Tycoon May: Chapter 8 (Patreon)

Chapter 8

Finding the building the rude Vassal had told him about didn’t take long, and as he approached the only greenhouse with a metal door, a small and wizened old woman hunched with age opened the door to switch the small sign out front from ‘Open’ to ‘Closed’.

“Wait!”  Grant ran up, startling the woman.  “I’m sorry for startling you, but I need your help.”

“Whatever you need to update can wait until tomorrow, young man.”  She looked him up and down, squinting in the dim light of the lanterns lining the street.  “Go home, and come back early, before the line gets too long.”

“But, I don’t need to update anything.”  Grant shook his head, noticing the silver badge on the woman’s lapel.  It was missing the star the guards had, instead decorated with a golden quill.  “The guards told me that I need some kind of badge to get through the gate, and I had to get it here.”

“You don’t have a badge?”  The woman paused, shifting her shoulders from the weight of the heavy robes in the red colors of House Monday pulling her down.  “How does someone your age not have a badge?”

“I’m not from around here.”  Grant shrugged, still not understanding what the big deal was.  “Nobody told me about them, so I haven’t gotten one yet.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.  Everyone gets a badge when they become an adult, no matter what city they live in.”  She squinted at Grant, and a flash of her eyes revealed her using some kind of magic.  “From House Monday, huh?  And that’s a Wielded Weapon I haven’t seen before.”  She flipped the sign to ‘Closed’, but waved Grant inside.  “You don’t make any sense, but you are a Monday.  There aren’t enough of us as it is, so I’ll help you.  Come on.”

Grant followed her inside.  She was painfully slow, shuffling between claustrophobically close shelves of plants that stank of fresh fertilizer.  His ability caused the already strong stench to overwhelm his senses, and a headache started pounding behind his eyes.  Grant missed the open fields of District April.

“Here we are.”  The woman walked behind a desk that had been dropped in the middle of the greenhouse, surrounded by a single layer of flowering vines that gave the impression of a room.  Their scent helped diminish the acrid fertilizer stench, and Grant appreciated the attempt to make it more hospitable.  The desk was crowded with papers that were covered in cramped scribbles, every spare margin covered in script.  Just looking at them made Grant’s headache worse.  “Now, I see you have a sword as a Wielded Weapon, so I imagine you want a Warrior’s Badge.”

“What other kinds of badges are there?”  Grant hadn’t paid attention to any others besides the ones the guards and the woman in front of him had been wearing.  “Is there a difference?”

<Almost everyone you have seen has had some kind of badge.>  Sarge seemed irritated that Grant hadn’t noticed.  <Most of them were much smaller though, more like a pin that they wore on their collar.  Still, this is exactly the kind of detail that can make the difference between life and death.>

“There are all kinds, but with that sword I don’t think you are going to be earning contribution points with time spent farming, or doing paperwork.”  She pulled open a drawer to her desk and shuffled around, looking through what was inside.  “You really only have three options.  Guard, Scout, or Collector.”  She laid three badges out as she talked, laying out designs of a star, tree, and basket.  “Guards earn two points for each guard shift completed.  Scouts earn five points for every successful mission.  Collectors can earn points based on what raw materials and supplies they bring from the wilds back to the city.  If they don’t bring back anything, they earn nothing.  If they bring back something the city really needs, they can earn hundreds from a single trip.”

“What kind of things does the city need?”  Grant knew that the House Wednesday members would want monster parts to make weapons and armor, but he couldn’t imagine what else they could need.

“You don’t know this either?”  The woman shook her head.  “Most people bring back fertilizer from the monster dens and nests.  A wagonload of monster manure is worth one hundred contribution points.  It’s the thing that allows everyone to survive, after all.”  She indicated the plants growing around them.  “Those that are truly fortunate find an empty den, and mine the metal ore that always seems to be present.”  She pointed to the silver and gold badge on her chest.  “All metal comes from there, but you never know when the monsters will return.  Since it carries so much risk, it gives the best benefits.”

“And how many points do I need to get to the city center?”  Grant was already leaning toward the Collector option, but he didn’t want to go around collecting poop for the greenhouses.

“Well, it’s a thousand points to get a silver symbol on a bronze badge.  That will allow you access, but you can’t buy property until you have a silver badge, which takes ten thousand points.”  She pointed to her own badge again.  “A silver badge with a gold symbol will give you access to the central keep, with one hundred thousand points.  Getting a solid gold badge is impossible without approval.  To even ask, you need a million points.  Only the powerhouses of the city manage that many points.”

