The OP MC 5: God of Winning

by Logan Jacobs

  Jax grumbled a little with a playful smile on his lips, and I could tell he was enjoying being outside of town on an adventure. His eyes were lit up with joy, and he moved with enthusiastic energy in every step.

  I waved goodnight to the blacksmith and the rest of my entourage before I crawled inside the extra-large, custom-made tent the girls and I occupied. I was asleep a short while later, and I enjoyed pleasant dreams of pleasurable moans and sweet-scented bodies. My lovers were faceless, but I could identify them still. The three women twisted in my arms like they were made of water, and I had to chase them down.

  The sound of giggles filled my ears, but then they turned to pained grunts, and I frowned.

  What had I done wrong?

  The noise was unlike anything I’d heard come from my ladies’ lips before, and I suddenly realized it had come from outside my dream.

  My eyes sprang open at the same time that Mahini cried out in alarm, and I looked over to see a shadowy figure crouched over her with a dagger to her throat. Her ice-blue eyes met mine and filled with fear, and the image sparked me into action.

  I grabbed the figure by the shoulders and yanked them toward me, and the two of us rolled against the fabric wall of the tent. My sleeping pad tangled between my legs and prevented me from getting to my feet, but it also kept the strange attacker from being able to get up as well.

  Eva and Elissa scurried back as far as they could and pulled Mahini toward them, and the two girls blinked in shock at the scene they’d just woken up to.

  As I held the person down, I reached behind me and grabbed the first thing my hand came into contact with: my pillow. Then I shoved it onto the dude’s face and held it down with both fists.

  Now that I’d managed to get the upper hand, I got a good look at the stranger who’d suddenly appeared in our tent trying to kill my beloved. I pulled the pillow back quickly in an effort to see their face, but I didn’t have much luck. They were wearing all black, with a cowl that covered their entire face except for the dark eyes peering at me from the holes in the fabric.

  “Bash!” a female voice screamed my name from outside the tent, and my head swiveled toward the sound.

  Mahini suddenly lunged forward with the stranger’s blade in her hand, and she plunged it into the would-be assassin’s chest.

  “Kill or be killed,” she murmured, and then she jerked her chin toward the entrance of the tent. “Go, Bash. They need you.”

  I nodded before I crawled out of the tent and away from the dead guy laying in my spot, but then my jaw fell open at the scene before my eyes. Bodies covered the campsite, and the three watchers on duty when I’d gone to bed all laid dead before me. Corvis, Jeron, and Celeste stared up with unseeing eyes, and rage boiled in my gut.

  Then my eyes found the owner of the voice I’d heard. A figure dressed all in black held a dagger to Caelia’s throat, and the shopkeeper sobbed brokenly as she tried to inch away from the edge of the blade.

  There was no fucking way I was going to let this happen. These wanna-be ninjas were going to get their asses handed to them, and I was eager to spill their blood. First, I had to reset back to my save point, though, and then I would kill every single last one of them.

  Chime.

  I was back in the moment before I started the fire at the newly formed campsite, and all my followers were safe and sound.

  “Everyone, listen up,” I called out in a loud voice, and my entourage quickly gathered around me. “We will be attacked tonight, but our enemies are in for a little surprise…”

  The God of Time would be waiting for them.

  Chapter Nine

  I explained my plan to get the jump on the wanna-be assassins, and my crew were quick to agree to the tasks I laid out for them. Jaxtom, Riondale, Corvis, and Kylor all climbed into trees around the wagon with bows and arrows while Niconor, Jeron, Bron, and Mahini hid beneath a canvas in the back with their swords at the ready.

  Celeste, Adelina, Caelia, and Sarah joined Eva and Elissa inside our large tent, and my two women kept their eyes peeled on the entrance flap.

  Once we were all in place, I threw on a dark, hooded cloak, and I took a seat by the campfire.

  I wanted to look harmless, but I wasn’t sure how well I could pull that off given how much my muscles had grown since I’d been summoned to this world. My shoulders still bulged beneath the fabric of the cloak, and it had to be obvious I was a man. Still, I had faith the wanna-be assassins would arrive soon and take the bait.

