February ~ 36!

Do you, Grant Monday, wish to absorb the power of February 1: Power Through? Accepting Power Through will override any previous Wielded Weapon power absorbed in the current monthly series. If not overridden by another weapon of the same month, this ability will return to its current Wielded Weapon at the end of the year, unless the quest ‘Heal The World’ has been successfully completed.

Accept / Decline

Grant dropped his sword to the ground as golden light suffused him. Even Sarge seemed taken aback, <Would you look at that? A double level up, one from defeating a Lady of the Month, and one from a cultivation threshold. Fun timing. Welcome to Cultivation Achievement Level seventeen. Oh, also, that puts your mental cultivation into Early Summer, so… you may notice some overall changes.>

He lay there and contemplated his options as his flesh returned to whole; better than ever, in fact. The process this time was… intense. He blacked out several times as his brain seemed to change, and his body was wracked with seizures that should have destroyed his ability to process, but the energy that moved through him allowed only pleasure to be felt as every cell in his body was suffused with energy.

When everything ended, he simply lay on the ground in shock. The strangeness of it all was almost unbearable, and he found that he could only focus on the notification waiting for him asking if he wanted the new power. He could take Lady February’s Wielded Weapon ability, but she was working hard to give her people a better life… even if the way was doing it was hurting a whole lot of people. Even so, the vast majority of people loved her. Taking her ability to protect them away would be too selfish by far. He hit ‘decline’.

Even so, a nimbus of light surrounded both Grant and Lady February, and he whimpered as energy started to move into him once more.

A wild, vibrant pink—the exact color of her hair—was drawn out of Lady February and created a huge swirling array of power on the ground that expanded rapidly into a massive spell circle. In the next instant, the focal point shifted away from her and onto Grant. February Twenty-Nine once more shifted into an intensely beautiful sword, and the dragon’s mouth stretched wide to suck in the pink power.

The entire process took only a moment, but everyone that saw what had happened was utterly dumbfounded. Happily for Grant, the ‘Fragment’ he had absorbed didn’t want to send off any messages, so the population didn’t instantly know that a transfer of power had occurred.

Quest Update: Heal the World (Legendary)

Congratulations, Grant Leap, you have defeated the Lady of the Month, Lady February, and have been granted her Fragment. As the new Lord February:

1) You have inherited the power of the Februarian Fragment of Vibrancy, the ability to restore your energy and mana to full whenever the month you are a Lord of is in its ascendency. Each use costs 10 per restore and requires three seconds to activate. Charge: 99,110/100,000.

2) You have gained the ability to open the boundary separating February and March by utilizing the Februarian Fragment of Vibrancy. Each use costs 1 per person. Charge: 99,110/100,000.

3) You have gained the ability to send a message to anyone within the District of February by utilizing the Februarian Fragment of Vibrancy. Each use costs .1 per message. Charge: 99,110/100,000.

4) You have the ability to switch your name from Grant Monday to Lord February at will.

“This is an outrage!” A powerfully-built man stormed forward, his weapon a strange sword-length calligraphy brush. “You dare to pull apart our District like this? This will change everything; it will throw us into civil war! How did you just become the Lord of the Month? That’s not something that can be stolen!”

Grant looked at his status sheet and noted that his name had automatically shifted to ‘Lord February’. There was no hiding it at this point, so he decided not to try. With that thought in his mind, he looked at his opponent and realized that her name was now displayed as ‘Pugilist Friday'.

“Calm down, Bureaucrat Monday.” No-longer-Lady-February ordered as both she and Grant lurched to their feet. “I’ll explain-”

Bureaucrat Monday barged past the front line of Wielders. The Head of House Monday for the District of February was seething with rage, his bloodshot eyes and surprisingly concerning brush leveled at Grant. His formal kimono and ornate Wielded Weapon were in stark contrast to his barrel-chested physique. “Grant didn't win fairly. I demand that he is stripped of his victory while we investigate this matter.”

