Junfa April: Chapters 26-30 (Patreon)

Chapter 26

It took well over ten minutes for the chariot to finally make its way back to Grant.  After the excitement from the fight wore off, he laid on his stomach in pain.  His face hurt from getting backhanded and punched, but his hindquarters hurt far worse.  He was pretty sure the Moo Bee had injected some kind of venom, and the arrowhead of Skor’s accidental shot was still embedded in the wound.  That’s how Team Three found him when they had finally finished off the Moo Bees and returned to check on Grant.

“Mate, I like you, I really do, but I am not sucking out the poison.”  Sokkur was poking around at the edge of the pond, trying to see if he could get the Croc-Ock to come back to the surface.  “I think Skor should have to do it, since he is the one that shot you.”

“Ah, calm your titties.  I have the antidote, so no one needs to suck out the poison.”  Skor was working Grant over, doing his best to help the young Wielder.  “I want to hear more about this small train of wagons you thought you saw.”

“I didn’t think it up.  I know I saw them.”  Grant grunted as Skor pulled the arrowhead free.  “They were all painted to look like the grass, so they could blend in.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”  Reimaria was transferring all of the Moo Bees they had killed into Grant’s storage bag.  The team had decided to give him all of the dead beasts to help Grant increase his collection, mostly out of remorse for shooting him in the middle of a fight.  “You wouldn’t scare off any of the little monsters if you camouflage your wagons.  The whole convoy would have to spend all their time fighting, instead of actually traveling.  Every trip would take twice as long, at least.”

“Not every House does things the way we do.”  Skor’s face scrunched up in thought.  “How many wagons were in the convoy, Grant?”

“Only five that I could see.  There might have been more, since they blended in with the background so well.  It definitely wasn’t a big wagon train though.  More of a heavy scouting force than an actual convoy.”  Sighing in relief as Skor poured a viscous yellow concoction from a vial on the venomous sting, Grant had to wait for the tingling sensation to fade before continuing.  “What Noble Houses would rather fight the whole way instead of scaring away all the monsters and beasts that they could?”

“The House that needs the body parts of as many beasts as possible to make their concoctions.”  Skor stood up from Grant’s prone form and looked out over the horizon.  “House Saturday.  And for them to be this close, that means they were scouting House Wednesday.  Whatever the reason is for a bunch of assassins interested in us can’t be good.”  Silence reigned for a solid minute, while the four processed what it might mean.

“You don’t believe in those rumors, do you?”  Sokkur had given up on provoking the pond monster - much to Grant’s relief - and had moved to pet the Saunterling.  “House Saturday is just a bunch of alchemists, not professional murderers.”

“I’ve fought them myself.”  Grant got back on his feet slowly, doing his best not to reopen any wounds.  “They might not all be assassins, but enough are to justify the rumors.”

“He’s telling it true.”  Skor stopped Sokkur from trying to argue the point.  “It isn’t good for your health to go around speaking plainly on the matter where others can hear, but Grant isn’t the only one to have fought a House Saturday assassin.  They are the smallest House for a reason.  The fewer the number of members, the easier it is to control wagging tongues.”

“Should we try and follow?”  Reimaria was nervously looking around, as if a cloaked assassin might pop out from behind every waving clump of grass.  Considering Grant’s experiences, he didn’t think it was a bad way to look at things.  “If there really are a bunch of wagons filled with killers out there, we should at least take a look.”

“No matter how sneaky they are, you can’t hide wagon tracks.  We’ll go check to see if we can at least learn their numbers.”  Skor hopped into the back of the chariot, motioning for the others to join him.  “Under no circumstances are we going to fight with a group of House Saturday Vassals or Wielders.  We don’t know their intentions, and starting an incident without knowing everything would be bad.”

They all gave him nods of agreement before getting in the chariot.  Skor steered them along the path the mantis had created through the plains, bouncing across the rough ground at a steady clip.  It didn’t take long for them to come across evidence of the camouflaged wagons.

“I don’t like what I am seeing.”  Skor hopped down, looking at the tracks.  Grant and Reimaria joined him, while Sokkur took over the reins.  “Do you notice anything?”  Both Reimaria and Grant studied the ground carefully.

<Ah, the Team Leader has a keen eye.>  Sarge highlighted a section of tracks where it was clear that the wagons had circled up.  <They stopped here, and were waiting for some time.>  Then, Sarge highlighted the track from the advanced mantis they had been following.  <And even more damning, the trail from the cultivating monster starts from this location.  They were waiting for someone to arrive so they could release it.  I would venture a guess that they even released the angry Moo Bees, in the hopes that they would distract you while fighting the mantis.>

“They are responsible for the beast attack.”  Grant echoed out loud what Sarge had shown him.  “It looks like they were waiting for us to get here.”

“At the very least, they were waiting for someone.  Whether or not it was us specifically is up for debate.”  Reimaria kicked at a fire pit while she talked, shooting sparks up in the air.  “They left in a hurry.  Didn’t even bother to make sure their fire was out all the way.”

“I can’t imagine this was a case of mistaken identity.”  Skor motioned for them to get back on the wagon.  “They planned this, but I haven’t the foggiest as to why.”

“Should we try and follow them?”  Sokkur seemed equal parts nervous and excited by the thought of facing a group of assassins.  “They provoked us, and not answering makes us seem weak.”

“Not weak, mate.  Smart.”  Skor tapped at his head.  “We need to report this to the Junfa, not go galavanting across the plains.”  He pointed in the direction of the wagon train.  “I sent the signal for them to halt and send reinforcements.  It would be best if we were waiting for them when they showed up.”

