Dokeshi March: Chapter 32 (Patreon)

Chapter 32

“What happened?”  Suki sat up, the healing potion Grant had poured down her throat finally kicking in.  “Where are we?”

“I don’t know where we are, but what happened was we got beat up by some angry trees.”  Grant quickly relayed the events of the past hour to her, before sitting down on the bedroll he had laid out.  It was getting dark, and they both needed some rest.  “You take the first watch.  I am exhausted.  Using my spell twice in a row like that, then taking a healing potion, really wears a guy out.”

<Forcing yourself to stay awake would train your mental cultivation.>  Sarge waited for Grant to groan before continuing.  <But, you have been through a lot.  I can see the benefits of you getting some rest.>

“Thanks.”  Grant took a moment to clear the message the system had given him after they had successfully gotten away.

Condolences! Your new battle count moves from [6 Wins / 2 Losses] to [6 Wins / 3 Losses]. Remember, fate favors the bold!

Sighing at the stupidity of the system forced on him, Grant could only take the loss in stride.  In his mind, he took surviving the attack as a win.  With the turn system forced on him, any fight involving opponents as fearsome as those energetic evergreens was a recipe for disaster.  They really needed to find the Vassal in charge of this place, before the monsters spelled their end.

Grant spent the next few minutes tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable.  While his body was exhausted, his mind was far from tired.  He needed to do something boring.  Time to check his stats.

Name: Grant Monday

Rank: Lord of The Month (January, February)

Class: Foundation Cultivator

Cultivation Achievement Level: 19

Cultivation Stage: Late Summer

Inherent Abilities: Swirling Seasons Cultivation

Health: 421/421

Mana: 22/22

Physical: 247

Mental: 87

Armor Proficiency: 131

Weapon Proficiency: 166

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

Total Physical Damage Decrease per set item (Includes Cultivation bonus): 58

Total Magical Damage Decrease per set item (Includes Cultivation bonus): 58

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

Total Damage increase: 71. (Base weapon increase: 14. Weapon Cultivation increase: 56.)

Critical hit maximum damage: 107

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: 71 (56 from weapon cultivation, 14 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 40% of all damage taken within the last 10 minutes, over one full minute. This ability will increase with physical cultivation.

3) Double Tap (New): After four consecutive hits on the same target, the fifth attack will be perfectly duplicated by an intangible copy of the Wielded Weapon.  Damage is unblockable by all forms and types of armor, and is randomized between slashing, piercing, and blunt types.  Certain spell effects can potentially mitigate damage.

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 (2/5) Skill tier 1: When prepared to attack, sword instantly leaves a sheath and slashes or penetrates target, increasing on-hit damage by 10%.

Skill tier 2: Perfect Aim. If you can use any sense to see something coming for you, your sword will be there.

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%.

Bodily awareness (1/3). Your mind has learned what is real, and what is not. Now you will always know for sure. Skill tier 1: the pain of all real damage taken is increased by 10%.

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.

There wasn’t any noticeable change from the last time, beyond his damage increasing by one point.  It felt like his progress had stalled.  The recent lack of focused training was catching up to him, but Grant had no idea where he could have fit in more.  It felt like he had been doing nothing but running and fighting since they had gotten to District March.

<Don’t be so hard on yourself.>  Sarge’s sincere tone surprised Grant.  He was constantly pushing him to do more, and go farther than he ever thought possible.  <You aren’t far from the truth.  You haven’t had the same opportunities to train here that you did in January and February.  As we progress deeper into the Districts, I imagine that will only become more of an issue.  For now, get some rest.  We will work on training more soon.>

“Thanks, Sarge.”  Grant curled up in his bedroll, and quickly nodded off to sleep.  It felt like only a few minutes later when he was nudged awake by Suki.  Her boot to his ribs wasn’t necessary, and he was about to tell her so when he felt the ground tremble.  Her wide eyes told him everything he needed to know.  The Mangrove Thugs had found them.