Chương 201: New Arrivals

After my call with Cuthward and Hardric, I was expecting a quiet evening. I wasn't expecting my entire squad to turn up to my room in the barracks, carrying a cake and a flask of wine, and drag me out to the sand pits. My body was already starting to feel the fallout of Vaelheall week. Standing up made my legs groan and creak. It was the pleasant fire you felt after a workout, and I knew it meant I was improving, but fire was still fire. Walking across the castle grounds was unpleasant, to say the least.

"What's happening?" I asked as they pulled me out into the middle of a sand pit. Yesman's squad was here, as well as most of Habit's squad—barring, of course, Habit himself. A few other squads, including Pork's, had turned up.

"Guys…" I said, "Can someone tell me—""Brother," Brawl said.

"Since it has been a year since you arrived in this world, we decided to have a birthday celebration for you."

"Honey cakes and wine," Sage said.

"The best we could get, given the times." I raised my eyebrows.

"You know, it's been well over a year since I arrived…"

"Yes, Sarge, but training was hectic, and it took longer to procure the cakes than I was expecting," Anchor said.

"So this was your idea?"

"... Perhaps."

"It wasn't mine, dustbrain," Sage interjected.

"I didn't even think a Dupe would celebrate the day he was born."

"If you were paying attention," Yesman told her, "he explained the concept of birthdays to us around the campfire." I buried my face in my palms.

"Look, I didn't mean to say that you needed to throw me a birthday party, though."

"Well, it's not really your birthday," Anchor said, "and we all plan on sharing the cakes. You'll be lucky to get a morsel."

"That's…kinda how it's supposed to work. Well, I mean, I'm supposed to get a little still, but…" I shook my head.

"Why, though?"

"Look around you," Anchor whispered.

"Most of us are already at the peak of Titanium. You gave us hope. We've improved and worked harder because of it. You don't think that doesn't deserve a little repaying?"

"Well…I suppose." Brawl held out a cake, presenting it to me.

"Then, brother, you should take the first piece. They are not infused, so you can actually enjoy the flavour for what it is." The cakes were light bread sweetened with honey, and given my enhanced Perception stats, the flavour hit me like an enhanced well of gravity. The first bite made me almost collapse from dizziness. There was no icing, but they were decadent enough on their own. Technically, we were supposed to eat them with jam, though there wasn't a single jar left in the castle.

Those had been sent to the front lines as rations.

"Thank you, guys. Thanks. I'll do my best to keep pushing—""None of that, tonight," Sage whispered.

"Just enjoy the festivities, before Owl comes and tells us to snuff the fire and sleep." ~ ~ ~ The next morning, I resumed my old schedule of waking up early and tending to Burr. But halfway through brushing out her mane and telling her about Vaelheall Week, a horn sounded. It rumbled through the walls of the stable, though it wasn't that deep, nor was it that loud. There was something magical about it that I couldn't place, but it didn't feel like maegen.

I wiggled the comb out of Burr's mane and set it down on a stool, then rushed outside to see what the commotion was. From the ground outside the stable, I couldn't see much, so I ran up to the ramparts of the inner wall. Technically, I wasn't supposed to be here, but it wasn't the first time, and the guards were too busy looking down from the ramparts, gazes fixed on the gate.

I crept over to join them and snuck in behind, looking down over the green space between the outer and inner wall (though it wasn't very green anymore—aside from the grass browning as autumn began, we'd churned most of it up into mud with the obstacle course). A single rider trotted through the gate. He was unlike anything I'd ever seen. His silk cloak flowed behind him as he rode, and beneath it, he wore a silver tunic made of layered strips of fabric.

It practically glowed in the sun, but it had a cold light, like the moon back on Earth. As far as I could see, he wore no armour. Still, a sense of immense durability washed off him in waves. I knew my crossbow wouldn't pierce whatever was protecting him. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. As he passed the wall, he looked up. The hood of his cloak fell back, revealing crisp white hair, pearlescent in the sun.

Perfectly straight, not a lick of grease, and long enough to hang past his shoulders. Though his hair was white, his face couldn't have been any older than thirty… or maybe even twenty-five. But he carried himself with the confidence of a man in his forties. His pronounced cheekbones were home to a ridge of leaves—the twigs were embedded in his skin, and the leaves protruded out like whiskers. These leaves were orange and yellow. More branches, similarly coloured, poked out from behind his ears. My eyes widened.

He had pointed ears.

"An elf…" one of the soldiers on the wall breathed.

"That is Moonhand," said Lieutenant Owl, who stood at the front of the cluster.

