Glyph

Part Three

“Though most people will disagree, the element of your Glyph has little influence over the fight. But, you have to know how to manipulate your situation.” Keld instructed. We were outside of town now, on the edge of a forest. We stood ready to face each other; his cloak was off, leaving a thick leather suit as a battle armor. His clothes were worn and had a layer of dirt I doubted could be washed off; indicative of traveling.

“I can’t do much if every plant I grow, he burns down.” I argued.

“But you can.” He rebuked, rolling up the sleeve that covered his Glyph. “I guess I have to show you. My Glyph uses water as a weapon. Your plants have the advantage.” He explained, opening a canteen on his waist. His Glyph glowed and the water emptied onto the ground.

I played it off and put my arm to the ground. He advanced quickly. With nothing but a twitch, the grass on our field grew up and sharp instantly. Before he could think, he was surrounded by razor-sharp blades of grass. Before I could think, he sliced them down near the roots with a blade of water. I watched as he grasped the liquid like a weapon; a saber crafted of nothing but drinking water.

Once more, we were on even ground. I decided it was only fair to make my advance. I tore some blades of grass from the ground and evoked my Glyph again. The limp tendrils quickly grew to several times their normal size and took a sharper, sturdier shape. I quickly broke into a run towards him, meeting his water with my grass.

We traded blows, getting nowhere. I was ambitious and kept the strikes quick. He, however, knew what I was doing. As a strike came down upon his weapon, he blocked and pushed, breaking my balance. Drawing his hand back to strike, the water blade came at my feet. I saw it coming. With another evocation, my weapon extended through the bottom of my fist and parried his strike. Now with a staff instead of a saber, I threw my arm back and leaned on the pole to regain balance. With a fluid motion, I threw my knee up, trying to hit my recovering opponent. He instantly jumped back towards the edge he began at, dropping his weapon in the process. Once more, he advanced.

I rethought my strategy as he came closer. In a stroke of genius, I thought I had him beat. I grew my plants up and up, and it was evident that the water he left in his retreat was disappearing into their roots. His advance stopped instantly, now unarmed. I stood up again, victory at my feet.

Before I could get my Glyph back to the ground, he raised his hand and turned my plants against me. The grass tossed and turned, before turning on me. My arm was held in the air and my feet were off the ground. I struggled, but it was apparent that I lost.
He came to me and let me lose before bending down to me to see if I was injured.
“Do you know how I did that?” He asked.

“It’s obvious.” I stated, a little disappointed at my mistake. “You used the water in the grass to manipulate it the same way I did. Chances are, since you can use your Glyph at a distance from your target, this fight was over before it started. I have water in me that you could have used against me.”

“You’re sharp, Rosh.” He complimented. “But I still think we have a lot of work to do.”
With that exhibition, Keld took me in. He made me forget about revenge, about death, about all that went wrong. For that month, all that mattered was the next day and what I could learn. In the back of my head, I knew that Gideon was still out there. But, I knew that this came first. The next day couldn’t arrive until this one was finished.

We went at it every day, but I was never able to best him when it all came to an end. I remember though that he taught me quite a bit. I worked more without my Glyph, depending on what I could use and find, even if it meant using nothing but my own fists. My doubt now focused on finding Gideon rather than besting him. However, that soon was no problem either.

We had just finished another session and were on our way back to the inn when we heard two people discussing an attack. Keld always said that passionate curiosity leads to the best discoveries. We stood near and listened in, flies on a wall.

“It’s true, both his son and his daughter are dead. Now, it’s become so important to keep him alive that he’s looking to hire extra guards.” They spoke of the king. With passionate curiosity, Keld and I left to the nearest news source and found the whole story. The king’s heirs were burned to death in their own beds, barely recognizable. We knew who it had to be.