The OP MC 2

by Logan Jacobs

  This time, I wanted to amaze everyone with my knowledge, so I called to Annette as soon as I saw her distraught face in the crowd.

  “Annette, darling, I have a surprise for you!” I hollered at the sad woman.

  The elder lady came up to me with curious eyes, but her nose wrinkled as she sniffled over recently shed tears.

  “Do I know you?” she asked in a confused tone.

  “I know you,” I explained with a friendly smile. “I also know you have suffered a great loss. I am sorry, Henry will be missed by many.”

  “Y-You know about m-my poor Henry?” The older woman’s tears became too much for her to withhold, and they came out in a torrential downpour of emotion to carve deep rivulets in the dirt on her face.

  “I know all things,” I said. “As I am Sebastian, the God of Time!”

  “How do I know you’re a god?” Annette asked as she narrowed her eyes. “For all I know, someone might have tipped you off about my dead cat, and you’re using it to take advantage of me. I won’t fall for it.”

  Chime.

  “Annette, darling, I am so sorry to learn of Henry’s passing, but he would not want you to be sad.” I beckoned for the older woman to come over, and I laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. “As the God of Time, I have foreseen a new beloved entering your life. Go to the tailor’s shop, and you will discover your next love.”

  “God of Time?” Annette gasped, and this time she was nothing but wide eyes and open mouthed awestruck. “Yes, yes, of course, I will go straight away!”

  Then the gray-haired woman squeezed my hands warmly and gave me a broad smile before she turned and ran down the street like a child chasing the ice cream truck.

  “How did you know all of that?” Carlisle asked in total surprise. He’d stared in wonder as I’d spoken to Annette, but Elissa and Mahini shot him knowing smiles the whole time.

  “I know all things,” I said in a solemn voice.

  Carlisle nodded sagely but remained silent. Then we ran into Kodi.

  “Kodi!” I greeted him before the mayor could open his mouth. “A word, please, before you head over to Mac’s forge.”

  “Yes, sir?” Kodi looked from Carlisle to me in confusion, but he tugged on his horse's lead rope and led her over to where we stood. “What can I do for you?”

  “It’s more what can I do for you,” I said as I pulled some coins out from my pocket. “Here is a few copper to pay for your horse’s thrown shoe. She can’t be without it for much longer, or she’ll go lame.”

  “You would really do that for me?” Kodi stared at me in bewilderment. “Who even are you?”

  “Let me introduce you to Sebastian,” Carlisle said with a flourish of his hands and a small smile. “The God of Time.”

  “The God of Time, you say?” Kodi shook his head in awe. “Aye, I need to get her shod, but I have nothing left to trade.”

  “You traded your last bit of steel for a pickaxe,” I said as I nodded knowingly.

  “How did you know that?” Kodi gasped.

  “He’s the God of Time, silly,” Elissa giggled, but her eyes were wide and full of adoration as she gazed up at me. “He knows everything!”

  By the time we’d made our way about halfway through the town, a crowd had formed around me. The people all rushed forward to request blessings, or to touch me briefly. I obliged them all with a benevolent smile, and I soaked up the awestruck expression on the mayor’s face like it was a cold drink on a hot day.

  Then my final task was to stop Hal from riding out of town with the ring. I scanned the streets for him, spotted him on his horse a block away, and jerked my chin in his direction.

  “Let’s go talk to Hal next,” I suggested.

  Carlisle nodded, but he seemed too spellbound by my presence to say anything.

  I absorbed the moment for a few breaths before I led everyone down the street toward the thief.

  “Hal is the stablemaster at the inn,” Carlisle explained as we walked.

  “He has something that doesn’t belong to him,” I countered.

  Mahini shot me a questioning look, and I gave her a subtle shake of my head to indicate I couldn’t explain yet. Then I stepped out into the road right in front of Hal’s horse, and I grabbed the reins to pull the beast of burden to a stop.

