Tycoon May: Chapter 17 (Patreon)

Chapter 17

Grant’s second journey through the monster-infested landscape had a lot less pain involved for him.  Over the last two days, he had fully recovered from his near-death experience, and was starting to feel more like himself again.  He had been forced to keep off the trail to avoid being seen by roving bands of beasts, but staying parallel to it was easy enough.

<Okay, now do a double roll down this hill, and this time try and adjust your trajectory using your Adjusted Air Friction.  Oh, and you better hurry, otherwise that huge centipede monster will see you and eat your face off.>

Unfortunately for Grant, Sarge saw the trip through dangerous lands as a great chance to catch up on some training.  While it had been easy to avoid the larger packs of enemies, Sarge had ‘encouraged’ Grant to track down and fight solo monsters and whatever smaller groups he could isolate.  It wasn’t enough for him to make it to level thirty-five, but it was getting close.  He could feel his cultivation stretching at the edges of his spirit, and Grant knew it would only take another monster kill or two before he leveled up again.

Doing as he was told, Grant managed to roll out of sight while using his air friction skill to manage his tumble so he landed on his feet.  “I am really starting to like this skill.  If I can keep this up, I’ll be running between the stars!”

<Two things.  One, you most definitely won’t be able to do that.  There is no air in space.  And two, you really should have been quieter.>  The thunder of a giant centipede’s steps as it ran to inspect what made the noise made the pebbles on the hard packed ground tremble.

Grant didn’t even bother looking back.  He activated Thundering Step and took off like an arrow loosed from a bow.  There was no way his sword—still at the Late Spring level because of Weapon/Armor Synergy—would be able to cut through the thick natural armor of the giant insect.

<Now, that’s quitter talk!  Do you want to be seen as a quitter, Grant?>  He ignored the sword spirit and ran faster.  <Yooohooo!  Mr. Giant Centipede!  We’re over heeereee!>

“Would you stop that?”  Grant was still breathing smoothly, but that would change quickly if he had to activate Thundering Step a second time.  “It’s not like it can hear you.”

<That’s what you think, Grant.  You know nothing of the intricacies of a sword spirit’s capabilities.>  Thankfully, Sarge fell silent anyway.  For a few seconds, at least.  Just as it seemed like the huge three wagon-sized bug was going to give up, Sarge started yelling again.  <Hey, bug-brains!  You smell like a musty pile of cow feces!> [Dakota- Could use the line “Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelled of elderberries!” if you think we won’t get sued.]

Somehow, the centipede seemed to hear the sword, and redoubled its efforts to catch him.  “Why, Sarge?  Why would you do this to me?”

<You have killed forty-eight monsters over the last two days.  All you need is one more to level up, and what better way to do so than with that behemoth about to bite your head off?>  Taking the hint, Grant rolled hard to his right to avoid the snapping fangs of the giant bug.  <Actually, the fangs on a centipede are called forciples.  They are multi jointed, just like their legs.  It makes them far more dangerous, since injecting their venom is easier with the added versatility.  Isn’t that great?>

“No!  As a matter of fact, it isn’t great!”  Grant was forced to deflect a spear-like leg from impaling him as the centipede started spinning back around.  “I don’t like that at all!”

<Knowledge is power, Grant.  You really should embrace it more often.>  Another limb nearly took his head off, but his armor was just barely strong enough to keep him from getting killed.  It still rang his head like a gong, so he wasn’t able to stop the second and third limb from stabbing him through the stomach and shoulder.  The centipede didn’t immediately pull its legs free. Instead, it slashed him with a fang before it tossed him across the ground, skipping him on the muddy ground like a stone on a smooth lake.  As Grant sat up with a groan, Sarge did his best to support his young charge.  <That looks like it hurts.>

“That’s… ugh…”  Grant levered himself to his feet, using his Uchigatana like a cane.  “Because it does.”  His upper arm throbbed where the fang of the centipede had slashed him, but it was a minor concern compared to the piercing wounds.

<Well, quit goofing off and go show that bug who’s boss.>

“Yeah, sure.  Show it who’s boss.”  The blood leaking from Grant’s body was extensive, but it wasn’t as bad as it should have been.  His increased cultivation was starting to show some benefits.  Grant stretched, testing his flexibility with his wounds.  The stomach was the real problem, forcing him to hunch slightly.  He could still fight, as long as he didn’t do anything too crazy.

The centipede didn’t give him any more time to collect himself.  It rushed forward like a runaway wagon train, not giving Grant a chance to dodge to either side.  Seeing it was moving too fast for him to avoid completely, he waited until the last possible moment before rolling under the venomous fangs that were aimed at his chest.

