Dust hangs in the slanting sunset as Captain Vaelorin strides up from the drill lines, dented armor catching the light. In his gauntlet, a folded list trembles with the names of soldiers who refused the new regimen.
Captain Vaelorin
My lady, three refused outright, two pretended injury. The rest are watching to see whether obedience is mercy or punishment.
Princess Eden Siranteos stands over the ruined practice yard, where scattered blades and dropped shields mark the cost of the reform already underway. The rank and file wait in a bruised semicircle, silent and tense.
Princess Eden Siranteos
Bring them forward.
Captain Vaelorin
Yes, Princess. If they are broken by the standard, better here than on a battlefield.
At the yard’s edge, King Nazareth watches without blinking, while Queen Araneidan keeps her gaze fixed on the list. Vaelorin’s men understand at once, the kingdom’s defense is no longer measured by comfort, but by whether they can endure Eden’s way.
The captain turns on his heel and heads for the formation, carrying her verdict into the ranks.
✓ Quest Accepted
Crush the royal guard's resistance
“I march over to those who were too weak to complete the new training, and I forcefully explain to them that because of how often our kingdom is at war with our neighbors, our army needs to be the strongest and most brutal fighting force on the continent even if it costs us our personal comfort. I then tell them they have a choice. They can either leave the gaurd as cowards and forever live in shame and regret, or they can man the hell up and push themselves to their breaking point in the name of Siranteos.”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +0)
Princess Eden Siranteos crosses the churned yard and stops before the reluctant soldiers. Her shadow falls long over their bent helms, and the dust around her boots settles as if waiting.
Princess Eden Siranteos
You have heard the standard. Siranteos survives by being stronger than the wars that circle us.
Princess Eden Siranteos
If you cannot bear it, leave the guard in shame. If you stay, you grind yourself harder than comfort, harder than fear, until the kingdom can trust you.
The men shift under the blow of her words. Some stare at the ground. Others look toward Captain Vaelorin, who stands with them instead of apart from them, his jaw set in grim approval.
Captain Vaelorin
She is right. I would rather command a wounded few than a brittle many.
One soldier loosens his grip on his practice blade, then tightens it again. Another steps forward half a pace, swallowing hard, the shame on his face giving way to stubborn resolve.
Captain Vaelorin
Well? Will you quit, or will you earn your place in the line?
“I begin counting diwn from ten (10) giving them until i am done to make their decision or be broken by my hand. I crack my knuckles to emphasize that physical punishment will be endured by those who do not obey.”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled -1)
Princess Eden Siranteos
Ten.
Eden closes one gauntleted hand over the other and cracks her knuckles loud enough to carry across the yard. The sound bites through the dust and the hesitation with it.
A few of the dissenters flinch. One man’s blade tips toward the ground, then steadies as his throat works around a hard swallow.
Princess Eden Siranteos
Nine.
Captain Vaelorin
Choose, then. Stand with the line, or step out of it.
Vaelorin does not retreat from their doubt. He stays at Eden’s side, shoulders squared, making her verdict look like the shape of their future.
The front rank shifts again, and this time the movement is toward Eden’s standard, not away from it. Fear remains, but it is no longer leading.
Quest Complete
Crush the royal guard's resistance
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Great→Superb