Otherlife Nightmares: The Selfless Hero Trilogy (33 page)

And then there was the quest that had updated. Without Srit around to check what was going on behind the scenes, he could only guess Katarina’s action on his behalf had crossed some serious wires.

An NPC killing what would have been the giver of a quest that she was a participant in. He could only begin to imagine the type of loops the code blew off from that.

One problem at a time. Run on, Runner.

“Brighteyes, Angel, if I need it, would you be willing to vouch for me to the king? It’d be a last resort but if the only alternative is trying to fight my way out…” Runner trailed off, leaving the statement open.

Part of his reason for addressing them was as he had stated. The other was to reassure himself that he wasn’t completely alone.

“Of course, silly.”

“Agreed.”

Runner smiled and felt the weight on his shoulders easing a fraction. As well as the immediate loneliness he had felt.

“Thank you, my fair goddesses. I find myself increasingly relying on my friends. I’ll do my best to not involve you until it’s the right time.”

Letting his hands fall to his sides, he mentally called up the game console. He would have to find the king and queen’s nodes manually since he hadn’t taken the time to get their IDs. Not to mention that crazy broken quest if he could find it.

“Hmph.”

Settling in for some work, Runner sorted through the nodes and flags for the royalty of Kastell. Maybe there he might find the start of an answer to the problem he was facing. At least it was better than sitting around and doing nothing.

9:47 pm Sovereign Earth time

11/16/43

Runner had given up hours ago. Not one single quest flag or node existed that could help him with his problem. Everything that could help him happened to be deep in quest chains that would take days to complete at the fastest. Days he did not have.

He also hadn’t found a trace of the broken quest. It left him mildly disturbed to be honest.

Instead he had been working on plans he could actually use. So far his best bet was to persuade the king to help defend his country. Srit had clued him in previously that
Persuade
was directly affected by how the AI viewed the argument.

Any king would want to defend their country.

Failure there would leave him with only a single option.

Escape.

Escape and return to Shade’s Rest with everyone he could bring. Potions lined the side table, the results of an evening spent trying to keep his hands busy.

Heal Mana, Throat Strike, Stealth, Distract, and other odds and ends filled the table from corner to corner.

Runner had thrown them together once he had come to the conclusion that there really weren’t many options open to him.

On top of the problem of the king, there was no doubt in Runner’s mind that the human army would swing east when done here. This army was a flanking army, meant to destroy capital cities that had been stripped of soldiers.

Using that thought as a jump point, one could infer that the smaller army Hannah encountered would be left here as a garrison force.

Should he fail to get the king’s support, his goal would be to bleed and harass the human army all the way back to the Sunless kingdom.

Torchlight suddenly flooded the entrance area of his guest cell. As quickly as the light came it went out.

Runner got up from the desk he sat at, then made his way to the door. Crouched low in the corner of the entry was Katarina. She was in
Stealth.

Shaking his head at her, he smiled. Apparently she had some of the
Stealth
potions he had made for her previously.

Need to make a utility ring for everyone with every possible utility spell.

Gesturing behind him, he smiled at Katarina.

“Care to join me? I’m afraid the amenities are a touch sparse, but they’re adequate.”

Katarina hesitated in the corner as if she hadn’t expected him to notice her immediately. Eventually she stood up,
Stealth
being canceled. Her eyes went from him to the bedroom, the study, and finally back to him.

Runner knew something was bothering her. Knew it as if he could read her mind.

“Yes,” Katarina answered as she moved to join him.

“Great. If you like we can have a private dinner. I haven’t eaten yet, was busy working things out. Don’t tell Rabbit when we get out of here, she’ll just yell at me,” Runner said as Katarina passed by him.

Runner fell in behind her. He went over to the dinner table, unpacked two plates from his inventory, and started unloading a meal for two.

Katarina had continued past and went straight to the side table. Inspecting the various potions he’d been working on, she seemed lost in her own thoughts.

Leaving her to her thoughts, Runner continued to lay out dinner. A simple meal that consisted of water, fruits, vegetables, and dried meat.

Grabbing the back of one of the chairs, he cleared his throat to get her attention.

“My apologies, Kitten. All I have on me is simple fare, and lacking in more sophisticated things. Rabbit’s been spoiling us with her cooking.”

Katarina gave a tiny nod of her head. She put down the
Stealth
potion she’d been holding on to and came over to him at the table.

“It’s alright. You do the best you can, Runner. You always do,” Katarina murmured, taking a seat.

Now Runner was terrified. Katarina wasn’t one for words and the more she spoke, the more nervous he got.

Taking his seat, Runner picked at his food, choosing his words carefully.

“I’m not sure what to say, Kitten,” Runner started, then finished a strawberry. “I fear your father will not hear our plea to defend your nation.”

Katarina stopped eating, her hands placed on each side of her plate.

“If I can’t get him on my side, we’re left with removing him by force with the hope that your mother will take over and follow us. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find a way of doing this without killing your father.”

Katarina hadn’t moved an inch even as Runner dropped that bomb on her.

“I would hope your mother would take over, though I imagine I’d be a fugitive forever onward in your home. And, ya know, killing him doesn’t sound like the best way to be in her good graces and expect help,” Runner muttered, feeling nausea creep over him.

“He’s not my father. Mother married him after Father died. A woman cannot rule in this land. If he died you would be doing her a favor,” Katarina said, picking up a quarter of a peach.

“Ah,” Runner stated lamely.

“Should he die, Mother would have emergency powers for a short period before the noble council could vote on a new king. As you said, though, we’d be fugitives,” said Katarina around a mouthful of food. “Hard to visit my mother after.” Katarina shrugged her shoulders as if the thought was only annoying.

