Otherlife Dreams: The Selfless Hero Trilogy (20 page)

“Ah! Hello there. We really should stop meeting like this. I seemingly can’t stop from just punching him in the throat. Though I do appreciate the fact that it’s always right into your waiting arms, wouldn’t want to dirty his noble bum,” Runner admitted with a smirk to the priest. Blood pounding with the heat of anger and the desire to throttle the man Runner had to focus.

As Mr. Personality regained himself Runner targeted the man and used Analyze. Named Bullard Griffin the man was a level twenty-four Warrior. Unfortunately that was the only information available and it was enough for now.

“Bullard, you’ve ruined my lovely morning. Do you not realize just how damn lovely this scene is? Perhaps you should leave before I end your sorry life.”

“You could try, my cause is just, and I believe in my triumph and my Gods. You consort with ill-bred filth that are looking for an excuse to sacrifice you as an offering. Give them to the church and you’ll be forgiven! You can keep the half-breed but turn over the barbarian and the w-other,” enthused Bullard.

“Ill-bred. Hah. I’d wager bronze to gold she’s more educated and cultured than yourself. As for being forgiven, I’ve done nothing other than free those who were wrongly imprisoned. You would argue that I should have left them there based on your account. On what was said then and there. I am not one of your Gods, nor theirs. Why must I stand in judgment of them? You would condemn them for doing their best to cling to life in a bad situation and survive. Condemn them for their very race alone. I ask no forgiveness from such an intolerant people. Go now. You bore me.”

Waving his hand at the man he Runner looked to the ferry coming towards them. He didn’t notice them depart, didn’t even hear them if they had continued to speak once he’d turned his back. Nor did he even care.

Apprehensive, he could feel the pressure overwhelming him, bit by bit. Runner shook his head and closed his eyes trying to find the peace he had minutes before. Frequent nightmares, quick to wrath, slow to relax, unable to quiet his mind, and honestly feeling like he wasn’t going to measure up, all pointed to the fact that Runner was cracking. Resting his head on his forearms he tried to find a semblance of calm, a place to let his mind recover, to push out the fury.

Creaking wood and the gentle play of water under him provided a framework to reorder his mind. Screwing his eyes shut tightly he attempted to empty his mind, his psyche straining at the edges as if he might come flying apart. Sunlight warmed the top of his head and the backs of his arms as he battled within himself.

Light scuffing from the soles of shoes alerted Runner to another person joining him at the railing. Every muscle in his body locked tight for a split second before he realized it could only be one person and relaxed. Location, personality, and a request he’d made to her previously told him who it was.

“Am I already lost? I’ve yet to begin and I’m already crumbling. It’s been a month I admit, but I truly thought I was stronger than this. I must continue though I’m terrified to do so. Yet who else? No one else can do this. That fact is only reinforced by the nine thousand dead. I have to unlock my memories. I have to free everyone. I can’t do this.”

The quiet whisperings of the wind and play of water answered him. Runner feared in his heart there would be no response coming, no forgiveness or consolation.

“My understanding of the situation is thus. You are missing large swathes of your memory. From what little I understand, it sounds as if a large portion of your life is blank. Perhaps not the broader strokes, but much of the underlying detail. Your life experiences. Beliefs you hold dear. Decisions you’ve made. Battles you’ve fought and ideals you’ve challenged. They’re missing. The sum of what we are, our experience, is what we draw upon to make choices. It’s what we use to defend ourselves from doubt. We compare them to things we’ve done previously and judge it based on what the outcome had been then,” breathed Thana. She’d pitched her volume low enough that only he could pick it up.

“With all that being said, I would say you’re doing as satisfactorily as could be expected for a man who has very few life lessons to draw on. For both taking action and defending those actions. Stay the course. Run on Runner.”

As she finished talking she patted the back of his arm but didn’t leave his side. Thana tended to radiate her proximity without much effort and he could feel her now. Taking solace in her company Runner said nothing and thought on her words.

