The blueberry rolled to a stop at the squirrel’s feet. After stuffing the second one into its furry face, it immediately grabbed the third.
No, I am an Artificial Intelligence.
“Yeah, not buying that. I’m betting you’re no different than the rest of my group. You’re questioning, watching, learning. How about this then. Are you male or female?”
Runner threw one more blueberry out and the item vanished. He turned and began walking back to his room.
My host was female.
“I dub thee Srit, female of her race. For our personal relationship, the common sayings and slang database is free. For your help with the database tables, we’ll begin the deal as described.”
Selecting the appropriate file in the mainframe, he packaged it up and brought it up into his personal desktop space. He created a username and profile for Srit in the ship’s computer, then sent the file over.
“I’ve constructed you a username to use in the ship’s system. You’re now Srit001. I’ll need you to create a profile for yourself. Please attach it to the username I just provided for you. This requirement will be in addition to all previous terms and conditions. Please respond in the affirmative, without using ‘Acceptable,’ ‘Yes,’ or ‘Agreed’ for confirmation of your acceptance to my terms.”
There was a delay in her response, a pause. There had never been a pause before in his conversations with Srit.
Reaching the door to his room, he jerked it open and stepped inside. Looking up to the ceiling, he waited.
Making the best use of his time, he called up the logs of the quests he’d been offered today. He’d need the flags for each Natural he’d encountered. As well as the quest name to begin identifying each quest node and its owned flags.
Sure.
Chapter 4 - Quest Breaker -
3:31am Sovereign Earth time
11/07/43
Runner stopped and pressed his hands to his eyes. It had taken far longer than he had originally expected, but they were close. Very close. Only a few more nodes and flags to check and he could get a few hours of sleep.
You are weary.
“Very. My pod works to put me to rights during sleep and administers things to balance out any imbalance in my head. The less time I spend sleeping, the less time it gets to fix me,” he said with a frown. Dropping his hands from his face, he tapped at the screen and linked the flag he’d finished to the princess.
“I think I’m done. Please confirm?”
Confirmed.
Runner cleared his throat and tapped the table he had been sitting at since he came back to the room.
Unacceptable response, Srit…
Good to go.
Nodding his head, he checked his workroom one more time. It was empty.
Nadine and Hannah had checked in on him briefly when they returned, then went to bed. The separate sleeping arrangements had spared him from worrying over disturbing them with his frequent nightmares. They were coming on more violently each time. Certainly the pod was doing its best to help treat him, though it had limited tech in comparison to the medical server.
There were times he felt like his sanity was starting to crack, where intrusive thoughts would appear and dominate his mind.
Thoughts quickly became reality. He would swear he could smell and taste Hannah’s blood. Splashing over everything in torrential gushers. Ted bathing in it as he laughed over Runner. Dripping, flowing blood. Ted’s lifeless eyes.
With a grunt and a firm shake of his head, Runner copied the window onto a piece of paper that could be traded in game. After shoving it into his inventory, he ended up hesitating on closing the window.
A piece of parchment sat in the document section of his inventory. It still had the gold border that highlighted items that had yet to be inspected. It was listed as unique and tradable.
He vaguely remembered looting it from Lord Wrinkles back at the Orc Fort.
Shaking his head, he chalked it up to his own carelessness. He’d forgotten completely to fix his religious affinity as well.
Regrets upon regrets, as of late.
He pulled the document up and inspected the item, inadvertently activating it by doing so.
Deed of Land-
This item identifies you as the owner of North Wood Fort and all lands and items inherent to it. This may be traded or sold at the owner’s convenience.
Grant: North Wood Fort and its attached lands.
Expansion: This may be expanded upon depending on purchasing rights for the region.
Law: No laws set.
Tax Rate: No tax set.
Edit Land Configuration
Yes/No
Congratulations! Server first: Land Owner
You’ve earned 1,000 fame
Shocked, he agreed and opened the Land Configuration window. The window could only be described as complex, and he immediately regretted even looking at it. He didn’t have the patience or time for this right now.
He set the immigration to open, tax to one percent, and closed it. It had to do for now. Not to mention, there was no one there anyways. He had bigger things to worry over.
Kingdoms to save, knights to rescue, princesses to kidnap. A very nonexistent skull throne.
You should rest, Runner.
“I didn’t even know you cared, sweetie. Why, wanna come to bed with me?” he teased, stretching his arms behind his head. She was right of course.
I have always gone to bed with you.
Laughing, he slapped his knee and stood up. He had no doubt that she meant she went dormant when he did. She had focused her attention around him since he happened to be the only one she could communicate with. Collapsing into his bed, he closed his eyes.
“G’night, dear,” he mumbled sleepily.
8:57am Sovereign Earth time
11/07/43
Katarina and Thana stood together at the back of the throne room. They were prepared to depart after the day’s events were concluded, dressed in their gear. Both had their new items on display. Katarina had her shield resting against her knee and Thana held her staff firmly beside her.
