The journey to Hetlan's capital is about boring as can be but it allows me to keep writing essays on how to organize and ambush Nobles. The rest of the time I spend training my feel for kinetic force as well as Vikiana's techniques in using lion constructs.
Once I've memorized the grooves to the point of instinct, I no longer even have to think to lion's step or strike. The constructs become so optimized they consume a negligible amount of energy.
A mere thought causes my flow to course through my muscles in succession to precisely boost them. I'm still unable to seemingly blink from one position to another as I've seen her do but that may be because I'm using more energy to strengthen myself than recommended to ensure my health doesn't deteriorate.
Marie and the others began camping with Edusa's regiment as they traveled so I leave them to their new lives. Liz no longer feels a responsibility towards them now that they're safe and free to make their own decisions so I don't bother with them any longer.
I'm walking to a few hundred meters on the column's left flank in armor while Liz plays with her umbrella, thinking of how to track down my brother without a precise location. I figure I'll simply acquire a map and visit every village in that area.
We arrive in Altenburg by noon, entering the valley through a pass with a heavily guarded fifteen meter tall thick rampart that links both mountains together. Once through, I witness an expansive city without walls and with a large complex in the center instead of a castle or palace.
It seems far more civilized a place than even Meiridin because every building is made of white stone. There is a second pass at the other end of the valley that has the same fortifications but isn't as guarded as the one south.
Hetlan's capital seems impregnable. It would take a huge army to get past the walls, an army that would have much difficulty traveling the mountains and would likely lack space to camp.
Not to mention the city cannot be surrounded, which means one would need to split their army to besiege both passes so as to starve it out, giving the defenders every opportunity to raid either north or south with almost all their forces.
Not to mention one can't exactly stay in the mountains during the winter because of the risk of their supplies being blocked by snowfall. It's understandable Cenwalh didn't consider seizing the entire Duchy from house Hetlan because, if they rebelled, then it would be close to impossible to conquer Altenburg.
Hmph. You spotted the weak points too? No river, few fields, mountains don't make good walls. Indeed, you could starve them out, let them die of thirst, or trigger rockfalls.
They can't protect every flank and small groups can climb to the top, it is a weakness they depend on wells that could be poisoned from afar by bow or trebuchet.
But the worst weakness is in these passes. Hm. I don't see it. Think about it, they are too narrow. Well, I can use that to my advantage but it isn't something most people can do and even Vikiana didn't have the staying power to reach a victory.
If they can be blocked one way, they can be blocked the other. If I had to take this city with minimal casualties, I would starve it out for a year while building fortifications facing theirs so as to keep them contained during winter while my army rests in a larger valley in the region.
Oh, indeed. What grants them such defensive strength can be used to contain them, clever but lazy. I've had to review my tactics, how would you take the city? Charge from the front and break them on the rampart.
Of course you would. I chuckle at Liz' straightforward attitude as I walk down the paved road leading to Altenburg.
Liz spins the umbrella while lowering it, which catches my attention. I angle it to the side, revealing the fact that there is a huge crowd awaiting us at the city's entrance.
The people are waving banners and colorful handkerchiefs to welcome Edusa from afar. I groan but find her popularity a very good sign. It relieves me to find that she's well thought of by people but also concerns me because of how easy it seems for Nobles to gain the populace' favor.
I'm certain she did no more than the Council for peasants, after all she had no time to, yet she is far more popular than they are. Nobles have such a bad reputation that those merely decent are perceived as Chosen.
I hold off to observe the troop enter the city because the last thing I want is to get caught in festivities. All I need is a map and a list of names from Edusa to go on my way.
Unfortunately, while I've avoided the crowd, stopped seems to have invited all sorts of pests to bother me. Rowland, Nahl, and Uhla are headed my way in their leather armors, apparently ready to depart at a moment's notice.
“Hah, is the great Freepath cowed by a crowd?” Rowland asks mockingly with a wide smile.
“I'll poke your other eye out.” I reply with a flat voice while placing my hand on my hunting knife. His eyelid twitches.
“Yvonne's going to skin you once I tell her how you skipped on Uhla's help.” He counters.
