The OP MC 2

by Logan Jacobs

  “Greetings,” I said before Sarosh could open her mouth and begin her monologue. “I am Sebastian, and I am the God of Time. I am here to save Ivywood from all that plagues it. Hacket, please come forward.”

  “Have we met before?” The elder man hobbled forward with his cane, and he gave me a questioning glance as he peered up at me.

  “Not in this life,” I replied vaguely.

  Sarosh opened her mouth to interject, but I held up the palm of my hand to stop her.

  “You will get your turn to speak later,” I informed her in a firm tone.

  Her mouth snapped shut with an audible click, and she pursed her lips angrily as she stepped back away from me. The villagers eyed me with growing fascination, and I wondered how many of them had attempted to get the heretic to shut up and failed.

  “The God of Time, you say?” Hacket asked as he stroked his long gray beard.

  “Indeed.” I lifted my chin proudly. “Like I said, I am here to save Ivywood.”

  “How do you propose to do that?” a man named Willum demanded with crossed arms and a sour face.

  “For starters,” I said as I turned to the man who I knew was one of the last three guardsmen remaining alive in Ivywood, “you can help yourself to the weapons from the bandits. I have no need for them. The armor is subpar, but if it is better than what you currently have, then you may consider it yours as well.”

  “That’s… wonderful!” Willum said as his eyes slowly lit up with hope and joy. Then he nudged a man standing to his right. “Did you hear that, Krider? We can get some new weapons!”

  “I heard him,” Krider replied in a voice filled with awe.

  “Now,” I said as I turned back to the rest of the gathered people. “Where is Zed?”

  I motioned to the middle-aged man who ran the apothecary shop, and he stepped forward.

  “How did you know my name, O Great One?” the older man asked as his brown eyes narrowed.

  “I know all things,” I insisted calmly. “I know your stores are running low, and you need to restock your herbs and ingredients. I also know your old bones are too weary to traverse the woods around Ivywood in search of what you need, so I will help you.”

  “That would be such a blessing,” Zed replied in surprise. “How did yo-- God of Time, you said?”

  “Yes.” I nodded to emphasize my point, and I resisted the urge to grin. This was going just as I’d planned. As long as I could keep Sarosh from speaking, then I could wow the citizens enough that nothing she could say would penetrate my god-like presence.

  I distributed the rest of the loot to the people who needed it most, and by the time I’d gone through and greeted everyone by name and expressed concerns for their most pressing fears, they were all singing my praises.

  The twenty odd people crowded even tighter around me, and they pushed Sarosh further out of the circle with each passing moment. The heated glare on her face let me know we weren’t finished yet, but she didn’t seem overly anxious to interrupt my time with the townspeople.

  Once I had everyone pulling on my shirt sleeves and trying to touch whatever exposed skin they could reach, I cleared my throat and motioned for them to step back. Everyone obeyed immediately, and then I motioned for Beth to come forward.

  “I’ll require a room at your inn,” I informed her. “I will pay full price, though, and I’m not hearing any of your arguments to the contrary.”

  “V-Very well, Great One,” Beth said with a curtsey. “I will return at once to prepare your room.”

  “Good.” I nodded then turned to Zed. “Write me a list of plants to gather and descriptions of them, and I will gather your supplies before I retire for the evening.”

  “Thank you, O Great One,” Zed said, and he bowed so low his nose almost scratched against the dirt.

  “Once you are fully stocked,” I continued, “I expect you to continue your work on Willum, Krider, and Hank. I know they were injured during the last battle, and their wounds are growing infected. If we cannot do something to help them before the end of the day, they may still lose their lives.”

  “Yes, Great One,” Zed said with an emphatic nod.

  Now, that was more like it.

  I continued through the crowd of townspeople until I’d greeted everyone by name and given them a suggestion to improve their lives immediately. It seemed so obvious to me, but then again I wasn’t susceptible to superstitions.

