Contents
Dedication
Title Page
Copyright
Prologue
Chp.1 Fickle Fate
Chp.2 Royal Fools
Chp.3 Flags for Everyone
Chp.4 Quest Breaker
Chp.5 Misery of the Truth
Chp.6 Plans within Plans
Chp.7 Dark Descent
Chp.8 Norwood Arsenal
Chp.9 Two Steps Back
Chp.10 First Contact
Chp.11 Best Laid Plans
Chp.12 Bloodbath
Chp.13 Bedroom Politics
Chp.14 Cut off the Head
Chp.15 Outplayed
Chp.16 Breather
Chp.17 Only a Minute
Chp.18 Extinction
Chp.19 Determiniation
Chp.20 Countdown
Chp.21 Sacrifice
Epilogue Running On
Authors Note
Dedicated:
To my wife Kristin, who encouraged me in all things.
To my son Harrison, who decided that I still don’t need to sleep and should write.
To my family, who always told me I could write a book if I sat down and tried.
To my friend Nick, who has too much patience with my insanity.
Special Thanks:
Justin Johanson
Steven LoBue
Peter Morena
Tamara Blain
Thanks to my Beta Readers:
Adam Humphrys
Caleb Shortcliffe
Chris Lufcy
David Ly
David Wolfe
Dustin Hillsley
Hunter Folden
Jeremy Tullis
Joe Holmes
Mike Honan
Scott Voyles
Steven Fleischaker
Tim Bush
Tom Demuyt
William Hattfield
Otherlife
Nightmares
~The Selfless Hero trilogy~
By William D. Arand
Copyright © 2016 William D. Arand
Cover design © 2016 William D. Arand
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by an electronic or mechanical means - except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews - without written permission from its publisher.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Copyright © 2016 William D. Arand
All rights reserved.
Prologue - The Story So Far -
Runner Norwood and the crew of his ship are trapped in a game, and he only has a few vague ideas as to why. In a bid to free everyone, Runner has been working at increasing his level. With every level a few of Runner’s memories return.
He encountered Hannah Anelie in the woods while trying to find civilization. Of mixed lineage—Human and Sunless—she was a half-breed thief who was down on her luck and short on time. In hiring her he gained his first ally.
Finally getting a clue from a villager as to where he could level up quickly, the two traveled to an old fort inhabited by Orcs.
In destroying the fort, he rescued three people who joined his party. First was Thana Damalis, a Sunless Sorceress who had been captured by the Orcs.
Along with the Sorceress he freed Katarina Saden, Thana’s traveling companion, a stalwart Barbarian Warrior.
Lastly they found Nadine Giselle, a scarred and disfigured Human merchant who had been left to die in the back of the throne room.
From completing the dungeon, Runner nearly reached the level cap allowed to starting classes. In order to progress he needed to get a class promotion, which would allow him to continue to level up.
Bolstered by their success at the fort, the group set out for Crivel, a Human city. The reason they selected this city above any other was that it offered class promotions. That and it was the only one that would allow them all to enter as a group despite being different races.
While en route, they discovered they were in a race against the clock. The city was the target of a military thrust that hoped to besiege and capture the city.
As if fate conspired against them, a stream of roadblocks was thrown at them.
They were attacked by a band of ship’s crew who had turned to robbing and raping travelers, were ambushed by a fanatic and an ex-girlfriend, survived an attack by the vanguard of the besieging army, were confronted by a rapist in a home of living dead people, and finally were attacked by a selfish crewmate who forced Runner to make a choice. A choice between an AI and a crewmate.
In the moment of the attack, Runner realized that his group members had transcended their original programming. They were sentient and very much alive, with their own thoughts and feelings.
Ultimately Runner chose his party members over a member of the ship’s crew.
Trying to run damage control on the situation, Runner attempted to cover up the murder by altering the medical log that held the evidence of the murder.
Runner discovered that not only were they trapped in a game, possibly far from home, but time had literally flown by.
The ship had been in stasis for forty-four thousand years. They’re now in the future and the worries from only a few minutes ago no longer mattered.
At long last the party reached Crivel and completed their promotions a day ahead of the army. They departed the next morning and escaped with only hours to spare.
Having come to terms with the situation, Runner was eager to explore this lush new world.Fate intervened, and Runner was contacted by Srit, a mysterious figure Runner had talked with a few times previously.
Srit holds the key to many of Runner’s questions.
Chapter 1 - Fickle Fate -
7:13pm Sovereign Earth time
11/02/43
There was so much to do. A world to explore. One that Earth had been unlike in a very long time. There was a lot of time to enjoy whatever this life could hold, and plan for whatever was outside. They’d only just escaped Crivel an hour ahead of the besieging force. Nothing could compare to the feeling of accomplishment.
I am Srit.
