Otherlife Nightmares: The Selfless Hero Trilogy (29 page)

King Vasilios offering terms? No. Brighteyes would have warned me. That and it would endanger a chunk of his troops here.

Reaching the simple tent that Stefan had been given, he hesitated. Making his choice, he leaned down and lightly shook Stefan awake.

“My friend, it begins. Today is a good day to die. Come, before your place is taken,” Runner said ominously.

“Huh? What? What? Ah,” Stefan mumbled, muttering to himself. Sullen and sleepy eyes glared at Runner as the mists of dreams fell from Stefan’s visage.

“Pack it in, Sarge. Enemy is already on the move after getting a message. I suspect problems. Which means we get to put our detective hats on. I’ll be with the SO teams.”

Runner threw his hand up in a negligent wave as he left Stefan lying there. Playing his artillery card this early was something he was loathe to do.

Rather play the card than end up having no opportunity later to do so. Sandbagging only goes so far.

Standing in the specially designated sleeping area of the SO, he clapped his hands loudly together twice.

“Asses and elbows, people. We need to get you all primed, set up, loaded, and ready in the next fifteen. Plan for an extended engagement with two salvos and then fire at will.” Runner badgered a few of the slower moving members while he waited for Stefan.

Arriving in his armor, he looked the part of an errant knight. Fresh faced and bright eyed, he looked eager and annoyed at the same time.

“Good timing. Come, we need to change the location of this battle. We’ll have to draw them into the flatter areas further south. We’ll be engaging with our cannons, so the longer they have to walk into it or out of it, the better,” Runner said while spinning on his heel.

“I thought you said you were holding those in reserve.”

“I was. I can’t let them sit idle, however. I believe we’re in for a surprise today one way or another. Something I didn’t account for. Don’t think the Barbarians are joining us either. They seem content to hide behind their walls,” Runner said disgustedly.

Sprinting through the grass came a squirrel. Truly it was the largest one he’d seen yet.

Level ten, goodness.

Leaping from the grass rather than stopping, it slapped into Runner’s leather-clad midsection.

“Oof. Monster. Get off,” Runner complained, trying to grab the nearly cat sized thing as it crawled up his front.

“The hell is that?” Stefan distrustfully asked.

“A big old fat rat. Hey! Sto—”

Clambering around to his back, it got out of his reach. Making it to Runner’s shoulder it perched itself there and sunk its little clawed fingers into the pauldron.

“Fine. Sit there. Little shit,” Runner grumped. Directly in contradiction to his angry words, he had already retrieved a strawberry from his inventory and passed it to the creature.

Resuming his walk, he marched towards the area south of his encampment. It was flatter and would allow him more time to fire his cannons. He could hear the little furry tree climber gnawing at the strawberry on his shoulder.

“Why is it here?”

“What, this thing? I dunno. Probably ’cause I feed them. Free stuff always goes fast. I keep finding these buggers since we entered Sunless territory. I had no idea they were so widespread.” Runner passed the critter another strawberry.

“They’re not, my lord,” Isabelle said as she fell in beside him. “In fact I’ve never heard of one outside of Shade’s Rest.”

“Want this one? All yours. I find them everywhere. Though this one is definitely the biggest,” Runner offered. Reaching up with his right hand, he idly petted its furry head. “Belle, I’m moving the conflict over here. It’ll give us more time to fire on them either on approach or during retreat.”

“I see. You fear the worst then,” Isabelle said. She hadn’t really phrased it as a question.

“I fear the possibility of the worst. Nearly the same but paranoia does that to you.”

He stopped at the top of a small rise The area in front of him rolled a bit here and there but it was significantly flatter than the area they’d originally planned on.

“Yeah. This,” Runner confirmed, waving his left hand out at the area. “Here I shall collect my harvest. My bloody crop.”

Runner closed his eyes with a grimace and rubbed the space between his eyes with his fingertips.

“Runner?”

“My lord?”

“Mm? I’m fine,” Runner said halfheartedly. Pulling his hand from his brow, he gestured at the far fields. “Set the line over there.” He moved his fingers up to a slight rise beyond that area. “SO teams there with our ranged forces in front of them. Front line and second line will be tanks with shields. Alternate as needed and work on the buddy system. Third and fourth lines are reach weapons. Spears, pikes, halberds. Support crews in the next line with tanks targeted.”

Frowning, he tilted his head, trying to imagine the field in mid combat.

“Put whoever we can otherwise on the mounts and stick them on the flanks. We’ll not use them but hopefully they’ll prove to be a deterrent. Hopefully.”

“I sent the messenger as you requested, my lord.”

“Wait, why does she call you that and I have to call you Runner?”

“Because Belle has selective hearing. You tell her her hair looks great today, she’ll thank you. Tell her she has an amazing figure and she’ll blush. Explain how she’s a beautiful Elf and she’ll dig for more compliments. Ask her to use your first name, deaf as a post.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Isabelle said sweetly. She deliberately grabbed a lock of her hair and twirled it around a finger and crossed her eyes at him. Then promptly stuck her tongue out at him.

“See?” Runner growled and offered the last of his strawberries to his passenger.

“My new dilemma. How many cards do I play in the upcoming fight? She could very well try to end it all today. The general, that is. Before the Barbarians decide to help. If ever,” Runner said, running a finger back and forth over the squirrel’s head.

“I believe if Hannah were here she would call you a vulgar name, maybe even throw in some anatomy, and tell you to unleash hell, my lord.”

Stefan frowned, as if realizing he hadn’t seen Hannah in a while.

“Ha!” Runner grinned at that.

