“You did it, Rummy. You really did it!” Emma said as tears freely flowed out of her lake-blue eyes.
I puffed up my chest and smugly smiled. “Of course, love. When I promise something, you know I’ll deliver on it sooner or later.”
“Shameless boasting aside, I do want to thank you for the work you’ve done. Without you, there would be no Pridwen.” Tali joined in as she opened the doors to her office (after enough people have individual houses, we converted one of the longhouses into a City Hall). The 3 of us entered her office. It was a simple office with a depressingly plain table (Cut me some friggin’ slack! Carpentry wasn’t my specialty!) and 3 bookshelves and 2 drawers placed against the walls and corners. Compared to her old office back in Carnwennan, this place was a shabby downgrade. The room itself only had 1 window, so the lighting was pretty bad, especially during noon when the sun was directly above us.
Once we closed the door, Tali began the discussion. “Alright, Rummy- it’s time. Tell us what do you plan on doing to Cornelius? Why should we keep that traitor alive? At this point, even a day longer is a day too long!”
“Because the punishment I have in mind for him is worse than death itself. Now that I had him help me fulfill my promise to Emma, I think I’ll have him witness our wedding.”
“That’s not that bad.” They replied in unison.
“And our wedding night.” I smirked. NTR is wrong, but so is being the snitch directly responsible for the deaths of 3 people and the injuries of 2 dozen people. As far as I was concerned, the little rat-fucker had it coming. “After that, we’ll set him loose on the outskirts of the Goblin territory with nothing but the knife he used to backstab us.”
Emma gasped, and blushed a bit; but seemed to be onboard. Skera frowned, but didn’t say anything. Tali shook her head and sighed before asking. “Bold. You’re not afraid he’ll run back to Carnwennan and spill our secret?”
I laughed. “You and I both know he doesn’t have what it takes to survive 3 days in the Wild.” Besides, I planned to take Loki with me to track him. I wanted to see how far the Pantheon could go to sabotage my hard work. After our last friendly chat, I hadn’t heard back from them in months. And that was definitely worrisome- I hated being in the dark about those guys. Hopefully this experiment could shed some light on the mechanics of their interference. If not, well, the mana-beasts always did love a midnight snack.
Emma looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Being this impractically petty isn’t like you, Rummy. There’s something else you’re working on, isn’t there?”
“Yup.” Was all I could say on the matter. I’d tell them most of the whole truth after the results of this experiment.
Tali sighed again. Man, she’d been doing a lot of that lately. “Fine. Have it your way. I’ll marry you two lovebirds this afternoon so we can finally get rid of the traitor by midnight. See you then.”
***
The wedding setup was rustic, but warm. The town square still had the wooden stage and benches from the Founder's Day celebration yesterday. Some of the kids I worked with gathered some wild flowers to decorate the stage their way- the end result was both chaotic and beautiful. There were no fancy silk decorations hanging in the rafters or professionally arranged flowers lining the aisle. Since I didn’t have time to get something nice from a tailor, the nicest clothes I had were my dragon leather armor and boots, plus the field cloak. I looked like a knock-off Imperial Ranger.
It was a simple and humble setup, which worked great for me. Believe you me, after years of attending those lavish corporate events for “networking” purposes in my previous life, I wanted nothing to do with that anymore. I learned the hard way that extravagance is no substitute for sincerity.
It looked like everybody in town showed up (security would be handled by Loki’s rapidly expanded pack tonight). They were probably there for the free food and drinks, but it was still nice to have them be a part of the celebration. Of course, since most of the attendees were minors, we decided to serve fruit juices instead of rum.
Loki, my best wolf, sat next to me as I waited for the wedding procession. Behind him stood my 3 apprentices (We revived Prompto from the coma with the Expert-level life mana crystal about 3 weeks ago). So yeah, that was my wedding party: A wolf mana-beast and 3 kids covered in soot and grime from working in the forge-smithy.
