Chương 24: The Hump

As Jordan woke, he braced for the agony of torn-up, inflamed muscles. To his delight, it wasn't nearly as bad as he'd feared. Roughly a week into the boot camp that was Vesselia, his flesh really had become more resilient to labor. He made to get up, then found he was still wrapped inside Canyon's cloak, with the woman herself still sleeping soundly beside him.

Eyes closed, lips slightly parted, and messy hair still housing some of the tree bits from yesterday, she looked more like a 'Canyon of Amber Lake' than Jordan had ever known her to be. Slowly, quietly, he sought to extricate himself from the cloak, first by freeing his arms. As he tried to tug on the cloak, however, a hand wrapped around his torso and pulled him closer. Canyon didn't make a sound save for the faintest snoring. Her eyes were still shut, though they now creased into a slight, almost petulant frown.

For several moments, Jordan didn't dare move a muscle. His hand remained frozen upon the overlap. His heart thumped so hard it nearly jumped out of the cloak on its own. His whole body simmered from Canyon's unnatural heat, such that he lost the ability to breathe. Canyon has you in something akin to a stranglehold, one that's awkward as hell to get out of. Will you… 1) [Dexterity DC 14 (Medium)] Use some kind of circus trick to wriggle free. Whatever you do, don't wake her in your current state.

Can you even imagine? [Favorable: DEX modifier (+3).] [Adverse: [Doom Spiral (Lv. 2)] (-2). You don't know any circus tricks (-2).] 2) [Intelligence DC 20 (Hard)] This is a physics problem. What is the force that can be applied on a sleeping person without waking them up? Figure that out, and you're home free. [Favorable: INT modifier (+5).] [Adverse: [Doom Spiral (Lv. 2)] (-2). This is clearly not a physics problem (-2).] 3) [Wisdom DC 8 (Easy)] Come on man, what are we doing? Just be normal.

You're an adult, she's an adult. You're both more than capable of laughing this off. [Favorable: WIS modifier (+6).] [Adverse: [Doom Spiral (Lv. 2)] (-2).] A couple of firsts to tickle the gamer part of Jordan's brain. The first time a dialogue option had presented him with nothing but ability checks, with one of them being the first ever [Intelligence] check. And tempted though Jordan was to finally get in Fuxi's good books, he knew there was only one real option here. 3) Rip off the band-aid and wake her up.

Wisdom DC 8 Roll: 13 Final: 17 Result: success" Canyon." She stirred with a sharp intake of breath. The kind of sound people make when they're woken in the middle of an intense dream—perhaps even a nightmare. Her grip on Jordan tightened for a second, even as she blinked away the last remnants of her sleep. The reaction that followed was swift and silent. Canyon drew away first her hand then her whole self. She averted her gaze, which Jordan took as his cue to gently slide out of the cloak and rise to his feet.

He then kept on walking, taking a short stroll outside the cave as if it were a natural part of his morning routine. The truth was that he only wished to give Canyon as wide a berth as possible. The early morning breeze did wonders for his toasted skin, as did the sun poking out of the eastern horizon. So much so that he started to forget the awkwardness. Of course, one of the gods just had to rub his face in it. Charisma DC 15: failure N üwa: "I'll never understand the tedium of you Radiant-Vigor-Era men.

Would it kill you to be more direct?" Be direct about what? Jordan nearly yelled out loud. I've got way bigger things to worry about, okay? Not that it's any of your business… Wisdom DC 12: success Shennong:"I for one believe you took the right approach. There may come a time when all this ambiguity needs reckoning with, but I don't see the reason to hurry. Smell the peonies, I say!" Jordan did sigh out loud. Just his luck to have become a walking Truman Show for an audience of six.

Well, let the gods cook up as many fan theories as they wished. Jordan himself knew where his priorities lay. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Priorities such as… Affliction abated. [Doom Spiral (Lv. 2) -> (Lv. 1)] (-1) penalty to all rolls until the Affliction is cured. Affliction cured. [The Curse of Threes]. Jordan sighed again, this time in relief. It almost felt like cheating, coming on the back of three easy rolls. But Jordan would take all the wins he could get.

