Dokeshi March ~ 12!

“What are you doing, Suki?” The rhythmic cracking sounds of her gauntleted fists smashing the gyuki’s carapace to smithereens distracted Grant from the ridiculous system. “Why are you beating up the dead monsters?”

“Something this big has to have a unique heart inside it. We don’t have an infinite amount of coin, and I am sure someone from House Wednesday or Saturday would pay top Time for something so rare.” Suki pointed to the creature Grant had beheaded. “You get to dig around in that one. Since you stole my monster kill, you can deal with the mess.”

Grant opened his mouth to argue, but her sharp glare was enough to stop him from saying anything. He didn’t think it was worth fighting over, so he just got to work. Lifting February Twenty Nine, he hacked down at the tough armor. He heard Suki shout in disgust as she broke through the shell of the partially cooked monster, and he grinned. He had been about to warn her that the smell of a cooked monster might be worse than a raw one, but he wasn’t about to go out of his way when she was busy yelling at him. Instead, he tried to take his mind off the grisly work by scanning his status.

Name: Grant Monday

Rank: Lord of The Month (January, February)

Class: Foundation Cultivator

Cultivation Achievement Level: 17

Cultivation Stage: Mid Summer

Inherent Abilities: Swirling Seasons Cultivation

Health: 217/352

Mana: 9/19

Physical: 201

Mental: 76

Armor Proficiency: 111

Weapon Proficiency: 149

“Wait.” Grant gave his uchigatana a slightly forlorn glance. “I didn’t gain anything from that fight? I feel like I should have gotten a Cultivation Achievement Level at least.”

<Don’t look at me like that. I don’t make the rules here; Regent December did. One monster counts as one. Size doesn’t matter; saving people from monsters does.> Sarge paused as if he was also looking over the stats himself. <Another thing: don’t forget that you did earn a new skill. Lastly, every fight increases your abilities and cultivation time, even if you don’t see immediate results. I would say you gained plenty from that fight.>

“At least I was able to beat those things. If I had been restricted to the turn-based system, I would have died from the power of their hits,” Grant grumbled as he frowned at his forearm, where the skin was still pink from its healing puncture wound. “Especially since there were three of them.”

<Stop!> Sarge’s shout made Grant jump back by instinct. <You almost cut into the heart! You won’t get nearly what it is worth if you damage it.>

Grant looked down to find a seafoam-tinted organ the size of his head poking out from the meaty remains of the yokai. He carefully cut it free, picked it up, and discovered it was much heavier than its head-sized appearance should have allowed.

<Oh, that’s a good one. You should be able to get a Month or two for a monster material of that size and quality.> The sword on Grant’s hip seemed to vibrate with happiness. <A King needs a treasury. It’s good that you are starting early.>

“I’m just trying to survive here, Sarge.” Grant wrapped the wet and still faintly-beating heart in a spare cloth and tucked it inside his pack. “I don’t have time to plan for becoming the Calendar King. I need to get there first.”

<Act like a man of thought, think like a man of action.> Sarge perked up when he realized that his Wielder was listening closely. <Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay its price.>

“Sarge, are you trying to teach me something here, or just reciting pithy sayings?” Pushing Sarge’s sputtering out of his mind, Grant abandoned the remains of the gutted yokai to check on Suki. His steps weren’t steady, thanks to the exhaustion and lack of sleep, so he took his time getting over to her. “Did you find the heart in that one yet?”

“Did I find it?” Suki looked up at him, her face splattered in gore. She irritably flourished a mangled and charred heart. “What am I supposed to do with this thing, Grant? You ruined it with that spell of yours.”

“Well, they are ridiculously heavy anyway, so that’s one less weight for me to lug around.” Grant rolled his shoulders, the pack on his back forcing the edges of his armor to dig into him. “That’s a small positive.”

“Oh, I didn’t say we weren’t bringing it.” Suki stomped over and stuffed it into his already bulging pack, forcing him to stumble backwards when the weight settled onto his back. “We can probably still get a few Weeks for it.”

“Great, I’m so happy it isn’t completely ruined,” Grant managed to get out through gritted teeth. “We should probably get moving. Sunset isn’t too far away, and even though the March system is broken, I don’t relish the thought of facing a bunch of giant rats in the dark.”

“Oh, I agree.” Instead of walking toward the intersection, she turned and took off in the opposite direction. “Right after we get the heart from the first monster you killed.”

Grant couldn’t suppress the groan that escaped from his lips. “But they’re hea~vy!”