YoTS: Lord January ~ 19!

CHAPTER 19

The group rested in a public lounge just inside the gates of Mid January, breathing heavily and fanning themselves. They had walked through the entire night, getting into the city just after the typical breakfast time. Even still… someone on horseback must have arrived and set a bounty. There was no way anyone had gotten here faster than them otherwise.

“I saw a wanted poster at the city gates. Said that I was wanted by House Friday for punishment? I keep hearing you mention the Houses, what can you tell me about them?” Grant watched the area around them, paranoia filling him.

“Don’t look at me,” Red shrugged and hit into a buttery loaf of bread. “I struggle to remember what day of the week it is.”

“Grant,” Skinny puffed his cheeks out and closed his eyes against the bright morning light, “how can you not know about the Noble houses? You’re a Monday!”

For a moment, Grant considered sharing the knowledge of discovering February Twenty Nine in the field, his surname changing from Leap to Monday… but then he remembered the discussion around the campfire and their opinion of ‘calendar freaks’. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t bring himself to fully trust these men; especially with a bounty on his head. If he spilled the beans now, he risked getting a knife in the back.

Grant tried to think of a plausible reason, but did not have to stretch the truth very far. He had heard his caretaker discuss how little he wanted to focus on politics, or the district in general. “It's just that, in New Dawn, we were so far from the big city. Everyone was so focused on feasting and partying that no one ever got around to discussing the Noble houses, or their role in the district.”

“Makes sense. I couldn’t believe what I saw when we went out there,” Skinny eyed Grant strangely, “Abyss, they even had a pet Leap! I guess it isn't too surprising that they didn't keep up with the rest of us.”

“Let me give you the skinny on the Noble Houses, Grant,” Fergus sent a cheeky wink towards a nonplussed Skinny. “Don't worry, Skinny. I sent a messenger to my wife. She should be bringing the carriage around sometime soon. No more walking for you.”

“The blessings of Lord January upon you.”

“Grant. There are seven Nobles houses, as I’m sure you’re aware; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Let's start with the one that you should be the most familiar with: House Monday. Your house, ruled by Lord January in this District, is typically considered to be the ruling House of the Weeks. They focus on proficiency in combat and leadership. They are known to be well-versed in fighting, administration, and governance. They do not tolerate fools, and have disdain for people that do not try to improve their own circumstances. They won’t go out of their way to help others, but they appreciate the effort that people put in.”

“Maybe that’s why I’m so focused on bettering myself through training cultivation?” Grant offered, looking around. “My… parents were always pushing me to do better at that.”

“Nah, mate, your personal family is just weird, in that case.” Fergus shut down the easy explanation that Grant was trying to put together. “The few Mondays I’ve met have been lazy sods when it comes to cultivation, but they could swing a sword. You’ve got that going for you, at least. Let’s see… Tuesday!”

“House Tuesday are Peacekeepers. They focus on proficiency in combat, as well as the rule of law. This makes them slow to act, but incredibly powerful foes if they find that they are justified in their actions. They're practically unstoppable.” Fergus swallowed as some memory hit him. “Point in fact, they’re the harshest toward themselves, but I would say this makes them the most well-trusted and respected House that exists. If a member of House Tuesday is found to be breaking the law, the punishment can be anything up to and including the loss of a Wielded Weapon, which means expulsion from the Noble House for them and their inheritors.”

“There was a bully in New Dawn, his father was a Peacekeeper…” Grant trailed off as he thought about Mo’s chubby face. He wanted to knock a few more teeth out.

“Be glad, Grant, that House Friday is after you, and not Tuesday,” interjected Skinny. “Luckily, House Tuesday would not come after you for a simple punishment bounty. Since anyone can put those out, it means that there’s no proof that you have done anything criminal. In fact, you could probably seek shelter from them if people try to claim that bounty.”

“Don’t want Saturday after you, most of all!” Red butted in. “They’re assassins!”

“Red.” Fergus growled at him with one eye twitching, “Shut your pie hole, or at least lower your abyssal voice!”

Grant remembered that they had mentioned that his caretaker, Randall, had tried to place a contract with House Saturday. He gulped and tried to refocus on the situation at hand.

“As I was saying… I’m on Wednesday, right?” Fergus glared at Skinny and Red. “House Wednesday focuses on logistics and planning. They tend to have the best combat gear of all the Week, and focus typically on taking down monsters and accumulating components for the creation of weapons and armor. Not that there are monsters in January!”

“I beg to differ,” Grant broke in harshly. “I killed dozens of giant plague rats under the Royal January Mill!”

“You personally killed them?” Fergus grinned as Grant looked away.

