The Fountain of Inspiration [Shuhei & Zack]

Zack arrived at his workshop, he didn't really have a bedroom per say, and immediately noticed the note on the door. A quick scan of it revealed that Shuhei wanted to meet with him on the guild's sacred island Mt. Helicon. Unusual as the last time Zack had saw the guildmaster was when they were battling those giant multi-headed dragons. That had been a fun day. Scary, but exhilarating. It seemed based on the note that Shuhei knew Zack might be away for a while and as such might not receive the note for days or even weeks. He was known to go on his wanderings to hone his skills fighting powerful monsters. Either it was important, but there was no time constraint or it was something more casual. Either way it seemed like his first stop was Mt.Helicon.

Getting there of course was difficult. He was powerful and could fly so that of course gave him an edge with trying to get there. The issue was of course the powerful storms that circled beneath it. They were very powerful and made access to the island near impossible unless you knew the correct routes. Well, either that or you were insane enough to fly right through them.

With a quick kick off the ground Zack leaped out of a nearby window, bounced off a pole outside and then leaped into the air. Instantly he began to fly rapidly accelerating till he was going at very high speeds. As he flew he drew his sword preparing to use it to defend himself against the buffet from the storms.

Eventually he came to the storm barriers and with a grin seemed to kick off the air itself and accelerate even further. Just as he was about to hit it he began spinning rapidly so that he formed a humanoid drill of sorts and pierced straight through it. He landed with a soft thud on the island and exhaled deeply. His clothing was pretty badly torn. On top of that he had a few cuts, but other than that he had succeeded. For anyone without his sort of bravery and strength such a feat would of been nigh on impossible. However, as Zack often said. 'Sure its impossible. Maybe its not. A lot of things aren't impossible until they've been tried.' Sure, this of course put him up again some negative results once in a while, but if there was one thing Zack was then it was lucky.

He reached out with his sensory and sensed that Shuhei was still a good few minutes walk away. He decided, for a rare occasion, to walk rather than run. He strolled casually round towards where Shuhei was sitting and by the looks of it snoozing. In order to wake the guild master he tapped his sword against a large stone causing a ringing sensation. "Howdy, Master."

Zack followed Shuhei curiously. Just why had the guildmaster brought him here? There was no obvious reason for it. And now he was talking about the fact that the times were changing and so the guild needed to change too. Zack had to agree. The guild had stayed the same for a while now. It needed to evolve in some way. It seemed that this evolution was to be sparked by Zack somehow as Shuhei had an important task for him. "Well, you know me Shu. I'm always up for a challenge." Zack said and it was true. There weren't many who would be willing to headbutt the dragon king or try to bring in an S rank super criminal when you were just an A rank. Particularly when fighting said super criminal involved swallowing a ton of poison to save someone else. Then there was ladon where he had literally drilled through its body to aid in its defeat. He was a risk taker, but he was the kind of guy who made things happen. Perhaps that was why he was here rather than one of the other aces or other high profiling members. "Just tell me what I need to do."

The fountain of Hippocrene. One of the most sacred locations on Mt. Helicon, which was already sacred ground. To find and even observe Hippocrene would be a great honour, but to be provided with the permissions to drink from its waters was almost too much for Zack to process. It seemed that for the guild to grow and evolve Zack too must grow and evolve and it was of Shuhei's opiniong that the way to do this was for him to imbibe the sacred waters of the fountain of Hippocrene. "You honour me too greatly Master." Zack said bowing his head slightly. This was an honour few would ever be presented and one he would not turned down. However, even as one of the strongest mages in Blue Pegasus, in all of Fiore, in all of Earthalnd in fact, he did not feel worthy. 'Perhaps' he thought to himself 'Worth is not something that is needed when searching for Hippocrene. Perhaps it is something that is earned by finding it.'

