The Systemic Lands

Chapter 516: Day 4,827 – Joyo

Joyo

“Then it was like woosh, and I was like smash!” I said at the table Several people were listening in and a lovely lady was sitting on either side of me. I was living the best life. Falling into that arena had been the best accident. It was hard work, scary work, but that was why I enjoyed living it up.

“You are so brave, facing all those high-level monsters,” one of the women said and she leaned into me. I took a peek at the goods. The best women always came out when I made my rounds through all the bars in the capital. She handed me a glass of alcohol, which I quickly drank. That was the good stuff. Insanely expensive, but I had an expense account. As Emperor Michael said, just call it economic stimulation.

The lady on my other side laid down her hand on my lap and began to stimulate me. She gave me a light squeeze. The worst part was having to focus to reduce my Body stat below 1,000. But she clearly had a Body stat that high as well. That was how I knew she was high class.

“You are the bravest Joyo,” one of the grinders across the table I was drinking with said. Everyone was my friend when I was paying. I wasn’t an idiot, but I just didn’t care. I could die tomorrow. Better to enjoy life in the moment instead of worrying constantly like Michelle and Doctor Katz. They were going to think themselves into a grave.

“Indeed. Still, got to give props to the big man himself. He leapt right at that level 7 monster. That was thing was…well it was pants shitting terrifying, putting it nicely. A round of drinks!” I brought up my drink. “To our glorious Emperor, who always win!” I chugged it back. It was hard to get a buzz with my stats.

I was rich, but not rich enough to afford Imperial Gold all the time. There were crystals infused into the brewing process which gave it a huge kick. Also made it insanely expensive, since the barrels had to be enchanted. I was stuck drinking stuff that barely gave me buzz. Still, anything to take my mind off how I almost died once again.

No matter what was said, I knew I wasn’t cut out for this kind of front line fighting I had been roped into doing. Michael even wanted me to race forward and hit monsters with my fist. I wanted to cry at that. I was no Divine Empress, like he envisioned me being. No one could live up to that old bat who was long dead.

“A level 7, that must have been difficult to defeat,” one of the grinders asked me.

“Impossible. Absolutely impossible. Well besides, for Emperor Michael. I have no doubt we will be grinding them or something within a year. Then I will be smashing them left and right,” I said.

“You are so brave and daring,” the woman on my right breathed heatedly in my ear. The fun would come later, right now I wanted to drink and forget. There was still light out, which meant it was drinking time. Once it was dark, then I would collapse somewhere. My assigned soldier stayed in the corner room. I had no doubt he was reporting everything back to his masters.

While the exact monsters were classified for level 5 and 6, level 4 and level 7 monsters were unclassified. It made no sense. But I wasn’t one to question things. I was a good little teammate, swinging his worthless stick against monsters that were bigger than a train.

Another drink was pressed into my hand. I wanted to keep what little buzz I had going. Since it was so hard to get. Doctor Katz talked about the Endurance and Absorption stat playing a possible role, along with Body resisting alcohol damage. I ignored all of that. My job was to smash things and protect Michelle and the rest of the team in melee.

It wasn’t my job to worry about useless things. I just wanted to forget all the horrors I had witnessed. So many horrors, so many near death experiences. Falling from the sky was never a fun experience. I chugged down another drink.

“Try this, something that is being shipped in from another city,” I held out my cup as one of the grinders poured something into my cup. I drank it without any hesitation. I felt a strong buzz go through me.

“Woah, that is the good stuff,” I said and held out my cup again. It was quickly filled up. The taste didn’t matter, only how much it numbed my brain. The people began to get a bit fuzzy, which was exactly what I wanted. I wanted to forget everything. I wanted to not have to even think about how I could die once we went out once more.

“I have more. I was looking for some start up funding,” the grinder said.

“Hahaha, you have two heads like some monsters. One. Two.” I counted them just to be sure. “Put it on my tab,” I said with a laugh. Everything went on my tab. It didn’t really matter anyway. After seeing that level 7 monster, we were never leaving this place. It would be our tomb.

I had another couple of drinks and everything was spinning just the way I liked it. I stood up with my ladies. “Later gents, it has been fun!” I stumbled out of the bar and lounge I had been in. Time to make my way back to the Imperial Palace.

