Leaping through Life [Jumpchain SI] (Currently in Avatar: The Last Airbender)

[Fullyautomagic]

Leaping Through Life
A Jumpchain SI
Chapter One​

I let out a strangled groan as the sun speared its way past my eyelids to shine directly into my retina. I rolled over on the chilly concrete floor to protect my vision and drift back to sleep.

...why was I on a concrete floor?

I shot to my feet in a confused daze, spinning around to stare at the streams of uniformed youths maneuvering around me and occasionally sending an unimpressed look my way.

Judging from the gilded gates they were moving towards, and the fancy-looking manor in the distance, I could assume I'd somehow found myself on the grounds of a private school.

Unfortunately, knowing I was at a private school didn't do much to clarify where the hell I actually was!

A voice laced with amusement cut through the panicked daze I was quickly spiraling into, "You okay there, Winter?"

I spun around in confusion to watch as a man kneeled down to pick up the bookbag I'd apparently dropped. I accepted it back silently, wondering who he was and how he knew me.

He chuckled and rolled his neck for a moment, "I get it, kid. First day nerves, happens to the best of us." His smile hardened, and his eyes locked onto mine. "However, I do have to give you a word of caution. The Academy isn't as forgiving as your instructors back home might've been. Show a shred of weakness and the people here will pounce on it and refuse to let go."

His words hung in the air, before he shrugged and gestured toward the gates, "Lucky for you, all of the rich kids and real talents arrived hours ago. All you might have to deal with now is a few rumors and maybe a bit of light teasing from the rabble."

Before I could ask who he was, and why he thought I knew what he was talking about, a wave of memories crashed into my mind. The country, the academy, even the secrets of magic itself settled into my memories without a hitch.

I nodded in his direction, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

He let out a sigh and gestured towards the gate. I took the hint and began making my way into the halls of the Hightower Military Academy.

- 0 - 0 - 0 -​

Things seemed to calm down a bit once we entered the Welcome Hall, and I finally had a moment to start processing the situation. I honestly couldn't tell at this point whether I'd gotten the memories of some lady from an oddly similar world to ours, or if I'd been dropped into the mind of a child in a magical realm of mystery and wonder. Either of those possibilities would be disturbing to consider, but I was fortunate enough to be interrupted in my musings by the sudden appearance of an instructor.

"Welcome, students of Hightower! I'm sure you're all eager to get to your dorms and start socializing with your classmates, but we've got to set a few ground rules first!" He shouted with a wide grin. "Our returning students may have been taught this before, but we'd like to remind you that dueling is prohibited on school grounds! Should you wish to duel in a friendly manner, we have a club that will start accepting applications in September. If you wish to duel in a less than friendly manner... don't."

The students surrounding me shivered in fear as his voice reverberated through our bones, emphasizing just how serious he was about that. Well, it wasn't like I was planning on getting into any duels in the first place, so that should be an easy rule to follow!

After giving the students a moment to recover, he continued on with laying down the law and making sure that each student understood what was expected of them. When that wrapped up, we were allowed to make our way into the dorms.

Thank goodness I didn't have to share the room with anyone. I had space to just scream for a minute or two and take deep calming breaths. Once I stopped shuddering and wiped away the tears, I began digging through my bags to see what I'd been provided with for my stay. I mostly just found school supplies and a few textbooks, though I did spot a few spare uniforms and a coin purse that I quickly strapped to my waist.

...I quickly scampered over to lock the door, and began flexing the magical muscles I'd been aware of ever since I'd gotten back my memories of this world. A flick of my finger was all it took to send a jet of flame flying towards the wall, which I quickly redirected and shrunk into a tiny ember. I retrieved one of the notebooks from my bag and began writing down each spell as I cast it, soon enough creating a list of elements and a few estimations of my skills in comparison to the other inhabitants of the world.

I giggled to myself as I realized that I could probably serve as one of the staff here with the sheer breadth of knowledge I had access to. Unfortunately, I didn't quite yet have the raw power to make use of most of that knowledge. Eventually I could rain down bolts of lightning from the heavens, but I could satisfy myself with just lobbing balls of fire for now.

I let out a squeak of surprise as a thump echoed from the door, and a gruff voice yelled, "Save the damn spellcasting for class, and get the hell to sleep!"

With a nervous gulp, I flicked off the lights and nestled into the provided bed as ordered. I was still a bit wary about the situation here... but for magic? I could rough it out.

- 0 - 0 - 0 -​

Damn, I cannot rough this out.

Wanting to show off a bit, I'd volunteered to cast a spell for our evocation instructor and wowed the class with a swarm of elemental energies that nearly battered through the weak shield spell that he'd idly put up before giving me the go-ahead. He was certainly impressed afterwards, and used my unexpected skill to remind students that they should always remain vigilant whenever in a situation where they might come across a hostile spellcaster.

He was very nice about the whole thing though, and didn't seem to hold a grudge despite me nearly shredding his cloak with a bunch of ice shards. No, it was the pretentious jerk of a classmate I had that was the problem. Apparently little miss rich girl her had gone through most of her life as the most talented student in the classroom, and she did not respond well to suddenly having the spotlight taken away from her.

She was subtle with her prodding in the first week, but after realizing I was ignoring her, she really started amping up her antics. She sent her friends to try sabotaging my work or to plant a booby trap on my seat. Heck, she even tried hitting me with a spell during one of the practical lessons! She tricked the instructor into believing it was an accident, but the tongue stuck out at me as he had his back turned was enough to prove to me that it was entirely intentional.

At least I was free during the lunch period, I could just sit behind the bleachers and- EEK!

I turned around with barely restrained fury, watching as she tittered to herself and said, "Oh dear! I didn't see you there, Miss Winter. I do apologize for spilling my juice on you. O ho ho!"

...is she really doing an ojou-sama laugh?

I glared at her for a bit, before shoving a sheet of paper in her direction, "Dueling club applications open in two weeks. Beat me, or shut the heck up and leave me alone."

A vein pulsed on her forehead as the mask of smugness turned into a visage of anger, "You're damn right I'm going to beat you, you urchin!"

"Tough words, let's see if you can back them up." I spat back, giving her my meanest glare before stomping off in the direction of my dorm.

- 0 - 0 - 0 -​

I didn't sleep too well that night, too busy thinking of the upcoming confrontation and seething with barely-restrained anger. Nevertheless, I slept enough to immediately head for the library the next morning and start looking into her background for any abilities or assets that I'd need to watch out for.

Regrettably, the archives only held ill news for me. Her family had apparently been one of those to fight for the country's independence a few centuries back, and they maintained a strong martial tradition throughout. Like many of the sorcerous clans of the world, their heirs were provided with powerful artifacts and secret arcane knowledge to ensure their success through life.

At a minimum, I should expect her to bring an artifact that massively inflates her magical reserves and an artifact that bolsters her resistance to offensive spells. I guess it was time to finally start taking things seriously, and start equipping myself with some magical items as well.

I got up and began walking towards the dormitory lounge, immediately spotting my target and coming to a halt right above her. She immediately shrunk in on herself and began looking around for assistance that would never arrive.

