Chương 67: The Woes of Independence

The 59th year of the Radiant Vigor Era. The 30th day of the month of the Orchid. Almost two Stormvaster months had passed since Gatekeeper Jordan Yu discharged himself from the Imperial Army and embarked on a 'gate-searching' journey. Two months was also how long it took him and his traveling companion to cross the highlands of Featherift and make significant headway into the heart of neighboring Leafell, Stormvast's easternmost province. At least, that had been the plan.

Until Jordan opened up [Rampart's Map of Stormvast] today to find that the ink smudge—the convenient yet mercurial 'UI' feature that indicated the general direction of quest-relevant locations—was gone. Completely erased off the page.

"What could this mean?" Jordan asked no one in particular, scowling at the 300-year-old scroll that had just become a pretty illustration and not much more. Presently, he and Pewter Sapling were camped in a clearing amidst a larch forest. The late summer breeze rustled the leaves all around, some of which had already begun to yellow.

"We couldn't have already reached our objective, could we?" Jordan now looked up at Pewter, before turning his gaze all the way around the clearing.

"I mean, we're literally in the middle of nowhere. Which is crazy, considering how long we've been traveling for." His words were somewhat disingenuous, and Jordan knew it. Because, frustrating though it was, there was one big reason why progress had been so slow for the OG Gym Rats duo. In a word, it came down to money. In that they didn't have enough of it. Not enough to convince a Pathfinder to escort them across provincial borders. Certainly nowhere near enough to pay the extortionate tolls along the Highroad.

Which had left the pair to travel mostly on foot, all while relying on [Rampart's Map] as well as their uneducated intuitions about which routes to take. Featherift's flat plains had eventually made way for the more mountainous and densely wooded Leafell (Pacific Northwest type beat, Jordan had characterized in his mental travelogue). The Gym Rats' path had since been beset by thick forests, steep hills, and unnavigable rivers.

The one saving grace was the [Bear Fur Mantle] equipped by both of them, which did remove pesky monster encounters from the equation. Leafell was home to a new population of critters, featuring Twigmen, Cloudears, giant mosquitoes, and the like. But so far, these monsters had all been below the Lv. 10 threshold, meaning the Gym Rats could easily bypass them if they so wished. Oh, they'd stop and farm the occasional mob or two, of course.

Pewter needed to replenish his VR, and Jordan needed to keep adding to his [Hoard]. Just the other day, they'd taken down a cluster of Cloudears: animate mushrooms that released sleeping spores, easy to avoid as long as you kept your distance. They'd done so with [Composite Recurve Bows] bought from a vendor in Featherift City, making the most of their military training. Only appropriate, given that neither Gym Rat had big damage-dealing spells in their repertoire.

All in all, the last two months of travel and monster hunting had brought Jordan roughly 7, 000 cc in harvested mana. Nothing to sneeze at, perhaps, but also woefully inadequate against the gargantuan quota he was working toward. Man, Jordan thought, now well and truly distracted by his inventorying of dire problems. I've definitely got to figure out a way to earn mana faster. Easier said than done, though, when it's just me and Pewter out on the road by ourselves. Yes. Such were the woes of independence.

In exchange for freedom and limitless possibility, Jordan and Pewter had traded away the stable income and vocational opportunities afforded by military service. It was way too early to despair, but they also couldn't sit on their bums forever. Sooner or later, they would have to pick up the pace, lest Jordan be dead and buried before he could even sniff the Ninth Gate of Ascension.

"Could it be that this is a turning point?" The question had been voiced by Pewter, presently sat across from Jordan and head bent toward an important job. Namely that of fashioning additional [Wooden Arrows] for the both of them, a task well-suited to the crafty Tetherer. <Character Sheet> Name: PEWTER SAPLING Race: Human Age: 29 Class: Tetherer, Lv. 5 Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Vessel: Gourd of Tenacity Pewter had since turned 29 and hit Lv.

5 while on the road. On that day, the Gym Rats had celebrated in style… by allowing themselves an extra strip of rabbit jerky. Far from home and a family that could've thrown him a lavish week-long feast, Pewter had nevertheless made the most of his new life. Both he and Jordan were at once leaner and swole-er than they'd ever been. Two scruffy units, roughing it in the mountains for weeks on end.

