YoTS January ~ 47!

CHAPTER 47

A status announcement appeared. Grant could barely make out the words as his vision blurred.

Quest Failed: King of the Castle (Rare)

Information: You gave up, forfeiting the match. Randall’s grip proved too strong for your weedy neck. No one will remember the second place contender in the exhibition tournament.

Failure Condition: You will struggle to breathe for the following week as your windpipe heals from its injuries. Visit a medic or level up to heal your injuries.

“Sorry, Grant. I can’t hear you. You want to keep fighting? That’s fine by me! Trust me, this is the most humane way to deal with you.” Randall almost sounded sorry as he aimed the point of the blade at Grant’s chest.

“Lord January is under attack!” Randall stopped mid swing, distracted by the commotion at the high table. The point of his blade pierced Grant’s leather torso armor.

“Stop!” The voice sounded familiar. Grant managed to turn his head as Randall’s grip loosened. There, at the high table, Skinny stood with a steak knife pressed firmly against Lord January’s neck. Lord January jerked his head back, making a sickening crunch as it landed on Skinny’s nose. Blood sprayed from his ruined nose, but Skinny held on tight.

Then the guards arrived and pulled Skinny off Lord January. The ancient monarch took a napkin and wiped the blood off his neck, revealing that the puffy skin was perfectly smooth, without even a trace of a wound. He gestured at the confused Skinny. “Take him to the gymnasium!”

“Not the Gymnasium!” Skinny screeched. There was a moment of silence as the audience held their breath throughout the nail biting event. “Wh-what’s a gymnasium?”

“It’s where you will be forced to exercise and placed on a strict diet of small portions of healthy food!” Lord January smiled as horror grew on Skinny’s face. “When you are as thin as we can possibly make you, you’ll be beheaded for your treasonous actions.”

The excitement over, Randall pulled back his sword arm to finish what he had started. Grant flailed around as Randall’s grip tightened, his vision narrowing as the blood supply was cut off. Randall seemed so far away now, at the end of a dark tunnel. He was powerless to stop the elite enemy, his former caretaker, from snuffing out his life.

“Stop!” Grant’s eyes flickered open as Lord January made the surprise announcement. “Put him down a moment, Randall.”

Randall reluctantly obliged, and cursed under his breath, with Grant collapsing to the sand. Lord January sighed as he set his food to the side for a long moment. “Grant, I am impressed by your skills. Killing you would be… a waste. You may have started off life as a Leap, but you have managed to better yourself. If you swear to serve me, you may enter my service as a Vassal. You will train under apprenticeship to Randall himself, restoring honor to both of you as you are moved to Castle January to be lavished with the best training resources available.”

It took a moment for Grant to compose himself after being half strangled to death. “If I do, will you spare my friends?”

“I will spare their life… all but Skinny. His attempt on my life indicates a devious plot to get close enough to attempt to kill me. This lot,” Lord January waved at Sir Friday and Grant’s three friends, “were his accomplices. They shall be sent for rehabilitation, a cell there they will have plenty of time to reflect upon their past choices.”

“The others?” Grant looked up at the Leap couple who were holding hands.

“The law is clear. They trespassed upon castle January and stole from me. For the benefit of the District and society, they must be put to the sword… or take a leap.” Freda sobbed upon hearing the judgement. Markus held her close as the wind swept around them. “Plus… we need to be entertained!”

Grant looked around the room. People were merrily stuffing their faces, even though he and his friends' lives were on the line. To them, this was mere showmanship. Everyone clapped and applauded Lord January’s generosity as he continued to shovel cake into his face.

“This was the life I wanted. I was just too poor to afford it. I didn’t understand..” He looked at the greedy, grasping hands of the citizens of January. Now that the offer was on the table, he looked at his desires and wanted to run as far away as he could. The prospect of training under the yoke of Randall? That was just the icing on the offered cake. “After careful consideration, I’ll have to decline your offer.”

More than one person choked in surprise, the rich food getting wedged deep within their throats as they inhaled sharply. Cries of panic went up from around the arena. Grant used the moment of surprise to sneak attack the distracted Vassal, cracking the butt of February Twenty Nine against Randall’s temple.

People screamed and fell over benches and tables, the panic proving contagious. Grant sprinted towards Lord January, whose mouth hung open limply, unable to process the fact that Grant had turned down his generous offer. No one ever said no to Lord January.

After vaulting over the wall, Grant leapt towards the grotesquely obese form of Lord January, his sword aimed at his enemy’s head. Time slowed as spectators panicked, the churning mass of bodies attempting to flee the confines of the arena dining hall. Grant looked like an avenging angel in the reflection of Lord January’s glassy eyes, as they stared blankly back at him.

He didn’t want to kill Lord January. He’d spilled enough blood, but by holding him hostage, he could both force the release of his friends and defeat the Lord, allowing him to progress to February. February Twenty Nine streaked through the air, it’s quivering target loomed larger by the second.

Grant felt a thrill of excitement wash over him… followed by agonising pain. Every nerve screamed simultaneously and the world went black. His body convulsed in midair. Sheets of lightning sprung from Lord January’s fingertips, cascading over Grant’s floating form. Lord January was lifted up by the pulley system, and he bellowed at the audience. “Everyone, back to your seats, now!”

Lord January’s tone demanded obedience. Panicking peasants and Nobles scrambled to obey. Grant landed face-first in a custard pie, showering all those in the vicinity.

“I was wrong.” Lord January’s cheerful smile had finally vanished, replaced by a snarling mass of rotten teeth. “You clearly are a Leap. You will be joining your brethren today. Take them to the leaping platform!”

Grant, still spasming from the elemental magic, couldn’t stop the guards from dragging his limp body towards the platform. He was joined by Red, Fergus, Derek, and Sir Friday. They wouldn’t even look at him, each stuck in their own personal nightmare.

“Let’s get this done quickly!” Lord January snapped. “The Leaps first, followed by the conspirators, and lastly Grant. He can look upon the results of his folly!”

The Leap couple embraced before being unceremoniously shoved off the platform and into the chasm. Their screams were lost to the wind as their bodies disappeared from sight. Red struggled, finally having found the courage to defend himself. He whipped the chains around, keeping the guards at bay. It took three of them to finally pin him down, as well as a boot to the face shut him up. Laughing, the guards rolled his limp body off the platform.

“Red…!” Grant’s heart shattered as his friend was thrown into the abyss. If he had just accepted Lord January’s offer, his friends would have lived. They’d be sent to a camp of some sort, but at least they would be alive!

“It’s not your fault, Grant.” Fergus smiled at Grant as he shuffled towards the edge. “We each make our own choices in life. We chose to be here. Skinny’s plan was risky, but we wanted to give you a backup plan in case you didn’t manage to defeat the Vassal. It didn’t quite work out as we’d hoped.”

Guards raised their lances and approached Fergus, but he walked proudly towards the edge. “If you don’t mind, lads, I’ll do it myself. See you on the flip side, Grant!”