Chương 37: Winds of Unrest

Whenever something defied Jordan's comprehension, he took his cue from the locals. And looking around, it was abundantly clear what the consensus reaction ought to be: Panic. Shouting, pointing, eyes darting for cover and rescue. Faced with a fearsome phenomenon far removed from the four walls of the city barracks, the recruits' inexperience showed. Their discipline collapsed within seconds, as they devolved into a hysterical mess.

"Are you a litter of mewling babes or are you soldiers?" Heron Catchgrain, for one, would have none of it.

"Form up, Naraka damn you, form up!" The soldiers did, doing their best to keep the mewling to a minimum. They formed up on the side of the road, their backs to the inexplicable twister. Not being able to see the bad thing in the distance only made it seem closer. Their nerves weren't helped by the two Rangers putting their heads together for a whispered conference. Pewter and Jordan, as recruits #29 and #30 respectively, happened to be closest to where the Rangers huddled.

The latter managed to catch a few of their whispered words, but not enough to string together coherent information. If only… Perception DC 14: success [Eavesdropping Mode] activated. Game mechanics to the rescue! Jordan's anxiety was tempered by wry amusement as the Rangers' conversation appeared as dialogue logs for him to track. HERON CATCHGRAIN: So? What do you reckon? FINCH QUIVERWING: The last natural tornado in the region was recorded nearly 400 years ago, and its veracity is dubious at best.

I'm willing to wager that what we're seeing right now is magical in nature. HERON CATCHGRAIN: I figured as much. Would an Aeromancer like you be capable of whipping up a tornado of that size? FINCH QUIVERWING: No. HERON CATCHGRAIN: The Garuda, then. It's all but confirmed. Can you tell where it's headed and how fast? FINCH QUIVERWING: South-southwest. On course to hit the city or at least come close. I'd say we have… an hour. Two at most. HERON CATCHGRAIN: A veritable emergency.

One that also puts our little expedition in jeopardy. We could cancel the training exercise, but we won't be able to make it back to the city before the tornado hits. We could shelter in place or even move further out of harm's way, but there's no telling if or when the winds might shift. Besides which, what kind of a message would that send to the troops? To value one's own safety over their duty to the citizens of the Empire? FINCH QUIVERWING: … These are fresh-faced recruits, Ranger.

They haven't even been deemed Vessel-ready. Isn't our duty as instructors to make sure that they're at least trained up before we throw them to the wolves? Once Jordan had gotten over his amazement at Finch's capacity for human speech, his fascination got the better of him. At the risk of discovery, he shifted his gaze sideways to peek at the Rangers. Presently, the pair was locked in a tense staring contest: Heron's countenance a little sneery and Finch's utterly neutral.

After several seconds of this, Heron appeared to relent. At the very least, the older man relaxed his shoulders and even his sneer. He then looked up, no doubt to address the troops… and Jordan was too slow to straighten his own gaze. Their eyes met yet again, only for a fraction of a second. But long enough for Jordan to sense a distinct shift in the Ranger's mood.

"Listen up!" Heron bellowed as he strode over to face the platoon.

"It's fallen to Ranger Quiverwing and I to investigate and, if heaven wills it, to neutralize the tornado currently headed to our city. We will depart at once, meaning this field training exercise will have to be put on hold. The safest thing for you lot would be to shelter in place. And lucky for you, you're already gathered up at a toll gate…" Heron stopped for a moment, though he clearly had more to say. His always somewhat condescending eyes scanned the group, lingering an extra split second on Jordan's person.

He continued,"With that said, I have a proposal. The mission Finch and I are about to undertake is necessary and of paramount importance. It also promises to be unusually dangerous. In fact, we have every reason to believe that the Garuda is behind the tornado." Murmurs up and down the ranks. Shushed in an instant by Heron's glare. It was in this renewed silence that the instructor dropped a bomb on his platoon.

"Would anyone volunteer to join us?" Dead silence. Not a one of the recruits so much as fidgeted, but their sheer disbelief was palpable. Finch, who'd taken up a position beside Heron, pointedly stared at his senior Ranger.

"I won't sugarcoat it," Heron went on, a trademark sneer creeping back onto his face.

"Do not consider this an extension of your training. This is a bona fide mission, and as such, neither Finch nor I have any intention of mothering you while we're out in the field. If you're careless, foolish, or simply too weak to face whatever threats we may encounter, then you will suffer the consequences. I'll let you imagine what such consequences might be." This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

If this was Heron's way of encouraging people to volunteer, it wasn't working. The man knew that, of course, and wasn't done with his pitch.

"But there is strength in numbers, and that is true even if those numbers are made up by mewling babes barely past their Bearing Day. If you do this, it'll be a statement of intent, clearer than any other. That you are a combat-class spellcaster, one who possesses the mental fortitude to do what is required of you when it matters most, as well as the nobility of spirit for the citizens of Stormvast to look to in times of dire need. So, I ask again, my soldiers. Would anyone like to volunteer?

