Dokeshi March: Chapter 12 (Patreon)

Chapter 12

“What are you doing, Suki?”  The rhythmic cracking sounds of her gauntlented fists smashing the chitin shell of the monsters distracted Grant from the ridiculous unfairness of the system.  “Why are you beating up the dead monsters?”

“Something this big has to have a unique heart inside it.  We don’t have an infinite amount of money, and I am sure someone from House Wednesday or Saturday would pay highly for something unique like this.”  Suki pointed to the one Grant had beheaded.  “You get to dig around in that one to try and find one.  Since you stole my monster kill, you can deal with the mess.”  He opened his mouth to argue, but her sharp glare was enough to stop him from saying anything.

Grant didn’t think it was worth fighting over, so he just got to work.  While he was hacking at the tough carapace, he could hear Suki shout in disgust at breaking through the shell of the partially cooked monster.  He wanted to warn her that the smell of a cooked monster might be worse than a regular one, but she seemed angry enough without his input.  Instead, he took a moment to look over his current levels.

Name: Grant Monday

Rank: Lord of The Month (January, February)

Class: Foundation Cultivator

Cultivation Achievement Level: 17

Cultivation Stage: Mid Summer

Inherent Abilities: Swirling Seasons Cultivation

Health: 217/352

Mana: 9/19

Physical: 201

Mental: 76

Armor Proficiency: 111

Weapon Proficiency: 149

Late Spring Medium Ornate Banded Mail armor. Full set: Head, Torso, Legs.

Total Physical Damage Decrease per set item (Includes Cultivation bonus): 50.

Total Magical Damage Decrease per set item (Includes Cultivation bonus): 50

February Twenty Nine (Considered as a Late Spring Medium weapon due to Weapon/Armor synergy)

Total Damage increase: 64. (Base weapon increase: 14. Weapon Cultivation increase: 50.)

Critical hit maximum damage: 98

Weapon Inherent abilities:

1) Weapon Absorption: This sword has the ability to absorb another Wielded Weapon’s power, taking its ability into itself. Restriction: Only one weapon per Monthly series.

2) Weapon/Armor Synergy: When the Wielder is equipped with armor, this sword increases in potency and gains power. Increase is capped at the Welder's cultivation stage, or average armor stage, whichever is lower. February 29 is currently considered a Mid Spring Light’ sword. Current maximum damage is: 29 (23 from weapon cultivation, 6 from base weapon weapon stage damage, rounded up.) Damage type is ‘piercing’, ‘slashing’, or ‘blunt’ depending on how February 29 is used.

3) Time is Space: you now have access to any of the powers of February Twenty Nine, no matter where the Weapon is. You may also call your Weapon to you so long as you touch upon a place in the world where it once was while bound to you. Cost: 25% of mana pool.

4) Locked

Weapon Absorbed abilities:

1) Sword Grandmastery: Imbue your weapon with a Sword Spirit that creates a model that allows for enhanced physical, mental, and weapon cultivation. Restriction: the training plan must be followed, else the ability locks for 24 hours. There is only one warning given per day.

2) Live by the Sword: Pause and meditate on the failures of your combat ability, healing up to 35% of all damage taken within the last 10 minutes, over one full minute. This ability will increase with physical cultivation.

Skills:

Plant Insight(1/5)  Skill tier 1: It is 10% easier to spot plants with medicinal effects within a ten-yard radius.

Kenjutsu (2/10)  Skill tier 1: All damage dealt when wielding a sword is increased by 10%.

Skill tier 2: your sword will never betray you. When a sword is wielded by you, the blade will always land exactly where you intend.

Iaijutsu (1/5)  Skill tier 1: When prepared to attack, sword instantly leaves a sheath and slashes or penetrates target, increasing on-hit damage by 10%.

Reflective Skin (1/10)  Knowing your enemy is half the battle, and you’ve found a way to make it harder for other people to understand you! As this skill is self-created, it will increase significantly faster than other skills.

Lightning attunement  (1/10)  Skill tier 1: Increases damage of all lightning-attuned spells by 10%.

[New Skill about pain increase]

Spells:

Elemental Spell: Thundering Step

Prerequisites: 65 Mind. Two feet. Metal weapon.

Active Mode: Create a static field in a five foot radius around you that damages others when they move through the area. Does not move from the point it was set. Lasts five seconds.

Mana cost: 10 per use.

Damage(Self): 0% Mental cultivation.

Damage(Other): 100% Mental cultivation per second.

Training Mode: Increase movement speed by 50% while out of combat. Combat is defined as not dealing or taking damage from an opponent for five seconds.

Mana cost: 10% per second. Mana regen halted while active.

“Wait.”  Grant gave his Uchigatana a sharp glance.  “Are you telling me I didn’t gain anything from that fight?”

<Don’t look at me like that.  I don’t make the rules here, Regent December did.>  Sarge paused, as if he was looking over the stats himself.  <First, don’t forget that you did earn a new skill.>  Grant groaned at the memory.  <And second, every fight increases your abilities and cultivation time, even if you don’t see immediate results.  I would say you gained plenty from that fight.>

“At least I was able to beat those things.  If I had been under the turn-based system, I would have died from the power of their hits.”  Grant looked at his forearm, where the skin was still pink from being punctured earlier.  “Especially since there were three of them.”

<Pay attention!>  Sarge’s shout made Grant jump back by instinct.  <You almost cut into the heart!  You won’t get nearly what it is worth if you damage it.>

Grant looked down to see a seafoam-colored organ the size of his head poking out from the meaty remains of the yokai.  He carefully cut it free, picked it up, and discovered it was much heavier than its head-sized appearance should have allowed it to be.

<Oh, that’s a good one.  You should be able to get a Month or two for a monster body part that size.>  The sword on Grant’s hip seemed to vibrate with happiness.  <A King needs a treasury.  It is good that you are starting to plan early.>

“I’m just trying to survive here, Sarge.”  Grant wrapped it in a spare cloth and placed the heavy object in his pack.  “I don’t have time to plan for becoming the Calendar King.  I need to get there first.”

<Act like a man of thought - Think like a man of action.>  Sarge paused to let that sink in.  <Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay its price.>  He gave another pause, but Grant stopped him before he could say anything else.

“Sarge, I know you are trying to teach me something here, but all you are doing is making my brain hurt.”  Pushing Sarge’s words out of his mind, Grant walked over to check on Suki.  His steps weren’t exactly steady due to the exhaustion and lack of sleep, so he took his time getting over to her.  “Did you find the heart in that one yet?”

“Did I find it?”  Suki looked up at him, her face covered in gore.  She held up a mangled and charred heart.  “What am I supposed to do with this thing, Grant?  You ruined it with that spell of yours.”

“Well, they are ridiculously heavy anyway, so that’s one less weight for me to lug around.”  Grant rolled his shoulders, the pack on his back forcing the edges of his armor to dig into him.  “That’s a small positive.”

“Oh, I didn’t say we weren’t bringing it.”  Suki walked around and stuffed it into his already bulging pack, forcing him to stumble backwards when the weight settled onto his back.  “We can probably still get a few Weeks for it.”

“Great, I’m so happy it isn’t completely ruined,”  Grant said through gritted teeth.  “We should probably get moving.  Sunset isn’t too far away, and even though the system is down, I don’t relish the thought of facing a bunch of giant rats in the dark.”

“Oh, I agree.”  Instead of walking toward the intersection, she turned and went the opposite direction.  “Right after we get the heart from the first monster you killed.”

Grant couldn’t hold in the groan that escaped from his lips.