“You wouldn't.” I protest.
“Don't threaten my eye.” Rowland utters back with a wicked smile. My expression falls.
“Fine, but don't push it.” I reply a toothy grin.
“So, when are we leaving on this quest of yours?” Nahl asks.
“Quest?” I question. “And what told you I'd let any of you come along?”
“The fact your first reaction wasn't to chase us away.” Nahl replies with a gentle smile that undermines my intent to lash out. “I call it a quest because you seem intent on correcting any injustice you come across.”
“I am not.” I affirm. “Far from it, in fact, I let her stay Duchess.”
“Wait, removing her was an option you considered?” Uhla asks with wide eyes.
“Still am, but not seriously.” I note.
“We're on her lands, Jessica, and people love her.” Rowland says. “Not to mention she's loyal to your fiancee.”
“If I made my decisions according to my personal benefits, I would have an army following me by now, and possibly a crown.” I counter with a sharp tone.
“Even Elizabeth Vil couldn't defeat our Liege, the crown had not a chance to intrude on our lands!” A loud shout erupts from the city followed by cheers.
“Liz wasn't among her opponents...” I say, blinking in confusion.
“People can be simple.” Rowland dismisses. “They want their Liege powerful and Elizabeth Vil has built a reputation of invincibility.”
“Hmph.” Liz snorts dismissively. “They know naught.”
I sigh because Liz' rest seems to have dug into her patience. Once she wakes and returns to how powerful she was, I fear how little restraint she'll exert because we'll no longer need to hide or sneak around.
“I am honestly unable to tell if the Duchess could hold her own against Elizabeth but I would venture she would not win.” Rowland comments. “She has not the experience necessary to deal with such a force of nature.”
“Destruction is always easier than creation.” Nahl notes.
“Elizabeth created a new future for peasants.” He denies the ex-Templar's accusation.
“Dame Freepath is cementing that vision, Elizabeth merely destroyed Nobility's facade, revealing how unworthy those holding titles are.” Nahl argues.
“Ugh.” I groan. “Could you not.”
“Aww, she's shy.” Uhla says with a grin.
I snap to her. She startles and takes a few steps back while raising her arms defensively. I turn and head out for the city, determined to keep moving so as to reach Kruzser as quickly as possible since Wraith will be there if I don't run into him in Hetlan, which is growing more and more unlikely as days pass.
“Where are we going next? Mirus?” Uhla asks with a loud whisper.
“I've heard we'll be dealing with some troubles along the way, but it seems so.” Nahl responds just as indiscreetly.
“You're pushing her patience.” Rowland murmurs, adding the last straw.
“Enough.” I snap without bothering to turn around. “I can tolerate your presence but not your needling.”
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“Ah, you must really need us.” He says, ignoring the threat in my tone.
I stop on the spot and slowly turn, ready to lay him down but I find him glaring back with a somber expression rather than the taunting one I expected. I open and close my fist to cool down because the situation isn't as I felt.
“You can't jus...” He starts.
“Rowland.” Nahl interrupts him with a hard tone. “What he means to say, Dame Freepath, is that it is unfair of you to use us only to throw us away when inconvenient. We came to help of our own volition but we may leave if our presence is not welcome.”
“It may have been had you not gone behind my back.” I seethe between grit teeth.
“And we apologize for this but it isn't as if we had much choice with your whereabouts unknown.” Nahl explains with an infuriatingly reasonable tone.
“Lady Lance and Yvonne acted to help as much as they could, aware it was unwise but having little choice considering your health.” Rowland utters. “We took no part in their deliberations.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, owning up to the fact that I've treated them dismissively. I shift my weight and decide to accept the help I require anyway because I can't do everything on my own.
“My life is my own, I will drop any of you who attempts to stir me.” I warn them.
“We have no such intent.” Nahl reassures.
“Then I'll rein my temper in.” I tell them.
I turn and head for the city. Edusa is on a platform with the runaways, mingling with people. The smiles on everyone's faces soothes my heart but it also hurts it because it means my plans won't be effective in regions with rulers like Edusa but Lance's will be.
