Chương 39: The Furious Sky

Wingbeats, as loud as thunderclaps. Plumage of angry-red, streaked with whorls of verdant green. And giant talons, more than large enough to carry off defenseless horses in the night. Jordan had fully expected to see the Garuda emerge from the fast-approaching tornado. Instead, what he and the party got was… <Monster Sheet> Name: Greater Roc Class: Thrasher, Lv. 15 Vessel: Gland of Furious Sky Status: Frenzied There was that [Frenzied] status again…

and the enormous bird certainly looked the part, eyes wild with fury that knew no origin nor outlet. Its beak splayed apart like a pair of giant scissors—this time with lolling tongue very much present—to let out a screech that shook the very air and burst all eardrums in the vicinity. Jordan was sure glad it'd been the dead of night the last time he'd encountered this thing. Otherwise, he would've wet his boxer briefs in front of Mallet's whole family.

Even now, he physically recoiled under the Greater Roc's oppressive presence, even as he tried his darnedest to stay upright, to stay in the fight. The hands holding the [Spear] shook violently, both from fear and the heavy winds that whipped all about. We should never have come here. Jordan's thoughts went to the five fellow recruits whose fates he'd sealed with an ill-advised gambit. There's no way. There's just no way any one of us is ready to face this thing! And yet, face it they must.

Jordan strode forward with [Spear] in hand, a desperate sense of responsibility winning out over the fear. It helped that the scene was just so surreal, his Earthling brain unable to catch up to the gravity of his predicament. Either way, he managed to keep himself moving. Closer to the threat, but also closer to his party. Five, six, seven human figures. All standing. Around them the scattered remains of freshly dispatched Jumper Rats. Jordan allowed himself a small sigh of relief.

His friends were alive, still up and about and raring to go. The Rangers were well in the mix, too. A Lv. 15 Pyromancer and a Lv. 12 Aeromancer—the party's best hope of quelling the enemy's Frenzied wrath. That hope was soon put to the test. The Rangers made the first move. A tag team of considerable experience. Heron to produce his trusty [Fireball]. Finch to launch it skyward with a spell called [Galesend], which created a pressurized channel between the ground and the flying target.

The [Fireball] zoomed through the channel like it was shooting up a pneumatic tube! Frenzied Greater Roc lost: 32 HP. Jordan watched on in amazement, fear momentarily forgotten. This must be the same combo the veteran pair had used exactly a month ago, to burn down the Greater Roc that had attacked Copper Hill. Well, this was too easy! Surely, they'd make short work of this one too, even if it were three levels stronger and of the [Frenzied] variety. Frenzied Greater Roc cast: Gale strike.

Lowly humans needed tricks like [Galesend] to contend with the Greater Roc. Yet a true king of the skies was much more direct in its retaliation. The bird monster swooped down with a powerful motion, impossibly swift for its size, giant talons bared and ready to thrash a lowly human to shreds. If [Frenzy] had magnified the Jumper Rat's stupidity, it had also sharpened the Greater Roc's cunning in equal measure.

It chose for its first victim, not the Pyromancer or the Aeromancer representing the biggest threats, but one who displayed no threat at all. A man who watched the proceedings slack-jawed, detached from any source of magic, active or otherwise. It came for Jordan. He had no time to react. The thing was too fast, too large, too undeniable. Not that he and his puny [Spear] could've put up a fight against the monster's giant talons.

He didn't even have the time to wonder if he had enough HP to tank the incoming damage. But then… Finch Quiverwing cast: Galesend. No [Fireball] to throw at the enemy, this time. Finch the Aeromancer [Galesent] himself, hurtling through the air at mach speed and leading with his [Spear]. A sickening crunch. Blood, mayhem, and talons in the shadow of great beating wings. Jordan found himself knocked backward by a mighty gust of wind. Caught by surprise but otherwise unharmed. But his rescuer wasn't so lucky.

Critical hit! FINCH QUIVERWING's [Imperial Ranger Lamellar] absorbed: 25 damage. FINCH QUIVERWING lost: 51 HP. FINCH QUIVERWING Affliction: Debilitating Bleed. Jordan blinked several times in quick succession. Stolen novel; please report. If he blinked some more, maybe the combat logs would go away. If he blinked just one more time, maybe Finch wouldn't be lying in a pool of his own blood—talon marks having gouged out chunks of leather and flesh. Somewhere, someone screamed.

Jordan thought it might have been himself, until he saw Heron roaring into view, face contorted in rage and agony—about the furthest thing from a sneer. The Pyromancer jumped in between the Greater Roc and the limp body of his fellow Ranger, acting as a human shield. He then wasted no time to put up a second shield, this one of the magical variety. HERON CATCHGRAIN cast: Wall of Fire. A D&D classic, now adapted to 3D form. Evidently, a Stormvaster Pyromancer could reshape his [Wall of Fire] to suit his needs.