"He heard of this year's promising batch of recruits, and he agreed to travel here to help in their second and third phase combat training. His spearwork is second to none, and he is skilled with a bow. His Arts…are difficult to describe, but as far as we know, he is a sorcerer." At least I wasn't alone in not knowing much about elves.

"I thought the instructors were coming to help with the third phase," I said.

"They're here early."

"Yes, Sir Levi. They are not just here to teach you single combat. They will help you learn to fight in formations as well. They've made no promises of allegiance to us, and our Presence-allocation treaties will make it difficult to deploy them, so you'd best not irritate them. They are here because they want to be, and that could be revoked at any time." He shook his head.

"And good luck convincing these bastards to fight for us, though we could use their help."

"Why wouldn't they?" Owl shrugged.

"Why would they? There's no banner to unite behind. We have no king who can convince them to spill their blood for a nation that isn't theirs, or even a Domain that isn't theirs. They're here for vainglory."

"What about the Warlord?" Owl glanced at me skeptically, as if to say 'really?' Still, he only shook his head. Recognizing the need to change the subject, I whispered, "Are elves actually immortal?" Everyone turned back to look at me. Owl shook his head in disappointment, then asked, "How do you know about that?" I shrugged.

"Uh…lucky guess?" Owl scoffed.

"It's only a rumour. They're cagey about the nature of their immortality, and we know very little about it—or if it's true. Don't bring it up to Moonhand, whatever you do. He's here on his own good graces, and he may revoke that at any point. The last thing we want if for you to lose this opportunity."

"Yes, Lieutenant," I said. It wasn't just Moonhand, though. A man with a sword and shield strapped to his back trotted through the gate, wearing a red overcoat with a bear sigil sewn onto it. As far as I could tell, he was a regular man. I sensed nothing from him.

"That would be Sir Rodrigé of Palan," Owl said.

"Convenient that they all arrived at the same time," I said. Owl tilted his head.

"You think they weren't aware of when the second phase of your training began, Sir Levi?"

"Apologies, Lieutenant." Owl snorted.

"Just watch." Another horse trotted through the gate soon after, bearing another man. He wore a thick fur cloak, and a swell of pressure erupted from him as soon as he passed through the gate. A pair of axes swung from his saddle as he trotted. Behind him rode a man in black-painted scale mail. A black cloak with an orange eye emblazoned on it flowed in the wind, and a mask hid his face.

"A Subtle Man?" I whispered.

"Indeed, Sir Levi," Owl said.

"He's powerful, though it's a mystery where he stands in their Order. They keep that sort of thing under wraps."

"And they would come to train us?"

"Subtle Men are not above the call of glory," a different soldier provided.

"All of these masters are here because they see potential in you, and they want their names to be recorded in history as the makers of great men." I gulped, watching another trio of riders pass through the gate.

"Ah. Our reputation is that good?"

"Not yet," Owl said.

"They are wise, though, and they see the seeds of how important you will be. Now, the morning bell is about to toll, and you're not supposed to be up here anyway, Levi."

"Sorry, Lieutenant." ~ ~ ~"You will be sorted into different groups according to your preferred weapon," Owl said, pacing in front of our gathered training group.

"The instructors all have weapons which they are best at wielding, and in order to get you the best training, we will pair you up with the right teachers. Listen for your name and identification number, then head to the indicated location." He listed us off, then motioned for us to disperse. I grabbed my spear—my real spear and a wooden training spear—and headed toward the sand pit nearest to the main gate, where Moonhand waited. There were about ten of us in total who preferred the spear as our weapon of choice.

I didn't know the others well, and I couldn't have listed off all their names even if I wanted to (and it didn't help that we all had mostly the same face).

"Ah, ah," Moonhand said. He stood in the middle of the sparring pit, robes fluttering in the wind. He leaned on a spear with a varnished wooden shaft wrapped in silver fabric, with a white, winged tip that seemed to reflect more sun than possible.

"Don't be shy. I am well aware that the spear picks a certain…demeanor of person. You may not be the best with words, nor the most charismatic, but you will need to at least speak with your sparring partners." When he spoke, he barely sounded like he was putting in any effort, and the tone of his voice didn't change. But at the same time, it was louder than any regular speaking voice should've been. It was as if the wind enhanced it and buoyed it to my ears on his command.

"Take a quick look to your left, then to your right," Moonhand continued.

"Those are your brothers, and they made the same excellent choice as you. The spear is a versatile weapon, capable of almost anything you choose for it. With me, you will learn to push your spear to the absolute limit and become the most fierce warriors the SAP has ever seen. We shall begin."