Runner raised his eyebrows at the sudden message. He’d hoped to get in contact with Srit again soon, but this was beyond his wildest hopes.
We must talk.
“I see. Lady Death, I’m afraid I’m being summoned by Srit,” Runner said to Thana, addressing her by her nickname. “Promise I’m not talking to myself. Any more than the usual that is.”
“Hmm. I dislike this. Why am I unable to see this person again? Or hear them?” she asked. Her brown eyes demanded an answer from him. Her desire wasn’t something he could casually ignore.
Runner thought about that for a moment, watching her brush her black hair back from her face as the light breeze toyed with it.
“I honestly don’t know the answer to that. I’m hoping to find out. You’ll get to hear half the conversation at least.” Plastering the best smile he could manage on his face, he nodded at her slowly.
Scoffing, Thana smiled back as she shook her head. Her sharp teeth came into view between her full lips. She flicked a dismissive hand at him in acceptance.
“Proceed then, Master Runner. I’m sure this’ll be enlightening. Or at least amusing.”
“Much obliged, Lady Death, by your leave. Alright, Srit, I’m ready. I’ve been looking forward to talking to you. Lots of questions.”
I also have questions.
“Right, then. I propose an exchange. Quid pro quo. Question for a questio
n. If a party feels the other has answered inconclusively, they can request information. The second party is not obligated to elaborate, but I imagine the game would end should one side be dissatisfied with the answer. Are we agreed?”
There was no immediate response as there had been previously. Runner imagined Srit was probably picking his statement apart one piece at a time to determine what he meant.
Maybe I should dumb it down, Runner thought. He started to think of how to phrase it differently when Srit replied.
Agreed. I shall go first. What are you?
“I’m a lieutenant in service to the Sovereignty. What are you?” Runner said, addressing the horizon stretched out in front of him. The font Srit used actually was more readable against the skyline.
Invalid response. What are you?
A frown crossed his face as he considered the question anew. Srit’s response left a lot to be desired, but it did communicate more than the words. It felt a bit too “binary.” Changing his dialogue to match the speaker, he tried again.
“Please redefine the question, original inquiry vague.” Thana quirked an eyebrow at him as she walked along beside him. He couldn’t deny it had sounded strange even to him. He shrugged his shoulders and held up his hands in a helpless gesture.
What species are you?
Sighing, Runner pressed his fingertips to his brow as his other hand rested on his hip. With that one single question, many of his own had been answered. Srit wasn’t human. More troubling was that Srit didn’t even know what species it was.
“Human. Homo sapiens,” Runner answered bleakly. Mentally pausing after his response, he considered his earlier questions and decided they were no longer relevant. One could reasonably assume Srit wasn’t human. Which of course made many of his questions irrelevant.
“Using this map of a galaxy as a reference point”—Runner paused and called up a star chart of the Milky Way as a whole. It had a deep zoom function and listed each planet along with spatial coordinates—“where am I?”
It was a long shot, but he figured any spacefaring race would at least know what galaxies in their neighborhood looked like. If Srit wasn’t able to answer, this whole thing would go from bad to worse.
Accessing relevant information. Listed as Galaxy one. You are in Galaxy one.
“Srit, I would ask for clarification on that response. If I’m in Galaxy one, where in that galaxy am I? Please use the designations in the star ch—”
“Riders!” Katarina shouted from ahead. The large red haired Barbarian drew her sword and fell in beside the wagon. A slow steady pull on the reins from Nadine and the horses came to a halt as well.
Hopping down from the driver’s box, the blonde unhooked her large crossbow from her belt. Her right hand slammed a bolt home and ratcheted the cranequin in under a second. Snapping it up to her shoulder, she slid her finger onto the trigger guard and rested it there. Taking firm hold of the weapon, she eyed the surroundings.
Hannah’s stealthed silhouette appeared near the edge of the roadbed. Her lithe figure was ghostly and low to the ground. In each hand she held a short sword, and her head swiveled around, searching for the danger.
“Gimme a direction, Kitten,” Runner called out to the dark-eyed warrior. In his right hand he held his sword, and he walked up to stand beside her. In his left hand he pulled together a Fireblast attack but held it in check. He began rapidly filling the Fireblast with Lightning, a recent addition from their promotions in Crivel. His broken game master status would allow him any class he wanted, even if he didn’t have enough points to get the right stats.
In his desperate search to find a role for himself, he’d found a few classes that fit the bill. Each role had a starting point that had overlapping statistics and attributes. Using those as a foundation, he could build himself up to be a close second place in any category.
Each and every class he gained had a focus in dexterity, agility, or intelligence.
The first he’d picked up was Duelist. It focused on critical damage dealt by a single weapon or two small weapons.
Scout was the ranged version of the same class and was built around a critical damage attacker philosophy that used short bows and ambush positions.
Thief was a rogue class built around a high rate of successful critical attacks and crippling debilitating attacks.
