Chapter 22 – Routine
Chapter 22 – Routine
Four months had already slipped by since the incident of the second ambush on the coastal road. I still found the flow of time on this giant exomoon deeply strange. By my physics-based calculations, my body should have already completed more than a year of age; however, in this land, the passage of an annual cycle is only celebrated after approximately twenty-two long months. In practical terms, it could be said that the inhabitants of Aegis-Moon live twice as long as the humans from my old world.
Despite this, this vessel still transmitted debility to me. I was not fully adapted to the gravity and dimensions of this colossal planet. The incredible thing, however, was the strange similarity I felt with this body; it did not reject my psychic seed. It was more like a subtle discomfort or an old wound that insists on throbbing.
My true headache, nevertheless, lay in the fact that I had been exposing myself far too much. In the excitement of solving the province's problems, I ended up recklessly releasing knowledge and engineering. At times, I caught my father, Lord Arl, staring fixedly at me, as if inspecting me and measuring every single one of my steps with his military mind.
To make matters worse, if my father's strategic maps were correct, only six months remained before the imminent invasion of Solano's forces, coinciding with the arrival of the harsh winter. The magnetite plates we ordered arrived on time via the trade routes, but the volume brought by the wagons from Teguma Port was laughable compared to the amount needed to cover the entire designated extent of the Black Forest.
Of the twenty rustic sentinels I originally designed, only eight could be manned with the mechanical sticky stone launchers. I would be forced to space out the magnetic traps, leaving dangerous gaps in the perimeter that would need to be covered in some other way.
I seriously doubted that the crown's armies would arrive in time to assist us. As Lord Arl had pointed out, a swift messenger takes ninety days of riding just to reach the King's throne in Eldoria Aeterna. Factoring in the bureaucracy time of the advisors, the mobilization of heavy troops, and the march back, royal reinforcements would never cross our gates before winter. We were isolated.
Perhaps I should conceive new defensive contrivances. The chronic obstacle I always stumbled upon, however, was assembly time, scarcity of raw materials, and lack of skilled labor. Simple engines were easy to devise on paper, but practical application required sand in the hourglass. If I had two full years at my disposal, I would transform the surroundings of Vance Fortress into an impenetrable warzone, akin to those strategy board games I used to play on the screens of Téia.
However, to build everything my mind desired, profound modifications to the terrain and woods would be necessary. So much time... precisely what I did not possess. Not to mention the justifications I would need to invent; I would have to weave ever-larger lies for my father. Just imagining how much he would question me gave my shriveled body shivers. That man's intelligence for the art of war was as sharp as tempered steel. Goodness... he had taken an eternity to understand the chemical difference between sugar and cooking salt, yet a single glance at ceramic mechanisms was enough for him to assimilate concepts of military tactics in an instant. Definitely, Lord Arl was a strategic genius.
I remained stretched out on the bed, staring at the wooden ceiling beams and immersed in these thoughts, until a shadow fell over me.
— What is it, young master? — asked Katriny, approaching with her arms crossed over her monk robes. — For what reason do you wear such a gloomy countenance? Lacking creativity for new contraptions? When the spirit finds itself blocked like this, the best alternative is to cross the gates and air out your ideas in the village. You know that well.
— Yeah... you're right — I admitted, sitting up on the edge of the mattress. — Perhaps a stroll through the commercial streets will bring me some practical inspiration.
I set my feet on the floor and stared at the panda-monk earnestly:
— Katriny, tell me frankly... what do you think of me? Don't you find me a bizarre creature? You know... entirely different from other children my age?
The panda let out a hearty laugh, twitching her furry ears:
— Ah, young master... since the day I sealed the blood pact with you, bizarre has become your most natural trait. Not only that: you are rebellious, irresponsible for not weighing the consequences of your actions, and impulsive for taking action without foreseeing what it will cause in the future. You love playing pranks on other people in the fortress and possess an extremely vindictive temperament. Well... thinking about it, I'm not really much of a fan of that last part.
— Ah, you sassy bear! — I protested, puffing out my cheeks. — How dare you describe me like that?
— Well, look on the bright side — she continued, smirking slightly. — Hasn't this peculiar way of yours also brought us countless valuable surprises? Haven't many of your ideas not only caused astonishment among the artisans, but also brought new vitality and jobs to the workshops of Gália? Wasn't that exactly your plan when we spoke in the past?
— Yes... — I averted my eyes, lowering my tone. — But I fear the nobles might consider me a threat or start claiming that I am a demon incarnate in this body.
Katriny let out another candid laugh, clapping her paws together:
— But when you pull off your mischief and antics around the castle... who in the fortress doesn't already think exactly that of your character?!
— I'm speaking seriously here, Katriny! — I grumbled, crossing my arms, though the corner of my mouth wanted to yield to a smile.
— Forget these paranoias for now — she said, pointing to the window. — It's already three in the afternoon, let's head out for a bit. You fulfilled your training routine with the guard instructor at dawn. Your father freed you from military duties this afternoon, on the condition that any new artifact you conceive be presented first to him... But with the way preparations are progressing, I don't know what direction to take.
