Otherlife Nightmares: The Selfless Hero Trilogy (37 page)

Sophia seemed stunned at the instant acceptance and number given to her. Eventually she turned her head to the nine other women beside her, then looked back to Runner.

“I have nine already. Only a few to go.”

Runner laughed and shook his head, smiling. Runner appreciated humor. Dark humor more so.

Sophia smiled wide in return at him, her pointed teeth making an appearance. As if realizing it, she tried to close her mouth and smile with her lips only. Thana had mentioned most people seemed put off by the Sunless’ teeth.

“Ptff, get over that, Grace. I love the Sunless smile. If you ever try to hide it again, I’ll fire you. Same goes for the rest of you.” Runner peered at the other women. Who promptly all showed him genuine Sunless smiles. “Alright. Load up. Asses and elbows, ladies. You’re in charge of everything but driving, Grace.”

The moment the last of them had gotten in, Runner clambered up and locked the rear door in place. Stopping in the middle of the cabin, Runner pulled out a new addition he’d been working on.

Shaped like a narrow bookcase, it held a large number of small shelves that looked more like a wine rack. Those individual slots were padded to prevent the contents from smacking into the wood.

Each row had been labeled for what would be there. Runner had made anything that might hold a small use for anyone aboard Boxy.

Runner tied the new piece into Boxy and attached it through his broken crafting abilities. Rapidly he emptied his inventory of his hoard of potions, filling each and every slot.

“Familiarize yourself with everything in the racks. Anything that’s an ability is a quick use. Drink it, then use the ability. If you need a potion, drink it. You’re not replaceable, potions are,” Runner said offhandedly over his shoulder as he took his seat at the front.

Shame revive is Player only.

Checking his map, he confirmed everyone was in position. Before he could close it, the gate dropped down. That could only mean that the enemy line had engaged Thana’s emplacement.

Pulling the shifter into second and dropping the brake, Runner angled himself to the front of the other six tanks and towards the gatehouse.

Each tank driver had been given an instruction manual early this morning describing the limitations of the tanks’ speed and refresh rate. He only hoped the Barbarian drivers would be as quick-witted as their queen.

Popping it into third gear as he cleared the gatehouse, Runner felt his heartbeat accelerating. The insane bloodlust he’d felt the first time around didn’t overwhelm him. His night with Katarina and the previous bloodbath had been very therapeutic.

The tension and pressure on him was still there, but not as bad. He had solutions. Workable solutions that were in progress.

They’d be at the battle in only a minute. His opposing general apparently thought little of the Barbarian leadership. After having met the king he couldn’t blame her. She’d pay for it though.

Like a curtain being drawn wide, Runner saw the enemy forces and his own engaged in battle. Instead of an unbroken line, his foe had split her forces up into smaller groups and spread them out until they reached his own troops.

There they had piled back up into a line and fought. She was trying to limit casualties from his cannons and the eventual return of his single tank. With only one tank, losses would still be numerous but severely reduced.

The flanks of the army were filled with heavy cavalry. Previously she had held them in reserve in case he attempted to flank with his own cavalry.

He imagined those heavy horse soldiers were there to chase after Boxy after she passed through. Apparently the general had made plans to deal with Runner’s toys.

A pity for them he had seven now. This general was a problem though. A real problem.

“Grace!” Runner shouted backwards. After a second the brunette was there, her lips next to his ear.

“Yes, sir?”

“Slight change of plans, Grace. Pop the rear door and throw the ‘free attack’ sign out at the others. We’ll be angling for the command tent. This general learns quick and I want her done. She’ll be confused by the six tanks and not expect a seventh from the rear. Everyone else needs to load up on silence and sleep potions. I want the sleeping general and anyone else around her taking a nap as well.”

“Your will, sir.”

Then Sophia was gone.

Runner waited until he heard the rear hatch close again before swinging out wide and away from the battle. It would take some time to do it, but if he could secure the general, this would be over today.

Taking a peek from his side view port, he watched the six tanks continue onwards. Looking straight ahead again, he called up his map. He needed to figure out where she’d be. If he were her, where would he put his own command site? Especially if he’d been attacked once already. Close enough that he could watch the battle but flee if the fight wasn’t going his way
.

With his fingertip, Runner followed a side road that led towards open fields. Every other direction would put them closer to harm’s way or a dead end.

Ranging the approach, Runner kept them moving.

Behind him the clink of bottles could be heard as his little magical troop stocked up. Sophia returned after a few minutes of them driving endlessly.

“We’re ready, sir. I will give you your general personally. When we take her, where should we put her?”

“Tie her up and drop her over my lap. Anywhere else she might bounce around and get hurt. If she’s hurt, she’ll wake up. Be gentle.”

“Your will, sir.”

Runner rolled his eyes but kept silent. This “sir” business was grating on his nerves.

His mind went down a path he didn’t want it to and was helpless to stop. His thoughts firing one after another with questions aimed at himself from himself.

Here you are. Defending a virtual country you don’t need to. You say you could have escaped the castle, yet you could easily have ditched the entire army. This is all pointless. Even now the medical server is connecting itself to every pod in preparation. It’ll be ready in only a few hours. All you need to do is move everyone. Then you’re done. They’re safe. But this? This is all pointless. So, why?

Thoughts of his party flashed through his mind. Then his extended party, like Isabelle and Stefan. Then those connected to his party. Even the goddesses.

He had promised to keep the world running for Nadine. Now, though, he was trying to fix what he could.

He couldn’t answer his questions. He was also out of time.

