Chapter 59: Thanks roboGod

Mason very seriously considered taking Haley all the way to his house and fucking her brains out. But he knew he needed to go, and figured he could burn off his frustrated energy just as well on the move.

“I need to go save a bunch of people I don’t care about,” he said, once they’d stepped to the darkness at the side of the hall.

“Now, now my love,” Haley smiled sweetly, “I was once a person you didn’t care about, and look at us now.”

“Yeah, well,” he couldn’t help but grin at the playful twinkle in her eye. “I only need a few.”

“Like Miss Rebecca?” She smiled. “How did your wooing go?”

“Good. I think.” Here he grimaced and really didn’t know what to say. “It’s just…it turns out she’s a virgin, and just really wholesome and sweet, and I…”

“You didn’t tell her about us,” she finished, and he sighed.

“I’ve no idea how.”

“Of course you don’t,” Haley giggled and kissed his cheek. “This is a woman problem. Rebecca and I will solve it. You don’t even need to worry.”

He blinked, utterly taken by surprise and out of his depth. “But how…I mean, it’s not like…well…”

“She and I will have a heart to heart, and discuss some rules,” Haley said like this was all very obvious. “And if she wants you like I do, that will be that.”

Mason threw up his hands. “You make it sound so…simple.”

“Because it is, my love. You’ll see. Tomorrow I’ll go and find her. Now go save people like the hero you are. And if you get back in time, come to bed and wake me up for your reward.”

His cock twitched and he pushed her against the side of the hall, running his hands up her long, slack covered legs.

“You’re amazing, you know that?”

“Yes I do,”she laughed, then pat the offending hands like a scolding teacher. “Off you go. Go be American and save the tired and poor yearning to breathe free.”

He grinned, then raced down to the closest gate, whistling loud enough he hoped Streak heard him wherever he was.

The wolf emerged from the infirmary with a metallic clang, and a few people near the entrance shrieked in panic as he loped past them with tail wagging.

“Good boy,” Mason scratched his ears when he arrived with a few barks and spins. He checked the leg, which looked entirely healed save for a couple scabs.

Becky was right, that infirmary was amazing.

“Ready to run like the wind, buddy?”

The wolf flattened his ears, and ran straight for the trees.

* * *

[Objective added: Return fleeing civilians to Nassau. Earn the town additional patronage points.]

More points for Blake to buy pool tables with

, Mason thought,

woohoo.

Just as his brother said, Mason soon found a whole host of refugees following the river in different states of distress.

He told them to keep going, moving as fast as possible along the river to find yet

more

people. These were in worse shape, and he stayed to protect them from any opportunistic creatures as they trudged towards Nassau.

It didn’t take long.

Some kind of dark green humanoids, much like the goblins Mason had killed in his tutorial, were roving around the woods. They came both individually and in small packs, and for a little while Mason just watched them, unsure if they were aggressive.

Then he saw one wearing a necklace made of human fingers. He put an arrow through its neck with a Power Shot.

[Orc Hunter killed. Experience awarded.]

The rest scattered, and Mason hunted them down one by one, easily outpacing them with Aspect of the Cheetah through the trees. Then he heard screaming from not far away down the river, and raced with Streak towards the sounds of violence.

He found a human player battling with half a dozen orcs—three others, probably civilians, huddled behind him and clutching each other as they wept and shouted. The man was already bleeding profusely when Mason arrived.

He didn’t waste time asking questions. He loosed an arrow, then dropped his bow and summoned Claw, leaping at one orc as Streak grabbed another by the leg and yanked him to the ground.

Predator’s Strike half severed the creature’s head, then Mason was moving and drawing his other blade, hoping to attract all the attention to himself.

It worked.

The orcs fell away in surprise and panic, one throwing a spear that Mason easily dodged before crossing the distance and hacking his foe down in two swipes. Two others ran, and Mason skewered one from behind as Streak caught the other, chewing into his neck once he had him prone.

[Orc Hunters killed x5. Experience awarded. Level 13 obtained. Please select a power enhancement.]

Holy shit

, he thought. He hadn’t realized he was so close. But the choice would have to wait.

