Dokeshi March: Chapter 46 (Patreon)

Chapter 46

They were a day early, so the two of them made the most of their available time.  Both hadn’t had a real bath in a long time, so they took a long soak in their bathtubs.  Separately.  Although, Grant wasn’t exactly alone.

<Your training is coming along nicely, but I think adding in some juggling exercises will help your hand-eye coordination.  Oh, and we can’t forget to have Suki play a few rounds of poker with you for practice.  You need to work on your sleight-of-hand before the tournament starts.>

“I’m not going to cheat, Sarge.  It just doesn’t feel right.”  Grant was about to get out of the water anyway.  It was beginning to get too cold.  “Although, I don’t mind the practice.  Just know that I won’t be using it during the tournament.”

<You won’t hear any complaints from me.  An honest man is worth his weight in gold, but a man who knows when to hide his honesty is worth his weight in jade.>

“Now I’m definitely sure you are just making these sayings up.  That one doesn’t even make any sense!”

<What do you mean, it doesn’t make sense?  It makes perfect sense!  Knowing when to admit how honest you are is far more useful than just being honest all the time!>

“But, that would mean-”

“Are you arguing with your sword again?”  Suki’s voice came from right outside the door, causing Grant to scramble for a towel to cover himself with.  “You know, it isn’t polite to keep a lady waiting, especially while you have sword fights in the bathroom.”

“I’m almost done!”  Grant quickly pulled on some clothes and opened the door while putting on his armor.  “What are your plans for the day?”

“First, I thought I would check out the gambling hall.”  Suki was holding a plate of food, most of which was some kind of fruit.  “Then, I wanted to see what our competition looks like.  You don’t often get a chance to gauge the people you will be going against.”

“Sounds good, as long as you and I can have a few practice rounds before we start.”  Grant finished getting his armor back in place, and belted his sword on.  “It would also be a good idea to make sure we know where all the exits are.  The rules say we can’t be attacked while a part of the competition, but that doesn’t mean they can’t jump us the moment we walk outside of the casino.”

“That’s not a bad idea.”  Suki handed Grant the plate of fruit.  “Just promise me that you will keep practicing sleight-of-hand while we play.  I know you might not want to use it when playing cards, but you never know when it might be the time you need to use it.”

“I can agree to that.”  Grant quickly shoveled in the food, then they made their way down to the gambling floor.  It was the most opulent of all the casinos they had visited so far.  The liberal use of gold, monster horn, and magic was beyond anything Grant could have imagined to exist in one place.  It also had some of the best security to match it.  They counted at least six guards per room, and there were at least two of the Dokeshi’s Vassals roaming the building.  And that wasn’t even mentioning the other Wielders and Vassals from the other Houses.

“Is it just me, or is everyone watching us?”  Suki subconsciously swiped at her hair, making sure her ponytail was in its proper place.  “I wasn’t sure at first, but now I am convinced they are paying entirely too much attention to us.”

“Everyone must know who we are.”  Grant placed his hand on his sword hilt, and gave a woman covered in sheathed knives a glare.  “All they have to do is wait for us to either lose or leave, and they can get the reward for capturing us.”

“Well, they can certainly try.”  Suki clenched her fists, and a single purple spark shot out, causing a server walking past them to jump.  Their tray tipped over and splashed a table full of gamblers, making more than a few people mad.

“Why don’t we head back to the room, and get some practice in?  I think it would be better than standing around here.”  Grant grabbed her hand and started to pull her back toward the stairs, before they could get into a fight.  “If we fight now, it might disqualify us from the competition.”

They quickly went back to the room, and the two of them spent the next several hours training.  Mostly, Suki just took all of Grant’s chips over and over again, but he certainly learned a few things in the process.  As they got closer to the evening meal, Grant finally got around to asking the question that had been simmering in the back of his mind.  Suki was packing away all the cards and chips in her pack to take back to her room, so Grant stood up to help.

“Suki, what is a Dao Seed?”  Her back stiffened, and she very carefully didn’t turn to face him.  “Seriously, what is the big deal?  Sarge hasn’t told me anything about it either.  He always changes the subject, or throws something invisible at me.”