"Julia." I said with a nod, watching as she hid behind her book.

"E-emily..." She stammered out, avoiding my eyes.

"You're one of the best students in our class, I needed your help preparing for a duel." I said.

She immediately whimpered, "I-I don't think I would be a good sparring partner! M-maybe you could ask Erika instead, she's been doing really good in the practicals!"

I bowed my head in acknowledgement before shaking it slowly, "I don't need a sparring partner, I need to craft some equipment for the duel to level the playing field."

She calmed down a bit upon hearing that, and peeked over the top of her book, "What sort of equipment?"

With a grimace, I pulled out a book from the library and handed it to her. "We don't have enough time for anything too fancy, but I'd like to create a Band of Spellstoring. A mana storage crystal would be way too expensive, and we don't have the reagents for a defensive charm."

Her head bobbed in understanding, "A-and a Band of Spellstoring wouldn't need to last very long if you want to use it for a duel. Do you know what spell you wanna store in there?"

I grinned savagely, "You're dang right I do."

 

[Fullyautomagic]

Worlds Visited
- Generic Magic Academy (Chapter 1 - 4)

Spoiler: Generic Magic Academy Build

Generic Magic Academy V3
- Tier 4 Setting (-300)
- Rolled 3 for Mage Rarity: Rare, 1 in 5000 (+50)
- Rolled 4 for Magical Schools: One for Every Major Country (+50)
- Rolled 7 for Mage Creation: Exposure to Concentrated Magic (+50)
- No Masquerade
- Rolled 1 for Mage Societal Position: Government Assets (+50)
- Rolled 1 for Sentient Supernatural Creatures: None (+50)
- Rolled 2 for Secret Societies: Some (+50)
- Selected 5 for Mundane Tech Level: Modern
- Rolled 3 for Magitech Level: Victorian (+50)
- Selected 4 for Facility: Just a School
- Selected 1 for School Specializations: Generalist
- Rolled 5 for Age Range: High School/College (+50)
- Rolled 8 for Favored Club: Free Choice (Dueling) (+50)
- Rolled 4 and 1 for Reputation: Prestigious Faculty, New (+50)
- Origins: Drop-In
- Spark of Magic (Free)
- Beauty Booster (Free)
- Powerless (Free)
- Unchained Mind (-300)
- Learning Booster (-200)
- Mystic OSHA (-200)
- Powerful Blood (-600)
- Knowledgeable: Expert in Evocation, Enchantment, and Abjuration (-600)
- Focus (Free)
- Enchanted Coin Purse (-100)
- Hostile Rival, Study Partners (+200)
- Hostile Rival, Study Partners (+200)
- The Dark Lord Rises (+600)

 

[Ethan Eldritch]

This was lovely, can't wait for more!

 

[Fullyautomagic]

Leaping Through Life
A Jumpchain SI
Chapter Two​

These damn kids...

Ferdinand let out a disappointed sigh and shook his head as he watched the two girls glare at each other from across the room. He'd specifically told them not to treat duels as a matter of honor, and here they were trying to settle an argument with one! He could have just withdrawn the pair from participating entirely... but there were other factors that prevented him from doing so.

For one, little Marinette there was one of the rising stars of the DeChevalier family. They would've immediately objected to any of their students being barred from participation in the Dueling Club, and they'd do more than raise a ruckus if he kept Marinette out of it.

The obvious solution would've been to pull out Emily instead, but she'd somehow gotten Professor Gisbert onto her side and he'd objected when he brought up the matter at their last staff meeting. He'd taken a liking to her, and seemed to believe she would do great in the Dueling Club.

He smirked to himself.

Things would've gone quite poorly if he wasn't allowed to change the rules for recruitment on the fly. As things stood, he instead elected to have students evaluated by senior members of the Dueling Club rather than having them face one another.

Another crisis averted, you god-damn genius, he thought to himself as he began assigning students to their evaluators.

- 0 - 0 - 0 -​

What the heck was all this about?! I thought we were supposed to fight each other for the right to join the Dueling Club, not cast a bunch of cantrips for the older students to 'evaluate'.

I tried to take deep breaths as I marched over to my 'evaluator', trying to give her a polite smile as she turned to face me.

She chuckled to herself and ruffled my hair (hey!), "Sorry about this, kid. Apparently something came up and we had to change the rules for the recruitment drive, but how about you go ahead and show me what you've got? It says here that you need to cast an 'offensive spell', a 'defensive spell', and a 'battlefield control spell.' Do you know what all that means, or do you need an explanation?"

"Thank you, but I understand." I sighed, looking at the patch of turf that had been assigned to us. How should I go about this? Obviously, I can just lob a ball of fire and impress them with the sheer power behind it, but is that really all their is to dueling? I should be able to show more skill in combat that just wasting my mana with a bunch of flashy magic.

I took another deep breath and focused on forming a cloud of mist in front of me, before reaching in and pulling out an icicle. The girl evaluating me seemed confused for a bit, though her eyebrows shot up once I threw the icicle and had it explode with a bunch of frozen shrapnel. I grinned and pulled out two more, having them float beside me as the cloud finally dissipated.

"I can send these things flying at any time, and maintaining them hardly takes any mana!" I shouted triumphantly.

She chuckled and said, "I wouldn't say they take hardly any mana. You just got plenty of it to burn, or freeze in this case."

I smiled back at her and dropped the icicles onto the floor, though obviously I removed the spellform from them before they could shred my ankles. A few moments later I had a dome of pure force floating in front of me, and after a bit of testing from the evaluator she wrote that down in her notes.

Lastly, I stomped my foot on the ground and twisted it.

"...what happened?" She asked with her brow furrowed.

"If you take a step onto the ground in front of me, you'll sink in as if it were water. It'll turn solid again if you try climbing out." I explained.

She blinked and was silent for a moment, "Kid, if you get in, would you mind showing me where you learned that? You have no idea the number of duels I could've won if I had something like that!"

Technically I hadn't learned the spell from anywhere, as it was part of the memories implanted into my mind, but I promised to tutor her in it once I got accepted into the club.

We ended up chatting for a bit once she finished evaluating the rest of the students assigned to her. Apparently, she was only two years away from graduating and signing up with the military!

I really had to start thinking about my own future past gruaduation. Apparently, I wouldn't have to sign up for the military, since I was attending under the Jum'Perchan Scholarship for Talented Individuals.

However, most mages were either expected to sign up with their local military or going into Research and Development with a major corporation. The JSTI fund wouldn't last beyond my academic years, so I had better start looking into things soon...

- 0 - 0 - 0 -​

The next few months went by pretty smoothly, with my grades remaining at the top of the class in most subjects and preparations for live duels finally wrapping up with the club. According to the older students, protocol had basically been completely overhauled in comparison to their past experiences, but I'd finally be able to duel Marinette soon!

...but did I really want to? The two of us had remained rather competitive, and we might have gotten into a nonmagical scuffle or two... but the atmosphere between us had grown more amiable as we assisted one another with our respective struggles during club meetings.

I taught her how to put a bit more natural oomph into her spellcasting, and rely a bit less on magical artifacts that could be disabled in real combat. In turn, she'd enlightened me with the techniques that many heirs of magical families used due to their collective centuries of experiencing in training up young mages.