  “Who the fuck do you think you are?” Hal growled as he yanked the reins from my hands.

  “I am the God of Time.” I smirked. “The ring on your finger was stolen from the general store, and it needs to be returned.”

  “What!” Hal’s right hand immediately shot to cover the ring on his left. “How did you know that?”

  “Is this true, Hal?” Carlisle asked with a stern expression on his face. “Did you steal from Bruce?”

  “I-I-I just need to feed my family, sir,” Hal moaned as he hung his head. “I had nothing…”

  “You won’t have nothing any longer,” I assured him. “Hand me the ring, and I’ll give you some copper coins. I won’t stand by while your family is starving.”

  During my previous attempts, I’d tried everything from intimidation to calling for his arrest, but the townspeople always reacted to me very poorly when I tried those methods, so I’d ended up just playing the generous god since my main goal was to lift the spirits of the citizens and not to seek justice.

  Hal considered my words for a long moment, and then he nodded and slipped the ring off from his finger. He handed it to me with a sigh, but his eyes lit up when he accepted the purse of coins from me.

  I wasn’t entirely sure how far he’d be able to stretch a handful of coppers, but it was better than winding up in jail.

  “If you need work, head to Bastianville,” I recommended. “The mine is up and running, and they need all the able bodies they can find.”

  “I will do that…” Hal murmured as he jiggled the bag of coins in his hand to feel its weight.

  We bade him goodnight, and then we took the stolen ring back to Bruce at the general store. I greeted the burly shop owner like I’d known him my whole life, and a few moments after giving him back his jewelry, I had him laughing and calling me “Lord Bash” like we were the best of friends. I liked the guy, for sure, but I was more than happy I’d managed to help him out in some way.

  “You’re so powerful, Bash,” Elissa murmured into my ear as she sidled up against me. “It’s… amazing, and…very sexy.”

  Elissa and Mahini had watched me greeting all the townspeople with desire burning in their eyes. Each time I already knew someone’s name, I saw Elissa lick her lips, and with each problem solved, Mahini’s piercing blue gaze drove even deeper into me. The desert goddess couldn’t take her eyes off me, and my body was growing hot from her attention.

  I had to push all thoughts of fucking my sexy women out of my mind to avoid having a boner in the middle of the store, but it was good to know my powers had such a strong effect on the two of them.

  While we were in his store, we purchased the rest of the camping gear and food we would need for the rest of our travels. We arranged for everything to be taken to the inn by Bruce’s assistant, and then we headed toward bed.

  I eagerly plopped down onto the mattress, and then each of my women began to gently scratch my scalp as they told me how wonderful I was. I really wanted to fuck them, and I knew they’d been building all day toward it, but I was mentally exhausted, so I was snoring in a matter of moments, and I woke up mid-morning nestled between my two lovers’ sleeping bodies.

  We left for the port city of Kilwick, our next destination en route to the duke’s castle, after a quick breakfast. The stableboy made good on his promise to take proper care of our horses and mule, and all of our steeds were eager to head out by the time we loaded all of our new supplies into our saddle bags.

  The road was wide and easy to travel, so the three of us rode abreast down the middle of the lane. We made idle conversation about the various wildlife we saw along the way, and then we stopped to have a midday meal next
to a small creek.

  While I worked on heating up the bread, dried meat, and roasted vegetables Nelly had sent with us, Mahini pulled out a fishing pole she’d purchased from the general store in Carleone.

  I was highly entertained by watching her teach Elissa how to fish. The warrior woman caught multiple bass and something that resembled a trout, but the fiery redhead couldn’t get more than a bite. During one especially daunting moment, Elissa pulled against the line with all her might, and the petite goddess pouted as the fish managed to evade her grasp.

  Suddenly, the line snapped, the two women were sent backwards onto their asses, and the fish splashed into the water before darting away. The wave landed on Elissa, and her lovely blue dress was immediately soaked through.

