Chapter 53

The assailant hadn’t expected Mikel to leap in the way of the attack and the sword, although missing its mark with the strike, only missed by a scant inch and it still scored a hit.

Mikel felt the sharp edge bite into black cloth-like paper before the assassin stepped back and vanished into another portal.

The second assailant said nothing as the portal user rematerialized next to them.

Mikel fought the compulsion racing through his body as the Paralyze Skill, the same one used on him at Helsket’s home, took effect.

All he wanted to do was collapse into a pile as all of his muscles screamed at him to SUBMIT. The Skill, whatever it was, had the effect of paralyzing a person’s entire body. Mikel had experienced that firsthand in Farraway and had expected the same to happen this time.

However, something was different - he wasn’t aware what, but whatever it was it was enough to keep the Skill from coursing through his entire body - Only his left arm, the one struck by the Skill had gone limp.

That didn’t mean the rest of his body wasn’t hurting. In truth he was experiencing a level of pain he’d only known a few times in his life, but he could still move.

He was struggling to remain upright as whatever was inside of him keeping the Skill at bay, continued to work. He wasn’t sure how long, or why, but he breathed a silent thanks as he managed to stay standing.

“You alright, Mikel?” Helsket asked, eyes trained on the assassins twenty yards removed, “You look like you’re in pain - did the killer get you?”

Mikel shook his head, then nodded instead, “The Skill you saw - it was the same one that was used on me in Farraway. I’m not sure why I’m not on the ground yet, but I think it’s only a matter of time. I can’t use my left arm and I feel the will of the Essentia in the Skill trying to break my body.”

Helsket grunted as a conversation became apparent between the two lead attackers, “Don’t be stopping time again. I don’t have time for your shenanigans.”

A moment later the third killer stalked up to the two, his gate clumsy and mangled, and said something which made both attackers visibly flinch, before walking back several paces to resume their vigil.

The one with the staff, a non-portal user called across the distance.

“How?” he asked, “How did you resist Metrike’s Paralysis?”

Mikel shook his head as he filed the name away - Metrike - a woman, and the one who’d attacked him at Helsket’s home, “Not sure. Last time your friend hit me with that I was put into some kind of weird, no-time state. Saw some weird things. Experienced some even weirder - I figured the worst that would happen if you hit me again would be I go back to that. Turns out I just lost my arm.” He used the point of his sword to indicate the limp appendage.

The two hooded figures looked at each other and then vanished in a swirl of darkness as a freestanding portal swept over them in a silent ripple.

Mikel looked to Helsket - confused, “What -”

Mikel didn’t finish as the assailants launched a new attack - this time from above.

The second assailant, the one with the dagger - Metrike - led, falling towards Helsket and Mikel like a rocket, hand outstretched and the same glyph as before rippling to life.

Helsket slammed an arm into Mikel and sent him sprawling back as he lunged out of the way of the attack, even as the woman assassin launched another glyph towards Helsket, white curved dagger in her other hand, prepared to slash if she was able to.

Unlike Mikel’s block, Helsket’s succeeded and the strange green pattern flew through the air, then shattered as the glowing pattern connected with the mace.

Metrike cursed but vanished into another portal before she came close to the ground.

“Helsket -”

They’d lost track of the man and that slip proved almost fatal.

Mikel, by good luck or some extra sense, lunged to his left at the last possible moment as a whistling metal staff missed his head by a foot, then slammed into Helsket’s massive arm.

Without missing a beat or flinching, the old warrior hefted the mace and swung it towards the pole attacker with enough force to cripple a bull.

But, he still had to hit the bull first.

The staff-wielder vanished in an instant and Helsket’s mace whiffed air.

They didn’t have to wait long for the next volley to arrive.

The pair launched another attack - this time Metrike came flying in from Helsket’s side, her dagger drawn and aimed at the old warrior’s heart.

Helsket didn’t even flinch as he turned, saw the attack, and swept his mace up in a clipped block which caught the dagger in the mace spikes and sent the woman and the weapon, flying off back the way they’d come in a reverse arc before striking the ground in a cloud of dust.

Mikel wasn’t so quick.

Following Metrike, the staff wielder, shot towards Mikel with the point of the weapon pointed at Mikel’s chest. Mikel didn’t know what it felt like to get stabbed with something like that but knew it wouldn’t be good.

He tried to dip out of the way and throw his sword in the way to break the attacker's momentum, but failed as the staff changed course and whistled into his right shoulder - the NOT numb shoulders - and sent him sprawling back into the dirt.