Team Three rode in silence back to the pond, each lost in their own thoughts.  Grant was still hurting from the two wounds he had suffered on his rear, but the idea of having to face another House Saturday Wielder was a solid distraction.  When he had faced them in the past, it had always been a bad experience.  A whole convoy of them was enough to make any warrior sweat.

<You are right to be concerned.  Even though they are the smallest House, Saturday is far from the weakest.>  Sarge vibrated in his sheath.  <I sense a group of Wielders approaching.  It is either your reinforcements, or a group from House Saturday decided to come back and finish the job their monsters failed to do.>

“A group is closing in.”  Grant shifted to the rear, hand on the hilt of his sword.  “It might be our folks, but it might not.”

The three Vassals didn’t question why Grant knew that more people were getting close.  He might have been underpowered compared to the rest of them in some aspects, but he had the full power set of a Wielder.

“Reimaria, you steer.”  Skor passed off the reins and joined Grant at the back.  “Don’t stop for any reason if they are hostile.  The wagon train must learn what we know.”

All four of them tensed in preparation for a fight.  Emerging into the clearing around the pond, Reimaria steered them in a wide circle opposite the direction Grant had indicated a group was approaching.  It was a relief when April Second walked into the clearing, followed by several others.  He waved to them as they jogged over and Reimaria slowed the chariot to a stop.

“How goes it, mates?”  April Second looked around in interest.  “We saw the signal arrows.  What’s the problem?”

“It isn’t good.”  Skor hopped down when they came to a stop.  “There is a heavy team from House Saturday trying to either test us, or kill off our scout teams.”

“That explains a few things.”  April Second seemed to deflate a bit.  “Team Seven didn’t report when they were supposed to.  I have Team Two doing a sweep along their planned patrol route.”

“I would recommend you send more people.”  Skor looked at Grant.  “If we had been without a Wielder that could fight one of their monsters one-on-one, it likely wouldn’t have ended as favorably as it did for us.  And he was even injured.”

“Noted.”  April Second motioned for a Wielder Grant hadn’t met yet, and they came running over.  “Take three others, and join Team Two in the search for Team Seven.  I have a bad feeling about this.”  The Wielder gave him a sharp nod and took off at a dead sprint.  “Grant, take these and heal yourself.  Now, Skor, tell me everything.”

While Skor went over the events of the day with April Second, Grant went over to lean against the chariot to use the medicated bandages on his butt.  His wounds were making him stiffen up, and he did his best to stretch some while they did their work.

<You have a few more hours until it will be time to train with Junfa April.  I would recommend you take some time to meditate and try to think about the gains you made.>  Grant gave a quiet grunt of agreement.  <We have two more skills I think are necessary.  You need a dodge skill, and a thrust skill.  Once you gain those, it will be important to learn how to start chaining all of your skills together.>

“What happens when I get good at that?  Will I get the Dao Seed of the Uchigatana?” Grant’s imagination went wild with thoughts of the new abilities he would gain from getting a combat upgrade.

<That will just be the first step to gaining the Seed.  You have a long road to walk before actually forming it.>  Grant deflated at Sarge’s words.  <Focus on developing the skills, and gaining the Lord of the Month title.  The Dao Seed will come with time.  When you have earned it.>

“Alright!  Time to move out.”  Skor hopped on the back of the chariot, and motioned for Team Three to gather up.  “The wagon train is changing directions to avoid this area.  We need to get back on track, and we don’t have a ton of time to do it.”

They got situated, and were bouncing over the ground shortly afterward.  Grant decided to do as Sarge said.  He needed to focus on the tasks right in front of him, and stop worrying about what was going to happen in the future.  Gaining the title of Junfa was enough for him to do at the moment.

Chapter 27

The rest of the day went by without incident.  They scouted the adjusted path of the wagon train, and didn’t see anything out in the plains that could threaten the massive convoy.  By the time they rejoined the main body, it was getting dark.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready to get some sleep.”  Sokkur was practically wavering on his feet.  “It has really been a rough week.”

“Tell me about it.”  Grant rubbed at his backside.  “The medicated bandages April Second gave me sure helped, but I think it sapped my own energy to speed up the healing.  Not only that, it really itches.”

“I’ll handle taking care of the Saunterling.  You three can go to your bedrolls early.”  Skor unhooked the lizard from the chariot.  “Make sure you get some food before you rest.  You will need to keep up your strength.”

The three young warriors quickly found the chuck wagon, and made their way to the back of the line.  While they were waiting for their food, April Second walked over and handed Grant a crusty roll stuffed with slices of meat and cheese.

“Junfa April said she was too busy to train you this evening, so she asked me to handle it.”  Grant sighed in response, making April Second smile.  “Don’t worry, I think after the past few days, we should probably do something a little different.”

“What do you mean by different?”  Grant took a bite of the food, finding it to be rich and flavorful.  “Wow, this is really good.”

“That’s got some extra ingredients to help replace what you lost from the bandages.”  April Second passed over a second roll.  “I don’t know what they put in them, but it always does the job.”

“So, what’s the plan?”  Grant swallowed hard, pausing to take a drink from his almost empty waterskin.  “Instead of whips, are you going to be trying to crush me with your mace?”  He waved goodbye to Sokkur and Reimaria, who were both almost asleep standing up.  April Second patted his Vassal on the shoulder as they left.

