Resolving himself to casting another Fireblast rather than risk his life he raised his hand. Ice exploded from the Orc’s neck, a spear of ice ripping through the green skin, the magical attack nearly decapitated the poor creature with its sheer power.
Mentally crossing both Orcs from his list and pivoted to face Katarina, inexorably she was forced from the bottleneck. Three Orc’s bulled their way in, Katarina felling the fourth as they moved to encircle her.
Not missing this golden opportunity Runner sunk his short sword into the back of the closest one. Critical tinkling noises filled his ears with it’s beautiful siren song, a confirmation of a powerful blow. With the Critical attack and the Flank attack bonus, the Orc was no more and deflated like a popped balloon.
Casting Cure on Katarina followed by Regeneration his mana pool, he stalked around to the rear of one of the remaining Orcs. Katarina had her shield aimed to Orc he was approaching was engaged with the other. As he neared the Orc an Ice spear took it’s life, entering one side of it’s chest and exiting the other.
Runner turned to face the last Orc and found it was in mid swing to end his life. There was nothing he could do, there were no actions he could take that would be able to halt, deflect, or dodge that blade. Apparently his last cast of Regeneration on Katarina put him at the top of his aggro list. Thus fixating on him and ignoring Katarina. He hadn’t heeded his own advice and charged in foolishly with no health.
Then Katarina was there, putting herself in front of him and taking the blow on his behalf. Standing behind her he watched her shoulder flex and then the Orc drop to the ground at her feet.
Runner closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the back of Katarina’s spine. He had truly believed that he was going to die.
“You blessedly quick witted and gorgeous woman. That would have been the end of me if that connected. Definitely going to share my beetles with you.”
Runner took deep quivering breaths, his short sword and dagger forgotten on the ground, having fallen from nerveless fingers. He rested his hands on her sides now for stability, not trusting himself to stand on his own.
Katarina made no reply nor did she move. Barbarians were warlike people who thrived in battle but paid for their blood lust in the aftermath. Unable to confirm it but fairly sure of it, he believed she was probably trying to quell the burning desire for combat. It was as much as a positive racial passive as it was a detriment.
Patting her on the hip he lifted his head and looked to Thana. She was standing a fair distance back, ready for whatever came next.
“Solid spell work my Lady Death. Those spears were definitely on another level. You really pulled out a few clutch hits there. Ok, cleanup time I guess. I don’t think we’ll ever fight a group that big again thankfully. That was like two patrols, maybe even three,” Runner mused aloud.
Runner walked over to Thana and surveyed the other end of the building. Hannah was there, looking back at him, guarding their flank as he requested. Signaling to her to remain where she is he also provided a thumbs up for her. Hannah apparently had been a little tense as even from this distance it was clear she relaxed at the signal, then threw a thumbs up back at him. It’s a pity party chat only works the same distance as normal chat. Annoying to not be able to communicate with her from here. Damn game designers and there realism, woooo.
Rounding on Katarina he walked over to her after scanning the area around them.
Katarina stood watching the exit still, shield and sword clutched in her hands. Eyes focused, her stance loose but ready, she seemed the embodiment of a Fighter, waiting for the next battle.
“You alright Kitten?” Runner asked her quietly. “I won’t hold you and Thana to anything, if that’s what you’re thinking. You’re free to go after we split the loot from the dead. We’ll not have another fight like that until we actively begin pulling to this location.”
Katarina said nothing at first, though she did glance at him and then away again. She shifted her weight slowly from foot to foot, her thumb tracing the line of the sword’s hilt. As there was no rush Runner left her to think.
Keeping himself busy he went to loot and drag the dead to an empty cell. Ugly but necessary work. Though it felt like a good amount of time had gone by, it had only taken perhaps five minutes to clear the field and loot the dead.
In that time Thana had started rooting around in the cages that held the stolen belongings of travelers while Runner had finished his grisly task.