Pain screamed through his body and stars flew in his vision as he skidded through the moondust, vanishing in a cloud of the stuff.

Helsket cursed as another portal swallowed the male attacker and whisked him away.

“Gah!” Helsket yelled, looking at Mikel, “You alright boy?”

Mikel jumped up, shoulder screaming and hand numb, but otherwise fine, “Good,” he said, “What in the hels is going on here?”

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“Some kind of portaler attacking us. Are these the same people who attacked you in my house?”

Mikel nodded as he ran to Helsket’s side and glanced around, keeping his eyes moving as he’d read about when in a fight with unknown or flighty enemies.

“I think so. It’s the woman. Same knife as the one she tried to stab me with. The other two are obviously with her - but I didn’t see them.”

“The Cat’s Claw? Wicked killing device. Kills slow. They’re made to gut people and make them linger while the assassin does whatever they were set out to do before finishing the victim off.”

Mikle shivered as he looked around, shadows growing quickly as the sun began to sink into the horizon behind the ancient city - Night was nearly upon them.

“We need to get into that city, now,” Helsket said, nodding towards the yawning, shattered gates ahead, “if we don’t make it by dark, we’re as dead as if those two catch us.”

“You think we’ll make it?”

“No.”

“Think we’ll survive the fight?”

“No.”

Mikle groaned, “You are a terrible mentor - have I told you that?”

“What?” Helsket shot Mikel a glance, “You want me to lie to you?”

Mikel growled as the three Assassins regrouped between them and the city.

“Mikel,” Helsket growled back.

“Yeah?”

“You know how that Librarian lady you’re talking to - called me Lord Berserker?”

Mikel shifted and glanced at his friend in a brief moment of confusion.

“Yeah… But what does that mean?”

“I’m about to show you. We need to get to that city - and these assholes are in the way.”

“Helsket - didn’t I just tell you NOT to sacrifice yourself for me?”

Helsket laughed, “I’m not doing it for you boyo, I’m doing it for me. I haven’t done this in years - not since your papa devested me. If you survive the assault then more’s the better - but I want to do this.”

He glanced sideways at Mikel and winked before he turned to the group of assassins and took three steps forward and to the side - blocking Mikel from view.

“Helsket - what are you doing?”

“Just watch - you’ll need to learn to do this one day too.”

Mikel’s stomach dropped - the finality and tone in his friend’s voice brooked no argument. He knew Helsket wasn’t going into this planning to die, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be dead at the end all the same.

“Just… Don’t die. We’re not to Stennin yet - you’ll have broken the oath you swore. You know where oathbreakers go after they die.”

Helsket laughed as he lifted Telgil’s mace and yelled into the sky a word that sent chills through Mikel. “Just watch,” The old warrior said as power swelled around him and he took in a deep breath as if to shout down the gods themselves.

“Exallos!”

Mikel had to step back as the raw power Helsket gathered blasted off him like a black powder explosion.

The heat singed Mikel’s hair and he felt the skin of his face tighten as it began to burn. The only reason he didn’t die was because, somehow, Helsket only blasted heat for only a moment before he sucked it back in and began to glow from inside.

“This is your first lesson in Skill fighting, young Wraithson,” Helsket’s voice was deep, powerful, and animalistic, “Pay attention. You’ll need this soon.”

Mikel couldn’t think of anything other than the massive bear Helsket had become in The Market of Dreams. He wondered if that was what was going to happen. Telgil wasn’t here, but it was obvious Helsket had been holding back a lot more than what his old drunken visage allowed.

Mikel wondered if Helsket chose to look and act like he did. Could anyone keep that up?

At any rate, he didn’t have time to think long. Helsket allowed the energy to coalesce, then bellowed at Mikel with further instruction.

“You can change Stamina into Essentia - You know that. You’re clumsy at it, but you can do it.”

“I don’t have enough Stamina!,” Mikel yelled, “I can’t use the tablet, but like you said - I feel empty. I have maybe ten Stamina left - that’s not enough to do anything - let alone fight after changing it to Essentia!”

“It’s not just about Stamina!” Helsket yelled again, “It’s about Health! It’s about Essentia! It’s about Stamina too! What are they?”

Mikel’s mind locked - Was he talking about Blend?

“Are… Are you using Blend?” Mikel asked over the crackle of raw energy emanating from Helsket, “You can’t be! It doesn’t exist.”

Helsket bellowed a laugh - “This isn’t Blend or Meld or whatever the fancy bookworms call it - This is mine! This is my special Skill - my talent! I’m the only one to master it and I’m the only one still alive after using it.”

