Chapter Two: Hope Springs Eternal

When he arrived back at the cemetery the next day, Zuglah was somehow relieved, embarrassed and overjoyed all at once. Waiting on the tomb for him was an even smaller leather pouch. He stared at it without moving for a long time.

He had been alone for as long as he could remember. Complex emotions were difficult for Zuglah Glun, and so he always tried to process them slowly. His last gift had been so wondrous, so unexpected that he had berated himself most bitterly for losing it. And now the wizard had left him something else. It wasn’t as large as the pot had been, but it was frankly more than he deserved.

He slowly approached, picked up the pouch, and peered inside. The contents took his breath away. Two small, luminescent vials awaited him. Each was no larger than his thumb, and both were square in shape. One glowed with a bluish haze, while the other was the kind of gold that was left behind on one’s vision after a lightning strike. His hands trembled, and he lowered the vials back down onto the tomb, lest he drop them. There was a small note attached to each bottle, and an illustration.

The bluish bottle had the word “Leap,” inscribed upon the card, and this time the illustrated person leapt over not only the other man, but the inscribed “Leap” as well. The card on the golden bottle oddly said, “Live, Damn You!” and it had a picture of a person laying dead with x’s over their eyes.

He didn’t want to even think about what that picture might imply. He was glad to have it, but he hoped he never needed it.

The blue vial, on the other hand… He examined the back of the note because he noticed that it was not blank. It indicated two drops only, and Zuglah was curious as to how he was supposed to measure such a small amount. The answer was in the stopper. The lid itself had a bulb that, when squeezed, would dispense a single drop at a time from the end of a glass tube. Zuglah could taste the chicken pistules, knew that they had somehow augmented this potion. According to the card, they seemed to have enhanced it significantly.

There was only one way to find out.

And so, in the name of research, Zuglah slipped two drops under his tongue and swallowed them. There was a hitch in his stomach, even though he hadn’t noticeably swallowed anything. He leapt.

On his first leap, he soared so high that his body slowly rotated, no matter how much he windmilled his arms. He landed on his back hard, bouncing and skidding to a halt, but felt nothing. It must be a perk of the potion. Made sense.

He looked back and realized that he had jumped right over Ugly Tree Hill, big ugly tree and all. He was deep into the field of flowers. With two more jumps, he was on the other side of the field. Two more jumps, and he was on the verge of the Ardent Glen. He had finally figured out how to land on his feet. He turned around, worried about how far he had come. Without thinking, he tried to run.

He bounded over the land. The wind whistled through his ears, and he streaked across the plains. Zuglah thought he could run hundreds of miles in an afternoon, with this. He turned back to the North, almost having a hard time finding his field of flowers. That is, until he jumped straight into the air as hard as he could. He spotted the Big Ugly Tree first, then his field with its mineral baths and wildflowers. He had to wait several seconds before he could leap again, but he did not mind at all. He was starting to enjoy falling from the sky.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

He wondered if he might have to walk part of the way back, but this version of the potion was superior in more ways than one. He arrived back at his field of flowers, and leapt about from one end to the other with great enthusiasm. He was breathing hard and taking a break on the hill when it finally wore off. He felt it go with the same hitch in his stomach that had heralded its arrival.

It was two more days before he saw Caldwell again. He had a small group of fighters with him, every one of them young and rich, judging from their armor. They had no cleric with them, choosing to rely on healing potions instead and strength of arms to see them through. They didn’t even make it as far as the Spectre.

After he had sent them home via portal, Caldwell shook his head. He looked up the hill, and saw Zuglah. There was no portal this time, he simply popped up in front of Zuglah with a gentle clap of air.

Zuglah held out a paper package containing bacon, bread and cheese. “Sandwich?” Caldwell smiled and sat down.

After they were finished eating, Zuglah showed him how many herbs he had gathered. “The Sheekie Hag is ripping me off, isn’t she? On the chicken pistules?”

Caldwell nodded. “I didn’t even know that she had any. And I would not have been able to afford them, if I had. This is the first place I have ever found where they grow.”

Zuglah upended his chicken pistule sack, revealing that he had close to fifty. The wizard shook his head. “This… this is too many. I could not even use this many before they went bad. The five you gave me are enough to last for months. And if you tried to sell them, you would lower the price of them for a year or more. This is a fortune, in any big city.”

“So, what sort of partnership were you considering, then?”

The kindly wizard looked at him, weighing Zuglah with his eyes. “Well, the other day I was not proposing that you should enter the Stanish Crypt with me.”

He shrugged uncomfortably. “No, I know you we-”

“But I am now.” Zuglah’s head snapped up, his embarrassment gone. The wizard was still smiling, but it was clear that he was serious. “I am a senior member of the Adventurer’s Guild. Thus you have the pleasure of watching me escort rich kids and the spoiled brats of our senior members through a dungeon that honestly, I could have solo’d when I was gyiol sazal. That’s Elvish for ‘the sixth tier.’ I just want one decent student. So what do you think?”

Zuglah stared at him for a long moment. He was processing feelings that he didn’t understand again, and it made him nervous. He asked tentatively, “You… Are you saying that you will teach me how to make potions?” His heart was beating so fast. What had gotten into him? There was no way.

“No, of course not. You can’t go into a dungeon with a couple of potions. Despite what the Intelligence Triplets might have been told.” Zuglah was finally able to breathe again. Of course not. But he could still get some more potions from- “I’m gonna make you a wizard.”

He must not have heard correctly. The blood was pounding in his ears, and he was sweating profusely. He found himself walking around the top of the hill, looking for a breeze. It was so hot here.

He turned to the old man. “Why?”

Caldwell shrugged. “I was going to show you how to make potions, it is true. I had a thought that you could make more money that way. But you knew how to make money before we ever met.” He shrugged. “Well, you said that you have no trade. I have but one trade to give.”

One of the things that Zuglah admired about Caldwell was how serene he was. He never pressed Zuglah for an answer, he merely said his piece then waited for Zuglah to say his. Zuglah thought a while before he said, “Thank you, Caldwell. I would like that very much.”

The wizard beamed. “Excellent.”