by Logan Jacobs
With that said, I took off at a brisk pace, and I didn’t even look back to see if anyone was following me. A moment later, I heard the multitude of footsteps, and I knew without looking back that my people were behind me. We walked to the closest gate, and Jaxtom helped me push open the heavy barrier before I continued down the road.
“Where are we going?”
“How much further?”
I heard the murmurs of curiosity and doubt behind me, but I ignored them as I led everyone to the location the girls and our helpers had set up earlier. The event I had in mind required a very specific terrain, so we had to make do with what we had available.
Then I veered off the road, and I heard a few surprised gasps as the people hurried to follow me. I glanced back, and I made eye contact with Mahini, who walked directly behind me.
“They don’t even know what’s coming yet.” The desert goddess lifted her chin, and her ice-blue eyes were full of pride. “You are a genius, Bash.”
“Maybe,” I chuckled, but I had to give some credit to the church summer program I’d learned the next game from. Even though I was just a kid at the time, I’d been neck and neck with a much older teenager up until the last moments before my sweet victory. I shook my head to dispel the memories from my old world, and I returned my focus to the path ahead of me. “We’ll see how much they like it soon enough.”
That’s when we appeared before the hill where the girls and I had stretched out canvases to cover the earth. The hill was probably fifteen-feet tall, and a natural clearing had formed at the base, so it was perfect for our needs. Then we’d poured barrels full of oil down the slope until the tarp-like fabric was slick with lubricant.
I turned to the crowd behind me, and I waited until all the people had come to a stop in a semicircle around me. They stared in confusion at the scene at my back, and I smirked as I motioned for silence.
“This is the oil hill race,” I explained loud enough for everyone to hear. “First one to the top wins the race.”
“That’s too easy!”
“I’ll win this one, no problem!”
“Just that little hill?”
“What’s all over it?”
I waited until my words began to fully sink in. When I heard the word “oil” murmured by more than one voice, I knew it had finally clicked.
“Contenders, get to your starting point,” I instructed.
I jerked my chin toward Elrin and the girls, and the five of us made our way around the oil-slicked canvas and up the hill by a different route. Then we got into position at the top of the race track where we could have a good view of the spectacle playing out below.
The winners of the previous events followed our path up the hill, but they stood a little to the side away from me and the judges. I tried to catch Caelia’s eye for a moment, but she never glanced my way, so I turned my attention back to the people at the bottom of the hill.
Stryker, Niconor, and Willihard eyed the hill with derision, but Hal looked more skeptical. Riondale and Jaxtom shot each other competitive glances as they stretched at the starting line, and several women I didn’t recognize jostled for a position in the front.
One woman in particular caught my eye, and she looked to be a little older than me. She had strawberry-blonde hair that could have been red faded with gray, but it was hard to tell from the distance. The woman was tall and skinny, and she had an air of confidence about her that drew my attention. She kept her eyes on the hill ahead of her, and she ignored the jostling of the other women around her.
I made a new save point before I announced the beginning of the race so I could find out exactly who she was if she made it to the top, and then I could reset and already know her.
It was one of my favorite things to do, and I was pleasantly surprised I still had opportunities to do so in Bastianville. The growing popularity of my town would mean I always had new people to learn about.
I moved to the edge of the hill where all the contenders could see me plainly, and then I lifted my arm above my head for the fourth time.
“On your marks, get set…” I paused dramatically, and I flashed the competitors a charming smile while I made them wait a heart pounding instant longer. “Go!”
Everyone lurched forward and dashed up the hill, but they instantly began to slide back down the canvas to the starting line. Just as I predicted, shocked expressions stared up at me as it slowly dawned on people how challenging this event truly was.
Jaxtom hiked his knees up high in an effort to avoid touching the surface as much as possible, and he got about five feet up the hill before he lost traction. Torya also ate oil after only a couple of steps, and Jorgen lost his footing when she crashed into him.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Stryker cursed loudly as he ran as fast as he could but didn’t move an inch. “What kind of fucked-up race is this?”
“The most entertaining kind,” I called down the slope, and then I burst into laughter as the barkeep wiped out.
Stryker bowled into Willihard and Niconor on the way down, and the trio crashed into the crowd of contenders vying for a turn on the slope. I almost expected to hear the sound of a strike, but it didn’t look like anyone was injured at all by the fall, so it was all in good fun.
The woman I’d noticed before surged forward, dodged between tumbling bodies, and nimbly hopped up the slope like she’d done it all her life.
My jaw fell open as she neared the crest of the hill, and then she was standing before me heaving air into her lungs.
“You are the victor,” I informed her in an awed tone. “What’s your name?”
“I thought you knew everything?” She tossed her hair back over her shoulder and laughed. “I’m Adelina. My husband Rorik and I came to your town after hearing tales of your greatness.”
I knew enough to get past the victory announcement, so I reset back to my save point, and I got to watch the slippery shenanigans all over again. I laughed even harder at the bowling sequence since I knew it was coming, but I also enjoyed watching the middle-aged woman maneuver the hill like it was a total piece of cake.
