Author: John Nest
Date: 2015-09-17 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy
Description: After the death of Mitleid, the Maneator King, Smoke and Sierra decide to strengthen their group and form a guild, using the ruined village of Verbrannt as their base of operations. While their newly-founded guild is preparing to face off against the Brandal forces of Duke Burmistrz, Smoke leaves on a journey to Veneficatl valley in search of the three Witches of Wysteria, to find a cure for Sierra's curse. Join Smoke once again as he continues to discover more of the virtual reality world of Zectas.

ZECTAS VOLUME THREE

Malediction of Veneficatl Valley

This book is dedicated to the people suffering in Syria. May peace return to their lives soon.

A special thanks to Timaeus, Vaanouney,
and you, for enjoying Zectas.

Table of Contents

Chapter 01 - Expanded Horizons

Chapter 02 - Common Goals

Chapter 03 - New Posse

Chapter 04 - Lakeside Adventure

Chapter 05 - Soul Searching

Chapter 06 - Unique Indoctrination

Chapter 07 - Failed Experiment

Chapter 08 - Goblin Crucible

Chapter 09 - Forged in Flames

Chapter 10 - Wishful Words

Side Story - A River of Emotions

Smoke and Sierra's Status Windows

Appendix

Chapter One: Expanded Horizons

WATAK WATAK WATAK WATAK

It was four in the morning and the swift sound of wooden Eskrima sticks echoed loudly inside a closed but well ventilated garage.

Seth and Donny were engaged in a fast paced training session. Seth had the upper hand against his younger brother.
Both of them were careful and stopped at the last moment, before actually hitting each other. A swift strike aimed at Donny's skull was blocked inches from its intended target.

"You'd have to do better than that if you want to beat me."

Donny had a hard time catching his breath, but was still smiling. His older brother may have overpowered him, but he liked the challenged. It gave him a purpose and a goal.

Both of them were focused on sharpening their Eskrima skills. They didn't want to see a repeat of their defeat in the previous AUTOMATA (Amateur Unarmed Tournament Open Martial Art Techniques Association). As they kept on fighting, Seth noticed that their eldest brother was watching them.

"Time out, Donny."

With short breaths, Seth pointed to the doorway where Nash stood.

"Don't stop on my account. I was really enjoying your session. You two have gotten really good, and it's only what, a year?"

Suddenly, Donny threw his Eskrima sticks at Nash without any warning

"Come on, Nash. Why don't you have a go at Seth? Don't be afraid of getting bruised up a bit. Seth has excellent control."

Nash smirked. He knew his brothers thought that they had gotten better than him because he couldn't join their practice sessions, but what they didn't know was that Nash secretly kept on training by himself.

"Nah, no thanks. I know you just want to show off your skills."

This time, Seth was the one who goaded him.

"Come on, I promise that I'll take it easy on you. Besides, you've been doing Eskrima way before we did. I'm sure you're still decent at it somehow."

"Alright, if you insist. But remember not to strike the face. Otherwise, Mima will see my bruises."

"Don't worry. Like Donny said, I'm pretty good at controlling my strikes."

Nash readied the two Eskrima sticks that Donny threw. He made the sticks form an "X" and took a defensive stance.

"You even want me to initiate the attack?"

Nash didn't answer. He remained focused on Seth's left extended stick, pointed straight at his defense.

Seth's right hand and stick were hyperextended behind his back. Seth's offensive stance was poised to strike at any opening.

The younger Smoak jabbed his left stick towards Nash's chest. Nash responded by raising his crossed sticks upward.

As soon as Nash raised his defense, Seth's right stick came from the side and was about to hit his brother's side obliques.

Nash's right stick remained blocking Seth's first attack while he smoothly slid his left stick downwards and parried Seth's side attack.

Seth's eyes widened when he saw his surprise attack was easily deflected. A flurry of exchanges began and Donny stood captivated by his older brothers' rapid exchange of blows.

A few minutes of continuous strikes kept on and Seth finally got a hold of Nash's left stick. He managed to disarm it, but at the price of his own right stick.

The brothers simply exchanged weapons as they disarmed each other simultaneously.

Seth backed away as his exhaustion was setting in. Nash stood firm and after a second slowly moved towards Seth.

This time Nash took on an offensive stance, whereas Seth was forced to take a defensive one. The brothers had another exchange of quick attacks, until Seth's arm began to slow down.

Immediately, Nash took a quick step backward and raised his defense. He saw that his brother was having a hard time and wanted to stop their spar.

"Time out! I think that's about enough."

Seth was panting heavily.

"Okay, as long as you remember that you're the one who asked to stop the fight."

Seth instantly fell down to the floor and laid there as he was catching his breath.

Donny threw a towel over to Seth and walked towards Nash.

"How in the world did you do that? I thought you stopped Eskrima?"

"When did I say that? I did have an unfair advantage. Seth was already tired from your intense sparring session and he underestimated me. Which I thought he would have learned his lesson by now."

Nash had resumed practicing Eskrima right after Seth lost badly in their first AUTOMATA .

Grandmaster Cacoy gave Nash a few drills that he could do on his on. His master also told him that 'Eskrima is about focus, understanding, and routine. You don't have to think when your body reacts for you. Focus on the basics because that is the foundation of all techniques.'

Donny shook his head after he heard Nash's answer.

"I think the match would have ended the same even if Seth was at his best condition."

Slowly, Seth tried to sit up. "Yeah! I think you've also taught me a new lesson today, and that's to increase my stamina. Your jogging must have really helped, huh?"

Nash smiled.  He helped his brother get up on his feet. He didn't want to mention that his increased stamina was from all his odd jobs before he started playing Zectas.

"I told you that treadmill wasn't for decoration. Now come on. It's time for breakfast. Donny, you go get Mima from her room."

Donny dragged his feet as he stepped out of the garage.

"I really wish I wasn't the youngest, then I'd have someone else to pick on and order around."

"Oh, come on Donny. It's not like I'm asking you to re-tile the roof. Anyway, I have a surprise for you."

"Really? What is it? What is it?"

"You know, Donny? I still think of you as a seven year old brat whenever you do that. I'll tell you at the table. Now, go and get Mima."

"Fine! But you better not be lying about the surprise."

A few minutes later, everyone was gathered at the table. Nash made banana pancakes since Seth and Donny were getting plenty of fresh bananas from their Eskrima master.

Mima Daphne broke the silence as the brothers were busy devouring their breakfast.

"Nash, I heard Donny say you had a surprise for everyone?"

"Oh, the surprise. Right, you know how my birthday is coming up and I've always skipped on celebrating it? I was thinking about changing that this year. I have some spare money and I thought that we could go somewhere nice."

Donny quickly answered.

"Like Hawaii?"

"Actually, I found something better than that."

"Better than Hawaii? Are we going on a ski trip or something?"

"Nope. There's this new place, up in Sheboygan. They say they have comfy lodge houses, and their activities include horseback riding, archery, kayaking, zip line, they even have that new thing. That flyboarding, you know the one that makes you fly in the air like Ironman with jets of water propelling you up?"

Donny was losing interest, but changed tunes when he heard about the flyboarding.

Mima Daphne looked concerned when she heard about the activities.

"That sounds like fun, but it sounds expensive and I think an old fuddy duddy like me would only be in your way."

"No you won't Mima. I've already planned on having a nice and easy nature trek with you. We could also make a kite like we used to when I was younger, like the one Papap used to make. A big green dragon kite."

"Hmm... That does sound like a good time. Alright, I'm in."

Nash turned to Seth as he was the only one left.

"Of course I'm in! You don't expect me to be stuck here, alone in this house while you guys are out there having a blast, did you?"

"Great! The best part about this place is their promo. They offered 75% off to the first 1,000 customers who registered on their website."

* * * * * *

Smoke, Sierra, and the rest of his private army were quietly gathered inside Verbrannt castle's throne room. They sat around a long rectangular table as they waited patiently for Caid to arrive.

The three massive Maneators had to sit on the floor because they were too big to fit in any chair. Their height was just the right size as they sat around the rectangular table.

Gandiva had always been impatient, and the tigress Lioumerean couldn't help herself. She stared at Espion and asked.

"You're sure your father's gonna arrive today?"

"Relax, he's only been late for ten minutes."

The room had an awkward silence. Originally, there were two factions about the guild creation. One group was afraid of letting other Sonstwelters in, while the other wanted their strength and numbers.

Given their war against Duke Burmistrz and the Brandals, the creation of a guild was agreed upon. Yet, the ill feelings about the decision remained.

Espion could no longer take Gandiva's impatience and stood up.

"I'm going outside to wait for my father."

Smoke stood up as well.

"Wait up. I'll join you."

The DarkElf and the Spy went out of the throne room. When they got to the hallway they met an intimidating middle-aged man clothed in a black suit.

Caid stood still for a moment, and slowly walked towards Espion. The young Spy ran towards his father and hugged him tightly.

Caid whispered to his son.

"I knew you'd be alive. I believed in you the whole time."

The Beggar Evocati released his hold of his son and faced Smoke.

"Thank you for keeping your promise."

+ Completed Quest: Find Caid's son, Espion

You have reunited Beggar Evocati Caid and his missing son, Espion. You have earned Caid's trust and respect.

Rewards:
* Beggar Evocati Caid's Recommendation
* 300,000 exp

+ You gained Beggar Evocati Caid's Recommendation to rank up to Beggar Evocati.
+ (1/2) Beggar Evocati Recommendations until next Beggar rank up.

Smoke beamed at his reward. He wanted to increase his Beggar rank as soon as he saw the 75% reduction to his equipment and certain abilities.

"Thank you very much, Beggar Evocati Caid. I'm truly honored to be recommended by such an esteem Beggar. I was just very fortunate to have found your son in the labyrinth. Espion has been a great asset from the moment I saw him."

"Really? You didn't find him too rash and impetuous?"

"Well, to be honest, it was a little difficult at first. But right after we killed a few monster mobs, he understood what he needed to do."

Caid faced his son, and gave him a pat on his shoulder.

"Good for you, Espion. Huh? What happened to your eye? Why is it all glossy?"

The Beggar Evocati finally noticed Espion's injured eye. Smoke was about to explain what happened when the young Spy stopped him.

"Da, it was my fault. I got careless and a krampus scratched me. I would have died if it wasn't for Smoke."

Caid watched his son and noticed that he was not the same person. He had matured somehow.

"You never used to take responsibility for anything before. You always used to put the blame on someone else. It looks like you really learned something from Smoke."

"Yeah, that's why I've joined his private army. I want you to know that this isn't a form of rebellion  or anything like that. I just think that I'll be a better vessel to your Beggar legacy if I continue to travel with him."

Smoke subtly joined in on their conversation.

"Umm... Beggar Evocati Caid, You should also know that Espion is free to leave my private army whenever he feels like it. In fact, that goes for all the members of my private army."

Smoke knew that Espion was intimidated by his father, which was why he tried to smooth things out between them.

For a split second the shadows of three people appeared around Caid. They were the past holders of Caid's Beggar stone. Their melded minds converged and voiced out each individual's opinion.

Caid took a deep breath and sighed.

"Looks like that's all there is to it then."

Espion smiled with relief as he gained his father's approval.

"Since that's been decided let's talk about your war with Duke Burmistrz."

The Beggar Evocati's voice deepened and became serious as soon as he spoke about Coatl city's mayor.

"I think we better join the others before I continue."

Smoke, Caid, and Espion entered the throne room together. Smoke sat at the center of the long rectangular table with Igniz hovering around him. Sierra sat at his right side and Adder to his left, while Caid sat opposite to him.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet, Beggar Evocati Caid. He's here to share the intelligence his men have gathered in Coatl."

Everybody gave Caid forms of acknowledgement, most of them nodded except for Gandiva, Laernea, Ichaival, and Rasant who waved at him.

"Please, Beggar Evocati Caid, be as blunt as possible. What's the Duke's plans on our rebellion?"

Caid nodded at Smoke's request of the hard facts.

"According to the intelligence I've gathered, the Duke is in serious trouble. His current campaign against Centzo City isn't doing very well. The villages outside of Centzo's main defenses were evacuated and taken inside the main city itself. The Duke only has 100,000 Brandals left. It would be suicide if he would make a direct attack on Centzo city now."

Every one of Smoke's private army had smiles on their faces, but Caid said something troublesome before anyone could speak out their minds.

"Due to this major setback, the Duke has changed strategies. He has his entire army of 100,000 Brandals encircle Centzo city. His plan is to cut off the trade and supply lines of the city. Although the main city has livestock and some scattered farm lands, I doubt that it could feed the city's enlarged population from all the refugees."

Rasant, the orange Maneator, thought about Burmistrz plan and Centzo city's size. The Maneator quickly expressed his thoughts on the Duke's plan.

"If he only has a hundred-thousand Brandals, then there's no way the Duke could cover Centzo city's entire area."

Caid looked at the Maneator and nodded.

"Normally, that would have been the case, but the Duke divided his Brandals into ten legions of ten-thousand men each. Eight legions were scattered around Centzo and blocked all the main roads. Centzo can't attack each legion one by one because that would leave their city defenseless for the other legions."

Thyrsus' inquisitive mind wondered about the other two legions.

"What special assignments did the Duke have for the ninth and tenth legions?"

"Well, he has those two legions provide food and other war supplies from Coatl to Centzo. Both provision legions run at opposite directions, this made sure that their food supply is constant. They would run out of food in no time if they relied on the supplies that they brought."

Smoke, Sierra, and everyone else's faces became sullen. They were hoping that the Duke's plan left his men vulnerable. To the point where they could take each legion by force and slaughter them one at a time, but ten-thousand Brandals was still beyond their military power.

Caid looked at Smoke and his men and understood their disappointment.

"The Duke isn't dumb. He has seen his share of wars. Although, this last move of his isn't really a bad thing for you and your men."

Smoke looked confused and asked.

"Huh? How come? After he conquers Centzo wouldn't he just come looking for us?"

"He will, but you'll have about three months before that happens. He can't also neglect defending Coatl city because Centeo city is just waiting for a chance to expand its territory and because of your recent victory. He now thinks that he would need to send more than 5,000 men to conquer you. Do you think you can come up with an army in three months?"

Sierra who sat quietly as Caid spoke finally talked.

"But what if the Duke decides to risk it and send out another five-thousand Raiders against us? We barely have a thousand men in our army right now."

Caid shifted his face towards Sierra and said.

"You just have to improve your security system. That's why I have my Light Wizards of Regard come with me. They're all outside."

Gandiva, the tigress Lioumerean was surprised and asked.

"Regard? You mean the ones who made the jumbovision screen for the mounted race? You own Regard?"

"Yes, it's one of my many businesses in Coatl."

"And the Duke doesn't know that you're Espion's father?"

The young Spy raised his voice a little as he answered.

"Of course not! I made sure that no one of the Duke's men would know about my family."

Gandiva raised her hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay, I was just asking."

Caid cleared his throat and proceeded to talk.

"I've instructed the Light Wizards to install camera runes in a radius of twenty kilometers around Verbrannt castle. I've also had them install these camera runes on the main roads from Coatl and Centzo. They'll set up a monitoring room inside the castle as well."

"Thank you very much. I feel really responsible for the safety of the people."

Sierra was really grateful for what Caid did. Sierra proceeded to ask for advice on what else they could do around Verbrannt Village to increase their defenses.

Everybody inside the throne room shared their own ideas about what to do. Until the topic of forming a guild was raised.

Smoke voiced out his main concern.

"Basically, I just want to be sure that we don't recruit any traitors. Creating a guild isn't just for fighting against the Duke. It's something that should go beyond that. I know we could create a contract like what we did for the mounted race, but what if the Sonstwelter is already prepared to lose everything just to spy on us?"

Caid said something that he thought could help them.

"I could make a casting circle of truth and intent. From that you could know if the potential recruit is a spy or not. Although the problem whether he changes his mind in the future and betrays you still exist."

Sierra accepted Caid's suggestion.

"That'll be better than nothing at all. At least with that we'll be assured that they're not spies and have no intention of being one."

Everybody proceeded to add more conditions and penalties on the contract that the guild member will have to sign. They then went on to discuss about other places where they could recruit more men.

Adder finally spoke and suggested that together with Smoke they should visit Condortl Village and ask for their help. Smoke agreed without objections.

As their strategy meeting kept on, Sierra went out and ordered their food to be served on their table. As they ate, the talk shifted from battle strategies to war stories and legends.

The topic of Smoke's escape from the labyrinth came up. Laernea insisted for him to recount their adventures inside the labyrinth and how they escaped.

"Alright, I was teleported into the labyrinth and had to solve a puzzle just to get out of the first room. After I got out, there were swarms of wolf spiders, crested newts, and fire salamanders. Igniz and I were dealing with around five-hundred of those monsters when we found Espion being chased by three krampus. The krampus monsters were the ones the Tenebris used to replace the Maneators."

Ichaival was amazed when he heard that Smoke and Igniz dealt with five-hundred monsters by themselves, but he was also curious what the krampus were.

"Are the krampus monsters the boss monsters of the labyrinth?"

"No, they were more like the mini-boss, but let me get to the boss later. After I found Espion, we went on to discover the Tenebris hidden laboratory. We had to fight through one krampus to get to it. That was where Espion lost his right eye's vision..."

Smoke's voice became regretful as he remembered how the fight with the krampus ended.

"Inside the Tenebris laboratory I found the manual to create a Maneator. Luckily, I had enough components to make my first Maneator. Which was Weise."

The gray Maneator raised his hands as everyone's attention was on him.

"Together with Weise, I decided to take on the three krampus monsters roaming inside the labyrinth. I needed their embryo as a component for making more Maneators. We already had a hard time fighting against one krampus, there was no way we could take on three at the same time. So, I decided to use the tunnels inside the labyrinth to force the krampus to fight us one on one. Igniz, Espion, Weise, and I, dealt with those three krampus."

Smoke gave a nod to Espion and Weise, while Igniz hovered brightly all over the rectangular table.

"Regrettably, the krampus were hardwired to destroy any embryo they see. After we killed the first krampus, the second one immediately destroyed the embryo dropped from the first krampus' fading body. Which was why we only managed to get one embryo and that was Rasant."

This time, the orange Maneator waved both his hands wildly as he liked the attention that was given to him. Everybody laughed a little at Rasant's antics, and returned their gaze towards Smoke.

"From the loot of the three krampus we found a labyrinth map that pointed to the treasure room and the exit. Of course, I went immediately for the treasure room. I used Mitleid's key to open the treasure room, and there lay the boss of the labyrinth. It was a gigantic sphinx called Andrais. The great sphinx must have been around five meters from the ground to its head alone, with a body length of... Around eighteen meters? The notification said that he was a level 700 monster, and all of us were slashed when we arrived in the treasure room. We were left with 2% of our lives."

Smoke's eyes looked up to the ceiling, as he pictured that someday he would get back and conquer Andrais.

"Andrais was bored guarding the treasure, so he spared our lives. Instead of killing us outright, he gave us a chance to answer his riddles. Fortunately, all of us managed to come out alive. That's also where I've gotten these seven treasures."

Smoke laid down the seven treasures he got from the labyrinth on the table.

"Allow me to explain each one to you. The seven treasures are: 'Sable Wizard's Surcoat', 'Lunar Gravity Boots', 'Digger's Wand', 'Storm Staff of Ehactl', 'Mirror of Meztli', 'Gloves of Itzli', and 'Ring of Ezikill'. For now, I can only use the first three items."

He then pointed towards the last four treasures.

"As for these four, I have to chose which Elemental Affinity I have to improve on because they are all conflicting elements. The storm staff can make wind attacks and requires Wind affinity. The Mirror serves as an ultimate spy tool and requires Light affinity. The Itzli Gloves reduces casting time on channeling spells and requires Lightning. The Ring of Ezikill requires Dark affinity and can resurrect a dead Sonstwelter once a month, provided you kill ten-thousand monsters of the same level as yourself in the span of thirty days."

Intentionally, Smoke didn't mention that each of the four treasures were blessed by various gods and required over level 500 to be used.

"After the treasure room, we went to the labyrinth's exit. There we fought against the exit's guardian. A gigantic krampus with the height of four meters. It was a hard battle, but our coordinated attacks overwhelmed the monster. That's where I got the weighted chain and sickle weapon and Stark's embryo. I think that's the reason why Stark is bigger than his brothers. Anyway, The exit is located somewhere south east of this castle. The white mausoleum is now covered by a thick green forest. That was why you never found it, Sierra. I plan to go back there to create another Maneator out of Konig Mitleid's components, but enough about my impression on the labyrinth. You guys should talk to the men who helped me escape the labyrinth."

His private army divided themselves among Espion, Weise, Rasant, and Stark. Their voices grew louder as they talked about their adventures inside the labyrinth in more detail.

Smoke's original members also shared their stories and adventures before their four latest brethren joined their ranks. Their family had now grown to be fifteen members strong.

* * * * * *

Their militia members had been reduced to one-thousand-and-eighty men. Sierra had asked Smoke to take charge of the entire battalion, which he gladly accepted.

Smoke divided the militia to serve under his private army members. All except for the three Maneators. Even if the three of them were friendly, the militia members were still afraid of burly Maneators.

As the Beggar Evocati readied himself to leave for Coatl, Smoke handed him a letter addressed to Madam Dawney. It stated his deepest regret over what happened to Ental, the hell boar that he rode for the mounted race.

Caid assured Smoke to express his sincere apology to the retired adventurer. The Beggar Evocati left for Coatl city shortly after. He went back to gather more information. Caid also told Smoke that he will send the information via the Beggar Tablet.

Sierra immediately started to test the one-hundred-ninety Zectian Knights and the four-hundred-ten Sonstwelter Knights that had joined them in the previous battle.

She had each one of them form a line and step into the 'interrogation room' that Caid had prepared for them. The Beggar Evocati assigned a Light Wizard named Baldaquin to control the casting circle.

They were grilled with a series of questions. They were asked with questions like 'are you a spy?','have you disclosed the location of Verbrannt castle?', 'have you posted this information anywhere outside of Zectas?'.

Fortunately, all of Knights passed. None of them were currently working for the Duke and had no immediate intentions of doing so. Smoke had asked Caid if he had found the ability tome 'Circle of Truth and Intent', but sadly he wasn't able to.

When all of the Knights were done with their inquisition, Sierra had them all gathered in front of the Verbrannt castle's main doors.

Smoke and his private army stood in front of all the six-hundred Knights. The gathered Knights recalled the impressive battle prowess that Smoke and his men had shown in their last battle, but his performance was still overshadowed by the three massive legendary monsters in his private army.

Most of them had only heard about the Maneators and had never seen one, but Smoke had three of them as his companions.

Sierra stood in front and was about to offer them the contract of becoming a member of the guild, but most of the Knights there already belonged to a guild.

Mamelon, the Aqua Knight, spoke in behalf of those who had undergone the test.

"More than half of us are willing to change guilds, but there are those who cannot leave their current guild. I'm afraid that we have to refuse your offer. All of us still plan on seeing this revolution against Duke Burmistrz's tyranny, and I can only offer to make a guild alliance with you."

As the Aqua Knight spoke, she kept on looking around for Ilad, Smoke's undercover persona, among his men.

"We only have three groups who wish to remain in their guilds. There's our guild the Confiance, then there's Espoir Guild, and lastly the Fidelite Guild."

Sierra stepped forward and replied to the entire crowd.

"I understand your concerns. Then allow us to draft another guild contract and a guild alliance contract, but first I need all of you to sign this confidentiality agreement. It just states that you can't disclose the location of Verbrannt castle to anyone. Breaking this rule kills you and if you're a Sonstwelter it will reduce your level by 75%. After signing the confidentiality agreement, please feel free to roam around Verbrannt Village. Our battalion commanders will show you the locations where you can put up shops or homes that you can actually own. Also, the castle is still strictly off limits until you have joined the guild. Thank you."

The red werebear smiled as she delivered her threat together with a reward. It was her retention plan for the potential guild members. She thought that they might fight better for their cause if they had something at stake as well.

All the Knights were shocked by such strict conditions. Nonetheless, it was rare to be given a property in Zectas. All of them signed the confidentiality agreement because they understood the risks involved and knew what was at stake.

Sierra was happy with the turn of events. She had sent Gandiva over to Centeo City to acquire a Guildium. It was a stone needed to create a guild.

The Guildium records all the guild's history. It documents the guild's members, assets, earnings, contracts, alliances, and everything else involved in a guild.

Centeo city was north of Coatl and required a week to travel back and forth. Sierra planned to have the Knights acquainted with the residences, and finish their homes and shops by then.

Sierra asked Sharur, Jinggu, Sharanga, Ichaival, Thyrsus, and Vijaya to guide the Knights around Verbrannt and point them out to the designated areas where they could put up their homes or businesses.

As the multitude of assorted Knights were about to leave, Mamelon managed to get close enough to Smoke and introduced herself to him.

"Hi, my name is Mamelon. Let me just say that this is really an amazing thing that you're doing for these people and I hope that when we do conquer Coatl you remember all of those who helped."

Smoke wanted to walk away, but Mamelon had been already shaking his hand.

"Of course, the rewards will be according to the efforts and accomplishments shown by each individual. Please excuse me, you can talk to Sierra for more information about that matter."

He tried to let go of her hand, but she still held on firmly.

"There was one more thing. I haven't seen Ilad around. I was wondering where he was?"

"I sent him on a special assignment. I don't know when he'll be back."

Mamelon looked sad when she heard the news.

"He didn't accept my friend request so I couldn't call him. Can you please tell him that I'm looking for him. You know, when you get a chance to talk to him?"

Smoke nodded and forcibly freed his hand from hers.

"I'll pass on the message, but you should talk to Sierra about that as well."

Smoke hurriedly escaped into the castle.

* * * * * *

Smoke had decided to head back to the labyrinth and create his fourth Maneator. Together with Sierra and a select group of his private army members along with their battalions.

The members of the labyrinth expedition were Smoke, Sierra, Ichaival, Laernea, and Espion along with four-hundred-seventy-five militia members.

Adder was left in charge to take care of the residents and the Knights in Verbrannt. He had Thyrsus, Sharanga, and Vijaya to assist him.

Sharur and Jinggu were ordered to create a canal that could channel the river towards Verbrannt. The OrkElves had the Maneators; Weise, Rasant, and Stark to assist them. They also had two-hundred militia members to help them out.

With the people in Verbrannt all occupied with their own tasks. Smoke and his expedition party headed out. As they headed towards the secret exit, they made sure that none of the Knights followed them.

As a precautionary measure they headed in the opposite direction of the labyrinth's exit when they left the Verbrannt castle grounds.

After forty-five minutes they reached a structure that looked like a small hill which was covered by thick trees. Smoke stopped and directed some men to push the hanging roots aside.

An entrance with a diameter of ten feet was revealed. He ordered his men to hold the roots in place while the rest of the men entered. It looked more like an entrance to a cave from a quick glance.

As they traveled further inside, the floor and walls revealed a smooth and white marble stone. Igniz lit up the torches that some of the militia members were carrying as well as enhanced their weapons with Fire.

Smoke led the way with Igniz hovering around him. He asked the men to prepare themselves, when he saw the piled up skeletons.

These were the skeleton monsters that guarded the tunnel connected to the mausoleum and the labyrinth's exit. When they left the labyrinth they only encountered level 70 to 80 skeleton warriors, but now there were level 80 to 90 skeleton archers, and level 90 to 110 skeleton mages.

The skeleton warriors were easy to deal with. Their sluggish movements made them easy targets to the militia members. Smoke had thought about using the labyrinth as their own special dungeon to raise the level of their militia.

However, the new skeleton archers and skeleton mages proved to be formidable monsters against their militia members. Smoke immediately ordered his commanders to hunt down the ranged skeleton monsters.

He had an ominous suspicion as soon as he saw the new skeleton monsters. He ordered Espion to join him in front. Together they swiftly headed towards the tunnel's exit.

Sierra remained behind and took command of the militia members. Their militia members varied from levels 65 to 80 which gave them a decent experience from the skeleton monsters.

Smoke stopped when he reached the tunnel's exit. Slowly, he took a peek and found four massive boulders were at the center of the chamber.

From Smoke's fight with Dasende, he had learned that those boulders were the dormant forms of the gigantic krampus guarding the exit of the labyrinth.

Those monsters would awaken if they entered within the krampus' range. His suspicion was confirmed when he saw the four dormant krampus laying there.

Andrais, the great sphinx who guarded the labyrinth's treasure room, told him that the labyrinth upgrades its difficulty whenever there is someone who leaves with its treasures.

The new skeleton monsters and the increased guardian krampus were the labyrinth's way of protecting itself. To prevent the the same level of intruders who had previously entered.

On their way back to Sierra and the militia, Smoke found it strange that the krampus guardian had been increased to four but the skeleton monsters were only added with archers and mages.

As Smoke was lost in his thoughts, he heard someone's yell.

"Smoke! Aim for the skeleton knight! It seems to be the boss of this mausoleum!" shouted Sierra over to him as soon as she spotted it.

The seven foot skeleton knight kept on bashing the shields of the militia. Sierra, Ichaival, and Laernea had damaged the monster which revealed its name and life bar. Loueric (210,187/300,000 HP).

The skeleton knight had enough of the werebear's attacks and ran away from Sierra and the commanders. As it ran, it kept on attacking the lower level militia.

Loueric had an impressive life bar, but its weakness against Fire proved to be a fatal flaw. Smoke instantly equipped his power chainsaw bow and attacked the skeleton knight with his fire arrows.

+ Attack hit skeleton knight: Loueric. +FIRE DMG. CRITICAL HIT. Damage 6,143.

A torrent of fire arrows came all at once, and lit up the skeleton knight. The militia members did their best to move out of the way. They held their shields in front of them, and blocked the incoming attacks of the skeleton knight.

Loueric was aggravated by Smoke's damage. As soon as the skeleton knight saw that it was a lone DarkElf who was the source of the fire arrows, it immediately charged towards him.

Espion ran in front of Smoke and met the skeleton knight head on. The skeleton knight pulled back its right elbow as it prepared to lunge its sword against the young Spy.

Smoke never ceased his fire arrows as Espion ran in front of him. They used the attack pattern where Espion stayed low, close to the ground on his left side, while he kept on with his head shots and right upper body attacks.

With the green dual knives out, Espion expertly parried the Loueric's sword thrust and ran the dual knives against the skeleton knight's blade.

The young Spy dodged the skeleton knight and was directly behind him. Espion immediately started to attack the skeleton knight's back.

Loueric's focus was on the Espion which made him turn around to face the young Spy.

+ Attack hit skeleton knight: Loueric. +FIRE DMG. CRITICAL HIT. BACK ATTACK. Damage 9,114.

Five more arrows struck Loueric's back and extinguished the last HP of the skeleton knight's life bar.

+ You've dealt a fatal blow to the skeleton knight: Loueric.
+ You've killed the skeleton knight: Loueric.
+ Your party gained 200,000 exp.

As the body of the skeleton knight faded, it dropped a rare loot.

+ Acquired rare helmet: Skull Helm.

Smoke hurriedly checked the skull helm.

Skull Helm (Helmet)

A rare helmet that is dropped from the boss of the mausoleum, the skeleton knights.

Restriction:
- Melee Fighters

Equipment Ability:
+10 Vitality
+200 Defense

He then ordered everyone to quickly gather the loot. There were mostly ragged clothes, but there were also the occasional weapons such as round shields, composite bows, and wind rods.

After they collected all the loot, Smoke asked everyone to camp outside of the mausoleum and have a quick meal. He wanted to check how long it would take for the skeletons to respawn.

As each platoon began to make their meals, Smoke asked Sierra to join him to somewhere more private. He had something important to tell her. Laernea watched intently as Smoke and Sierra walked into the forest.

Smoke started with what he discovered at the exit of the labyrinth.

"Listen, I know that this was my idea to make the labyrinth into our personal special dungeon, but we shouldn't move further into the tunnel. Do you remember the four meter krampus that I was talking about? Well, they've increased the guards to four. There's no way we could take on those monsters as we are now."

"But do you think it would be safe to continue hunting just inside the mausoleum?"

"I think it's a safe bet. We really do need all those equipment. If only we had mages and archers who could use the rods and bows."

Sierra smirked when she heard Smoke's concerns.

"Don't worry about the bows. I already have a plan on how to use those."

Smoke looked puzzled as he had no idea what Sierra was talking about.

"Anyway, the real reason why I wanted to talk to you was because there was one more thing I discovered inside the labyrinth."

"And? What was it?"

"I know where the Witches of Wysteria are. They're somewhere in the desolate lands to the west of here. Some place called  Veneficatl valley."

Sierra became quiet. She had been searching for the witches for months, and now she finally knew their location. However, there were also the residents of Verbrannt to worry about now.

Smoke silently waited for her to speak. He knew that it was a difficult situation. He never wanted to create a guild, but they desperately needed one in order to have a chance at defeating Burmistrz.

He had promised her that they would remove her curse after he completed the Mitleid's quest. So, he was prepared to bite the bullet and stay behind to facilitate the strategies that they had planned for Verbrannt.

A few more minutes passed and Sierra finally spoke.

"Hmm. I'm sorry to have to do this to you, Smoke. But we did have a deal. There's really no other way but for you to do it."

"I know... Don't worry. I'm a man of my word, and I don't plan on breaking my promise to you."

"Good. I know that finding the witches would still take a long time. You can spend that time to build up our army. You know, while you're looking for the witches, and I expect you to slay them for me when you find them."

He couldn't believe what he heard, and Sierra went on to explain her reason why she would rather have Smoke search the witches.

"The quest only requires their deaths and for me to bathe in their blood... I can't also expect you to stay behind and execute our plans for Verbrannt. Now, don't take this the wrong way. I know you would do a great job with the Zectians, but I also know you'll have a problem dealing with the other Sonstwelters. We really need to create a guild and I'm willing to stay behind to do it. So, can I count on you to complete it?"

Smoke's smile was filled with joy and excitement. He couldn't help himself but reply with.

"Of course!"

* * * * * *

Smoke chose to bring Adder, Espion, Laernea, Vijaya, and Ichaival. The others were left behind and started on their action plans against Duke Burmistrz.

He explicitly left Weise, Rasant, and Stark behind to help the residents grow accustomed to them. The Maneators were eventually going to lead their own battalion and they needed to build a good rapport with the militia members.

The Maneators' great strength was also required for the many great architectural structures that Verbrannt was undergoing.

Smoke's expedition party rode on Laernea's carriage and was heading towards Nanahuatl Village. It had been a long time since Smoke saw Darius, and he had missed the old Beggar.

Their ride home was uneventful, except for the occasional pack of burrowed sandcats that would leap out and attack them. The monsters were no challenge at all. With Igniz's enchantment, their increased levels, and improved equipments  killing the burrowed sandcats was a breeze.

The DarkElf tried his Earth Manipulation ability on the burrowed sandcats, but the beasts just ate through his manipulated earth. So, Smoke left all the fighting to his men. He focused on acquiring knowledge from books instead.

Days passed and they finally saw Nanahuatl's familiar borders. An old man wearing Arch Magus clothes stood at the village's entrance.

Darius had sensed their arrival and waited for them at the gate. Smoke immediately noticed his reinvigorated appearance.

"Well look at you." said Smoke with a smile.

Darius opened his arms and pulled him into a hug.

"I'm steadily recovering some of my lost power, but it will still take a long time before I get to even half of my previous power." said Darius.

Smoke was really pleased to hear Darius' recovery. He then introduced Espion to his old friend. Darius welcomed all of them and led the way to Smoke's house.

The residents of Nanahuatl flooded the streets as soon as they heard that Smoke had arrived. He invited everyone to a barbecue party later that day.

Smoke wanted to catch up with everyone in Nanahuatl. He brought assorted meat from poultry, pork, beef, to the exotic. He knew how the Nanahuatlanos loved their grilled meat.

He asked Vijaya and Ichaival to take care of the event. As preparations for the cookout started, Smoke and Darius went inside Smoke's home to discuss his progress.

Smoke began by giving Darius' Beggar Tablet. He also told him about his adventures inside the labyrinth and the three Maneators he created.

Darius listened to Smoke with pride. The old Beggar felt he was listening to the tales of his best friend, Kumbaba. The last Beggar Imperator.

He also told Darius about Sierra's suggestion of creating a guild. He wasn't for it at first, but he knew that there was no other choice. Still, he preferred if his army was purely Zectians rather than Sonstwelters.

Smoke finished his story with his current quest of searching for the Witches of Wysteria. He knew that they were in the desolate lands of the west, but Veneficatl valley's vast land area was a major concern.

"That's why I was planning on visiting Condortl before I head to Veneficatl valley. I want to see how they're doing and maybe recruit them against the Duke."

"That's not a bad idea at all. Also, when you reach the outskirts of Veneficatl you will be able to pass through two villages that belongs to the secret society of 'Inauditas Volucris'."

"You mean the half beast race?" he asked.

Darius nodded. "Yes. First will be the home of the Centaurs, Pferde Village. The second one will be the home of the Simiavulgs, SarurasVillage."

Smoke scratched his chin and asked. "Simiavulgs? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with them."

"They are a race of half man half monkeys, they are very similar to how a Lioumerean looks like. They have the body shape of the human, except they have excessive body hair and their ears, noses, and lips are that of a monkey." answered Darius knowingly.

"How come I've never met a Simiavulg but Lioumereans are almost as common as an Elf?" asked Smoke.

Darius pointed his index to the sky and said. "Ahh... That's a long story, but the short version is that Simiavulgs are extremely supremacists. They think the best race are in all of Zectas is the Simiavulg. Of course, they do have powerful Wizards, dextrous Snipers, and skillful Warriors that haven't been defeated since the time of the Lizardites."

"Hmmm, sounds like they are a very troublesome race." stated Smoke.

The Beggar Legati waved his hand in dismissal. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure you can think of something when you meet them."

"What about the Centaurs? What are they like?" asked Smoke.

"They're a really friendly race. Some of them used to wander to the main cities, but two hundred years ago, their Chief banned them from going there. You see, many Centaurs are so enamored by the beauty of the Elves and the Humans that they want to be with them. They would even resort to the dark arts just to be with their beloved." Darius chuckled to himself as he recalled something funny between the Simiavulgs and the Centaurs.

Smoke's curiosity got the better of him and asked. "What's so funny?"

"You see, it's true that the Simiavulgs has never been conquered, but the same thing goes for the Centaurs. The Simiavulgs would go to the land of the Centaurs and they would be driven out as quickly as they came."

"So the Centaurs are also a powerful race?"

The Beggar Legati nodded and smiled.

Smoke beamed at the idea of meeting them. "Now I really want to make those Centaurs into my allies."

Darius pulled out a parchment out of thin air and gave it to Smoke.

"Those are the locations of the two villages. I didn't tell you about them before because you didn't have the ability to cross over the mountain range of Margome, but now you do. The lowest level monster over Margome is at least 150, but I think you and your party are capable enough of handling monsters like those."

"Really? Now, I kinda want to bring Sierra and my entire private army with me."

"I wish I could have told Sierra about Veneficatl valley. I never imagined that the Witches would travel to the desolate lands of the west. Witches usually stay near populated areas. They have a special craving for the souls of young children."

"Well, I'll make sure that their food fetish stops as soon as I see them."

Darius gave Smoke a pat on the back and said.

"I know you will. Now, why don't we see how the preparations are going. All this catching up has made me hungry."

"I'm sure Ichaival and Vijaya have everything prepared."

Dozens of long wooden tables were propped outside of Smoke's home. Vijaya asked Ichaival and Espion to man the grill. Adder was in charge of gathering the villagers.

A few minutes later and all of the Nanahuatlanos arrived. Everyone drank and ate as Ichaival entertained them with Smoke's adventures.

Ichaival portrayed all of the characters in his stories of Smoke's adventures, but it always ended with him and Sharanga kissing.

Everybody laughed as they knew that part never happened. The children all gathered around Smoke and asked whether it was all true. To which Smoke would reply. "What do you think?"

All of the children's eyes widened with amazement as they pictured Smoke's adventures in their heads.

After Ichaival's stories, Vijaya displayed the abilities of her six falcons with aerial aerobatics. Everyone clapped at their well coordinated maneuvers. She ended her performance with her six falcons carrying her into the air.

The barbecue party lasted all night. James Jackal and Howard Hide pulled Adder to a table and initiated a drinking contest with their fellow Condortlian.

Ichaival introduced Espion to all the young eligible bachelorettes in Nanahuatl, while the young men ogled over Vijaya.

Peitro Fischer had Smoke personally tell him the real battles that he experienced inside the labyrinth.

Smoke was tired of retelling the same story for more than a fourth time, but told the old Fisherman nonetheless.

After Smoke freed himself from Peitro's incessant questions, he happily watched everybody having a great time. Nanahuatl really was the best place in all of Zectas. He wished that he could share this with Seth and Donny someday.

* * * * * *

The next day, Smoke and his expedition party headed for Condortl at the break of dawn. Only Darius was awake to see them off.

He greatly enjoyed his time with the Nanahatlanos, but he also needed to make some progress on the Witches and recruiting the army for Verbrannt.

It took Smoke sixty days to reach Condortl village on foot, but they had now reached Adder's village in two days as Laernea made Bilis mostly run at top speed.

When they reached the last bend before Condortl, Smoke and Adder expected to see a vibrant village covered in green scales, but they were greeted with broken walls and destroyed houses instead.

The Condortlians were busy picking up the debris and the broken scales from the virile lizards. Until they noticed Smoke's carriage.

The residents flocked around Smoke as he got off Laernea's carriage.

"Praise Cuezaltzin! You're finally here. We've been praying for your return ever since our farm lands died, and now Centaurs have come to attack our village."

Smoke was confused. He thought that the Centaurs were peace loving and friendly.

"Why would they attack Condortl? Did you provoke them in any way?"

Slowly, all of the residents of Condortl came out of their homes. A crowd gathered around Condortl's Savior.

Eldmar, the acting village chief of Condortl, walked towards their village's hero.

"We have done no such thing. We only followed our laws. Then they just came out of nowhere and took our children away. Our Warriors fought back bravely, but even with our best weapons we were still no match against the twenty Centaurs."

Smoke recalled that he left the village with three-hundred Warriors whose levels ranged from 40 to 60. The Centaurs must have been really strong to defeat Condortl's Warriors.

Eldmar proceeded to tell what had happened.

"We were all living peacefully here for a while now. The griffons' numbers greatly fell as they lost their steady supply of virile lizards, but everything changed two months ago."

Smoke and his men listened intently to Eldmar's story, but Adder was most especially attentive.

"We were looking for new farmlands because all of there was no longer any fertile lands east of Mount Aeriloc. A Scout suggested that we cross the mountain. I agreed since there were rarely any griffons left. They didn't find any area that was great for farming near the mountain's base."

Eldmar looked at Adder and said.

"Abaven, you remember of the old legends that spoke about the rich lands near the mountains of Margome?"

Adder nodded and answered.

"Yes, the rich fertile lands said to be protected by guardian spirits. Didn't the Scouts know that it was dangerous to go there?"

Eldmar faced Adder, he shook his head and sighed.

"The leader of the Scouts was your cousin Catalina. She ordered her Scouts to travel to the foot of Margome with her. She always had fantasies about meeting the guardian spirits. Apparently, the guardian spirits were the Centaurs. They guarded that land from the Simiavulgs."

Smoke silently listened but could guess what happened next.

"One of the Centaurs fell in love with Catalina and I was told that she reciprocated his feelings. Catalina established a small colony in those lands. Needless to say, the men and women that she brought with her fell in love with other Centaurs as well."

Smoke nodded as his suspicions were confirmed.

"I immediately asked the colony to return home when I heard about what was going on. Couples of Humans and Centaurs always lead to disaster. I haven't heard from them since. Then a week ago twenty mad Centaurs came and took the younger children away."

Eldmar's face with stricken with sorrow.

"They have taken twenty-four children in the past week alone, and we only have 200 Warriors left."

Adder held onto Eldmar's shoulders and said.

"Don't worry. We're here now. The Centaurs aren't gonna take any more children. I'm sure Smoke will do his best to find those kidnapped children as well."

Eldmar looked to Smoke with pleading eyes.

"Will you help us find the children?"

+ Quest: Find the Kidnapped Children of Condortl
Search & Rescue Quest
Level: B

Eldmar asks for your help in finding the captured children by the Centaurs.

Accept the Quest? [YES/NO]

"Of course I will. We're talking about children here. How could I possibly say no to that?"

* * * * * *

Smoke asked his men to help out with the repairs, while he began setting up a trap for the Centaurs. He took out his Digger's wand and created a trench around the village. He made sure that the trench was deep enough so the Centaurs couldn't leap out of it.

With his Earth Manipulation ability, he created a thin layer of earth over the wide trench and camouflaged it. He could have placed spikes inside the trenches, but he still needed to ask the Centaurs about the children's location. He also wanted to find out why the 'peace loving' Centaurs were kidnapping children in the first place.

Smoke then proceeded to fortify and increase the height of the walls around Condortl. He also made the front gates wider. He wanted to lure the Centaurs to use the main entrance.

As Smoke inspected the village, he found a young boy practicing with a rope and a massive sword. The boy threw the rope over the pole and ran towards the pole with his sword.

The boy's weapon was much bigger than himself that it reminded Smoke of Adder's gigantic double bladed sword Blitzsturm.

The nine year old boy held onto the sword with both his hands and swung at the wooden pole that was shakily erected on the ground. The boy was barely able to do a proper swing, but his eyes shone his determination.

"Hey, you be careful. You could hurt yourself with that."

The boy froze for a split second when he saw that it was Condortl's savior who was talking to him. He immediately bowed down to the DarkElf.

"It is an honor to serve under you, lord Smoke."

"Serve? Don't tell me you're planning on joining the Warriors when the Centaurs come?"

"That's right. I have been training hard. It has been a week since I started and I can tell that I've improved."

Smoke smiled at the young boy. He reminded him of Donny's confidence and optimism.

"What's your name?"

"It's Tracas."

"Tell me, Tracas. Where's your father? Shouldn't he be teaching you the way of the sword and not just hacking randomly on this pole?"

Tracas bit his lips as it began to quiver.

"My father died on the first day the Centaurs came. They killed him before they took my sister Pris."

Smoke gave him a hug and Tracas tried to pull away.

"That's why I've been training day and night with my father's sword. I plan on killing the Centaurs and taking my sister back."

Smoke saw the bloodstains on the boy's hands. It was from hitting the wooden pole for almost a week.

"I see, but in order to train properly you also need to rest. If you like I can teach you how to fight with a sword? But not until you've healed your hands."

Smoke took out a bandage from his backpack window and applied First Aid on the Tracas' hands.

"Alright, now why don't we join the others and have some tasty stew."

Smoke led Tracas to the temporary kitchen that Ichaival created. He asked Vijaya to take care of Tracas while he proceeded with his preparations for the Centaurs.

With his Earth Manipulation ability, Smoke created a fortified tower at the center of the village. He planned on having the non combatants and children inside the tower.

After the completion of the tower, he went back to where Tracas was.

"Listen, I know you aren't done with your training yet, but I have an important job for you to do. I want you to guard everyone inside the tower."

"What tower?"

Smoke pointed to the three story Earth tower that he had constructed. Tracas was surprised to see such a structure come out of thin air.

"So, stay inside the tower and guard everyone, Okay? I can count on you, right?"

Tracas formed a fist and covered it over his left chest.

"Yes, sir! You can count on me."

Smoke smiled and patted Tracas' head.

Laernea smiled and blushed as she secretly watched Smoke take care of the young boy.

* * * * * *

The next day came and they were patiently waiting for the Centaur's scheduled attack. Vijaya, Ichaival, and Laernea were on the watch towers spread throughout Condortl village.

Smoke made Adder and Espion guard the tower on the ground while he stood on top of it. A loud rumbling sound was heard which signalled the Centaurs' arrival.

From the western side eight foot Centaurs came out, but they didn't look like normal Centaurs. Their upper halves which were suppose to look like a human had been transfigured into a hairy monster.

The mad Centaurs looked more like the other picture inside the labyrinth, the monster called Tikbalang. The mad Centaurs had claws instead of hands and their faces were elongated like a horse. These creatures, even had fangs coming out of their mouths.

Smoke was sure that these Centaurs were cursed when he saw the their appearance, but the question was if they still had a chance of reversing the curse.

The mad Centaurs galloped towards Condortl village with purpose. They were a pack driven mad and programmed to capture Condortl's children.

The eight Centaurs in the lead charged straight towards the village's main gates. Suddenly, the monsters fell down when they galloped over Smoke's trap. The remaining Centaurs managed to slow down and came to a full stop before the pit.

The mad monsters looked down below their fellow Centaurs and saw them trying to leap out of the pit, but none of them could escape the deep trap.

The crazed monsters looked around Condortl and realized that the entire village was surrounded by the hidden trench. All of the Centaurs backed away.

"NNnnnnneeeeeeeeiiiigggggghhhhhhh!"

A mad Centaur cried out as it galloped on its top speed and leapt across the trench. The monster landed safely inside Condortl's main gate. At that point, the hidden Condortlian Warriors behind the blanketed crates leapt out and pushed the Centaur into the pit.

"NNeeeeeeeiiiiiiinnnnnnnnn!"

Bwaaak!

The mad Centaur fell down into the pit hard. The other captured monsters tried to help out their fallen comrade.

Forty Condortlian Warriors readied themselves and blocked the landing ground of the other Centaurs. However, the Condortlians were surprised when the Centaurs jumped for the for the tall earth walls instead of the entrance.

The height of the monsters' jump was increased by their long running start. The mad Centaurs galloped on the side of the walls for a few seconds before they grabbed hold on to the top of the wall.

With their monstrous strength, the eleven remaining Centaurs lifted themselves up over the wall and zoomed straight towards the tower.

Adder and Espion were prepared to face them. Ichaival, Vijaya, and Laernea head their bows and fire arrows aimed on the charging monsters.

The mad Centaurs revealed their maximum life bars at 250,000 HP. Smoke didn't want to issue the command, but the eleven maddened monsters were very dangerous.

"Everyone! Shoot to kill!"

Vijaya sent her six falcons to attack the Centaurs. The birds of prey paired up and ganged up on attacking a Centaur. Ichaival's falcon was sent to distract his target and stop its movement, while Laernea attacked the Centaurs that was nearest her watch tower.

Smoke leapt off his Earth tower and glided towards the end of the Centaur's pack with his Hooded Cloak of Cologus. When he landed down, he stunned the three Centaurs at the back.

Swiftly, he equipped his most deadly weapon in his arsenal, the weighted chain and sickle of Dasende. He threw the weighted iron ball over the three Centaurs and entangled them in his chains.

With the three Centaurs immobilized, he quickly swirled the sickle over his head and began attacking the Centaurs back in a tornado like motion.

+ Attack hit maddened Centaur: Fetzig.   +FIRE DMG. CRITICAL HIT. BACK ATTACK. Damage 12,912.
+ Attack hit maddened Centaur: Bekloppt. +FIRE DMG. CRITICAL HIT. BACK ATTACK. Damage 12,912.
+ Attack hit maddened Centaur: Spinnert. +FIRE DMG. CRITICAL HIT. BACK ATTACK. Damage 12,912.

Smoke's tornado attacks damaged all the captured Centaurs simultaneously. The Condortlian Warriors were instructed to stay away from the DarkElf when he was fighting with his chain and sickle. So, they went to where Adder and Espion were instead.

Together with the forty Condortlian Warriors, Ichaival, Vijaya, and Laernea engaged against five Centaurs at once. This left Adder and Espion to face off against three. Adder stood alone in front of the stampeding Centaurs.

Adder leapt upwards at the last moment before the Centaurs' claws could hit him. With only one hand he hung on to the rope he prepared before. When the Centaurs looked up, Espion immediately jumped on the back of one of the monsters.

The young Spy slashed the Centaur's back as he rode the maddened beast. The Centaur tried to reach behind itself to catch Espion but the young Spy was out of his reach.

The mad Centaur kept on jumping around and attempted to buck off Espion. The young Spy looked like a bonafide Cowboy as he kept on riding the Centaur's back.

The two Centaurs tried to help their companion, but Adder finally came down from his jump and brought the deadly force of his Blitzsturm with him.

Adder's thick double bladed sword plunged deep into one of the Centaur's back. The one armed Condortlian wrapped his legs around the Centaurs to avoid from being thrown off.

The last free Centaur was confused on who to help first. Suddenly, a rope was lassoed over him. The monster reflexively turned around and saw a young boy.

It was Tracas, the nine year old boy that Smoke bonded with. This instantly made the Centaur yell out.

"HHHHhhhiiiiiiiieeeeeeeerrrrrrrrr!"

In a blur, Tracas was captured by the Centaur. The monster made a mad dash for the village's exit. Espion leapt and tried to ride on to the monster's back, but the Centaur he was on caught his legs and slammed him hard on the ground.

The three Centaurs retreated with their captive. The one-armed Adder had to unequip his Blitzsturm and tried his best to hang on to the mad Centaur as it kept on galloping out.

As Smoke was looting the item drops of the three Centaurs he had finished off, he saw another group of Centaurs that were trying to escape the village. He thought that the monsters were only retreating until he heard Adder yell.

"Help! They caught a kid!"

Ichaival, Vijaya, and Laernea couldn't attack the Centaurs without hitting the child and Adder. Smoke stopped looting and ran immediately towards them.

Smoke launched himself into the air with his Lunar Gravity Boots. He glided towards three Centaurs, but the monsters increased their speed.

Igniz kept on blasting his fireballs at the monsters as he hovered on Smoke's right side. He tried to use his Earth Manipulation ability to create holes and obstacles, but because of the monsters' Agility, they dodged all of his attacks.

The three Centaurs were nearing a cave in Mount Aeriloc. Smoke knew that the monsters would be out of his reach if he didn't do something. So, he equipped his Digger's wand and created a wide trench in front of them.

This forced the Centaurs to jump high into the air to cross the trench. Smoke then grabbed one of the Centaurs and held on tight.

The three Centaurs had Smoke and Adder on their backs, while Igniz flew near the DarkElf's back. The mad monsters entered the cave. Igniz's fire lit up the cave as they went on deeper.

Further inside the cave, the maddened monsters kept on with their bucking. Even as they reached a part of the cave that had a steep ravine on the left side and jagged rocks on the right.

The Centaurs found the protruding rocks on the side of the wall to be useful. The maddened monsters bucked towards the rocks and smashed their unwanted riders against them.

Smoke and Adder were stunned, and were bucked off their Centaurs. The two of them fell down the ravine inside the cave. Igniz reflexively flew down after them.

After Smoke regained his consciousness, he instinctively checked his surroundings. Igniz directed his attention to his companion.

Smoke found an unconscious Adder sprawled over a glowing green boulder. The Condortlian was covered in blood, but what caught the his attention was the green virile arm that was growing out of Adder's amputated limb.

Chapter Two: Common Goals

Sherry cranked open her game pod and stepped out. She stretched out her slender arms and legs to loosen up her muscles. She took out her brown yoga mat and turned on her favorite jazz artist, John Coltrane.

With her long red hair tied into a braided bun, she started her exercise. She took up yoga to prevent herself from getting muscle atrophy. With her life now revolved around Zectas, Sherry wanted to stay healthy and ensure more hours of game time.

She loved how Zectas made her unleash her inner child that was always being repressed deep inside her. She knew she acted immature and selfish at times, but she wanted to discover her true self.

Her self imposed strictness and forced maturity alienated her from pleasures of getting into trouble. The virtual reality world of Zectas had taught her what it was like to have real friends even if they were Zectians.

It had been two years since Zectas was released and there was an alarming rate of players who did not follow the Zectas' guidelines and have gotten muscle atrophy.

Before they were allowed to create a character, the players were given an explicit warning which stated that playing straight for over forty-eight hours could lead to various health risks.

Even the Zectas game pod installers said the same thing to the persons who were in charge of the gateway device. They also made them sign an 'Assumption of Risk Agreement' document that would protect Zectas from any form of lawsuit.

There were still many players who tried to sue the company, despite of these warnings and documents. In the end none of the complainants won.

However, due to this incident a Zectas patch was uploaded and enforced an hourly health check on the players. If the player's health deteriorated, a system notification would pop out and the player would be logged out for twenty-four hours.

Of course, the patch was coded to notice the special-abled players who were paralytic or otherwise. Each player's health parameter was catered to fit them individually.

This move by the Zectas Company was accepted well by the world in general, but there were players who rallied against it. They didn't care if they became paralyzed just as long as they could stay longer inside Zectas.

After Sherry finished her yoga exercise, she grabbed a towel and dried herself up. She opened the Zectas forums while she waited for fifteen minutes before she took a shower.

She scanned for any updates about Smoke creating a guild. Thankfully, there was none. The Sonstwelters in Verbrannt were true to their word and kept their guild creation from the public.

After she searched for Smoke's potential guild, she decided to read the longest running thread in Zectas. The thread entitled, 'Tristan vs. Amahan vs. Smoke'.

UrLogicSux: Man that was amazing! The unexplored lands of Grand Malodorant Dragonis are unexplored no more!

FastInFastOut: @UrLogicSux, are you a part of Dracoricco's main guild? Tristan still hasn't released his video inside the land of the dragons, and I'm so curious what it looks like?

UrLogicSux: Sure am! It was difficult, but I stuck through all of it. I was almost drafted into our second string but my perseverance held on.

cutey4you: A Gorgeous Priestess Saves a Noob and gets Harassed by Some Jerk. You Won't Believe Their Reasoning. Click on the link to find out why.

Dark_AvEngER: Noooo! Not another click bait that leads to another player's video feeds. Argh, but I have to find out why...

PentaKiller: First there were the Lioumerean fanatics and now this. I'm reporting you @cutey4you if you don't send me a pic of you in real life.

TriTank: Let's all get back on topic. Even if Amahan still has the highest level and Smoke has his fight against a city, Tristan still made the most progress. He's made the most powerful guild and is now currently in Grand Malodorant Dragonis. I can't wait to see what kind of items he's going to get.

Atiman: Hey, this isn't a click bait or anything like that but you guys should check out Amahan's latest video upload. It'll blow your minds.

CatatonicKing: Wow @Atiman, you're right. Fellow Lioumereans I order you to watch Amahan's latest video.

Sherry's curiosity made her click on Amahan's video feed that was only uploaded five minutes ago.

Amahan and his entire Decane guild stood in front of an ice temple embedded on the side of a blue mountain. The back of a female Aero Magus lead the way as she kept on a wind shield that protected the Decane from the icy wind.

The female Aero Magus looked very familiar to Sherry. It was Magikera. The friend she had made near Centeo city, before she got her werebear curse.

Sherry remembered Magikera mention that she belonged to a famous guild, but she never thought that it would be the Decane guild. Magikera was the one who taught her about stat inflation, when it reached over 600 points.

She resumed watching the video. Magikera was followed closely by two burly men named Baskog and Ligon. Decane's heavy tanks. A great crystal statue was revealed after all ten members crossed the ice temple's entrance.

It was five meter tall and made out of ice crystal. The statue of the legendary Djinn, Gahoul Comataz. The Djinn had a black feathery humanoid body, with the head of a black falcon and a silver beak.

Comataz had long talons for fingernails and storm colored wings that was twice the length of his entire body. His ice armor glistened as it covered his black feathery body.

Amahan went near the statue and a notification popped up.

Djinn of the North: Gahoul Comataz

This monstrous ice Djinn guards the tomb of Aquilo, King of the North!

+Gained 1/4 map to Aquilo's tomb.
+Gained 1/4 piece of Comataz's essence

The Exorcist raised his first Comataz piece into the air, as his guild cheered him on. Not only were they nearing the tomb of King Aquilo, but they were most likely going to have Comataz join their ranks if they could find the missing three pieces.

Sherry felt proud as she watched her good friend Magikera frolic around with her guildmates. She thought that Nash was the only famous person she knew in Zectas.

She made a mental note to call her when she could get some free time inside Zectas. At the moment, her mind was focused on improving Verbrannt village.

'What was that Djinn? I've never seen or heard about Djinns in Zectas.'

Sherry couldn't help but wonder what kind of abilities did Gahoul Comataz possess and to what extent Amahan could use them.

However, she pushed out her theories about the Djinns. She had more pressing matters to research on. Aside from an impregnable defense, Verbrannt also needed to be self sustainable.

She analyzed what she had to do for her village, in order to better itself. She was sure that Nash would keep his end of their bargain, which was why she needed to be two steps ahead of him.

* * * * * *

The moment Sierra logged back in, she immediately called Gandiva, the tigress Lioumerean.

"Did you get goods?" asked Sierra.

Gandiva quickly nodded. "Yeah, of course I did. I've got the fifty quails, twenty ducks, ten pigs, and I even got the Guildium right here beside me."

Sierra shook her head. "No, no, I'm not talking about that. I meant the special ability."

Gandiva's eyes lit up as she understood. "Oh, that... I don't know how you met that old Priestess, Nenek, but she sure is well connected in Centeo. Thanks to her I managed to acquire the ability."

Sierra grinned. Her hours of scouring the net paid off. She was glad that she kept in touched with her old Mentor.

"Good job! How long til you get here?"

"Umm... About an hour?"

"Alright, I'll see you then."

Sierra then called over Sharur and Thyrsus. She wanted to see the progress that the two of them had done.

Thyrsus was placed in charge of the residential area, agricultural land, and the business district, whereas Sharur and Jinggu took command of redirecting the river and training the militia.

Presently, Jinggu was out with his battalion. It was their turn to train inside their private dungeon, the secret exit of the labyrinth.

As they stepped outside of the castle, she instantly noticed that the castle ground was now free from tents and small shanties.

"I see that the Dernier family finally moved to a new home?"

Thyrsus smiled and nodded.

"They were the hardest one to persuade but setting them up as the main fish vendor eventually convinced them."

Thyrsus patted Sharur's back. "Sharur, Jinggu and the Maneators did a great job on channeling some of the river to flow into our village."

The almost two-meter tall OrkElf gave a small bow, as he acknowledged the Hunter's compliment. "Thanks, but it was Smoke who dug most of the trenches with his wand. We just made sure that the river flowed through it."

The handsome OrkElf proceeded to say. "But all in all it was Sierra's suggestion of making use of the river to serve as a natural moat and a source of food that made all of this possible."

"Nah, I'm sure Smoke or anyone else would have came up with the same idea. I just happened to have raised it first." Sierra said modestly.

The red werebear admired the newly finished stone road as they headed into the residential area. The gray stones were neatly flattened and created a smooth road to travel on.

The three of them kept on walking through the quiet residential area and into the busy business district. The Zectian refugees from different villages became a united front. There were minor disagreements here and there, but nothing that the platoon leaders of the militia couldn't handle.

"What about the Sonstwelters? Are there any problems with them?" asked Sierra.

"None, both sides are adjusting nicely." replied Thyrsus.

As their conversation went on, an eight year old girl carried a basket of fresh fish for the Lady of Verbrannt who walked along the man-made river, which passed through the business district.

Sierra called the blond Hunter's attention. "Thyrsus, we've equally distributed the different businesses, right? We have someone practicing all the basic trades..." she paused as she saw a young girl walk towards her. "Oh, what do we have here?"

The shy girl raised her basket and meekly said. "My father just caught these fish from the Sierra River."

Sierra looked at Sharur and Thyrsus.

Sharur walked closer to Sierra and whispered in her ear. "The residents have named the man-made river circling around Verbrannt as Sierra River, in honor of you."

The little girl handed her basket of fishes to the red werebear.

"How did you know that I love fish? Tell your dad thanks for me." said Sierra with a big smile. Despite her werebear appearance, the girl looked unafraid and smiled back.

Sierra then gave her a pat on the head. The smiling girl ran towards her father immediately after. The red werebear waved at the girl's father as he watched them from the fishing pier.

Sharur took the basket from Sierra's hands and carried it for her and said. "By the way, Jinggu took my battalion to the labyrinth. Weise, Rasant, and Stark are also there with him. So, you don't have to worry about the militia. They're scheduled to arrive at any minute now."

Sierra gave Sharur's shoulders a tight squeeze as she stood beside him. This sudden gesture jolted the OrkElf as it took him by surprise.

"Everything seems to be in order. Sharur, Thyrsus, when Jinggu arrives assemble the entire battalion over to the training grounds, and make sure that only the militia members are there." said Seirra.

Sharur and Thyrsus bowed their heads as they left to follow her instructions.

An hour and thirty minutes passed before the entire militia units were gathered. Thyrsus placed scouts to keep a lookout for outsiders. Sierra stood in front of her militia and addressed them. "The past few days of continuous hunting in the mausoleum had been a great success. Sharanga, if you please?"

The WoodElf Huntress brought out the gathered loot. In the past five days they amassed a total of six-hundred-fifty composite bows, one-hundred wooden rods, and twenty skull helms.

Aside from the weapons and equipment, their militia's level also greatly increased. The lowest member of their militia was now at level 72.

With everything prepared, Sierra proceeded.

"I know what you're all thinking. What are those items for? Well, the skull helms are equippable to melee based fighters. That's why I've decided to give each platoon leader a special helm as a symbol of leadership."

Then, she signalled Gandiva to stand in front of the composite bows.

"Now, let me turn your attention over to commander Gandiva."

It was a rare sight for the tigress Lioumerean to be serious, but there she was with a stern straight face. She was accompanied by four Fishermen from her militia battalion.

"I've trained these four brave men just minutes ago, and I'd like to show all of you the results of their newly gained ability."

Gandiva gave them a nod, and the four Fishermen picked their throwing spears and aimed at the targets that were twenty meters away from them. All of them released their fishing spears and hit their targets dead center.

"For most of you, this is your maximum distance. It is impressive, but we could get more shots in if we could fire at a longer range."

The Lioumerean then pointed to a new set of targets that had a distance of forty meters. This time, the Fishermen went over to the pile of composite bows that Sharanga had prepared.

They switched out their fishing spears for the composite bows. They went back to the target site and aimed at the new targets.

All four of the Fishermen released their arrows and hit their marks that was twice the distance as before.

"I was sent over to Centeo city to gain this ability called, Bowfishing. With this it will guarantee our increase in offensive power."

Sierra found this special ability online. There was a post about two Zectian friends who were a Fishermen and a Hunter who polished this hidden ability together.

She was glad that Gandiva was able to learn the ability and was now able to teach it to the Fishermen in their militia. The tigress Lioumerean went on with her demonstration.

"The five of us will teach four persons at a time. I estimate that by the next three days, all the Fishermen will be able to use our gathered composite bows."

Their militia cheered as Gandiva finished her demonstration.

Sharur whispered over to Sierra and asked.

"Gandiva also got the Guildium, right? So, why aren't we making a guild yet?"

"I'm still thinking of a name and I want to hear Smoke's opinion. After all he will be the guild leader, even if its just in name."

* * * * * *

Adder was still unconscious. Smoke was about to apply first aid on Adder's chest wound. He propped up his injured friend against the glowing green boulder. Before he could do anything else, Adder's wound began to close all by itself.

"Igniz, can you brighten the place up?"

The dark ember sprite increased his luminance. Smoke and Adder had fallen into a jagged pit. He was surprised that they weren't impaled by the deadly stalagmites that stuck out of the floor.

Adder's new virile arm kept on growing and drew Smoke's attention.

"Just what is this thing? Igniz, can you come closer to Adder?"

With his purple hue, Igniz came closer and illuminated over the injured Condortlian.

The virile arm was almost the same length as Adder's right limb. The green hands and fingers were still small and disproportioned, but it was still growing.

He examined the peculiar looking stone and was equally surprised when he read the stone's information.

Matera Vitalis

This rock sends out energy waves and transforms ordinary rocks within a hundred meters into vitalis stones.

Other Info: [LOCKED]
???
???
???

This stone was the reason why the Condortlians were enslaved. Smoke thought that Adder's recreated limb may have been caused by the Matera Vitalis' unknown information.

'If this Matera Vitalis has such a small reach then that would mean there are other Matera Vitalis scattered all over this mountain.'

He wanted to learn more about the Matera Vitalis, but there was no other helpful information. So, he decided to focus on returning to Condortl.

Smoke tried to use his Earth Manipulation ability to flatten out the spikes and elevate himself and Adder back to the ledge where they fell from.

- Cannot control this Earth with your current Earth Manipulation ability.
- Cannot control this Earth at your current level of Earth Affinity.

His eyebrows crossed. He never saw that notification message before. He tried using his ability again and got the same notification.

"Inspect ability, Earth Manipulation."

Ability: Earth Manipulation
Active
Level: Intermediate Level 8
Experience: (287,698/1,000,000)

The intermediate form of Earth Manipulation.
Earth forms may retain the shape if the user continues to supply his mana into it.

Strength and Durability depends on the user's Earth affinity,
knowledge of the created object, and the current level of this ability.

Can only manipulate Earth upto the Archean era.

Earth Affinity: 60%
Mana Consumption: 200 mp/sec

'Man, this place is old. I wonder if it reaches up to the Phanerozoic era?'

Smoke sat in front of Adder and kept on observing the growing limb. It had finally grown to same size as the Condortlian's normal hand. With nothing else to do, he took out two books and began acquiring their knowledge.

However, the green color was slowly changing. The virile arm had now taken on the color of brown and began to crust all over. It had taken on the form a brown scaly cast.

Another fifteen minutes passed and Adder came to.

"Ugh... Smoke? What happened? I felt like a wild rhinomouse rammed into my chest."

"Hey, how are you feeling? Does anything feel new?"

"Huh? New? Oh... I haven't seen anything like this before."

Smoke couldn't help but smile and nod his head slowly.

"I know! I was surprised myself when I saw it, but I think this could be the best thing that could happen to you."

Adder looked puzzled, he thought that Smoke was talking about the glowing green boulder. He himself had never seen such a big vitalis stone, but he wondered why it could be the best thing that could happen to him.

"Sure, such a big Vitalis stone is a rare find, but this thing is only valuable to the Lizard people."

"No, I'm not talking about the green boulder. I am talking about your left arm."

Smoke pointed towards Adder's scaly brown crusted arm.

Adder's eyes grew wide when he saw his new arm. A million thoughts raced through his mind, but nothing came out of his mouth. Then he heard Smoke speak.

"Do you think this Matera Vitalis stone is a special stone that can cure people?"

"This is a Matera Vitalis stone? I've heard about it, but I thought it was just a myth."

The Condortlian was surprised, and he thought about Smoke's question. It was logical and there was a high chance that this was indeed a special effect of the Matera Vitalis.

Smoke then told Adder what he had observed.

"Really? All I know is that it started growing from a green scaly arm, and later transformed into this brown crusted form."

"My arms were green? Did they start out like a small stump and then grew to be like this?"

"Yes, It did. How did you know that?"

Adder took a deep breath and suddenly began scratching out his brown crusted arm.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing. Stop that."

Smoke grabbed Adder's right hand and held on to it firmly.

"I'm taking this thing off of me."

"Why would you do that? Do you like living with just one arm?"

"It's better than living with one that belongs to a virile. I don't want a monster's arm."

"Wait a minute. Let's calm down a bit. Are you sure this is exactly the same process that the Lizard people went through?"

Adder stopped resisting and relaxed himself.

"Well, when their arms grew back they didn't turn into this brown scaly crust."

"There you go. See, I'm sure this isn't a monster's arm at all."

Despite what Smoke said, both of them didn't believe a word of it. The scaly green arm that grew, clearly belonged to a virile monster.

Smoke thought to change the subject.

"For now, why don't we focus on getting out of here. I already tried using Earth Manipulation but it didn't work. I'm thinking that we could climb up these walls. Do you think you could stand?"

Adder tried to stand up, but he felt dizzy and slumped back down. For the first time, Adder felt the brown crusted arm draining all of his energy. He thought about telling Smoke but decided not to because he didn't want to worry his leader.

"Sorry, I can't." replied Adder meekly.

"Don't worry about it. I'll just strap you on to my back." said Smoke. He then took out his wall climbing harness and strapped it on Adder's body. As he tried to lift his injured friend up, he noticed that he was heavier than he looked.

"You've gotten really heavy. Have you always weighed this much?" asked Smoke.

A confused Adder looked at Smoke, "I don't know what you mean? I feel normal, it's just that I don't have any energy to move."

Smoke had a hard time standing up because of Adder's added weight, but with the aid of his rare gloves he managed to get a firm grip on the wall.

With Adder safely secured, Smoke looked up the steep wall. He started to scale it, with his injured friend on his back. Yet, Adder's weight proved to be beyond the limits of his Claws of Chiropterra.

He could only reach up to the height of four feet before they got pulled down by gravity. He inspected his gloves to check their status.

Claws of Chiropterra (Gloves)

A rare glove that closely resembles the claws of the monstrous winged foxbat Chiropterra.

Equipment Ability:
* Foxbat Grip (Passive)
+ You can grip solid surfaces with ease,
climbing mountains becomes a breeze.
* Earth affinity + 15%

Restriction Warning:
- Can only carry up to 500 pounds in weight.

Smoke was surprised to see the restriction section in the item because it did not display such an information before. He thought that the item must have only shown it now because his weight went beyond 500 pounds.

He was shocked to learn that Adder's weight must have been more than 300 pounds, since he was only 190 pounds himself.

"Alright, that's it. I don't think we could go out that way."

Adder felt responsible. He knew that it was his increased weight that was literally bringing them down.

"Sorry about that, Smoke. Why don't we rest for a few minutes? Who knows, maybe I'll recover then?"

"Sure, let's do that. I'll cook us some grub as well."

Smoke prepared a medicinal sand cat stew. When the stew was finished he began to spoon feed Adder.

"You don't have to do this. I'll eat when I can move my arm."

"Don't be stubborn. I want to get out of this place as soon as possible. Even if it means forcing this stew down your throat."

Adder obediently ate the medicinal stew, until the whole pot was finished. As they rested, Smoke thought to investigate the pit they were currently in.

What he really wanted to do was to chase after the enraged Centaurs, but Adder's health and safety was his top priority at the moment.

He decided to give Laernea a call. Since he didn't know if Adder could recover at all in less than a day.

"I need your help, we fell down this pit while we were chasing the mutated Centaurs."

The lioness Lioumerean's voice trembled as she spoke.

"What?! Are you okay? I'll be there right away."

"Laernea, wait. Bring a ton of rope, some digging equipment, and Condortl's best Healer. I don't know how deep this place is. Let me send you our coordinates."

"I'll be there in a few minutes. Rope, digging equipment, but why do you need a Healer? Condortl only has Tanda left, and he is only slightly better than our first aid ability."

"Adder got injured, but he's stable now."

"Okay, don't you worry, Smoke. I'll be there before you know it."

After Smoke called Laernea, he decided to resume his original plan and investigate the pit.

"I'll be back, I'm just gonna look around a bit. Maybe there's another way out or something."

Before Smoke left, he thought about what he saw from the top view while he attempted to scale the wall.

"You know, if you look at the glowing Vitalis stone from the top, it kinda looks like an arrow pointing toward that wall. Nah, its probably just my imagination."

Smoke and Igniz went off to search for an exit. The Vitalis' low luminance was enough to give some visibility to Adder, who sat down beside it.

Slowly, Smoke walked further away. Igniz hovered above him and lighted his path. He squeezed himself in between the protruding stalagmite formation.

At the corner of his eye, he found a mysterious ivory colored object. His Cunning of the Dire Fox did not sense any monster, but he thought that it was always better to be alert.

There were monsters with special abilities that cancelled out his sensory ability. He took out his Dasende's Chain and Sickle and held on to the sickle's handle tightly.

The compact space limited his weapon's true potential, but it was his only decent melee weapon. He had given most of his weapons to his private army members.

Silently, he creeped towards the object. When it was within his range he instantly lunged his sickle and scattered the dried up bones of a person.

"Igniz, over here. I can't see what this is."

His symbiote flew towards the scattered bones. Smoke found the ragged clothes of a Condortlian. He inspected the remains and found writings on a torn out cloth.

He reflexively began to acquire the cloth's information. After five seconds, a notification popped up.

Cloth Journal of Nahulog Ako

-Everybody told me that I was crazy for even considering about escaping. I know they'll execute all of my family members if I do, but with Mom's death last week, there's really nothing holding me back.

-I know that the mother of all the vitalis stone is out there somewhere. Maybe I could convince Matron Fecunda to let my people go, once I show her the stone.

Day: 1
I've began practicing regurgitating my ration and I've been able to hold a days' worth. There's no problem with water because I know the locations of the subterranean river system inside Mount Aeriloc. I'll escape tonight.

Day: 2
Thanks to Gulo's sacrifice, I was able to escape unnoticed. I managed to hide deep inside the middle layer of the mountain.

Day: 4
I've narrowed down my search to the lower chambers inside Mount Aeriloc. I'm sure I'll find it any day now.

Day: 5
Still no sign of the Matera Vitalis, but I did find a strange shrine in the location of [230, 120, 184] inside the mountain.

Day: 6
Finally! I found the Matera Vitalis! I uncovered a secret passageway and found a faint glimmering light below it.

Day: 7
The Matera Vitalis is too big to carry, and what's worst is that I'm now stuck in this pit. I tried climbing up, but I couldn't even reach the halfway mark.

Day: 9
I ate the last moss and there isn't any left here in this pit. I need to do something soon.

Day: 11
I've decided to take a different route to climb. The surface looks more jagged but maybe that will give me more traction. Hopefully, I can write the next entry with my successful escape and tell the Condortlians of the Matera Vitalis' location...

Smoke felt sorry for Nahulog. He was only trying to help liberate the Condortlians but ended up dead. He was glad that he had reliable friends who were coming to rescue him.

He searched Nahulog's remains but found nothing nothing else. He made a mental note to investigate the strange shrine that Nahulog mentioned in his journal.

After he searched the entire pit, he returned to his recovering friend. He wondered what Adder would say about Nahulog.

Smoke lightly shook Adder's right shoulder to wake him up. It had been thirty minutes since he called Laernea and found the remains of Nahulog.

He estimated that Laernea should arrive within the next few minutes. While they waited, he told Adder about the contents of his fellow Condortlian's journal.

After he shared Nahulog's tale, he gave an order to his symbiote.

"Igniz, why don't you make a beacon to help them locate us."

