Fractured Spirit Read online

  “The only thing rarer than those stones are the times the Gods decide to change how a whole class works and reset their abilities,” Stewart chuckled. “Though that’s happened a bit more often since you Two-souled started showing up.”

  Lips creased into a smile Alburet nodded, knowing the reason behind why that happened. “Well, one never knows the ways of the Gods,” he muttered as he considered his first set of options.

  He took a moment to remind himself of the options he’d passed on before. Infernal Flame, which increased his fire damage by 10%. Heavenly Summoner to switch to angelic minions. Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. Ranged Fire Burst, which gave his area of effect spell a range. He considered that one thoughtfully for a moment. Finally, there was Lasting Haze, which turned Demonic Haze into a long term buff.

  Reacquainted with the older choices that were still available to him, he went to the next set of two to choose from. Infernal Upgrade, which would let him choose an ability for one of his minions. The other option was Lasting Vitality, which would turn Demonic Vitality into a fifteen minute buff for five times the mana.

  He flipped to the back to take a quick peek at all the choices for Infernal Upgrades. Tiny could get an area taunt, a single target stun, an area interrupt to stop spells, or a damage mitigation ability. Bob’s upgrades were a ranged area effect spell that wouldn’t harm allies, a debuff remover that cost the target some of their life, a passive ability to bypass half his target’s fire resistance, or an ability to cause a caster to use double their mana cost on spells for a minute. Stacia’s possible upgrades were a heal that would replenish a target’s missing health at the cost of her own, an attack that would drain a target’s health and mana to replenish her own, or finally an area effect that would confuse enemies within thirty feet and make them attack random targets.

  Leaning against the desk, Alburet considered the extended heal of Demonic Vitality for a moment. Shaking his head, he dismissed it to upgrade Bob first. He selected Infernal Upgrade, then chose Big Boom from the list of Infernal Upgrade options. He smiled, knowing Bob would be ecstatic to finally have his area damage spell.

  He skipped to the next choice, his level 30 ability. He could choose another Infernal Upgrade or Demoralize. Demoralize would turn his Sap Strength into a thirty-foot area effect and cost him 75% of the normal mana cost per target affected. He shook his head, and instead picked up Demonic Shell for Tiny, giving the Destroyer a damage mitigation ability that would reduce all damage done to him by 75% for five seconds, with a two minute cooldown.

  Skipping to his level 35 ability, he looked at those choices. He could again choose to upgrade a minion or take Purple Haze. Purple Haze would turn Demonic Haze into a targeted area effect that would affect friends or foes depending on his target at the cost of 75% of the mana cost per target in the thirty-foot area. He picked up the heal for Stacia, Comforting Touch, as having her be able to heal, even if it was on a five minute cooldown, was too useful to pass up.

  He glanced at his next set of choices and picked up Copy again. That would let him Copy a minion like before, though he could only Copy a minion once per ability so he couldn’t have three Imps, but he could have two Imps and two Succubi.

  Next he had to pick between Unquenched Retribution, which would turn his Demonic Retribution into a thirty minute buff at five times the mana cost or the standard Infernal Upgrade for level 45. He tapped Essence Drain for Stacia, giving her the ability to pull 5% of a target’s mana and life away with a simple touch. It was also on a five minute cooldown, and would help her offset the life loss for her heal ability.

  His choice for level 50 had him pick between Infernal Upgrade or Still Caster. Still Caster was an ability that removed the motions to cast spells. Laughing, Alburet chose that one. He could now silently and motionlessly cast anything he wanted by just concentrating on it.

  His next choice was the ability to cast silently, Silent Caster, or another Infernal Upgrade. He could already cast silently thanks to his race change, so Alburet picked up Burning Cleanse for Bob. Burning Cleanse cost the target 1% of their life for each debuff that was removed. It might cost Marysue a bit more in healing, but now Bob could help her with things like removing poisons.

