As a reminder, there will be no chapter next week, as I'm taking some time off for Christmas and visiting some family out-of-state. Plan is to return to normal with a chapter the following Friday to finish out the year.
Bringing along a change of clothes had been a good idea, because chicken wasn't the only thing getting grilled that evening.
"Where were you?" Jean prodded the moment he joined them for dinner.
Adam had a suspicion Jean already knew, and with no other excuse to give, he decided to just go for it. "Blaine offered to train me some more."
"You went back to that madman?" Jean seemed about as enthused as Adam expected. "After what he did yesterday?"
Adam shrugged. "It worked." Maybe he hadn't mastered it yet, but he'd gotten more control of his aura in two sessions than in all the training Jean had given him so far. What were a few cuts and scrapes if it meant he got what he needed? Of course it was easier to say that now with his injuries already healed from his aura.
"It was cruel."
"It was effective." Like Blaine said yesterday, life was cruel. Better he face that now and be prepared than sit around waiting for life to sucker punch him again.
"I would've trained you if you asked." Liar. Half the reason Adam had gone to see Blaine was because Jean said he wouldn't be available. That, and he really wanted to see if they could make more progress, which they had.
Sensing the rising tension in the room, Soji cut in to redirect the conversation. "So what did you learn in this training of yours?"
A safe topic. Safer, at least. Either way, Adam wasn't about to waste the opportunity to justify his decision, not to mention the safer harbor of talking to Soji with Hurricane Jean looming. "I made my aura work again."
"Excellent news!"
"Manifest," Jean corrected. "Your aura always works. You manifested it defensively."
Adam rolled his eyes. "Fine, I manifested my aura and blocked multiple attacks this time." Considering he couldn't even manifest it properly until yesterday and only managed to block a single hit that time, today's lesson was a huge improvement.
"So more of yesterday's approach then?" Jean didn't sound too impressed. "Figured as much."
Adam could use a lot less of Jean's derision right now. "He treated me like an adult."
"He treated you like a pincushion," Jean returned, but Adam chose to ignore him.
"He also commissioned a new sword for me." Whatever snide comment Jean had readied, the last detail shut him up. "Gave me some pointers on my style, too. He's hoping a better sword will help."
While it may have shut Jean's mouth, it only seemed to perk Soji up even more. "Finally getting that upgrade, are you? Anything special?"
Now this Adam could go on about. "The blacksmith said I should try a single edged sword. Says it fits my style more." And wasn't that a shocker. Not the details, but who they came from. He'd never expected someone like that to know so much about fighting, but then again, who would know more about swords than someone who made them for a living? "It'll be lighter and stronger than my old one, too."
"So when will this new and improved weapon of yours be ready?"
"It should be done by the time we come back," Adam informed them. With how long it would take them to complete their trip north, resupply, and return, he had a feeling his new sword wouldn't exactly be a rush order. "Blaine already paid for the whole thing in advance, too."
Soji had been excited before, but his eyes widened in pure delight at the last bit. "Is that so? Then perhaps there is more to this Blaine character than I first believed."
"Probably just felt bad for hurting you and Cammie," Jean growled, refusing to give any ground on the matter. That was fine. Adam didn't need his approval.
He did, however, need his training. "He gave me some advice on getting my aura to manifest, too. I was thinking we could try some of it out tomorrow night."
"I'm not gonna try impaling you just to see if you can stop me," Jean said.
"Nothing like that." Not that any of Blaine's attacks had been life threatening anyway, but he had a feeling bringing that up wouldn't help. "He said I was overthinking things by fighting defensively. I could only make it work when I attacked. I guess it's more instinctual that way."
Jean considered the idea for a moment. Even if Jean hated Blaine and his methods, surely he would see some wisdom in the approach. "I guess we could give it a try. So what? I just let you try to slice me open?"
"I blocked his counterattacks," Adam clarified, already excited at the idea. "He said it was because I was being more active or something. Less time to think." And who ever thought thinking too much would be his problem?
"Not like it's that different from how we started." Jean was right. His training up until recently had just been Adam attacking constantly, though Jean rarely retaliated. Did that have something to do with his aura? Was attacking just natural for him after all his attempts against Jean? It was an interesting theory, if nothing else, though it didn't really help him right now. "We'll give it a shot tomorrow, I guess. But only if you agree to do exactly as I say."
Adam would sell his soul for training right now, damaged as it might be. A few instructions would be nothing for him. "Deal."
