Chapter
Not an Exact Clone After All
When Telgil released the shake after several seconds of spirited pumping, Mikel’s hand had gone numb.
“Now, you know my name, young master. What might I call you?”
Mikel glanced at Helsket who now sat on his rear, knees to his chest, catching his breath. He saw the questioning look in Mikel’s eyes and waved him on, still unable to speak.
“I just want to start by saying I don’t have low taste,” Mikel said tentatively, “And my friend, whom I’m guessing you know well enough to dislike, is my set of eyes for this transaction. I know little of armor or swords other than what I taught myself. I would appreciate it if you could avoid damaging him further. I need him and he was just telling me about how trouble follows him around like a pack of black cats. We don’t need any help finding issues to pick at.”
Telgil glanced at Helsket and shook his head, “Oh yeah, he’s an old friend alright. Friend enough to rob me blind and steal the woman I was involved with. Aye - some good friend he is.”
Helsket held up a middle finger and Telgil sneered at him and stuck his tongue out as a verbal feud broke out between the two.
For several minutes, while the two grown men bickered like children, Mikel wondered what he’d gotten himself into. He openly wondered if he should have just made for Stennin to begin with. He would have been there, or close enough to call the journey over if he’d bypassed Farraway.
When a break in the action popped up Mikel took his chance - “I’m Mikel Raithson, next living scion and last son. Helsket has agreed to accompany me on my travels for a time and has also agreed to mediate any transactions for armor or weapons until at such a time I can make my own decisions with a modicum of know-how.”
Telgil turned towards Mikel and whistled, Helsket forgotten once again. As he looked Mikel up and down he said, “I thought I recognized you. You look just like your father. How is Erick doing these days? Last time I saw him I’d patched a hole in his plate mail where a chimera had tried to stab him with that damn caustic venom of theirs. It’s a good story - and a good test of my skill. Chimera poison has a bad habit of eating anything it touches - luckily, in your father’s case, it just got on his armor. If the strike had hit to the left or right, his flesh would have met the same fate. Yes, how is he? How is Erik?”
Telgil spoke in a weird, lilting way which made his speech seem faster than it was and it took Mikel a minute to sort out his response, his mind still addled by the previous night’s binge, “He’s got The Rot,” Mikel said flatly, not breaking Telgil’s gaze, “I’m traveling to find a lost treasure to cure him. We’re heading for Helgate and will not return until we’ve found our prize or died trying.”
Helsket wheezed as he stood up, one hand outstretched in the universal sign for “Stop!”
Mikel looked at the old warrior and quirked an eyebrow, “I thought that was what we agreed on?”
“I didn’t…” Helsket got his breath back after a moment, stood fully erect after shooting Telgil one final dirty look, then continued, “I didn’t sign up to die, boy. We’re going to either find that cursed object of yours or leave with our skins intact. Telgil knows all about that, don’t you my old friend.”
In the brief moments between when Telgil had asked about Mikel and when Mikel had summarized his story, Telgil had gone pale as a waxy corpse.
“You say… You’re going to HelGate?”
Mikel looked at him evenly again and nodded, “We have several stops to make first but ultimately that is our destination.”
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Telgil whistled through a set of imperfect, damaged teeth. Some were as large as Telgil’s eyes, while others were small enough to fit in a child’s thimble.
“You…” He glanced at Helsket who flipped him off again. Telgil returned the favor and scowled, “You need to come inside. I’ll need to outfit you two specifically.”
He looked at Mikel, “I’ve got some things that’ll fit you, but that old ox over there,” He turned and glared at Helsket, “That old man will have to wear what I give him. He’s lucky I didn't spring him up in the street for damaging another man’s property.”
“She wasn’t your property,” Helsket said hotly, “She was only interested in you for the money. I flashed a bit more gold and a bit larger -”
Mikel couldn’t react in time as Telgil shot across the distance between him and Helsket and the two men began a tremendous brawl in the street even as people slowed down to watch the short man and the giant try to break each other’s necks.
It wasn’t long before a town constable arrived, wearing the green cassock vest of Farraway, to break up the fight.