  Mahini and I burst out laughing as we watched her stomp away from the creek bed and dig through her saddlebags for clean, dry clothes.

  “Do you know how to fish, Great One?” the desert goddess asked as she cleaned the fish she’d caught and strung them on a line.

  “Of course,” I replied instantly. “Doesn’t everyone?”

  “Hmmph!” Elissa snorted, but she didn’t comment any further.

  I laughed again, and then I scooped the warm vegetables onto three plates and added some of the dried meat and bread before I handed a dish to each woman.

  “Eat up,” I suggested. “We have a full day of riding ahead of us.”

  “Just so long as there is no more fishing!” Elissa pouted, and she flicked her long flame-colored tendrils over her shoulder.

  Her sass stirred something in my blood, and I started to salivate as I thought about how I’d use that attitude for my own amusement later.

  After we’d eaten our fill, we packed up our small picnic and continued on our way. We travelled for several hours without anything interesting happening, and then I spotted horses and people on the path ahead.

  As we got closer I saw it was a small band of around ten people surrounding a wagon heavy with bulging sacks and large crates. The people all wore long green robes that swept the dirt at their feet, and the cowls over their heads prevented me from getting a good look at their faces from a distance.

  I waved my hand over my head to signal we were friendly, and as our two groups met up, I was pleased to see some smiles among the other travelers.

  “How goes your journey?” a woman at the lead of the group asked. She eyed the horses and the mule with a knowing eye, and once satisfied, she turned her gray-blue eyes back to me. “You have not been on the road very long, I take it?”

  “We have not,” I replied with my best smile. “It has been an easy day so far. How have you all fared out here in the wide-open world?”

  “We have encountered some trouble to the north,” the woman answered, and she inclined her head to a young man sitting on the bench in the wagon. “Thankfully, our guardian here managed to get us to safety before any lives were lost.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” I frowned.

  If a group of ten could be attacked, then our party of three was even more vulnerable. These travelers didn’t have the God of Time on their side, though, so they were more at risk than we were.

  “Our last stop was in Kilwick,” the woman continued. “The city is louder than when I last visited.”

  “That is our next destination,” I shared with a nod. “We just came from Carleone, and Bastianville before that.”

  “Bastianville?” The woman tilted her head to the side as she pronounced the foreign word. “I have never heard of such a place, and I know this area well. We sell our goods in all the towns along the river to the south of here.”

  “Well, it used to be called Addington,” I informed her with a wry grin. “Then they renamed it after me, Sebastian.”

  “I see.” Her face remained neutral and impossible to read. “I have been to Addington before, but it was many years ago, right after the town was founded.”

  “Bastianville could use a visit from a merchant,” I said in an optimistic voice. “Perhaps you would like to revisit?”

  “We are looking for a good blacksmith,” the woman replied in a thoughtful tone. “Very few rival the work of Jaxtom, though, so I believe your advice is sound. We will bring your well wishes to the people.”

  “Awesome.” I grinned. “I think Jax is just the man to look for if you’re in the market for some new weapons.”

  “We sell ore, and we have a delivery to make in Carleone,” the woman explained.

  I wondered for a moment why she was being so open with me, but her last statement made everything make sense. Her people were less than a day away from their next destination, so they felt safe enough to speak to strangers on the road about their plans.

  My mind raced over the possibilities of new ore. Jax would certainly be excited to get some new material to work with, and the quality of my own future weapons would be greatly increased if I had better metal to forge.

  After we exchanged a few more polite questions, our two groups went our separate ways, and a few hours later we spotted Kilwick.

  The city shone like a beacon of light, even though dusk had settled in around the edges of the horizon. The light pollution shone like an orange halo above the buildings, and it was so distracting I almost didn’t realize a key detail.

  The entire town was built on top of the lake.

  It was like an extravagant dock on steroids. Each platform connected to the others with rope bridges that bobbed on the water, but the waves weren’t strong enough to move the heavier foundations beneath the buildings.