  Level 60 made him pause briefly, as one of his choices was to make his Fire Burst no longer harm allies, Friendly Fire. Alburet debated whether it would be a good idea, remembering how useful it had been in removing the Infested debuff during the raid on the Keep. After a minute of internal debate, he chose to upgrade Tiny again instead. Savage Roar would let Tiny taunt everything within thirty feet of himself. That meant Tiny would have an easier time gathering up any adds when Gerald was focused on a boss.

  On his last choice Alburet sighed. His options here were another Infernal Upgrade or Infernal Flames, which would cause all of his fire damage to bypass 50% of the target’s fire resistance. He could also go back and pick up any of the previous abilities he hadn’t chosen.

  Alburet chewed his lip for a minute as he debated all of his choices. He was happy with the abilities that his minions now had. He didn’t see the point for the confusion ability for Stacia, or the double mana cost one for Bob, which left only the upgrade for Bob to bypass 50% of a target’s fire resistance or the stun and interrupt abilities for Tiny as the useful upgrades remaining for his minions.

  He spent another minute waffling over picking up one of the abilities to turn his buffs into longer buffs or area buffs. Eventually, he decided to pick up the stun for Tiny, Bash. That would let him stun a target for five seconds on a one minute cooldown. If he Copied Tiny, then he could lock down a single target for ten seconds, plus whatever Gerald could manage with his own abilities.

  Having picked the last ability, Alburet let out a deep breath as he closed the book. “So many choices to make,” he chuckled.

  Stewart was watching him with pursed lips. “How many did you spend on upgrading your minions?”

  “Besides taking Copy again, the only ability that wasn’t to upgrade them was Still Caster. Now I can cast without speaking or gesturing,” Alburet grinned.

  Nodding, Stewart got to his feet, “Good choices. It leaves you a little lacking for raids, but overall solid choices. I’m sure Alistern is awake and wanting to speak with you, so we should be going back up top.”

  Alburet nodded, “Sure, let’s go see Dad.”

  Stewart laughed as he moved towards the red glyph on the floor next to his desk. “You should call him that. I want to see his face when you do.”

  Alburet raised a single brow as he followed Stewart, stepping on the glyph to teleport to the graveyard outside the inn. “You think it will be that good?”

  “Priceless, I would think,” Stewart’s grin broadened.

  Alburet

  Half-blood Infernal Summoner

  Level 65

  Strength: 265 (260)

  Agility: 135 (130)

  Constitution: 220 (190)

  Intelligence: 190 (160)

  Wisdom: 780 (500)

  Charisma: 165 (130)

  Health: 5,450

  Mana: 11,050

  Spells:

  Demon Skin-Rank 6

  Demonic Retribution- Rank 6

  Summon Improved Imp

  Fire Blast- Rank 6

  Sap Strength- Rank 6

  Demonic Haze- Rank 6

  Summon Improved Destroyer

  Demonic Vitality- Rank 6

  Fire Burst- Rank 6

  Summon Improved Succubus

  Abilities:

  Personal Spells

  Flame Weapon

  Copy

  Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Ally)

  Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Big Boom)

  Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Demonic Shell)

  Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Comforting Touch)

  Copy

  Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Essence Drain)

  Still Caster

  Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Burning Cleanse)

  In
fernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Savage Roar)

  Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Bash)

  Racial Abilities:

  Cast spells without verbal components

  Physical damage reduction 25%

  Magical damage reduction 10%

  Influence emotions

  Fire resistance 50%

  Reputation gains at half value

  Chapter Three

  Alistern, Lilith, Marian and Stacia were all seated around a table talking when Stewart and Alburet walked back into the Dead Man Inn. The conversation stopped as Alburet walked in, everyone turning to stare at him. “Should I come back?” Alburet asked due to the sudden lull in conversation.

  Alistern stood up, his face unreadable as his eyes seemed to drill into Alburet’s chest. “Stacia has been tellin’ me tha’ me Deidre be safe.” He coughed slightly before he gave a shallow bow. “Thank ya for keepin’ ya word and bringin’ her back safely.”

