Dokeshi March: Chapter 10 (Patreon)

Chapter 10

They finished eating quickly, and immediately started packing up.  Grant was even nice enough to give some broth to Fluffy Fingers.  The enemy Vassal was quiet, clearly contemplating what Suki had said.  It was clear the clown was conflicted about what he had heard, but Grant didn’t have any clue about what to say to the man.

<She’s right, you know.>  Sarge interrupted his thoughts, and he glanced down at the sword on his hip.  <It is something you need to remember going forward.  The people and cultivators in the Districts we will travel through depend on Wielders and their Vassals for many things, and their defense and protection is the most important role they must fulfill.>

“I agree, of course.”  Grant paused to gather his thoughts.  “It feels odd, you know?  Having people depend on me, I mean.  Saving Leapkind in District January was one thing, but that was a relatively small number of people.  To think that there are even more people out there who depend on me is a scary thought.”

<That’s why you train.  You must be prepared for the role you must fill.>  Sarge gave him a moment to let that sink in.  <Don’t worry too much.  I will help you where I can, and Suki clearly understands the importance of a Wielder.  You won’t have to fight alone.>

“What should we do with him?”  Suki interrupted their conversation, lifting her chin toward the clown tied up on the floor.  “If he doesn’t get to a healer soon, he isn’t going to last much longer.”

“The main road should have some patrols pass through here eventually.”  Grant started untying the ridiculous amounts of twine holding the Vassal in place.  “We can drop him off there, and they will see to him quickly.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me.”  She hefted her pack onto her back, and twisted her pink hair up into a queue.  “The broth you fed him should provide the energy he needs to keep him alive until then.”

“Yeah, I meant to ask you about that.”  Grant looked at her out of the corner of his eye while struggling with the knots.  “Where did you learn to cook like that?  The soup you made was the best thing I have eaten since District January.”

“Who do you think was responsible for determining which recipes and foods were acceptable for the people in District February?”  Suki put her hands on her hips, and raised an eyebrow.  “I was heavily involved with the process, and learned to cook from several master chefs.”

Grant couldn’t help it.  His heart skipped a beat, and his cheeks reddened until it felt like they were on fire.  The woman he was supposedly betrothed to was a master chef?  Maybe he should rethink his reluctance about courting her…

<Looks like your knowledge of knots is not a lot.  The twine will rot before we can trot.>  Grant looked at his sword in shock.  Sarge was quiet for a second before speaking again.  <Grant, we need to get out of this District.  It is beginning to affect my speech patterns.>

“I was going to ask you what that rhyming was about, but I certainly can’t argue with you.”  He gave up with the twine and stood over the prone figure.  “I got this.”  His sword cleared his scabbard in one smooth motion, slicing through the fibrous strands without touching the clown.  “There.  Now, we can go.”

Suki’s eyes were definitely widened by the show of skill.  Grant had already shown improvement from just the small amount of training he did while she had gone searching for food.  It wasn’t the same kind of impressiveness that the fight against Fluffy Fingers had shown.  The whirling blade that deflected the majority of the items thrown at him was one thing, helped by the obvious battle trance he was in during the fight.  The control he just showed was without the help of the adrenaline a fight provided.  She couldn’t help but be reminded that she had seen defeat at the hands of the man as well.

“Get up.  I don’t want to drag you down the stairs if I don’t have to.”  Grant helped the still-thoughtful Vassal to his feet, trying to avoid injuring the damaged man any further.  “The sooner we get you in the street, the sooner you can get back to your crazy boss.”

The three of them tromped down the stairs, and onto the empty streets.  The smoky haze covering the area was thick.  Grant could smell more than just burning wood in the smoke.  He had to concentrate to keep the soup he just ate from escaping.  The looks on the faces of the clown and Suki told him he wasn’t the only one.

“It wasn’t this bad earlier.  Something must have changed.”  She peeked around the corner, and saw a mass of shadows blur across the main road into an alley.  “I think the monsters from the sewers got stirred up by the fires.”

“Regents!”  Fluffy Fingers took a step back in fear.  “You can’t leave me on the streets if those things are about!  They swarm people until the only thing left is bones!”

Grant turned with a growl, grabbing the man by the front of his shirt.  “Are you saying you are aware of the threat?”  His knuckles cracked, he was squeezing so hard.  “You people know how dangerous it is out here for your people because of your system of control, and you did nothing?”  Slamming the clown against the wall, Grant saw red at the corners of his vision.  “How many innocent people have died so you can continue your method of subduing their freedom?”  He slammed the Vassal against the wall once again, before tossing him into the middle of the road.  “I doubt you will see the folly of your choices without facing the dangers yourself.  If I see you within ten seconds, I’ll kill you myself.”