  Elissa didn’t react to the breathtaking view of the city, which made me think she’d seen it before, because Mahini’s face was lit up like she was opening Christmas presents. It was rare to see that level of emotion on the stoic warrior woman’s face, so I took a moment to drink it in.

  Then I turned and scanned the signs attached to the outside of the closest buildings. They were all written in fancy Old English lettering, but there were pictures painted to the side that showed examples of what each business sold.

  Suddenly, I saw one of the signs had a deck of cards painted on it, and on the wooden plank below that was an image of coins. It was a gambling house, and judging by the size of the building, it could have easily rivaled the riverboat casinos in my old world.

  “Fuck, yeah.” I grinned and turned to my two women with my eagerness painted across my face. “Are you both ready for me to make us a shitload of gold?”

  The God of Time could hack a casino in his sleep, which meant we’d be sleeping easy from here on out.

  And I couldn’t wait to get started.

  Chapter Seven

  Port Kilwick was situated against the wide river that ran from Bastianville to the lake, and the city bobbed on the waves as the foundations sat upon the water. It looked more modern than the two small towns I’d visited in this world, with iron street lamps using oil to fuel the flames.

  A stable sat upon the land on the outskirts of the town, so we headed in that direction first. Apparently, the animals didn’t appreciate living on top of the water, so they were the only ones standing on solid ground.

  I led the two horses and our mule into stalls inside the stable, and then I flagged down a stable hand to pay for their food and lodging for the night. Twilight had settled in with a vengeance, so I lit one of our torches we’d brought with us, and we all hefted a saddlebag over our shoulders.

  Mahini, Elissa, and I made our way into the dock city in search of a place to sleep, but it didn’t take us very long to find a building advertising beds on its sign. It wasn’t the fanciest looking place, but it looked well maintained, and the delicious smells rolling out of the open front door called to me.

  Cat Scratch Inn was written next to a picture of an orange cat curled up asleep, and inside we were greeted by an orange-haired woman with freckles covering her face. She could have been Elissa’s aunt if it weren’t for her front teeth, which were twisted and brown.

  I gr
imaced then forced myself to smile as I introduced myself.

  “Good evening, my name is Bash, and I need a single room with a large bed.” I bowed my head slightly in respect to the older woman, but she just cackled and gestured for us to follow her.

  “I’ve got just the room for you, I’ll fix ya right up, follow me.” The woman laughed between every sentence, and I wondered if there was anything she took seriously. “My name is Melanie, and I run this joint, but the tax man owns it. Damn banks turning the docks into a big city nightmare. Anywho, that’s neither here nor there. Which room was it? Oh, yes, here we are.”

  The innkeeper didn’t give me any space to reply, so I just followed silently behind her until she brought us to the last room on the right side of the long hallway. She opened the door, and then she led us inside to a small suite. It had a bathroom, a large bed, a dresser, and a small table with three chairs.

  The entire space was decorated with cat prints, and it reminded me of the eighties in my old world. All it needed was a crocodile skin purse and some hairspray, and it would be ready for the roller-skating rink.

  “It’s perfect,” I said as I held back my own laughter. No wonder the innkeeper was so hysterical, she’d likely gone mad ages ago if she thought this was trendy.

  “How modern,” Elissa said in an overly polite voice.

  “It’s… something…” Mahini commented as her piercing blue eyes scanned the room. “It will do for tonight.”

  “Is there a bathtub in the bathroom?” I asked Melanie as I entered the room and set my bags down on the bed.

  “Yes, sir, and hot water, too!” Melanie chirped in a pleased tone. “All included with the room. Will you be wanting to have dinner sent up?”

  “How long will it take?” I asked as I eyed the setting sun out the window. “I was wanting to get to the gambling house before they shut down for the night.”

  “Oh, no worries, dear, no worries at all,” Melanie rambled, “they’ll be open all night, they’re open all the time, have to get the people’s money from them somehow, you know. You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy a bath and dinner.”