The OP MC

by Logan Jacobs

  “I don’t need anyone to make me rich, Lucian,” I said, and the man lifted his head to look me in the eyes. “If I want to be rich, then I shall be rich. I am a god, and you are of no use to me.”

  Lucian lifted his hand to try to block my attack, but I merely swatted the hand away with my shield and swung my sword. Blood sprayed everywhere as his head slid from his shoulders.

  The Duke of Bullard only had two sons left now.

  Then I made a save point, because I sure as hell didn’t want to do all of that over again.

  Chapter 16

  Cheering from the town split the air and caused several birds to shriek in alarm and burst from the trees. The sight of the flock over the battlefield reminded me that the crows and vultures would soon pick the bodies clean of their flesh.

  Maybe I could convince Elrin to bury each man in his own grave. They may have been trying to kill me and destroy the town, but they were only following the orders of a prideful man-child. Most of them had fought bravely, and many of them had killed me at least once during my million attempts at the battle. They deserved to be honored in some way.

  “Ahhh, the sweet smell of victory,” I sighed as I inhaled the blood in the air, and then I made my way over to the Loser Lord’s discarded shield, picked it up, and focused on it to reveal the stats.

  Durability – 63%

  Weight – 7lbs

  Quality – High

  Magical Aspect – Minor Magic Deflection

  Magical Ability – None

  “Ooooh!” I didn’t need an explanation of the magical aspect for this shield. “No more acid melting bullshit for me!”

  I gripped the shield in my left hand and ducked behind it. The whole thing could easily cover my front from any threats, and if I had Mahini fighting with me, I could probably keep her protected as well.

  It was a pity that I had killed all the shaman goblins in the mine. I wanted to test out the magic deflection to see how it worked.

  The shield would make a fine addition to my defense once I figured out how to remove the family crest on its face, and I set it aside to peek at Lucian’s sword.

  Durability – 87%

  Weight – 4.8lbs

  Quality – Excellent

  Magical Aspect – None

  Magical Ability – None

  The sword was much heavier than my feather sword, for obvious reasons, but its quality was superior, and I had to imagine the durability could be returned to one-hundred-percent. I couldn’t bring myself to replace the feather blade entirely, but having a back up sword wasn’t such a terrible idea. I put it aside and reminded myself to have Jax take a look at it.

  As I turned to inspect the armor still covering Lucian’s headless body, I kicked the helmet he had tossed aside earlier. I picked it up and tapped on it just to see how it stood up against the helmet I already wore.

  Durability – 81%

  Weight – 3.6lbs

  Quality – Excellent

  Magical Aspect – None

  Armor Tier – 5

  I should have known the quality would be excellent, especially since the wings on the side made it look like something the Greek Gods would have worn. The armor tier was the highest I had seen yet, and I still hadn’t figured out what that number meant. I assumed it was linked to durability and quality, but all I could do was guess at this point.

  “What else do we have to work with,” I muttered to myself as I approached the fallen lord.

  The majority of his armor was almost identical to my own except that his had taken durability hits whereas mine was still almost perfect. The few blows I had let hit me took only a small percentage from the overall durability. Nothing a quick fix wouldn’t put right.

  Even if the armor wasn’t good enough for me, I knew that one of the men in town would benefit from a fine set. I had a feeling Jax might decide to just smelt the whole thing down and reforge it just so nobody wore armor made by another man, but at least that would get rid of the Bullard family crest, and nobody would ever know that it had once belonged to a Loser Lord.

  The gauntlets, however, were better than mine, and I wasted no time in removing them from Lucian’s corpse.

  Durability – 92%

  Weight – 5.2lbs

  Quality – Excellent

  Magical Aspect – Iron Fist

  Armor Tier – 5

  I immediately yanked my own gauntlets off and shoved my hands into the new ones. They were heavier, but when I curled my fingers into fists, I felt like I could punch through a wall. Since I didn’t have one nearby to test that theory, I turned and punched my new kite shield as hard as I could.