The dark ember sprite obeyed and released a pillar of light upward. The beam reached the top of the 100 meter cavern.

Igniz's beam awoke the sleeping monsters nestled on top of the ceiling. They looked like the giant bats that Smoke had fought on Mount Gliseloc, but these monsters had cat like faces.

With his power chainsaw bow at the ready, Smoke was about to release a storm of fire arrows when a different set of fire arrows came from above him.

Ichaival shot down a monster with four fire arrows. The monster revealed its name and HP, felisbatus with a maximum life bar of 22,000 HP.

The Hunter kept on firing his arrows as Laernea brought her carriage parallel to where Igniz's beam formed a pillar of light.

Smoke hurriedly scaled to the top of the ledge and began shooting down the cat-like bats. Smoke fired eight arrows and Ichaival in turn matched his attack speed.

He looked at Ichaival and grinned. He nodded at the Hunter and Ichaival understood that it was now a contest to see which one of them could shoot down more felisbatus.

Ichaival trained hard on his Phantom Arrow ability, and it was now capable of firing eight arrows at once. However, Smoke still managed to take down more felisbatus.

It was because of his inherited ability from Mitleid. The Beast Monarch ability which tripled his damage on beast type monsters.

It took them ten minutes to clear out all of the felisbatus. The score ended with Smoke in the lead at two-hundred-sixty kills to Ichaival's two-hundred. Laernea did her share of ninety kills, but she didn't speak up as she was far behind the two of them.

Smoke was impressed. They were able to dispatch the monsters because of Ichaival's rapid attack of arrows.

"Great work, Ichaival! I didn't know your Phantom Arrows ability was already at that level."

"Thanks. I had to do something to improve myself. I mean Sharanga's doing her inventions, and Vijaya has her six falcons going on. In fact I even left my falcon with her, since Ichai would have a hard time inside a cave."

Laernea envied Ichaival being praised and spoke up.

"We would've gotten here sooner, but we had a hard time getting enough rope."

Smoke patted the lioness Lioumerean's shoulders.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're here. Come on, let's help Adder out of there."

* * * * * *

Nahulog's journal was right. Smoke and his men were not able to bring back the Matera Vitalis. It was indeed too heavy to extract from its current location.

Adder's new scaly crusted limb caused quite a stir between Laernea and Ichaival, but Smoke told them to keep a tight lid on their questions.

After all the attention that Adder's new limb was getting, Smoke decided to put a bandage around it and covered it up. They decided that it was best to show it first to Eldmar, Condortl's acting village chief.

When they arrived they immediately went to Eldmar's hut. Once inside, Smoke removed Adder's bandage and showed them what was hidden beneath it.

Smoke, Eldmar, Tanda, Laernea, Ichaival, and Espion all gathered inside the hut.

"Tanda, have you seen anything like this?" Smoke asked.

"No, never. I've never seen a Human arm grow back before, but why did you make this scaly cast? Adder, do you mind if I remove it? Bits and pieces are already starting to come off anyway."

"Come off?"

Smoke and Adder were puzzled and checked the brown crusted arm. Slowly, Tanda began taking off pieces of the brown crust which revealed a normal Human arm.

He couldn't contain his astonishment.

"Whoa! When did that happen?"

"It wasn't like this before?", asked Tanda and Eldmar asked in unison.

"Maybe it was during our ride back here?" said Smoke.

Tanda finished removing the brown scaly crust and Adder's normal Human hand was out in the open.

Smoke was very happy for his friend. He felt responsible for Adder's lost limb ever since the Condortlian sacrificed himself inside the lamia's cave.

"Adder, isn't this great? You really got your lost arm back." exclaimed Smoke.

The Condortlian grimaced. He wasn't all that glad for his new arm. Something inside him rejected it, but he forced a smile on his face.

"Thanks be to, Cuezaltzin! It's a miracle!", praised Eldmar.

Everyone was very happy for Adder, and he thought it would be rude to seem ungrateful for his mysterious miracle.

Adder wanted some time for himself to think.

"Thank you everyone, but I want to get some rest for now."

Slowly, everybody left the hut and wished Adder a speedy recovery.

With Adder safely back in Condortl, Smoke wanted to resume his hunt for the maddened Centaurs. He couldn't bring his entire private army with him because the mutated Centaurs could return and attack the village.

He selected Espion and Ichaival to join him. Laernea protested but gave in. He also left Vijaya in charge until Adder felt better.

Smoke ordered Laernea to drop them off at the outskirts of the Margome mountain range, but they made a quick stop over at the coordinates where Nahulog found a shrine.

The passable road inside the mountain took them to the correct X and Y coordinates, but the Z coordinate indicated that it was directly above them.

He ordered his men to stay behind since the climb was challenging. With his Claws of Chiropterra, Smoke swiftly went up the demanding wall.

His dark ember sprite effortlessly flew up with him. The climb reminded him of how Igniz taunted him when he scaled Mount Gliseloc, but the memory made him laugh instead.

He found a small hole when he reached the top of the wall. It was big enough for him to squirm inside.

"Igniz, can you check what's inside the hole? I don't want to crawl inside for nothing."

The dark ember sprite flew up and gave a small nod before he went inside the opening. It became pitch black as soon as Igniz disappeared into the aperture.

Five minutes later, and Igniz came out with an astonished face.

"Hey? Was there anything good inside?"

Igniz madly flew around and created a fiery image that had horns.

"There's a monster inside?"

Smoke's symbiote shook his head and then nodded shortly after.

"Well, which one is it? Oh, nevermind. I guess I'll have to see it for myself."

He got on all fours and carefully crawled inside the crevice. He had to unequip all his equipment because of the narrow space.

As Smoke reached the middle of the tunnel, he used his Cunning of the Dire Fox ability to check if there was indeed a monster inside. Yet, his ability sensed nothing.

He searched around, as far as his DarkElf eyes could see and saw nothing. Always on the look out, Igniz went out ahead of him.

His symbiote signaled him to step out of the small crevice. Once outside, he found that he could stand up straight but barely.

- Entered the shrine of the Ifrit Vigilantez

- There are no monsters inside the shrine of Vigilantez.
- Suggested level for entering this forest is not applicable.

Smoke was surprised by the sudden game notification. He had never heard or read of Vigilantez, but he must have been someone special to have a concealed shrine. It had an area of twenty square feet and a height of six feet.

He looked around and still found nothing. Not until he turned around and saw the imposing figure of the Ifrit, Vigilantez.

The entire wall above the exit of the small crevice was covered in a fresco painting of the Ifrit. The flaming figure had orange flames for hair with two bent horns which pointed upward.

Vigilantez had a humanoid form except for his hands and feet, which had claws like those of a lion. He only wore a lower body armor that was made of a black lusterless metal.

He had four wings stretched out behind his back and covered the entire wall. It was made of red and orange flames. At first glance, Vigilantez looked like a Lord of Hell.

Yet, if you studied his face close enough it looked like that of a forlorn child.

As Smoke touched it, an earthen hand came out of the wall and a notification window popped up.

+ Do you wish to offer any of the following to Vigilantez?

1. 10,000,000 zecs
2. A rare item
3. An ability tome

He was in a dilemma. He didn't know anything about this Vigilantez character. Although, he had read about Ifrits in the real world. They were powerful and cunning Djinns.

With only the general knowledge of Djinns, Smoke decided to bet on making an offering. From Sierra's regular report, he found out that the boss in the mausoleum,  had a high drop rate of the skull helm, which was uncommon for a rare item.

This made Smoke decide to use the skull helm that he had with him. He originally planned on giving the item to Adder but he refused it. The Condortlian did not want to wear an item from an Undead monster.

He removed the doubts he had in his mind and placed the skull helm into earthen hand.

Completed Offering, to the Djinn of the West: Ifrit Vigilantez

+ Acquired the locations of Ifrit Vigilantez's temples
+ Your map has been updated with the four locations
+ 500 Favor points to Vigilantez

Smoke inspected his map and found four blinking lights beyond the Margome mountain range. He got nothing else aside from the temple locations and the 500 Favor points.

He felt that he was cheated, but there was no use crying over spilt milk. He was still deep in regret when he received a call from Sierra.

"Gandiva's back and she got the Guildium and the special ability that I was talking about. So, how's everything on your end?" she asked.

Smoke was happy to hear Sierra's voice and was even happier when he heard that everything was going well for her, which made him feel inadequate.

"I don't know how to say this but, I kinda got Adder almost killed again... But don't worry he is stable now. In fact, he's even grown back an arm." said Smoke in a meek voice.

There were three seconds of silence before Sierra answered. "What do you mean an arm? And how could you have almost killed Adder?"

Smoke told Sierra about their run in with the mutated Centaurs, and he told her about the mysterious Vitalis stone that recreated Adder's left limb. He was ashamed of the Vigilantez's reward that he casually left out of his update.

They shared their theories about Adder's limb for a few more minutes until Smoke heard Sharur call out to Sierra that the militia were ready.

"Oh, right. I'll be right there. Just give me a second. Listen, Smoke. Since we already have the Guildium I wanted to ask your opinion on the names I came up with." said Sierra.

"Come on, I told you that I didn't want to do anything with the guild." said Smoke with a hint of annoyance.

"Please, just hear out a couple of names?" pleaded Sierra.

"Fine..." stated Smoke.

Sierra then started to give out the names. "What about Vagabond Freedom Fighters?"

"Why Vagabond? Isn't that a dead giveaway of my hidden Job?" he asked.

"I wanted something that would put your presence into the guild's name, but don't worry I'll think of something else." she said in all seriousness.

"I'm not too sure about the Vagabond part, but I definitely don't like the Freedom Fighters." said Smoke with conviction.

Smoke stared in front of the Ifrit Vigilantez painting and said. "What about Vigilantez instead?"

"Vigilantes?" asked Sierra.

"No, Vigilantez with a Z." replied Smoke.

* * * * * *

They were greeted by a wide red wall of mountains when they got out of the tunnel of Mount Aeriloc, the commanding mountain range of Margome.

Fifty kilometers out on the other side of Mount Aeriloc, they got closer to the mountains and they realized just how tall each mountain was.

Their map indicated that they were still fifteen kilometers away from the base of the mountain, but they could no longer see the summit of any of the mountains.

Smoke scanned the vast area with his Telefax Vision and saw a resemblance of a settlement. He ordered Laernea to head west, in its direction.

Ten kilometers from the foot of the Margome mountain range, and they found the settlement that the Condortlian Scouts created. Sadly, everything in sight was destroyed.

Smoke, Ichaival, Espion, and Igniz got down Laernea's carriage.

"Are you sure I can't stay?", asked Laernea.

"We've been through this before. I want you to be our back up, and you protecting Condortl reassures me of residents' safety."

"Alright, alright. But I still say I'd be more help here, with you."

Smoke took in a deep breath before he tried to explain himself to Laernea again.

"Like I said. You work best with your stag moose, Tulin, by your side. Also, we need to be covert from here on out, and you guys would stand out."

"Okay. Just give me a call whenever you need me then, and you can count on me rushing to see you."

Smoke smiled. Laernea opened her arms for a hug, to which he casually pushed Espion and Ichaival in front of him and had the two of them hug her instead.

They bade their farewell to Laernea and proceeded to investigate the Condortlian's settlement.

Clay pots were broken and scattered. Their tents were torn to pieces. Dried blood covered most of the settlement. Curiously, the Scouts' food supply remained intact.

On a field some distance behind them, Smoke and his men found small red flags planted on the ground.

He assumed that these were the landmarks of where they planned on making their corn field. He looked around and found them plowed with corn seeds sown into the fertile soul.

There was a decent sized stream, that had a general width of ten feet, near the plowed field. Ichaival stood behind the crouched Smoke and whistled loudly.

"I can't believe the Condortlian Scouts' chosen location. This place is beautiful."

Espion couldn't help but ask Ichaival's observation.

"Beautiful? Did you forget about the traces of blood in the settlement?"

"I'm not talking about that. If you take away the ransacked settlement and just focus on the view, then I'm sure you'll see what I mean."

Espion turned his head from left and right to watch the great wall of red mountains. Before he turned back to Ichaival with a raised eyebrow.

Ichaival shrugged.

"I guess you got too used to the dungeony ambiance inside the labyrinth. Well, I think I'll take Sharanga here someday. I'll show her my ancestor's village then take her here."

"What do you mean ancestor's village?"

"Oh, Smoke didn't tell you? You see, I'm one half Condortlian. My father, James Jackal, escaped from Condortl before the Lizard people enslaved them."

"I never knew that. Why didn't you say anything before, when we were still in Condortl?"

"I didn't want make a fuss out of it. Besides I haven't done anything yet to make them proud of me, but don't you worry. I'll do something soon that'll make the Condortlians' sing praises of my name."

"I bet. Like the way Sharanga sings songs of your glory." Espion heckled.

Ichaival groaned. "Ouch! That was too close to the heart to be funny."

Smoke raised his hand and formed a fist.

"Knock it off you two. I sense something's coming. Igniz, lower your glow and hide in my cloak."

With his Earth Manipulation ability, Smoke created a burrow. All three men went inside it. Shortly after, twenty Centaurs came and trotted towards where they hid.

Smoke peeked at the Centaurs who had just arrived. He was expecting to see the monsters who had taken Tracas, the young boy who was kidnapped under Smoke's watch.

However, these Centaurs looked normal. They stood at a height of 8 feet with long hair. They had leather armor which protected their upper bodies and carried heavy long bows. Their horse halves varied from black, brown, yellow, and white.

The battle ready Centaurs slowly walked to where Smoke and his men were hiding. An old white haired Centaur who looked to be the leader spoke.

"Come out of there. I can sense your unwanted presence."

The Centaurs had their bows and arrows pointed at the place where Smoke and his men were concealed.

Smoke refused to believe that their hiding spot could be easily found. He created a well camouflaged burrow. There was no way the Centaur could have sensed them.

"Fine. Then let me help you out."

The white haired Centaur used his own Earth Manipulation ability and opened up Smoke's hiding place. The DarkElf and his men had their weapons out. They were prepared to attack at the slightest sign of aggression.

Yet, Smoke didn't want to harm his potential comrades. He wanted the Centaurs to join them in Verbrannt.

"Wait. We're not here to harm you. My men and I will slowly put down our weapons. I hope you'll hear us out."

The Centaurs' leader watched Smoke and his men closely, before he spoke.

"Sorry. This isn't really like me, but the last Condortlians caused too much trouble. Men fire!"

All of the Centaurs shot out their arrows. Instantly, a dome of Earth erupted from the ground and shielded them from the attack.

Smoke managed to block the arrows in time. The Centaurs' leader forced opened the Earth dome with his own ability, and an opening was created for half a second before it closed again.

It was a tug of war between the DarkElf and the white haired Centaur. Espion and Ichaival did their best to block the arrows that got in during the opening.

"Are you sure we shouldn't attack them?", asked Espion.

"Just give the order and we'll bring on the hurt.", added Ichaival.

"No, we have to talk to them. Now, stop bothering me. Using Earth Manipulation requires a lot of concentration."

Steadily, the white haired Centaur got the upper hand. Smoke thought about creating a tunnel with his Digger's wand to help them escape, but he doubted that would work because of the Centaurs' Earth Manipulation ability and keen senses.

Their tug of war that used their Earth Manipulation ability kept on for another ten minutes.

Suddenly, the sound of arrows hitting the dome stopped. Smoke then heard the white haired Centaur speak.

"DarkElf. I've ordered my men to stop attacking. Your mastery of the Earth has impressed me. Lower your dome so we may speak."

"And you expect me to believe that, just cause you said so?"

"In the name of Verlassene Pferde, I swear that my men shall not harm you."

"Give me a second, while I consult with my men."

Smoke instantly switched to his Digger's Wand and created a tunnel for escape. Then he turned to Ichaival and Espion.

"So, we're going to escape and regroup?" Ichaival confirmed.

"No, that's just for you two. This tunnel will take you two kilometers towards Mount Aeriloc. I'll close the tunnel up when you enter. I'll give you guys a call when everything is clear."

"What about you? You aren't planning to face them just by yourself, are you?" Espion asked.

"Of course not. This is just a precautionary measure. Now go. Before the Centaurs catch on to our plan."

Reluctantly, Ichaival and Espion headed into the tunnel. Smoke had just closed the tunnel when he heard the white haired Centaur speak.

"What's keeping so long? You're not planning of escaping are you?"

"No. Of course not. Well, we are coming out now. I hope you're a man of your word."

As his earthen dome collapsed, Smoke leapt into the air with his Lunar Gravity Boots. He opened his hooded cloak and was gliding his way to Ichaival and Espion, when the Centaur leader unfurled his two gigantic white wings.

The Centaur's wings were attached to his horse section. Each wing's length doubled the Centaur's body.

With the white haired Centaur's wings expanded to its fullest, he flew up into the air with just one flap and was instantly beside Smoke.

"Hey. My name's Rudel. I thought we were going to talk? Now, why don't you land down?", said the white flying Centaur.

The DarkElf was astonished at the sight of the flying Centaur, and he couldn't help but follow him down to the ground.

* * * * * *

Caid's casting circle of truth was similar to a lie detector. With this in mind, Sierra had hoped that she was able to protect herself from any treacherous Sonstwelters and only recruit the loyal ones.

The red werebear stood on a stage with a black and purple curtain behind her. She was in front of the entire one-thousand-one-hundred-eighty militia, six-hundred-ninety-two Knights, and the two-hundred-sixty-seven members from various guilds who wished to merge with them.

Mamelon, convinced the other guilds to disband and to merge with Smoke and Sierra's guild instead. The red werebear began her speech, after all of those present finished their pledge of loyalty to their guildium and Smoke.

"Everyone! I'd like to officially welcome you all to our new guild, Vagrant Vigilantez!"

The entire guild cheered and clapped loudly as their guild name was called out.

"We're called Vagrant Vigilantez because we're here to fight injustice wherever it may be. Vagrants have no permanent home and like them we'll roam all of Zectas and liberate the oppressed!"

Everybody cheered once more, but the Zectians in the crowd were most especially louder.

"We won't stop here in Verbrannt, and we won't stop even after we've freed Coatl. We will be the driving force that protects the weak and punishes the wicked."

The crowd roared with excitement.

"Now, I don't like long speeches. So, how about we enjoy our welcome feast and get to know each other better. Sharur, if you please?"

The muscular OrkElf opened the curtain and revealed an adequate feast, fit to fill the mouths of everyone present. A loud buzz of chatter was heard as guild members talked and got to know each other.

Sierra approached Mamelon to thank her again.

"Hey, I'm really glad you convinced the other guilds to join us. I'm thinking you have quite a talent there."

"Well, I don't know about that. It took some time convincing them, but in the end they eagerly wanted to join as soon as they heard that Smoke leading the guild. Also, I was just thinking that maybe Ilad could show his face more and thank me as well. I mean I haven't seen the guy for awhile now."

The wheel's in Sierra's mind were turning as she schemed.

"He's still pretty busy with screening the potential guild members at the moment, but I think you'd be a great help if you join his cause."

"Really? I guess when we've gathered enough people, Ilad and I could do some other stuff together as well?"

"Great! I'd like you to talk to Thyrsus after you're done eating. He'll set you up with the details."

Sierra proceeded to get to know more people in her guild, especially the Sonstwelters. A few minutes later, Thyrsus came to her and asked her a question.

"You told Mamelon that I could set her up with Ilad? But Smoke's out on a mission. How am I suppose to get her and Ilad together on a recruitment assignment?"

The red werebear chuckled as she heard Thyrsus' dilemma.

"Just tell her that Ilad's already left and she should catch up with him on one of the recruitment routes."

She wanted more members in the guild, but she wasn't going to allow Mamelon and Smoke on a special recruitment quest by themselves.

After a few more minutes, Sierra's conscience got to her, and she went to look for Thyrsus.

"Thyrsus, hey. I'll talk to her about Ilad. I'll tell her that he's unavailable at the moment."

"No problem with me. It's your call."

Sierra explained to Mamelon that Ilad had already left ahead of her. She also asked the Aqua Knight if she was still interested in being a part of the recruitment team.

Luckily, Mamelon still wanted to join. If it meant a remote chance of seeing Ilad then she was most definitely interested.

After their guild acquaintance party was over. Sierra had the members divide into their special division. She had Gandiva, Weise, Rassant, and Stark join her on another trip to the mausoleum.

She wanted to test out the militia members who learned how to use the composite bows. There were currently three battalions who had already learned the ability.

With their attack power greatly increased, the ranged militia members wiped out the skeleton warriors with ease. Their damage was not as high as any of their battalion commanders, but their numbers and coordination made up for it.

After the wave of skeleton warriors were finished. The skeleton archers and mages popped up. Only to be met with a torrent of arrows.

A squad of ten militia members focused fire on the skeleton archers and took the monster down with one shot. Weise, Rassant, and Stark did their best to block any of the attacks that were coming towards the militia members.

The Maneators were more than happy to be meat shields for the militia members. In the past few weeks of continuous hunting, the three of them have bonded with the refugees.

After they blocked the skeleton's ranged attacks, Rassant swiftly moved to the Archers and cracked their bones to pieces as he attacked them with his whip.

On the other hand, Weise went after the skeleton mages as the Bowed Fishermen gave him cover with their arrows. The gray Maneator stunned the mages with his shield while the ranged militia members finished them off.

The two Maneators eliminated the ranged skeleton monsters, whereas Stark remained close to the battalion. It was to protect them from the appearance of the mausoleum's boss, the skeleton knight.

Normally, Stark was the one in charge to tank the skeleton knight, but this time it was Sierra who leapt at the monster as soon as the mausoleum's boss appeared.

She only had 1% left on her experience bar until she became level 100, and she wanted to claim that missing experience today.

The red werebear went directly for the skeleton knight's neck as she slashed it off with her enormous sharp claws. She knew that one slash wasn't going to cut it. So, she forced down the skeleton knight on the floor and mounted it.

Her massive experience with fighting the mausoleum's boss gave her the clear advantage and vanquished the monster in a matter of seconds.

+ You've dealt a fatal blow to the skeleton knight: Ericole.
+ You've killed the skeleton knight: Ericole.
+ Your party gained 200,000 exp.

+ Level UP!

You have 10pts of stat ready for distribution.
Your HP has increased by 5,000.
Your MANA has increased by 500.
Your Fame has increased by 1.

Sierra beamed as she saw the notification message. A sense of accomplishment filled her body as soon as she achieved level 100.

Grinding inside the mausoleum really paid off. She was in cloud nine. She finally had a guild with more than decent members in it.

The red werebear was ecstatic. Suddenly another game notification popped up.

+ Learned Ability: Lycanthrope Control
Passive
Level: Beginner Level 1
Experience: (10/1,000)

Your understanding of your curse and new life has shown your great improvement.
To be able to control your werebear form means mastery of the Lycanthrope curse.

+ Ability to control up to two Lycanthropes

Chapter Three: New Posse

An Aqua Knight equipped with full aquamarine mithril armor, rode on her bronze jackal. Mamelon, the Aqua Knight of Charnel. Her mount who grew significantly from the Mounted Race event, became large enough that it equaled the Cavalry Knight's dirus wolves.

She led a regiment of three-hundred-twenty-five assorted warriors, comprised of Elemental Knights, Shamans, Militia, and an elderly Light Wizard. They headed towards her origin city, the northern city of Centza.

She was accompanied by an Electro Knight and a Flame Knight mounted on bronze jackals. Each of them carried a banner of a flaming monster with orange flames for hair and two bent horns which pointed upward. Most of the guild's members thought that the image belonged to one of the Maneators, but Sierra assured her that this image belonged to another monster.

Apparently, Smoke called the red werebear and told her about this mysterious monster. Right below the mysterious fiery figure was their guild name, Vagrant Vigilantez.

Traveling with over three hundred men challenged Mamelon's logistics prowess. She made sure to stay clear from the roads near Coatl as she ventured onwards to the northernmost city of the Wysteria continent.

Mamelon promised Sierra that she would bring back honorable recruits for their guild. In return, Sierra gave her only two requirements. Potential recruits needed Light Wizard Baldaquin's approval and must be at least level 80.

Sadly, no one matched the Aqua Knight's strict checklist on their journey towards Centza. They met a few high level players, intrigued by Mamelon's massive regiment, but with just one look she could tell that those persons wouldn't pass Baldaquin's circle of truth. Those players wanted something else and she knew better than to give it to them.

At the time for their scheduled break came, Mamelon's regiment broke ground and made camp. As her men rested, she took her bronze jackal and went for a quick ride by herself.

Ten minutes away from her regiment, she spotted a distressed Halfling Scout being chased by three medium sized striped monsters.

She had met these aardwolves monsters before, but not this gigantic. The four foot Halfling's green leather armor was torn apart, and his life bar displayed (10,291/60,000 HP).

Mamelon reflexively galloped for the desert monsters. She equipped her Charnel lance, a lengthy aquamarine lance which glistened with water.

Still ten-meters away from the monsters, Mamelon performed three jabs with her watery lance. Each attack released an Aqueous Spike out from her lance.

Mamelon's Aqueous Spikes blasted the aardwolves away from the injured Scout and stunned them. Her bronze jackal pounced over the nearest aardwolf as she thrust her Charnel lance into the beast and killed it.

The two other aardwolves regained consciousness and ran for their lives.

"Jackol, don't let them escape."

Her bronze jackal mount responded and ran at top speed. She released another set of Aqueous Spikes and caught one of them.

As Jackol ran after the last monster who escaped, Mamelon leapt off from her mount and stabbed the stunned aardwolf with her Charnel lance.

Jackol caught the aardwolf's back side and dragged the monster down to the ground. The bronze jackal gnashed on the aardwolf's neck and ripped its throat off.

After the bloodied Jackol killed the aardwolf, it dragged the lifeless corpse of the monster back to its master. The bronze jackal laid down the aardwolf as its body disappeared.

+ Acquired aardwolf pelt
+ Acquired aardwolf fangs

Mamelon gathered the loot from the three beasts and went back to the injured Scout. She dismounted from her bronze jackal when she reached the Scout.

She went near the Halfling and asked him. "Are you alright?"

"Aardwolves everywhere... We thought we could do it... Louche said that it was a piece of cake..." Rambled the Halfing.

Mamelon slapped the hysterical Scout with her aquamarine glove. "Hey, snap out of it. You're safe now."

She stared into the Halfling's terrified eyes. It took him five seconds until he could speak.

"Thank you... I would have died if you weren't here..." he spoke with great difficulty, "But my friends... I don't think they made out alive."

The Aqua Knight smiled as the Scout slowly regained his senses, but a second later her eyebrows crossed as she worried about his companions.

"Friends? Where are they?" Mamelon asked.

Mamelon held a secret known only to her friends in real life. Her sound judgment eludes her whenever the situation involved allies and comrades.

"Umm... I'm not sure. Ten of us took on a Level C Quest, to defend Ennui village two days ago."

Mamelon took out her canteen of water and gave it to the Halfling. He finished the whole canteen in three gulps before he went on.

"We successfully defended the village, but it turned out to be a series quest." Earat lamented.

"The next part of the quest was to find a way to stop the aardwolves from returning. So, Louche proposed to go and hunt beasts in their den. Now, I don't know how my friends are doing..."

When she heard about his friends, she instantly wanted to rescue them without any consideration that this could be a trap.

"Why don't you give them a call, and check if they're still alive?"

"Right, right. I'll do that now. By the way, my name is Earat."

The Aqua Knight shook his hands and said. "I'm Mamelon."

As the Scout called his companions, so did the Aqua Knight. She called her two second in commands, the Elemental Knights, Virer and Courant.

"Virer, Courant, I need you to bring the regiment to my location."

"Why? Courant, check where she's at?" Virer asked.

"Not far, but she's way off the path to Centza. Mamelon, if we go there and do this wild crusade, we'll be delayed by at least a couple of hours."

Mamelon liked her two friends in real life, but they always gave her a hard time.

"Come on, this is important. I need your help now. I'll expect you to be here in less than ten minutes, okay?"

She dropped the call before they could give any more excuses. She turned to face Earat as he finished his call as well.

"So? Are they alive?" Mamelon asked.

"They are! I couldn't believe it myself." Earat beamed as he spoke.

"They've given me their location, but I don't think we could do anything for them. They said that at least a five hundred aardwolves had cornered them."

Mamelon smiled. "A five hundred, huh? Sounds like they'll give us some challenge. This could be fun."

When she finished talking, she snickered after she perceived Earat's muddled expression.

As they waited, Mamelon removed her helmet and revealed a petite freckled face. She explained that her companions would arrive soon, but Earat remained mesmerized by her innocent beauty.

The Aqua Knight interviewed the Scout about how they were placed into such a predicament, but Earat answered her with a blank expression.

She felt self-conscious as his eyes scrutinized her face and body. Suddenly, Earat asked her. "Do you really look like that in real life?"

Mamelon looked confused and said. "Huh? Look like what?"

"Umm, nothing. So, as I was saying. Louche said that they've currently barricaded themselves a cave with a bunch of rocks."

She nodded as she listened.

"So, Mamelon, just how many are your companions? From the way you handled those aardwolves, I know that you must be at least Level 100, but if there's only five of you then I don't think that would be enough to save my friends."

Before Mamelon could answer his question, a cloud of dust appeared over the horizon.

"I didn't know sandstorms were rampant in this area?" asked a troubled Earat.

There were two reasons why Mamelon considered helping Earat. First, because his aura gave her a positive vibe. Second, because whether Earat prepared a trap or not, she had a regiment of over three hundred men at her disposal.

"That's not a sandstorm. Those are my companions."

As her regiment of three-hundred-twenty-five men arrived, Mamelon grinned once more as she watched Earat's astonished face.

* * * * * *

Mamelon and her men arrived one kilometer away from Earat's given coordinates. She asked Baldaquin whether he could create a Scoped Vision of their intended location.

The Light Wizard took out a marble tablet. He inscribed a magic circle on it and chanted the words "Teletrone Visione". Then, the tablet's screen displayed the five-hundred aardwolves camped outside of the blocked cave.

Mamelon saw the shaded grass patches, the hollowed tree trunks, and the small stream that ran across the entire place. After careful observation she concluded that this place was the aardwolves open den.

She looked at her men and Earat, and said. "I think the aardwolves must have lured them here. These monsters are smarter than the ones we've previously encountered."

"So, what's the plan? Attack from two sides? Or do we just ram straight at 'em?" Virer asked.

"I vote for the simultaneous attacks. I like its symmetrical advantage. We disorient them and divide their attention." Courant added.

Mamelon looked at Earat, and asked his opinion.

"What about you? What do you think?"

"Don't look at me. I've never been in a battle of this magnitude. The largest skirmish I've been in, involved only twenty people, and that was fifteen of us versus five of them."

"Alright, why don't we go for broke. I also want to see the Bowed Fishermen's attack power."

She looked to her two second-in-commands and said.

"Courant, gather your division of a hundred men and take the left side. Virer, you do the same on the right. I'll take the center."

"For our battle formations. It'll be Knights then Shamans then Bowed Fishermen, I presume?" Courant asked.

"Yes, and make sure that we don't have any casualties. I promised Sierra that I'd increase our guild." stated Mamelon.

"Are you sure it's Sierra that you're worried about, and not a certain Flame Knight?" jived Virer.

"Hmmp. Why would I care about what you think?" Mamelon answered back and briskly walked towards her bronze jackal.

"I'm not talking about me, you ninny. I'm talking about Ilad. Argh! Come on, Courant. Let's just finish this already." said an annoyed Virer.

"You know you deserved that, right?" Courant said to Virer as they walked towards their own mounts.

Each attack division comprised of eighty Bowed Fishermen, twenty Iron Knights, five Shamans, and three Elemental Knights. They gathered in their designated locations and waited for further instructions.

With all three attack divisions in place, Mamelon signaled the start of the aardwolves slaughter. Virer and Courant's sides attacked together.

The resting aardwolves were taken by surprise. The beasts howled as they warned their kin for invaders. A series of howls echoed throughout the monsters' open den.

Virer and Courant performed their roles admirably. The Iron Knights banged their weapons against their shields and created an irritating noise which taunted the aardwolves into a frenzy.

The monsters' attention were solely focused on the Knights, and allowed the Bowed Fishermen to release their arrows at their own leisure.

It took twenty arrows for a sole aardwolf to die, and the Bowed Fishermen coordinated their attacks well. Shamans diligently healed the tanking Iron Knights with Shallow Heal while they blessed the Bowed Fishermen's arrows with Lesser Fire Enchantment. The specialized Fishermen's Bow Fishing ability gradually gained experience as they continued on with their attacks.

As Virer and Courant's attack division fought against the aardwolves, Mamelon's men laid dormant and camouflaged. She waited for the right moment to strike.

Five minutes into the battle, and the two Elemental Knights' divisions killed a total of sixty aardwolves. Yet, after their successful attack, the two divisions slowly retreated by twenty-meters.

The Aqua Knight snickered as the aardwolves took advantage of their gained footing and pushed her army back even further apart. Little did the beasts know that this was her intention from the start.

Mamelon's lieutenants created a gap as they retreated from the divided pack of aardwolves. When the distance between the monsters became fifty-meters, she raised her Charnel lance into the air and yelled. "Charge!"

Her division of 125 men and women ran out from their hiding places, straight into the gap between the two divided aardwolves pack.

Mamelon's Bowed Fishermen used their advantageous position and attacked the exposed backsides of the aardwolves. They dealt twice their normal damage and even got in some critical hits.

The third division's sudden attack confused the rampaging aardwolves. Mamelon's Iron Knights not only defended their division but played a more offensive role.

They used their shields to push back the aardwolves who turned to face them and then pierced the striped monsters with their long spears.

The aardwolves who changed position to defend against the Aqua Knight's strike force were targeted by Courant and Virer's Bowed Fishermen. Painful back attacks came for the beasts no matter where the monsters faced. With Mamelon's complete strategy in play, it took them ten minutes to wipe out the 500 striped monsters.

As Mamelon's men collected the aardwolve's loot, she asked Earat to lead them to his friends' barricaded cave. When they got to the entrance of the blocked cave and removed the rocks, they were greeted with an empty cave instead of finding Earat's friends.

"Well, where are they?" Mamelon asked.

"Louche said that they were bored with waiting. So, they logged out for a while. They'll be back soon."

Courant and Virer exchanged suspicious looks. Before they could say anything, Earat called out the Aqua Knight and grabbed Mamelon's attention.

"We could wait for them here or we could go to the village that gave us this subjugation quest."

"Sure, why not? I'd also like to get some supplies for my men."

As they walked out of the cave a Sonstwelter appeared out of thin air. It was a Rogue Halfing equipped with brown leather armor, studded with black metal spikes.

"Earat, you really did it," said the Rogue.

"Louche! Great timing, bud." The Scout turned to Mamelon and her lieutenants.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet, Louche."

"Thanks for wiping out the aardwolves for us. The name's Louche. Nice to meet you all." The Rogue then gave a dramatic bow.

"Looks like it's just me who's logged back in time. Were you guys headed to Ennui village?" Louche asked.

"Yes, we were." Virer answered sternly.

"Great! Mind if I join you guys? I'll just send my friends a message to come to Ennui village when they're back." stated Louche chummily.

"Actually, I do." The Flame Knight shot back.

Virer pulled Mamelon and Courant to a corner and whispered to them.

"I don't trust these guys. They seem really suspicious."

"I dunno? I'm not getting a bad vibe from them." Courant chimed in.

"Virer, would you feel better if we asked Baldaquin to test them with the Circle of Truth?" Mamelon asked.

The Flame Knight nodded. The Light Wizard, Baldaquin, inscribed a casting circle inside the cave. Virer didn't allow the Halflings to step out without getting tested.

When Baldaquin finished the casting circle, he asked the two men in question to step inside it. The elderly Light Wizard then placed his hands on the casting circle and said.

"Just a reminder, there are consequences if you don't answer a yes or a no. Now, let's begin."

Then, the casting circle of truth was engulfed in a bright white light.

"Do you have any hidden agenda towards Mamelon and her men?"

"No, of course not. We're just happy that she helped people that she didn't know."

As soon as Earat finished his answer the casting circle of truth turned green, but an electric bolt attacked the two men inside. They were electrocuted for 10,000 damage points each.

Virer and Courant laughed hard. They always amused themselves with the people who couldn't follow Baldaquin's instruction. Partly because they were once victims themselves.

The elderly Light Wizard's wrinkles contracted. Mamelon clearly heard his irritation as he reminded Earat and Louche once more.

"Tsk. Like I said, limit your answers to yes or no. Do you understand?"

Both of them answered. "Yes, yes, yes, yes."

This time, the casting circle of truth turned green without the electric shocks.

Baldaquin proceeded to ask more questions about their identities and intentions. All of which they passed with green colors. He nodded at Mamelon which meant that they passed his questions, but Virer had one last question for them.

"Do you know anything about Smoke's guild?"

Both Earat and Louche looked at each other and answered at the same time.

"Smoke? The famous DarkElf? I didn't know he had a guild."

Earat answered which made the casting circle of truth, lit up with green electricity and electrocuted them for one last time.

As both of them passed Baldaquin's questions, Mamelon agreed to go with them to Ennui village.

They only traveled for an hour to get to a barren land with hundreds of excavated holes. She observed that there were pickaxes and carts full of dirt near the holes.

Ten more minutes and they saw a settlement with less than twenty small wooden huts. She wondered why the Halfling had taken them there.

As she was about to ask why Earat, a notification window popped up.

+ Entered The rundown Village of Ennui

Formerly a gold mining village. It used to hold up to 2,000 residents. Until a horde of aardwolves came and plagued them. This village currently has a population of thirty.

Mamelon saw Louche head for the hut in the center. A muscular, middle aged woman came out and greeted the Rogue.

"Greetings, Elder Tapang. My Friends and I have done the impossible. We've slain all 500 aardwolves."

Louche said as he pointed to Mamelon and her 325 men.

"Are you sure?" Tapang doubtfully asked.

Mamelon called for her regiment to display their loot. Her men laid out 308 aardwolf pelts, 402 aardwolf fangs, and 392 aardwolf claws which they collected earlier.

"Praise Cuezaltzin! As agreed upon, let me reward you with these three Gold Divination Rods and six gold nuggets. With the aardwolves gone, I'm sure we could revive this village in no time."

Louche hurriedly grabbed the rewards, but Earat pulled him back. He then turned to Mamelon and said.

"You should get the reward. We may have started the quest, but there's no way we could have finished it without your help. Although, I do hope you remember that we did defend this village and start this quest."

"Wait, what? Oh, hells no!" Cried out the Rogue.

Mamelon smiled as Louche profusely protested.

"Thanks, Earat, but Louche is right. You guys deserve this reward. Although, I wouldn't mind if you could spare us one of the Gold Divination Rods and one nugget?"

"Yeah, sure. Let's go with that." Louche quickly answered.

Mamelon received their share of the quest reward. Before they could leave, Earat stopped her for one last question.

"Do you think we could join your guild?"

* * * * * *

After Smoke settled the misunderstanding with the Centaurs, he secretly called Ichaival and Espion and asked them to follow him from a safe distance. Although, the Centaurs stopped the attack, Smoke wouldn't take the chance of placing Ichaival and Espion in danger.

His new found friends, aged twenty to twenty-eight, were their village's leaders in training. Smoke and the Centaurs journeyed back to their home village of Pferde.

Since Smoke could glide, Rudel suggested that they fly to his village while the rest of the Centaurs follow them on the ground.

Igniz orbited around Smoke as they flew. During their flight, Smoke kept on staring at Rudel's two massive wings. The white feathered wings spread wide at a wingspan of eight-meters, from Rudel's horse half.

"From the looks of it, I guess you've never seen a Volataur?" Rudel asked.

Smoke struggled with the wind resistance from their flight, but he shook his head and answered. "No, never. I've never even heard of a Volataur."

On the other hand, Rudel spoke with ease. The wind pressure did not bother him at all.

"That makes sense. There's only one in a thousand Centaurs that are born to be Volataurs, because of this we're given the right to be the village elder."

"So you're the village elder at Pferde?" Smoke asked.

"No, no. Our current elder is called Deropa, but I'm next in line after he dies. There's only three Volataurs in Pferde at the moment."

"That's good to hear." said Smoke.

Smoke's mind began to scheme on how to make the Centaurs into their allies against Duke Burmistrz.

He was distracted from his thoughts when the Volataur asked him a question.

"By the way, I'd like to ask how you managed to keep up with me when we fought using Earth Manipulation. I've never seen anyone last as long as you."

"Hm. Let me check. Status Window."

Character: Smoke

Level: 102

Job: Beggar

Race: DarkElf

Alignment: Neutral

Money: 20,000,000 zecs

Fame: 887

Titles:  (+ to all stats)
Condortl Savior (+2)
5th Swordsman To Knight (+1)
King of Maneators (+4)

Pet: None

Life: 165, 850 HP

Mana: 192,991 MP

DEX: 605(+27)

STR: 145(+27)

AGI: 30 (+517)

VIT: 10 (+104)

INT: 140(+37)

Wisdom: 90 (+37)

Leadership: 100 (+7)

Charisma: 25 (+7)

Luck: 999

Attack Speed:25(+71)

Movement Speed:65(+15)

Defense:2,513(1/4)

Weapons:

Power Chainsaw Bow: 135-148(1/4)

Attack: 7,888-8,548 (1/4)

Chain & Sickle of Dasende: 245-257(1/4)

Attack: 11,135-17,348 (1/4)

Elemental Resistance:

Elemental Affinity:

Fire:       85%
Dark:     54%
Poison: 44%
Wind:    25%
Water:   20%
Earth:    20%
Lightining: 20%

Fire:            75%
Earth:         60%
Poison:       20%
Wind:         5%
Lightning: 5%

Equipment Effects: (1/4)

*Hooded Cape of Cologus
+20% Earth Affinity, +20% Wind Affinity,
+20Strength, +20 Dexterity

*Claws of Chiropterra
+15% Earth Affinity

*Heart of ReenTe
+30 Vitality

*Sable Wizard's Surcoat
+510 Defense, +10% All Resistance, + 15% Bonus EXP

* Lunar Gravity Boots
+15 Movement speed

* Wise Ring of  the Dire Fox
+30 Intelligence, +30 Wisdom

*Beggar Belt [1 stone]

Skill Effects:

* Agility of the Horned Rabbit (Agility + 510)

* Cooking (Vitality + 67)

* Dual Wield (Attack Speed + 71)

* Knife Mastery (Knife Damage + 66%)

* Bow Mastery (Bow Damage + 84%)

"I have over 190,000 Mana. Maybe that's the reason why I could keep up?" said Smoke with uncertainty.

"Hmm, that is sort of high." Rudel looked unconvinced. "What about your Mana regen?"

Smoke happily obliged him because he wanted full intimacy points with the future Elder of Pferde village.

"Alright, let me check that too. Regen Window."

HP Regen:    14/second
MP Regen:  100/second

"One hundred Mana per second?" Rudel replied in disbelief. "But your HP regen is really low. I'm guessing you focused your stat growth on, Intelligence?"

"Yes, I did, but now I'm growing my Wisdom." Smoke replied.

"And what about this dark ember sprite? I've only seen the red and orange ones. How did you get him?" asked the Volataur curiously.

"Funny thing really. I was out looking for an electro stone, but got Igniz as a treasured friend instead." replied Smoke proudly.

Rudel whistled loudly. "Earth Manipulation, Flight, Wisdom, and a trusty dark ember sprite. I knew you were the special person I was looking for."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Smoke .

"I'll let you speak with Deropa, and he'll tell you all the details." said Rudel.

"Alright. I have a couple of questions, but I'll save them for later when I meet your elder."

After an hour of flying, they finally saw the Centaur's village. Pferde stuck out like a sore thumb. Only the village and the muddy roads that came out of it broke the lush green fields around Pferde.

The village's circular stone wall had a land area five times the size of Nanahuatl. The village consisted mostly of wooden houses but had three pristine marble towers spread around the village which formed into a triangle.

In between the houses, animal pens of cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens scattered throughout the entire village.

Rudel pointed to where they should land. The Volataur's white wings folded neatly on his sides. Smoke watched as he swooped down at an alarming speed. As he reached the five-meters from the ground Rudel's wings expanded, and gave him a soft landing.

Smoke grinned at Rudel's landing. It was extremely similar to how he landed except that when Smoke landed he could stun the enemies near his landing area.

Earlier, Smoke thought about his Stunning Landing ability and improved it. He thought he would show off a little and used it here.

With Igniz orbiting around him rapidly, his body was engulfed in dark purple flames. He became like a crashing comet and landed hard on the ground.

THUD

Molten rocks flew everywhere. He called this new ability, Comet Crush.

He saw Rudel reflexively turn around after he landed. Rudel looked at his landing site. His Comet Crush ability startled the Volataur.

"Do you always land like that?" Rudel asked.

"No, not really. I just wanted to give a great first impression to Pferde's residents." Smoke smiled broadly.

As they stepped inside Pferde village, The Volataur asked Smoke a question.

"Wouldn't your men feel better if they joined us? Instead of lurking from the shadows?"

"My men?" Smoke asked. To his surprise, Rudel casually pointed to his men's hiding spot.

Ichaival and Espion maintained a distance of one kilometer from Smoke. Yet, the Volataur still sensed their hidden presence, in a patch of forest east of Pferde village.

"Alright, you got me. I didn't mean anything bad by it, but I prefer if they stayed out of the village for now."

Rudel nodded his head in affirmation.

"I understand and respect that. There's no harm in being extra careful. Which is why I'm asking you to undergo a casting circle of truth test for me."

"Sure, go ahead. I've got nothing to hide."

As he stepped inside the village, a notification message popped up.

+ Entered The Centaur Village of Pferde

Wysteria Continent's most populated Centaur community. It has existed for over 2,000 years.
Pferde survived through many tragic events. This village currently has a population of 4,102.

[STATUS: Plagued 100%]

After Smoke read the notification message, he became aware that he became the village attraction. Most of the Villagers have never seen a DarkElf. The Centaur children looked pale and sickly. They hid behind their parents and pointed at him with curiosity and fear.

Smoke tried his best to put on a pleasant face. He endured the urge to cover his face with the specialized gas mask. The strong stench troubled him, but he wanted them to see his good intentions and that he was not a threat to them.

Some of the frail Centaur children smiled back, but the healthier kids only held onto their parents more tightly. His forced smile crept them out.

Smoke and Rudel walked on the muddy roads towards Deropa's house. The children's frightened faces made him realize that his Comet Crush stunt earlier frightened them. He hit his face with his palm and followed after Rudel.

As they traveled across the village, Smoke carefully studied the village. The filth from the various animal pens flowed out to the main roads of Pferde.

'The road's so muddy from all the excrement, and they even take the mud into their homes with their hooves. They should build proper canals for their animal pens and stone roads that could handle their hard hooves.'

Next, Smoke noticed the Centaur's garbage and waste carelessly scattered beside their houses. He even spotted some that also reached the main roads.

The Centaur's garbage stank the village so much that Smoke thought they should change their village name to junked instead of Pferde.

He also noticed that there were few combatants in Pferde. He wondered where the rest of Pferde's Centaur Warriors were. He was about to ask Rudel when he caught the Volataur watching him with a strange expression.

"What's wrong? Is something bothering you?" Rudel asked.

Smoke thought it best to keep his observations to himself and answered with, "I'm just not used to all this attention."

After a few more steps, and Smoke's curiosity got to him. He couldn't help but ask his question.

"By the way, I noticed that there were only a few guards at the entrance and I don't see anyone that looks like a fighter in the village."

"You're wondering where our military are, right?" Rudel answered. "I'd like you to know that we are mainly Herders. So, we have little military power. But to be honest, I don't know myself. Out of our 300 military forces, we scattered 100 Centaurs to search for a remedy for our village, but none of them have returned..."

Smoke thought about the mutated Centaurs and the ones that had met with the Condortlian scouts. He wondered if he should tell Rudel about them.

For the next twenty minutes, they walked on silently until they finally reached the biggest wooden establishment in all of Pferde, home of Elder Deropa.

Before he could enter the house a notification window popped up.

+ Your High Poison Resistance has protected you from getting Plagued.

Although it was his first time seeing the message, he pushed it aside as Rudel walked in the house and called him to follow.

As they waited inside, an elderly brown Volataur came out from one of the rooms. He walked with a long staff to support his weight. His entire horse half including his feathered wings had a brown color. Yet, Deropa's hair and his beard turned white with old age.

Smoke watched Deropa walking slowly with his cane towards him. The elderly Volataur then said. "So, this is the DarkElf that has caught my grandson's attention."

"Nice to meet you, Elder Deropa. I've come to your village as a friend and hope to leave as your blood brother."

"Bold words for such a young man. Very well. Kindly step into the casting circle of truth."

Deropa asked Smoke with only one question.

"Will you sacrifice a friend if it means that you get to kill your enemy?"

Smoke stood in a daze when he heard the elderly Volataur's question. Inside the casting circle of truth, he knew that he couldn't lie.

When Smoke heard Deropa's question, he reflexively thought of Tristan as the enemy. However, he knew that if he told the truth, the Centaurs would want nothing to do with him.

Troubled, Smoke thought of Seth and Donny as the friends that he would need to sacrifice. After he finalized his mental image, Smoke answered. "No!"

To his relief, the casting circle of truth lit up with a green light. Rudel walked over to Smoke and congratulated him. Deropa then called for the DarkElf.

"Smoke, your answer has impressed me. I think you truly are the person I've been looking for."

Smoke bowed down. With his face concealed, he made a victorious grin. He faced Deropa and said.

"If it's within my power, then I'd be glad to help. What seems to be troubling you?"

The old Volataur spread his brown feathered wings, but it couldn't reach its maximum wingspan.

"My body doesn't respond to me anymore. It was only when my health declined that I noticed how unhealthy Pferde has become."

With his staff as support, Deropa slowly walked over to his table which held stacks of books, pieces of precious gems and unidentifiable animal bones.

"I know that you must think we're stupid. Letting all of this garbage surround us." Deropa said as he went through his stacks of books.

He picked out a brown leather book entitled 'Ancient History of the Pferde Centaurs by Ineptus' and gave it to Smoke.

"Here, read this. It was written by a Simiavulg. I detested its contents, but over the years I finally accepted them as truth."

A blue progress bar went up as Smoke acquired the book's knowledge.

+ Ancient History of the Pferde Centaurs by Ineptus

The Centaurs of Pferde were originally Nomads and cared nothing for nature. They used to move herds of sheep around the Weiden plains and allowed them to graze anywhere, but it got harder to move around as their people increased their numbers.

A Volataur named Albern decided that they would stop being Nomads and created Pferde Village. His intentions were good, but he didn't think about Pferde's future generations.

They continued on as before and carelessly threw their garbage anywhere in their village. The children grew up and thought that this was normal.

I fear for Pferde's future...

"It's tactless, but it's the truth. We grew up with such filth around us that we didn't know any better." Deropa said. "I'm a failure as a leader. I don't know what to do to save this village."

Rudel interjected. "But you did send out our troops to search for a remedy."

"Ha! What good did that do? I should have followed the signs and waited."

Smoke watched as Deropa took the precious gems and animal bones and them all into a bowl and breathed into it.

"Just like before. I had asked the oracle of Verlassene for guidance, and it told me that a stranger would come and help Pferde of its afflictions. Will you be Pferde's savior?"

+ Quest: Improve Pferde Village
Improvement Quest
Level: C

With its expanded population, Pferde has become sickly and filthy. Improve the resident's health and the Pferde itself.

Accept the Quest? [YES/NO]

The inner Smoke jumped up and down. 'Yes! This is what I was hoping for.' He smiled and replied. "Yes."

Smoke wondered about the quest's C level. He thought it should have been higher, but he pushed the idea to the back of his mind when another notification message popped up.

+ Intimacy with Deropa and Rudel has risen to 'Trusted Friend'

You have gained the Volataurs' trust by agreeing to help their village.
You can expect that Deropa and Rudel will help you out, occasionally.

After he read the notification message. He knew that he could safely call Ichaival and Espion to join him inside Pferde. He needed the two of them to help out with his Pferde rehabilitation plan.

As he walked out of Deropa's hut, Smoke thought of three steps for his Pferde Rehabilitation plan.

Step one involved creating closed canals, proper roads and putting some nature back into the village. Step two involved clearing out the waste and garbage littered all over Pferde. Finally, step three involved creating a proper disposal system for the village.

While waiting for his allies, he thought he could start step one on his own. He used his Earth Manipulation ability to try and harden the muddy roads.

However, the ground did not respond to Smoke's will.

- Cannot control this Earth with your current level of your Earth Manipulation ability.
- Cannot control this Earth with your current level of Earth Affinity.

'Not again! The land around Margome must be really old.'

"If you're trying to use Earth Manipulation here, then forget about it." Rudel said. "Even Deropa can't control the lands around Pferde."

"Uh huh, I see." said Smoke and nodded.

Smoke remembered that Laernea and Gandiva trained their Beast Tamer ability to Advance Level 1 just recently. So, he used his Knowledge Bank's ability and searched for a specific monster to help him with step two.

'I need a monster that has enormous strength, susceptible to taming, and has the Coprohagus ability, the ability to eat waste.'

Search Filters:
* Ability: Coprohagus
* Susceptibility: Taming
* Location: Wysteria Continent, Margome Mountain Range.

Search Results: [3] Matches Found!

Durcules Beetle
- A heavy armored monster with a body length of two and a half meters.
Life: Average
Strength: Great

Horsei Fly
- A fast and dangerous monster with a body length of half a meter.
Life: Low
Strength:Low

Madus Bull
- A powerful bovine monster with a body length of four meters.
Life: High
Strength: Excellent

Smoke smirked. It took him months to acquire all the knowledge of the book series entitled 'Known Monsters on Wysteria'. It comprised a total of 126 volumes.

With his choices, he couldn't decide between the Durcules Beetle and the Madus Bull. The Horsei Fly was out of the question, given its small size and strength.

Smoke and Rudel headed outside of the village to greet Ichaival and Espion. An idea came to his mind as they waited besides the rustic wooden poles of the village entrance.

"You must need to practice Earth Manipulation, right? Where do you practice that exactly?" Smoke asked.

"Well, it's near the foot of Mount Yunggo. The mountain that divides Pferde and the Simiavulg village of Saruras."

Smoke opened his map window and showed it to Rudel.

"Can you update my map for me? I'd like to visit that place."

"Sure, no problem."

Minutes later, Ichaival and Espion arrived. Smoke noticed their apprehensive faces as they watched Rudel.

"Guys, it's okay. We're all friends here." Smoke said convincingly.

"Okay, if you say so." Ichaival replied with a hesitant voice.

Their pleasant reunion took a strange turn when Smoke got caught off guard by Espion's question.

"And I'm guessing you told them about your hidden Job as well?" Espion asked.

Smoke realized that Espion wanted to test his integrity. A process to check if he was under a spell or an ability. He told them to follow this procedure if one of them gets taken in by the enemy, but he never thought Espion would use it on him.

He hurriedly rushed towards the young Spy and held his hands over Espion's mouth.

"Espion, buddy. No, need to go there. That topic didn't come up and I don't think Rudel would be interested in it."

"I am interested, but I don't want to force you if you don't want to tell me." Rudel replied.

"Alright, now about that quest. Ichaival, Espion, we've got a long walk ahead of us. So, we better get going now. Thanks again, Rudel."

Smoke hurriedly pulled Ichaival and Espion towards Mount Yunggo. Igniz orbited around Rudel and bade him goodbye. The two of them bonded since their flight to Pferde.

* * * * * *

They walked for an hour from Pferde and waited for Laernea to arrive with Smoke's requested supplies. It would have taken them a week if they walked the entire way to Mount Yunggo.

As soon as Laernea arrived, she jumped off her carriage and threw her arms around Smoke. However, she grabbed nothing but air.

Using his high Agility and Dodge Rate, Smoke easily evaded Laernea's hug attack.

"Omf. Hey, why didn't you stand still?" The Lioumerean grumbled.

Smoke helped her up.

"Stop joking around, Laernea. We've got to hurry..." Smoke stopped mid sentence when he noticed Adder sitting behind Laernea's carriage.

"Hey, how are you? You look good. How's the new arm?"

He watched as Adder raised his left arm. It looked completely normal.

"I've been training hard for the last three days, and I've got no complaints so far." Replied the Condortlian.

A large green and black tower shield caught Smoke's attention. Its thick, blunt edges and a protruded, rounded, black sphere as its center made it look heavy.

"Hmm, is this new?" Smoked picked up the tower shield but couldn't lift it.

- Cannot use this Tower Shield with your current Strength.

After Smoke read the notification message, he settled with merely examining its attributes instead.

Condortl's Emerald Tower Shield
A legendary shield from the treasury of Condortl. It is made with two materials, emerald and obsidian. An emblem of a griffon was embossed on the shield

+5000 Defense
+100 Vitality

Restriction:
* Can only be used by Warrior variations
* Level 100
* Strength : 800

Equipment Ability:
*Emerald Bash (Active)
Stuns the enemy for three  seconds
Consumes 500 mp/use
Once you've used this ability you cannot use it again for another two minutes.
*Obsidian Imbalance (Active)
Creates openings by breaking other shields
Consumes 500 mp/use
note: Only works on other forms of defenses (shields, armors, etc...)
*Emeridian Slash (Active)
Creates openings by breaking enemy's defenses
Consumes 5,000 mp/use

"Whew!" Smoke whistled in disbelief. "This thing is heavy, and you can really use this in an actual battle?"
Without a word, Adder easily carried the emerald tower shield with his newly regained arm. The Condortlian looked at Smoke and said. "So, where to?"

* * * * * *

With Smoke and his men riding on the back of Laernea's carriage and Rudel flying in the sky, they arrived at their destination in six hours. Laernea's stag moose, Bilis, ran at its new top speed of 280 kph.

Smoke wondered if his gliding ability could someday match Rudel's flight speed, but his thoughts of flying vanished after the tall mountain came into view.

Mount Yunggo's towering height of 5,200 meters casted a dark shadow over Smoke and his men as it blocked the afternoon sun. Dark green Eucalyptus Regnan trees stood at a height from ten to twenty-six meters, spread sparsely all throughout the mountain.

Yet, despite the trees, a noxious smell brought tears to their eyes as they caught its stench. From where they stood, they could see the piles of monster bones and carcasses stacked on top of each other.

These monsters' Coprohagus ability gave them an edge over the other monsters in the area. Whereas some monsters restricted themselves to only eat the fresh meat of a recently killed creature, these monsters preferred their food to be decayed and pungent.

The Coprohagus ability had one more unique feature. During day time it decreased their life and defense by half, but at night, it doubled the monster's attack.

Due to this fact, monsters with the Coprohagus ability mainly became scavengers during the day, and only transformed into predators at night.

- Entered the Mount Yunggo

- Monsters inside this mountain are constantly fighting for supremacy.
- Suggested level for entering this mountain is 150.

Smoke paid little attention to the message notification because he worried more about the time. They only had thirty minutes of daylight left. Using his Telefax Vision, Smoke detected six black armored monsters running away from something.

The monsters had a body length ranging from one-and-half-meters to three-meters. Aside from their hard exoskeleton, the monsters also had black steel horns on top of their heads with a length of half a meter.

He recognized these black monsters to be durcules beetles. Two mature durcules beetles at a length of two-and-half-meters led the way as the four smaller durcules beetles followed them.

Smoke watched the family of durcules beetles as they ran from a six meter long monster with sharp spikes that stuck out from its back. The unknown monster had a golden brown color and ran on all fours.

He quickly grabbed this chance and immediately ordered his men to run after the monsters.

The DarkElf curiously observed the situation. One of the mature durcules beetle separated from its family while the rest of them kept on running in a straight line.

The durcules beetles picked up their pace and gave the spiky monster a challenging chase, while the other durcules beetle suddenly appeared behind their pursuer.

The durcules beetle had its long black horn aimed at the war echidna. The spiky monster remained focused on the durcules beetles in front of it that it didn't noticed the mature durcules beetle's back attack.

The spiky monster's life bar and name appeared. war echidna (168,010/180,000 HP).

'The durcules beetle has pretty decent damage considering it isn't at its full strength.' Smoke thought, and his men remained some distance from the monsters as they ran after them.

The war echidna came to a full stop. With unbelievable flexibility, it twisted its body and came face to face with the durcules beetle that attacked it.

The spiky monster lifted its left paw, and revealed sharp claws, which sank right through the durcules bettle's exoskeleton. Four more attacks and the durcules beetle's head came right off.

As the head of the durcules beetle rolled on the ground, fire arrows struck through the war echidna's back. The fire arrows were added to its already spiky back.

The war echidna cried out in pain as it received a total damage of 75,000 points. It turned around, but Smoke had already anticipated this.

Before Smoke, Ichaival, and Laernea even released their arrows, Smoke ordered Adder and Espion to run straight for the war echidna.

Adder struck the war echidna with his emerald tower shield. It damaged and stunned the monster for 10,000 points and five seconds respectively.

Espion ran past the war echidna and drove his green dual knives into the monster's back. Rudel came down from the sky with his bastard sword, and plunged it deep into the monster's skull.

Another round of fire arrows powered by Igniz came from Smoke, Ichaival, and Laernea. Their combined attack instantly finished the monster off.

+ Your party has dealt a fatal blow to the war echidna.
+ Your party has killed the war echidna.
+ Your party has gained 180,000 exp.

Smoke reminded himself. 'We may have defeated this monster instantly, but it took all six of us to kill the beast.' He made sure to always be grounded. He did not want instant kills get to his head.

Smoke turned around as Rudel tapped him on his shoulder. The Volataur spoke in a hushed voice.

"That was impressive. I usually bring at least thirty Centaurs with me whenever I go into Mount Yunggo. I thought we were only gonna stay outside."

With his Cunning of the Dire Fox Smoke sensed the presence of twenty monsters within a 600 meter radius. Being always vigilant, he took precautions.

"Alright!. Guys, let's collect the loot and we'll head out while we still have sunlight."

He ordered his team to retreat, but stopped when they spotted the family of durcules beetles returning to site of their fallen family member. The five monsters laid down beside the dead durcules beetle.

Smoke couldn't let this opportunity pass him by. He instantly changed his orders. Instead of searching for safer grounds, he switched it to defend the area around Laernea while she used her Pathfinder ability called Beast Tamer to control the five remaining durcules beetles.

He kept turning his head as he checked for monsters and watched as Laernea went straight for the mature durcules beetle. With her two hands stretched out, he heard Laernea utter out taming chants which made the large durcules beetle docile.

As Laernea's hand touched the mature durcules beetle she called out. "Oh! She's the mother of these small durcules beetles." She touched the four smaller monsters and tamed them with her ability as well.

After Smoke saw Laernea's "Go" signal, they resumed their retreat out of the mountains. As they went down, Smoke sensed that the monsters from earlier were slowly closing in on them.

The family of durcules beetles dutifully followed Laernea's commands as she led them down while she rode on Bilis' bare back.

Smoke's fears came true. Night time came and made the mountain dark. They were still inside Mount Yunggo's territory. To make matters worst, the monsters that Smoke sensed earlier appeared.

The sparsely scattered dark green Eucalyptus Regnan trees gave the monsters enough cover to hide but ample space to hunt down its prey.

Four war echidnas surrounded them. Both the groups of Adder and Ichaival, Espion and Rudel faced one war echidna, while Smoke had Laernea and the five durcules beetles against two of the spiky monsters.

The DarkElf switched weapons to his weighted chain and sickle, and dashed in front of the durcules beetles. He didn't want their newly tamed monsters to be killed off right after he obtained them.

Faced with the two war echidnas, he held the sickle's end by the chains and threw it at the war echidna on his left. Right after he threw the sickle the war echidna on his right slashed him with its long black claws.

Simultaneously, Igniz shot out his fireballs at Smoke's target and kept the war echidna on the left momentarily at bay.

The monster on Smoke's right clawed him four times, and he managed to dodge three of the monster's attacks. Smoke's life bar appeared (143,920/165,850 HP), after he took the war echidna's claws to his chest.

He feared that the war echidna on his left would recover from Igniz's attacks and gang up on him, so he used his lunar boots and leapt upwards. He pulled the chains from his weapon, and while in midair, he sent it crashing down on the war echidna's temple.

Igniz's fireballs never ceased, not until the untouched war echidna went after the dark ember sprite. Igniz dodged the monster's claws by flying out of its reach. Smoke sensed that Igniz was in trouble, and his attention shifted towards his symbiote.

The war echidna clawed its way up on a Eucalyptus Rengan tree and was about to jump at Igniz when two of the smaller durcules beetles came and tackled the war echidna in mid jump.

Even in the dimmed light, Smoke clearly noticed the changes in the durcules beetles. The armored monsters' grew wings which allowed them to fly. Their black exoskeletons now had sharp steel like spikes which made puncture wounds on the war echidna.

Then, the two durcules beetles plunged their sword like horns into the war echidna's stomach. As the beast plummeted down, the two durcules beetles repeatedly stabbed the war echidna until they killed it.

Everything happened in a flash. Smoke still gliding in midair dove down and stunned the war echidna as he landed. Before he could attack, two durcules beetles flew past him and stabbed their black horns into the war echidna's belly.

'These little guys must be pissed about their father's death.'

Smoke leapt high up, over the war echidna. He expertly landed on the monster's shoulders. With his weighted chain and sickle, he repeatedly hacked the back of the monster's neck.

"Laernea, tell the durcules beetles to cut right through the monster's neck." Smoke yelled.

The lioness Lioumerean repeated the orders to the durcules beetles, and the monsters immediately followed it. The durcules beetles unhinged their black steel horns from the war echidna's stomach and sliced right through the beast's throat.

The war echidna's head slowly separated from its body and rolled on the ground. Although it was a different war echidna, but Smoke still felt the satisfaction from the durcules beetles.

With the defeat of the two war echidnas, Smoke checked on his other teammates. He saw that the other durcules beetles helped out and performed similar actions.

All four war echidnas died. They hastily collected the war echidna's spiky carcass and claws. Afterwards, they speedily exited Mount Yunggo.

At the foot of the mountain, Smoke asked his men to relax and prepare some medicinal meal for their entire party. Now, that he had his targeted monsters tamed, it signaled for the next phase of his plan.

As his men rested, Smoke used his Earth Manipulation and began collecting the soil at the foot of Mount Yunggo. While he worked, he noticed Rudel walking towards him.

"Need some help?" The Volataur asked.

"Sure, I added in extensions on Bilis' carriage, increasing its maximum capacity."

Smoke pointed at the partially filled wooden carriage that looked similar to a big dump truck. Rudel used his own Earth Manipulation ability and silently filled the carriage.

In less than an hour, Smoke and Rudel collected six tons worth of dirt. Laernea's stag moose, Bilis, made complaining noises after they closed up the modified carriage.

Laernea asked Bilis to try and move the filled carriage. Somehow, the stag moose managed to move the six ton load, but at a significantly slower speed.

'At this rate it'll probably take us a week to get back to Pferde.'

Smoke gradually unloaded the soil from Bilis' carriage. He searched for the optimal weight to speed ratio. At the reduced weight of two tons, Bilis managed to run at a speed of 60 kph.

'Two tons won't be enough to cover the entire village.'

He weighed his options. He could either have Laernea drive back and forth or settle with two tons. As he toyed with his choices, he shifted the two tons of the controllable soil back and forth.

Then it came to him. 'I'll just shift this soil all the way back to Pferde.'

Smoke used his Earth Manipulation ability and collected the two ton soil. He pictured how the waves moved to the beach and made the soil follow that motion.

His soil wave moved at a speed of 40 kph. He did some rough calculation in his head, and he concluded that he could keep shifting the soil forward for the next thirty minutes before taking a break.

He loaded one more ton of soil back to Bilis' modified carriage. This gave the stag moose a restricted speed of 40 kph.

After Smoke's experimentation on his Earth Manipulation ability ended, he called the rest of his party. He had them and the durcules beetles stand on the controllable soil.

Igniz flew around Smoke's party. He tried to warn them about what was going to happen next. Smoke watched their confused faces before he suddenly shifted the soil forward. Except for Adder, all of them fell down on the soil as it jolted forward.

Rudel flew on ahead while Smoke and his men prepared for a two day journey back to Pferde on his soil wave.

* * * * * *

An uneventful two days went by. Smoke and his party successfully arrived in Pferde. The moment they came into view, the Centaurs banged their pots and pans and welcomed them loudly as heroes. Half of the villagers waited for their arrival.

Rudel, who arrived two days earlier, sang praises of their battle on Mount Yunggo. The Centaurs couldn't believe that Smoke entered the mountain with only a six man team.

The villagers' admiration of Smoke grew as they watched him control his moving soil wave. He stood at the center of the moving sands with his hands stretched out while his men sat closely beside him.

Smoke tried his best not to mind Laernea's gaze as she kept on staring over in his direction. As they got closer, Smoke and his party felt they had gone deaf because of the Centaurs' welcome commotion. The villagers became silent when Smoke and his men stood in front of the village chief.

Deropa spoke to the residents. "Everyone, Smoke has come to cleanse our village of this sickness that has plagued our village."

The DarkElf stood beside Deropa and waved at the crowd.

"I promised to help improve Pferde, but this won't be done instantly. We need to have some major changes in order for my plan to work. I look forward to working with all of you."

The villagers of Pferde instantly changed their demeanor. They became silent and indifferent. Smoke was stunned by their reaction. He hoped for a more energetic response than this.

Deropa took over and addressed the crowd. "That's it for now, people. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me or Rudel."

Smoke watched the uncomfortable faces of the residents as they dispersed silently. Deropa spoke with him in a low tone. "If you haven't already guessed? Change is a difficult thing for us Centaurs. I hope you understand?"

He nodded and immediately went to work. He decided to start at a small portion of the village. He asked Laernea to send her durcules beetles out to feed on the garbage and wastes littered in the street.

As Laernea left, a young eleven year old Volataur boy came to Smoke. The young Volataur's horse half had the same brown color as Deropa's.

"Hi, my name's Neffe."

"Oh, hi, Neffe. Nice to meet you." Smoke stretched out his hand for a handshake. "Can I help you with something?"

"Actually, I'm here to ask you that same question."

"Hmm... Why don't you help out that female Lioumerean with the durcules beetles? I'm sure she'd welcome your help."

Neffe nodded and went on his way. Smoke gave out a satisfied smile. Even if there were residents of Pferde who couldn't handle the change, he still built high intimacies with the three Volataurs of Pferde.

Afterwards, Smoke asked Rudel to make preparations for a feast for the residents of the village. He told him that he would have a small banquet prepared for them after they finished their project.

He then asked Ichaival and Espion to prepare the detoxification meal that could feed 4,000 people. He taught them the meal on their soil wave ride to Pferde. He learned this recipe from one of the books he got inside the labyrinth.

As his men worked, Smoke began to manipulate the controllable soil. He turned the soil into a thin, hard hexagonal shape and assembled them into pavements.

He stretched the usage of the controllable soil as much as he could. The road now looked like a honey bee's screen board because of its hexagonal shape.

Smoke then made gardens beside the public roads and asked Adder to plant toxin neutralizing trees in them. With those two tasks finished, he started on the closed canals.

He used his Digger's Wand's Trenching ability and created a small canal. He connected it to the various animal pens in his targeted area and had them exit to the various gardens beside the roads.

They tirelessly worked for the next three days. During this time, he observed everyone's progress. Laernea and Neffe's work with the durcules beetles became an instant success with the residents.

Smoke saw how Ichaival and Espion already gained friends as they traveled around the area gathering the ingredients for detoxification meal that could feed the entire population of Pferde.

At the same time, the two of them also talked about the dangerous health risks that the filth and the garbage caused the residents.

With the help of monsters' Coprohagus ability, both Laernea and Neffe cleared out all the waste and garbage in the targeted area within the span of three days.

Smoke watched their progress with satisfaction, but he was especially happy for his first private army member, Adder. He smiled as he watched Adder plant the trees and the flowers in the garden by the road. Adder clearly enjoyed working with both his hands as he designed the road side gardens.

Currently, one fourth of Pferde looked like a an eco friendly village. As the third day came to a close, Smoke asked the residents of the village to join them for a feast.

When Smoke heard that Rudel couldn't bring enough tables to hold the residents in the area, Smoke made it into a standing feast.

In this manner Deropa, Rudel, and the residents of the area got to mingle with each other. They also witnessed the early changes in their village.

As they ate the detoxification meal that Adder, Ichaival, and Espion prepared, the residents of Pferde slowly felt better and stronger. Smoke and his men also explained to the residents the reason why they got sick and what they should do to prevent it.

Smoke asked them for volunteers who would want to help maintain the health of Pferde by collecting the trash or walking the durcules beetles. He also taught them about proper waste disposal for their animal's excrement.

The Centaurs' immediate recovery from their plagued status inspired a small group of Centaurs to raise their hands.

Suddenly, a notification window popped up.

+ Quest Update: Improve Pferde Village

[STATUS: Plagued 75%]

Smoke smirked. It only took him three days to reduce the village's plagued status by 25%, but their celebration was cut short when Pferde's alarm went off!

* * * * * *

Smoke, Igniz and Rudel immediately went up to the skies and flew towards the sound of the alarm. Smoke couldn't describe Rudel's face when he saw a platoon of fifty mutated Centaurs.

The monsters came and attacked the opposite side of the village. They broke through the village walls and slaughtered their own kin, the monsters did not even spare the women and children. The normal Centaurs stood no chance against the mutated Centaurs' surprise attack.

From the sky, Smoke saw a smaller group clustered behind the mutated Centaur's platoon. With his Telefax Vision, Smoke zoomed in and saw two Tikbalangs guarding a single Witch.

The Tikbalangs had red eyes and gnashing teeth. Sharp black spines grew out of its head and served as its mane. The Tikbalang's lengthy horse hoof limbs gave the monster a hunched appearance. It's muscular human-like legs looked strong but not fast.

Within the chaos, Smoke noticed a mutated Centaur severing the dead Centaur's in half. The monster separated the Human and horse halves of the dead Centaur.

The mutated Centaur collected ten Human upper bodies and ran towards the Witch. Five dead Centaurs on each of the monster's massive arms.

As the mutated Centaur got closer to the Witch, Smoke noticed that the Witch stood at the center of a large casting circle made out of black blood.

When the mutated Centaur got inside the casting circle, the Witch began some weird movements and released a black ball of miasma from her hands. The black ball flew directly above her.

A dome of black blood sprang out from the casting circle and closed in on the floating black ball. Eventually, the dome of black blood enveloped the Witch and the mutated Centaur.

Red lightning randomly sparked out from the black dome. A few seconds later, the dome receded into the black ball of miasma which dropped down back to the Witch.

Instead of a mutated Centaur, Smoke saw a newly created Tikbalang standing together with the Witch.

Still gliding in midair, Smoke racked his brain for answers. He couldn't think of a strategy to handle forty-nine mutated Centaurs, three Tikbalangs, and a Witch with unknown powers.

Then, Smoke heard Adder and his private army members accompanied by Pferde's remaining 200 military forces on the ground. He saw them engage the forty-nine mutated Centaurs.

Night time came, and the yellow moon slowly rose from the west. Laernea's five durcules beetles transformed into their predator state and attacked the mutated Centaurs.

Laernea helped the durcules beetles by attacking the same targets with her Long Bow and fire arrows. Adder charged to the front and met the mutated Centaurs with his emerald tower shield and double bladed Blitzsturm. Ichaival and Espion followed closely behind the Condortlian and supported him from all sides.

Everything changed when the reinforcements arrived. Smoke opened their party channel which contained Adder, Ichaival, Espion, Laernea and Rudel. He quickly spoke with his teammates and told them the strategy.

He ordered Laernea to stay behind and help out the normal Centaurs against their mutated kin. Adder, Ichaival, and Espion would push forward and aim for the three Tikbalangs, while Rudel would wait for Smoke's signal before he would grab the Witch and take her away from her Tikbalang guardians.

Smoke, Igniz, and Rudel waited for Adder, Ichaival, and Espion to get into position before he gave out the command. "GO!" Smoke yelled.

The DarkElf closed the wings of his cloak and instantly dove down with Igniz. He had his symbiote orbit around him rapidly, his body was engulfed in dark purple flames and became a crashing comet.

THUD!

He aimed for the center of the three Tikbalangs and landed on the newly created monster. Molten rocks flew in all directions. All the Tikbalangs were stunned for five seconds. two monsters were blown away by Smoke's Comet Crush ability.

The newly created Tikbalang he crushed with his landing displayed its life bar (75,000/250,000 HP). Smoke's Beast Monarch ability tripled his damage on the monster.

Equipped with his weighted chain and sickle, Smoke dropped his heavy iron ball over the stunned Tikbalang's face and finished the monster off.

He left the rest of the stunned Tikbalangs to Adder, Ichaival, and Espion. He went directly after the Witch. He used his Lunar Boot's increased speed to dash forward towards the Witch.

Smoke's Comet Crush ability distracted the Witch. Simultaneously, Rudel flew behind her and grabbed the Witch away from her Tikbalang guardians.

They had flown five-hundred-meters away from the Tikbalangs, when the Witch struck Rudel's face. The Volataur released the Witch in midair and she fell down, but she created an earth pillar to catch her.

'What?! She could manipulate the land in this area?' Smoke wondered how high her Earth Affinity and Earth Manipulation was.

* * * * * *

Adder, Ichaival, and Espion arrived in front of the stunned Tikbalangs. They immediately went after the first Tikbalang on the ground.

Unfortunately, the Tikbalang regained consciousness. The monster immediately stood up and displayed its life bar shown over its head (230,299/400,000 HP).

Even against the intimidating Tikbalang, Adder did not stop his charge. He leapt up and dove back down with his emerald tower shield in front of him, but the Tikbalang easily evaded the Condortlian's attack.

The monster used its lengthy horse fists and attacked Adder. Expertly, Adder brought his emerald tower shield in front of the Tikbalang's path.

Despite the defense of his heavy tower shield, Adder flew three meters back. After he received the Tikbalang's attack. Ichaival gave Adder cover fire as he relentlessly attacked the Tikbalang with his poison and fire arrows.

