“Idiot plans. Like jumping off a city wall. Attack a group that outnumbers you three hundred to one. Or using Seduce on a goddess.”
“Ah… I fear I will have the unenviable task of watching over a corpse before long.” Satomi sighed as she and Isabelle turned a corner, vanishing from his sight.
They booked a room for four people and settled in without trouble. They wanted to blend in or at least look the part of normal visitors. Any attention at all was the wrong attention.
They made polite chat with the bartender to get the news as it were. Isabelle made small inquiries about goods and what was going hot and cold in the market.
Runner left the others at the inn and spent his time planning for his evening rendezvous with his guard captain. Scouting the jail where Sophia was being held gave him a good idea of what he’d have to go through to get her out.
Making a few circuits, he noted that it had a lone guard at the gate and what he would guess was a few more inside. A little prep, boosting his charisma, and a handful of Brainwash spells, and he’d get Sophia back.
For the time being he consoled himself with pinging Sophia several times while he circled the building.
He had received a lone ping in return from her, for which he was grateful. It meant she was awake. Aware. And that she knew she was no longer alone.
Upon returning to the inn, Runner sent Isabelle and Satomi out to begin making contacts within the Norwood faction. He spent his time in the barroom, listening to the gossip and rumors while idly crafting and enchanting jewelry in his lap, hidden from view.
Eventually the night grew long and the number of patrons fell off sharply. Isabelle and Satomi arrived at about the same time the innkeeper gave everyone the last call warning.
Runner followed the women back up to their room and flopped down in his usual spot between beds.
“Make any contacts?”
“No one was willing to speak with us. They were afraid. The smell of fear drenched them, bonded.”
“True enough. They were completely different than when we spoke to them last time. I imagine Sophia getting captured turned some of their bravery right round, my lord.”
“Hm. Right, then. Let’s move on to Grace then.”
“Grace?”
“Sophia, Grace. Same difference to him. I’m Isabelle, Belle. You’re Satomi, Vixen. Katarina, Kitten. Thana, Lady Death. The like and so on. You’ll get it all figured out soon enough,” Isabelle explained to the Kitsune.
“Ah. You are fond of nicknames,” Satomi asserted, her golden eyes boring into him.
“I am. People I care about get nicknames. Otherwise I won’t remember them. Now, back to tonight. I plan on infiltrating, getting Sophia out without anyone the wiser, and returning here swiftly. I’ll need you to set her up with a disguise, Vixen.”
“It shall be done.”
“Belle, you’re our real cover story here. Get your mercantile senses tingling and start making modest moves and purchases. Nothing insane that would attract attention, but enough to validate our merchant story.”
“Sure thing, my lord.”
“By the way, this is yours. I meant to give it to you earlier, forgot till now.”
Runner opened his inventory and held out the artifact-level bow to Isabelle.
“Ahh. My lord. I—this is more than I deserve,” Isabelle said, accepting the bow.
Runner said nothing and instead stared at her.
“Of course, thank you. I will treasure it.”
“Good. So, I didn’t pick up anything while in the taproom that we didn’t already know. How about you two?”
“Much of the Norwood faction appears to be one-offs from their own respective races or clan. Weres, Fae, Undead, Centaurs, Ogres, whatever, they all seem to be those not only dissatisfied with their roots but with themselves.” Isabelle leaned back on her bed, crossing her ankle over her knee.
“Goodie, so you’re telling me I’m the redeemer to the isle of misfit toys.”
“The what?”
“Never mind. Anything else?”
“There is no crime element here,” Satomi said after a momentary pause. “Nothing organized, at least. I would hazard that Leto either controls it, or ended it. My thought runs towards the latter rather than the former.”
“Okay, can we use that to our advantage? Has he made any promises that crime would fall off under his watch? If he did, we could rebuild ‘organized crime’ to fight that.”
“I will investigate this. I must hunt tonight anyways. I hunger.”
“Ah, that’s a good question, actually. What do you eat, Vixen?”
“Essence, emotions, feelings. I need only be near them to satiate myself. Though I do better if I participate. Repressed emotions can be particularly intense.”
“I see. And uh, how do you plan on hunting, exactly?”
“I will transform into a fox and then go to where the women sell themselves. I believe it will take only a half hour for me to fill my needs by being in their proximity. It should keep me satiated for a while.”
“Oh. That’s… interesting,” Isabelle said, her delicately arched brows pressing together in the middle.
“I cannot deny I find it”—Satomi sighed, pressing her fingers to her temples—“distasteful? Like eating grass. It will fill you, but not in a pleasing way.”
“Speaking of eating, can I have my allowance of beetles? Totally out, and I lost pretty bad last poker night,” Isabelle said, leaning forward and holding her hands out to Runner. She rapidly opened and closed her hands.
“Enough with the grabby hands. Fine, here.” Runner took one of Isabelle’s hands in his own, opened it, and deposited a huge fistful of clicking, squirming beetles. He repeated the action twice.
“Haaaa?” Satomi raised her dark brows in surprise.
Isabelle shrugged at her and promptly ate one of her beetles, pushing the rest into the inventory screen.
