Chapter 16-422: Do You Want to See the Sun? (2/2)

He definitely wanted to be anywhere on the planet but here. “Uhhhh...” he managed in the face of my Presence.

“Now, you should know that Heavenbound Hall has been totally aware of what you’ve been planning for, like, months now. If you and your bunch of drunken selves had piled in your trucks and gone roaming downtown shooting off your guns, it is entirely likely that most of you would be dead within the hour.”

They all flushed and grabbed their firearms harder, trying to refute me, but Truth in Oratory is really hard not to believe, especially at +64. It pounded in their blood, blowing through the alcohol and suddenly making them very Not Drunk when listening to me.

Knowing you were going to be dead in an hour was quite a frightening thought.

“Allow me to make some observations.” I steepled my fingers as I floated there a foot above the ground, limned in black and silver. “You are afraid. Don’t deny it, I can smell the fear. The absence of Hope and Valor is evident.”

They gasped and sobbed, and crumpled. They were dumb and small-minded and mostly Neutrals, just not caring about the bigger picture, only the frightening speed of the changes taking place, and me being at the center of them was a convenient place to focus their ire.

Seeing that utter lacking within themselves was a harrowing experience.

“You are disappointing me.” They almost swooned. “You are disappointing your grandfathers, and all those who watched their blue sky get swallowed by the unending grey of the Haze.

“What did they do? Did they sob and whine and moan and complain and point their fingers at someone to blame when the sky was stolen from them? Did they? Did they take out their guns and try to shoot it down?

“Did they blame the hundreds of millions of dead trapped in it? Are they trapped up there themselves? Did they die outside holy ground? Are they up there, watching you, and how you are acting as the entire world moves to set them free?”

Most of them were outright crying as the magic of the Heartsong swirled around them, and they looked up, and could feel the gazes upon them, looming out of their memories.

“Your parents, grandparents, and theirs before them built this entire nation by hard work. They endured the generations without technology, doing with horse and plow what you lazy bastards do with combine and tractor. When magic came, they knuckled down and shot down the dead, they sanctified the graveyards, and they prayed so that everyone would be strong.

“And you... want to swill booze and go shoot the people trying to set them, the salt of the land, free from their Torment, and let them go onto the rewards they have earned.

“Cowards.”

They all jerked as the word stabbed them in the heart, and they could not deny it.

“Rise up, gentlemen. Rise up, and be something more.”

They didn’t know how they got to their feet, but they were there... and the guns were left on the ground.

“This nation wasn’t founded on men shooting men; it was made by those working the land, by hard work. When there was only horse and plow, you worked hard, and you made it. When the Haze came, you worked hard, and you made it through.

“Now, the Haze is going to come down. The sky is going to be yours. It is going to be a new world, but guess what the solution is?”

“Hard work...” it came out reluctantly, but deep down in their hearts, they knew it was true.

“Yes, hard work. No more, no less. Everyone, working hard, not being lazy, and not thinking a gun is going to solve what is coming.” They all blushed hotly again. “Indeed, guns are going to be nigh useless, if what we suspect is true is coming.

“I am going to ask you to watch Heavenbound Hall’s website for the results of the testing we are going to do. We are probably going to lose easy access to firearm ammunition. You will need to get rid of any black powder ammo, if that is true. If you donate it to the Hall, we will send it on to those who are using it to fight the undead.

“If not, shoot it all off. Be ready for the day the Shroud comes down, and get rid of that gasoline and those chemicals.

“It’s going to be hard, and that means for everyone. Everyone! Not just YOU!

“You will still be able to use your guns, but that ammunition is going to be expensive. Alchemical ammunition is not cheap! It will be something for dire emergencies, not for hunting.

“So, be ready to get a bow or a crossbow, and pick up a few shells for your shotgun for the real emergencies.

“Now, what the world needs from you is for you to get your heads together. You know what you’ll need. All that stuff needs to get made anew, and we don’t have everything.

“You’ll need to get rid of stuff so it is not just sitting around rusting and taking up room. We’re going to be melting stuff down and making new things, simpler things, out of them. Get ready to haul it all away, clear up room.

“And you know what? It’s going to be a time for hard workers. A world with magic is a world based around the power of the individual, not the latest machine. Based on the strength and work ethic of the common man, like those who came before you.

“Your world is coming, gentlemen. You can either rise to meet it, or hide in fear. Enough work can overcome everything.

“Find your Valor. Find your Hope. The Truth of what you have to do will follow.

“Heavens bless you as you find your path.”