Chapter 135: Back to His Own Work

The following morning, Joe found the household occupied with its usual responsibilities. Mike had left early to meet a grain supplier, Lily intended to spend several hours at Vale Provisions, and Simon had already departed for the workshop. Joseph and Pam continued following their treatment schedule, and their improving condition required little attention beyond his regular examinations.

Joe finished breakfast and went to the rear courtyard with his spear. He practiced Ninefold for half an hour, concentrating on several transitions that remained less efficient than the rest of the inheritance. His attainment had reached Complete during the previous ten months, but Perfection still required considerable refinement. The errors were no longer apparent during ordinary exchanges. They emerged when he deliberately disrupted his position, changed the intended target halfway through an attack, or attempted to recover while his weapon remained engaged.

After identifying two weaknesses, Joe repeated the relevant movements until he could correct them consistently. He then put the spear aside and practiced Unbroken Step, which remained at Major. The movement inheritance demanded greater attention because a technically correct step could still place him in a poor position against an experienced opponent.

He worked through several changes of direction, shortening a committed step before his weight had fully transferred and reversing his movement without first recovering his preferred stance. One transition carried his center farther than necessary, leaving his rear foot poorly positioned for a subsequent attack. Joe adjusted the movement and tested it from several starting positions. His accumulated experience increased rapidly once he understood the error, although the familiar courtyard offered fewer challenges than the training grounds in Ashbourne. He completed the session before fatigue began affecting his precision. After eating and resting, he returned to his Innate research. The panel showed the same result he had recorded before leaving Ashbourne.

Innate Transformation — 55.80%

Joe reopened the anatomical records he had organized during his first days in Blackwood. Several regions remained suitable for transformation through methods he had already verified, and he had postponed them while attending to family responsibilities. He began with those structures, preparing the surrounding connections before directing Acquired Energy into the selected tissues.

The first session proceeded smoothly. He knew the required circulation, the amount of energy each region could tolerate, and the order in which its supporting structures needed preparation. The transformed tissues settled without difficulty, allowing him to continue through several adjoining regions over the following days. By the third morning, the panel showed substantial progress.

Innate Transformation — 59.46%

The improvement was satisfying, particularly after months of slower advancement. Yet the remaining regions soon presented the familiar problem. Joe could identify their structure and function, but his existing method did not establish how their transformation would affect the other systems connected to them. He examined a section near the lower spine that he had postponed several times. Its supporting tissues extended through the pelvis and lower limbs, while the nerves and blood vessels serving the region followed routes that could not be treated independently. Preparing the immediate surroundings would leave several important connections unchanged.

Joe considered the available sequences before closing his notes. None offered enough evidence to justify proceeding. His talent could accelerate a method he understood, but it could not make an uncertain approach reliable merely through repetition.

That afternoon, he decided to visit the town guard compound. Halven was reviewing patrol reports beside the training yard when Joe arrived. Several guards were practicing paired movement with spears, while another group prepared for an afternoon patrol. Halven finished speaking with two junior officers before greeting him.

"It's been several years since you trained here," Halven observed. "The compound has changed quite a bit."

Joe examined the enlarged training ground and the route board beside the entrance. The western patrols now covered considerably more territory, and several roads that had once required occasional inspection had become regular routes. Halven explained that increased settlement and commercial traffic had changed the guards' responsibilities. More merchants traveled through the outer roads, while hunters and woodcutters worked farther from town. The guard had expanded its patrol routes accordingly, although the deeper forest remained outside ordinary coverage.

Joe accompanied him around the yard, examining several training arrangements introduced since his departure. The guards practiced more movement over uneven ground, particularly when preparing for patrols through forested territory. Halven explained that the exercises had been introduced after repeated incidents involving men who performed adequately on flat ground but struggled when animals attacked across mud, roots, and narrow paths. Their conversation continued until they reached an older storage building. A large skull had been mounted above the entrance, its antlers extending along the wall.

Joe stopped beneath it. The skull belonged to a deer-like beast, although the breadth of its antler bases exceeded what he remembered from ordinary specimens. More striking was the surrounding bone. Reinforcement extended beyond the attachment points and continued through several neighboring structures.

