Clown Wyrm - 10. Chapter 10 - Fighters

Silverwinter returned to Mercury while she and Tulip were still talking. “Are you two getting along?”

“Tulip was just telling me about the rebel called the Mechanic,” Mercury replied.

Silverwinter looked impressed. “You’re really serious about fighting? I’ve known the Mechanic for years. She’s one tough mama.”

“Sounds like she is,” Mercury said, and she launched into a story. “It’s wrong for people to hoard power. Those who can stand up for the downtrodden need to do just that! I’m a believer in community and friendship. We had this brutal year back where I’m from, and everything seemed to get shittier for just about everyone in the world. It was so bad that most of us haven’t talked about it much since; it’s almost like we just pretend that year never happened. There were protests, and there was violence.” Mercury added, “I went to the demonstrations,” and she looked proud. “The cops attacked us, but we were back again the next night, standing up for people who had been murdered and were still getting murdered. Periwinkle wasn’t part of the protests in person. He has autoimmune conditions that make him more susceptible to catching diseases, and on top of everything, there was also a pandemic happening that year… that fucking year. Periwinkle brought people together online.”

Mercury realized a lot of what she was saying was very specific to the Earth where she and Periwinkle were from, but the details just kept flowing. “He helped rally and uplift people over social media. He blogged and made videos about things like anarchy, the villains in power, outreach programs for the needy, stuff like that. Periwinkle wanted to be shoulder to shoulder with us every time the counter-protestors rioted. He wanted to fight, but he’s not a fighter, and he knows how to help people in other ways. Me, I’m a fighter.” Mercury snickered and added, “I punched one of the riot cops in the dick.”

Several of the rebels also laughed at her words. They may not have understood the nuances of the story because of how different everything was between the two worlds, but they knew she was talking about the oppressed rising up.

“Sounds like Periwinkle would fit right in with us,” one of them said.

Mercury nodded. “I think you’re right. He might’ve joined right up if he’d come with me.” She then flew off the handle again. “Oh, and you know what I found was the absolute grossest about that year?! One day, right at the beginning of everything, when most stores were closing to prevent people from being too close together, I entered a shopping mart for some emergency supplies, and I heard one of the employees on the phone say,” and she put on a dramatic accent, “‘I’m sorry; we’re completely sold out of all ammunition and firearms.’”

Mercury’s anger was reactivated, just like it had been at that moment in the store. “I had this sudden and inherent knowing strike me…” She paused and stated flatly. “Every single person who had rushed out to buy weapons and extra ammo at the start of the pandemic was intending on using their purchases on their fellow people! The world was in a crisis, and tons of people went out to buy weapons in case they needed to fucking shoot someone! They didn’t buy that stuff for hunting, which was obvious because there wasn’t an increase in hunting, and they didn’t buy all that shit for going to the gun range to fire off a few rounds. They were literally buying weapons for killing each other! It never got to the point of that, but I was shocked.”

Mercury took a breath and caught herself. “Sorry, seriously, I don’t know what just came over me, sorry. You folks don’t know me at all, and here I am, running my mouth off. Sorry,” she repeated, and she quickly tried to refocus. “Okay, so besides the little Robin Hood-style actions, and whatever the Mechanic is doing now, are there really no plans to try and take out the king or kill the dragon?”

Mercury’s use of the words Robin Hood meant nothing to the rebels, but her suggestion of direct attack was clearly a ridiculous idea to many of them.

Tulip took Mercury’s hand and said, “R’Kathlug can’t be killed.”

Mercury was confused. “But weren’t the other old gods slain in an ancient war or something?”

The rebels were shocked by what seemed to them like an audacious proposition, and Mercury was fairly certain that she had not found the fighters she was looking for.

Tulip’s wife, Gorji, spoke up, “They were, but killing R’Kathlug and overthrowing the king aren’t really achievable goals for the rebels, so we tend to focus on helping people. What exactly is your idea?”