Zack took a deep breath and began to walk through the forest sword sheathed. He did not know what to look for exactly or how to even begin looking for Hippocrene. He had only seen its powers demonstrated once or twice before.Wait, that might be way forward. It was a source of magic power. A fountain of pure eternano in liquid form perhaps. If it was such a high source of magic power then it likely had a powerful magical aura. He held out his glove and focused. This was going to be difficult. With Shuhei and himself present there was already a high level of magic power saturation. On top of that Mt.Helicon was a floating island and thus had its own powerful magic aura. On top of that Shuhei had mentioned spells protecting the fountain so that magic would also be in his way. Divining one source of magic in all of that chaos would be difficult. However, with his glove, he could see the aura and what sort of aura it was. Shuhei's as expected was as an aura of powerful light blasting out from within and forming a dragon-like shape. With there was also a small focused ball of light that seemed almost like a dragon's eye. This would be the lacrima embeded within him.

His own aura was one of starlight and celestial bodies. It was also powerful and looked almost like a galaxy. However, that Galaxy formed into a being holding a large serpent revealing his origin as that of being Ophiuchus incarnate. The isle itself had an aura that outclassed him and Shuhei many times over. He doubted if every mage in Blue Pegasus together could match the island in terms of magic. However, in the distance he could see an area where the magic was condensed. No, where it appeared to be flowing from and to. However, when it reached a certain point his ability to see it anymore seemed to vanish as if the aura had vanished entirely. "So...it hides it presence with an anti-sensory seal." he said out loud as he walked forward. "Though in that way it reveal itself because its weird for an area on this island to not be saturated in magic." He picked up the pace a bit. It was possible he was wrong and that what he was seeing was not Hippocrene. However, it was best to go check it out so he could rule it out if it wasn't.

As he drew closer to this apparent void of magic he began to hear voices chattering and tittering and somehow he felt like he was being beckoned by the voices. THey were strange voices. Almost ethereal in their nature. As he followed them he began to notice a large hill-like formation in the distance. A hill atop a mountain island. A rather odd one when you thought about it. Still, as he got closer to this formation he realised that it was the hill itself that seemed to be blocking his magic sensing. Now that was quite interesting. He picked up the pace till he was running and eventually he came to the hill. On top of that as he drew in close he noticed that there was a gap in the hill. A gap from which a large magic power was flowing. No, not a gap. A cave. Could Hippocrene be under ground?

The hill itself was verdant and beautiful. Atop it were statues that he did not recognise. They seemed important and all of them had the emblem of Blue Pegasus on them. Former members? That was something he hadn't expected, but it was quite nice. He could picture himself being there as a statue for future generation to look upon. Something to aspire to. He approached the cave entrance slowly now. As he got closer the voices began to get louder and louder. There was a slight glow and what's more he was swore he saw a feminine figure of some kind dart in and out almost too quick for the eye to see. He stopped at the cave entrance.

"Who are you?" he asked calling out into the cave.

The voices faded as he entered the tunnel like cave. The strange moss began to glow with each step rippling as if he was a stone skipping across a stream. All feelings of unease, weariness and sadness seemed to fade from his body. Thoughts of the monkey king were erased, for the time being anyway, and in the distance he saw a light. It was strange to see light in a tunnel. Perhaps it was a metaphor. Light at the end of the tunnel and all that jazz. It seemed though that the light came from natural sources. The cave was indeed a tunnel and it had led to a large crater. It was almost as if a volcano had gone extinct here.

However, the area was a flat grassy plain riddled with boulders and the walls were draped with flowers. At the center though was something that caught his eye. It was a simple pool of completely still water rimmed with small stones and mistletoe. The intense magic flowing from this pool was greater than anything he had ever seen. He had to stop his magic sense to prevent him being blinded entirely by this powerful aura that outclassed even Acnologia or the Monkey King.

Could this truly be Hippocrene? Was it that easy to find? Or perhaps there was some magic on the tunnel that prevented the unworthy from actually reaching this point. It wasn't clear, but it seemed that Shuhei had deemd him worthy and perhaps this fountain, if it was hippocrene had. He walked over to it slowly and in an almost trance or dreamlike state. He knelt down at its edge and spoke.

"If you are Hippocrene then I am blessed to be in your presence. If you are not then I am still blessed to see such beauty and observe such power." he said almost intoned like a prayer. He bowed his head slightly as his hands dipped into the water and scooped up some of the liquid. As his hands touched the water a perfect ripple went out sweeping through the entire pool and then it went still once more. In that moment he thought he heard the giggles again, but he wasn't sure. He raised the water to his lips and drunk from it feeling the water pass his lips. It was cool, refreshing and deliciously sweet. As it slipped down his throat and into his body his head suddenly flung back and light seemed to burst from his eyes. What would he see now he had drunk from the fountain of Hippocrene?