We did eventually end up dueling one another, but we ended the fight with clasped hands and wide grins. For the next seven years at Hightower the two of us would remain close friends and get up to more than a couple of misadventures with one another.

Nevertheless, I eventually graduated from Hightower with the highest certifications in Combat Magic available... and decided to meet with my once-evaluator from Dueling Club to see how I could go about signing up with the military.

 

[Ethan Eldritch]

Two in three days, thanks!

 

[Pen-Paper Toad]

Let's see...
Can't guess most of the world building, so I'll ignore them and assume you randomized everything +650 (1650)
Unless you're using cosmetic origins you didn't pick faculty, but did pick Knowledgeable -600 (1050)
You obviously got Spark of Magic and Beauty Booster as freebies (1050)
Can't tell what origin you picked, so I'm guessing you picked Everyday Mage and its four perks
Hard Worker - Free (1050)
Mystic OSHA - 100 (950)
Practical Mage - 200 (750)
Stable Mana - 300 (450)

Based on her room you got:
Focus - Free
Scholarship (Temporary) - Free
Enchanted Coin Purse? - Free (450)

She didn't appear to have anything notable in her room, so I'm not sure about the rest, maybe Magical Storefront - 200 (250)?

Edit: Please note these are mostly guesses. Only Spark of Magic, Beauty Booster, and Focus were guaranteed, and Scholarship I wouldn't be able to tell if it was the free version or the 100 point version. I guessed Everyday Mage because the only Drop-In perk that would be obvious was Illusion Weaver, which I figured she would mention in some way if she had it; Fresh Face wouldn't require someone else helping her make her magic item; Old Family I ruled out due to when she arrived; and Faculty was obviously out of the question since she's a student. Mystic OSHA seemed to have been used when a 'stray' spell was sent toward her. Practical Mage would allow her to perform stronger or modified spells, which I suspect she used in the Duel Test, and Stable Mana might have been used with it to make the ground trap. Item-wise only her coin purse, clothing, and school supplies were mentioned, of which the coin purse was the only item I saw that was close enough.

 

[Fullyautomagic]

Leaping Through Life
A Jumpchain SI
Chapter Three​

For the past nine months, my team and I had tracked the activity of a group of magical cultists. Sadly, our victories had been far and in between, with them getting away with their atrocities more often than not.

I smirked and peered through the scope of my weapon, adjusting a dial on the side to ensure I had a lock on my target.

We'd finally managed to sniff out their base of operations, and it seemed that we'd done so just in time! The sheer number of frightened civilians that they'd tied up in the center of a ritual circle rivaled the total number of casualties they'd inflicted upon us in the past.

Honestly, it took a lot of effort to restrain myself from pressing the trigger and slaying as many of them as I could. However, we had a team getting ready to rescue the civilians and any disruption of that sort would unnecessarily put their lives at risk.

A scratchy voice suddenly sounded out from my earpiece, "Agent Winter, are you in position?"

I tugged my rifle's safety and replied, "Yes, sir. Ready to fire as soon as you give the order."

"Check the targets we've tagged. Our experts have said that if you manage to take them out, we can prevent them from trying to rush the ritual while we extract the hostages." He said.

With the press of a button, the colors I was seeing through the scope changed entirely. Now there were several individuals highlighted in gold against a dark blue background, and lines connected to them indicating that other marksmen had already claimed them as targets.

I marked down three of them for myself, and spoke back to the officer overseeing this operation, "I've marked my targets, sir."

"Good woman." He said, rapping away at a console. "We're less than a minute away from starting, steel yourself."

I nodded stiffly and adjusted my aim again, preparing to fire enchanted lead straight through the skull of one of their higher-ranking mages.

...and I continued to wait, far more than the supposed single minute he'd claimed.

"Sir, are we aborting the opera-" The cracking sound of several bullets being fired interrupted me, and I froze for a bit with indecision. Things were obviously not going to plan, and the cultists had suddenly sped their preparations.

My choice was made for me as I heard the sound of crunching gravel and chanting behind me. I quickly tossed up a shield and gasped as a rocket nearly sent me flying off my perch and onto the ground below.

Ignoring my sidearm, I sent a spike of ice into my assailant's chest and followed it up with a hail of obsidian arrowheads. Somehow that wasn't enough to take them out, and I had to use a gust of wind to send a grenade flying away.

I might've been tossed off the cliff by another spell if a bullet hadn't found its way into her skull. I turned to see one of my squadmates staggering over to me with a smoking pistol held to his side.

"Martin, what's the situation?" I asked, kneeling to my rifle once more and trying to reacquire my targets.

"It's a god-damn setup, the bastards knew we were coming. The command truck's gone, and they've already taken out half of us. We need to extract and call in an air strike. Hell, I'd have already done that if they weren't jamming our communications." He said, wincing as he sat next to me.

I frowned, and gestured for him to cover his ears as I sent a half-dozen rounds into my designated targets.

"What about the hostages? We can't just leave them there!" I said, reloading my weapon and slotting in one of the explosive rounds.

"What about them? We don't have the manpower to save them, and whatever they're planning here might put even more people at risk!" He shouted, before gasping and placing a hand against his side, eventually pulling it away to reveal a black tar-like substance leaking from his wound.

I was silent as I unloaded on my next set of targets, managing to send one of the magically-protected ones stumbling into a row of candles with the explosive round.

"Are you certified for aerial maneuvers?" I asked, checking to see if his flight harness was still intact. Unfortunately, one of the straps seemed to have been cut in twain during the fighting.

He grimaced, "I'll get shot out of the sky if I try flying out of here, you need to get out of jamming range and call for air support." He sighed and stood up, cracking his fists, "I've got a few more tricks I can use to distract them... make good use of it."

Before I could respond, he leapt off the ledge and slammed his fist into the ground. Cracks immediately appeared across the area as the ground shook from the impact.

I watched for a few more moments as he began punching through a couple more of the cultists and began flying away. I tried my best to keep my radar and magical profiles low, but eventually I managed to get out of range of their communications disruptions.

"Repeat, can anybody hear me?!" A voice shouted in my ear, causing me to wince as I flew low to the ground.

"Winter reporting in." I whispered. "We need to call in backup, the whole thing was an ambush!"

"God fucking damn it." He said, shuffling around in his seat. "Did you manage to interrupt their ritual at least?"

"I'm not sure, but I think-" I closed my eyes as a green explosion flashed behind me. "...I think we've failed, sir."

"What was that? Our sensors are going crazy!" He shouted, and I could hear other voices yelling in the background.

"I think... I think they've accomplished their goal." I said, looking behind me as the sky itself seemed to darken.

- 0 - 0 - 0 -​

According to the debriefing a week after the mission, I was entirely correct. The cultists had summoned a lich from ancient times, though I could comfort myself knowing the first thing he'd done was swallow their souls.

...should I even be joking around about this? Dozens of people died during the operation and I'm just sitting here without a care in the world! Why am I always like this? I coast through life using talents that aren't mine, and somehow managed to not accomplish anything with it despite that.