"I'm serious." So was Adam. "We'll try a few things and see what works, but I don't want any complaining that you're not learning fast enough or I need to do more. Got it? You do what I say, when I say it. And we stop when I say we're done."
You done? Blaine's words crept in, reminding Adam just how lost in the moment he'd been during their training. He hadn't listened then and only stopped when Blaine let him score a hit. Adam would have to keep an eye out for that. He had a feeling Jean wouldn't just shrug it off so easily.
"I promise."
"Food's here!" Soji cheered as a trio of large plates were brought to them. His stomach ended its ceasefire as it let out a ferocious growl, reminding Adam just how desperate he was for food. Thankfully, Julia had answered his stomach's prayers and then some. He tore into the meal like he hadn't eaten in weeks, ending whatever conversation was left in favor of another mouthful.
Tonight, he'd dine like a king. Tomorrow, he'd train like hell.
/- - - - - - - - - -/
Leaving Tsubaki turned out to be a bigger deal than Adam expected. And not just because of his feelings for the place. Their short stay had certainly had an impact on him. He'd learned to manifest his aura and even had a new sword in the works. The caravan also had a new trading partner with a potentially valuable commodity. Something that could more than make up for the loss of tea sales at the Yuris and the extra travel expenses of the south. All in all, their visit had been a huge success.
But it was the actual sendoff that stood out the most. They'd packed up and gotten the wagons ready just before the first rays of sunlight began to peek over the trees. The only people they typically saw when they left a town were other merchants or the inn and stable workers doing their best to hurry them along so they could prepare for the day.
Instead, they'd been met with a small crowd of people wishing them a safe journey. As promised, Julia had given them a hearty supply of her mother's khao piak sen for the road. Adam had expected some small container. A snack for the trail at best. He hadn't expected a massive pot sealed tight with a lid that would easily feed them all. Captain Zoster came by with a small detachment of guards on horseback, insisting that they'd have an escort for the first half hour or so - a sort of apology for the rough treatment on their arrival. Cammie came along to see them off, too. Even the mayor came by to chat with Rikyu and Soji. Some curious townsfolk had followed along to see what all the commotion was about.
Adam felt a little weird about being such a spectacle, but Soji just laughed as they started out and assured him it was fine. "We're a peculiarity to them. The first visitors from the north they've had in a long time. I suspect we will be old news by the time we return."
Adam hoped he was right, and not just because he hated being a spectacle for so many people. He'd been to a lot of places since joining the caravan, but most of them were just stops along the way to him. They meant little more than a roof over his head and progress on their journey. Tsubaki was different. He actually looked forward to coming back and seeing it again. Maybe next time he could explore a little more and get to know the town better.
That would have to wait, though. They still had to get their new cargo to the capital and see if Soji's predictions on profitability would pan out. Usually, they knew exactly how much each item traded for in advance. Rikyu kept a log of all of the current rates, using a mixture of past prices, current events, and information trading with other caravans to know when and where to buy and sell. All businesses had to keep an eye on supply and demand, but the merchants of Anima often knew more about the markets than the markets themselves did.
Tsubaki oil, however, proved a mystery. It had been sold before, but Soji had never really paid much attention to the rates back then. Why bother with a product they'd never carry? Even if they knew the old price, that meant little today. Would people pay more for the return of a product they had lost access to, or had they gotten used to being without? Would demand skyrocket, or would they need to build a new customer base first? There were too many variables to account for at the moment. All they had to go on was Soji's instinct.
It hadn't steered them wrong yet.
The return to trail life hit harder than usual this time around. A few days didn't sound like much, but Adam had gotten used to never staying anywhere more than a day. Most places were overnight visits. They'd pull in late, get some food and rest while making some basic trades, then hit the road again the following morning. In comparison, their time at Tsubaki had been long enough to spoil him a bit.
The day dragged by slowly. Even slower than their heavily laden wagons. They had to stop more often to rest the horses, making the day stretch on as they made far less progress than before. To make up for lost time, they rode longer into the night than usual, only setting up camp once it became too dark to see the trail reliably.
That's when the fun began.
"You're supposed to hit back," Adam complained as he picked himself up again, brushing off some of the dirt and grass from his clothes.
"I did hit you," Jean protested.
"You pushed me. I need to learn to block with my aura, but I can't do that if all you do is trip me." Not to mention how aggravating it was to be thrown to the ground repeatedly.