He had been wrong in his guess on the general’s command post. But only by thirty feet or so. She had moved herself further back than his original estimate. Moving Boxy to her first gear, Runner crept along, keeping the noise output as low as possible.

The moment they noticed him he planned on hitting it into fifth.

There.

His blonde counterpart had armed herself and taken up a guard this time. Surrounded by armored knights, she held a staff in her left hand as she watched the battle.

Runner selected the general and stuck a red X symbol on her. Then began marking everyone around her with other markings.

Runner had just opened his mouth to explain when he heard Sophia’s voice.

“Red X is the target. Sleep every other target. I’ll take her personally,” Sophia commanded. He heard the rear hatch open in preparation for the grab and bag. Runner suddenly felt a deep gratitude to Sophia. Already she was earning her keep.

Amazingly Runner got them within fifty yards before they were noticed. Runner slammed it into fifth gear and Boxy surged forward. Blondie didn’t even turn her head—she was completely focused on the battle. Barreling into the command camp, he avoided everyone and everything in his singular drive to capture the general.

Finally, her head turned as Runner whipped Boxy around into a fishtail to present the rear door at the target.

Sophia and her double-sized squad leapt out of the moving vehicle before he brought it into neutral. Looking over his shoulder, he watched and waited, feeling helpless.

Shouting and yelling came to him along with a few magical detonations, then silence.

The Sunless squad came stumbling back in through the hatch. Two had half health bars and a third happened to be in the red and looked like she’d been hit with a couple debuffs, but they were there.

Sophia and a troop member clambered in, each carrying a body. The final member came in and shut the hatch. Sophia dropped the bound blonde general into Runner’s lap and she took the second sleeping body into her arms.

Sitting down right there in the middle of the cabin, Sophia pulled the sleeping woman into her lap and started yelling orders at her crew. No time to question her about the second person. Runner slapped the shifter into fifth gear.

Pressing his right hand into the general’s lower back, he held her in place as he drove with his left hand.

“Sorry, General. We weren’t going to take any chances. You’re far too smart for your own good. You have everyone’s utmost respect and admiration,” Runner apologetically said, rubbing the general’s back lightly. “Have no fear, no one intends to abuse you or cause you harm. Providing you agree to my terms. Otherwise it will be a very clean and very swift death. I promise.”

Then they were clear of the command camp. Ahead of them the battle continued on.

His cannons fired every moment they could get a clear shot. Tanks swept back and forth through the ranks in a wedge formation.

His Barbarian allies had engaged one of the cavalry flanks and were currently destroying it as the other side’s cavalry battled Runner’s.

Now he could see why blondie had been so into the fight. It wasn’t going her way at all.

Thana, Katarina, Hannah, Nadine, and Isabelle were doing spectacularly. Smiling, proud of his Awakened Naturals, he spun the wheel till he was heading towards the rear of the battle.

Stopping a few hundred yards short of the fight, he spun Boxy around so her rear faced the troops.

Shifting the general carefully, he tried not to harm her. Eventually he managed to get her to his shoulder.

“Grace, I’m going to see if I can get them to surrender. Guard duty,” Runner said as he stood up, his left arm wrapped around the general’s thighs and his right hand pressing to her waist to steady her.

“You, you, and you. Wall spells if needed. You and you, guard duty from the vehicle. Rest of you on bodyguard status. I’m on sleep watch for our guest,” Sophia ordered, setting the little brunette she had been holding to the side.

Runner was a bit astonished at how well she was doing. His paranoia even went up a notch.

“Grace, where have you been all my life? I never expected this,” Runner quipped as he made his way to the rear door. Two of the noblewomen opened the hatch and scurried outside to secure the area.

“Being raised to be an obedient wife,” she said, standing up. “I begged Lady Thana for assistance in military tactics. Though I find myself beggared to her in favors, I have been given an extensive library on small-force tactics,” said the woman, keeping close to Runner’s side.

“I’ll let her know I appreciate what she did for you. You’re worth your weight in gold already,” Runner said, coming to a halt in the grass. “Brighteyes, Angel, Minxy, I’m about to kick this anthill over. As always, you’re welcome to join me if you see fit.”

“You always have the best surprises,” Brunhild murmured as she simply appeared in front of him.

“Yes,” Ernsta agreed, nodding her head.

“Sure, love. You’re good for a show. That and I get to stare at your ass,” Amelia purred at him, immediately closing to within touching distance.

“Down, girl. Occupied right now.” Runner called up his GM command list once more.

/Commands

Available Commands:

Adopt

Broadcast

ClassReset

DiasbleChat

Divorce

EnableChat

GMHub

LogOut

Marry

Rename

GMHubReturn

Unstuck

/Broadcast

Broadcast X(zone) Y(zone distance: measured in number of units from point specified)

/Broadcast Kastell 1

“Soldiers of the Human army, I am Runner Norwood, known as Breaker. On my life to Ernsta, Brunhild, and Amelia, I swear to you your general has fallen and is now my personal captive. Should you surrender immediately, by lying on the ground, face down, I will take your lives and safety into my custody. You will survive this ordeal and be free once this war is done. You have ten seconds to comply. No clemency will be granted after this.”

“Witnessed,” the trio of goddesses boomed in response.

Like a ripple passing through water, handfuls of soldiers dropped to their faces, then tens, then hundreds.

Till even the cavalry were lying face down on the ground, and the battle was over.

“Pack ’em up, Grace. We’re heading back to Kastell. Game over,” Runner chirped.