Nearby settlements were already being overrun by hordes of undead, and nearly half a million people were displaced when the province of Ostelios was evacuated outright. I'd failed in a way that few people ever got to experience, and the higher-ups were considering giving me a medal for bravery in the course of duty

I ran away. I have more magic in my little finger than most people manage to use in their entire lives, and otherworldly knowledge to back it up, but I just ran away? Hell, if I'd just gone in there and started blasting away I could've probably stopped this whole thing from happening!

I... I have to stop this from happening. I've gotten complacent over the years. I was brought here by someone or some unknown force, but I've treated myself like I'm a normal person. Maybe this was why I was brought here, to take out that bastard lich when nobody else is able to. I can-

The eerie sound of an air raid siren cut through the air, and bumps began appearing at the back of my neck as the air itself seemed to freeze. A quick pulse of sonic energy shattered the window, and I leapt from the second floor of the Specialist Barracks to land next to a startled group of soldiers.

"Give me your gun." I said to one of them, staring her in the eyes. "Nope, I didn't say argue with me. I said 'give me your gun'."

A roar echoing through the air convinced her to hand over the pistol, and I began sprinting for the base gates after casting a 'haste' spell upon myself. I worked magic into the bullets, imbuing them with the same explosive might of the rifle rounds I used during my normal 'work'.

I looked up, and grimaced. It appeared that the city's use of an air raid siren was quite appropriate, as a horde of skeletal dragons began descending upon it.

A pair of missiles flew overhead towards the undead beasts, and I glanced behind me to see that the rest of the base was getting ready to respond in force to this incursion. I grinned and fired off a round of my own at a dragon, blasting a wing off and sending it tumbling into the ground where it shattered into dust.

I spent the next few minutes running around and helping out where I could, though things got a lot easier once I got my hands on a flight harness and one of those fancy missile launchers from the quartermaster.

We still ended up losing a few people, and there were likely dozens of civilian casualties, but we'd managed to pull of a decisive victory!

- 0 - 0 - 0 -​

A sickly, skeletal being staggered over to the marble throne of his master, "Oh He Who is Beyond Death, I bring grave tidings from the front."

He stared at the being, "My, how horrifying. My servants used to be quite beautiful, but the modern magicks of this world seem to be quite opposed the reintroduction of necromancy." He chuckled to himself, "Not that they have any say about it."

The being remained silent until he gave an annoyed flick of the wrist, "Well then, spit it out! What 'grave tidings' do you bring?"

"My Lord, the Skeletal Dragons you summoned have been slain to the last. Even the greatest armies of Ankhos fell before their might, what are your orders?" It said with a simpering tone, kneeling once it finished speaking.

He frowned at the news, and thought back to the weapons he'd found on the soldiers surrounding his summoning sight. They were quite effective against robed cultists, but they shouldn't have been enough to slay even a single of his dragons. They must have used some sort of enchanted catapult, or perhaps equipped their men with warhammer that could shatter through even stone. Nevertheless, it was certainly a place he wanted to rule over if he could manage it.

"I do believe we've found ourselves a new capitol." He smiled.

 

[Ethan Eldritch]

Sooo...... that took a sharp turn into what feels like a whole different setting. I mean it was awesome with some good action, character development, and foreshadowing, but the modern elements were a bit of a sudden introduction.

 

[Fullyautomagic]

Sooo...... that took a sharp turn into what feels like a whole different setting. I mean it was awesome with some good action, character development, and foreshadowing, but the modern elements were a bit of a sudden introduction.

Click to shrink...

Thanks for the feedback! That actually reminded me to drop the build in the Informational Tab.

I'm probably going to only be staying in Generic Magic Academy for another chapter or two, but I'm definitely going to try going for a lot more character development and interaction in the next Jump. I'm also going to be slowing things down a bit to improve the pacing and allow me to introduce new elements more naturally.

Speaking of elements, I might as well say now that the next Jump is going to be into Avatar: The Last Airbender.

 

[Pen-Paper Toad]

A little funny I ignored your actual origin due to you not having the one obvious perk.

Anyway, Avatar is a fun setting, though the most expensive perk is considered useless by some people if it's the jumpdoc I'm thinking of.

 

[Fullyautomagic]

Leaping Through Life
A Jumpchain SI
Chapter Four​

Though we'd managed to fight off the first wave of skeletal undead, we soon realize that our seeming unwillingness to fall under the blade of his forces had made us a priority target for the lich. Instead of continuing their expanding spiral of death and decay, their forces instead began encircling the city and cutting us off from outside support.

Considering their vulnerability to man-portable munitions, a wing of fighter-bombers might've been enough to finish off the remainder of his forces. Unfortunately for us, he soon proved why he'd needed to be sealed away so long ago.

The city itself shuddered as a glowing dome encased it, one that weathered the most potent of aerial munitions and resisted any attempt at piercing it by magical means.

I walked into the base's command room and nodded at one of the surviving officers, "Any update on the enemy?"

She grimaced and gestured towards a console, "He's been stopping by cemeteries surrounding the city to replenish his forces, the bastard even disturbed a mass grave to make more of his abominations."

I didn't have the innate revulsion many seemed to hold against necromancy, but even I was taken aback at his desecration of such a site.

She shook her head and continued, "We've conscripted all remaining mages into our forces, but even with the ones stationed here by the military that only brings us to about a hundred and fifty. We're flush with mundane troops, but without logistical support from outside the city we can't even equip most of them!"

I frowned and took a look at her papers, "Five hundred soldiers, and an additional two thousand reservists. Do we have any armored assets?"

She barked out a laugh, "We pulled a tank out from one of the local museums, and we've got a dozen IFVs... nothing that can help much against a horde numbering in the tens of thousands."

"We could use one of the strategic spellforms against them... if we wanted to render half the province uninhabitable for the next few decades." I said with a sigh.

"...I'm actually glad communications were cut off before they could start discussing that. Some of the generals were even indicating that they wanted to use the citizens as bait, and drop a half-dozen strategic spellforms on us to take out the threat before it could snowball. Hell, they might still try it!" She said exasperatedly.

Ah, that's exactly what I wanted to bring up!

"If we don't want him to snowball before reaching the city, we should be striking now! Most of his forces are a bunch of spear-wielding skeletons, and if we bring a few missile launchers we won't even have to worry about the dragons! I know he's strong... but is he 'stand-up-against-150-mages' strong?" I asked.

A cough interrupted us, and we turned to see the local commander's unamused look, "And do you plan on going against orders to do that?"

I stood still for a moment, but I was saved from having to answer when he continued, "Unfortunately, we think you're right. We're either going to have to take him out with a strike team, or we'll have to fight him in the streets of the city." He sighed, "I'm certain I don't have to explain this, but that tends to be rather unhealthy for its inhabitants."

I nodded slowly, "Have you come up with a plan?"

"Other than you, only a dozen of our men are trained in the use of flight harnesses. We're going ride out with our armored assets and try be as much of a nuisance as possible to his formations. While we guide them away from the city the thirteen of you, and thirteen more 'riders', are going to drop on top of his ass and give him what for! We pulled out spell scrolls from the archives to toughen you up as much as possible before you go in." He confidently stated, though he sagged a few seconds later.