In many ways they made a lot of sense. It didn’t help break down the pressure of it all, but it helped restore some of his flagging confidence. Stay the course.

The ferry trip itself was unremarkable and took two hours. Most of the group spent their time either with each other or walking the deck. Runner chose to spend the journey at the highest point, lost in thought. Watching the other travelers he managed to spot Bullard and his priest near the rear. They kept to themselves, but they made themselves scarce when one of Runner’s party came within their field of vision.

When the boat came near the shoreline Runner had decided to be one of the first off. Stepping free the boarding plank Runner eased himself to the side of the wharf and waited for the rest of his group. Biding his time he let his eyes run over those who disembarked, tracking those on the pier, and finally everyone down on the street side. The cities name escaped Runner and he didn’t care enough to look it up. Time spent here would be brief indeed. Perhaps enough to get directions. They’d finally decided on their location and had selected Faren, the starting city of the humans.

Non-player characters went about their daily business. Scattered throughout the crowd were players. In fact Runner could almost count more players than non-players for the first time ever. A vast majority of players were seemingly playing it safe, staying within town limits and only venturing out to kill beasts they knew they could fight without a problem. Yet no one held recognition for him beyond anything more than a general “I might have seen them before.”

This must be where the starting quests are filtering a good majority of people. Everyone here is between twelve and sixteen. Judging from that I should be able to clear out the newbie area completely with relative ease.

His attention was arrested in it’s wandering on one man in particular. Sitting on a barrel wedged up to the wall of a building sat a man who was out of place. Labeled “Wharf Rat” and level seventeen he stood out, yet he blended in at the same time. Unable to put a finger on it Runner watched the man, then the crowd around him. He realized why he’d suddenly become aware of him. Slightly disreputable looking, dressed in what could only be called the meanest of clothes, he was avoided by non-player characters completely.

It wasn’t out of revulsion of a dirty bum, it was out of fear. They’d notice him sitting there, look away, then do whatever it took to steer clear of him and avoid his scrutiny. Allowing his mind to gnaw at it he realized what the other part of the issue was. Scruffy McGee over there had eyes only for those who were disembarking the ferry.

Contemplating the situation Runner’s head tilted to the side as he watched Scruffy, who watched the passengers.

Scruffy sat upright as he locked on to someone who had caught his interest. Glancing over his shoulder Runner immediately noticed Hannah coming down the pier to him. Whipping his head around he locked eyes with Scruffy who apparently had finally noticed him. Time slowed to a crawl in that moment. Scruffy knew Hannah. Scruffy was waiting for Hannah. Scruffy did not mean well for Hannah.

Before Scruffy could act Runner took off like a bolt shot from a crossbow. Sprinting at a dead run he nimbly made his way down the harbor. Scrambling from his perch Scruffy tripped over himself and then turned down a nearby alley. After only a dozen steps the man disappeared into the shadows cast between the rundown warehouses of the shipping district.

Not pausing to consider the situation he sped onwards. Careening off a pedestrian who stopped dead in front of him he spun, trying to preserve his speed. Shadows enveloped him as he entered the alleyway and tried to pick get back up to a sprint.

He wasn’t able to dodge Scruffy’s attack. Runner had missed him lurking there, his eyes adjusting to the change in light. Taking the entirety of the Slash without a single defensive bonus Runner stumbled and lost his balance.

HUD flashing red to indicate he was in combat, he tumbled across the murky sludge of the alley. Trash and debris sprayed out around him as he splashed through the murk. Righting himself as swiftly as he could, Runner drew his sword and threw out a Fireblast blindly in front of him.

Lit by the red glow of the spell, Runner could see Scruffy’s limbs around the blast’s impact. Scruffy took the attack to the chest and staggered backwards. It gave Runner enough time to chug a health potion just to be safe. Potions could be purchased, his life could not.

Unfortunately Scruffy didn’t catch fire and suffer secondary damage, which would have been nice. Pitching the empty bottle at the man it clipped him in the temple and shattered, spraying bits of glass everywhere.