“From what I’ve gathered,” Mercury stated, “the dragon is under the palace. It provides magic to the royals. They oppress everyone else, and if I’m not mistaken, the old god is part of an ancient long-living mortal species of creatures your ancestors used to worship… until the gods were slain, which apparently was easy. So why hasn’t anyone tried to kill this final god?”

“People have,” one of the other rebels replied.

“Yeah, there have been a few attempts,” Tulip confirmed, “but they were long ago, and they were disastrous failures.”

“And no one has managed to directly attack the royals in centuries,” Gorji added, “except for other usurping royals.”

“What happened to the rebels who tried?” Mercury asked.

Tulip was still holding Mercury’s hand, and she squeezed her fingers. “None of them ever came back.”

“But if the old god is mortal,” Mercury stated, “then there must be a way to kill it. Also,” she added, “I think the best chance that Periwinkle and I have of getting home is through the magic that exists in this world. It’s wrong that only the king has access to the old god, and he oppresses everyone else. I want to do what I can to take out the royal family and help the people.”

A few of Mercury’s words did not make sense to Tulip and her wife. “Hunny, what do you mean in this world? Are you not from our country, Armonia?”

Mercury rolled her eyes. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“It’s true,” Silverwinter confirmed. “Her story is pretty difficult to believe.”

“Oooh, do tell!” Tulip cooed. “I want all the gory details!”

Mercury shook her head. “Okay, but you’re going to have to do me a favor first.”

Tulip grinned. “Anything, name it.”

“Suspend disbelief,” Mercury requested.

Tulip scrutinized the clown. “You want me to try and simply believe everything you tell me without question?” She smiled. “Yes, I can do that.”

Mercury glanced at Silverwinter, who shrugged, and she told her tale.

Tulip sat riveted, asking only a few questions and doing her best not to interrupt. When Mercury reached the point in her story about getting new clowny clothes from Mama, Tulip looked at Silverwinter and asked, “And that’s when Mercury and her companion met up with you?”

“Correct.”

Tulip focused back on Mercury. “And please remind me of your friend’s name.”

“It’s Periwinkle. He’s not as intense as me, and he probably won’t fight. He went off with a troupe of jesters we met, and we’re supposed to reconnect tomorrow morning.”

“So you’re spending the night with us?” Tulip asked.

Mercury glanced at Silverwinter. “If that’s alright with everyone.”

It was, and the group talked long into the night. They discussed life and love and death and the struggles of the oppressed.

Everyone bedded down in the large tents when they were tired, and there were plenty of sleeping rolls and pillows. Mercury shared a tent with Tulip, her wife Gorji, and Silverwinter. Three others who Mercury had not yet met also slept in the tent with them, and everyone rose with the morning. Mercury was introduced to the other three, but she and Silverwinter were soon off again, back to the city. To the delight of Mercury, Tulip and Gorji joined them on the short journey.

“We also live in town,” Tulip commented as the quartet followed the path under the rising sun, “right around the corner from Silverwinter’s pub.”

“They’re regulars,” the barwoman confirmed with a chuckle.

“Mercury, I’m surprised by a bunch of the rebels’ responses to you last night,” Tulip continued. “The way you talked about people’s rights got quite a few of us fired up. I don’t know that any of them will join you on a mission to the capital, but your enthusiasm gave us fresh focus. Before we left Whisper Falls this morning, I heard several people talking about different and new ways to help those in need. It’s like you brought hope that we had forgotten.”

“I also sensed something different in the camp this morning,” Gorji agreed, and she gave her wife a peck on the cheek. “There was energy like I haven’t felt in a while, and I also heard several groups making plans.”

Mercury was excited. “That’s awesome! Do you think any of them will help me try and figure out a way to kill the old god and dethrone the king?”