“Congratulations, Adelina!” I announced loudly as soon as her foot touched the top of the hill. Then I crossed the distance between us and held out my hand. “Rorik must be so proud. You’ve earned a spot on my entourage.”
“Thank you, Great One,” the middle-aged woman panted with a relieved smile.
There were less groans from the rest of the contenders and more sighs of relief. It seemed like the majority of people were just happy the event was finally over, and we could move on to something less covered in oil.
“I can only imagine how much setting up this tournament cost you,” Adelina observed as she followed my gaze down the slope to the crowd at the base of the hill. “Between the oil and the eggs…”
“You let me worry about that,” I insisted with a sideways smile. What she didn’t know was that with the wealth I’d stolen from Arginold, I could host a tournament like this every day for months and barely make a dent in all that gold.
It seemed Adelina was shrewdly observant and willing to speak her mind, though, both of which were traits I wanted among my team, so I made a mental note to get to know the winner of the oil hill race better along the way to Vallenwood.
Since I now had plenty of people with agility and wits among my entourage, I was eager to get some skilled fighters on my crew, so I was excited about the next set of events. They were more challenging than the first few, and they would most certainly cull the weak from the contenders.
Things were about to get serious.
For the next event, we’d have to return to the empty field I’d commandeered for the sake of the tournament, so I signaled for everyone’s attention.
“Meet me back at the field for the next test of your abilities!” I grinned big enough for everyone to see. “In fact, I’ll race you there!”
I made a new save point, and then I hopped over the crest of the hill and slid d
own to the bottom. About half-way down, a small bump under the canvas messed up my footing, and I shuffled my feet trying to keep my balance. I flapped my arms, and a wail erupted from my throat.
Nope. Not doing that.
Chime.
I stood in the moment before I’d jumped down the hill, and I decided against it this time. No need to look like an idiot just to have a little fun. I was the God of Time, not the God of Oh My God I’m Gonna Fall. Then I ran back down the path we’d come up, and I dashed through the woods in an effort to keep up with the handful of people who had taken me up on the challenge.
Among my opponents were Riondale, Kylor, and Corvis, and the three former Bullard guards were quickly gaining on me.
“Save your energy for the competition,” I urged over my shoulder, but I pressed forward with even more energy.
“Save yourself!” Riondale taunted, and he grunted with effort as he tailed me.
A short while later, I was bursting through the gate, and I was the first one to cross over the boundary into town. A groan of dismay echoed from behind me, and I turned to comfort the people who’d eaten my dust. I didn’t stop until I reached the field, though, and then I leaned on my knees as I caught my breath.
It took everyone else a little while to catch up, and by the time they arrived, I had regained my composure. I appeared serenely god-like as I lounged on the judge’s bench and waited for them. I heard a few awed gasps and murmured questions, but the crowd seemed more subdued than they had earlier in the day.
I’d literally run them out of town and back, though, so I didn’t quite blame them. Still, it was time to put a pep in their step, so I jumped up from the bench and rubbed my hands together.
“The next event will get even dirtier,” I announced, “so make sure you’re wearing something you don’t mind washing or tossing out when you’re done getting muddy.”
A few people grumbled at this, and they moved from the contenders’ section of the crowd to the audience portion. It seemed slipping around in oil had been fine for some, but they drew the line at mud. I assumed some of the games would cause people to rethink their decision to volunteer to be in my entourage, but it was interesting to see what their limits were.
“Jump over the mud puddle to earn the next position in my entourage.” I pointed to the sectioned-off part of the field that we’d doused with water until it was soggy mud for a stretch of ten feet. “It’s simple enough, right?”
“That thing’s huge!”
“It’s impossible!”
“There’s no way!”
“I got this,” someone murmured, and I scanned the crowd to see who it could be. Niconor, the miner and son of Willihard, stepped forward with his chin up, and his chest puffed out.
Then several more men strode toward the long jump, with the former Bullard guards all among them. Jax hesitated for the briefest of moments, but then he marched after the others with an air of determination.
It seemed as though the blacksmith was determined to earn a spot on my entourage, and I wondered what caused him to push himself so hard.
Was it merely the thrill of adventure? Or the idea of traveling with me?
I didn’t want my ego to inflate too quickly, so I shook my head and focused on the event.
Niconor was the first to attempt the jump, and he stepped back away from the edge several paces before taking off at a run. He launched himself through the air, but he landed with a muddy splash about a foot short. The young man shook his head in dismay, and he slung mud from his arms and made his way over to the audience.
Jaxtom pushed to the front of the crowd of men who were jostling to go next, and they all stepped to the side to allow the burly blacksmith through. He took off from an even further distance than Niconor had, but he didn’t quite make it. The tall man landed about seven feet from the starting line, and he went down in the mud with a heavy thud.
Man after man attempted to jump across the mud, but they failed one after another until only a few remained. Riondale watched his competition with a shrewd eye, but he waited patiently for everyone else to go first. Kylor and Thanor stood by his sides, but then it came down to just the three of them.
Thanor dashed forward, and he pushed off from the edge with a fierce kick, but he failed to cover the distance. Riondale went next, but he also fell in the mud.