Man, I wished Mike, Arminius, and Roshan could all make it. But none of them could make it for various reasons. Still, I warmly remembered their friendship anyways as I stood on the stage. In many ways, I would not have made it here without them.
Emma’s bridal party was slightly more traditional- a City Lord, a slave Archmage, a Knight, and her prisoner. I saw Cornelius approaching the stage, all tied up and gagged. Skera, in her Knight armor as expected, escorted him up by kicking him from behind. Since there were baskets of flower petals tied to his hips, every kick made him sprinkle flowers on the aisle like a proper flower boy. Well done, Emma! That was deliciously vindictive! Truly a woman worth marrying~ <3
My beautiful bride, dressed in a dark blue mage robe (guess that was the nicest clothes she could find out here in the Wilds), approached the stage. She was escorted by the Lady of Pridwen, Natalia of House Galahad, who was the officiant. There was no wedding band or DJ playing ”Here Comes the Bride”, so they walked onto the stage as the rowdy crowd cheered them on.
Out of respect for my general distaste for the Imperial Pantheon, Tali opted not to read any scriptures. After she made some brief remarks about the two of us, she proceeded to ask if anyone had any objections to our union. Everyone stared at Skera and Cornelius. The rat bastard struggled to say something, but the gag on his mouth silenced him all the same. Tali looked right into his eyes and announced, “Since there are no objections, let us proceed with the vows. Rummy, please speak your vows.”
I stepped closer to Emma and stared into her mesmerizing lake-blue eyes as I began my vow. “Before I get to my vows, I’d like to thank Lady Natalia for making this possible.” I gave Tali a nod before continuing. “Back when I was starting turf wars and killing nobles in the dark, I thought I got away with it. But she figured me out anyway. It wasn’t because she was lucky, or she was smart; but because she saw the beggars and orphans nearby as people and asked them to help her. That was how I met my beautiful future bride.”
“All I’ve ever wanted in this life was a big family full of love and warmth. Every single miracle I’ve created with these 2 hands exists only to serve that purpose. And I didn’t know who to include in this dream of mine until I met you. I love your wit and your passion. In a world filled with women with no agency in their lives, you stood apart from them. While they’re waiting for a noble or a rich man to marry them and feed them, you’re out here fighting with me against the world. Not once did you falter. Not once did you doubt your man as he promised the impossible. And look at us now, standing in a free city that we’d built! I can’t wait to proudly call you my wife.”
Emma blushed as she fidgeted a bit from the attention. She then started to read from a small piece of paper that she prepared. “My dearest Rummy. My ever-reliable morning sun. Life before you was a scary place, filled with beasts both inside and outside of the city. I was lucky to have a kind hearted Lady who took me in.” She gave Tali a teary-eyed smile before continuing.
“But I didn’t know how long that peaceful life would last. After all, there is only so much she could do in this awful world run by awful men. Then you showed up. When I saw you murder Antonius with no hesitation in your eyes, I knew you were the one. You would rebel against the fates of the downtrodden and you would win. Not because you are brilliant, decisive, or practical- although you are all of those things and more. It was because you have a kind heart, just like Lady Natalia. That kindness drove you to protect when you should and to kill when you should.”
Oh, that was the guy’s name! Antonius! That was the asshole who launched the poor peasant boy into the rum barrels 12 years ago. Wow, I apparently avenged both Emma and that peasant boy’s grudges when I merc’ed that guy and picked him clean. Thank you, wifey, for believing in my kindness even if I doubted it myself sometimes.
“You promised me the impossible and delivered. This town is a miracle born from your sweat and tears, and I love every part of it. Now I shall deliver what I promised. Rummy, I vow to be your wife, from this day until I die. I vow to be the mother of your children and the leader of your harem. I vow to give my body and soul to you and nobody else.” She said with passion and determination in her eyes.
Overcame by my impulse, I grabbed Emma by her waist and french-kissed her, shocking the crowd. Emma, initially surprised, played along and kissed me right back with ferocity. These people didn’t have a “you may kiss the bride” tradition in this world, so I should be the change I want to see in the world~
Recovering from her shocked expression, Tali cleared her throat. “As the Lady of Pridwen, I hereby declare your union to be valid from today to the day you die. So say we all.”