Espion ran to the sides of the Tikbalang and attacked the monster with his throwing daggers. He was aiming for the Tikbalang's back.

The young Spy was so focused on the Tikbalang in front of him that he didn't notice the other Tikbalang behind him. He was about to be hit when four adolescent durcules beetles came out from the sides and rammed the monster with their black horns.

Thankfully, Laernea's hard headed nature saved Espion. She ordered her durcules beetles to attack the second Tikbalang.

The Tikbalang cried out in pain as its life bar displayed (152,073/400,000 HP). The monster raised his hooves up into the air and aimed for the durcules beetles still plunged to its body.

As the monster's hooves came down, the mother durcules beetle flew in front of her child and took the Tikbalang's attack to her head.

The mother durcules beetle's horn broke off, but the Tikbalang did not stop. It held the adult durcules beetle with one of its hooves and kept on attacking her head.

Laernea attacked the Tikbalang with her fire arrows, but it had no effect on the monster. Espion got on the Tikbalang's back and stabbed its shoulders with his green dual knives. His knives' Paralysis ability, slowed the Tikbalang's attack.

However, Espion was too late. The Tikbalang managed one more attack on the durcules' head and it fell off.

The Spy yelled out as it mercilessly stabbed the Tikbalang's back. Laernea broke down in tears as she kept on attacking with her fire arrows.

The adolescent durcules beetles repeatedly stabbed the Tikbalang and they finally killed the beast. Even as the Tikbalang laid down on the ground the durcules beetles kept on attacking the monster.

Laernea and Espion willed themselves to focus on the battle at hand. Adder was still in a bind. He tried his best to defend against the Tikbalang's attack, but he could not get an attack in.

Only Ichaival's arrows penetrated the monster. Yet even with Ichaival's increased attack, the Tikbalang's life bar still shown (150,299/400,000 HP).

With the Tikbalang focused on Adder, Espion stealthily sneaked up onto the Tikbalang's back and began his paralysis specialty.

The Tikbalang tried to attack Espion with its hooves, but received Adder's Emerald Bash instead. The stunned monster stood motionless as Smoke's private army unleashed their attacks on the beast and killed it.

* * * * * *

Smoke switched to his power chainsaw bow and attacked the Witch from a distance. The Witch kept on creating earth pillars to block the DarkElf's line of sight.

'Man, why can't I control the ground here!'

Rudel flew in and out with his bastard sword, but was always met with an earth shield.

"Nyahahaha Nyak nyak nyak nyak." The Witch laughed. "You two are very persistent. I could sense the Earth Manipulation ability in both of you. Yet, you can't do anything with my defense. Nyak nyak nyak nyak."

Smoke remained calm and focused on attacking the Witch, but a little psych-war always helped.

"Don't worry. We'll kill you soon enough. Just like how my men killed your precious Tikbalangs!"

Smoke watched as the Witch turned her attention to her precious Tikbalangs. Eight poison arrows damaged the witches sides and revealed her name and life bar. Witch of Wysteria: Terrabelle (561,025/600,000 HP).

This attack confirmed his suspicion. The Witch had enormous life, but also had terrible physical defense.

The Witch retaliated by launching several earth pikes at the DarkElf. Smoke easily avoided them with the aid of his Cunning of the Dire Fox, Agility of the Horned Rabbit, and 60% Earth affinity.

He could not control the land they were fighting on, but he could easily sense them. Terrabelle's earth pikes attack left her wide open.

Rudel swiftly came down from the air and plunged his bastard sword into her stomach. Despite her sword wound, Terrabelle would not allow to go down easily.

The Volataur's hooves sank deep into the ground as she softened and hardened the earth instantly. Rudel spread his wings and tried to fly away, but Terrabelle's earth pikes pierced through them. Rudel's life bar displayed (229,210/250,000 HP).

Smoke watched from afar as Rudel resolved himself to sacrifice his life for Terrabelle's. Rudel held onto the Witch's shoulders with his left hand while kept on stabbing the her stomach with his bastard sword on his right.

Each of Rudel's attacks damaged the Witch for 5,000 points. Terrabelle's life bar displayed (370,025/600,000 HP). The Witch released her hold on Rudel's hooves and sent him flying with an earth pillar attack directly below his horse half's stomach.

His crouched position hid his presence well. Smoke sneaked a peek and saw Rudel blown high into the air. Rudel opened his wings and stopped midair.

The Volataur smirked at the Witch. As her gaze went from him, high up in the air then down to the pain in her stomach. Rudel left his bastard sword lunged inside her.

While Terrabelle's attention was on Rudel, Smoke silently crept closer to her. The moment he saw her in writhe pain from Rudel's bastard sword, Smoke activated his weighted chain and sickle's ability, Cyclone of Slaughter.

Smoke's iron chain moved on its own. It created a steel vortex of continuous moving iron chains whipping and slashing Terrabelle.

"Aaaauuuggggk! Aaaauuugh! Owwwwccch!" Terrabelle cried out in pain, every time she received the weighted iron chain's damage.

Smoke's Cyclone of Slaughter finished its attack. The Witch's life bar drained to (61,129/600,000 HP). Terrabelle patiently waited for the DarkElf's attack to stop.

When Smoke's weighted iron chain stopped moving, Terrabelle released a black ball of miasma five times larger than the one from before. The black miasma orb flew fast from her hands.

Terrabelle's attack stopped directly on top of the mutated Centaurs and the normal Centaurs. The two sides were occupied battling each other.

As the Witch's attack flew, Smoke simultaneously intertwined his weighted iron chain around her. He tightened the iron chains right after the black miasma orb stopped on top of the mutated Centaurs.

"Stop, DarkElf!" Terrabelle yelled out. "If you don't want the mutated Centaurs to fully transform into Tikbalangs. After all, there's still a way to save them!"

Smoke stopped his weighted iron chain's constriction attack.

"You're lying! You're just buying time." The DarkElf answered back.

"True. I could be lying, but are you willing to risk that chance? Do you think your flying friend wouldn't want to save his people?"

Smoke saw that Rudel was listening in on their conversation intently. "So, how do we save them?"

"Set me free and I'll revert the mutated Centaurs' curse."

Deep in his heart, he knew that Terrabelle was lying. Yet, he still had to consider Rudel's opinion. He didn't want to have a fall out with his future ally.

Smoke's dilemma reflected on his face. Suddenly, Terrabelle launched two earth pillars from both the DarkElf's sides and closed in to crush him.

He sensed the attack and dodged backwards. His evasive maneuver made the weighted iron chains increase Terrabelle's constriction.

Smoke's constriction attack made the Witch release her control over the black miasma orb. Black blood was released from the black orb and created a casting circle, with the mutated and normal Centaurs inside it.

The Centaurs caught inside the casting circle were oblivious to their surroundings. They fought on with their lives on the line.

After the casting circle was completed, a black dome rose from the ground. It originated from the black blood, which made the casting circle.

Smoke looked up. He saw Rudel flew faster than he had ever seen him fly before. The black dome was closing in on the black miasma orb.

The DarkElf's tight constriction stunned Terrabelle and left her with 2% of her life bar remaining. He focused his attention on the zooming Volataur up in the sky.

Right before the black dome touched the black miasma orb, Rudel arrived. With his two hands clasped together, he attacked the black miasma orb from its stationed position.

The black orb flew straight up. Smoke smiled as he thought that Rudel had done it, but the black dome changed its shape and turned into an irregular form.

It continued on its course and enclosed Rudel and the rest of the Centaurs inside it.

"NOOOOOO!" Smoke shouted in horror.

Terrabelle regained consciousness. The iron chains restricted her movements, but she managed to release two small black orbs. which turned into crows. "Fly to my sisters, Horrabelle and Crucibelle, tell them to avenge... "

Smoke's sickle came down on Terrabelle's right eyeball and vanquished her.

+ Your party has dealt a fatal blow to the Witch of Wysteria: Terrabelle.
+ Your party killed the Witch of Wysteria: Terrabelle.
+ Your party gained 1,200,000 exp.

As the body of the Witch started to fade away, it left behind two items.

+ Acquired Quest Item for Immense Power of the Blood Moon:
> Witch of Wysteria:Terrabelle blood vial (1/1)
> Witch of Wysteria:Crucibelle blood vial (0/1)
> Witch of Wysteria:Horrabelle blood vial (0/1)

+ Acquired rare hand accessory: Horse Ring of Domination

Right after he collected his loot, Smoke leapt up and glided towards the irregularly shaped black dome of miasma. From up in the sky, he saw the dome begin to break.

A frightening sight greeted him when the black dome collapsed entirely. Rudel, the normal Centaurs, and the mutated Centaurs all disappeared.

In their place, twenty unconscious Tikbalangs laid down on the ground and a single monster that looked like a Tikbalang but it had two massive bat-like wings.

The winged Tikbalang was the first one to come to. Adder, Ichaival, Espion, Laernea, and the four adolescent durcules beetle gathered around Smoke as they prepared for their worst battle yet.

It stood at a full height of three-meters. The monster groggily walked over to the DarkElf. "Smoke, what happened? Did I save them?"

Smoke's eyes widened in astonishment. "Rudel?"

"Yeah? What's wrong? Do I have dirt on my face or something?" asked Rudel in his new monstrous appearance.

Chapter Four: Lakeside Adventure

Smoke and his private army members cautiously watched twenty newly transformed Tikbalangs still lying motionless on the ground. A few seconds later, some of the transformed monsters began to move and regain their consciousness.

He saw Rudel horridly examining his new winged Tikbalang form. Each wing had sharp ivory nails sticking out on top. Rudel's black gigantic bat-like wings covered his entire body. The transformed Rudel expanded his monstrous wings which made Laernea shriek in terror.

He felt Rudel's unease as the winged Tikbalang kept searching for his missing horse half. Instead of hooves, Rudel grew a pair of abnormally long and muscular Human feet. Instead of hands, Rudel had parted hooves attached to disproportionately long arms.

"Neeeeeiiiiiiiiggghhhhhhhh! Huh? Smoke, what happened?" Smoke's heart ached when he heard the mutated Rudel's question. "What did that Witch do to me? Tell me this isn't real!"

Smoke remained silent. He couldn't find the words to comfort the transformed Rudel. Slowly, the winged Tikbalang stepped outside of the casting circle that the evil Witch Terrabelle created before Smoke killed her.

The moment Rudel stepped outside, Smoke saw the awakened Tikbalangs running towards their direction. "Rudel, behind you!" Smoke cried out.

Smoke took out his power chainsaw bow and began firing at the charging monsters. Ichaival and Laernea followed their leader and attacked the monsters with their fire arrows enchanted by Igniz. Adder and Espion equipped their melee weapons and waited for the monsters to get within their reach.

They faced twenty Tikbalangs against only five of Smoke's private army. With the odds stacked against them, Smoke and his men prepared for the worst.

Yet, a strange thing happened. The rampaging Tikbalangs disappeared when a cloud of dust erupted inside the casting circle. The earth trembled hard. Smoke unequipped his power chainsaw bow and reflexively pushed his private army members further away from the casting circle.

After the ground stopped shaking and the dust finally settled, Smoke saw a black winged Tikbalang flying above the casting circle. The transformed Rudel used his Earth Manipulation and created a pit so deep that the Tikbalangs could not get out of it.

Smoke watched Rudel fly down and land next to him. "How did you do that? I thought you couldn't use your Earth Manipulation ability here?" He asked.

"Same here. I just saw the Tikbalangs coming and I knew that I should do something. The next thing I knew I was flying over them and the ground responded to my will of creating a pit designed to capture them."

"Maybe you inherited Terabelle's Earth Manipulation when you smashed the black orb?" Smoke thought out loud. He intentionally left out the part of Rudel's transformation into a winged Tikbalang.

"Maybe. But we have to do something about these Tikbalangs. I'm afraid that they could escape and hurt the ordinary residents of Pferde."

Smoke remembered the rare hand accessory that he looted from Terrabelle, the Horse Ring of Domination. He quickly took out from his backpack window and examined it.

Horse Ring of Domination

A rare silver ring created by one of the witches of Wysteria, Terrabelle. It has the head of a Tikbalang embossed on top of the ring. It was crafted to control her created Tikbalangs.

+50 Intelligence
+30% Earth Affinity

Equipment Ability:
*Tikbalang Dominate (Active)
+ Ability to control a Tikbalang for twenty-four hours
+ Consumes 5,000 MP
Note:
Success is greatly dependent on Earth Affinity, Luck, and Charisma

The Horse Ring of Domination looked like a simple item but its passive bonuses alone gave Smoke a great increase in his Earth Manipulation ability. It boosted his Earth Affinity to 90%

'I've got to try this out.'

Without a word, Smoke equipped the Horse Ring of Domination. He then stood in front of the pit with the Tikbalangs inside it. He raised both his arms. The ground on top of the pit began to shake once more.

Swiftly, he joined his hands together. CRAAACCCKKKK! He created a resounding noise when his hands connected. Earth bars came out from the top of the pit and formed a prison over the Tikbalangs.

'Now to try out its active ability.'

"Rudel, I think I can do something about the Tikbalangs."

Smoke ran on top of the earth bars, which surprised his private army members. "Smoke, what in Cuezaltzin's name are you doing?" Laernea cried out in fear. "Get out of there. You don't know if those things you made can hold you! Or worse, the Tikbalangs could grab you!"

Once he got to the center of the pit, he made the earth bars separate and dive down to the bottom of the pit. He then turned around and faced his party members.

He waved goodbye to his party members as he dove into the pit. Igniz swiftly followed after him. Smoke thought he heard everyone gasped when he jumped down. THUD! He landed smoothly with the aid of his Hooded Cloak, Wings of Cologus.

Igniz automatically released more of his luminescence and lit up the place. Twenty Tikbalangs which were three meter tall gathered around the earth-formed funnel. The monsters began bashing their hooves into the earth bar as they tried to get to Smoke.

Dust scattered everywhere as the monsters surrounded him and kept on smashing into the earth bars. He checked his mana bar and saw that he still had (102,031/214,593 MP) left.

The DarkElf raised his right hand, which had the Horse Ring of Domination. He pointed it to the nearest Tikbalang in front of him and activated the Tikbalang Dominate ability.

The Tikbalang head embedded on the Horse Ring of Domination glowed with an emerald light. A similar emerald color glowed in the targeted Tikbalang's eyes.

- 5,000 MP consumed
+ Successful: Tikbalang Domination
> You fully control this Tikbalang for the next 24 Hours

"Neeeeiigggh! Master I obey..."

The three-meter Tikbalang bowed down. Its Human knees bent on the ground while its lengthy hooves gave it an awkward posture. The Tikbalang's name and life bar displayed above its head changed from red to green.

A smug smile appeared on Smoke's face. A thrill of excitement overcame him as he imagined an army of twenty Tikbalangs. He already had three Maneators at home.

'If I could raise these guys' levels close to 300, then facing Duke Burmistrz will become a reality.'

Smoke pointed to the Tikbalang beside his dominated monster and used his Tikbalang Dominate ability again.

The Tikbalang head embeded on his ring glowed an emerald color once more, but this time the targeted Tikbalang's eyes glowed a fierce ruby color.

- 5,000 MP consumed
- Failure: Tikbalang Domination
> You do not have control over this Tikbalang

"What the hell!"

Smoke knew that there were three attributes that controlled the Horse Ring of Domination's success, but he thought that since he had two out of the three, he would have better odds.

He used the ring's active ability until he ran out of Mana. He got fifteen Tikbalangs on the first run and waited until he got 5,000 MP to use the ability again.

Two minutes passed and he saw Rudel fly in after him. "Laernea sent me down to check on you. Although I said that I didn't hear any sounds of fighting, she still insisted."

"Just give me five more minutes. Hmmm... maybe more, and I'll have all twenty Tikbalangs under control."

"You can control them? Are they sane like me?" Rudel asked.

"Umm... You'll have to see for yourself." Smoke pointed to a kneeling Tikbalang nearby. He motioned for Rudel to try and talk to it, while he waited for his MP to regenerate.

Rudel sat down in front of the kneeling Tikbalang. His bat-like wings folded neatly but the sharp ivory claws remained protruded.

Smoke could tell that the controlled Tikbalangs were mindless drones. He didn't wish for such a tragedy to befall on the noble Centaurs, but at least if he could control them he could redirect the carnage these monsters were capable of.

When he saw Rudel's reaction, he knew that the winged Tikbalang came to the same realization. "If it's any consolation, I think we could still reverse the Witches' curse if we have all three of their blood vials." Smoke said reassuringly.

"Personally, I'm not an optimist but this time I'll gamble on hoping for that cure." Rudel uttered the words with conviction before he flew out of the earth funnel that Smoke had built.

After ten more minutes, Smoke finally dominated all twenty Tikbalangs. He ran out of Mana and it would take him another ten minutes to regain enough Mana to manipulate the ground to elevate them upwards.

So, he ordered his platoon of Tikbalangs to climb up the funnel as he opened four doors from the earth bars. Smoke climbed out first as his Tikbalangs followed. One by one the controlled Tikbalangs climbed out of the earth funnel.

Smoke stood in front of his twenty Tikbalangs. His party members stood in a daze as they watched him command the monsters. He told them to stand guard and attack any enemies of the Centaurs.

He then gave out the order to his party members to head for Deropa's house. He needed to talk to Pferde's village elder. Rudel decided to stay behind. He didn't want his people to see his transformation.

The DarkElf could sense Rudel's inner turmoil and decided to do something about it.

"Rudel, I've never done this before, but I would like to ask you if you could honor me by being a part of my private army?"

"What? You want me to join you even after I've transformed? What if I go berserk and lose control of my senses?"

Smoke extended his right hand and waited for Rudel to shake it.

"I have complete faith in you. I know that your willpower is stronger than any of the Witches' spells. As a sign of my trust, I'm gonna loan you this Horse Ring of Domination."

Smoke took off his newly acquired item and gave it to Rudel, but the winged Tikbalang pushed Smoke's hand away.

"No! I can't accept that. Don't you need that to manipulate the ground in this area?"

"You're right, but this is just a loan. I have something special in mind for you. If you're willing to be a part of my private army."

The winged Tikbalang bowed down before Smoke.

"I would be honored to be a part of your private army, but I have one condition. While I am in this form please stop calling me as Rudel. Until my curse is removed, I shall be called Ledur."

"No problem with me."

+ Rudel a.k.a Ledur has joined your Personal Army

Rudel was a Volataur from Pferde. He was next in line to become Pferde's Village Elder. However, he was cursed by Terrabelle and transformed into a winged Tikbalang. While in this form he wishes to be known as Ledur.

Level: 180
Job: Earth Meister
Loyalty: 100
Favorite Weapon: Earth
Equipped Weapon: None

Abilities:

Tikbalang Control: Able to control up to six Tikbalangs.
Earth Manipulation: Has Advance Level 8 and controls most earth all over Zectas
Sonic Flight: Ability to fly up to mach 4

As Smoke read Ledur's information window, he could barely contain his excitement. This winged Tikbalang had the highest level out of all his private army members.

He wondered if Ledur's level was already that high when he was still in his Volataur form. He dismissed the thought immediately.Otherwise how could he have stood a chance against him at Earth Manipulation?

* * * * * *

Back inside the village, Smoke felt the villagers' eyes carefully observing him from inside their homes. He gave them a wave and a smile but it didn't help alleviate the dire situation.

He briskly walked towards Deropa's house. He knocked three times before he heard the old Volataur call him inside. Due to the sensitive topic, he asked his private army members to stay behind.

He only allowed Igniz to follow him inside.

"So, what exactly happened? I tried calling my Centaur Warriors but I couldn't reach any of them. Except for Rudel, and he doesn't accept my call."

"Well you see..." Smoke told Deropa their entire arduous battle with Terrabelle. If Rudel and the Centaur Warriors didn't sacrifice themselves then even more innocent villagers would have been hurt by the mutated Centaurs' rampage.

It took a while for Deropa to absorb all the disconcerting information. He kept pacing around with his cane inside his wooden house so much that Smoke felt the wooden floor could give out at any given moment.

Steadily, Smoke noticed that Deropa's pacing slowed down. Until he finally stopped.

"So? What do I do now? Those Centaur Warriors were our last line of defense. If the other two Witches come after Pferde we're done for. I don't want to be the Elder who goes down in history as the one that lost Pferde."

Smoke understood the burdens of being a leader. Personally, his top priority was always the survival of his people. So, he gave Deropa his unsolicited advice.

"If you stay in Pferde, you will only be putting your villagers in harm's way. How about the Simiavulgs? Do you think they would be willing to help you?"

"I doubt that they would be willing to help us. I don't have any qualms with them but our villages have always kept to themselves."

Due to his habit, Smoke ruffled his head as he pondered on for answers. He did this action to show Deropa that he did not have any plans in advance.

Yet the reality was that he had been holding on to this idea from the beginning. He just didn't know how Deropa would take it.

"What about if you migrate?"

"Migrate? And where do you propose do we do that? We've been here for hundreds of years." Deropa spoke with uncertainty.

Right from the start, the goal of Smoke's journey to the western part of the Wysteria continent were two things. First was to hunt down the Witches of Wysteria and second was to recruit citizens for Verbrannt.

"I know that, but you have to consider the condition that Pferde is in. It would take years to completely rehabilitate this place."

"Then where do we go?"

"I'm thinking that if we need to move somewhere far. There's a village called Condortl just past Mount Aeriloc and they're in a similar situation." Smoke began cautiously. "I was thinking that your two villages could migrate together. Traveling in numbers does slow a group down but it also gives better protection."

Deropa slowly walked with his cane to a chair and sat down.

"I guess migrating with another village sounds better. It will help my villagers understand just how dangerous this place has become. But you still haven't answered my question. Where do you propose we migrate to?"

"There's a prospering village just outside of Coatl. It's called Verbrannt. My friend Sierra runs that place. It's currently focusing on its defensive power. So you can be sure that your villagers will be safe there. I'm sure they will give you a seat at the village council when join them there as well."

Smoke saw Deropa nod with relief. His Charisma was only at 34 but his intimacy with Deropa compensated for it. He had convinced Pferde's elder.

Before Smoke left Deropa's house he had to tell him about the individuals he planned on guarding them for their journey to Verbrannt.

"I'll have Adder join you. He is my second in command in the private army. He will lead you to Condortl as he will tell them of my plan for their migration."

Deropa passively nodded until Smoke went on to say.

"Just one more thing. The Tikbalangs were Terrabelle's creation but twenty of these monsters are now under my control. Their leader is a winged Tikbalang named Ledur."

He instantly saw Deropa's relieved face turn into a horrified Volataur.

"Don't worry you'll like Ledur. I promise..."

* * * * * *

A video of a DarkElf fighting together with a Volataur against a single Witch robed in brown displayed on Nash's desktop screen.

He didn't need to edit the video that much because the other Zectas players already saw his weighted chain and sickle. He just left out the parts where Terrabelle cursed the Centaurs and turned them into Tikbalangs.

His last video on his solo fight against the Brandals earned him a check worth $15,000. He hoped that a similar check would come his way with this boss fight video.

Yet, the real reason why Nash was very pleased with the $ 15,000 check was because his birthday was coming this weekend. He already told his family members that they would go to the lakeside resort called Etona Lawa.

He made all the necessary preparation that allowed him to stay offline from Zectas for more than forty-eight hours. Since it took almost that amount of time for the Pferdean Centaurs and Condortlians to head for Verbrannt.

With Adder in charge and Ledur in control of his Tikbalang army, Nash felt that he had nothing to worry about it. He even loaned out his newly acquired rare ring to Ledur just for this trip. He couldn't wait to see the red werebear's expression when she sees the new recruits he sent her.

As per his agreement with the arcade manager, Smoke sent an email informing him that he will be away from Zectas for more than forty-eight hours.

Nash thought he had the whole trip figured out, until he got the resort's information. He only bought accommodations for four people, but to his surprise Lake Etona Lawa Resort had another promotional offer. Aside from the already low prices, the lakeside resort also included a four plus one sale.

His frugal nature would not allow him to waste the free accommodation. Yet despite this fact he was still in a dilemma. Where could he find someone who could go with them on such short notice?

He could invite master Cacoy, but he couldn't picture him having fun at the lake. He did however decide that he could borrow his silver suburban for their long drive to the lakeside resort.

He thought about inviting his arcade manager, but Nash knew that he was busy with his three kids. Going on a weekend get away wouldn't suit him as well.

Nash was left with only one logical choice. As he searched for his phone, a part of him knew that she was the person he really wanted to invite in the first place.

He picked up his phone and dialed Sherry's number.

Riinngg Riiinng Riinng Riinng.

He smiled when he heard the old telephone ring back. He liked how Sherry was quirky that way. He prepared to leave a message on her phone when he unexpectedly heard her answer his call.

"Hey, Nash, what's up?"

"Oh, hi. I thought you'd be inside the game."

"Nah, I needed some time off from my side quest. I've been looking everywhere for... Oh, nevermind about my sidequest."

Smoke sniggered. He remembered Sherry searching for the labyrinth's exit.

"Still searching for something, huh?"

"Quit it! I bet you wouldn't have found that exit if you were the one looking for it throughout the entire Otaczac Forest."

"Yeah, you're right. Mitleid's clue was more of a distraction." Smoke kept an awkward grin as he spoke with Sherry. He didn't notice it until he saw himself in the mirror.

"Anyway, my family and I are going to lakeside resort for the entire weekend... Umm... We have one extra accommodation... And I was wondering if you maybe wanna come or something?" Smoke asked in his most nonchalant voice.

"A whole weekend away from Zectas? Have you ever been away that long before?"

"No, this will be my first time." Nash knew that he couldn't just ask anyone out of the blue like that. "I understand if you don't wanna go. I just thought I'd ask you that's all..."

"Hey! Who said I wasn't coming. Tell me when and where and I'll be there. Just let me get a few things sorted out in Zectas first, okay?"

"Sure, sure. No problem. How about in front of Cafe Soeurette? At... five in the morning tomorrow. Think you can do that?"

"Yeah, I know that place. You better not keep me waiting, Nash."

He remained on the line until he got the busy dial tone.

* * * * * *

BWEEP BWEEP BWEEP BWEEP BWEEP.

A hand reflexively came crashing down on the black rectangular alarm. Nash woke up to a chilly fifty-one degree fahrenheit morning on his birthday.

He groggily checked the time and saw four-thirty displayed in his digital alarm clock. He headed to his brothers rooms to wake them up.

Yet, as soon as Nash opened the door to leave his room, his brothers and grandma surprised him with a strawberry tart pie. A single lit candle stuck out at the center of the pie.

From when they were younger, their Mima Daphne always made them pies for their birthdays. Sadly, Nash's grandma stopped making the birthday pies when her hands lost their strength.

Donny excitedly greeted his eldest brother. "Happy Birthday, Nash. I came up with this whole idea. Seth just tagged along and helped me with some stuff," explained the youngest Smoak.

Seth interjected. "Ha! If Mima wasn't there to guide us I doubt the pie would have turned out like this."

"Now, now, boys. This is Nash's day. He doesn't need you two to start it by fighting. Go ahead, Nash. Blow out your candle."

Nash silently watched his two brothers bicker with a smile on his face. His birthday was off to a great start. He blew the candle and took a slice of the strawberry tart pie.

"Alright, come on you two. We have to get ready. I told Sherry that we would pick her up at five."

He borrowed Grand Master Cacoy's silver suburban the day before. Ten minutes later, all four Smoaks excitedly rode on the huge car.

The birthday celebrant and his family arrived at Cafe Soeurette five minutes early, but Sherry was already there sitting in front of the cafe with five cups of hot drinks.

Nash got out to help Sherry with her bags. Mima Daphne tried to get out of the front seat to let Sherry sit with Nash, but Donny stopped his grandma.

"No, no, Mima. You stay right there. Sherry can sit with me at the back." Donny quickly said while forcibly pushing his grandma back to her seat.

"Sherry, you remember my Mima Daphne, Seth, and Donny, right?" Nash said while loading her bags into the suburban.

"Yeah, yeah. Of course. Nice to see you all again."

"You can sit right here." Donny said as he patted the seat next to him. "Seth can sit at the back. He told me he wanted to take a nap before we arrive. Isn't that right, Seth?"

"Huh? When did I say that?" Seth shrugged as Donny shoved him to the furthest seat in the back.

Sherry comfortably sat down beside Donny. "Oh, I brought drinks for everyone. Mima, you like caffe misto, right? Nash, here. I got you a java chip frappuccino. Seth, yours is a green tea frap. And for Donny. I got you a double chocolaty chip blended creme."

"Oh, my dear. You remembered everyone's drinks, when we ordered them at your diner once, and how long ago was that? Almost two years ago?" Mima said in a very delighted voice.

"Of course, Sherry, remembers. Especially my drink." Donny said. "By the way, I heard that they have horseback riding up in Etona Lawa. I also remembered you say you were a champion equestrian when you were fourteen?"

"Donny, you remembered. So, you were listening when I was talking to you. All you ever did was just stare at your chocolaty creme."

"Right. Anyway, I was wondering if you could teach me how to ride a horse there?"

"Sure! If Nash and Mima are fine with it?" Sherry replied.

"Are you sure, dear? You don't have to give in to Donny's silly little request." Mima Daphne said as she took a sip from her warm caffe misto.

"No problem with me. Donny, fasten your seatbelt and give Sherry some room. That seat's suppose to be big enough for four persons." Nash said as he started the three hour long drive to the lakeside resort.

For the entire trip, Donny grilled Sherry with questions. Sherry politely answered them, but Nash could tell that she had almost reached her limit.

Finally, they arrived in Etona Lawa lakeside resort. Nash followed the directions towards the parking lot. There they saw a sporty young girl with blond hair dressed in a green Etona Lawa camp suit.

She looked to be younger than Nash and Sherry. She waved at them when they arrived at the parking lot. She walked up to them as soon as they got out of the car.

"Welcome to Etona Lawa! My name is Betty and please allow me to guide you to your cabin." Betty said with a big smile on her face. "You're the Smoaks, right?"

"Yes, yes. That's us. I'm Nash." He shook her hand and answered her with a smile as Betty kept on her cheerful demeanor.

"Alrighty then. Follow me please."

After they gathered their bags, all four Smoaks and Sherry followed their Etona Lawa guide through a serene foot path. Tall Douglas, Pine, Spruce, and Cedar Trees shaded them.

A few gaps in-between the trees revealed the majestic blue lake. There were already a couple of people swimming inside the lake. Others were riding on two passenger row boats and some where fishing further away from the crowd.

Betty stopped in front of a big log cabin. It had a porch with two antique looking rocking chairs. When they got inside, they were astonished at how spacious the cabin was.

The spacious cabin had a fire place with dried logs neatly piled inside. The lounging area had a comfortable looking sofa and a rug in front of it.

Nash quickly inspected the rooms and found that the cozy log cabin had three. The two larger rooms had two beds in it while the smaller room just had one.

He walked to the smaller room and called his invited guest. "Sherry, you can take this room. Mima and I will share a room and Donny and Seth can have the other one."

"Thanks, I was wondering how our sleeping arrangements were going to be."

Nash grinned mischievously. "Nah, you don't have to worry about that. Alright, I'll let you get settled in while I check on everyone."

While Seth and Donny busily explored the log cabin, Nash walked over to Betty and shook her hand with a neatly folded hundred dollar tip in it. He normally wouldn't have done it, but he intended this trip to be extravagant and special.

To his surprise Betty rejected it. "No, you don't have to do that. My pay here is good enough as it is. I'm just happy to help."

He watched Betty as she began to walk out of the door. "So, Nash, if you ever need anything don't hesitate to ask. I'm staying in the main cabin."

"Thanks for the offer, Betty. I'll be sure to look for you if we ever need anything." Nash happily showed their lakeside guide out of their cabin.

Once everyone got accustomed to their rooms for the weekend, they talked about what they wanted to do. Seth already decided on trying the kite surfing that Etona Lawa offered.

Nash wanted to come, but he promised their Mima to take her on a relaxing walk to get some fresh air. Sherry asked if she could come, but Donny insisted that they begin their lesson on horseback riding.

Before they went to their separate activities, he reminded Seth to wear a life jacket even if he knew how to swim and told Donny to follow Sherry's instructions all the time.

He trusted Sherry to be safe with Donny, but his younger brother always had a tendency to show off in front of the girl he liked and it was clear that he had a major crush on Sherry.

With a comfy scarf wrapped around Mima Daphne's neck, Nash and his grandmother started their walk on Etona Lawa's nature trail. This activity was the only his Mima felt comfortable doing.

Further into the trail, his Mima began talking about how she missed her husband Percival.

"Nash, did you know that Papap was very much like Seth?"

"Really? From your old stories, I thought he was more like Donny?"

His Mima Daphne giggled. "His mischievousness only comes out when it came to his family members. He liked pranking all of us. Especially your father, Steve."

"Yeah, I remember dad saying something like that." Nash chuckled with his Mima.

"But there was one person in our family that your Papap could never prank."

"Really? Who?"

"I think we need to sit down for this one." Mima Daphne said as she pointed to a bench by the nature trail made out of cypress branches.

"Your dad's twin brother, Zach. You don't know about him, right? Your dad asked me not to. Right after what Zach did to our family."

Nash was confused. "What did he do? Why are you telling me this now? Do you know where he is?"

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but I'm doing this now because I feel that my days with you three boys are coming to an end. Also, I'd like you three to meet your uncle."

"But if dad said that we should stay away from him, shouldn't we follow dad's wishes?"

He stared at the open field. His mind wandered off as to why his dad did this. Suddenly, he felt Mima's hand pat him on his shoulders.

"True, but I think you should make that decision on your own. Zach is still my son, despite of what he did in the past. Besides, I know from his mails that he has changed."

"Why didn't he come to Mom and Dad's funeral? Or even to Papap's? I was still four back then, but I don't remember anyone by that name."

His Mima shook her head. "No. He was there. He came to both the funerals, but he respected your father's decision about not letting you know about him."

"Why would he do that? Also, I just realized that he has never sent us any money? Any kind of support? If he wanted to respect dad's decision then he really did a great job. I never once felt his presence."

"He did offer to send us money, but I asked him not to. I was still able to support us when your parents died, right?"

Nash crossed his arms as he rejected the idea of having an uncle.

"I didn't even go to college just to support us!" Nash simply snapped.

His Mima grabbed hold of his hands and tried to calm him down. "I know! I'm so sorry for putting such a heavy burden on you. That's why I contacted Zach and asked for help."

For the first time Nash stared angrily at his Mima. "So, what you asked him for help about two years ago? Let me guess, he turned you down, right?"

"I didn't get any reply from him until last month. He apologized and said that he got caught up in something important. He had only finished the second phase and only got to check his mailbox just a few days ago."

"Really? Doesn't that sound too convenient? Now that we have a house and have some decent income! Mima, I wanted this weekend to be a memorable and relaxing one. I'm also aware of your condition that's why I planned this whole thing, but please let's drop the topic about my uncle."

He heard his Mima Daphne give a deep sigh. "Alright, I'm sorry for bringing it up."

With the need to change the topic, Mima Daphne spotted an archery field from the nature trail. "Nash, did I tell you about the time your Papap got invited to play in the olympics?"

Nash quickly took her cue and eagerly asked. "Was he really? You never mentioned that. Come to think of it, you never spoke much about anything that happened in the past."

"Hahaha! Good! You see, I promised myself not to be like one of those old ladies who keep on talking about the same thing over and over again." She smiled.

"Don't get me wrong. I love reliving my memories, but I try to keep these things to myself. But who knows? Maybe this is the sign that I'm already getting really old that I'm starting to blab a lot of things."

"Now, we don't want that Mima. You're still young. How about we make some new memories right now? Instead of thinking about Papap's archery skills, I'll show you mine."

"I didn't know you knew archery?" His Mima asked.

"Well this will be my first time, but I think I have the theory down." Nash said with a grin.

He led the way to archery field. They found the one in charge and asked if they could borrow a set of bow and arrows. Mima Daphne comfortably sat in the viewer's bleachers and watched Nash try out archery for the first time.

The Etona Lawa archery guide explained that there were two scoring methods in their archery field. The five zone imperial and the ten zone world archery. It used the same colors with a slight change in points because of the outer and inner rings.

Five Zone Imperial System

White - 1
Black - 3
Blue  - 6
Red   - 7
Gold  - 9

Ten Zone World Archery System  Outer White - 1
Inner White - 2
Outer Black - 3
Inner Black - 4
Outer Blue  - 5
Inner Blue  - 6
Outer Red   - 7
Inner Red   - 8
Outer Gold  - 9
Inner Gold  - 10

Most beginners started with the five zone imperial system at a distance of forty meters, but the field currently available was the ten zone world archery system.

Nash stood in front of a target with a distance of seventy meters away. He clutched the metallic green bow in his hands and felt confused just looking at it.

It didn't look anything like the one he had in Zectas. He was surprised to see that the bow in the real world had many complicated attachments.

There was a sight, sight window, center stabilizers, fiser, arrow rest, nock point, and many other parts that the guide mentioned that he forgot.

He closed his eyes and pictured himself that he was inside Zectas. He pulled the arrow back and aimed for the target.

WHOOSSSH.

The arrow soared awkwardly from his bow and dropped on the ground some thirty meters away. He couldn't believe at how short his shot was that he felt like digging a hole in the ground and hiding in it.

He fired again and again and again. Until the tenth arrow he finally nicked the target. He searched for his Mima in the bleachers and saw her give him a round of applause.

He kept on firing more arrows until he felt that he knew how much force he should put into his fingers and shoulders to get the desired distance.

After three successful hits on the outer white zone, he looked to his grandmother once more but this time he found that she started reading a pocket book she had brought in her fanny pack.

With all thirty-six arrows out he decided to walk to the target and collect his arrows. He kept on practicing again and each time he finished a round of thirty-six arrows he got more arrows in the target.

On his tenth round of thirty-six arrows, his Mima called him and asked if she could return to the cabin ahead of him. He immediately dropped the bow and arrows and ran to her.

"I'm so sorry Mima, I got caught up in the moment. I never realized how much I liked firing an arrow before."

His Mima touched pinched his cheeks. "Don't worry about it. Your Papap was the same. You go on ahead and practice some more. I already asked one of the guides here to escort me back."

"Are you sure?" Nash asked.

"I'm positive. Now, go and have fun. You looked good out there." His Mima gave him a hug before she went to their cabin.

Nash instantly picked up the bow and resumed his training. After another fifteen rounds of thirty-six arrows, all of his shots went inside the blue, red and sometimes gold target zones.

He tallied his score and found that he got 268/360 (74.44%) points from all thirty-six arrows. Yet, if he had used the five zone imperial system, his score would have been 284/324 (87.65%) points.

It was then that a middle aged man wearing a jersey with the flag of Austria walked up to him. "Hello there!"

He turned around and observed the middle aged man closely.

"You know, you have an interesting form but if you're trying for a different technique on drawing your bow I'd like to make some suggestions."

"Huh?" Nash simply raised an eyebrow as he was caught off guard by the stranger.

"Sorry if I disturbed you, but you looked too interesting to ignore. I haven't seen anyone as dedicated to archery as you in a while." The middle aged Austrian stretched out his hand for a handshake. "My name is Nico. How long have you been practicing?"

Nash shook Nico's hand firmly. "I dunno, maybe three?"

"Three, huh?" Nico's excited face changed abruptly. "I guess I must be wrong. I could have sworn you just recently picked up the bow. If you've been practicing that long and still haven't discovered your own pull. How about I give you a few tips?"

"Sure, why not?" Nash shrugged and stepped aside as Nico showed him a different posture.

Nico began explaining the positioning of the foot, the fingers, the shoulders, and the breath. He said that all of his body parts had a specific task and a purpose.

Nico fired six arrows and all of them went into gold target zone. Five inner golds and one outer gold. Nash could only whistle at what he saw.

Nash followed what Nico taught him to the letter and fired into the outer red, followed by another outer red, and slowly moved his way inward.

In the next series of shots, he got an inner red, then finally his first outer gold quickly followed by another outer gold. Nash turned around and shook Nico's hands excitedly.

He saw from Nico's smile that he was impressed and confused, but Nash wasn't sure if Nico was pleased with him or at his own teaching method.

"Nash, you managed to do an orthodox shot perfectly. Provided that I slightly modified of it course, but still you did it. What was the reason for your awkward stance before?"

"Oh, I just stood like that because I usually dodge or run around after I fire an arrow. It would be game over for me if I stood in one place. I didn't realize that until you showed me."

Nico's face grew more confused. "Moving around in archery?"

TTOOOOOOOTTTTT!

Etona Lawa's horn for supper time blew and Nash had to stop his archery practice and join his family. He thanked Nico one more time and ran straight for his log cabin.

Nico returned to his friends with a blank expression. "Hey, Nico. What's wrong pal?"

"I dunno. I just met a kid who said he started practicing archery for three years now and doesn't even know the orthodox stance."

"Well, maybe he got a bad coach or something?"

"Yeah, I think that could be it." Nico said with a bothered face.

"Quit thinking about it. Come on, let's head out to our cabin."

"The kid said something really strange."

"Like what?"

"He said that he had that awkward stance because he needed to keep running around after each shot, otherwise it would mean game over for him. Are you familiar with any running archery competitions?"

* * * * * *

After dinner, Nash and Sherry found themselves in the front porch of their log cabin. They sat in the wooden rocking chairs in silence and enjoyed the panoramic evening sky before them.

Sherry broke the silence. "You know who would like it here?"

"Who?"

"Igniz of course. If there was one character in Zectas that could come to life I would vote for Igniz."

"Really? I thought for sure you would have Sharur." Nash said in a teasing manner.

"Sharur? Now why would I bring him? For you however I know you would pick Laernea. I know you like how she dotes on you."

"Don't be like that. Laernea is like my little sister. If I had one that was extremely furry."

Both of them laughed as they talk about their friends in Zectas. As they laughed, Sherry abruptly took out a small gift wrapped neatly in red and green wrapper.

"Here, it's not much, but I hope you like it." She said shyly.

Nash hurriedly unwrapped his small gift and found a small silver necklace with a fiery silver Igniz at the center. "Wow! This is really nice. No wonder you talked about Igniz for a minute there."

Both of them laughed again. "Thank you so much, Sherry. I love it!" Nash immediately wore the necklace and gave her a quick hug.

They sat back down their respective rocking chairs and resumed their enjoyment of the night sky. "This is fun. We should do this more often." Sherry said out loud.

Nash smiled but it disappeared quickly. "Yeah it is. But I don't think we can do it anytime soon. Oh, right. I also left a surprise for you in Zectas."

"A surprise? Sounds intriguing. I wonder what the surprise could be... Maybe a fresh army of Avendre Mercenaries?" Sherry gave Nash her puppy eyes look.

"Oh no you don't. You're not getting me to tell you what the surprise is. I've still got a lot of things to do in Zectas but let's drop the topic, okay?"

"Yeah... Same here I've got a lot on my plate as well. Verbrannt isn't gonna defend itself. I was just saying that it's nice to get out of the game once in a while."

"Alright, let's not talk about Zectas right now." Nash said with conviction. He tried to think of something else, but the only other topic he could think of was her.

"So, Donny really likes you, huh? I hope he isn't bothering you too much?"

"Oh, not at all. He's a cutie. It's really interesting to be with someone who talks as much as Donny."

"Ah, I just remembered. I found an archery field and it looks really fun. I don't know if it's from all the archery I do inside the game, but I think I'm pretty decent at it. Want to join me there tomorrow?"

He saw Sherry's troubled face. He thought it was about their checkout time in the lakeside resort.

"Don't worry. We check out at noon. We still should have plenty of time for you to try out archery."

"Umm... Sorry, I can't. I haven't really done any archery in Zectas, and Donny made me promise to teach him more advance tricks tomorrow."

"Oh, okay..." Nash fell silent.

He could feel Sherry's intense gaze as she waited for him to say something else. He looked back at the stars and remained silent. Sherry followed his example and did the same.

Minutes passed and the two of them remained silent. They enjoyed the solace of each other's company. They didn't need words to convey what they felt at that moment.

Nash casually grabbed Sherry's hand and held it. Then a sudden meteor shower fell from the sky. Sherry got to her feet and held on to the porch railings tightly.

He stood behind her and said. "Quick, close your eyes and make a wish. Maybe you'll even find the thing you've been looking for inside the game."

Sherry arched her elbows and hit Nash's right rib squarely. "Ouch!" Nash winced in pain. Yet, a few seconds later he saw Sherry close her eyes.

Nash calmly hugged her from behind. He then gently leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.

* * * * * *

Sierra opened her eyes and found herself inside the King's quarters of Verbrannt Castle. She excitedly searched for the surprise that Smoke had left her.

She opened her status window and various other windows. She found nothing out of the ordinary, until she saw the status window for Verbrannt.

Verbrannt Village

+ Ownership of the Verbrannt Village belongs to: Sierra.

The flourishing village of Verbrannt has grown considerably. However, misunderstanding and unease is rampant in the village. Due to the fact that various races and cultures in Verbrannt are now forced to live together.

Status:
* Happiness: 30%
* Health: 35%
* Food: -20%

Stats:
* Citizens: 8,010
* Offensive Power: 880,000
* Defensive Power: 700,000

Curiously, she walked out the balcony and saw a village of Centaurs camped inside the castle grounds. The dramatic rise in Verbrannt's population overwhelmed her.

She couldn't believe how many Smoke had convinced to join their cause. She remembered Smoke's grand fight with one of the witches and was impressed at the sight of a flying Centaur.

Once she got to the ground floor she found Adder complete with two arms. 'Just how many surprises does Smoke have?' Sierra thought to herself.

"Adder, when did you get your left arm back?" The red werebear gave Smoke's commanding private army a big hug.

"Not too long ago." Adder gave Sierra a sincere smile. "But I'd like you to meet Eldmar and all of the Condortlians who migrated here to Verbrannt."

Sierra was in a trance. Verbrannt's growth had touched her deeply. After she met with the Condortlians, she thought that Smoke's surprise had ended, until Adder said. "This time, I'd like to introduce Smoke's latest private army member."

"What he got a new member? Who is it? It isn't the flying Centaur is it?"

"... Just see for yourself." Adder said.

Without warning, something blocked the sun. Sierra looked up to see what it was. A creature with monstrous wings started its descent towards them.

She gave a devilish smile. She thought it was the flying Centaur, but she couldn't stop her face from showing a disgusted look when she found a monster with a head of a horse and a leg of a human.

"Sierra, I'd like you to meet Ledur. He is Smoke's commander for the Tikbalang corps." Adder said as he pointed towards the winged Tikbalang.

"Nice to meet you, Ledur. I'm sorry for my reaction. I was just expecting the winged Centaur to fly down."

Ledur gave a wry smile. "Don't worry about it. I think I would have reacted the same way if I saw myself diving down."

"Adder mentioned, a Tikbalang corps? I'd like to see them for myself. Do you think I can?" She asked Ledur.

"No problem, but just be reminded they are not the same as me. So, it's best to keep a safe distance from them. The Tikbalangs are hidden in a special earth dome that I built."

The red werebear followed the winged Tikbalang into the special housing built specifically for the Tikbalangs. As soon as she saw the monsters, she knew that they were on schedule to face Duke Burmistrz.

With this much improvement from Smoke's side, she felt that it was her turn to search for her new recruits. She left Adder in charge over Verbrannt.

Even if she left, the village had more defenses than it ever did before. She asked Sharur, Jinggu, Laernea, Gandiva, and Ledur with his special Tikbalang corps to join her.

Adder aided by the three Maneators and the rest of Smoke's private army, she was confident to leave them on her search for the werewolves.

* * * * * *

In the past few weeks, Sierra had searched through the near areas around Repormatl. She found no tracks of any werewolves near the area.

However, she had a gut feeling that she could find some of them in the eastern caves of Bien Cache. She simply followed the path of the forests that had lesser monsters.

Sierra assembled a formidable party. All twenty-six of them were divided equally between Laernea and Gandiva. They had super-sized carriages.

She needed this specific party because the levels of the monsters near the caves were already in their middle hundreds.

Yet despite this, there was another reason. Sierra wanted to remove the latest scariest addition to Verbrannt. The Tikbalangs had an appearance that took a while to get used to.

After weeks of searching, they finally reached the last forest before the caves.

- Entered Chercheur Forest

- Monsters inside this forest are highly aggressive.
- Suggested level for entering this forest is 130.

Inside the forest, they found a family of six bison-like creatures. These monsters had a body length of 2.7 meters. The monster was massive, but Sierra was attracted to the horns. Its bronze horns had an antique feel about them.

One of the bison-like creatures ran towards Sierra's party while the rest of the five bisons ran to the opposite side. Sierra was about to give the command to attack, but Ledur had already ordered four Tikbalangs to meet the beast.

One by one the Tikbalangs dealt a painful blow of 15,000 each. After each Tikbalang finished its attack, it attached itself to the charging monster and started to slow it down.

The monster's life bar and name appeared, ancient bison (190,000/250,000 HP). When all four Tikbalangs finished their attack, the ancient bison stopped dead on its track.

The Tikbalangs jumped on the halted beast and ripped it to shreds. It didn't take them ten seconds to finish the beast off.

Further into the forest, they found a herd of twenty wild war elephants. The herd had fifteen adults and five calves. Sierra remembered Smoke talking about these expensive mounts, and she planned on getting one of them.

Sierra gave the instructions to Sharur, Jinggu, Laernea, Gandiva, and Ledur. She told them about her plan, and she explicitly asked for Ledur to stay within her plan.

They formed a circle around one of the younger war elephants. Before Sierra could give her order, a pack of rabid werewolves came and attacked the herd of war elephants head on.

BAARRRAAAAG!

The war elephants' pack leader trumpeted loudly and warned its entire herd. It rampaged against the werewolves. Sierra's Advance Level 3 Animal Instinct ability informed her that there were fifty werewolves within the area.

Sierra ordered her members to stay hidden. She hoped that the werewolves' deep focus on the war elephants would ignore their presence.

As the matured elephants faced the werewolves, the war elephant calves were left unattended except for a sole adult war elephant which guarded them.

Forty werewolves distracted the adult herd, while ten werewolves bypassed the adults and went straight for the last war elephant that stood between them and the calves.

The ten werewolves overwhelmed the sole war elephant with their incredibly fast Agility. This allowed the werewolves to attack the war elephant with their claws without getting damaged.

The war elephant's life bar appeared (220,000/450,000 HP). Two more rounds of the same attack pattern and the werewolves killed the creature.

Each one of the werewolves carried an elephant calf over their shoulders, while the remaining five severed the body parts of the killed war elephant and carried a big chunk.

Sierra's amazement over the werewolves grew. Not only were they fast, but they had notable strength as well. She resumed her attention on the battle of the adult war elephants and the pack of werewolves.

Most of the werewolves divided into three and fought against one war elephant, but only the two largest werewolves fought against the pack leader of the war elephants.

Unlike the normal sized werewolves, these two did not dodge the attacks of the war elephant. When the alpha war elephant struck them with its trunk, they were pushed back as they caught it with their bare hands.

The two werewolves' life bars and names were revealed, Rear (210,208/250,000 HP) and Phen (215,198/250,000 HP). The two of them simultaneously countered the war elephant with a slash to the war elephant's nose and check.

This time, it was the war elephant's life bar and name that was displayed Leplusdur (720,000/800,000 HP). The two werewolves barely made a dent against the war elephant's pack leader.

Yet despite this fact, Leplusdur ignored the two werewolves and went after the ten werewolves who were carrying the elephant calves.

The werewolves faced against the war elephants began their retreat. Sierra knew that if she didn't do anything now, there would be no other chance.

As the war elephants followed their young, the werewolves strategically went their separate way. Yet, before the two werewolves could completely escape two silver bolts knocked the two werewolves back.

Sierra gave the order for Sharur and Jinggu to stun her targeted werewolves. Both of the lycanthropes winced in pain and searched for the source of the bolts.

When Rear and Phen turned around, the werewolves found themselves surrounded by unknown horse faced monsters. Ledur promptly threw a huge metallic chain over them and caught them.

The red werebear calmy walked over to them, and placed her palms over their heads. She then used her active ability, Lycanthrope Control.

A bright yellow light enveloped all three of them and Sierra read the message notification.

Successfully Controlled Two Werewolves:

Phen ( 250,000 HP )
Rear ( 250,000 HP )

Immediately, she wanted to try out her control over them. "Phen, Rear, come here." The two largest werewolves in the pack followed her command, and bowed down in front of her.

The red werebear ordered Laernea and Gandiva to track the trail that the werewolves left. She wanted to rally more of them and increase her own Lycan army.

Chapter Five: Soul Searching

Sierra laid down on a grassy field outside the edge of a forest. Her eyes fixated on the night sky above. She wore a meaningful smile on her werebear face.

A starry sky coupled with a yellow moon reminded her of something intimate. She half-expectantly waited for a meteor shower to suddenly appear, but it never did.

Two large werewolves with furs of black and gray stood at a height of 2.8 meters. Both of them stationed at the edge of the forest. From afar, they silently stood guard over their Alpha.

Rear, the black female werewolf, specialized in stealth whereas Phen, the gray male werewolf, focused on fending off attacks. The two werewolves remained vigilant, as this area was within the territory of their werewolf pack.

Under Sierra's orders, Laernea and Gandiva led the party to a forest three kilometers away from the werewolves' den. Here, in Lapitna Forest, Sierra decided to hold their vantage point.

Despite her newly acquired Lycan subordinates, thoughts about her time in the real world kept running through her mind. She thought it wise to gather some time away from her men and process what she was feeling.

'Smoke hasn't called me ever since we got back from the trip. Just what did that kiss mean to him? It was all so sudden. I felt fireworks and I'm sure he felt them too, but why isn't he saying anything about it?'

She had more than a thousand questions, yet her time for personal musings ended abruptly when she heard her name being called out.

"Sierra. Sierra. Are you awake?" An OrkElf carefully walked over to her and slightly shook her shoulders. It was Sharur who called her name. She sat up and listened to Sharur's report. "The Tikbalangs' captain, Ledur, is looking for you. Should I tell him you're here?"

"Nah, I'll join you on the way back to the main group." Sierra stood up. She dusted off her werebear fur and followed Sharur into the forest. As Sierra walked past Phen and Rear, they submissively followed her.

Laernea, Gandiva, Jinggu and Ledur sat around a campfire. She heard tall cypress trees creaking loudly. Twenty monstrous Tikbalangs perched on the trees, hidden from plain sight.

She couldn't understand how Tikbalangs could be masterful tree climbers with their unproportional limbs or even as to why they would climb trees, but she thought that it could come in handy for jumping at an unsuspecting victim.

Seeing as some space was left beside Ledur, Sierra sat down next to the winged Tikbalang. "So, I heard you had something important to tell me?"

"Yes. Smoke called me. He asked if you could spare me and the rest of the Tikbalangs. If you allow it, he told us to head back to the Margome mountain range. He said he was heading to the Simiavulg village."

Sierra almost half stood up and had to consciously stop herself from making a scene. Suddenly, Laernea rose to her feet and grabbed Ledur's shoulders.

The lioness Lioumerean asked the winged Tikbalang fiercely: "Why are you only saying this now? Who knows what kind of trouble Smoke is in already?"

"It sounded like he was in control of the situation in Mount Yunggo. It's just that he might have a hard time facing the Simiavulgs alone. He also said he needed to re-focus. Something about making up for lost time since he was away from Zectas for so long?" Ledur said with a straight face.

Sierra saw that Laernea calmed down and went back to where she originally sat. The red werebear then stared into Ledur's eyes. She tried to see if he was telling the truth but couldn't tell from his body language. She worried about Smoke. She knew that facing the Simiavulgs would be an arduous task.

She stared into the campfire. 'But why couldn't he have called me for help? What did he mean by "re-focus"?'

She turned to face Ledur. "I see... Then please leave for Margome immediately. Laernea and Gandiva, take Ledur and his Tikbalang platoon back to Smoke."

Laernea had a concerned expression. "It'll take us almost two days to get to where Smoke is. I hope he isn't in any serious trouble."

Sierra got up. "Sharur and Jinggu, please head back to Verbrannt. I think I'll be able to train Phen and Rear better if I'm alone."

Sharur immediately stood up when he heard her command. "Sorry, but I'll have to disobey that order. You've seen how organized that pack of werewolves was. There's no way you can face them with just two werewolves at your side."

The red werebear stomped her foot, which created a loud sound. The Tikbalangs balanced on the trees had to grab ahold on something so they wouldn't fall.

A deep imprint of Sierra's foot was left on the ground. "This is a direct order! I want all of you to leave immediately. You need to understand Smoke's message. We have to focus on our priorities!"

Jinggu spoke out "We understand. We'll take our leave right away." The older OrkElf forcefully pushed his brother towards one of the stag moose carriages.

Laernea and Gandiva sat in the driver's seat. They did not have to wait long for the Tikbalangs.

THOMP THOMP THOMP THOMP

Swiftly, twenty Tikbalangs came down from the trees and boarded their designated carriages. Ledur gave Sierra a respectful bow before joining them.

Sharur, forced to remain seated by his brother Jinggu, strained his neck to catch a glimpse of Sierra slowly disappearing as Gandiva began to speed away.

* * * * * *

Sierra and her two werewolves stalked a lone ancient bison. The beast had a body length of three meters. It was larger than the ancient bisons she saw before.

The unsuspecting creature grazed beside a small creek inside a forest fragment of Lapitna. She thought that these were the perfect conditions for a successful kill.

"Phen, you take the front. Rear, do your specialty and attack from behind. I'll remain hidden and wait for the ancient bison's reaction."

As a sign of acknowledgment, the two werewolves grunted and growled. 'I wish these guys could talk. Well, at least they understand my commands.'

She positioned herself in between her werewolves. She excitedly waited for them to attack. 'These werewolves could become the cornerstone of my own private army.'

Sierra briefly looked back on her past experiences.

'Sure, I have command over Smoke's private army. Sure, I have a village that technically belongs to me. But none of that feels like it's really mine.'

She pondered on about her accomplishments in Zectas. Somehow, Smoke played a major role on all of them. Even with Phen and Rear, she used Smoke's newly acquired Tikbalang squadron to subdue them.

That was one of main the reasons why she decided to be alone. She needed to subjugate the rest of the werewolf pack with her own power.

As her werewolves got closer, Sierra readied herself to pounce. Rear stealthily got close to the ancient bison and dug her claws deep into its backside.

The beast cried out in pain and tried to kick her off with its hind legs. Yet, the black werewolf expertly dodged the ancient bison's kicks.

With the beast's focus on its back, Phen came out of his hiding place and slashed the ancient bison's throat. The force from Phen's attack threw the bison's neck up into the air.

The gray werewolf sank his fangs deep into the ancient bison's neck. Sierra watched as its life bar went from full to 30% from those attacks alone.

Sierra jumped out from behind the bushes and slammed her claws into the ancient bison's spine. The beast's body hit the ground hard. Phen and Rear remained unfazed by Sierra's attack.

Both of the werewolves kept on clawing and gnashing at the targeted bison.

+ Your party has dealt a fatal blow to the ancient bison.
+ Your party gained 170,000 exp.

Sierra couldn't believe how much ancient bisons were worth in terms of experience. These bulky beasts gave almost the same amount of experience as the skeleton knight, the boss inside the mausoleum.

Based on this hunt, she decided to take on groups of up to three ancient bisons. They patiently stalked their next targets.

When the ancient bisons got within their attack range, they sprang from their camouflaged positions and took on one bison each. The startled beasts started to huddle into a defensive formation. Sierra noted that the beasts were massive but not aggressive by nature.

She anticipated the ancient bisons' reaction and gave orders to her two werewolves in advance. She asked Phen to encircle them while Rear would run in between them before the beasts could close their ranks. The red werebear and gray werewolf ran circles around the panicked beasts.

Sierra and Phen attacked the ancient bisons as they ran. The monsters retaliated by thrusting their horns. The red werebear got damaged, but her high defense only resulted in 9,000 damage points.

With Rear in position, Sierra gave her the signal and the black werewolf performed a swirling attack which made multiple slashes at hind legs of all three ancient bisons.

The beasts buckled and slumped down to the ground. Rear's backstab attack severed the hind legs of two ancient bisons.

Only one managed to run five meters before its hind legs were torn off. Phen instantly gave chase and devoured the ancient bison.

Sierra and Rear plunged their claws into the two crippled ancient bisons. It was a bloody and messy scene. Sierra couldn't believe the way she fought.

With her primal instincts surfacing, her attacks became more raw and savage. The hunt with her two werewolves not only increased her Lycanthrope Control, but it also increased her Animal Instinct ability and basic attack power.

She hunted two more groups of three ancient bisons. After the third successful hunt, Sierra decided to go after ancient bisons that were in a group of five or more.

Their first battle against a group of seven ancient bisons lasted four times longer and reduced Sierra's life by 10%.

They kept on hunting the larger-numbered groups until Sierra's life bar displayed 30%. While she rested and recovered her HP, Phen and Rear searched for their next targets.

As she sat, she pondered whether to raise the stakes even higher and go after wild war elephants that they had seen before.

However, Sierra didn't see any sign of the behemoth war elephants nearby. In her werebear form she had a high recovery rate which made her accustomed to resting in order to regain her HP.

She rested for ten minutes and her health recovered to 60%. She decided that it was enough to push on against the larger groups of ancient bisons.

Yet before they started, Rear went over to her and offered her crushed purple berries. The black werewolf grunted and motioned for her to smear them over Sierra's wounds.

Sierra allowed the black werewolf to put some of the mysterious purple paste onto her wounds. Her missing 40% HP replenished at an increased rate after Rear applied the purple paste.

Due to Rear's crushed purple berries, Sierra had no further need to rest. After her group of Therianthropes would wipe out a group of ancient bisons, Phen and Rear would search for purple berries to give to Sierra.

They repeatedly hunted the ancient bisons until she no longer needed to give out any commands.

Due to the fact that they hunted without rest, Sierra's level increased by two, while Phen and Rear's levels increased by three.

Sierra at level 102 led her two werewolves who were still at level 97. She took notice of how high their HP were despite their low levels. She wondered if this was an innate ability to Therianthropes.

Hunting with Phen and Rear proved to be extremely efficient and exhilarating. Aside from the increased levels, there was something else that fueled her to hunt even more.

Sierra's Lycanthrope Control ability increased dramatically to Intermediate Level 9. She couldn't believe how fast this ability had been increasing its level since Phen and Rear joined her pack.

She thought it was similar to having a newly created character rapidly level up by hunting with a character 400 levels higher, without the constraint of the 10 level gap rule.

Ever since Phen and Rear joined her, she discovered a new side to her werebear curse. She was able to unleash her feral nature and allowed it to run wild. She did not realize that she had been inside Zectas far longer than what the new health safety patch allowed.

HEALTH WARNING! <24 Hours of straight gameplay>
Please log out within the next thirty minutes or you will be banned for the next 24 hours.
Note: Once logged out, you are banned for the next four hours.

Astonished, Sierra read the warning window for the first time. She thought that getting four hours of sleep would be fine.

Sierra ordered her two werewolves to hunt safely and to return to this same spot after four hours. She allowed them to target up to two ancient bisons at a time. The werewolves growled in confirmation.

* * * * * *

Like clockwork, Sierra logged back in precisely after four hours. Her mind was solely focused on the game. She did not want to be distracted by needless thoughts of Smoke.

AWWWOOOOOOOOOO! AWWWW! AWWW! AWWWOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Her black and gray werewolves greeted her with a resounding howl. She patted their heads and was greeted with a pleasant window notification.

Lycanthrope Control
Passive
Level: Advance Level 1
Experience: (1/10,000,000)

Your understanding of your curse and new life has shown great improvement.
To be able to control your werebear form means mastery of the Therianthrope curse.

+ Ability to control up to fifty Lycanthropes
+ Ability to communicate with your Lycanthropes

She stared at the screen for almost a minute. An ability increase from Intermediate to Advance usually meant an extra added bonus, but she couldn't believe that the wish she made earlier would be granted.

Sierra looked at the black werewolf strangely and Rear suddenly spoke to her. "Alpha Sierra, what's wrong?"

"I can understand you. Can you understand me?" Asked an astounded Sierra.

"Of course. Both of us have understood you right from the start." Answered Rear.

"And what about you, Phen? Can you understand me as well?" Sierra looked at the gray werewolf.

Phen responded with a nod and a grunt.

"Hmm, I guess I can only understand you, Rear."

"Hahaha. No, you can understand him fine. He just doesn't usually say anything."

Sierra clicked her tongue and lightly ruffled the fur on Phen's head. "You had me going there."

Phen bowed his head. "I apologize, Alpha Sierra. That is how I usually communicate."

"Alright, alright. I see that the two of you have followed my orders. Good. Now, let's resume our hunt."

"Ahem..." Rear spoke out. "With all due respect, I think now that you've gained the ability to talk with us, we should also use the Pack Mental link."

Sierra's eyes lit up. "By Pack Mental link, you don't mean that I can get information from this connection, do you?" The bookworm inside her thirsted for new knowledge.

"Yes, that's one of its functions, but we often use it to for quick strike plans. As our Alpha, you have the ability to open a link with us by using a specialized  members list. I heard that you can also see other information from specific pack members."

Sierra nodded her head and excitedly waited for Rear's next instruction.

"Just say 'Engage Pack Mental Link'."

"Alright, let me try that now. Engage Pack Mental Link!"

Pack Mental Link Established!
Pack Name: <<Default: Sierra's Pack>>
Pack Members[2]: <<Default: All >>
Phen
Rear

Through the knowledge of the Pack Mental link, Sierra learned that Phen and Rear were called Betas. The second in command next to Alphas.

She tried accessing Phen's mind and a window which contained different folders popped up.

Pack Mental Link: Phen
[Fighting Abilities]  [Special Techniques]  [Information]  [Inaccessible]
[Pack Attack Patterns]  [Individual Attack Patterns] ...

Sierra was bombarded by the information in Phen's folders and had a hard time exploring all of them. When she opened the Fighting Abilities folder, it showed her a video of Phen executing a specialized ability.

However, the folder that caught her attention was the one labeled Inaccessible. She wondered what that was and asked Rear about it.

"That's usually where a pack member holds personal information that they don't want to be shared with the rest of the pack, but as our Alpha you can access it by using your Alpha Rights."

Afraid of what secrets her pack members might hold from her, Sierra forced Phen's Inaccessible folder open and found a humiliating image of Phen being urinated over by a red werewolf similar to his size.

Phen held his head down in shame. Sierra felt guilty after she saw the embarassing video, but she held it in. "I'm sorry, Phen, We'll get that red werewolf."

Sierra patted the gray werewolf. "Perhaps next time you'll get to confront that red werewolf head on."

Phen bowed down. A bewildered Rear followed the gray werewolf and lowered her head as well.

Next, Sierra accessed Rear's mind. She scoured through Rear's folders and found one about the purple berries.

Guerison Berry

Medicinal berry only usable by the Therianthropes. Can be eaten by anyone, but its medicinal effects are only applicable when it is mashed into a paste and applied over the wounds of Therianthropes.

As Sierra read through the information on the purple berry, she heard Rear's voice but didn't see the black werewolf's mouth moving.

'Alpha Sierra, I'd also like to report that we've found a herd of war elephants one kilometer west of here.'

"Good, good, but how exactly are you doing that? You know, talking to me without moving your lips?" Sierra asked with a raised eyebrow.

'Same thing. Through the Pack Mental link. Just enable Pack Whisper and you can speak normally through your mind.'

Sierra searched for the settings tab in the Pack Mental link and customized it.

'Wow! Alright, I think I've already taken too much time exploring the Pack Mental link. Let's head towards those war elephants!'

With the Pack Mental link enabled, Sierra's movement speed increased by two. It wasn't much of an increase numerically, but it reduced their travel time by twenty minutes.

When they got to a cliff overlooking the location where six adult war elephants and four calves were currently grazing, Sierra discovered that Phen and Rear's original pack had arrived before them.

Fortunately, Smoke's constant reminder of being vigilant rubbed off on Sierra. They arrived without the werewolves detecting their presence.

With her Advance Animal Instinct ability, she counted that the werewolf pack had thirty-two members present. Due to her recently increased Advance Lycanthrope Control, Sierra was focused on adding more members to her pack.

From above the cliff, she saw that all of them were smaller than Phen and Rear. The thirty-two werewolves' fur varied from red, brown, black and gray.

'Which werewolves would you recommend first, Rear?' Sierra asked inaudibly through their Mental Pack link.

'Well, red werewolves have high health but low attack. Brown werewolves have average abilities. Black werewolves are like me - they are great stalkers, while the gray werewolves have high attack and low defense.'

'Okay, we will go for the black werewolves. I will get ready to hold those two werewolves hidden behind that rock. Phen and Rear, you two will surprise them and lead them straight to me.' Sierra pointed at a pair of black werewolves directly below them.

'As you command.' Rear replied while Phen grunted. Both of them immediately followed her orders. Sierra ran fast and got into position.

Sierra waited confidently for Phen and Rear to intimidate the designated werewolves. Just as she expected, the two black werewolves ran with their tails behind their legs towards her.

They tried to stop when they saw a red werebear right in from them, but it was too late. They ran straight into Sierra's paws and she assimilated them into her pack.

Now with four werewolves at her command, she quickly gave out more orders through the Pack Mental link. She went after four more black werewolves nearby and added them to her pack as well.

As her werewolf pack increased, Sierra got bolder and bolder. She almost roared out loudly. She wanted to call all of the other werewolves' attention to her, but her judgment got the better of her and she held back her roar.

Sierra had already gathered twelve werewolves when she spotted another group huddled further ahead. She went after six black werewolves hidden behind the trees.

From their posture, she knew that they were still waiting for a signal to attack. She needed to move fast before the werewolves would leave their posts and attack the war elephants.

Just when Sierra's werewolf pack got into position, they heard a distinct set of howls. The targeted werewolf pack jumped out from their hiding place and ran after the war elephants.

However, the non-assimilated werewolves were the ones caught off guard when they discovered that there were only twelve of them left. The war elephants charged straight at the twelve surprised werewolves.

The non-assimilated werewolves scattered and ran into bushes and trees only to be caught by Sierra's werewolf pack. They were held down by Sierra's werewolves until she got to them.

One by one, she converted all of the captured werewolves until she had thirty-four werewolves in her pack. After she assimilated all the werewolves, she ordered them to regroup and circle around the war elephants.

Sierra interpreted the war elephants' confident demeanor. She concluded that the war elephants knew of only twelve werewolves near them. Once her newly expanded werewolf pack had them surrounded, she growled out loudly and the whole pack joined in.

With thirty-four werewolves at her command, Sierra felt that her body had become faster and stronger. She divided her pack into four groups. Each group took on one adult war elephant.

Since there were six adults among the tusked beasts, Sierra faced one of them alone while Phen and Rear faced the remaining one.

Sierra's werewolves overwhelmed the war elephants with their numbers. The war elephants tried to fend off the werewolves with their trunks and tusks, but once they were pinned down to the ground, it was game over for them.

Phen and Rear's war elephant charged at the gray werewolf head on. Phen did not shy away from the challenge. He took the brunt of the force of the war elephant's trunk directly.

The gray werewolf was pushed backwards, while Rear came from behind and ripped off the war elephant's tail. The beast turned around, giving Phen the opening he needed.

With his sharp fangs, Phen took out a big chunk of flesh from the war elephant's throat and blood gushed out from its neck. Rear followed by pushing the war elephant to the side until it tipped over.

Once it was laid out, Phen and Rear went straight for the throat and kept biting away until the war elephant's head was separated from its body.

Sierra's target was rapidly approaching her.  A war elephant's basic attack was to charge straight into the opponent with its tusks.

Sierra stood her ground and the war elephant's tusks hit her stomach. Yet, she was not pushed back nor did the tusk penetrate her body.

The war elephant's attack only managed to deal 1,000 damage points against the red werebear. Sierra felt that this newfound strength came from being the Alpha of a werewolf pack.

The red werebear placed her massive arms around the war elephant's neck and snapped it like a twig. Then, Sierra climbed onto the beast's back and delivered a heavy blow to its spine.

The war elephant fell to the ground and shook vigorously. It could no longer control its movement due to its dislocated spine.

When she saw that her prey had been paralyzed, she called for pack members who were still waiting on their turn to feast on the war elephants.

From the Pack Mental link, Sierra learned that a werewolf pack followed a hierarchy. Those of the lowest class would wait for the scraps left by those above them.

She wanted to change that and gave this untouched prime prey to the Omegas, the runts of the werewolf pack. As the Omegas ate, she noticed that most of the werewolves who belonged to this group had red fur.

Sierra decided to call them her Red Omegas. She did not know why, but the red werebear felt a strong connection with them.

She took only a portion of the meat and ate on top of a rock. The adolescent war elephants escaped unharmed. She ordered her pack to leave them alone.

She only wanted to hunt monsters that were already fully grown. Her werewolf pack could not understand the reason for that order, but all of them obeyed without question.

All thirty-four werewolves were being well fed with the six war elephant feast laid out before them. As her pack ate, Sierra decided to examine her pack through the Mental Pack link.

Pack Mental Link Established!
Pack Name: <<Default: Sierra's Pack>>
Pack Members [34]: <<Default: All >>
Phen
Rear
Rouge
Rojo
Pula
Marron
Moreno
Kape
Noir
Luto
Itim
Gris
Rucio
Abo
...

Sierra's werewolf pack greatly increased in size and she had a hard time keeping up with the new members. She decided to call them by groups.

She divided them according to their specialties which coincidentally followed their hierarchy. The pack listened to her thoughts and she called out their new group names.

'Gray Gammas, Black Deltas, Brown Epsilons, and Red Omegas.'

Immediately, her werewolf pack stopped eating and grouped themselves according to the new criteria. Phen joined the Gray Gammas, while Rear joined the Black Deltas.

Sierra would not allow her two seconds-in-command to join other groups. 'Phen and Rear, please step forward. You two shall remain in your own group called the Betas.'

Once all her werewolves were in place, they all howled loudly together.

AAAWWWWWOOOOOOOOO! AWWWW AWWWW AWWWWWOOOOOOOO!

Sierra smiled as she listened to her pack's howl, but an alarming yet intriguing information came to light when she delved in the Pack Mental link. She discovered that her pack's former Alpha still existed.

She wanted to face him and challenge him for the rest of the original pack, but she knew better. In order for her to win, she had to train together with her werewolf pack and turn them into an unstoppable force.

* * * * * *

Sierra received important calls from Adder about the situation in Verbrannt. Problems with the different immigrants and races had increased.

She asked him to create smaller communities and give all the different immigrants their own space for now. She wanted to return, but she could not leave without defeating this other Alpha.

The rushed training with her new pack only lasted two days. It was extremely short, yet in that span of time, her werewolf pack had hunted ancient bisons and war elephants with surgical precision.

After each hunt, she would share their food equally to all her pack members. This gave the previously low-ranked members of the pack a noticeable increase in Strength and Agility.

Sierra also made sure to allow more experience points to go to Phen and Rear. In the past two days, her level hadn't increased at all, but the levels of the two Betas increased by 2.

This unorthodox method intrigued the pack and it greatly increased her intimacy with each pack member. As a whole, her werewolf pack had reached 90% Intimacy.

At that point, she gained another ability.

+ Learned Ability: Lycanthrope Pack Mastery
Passive
Level: Beginner Level 1
Experience: (10/1,000)

* Your pack has complete faith in your leadership.
* All pack members are willing to die for you.
* Your growl increases pack members' attack speed and damage by 2%
* Your HP increases as your pack increases
* Pack Members cannot be assimilated into other packs
as long as you are within 200 meters of your pack member.

Sierra enjoyed the many achievements she earned by herself. 'I guess Smoke is right - it is better to focus on yourself.'

She had not experienced this many improvements to her character since she joined Smoke, but now it was as if a limiter had been removed from her.

'My werewolf pack's abilities may have increased, but I want to spend another two days increasing their levels. Phen, Rear. Plot a course towards your old territory.'

Her thoughts would only be heard by her pack members as her Pack Mental link was always enabled. Sierra was bothered at first, but she found that she had nothing to hide from her werewolf pack.

They hunted monsters along the way with intention of fighting other werewolves. If there were no monsters to hunt, they would have skirmishes amongst themselves.

The Gray Gammas, Black Deltas, Brown Epsilons and Red Omegas learned to cooperate outside of their own special squad. This was all thanks to Phen and Rear's training method.

The two Betas would pick several pack members at random and assign them into a team. This not only allowed for everyone to expanded their pack efficiency, but also increased their camaraderie with one another.

At the end of the first day of their two-day journey towards the other Alpha's territory, Sierra sensed other werewolves running towards them.

This pack had fourteen werewolves alongside two Betas and an unusually large Therianthrope. She assumed this Therianthrope was the other Alpha.

Sierra roared loudly and called her pack to attention. The red werebear ordered them to head to the plains. She wanted terrain with no hiding spots and no escape routes.

They formed a semicircle in anticipation of the other pack. It was one day earlier than she had planned, but she welcomed the other pack's challenge.

When the enemies came into view, Sierra was surprised to see a white werebear leading the other pack from the front. 'Of course! Why in the world was I thinking that the other Alpha would be a very large werewolf?' She thought to herself.

The white werebear brought his pack members to a halt when they were twenty meters away Sierra's pack. He stood up straight and called out to Sierra.

"Finally! I've been searching for you ever since I got this curse. We are destined to be together, you and I." The white werebear aimed a devilish smile at Sierra.

Sierra raised her eyebrow. "You're a Zectian. Why would you say that we're destined to be together?"

"Oh? I take it you haven't spoken with Mistress Horrabelle? We are her magical creations. She even begged her sisters to lend some of their powers to her just to create us."

"Horrabelle? I don't know anyone by that name."

"Perhaps you might know her other name - The horrid witch of Wysteria."

Sierra's eyes turned blood-red with rage. This was the witch she had been hunting for.

The white werebear went on to say. "I'm Wodin. Father of our future pack. Did you know that a werewolf pack doubles its overall abilities when it has a male and female Alpha? So, I've come here to meet you. I'm guessing that you were rushing to me to unite our packs, right?"