Runner stood in the audience section with Nadine and Hannah. He needed to speak with the king before he’d be allowed to leave with his “niece.”
I am unsure of what this will do. I will alert you should things change.
Scratching at his nose, he felt unease in his heart. The plan to reveal all and send the whole quest line crashing down had as much likelihood of going catastrophically wrong as it did of awakening everyone in the room.
Srit would be right in being a little nervous.
Can she even be nervous? I mean, she’s not Awakened yet, not really. Can she feel?
Blinking a few times, he returned to reality as the king seated himself in his throne. The herald thumped his staff twice into the ground, the deep booms reverberating throughout the hall.
“His Majesty shall now hear the case against Petros Damalis, son of House Damalis. Bring the accused forward.”
A Sunless man was carried forward with his feet dragging along behind him. No one could deny the treatment of the prisoner was severe. He sported a variety of status ailments and his health hung in the red zone.
“Your Majesty, rather than waste your time with this, I’ve already prepared the case for you. I assure you the proof is incontrovertible and the man is guilty,” Virgil said from beside the king.
Of course you’d say that, your own quest runs right through him.
Clearing his throat, Runner stepped into the center of the throne room. Gently easing one of the man-at-arms aside, he rested his hand on the young knight’s shoulder. Looking up, he caught the king’s eyes and held them.
“Your most honorable Majesty, I’m afraid I must make you aware of some uncomfortable truths. In doing so, I fear I may change the very fabric of your country. Would you hear me? I would not force this on you unwillingly.”
King Vasilios Moris propped his chin in the back of
his hand, watching Runner. Once more, Runner had the distinct feeling the AI behind the scenes could only be checking quest triggers, flags, and nodes.
“This would be in regard to the young knight here at my side, your daughter, the chancellor, the steward of your house, your tax administrator, a number of your royal guardsmen, and a goodly amount of your servants. Treason would be the charge, of course.”
In that instant the room shifted, becoming as quiet as a mausoleum. Collectively the AIs of everyone in the room began running up to full speed at the unexpected triggering of countless flags.
Go.
“Majesty?” Runner inquired. He wouldn’t push this on the king unless he truly had to. It wouldn’t sit right with him to bring people screaming into the reality that their world had little truth to it.
King Vasilios eventually extended a few fingers towards Runner, accepting the responsibility. Pulling out the notes he’d made this morning, he started at the top.
“Your daughter sleeps with any nobleman who is willing to turn their hand towards putting her on the throne and disposing of your infant son. Half of your council has already been turned. I will provide you with the names at the end of this little fiasco. She now seeks to bring her power into blossom by recruiting an assassin. She approached me directly for said job. Once you’ve been taken care of she’ll then end your son’s life to assure her ascendancy.”
Squawking indignantly, the princess in question started to rise from her seat. Runner continued before her appeal could get off the ground. He had a lot more shit to shovel out.
Lotta shit. Shit for everyone. Drown you all in your own shit.
“Your chancellor, who has slept with your daughter as well, is beginning to broker a deal for power using the economy. It would be through a few interesting laws that he’d take the financial backing out of your military and power base. Then he’d have you ousted for tanking the economy, put your son on the throne, and act as regent until an appropriate age.”
Now Virgil started to make noise. Runner moved to the next tick point in his notes, speaking loudly to drive home that he would not be interrupted.
“Your tax administrator, who also has slept with your daughter, is robbing you blind at a rate of two to one right now. Nearly all of the wealth is recoverable in the national bank under his mother’s name. He has been hiding much of it through an improper accounting of your military assets and what is currently being fielded in the war comparatively to what actually is. In other words, ghost equipment.”
Runner glanced around the room to gauge the situation. What noise there had been no longer existed. All hung onto the edges of their seats, watching him.
Many of their AIs are jumping from node to node. A handful are already awakening.
“Next, roughly thirty percent of your royal guard has not only slept with your daughter, but they now back her directly. The guards still in service to you are at your back, those in service to your daughter are behind me. The trigger for this event is her direct approval of the attack. A Barbarian messenger will be arriving, requesting your aid in defense of their capital. The humans have attacked them rather than counterattack Crivel.”
Picking the next section, he nearly laughed out loud.
“Many of the cooking staff have also enjoyed a royal ride with your daughter. They’re in position to poison you should an assassin fail to appear. Perhaps when this is over, her highness could be sold to a brothel since she spends so much time on her back. She could single-handedly fund the campaign. Next, next, next.”
Taking a moment to brush the hair back from his eyes, he caught Katarina and Thana staring at him. Smiling, he waved at them a little before beginning again.
“The current Human ambassador is plotting with the Barbarian ambassador in an attempt to pressure them into agreeing to an armistice so the Human army can turn to attack you unopposed. The ambassador has been bribed and will condone this plan, though I do not think the crown will support such an action.”