Grant planted his leg in the ground and braced the Uchigatana on his knee.  The impact of the underside of the giant insect made a bone in his leg crack from the strain, but his armor helped it hold against the pressure.  Even though his sword was under-leveled for the monster he was facing, the momentum of the heavy beast was enough to compensate.  His sword caught on a crease of the armor, and as it thundered over his head the centipede split itself open, raining viscera and gore on Grant’s kneeling form.

The giant insect managed to run past Grant and spin around again to face him before its brain caught up with its body.  It curled up on itself, biting at the wound as it died.  Grant fell on his side as he tried to stand, his leg unable to take his weight.  His vision filled with a screen that told him about his new levels.

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

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

Class: Foundation Cultivator

Cultivation Achievement Level: 35

Health: 817/1012

Mana: 41/41

<See?  I told you that bug wasn’t too tough.  And you hit level thirty five, so now you can hit with one hundred and sixty five damage.  That should make your fights a bit easier.>  Grant wiped the goop off his face, spitting out the snot-like substance that covered him.  <Now quit being a wimp and use your Live by the Sword ability before you bleed out.>

He was too tired to sit up and meditate, so Grant just fell into a trance while laying on his back.  Considering how many times he had needed to use the healing skill, it wasn’t long before he dropped into the trance that replayed the battle through his head.

It was obvious—in retrospect—that Grant could have avoided getting injured if he had positioned himself near the crest of the hill.  The more Grant fought, the more obvious it became that winning a battle was more than just how hard or fast you swung a sword.  Choosing the correct battlefield could be the difference between a flawless victory, and a serious injury.  Like what he was suffering through right now.

Health: 817/1,012 -> 895/1012. Broken bones fused to 95%. Soft tissue repaired to 80%. Organs repaired. Centipede venom neutralized to 70%.

The grinding of bone was a familiar feeling for Grant, which made it easy to ignore.  What Grant wasn’t used to was centipede venom being burned out of his bloodstream.  Pain shot through his chest, his heart pounding hard enough that it felt like it would come out of his chest.  As his ability ended, Grant’s pulse slowly returned to normal.  As he tried to stand up, Grant was hit with a wave of nausea.

<You still have venom in your system.  Considering you now have slow regeneration, I suggest eating something to give your body the fuel to fight it off.>  Grant agreed, and started to stumble toward the centipede.  There was no cover nearby, so using the dead monstrosity to help hide the flames of a cooking fire was his best option.

After a few minutes of work, Grant had a small flame going.  He started to pull food from his storage pouch to put in a pot, but stopped when Sarge interrupted him.

<What are you doing?>

“I’m going to make a stew.  Like you told me to do.”  Grant went to reach into his pouch again, but the sword spirit stopped him once again.

<You don’t have time to sit around that long.  Just cut off a hunk of that centipede and roast it over the fire.>  Grant looked back at the giant bug with a grimace.  <What?  Trust me.  They taste like shrimp, with a hint of grass.>

Grant did as he said and cut free a section of the huge centipede.  He sniffed it and pulled back sharply.  “More like shrimp with a hint of a—”

<Assume I’m telling the truth, and just try it.>  With a heavy sigh, Grant stuck the hunk of monster bug meat on a stick and hung it over the fire.  While he waited for it to cook, Grant fought down the nausea caused by the venom coursing through his bloodstream.  He could feel it burning through his system, causing his limbs to twitch.  His body was fighting it, but he could feel himself weakening as it burned up his body’s reserves to heal.

Eventually, the centipede meat looked cooked enough to eat safely.  “Okay, here goes nothing.”  Grant took a large bite with a wince.  It definitely didn’t taste like Sarge said it would.

<Oh, quit complaining.  You just leveled up, and now you will be strong enough to make it to the next city before nightfall.  Besides, it’s still better than that grass drink you had in District February.>

“And how do you know I’ll make it to the next town by nightfall?”  Grant took another bite of the food.  Sarge was definitely right about how awful the food in February had been.

<Isn’t it obvious?>  Grant saw an orange arrow appear in his vision that pointed more south than east, toward the rough terrain of broken hills.  <There’s enough haze in that direction to let us know it’s most likely smoke from a lot of fires.  Considering we know another city must be nearby, my mighty powers of deduction tell me it has to be there.>

“Hmm.  Fair enough.”  Grant finished off his disgusting meal before putting out the fire and starting on his way.  Sarge had been wrong about the taste, but he was definitely right about it helping his body recover from the venom.  His health was already climbing into the nine hundred range, with no signs of slowing down.  “Hopefully, this city won’t be so bad.”

<Ah, now why would you say that?  You just jinxed us.>