The OP MC

by Logan Jacobs

  If I could convince Elrin to help me build my own castle, I could die a very happy man.

  The promised beds arrived shortly after we had finished walking around the house, but they refused to let me help them get it into the master bedroom.

  “I love being me,” I said as I watched them set up the beframe.

  After they had left, I ducked out of the house to get my own hot bath at Torya’s, and it was pure bliss to scrub the dirt, blood, and sweat off after the long hours fighting in the tunnels.

  Dinner was a simple affair, and I got to show off some of my domestic talents to Mahini. The warrior-woman assisted me in cleaning and chopping some vegetables she had picked up on the way back from her bath, but I was the one who actually cooked everything down into a hearty stew. The fresh meat was supplied by one of the young hunters of the town, and it seemed to melt in my mouth when I took that first bite.

  The broth was a little on the thicker side, and it had a nice smooth texture. It was a little salty, but there was also a hint of spice that reminded me a bit of pepper. The meat had a smokiness to it that filled my nose, and it was coated with an even more intense kick than the broth. The potatoes and carrots were cooked down until they practically dissolved in my mouth, and each bite left me feeling warm and fuzzy.

  The storm broke over the town just as we finished our meal. I listened to the pounding on the roof and waited for any telltale dripping that would indicate some holes. The building stood its ground against the rain and wind, and the house didn’t even groan as I would have expected.

  “We have a long day ahead of us,” I said as I stood up from the table.

  “Yes,” Mahini agreed as she took my plate. “You will be married to Elissa in the evening.”

  “To the victor go the spoils,” I said.

  “You aren’t just a victor,” Mahini said. “You are a god. You deserve her. She is beautiful.”

  In less than twenty-four hours, I was going to be married to a gorgeous redhead, and I would be bringing her back here to make her mine. The whole idea was a bit strange since I didn’t even have a girlfriend back home, but I couldn’t possibly be upset at the turn of events. Knowing that I would get to wake up beside Elissa and Mahini every morning was enough to make my chest swell with delight.

  I wondered if I could find some other women in need of saving in the future?

  The bed Elrin had delivered was about the size of a queen, and although the mattress was lumpy compared to what I was used to in my old life, it was still very soft and inviting when I laid on it. The linens had been provided by one of the nice ladies of the town, and there were enough pillows on the bed that I could have made an awesome pillow fort and still have a few left over.

  I made a new save point when I crawled into bed, and then I noticed Mahini started making herself comfortable on the floor.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I asked her, and I arched an eyebrow when she looked up at me in the dim light. “You’re not sleeping on the floor.”

  “You are a man about to be wed,” she said with a furrowed brow. “It would be inappropriate for me to share your bed with you tonight.”

  “No,” I sighed. “I’m a god who wishes to make love to his woman. Come join me, and I’ll give you pleasure for the rest of the night.”

  “Great One…” Mahini sighed in the darkness. “I… This… The… I feel for you. My heart beats quickly when you look at me, and… I want to give myself to you. It’s just been so fast. This morning, I barely knew who you were, and now… I wish to spend every moment with you for the rest of my life. I wish to serve you. I wish to be your wife, just as Elissa will soon be, but can I beseech you for a few more days to collect my thoughts in my head? Between the death of my family, you saving the town and gifting me with the vengeance I craved, and… telling me you love me. I--”

  “I understand,” I sighed. “I’ve kinda forgotten that you just really met me this morning. Feels like it’s been years for me, and I know everything about you, but you don’t know that much about me.”

  “I know enough to know my feelings for you are pure,” Mahini said as she bowed her head to me slightly. “I am yours, Great One, and if you really want… you can take me tonight, but… I would--”

  “It’s fine, Mahini,” I chuckled. “I can go a few days before I make love to you for the first time. I want you to be happy.”

  “Thank you, Great One,” Mahini whispered. “I feel foolish for asking for a bit more time, since I do feel this intense love for you, and the way you look at me makes my skin heat and my legs tremble, but--”

  “You don’t have to explain anything more,” I said as I patted the bed again, “but… it’s also inappropriate for a woman to sleep on the floor when there’s more than enough room for her up here. I’ll let you be so you can sleep, but if you are feeling frisky, you just have to roll over and start riding me. Okay? I won’t mind.”

  “You tease, Great One,” the dark-haired beauty replied, and though it was hard to tell in the darkness, I could have sworn her cheeks were flushed. “I will do as you ask, just for tonight.”

  The bed rustled as the desert goddess slipped under the covers beside me. She kept to the very edge on her side, but her woodsy scent so close to me was enough to get me excited. Her breathing was hitched as she laid down, and I ran my fingers down her back before we both sighed.

  “Goodnight, Mahini,” I said as I rolled over to face away from her.

  “Goodnight, Great One,” she whispered back.

  Dawn rose in a watery light as the last of the storm ran its course. The rain had done little to interrupt the wedding preparations that had the women of the town in an absolute frenzy. The center of the town was quickly transformed into a sitting area for the entire population, and an elegant wedding arch sat on a raised dais.

