Otherlife Dreams: The Selfless Hero Trilogy (11 page)

Sparing the time to bolster their strength, he placed Fireblast on both the wand and sphere. His limited repertoire of spells were narrow in scope and stuck primarily enhancing the most basic of things. It’d just have to do, after all, there was nothing else.

“Okie dokie, take these. They’re pretty much garbage equipment but should be a decent focus until we can outfit you better,” Runner apologized. Handing over the focusing sphere and the wand to Thana he turned to Katarina, picking up the long sword and shield. With a brush of a finger he enchanted the shield with Stoneskin and walked over to her.

“Kitten, this is my sword and shield. Take them,” Runner requested. Passing the items to her he looked between the two of them. “This next bit is for both of you. Focus on the items, put the word ‘Equip’ and nothing else in your mind. Eventually they’ll pop, shift, or just appear in your hand. They’ll fit better than you even thought they could. That sword might even get a bit bigger in it’s reach, Kitten. Next.”

Leaving them to the task of equipping the weaponry he went back to the cage and started going through the other crates and barrels, sorting them into his existing piles. Grumbling to himself he dismissed nearly everything that he came across. Perhaps a minute passed before he found a set of workable clothes with a bare amount of armor and a set of Light Leather. He walked back to his new party members while organizing his haul into three.

“Lady, take these. Same thing, just hold in your hand with ‘Equip’ in your head.”

Handing over the stack of lightly armored clothes he turned to Katarina.

“There’s a slight problem Kitten. No armor in there that actually would be useful in a stand up fight. I’m going to give you mine. Don’t worry about the size, it’ll adjust on it’s own and fit you just fine. Oh, my sword has a fire enchantment. If things catch fire, don’t be startled. Kay? Kay.”

Katarina nodded to him and watched him wordlessly. Her lack of a response after having been so confrontational was disconcerting. For the moment he was grateful that he didn’t have to solve it immediately. Running his hands over himself he updated all the spells to be a mix between Constitution and Strength. Noticing halfway through that the timers had increased to an hour.

Must have leveled that up again. Neat. Hopefully it doesn’t cost as much to cast either.

Equipping the set of light armor he went through the Enchant process again. Having leveled up the cost of each cast was indeed less for which he was thankful for.

With fewer casts and a longer timer they could be ready faster. Ice could only take so much abuse before completely falling apart. Even one made through magic and conjured up as a solid block.

Runner held out his sturdy Heavy Leather to Katarina. Sheathing her sword she then clipped the shield into the harness clip on her back. She took the proffered armor from him. Patting her shoulder Runner indicated the armor.

“Just like last time, ‘Equip’.”

Diving through his inventory Runner pulled out a short sword and a dagger. Giving both a quick Fireblast enchant he equipped them. Looking to Katarina he watched as her peasant clothes disappeared and the snug leather armor replaced it.

Feeling run down and with a touch of vertigo, Runner closed his eyes. Allowing himself himself a deep breath and a quiet moment he fought against the dizziness. It was a feeling he’d long ago associated with looking over steep heights. Letting the air out of his lungs he took another deep cleansing breath. Cracking open an eye he retrieved his canteen. Unscrewing it he exhaled and took a drink. Cool water filled his mouth and charged down his throat, chasing the nausea away. Finally it felt like his head wasn’t going to go spinning off.

Opening his eyes fully, he gave Katarina the once over he couldn’t help but be impressed.

“Lord knows I love a woman who looks dressed and ready to kill,” Runner said, giving Katarina a broad smile.

“Do you have anything bigger? A great sword? An axe?” she asked him, sounding unsure.

“I do, but Kitten, I need you to tone down that blood lust. I don’t need a crazed barbarian to wildly swing themselves through the fray. That wouldn’t serve my goals, my needs. I need you as you are right now. I need you as my sword and shield. I need you to use your head, put yourself where your needed, and keep them busy. I need you to use that Barbarian gift in accordance with your intelligence. You can do that, and do it well. Lady Death and I can start lowering their numbers as you work. Please.”