"You're partially right, but my pack will only have one Alpha." The red werebear growled at Wodin.

The white werebear raised his paws in the air. "Stop! If we fight now, I can assure you that we will lose precious members of our pack."

Sierra held her ground. She agreed with what Wodin said. She did want more members into her pack. At thirty-four versus sixteen, her pack's victory over Wodin's was assured. However, it did not guarantee that she would have thirty-four members left after their battle.

Her thoughts disrupted when she heard Wodin speak up.

"I have a proposal for you. A straight up one-on-one battle. If I win, you will become mine and we will lead the pack together."

The red werebear looked at her pack members. Her gaze lingered on Phen and Rear. "You didn't even mention what I could get if I win."

The white werebear answered with a smug smile. "Well, that will never happen. So I didn't bother to bring it up."

"A one-on-one would be fine, but it wouldn't show off our abilities as Alphas. I propose a three-on-three. You and your Betas against me and mine."

"I have no problem with that. Geraz and Frekaz, step forward."

Two Beta werewolves with furs of brown and red were larger than an average werewolf. Yet Sierra didn't fail to notice that Wodin's Betas were slightly smaller when compared to Phen and Rear.

Sierra recognized Wodin's red Beta werewolf from Phen's inaccessible folder.

Wodin's Beta werewolves walked proudly into the circle created between the two packs. They stopped when they reached their Alpha.

Sierra gave her orders through the Mental Pack link. 'Phen, Rear, make yourselves look smaller and weaker.'

Without question, Phen and Rear did as they were told. They walked towards the inner circle with their tails between their legs.

Sierra keenly observed all of her opponents' reactions. Geraz lightly punched Frekaz's shoulder and gave him a knowing nod.

'Phen, Rear, you two first take Geraz head on. Don't give him a chance to move at all. Wodin looks strong. There is a fifty-fifty chance he could kill me. I want you to come to my side ASAP.'

Both of Sierra's Beta werewolves replied in unison. 'Your will, our claws!'

The red werebear stared straight into the white werebear's eyes and with a howl, their battle for unifying the Lycanthrope Pack began.

With both of his sharp claws up over his shoulders, Wodin came rushing towards Sierra. The red werebear had high confidence in her defense, so she calmly planted her feet into the ground and made a cross guard with her arms.

Wodin's claws deeply scratched Sierra's arms and damaged her for 30,000 points each. Sierra's life bar displayed (246,433/356,433 HP).

This was only the second time she had received such high damage from a simple attack. The first time was from Mitleid, the Maneator King.

Sierra reflexively dodged Wodin's next attack and pushed him away with a counter attack. She used her Double Slash ability and sent the white werebear five meters away from her.

This gave her enough time to check on Phen and Rear. After she saw the progress of her Beta werewolves' battle, she resumed her evasive maneuvers.

She dodged each of Wodin's attacks by retreating slowly. She led him away from the Betas' fight. None of Wodin's attacks reached her.

She wondered whether she was indeed faster than the white werebear. It was possible that Wodin had his own plan. 'Over thinking won't do me any good.'

Sierra remained calm and focused. She took a step back and taunted the white werebear. "This is it, Wodin. This will be our last exchange."

Wodin leapt into the air and aimed his claws at the red werebear. Sierra checked on Phen and Rear once again. This time, she smiled. She took on a defensive stance and planted her feet into the ground.

Wodin's attack was coming straight for the red werebear, but this time Sierra did not bother to cross her arms to block it. She took the white werebear's claws straight into her stomach.

The white Alpha's eyes widened in fear. Sierra understood then and there that Wodin had no intention of killing her. Sierra's life bar had been reduced to (126,4333/356,433 HP).

After Wodin's attack, Sierra executed her plan immediately. She held firmly onto Wodin's arms and used all of her strength to hold them.

The white werebear tried to escape Sierra's herculean grip but was unable to. As Wodin was focused on retrieving his paws, Phen and Rear came from behind him and severed both of his legs after a series of well-coordinated strikes.

Sierra held on firmly to an amputated Wodin. She could feel Wodin's pain as his claws trembled inside her stomach.

"I bet you're thinking how such a thing can be happening. Let me tell you what I learned as an Alpha... It always pays off to take notice of all your pack members."

Wodin strained his neck and saw decapitated bodies of Geraz and Frekaz behind him.

"Wodin, your overconfidence was the key to my victory today. Too bad you won't have a tomorrow to learn from this mistake."

Phen came forward and bit off Wodin's left while Rear did the same attack on Wodin's right arm. Sierra painfully took out Wodin's claws from her stomach.

With apathy, Sierra watched Wodin's stumped body being devoured by Phen and Rear. The gray werewolf went straight for the head while Rear wolfed down the white werebear's intestines.

Normally, she would not allow for such a horrific act to occur, but she needed to show this to Wodin's pack members. For them to know that she was the rightful ruler of the unified pack.

+ You've dealt a fatal blow to the Alpha Werebear: Wodin.
+ You've killed the Alpha Werebear: Wodin.
+ Your party gained 1,000,000 exp.

+ Level UP!

You have 10 stat points ready for distribution.
Your HP has increased by 5,000.
Your MANA has increased by 500.
Your Fame has increased by 1.

Phen and Rear gathered Wodin, Geraz and Frekaz's loot. They gave all three items to Sierra. The red werebear received a Druid's mace, a Witch's cloak, and an Alchemist's belt.

Sadly, these items could only be added to her Backpack window for now. In her werebear form, she could not equip these items.

However, a different information window popped up and surprised her.

+ Unified Werewolf Pack:
Sierra and Wodin's werewolf packs had been assimilated into one.
+ Werewolf pack members: 48.

Sierra grinned proudly. She excitedly got to know each of her new pack members.

* * * * * *

Smoke checked his surroundings. He couldn't believe the battle he was witnessing. He carefully studied whether the participants of the battle below him had sensed his presence. If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would have doubted it being true. He recalled how he found the party of ten Sonstwelters accompanied by one Zectian each.

He assumed that the Zectians accompanying the Sonstwelters were either hired mercenaries or their own personal guards.

He thought that it was rare finding another Sonstwelter this far out in the Wysteria continent. So he decided to follow them for a while.

Mount Yunggo was a host to a variety of monster lifeforms, but the aggressive ones were limited to below ten species. The unknown party of twenty went up against the monsters of Mount Yunggo with ease.

The aggressive monsters they faced were an army of tree frogs, a pack of badger dogs and a family of ruby bears. They dealt with the monsters like they were made of paper.

The three-foot slimy tree frogs' poison was usually lethal. The small-sized monsters would attack in hundreds. They would use their tongues like whips and poison their targets.

Luckily for Smoke, his high poison resistance protected him from the tree frog's poison attacks. They left him alone after realizing they could not harm him.

The unknown party, who had no poison resistance, relied on the Zectians who accompanied them. All ten Zectians had the Job of Battle Monks.

They had an ability called Antidote shield which protected themselves and the Sonstwelter they were paired with. Two Sonstwelters stepped to the front of the party.

One was a female HighElf Aero Magus. She had long braided red hair which reminded Smoke of Sierra. She took out her wand and created a whirlwind strong enough to pick up all the loose rocks, logs and leaves nearby, as well as the tree frogs, and vacuumed them all inside.

Smoke had to use his rare gloves, the Claws of Chiropterra, in order to get a strong grip on the tree he was on. Otherwise, he would have also been sucked into the whirlwind.

The other party member was a male Human with unruly black hair. He followed the Aero Magus' attack with a lightning surge aimed at the monsters caught in the whirlwind.

Huge bolts of electricity were coming out from the Electro Magus' wand as he kept on killing the tree frogs until he finished off all of them.

The Aero Magus dispersed the whirlwind and the party of twenty people climbed up to the next level of Mount Yunggo. There, they faced the badger dogs.

These monsters were the masters of the middle tier of Mount Yunggo. The badger dogs only had a body length of 1.8 meters from head to tail, but their deadly attributes were their coordination, stealth, and speed.

The badger dogs built an intricate tunnel system in the mountain. They would spring out and attack stone deers, rabid racoons and sometimes a ruby bear if the opportunity presented itself.

Since Smoke was stalking the party, he decided to remain on top of the trees. When the party reached the middle level of the mountain, forty badger dogs came out from their burrows hidden in the mountainside and surrounded them.

The Zectian Battle Monks proved to be very formidable hand-to-hand fighters, as each of them dealt with two badger dogs at a time.

As soon as the badger dogs leapt out to attack them, they were met with spiked metal gloves worn by the Battle Monks. The monsters' skulls were getting bashed in by the sheer impact of the gloves.

The party's six Daemon Knights equipped with demon bone armor took out their black Ogre slayer swords and shields. It only took two slashes from their lengthy swords to kill a badger dog.

In a flash, the whole pack of forty badger dogs was wiped out. He heard one of the Daemon Knights shout. "You can't handle us. No one can stop the Dikaya guild!"

Two male Lioumerean lions with the job of Arch Bishops equipped with red and blue Bishop vestments reprimanded the boisterous Daemon Knight at the same time.

"I told you to keep your voice down." Said the Arch Bishop clothed in red vestment.

However, the Daemon Knight kept on making loud noises. The two Arch Bishops simultaneously attacked him with a Purification Ball.

The force of the surprise attack pushed the Daemon Knight down to the ground. The Arch Bishops' synchronized attack made Smoke realize that these two Sonstwelters looked exactly the same.

He immediately thought that the two lion Lioumereans were identical twins. From the reactions of the rest of the Dikaya guild, Smoke could tell that these two were their leaders.

The blue Arch Bishop then addressed the rest of his party members. "If you ever want to catch up to Decane, you better stick to our rules."

With sullen faces, the rest of the party members followed the red and the blue Arch Bishop up to the next level of Mount Yunggo.

There, the party of twenty saw the entrance to a cave where they met the ruby bears. The three-meter monsters emitted a red glow from their sharp ruby-like bodies.

Ten ruby bears came out from the cave and engaged the party of twenty in a fierce battle. The party was in a disadvantageous position of being on lower ground.

Fighting on an inclined surface was generally favorable for those higher up, and the ruby bears looked like they understood this concept as well.

The hardened monsters charged downwards at full speed. The Aero Magus and Electro Magus attacked with their spells at the same time, but their attacks simply bounced off of the ruby bears.

The Daemon Knights met the ruby bears' charge with their shields. Each Daemon Knight managed to stop one ruby bear, but there were four more charging at the Dikaya guild.

Always on the lookout, the Battle Monks tried to double-team the four ruby bears, but their metal gloves could not penetrate the ruby bears' hard armor.

The four charging ruby bears pushed on unperturbed. The red monsters went after the Arch Bishops and Elemental Magi behind the Battle Monks.

Boldly, the Arch Bishops stepped in front of the Elemental Magi. Both of them placed their cleric maces on the ground and created casting circles with Anti-Blessing runes written around them.

With the downward force and the speed that the ruby bears ran at, they could not help but step into the blue and the red Arch Bishop's casting circles of Anti-Blessing.

As soon as the monsters made contact with the casting circle, their hard ruby-like armor turned into red fur. Ten Battle Monks jumped at the four furry ruby bears.

The Battle Monks' metal gloves dealt their intended damage. Sound of broken bones could be heard with each impact.

The two Lioumerean Arch Bishops roared. This time, the two of them ran to help the Daemon Knights locked in combat with the ruby bears still equipped with ruby-like armor.

Careful to remain unnoticed, the red Arch Bishop cleverly positioned himself behind the ruby bears and created an Anti-Blessing casting circle right under the ruby bears' feet.

At the same time, the blue Arch Bishop cast an aerial spell Offensive Blessing on the Daemon Knights. Two golden sword icons appeared over the Daemon Knights' heads.

With the ruby bears' ruby-like armor dispersed, all six Daemon Knights attacked in a synchronized manner. They lopped off the ruby bears' arms and sliced off their heads.

Smoke wasn't sure how these Sonstwelters learned about the exponential damage inflicted by lopping off limbs and then going for the head, but it clearly showed that these members of the Dikaya guild knew what they were doing.

After the battle, the red Arch Bishop replenished the party members' life bars with another aerial spell. Red crosses appeared over their heads.

The blue Arch Bishop did a similar gesture, but this time blue stars appeared over their heads. With their life and mana bars both filled, they took out pieces of bread to increase their Satiety.

Smoke thought that his method of preparing meals was better, as it raised intimacy amongst comrades and the delicious taste of the dish was very realistic, but he envied how cost-efficient Dikaya's methods were.

The DarkElf situated on a redwood tree noticed that the party began preparing their equipment. He did the same. He was ready to jump to the next tree, but stopped once he noticed the presence of four Human-sized creatures approaching.

He saw four Simiavulgs carrying long black metallic staves step out of the bushes and into plain view. The group had all four of the Simiavulgs sub-races. A gorilla, a chimpanzee, a gibbon and an orangutan.

The DarkElf remembered Eldmar's description of them having Humanlike stature, but with dominant apelike features.

The gorilla Simiavulg stood at a height of six feet and two inches. He had black fur covering most of his arms and legs. His hair had a military cut and it stood up increasing his height in appearance.

The chimpanzee Simiavulg was the shortest among the four. She stood at a height of five feet. Her black hair was so straight that Smoke thought she could work as a shampoo model. Provided that only her hair was seen.

The female gibbon Simiavulg stood beside the chimpanzee and she had an equally beautiful blond hair but this was curvy and bouncy.

Finally, the male orangutan Simiavulg walked in front of the three Simiavulgs and spoke out to the Dikaya guild.

"You have entered Simiavulg territory. Leave now and no harm will come to you."

The red Arch Bishop replied with a big smile. "At last. We've found the Simiavulgs. We've been looking for your village for quite some time."

The blue Arch Bishop added. "We're not leaving, especially now that we've found what we were looking for."

"Please leave peacefully. Cuezaltzin would not wish for us to shed any needless blood." Pleaded the orangutan Simiavulg.

"We're here to increase our strength. A quest informed us that if you train in a Simiavulg Village for a month you could get unimaginable powers. We don't know if it's an item or a level increase but we're dying to find out."

"Howk, howk. That might be difficult since there hasn't been a non Simiavulg in our village for hundreds of years." The gorilla Simiavulg answered back.

The blue Arch Bishop let out a maniacal laughter. "BWAHAHAHAHA. True, but we know that if we defeat you, you will be obliged to take us to your village."

Despite the Simiavulgs pleas the Dikaya guild went on the offensive. Immediately, the Arch Bishops cast buffs on their party members.

The Aero Magus cast her strong whirlwind and it picked up all the loose objects in the area. A dust tornado formed around the four Simiavulgs and they disappeared into the tornado.

Lightning struck down from the heavens as the storm clouds gathered by the Electro Magus appeared. Bolts of lightning kept on attacking the insides of the tornado.

The red Arch Bishops created an inner Anti-Blessing casting circle while the blue Arch Bishop created an outer version of the same ability.

The double Anti-Blessing casting circle would not alone remove all buffs but would decrease the life and defense of its victims by at least 30%.

Three minutes passed and the tornado and lightning's power started to fade as their Magus ran out of mana. Twenty Dikaya members surrounded the area near the tornado's edge.

When the Aero Magus' tornado attack finally dispersed, the Dikaya members found four Simiavulgs intact. Their targets holding firmly onto their black metallic staves.

The Simiavulgs' life bars appeared and it revealed that all of them had over 250,000 HP. Yet, the truly terrifying thing was that even after the tornado and the lightning attacks, all of the Simiavulgs' lives remained at 100%.

The Daemon Knights and Battle Monks ran towards the unscathed Simiavulgs. Their Ogre slayer swords pointed up to the sky and came crashing down against the Simiavulgs.

A yellow force field covered the four Simiavulgs in a dome like shield. None of the Daemon Knights' swords could penetrate the barrier.

The Battle Monks metal gloves only created sharp ringing sounds every time they made contact with the yellow force field.

Three minutes of constant sword strikes and metal gloves pounding ensued against the Simiavulgs' yellow barrier. Yet, Dikaya's members could not make a single dent.

Special attacks from the Daemon Knights and Battle Monks all used mana, and they stopped when they all ran out of it. The two female Simiavulgs stepped outside of the barrier when their attacks ceased.

In a flash, the chimpanzee Simiavulg and the gibbon Simiavulg rammed their black metallic staves into the Sonstwelter Daemon Knights. Instantly killing two of Dikaya's members in a single attack.

The Aero and Electro Magus were both about to drink a blue potion bottle when the orangutan's black metallic staff skewered both of the two Sonstwelters at the same time.

After witnessing the one-hit-one-kill ability of the Simiavulgs, both of the Arch Bishops started to retreat, only to be faced with the gorilla Simiavulg.

"You should have listened to what Doctus was offering you. He told you to leave quietly, right?"

In sudden panic, the red and the blue Arch Bishops used up all of their known abilities against the gorilla Simiavulg. They cast various purging orbs, toxin orbs, anything they could think of until they used up their last mana point.

The gorilla Simiavulg grinned from within his barrier. "Tsk tsk tsk. I told you, you should have listened to Doctus. Oh well, know that I, Tenvis shall wait for your return if you are stupid enough to do so."

Tenvis ended his barrier and raised his black metallic staff over his shoulder.

KLOOGG! KLOOGG!

A swift downward-motion strike to each Arch Bishops head knocked them to the ground and killed them. The orangutan faced the Battle Monks and asked them.

"Do you want to end up like your Sonstwelter counterparts? Remember, they could return but you, ten, cannot."

The ten Battle Monks quickly glanced over at each other, and understood that they had come to the same decision. All of them ran the opposite direction from where the Simiavulgs stood and escaped with their lives.

Smoke remained motionless. The four Simiavulgs stood their ground until the Battle Monks were out of sight. He had been waiting for Ledur to arrive with his Tikbalang corps, but he feared that the next time he would meet the Simiavulgs they would have more than four members in their Simiavulg party.

He knew he needed to do something and it had to be now. Smoke could only think of one way that would give him the highest chance of being allowed into their village.

Hidden on top of a redwood tree, he was suspended fifty meters into the air. The DarkElf looked at the dizzying height. 'Well, here goes nothing.'

Smoke jumped from the tree and crashed into the branches below him. One of the thick branches broke his left arm while the smaller ones scratched his face.

The suicidal fall took less than four seconds but it felt like an eternity to Smoke. He finally smashed hard into the ground. CRAAASSSH!

The DarkElf tried to stand up but he discovered that he had broken his right leg. He was left with 8% of his life. 'This is perfect. I sure hope this works.'

He tried to crawl to where the Simiavulgs were, but his injured body could not move very well. So he decided to call out his targets.

"Hey, Simiavulgs! I mean, Doctus! Over here!"

In less than three seconds the DarkElf was encircled by four Simiavulgs.

"Eeii. DarkElf? Why do you know my name?" Doctus asked.

"I was a captive of those Sonstwelters you just dispatched. They left me here as an offering to you. I don't know why they didn't use me. I prayed to Cuezaltzin to be saved. Luckily, the great god has answered my prayers."

"Why in the world would they think that the Simiavulgs would want a DarkElf as an offering?" The puzzled chimpanzee Simiavulg asked.

Smoke faced the female Simiavulg and replied.

"I don't know myself. All I know is that if I don't get help soon I'll be dead and I my body will return to their hideout, where I'm sure they will use me as bait again."

The four Simiavulgs discussed with one another.

Smoke thought that this was the best time to use his Beggary ability. "Please save me! Cuezaltzin will surely grant you favors in the here and now."

BEGGARY ABILITY SUCCEEDED!
> You have convinced the Simiavulgs to pity you. Your intimacy with these four Simiavulgs has temporarily increased to 80%.
Note: Intimacy levels will only last for 24 hours.

Doctus, the orangutan Simiavulg walked towards him. "Your faith in Cuezaltzin has rescued you. I find you worthy to be saved."

The orangutan Simiavulg grabbed pieces of branches, leaves, and vines and threw them onto a pile. He drew a transmutation circle around the pile and created an emergency gurney.

"Come, Tenvis, Meras, and Castas. Let us help this DarkElf to our village."

Chapter Six: Unique Indoctrination

A heavily-bandaged Smoke laid on top of an emergency gurney made out of latched logs, branches, leaves and vines. The Simiavulgs placed a splint on his right leg and left arm that broke as a result of his fifty-foot intentional drop.

He laid flat on his back, which displayed a black metal orb attached to his leather breastplate. The orb's bulky appearance raised Castas' curiosity.

The chimpanzee Simiavulg asked. "What is that thing on your chest? It looks like a part of a shield or something?"

"Good eye. I'm impressed! That's right, this was a part of my round shield. I needed to upgrade my shield for a better one, but I couldn't leave my lucky charm behind."

Smoke patted the round black orb on his chest. "I now think of it as a part of my body. I know that it's because of this thing that I survived through a lot of life-threatening situations. This shield even blocked against a ..."

Castas raised her hand and shrugged her shoulders as if to signify that she didn't want any further information. Smoke understood and shut his mouth. Thus, their silent trip towards Saruras village resumed.

From previous stealth operations and from the time when he pretended to be Ilad, the Flame Knight, Smoke realized that it was imperative to have a discreet hiding place for Igniz.

His dark ember sprite also felt uncomfortable staying hidden beneath Smoke's hooded cloak. Which was why he agreed when Sharanga, the WoodElf Huntress, suggested to create a metal compartment for his symbiote.

There were minuscule slanted holes on the orb's surface, allowing Igniz to see outside it. The dark ember sprite remained in his dimmest state to block the light from where he hid.

With Igniz's hiding place secured, he resumed his observation of the four carriers of his emergency gurney. Doctus, the orangutan Simiavulg, led the way as he carried the front right-side of Smoke's gurney. Castas, the chimpanzee Simiavulg, walked beside Doctus and carried the front left-side.

Tenvis, the gorilla Simiavulg, carried the back left-side of the gurney, while Meras, the gibbon Simiavulg,  carried the back right-side. The whole group walked silently through a thick luscious forest towards the summit of Mount Yunggo.

Interestingly enough, the monsters inside the forest stayed away from them, although Smoke could feel their bloodlust and guessed their levels to be well beyond 100.

There were still some of the monster species from the lower level of the mountain, like the badger dogs and the ruby bears, but there were two other that stood above the rest.

A monster called Lemurcat closely resembled an asian tiger, except that its face was that of a lemur. Due to the lemurcat's comical appearance, Smoke found these monsters funny at first.

Yet, when he saw one of them prey on three ruby bears, his impression of the monster changed instantly. He imagined that if lemurcats were to travel in packs, they could prove extremely difficult to handle.

Then they met a group of monsters called Three-headed monitor lizards. These monsters had traveled in a group of five. The lemurcats that traveled solo did well to avoid these monsters with a body length of three meters.

Each head of the three-headed monitor lizard would attack with whip-like elasticity and its prey would be killed after three salmonella-filled bites.

For the three-headed monitor lizards, it didn't matter which kind of monster they would hunt. They would eat everything that stood in their path.

However, none of these two species of monsters ever came to attack Smoke and the Simiavulgs. The DarkElf noticed that these monsters always remained ten meters away from them.

Smoke made a habit of noticing minute details in his surroundings. There were many things he would still miss, but he felt that he had become better at it.

This was also in preparation for an escape route if things in the Simiavulg village were to go south. Smoke carefully watched where they had gone and where they were going. He tried to make a mental image of the route based on any imposing landmarks that he could find.

To his dismay, all of the scenery that they passed looked similar. Although Darius gave him a parchment with the locations of Saruras and Pferde, he feared that this information might be outdated.. He noticed that Pferde's actual location was ten kilometers off the mark when he found it, so the same might hold true for Saruras. He hoped that Saruras village was not like the temple of Aeternus Praesas, the medical temple of Guardias de Tiempo, where the last Beggar Imperator Kumbaba took his son Giro to. That temple would not appear on a player's map even if the player had been there already.

He learned this from the time he got his hidden Job. Darius told him that there were other places in Zectas with this bothersome ability. You would need a special map in order to find their actual location.

Despite the lack of prominent landmarks, Smoke noticed that his view from the gurney was slightly tilted. He concluded that they were still climbing further up.

He received a whisper from Ledur earlier. He told the captain of his Tikbalang corps to stay out of the Simiavulg territory, but to remain on Mount Yunggo.

Smoke told them to be ready for anything, but also to increase their levels and hunt while waiting for further instructions.

As they ascended further up Mount Yunggo, a notification window popped up.

+ Entered the Simiavulg village of Saruras

Wysteria Continent's only Simiavulg community. It has existed for over 5,000 years. The Simiavulgs survived by keeping mostly to themselves.

The notification window surprised Smoke. The scenery had not changed at all. Laying on the emergency wooden gurney, Smoke could only see tall trees and faint sunlight that would sometimes break through the canopy above him.

A few steps after the notification window popped up, his Cunning of the Dire Fox ability detected thirty Simiavulgs directly over him.

Smoke used his Telefax Vision ability and saw them expertly clinging onto the trees. Some of them only used one hand, while others hanged themselves upside down with their feet.

He felt extremely lucky. If Doctus and his party had traveled on top of the trees when they met, they would have seen right through his lie.

After his deep sigh of relief, he resumed his study of the scenery above him. All of the visible Simiavulgs on the trees carried staves, but theirs were blue, unlike the black metallic staves that Doctus and his party were equipped with.

He wondered if those colors had any special meaning to them. There were numerous occasions when he thought about asking Doctus and his men, but decided to keep his mouth shut.

This was only Smoke's second time experiencing broken limbs inside Zectas. The first time was when Mitleid tortured him. When he came up with this plan, he thought that he would recover 100% of his health after some time.

However, Smoke couldn't have been further from reality. It had been four hours since the Simiavulgs started carrying him and despite their medical treatment, his life bar only recovered to 80%.

His right leg and left arm remained broken. 'I wonder if it will also take six weeks before my broken bones heal?' He remembered his experience in the real world.

When Smoke was fourteen years old, he tried to impress his younger brothers with a slam dunk. Unfortunately, it ended with him breaking his arm instead.

'Well, I could always kill myself and recover completely. But I'm sure there's a better way to heal myself.'

Smoke sighed. Lying down proved to fill his head with idle thoughts. He began to second-guess himself whether his plan on gaining access to the Simiavulgs would work at all.

He shook his head and cleared his mind. 'The glass is half full.' He opened his mouth to try to have a conversation with any of the Simiavulgs but they suddenly stopped moving.

They had reached the summit of Mount Yunggo. From where they stood, Smoke could see a blue-green expansive lake with a small island right in the middle of it.

"What is this place?" asked Smoke with mystified eyes.

The black-haired Simiavulg smiled, touched his shoulders and answered. "Welcome to Saruras village." Taken by surprise due to their previous silent treatment, he responded with a forced smile.

Smoke wanted to slap himself for asking the question out loud. He did just read the notification message, but he couldn't stop himself.

The mysterious island at the center of the lake captivated him in a way he couldn't understand. From his seated position on the gurney, he couldn't see any boats or other means of water transport nearby.

Black sand and dark-colored pebbles covered the shoreline of the lake. He wondered how they would get across to the island. He heard Doctus order the rest of the Simiavulgs to put him down.

Then, he saw Doctus walk over to an unnatural rock formation near the edge of the lake. He watched as Doctus placed his black metallic staff into a receptacle on top of the rock formation. The Simiavulg then made his staff face the island.

Smoke heard a rumbling sound, but didn't feel the earth shake. A brick road covered in green algae rose from within the lake. It had a width of five meters and Smoke thought that even carriages could travel on it.

Doctus took out his staff and joined the other Simiavulgs as they carried Smoke over the risen road. The DarkElf remained seated on his wooden gurney and watched in awe over the green lake. After thirty minutes, they were halfway to the island. There, Smoke thought that he saw something moving inside the lake.

He squinted his eyes and tried to peer into the murky waters. In an instant, a coral spear attached to a tentacle sprang at him. He reflexively tried to dodge and almost got knocked off the gurney.

However, the coral spear was blocked by a transparent barrier that changed its color to red upon impact. Seven more tentacles with coral spearheads attacked the barrier of the brick road, yet, none of the attacks made a dent on it. The lake monster raised its head and looked at them. Smoke looked around and found that the Simiavulgs remained unfazed by the monster's appearance.

Smoke had a concerned expression, which was why Castas assured him. "Don't worry, this barrier was made by four black-staves masters who were way stronger than us."

A pair of giant eyes attached to an even bigger head appeared. A giant squid with two feeders menacingly dancing behind its head emerged from the water.

The giant squid launched its strongest attacks, but the road's barrier still did not budge. The giant squid thrashed around the lake before submerging into the deep once more.

Meras, the gibbon Simiavulg, addressed the rest of her kin. "You'd think that Calamar would have learned by now."

Doctus replied. "Giant squids aren't like war elephants. They never learn their lessons. Calamar will keep on trying to smash through our barrier for as long as it's alive."

Meras then asked Doctus. "How old is Calamar now? I mean, he has to be old for him to reach level 500."

"I don't know. Ever since I was a young Simiavulg, he was already that big."

Smoke listened intently on their conversation and tried to join casually. "Are there any other high-level monsters like Calamar in the lake?"

Doctus looked straight into Smoke's eyes. The DarkElf felt like the Simiavulg was looking deep into his soul for a few seconds before Doctus finally answered.

"There are two other monsters whose levels reach beyond 300, but aside from those there are only monsters with an average level of 100."

"Those three monsters feed on the lower-level monsters as easily as if they were fish bait." Added Tenvis, the gorilla Simiavulg.

Smoke nodded as he listened to the Simiavulgs' explanation of the monsters in the lake. Once the Simiavulgs started talking, there was no stopping them.

They reached the end of the algae-covered brick road in no time. Smoke worried earlier because his intimacy with them had not grown at all ever since he joined them. Yet now when he checked his intimacy bar with them, it had grown to 82%.

He was laid down on the ground once more as Doctus walked over to a similar rock formation with a receptacle for a staff. He saw the Simiavulg turn the staff around and brick road descended back into the lake.

All four Simiavulgs carried him towards the tall iron fence that surrounded the whole island. They stopped when they reached an ornately designed iron gate.

The embossed iron figures of four Simiavulgs equipped with staves, aligned and in their fighting poses, looked extremely similar to the ones accompanying Smoke, which made him ask. "Are those four Simiavulgs on the gate based on you guys?"

"Howk howk howk. I wish!" Tenvis answered. "No, those are the four legendary grandmasters who lived 5,000 years ago." Tenvis then tapped on the iron gate with his black metallic staff and shortly after, the gates opened wide.

When they entered, Smoke saw a small hamlet similar to the one in Nanahuatl. The houses were made out of wood and concrete. Their glass-stained windows decorated in Simiavulg art brightened up the village.

Zectas' virtual reality had imprinted the sense of a belongingness in him and that was in Nanahuatl. He suddenly got homesick. He couldn't believe that he had been away from Nanahuatl for a long time now.

Steadily, a crowd of Simiavulgs from the four different sub-races began to gather in the main street. For most of them, this was their first time seeing another race.

He heard a small gibbon Simiavulg talk to his mother. "Mama, was that guy punished? Why did the four great masters shave off all of his hair? And they even beat him till his skin turned purple!"

Similar comments from other young Simiavulgs ensued. Smoke's only reply was a smile and a wave. Doctus, Tenvis, Meras and Castas walked onward with military precision.

Smoke kept up his pleasant demeanor. He felt like he was being paraded and displayed for the entire village to see. The Simiavulgs took a right turn when they reached a fork in the road.

He noticed that the scenery changed afterwards. All he could see were tall walls, grandiose gates and the roofs of the buildings behind them.

The rooftops of the buildings in this street looked like the ones of oriental martial arts temples from the old chinese movies he liked to watch.

The street had two well-decorated gates on each side and one at the end of the road. There were five of them in total. In front of each temple gate were Simivulgs with blue and brown metallic staves.

All of them had their heads bowed down, with their staves pressed against their chests as both their hands touched. Smoke could feel the deep respect these Simiavulgs gave to the four Simiavulgs who were carrying him.

The biggest of these gates was the one at the end of the street. The entrance had two red pillars with a green dragon on one and a golden tiger on the other.

The Simiavulgs left him in front of the two massive wooden doors with intricate depictions of Simiavulg art. Smoke remained seated on the gurney, completely helpless. He tried to ask the four Simiavulgs what was going on, but they left before he had the chance.

CREAAAK.

Slowly, the wooden doors swung outwards. An orangutan Simiavulg stepped outside. He dragged a red metallic staff that made a weird noise as it touched the floor of the temple.

Smoke sat still as the orangutan Simiavulg studied him. "Hmm. Doctus said that he found a gravely injured Cuezaltzinian, but I don't understand why he decided to allow a DarkElf entry to Saruras."

Reflexively, he tried to explain his situation to the Simiavulg. "You see, I was ..."

"Shush! Quiet! I wasn't talking to you."

Smoke stopped mid-sentence and still had his mouth wide open.

"Well, with these injuries I guess it wouldn't take even an hour to patch him up and send him on his way."

He immediately wanted to protest when he heard this. He wanted to earn the Simiavulgs' trust and recruit them to his cause. If he couldn't do that, then he planned to at least gain their rumored gift to increase his power.

Yet, the Simiavulg with the red metallic staff would not hear him out at all. Instead, the Simiavulg lifted his staff and tapped the ground loudly.

A pure white gorilla Simiavulg with red eyes came in a hurry and bowed down before the orangutan Simiavulg.

"Saru, take him to the House of healing and truths."

"As you command, Grandmaster Indignus."

Swiftly, the white gorilla Simiavulg single-handedly carried Smoke's wooden gurney with ease. Smoke couldn't believe that Saru could be that strong. After all, he was only as big as Tenvis.

Smoke was carried into the martial arts temple and led to a small detached house the size of thirty square meters. Once inside, he found an open space with a big casting circle almost the same size as the house.

He liked the wide rectangular windows on all four sides, which gave off an inviting feeling. Saru placed him inside the casting circle with numerous runes inscribed around the it.

Some of the runes looked familiar to him. 'These runes looks similar to what Baldaquin used in his casting circle of truth.'

He heard Saru chant a strange incantation, as the white gorilla Simiavulg placed both his palms in front of the casting circle. It created a white light and Smoke found it to be warm and comforting.

Slowly, he could feel his bones move and shift to their proper place. He could already imagine the bones being reattached and restored.

"So, how exactly did you end up like this?"

Smoke turned around and found the Grandmaster Simiavulg behind him.

He thought for a split second and decided to be as truthful as he could.

"I fell off a tree when I was following the Dikaya guild. That's when Doctus found me and saved me."

"You were following the Dikaya guild? I thought you were their captive? Or was it sacrifice?"

"I was originally traveling alone, headed to your village, but then certain circumstances led me into that predicament."

The Grandmaster raised his eyebrow and gave him a questioning look. "Hmmpf. Of course. The Dikaya members wanted to come and gain our ability. Are you the same as them?"

"I would be lying if I said I didn't want it, but I came to your village with a different reason in mind."

"Really?" The Grandmaster Simiavulg stroked his chin. "That's hard to believe, but I know that you're telling the truth. What is your reason for coming here?"

"I came from Pferde. One of the Witches of Wysteria attacked that village. I fought together with the Centaurs and we managed to defeat Terrabelle, yet it came at a great price. They've lost their military power."

Smoke hoped that by telling the Grandmaster about the events in Pferde, he would raise his intimacy with him.

"I've convinced them to move to a different place in order to avoid the two other witches' revenge. Then I heard that they would come for your village next. I was thinking that I could convince you to leave and join the Centaurs at the place they migrated to."

Since it had given him access to Saruras, he used his Beggary ability once more and hoped for the best.

BEGGARY ABILITY FAILED!
> You have failed miserably. The Grandmaster is insulted by your suggestion.
Note: It will be harder to raise intimacy with the Grandmaster for the next 24 hours

"Centaurs! You dare compare us to those filthy Centaurs! You've been to Pferde, right? Then you should know exactly what I'm talking about."

"I apologize. I didn't mean to insult you in any way." Smoke decided to keep his mouth shut for the time being. He feared that if he spoke out to defend himself again it would only lead to a more disastrous situation.

"Hmmpf! Doctus may have allowed you entry to our village, but don't go blabbing about those Centaurs while you're here in Saruras."

The Grandmaster turned his back on Smoke and began to walk out of the room. Smoke could hear him mumbling to himself. "If it wasn't for political obligations, I would've fed this DarkElf to Calamar."

Smoke's eyes grew wide when he heard this, but then the Grandmaster faced him again, this time with a forced smile.

"My assistant will comply with your healing request." The Grandmaster gave a signal to Saru, the white gorilla Simiavulg, and left the room Smoke was in.

Saru proceeded as ordered and healed Smoke in silence. Smoke wanted to have a conversation with the Simiavulg healing him, but he decided not to.

He learned to keep his mouth shut with the Simiavulgs. He feared that he would make the same mistake and offend him as well, just as he did with the Grandmaster.

The healing process took a while. He sat there in silence, but wanted to learn more about Saru. So instead of talking, Smoke spent the time observing the white gorilla Simiavulg.

He noticed the matching white metallic staff next to Saru, as well as Saru's red eyes. Due to these two facts, he wondered whether Saru was an albino Simiavulg.

Yet the one question that his curiosity obsessed about was the meaning of the colors of the staves. This only grew even more when he saw Saru and Grandmaster Indignus' staves.

'I wonder if Saru is on the same level as Doctus and the others?'

In the silence, his mind wandered even more, thinking about what form of power boost the Simiavulgs would give him. After thirty minutes of healing inside the casting circle, Smoke's life bar displayed a fully recovered state.

Smoke stood up and did some random punches and kicks to see if there were any problems with his previously broken limbs. He found none and felt even stronger than before.

He watched a kneeling Saru waiting patiently for him to finish his self-checkup. After his short stretch, he was taken to another building.

The scattered cherry blossom trees in the courtyard gave the martial arts temple a romantic feeling. He wondered where the other Simiavulgs were.
'I guess this isn't like the shaolin movies I've seen, where the students are constantly training everywhere.'

Saru led Smoke to a palatial building. They took five flights of stairs, which led to a door with a Yin and Yang symbol on it. The white gorilla Simiavulg knocked and they heard a metallic staff being tapped on the floor in response.

Smoke saw Saru place his white metallic staff on the side of the door and then push the door with his two hands. This made Smoke wonder just how heavy those doors were.

He was led inside a circular room with a single black marble chair that had a spotlight on it. In front of the chair was a raised desk shaped like a curved wall.

Apparently, the Grandmaster, Doctus, Tenvis, Meras and Castas were all waiting for him. Saru left the room after Smoke was seated in the chair.

'I guess this means that Saru isn't on the same level as these guys.'

Doctus stood up and reintroduced themselves. "Hello again, Smoke. As you might have already guessed, the four of us you first met are the great masters of the temples that we've passed through to get here."

Smoke couldn't help but notice that Doctus and the Grandmaster looked exactly the same. He remained silent as Doctus pointed to the other Simiavulgs and stated their names again.

When Doctus was about to introduce the Grandmaster Simiavulg, Smoke saw all four great masters stand up and bow before the Simiavulg with a red staff. "And this is our esteemed Grandmaster, Indignus. The four of us report to him."

He thought to himself that it would have been nice if Doctus was the Grandmaster and not Indignus. He could tell right away that Indignus had it in for him.

"I'm sure you're wondering why we've called you here." Doctus said.

"With all due respect, I know why I'm here. This should be a talk whether or not I'll be allowed to stay in Saruras."

Doctus smiled at him. "That's correct. That's very perceptive of you. Personally, I don't have a problem with it."

'But Indignus does.' Smoke thought to himself.

"But Grandmaster Indignus pointed out that it would be unfair for you to stay here just because  the four of us wanted to ensure your complete recovery." Doctus paused and looked at Grandmaster Indignus.

"According to the rules, an outsider can only stay in our village under the restriction of being a student of our sacred arts."

"Then I would like to humbly ask to be one. Where do I sign up?" Smoke replied with eagerness.

"I had a feeling you'd say that. Well, to become one, you would need to best at least one staff-wielder. Seeing as your treatment in the House of healing and truths was finished only moments ago, we asked the Grandmaster for a compromise."

CLAP CLAP CLAP

After Doctus clapped his hands, a young chimpanzee Simiavulg boy around seven years old stepped into the room. Smoke instantly noticed the boy's yellow metallic staff.

"This is Cibus, a recent graduate of my Pillar Temple. That's where our young receive basic training."

Smoke looked confused. 'Am I supposed to fight this little kid? Are they looking down on me?'

"Oh, I think you misunderstand. We don't want you to fight this kid per se. We want you to try to destroy his barrier."

Castas flipped her straight black hair and smiled. " Put simply, break the kid's barrier and you will earn the right to stay and train here..."

"Which is why this is ridiculous!" Grandmaster Indigus said in an exasperated voice. "Normally, the lowest-level Simiavulg an outsider could encounter would be a blue-staff wielder."

Indignus angrily scratched the back of his head in frustration. "I don't understand why you four would allow this man to challenge a recent graduate of Pillar Temple."

"But, Grandmaster Indignus, you clearly said that Smoke's challenger need only be a graduate of any of our temples." Meras answered with a straight face.

"Argh! Not that again. I clearly meant any of the temples except for the Pillar temple. Any of the specialized temples!" Indignus raised his hands in frustration.

Smoke felt Lady Luck smiling upon him. It had not yet been twenty-four hours since his Beggary Ability worked on the four great masters.

Due to this, his Intimacy with them was still at 82%. "I accept this challenge! Thank you for giving me this fair and just opportunity, Grandmaster Indignus." Smoke spoke fast in order to retain his favorable conditions.

"Fine! Fine!" Indignus looked to the seven-year-old Simiavulg and asked him. "Young Cibus, Doctus told me that you could maintain your Manatl for thirty minutes? Is this the truth?"

The young chimpanzee Simiavulg nervously shivered. "Ummm. Yes, Grandmaster Indignus. I am able to hold my Manatl for that long."

"Good good. Then, Smoke, you will have ten minutes to destroy young Cibus' barrier."

"Wait... What, now?" The DarkElf asked in an alarmed voice.

"Your challenge starts now." Indignus lowered his right hand and a red timer appeared across their table.

Cibus created a glittery spherical barrier in front of himself. Smoke stood completely still in front of the formed barrier before him. He thought that he saw shards of small glass on it.

After being taken aback for a moment, he took out his weighted Chain and Sickle of Dasende and started attacking the barrier in a clockwise manner. A damage roll of 30,000 points flew over the barrier.

Once he completely circumnavigated around the barrier, he confirmed his theory that there was no weaker portion of the sphere. 'Thought as much.'

Two minutes into his challenge and he had made no progress. He activated his most powerful attack, his weapon's active ability called Cyclone of Slaughter.

His body moved like the wind. It appeared as if he temporarily transformed into a tornado as afterimages appeared all around Cibus' barrier. However, even after numerous slashes , the barrier remained undamaged.

Smoke was becoming desperate. He only had two minutes left for the challenge, but all of his attacks were being deflected by the barrier. From the direction of the raised desk, he heard Castas talk loudly. "I'm impressed with Cibus' inclination towards Physical Resistance, but I guess this means that he isn't good against attacks that inflict Status Ailments then?"

"Castas! Why in the world would you..." Indignus reprimanded the female chimpanzee Simiavulg, but Smoke drowned out the red-staff wielder and concentrated on his task at hand.

'Status ailments, huh?'

Smoke unequipped his weighted chain and sickle and grabbed a pair of poison pellets from his backpack window. With a green pellet in each hand, he smashed them hard against the sphere.

Instantly, a yellow bar which displayed (298/300 BP) appeared on top of the barrier as soon as Smoke's pellets made contact.

His eyes lit up as soon as he saw the damage. He only inflicted a single damage point to Cibus' barrier with each poison pellet.

The green poison pellet that would normally kill a level 70 monster in just a few seconds if forcefully ingested. Smoke started taking out several pellets out of his backpack window with each hand and smashing them against the barrier as fast as he could.

A shocked seven-year-old Simiavulg stepped back as soon as he saw that his barrier was about to be destroyed.

BRREAAAAKK

With ten seconds to spare, Smoke broke Cibus' sphere. "Phew!" Smoke slumped down to the ground as soon as the barrier disappeared.

From his seated position, he saw Indignus' face turn sullen. Tenvis walked over to Cibus and patted his back.

Smoke heard him praising the young Simiavulg for his impressive performance. "If master Castas remained silent, I'm sure your barrier would have held out."

Doctus stood up and asked the young boy to leave the chambers. Smoke saw Doctus turn to face him.

"Well done. You are hereby allowed to stay and train in our village. However...", Doctus paused for a moment.

"The final decision to do so must come from you." Doctus finished his sentence.

"What? Why me? If it were all up to me, then of course I'd stay here. Why wouldn't I want to stay?" asked Smoke, surprised and confused.

This time, Indignus stood up and answered Smoke's question. "That is because you will have to undergo a test after your first month in Saruras."

"What kind of test?" Smoke asked.

"A test equal in difficulty to one a blue-staff wielder would be given."And let me warn you that for most Simiavulgs, it takes about a year of intense training to reach the blue staff level." Indigus gave him a smug smile.

"And what would happen to me if I were to fail this test?"

"Your level and your various ability levels would be reduced by roughly a third of what they are now." Indigus answered with a straight face.

Doctus tried to console him. "Don't worry, I'm sure you could do it. The four of us completed our basic training after about twenty-eight days."

Smoke who didn't know the meaning of the staff colors only replied with a polite smile.

Indigus' impatience became apparent. "So, what will it be? Are you willing to take the test or shall I have Saru escort you out of our village?"

A notification window popped up after Indigus asked the question.

+ Quest: Ways of Manatl
Ability Quest
Level: A

Pass the Simiavulgs' test after thirty days. Test's parameters will be given by the temple master you are assigned to.

Failure Penalty:
- Current level will be reduced by 30%
- All ability levels will be reduced by 30%

Accept the Quest? [YES/NO]

Without hesitation, Smoke confidently replied. "It would be foolish of me to leave now. I shall take your test! I'm sure the great god Cuezaltzin will not forsake me."

* * * * * *

Smoke was taken to the wide concrete courtyard outside. The cherry blossom trees did not look as calming as before. They placed him in front of an ancient jar filled with water. It had a height that matched up to his waist.

He observed the jar, as it looked extremely old and oddly simple to be of any significant importance.

'If anything is out of place in this whole temple it would be this old jar placed smack at the center of the courtyard.' Smoke thought.

Smoke, Doctus, Tenvis, Meras and Castas circled around the jar. Doctus explained why they were all gathered there.

"Do you remember what happened when we fought against the Dikaya guild?"

"Vaguely. All I know is that you wiped the floor with them."

Tenvis chuckled. "And we weren't even using any of our black staff techniques yet. Howk howk howk."

"Ahem. Can we please stick to the topic at hand?" Doctus reprimanded Tenvis.

"Sorry. Please don't mind me."

"As I was saying. If we responded with normal forms of defense or counter-magic against the Dikaya guild, then I doubt that we would've handled them as easily."

With his right hand on his black metallic staff, the orangutan Simiavulg opened his left palm and a yellow light-energized glove covered his hand.

"This is what we call a Manatl. It is said that our founder was once in deep meditation under one of these cherry blossom trees." Doctus pointed to the trees in the courtyard.

"It was then that she discerned that the Mana around us could be forged into an energy catcher that could absorb all forms of energy."

Smoke then saw Doctus give a sign to Meras and she performed a Lightning Wizard's ability called Wrath of a Thunder God. The clear skies turned to gray and bolts of lightning appeared from within the storm clouds.

CRAAASSSHH CRAAASSSHH CRAAASSSHH CRAAASSSHH

Series of lightning bolts from stormy clouds began to strike down to the ground. Doctus planted his black staff in the ground and stood on it with only his right foot. The orangutan Simiavulg raised his left hand covered in an energy glove and caught all of the lightning bolts with ease.

The storm clouds dispersed and so did the lightning bolt attacks. Doctus leapt off from his staff and held it comfortably with his right hand.

"Of course, this isn't the most efficient way to do this. What if an attack would come from the back? Which is why our founder thought to create a covering. A mantle, if you will. Hence the name... Manatl."

Doctus raised his black metallic staff over his head and created a yellow spherical barrier around him.

"In this form you could block any attack. Even from below. The Manatl goes down into the ground and creates a perfect sphere around you."

"Whew!" Smoke whistled loudly. He would've clapped and even jumped if he wasn't able to keep his excitement in check.

"Although the basic Manatl can block most attacks, it would only block up to a certain percent. Let's say you were hit with a sword. Then, at best, it could only absorb up to 80% of the damage and that's after years of training."

"But you guys were unscathed after you fought against the Dikaya guild? How did you do that?"

"Well, that's because all four of us have trained with specialized Manatls." Doctus smiled at the other three Simiavulgs with him.

After the short explanation on Manatl, Doctus shifted everyone's attention back to the ancient jar.

"Now, let me explain what this jar is for. This is the jar of Sensus. It belonged to the founder of Manatl. This jar can tell us which Manatl a student should focus on. I think you'll get a better understanding after we show it to you. Tenvis, if you please."

The gorilla Simiavulg gave his black metallic staff to Doctus and stepped in front of the jar. He then placed both of his hands into the jar until his elbows disappeared. Tenvis then began a swirling motion which created a small whirlpool within the ancient jar.

As the whirlpool inside the ancient jar got stronger, the plain old jar began to strip off its outer layer and revealed a glass jar.

Yet, upon closer inspection, Smoke discovered that it wasn't glass but diamond. He briefly thought about Cibus and his spherical barrier before hearing  Tenvis speak up. "This diamond jar signifies my proficiency in the physical field."

The gorilla Simiavulg took out his hand and the used-to-be-ancient jar remained in its diamond form. Doctus gave back Tenvis his black staff and the gorilla Simiavulg struck the diamond jar as hard as he could.

KLIIINNNNNKKK.

The diamond jar resonated loudly like a delicate glass bell. "Ahhh that brings back memories. I always love to hear that sound! But usually its the white staff graduates who are the one making it. Howk howk howk." Exclaimed Tenvis.

Smoke then remembered the physical attacks from the Battle Monks and Daemon Knights. 'No wonder why their attacks were ineffective.'

A few seconds later, the ancient jar returned to its original state. Tenvis stepped aside and Meras, the blond gibbon Simiavulg, stood in front of it.

She did the same procedure as Tenvis and dipped her hands into the jar until her elbows disappeared. However, the jar did not turn into its diamond form after she created a whirlpool.

Instead, it floated into the air by five feet. Gusts of wind, electric sparks, crumbled rocks and water streams orbited around the ancient jar.

"As you can guess, I specialize in the elements." Meras said with a grin.

Smoke nodded with an even bigger grin. "But how did you guys alternate your Manatls? The Dikaya's attack varied a lot."

"I can't really put it into words, but it feels like you're in a different plane once you get to be a black staff holder." Meras explained.

The orbiting elements dispersed and the ancient jar slowly descended. Meras stepped away from the jar and was replaced by Castas.

She brushed aside her black hair which covered her eyes, before dipping her hands into the ancient jar. She followed the lead of the two Simiavulgs who went before her and swirled the water inside.

After the water inside the ancient jar reached a certain speed, Castas stepped away and watched from a far. The other Simiavulgs followed her lead.

Smoke then felt her hand pulling him backwards. "You'll have to move away a bit this time. It gets a little bit scary."

He quickly followed her instructions and stepped even further away from the ancient jar than the four Simiavulgs. The swirling motion of the water inside the jar transferred to its container.

The ancient jar began to spin around and was slowly picking up speed. It sped up to the point where the jar began to emit an eerie wheezing sound.

Despite that, the jar remained in its ancient form. Castas then proceeded to cast a harmful spell at the jar. Shards of the broken jar scattered in the air around it, but they didn't fall to the ground.

The broken pieces remained suspended in the air. A few seconds later, the shards started to converge in their point of origin.

CLICK CLICK CLICK

Shards of the ancient jar reconnected with one another. Slowly, the jar looked almost whole again. Once completed, it restored itself to its former appearance, an undamaged plain  old jar.

"My Manatl works best against debuffs and dispelling." Castas said coyly.

"Then you should have no problems against Witches?" Smoke asked.

"Hmm. I don't know. I've never fought with a Witch before, but I think I should be able to handle them."

Smoke licked his lips as he imagined what he could do against Crucibelle and Horrabelle if he gained this ability.

Doctus tapped Smoke's shoulders and brought him back to reality. "I'm sure you want to give it a try, but only graduates of my Pillar temple get to take the jar of Sensus and receive a yellow staff after they're sorted into the specialized temples. "

"Are you sure Smoke can pass the his test through the normal process? I hope he won't be forced out of Saruras." Asked a concerned Castas.

"We can never be sure, but I guess we'll just have him take the basic course for now. I'll teach him the ways of the Manatl as best as I can." said Doctus.

"Are you sure that's the best decision? Shouldn't he have some sort of special training? I mean, he only has thirty days til the test." Added Meras.

"Thank you for your concerns, but I believe in Doctus' decision." Smoke answered the two female Simiavulgs. "He's the one that found the goodness in his heart to save me."

* * * * * *

Smoke bowed down before Doctus as the orangutan Simiavulg handed him a white metallic staff. "Let this staff guide you on your journey to become a Manatl master."

"Thank you. I hope to achieve such a prestigious title as well, Master Doctus."

A simple ceremony attended only by Smoke, Doctus and his assistant ended. This signified his official acceptance into the Pillar Temple, which was under Doctus.

"I'm glad you have such a positive attitude, but I have some terrible news."

'The fact that I have to take an extremely difficult test in thirty days isn't terrible enough, huh?'

"Grandmaster Indignus would not allow me to personally teach you the basics of Manatl. I'm afraid you will join the other students."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure I can handle it." Smoke tried his best to conceal his frustration, but he still spoke with gritted teeth.

Smoke and Doctus bade their farewells and one of Doctus' assistant teachers led Smoke to his sleeping quarters within the Pillar Temple. It was a modest room that could just barely fit a wooden bed.

In front of his bedroom door, the assistant teacher warned him. "You shall not receive special treatment just because you're not a Simiavulg. It's best that you learn to adapt to how things work in the temple as quickly as you can."

He was pushed into his room and the door shut loudly behind him. The rough assistant teacher did not appreciate Smoke's enthusiasm to learn the Manatl ability.

As the assistant teacher left the room, Smoke heard him mumbling. "Grandmaster Indignus is right. Manatl teachings should be exclusive to Simiavulgs."

Smoke sat down. He found the room to be quaint and simple. He carefully observed his metallic staff and admired its flawless appearance.

Not missing the opportunity to recharge his real body, Smoke logged out to get some proper sleep.

TANG DING DING DING DING DING TANG TANG

A series of triangles and cymbals clamored and he could hear the shuffling of feet outside of his room. He stepped outside and found young Simiavulgs scurrying down to the courtyard. Most of them still had bread and eggs from the mess hall in their hands and were swallowing their breakfast whole.

The cemented octagonal courtyard had a single skewed cherry blossom at the center of the grounds. The bright morning sun made a bothersome glare.

All of the Simiavulg students went to their respective places. They stood straight with their white staves held tightly in their right hands. The young Simiavulgs formed an evenly distanced rectangle of six students per row with five rows altogether.

Smoke, who didn't know where to stand, stood alone in the back. A male gibbon Simiavulg wielding a brown metallic staff stepped to the front and addressed the students.

"As I have taught you last week, we feel the Mana and project it on top our left hand. Form a small barrier the size of your fist and make it last for as long as you can. Remember that your staves will help you channel the Mana."

In a synchronized manner, all of the students opened their left hands and began to concentrate their Mana to form small barriers.

Smoke could see small sparks appear on top of the hands of most students, but the six students in the first row all had clear small barriers already formed.

When he noticed this, he realized that the students in the second row had faint glimpses of the barriers, but they were still unstable.

As the row went further back so did the lack of stability in the barriers. The gibbon Simiavulg spoke to the students once more.

"Alright! I want you to hold your barriers for the next four hours." He left the front and sat under the single cherry blossom tree in the whole courtyard.

Smoke tried his best to form a barrier, but not even the faintest sign of Mana would come out. An hour passed and he was already soaked in sweat.

Yet all the students from the first row maintained their barriers for the first hour. It was only afterwards that their barriers began to disperse.

The barriers of the first-row students turned similar to the ones of the students in the second row. They remained standing and concentrated on forming their barriers until the second hour.

One of the students in front of Smoke fainted and fell down. The gibbon teacher calmly stood up from his shaded spot and took the student to the infirmary.

'That's right. These students are around seven years old. I guess it is too much to ask of one to stand under the heat of the sun and concentrate energy into your left hand.'

Ten minutes later and the entire row in front of Smoke fainted. All of them were taken to the infirmary. After that, it was every twenty minutes or so when one more student would faint.

Before the final hour passed, only Smoke, the students in the first two rows and one student from the third row remained. The gibbon instructor returned and told them to get some water.

The students instantly ran to the faucets that were aligned with the eight sides of the courtyard. As Smoke walked towards one of the faucets, he again thought that the training was too rough for a seven-year-old to handle.

He would have liked to discuss this with Doctus, but decided not to. This was their culture and the kids in the first two rows looked like they handled themselves very well.

TANG DING DING TANG DING DING TANG DING

The students walked out of the courtyard and into the mess hall. There, they were given tofu with string beans garnished with chopped carrots and potatoes.

All of the students were seated at the tables according to the rows from their morning formation. Smoke sat alone in an isolated corner of the mess hall.

He didn't mind the treatment and just enjoyed how everybody hungrily ate the food in front of them. He followed the children's lead and wolfed down the bowl in front of him.

It had been a long time since Smoke felt this hungry in Zectas. He thought that the food tasted extremely delicious, but he couldn't tell whether it actually did or if it was only because he was really hungry.

After their lunch, the students were given two more hours to rest in their separate quarters. Smoke spent the next ten minutes concentrating on generating a barrier on his left hand, but it never succeeded.

He did notice, however, that his mana was going down as he tried to perform the exercise. His four hours of straight training made him skip his scheduled break, so, he decided to take one now. He logged out quickly and took a power nap. Twenty-five minutes later, he logged back in, just in time to hear the triangles and cymbals.

TANG DING DING DING DING DING TANG TANG

It was time for their afternoon training. Smoke followed the students into the dojo. He found that the students sat with their legs crossed on the tatami floor.

Each student was seated three meters away from another. Smoke sat down to one of the free spots and found three objects the size of his foot on the floor.

He looked over his shoulder and found that everyone had the same three objects in front of them. There were three pyramids of different colors - yellow, black and red.

The same gibbon Simiavulg instructor from their morning session appeared.

"Alright, same as before. Put the three objects in front of you and push them as far away as you can by only using Mana."

Just like in the morning, the instructor gave no example or any explanation on how to do the exercise. Smoke did his best to visualize his mana pushing the three objects away.

Sadly, he got the same results from the morning exercise. None of his objects moved. He checked the progress of the other students and found that the students from the first row had one of the three objects further away from their bodies.

'I guess even the gifted kids can move only one of the objects.'

This exercise was scheduled for the next four hours. Smoke took a deep breath and focused on his own three objects. He consumed all fours hours and the three objects remained in the same spot.

CLAP CLAP CLAP!

The gibbon Simiavulg instructor signaled the end of their afternoon session. All of the students stood up with their right hands on white staves and their left hands behind their waists.

"Good job today. I could feel the force of the Manatl in the entire dojo."

The DarkElf raised his eyebrow. He thought that the gibbon instructor was incapable of giving out praise.

"I know that the training is harsh, but this method has been proven to be very effective for hundreds of years. Who are we to question the ways of the great masters?"

The instructor nodded his head as if to reassure himself as well.

"Alright, I know that you've already suffered enough, but you still need your supper. Head to the mess hall and energize your bodies."

The gibbon Simiavulg gave an awkward smile as he laughed at what he said.

'There must have been a Simiavulg joke in there somewhere? Whatever it was, I sure don't get it.' Smoke thought to himself.

The instructor resumed his talk. "You have free period after your meal. Remember to be inside your chambers no later than nine. I'll see you again tomorrow for another day full of the same exercises."

CLAP CLAP CLAP!

All of the students bowed down and slowly walked out of the dojo. They were just sitting down under a roof, but all of them were still exhausted. Even Smoke, whose objects didn't move at all.

Given the freedom of time, Smoke thought to look around Doctus' temple. 'Maybe I could find a library and get some clues on what this Manatl really is?'

He asked one of the students and was directed to walk past the octagonal courtyard, the small pond and the chinese bamboos. Smoke stopped to enjoy the lily pads and the koi fish swimming inside the pond.

After he crossed the pond, his Cunning of the Dire Fox noted that there was no one near him. He crossed the small bamboo garden and found a small hut that the bamboo covered.

The detached house was supposed to be the temple's library. 'This place looks more like a gazebo than a library.' He thought.

Smoke opened the door and dust flew everywhere. He equipped his special gas mask to breathe as he tried to open up the windows.

With the dust finally settled, he found that the small library only had two desks and a single row of books neatly stacked against the wall.

He went to the wall and read through the book titles. "The bullied fish", "Simiavulg etiquette", "The ignorant Centaur and the wise Simiavulg", "Simiavulg Staves", and "The three rocks in the pond".

All of them were children's books except for the one entitled "Simiavulg etiquette". 'I guess that makes sense.'

He made a promise to himself to consume all the books he finds if the opportunity would allow it. Thus he began acquiring the knowledge of the books.

It didn't even take a full minute for the progress bar to complete each of the books inside Pillar temple's library. The one entitled "The bullied fish" intrigued him the most. He opened the acquired knowledge window of the book to review its contents.

+ The Bullied Fish

Long ago, there was a fish that was bullied by two other fishes everyday. The bullied fish sought refuge and finally found one through a narrow passage following a small underground river, which led it to a secluded lake.

There, the bullied fish flourished and preyed on the small lake monsters. The bullied fish felt happy and content.

Here in the lake, he was bullied no more. Years passed and the fish grew big enough to easily deal with the two other fishes who used to bully it.

The now-confident fish thrashed about issuing a challenge via low-frequency calls to its former bullies. The targeted bullies heard this and were outraged by the bullied fish's audacity.

Both of the bully fishes swam to the challenge, but were surprised to see that their small prey had turned into a giant adversary.

The giant fish played around with its two former bullies and left them with 2% of their life bars. After its overwhelming victory over them, the giant fish decided to go back home to the sea.

It held onto both of its half-dead trophies tightly. Yet, as the giant fish was about to pass through the small underground river, it discovered that it had grown too big for the narrow passage and that it could no longer return to its home.

The place it thought to be its sanctuary had turned into its prison.

Smoke loved the irony of that book. 'But it's really weird that this was supposedly made for children.'

Next he acquired the knowledge on the book entitled "Simiavulg Staves". He had always wondered if the staves' colors had any special meaning to them.

+ Simiavulg Staves

A Simiavulg staff is one's link-helper to Mana and facilitates bending it to one's will.
These are the stages in the mastery of the Manatl.

White Staff
> Beginner Manatl. Student of Basic Training under Pillar Temple

Yellow Staff
> Intermediate Manatl. A graduate of Pillar Temple. Student of one of the three specialized temples.

Blue Staff  > Graduate of Intermediate Level Manatl. Still a student of the specialized temples.

Brown Staff  > Graduate of the specialized temples. On the way to becoming a black-staff wielder.

Black Staff
> A master of one of the four temples.

Red Staff
> Grandmaster of the Simiavulg Manatls.

He saved the book entitled "Simiavulg etiquette" for last and scrutinized the contents of its acquired knowledge.

+ Simiavulg Etiquette

* Always remember to know your place when you speak. You can't freely talk to someone ranked higher above you.
> If you need to talk to someone above your rank, then you need to perform the Simiavulg bow.

* Simiavulg Bow
> Get on your knees, gently place your staff on your right side and raise your right hand. Wait for the person of the higher rank to get your hand and speak to you.

* Making loud noises as you eat shows respect to the one making the food.

* When drinking, it is appropriate to turn your back and not show your face.

. . .

After closing the window of the Simiavulg etiquette, he was greeted with a pleasant status notification.

+ Your total 'Acquired Knowledge' has increased your Intelligence by 1.
+ Your Intimacy with the Simiavulg race has risen by 1.

Despite the gained Intelligence and Intimacy points, he still left the library with a heavy heart. It wasn't like him to leave a library without a smile on his face.

None of the books in the temple's small library contained any information about how to use Manatl. He dragged his feet back to his quarters.

Smoke retired to his room and ended his day without any fruitful results. He released the dark ember sprite from his secret compartment.

Igniz immediately flew around and enjoyed the bigger space.

"Got any ideas on what this Manatl is?"

His symbiote shook his head and orbited around him. Igniz suddenly became brighter and brighter as he released all of his saved-up energy for the entire day.

"Don't go supernova on me now, bud. I'm sorry you have to hide for so long."

Igniz gave him an encouraging smile and Smoke understood what his symbiote meant. He got his white metallic staff and stood up.

He concentrated on forming a barrier on his left hand. He simulated the barrier-making exercise they did that morning. He could do only this because the colored pyramids were only accessible to him inside the dojo.

* * * * * *

The second day came and went, but Smoke still had no results to show for his Manatl training. He used the knowledge of Simiavulg etiquette and gained Intimacy points with some of his fellow students.

On Smoke's third day of basic training, Grandmaster Indignus and his albino gorilla assistant, Saru, came to observe his progress. The grandmaster could not suppress his laughter when he saw that Smoke had nothing to show whatsoever.

Ten more days passed and no breakthrough in understanding Manatl had been made. Hearing about several students from the first row already graduating from the basic training course made Smoke's confidence waver.

TANG DING DING TANG DING DING TANG DING

Lunch time arrived and the students from the second and last rows were almost running towards the mess hall. The Grandmaster coughed loudly which made the young Simiavulg kids stop and walk slowly instead.

While Smoke ate his lunch alone, he saw Saru leaving from one of the instructors' offices. He thought maybe he could ask him for advice if he followed the Simiavulg etiquette.

Smoke ran in front of Saru and performed the Simiavulg bow and raised his hand. Saru immediately stopped walking. He took Smoke's hand and spoke to him.

"No Simiavulg has ever given me the Simiavulg bow before, but seeing as you're a DarkElf, I guess that fact still holds true. What could I possibly help you with?"

Smoke quickly told Saru his problem.

"It's already been two weeks and I still don't have a clue what Manatl is. I see my Mana draining during the exercises, but nothing's happening."

"Hasn't Lectus taught you anything at all?" Saru asked.

"Lectus? Who in the world is Lectus?"

"Huh? You don't know who Lectus is? He's the gibbon Simiavulg who's been training you for the past two weeks. Didn't he even tell you his name?"

Smoke angrily shook his head in response.

"Doctus has been grooming him to be his replacement, but I'm afraid he is still no good at all."

Saru patted the DarkElf's shoulder.

"I'm guessing you were projecting the Mana from within your body?"

"Yes, that's what Lectus told us."

"Are you sure? Even if it's Lectus, I don't think he would have said that. Maybe you misinterpreted his instruction."

Smoke gave Saru a confused look.

Saru pointed to the area in front of them. "You see this empty space? Even here, there is Mana. Everything has its own energy, even inanimate objects like rocks."

The albino gorilla stretched out his left hand and formed a small barrier. "You don't use the Mana inside of your body. You use the Mana that is flowing everywhere."

"But how can you use something that isn't a part of your body? It's already hard enough to control the Mana inside of me and you're saying that the way of the Manatl is to use the Mana on the outside? How is that possible?"

"Hmm. Maybe you need more time to meditate. Whether you think you can or can't, you are right."

Saru gave him a smile and left. One of the Simiavulg students approached Smoke and asked him a strange question.

"Why were you talking to that old white-staffed Simiavulg? Don't you know that if you've gotten old and you still have a white staff, that could only mean you're not right in the head?"

Smoke paid no attention to what the kid said, and focused his attention on the advice Saru gave him.

* * * * * *

Smoke sat down on the tatami floor with a new mindset. He stared at the yellow, black and red pyramids.

After taking a deep breath, he concentrated on the three objects. He visualized the Mana flowing inside and around the objects. Three hours passed and he still saw nothing.

He closed his eyes and tried to visualize the objects. Their shape, texture and  form. There was something that was keeping all of these things together to form a yellow, a black and a red pyramid.

Within his mind he saw light emitting from the objects and when he opened his eyes, the light remained around the three objects.

+ Learned Ability: Manaception
Passive
Level: Beginner Level 1
Experience: (10/1,000)

You have gained understanding of the flow of Mana around you.

Smoke's body then moved on its own. He grabbed his white metallic staff tightly and felt it ground itself to the floor. He then stretched out his left hand.

He could feel the Mana around him pushing all three objects away. All of them left from their starting positions and moved one centimeter further away.

CLAP CLAP CLAP!

Lectus signalled the end of the afternoon session and broke Smoke's concentration. "Alright, that's it for today, guys. Let's put in even more effort tomorrow."

No one may have noticed it, but Smoke had broken the dam that restricted him from understanding the ways of the Manatl.

He immediately went back to this room and released Igniz.

"I think I got it! Watch this, Igniz."

His dark ember sprite waited with excitement.

Smoke stood up and took the morning exercise position. His right hand on the white staff and his left palm open and pointing to the roof.

He felt the entire Mana of the room flowing. As Igniz released all the saved-up energy for the day, Smoke could feel the strong flow of Mana increase.

It suddenly came naturally to him to bend the Mana around him. He formed the gathered energy into a tiny marble-sized barrier on his left hand.

+ Learned Ability: Manatl
Active
Level: Beginner Level 1
Experience: (10/1,000)

You have gained the knowledge to bend the flow of Mana around you.
You can store the captured Mana in your Manatl and release the stored energy.

A dark purple barrier appeared on top of his left hand. He smiled victoriously, but a second later his eyebrows crossed. 'Weird. I wonder why mine isn't yellow like the others'?'

He spent the next six hours in his room holding the small Manatl barrier. He confidently looked forward to the next day of basic training in the Pillar Temple.

TANG DING DING TANG DING DING TANG DING

Smoke stood in the last row alone. The same spot as he did on the first day. He excitedly waited for Lectus to give the signal to begin the barrier training.

"Everyone settled in? Then start making your barriers."

Lectus walked beside the rows and inspected the progress of his students. He casually noted that the students in the first row instantly created their barriers. Even the students in the second row had more tangible barriers by now.

Yet it was Smoke who grabbed Lectus' attention. The DarkElf proudly held a dark purple orb the size of walnut. "Finally some progress, Smoke."

Lectus called for his students' attention. "Class, stop for a moment. I want all of you to take a look at Smoke's improvement. Sure, it may not be much right now, but in time this small Manatl will become larger than his whole body. This just proves that our teaching method is definitely effective."

All eyes were on Smoke. He proudly stood tall and kept concentrating on his barrier. He could hear the whispers about his different-colored barrier.

Lectus clapped his hands once more and told the students to resume with forming their own barriers. Smoke retained the barrier for the first hour, but after that he began to feel weaker.

'What's happening? I was able to keep the barrier up for solid three hours last night.'

His knees shook and he felt dizzy. He strengthened his grip on the white metallic staff and tried to assess what changed. His body told him that it was the strain from maintaining the size of his current Manatl.

He took a deep breath and shrank the barrier to the size of an even smaller marble than the first time he made a Manatl. He slowly began to recover. As time passed, his barrier only got smaller and smaller.

Before the morning session ended, his barrier was only the size of a spec of dust that floated over his left hand. 'I may not be able to see it, but I know it's still there.' Smoke thought as he tried to console himself.

He quickly ate his lunch and logged out to get some sleep. He logged back in just in time to for the afternoon session. He liked how he could adjust his sleeping pattern with the free time Lectus gave them.

After he found a comfortable sitting position, he focused on the three objects in front of him. He took a deep breath and resumed his training.

Slowly, he pushed the three objects at the same time. Millimeter by millimeter. His pure concentration eliminated all unnecessary thoughts. There was only him and the three objects.

CLAP CLAP CLAP!

Lectus had given the signal to stop the exercise, but Smoke couldn't hear him. Some of the students had already left the tatami room.

Yet, Smoke kept pushing the three objects millimeter by millimeter. Lectus had to physically shake him to get his attention.

When Smoke snapped out of it and regained his senses, he saw that he had pushed all three objects ten centimeters away from him.

Lectus lightly slapped his cheek and scolded him. "Your concentration is impressive, but you also need to be aware of your surroundings."

* * * * * *

Smoke spent the next five days of his basic training in all eagerness. He had improved both the duration and size of his barrier. He could now even make a Manatl that could cover his entire body, albeit only for a short time.

He reached the one-and-a-half-meter distance in pushing all three objects. Although, the first-row students each reached three meters for one out of the three objects.

Lectus had recommended Smoke for the jar of Sensus exam to Doctus. A part of him felt sad at the thought of leaving the Pillar temple. He had fond memories of self-discovery here.

The day for his examination with the jar of Sensus had arrived. Three of the first-row students were asked to join him as well. Apparently, they had also passed their basic training.

Smoke smiled when he saw the wide-eyed expressions of the first-row students when they saw the four masters of the Manatl, but found their reaction after seeing him to be even more interesting.

Doctus, Tenvis, Meras and Castas all stood near the ancient jar and waited for them to take the test. Three Simiavulgs and a single DarkElf stood in line to be tested by the ancient jar.

As the first student dropped his staff to the ground and stepped in front of the ancient jar, it transformed into its smaller form. The jar became comfortable enough for the smaller Simiavulg to dip her hands into it.

He watched as the young gorilla Simiavulg performed the same procedure as the great masters showed him before and stepped away from the jar. The jar started to slowly spin in a familiar way.

When Castas heard a faint whirring sound, she aimed her harmful spell at the jar. The jar broke apart, with only a few shards suspended in the air. Most of the broken pieces remained scattered on the ground and only returned after a minute had passed.

The self-repaired jar was now ready for the next student.

'Castas' example restored the whole jar. I wonder why only a little of it was spared this time?' Smoke mused.

Then Smoke heard Castas speak to them. "Remember, the jar displays the aptitude you have for a speciality. As of now, she could only save a portion of the jar but after years under my training, I'm sure she'll be able to protect the whole jar from shattering."

The young gorilla Simiavulg stepped aside and Castas called out to her. Castas took the student's white staff and gave her a yellow one. Afterwards, the first yellow-staff student stood behind her.

The next student was a chimpanzee Simiavulg boy. Smoke saw the boy nervously dip his hands into the water. Seconds later, the jar floated an inch from the ground and faint particles could be seen orbiting around it.

In her serious voice, Meras called out to him. Stiffly, she swapped his white staff with a yellow one  and asked him to join her.

The last of the first-row students placed his hands in the jar. It turned into its diamond form, but when Tenvis hit the jar with his staff, he made a noticeable dent.

Tenvis called the young Simiavulg to his side and changed his white staff with a yellow one. The young boy stood behind Tenvis with a big smile on his face.

Smoke eagerly smiled at them. He was happy for all three of them. He may have not raised their Intimacy to be as high as blood brothers, but he considered those young Simiavulgs to be Pillar temple brothers just the same.

"Smoke, it is your turn to be Manasensed. Please get in position."

He excitedly stood in front of the ancient jar and dipped his hands into the water.

In a whirling motion, his arms moved and created the needed speed to get the jar of Sensus to work. Smoke stepped backwards and hoped for the jar to start spinning.

However, the jar did not spin. Nor did it float. It didn't even turn into its diamond form. It remained unchanged in the same spot.

Doctus looked worried. He sadly looked at Smoke and said. "I don't know what to tell you. I thought you passed the basic training. At least that's what Lectus told me."

Castas hurriedly asked Smoke. "Can you show us your biggest Manatl?"

A confused Smoke nodded. His right hand held onto the white metallic staff tightly and carefully placed it on the concrete floor.

He took a deep breath and covered his entire body with a dark purple sphere of Manatl. "This is my biggest Manatl as of now, but I can only keep this size for five minutes..."

Tenvis raised his hands and told him to stop. "Don't worry about it. It is already impressive that you managed to make it cover your entire body. Five minutes is already plenty for someone who just learned Manatl."

Meras then spoke. "But that just makes it even stranger why the jar didn't pick a temple for you to train under. During your afternoon sessions, what was the object that you pushed the furthest? Yellow pyramid? Black? Red? Which one was it?"

"None." Smoke answered in a disheartened tone.

"Huh? You weren't able to move any of them?"

"I was able to move them, but I moved all of them equally."

"Really? And how far were you able to move them?" Doctus asked in a surprised voice.

"On the last day of basic training, I managed to move them one and half meter away from me."

Doctus looked at the other three Simiavulg masters and said. "Maybe that's the reason why the jar couldn't sense which temple he should go to next?"

The four masters spoke as they reminded each other that the three objects were a precursor to what the jar of Sensus would show.

The yellow pyramid was charged with elemental Mana and a person who could specialize in this Manatl would have pushed that object the furthest.

The same thing applied to the other two objects. The black pyramid was charged with a type of Mana with regenerative properties, while the red one was charged with a very dense form of Mana.

"Then, what should we do? He moved all three objects equally." Asked a concerned Castas.

"We have no choice. Without a reaction from the jar, we can't accept him into any of our temples. He will have to learn the ways of Manatl on his own." Meras said with a straight face.

"It's regrettable, but Meras is right." Doctus said with a sigh. The orangutan Simiavulg then looked to Smoke and said.

"It pains me to tell you this, but we cannot accept you into any of the specialized temples."

"And what about my test? What should I do about that?"

"Well, it is usually up to your black-staff mentor to give you the test rules and passing parameters."

KLANK KLANK KLANK!

Smoke and the Simiavulgs turned towards the sound of a heavy metal staff being dragged on the courtyard.

Indignus walked over to them and sneered at Smoke.

"Hmmpf. Normally, that would have been the case. However, since you do not belong to any of the temples, it will be I, the grandmaster, who shall decide on the parameters of your test."

Smoke gulped. 'I'm really in trouble now,' he thought.