I won't think less of those who hold their silence. But should any of you decide to rise to the occasion, then I welcome you whole-heartedly… as my brother in arms." Maybe the longest speech Jordan had had to endure in Stormvast thus far, all while a tornado bore down in the not-so-far distance. And after all that, his first thought was: Fucking psycho. Who the hell guilt-trips their own recruits into throwing down their lives? Won't think less of us?

Yeah, I'm sure that holds water, after you've accused anyone who doesn't volunteer of lacking 'mental fortitude' and 'nobility of spirit'. Charisma DC 10: success N üwa: "Classic doublespeak and moral coercion. Do not be swayed, lordlet. You ought to value your own life over the opinion of this bald-faced manipulator." On this, Jordan was in full agreement with the God of Charisma. And yet… Dexterity DC 12: success Nezha:"Did you see the way he locked eyes with you?

The man can't be more transparent in his contrivance, but that's also what makes this so fun! The Ranger has thrown down the gauntlet, human. Will you pick it up? I know what I would do in your position." The God of Dexterity hit upon the main source of Jordan's anger. The very button Heron had pushed, and Jordan was knowingly letting himself get worked up over it. The height of stupidity, and yet… Constitution DC 15: success Xihe:"I've heard tell of a strange creature from a distant land.

Namely, a salmon that climbs a waterfall at great risk and damage to itself. For glory? For riches? For the admiration of its peers? No. The salmon climbs, for no other reason than that the waterfall stands between it and its one true calling in life." Jordan stifled a sigh. The God of Constitution was the most abstract and opaque of the [Gossip] heads. Yet, funnily enough, they were also the god Jordan found himself resonating with most frequently.

And as he wrestled with his latest dilemma, Xihe's weird nature-doc allegory weighed heavily on his mind. Heron Catchgrain has asked for volunteers to join a tornado-fighting mission. Yes, it's as ridiculous as it sounds. Will you… 1) Hold your silence. Not only would volunteering here be super stupid and risky, it would also play right into Fuckface's psychotic game.

2) [Strength and Constitution DC 21 (Very Hard)] What was the point of getting a second chance at life, if you're just gonna be the same timid, passive conformist you were on the first go-around? A tornado stands between the 'you' who sheltered in place like a sane person and the 'you' who fought a fucking tornado and won. Isn't it obvious what you have to do? [Favorable: STR modifier (+3). CON modifier (+5). [That Dawg In You] (+2). Fuckface pushed a button and it worked (Advantage).] [Adverse: [Doom Spiral (Lv. 1)] (-1).] Jordan took a deep breath, no longer bothering to hide it. Then, while Heron sneered and the rest of the platoon stood in uneasy silence, he… 2) Answer the call. Strength and Constitution DC 21 First Rolls (Advantage): 3, 13 Second Rolls (Advantage): 1, 2 Average: 8 Final: 17 Result: failure"I…" All eyes turned to Jordan in unison. None faster or more eager than the pair that belonged to Heron Catchgrain. And Jordan wilted under the pressure. Under the enormity of what he'd pushed himself to take on.

Fuck, this is a disaster! I shouldn't have said anything, and now it's too late to take it back!

"What's that, Recruit Yu?" Heron all but snarled, eyes glinting with savage pleasure.

"Were you about to volunteer? Speak up, man!"

"I…" Jordan tried again, only to grow even quieter. And to think he'd been one more success away from getting rid of [Doom Spiral] for good! Why oh why did he decide to roll such a risky check?? And just when he'd accepted his fate… just when he realized he'd have to mumble some nonsense explanation for his outburst and look the cowardly fool in front of the whole platoon…

"I volunteer." All eyes turned again, Jordan's included. Except his didn't have to travel far. For the eyes settled on the not-so-pudgy-anymore-after-three-weeks visage of Pewter Sapling. The Tetherer looked absolutely terrified, lips visibly trembling even as he stood at attention and stared straight ahead. The sight of it would almost be comical, except… no one laughed. Not a single snort nor smirk among the group. In fact…

"I volunteer also." Bramble the ridiculously swole Thaumaturge.

"As do I." Pinion the scrawny Dendromancer.

"Count me in, Ranger." Taison the Speedster slash the de facto leader among the recruits.

"… Zhurong give me strength, I volunteer as well." Rowan the Porter who'd boasted of winning a bet against Jordan. One by one, the Gym Rats threw their hats in the ring. All because one among them had been dumb enough to break the silence. Jordan couldn't believe it. Yet, at the same time, it was maybe the least surprising thing to happen today. Which was saying something, considering a tornado had just popped out of nowhere.

Lips trembling for an entirely different reason than Pewter's, Jordan turned to face Heron. The back of his eyes burned something fierce, but he managed to keep a hold of his emotions as he declared—loud and clear for all to hear,"I volunteer."