The Red Glaive

“I didn’t train with a spear! I should’ve been training with a spear!” Videl said scrambling for the rack again. He hadn’t slept the whole night.

“Videl, you don’t need a spear, you’re good with your sword.” Aeria said holding him back.

“But what if I loose my sword? What if I drop it!? What if-“

“Calm down Videl, here drink.” Caius said handing Videl a mug filled with water. Bathed in sweat, Videl chugged the mug’s contents in three massive gulps.

“You need to rest, it won’t do you any good tomorrow if you’re too tired to hold up your sword.” Aeria said.

“Tomorrow will decide my future, I can’t afford to mess it up!” Videl said rather frantic. “I can’t. . .I can’t. . I. . “ Videl staggered before collapsing.

“Videl!” Aeria fell to her knees beside Videl. She felt his forehead, no fever, nothing looked broken and his bulky armor kept him from banging his head against the gravel. As far as she could tell, there was nothing to heal. “Telfer!” She shouted yanking him down next to her. He was training to be a medic, “Fix him!”

“Uh,” Telfer hovered his hands over Videl’s chest nervously. “His heart’s still beating.”

“Hmmm.” Caius said examining the cup Videl had just drank from. “That was quick. It’s a lot stronger than I thought it would be.”

Aeria glanced at Caius. Then back at Videl. “What did you?” Aeria said standing to face Caius.

“He needs the rest.” Caius said with a shrug. “I found this sleep thing in my room.”

“Did you drug Videl? What did you use!?” Aeria said only catching quick glimpses within Adelaide’s apothecary filled with dozens of glass bottles. Could Caius even read any of the complex instructions Adelaide wrote? “We need to go find Adelaide now!”

“He looks fine.” Caius said standing over Videl. “Telfer?”

“Hm, everything looks fine, he’s just asleep.” Telfer said. “But if you want me to, I can pull the, whatever it was, from his blood, it’s incredibly painful though. I have to pull it out of the pores in his skin.”

“You can do that?”

“Yeah!” Telfer said, “We haven’t practiced it yet, but I’m pretty sure I can do it.”

Aeria stared long and hard at Telfer, wondering if he actually could do it. “No, we’re finding Adelaide.”

Hours later, they had walked past and endless lines of vendors but could not find Adelaide. The search would’ve been more through if Caius and Telfer didn’t stop at every food vendor to try the all the samples. Even Arsene had refused to help saying he didn’t have a link with Adelaide.

“Here try this.” Caius said offering Aeria a small brown square on a toothpick while Telfer lingered behind at the booth trying to get more samples. “It’s really sweet.”

“We need to find Adelaide!”

“Eat it. Relax. Videl will be fine, you heard Telfer, he’s just sleeping.” Caius said, “Maybe I should’ve used some of that sleep draught on you, help you relax.”

“It doesn’t work that way! If you had used some of that draught on me I’d be knocked out back at Adelaide’s with Videl.”

“We can go back and Telfer can do you his blood medic thing.”

“If the removal of the draught from his system doesn’t wake him up, the pain of it sure will.” Telfer said returning with his samples.

Aeria sighed. “I just want to make sure he’ll be alright.”

“He will be!” Caius said hooking his arms around Aeria’ and Telfer’s neck. “Come on, let’s have some fun!” Aeria pushed away from him, smiled and finally relented. “I think the games was this way!”

Caius was absolutely elated as he tackled each and every game with an absolute mastery Aeria just didn’t posses. Everything she tried just ended up going miserly. Throw a ball in a hole, miss. Roll a melon to knock down cups, utter failure. Even her luck wasn’t with her, for even in the games of chance did she fail. All of it made worse by Caius’ constant chiding and quips after each and every victory. It only served to make her want to win more.

Even Telfer seemed to be rather gifted at picking ducks. At the end of the night, Caius ended up with a staggering 52 tokens, Telfer with 21 and Aeria with a miserable three. Two that remained from what Caius had given her, the second she had found on the floor.

“So, how much are these worth?” Telfer said holding his token bag.

“We exchange them for prizes, it’s how carnival games usually go.” Caius said.

“So they’re not worth anything?” Aeria said

“But you paid coin to get the tokens!” Telfer said. Caius had bought 30 tokens, 10 for each of them. Of course, after Caius started winning and Aeria losing, he gave her more to try and make up the difference.

“It’s not about the coin Telfer.” Caius said leaning back and raising his fist. “It’s about the the victory! Especially,” he said rapping Aeria on the nose with a thick finger. “if it’s over one of my specific glaive brothers.”

“You competitive asshole,” Aeria said after swatting his hand away from her face. “what do we get with the tokens.”

“I’m sure you can get a nice piece of candy,” Caius said and Aeria gave him a vulgar gesture making him smile. “You can enjoy that your candy while me and Telfer can enjoy the concessions counter without you.”

The concessions counter was a in an enclosed tent with a long rectangular display case filled with random knick knacks from all across the lands. Set around the center pole and a rack of what looked like decorative weapons in all kinds of shapes, sizes and metals.

“I want the most expensive thing you have.” Caius said unabashedly dropping his tokens on the glass counter top. A few of the other patrons stared disbelievingly at the sack filled with coins.

Aeria shook her head and joined Telfer in examining the glass case. There were nice leather bound spell books typically the type a man got his wife, further down there was a small knife that seemed to glow with some kind of light, some vials filled a strange liquid which Aeria distinctly recognized as coming from Adelaide’s apothecary, and scattered throughout the case were dozens of eques flasks each filled with the magic of the gods. The power of a glaive but without any of the restrictions. Used for war and to kill.