  Then I could teach them exactly who they were messing with.

  It seemed like I waited an eternity before I heard a sound like twigs snapping beneath feet in the underbrush behind me. I didn’t move a muscle, but I kept my ears locked in the direction of the noise. I heard some branches move, and I held my breath.

  Beneath the cloak, I gripped my two daggers in my fists, and I waited patiently for my enemies to come within my reach. It felt like hours passed before I heard another noise, but this time it came from much closer, so I knew the assassins would be there soon.

  I could barely make out the shadowy shapes of the men who had climbed into the trees, but I could see Jaxtom’s white sleeveless shirt glimmering in the moonlight. I just hoped it didn’t alert our attackers to their presences since I wanted our counterattack to be a surprise.

  Only assholes snuck up on people in the middle of the night and killed innocents.

  This time I was right in the open, so they would have to get through me to get to any of my followers. I wasn’t about to let my people die on my watch. Not when I had the power to turn the tables.

  A sudden blur of motion caught my attention, and I turned to see a figure dressed in all black dart out of the darkness of the underbrush. They were headed in the direction of the tents, and I waited for one more heart-pounding moment before I jumped to my feet.

  The black clothed figure skidded to a halt a few paces away from the large tent where the women were hidden from view, and they turned to face me slowly.

  I wanted to demand answers to a million questions, but I didn’t want them to get any closer to my women or my followers, so I lunged forward and brandished my daggers.

  The masked man dodged my attack and spun around behind me, but I swiveled just in time to bring my blades up to block the dagger aimed for my shoulder. With my other hand, I brought my second weapon up into my enemy’s ribs, and I twisted to ensure maximum damage done.

  I stared into the dark-brown eyes of the masked figure as life slowly faded from them, and my enemy crumpled to the dirt when I withdrew my blade.

  “Bash!” Elissa’s voice called out from inside the tent. “The wagon!”

  My head snapped to the cart where I saw multiple figures dressed in black crawling over the surface. Arrows zipped through the air from the trees, but if the murmured voices and pointed fingers were any indication, the men in black had discovered my men’s locations. Two of the ninja-like dudes quickly crossed the distance to the trees, and they dodged arrows like they could slow time.

  If I’d been a regular archduke, then perhaps these assholes would be able to accomplish their goals easily, but unfortunately for them, I was the God of Time, and they weren’t going to get away with murder on my watch.

  I scanned the scene to get a quick tally of my enemies, and I counted ten total black figures swarming over the wagon, not including the two attempting to climb the trees. I gritted my teeth before I stomped my foot to activate the fleetness ability of my griffon feather boots, and the feeling of my daggers digging into the flesh of one of the ninja-like assholes was extremely satisfying.

  I yanked my blades free before I darted over to the next guy, but he was already scurrying up the trunk. I glanced up into the tree just in time to see Kylor take aim, and then his projectile landed with a thud in our enemy’s face. The assassin fell backward to the ground, and he landed with a sickening crunch.

  Well, that took care of that asshole.

  “For Bash!” Mahi
ni yelled as she and the rest of my people in the wagon burst from cover and charged toward our enemies.

  “For Bastianville!” Niconor shouted, and he parried a dagger with his sword.

  Jeron and Bron were right behind the two, and I wasn’t about to be outdone by my townspeople, so I rushed forward with a bloodthirsty grin.

  I met my first opponent about five yards away from where the wagon was parked, and the man tried to kick my feet out from beneath me. I hopped over his leg, landed in a squat, and then jabbed my dagger out at his thigh. My blade grazed the flesh, and blood poured from the wound, but the masked man remained on his feet.

  Then he came at me with some karate type moves, and I resisted the urge to spam respawns until I mastered his way of fighting. It wasn’t worth keeping them alive long enough to learn from them, anyway.

