.
“Bob!” Alburet snapped, his face going hard. “Do not tease her like that, is that understood?” His voice was the hard steel he’d used when he had to back an inmate down on his old job.
Bob froze up before nodding once, turning and bowing to Alburet. “Yes, master.”
Fluffball looked from Alburet to Bob then back. Her voice was very soft, “Um thanks. I'll see you later okay?”
Turning away from glowering at Bob, he looked at Fluffball with trepidation. “I'm really sorry about that Fluff. I hope the rest of your night is good.” He held out his hand which Fluffball took, he turned it so the back of her hand was up and gently kissed the back of it. “Good evening m'lady Fluff.”
Fluffball stared at her hand even after he released it, her mouth open slightly and her eyes glazed. “Um, yeah. Night Al,” she pulled her Homestone from her bag in a daze and vanished.