— Young master, you need to learn to place trust in the people of this world — advised Katriny, adopting a more mature stance. — The inhabitants of Aegis-Moon also possess capable minds. Why don't you let your father solve the border issues? After all, the lords of warrior lineage have always dealt with invasions without the aid of modern engineering.
— You're right... I'm just a little son, and my father is a born strategist — I replied.
Thinking rationally, I've been referring to them as my father and my mother so spontaneously lately, I reflected silently. It must be the force of habit from this new life cycle impregnating my soul.
Following protocol, I went to the chambers of my mother, Lady Sylvia, to request formal permission to leave the castle. After receiving her blessings, Katriny and I set off to walk through the cobbled streets of the citadel.
Observing up close a fortified city of that era was a fascinating exercise. Colossal stone walls, hundreds of crowded rustic dwellings, and vast farms extending beyond the ramparts. If defense plans were under my sole command, I would implement an absolute restructuring; I would expand the fortified perimeter to also protect the outer agricultural lands, guaranteeing supply provisions for prolonged periods of siege and creating a second line of defense against Solano's armies. However, to raise walls quickly, I would need a high-temperature substance to manufacture cement... something entirely unfeasible with current resources.
— Young master, what does that term you're mumbling under your breath mean? Cement? — asked Katriny, sharpening her hearing.
— It's a type of high-adhesion mortar — I explained, gesturing with my hands. — An ideal paste for building homes, fortifications, and defensive walls.
— Something similar to a paste obtained through mixing mammoth oil with Traktos fluids? — she asked, thoughtfully.
I stopped abruptly in the middle of the street, staring at her wide-eyed:
— Katriny... what did you just utter? What on earth is a Traktos?
— Have you by any chance not flipped through the bestiary of monsters? — she found it strange. — They are colossal beasts that inhabit the southern swamps and Oceans. They resemble large fish, but are endowed with sharp beaks like alligators and rigid fins like sharks; they stay on land and in water. Hunters extract their fat to seal ship hulls.
There are so many creatures analogous to Earth's in this world, and at the same time so many entirely distinct biological oddities, I thought, fascinated by the potential of local alchemy.
The Monk's Trap
— Young master — Katriny resumed the subject, walking beside me —, when I was still a novice learning at the Bamboo Sanctuary, my master always warned me that before we extend our hands to help others, we must strengthen our own temple and bolster our vitality. Don't you think this is the ideal moment to focus on your physical vigor?
— What are you suggesting? — I asked, suspiciously. — That I submit to even more rigorous training than the sessions where the weapons instructor practically flays my hide in the courtyard?
— Young master, you truly don't have the slightest concept of what a strict combat doctrine is — she mocked, slapping her forehead with her paw.
— Oh, as if! — I retorted, puffing out my six-year-old chest. — I master the theory perfectly. If you imposed an exercise schedule from your temple on me, I would fulfill every stage with extreme ease, without shedding a single drop of hesitation sweat!
Katriny's black eyes sparkled with dangerous cunning:
— Are you making a promise? If you pledge your word of honor, I myself will take over the tutelage of your physical conditioning. But I demand a minimum period of six months of absolute dedication, without you being able to go back on your word.
— What do you mean, six months?! — I contested, doing the math in my head. — If I lock myself in continuous training, when will I have hours available to draw new mechanical schematics or visit Master Balin's forges?
— Well, the exercises would occur strictly during the week — she reasoned, adopting a provocative tone —, and you would only have weekends for that. But I sincerely doubt the young master accepts the challenge... You have shown yourself to be so lazy in recent Aegis cycles. In fact, I have serious doubts if that little bulge poking out of your tunic isn't a sedentary belly inherited from the fortress kitchens...
— What did you say, you treacherous bear?! — I roared, looking down at my own torso with childish indignation. — There is no bulge here! If you think I'm going to fall into your cheap psychological trap to force me to train, you are dead wrong!
— It is not a trap, but mere observation of practical facts — Katriny scoffed, looking away with false indifference. — I know perfectly well you lack the stamina required to accept the burden.
— You traitress! How dare you doubt my temperament? Am I so weak as to reject a challenge from the Sacred Kingdom? I accept your challenge! But on one condition: the period will be only three months!
— Five months, then — she bargained immediately.
— No! Four months and not a single hourglass more! — I stated firmly, pointing my index finger.
— Done! — Katriny flashed a triumphant smile, extending her paw. — Deal sealed, the young master can no longer back out of his word!
I stopped in the middle of the stone street, my mind processing the dialogue at high speed. I stared at the panda's half-closed eyes and mischievous smile:
— Wait a second... you engineered this whole argument on purpose to corner me, didn't you?
— Young master, I have been an excellent disciple — she laughed loudly, patting her own robes in satisfaction. — I learned the art of mental manipulation watching you drive Master Balin crazy at the smithy.
— I knew it!... You got me good. Now I don't even have a mechanical key to escape this rustic contract.
— I warned you that the spell could turn against the sorcerer — she continued laughing, victorious.
— Keys?... — I muttered, my mind locking onto a linguistic concept from Téia. — Thinking about it, in this world there is no concept of complex gear locks and keys for the security of ordinary homes, only rustic latches and large iron bars for gates and dungeons... Let's return immediately to Vance Fortress, Katriny! Without knowing it, you just gave me the perfect idea for our next line of mechanical defense!