Their training had been a little slow at the start. Despite Jean's promises to step up his training, he was still holding back. Every time Adam attacked, Jean either blocked it or dodged, pushing him off balance at worst in was meant to be training him, but Adam had done most of the talking so far.
"I don't want to hurt you," Jean said, defending his inaction. "Then I'd be stuck doing your chores."
The last second addition didn't fool Adam in the slightest, but he chose not to call out Jean's actual concern. "And I don't want to get hurt, but that's the point. If I use my aura, I won't be. So just…use your knife or something."
Jean wrinkled his nose in disgust, likely remembering how Blaine had done the same, but he still did as Adam demanded and pulled out his hunting knife. It wasn't nearly as cruel or vicious looking as Blaine's. It didn't crackle with energy or anything. It was just a long, thick knife suited more for slicing up an animal carcass than actual combat, but it would still do the trick.
"Good. Let's try it again." It felt weird giving all the instructions, but if that's what it took, then Adam would pick up the slack for Jean. Like always, Adam had to fight for what he wanted. "Here I come!"
As if Jean needed the warning. It was almost comical how easily Jean batted his attack aside, smacking the side of Adam's sword away with his free hand before hesitantly cutting for Adam's arm. The steel barely nicked him, leaving a thin red line that only broke skin in the middle.
"Are you okay?" Jean demanded.
"Again," came Adam's response. "But this time, try actually hitting me."
"You sure?" Where was this timidity when Adam had challenged him before? Jean had never been one to hold back, smacking Adam around relentlessly each and every night. So why was he holding back now? Had Jean had some change of heart all of the sudden?
Or maybe nothing had changed at all. Adam could remember that fateful night in Oniyuri. The night of their fight. Not the first one. That had done nothing but show him how utterly outclassed he was. No. It was the second fight that stood out. The one where he'd earned his first taste of real training not through a clash of might, but a battle of wills.
And his had proven stronger.
Adam had pushed. He'd always pushed, but that night he'd forced Jean back through sheer determination. Jean had given ground, unwilling to let Adam impale himself as he marched forward against Jean's sword. Looking back, that night was more than just showing how far Adam would go. It showed the limits of how far Jean would. He'd been merciless until it came to actually drawing blood by his blade. He talked a big game, but the big guy got a little squishy when it came to potentially lethal attacks.
If that was the case, then maybe Adam would just have to take another lesson from Blaine.
After another failed attempt left what could only be described as a step above a papercut, Adam decided enough was enough. They reset. He attacked. Jean blocked and countered. The blade halfheartedly skirted against Adam's skin.
Until Adam lurched into it.
"Adam!" Jean dropped his knife as he rushed to catch him, but he needn't have bothered. The blade had cut a bit deeper. A trail of blood meandered down Adam's arm and dripped from his fingers. It stung like heck, but Adam grimaced through the initial shock and stood his ground, refusing to reach for the wound as he sought to prove his point.
"I'm not some helpless child anymore, Jean." He had been, once. A long time ago. He couldn't afford to be like that anymore. And the sooner Jean realized that, the sooner he'd take him seriously. "A few cuts won't kill me, but you holding back might."
"What?"
Adam seized on Jean's confusion to keep going. "I've killed a Beowolf. I've killed an Ursa. But those were more luck than anything, and we both know it. If I can't use my aura, then next time, I might not get so lucky. But I won't learn if you don't teach me."
"I am teaching you."
"You're teaching me to fight someone who won't fight back." And if he wouldn't fight back, then what need would Adam have to protect himself? Maybe his aura wasn't manifesting because it knew it didn't need to. "What happened to not going easy on me? What happened to taking me seriously? You said you don't want to hurt me, but this," Adam wiped his hand across the cut, wincing at the sting before holding up a reddened palm, "is nothing compared to what'll happen if you don't train me. Don't let me be another Harkin, Jean."
It was a low blow. Adam knew it even as the words left his lips. He'd practically backhanded Jean across the face, but he didn't have the luxury of caring about feelings right now. Life wasn't the only one that could be cruel.
He couldn't tell if his words had the intended impact or not, but Adam wasn't one to wait around to find out. Like Blaine had taught him, he needed to stop being so passive. If he wanted results, he needed to act.
He needed to make Jean act.
