Otherlife Dreams: The Selfless Hero Trilogy (19 page)

Each bed still held it’s occupants, blissfully sleeping away. Thana had eventually moved to take up most of the bed and managed to corner Katarina. Hannah and Nadine remained back to back having not moved at all during the night.

Though it served no purpose any longer Runner continued his morning routine as he always had. Moving to the table he took a seat and eased out a pod of water from his inventory and pooled it in his hand. Scrubbing his face with the water he repeated the action a few more times. Noticing with a smile that the debuff “Wet” appeared he stretched his arms over his head.

As the memories of the previous night rolled in, the smile slipped from his face as he considered them. While he now had an answer to one question many more had taken its place. Unfortunately it wasn’t something he could solve right now either.

Another mystery, another question, another answer. Another time.

Shaking off the morose feelings as the song ended he silenced the alarm.

Tempus fugit, carpe diem, hop to. Run on Runner.

Opening his inventory once more he ate a beetle and pulled out the four rings, the shield, and the short sword.

Laying the shield face down on the table he placed the four rings into the concave center. He then laid the sword across it lengthwise before returning to his pack. Rummaging through his currency he removed two months worth of pay for each companion, assuming each month had thirty-one days at least.

Creating four stacks on the table he leaned back into the chair eying the glittering gold pieces. Even after portioning out such wealth he had a remaining seven gold in his purse. They really had increased their financial standing the other day by a considerable margin.

Making sure that each companion still slept he opened up the Ships console screen and began cycling through the systems once more. They all reported the same as they had before. There were no changes.

Closing the Ships command screen he powered up the Otherlife wiki through the in game browser, then stopped. Sighing inwardly he started to surf pages he’d already read. He was only delaying the inevitable.

Putting the worst ghost to rest first, he opened the social pane. Checking the graveyard he held his breath. It’d increased slightly but it hadn’t passed eight thousand mark thankfully.

The second issue would need a delicate touch and would need everyone awake and alert. Nadine would of course eventually tell everyone what he’d told her about their fishbowl reality. He’d need to get ahead of it and talk to them first rather than hearing it second hand. On the off chance he’d need demonstration material for the talk he logged into the IT portal and created them each a login into the ships operating system and granted them access. Completing that task he centered himself as best as he could. Preparing in his mind what he’d need to say to them when they woke, he waited.

Sporting just a touch of luck, the ladies woke up within minutes of each other. That and Katarina woke up first. Upon doing so she let out one of the loudest yawns Runner had ever heard. To himself he admitted it fit perfectly with her character and only barely kept from laughing aloud at the audacity of it. Thana had sat bolt upright at the noise but clearly wasn’t coherent. Hannah and Nadine had both startled in their bed and were now eying the Barbarian. Nadine launched her pillow from across the room to smack Katarina in the face. Shrugging it off she dropped it in Thana’s lap as she stood up from the bed.

They’d only been together perhaps a little over two days but already it was feeling like a close knit group. Nothing brings people closer than a unifying foe. Shared fears did wonders for making allies.

“Good morning everyone. Before we break our fast I’d like to make sure I give you part of our bloody loot. After that I’d like to talk to you a bit more about what you experienced back at the fort and where to go from there. If you don’t mind, would you please join me over here once you’re all awake and functioning?” Runner asked of them.

One by one they joined him, each taking one of the open chairs. Katarina took her seat first, her eyes scanning an unseen window she was reading. Thana was present but visibly ready to return to the bed if allowed, her eyelids fluttering at times. Hannah and Nadine were both bright eyed and bushy tailed at the very mention of loot.

“First, I have one of these for each of you,” Runner informed them. Katarina closed her window and Thana managed to finally shake off her lethargy.

Collecting the four rings he handed them out accordingly. Stealth boosting silver was given to Hannah, platinum ring of the merchant to Nadine, white gold strength to Katarina, and finally the unique palladium ring of intelligence and hit points he gave to Thana. Each accepted their ring gratefully but none made a move to equip them. They all stared at their new jewelry and each other but none attempted to return them to him either.

Taking it as a general acceptance Runner pulled the short sword clear of the shield and handed it over to Hannah. Once she’d taken the weapon from his hand he lifted the heater shield and moved over to Katarina’s chair.

“You’ll have to forgive me, it’s all I can offer for the moment. I would like to give you better or more but at this time I’m woefully lacking. I’ll do my best to provide for you all eventually. It’ll take time though of course. We’ll also need to look into a place that we can call home. A base of operations on the off chance that my goal takes longer than I wish. Sovereign knows an inn room and two beds just won’t cut it for long. I imagine the harder part would be to find a city that would accept all of us. Fairly racially intolerant places we’ve visited so far.”

As the group processed his words he moved the stacks of coins to their respective owners.

“This is two months of pay up front. Obviously it’s a lot of your time to pay for, but it’s a reasonable assumption we’ll be together for at least two months.”

Exhaling loudly Runner prepared himself for the hardest part of the conversation.

“As you all know my overall goal is to level rapidly. What you don’t know is the reason. This’ll be hard to explain but I’ll do my best. Imagine if you will, two thousand years from now, boats made out of metal that travel through the sky above. Between the very stars in the sky themselves.”

It took a few hours time, and a dozen of questions, but in the end the telling was complete. Runner had ended up using the shipboard wiki to help illustrate his points. Once they logged themselves in and started using the search function, the questions came fewer and further between. They now knew of their world, of his original world, and the difference between PC and NPC.

