Otherlife Nightmares: The Selfless Hero Trilogy (55 page)

Runner closed his eyes and started counting in his mind. His blood boiled and his heart quailed.

How could this happen?

Like a disturbed hornet’s nest, soldiers boiled out of the gate.

Runner immediately started moving again. Pressing in close to the last pillar before the gate itself, he waited, his body feeling like a string pulled tight.

His plan was simple: use distract, get inside, kill Jacob.

“My turn.”

Before Runner could even contemplate what Hannah meant by that, she had dropped S
tealth
and walked brazenly up to the guards.

Tracking her with their eyes, the guards sized her up for danger.

Dropping her
Distract
on the pillar opposite the one Runner was on, she crossed her arms under her breasts.

Having someone that close, and a distract used, made the guards take full notice of her. They began to move towards her, their names switching from yellow to red.

Raising her hands, she started to back up from the gate.

Runner saw his chance and took it. Sliding past the guards without being noticed, he entered the castle grounds.

Looping wide from the paths that ran throughout, he skirted everywhere he could be spotted. Moving ever onward, he kept to the shadows and unused areas.

Inevitably he found himself unable to continue towards the marker. The wall of the keep blocked him. Which meant Nadine was in the keep.

The gate to the interior seemed insurmountable. Guarded, locked, and heavy looking.

Looking around for other ways in, Runner circled the keep once. Finding nothing, he began scanning above him for an aerial entry.

Up high above he found a windowsill. There wouldn’t be any climbing to it but he did still have the
Blink
gear he’d used to infiltrate the thieves’ guild. Equipping the gear as quickly as he could, he felt his irritation rising again.

Runner targeted the windowsill mentally and immediately activated a charge of
Blink
.

Quickly orienting himself, Runner latched onto the window and leaned to check what he could do.

A glass pane blocked him from simply entering directly. On the other side was a dark walkway. Runner could only guess it was an archer’s perch to look down on the throne room.

Memorizing the area on the other side, Runner activated another charge of
Blink.

Appearing on the other side of the glass, Runner felt his head swim. Taking a deep breath to catch himself, he felt his knees give out. Hanging his head, he pressed his palms to the floor and closed his eyes.

He really needed to ask Srit about the effects of chaining
Blink
together. His balance diminished with each
Blink
if he didn’t space them out.

Shaking his head, he cleared the cotton from his brain and checked his immediate surroundings. In the darkened corners he spotted archers as they watched the area below.

Looked like Jacob wasn’t taking his chances. Leaning over the edge, Runner found an empty throne room. According to the map, Nadine was one more room further in.

At least he wouldn’t have to deal with the archers.

Giving the area a thorough once-over, he eventually spotted the partition between the throne room and whatever was on the other side. Nothing more than a cloth divider, it probably led to a hallway, dining room, or antechamber.

Runner steadied himself for another jump and pulled out a
Stealth
potion.

Placing it to his lips, he activated
Blink
and immediately drank the potion.

Having queued up the action for the potion, the space between when he activated
Blink
and drank the potion was a fraction of a millisecond.

Ducking around the cloth without disturbing it, Runner found himself staring at a small dining room.

In a high-backed chair, Jacob sat stuffing his face. Food in Otherlife could be quite tasty without the consequences of gaining weight.

Jacob obviously enjoyed eating quite a bit considering the sheer amount of food on the table and that he was eating alone.

No one was at the table other than Nadine and Jacob.

She sat in a chair opposite Jacob and looked well. Fully clothed. No damage or status ailments.

There was no way she missed the rendezvous beacons he’d dropped on top of her. She was also a very poor actress. If he walked into view she’d probably track him with her eyes.

Instead Runner pinged right on top of her with the “Defend” preset. Sneaking up behind her chair, he gently rested his hand on her shoulder.

He felt her freeze at his touch. After a second or two she relaxed again. Runner pulled his hand back, returned to the sidewall, and started to creep in on Jacob.

Jacob continued to eat noisily, content that he believed Runner hadn’t yet arrived.

“You realize, attacking the food depot only buys him time,” Jacob said, picking up another plate.

“I fail to see your poin-nt.”

“He’s a coward. He’s trying to force me to capitulate early to a siege. He’s wrong. This is my city. MINE!” Jacob shouted, spraying food out of his mouth.

“I see. You don-n’t think he’ll come here?”

“Not for you. I mean, I’ve only seen screenshots, but that Sunless woman? Mm. I’d love an hour with her,” Jacob said, pointing at her with a half-eaten drumstick. “Compared to that, you’re damaged goods. I don’t discriminate though. I’ll make sure to give it to you good tonight,” Jacob promised, waggling his eyebrows at her.

Runner nearly lost it at that comment. Jacob was a monster that needed to be put down.

“I didn’t expect him to lead an army to aid the Barbarians. Or that he’d surround himself with another army after that. Do you have any idea how much money I’ve spent on assassins?”

Runner moved behind a pillar that broke line of sight with Jacob and stopped. Focusing on his equipment, he equipped himself with the gear he’d used for the battle with the priesthood.

Time to end this quick. A Banishing Bolt and then done. No fuss, no muss.

Stepping out from the pillar, Runner threw the spell at Jacob.

Connecting with nothing, the spell disappeared.

Immediately his screen flashed green as a deity-level curse struck at him. All of Runner’s abilities related to the spell were locked out from use for five minutes.