“They’re delicious. Especially after the first one. My lord, give her her allowance already.”
“What? I didn’t—okay. Here, Vixen. Eat the first one, and follow it up with a second quickly. Everyone says that’s the way to do it,” Runner said, holding a handful of beetles to Satomi.
“Take them, and then think ‘inventory’ in your head. Once the screen pops up, push them in.”
Satomi did as instructed, peering at the window only she could see. Eventually she put one in her mouth and crunched it up, following it immediately with another.
“A strange thing. I thought it would be repulsive, or a jest at my expense. It is not. Crunchy but not altogether displeasing. Filling. They take the edge off my needs.”
“Great. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go fetch my guard captain. Probably summon my best goddess friend as well. If she’s listening.”
Runner was talking to the floor, as Isabelle and Satomi had already taken up a conversation between themselves.
Isabelle idly waved at him and flashed him a warm smile as she talked to Satomi.
Grunting, Runner popped open the window and promptly dove outside while activating Stealth.
Hitting the dirt in a tumble, he rolled easily and came up in a light jog. Setting out for the jail at an easy pace, he rapidly changed his spell-enchanted equipment for a full Brainwash build out.
Thinking through the situation, he decided to forgo calling out to Amelia. She had a tendency to be more distracting than he wanted.
They were also going through their own situation right now with the realignment of their entire religion.
You can do it yourself. You’re a big boy, aren’t you?
Arriving at Sophia’s holding location, Runner flipped an X marker on the guard at the door. Dropping a personal ping on top of Sophia, he circled the building once more.
Solid stone, no windows, one entrance, no second story.
Several more raid markings appeared to his eyes through the walls of the place itself. In all he counted five markers, including h
is own. That meant Sophia had four guards with her other than the one at the door.
Slipping in close to the door guard, Runner pickpocketed his key. And his wallet.
Hanners would be so proud of me right now.
Casting Brainwash on the man, Runner physically pushed him a single pace forward.
“You’re sleepy, your mind has been wandering for the last hour. You’re going to close your eyes and accidentally fall asleep.” Stepping in behind the man, Runner took a final look at him even as the guard lay down on the stone entry and fell asleep promptly.
Runner opened the door with the key and eased it open enough to squeeze through.
Peering around at the interior, Runner found it really was nothing more than a jail. A fistful of holding cells, a cabinet, and a table with chairs.
Each chair around that table had an occupant, all marked courtesy of Sophia. They were laughing and playing what looked like a card game.
Human, Dark Elf, Dragonkin, Human.
The problem here was the non-humans. They tended to have better resistance to spells.
Dismissing them for the moment, Runner found Sophia in the last cell.
Standing in the center of her cell, she looked like the regal noblewoman she was.
Doing a quick inventory on her, Runner discovered the reason she had the “wounded” ailment. They’d removed her pinky finger from her left hand and the middle finger from her right.
Her face was covered in bruises and cuts, and her left eye was nearly swollen shut. He couldn’t even be sure she still had it.
Despite all that, she kept her bearing. Runner could only envy her mental strength and promised himself he’d put her back to rights regardless of the cost to him.
That single dark eye swung to him, and the smallest of smiles threatened her lips.
Runner made a vague motion at her and her hand and then pointed to the guards. He was hoping she would get the idea that he wanted to know if any of them had done the damage to her.
A minute shake of her head after a second of delay gave him his answer.
Targeting the Humans first, he hit them with a casting of Brainwash each. Moving to the Dark Elf, he had to cast it twice before it stuck. The Dragonkin took three. Runner had two charges left, and the rest were on cooldown.
“You’re all sleepy. You drank too much. Good night.”
As one, the jailers sloppily collapsed on the table and atop each other.
“Grace, let’s get you out of there and back to the inn. We’ll get you cleaned up and put to rights immediately,” Runner promised, moving to her cage and opening the lock.
“I’m glad to see you, sir. I feared the worst.” Her voice was hoarse, scratchy, dry.
“Thirsty? Hungry?” Runner dropped a water pod and several beetles in her hands as he robbed the guards blind of their possessions.
“Bless you, Runner,” Sophia whispered. She greedily emptied the water and devoured the beetles in a mouthful.
“Forgive me. Can you move? Was that enough to…” Runner stopped, his eyes looking her over once again. Her ramrod spine and locked knees had the look of someone holding themselves up by will alone.
“Never mind.” Runner stepped into the cell and then whisked Sophia off her feet and held her in his arms. Adjusting her weight around, he managed to activate a trade window and gave her a Stealth potion.
“Drink that and then we’ll be off.” Runner settled her more securely, propping her head on his shoulder while sliding his left arm under her bottom, his right encircling her waist.
Sophia dropped the potion to the ground and it rolled away, full and undrained.
“I’m sorry. I told them nothing. Nothing. I’m sorry. I love you,” Sophia slurred through her swollen lips, promptly passing out.
“Damn me,” Runner grumbled. A floating woman through the street wouldn’t do anyone any good.
Swapping out his Brainwash ring for his Blink rings, he managed to get her to the door without incident.
