It was a beautiful dusk evening. The town square was crowded. Many people moved around and about trying to get the best produce and wares in the village. Stands selling everything from carrots to animal furs lined the square. Most of them were occupied by the village residents, all haggling for either lien prices or trying to barter their own goods for those of the stand. Not one child, however. Today was a special day for him. He looked to the left and tugged on his mother's arm.
Dark black hair fell in short waves across his forehead. Piercing green eyes stared out excitedly. He was dressed in a white shirt and black shorts, though the shirt was stained from use.
"C'mon mom, you promised we would get some fudge if I did all my chores!" he yelled, pulling as hard as he could. Despite his best attempts, his mom did not move. She just laughed a deep bellowing laugh and picked him up.
Auburn hair framed a soft face. Tanned skin held lines showing her years, but bright green eyes revealed mirth that contradicted her aged face. She smiled wide and spoke to her son, "Now Jasper, don't rush. Your treats won't go anywhere, so slow down," she said, putting Jasper down and ruffling his hair.
Jasper batted away his mom's hands. "I'm not a kid mom. I am almost seven. You don't have to baby me," he said, puffing out his cheeks and crossing his arms. His mother bent down to pinch and stretch his cheeks, causing him to cry out in faux pain.
"Well, if you keep looking so adorable, what else can I do but tease you, my little gem," his mother said before laughing as his pout got even more fierce. Jasper hmphed before turning away from her and began his small journey to the treat stand, his mother right behind him, still chuckling.
Upon arriving at the stand, Jasper's face broke into a wide grin and he began animatedly telling his mother how much he loved their fudge and how he NEEDED extras to help him grow big and strong enough to fight the grimm. His mother nodded along, rolling her eyes slightly at the vendor. Said vendor offered only a smile and a shrug in response. He was a portly man, just a few inches taller than the mother. Gray hair and grey eyes match his attire.
"So Jade Blackwood, what the hell are you doing out of the bar? I'm surprised the old barkeep hasn't made you stay and clean the ceiling with how little he lets you leave. Why, you were there until seven in the morning just today, and here you are, up and at it already," the sweet seller said, a frown forming on his lips as his greeting ended.
Jade sighed before answering. "I know Slate, he's a slave driver. But he's come down with something fierce and so he shut down the bar for the night at least." Slate nodded along before a comfortable silence came over them for a moment before Jasper made his choice.
"I want one of those," he said, pointing at a small tray of fudge. It was a deep brown color, with stripes of caramel across its surface. His mother asked him if he was sure of his choice, and he practically bounced and nodded fervently.
"Well alright. I'll take two of those please. One for today, and one for if you promise to grow big and strong," she said, leaning down to look into her son's eyes. He yelled his thanks and wrapped his arms around her neck in a bear hug. Slate just laughed as he fetched her order. Jade paid him and waved goodbye as they left for their home.
After getting home, Jasper was told to wash up as his mom got their supper put together. He complained, saying that he wanted his fudge, but he was told to wait until after supper. So, he marched into the bathroom and washed his hands and face, and sat at the table to await his supper, which was a simple beef and carrot stew that just needed reheating. As they waited, Jasper had an idea to pass the time.
"Mom, mom! Can you show me grandpa's card again? It looks so cooooooool!" he exclaimed.
"Sure honey. Watch the pot while I'm gone. It'll only be a moment," and with that she left to fetch the object of his attention. Jasper sat diligently watching for the stew to boil over, but his mother was back before he knew. In her hands was an ornate wooden box, decorated in what appeared to be bronze. She set the box in front of him and told him he could play with it until supper was hot. He happily obliged and opened the box. Inside was a felt lining to keep the card from being damaged on the sturdy wood. The card itself, was a shiny gold that almost sparkled in the light. On the card was a depiction of a chained figure, with shackles around their arms and legs, and chains around their neck. They were on their knees, long hair obstructing any view of the face. On the very bottom of the card, in its border, it bore a single word in bold black letters.
AVENGER.
After supper, Jasper was ushered into bed. His room was quite small, only having room for his bed, a small dresser and a nightstand. His mom tucked him in and asked him if he wanted a story told to him before he slept, and he thought for a moment. "I want to hear the fairy tale of the cards mom." She nodded and began to regale him with the fairy tale of, "The Heroes of Old."
"Once upon a time, in the long forgotten past. Before aura, before grimm. Before even the brother golds themselves, there existed a tournament. A tournament fought by brave warriors for the prized of a single wish. Only those of great strength or renown could enter this bout, and only nine at maximum, though seven was the minimum. In order to gain admittance to this grand battle, one must first qualify for one of the nine classes: Archer, Lancer, Saber, Rider, Caster, Assassin, Berserker, Ruler, or Avenger.
It is not known what was required to be named as one of these heroes, though the titles themselves speak of their specialties. All except for one, Avenger. To be chosen as Avenger, one must have had something dear taken from them and swore vengeance on those who wronged them and carried out that promise. During the fifth tournament, all classes were filled except for Ruler, and a great battle ravaged the land. At the end of the fight, only Avenger and Saber remained standing.
Saber was a man unlike any had ever known. Using his blade of pure light, he cut though all the other competitors. And all that stood between him and his wish was Avenger. Now, nothing is known about Avenger. Nothing. All the others had some kind of physical descriptors at minimum recorded, but not the final combatant. Nothing from their physical attributes to even their gender was known. However, what was passed down about Avenger, was their final battle with Saber.