Which included GMHub.

Jacob’s head spun around to find who had attacked him.

“He’s protected from ele-m-mental magic!” Nadine shouted, rolling out of her chair and scrambling out of view.

Runner pulled up
Brainwash
and fired it off at Jacob.

Not being based in the elements, the spell went right through the defenses.

“Drink a health potion, cancel your buffs, blink to the exact spot you’re on, destroy your equipped gear, drink as much poison as you can!” Runner commanded.

Using the actual
Blink
spell, Runner zipped to the other side of the room as Jacob went through the list of commands he’d been given and systematically destroyed his gear. Jacob’s clothes started to vanish.

Runner targeted Jacob and lined up a
Slash
from Jacob’s flank.

As the now naked Jacob finished drinking a fourth vial of poison, he spun in place to run for the partition Runner had come through.

Runner’s blade leaped forward and connected with Jacob’s spine. Squealing, Jacob stumbled away, his health bar tumbling.

Cursing, Runner fired off
Linda
as the monster tried to escape.

Jacob fell down on his face when the spell connected and then scurried into the corner. Scrabbling at the walls, the man looked like a cornered rat trying to escape.

Closing the distance, Runner buried his blade into the man’s spine for another flank attack.

Runner didn’t care to banish the man anymore. He’d kill him and be done with it.

Jacob’s health bar flashed red under the weight of the attack.

Collapsing, Jacob looked up at him with fear and hate in his eyes. He held up his hand, and it suddenly burst into a green flame.

“If you take another step I’ll kill your little broken toy,” Jacob promised. Runner came to a stop at that. He was just barely inside the effective range for
Lunge.

“She’s been judged a heretic and I can smite her outright. She’s not exactly built to take damage, is she? I figure that’s all it’ll take. Lambart has a special hatred for you all. And don’t even think about attacking me. If I die, you’ll die too! Lambart protects me. Vengeance is one of his domains. If you kill me, your health will burn until you’re dead!” cried the rodent.

Runner held the
Lunge
he’d been getting ready to activate.

“He’s not lying,” whispered Brunhild in his ear. “There is nothing any of us can do to negate the curse or the spell. He is Lambart’s champion and that is well in his purview. In a normal situation this wouldn’t matter but since you have but one life this is a very different situation.”

“That’s what I thought,” Jacob said, interpreting Runner’s hesitance as a chance to escape.

“I’m a generous man. Take your pet and leave my castle. Leave my city. This is MINE. They’re all mine,” Jacob hissed at him, his confidence growing.

“The best part is that I’ll see this place burn before I give it up. I know what you did to the others. I’ve already blocked my pod from you. Have you realized that I blocked yours too? You’re trapped here, Runner. Forever.”

The naked rapist stood up in front of Runner. This man would never give up or give in. He’d only escape to cause more problems down the way. Runner felt his decision hardening.

And in all likelihood he wouldn’t hold to his own bargain. The moment Runner turned it was quite likely he’d attack Nadine anyways.

Of course if Jacob escaped, this war would never really end. Should Jacob die, then everything could begin to reorder itself.

One didn’t make deals with people like this.

Rabbit would be safe. Everyone would be.

All of his plans were already in motion. They would complete with or without him. This world could use him, but it didn’t need him to heal.

Srit will protect them in my stead. She’ll do fine.

Smiling at Jacob, Runner let out a breath.

“I’m afraid that leaves me little choice. I had wanted to banish you and make this easy. Quick. In my hatred I squandered that chance. Now we both die. Give my love to everyone, Nadine. Hopefully this will atone for all the darkness I’ve wrought on others,” Runner said grimly.

Then he activated
Lunge
.

Before his sword even traveled an inch, a crossbow bolt blasted through Jacob’s eye and exited the back of his head. Crumpling, the champion of Lambart was no more.

Quest Completed

Quest rating: Extremely difficult. Rewards tripled.

Raid leader: Not in proximity to raid. No bonus.

“Uniting Tirtius”

Experience Reward: 400% of current level

Reputation: 3,000

Fame: 300

Money: 300 Platinum

Level up!

You’ve reached level 34

Level up!

You’ve reached level 35

Level up!

You’ve reached level 36

Level up!

You’ve reached level 37

Runner turned around in shock. Nadine stood there, her crossbow braced to her shoulder. Her health bar turned a sick pale green. She released her crossbow, and it clattered to the ground at her feet.

“No, no, no, NO, NO!” Runner said, immediately moving to her side.

“Nadine, what’d you do?” Runner asked. Reaching her, he grabbed her by the shoulders, watching as her health burned slowly.

“I spared the world. It couldn’t afford losing you. This world needs you,” Nadine said simply.

Reaching up, she patted his cheek with her right hand, her fingers lightly tracing his jawline.

“Nadine, no. Brunhild, Ernsta, Amelia? Please, please help her.”

“We can’t. It’s beyond us. Lambart has fulfilled the requirements for his own portfolio.”

“Runner, stop. Listen to me.”

“Nadine…no, I—”

Nadine interrupted him by smacking his cheek firmly with her hand.

“Listen. My time is short. Here,” she said, a window appearing before him. In it was a bag and a large amount of coins. Runner didn’t even process the amount listed and instead focused in on Nadine.

“I finished your set this evening. Here’s everything I have on me as far as money goes. Isabelle will take care of the rest of the money side of things. She’s smart. I trust her.”