  The metal let out a low thud and crumbled around my fist like it was made of aluminum foil.

  “Holy shit, this is awesome!” I grinned, but it faltered as I tried to lift my hands again. It was like they were encased in cement. “What the hell?”

  No matter how much I strained, my gloved hands weren’t lifting from the mangled shield. Only after I removed my hands was I able to pick the gauntlets up. I tapped them to bring the stats up again, and the Iron Fist aspect was a little faded.

  “Must be a one-time thing,” I muttered. “Or maybe there’s some kind of cooldown.”

  It would have been so much more badass if I could just punch people in the face and Hulk-smash them. But then again, that wouldn’t have been as much fun. Less taunting and mocking them for their pitiful skills and just more face punching.

  Still, an ability that gives me superhuman punching strength would come in handy in a tight spot, even if there was a cooldown for it.

  I picked up the mangled shield, tapped it once more, and saw its durability had dropped to thirty-two percent. It looked like it was pretty much useless now, and I wasn’t sure how difficult it would be to fix a damaged shield, but I had a way to cheat the system and repair it instantly.

  Chime.

  I collected my new weapons and took a deep breath of the cool morning air. The sky was bright blue without a cloud in sight, and the sun shone brightly down on the grisly scene of destruction.

  A day that began like this was bound to continue being just as amazing.

  Cotinus was grazing off in the distance, and I noticed him when he shifted and the armor he wore glinted in the sunlight. His tail flicked now and again to swat at the flies gathering in earnest around the dead bodies, and I was loath to disturb him. How often did a warhorse get to just stand in a field and chill like a normal horse? I could imagine he trained just as hard as his master and was kept under tight control.

  Well, I was going to give him a much-deserved holiday, and once we cleared up the bodies, I would build him a nice enclosure where he could feast on all the grass around here.

  I whistled to Cotinus. His head shot up, and he let out a whinny as he came galloping toward me. He had to leap over bodies now and again, but he eventually reached my side, and I patted him when he came to a stop in front of me.

  “We’re gonna take all this crap off of you and get you a nice hot bath,” I informed the horse as I grabbed the reins and led him to his new home. “It might be a while before a field is sectioned off for you, but I’ll make sure to bring you out to run around every day.”

  I didn’t know the first thing about taking care of horses, but I knew that the farmer Gerulf would be able to give me some pointers. He might even have a stable that I could keep Cotinus in until I got Elrin to let me build one near my house.

  “And maybe a few ladies you could flirt with, too,” I added to the horse.

  The townspeople managed to shift the gate blocking the entrance to the town and were pouring across the land bridge to meet me. Most of them were chanting my title, but a few were shouting over one another and asking questions that I couldn’t distinguish beyond the hum of conversation. Shock and awe were prevalent on every face, but it wasn’t the terrified sort that the swordsmen had shown in the end.

  These were my people, and they were proud that I was a par
t of their community. They had nothing to fear so long as I protected them.

  “You were amazing, Great One!” several people called as I drew nearer.

  “You’ve saved us again!” a woman shouted.

  “Sebastian is the greatest in all the land!” Dalwin’s squeaky voice rose above the noise. “Nobody stands a chance against him!”

  The crowd cheered with agreement, and the sudden swell of noise caused Cotinus to jerk his head up and take several paces back. His nostrils flared, and his eyes were wide with terror. He snorted like a bull about to charge, and he pawed at the ground several times.

  “Easy, buddy,” I soothed as I patted his muscular neck. “They’re all just really happy, and I’m sure they’ll give you lots of treats for helping me out.”

  Whether the horse understood my words or my soothing tone, he calmed down after a few moments. He pranced as I led him back toward the crowd, and I wondered if he was nervous or showing off.

  I chose to believe it was the latter.

  “This is Cotinus,” I announced to everyone, and nobody thought the name was strange as I had. “He’s my new buddy, and I want everyone to treat him well.”

