Tycoon May: Chapter 22 (Patreon)

Chapter 22

Grant could barely keep his eyes open as he finished the repairs on his armor later that night.  Just because he didn’t need sleep anymore didn’t mean he couldn’t get exhausted, and Sarge had done his best to run Grant through his paces.  Still, the practice chaining together his abilities had shown genuine improvement by the end.

<Done with your repairs?  Good.  Get some rest.  You need to be in top condition for the competition in the morning.>

As he did his best to clean up with the small basin of water and a rag, Grant was suddenly struck by the weight of his situation once more.  He still hadn’t finished processing the events of April, or almost dying in the cave, not to mention nearly being eaten alive by the giant ant swarm.

<Stop.  Take a deep breath.  You’re mentally strained, and it makes dealing with these things harder.>

“How am I going to make it, Sarge?  I’ve only made it this far because people underestimated me, and the help… the sacrifice that others have made for me.”  Grant felt moisture on his cheeks, and wiped it away with a dirty sleeve.  “How am I supposed to make it all the way to December like this?”

<Every warrior since time immemorial could say the exact same thing.  Don't think you are special.  Luck, determination, and the drive to never quit are the only things a warrior can depend on.  That, and more training and practice than the other guy.  Don't worry, I'll be sure to help you with that.  Now, lay down and get some sleep.>

Not willing to fight it any longer, Grant laid down on the thin uncomfortable mattress and closed his eyes.  It felt like he had done nothing more than blink when the crowing of a rooster jerked him awake.  Grant sat up rubbing at his eyes while rolling his sore shoulders.  "Sarge, how long was I asleep?"

<You haven't moved for over four hours.  You probably only have an hour before people start congregating in the courtyard behind the inn.  You had better get your armor on and get downstairs so you can eat something.>

Grant got dressed in a hurry, making sure that his armor was tightened down properly before stuffing his feet in his boots and strapping on his Uchigatana.  He was surprised to see the common room downstairs was full to the brim.  Nearly fifty people had to be crammed together, most of them crowded around the long tables that ran the length of the room.  There were only a few seats at the bar, so he walked over to the nearest one and sat down between a pair of archers that could have been sisters.

“Ah, fresh meat I see.”  The woman on his left looked Grant up and down, her eyes sticking on his weapon.  “I hope you can use that thing, kid.”

“Leave him alone, Kristen.  Let him eat his breakfast in peace.”  She motioned for one of the serving women who was struggling to make her way through the room  “We’ll see how he does when his time comes.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it Geneva, I was just welcoming him in our special way.”  Kristen leaned in closer to Grant and wiggled her eyebrows.  “Put on a few more pounds of muscle, and you might get an entirely different kind of welcome.”

“Taking you out in public was a mistake.”  Geneva stuck out her hand for Grant to shake.  “I apologize for my sister, but it’s good to meet you.  We’re the Wrecking sisters.”

“Pleasure to meet you.”  Grant shook her hand as a heaping plate of food was plopped in front of him.  The server was gone before he could thank them, but given the quality of food he wasn’t sure if he should have.

Kristen saw the way Grant was looking at the food and gave him a hard nudge.  “Ah, it isn’t that bad.  Grilled mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, and boiled beans make for a hearty meal.”

Grant grimaced and took a bite.  “They must ascribe to the ‘quantity, not quality’ method of feeding people.”

“Ha!  I like that.  I’ll have to remember it the next time we’re in town.”  Geneva pushed her own half-finished plate away from herself.  “One of these days I’m going to make the kind of money that means I can have meat for more than just special occasions.”

“Why don’t you just eat the monsters you kill?  I’ve never seen so many people turn down a good meal in my life.”  Grant pulled out a strip of dried centipede to chew on after tasting what was on his plate.  He was still going to eat the vegetables, of course, but he needed something to clean his palate between bites.  “Protein is important for a healthy diet.”

Both of the Wrecking sisters watched in amazement as he didn’t fall over and die.  “I-I thought monster meat was poisonous!”  Kristen snatched it out of Grant’s hand to sniff it.  “How are you not dead right now?”

“You aren’t the first person I’ve heard say that.  I don’t know who spread that rumor, but they are most definitely lying.”  Grant took the strip of dried meat back and took another bite from it.  “So, are you guys Vassals?  Your bows look very different from any others I’ve seen around here.”  Both of their weapons were heavy, with sharply curved horns embedded in the thick wood that made up the majority of the bow.  “They are a lot shorter too.”

“Vassals?  Us?  No, we don’t want to die in some monster cave picking up fertilizer.”  Geneva distinctly ignored Grant continuing to eat the meat, motioning to her sister to stop making a scene.  “We’re just regular cultivators, and our bows are meant to loose short, heavy arrows very quickly instead of the normal longer bows you might see.  It’s the only way to break through the natural armor of the bigger monsters that run around out there.”

“Can we please finish the conversation about how this guy can eat monster meat, please?”  Kristen’s voice was loud enough that she was drawing attention.

“Not here.”  Geneva pointedly looked around the crowded common room.  “If what he is saying is true, this isn’t the place to discuss being lied to by the government.”

“But—”

“Stop.”  Geneva stood up from her barstool.  “If he makes it onto the guard team, we can talk more on the road.”  She looked at Grant as she picked up her gear.  “Good luck, new guy.  I hope you can make the cut.”

The sisters left, heading out the back door where the competition was going to be held.  Grant shook his head in confusion.  “That was weird.”

<I think that Geneva girl understood how dangerous it could be if they kept making a big deal about the District leadership telling everyone that monsters were poisonous.  Their lies force the entire populace to focus on nothing but agriculture for both jobs and sustenance.  It’s a conspiracy of epic proportions that would shake the foundations of the entire District.  Their contribution point system would instantly be invalidated, the upper class would be outed for keeping power for themselves, and the sudden influx of complete proteins into the diet of everyone would create a massive spike in the quality of warriors, further disrupting the balance of power throughout the classes of citizenry.>

“No, not that.  They were just regular cultivators, but they seemed pretty dangerous to me.”  Grant paused for a moment to internalize what Sarge had said.  “Although, I see what you are saying about that other stuff.  It would be a big deal if everyone found out that the people in charge were keeping them in their place by monopolizing food production.”

<Exactly.  I’m glad your mental cultivation has improved enough that you can now start to understand the subtleties of politics.  Now, hurry up and eat your food before you’re late for the competition.>

Grant hurriedly shoveled down his meal before hurrying out the back.  Neither Grant nor Sarge noticed the hooded figure who had watched the entire exchange slip out the front door.