Chương 50: Unwanted Guest

The rest of the evening bore out Jordan's misgivings. That was to say, the Sapling family continued to maintain a cagey ignorance about their youngest son, all while Pewter himself remained a no-show. The dining hall turned up the estate's fanciness to an eleven. The family members were already seated at an enormous table lined with enough delicacies to feed a whole platoon of soldiers.

There, the guest was introduced to Terne and Oroide Sapling, the family patriarch and matriarch respectively (both older than 55, Jordan didn't fail to note). The second oldest son Tombac as well as Nickel's wife and two young children rounded out the roster. Too many new names to remember—a task Jordan happily delegated to the Vesselia system. And yet, no Pewter. Prominent by his absence. The festivities began as soon as Jordan was ushered in.

First, a solemn toast by Patriarch Terne, stern of facial features much like his oldest son. This was followed by Tombac—already red-faced and clearly the mood-maker of the clan—refilling everyone's cups for a second toast. Then the guest was urged to dig in, even as servants popped up out of nowhere to fill everyone's plates. The food was phenomenal, Jordan had to admit. With apologies to Old Sar, he now understood that there were levels (literally) to Brothmastery.

The food was so good, in fact, that for at least a little while, his concern for his friend was superseded by the side quest to stuff his face as much as possible. At some point, the flood of delicacies inevitably slowed. Jordan prepared to broach the subject of the youngest son. But as he waited for the best opportunity to do so, the festivities kicked up in intensity. Musicians. Singers. Dancers.

Even a spoken skit that had the Sapling clan splitting their sides (wasn't really Jordan's humor, but he laughed along just to be polite). The entertainment was non-stop, fed down the guest's gullet at just as frenetic a pace as the food. Then came the drinks. And more drinks. And then some more. Second oldest Tombac went around the table to top up all the grown-ups, doubling and even tripling up on the guest as any good host should. Jordan felt like he was back with his relatives from China.

There too, he'd had trouble saying no to the attention and hospitality lavished on his increasingly inebriated person. He couldn't have that. Not when he had Pewter to think about! Every time you try to bring up Pewter, the Sapling family parries you with food, entertainment, and alcohol. Will you … 1) Wharra big deal? Pewter's folks so nice! 2) I is full. I is sleepy. 3) [Constitution DC 25 (Very Hard)] Hey! Hey, stop! Stop! Let me … Hey, I need to… Stop! I need to say something! [Favorable: CON modifier (+6). [That Dawg in You] (+2). [Look Back to Look Forward] (+2).] [Adverse: [Self-conscious Conformist] (-2). No, I can do this … seriously, I… hrrk (Disadvantage).] Jordan was too far gone to do the math. But even one quick glance at the options told him that the ability check was too difficult to be worth the attempt. Even if he were to nail it by some miracle, he was in no state to take advantage of the outcome.

Best not to tempt fate, lest he prematurely antagonize the whole family or perhaps even incur another Affliction. At least that was how he rationalized it to himself after the fact … as he woke up on the four-poster bed of a darkened guest room. Jordan got up. Too quickly. His head pounded something fierce, and his mouth was even drier than when he'd been pushing the Heavenly Cauldron for a whole day. Easily his worst hangover since college. In fact, he couldn't even call it a hangover.

Not when he was still very much drunk, a mere few hours removed from the epic binge in the dining hall. Dexterity DC 14: failure Nezha:"Hilarious! That family has done a real number on you, human, and what a sight it was to behold!" Nezha's appreciation was not at all surprising. For it'd been a real team effort by the Saplings, relentless and well-coordinated.

From Nickel tiring Jordan out to Tombac keeping him soaked in liquor to Terne sparing no expenses for the honored guest to even the young children pestering the grown-ups with young children things. And to what end? To distract Jordan from the youngest son's absence. To send him away in the morning hungover and full-bellied, that he wouldn't even think twice if Pewter were to not join him. Well, joke's on you, Saplings. I can never stay asleep for long when I'm drunk.

And now that Jordan was awake in the dead of night, he had an opportunity to do something. The possibility was decidedly more unnerving than it was exciting, but he'd never forgive himself if he didn't at least try. He knew what he had to do. I have to do a stealth segment. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. A stealth segment in what was essentially a D&D game. Believe it or not, the concept wasn't as far-fetched as it might seem.