"I should tell you what I told the rest of the strike team." He said sadly. "In all likelihood, this is going to be a suicide mission. While we might succeed, I don't expect more than a tenth of you to live through it. Hell, I don't expect any of our ground-bound men to live through it."

Maybe it was because I'd already lived a second life, but I immediately volunteered for the operation. After asking when we'd be going, he smiled sadly and began guiding me to the rest of the team.

- 0 - 0 - 0 -​

"Oh, come off it!" He yelled in annoyance, glaring at the scrying orb like it'd just disintegrated his favorite slave. "What even are those?!"

He watched as a formation of metal boxes began pulverizing his front lines, spitting streams of hot lead through dozens of undead and even blasting apart one of the Skeletal Dragons he'd just made from a gravesite. Hundreds of mundane soldiers followed along with the constructs, each of them managing to take out at least a dozen of his troops before a lucky arrow or spear could slay them.

"My Lord, should we send in our reserves of magic-casters?" His sickly servant asked.

He rankled at the idea of having to send in such elite troops to take care of mundane soldiers, but he comforted himself with the fact that they'd also be killing the mages assisting them.

"Yes, send them in now!" He commanded, watching as it hobbled away to carry out his commands.

A few minutes after they left, he smirked and looked towards the ceiling of his temporary palace, "You may come out, adventurers. I've sent away the distractions."

Just a bit over two dozen men and women dropped down from the ceiling, pointing those surprisingly-potent contraptions at him, "Call your abominations off, and we'll just imprison you. Kill even one more innocent, and we'll travel to the edges of the Earth to annihilate your phylactery."

"Ha! That's not the first time I've been told that, but I believe you might be the first group I believe." He chortled. "You're going to make some excellent undead, those men you left behind at my revival have done oh-so-well in their task of bringing in new materials."

Before the commander could continue, one of the women charged forward and sent a veritable wave of flames washing over his throne. "Ah, I see we're doing away with the pleasantries. How very boring of you."

A staff appeared in front of him and split the wave of flames, sending it flying into the banners hanging at the sides of his throne. With a yawn, he lifted the staff and disintegrated one of the men, chuckling at the panicked fliers suddenly taking to the air and leaving their comrades on the ground.

"Oh! I shouldn't be wasting materials." He reprimanded himself, instead dashing forward to impale another one of the troops with his focus. "Maybe I should make a dragon with all your bones, one that can stand up to those catapults you've been using!"

He leaned back and dodged a bolt of sapphire lightning, whistling as it melted the floor for several meters, "The mages of your Kingdom continue to exceed my expectat-" He was interrupted as a pair of the ground-bound mages sent massive slabs of stone flying in from either side to crush him.

"Still disappointingly brutish, but that is to be expected of those who deny my rightful sovereignty over existence." He grunted out, shoving the slabs away using only his arms.

He grinned when a trio of the mages charged with glowing blades, "Ah! This is the elegance mages should be fighting with! Not anything so quaint as mere elemental manipulation."

His staff split in two so he could properly block the incoming blades, though he frowned as his bodied was suddenly pierced by gunfire coming in from all directions. He was fast, but not fast enough to block bullets with his staff.

He was about to speak again when the mage from before slammed through his knee with a bolt of purple lightning, and the woman mage threw a swarm of embers into his eyes. The latter was sufficient to allow one of the blade-wielders to lop his arm off at the shoulder, further allowing-

"Enough!" He shouted, seizing the minds of the men and women surrounding him. "I'm not against a bit of harmless fun, but I'm afraid you've worn out your welcome."

He rubbed at his eyes to remove the remaining ashes of the spell sent into them, "In fact, I- oh?"

He watched in disbelief as the fire-user charged at him, gliding aside to let her pass without hitting him. "How strange, your will to fight should be extinguished by now. I'll have to study this effect... that you all seem to have?"

Worry began creeping into his face as the rest of the mages began blinking and snapping out of the trance, and his attempt at crushing their skulls before they could properly awaken was stopped by another damn bolt of that purple lightning to his remaining knee.

A blade quickly severed his final limb, and the woman spoke, "Sir, will the undead stop after we kill him? Or should we keep him alive and try tracking down the phylactery?"

He laughed, "Williams, take a peek out the window. If the dome's still up, we kill him now. If now, I know a blacksite or two that would be more than happy to hold this bastard until we can take care of him permanently."

- 0 - 0 - 0 -​

The next two years were quite pleasant for me, even if a voice at the back of my mind told me that I didn't deserve it. The fact that only one of us died to take out the lich enhanced the praise even further, though I don't think it was much of a comfort to his family.

...I miss my family. I was an orphan here, but I knew very well what it was like to have loved ones. My friends were great, but embracing my parents and my sibling would be a gift beyond belief.

One night I fell asleep thinking of family, and the next I ended up joining one in the most traumatizing way possible.

'Well.' I thought to myself as a fur-clad man carried me over to his fishing boat, 'At least I've got a family again!'

 

[Ethan Eldritch]

One night I fell asleep thinking of family, and the next I ended up joining one in the most traumatizing way possible.

Click to shrink...

Ha, Getting born, the plight of many a reincarnated individual. Lol.

 

[Kadark]

I'm going to bet God of War but there is no way to be sure where she ended up.

 

[Pen-Paper Toad]

I'm going to bet God of War but there is no way to be sure where she ended up.

Click to shrink...

It's Avatar the Last Airbender, but she mentioned it between chapters so it's easy to miss

 

[Fullyautomagic]

Leaping through Life
A Jumpchain SI
Chapter Five​

Little Nikane ran across the snow-topped glaciers of the North Pole, giggling to herself as she weaved her way through the crowd of fishermen. She stopped every so often to hand one of them a length of jerky, though she'd pout whenever one of them gave her a head pat.

Tempa chuckled to herself as Nikane scowled, only to brighten up as soon as she found another fisherman to feed.

Soon enough she'd distributed the last of the meat and ran over to Tempa, grinning with pride at her accomplishment.

"I did it, mama!" Nikane shouted, gesturing for Tempa to lift her up.

"That you did." Tempa replied with an amused smile, kneeling down to lift the toddler into her arms. "We should start heading home soon, I still need to cook up some dinner!"

Nikane let out a cheer as the pair began making their way back to the hut that they called home.

- 0 - 0 - 0 -​

I gave Tempa a quick smile as she glanced over at me, before turning back to stare blankly at the dolls I'd been gifted. As much as I'd grown to care for my new family, living as a small child in some godforsaken arctic wasteland wasn't the most engaging of pastimes.

Other than getting my new body used to molding mana, it was the best I had access to in terms of entertainment. Unfortunately, I couldn't do that as often anymore. Kona, my new father, had panicked at my seemingly unresponsive state after checking in on me during a meditation session.

It would've been a lot easier if I could just practice my magic out in the open, but as far as I knew magic wasn't a thing in this world.

Sure, the elders had told a us a few stories about local spirits, but I'd heard those stories two worlds ago as well. They hadn't reflected reality there, and without a bit more evidence pointing towards it I couldn't assume they'd be true here either.

