Otherlife Nightmares: The Selfless Hero Trilogy (44 page)

“Nope. Be sure to make it diverse if you can. Shoot for volunteers first rather than trying to hire them. Start with who’s willing to serve as a guard to me personally and my eventual household. Those without families would be ideal as there will be little chance to visit home.”

“As you will,” Sophia intoned and brought her fist to her chest.

Runner returned her salute. Sophia departed without another word.

“Alright. Minxy?”

“Your bed looks really comfy. I think I’ll wait in it for you.”

“Suit yourself. No armor in the bed though.” Runner threw up his hand in surrender. Trying to stop Amelia from doing as she pleased would only lead to disaster. There would need to be a sufficient amount of good luck to get anything done with her in the room. Experience told him she would only grow bolder.

Amelia flopped down on his bed, having stripped down to a bra and panties.

“Comfy. I’ll make sure you’re comfy when you join me. We can be comfy together for hours. Or if you like you can bring a third. Maybe that curvy one that just left? She looks like fun.”

Pressing his fingertips to his brow, he tried not to get angry at the frivolous goddess. He did enjoy her attention but it could only add fuel to the fire of his love life.

“Sunshine, let’s go for a walk. Try to rest, Amelia. You’ll be putting in work soon enough.”

“Promises, promises,” Amelia purred, rolling over to her side. She snuggled into his blankets.

“Yes,” Srit replied.

Runner got up and practically jogged out of the tent, leaving the seminude Amelia in his bed.

Srit caught up to him as he passed out of the camp interior and entered the training area. Several guards from Sophia’s squad trailed behind him at a respectable distance.

“You don’t like Amelia?”

“I like her fine, Sunshine. It’s the constant sexual attacks that wear on me. She’s like a god of carnal desires.”

“Based on my studies, I would assert that she is insecure in her position. That or she is truly insanely in love with you and wants nothing more than what she says.”

“I wouldn’t disagree with either. Sleeping with her would only validate either of those problems. That and I’m trying not to endanger my relationship with…er, wait. Do you know about…?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“They would be against you sleeping with her.”

Runner chuckled wryly at that.

“Obviously. Though this whole conversation does raise a question,” Runner said. He had been thinking on it for a while and part of him was afraid to ask. Spurring himself onward, he dove into a question he didn’t want to ask.

“Why am I surrounded by women, Sunshine? Volunteers are almost all women, always. The first to join. Women. My best officers. Women. Best of everything. Women. I’m not against it. In fact, they’re so damn qualified that I’m lucky to have them. Why women though?”

“Your charisma stat interacts with any NPC that comes into contact with your area of influence. Anyone who could be sexually interested in you is impacted by a factor of three. Therefore, your charisma number creates a large desire for NPCs to be near you.”

“Hence, all the women,” Runner said, fear growing in his heart. “Nothing wrong with having an army of Valkyries. Does it…does it ever go away? The influence, that is.”

What do I do if they’re with me for the sake of my charisma after all?

“Yes. The longer they’re in your proximity, the more a normal relationship will develop. You can be certain that every NPC is influenced at the start, but now they all make choices based on their own desires.”

Just like that, Srit assured him that his fears were unfounded.

“Naturals, not NPCs.”

“Naturals then. Be prepared to see much more of the same. Your fame and reputation also work to multiply your effect on Naturals. Any Natural you interact with will have a hard time denying your wishes.”

“Right, then.”

“As an example. Everyone Sophia is hiring is a woman so far.”

“Goodie. And you know that how?”

“I’m able to access a fraction of the server again. It’s a slow process. I will regain my previous level of ability eventually.”

“Fantastic. I missed bothering you late at night. Helped me clear my head.”

“In the way you bothered Katarina and Thana?”

“Sunshine! I’m surprised, shocked, and overjoyed. Are you actually teasing me?”

“Yes. Did it work?”

“Definitely. Though now I can’t help but picture you naked.”

Srit turned a deep scarlet. She was easy to provoke. Delightfully so.

Runner looked around in an attempt to figure out where they were. He’d really wanted to get away from Amelia and didn’t care about where. Now having arrived at “anywhere,” he actually did care.

They were in an antechamber that led into the main dining hall and a small outdoor garden. Flipping the handle of the door to the garden to the side, Runner opened the door.

Moving through the doorway, Runner looked around at the greenery that spread out around him. Catching sight of movement in a bush, he tried to select it.

Nibbles. Level eighteen.

“A squirrel,” Srit said energetically. Scampering through the plants and vegetation, Srit cornered Nibbles and scooped it up. “It has a name.”

“Thana must have named it. I’ve been feeding it. Though at this point I think it’s feeding itself,” Runner said, eying the creature as Srit came back to him

Having grown in size again, it now looked about the size of a medium dog.

“It’s massive.”

“Yes. The code for it is similar in its mutations to your comrades. You have called it Awakened. I do not know why the size is increasing. I will research it,” Srit said with a little excitement in her voice.

“Let me guess, you don’t sleep and get bored at night.”

“No.”

“You should.”

“I can’t, my connections remain active.”

“Turn them off. Shut down your inbound data streams and let yourself sleep here on the server. Leave your passive systems running.”

“I do not like the idea of it. My stream of consciousness would be severed.”

“Try it. Once. If you hate it, you don’t have to. Give it a shot though. Even you could do with a restart at times.”

Runner reached out and rubbed his thumb back and forth over Nibble’s head. Using his left hand, he pulled out a beetle and held it up for the squirrel.

