Unchosen Champion

At some point stairs stopped making sense. As a vertical mode of transportation they demanded a lot from the user and when a structure exceeded a certain reasonable size it called for a more efficient method of traversal. It was just poor planning to build an enormous monument without a plan to facilitate visitation. For the Great Pyramid of Chakyum, at least an escalator would have been nice. Surely, someone could have managed an alternative to creating a long climb of monotonous steps with the help of mana.

Coop stood at the base of far too many stairs and reconsidered his logic in approaching the High Priests on foot. In this case, he had believed it would be a good idea to take it slow and make sure he didn’t rush into any kind of traps, especially because they had been given a clear perspective of his journey toward the center of the settlement. In his pursuit of the last few levels before his next skill choice, he had provided a clear presentation of most of his skills. There was no chance that his rapid approach for the final section would be able to catch them by surprise after the dramatic battles with the Acolytes and Priests.

In particular, they had the opportunity to witness him utilizing hundreds of mistjumps in the lead up to their confrontation. Anyone with any sense could anticipate his sudden appearance following a thrown spear, as that had been the weapon he had used for the entire trip in order to avoid despawning his phantasms. The Priests had an advantage in knowing more about Coop’s skills than he knew about theirs, so he expected them to be prepared for their inevitable battle.

When he first arrived on the shores of Belize and entered Corozal, he had been humbled by the snares of the profession masters. Ever since then, he had been more conscientious toward the potential of traps. Unless he was specifically seeking to take advantage of the element of surprise, he had tried to approach each boss fight with more deliberate measures. Coop didn’t think of himself as particularly reckless, but he was always trying to find better ways to do things. This time, he considered the circumstances surrounding their confrontation.

While the High Priests knew he was coming, the Cult of Chakyum was as contained as it would ever be, thanks to the net cast by the Jaguar Sun. The only rush was in beating the initiation of the upcoming settlement event, but that was still two more weeks away. There was plenty of time to finish his part in defeating the Cult. They weren’t going anywhere unless the Jaguar Sun was wiped out first, and he knew they had no intention of being wiped out at all.

Coop took his time climbing the first few stairs, carefully assessing each stone surface as he searched for hidden triggers. Intricate hieroglyphs had been carved into the surfaces, but he couldn’t understand what story they sought to tell. Judging by the number of skulls and skeletons, he doubted it was a pleasant tale. The whole pyramid read more like the universal warning labels on a container full of poison than the throne of the region’s leadership.

In a way, marching up the side of the pyramid felt like he was undergoing a test of courage. If he wanted to meet the masters of the settlement, he needed to show that he was properly devoted to his purpose. He needed to climb the mountain to meet the old masters at the top and hear their wisdom. It was a filter.

At the most basic level, it was a simple challenge. Climbing the massive staircase required a challenger to demonstrate they had the resilience, determination, and stamina to be worthy of their time. It only called for a straightforward showcase of physical and mental fitness. It took a certain amount of humility to even engage with the test. If someone believed they were worthy of meeting the masters at the top, by necessity, they would be confident to the point of arrogance. The stairs were a way to knock them down a peg or two. If the task turned out to be more arduous than anticipated, and the challenger struggled, they would have to tap into hidden reserves to persevere or otherwise abandon pretense and give up.

Besides being a physical test, they were also symbolic. The stairs represented a journey toward the heavens and therefore enlightenment, a separation from the mundane and earthly challenges below, and an opportunity for the challenger to overcome internal struggles. If Coop climbed all the stairs, he would be able to subdue his inner demons, confront his fears and doubts, and prove that he had mastered his weaknesses.

Truly, Coop thought the stairs were a multifaceted obstacle. Many a wise master had employed their expert ability to disqualify unworthy candidates. Coop was impressed. He glanced at the black flames flickering in the breeze at the sides of each step and shook his head.

“...or I really could just mistjump.” He mumbled to himself, unsympathetic toward his potential personal journey. He was solely concerned with getting stronger and protecting Ghost Reef.

Coop cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders before he aimed his spear at the top edge of the staircase, squinting with one eye and gauging the distance. He abandoned his contemplations and threw the spear at the top, not too hard, but with enough force to cover the distance.