“She would, you’re right, Belle. Screw it. Please have the SO supply wagon brought up here. I need to start putting together my tank. It’s the only thing I can probably use today other than the cannons.”

“Tank, my lord?”

“What’s a tank?”

Smirking, Runner contemplated his answer for a few seconds. Instead of answering immediately, he started to pull up a blank build plan to construct said vehicle.

“Think of an armored enclosed wagon that can host troops and weaponry,” he explained after the window opened.

Stefan grunted and turned from Runner back towards the camp.

Isabelle tilted her head and then sat down in the grass to watch him work.

Time slipped by as Runner busied himself with his tank. At some point the medical server chimed its successful boot up and readiness. Runner had no time for it right now though.

Eventually his forces managed to move the entire camp and get themselves in position. They weren’t in an ideal position to camp that night, but were in a better position for the day’s battle.

Won’t need to sleep if you’re dead.

Thinking about those who sought his end, Runner looked to the horizon line. Distantly he could see the enemy forces moving around on the plain. They were arranging themselves based on what they could see.

Runner put his attention back to his “tank.”

It wasn’t a tank really. Not the twentieth and twenty-first century definition of the word at least. More like an armored car, really.

Big ol’ box, really. Function over form. Right, Boxy?

Runner had measured it at twelve feet in length, eight feet wide, and ten feet tall. Even a generous description would probably leave it as a giant, ugly, wooden box. Fitted with an iron wedge-shaped plow on the front, it really was a hideous thing.

It sported large wooden wheels and wagon frames he’d cannibalized from his support teams. There were four wheels in the front and six in the back. Which only added to the depth of the “ugly” of it.

The first four feet of the monstrosity was where he’d set up the “engine” that would propel this thing. He had settled on a cab-over design that would keep driver safe. The cockpit sat much higher so the driver would be able to look down through slits.

As it was wooden, he had immediately thrown out any type of propulsion that required combustion or fire.

Instead he’d rigged up a water-based piston system using gears and a hefty amount of item enchantment.

He’d previously had many deep in the night conversations with Srit. They’d hashed out everything about it, but he had hoped to wait for better materials to try building one.

Best laid plans and all that.

Runner sighed and turned to the forty-some-odd Sunless members of the aristocracy that he had personally requested. Thana stood to one side with her fingers moving in midair.

Probably sudoku again.

“Good morning, fair ladies of Shade’s Rest. I have need of you. Please raise your hand if you have a spell that has a targeted area of effect. An example of a qualifying spell would be
Chain Lightning
,” Runner said.

More than eighty percent of the women raised their hands.

“Okay, for those who raised their hands, please keep your hand raised if your spell is based in anything other than fire.”

A number of hands dropped, leaving twelve with their hands still raised.

“Ah, I’m relieved. Everyone who doesn’t have your hand up, please report to the artillery officer. He has your formation orders and directions,” Runner said with a smile and waited for them to depart.

Gesturing towards the beautiful gaggle of Sunless nobles, Runner moved over to Boxy. Peering inside the open rear door, he confirmed all was as it should be.

“Ladies, the assignment is this. We’ll be driving this wagon straight into the enemy formation.” Slapping his hand to the thick wooden boards, he continued. “We’ll then proceed to launch attacks through the slits into our foes. The floor of the vehicle is elevated and the slits will be placed in such a way that you’ll be looking down on our foes. This should aid in keeping you safe since their inability to target you will force them to get in close. Right in your view port.

“That being said, two of you will not be joining us on this adventure and will rejoin the others. Any volunteers to return to the line?”

A few hands went up. Runner immediately dismissed the closest two. After they left, he gestured to the interior.

“After you all, of course.”

Moving in one by one, they mounted the steps and trooped in.

“An interesting contraption. I would ask where you got the materials. Let alone how it works but I fear the explanation would take more time than we have, Master Runner.”

Thana had stepped up beside him. Giving her a smile, he bobbed his head in agreement.

“Suffice it to say, it’s a piston-driven system utilizing a water spell. The pistons are aligned and paired in such a way that each set of wheels will be equally powered. It has to be driven by someone who can utilize magical items,” Runner said, placing his hand on her lower back. Easing her forward with gentle pressure, he corralled her into the interior of Boxy. “It has five speeds. The two lowest speeds will not overtax the water enchantment spells and they’ll refill faster than they’re being used. Third gear will use them as fast as they come up. Fourth and fifth will outpace the coold—”

Runner came to an abrupt stop in his explanation as noticed Isabelle heading in their direction.

She had broken free of the line and was jogging towards him. Runner tried not to admire the way she moved. Elves really did have a certain grace to them. The long legs, the blonde hair in the wind, the—

Already have enough women troubles, Runner! Idiot. King of fools.

Grunting, he placed his left hand on the side of the entry door and waited.

Coming to a sliding halt in front of him, Isabelle threw him a smile.

Isabelle bowed her head to him. “My lord.”

“Belle.”

“Per your orders, Katarina holds the center and reports it ready. Stefan is a bit too far forward by my own reckoning but holds the left. By the honor you’ve bestowed on me, I hold the right flank,” Isabelle murmured, clearly fighting her own excitement.

“Excellent. Thank you, Belle,” he affirmed, smiling at her. He meant it, too. Between her and Katarina, he didn’t feel like the line would be an issue. “Please work closely with everyone. I trust you to make the right choices. Do you need anything? Can I give or get you anything?”

“No, my lord. You’ve given me more than I deserve.”

Scoffing, Runner shook his head at her. “Run along then, Belle, you have my thanks.”

With a bright grin and a nod, she spun away from him, graceful as a dancer. As soon as she got a few paces from him, he clambered up into Boxy.