The Legend of Lefty

It may seem strange, but until that moment Lefty had never really considered the future. Back in Ash-Tab, dreaming of tomorrow was such a pointless endeavor that he didn't even know it was an option. Every day was exactly the same; a seemingly endless cycle of eating, sleeping, digging, and duty. It was all his life had ever been, and aside from the prospect of eventually standing guard atop the wall, it was all he ever expected it to be. He had never planned for the future, because as far as he was concerned there was no future. The present would simply repeat itself forever. An eternity of sand that would only end when his life did.

Lefty's violent encounter with the chefs outside the Food Tabernacle had been the first time he imagined a future for himself that was better than what he already had. His brief fight sparked in him a… passion for fighting… and with it, the ability to envision a future where he would fight more things. Perhaps bigger things. Who knew what could be out there?

Ol Blu did. And when the kicken told him about the mad king's treasure and the beast guarding it… Lefty’s mind expanded once again. He realized that fighting… could benefit him… in addition to being fun… and that realization was like a lit match on dry grass. It transformed the tiny spark of interest within him into a raging inferno of passion; an uncontrollable blaze that had overwhelmed his senses and sent him sprinting towards the top of the tabernacle.

He was so eager to fight, to be challenged for the first time in his life, to risk something for a reward… that he didn't care if he died in the process. He forged on despite literally everything telling him he should go back, the fire within him burning so brightly that it blinded him to the dangers he faced, and granted him courage that would one day become legendary.

But as strong as his passion was, it lacked focus. Lefty had made one of the classic blunders, the same mistake that most of us make at some point in our lives: he had imagined a glorious destination, without giving any thought to the journey required to get there. And now that the excitement had faded and his heart rate had returned to normal, Ol' Blu's simple question exposed just how aimless he had been. It doused the fire in his heart like a heaping mound of sand.

I’d say it was like a swift kick in the shins, but it was more like Lefty’s shins had been shattered earlier that day, and somehow he had failed to notice it until the kicken pointed it out. And now he was standing there, looking down at his metaphorically broken legs, and wondering how he would continue to stand, much less walk.

The thought caused his body to waver with uncertainty. He suddenly had a strong desire to sit down. After a few wobbly steps the young man took a seat near the chicken's former nest, resting on a rock roughly the size of a chair. He sat there, staring down with existential melancholy at the disorganized mess of stones, bones, and discarded feathers that the beast had left behind, trying to gather his thoughts as one realization fell onto another, like a row of dominoes, the weight of the previous days finally collapsing in on him.

“I don't know...” He said, repeating his earlier words.

“I mean.. I guess there's other Tabernacles out there… and other keys… but…” He paused for a moment to look over at Ol Blu. The concerned kicken was standing on the rock beside him, giving Lefty a look of friendly empathy that the young man couldn't bear to return. Instead he cast his eyes out across the cave, towards the vast landscape that lay ahead of him, beyond the mountain's edge.

“But I don't know. I don't really know anything about them. And even if you told me, I'd still need to get to them somehow. And I don't have anywhere to live. I don't know anyone but you. I don't even know how to get food on my own. I just… really have no idea what I'm doing.” He was overwhelmed; not only by his situation, but by the seemingly endless lands that lay ahead of him, which he had only now taken the time to look at

From their little spot halfway up the mountain, the rest of Att was spread out before them. It seemed infinite. Green treetops expanded into the distance as far as the eye could see, their leafy tops like nothing the desert dweller had ever seen before. Green vegetation was strange and foreign to the naive young man, and there was so much of it. He didn’t say it, but the thought was obvious in his eyes: how would he ever make his way across such a vast wilderness?

Ol Blu didn't respond for quite some time. The elderly kicken just sat there next to Lefty, thinking long and hard about what he should do. He knew that he could help this young man. He had traveled the land for centuries, and in doing so, had acquired all the knowledge he would need to guide him across Att. Even if obtaining the other eight Clavis Imperium was an impossible goal, he recognized that Lefty had the potential to be great in other ways. Or at least interesting.