  “What about the other guy?” I asked Elrin as he oversaw the preparations. “Wasn’t the duke’s son on his way?”

  The town leader let out a deep sigh. “Yes, well... He is not going to be happy with this outcome, but my promise to him was for clearing the mine, just as I promised to you.” The man shrugged. “You defeated the goblins first, therefore you get to marry my wonderful daughter.”

  “Simple, I like it.” I grinned.

  The duke’s son had written that he would arrive tomorrow night, but I wondered if he would be late. From the various conversations I’ve had with the villagers here, Lucian had a large foot-army that would need to rest frequently, and it also sounded like the Duke of Bullard was in no rush to save the small town. If his son arrived to find the place destroyed, then the kid could just turn around and go back home. They would lose nothing by taking their time.

  I got bored of watching everyone work on wedding stuff, so I left the mayor to continue the preparations, and then I made my way back to my house. Jax and some of the townsmen were supposed to be meeting me there to discuss the amount of lumber that would need to be harvested for the repairs. The whole process was going to be absolutely fascinating because I had never seen the archaic methods of carpentry before. Afterall, there were no chainsaws in this world to chop down a tree.

  “Axe or bust, baby,” I said to myself.

  Most of the townspeople had heard by then that I had been given a house and were bending over backward to help me get whatever I needed. Before I had even made it to the end of the main street, I was laden down with baskets for storing things in, some extra pillows, a set of cookware and eating utensils, and three vases for flowers. I returned to the house to drop off my new belongings, and the people started following me to offer me more gifts.

  By the time the men arrived to help with the lumber, it felt like my new home was the most lavishly decorated in the entire town. I had to put most of the offerings into the small front room, and even then the gifts were piling out into the living room.

  I really was a god to them.

  The men were raring to go when they finally arrived. Two of them were
well-versed in logging, and they had a much better plan of action than I did. While they explained to the others how many trees we would need and which trees would be best, I listened carefully and thought about the new skill I was about to learn. If I saved before we started felling the trees, I could impress the townsmen by taking down a tree in one swing or something.

  I set up a new save point at the outskirts of town and grabbed myself an axe with the rest of the men. We paired up for most of the trees and had to tackle the larger trees in groups of four. It was grueling work swinging that axe around, and I quickly became tired as I overtaxed myself trying to take out a tree in as few hits as possible.

  Chime.

  As soon as I got the rhythm down of where to land my axe, the work became invigorating. I loved the way the impact vibrated up my arms, and I could practically feel the extra weight in my body just melting away. With all of the physical activity I was putting myself through, I was bound to start shedding pounds like a dog sheds its winter coat. If I ever did make it back to my own world someday, I would probably return looking like a cover model for Men’s Health magazine.

  Chime.

  I respawned at least a dozen times during the tree felling process as I learned more about what I was doing. Each time I respawned I spent time learning the best techniques from each of the men before restarting, and I just restarted when I had mastered the perfect swing. Finally, the men shared looks of awe as I selected the perfect trees each time, and when I managed to hit the mark every time, I earned myself claps on the shoulders.

  They liked that I was a god that didn’t mind getting his hands dirty. There was no higher form of respect than what I got from those men.

  The day passed quickly with the forestry work we did. By the time the sun was sitting low in the sky, the men were all teasing me about the wedding that was about to take place. There were no bachelor activities in this world, but one of the men did disappear for a while and return with a canteen filled with a very strong kind of alcohol. The canteen was passed around the group, and the drink felt like some kind of initiation.

  I truly belonged to the town at that moment.

  On the way back from the tree field, I stopped at the Inn for a hot bath before the wedding. I still wasn’t used to not having a tub in my own home, but I always enjoyed the short conversations with Torya. Despite all of her recent grief, her brilliant smile just seemed to light up the room.

  The seamstress, Bellona, arrived at my house with a finely made outfit to wear for the wedding. None of it looked anything like a tuxedo from my world, but even I could appreciate the high quality of the clothing given to me. The only bit of clothing different from what I was already wearing was a kind of overcoat that Bellona called a doublet. It was made of some kind of soft green material, and there was very fine gold stitching to create a lattice-type pattern. The sleeves were kind of poofy at the shoulders, but the forearms were straight and form-fitting.

  I looked fucking amazing when I figured out how to put it on.

  “Elissa is a lucky girl,” the blonde seamstress sighed. “Oh, if only I were twenty years younger.”

  I laughed and held my arm out to the woman. She accepted with a formal curtsey and allowed me to escort her to the town center.

  The wedding was similar to the few I had attended back home except that there was no bridal party for my side. There was some local tradition involving the bride and some other young ladies, but I hadn’t been told anything about it so I assumed I wouldn’t be involved.

  As soon as I stood beside Elrin on the raised dais, the air was filled with a peaceful melody played on a flute and what sounded like a violin. After a few measures of music, five women in flowing red dresses appeared at the opposite end of the dais. Their faces were completely covered by thick veils, and they were all about the same height. They waited another few measures before making their way to the dais in a single file.