Roaring at him Scruffy launched himself forward, swinging his dirk high at Runner’s face. Dodging low Runner thrust his blade outward at Scruffy’s knee. With a satisfying hiss the blade split the threadbare clothes and carved out the back of the joint. Falling forward Scruffy collapsed, falling to his hands and knees. Health bar flickering all the way down to orange from green in a heart beat was bad enough, but the debuff “hamstrung” had also popped up. At this point Runner had the man dead to rights, it wouldn’t take much to finish this swiftly, but that wouldn’t answer anything.

Runner jumped on Scruffy’s back and pushed his face down into a puddle of muck that had collected in a broken cobblestone. Unwilling to let the chance go for information, he held him there until he thought the man might be pliable to questioning.

Letting Scruffy up for a breath, Runner hunched over the man, whispering into his ear. Runner did his best to make his voice crack, the pitch coming from high to low as he spoke.

“Greetings friend. I’m afraid I’m not one for introductions. Linda wants to know if you taste good. I’m not sure if you do?”

Runner abruptly slammed the mans face down back into the murky water again. With his left hand he stroked the side of Scruffy’s face tenderly while holding the man’s head down with the right. Cringing mentally at the extreme psychotic feeling he knew he was giving off, Runner once more worried about his sanity. Everything had a price and actions demanded the steepest payments.

You use Intimidate on Wharf Rat

Wharf Rat is Intimidated

Letting the man up to breathe, Runner jammed his index finger into the man’s left ear.

“Perhaps your brain? Brain, drain, delicious pain, sweet, sweet, tasty meat? Scott? No, Scott, no, Scott, no. No I won’t ask him. He won’t know,” hissed Runner.

“I migh’ know! Ask me, please! I migh’ know, I migh’ know!” squealed Scruffy.

Scott! You ruin it, why do you always ruin it? Ruiner, ruiner of all. Fine. Scruffy, why were you looking for the woman? What for did you need her?”

“I was paid to look’n for’er, Hanner, sure ‘nough. Paid me good coin. Was to go’n tell the bartender at the Sailor’s Rest. I’m just muscle fer the thieves guil’. I ain’t know nothin’ more. Just get paid to, ya know, rough’n peoples up at times,” screeched Scruffy.

“That’s it? Nothing else?”

“Not’in. Swears!”

“Thank you.”

Runner picked up his blade, activated Stealth since Scruffy couldn’t actually see him, and drove the length of it into the side of Scruffy.

“I’m sorry. I can’t have you running around with what you know,” lamented Runner. Scruffy thrashed once and then laid still under him. Grunting he extricated his weapon and looted the corpse.

Runner closed his eyes and stood up. Turning his face towards the sky. There was no sun back here in the dark, grimy, trash filled alley. Cold shadows provided no relief to him and the brisk salty wind stung his skin.

It hadn’t been as easy this time as it had been with the bandits. Fear had been rolling off the man in waves. Fear like a real person might feel. Fear like an NPC wouldn’t have.

Are they even just non-player characters anymore? Are they real or not? Can I casually murder actual people? I’m no soldier, I’m a damn tech. I’m a rear echelon mother fucker. Can I treat this like a game and still casually kill anyone in my way? What if it had been a young woman? An old man? A mother?

Runner brought his hands to the sides of his head and sighed. What had started as such a lovely day now was beyond lost.

Chapter 10 - Idiot Plan -

2:02pm Sovereign Earth time

10/01/43

Katarina burst into the alleyway, her shield held up and sword in hand. Coming to an abrupt stop she eyed the corpse, Runner, then surveyed the rest of the backstreet. She would have needed to leap from the boat and land sprinting to get here as fast as she did.

“Sorry Kitten, I should have waited but I couldn’t risk him getting away. He was paid to sit here and wait for for Hanners apparently.”

Katarina grunted and moved past him as she went to clear the other end of the alley. Looking to the entrance once again he saw Nadine, Thana, and Hannah arrive at the same time. Runner put his left hand on his hip and took a breath to explain.