Katarina cared not at all since it changed nothing for her. She was still who she was and nothing would be able to change that. Thana took it gracefully, yet at an intellectual level. She’d asked the most questions though she seemed accepting of the dilemma. Nadine had been told of the more troubling aspects of her world the day before though her posture and tone dictated it yet bothered her at some level. Hannah had no response one way or the other. This only made Runner all the more nervous for her in particular.

Runner suspected the young thief might be going through the same mental pathways Nadine had done the day previous. A hard life lived on the streets in the city as a young woman. More than likely she had been given a far greater share of poor life experiences than she deserved.

“That brings us to here and now. I need to get everyone out, or as many as I can. Failing that, I need to create a situation where they at least stop becoming a vegetable on death. Perhaps sending them to the login screen. To that end I must get to a starting city to level my reputation, classes, and my first promotion. I technically don’t have a class and once I hit level twenty five my progress will be halted. If I’m to succeed I need you, all of you. Collectively you’re all greater than the sum of your individual parts. As individuals you all excel at your individual roles, whereas I cannot measure up to you. Any of you. Now you know my goals, my plans, my quest. I’ve given you all that I know and wish. Will you join me?” Runner asked.

Katarina shrugged and handed over her old shield to Runner and picked up the heater shield. With an over eager smile and equipped it. Large for Runner as it had been originally, it appeared gigantic to him when it sized itself for Katarina. There was no doubt in his mind she’d be able to wield it easily. Her face turned thoughtful as she stared at the large shield. Using both hands she lifted the shield over her back and made a motion as if clipping the shield to her back. Instantly it appeared there and fit correctly.

Apparently satisfied with its placement, she equipped the ring and promptly stored her pay.

“In the end, knowing this changes not a thing. It certainly provides an interesting frame of reference to view the world in and it’s an interesting philosophical discussion for later, but I am still me. And I choose to follow you. Thank you for the ring, it’s quite lovely in truth,” Thana stated.

Before Runner could respond to Thana, Nadine vied for his attention, addressing him directly.

“Run-n-n-ner, leave buying and selling to m-m-me. I’ll t-take care of it for us all,” Nadine enthused.

“I appreciate that Nadine. Your ring can help build on that idea, it offers benefits suited for you alone. In fact, all of your rings are ideal for each of you.”

Hannah had taken the money, equipped the sword, and wore the ring yet said nothing. Runner wasn’t going to push her into a corner so he’d assume she had agreed for the time being.

Runner reached over the table and picked up the discarded short sword. Handing it and Katarina’s old shield over to Nadine he leaned back into his chair.

“Equip’em, use’em, store’em. We’ll see about getting you a ranged weapon in the starting city when we get a chance to reset your class. I figure ranged would be best for you. A crossbow to be specific. A medium sized one with a cranequin, that’s a hand crank on the side to re cock the weapon, or a heavy one with a windlass on it, that’s a two handed crank. You put the nose of the thing in the ground and wind it at the butt,” Runner said.

Seeing no one had anything further to say and everything had been distributed he continued.

“I say we get food and head for the coast, any objections?”

11:51am Sovereign Earth time

10/01/43

In the month it took them to travel here, little had occurred. Occasionally they had a skirmish with an over enthusiastic bear or wolf. These little bouts of entertainment never lasted long since their levels barely got above ten. One could have called it a hiking trip with friends. What had started as strong bonds in fear and death only grew stronger in peace and idle time between days of walking.

Water sloshed against the wooden supports beneath the pier’s decking. It all sounded real to him and there was a nagging familiar sensation in the back of his mind. Out on the water a mist clouded the horizon and obscured visibility. The ferry continued making it’s way towards them through the fog, though at a glacial pace. Leaning forward with his forearms resting on the hand rail he breathed in deeply.

One could taste the salt of the ocean on the brisk air. With each day he spent in the world it felt more real to him than he would like to give it credit for. There was no longer a separation in his mind between what was once reality. Now virtual reality felt like the real thing when it came to the sights and sounds of the world he now inhabited. Admittedly there were still a few disconnects, like eating but not needing to use the restroom. Or that every building lacked bathroom facilities.

Viewing the area around himself he checked to confirm that Thana sat in the shade nearby, reading a book she’d picked up from somewhere. Hannah was nowhere to be seen but the distance readout in the party window showed she was within fifty meters of his position. Nadine and Katarina were listed at three hundred and seventy-four meters away. Based on that one could assume the merchant quarter sat at least three hundred and fifty meters away.

“I see your filthy pet but not the mutt. Did you get rid of her for the pure breed? At least the mutt was only half,” a spiteful voice said.

Turning his head around Runner was able to confirm his first impression of who that voice belonged to.

“Oh ho, Mr. Personality. I believe I owe you for that lovely gift you left with us while you ran like a whipped dog. Tell me, did you leave your balls behind along with your pride?” Runner happily replied, smiling at him.

“Watch your mouth heathen. Your consort with castoffs and whores, you might as well sell them to the church and m--”

You have developed the ability Throat Strike.

You use Throat Strike on Warrior

Warrior is silenced

Gurgling, Mr. Personality struggled to move back from Runner. The punch had been swift and accurate, connecting with his throat with a meaty thwack. Grabbing the man by the shoulders Runner leaned in close and tightened his grip, staring into the man’s eyes.

“Insult me all day, that’s fine, but say another word of my companions and I’ll end you here and now. Damn the guards and their interference, I care the fuck not,” he snarled at the man. Holding himself in check Runner had images in his head of tearing the mans nose from his face with his teeth. Distantly Runner could see a guard patrol coming up the street towards him. With a final growl Runner pushed the man away. Only then did he notice the priest from the fort and another man standing beside him.