In victory, the two of us may split the Empire in half despite our ambition of uniting it under a set of values to be shared. The issue is that my ambition to grant self-determination and end subservience is incompatible with Lance's wish to elevate some behaviors.
“Jessica Freepath!”
The shout startles me because it seems to come from several mouths at once among the crowd. People erupt in cheers, some calling me a hero while others call for me to join the Duchess on the platform and a handful even ask for my hand in marriage, which almost makes me trip.
“Freepath! Freepath!”
“Seriously, what is this?” I ask in confusion as the crowd closes in on our group.
“Victory, the crown took some of their lands and these people took it as quite the injustice considering the role their Duchess played to save the Kingdom.” Rowland explains. “You gave Caeviel a black eye and they love you for it, especially because you rescued these twice oppressed mothers.”
“Freepath! Freepath!”
I shudder and let energy course through my muscles to force my way through the thick crowd. Ironically, all these people make me feel lonely and wish to feel Lance's hands around my thighs.
“Freepath! Freepath!”
Yet, that dream soon fades from anger and my mind turns to the east, to Celyz and her majestic figure. I wish I could go find refuge in her tendrils at the end of my travels but, unfortunately, they will lead me south before I have made it halfway to the Silver Hive.
“Freepath! Freepath!”
“I think you're going to become a legend here.” Uhla whispers.
I glimpse back to find the girl with sparks in her eyes. I roll mine and keep parting the crowd as best I can with my shoulder and a half. Luckily, people aren't trying to hinder me but their sheer pressure is making it a hurdle.
“So, where are we going right now?” Rowland asks.
“So many questions.” I groan but my loneliness pushes me to answer. “We need to find an inn with a courtyard to spend the night.”
It takes us a surprisingly long time to find a place to rest at these specifics since, apparently, people here value every single plot of land to build on. I end up settling on a tavern with rooms at the edge of town that has a plot of land to hold their guests' livestock.
“Uhla, find Siegfried and Idali to tell them we're leaving tomorrow at dawn.” I tell her.
“So soon?” Rowland asks.
“I've no time to waste.” I respond.
“Should I gather supplies?” She asks.
“Sure.” I shrug.
“I'll be back late in the day, I have things to do.” Uhla says as she runs off.
I hang my umbrella on the field's fence and drag the two aspiring warriors in to train them among a horde of goats and sheep. They both tense as I draw my broadsword even though I brandish the dull back.
“No holds barred, free flow.” I tell them.
“We can't match you.” Nahl instantly protests.
“I won't be using anything overt. I'll restrain myself to enhancing my senses most of the time.” I tell them.
“Still...” Rowland mutters. “It feels like a trap.”
“I won't use my best construct.” I reassure them.
“Fine, but you better teach us how do counter-attack and deflect at the same time.” He replies.
“Sure, it's not that difficult.” I agree.
Nahl makes a thin smile and lunges with his sword at the same time, almost catching me off-guard. I flick my head back, avoiding a hit to my helmet that would have taken me out because the ex-Templar suddenly applied a construct to his weapon mid-swing.
Rowland then charges in with a vicious wide chest-level slash designed to catch my throat. I parry it aside with the side of my blade by twisting my wrist, which incidentally launches the point straight at his torso.
Nahl brings his sword down on mine, propelling it off at my right side which almost tears it out of my hands. Rowland throws a front-kick that I block with my knee.
I slide to the right around their left before the two can coordinate for another assault. As Rowland turns to keep facing me and Nahl tries to reposition to flank me again, I send out a stream of energy to meld in our surroundings, using the silver glow my eyes detect to guide it.
As promised, I make no direct attack on them. I use the flow to transmit a tiny portion of the kinetic energy in the surrounding air to my skin. The action causes my two opponents to tense.
Rowland, following an advice I've given him before, decides not to grant me time to breathe and charges. He first attempts a thrust that I easily side-step before trying a hack that I avoid by a hair's breadth by turning my chest while swinging.
Nahl brings his weapon up from behind Rowland who crouches, blocking my blow just above his head. The one-eyed bastard then pounces from his low stance to tackle me, forcing me to launch myself back.
