YoTS January ~ 39!

CHAPTER 39

They descended an endless number of stone steps. “We must be under the castle now. This is where you keep your elder? Seems kinda… damp.”

“A bit to go yet.” Markus led him through a crack in the wall. It was a tough squeeze; Grant had to take off his backpack and crouch down to get through the opening.

“Where are we going?” He felt nervous now. No one lived down here. Perhaps Markus was just looking for a quiet spot to dump his body? The orderly layout of the brick lined sewers had given way to roughly hewn stone walls, showing that he was no longer in the sewer system.

“You have to wear this now.” Markus took out a black cloth and folded it in half.

“I’m not wearing that. You want me to get lost down there, never find my way out? Gonna hit me on the head again when I can’t see you?” Grant’s hands twitched toward his Wielded Weapon, and Sarge responded with a tsunami of bloodlust, practically begging him to show these fools how weak they were.

“It's just for our protection! Feces, lad, what have you been through to make you so angry?” Seeing that his words were having no effect, Marcus sighed and spoke in a softer tone. “There are secrets down here even few Leaps are even aware of. If you don’t know it exists, you can’t give away the information if you are captured.”

Grant huffed but accepted the face covering. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest as he gave away the little he had over the situation. “Hold on to me. If I slip here, I’ll break a leg, or worse…”

Markus guided Grant down the rough steps. Even so, he almost slipped a few times on the slimy, uneven surface. Grant could hear water dripping from the walls, and tried to keep track of all the twists and turns as they veered off down different paths; but quickly got confused. His fate was now firmly in Markus’s hands. “Are we almost there yet?”

“We’re here now.” Markus unexpectedly took the cloth off. Grant squinted into the darkness as he tried to get his bearing. From what he could tell, he was in a… cave? The torch light reflected off a pool of water in the center, but that was the only noticeable landmark.

“You can wait outside. Thank you, Markus.” A strange voice called. Markus nodded, bowed toward the water, and quietly left.

Grant carefully scanned the area. Even with his higher cultivation achievement level, he couldn’t tell where the voice was coming from. It sounded ancient, and rumbled like the rocks. “Is the cave talking to me? Is it alive?”

“What are you waiting on, Grant? Join me in the pool.” Grant squinted again, barely able to make out a round, egg-shaped lump at the edge of the pool.

“I won’t bite… hard.” The voice chuckled, making Grant remember Madame Mercredi’s strange habits. Perhaps it was just something that old people were prone to doing? Being weird?

Grant stepped forward until he could make out that the egg was in fact an ancient bald head covered with wrinkled folds of skin. The ancient man was submerged past his neck in the steaming water.

“I’m fine here.” The young man sniffed the strong odor of eggs that emanated from the water, and found no interest in joining in. “Don’t want to get my armor wet, takes ages to dry.”

“Grant, I wasn’t asking. Remove your armor and join me. Clothing isn’t permitted in the Pool of Foresight. And you stink! I can smell you from here.” Once more, Grant sighed at the memory of Madame Mercredi.

“I had an unfortunate dip in the sewer earlier.” He had become accustomed to the stench of sewage. “I’m not taking a naked bath with an old dude. I just came to have a chat with Auld Leap - I assume you - then I’ll be on my way.”

“You can leave if you wish. If you want to talk with me, then you will join me in the pool.”

Grant sighed and decided to just go along with the crazy old man. Maybe the water would wash away at least the surface layer of his stench. He supposed egg stink was better than… whatever was caked onto him. The backpack and sword clattered to the ground, the sound echoing around the chamber. Naked, he trudged directly into the water. As his foot broke the surface, a soothing feeling crept over him. Ripples of blue and white light emanated from the water as it was disturbed.

“Ahh…” A sigh escaped his lips as he sank into the inviting water. Bubbles fizzed and popped against his bare skin, effervescing until he was totally submerged. He floated in the comforting darkness. He didn’t want to leave the comfort of the pool. His aches and pains faded away, along with his worries. Eventually he broke the surface to take a deep breath.

“You never forget your first time!” Auld Leap chuckled in the darkness.

Grant sat on the opposite side of the pool, head bobbing above the surface. For a moment, he had almost forgotten the old man, but he tensed up at the reminder that he was somewhere he didn’t want to be.

With a pop, a bubble broke the surface of the water. Rather than dissipate, it broke free from the surface and floated upward. Grant stared into the rising bubble and squinted; he was sure he could see himself. Not as he was now, but as a child running through the fields, care free.

The bubble popped, and he turned to view another of the curiosities. This time, he gasped as he witnessed himself lying in a pool of congealed blood, huge lacerations scored his body. Maybe he was okay…? A dragon with a sword sticking out of its head belched fire; flames washed over Grant’s body… leaving behind only a pile of ash.

A third bubble appeared, this time Grant was spinning and battling some unknown person wearing massive gauntlets. Grant wore impressive-looking armor and moved with more speed and precision than he thought possible. The bubble Grant let out a silent roar and drove his sword into the eye of a shocked… young woman? What in the world? The bubble popped, leaving Grant with more questions than answers. He was shaken, and looked at the old man with fearful eyes. “What was that?”

“Possibilities. Paths in the forks of prophecy.” Auld Leap sounded serious for the first time, “You are in what was once a wonder created by Regent December himself, the person lauded as the most powerful Spatial Magic user. The man who created the barriers that split the world itself.”

“Will I… will I die from the claw or breath of a dragon? I saw myself turned to ash!”