"The test will still be held on your thirty-first day in Saruras. But let me remind you, you are not allowed to be taught by any of the four masters or their subordinates in the meantime."

Indignus looked straight at Smoke as he spoke, but Smoke could tell that this reminder was meant for the great masters and not him. The Grandmaster Simiavulg then asked his assistant Saru to take Smoke outside and away from the Manatl temples.

* * * * * *

Smoke was taken to a secluded part of Saruras village. There were no other Simiavulgs in sight except for the albino gorilla Simiavulg who had led him there.

'Not only is the test going to be even harder, but I don't even have a proper teacher to take me to the next level of Manatl.'

For the first time since he accepted the Ways of Manatl Quest, he felt concerned that he would really end up losing 30% of his precious levels.

"Smoke, Smoke! Snap out of it!" Saru yelled.

The DarkElf turned to face the albino Simiavulg with an empty look.

"Don't worry about the test. The Manatl you have right now may not be enough, but it will be if you work on it. Come, follow me."

Smoke followed Saru without question. After all, he didn't know what else to do. He was like a floating ghost, an empty shell.

"This whole area is safe for you to train in."

Saru showed him around the place. He saw a small pond that had an unusually abundant amount of fish. Next, he was taken to see a decent-sized cave with tiny bats hanging from its ceiling. Lastly, he was shown a group of bamboo trees that swayed with the wind.

"You should stay within this area. Otherwise, it could be troublesome for you. Let me show you a couple of simple exercises that will help you strengthen your Manatl."

Saru started near the bamboo trees. The albino gorilla sat down under the trees and projected a faint Manatl barrier around his white body.

Smoke watched curiously and noticed some bamboo leaves that fell down. The leaves would only travel around Saru's barrier. He expected them to disappear or maybe even stop and slide off. Yet none of that happened.

After that, Saru took him to the pond. There, Saru sat down once more and created his Manatl. This time, the albino Simiavulg floated on top of the water and crossed the pond.

Saru's education tour around Smoke's newly-assigned area had taken some time. It was now getting dark and the tiny bats inside a cave were getting restless.

The albino Simiavulg took Smoke to the front of the cave. There, Saru stood with his white metallic staff in hand and created his Manatl. The swarming tiny bats moved around the albino Simiavulg naturally.

Once the last of the bats flew off. Saru faced Smoke and told him. "Do these three exercises until the time of the test and I'm sure you'll be fine."

Smoke nodded and obeyed. It was nighttime and Smoke thought it best to clear his mind from the recent turn of events. He logged out of Zectas and slept soundly for the next two hours.

A sliver of light from the breaking dawn greeted Smoke when he returned to Zectas. He thought to start his training with the bamboo leaves.

Before he could even sit down, Smoke felt the sharp edges of the leaves graze his purple skin. "Ouch! What the..."

The bamboo leaves turned out to be razor sharp. He quickly grabbed hold of his white staff and concentrated to create a Manatl.

He could only hold his barrier for five minutes and then came the razor sharp bamboo leaves. He sat there until his life bar was at 15%.

Smoke stepped away from the bamboo trees before his life bar situation got critical. While his health recovered, he thought about trying the small pond.

With his white staff in hand, he created the Manatl and took a step towards the water.

PLOOOP!

Smoke instantly fell under as soon as he stepped on the surface of the pond. He sat on the edge of the pond meditating, trying to float on top of it with his Manatl, but nothing happened.

He repeated this exercise until nighttime came. He quickly got into position in front of the cave and created a Manatl before the tiny bats could harm him.

Sadly, he received status ailments of blindness and bleeding as soon as the swarm of tiny bats' attacks broke the limits of his current Manatl.

He repeated all three exercises day in and day out. On the twenty-eighth day, Saru returned to check up on his progress.

Smoke's armor changed colors from all the time it spent in the pond. It was also covered with cuts from the razor sharp bamboo leaves, as well as bite marks from the swarm of tiny bats.

He noticed Saru's troubled expression and told him. "Don't worry about it. I look worse than I actually am. I've been waiting to show you how much I've improved."

Smoke started with the bamboo leaves. He sat down on the ground and struck the trees until the fallen leaves surrounded him.

His dark purple barrier incinerated the razor sharp bamboo leaves as soon as they touched Smoke's Manatl. He left a spherical scorch mark on the ground where he had made his barrier.

He stood up and stomped the ground hard.

BADOOOOOGGG!

The land around them shook from Smoke's absorbed Mana. He turned to see Saru's reaction and found that the albino was trying to remove scorch marks from his own barrier instead.

Next, Smoke took Saru to the small pond. From the edge of the pond, his dark purple Manatl absorbed the water it touched and evaporated it.

After that, he took Saru to the cave. It was still early in the afternoon, so there were no tiny bats flying around. Smoke picked up a rock and threw it towards the ceiling.

His thrown rock disturbed ten tiny bats and they dived straight down to attack him. Smoke fluidly created his dark purple barrier and incinerated the bats as soon as they made contact with his Manatl.

Smoke's charged-up staff was directed towards the ceiling. He released the captured Mana from the ten bats and a strong gust of wind was on its way straight to the swarm of sleeping tiny bats.

Saru leapt in front of Smoke's attack with his white Manatl barrier surrounding him. He absorbed all of Smoke's attack into it.

When he landed down on the ground, he dispersed the energy of Smoke's attack gently into it. He then sternly reprimanded Smoke.

"Your training has gone far too much to the destructive side."

"Has it? I'm sorry, but I figured Manatl should be used as a charger in order to empower your next attack. I thought I was using it right."

"Well, in that aspect you are, but I was hoping you would discover the other side of the coin. Anyway I'm here to tell you the time and place of your exam."

Smoke noted the disappointed look on Saru's face as he told him the details of the exam. He was supposed to wait in front of the shoreline of the lake near the submerged bridge.

"Good luck with the rest of your training. May Cuezaltzin grant you peace in this time of turmoil." Saru immediately left without looking back at Smoke.

He planned to spend the last three days of his training trying to figure out the meaning of words Saru left him with. 'What is on the other side of the coin?'

Yet as the days went by, his Manatl's destructive force steadily grew stronger. He increased the duration of his full-body Manatl to ten minutes, but he would need to rest at least for an hour before he could use it again.

With the words Saru left him, Smoke tried to invigorate a couple of withered flowers. He used the gathered energy from his Manatl and tried sending it to the flowers, but it only disintegrated them.

Eventually, his blind focus on improving his current Manatl made him give up on Saru's riddle.

'It's better to have this power rather than have none at all.'

* * * * * *

Smoke anxiously headed over to his assigned testing grounds. The setback involving the jar of Sensus hurt his confidence.

Yet, he thought that he had the right amount of fear and anxiety to keep him on his toes. He knew that he needed to perform well on this test.

Indignus, Doctus, Tenvis, Castas, Meras and Saru were all waiting for him on the shoreline near the submerged bridge. The Grandmaster Simiavulg called out to him.

"DarkElf, you have spent a month here in our village. As such, it is time for you to submit to our test."

Indignus nodded towards the four Simiavulgs with black staves before he continued.

"All four masters have requested that I make this test as straightforward as possible. I'm more than happy to comply."

The Grandmaster pointed his red staff towards the lake.

"I don't know if you're aware of them, but there are lake monsters called Kappas. Their levels range from 110 to 150 at best."

Smoke respectfully nodded to Indignus before the Grandmaster spoke again.

"You merely need to defeat a hundred of them using only your staff and your gained Manatl ability. Violate any of these conditions and your result will be considered a failure."

Smoke had read about the Kappa monsters. They were humanoid monsters who had turtle shells on their backs, webbed hands and feet and sharp beaks for mouths.

"Take that boat and ride over to the deeper end." Indignus pointed to an eight-passenger row boat docked on the shoreline.

"Don't the kappas attack near the shoreline?" Smoke asked.

"Yes, but don't you want to finish this test faster? You see, there are more kappas in the deeper part of the lake. So, could you run along and start your test already?"

Smoke bowed to all the masters, as well as Saru. He pushed the wooden rowboat by himself and jumped on board when it gained enough momentum.

By chance, he looked back and caught a glimpse of Indignus while floating away from the shore.  Smoke got a bad feeling as soon as he saw the red-staff wielder's smug smile.

Chapter Seven: Failed Experiment

Smoke's past failure on the jar of Sensus and the penalty from the Ways of Manatl quest were great motivators for him to be vigilant. He knew better than to head directly to where the kappas were.

Awkwardly rowing on a twelve-foot wooden rowboat, Smoke felt like a fish out of water. Due to the fact that he wasn't given a time limit, he decided to inspect the vessel he was on.

He strictly limited himself to the protective rock formations near the shoreline. His white metallic staff was placed securely beside him. Its length covered two out of the three seats on the boat. As he practised rowing, he found that the oars would often escape the rowlock.

Ten minutes of rowing passed when he heard Grandmaster Indignus' voice coming from the shore. "I know that I didn't give you a time limit, but you know that your test ends today, right?"

KLANG!

Indignus loudly banged his red metallic staff on one of the rocks on the shore.

"Don't worry about the boat! It won't capsize easily even if twenty kappas board it. Now leave the protective rocks and row further into the lake! That's where the kappas are... Hey! Are you even listening to me?"

Smoke smiled when he heard Indignus' agitated voice. As much as he liked pestering the Grandmaster, Smoke felt that there was some truth to what he said.

However, he decided to tune out the red-staff wielder. Smoke knew that he needed to be as dexterous on this boat as he was on solid ground, so he continued with his focused rowing.

An hour of intense rowing practice passed and he thought he would check up on Indignus' irritated face. He looked back in the direction of the Simiavulg masters, but only found Saru and four brown-staff wielders in their place. Saru was the only one left from the original audience.

Wondering where the five temple masters had gone, Smoke asked Saru where they were. The gorilla albino answered back.

"They left about thirty minutes ago. They said they had more important things to do than watch your rowing practice. They left representatives to witness your trial in their place."

Smoke shrugged his shoulders and rowed some more. 'Good. I think I have the rowing part down. Now I just need to practise fighting on a moving boat.'

Carefully, he placed the oars inside the rowboat. He took his white staff with both his hands and began to rock the boat. He was steadily increasing the swaying motion of his vessel.

Given the strong rocking motion of the rowboat, Smoke found it hard to move and attack with the staff as he wanted to. He almost fell into the lake as he practised striking with his white staff.

'It isn't as easy as I hoped it would be, but at least Indignus was right about the rowboat not easily capsizing.'

He awkwardly kept on practising. He even heard the brown-staff wielders snicker and laugh at him. However, he did not falter. The extensive hours of training under the Pillar temple taught him to be even more patient than he already was.

Another hour into his offensive practice and he began to move as he wanted. He learned to use the boat's rocking motion to his advantage. He struck his intended target whenever the boat would sway in that direction.

When he couldn't strike, he'd dodge imaginary shadow images of the kappa monster. He spent another hour and half doing the same routine.

Due to Smoke's close proximity to the shoreline, he could clearly hear the brown-staff wielders' conversation.

"I thought he would row straight to the kappas. I see now why the great masters called us."

"I thought so too, but this guy's strange. He even has a purple Manatl," Smoke heard a familiar voice. He looked at the Simiavulg who spoke and found that it was Lectus, his training instructor from the Pillar temple.

"Well, all I know is that he failed the test of the jar of Sensus, which explains why he still has that white staff."

"I wonder if he'll be stuck as a white-staff wielder forever?"

"Now, that's just mean. I wouldn't wish that to my worst enemy."

The brown-staff wielders' conversation ended abruptly when their topic became Smoke's white metallic staff. Smoke thought that it must have been awkward since Saru, who was holding his own white staff, was standing right beside them.

'Alright, I think I have all the bases covered.' Smoke slowly rowed towards the deeper portion of the lake.

Smoke had only traveled a few meters away from the defensive rock formation when he noticed a strong disturbance in the green water. Three green, scaly kappas sprang out of it and immediately went after his boat.

One of the humanoid monsters climbed up the stern while the other two went up the starboard side. With his white metallic staff in hand, Smoke stood up and created a small Manatl on each end of his white staff. He carefully waited for the kappas to attack.

Suddenly, both of the kappas on the starboard side leapt up and attacked him with their sharp claws.

The monsters' jump made the ship tilt starboard. Using the Manatl on the bottom end of his white staff, Smoke swiftly blocked the kappa on his right as it used a double claw attack for 6,000 damage points each.

HISSS HISSS!

Burn marks appeared on the kappa's claws as Smoke's Manatl absorbed its attack. A split second later, the kappa on his left performed the same attack. This time Smoke used the Manatl on the top end of his staff.

After the two monsters' attack failed, they dove back into the lake and displayed  turtle-like shells that were covering their backs.

Apparently, the two kappas' sudden retreat was a distraction tactic. If it wasn't for his Cunning of the Dire Fox ability, he wouldn't have sensed the kappa coming from the stern side of the boat.

The monster leapt up and attacked Smoke with a flying kick. He blocked the kappa's clawed foot with the Manatl on the top end of his staff.

After Smoke blocked the monster, he redirected the kappa's attack and threw it down to the bow of his rowboat.

With the monster down, Smoke stabbed it with the energy he gathered from all three attacks. He damaged the kappa for 43,000 damage points. The kappa's life bar went down to (72,000/115,000 HP).

The kappa winced in pain from Smoke's massive attack, but it alarmed him when he saw that the kappa survived his Manatl-energized blow.

He resorted to using his white metallic staff in a spear-like motion, with his left hand lightly holding the staff and his right hand thrusting and pulling.

Due to his low Beggar Rank, he could only do 25% of the actual damage of his staff's basic attacks, since it was normally only usable by those with a Job related to Martial Arts. As a result, each of Smoke's normal staff strikes dealt an average damage of 2,000 points. Thanks to his Agility of the Horned Rabbit ability, his attack speed was improved, allowing him to swiftly execute attacks with his white metallic staff. This gave Smoke his first kappa kill.

+ Quest: Ways of Manatl
Ability Quest Updated!
Level: A

Grandmaster Indigus asked you to kill 100 kappas in order to pass this trial.

Rules:
- Defensive Ability allowed: Manatl
- Offensive Ability allowed: Manatl-charged attacks
- Weapon allowed: White metallic staff

Failure Penalty:
- Current level will be reduced by 30%
- All ability levels will be reduced by 30%

Kappas(1/100)

After reading the updated information, Smoke closed the quest window. 'I thought I'd get the same results as Doctus and the others when they fought the Dikaya guild. I guess I still need to absorb more attacks before making a single killing strike.'

SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH.

His musings stopped when four kappas leapt onto his boat simultaneously. Two came up on the stern and another two on the bow.

Due to the webbed monsters on board his boat, he only had enough space to stand in place and face all of these kappas at once. He took a deep breath as he readied his white metallic staff.

His left hand held the middle portion of his staff loosely, as it served as the fulcrum point of his attack, while his right hand firmly gripped its lower end. It gave power and control to his motions.

HISS SCHILD HISS SCHILD HISS SCHILD HISSS SCHILD HISS SCHILD HISSS SCHILD.

Smoke's Manatl made scorching and repelling noises as it blocked and absorbed the kappas' attacks. His staff fluidly moved from side to side as multiple claw swipes came his way.

He did his best to keep the monsters within the optimal reach of his white staff. After a couple of seconds of blocking the blows from the monsters on the back portion of the boat, his Cunning of the Dire Fox alerted him that both of the kappas on the front side leapt in to join the fray.

With his back exposed against two kappas, Smoke felt the monsters zero in on his weak spot. Since his feet were still firmly planted on the rowboat, only his upper body turned the opposite direction to face the kappas.

PLONG!

Using all of the absorbed Mana from the monsters' attack, Smoke thrusted his staff into the nearest leaping kappa. His energized white metallic staff pierced the kappa and killed it in a single thrust.

Suddenly, a minimized quest window update popped up in the upper left corner of his view. Smoke ignored the blinking icon as he already knew the information it contained.

Despite killing the first kappa in a single strike, the second leaping monster still rushed in with its claws directly aimed at him. The monster managed to reach Smoke's staff and grabbed a hold of its middle portion.

With his gained experience of the rocking motion of his rowboat, Smoke used the kappa's inertia and threw it over in the direction of the two kappas on the back portion of his boat.

Both kappas dodged their flying kin as it flew past them and fell back into the murky green lake. The remaining kappas remained unfazed after Smoke's single kill strike.

'Am I missing something here? Do these guys know something I don't?'

SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH.

Six more kappas sprang up from the green lake and tried to climb the row boat's sides. Smoke used his uncharged white metallic staff and attacked them before they could get on the boat.

He may have only dealt 2,000 damage points, but he struck the monsters in critical places. This forced the monsters on the sides of his boat to release their hold and return into the lake.

Despite his efforts, two Kappas managed to get on the boat unscathed. Smoke was about to execute another attack when he sensed the two monsters from before leap towards his back.

Unfortunately, he couldn't defend against them in time and this distraction allowed for four more kappas to climb over the sides of his boat.

Two pairs of claws scratched Smoke's back and dealt 6,000 damage points on each claw attack. His life bar revealed that he only had (141,850/165,850 HP) left.

Smoke arched his back in pain. He took a deep breath and held his white metallic staff on the middle portion with both his hands. As fast as he could, he began spinning it in a three-hundred-sixty-degree motion.

His right and left hands' well-practised synchronicity increased his staff's speed and power. A total of eight kappas prepared themselves to jump him.

SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD.

Only a few of the monsters' attacks got past both Manatls on the ends of his spinning white staff. As a result, he still had (93,850/165,850 HP) left.

Alarmed by the damage inflicted by the webbed monsters, Smoke's staff-spinning speed increased. A purple circular shape began to form as afterimages of his two small purple Manatls blocked and absorbed the kappas' strikes.

PLONG!

In a split second, Smoke attacked a kappa with the energized blow of his staff. The kappa received a damage of 200,000 points and died instantly.

Smoke fluidly resumed his staff-spinning as he kept on blocking the kappas' attacks. Whenever he absorbed more than twenty attacks, he launched a counterattack with his re-energized staff to kill a kappa in a single hit.

One by one, more kappas would take place of their fallen kin and get on top of his boat or try to go near him from the side. Whenever there were kappas that would try to prop themselves up on the side, he would strike their arms with the non-Manatl portion of his staff.

This ordinary staff attack only dealt 2,000 damage points, but still made the kappas let go of the sides of his boat. Smoke only allowed the monsters to get on either the stern or the bow.

He kept on this arduous attack pattern for the next thirty minutes. Suddenly, he saw that there were only two kappas left on his boat. He focused on only attacking one of them with his uncharged staff attacks, but still blocked both of the monsters' attacks with his Manatl.

When he finally killed the targeted kappa, he used his energized staff and bashed it into the last kappa's head.

After dealing with the last of the kappas, he decided to check the blinking quest window.

+ Quest: Ways of Manatl
Ability Quest Updated!
Level: A

Grandmaster Indigus asked you to kill 100 kappas in order to pass this trial.

Rules:
- Defensive Ability allowed: Manatl
- Offensive Ability allowed: Manatl-charged attacks
- Weapon allowed: White metallic staff

Failure Penalty:
- Current level will be reduced by 30%
- All ability levels will be reduced by 30%

Kappas(33/100)

Note: Kappas of levels 110-129 have learned to stay away from you.

'No wonder the kappas stopped coming.'

Confident that the lower-level kappas feared him, Smoke decided to take a quick break. He took out the bread and boiled eggs that Saru gave him earlier.

Quickly, he wolfed down the food to recover his lost HP as he only had 60% of his life bar left. He needed to raise his Satiety level as well. He merrily enjoyed the bread and eggs as he gently rowed the boat towards deeper waters.

As Smoke ate, his mind wandered. Out of all the Simiavulgs, he only managed to raise Saru's Intimacy level to 82%. Even his previously-high Intimacy with the great masters Doctus, Tenvis, Castas and Meras had now been reduced to 55%, after his Beggary ability wore off on his second day in Saruras.

His Intimacy with them was still high enough for them to request these favorable trial conditions, but not high enough to allow him entry into any of the specialized temples.

'At least my pseudo-full Manatl barrier worked. This staff is really useful.'

Despite the fact that his Cunning of the Dire Fox ability didn't detect any monsters nearby, he still quickly shifted his mental state to battle-ready after he finished his meal.

'This can't be it? There has to be a reason for Indignus' smug smile.'

After reading the updated quest window, Smoke was forced to row even further into the lake. He thought he heard something from the shoreline, but the sound was too faint to be heard clearly.

He wondered if they were reprimanding him for something related to this quest, but then he thought that he was safe since he'd been strictly following the rules Indignus had given him.

These thoughts instantly disappeared once Smoke's Cunning of the Dire Fox ability picked up twelve kappas swimming fast towards his medium-sized rowboat.

Six of these webbed monsters managed to get aboard his ship while the rest tried to cling on the sides. He immediately noticed that these monsters were also larger and had darker green-colored scales.

He spun his white metallic staff into a blur. The kappas on the side of his boat were blown away by his basic attacks.

SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD.

As he repelled the kappas on the side, he also carefully blocked and absorbed the attacks of the kappas on board his ship.

PLONG!

Smoke's white staff momentarily stopped spinning for a second as he executed another one-strike kill. Right after he killed the kappa, his staff resumed its lightning-fast spin.

Yet, he didn't fail to notice the kappa's life bar before it disappeared. It clearly displayed (0/160,000 HP). 'I guess this will take longer than the last time.'

Two and a half hours went by as Smoke fought off the higher-level kappas until he was once again left with only two of them. It took him longer because of the monsters' higher defense and bigger life bars.

He absorbed these two kappas' attacks and killed them using only the staff's ordinary damage. Afterwards, he sat down and opened the minimized quest window.

Smoke found that he had already killed 99 kappas. Just one more and his quest was done.

Serendipitously, the largest kappa that Smoke had seen sprang up from the starboard side of his boat. Smoke sniggered at the monster because he still had a fully-charged staff capable of instantly killing it.

PLONG!

Right after he killed his hundredth kappa, Smoke opened the blinking quest window again.

+ Quest: Ways of Manatl
Ability Quest Updated!
Level: A

Kappas(100/100)

Talk to Grandmaster Indignus to complete the quest.

As Smoke was reading the updated quest window, he saw Saru floating across the lake inside a white spherical Manatl. He heard the albino Simiavulg shout and point to his back. "Row back to the defensive rocks! Those are the twin bull sharks, Requin and Cornu. They're second only to Calamar."

"Huh?"

All of a sudden, his Cunning of the Dire Fox picked up two massive monsters. He estimated their length to be at four meters and their width to be at a meter and a half.

He sensed that these monsters were swimming rapidly towards him. He turned around and saw that two fins and a pair of horns were about to ram into his medium-sized rowboat.

Smoke looked back to the defensive rocks and knew that he couldn't outrow these two monsters. He turned to face the lake's Boss-level monsters and held onto his white staff tightly.

His survival instincts kicked in. The Manatls on both ends of his white staff disappeared. He raised his staff in front of the bull sharks and created a full-body Manatl.

The purple spherical Manatl barrier formed just in time for one of the bull sharks to leap across and ram both its horns straight into it.

SCHILD SCHILD.

Thanks to his mental image training of flowing water, Smoke knew exactly what to do. He calmly redirected the force of the bull shark's attack to his left side, forcing it back into the lake.

The bull shark's high damage reduced the Manatl's duration and it had already started to fade.

Unfortunately for him, the second bull shark performed the same attack and had its jaws inches away from his back.

THWAK!

As he readed himself for the bull shark's teeth to sink in, Smoke saw an energized white metallic staff held by an albino gorilla Simiavulg come to his rescue. Saru arrived just in time to deliver a pinpoint attack on the bull shark's belly.

Saru's attack displayed the name and life bar of the bull shark. Smoke saw that this one was Cornu and only had (360,163/450,000 HP) left.

Smoke could not even rest for a second, as the first bull shark came back with its jaws wide open. He tried to hold his full-body Manatl, but it wasn't strong enough and the bull shark's razor-sharp teeth dispersed it.

THWAK!

Saru delivered a hard blow to the bull shark's head and its jaws failed to reach Smoke. Saru's blow reduced the bull shark's life bar to (385,981/450,000 HP) and revealed its name: Requin.

After Saru's destructive blow, Requin was forced back into the lake.

"We have to hurry back. Even the brown-staff wielders couldn't handle both these guys at once."

Smoke immediately sat down and placed both oars into the rowlock. Smoke rowed with all his might as Saru remained standing with his white metallic staff in hand.

His Cunning of the Dire Fox alerted him that the two bull sharks were on the opposite sides of his rowboat. The two monsters were coming in for another attack.

Both Requin and Cornu leapt from opposing directions for a synchronized attack. He then saw Saru raise his white staff parallel to the boat and instantly create a white inclined Manatl ramp on both sides.

SCHILD SCHILD.

Saru's Manatl ramp forced the two bull sharks to jump across the boat. Smoke rowed even harder towards the defensive rocks. Saru's life-saving techniques gave Smoke hope that they could survive this.

This time, Requin and Cornu came from the back and the left side of the rowboat. Saru kept calm and swiftly responded with the same inclined ramps.

SCHILD SCHILD.

Both bull sharks flew high into the air as the monsters' attacks missed once more. Smoke and Saru were slowly getting closer to the defensive rocks when Smoke heard a gurgling sound coming from the murkly lake.

Smoke's Cunning of the Dire Fox picked up another monster, even larger than the two bull sharks. Eight tentacles with coral spearheads for tips emerged.

Slowly, Calamar's gigantic head rose from the green lake. Smoke saw Calamar's eyes look in the direction of the two bull sharks.

Then he heard a loud noise coming from the colossal squid.

"GRAK GRAK GRAK GRAK GRAK!"

Smoke only rowed with his right oar a couple of times as he wanted to evade the colossal squid. Calamar stretched out its long tentacles and blocked their path, but didn't directly attack their boat.

"Why isn't Calamar attacking us? Is it feeding us to its bull shark underlings? " Smoke wondered out loud as he rowed.

At the same time, the two bull sharks were swimming fast towards them prompting yet another attack. However, this time both Smoke and Saru were on their feet and had their energized staves ready.

Smoke still had some of the absorbed energy from Requin's attack earlier, while Saru had plenty of absorbed energy from both of the bull sharks' attacks.

When Cornu and Requin leapt to attack them, Smoke thrusted his staff into Cornu's belly right after dodging its jaws. Smoke's energized white metallic staff damaged Cornu for 40,000 points. Cornu's life bar displayed (320,163/450,000 HP).

"GRAK GRAK GRAK GRAAKK GRAAAAK."

Smoke distinctly heard Calamar make the same loud noise after he attacked Cornu.

'Is Calamar laughing?' Smoke wondered.

THWAK!

Meanwhile, Saru bashed Requin's head in with his white metallic staff and gravely injured the monster. Requin's life bar displayed (267,189/450,000 HP).

Saru's hard blow forced the monster down towards the rowboat. The massive bull shark received even more damage when its body hit the sturdy boat before sliding down back into the lake.

Requin's return to the water rocked the boat hard. The intense swaying motion almost capsized their rowboat.

"GRAK GRAK GRAK GRAAKK GRAAAAK."

Smoke once again heard Calamar's weird noise, which he thought to be the lake boss' laugh.

"Saru, any idea why Calamar's behaving like that?"

"I don't know. Just be happy that he isn't attacking us."

Right after Requin flopped back into the lake, Smoke sensed Cornu leap in for another attack. Unfortunately, he couldn't move fast enough to completely dodge it.

His left arm got lightly scratched by one of Cornu's sharp horns and Smoke was damaged for 35,000 points. Smoke's already-damaged life bar now displayed (90,850/165,850 HP.)

'That was just a scratch?' Smoke shook his head as he imagined how much damage a full-impact attack from the bull shark could do.

Requin and Cornu swam further away from Smoke and Saru before turning around.

The DarkElf watched as the monsters dived into the lake. His Cunning of the Dire Fox sensed that they picked up speed from below and leapt in for a low side attack. The bull sharks' assault bypassed Saru's Manatl ramp since it came from right below the ship's side.

Saru was forced to create a white concave Manatl barrier around the entire starboard side of the rowboat.

SCHILD SCHILD!

Smoke eagerly watched as Saru's barrier absorbed the twin bull sharks' first attack.

SCHILD SCHILD! SCHILD SCHILD!

Smoke needed to do something to help Saru. Since the quest window confirmed that he completed the test's objective, he was now free from its restrictions. He switched weapons and used his weighted chain and sickle.

With the aid of his Lunar Boots, Smoke leapt over Saru's concave barrier. He used his hooded cloak to glide over the rowboat and threw his weighted chain into the water.

He activated the weighted chain's built-in ability to return to him as he willed it and the sturdy iron chain wrapped itself around the twin bulls sharks. Smoke managed to wrap the chain around them three more times, which heavily restricted Requin and Cornu's movements..

Saru canceled his Manatl barrier and attacked Cornu.

THWAK!

The bull shark's life bar displayed (231,286/450,000 HP). Smoke landed on top of the rowboat and tied the iron chains to it. The boat briefly tilted and was filled up with some water.

He may have restricted the bull sharks' movements, but it was a risky gamble. The bull sharks could break free from the chains at any moment and sink them.

However, he took his chances as he leaned in and grabbed a hold of the bull sharks. Hurriedly, he began stabbing Requin with his sickle.

The sickle proved very effective against the shark's hard slimy flesh. He kept on attacking after confirming that both bull sharks still had a hard time moving.

"GRAK GRAK GRAK GRAAKK GRAAAAK."

Smoke heard Calamar's weird noise once more.

'I guess this must be really funny to Calamar or something?'

Saru joined in and attacked Cornu with his uncharged white metallic staff. The two land dwellers continued with their relentless attack.

SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH!

Both of the bull sharks thrashed and rolled about as they tried to break free, but they were only struggling against their own strength. The Chain and Sickle of Dasende proved to be a very dependable weapon.

"GRAKAAA GRAK GRAKAAAA GRAAKK GRAAAAK GRAAK."

As Smoke and Saru kept attacking the bull sharks, Calamar also kept making its weird loud noise.

That was until Requin and Cornu's life bars were reduced to below 15%.

At that time, Smoke and Saru both instinctively stopped as they felt a strong killing intent behind them. The two of them turned around only to see Calamar's angry face.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!"

Eight coral spearhead-tentacles instantly headed their way. Saru reflexively extended his left hand and created his strongest concave Manatl barrier in front of them.

CHINK CHINK CHINK CHINK CHINK CHINK CHINK CHINK!

The first round of Calamar's  tentacles came. Immediately, Smoke switched weapons and used his electro-charged arrows enhanced with his armor piercing ability Armor Break of the Armadillo.

Eight arrows flew towards the colossal squid. Yet, each of the DarkElf's arrows only damaged the monstrous lake boss for only 125 points. It did, however, reveal Calamar's life bar (799,000/800,000 HP).

'What? How could my damage be that low?'

Suddenly, the bull sharks' bodies were covered in black slime. Two huge feelers rose from the water and grabbed a hold of the twin bull sharks' tails.

Smoke's muscles flexed as he held on tightly to his chain and sickle. The two bull sharks were being pulled out of Smoke's hold over them.

He felt Saru grab his waist as he was being pulled down from the boat. Smoke hurriedly released his iron chain's hold on the two bull sharks.

"Whoa! Thanks, Saru. Calamar sure got us good."

"Calamar isn't done yet. Look!" Saru pointed at eight gigantic tentacles coming straight at them.

The albino gorilla Simiavulg quickly created another white concave Manatl.

CHINK CHINK CHINK CHINK CHINK CHINK CHINK CHINK!

A barrage of tentacles poured down against Saru's Manatl.

"Smoke, I don't think I can hold out for long. You can glide, right? You better get out of here."

The DarkElf couldn't believe what he was hearing. This albino gorilla Simiavulg was willing to sacrifice his own life for a non-Simiavulg.

Smoke tried his best to row towards the protective rocks, but Calamar would block his every attempt and only direct them back to the deeper portions of the lake.

As Smoke watched Saru defend against Calamar's attacks, he remembered how he used the knowledge from the book entitled "Simiavulg Etiquette" to increase his Intimacy with him.

Ever since he performed the Simiavulg bow for Saru, his Intimacy with him had been steadily growing. As he remembered this, thoughts about a different book he read in the Pillar temple's library popped up in his head.

'There was one book about a bullied a fish.' He remembered how the fish turned the tables on its two bullies and became sadistic towards them, but kept them alive. Calamar swinging the twin bull sharks around could've been said to perfectly match that scene. Then, a sudden thought popped in Smoke's head. 'Could it be...I wonder if...'

"Smoke? What are you doing? Stop rowing and leave already!" Saru angrily raised his voice.

"How long can you hold your Manatl against Calamar?" Smoke asked, after a brief pause.

"I don't know! All I know is that if you don't leave now, you're going to die!" Saru shouted back with his back against Smoke.

Smoke stubbornly remained in the rowing seat.

He used all of his strength and created some distance between them and Calamar as fast as he could. Using his recently learned ability called Manaception, he began to scan the lake bottom.

Unfortunately, while doing so, his rowing speed was minimal to say the least. Suddenly, he heard a familiar sound.

"GRAK GRAK GRAK GRAAKK GRAAAAK."

Calamar stopped directly attacking Saru's Manatl and went for the area around their boat. The colossal squid splashed two-meter-high waves towards their medium-sized rowboat.

Saru responded by creating a concave Manatl above their boat. Smoke happily kept rowing with all his might as he saw Calamar toying with them.

The colossal squid still held the twin bull sharks as it chased after Smoke's rowboat.

Normally, Smoke wouldn't dare to rely on information from a children's book, but desperate people will cling to the very last sliver of hope.

He kept his eyes closed. He visualized the lake's energy with his mind's eye. He felt the multitude of living things inside it, from the microscopic organisms to the lake's current boss, Calamar.

From the depths of the lake, he sensed a strong pressure of rushing water. He followed it with his senses and traced it to a hole with a diameter of half a meter.

'Nah, not this one.'

He could feel the water coming out of the opening, which meant that this was the lake's tributary.

About fifteen seconds later later, he felt a different surge of water. This time, the water was pouring into a hole.

His scan of the lake bottom detected a tunnel that was barely two meters wide in diameter. The entrance was about sixty meters behind them. He tried sensing if there was an end to this tunnel, but he couldn't feel how deep it went.

'This is it!' Smoke concluded.

Smoke picked up speed and proceeded to the area where the underground river was located. As their rowboat moved, so did the colossal squid.

Calamar chased after them with much gusto. It playfully did random attacks to Saru's concave Manatl barrier.

CHINK CHINK CHINK CHINK CHINK CHINK CHINK CHINK!

Saru's white Manatl barrier was showing signs of losing power. Once Smoke was directly above the tunnel's entrance, he stopped the rowboat. Smoke then raised both of his palms over the lake.

CHINK CHINK CHINK CHINK!

Calamar's sadistic barrage kept hitting the white Manatl barrier. Smoke tried to remain calm and focused on the mouth of the tunnel. He noticed that it had signs of being crudely excavated.

This unnatural expansion only reached to about five meters in, before the tunnel would continue with the width of about a meter and a half. However, the tunnel expanded naturally after a while, as it went further in.

He used his Earth Manipulation ability and concentrated on the tunnel's mouth.

As the colossal squid got closer, he guessed that Calamar's three-meter head could probably only shrink to about two meters.

Steadily, Smoke concentrated all of his ability into the opening. He expanded it to three meters, but the actual tunnel itself was still at a meter and a half.

The DarkElf pushed himself further and started working on the first meter of the tunnel.

"Smoke? Why are we stopping and why aren't you rowing towards the protective rocks?" Saru asked in a worried and exhausted voice.

Smoke couldn't reply and he got even more distracted after hearing a strange noise.

"GLUG GLUG GLUG GLUUUUUG?"

Calamar made a sound which Smoke hadn't heard before. He could only guess what the colossal squid meant.

The colossal squid stopped attacking Saru's white Manatl barrier and instantly disappeared into the lake as it dove in fast.

Smoke assumed that it was able to feel the slight change in the nearby flow of water, considering Calamar had been stuck here for so long..

"How did you do that?" Saru asked with an astonished face.

"I didn't do anything to Calamar. I'm just making the underwater tunnel larger."

"Underwater tunnel?"

"Honestly, it was just a wild gamble. In fact, I'm not even sure if I can make it large enough for Calamar."

Smoke saw Saru's puzzled face as the tired gorilla Simiavulg sat across from him.

It wasn't noticeable on the surface at all, but as Smoke kept expanding the tunnel, he could feel the water surge towards it gradually increase.

It had already been ten minutes, but Smoke was only six meters in on his expansion of the underground river. His focus on it made him forget about Saru.

"Smoke, it's been awhile already. I think we should try to make a run for the protective rocks."

"I don't think Calamar would allow that. Let me try something first."

Smoke lowered his hands and cancelled Earth Manipulation. A few seconds later, Calamar's angry head emerged from the lake's surface.

The colossal squid surrounded their rowboat with its tentacles. Maddeningly, it thrashed the water around them. As a result, high waves appeared and rocked their boat around.

Immediately, Smoke went back to work. Calamar's tantrum lasted a full minute before it realized that the tunnel's expansion resumed. The colossal squid dove back into the water afterwards.

Steadily, Smoke kept on widening the tunnel. Little by little, he worked his way deeper into the tunnel.

His Manaception ability picked up Calamar swimming in front of the underground river's opening.

Saru remained seated on the boat. Smoke watched the albino Simiavulg meditate. "You know, I think you can return to the shore with your floating method."

"I could do that, but I don't know if you'll be safe from Calamar." Saru answered.

"I'll be fine as long as I keep expanding this tunnel."

"So, how did you know about this underwater tunnel anyway?"

"I read about it in a book from the Pillar temple's library. The one entitled 'The Bullied Fish'."

Saru assertively shook his head. "Huh? No, no, no. That book is supposed to teach kids to stand up against bullies, but at the same time not become bullies themselves. That's why the bullied fish got caught in the lake."

"Yeah, I understood that, but the way Calamar was letting us beat up the sharks and swinging them around reminded me of the fishes from the book."

Smoke saw Saru raise his eyebrow, clearly unconvinced of what he said.

"Coincidentally, Calamar and the twin bull sharks are also the three monsters that stand out in this lake, just like the three fishes who came to the lake from the sea."

The DarkElf checked on the colossal squid before he went on.

"So when it became obvious that we wouldn't be able to take down Calamar, I decided to test this theory, hoping we could somehow use that information in our favor." Smoke sheepishly answered.

"Well, based on what I'm seeing now. I think you might be right. Who would have thought that the children's storybook was actually a history book."

Smoke nodded all-knowingly.

Saru looked over the lake's surface. "To be honest. No one dared to challenge Calamar. I'm sure Grandmaster Indignus or any of the great masters could handle him, but to us Simiavulgs he is more like a lake deity that had always been there."

"Do you think I should stop expanding the tunnel?" Smoke's expression changed as he didn't even think about Simiavulgs' reaction to him freeing Calamar.

"No, I think this is a good thing you are doing."

Thirty minutes into his tunnel expansion and Smoke had depleted his entire Mana pool. In order to fully recover his Mana, Smoke tried to rest for thirty minutes, but Calamar rose up immediately after a minute and angrily thrashed around with its tentacles.

Smoke resumed his work with the Mana he had regenerated, but he could only last another forty seconds before he was forced to stop once more.

He tried to rest again, and again Calamar rose up angrily to the surface. This same process repeated two more times. Yet on the fifth break, as Smoke hurriedly resumed his work, Calamar did not submerge. Smoke saw it watching him carefully until his Mana was fully depleted once more.

Smoke raised his right hand to Calamar as he tried to make the colossal squid understand that he needed to rest. He rested for five minutes and Calamar began to angrily thrash the lake's surface. He raised his hand again to ask for more time.

The Colossal squid would not calm down, so Smoke resumed his work on the expansion. Calamar remained on the surface as well. Smoke would raise his hand to take a break and slowly extended his resting periods. The longer breaks and slow pace appeared to be satisfactory to the colossal squid, as it no longer thrashed the water and eventually returned underwater.

Used to these cruel grinding situations, Smoke proceeded without complaining as he repeated his expansion process. Three hours went by in a flash. The only noteworthy event that happened in the past few hours was the increase of Smoke's Earth Manipulation ability to Intermediate level 9.

His ability's level increase improved the rate of his work on the underground river. Smoke had expanded a total of sixty meters into the tunnel when his Manaception felt a change from inside the lake.

From the mouth of the underground river, Calamar swam fast up to the surface of the water. Its colossal head rose up and the lake's water flowed down its face.

'I'm almost done. Please don't tell me it lost its patience.'

The colossal squid stared straight into the DarkElf's eyes. Smoke and Calamar shared a moment of silence that couldn't be described with human words.

Calamar gave Smoke a wink before it dove back down. It took the two fully-recovered bull sharks with it as both of them remained wrapped around its feelers.

The colossal squid swam fast into the underground river and travelled through it much like how a bullet would pass through a barrel.

Smoke used his Manaception and noticed that Calamar managed to use its momentum to barely squeeze through the last couple of meters of the narrow part of the tunnel. It soon went out of Smoke's range, as it continued on its journey back to the sea.

With the lake's three strongest monsters gone, Smoke took a deep breath as he exhaustedly slumped down to his seat. After confirming that they were in the clear, Saru took the oars and started rowing towards the shore.

* * * * * *

The setting sun limited the view from the rowboat. Smoke couldn't clearly see the brown-staff wielders on the shore of Simiavulg Island.

As Smoke and Saru got past the protective rock formations, he could see the silhouettes of not four but nine Simiavulgs waiting for them. The brown-staff wielders were joined by Grandmaster Indignus, Doctus, Castas, Meras and Tenvis.

CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP.

A slow clap greeted Smoke and Saru when they reached the shore. The one doing the clapping was none other than the Grandmaster himself.

Indignus greeted Smoke with a forced smile. "Well done. I couldn't believe that you triumphed over Requin and Cornu. Let me also congratulate you on surviving the encounter with Calamar. I've never seen anyone below a black staff escape from that colossal squid before."

"Thank you, Grandmaster Indignus. It wasn't easy, but thankfully Saru was there in time to save me." Smoke said as he pointed to the albino gorilla.

Indignus' smile disappeared. The Grandmaster's angry eyes gazed upon his servant. "Yes, Saru...How thoughtful of you to save him. I saw that as well." The red-staff wielder said in a snarky voice.

A clearly-displeased Indignus clicked his tongue and cleared his throat before he spoke again.

"As you've shown a suitable level of proficiency with your Manatl and succeeded in killing a hundred kappas, you have passed your test. I hereby award you with this sigil, which allows you to stay in Saruras."

+ Completed Quest: Ways of Manatl

You have been allowed to stay in Saruras village, but you will only be able to access its public areas.

Rewards:
* Intimacy with Simiavulg race has increased by 20
* Saruras' Emblem of Entry
* 5,000,000 exp

Smoke smiled when he saw the massive experience reward. He guessed that another notification would pop up.

+ Level UP!

You have 10 stat points ready for distribution.
Your HP has increased by 5,000.
Your MANA has increased by 5,000.
Fame has increased by 1.

+ Level UP!

You have 10 stat points ready for distribution.
Your HP has increased by 5,000.
Your MANA has increased by 5,000.
Fame has increased by 1.

He excitedly watched the two Level Up windows pop up one after another. He could have leveled up more if he had been hunting monsters all this time, but Smoke was confident that gaining the Manatl ability was worth the trade-off.

"Now, you see, I had placed a sensor on the shore that would detect if any Simiavulgs stepped into the lake. I used my Lightning Dash to get here as soon as Saru triggered it."

Indignus nodded his head towards Tenvis and Meras. The two temple masters walked towards Saru and tied the albino Simiavulg's hands.

Smoke did not notice what was happening, as his focus was on the results of his quest. His eyes widened when he realized that Indignus had been watching them for more than four hours.

"You mean to tell me that you saw everything?"

Indignus happily nodded. "Yes. I saw...everything!"

'No wonder why no one else came to help us against Calamar and the sharks.' thought Smoke.

Smoke was confident that Indignus' remark served to emphasize that fact. He didn't realize that it wasn't aimed at him until the Grandmaster's gaze landed on Saru.

"As per our sacred rules, no one may interfere with a test in progress. Yet, Saru, you helped the DarkElf anyway. As such, you will be banned from Saruras until all of the current temple masters retire."

"What? No!" Smoke shouted.

He looked at the great masters and pleaded. "You can't do that. He was just helping me. Saru was just being a good Cuezaltzinian. How can he be punished for doing what is right?"

On the other hand, Saru remained stoic. Smoke wondered if Saru already knew that this would happen once he got off the shore to help.

Doctus answered with a sad voice. "What is right is to follow the rules. We cannot disregard our sacred laws." Two of the brown-staff wielders approached Saru, grabbed him by his arms and started leading him away, making his tied hands apparent.

"Please, stop this now. Please, Indignus, he..."

Indignus raised his hand and gave Smoke no chance to properly defend Saru.

"Do not try to sway me with your words, DarkElf. We must uphold the law. The fact remains that Saru broke the rules and he will be held responsible for his actions."

Indignus looked to the other Simiavulgs present and spoke.

"Saru shall spend the night in the Prison House while his belongings are gathered. He will be escorted out of the village tomorrow morning."

"Doctus, you and the others could talk to Indignus. You could make him reconsider, right?." Smoke desperately asked the orangutan Simiavulg to back up his claims as he used the Beggary ability on him, but got a warning notification instead.

WARNING: Cannot use Beggary ability on the same person for the next 31 days.
Countdown Timer:
> [2 Hours left] Doctus
> [2 Hours left] Tenvis
> [2 Hours left] Castas
> [2 Hours left] Meras
> [5 Hours left] Indignus

Doctus only looked away with a sad face. Smoke looked at the other great masters, but all of them followed Doctus' lead.

"Castas, you're in charge of finding appropriate accommodation for our esteemed guest. I believe he could use some rest right about now." Indignus commanded with an unpleasant smile.

Yet Smoke could see right through Indignus. He knew that the Grandmaster only wanted him out of the way.

Helplessly, he could only watch as Saru was taken away. Smoke was forced to leave the shore and awkwardly dragged his feet along while following Castas, who held her head down and tried to avoid eye contact .

* * * * * *

Smoke stared blankly at the plain wall of the room that Castas got him. The chimpanzee temple master brought him to a tavern called The Contrite.

He had just cleared a level A quest, but he did not feel triumphant at all. Painful memories flooded his head as he thought about the sacrifices Zectians had made for him.

Adder lost his left arm to save Smoke, though it fortunately grew back. However, Mitleid was not as lucky. The Manaetor King, who Smoke had loathed before, became a close friend. Yet this friendship only resulted in Mitleid's death. Rudel, the winged Centaur, next in line to be Pferde's chief, was cursed to be a Tikbalang after he met Smoke.

Now, an albino Simiavulg would be banished from the only place he had ever known just because he decided to help him.

TUK TUK TUK.

His regretful thoughts were interrupted when he heard three knocks on his door.

"Who is it?" Smoke asked.

"It's me." answered Doctus. "I've come to bring the authorization letter you requested."

Hurriedly, Smoke opened the door. "Thank you so much, Doctus."

Doctus handed the scroll which allowed Smoke entry to the dungeon where Saru was imprisoned.

Smoke was about to dash to the prison when Doctus' hand stopped him.

Doctus spoke with apologetic eyes. "Please tell Saru that I would have tried to save him if I could. But Indignus and the four representatives confirmed that Saru entered the lake, the designated testing grounds, before your fight against the kappas was over. He clearly broke the sacred rules and I am truly sorry it has come to this."

Smoke nodded and went straight to the prison house.

The faint moonlight made Saruras' prison house look even gloomier. In front of it stood Smoke, who was still on a call and busy whispering to his subordinates. "...Okay, Ledur, copy that."

He was about to enter the prison when a blue-staff wielder blocked his path. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm here to see Saru. Doctus has allowed me to visit him." Smoke showed the piece of paper with Doctus' seal.

"Alright, follow me." The blue-staff wielder led the way to Saru's prison cell.

Cold and poorly lit, Saruras' dungeon had the ability to suck out any optimistic thoughts you might have in your head.

Held prisoner in a windowless cell, Saru was sitting in the center of the room and meditating. Smoke walked over to the front of Saru's prison cell. He performed a Simiavulg bow and waited for the albino's response.

Saru stood up and walked over to him. The albino stretched out his hand between the iron bars and patted Smoke's hand. "Sorry about all of this, Saru. You didn't have to save me and get stuck in here."

"Don't worry about it. I did it for myself. I couldn't stand Indignus' way of thinking any longer," said Saru with a smile.

"What's the deal between you and Indignus anyway?" Smoke asked.

Saru made a dismissive gesture with his hand and said. "It's too long of a story to tell. It's late and you've had quite a day."

"A day that could have ended very differently if you hadn't rushed to my side. Please, I wish to know more about the Simiavulg who saved my life."

Smoke saw Saru's eyes glisten before he quickly turned his back. A few seconds passed before the Simiavulg faced him again.

"My father was Indignus' predecessor. I don't remember much about him myself, but I learned about who he was through his journal. His name was Indigatus. He made many contributions to  Saruras, the most famous one being the Sniping ability made available to the physical-type Manatl specialists."

"Even after he reached the state of red-staff enlightenment, he still wasn't satisfied. He wanted to gain more knowledge."

Smoke noticed Saru stroking his white fur before the Simiavulg spoke again.

"When my mother got pregnant with me, my father infused Mana with the properties of all three specialized Manatls into my developing fetus. Sadly, my mother died giving birth to me."

"Is that why you're pretty good with Manatl? But why do you still wield a white staff? I thought it was a mark of a beginner?"

"I read this from my father's journal. He wrote that white isn't a color; it is an occurrence when all colors meet. That's what he did with me. That's why I turned into an albino Simiavulg. I'm supposed to have the aptitude for all three specialized Manatls, which is why I have a weird appearance."

"The reason for having a white staff is, surprisingly, the same as yours. When the time came, I didn't pass the test of the jar of Sensus. At that time, no one had failed the test before and everyone was confused."

"I assume my father expected that I'd just become better at one specialized Manatl and slightly worse at the other two. In the end, of course, the sacred rules prohibited my acceptance into any of the specialized temples, but my father was confident that he would be able to teach me the ways of Manatl himself."

Saru composed himself and took a deep breath before proceeding.

"However, two years passed and my Manatl showed no signs of advancing to the next level. I had improved my control over it and extended its duration considerably, but I was still unable to create any form of a specialized Manatl."

Smoke nodded slowly as he listened.

"I can't imagine how my father must have felt during those two years. Whenever he wasn't dealing with issues around the village, he'd spend all of his free time with me. I remember him being restless and impatient. He had been committing so much time to teaching me, but to no avail. I probably looked like a burden to him in his quest for knowledge."

Saru sighed, shook his head and went on.

"Soon afterwards, he left the village. His last entry in the journal states that he was leaving in order to find a way to bring out my latent potential."

"So, there's a chance your father might still be alive?" Smoke asked eagerly.

Saru quickly dismissed the idea and said. "No, I don't think so."

Smoke picked up on the sensitive topic and avoided it as he listened to Saru continue.

"Anyway, before he left, my father resigned and left me in the care of Indignus' household. Out of respect for my father, Indignus raised me."

The albino Simiavulg bit his lip.

"He used to be like a second father to me. He was kinder back then and taught me a lot. In fact, I received my father's journal from him. But everything changed when he left Saruras village twenty-five years ago."

"Indignus left Saruras? Where did he go?" Smoke asked.

"No one knows. All I know is that after he returned, he never treated me like a son again. Only as a servant or some kind of freak. To this day, he keeps reminding me of how I am my father's worst mistake."

Smoke couldn't say anything. Although his parents died when he was young, he still wasn't alone and no one had called him a mistake.

"Most other villagers weren't very kind, either. As time went by, my peers all got promoted to staves of other colors, while I kept holding a white one by my side. Kids started calling me 'stupid' or 'crazy', while their parents considered me a failure. One day, someone must have said something along the lines of 'me being a disgrace to the mighty Simiavulg race and thus undeserving of being called by a proper Simiavulg name'. Hence, they began calling me Saru."

"What's wrong with Saru? I like the sound of your name." Smoke said as he tried to console him.

"You see, 'Saru' is what you'd call a Simiavulg kid whose name you don't know. It's the equivalent of being called 'Hey, you'. It's not a proper name."

"Oh, I didn't know that."

"Don't worry about it. I'm used to my new name. That's why I was really happy when you performed the Simiavulg bow in front of me. In fact, I feel closer to you than to any of the Simiavulgs here."

Smoke clenched his fists as he listened to Saru's story.

"Saru, why did you remain here, in the village? If everyone is just making fun of you, don't you think it would've been better to leave?"

"For a long time, I used to believe them. I used to think that I was some kind of failed experiment. But eventually...."

Saru opened his palms and created three small Manatl barriers that had the characteristics of all three specialized Manatls.

"So, your father's experiment did succeed?!"

"I know it did. Of course, the damage had already been done by that point. I've never displayed these skills to anyone else except you. Since I wasn't allowed to train in any of the temples, I used the information from my father's journal and taught myself. I've assessed that, at the moment, my level of proficiency is that of a brown-staff wielder in all three of the specialized temples."

"Wheet-whew!" Smoke whistled loudly.

Saru waved both his arms in disapproval. "I'm still far from my goal. Apparently, the brown and black levels of proficiency are worlds apart."

Smoke nodded in silence as he intently listened to Saru.

"Although, I did get a clue from my father's journal. In order for one to become a brown-staff wielder, he or she must obtain considerable amount of skill and strength through years of training."

Saru smiled as he recalled his father's journals.

"The tricky part is, for one to get to the level of a black-staff wielder, he or she would need to relinquish those hard earned abilities obtained while becoming a brown-staff wielder."

Smoke shook his head. "Sorry, I don't get it."

Saru's smile disappeared. "Hm, I can't really explain it clearly because I haven't done it myself. Hopefully, someday I'll reach that level of enlightenment."

"Knowing you, I'm sure you'll reach that goal someday." Smoke said encouragingly.

Both of them smiled. Smoke observed that Saru's posture seemed different. The Simiavulg sat straighter and prouder.

Smoked rubbed his chin as he wondered. "Just out of curiosity, what is your real name?"

"Ahh, it's been so long. I believe the name my father gave me was...Scelus."

Smoke offered his hand to the imprisoned Simiavulg.

"It's nice to meet you, Scelus."

Saru was taken aback at first, but quickly smiled as he reached out his hand.

"It's nice to meet you too, Smoke. Though I think it'd be best to just keep calling me Saru."

SHUFFLE SHUFFLE.

The two white-staff wielders heard footsteps heading their way. Two blue-staff wielders came down. When they came into view, one of the guards called out to Smoke.

"DarkElf, your time is up."

Smoke said his goodbye to Saru and went back to his room in The Contrite tavern. There, he logged off in order to get some much-needed sleep. Due to his test earlier, he had skipped his scheduled power nap.

* * * * * *

On the edge of the shore, near the pile of rocks stood a busy Smoke. He quickly did an inventory check on the Simiavulg items he bought from the village's merchant shops.

He limited his shopping time because he wanted to join Saru when he walked out of Saruras. As he finished his inventory, he saw an albino gorilla Simiavulg walking with his white staff in hand towards him.

Smoke smiled at the four great masters accompanying Saru. "I guess Indignus was too busy to see you off, huh?" Smoke asked Saru.

"We've already said what we needed to say to each other." answered Saru with a straight face.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay in Saruras? Even if you can't train in the specialized temples, I'm sure there's plenty of other stuff you can do in the village." Castas asked Smoke.

"I'll come back. Besides, I think I already know how I could continue my Manatl training. I just have to do some other stuff outside of the village first." Smoke answered.

"Please do. You're more than welcome to come back any time. Just give us a call so we can have Doctus activate the bridge for you." Meras answered.

"Remember to practise your Manatl daily. The Manatl ability is hard to learn, but is even harder to maintain." Tenvis said to Smoke as they shook hands.

As Smoke finished his farewells with the great masters, he observed that all of them were facing Saru.

Castas cleared her throat and spoke. "I'd like this to be added into the annals of Simiavulg history. Today we bid farewell to Saru, a white-staff wielder who has done the most altruistic act I have ever witnessed in my life. For that, you shall be remembered as the one who fought off Calamar, the lake's colossal guardian."

The chimpanzee Simaivulg walked over to the albino gorilla. She kneeled down and raised her hand to Saru. She performed the Simiavulg bow before him.

Doctus, Tenvis and Meras followed suit. All of the four great masters kneeled down and gave Saru the Simiavulg bow.

Saru's eyes teared up, but he forced himself not to cry. One by one, he touched the hands of the Simiavulgs who were kneeling before him.

Doctus stood up and spoke to Saru.

"Good luck with your life in the outside world, Saru. We know that the great god Cuezaltzin will not forsake you." Doctus said as he offered his hand to Saru.

"Thank you, Doctus, and may the great Saruras village prosper and grow stronger."

Doctus shook Saru's hand. Afterwards, he walked over to the pile of rocks and plunged his black metallic staff into it. The algae-covered bridge submerged in the lake rose up.

Smoke and Saru went onto the risen algae-covered bridge. This time, there were no tentacles attacking the Manatl barrier as they traveled across.

He wanted to help prepare the Simiavulg for his life in the outside world. So, he told Saru various things about it and what he should expect to see on his travels. Smoke told him about the different cities and mentioned his power struggle against Coatl's mayor.

He also told him about the revived village of Verbrannt and the members of his private army. Saru listened intently as he learned about Smoke's life and the life outside of Saruras.

Yet, there was still plenty of things that Smoke couldn't touch upon in the short amount of time that it took them to cross the bridge. When they reached its end, the blue-staff guardians of the village showed themselves and watched the two of them from the trees.

Smoke waved to the village guards, while Saru paid no attention to them. The albino Simiavulg was focused on watching the different animal life forms inhabiting the forest of Mount Yunggo.

Fifteen minutes after they left the village's boundary, a charging lemurcat jumped out from between the gaps of the tall trees. With its two-meter striped body, it lunged at Smoke and Saru. The albino Simiavulg reflexively created a conical barrier to block the monster's path.

'Why didn't my Cunning of the Dire Fox warn me of this monster?'

The DarkElf was taken aback by the lemurcat's sudden attack. These monsters never dared to attack him when he was with Doctus and the other temple masters.

SCHILD SCHILD.

The lemurcat utilized its strong hind legs and leapt over Saru's Manatl barrier. It arched its back in a strange manner and lowered its gaze towards Saru's exposed back.

Thanks to Smoke's battle experience, he anticipated the monster's attack and pushed Saru out of the way. By doing so, Smoke got damaged by the monster's claws for 40,000 points. His life bar displayed (136,250/176,250 HP).

Smoke wanted to practise using his newly-learned Manatl ability, but he still felt more comfortable with his conventional weapons.

Equipped with his weighted chain and sickle, he pushed the two-meter lemurcat backwards as he hit its head with the heavy iron ball.

Aided by his passive ability Beast Monarch, Smoke tripled his damage to the monster and bludgeoned it for 9,999 points.

GRRROOOWWWWL!

The lemurcat growled at the DarkElf as it winced in pain. The lemurcat's life bar displayed (240,001/250,000 HP). Smoke readied himself for another attack, but the beast did not jump.

Instead, it wagged its tail and created a rattling sound. 'Strange. I've never heard that when I first encountered them.'

Ten seconds later, three pairs of yellow eyes appeared in between the trees in the distance. He worried that they belonged to a three-headed monitor lizard, that hunted in a pack, which could prove to be troublesome.

He stared into the unknown monsters' eyes and thought that they looked familiar. Quickly, he faced the lemurcat in front of him and found the same set of eyes.

'I thought lemurcats didn't travel in packs!'

Soon enough, the four lemurcats were circling around them. Igniz tried to break out so he could create a ring of fire or a firewall that would defend Smoke against the agile beasts.

However, Smoke stopped his symbiote. Among the things he mentioned to Saru, he had not talked about Igniz.

He worried that Saru would take it the wrong way if he found out that Smoke was hiding Igniz the whole time. He thought he would tell him only after Saru became a member of his private army.

But what good would it do, if Saru was killed here by these four monstrous beasts?

'I have to secure my Manatl teacher.'

"Saru, I'll distract them while you make a run for it." Smoke spoke with conviction.

"I can't just leave you behind. " Saru quickly replied as he raised his white metallic staff and created a white spherical Manatl that enveloped both the Simiavulg and the DarkElf.

The four lemurcats attacked from all directions.

SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD

Saru kept his Manatl barrier up for fifteen minutes. Smoke wanted to attack one of the lemurcats, but couldn't find an opportunity which wouldn't result in having the other three pounce him.

Due to the lemurcats' non-stop attacks, Saru's Manatl started to show signs degradation.

"Normally, I could keep this sphere up for an hour, but these lemurcats are too fast and too strong." Saru told Smoke as they watched the monsters claw, bite and gnash at the white Manatl barrier.

"Can you open up the barrier below us? I could dig a hole and you could escape through it. I'll hold them off while you escape. I could glide away too."

"Sorry, but I'm not comfortable running away. If this is my destiny, then I must face it head on." Saru said firmly.

'I didn't know Saru was this stubborn.' Smoke thought while letting out a sigh.

"Don't worry, Smoke. Before my Manatl runs out, I'm sure that I can kill one of the lemurcats. I think you could handle one as well, right?"

"Yeah, I think so. But that still leaves us with two lemurcats." Smoke worriedly said as he wracked his brain for a battle plan.

Saru nodded his head and said. "On my count, then. One... Two.. Three!"

The albino Simiavulg deactivated his white Manatl barrier and charged his white metallic staff with the gathered energy.

CRRRAAAACK!

Saru delivered a decisive blow to a lemurcat's skull and struck it down to the ground. The monster shook erratically as its life bar was being fully drained.

Smoke wrapped his weighted chain and sickle around one of the lemurcats and disabled its limbs. He proceeded to gouge out its right eye.

The lemurcat desperately struggled, but could not overpower Smoke's binding. The two lemurcats who were left unattended leapt up from behind Smoke and Saru and were about to sink their jaws into their exposed necks.

With his back towards them, Smoke swiftly wrapped his chain around one of the trees and kept the immobilized monster at bay. With both his hands raised, he created an earth wall with his Earth Manipulation ability. He immediately created a hole in front of the wall to capture the two lemurcats.

He jumped on top of his earth wall to search for the lemurcats, but found that his trap failed to capture them. The two lemurcats readied themselves on Smoke's sides.

Saru tried to create another full spherical Manatl, but could only form a conical barrier. Smoke then heard a rustling from the trees.

When Smoke saw what was moving above him, he calmly stood still. He grinned as ten horse-faced monsters leapt down from the trees.

Both lemurcats looked up and saw that each of them had five Tikbalangs coming down on them. The Tikbalangs smashed their hooves into the lemurcats' spines and broke them in several places.

GRRRROOOWWWWWLLLL!  GRRROOOOWWWWWLLLL!

The lemurcats cried out in pain, but the Tikbalangs mercilessly continued their onslaught. The lemurcats scratched and bit any of the Tikbalangs within reach.

However, ten more Tikbalangs leapt down and took the places of their injured brothers. As the injured Tikbalangs patched their wounds with medicinal leaves, the newly-arrived Tikbalangs finished the job and slaughtered the lemurcats with their hooves.

Immediately afterwards, the Tikbalangs went after the lemurcat that Smoke had caught with his weighted chain and sickle.

After making short work of the disabled beast, the Tikbalangs stood in front of Smoke and Saru.

The monsters' red eyes glared and their nostrils flared with steam. Then, a winged Tikbalang approached from one of the forest clearings.

Smoke saw Saru tense up as the Simiavulg prepared himself for battle. "Settle down, Saru. These guys are members of my private army."

The winged Tikbalang walked towards Smoke and shook his hand. "It's been too long, Smoke."

The DarkElf shook Ledur's hoof and pulled him in for a brotherly hug.

"It has. I see that you've trained your Tikbalang brethren well."

"Yes, some of them have regained their Centaur minds, which is why I'd like to give this back."

Ledur took off the Horse Ring of Domination and gave it to Smoke.

"Thank you, Ledur. I knew that your leadership skills would help them remember who they really are." Smoke patted the winged Tikbalang's shoulder.

Smoke then looked at Saru and signaled the Simiavulg to step forward.

"Now, I'd like you to meet Saru. He is a good friend of mine from Saruras village. He is a great Manatl practitioner and he even saved me from a colossal squid." Smoke said proudly.

Saru gave a courteous bow as Smoke kept smiling. This time, he introduced Ledur.

"Saru, this is Ledur. He is the captain of these Tikbalangs. He is actually a Volataur, a winged Centaur. Unfortunately, he and his brethren are currently under a curse."

Ledur offered his hoof to Saru. The Simiavulg shook it without hesitation.

"A pleasure to meet you, Saru."

"Likewise, Ledur."

"Good. Now that I've introduced you two, it's time to hear the updates on the missions I gave you." Smoke said to Ledur cheerfully.

Having a personal army not only enabled him to face stronger monsters and complete harder quests, but it also allowed him to multitask side-quests.

He previously gave orders to Ledur to take Espion with him and find out the whereabouts of the remaining two Witches of Wysteria, as well as to find the temples of Vigilantez.

Ledur immediately answered. "Right. Espion and I haven't found any signs of Horrabelle, but we did stumble upon some of Crucibelle's handiwork. Her last known activity was near the mountains of Vor Eindrigen, so we searched around that area. Espion is currently following faint tracks she left after she decimated the village of Opferntl."

"She wiped out an entire village? Did you see any strange monsters in the area?" Smoke asked, as he wondered if Crucibelle had the same plans as her dead sister, Terrabelle.

"No, Espion and I didn't see any. All I can tell you is that only ashes were left of Opferntl village."

"Alright, I hope that Espion remains safe. I'll give him a call later. What about your second mission?"

Ledur nodded slightly before continuing with his report. "Together with the help of my Tikbalang brethren, we secured the entrances to two of Vigilantez's temples."

"You didn't enter the temples, right?"

Ledur strongly shook his head. "No, you told us not to."

"Good. I don't know if there are any traps in there and I don't want any of you to get needlessly injured."

Ledur and the other Tikbalangs nodded their heads in unison as they appreciated Smoke's consideration of their well-being.

"What's our next step, Smoke?"

"Before discussing my own plans, I'd like to ask about Saru's." Smoke turned to face the albino Simiavulg. "What do you plan to do now? You know you're more than welcome to join me and help spread Cuezaltzin's justice throughout Zectas."

"Thank you, I'm honored by your offer, but I'd like to explore the unknown world on my own for now. Maybe someday we'll meet again."

Smoke's jubilant expression immediately changed. This whole time, he had expected that Saru would join his private army and be his Manatl mentor.

"But why? I mean, I know that you can handle yourself, but interacting with other people will still be a difficult task."

"The Saru from before I met you would probably agree with you. But you've taught me to face the challenges head-on; to step out of my comfort zone. You've given me the confidence that I had always been lacking. For that, I am thankful, Smoke." Saru offered his hand to Smoke.

+ Your Intimacy with Saru has risen to 'Blood brothers'

'Great, but he's still leaving anyway.'

"I see. Well, if you ever change your mind or need my help, just give me a holler and I'll be there as fast as I can." Smoke shook Saru's hand and pulled him in for a hug.

Smoke became a hugger after he noticed that it slightly raised Intimacy with the hugged Zectian if done correctly.

"Well, I best be on my way. I'm sure you and your men have a lot of catching up to do."

Smoke nodded and silently watched as Saru walked towards the forest clearing.

"So, what should we do now? Head for Vigilantez's temples or search for the witches?" Ledur asked once more.

"Let's head over to the nearest Vigilantez temple after having a reunion party. I want a sure thing. I've already lost a bird in the hand as it is."

Smoke noticed the albino Simiavulg's pace becoming slower as he was about to enter the forest. He saw Saru turn around and wave him goodbye.

With a forced smile on his face, Smoke waved back.

'All that hard-earned Intimacy for nothing!'

Chapter Eight: Goblin Crucible

A sandstorm cleared up and revealed a four-story ruined castle carved out from the side of a mountain. A Paladin Lord looked down from the highest terrace and watched the scorching hot desert in the land of Grand Malodorant Dragonis.

Apparently, Tristan had made it to one of the lost cities created by the ancient Draconian race. The precious treasures once stored in this great castle had long been looted by plunderers throughout the ages.

Despite the castle being a complete ruin, Tristan still had his guild occupy it. The well-designed defenses of the castle stood the test of time. Tristan decided that it would be a fitting headquarters during his stay in the land of the dragons.

To fight on equal ground against the gigantic monsters of these lands, Tristan divided his men into regiments of one thousand members.

For a Sonstwelter, death in this area meant a one-way ticket back to the last checkpoint outside of Grand Malodorant Dragonis: a village situated two thousand five hundred kilometers away from where the ruined castle was located.

Originally, he headed to this challenging land with 10,000 DracoRicco guild members, but Tristan decided to weed out the weaker ones during a battle against four-and-a-half-meter-long wyverns.

This first culling left Tristan with 7,000 members. Yet at this point, the surviving members only numbered 3,203 individuals. This was due to the feuern wyrms.

The feuern wyrms were orange wingless dragons with a length of seven meters from head to tail, but the girth of their body was only one and a half meters.

These blazing orange dragons decimated most of his men and kicked them out of the land of the dragons by sending them to their last checkpoint.

Despite the fact that these dragons were wingless by nature, they could still fly thanks to the ability to transform the flame that spread along their backs into fiery wings.

Within the safety of the ruined castle, Tristan reorganized his men. He assembled the swiftest Light Knights to challenge the flame-winged dragons. He ordered his men to target one of the feuern wyrms that would stray far from its kin.

"Men, you are our final hope of obtaining a Feuern stone. Leave with the knowledge that you're the best of the best. We will confidently await your arrival." Tristan dispatched the last of his Light Knights with these final words of encouragement.

One hundred fastest mounted Knights rode out of the castle on brown acinonyx cheetahs. They branched out into groups of ten and traveled far until they found a pack of feuern wyrms congregated in the clouds.

The flame-winged dragons circled above them. From a safe distance, the knights stalked them for days. Finally, one of the feuern wyrms strayed away from the others. Due to the feuern wyrm's massive length, it could only rest on long stretches of land.

The feuern wyrm's orange scales slowly adapted to the shades of brown in the desert land with patches of green vegetation. This camouflaged it as an ordinary knoll, which made it hard for anyone to detect it in the desert.

Especially for the swarm of a thousand desert locusts in search of a vegetation patch. The ten-centimeter-long desert locusts all headed straight towards the feuern wyrm.

Lying in wait, the feuern wyrm suddenly sprang up with its mouth wide open. It sucked all of the desert locusts into its mouth like a vacuum.

The Light Knights used this opportunity and attacked the feuern wyrm from two directions.Ten Light Spears rained down from behind the big rocks where the knights hid.

From scattered locations, four more groups of Light Knights released their spears and confused the feuern wyrm.

The Light Spears' damage of 20 to 50 points only tickled the feuern wyrm's hard scales, but it annoyed the monster nonetheless. The wingless dragon could not tolerate anyone who would dare attack it.

After the feuern wyrm found the source of the attack, it spew fireballs and melted the rocks from which the Light Spears came from, only to see knights mounted on acinonyx cheetahs running in the opposite direction.

These Light Knights learned from their comrades who died in the previous hunting attempts.

Out of necessity, they moved faster with their brown acinonyx cheetahs. Their mounts in turn developed higher endurance, which was one of the acinonyx cheetahs' weakest points.

The angered feuern wyrm stayed low on the ground as it chased after the knights. As fast as the feuern wyrm was, it couldn't catch up with the veteran Light Knights.

With their lives on the line, the cautious knights quickly noticed a sunset-like glow behind them. The feuern wyrm opened its mouth and launched a fireball towards the fleeing knights.

The acinonyx cheetahs took drastic measures and leapt sideways. This created an opportunity for the feuern wyrm to close the distance between them .

SNAAAPP!

It tried to take a bite out of one of the Light Knights, but ate nothing but air. The wingless dragon was short by only two centimeters.

With the feuern wyrm's mouth closed, the attacked acinonyx cheetah used it as a springboard and dashed away for dear life. The lost gap between them was quickly re-created.

Yet, it could not outrun the fireball that was launched in its direction immediately afterwards, and the acinonyx cheetah and its rider tried to take another evasive maneuver.

SCORCH!

The Light Knight and the acinonyx cheetah died instantly, even though the fireball merely grazed them. The rest of the fleeing knights rode at top speed of one hundred kilometers per hour. They still had more than sixty kilometers of desert to cover if they wanted to survive.

As the Light Knights scurried, they met a slew of monsters. There were aardwolves, sandcats, bronze jackals, and even a bearded dragon.

Yet, all of these monsters hurriedly scampered out of their path once they spotted the ferocious feuern wyrm chasing after them. The feuern wyrm kept spewing fireballs, but it mostly hit rocks, which melted upon impact. Unfortunately, even the splash damage from the feuern wyrm's fireballs was enough to kill the knights that weren't able to move away fast enough.

On the horizon, the sixty-nine remaining Light Knights finally saw the outline of the ruined castle carved out from the side of a mountain. The Captain of the knights called his guild master. "Master Tristan, we're at the five kilometer marker."

"Very good! Keep up that pace." Tristan faced his guild members inside the ruined castle and shouted, "Everyone, the feuern wyrm is coming! Get into position!"

All remaining DracoRicco members scrambled to their designated locations. Aero Magi and Aqua Magi hastened to the second floor and excitedly waited at the windows of the castle walls.

While Assassins, Iron Knights, Elemental Knights, Paladins and a Shadow Phantom bolted outside of the castle gate and hid behind the giant boulders lined up towards the ruined castle's entrance, Pyro Magi, Electro Magi, Hunters, Snipers and Rangers watched from up high on the third floor. Six hundred High Priests and Priestesses were scattered between all three groups.

To an outsider, this scene may have looked chaotic, but all of the DracoRicco members present here knew exactly where they had to go and what was expected of them.

The Light Knights saw the castle's wide gateway and ran straight for it. The feuern wyrm remained focused on the knights and followed them blindly.

As soon as the last Light Knight entered the castle, a massive perlite gate was lowered and prevented the feuern wyrm from entering.

The feuern wyrm tried to melt the gate with its fireballs, but they proved to be ineffective against an unmeltable perlite gate.

As soon as it saw that the gate remained undamaged, the feuern wyrm formed its fiery wings and flew upwards, but the Hunters, Snipers and Rangers on the third floor immediately threw a perlite net at it and forced the monster to the ground.

Right after the feuern wyrm was netted, Tristan's hidden ground forces came out from behind the boulders. They were carrying two-by-one-meter shields made out of the same material. The ground forces quickly nailed the perlite net to the ground.

Surrounded and netted, the feuern wyrm coiled its long body. It forced its mouth through the net and began spewing fireballs. Despite the restricted space, it writhed around to fire at all directions using the gaps in the net.

The wingless dragon's do-or-die attack forced the ground units to back off as the fireballs blasted away ten of Tristan's shield-bearing members.

As they were flung into the air, their backs were exposed and the feuern wyrm released multiple smaller fireballs aimed at each one of them. All of them were killed as soon as the small fireballs made contact.

Unbeknownst to the feuern wyrm, Tristan's magical division comprised of Aero and Aqua Magi began creating two casting circles above its head.

As the casting circles moved horizontally and started to overlap, traces of frost mist could be seen in the air around them. The shield-bearing units then got within spear range of the monster.

They plunged hundreds of ice-enchanted spears into the monster's belly, but could only damage it for 120 to 210 points.

"Don't falter! Attack!" yelled Tristan to his guild members from the third floor of the ruined castle.

The ground units organized in a rotary motion worked with clockwork precision and alternated their spear throws at the tangled beast.

After five minutes and more than a thousand spear attacks, the feuern wyrm's life bar displayed (468,560/800,000 HP). The accumulated damage weakened the monster and affected its flame wings.

This gave the Aero and Aqua Magi the much-needed opportunity for their melded freezing spell to work. The two casting circles of water and wind directly above the feuern wyrm merged into one. The combined casting circle descended upon the beast and enveloped it in a tube-like prison.

Tristan went down to the second floor and shouted. "Ground forces, retreat!".

The shield-bearing division immediately followed the order and took refuge behind the boulders. Ice fog with almost zero visibility formed inside the tube.

The feuern wyrm struggled from within the tube prison filled with ice fog. After two full minutes of the combined spell of the Aero and Aqua Magi, the tube-like prison dispersed. Everything stood still, including Tristan's forces.

A cold mist descended upon the ground forces from where the tube-prison once stood. "Aero Magi." Tristan commanded. A strong gust of wind dispersed the mist, revealing a glistening feuern wyrm, frozen solid in its death pose. Its head stuck out of the perlite net with mouth wide open.

"Ryaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" Tristan shouted as he leapt with his two-handed dragonslayer sword from the second floor of the ruined castle.

SLICE!

In one fell swoop, Tristan severed the feuern wyrm's head and killed the dragon. Under normal circumstances, the feuern wyrm's experience reward would have given Tristan ten levels.

However, because there were more so many DracoRicco members participating in the fight, it only gave a big boost to all of their experience bars.

The members quickly gathered the materials dropped by the feuern wyrm. A Sonstwelter with a Job of a Shadow Phantom walked over to Tristan and handed him a Feuern stone.

"Thank you, Bones. Now we just need nine more." Tristan grinned as he examined the orange stone.

"Tristan, I'm not sure if we can get that many with the members we have left." argued Bones.

"Tch. Don't be so negative. I want to resurrect Valdurath and that's why we're here. I'd like to see Amahan's pathetic Djinn fight against a fully-recovered Ruby Dragon." said Tristan as he walked towards his ruined castle.

"Hmm. Amahan did obtain three out of four Essence pieces that he's supposed to collect. So maybe a fight between Valdaruth and Comataz will really happen."