Case in point: Heron constructing a dome-like barrier of flames. A temporary measure to keep the Greater Roc at bay. And Jordan had to wonder just how temporary, as he dazedly eyed the Gourd of Flames at Heron's waist, now positively streaming with rosy-pink brilliance. The [Wall of Fire]'s VR drain was high. Heron wouldn't be able to keep it up for too long. Certainly not if he wanted to save some mana for fighting the Greater Roc." Get back, all of you! Get back!" The Gym Rats didn't need telling twice.

First Rowan, then Pinion, Taison, Bramble, and Pewter all joined Jordan inside the protective dome. All looking just as shell-shocked as Jordan felt.

"Thaumaturge!" Ranger Heron snarled without looking back.

"Do you know [Aura of Vitality]?"

"Y—yes," stammered Bramble.

"Then cast it! And don't you stop casting it until I say so! Speedster!"

"Yes, Ranger." Taison somehow maintained his usual discipline, though he looked paler by the second.

"Run back to the toll gate and send out an evacuation request. Do you know how to do that?"

"Y—yes, Ranger." Jordan, even in his dazed state, was still the unc of the group. He could tell when a junior member of a team lied to himself about knowing something he didn't. If Heron Catchgrain possessed the same nod-and-hope detector, it'd apparently stopped working for the minute.

"Porter."

"…"

"Porter!"

"Yes, Ranger! Sorry, Ranger!"

"You and the Thaumaturge will take Finch back to the toll gate and await evacuation. Be sure that you treat this burden with the utmost care and conscience. Your instructor's life depends on it." Rowan looked more nervous than anyone. So much so that he couldn't even acknowledge Heron's direct order.

"As for the rest of you…" The Ranger turned around briefly to assess who these 'rest of you' might be. A Tetherer, a Dendromancer, and a Westerner who hadn't cast a single spell since he'd stepped foot in Stormvast. Heron then gave out his final command, but not before tsk -ing loudly for all to hear.

"Just… stay out of my way. You are all to move as soon as I take down the barrier. Do not look back. Leave the Roc to me." Jordan couldn't believe it. He felt like he was watching a train wreck in slow motion. Despite being a complete novice next to Ranger Heron, he couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to go very sideways, very quickly. Strength DC 12: success Zhurong:"You're not wrong, manling. This soldier has let his comrade's grievous injury cloud his judgment.

He hasn't thought this through, and he'll see the error of his ways as soon as that barrier comes down." When even meat-head Zhurong was in such a somber mood, then you knew something was seriously wrong with the picture. That finally snapped Jordan out of his guilt-ridden daze. Feel remorse later, solve problems now. But how? The party was in bad shape. Down one Aeromancer. A landbound Pyromancer about to take on a flying monster without his [Galesending] partner.

A bunch of newbies in over their heads and running on fumes. A disaster waiting to happen, unless… Frenzied Greater Roc is about to wipe your party. Will you … 1) Stay out of Heron's way like the man asked. After all, he's the veteran leader here. Who are you to doubt his judgment? 2) [Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom DC 25 (Very Hard)] Surely, you see what's going on here. Heron's overly conservative—and dare I say suicidal— plan comes from a place of insecurity.

From the inability to trust his recruits to be anything more than runners and bystanders, perhaps compounded by his own guilt for having wrought this train wreck in the first place. It falls to you to show him a different way. A solution made only possible by the variety of talents gathered here—a dutiful Ranger and his six intrepid volunteers. [Favorable: DEX modifier (+3). INT modifier (+5). WIS modifier (+7). [That Dawg In You] (+2). It's only been three short weeks, but at this point, you trust the Gym Rats with your life (+4).] [Adverse: [Doom Spiral (Lv. 1)] (-1). Your plan is pretty damn complicated, with lots of moving parts and no guarantees that they'll all fit together (-2).] A triple combined ability check! The first of its kind, just asking to be rolled. And really, the choice was no choice at all. Jordan couldn't live with himself if he bit his tongue here and anyone in his party died as a result.

In fact, if he did nothing, chances were he wouldn't live to live with himself anyway. 2) Guys, hear me out … Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom DC 25 First Roll: 18 Second Roll: 13 Third Roll: 4 Average: 12 Final: 30 Result: success Jordan had been due for some good luck! Gambler's fallacy notwithstanding, his heart was set and his mind was made up. There's no way any one of us is ready to face this thing. But … all of us together?

The new plan burst forth and coalesced into something tangible and workable, even as Heron Catchgrain made to channel off his [Wall of Fire].

"Wait!" Jordan shouted.

"I have a better idea!"