  Once I’d introduced myself to every citizen of Ivywood individually, I finally turned to acknowledge Sarosh. Her gray eyes were hard as she considered me with a thoughtful expression, and I could only imagine the horrible things she was doing to me in her brain.

  “Sarosh, do not be angry.” I grinned at the priestess. “I am here to deliver a message of hope to the people. Your master has tricked you, he is not a true follower of the gods. Follow me, and you can live, Sarosh.”

  I held out my hands with the palms up in a placating gesture, and I urged her with my eyes to heed my words.

  Sarosh stared deep into my eyes as though searching for all the truths of the world within my depths, but I held her gaze firmly in mine until she looked away.

  “I do not know if what you speak is true,” she murmured in a low, unsure voice, “but I cannot turn away from my master before I can ask him about you. You could be a test sent to challenge my faith, and I do not want to fail.”

  “Very well.” I shrugged. “Just stop trying to convince the people of Ivywood to kill themselves, and we will get along just fine.”

  “I shall leave this town,” Sarosh replied with a shake of her head that sent her silvery tendrils flowing around her face. Then she turned to eye the crowd of people, and she raised her voice for all to hear. “Whoever wishes to follow me may do so.”

  With that, she turned around and strode toward the town gates. I supposed she was on her way to pack, but I was glad she’d decided to leave Ivywood to me.

  There was only enough room for one god as far as I was concerned.

  To my surprise, three villagers trotted after the retreating Sarosh. They were some of the girls whose main concern had been a lack of food, and it hurt my heart to think they’d rather choose to sacrifice themselves than to listen to my advice.

  I almost called for them to stop, but then I thought better of it. I had a feeling I hadn’t seen the last of Sarosh, and I kinda didn’t want to do this whole thing over again.

  So, I instead turned to Beth and inclined my head toward the town.

  “Shall we?” I asked as I offered her my arm.

  The older woman giggled and wrapped her dainty hand around my elbow, and then she led me toward the gates.

  “Come see me in the morning,” Hacket requested before he turned toward the town himself. “I’d like to visit before you leave.”

  “If I have time,” I replied with a small nod.

  I didn’t want the leader of Ivywood thinking he could boss me around, after all.

  The Ivywood Inn was dusty and dirty. The tables all had their chairs flipped upside down and were covered in cobwebs. It looked like it hadn’t had a patron in months, or it was haunted and that was just part of the aesthetic.

  “Sorry for the state of things,” the innkeeper apologized as she dusted off a table and pulled the chairs down. “Haven’t had much reason to clean up as of late…”

  “Have no fear,” I comforted the middle-aged woman. “Soon, many travelers will come from Bastianville with pockets heavy with gold to spend. My followers will flock to your establishment because you have made the right choice.”

  “I never did consider following that Sarosh lady,” Beth assured me. “Business might be bad, but it’s not worth throwing my whole life away over it.”

  “I’m glad you think so.” I nodded sagely. “You are very wise for your age.”

  The innkeeper responded with another giggle, but she seemed at a loss for words for a long moment. She busied herself getting us a meager meal scraped together, and af
ter we’d eaten a bowl of chicken and rice soup and a chunk of bread, she hastily cleared away with the dishes without saying a thing.

  Once Beth had directed Mahini, Elissa, and me to a room, I went immediately to the bathroom to draw a bath. The water was lukewarm at best, but it would do in a pinch. Soon, we’d be staying in the duke’s castle while I discussed terms with him, and the accommodations would be much more lavish.

  I got cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes, and I put on a few pieces of armor just to be safe. I strapped my feather sword and my two daggers to my belt, and then I tucked the sorcerer’s dagger into my boot.

  One could never be too careful in strange places.

  The apothecary’s shop was my next stop, and I greeted Zed with a friendly smile. The older man was sitting at a desk in the corner, and he was busy writing on a piece of parchment, so I took a moment to look around.