“You are the best Joyo,” one of them whispered to me.

“So strong and brave,” the other whispered. I nodded at this, not caring. We would have our fun, I would pass out, then I would repeat it all tomorrow. The day before we left, I would have to sober up. But that was one line I knew not to cross.

Showing up to fight monsters or in front of Michael drunk, would have me chucked off the airship into the void or used in one of those insane human experiments. He thought I didn’t know, but I knew. People were taken and experimented on in horrific ways.

The only thing worse than the monsters bent on eating my face and killing me were the people. Screw people. “The best,” I slurred out. The girls smiled and helped me walk straight. They would get a couple thousand points in the morning. Well maybe a bit more than that, since they had had stats.

It was a walk back to the center of the city from the kind of bars I went to, but I didn’t care. I needed the fresh air to clear my head a bit for the fun later. Those last drinks had really hit the spot. I noted a figure in a dark cloak in front of us. We adjusted our course to move around them in the street, but they stepped in our path.

“Back off asshole,” one of the woman said.

“Yeah, or you will get your ass beat,” the other added.

“You heard the ladies, bugger off,” I said.

“Joyo! Back!” the soldier guarding me said. What? Why? This person wasn’t a threat.

“I will consume you!” The words grated across my hearing. I stumbled back as I tried to focus. They were dodging the soldier as he swung his sword and used skills. Sparkling lights, how pretty. I needed to focus. The women were screaming. They let me go and I collapsed to the ground. I puked out my guts right onto the street.

Pushing myself up, I couldn’t understand what was happening. The soldier was disappearing under the man’s cloak. I focused on my Sense stat, and the soldier had completely disappeared. He was dead. Impossible! They had around 20,000 stat points each.

“Delicious. Now for the main course!” the cloaked figure rushed at me.

“Screw you!” I shouted and punched out. My head quickly cleared up after I had puked up my guts. They ducked under the punch and grabbed onto me. I was off balance and fell onto my back. I quickly shoved them off and they went tumbling away. I quickly got back to my feet and kicked off the ground.

They were already standing up and twisted to the side as my fist slammed into stone building, shattering the wall. I pulled my fist free and moved in, throwing out punches. The figure didn’t have as much Body as me, but they were skilled in dodging.

I kept pushing them back and eventually their back ran up against a wall. My right fist lashed out at their head under the cloak. I didn’t hit anything. What was going on? I pulled my arm back and pain hit me as blood squirted out of my stump.

“Delicious!” I swung out with my other hand in fear, but it disappeared into the hood of the figure’s cloak. I kicked off the ground retreating, as I was missing both hands. The figure was suddenly right in front of me, slamming me with their shoulder. I went tumbling to the ground.

I couldn’t use any skills. They took time to use. “You are my meal!” the figure shouted and leapt on me.

“AHHH!” I screamed as a large portion of my shoulder was ripped off.

“Imperial Soldiers! Don’t move or you will be attacked!” I heard a shout. The figure leapt off me and quickly raced away. I heard shouting and someone rushed over to me.

“Shit! He is still alive. Get a life flask over here stat!” Something was shoved into my mouth and liquid poured over my wounds. The pain I was feeling was immense and it was only getting worse. My vision was blurry, and I couldn’t think straight.

“I want everyone on duty, full city wide alert and emergency curfew. Sound the bells.”

“But Captain, we don’t know how serious-“

“That is Joyo, he is a part of Emperor Michael’s team. Sound the bells under my authority. There is an enchanted blade on the ground and he doesn’t have a soldier from the Imperial Government. The bells now! Pursuit teams better not lose the attacker. Quickly, we need to get him to the pillars. You run, and alert the Imperial Government of the attack!”

The shouting was going on in the background. My head was swimming. I was going to die. It was the end for me. I was too slow, too stupid. I felt myself being moved, and blood rushing out of me. I wasn’t going to make it. I let out another moan, scream of pain as my body was quickly lifted up and put on a stretcher.

My stumps were still leaking blood. How much blood did I have? I wish I hadn’t puked out my guts. My buzz was wearing off and I would soon be suffering once more. I was being rushed through the city. No ladies now before my death. Hopefully they made a statue of me like that Naran fellow. I wanted something big and glorious.