“I killed one directly, the rest kinda… just died.”

“Interesting. I know that I never saw them, and I heard you’d get paid per kill. Now, I know you say that Jo stole that money… but how do we know for sure that there were even monsters down there?” Fergus waved off the indignant retort, “I know you fought down there, lad. I'm just giving you a clear picture how other people are going to react if you start telling tales. Doesn't matter how true the tales are. Now, back to the matter at hand, House Wednesday is very proficient at combat, but rarely takes the field against other people.”

Red jumped in when Fergus pulled out a flask to moisten his lips, “I know the next one. House Thursday is a merchant organization. You have already met at least two: Joviality Thursday and his delightful daughter. They, like every member of House Thursday, focus entirely on profit; and are usually the only house that is allowed passage to different Districts.”

“Really?” Skinny’s eyes were wide and hungry. “I didn’t know that anyone was allowed passage to February or beyond! Or that they could go beyond!”

Fergus picked up where Red had left off, as the other two devolved into arguments. “Rarely will Thursday fight, but if they need to defend themselves… well. That’s a different story altogether. Thursdays tend to have the most well-fortified and dangerous fortresses. Typically, they also have lots of expendable items that they use to defend themselves. In truth... I think even Lord January himself would think twice before going up against House Thursday.”

“How in the twelve Districts do you know so much about the Houses?” Skinny turned back to the conversation with a hint of disbelief in his eyes.

“It’s a long story… one that I’m not gonna get into. Next is House Friday, the House most pertinent to your current situation, Grant.” Fergus paused and let Grant perk up, knowing that it was important that he listened carefully. “House Friday is filled with bounty hunters. They could care less about the law. They only care about combat proficiency against other people. They hone their skills by taking on more and more dangerous contracts; contracts to hunt down the most dangerous criminals.”

“Criminals like you.” Red pointed at Grant. “I saw that bounty, the most exciting thing on it wasn’t how much they would be paid, it was that you were labeled as a serious threat. A well trained, armed individual.”

Fergus continued unabated, blowing right through the interruption, “Typically, they don’t care at all about Nobility or commonality. They only care about taking down their targets. However, they almost exclusively use non-lethal techniques. They are trying to hone their technique, not become massacre artists. Also, they are often in contention with House Tuesday, as they will take less than legal contracts on the regular.”

“As for House Saturday…” Fergus leaned forward, and everyone else leaned in to hear the next whispers. “Rumor, and only rumor, has it that House Saturday is an assassin organization. They take the contracts that even house Friday will not touch. They often work in conjunction with House Monday and House Thursday, pretending to follow the law while in fact slaying dozens of people a day. They do not hold back. They do not surrender. They do not take prisoners.”

Everyone leaned back as Fergus finished his short lecture, and the man himself took another swig from his flask before feeling confident enough to continue speaking. “Of course, publicly, they create wonders of alchemy. This gives them a reason to be anywhere, searching for potent herbs and hidden resources.”

“Finally, House Sunday is full of Healers and people with a more technical calling. They often fill the role of armor and weapon creators, as well as being able to repair weapons and armor. A good chunk of them are doctors, but their services are mostly reserved for the Nobility. Almost all of their Wielded Weapons grant the ability to heal instead of hurt, meaning that even the Vassals can moderately restore people or items.”

Skinny grinned at Grant, then slapped him on the arm to remove the slightly glazed look in his eyes. “So, Grant, that is a run-down of the seven Houses of the Week. Get all that?”

“Um… not really.” Grant admitted sheepishly. “I’ll do my best to remember.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll figure it out eventually. Just remember that the ability of a Wielded Weapon, whether it is a Wielder or a Vassal, is generally determined by the House they belong in. Same deal with combat power. House Monday is typically the strongest in direct combat, House Sunday the weakest. For the moment, all you need to know is that your situation would be far worse if either House Tuesday–the Peacekeepers–or House Saturday–the alleged Assassins–were after you.”

“Fergus, you still haven’t explained how you know so much about the Houses?” Skinny pressed the issue, much to Fergus's disgruntlement.

“I wasn’t always a guard on the Grand January Caravan,” Fergus snapped, giving Skinny a look that warned him not to push further.

“Fergus, dearest! Breakfast is ready. I've prepared a grand meal on behalf of our honored guest!” A very welcome voice called out of a carriage that had pulled up next to the public lounge.

“Come on, Grant. Let’s get back to my place and eat.” Fergus heaved himself to his feet, followed by the others. “Welcome to Mid January. I know you’ve had a rough few days, but just remember, it ain’t all bad!”