Adam charged in yet again, refusing to wait for Jean to recover. Stunned as he might've been, Jean's instincts had him dodging away with a palm strike to Adam's shoulder to knock his swing wide. He ducked under Adam's return swing, rolling as he scooped up his dropped weapon and slicing at Adam's leg. Adam managed to step out of range and bring his sword crashing down, but all it bit into was dirt as Jean kicked to the side. Adam saw the instinctual swing for his arm. He knew it would strike true this time. His body reacted and tried to move away to lessen the blow, but there was no avoiding the coming pain.
He didn't truly fear Jean. They both knew there was almost no risk involved here. No real risk, that was. But he didn't have time to think. His arm still stung from the earlier cut, the burning pain a lingering reminder of what failure felt like. More than that, his own words had brought thoughts of what true failure looked like. Grimm attacks. Destroyed homes. Broken families. He hadn't just been pushing Jean's buttons. He'd been tricking himself as well. Focusing his mind and body while hoping his aura - his soul - followed suit.
A stirring inside of him was his answer.
The knife struck aura, the red light washing over him a moment before impact. The force still spun him around as his arm was thrown to the side. He still felt the hit. Still grunted in pain. But that was it. He might have a bruise later, but it sure beat another cut.
Jean froze, knife still hovering where Adam's arm had been, even as Adam began to laugh. He'd done it. It wasn't anything new. He'd manifested his aura before. Blocked some of Blaine's strikes, too. But part of him had been afraid it was a fluke. That he couldn't recreate it without help from Blaine. Yet here he stood, manifesting it himself without Blaine.
And if he could do it once, he could do it again.
Though that would have to wait. "Not bad," Jesse commented, finally joining them after watching from a distance. "Looks like you're starting to get the hang of it." Jesse tossed a small rock at him, smiling as it bounced off Adam's aura.
Adam couldn't contain his excitement. "I did it! It took a few tries, but it worked. My aura worked! I've still gotta figure some things out, though." For one thing, shutting it off. Adam took a couple deep breaths, calming himself down as his aura stilled and the light faded. "And I still can't do it on command."
"That'll come in time," Jesse promised. "Whatcha think, Jean? Pretty good start for a newbie."
Adam's smile dropped as he turned around. He'd manipulated Jean - weaponized his own worries against him - all so he could train harder. He hadn't really considered the aftermath of his actions. Now, with the adrenaline wearing off and his mission accomplished, he knew he had to face whatever retribution Jean had for him.
Jean didn't look as angry as Adam feared, but that didn't mean he was happy, either. He forcefully sheathed his knife as he stood straighter and sighed through his nose. Adam braced himself for whatever harsh words Jean had for him, knowing he'd earned every single one.
"You're sloppy," Jean criticized. "You shouldn't be using your aura at full strength for a light hit like that. You'll burn it all up in a fight."
"You're…you're not mad?"
"I'm a lot of things," Jean answered. "Mad. Disappointed. A little dirty." He slapped his pants leg, dispelling a cloud of dust. "But that'll pass. I promised to take your training seriously. So let's get serious."
"We're not done?" Adam had kind of expected Jean to storm off and sulk. Not that Adam would've blamed him. He'd tried to cut Jean pretty deep.
"I'm done. You're not."
"Huh?"
Jean's smile was too satisfied for Adam's liking. "What good is aura if you don't have strength?" Jean pointed at the ground. "Push-ups."
"How many?"
"Until I say stop." Adam suspected that wouldn't be anytime soon. "Oh, and dinner's almost ready, so I suggest you hurry or there won't be any left." Adam's stomach tried to protest, but Jean wasn't listening.
"But my arm." Adam raised his arm to show off the injury from before. The bleeding had stopped, but the cut was still pretty tender and sore. Push-ups didn't exactly sound great right now.
"What about it?" Ah. There was the comeuppance he'd been waiting for. "Take it as a lesson on manifesting your aura consistently. Or testing your healing." Or not angering Jean during training. "Either way. You said you wanted to be taken seriously? Then I'll get right on it. Oh," Jean called out as he started to turn away, "and don't worry. I'll have some other exercises for you after dinner. See you then!"
"Good luck," Jesse whispered before abandoning him.
Son of a-
/- - - - - - - - - -/
Adam had never truly known exhaustion before. He'd been tired. Even worn out sometimes. But never like this. He practically dragged himself out of bed every morning, still feeling the lingering pains of the previous night's training.