  It was clear that the townspeople were much more experienced with horses than I was. A few came forward at a time to greet the animal, and their movements were slow and careful. Cotinus sniffed each person like a dog might, and let nearly everyone touch him so long as they didn’t crowd around him.

  He let out a deeply contented sigh, and I knew he was happy with the attention. I left him in the excellent care of some townspeople and headed to the gates.

  “You were incredible out there, Great One,” Will said with a grin as he shook my hand. “First the goblins, and now this. Addington will never face troubles again with you here.”

  “Don’t let your guard down just because I’m around,” I chuckled. “I expect to see you training with a sword as well as a pick.”

  “You don’t think a pick could be a powerful weapon, Great One?” Will shot right back with another grin.

  “If so, I’d best get my hands on one and start my own training,” I said with a grin.

  We both laughed, and he clapped me on the shoulder as he headed off into the field of my destruction.

  “Sebastian!” Elissa’s clear voice rang out among the praise raining down on me.

  I straightened up a bit and spotted her fiery red hair flowing behind her as she rushed through the crowd. The people parted to let her pass, and my young bride threw herself into my waiting arms.

  “Hello there, darling,” I cooed at her as I wrapped her up in a hug. “I told you there was nothing to worry about.”

  Instead of an answer, that fiery woman stepped back, hooked her fingers into the top of my breastplate, and yanked me down to her eye level for a heated kiss. She moaned into my mouth as her tongue slid against my own, and her hands cupped my face as my arm slipped around her slim waist.

  “I knew you could do it,” she breathed as she pulled away, and her green eyes smoldered with passion. “You are the most amazing man I have ever met.”

  “He certainly is,” Mahini’s melodic voice agreed. The desert woman stood an arm’s length away with a proud smile on her face. “I believe it is my turn to greet our returning hero, Elissa.”

  The redhead giggled and withdrew from my arms, and Mahini slipped into her place like the last piece of a puzzle finishing the picture. Both of my women fit so well in my arms, and I knew I would do everything in my power to make sure they never left my side.

  “I was worried about you,” Mahini whispered as she pressed herself against my armored chest. “I knew you could kill them all, of course, but…”

  She bit her lip and looked down, and I knew the thoughts racing through her mind.

  “I am invincible, Mahini,” I said as I lifted her chin. I smiled as her eyes wavered, as if holding onto that fear was somehow going to protect me. “You will never lose me.”

  “Nor will you lose me,” she replied, and then she pulled me down for a long kiss.

  I loved the subtle difference in taste of the two women. Elissa was like fresh honey from a bouquet of flowers while Mahini was tart cherries at the top of an ice cream sundae. Both made my mind spin with desire, and I loved how accepting they were of the other in my life. Back home women could be so possessive of their men, and if a guy so much as looked at another woman, he’d be sleeping in the doghouse.

  “I am the luckiest man in the world,” I said as Mahini pulled away again.

  “I do not think luck has anything to do with it,” Mahini replied.

  Her eyes danced with some kind of hidden meaning, and before I could ask what it meant, I was being yanked around by a strong hand, and there was only one person with a grip like that.

  “You are quite the blessin’ on this little town, Great One,” Jax growled as he spun me around. “Oh, sorry, Mahini. Didn’t see ya there.”

  The desert woman nodded and stepped back to give us room, but I could feel her at my shoulder as intensely as I could feel the sun overhead.

  “Yer shield could use a cleaning,” the blacksmith pointed out. He slipped the shield off my arm as I held it out to him, and he clicked his tongue. “This is that scrawny lord’s shield! Where is the one I gave you?”

  “Right over there,” I said as I pointed to the field. “It’s next to the scrawny lord. It’s a little banged up from the fight.”

  The great blacksmith stared at me for a long moment before he just shook his head and muttered something under his breath that sounded like “My poor shield.”

  “I’ll clean it up and fix it as good as new, alright?” I promised the man, but he just gave me a pouty look.