Marginally she nodded her head and said nothing more. Her long fingers wrapped around the hilt of the sword. Swiftly redrawing the blade out from it’s sheath she held it at her side, hefting it, almost as if she were feeling the weight of it. After a long moment she clearly gathered herself and met his gaze, nodding her head fully this time.

Well, she didn’t smile, but she’s not going to run away or just get herself killed. Fine, moving on.

Turning he caught Thana staring at him again. Locking her eyes with his own he addressed her once more.

“Kitten will be the front line and I’ll be working to keep them off her by bouncing their aggro list around a little. I’ll also be trying to chip at their health or eliminate one if I can,” Runner explained. “I need you to let us attack them a few times to generate enough aggro so that they’ll ignore you and not just run straight for you. Err, aggro as in, who they hate the most. The more damage you do, the more healing you cast, the faster you end up at the top of their priority list.”

Runner waited, watching her eyes, to see if she understood. With a practically imperceptible acknowledgment she signaled for him to continue.

“Then, and only then, cast at that target. For every two attacks she lands after that, you can cast again. Orc’s have thick hides so go for something that is piercing. That or will lower their ability to fight. Understood?”

“I understand. I also recognize you’re correct. Your plan is sound though it has a large flaw. I fear that we will be over run. Katarina can only take so much punishment, even with your ensorcelled equipment,” Thana said, concern tinging her voice.

“A fair point. It will not be an issue. I will be acting as healer as well. This isn’t exactly ideal but we’ll make do with what we have. The damage shouldn’t over whelm my ability to heal,” Runner assured her. At the mention of him being able to heal her eyebrows jumped upwards.

Ice shattered and sprayed bits of itself in every direction. A gap large enough for Orcs was coming to shape, they’d start piling through it any minute. Their time had expired.

“Kitten, get in that breach! If we can bottleneck them in that break, this’ll be easier,” Runner shouted. Moving even as he spoke he started sprinting for the opening. The distance wasn’t great but he was still sure most would get through before he got there.

Katarina started out ahead of him by a few paces, but left him behind as if he was standing still. Red hair trailing behind her like a streamer, she pulled further ahead of him. Roaring deep from deep within, Katarina advanced on them. She cleared the distance with blazing speed and charged them like the angry fist of a goddess of war.

Shield held high like a ram, she bashed them into each other and wedged them into the opening. Two had seen her coming and gotten out of the way before she could get to them. Engaging those in the front at the rift, she wasn’t able to respond to those who had escaped and now circled around her.

Runner would arrive to her side too late to prevent them from scoring easy Flank attacks. Their aggro list would only have her on it as no one else had acted. He needed to do something now, in this instant, or she’d pay for his inaction.

Using the instant cast Regeneration on Katarina, both Huck on the left and Puck on the right, turned to face him. Ignoring Katarina they focused on the new target, Runner the healer.

Weapons clanged as blows were exchanged in the melee at the breach. Katarina’s shouts of pain and anger resounded over the Orcs bellows in return. Sliding up to the two Orcs facing him he attacked Puck’s cleaver. Sword rebounding from the ugly little blade Runner targeted Huck and activated Slash.

He only managed a basic hit on Huck and a partial disarm on Puck. His timers were refreshing as both Orcs attacked. Turning to the side he was unable to dodge the cleaver and barely parried Huck’s club. The ugly crunch of the cleaver hitting his flesh filled his ears. It came away bloody from his arm.

Runner was immediately affected with the Bleeding status ailment. It would continue for the next five seconds for an extra five damage on top of the damage from the strike.

Pain was still a surprise to him, a grimace painting his face. Perhaps relying on the pod so deeply had raised the immersion level. Though it was a serious wound that would debilitate a person in real life, it did little more than cause pain here. It was still just a game after all.