Or, that had been his intent until he saw who was engaged in the brawl.
The man, maybe thirty years old with a thick head of hair and a calm demeanor, looked at Mikel sympathetically as he realized his presence wouldn’t be enough to quell the fight.
“If your friend is the big man, well, he’s going to be lucky to get out alive. Telgil is no slouch when it comes to brawls and -”
As if on cue Telgil screamed as Helsket wrenched his arm around and pinned it against his back.
The fight appeared to be over - but then, just as the constable was about to intervene, now that Telgil was incapacitated, the smith spun like a top, jerking himself free of Helsket’s grip as he began pummeling the old warrior in the guts.
The constable stepped back and shook his head, “I spoke too soon,” He said, “This… might go on for hours. The only way a fight with Telgil ends is if he or the other guy is unconscious or dead. There’s no middle ground.”
Mikel nodded as watched the two veterans roll over one another, trying to get an advantage to win the fight.
“Thanks for the advice,” Mikel said, “I just came for armor and ended up getting a show .”
“Stick around Farraway long enough, you’ll see more than this in a night.”
The constable gave the two brawling men another unabashed look before tipping his hat to Mikel, “You have a good night young master. Mind yourself - there are folk out who’d take advantage of you if they’re able to. Young nobles are often easy pickings for the lower of the societal ilk around these parts.”
“Thanks again,” Mikel said before jutting with his chin towards the combatants, “Any chance you could break this up before you go?”
The constable chuckled and walked away before Mikel could ask another question.
It was answer enough.
Several minutes passed until the two men were covered in a mix of dirt stuck to sweaty bodies, blood, and spit. Bite marks were evident on both as when their bodies began to flag, they turned to more animalistic forms of combat.
“You two about done?” Mikel asked, thinking of the constables' words and hoping against hope that the men didn’t need to be either dead or knocked out. He had a lot of work to do in a very short amount of time, and things like this, he knew, would derail the mission he was on. A crowd had formed around the three men and as each person joined, Mikel could feel the weight of the Callisto Jewel growing heavier around his neck. He knew the legend around the Jewel better than anyone yet living, which also meant he knew how desired the ancient artifact was. He knew that Helsket had felt fairly safe in Farraway, but he’d still felt the need to bribe the barmaid the night before to buy her silence. There was no telling who was in the crowd or watching from the shadows - or what they knew.
“I’m only done if he is,” Telgil muttered angrily into the dirt. He lay face down, each breath fogging up clouds of dry-dry dust.
“I’m only done if he is,” Helsket said as he lay perpendicular to Telgil, his feet against the small man’s side.
“Then you’re both done,” Mikel said with a shake of his head, “We’ve got a lot to do. This is nothing but a waste of time.” The somber mood which had fallen over Mikel, paired with the caution he felt by being surrounded by people was enough to leach any humor from the situation.
The crowd hooted and hollered, urging the two combatants on, but as the two men began to stand and dust off the crowd began to disperse until, as they were nearly half an hour before, simply three more men lost in the streets of crowded Farraway.
“Time’s ticking,” Mikel said, arms crossed over his chest. The Jewel was pressed against his chest by his forearm, and the chilly minerality of the artifact helped calm him somewhat. Time was limited, and he’d already wasted enough.
Both men laughed at once before sharing a conspiratorial glance then both turned towards Mikel with a falcon’s attention.
“I knew you were Erik’s son,” Telgil said as he began to shift in an attempt to right himself, “I’ve heard that damnable tone before.”
He managed to get to his knees before slumping back and sitting on his heels, “Helsket, you should have warned me about this boy. I needed some time to prepare before I played host to such a prestigious scion.”
Mikel blushed and scratched his head, “I’m nothing special. I’m only trying to save my dad. He’s the special one. I suppose those genes skipped me.”
“Well hot damn, he isn’t an exact clone then. Too humble.” Telgil muttered as he held out a hand for Helsket. Helsket glared at the hand, then reached out and allowed the short man to drag him upright. Mikel was surprised to see Telgil lift Helsket with the same ease Helsket had lifted Mikel earlier.