Chương 42: The Spoils of War

Jordan Yu had fought(?) a tornado and won. And the aftermath of said famous(?) victory went by in a blur, almost as if it too had been caught up in a tornado. With the immediate threat to life and limb neutralized, it was time to put Ranger Heron's original plan into action. The Gym Rats split up, Speedster Taison running back to the city while Porter Rowan and Thaumaturge Bramble followed at a much slower pace. Rowan fireman-carried a bandaged-up Finch, all while Bramble continued to channel [Aura of Vitality].

The plan was for the evacuation team to meet them halfway and take over. But in order to keep Finch alive until then, Bramble needed all the VR he could get. To that end, Heron had coordinated a swift mass harvest of Jumper Rat glands, bestowing the lion's share to Bramble purely in the interest of mana need. Pewter and Pinion then accompanied the patient transport group, ready to offer support or relief should Rowan require it.

Which meant that at least five of the six recruits on scene already had new jobs to do, just moments after fighting a tornado. Which also left Jordan alone and at the mercy of the remaining Ranger. Jordan hadn't moved from the spot where Akula had lowered him. He was physically exhausted, yes, especially finding it difficult to breathe, like he was getting over a bad cold. More than that, however, he was mentally spent.

The adventures of Little Jordan inside that liminal Void space now took a toll on present-day Jordan in physical reality. What did the Fundamentals of Spellcraft say about the Tempest Gate? The Body: Lungs. The Mind: er … something like 'still the storm within you to know true peace'? Presently, the man who had gifted him that textbook strode over, no doubt to shower him with love and attention. Heron still wore the same 'unsettled' expression from earlier, which only served to unsettle Jordan in turn.

He really wasn't in the mood for an earful, and if he were to receive one, he might react in ways he would truly regret. Luckily, Heron seemed to share the same mood." What happened in there?" the Ranger asked simply, voice and tone unusually subdued." What did it look like from the outside?" Jordan answered the question with another question. Not out of snark. He was genuinely curious."

After you disappeared," Heron began, shedding some light on another mystery Jordan had been wondering about, "the tornado swelled in size and picked up in intensity. So much so that there was no way for me to approach it, try as I might. I ordered the other recruits to evacuate. Naturally, they disobeyed. A disciplinary matter that will need addressing once we're back at the barracks." Heron said this last part with a faint sneer, seeming to have gotten a little bit of his mojo back." How long did it last?"

Jordan asked." About five minutes at a rough estimate. Then the winds died down completely. No warning, no signs. It looked as though… if I didn't know better, I would say it looked as though the Garuda had run out of VR. But judging by the mana that continued to spill out of her Vessel, that clearly wasn't the case. So, I ask again, Gatekeeper Yu. What happened in there?" Five minutes. That seemed to track with how long the [Voidcross] session had felt to Jordan.

Was it possible that the Void world and the 'real' world ran parallel with each other? He supposed that made about as much sense as the rest of the nonsense." I closed one gate and opened another." Jordan had murmured this as if to himself, not fully realizing that he'd spoken at all. Heron's faint sneer turned into a frown, just as faint. The Ranger waited for the recruit to elaborate." Listen, man," Jordan half spoke half sighed.

"I'm still trying to process it myself, and it ain't happening anytime soon with my fried-up brain. Can I tell you about it later? Maybe in an emai—uh, a written report or something like that?" Heron bristled at this, looking very nearly back to his usual instructor self. But he seemed to give Jordan's suggestion real consideration." Very well," Heron said.

"You may head to the barracks directly for recuperation. I expect your report by Shennong's Day evening, when the platoon and I will return from our exercise." Jordan nodded along in a daze, until the meaning of Heron's words hit him in full." Wait, you're going back out there? To continue the field training exercise?"" Of course. With Finch temporarily incapacitated, who else do you expect to whip you lot into shape?" Jordan shook his head, hating the fact that he was kind of impressed.

If the Ranger took offense to the reaction, he didn't show it." Can you walk?"" I think so."" Then start heading back. Don't worry about pushing your Vessel like a common laborer. You won't need it while you're at the barracks, and in the meantime, I shall arrange for it to be transported." If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Jordan blinked up at Heron in genuine surprise. Now, where had this come from? But the surprise didn't end there."

Before you head off, however, perhaps you'd like to make use of these." With that, Heron produced two mucus-slick objects. One was about the size and shape of an almond. The other was closer to a basketball. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were, but Jordan was left speechless nonetheless." The Jumper Rat you managed to kill." Heron gestured with the almond.

"I'd thought to give it to Bramble Oldmoon for the road, but the Thaumaturge flatly refused. As for this…" Heron tossed the basketball. Jordan caught it, more or less by muscle memory, and was startled by its solid heft. More like a medicine ball …" The loot came from a pack hunt," Heron continued.