Standing before Katarina he reached out to touch her shoulder with his fingertips, trying to get her attention. Hesitating a moment longer she finally spoke.
“I would remain. I…would be your sword and shield. Though I am unsure of these beetles.”
Runner didn’t reply immediately. In fact he seriously considered rejecting her. Realization came to him though when he considered how much damage she soaked up. How she held against everything with the barest of support, that she had put herself before him without a thought to her own well being. Grinning at her he chuckled.
“I accept. The pay is four copper a day, you get eight upfront. Four for today, and four for your last day. My goal is become as strong as possible, as quickly as possible. I expect a lot of bloodshed and a lot of problems. Do you accept these terms?”
“I do.”
“Fantastic, glad to have you aboard Kitten. As to the beetles, trust me, they’re great. Have a real good crunch to them, like biting into a firm apple. Let’s go see if Lady Death will be joining us as well.”
Shifting gears from Katarina, Runner walked over to Thana while signaling for Hannah to come over. Thana was still in the process of sorting through the myriad of items that had been haphazardly packed by the Orcs.
“Thana, I’ll not hold you up any longer. You’re welcome to depart as you wish. You are also welcome to one fourth of the spoils that can be found if you choose to leave.”
“I’ll be taking the equal of the offer you gave Katarina, thank you. You weren’t as quiet as you think and I have exceptional hearing to begin with,” Thana said confidently, not even pausing from her task.
“Right. Good. The company of an intelligent, young, and beautiful woman such as yourself is not something one should ever turn down. Ah, good timing Hanners. Lady Death and Kitten will be joining us. I must confess that this one’s earned the right to my beetles. Don’t be jealous,” he said, gesturing his thumb at Katarina.
Hannah looked from Runner to Katarina and said nothing. They fixed their gaze on one another before both looked to him at the same time.
“She’s fucking welcome to them then. I can’t get over the clicking noises they make, remember?” Hannah explained exasperatedly as a shudder played over her.
“Hey, hey, they’re delicious. Watch, watch. Kitten, close your eyes and open your mouth. Just start chewing and don’t think about it.”
Runner was already moving things around in his inventory window and pulled a squirming, clicking beetle out. Surprisingly Katarina did exactly as he asked. Not waiting or letting her change her mind he pushed the beetle into her mouth.
Thana and Hannah were both watching with interest as Katarina chewed it up and swallowed. Tilting her head to the side Katarina opened her coal dark eyes and looked at Runner before smiling. Runner had been right, a smile was the best thing for Katarina. It opened her entire face in an entirely different way and made those dark eyes smolder.
“Very crunchy. Tastes odd at first. Probably grow on you, get used to them,” Katarina critiqued.
Laughing triumphantly Runner pulled another beetle and set it into Katarina’s hand.
“Ha? See? I was right. They’re delicious after the first one. More for us, ain’t that right Kitten? Forgive me, I’m sidetracked. Next we clear the area of every single Orc. Peasant, woman, warrior, whatever it is, it’s gotta be put in the ground. I doubt very much we’ll run into anything that large in number from here on out either. Hanners, any thoughts on how to keep that back door fro
m opening up?” Runner inquired of Hannah.
“None of them came over during your little party over here. There’s a bracket to hold a bream in place to brace the door. I found the beam when I got over there. I dropped the fucker in place, wanted to be sure. I figure it’s enough to give us a warning to expect a problem if nothing else. Shit else we can do about it though.”
“Close enough. Hanners, you’re on pulling duty. Do it like we talked about on the way over. Shouldn’t be too bad. Kitten, I need you to stand at the front. Once Hanners gets past you, close it up and hold them there. Lady Death, I would ask that you stand back with me and cast from there. With your Ice spear, my Fireblast, and Kitten holding them in place, we should be well off. Scratch that, extremely well off. If Hanners gets the chance to put work in with her blades, we’ll drop them quickly,” Runner summarized. “I’ll keep you healthy Kitten, so have no fear of that.”
