Otherlife Nightmares: The Selfless Hero Trilogy Read Online Free Page B

been lost to the game. Unfortunately, the rate at which they were dying had increased once more. Sixteen thousand, give or take a few hundred, were no longer sentient human beings. They were organ donors at best now.
    Finally, the crunch and slight hiss of dirt being ground under wagon wheels was replaced with the clatter of stones. Using his map and the alert he’d received when they’d crossed the border, Runner had confirmed that they’d entered the capital of the Sunless empire, Shade’s Rest. Having the time anyways, he’d been reading up on the capital, the ruling family, and any available information.
    He’d also been practicing his Spell Weaving and had it to a reasonable skill level of fifteen. In his testing he’d created a series of spells: Firestorm (Fire/Air), Sonic Boom (Air/Fire), Steam Engine (Water/Fire/Air), Fury (Fire/Lightning/Air/Water), Stunner (Lightning/Water), Lava shot (Fire/Earth), Mud pie (Earth/Water), Splatterhouse (Earth/Fire/Air/Lightning).
    He was especially proud of Splatterhouse . A solid chunk of hardened earth magic shaped into a shell. Coming out to roughly the size of his fist, it had a hollow point. That hollow point was filled with pressurized fire, air, and lightning magic.
    Realistically the detonation and subsequent explosion should be on par with plasma being released. Only testing could tell though.
    Using air as a propellant, he imagined it would reach some incredible speeds with a solid rotation. Almost like a rifled barrel from old ballistic weaponry.
    Or so he hoped. For all he knew it would go two feet, land at his feet, and sputter fire out onto the grass with a noise like a wet fart buried in a seat cushion.
    Real magnificent imagery there. Sure to really shock and awe the enemy.
    With any luck he could imitate some twentieth-century ballistic weaponry. Beam weaponry might be possible with some modifications to Fury , but nothing at the level of the world he came from.
    “Get out. You, take them all to the throne room. They’ll be presented to His Majesty and he can judge them accordingly.”
    Runner looked up, the voice of the Knight breaking him from his thoughts. He hadn’t noticed the wagon had stopped while he’d been daydreaming.
    “Huh. The service was awful. They didn’t even offer me complimentary anything,” complained Runner.
    He hopped out of the wagon and hit the stones with a pop. Stepping out of the way, he looked around, and then up, and up, and up.
    The castle was carved into a sheer rock face of darkened stone. Surrounding the city in three directions were mountainous elevations. Very little direct sunlight would reach this place and only during the brightest parts of the day.
    He looked around to get an idea of who was around. A man in livery stood nearby, staring at him, waiting. Hannah and Nadine dropped to the stones behind him, which was the extent of his group that he could spot. Thana and Katarina were listed at more than one hundred meters out and were nowhere in sight.
    “Lead on, sir. We’re in your care.”
    Runner gestured to the liveried man and smiled.

Chapter 2 - Royal Fools -
    12:01pm Sovereign Earth time
    11/06/43
     
    “His Majesty, King Vasilios the Third!” proclaimed the herald. As the voice faded away, the massive double doors swung inwards on silent hinges. Inside lurked a large audience hall filled with brightly colored tapestries and banners. Beyond those decorations, the room was stylized in a modest manner. Simple stone throughout the room, though each had been carved by hand and interlocked precisely. It gave off an artistic yet orderly feel, noble but cold, obvious and hidden.
    Runner didn’t care for it. His paranoia didn’t like it either.
    Crossing the threshold without revealing his trepidation, he received a system message. It stated he’d entered the Throne Room of King Vasilios. Locking eyes on the ruler of the domain, he marched determinedly towards him. Hannah and Nadine flanked him, one at each