Zack slowly rose to his feet and turned. His mind was clear, his understanding of magic was heightened. He understood much more clearly his own magic and how he could finally fully harness its power. In fact, he already had in his mind a thousand ideas to improve and refine it. With this knowledge he felt unstoppable. He bid farewell to the muses and thanked them for their blessings. He didn't run back to Shuhei nor did he take a detour. He walked slowly and thoughtfully through the woods till he eventually returned to Shuhei.

"Master, I have drunk from the waters of hippocrene and my understanding of magic and the guild...is much higher than before." he said and explained to Shuhei what had happened when he drunk from the waters including the spell he had developed once head gained clarity. "You gave us the power of hippocrene to revive us. I created Agnaippis to save the guild from despair. To give them hope and inspiration so they can move forward and help the world as a true guild of heroes." He looked at Shuhei for a moment a question forming in his head.

"Is that all you wanted me for? To create a new guild spell? Or is there something else on your mind?"The clarity he had gained from drinking from hippocrene made him feel that there was something else, something more. What could it be? He was now the medium through which the muses could spread their magic and steer the world towards its future. Then an idea struck him. What if Shuhei wanted him to truly steer the guild towards its future and that was why he brought him here instead of the other powerhouses of the guild. Ayeseru could of done the same as Zack did he was sure. "You want me to lead the guild don't you? Why? You are a great leader master."

Shuhei laid in the Grass waiting, staring in to the sky in contemplation. Things were about to change, Shuhei was soon going to be ready to move on. Though he couldn't help but feel as though he was never going to be ready. He had to take a leap of faith and place his trust in Zack, or else he would never be capable of moving on. He brought Zack here as a test, not only for him but for himself. To see if he could truly let go of the painful emotions and guilt he felt, ever since he lost his comrades to the Darkness, years ago. A beam of light shot through the Heavens, and Shuhei smiled. Zack had passed his test. The White Wizard sighed. "I guess that settles it."

Zack had found his way back to his master. Shuhei stood up and looked at him. He could sense the change in him. He bore an expression of realization, as if his eyes were opened to new and wondrous possibilities. He explained to Shuhei the power he'd acquired with excitement. Shuhei nodded and smiled. Suddenly A thought dawned on Zack and he questioned Shuhei's ulterior motives and came to the correct conclusion... That he was to be the next Master of Blue Pegasus. "I enjoyed my time as Master of the Guild, but there's only so much one can do. Eventually a parent has to step aside and let his children flourish on their own. You're ready for this, you've proven that. The Guild, and this land is now yours to protect and shepherd." Shuhei placed his hands behind his head and smiled. "Trust me, it's not even that hard!"

He chuckled and then turned around, beginning to walk away. "I'll be around, if you ever need me. I could never leave the Guild completely. So I guess I'll see you around!" Shuhei stopped, facing forward. Hesitant to leave still. Briefly he turned and looked back at Zack. He was really about to let go of it all. Shuhei smiled and waved. "Later!" In a flash, Shuhei disappeared, releasing himself from all of his obligations and regret. He'd done enough for his Guild, it was time to let it shine on its own.

So his assumption had been correct. The clarity revealed by drinking from Hippocrene and the muses that had lead him there still resonated within his body. It had allowed him to create Aganippis and what's more it had allowed him to read Shuhei's actions on a much higher level than before. He was now the guild master of Blue Pegasus. Shepherd, Father, Master. Three words which could describe what he now was to the guild. He now had much greater responsibilities than ever before. He would not be able to just leave the guild as he wished without appointing someone to look after it.

"I don't think i'm ready." he said to himself as he stood near the edge of the island. "But I will do my best and I will make you proud." and with that he fell from the island, but rather than forming into a drill like before he instead moved almost freely through the storm below. It was as if he could see the patterns now and knew the safe path through. Hippocrene's waters were truly wondrous.