I mean sure, he hadn't actually defeated the beast, but it had taken a special kind of courage to even try. The three chefs who had held Ol Blu captive for the past weeks had never shut up about how they would be the ones to finally conquer the Food Tabernacle, how they would succeed where everyone else failed. And yet, in the week they had spent in the monument, they hadn't even journeyed beyond the ground floor. The trio wasted their time with big talk and endless planning, even going so far as to have a drunken celebration for the victory they hadn't achieved yet. There were so many people like them, people possessing skills who lacked the ambition and courage to actually do anything with them. Well Lefty DID have the ambition, even if he didn't yet have the skills to back it up. With some time, and some training, he could become someone noteworthy; maybe not king, but certainly more than what he was now.

The same qualities that made Ol Blu want to help, however, also gave him pause. He had been in this situation once before, and he knew from experience that his decision to encourage someone with potential could have monumental repercussions, not just for himself but for the world at large.

Perhaps one day I'll tell you about Ol Blu's past. Perhaps then maybe you'll understand just how significant this moment was to him, and why he hesitated for so long to help someone who had shown him mostly kindness. But this is not the Tragic Tale of Ol Blu. This, is the Legend of Lefty, and for better or for worse, Lefty would never learn what had happened to Ol Blu all those years ago; nor would he truly understand why, when the kicken finally did speak, that he asked such an unusual question.

“Lefty. When you sleep, what do you dream about?” the kicken asked. His eyes had joined his companion's in staring out into the horizon, the old servant trying not to show any emotion that might indicate what he expected the young man to say.

“Uhhh.”, responded Lefty, caught off guard by the seemingly random question.

“I don't really dream much. Or at all really.” He said, before suddenly remembering the dream he had woken up from that very morning.

“Oh wait, no! I had a dream last night actually.” He said, making Ol' Blu's ears twitch nervously.

“I dreamed that I went back home and uh... just kind of went to bed. It sounds really boring but I liked it. It's nice to Relax.” he said with a nod.

“And that's the only dream you've ever had?” Ol Blu asked, trying to hide the serious tone with which he asked.

“Yeah. As far as I can remember.” Lefty responded, before turning away from the horizon and looking down at Ol Blu. “Why? What do dreams have to do with anything?”

The old kicken took a deep breath, and turned back to face his companion.

“Why do you want to be king Lefty?” He asked directly, ignoring the young man's question. “What would you do with power like that? Just hypothetically speaking, let's say you somehow got all nine keys, found the Cash Tabernacle, and claimed the throne for yourself… what are you going to do then?”

It was the same simple question that had started off this whole introspective moment, and Lefty had the same answer.

“I don't know”, Lefty said... before adding, “I guess it's just... something to do.”

This little addendum was like a switch in Lefty's brain. He cracked a smile despite himself, and then gave a little chuckle as he thought about it, starting a chain reaction in his mind.

“Yeah. I mean really, what else am I going to do? Go back to Ash Tab and dig for the rest of my life?” He shook his head. “No. No way.” he said, answering his own rhetorical question. “I mean, sure they have food and beds there but... that's all they have.” He said, his voice echoing across the stone walls around him as he stood up from his spot.

His footing was solid now. He was still processing his thoughts, but he had a foundation to build on now. He didn't know where he was going, but he was at least certain about one thing: that he didn't want to go back.

“I- I want to see something new! I want to meet new people, and see some new places!” he said, his voice conveying about as much excitement as it could, carrying out over the forest as he built upon his one certainty, stacking ideas like a pyramid until a single word capped the top; the one thing he had wanted all his life without ever knowing it.

“Adventure.”, He spoke the word as if he was just now realizing what it meant.

“That's what I want to do! I want to go out there and do something exciting! I don't care if I become king, but I'd rather die doing something NEW than go back to the same old thing.” He said, the flame within him reignited.

“My bed at home might be comfy… but who knows! Maybe there’s better beds out there…”

Once more he stared out into the endless landscape of Att, but this time with eyes full of hope. In a flash his perspective had changed. The world in front of him was no longer a frightening thing. It was a place to be explored. He was excited. Eager to learn what the strange sea of green looked like up close.

That was enough for Ol Blu to make up his mind.