  We danced around each other for a few more moments, and I jabbed out at him with my daggers at every opportunity. I managed to land a couple more blows to his extremities, but it didn’t slow him down much, so I decided to go for a different strategy.

  I flipped my dagger over and caught it by the blade before I tossed it end over end toward my enemy, and the weapon buried in the masked figure’s right shoulder. Then I whipped my feather sword free from its scabbard, flicked his dagger from his grasp, and slid my blade into his abdomen. I twisted the hilt of my sword, and blood gushed from the wound to splash onto the forest floor.

  He was done for, so I grabbed my dagger that protruded from his shoulder with my left hand, and I wrenched both of my blades free as I spun around in one swift motion. My opponent collapsed to the ground without a sound, and my eyes lifted to find a new enemy to kill.

  My goal was to kill all of the would-be assassins on my first attempt without anyone getting injured, but I wouldn’t give up even if I had to go through a million lifetimes to make sure I accomplished what I wanted.

  I watched as Mahini drove her sword through an assassin’s midsection while the others held off attacks from several more enemies, so I quickly crossed the distance to them, and I slammed my dagger into the back of Jeron’s opponent.

  “Thanks, Bash.” The woodsman flashed me a grateful smile as his target crumpled to the ground.

  “Any time.” I grinned, and then I yanked my blade free from the masked figure’s back.

  “Bash!” Mahini’s voice called out. “Behind you!”

  I turned just in time to block the dagger aimed at my back, and I glared into the masked man’s eyes as I pushed him away from me with a kick. I had my feather sword in my right hand and one of my daggers in my left, so I lunged forward with an overhand sweep of my blades, but my opponent blocked both on the edge of his weapon.

  I pressed forward, and his blade inched toward his throat. I stared into his dark eyes as I grimaced with the effort it took, but with each passing moment, the silver edge grew steadily closer to his neck. With a final growl of determination, I pushed his own weapon into his flesh, and fear filled his eyes in his last moments.

  “Thanks for the heads up,” I called to the desert goddess as I let my enemy fall to the ground, and then I looked for another asshole to kill. I found my next target in my next breath, and I was already on the move.

  My next opponent saw me coming, though, and the fucker dodged my first strike before he attempted to jump onto my back. I dropped into a squat, and the masked man rolled over my shoulders to the ground in front of me, so I charged forward and barreled into him.

  We both hit the dirt hard, which gave my enemy the perfect opportunity to straddle me. All the wind was expelled from my lungs, so it took me a moment to react to the dagger whizzing past my peripheral vision.

  Who were these masked dagger-wielding assholes?

  And a better question, who the fuck had sent them?

  I didn’t have time to think things over, though, since I had one of the assholes on top of me trying to kill me, so I maneuvered my hand around until I managed to free my dagger from beneath his legs, and then I angled my blade toward my enemy’s side. I slid it between his ribs, and a pained gasp escaped his lips.

  The slice to his side caused the masked man to jump back and release me, so I jumped to my feet, twirled my feather sword around in my grasp, and charged toward him again. I knocked his dagger out of the way with the longer blade in my right hand, and then I buried my dagger into his neck with my left fist.

  His eyes widened in shock as a gurgled cry came from his mouth, and a fountain of blood sprayed from the gaping hole in his neck the instant I removed my blade.

  Another one bites the dust.

  I grimaced at my own cheesy line before I turned back to the battle at the wagon. Arrows littered the ground between the trees and the cart, and bodies were scattered everywhere. They were all wearing the black outfit and cowl, though, so I knew they were all bad guys with one glance.

  “A little help?” Bron and Jeron were back-to-back with enemies coming at them from both sides, and the ninja-like assholes appeared to have the upper hand, since the two townspeople sweated profusely as they parried the daggers coming at them from all angles.

  I darted across the distance between us, kicked the legs out from under the man attacking Bron, and then drove my blades into the masked man’s torso the second he hit the ground. Bron swiveled, and with Jeron’s help, they pushed back the other would-be assassin.