Casting Fireblast in the face of Huck he tried to disarm Puck once again. Fire played over Huck’s face and the Burning effect took hold with a “whump”.

Puck’s cleaver went spinning from his hand and clattered noisily into a wall. Turning to Huck Runner launched his Slash attack as it come off from cooldown. His attack cleared the Orc and from out of nowhere a large spear of ice impaled the Orc through his chest. Falling backwards under the weight of the attack Huck hit the ground and died.

Runner checked on Katarina and found she was losing ground. Her health ticked away under the continuous pounding she was receiving and was already at half. In that glance he saw she was suffering under several different status ailments as well. Puck was still in the process of retrieving his cleaver. Taking the opportunity Runner cast Cleanse on Katarina and immediately snapped off Cure twice in rapid succession. Mana pool now seriously depleted, he turned his attention back to Puck who was rapidly approaching him.

Runner activated a quick slot item he’d prepared earlier. Slamming down a mana restoration potion he tossed the bottle aside once he’d emptied it. Using an item reset his global cooldown though, giving Puck another attack before he could respond in kind.

A partial deflection was the best he managed and it was only a glancing blow, but once more he was afflicted with Bleeding. Scrutinizing his health bar he had forty or so points left. His supply of mana was definitely limited, but it was coming back under the strength of the potion. He would need to be sparing with it and keep it’s use restricted to keeping Katarina in the fight. He’d need to work harder at improving his restoration magic if they got out of this, that and his mana pool.

Returning the attack with one of his own, Runner was able to score a hit off Puck’s thigh. Aligning himself once more with his foe he cast Regeneration on Katarina when the first casting wore off. Puck’s return stroke landed solidly and took another deep bite from his dwindling hit point pool. With such little armor and low stats, he just couldn’t take hits. Another attack and that’d be game over for him.

Resolving himself to casting another Fireblast rather than risk his life he raised his hand. Ice exploded from the Orc’s neck, a spear of ice ripping through the green skin, the magical attack nearly decapitated the poor creature with its sheer power.

Mentally crossing both Orcs from his list and pivoted to face Katarina, inexorably she was forced from the bottleneck. Three Orc’s bulled their way in, Katarina felling the fourth as they moved to encircle her.

Not missing this golden opportunity Runner sunk his short sword into the back of the closest one. Critical tinkling noises filled his ears with it’s beautiful siren song, a confirmation of a powerful blow. With the Critical attack and the Flank attack bonus, the Orc was no more and deflated like a popped balloon.

Casting Cure on Katarina followed by Regeneration his mana pool, he stalked around to the rear of one of the remaining Orcs. Katarina had her shield aimed to Orc he was approaching was engaged with the other. As he neared the Orc an Ice spear took it’s life, entering one side of it’s chest and exiting the other.

Runner turned to face the last Orc and found it was in mid swing to end his life. There was nothing he could do, there were no actions he could take that would be able to halt, deflect, or dodge that blade. Apparently his last cast of Regeneration on Katarina put him at the top of his aggro list. Thus fixating on him and ignoring Katarina. He hadn’t heeded his own advice and charged in foolishly with no health.

Then Katarina was there, putting herself in front of him and taking the blow on his behalf. Standing behind her he watched her shoulder flex and then the Orc drop to the ground at her feet.

Runner closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the back of Katarina’s spine. He had truly believed that he was going to die.

“You blessedly quick witted and gorgeous woman. That would have been the end of me if that connected. Definitely going to share my beetles with you.”

Runner took deep quivering breaths, his short sword and dagger forgotten on the ground, having fallen from nerveless fingers. He rested his hands on her sides now for stability, not trusting himself to stand on his own.

Katarina made no reply nor did she move. Barbarians were warlike people who thrived in battle but paid for their blood lust in the aftermath. Unable to confirm it but fairly sure of it, he believed she was probably trying to quell the burning desire for combat. It was as much as a positive racial passive as it was a detriment.