“I need a thousand points just to get through the gate?”  Grant sighed, suddenly feeling drained.  “I’ll take the Collector badge.”

“Good choice.”  She pushed the solid bronze badge at Grant, who stuffed it in his pouch.  “That is bound to you, and you alone.  When you reach a thousand contribution points, you can go to any Contribution Points Administration kiosk and get your badge upgraded with a silver symbol.”

“And after that, I can go through the gates?”  Grant had to hold down the frustration bubbling up in his chest as she nodded.  “Can you give me a list of the items a Collector needs to bring in for points?”

She slid a thin strip of parchment over to him, and slapped Grant’s hand away when he tried to pick it up to read it over.  “As you can see, any form of metal ore — especially Summer-grade ores — are worth the most.”  The member of House Monday leaned over the desk to point at each line that listed amounts and type.  “Points are gauged by weight.  Rare monster parts are gauged by quality and size, and finally manure of a high enough quality that it can be used as fertilizer is counted by the bag, subject to local market rates at the time of procurement.”

“If I get a bunch of metal ore and bring it here, I can go through the gates?”  Grant looked at the metal at the top of the list and memorized its name.  A plan was already taking shape in his mind, and he needed to get out of the city to make it happen.

“Yes, but you would be a very lucky young man to just stumble across enough high-grade ore to get a thousand points in one trip.”  She smirked at Grant, who was already standing up to leave.  “Be careful out there.  Those monsters are nothing to shake a stick at.”

“Luckily, I have more than just a stick.”  Grant patted his Uchigatana and turned to go.  Before he left, he looked back at the stooped old woman.  “Thank you for your help.”

“Don’t mention it.”  She waved her hand at him, brushing aside his words.  “Seriously, though.  Don’t mention this to anyone.  I’m only supposed to issue badges during normal operating hours.”

“Yes ma’am.”  Grant left, weaving his way through the shelves to find the front door.  “Now, to go back to April.”

<Are you sure you want to do this?>  Grant could feel Sarge rifling through his thoughts.  <It’s a good plan, but it’s the easy way out.  Seldom have I seen the easy way end up going well.>

“It’s a good plan.  We go back to April, grab a bunch of metal ore, and come back to turn it in.”  The image of April Second’s face flashed through Grant’s mind.  He had sacrificed himself so that Grant had enough time to defeat their unstoppable enemy, which allowed him to save everyone else.  Sometimes, Grant wished he could trade places with such a noble person.  “Besides, I’m tired, Sarge.  I could use a break from all the fighting, even if it’s just for a little while.”

<Understood.>  Sarge stopped looking through Grant’s mind, and he spoke in a quieter voice than normal.  <I truly do understand, Grant.  The burdens of surviving while others fall is a different kind of burden for you to bear.  One you can’t see, but weighs heavy on your shoulders all the same.>

“Going back and getting enough metal to get this stupid badge upgraded will let me through the gate, hopefully before Tycoon May runs off somewhere else.”  Grant stepped back out on the street, and turned to go out the nearby gate.  As he approached, the guards held out a hand to stop him.

“Sir, curfew is now in effect.  Please return to your dwelling until sunrise.”  The speaker was almost a twin to the guards that were at the inner city gate, except their gear wasn’t as nice, and their badges were a solid color like Grant’s.  “You can pass through then, after confirming your status.”

“I don’t have a house here.  I just need to go back outside to collect some ore, and I’ll be back before you know it.”  Grant went to go around the guard, but he held out a gauntlet-sheathed hand to stop him.

“You don’t have a place to stay?”  The dark archway was suddenly filled with more guards, and Grant took a step back.  “Homelessness is illegal in District May.  You are under arrest, and will be judged by the commander.”

Grant’s hand drifted to the hilt of his sword, and the guards in front of him lowered their halberds in response.  Before he could draw his weapon, he felt a sharp poke in his lower back.

“None of that now.”  A man holding a spear was standing behind him, and Grant could feel the power in the weapon.  This was another Wielder, and they were strong.  “There’s no reason for this to turn violent.  Just go with these men, and we can find a solution that doesn’t end in bloodshed.”

Letting go of his Uchigatana, Grant stood up straight.  He was surrounded, tired, and hesitant to kill the guards that were only doing their job.  “Fine.”  A pair of guards came out of the dark archway of the gate, and indicated for Grant to follow them.  “Let’s go.”  The trio left, once again moving Grant even further from his goals.