Much like Jordan, Pewter had equipped [Bear Fur Mantle], [Composite Recurve Bow], and a simple [Hunter's Dagger] for harvesting and other odd tasks. The only difference was the addition of a [Hunter's Leather Armor], something Jordan could ill afford due to financial and encumbrance constraints. Just as well. For while a Lv. 30 Gatekeeper had the sheer HP to tank a bunch of hits, his Lv. 5 Tetherer friend was a lot squishier." Turning point?" Jordan parroted, pivoting back to the crux of the conversation.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that perhaps this is where your quest could branch off in—"" Our quest. How many times do I have to remind you? This is as much your adventure as it is mine."

"Yes, sorry. As I was saying, perhaps this is where our quest could branch off in different directions. Might be that there are clues for us to uncover, leads for us to chase."

"Hmm." Jordan once more turned skeptical eyes onto the rustling trees.

"Doesn't look all that promising from where I'm sitting."

"How many times do I have to remind you to be more optimistic, Jordan? We don't have caution and skepticism to thank for getting us this far." Jordan nodded, reminded again of the benefits of having someone like Pewter around. Dexterity DC 10: success Nezha:"The human is right, human. Go forth, get lost, fall off a cliff if you have to. The measure of a good adventure is the number of times you've flirted with disaster, only to land on your feet."

Intelligence DC 10: success Fuxi:"An enterprising spirit is well and good, pupil, but the surest way to fall flat on your face is to jump without a plan. First, identify your most urgent needs, then work to address them in an orderly manner." Two ends of the spectrum, but the Gods of Dexterity and Intelligence both had a point. Freezing in indecision was never a solution, but neither was fumbling about in the dark. As for the Gym Rats' most urgent need…"

Money," Jordan muttered, feeling a conditioned distaste for the word.

"It always comes back to money, doesn't it? Our funds are dangerously low, Pewter, and we can't be living off the land forever if we hope to make any progress on our main quest. The next sign of civilization we come across, even if it's some backwater settlement, we stop and look for a job, yeah? A damage sponge of 226 HP and a skilled Tetherer. I'm sure someone out there will have some use for us."

"Agreed, Jordan," Pewter agreed, then proceeded to lower his head, looking bashful.

"And… apologies. If only I'd swallowed my pride and asked Father to fund our journey, then we wouldn't be in this position." Jordan tsk'd, letting some real anger show.

"That's some bullshit, and you know it. We're in this together, and I for one never asked to be hard-carried by you and your rich dad. Now, come on!" In one smooth motion, Jordan rose to his feet while throwing the Heavenly Cauldron onto his back. It was a maneuver he'd perfected over the course of two months, bringing him closer and closer to his mythical ideal of a bona fide Mountain Man.

"The day's still young. Let's go find ourselves some jobs, so our folks back home can stop worrying." The pair departed from their campsite, in high spirits and with unearned optimism. They then waded through the larch thicket for some time, before happening upon a babbling brook. This they followed until a footpath revealed itself—clearest possible sign that civilization was near.

"See, what did I tell you?" Jordan turned to Pewter with a smug grin, as if he'd been the one to suggest searching for clues in the vicinity.

"[Rampart's Map] never misses. If the ink smudge is gone, there's gotta be something nearby that'll bring it back."

"If you say so, Jordan." Pewter smiled indulgently, though he did look relieved to find the footpath.

"Now, let's hurry. Wherever this leads to, hopefully we'll get there before the sun goes down." Indeed they did. In a matter of minutes, in fact. The Leafell sun was still out in full force by the time the two travelers came upon another clearing. Which was occupied by a small wooden building, one with doors kept open invitingly and a sign under the awnings that read: the Spider Lily Inn.

Looking back, something about the situation—the pristine condition of the building, the ease with which the Gym Rats had found it, as well as the beds of red spider lilies that appeared to adorn only this part of the forest—should have set off some alarm bells. Yet, in the moment, Jordan was drunk with the triumph of discovery… and distracted by the almost otherworldly beauty of the crimson flowers and their spindly, finger-like projections.

One look at his friend's wondering gaze told him that Pewter had found the sight just as spell binding. Jordan thought he heard one of the gods say something, but their voice was as distant as any thoughts of stepping back and exercising some good ol' caution and skepticism. Then came the knockout punch. In the form of a woman —slender, beautiful, and dressed in a flowing white robe—who emerged from the building to grace the weary young men with a soft, tender smile.

"Welcome, travelers. Won't you stop a while and keep me company? It does get ever so lonely in this part of the woods."