Otherlife Dreams: The Selfless Hero Trilogy Read online

  Activating forage he grunted inarticulately. Once more while reaching down into the grass, he came up with a large twitching beetle. Dangling between thumb and forefinger it made a soft clicking noise, its legs clawing at the air.

  With a face full of displeasure he considered the bug. Conflict warred in him as he debated the question. To eat, or not to eat.

  Slowly moving the insect to his mouth, he’d settled on the fact that he wasn’t willing to deal with the stat loss. Tilting his head, he got the beetle in a position he felt he could dispatch it rapidly, and swallow it, without tasting it. Hopefully.

  It was a scant inch from his mouth when he heard the crashing of metal. A series of crashes came from up the road, freezing him in place. Hesitating, Runner put his mind through the possible scenarios that this could possibly be. The beetle hung in front of his open mouth, its imminent doom on a brief hold. The staccato of clashing metal continued for a brief time; then an abrupt wail sounded and all noise faded to silence.

  Shocked from his contemplation by the sound of a voice, he stuffed the beetle in his mouth. Chewing it to bits, while deactivating the Campsite, he hurriedly got his boots on from his inventory. Swallowing the remains of the beetle, he slipped deeper into the growth beside the road, and made his way towards the commotion. Activating the Stealth function he crept onwards until he found the source of the disturbance. Moving up to the roadbed from the scrub brush, he was able to spot a handful of men spread out across the road. There was also a woman, a horse, and by all appearances, a corpse.

  The one closest to him was simply labeled “Thief”. It was level eleven and gave him no cause for concern. The wolves he’d been fighting were higher level.

  The Thief was actively rooting through a cluster of packs that were resting on the ground. Two of the other men were going through the belongings of the corpse on the ground who was face down in a pool of what could only be his own blood. Those two jackals were titled “Bandit”, both were flagged as being level thirteen. Rounding out the trio in the road itself was the aptly named “Thug”, who was level fourteen. He stood looming over the woman and was apparently going through her pockets while helping himself to a handful of her figure at the same time.

  Runner eased away from the entire ordeal. Creating some distance between himself and situation, Runner felt safe enough to begin casting. Regardless of his choice of acting on this little drama or not, he’d be a fool to not be prepared one way, or the other.

  Runner had no delusions that this would be anything but a swift, ugly fight. Preparing with a mindset for caution, he decided he could only afford to enchant two pieces of his gear. His sword and shield, he loaded Fireblast and Stoneskin respectively. Either he would kill them quickly and brutally, or they’d gang up on him and wear him down, drown him in their numbers.

  Creeping back to the roadbed, he found only their locations had changed in the thirty seconds he had been away. Both of the bandits and the thug were now circled around the woman, who was now pressed to the ground by Thug’s boot.

  Runner scowled, the situation set off a small explosion in the pit of his stomach. Going through the mental gymnastics of the situation, he desperately wished for more time. Mentally calling up the information for Analyze, he confirmed it would provide him with basic information. Hit points, mana, level, name, faction, and level. A quick check with Analyze found that all of them were NPCs. Even the corpse which had been left to rot where it fell.

  “Odd” was perhaps the best way to describe the situation. NPCs fighting and killing one another for nothing more than what could only be described as a mugging. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear the men with the woman over there were behaving a lot like they were planning on sexually assaulting her. Considering this was a game, he didn’t believe for an instant this was a normal situation. This left the only plausible blame to be left at the feet of the patch. Seemingly, it made some serious changes, and the AI was now running head long into any direction it chose.

  Admittedly the game held an adults only rating, but this was just too much. Now the question was, risk everything for an NPC, or wait for a better opportunity to earn easy experience. There was only one of him after all and four of them, including Quickfingers McGee. At least Quickfingers was still doing his impression of a raccoon in a trash can and was far enough from the others to be dealt with separately.

  It was the sound of the woman’s quiet sobbing, when it finally reached his position, that demanded his action. Enraged at a level that defied his comprehension, it filled him with a murderous rage. NPC or not, the sobbing, whimpering, and low cries of the woman as they toyed with her drove him to action.