“I indeed have no fear of that. I will do as you’ve instructed. Second one was a lot better,” acknowledged Katarina, the beetle now absent from her hand.
“Good, a repeat of last time with fewer Orcs. I have absolute faith in all of you.”
Squaring his shoulders Runner grinned wolfishly and flexed his hands and shook them out.
“Shall we begin?” Runner asked, looking to his companions.
Chapter 6 - King of Cliches -
04:18pm Sovereign Earth time
09/06/43
Runner ran his eyes over the map spread out over the table. It was only a map in the vaguest sense of the word. Originally, Runner had pulled out a roll of parchment from his inventory, put it down, and started drawing in everything that was visible. Hannah filled in gaps here and there where she could. Each building became a rough box and the fort began to take shape on the paper.
They’d turned the Stables into their operating base since it was already clear and reasonably defensible. A frown creeped up on him while he shaded in one of the squares marking a building. Hannah tapped a different square on the map and Runner moved a small rock to that building that she indicated.
“Marked,” he confirmed. Standing, Runner blew out a breath and stretched his back. Hannah slipped out of the stable to go get the next set of Orcs.
“You came amazingly prepared. I did not consider you would have put so much planning behind it. Let alone any thought at all. You don’t seem the type.”
Runner made a displeased face and turned to Thana. Pinning her with a glare his brow came down. He could feel his frustration seeping out of him and tried his best to battle it down.
“Why? Because I choose to be who I am? Because I care little for social niceties? Because I refuse to play the games others do? That same kind of thinking would have me leaving you in the cage. A set of societal norms that would condemn you for you and Hanners for your race. To be used and disposed of based on whatever flight of fancy tickled me.”
Thana said nothing and looked away from his furious glare. Runner sighed and tried to smooth out his emotions as his he scanned the room. Eventually they fell on Katarina.
In the short time he’d spent with her he’d quickly discovered she wouldn’t mince words. She’d tell him exactly what she thought and expected, regardless of anyone else’s views. It was certainly refreshing considering he’d only had the swarthy mouthed Hannah for company for days.
Katarina stood at the entrance, sword in hand ,and on guard. Silent, stoic, waiting. What he would have considered originally a boisterous personality turned out to be shockingly the opposite. Now she seemed the immaculate warrior maiden, stern and unrelenting, the shield that protects and the sword that delivers swift retribution. He’d judged her incorrectly and unfairly.
Thana on the other hand had already been pushing his buttons with questions and mildly irritating statements. Half of what she said forced him into a reconsideration of his opinion and the other half outright annoyed him into debating with her. It’s frustrating because I know what she says isn’t wrong, just a different way of looking at things.
“That would be your doing you realize. You forced her into a role she had never considered. One she hadn’t even truly realized existed. She merely was content to do as she willed. With a handful of words and a compelling appeal, you’ve broken the sharp edges off her and slapped a purpose into her. I wouldn’t have thought it possible if I hadn’t seen it, but there it is.”
“I did nothing of the sort. All I did was intimidate her, put a sword in her hand, and demand things of her.”
Thana’s gentle laughter drew his focus from Katarina. Smiling widely Thana shook her head at him.
“Yes. The woman you intimidated, yet you didn’t deny interest in. Who you threatened to break completely if she didn’t bend to your will, then you gave her your own sword and stood before her defenseless. A woman who had always done as her free spirit wanted, you denied it, and demanded she use herself for you,” Thana explained patiently. Moving to stand in front of him she now looked into his eyes defiantly. Daring him to deny any of her statements.
“You shattered her self assurance in her physical strength and then replaced it with confidence in her judgment and intellect. You gave her your trust without demanding hers. It’s honestly terribly cliche, but that’s the problem with cliches, they tend to originate in reality.”
“Cliche she says. I’ll have you know I planned no such thing. I merely did what was required of me.”