“She’s a tough one.  Anyway, nah, mate.  It’s not the kind of training I think you need.”  April Second guided him past the wagons on the perimeter.  “I think it’s time we inducted you into the Guild of Wednesday Warriors.”

“The Guild of Wednesday Warriors?”  Grant had never heard of it.

“Yes, the Guild of Wednesday Warriors.”  April Second pointed out into the dark fields of grass to the south of the wagon train.  “Out there, a mighty creature sleeps.  To join our illustrious group, you have to confront a Prairie Razor Grazer.  And then tip it over.”

“What?”  Grant grew up on a farm.  He knew exactly what cow-tipping was, but he had never heard of someone doing something like ‘monster-tipping’ before.  Because that would be crazy.  “You want me to tip one over?”

“Yes.  That’s the first task to join the Guild.”  April Second started walking again, motioning for Grant to follow him.  “Then you have to beat another Wielder in the training ring.  You have already done the other task.”

“What were the other tasks?”  Grant had done a few things since arriving in April, but he didn’t know which one he was referring to specifically.

“You have to save someone, be saved by someone, and get injured by one of your own without retaliating.”  April Second counted them off on his fingers.  “I think you might be the fastest person in the history of the Guild to accomplish all of the tasks, especially if you can complete the last two in the next few days.”

“Well, at least something good might come from getting shot in the butt.”  Grant rubbed at his sore cheek while April Second quietly chuckled at his expense.  They kept walking through the tall grass, the occasional gust of wind making it difficult for them to hear anything beyond the rustling of the long stalks.  Grant could see relatively clearly by the light of the moon, but there wasn’t much to see until they reached the top of a small rise.  The low hill was barely high enough for him to even notice while they had been walking.  It still gave enough of an advantage for them to finally see more than a few dozen yards in the distance.

“Okay, here we are, cobber.”  April Second pointed to a bunch of large creatures that looked more like dark spots against the grassy plains.  “That’s some of the Prairie Razor Grazers.  All you need to do is sneak up on one, tip it over, and run back over here to me before they realize what’s going on.  Trust me, this is going to be hilarious.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you might be crazy?”  Grant didn’t think this was the smartest idea, but he was willing to give it a shot.  It was certainly better than getting whipped by Junfa April during training.  April Second only laughed in reply.  “Alright, here I go.”

As Grant got closer to the Prairie Razor Grazers it was immediately apparent that they were at least distantly related to the Meatballs found in the convoy.  They were somewhat bovine, but the moonlight gleaming off of their mouthful of snarled shark-like teeth made it obvious why no one had tried domesticating these beasts.

He crouched lower in the grass, and made sure to step as lightly as possible to get closer to the Razor Grazers.  Their breath was a dry, heavy rasp that ended in a deep rumble inside their chests as they slept standing up.

<That’s probably the real reason why they weren’t domesticated.>  Sarge’s voice in his head made Grant jump a little bit.  <No one wants a beast of burden that snores loud enough to cause localized earthquakes.>

One thing the snoring did do was allow Grant to sneak up on the creatures without waking any of them up.  He decided to try and knock over one of the snaggle-toothed bovines that was slightly isolated from the others.  It would give him more time to run away before the beasts could figure out what was going on.

Backing up a few paces, Grant dropped his shoulder and planted his legs, then sprinted forward to slam into the cow-like creature with all he had.  Grant bounced off, not managing to budge the creature that outweighed him at least thirty times over.

<Ha!  I think I know the real reason why they are having you do this.  That was hilarious!>

The Razor Grazer didn’t react, beyond giving a snort before immediately resuming its heavy snores.  Grant picked himself up off the ground, and walked over to try it again.

No matter how hard he pushed, shoved, heaved, or hoed, the beast didn’t budge.  He couldn’t even bother it enough to interrupt its dreams.

“This is ridiculous.  How am I supposed to knock this thing over?”  Grant leaned on the somewhat odiferous creature, trying to catch his breath after exerting himself.  “I think Sarge is right.  This is all just meant to give April Second a big laugh.  Regents, I bet half of the guards are over there right now, getting a good chuckle at my expense.  How do they expect me to get the leverage or momentum to be able to knock this thing over?”  Grant let loose a heavy sigh, and turned to leave.  Which is when inspiration struck.  “Wait.  Leverage.  That’s all I need!”

It took him longer than he would have liked, but eventually Grant found a large, rectangle-shaped stone.  The thing was far too big for him to carry, but Grant had a storage bag.  He took it off his belt and stretched the opening around the narrow end of the giant rock, slowly getting it into the bag.  It made the storage device insanely heavy, so Grant had to drag it over to the Razor Grazer, leaving a deep furrow in the ground.

<Grant, I don’t see how a bag too heavy for you to lift is going to help right now.>  Sarge paused, rummaging around inside Grant’s head and checking his stat sheet.  <Yeah, you don’t have any brain damage or missing health points.  Were any of those herbs in the food you ate hallucinogenic?>

“Just watch, and be amazed.”  Grant pulled the bag open when he made it to the bovine, and started opening the bag.  “This is going to show them!”

As Grant pulled the bag away from the new location of the stone, he crawled backwards under the Grazer.  The big rock finally popped fully into place between the front and back legs, it’s height just tall enough to lift the bovine’s hooves a few inches off the ground.  It was enough to make the carnivorous creature snort awake, but it was unable to do anything except flail around.