  Lurching forward with Stealth active he fixed Quickfingers with his glare first. Hands shaking with fury Runner barely kept himself from lashing out instantly. A detached thought skimmed by that maybe Quickfingers could be sidelined entirely.

  Utilizing the “Sleep” ability on the lone Thief, Runner passed by him without engaging him. Continuing towards the trio he crossed the Thief from his list of concerns. Behind him the Quickfingers toppled over and went motionless. He would be out for at least five minutes, which meant there was now only three to deal with.

  Targeting one of his foes he closed in on the closest bandit. Runner used Distract in the opposite direction of his approach, all three men turning their heads in tandem. Getting within arms reach of the group he firmed up his plan.

  Letting go of his shield’s front handle Runner reached out, the shield hanging limply from the forearm strap. Fingers closing around the hilt of the blade, he jerked the weapon back in an attempt to rip it from the sword belt. Milliseconds after, he activated Slash into Bandit one’s back. Bandit one bent around the blade; the full weight of a critical Slash that did six times the damage taking his life. It’d counted as a Backstab on top of the critical.

  Bandit two stumbled sideways towards Runner, the force put on the sword belt staggering him. Runner hadn’t managed to clear the blade from the scabbard, but he definitely earned a few seconds of time to act.

  Leaping forward over the corpse of Bandit one, Runner drove his blade into the Thug’s midsection with the intent to skewer him. Unfortunately it wasn’t able to break through his defense completely but did count as a Flank attack. Thug took a step backwards, as Runner raised his left hand. Fireblast burst from his palm and slammed into Thug’s face. There had been no distance between them, and no warning, providing Thug without the means to dodge the magical attack.

  Runner turned himself around to face Bandit two, who was in mid attack. Surprised by the attack, Runner twisted himself sideways in a desperate attempt to dodge.

  Failing miserably in the attempt, the sword edge sliced into his hip. Carving through the Basic leather armor Runner felt it bite flesh as it went. The fact that he felt pain all was surprising, but it was a bearable, he could take it.

  Runner quickly cast Regenerate on himself, then launched a return stroke aimed at the opponents sword itself. With a screech, the Bandit’s sword was forced to the side giving Runner a moment to cast Fireblast into the man’s face. The man screamed as he spun away, his hands going to his still smoldering face. According to the info tab, Fireblast had two effects outside of its direct damage. The first was the obvious one, the opponent catching fire and suffering a damage over time burning effect. The second was a direct attack on their morale, which had no visible representation.

  Scuttling backward, Runner reevaluated the situation. Glancing at his health he found it to be below half, near the forty percent marker. His mana was depressingly at twenty percent. Receiving that attack from the Bandit had nearly ended him. In retrospect, berserker charging a group of four was a bad idea.

  Focusing on the Thug, it took but a second to confirm his health. He only had fifteen percent of his life left. Not only that, but Fireblast, coupled with the destruction he meted out to his friends, had caused the Thug’s morale to visibly drop. It was something you had to rely on
visual cues for, but Runner was certain of it. The Thug was wavering.

  Wisps of smoke trailed up from the top of his head, the skin of his face had a light pink color. Animals were programmed to fight nearly to the death, unless it was overwhelming, or they believed death was imminent. Humanoids on the other hand had a tendency to run if their hit points fell fast enough, regardless of the situation.

  Time to try a bit of psychological warfare then maybe? All aboard the crazy train.

  Speaking in a sing-song voice, Runner tilted his head and opened his eyes wide. “Scott thinks your face is interesting. Linda disagrees. She says I should cook it in a pan. I can’t trust her because shes hungry. Personally, I wonder if it’ll fit me after I carve it from your skull? I need a new mask for Sunday, you see. You won’t need your face anymore, right?” With a giggle and a crooked smile, Runner began to move closer. Letting his sword casually slip into its sheath. He produced a skinning knife, holding it up as if to display it, his face twisting in a grin from ear to ear.