"As such, I'd thought to put it to a lottery—just between you six recruits. On this count, too, I was overruled. Yet another disciplinary matter to look at…" By then, Heron's sneer was back out in full force. Yet, somehow, Jordan found he wasn't put off by it. If anything, as a veteran Vesselia player, he felt as though he ought to apologize." Sorry," he mumbled.

"I didn't mean to steal your and Finch's thunder. You guys had a rock-solid combo going, one that's proven to work against Greater Rocs. That kill should've been yours."" And yet, it wasn't. For it was ultimately your plan that allowed us to claw back the advantage. Turned a near-certain party wipe into a flawless victory, with all members safe and accounted for. I still need to and will discipline the other five recruits, but I can sympathize with the reasons for their insubordination.

Take this Gland of Furious Sky. It's yours." Jordan didn't know what to say, so he said nothing. He was embarrassed to feel a lump in his throat. How was he getting so emotional over monster offal? And yet, could anyone blame him after the day he'd had? Wisdom DC 13: success Shennong:"As often as you like to self-criticize, young one, methinks you ought to enjoy the rare few moments where you can be unreservedly proud of your achievements. And who knows?

With enough practice, that joyous pride might even become second nature." Jordan swallowed the lump in his throat. He then turned his attention onto the new task at hand, namely to extract mana from a basketball-sized Gland. To his relief, it wasn't as messy as he might have imagined. As soon as the system registered his intent, the whole basketball popped under minimal pressure, dispersing into a veritable cloud of pinkish mana.

It then wafted over to the Heavenly Cauldron to be deposited as: Gland of Furious Sky base mana gain: 8, 000 cc. JORDAN YU gained: 10, 912 cc. Current VR: 11, 047/50, 000 cc (22. 1% partial, 0. 0011047% total) Target VR: 1, 000, 000, 000/1, 000, 000, 000 cc (100%) [Hoarding Mode] remains in effect. Jordan shot to his feet, fatigue forgotten in an instant. Eyes bulging, he looked to Heron for confirmation." Incredible." The Ranger shook his head wryly, speaking as if to himself.

"Whenever Finch or I harvest a Greater Roc, we need a Manasmith on hand to convert the excess mana into crystals. Whereas your bronze pot looks as though it's got room for several more charges." You don't even know the half—no, eight-ninth— of it, my man, Jordan wanted to say but stopped himself. He then spent the next few seconds in solemn silence, mostly to get over his shock at the huge injection of mana. Oh, he got over his shock, alright. Then went straight back to despair as he cottoned onto a sobering truth.

10, 000 cc is crazy compared to the 135 I got from the Grandelope. But relative to the one billion I have to collect before I can even cast a single spell? That's, what, 100, 000 Greater Rocs? Even if I could hunt all those giant birds by myself (which I can't), they'd be long extinct before I get anywhere near my goal! Sobering indeed. For what felt like the umpteenth time since arriving in Stormvast, Jordan wilted in the face of an impossible task… …

which was the cue for his favorite god to offer up more nature-doc allegories. Constitution DC 15: success Xihe:"Water is nature's greatest architect, possessing the power to mold mountains and carve canyons. Yet, even the grandest project begins with that first drop." Jordan could do nothing but nod in hopeful agreement. He wasn't at all sure how mother nature's grand projects could scale to a human lifetime, but that was something for lifetime Jordan to worry about.

In this particular moment, he needed but to focus on his very next step. One that happened to carry him homeward after a long day's work. Feats enhanced. [Nezha's Blessing (Lv. 1) -> (Lv. 2)]: In recognition of your whimsy, you've gained a permanent [2]-point upgrade to Dexterity. DEX 16 -> 17 Agility: 1. 32 -> 1. 34 [Xihe's Blessing (Lv. 2) -> (Lv. 3)]: In recognition of your resilience, you've gained a permanent [3]-point upgrade to Constitution.

CON 21 -> 22 (modifier: +5 -> +6) HP: 187/222 -> 189/224 [Shennong's Blessing (Lv. 2) -> (Lv. 3)]: In recognition of your emotional maturity, you've gained a permanent [3]-point upgrade to Wisdom. WIS 24 -> 25 VR efficiency: 1. 24 -> 1. 25 New Feats unlocked. [Call the Shots]: You've got a team of professionals, the best in their respective business. Now, it's up to you to make them shine. Gain greater proficiency (+4) in ability checks directly involving a party of six or more.

[Close Encounter of the Spiritkind]: You've lifted the mask. But does that mean you've also torn down the wall? Gain proficiency (+2) in ability checks against Spiritkinds.