“Alright then.” He said as he hopped down from his spot on the rock, his facial features softening once more as he began speaking confidently to his companion.

“In that case we'll probably want to head to The Capital. There are plenty of people there who will be very interested in seeing that key you've got there. If we can prove it's real, I'm sure we can find someone willing to throw funds towards your little adventure.” he said, making his way around the nest and towards the mouth of the cave.

“There's a camelian town down there, just a little lake-side village, but you should be able to buy passage into the city from there”, he said, pointing his wing towards a spot below them where the trees broke away, and glittery speck of blue water was visible.

“If we start out now, we should be able to make it there before nightfall, there's a road that leads from the front entrance directly to-” He stopped mid word as he turned back to Lefty and found the young man wasn't even looking at him, but was instead preoccupied with something sitting in the beast's nest

“Lefty!” Ol Blu shouted, his voice raising in annoyance, “Are you even listening to me? I'm trying to tell you our plan!”

The curious adventurer, however, was too engrossed in what he had just discovered to answer his companion. Bending down he reached into the nest and grabbed from it two metallic feathers.

They were about a hand longer than his shovel and a bit wider than the tip. The quill fit nicely into the palm of his hand, the texture just rugged enough to serve as a solid handle. He lifted them up out of the nest and found they were surprisingly lightweight, feeling just a little heavier than his shovel despite being much larger and far more sturdy. Examining them closer, he could see just how sharp they were. Increased to such a large size and hardened like steel, the normally soft fibers resembled a giant serrated blade with a long edge. Lefty swung the feather in his right hand, and was surprised by how easily moved, the blade seeming to cut through the air itself with a satisfying 'Swish'.

The young man continued to test the feathers, swinging them back and forth, experimenting with how slight changes in the angle of his wrist affected their trajectory. Ol' Blu couldn't help but smile at the sight. He made his way back over to Lefty, too amused by the young man's child-like enjoyment to be angry at him.

“Found yourself some new swords, have ye?” He asked with a chuckle. Lefty's eyes lit up.

“You really think I could use these as swords?!” He asked excitedly.

“I wouldn't recommend it” Responded Ol Blu with another little laugh, “Though they'd probably make a better weapon than your shovel. At least until we can get you a proper sword.”

Lefty's eyes glowed once more as he looked down at the feathers, his inexperienced mind again imagining a fantastic future. He pictured himself on a battlefield, leaping around with twin feather blades, using them to cut down a whole army as he struck with the grace of an eagle. With a grin he put the two feathers into one hand , reached back with his into his rucksack, and pulled from it the trusty shovel that had served him well for so many years.

And then, without any second thought, he flung it out off the side of the mountain.

“What in the world did you do that for?!” Shouted Ol Blu.

“I got new weapons” Stated Lefty matter-of-factly, waving the feathers lightly through the air in front of Ol Blu, as if the kicken had somehow forgotten about them. “I don't need two.” He added walking back towards his companion at the edge of the cliff.

Ol Blu sighed and rolled his eyes, beginning to second guess his decision to help this impulsive young human. “I hope you won't discard me just as quickly if you find a new friend.”

“Naw.” Said Lefty as he reached down and picked up Ol Blu, placing the little guy once more on his shoulder. “People are more important than things.” He said with certainty.

Ol Blu smiled softly, confidence restored as the two of them went right up to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the sheer rocky drop below them.

“True, true.” Ol Blu said, “Although... what if you need to dig something up?”

Lefty paused, and then frowned. He hadn't considered that.

“I guess I’ll… have to figure something out.” He said with a grin.

“Speaking of which…” He said, flapping his arms up and down, a feather now in each hand.

“I was thinking, instead of walking all the way down to that town you were talking about, maybe I could use these wings… to fly there!”

Ol' Blu, being a winged creature himself, capable of limited flight, laughed heartily at this suggestion, knowing just how absurd the idea was.

“Oh yeah lad, I'm sure that would work” He said sarcastically, certain that Lefty was just making a joke.

He was not.

The kicken quickly realized this as Lefty took several quick lunging steps... and jumped off the edge of the cliff.