“I hate to say it,” Silverwinter replied, “but I think most of the rebels viewed your idea like it was some sort of suicide mission. I get what you want to do and why it’s important. I mean, your sentiment is why I named my drinks what I did, but the leap from words to actions is pretty huge. More people talk the talk than walk the walk.”

Mercury smiled. “Yeah, that’s true, but I’m not dissuaded. Periwinkle isn’t a fighter, so I get it, not everyone is. There’ll be others who want to fight, and I’ll find them. The right few people to make up a crew are out there, and once we’re assembled, we’ll take out the royals.”

Tulip let out a cackle. “Mercury, I adore your confidence!”

The others laughed with her.

“We’re almost to town,” Gorji stated with a grin. “Thanks for joining us last night at Whisper Falls, Mercury.”

“Glad we happened to hear about the gathering,” Silverwinter added.

Mercury turned to her. “How long have you had your bar?”

Silverwinter chuckled. “I bought it from the previous owner when I was twenty-three, which was…” She paused and did the math in her head. “Thirteen years ago. I love having people in; I love fixing them drinks, the conversations and community, the laughter and music. My tavern is my heart.”

Mercury liked Silverwinter’s reply a lot. “Wow, I’m so jealous of you! I have a shitty job back home, just so I can be a clown part-time.”

Tulip did not understand. “Why don’t you just always do what you love?”

“Ugh, I wish! What about you two? What do you two love to do?”

Gorji smiled at her wife. “Tulip is an artist, and I knit. We sell our creations in the towns around the regions.”

Mercury’s face lit up. “Oh my Godzilla I’d love to see some of your art, Tulip! What sort of art is it, drawings and paintings?”

Tulip blushed. “I guess I could show you some, but it’s embarrassing.”

“Why?!” Mercury squawked with a laugh. “Tulip, you’re a creator! You’re making the world more something with your art! Maybe you make the world more beautiful. Or maybe you make it more exciting. Or maybe you help calm people with your art, or make them emotional with it, but whatever the purpose of your art, you should celebrate it!”

Tulip was blushing even more, and her face was down, but she was also smiling wide at Mercury’s encouraging words. “I mostly do drawings and paintings, yeah,” she replied sheepishly. “I also sometimes do clay sculptures.”

Mercury was beaming at her. “If you’re comfortable showing them to me, I’d love to see your creations.”

Tulip giggled behind her hand. “Yeah, okay, I guess.”

Silverwinter chimed in, “And we’re home.”

The curve in the path revealed the town of Tingedale.

“Gorji,” Mercury continued, “what kind of stuff do you knit?”

Her words made Tulip snort a bigger laugh, and Gorji playfully smacked her wife’s arm. “Everything! I knit everything,” she answered, and she let out a snicker.

Mercury could not help but smile at the pair. “What’s so funny? And what do you mean by everything?”

“Well, I knit hats and scarves,” Gorji began, “gloves, mittens, sweaters. I’ve knit several pairs of full-length trousers, shorts, tank tops, even knit underpants.” She laughed again. “I have knitted coverings for mailboxes, wrappings for trees and lampposts, dog and cat clothes, tea cozies, teddy bears…” Gorji paused and turned to her wife. “What else have I knitted?”

“Headbands.”

“Oh, yes, my headbands! They tie around the back of your head, and each one is unique. I knit three-dimensional toppers for them. The first headbands I made had simple little horns, but then I made others with small antlers. I moved on to add other shapes as well, like mushrooms, frog eyes, insect antennae, tiny trees, flowers, really anything I could think of.”

The group turned on the street that led to Silverwinter’s tavern.

“Our house is this way,” Tulip commented, pointing in another direction.

“But I’m supposed to meet up with Periwinkle this morning at the pub,” Mercury replied.

“Why don’t we all head to the bar,” Silverwinter recommended, “and I can make us each a tonic? If Periwinkle isn’t there yet, maybe you can go check out some of Tulip’s art, and then head back to my place in a bit?”

Mercury turned to Tulip and Gorji. “Would that be okay with you two?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Gorji replied.