“Now, time to tip a cow!”  Grant jumped on top of the stone, and pushed against it with all his might.  The Prairie Razor Grazer rolled ever-so-slowly, until it reached the edge of the rock and flopped down on its side.  “Yes!  Ha ha ha!  Consider yourself tipped, evil creature!”  The cries of the surprised Grazer, coupled with Grant’s shouts, were enough to rouse the herd of beasts from their slumber.  And from the snorts of anger, it was clear the Grazers didn’t appreciate someone interrupting their beauty sleep.

<Time to go.>  Sarge was obviously impressed by Grant’s inventive thinking, and equally amused by his lack of extended foresight.  <Unless you feel like fighting a whole herd of carnivorous cows.  Which would be great for your cultivation.  You know what, why don’t we stay?  Make an evening of this.  Could be a fun party!>

“That’s a big nope.”  Grant jumped off the stone, almost turning an ankle on an unseen clump of dirt.  “I wouldn’t be able to take them all.”

Grant took off running for the hills, more than one creature hot on his heels.  He made sure to angle his route away from the convoy, not wanting to bring a stampede down on their unsuspecting heads.

“This way!”  April Second sprinted past Grant, leading him farther north through the empty plains.  “What did you do?”

“I tipped a Grazer, like you told me to!”  Grant sped up to pull even with him, doing his best to watch his step in the moonlight.  “Was I supposed to do something else?”

“Yeah!”  April Second swerved around a particularly dense clump of grass.  “You were supposed to come and ask for help, because they are too heavy for one person to move on their own!”

“What’s the point of that?”  Grant thought it was stupid that anyone would send someone to do a task that was impossible to complete.

“To make you realize the importance of asking for help!”  April Second stumbled, and Grant reached out to help keep him from face-planting.  “Instead, you go and rile up a whole herd of beasts without a single Meatball around to fight them off!”

“Why would we need a Meatball to fight them?”  Grant put his hand on his Uchigatana and glanced back.  The herd of twenty or more was close on their heels, but they weren’t closing the gap between the two parties yet.  Once the Wielders tired, they would be trampled to death.  “I could use my lightning spell to at least stop a few of them, and we could get away!”

“Meatballs are their natural enemies!  The Razor Grazers avoid them unless they have overwhelming numbers!”  April Second had recovered from his stumble, and was angling them in a wide circle, back the way they had come.  “We need to make it back to the wagons before they catch us!”

“Why would we lead them right back to the convoy?  The Meatballs are in the center!  The Grazers might not see them until after someone gets hurt!”  Grant had purposely angled his retreat to not do that.  The realization came over April Second’s face, immediately followed by a flash of determination.

“Then we find a place to fight!”  April Second plucked his mace off his belt, and twirled it in his hands.  They ran up over the top of the small hill where the whole incident started.  In the distance, Grant saw a glimmer of light reflecting off of a small body of water.

<That isn’t the same pond you were at before, but it is certainly better than nothing.>  Grant gave a huff of agreement, and pointed it out to April Second.

“We can put our backs to the pond!”  He gave Grant a sharp nod of agreement, and the two of them changed direction once again.  When Grant glanced back, he saw the gap had increased a little.  The Grazers must have realized the inevitability of the Wielders tiring, and they were just keeping pace until they could trample them to death.

<Oh, this really is good training.  You haven’t complained about the weight of your storage bag even once, and now we can work on a nice Dodge skill.  April Second really does know how to maximize your training time.>  Grant gave a snort of disbelief.  It was pretty obvious to him that none of this was exactly ‘planned’ by April Second, but he couldn’t argue with the results.

The two of them finally got close to the pond, and they were forced to slow down.  April Second’s mace glowed a bright yellow before he slammed the heavy head on the ground.  The shockwave that rippled out from the impact made the Grazers stumble, slowing them down enough for the two to turn and prepare to fight.

<Hmm, a Spellblade Cultivator.  I was wondering what he focused on.  It makes sense, considering that’s what most of them seem to be in the convoy.>  Sarge highlighted a section of the ground in Grant’s vision.  It was a strip of ground a few paces wide that ended on the bank of the pond barely larger than an oversized mud puddle.  <The ground is muddier here.  I would stand at the end of this line, to slow them down as much as possible.  It probably won’t matter in the long run, but it’s worth a shot.>

“Here!”  Grant led April Second over to where Sarge had indicated.  “If we can get a bunch of them to run into the pond, we should have a chance!”  The ground rumbled as they approached, and Grant crouched, ready to attack or dodge.

“Good plan.”  April Second’s mace head glowed again, its angry light illuminating his face in sharp relief.  “It’s time to make us some Razor-steaks.”

Chapter 28

The first Prairie Razor Grazer thundered toward Grant, and he held his stance for as long as he could.  He could see the drool dripping from its shark-toothed jaws as it closed with him, the earth trembling beneath its hooves.  He unsheathed his sword, the blurring speed of him using the Iaijutsu skill doing absolutely nothing to deter the angry creature.  Just as it looked like Grant was about to be obliterated by the Grazer, he spun to the side, dragging his sword ineffectually against the thick hide of the creature’s ribs.

<Perfect timing!>  Grant didn’t have time to acknowledge the sword spirit, because the next slavering Grazer was already in his face.  He used everything he had learned from his Parry and Counter skill, only this time he wasn’t able to use the momentum of his enemy’s blows to help him move.  The second creature thundered past as Grant did a full spin to get out of the way.  He was then forced to do a diving roll to avoid the third Grazer in line.  <Keep it up!  They are getting stuck in the mud!  I can’t believe this is working!>

Grant was able to see what was going on behind him as he came out of his forward roll.  The three Grazers had stampeded straight into the pond, and were up to their necks in the thick mud surrounding the tiny body of water.  The first one was trying to climb free on the opposite side, but it was struggling to get its prodigious weight out of the dense mire.