Rowland then presses the attack, giving me little to no opportunity to gain the upper hand because I'm limiting my use of lion constructs which means I can't briefly overpower him to land a counter.
Still, I manage to avoid all his swings and his frustration will cause him to eventually make a mistake so I don't worry about my apparent lack of progress.
After a few tens of seconds dancing around Rowland, I feel a pull at the small of my back from a stir of kinetic energy happening behind me. I leap to my left, barely dodging an air-needle Nahl assembled behind my back.
Before I can retaliate, Rowland puts some more pressure on me with a succession of rapid and heavy attacks that drains his stamina. Sadly, and despite dodging with minimal movements, mine will run out first.
He soon launches a blow more sloppy than the others and I take advantage to launch a rapid down-right to upper-left thrust, catching his shoulder. His hard leather armor blocks with no issue, revealing his use of a low-powered defensive construct, but the impact breaks his balance.
Rowland tries a wide left to right slash to push me away but I slap it down with my broadsword and jump over the weapon to pursue the stumbling giant.
As I bring my head back and tense my knees for a headbutt followed by a pommel strike to his jaw, I feel a push on my biceps and reflexively to kick the ground to shift leftward, barely delaying being tackled by Nahl.
I think of sliding backward and flow falls into what can only be described as imaginary runic grooves I've engraved in my body, causing me to instantly lion's step back.
The ex-Templar's arms swipe thin air and he misses a step as a consequence. I raise my right leg and front-kick him in the thigh, propelling the man towards Rowland who manages to catch him.
I leap forth and launch a backhanded left to right swipe to hit both Rowland's forearm and Nahl's chest. They surprisingly manage to untangle themselves just quickly enough to cross weapons, blocking my swing.
I turn my attack into a thrust, pressing forward to the point my guard hits their blades and then flick my wrist. The blunt edge of my weapon hits the side of Nahl's skull, causing him to wince and his knees to weaken.
Rowland immediately, and cruelly but intelligently, lets Nahl drop. I pull away just in time to dodge the giant man's charge. Yet, his use of lion steps makes it much easier for him to redirect his assault to keep going.
As the last thing I can sustain is an endurance battle, I opt for a counter-attack to end this. While moving back, I let him approach close enough to launch a heavy hacking blow.
Rowland takes the bait so I throw a riposte with a flicker of my wrist while moving a half-step to the right, not enough to avoid his weapon but enough to ensure it lands on my shoulder rather than my head.
He narrows his eyes but keeps pressing, seemingly deciding to trade blows. My blade impacts his on its way to his chest, diverting its arc just slightly. Unfortunately for Rowland, it is enough that his blade harmlessly cuts where my left shoulder was while the point of my broadsword slams into his ribs.
“Uhrg.” He groans.
“My win, I believe.” I say with a cocky grin.
“How do you do that?!” He protests.
“More power means less control, it takes training with flow to narrow the gap.” I tell him. “Otherwise it isn't difficult to predict heavy attacks like these because the trajectory won't change.”
“I'd rather fight Elizabeth Vil to be honest, she'd see everything coming as well and I would have a much higher chance of dying but at least it wouldn't feel like I'm dueling a gust of wind. She'd block and then put me down rather than avoid everything.” Rowland complains.
“I have no idea how you avoided my attacks.” Nahl mutters. “We concluded the best way to win was to catch you unaware but it apparently made the result worse.”
“No, those were good attempts that almost got me.” I reassure him. “The second one especially, I didn't notice you moving at all.”
“I did learn something with how you leveraged our swords to attack despite being blocked, I can use that.” Nahl notes.
“I need a heavier weapon.” Rowland mumbles.
“That's it for me, spar with each other.” I tell them.
I leave while thinking on the kinetic construct I spread out for detecting my surroundings. It was much more useful than I predicted but it wasn't quite good enough.
My eyes aren't infallible, and neither is my alertness, so it isn't surprising I hadn't noticed the silver energy of his construct during the battle but I should have felt Nahl moving around me long before I did.
I set the kinetic transfer too low to conserve energy, which backfired. I thought I would notice the slightest brush, which I would normally but not in the middle of a fight with my clothes moving.