  Thug spun on his heel and ran, his fear overwhelming him. Sprinting after him, Runner cast Fireblast into his back, and than drove the skinning knife into the man’s side. Ripping the knife, the Thug collapsed in a heap. Runner pivoted around once more searching for the last enemy.

  Face down in the roadway was Bandit two, smoking like a spent match. Putting the little dagger into his inventory, he hooked his shield onto his back. It was mildly uncomfortable, but there was no other option other than unequipping it.

  Runner cleared the Thug of his inventory quickly and moved on. Walking back to the woman he winced, she eyed him just as fearfully as she had her attackers. Nodding to her, he looted both of the Bandit’s of their worldly goods. Sighing, he selected the corpse of the man to be certain of his fate. On a scale of alive to dead, the unmoving man was unarguably rapidly cooling meat.

  Scratching at the back of his head, Runner squatted down in front of the aptly named Peasant. Feeling a touch of embarrassment he cleared his throat first.

  “Hey there, names Runner. I promise I’m not actually crazy, I was trying to get him to run. Figured if he was running, he couldn’t fight back. This may sound tawdry but, can I help you?”

  Blinking slowly, the woman considered him. After a brief consideration she seemingly decided that he wasn’t to be feared. Eventually she nodded her head a fraction, yet said nothing. Taking this for reluctant acceptance; Runner stood back up and walked over to Quickfingers.

  Pulling out one of the may starting cloth under shirts, he ripped it into strips, the number coming out to an even ten. With quick movements, he pulled the Thief’s hands behind their back and bound them along with his feet. He made sure to stuff a gag in the Thief’s mouth. Based on the actions prior to this point, he couldn’t trust that they’d wish to be civil.

  The ability to tie up NPCs and gag them felt a touch ludicrous. Better yet, he destroyed a piece of clothing without working through the crafting menu. Confusion marked his brow as he thought on it. Many of his actions up to this point felt wrong in retrospect. Many of the rules a normal player would adhere to, almost appeared to be malfunctioning for him. Much like the fact that NPCs were attacking each other, possibly raping each other, he added this one to the list of concerns. Eventually he’d need to figure out what was going on. Shaking the thoughts free, he refocused his mind on the current task.

  Behind him, he could hear the Peasant woman shuffling about. It was clear to even his untrained eye, she had yet to fully come back to herself from the shock of the situation. That or she was truly a low grade AI.

  Humming to himself he reached down and hefted the Thief up, promptly dumping him over the nearby horse’s rump. He cheerfully smacked the Thief on the ass. Jerking its bonds, the Thief woke up from the single point of damage. Taking a second to confirm the Thief wouldn’t be going anywhere, Runner than went back to the woman.

  “So,” Runner supplied uselessly. “Uhm, quest? Quest activate? Help? Quest help?” targeting the Peasant he tried using the interaction command.

  Runner waited quietly hoping for a reaction, anything. It would be great if she was a quest giver, or I got a reward for saving her, or seriously just anything. At least maybe directions to a town? Damn, I didn’t get a quest acceptance notification did I? I wonder-

  “No. I appreciate your help. It’s sad you couldn’t save my friend. He was helping me back to town.”

  “Ah! That, yes,” Runner hurriedly made an offer. “Uhm, perhaps I could help you back to town in his place?”

  “Yes. It would be good. I can’t offer much in return.”

  The way in which she spoke was offbeat, close but not quite right.

  A Quest has been generated

  “Escort the Woman home”

  Experience Reward: 5% of current level

  Reputation: 1

  Money: 5 Silver

  Do you Accept?

  Yes/No

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

  Eager to accept the quest Runner opened his mouth, then stopped. Since the quest hadn’t been available until he questioned, perhaps he could make alterations? He’d already broken many aspects of the game that would appear immutable. Why not one more?

