Chương 207: Resolve

That night, I considered my options. There was no way I'd just roll over and abandon any dream of advancing my Skills or Arts. I liked my gravity Art way too much to just let it fester. If I was going to reach Gold, I'd make sure I improved it, and improved it properly. So it would draw exponentially more Presence. I had plenty. That wasn't the problem. The strain on my leys, however, would be the true issue. I just had no idea how I was going to overcome that strain.

It was a terrible idea to pass it off to future me, but what choice did I have? I hated that guy, apparently, with how many burdens I was heaping on his shoulders. But I didn't have time for research at the moment, and if Shatter couldn't figure out a solution to his leys with all the time he'd spent searching, what made me think I could? But there had to be a way around it, right? It wasn't going to fall in my lap without work, though. That much, I could guarantee. My problems were heaping up.

It was like my dream of the house—walking toward it, but the faster I ran, the farther away it seemed. ~ ~ ~ Phase two of our training continued much the same as it had for the first week. In the mornings, I continued working with Burr until breakfast, telling her even the most mundane details about my daily schedule. Her head bobbed, and she whinnied, sometimes even groaning.

Once I'd become proficient at brushing her, and had gotten it down to such a science that I could do it in about fifteen minutes, I used the rest of the time to practice riding. Yeah, talking and trying to build a connection was helpful, but it couldn't compare to the bond you got from actually riding your horse. I took her outside the castle grounds, patrolling the nearby fields and searching for any sign of approaching orcs.

With most of the castle guards deployed, there were only a few Dupes watching the castle gate, and they were happy to have the scouting help. Lord Ceonwin didn't speak to me about the broader situation on the front lines again. Either nothing had happened, or more likely, he was trying not to stress me so I'd focus on my training. What, did he think I'd run away from my training early and try to fight the orcs?

Alright, maybe he knew me a little too well, but I had no intention of giving up any of the training I was getting here. It was an opportunity I couldn't afford to miss if I wanted to reach Gold. As the weeks went on, the weather cooled. Most of my morning rides with Burr involved trotting over a layer of frost, and sometimes, depending on the weather, a layer of snow. It was almost always overcast, but at least the cool air made training more pleasant.

We didn't have to worry about the sun beating down on us, turning our skin to leather. After my morning rides with Burr, we ate breakfast, and continued tactics training with Moonhand. I tried to tease a little more information out of him, asking questions like, "If the orcs reached the castle, what would you do?" I wanted to know if he would fight alongside us.

"I would need to know more about the circumstances," he replied. That was his usual response. I never once got him to suggest that he would actually fight. In the afternoons, our snake hunts continued. After two weeks, Anchor and I could read the sign out in the field, but we continued working on our mental attributes anyway, harnessing Perception and Focus.

The blur of the snakebites wasn't nearly as bad anymore, but that just meant we had to hunt harder and get ourselves bitten more, no matter how counter-intuitive it seemed. Where Owl would have normally run the hunts, now, the Drillmaster and a few of the non-Dupe castle staff oversaw us. The lieutenants, on Ceonwin's suggestion, had been sent to the front lines to help support them. Since we had our new trainers, the lieutenants weren't as critical. This story originates from a different website.

Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. In the evenings, after our meals, my squad practiced our sparring under the effect of my gravity well, as usual. We were growing faster, and our tempered muscles fought against the power of the well. I couldn't help being cautious, though. I examined the Art's Presence draw. Only six Presence at a time? That couldn't be enough to damage my leys? It left an arcane tingle inside my body after I used the Art, that much I knew for certain.

But that tingle didn't last, and there didn't seem to be any lasting damage. After our individual practice, we met up with Yesman and Habit's squads. (Habit, after a few days, had decided to join us again, though he stayed awfully quiet. At least he seemed to be getting over the stress of Vaelheall Week.) Since we were getting team sparring practice in the mornings now, we ran through physical conditioning tasks on our own, hoping to also keep our regular physical attributes increasing at a similar rate to before.

Of course, the infused food was important, and our regular meals had swapped much of the meat and carbs for Shepherd Beans, which helped our mental attributes. It meant we wouldn't advance our physical attributes as quickly. At least, not under normal conditions. But my squad still had our extra supply of infused food that we'd purchased with our savings, and we had to use it up.

As for me, I still had plenty of my makeshift sap, which I used to constantly temper my enhanced body, continuing to compound its effects with the regular System-based enhancement. After our conditioning, we were all exhausted. We bathed, and most of us slept immediately. ~ ~ ~"What will you do if you become Ealdorman?" Arnulf asked me. Our weekly meetings had always begun this way.

I stood in the shadows behind the cooper's shed, on the opposite side of the castle from the main gate, and just inside the curtain wall.

"Sir, you've asked me this at least four times," I said.

"Has there been something unsatisfactory about my answer?" Sure, I had still been guarding my memories, but he didn't seem to mind. Arnulf only sighed.

"I know I haven't landed a hit on Moonhand yet—""And at this rate, you never will," Arnulf scolded.

"Now answer the question."

"I would build an army. I would protect our Domains down here, then send it over the mountains and help protect the capital."

"So you've said. But you think the Warlord will tolerate this? The moment you cross those mountains with an army is the moment your veil slips. You will have no plausible deniability. You will be an enemy of the state. You will be a traitor in open rebellion."

"For coming to help him?"

"You will have ruined his plans in the south, and now you will appear to be moving against him. My princess believes you are capable of this position, but you've shown no will to do what needs to be done."

"What would you suggest, then?" I asked.

"I am open to your wisdom. There has to be a way to fight off the orcs without—""You can't fight an external enemy without first destroying the enemy within. The Warlord is a brick tied to the feet of a sinking nation."

"And who would rule instead?"

"Someone wise."

"You?" Arnulf was silent.

"Do not accuse, boy. I would see the line of kings restored."

"King, Warlord, what difference does it make?" I shrugged.

"The kings were weak enough to give up their power. What little remains, they don't use. Why should I restore power to them?"

"There are good kings and bad kings. There are weak kings and strong kings. The current king is old, and soon, he will pass. Should that happen, Alisid and a suitor—selected by the Warlord—will take the throne."

"Seems like you're proving my point."

"Not if you can restore the line of kings before my princess marries. You would put an aging king on the throne, yes, but there is a unique opportunity ahead: remove Alisid's shackles, and she will be free to choose a husband of her own. That man will become the king of Gate. She will pick a king suitable to take the throne and wield his power to protect his home." Though I couldn't see his face, I knew Arnulf was staring directly at me, investigating my very reaction. Was he a Path-walker?

Could he sense my heartbeat, or the sweat gathering under my arms?

"You will need to be swift and decisive," he said.

"Will you kill the Warlord?" I pressed my lips together. This could be a trap. I had no idea who Arnulf was. There could be other Subtle Men waiting nearby, listening for a confession. But Alis trusted him.

"Yes, yes I will," I whispered.

"And how will you do it?"

"I'll match him for strength. Blow for blow." I tightened my fist and firmed up my expression. Was Moonhand right? I could become a great man if I chose to?

"You can't land a single hit on Moonhand. What makes you think you would be capable of fighting the Warlord? Alis will delay as long as she can in picking a suitor, but she will not be able to hold them back forever. You have three years, at best."

"And look how far I've come in just over a year."

"Aren't you cocky, hm?" Arnulf huffed.

"You will prove your resolve when you strike Moonhand. Nothing less will do. Meet me again next week, and we will continue."