Nibbles snatched it from his fingers, looked up at him, and ate the clacking insect.

“First one sucks. They go down better after that,” Runner apologized, offering another beetle. This time Nibbles nearly inhaled the thing.

“Speaking of beetles, here’s two for you, Sunshine.” Runner pulled a handful from his inventory and pressed them into a trade window for Srit. She accepted the trade without hesitation.

“Well. I can’t go back to my room unless I want to wrestle with a goddess. Pretty sure I’d lose. I figure this is as good a spot as any to make potions.”

Runner sat down on the grass, laying a peach down beside him for Nibbles to eat later.

“There you are.”

Runner looked up, mildly irritated at being interrupted before he’d even started. Stefan stepped out from the same door they came from earlier.

“Ah, Sarge. Wonderful timing actually. I feared I’d have to track you down after my audience.”

Runner caught Srit’s emerald gaze with his own.

“Sunshine, darling. Could you run over to the tailor? I put in an order for a truly extravagant set of clothes. Should be black and red, men’s fashion, made for a lady.”

“Of course,” Srit said immediately.

Runner had to force himself to not watch Srit walk away. Clearly she knew how to put an avatar together because he kept finding his eyes wandering to her.

Keeping his eyes firmly set on Stefan, he scratched at his shoulder. “Beloved and gracious Ernsta has heard your pleas. I have been given the pleasure of granting your wish through her gracious nature. Do not waste her gifts.”

“I—wait, what?”

“You wished to be another race, Ernsta grants you your prayer. Personally, I recommend Barbarian.”

Runner targeted Stefan and activated
RaceReset.

Stefan was no more. Where he’d stood there was only an explosion of blue particles and a ghostly humanoid outline.

“Thank you, dear sweet little lamb,” came Ernsta’s whispered voice.

Runner nodded his head, unsure of what Stefan could hear as he navigated whatever screen he saw. He turned his attention back to his alchemy.

8:57 am Sovereign Earth time

11/22/43

Runner stood up from his deep bow and eyed the throne room. For every one man in the room there were three women. Politics had changed since he last stood here. Women who had been forced into unfavorable marriages with trophy husbands now held their rightful positions.

Off to the side he saw Stefan, the now Barbarian, waiting for a request from Helen or Ernsta. Where he had been an intimidating Sunless before, now he truly looked frightening as the champion of death. Huge and built like a house more than a man. Brown locks and brown eyes in a face that looked eerily similar to Stefan’s, only now a Barbarian of course.

“Runner Norwood. We find ourselves deeply in your debt. Every request you have made of us, I have given freely, to which you pay back equally or more so. You annoy us.”

“I’m sorry, my queen. I respect you too greatly to misuse your generosity. I hold your royal majesty in the greatest regard.”

Queen Helen snorted and he caught the barest hint of a smirk at the corner of her mouth.

“Unyielding, Indomitable, Breaker, Vindicator. General of Vasilios, General of Helen. You begin to wear titles as some would clothes. I title you Humble as well as Annoying,” Queen Helen finished.

You’ve earned the title Humble

You’ve earned 100 fame

You’ve earned the title Annoying

You’ve earned 1 fame

“And yet we are not displeased with you. We couldn’t be happier. We charge you to go forth and end this war. We give you full military powers to do what you feel is best in our lands. We also ask that you return to see us when all is said and done.”

A Quest has been generated

“Hail to the Queen”

Experience Reward: 2% of current level

Reputation: 2

Fame: 0

Money: 1 Gold

Do you Accept?

Yes/No

WARNING! Experience Reward is adjusted based on current level at turn in

“Of course, my queen.”

Quest Accepted

“Go forth. Sweep them from the field.”

A Quest has been generated

“Uniting Tirtius”

Experience Reward: 180% of current level

Reputation: 1,000

Fame: 100

Money: 100 Platinum

Do you Accept?

Yes/No

WARNING! Experience Reward is adjusted based on current level at turn in

“By your word.” Runner brought his fist to his chest in the salute his forces had adopted as their own and marched from the room.

Quest Accepted

Clearing the doors, he locked his eyes onto Sophia as she stood amongst his inner circle.

“Grace, we’re loading into Boxy. Pick two to accompany you. Fit your squads into the other tanks as you can,” Runner said.

Turning his head to the others, he continued.

“Rabbit, get our finances in order, we’re out. After we finish this we’re heading to Vix. Plan for that. Kitten, Lady Death, Sparky, your respective races will look to you as their ‘speaker,’ their channel to me. Get involved. Hanners, intelligence, scouts, and spying. Srit, Belle, start running the numbers on travel time, supplies, and logistics,” Runner ordered.

“Questions? No? Good. We’re gone.”

An hour later and they were moving along in Boxy’s first gear. Rabbit had the wheel gripped tightly in the driver’s seat. Runner leaned back from her shoulder, satisfied.

“Relax. You’re doing fine. It isn’t so hard.”

“I’m driving this fucking monster when we get a chance to open her up.”

“Fine, fine,” Runner agreed, his voice tired.

“How exactly did you manage this, dear heart? I was under the impression only crafters could.”

Runner flopped onto one of the bench seats he’d added to each side of the walls.

“That little ring-sized tab I gave you all is a spell. The vehicle is missing a piece that would activate its drive train. That particular spell to engage the water spells is in that little item. Unless someone can mimic the exact spell I put on it, which they can’t, the vehicle won’t be going anywhere until it’s inserted. Think of it as a key. Secondary to that it’ll return you to this plane if you end up banished. Multi tools, right, Hanners?”