Tristan and Bones' discussion was interrupted when a beautiful Arch Bishop greeted them as they reached the perlite gate. "Well done, but we still lost a total of eighty members in this hunt."

"Stop reminding me, Aurora. Bones already told me the same thing." said Tristan as he returned the salute the other guild members were giving him.

"By the way, have you guys seen Smoke's latest video upload?" asked Aurora.

"The one where he did nothing but sit and meditate with a staff?" answered Bones.

Tristan shook his head. "I don't get that guy. I wonder if he'll get a lot of views with just that video. Though, I've never seen those ape-man creatures anywhere in Zectas before. Anyway, how is our food supply?" said Tristan as he tried to change the topic.

"We still have plenty of food, and I believe those curious-looking creatures are called Simiavulgs. They are supposedly as rare as Centaurs, if not more. Each continent is said to have only one Simiavulg village." added Aurora.

"And how do you know that?" asked Bones.

"I read it on a thread posted by this guild called Dikaya. They used to rank fiftieth, but after they failed to enter a Simiavulg village, they dropped to below the top hundred."

"Can we drop Smoke's weird quests already? Who cares about what that freak is doing? Aurora, I want a complete status update on everything."

"But I just gave you one before the hunt..." said Aurora with a sigh.

* * * * * *

Nash watched the number of views of his Simiavulg training video soar to ten million. The video had a slow start, but it picked up more viewers after someone posted information about Dikaya's failed attempt to enter a Simiavulg village.

Most of the comments were questions about the results of the Simiavulg training, but he didn't answer any of them. There were many speculations and Nash loved reading them as he watched the comment count increase everytime the page auto-refreshed itself.

Nozzie: At the end of his Kung Fu training, Smoke will have a shaved head and a tattoo of a downwards arrow.

Emagine: He'll get a stretching stick and fly around on a yellow cloud.

Earick: This guy is really something else. He isn't showing us a lot of info on this quest; it kinda makes you think what this is all about.

Tirador: Yeah, it does look interesting, but will this training enable him to fight a dragon or a djinn?

Ligon: @Tirador - I told you to take a nap when you're outside of Zectas. Prepare to pay the fine when you get back in!

UrLogicSux: LOL, looks like someone's been naughty. Anyway, maybe if we study the video more closely, we could get some answers as to what this Simiavulg enhancement really is?

Sakto: I couldn't agree more! I mean, Smoke taught us about Poison Resistance; maybe this time it's just a little harder.

TriTank: Bah! Just another video of a freak trying to catch more views.

He tried not to be bothered by the haters, but hurtful comments still affected him. He wondered if he should show the other players his Manatl ability.

That thought quickly disappeared from his head as he realized that he would only be needlessly showing off his ability and would gain nothing significant from it.

After reading some more comments, Nash checked up on his auctioned-off items created by Darius. His wise Zectian friend had wares from double-bladed swords to enchanted gas masks.

However, Nash's auction income had recently been reduced by half. All because Duke Burmistrz, mayor of Coatl city, placed a big bounty on Smoke and members of his private army.
To avoid capture, he had the Lioumereans shift their auction placements from the heraldic city of Coatl to the climatic city of Centza, located on the northern tip of the Wysteria Continent.

He detested this idea, but he was forced to ask Gandiva and Laernea to take the longer trips. Not only that, but they also had to traverse through rough terrain and constantly-changing weather.

This was the reason why Centza was called "The climatic city". The landscape around it contained everything from hot desert plains to damp thick forests to cold icy passageways. Laernea and Gandiva traveled through these places as fast as Bilis and Tulin could carry them.

Nash had just started depositing into his younger brothers' educational fund, which meant that he had nothing saved up for this month. He remembered his rare level 500 items and thought about auctioning off one of them.

The storm staff of Ehactl, the mirror of Meztli, the gloves of Itzli and the ring of Ezikill. He had not yet chosen which of these items to focus on, since they had high requirements of opposing affinities.

He decided to save the items for a later date, when he might really need the money. Nash checked the clock and saw that he had enough time to take his power nap before logging in back to Zectas.

* * * * * *

After almost twenty hours of travel, Smoke and his men arrived near the mouth of a cave. They remained hidden in a forest patch as Smoke studied the opening in the extremely steep mountainside from a distance.

Ledur mentioned that the location given to him by Smoke indicates that the temple of Vigilantez should be inside that mountain.

However, Smoke and his Tikbalang corps could not proceed to the clearing because of a Gobble Goblin encampment right in front of the cave. With his Cunning of the Dire Fox, he sensed that there were three hundred of these thin green monsters.

"I wonder where these monsters came from. We haven't seen any of them around this area before." Ledur explained to Smoke.

"Don't worry about it. I think we could just charge right in. I mean, we have twenty Tikbalangs, these monsters should be easy even if there's this much of them." said Smoke in a hushed voice to Ledur.

"I'm not so sure about that. After all, some of them are equipped with weapons. I think a single Tikbalang could probably handle about ten of those Gobble Goblins." answered Ledur.

"Ten, huh? I guess we can't charge in then." Smoke checked the clearing and looked at his symbiote. "Igniz, do you think you could keep in check half of the goblins?"

Igniz nodded without hesitation. The dark ember sprite had been itching to fight. Smoke took a few more minutes to iron out his plan of attack and shared it with Ledur and the rest of the Tikbalangs.

All of them fed on the lemurcat jerky Smoke had made. The jerky temporarily boosted their health regeneration rate by 2%. It wasn't an increase as high as one given after eating a well-prepared meal, but it was better than nothing.

He ordered the twenty Tikbalangs to spread out, stay hidden and wait for his signal, while Smoke, Igniz and Ledur took to the skies.

Smoke's Earth affinity was greatly increased by the Ring of Domination, which in turn enhanced his Earth Manipulation ability. Due to this, he tasked himself with creating three-meter-high earth walls on three sides of the Gobble Goblin encampment, and left the creation of the fourth wall to Ledur.

The winged Tikbalang descended first and caught the goblins' attention as he started to create the earth wall. He was flying just beyond the reach of the leaping goblins.

Smoke remained at a higher altitude while creating three earth walls simultaneously. The task proved to be more difficult than he had imagined, as he only managed to raise two-meter-tall walls.

Just as Ledur's wall reached Smoke's desired height, the Goblins began throwing crudely-made wooden spears at the flying Tikbalang.

Ledur did his best to dodge the spears, but there were just too many of them. His life bar displayed (364,929/400,000 HP).

Igniz immediately swooped down and created a firewall across the enclosure. This divided the goblins in two groups.

The first group of Gobble Goblins numbered one hundred sixty. Ledur created two openings in his earth wall and ten Tikbalangs swiftly entered the enclosure through each of them.

With their hard black hooves, the Tikbalangs bashed the heads of the thin green monsters as they charged. The goblins fought back and damaged the Tikbalangs for 700 points.

The Tikbalangs had life bars in the range of 280,000 to 300,000 HP. Minutes after the goblins' retaliation, the Tikbalangs revealed their life bars to be damaged by 5% to 7%, as each of them faced more than ten of the thin green monsters.

Ledur furled his massive black wings and dove down fast. He crushed two Gobble Goblins on the ground as he landed. In a blur, Ledur bashed the skulls of several green monsters with a single hoof strike.

Still up in the sky, Smoke observed the situation from above. He watched the Tikbalangs slaughter the goblins. A part of him feared that the killing frenzy might bring out their feral instincts and make them lose control again.

He looked over to the other side of the firewall and noticed that the other goblins just stood and watched their kin getting ripped apart.

He surmised that these monsters were afraid of fire, because none even tried to jump across Igniz's firewall in order to help their fellow goblins.

Not satisfied with the current limit of his earth walls, Smoke took out the Digger's Wand and created trenches inside the enclosure. 'There. That should stop them from escaping.' he thought to himself with a smile.

As Smoke finished digging the trenches, Ledur and the Tikbalangs were almost done with the first half of the Gobble Goblins. Smoke checked the life bars of his Tikbalang corps.

Smoke beamed when he saw that they still had around 60% left on their life bars. He ordered Igniz to lower the flames of the firewall and allow more goblins to cross it and fight the Tikbalang corps.

As Igniz lowered the firewall, Smoke slowly descended. On the way down, something unusual caught his attention.

The bodies of dead goblins remained on the ground. They did not disappear like the bodies of other killed monsters. Smoke knew that there were certain abilities one could use to make this happen, but neither he nor the Tikbalangs used such abilities.

He was then surprised by the Gobble Goblins' strange behaviour. As soon as they stepped through the firewall, the green monsters sprinted to the corpses of the defeated goblins and started to cannibalize them.

Alarmed by this, Smoke took out his weighted chain and sickle in mid-air and used its active ability Cyclone of Slaughter as soon as he landed. The incoming Gobble Goblins ran to their own demise.

Despite Smoke's efforts, more goblins broke through and ran past the range of the his sickle. The thin green monsters ate with much gusto.

The Gobble Goblins wolfed down fingers, toes, feet and various other body parts until the whole body was consumed. In a matter of seconds, the goblins devoured corpse after corpse. After eating a certain number of corpses, the monsters would run and hide.

Seconds later, larger Gobble Goblins emerged. Their skin became darker and their bodies grew in size. A Gobble Goblin finished its transformation, picked up a rusty crude sword and rushed towards a Tikbalang. It was soon joined by three more transformed goblins equipped with similar weapons. These one-and-a-half-meter-tall goblins delivered heavier blows and inflicted 1,000 points of damage on each attack.

Smoke jumped high in the air towards a spot near Igniz's firewall and used his hooded cloak's active ability Stunning Landing. He stunned three transformed goblins as he crushed the ground he landed on. He threw his sharp sickle at the immobilized dark green monsters and attempted to chop off their heads and limbs.

Yet he could not do so with only a couple of strikes. These monsters displayed a maximum life of (150,000 HP) instead of only (50,000 HP). Other transformed goblins started to run towards Smoke. Igniz took notice of this and created a fire cage to capture them.

Smoke shifted his attack pattern and focused on the goblins' shoulders and legs until he successfully severed the targeted body parts. He turned around and looked back at his Tikbalang corps. "Don't let them eat the corpses! They evolve if they do!" shouted Smoke.

He feared that Ledur and the Tikbalangs hadn't noticed the transformation of the Gobble Goblins. Right after Smoke warned his men, ten dark green goblins rushed to him.

Igniz tried to force them back with multiple fireballs, but the transformed goblins were resilient against the dark ember sprite's attacks.

Thanks to his Cunning of the Dire Fox, Smoke sensed the incoming attackers. He tried to jump away, but two transformed goblins grabbed his feet and brought him down to the ground.

Less than a second later, more Gobble Goblins jumped on him and pinned him down. Some used their crude weapons and slashed his dark purple skin while others clawed, punched and bit him. In a very short time, Smoke received a total damage of 45,200 points.

Three Tikbalangs came charging towards Smoke and tackled six dark green goblins off his back. Each Tikbalang fought hard against two transformed Gobble Goblins.

The remaining four goblins looked up to see what happened, which gave Smoke some much-needed space. He switched out the weighted chain and sickle for his white metallic staff.

He pulled himself up to a kneeling position with the goblins still holding onto him and forcefully created a spherical purple Manatl around him.

HISSS HISSS HISSS HISSS!

Scorch marks appeared on the dark green monsters as soon as they made contact with Smoke's Manatl. He tightened his grip on the staff as the goblins continued their attack on his spherical barrier.

HISSS HISSS HISSS HISSS!

The goblins backed away after their second failed attack. They looked around and searched for their weapons.

Smoke noticed that the three Tikbalangs had difficulty dealing with six transformed Gobble Goblins.

CLINK CLANG CLINK CLANG!

Rusty swords and spears bombarded Smoke's purple Manatl as the goblins attacked it with their crude weapons.

Smoke wanted to wait for one more round of attack, but his Manatl already showed signs of dispersing. He quickly canceled the barrier and focused the gathered energy on the end of his white staff.

The four Gobble Goblins jumped at him. Smoke dodged their weapons and claws as best as he could. With the aid of his Agility of the Horned Rabbit, he only received two attacks and got damaged for 8,419 points.

Smoke quickly thrusted the energized end of his staff into the stomach of one of the goblins.

THUCK SWWISHH!

The struck goblin's entire body shook as its life bar was quickly being drained to the point where was nothing left of it.

The remaining three goblins attacked him again after they recovered from the shock of seeing their comrade killed instantly.

The DarkElf kneeled down once more and created another spherical purple barrier.

CLINK CLANG CLINK CLANG CLANG CLINK!

As Smoke waited for his Manatl to absorb enough energy from the goblins' attacks, he looked at the Tikbalangs who had saved him from his pinned-down position before.

He saw an alarming sight of three Tikbalangs half-dead on the ground. He became even more alarmed when he caught a glimpse of their life bars, which displayed less than 10% left.

"Ledur, I need your help!" Smoke called out to his Tikbalang captain.

However, Ledur did not answer him. As Smoke scanned the battlefield, he noticed that most of his Tikbalangs had little HP remaining. Ledur himself only had 50% of his life bar left and was still dealing with three dark green Gobble Goblins.

Smoke noticed that he had absorbed enough energy and dispersed his Manatl. This time, he evaded all of the goblins' attacks as he leapt away from them. He held the uncharged end of his staff as he stretched it out and stabbed one of the Gobble Goblins.

The goblin's body shivered as the charged attack went through it. Smoke watched the life bar of the monster drain as he killed it with one hit.

The two transformed goblins grabbed the remains of their fallen comrade and retreated away from Smoke. They fought over the dead body until it finally split in half. Both goblins hurriedly ate their shares.

Smoke desperately ran as fast as he could towards the feasting goblins. He switched back to using his chain and sickle as he sprinted.

With the knowledge that he couldn't slice off their heads in one attack, Smoke used the metal chains to bind the monsters instead.

He threw the metal chains up and created two loops in the air. His high Dexterity allowed him to wrap both loops around the Gobble Goblins' necks.

Smoke pulled as hard as he could and brought the two goblins down, preventing them from eating any more Goblin meat.

As the DarkElf held the two dark green monsters down, he saw several thin green monsters step through the boundary where Igniz's firewall was before.

"Igniz, re-create your firewall! Don't let any more monsters in." Smoke pointed at the burn marks where the firewall once blazed.

His symbiote followed his command without delay and re-ignited the firewall. The ordinary Gobble Goblins backed away, frightened by the flames.

Smoke pulled the two loops into a tight noose and tried to keep the transformed goblins bound together. Moving in closer, he struck the sharp sickle down into their skulls as hard as he could until their life bars were completely depleted.

The DarkElf looked around and saw that Ledur directed the severely injured Tikbalangs out of the earth wall, while six Tikbalangs with more than 60% of their life bars guarded them as they escaped.

His Cunning of the Dire Fox indicated that there were still five transformed goblins left. He searched for the monsters on the ground, but could not see any visible life bars.

'These Gobble Goblins are even clever enough to play possum.' Smoke grinned as he switched weapons.

Smoke checked up on Ledur and saw him closing up the earth wall. Ledur walked towards him with six of his brethren in tow.

"Guys, there's still some stragglers left. Follow my markers." He looked at the battlefield again and confirmed the general direction of the hidden monsters.

He drew his power chainsaw bow back and released three fire arrows. The arrows traveled fast and struck different areas where the goblins hid.

"Everyone, double team on the monsters near the fire arrows! Leave the remaining two monsters to Ledur and me." yelled Smoke.

The DarkElf nodded to his dark ember sprite. Igniz understood Smoke's orders and blasted a nearby pile of goblin corpses, which revealed the concealed life bar of a straggler goblin.

Multiple fire arrows shot out of Smoke's bow as he targeted the lying-down monster. As soon as eight fire arrows pierced the goblin's back, it stood up and made a beeline for Smoke.

Smoke stood his ground and rapidly released fire arrows at the assailing monster. Igniz followed Smoke's lead and threw fireballs at the goblin.

Another eight fire arrows then struck the charging Gobble Goblin's chest, but its life bar still indicated (45,600/150,000 HP).

Smoke aimed higher and focused on the monster's eyes. After one of his arrows pierced the goblin's left eye, it covered its face with its arm and kept on running towards him.

Smoke and Igniz relentlessly attacked the Gobble Goblin until it dropped down to the ground as its life bar became empty.

"Aaaahhhhhh!" Ledur shouted as the goblin he was up against grabbed a hold of one of his wings and started chewing on it.

The winged Tikbalang smashed the monster's head in with his hooves until it released his wing from its jaw. The goblin knelt down after receiving damage straight to the face.

Smoke and Igniz attacked the goblin's back and turned the monster's backside into a flaming inferno. The goblin turned around to see its new attacker only to feel black hooves come down on its spinal column.

Ledur killed the monster while pummelling it into the ground. Smoke, Igniz and Ledur then spread out as they helped finish off the remaining three transformed goblins.

"AYYIIII AYIII AYYIIII YIIII YIII YII YIII!"

Smoke heard strange noises coming from the other side of Igniz's firewall. He leapt high into the air and glided with his hooded cloak.

He saw that with only a fifth of their original numbers remaining, the thin green goblins panicked. Some of them had already escaped by positioning in a ladder-like formation and climbing on top of several other goblins in order to reach the top of the wall.

"Igniz, disperse your current firewall and create a new one over that wall." Smoke pointed at the earth wall which the thin green monsters were trying to climb.

The DarkElf called out to Ledur and the rest of his Tikbalangs, "Everyone, don't let them escape!" Smoke quickly descended towards the escapees.

He landed on one of these goblin towers and stunned ten monsters around him. His Cunning of the Dire Fox indicated that only sixty of these weak monsters were left.

In several fell swoops of his weighted chain and sickle, Smoke decapitated the stunned goblins near him. Ledur and the six remaining Tikbalangs followed Smoke's lead and went after the goblins' critical points.

As Smoke and his men fought, they made sure none of the goblins get an opportunity to transform. As soon as one of the goblins was killed, the goblin next to it would begin eating the slaughtered monster.

Smoke, Igniz and the Tikbalangs focused their attacks on those feeding goblins. The thin green monsters with life bars of only (50,000 HP) stood no chance against them.

The remaining goblins were finished off without any complications. Smoke leapt up and Igniz immediately flew after him. As he glided, he watched the escaped goblins run into the forest.

"Should we go after them?" asked Ledur as he joined Smoke in the sky.

"No, let's tend to the wounded first. We don't know if there are any other dangerous monsters nearby." answered Smoke as they descended towards the recovering Tikbalangs.

* * * * * *

Smoke applied orange marigold paste on Tikbalangs' wounds. Ledur wanted to help heal his brethren, but his hooves were better suited for crushing the medicinal leaves.

Igniz flew in front of Smoke in a circular pattern. His dark ember sprite signaled him that the medicinal stew made from lemurcats' kidneys was ready.

Smoke, Ledur and the Tikbalangs who were not seriously injured fed the critically wounded. It looked like it would take another hour before everyone fully recovered.

Fighting alongside a large group made him miss his original private army members. Smoke was very proud of all the accomplishments they had made, but he especially remembered a cursed werebear.

With guilt and a myriad of other feelings swirling inside of him, he decided to call Sierra.

There was no answer. 'Phew! Sierra must be busy.' Smoke sighed with relief.

"Yes?" Sierra abruptly answered.

"Oh, hi." were the only words that came out of Smoke's mouth as his mind went blank.

"So? Is there something important to tell me? Did you already kill the witches?" Sierra asked in a monotonous tone.

"No, not yet. I was just calling to check up on you."

"Huh? But don't you usually call Adder or Thyrsus for that? Or do you call Laernea now?" Sierra asked in the same uninterested voice.

"Right. Actually, I just wanted to congratulate you on the great job you're doing. I hear the guild's doing great and Verbrannt has really developed." Smoke smiled as he spoke, hoping that his pleasant tone would be reciprocated.

"Well, I can't take credit for that. Most of the work was done by your private army members and the refugees you sent from Condortl and Pferde." Sierra's voice slightly changed, but quickly returned to its former monotony.

"Good, good. You and your werewolves are still strengthening the defenses, right?"

"Yes, and training the militia. I thought Adder already told you about it?"

"Oh, he did." answered Smoke.

Sierra spoke before Smoke could drag the awkward conversation on longer. "Listen, I understand why you decided not to talk to me and I completely agree with you."

"You do?" replied a surprised Smoke.

"Thanks to that, we both accomplished a lot of things in the short amount of time we have before facing the Duke. I'm more confident that we can save Centzo city now as well." Sierra's voice changed. Smoke could feel her sincerity.

"I'm glad you understand. So, I'll let you get back to what you were doing. Good..."

CLICK

"...bye, Sierra." Smoke spoke too late as the line had already been cut off.

'That went well enough.' Smoke thought. He regretted not explaining the real reason for not calling her earlier. He knew that if he did, he would lose focus on the game.

He forcefully pushed back thoughts about Sierra as Ledur walked over towards him. "There are no more severely-injured Tikbalangs. All of my brethren should fully recover ten minutes earlier than expected."

"Alright." Smoke answered in a plain voice.

Ledur stared at the DarkElf, whose eyes seemed distant. "Uhm...Smoke? You said you had something to ask me about earlier."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ledur. I've been a little absent-minded lately. Yes, I'd like you to take a look at this. I found this parchment on one of the goblins, but I can't read it. I thought they were some kind of runes at first, but it seems to be written in a different language."

"Yes, this is written in Gobberish, an ancient Goblin language." said Ledur while looking at him with a worried expression.

"I see. Have the other Tikbalangs found anything else in the Gobble Goblin's encampment?"

"Nothing, just that same parchment. You know, if you have the Translate ability, we could easily read what it says."

Smoke grinned as soon as he heard the word ability. "Where do you suppose I could get that ability?"

"Only those with the Job of Linguist have it. In the old days, all villages used to have at least one Linguist." explained Ledur while staring blankly at the parchment.

"But when the Reptilians took over the world thousands of years ago, they forced their language upon all of their conquered subjects. I suppose it was one of the few good things those bastards did during their reign."

"What? So, the language that all books are written in now is Reptilian?"

"Yeah, you didn't know that? I mean, you're reading and speaking it just fine, but now I'm guessing you don't even know the name of the language you're using?"

Smoke shook his head. Ledur proceeded to educate Smoke.

"It's called Lacerta. Everyone in the explored region of Zectas uses it. At first, everyone hated losing their native tongues, but when Lioumereans did business with Humans, they were surprised that they easily understood each other when they both spoke Lacerta."

Smoke nodded as he could imagine how convenient it must have been for different races to interact with each other.

"Since then, all of us have been using Lacerta. Due to this, the Linguist Job has become almost extinct." Ledur tried to stroke his chin, but stopped as a black hoof appeared instead of his hand.

He appeared to be agitated by his cursed form once more. Smoke didn't have a clue where he could find a Linguist, so he put away the parchment and quickly changed the subject.

"The Gobble Goblins are really strange monsters. When you're fighting them, they seem to be really barbaric and wild, but they're different towards each other."

"Huh? What do you mean? They eat corpses of their dead. How is that not barbaric?" asked Ledur as he crossed his arms.

"Yes, they did do that, but they were organized when they tried to escape. None of them harmed the other goblins in order to save their own skin."

"Sorry, I don't follow." said Ledur while raising an eyebrow.

"Normally, if someone was running for their life, they would disregard everything else. Animals, and even Humans, trample one another in such situations." explained Smoke.

"Another strange thing is that, if they get stronger by eating their kin, why don't they cannibalize each other from the get-go?" Smoke wondered out loud.

"If what you say about how they escaped is true, then maybe they don't ever want to harm each other?" proposed Ledur.

"Yet they rushed over to eat their dead kin with no hesitation whatsoever." Smoke countered.

Ledur shrugged his shoulders. Smoke's curiosity over Gobble Goblins grew more. Yet, he had more pressing issues at hand. The entrance to the cave on the side of a steep mountain was now clear of monsters. Smoke wanted to go explore it right away.

As most of the Tikbalangs had recovered up to 80% of their life bars, Smoke decided to venture into the cave by himself. The winged Tikbalang tried to stop him.

"Smoke, it is not wise to go into that cave alone." said Ledur while blocking Smoke's path to the cave.

"Don't worry, Igniz is coming with me. Besides, I want you to create a defensive wall around the cave in case the Gobble Goblins come back." said Smoke as he thought on his feet.

"Very well, but don't hesitate to call us if you need help."

"Of course." Smoke patted Ledur's shoulders and went inside the cave.

Igniz illuminated the dark cave. Smoke could see rough rocks sticking out of the walls of the cave. The cave's natural jagged passageway that was ten meters high and four meters wide felt spacious to him.

A hundred meters in, Smoke noticed the walls of the cave becoming smoother. Fifty meters more and red marble had replaced the smooth cave walls.

However, he reached a dead end. Smoke checked his map and saw that he was still a few meters away from the temple's exact location. He touched the red marble's surface and felt deep gashes in the wall.

'What is this?' Smoke wondered to himself.

He went back a few meters and gathered as much dirt as he could. Shortly afterwards, he returned to the wall and applied the dirt into the gashes.

Smoke thought he could barely make out what the gashes on the red marble wall represented. They looked like letters for a moment, but the dirt didn't stick and only slided down the wall.

He thought that he could try using water to make the dirt muddy enough for it to stick. Sadly, there was no water source nearby and the little water he had for drinking wasn't enough to test his theory.

He stood close to the red marble wall, in a conundrum as to what to do next. Igniz acted as usual and orbited around him. By chance, the dark ember sprite's flaming body grazed the wall and a small flame remained in one of the gashes in the smooth red marble.

Smoke made a wide grin as he looked at his symbiote. "Igniz, attack the wall with your fireballs."

Without delay, Igniz showered the red marble wall with fireballs. Smoke raised his right hand after a couple of seconds and made a fist. The dark purple symbiote immediately stopped.

Flaming words appeared on the wall and Smoke immediately read the message.

TRIAL OF VIGILANTEZ

Speak the truth and you shall be answered.

As soon as Smoke finished reading the flaming text on the wall, the gashes shifted towards the center of the wall and the fire within them merged into one big orange flame.

The orange flame on the wall spoke. "BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Someone has finally dared to take the trial of Vigilantez. No one has been here for years."

Smoke pushed his dark ember sprite backwards and took two steps back himself. He wasn't sure whether the orange flame would suddenly attack.

"Hmm. And who might you be, DarkElf?"

Still on alert, Smoke answered, "My name is Smoke and this is my symbiote Igniz."

"A DarkElf with a symbiote, huh? I thought DarkElves hated to share their Mana." the orange flame flickered as it spoke. "I suppose you want to get in now?" it asked.

"If it isn't too much trouble, I'd love to go in." said Smoke in a pleasant tone.

"No, no trouble at all. Although, there's this one rule we have to follow before I let you in." The orange flame reciprocated Smoke's pleasantries.

"A rule? Sure, what is it?" Smoke asked with a smile.

The flickering orange flame replied, "I have to ask you a certain question and you just have to answer it." The flame's intensity increased and it proceeded to speak in a more serious tone.

"What is your heart's greatest desire? Is it perhaps wealth? Overwhelming power?"

"Hmm. Before I answer, is it alright if I ask you some questions?" Smoke inquired.

"Sure, ask as many questions as you like, but know that I'll only allow you to answer once. If you don't get it right, then it's over." The flame sounded playful once again.

"Just once, huh? First off, I'd like to know your name, please." Smoke tried to raise his Intimacy with the flickering orange flame.

"My name is Verite, but over the years, people have shortened it to V." answered the flame.

Smoke scratched his head as he thought about other questions he could ask that would help him answer the question. "So, I just tell you what my heart really wants, right? My answer doesn't have to be a choice between saying 'wealth' or 'power'?"

"Hahahaha. You're a tricky one, aren't you? You're already trying to check whether your answer is correct. But that's right, I just want to hear what your heart truly desires."

'V must be using the same principle as the casting circle of truth.' theorized Smoke.

"V, what happens if I don't get the answer right?"

"I will simply revert to being a plain wall and you will never get to activate me again. Basically, you kiss your chance at one of the pieces of Vigilantez goodbye."

"I see. Then I think I'm ready to answer." Smoke said with conviction.

"Fire away, DarkElf."

"I want a good life for my entire family..." Smoke said solemnly.

V changed colors from white, green, blue and then back to orange. "Hmm. There is some truth to that answer, but not enough to allow you to enter the temple."

The gashes on the wall started to separate, along with the flames that formed V.

Smoke couldn't understand why V would not allow him to enter. That was what his heart had always wanted...a good life for his family.

'What else is there?' he thought to himself as he racked his brain for answers.

As he did, an image of a smiling cook with curly red hair came rushing to his mind. 'Ahh.'

Only a small portion of the orange flame remained in the center of the red marble wall.

"Wait, V! I wasn't finished."

The scattered orange flames merged once more.

"But you are. You gave me an answer and it wasn't truthful enough to grant you access to the temple."

"I was giving you my answer, but you didn't let me finish." Smoke said with desperation.

"Fine. I'll indulge you. Go on then, finish your sentence." said V.

Smoke steeled himself and answered once more. "I want a good life for my entire family and to have Sierra be a part of it."

V's flame changed color several times and then intensified before it spoke. "Seems like that was truthful enough to open the door. Well done, DarkElf." Immediately afterwards, the red marble wall started to shake.

V's flame scattered to the corners of the walls and the marble began to part right in the middle. Smoke moved backwards as dust and small rocks started to fall due to the wall's movement.

Smoke stepped inside the parted wall and saw a five-meter-tall statue of an imposing figure with two bent horns and four wings. He then noticed flames appear on the ground and spreading towards the statue.

The statue caught fire. Orange flames appeared on the statue's head and became its wavy flaming hair. The flames then shifted towards the four wings and gave the statue a dreadful appearance.

With Vigilantez's wings illuminating the room, Smoke could clearly see the sharp claws, similar to a lion's, on the djinn's hands and feet. He thought that Vigilantez truly looked like a lord of hell.

After Vigilantez's statue was engulfed in flames, an amber crystal appeared at the base of the statue. V's voice was heard from the flaming statue. "DarkElf, take this Essence piece. You have earned the right to carry it."

Smoke instantly ran to it. He grabbed the amber crystal with much enthusiasm and happily read the notification window that popped up afterwards.

Djinn of the West: Ifrit Vigilantez

Beware of this hellish Djinn, for he was once a wandering avenger of Wysteria!

+Obtained a piece of Vigilantez's essence (1/4)

Smoke excitedly raised his first Vigilantez piece in the air and suddenly realized that he followed exactly what Amahan did when he got his first Comataz piece.

Ashamed that he followed Amahan's posture, he lowered his head and blinked. As soon as he did, he was brought in front of the red marble wall. However, there were no gashes in the smooth surface of the wall this time.

He happily walked out of the cave, smiling from ear to ear. He was about to tell Ledur the good news when he noticed a troubled expression on the winged Tikbalang's face.

"What's wrong?"

"You need to call Espion, right now." said a worried Ledur.

Smoke didn't want to press Ledur into telling him more about the situation, so he immediately called the young Spy.

"Espion, what's up?"

"Finally! I've been trying to reach you for a few minutes now." Espion answered with a hard time breathing. "Crucibelle has gathered an army of Gobble Goblins and it looks like she plans to destroy another village with this newly-formed army."

Smoke knew that Crucibelle's last location was on mount Vor Eindrigen, which was very close to Mount Yunggo. "No! Don't tell me she's going after Saruras village?" he asked his Spy.

"Saruras? No, I don't think she's headed there. Based on the general direction she's going in right now, I think she's headed for the place where I'm at...Banal village." replied Espion.

"Banal village? Where's that? And just how big is this army?" asked Smoke.

"Crucibelle's gathered about a thousand Gobble Goblins. I'll send you the coordinates of Banal village. I think she'll arrive here in about three days, maybe even two." Espion reported.

A few seconds later, a notification window popped up on Smoke's left side.

MAP LOCATION: Banal village

Coordinates: Latitude: 16°16' S, Longitude: 86°48' E
Note: Forty kilometers away from current location.

SNAP!

Smoke snapped his fingers when he saw Banal village's location. 'This is good.'

He looked at his Tikbalang corps and pondered how they could stand a chance against that many Gobble Goblins. "Have you tried speaking with the village chief?"

"I have. He said that they're willing to leave the village but are just too scared of being unprotected. They're afraid that they would be sitting ducks for other hostile monsters as soon as they leave."

Smoke started to pace as he filled his head with different battle scenarios. Espion then spoke again.

"I think the village chief is right. These guys don't know how to fight. They really need our help, Smoke."

"Two days, huh? I can do something with two days." Smoke thought out loud. "Just sit tight for now, Espion. Remember that your safety is always your top priority. I'll be there soon, I just have to make a quick call."

* * * * * *

Smoke asked Igniz to return to his hidden compartment and glided as fast as he could towards Banal village. He reached a top speed of 140 kph and got to the village in less than twenty minutes.

He asked Ledur to accompany the other Tikbalangs, as they traveled on foot. Due to the impending threat, Smoke had many things to do, which was why he needed to get there as soon as possible.

Moments before Smoke reached Banal village, he received a call from Espion saying that he was waiting outside the village. He could see that Banal village was extremely small.

It was easily the smallest village in Zectas that he had seen, even smaller than Verbrannt, which they had re-constructed only recently.

With the aid of his Telefax Vision ability, Smoke saw a young man with black hair leaning on the village's iron gate. He circled around the village as he started to make his descent from an altitude of a hundred meters.

He appreciated Espion waiting for him. With his gliding cloak closed, Smoke dove in at an alarming speed. The young Spy followed him with his eyes and waited for him to land.

WOOSHH!

Expertly, Smoke opened up his cape just before he hit the ground and landed without making a loud noise.

Espion walked over to him and offered his hand. "Welcome to Banal village. The village isn't much, but I think we can fortify it in the next two days."

"Thanks, Espion. We'll talk about that later. For now, I'd like to meet the village chief."

Smoke released Igniz from his personal compartment. The dark ember sprite orbited around Espion as a greeting.

"Nice to see you too, Igniz." Espion smiled as he led the way to the village.

"Great job on tracking down Crucibelle. I'd also like to commend you for how you handled the situation in this village. At least they're open to the idea of leaving their home."

He saw Espion smile proudly.

"I'm sure Caid will be very pleased to hear this." said Smoke as they walked into the village. As they did, he observed that Banal village already looked like a ghost town.

The cobblestone streets were empty and the stone houses had boarded-up windows.

"Espion, where is everybody?"

"They're all hiding over at the center of the village. Apparently, they have an emergency shelter they go to in case of monster attacks or natural calamities." explained Espion.

Espion led the way and they only needed to walk for ten more minutes before they got to the shelter. The stone building was a large cube three stories high.

Smoke couldn't see any visible ladders. There were just a couple of windows on the third floor. As they reached the emergency shelter, the young Spy knocked on the large double iron door.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

A sliding peephole opened and a voice came out of it. "All ravens are black."

To which Espion replied, "If it's not black, it's not a raven."

The large door opened and Smoke, Igniz and Espion went inside. Espion looked at Smoke and said, "Aside from being prepared for disasters, most of the villagers are also a bit paranoid."

Smoke nodded as he listened to Espion's observation on the Banalites. Inside the shelter, he saw about a dozen bunk beds placed against the walls.

"How many villagers are there?" asked Smoke.

"There are only eighty-three residents in Banal: sixty adults, ten elderly and thirteen children." Espion replied promptly. "You see that bald man with a yellow jacket?"

Espion pointed at a stout, middle-aged man with a completely bald head, who was talking to a group of villagers.

"Yes."

"That's the village chief. His name's Sot Regle." Espion waved at Banal's village chief and Sot waved back.

Both Smoke and Espion walked over to Sot.

"Excuse me gentlemen," Espion addressed the gathered Banalites, "I'd like you all to meet my esteemed leader Smoke and his dark ember sprite Igniz."

The gathered Banalites greeted Smoke and Igniz with smiles on their faces. "He'll know exactly what to do in order for your village to survive Crucibelle's attack." Espion went on to explain.

Smoke smiled sincerely and shook the gathered Banalites' hands. "A pleasure to meet you all. Sorry for being abrupt, but I was wondering if we could talk with Sot in private?"

The stout bald man nodded. "Sure, no problem." Sot led the way to the upper floors of the shelter. They went into one of the rooms on the third floor.

"Here should be fine." said Sot as he motioned for Smoke and Espion to sit on chairs opposite to him, while Igniz remained flying around Smoke. "I'm sorry we don't have strategy rooms. We only have simple rooms with simple beds. Pretty interesting ember sprite you have there. I've only heard about them being red."

"Yeah, Igniz is special. Don't worry about the rooms, this is perfectly fine. I just wanted to know when would your people be ready to migrate to Verbrannt?" asked Smoke.

"Migrate to Verbrannt?" Sot shook his head strongly, "Espion just said to leave the village temporarily. He told us that you could protect us from hostile monsters in the wild while Crucibelle passes through our village."

Smoke frowned when he heard this and shot Espion a stern look. Espion just shrugged his shoulders and pretended that he didn't know what Sot was saying.

The DarkElf tried to be calm as possible as he described what was going to happen to Banal village. "Well, you see, when Crucibelle goes through a village, she doesn't leave anything standing. Go ahead, Espion. Tell him what you saw in Opferntl Village."

Espion proceeded to retell the story of how Opferntl village was burnt to the ground with its residents still in it. "...Only ashes remained of the flourishing village." Espion ended.

Sot looked down to the floor. Banal's chief looked broken. Smoke thought that if one were to look up the word forlorn in a dictionary, there would probably be a picture of Sot's current expression next to it.

Smoke patted Sot's shoulders and said, "A wise man once told me that a village isn't the place where you put up walls, houses and other buildings. It is where the people of one mind and one goal reside."

"Huh?" Sot turned to Smoke with a bewildered look, "You think the villagers will just gladly leave their homes and merrily sing while moving away from the place they all grew up in?"

Smoke's eyes grew wide. He didn't expect for Sot to be this negative about the idea of migrating. He was sure that he would be able to easily convince him and the villagers to migrate to Verbrannt.

"So, what are you planning on doing now, Sot?" Smoke asked as he tried to come up with a way to persuade the villagers to leave.

"I'm going to inform all of the Banalites what's really going to happen and ask if any of them want to migrate."

Sot stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I have to tell them the real situation." Sot looked at Espion with disgust.

Smoke lightly struck Espion's chest with the back of his fist. "Hey! What was that for?" asked Espion.

"Why did you lie to them? Why did you tell them that their homes were gonna be okay?"

"I figured that once they see there's nothing left here, they'll be okay with moving to Verbrannt. Besides, isn't that what you did when you pretended to be Ilad, the Flame Knight?"

"This and that are two completely different scenarios." Smoke sighed as he was exasperated with explaining it to Espion. "Anyway, I doubt the Banal villagers will be willing to leave now."

Smoke, Igniz and Espion went back downstairs. The three of them stood in the back of the room while Sot climbed onto a small table and turned to face the crowd of gathered Banalites.

"Fellow Banalites, it appears that we have been mislead. Crucibelle doesn't intend to just pass through our village. Instead, she intends to burn it down to the ground."

The Banalites broke into an uproar as soon as they heard Sot's bad news.

"Now, now. Please try to calm down. It appears that Smoke and Espion here are offering to take us to a different village." Sot pointed to the back where Smoke was.

The crowd turned around and stared at the DarkElf. All Smoke could do was smile and give the crowd a small wave.

"I haven't heard how wonderful this other village is supposed to be. I'm sure that it is, but I don't want to leave Banal without a fight. I don't want to leave the place our forefathers built with their bare hands."

Sot formed a fist and pointed to the crowd.

"So, I'm asking all of you now: who amongst you here wants to leave with Smoke?"

None of the Banalites showed signs of siding with Smoke.

"We're staying with you, Sot. If you chose to stay here and fight, then we'll fight alongside you!" shouted one of the Banalites. The crowd joined in and agreed not to run away.

Smoke shook his head at what was happening. The crowd's voices grew louder as they made plans for defending their homes against Crucibelle and her Gobble Goblin army.

Sot walked over to Smoke and spoke to him, "So, it appears that migration is out of the picture. Would you be willing to defend Banal village instead?"

A quest window immediately popped up.

+ Quest: Defense of Banal
Protection Quest
Level: A

Banal's village chief Sot asked you to defend the village from Crucibelle's imminent attack.

Accept the Quest? [YES/NO]

Smoke offered his hand to Sot and accepted the quest.

* * * * * *

"So, what is your village's specialty?" Smoke asked Sot as both of them were outside and Sot was showing Smoke around Banal village.

"To be honest, we don't have anything special at all. We're what some might call a 'mediocre' village. We mostly have Tailors, Farmers and a single Merchant."

Sot answered nervously as he watched the Tikbalangs patrolling the streets of Banal. "Are you sure it's safe to have those monsters around?" asked Sot.

"Please don't refer to them as monsters. They're noble Centaurs, they were just cursed by one of the Witches." Smoke said strongly.

"I apologize if I've offended you, I was just taken aback by their appearance. Seeing twenty-one of these, uhm, cursed Centaurs is a bit overwhelming." Sot rambled as he tried to apologize.

Smoke listened to him as he looked around the village. He scrutinized Banal village's potential weak points and also observed that the entire village only covered an area of barely five square kilometers.

"And what about that Merchant? Does he or she have anything interesting for sale?" asked Smoke.

Sot shook his head fervently. "No, nothing interesting at all. He has rather useless items: some fishing rods, iron ingots and a couple of books. But there is no river or lake nearby, there's no Blacksmiths in Banal and no one here is interested in reading books."

The mention of books instantly piqued the DarkElf's interest. "Books, huh? I'd like to meet this Merchant, please." Smoke asked with a smile.

"Sure, no problem." said Sot. As they continued walking in the same direction, he was met with Smoke's questioning gaze. "Oh, you mean now? Alright then, this way." Sot led Smoke to the next block and stopped when they got to the corner.

A man plumper than Sot sat idly in front of a small stall. He had gray hairs and a wrinkled face. Sot called the Merchant's attention.

"Smoke, I'd like you to meet Perdant Marchand." The gray-haired Merchant shook Smoke's hand energetically.

"A pleasure to meet you, Master Smoke. Please, call me Perdant and feel free to look at my wares. I'm sure you'll find something to your liking."

Smoke and Perdant shook hands with vested interest. "Nice to meet you too, Perdant."

"Alright. Now that you've met, I think I'll check the village gate while I'm here." Sot rushed towards the gate on the left.

Smoke and Perdant waved goodbye to the village chief. Immediately afterwards, the Beggar and the Merchant discussed their business at hand.

"I'm gonna be straight with you, Perdant: I'm here only for your books." Smoke explained directly.

"Very good choice, Master Smoke." said Perdant with a smile as he prepared three books in front of Smoke.

"Tsk." Smoke couldn't help but click his tongue, as he expected to buy more than three books. In front of him were books entitled "You and Your Symbiote Volume II", "Twin Vision" and "The Saviors Tested by Fate: Part One".

Smoke's attention first went to the Symbiote book because he had already acquired the knowledge of the first volume and gained the Telefax Vision ability from it, but his focus quickly shifted to the thick book with a special cover. The book entitled "Twin Vision" was actually an ability tome.

"How much for all three books?" Smoke eagerly asked.

Perdant raised his hand and showed five fingers. "Fifty thousand zecs for all three books would be good."

Smoke quickly took out a bag containing one hundred thousand zecs from his backpack and gave it to the Merchant.

As he grabbed the book entitled "Twin Vision", a confirmation window popped up. This meant that he fulfilled the ability tome's requirements.

+Ability Tome: 'Twin Vision'

A poor man's version of the Shared Vision ability. It can display on a flat surface what the other person sees, provided that the surface is within two feet of the caster.

Requirements:
Job: Light Wizard
Level: 100
Intelligence: 200
Mana: 50,000

Before Smoke could consume the ability tome, Perdant grabbed his hand and stopped him. "Wait! This isn't a fair deal. No offense, but you don't seem like the person who has a hundred thousand zecs to spare."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked a puzzled Smoke. He saw Perdant give him a head to foot glance. 'He must be bothered by my ragged appearance.'

Perdant explained, "I only asked for fifty thousand zecs, but you gave me a hundred thousand zecs instead. Besides, that ability sounds useless, I couldn't find it in my conscience to accept this offer."

"Ah, I intentionally did that. While some people might consider it a junk ability, others might deem it very valuable, which is why I wanted to pay the correct price for this item."

Perdant still looked unconvinced. Smoke smiled and was touched by such a rarity that was an honest Merchant. "Alright, how about I buy all of your ingots too?" Smoke asked.

"Alright, I think that will be fair trade. Thank you for your patronage, Master Smoke." Perdant smiled and Smoke watched his Intimacy with the Merchant rise to sixty.

After that issue was resolved, Smoke brought his attention back to the ability tome and consumed it without any further delays.

+ Consumed 'Twin Vision' tome.

+ Learned Ability: Twin Vision
Active
Level: Beginner Level 1
Experience: (0/1,000)

Lets you display what you see onto a very limited area.

Restriction: Can only be used on a flat surface no farther than two feet away from the caster at all times.
Effect: Lets other see what the caster sees.
MP Consumption: 200 MP

A smiling DarkElf held the other two books in his hands. The one entitled "You and Your Symbiote Volume II" showed two hours on the progress bar.

Propitiously, the one entitled "The Saviors Tested by Fate: Part One" only needed fifty-nine more seconds for it to finish. He patiently stood in place and waited for the Acquired Knowledge window to pop up.

The Saviors Tested by Fate

It was a time when the great gods had just left the mortal plains of Zectas. The four Reptilian sub-races...Lizardites, Chameleonese, Crocodilians and Draconians...had only just begun their bold campaign towards world domination.

The different kingdoms and races held onto their pride and chose not to ally with one another, except for a small group of HighElf princesses.

This group of princesses not only possessed courage, but beauty as well. Their charm was said to rival that of the goddess of beauty, Xochique.

The princesses banded together and proceeded to form most fearsome armies, powerful enough to stand  against the dreaded Reptilian race.

In a joint effort, they stopped the progress of Lizardites and Chameleonese. However, this was only for a short time.

The armies of the allied princesses could not stand against the might of all four Reptilian sub-races. Desperate, they asked for help from the god of death, Chalchizin.

Little did the princesses now that instead of finding salvation, they had sealed their fate...

Many questions popped into Smoke's mind after he read the book, and of course, he wondered how the story ends. He was about to continue acquiring the knowledge of the other book when Sot came running from the direction of the village gate.

"Crucibelle's here! Crucibelle's here!" Sot shouted in a trembling voice.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Smoke asked quickly while hiding the book in his backpack and sprinted to Sot.

"I thought you said we still had two days left?" Sot asked in despair as Smoke joined him at the village's iron gate.

Two dust clouds were rapidly approaching Banal village.

"That's not Crucibelle." said Smoke with a grin, "Those are our reinforcements."

In less than five minutes, two stag-moose pulling heavily-armored carriages slowed down in front of Banal's iron gate. A tigress Lioumerean and a lioness Lioumerean were sitting in the driver's seats. Smoke, Igniz, Espion, Sot, Ledur and twenty Tikbalangs were all there to greet them.

Smoke and Espion waved to the two Lioumerean drivers. As soon as the armored carriages came to a full stop, the lioness Lioumerean leapt from her seat and dove straight for the DarkElf.

He tried to sidestep Laernea's hug, but Espion held Smoke in place. Laernea hugged Smoke tightly with her arms around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist.

"Okay, Laernea. You can let go now." said Smoke as he gave Espion an agitated look. The young Spy only raised his hands and acted all innocent.

"Sorry about that. It's just that I've missed you so much, Smoke." Laernea explained as she was pried off by Gandiva.

"I've missed you as well, Smoke." said Gandiva as she gave him a gentle hug. "Same here, Gandiva."

One by one, Smoke's other private army members jumped down from the two armored carriages. Adder stepped forward first and stood in front of Smoke. He clenched his fist, brought it in front of his heart and bowed down before Smoke. "Finally, I'll be directly in your service once more."

"It has been a long time, my friend." said Smoke as he pulled Adder in for a hug. Adder hugged back, but accidentally squeezed Smoke too hard with his regrown left arm.

"Ouch!" Smoke yelped in pain.

Adder apologized, "Sorry about that. I guess I still don't know my own strength. I've been practising every day, but I guess it isn't enough."

"It's okay, don't worry about it." Smoke turned to face other private army members when he saw three massive Maneators charging towards him.

An orange Maneator arrived first. Rasant was the fastest and shortest Maneator at a height of two and half meters, but he easily stood on par with any of the Tikbalangs.

Rasant spoke faster than a radio announcer. "Finally. I've been asking everyone how you were. Adder and Thyrsus told me stories about your adventures in the Simiavulg village and what about that new ability, huh? I'd like to see it one day, you know, if you're not too busy. Adder and Thyrsus have been doing a great job running everything in Verbrannt, but it's mostly Thyrsus because Adder is really focused on training his Condortlian Warriors. Anyway, I've also learned new attacks with the whip you gave me. Wanna see?" the orange Maneator said rapidly, in a single breath.

"Good to see you too, Rasant." Smoke hugged him awkwardly as his hands could not reach all around the Maneator's back.

Next, a red Maneator knelt down in front of Smoke.

"Stark give.. owner to you... new King of Maneators!" said Stark with beaming confidence as his nostrils flared with hot air.

A gray Maneator quickly corrected his brother, "Stark, it's honor, not owner." explained Weise.

Smoke smiled and patted Stark on the shoulders. "The owner's mine, Stark." The red Maneator showed the widest grin Smoke had seen and gave way for Weise to greet their master.

"Mitleid's legacy is well placed in your hands, King Smoke." said Weise as he bowed down before Smoke.

"Weise, I told you to drop that 'King' stuff already." Weise smiled, bowed down again and stepped aside.

The next one to greet Smoke was the beautiful brunette WoodElf, Vijaya. Six falcons perched on a special staff that her twin sister made for her.

She greeted Smoke with a sullen face, "Hello, Smoke. This is a good thing we're doing here...defending a helpless village. You've reconfirmed that it wasn't wrong of Thyrsus and I to choose you as our master."

"Thank you, Vijaya. I hope to always keep that in mind then." said Smoke awkwardly as he didn't understand what was going on with her.

As soon as Vijaya stepped aside, Ichaival walked over to him. "Sorry about that, Smoke. It appears that the lovey-dovey season started. She's just sulking because Thyrsus couldn't come. They've been going at it for almost a month now."

"What? Thyrsus and Vijaya are a couple now? When did this happen?" asked Smoke.

"Nah, you wouldn't want to hear the details. So, how have you been, boss?" asked Ichaival.

"I'm feeling more confident now that you guys are here." said Smoke after he gave Ichaival a hug. "So, if Thyrsus and Vijaya are going out, does that mean that you and Sharanga are an item now too?"

"Ha ha. Add salt to my wounds, why don't you?" Ichaival shook his head after laughing sarcastically. "The love bug didn't bite her. I don't know how Thyrsus did it, but I'm still happy for him."

Ichaival gave way for the last member of Smoke's private army who arrived on Laernea and Gandiva's carriages to greet him.

Jinggu, the forest-green OrkElf, bowed down before Smoke. "Get up, Jinggu. You know you don't have to do that." Smoke pulled him in for a hug, which Jinggu reciprocated for only a second.

"I heard you did a great job fortifying Verbrannt alongside the Maneators. Thank you for that." said Smoke with a smile.

Jinggu only gave a small nod and smiled back.

"Still not much for words, huh?" said Smoke and patted Jinggu's back.

After the OrkElf, Adder walked closer to Smoke and said, "Now that you've greeted all the primary members, I'd like to present to you the improved Condortlian Warriors."

Thirty Condortlian Warriors stepped down from the two armored carriages. Each of the Warriors was equipped with a shiny bastard sword, an ornate round shield and a skull helm.

Like the well-trained Warriors they were, they fell into formation and formed a single platoon. Smoke wished he could have brought more men from Verbrannt, but Laernea and Gandiva were the only ones capable of covering great distances within a day, and their carriages could only carry this many.

Despite their low numbers, Smoke felt confident that these thirty Condortlian Warriors would be very useful against Crucibelle and her Gobble Goblins.

"Wheeew!" Smoke whistled loudly, "All of them have defeated the boss in the mausoleum?"

"Well, we basically lived inside the mausoleum for almost two weeks." calmly replied Adder. "The one with the lowest level among them right now is at 96." he said as he pointed at a young Condortlian Warrior.

"And where did you get these swords and shields? They look expensive." asked Smoke.

"I forged them myself. I used the saved-up allowance you gave me and the zecs Gandiva and Laernea won for placing high in the Mounted Race to buy the required materials." said Adder as he gave a small nod to the Lioumereans.

"This is really impressive. Great job, Adder. And good work on increasing their levels." Smoke clapped and the rest of the private army members clapped with him.

"Alright, let's all grab a meal. Espion, Ledur and I have prepared a feast for you guys. But we still have a lot to do and little time to do it." said a determined Smoke as he led the way to the emergency shelter.

On the way there, Laernea forcefully walked close to him. Smoke called the tigress Lioumerean, "Gandiva, come here. I have to tell you something."

Gandiva walked closer as well. "Listen, I have a very difficult mission for you two. Do you think you're up to it?" asked Smoke.

"Sure, we're ready for anything." enthusiastically replied Laernea.

"Bring it on, Smoke. You know we can do it." bravely answered Gandiva.

"Good. Alright, I want you to eat really fast and then head back to Verbrannt. Do you think you could do that?"

"What?! This might be our hardest mission yet." Gandiva groaned as she ran towards the shelter.

As Smoke and his private army members walked towards the shelter, he remembered the book he read recently.

"Hey, guys, have any of you heard of the story called 'The Saviors Tested by Fate'?" asked Smoke.

Vijaya heard this and quickly replied, "That's my favorite story! I remember wanting to be one of those princesses in the Magietrois."

"Magietrois? What's that?" asked Smoke.

"Its what that group of princesses was called." answered Vijaya.

"Oh, alright. Anyway, I was wondering how the story ends?"

"I don't know the exact story that's written in the books. I just heard it from a passing Bard who sang it to us when we were kids. According to him, the Magietrois obtained immortality and will appear once more to assemble their fearsome armies and protect the world against the Reptilian race." answered Vijaya.

"Hmm. Maybe we could meet those princesses and have them become our allies?" Smoke said out loud.

Ichaival walked closer to others and added, "With those legendary princesses as allies...I wonder if one of them would fall for my charms."

Gandiva, Laernea and Vijaya all smacked Ichaival on the head. "Quit dreaming, Ichaival. Besides, I thought you only had eyes for my sister?" Vijaya said sternly.

Deep in thought, Smoke continued to walk in silence. 'Where could I find this Magietrois group? I should search for the book containing the next part of the story.'

Chapter Nine: Forged in Flames

Jubilant sounds came from the great hall of Banal's emergency shelter. Igniz illuminated the otherwise bleak room. Smoke and his men cheerfully chatted away as they sat at a long table made up of several smaller wooden tables joined together.

Big chunks of roasted war elephant meat were placed all over table and served as the main dish.

"Wow! You really pulled out all the stops on this one, Smoke." exclaimed Ichaival as he took a big bite out of one of the slices.

"No, no, this is all Ledur's work. I just made the side dishes." Smoke replied as he pointed to the mashed potatoes and fried crickets.

The winged Tikbalang shook his head. "It wasn't much. We were just fortunate enough to come across a stray war elephant on our way to Banal. The rampaging beast made such a ruckus that it practically called out to us."

Twenty Tikbalangs banged their hooves on the table as they laughed. Rasant and Stark matched the Tikbalangs laughter as loud as they could.

The orange Maneator rapidly tapped his hoof on the floor while the red one banged it loudly with all his strength.

Smoke could tell that the two Maneators didn't have a clue as to why the Tikbalangs were laughing and were just playfully copying them.

Weise, however, remained quiet. The gray Maneator merely observed the conversation that everyone was having.

"Well, I'm sure the great god Cuezaltzin guided this war elephant to you." added Adder as he joined in on their conversation.

"Pfft. I doubt Cuezaltzin still cares for us. Look at us, we're monsters now." said Ledur bitterly.

With the intention to console Ledur, Adder shared his past experience. "I used to feel the same way, but you just have to believe. The right time will come for you and your brothers."

"Stop preaching some hypocritical nonsense. You're only saying that because you've already been freed from the Lizardites' enslavement." said Ledur aggressively.

Smoke sensed that the joyful meal had quickly turned sour. He was about to intervene when his second-in-command spoke again.

"You're absolutely right, Ledur. I'm sorry, I was out of place." said Adder sincerely.

Before anyone else could talk, Ichaival suddenly spoke loud for the whole table to hear, "So, did you guys hear how Thyrsus and Vijaya's little love adventure began?"

The occupants of the long table replied with dead silence. Only Gandiva and Laernea's fast-paced chewing and swallowing could be heard.

"Everything was set in motion with their attempt to save Mitleid. Sierra had just assigned them to be our battalion's Wing Commanders." started Ichaival.

Still, the long awkward silence remained.

"Vijaya blamed herself for Mitleid's death, saying that they didn't act fast enough because she wasn't used to her new role. So she turned to Thyrsus for some advice. Of course, our friendly Thyrsus gave her his undivided attention. Then, she invited him to her room and..."

Before Ichaival could finish his sentence, six falcons came out of nowhere and pulled on his black hair with their talons.

"Okay, okay, I give up. Call them off already, Vijaya!" Ichaival pleaded as everyone smiled at him and the blushing Huntress.

Immediately afterwards, the mood at the table returned to its pleasant nature. Smoke stood up, walked over to Ichaival and patted the Hunter's shoulder. He gave him a knowing nod, which Ichaival returned in kind.

Smoke moved from one seat to another to hear how all of his close friends had been. He couldn't have been prouder of leading such an amazing assembly of Zectians.

His only regret was that most of them had seen better days, but this only fueled his resolve to help them. In a way, he understood both Adder and Ledur's feelings.

'I'll make sure to remove the curses afflicting the Centaurs and Sierra.'

Smoke's train of thought was derailed when he heard Espion call out to the Lioumereans. "Hey, Gandiva and Laernea, you two are leisurely feasting here at the table while your stag moose outside haven't eaten yet. I bet you haven't even unloaded all the stuff in your carriages. Which reminds me, didn't Smoke ask you to bring..."

Espion couldn't finish his sentence as the two Lioumereans grabbed a coil of rope lying on a barrel behind them and tied him up neatly. They gagged him with their napkins after they were done.

"That should keep you from bothering us during our meal." said Laernea.

"He's turning out to be even worse than Ichaival." Gandiva scoffed as both Lioumereans returned to their seats and resumed stuffing their mouths with food.

* * * * * *

KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG!

Before the break of dawn, loud noises of pounding metal filled the air of Banal village. Jinggu, the muscular OrkElf, stood beside Adder and ten other Condortlians in a makeshift blacksmith area that Smoke created.

Without a furnace to be used to melt the iron ingots, Smoke asked his dark purple symbiote to help Adder and his men.

Since Banal had no Blacksmiths, Smoke had to make anvils himself. He ordered Igniz to melt the iron ingots and some of the low-quality weapons they had gathered around Banal and pour the metal into casts he created with Earth Manipulation.

Adder lifted a hammer with his regrown left arm and swung it down hard at a rough-looking anvil, masterfully shaping some of the iron ingots into horseshoes.

Smoke had thought about this for a while. Horseshoes would be weapons to Tikbalangs, similar to an iron knuckle, and should increase their attack.

KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG!

Jinggu and the Condortlians were busy forging spearheads. Smoke gave them the near-impossible task of producing at least nine hundred spearheads.

Adder, Jinggu and the Condortlians' exceptional strength allowed them to wield basic hammers, usable by all Jobs. They used them in a manner similar to how a Blacksmith would use a Blacksmith's hammer.

Only the sound of clashing iron and hammers could be heard until  Adder spoke out.

"How many left?" Adder asked Jinggu.

"Still have six hundred more to do." he answered without looking up.

"Don't worry, Jinggu, I'll help out with the spearheads as soon as I finish fitting all twenty-one Tikbalangs."

The OrkElf gave a quick courteous nod and remained silent as he kept on reshaping the iron ingots on the anvil in front of him.

* * * * * *

Ichaival entertained the Banalite volunteers with his crazy antics as he prepared them for Basic Archery training. Sadly, out of the sixty Banalite volunteers only twenty-seven were willing to participate in the battle.

So, he taught the non-combatants how to make basic bows and arrows. Ichaival made several target dummies and placed them at a convenient distance of only five meters away.

He had the Banalite Archers-in-training take their stance. They took offense at first, but they realized that five meters was not that close right after they tried using the basic bows.

The black-haired Hunter struggled teaching the Banalites, but all of them persevered during the ten hours of intense training and ended up with the target dummies placed thirty meters away from them.

"Whether you can or can't, the answer's up to you. As long as you're determined, I know that you can do it." Ichaival said as he congratulated them.

Aside from Basic Archery, Ichaival also taught them the basics of first aid. Smoke often thought that Ichaival Jackal would have probably been better off as a Bard due to his flair for entertainment.

Smoke had gotten to know Ichaival's true nature and knew that he was serious about Sharanga. He also thought that Sharanga needed someone who could make her laugh, which was why he hoped that the two of them would have paired up already. However, it seems that Sharanga was immune to Ichaival's charms.

Subsequently, Smoke finished checking on the indoor preparations and proceeded to the rooftop of the emergency shelter. He stood in front of an earth tower ten meters high, with a floor area of twenty square meters.

Smoke and Ledur created this towering structure on top of the emergency shelter in order to use it as their command center.

Smoke planned to use three perimeter walls around the emergency shelter. The first wall was Banal's original wall, which surrounded the village.

It had two gates: the main iron gate at the village entrance and a small back gate on the opposite side. Given the limited amount of time before Crucibelle's arrival, he decided to leave Banal's original wall alone.

He envisioned the second wall to serve mainly as a blockade, which was why he used the Digger's Wand to create trenches at specific sections around the emergency shelter. The trenches were a hundred meters long, nine meters wide and ten meters deep.

In order to save his and Ledur's Mana, he ordered the Tikbalangs to use the dug-out dirt and shape it into a circular wall four meters high. Smoke divided the Tikbalangs into four groups and they were each given their assigned sections to work on. Their hooves smoothened out the sides of the wall with ease.

As soon as Adder finished their horseshoes, the Tikbalangs were called back to the emergency shelter one by one. Equipped with their new tools, the Tikbalangs looked pleased.

In order to complete this second line of defense, Smoke gave the three Maneators a demanding task of providing massive amounts of wood from the nearby forest.

Stark chopped down the trees as he wielded two axes given to him by the Banalites, while Rasant and Weise delivered the wood back to the village. The twenty Condortlians who did not help with the smithing carved the wood into sharp spikes that would be placed along the bottom of the trenches.

After the wooden spikes were in place, the Condortlians put tied-up branches and leaves gathered from the trees over the trenches. Then, Smoke and Ledur took turns in covering them with a paper-thin layer of earth, completely concealing their trap.

Once the Condortlians were done with the spikes, they proceeded to make bases of throwing spears and attached the finished spearheads provided by Adder and the smithing unit to them.

Next, Smoke and Ledur focused on the last line of defense...the third wall. They planned to create a hexagonal wall six meters high and two meters thick.

Hours went by in a flash and each of the Earth Manipulators created three sides of the wall. It only dwarfed the surrounded emergency shelter by one floor. They also created platforms extending from the top of each corner of the wall.

Some of the Banalites were tasked with the creation of disposable bridges made of wood and straw, meant for connecting the three perimeter walls. This provided some much-needed mobility to the defending forces and also allowed them to easily destroy a compromised bridge if necessary.

As Smoke continued working on the third wall, he saw Vijaya's silhouette with the tall T-shaped falcon perch protruding on her back.

After helping Espion set up some of the traps earlier, she was tasked with checking the progress on the trenches. She did all of this from afar, while standing on top of the original village wall.

Vijaya started to do practice shots from her position and used a random tree outside the village as her target. Although Smoke selected her for monitoring the trenches precisely because of her falcons' scouting abilities, he still felt that she should personally inspect them from time to time.

So he stopped working on the third wall and glided down to where Vijaya was. He flew a short distance and landed softly beside her.

"Everything alright with the trenches?" asked Smoke.

Vijaya stopped firing her arrows, turned around and answered, "Yeah, everything's on track. I think there's only 20% left to work on."

"Really? That's good." he said with a smile.

"Keke keekekeeeek kekekekekek."

One of Vijaya's falcons flew overhead and shrilled. "Make that 15% left." said Vijaya as she threw a chunk of smoked horned rabbit meat at the passing bird.

"And you don't think you need to verify this yourself?" said Smoke as he crossed his arms. "Didn't I tell you before not to rely on your falcons too much?"

"Of course. I've learned my lesson, I was about to go there now." Vijaya said as she cupped her hands around her mouth and used the Falcon Tongue ability. "Keeeeeekk keeeeeek kekekekekekekek kekek."

Six falcons swooped down and grabbed specific portions of her falcon perch. Then, in one fluid motion, all of the falcons flapped their wings in unison.

Vijaya was lifted up by her falcons and was flying towards the latest finished portion of the trenches. Surprised, Smoke stood still and watched the astonishing sight before him.

The WoodElf's flight speed was slow to say the least, but it still gave her extra mobility.

Smoke then realized that the finished portion of the trenches still needed to be covered by a thin layer of earth. He shouted to the flying Vijaya, "Vijaya, wait up! I'll cover the finished portion."

"It's okay, Vij said that Ledur already covered it." Vijaya shouted back.

Convinced that Vijaya was on top of her task, he leapt up and glided back towards the third wall.

As Smoke descended, he saw a winged Tikbalang standing on top of their command center and landed next to him. "Those horseshoes look good on you, Ledur. Is Adder done fitting your brethren as well?"

Ledur nodded and kept gazing at the auburn horizon. "Smoke, do you really think our curse will be lifted once all three Witches are dead?"

Noticing the serious look in his eyes, Smoke took a moment to respond. "Honestly, I don't know. Sierra told me that she could remove her curse if she acquires the blood of all three Witches of Wysteria. You and the others were cursed by the same Witches, so hopefully..." he answered with a straight face and stared at the orange sky.

"Thank you for being straight with me. I have my doubts as well. I can understand your optimism, but I'm afraid that I don't share it." said Ledur before fully expanding his bat-like wings. "I'm going on a break for a couple of minutes." he added and swiftly took to the skies.

Smoke wished he could have comforted Ledur, but didn't want to lie to him. He stood at the top of the earth tower, worriedly looking at the winged Tikbalang's silhouette in the distance.

The third wall was about 90% completed, but Smoke needed to recover his mana before working on the last 10%. Since he couldn't finish the wall yet, he decided to call Espion and check how he was doing.

The young Spy was placing early warning devices precisely three kilometers away from the village. The Lioumereans provided trip wires, snares and flares, which would help indicate the enemy's arrival.

Smoke gave specific instructions on where to place the traps and flares. Since the traps were to be set up in forest patches, they had Sharanga modify them to react only to the humanoid type of monsters. That way, only the incoming Gobble Goblins would trigger them.

"Espion, is everything set?" asked Smoke.

Espion answered energetically, "Yeah, I'm almost done thanks to Vijaya's help earlier."

"Good work. Return to the emergency shelter immediately afterwards. I'll be giving out battle assignments as soon as I finish up the third wall."

"Alright, I'll be there as soon as I'm done. I think we still have about sixteen hours before they arrive." Espion said before Smoke ended the call.

As Smoke stood alone on top of the command center, he noticed that he still had a few more minutes to spare before his mana bar becomes full again.

This made him decide to practise the new ability he learned from the book "You and your symbiote Volume II". He rushed down from the command center to check on Adder and see if he could have his symbiote back.

He opened the window of his newly-acquired ability.

Ability: Symbiote Vision
Active
Level: Beginner Level 1
Experience: (10/1,000)

The second level of Mana Melding with your Symbiote.
Effect: Projects the image of what your Symbiote sees into your mind.
WARNING: While the ability is active, you are Blinded.

Smoke grinned as he let Igniz soar around the emergency shelter. He knew that Symbiote Vision had a huge drawback, but right off the bat, he could already think of several scenarios where he could effectively use this ability.

* * * * * *

After extensively discussing their battle strategy, Smoke still had ten hours left before Crucibelle's supposed arrival. He ordered his troops to get some rest but stay on alert and near their designated positions.

His private army members began to disperse from the great hall of the emergency shelter. Before they left the building, each Condortlian Warrior picked up thirty of the newly-crafted throwing spears.

Smoke followed them outside and heard Adder asking them to do a couple of practice throws before the battle. As Smoke and the Condortlians walked out together, the Maneators decided to follow them.

Ledur and twenty Tikbalangs joined them as well. Soon, all of Smoke's private army members walked with him to watch the Condortlians.

It was already very late when they gathered outside in the open area between the emergency shelter and the third wall. Igniz managed to light up the entire space with his luminance alone. Adder prepared six straw-goblins as targets in advance.

"Men! Fall in!" Adder shouted. Instantly, thirty Condortlian Warriors formed a six-columned platoon and stood twenty meters away from the target.

"Volley!" Adder commanded. The Warriors in the first row threw their spears and made direct contact with the targets. Most of the spears went straight through the target dummies as they could not sustain the spears' weight.

After throwing their spears, the Warriors retreated to the back of the columns. "Volley!" repeated Adder in a commanding voice. The Condortlian Warriors next in line attacked the targets with similar precision.

Adder kept giving the same command until the Condortlians used up all thirty of their spears. Each of the Warriors hit their respective marks every single time.

CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK.

Ledur clapped his black hooves, producing an abnormal clapping sound. "Very good, Adder, but you haven't seen a Gobble Goblin's transformed state."

The winged Tikbalang raised his right hoof and indicated for the Condortlians to wait. He created six clay pillars in front of the straw targets.

With the new targets in place, Ledur signaled for Adder and his men to continue. "Charge!" Adder commanded and the Warriors in the front row dashed straight for the pillars.

This time, the Warriors were not equipped with throwing spears but round shields and long bastard swords. Each Warrior slashed the pillars hard and broke off large chunks of it.

Smoke and everyone else looked very pleased. Ledur smiled, impressed by the Condortlians' prowess. They all started to clap, but Adder raised both his hands and asked them to be quiet, as he wanted to resume the practice.

Slowly, Smoke's private army members started to walk towards their designated locations and left the Condortlians to their training. Smoke was the only one left watching them.

After almost an hour of practice, Adder asked the Condortlian Warriors to take a break and head to their assigned positions.

With just Smoke and Adder left, the Condortlian asked him to stay a bit longer. "I'd like to show you something." Adder said as he took out his double-bladed BlitzSturm.

Smoke instantly noticed the sword's increased length and width. He tried to wield it, but it almost fell to the ground as soon as Adder handed it over to him.

A notification window popped up soon afterwards.

- Cannot use BlitzSturm with your current Strength.

'Hmpf. Just like the Condortlian Emerald Shield.' thought Smoke bitterly.

Using his left arm, Adder lifted BlitzSturm with ease and went straight for the clay pillars.

SMASH! SMASH! SMASH! SMASH! SMASH!

With one swift strike after another, the pillars were reduced to rubble as Adder slashed his BlitzSturm through them.

Smoke walked up to Adder and patted his back. "Nice! Looks like you'll be a great help against the Gobble Goblins."

"Thanks, but that demonstration was to showcase the improvements made to BlitzSturm." Adder held his double-bladed sword in front of Smoke.

"Ah, I see. Well, great job on that as well." Smoke said with a smile as he bent down to examine the BlitzSturm.

"Maybe you want me to do something with your weighted chain and sickle?" asked Adder.

Smoke shook his head. "Nah. I already tried using the Transmutation ability on it. It seems it's made out of a very strong material called perlite. Apparently, it doesn't melt easily, making it hard to forge or transmute the weapon."

Adder understood and stowed his BlitzSturm onto his back. "Well, that's it for today. I'll head to my station and rest there."

"Alright, Adder. Just remember what your top priority is. Your life is very important, don't be reckless about it in battle."

Smoke watched his second-in-command nod before walking away. Since he still had some time before the battle, Smoke decided to log out of Zectas. It was time for him to eat a quick meal and take a power nap. He wanted to feel rested before facing off against Crucibelle and her army of Gobble Goblins.

* * * * * *

Numerous flares flew towards the heavens and the sky above Banal village turned emerald green. Smoke stood alone on top of the ten-meter command center and watched as Gobble Goblins tripped the early warning devices from all four directions.

From this position, Smoke could use his Telefax Vision ability to observe the encounters near both the main and the back gate. He readied himself to glide down at a moment's notice to support either side.

The next round of flares went off. He expected one more round to follow shortly afterwards, but it didn't end up being triggered. 'Looks like the goblins aren't that naive.'

A group of thin goblins hurtled onto a clearing and was immediately attacked by a fearsome winged Tikbalang. Ledur swiftly swooped down, picked up two of the green monsters and lifted them up in the air.

The two goblins struggled to break free as they were being carried towards the first wall of Banal. They tried scratching Ledur's arms. However, the winged Tikbalang did not give them the opportunity to do any significant damage and briskly dropped them just a few meters away from the main gate.

The damage from the fall killed the two goblins instantly. Seconds later, orange-colored flares went off. The incoming goblins no longer cared for the traps as they made a beeline for the bodies of their dead kin.

'Hmm. Maybe they aren't that smart after all.' Smoke thought as he watched the start of the battle from the command center.

The first group of goblins started to eat as soon as they reached the corpses, but as they did, Vijaya's six falcons swooped down. Enhanced with the Steel Falcon ability, they relentlessly assaulted the feeding goblins with their talons.

Fire arrows began piercing the goblins as Vijaya attacked from the top of the first wall. She fired her arrows as fast as she could.

This combined attack killed four goblins very quickly , but the falcons were slowly being overwhelmed as more thin green monsters arrived.

"Keeekk keeek kekekekek!" Vijaya ordered her falcons to retreat. Unfortunately, one of her falcons, Dakhana, was caught by a goblin.

The other falcons were speedily soaring towards their owner and didn't notice that their comrade was captured. Dakhana used its beak to damage its captor, but the goblin endured it and pulled the falcon towards it even harder.

Thanks to Vijaya's Steel Falcon ability, Dakhana received little damage after its legs were tightly squeezed by the green monster, but the situation looked grim. Desperate, Vijaya drew her Hunter's bow back with more power and determination.

Her fire arrow was joined by five spears as it flew below the five retreating falcons and pierced the goblin's body. Greatly damaged by the spears, the goblin's life bar showed only (5,321/50,000 HP). Near death, it released its hold on the falcon.

Dakhana took advantage of this and plunged its talons into the goblin's eyes. As the falcon gouged out both its eyes, a fire arrow struck the monster's chest and killed it.

The falcon hastily retreated before any other goblin could grab a hold of it, while Vijaya and twenty-two Condortlian Warriors slaughtered the goblins in front of the main gate.

* * * * * *

Red flares went off and indicated that most of the goblins were only twenty meters away from the first wall. Smoke equally divided his Tikbalang corps into four division and assigned them to northwestern, northeastern, southwestern and southeastern sides of the first wall.

Each division was fairly spread out. The Tikbalangs were reminded several times to be extremely cautious at this point, since they'd be separated from each other. They waited for some of the goblins to arrive within their reach and punched them with iron horseshoes before retreating.

The hurt goblins were enraged and angrily chased after the fleeing Tikbalangs. The northeastern and southeastern divisions baited the goblins to follow them towards the main gate, while the northwestern and southwestern divisions led the goblins to the back gate.

Equipped with their new horseshoes, the Tikbalangs had faster movement speed if they galloped on all fours, using their hooves as main support. This enabled them to easily outrun the goblins and made Smoke's hit-and-run strategy effective.

As the northwestern and southwestern divisions moved along the first wall, the eight Condortlian Warriors stationed there took careful aim with their spears and attacked the pursuing goblins.

The Warriors made sure not to kill any of the goblins, only to reduce their life bars. All of Smoke's men were given strict instructions on the specific locations where they should kill the goblins.

As soon as the Tikbalangs reached the back gate, a rain of arrows fell from the sky and inflicted heavy damage to the goblin forces. Ichaival took charge of the back gate with eight Condortlian Warriors and twenty-seven Banalites on top of the wall with him. They kept attacking the goblins who were rushing to the ten Tikbalangs on the ground.

The Tikbalangs bravely made their stand and started to fight off the damaged goblins. Most of the goblins who reached them had less than 50% of their life bars remaining, which lead to Tikbalangs killing them with only two blows to the head.

The bodies of defeated goblins began piling up in front of the back gate. Eighty goblins were killed in a matter of minutes.

However, against Crucibelle's army of a thousand strong, the battle was far from over. As more goblins entered the fray, Ichaival and his men could no longer lower the life bars of all incoming goblins.

The monsters started to throw their crude weapons at the Warriors and Banalites positioned on the wall, but both their accuracy and their damage with them was low.

Each of the ten Tikbalangs on the ground had to deal with more than ten goblins at once. They were slowly being overpowered. The back gate remained shut until the Tikbalangs' life bars dropped to 70%.

"Open the gate!" shouted Ichaival.

The Tikbalangs hurriedly ran inside. Although the majority of the green monsters stayed behind and feasted on their dead kin, more than a hundred of them ended up chasing after the Tikbalangs as they bolted towards the second wall.

SMASH SPLAT!

The goblins that entered through the gate turned around to see what caused the loud noise. Two barrels of wine had been dropped from the top of the wall and shattered on the ground in front of the gate.

Smirking, Ichaival drew his bow back and released a fire arrow. The arrow landed where the barrels were dropped, igniting the spilled wine and scattered pieces of wood.

The thin green monsters were terrified at the sight of fire and took a step back in unison, away from the flames that blocked the back gate.

"RAAAAWRR!" "ROOAAAARRR!"

The shocked monsters rattled even more when they heard two distinct roars coming from the direction of the second wall. An orange Maneator equipped with two whips dashed towards them, followed by an even larger red Maneator equipped with a long glaive.