“So say we all.” The crowd murmured.
“Horny bastard.” Skera angrily muttered.
***
“Thank again for helping me build this town and fulfill my promise to Emma. We figured it’s only right that we invite you to our wedding night. As Emma’s childhood friend, how could we NOT invite you to this intimate event?” I mockingly asked.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Cornelius, tied to a chair in the corner of our bedroom, stared daggers at me while desperately trying to get his gag off. Our bedroom was nothing luxurious- just a queen-sized bed frame and a straw mattress, with 2 drawers on each side of the bed.
Emma approached us wearing nothing but my shirt. “To be honest, I wasn’t too sure about all this, but you must be punished. And what better way to punish you than to break your sad delusions about us? See for yourself that you never stood a chance against the superior man.” Emma said as she straddled on my lap. “Husband. Thanks to that loser’s help, you fulfilled your promise to me. Now it’s time I fulfill my promise to you. Come take my heart and soul by fucking my brains out!” Emma passionately declared.
Cornelius looked shocked, then devastated. Even his struggle against the gag had ceased. Wow, I did tell Emma to “act it up”, but this was beyond even my wildest dreams. She did a lot of damage to his soul with that performance (which was the whole point of this).
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There is a sheet of paper covering up the next few paragraphs of the book. The inscription on it reads, "The following section has been deemed unsuitable for young children. Therefore it has been censored by Ethan of House Acheron, Interim Chair of the Small Council."
Underneath the fancy inscription, there are a few lines of graffiti written.
"Lulz, what a prude~" -Aubrey <3
"Oh come off it. You know he's just following Dad's wishes." -Fi
"Aubrey, what's NTR?" -Milena
"Psh, I've read it and it's not even technically real NTR. Dunno why everyone is so hung up about it." -Brax
"Kinda weird we're reading about how Aubrey came into this world." -Dom
"Classy beginning to a classy person~" -Chloe
----------------------------------------
She finished cleaning me up and got up. Despite her best attempt to hide it, she didn’t seem quite comfortable with that. I kissed her forehead and said, “You didn’t have to do that, wifey.”
“I know, hubby. But I wanted to.” Emma replied with a smile. Maybe I was imagining things, but there seemed to be some hurt behind that smile. Well, that seemed like a topic for later.
I got onto the bed, and a very-naked Emma snuggled up to me. Despite the open window, the musky post-sex smell was still quite… prevalent. I fell asleep to the gentle scent of Emma’s stunning violet hair. Man, married life is gonna be awesome!
***
“Off you go, rat!” I dismissively said as I kicked him to the ground somewhere around 1 klick outside of Pridwen.
Cornelius, now untied and ungagged, looked terrified. “Why can’t you just kill me like a man? How is this justice?”
“Thanks to your snitching, we had to leave 6 months early. There was a real chance that the convoy could’ve failed as a result and we’d all be out there in the Wild with nothing but a shitty knife. You now get to experience that!” I cheerfully answered.
Emma joined in. “Although I don’t like my husband’s methods, I cannot deny the poetic justice they’d bring to the people you’ve hurt.”
“Shut up, you slut! How could you betray me? I did all of this for you!” The little rat was indignant.
Emma frowned. “Nobody asked you to. If you didn’t think the exodus was a good idea, why didn’t you talk to me about it?”
“You were far too gone in this stupid fantasy to listen to reason! I knew you too well- you were always too headstrong for a woman. As your man, I had to take drastic-”
Emma interrupted his self-righteous monologue with a shrill laughter. “When was I ever ‘yours’? If you’ve bothered to remember my past, you’d know I would never love a weakling who’d lay down and die at the first sign of trouble. I’ve enjoyed our friendship, but I never saw you that way… not once.”
