Fate's Reluctant Heroes

Magic Equipment - Acacius

Acacius, Nero, and Nicolas were all wandering inside the city looking for a decent spot that sold good equipment. They went into several weapon shops, and the gear looked good to Acacius and Nicolas, but they weren’t up to the standard that Nero was looking for.

They passed a dozen shops and many people until they found a market-blacksmith hybrid shop. A tall man with a glowing blue sword was exiting the shop along with a shorter blonde-haired girl. They walked the opposite direction from the three boys.

Nero opened the shop door and saw a lady behind the counter.

“What can I do for ya three lads today?” She asked. Nero spoke for the three and asked, “Do you know of any skilled weaponsmiths who also work in magic equipment?”

The lady then smiled and said, “Of course! My husband is a great worker and is pretty popular right now, I will call for him.”

She took a deep breath and shouted, “Risus! We have another customer!”

The man called Risus came around the corner with dirty hands and a sweaty face. “Dear, there is no need to shout, I am just around back!”

He smiled at the three boys and was curious about the ragtag bunch.

“What can I do for ya today, gents?”

Nero looked at Risus and then grabbed Nicolas’s shirt and shoved him forward. “This one here needs some solid magic equipment. Whatever we can get for two golden royals. He would need a weapon first, but if we can afford it, some armor would do well too.”

Risus looked up and down at the tall muscular boy in front of him and Nicolas shifted awkwardly under the steady gaze.

Risus smiled and said suddenly, “I have just the items you need!”

He then grabbed Nicolas’s arm, and dragged him into the back room. After a while, Nicolas then came back around the corner,. He wore a silver wreath crown and a thin leather cuirass. Strapped to his waist was a sword, and he also had a strange rod on his other side.

Risus had a large grin on his face. “This equipment will be perfect for him.. I made it all myself, and I also took the liberty of naming them.

“The silver wreath on his head I call Silver Starlight. It can absorb and store starlight and can be used in bursts in battle, empowering him by giving him strength and speed, and also letting him fly a little bit.

“The leather cuirass is called Iron Plate. It’s funny because it’s leather but I called it iron.” Risus chuckled to himself for a moment. Nero and Acacius gave each other a pained look and Risus coughed, “Anyway, let me continue. The Cuirass weighs almost nothing, but it is actually much tougher than iron or steel thanks, to my ability to forge magic equipment.

“The sword is unique because it takes in blood. Its user’s blood to be exact. I call it Steel Vampire. The more blood he puts on the sword, the stronger he gets and the sharper the sword becomes, to the point of being able to cleave through massive boulders with ease. You just have to be careful not to pour too much blood on it and pass out.

“The rod is a transformation type weapon, it can be a spear or a sharp knife or a mace, depending on how he wills the weapon to be. I don’t call it anything because it can be many things.”

Risus finished his long explanation and put his hands on his hips, “I am very proud of these pieces of equipment, so use them well. It only costs you both golden royals.”

Nero looked satisfied and handed Risus the golden royals. Once the exchange was made, there was a sudden loud explosion in back. Risus looked serious suddenly and shouted, “Mary! I said not to throw in the crystals without watching for a while!”

He went back through the door and the woman smiled at the boys. “Well, my name is Pulchra. Thank you for coming to our shop today, if you need anything else, feel free to stop by!”

The three boys thanked her and left the shop. Nicolas had a huge grin on his face until Nero gave his creepy smile, “You know that you are paying me back, right Nicolas?”

Nicolas grinned at him and said, “Once I am the supreme knight of Faton, I will be able to pay you back and more!”

Nero looked forward and said, “Great, I look forward to it.”

Acacius was excited for Nicolas’s new magic equipment as well, and asked, “What now Nero? Are we good to go get the bounty on the Canicus guy yet?”

Nero looked at him and laughed mockingly, “Ha! Not even close, we are going after a small fry first for more funds and practice. I picked a the wanted picture at the inn. The reward is ten royals for this guy’s capture, dead or alive. His nickname is ‘Knives’ due to his victims’ knife wounds. I would guess this guy is a power user, not a strong one, but a good start for you two. So, he is our first target.”

Nero led the way with Acacius and Nicolas following obediently after. 

Ch 13: Watching and Looking - Alphonsus

Alphonsus sat on a bench near the center of the city while Susan lay upside down with her head dangling over the edge of the bench.

“Hey Al, I am so boooored.”

Alphonsus felt a headache coming on. “According to the writings, the hero of light should be somewhere in this city. So, we just need to wait and look.”

Susan grumpily looked up. “Who are we even looking for? What are they supposed to look like?”

Alphonsus was losing his patience, but replied, “Look for someone who stands out from the rest, like a hero or something, I honestly couldn’t tell you. We should just know when we see them.”

Susan sighed and continued looking at the world upside down. Alphonsus looked up at the groups of people who were walking by.

He saw many different kinds of people. He saw Risus walking through the market with a huge brute of a man who appeared to be carrying all of his shopping supplies . He saw tangles of people who were talking business at shops and markets around the center of the city.

Alphonsus squinted to look at a very strange group of three boys walking by. maybe seventeen or eighteen years-old Alphonsus thought to himself, barely of age to be the hero of light.

            Alphonsus and Susan continued looking for the rest of the day until the sun started setting. Alphonsus sighed and stood up. Susan had a sleepy look on her face but got excited as soon as Alphonsus stood up. She got up and stretched, ready to finally go.

“Alright Susan, are you ready to call it a day?”

Susan looked up at him, “I’ve been ready to call it a day for hooouurs now! Let’s go and do something fun!”

Alphonsus raised an eyebrow and sighed. “We shall see. For now, let’s head back to the inn.”

Susan huffed, “Fine.”

The two started walking towards the inn and turned into an alley between two taller buildings. Suddenly, a tall thin man in a hood turned the corner at the end of the alley.

Alphonsus stopped and scrutinized the man. Susan bumped into his back.

“Hey, Al! What’s with the sudden stop?”  

Alphonsus didn’t say anything but continued looking in the alley as the man at the end gave a very large and hideous smile under his hood. Suddenly, three knives were tossed at the pair from underneath his cloak.

Susan screamed and ducked while Alphonsus quickly drew his sword and blocked two of them, but the third stuck in his shoulder. He grunted and prepared himself for a fight.