“Oh, get over yourself,” Pugilist Friday interrupted. “If this is my reaction, why is yours so extreme? I thought you would be the first to congratulate Grant on his unexpected win, with him being a member of House Monday, after all.”

“He may somehow bear the Monday name, but I have never seen this man before. As far as I know, he is an imposter; not a member of my House! Take him for questioning! We will get to the bottom…!”

“Be quiet. Does anyone here vote for the integrity of Lord Grant February?” Pugilist Friday looked around with a raised eyebrow. “I would like him to become my Sparring Partner, but not at the expense of distressing my trusted Nobles into doing something rash. Doing so would ease this transition and cease all concerns of rebellion.”

“I will speak for him.” A chorus of grumbling grew from the spectators as Heavyweight Wednesday stepped forward. “I know this man, and I vouch for him. He returned a priceless lost Wielded Weapon to House Wednesday, and for that, I am forever in his debt. He has also saved the life of one of my Wielders, Waylon Wednesday. If Waylon were here, I am positive that he would also vouch for him.”

“A House Lord vouching for him? Good enough for me. It's settled.” Pugilist Friday clapped delightedly. “Grant will become my Sparring Partner!”

She turned to look at Grant for the first time since they had fought, and her next words caught in her throat; she nearly choked. Then she started blushing furiously. “What happened to you?”

“But my Lady…” Bureaucrat Monday wasn’t finished yet. “This doesn’t answer the question of where he came from, what he is doing here, and why he immediately attempted to grab power. Between the insurrectionists and the halting of foodstuffs from District January-”

“Enough. I have my reasons for accepting this, and I’m certain the rest of what you are concerned with has an easy explanation. No more; I won’t hear another word!” Pugilist Friday raised her voice and managed to tear her eyes off Grant, silencing the slew of critics. “Lord February won fair and square. There were no rules against anything he did. In fact, the way he won is the entire reason I am excited about this outcome.”

“My lady…” Bureaucrat Monday weakly tried one last time.

“I need someone with intelligence who will be able to run the district while I focus on physical cultivation. Every day I need to work to fix the issues of making a District filled only with Elites. Lack of jobs, high prices, and other such tedious nonsense. I’m decent at it, but the attention needed to complete everything, plus meeting my own standards? I need a consort that can run things without me. Is that so hard to comprehend? Every moment I spend on the mundane is time I don’t have to work on my cultivation! Everything has been arranged. We will have a ceremony here in the courtyard later to seal our union.”

“Um… about that, Lady February.” Grant’s interruption caused Pugilist Friday to turn hard eyes on him, and he feared that her explosive anger would soon be vented upon his person. Several Wielders stepped back, anticipating the worst. Even so, her face shifted as she once more focused on Grant’s face. “While I appreciate the… loveless marriage proposal to drop the tedium of your life onto my shoulders, I already have what I came here for. I have no intention of eschewing my own goals. I have to go further into the Districts-”

“Nonsense.” She looked genuinely hurt at the rejection, and reached out as if to touch him. “No one would dare reject the Lady of the Month. What could be more important than staying here and making life better for tens of thousands of people?”

He had wanted to keep the details to himself, but the look of hurt and confusion on the eighteen-year-old’s face pushed him to tell her the truth. “I’m working to better the entire world. I have the potential to become the Calendar King, and a quest to make it happen.”

Silence reigned for a long moment, then the Nobility and audience as a whole started laughing. Grant got to his feet and quietly sheathed his sword. He didn’t need this; it was time to move on. Just as he decided to use the Fragment to step away and leave the District, Pugilist Friday waved him down. Her face was red, but not a hint of laughter could be seen.

“Well… that does sound rather important. I have to admit that if you’re serious, this changes things. I just need time to think.” The Noble Wielders shared a look, unsure of what she was going to say or do next. They didn’t have long to wait for an answer; only a half-minute later, she bounced on her feet and confidently marched back to the center of the stage. “Grant, when your quest is over, you will become my Sparring Partner, Consort, and Co-ruler. Is that understood?”