  The shop was full of shelves containing jars of various sizes and colors, and inside were herbs, flowers, mushrooms, and various animal specimens. There was a stuffed fox on a mantle above a small fireplace, and two cushioned arm chairs sat to either side of the flames. A shelf full of books filled the wall behind the medicine man’s desk, and a workbench occupied the opposite corner.

  “My apologies, Great One,” Zed said as he stood from his desk and shook my hand. “I was just finishing up the list you requested.”

  I made a new save point, and then I took the piece of paper from the apothecary’s hands. I glanced down over the words and realized I didn’t recognize any of them, so I cleared my throat.

  “To be honest, I don’t know very much about these herbs. I want to help you, but will you show me what they look like and explain what they’re used for?”

  “I wasn’t expecting that,” Zed replied as his eyebrows shot up into his hairline. “You want to learn from me, Great One?”

  “Yes, please,” I said, and then I pointed to the first item on the list. “Like this one, what is mullein?”

  “Mullein is a soft leafy plant with seed pods that grow tall and bushy out of the center.” Zed’s eyes lit up as he began to discuss what was obviously his favorite topic. “It can be used to clear out the lungs, and is great for an emergency bandage. It’s very absorbent, but also soft enough to be used as on the body.”

  “Fascinating,” I breathed as my eyes trailed down to the many plants I was about to learn.

  This was going to be awesome.

  It took several attempts for me to memorize the list and be able to identify them when questioned, but I finally had the entire list down. I could glance around the apothecary’s shop and point to the plant inside a random jar and tell him what medicinal benefits it had.

  Once I was satisfied with my plant knowledge, I tucked away all the information into a part of my brain saved for new skills, and I reset to the beginning of the interaction with the apothecary.

  Chime.

  “My apologies, Great One,” Zed said as he stood from his desk and shook my hand. “I was just finishing up the list you requested.”

  “Thank you, Zed,” I replied with a grateful smile.

  “No, no, thank you, Great One,” the apothecary gushed. “I have been asking everyone in town to help me, but no one knows the plants or has the time to learn.”

  “I already know what you seek,” I assured him with a nod. Then I handed him back the list I hadn’t even looked down at yet, and I proceeded to list off every item in order.

  “Your power is astonishing,” the older man breathed as he looked me up and down like I was made of gold. “You truly are the Great One of prophecy!”

  I laughed and raked a hand through my hair. “You can call me Bash, as my other followers do.”

  “It would be an honor, Gre--er, Bash.” He spoke my name like it was the most foreign sounding word he’d ever tasted, but the glimmer in his eyes filled my chest with pride.

  It took me several hours and several attempts to locate all the plants and get enough to restock Zed’s shelves, but thanks to my power, I quickly was able to find the good sources and go straight to those locations. To the outside perspective, I’d been gone for less than an hour, but I returned with a bountiful harvest of medicinal herbs and fungi.

  After I’d helped Zed apply healing poultices to the injured guardsmen, I collapsed happily into bed next to Mahini and Elissa. The bed was slightly lumpy, and the sheets were itchy, but we’d be on to Lake Balerno in the morning, so one night of less than posh surroundings was acceptable.

  The next morning, I separated out a sizable portion of the gold I’d won in Port Kilwick, and then I decided to head to the leader’s house for our discussion. I wasn’t sure why the old man had requested my presence, but I was about to find out.

  “You two get our stuff ready,” I directed Mahini and Elissa. “We’ll be leaving as soon as I get back.”

  “Yes, Great One.” Mahini bowed her head.

  “Of course, my husband,” Elissa said with a wide grin and a twinkle in her emerald eyes. “I cannot wait to see the next town and watch you work your magic once more. Being your wife is truly a blessing.”

  “No, I am the one who is blessed by you both,” I chuckled.

  I kissed them both on their foreheads, and then I headed out of the inn. I angled in the direction of Hacket’s house, but I ran into him on the street a short distance away from my target.

  “Oh, Great One!” Hacket said in surprise, and he swept down into a low bow right there in the middle of the street. “What an honor to see you this morning.”