The clown looked at Suki for support, but her stony countenance was no place to find it.  He turned and limped in the opposite direction, quickly disappearing down an alleyway between two abandoned buildings, still clutching his broken hands to his chest.

<Now you begin to act like a true Lord of the Month.>  Sarge’s voice in his head broke Grant out of his fuming rage.  <Remember not to let your emotions control your actions.  If you don’t rule them, they will rule you.  Don’t be a raging barbarian.  Be a noble samurai.>

Instead of answering, Grant turned to walk down the middle of the empty street, the haze making it hard to see farther than a dozen yards in front of them.  Suki was also silent, her face showing no emotion beyond the anger that had to be mirrored on Grant’s own features.

They continued quietly, both of them trying to keep the noise of their passing to a minimum.  It wasn’t spoken about, but it was a unanimous decision to avoid walking down the darker streets.  The sun was still far from the horizon, however the smoke from the burnt buildings made the shadows nearly as deep as twilight.

Desolation from uncontrolled fires, the riots of starving people, and the already rundown appearance of the District set a pall over their moods.  This was no place for someone to live.  Grant was filled with the determination to put an end to the reign of terror the mad jester was perpetuating on his people.

“What was that?”  Suki perked up, looking into the darkened alley off in the distance.  Grant was looking around, looking at the rooftops of the dilapidated buildings around them.  “Down there.  I think I heard someone step on broken glass.”  She pointed toward the left of the approaching intersection, where their path intersected with a wider side street running perpendicular to the main road.

“I’ll cut through this building, and come out on the other side.”  Grant nodded at the ramshackle storefront one doorway back from where they were standing.  “You stay in the middle of the intersection, and try to draw the attention of whatever is waiting over there.  That way, I can sneak up on them.”

“Will do.  Just don’t take too long.”  Her gloves morphed into the giant metal gauntlets she used to pummel any opponents stupid enough to confront her.  “I don’t relish the idea of facing another rat swarm without someone to watch my back.”

Grant gave her a sharp nod and took off, doing his best to stay quiet.  He had traded his stealth skills for the Reflective Skin skill, but that didn’t mean he could do his best to stay quiet.

<A proper samurai doesn’t skulk in the shadows to sneak up on his enemies.>  Grant opened his mouth to argue with Sarge, but he kept talking over any objections.  <However, a good general knows the importance of surprising a foe.  Just make sure you know the difference between the two.>

Grant had absolutely no idea what a general would do right now, so he just kept going with his plan.  He was already about to exit from the back door of the empty building anyway.

The more narrow street he stepped out onto was littered with the rubble and  debris common to the poorer regions of most Districts.  This one just had more smoking rubble than most.  He picked his steps carefully, trying to avoid alerting anyone from the intersection that he was approaching.

As Grant rounded the corner, he instantly realized his mistake.  There weren’t people waiting at the intersection to attack passersby.  Instead, there was a trio of large beasts waiting to ambush anyone foolish enough to enter their hunting grounds.

<This is great!>  Grant almost jumped when Sarge shouted in joy upon seeing the creatures.  <I didn’t even know an Ushi-oni would ever leave their water source.  The Dokeshi must have paved over their home, and they have been living in the sewers or something.  This will be a fantastic way to test your skills!>

“Ummm... “  Grant had never seen the kind of monster he was looking at before.  It had the head of a bull, but the body of a giant spider.  The horns curved up and forward, perfect for charging straight into anyone stupid enough find themselves in range.  He couldn’t hold in the shudder when he looked at their hairy spider bodies.  “What is an Ushi-oni?”

<Well, specifically, that is a gyuki.  An ox demon, found only in the most remote areas of the world.>  Sarge chuckled a bit, which didn’t make Grant feel any better about his situation.  <I wouldn’t call them a demon, personally.  Just a monster that people fear, due to their ferocious temperament and ability to kill quickly and without remorse.  Actually, now that I think about it, that’s probably why people call them demons.>

“Well, I’m not going to fight those things.  There is only one of me, but there are three of them.”  Grant took a step back, already planning a way around them.  “All I need to do is stop Suki from attacking them, and then we-”

“Die, evil creatures!”  The pink-haired form of Suki flew out of the smoky haze, slamming an uppercut into the jaw of the Uchi-oni nearest her.

“Never mind.”  Grant let loose a sigh, and unsheathed his weapon.  “It looks like there is no back out of this now.”

Sarge’s shout of joy blended with Grant’s battle cry as he ran into the fray, Uchigatana leading the way.