Gods knew he was already at a big enough disadvantage without having to worry about game balance. And after a few more minutes of aimless wandering…" Jordan!" Canyon was dressed up and ready to go. She'd combed out her hair and fashioned a new scarf for herself, which now covered the lower portion of her face. A pair of serene eyes gazed out from above the DIY face mask." Let us move out. If all goes well, we might even make the city by the end of—why do you look so happy?"

So, Canyon had chosen to ignore what had happened earlier. Fine by Jordan; he followed her lead." Just rolled my third success in a row." Those serene eyes now lit up in shared delight." You mean…?"" Yup. Cured [the Curse of Threes], and I'm also down to a single stack of [Doom Spiral]."" That is welcome news. Though I'm curious: what finally pushed you over the hump?" Jordan thought about telling the truth, then decided to let sleeping dogs lie." Oh it was epic, let me tell you.

Just now when I was walking around, I managed to loosen a nasty crick in my neck. If you've ever had one yourself, you know how big of a deal that is." Canyon stared, frowning slightly. She looked rather disappointed by the answer but showed no sign of doubting its veracity." Well, I suppose I can count myself fortunate. I never experienced a crick so bad that it would demand a test of my attributes."" Still young. Plenty of opportunities yet." Canyon grumbled into her scarf.

A few quick bites of bread, another swig of muddy pond water, and the pair was off. The day began much the same way as the previous had ended. Whatever influence the Garuda had held over the immediate region, it seemed to have scared away all forms of wildlife—including monsters. The pair proceeded through more patchy woodlands, encountering not much more than the occasional rodent that would scurry back into its hole at their approach.

Jordan took up Canyon's offer to start on cauldron duty, allowing his own muscles more time to recover. It was, predictably, hard going at first. But the Chronicler eventually found her rhythm much like Jordan once had. And she too converted to the church of vital humors, favoring the 'high' over the prospect of frequent rest. They switched at around midday. First though, they took a break atop a small knoll, which provided a vantage point to get the lay of the land." Do you see?"

Canyon pointed in a roughly easterly direction, panting heavily all the while. Her hair and face were absolutely drenched with sweat, but she'd refused to take off her scarf. Jordan followed her gaze until he saw what looked to be walls rising in the distance. They all but blended in with the surrounding rocky terrain but were nevertheless the unmistakable sign of a man-made settlement—the first of its kind Jordan had seen in nearly five days." That's the city, I would assume?"" You would assume correctly.""

Doesn't look that far. Should be able to make it by the end of the day, like you said."" Yes, but now we come to the question: how do we get in?"" Uh… through some gates, I would assume?" Canyon flashed him a glare of annoyance." Did you forget? Taking the Highroad would incur a toll, one that's prohibitively expensive for you."" But not prohibitively expensive for you, I would assume?" Jordan said breezily, intending it as a light joke.

Only after the words had come out did he realize that they might have been a touch insensitive. If Canyon had been offended at all, she didn't show it. If anything, she almost sounded apologetic as she panted out an answer." It's not. And I'd gladly pay for us both, were it not for…" She trailed off, lowering her head as though ashamed. Now it was Jordan's turn to feel bad." Forget it. Let's go through the back channels, as per our original plan."" But you and I don't know the plan.

Foxhill never told us, and I don't have the connections with city smugglers that a Pathfinder would."" Then we'll figure something out when we get there." Jordan grinned with a cheer he didn't quite feel.

"Don't forget that I'm on a roll at the minute. If this were a casino, I'd be gearing up to make a big bet." Canyon merely frowned at the peculiar turn of phrase. If she had an argument against Jordan's casual optimism, she didn't voice it. For the rest of the trip, the Gatekeeper took over the 'reins' to his own Vessel. The terrain became rockier and trickier, with numerous bumps along the off-road.

It was a real struggle in some parts to push the cauldron through, but Jordan persisted with a single-track determination. In his mind, the task had taken on an almost do-or-die significance. For this was his first real test as a spell-less spellcaster. A hump, as it were. Get over it—get across the line and into the city—and somehow, everything would be smooth sailing from there. Well, maybe not smooth sailing, but Jordan would at least have something to hang his hat on.

Proof that he could finish a quest in this world, and therefore the confidence to take on new challenges. Constitution DC 15: success Xihe:"Before the fledgling can take to the sky, first he must learn to leave the nest." Damn right. Jordan couldn't agree more… but with one caveat. Let's just hope I don't fall off the tree before I've even spread my wings.