Tycoon May: Chapter 21 (Patreon)

Chapter 21

“Now, hold on here!”  The shout from farther into the room stayed Grant’s hand, but he was still ready to relieve the warrior of his fingers.  “I don’t need none of that inside.”

“I’m only helping this kid here keep himself from getting hurt is all, Andy.  Young fella like this won’t make it a day outside the walls.  Better for him to give his grand-pappy back the sword and armor from his adventuring days and get back to work out in the fields.”  The warrior gave Grant a shrug.  “But if he’s so set on dying, I suppose I can’t stop him.”

“More like you don’t want the competition, Evander.”  The latest speaker was a woman wielding a pair of daggers, wearing skin-tight black leathers under a baggy cloak that marked her as a rogue-style fighter better than a magically flashing sign could have.  “Although, from the looks of him, I don’t know why you’d be worried.  That armor wouldn’t stop a swarm of angry Metal Wisps any better than a wet paper bag.”

“Adria, what are you doing here?”  The warrior, apparently named Evander, took an unconscious step backward.  “I thought you were still running missions near the western border.”

“No such luck, big guy.  I had to swing by to check up on the old place, and lo’ and behold, what do I find?”  Adria gave Evander a dangerous-looking smile.  “My old teammate, haunting the same old spot, looking for work like always.”

“I’m just going to let you two catch up.”  Grant backed away from the pair, moving farther into the inn.  It gave him his first chance to get a good look at the place, which was a little more upscale than he initially expected.  He also got a look at who had most likely broken up the confrontation first.  The bartender—a red-cheeked and robust man who hadn’t seen hair on top of his head for a long time—gave Grant a wave to approach the bartop that ran the length of the rear of the building.

“Sorry for the warm welcome.  I’m Andy, and this is my place.  What can I get you?”  He motioned to the row of kegs behind him.  “I’ve got ale, beer, and lager.  Or, if you prefer something stronger, I’ve got some bottles of the good stuff that are strong enough even Tycoon May himself would feel it.”

“I need a place to stay for the night.”  Grant leaned forward over the bartop to get closer to the bartender.  “And if you could point me at any caravan leaders going to Forteresse Mere, I’d really appreciate it.”

Andy held out an open palm.  “Either one Day coin or one contribution point worth for a room, and another for the information.”  Grant grabbed a thumb-sized piece of Metallica from his pouch and passed it over.  The inn owner looked it over before making it disappear.  “That’ll do you for tonight, and breakfast tomorrow morning.  I’ve got a few rooms available, but they ain’t much to look at.  All the good ones are already taken.”  He handed Grant a heavy key.  “It’s in the attic.  As for the other thing, your best bet is to be in the yard behind the inn at first light.  That’s when the competition to see who goes usually starts.”

“Competition?”  Grant glanced back where Adria and Evander were still arguing with one another near the front door.  “Is that what they were talking about?”

“You must be really new around here.  You sure you want to do this?”  Grant didn’t answer, so Andy shrugged.  “Well, the way it works in most places is you gotta prove you can contribute as a guard before they take you.  It isn’t like the collection teams, where they take anyone.”

“My badge isn’t enough?”  Grant tapped at his Tier Two badge.  “This literally proves I can contribute a lot.”

“No, that proves you can either make money, find stuff, or invent things.  It doesn’t mean you can fight.”  Andy motioned to the room that was almost full of warriors.  “The long-distance caravans only want the best, so you gotta prove you are worth it.”

Grant grimaced, annoyed at the complicated process.  The entire district was so focused on bureaucracy that doing anything was a pain.  “Is there somewhere I can train before I have to ‘prove’ myself?”

Andy pointed toward a door at the back of the inn.  “You can use the yard out back if you want.  Ain’t nobody else out there when there’s drinks in here.”

“Thanks.  I guess I’ll go prepare myself for tomorrow then.”  Grant went upstairs to check out the room—barely more than a cot with four walls and a wash basin on a rickety table—before going out back.  “Okay Sarge, what kind of training are we doing today?”

<You are gaining proficiency in your skills, but you need to chain them together.  But first, I want you to activate your April ability, Adjusted Air Friction, and leave it on full strength.  The increased resistance will be great at strength training.>  Grant did as he was told, and instantly felt like he was moving through molasses.  <Good.  Now, defend yourself, but only using your skills.>

A pair of giant glowing orange spiders appeared beside Grant, forcing him to use Belladonna Dodge with Iaijutsu.  The wind resistance slowed him more than he was expecting, allowing the simulated arachnids to spring forward and sink their fangs into his left leg and back.  The burning pain of venom certainly felt real as it ran through his body like tendrils of destructive lava.  By reflex, Grant activated Thundering Step and both of the constructs faded away.

<No, don’t use spells.  Focus on your chop, dodge, parry, thrust, and parry.>  Nodding, Grant sheathed his sword and spread his legs into a horse stance.  The phantom pain of the venom that had been attacking him faded slowly, but he wasn’t willing to let it distract him.  Now that he knew how much Adjusted Air Friction slowed him down, Grant was better able to fend off the next set of monsters.

Chaining together Peach Flower Petal Flurry with a Hemlock’s Bane counter boosted the entire attack by ten percent, not just the first hit.  The pair of giant spiders disintegrated in a burst of light.

“Ha!  That’s better.”  Grant felt a flash of pride at his success.  “I think I’ve got the hang of this.”

<Oh really?>  Sarge’s tone gave Grant a sinking feeling in his stomach.  <How about we test that?>

The eight man-sized praying mantis creatures that suddenly surrounded Grant were already in motion, their blade-like arms flashing out faster than his slowed movements could counter.  He still managed to deflect almost half, but the searing pain of being stabbed multiple times in the back made his flurry skill lack any impact.  Only one of the eight monsters was defeated before Grant dropped to a knee in defeat.

“Well, that wasn’t fun.”  Grant knew that Sarge could sense his anger and frustration at such a sharp increase in expectations from the sword spirit.  “What was the point of that?”

<First, it was meant to remind you just how far you have to go.  And second, I know you think that was too much of a jump, but you’re wrong.  The first test was obviously too easy, so I had to adjust things accordingly.>

Taking a deep breath, Grant swallowed his pride and replayed the most recent round in his head.  “Okay, let’s do it again.”

<That’s the right attitude to have!>  Sarge made the eight mantis monsters appear again, this time making them even bigger.  <This is going to be a great training session.>

Grant didn’t reply.  He was too focused on trying to stay alive.