  “It is still so hard to believe that you walk among us, Sebastian,” Elrin said as he approached from the right. “One week ago, I was in a pit of despair and ready to give all of this up.”

  He fell silent for a moment as several people passed us and offered congratulations. Every hand that gripped mine filled me with a sense of accomplishment I had never felt before, and my cheeks were sore from smiling so much.

  I made such a huge impact on these people, and I had never felt like more of a god than in that moment.

  “You have met every threat this town has been faced with head-on,” the town leader continued. His expression was relaxed, and his eyes sparked with all the plans he had for the future of his town. “There has never been another man like you, and I will be spending the rest of my life making up even a fraction of what is owed to you.”

  “So marrying your daughter was only a small token?” I joked.

  “You honor me by joining my family,” Elrin laughed. “Even that I must make up for.”

  “We both got what we wanted there, Elrin,” I said as I clapped him on the shoulder. “You can rest easy knowing your daughter is safe with me, and I got to marry a beautiful, fiery young woman.”

  “That fire may burn you some day, Great One,” Elrin laughed.

  “I can hear you two, you know!” Elissa chided from beside Mahini. Her kissable lips were turned down in a frown, but her eyes sparkled with happiness. “You wouldn’t like it if I started spreading gossip about you!”

  Laughter filled the air and seemed to relieve any of the leftover tension that the battle had packed into the air.

  It really was over this time. No goblins or kobolds to take care of, no army hovering outside the gates, nobody trying to take Elissa or Mahini away from me.

  I could finally relax.

  “I need to get out of this armor,” I said. “It’s hot in here, and it could use a good shine.”

  “I’ll send it to your shop later,” Mahini said to Jax. “There’s no rush to get everything done now.”

  “I also need to see to Cotinus,” I mentioned as the desert woman stepped up to my side again. Her leathery scent was distracting, but my new buddy needed my attention, too. “He could use a cleaning. And a better name, but I have to think of a real
ly good one first.”

  “I’ll bathe him, Great One!” a strapping young lad said as he appeared from the gates. “It would be my pleasure to help you.”

  He looked to be about fourteen or so, and his tanned arms were almost as big as mine. His smile hadn’t lost its boyish charm yet, and I wagered it would only be a year before he was attracting the ladies like flies to honey.

  “This is Janus, my apprentice,” Jax interjected, and he frowned at the boy, but I could see the pride in his eyes. “Finally healed up and started bein’ useful yesterday mornin’.”

  “You were hurt in the raid,” I said. I remembered Mahini telling me about the boy and it explained why I hadn’t seen him around before today. “I’m glad that you’ve recovered.”

  “I have a stable the horse can be kept in for the time being,” Elrin chimed in. “I will have Dalwin set up a stall for him at once.”

  “Then I leave him in your capable hands, Janus,” I said to the apprentice. “See to it that he is comfortable.”

  “Of course, Great One.” Janus bowed deeply before heading over to Cotinus and leading him into town. “He’s lost a shoe on the front, Master Jax.”

  “All that runnin’ around out there, I’m not surprised,” the blacksmith grumbled. “We’ll give him a good shooein’ after he’s had a rest.”

  “Let me know when you do it,” I insisted as I realized I could acquire a new skill. “I’ve never seen a horse get shoes before.”

  “I figured ya might,” Jax replied as he shook his head. “You’ll both get a long rest, and I’ll fix his feet up in the morning, alright?”

  “Sounds like a plan,” I said with a grin.

  Jax and his apprentice headed off with Cotinus and my new shield while Elrin bowed to me and headed for the field of bodies.

  “I should probably help them clean up for once,” I muttered to myself.

  “Absolutely not!” a gentleman named Gwydion said in an affronted tone. He was passing by us but came to a halt to defend his point. “You have already done so much for us, Great One. It is the least we can do to clean up after you.”

  “I don’t want you to think I’m lazy, though,” I fretted.