Otherlife Nightmares: The Selfless Hero Trilogy (13 page)

“Rabbit, here,” Runner said, turning to the merchant queen. He emptied the entirety of the wealth he had on him to her. “Do your magic. I give you permission to use my name to get the best deals, if you think it’ll help. I still need parts to craft things. Get as much ore, leather, plate mail, sword parts, and armor for everyone as you can. More pieces per, the better. Whatever else you think we need.”

Quickly turning to Hannah, he continued.

“Get ahead of this and get me a list of those accompanying us, including whatever dirt you can dig up. Get used to this type of work—you’ll end up becoming my spymaster at this rate. Any idea on how they typically fight would be appreciated as well. Steal to your heart’s content; all I ask is that you don’t get caught.”

Patting both Hannah and Nadine on the back, he dismissed them together. Nodding their heads, they walked off, leaving him alone with Katarina.

“Alright, Kitten, you and I are going to have a talk. Please answer me honestly because otherwise, princess or not, I will paddle your ass so hard Lady Brunhild will have to heal you. Come on, Thana showed me a nice quiet place. We’ve got an hour at best.”

Runner led a smirking Katarina to the same bench in the garden where he’d met Thana in private. Sagging onto the bench, he looked out onto the city. It looked so very different during the day. As if it were too different places.

“Thana hid here often,” Katarina said, sitting down on the bench next to him.

“Didn’t know that. She did mention you rescued her from a life of mediocrity though,” he replied. He reached into his inventory and handed her a beetle while taking one out for himself.

After eating it swiftly, he took in a slow breath. He leaned forward, watching the people down below go about their lives.

“After today, the Damalis family will never be called ‘mediocre’ again.”

Runner shrugged, idly rubbing a thumb over the back of his hand.

“Made Petros Champion, named Thana second-in-command. Not small things.”

He decided it would be best to change the subject rather than let her dictate the conversation.

“Tell me, Princess Katarina, why were you so far from home? Admittedly it was a choice made for you. I would still like to know what we’re walking into.”

She wasn’t swift to reply and took her time to craft her response.

“Marriage. Wanted to secure the throne. Didn’t want to be married. I left. Thana came to keep me out of trouble.”

“Ah. Yes. The beautiful, intelligent, talented princess. Backed by a powerful royal family. Little did they know she in truth was a wildcat. Guess we don’t need the whole hour after all.”

Snickering to himself, he shook his head, then lowered it till it was near even with his knees. Katarina shifted uncomfortably, her hands resting on her legs.

“Right then. Save your kingdom, break your betrothal, or kidnap you, make it back to Vix, get home to the North Woods, build a home, negotiate terms with Srit in a Faustian deal, save my ship. All in a day’s work.”

“You’re stressed.”

“An understatement. The help I’ve received from Srit has been pretty excessive, though I fear her intentions. The number of those in the graveyards has been increasing again lately. Twenty thousand this morning. Then there’s this whole kingdom thing.” Runner put his face in his hands and sighed.

“You could leave. After you return me to my father.”

Laughing, he pressed his hands more firmly to his face.

“Not happening. Taking you with me, one way or another. It’s the least of my problems at this time. I mentioned it to Hanners earlier. In the worst case scenario, we start chugging
Stealth
potions like they’re water. Steal you away in the dead of night. They’re Naturals—they couldn’t stop me if I put effort into it.”

The bench creaked as Katarina moved. He doubted this was any easier for her than it was for him. Runner started planning more deeply on the backup plan on how to whisk Katarina away.

Strong warm hands pressed into his shoulders and neck. Going rigid at the touch, Runner felt the muscles in his back tighten up.

“Tell me,” came Katarina’s voice from behind him. Her strong fingers pressed into the muscles and rolled across the fabric of his clothes.

He hadn’t donned his armor today and was dressed in a simple black vest and white tunic. There wasn’t much to hinder the feeling of her hands.

Forcing himself to relax, he rolled his shoulders and leaned into her hands.

“Uh. Well, then there’s Ted. I don’t regret my choice, though I regret taking his life. I regret that I had no alternatives. I would do it again to save any of you.”

Frowning, he leaned his head forward, his hands slipping to his knees as Katarina worked her fingers into him. It felt odd to be sure. The game’s goal had been to have a very high level of sensitivity. As close to the feeling of reality as it could be. He hadn’t envisioned receiving an actual back rub in game that felt like a back rub.

“Any of us? Naturals?”

“No, not Naturals. You, Hanners, Lady Death, Rabbit. Not sure how I’d react if it was a stranger. For you four though? I’d kill him every time. Kill anyone.”

Katarina’s thumbs dug into the base of his skull. Runner closed his eyes and groaned quietly. It felt great. He didn’t give a damn for the differences, it felt amazing.

“What plan do you have for the king? He will wed me off. Strong and opinionated man.”

Runner kept himself from shrugging, not wanting to disturb Katarina’s ministrations.

“Don’t know. I’ll figure it out though. Not leaving without you.”

“Why?”

Runner felt his stomach lurch and twist. Flashing in his head was a holo sign that read “hazardous conditions ahead.”

While Thana acted like his professed attraction to the entire party didn’t bother her, he still believed he had irreversibly screwed everything up.

Katarina never shied from the truth though. He owed her the same, didn’t he? Could he be brave enough?

“Because I cannot imagine not having you in the party.”

The tips of her fingers dug into his spine, pressing, pushing the worries out of him.

“Why?”

“You’re part of the group. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“Stop playing hard to get and say it.”

Laughing at the audacity of her statement and her bold attitude, he could only do as she requested.