“What do you mean?”

The Assassin’s robes, although twenty yards removed, pulled on their bodies like a hurricane buffeted them.

No wind stirred - the disruption was pure power.

“Are you going to transfer like I do? Didn’t you tell me that wouldn’t work?”

“The way you do it - yes, but better. That’s the joy of my Skill - I don’t lose Essentia or Health when I transfer those resources through my body - so long as one condition is met. As long as I’m transmitting Health and Essentia into Stamina, I get a 1 to 2 ratio on my investment. For every 1 resource I put into Stamina, I get two points - unlike you who loses four of the five.”

“How… Is that even possible? How are you getting more resources than you started with? You have to be getting the power from somewhere, the only other place -” Mikel froze.

“No, Helsket, you can’t do this. You’re going to die.” The realization that his friend was burning not only Stamina but Health as well to fuel his attack. If he went too deep and took even one bad hit - it would be over for the old warrior.

“One day - sure. Maybe today. That’s the life of an adventurer - Now pay attention and watch as I change Health into Stamina. You should be able to see it now - if you can’t, you can at least feel it. Those yahoos over there aren’t going to hang out forever. This is my chance, and yours. I used to be able to do this for twenty minutes - I wouldn’t hold out for five now. Once you see an opening, take it. Get into the city and find a house marked with a white-painted lintel. There are several. Get into one and stay there until daybreak. Do not leave that house until daybreak - you’ll die if you do.”

The words hit Mikel like a comet plunging from the fiery firmament above them.

“Helsket - you’re going to die.”

“Shut up and watch.”

And, Mikel did.

Helsket, already glowing like red hot sword pulled from a forge, erupted in a flame that wasn’t a flame. The unknown Gate located in Helsket’s heart began to seethe with raw, rageful vibrations.

It was all Mikel could do to keep his eyes glued on the spot as the colors began to shift.

Where the energy had been the raw, red color of blood and flesh and muscle - it began to shift in hue as it headed toward Helsket’s stomach.

First, it darkened, the bright, clean red becoming smudgy and brown. Then, as it neared Nodd the smudgy brown, confused color began to grow into something new - something Mikel recognized.

A bright green vibrancy shot out from Helsket’s middle as the raw Health he was siphoning off became pure Stamina within the gate Nodd - two times the Stamina for every drop of Health Helsket dropped in.

Mikel felt an echo of sympathy as the energy rocketed around Helsket’s Nodd and roared out like an immense jade dragon.

By the terrific power screaming off of Helsket, Mikel guessed the count must have been in the tens if not hundreds of thousands of points. Compared to his piddly offering of two hundred and fifty, this was like a tsunami against a spring shower.

There was no stopping this flood. No dam could hold it - no man could staunch it. This was as sure as the sun rising.

The absolute power divide nearly made Mikel drop in his tracks - He’d known he was outclassed… But this far? By his friend even?

What had he gotten Helsekt into?

What had he gotten himself into?

Helsket screamed in a mix of rage, pain, and pure pleasure, snapping Mikel out of his thoughts.

“This is my Title! My Class! My life! I am the Lord Berserker and I will not be denied my share of blood!”

With another tremendous scream, Helsket ceased to be in the spot he stood and reappeared near the trio of assassins with a crush of energy.

Although the trip was instantaneous, to Mikel it felt like a century passed before he saw his friend reappear with a tremendous crash as his mace caught the tall, male assassin square in the chest. The blow caught him entirely by surprise and sent him flying away into the darkening dust.

He paid the man no mind and whirled on the female assassin and swung with all his fury - now not only with his heart glowing red from the inflamed use of Health as fuel but also Teff atop his head, screaming a brilliant white and blue as Essentia poured down his spine and into Nodd.

To Mikel, standing a stones throw away, it appeared as if Helsket were in a tremendous whirlwind of energy made up of equal parts red and blue-white - with double both of their amounts exploding out in vibrant lifeblood green.

“Lord Berserker indeed,” Mikel muttered as he took a deep breath and rushed into the fray - now unafraid to fight, and resolved to do anything he could to help Helsket. The memories of being tossed around, helpless, were like shadows of a dream. All he cared about was making sure his friend didn’t die bloody on the outskirts of an Ancient Sunken Folk City named Kar’Xet. Helsket had told him to run away - but the only running he was doing was towards the fighting.

The five-minute timer began and Mikel charged in after Helsket, screaming bloody murder with every step.