Smiling sadly at the situation, Runner could only be thankful for the strength of his companion.

“The alternative option is simply leaving under
Stealth
and waiting for the capital to fall. Once it did, we’d be committing to a long fall back while trying to bleed their forces. I don’t doubt they’ll be heading for Shade’s Rest after this.”

Katarina grunted at that—clearly she’d already thought the same thing.

“Should you kill him, and my mother does indeed agree, I won’t be free. I will be bargained away to whoever doesn’t win the bid to marry my mother.”

“Good reason for us to leave afterwards.”

“Or you spoil the contract. They would follow after me otherwise.”

“Spoil the contract? I’m not sure I follow.” Runner ate what was left on his plate and dumped it back into his inventory. Runner tended to eat out of necessity rather than enjoyment. At least when it wasn’t something made by a certain merchant who had developed a fantastic flavor profile.

“Marriage contract. Certain stipulations must be met for the contract to be valid,” Katarina explained. She pushed her plate over to him after finishing her own meal. “If the conditions are not met, the contract won’t be able to proceed.”

“Ah. Got it. What are the stipulations then? Anything easy we can break? Like renouncing the throne or joining the clergy? You’d make an interesting nun,” Runner said with a grin, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head.

“Bet you’d fill out a habit great. Maybe get a miniskirt version.”

He’d missed his group while locked up. The banter. The camaraderie.

“Something…like that. Of all the options available, the most direct route would be the virginity aspect of it,” deadpanned Katarina.

Runner blinked and slowly brought his arms down and rested his hands on his knees. His mind sprinted to catch up to the conversation as Katarina continued.

“If you’re willing. If I’m acceptable that is. We’ve joked about it before but this would be for real. Obviously. I mean…I’m not as pretty as Thana, though. Or even Hannah. Or even half as sexy,” Katarina rattled off. Apparently his lack of an immediate answer had spurred her into a nervous tizzy.

His brain having caught up to the present, he held up his hand to stop her. Then he hesitated.

A very large majority of him screamed at him that he should already be tearing her clothes off. The stupid voice in the back of his head warned him that this could be the straw that broke the harem camel’s back. Not to mention it wasn’t exactly the best of reasons.

Did that really matter? A beautiful woman was offering herself up. One he was deeply interested in for far more than a one-night fling. This was the silly stuff daydream fantasies were made of.

Maybe this would be the starting point for them.

Wait, was she really offering? Was it a one-night stand?

“I’d like a bit of clarification. You’re suggesting I…err…deflower you?” Runner asked.

Deflower? Really?

“Yes.” Katarina pulled absently on her ponytail as she answered.

Every fiber of his being now screamed at him to say yes and proceed to the bedroom. Yet that tiny annoying voice demanded to be heard, or at least have a say in this.

It didn’t quite add up. He was fairly certain they could leave with no one the wiser. He wasn’t certain how to ask her if she realized that this wasn’t necessary without offending her.

Fuck it.

“Kitten, I’d love nothing more than to tear your clothes off and destroy you in a heartbeat. More for the fact that I care for you but in no small part because you’re sexy and beautiful,” Runner blurted out. Katarina turned a deep red, her left hand unbinding her ponytail as she started to stand up from the table.

“Hold on a second. I’m sure I’ll regret this later but…we don’t have to do this. I’m confident in my ability to get us out and away from here,” Runner said, feeling the pit of his stomach drop to his feet. “In addition to that, nothing has changed. I care for you in the same way I do the others. Were this situation reversed and it was Hannah, Nadine, or Thana, I feel my answer would be the same for them. Though I confess I hope this isn’t a one-night stand if we, err, do it.”

Katarina now stood upright at the table, looking down at him. Her red hair hung loosely around her face and shoulders.

She looked amazing in a very different way with her hair unbound.

“I…” Katarina frowned, looking conflicted as she processed that. Runner gave her the time to answer. Katarina had never been one to mince words and he doubted she’d start now.

“I want to. Despite everything else, and yes I understand your feelings, I want to. I love you.” Katarina’s left hand pressed to her stomach, her right hand pressing firmly into the table. She looked like she was on the edge of running from the room as fast as possible.

That or throwing up.

“I feel like I have from the moment you put your sword in my hand. At first I thought it was simple infatuation. Nothing more.” She shook her head as if fighting her own thoughts.

“It’s been months. I feel the same. Unchanged. No, that’s wrong. It’s even worse. Deeper. Lying next to you at night is torment. I feel like so much is unsaid. I feel this terrible fluttering in my stomach for hours.”

Suddenly her lips came together like the gate on a dam slamming shut. A proverbial flood of words and then a sudden stop.

She had laid it all out on the line and left very little to be guessed at. Runner swallowed heavily as he watched Katarina hold herself in check by sheer force of will. He doubted he would have had the strength to do what she did.

Though he now had to answer. Answer and choose.

I choose pathetic and cliche.

Meeting her eyes, he smiled sadly, expecting the end of his little wish-fulfillment fantasy.

“As I love you, Kitten. As I love Lady Death, Rabbit, and Hanners. I have feared for a long while that my indecision would force you all to leave. Though I fear choosing even more. I can’t even begin to think of what will come of all this, but I can assure you that I’m a man torn in many directions. Specifically four,” Runner said with a nod towards her. “One direction is obviously you. And yes, it’s very difficult at night for me as well. The first couple of nights I swear I didn’t sleep at all. If that’s all well and good, I would love nothing more than to show you how wrong you are about not being beautiful or sexually attractive. Repeatedly if needed. You know, to make sure you believe it.”