Targeting a two-story stone building nearby, he blinked to it. Standing there with Sophia in his arms, he scanned the possibilities to get to the next building. The distance was too great.
There was no way he could return to the inn tonight without causing a commotion.
Which really left him with only two options. Stay on the roof and wait for help or go to the GMHub.
Runner felt shocked at a sudden idea that ripped through his mind.
Grimacing, Runner highlighted the inn and gave it a single ping. Then he triggered the “Defend” command to Isabelle.
A single ping in return atop his location told him Isabelle understood.
Runner then triggered his GMHub ability.
/GMHub 2
Teleporting…
Active settings only:
Death=Off
Food/Water=On
Damage=Off
Gravity=100%
Biome=Plane
Day/Night Cycle=On
Foliage=On(N)
Resource Nodes=On(E)
Wildlife=On(H)
Weather=On(N)
Arriving in his temple with Sophia in his arms, Runner looked around. He had been nervous about it being occupied. Thankfully it was devoid of its parishioners.
Using his foot, Runner activated the linked stone he had set in the floor, signaling Alexia.
He opened his inventory with a mental command, managed to snag his bedroll with a finger, and dropped it to the ground.
Laying Sophia atop the sleeping bag, he checked her again to see if he had missed anything.
Several of her toes had been smashed into what looked like ground beef. Two of her teeth had been pulled out, and a long slice had been carved from her ear to her cheek.
Looks like after the captain failed to report back, they questioned her again. I will drown them in blood.
Coming to a decision, he steeled himself and set about getting his plan rolling.
Runner took a moment to open the system screen and then deliberately knocked his own pod into a failed medical routine. Srit would notice it and hopefully come check on him.
“Lord, what—what is this? Who is she?” Alexia asked, entering the arrival room.
“Priestess. I ask you to gather the faithful. I would have them pray to me. This evening. Now. While I sit here in the temple and they gather at the steps below. If they accomplish this, I will see to it that each and every one of them receives a personal boon from me of their own desire.”
Alexia’s eyes grew wide at this. Then she grinned at him in a most unnerving way.
“Immediately, Lord!” Alexia turned and sprinted from the temple.
He distantly heard the bang of her staff striking stone outside, and then the night was replaced with the noonday sun.
I’m here. What’s wrong?
“Sophia’s been badly hurt. I’m having Alexia get everyone to pray to me. I’m going to try and force that much divine power to my will and heal Sophia. Supposedly I’ve been gathering divine power. Fine, I’m going to make it work for me then.”
That won’t work, Runner. I’m sorry, but it’s too much stress on the code.
“Sunshine. Srit. I love you. Please make it happen for me? I need this to work. I can’t… I just… please?” Runner whispered, looking up to the ceiling of the temple.
There was an interminable delay, and Runner’s nerves stretched taut.
I’ll make it work, darling.
“Thank you, Sunshine. I’m deeply in your debt.” Sighing heavily, Runner felt like he had a chance.
I’ll be naming our firstborn.
“Of course, Sunshine.”
Standing up from Sophia, he began focusing on what he wanted. He wanted Sophia to be whole, healthy, hale. Unmarked and returned to him in her original form.
Heat built in him, and his mana bar tanked and went empty instantly. Outside, tens of voices were mumbling. The tens became hundreds and the drone of their voices flowed into a single chant.
A single voice.
A single prayer.
It scraped at his mind like a set of claws on a closed door.
Runner grabbed at that sound, trying to mentally open himself to the noise and welcome it in. Then demand it to do his will. To bend to his design and his shape.
What started as a familiar warmth rapidly became a bonfire. Then an inferno.
His skin felt like it was being peeled from him with a white hot spoon. His spirit was willing but his mind began to pull back from the pain.
Then he stuck the image of Nadine dying in front of him instead of Sophia. What if he had this available to him when Nadine had been struck down? What if Sophia never recovered?
What if she dies? Just like Rabbit?
Screaming at the top of his lungs, Runner slammed his palms into his head and bent himself double over Sophia as he willed everything in his being to put her back together.
A sharp explosion like thunder directly above him destroyed his concentration. The reverberation of the sound alone knocked him to his knees. Above him the temple ceiling split and sunlight poured in to bathe him in its golden rays.
Looking up into the light, Runner noticed dust floating in the beams. Motes of dust dancing with one another.
His vision became like that light, brightening until it enveloped everything.
His mind fled him and scattered to the winds, spreading out in every direction. It jumped and skittered through those who prayed outside. Washing through Alexia like a wave. Flowing around the animals out in the plains.
Runner slumped to the floor and knew nothing else.
Chapter 6 - And Another One -
Runner opened his eyes. Turning his head to one side and then the other, he found himself in a room made of quarried stone. It was simply decorated, with only the bare essentials for living.
He plucked at the bedsheets covering him and then reached down to feel a bed frame under him.
Memories of his last actions came back to him in fits and starts. Entering the city, saving Isabelle, getting the news in the inn, and freeing Sophia.
Grace!
Otherlife Awakening: The Selfless Hero Trilogy Page 10