"How long has this been here?" he asked.

"More than ten years," Halven answered. "It came from the old guard house when we moved the equipment. The patrol report described the animal as mutated. The skull was kept because of its unusual size."

Joe stepped closer and examined the visible bone structure. The antlers had clearly imposed considerable weight, but the reinforcement extended farther through the skull than their attachment alone appeared to require. Several nearby ridges had thickened, and the shape of the bone suggested that the animal's head had developed under conditions unlike those of an ordinary deer.

He remembered another unusual beast from his years with the town guard. During a western patrol, Joe had killed a mature greyhorn stag whose size and strength greatly exceeded the animals ordinarily encountered around Blackwood. Simon had been injured during the encounter, and the carcass had attracted considerable attention after the guards brought it back to town.

Joe had examined the animal at the time, but his understanding of bodily transformation had been far less developed. He remembered its enormous antlers, powerful limbs, and unusual proportions without having known how to investigate their underlying structure.

"Do you remember the greyhorn stag from the western patrol when Simon was injured?" he asked. "Was anything preserved after the carcass was processed?"

Halven considered the question. "I remember the animal. The processor may have kept the antlers, but I don't know what happened to the rest. The patrol report should still be here."

Joe examined the mounted skull again. "I'd also like to see the record for this specimen. The unusual growth may extend beyond the antlers, and I want to know whether anyone observed other changes when the animal was alive."

Halven brought him into the records room and located the older reports. The mounted specimen had been taken northwest of Blackwood after attacking two woodcutters. Its unusual antlers and size were recorded, but the guards had not taken detailed measurements. The greyhorn report contained more information because the carcass had been returned whole, although the account concentrated on the attack and the danger presented to the patrol.

Joe copied the relevant details and asked whether other unusual specimens remained in town.

"Black and Francis have old hunting trophies," Halven explained. "Several retired hunters keep their own collections, and merchants sometimes purchase strange bones or horns for decoration. Apothecaries also retain animal parts they consider valuable for medicine. I don't know how many would be willing to let you examine them."

Joe thanked him and asked permission to return with measuring instruments. Halven agreed and offered to inquire among the older guards about the greyhorn's remains. The mounted skull had given Joe a possibility worth investigating, but he needed additional examples before drawing conclusions. An oversized antler could develop for several reasons, and the surrounding changes might represent ordinary variation rather than an unusual process. Comparing specimens with different abnormalities would help him determine whether the reinforcement followed a consistent pattern. He visited the magistrate's office before returning home.

The magistrate received him without delay and listened as Joe explained his research. He wanted to examine unusual beast remains, particularly specimens showing abnormal development across connected parts of the body.

"I would appreciate a voluntary notice to the hunting groups, apothecaries, and major households," Joe explained. "Bones, horns, preserved tissue, and older hunting records may all be valuable. I only need permission to inspect them. If an examination requires removing material, I'll arrange compensation directly with the owner."

The magistrate considered the request before agreeing. He pointed out that many respondents might bring specimens that were merely large rather than genuinely abnormal, but Joe preferred to examine doubtful examples rather than depend entirely on other people's classifications.

NovelPhoenix is home to the author's published chapter, while this page copied the text without permission.

The notice went out through the town's ordinary correspondence channels. The magistrate included the guard offices, beast-material merchants, Talent Hall, several apothecaries, and the larger martial households. He also allowed owners to retain bulky trophies in their own residences, where Joe could inspect them without requiring transport.

Responses began arriving the following day. An apothecary possessed several preserved tendons and part of an unusually shaped jaw. A beast-material merchant had collected damaged horns, teeth, and bone fragments that could not be sold for decoration. One retired hunter offered two predator skulls, while the Black family reported several trophies accompanied by records of where the animals had been killed.

Joe cleared a room at the Vale residence and brought out the measuring equipment he had carried from Ashbourne. He had prepared the research case for ordinary medical and cultivation work, so it contained enough instruments for preliminary examination, although his stronger magnification equipment remained in the capital. He recorded the origin, condition, and reported age of each specimen where that information was available. Preserved tissues received separate treatment because their preparation methods could have altered their original properties. He also collected ordinary bones for comparison, preventing unusual size alone from becoming evidence of mutation.