  Stepping to Alistern, Alburet patted his shoulder, “I always try to keep my word, Dad.”

  Sharp inhalations could be heard from the women at the table, as the words exited Alburet’s mouth. Alistern seemed to flinch slightly at the last word. Alburet looked back at Stewart, who wore a bemused expression. Before Alburet could say anything else, Alistern jerked upright, his eyes digging into Alburet’s. “Da’, ya think ya can call me tha’, as iffin it do nay matter?”

  “Err… well, you see…” Alburet began, wondering just how deep a hole he had dug at Stewart’s urging.

  Alistern’s face suddenly split with the largest grin Alburet had ever seen. “I have waited a long time to have me a lad I could call me own. I accept ya offer to be callin me Da’.” His hand slapped Alburet hard across the back, forcing him forward a step. “Ya hear tha’? He called me Da’.” Alistern beamed at the women, who all wore closed expressions. They broke out laughing, Stewart joining them after another second.

  Stewart winked at Alburet, “Welcome fully into the family, Alburet.”

  For a moment Alburet was taken aback by the sudden shift in the room. When Stewart welcomed him into the family with a sincere honesty, Alburet felt his heart ache. His brow furrowed as he felt a sharp loss, not knowing why. “Thank you,” he managed to say, but his confusion and sense of loss was felt by both Stacia and Lilith, who exchanged glances with each other.

  “Aye, we should be havin’ a feast,” Alistern went on, not catching the confusion on Alburet’s part.

  “Da’,” Stacia said quickly as she got to her feet and took Alburet’s arm. “We be havin’ other thin’s we be needin’ to get done. We be goin’ to see Unca Grim and Almira to get gear befittin’ his level.”

  “We can hold it tonight,” Alistern said, brushing off her objection.

  “Alistern, we’ll be attending the feast for their guild tomorrow night,” Stewart cut in. “Let it go until then. Besides, Deirdre will be back today, and you’ll be wanting to have dinner with her.”

  Lilith spoke up quickly, “I am expecting news from her. So yes, we shall have dinner with her tonight.”

  Alistern frowned, but gave way to his wife’s wishes. “Fine. It nay be exactly what me be wantin’, but iffin ya think it best.”

  Alburet was able to push past the moment of loss he’d felt. “You’re all invited to the banquet tomorrow night.”

  “Inviting the whole family?” Karen asked as she and Fluff came through the door.

  “Going to invite all the shop keepers we have deals with as well,” Alburet replied as he turned to smile at his two friends.

  “Mayhap I can tell them now, iffin ya three be okay with tha’?” Stacia asked suddenly. They looked perplexed for a second until Stacia turned back to her family. “We be addin’ to our family. Fluffball and Karen agreed to join us under the Dark Lord’s blessin’.”

  Stacia’s family started talking excitedly as they congratulated the quartet on their pending nuptials to each other. The three of them accepted the congratulations as best they could while Stacia beamed with happiness. Eventually Lilith brought the moment back into something resembling normalcy. “Do you have a day picked out yet?”

  “We have nay discussed tha’ yet, just tha’ we all wish it. I will be lettin’ ya know when it is goin’ to happen. We be doin’ a low key ceremony, though. We be thinkin’ it be us, ya, and mayhap a friend or two,” Stacia answered.

  Fluff was stunned by how excited they’d all been for her and them as a whole. She clung to Karen’s arm, her joy at being accepted with open arms by Stacia’s family a strong emotion that she cherished. Karen patted Fluff’s hand, also feeling a sense of happiness at being welcomed by the family without any negative comments. Fluff remained silent, unable to speak, while Karen thanked them for the kind words for them both.

  “Why not now?” Lilith asked with a broad smile. “It only takes a moment to pledge before the altar.”

  Stacia nodded, “Aye, iffin they be ready to do so.”