  “I accept, though I ask nothing in return, except for perhaps directions. That and any other information you or your townsfolk can provide,” Runner countered, with a short bow and a smile. While experience would certainly be useful, he’d rather generate some goodwill, and assistance. If it cost him experience or coins, so be it. Levels could be gained at any time, coins came and went like the weather, reputation could not.

  Quest Modified

  “Escort the Woman home”

  Experience Reward: 5% of current level

  Reputation: 5

  Money: Forfeited

  Alignment Shift-Good

  Quest Accepted

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

  The woman slowly nodded her head. A few minutes later, they were traveling on the road. Runner had a vague notion they were traveling west. Assuming he could judge it off the location of the sun and its movement; which he confirmed with a quick use of Sense Heading. After suffering in silence with the NPC for half an hour, Runner started activating his abilities to try to improve their efficiency. Every ability and skill had its own leveling system. Runner was determined to utilize every chance to strengthen himself, even if it happened to be a non-combat skill.

  Through foraging he got three beetles, two bunches of wild strawberries, and a pod of water he couldn’t begin to explain. He found he could cycle between a number of his skills and return to the start as they all refreshed. Forage, Sense Heading, Stealth, Analyze, Distract, and Enchant on his boots. It was in this manner Runner passed the day; quiet contemplation and ability usage as a counterpoint to his silent traveling companion.

  As evening settled in, Runner established the Campsite and Campfire. Hauling the Thief down from the horse, he dropped him unceremoniously next to the fire. He’d done his best to ignore the Thief entirely and pay not a bit of attention to him. The peasant had already fallen fast asleep. She’d taken her dinner from something in her pack, and passed out.

  Runner chewed down another beetle for supper. While he wasn’t exactly unhappy with his new all natural diet, he felt like he was missing civilized food.

  Bored, Runner flipped the Thief over to look him over. Or rather, her. Runner was staring into the face of a female Thief.

  Surprised by this, Runner found himself wanting to catalog her. Looking at her closely, he’d put her age in the mid twenties. A dirt stained face held a pair of dark blue eyes. Eyes that stared up at him with cold resentment.

  Growling at him, she tilted her head to one side as the wind pulled her bedraggled black hair over her eyes. Between the splotches of dirt, she looked like she had a fair complexion and skin tone. Even as road stained as she was, it was clear to ev
en a casual observer she was quite fetching. Alluring features set in a triangular face with clean lines.

  Breaking eye contact with her, Runner looked her over once without lingering. She was put together in a clearly athletic way, but held a womanly shape. She was moderately endowed in the chest for such a lithe figure. She’d never compare to some of the sculpted insanity that science or video games could provide, but she certainly had an appeal.

  Yelling through the gag at him, Runner realized his eyes might have hugged her curves for a bit too long after all.

  “Oh shut up. You’ll wake the idiot. I have no intention to carry out the crime your cohorts were clearly planning on committing on her. Besides, is that even possible? You’re a damn NPC for crying out loud!” Runner explained. “I mean, I know they have certain NPCs flagged for that, but I didn’t think they’d be out wandering the woods. Or did that patch change far more than I give it credit for?”

  Runner let his mind wander, thinking deeply on the subject, his vision becoming unfocused. Blinking rapidly after a little time had passed, he came back to himself. “Sorry, I can zone out pretty fast,” he apologized. “So, I’m going to remove that gag now, you’re going to tell me your name, and we’ll proceed from there.”

  Waiting for a response he stared at her.

  “Mmmph.”

  Assuming she’d behave by the response, he reached over and unwrapped the cloth from around her mouth, pulling the gag loose. Sporting a grimace, he set the drool soaked wad of cloth to the side. Looking to the thief, Runner watched as she attempted to work some moisture into her dry mouth. Runner could only guess she was thirsty. Deliberately but firmly, he eased her head up with his left hand, and caught her eyes with his own.

  “You can help me, and open your mouth as I pour, or you can get a bath,” Runner explained. He scooped up one of the foraged pods of water with his right hand. Wasting no time, he popped the lid of it off, and moved to pour the contents into her mouth.