Tycoon May: Chapter 7 (Patreon)

Chapter 7

Grant looked around for an easy way up to a rooftop to get a better lay of the land, but the glass buildings made it impossible.  He was afraid of falling through and causing a scene.  Instead, he tried circling back to the crowded main thoroughfare he had seen the leaders of the expedition taking.  Doug had mentioned that the section of the city through the second set of gates was much nicer, so Grant figured it was his best bet for getting information on the whereabouts of Tycoon May.  If he could find him quickly, it would make it easier for him to make a plan about his next steps.  He would prefer not having to kill him, like with Junfa April, but Dokeshi March had shown Grant that sometimes it was the only option.

<Not the only option, Grant.  Just the only option available to you right now.  Your time restraints are both collar and leash, shaping every decision you make going forward.>  Grant stopped on a street corner, shading his eyes from the bright reflection of the setting sun hitting the walls of glass around him.  He thought for a moment about what Sarge was trying to tell him, and it finally snapped into place as he stepped off after getting his bearings.

“You are saying that once I don’t have such strict time limits, I can try taking a longer approach at problem-solving.”  Grant felt a surge of pride at figuring out the deeper meaning all on his own.

<Exactly.  Remember, your ultimate goal is to become the Calendar King.  That means being a leader, and a leader has to develop a vision for the future.  Not every problem has to be solved immediately, or with the edge of a blade.>  Sarge’s tone told Grant he was also pleased that his student managed to glean the intended wisdom without help.  <But, never forget, there will be times when the proper solution is the sword.  If successful, you will rule over three hundred and sixty-five warriors who are the Wielders of Weapons of Power.  It will be necessary to remind them that you are too strong to stand against.  From time to time, anyway.>

“According to the histories, that’s what Regent December did too much, and it ended with the world divided into the twelve Districts.”  Grant weaved through the people hurrying home as sunset caused long shadows to stretch across the street.  “I wouldn’t want to repeat what happened with him.”

<He was not the Calendar King.  He was only the Regent.  While he was lended the authority to rule, you will have to own it.>

“I will worry about that when I get there.  For now, I need to focus on the here and now.”  Grant finally saw something that would help him get his bearings.  At the next intersection, there was a wooden tripod holding up a painted piece of wood that looked like a map of the city.  “Finally, I can figure out where everything is!”

Looking over the map, Grant was dismayed to see that it only showed the names of shops and stores in the immediate area.  He had stumbled upon a more upscale merchant zone, and the map served as a kind of advertisement instead of anything useful.

“Are you lost, sir?”  A pair of passing guards saw Grant staring in consternation at the map.  The younger of the two, wearing hardened leather armor and carrying a halberd stopped to talk to him.  “Do you need help?”

“We don’t have time to stop and talk to random people.  We are supposed to find the psycho who chopped up some guys near the crazy alchemist’s place, remember?  Besides, how could he be lost?”  His partner, a woman carrying a bone-reinforced recurve bow, looked at Grant and scoffed.  “The city is one big circle.  It would take a special kind of stupid to not understand how circles work.  Not only that, no one new comes to this city.  He was probably born and raised here.  How could he not-”

“I’m just looking for the group that led the raid earlier today.”  Grant cut the guardswoman off, before she could say anything else to draw attention to him.  “They were going this direction, but I lost them.”

Both guards surprised Grant by snapping to attention.  The guardswoman turned pale, and the young man stammered out a reply to help cover for her.  “O-oh, I’m so sorry, sir.  We didn’t know you were with his group.”  He pointed farther down the street, to where the wall to the next section of the city was barely visible in the distance.  “They went to the castle to spend the night, before heading out of the city in the morning.  But I’m sure you knew that already.”

“Yes, of course.  Thank you.”  Grant hurriedly walked away from the pair, headed for the wall.  He wasn’t sure why they had reacted so strongly, but he didn’t want to stay long enough to find out.  That, and he was pretty sure he knew who they were looking for.  “Now I just need to get to the castle in the center of town.”

By the time Grant made it to the wall dividing the sections of the city, it was dark enough that work crews were walking up and down the streets, lighting lanterns that were spaced evenly down the path.  Their light reflected off the glass walls of the greenhouses, banishing shadows to the dark alleys lining the major thoroughfares.