More rage filled his eyes. “How could you say that!? What's wrong with being weak? I didn't wish for it, but it was the hand I was dealt. I could only play it as best I could! I don't enjoy being stepped on by those assholes, but that is just the way things are in this world. Why fight it? You’ll just get yourself hurt or killed! Stop dreaming and face reality! I could've saved us all!”
I chuckled. “Well, as you can see, the only thing you’ve accomplished was needlessly killing 3 people and injuring dozens more.”
He confidently spat back. “We both know this stupid town is doomed to fail eventually. You managed to survive a bit longer than I thought with your cleverness, but you’re merely delaying the inevitable. Only an army of Knights commanded by nobles can truly protect us from the Wild!”
Emma wistfully replied. “Unrepentant and ignorant. I hate that my last memory of you is like this.”
“I’M RIGHT! YOU WILL ALL SEE! I’M SAD I WON’T GET TO SEE YOUR BASTARD DIE AS YOUR TOWN BURNS TO THE FUCKING GROUND, BUT I GUARANTEE IT WILL HAPPEN! ONE WAY OR ANOTHER! GODS WILL IT!” Cornelius screamed into the night as his typically reserved voice cracked several times during the hysterical rant. Whoa, rat-boy here clearly lost it- looked like the NTR play really got under his skin.
As a result of his screaming, the local wildlife stirred. Sounds of goblin screeches echoed across the dark moon-lit forest. And just like that, all the courage left him as quickly as it came in. What a dumb bitch…
“Well, Mister Wild Expert. I’m pretty damn sure the loud noises you’d just made invited a goblin war party or two right to your butthole. Good luck fending off these rapey bastards on your way back to Carnwennan. Farewell!” I hopped onto a saddled Loki and took Emma up. We rode off without another word to the soon-to-be-dead traitor.
***
After a quick ride, I dropped Emma off at the gate. It was time for me to head back and check on my experiment.
“Someday, you’re gonna explain to me what the hell is really going on.” She complained.
With a sad smile, I answered. “Yes, ma’am.” I blew her kisses before taking off with Loki.
I’d set up an irresistible bait for them to bite on, and the Gods would have to bite on it even knowing it was a trap. Notifying Carnwennan about the existence of an illegal settlement had to be the biggest blow the Gods could inflict on me to force me back on their path. After all, the Rangers would be forced to come fight us. The problem for them was that their snitch was a pathetic loser with the survival skills and physical stamina of a pampered princess. So I look forward to seeing how far they could intervene to get him back. That would certainly give me a gauge of the limits of their power in the real world. Come on, you arrogant asshats, show me ya moves!
Field Inventory
Primary Weapon
M1D Garand v.2.0 [Christened Severance Pay]
MG-42 General-Purpose Machine Gun v.1.0 [Christened Lady Vengeance]
Secondary Weapon
Colt M1911A1 Semi-Automatic Pistol v.3.0 [Christened Aurelia]
1x mithril parrying dagger [Christened Swordbreaker]
Armor
Crystal-modified dragon leather body armor set {<
Mana Crystals
1x Adept-level fire elemental mana crystal
1x Adept-level ice elemental mana crystal
1x Adept-level space elemental mana crystal
1x Expert-level earth elemental mana crystal
1x Expert-level space elemental mana crystal
Stash of various mana crystals
Misc.
1x storage bracelet, 2x goggles
Utility belt, grappling hook, rope, dark green cloak, field satchel, puppy backpack, waterskin, rations, boarskin map and steel knife
1x .45 ACP steel centerfire pistol suppressor
1x .30-06 Springfield steel centerfire rifle suppressor
1x crude telescopic sight
10x en bloc clips of .30-06 Springfield armor-piercing ammo
5x magazines of .45 ACP hollow-point ammo
6x belts of 150 .30-06 Springfield armor-piercing ammo
Spare ammo
3x mithril dagger
1x male mutated Champion wolf mana-beast [Christened Loki]
1x female Champion wolf mana-beast [Christened Freja]
2x female wolf mana-beast
10x mutated wolf mana-beast