Chương 51: Family Drama

Did my brother ever tell you why he joined the Army?" Jordan found himself back in the outer courtyard, having gone through the gate like a civilized person. He followed Nickel as the man strolled through the garden's winding paths, now at a languid pace to better suit the lateness of the hour." He… said it was a kind of PR stunt?" Jordan recalled one of the first things Pewter ever said to him, back when the two of them met in the queue for the weekly shower.

Upon seeing the blank look on Nickel's face, he added, "Well, I think what he said was that Mr Terne nag—er, asked—him to join the Army. For good publicity or some such." At this, Nickel scoffed softly." Is that the story he'd been peddling all this time?" The words were angry, but the tone was that of an older brother well-versed in and resigned to the younger's antics.

"Anything to make Father's life difficult. The man is 28, but he still acts like a petulant child."" You got a different story, then?" Jordan demanded, doing his best not to slur his speech." Not a story. The truth. The truth is that no one in the family—least of all Father—ever wanted him in the military. Pewter was to join the family business, like Tombac and I before him. And like Terne Sapling before us.""

But Pewter's a Tetherer," Jordan blurted, finding his tongue much loosened now that he'd been caught in the act of defiance.

"What's he gonna do for Sapling and Sons Ironworks?"" Whatever he can," Nickel answered promptly, firmly.

"Whatever we ask of him."" Have you asked what he wants?" Nickel scoffed a second time, noticeably louder." If my brother had his way, he would march himself off on a monster hunt and get himself killed a thousand miles away from home. In fact, he nearly did just that about a fortnight ago. You should know, Gatekeeper Yu. You were the one who encouraged him."" What? I—" Jordan reared up to defend himself, then stopped." There's no need to deny it," Nickel spoke calmly enough.

"Pewter himself said so in his letters. That while a tornado bore down on the city, and as a whole platoon of young soldiers quaked in their boots, you alone answered the call. It was you who inspired my brother along with a handful of like-minded fellows to volunteer for the mission. A mission that could very well have killed him. Could have killed you all." Jordan didn't know what to say. And not least because his version of 'answering the call' had been a lot less heroic in his memory.

A part of him was indignant, both for himself and on the Gym Rats' behalf, Pewter included. What's so wrong about volunteering to defend the city? But a part of him did understand—even sympathized—with a family who simply wanted their son to be safe. After all, wasn't that the same reason Jordan had ended up in the Imperial Army?"

Your bravery is commendable, Gatekeeper Yu," Nickel continued, oblivious to Jordan's internal debate, "and we—not just the Sapling family but the whole of Featherift City—owe you a debt of gratitude. I hope that we managed to repay some of that tonight, I sincerely do. But you must understand. That you're not welcome in our house. That we can't allow you to see or speak to Pewter again."" You can't keep him locked up forever."" No, but I think we can manage, say, until the hour of the Pig tomorrow."

Jordan frowned, his still pounding head trying to work out the significance of that hour. After a beat, he gasped in realization." You're trying to make a deserter out of Pewter?" Nickel nodded. The man at least had the grace to look unhappy about it." They'll send the Marshals down on us, but it'll only be to keep up appearances. Not even the Army would dare arrest one of the heirs to the Sapling fortune, not under Governor Saddleback's watch. No, we'll pay a fine, and the Army will sweep it under the rugs.

And Pewter will return to the family, where he belongs." The rational part of Jordan's brain would have understood perfectly. Maybe even found it in him to sympathize. Unfortunately, [Intoxication] made him somewhat less capable of [Intelligent] thought. Instead, it was his [Constitution] that spoke loudest, hearkening back to all those times Dad had explained to him why studying music in university was a very bad idea and how that would make life difficult for him and Mom.

Whether Dad had been right or not (to be absolutely fair, young Jordan probably wasn't the best candidate for making good use of a music degree) was beside the point. What Jordan couldn't let go even to this day was how he himself had given up so easily. Had backed down at the first sign of resistance. Had accepted the great lie —that the 'safe and responsible' thing was also his and everyone's shortcut to a placidly happy life. Stolen story; please report.

As such, he couldn't help but project —something he'd been doing quite a bit of recently. And his latest object of projection was one Pewter Sapling who, Jordan suddenly realized without a shadow of a doubt, was his best friend in Stormvast. So what if Pewter wants to go on monster hunts a thousand miles from home? It's his life, man. And who can blame him for wanting to get out of the shadow of a family that's so judgmental and controlling? And Jordan opened his mouth to give voice to such thoughts…

only to stop when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something incredible. For there on the other side of the garden crept the slightly crouching figure of Pewter Sapling. It was hard to make him out in the darkness, but his [Character Sheet] didn't lie. And as Jordan's eyes widened in astonishment, the shadowy figure stopped. For a moment, the two of them looked right at each other across the garden. Even in the darkness, Jordan could feel the surprise and intent emanating from Pewter's person.