That was all the time he could spare, because the next Grazer was already in his face.  He had no idea how April Second was doing.  Just keeping himself in one piece was all he could manage.  The fourth Grazer’s tail slapped him in the face as he managed to slide out of the way, and Grant was forced to roll under the fifth beast’s leaping hooves to avoid getting a bite taken out of his face.  A terrible crunch made him almost black out in pain, and his left foot ended up a whole lot flatter than it had started the day.

<It’s not as bad as you think.  Just the four metatarsal bones are crushed.  You can still walk on your heel until there is time to take a healing potion.>

“That’s easy for you to say!”  Grant’s Bodily Awareness skill was more than happy to inform him of just how bad it hurt to have five bones in your foot crushed at the same time.  His boot was flopping around, and it made him almost throw up when his toes slapped against his shin.

The distraction almost proved fatal.  Grant was more focused on his injury than the sixth Grazer galloping toward him.  He somehow managed to fall backward at the last second, the snapping jaws of the monster only inches away from his face.  By reflex, Grant interposed his sword between himself and the Grazer’s mouth.  The cow-like creature couldn’t stop its momentum to take advantage of Grant’s prone position, and somehow thundered over him without doing any further damage.  He expected to get trampled by the next in line, but nothing crushed him into the mud.

“Up!  Get up!”  April Second was suddenly standing next to Grant, trying to lift him one-handed while slamming his mace into the ground over and over again, making muddy waves wash over the Razor Grazers.  Somehow, all of them were now stuck in mud up to their chests, struggling to get free of the thick soup they had heedlessly charged into.  “We need to run while they are still trapped in the mud.”

“I’m not running anywhere.”  Grant pointed to his mangled foot and tried not to look at it himself.  It seemed to be worse when he looked at it.  “You get out of here, and bring help.  I will stand my ground until this kicks in, and I can catch up.”  Grant dug one of his final healing potions out of his storage pouch and slammed down the gritty solution in one toss.

“This is my fault, mate.  I underestimated your ability to go off like a frog in a sock.  I’m not leaving you to get eaten by a bunch of carnivorous cows.”  April Second slammed his mace into the ground again, sending out a shockwave that kept the Grazers from having an easy escape out of the mud they were mired in.  “I guess it’s time to restock the leatherworker’s stores.  Do your spell, and kill as many of these beasts as you can.”

Grant limped heavily over to the edge of the mud pit, where over twenty of the Grazers were struggling to free themselves.  He activated Thundering Step, and aimed the spell in a cone in front of him.  It managed to damage the beasts, but mostly it hardened the ground around them.  Which, to follow the theme of Grant’s evening, meant one of the Grazers managed to climb free of the mire.

“Maybe don’t do that again.”  April Second separated himself from Grant, trying to draw the monster’s attention.  “They don’t seem to be very vulnerable to your spell’s damage.”

“I think you might be right.”  The Grazer completely ignored April Second and swung wide around the pond to come for Grant.  “This is going to suck.”

<Dodge it!  Remember, you need to develop the skill, and I think you are close.>  Sarge’s internal shuffling in Grant’s head seemed to buzz deeper into his body.  <That twenty percent reduction in the requirements to gain a skill from your Dao Seed is a real life-saver.  I think I am getting better at gauging when it is about to activate, and it is really close.>

“I sure hope so, because I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this.”  The healing potion was one of the weaker versions, and Grant could feel it struggling to repair his foot.  As he tried to put his weight on it to face the mud-splattered and twitchy Grazer, the grinding sensation almost made him black out.

<Focus.  Remember to time it just right.>  Grant blinked hard, forcing himself to push past the pain.  The ground shook as the creature approached, and Grant waved a hand to motion for April Second to stop from trying to put himself between the Grazer and Grant.  He could feel the faint pressure in his chest of the Dao Seed patiently waiting.  When the Grazer was only two steps away, Grant spun on his injured foot, and he drew forward just far enough that he could feel the bristling hair of the monster’s flank as it rumbled past him.  <Yes!>  Sarge’s shout of victory was accompanied by a feeling of release in his chest.

Dao Seed of Change activated!

Through your hard work and dedication, you have acquired a new skill!

Change is Growth

Skill gained: Belladonna Dodge (1/2). Sometimes avoiding the charge is the only way to fight another day.  This skill allows you to avoid a deadly attack, without receiving any secondary effect damage.  You have shown initial mastery! Congratulations!

Tier one effect: When you have a perfect dodge, your armor is 10% more effective for the next successful hit against you.  Hallucinations not included.

“Well, not the best, but at least it’s something.”  Grant’s foot was throbbing, but the angry growls from the Razor Grazers as another of their brethren plowed into them made Grant smile.  “Just one more skill to gain.”

<You need to get out of here.  All this noise is sure to attract plenty of attention, and you can’t exactly go in there to cut those things down.  You will get just as stuck as they are.>  Grant turned to April Second, readily agreeing with Sarge.

“I can limp well enough to get out of here.”  Grant took a painful step forward, and tried not to wince.  “We can’t keep this up all day.”

“No, we can’t.  Eventually they will get lucky, and we will end up as cow patties.”  April Second walked over and threw a supporting arm around Grant.  “Just lean on me, and let’s get out of here.”  The two Wielders limped off, leaning on each other for support.  “You know something?”