“So you say. I’ll believe it to a point, but would you now cast her aside if it were required of you? Perhaps for a more convenient tool, a better warrior? Would you dismiss Hannah? Me?” she asked, her voice softening near the end.
Runner was angry and frustrated with the Sunless woman. Again. They’d been systematically clearing the village of Orcs, eliminating any and all, for the entirety of the day now. Corpses were stacked in the cells, looted completely of everything worth a coin. Minutes into this systematic cleansing the Sunless Sorceress had started with her questions. Like a fencer, they started with light probing things. Easily answered and thrown away. By the second hour she’d brought him into philosophical debate.
It wasn’t until the fourth hour that he realized she was enjoying the exchanges which only served to get deeper under his skin. Spanning any number of subjects it seemed Thana lived to debate, question, and prod him. Katarina was no help in this situation as she was devoted to her duty and wouldn’t leave the door. Though he doubted she would have added much to the conversation. She wasn’t unintelligent, she merely didn’t wish to concern herself with subjects of no interest to her.
Clenching his fist he considered ejecting Thana from the party. It’d be that simple he told himself. Removed from the party, she’d have no reason to stay and would leave. Perhaps kicking her in order to prove he could do what was required of him. Required of him to save everyone.
Deciding to do just that, he started to form the command to see the kick party member command. Then he hesitated as he thought about how much he did actually need her. Hand trembling in barely checked frustration, he let it fall to his side.
“I can’t afford to do anything else. I have to do everything I can to level up. You wouldn’t understand, none of you would. You’re just NPCs. You’re not even real, just random bits of code strung together, powered by electricity, and a guiding AI. Don’t you get it? You’re not real. You’re characters in a story. Not even major characters.”
Runner struggled with himself, the weight of the problem wracked him with guilt at night. Nightmares waited for him built on the fear of how high the graveyard count would reach each morning. Five thousand souls was the tally now. Five thousand.
Seeking rest each night, his mind wanted only to circle around the idea that everyone was trapped. Every single person was stuck in this game, with no way out, unless he could manage to log in to the system and begin to make changes necessary to protect everyone. Game Master control’s could bring everyone to one spot, then they could plan. Organize everyone and put peop
le on the path to getting out of this situation, or at the least, safety. They were all waiting on him.
“I will admit, I only understand some of what you’ve said, but I can tell you now, I am a woman. A Sunless Sorceress to be exact. I think. I feel. I have memories. I…I feel some of them are strange, they don’t seem to match up…and…and things are missing. Everything from the moment you appeared is different. A subtle difference in flavor you could say. Yet here I stand, discussing a “am I me” philosophical debate with you,” Thana said. Flashing that predatory smile at him.
Chuckling he shook his head and grinned in return. “I think you enjoy frustrating me. Your questions grow more provocative every minute, more wolfish. More hungry than that clever smile of yours. You seem to enjoy pulling me into arguments, just to argue with me. Soon you’ll have me debating the finer points of cheese making.”
“Of course,” she agreed. “You’re clearly intelligent and have a fine mind for debate. You’re also without any doubt suffering. Inside you there is a piece that isn’t healthy, whole, complete. I can’t fix it if I can’t find it. Besides, you like my smile. You always smile back.”
Sighing he started to respond, fighting the smile that threatened to break free when he was interrupted by Katarina.
“Incoming.”
“Ah, to be continued Lady Death.”
With a deep mocking bow he gestured for her to proceed him.
Thana inclined her head slightly and moved to her assigned position. Runner came to stand beside her and they stood shoulder to shoulder. Placed here they were angled in such a way that they could see the door and target enemies easily. They’d left the ice as it was since it would operate as a bottleneck if need be. Thick as a fog, silence hung over them all as they waited for Hannah.
Hannah came sprinting in through through the gap in the ice. “Two warriors!” Hannah gasped out.
Otherlife Dreams: The Selfless Hero Trilogy Page 9