The four of them stepped up to Silverwinter’s tavern, and she unlocked the front entrance. “Should I make us each a sparkle shot, a whistling water, or an ice drop?”

“What’s in ’em?” Mercury asked.

“The sparkle shot is lime juice, cayenne, honey, and sparkling water,” Silverwinter recited. “Whistling water is orange and cherry bitters, sparkling water, ginger juice, and apple juice. Ice drops are plain water, cocoa bitters, caramel bitters, coffee bitters, and spearmint oil.”

Mercury liked the sound of each. “I want to try them all!”

Gorji leaned toward Mercury and said with a grin, “Ice drops are my favorite.”

Mercury turned to Silverwinter. “Four ice drops, please!”

“Ice drops,” Silverwinter repeated, “coming right up!”

Periwinkle and several of the local jesters arrived while she was preparing the tonics.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Periwinkle said to Mercury.

“Hi, Periwinkle!” she squeaked back. She ran up and hugged him tight.

“Hello, friends, and flibbertigibbet!” one of the jesters declared.

“Welcome in,” Silverwinter said to them all.

Mercury did a quick count and declared, “Silverwinter, can you make five extra Ice Drops, please?”

“You got it!”

“Oooh,” Periwinkle cooed as he took a spot at the bar beside Mercury, “what’s an Ice Drop?”

“Some sort of minty health drink,” she replied.

Periwinkle grinned. “Yum! How was your night?”

“It was great!” Mercury declared. “I met so many of the rebels and got to hear how they stand up for the oppressed. We talked a lot! What about you?”

Periwinkle smiled. “I felt right at home with the woodland jesters, which I found out the members of the group do indeed call themselves.”

“I’m so glad you had a good time and made connections,” Mercury replied.

“And did you figure out a way to kill the old god?” Periwinkle asked in a tone of voice that sounded like he did not expect her to have an answer. Mercury shot him a fiendish smile that he knew she only used when she was up to something. “Oh no, you did?”

Mercury laughed. “Not exactly, but I’m going to organize a team, and I’m going to figure out a way to slay R’Kathlug.”

Periwinkle groaned and said in a miserable voice, “Count me in.”

Mercury was surprised by his words. “What, seriously, you want to fight? But you’re not a fighter.”

His dejected attitude disappeared, and he smiled warmly at her. “I know, Mercury, but we’re in this together. I’m going with you, and however I can help you, I will.” He took her hand. “We’ll either kill the dragon together, or die trying, but we’ll be together. I sort of knew when you went off with the rebels that you’d come back with some sort of plan. I didn’t know if it would be something to do with the king, or the dragon, or if you would have come up with something else entirely, but I knew last night that I was in no matter what.”

Mercury wrapped her arms around her fellow clown again. “You’re the best, Periwinkle, and we won’t die! We’ll help to liberate the people of Armonia.”

“Mercury, you’re so passionate,” Periwinkle declared.

Gorji and her wife chuckled, and Tulip replied, “Her passion is infectious.”

Periwinkle grinned. “Her passion is one of my favorite things about her.”

“Mercury’s talk last night,” Gorji added, “of overthrowing the king and killing R’Kathlug got a lot of the rebels excited to do more. I’ll be honest, not many of them are as ready to take on the dragon as our Mercury here, but she doesn’t seem dissuaded.”

Mercury was grinning like a lunatic, and she felt an explosion in her heart at being called our Mercury. “I know the right people will join me. I’ve just gotta find them!”

Periwinkle pouted. “I said I was in.”

Mercury laughed and quoted a film that she and Periwinkle had often enjoyed watching together. “‘Well, it’s gonna be rough, pal. I didn’t want to speak for you.’”

Periwinkle snickered. “Han Solo to Chewbacca in Return of the Jedi during the scene when the groups are getting ready for multiple assaults.”