“Possibly. There are an infinite number of paths, Grant. The decisions people make determine the fate of the world. Most choices have little impact on the direction of prophecy, but added together, they create a lever that can shift everything. Whether you eat a donut or an apple for breakfast makes little difference, though it may make a difference to your waistline!” Auld Leap cackled to himself, then let his face shift into stoic stillness as he locked eyes with Grant. “Other decisions, like picking up February Twenty Nine, are critical nodes; ones where many paths converge and fork from.”

“You believe me then? That I’m a Leap?”

“You were a Leap. Of that - and much more - I am sure. If you weren’t a Leap, you would have died the moment your toe touched the water.”

“What!” Grant struggled to get to his feet, but the old man didn’t bother to calm him before speaking further.

“Leaps are special and rare, Grant. We contain a thread of magic which links us with the world, both the past and the future. Long ago, in a time before even the Wielder Wars, Leaps ruled the world of man. We harnessed and bent the power of the world to our will, the only people that could access every aspect of cultivation magic. We were the Timeless class of cultivators; a part of the world that faded and returned only after four years of recovery. We distilled the very essence of time into weapons; weapons that could enhance our powers and prowess to ever-greater heights. Using these shards of time, our cultivation ability soared… allowing us to achieve what used to take centuries in mere decades.”

“Weapons?” Grant looked at his sword, “You mean to tell me that some ancient Leaps made the Wielded Weapons?”

“With power often comes corruption. The familia and rule of Leaps came to an end after a terrible tyrant was overthrown, a ruler who had created a sword representing the lost day. A weapon that could suppress even the most powerful weapons that already existed, and steal their power.” Through his story, he never reacted to Grant’s agitation. “Those coming after, well, they attempted to erase all knowledge of Leaps from the collective memory. All records, every trace of the true abilities of Leaps, was wiped out and replaced with abject hatred and distrust of anything to do with us.”

“This is unbelievable.” Grant paused and looked at the old man suspiciously. “Really unbelievable. How do you know so much?”

“Knowledge in the wrong hands can be very dangerous, Grant. Those with power, do whatever they can to hold on to it. If they realised what a Leap actually was, they would actively hunt and eradicate every last one of us.” The old man sighed and settled back with a content expression.

“I have spent my long life in this pool. It’s power sustains me, and grants answers. A thousand years ago… I was an intrepid explorer, searching the hidden halls and ancient sites that predated the Lords of the Month. Once the barrier was erected, I was stranded here. Back then, there wasn’t a castle on the mound. The castle and its keep was built on the ruins of an ancient site, and the Regent had been testing his powers upon this pool. Even now, it holds a thousand thousand threads of prophecy. I do what little I can to influence events, including gathering the Leaps to a place where they are safe, for now.

Grant’s eyes lit up with understanding. “Did you lead me here?”

“No, Grant. You are in complete control of your own destiny. The path you follow is beyond my power to control. I can only observe.” The old man smiled softly. “After February Twenty Nine chose you, all of the prophecies related to you went dark. I’m now blind to what happens next, though apparently you can still see glimpses of what awaits you. Prepare well.”

“This is a lot to take in. I’m just an orphan Leap that worked on a farm-”

The muttering young man was cut off as Auld Leap splashed him in the face with the magical treasure of water they were in. The sheer disrespect for the treasure shocked Grant as much as an old man splashing him did. “Will you help us, Grant?”

“I don’t know… if I can?”

“For us, for the people you have and never knew,” The old man refused to look away from Grant, no matter how the young man squirmed in the heavy gaze, “will you take a Leap of Faith?

Quest Notification: Leap of Faith (Epic)

Information: Leaps are downtrodden and despised throughout January. Will you risk it all to help Leapkind? Please note, not accepting this quest will result in the status quo being maintained. Leaps will continue living life as they are,

Reward: Liberation of all Leapkind. Exalted status with Leaps. 20% discount on all Leap goods. Other rewards are possible based on completion method.

Failure: A deep disgust and hatred for every Leap across the district of January. You will likely be the sole Leap enjoying freedom.

Accept / Decline

“So, if I accept the quest and fail, every Leap will probably die. If I decline, they get to survive. This doesn’t sound like a good deal to me? At least they’d get to live-”

“This isn’t living, Grant. This is surviving. Hidden in the sewers, searching through garbage to find the scraps that are wasted by others? We were once a proud and powerful people. I know how you were treated. Before you picked up February Twenty Nine, I lived your memories. If you successfully complete this quest, life for all Leaps will improve.”

“I… I don’t know.” If he failed, he’d be responsible for the genocide of an entire people, his people, even if indirectly responsible. Would Grant help the other Leaps, young and old, at least have the option of chasing their dreams? Should he risk everything that they had, for some rewards for himself? Wasn’t accepting this incredibly self-serving?

“Take you time, child. But if you take too long in your deliberations, you’ll miss the tournament!” Auld Leap laughed, then scooped water onto his wrinkled visage to sooth his skin.

“I accept this quest that has no instructions or clear path forward. I hope you are doing right by these people that trust you. I understand the consequences of failure, and I also hope that you didn’t just force me to sentence an entire class of people to their deaths.”

“Lovely! Now, get out and take those stinking clothes with you! A thousand years I waited for you here, in this puddle. Prophecy didn’t tell me that you’d smell of feces!”

Ignoring the strange man, Grant got up. He found himself stuffed with energy, his body unbelievably reinvigorated. “Remember lad, there are thousands of paths forward…  but only one will result in a desirable outcome for everyone.”

Grant almost fell back into the pool in shock. “You could have told me that before I accepted the quest! What do I need to do? How do I complete the quest?”

“Give you answers?” Auld Leap chuckled at the thought. “Where would be the fun in that? Good luck, Grant! You’ll need it.”