Within several days, he had assembled enough examples to begin comparing their structures.

The results were uneven. One enlarged limb bone had thickened through the shaft while its joint remained comparatively narrow. Another specimen displayed broader articulation and larger muscle attachment points across several connected regions. A third appeared abnormal until Joe compared it with ordinary specimens of the same species and found that most of its unusual features fell within a plausible natural range.

The contrast between the first two specimens held his attention. Both had developed stronger bones, but their surrounding structures suggested different capacities to distribute force. In the second, the enlarged joint surface and expanded attachment points were consistent with the greater loads the bone might have carried. The first offered no comparable evidence of adaptation near its joint.

Joe could not reconstruct the animals' entire physical condition from preserved remains. Nevertheless, the specimens revealed that substantial growth in one structure did not necessarily produce corresponding changes elsewhere. He returned to the mounted skull at the guard compound and measured the reinforcement surrounding its antlers. The thickening extended through several regions that would have helped distribute their weight. He then compared those measurements with the preserved limb bones and anatomical descriptions of ordinary animals. The observations suggested an approach to his own research.

Joe had previously organized most of his transformations around individual regions. He prepared nearby vessels, nerves, connective tissues, and supporting structures before converting the larger target. That method remained effective, but it treated each region as a separate problem even when several depended on the same distant structures.

The specimens gave him a reason to examine those dependencies more broadly. Instead of beginning with the tissue he wanted to transform, he could identify the full route through which it received nourishment, control, and mechanical support. Preparing the shared portions of that route first might allow several regions to transform without repeatedly placing strain on structures that remained mortal.

Joe returned to his anatomical records and selected a group of regions he understood well enough to test the approach. He traced their shared circulation and supporting connections, then revised the order of transformation around those common dependencies. He did not begin with the most delicate tissues. The new sequence needed verification in regions where he could observe the response clearly and correct problems before they affected vital functions. His first attempt occupied most of the following morning.

Joe circulated Acquired Energy through a prepared supporting pathway, allowing the surrounding structures to adjust before advancing into the selected tissues. He proceeded carefully, monitoring how force and energy moved between the transformed and ordinary regions. The initial conversion offered little immediate progress. Several small structures required preparation, and the amount of tissue transformed was modest. Yet the circulation remained stable when he extended the work into a neighboring region that depended on the same pathway. Previously, that second transformation would have required a separate sequence of corrections. This time, the prepared connections supported it without producing the resistance he had repeatedly encountered in Ashbourne.

Joe completed the session and allowed his body to recover before examining the result through controlled movement. The transformed regions responded together, and he could transfer force across their shared boundary without the minor adjustments that had previously accompanied similar work. He checked his panel.

Innate Transformation — 63.82%

Joe examined the increase carefully. The new approach had not merely allowed him to complete another isolated region. It had reduced the preparation required for several connected transformations, allowing the work to proceed through a larger portion of the body without repeated interruptions. He recorded the sequence, energy expenditure, and physical response before resting. The following day, he repeated the method in another group of tissues, concentrating on the connections they shared rather than the individual regions themselves.

The results remained consistent. Where the necessary anatomy was understood, Acquired Energy moved through the prepared pathways with considerably less resistance. Joe could complete connected transformations in succession, preserving the stability of earlier work while extending the process into surrounding structures. His recovery remained reliable, although the sessions consumed enough energy that he could not continue indefinitely. He maintained his ordinary rest and cultivation schedule, allowing each completed region to settle before beginning another substantial conversion.

Over the following days, his progress accelerated.

Innate Transformation — 70.46%

Joe studied the panel after completing a demanding session through the lower torso. Several structures that had resisted his earlier approach now transformed smoothly because their shared supporting pathways had already been prepared.

The improvement was substantial, but the remaining work still included regions for which he possessed inadequate guidance. The central nervous system, complicated marrow structures, and several delicate internal connections required more than an understanding of how surrounding tissues distributed force. He marked those regions separately and continued applying the new method where the available anatomical evidence justified it.

