“Thank you. Welcome back, sir.”
“Good to be back, Grace.”
Grinning, he poked one of her wings with a fingertip. It shuddered under his touch and he had to keep from laughing.
Ticklish wings.
Stepping back from her, he turned his gaze to the Kitsune. Moving forward, he wrapped Satomi in a hug before she could react.
“Haaa? It is good to see you, too,” Satomi said, sounding unsure. She hugged him back, her small hands patting him on the back.
“Sorry, get used to it. I give hugs.” Runner took a step back from Satomi. “Besides, my hugs are awesome. You should pay me for hugs. Rates are negotiable depending on hug intensity.”
“I will consider it.” Satomi’s eyes turned to Isabelle. The Kitsune’s nose flared twice, as if sniffing the wind. She smiled at the Elf and dipped her head to her.
“Felicitations on your achievements,” Satomi said heavily to Isabelle.
Runner looked to Isabelle, who was standing beside him. She smiled at Satomi and nodded her head in return.
“Thanks, was only a single Gnome though. Caught him sleeping.” Runner swept it aside quickly. “Alright, do you mind swapping with me, Vixen?”
“Not at all, bonded. I will remain at your side.”
“Yes, I know. I promised. Now, let’s go see if they round up a chancellor or an ambassador or something.” Runner grinned, rubbing his hands together.
9:12 am Sovereign Earth time
1/02/44
Runner sat in a camp chair, watching the gate. They’d kept him waiting for a while. Apparently few were willing to come out to talk to him.
“Maybe I should have dug more graves before leaving.” Runner sighed, shifting his weight in the chair.
“I think you operated effectively while preserving lives,” Satomi replied. She hadn’t left his side since he’d returned. Runner figured maybe she was feeling insecure as a familiar who wasn’t chained to her master twenty-four seven.
“Thanks, Vixen.” Runner flopped his right hand down on top of her head and proceeded to rub the base of her ears. He couldn’t help it—he’d wanted to pet them since he met her.
“Aaaah! Do not do such a thing. I am not some dog yearning to have her ears scratched.” Satomi jerked her head from his hand, her ears lying flat.
“Satomi?”
She blinked at his sudden use of her name and watched him anxiously.
“I want to pet your ears. You can let me and we can learn from it. Or I can be sneaky about it later. Your call.” Runner turned his head to look at her fully.
“You are a rude, vulgar man.”
“Very much so. Though I think if the worst you have to worry about is me wanting to pet your ears…” Runner waited, his hand hovering where her head had been.
“You will be gentle? They are sensitive. I will hurt you if you do something strange. I will make the rest of your harem aware of your godhood,” Satomi hissed at him, her nose wrinkling.
“Yeah, yeah. Got it. Seriously, Vixen. If I wanted a puppet or a sex toy I would have smashed you with the forced obedience thingie.” Runner waited patiently.
Satomi kept her gold eyes on him, wary even as she moved back under his hand.
Resting his palm on her crown, he began to lightly rub his fingertips into the base of her ears.
Looking back to the gates, he couldn’t help but sigh once again.
“I think we’ll be here for at least a week. Maybe two while they sort themselves out. I’ll also need to leave someone here to watch over everything.” Runner started going through all the possibilities in his head.
“Leave the Elf. She is high in her confidence right now and will perform the task to her utmost, bonded.”
“You’re probably right. Feel like I’m running around alone as of late. Everyone is somewhere else.”
“Be thankful you are capable of delegation and that your lieutenants are trustworthy. You are wealthy in ways that do not have to do with materials.”
“You sure are a wise Kitsune, Vixen.” Runner looked over at her. She seemed relaxed now, her shoulders slightly drooped and her hands pressed to her knees.
“I can only be what I am.”
“Well, I’m thankful. Very thankful. You’re a blessing.” Runner ran his thumb along the edge of her ear before returning to the base.
“Remind me to get you outfitted while we’re stuck here. Don’t get me wrong, you look fantastic in those clothes, but they aren’t exactly defensive. Can’t have you getting killed on me.”