The two warriors fought for days, with Saber never able to land a blow, and Avenger finding all their own blocked. Finally, on the third day of continuous battle, Avenger laid down their weapons and sat in front of Saber and told him to finish the tournament. Avenger was tired of fighting, and simply wanted peace. Saber agreed and quickly struck Avenger from their collarbone to the hip. After the blow, Saber stood waiting for his wish, but it never came. Instead, he heard laughter from Avenger. Avenger stood, the wound on their body almost making it impossible, but stand they did. Avenger stretched out their arms and told Saber the reason they were named Avenger. After they had been cast out of the village for the crime of being born out of wedlock, they dedicated their lives to punishing the village. After a decade, a punishment was found. A curse which inflicted pain onto the target twice what was felt from the caster.
Saber realized what was about to happen, but was too late to stop it as Avenger yelled out- "
Jade stopped near the end of her story as she heard the slight snoring of her son. She reached over and tucked him in and kissed his forehead, wishing him a good night. Quietly, she crept towards her own room, and laid down herself for what would be another long night tomorrow.
Jasper awoke with a start. A bad dream had awoken him, but upon waking up, he could not remember the dream. He quickly got out of bed and walked towards his mom's room, passing the kitchen on the way there. As he passed the kitchen table, he saw the other piece of fudge that his mom hadn't yet let him eat. Deciding to break the rules, he climbed on one of the chairs and reached on the table to grab his bounty. As he sat eating his treat, he saw a light outside his window. A small red and orange light from the forest surrounding the village was approaching it. He stared at it for a moment, before going to tell his mom about it.
As he was about to leave the kitchen, he stopped. He knew that if he told him mom and woke her up, she would be mad at him for eating the fudge during the night, so he instead decided to watch the pretty light. After a short while he began to see that the light that he had seen was actually many lights, almost a parade of soft light coming to his village.
That light suddenly lurched into the air as it was flung high. He watched it fly, almost like a star. However, these stars began to fall back towards the ground, and when the first hit, it exploded into flame. He screamed when he saw it, and ran to his mom, forgetting about the trouble he would be in. He barged into her room and frantically shook her awake. "Mom, there's fire mom!" he shouted until she blearily awoke. Her son's frantic crying face made her shoot out of bed instantly.
He dragged her to the window, and now there was fire spread everywhere and the village gates were open. His mother grabbed him and made him look at her. "We need to grab everything that matters to us now, and we need to leave. Hurry Jasper. You have one minute!" she shouted as she ran to pick up a few things. He scampered to his own room, and grabbed some clothes, and his grandfather's box that his mother had left on his nightstand. He rushed back to the kitchen and his mother almost knocked him over as she entered as well.
"Jasper, I know that this is very scary, but I need you to listen to me. You and mommy need to run and get away. Can you do that?" she asked, and he nodded rapidly. "Good, I really did raise a smart child. Now, we have to go!" she shouted and she led him to the door to their house, and they ran out and around their house to leave out a small guard door at the back of the village.
As they were running, he heard his mother muttering. "I always thought it would be grimm to force us to leave, not fucking bandits." He wasn't sure what that f word meant, but he knew that he was falling behind her, so he ran even harder. After a short while, the back of the village perimeter came into view. His mom sighed in relief before a loud noise was heard and she fell over. Jasper quickly got to her side to see what was wrong, only to see lots of blood on her shirt and leaking onto the ground. He started to cry, not able to understand what was going on.
"Mom, are you ok? What's wrong? Are you ok?" he whimpered, afraid and confused. Before she could respond, the laughter of a pair of men were heard laughing behind him. He turned to see two big portly men, both carrying revolvers walking towards him.
"Hah, the chieftain was right. A few stragglers were trying to get out the back. Remind me I owe Ying fifty lien when we get back to the tribe," one said to the other, and the other nodded in affirmation. They confidently approached the mother and son pair, so Jasper tried to use his body to shield his mom. The man that had spoke was the taller of the two and he sported a long braided beard and bald head, while his companion had braided hair but no facial hair to speak of.
"Jasper, you need to run when I say so and don't look back. I promise I will be right behind you," his mother whispered into his ear. He turned to argue, but she had eyes like her namesake, hard and sharp. He swallowed and nodded, ready to follow her instructions. The men stopped a few feet away from Jasper and sneered at him.
The man that had yet to speak made his voice known. "Ah fuck, one of them is a kid. You know that Raven don't approve of killing kids. That means we gotta haul his sorry ass back to camp with us," he groaned. The taller man smirked and rebuked his partner.
"Nah, were far enough out that the boss bitch ain't gonna see us at all. I say we kill them both. How about you?" he asked, turning to look at the other man. The shorter one turned to look at him as well and opened his mouth to speak when a knife was lodged into his forearm.
"Run now Jasper! Run and don't stop and don't look back!" Jade screamed, and Jasper did just that, scrambling to get off the ground as the sounds of a scuffle ensued. He was almost to the door when another gunshot was heard. Disregarding his mother's warnings, he turned to look back, and his veins turned to ice.
His mother lay on the ground again. Face down so he was unable to see the gruesome damage, but the hole in the back of her head was enough. He collapsed, feet from the door but unable to move. If only he had said something. If only he hadn't been scared. If only…..
…..He CoUlD aVeNgE hEr!
Driven by an impulse not his own, he reached into his pocked to withdraw that wooden box. He heard shouting and a few bangs, but he paid them no mind. Opening the box, he saw that the once gold card was now a pitch black. Touching it he asked, "Can you help me?" Another few bangs echoed before he got a response.
"YES!"