I spent a few minutes with the dolls, pretending to have them go on a fishing trip over our rug. However, a more entertaining distraction soon arrived!

"Auntie!" I yelled, running over to hug one of her legs. "Up!"

She chuckled and kneeled down to lift me into her arms, before walking over to speak with her sister.

"Tempa, did you hear? A healer from Agna Qel'a is going to be stopping by tomorrow!" She said with a grin.

An excited clap and a wide smile were her response as my new mother walked over to give us both a hug, "That's great news! I was starting to get worried about Akta's leg, have you gone to visit her yet? She's lucky that Tiger Seal didn't rip the whole thing off!"

Auntie set me down and nodded solemnly, "I have, and she's not the only one who needs some healing. Some of the other villagers have come down with something, and I'm worried it's going to spread further."

Tempa glanced over at me, and gestured for Auntie to follow her into the corner of the hut where she could whisper to her in private. I was very mature and crossed my arms before stomping over to the dolls and making them fight each other.

A few minutes later, Tempa walked over to me and kneeled down, "Nikane, I'd like to ask you a question."

I tilted my head curiously and turned to look at her, "What is it, mama?"

She smiled, "Would you like to see how the healer works?"

Ahhh, I see what she wants. In societies such as this, healers can often hold a very high position on the social ladder. I may be young now, but she obviously wants me to get a head start on my peers!

My head bobbed up and down eagerly as I shouted, "Yeah! I wanna see how they make medicine!"

"Oh, I'm certain you'll find her work interesting." She chuckled. "Now though, it's time for you to go to bed!"

Had I not brought the memories of my previous lives with me, I would've groaned at the thought of going to bed so early. Instead, it was an opportunity for me to continue developing my magical pathways! Any pirates or invading forces from the 'Fire Nation' would be in for a nasty surprise if they tried attacking my village!

- 0 - 0 - 0 -​

Unfortunately for us, it was more than a few people who wanted to go see the healer in action. Crowds surrounded the hut as she worked her magic on one of the sickly villagers, and I wasn't even able to see her during that initial healing!

She must've worked fast though, because it was only a few minutes later that she exited the hut and began heading for the next. My mom wanted to chase after her, but I very wisely suggested we get ahead of the crowd and instead go visit Akta.

"Who knew I'd be raising such a clever girl?" She muttered to herself as she followed my suggestion.

Akta was one of our few hunters, going after the larger mammals of the area rather than fishing on the shores. I'd always enjoyed her company, especially when she fed me some real meat instead of the fishy nonsense that made up most of our diet.

She smiled weakly as we entered, and brightened up even more as she saw me riding in my mother's arms.

"Tempa, it's so good to see you." She said with a wave. "And you as well, little Nikane. Though judging from how big you're getting, I might not get to call you that much longer."

"I'm almost four now!" I shouted with pride, resting my arms at my sides. "Mom wants me to start learning how to be a healer soon!"

"Oh, is that so?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, glancing over at Tempa with a curious expression.

She rolled her eyes and ruffled my hair in response, "She's being silly. I just wanted her to see a waterbender in action."

My brow furrowed in thought as the pair continued conversing. I'd heard the term waterbender plenty of times before, but it had always been in relation to the warriors of the Northern Water Tribe.

I had assumed that it was just a fanciful way of referring to naval fighters, but it must have some deeper meaning if it could also refer to healers! Maybe the term had religious connotations, like an individual blessed by the spirits of our 'Water Tribe'?

I shook my head. Why am I bothering to logic this out when I could ask my mom or Akta about it and get an answer right away?

I did just that, and received a wide grin from the both of them.

"Waterbending is a gift given to use by the holy spirits, Tui and La." Akta said, before gesturing over to my mother.

"Their names mean to 'push' and 'pull', though they are much more than that." She said, before pointing at the ceiling. "Tui is not a simple spirit, but the origin of waterbending itself. She is a manifestation of the Moon itself, and thus the first waterbender we know to have existed."

"Is that why they're called Tui and La? Because they push and pull at the ocean like the Moon does?" I asked, fascinated by the idea.

Akta laughed and nodded in response, "Very sharp of you, Nikane. That's exactly right! The first waterbenders learned from their movements how to bend water on their own. We used to have a few of them here before you were born, but they either passed or moved to Agna Qel'a."

"What's so special about Agna Qel'a?" I asked with a pout, annoyed that I'd lost the opportunity to interact with such individuals because of it.

There was a laugh from behind us, "Well, Agna Qel'a also happens to be where the most talented waterbenders of the Northern Water Tribe have gathered."

I turned around to see a stranger, presumably the healer, and let out a gasp.

Tempa and Akta both bowed their heads in her direction, and I repeated their actions with shame burning on the back of my neck.

"I-I'm sorry." I stuttered out, trying to regain my composure. "Agna Qel'a is really cool!"

"I'm just teasing, little one." She chuckled, walking over to take a look at Akta's leg. "How long ago did this happen, and have you kept it from being infected?"

She nodded, "The elders put an herbal concoction on it, and I've been getting plenty of rest. Tempa here has also been making sure I don't skip any meals."

The healer nodded respectfully in my mother's direction and unclipped a pouch from her belt. I was confused for a bit, only to let out a squeak of complete and utter awe when it started glowing and floating through the air.

Magic did exist here, and I'd been wasting my time hiding it for nothing!

Fortunately for me, they assumed that I'd been shocked by the waterbending itself rather than the realization that my deception had been unnecessary.

"This her first time seeing waterbending?" The healer asked with a grin.

Tempa laughed and said, "It is! Look at her surprised little face, it's so adorable!"

I huffed and approached the water, though I kept myself from reaching out to touch it.

"Can anybody do this?", I asked.

The three of them frowned, and I felt my hopes begin to drop.

"Honey, only a few special people can waterbend." Akta explained, giving me a sympathetic look. "You can try to waterbend, but if you don't show any signs of it from a young age it probably means you can't."

Before showing anything off, I decided to ask another clarifying question, "If people from the Water Tribe are waterbenders... does the Fire Nation have firebenders?"

The healer scowled, but collected herself in order to answer my question, "There are four elements, for each of the four nations. Water, Earth, Fire, and Air... though there aren't any of the last one around anymore."

I nodded understandingly, "Can I try to bend that water?"

She barked out a laugh, before coughing into a fist. "Go ahead, kiddo. Most waterbenders start off with waves though, don't be surprised if you-"

She went silent as I reached out to the water with my mana and pulled it over to me. I let it form into rings and orbit for a bit before turning to her, "How did you get it to glow?"

 

[Ethan Eldritch]

She went silent as I reached out to the water with my mana and pulled it over to me. I let it form into rings and orbit for a bit before turning to her, "How did you get it to glow?"

Click to shrink...

Hahaha, man it never gets old reading about out of context individuals breaking the brains of the natives.

 

[Pen-Paper Toad]

Hahaha, man it never gets old reading about out of context individuals breaking the brains of the natives.

Click to shrink...

