Helbson and Laila (Editing)

Chapter Two

A few days after the devastating event, Helbson went around Greece asking for information about Drastor. Nearly everyone he asked told him that he was a deadly menace and to not try his luck with him. He felt offended by these answers and threatened to behead them. Excluding those answers, he didn't receive the information he was seeking for, until one day when a man heard of a man asking for information on Drastor.  The mysterious man heard that Helbson was son of King Philostos and that he had a hut in the woods near Ledious. The man approached the hut one day and called out, making his presence noticeable. Helbson came out, confused by the man's presence. The man told him that he had the information he was seeking for, and Helbson allowed him inside.

"So, what do you know about Drastor?" asked Helbson. The man smirked. "Well, I know for one thing that he is mad," said the man.

"What do you mean?" asked Helbson.

"The reason why he is doing these terrible things is because he does not fancy royalty, especially the mortals that have it in their grasp. He does not believe in their rule. So, he steals their prized possessions and sets the kingdom on fire as a signal for his dislike of royalty and power, and for each kingdom he burns he leaves a piece of parchment saying-"

" "'Tis the season to be mischievous. With love, Drastor," " said Helbson finishing his sentence.

"I assume you have seen the note?"

"Yes, and the only reason I know what it says is because he burned my home, the kingdom of Ledious..and he killed my parents. This is why I am searching for any information I might find of use to me. I have swore to find Drastor and kill him with my bare hands, and if I have not succeeded, then my own life shall be taken away. So, I ask of you only for what you can tell me that can help me find him and that can hopefully help me kill him," said Helbson.

"Well, I would have told you that you are foolish to battle him, but you are quite determined I see, and I shall tell you what you want to know. Now, he dwells in the Land of the Vulgar, a place just as foul as Drastor. His place of hiding is a cave that is lit to be almost as bright as the sun. You'll need to travel over the sea to get there. Make sure to follow the curve of the dark sea. Yes, there are monsters that live under that particular part of the sea. They wait for ships that have lost their way of navigation. Swimming all the way there would not be the correct choice, so take this drink." The man gives him two small canisters. "What's inside those canisters is a drink that allows you to walk on the water as if you were walking on the ground. You will need it to avoid the sea monster Compatus. He swallows any victim he sees swimming in his view, but he can only see underwater, so when you are walking on the sea he will not see you. Unfortunately, that drink will not last a long time, so be sure to cross the sea as quickly as possible. This is all that I can tell you."

"Thank you, thank you very much. I am very grateful for the information you have given me, but one question still dwells in my head: Why did you tell me all of this?" Helbson asked.The man let out a sigh. "I was one of Drastor's servants. I agreed to service him so that I wouldn't be killed with my parents when the time came when he would possibly burn down my village. When it did happen, I felt a terrible grief for the death of my parents. I realized that my life was not more important than theirs, and that my life should have been taken away with them. Thinking over my selfish ways, I escaped Drastor's lair and have been in hiding ever since, for I knew he would find me and kill me. So, when I found out that you were trying to find someone to inform you on Drastor, I knew it had to be a mighty and brave warrior. So this is why I told you what you wanted to know."

Helbson was quite surprised by this. He didn't even think once that Drastor needed servants. He seemed like an independent one-man apocalypse. "Well, that is very interesting to hear. You haven't told me your name, good sir," said Helbson. The man smiled. "You need not to know my name. When peace decides to return, you will know my name." And with that, the man walked out of the hut.

The day after the man came to his hut, Helbson went to Tedus to tell Laila about what the man had told him. He told her about the drink that he gave him that gives you the power to walk on water, and gave her one of the canisters. Laila was very fascinated by the drink and couldn't wait to use it, for her love for the ocean was massive. "When shall we set off on our quest?" asked Laila. She was wondering why they didn't leave sooner. "Soon," he said. "We need new armor, good ones. Armor that can withstand his magical powers. Luckily I know just the blacksmith that can fulfill our needs. We'll set off for his shop in the morning."

The next morning Helbon and Laila travled to the smith's shop that was located on top of the mountain near where Helbson's home used to stand. When they walked past the cinder-filled kingdom, Helbson had a grave look on his face. He quickly relaxed his face expression so Laila wouldn't see. He didn't want her to worry about how he felt about his loss. Once he started thinking more about her, he couldn't stop. He thought about how lovely her smile was. He thought about how majestic she looks when she aims with her bow and arrow; the arrows gracefully soar through the air, just as graceful as her singing. He loved how she was always happy. It seemed as if she would never be unhappy. His daydreaming was suddenly stopped when he tripped over a rock and fell over. Once back in reality, he shouted when he hit the ground. Laila walked up to him, shaking her head. "I warned you about the rock. Why did you not listen?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer. "Well," Helbson began, "I was daydreaming, and no I did not hear you." Laila smirked. "I was aware of that," she said. She held out her hand to him and he grabbed it, pulling him up. "Let's continue on our way, Daydreamer."

When they approached the shop, black smoke was coming out of the shop. Laila saw a sign and read it aloud: Delsus's Smithery. "This is the correct establishment," said Helbson. He told Laila to wait where she was and walked to the door of the building and knocked on it and waited, patiently. A loud grunt came from inside the building and the door flung open. A large, hefty man appeared before him. "Well, if it isn't Helbson. It has been a long time since I have seen you. How are your mother and father doing?" said Delsus. Oh dear, thought Laila. Helbson looked down, then looked up at Delsus again with a sad look on his face. "They died, Delsus.."  he said, trying to fight back tears. He didn't want to look any less of a man in front of Delsus. The smith had a disappointed look on his face. "Ah," he said, "I see you are quite upset about their passing. I'm sorry lad." The smith leaned in and gave Helbson a great bear hug, and literally almost squeezed all the breath out of him, since Delsus was three times his size. 

"Alright now, come in, come in, come in. Helbson, who is that maiden over there? Oh, I see. She is very beautiful. You are quite lucky," said Delsus. He walked into his smithery and Helbson motioned Laila to follow inside and she obeyed. The place was one big room with a forge in the middle. It was also quite dirty, but Delsus was never a person that was tidy. Although, the only thing he kept organzied was the armor he forged. His armor were like trophies awarded to himself for his hard work. Even though they weren't the finest armor in all of Olympus, they were very tough. A very special set of armor that was placed in a glass case caught Helbson's eye. "Is this the sacred armor of Taelonus?" he asked. "Aye, yes it be the sacred armor. If you lay your grimy little fingers on it I'll cut yer arms off." said Delsus. Helbson looked at him with a concerning look, then backed away from the case. "Look here, take this armor. It's extremely durable, tough, and, it's quite fire resistant," said Delsus proudly. Helbson took the breastplate of the armor and held it close to his face, pretending to intently look at the detail of the armor while actually admiring his reflection like the narcissist he is. He quickly stops and starts to put the armor on. "Alright," he says. "Lets test it out."