“What?”  Grant looked over at April Second, and immediately tripped.  After he caught his balance a reflexive step on his injured foot revealed the healing potion was finally starting to do its job.  It still hurt, but he didn’t feel any grinding of bones.

“I think this is the most exciting cow-tipping experience in the history of the Guild of Wednesday Warriors.”  April Second let go of Grant as his steps became more steady, and the two of them picked up the pace, quickly leaving the deadly monsters behind.  “I can’t wait to see how you do in the ring.”

“You mean I still get to join the Guild?”  Grant had figured he had failed, considering he completely missed the intent of the exercise.

“Of course!  We can’t rightly leave you out, after becoming only the second person to actually tip a Prairie Razor Grazer on their own!”

“The second person?”  Grant thought about all he had gone through to manage it, and he couldn’t think of a single person on the convoy that would have done what he did.

“Oh, yeah.  The first was Junfa April.”  Grant raised a questioning eyebrow at April Second, who let out a humorous snort in return.  “Believe me, when a woman like her starts whipping things, all kinds of stuff gets tipped over.”

The laughter that rang out over the plains made the stars seem to shine just a little bit brighter.

Chapter 29

The next few days were a blur for Grant.  He had fully healed by the time both him and April Second made it back to the wagon train, and he spent the rest of the night meditating on his new skills.  Figuring out how to chain them together would be vital for the training bouts between Wielders that would happen soon, and thinking through how to do it was the first step.  He had tried training once with Junfa April the night before, but it hadn’t gone well.  She was distracted, and he was still learning new combinations.

Patrols had continued to see signs of the House Saturday group as they advanced, but no other attacks were staged on the Rapid Advancement Teams.  Even Team Seven had been found without incident.  They had also suffered from an attack, but had simply run away from the monsters sprung on them.  It had just taken a long time for them to swing back around to where the wagon train had shifted direction.

“What are you thinking about, mate?”  Skor’s question brought Grant back to his task.  He was currently chopping up another batch of monsters to stuff in his storage bag.  Their patrol had run afoul of a swarm of some kind of giant field mice made of rope-like fibers that his Thundering Step handled quickly and without much of a fuss.  Their tails were useful as a type of rope for the convoy, so he was cutting them off before adding them to his collection.  “You seem to be quieter than normal today.”

“I was just thinking about the House Saturday group.  I can tell they were bothering Junfa April last night, when we were training.  What do you think they are up to?”  Grant grunted as he chopped off another tail.  There had been forty five rope-mice in the swarm, and he was very glad they had been weak to lightning.  “I mean, it isn’t like there is anything good those guys could be up to.”

“We should just go after them already.”  Sokkur was the one who said it, but Reimaria was equally excited by the idea.  “They already proved they are hostile.  It’s time to return the favor.”

“Yeah, and show those punks why you don’t mess with House Wednesday!”  Reimaria punched a clenched fist into her damaged palm to prove her point.  “Those guys don’t know who they are messing with.”

“Calm down, you two.  We all know the laws.”  Skor’s penetrating gaze swept over them like one of the Fanatics had sprayed them with ice-cold water.  “They exist for a reason.  The wagon trains aren’t allowed to act on any feuds with one another outside the yearly Conclaves.”  He looked down at his gnarled and scarred hands.  “We have lost so many… it isn’t worth it to weaken our people further.”

“But we didn’t start it, they did!”  Sokkur’s nostrils flared in anger.  “It’s one thing to poke at each other from time to time, but then you are supposed to run off.  Not hang around waiting for another chance to kill a team of Vassals!”

“You are all too young to remember what the last Wagon War was like.  It only lasted a single week.”  Skor’s eyes misted over, his eyes seeing something that was far in the past.  “Even that was too long.  Enough of the trained fighters died in the few battles to doom hundreds to an even slower death.  Not enough guards meant wagons got picked off by the swarms, one by one, until the number of Vassals and Wielders eventually caught back up.”

“Isn’t that why House Sunday doesn’t have a wagon train of their own anymore?”  Reimaria’s urge for bloodshed seemed to have cooled off a bit, at the thought of innocent people dying because of the potential loss a Wielder represented.  “They had to join up with the other Houses as healers instead of running their own.”

“Enough joined with House Thursday that it’s almost an even split.  If you ask the merchants, they would tell you it is still their wagon train, but ask a healer, and they will claim it went the other way.”  Skor motioned back to where their own convoy was slowly trundling into view in the distance.  “We only have three of their wagons.  Just enough for them to cover all of us with their eyes and ears.”

“What do you mean, ‘eyes and ears’?  Don’t you mean ‘just enough to cover us with their healing hands’?”  Sokkur seemed to have never heard of the rumors about House Sunday being the secret spymasters of the Districts.

“Sure, that’s what I meant.”  Skor gave Grant a wink, and he returned it with a narrow smile.  “Now, the wagon train is in sight.  I think it’s time we ranged forward again.”

“Just a few more to go.”  Grant’s pile of the strange rope-mice had slowly gotten smaller as they talked.  He finished up quickly, and the four warriors got back in their chariot.  “Where to now?”

“I think it's time to swing around to the north."  Skor pointed to the horizon, where the dark and dead mountains loomed in the distance. They had been getting slowly closer to them as the wagon train tried to avoid the trails left by House Saturday. Grant had briefly thought that they might have been purposely herded in this direction, but had overheard it being discussed and dismissed by the leadership of the convoy. "Tonight is the weekly training fights, so we want to make sure there is a good place for the wagons to stop early."