I once found a good way to break their brains using a technically OoC combination, but at the same time it isn't very OoC, at least when in AtLA. Using a learning perk, a legacy perk from Redwall, and Avatar Cycle and Bending Genius from this jump you can create an artificial Avatar Cycle that isn't limited to just Bending Abilities and only requires you to meditate. Thus OoC, yet not very since the Avatar Cycle does exist for learning bending.

Anyway, I do wonder if an early start drawback was involved this time, or if it's just a narrative thing for this chain when not using a Drop-In.

 

[Fullyautomagic]

I once found a good way to break their brains using a technically OoC combination, but at the same time it isn't very OoC, at least when in AtLA. Using a learning perk, a legacy perk from Redwall, and Avatar Cycle and Bending Genius from this jump you can create an artificial Avatar Cycle that isn't limited to just Bending Abilities and only requires you to meditate. Thus OoC, yet not very since the Avatar Cycle does exist for learning bending.

Anyway, I do wonder if an early start drawback was involved this time, or if it's just a narrative thing for this chain when not using a Drop-In.

Click to shrink...

I actually decided to do a homebrew Drawback in this case, since the other option would've required me to stay for the entirety of my natural life in ATLA. As things stand now, Aang should be discovered by Katara and Sokka in about 8 years (when I turn 11).

Spoiler: ATLA Build:

Age: 11 (Currently: 3)
Gender: Female
- Water Tribe
- 1, Major City (+100)
- Nobility
- Chakra Wellspring (Free)
- Born Lucky (-200)
- Spirit-Touched (-300)
- Seaborn (Free)
- Protocol (Free)
- Royalty (-300)
- Chi-Blocking (-100)
- Psychic Bending (-200)
- Bending Prodigy (-400)
- Just a Child (+300)
- Rough Childhood (+100)
- Extended Stay (Houserule Version) (+0) - Start Date is pushed back by an equal amount to your age, and you must stay an additional 10 years past your original Start Date.

I'm actually still deciding how to handle her ability to 'bend' other elements, or rather the initial introduction. The people of the NWT are going to assume the last Avatar went into hiding, and finally died of old age.

It would probably make more sense to have her reveal her ability to manipulate other elements right off the bat, but I want to do it in a way that's more narratively satisfying.

 

[Pen-Paper Toad]

I actually decided to do a homebrew Drawback in this case, since the other option would've required me to stay for the entirety of my natural life in ATLA. As things stand now, Aang should be discovered by Katara and Sokka in about 8 years (when I turn 11).

I'm actually still deciding how to handle her ability to 'bend' other elements, or rather the initial introduction. The people of the NWT are going to assume the last Avatar went into hiding, and finally died of old age.

Click to shrink...

If you want to spend an additional 10 years after your initial ten years, Cliffc999 has a drawback that might work for you:

Spoiler: Time After Time

Time After Time (+0/100 CP) – By taking this toggle you may now change your entry time from what is available on offer to any earlier point in the timeline, however ancient. You may not start in a period later than the jump allows unless you combine this with a fanfic toggle that allows access to such future and/or conjectural eras. Should available perks, items, Drawbacks, etc., be utterly incompatible with such an early start time then it is up to you and your individual Benefactor to either find ways to resolve the incompatibility or else do without. You may also, in addition to or instead of the above proviso, choose to extend your time in the jump for longer than the standard duration. You may choose to remain for any amount of time you wish but all Drawbacks, scenario limits, and chain-failure provisos still apply. As a compensation for the additional risk you are running you will receive 100 CP for each five full years that you choose to stay. As an alternative you may instead choose to extend your time for a 'flexible' period that does not have to be stated in advance but allows you to end your jump at any time you wish, provided that you've already completed your minimum stay. However, choosing the flex-time option means being paid no CP for staying. You may combine 'flex-time' with the 'paid time' option above, but any period of time that you have been paid drawback CP for must be completed before you are allowed to leave.

Also, I never noticed there was an AtLA Redux jumpchain made, and got led to the wrong version of both your Drawbacks until I realized I couldn't find all your perks in the original doc, the fanfic doc, the prequel doc, or the sequel doc and outright searched for one of your perks.

 

[Fullyautomagic]

Leaping through Life
A Jumpchain SI
Chapter Six​

I restrained myself from smirking at the gobsmacked expression on the healer's face. I bet you hadn't expected that, you jerk!

Despite my tremendous victory over her expectations, my smug mood soon wavered. I watched as she began speaking to my mother in hushed tones, occasionally shooting a furtive glance my way. The satisfaction drained from my body as the room's mood turned dour in what seemed like a heartbeat.

Her gaze no longer held the warmth of an elder teaching a curious child about the world. Instead, she was giving me the same look I'd seen on the face of ambitious officers in my past life. The look of a person who only saw me as a tool they could use to advance their own career.

Their conversation was short, and Tempa began guiding me out after she took back control of the water. I saw her begin healing Akta's wounds as we left, though Tempa's expression lacked any of the joy one would expect.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked nervously, my stomach turning in circles as we made our way home.

She knelt down to look me in the eyes and said, "No, Nikane! You did nothing wrong, and I want you to tell me if you hear anybody saying otherwise. The ability to bend is a gift that many would give anything for, do not feel that you have to hide it!"

I gave her a weak smile and nodded, "But... why do you look so nervous, mom?"

She sighed and lifted me into her arms, silently walking down the path to our home as she mulled over the question. Once we got home, she set me down in front of the door and knelt again.

"...Akta and I told you that the benders either passed away or left to go to Agna Qel'a." She said, wincing as my expression grew nervous once more. "That's not the whole story."

I gulped and looked her in the eye, "What happened, mom?"

She stood up and opened the door, gesturing for me to enter first. Kona had been sitting inside and grinned upon seeing us enter. However, a quick glance at Tempa's expression kept him from greeting us how he normally would.

"Nikane, what do you remember of the elders' stories about other nations?" Tempa asked, soon sitting on the rug besides Kona and patting her lap for me to climb on.

I did just that and answered her question, "They said that the Earth Kingdom is a really big place with lots of farms! The Fire Nation is a place filled with volcanoes and a bunch of people who want to attack us. They said that the Fire Nation destroyed the Air Nomads..."

They didn't outright say that the Fire Nation killed the Air Nomads, but it was easy to read between the lines.

She nodded at my words, "The Fire Nation has waged a war on the other nations for the past hundred years. They began by wiping out the Air Nomads, and the Avatar along with them."

"The Avatar?" I interrupted curious as to who that could be.

"That isn't important right now." Tempa replied with a reprimanding stare. "They've continued to seize land from the Earth Kingdom, and they've taken out more Water Tribe villages than I can count. There's almost nothing left of the Southern Water Tribe, for example."

Kona frowned and wrapped his arms around the both of us in a hug.

"Tempa, she's too young to be hearing this." He whispered to her.

She looked him in the eyes, "But she has to hear it, Kona. Nikane is a waterbender."

Kona went still, and he looked down at me in shock, "How do you know this?"

"She took control over some of the healer's water. Our daughter is a very talented bender, Kona... I'm sure I don't have to tell you what that means." She replied, her voice trembling.

"They can't just take her! The other benders went willingly, but Nikane is too young for that!" Kona shouted, gesturing at the door.