To Grant, it seemed almost pointless.  Even though the city was well-lit, the streets were soon deserted.  Besides the work crews that quickly moved past, and a few people in a hurry to get somewhere, the formerly crowded area was almost devoid of life.  The shift from fighting through crowds to his footsteps echoing down empty streets was eerie, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

As Grant approached the small archway leading to the next section of the city, he was surprised to see it blocked off by a row of five guardsmen with their spears canted enough to bar passage.

“Can I get by?”  Grant felt relieved to not be the only person still out, but the angry looks on their faces made him wish he had taken Doug up on his offer to let him stay on his couch.  “I’m in a hurry.”

“Sir, curfew comes into effect in less than an hour.  Even if you have a badge to let you through, you won’t be able to make it back to this zone before your business is finished.”  The speaker was the only guard that was a Vassal, his spear of a higher quality than those around him.  “Please return home, and try tomorrow.”

“I am trying to catch up to the group that led the excursion outside the walls earlier today.”  Grant indicated his sword on his hip with a wave of his hand.  “I’m good at fighting, and I want to try and join their group.”

The Vassal scoffed at Grant, obviously in disbelief.  “You and everybody else.  Who wouldn’t want to join up with Tycoon May himself?”

“Wait, that was Tycoon May?”  Grant had a sinking feeling in his gut.  Had he really been that close to the Lord of May, and not even realized it?

“How could you not recognize him?”  The Vassal shook his head.  “Our majestic leader went out once again to push the droves of monsters that keep us trapped behind these walls through the barrier, risking his own life to help us all.”

“Yeah, and teach those ungrateful District April people a lesson!”  Another guard piped up, shaking his spear for emphasis.  “They haven’t paid a Day in taxes for ages, yet it’s our people who bear the brunt of the monster attacks.  Those layabouts owe us!  They don’t want to pay?  Then they can fight their own battles!”  His outburst was met with general approval by his fellow guards, which put Grant on his back foot.

“Pay taxes?  But District April doesn’t owe District May anything.  They have their own monsters to fight, and adding even more through the barrier makes it impossible for them to even have a chance to build cities.”  Grant couldn’t imagine how the traveling caravans of District April should feel indebted to District May in the least.  They weren’t helping them.  In fact, if Tycoon May was pushing monsters through the barrier, he was hurting them!

“Maybe if they paid House Thursday what they were owed, things would get better for them.”  The Vassal guardsman was smug in his surety, reality having no bearing on his opinions.  “Now, either show me your badge, or return home.  You don’t have much time left before we would be forced to classify you as a vagrant.”

“I don’t have a badge.”  Grant shrugged, not understanding what kind of badge he was talking about.  “Is there someone I need to see about getting one?”

“You don’t have a badge?”  The Vassal leaned backward in surprise.  “How do you not have a badge?”  He looked to the guards standing on either side of him.  “Have you ever heard of someone not having a badge before?”

“I could go back to the bodies of the dead by the front gate and get one from there, but they probably smell by now.  Do we need it to get through?”  Grant looked at the guards, seeing the symbol of a silver star carved on a bronze badge shaped like a shield.

<Badges?  We don’t need no stinking badges!>  Sarge thought his joke was hilarious, laughing to himself while Grant nodded in silent agreement.  He didn’t see why they would need a piece of cheap metal to allow them through a gate.

“Those badges wouldn’t count.  It needs to be your badge.”  The guard leader nudged the man next to him and pointed a thumb at Grant.  “Can you imagine being his age and not having any contribution points?”

“I would kill myself from the embarrasment!”  The other guards chuckled, and Grant fought down the urge to kill them all and be done with it.

“Okay then, where do I go to get one of these badges for myself?”  Grant had to wait for them to stop laughing before he got an answer.

“How do you not know this?”  When he didn’t reply, the Vassal pointed back the way Grant had come from.  “You are going to have to go back to the front gate, and get one assigned to you by an Administrator.  Their building has a big sign out front.  You can’t miss it.”  He nudged the man next to him again.  “At least, a normal person can’t miss it!”  They erupted into laughter, and Grant once again fought down the urge to commit murder.  “You better hurry, badgeless!  They are going to close soon!”

“Fine.”  Grant turned and left, the pounding in his ears dying down as he slowly calmed down.  Killing his way through the city wasn’t the best way to become the new leader of District May, even if that’s what he wanted to do.