“Because I’m attracted to you, Kitten. The same way I’m attracted to Lady Death, Hanners, and Rabbit. That’s why. I’m not playing hard to get, I just can’t imagine making a decision between the four of you. I’m not sure I ever could. You’re all so vibrant and amazing in your own way. As cowardly and weak willed as my courage in this is, I can’t help it. I’m terrified of screwing this up and losing one or all of you.”

Katarina worked her fingers along the blades of his shoulders.

Runner sat on the bench, his heart a bruised, tired thing, filled with the fears that he himself had created. The whole thing came across like a terrible soap opera. His life had been turning into one giant cliche after another. Now he only needed a terribly bittersweet ending.

His jaw was caught in an iron grip and pulled towards the sky. Struggling at first, he found himself staring into Katarina’s face. Then Katarina kissed him, her hands holding him in place.

Runner resisted no further. Instead he closed his eyes and relented.

Her kiss was a wild and hungry thing, like a wolf that had been circling its prey for hours, now given the scent of a long awaited kill.

Eventually she pulled back several inches from him, her dark eyes mirroring the smile on her face. Seductively relentless, the red wolf.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered. She brushed her lips briefly over his and then stood upright, her hands falling to rest on his shoulders. “The king will respect that you lead Vasilios’ army. Slaughter the enemy, claim your prize.”

She ran her fingers through his hair, then turned and left.

Breathing out slowly, heavily, Runner turned to face the town. A moment of panic made him check the distance indicators for his party. Katarina of course held the shortest distance; everyone else was at least triple her distance or more.

He felt sure that the entire situation was a misspoken word from tumbling apart. A poorly made mega-scraper out of a kid’s set of building blocks. Damn him if she hadn’t kissed him into not caring though.

Moving about in the grass in front of him was another squirrel. This one happened to be level three.

“Howdy there, little furry man. Would you be the big brother or the bully?”

Runner targeted the squirrel and opened his inventory simultaneously. He pulled a handful of blueberries free and tossed one to the critter. Activating
Persuade
,
he pushed the thought of it eating the berries and growing stronger.

You use Persuade on Squirrel

Squirrel is Persuaded

Frowning in thought at his actions, he hesitated after throwing the second blueberry. Looking very uncaring for his inner dilemma, the squirrel ate both berries and stared at him.

Maybe I’m just like the squirrel. Picking up things being tossed at it and forced to eat.

Tossing the last two berries to the furry bugger, he stood up with a sigh.

He could only wonder when his personal drama would end. When his little harem would fracture into thousands of pieces.

Deep down, he hoped it never would. He was only a man after all.

5:51pm Sovereign Earth time

11/09/43

Their wagon had been given to a teamster to drive after Nadine had loaded it up with goods, and then promptly stuck in the supply train. Now it was one amongst hundreds, dragging along behind an army on the march.

Before it got lost in the shuffle, Runner had managed to grab the pieces he’d need from the wagon to rebuild Katarina’s sword.

Now he sat in a carriage with Thana, Katarina, Hannah, and Nadine. It was rather crowded. He was quite literally pressed between Hannah and Nadine. Everyone had decided they wanted to be present when he crafted a sword for Katarina. A full house for this little performance.

He pulled her sword from his inventory and rested it on his lap, the handle touching Nadine’s knee and the tip touching Hannah’s.

Nadine had started to recount their current wealth when the silence started to overwhelm the cabin.

“In the end, we have three platin-n-n-num pieces and aroun-nd fifty gold. That isn’t coun-n-nting the products we’re carrying.”

“Lady Brunhild preserve you, Rabbit, did you rob them outright?” Runner asked. Using his
Arcane Smithing
to deconstruct items had been a chore at first. Now it seemed as if it knew what he wanted. The hilt slid easily from the tang of the blade as if it had never been joined properly.

Dropping the hilt in Nadine’s lap, he pulled the blade onto his knees.

“N-no, I did use your name a few times though. We shouldn’t go back un-n-ntil you win this war.”

“You fucking robbed them, that’s great. I knew you had it in you. Wish I could have seen those bastards. High and mighty fucks.”

“Really, Hannah. I don’t disagree with you, but you’ll need to curb your tongue. My people are not the most friendly to those with mixed heritage to start with. If not for your own sake, for ours? It’ll be hard to have Runner command them into battle if we have to fight them first.”

Hannah chewed at her lips and shifted in her seat. Words and threats would never work on Hannah; reminding her that there were those who cared about her did.

Staying out of it, Runner reached up and pressed his fingers against the upper section of the blade. Pulling at it while using
Arcane Smithing
, he broke the tip off.

“There we go,” he said. After putting that piece in Hannah’s lap, he reached up to repeat the break another inch down.

“Goodness m-m-me.”

“Strong.”

Another piece snapped off, and he dropped it next to the first.

“I would have you answer a few questions, Master Runner, since we’re all here and we may speak freely,” Thana said.

“Mm? Let me guess, Lady Brunhild and our new home?”

“Quite right. Is it that obvious?”

“Only when I consider what I haven’t told you,” he replied. Another section of the sword snapped off with an audible crack.

“As to the Lady Brunhild, she and I have a special relationship. Don’t we, Brighteyes?” Runner said with a smirk.

His status bar flickered and a new icon popped up. A minor divine curse. He had been made mute. It would last for only ten seconds.

Laughing silently, since he couldn’t talk, he broke off another two pieces. All around him eyes had gone wide at the casual blasphemy and the subsequent response.

“Forgive me, Lady Brunhild, but I do love your pet name. Care to join us? Might go a little easier for this discussion. Not a lot of room though. I’d offer my own lap, but I’m betting Katarina would be the better prospect.”