  Karen spoke quickly, “More than ready.” Her eyes gleamed with eager happiness as she looked from Stacia to Alburet.

  “Umm…” Fluff seemed to freeze under the gaze of everyone looking at her.

  Alburet sensed her yearning, her desire for what was being offered, but also her momentary trepidation. “Fluff, it is your choice. All of us here want you with us. We would be the happiest people in the world, if you would say yes.” He looked into her eyes so she could see his honesty. “Will you join us?”

  “Yes,” the word was a whisper as she could see the love they felt for her in their faces. Her head nodded jerkily as she agreed, before throwing her arms around Alburet, holding him tightly. “Yes.”

  Stacia and Karen joined the hug a moment later, while the others looked on with smiles. “As a family should be,” Lilith sighed with happiness, as she could feel the honest love from them all. “It is a blessed thing to love and be loved by others with such purity.”

  “Marian, go tell Besoba tha’ she be in charge of the inn for a bit. Let Emily know to come along quickly, we have family to welcome at the Temple,” Alistern told his daughter, who quickly scurried off.

  Stewart’s face was a mixture of happiness and sadness as he watched the quartet. His thoughts went to the woman he had loved so many years before. He wondered briefly if he would have been able to find such love if she had survived. Shaking his head to clear the thoughts, he saw Emily and Marian coming towards them. Coughing to clear his throat, he spoke up, “Well, it seems we are all here. Shall we go?”

  In short order they started for the Dark Lord’s Temple. As they went, Stewart sent a couple of brief messages. When the group reached the Temple, they found Almira and Grimgar both there, smiling happily. Alburet was a little surprised to see them, but returned their happy smiles with one of his own. As the groups greeted each other outside the Temple, a voice called out to them.

  “Wait for us,” Deirdre yelled as she and Chris Eveningstar came rushing towards them. Panting, Deirdre smiled, “I be glad Unca Stew told me of this or we would have missed it.”

  “We didn’t want to impose on your plans for the day,” Alburet said.

  “Bah, me sister be expandin’ her family wi’ people tha’ I be callin’ friends. It be a joyous day. I would nay be missin’ it,” Deirdre shot back.

  “Tha’ be me lovin’ sis,” Stacia grinned. “Iffin me loved ones be ready?” she looked at Karen, Fluff and Alburet.

  They entered the Temple to find the High Priest and another priest next to the altar, waiting with a book in his hands. “Welcome to the Dark Lord’s Temple. If you are seeking to add to your happiness and expand your family, please come forward.”

  Stewart whispered loud enough to be heard by everyone, “I warned him that we were coming.”

  Alburet gave Stewart a silent thank you nod, taking Fluff’s arm on his left and Karen’s arm on his right. Stacia took the far side of Fluff. The quartet approached the altar, with love in their hearts, if a bit of worry in their minds. “Sir, we f
our are seeking the Dark Lord’s blessing to become one family.”

  “If you each wish to pledge to the other three, then please step forward and place your right hand upon the altar,” the Priest told them.

  Stacia stepped forward first, placing her hand flat on the stone. Alburet stepped forward a second later, placing his hand on the altar as he looked at the other two. Karen licked her lips briefly, then placed her hand on the altar. Fluff looked at the three of them, her anxiety and fear of not being worthy spiking. She hesitated, until the others held out their other hands to her in near unison.

  “Fluff, we love you,” Stacia said simply.

  “Please Fluff, I wish to be with you and them,” Karen added.

  “I would be honored and blessed to have you join the rest of us as a family, Fluff,” Alburet told her.

  Their words washed away her anxiety. She took the step forward to place her hand next to theirs on the stone. “I love each of you.”

  As she uttered those words a sense of comfort, love, acceptance, and joy washed through each of them. A low gong sounded, seemingly from the stone altar itself as a dark light snaked out to connect their hands to one another. A voice echoed through the room, “It is always wonderful to see such love. I bless your union. May you always know love and happiness.”