Serena found him reviewing the results one evening after returning from the magistrate's office. She had completed most of the administrative work that required her presence in Blackwood, and the remaining correspondence increasingly concerned Ashbourne.

Joe asked whether she still needed to remain until the end of his visit. "Very little requires me here now," she answered. "Simon can handle the local businesses, and the magistrate's office has settled the outstanding filings. Most of my time goes toward answering letters from the state capital, particularly those concerning your cultivation."

She placed a recently received message beside his papers. Marcus had acknowledged the notice concerning Joe's Mid Acquired advancement and requested that Serena coordinate the updated assessment upon their return.

Joe examined the letter before returning it. "You can go back ahead of me. I intend to remain with the family for several more weeks, and you'll be able to handle the correspondence more easily from Ashbourne."

Serena considered the arrangement. She had already spent considerable time away from her ordinary responsibilities, and Joe's remaining activities required little administrative assistance. Nevertheless, she wanted to ensure that his return journey would be arranged properly before leaving.

"I can depart with the two guards tomorrow," she said. "I'll leave you the travel records and arrange a suitable carriage through the local office. Since you're returning alone, the journey should be straightforward, but I would prefer that you use the established stopping points rather than improvise the route."

Joe accepted the suggestion. He could continue training and researching while traveling, and his present cultivation gave him little reason to fear ordinary dangers along the road. Before they finished, he asked Serena to have his stronger research instruments prepared in Ashbourne. The recent specimens had revealed questions he could not examine properly with his portable equipment, and he wanted the workroom ready when he returned.

Serena reviewed the equipment list and agreed to supervise the arrangements. She also suggested keeping the Blackwood specimens properly documented rather than attempting to transport everything immediately. Joe could select the most valuable examples later, once his initial examinations were complete. Their preparations were finished that evening, and Serena departed the following morning with the Montclair guards.

Joe accompanied her to the gate and thanked her for managing the family's affairs during the visit. She reminded him that several appointments would require his attention upon returning to Ashbourne, then entered the carriage and instructed the driver to depart.

With the household's ordinary work continuing under Simon and his parents, Joe returned to his research. He spent the next several days extending the new transformation sequence through regions that shared established circulation and structural support. Each successful session gave him more information about how the converted tissues responded as a connected whole, allowing him to refine the order of subsequent transformations. The work demanded substantial energy, but his talents converted every valid effort into extraordinary progress. Regions that might have required years of careful cultivation under ordinary circumstances could now be completed within days once Joe established a reliable method.

Near the end of the following week, he completed another extended session and checked his panel.

Innate Transformation — 78.34%

Joe remained seated while his Acquired Energy recovered. He had crossed the seventy-five-percent threshold that historical records identified as necessary for practitioners who intended to progress from Innate to Grandmaster. The achievement gave him a foundation sufficient for that future advancement, provided he eventually completed the Innate breakthrough. Yet he had no intention of consolidating his body at the minimum requirement.

The remaining transformation included structures that existing martial inheritances described only briefly, and his new approach had not resolved every difficulty. The brain, portions of the nervous system, and certain marrow-related processes remained particularly uncertain. He understood more than he had upon arriving in Blackwood, but there was still no reliable path through every remaining region.

Joe examined the anatomical records beside him. His progress had accelerated because the specimens had helped him recognize a broader method of preparing connected systems, not because the unanswered problems had disappeared. He recorded the successful sequences and marked the structures that still required further investigation. The research would continue in Ashbourne, where he possessed better instruments and access to more extensive medical records.

For now, the result was enough to satisfy him. Ten months of difficult research had left his Innate Transformation advancing slowly while his spear and movement inheritances progressed. A new direction had now allowed him to transform more than a fifth of his body within a short period. He closed the panel and returned to his notes. Several specimens remained available for examination before his departure, and Halven had promised to inquire further about the old greyhorn's remains. Joe intended to use the remaining time in Blackwood to gather whatever evidence he could, while leaving the most difficult transformations untouched until he understood how to complete them safely.