“Yes, my bonded. I believe you should also make a weapon suited to your guard captain.”
“Yeah, she’s next on my list. She seem a little on edge?”
“A touch. I cannot determine if it is what you did to her, the race change, or her lack of a weapon symbolizing your personal investment.”
“Personal investment? Suppose that’s a good way to phrase it.” Runner shook his head. Suddenly he felt better. Satomi was helping him step around land mines he didn’t see.
“Have I mentioned I appreciate you? Because I appreciate you.”
To Runner’s left Lobu materialized, his green arms crossed over his chest.
Runner glanced at him before returning to his contemplation of the gate.
“Heya, Lobu, watcha doing? I thought you’d be halfway to somewhere else by now.”
“Nah. More interesting to follow you. I hear you’re the head asshole in charge. I’m good at breaking things. And people. I have no resume, and my only references are in a city I’m not allowed to visit.”
“Huh. Consider yourself hired for the time being. We’ll figure out a position and title later.”
“Fine,” Lobu said. “Official beer tester would be good. Maybe brothel inspector.”
Runner guffawed at that and gave Satomi’s ears a light scratch before standing up.
Can’t forget Brighteyes.
“I promised a certain goddess a conversation. I’ll be over there.” Runner gestured to the wide open nothingness to the west.
Runner stopped roughly a hundred yards from the camp.
“Brighteyes?” Runner asked hesitantly.
Appearing before him, she looked exactly as he had last seen her. Mildly annoyed and concerned at the same time.
“So… I think you had your hand on me and you were nice and close?” he supplied.
Blinking a few times, she finally smiled at him with a soft laugh.
“You’re a lovable idiot, Runner.” Brunhild stepped in close to him and rested her hand on his chest. It wasn’t quite the same as the last time, but he preferred it immensely.
“Better?”
“Oh yes, much. You’ve always been the hands off one between you and your sisters. My Dark Angel is in for a cuddle and a hug if I’m direct enough, and Minxy… let’s not speak of her. Take what I can get when it comes to you.”
Runner felt the strange feeling she gave him the last time again slowly creep up. He hadn’t experienced this before today around her.
A strange dizzying sensation welled up in his head and stomach.
“You feel that, don’t you?” Brunhild asked him.
“Huh? Yeah. I thought you were hitting me with the sexy goddess aura. I mean, your hair smelled phenomenal, and then it was all downhill from there. I take it that’s not it?”
“No. You ascended, you silly idiot. You’re a god, yet not a god. You feel an attraction to me that is divine in nature.”
“That’s not true. I can assure you I’m attracted to you in a very mortal and carnal way.”
Brunhild’s mouth tightened a fraction. He hoped she was battling a smile instead of a frown.
“Explain what happened. Be concise. Your familiar watches, and I can feel her inquisitive nature impelling her this way.”
“Grace was injured. I took her to the other plane. I demanded Alexia have everyone pray, and I tried to use the divine power you mentioned. It worked.”
“It work
ed?” she asked him. She sounded a little incredulous.
“Indeed. Sunshine had to help with the code a little. And I kinda blew up part of the temple.”
“And here you are, a demigod. You reek of power, like… sunshine and grass. You feel tranquil to me. Our natures balance very well. We have a natural attraction and affinity.”
“I think I understand. You’re saying we’re well matched on a divine level, which lets our portfolios mesh. In other words, we’d do well if we were… a partnered pantheon.” He had almost used the word married.
Runner wondered about this. The concept to him seemed strange. The system wouldn’t implement such rules naturally. He’d have to question Srit.
Brunhild nodded her head once at his statement and pulled her hand from his chest. To him it looked forced on her part, as if she had no desire to do so.
“There’s also a very dark undercurrent to you. Strong. Lethal. It doesn’t harm my own sphere, despite being murderous, and if anything fills in the gaps in my divine makeup.” She said the last almost to herself rather than him.