  The five women eventually stood on the dais with one close enough for me to touch. With a nod from Elrin, I drew back the veil covering the young woman’s face, and Elissa greeted me with one of her dazzling smiles.

  “Hello, Sebastian,” she purred.

  “Hello, yourself,” I purred right back.

  The beautiful redhead giggled, and the two of us turned to Elrin to begin the ceremony.

  But just before the man could get out so much as a “Dearly Beloved,” the air was split with what sounded like someone smashing two trashcan lids together.

  “What the fuck?” I turned around again and saw that I wasn’t too far off with the trash cans.

  At the end of the aisle that Elissa had just walked stood a muscular man with brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. He carried a wooden round shield in one hand and a broadsword in the other. His face was bright red, and he had the look of a toddler that had just gotten his new toy taken out from between his fingers.

  “Attention, people of Addington!” One of the four soldiers standing beside the angry man-child stepped forward and slammed the butt of his spear down three times. “Lord Lucian, third son of the Duke of Bullard, has arrived!”

  Chapter 10

  “Dude, you’re supposed to wait for the line ‘speak now or forever hold your peace’ before you interrupt a wedding!” I shouted. I should have known the duke’s son would show up at the worst possible time, but I supposed him showing up now was better than him barging in while Elissa and I were having sex on our wedding night.

  They must not have had that tradition in this world because Lucian’s only response was to look confused.

  “You dare address Lord Lucian so casually?” the spear-soldier barked. “My lord demands the proper respect from one as lowly as yourself!”

  I turned to Elrin. “Is he serious?”

  “Yes.” The mayor nodded.

  “From where I’m standing,” I said as I turned back to the duke’s son and his soldiers. “Lord Lucian has a mouth of his own. Can he not use it, or is he too much of a little bitch to speak for himself?”

  Lucian’s face turned such a deep red that he looked like he had a bad sunburn. The duke’s son stormed up the aisle with all the force of a toddler about to hurl himself to the ground and demand the candy his mother wouldn’t let him have. Two of his men followed at his heels. Keeping a straight face got harder as he got closer, and I had to bite my cheek when he finally stomped onto the dais.

  “You are clearly new around here, boy,” Lucian spat as he got a little too close for comfort. “I am the third son of the Duke of Bullard, and you will show me some respect!”

  “Third son, right,” I said and took a step back. “That means you’ve got two older brothers, and I can only assume the first son is the one who will actually get your father’s title when the guy keels over. So you’re important… why?”

  Lucian’s face darkened further. Was he going to burst an artery? From this proximity, I would take the brunt of a huge splash. And at least Elissa was already wearing red, so if the angry man-child did start spraying blood everywhere she wouldn’t end up looking like Carrie at the prom.

  The duke’s son took a deep breath and looked down his nose at me. He was barely an inch taller, but in that moment, it was like he towered over me. He lifted his hand in some kind of gesture, and the two men shifted in my periphery.

  Before I could turn around to confront them, my hands were yanked and pinned behind my back.

  “What the--Uh, I’m in the middle of something here!” I yelled out.

  The two soldiers restraining me didn’t even glance over. They both wore plate armor that looked heavier than what I wore in the mines, and every step filled the air with the grating sound of metal grinding against metal.

  As the two frog-marched me down the aisle, the townspeople shot to their feet and started shouting all kinds of abuse.

  “How dare you!”

  “This is a sacred ceremony!”

  “Unhand the Great One!”

  “What do you think you�
��re doing to our savior?”

  There were so many voices, and the soldiers kept me from turning to see who was saying what. These people clearly trusted and adored me enough to jump to my defense against their duke’s son. Despite the predicament, I smiled as warmth flooded my chest at their anger on my behalf.

  “Here is perfect,” came Lucian’s voice from somewhere behind me.

  A thick rope was looped around my neck and I knew exactly what was about to happen.

  I should have brought my sword.

  The rope suddenly tightened as I was drawing at my power, and panic quickly began to fill my lungs in the absence of oxygen. The angry voices quickly turned to cries of fear, and over it all was the wailing of my lovely redheaded bride to be.

  I clamped my eyes shut and forced myself to calm down. My heart was pounding like a stampede of wild horses even though I knew I wasn’t in any real danger. I couldn’t actually die. This was just a minor inconvenience, and if I could just focus and stop freaking out for two seconds, I could set everything straight again.

  Chime.

  The weight of the rope vanished, and I took such a deep breath that I went lightheaded for a second. There were several men around me, and my first instinct was to flail and keep them from coming at me with a rope.

  “Are you alright, Great One?” the nearest man asked.

  My heart continued pounding as my brain caught up with the situation. I was back at the outskirts of town where the men, and I had been cutting trees for my house. The sun was almost directly overhead, so there were still a few hours till the wedding.

  Shit. I had forgotten to make a new save point since I wasn’t expecting to be hanged at my own wedding.

  So rather than having a normal human conversation, the Lord of Losers decided to just have me killed? I mean, sure, I was taunting him and being a bit of a dick, but he kind of showed up right when I was about to marry one of the hottest women I had ever met. I deserved to be a little pissed off, didn’t I?

  What. The. Fuck.