  “I am fulfilling your request for an audience,” I reminded him with a smirk. “What did you want to talk about?”

  “I listened to you speak to my people,” the leader of Ivywood began, and he gestured for me to follow him back to his house. “You knew them so well at your first meeting, I assume you already know why I have asked you to come here today.”

  “I know all things,” I said, and I gave him a solemn nod. “You must still voice it yourself, though.”

  “I understand, thank you, Great One,” Hacket said, and his neck flushed a light pink hue. “Well, then I suppose I shall just get into it. I need your help to save Ivywood.”

  “I’m listening.” I inclined my head to encourage him to keep talking.

  “Our sister town, Lake Balerno, have you heard of the curse?” Hacket stopped and turned to face me with earnest eyes.

  “I plan to travel there next,” I replied.

  “Oh, wonderful!” The leader clapped his hands together, and his shoulders sagged with relief. “You must lift the curse in Lake Balerno to save Ivywood, and I truly believe you are the only one with the power to do it.”

  “This is very true,” I confirmed, and I nodded slowly as I thought over his words.

  Lake Balerno was a trading hub and probably provided a lot of income to the people of Ivywood, as well as goods needed to live so remotely. Fixing the curse in Lake Balerno would immediately solve a lot of Ivywood’s problems.

  The leader gave me a cautious glance out of the corner of his eye, and then he cleared his throat.

  “Can I beseech you to lift the curse in Lake Balerno?” he asked in a pleading tone. “Will you help save both the towns afflicted by the evil spell?”

  “I will.” I lifted my chin and put on my most god-like facial expression.

  The leader’s face lit up with hope, and he bowed his head to acknowledge my words. Then we spoke of a few different townspeople, and Hacket gave me small updates on how my advice was being followed.

  It was nice to see a town so willing to follow me. In the end, all they had needed was a little hope.

  Soon, Hacket and I parted ways, and I passed out pieces of gold to every citizen I encountered as I walked down the street. My gifts were met with praise and cheerful cries, and by the time I reached the end of the road, my sack was empty.

  It was time to move on to Lake Balerno.

  Mahini, Elissa, and I hit the road with light hea
rts and stomachs full of dried meat and fruit. The road was well worn, but deserted, and we rode at a slow, leisurely pace with intermittent moments of fast paced trotting so I could practice the motions. After a while of idle chatter, we fell into a comfortable silence that lasted until the lake came into view.

  To say I was disappointed would be an understatement.

  The lake was utterly disgusting looking. It seemed to be about a mile wide and twice as long, but the water level was far below what it was supposed to be. The slime of algae covered every inch of the surface, and the color was a murky brown. It didn’t look drinkable, let alone capable of sustaining an entire town.

  I had to figure out how to break a curse, it seemed, and fast.

  Chapter Ten

  I rode into the town with my head held high, and I scanned the downtrodden faces of the people milling about on the street. Everyone in Lake Balerno looked full of fear or distraught over something. I imagined the state of the lake and the supposed curse was to blame, but it was still unsettling to see the townsfolk looking so unhappy.

  The town itself looked ancient. The wooden beams supporting the awnings over the businesses were thicker than my legs and had grayed with age, and other than an intricately designed building at the center of the town, most of the buildings were very plain with little decorative touches. A few signs advertised the basic businesses common in a town of this size, but it seemed like more of a ghost town than the bustling market center I’d expected.

  I’d come here looking for a side quest, and I’d found the motherload. I hadn’t encountered much magic yet, but a curse seemed like as good of a place to start as any.

  Time to get to doing god stuff, but I needed more information before I could hack the curse, so I grabbed the nearest person and asked where I could find the leader.

  “In that large house in the center of town,” the woman said as she gestured to the nicest house in Lake Balerno. It was decorated with intricate wood carvings along the awnings, and the poles of the wrap-around porch were carved into swirling spirals.