“You will feel this with my sisters as well. As will they to you. Do not summon them unless you wish for them to know this. Thankfully I am bound by a bylaw that prevents me from revealing your godhood to them.”
Runner hesitated before asking a question he wasn’t sure he wanted to.
“Why were you angry at me? You seemed almost insulted.”
Brunhild’s eyes flicked to the side, unwilling to meet his eyes. After a breath’s span of time she met his eyes again, sighing.
“I was furious. It felt like you had joined with another divine being. The power was all over you like you’d been bathed in it.”
“Oh. Got it. Don’t worry, I already have my divine harem set up. It’s only got room for three goddesses. That’s a long ways off, but it’s definitely in the plan.”
Without actually making the conscious decision to, Runner stepped in and hugged Brunhild tightly.
Brunhild’s arms encircled him quickly and returned the embrace, pressing in tightly to him.
The strange dizzying sensation nearly overwhelmed him, and his skin tingled from head to toe.
“Alright, totally being honest here, I don’t want to let go and I’m not sure I can if I wanted to. I’m sorry, this was a really bad idea. Can you go poof instead?”
Brunhild grunted in a very unladylike manner in response. After ten seconds went by he was starting to wonder if she could.
Then she vanished, leaving him alone in the field.
Immediately the tingling dissipated as did the heavy feeling in the middle of his head.
“Fuck me. That’s almost like a compulsion. Gotta talk to Sunshine. Gotta. No goddesses until then. My life gets ever more complicated. It’s like a horrible soap opera.”
Runner sat down in the grass right there and began setting about putting together a rough idea for a staff. One specifically for Sophia.
Realizing he would be seeing Faye soon enough, he settled in on working on a sword for her at the same time.
Originally he’d seen her with a staff, though as of late she’d moved to a blade. It would seem his trio of casters, Sophia, Thana, and Faye, were splitting into different classes.
I wonder if they talked about that.
Breaking his thoughts free, he started cataloging his available materials.
Chapter 8 - Stewards -
11:34 am Sovereign Earth time
1/16/44
“I expect to see you two weeks before their majesties arrive, Belle. I’ll send Hanners up here to fetch you if you’re not back by then,” Runner said, poking Isabelle in the shoulder.
“Of course, dearest. I’ll return. I don’t like this, but I appreciate your faith in me. The task seems daunting.” Isabelle patted his chest in return, as if soothing an uneasy dog.
“You can do it. Use the Norwood’s Own to your advantage. It’s why I’m leaving half of them here. If you need resources, send Me over with the tank. Worst comes to worst, call on one of the goddesses to contact me. I’ll be sending you another platoon of Norwood’s Own once we get back to Norwood.” Runner blew out a breath and then embraced Isabelle one last time.
“Be safe, don’t do anything stupid, come back to me,” Runner mumbled in her long ear.
“Yes, yes, I love you, too. Go on. Your image of the strong leader is going to dust by the second.” Runner could only nod his head as Isabelle hugged him back. Leaning in close, he pressed his lips to hers lovingly before easing back again.
He released her, turned away, and moved to Boxy. He mounted the ramp swiftly without a word to anyone. Moving straight to the controls, he refused to look back.
“All loaded and ready, sir.” Sophia’s voice rang out after the rear door’s bar fell into the slot.
Satomi leaned over his arm from the copilot seat to watch him. She had been hovering over him for the last two weeks during negotiations.
Now it seemed that Boxy had her interest and she would not be denied.
“Now that the ink is dry, and we are safely departing, I must congratulate you. They agreed to every one of your requests and you quashed nearly every one of theirs. What is that?” Satomi touched the parking lever Runner had shifted.
“Parking lever, keeps Boxy stationary when I don’t want her to move. As far as Letoville goes, or whatever the hell they decide to name it in the coming months, it wasn’t that difficult. They knew their position. Was more of a matter of acting out the need for dickering.”
Runner slipped Boxy into first gear and felt the wheels begin to turn.