In fact, even the base Vesselia once had a Season of Espionage that had been rather well-received by the player base. Of course, Jordan's build wasn't particularly well-suited to espionage. Nor were his current physical conditions, as highlighted by: Affliction incurred. [Intoxicated]: Self-explanatory. Penalty (-2) to all passive checks in Athletics, Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth. Gain [Disadvantage] in active ability checks involving Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence.

Gain [Advantage] in active ability checks involving Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma. Affliction timer: 120 minutes remaining. Damn. Should I wait it out? 120 minutes to sober up … No can do. Jordan knew he had a pretty decent chance of feeling even worse two Earthling hours from now. Besides, from where he sat, there was no telling when the sun might come up and wake the whole household. No time like the present.

Jordan hopped off the bed to get started, and— Athletics DC 9: success — just barely managed to keep his feet. Imagine falling out of bed to start off a stealth segment! Jordan shook off the near-disaster, then took careful, wobbly steps toward the sliding door of the guest room. Stealth DC 12: failure The sliding door creaked audibly as he opened it. Jordan fearfully poked his head out to see if anyone had been nearby. Luckily, the guest room was located in a secluded corner of the outer courtyard.

Presently, a low fence and a magnolia tree obscured Jordan's view of the rest of the estate. He had zero recollection of how he'd made it here in the first place, but now wasn't the time to worry about that. Scary as the failure with the door had been, it was also a valuable learning experience. The next time Jordan had to perform the same task, the added familiarity should in theory lower the difficulty class. Still, he was already faced with his first conundrum. Namely…

Just how do I figure out where Pewter's being kept? Intelligence DC 14: success Fuxi:"The Sapling estate, though larger than most, nonetheless follows the typical layout of a courtyard compound. As such, the family would have their personal quarters within the main courtyard. The patriarch and matriarch would sleep in the master's chamber, while their sons and their families would occupy the wing rooms in birth order. The oldest would have the room nearest the parents, and so on? Fuxi:"Correct."

Well, that certainly was useful information. But it still left Jordan with the task of infiltrating the main courtyard. Simply opening the gate from the outer courtyard was out of the question. He didn't have the key in the first instance, and any attempt at breaking and entering was sure to cause too much noise. I have to climb over. Perhaps a more sober Jordan could've come up with something cleverer. As it stood, however, the most direct method also seemed to be the most correct option.

Which first required him to— Athletics DC 11: success — climb the magnolia tree! And Zhurong must have blessed Jordan on this momentous occasion, for he managed to channel the tree fort days of his ten-year-old self. It also helped that the tree itself was nice and sturdy, offering up a safe platform from which to reach across to the nearest rooftop. Jordan peered into the main courtyard from his new vantage point. The coast was clear.

And from there, it was a simple matter of hanging down from the rooftop and— Acrobatics DC 12: failure — botching the landing! JORDAN YU lost: 12 HP. Falling on his bum hurt a lot. But worse still was the fear of having been too loud. Jordan dashed behind the nearest shrub, holding his breath as he waited for lights and shouts of alarm. It appeared he was still safe.

Nezha had apparently split the difference on Jordan's fortune, failing his attempt at [Acrobatics] but also ensuring that the Sapling family slept through it. Heart still pounding, Jordan snuck his way around the courtyard, hugging the wall for as much cover as possible. He got to the wing rooms without further incident, at which point he was nearly home free. The master's chamber has to be that big building in the middle. Just need to count the rooms. One, two, three… The third door from the master's chamber.

This had to be Pewter's room. Jordan crept up to the door and pulled, remembering his lesson from earlier. Stealth DC 10: success Jordan allowed himself a fist pump as the door slid open noiselessly. The room was darker than the outside, but he still managed to make out a lone figure upon a four-poster bed. He stepped into the threshold and whispered," Pewter! It's me, Jordan." The figure stirred, paused, then stood up from the bed in a smooth, powerful motion.

Like someone who might have undergone some military training. Yet, as Jordan's eyes adjusted to the darkness, so too did the system focus in on the figure's identity. <Character Sheet> Name: NICKEL SAPLING Oh, fuck." Good evening, Gatekeeper Yu," the oldest Sapling brother spoke mildly as he stood to his full height. He was dressed much simpler than his daytime attire, but that took nothing away from his dignified, almost regal air.

"I would ask to what I owe the pleasure, if I didn't know who you'd expected to find here. I'd hoped it wouldn't come to this, but…" Jordan raised his fists in a panic, ready(?) to fight if he had to. But Nickel merely strode past him, out the room and into the courtyard." Walk with me, traveler, and let us talk. I wish to make you understand… why we as a family can't let my youngest brother associate with the likes of you."