Doctor happened to be a straight-up physical healer that could use a few of the baseline restorative magics, but did far better with preventative and post-combat magics.
Finally, he’d also gained Elementalist, a primordial casting class specializing in skill shots.
“Tree line, perhaps twenty. Ten seconds out. Caught the flash of metal.”
“Right, then. Lady Death, Nadine, wagon top. Defensive position work. Kitten, on me for primary contact. Hanners, sheep dog as able, out of sight until possible. ROE is reactionary, body bag ’em if they go.”
Almost before he finished speaking they were already on the move. They’d practiced quite a bit in the arena back in Faren with situations like this.
Thana blinked to the indicated position and reached down to assist Nadine up. Hannah gave no indication of hearing one way or the other, though he swore he heard her cursing, and slunk a few steps backwards from the roadbed.
Crackling, sputtering, fiery lightning circled in his left hand, waiting for a target. Runner hadn’t tried combining spells, but there was never a time like the present to improvise.
Question is, do they burn, get stunned, or both? Fried pork comin’ right up either way…now I want some bacon. Love me some bacon.
You have developed the ability Spell Weaving
Congratu—
Snapping the dialogue box off in mid prompt, Runner growled. Waiting wasn’t easy for him. Waiting made his teeth itch.
He began pouring more mana into the little ball o’fun at his side. The hiss of flames and hollow roar of contained lightning grew louder by the second.
Riders broke free of the shadows, riding towards his group in a wedge formation. It was a discouraging sight for Runner. As he let his eyes move from one to another, he began recalculating their chances of winning a direct confrontation.
Coated in plate mail, they were listed as “Knights.” A secondary promotion that had a baseline of level fifty.
Between that and the fact that the knights were high enough in level that he couldn’t actually determine their strength, he only got a series of question marks instead of their stats.
Each held a lance in one hand, the butt resting in the stirrup, and their other hand held a type of kite shield. No doubt lingered in his mind that each knight would pull a sword free once they closed the distance to a point that their lance would be ineffective. Runner and company were now very outclassed and in a whole of a lot of trouble.
Ah, fuck me with a kazoo.
He considered firing off the Retreat/Rendezvous command, but he was not sure their horses could outrun a full party of battle chargers. They were made for hauling cargo and little else. Gym rat horses.
Katarina sheathed her sword and hung her head, as if she’d given in to defeat before they even engaged. It was so very unlike the brave woman that he felt his heart lurch in his chest. Thana blinked into existence beside Katarina, the butt of her staff planted in the ground.
In the few seconds it took for him to register the scene, not only had his spell faded into nothing, but the riders had come to a halt before them. Lances pointed to the sky, they seemed hesitant. The one at the head of the formation lifted their visor after a few heavy seconds.
Sunless, male, middle-aged. His gaze was locked on Thana, as if he recognized her. Almost as an afterthought, the Natural—he couldn’t view them as NPCs anymore—let his eyes slide over each of them. Assessing, cataloging, calculating.
“Your pardon, Your Highness,” said the Knight respectfully. “It is a wonder you’ve been found. Many feared you lost. We’ll assemble an honor guard once the Barbarian infantry arrives.”
<
br /> Runner felt nothing but confusion and then looked to Thana again. Early on he’d assumed her eloquent speech, intellectual debate, and manners made her a noble in the peerage. He’d just not thought of a high enough position it would seem.
Thana made no response that Runner could determine. Instead, silence held sway over them as they waited. Taking a moment, he cleared the congratulatory message in regards to Spell Weaving and a pending level up offer. Opening the ship’s system window, he found Srit still listed as “Active.” Perhaps Srit had realized he would be unable to respond at this time and was merely waiting.
Going over the starship’s systems one at a time, he found nothing wrong or in error. In checking the lockouts on all of the ship’s systems, he found nothing out of the ordinary. He’d enacted them to prevent the crew from possibly discovering that they’d been adrift for forty-four thousand years.
Selecting the accounts for his party, he gave them access to all the systems in case they needed them. Who knew where this latest development would take them.
Looking up to Nadine, he found her finger still resting on the guard but she seemed unsure. Getting her attention with a wave of his hand, he motioned to her crossbow. Making eye contact with Hannah, he tried to subtly indicate for her to get in the wagon. It would be one thing to explain they had a compatriot in the wagon, another that she had been lurking around in ambush.
As if noticing for the first time she’d remained armed, Nadine unloaded the bolt and disengaged the locked string. Hooking it to her belt, she looked around to see how she could make her way down.
Moving to stand below her, Runner held up his hands.
“Come along then, my fierce little merchant. Hop down, I’ll catch you.”
She wrinkled her nose at him, her green eyes promising pain.
“If you drop m-m-m-me, Runner…” she said menacingly.
Otherlife Nightmares: The Selfless Hero Trilogy Page 1