“You may state it thus; however, I would caution you against such a disparaging statement of your own worth. You had at best, what, twenty? Twenty-one under your command? You conquered a city without engaging the city in a siege or battle. The forward five notches accelerate the vehicle, yes? What do the two below the neutral slot do?”
“Puts the vehicle in reverse. Honestly, you’re overstating it. Once they realized they were receiving the exact same laws and expectations Norwood was, they were done. Truth be told they’re a valuable resource. With so many disparate races there, they’ll make excellent special forces down the road. Werewolf scouts. Troll and Ogre vanguards. Fae infiltrators.”
Runner flipped the lever two notches up, moving from first to third gear.
“Why not travel at the maximum velocity that is available?” Satomi indicted the fifth gear.
“Requires fuel of a magical sort. Third will regenerate as fast as it’s being used, creating a zero gain zero loss situation. Fourth will drain it at a fair rate, fifth will burn through it rapidly.”
“I understand, bonded. I will take control now,” Satomi demanded. Putting her hand to his shoulder, she pushed him once.
“I can sit in your lap, and tell your women of this when we arrive in Norwood, or you can move.”
“Vixen, you’re a terrible person. Do you have any idea how much trouble I’ll be in simply about the fact that you exist? Fine, drive. Keep us on the road. There shouldn’t be any turns or twists for quite a while.”
Runner stood up, keeping a hand on the wheel until Satomi had seated herself and taken the wheel in her hands.
Shaking his head, Runner went over to Sophia and tapped her gently on the shoulder.
Sophia’s wings fluttered at the attention. Apparently she had zoned out and was in her own world.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. Sure you don’t want to go back to a Sunless? I mean, hey, as long as you’re happy, but you don’t have to remain like this.”
“I enjoy the wings. Flying is blissful. Thank you, sir. What do you need?”
“I need you to accept this without a word or complaint.”
Runner opened his inventory and pulled out a staff made of a dark black metal. Inlaid in strips along the length were cherry wood panels. They moved in sleek lines and sharp angles, playing to the rigid personality that was Sophia.
The top wa
s a bronze cap with a steel blade mounted on it. Serving as staff and spear, it would be a lethal thing.
“Almost all of the attributes are intelligence. A little agility. I would say it’s the equal to Lady Death’s Mortal Coil.”
“Sir—”
“What’d I say, Grace?”
Sophia held out her hands and accepted the weapon without another word.
“Fantastic. I didn’t name it, feel free.” Runner left her there and went to the back, taking a seat next to Lobu.
“Nice weapon.”
“Thanks. Might make you one down the road.”
“Why? I’m not trying to sleep with you.”
Runner laughed at that.
“Maybe that’s the reason, then.”
“A common problem for you?”
“Let’s say I have a harem, I walked into it willingly, and so far everything is working out. I’m not sure how long I can expect it to.”
“Sounds like fun to me.”
“Now add in the fact I’m pretty sure I’m in love with them. All of them.”
“You’re fucked. Literally and figuratively.”
“Thanks. Delightful bit of advice.”
“So are those two…”
“One is my familiar, the other would if I asked, I’m sure.”
“The rest are elsewhere?”
“More or less.”
Lobu grunted at that and leaned back in his seat.
“Complicated.”
Runner could only nod his head at that. Having Lobu around gave him an outlet he hadn’t expected.
“Very. Hey, thanks for listening. You should open a bar.”
“Sure. Could I have a loan to open it?”
“Why not? When we get back to Norwood, find a spot and get a cost sheet together.”
“I should have asked for the brothel inspector position instead.”
08:00 am Sovereign Earth time
1/17/44
“Ho the gate. I am Runner Norwood. I have come to discuss the terms of the incorporation of your city into the lands of Norwood,” Runner called out to the gate guards. He was trying to do it in a safe way that allowed them time to respond. There was no need to panic them.
Otherlife Awakening: The Selfless Hero Trilogy Page 14