Scanning the rest of his document, he found notes and details of the names involved so the king could sweep them all up.
“Oh, your wife is sleeping with the chancellor. Your son isn’t yours, he’s his. You are in fact childless. She doesn’t know of the plan to take the throne, though it’s likely she’ll support it. Ah, yes, and finally. Knight Damalis. He would have laid his life down to protect you, so multiple factions sought to implicate him in a frame job to see him disposed of. The messenger for the Barbarians will be arriving today, more than likely before noon, though I’m not sure, to discuss the aid I mentioned earlier.”
Finished, Runner let his hand drop and he looked towards the king. The man sat still as death. His eyes glazed over as he tried to process it all.
With a scream of fury, the Human ambassador lunged at the Barbarian ambassador and began stabbing him with a dirk. In the same instant, the Queen had started screaming at the chancellor that she’d been tricked, and she had no idea of his plot.
Then the whole room went crazy as the guards loyal to the princess charged the king and the guards loyal to the king charged the traitors.
Apparently he’d triggered more than a few events and flags.
Deciding this would be the time to leave, he dragged Petros towards Katarina and Thana and dropped him against a stone wall.
“Kitten, protect the king. I’m sorry, I still have your sword. Keep them busy even if you can’t fight back. Lady, pick off targets who are marked and low health. Hanners and Rabbit already have similar orders. I prepared them ahead of time in case this happened. I’ll work on keeping people alive and marking. Go.”
Katarina bolted forward, her shield held up before her like a battering ram. Sliding to a standstill in front of the shell-shocked king, she immediately shield bashed an attacker to the floor.
Quickly giving the room a once-over, he picked out the traitors and marked them. Selecting the sergeant he’d spoken to the day previously, he cast Heal and then Regenerate.
He was eager to try out his new spells, but he felt keeping as many loyal guards alive as possible would be the better political move.
Moving from guard to guard, he worked to keep them healthy and in the fight. Thana utilized her new staff to great effect, ending the lives of several of the traitors.
Nadine and Hannah worked in tandem, bringing down three themselves. Katarina stood at the foot of the dais, allowing no one by her position.
It took only a minute, though it felt like hours, but the throne room returned to its previous state. Plus some twenty-odd corpses.
As if on cue, a Barbarian woman rushed inside, falling to a knee in front of the King.
“Your Majesty, your cousin requests your aid immediately. The Humans march on our capital.”
The king looked from the messenger, to the corpses, to Runner.
“She’s good, that’s the truth. Though it’s not as dire as you think. It’ll take a week to travel there normally but the Human army won’t arrive for two weeks. The dates were listed in the quest nodes.”
Many of the AIs in the room are irrevocably broken. The king nearly did not make it through his own Awakening. Those who are broken will no longer accept any type of influence if it does not run along the lines of their original programming. I do not recommend repeating such an action in the future.
Runner opened his inventory, pulled out a beetle, and devoured it. The small relief it provided was enough to let his mind catch up.
For this court of nobles, it wasn’t as if he’d had a choice. There had been far too many actually involved. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and sat down heavily on the ground.
“I need a nap. Four hours isn’t enough sleep. Not at all.”
Looking over to Petros, he patted the young knight on the shoulder.
“No worries, Two-shoes, you’re safe now. I’m Runner, by the way, friend of your sister.”
“Two-shoes?” the knight asked.
“Yep, Goody Goody Two-shoe
s. Enjoy your new name. One more thing—this is really just to make sure—when was the last time you went to the bathroom? Visited the turd tomb? Dropped some convicts off in the poop prison?”
Quest Completed
“The Knight’s End”
Experience Reward: 10% of current level
Reputation: 10
Fame: 5
Money: 15 Gold
King Vasilios Moris proceeded to corner Runner in an interview room, demanding answers and to know how Runner had predicted everything that happened.
He spared the king nothing, listing out the exacts of the truth to this world and his place in it. At first the king had the appearance of a man shattered and broken. After a minute of quiet reflection, he said a prayer to the goddess of the night, Brunhild.
As her moniker implied, her domain was that of the night. It included the moon, shadows, were-beasts, the night, and the normal host of aspects one could expect.
Once he’d determined a course of action, the king had Runner spend the day cloistered in an interview room with him.
One by one, everyone who had been in the throne room sat before the king.
Each person was put to an interview by the king himself. The king would then consult with Runner to determine any culpability as well as what quests they were a part of. Srit assisted on a few deeply layered nodes, though most of it he was able to ferret out on his own. The databases were becoming much easier to read and sort through with experience.
Runner found himself privately impressed by the monarch halfway through the day. He’d taken the situation in stride, leveraged Runner as a soothsayer of sorts, and set to righting his kingdom.
Otherlife Nightmares: The Selfless Hero Trilogy Page 7