Not that Jean had any mercy then, either. The morning after his first new training regimen, Jean had woken him up early with the introduction of morning training. Mostly it involved running laps around the campsite, as goofy as it looked. He wasn't allowed to stop until it was time to leave. Even their rest stops became workouts. Push-ups. Crunches. Squats. Planks. Whatever cruel idea Jean had at the moment became his newest torment. His aura would help him recover before the next trial, serving both as a boon and a curse.
"Don't you think it's a bit much?" Soji attempted on the second day.
"He's got plenty of time to recover on that wagon of yours." The worst part was, Jean was right. But right about the time he started to feel better, Jean would suddenly call a halt and the nightmare would begin again. "He's working his body by exercising and testing his aura with healing. It needs to grow, too."
Adam didn't know if that was a thing or not, but arguing with Jean usually meant more suffering. The days would culminate in more practice spars, typically with several failures for every success. Still, Adam could see improvements. He didn't fail quite as often as the days went by. He could work out longer and harder before tiring, too. They were subtle changes, but with nothing else to occupy his thoughts, Adam noticed them.
The world continued to move around him, though he hardly noticed. Stopping in some new village just meant running laps around a larger area and an occasional onlooker at night. If anything, it felt like Jean was even less merciful when they reached civilization, making Adam long for the open trail once more.
Mercy or respect. You'll get only one from me. Adam was beginning to wish he'd chosen mercy.
In a weird way, even though he felt dead tired most of the time, Adam had never felt more alive. He had a goal. A purpose. And he was actually working towards it. As the weeks passed and the trail finally broke free of the tight-packed trees of the Forest of Hinoki, Adam knew he was on the right path. Working out was nothing new, though the intensity of it put his earlier efforts to shame. It was the aura training that kept him going.
He still couldn't block everything. His aura covered him entirely every time and still burned too hot afterwards. But he could release it faster now. He'd even gotten it to manifest once or twice outside of their spars - something they tried every night after dinner. Considering he'd entered the forest without even having his aura unlocked, he felt like he was making good progress.
Leaving the confines of the forest trail seemed to lift the spirits of the group. Trees were nothing new, but now that they were out in the open, Adam realized just how claustrophobic the whole thing had been. The open fields that greeted their escape were a welcome relief.
If a short lived one.
"Halt!" Jean called from the front for what felt like the hundredth time that day.
"More of these blasted rocks," Soji whined. "What is the point in a path if it is not maintained?"
Adam had to agree, though he had a suspicion there wasn't much travel in the area. They hadn't seen a single village since leaving the forest. Only mountains.
Lots of mountains.
The trail skirted the rising cliffs at first, but little by little, their path took them away from the open plains and up the side of the rocky mountain range. The path was rough at the best of times, forcing them to ease their pace once more to avoid toppling a wagon or injuring a horse. Every now and then, Jean would stop them to clear something from the path. Most of the time, it was just some loose gravel that had fallen, but they'd had an entire boulder earlier. Jean, Jesse, and Adam had worked together to roll it out of the way, sending it tumbling down the slope to smash against the rocks below. Ever since, Adam had been eyeing the slopes above, terrified of what might fall down them.
Their progress may have been slow, but Jean's careful pacing and precautions spared them any major accidents other than a broken wheel on the third day. It took some time to unload the wagon, install the new wheel (with Jean holding the empty wagon himself), and get started again, all while Soji stewed and complained about their predicament.
"We should've just gone through the fields."
"Wouldn't that be dangerous?" Adam asked. Uneven ground. Potential holes and soft soil. All things that could spell disaster for a wagon.
"No more than this abomination we are on now," Soji groused. "This Tsubaki oil had better be worth it."
"I'm sure it will be." Calming down a raging Soji was a tall order. The man did nothing by halves. When he was happy, it was like a party. But when he got angry, all of Remnant was condemned by the man. "It'll be worth it once we reach Mistral."
"It had better be." Soji glanced at the sky, cursing the sun for moving so far already. "I see now why the last merchant in Tsubaki had an airship. These mountains are a stain upon my Kingdom."
Adam rolled his eyes at his exuberant friend. "At least they'll weed out the competition," Adam tried. "Can't be many brave enough to come this way."
"Or foolish enough," Soji answered before letting out an exhausted sigh. "Though I suppose you are right. We must keep our spirits higher than these blasted peaks if we are to triumph."
And just like that, Soji's mood swung back like a pendulum.
Keen to keep him distracted while Jean handled things up front, Adam asked, "How far to the next village."