I was certain this would be the first event with no winner, and I wondered if I’d made it too hard.
Then Kylor turned and marched away from the starting line, and for a second I thought he was giving up. I sighed in dismay, but he stopped about twenty feet back. The red-haired axe-wielding guardsman swiveled, and he glared at the mud like it had just insulted his mother before he took off in a blur of motion. He launched himself from the edge at the very last instant, and he hurled through the air over the mud like a bird in flight.
It was majestic, beautiful, and downright entertaining as all hell.
Then Kylor landed safely with a thud on the other side of the mud, and he immediately fell to his knees on the dry dirt before he began to kiss the earth.
“We have a winner!” I announced with a broad grin.
Chapter Seven
A cheer erupted from the watching townspeople, and the red-haired guardsman finally looked up. His forehead was dappled in sweat, and his breathing was ragged, but he had a huge grin on his face.
“Kylor is the victor!” I announced, and even more cheering echoed my words. I strode across the field to where the red-haired guardsman kneeled, and I offered him my hand. “Welcome to the crew.”
“I would have done anything to travel with you again, sir,” Kylor replied in a serious tone.
“Well, you did good.” I grinned. “Now you get to relax and watch the final events with me.”
“It would be an honor,” he said before he trotted over to join the other victors.
The next event was a horse-riding obstacle course complete with low jumps and a water crossing. The track wove through town in a figure eight pattern, and it was marked with colorful strips of fabric. Part of the challenge was finding the right path to take, while the other part of the challenge was being the fastest rider.
It would be hard to watch the race as a whole, so the majority of the crowd waited by the finish line. I had runners posted along the track to bring me updates, so I was able to just sit back and enjoy it.
“Riondale passed the first checkpoint,” an out of breath Dalwin reported.
“Isak and Asher are neck and neck,” Kylor informed me.
Then Corvis came barreling down the finish line, and gasps erupted from the crowd. He’d come out of nowhere and taken the lead, and I was just as surprised as the rest of them. Although, it shouldn’t have been too much of a shock that the horseman would be well-equipped to maneuver a horse through an obstacle course faster than anyone else.
I grinned as he crossed the finish line. It would be good to have him back on my team, as well. It would put my mind at ease knowing I had the best damn horseman riding with me, and our steeds were lucky to have him.
“Corvis is the winner!” I announced to the cheering crowd.
“About time I earned a spot!” The horseman flashed me a toothy grin. “You sure can design some stiff competition.”
“I had to have the best of the best.” I shrugged. “At least that includes you.”
“Damn straight,” he growled, and he jerked his chin in a farewell before he trotted his horse back toward the stable.
“Now, it’s time for the next event,” I declared loudly to the gathered crowd. “It’s another one inspired by games from my old world, but we had to switch things up a little bit due to limited prep time. Still, I think everyone will enjoy it.”
“Everyone, back to the field of competition!” Mahini announced, and she ushered the people away from the finish line of the horse race. “The next event will be starting shortly.”
“This way, contestants,” Elissa added, and she waved her arm o
ver her head to get the attention of the competitors.
Eva and Elrin followed behind the other two judges, and the crowd split into two groups with the audience going one way and the contestants going in another direction. Once everyone was where they needed to be, I strode into the center of the field so I could be seen by them all.
“Before you are large rocks,” I announced as I gestured to the starting line. “You will carry them to the marker before tossing them as far as you can. The contestant whose rock goes the farthest will be the winner, but if you drop your rock before you make it to the marker, you are disqualified.”
A few grumbles echoed from the competitors, and a couple of people split away from the group gathered at the starting line to join the audience. The field of competition had narrowed even further, but I didn’t want any weak-willed individuals on my team, anyway.
The sun had traveled across the sky and was bearing down on us with the full heat of the afternoon, and sweat dappled upon my brow. We didn’t have much daylight left, so I was anxious to get to the final results.
No matter who won the next few events, my entourage was already packed with some pretty cool people, and a shiver of excitement shot down my spine as I pictured the time I would spend with the timid general store owner.
I made a mental note to ask the girls how they felt about Caelia later, and then I returned my focus to the first ever, soon-to-be annual, Bastianville Games.
The next game was modeled after strongman competitions I’d seen before, so I’d opted for large, evenly-shaped rocks for the competitors to carry. Each small boulder weighed around thirty to forty pounds since I wanted it to be a challenge to lug it across the field.
Only the strongest and most determined would make it through to claim the empty spot on my entourage.
The contestants were lined up and eyed me expectantly, so I moved to a position on the sidelines before I raised my arm above my head for the seventh time.
“Go!” I shouted without preamble, and the competitors all dropped into squats in order to grip onto their miniature boulders.
Jaxtom made his rock look small, but Riondale seemed dwarfed by his, and everyone struggled to keep a hold of their small boulders. The contestants lurched forward with staggering steps, but they progressed across the field to the marker at a steady pace. Then Willihard dropped his boulder about halfway down the course, and he shook his head in dismay as he walked to the sidelines.