An intent, if put into words, would sound something like: help me out!" What is it, Gatekeeper Yu?" Nickel caught the change that had come over his companion. The man still had his back turned to the sneaking figure of his younger brother, but that was soon to change.

"What did you see? Is there someone—" Nickel is about to catch Pewter sneaking out of the estate, unless you're able to stall or distract him somehow. Will you… 1) [Intelligence DC 16 (Hard)] Rage-bait the metallurgist with an outrageous statement about folded steel. Assuming, of course, that you know anything about folded steel … [Favorable: INT modifier (+5). [That Dawg in You] (+2).] [Adverse: [Self-conscious Conformist] (-2). [Intoxicated] (Disadvantage). You don't know anything about folded steel (-2).] 2) [Constitution DC 16 (Hard)] Forget words. Instead, put your body on the line. It's time you actually fought for what you believe in! [Favorable: CON modifier (+6). [That Dawg in You] (+2). [Intoxicated] (Advantage).] [Adverse: [Self-conscious Conformist] (-2).] Two ability checks to choose from, with no other out. In cases like these (and again with apologies to Fuxi!), it was best to go with the more favorable check.

Jordan hadn't the chance to consider what the word 'fight' actually meant in this context, but he supposed he'd soon find out. 2) Fight for your belief, fight for your friend. Constitution DC 16 Rolls (Advantage): 2, 19 Final: 25 Result: success Great success! Now, all Jordan had to do was roll up his sleeves and… … punch Nickel in the face. Unarmed Strike: 1 + STR modifer (+3) NICKEL SAPLING lost: 4 HP. Oh, it distracted Nickel, alright!

The man recoiled from the impact and shock, then gaped at Jordan like, well, he'd just punched him in the face." Gatekeeper… what is the meaning of—?" Jordan punched him again. This time in the stomach. He'd quickly realized that he needed a longer distraction, and this was the only way he could think to make that happen! NICKEL SAPLING lost: 4 HP. It took Nickel no time to go from utter shock to seething rage.

The man squared up and took a swing at Jordan, which the latter dodged with a well-practiced backstep—practiced by sparring with the man's own brother! It was the difference between a civilian who carried himself like he was military-trained and an active serving member of the Imperial Army. Jordan already knew that he hadn't been idle for six weeks, and here was undeniable proof of it, felt and acted in the flesh.

He read and preempted every one of Nickel's moves with ease, so much so that he could keep the fight going without inflicting any more undue harm on his opponent. Probably helps that I passed the ability check with flying colors! Nickel tried several more times to land a hit, all to no avail. On one particularly ungainly lunge, Jordan managed to grab Nickel by the arms and hold him in place, which in turn allowed him to sneak a look at the estate's outer walls. And there it was.

A length of rope sliding up the wall at speed before disappearing into the night, along with the Tetherer who'd used it to make his escape. Jordan let go immediately. Momentum sent Nickel tumbling onto the flagstone floor. The man scrambled to get up, eyes wide with rage and fists readied for more fisticuffs. But then he caught his opponent's gaze and followed it to…" No!" the oldest Sapling brother exclaimed.

"It can't be!" Nickel sprinted toward the front gate, his anger at Jordan instantly forgotten. Jordan thought about sticking out a leg to trip him, but decided against it. Don't wanna hurt him any more than necessary. Besides, if Pewter can't make it with this much of a head start, then maybe he's not cut out for the rebel's life. The judgment proved sound. For Nickel returned not a minute later, shouting for all the sleepy manservants of the house to go after his brother.

He himself then made for the wing rooms inside the main courtyard, for all the good that would do now. Jordan followed close behind, curious as to what he might find in Pewter's would-be 'cell'. The room in question, normally meant to house Nickel's branch of the clan, was a lot busier than the one Jordan had mistakenly walked into. Not least because—" Mmph! Nnn-mm-mmph!" — of the muffled screams of a manservant, no doubt lamenting his failure to stand watch over his employer's youngest son.

The man was bound and gagged by ropes (what else?), proving that Pewter had already planned his escape before he'd been confined to quarters. Jordan couldn't help but smirk as he turned toward a pale-faced Nickel. He knew what he was about to say to be mean-spirited, but he decided to indulge himself just this once. If only to make up for the earlier missed opportunity to big up his friend." So… what were you saying about locking up Pewter until the hour of the Pig?"