"It's no village we seek, Adam," Soji said, pointing into the distance. All Adam could see was more mountains. "This is a city set in the very mountains themselves. It is the gateway from the south. A town of mystery and danger that has both withstood and embraced the worst Anima can throw at it. We are still a day or two out, but we may see the lights tonight if the weather holds."
A distant rumbling threatened otherwise. The clouds lurking in the north continued to creep towards them, darkening the sky slightly and promising a far more miserable journey ahead.
They soon set off once more, though Jean led them a little faster up the bumpy slope on a collision course with the gathering storm clouds ahead. A light rain soon began to fall, slowing them back to a crawl as they navigated the slickened stone path. For the next two hours they trudged on in miserable silence, accompanied by the constant pattering of raindrops against the hardened ground around them and the occasional boom of thunder. They stopped briefly as the worst of it hit them, weathering the downpour until it finally passed and they returned to the slightly less horrible soaking of the tail end of the storm. Even as the rain finally lightened, the sky remained dark, trapping the world in gloom and fog as they stubbornly pushed their way higher and higher. Adam had no idea what time it was when they finally stopped, cresting a hill and finding cover in a small cave.
There was no training that night. Even Jean was too miserable to enjoy making Adam suffer, telling him to enjoy a night off instead. It took a while to get the fire going, the downpour earlier having found its way into the wagon and slightly soaking their firewood. Once it was lit, the whole caravan huddled around it, taking solace in the warm glow as the rain resumed outside. The crackling of the fire added to the symphony of nature outside, only rarely to be interrupted by words. Curiosity got the better of Adam eventually as he sloshed his way over to the edge of the cave and watched the storm.
Water ran down the mountain in a thin stream, following paths that had been carved through the very rockface itself. The lightning reflected off the smooth face of the cliffs, shimmering against the lingering droplets in a dazzling display. He closed his eyes, feeling the thunder vibrate through the ground beneath him like the groaning of some primordial creature stirring beneath Anima itself.
"It's beautiful, isn't it," Soji said, announcing his presence softly as he joined Adam atop the natural balcony of nature's theater.
"It's terrifying," Adam answered.
"True beauty often is." Soji chuckled at some secret thought. "Not many men have stood where you stand and seen such wonders. It is a rare privilege. A vision of the world as it truly is. A place of chaos and turmoil beyond our wildest imaginations. A world of unlimited potential and unspeakable horrors. It is easy to forget how small we are in the face of such grandeur. What is man, that he dares to defy such splendor? And yet," Soji pointed out into the distance, "defy it he does."
Adam gazed out into the storm even as another bolt of lightning lit the world around him. But one light remained, even as the others faded. In the distance, he could see a faint glow nestled within the heart of a mountain. It was as if someone had carved away the rock itself, revealing some shining gem hidden deep within its clutches. Judging by Soji's words, it was anything but natural.
"Behold, a monument to man's defiance." Soji intoned with a mix of awe and disgust. "A land where the greatness of man has unlocked the worst within us. The egg in the viper's nest."
Soji paused before finally uttering the name of their next destination. A place Adam had heard of before. The single word gripped at his heart as it echoed around the room.
"Kuchinashi."
Now where have I heard that name before. Checks notes. Oh yeah. Definitely nothing bad associated with this place. Nothing but happy memories for Adam.
I've only watched a few episodes of The Grimm Campaign so far, but I've been enjoying it. Lots of potential lore and plenty of genuine humor there. Just wish season 2 wasn't hidden behind the paywall. May eventually break down and use the free trial membership to binge it when I get to that point.
We've said goodbye to Tsubaki (for now) and are venturing forth into new territory at last. Adam is continuing his training under the vengeful tutelage of Jean and making some real gains. Up ahead looms Kuchinashi, which we'll get to visit next chapter, though I expect our stay to be short (then again, I said the same about Tsubaki). We'll be picking up the pace after that, since it'll mostly be travel and training. No training montage set to 80s rock here, sadly. I'm excited for some events coming up in the storyline, though, as well as the eventual appearance of an actual canon character!
On a quick parting note before the break, thank you to everyone who has been following along on this adventure. I know it's a lengthy slog at times and we're only getting started, but seeing the weekly numbers and reading the reviews and messages we've gotten so far has been a thrill. I'm really looking forward to everything planned for 2023 in this story and can't wait to share more of Adam's hypothetical backstory with you all!
Next chapter: Kuchinashi.