Dokeshi March: Chapter 45 (Patreon)

Chapter 45

The trip to the center of March took the better part of three days.  Grant was reminded of a similar journey to the center of District January, but this time there were no lavish meals or sycophants looking for attention, and Grant had to hide behind closed curtains during the day.  The food shortage was affecting even the upper echelons of society, and no one was safe from the hungry mobs that only grew in size as time went on.  At least staying still during the day had given him time to heal, and Sarge was happy to have the chance to run through several training exercises after they stopped at night.

“So, have you thought more about your purpose?”  They were less than an hour away from the casino where the semi-finals were supposed to be held, and their final meal of rice and wilted vegetables was already eaten.  Koshin was filling their last few minutes with idle chatter.  “I know it seems like a simple question at first, but it requires a warrior to truly know themselves.  If you want a real answer, anyway.”

“I have been thinking hard about it, actually.”  Grant was reorganizing his pack, trying to get the weight distribution to be more even.  For some reason, he just couldn’t seem to balance it right.  “When I really think about it, I think my purpose is to bring change wherever I go.  I mean, isn’t that what my quest is really all about?  Healing the world would be the greatest change the world has seen in a thousand years.”

“It isn’t just that.”  Suki was making sure the two healing potions they had left were well-padded, along with making sure their remaining food was wrapped in waterproof wrappers.  Not that it needed it.  “You have changed several things about yourself, Grant Monday.”  She pointed at his stomach.  “Think about what you looked like two months ago.  Talk about change!”

“Anyway… what I meant to say was that I think ‘change’ is the one thing I represent.  It is more than just my purpose, it is who I am.”  Grant was giving Suki a glare.  Just because he had been a very large person before, didn’t mean she needed to point it out like that.

“I see.”  Koshin ran his fingers over his mustache as he thought over what Grant had to say.  “It sounds to me like you are following the Dao of Change.  Maybe the Dao of Transformation.  Tell me, have you formed your Dao Seed yet?”

<Tell him no, and change the subject immediately.  Any further discussion about this might ruin any chance of you gaining a Seed in the first place.>

“Um, no, I haven’t formed any seeds.”  Grant was extremely confused, and wasn’t sure what to say next.  Thankfully, Suki was there to step in.

“Koshin Friday, you must know that it is bad luck to speak of a Dao Seed before one is even formed.”  She arched an eyebrow, and scooted forward on the upholstered bench seat.  “Are you trying to keep Grant from gaining one of his own?”

“Oh, of course not!”  Koshin leaned back, throwing an arm across the seat next to him.  “It was an honest mistake.  After all, if a young man like Grant was able to collect the Lordship of two Districts already, and is aiming for a third, you would expect for him to have some form of trump card.”  He motioned toward Grant, clearly trying to include him back in the conversation.  “I mean, a Monday is an administrator at heart, not a warrior!  Perfect for running things, but not so perfect at conquering.”

“That’s because my real name is Grant Leap.”  His proclamation was the first thing that came to mind, and he thought it would do a fine job of changing the subject.  “I only became Grant Monday after defeating the former Lord January.”

“You are a Leap?”  Koshin seemed genuinely shocked.  “Well, that would explain it then.  Have you inherited many of the Leap Sorcerers abilities?  Or is it just a few?  Even one or two would make you a force to be reckoned with in times like this.”

<When I said change the subject, I didn’t mean change it to something even worse!>

“Well, I wouldn’t say I inherited their abilities.  More like, I inherited their intent.”  Grant was spouting nonsense now, just trying to distract Koshin.  And as soon as he had a chance, Grant was going to find out what a Dao Seed was.  It sounded important.

“Their intent?  How profound!”  Koshin seemed genuinely excited.  “Tell me, is it true that the Leap Sorcerers could see the future?”  He leaned forward, acting like a kid in a candy store, excited to try something new and tasty.  “Finding out any information about them in this District is almost impossible.  As I’m sure you know, their headquarters was actually in-”

“We have arrived, lady and gentlemen.”  They were so wrapped up in their conversation, that none of them had noticed when the carriage had come to a stop.  “The Vassals have already arranged for two rooms, as you directed Hunt Leader.”  The servant put a stepstool down in front of the open door to make it easy for them to get out.  “Registration has already begun for the semi-finals, and there are representatives ready to take your tokens.”

“Thank you, good sir.”  Suki stepped down first, and grabbed both of the tokens from the servant’s open hand.  “I will go register Grant and I, while you drop the bags off in our rooms.”  She said the last bit to Grant, who could only nod in agreement.

“Before you go, I have one last thing to tell you.”  Koshin had grabbed Grant’s shoulder as he was starting to walk off.  “You need to understand that the Dokeshi will do his level best to end your existence.  There is no time that you should feel safe.  He makes the rules, and his first rule is The House Always Wins.  Never forget that.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.”  Grant was genuinely surprised at the concern Koshin was showing for his well-being.  “I have seen what his Vassals are capable of, and if they are just a shadow of his reflection, then I know how serious this truly is.”