She took a shuddering breath and nodded, "I know, Kona! Don't you think I know that? Do you think I want our daughter to be turned into another weapon for them? Or into some slave healer they can use whenever they want on their troops? But what can we do?"

Kona was silent for a moment, and his expression hardened, "We can escape to the Earth Kingdom. The Fire Nation doesn't control the northern coast yet, and we can flee deeper into the continent if we have to."

"What about our family?" Tempa asked, her eyes filled with sorrow.

"The two of you are my family. My family and my responsibility." Kona said, pulling us tighter into the hug. "I'll miss everyone else, but I'll leave if it means the three of us can stay together."

I was silent for a moment, waiting for the two of them to bring up the third option.

...I sighed and asked the obvious question, "Can't the two of you go with me to Agna Qel'a?"

Kona smiled down at me, "I wish we could, Nikane. They aren't letting anybody through the gates unless they bring great wealth with them. Great wealth or the ability to bend water."

I frowned, "But can't I just say I won't work for them if they don't let you guys come?"

Tempa sniffled and pulled me in close, "They would just take you from us. Maybe if you were older and more experienced in bending, they would be open to it. Right now you're a blank slate for them to mold, and they don't want us interfering."

More experience in bending, eh? Well, how about this?

I focused for a bit, bringing forward memories from my time in the academy to cast a quick fire cantrip. With a small ball of fire in my hands, I grinned at Tempa and Kona, "How about this? If I can bend really good, they'll have to let you guys come with me!"

 

[CivilReader]

More experience in bending, eh? Well, how about this?

Click to shrink...

Nicane: My magicbending got me into this mess, let's see how much more of the same it takes to fix everything!

 

[Ethan Eldritch]

OH MAH GOD IT'S THE AVATAR.

 

[Fullyautomagic]

Leaping Through Life
A Jumpchain SI
Chapter Seven​

Tempa let out a yelp of surprise while Kona froze, his gaze locked onto the fiery sphere that floated just above my palm. They went silent for a bit as they struggled to process my actions, interrupted only by the gentle crackle of conjured flames.

"Nikane, honey." Tempa said, gently grabbing ahold of my wrist and guiding it away from the flammable furs that lay on our floors. "How long have you been able to firebend?"

I tilted my head in faux consternation, extinguishing the flame before answering.

"This is the first time." I answered, technically not lying. What I'd done in my past life were evocations, this was my first time bending fire!

"Is that bad, mom? I thought it was like waterbending..." I asked, confused by her worried expression.

Kona grimaced while Tempa began biting at her nails, though she was able to gather herself quickly and give a response, "Not... quite, Nikane. Usually, people are only able to bend one of the elements. The only exception I know of is the Avatar, and he's been gone for a century."

My eyes widened in recognition, "You talked about him earlier! Is he part of a special tribe or something?"

She looked towards my father, and he sighed, "The Avatar is meant to be a balancing force in the world. When spirits grow hostile, he goes to calm them. When war tears communities apart, he is there to bring peace."

A frown began growing on my face as he spoke, his words painting a bleak picture even as he tried to shield me from the reality of our situation. "Dad... do you think I'm the Avatar?" I asked nervously.

He ran a hand through his hair and looked towards the entrance of our home, "I don't see what else you could be, Nikane. It's just not possible for a waterbender to have control over another element... can you also control Air? I'd ask about Earth, but I don't think we have any around here."

After a bit of thinking, I realized I actually didn't have all that many wind spells. The list was bigger if you included sonic spells, but true manipulation of air? I could probably count them on both hands.

Well, I'd actually made frequent use of at least one 'air' spell in my past life.

I scrunched my face up in concentration as a swell of wind passed through the room. A few seconds later I began shakily lifting off the ground, causing a panicked Kona to quickly pluck me out of the air.

"Yeah, I can do Air too!" I exclaimed with a grin.

Tempa sighed in relief as Kona caught me, though she went back to biting her nails as soon as he set me back down on the floor.

"When can we leave for the Earth Kingdom?" She asked, watching as I straightened out my coat and sat down daintily.

Kona grimaced, "Tempa... we can't hide her away now that we've learned who she is. She must master the elements and restore balance to the world!"

"She is a child!" She shouted in response, gesturing towards me. "The only balance she should be concerned about is getting enough bedrest! She can't bring balance to the world if she gets killed or taken away by a platoon of Fire Nation soldiers."

Kona sighed and walked forward to embrace her, "Like I said, she has to master the elements first. She can be trained safely in Agna Qel'a, and only when she is ready will she confront the Fire Nation."

'Jeez, this conversation's getting heavy.' I thought to myself. Is it really worth it setting myself up as some sort of savior to the people of this world?

I paused for a moment, thinking back on what I'd been told of the Avatar. They'd disappeared about a hundred years ago, and seemingly operated on some cycle of reincarnation that would let them return time and time again to restore 'balance'.

I'd spent a lifetime in a world of mundanity, and a decade in one of magic and adventure... could that be why the Avatar was missing? Had some sort of event occurred that flung my soul across the multiverse to reincarnate elsewhere before finding my way back?

My stomach began to churn with dread as the idea solidified itself in my mind. I hadn't really cared much about the situation prior... but if it truly was my duty to bring balance to the world, could I just abandon them like this?

I stepped between Kona and Tempa as they argued, lifting a hand to silence the both of them as I interjected, "If it's my job to protect the world, then it obvious what we need to do."

Tempa let out a gasp of surprise, and kneeled down to look me in the eyes, "Nikane, you're too young to know what you're getting yourself into. Being the Avatar isn't some game you can step away from if things get too scary. There are those who would take you away from us forever if they learned you were the Avatar."

"They're taking waterbenders away, anyways!" I shouted, glaring back at her. "I heard you guys talk about how the Southern Water Tribe doesn't even have benders left! If I'm the Avatar, then I need to master the elements and stop the Fire Nation from doing that!"

Kona's gaze bounced between us for a bit before settling on Tempa once more, "...we don't need to tell them she's the Avatar. We can let her be trained in waterbending, and then head off to the Earth Kingdom so she can master earthbending!"

I nodded in agreement, "If we have a boat and supplies ready, we could run away as soon as I'm done training!"

Tempa still looked unsure, so I decided to hit her with a bit of tearbending to weaken her will.

"Fine! We'll go to Agna Qel'a." She relented. "But I want you to have the boat ready as soon as we get there, and if there's any sign of them wanting to isolate her from us, we'll run away immediately!"

That seemed reasonable enough, and luckily it seemed that Kona agreed! We contacted the healer from before and began making arrangements for a move to the Northern Water Tribe's capitol.

It was only a week later that we found ourselves in an apartment on its outskirts, up on the icebergs that formed the walls guarding the inner city. Kona and Tempa were unused to living in such a crowded region, but it was a lot more comfortable for me.

In a week I'd begin training as a healer, though I'd need to find a way to learn the more martial aspects of being the Avatar! Well, I could fall back on the training from my prior life and try to establish a fighting style using that. I expected a volley of flesh-piercing ice shards would be just as effective here as it'd been back there!

 

[Ethan Eldritch]

This was a very nice chapter filled with all of the wrong conclusions!