Mercury threw an arm over her taller companion’s shoulder. “Periwinkle, you’re a wonder!” She waved at the pair of wives. “Tulip and Gorji told me about a person called the Mechanic, who might be interested in what we’re attempting, so I’m hoping the Mechanic will make three for us, but three’s not enough. I don’t know what we’re up against, but we need a team.”

“Where do you think we’ll find others?” Periwinkle asked Mercury, but Silverwinter answered him.

“The Mechanic is going to be a good place to start. She has connections, and she’s participated in more aggressive actions over the years, similar to what Mercury wants to attempt, but on a smaller scale. The Mechanic is a strategist, so she might also be able to help you figure out exactly how to make your attack happen. I, for one, hope you succeed, Mercury.”

“Thanks, Silverwinter. Okay, so how do we connect with the Mechanic?”

Tulip answered. “The Mechanic is married to a member of the Guild of Artisans, a childhood friend of my sweetheart.” She squeezed her wife’s hand.

“Tulip and I are both members of the guild too,” Gorji added.

“Oh yeah,” Mercury interjected, “that reminds me; I still want to see your art!”

Periwinkle became excited. “Tulip, you’re an artist?”

She curtsied and declared, “It’s true!” She blushed and covered her face with her hands.

“And Gorji,” Periwinkle added, “are you also an artist?”

“Apparently she knits a lot,” Mercury replied.

Gorji let out a laugh, and Tulip added, “That’s also very true.”

Periwinkle smiled wide. “Can I come too? I’d love to see your art.”

Gorji glanced around at the group and recommended to her wife, “Why don’t we have everyone over for coffee? You can show them your beautiful art, and then we can go see Norjy.”

Tulip gave her wife a peck on the cheek. “I think that’s a lovely idea.” She turned to the others. “Would all of you like to join us for coffee at our place? It’s not very big, but we could all squeeze in.”

“In fact,” Gorji added, “we won’t take no for an answer! We insist that all of you join us for a little morning pep-up.”

After Silverwinter’s tonics, Tulip and Gorji led the way into the town streets with Mercury and Periwinkle beside them. Silverwinter followed, chatting with the two woodland jesters, Glimdrim and Krizibop.

As they walked, Mercury asked the wives, “So who’s Norjy?”

“Norjy is my childhood friend,” Gorji replied. “We grew up together.”

“Gorji and Norjy?” Mercury asked, and she added, “Cute!”

The two wives laughed.

“Yeah, Norjy and I liked our rhyming names when we were little,” Gorji replied. “She’s a blacksmith, but she’s been focused on other things recently.”

Tulip turned and called back to the rest of the group, “Our house is right around the corner.”

Their home was a little cottage with a very pointy roof that stretched up taller than either of its nearest neighbors. Everyone was welcomed inside by the wives, and Tulip began to prepare the coffee.

“Oh, my goodness!” Mercury suddenly exclaimed. “Is that your art?!”

She was pointing at a framed picture of a painted deer, but it was not a normal fawn in the forest; it was a monster. The deer-creature was standing in a cemetery with gravestones beside and behind it. The thing had two heads that were looking off in different directions with pale, blank eyes, and the two heads’ antlers were tangled at the top of the image. The side of the deer’s body was open, and its ribs were splayed out, revealing its internal organs. Instead of hooves, the painting had bird-like feet with vicious talons, and its pair of mouths possessed fangs. The hideous creature was painted to be frightening, but at the same time, it was also adorable. Tulip’s style of art was very cutesy, and the dichotomous nature of the image appealed to Mercury very much.

“I effin’ love it!” she squeaked.

Tulip blushed again, as her wife declared, “Yes indeed, me too; that’s a great example of Tulip’s creations!”

“I totally get it,” Mercury exclaimed, “the creepy-cute vibe is killer!”

Tulip giggled. “Exactly, I love to take sweet things from nature and mix them with something not so sweet.” She let out another little laugh as she poured hot water over the coffee grounds.

“I can’t wait to see more!”

