Free Otherlife Nightmares: The Selfless Hero Trilogy by William D. Arand

head, the smile she’d been wearing since the garden undiminished.
    “Your brother should meet him.”
    A pause came over the two, and Runner knew exactly what was coming next.
     
    A Quest has been generated
    “The Knight’s End”
    Experience Reward: 10% of current level
    Reputation: 10
    Fame: 5
    Money: 15 Gold
    Do you Accept?
    Yes/No
     
    WARNING! Experience Reward is adjusted based on current level at turn in
     
    “I’ve heard from Thana. Have no fear, I shall free him. Now, I wanted to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind?”
     
    Quest Accepted
     
    Kyra and Nikola froze, their AI attempting to catch up to the situation. It was ideal for what he wanted to do.
    “Where are your parents? Do they yet live? If not, what happened to them? What are or were their names? Did they have brothers and sisters? Did either of you have brothers and sisters? Can you remember their names?” Runner asked them, each question coming on top of the other.
    Kyra stared at him, her mouth hanging open. Nikola frowned, his gaze locked on his own feet.
    He wouldn’t invite them to a party. He hoped to unlock their minds through prodding their AI into action. It would also serve as a test for future awakenings. Smiling, Runner continued.
    “Do you own a home? Who lived there before you? Does your house have a bathroom? If not, where do you go to the bathroom? When was the last time you actually used a bathroom? Where are the bathrooms here in the castle? Or in your parents’ house if you can remember if they had a house?”
     
    Stop. The AIs have become aware of the inconsistencies. I would hesitate to continue this behavior. Not every AI will be able to handle it or have the bandwidth for it.
     
    Runner nodded and fell silent at Srit’s confirmation. Kyra started to blink rapidly, staring into nothing.
    “It’s done, my lady. I will leave them to you. Srit has returned, and I would strike a bargain with it. Please notify our party that I’m retiring early to work on our solutions.”
    Thana acknowledged this with a perfunctory nod. She watched her parents eagerly as they came around to a full Awakening. She released his hand, then turned her head slightly, her cheek upturned towards him.
    With a face like he’d been chewing on the rind of a lemon, he pressed a kiss to her cheek and fled the area.
    Stopping at a window, he peered out into the night. A squirrel scampered around the foot of a tree. Last he knew squirrels weren’t active during the night for fear of owls.
    Frowning, he opened his inventory. A quick search of his inventory found several handfuls of blueberries. He tossed one at the tree to see if he could get the squirrel’s attention. The squirrel noticed the noise and hid itself high in the tree.
    No idea why I didn’t expect that.
    “Srit, do you have time?” Runner asked aloud. He tossed another blueberry against the tree, and it landed near the first.
     
    Affirmative. The current time is—
     
    “No, err, stop. I mean, I’d like to make you an offer. I need your help in putting together a few tables, preferably cubing databases and utilizing them for rapid cross-reference.”
    Cautious and slow, the squirrel crept down from the tree to look at the berries as Runner talked to Srit. A finger wave and an idle thought targeted the squirrel.
    Listed as “Squirrel,” it was nothing more than a level-two creature.
     
    This is an acceptable request. What do you propose in exchange?
     
    “I have the entire history of my race, its countries, and Earth. As well as all the history of nearly every animal that ever inhabited it. I propose the following. In exchange for your services, I begin making this information available to you. This way, you can report to your superiors with success, and I also benefit from our relationship.”
    Using Persuade on the animal, he pushed the mental image of the little creature eating the berries and growing stronger.
     
    You use Persuade on Squirrel
    Squirrel is