“Good.  And don’t you forget it.”  He slammed a heavy hand down on Grant’s shoulder.  “Now, get some rest in an actual bed for once, and do me proud at the tables.  I have a lot riding on you, Grant Leap.”

<I can’t believe you told him that.  And he just had to say it in front of half a dozen witnesses!  It will be all over the District by the end of the day.>

“Oh, Sarge.  It isn’t that bad.  All the people that heard him were either his Vassals or his servants.  I’m sure they will keep it quiet.”  Grant looked at the room numbers stamped on the keys the servant had handed him.  “Besides, why would that matter?  Whether they know me as Grant Monday or Grant Leap, I’m still going to be the Calendar King.”

<While I like the positive outlook, it is never a good idea to give the enemy more information.  A mysterious opponent is a dangerous enemy, but a known opponent is only a stepping stone on the path to victory.>

Grant didn’t know what to say to that, so he just ignored the angry sword spirit.  Finding their rooms only took a few more minutes, and Grant picked the one with the smaller bathroom attached to it.  He was sure Suki would appreciate having more room to spread out, even though she was barely over half his size.

“Wow, talk about a nice place!”  The voice behind Grant startled him, so he spun in place with his sword halfway out of the scabbard.  Once he saw who it actually was waiting for him, he pulled it out the rest of the way.  “Woah, none of that now!  We wouldn’t want to break the rules, would we?”  The person standing in the open doorway was dressed as a clown, but otherwise was pretty unremarkable.  As a matter of fact, this was the most normal-looking clown Vassal Grant had seen so far.

“What are you talking about, evil clown?”  Grant side-stepped, trying to get the doorframe to be directly behind the Vassal as he turned to keep Grant in front of him.  It would be harder for it to get away.  “What rule would killing you break?”

“The rule that I am talking about applies to anyone enrolled in the Dokeshi’s tournament.”  The clown realized what Grant was doing, and took a step back out into the hall.  “No one enrolled in the tournament can be captured, fought, or arrested.  After all, how would a person be able to play for their freedom if they can’t even get through the front door.”

“What are you talking about?”  Grant lowered his sword, but he certainly didn’t put it away.  “Why would someone enter a tournament for their freedom?”

“Oh, that’s one of the most common reasons for people to play!”  The Vassal seemed to relax a bit, since it seemed like Grant wasn’t about to try and cut his head off.  “If you are a criminal, or too far in debt, you can enter the tournament for a chance to win!  People try all the time.  Some even manage to pull it off.  You see, if a criminal wins, they can forgo the prize money, and ask the Dokeshi for a pardon instead!”  The clown laughed, and Grant saw a flash of crazy in his eyes for the first time.  “He almost never kills them just for speaking to him!”

“Get away from me, clown, before I decide your head is worth the price of admission.”  Somehow, the normal appearance had made Grant think this one was different from all the other Vassals he had come across.  After he saw the crazy hidden in his eyes, Grant was starting to wonder if this one wasn’t the worst Vassal yet.  Like a venomous spider hiding in the blossom of a lotus, this clown was dangerous.  “It might be worth it, just to remove your evil from this world.”

“Ah, don’t be like that!  My name is Beans, and my brother Frank is around here somewhere.”  Beans snapped his fingers, and another clown walked out of the bathroom Grant had just looked in.  “There he is!”  Frank could have been Beans’ twin, except he looked a few years older.  “Frank doesn’t talk much, probably why he is so quiet!”  Grant took a step back so the clown could walk past, and sheathed his sword.  “Anyway, we just wanted to stop by and say hello.  And to make sure you understand what is waiting for you as soon as you lose.”  The clown’s eyes narrowed, and his voice lost all veneer of sanity that Beans was holding on to.  “Tatters was my friend, and I will be the one to remove your eyes from your skull, after the Dokeshi has his fun.”

Grant used Iaijutsu, and stopped his Uchigatana from piercing the throat of Beans only after it was the slightest breath away from drawing blood.  Grant didn’t want the system to kick in, which might void the current hold the Vassals were under.  Standing this close to him, Grant could smell the insanity coming off the clown, like peaches mixed with ammonia.

“You are welcome to try, funny man.  Just remember, I am no rabbit.”  Grant waited for the clown to shiver in fear before taking a step back and sheathing his sword.  “I won’t run from you.  In the end, it will be you who runs from me.”

The two Vassals backed up, clearly surprised by Grant’s sudden outburst.  They were probably used to intimidating anyone they felt like, and he hadn’t acted the way they thought he should.  As they slowly walked away, Grant stood in his doorway, hand on his sword, daring them to try anything.  That’s how Suki found him, as she came up the hallway from the other direction.

“Grant, what’s wrong?”  Suki had been around him long enough to know that he was angry.  “Is there someone we need to fight?”

“Not yet, Suki.”  The garish outfits of the two clowns disappeared around a distant corner.  “Not yet.”