"AYIIIIII AYIIIII YIII YIII YIII!"

Regaining their composure, the goblins gave out their own battle cry and charged at the two Maneators. None of them noticed Jinggu, who stood up from his hidden position on top of the second wall. He aimed his ballista at the charging monsters and groups of small goblins were blown backwards as large bolts landed right in front of them.

Rasant moved swiftly and wildly swung his barbed whips. Apparently, Smoke thought that with his attack speed, Rasant could handle two of them at the same time and asked Darius to craft these whips specifically for him. The orange Maneator rapidly assaulted the monsters from their sides, slicing through their skin with ease.

Meanwhile, Stark charged straight through the goblins. He kicked the ones that tried to grab a hold of his feet and knocked away three of them that tried to jump on him. The red Maneator blindly swung his Rzeka glaive and attacked anything that came within his range.

With the goblins' attention on the two of them, a gray Maneator stealthily appeared from a camouflaged hole. Weise carried a flamdius and Gora shield. He carefully planned his movements, weaving between groups of goblins and staying out of reach of Stark's glaive.

Weise slashed the goblins' backs and dealt significant damage with his flamdius. Some of the goblins tried to intercept him and attacked from his left side, but he'd just bash them with his red shield.

The three Maneators made short work of the thin monsters that were led into the first layer of Smoke's trap.

From the top of the first wall, Ichaival occasionally glanced at the fight occurring behind him. He was focused on attacking the Gobble Goblins locked out by the flames, most of which were either eating corpses or trying to make towers to scale the wall.
//Stopping here.
As the flames blocking the gate were quickly dying out, ten transformed goblins prepared to enter.

From the command center, Smoke observed that Ichaival still had the back gate relatively secured but was starting to show signs of struggling against the goblins. The front gate, on the other hand, had two of his best men guarding it. With his power chainsaw bow equipped, Smoke glided down towards Ichaival. His dark ember sprite came out of the metal orb on Smoke's chest and attacked the goblins with a barrage of fireballs. Together, they targeted the monsters that came within range.

* * * * * *

Minutes after Smoke left to help Ichaival, Banal's main gate was forced open by twenty transformed goblins. The ten injured Tikbalangs that guarded the gate had been ordered to retreat to the third wall.

As Vijaya was carried by six falcons, she issued the same order to the twenty-two Condortlian Warriors who were with her.

With all the corpses consumed, the thin green monsters joined their transformed brothers and entered the area between the first and second wall.

"AYIII AYIII YIIII YIII YIIII!"

Dozens of goblins rampaged through the houses located on the outskirts of the village. Despite Smoke's efforts to lay out a straight path towards the second wall, these monsters tore down the boarded-up windows and doors and went through the houses in search of Banalites.

The goblins' attention was drawn towards the second wall when a wide opening appeared in it. Behind the opening stood one man, holding a gigantic double-bladed sword, seemingly taunting them to come and challenge him.

They shouted their battle cries at the top of their lungs as they ran towards the opening. The transformed dark-green goblins led the charge while hundreds of their shorter kin followed.

About ten meters after they passed the second wall, the transformed goblins threw their hands in the air as they desperately tried to grab hold of something.

The monsters fell down the deep trench as they ran into the second layer of Smoke's trap. As they were charging through the opening in huge numbers, they had a hard time stopping. Dozens of goblins fell while others were pushed into the trench by the goblins behind them.

The transformed goblins had bigger life bars and harder skin, which allowed them to survive the sharp wooden spikes planted on the bottom of the trench. However, the smaller goblins that followed had no such protection and were impaled on the spikes.

The life bars of ones that somehow managed to survive the fall were slowly depleted as they tried to remove themselves from the spikes. The goblins received Bleeding status and suffered from blood loss

The trench had smooth walls, making it almost impossible to climb out of. In order for them to escape, some of the transformed goblins started making a Gobble Goblin tower.

The other goblins that remained above ground, in front of the trench, waited for the results of the tower.

"Ayii. Ayyy ayayayyay."

Some of the smaller goblins seemed to discuss something among themselves and moved towards the long end of the trench. They started carefully tapping the ground next to it with their feet.

Ecstatic to discover that the trench didn't continue on, the goblins signaled for others to join them and rushed towards Adder with vengeful eyes. However, their advance was short-lived, as they fell into a different trench after taking a couple of steps.

Seven goblins were impaled on the wooden spikes and near death. Discouraged, the goblins that were following behind them returned to the first trench and checked on the progress of the Gobble Goblin tower.

Adder watched as the goblins across the trench started to shout and jump up and down. He interpreted it as a sign that the goblins were about to cross it.

As the Condortlian sprinted towards the edge of the trench, a transformed goblin leapt out and reached out for his head.

Adder expertly blocked the attack with the top blade of his BlitzSturm and countered it instantly with the bottom blade, severing the transformed goblin's hands.

The Gobble Goblin cried out in pain, but was quickly silenced as Adder decapitated it with two swings of his double-bladed sword.

Two more Gobble Goblins emerged from the trench to attack Adder, but they proved to be no match for Smoke's second-in-command.

As the transformed goblins fought, the goblins on the other side of the trench began willingly leaping into it and tried their best to avoid the wooden spikes.

Many were only gashed by the spikes, while a few were still impaled despite their efforts. The thin monsters that landed without being impaled immediately feasted on the corpses of the less fortunate ones.

After Adder defeated eight transformed goblins, he was left with 82% of his life bar. He only got hit a few times when four of them jumped at him at the same time.

Adder took out a chunk of smoked lemurcat meat and ate it snappily. As he chewed, he watched more than thirty transformed goblins emerge out of the trench.

"Attack!" Adder yelled out, spewing chewed pieces of his meal.

Espion and twenty-two Condortlian Warriors immediately came out of the third wall's gate. He firmly held his green dual knives, while the Warriors were equipped with bastard swords and round shields.

Six falcons swooped down from the sky and distracted the Gobble Goblins. Vijaya was running behind the Warriors with her bow in hand. As soon as she got in range, she took her stance and started shooting fire arrows into the bodies of dark-green monsters.

Running past her, one by one, the ten Tikbalangs were returning to the front lines after receiving quick treatment.

Adder, Espion, the Condortlian Warriors and the Tikbalangs were winning one-on-one fights against the transformed goblins, but many more were still coming out of the trench.

A large intimidating shadow flew over the Gobble Goblins. Two of the dark-green monsters looked up, only to be knocked back into the trench and skewered by the wooden spikes.

As Ledur flew directly above the trench, he noticed the Gobble Goblin tower the monsters were using to climb out of it. He used Earth Manipulation and abruptly tilted the bottom of the trench, knocking the stacked-up goblins off-balance.

Ledur then flew towards Adder and pushed away a Gobble Goblin that was about to attack him from behind. The two leaders gave each other a quick nod and went their separate ways.

In a matter of minutes, the transformed goblins were wiped out. Adder moved closer to the trench. There were still more than a hundred and fifty goblins left on the other side, while around eighty of the green monsters were stuck in the trench.

"Any more goblins outside the wall, Vijaya?" Adder asked the brunette Huntress.

"Kekekk keekkek." Vijaya asked her falcons and all of them gave out the same shrill in reply. "No, all of the goblins are here." she answered back with her bow at the ready.

Adder looked at Ledur and gave him the signal. The winged Tikbalang closed off the opening in the second wall and created a bridge over the trench.

The monsters were divided, as some of them panicked and tried to climb over the second wall, but they were easy targets for Vijaya's arrows and Condortlians' throwing spears.

The main gate's defending forces gathered in front of the bridge and waited for the Gobble Goblins to attack. The goblins snarled and growled at them, but held their ground.

"Maybe they're afraid you'll destroy the bridge once they try to cross it?" Espion thought out loud.

"Then let's give them a reason to cross it." said Ledur.

Ledur flew closely to the restless goblins in front of the bridge. He proceeded to zoom over them several times, tauntingly tapping their heads with his hoof every time he did and evaded their claws all the while.

Cornered, the Gobble Goblins gave in to their rage and two of them rushed towards Ledur. This started a chain reaction and soon enough, most of the goblins were charging across  the bridge.

The bridge was only wide enough to allow up to eight goblins to cross it next to one another, preventing the monsters from using their overwhelming numbers to their advantage. The goblins tried to force their way through the line of Condortlian Warriors waiting for them on the other side, only to be slashed and sliced by their bastard swords.

Vijaya kept shooting her fire arrows while her six falcons took turns diving in and attacking from the sides of the bridge. Espion stayed in the safe zone behind the Warriors' shields and would only come out to deal the killing blow on damaged goblins.

If one of the Warriors got injured, he would push back the monsters directly in front of him with his shield and quickly swap places with a Warrior from the second row. Meanwhile, the Tikbalangs took care of any goblins that managed to slip towards the side and tried to attack the Condortlians' flank.

The goblins couldn't break through the defensive formation of Smoke's private army and died trying to. Once the last of the charging goblins were on the bridge, Ledur calmly cancelled his Earth Manipulation and watched them fall into the trench.

The small number of goblins that was too scared to attack remained on the other side of the trench and huddled together as they waited for their imminent death. Ledur took pity on these monsters and created a sturdy earth prison, locking them inside it.

Swiftly, they started to kill off the trapped goblins. Ledur raised small portions of the trenches, which enabled Adder, Espion and the Tikbalangs to deal with the goblins on it.

Vijaya led the Condortlian Warriors and positioned them along the full length of the trench. They targeted goblins that were eating fresh corpses, preventing as many as possible from transforming.

Soon enough, all of the Gobble Goblins at the main gate were defeated.

A purple flare was launched from the direction of the back gate. Adder and others smiled, as it indicated that Smoke had successfully defended the back gate as well.

Moments later, they saw their leader gliding through the air as he descended towards them.

"Great job! I knew you guys could do it. Were there any casualties?" asked Smoke.

"None. We were fortunate enough, but many have broken limbs and are in need of serious treatment." answered Adder.

"Well, at least you are all alive." said Smoke with worried face. He was extremely impressed by his private army members.

"What about the back gate?" asked Adder. "I hope there were no casualties there as well."

"A Banalite did fall down when Ichaival ordered them to retreat to the third wall." said Smoke and heard Vijaya gasp, "Don't worry, he's alive. Ichaival managed to pull him back up using a rope."

Smoke's voice became serious as he continued to recount the events at the back gate.

"Weise and Stark's life bars went down to less than 30%, but Rasant was the bravest on that battlefield. He only had 10% left on his life bar when he was retreating towards the third wall while being chased by two transformed Gobble Goblins."

Smoke could feel everyone hold their breath.

"Luckily for us, Jinggu's bolts finished off the goblins before they could catch up with Rasant."

"Praised be Cuezaltzin! I knew he would shine his light of protection upon us." Adder said out loud as he formed a fist and raised it to the heavens.

"Don't count your blessings just yet, we still haven't seen Crucibelle." added Espion. "Still, Smoke is as impressive as ever."

Espion patted Smoke's shoulders. "You've got a full life bar... and how in the world did you manage to deal with six hundred goblins?" asked Espion in an astonished voice.

"I had to eat a lot of...huh? What do you mean, 'six hundred goblins'?" said Smoke, confused by the question.

Ledur explained, "We fought about four hundred goblins. So we figured that the larger force went to the back gate."

"No, we only encountered three hundred at most. That's why I immediately came here." Smoke replied as he frowned and clenched his fists.

"Damn it! I thought we only had Crucibelle left. I'll scout the area from the top of the command center. Espion, I need you to go out and search for the missing goblins."

Without a word, Espion nodded and left the village.

"As for everyone else, gather the arrows and spears and return to the emergency shelter." instructed Smoke as he was about to fly off, but a black hoof firmly held back his shoulder.

"Smoke, I need to tell you something." Ledur said as he pointed to the earth prison he had created.

"What's that?" Smoke asked the winged Tikbalang.

"I captured a small group of goblins. They were frozen with fear and I couldn't find it in my heart to kill them since they didn't put up any kind of resistance."

Smoke promptly processed what Ledur told him. "Alright, just lock them up in one of the houses for now, but make sure there's no way for them to escape."

Ledur nodded and immediately went to transport the captives.

"I'll send an update to everyone if there are any developments. For now, focus on recovering your health." After Smoke gave his orders, he leapt up and glided towards the command center.

* * * * * *

Smoke glided fast. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of something burning. Igniz moved out of the way as he turned around to look. He was surprised to see smoke coming from the direction of one of the forest clearings, some six kilometers away from the main gate.

With the aid of his Telefax Vision, Smoke zoomed in on the site and saw that the missing goblins were all inside a large ring of fire.

From what he had observed in the past, Gobble Goblins normally did not harm one another.
However, the goblins inside this ring of fire were mercilessly killing each other. Some of them had rusted swords and axes while others only fought with their bare claws.

A figure dressed in a bright red robe, similar to what Terrabelle wore, stood in front of the flaming circle. Smoke focused on the mysterious person and saw a woman with long curly red hair and dark-red skin. She had her left hand clenched into a fist and pointing towards the flames.

'Is that Crucibelle?' Smoke wondered to himself.

As he watched the scene before him, he realized that this woman is the reason behind the goblins' killing frenzy.

Posthaste, Smoke glided towards the ring of fire carefully. He made sure to stay out of Crucibelle's line of sight. Igniz instinctively lowered his luminance. Smoke landed softly on the ground, behind where the Witch was.

He stealthily climbed a tree and hid in its thick leaves. He thought this was a perfect opportunity to use his newly-acquired symbiote ability.

He signaled for Igniz to fly higher above the tree. Once he did so, Smoke activated the Symbiote Vision ability. It allowed him to see what Igniz sees.

'This must be how Thyrsus feels when he uses his Falcon Vision.' mused Smoke.

Through Igniz's eyes, he silently watched the goblins kill each other. Igniz focused on one particular goblin that carried a double-headed axe. As it cannibalized other goblins, Smoke couldn't believe how fast it could gobble up an entire corpse.

In less than twenty seconds, the goblin had eaten four of its fallen comrades. Its belly looked like it was about to burst open.

The Gobble Goblin's transformation process then began. Its oversized belly started to make a pumping motion. With each pump, the limbs of the goblin grew longer.

After four pumps, the goblin's skin turned dark green and its transformation process was complete. This was the first time Smoke had seen the entirety of the goblins' transformation, since he was more focused on fighting them rather than observing them in the previous battles.

Still hidden in the tree, Smoke called Espion and gave him the gist of the situation. He ordered the young Spy to return to the village and prepare his private army for another round of bloodshed.

Since he only had Igniz with him, Smoke thought it best to stay hidden and just observe the goblins for now. He noticed that all of them had gone completely berserk.

After five minutes, none of the small green monsters were left; only fifty transformed Gobble Goblins stood inside the ring of fire.

'Fifty? We can easily handle that much.' Smoke smirked.

All of a sudden, the flames died out, leaving burn marks on the ground. The transformed goblins sluggishly moved around. Smoke thought that they look confused about what they had just done.

Despite using Symbiote Vision, Smoke instinctively ducked when he saw Crucibelle move. It took him a second to realize that she couldn't see him. As he focused on Crucibelle, Smoke found her curly red hair to be disturbingly attractive.

"Now, let's really heat things up!" she yelled.

She raised her left hand once more and a burgundy casting circle appeared around the burn marks on the ground.

A red progress bar whizzed right through as Crucibelle finished casting her spell in less than a second. The flames were ignited once again.

The confused Gobble Goblins instantly went berserk. The unarmed goblins scrambled for weapons while the ones wielding them swung them with great force.

Smoke saw several severed arms fly up in the air as the axe-wielding goblin they observed earlier chopped through its own kind.

Unlike before, it made sure to only disable the goblins that came within its range.

After seeing that no other Gobble Goblin was near it, the axe-wielding goblin stopped chopping off arms and legs. It dropped the axe to its side, got down on its knees and sunk its teeth into the flesh of its victim.

It ate the other goblins alive! Smoke could hear their screams as the monster gobbled them up. Smoke canceled his ability, as he couldn't watch such a horrendous scene any longer.

While trying to breathe in some air, a question struck him. 'Wait. If they're still eating, does that mean...?' He forced himself to activate Symbiote Vision again and watched the Gobble Goblin cannibalize its kin.

It looked like the transformed goblins could eat more corpses than before. The axe-wielding monster's stomach started to bulge only after it consumed eight bodies.

It went after one more victim.

Swinging the axe over its head, the monster made a clean cut in a screaming goblin's chest, jammed its claws through the wound and took a still-beating heart out of the goblin's chest before hungrily stuffing it in its mouth.

Within ten seconds, the helpless goblin's body was devoured. The axe-wielding goblin's bulging stomach then forced it to lay down.

Instead of just four, the bursting stomach made ten pumping motions. The Gobble Goblin's entire physiology changed with each pump. Its head became enormous, its limbs grew longer and its muscles doubled in size.

This transformation took longer to finish than the previous one. Slowly, a three-meter-tall Gobble Goblin with rough black skin stood up. It discarded its crude weapon as its bare hands could cause more damage.

Igniz looked around the area inside the ring of fire and found the same thing happening in several other places.

Without warning, the fire suddenly died out. Just then, Smoke and Igniz clearly saw five goblins in their new transformed state. These monsters were no longer Gobble Gobins; they were now called Gargantuan Goblins.

Smoke gulped when he saw them. 'They're as big as Maneators, but even bulkier.' he thought.

The goblins staggered as they huddled together. Crucibelle called out to them.

"Ayiii yiii yiii yaaa yii yiii..." said Crucibelle in Gobberish and went on to give a lengthy speech. Smoke grabbed this opportunity to call Adder. He cancelled his Symbiote Vision and warned his second-in-command of the incoming disaster.

He helplessly watched as five Gargantuan Goblins charged in the direction of Banal's main gate. A dreadful thought entered the his mind, 'If they had 150,000 HP after the first transformation, I can't imagine what their life bars are now.'

Smoke was confused about what to do next. He needed more information on the monsters, but there was no way for him to find out without the risk of giving off his position.

From his current location, he couldn't glide back to Banal village because he would be directly in the line of sight of the Gargantuan Goblins and Crucibelle. He needed to take a longer detour to avoid being detected.

After weighing the pros and cons, Smoke steeled his resolve and decided to risk it. With his power chainsaw bow at the ready, he waited for the goblins to pass the tree he was in.

Once the Gargantuan Goblins were at a distance of more than a hundred meters away from him, he took a stance similar to the one he did when he practiced archery in the real world.

On most occasions, whenever he thought about his lakeside experience, it was always the memory of kissing Sierra that would pop into his mind.

However, this was not one of those occasions. Smoke controlled his breathing. Part of his arrow's fletching grazed his right cheek as he pulled the string back as far as he could.

He fluidly released all the tension in the string and his arrow flew straight with intent. It passed through the branches that obscured him from sight. It sailed through the air until it finally hit its mark.

The arrow bounced off of the running monster's shoulder. 'What the...' Smoke couldn't believe it. He hoped it would cause more damage, but at least now the monster's life bar appeared and displayed (449,700/450,000 HP).

The Gargantuan Goblin stopped and scratched the place where it had been hit. After checking the small wound, it quickly hastened its pace and caught up with others.

The second transformation tripled the monsters' life bars and Smoke's arrow inflicted only a fourth of its damage to the Gobble Goblin. He clutched his long white hair in frustration.

Quickly, Smoke called Adder to inform him of the Gargantuan Goblin's massive life and defense, but he mostly wanted to tell him to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

"More bad news: these Gargantuan Goblins have 450,000 HP and high defense. They're running on foot, so you should have about thirty minutes before..."

BTOOOM!

Smoke's call was cut off as a huge fireball blasted him out of the tree and he fell hard on the ground. Surprisingly, he only received a damage of 1,965 points.

He looked at the tree he was hiding in just a moment earlier and found that it had been burned out of existence. He then heard Crucibelle's voice.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" asked Crucibelle out loud, "A DarkElf? Could you be..."

Igniz interrupted her by launching his own fireballs at Crucibelle, providing covering fire for Smoke. "What's this? An ember sprite dares attack me with fireballs? Nyahahah nyak nyak nyak!" he heard the Witch laugh as she easily blocked all of his symbiote's attacks.

Smoke reflexively rolled over and attacked the red Witch with his power chainsaw bow.

Each of his eight arrows did zero damage, as they were engulfed in small flames and burned away upon contact with Crucibelle's skin. His arrows did, however, display her life bar: (900,000/900,000 HP).

'What? She has more HP than Calamar!'

"A DarkElf with a dark ember sprite! It is you! You're the bastard who killed my sister Terrabelle!"

Two huge fireballs came out of Crucibelle's hands and flew fast towards Smoke. He easily evaded the attack with a sidestep and a jump, but then a third fireball came at him while he was still in mid-air. He twirled his body to avoid the attack, but despite his evasive maneuver, a part of his shoulder was hit.

This time, he was damaged by 1,890 points. Smoke's life bar displayed (172,395/176,250 HP). He looked at Igniz and smiled at his dark ember sprite.

Smoke knew that it was his extremely high Fire resistance that lowered the damage this much. He also realized that he got hit because he wasn't fully focused on the fight. He still worried about his private army members who had to face five Gargantuan Goblins.

Since his arrows and Igniz's fire attacks were useless against Crucibelle, he switched weapons and took out his deadly Chain and sickle of Dasende.

Crucibelle mocked Smoke for taking out his weighted chain and sickle. "Nyak nyak nyak! I'm the Witch of Immolation, dearie. Regular weapons can't harm me."

Smoke started a swirling motion with his sickle and increased the length of the chain in his hand with each rotation. With all his might, Smoke threw his sharp sickle at her.

Crucibelle responded by stretching out her right hand and creating a Fire Shield in front of her.

SLASH!

His sickle went through the Fire Shield and wounded her. He watched her back away as she clasped her bleeding hand.

As soon as he saw Crucibelle's life bar display (899,001/900,000 HP), Smoke let out a deep sigh. His damage was under a thousand points, but at least he now knew he could hurt her

* * * * * *

Adder led the strategy meeting of Smoke's private army outside the emergency shelter. Smoke's second-in-command disseminated the information he was given.

"Smoke is coming here as soon as he can. Until then, we have to hold our own. He was cut off before he could finish giving me all the information, but I believe he already gave us enough." stated Adder.

"As you might already know, not all of us at are at 100%. That is why Ledur and I have decided to gamble on using him as bait. He's already outside as we speak, preparing for the monsters' arrival."

Espion raised his hand. "Should we start evacuating the Banalites now?"

"No, not just yet, but that important task is assigned to you. If we fire a red flare, you'll lead them away through the back gate. We've cleared out most of the dangerous monsters and beasts in the area around it."

Espion nodded and thought about how he would explain the situation to Banal's village chief, Sot.

"These five Gargantuan Goblins are expected to be even tougher than Mitleid, with life bars of 450,000 HP." Adder said as calmly as possible, as to not aggravate certain members.

Instantly, Rasant, Stark and Weise made loud noises. They clearly disagreed that a goblin could be stronger than the former King of Maneators.

"Quiet, please!" Adder said in a raised voice.

"Jinggu, Vijaya, Ichaival and the Banalite volunteers will take their positions on top of the third wall." Adder pointed to the two Hunters and they nodded in acknowledgement.

"The rest of us will wait for them in front of the third gate. We have less than twenty minutes left before the Gargantuan Goblins arrive. If there are no more questions, I'd like to remind you all of one more thing." Adder's voice trailed off as everyone present spoke in unison.

"Your top priority is your own life."

Smoke's private army members laughed as they repeated what Smoke would always tell them. Swiftly, everyone went towards their designated spots in an organized manner.

As they got into position, Ichaival spoke out loudly. "450,000 HP? Ha! That's just about the same as a war elephant; the Tikbalangs alone killed one of those. This'll be a piece of cake." he said cheerfully to brighten up the mood. Even though he had trouble convincing himself.

In less than five minutes, Adder and everyone else got into their respective positions. They found Ledur collapsed outside the third wall.

It appeared that he overworked himself while preparing for the incoming Gargantuan Goblins.

"Looks like Ledur won't wake up in time." Adder said out loud, "Someone take him inside." Two of the Tikbalangs carefully carried Ledur away.

"So, what are we going to do about the bait?" asked Weise.

Adder looked up to the brunette Huntress on the third wall. "Vijaya, could you come down here,  please?"

Vijaya was briefly given a rundown of Adder and Ledur's initial plan. Without hesitation, Vijaya agreed.

The main gate was intentionally left open and there was once again a wide opening in the second wall. This established a straight line of sight from the main gate to the third wall.

Forty meters away from the second wall's opening, Vijaya stood alone, accompanied only by her six falcons perched on her customized staff.

Adder and the rest of Smoke's private army remained near the gate of the third wall, where the arrows of the Banalite volunteers could still reach.

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP!

Thundering footsteps echoed throughout Banal as five bulky Gargantuan Goblins went through its main gate.

All of the nearby houses along the path were vandalized by the three-meter-tall monsters. They smashed the Banalites' homes with their fists. Shards of broken glass scattered, pieces of wood were all over the streets and chunks of stone foundations were littered everywhere.

The five monsters continued with their rampage as they headed towards the second wall. As soon as the monsters came through it, Vijaya let loose her arrows and attacked the closest Gargantuan Goblin.

Despite being told that these monsters had high defense, she still couldn't believe that her fire arrows only dealt 970 damage points.

The attack did nothing to slow down the monster's charge. Another goblin ran beside it and both monsters were getting ready to pounce on Vijaya when the ground they stepped on suddenly started to collapse.

"Ayyyyyyyyyyy!"

Both Gargantuan Goblins started to fall into a trench that was eighteen meters deep and a hundred meters wide. Both monsters' hands were flailing all over, desperately trying to grab hold of something.

This was the only remaining trench that Gobble Goblins didn't reach during their earlier attack. Hearing about the size of Gargantuan Goblins, Ledur had been working on increasing its depth from ten to twenty meters, but collapsed before he could finish.

After she successfully lured the goblins into the trench, Vijaya's six falcons instantly started flapping their wings in unison. With all their might, they carried her back to the top of the third wall.

The three remaining Gargantuan Goblins that lagged behind jumped towards the edge of the trench. They slid down on their bellies and had their hands stretched out in an attempt to save their falling kin.

Adder saw this and instantly ordered his Condortlian Warriors to aim for those Gargantuan Goblins. Each goblin received ten throwing spears, which distracted them from catching their two brothers.

Each throwing spear's damage was only 750 points. All three goblins displayed the same life bar of (442,500/450,000 HP).

Meanwhile, the fallen Gargantuan Goblins received a damage of 41,000 points as they were pierced by the wooden spikes.

The three Gargantuan Goblins quickly went around the trench. Two of them took the shorter route while the other one took the longer.

Despite their bulky appearance, the Gargantuan Goblins showed bursts of speed as they were rapidly approaching Adder and his men in front of the third wall.

Adder turned towards the Tikbalangs and pointed two fingers to the stray goblin. They gave him a nod and immediately dashed to intercept it.

Next, he pointed to the leftmost of the other two gigantic monsters and the Condortlian Warriors readied themselves to engage it. Half of them were equipped with bastard swords and round shields while the other half had their throwing spears at the ready.

"Weise, I leave the other one to you. Lead your brothers well!" shouted Adder as he focused on leading his Condortlian brethren.

Weise, Stark and Rasant stared at their assigned monster. Even though the goblin was still a few meters away, it was clearly visible that Stark was slightly taller than it.

As soon as the charging goblin came within range, Stark swung his Rzeka glaive wildly. He expected the goblin to be blasted away and couldn't believe it when the goblin caught his attack with ease.

Both of the goblin's hands held onto Stark's weapon firmly. The glaive was pried off from Stark's hands and thrown over to the side. Stark locked hands with the Gargantuan Goblin and tried to force it down on its knees.

However, a different scenario occurred when Stark was the one being forced down. "You are...stronger than Stark? Only King Mitleid...was stronger than Stark!" The red Maneator roared in disbelief.

Rasant, the fastest of the Maneators, swiftly reached the Gargantuan Goblin's back. In a single motion, he wrapped both of his barbed whips around the monster's neck and pulled on them as hard as he could.

The orange Maneator was surprised to see that the damage inflicted with his strangulation attack was only twenty points per second. "Weise, I thought you said my attack should deal at least a hundred points per second?"

"It isn't? Looks like we've got ourselves a real challenge here." said Weise.

The gray Maneator used this opportunity to get close to the goblin and started slashing the common critical areas of a humanoid-type monster. Smoke taught him to first slash the tendons that connected their limbs.

"Rasant, move to the left. Stark, I need you to give it more power." Weise instructed as he kept slashing the Gargantuan Goblin,"Brothers, remember Mitleid's last words. We've got to spread the great Maneator name across the world and serve King Smoke until he conquers all of Zectas."

Despite Weise's morale-boosting speech, his flamdius could only do 1,175 damage points to the Gargantuan Goblin, but he didn't let this bother him.

As he raised his right hand for another swing, he saw Stark suddenly being lifted from the ground and thrown over to where he was.

Both Weise and Stark were blown away to the side. Rasant, who still had his two barbed whips around the goblin's neck, went flying through the air as soon as the goblin turned around, grabbed the barbed whips and pulled him forward.

Rasant could only watch the goblin's fist coming closer and closer. He released both his whips and twisted his body around. Thanks to this, he managed to plant his hooves on the ground.

Despite Rasant's evasive action, the Gargantuan Goblin's fist still reached his body and he was punched down to the ground. The monster then kicked Rasant and flipped his body over. Now that Rasant's back was exposed, it started to clobber him with fists.

"Ayiii ayiiii yiiii yiii yiii yiii." said the Gargantuan Goblin in Gobberish. It lifted Rasant up and threw him towards his two brothers.

After they caught Rasant safely, Weise checked their life bars. Weise's life bar displayed (323,104/331,000 HP), while Stark's showed (382,298/389,000 HP).

It was Rasant's life bar, which displayed (98,325/218,500 HP), that made the gray Maneator worry. Weise looked at the goblin in front of them and dreaded what he saw.

Despite their coordinated attack, the Gargantuan Goblin still had (410,875/450,000 HP) left on its life bar.

* * * * * *

Near the trench, twenty Tikbalangs bravely intercepted the rogue Gargantuan Goblin. The cursed Centaurs divided into three groups and intended to overwhelm it with their superior numbers.

Six Tikbalangs went to the monster's sides, while the other eight faced it head on. The Tikbalangs attacked using a buddy-system.

The initiating Tikbalang duo saw the goblin cross its arms in defense as it charged towards them. A pair of hooves went past the monster's defenses and imprinted on its chest. The Tikbalangs were shocked to see that even with their new weapons, they only managed to do 1,050 damage points per hit.

The first pair of Tikbalangs moved to the side and gave the ones next in line their turn to attack. They were constantly moving, in preparation for the goblin's counterattack.

However, the Gargantuan Goblin did nothing but defend. Due to the goblin's passive demeanor, the Tikbalangs kept using the same attack pattern.

Then, as one of the Tikbalang duos finished their attack, their arms were interlocked with the goblin's.

"Aaargh!" cried out both of the caught Tikbalangs. They were in agonizing pain, with their elbow joints being bent the wrong way.

The rest of the Tikbalangs instantly backed off. They still had the Gargantuan Goblin completely surrounded. Suddenly, the two captured Tikbalangs were lifted up from the ground and being slowly carried off in the direction of the trench.

Five Tikbalangs stood in front of the monster and tried to stop its advance with their hoof strikes. The Gargantuan Goblin did not budge and only kept on walking.

Seeing that their attacks were ineffective, the Tikbalangs in front of the goblin stopped attacking and resorted to forcefully pushing the monster, but they weren't strong enough to do so.

The rest of them fought in a frenzied state. They wanted to attack the monster at the same time, but there wasn't enough room around it for all of them.

Blow after the blow, the Tikbalangs wildly delivered their strongest attacks to the goblin's back, sides and head, but they still couldn't force it to release its grip on their two captured brothers.

The caught Tikbalang duo fought back. They tried to do a headbutt, but they couldn't reach the goblin's head. They tried to bite its tough black skin, but their teeth could only do 10 damage per second.

They even resorted to kicking the Gargantuan Goblin's shins, which resulted in 50 damage points per hit. Despite the Tikbalangs' low damage, their collective steady attacks slowly lowered the Gargantuan Goblin's life bar to (389,400/450,000 HP).

Hoof strikes to the head inflicted the most damage, reaching up to 1,550 points. With their relentless attacks continuing, the Gargantuan Goblin finally stopped walking a couple of meters away from the trench.

Yet it was the Tikbalangs who felt that they were the ones being cornered. In one solid motion, the goblin performed a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn, knocking some of the Tikbalangs to the ground.

The monster then took two steps forward and threw the Tikbalangs it held towards the trench which held two more Gargantuan Goblins. The Tikbalangs in front of it tried to catch their brothers, but they were all suddenly tackled by the goblin.

The two Tikbalangs desperately screamed as they fell down the trench.

* * * * * *

Fifteen Condortlian Warriors equipped with round shields and bastard swords, circled around their designated Gargantuan Goblin, but the monster did not cower in front of their formation.

Instead, it pulled back its left fist and smashed it into one of the round shields. Its bearer was blasted away, tumbling down head first.

Fortunately, the skull-helm and round shield gave the Warrior ample protection from the hard ground. Despite this, he still received a devastating damage of 14,000 points. The Warrior's life bar revealed (110,750/124,750 HP).

The Warriors outside of the formation attacked with throwing spears. Shortly afterwards, a rain of arrows followed the spears.

Ichaival lead the Banalite volunteers from the on top of the third wall. Although they've only just recently learned how to handle the bow, they were still able to hit their mark half of the time.

The Banalites fired their arrows in long intervals ,as their attack speed was even slower than Jinggu's ballista. Additionally, each of their attacks could only deal 30 points of damage to the Gargantuan Goblin.

Ichaival ordered his falcon to carefully synchronize with the Banalites' attacks, as it dove in whenever their arrows landed. Ichaival however, kept on attacking with his Phantom Arrows, which launched six arrows at once. With his pinpoint accuracy, he was sure to hit only the goblin.

Each of Ichaival's arrows could only do 840 damage points and his falcon's talons could only do 80, but they still kept on with their puny attacks.

Smoke inculcated two things to his private army. First was to always be cautious, especially when their lives are on the line. Second was that no matter what the circumstances are, they should always give it their all.

Ichaival and the Banalites continued with their ranged attacks as the Gargantuan Goblin did nothing to defend against them nor did it try to avoid Ichaival's diving falcon.

The monster was solely focused on the shield-bearing Warriors.

Whenever the goblin moved, so did the circle of Condortlian Warriors. After two minutes, the goblin's life bar displayed (340,800/450,000 HP).

Adder and his men were steadily reducing the goblin's health. Unfortunately, the Gargantuan Goblin did not move as expected.

It suddenly sprinted towards the third wall. The Warriors in front of the Gargantuan Goblin were forced to run backwards, while the Warriors behind it chased after the monster.

Then, the goblin stopped in its tracks, turned around and ran straight for the Warriors chasing after it. It caught two of the shield-bearers off-guard and pushed them hard to the ground.

Its fists relentlessly pummeled the fallen Warriors as it stood over them.

The Warriors closest to them brandished their bastard swords and slashed the Gargantuan Goblin, but the monster simply responded with several jabs, knocking back back its attackers.

Each of the goblin's strikes to the pinned-down Condortlian Warriors dealt 20,000 damage points. They only had 20% of their life bars left. One more attack and the two of them would be done for.

Adder leapt over the Condortlian Warriors. With both his hands on his double-bladed BlitzSturm, he pierced through the goblin's black skin and plunged the sword deep into the Gargantuan Goblin's shoulder.

Adder inflicted the highest damage yet: 9,999 points. The monster cried out in pain as it reached out to grab its attacker.

Adder forcibly removed his BlitzSturm and rolled away, as he couldn't land properly after dodging the goblin's attempt of catching him. The monster looked at Adder with pure anger.

It raised its arms high in the air. Before Adder could return for another attack, the Gargantuan Goblin slammed both of its fists into the Warriors' skulls, killing them.

* * * * * *

Smoke only had Igniz by his side as he faced Crucibelle, the Witch of Immolation. Luckily for him, his weighted chain and sickle was made out of perlite. 'Items from the Labyrinth sure are handy.' he thought.

Crucibelle raised her hands and with open palms aiming at Smoke, she unleashed a flurry of fireballs. Igniz flew upwards and tried to attack her with his own fireballs, but his attacks didn't even make a scratch on her.

Smoke tried his best to dodge her fireballs, but there were just too many of them. One of them blasted the ground to his right and propelled him into the air.

Crucibelle swiftly formed a triangle with her hands and chanted, "Plus Gros Sinistre." A fireball quadruple the size of the previous ones appeared above of the casting circle.

"Meteor Strike!" she screamed and launched the blazing attack at Smoke.

With iron ball in his left and sharp sickle in his right hand, he placed his arms at his sides in an attempt to move through the air faster.

Despite this, he still couldn't escape Crucibelle's fiery attack and it hit his left shoulder, sending him hurtling to the ground.

Smoke received 3,790 points of damage. He quickly stood up as he saw more fireballs coming his way, but this time, Crucibelle was in range of his chain.

He evaded the fireballs and threw his sickle towards her simultaneously. Crucibelle became wary of his weapon and dodged it instead of blocking it with her Fire Shield.

As soon as Smoke saw the Witch take the bait, he rolled towards her side and tugged hard on the chain leading to the sickle. Crucibelle managed to avoid the returning sickle as well, but momentarily lost her balance.

Smoke wouldn't pass up this opportunity, as he swung the portion with the iron ball as hard as he could. Upon releasing it, the chain leading up to the iron ball extended and his weapon bludgeoned its intended mark. His surprise blow only dealt 750 damage points, but it was enough to make the Witch arch her back in agony.

'Hmm. She has high defense and life, but she isn't used to pain.' observed Smoke.

He quickly used this opportunity to throw his sickle over Crucibelle's head, and then yanked it downwards with all his might.

At the last second, Crucibelle saw the sickle and sidestepped it, but Smoke's attack still managed to nick her left arm.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" cried Crucibelle, "No-one has ever been this insolent to hit me!" She touched her gashed arm and cauterized the wounds.

Through several battles, Smoke acquired a survival instinct, which now told him to run. He turned around and sprinted away from her. Crucibelle raised her hands and pointed them at him.

Soon afterwards, multiple fireballs came his way. Smoke was careful not to be blasted away by the splash damage of the fireballs as they hit the ground.

Running away from her proved to be a bad decision. His Cunning of the Dire Fox could not detect projectile attacks, but he wasn't confident that he could dodge her fireballs from a close distance.

Smoke looked over his shoulder to see how far he had gone from Crucibelle only to see her cast Meteor Strike directly behind him.

BTOOOM!

He tumbled five meters away and received 5,935 points of damage. He checked his life bar, which displayed (162,670/176,250 HP).

Crucibelle's life bar was barely damaged, while his was already missing almost 10%. More fireballs came his way, but he easily dodged all of them due to the large distance between him and the Witch.

Unfortunately, he also couldn't attack Crucibelle because she was out of his chain's reach and she was immune to his arrows.

'I've got to take some risk.' he thought. Smoke switched to his white metallic staff and created a purple concave Manatl in front of him.

The enraged Crucibelle quickly made a circular motion with her hands and created a red casting circle in front of her. She touched certain runes inside it and it lit up with flames.

Their new abilities pitted against each other. She traced a triangle within the casting circle and yelled, "Inferno!"

The DarkElf braced himself as innumerable fireballs were headed towards him. With both hands, he held his staff tightly in front of him. The onslaught of fireballs kept hitting Smoke's Manatl.

Ten seconds passed and his concave barrier began to show signs of degradation. Before he could gather the energy into his staff, a Meteor Strike shattered his Manatl and squarely smashed into his chest.

This attack damaged him for 5,999 points and Smoke's ego was also hit as he was blown away. He went into a rolling motion and hid in one of the bushes.

Crucibelle created the same red casting circle, but this time eight of them at once! It took longer for the spell to complete, but she was ready to fire in all directions.

Smoke switched strategies once more. He took out his Digger's Wand and Armored Armadillo Shield. He quickly activated the shield's Magical Armor ability and blocked the start of the torrential fireballs.

He then pointed the Digger's Wand to his feet and created a trench below him. He couldn't risk jumping away; Crucibelle made it clear that she was a great shot in the air.

With the aid of his Digger's Wand, he started making trenches around Crucibelle. Unhinged, she unleashed her Inferno spell all around her.

Every animal in the area ran away, while the unfortunate ones that couldn't escape were burnt to a crisp along with the plants. In less than two minutes, she burned down two square kilometers of the forest.

As Crucibelle rampaged above ground, Smoke completed a circular trench around her and dug tunnels that ran across it and connected it to his trench. An eerie silence loomed over their battlefield.

From inside the trenches, he could sense Crucibelle's location using Cunning of the Dire Fox, but he couldn't tell which direction she was facing.

Since he prefered his head still attached to his body, Smoke couldn't risk sneaking a peek. He used Symbiote Vision and had Igniz fly directly above her.

Crucibelle paid no mind to Igniz as she stayed in the center of the burnt-down forest patch. Smoke used his Earth Manipulation ability and launched an earth spike from behind Crucibelle. However, she expertly dodged it. He tried several more times, but his earth attacks couldn't hit her at all.

'Why can I hit her with the weighted chain and sickle but not with my earth attacks? Am I that slow?' thought Smoke.

"Nyak nyak nyak! Even my little sister Terrabelle couldn't hit me with her earth attacks, what makes you think you can? Your poor imitation of her ability is laughable, to say the least." Crucibelle let out her deranged laughter.

SLASH!

Smoke's sickle cut Crucibelle's back as she mocked him. His damage finally went over a thousand as he inflicted 1,495 points of damage. He quickly dove back into the trench to avoid her fireballs.

Crucibelle instantly created a casting circle and her Meteor Strike destroyed the part of the trench which Smoke had leapt into a moment earlier.

He suddenly appeared on Crucibelle's left side and made a mad dash towards her. Before she could blast him away, Smoke activated his weapon's deadliest ability, Cyclone of Slaughter.

His movement and attack speed were increased tenfold. He spun and moved around at such extreme speed that his weighted chain and sickle created sixteen afterimages.

Crucibelle created another casting circle and fired a flurry of fireballs at Smoke, but his chain deflected all of them. Her voice echoed while she got slashed and bashed by his weighted chain and sickle, as it enveloped her in a whirlwind of attacks. His weapon's ability lasted ten seconds and Crucibelle's life bar now displayed (849,510/900,000 HP).

Smoke couldn't believe that one of his strongest attacks only did that much damage. He quickly dove back into the trenches before the Witch could launch her counterattack.

'The Manatl attack could've packed more punch if only it didn't break.' thought Smoke as he made a mental note to become more experienced in using that ability.

As he hid inside a tunnel, he took out a piece of jerky and chewed on it voraciously. He watched his life bar regenerate while waiting for the cooldown of his weapon's ability to finish.

Suddenly, he felt really hot while leaning against the wall. Seconds later, molten rocks appeared at the tunnel's entrance and steadily flowed towards him.

Smoke turned around to check the other direction and found the same thing. He used his Earth Manipulation to quickly open a hole above him and leapt out with his shield in front of him.

BTOOOM!

A Meteor Strike struck his side as soon as he appeared above ground and blasted him upward. While Smoke was suspended in mid-air, Crucibelle unleashed her innumerable fireballs on him.

Smoke twisted his body to turn the shield towards Crucibelle. He managed to block most of the fireballs before tumbling down to the ground. His life bar showed (141,344/176,250 HP).

'Should I run for it? If I die here, those guys might fight to the death.'

Even though Smoke had told himself earlier to focus on the battle at hand, he still couldn't help but worry about his private army members. He held onto his shield tightly while pondering on his next move.

'I should probably tell Igniz to get down from there.' thought Smoke as he leaned to the idea of escaping.

Crucibelle stopped her attacks and stared at him. "You're not planning on running away, are you?" taunted the red Witch as she held two fireballs in her hands.

Smoke wasn't about to give in to her provocations, but then his Cunning of the Dire Fox picked up a sizeable group in the direction behind Crucibelle, heading fast towards them.

He sensed sixty Sonstwelters and two hundred twenty-one Zectians. 'Those can't be Laernea and Gandiva. They're all scattered, but they are moving too fast to be on foot. Sierra?' Smoke wondered who was coming.

"Oi, DarkElf, you've been quiet for quite some time now. Are you preparing another special ability? Nyak nyak nyak." goaded Crucibelle.

'She really is Terrabelle's sister. She's got the same annoying laugh.' thought an irked Smoke.

"Not much of a talker, huh? Very well. I'll give you to the count of ten. Let's have our strongest abilities fight it out, shall we?" said Crucibelle.

She made a wide motion with her hands and a casting circle appeared in the sky, between Smoke and her. He looked up and saw the casting circle grow larger.

"Igniz, fly away!" Smoke shouted as he was about to do the same.

The circle reached almost fifty meters in diameter. Since Crucibelle was stuck casting her spell, Smoke instinctively leapt up and started to glide away.

Before he could leave the spell's area of effect, Smoke heard Crucibelle scream, "Meteor Shower!"

Meteor Strikes rained from the casting circle in the sky and obliterated the rest of the forest below it. Smoke couldn't escape fast enough and was caught in the spell near the edge of its radius. He received ten Meteor Strikes to his back and plummeted down to the ground, receiving a total of 75,000 damage points.

A one-meter-deep crater was created as a result of Crucibelle's attack. She carefully went down it and walked towards Smoke. As she got closer to him, she started to gloat, "Hmm. Looks like I won. I thought you'd put up more of a fig..."

She couldn't finish her sentence as twenty glistening Aqueous Spikes pierced Crucibelle's back and dealt 4,000 damage points each. She turned around and saw twenty mounted Aqua Knights jumping into the crater.

Smoke opened his eyes and saw that it was Mamelon, the female Aqua Knight, who came to his rescue. Twenty-five more mounted Elemental Knights followed suit as they were lead by an Electro Knight and a Flame Knight.

All of the Sonstwelter Knights had various mounts: from bronze jackals and dirus wolves to acinonyx cheetahs. They all rode swiftly towards Crucibelle.

However, before any of them could reach her, they were all blown out of the crater by a barrage of fireballs.

With the weakest resistance to Fire, ten Aero Knights instantly perished from Crucibelle's massive attack, while the twenty Aqua Knights only lost 10% of their life bars.

The five Flame Knights had the highest Fire Resistance and only lost 5%, whereas five Electro Knights and five Terra Knights lost roughly 50% of their life bars.

"Wrraaaaaaahhhhhhh!" shouted Crucibelle.

She kept contorting her back as she began to melt the Aqueous Spikes lodged into her. The javelin-sized ice spikes disappeared in no time.

Mamelon and the Elemental Knights regained their composure and remained on the edge of the crater. A rain of more than two hundred arrows fell from the sky as the Bowed Fishermen unleashed their attacks.

The mounted Bowed Fishermen riding on aardwolves came into sight, standing beside the Elemental Knights. They let loose another round of their arrows into the air. Two volleys of arrows poured down on Crucibelle.

'That's no use.' thought Smoke as he watched the arrows being burned by Crucibelle's fire, but surprisingly, half of the arrows did not disappear and pierced her skin.

He squinted his eyes and scrutinized the arrows coming down from the sky. They glistened like the Aqua Knights' Aqueous Spikes.

He smiled as he realized what was going on. 'They're water arrows!' Each arrow only did 80 damage points, but it was better than nothing.

He turned his attention to Mamelon's regiment. Aside from the Elemental Knights, Smoke saw that Mamelon brought fifteen Shamans, two hundred twenty Bowed Fishermen and a single Light Wizard named Baldaquin.

The Shamans were already busy healing the Electro Knights and Terra Knights, as their life bars sustained the most damage.

Smoke called out to the busty Aqua Knight, "Mamelon! Only Aqua Knights and Flame Knights are to engage her! The rest of you should stay out of her range..."

BTOOOM!

Smoke's instructions were interrupted as a Meteor Strike came his way. He narrowly dodged it and only received the splash damage.

Mamelon turned to her regiment and said, "You heard our Guild Master. Everyone, get to it!"

The Shamans, Electro Knights and Terra Knights moved further back. Baldaquin, the Light Wizard, was already out of Crucibelle's range before Smoke even gave the order.

As the Bowed Fishermen released two more volleys of arrows, uncountable fireballs were fired towards them. The Aqua Knights and Flame Knights did their best to block the fireballs with their shields, but they still received some damage.

Crucibelle created two casting circles, one above her and one aimed at Mamelon and her regiment. She relentlessly attacked them while countering some of the water arrows with her fireballs.

Smoke decided not to participate in the battle and to lay low. He did his best to stay out of Crucibelle's radar, so she would only focus on Mamelon and her regiment.

Both sides kept using the same attacks. The life bars of both opposing forces were slowly dwindling, but Crucibelle still had the advantage of having more life and attack power.

Mamelon and most of her regiment's life bars were down to 30%, whereas Crucibelle's life bar was at 40%. At that moment, Smoke knew that he had to do something.

He thought of a way to signal a surprise attack and ordered Igniz to fly above Mamelon. The dark ember sprite obediently followed his order. Smoke then briskly called Mamelon and informed her of his plan.

Igniz flew into position and waited for Smoke's command. As soon as Igniz got directly in front of Crucibelle, Smoke gave him the signal to shine.

The dark ember sprite released a blinding purple light aimed directly at Crucibelle. She received no damage, but it interrupted all her spells.

Two volleys of two hundred twenty water arrows rained down on her and as she regained her vision and saw twenty Aqua Knights charging straight towards her.

The Aqua Knights' lances glowed and sharp ice spikes were fired from their tips. Crucibelle put both hands in front of her and evaporated the spikes. Little did she know that Smoke was running with all his might directly behind her.

TANG

Smoke's Armored Armadillo Shield smashed into the back of Crucibelle's skull and stunned her for a full second. He quickly switched to his weighted chain and sickle and entangled her with it, immobilizing her.

He held his perlite chains tightly as Mamelon and the rest of the Aqua Knights arrived. Each one of them stabbed their glistening lances into Crucibelle's body and damaged her for 3,000 points.

Once Crucibelle came to, she struggled to break free from Smoke's chain but couldn't break or melt it.

She tried to create casting circles but was always interrupted, as multiple lances kept on piercing her body.

On top of their aardwolves, the Bowed Fishermen moved closer and also attacked Crucibelle with their water arrows, although most of the arrows hit Smoke's chain. Her life bar quickly started to drain away. Before they could finish her off, she created two black fireballs, holding one in each hand.

"Careful! She still has some fight left in her." said Smoke as he noticed the fireballs.

"Now you will never escape our eldest sister's wrath!" cried out Crucibelle.

With her dying breath, she yelled, "Searing Brand!" and released the two black fireballs. One of them flew up high in the air while the other one went straight into Smoke's chest.

Smoke took the hit at close range, received a damage of 666 points and was blown ten meters away. The other fireball turned into a crow and flew out of sight.

Mamelon quickly ran to the fallen Smoke and helped him up while the Shamans immediately started to heal him. He slowly got up and checked his chest. He found a black 'X' mark around where his heart should be.

Suddenly, a window notification popped up.

+ Your party has dealt a fatal blow to the Witch of Wysteria: Crucibelle.
+ Your party killed the Witch of Wysteria: Crucibelle.
+ Your party gained 3,400,000 experience points.

As the corpse of the red Witch started to fade, it left behind several items.

+ Acquired Quest Item for Immense Power of the Blood Moon:
> Witch of Wysteria:Terrabelle blood vial (1/1)
> Witch of Wysteria:Crucibelle blood vial (1/1)
> Witch of Wysteria:Horrabelle blood vial (0/1)

+ Acquired rare hand accessory: Berserker's Ring of Flame

+ Acquired ability tome: Translation - Gobberish

+ Acquired parchment: <???Unreadable???>

As he was still coming to terms with the burning feeling in his chest, Smoke couldn't believe the items he got from Crucibelle. He wanted to examine all of them as soon as possible. He assumed that the parchment was written in Gobberish. He reached for the ability tome to consume it when he saw the trail of two flares linger in the air over Banal.

A red and a purple flare slowly descended. In combination, those two colors meant only one thing...his private army suffered several casualties and needed his help.

Chapter Ten: Wishful Words

Dust scattered as enraged Condortlian Warriors scrambled across the ground near the third wall. They were yelling at the top of their lungs. The Warriors abandoned their circular formation as all of them dove in with their bastard swords and plunged them into the Gargantuan Goblin's body.

"Brothers, control yourselves!" pleaded Adder.

Smoke's second-in-command had a hard time controlling his men. He shared the pain and anger they felt when the monster mangled two of their brethren to death, but he knew that giving in to emotions during battle only makes things worse.

Worried about his fellow Condortlians' status, he looked up to Ichaival and asked him to use the emergency flares. Ichaival quickly took out two flares and fired them into the air, leaving a trail of purple and red behind.

Given their lack of training, Ichaival also ordered the Banalites to hold their fire. Fourteen Warriors all struck at once and tried to pin the monster down, but the goblin would not fall. Despite the Condortlians' frenzied attack, the Gargantuan Goblin still had a life bar of (281,250/450,000 HP)

One by one, the goblin swatted its attackers away like flies. Due to their recklessness, the Warriors were getting their life bars reduced to below 30%. The monster started to grab and throw them hard against the third wall.

THUD

A Warrior's body smashed into the wall and the impact drained all of his remaining life bar.

"Stay in formation!" shouted Adder.

THUD

Another Condortlian was thrown head first towards the wall. Even with his skull helm on, the Warrior still died. His body slid down the wall, leaving a trail of blood on it.

Adder desperately needed the other Condortlians to come to their senses. He ran towards the goblin, pulling back and pushing his men aside to get through to it.

With all his might, Adder slashed his double-bladed sword across the monster's chest, but not before receiving its right cross punch. They were both knocked back by this exchange.

Before another Warrior could blindly charge at the monster again, he turned to his men and spread his arms.

"Stop! Four of our brothers have already died! Can't you see that this is what the enemy wants?"

The infuriated Warriors stopped and looked around them. Realizing that almost all of them were injured, the rage in their eyes began to fade away. "Form a solid circle!" shouted Adder. Ashamed by their actions, they obediently listened to their commander's order.

Adder watched as arrows and spears struck the Gargantuan Goblin's body, delaying its advance. A few seconds later, the Condortlians reformed their circular formation.

The monster tried to use the same trick as before and charged towards the wall, but this time the circle did not move. Instead, it opened up and revealed their commander, charging at the monster himself. The goblin planted its foot in the ground and tried to grab a hold of Adder, but before it could, he used the goblin's knee as leverage and leapt over the monster's shoulder whilst slashing its face with his double-bladed sword.

SLICE

With one smooth swing, Adder's BlitzSturm cleanly severed off the goblin's nose.

Ichaival fired his last fire arrow at the goblin and had to switch to using poison arrows. He was surprised to see that they inflicted more damage to the monster and immediately called his fellow ranged attackers to share his discovery with them. With more confidence than before, he aimed for the goblin's head.

The Gargantuan Goblin looked like a target dummy as six of Ichaival's arrows protruded out of where its nose used to be. The Warriors followed their commander's lead. They went after the monster's limbs.

Only up to four Condortlians would attack at the same time and they waited for the Banalites' arrows to strike before doing so. The goblin managed to catch one of the Warriors, but Adder's double-bladed sword quickly came crashing down on the monster's hand. The goblin unwillingly released its grip on the Condortlian as the tendons in its right hand were severed. The monster briefly held its hand in pain before blindly attacking the nearby Warriors.

It kicked and punched anyone who came within range. Adder hurriedly gave the order to back away and allowed their ranged companions to do their jobs. Soon enough, the monster slumped to the ground as its life bar displayed (19,195/450,000 HP). Four Warriors leapt from different directions and plunged their swords into the monster's body.

Finally, Adder came down from above and drove his BlitzSturm through the Gargantuan Goblin's skull, ending the battle.

Breathing heavily, he quickly checked his remaining Warriors and faced a tragic reality. Most of them had life bars below 15%, himself included. What made matters even worse was that there were more than just four casualties.

While taking massive damage from the Gargantuan Goblin, five of the Warriors received Bleeding status. They did not retreat to the emergency shelter for medical treatment and died fighting.

This was the end result of Adder's decision as a leader. Looking back on it, he had hoped they would face the Gargantuan Goblins as one whole army, but the monsters split themselves up. He was afraid not only of their two-pronged attack, but also of the possibility that one of the monsters could easily scale the third wall, leaving the Balanites inside the emergency shelter to be mercilessly slaughtered.

His only way of preventing such a thing from happening was to split up his forces and engage each of the Gargantuan Goblins separately. He knew that their advantage in numbers would be lost, but did not expect that it would cause this much damage.

Leaning on his double-bladed sword, Adder looked over to the Maneators and the Tikbalangs. Both groups were still dealing with their foes.

* * * * * *

On top of the third wall, an OrkElf was hurriedly carrying parts of his repeating ballista on his back. This was his second trip from the second wall, where the weapon was previously assembled. Different from the ordinary ballista he used on the field, this upgraded weapon's repeating mechanism didn't allow for it to be carried as a whole due to the increased weight.

It took Jinggu some time to move the parts to the platform near the Maneators. He and the Maneators had bonded while solidifying Verbrannt's defenses, which was why they were often placed in the same division.

The OrkElf helplessly watched as all three Maneators were thrown onto one another near the platform he was on. He couldn't believe how the Gargantuan Goblin had overpowered Stark, but it was Rasant's life bar that caught his attention. It was down to 45% and their battle against the monster had only just begun.

Swiftly, Jinggu set up his repeating ballista. He noticed that the goblin was moving towards the Maneators. He loaded ten of his poison bolts and rapidly fired them at it.

TUROK

One of the bolts pierced the goblin's forehead, knocking back the monster. It looked around, confused as to where the attack came from. The OrkElf fired off another barrage, but more than half of the bolts missed since he was aiming for the monster's head again.

He switched his aim towards the Gargantuan Goblin's body. Each of the bolts that managed to connect dealt up to 21,000 points of damage as they pierced the goblin's tough black skin.

The three Maneators scrambled to their feet while Jinggu was providing suppressive fire. Ready for another round, they ran towards the goblin.

Weise stopped running once he reached the monster's side. At the same time, Rasant got behind its back and readied his barbed whips, while Stark made a dash for his glaive.

This time, Rasant had learned his lesson. The orange Maneator rapidly lashed the goblin, making shallow cuts in its flesh.

The Gargantuan Goblin turned around and faced him. Its huge hands made clutching motions as it tried to grab hold of Rasant's whips.

A poison bolt to the monster's nape made it turn towards the wall again. Weise used this opportunity and stabbed the monster's side. He quickly pulled his flamdius out, but the irritated monster's fist was already coming his way.

Fortunately, before the goblin could deliver a serious blow to Weise, a charging Stark drove his glaive straight into the monster's belly. The Gargantuan Goblin's attack failed to connect as the monster was pushed three meters backwards and fell over.

Stark smirked at the goblin, but his smug look disappeared as it slowly stood up. He expected to see a big hole in its belly, but discovered that his attack only made a puncture wound.

As Weise approached from the monster's left side, he saw more poison bolts fly over Stark's head. He decided to keep pressuring the goblin and force it to only defend.

Immediately after the bolts made contact, Weise went for the  wound Stark inflicted. He stuck his flamdius in it and started pulling his sword in all directions.

Weise quickly widened the puncture wound to a gaping hole over twenty centimeters in diameter. The monster's life bar dropped to 40%. It grabbed hold of the gray Maneator's sword hand and started crushing it.

"Aaaaaaahhhh!" cried out Weise as the bones in his wrist were being broken. The pain forced him to let go of his flamdius. In agony, he was lifted up by his right hand

Rasant kept rapidly cracking his whips on the goblin's back, but his measly damage of 300 points did not distract the monster.

Stark came rushing in and slashed the goblin's elbow joint from below. His glaive cut into the bone, but the monster still held a firm grip on Weise's hand.

The red Maneator used the technique Smoke taught him and followed up with an attack using the opposite end of his glaive.

CRACK

The elbow joint broke from the force of the attack. The Gargantuan Goblin roared in pain and swung its fist towards Stark. Dodging it, Stark then leapt and slashed the same spot, this time from above, delivering the severing blow.

Weise dropped to the ground along with the goblin's sliced-off limb. Tossing away the Gora shield he was holding in his left hand, he pulled out the flamdius stuck in the monster's stomach. He backed off and tried to get accustomed to wielding the sword with his non-dominant hand.

With Weise out of reach, the goblin focused on Stark instead and punched him in the stomach with its remaining fist. The Maneator was caught off guard and bent over, clutching his abdomen. The monster then swung its fist downwards for an overhead chop, knocking him to the ground. It proceeded to inflict more pain as it kicked the fallen Maneator.

From behind the Gargantuan Goblin, Rasant tried to grab the monster's attention by wrapping one of the barbed whips around its remaining hand. The goblin tried to pull Rasant again, but this time wasn't able to.

Rasant saw the monster turn around to check why it could no longer overpower him. He smiled as he had planted his hooves firmly into the ground and anchored the entire weight of his body, creating larger resistance. He kept pulling the whip in the opposite direction in hopes of luring the monster towards him, away from Stark.

With only one hand left, the Gargantuan Goblin pulled several times on the barbed whip with all its might. Even crippled, it still demonstrated astounding strength and Rasant's hooves were digging into the ground more and more, before he was finally pulled out of his defensive stance and towards the monster. It grabbed him by one of his horns and sent him flying into the earth wall. Rasant's life bar dropped to mere 15%.

Three poison bolts then pierced the goblin's back, forcing it to turn towards Jinggu once again. It used its one arm to deflect some of the incoming bolts while stumbling around to avoid as many as it could.

Yet, this only left the monster open to Stark's attack. He plunged his glaive into the wound Weise widened. As it went in, Stark started twisting the glaive around in a continuous forward motion.

Stark's glaive finally went through the Gargantuan Goblin's body. Before the goblin could slam its fist down into Stark's head, two of Jinggu's bolts lodged themselves into the side of its neck, interrupting it and giving Stark the opportunity he needed.

With his glaive inside the goblin, Stark used all of his strength and pushed it upwards, slicing the Gargantuan Goblin's torso into two equal halves.

* * * * * *

Eighteen Tikbalangs stood in shock near the trench. After seeing two of their brothers fall to their death, their sane judgement started fading.

Noticing a grin on the Gargantuan Goblin's face, they went mad. Six Tikbalangs charged at the same time and the goblin easily knocked two of them into the trench with a swing of his arm.

It grabbed two more with its hands as the Tikbalangs flocked towards the Gargantuan Goblin in a blind rage.

Six falcons suddenly swooped down and scratched the monster's head with their razor-sharp talons. The goblin dropped the Tikbalangs it caught and tried to swat the falcons.

The birds flew higher and made the goblin raise its arms over its head. Vijaya aimed her poison arrows at the goblin's exposed ribs and made the monster lower his hand as it scratched the injured areas.

The falcons immediately dove in and ran their sharp talons across the goblin's face once more. Four falcons successfully finished their attacks, but when the last two falcons came in for their turn, the monster ignored the poison arrows and caught the two birds of prey easily.

Vijaya's falcons Dakhana and Utara were the ones caught by the monster. Despite their steel-feathered bodies, the two birds could not withstand the pressure of the Gargantuan Goblin's grasp.

Vijaya desperately attacked the goblin's hands with her arrows, but to no avail.

"Tikbalangs, please help me!" she pleaded.

Her trembling voice brought the Tikbalangs back to their senses and they became aware of the situation. With hooves aimed at the monster's arms, four Tikbalangs pounded their iron horseshoes into them.

As the Tikbalangs were now attacking with a clearer purpose, their focused attack forced the goblin to release its death grip over the two birds. Shards of broken steel feathers protruded from the monster's palms.

Dakhana and Utara fell to the ground. Their lifeless bodies rolled over once and never moved again.

"Noooooo!" Vijaya cried out. Tears welled up in her eyes as she kept firing her arrows.

Despite the tears, Vijaya did not fail to notice that the goblin could no longer form a fist and was moving sluggishly. It wasn't clearly visible due to its rough black skin, but a hint of something green could be seen around the cuts on the monster's palms.

Vijaya instantly realized that it was poison from the pellets she had her falcons ingest so they could use their Poison Beak ability. Direct contact with the poison pellets required moderately high Poison Resistance, otherwise it could lead to paralysis and death.

"The goblin is weakened; it can't attack you with its fists anymore. Attack!" yelled Vijaya quickly.

The Tikbalangs immediately piled on the monster. Their actions were still coordinated as they attacked the goblin from three directions.

Three Tikbalangs bravely faced the Gargantuan Goblin head on. They continuously delivered punches to the monster's abdomen.

Five Tikbalangs positioned themselves behind the goblin and aimed their attacks at its spinal column, while eight Tikbalangs stood on its sides and frequently leapt in, pounding their iron horseshoes into the goblin's skull.

The poisoned goblin tried to defend itself by kicking or swinging its arms around, but its slow movements were easy to read. The Tikbalangs avoided all of its attacks and quickly overwhelmed it.

They assaulted the monster for full two minutes. Coupled with Vijaya's attacks, they managed to reduce its life bar to 10%.

Their collective attack continued until the Gargantuan Goblin spun its arms in a circle around it. Without warning, it ran straight for the three Tikbalangs in front of it.

With its hands still paralyzed and hanging down, it raised its arms in a slanted line and rammed through the Tikbalangs. The clothesline attack forced all three Tikbalangs down to the ground. The goblin stopped running, turned around and leapt in for a body slam.

THRUUD

The three Tikbalangs were left with only 2% on their life bars. The Gargantuan Goblin stood up and lifted its right leg over them, intending to stomp them to death.

Vijaya was about to release her arrow towards it when something flew over her. She looked up to see that Ledur had returned and was flying at top speed towards the monster. The winged Tikbalang wrapped his arm around the goblin's neck and used his momentum to force it to the ground.

The goblin was knocked back and hurtled seven meters away. Before it could recover, Ledur dove down and had both his feet planted straight into the goblin's face.

SQUIRSHH

Having pinned the monster to the ground, he created six earth spikes, piercing through critical places of its body from underneath it.

Ledur's attack drained the Gargantuan Goblin's life bar to zero. He then quickly checked his brethren's condition. Most of them had life bars around 20%.

He felt guilty, thinking that he could have averted such a situation if only he had not passed out. His face contorted in pain. He came out of the shelter as soon as he regained consciousness, so his satiety and mana bars were still low. As he looked around, he rushed over to the three Tikbalangs in critical condition.

"Are you alright? None of you are Bleeding?" asked a worried Ledur.

He proceeded to apply first aid to them. From the corner of his eye, he saw Vijaya slumped down over the bodies of her two dead falcons. The other falcons were sitting on their perch and making sad, shrill cries.

Ledur quickly scanned the other groups and found that Adder and his men were all in the red. The Maneators were also in bad shape, with Rasant at 15% of his health bar.

He was still tending to his fellow cursed Centaurs when he noticed that there were only sixteen of them left.

"Where are Ruckgang, Sturz, Werfen and Zwirnen?" Ledur asked one of his brothers.

The Tikbalang hung his head low and slowly raised his hoof as he pointed to the trench. Ledur's eyes grew wide as he understood the meaning of the gesture. He wanted to ask more questions, but then he heard a sound coming from the same direction the Tikbalang had been pointing in.

SWUG SWUG SWUG SWUG

Everyone's attention shifted to the trench. Slowly, the heads of two Gargantuan Goblins emerged out of it. The monsters stood close together as they climbed out of the trench. Both of them were holding a wooden spike in each hand.

* * * * * *

Adder and Ichaival ran towards the front gate of the third wall, eighty meters away from the Gargantuan Goblins. Adder ordered the Condortlian Warriors to retreat to the emergency shelter, while the Banalite volunteers remained on top of the wall.

They were joined by Stark and Jinggu shortly afterwards, as the severely-injured Rasant and Weise also withdrew to recover their wounds.

Ledur and Vijaya arrived seconds later. Ledur had also issued the retreat order to his fellow Tikbalangs.

Adder could feel the tension in the air. Their entire group at full strength had trouble dealing with three of these monsters. Now they had to face two more of them.

They steeled themselves and readied their weapons. Without a plan, Adder couldn't fathom how they could defeat the goblins with just the six of them. Only Ichaival, Jinggu and Vijaya had full life bars, and they were their ranged attackers.

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP

The members of Smoke's private army watched with anticipation as the goblins were slowly making their way towards them, gripping the wooden spikes they used to climb out of the trench tightly.

THUD

A blurry figure fell from the sky and landed in front of the goblins. As the dust settled, it revealed Smoke's ragged cloak fluttering in the wind.

He had stunned the monsters for a whole second. With Chain and Sickle of Dasende in hand, he swiftly performed his deadliest attack.

His perlite weapon turned blurry as sixteen afterimages of chains, sickles and iron balls appeared around him. The ends of his weapon slashed and bludgeoned the two Gargantuan Goblins.

The monsters tried to break away, but the speed of the chains forced them to remain in place. The goblins took a beating which lasted for ten seconds.

As soon as his attack was finished, Smoke switched weapons and took out his white metallic staff. He wanted to create a Manatl but couldn't make it in time, as the Gargantuan Goblin on his right tried to swat him away.

Smoke barely dodged the attack by jumping backwards. He was now in between the goblins and his men. He turned around, jumped up and glided until he reached where Adder and others were.

"Glad you could finally make it. What happened to Crucibelle? Is she coming here?" asked Ledur.

"She's been dealt with." quickly replied Smoke. "Where's everyone else? Don't tell me they all..." Smoke couldn't finish his sentence as he didn't want to imagine such a dreadful scenario.

"No, no. The survivors are all inside the emergency shelter." answered Adder.

Smoke and his men returned their attention to the two monsters moving towards them. They observed their life bars and saw that both were at 85%.

"I think we should fall back to the third wall." suggested Ichaival.

"No. We will kill the goblins here." said Smoke calmly. "Adder, Ledur and Stark, hold your ground. Vijaya, Ichaival and Jinggu, aim for their eyes." ordered Smoke as he took out his Digger's wand.

The Gargantuan Goblins charged at Smoke and his men. The monsters were sixty meters away when arrows and bolts struck their heads.

Smoke noticed the lack of falcons going in to attack the goblins. Vijaya no longer ordered them to go near the monsters, as she feared that they might grab one of the falcons again. Ichaival did the same, fearing for Ichai's safety.

Multiple shots to their faces forced the goblins to cover them with their arms. Smoke sneakily created a ten-meter-deep trench in front of the goblins.

Both monsters fell into the newly-dug hole. However, it took less than ten seconds for one of the goblins' massive hands to grab a hold of the surface.

"They must have gotten used to this kind of traps." thought Ichaival out loud.

Smoke saw Ichaival look at him with a worried face. He could tell that the black-haired Hunter wanted him to issue an order to retreat to the third wall.

Suddenly, more than two hundred water arrows fell into Smoke's freshly-dug trap. Thirty-five mounted Elemental Knights bolted through the opening in the second wall, followed by two hundred twenty Bowed Fishermen riding on the backs of aardwolves.

Smoke had known that he would only have to keep the monsters occupied until Mamelon and her regiment arrived. He manipulated the farther wall of his trench and turned it into an inclined plane. The Gargantuan Goblins were now clearly visible to the charging Elemental Knights and Bowed Fishermen.

Aqua Knights, Flame Knights, Electro Knights and Terra Knights unleashed their elemental spike attacks. The goblins were forced against the wall of Smoke's trap.

Mamelon and her mounted regiment continued with their ranged attacks. They fired a total of four volleys, but the goblins still had 40% left on their life bars.

As soon as their attacks let up, the Gargantuan Goblins darted towards Mamelon and her men. However, Adder and Ledur had also been waiting for that moment and jumped down from the top of the trench. Adder stabbed his double-bladed sword into a goblin's nape while Ledur drove both his hooves straight into the other goblin's head.

The duo's surprise attack, coupled with the goblins' forward momentum, made the monsters fall to the ground. Their faces smashed against the inclined plane.

Mamelon and the rest of the Elemental Knights rode in and stabbed the downed monsters with their lances while Adder and Ledur kept them pinned down. Thinking of their fallen comrades, both leaders relentlessly attacked the monsters.

Smoke and the rest of his private army members watched from above, except for Vijaya. She fired her poison arrows whenever she saw an opening, alternating between the two goblins.

As Smoke observed his private army slaughter the monsters, he could feel the pain of Adder, Ledur and Vijaya. The three obviously suffered the most during the previous battle. In a matter of minutes, the last two Gargantuan Goblins were eliminated.

* * * * * *

Multiple bunk beds were arranged neatly inside the great hall of the emergency shelter. Injured Warriors and Tikbalangs were being taken care of by the Shamans of Mamelon's regiment. Smoke and Igniz were doing their best to cheer up their comrades.

Smoke visited all of them one by one. He either fed them medicinal soup or changed their bandages. Despite their wounded state, the injured still gave him a welcoming smile and asked about his own condition. Their concern for Smoke's safety had always been touching, even though he kept telling them that he would be fine because of his Sonstwelter abilities.

After he made sure that his private army members were stable and properly taken care of, he strolled outside alone. Igniz stayed behind and kept cheering up the injured. Once outside, Smoke enthusiastically took out the items he got from vanquished Crucibelle.

Excitedly, he first inspected the ability tome entitled 'Translation - Gobberish'. Since he fulfilled the tome's requirements, he immediately consumed it.

+ Learned Ability: Translation - Gobberish
Passive
Level: Beginner Level 1
Experience: (10/1,000)

Gives one the ability to communicate with the goblin race. Eloquence in the language depends on the ability's level.

Effects:
*Can converse with a goblin on a child's level of speech
*Can read documents written in Gobberish
WARNING: A low level of this ability might prompt a misunderstanding that could even lead to war.

Smoke's lips curled into a smile. Zectas ended up fulfilling another one of his desires; he had always wanted to learn a different language back in the real world. With the same level of enthusiasm, he took out the rare hand accessory, Berserker's Ring of Flames.

He quickly scrutinized his newly-acquired ring.

Berserker's Ring of Flames

A rare hematite ring created by one of the Witches of Wysteria, Crucibelle. It has the color of blood. It was crafted to instill fear and anger into her minions.

+50 Intelligence
+30% Fire Affinity

Equipment Ability:
*Ring of Flames (Active)
+ Creates a circular firewall
+ Targets caught in the firewall are inflicted with Berserk status
+ Range and duration depend on the caster's total Mana
+ Consumes 240,000 MP per use and additional 1,000 MP per second after activation
+ Once you've used this ability, you cannot use it again for another two hours

Notes:
- The Berserk status can only be inflicted on non-Sonstwelters.
- Cooldown decreases significantly if more than 600,000 MP is used.

Smoke's happy demeanor instantly vanished. His maximum Mana was still at 224,813 MP. Nevertheless, he equipped the ring on his right middle finger, right next to the Horse Ring of Domination. As fortune would have it, the increase to his Intelligence boosted his mana to 249,935 MP. This enabled him to cast Ring of Flames once and hold the spell for nine seconds if he had full mana.

'Just how much Mana did Crucibelle have?' he thought to himself while looking at the huge numbers written in the description. He remembered how she was able to keep the firewall up for several minutes and even cast it twice in succession.

Lastly, Smoke took out his final piece of loot from the red Witch...the goblin parchment. He satisfactorily found that he could now read it.

Goblin Recruitment

Dear Gobble Goblins,

My sisters and I have witnessed a most disturbing omen.
The bones of a dragon told us
that the rise of the dreaded Reptilian race is soon upon us.

We urge you to move to Wysteria and build your homes here.
The Reptilians have cleverly disguised themselves as other races.
We must cleanse the land of them.

Join our cause and ensure your survival!

- Crucibelle of the Magietrois

His eyes widened. 'The Witches of Wysteria were the Magietrois?' thought Smoke as he couldn't believe what he had just read.

He had hoped that if he were to find the Magietrois, he could make them into strong allies, but didn't think he would end up killing two of them. He read the note over and over again.

He thought about what was written in the book "The Saviors Tested by Fate: Part One". He also remembered Alteria, the matron of Virile lizards, who had enslaved the Condortlians before Smoke freed them. As a Fecund lizard, she had the special ability of transforming herself into the person she ate.

'Maybe the Witches have become so jaded over the ages that they no longer trust anyone but themselves?' Smoke surmised.

He wanted to quickly show the goblin parchment to the inner circle of his private army when Sot, the village chief of Banal, came out of the emergency shelter and briskly walked towards him.

"Smoke! A word." stated Sot crossly.

Before Smoke could greet the stout bald man, he was pulled forcefully to one of the destroyed houses.

"So, you think congratulations are in order?" asked Sot sarcastically.

"Well, I wouldn't say that. Many of my men died defending your village, and a life lost is never a win." said Smoke.

Smoke saw Sot's face become calmer. It took some time before Banal's chief spoke again.

"I'm truly thankful for their valiant sacrifice. I pray that Xolotl may safely guide their souls to Mictlan." said Sot sincerely.

After a few seconds of silence, Sot resumed talking in a serious manner. "Regrettably, this does not change the fact that you have failed this village."

Smoke raised his eyebrows. "Huh? What do you mean 'failed this village'?"

Immediately afterwards, a notification popped up.

- Failed Quest: Defense of Banal

The residents of Banal village found your defensive efforts to be lacking. Many of their houses were destroyed during the goblins' invasion.

Penalties:
* Intimacy with most of the Banalites has decreased by 50
* - 500 Fame

Smoke tried his best to quell the anger welling up inside him. "How could you say this? Aren't all of the Banalites still alive? Your emergency shelter is still intact!" he said with a raised voice.

"What you say is true, but our homes were destroyed. Those stone houses were over three hundred years old. Even if we restore them, they won't be the same." explained Sot. "You and your men can stay here until morning. After that, I will insist that you leave." he said as he walked back to the emergency shelter.

Smoke wanted to argue with Sot. He couldn't believe how ungrateful the residents of Banal were. However, he stopped himself from doing something he would most definitely regret later on.

