February ~ 9!

CHAPTER 9

Grant absentmindedly watched two more rounds of fighting. Sweaty slabs of muscles clashed, wrestling to dominate the other as they wrestled on the mat. Grant’s troubled mind was elsewhere; his thoughts struggling with what he should do next just as hard as the random fighters were struggling with each other.

It almost seemed that every decision he made in February so far appeared to be the wrong one. The ambush of Lady February went spectacularly wrong, the ‘easy’ Three Mile Tumbler just proved how unfit he was, and attempting to make a profit from his struggles had almost gotten him tossed in prison.

Perhaps it would be best to stick with what he knew? Perhaps he should funnel his time into increasing his prowess with February Twenty Nine? He was a Novice in Kenjutsu, but he was certain that Sarge would be more than willing to help him boost his ability. In fact… focusing on improving himself was almost certainly the answer for all the issues that he’d been running into. Grant gravely closed his eyes and firmed his resolve. “Miko, I’m going to head off now.”

“No problem.” She seemed almost sad as she watched him move to get up. “I’ll be here if you change your mind. Remember not to swing your sword at people, that makes them have misunderstandings!”

“I’m just glad we can laugh about it now. Bye, Miko.” Grant squeezed past spectators and left the buzz of the square and the cheering crowd behind. With no plan in mind, he wandered the streets toward the stables, his only companion being a troubled mind. Before he had left yesterday, Takato had invited him to stay there as an extra thanks for his work in the stables, and he decided that he was going to take the man up on it.

The house smelled as unappetizing as before but he couldn’t judge the old man, left to get by on his own since his son’s passing. He crept up the creaky stairs, the aroma of freshly brewed tea leading him to a bedroom. “This man is truly too kind.”

Unlike the rest of the house, the bedroom was in immaculate condition. A pot of tea, saucer, and teacup sat on the dresser; clearly prepared well in advance of his actual arrival. He felt strangely comfortable as he poured a steaming cup and sat on the fluffy mattress. The warm tea soothed his aching muscles as he lay down, sinking into the cocoon. One thing was certain… this was going to end up being the best place he had slept in days, and he was going to enjoy it as much as possible.

Still, his thoughts on the future refused to allow him to drift off. Eventually he gave in and started making a plan. “Sarge, are you there? I’m hoping for advice.”

<I’m always here to offer you advice now! I can even give you a few warnings in combat if you’ve done enough training to impress me!>

“Oh? That’s good to hear.” The fact that he may have new combat utility certainly brightened Grant’s prospects. “There is an ‘easy’ preliminary tournament tomorrow I can enter, and there is a ‘hard’ tournament in mid-February.”

There was a beat of silence, as Sarge waited for more information. <What’s the question?>

“Entry to the ‘easy’ tournament will likely cost at least two Days if there are only deluxe race packages remaining.” Grant waved at his clothing and empty pouch. “I officially have zero coins. The other option is that I train hard, and take part in the mid-February tournament.”

<It may seem difficult at first, but everything is difficult when you are first starting.> February Twenty Nine glinted a golden-red as a hint of bloodlust slipped out and made Grant’s heart race. <Follow my training plan, increase your skills and fitness, and then participate in the harder tournament when you’re ready.>

“I suppose you’re right. The problem is… if I lose? That means there’s no other chances to get into the main event. I’ll miss out entirely. If I can somehow get in on the easy one, I can at least have two chances of winning.” Grant’s thoughts started drifting toward that fact. “Sarge, I could lose everything. This might be my only chance at getting a shot at Lady February. I guess-”

<So what if you lose, Grant? Don’t guess. That’s what training is for. It takes all the guesswork out of doing things correctly. When you are properly prepared, you know you will win. If you don’t know, you’ll treat the fight differently than you should.>

Having no choice but to agree, Grant nodded and tried to think his way out of the situation. “You’re… right. I’ll train hard. But I need more. I need an advantage. I’m an outsider that isn’t used to any of this culture-”

Sarge cut him off harshly, <Stop there and think. What sets you apart from the other competitors?>

“I’m from January…?” That wasn’t the answer Sarge was looking for, and this was shown by a small orange rock appearing on the nightstand and screaming until Grant stumbled out of bed and stabbed it. He looked at the sword that had practically leapt into his hand. “Oh… I have February Twenty Nine. That rock wasn’t a real monster, right? Wait. Is that what you’re getting at? February Twenty Nine can steal power from a Wielded Weapon? The ability slot for February is empty… I see. What else, what else…? I have an elemental spell slot, but I have no idea how I could get a spell.”

<I like this so far! Challenge Wielders to a fight, get them to admit defeat, steal their power and make it mine! Ah… ours, that is!>

Grant’s eyes flashed as he realized that he could only take a single ability per monthly series. “Maybe that’s how I can get a spell, as well? Return their power if they give me a spell in return?”