He turned to the refugees, finding the civilians all tending to the player. Mason stepped over him to find an artery in his leg gushing blood, and knew he’d never get the older man to Nassau in time.

“Thank you,” the stranger managed, face pale and clammy as he stared up into the trees. “You’ll be safe now,” he said, presumably to the others. “It’s alright. You’ll be safe.”

They wept as he stilled and closed his eyes, and Mason gave them a moment before he told them his name, and about the settlement not far away down the river. They gasped in something like terror when they saw his player killing aura, but it wasn't like they had much choice, and they knew he couldn't hurt them.

“We can’t,” said a young maybe Spanish woman, terror in her eyes. “Not on our own. We’ll be killed. You have to go with us. Please, you can’t leave us alone.”

Mason sighed, and gathered them up to escort them back. En route he checked his neglected profile.

Mason Nimitz

Level: 13

Primary Class: Ranger

Secondary Class: Druid

Strength:9

Dexterity:15

Vitality:13

Intellect:6

Will:9

Presence:3

Luck: 4

Titles: Killer, Early Lead, Soloist, Crazy like a Fox, Burnt the Boats, Progenitor, Hit the Ground Running, First Blood

Powers: Power Shot, Crippling Strike (enhanced), Regeneration, Predator’s Strike, *Nature Affinity, Ranger’s Claw, Endless Quiver (enhanced), Trapmaking, Aspect of the Cheetah

He had several key powers that made plenty of sense—his Claw and his Aspect being top choices. But at the end of the day, he knew it was time to stop putting off Regeneration. He selected it, and the power glowed with an updated message: Increased regeneration speed and severity.

Yeah. He couldn’t regret that choice. He’d already be dead several times if it wasn’t for that power. And things didn’t seem to be getting less dangerous.

Level sorted, he focused on the forest and any danger to the civilians. Eventually he’d led them about halfway before he found Nassau had sent more players in his wake.

Relieved, and ignoring the many weeping thanks, he turned and ran back into the trees.

He again followed the river until he inevitably found more injured or traumatized people, two of which he had to carry on his next trek back.

Back and forth, pacing through the trees, eyes behind, eyes to the sides, eyes ahead. It went on and on, a never ending series of fleeing people and violent, monstrous pursuers.

When the sun fell again, his vision swam momentarily, his Apex Predator power asking if he wished to activate to combat a

presence

in his mind from player: Blake Nimitz.

Mason sighed, and chose no. But in truth he was deeply comforted at the option.

“Brother of mine!” Blake’s annoyingly perky voice echoed like he was somewhere above. “No time for chitchat. Or, well, walking. I need you to make another run, further down the river. The people you helped are

extremely

appreciative and the contracts are smooth as hell. But there’s another big pack you need to help. So off you go, please! Tomorrow we’ll head to your tree as planned.”

The ‘connection’ dropped, just like that, and Mason stopped his teeth from grinding. He wondered exactly when he would have time to

sleep

before their encounter with a deadly dungeon. But he supposed the trip there might take them a night.

He cursed in a long, steady string as he moved further down the river.

The sun finished falling and then rose again as Mason killed more orcs and gathered more refugees into a large pack. They spoke to him, and he to them, but everything began vanishing into a fog of exhaustion as he took them home.

By the time he passed this final group off to the other players, he expected he’d killed at least thirty orcs, and brought back twenty five people.

But even his great energy reserves were running dry.

[Objective complete: Civilian Rescue. Moderate patron points earned for Nassau.]

Well, he supposed, that was something. And he

had

saved a whole bunch of people. At least for now.

“Thanks roboGod,” he muttered. “Alright, boy.” He looked at the wolf still at his side, enduring the long journey step for step. He’d killed a handful of the creatures himself and helped with countless more. “You’d have made your pop proud today, buddy. Now let’s go home.”

He turned back to Nassau, finally considering how much time had passed and remembering his dinner date with Rebecca.

It was supposed to have been that evening, and he’d completely forgotten and blown her off.

“Fuck!” he yelled to the trees, sending Streak and several birds into a temporary spasm of alarm. Then he raced at top speed back home.

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