Gorji grinned at Mercury and pointed past her. “There are a few of her pieces hung on the wall in the hall down there.”

Mercury spun around and scurried over to see them. “Oh wicked! These are stellar!”

There were four more framed images, and each picture possessed Tulip’s creepy-cute vibe. The first was a dog with octopus tentacles where its mouth should have been, and little bat wing stretched up from its back. The next was a cat, sitting upright, and it was holding its front legs up, but where its paws should have been were long-fingered human hands.

“This cat is unnerving,” Mercury shouted to Tulip.

“Thanks!” Tulip called back.

The third image was a unicorn with no flesh on the head, and the hollow eyes of its skull stared out from the frame. Tulip had painted it with a very large and detailed horse-penis that made Mercury snort a laugh when she saw it. The last picture was of a flower, but its center was an eyeball held in a pair of lips surrounded by multicolor flower petals. Crawling at the base of the flower’s stem were spiders, but their legs had been replaced with human fingers.

“Periwinkle,” Mercury added, “come see, there are spiders on this one that look like the face-huggers from Alien!”

He joined her as Tulip started handing out mugs of coffee. “Be careful, it’s hot.”

Gorji insisted that Mercury and Periwinkle each pick out one of her knitted wares, however, they were surprised as she opened a small closet bursting with her creations. The array of colored yarn was like a rainbow explosion, and the sight of it delighted the two clowns.

“Oh what, are you kidding?!” Mercury squeaked as she grabbed a hood that was striped in her trio of colors, black and white and neon green. “Gorji, you really don’t mind? This is perfect!” The hood had a few other accent colors, and as Mercury yanked it onto her head, Periwinkle saw what they were.

“Hey, that’s excellent! It’s got a pair of horns, but instead of horns, they’re little toadstools that have red caps with white spots. Ha! And it’s even got frog eyes.”

The hood came down to the top of Mercury’s shoulders and formed a point at the center of her throat and the back of her neck. “It does?” she replied, trying to look up at the top of her own head. “The ladies mentioned something about knitted frog eyes.” She turned to Tulip and Gorji. “You’re really okay with me taking this?”

“It’s yours!” Gorji insisted with a satisfied smile. “I love when someone feels drawn to something I’ve made and that I’ve put my passion into.”

Periwinkle found a scarf that was a barrage of colors, and when Gorji saw what he had selected, she dug through another pile and found him a matching hat and gloves. The hat had round bear ears.

“Wait a second, Periwinkle,” Gorji said, “I’ve got a matching corset!”

“A knitted corset?” Mercury repeated. “Like a corset corset?"

“Uh-huh,” Gorji confirmed, pulling open one drawer after another. “Here it is!” She held it up with a flourish. “The yarn it’s made of has no give whatsoever. I made another version with wooden ribs for even more support, but I sold it a while ago. With this one, if you tie it tight, it still gives you a little support.”

“I love it,” Periwinkle fawned at her with sparkling eyes.

“Take it! I think it’ll look smashing on you!”

With their new knitted clothes, and only coffee and Silverwinter’s tonic in their stomachs, the group was ready for food.

“Why don’t we grab a bite,” Tulip suggested, “somewhere here in town, and then we can head on to Lithia to see the Mechanic.”

Mercury was confused. “What’s Lithia?”

“Oh, Lithia is the next town over. It’ll take us about two hours to get there.”

Periwinkle made a doubtful face. “We’ve got a two-hour walk ahead of us?”

Gorji chuckled. “Walking there takes half a day. No, we won’t be walking. We’ll be taking the Grunnel.” She continued when she saw Mercury and Periwinkle’s blank expressions. “It’s an underground magnetic levitation line.”

“Like a train?” Periwinkle asked.

Gorji, Tulip, and the others did not know the word.

“I guess we’ll see what it is when we get there,” he concluded.

“Food first,” Gorji insisted, and the group headed back out into the town for lunch.