<That’s what I was thinking. The elemental spell… that will be our advantage.> February Twenty Nine shone as Sarge laughed in preemptive victory. <You’ve already unlocked three of the four abilities this sword has to offer, and taken a training program that will bring you all the way to the Grandmaster ranks. Getting another ability, and a spell?>

<They'll never see it coming.>

Both of them cackled together, and started working on their own plans for growing in power. Even so, Grant’s thoughts remained tumnulous and refused to slow. “Sarge… can you tell me more about cultivators? How do I get more spell slots? What are the different types of cultivators? You mentioned something about Berserkers, and called me a ‘Foundation’ cultivator… can you tell me more about that?”

<Are you actually asking me to tell you a bedtime story?> Sarge’s voice was strained as he tried to determine how to react. <Should I be pleased that you want to learn, or insulted that you’re likely to fall asleep halfway through the explanations?>

“Um… pleased?”

<Cultivation’s main purpose is to go against heaven's will and create a body and mind that will withstand the true test of heaven and earth: Time.> Grant let out a sigh of relief when Sarge didn’t ask any more uncomfortable questions before diving into his lecture. The nineteen-solar-year-old settled in and listened. <As I have told you, a Foundation cultivator is the most difficult task, the rarest, the slowest. Reaching the summit, becoming a Dao cultivator, is almost only achieved by old monsters. Their bodies are withered, their beards are grey. In this, we have an advantage that most others do not. You can hunt other Wielders and potentially even achieve what is essentially immortality at a young age.>

<The problem with most types of cultivation is that when you are unbalanced for decades, centuries, millennia… the imbalance takes over. As an example, take the previous Lord January.> Sarge’s tone softened here, and Grant’s eyes cracked apart to stare deeply into the open blade that was next to his bed. <He is certainly not a method cultivator that only took the path of the physical. He was once heralded as the brightest of his generation, a title not easily gained. We know that the ability of his Wielded Weapon allowed him to cultivate weapon methods easily. This means that he is almost assuredly a Trinity cultivator, a person that cultivates at least three methods without conflict.>

“There’s a term for that, right? Like the berserker?” Grant knew that investing into this conversation would bring great returns. Anything that allowed him to have an edge on the competition in the future would be beneficial.

<Correct. A Berserker is someone that cultivates Weapon and Physical methods, and is likely the path that has been taken by Lady February. If I had to guess, the previous Lord January was a ‘Monk’ Cultivator; a person who cultivates Physical, Weapon, and Mental to enhance close range combat with powerful spells, buffs, or debuffs.> Grant could imagine Sarge shaking his metaphorical head; the disapproval in his voice was so thick. <However, when the barriers went up and cut him off from those that could compete against him, he began practicing a deviant physical cultivation method. The problem with deviant cultivation is that the method becomes your personality, and shifts who you are on a fundamental level.>

“So he had access to lots of spells?” Grant was disappointed that he did not think to raid the castle before fleeing the district.

<It wouldn’t have mattered.> Sarge stopped that line of thinking right away. <When the barriers went up, spell slots became regulated, and it became impossible to cast spells of a certain type in the lower districts. In January and February, it is only possible to cast Elemental spells. Using artifacts is a different story, as shown by Auld Leap, which is how House Thursday and Wednesday remained so important to the world. We will discuss higher spell slots at a later date, when you get access to them, but the essence is: every ‘odd’ District, you will get an additional spell slot.>

“Then… when I get into March, I’ll have access to two slots?” Grant scratched at his hair, suddenly worried that he had gotten fleas from the horses.

<Correct. Elemental, Utility, Debuffing, Buffing, Mental, and finally Spatial spells. Now, just because you have a slot does not mean you can cast the spell. They all have a minimum mental cultivation requirement and other prerequisites, similar to skills.> Sarge knew that Grant was about to ask an easy question, so cut him off with, <No, you can’t get bonus slots for any reason. Yes, you can fill a slot with a lower-tier spell. In other words, in District March, you could cast an icicle and also make the earth move as you willed it, but would need to give up the ability to… purify water, for instance. Not much combat utility in clean water, but still might save your life in an area where everything’s poisoned.>

“Seems like a giant game of chance?” The young man’s eyes were barely remaining open. “Just hope you bet on the right spell?”

<Just be prepared for anything, and you’ll be fine, Grant.>

“Totally reasonable requirement, Sarge.” Grant yawned at the sword and settled into the bed. “Last… last thing. How many classifications are there for cultivator types?”

<That’s an easy one. Every single combination makes a new class. Four ‘method’ cultivators. Six ‘Duo’ cultivator classes. Four ‘Trinity’. One ‘Foundation’, that might someday reach the pinnacle and become a ‘Dao’ practitioner. A maximum of sixteen cultivator types. Now, there are pros and cons to each… oh. You’re asleep, you brat! How dare you ignore the words that I, the great February Twenty Nine, have to say!>

Grant declined to answer, a slight smug smile the only hint that Sarge’s words may have reached him in his slumber.