“Are you going to fight in this one, mate?”  Sokkur thumped Grant’s shoulder with a fist, this time not breaking anything.  “I’ll bet a few Hours that you win your first one, at least.”

“I’m planning on it.”  Grant rubbed absent-mindedly at the back of his right hand, where Junfa April’s whip had tagged him during their brief training session the night before.  It had only lasted ten minutes, according to Sarge, but it had felt like over an hour to Grant.  He had been trying to get his Thrust skill, but she was a poor match for the skill development.  “April Second told me I would have to fight April Twenty when it starts tonight.”

“Ah, my Wielder.”  Sokkur the Shieldbearer tapped the heavy hunk of metal he called a shield.  “His Wielded Weapon can do all kinds of things that mine can’t.  Be careful, he is really good at outlasting his opponents.  They run out of time before laying a single finger on him.  You rely pretty heavily on your spells, and those won’t be allowed in the training circle.”

“I’ll do my best.”  Grant was pretty sure he could figure something out before time would run out.  The House Wednesday Wielders were superior fighters when it came to fighting monsters, but Grant had fought against three Lords and Ladies of the Month.  His experience had to count for something.

“What’s that?”  Reimaria was pointing a little farther north, where a poorly-hidden trail ran parallel with a low rock shelf that looked to have been caused by some past natural disaster.

“That, Sheila, is a trail left by a wagon train.”  Skor tugged on the reins, steering them toward the hills.  “And it doesn’t look all that old.”

The scout team approached carefully, slowing down enough to make sure they weren’t running into a trap.  Upon closer inspection, it was obvious the trail had been heavily used for quite some time by a group much smaller than their own wagon train.

“Do you think it’s from the House Saturday heavy patrol?”  Sokkur had already hefted his shield into place on his arm, ready to defend or smash whatever they encountered.  “Are they really risking being so close to the mountains with such a small group?”

“No, this is too many wagon tracks for it to be that small of a force.”  Skor hopped down to inspect the trail.  “They traveled single-file to try and hide their numbers, but the uneven terrain makes it easy to see there are probably at least thirty or forty wagons in this group.”  He pointed to a dip where the flattened grass was starting to recover.  “They passed through here four or five days ago.  Probably just following this fault line across the foothills until it peeters out in a few more days of quick travel.  That would bring them out pretty close to the border, and it’s easy to just follow that down to the Conclave location.  It looks pretty well-traveled.  I don’t think this is the first time they have done this.”

<I think you just discovered the migration route of House Saturday.>  Sarge highlighted another set of tracks they had unknowingly passed over when they came to inspect the fresh trail.  <This one is probably over a month or two old.  They use the natural ridgeline here to hide.  If their wagons are painted to look like the rocks or plains, no one would even see their outline against the horizon.  Smart.>

Grant repeated what Sarge had shown him to the others, and they all inspected the older trail.  A closer inspection farther along the rocky shelf provided evidence of several campfires, all old.

“We need to get back and report this.  It’s almost time to stop for the evening anyway.”  Skor led them back to the chariot, and they were quickly on their way to report.  “I don’t want a word of this spread around until the Junfa has had a chance to discuss this with her advisors.  Knowing the secret path of the House Saturday Wagon Train could provide us a great advantage, but only if they never find out we know about it.”

All three gave sharp nods of agreement.  The tactical edge the knowledge gave them was obvious, as was the need for secrecy.  Team Three rode in silence the rest of the way back to the wagon train.

“It looks like they found a place without us telling them anything.”  Reimaria pointed to where the wagons were positioning themselves into a large circle.  “One of the other teams must have beaten us back here.”

“Yeah, but they won’t have the same kind of news we are bringing.”  Sokkur stood up and stretched his back while holding on to the side of the chariot.  “I expect the Wielders will be pretty happy with us.”

“That’s true, but don’t expect any public acknowledgements.”  Skor motioned back to the brooding low mountains behind them.  “If they do, people will want to know why we are getting accolades.  That isn’t very conducive to keeping things a secret.”

“Ah, bugger.”  Sokkur flopped back down on the chariot floor, his legs dangling off the back.  “I didn’t even think of that.”

“It’s the risk of being too good at your job.”  Reimaria shook her head, glancing back at the pouting figure of the team’s Shieldbearer.  “Besides, it was me who spotted it, mate.  I am the one who misses out on the biggest rewards.”

“You all get the pride of a job well done.”  Skor slowed their chariot so they could angle toward a gap left in the ring of wagons.  “That’s the lot in life for a Vassal.  Now, pipe down.  We are getting close enough that someone might overhear.”

“When we stop, you better go straight to the chuck wagons, mate.”  Sokkur punched Grant in the shoulder again.  “There won’t be time to eat once the training bouts start.”

“Thanks.  I’ll be sure to eat fast.”  Grant rubbed at his sore shoulder, momentarily fantasizing about what it would be like to have vicious little spikes all over his armor.  Sokkur wouldn’t be so quick to punch him all the time.

<You would severely hurt yourself the first time you tried to put that on.>  Sarge chuckled at the mental image of Grant wearing such ridiculous armor.  <I’m not saying you shouldn’t do it.  Just, you know, be careful when you go to use the latrine if you decide to do it.>

Chapter 30

Grant waved goodbye to his teammates when they dropped him off near the back of the line where everyone competing was already waiting for food.  It gave him a chance to look over his competition, and have a good look at his stat sheet before the fights started.  He didn’t want to make any mistakes.  This was his chance to make it into the Guild.