Aeria frowned wondering if any of the flasks within the case were any of the ones she had made in the shrine.

“How is this the most expensive you’ve got?” Aeria heard Caius saying as she rounded the counter to return to where Caius was.

“That is just one of a pair, no others were made.” the vendor said. In Caius’ hand was a small jade ring. The ring seemed to resonate slightly, like spotting the silver flash of a fish under water. No, it wasn’t made of jade. “This and its sibling were made from the bones of Last Guardian of Durus.”

“A golem,” Aeria said remembering the story her mother used to tell her, “Whose bones were used to forge the rings, but that’s just the story.”

“Not a story boy.” the vendor said, “History, and this,” he took the ring from Caius and waved it in Aeria’s face. “is a prime Durian artifact from which the story is based.”

“What story?” Caius said joining them.

Aeria thought back, funny how she could remember the story clearly but not her mother as she told it. “The Last Guardian of Durus was the last of the defenders the Gods had created to fight the armies of man. But to the Golem, this massive being made of stone and given life by the Colossus, those wars were long since lost. This last Golem sought to strike back at the man who had crowned himself king over his lands. So the Golem sought out a unicorn whose magic was second only to the Light Bringer himself and together they devised a plan."

Aeria knew it almost word for word, her mother had told her this one many a night, but Aeria couldn't remember her at all. Aeria tired to hide the sadness in her voice.

"Soon, a young man appeared in the king’s court seeking audience, but the king was not in his castle. It was his daughter that ended up greeting the young lord. The king was away for a long time settling land disputes with his fearsome armies, and his daughter and the young man ended up falling in love.

"Soon came word that the king was returning after tightening his hold on Durus. A daughter's joy turned to grief as her young lover revealed himself as the Golem, turned into a man by the unicorn’s magic, and sent to the castle to kill her father. He begged her to run away with him, both of them abandoning their duties to live together in peace.

The princess drove a dagger into the golem’s heart killing him. But the betrayal she felt soon gave way to an immense grief for what she had done. In that grief she found her love stronger than her duty had ever been and she took her own life.

When the king returned that night to find his beloved daughter dead, and the king of Durus prepared to destroy everything that the golem had stood for. But the unicorn appeared, feeling responsible for what had occurred. The unicorn used the golem’s bones to make two rings and infused them with her blood, sealing both the golem and the princess within so that they could be together forever.”

“And you like this story?” Caius said.

“It’s a tragic tale of two people caught between love and duty.” Aeria said. “It’s meant to be romantic.”

“And this ring is made out of golem bones?” Telfer said examining the ring from the vendor. “Does it do anything.”

“When the two rings come together, the wearer is bestowed with the power of the Golem.” The vendor said, “Alone, each ring will seek the other out.”

“That has to be a myth, something someone made up,” Aeria said. She had never heard of such a thing. “The story ends with the king burying the rings with the bodies so that the golem and the princess could find each other beyond.”

“Graves get plundered, and things get passed down.” The vendor said to Aeria.

“I’ll take it!” Caius said ending the discussion.

“55 tokens.” The vendor said with glint in his eye. Caius looked at him slowly as Aeria’s smile slowly grew.

“HA!” Aeria laughed. “You’re short!”

“Ariel I need my tokens back.” Caius said to her.

“Your tokens? As I recall, you gave them to me!” Aeria said with glee. “To do with what I please.”

“Telfer, let me-“ Caius said turning to face Telfer but he had left the second Aeria had started laughing. Dejected, Caius turned to Aeria again. “It’s not like you afford anything with just three tokens.”

“Well, what if I want a nice piece of candy!” Aeria said showing off her precious three tokens in the palm of her hand.

Caius quickly reached out and snatched the tokens from an unsuspecting Aeria. She pulled her hand back but caught unawares, she wasn’t quite fast enough. But just to be sure and to gloat, Caius extended his hand and opened his palm revealing Aeria’s three tokens. “Ha!”

Caius had taken her by surprise, but Aeria had always been faster. Aeria slapped her hand against the back of his sending the tokens flying into the air. With a single swipe of her hand she caught all three before Caius even registered the pain in his hand. He stared at his empty palm for a long moment before he looked up at Aeria with a frown.

“I’m taking those tokens.” Caius warned.

A smile grew on Aeria’s face as she shook her head. “You can try.” she said, “but you will fail.”

“Hmm. ..” Caius suddenly reached to take the tokens again only this time Aeria was expecting it and she closed her hand into a fist and raised it above her head. Her mistake, Caius had a good foot on her in height so he easily took a hold of her wrist ready to pry open her hand. Instead, Aeria let go of the tokens, letting them fall onto her awaiting other hand. This time she put them behind her back where at least he couldn’t see them.

Caius grabbed her, wrapping one arm around her waist when she made a move to step away. With the other he reached behind her trying to pull her hand to him. With her now free hand, she reached down and switched the tokens to her free hand. Before Caius could notice, Aeria shoved the coins into her mouth.

The sharp taste of copper filled her mouth but Aeria kept her mouth shut defiantly. He looked down at her smiling, Aeria believed his fingers were about to try and dig in her mouth, but that smile slowly faded and something different came across his features as he stared down at her lips.

He looked at her eyes, his shockingly green eyes clashing against her red, he let go and stepped away. “I, I can win more tokens.” Caius said not meeting her eyes before he lumbered out of the concessions tent.

Aeria spit out her tokens onto her hand, brows furrowed in confusion. The vendor leaned over his glass counter examining Aeria’s spit covered tokens. “I’m not accepting those. . .”