Breakthrough

Kaleesh watched in bemusement as Arran hurried back to the cottage. From the confounded look in the captain's eyes, it almost seemed like he believed his friend had finally gone mad from training too much.

Arran did not notice Kaleesh's puzzled stare, however. While the weeks of wasted effort hadn't quite driven him mad, his failure to strengthen the bloodlines had caused him no small amount of frustration. Now that he had found a new path forward, he naturally had little thought for anything else.

Still, as he entered the cottage and once more sat down on the creaky wooden chair, he did not act immediately. Instead, he took a brief moment to calm his nerves and consider what he was about to attempt.

His initial excitement passed quickly, and as it did, he could not help but feel some anxiousness. This time, the cost of failure might be more than just wasted time.