Name: Grant Monday (Options: Grant Monday, Earl Spring)

Rank: Earl Spring  (Lord of The Month for January, February, and March)

Class: Foundation Cultivator

Cultivation Achievement Level: 27

Cultivation Stage: Mid Autumn

Inherent Abilities: Swirling Seasons Cultivation

Health: 722/727

Mana: 32/32

Dao Achievements:  Dao Seed of Change

Effects:

-20% requirements of gaining a skill

+20% speed of increasing a skill

+20% chance for skill to mutate upon ranking up

Physical: 451

Mental: 129

Armor Proficiency: 213

Weapon Proficiency: 237

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

Total Physical Damage Decrease per set item (Includes Cultivation bonus): 85

Total Magical Damage Decrease per set item (Includes Cultivation bonus): 85

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

Total Damage increase: 94. (Base weapon increase: 14. Weapon Cultivation increase: 80.)

Critical hit maximum damage: 141

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: 94 (80 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) Mind over Matter: Set a binding rule, as well as the punishment for breaking that rule. The harsher the requirements of the rule, the harsher the punishment may be.

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 (2/10)

Tier one effect:  Increases damage of all lightning-attuned spells by 10%.

Tier two effect:  Ride the Lightning!  Your ability to direct lightning-based spells and abilities is now perfect.  Halo effects can now be aimed.

Bodily Awareness (2/3)

Tier one effect:  Your mind has learned what is real, and what is not. Now you will always know for sure. The pain of all real damage taken is increased by 10%.

Tier two effect:  Pain is your body’s message to your brain that something is wrong.  Perfect understanding of what injuries you have sustained allows that communication to be more effective.  Generalized pain is now sharpened to the exact location of any damage.

Begonia Chop (1/3)

Tier one effect: When properly focused, sword slices through four times its own thickness in material, increasing target penetration by 10%.

Peach Flower Petal Flurry (1/3)

Tier one effect: Must use Iaijutsu, combined with a series of sharp stabs and quick deflections, now your sword increases penetration and damage by 10%.  A flowering petal of after-images will allow fear to bloom in the heart of your foes, pollinating their doubts and implanting the roots of their defeat.

Hemlock’s Bane (1/2)

Tier one effect: When you have a perfect parry, your next attack will have a 10% increase in damage.  Impact will cause Philosophers to ponder the inevitability of death.

Belladonna Dodge (1/2)

Tier one effect: When you have a perfect dodge, your armor is 10% more effective for the next successful hit against you.  Hallucinations not included.

Spells:

Elemental Spell: Thundering Step II

Prerequisites: 100 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 halved while active.

May stack spells at double the Mana cost.  No limits.

Utility Spell: Apprentice Repair

Prerequisites: 80 Mind. Two hands. The ability to see or sense the targeted object.

Active Mode: Improve, combine, or repair the object or objects targeted by the spell.  More complicated items require a higher-tier spell.

Mana cost: 7 per use.

Training Mode: If used when disassembling, reassembling, or cleaning an item, 50% chance of the user gaining a deeper understanding of how an item works.

Mana cost: 7 per use.

<Your health is missing a few points, but otherwise things are looking good.>  Grant silently agreed with Sarge.  He now had enough skills to give him an advantage in most fights.  As soon as he developed the missing Thrust skill, Grant would be able to get at least a ten percent boost almost any time he swung his sword.  <I tracked down why you are missing some health points.  Your practice with Junfa April last night gave you some bruises, and you haven’t completely recovered from the whipping she gave you.>

“Thanks, Sarge.  I definitely wasn’t trying to avoid thinking about that disaster or anything.”  The sword spirit, as always, was oblivious to Grant’s sarcasm.

<Well, that’s good you aren’t trying to block out your training.  There was a valuable lesson in what she did to you last night.>

“Yes.  Don’t fight Junfa April.  And whips hurt.”  Grant finally reached the front of the line and got a heaping plate of vegetables and thick slices of meat.  “Wow.  This is different from our normal meals.”

“It’s because they want us to have plenty of energy for the fights.”  April Second popped up next to Grant’s elbow, almost making him spill his food in surprise.  “Make sure you eat fast.  You are the second fight, after two of my Vassals fight for the chance to be my Prime Vassal.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that’s how you determine who becomes each Wielder’s Prime Vassal.”  Grant knew every Wielder had one, but how they decided who it was seemed to vary widely.  “Is it like that for everyone in House Wednesday?”  Grant started shoveling food into his mouth as he waited for his answer.

“No, not everyone, and combat abilities aren’t the only thing that determine who becomes a Wielder’s Prime Vassal.”  April Second ticked off a list on his fingers.  “Experience, trust, intelligence, and determination are all important to consider as well.  But here, when the lives of innocents are on the line, how well you can fight carries the most individual weight.”

“Mmh, makes sense.”  Grant had to finish swallowing his food before speaking.  “So, do I know who is trying out?”

“Yep.  Reimaria is challenging my current Prime Vassal, Taneglur.”  He pointed to a warrior that made Sokkur look like a child pretending to be a warrior.

“Is that a man, or a Meatball in disguise?”  Grant looked back at April Second.  “You can’t seriously let her fight that guy.  She’ll be crushed at the first blow!”

“Maybe she will, and maybe she won’t.”  April Second stole a steaming tuber off Grant’s plate.  “Either way, mate, it will be a fine lesson for her.”