“That’s for a good reason, Grant.”  Suki finally turned to look at him.  “The number of cultivators that manage to create a Dao Seed within themselves is only a tiny percentage.  And that’s even counting regular cultivators, not just Vassals and Wielders.”  Suki sighed, and placed a finger on the tip of her chin in thought.  “I would say one in fifty actually form one, but only one in a hundred ever learn how to use it.”  Grant was stunned.  He tried to do the math in his head, but the numbers were too big.  Just using it for Wielders would mean that out of the three hundred and sixty-six, only three, maybe four, actually had a Dao Seed they could use.  Whatever a Dao Seed was in the first place.  Suki seemed to anticipate his question, and held up a hand to stop him from saying anything.  “A Dao Seed is a cultivator’s connection to the power behind reality.  They have begun to comprehend the Laws of the Universe, and can use that connection to improve their cultivation speed, as well as the power in their bodies and spells.  Even talking about it is supposed to ruin your chances for developing one, which is why you probably haven’t heard about it.”  She reached over to tap his sword.  “And, why Sarge doesn’t want to say anything.”

<Leave it alone, Grant.  Suki is right.  Trying to force it into existence will have the opposite effect.  You can’t make the universe bend to your will.  It will fight you, and close off any avenues to advancement.>

“Okay, I’ll leave it alone then.”  Grant rubbed the back of his head.  “I guess I’m sorry I asked.”

“It’s understandable to ask questions, but you need to ensure you stay focused on the things you can control, like using that bracer I gave you to pull out an extra card or two when you are losing.”  Suki patted him on the shoulder, before placing a finger over his mouth.  He was getting tired of people stopping him from talking.  “I know you don’t want to cheat, but that may be the only way forward, Grant.”

“Look, I understand better than anyone the importance of adapting to your situation, changing the way you look, or feel, or talk, or even walk.”  It was finally Grant’s turn to silence Suki.  “No, listen to me.  I know when it is necessary to change, but I also know when it is important not to change.  I will not compromise my values.  If this is the rock I die on, then so be it.  I will die knowing that I stood for what I think is important, and that is final.”  Grant felt another stabbing pain in the center of his chest, like something was trying to force its way inside his body.  It made his mind fuzzy, like he had just drank three or four bottles of wine all at once.  The sensation only lasted a few seconds, but he was breathing hard, like he had just ran up and down several flights of stairs.

<Grant, are you okay?>  Sarge’s voice forced him to come back to his senses.  <What is going on?>

“Sarge, did you just do something?”  Grant was more than a little freaked out, and his grip on the hilt of his Uchigatana made the wrappings creak under the pressure.  “I thought I was being attacked.”

“Attacked?”  Suki immediately ran to the only door to the room, and made sure it was locked.  “I didn’t see anyone.  Do you think one of those Vassals is using a spell, or ability to hurt you?”

<I didn’t do anything, Grant.  From my perspective, your heart rate and breathing spiked for no reason.  I didn’t sense any attacks, or use of spells.>

“Sarge said there wasn’t anything.”  Grant took a few more breaths to steady himself.  “It must have just been my nerves.  Don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure?  It wouldn’t surprise me if those sneaky clowns find a way to hurt you that doesn’t violate their stupid rules.”  Suki’s gauntlets were back, and the purple sparks shooting out caused a burn hole in the nice rug by the front door.

“I’m sure, Suki.  I probably just need some rest.”  Grant still felt like he had just finished a particularly difficult workout, and another bath and some sleep sounded like a very good idea.  “I’m going to call it a night, and get some rest before tomorrow.  It’s going to be a big day, one way or another.”

“That’s true.  Make sure you bring your pack with you in the morning, just in case we have to run.”  Suki opened the door to check to see if anyone was waiting in the hallway.  “We either win tomorrow, or fight our way to the Dokeshi.”  Grant gave her a sharp nod of agreement.  She left, closing the door behind her.

“She’s right, you know.  Tomorrow we either qualify for the finals, or fight until we make it to the Lord of March.”  Grant patted his sword.  “It should be an exciting day.”

<You’re absolutely correct.  Which is why I have a training regimen that should utilize the next two hours perfectly, allowing you plenty of time for rest afterwards.>

“But… okay then.  What’s first?”  This time, it was easy for Grant to hold in the sigh that wanted to escape his lips.  Making sure he utilized his remaining time wisely was the best option, no matter how tired he was.

<Good!  I like the attitude.  First up, do one hundred squats while swinging your sword horizontally in front of you.  Go!>

All Grant could do was smile.  At least Sarge would never change.