  Then, like a nightmare playing out in slow motion, I watched in horror as the masked man kicked Jeron square in the chest, and the woodsman flew backward. He landed with a loud “oof” and didn’t move, so I rushed to his side to check on him. Blood dribbled from the corner of his lips, and he sputtered as he tried to catch his breath, so I knew there was some serious damage done to his lungs as well as possibly some broken ribs.

  I shook my head in dismay as I took in his injured state, and then I decided to reset back to my save point. I’d much rather go through multiple attempts than to have a single member of my entourage get hurt.

  Chime.

  I was back in the moment before I started the fire at the newly formed campsite, and all my followers were safe and sound. The flames licked at the kindling in an ominous way, but I supposed that was because I knew what was coming.

  I’d have to work harder to keep all my followers safe, and determination swelled in my chest.

  My entourage had said it best earlier. I was a god, but they weren’t, so I needed to take their weaknesses into account before I threw them in harm’s way. Jeron had been training with Riondale and the rest of the militia, but he was far from ready to face off against the ninja-like assholes who were coming that night.

  “What’s wrong, Bash?” Elissa asked as a line of concern creased her eyebrows. “You look upset…”

  “Some bad people are going to attack us tonight,” I informed everyone in a solemn tone. “They intend on killing all of us before the sun rises tomorrow, and I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

  “Who are they?” Mahini frowned, and her hand instinctively hovered over her sword’s hilt. Ever on guard, her ice-blue eyes were cold as they scrutinized the underbrush.

  “Men dressed all in black.” I worked the muscle in my jaw.

  I needed to figure out who sent the assholes before I killed them all.

  “What is your command, sir?” Riondale asked with a stoic expression on his face.

  “While I know some of you have been training with the Bastianville militia,” I said as my eyes fell on Niconor, Jeron, and Bron. “There are many among us who have no fighting skills.”

  Across the fire, I noticed Celeste’s face went ghostly white, and I had to shake off images of her dead on the ground before I turned back to the men. I wasn’t going to let that happen, so there was no point in thinking about it.

  “I will guard them with my life,” Riondale swore in a solemn tone.

  “I want everyone to hide in the trees,” I instructed in a hard voice that left no room for argument. “Our enemies will go t
o the tents and the wagon in search of their targets first, so I need all of you to basically disappear while I kill all of them.”

  “How many are there?” Jax frowned as he crossed his muscular arms. “Even gods could use some help sometimes.”

  “Over ten.” I shrugged. “I’ve handled five times that many on my own easily, so I’m more concerned with keeping everyone out of the way. That will be the most helpful thing you could do in this situation.”

  “Bullshit.” Jax spat into the fire, and the saliva hissed as it evaporated in the heat of the flames. “I’m fightin’.”

  “Sir,” Corvis interjected, and he flashed me a cautious smile when I looked his way. “If we work together, we can make short work of whoever is coming our way. Trust in us.”

  “Alright,” I sighed. “But ranged weapons only. I don’t want anyone fighting them in close quarters except me.”

  Jax flashed me an annoyed look, but he didn’t open his mouth to argue.

  Riondale saluted, but the movement lacked its usual snap.

  I shook my head in amusement at their reluctance to step back from a fight, but I was determined to kill all the assholes without anyone who followed me getting hurt.

  “So, here’s what we’re going to do,” I said, and everyone leaned forward with eager ears. “Anyone good with a bow can fight from the trees, but your primary objective should be keeping the others safe. I will be the only one on the ground in the campsite when they arrive, and I’m sure they’ll think I’ll be an easy target.”

  Mahini snorted. “They’d be fools to think that.”

  “I hope they do.” I grinned. “That’ll give me the element of surprise.”

  “Ooh, how devious,” Elissa giggled.

  “Hey, they’re the ones trying to kill us.” I shrugged. “Gotta do what we gotta do to stay alive, babe.”

  With the plan decided, we went about finding the best trees around the campsite to station my archers in. I’d have Riondale, Corvis, Jax, and Mahini at my back while Kylor, Bron, Niconor and Jeron would be guarding the civilians among us.