Inside the ruined Banalite house in front of him, Smoke decided to calm down by doing some Manatl exercises. He sat on the ground, crossed his legs, held his white metallic staff horizontally in his palms and tried to clear his mind.

Ten minutes into his meditation, he heard footsteps outside the house and opened his eyes. Ichaival and a female Banalite came in through the broken door. She looked to be about the same age as Ichaival. Her short black hair and tanned skin gave her a sporty appearance.

"Oh, there you are." said Ichaival.

"What's the matter? Did something happen?" asked Smoke with concern as he stood up.

"I just heard the news that we only have until morning before we're kicked out of Banal." said Ichaival, "And she insisted to speak with you."

"Hello, High General Smoke. I am called Sympa. Master Ichaival has told me stories of your many adventures throughout Wysteria." said the young woman as she stepped forward.

Smoke extended his hand and Sympa shyly shook it. "Nice to meet you, Sympa." said Smoke politely, "What can I do for you?"

Despite his bad mood, he spoke to Sympa cordially. Ever since he became aware of his bursts of anger, he made a conscious effort to channel it only towards the individuals who properly deserved it.

"Well, it's true that some of the less understanding villagers believe that you failed to defend us properly. But the twenty-seven volunteers who fought with you all know the truth." said Sympa.

"Thank you, Sympa. That means a lot." replied Smoke with a smile.

"That is why all twenty-seven of us would like to be part of your private army. Will you accept us?" said Sympa as she bent her knee and bowed her head.

'At least one good thing came out of this quest.' thought Smoke.

"I would be honored to have you by my side." answered Smoke as he helped Sympa to her feet.

Smiling, Smoke watched as Ichaival and Sympa were on their way back to the emergency shelter. Thinking about what he was doing before Sot approached him, he called Ledur. He wanted to ask him where the imprisoned goblins were.

Ledur immediately flew to where Smoke was and the two of them began to walk along the ruined houses. As Smoke observed the destruction goblins caused, he realized that Sot had a point. It made sense why he failed the quest.

While the two of them walked in silence, Smoke wondered if he should tell Ledur about the goblin parchment right away. However, he decided not to do so just yet. He thought that his winged friend might take it the wrong way if he were to tell him that the princesses he wanted to ally with were, in fact, the Witches who cursed him and his brothers.

Before he knew it, they were standing in front of the house where the goblins were being kept. With his Earth Manipulation ability, Smoke opened a small window so he could look into the earth prison. He peeked through the window and found around twenty Gobble Goblins inside.

"Name mine is Smoke. Is good to know you." said Smoke in Gobberish. He could tell that the way he said it was definitely wrong but couldn't say it any better.

Surprised to hear him speak in a different language, Ledur stared at him. Smoke noticed that and quickly whispered that he'll explain everything later.

"Ayii. ayiiii. You're butchering our beautiful language. Ayii ayii ayi." replied one of the goblins inside.

"Sorry me is. Me is learning your pretty words." apologized Smoke. He needed to raise his Intimacy with these goblins, and risked it by using this fledgling ability. "Wrong understanding you have. We are Lizardites not."

After the goblins inside the prison heard this, they raised their voices in panic. They ran around and huddled in the center of the room. "Ayii ayii yiii yia ayi. He's a Lizardite. Ayii yii ayiii. He's here to eat us! Ayyii ayii yiii."

Smoke couldn't make out most of what the goblins were yelling, but he could tell that he was only making things worse. He wanted to ask them about Crucibelle, but after seeing their reaction, he knew that he needed to raise his Translation ability first.

Suddenly, Espion arrived and tapped Smoke on his shoulder. He was startled by the young Spy's arrival as he was still deep in thought on what to do with the goblins. "Oh. Sorry about that." apologized Espion, "I just wanted to inform you that the Lioumereans have arrived."

"Alright, tell everyone to prepare for departure. We'll leave as soon as everyone is fully healed and ready to go. I don't want to wait until morning." said Smoke.

Espion immediately left. Smoke turned to Ledur and told him that they needed to create a secure transport for these goblins. He was going to take them to Verbrannt.

* * * * * *

A full moon brightened the night sky, providing good visibility on the ground. Smoke and his private army were standing in front of Banal's main gate. They could have left the village sooner, but Laernea and Gandiva begged Smoke to let them have a proper supper.

Sot and family members of the Banalite volunteers had also gathered near the gate, as they wanted to see them off. Despite failing the quest and having his Intimacy with the Banalites reduced, Smoke still thought it best to be friendly with them. He wished them good fortune, as they were determined on rebuilding their village. He also planned on having Espion check up on their development after a few days.

With their farewells done, Smoke ordered his army to start riding for Verbrannt. The Tikbalangs and some of the Condortlian Warriors sat comfortably in the Lioumereans' carriages, while those fit to ride on aardwolves hitched a ride with the Bowed Fishermen.

As Smoke sat alone in the back of Gandiva's carriage, he took out his white metallic staff and started to do some Manatl exercises. Since he couldn't convince Saru to join him, Smoke had to refine his Manatl ability on his own, by just practising as often as possible.

A purple Manatl four times the size of his fist appeared on top of his left palm. However, while he did this, his mind kept wandering off. Thoughts of Sierra were constantly popping into his head. He took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind when he heard someone call his name.

Smoke turned around and saw a familiar Aqua Knight ride next to Gandiva's carriage. Mamelon let out a forced cough, "Ahem."

"Hey, Mamelon. Sorry, I didn't see you there." said Smoke.

"No worries." she replied, "I know that you're very busy, but I was hoping you could spare a few seconds for me?"

"Sure. Anything for the hero who saved us from Crucibelle and her goblins." said Smoke with a smile, "What's on your mind?"

Mamelon made a modest gesture with her hands. "Nah, we were just lucky we arrived in time. Sierra was the one who told us to go to your coordinates."

Smoke's eyes widened as it was the first time he heard about this.

"Anyway, I just wanted to ask you about Ilad. I heard that he was with you when you went to the Margome mountain range, but I don't see him anywhere." stated Mamelon.

"Ah, I already sent him to Verbrannt before I got the Banal quest." said Smoke with a straight face.

"I see..." Mamelon casted her gaze downwards after she heard Smoke's answer. "I guess I'll see him in Verbrannt." she said in almost a whisper, "Well, could you just tell him that I need to talk to him?"

"Of course, I'll pass on the message." replied Smoke, "That reminds me, Ilad did tell me that he apologizes for not meeting with you. I know that you still need to divide the loot from the mounted race."

She answered in a surprised, cheerful voice, "Really? I mean, that's right. So...please tell him to come see me as soon as he can."

Smoke watched Mamelon's blue armor shimmer as the moonlight reflected off of her. She happily trotted towards her regiment, pleased with what he told her.

'Note to self: Schedule a meeting with Mamelon as Ilad.' thought Smoke.

He tried to clear his mind again but just couldn't concentrate. So, he decided to work on his Gobberish instead. He took out the goblin parchment and kept re-reading it.

His conundrum on what to do with the information that Crucibelle and her sisters were the Magietrois needed resolution. He knew of only one man who could give him the enlightenment he badly wanted.

Smoke called his closest friend in Zectas, Darius.

"Hi, Darius. It's been a long time." said Smoke cheerfully.

"Yes, it has. You should find some time to come visit us, even though Nanahuatl hasn't really changed much." said Darius.

Smoke could already picture Darius' wrinkled face smiling at him as they talked.

"So, how have you been?" asked Smoke.

"Can't complain. I'm slowly regaining my strength and vigor. The Nanahuatlanos keep me so busy that I barely have any time to notice my powers growing stronger." explained Darius.

"That's great to hear! I'll make sure to visit you soon. But for now, I was hoping you could advise me on something." said Smoke.

"As long as it's not about money, you know you can always count on me." said Darius with a light laugh.

Smoke chuckled. "Of course it isn't money-related. You see, I came across a parchment in which a Witch, Crucibelle, stated that she's part of a group called the Magietrois." explained Smoke, "I was wondering if you know something about that group?"

"Hmm. Well, from what I know about the Magietrois, they were supposedly a trio of powerful Magi. 'The Three Magics' is what their name means. They were HighElf princesses, each with a different elemental speciality. If I remember correctly, their Jobs were Arch Cardinals of the Gods; the gods in question being Chantico, Cuhtli and Xolotl." stated Darius.

'Xolotl sounds so familiar. Where have I heard that name before?' wondered Smoke before he asked another question, "Do you know exactly what their elemental specialities were?"

"Chantico is the goddess of fire, Cuhtli is the goddess of earth and Xolotl is the god of lightning." Darius answered instantly, as if he knew what Smoke's next question was.

"I fought against Crucibelle and one of her two sisters." quickly exclaimed Smoke. "Crucibelle could create fire, while Terrabelle controlled the earth. Darius, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Well, I think it's too late in the evening for another horned rabbit pie, but I guess just one more won't hurt." answered Darius.

"Hahaha." An enlivened Smoked laughed and said, "No, I'm not talking about food. If Crucibelle's other sister, Horrabelle, can manipulate lightning, wouldn't that confirm that they are the Magietrois?"

Smoke feverishly waited to hear Darius' response. The pieces of the story were slowly falling into place.

"Hm, she wouldn't necessarily have to control lightning. As is the case with many gods, Xolotl isn't just the god of lightning. He is also the god of sickness and passing." said Darius.

"What do you mean by 'passing'?" he asked.

"It means guiding someone into Mictlan, the afterlife." said Darius. The Beggar Legati paused before speaking again, "It is said that the oldest of the three princesses, as the Arch Cardinal of Xolotl, dabbled in the Dark Arts."

Smoke listened intently as he had thought that the Witches only had the basic elemental affinities.

"It was her who used her connection with Xolotl to contact Chalchizin, the god of death. From that point in the story, it is said that they gained immense power and immortality, but also fell under Chalchizin's curse."

"They were cursed?" asked an interested Smoke, "I didn't know that. I've read a book that contained a part of the story about the Magietrois, but its ending was rather vague." He paused for a moment and then asked, "What was the curse?"

"Sadly, I do not know. The version I heard simply said that the princesses were cursed and haven't been seen since, but that they are destined to appear again when the world is in danger and lead their armies to victory." replied Darius.

Smoke's eyes focused as another piece of the puzzle fit into place. "That's the other thing...the Witches I encountered had small armies alongside them as well. That also points towards them being the Magietrois. But..."

As Smoke remembered the Centaurs being turned into Tikbalangs, and Gobble Goblins devouring each other inside a ring of fire, he fell silent.

"Darius, I've seen the methods they use to expand their armies and I definitely don't agree with them." he said in a low voice.

"I can see why you've made that connection. Building an army through any means necessary does sound like something the Magietrois would do." said Darius.

"But you could say that they are the more lawful evil, right? Yes, they crossed the line, but in the end, if they are the Magietrois, aren't they just doing all that in order to be able to save people when the time comes?" asked Smoke rhetorically.

Smoke's eyes widened as he realized something else. 'If the Witches of Wysteria were amassing an army, does that mean that the Reptilian race is really going to try to take over the world again?'

"Darius, I forgot to mention something. Vijaya told me that, in the version of the story she heard, the Magietrois are supposed to return to protect the world from Reptilians. In the parchment I told you about, Crucibelle also stated that she was building her army in preparation for war against the Reptilian race." said Smoke in a calm voice.

"Now, now. Let's not jump to any conclusions. I do know that there are some stragglers of the Reptilian nobility around the world, but I doubt they would have the means for world domination." replied Darius with a hesitant voice, "Besides, the Zectians have learned their lesson, and with so many Sonstwelters around, I'm sure that Zectas will be safe from their tyranny."

"Still, I think it's a waste to be enemies with the Magietrois. Although, there's only one of them left now." said Smoke. The disappointment in his voice was as clear as the bright full moon. "If I could reason with Horrabelle, I feel that she could be a strong addition to our army, but I know that a lot of people will be against it. Not to mention that she herself probably won't be willing to even listen to us."

"Tell you what, let me get on the Beggar's Tablet with Caid. I'll give him a portion of my access level to the Verum de Mendicantibus. We should be able to find some useful information on the Magietrois. The more you know about them, the easier it will be to plan a course of action."

"That would be great. You know, I'm not sure if I should even do anything. Maybe I should leave it alone. I don't want to hurt Ledur's feelings and Sierra needs Horrabelle's blood to lift the curse affecting her."

"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. If you think this could greatly benefit everyone, then do something about it.  You don't want to have regrets later on. Just remember to way everything with unbiased eyes." Darius said in a firm and sincere voice.

"Alright, I'll think about what I can do. In the meantime, you can contact Caid and see what the Beggar's Society knows about the Magietrois." said Smoke with conviction.

"Okay, I'll call Caid as soon as I'm done with this pie. Take care of yourself, Smoke."

"You too, Darius. Thanks for lending me an ear and I'll see you soon."

CLICK

After his satisfying conversation with Darius, Smoke tried to do another round of Manatl training, but his mind would still not allow it. He kept having doubts whether it was a good idea to contact Horrabelle and try to convince her to become allies.

Due to the fact that he couldn't focus on his Manatl training, Smoke decided to log out of Zectas. They still had more than sixteen hours before they would reach Verbrannt. Plenty of time for him to get some well-deserved rest.

* * * * * *

A chilly breeze at three in the morning greeted Nash as soon as he got out of his game pod. He instantly noticed the open window he forgot to close. He stretched his arms as soon as he got out of the bed-like capsule and quickly grabbed an energy drink placed within arm's reach on his side table He then started shaking his arms and legs, as they felt numb. He would often get a mild case of muscle atrophy after being logged into Zectas for too long, which was why he took his Eskrima stretching exercises to the extreme.

With his right foot over his head and placed comfortably up against the wall behind him, Nash grabbed his left foot with his left hand while trying to reach his right shin with his right hand. He would repeat the same stretching exercise using opposite hands and feet. He hoped that someday he could reach his other foot, but this was the current limit of his flexibility.

Next, Nash rotated his wrists and ankles. He twisted them into awkward angles that it almost felt like they would tear apart. He then sat down on the floor and spread his legs in an almost one-hundred-eighty-degree angle. He then reached out his hands as far as he could. His stretching exercises lasted for about thirty minutes.

After he was done, Nash headed downstairs to make a light meal before taking his power nap. Before he could reach the stairs, he noticed that light escaped under the door of Seth's room.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"Hey, you still up?" Nash spoke in a soft voice.

Seth opened the door with a book entitled "Introduction to Big Data" in hand. "Yeah, I was just reviewing for my Computer Science elective." he said while rubbing his eyes.

"Computer Science? I didn't know you took an elective." said a surprised Nash.

"I picked it up fairly recently." he replied. "Hey, did you know that back in 2012, over two exabytes of data were created every day? That was the time when the world's largest companies began spending hefty sums of money on analysing the massive amount of information gathered by various social networking sites and apps." said Seth all knowingly and continued even further,  "They aimed to use this information to predict which product concepts would receive good feedback from their customers and were worth investing into."

"You seem pretty interested in this stuff." Nash said as he was imagining a bright future for his brother.

"Well, I was inspired by Dad. He was one of the leading computer scientists on Big Data. He started his research back in 2009 and even today, thirty years later, his work is still the foundation of all the new technologies being developed." replied Seth while looking at the cover of his book.

Nash only remembered their father as a nerdy goofball who kept playing role-playing board games with him. "Really? I do recall Mom saying that Dad was some big shot programmer, but I never knew he was that famous." he said.

"He was. Though, for some reason, after just eight years, Dad abruptly stopped his research and resigned from his position of director in Gartner Corporation. That was about two years before you were born, Nash. At least, that's what the articles about him I managed to find on the internet say." said Seth.

"He never really talked about work. I just remember him being home all the time, often looking busy. I figured he was working from home or something." Nash responded while reminiscing, "He was spending a lot of time with us and that was what mattered to me, so I never questioned it. "

Seth listened carefully, as he liked hearing from Nash what their parents were like.

"Celebrity scientist or not, he was the best play buddy a kid could have." he said, with a nostalgic smile on his face. "What made you do this research on Dad, anyway?"

"I had to write a school paper on a dead person I'd want to meet." answered Seth somberly. "I never thought I'd discover how awesome Dad was. I barely remember him at all. However, I do remember wanting to join in on one of your board games with him, but you kept saying no." he said and crossed his arms in front of him .

Nash laughed nervously. "Oh, you remember that part, huh? Well, you really were too young to play that type of board games." explained Nash nervously. He couldn't find the courage to tell Seth that he was pretty much annoyed by him when they were younger.

Nash loved the attention his parents were giving him when he was still the only child, and was somewhat of a mean older brother to Seth and Donny while their parents were still alive.

"Well, I'll let you get back to studying, then." said Nash hurriedly as he half-sprinted towards the stairs.

After a few minutes, Nash finished his tuna sandwich and went back upstairs to his room. He made a jumping dive for his king-sized bed and reached for a red alarm clock. He set it for three hours, just in time before he and his companions would reach Verbrannt.

* * * * * *

A caravan of mounted Elemental Knights, Bowed Fishermen and Pathfinders reached the village borders of Verbrannt. With a white metallic staff in his right hand, Smoke stood alone in the back of Gandiva's carriage. His whole body was encased in a purple Manatl.

Smoke canceled his Manatl as he wanted to shift his attention to checking out the development of their revived village. He signaled for Igniz to fly to a higher altitude and then used his Symbiote Vision ability to observe the changes from an aerial perspective.

He expected to see a defensive wall right about now, but was instead greeted by a forest patch that wasn't there when he left. A wall of brown baobab trees over thirty meters tall blocked their passage as soon as they reached Verbrannt's boundaries. From his acquired knowledge, he knew that the bark of these trees is fire resistant and that their fruit is edible. He alternated between his and Igniz's vision as they went further in.

He also noticed the discreetly-placed wood planks and camera runes up on the trees. He knew about the camera runes that Light Wizards placed, but he wondered what the planks were for. They didn't look strong enough to hold a person. Laernea and Gandiva led the caravan into the hidden entrance among the boabab trees.

Once inside, Smoke observed the new Flora Sentinels planted in a labyrinthian fashion. Honey locust thorns, osage oranges and bougainvillea grew alternately, creating a six-meter-tall hedge for the maze.

SCREECH SCREECH SCREECH SCREECH

Numerous thorns grazed the sides of the broad carriages. Not only were these thorns poisonous, they were hard and sturdy as well. He tested one of his fire arrows against the hedge.

PLUK

His arrow stuck itself into the hedge, but its flames quickly faded as these plants had high fire resistance. Smoke smiled at the impressive natural defenses Sierra put up in front of Verbrannt.

'She must have used the extensive knowledge of the Farmers from the saved villages to create this hedge.' he thought.

They zig-zagged their way through five hundred meters of poisonous plants before they reached the exit.

After the maze, Smoke noticed that there was at least a kilometer of open plain with nothing on it. Gandiva explained that there were concealed trenches in this area and that you needed to use the small white stones scattered throughout the plain as your guide on order to travel across safely.

As soon as they passed through the plain, Smoke saw vast rice paddies, corn fields and various other crops planted in Verbrannt's nutrient-rich soil.

'Looking at this, I think Verbrannt can now feed more than twenty thousand people.'

They rode on for almost twenty minutes before Smoke saw buildings made of stone and wood. He then immediately noticed the numerous werewolves roaming the streets. Surprisingly, they interacted amiably with the other residents.

The refugees from the saved villages all willingly became citizens of Verbrannt. Smoke noticed the diversified stalls in the market district. He watched Bakers and Cooks haggle with Farmers while Thatchers, Carpenters and Blacksmiths were making deals with Merchants for parts to use. Tailors and Tanners had the most pleasant conversations of them all, as they were happily trading goods with each other.

In this district, Smoke especially enjoyed the canal that Jinggu, Sharur, Rasant, Stark and Weise had dug out. Medium-sized gondolas could be seen sailing along it, transporting passengers and goods. Smoke liked how the children in Verbrannt would chase after them, laughing while running along the banks.

Slowly, most of the members of his personal army began to break away from the caravan. The Bowed Fishermen and Condortlian Warriors stayed behind in the market to find presents for their families.

Only Smoke, his core private army members, Mamelon and the Elemental Knights continued on towards the building in the center of the village, Rauch Castle.

The moment he saw the new castle name, Smoke instantly asked Gandiva about it. "When did the castle's name change?"

"Sierra officially changed it about a month ago." she replied quickly, "You were still in the Simiavulg village back then." she said, "How was it there, by the way?" asked Gandiva in an intrigued voice.

"That place is really closed off. Luckily, it was spared from the Witches. They had turned Veneficatl valley into their playground, using the villages of Pferde, Opferntl and Banal as testing grounds for their armies. " he said out loud while remembering his time in the valley.

After five minutes, they passed through the residential area. Smoke saw the happy faces of kids of different races playing with each other. There were Human, Lioumerean, Elf and Centaur children laughing in the streets of Verbrannt. He felt a sense of accomplishment as he watched them live a worry-free life.

Finally, they arrived at the main gates of Rauch Castle. The castle walls looked even more intimidating than before, as they now reached a height of twenty-one meters.

Once inside, Smoke observed that the grounds themselves went through almost no changes. Temporary tents were placed in one section. Adder sat beside Smoke as he explained the situation. "Those tents were formerly used to house the incoming refugees, but now they're being used by the Avendre Mercenaries." said Adder as he pointed to a vast training field of archery and swordsmanship. Apparently, the Mercenaries were using melee weapons while the Bowed Fishermen honed their skills with the ranged equipment.

"If you look to your far right, you can see the stables. It's where we keep our dirus wolves." explained Adder.

Smoke remembered that most of his core army members had gotten dirus wolves as mounts of their own. He peeked inside the expansive stables and saw ten dirus wolves and three war elephants.

"When did you guys get war elephants?" Smoke asked Adder.

"Sierra brought them when she returned with her werewolf pack. They're already trained, but their owners still need a little more practice to use them effectively." Adder answered with a small laugh.

'Who could possibly ride those behemoths.' wondered Smoke.

His attention returned to the castle itself, as it remained mostly unchanged. The same could have been said for Sierra, who was standing in front of the main steps, still in her cursed werebear form. Thyrsus, Sharanga, Sharur and two unusually large werewolves were standing behind her.

Igniz flew straight to Sierra and rapidly orbited around her. Smoke chuckled at the scene; his dark ember sprite had really taken a liking to her.

Slowly, Smoke got off Gandiva's carriage. Usually, when meeting someone close to him, he would quickly approach the person in question and hug them without hesitation. However, his body refused to act normally around Sierra. Igniz floated above them curiously.

Shortly afterwards, Adder, Espion, Jinggu, Laernea, Gandiva, Stark, Rasant and Weise, along with Ledur and his Tikbalangs, all got off as well. They stayed behind Smoke and waited for Sierra and him to hug.

Smoke delicately stretched out both his hands and Sierra did the same with her paws. To their friends watching them, they looked like foreign dignitaries who were meeting for the first time. The two of them shared a brief moment of wordless exchange as they held each other's hands.

Unbeknownst to everyone else, this simple gesture sent electrical impulses that triggered a myriad of emotions in both of them. Smoke had been afraid that Sierra would act coldly towards him, but she did none of that.

"I'm glad you're finally here." said Sierra. Her face clearly lit up.

"Thanks. It's good to be back. I love what you've done with the village." said Smoke as he smiled gently.

"I can't take credit for that. The progress you see here is mostly attributed to Thyrsus, Sharur and Sharanga's dedication to the village."

The three of them stepped forward and shook his hand. Smoke thought about hugging them but decided not to. He didn't want Sierra to get the impression that he cares more about them than her.

Vijaya ran up to Thyrsus and hugged him tightly. Ichaival tried to mimic her and ran towards Sharanga, but she just threw one of her five-trap systems onto him, immobilizing him.

Smoke tried not to mind Ichaival's crazy antics and looked at Mamelon and her regiment. She and her Elemental Knights and Shamans were standing in formation behind him. He called for her to join them, and Mamelon stepped forward and shook Sierra's hand. "I'm happy to be back here as well." she said.

Sierra smiled sincerely and pointed to Smoke before saying, "Thank you for saving him and everyone else."

"No problem. You're the one who told us to rush to their location." replied Mamelon. "By the way, Smoke said that I missed Ilad only by a couple of days back in Banal, but I don't see him here?" she stated in an inquiring tone.

For a brief moment, Sierra's eyes gave Smoke a knowing stare before she answered, "Oh, he told me he wanted to check up on the work being done at Mount Engrais."

"Oh. Well, I guess I'll just wait here, then." said Mamelon, showing a forced smile. She took a moment before asking both Smoke and Sierra, "If you don't mind, I think I'll have the rest of my men tour around the village. Virer and Courant said something about doing personal side quests with two Betulite girls."

Smoke and Sierra raised their eyebrows at the same time. Mamelon noticed this and tried to explain, "Yeah...they're trying to court them. Apparently, they read somewhere that you could marry a Zectian."

"Really? That's some deadly information right there." said Sierra ardently, "Okay, just go see Ehrlich first. I told him to prepare your zecs in advance."

Mamelon smiled, gave them a small nod and turned to her regiment. She led them towards the treasury room. Smoke observed how the regiment broke out of their formation and walked towards in a more laid-back manner. Elemental Knights of the same element formed smaller groups and started discussing where they were going to go next.

"Sierra, they're getting paid?" asked Smoke with a hint of alarm in his voice.

"Of course. You can't expect them to join our guild and get nothing out of it, right?" she explained.

Smoke formed a face of slight disapproval. "Who is Ehrlich? And where are you getting the zecs used to pay them?"

Sierra shook her head and gave a small laugh. "From themselves, of course! I pay them from the taxes we collect. All of them spend their money in the market district, so our money is just circulating within the walls of Verbrannt."

She continued, "Ehrlich Buchhalter is our Comptroller. Under my orders, Laernea went to Centza city and hired him. And before you say anything else: yes, I've had Baldaquin test him and yes, he has his own contract."

"What about their loot? Where do they sell it?" asked Smoke.

"They sell their items in the other villages. The original amount of zecs you've left us is no longer enough for everyone in the community, considering we now have a total population of nine thousand seven hundred thirty-five." she explained, "In a way, Mamelon and her regiment are a godsend; they bring in more zecs and enrich our economy."

"As expected of an economist. You're really fit to run your own country." said Smoke with a grin.

"I'm still pursuing that degree, I haven't graduated yet." she chided.

"You did great. By the way, could I talk to you alone?" he asked.

Sierra gave a small nod. Smoke then turned to his core private army members, who were still lingering around them. "Guys, Sierra and I have some private matters to discuss."

At a leisurely pace, his core members started to head in different directions. Smoke watched Laernea, Gandiva and the Maneators head towards the stables. Adder, Ledur and the Tikbalangs headed for the infirmary. Thyrsus, Vijaya, Sharanga and Ichaival headed towards the market district, and Jinggu had to forcibly drag Sharur away, as he refused to leave their leaders' side.

Smoke remained quiet and patiently waited for all of them to leave. Once they were gone, Sierra led him upstairs towards the King's chamber.

* * * * * *

On the massive marble balcony outside the King's chamber of Rauch castle, emphatic voices filled the air as Smoke and Sierra were having a heated discussion about the Magietrois. The two of them were completely alone, as Smoke asked Igniz to join the other core members for the time being.

"I don't care what they were once called or if they are supposedly cursed saviors! The only thing that's clear to me right now is that they are the Witches of Wysteria." she said fiercely. "They've tormented numerous villages just to build their armies." she continued as she tried to describe the horrific events the werewolves had to go through.

"I know how this sounds, but try looking at it objectively. Don't you think that they might be just extremely Machiavellian?" debated Smoke, "If the Reptilian race is really becoming a threat again, then shouldn't we have an army equally devastating as theirs to protect us?"

"But not at this cost! What good would it do to stand against the supposed return of the Reptilians if everyone ends up in a cursed form beforehand?" Sierra said in an angry tone, "And what about Ledur? Did you think he'd be fine with this?"

"I haven't told him yet. In fact, you and Darius are the only ones I've spoke to about this. I wanted to hear your opinion first." said Smoke as he instinctively held both her werebear paws to calm her down, "I never said we would allow Horrabelle to continue her evil ways. I'm just saying that we could use someone like her on our side."

Sierra was silent. He went on to explain his idea further, "What I'm thinking is, we convince her to stop what she's doing and try to undo the damage she's done. If all she really wants is an army, then we've already got one for her."

"But do you really think you could persuade Horrabelle? Not to mention that you killed both her sisters." she said in serene tone.

"Well, there is that. Honestly, I don't know if talking to her will work at all, but I have to try, right?" Smoke asked Sierra as they stared into each other's eyes, "Besides, Mima always said that the best way to defeat an enemy is to turn him into a friend."

"Heh, I don't think Mima had the Witches of Wysteria in mind when she told you that." Sierra giggled as her werebear paws clasped his hands.

She moved closer to him and placed her paws on his shoulders, when she noticed a black scar on his chest, barely sticking out from beneath his armor.

"What's that?" asked Sierra.

"This? Crucibelle gave me a scar with her dying breath." said Smoke as he opened up his armor to give Sierra a better look, "I'm sure that it's meant to be harmful, but I haven't noticed any negative effects."

"See, this is exactly what I'm talking about." said Sierra as she carefully traced the scar with her claws, "This looks really deep. Have you had someone treat it?"

"Aida and Crisa tried healing it, but they said it's beyond their ability." explained Smoke. "We should really look into recruiting some Arch Bishops." he chuckled at the idea of trusting another Sonstwelter.

"Aida and Crisa, huh?" said Sierra with a raised eyebrow.

"They're Shamans from Mamelon's regiment. I think you've already met them once or twice?" he said passively.

"I think I'd like to meet them again." she said with malice in her voice.

* * * * * *

The reunited couple planned to spend the entire day in each other's company. Smoke could feel Sierra's sincerity in understanding his intention behind staying away for so long, and this only made him fall for her even more.

Sharur asked if he could join them, but Sierra told the OrkElf to inspect mount Engrais. Sharur grumbled as he left the two of them alone.

Sierra first took Smoke to meet Ehrlich Buchhalter. On the way to the treasury, they came across a Gnome and a Dwarf standing next to two open crates outside the stables.

The lean Gnome with red hair looked familiar to Smoke. It took him a few seconds before he realized that it was Billig VerkÃ¤ufer, the salesman from Bestride Stables in Coatl.

The stout Dwarf had long, unruly white hair and a beard to match. They started to raise their voices as their conversation took a sour turn.

"I told you this a thousand times, Billig! You cannot have the pups for a lower price, even if you give me zecs off the books." said the Dwarf, "Aardwolf pups are five hundred thousand zecs each and dirus wolf pups are a million. According to my calculations, that'll be twenty million zecs."

"Eh-Ehrlich, what are you talking about? I just said I'd buy them at that price." said Billig nervously as his and Sierra's eyes met, "Oh, Lady Sierra. How lovely to see you."

Sierra greeted him with a reproachful look. "Good day, Billig."

"Well, I better be off. Mustn't keep the customers waiting." said Billig hurriedly as he loaded both crates into his cart.

After the troublesome Merchant rode off, Sierra waved to the Dwarf in front of her and introduced him to Smoke.

"Smoke, this is Ehrlich Buchhalter. Ehrlich, meet Smoke." said Sierra.

The two of them shook hands. "Ah, it's nice to finally put a face to a name, Master Smoke." said Ehrlich.

"A pleasure to meet you as well. I like the way you handled Billig; I can tell that you're a force to be reckoned with." Smoke said with a smile as they continued to shake hands.

"It's the least I could do. You two are doing a very commendable thing here." said Ehrlich.

"Were those pups inside the crates?" asked Smoke.

"Yes, they were. Five dirus wolf and thirty aardwolf pups." answered the Dwarf.

"Wouldn't we have earned more if we grew them into full-grown mounts before selling them?" Smoke thought out loud.

"Oh, this is under Thyrsus' advisement." answered Sierra, "Taking care of pups is really hard. They would most likely die without a Caretaker. The Lioumereans are already aware of this and are looking for one, but apparently, someone with that Job isn't that common in Wysteria."

"According to my calculations, even though we lose 60% of the potential income this way, that is still within acceptable limits. There's nothing to worry about." Ehrich reassured him. "Oh shoot, I forgot to prepare the zecs for Avendre Mercenaries. Well, I'll get out of your way, as I'm sure you two are very busy." Ehrlich gave a small bow and left for the treasury.

"Nice guy. Baldaquin tested him, right?" Smoke asked Sierra.

Sierra sighed. "I already told you about this. Yes, he has been tested, you worrywart. Do you even listen to me when I talk?" she said and gave him a playful punch.

She then took Smoke to the marketplace. They stopped outside of a bakery and watched one of the Bakers make bread. Smoke made a mental note to ask him to make pizza dough.

They passed through various other specialty shops such as the Shoeyou and the Dinehere. The Cobblers and Cooks were very happy to finally meet Smoke as well. He wanted to try out their creations, but Sierra pulled him away before he could.

On the way to the docks, Smoke and Sierra met Thyrsus and Vijaya, who were shopping for fish. "Thyrsus, I'd like to thank you again for the wonderful job you're doing here." said Smoke as he put his hand on Thyrsus' shoulder.

"Well, let's just say that I've lately been even more inspired to make Verbrannt a better place." said Thyrsus and smiled at Vijaya.

The brunette WoodElf blushed and resumed searching for dinner ingredients. Smoke wanted to ask them about the full story on how they became a couple, but Sierra said that they should leave the two lovebirds alone.

A couple of stalls later, they found Ichaival and Sharanga. Ichaival had his hands full with more leather bags than he could carry. Smoke had failed to notice it before, but Sharanga's hair was kept in a small bun, similar to how Sierra did it when she was cooking in the real world.

"Sharanga, since when do you wear your hair like that?" asked Smoke.

"Oh, this. Sierra taught me. She said that it irritated her how I was constantly pushing my bangs to the side because they kept hitting my eyes." she answered, showing a hint of embarrassment.

"And you look even more beautiful now." said Sierra, "Doesn't she, Ichaival?"

"Of course! More beautiful than the setting sun, more inspiring than a dirus wolf giving birth." said Ichaival with conviction.

"Argh. Carry these as well." said Sharanga as she threw three more bags into Ichaival's arms. "My sister had this bright idea that we have a Hunters' reunion whenever the four of us are together in one place. So I have to suffer being with this fool a bit longer."

"I think a reunion is a great idea." said Smoke cheerfully, "Okay, you guys have a good one."

Smoke and Sierra bid farewell to them and continued walking to the place Sierra wanted to go to most...the docks. There, Sierra showed Smoke a medium-sized rowboat, big enough to carry her in her cursed werebear form.

"I remember you telling Adder that you learned how to row. So I had some of the Carpenters build this." she said.

"This looks well-made." said Smoke as he inspected it, "Well, let's try it out, then."

He held her paw and gently helped her get on board. He got into a comfortable rowing position and started to row away from the docks.

The setting sun gave the Murray river an orange glow. They sat in silence as they enjoyed the scenic view from the water. As the moon and the stars were slowly becoming visible, Smoke sensed some underwater monsters with his Cunning of the Dire Fox, as did Sierra with her Animal Instinct.

Moments later, a  giant alligator snapping turtle lunged out of the river and tried to take a bite out of them. Its one-meter wide mouth was only inches from Sierra when she plunged her claws into the turtle's neck and slashed it wide open.

The river monster desperately retreated with half of its life bar remaining. Sierra was about to go after it, but Smoke stopped her. "Let's leave it be and enjoy a quiet evening." he said. The other nearby monsters learned from the alligator snapping turtle and searched for a different prey.

Fireflies seen on the riverbanks gave their boat ride a serene and intimate atmosphere. Smoke kept silently rowing with a smile on his face. For the first time in a while, he felt at peace.

As they enjoyed this special moment in time, Smoke suddenly felt a searing pain on his chest and let go of the oars.

"What's wrong?" asked Sierra after seeing him clutch his chest.

The X-shaped scar Smoke received in the battle against Crucibelle was emitting a dark glow. "Aaahh!" Smoke arched his back in pain as a black lightning bolt escaped out of his flesh and turned into an orb of electricity.

It swiftly hovered directly above Smoke and Sierra. Recovering from the shock, he immediately equipped his power chainsaw bow and attacked the orb with arrows, but all of them merely went through it.

He quickly switched to his weighted chain and sickle and was about to leap towards it, but Sierra held onto him firmly. Smoke's action made their rowboat rock violently.

"Wait! We don't know what that thing is. Let's move away from it and call for help, just in case." pleaded Sierra.

Yet before they could do any of that, the orb transformed itself into a crow with black electric sparks coming out of its body.

"Nyak nyak nyak nyak! Oi, DarkElf, I can see you..." a sinister female voice was coming out of the crow, "It took longer than expected, but I've finally found you. Oh? And what do we have here? My rogue werebear. Well, who would have thought that I would find two people I've been dying to meet in the same place."

Both Smoke and Sierra froze as they wordlessly looked up to face the crow.

Smoke broke the silence and said, "Based on the electricity, I'm guessing you're Horrabelle?" He racked his brains trying to figure out a way to appease the last Witch of Wysteria.

"How dare you utter my name, you filthy scum! You, who killed my sisters!" screamed Horrabelle as her voice was projected out of the crow.

Smoke raised his hands in front of him as he tried to calm her down, "Yes, I killed them, but they left me no choice. I..."

"Silence!" A bolt of lightning came out of the crow and barely missed him, utterly destroying the lower half of one of the oars. "Don't bother telling me your lies. I only have one question for you." Horrabelle paused momentarily, "How do you like your army: burnt to a crisp or raw, with blood and guts coming out of their bodies?"

"No. None of that. Please, can't we talk this out?" begged Smoke, "I've seen the parchment Crucibelle sent and I know your secret."

"Secret?" answered Horrabelle in an alarmed voice, "No! You're just trying to trick me."

"I know that you and your sisters are the Magietrois." stated Smoke calmly.

It took a few seconds before Horrabelle's voice came out of the crow again. "So, you can read Gobberish, huh? I guess the cat's out of the bag. And what do you plan to do with this information, DarkElf?" she asked.

"I'm hoping to appeal to your better judgement. Please, let's talk this out." Smoke said, "Surely, you don't want the army you and your sisters gathered to suffer more losses. Aren't you preparing for the war against the Reptilian race?"

Again, the crow fell silent. This time, it took longer before it spoke. "How can you expect me to trust you, when you've already wronged me beyond repair?"

"Please state your conditions. I will meet you anytime, anywhere. I'll even go alone." said Smoke hurriedly.

"Is that so?" Horrabelle paused once more.

"You should have the blood of Terrabelle and Crucibelle in your possession. I want you to bring it to me.  Come to the plains of Tromperie, by yourself. You have twenty-four hours to comply." said Horrabelle. The crow then turned to Sierra. "I'm sorry, my dear werebear, but I'll have to see you another time."

Smoke paused. He had stayed in the region of Veneficatl valley for almost two months, but he never heard of that place. He worried that he wouldn't be able to make the trip within the given time limit.

Suddenly, a notification popped up.

MAP LOCATION: Tromperie Plains

Coordinates: Latitude: 33°13' S, Longitude: 111°35' E
Note: Four hundred kilometers away from current location.

He was surprised when his map was updated and showed a different route into the valley. If they had gone through here, it would have only taken their caravan half a day's worth of travel.

"Alright, but it will take me some time to get there." said Smoke in his begging voice, "How about three days from now instead?"

"No! That's far too long." It took Horrabelle a few seconds before she said, "Two days. If I don't see you in Tromperie then, expect my army to come and find you. Then we shall lay waste to everyone and everything." stated Horrabelle as a matter of fact.

"Thank you so much for understanding. Don't worry, I'll be there in two days." replied Smoke and bowed to the crow.

"Remember: If I see even a hint of the werebear or your private army, the deal is off." Horrabelle's voice trailed off and the crow suddenly exploded into oblivion.

"You're not really planning on going there alone, are you?" Sierra asked warningly, "You know that she could be leading you into a trap?"

"Yeah, I'm aware of that, but this seems like our only way of convincing her. Besides, what's the worst thing she could possibly do, kill me?" explained Smoke.

* * * * * *

A sudden gust of wind picked up a cloud of dust off the ground of Tromperie and rushed towards Smoke's face. He reflexively shielded his eyes with his hands.

'I really should find some decent eye-protective equipment.' he wished inwardly.

He stood alone in the middle of the lifeless plains. A few minutes later, a vast army came into view.

A pale Witch clothed in a black robe was leading her monstrous army. Her slender figure sat comfortably on a dark elemental mare. Smoke instantly recognized her mount as a Nightmare. He had longed to hunt one for a while, for those elusive elemental mares had a chance to drop intermediate-level elemental stones.

With the aid of his Cunning of the Dire Fox, Smoke sensed that Horrabelle had a little over a thousand creatures behind her. He then used his Telefax Vision to get a clearer picture.

Like her sisters, she possessed distinct, unnerving beauty. Her black curls danced in the wind, exposing her tantalising green eyes.

Smoke looked beyond her and saw hundreds of werewolves whose body sizes matched those of Sierra's werewolf pack. Yet, Sierra only had forty-eight of them, while Horrabelle had almost a thousand. These werewolves were intimidating monsters in their own right, but Smoke's eyes fixated on the larger monsters walking in front of them. He counted six werebears of assorted colors, following closely behind the Witch.

'Looks like she mastered making Therianthropes by herself.' thought Smoke as he remembered Sierra's story of how she was cursed.

He shifted his gaze to the right and smiled at the sight of other monsters in her accursed army. On Horrabelle's left side, she had about eighty Tikbalangs. These red-eyed monsters with gnashing teeth and mane made out of sharp black spines may have looked terrifying to anyone else, but to him they looked like good friends he was about to meet.

However, his smile instantly disappeared as soon as he took a gander at the opposite side. On Horrabelle's right, she had five Gargantuan Goblins.

Horrabelle's army wasn't that large in number, but Smoke could tell that all of its members were high-quality monsters. He surmised that Horrabelle's younger sisters must have sent her their earlier finished products of dastardly innovations.

'All of those monsters will fight with me if I can convince her to join me.' Smoke could feel himself drooling at the thought of acquiring Horrabelle and her monster army.

Smoke called out to her as soon as she was a hundred meters away from him. "Hold it!" he shouted. "I've come alone. The least you could do is approach me by yourself."

His voice carried clearly over the distance. He carefully followed Horrabelle's movements as she looked like she was talking to her army. A few seconds later, she trotted on her Nightmare towards him.

"So, you really came alone." said Horrabelle as she glanced over Smoke's surroundings. She got off her mount and walked up to him.

"You told me to come by myself, so I did." said Smoke as he offered her his hand, "I'm serious about making amends and teaming up against the Reptilians."

Horrabelle crossed her arms in front of her and did not shake his hand. Instead, he felt her cold green eyes sizing him up as she stared at him intently.

"I didn't realize the name Magietrois still held this much sway." she stated. "Well, let's see it, then." she said as she displayed her left palm, as if asking for something.

"See what?" said Smoke pleasantly.

"My sisters' blood, of course!" said Horrabelle irritably.

"Oh, that." Smoke reached into his backpack window and took out the two vials containing Witches' blood.

"Give it here." she said as she took a step forward, reaching out for them with her hand.

"Sorry, but not just yet." Smoke pulled his hand back and returned the vials to his backpack window for safe keeping.

He smiled as he constantly tried to build rapport with Horrabelle and hopefully increase his Intimacy with her.

"Let's talk about a peace treaty first, maybe even come up with an alliance. Our goals are the same, after all." said Smoke cordially.

"Bollocks, you're really fixated on getting all friendly with me, aren't you?" Horrabelle leered as she frowned and crossed her arms again.

She paused as she appeared to be thinking things through. "My sisters would never let me hear the end of it in the afterlife if I were to side with their killer. But then again, they might understand that it'd be for a greater cause." said Horrabelle as she kept tilting her head from left to right.

"I must ask to use a Circle of Truth on you before I decide. I believe it's obvious why I have a problem trusting you." she said and looked at him bitterly.

"Fair enough. Cast away." said Smoke as he prepared himself to be asked a series of uncomfortable questions.

Horrabelle immediately began creating a black casting circle around them. As Smoke observed black lines connecting and numerous magical runes lighting up, he thought that her Circle of Truth looked really different from Baldaquin's.

"I'm a Witch, my dear. My Circle of Truth is different from a Light Wizard's." said Horrabelle suddenly, as if she read his mind.

"I don't mind. As long as it lets you know how sincere I am, it's all good." he said amiably.

She gave a small nod and said, "Let's begin, shall we?"

His stomach tied in knots as he heard her say that. "Ask away."

"Did you murder my sisters, Terrabelle and Crucibelle?" asked the Witch.

Smoke gulped before he answered, "Yes, I did, but like I was saying before, they left me with..."

Horrabelle raised her hand and interrupted him, "Silence! The questions asked inside a Circle of Truth need only be answered with 'Yes' or 'No'."

"Yes." he answered.

A white glow appeared around the two of them as numerous runes inscribed in the casting circle lit up.

"Did you take pleasure in killing them?" she asked.

"No." replied Smoke instantly.

Horrabelle's eyes grew wide as the circle produced the same white glow. "Hm. If you didn't take pleasure in killing them, then why kill them at all?" she asked.

"Um, I can't answer that with a 'Yes' or 'No'." said Smoke innocently.

Horrabelle sighed and said, "Of course." She looked displeased. Seconds later, she swiftly moved towards Smoke and grabbed him by his wrists. Smoke pulled back a little as he felt uncomfortable with her sudden closeness.

"Do you truly desire peace between us and have no other agenda?" she asked and stared into his eyes.

Smoke looked back at her with an unwavering gaze. He hoped that his next answer would be enough to finally convince her of his intentions. "Yes." he said confidently.

The Circle of Truth emitted an intense dark glow.

"What? Why is the glow different? I'm honestly telling the truth." he exclaimed.

"Oh, I know you are." she said as her face showed a devious smile.

Smoke looked troubled as her grip on his wrists tightened and her sharp nails started to dig into his skin.

"Nyak nyak nyak nyak. I told Crucibelle that even the dim-witted goblins would have a hard time believing we were the Magietrois. But for the first time, she proved me wrong." she said.

"Not only did she fool the Gobble Goblins, she managed to fool you as well! Nyak nyak nyak!" Horrabelle laughed maniacally and a small mouth suddenly appeared on each of her palms. Their sharp, jagged teeth sunk into Smoke's flesh. She then yelled, "Ability Devourer!"

A black progress bar appeared with 'Transmutation' written on it. Smoke tried to move, but he found himself completely paralyzed. Igniz, hidden in his compartment, tried to come out but also found himself incapacitated.

"Interesting. It usually only takes me a second to eat an ability." said Horrabelle while looking at the progress bar.

Smoke could only move his eyes and helplessly watched the progress bar completely filling up after five seconds.

As soon as it did, a notification window popped up.

- LOST ABILITY: Transmutation

He was shocked at the words written in the window, but even more so when another progress bar appeared. This time, 'Earth Manipulation' was written on it.

Fifty percent into the progress bar, the ground both of them stood on erupted. Ledur came out from below and separated the two of them. He swiftly carried Smoke to safety as he flew up into the air.

Horrabelle scrambled to her Nightmare and mounted it immediately. "Nyak nyak nyak nyak! So you did have a plan, after all!" she yelled as her army was coming to her aid.

It took Smoke and Igniz only a few seconds to be able to move again. Igniz came out blazing and instantly fired multiple fireballs at Horrabelle. The Witch countered each of the dark ember sprite's attacks with black lightning bolts.

"Now!" Smoke shouted at the top of his lungs.

Thirty well-concealed planks, scattered across the plain, were pushed to the sides and Smoke's private army rushed out of the tunnel entrances they were covering. A red werebear ran faster than anyone else. She leapt towards Horrabelle's side, with claws aimed at her throat.

"Die, Witch!" yelled Sierra as she was about to rip Horrabelle's head off. Unfortunately, her leaping attack missed as the Nightmare sensed her bloodlust and dashed forward.

Horrabelle rode towards her army. As she did, she looked back and saw Smoke and Sierra's own army of more than one thousand five hundred men and women.

Mamelon and the Elemental Knights ran past Sierra as they chased after the dark elemental mare. Two hundred twenty mounted Bowed Fishermen unleashed their torrential water arrows as they stopped where Sierra was.

All of Smoke's core members rode in chariots being pulled by dire wolves as they led their battalions after Horrabelle. All except for the Lioumereans and Maneators, who rode on war carriages and war elephants respectively.

Armored Bakers, Blacksmiths, Carpenters, Cobblers, Cooks, Farmers, Merchants, Tailors, Tanners and Thatchers were running behind their battalion commanders. They were equipped with iron rolling pins, heavy hammers, chisels, cooking and skinning knives, pitchforks and scissors.

Their weaponized tools not only dealt more damage than the basic weapons usable by all Jobs, but also gave them familiarity with their weapons, allowing them to move freely in battle and use their weapons efficiently. This was the time to display the results of their two months of training.

Horrabelle rode past her Tikbalangs and Gargantuan Goblins as they ran to protect her. Her Therianthrope forces closely followed.

Up in the sky, Smoke steeled himself as he watched the battle about to unfold. He carefully aimed his Berserker's Ring of Flames and a dark red casting circle appeared several meters in front of the charging goblins.

The progress bar for the ability filled up three seconds later and a circular firewall erupted from the edges of the casting circle, trapping all five Gargantuan Goblins inside it, along with a brown werebear and ten werewolves.

Inflicted with Berserk status, they instantly started attacking one another. The Gargantuan Goblins started ripping each other's arms out, while the brown Werebear was sinking his jaws into werewolves' necks. Regrettably, Smoke's current Mana could only sustain the spell for nine seconds. After the flames died out, Smoke's private army members immediately took advantage of the groggy monsters. Adder, Jinggu, Stark, Weise, Rassant, Espion, Thyrsus and Vijaya led their respective battalions to massacre the enemy.

Depleted of Mana, Smoke tapped Ledur on the shoulder, signaling for him to let him go. Falling through the air, he threw his Digger's wand over to Ledur and opened his cloak. "Detain your wayward brothers!" shouted Smoke as he equipped his power chainsaw bow and started gliding in Horrabelle's direction.

The winged Tikbalang instantly created a deep trench in front of Horrabelle's Tikbalangs. Caught by surprise in the middle of a charge, they couldn't stop themselves in time and pushed one another into the trench.

Smoke and Igniz kept attacking Horrabelle from the skies, while Sierra hitched a ride with Laernea as they chased after the Witch.

With the two Lioumerean war carriages in the lead, Mamelon and her regiment of thirty-five Elemental Knights shortly followed. Sharur, Sharanga and Ichaival were doing their best to open up a path for them as they engaged the Therianthropes.

Horrabelle, on the back of her Nightmare, yelled, "Anyone who can hear my voice, turn back now!" She ordered her minions to retreat as she was unwilling to lose any more troops. She had come to Tromperie plains only to exact revenge on Smoke, not wage a full-scale battle.

The Therianthropes followed her command. More than nine hundred of these monsters were moving in a circle around Horrabelle in order for her to escape safely.

Sierra, seated on Laernea's war carriage, was the one closest to the Witch, but she only had Gandiva, Mamelon and the Elemental Knights to back her up.

From above them, Smoke shouted, "Stop! It's alright, forget about it. It's too dangerous to follow her."

Smoke landed in front of them and made them stop. He turned around and watched Horrabelle run off with her Therianthropes. He consoled himself with the thought that they managed to save eighty of Ledur's brethren at the price of his Transmutation ability.

The rest of his private army made quick work of the Gargantuan Goblins, with no casualties and only a couple of serious injuries. Sierra ordered Laernea to ride fast towards the brown werebear. She wanted to save the surviving eight werewolves, as she planned for them to join her pack.

Smoke headed to the trench in which Ledur trapped the Tikbalangs. He tried to forcibly push the thought of his idiocy out of his mind as he kept himself busy using the Horse Ring of Domination on the Tikbalangs whenever his Mana allowed it.

* * * * * *

Smoke was gliding blindly towards Nanahuatl. Igniz was trying his best to console him by doing various aerial tricks, such as somersaults and loop-the-loops, but his expression remained unchanged.

He thought about logging out of Zectas but couldn't think of a place in the real world that could ease his pain. Somewhere deep inside, he felt that he could only find peace if he stayed inside Zectas.

Sierra tried to talk to him, but he glided away as soon as he finished converting all of the Tikbalangs. He left her in charge of the army in Tromperie. She kept calling him, but he denied all incoming calls.

A single thought drove him to Nanahuatl. He thought that if he could go to Kumbaba's Infinite chamber, located in the cellar of his house, and witness the grandeur of the universe once more, he could somehow get past this.

After many hours of gliding, his feelings of misery, regret and shame still lingered within him.  He couldn't face Sierra, considering how he vehemently convinced her that the Witches were the Magietrois. He spent more than two hours convincing Ledur the same thing and, in the end, only got him to join the operation after pointing out that they would have better chances of removing the curse from him and his brothers by working together with Horrabelle instead of simply killing her outright, uncertain if that would do the trick.

Only his core private army members knew the truth about the botched operation. Sierra, Adder and Ledur witnessed everything from within the underground tunnels they had dug before Horrabelle arrived. A camera rune placed near Igniz's orb compartment, allowed the three of them to see everything that was happening, but they couldn't hear how Horrabelle tricked him; they just saw her suddenly attack him.

Smoke finally arrived in front of his house in Nanahuatl. He landed hard, making a miniature crater in the ground. He rushed blindly towards the cellar, knocking over a couple of chairs and a vase along the way. When he reached the fifth wall of the cellar, he took out the family tokens from his backpack window and placed them into their respective slots on the wall, but nothing happened. With no one there to see him, he slumped down to the ground and lay there, motionless.

Several minutes later, Darius arrived with a loaf of bread. He sat down next to Smoke and said, "You know, it helps to wolf down an entire loaf without thinking about anything else. Just focus on eating it all in one sitting." he said as he offered it to Smoke.

Slowly, Smoke sat up and reached out for the bread. He did what Darius said and focused on finishing the loaf as fast as he could. It took him twenty seconds to eat the entire thing. He smiled as he remembered the time when Darius was still really thin and begged him for his last loaf.

"Thanks, Darius. That helped." said Smoke with a faint smile.

"Sierra called and told me everything." said Darius as he placed his arm over Smoke's shoulder. "You can't blame yourself. All the information you had pointed to the Witches being the Magietrois."

"I know, but it's just so frustrating because I keep telling myself to be careful and do better, but I still end up doing stupid things like this." said Smoke in an irate voice.

Darius squeezed Smoke's shoulder and said, "It is best to be patient with everything; most importantly, with yourself. Don't lose courage by thinking about your imperfections, but rather set about remedying them. This mistake may have caused you pain, but with it, you've grown wiser."

Smoke took a deep breath and tilted his head backwards, pressing it against the wall. He closed his eyes and thought about what Darius said. He agreed that wallowing in self-pity wouldn't accomplish anything.

Darius then took out his Beggar's tablet and showed it to Smoke. "This came in just two hours ago. Our Beggar brothers have found some evidence on the Magietrois. Turns out, they are, in fact, real! We're still looking for more information on where they may be now, but one thing's for sure: they're no longer here in Wysteria."

"Getting the crucial information right after the big blunder...just my luck!" said Smoke sarcastically.

They sat in silence next to one another for about a minute. "Hey...thanks for stating the obvious, Darius. Sometimes, the things that are clear to others...they aren't as clear to someone who is hurting." said Smoke and slowly stood up. "Sorry for cutting our reunion short, but I have to go."

Smoke asked for a rowboat and some supplies. He thought he would take a scenic route back to Verbrannt and train along the way. He had neglected practising his abilities lately and thought that perhaps he could have done something to stop Horrabelle if only he had mastered one of them.

Darius was the only there to bid him farewell as he rowed up the river towards Verbrannt.

* * * * * *

Inside an emerald royal war room sat a grim-looking General. Green miasma emanated from his dragonscale armor. His plans to capture one of the cities in Chayotl Kingdom(Western Kingdom) have yet to come to fruition.

He sat alone at the head of a rectangular table. The empty chairs in front of him only had magical mirrors placed on them. While he was deep in thought, the image of Ultimo Maire, better known as Duke Burmistrz, appeared in one of the mirrors and sat at the table as a hologram.

"Greetings, High General Lizardo, and may the bloodline of Vinceretus rule forever!" Burmistrz kissed his own fist and bowed to the armored General.

Shortly afterwards, a middle-aged orangutan Simiavulg appeared as a hologram above one of the other mirrors. He carried a red metallic staff with him.

"Salutations, High General Lizardo, and may the bloodline of Vinceretus rule forever!". Like Burmistrz, the red-staff wielder kissed his own fist and bowed down to Lizardo. "I, Ecume Semblant, have come to serve you."

SCRATCH SCRATCH

Semblant kept scratching his neck and back. Lizardo looked irritated at his vulgar display.

"Forgive me, High General. Ever since I transformed into Indignus, the fleas have been unrelenting in their endeavors to suck me dry." said Semblant apologetically.

"What is your update on Saruras?" asked the intimidating Lizardite.

"The Simiavulgs were slightly enthralled to go to battle when Smoke mentioned that one of the Witches of Wysteria was going to attack us. Luckily, I've persuaded them to stay within the boundaries of the village. The Simiavulgs are still in check and will not involve themselves in any of your attacks on Wysteria, my liege." replied Semblant humbly.

"Good. What about you, Ultimo? Is Centzo still not conquered?" Lizardo asked with contempt.

"I've surrounded the city, my liege, but the Sonstwelter residents of the city have united under one man...some Arch Bishop named Incitant. I tried sending the Brandal legions into the city, but we suffered a devastating blow of forty thousand casualties." Ultimo described the problems he was facing against Centzo, "Due to this, I now only have eighty thousand Brandals at my disposal."

The green miasma coming out of Lizardo's armor transformed into a gaseous hand and reached towards Ultimo's hologram. Its fingers slowly wrapped around his neck.

"My liege, please, I still have a plan of dispatching the Knights that are in Coatl. Together with Macher and the Sonstwelters, we should...be able to...crush Centzo." Ultimo had a hard time talking as his projection's throat was being crushed by Lizardo's gaseous hand.

"Don't be a fool! What do you think would happen if you left Coatl undefended?" yelled Lizardo, "Smoke's army could just walk in and take over the city! Keep your Knights in Coatl and your Brandals outside of Centzo for now."

High General Lizardo's green miasma released its hold on Ultimo's throat.

"It won't be long before Centzo falls. I intend to send my Varanus Indicus horde to your aid as soon as our newest member has finished making improvements to it." said Lizardo. He nodded to a slim figure standing in the shadows.

"Ultimo, Semblant, I would like you to meet the newest addition to our cause: the Black Lady of Malady and the last surviving Witch of Wysteria, Horrabelle." he said as he motioned for her to sit beside him.

The black-robed beauty sat down next to High General Lizardo. "May the bloodline of Vinceretus rule forever!" she said emphatically and kissed his right hand.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Side Story: A River of Emotions

On board a five-by-three-meter rowboat he borrowed from Darius, Smoke was sitting comfortably and slowly rowing towards Verbrannt. He was following the flow of Murray, a wide and deep river that split the continent of Wysteria in half by traversing from the northern sea of Merfroide to the southern sea of Merchaude. Igniz was orbiting above him and monitoring their surroundings.

He had called Sierra earlier to tell her that he needed some time alone and will be taking a winding trip back to clear his head. He expected to get an earful from her, but to his surprise, she only told him to be careful and that she and the others will be patiently waiting for his return.

Traveling on the river, he immersed himself in its mysterious spectrum of colors. The deeper waters displayed shades of brown, green and blue. The monsters that hid in these parts changed their color in accordance with the color of the water. Based on Smoke's acquired knowledge, some of these monsters were the three-meter-long green stingrays, which were able to jump out of the river and appear to be gliding. They used their stingers to attack their prey, both underwater and above it. Then there were the two-meter-long tigerseals, whose bodies had the markings similar to a tiger's and their heads looked like ones of tigers as well, but their tails were horizontal flippers.

Aware of these dangerous monsters residing deep within the river, Smoke had made preparations beforehand. Since most aquatic monsters have low Lightning resistance, he sharpened his weighted chain and sickle, arrows and an ordinary short sword against the Electro stone.

Eventually, Igniz observed several striped animal bodies swim past the rowboat. Smoke used his Cunning of the Dire Fox to get a better understanding of what he was up against. He equipped his power chainsaw bow and waited patiently.

A tigerseal leapt out of the water and tried to take a bite out of him with its sharp canines. He reflexively lowered his center of gravity and swayed his body back to almost ninety degrees. After its failed attack, the tigerseal dove back into the river.

PLUCK PLUCK PLUCK PLUCK PLUCK PLUCK PLUCK PLUCK

Eight electric arrows struck the ripple in the water with precision. Moments later, the tigerseal's body floated to the surface, its life bar displaying (0/37,000 HP). Smoke had taken one out after a single round of arrows, but he sensed six more tigerseals swimming directly under the rowboat. He hunted down all six of them with relative ease but still got injured in the process.

'These monsters may be below level 80, but I still need to be careful.' he reminded himself.

He collected seven seal skins and chunks of meat before resuming his voyage.

A few hours passed and his thoughts were only of the grandeur of the Murray river. He saw some poison dart frogs lazily eating the mosquitoes, along with Permiana dragonflies feasting on the same frogs near the riverbank. He was far from those monsters, so they left him alone.

Then, his Cunning of the Dire Fox picked up a group of ten stingrays up ahead. Unsure of the level of danger they could pose, he decided to proceed with caution. The sight of these majestic three-meter-long monsters leaping out of the river and flapping their pectoral fins was mesmerizing. Smoke thought they looked like birds flying out of the water, for a few seconds at least. He carefully rowed alongside them, ready to pick up the bow placed on his lap at a moment's notice.

SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH

Smoke was slowly getting drenched, as a good amount of water went his way each time the stingrays would dive in. They remained docile despite his presence, so he surmised that even though these monsters were huge, they weren't aggressive. He opted to leave them alone, as he somewhat enjoyed their company.

He was able to relax and have a leisurely ride for the next hour. The setting sun was gradually giving way to the dark shades of the night sky. With his satiety bar at dangerously low levels and Igniz as his only source of light, Smoke decided to make camp for the night. He broke away from the stingrays and rowed to a forest patch near the riverbank to his left.

With Cunning of the Dire Fox, he observed that there were no hostile monsters nearby. He tied his rowboat to a sturdy sycamore tree and started gathering firewood. Smoke had Igniz ignite the campfire while he skillfully cut the seal meat into cubes before putting it into the boiling pot.

Both of them enjoyed the cubed seal meat. With his satiety bar filled, he told Igniz to scout the nearby area and only to engage low-level monsters that aren't in a swarm. He trusted his dark ember sprite to fend for himself while he logged out for the night in Zectas in order to get two hours of sleep in the real world.

* * * * * *

Lush green sycamore and cottonwood trees greeted Smoke as his eyes adjusted to the virtual reality world. "Igniz! I'm back, bud." he called out to the dark ember sprite. His symbiote came flying less than thirty seconds later and orbited happily around him, cheerfully greeting him upon his return to Zectas.

Smoke reached out his hand and patted Igniz on the head. As he did, he looked at his arm and suddenly remembered the feeling of Horrabelle's nails deep in his flesh. Pulling his hand back, he held the area below the wrist tightly.

'Tromperie was merely a setback. It was not a failure, but a precursor to my delayed success.' Smoke chanted positive mantras in his mind in order to drive out his frustration.

With one deep breath, he cleared his head. He then opened his backpack window, took out the seal meat and started chopping it into nice, even cubes. He needed to prepare a meal in advance, so he wouldn't have to make a trip to shore the next time his satiety bar gets low.

Igniz orbited around him, which helped calm him down as he cooked their meal. He smiled at the dark ember sprite. "Thanks, bud. I'm glad you're around. Although, I feel that if you could talk, things would be completely different." he said.

Smoke sharpened his weapons and readied his belongings. With everything prepared, he untied the rowboat from the sycamore tree and pushed it into the river. A poison dart frog sitting on top of a driftwood attacked him with its tongue, but he easily dodged it. Igniz quickly shot a fireball in response and blew both the driftwood and the pesky frog out of the water.

Calmly rowing along the river, Smoke enjoyed a couple of minutes of serene nature as he felt no monsters nearby. However, he noticed that this was unnatural and could only mean that there was something farther up ahead. He signaled his symbiote to fly in front of the rowboat and scout for potential danger.

Using Symbiote Vision, Smoke saw blue scaly humanoids with gills where their ears should be and fins on top of their heads. He instantly recognized them as Murlocks. They appeared to be blocking the way to one of the many branches of the river. Remembering his last encounter with these creatures, he eagerly took out the specialized earmuffs and equipped them. He counted a little more than a hundred of them, but even though there was a lot of them, their life bars only had 14,000 HP at most.

After a couple of minutes, the monsters finally came into view. Their females started opening their mouths. Smoke assumed that they were using their Siren Song ability, but the sound-blocking earmuffs protected him from it. He decided to pretend he's affected by the Siren Song, and remained seated and still as his rowboat drifted towards them.

The murlocks swam to his rowboat and pulled it to the shallows. They lifted him up and carried him in his seated position. The monsters gathered closer as they energetically jumped and danced. 'Looks like they are celebrating their DarkElf meal.' he thought. His eyes carefully checked the monsters and he discerned that they were still clueless of his mobility. As soon as he was taken to the center of the gathered group of monsters, Smoke swiftly took out his lightning-enchanted weighted chain and sickle and activated Cyclone of Slaughter.

SHIIING KLANG SHIIING KLANG SHIIING KLANG SHIIING KLANG

Sixteen afterimages of his sickle and iron ball circled around him with incredible speed. His weapon sliced through or bludgeoned all monsters within fifty meters. The murlocks' life bars of 14,000 HP were getting drained after only two hits.

Fifteen murlocks that managed to escape the range of his weapon's deadly ability tried to run away. Igniz, who remained high above them all this time, targeted the fleeing monsters with fireballs. However, his attacks only dealt 2,000 points of damage to them, which allowed thirteen murlocks to escape.

After Smoke's Cyclone of Slaughter ability ended, he collected the spears and fins the monsters dropped. It took him a while to gather all of them. He wasn't surprised to see that Murlocks gave him little experience; it only proved that he was well above their level.

Minutes later, Igniz flew to him and glowed in a bright red light. This was a signal indicating incoming monsters. He looked in the direction the murlocks fled in and found around a hundred Lamias charging towards him. He relied on dried mandragora flowers in order to defeat these humanoid monsters with serpent-like bodies before, but now he felt that he could deal with them himself.

As they got closer to Smoke, numerous Water Balls from the lamias came at him. He dove to his right and immediately switched to his white metallic staff. He produced a concave purple Manatl with his left hand and absorbed the incoming water-based attacks.

PLOP PLOP PLOP PLOP SCHILD PLOP PLOP PLOP PLOP

A single glacial spike stood out among the Water Balls as it smashed into his Manatl. He noticed that a two-meter, dark green lamia was leading her sisters as they marched to him. They continued with their ranged attacks and Smoke started to back away. Igniz was firing his fireballs from above at the outermost lamias, but just like with Murlocs, his damage against them was only 2,000 points.

Less than a minute went by, but it felt longer to Smoke. The lamias unceasingly kept attacking him and gave him no room to breathe.

Several Water Balls went past his concave Manatl and dealt 2,500 points of damage. His life bar displayed (163,750/176,250 HP). As his Manatl started to show signs of dispersing, he signaled Igniz to fly directly in front of the Lamia boss.

"Use the blinding light!" Smoke yelled as soon as Igniz got into position.

Immediately, his dark ember sprite released a bright light, temporarily Blinding the lamias and stopping their ranged attacks. Smoke canceled his concave Manatl and transferred the gathered energy into his white metallic staff. With the aid of his Lunar boots, he leapt over the Lamia boss and struck her head with his energized staff.

CRAACK

The dark green lamia's skull cracked wide open and her life bar showed a depleted value of (0/120,000 HP). A notification window popped up.

+ You have dealt a fatal blow to Lamia Matron: Infructueux.

+ You have killed Lamia Matron: Infructueux.

+ You have gained 60,000 exp.

Smoke swiftly picked up the items dropped by the boss monster.

+ Acquired rare armor: Jacket of The Ghost who Walks

+ Acquired rare headgear: Hat of The Ghost who Walks

Igniz then engulfed the lamias in a sea of flames as he created multiple firewalls among the clustered lamias. The monsters were caught in a daze upon seeing that their leader was defeated in a single strike.

Fighting his way through the bewildered monsters, Smoke positioned himself smack in the middle of the lamias, hindering them from using their ranged attack. They tried to hit him with their claws and tails, but Smoke would either block or evade their melee attacks. With a concave Manatl gathering energy on his left and his white metallic staff hitting the monsters on his right, Smoke kept fighting the throng of Lamias

Despite their high resistance to Fire, the river monsters were still damaged by Igniz's multiple firewalls. Added with their inability to hit Smoke, the surviving lamias tried to make a run for it. Smoke quickly erected a circular earth wall around them and snuffed out their chance to escape. Smoke and Igniz continued their onslaught until all of the lamias were exterminated. It took them less than twelve minutes to finish the job.

'I guess this is what a difference of forty levels does.' Smoke thought to himself as he recalled how he had faced these monsters when his level was still in the early sixties, almost losing Adder in the battle against them. However, he also knew that it wasn't only his level that played a part in this victory, but all of his accumulated combat experience, items and abilities as well.

A faint smile appeared on his face as he remembered how miserable he felt after the previous battle against Lamias. Adder lost an arm because of Smoke's folly, but he also grew stronger from that mistake. Smoke reaffirmed his resolve to continue to grow stronger and learn from his encounter with Horrabelle as well.

* * * * * *

Smoke decided to replenish his HP and MP and was sitting on a branch of a sycamore tree that extended over the Murray river. He conveniently tied his rowboat to this same tree as well. His dark ember sprite was patrolling above the trees, on a lookout for any potential danger. Smoke peacefully enjoyed eating the cooked tigerseal meat. While eating, he thought of checking out the items he got from the Lamia boss.

Jacket of The Ghost who Walks (Body Armor)

A tyrian purple jacket that once belonged to a famous Bounty Hunter.

+40,000 Hit Points
+30 Strength
+100 Defense

Restrictions:
- Can only be used by those with Good or Neutral Alignment.
- Must be at least level 100.

Costume of The Ghost who Walks (0/2)
* Jacket of The Ghost who Walks
* Hat of The Ghost who Walks

(2) Set: Equipment Ability:
*Hero's Legacy (Active)
+Inflicts Fear on enemies with Evil Alignment in a fifty-meter radius around the wearer
+Consumes 10,000 MP per use
+Once you've used this ability, you cannot use it again for another ten minutes

Note:
Success rate and duration are greatly dependent on the level difference between the user and affected targets

Hat of The Ghost who Walks (Headgear)

A tyrian purple hat that once belonged to a famous Bounty Hunter.

+10,000 Hit Points
+10 Intelligence

Restrictions:
- Can only be used by those with Good or Neutral Alignment.
- Must be at least level 100.

Costume of The Ghost who Walks (0/2)
* Jacket of The Ghost who Walks
* Hat of The Ghost who Walks

(2) Set: Equipment Ability:
*Hero's Legacy (Active)
+Inflicts Fear on enemies with Evil Alignment in a fifty-meter radius around the wearer
+Consumes 10,000 MP per use
+Once you've used this ability, you cannot use it again for another ten minutes

Note:
Success rate and duration are greatly dependent on the level difference between the user and affected targets.

'The headgear and the equipment ability of the set look promising, but the body armor can't compete with the Sable Wizard's Surcoat I have on.' thought a biased Smoke, as he personally didn't like the limitations of item sets.

With his HP and MP replenished, he untied his rowboat and started to row along the Murray river once more. He enjoyed traveling its waters, as it provided a completely different scenery from one he saw while touring the various regions of Veneficatl valley.

Two hours and thirty tigerseals later, Smoke spotted a village near the riverbank. He used his Telefax Vision ability to get a better look. Thin branches, tightly tied together with vines, served as the village's wall. Smoke thought that its height of barely two meters probably provided insignificant protection. Although it had some resemblance of a wall, this village had nothing to call a gate. He could see several bamboo houses through a wide opening in the wall. Curious to meet its residents, he decided to row ashore and get closer to the village.

After he pulled his rowboat onto the riverbank, Smoke cleverly manipulated the ground below it and lowered it. He then covered it up with a thin layer of earth, concealing his boat from unwanted eyes. He proceeded to tap his chest as he ordered Igniz to hide in the metallic compartment.

Walking towards the frail wall, Smoke thought about several things he could do to quickly raise his Intimacy with the villagers.. Since it was almost lunch time, he decided to take out his packed tigerseal meat and carried it with both hands.

As he got closer, a notification window popped up.

+ Entered Sans Valeur village

Little is known about this small village located beside the Murray river.

Without incident, Smoke reached the village entrance. "Hello! Anybody here?" he bellowed and patiently waited for an answer.

A tall, muscular bald man with a harpoon over his shoulder came out to greet him. Smoke instantly noticed the thick leather armor and greaves that the middle-aged man was wearing.

'This guy is as big as Jinggu. With that armor, I bet he's got pretty high Defense too.' he thought to himself.

The bald man pointed his harpoon at Smoke and asked sternly, "Who are you and what do you want?"

"Hello. My name is Smoke. I'm just a traveller who happened to come across your village. I have some food to share." he said and slowly placed the tigerseal meat in front of the muscular bald man, "I was wondering if maybe you could allow me to rest in your village or perhaps trade goods with the residents?"

The muscular bald man lowered his harpoon. Smoke could feel his scrutinizing gaze as the bald man inspected him from head to toe.

"You don't look like you have anything worth trading." said the bald man.

Smoke clicked his tongue and shook his head. He knew that he was being judged by his appearance. Being a low-ranked Beggar, all of his equipment looked tattered.

"Leave and take your food with you, DarkElf." stated the bald man as he tried to shoo Smoke away with his harpoon.

As Smoke was being driven away, a proud-looking man wearing a Sailor's equipment came into view. "What's going on, Forte?" he asked the bald man while combing back his long black hair with his hands. He was much younger than the bald man, but Smoke could see that he had his respect.

"Oh, Mr. Vex. It's nothing, I was just getting rid of this vagabond." answered the bald man called Forte as he gave a small nod to the man behind him.

A timid young man with a plain face then appeared behind Vex. He looked to be in his late teens. His short black hair was cut at even length and he wore simple Fisherman's attire. "Ahem, ahem." he cleared his throat.

Smoke observed as the man called Vex looked at the timid young man next to him. Vex nodded and then patted Forte's broad shoulder.

"You don't have to do that, Forte." said Vex, "Remember, Brax here asked us to welcome all friendly strangers to Sans Valeur." He then approached Smoke and offered him his hand. "The name's Vex Leroi, and this is my brother, Brax Leroi."

"Nice to meet you both. My name is Smoke." he said as he shook Vex's hand and gave a small wave to Brax, "Please forgive my shabby appearance; I've been traveling for a long time and haven't had the chance to repair my equipment."

"Don't worry about it, we don't mind." said Vex in a reassuring voice. The proud-looking Vex then picked up the food Smoke placed on the ground. "You're just in time for the Festival of Fleuve. Let me give this to the children. I'm sure they'll enjoy these..." Vex paused as he discerned Smoke's meal, "...curious-looking cubes."

Forte stepped aside as Vex, Brax and Smoke headed into the village of Sans Valeur. Smoke saluted Forte as he passed by him, but Forte kept a stern face and just stared at Smoke.

"Now, the children won't have upset stomachs after they eat this, right?" said Vex.

'Does he think that I poisoned the food?' Smoke wondered as he did a quick assessment of Vex.

"It's just cooked tigerseal meat. If they aren't allergic to it, I'm sure they'll be fine." Smoke answered with a sincere smile.

"Tigerseal, huh?" said Vex as he raised his eyebrow, "How did you manage to hunt them alone? Tigerseals swim in the deeper parts of the river and they travel in packs."

"Oh, I traveled by boat and was lucky enough to encounter only a few of them at a time." answered Smoke.

"You must be really lucky." Vex answered back, with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

Although the village appeared to be small, Smoke observed that it actually housed a lot of residents. He noticed several children standing in the doorways of the bamboo houses that were scattered everywhere. He, Vex and Brax were weaving in and out of the pathways between the houses.

"Pardon the tight space." said Vex, "Our village has grown a lot in the recent years and even though the chief told everyone not to build the houses so close to the streets, this is what happened. Maybe things will change once Brax becomes the chief." Smoke could still hear the hint of doubt in Vex's voice.

After ten minutes of walking and squeezing in between the homes of Sans Valeur and the small vegetable gardens cramped between them, Smoke saw a wide clearing with a tall banyan tree in the middle of it. Its broad branches covered the clearing and shaded the entire area.

An important-looking old man, seated on an ornate wooden chair and being carried by four people, moved towards the tree. More and more of village residents were arriving at the clearing by the minute. Adults and children alike were carrying fish and vegetables on wooden plates. They formed a circle around the tree and sat on the ground.

Both Smoke and Brax were being pulled by Vex as he led the way. The three of them sat down in front of the other residents, closer to the tree.

A few minutes passed and they remained seated while waiting for the entire village to assemble. Then, the old man waved over to where Smoke was and made an inviting motion. Confused, Smoke pointed at himself as if to ask if he was the one being called. Brax and Vex then stood up, walked towards the old man and helped him up. They held onto him to help him stay on his feet.

"People of Sans Valeur, I welcome you to our offering to the great goddess Fleuve. May she continue to grace us with abundance and prosperity as she protects our village from harm."

The villagers cheered loudly, and Smoke could feel the intensity of their passion. He cheerfully looked around the gathered crowd and adored the sight of children raising their fists in the air, shouting their praises ardently.

The old man raised his hand. Slowly, the villagers' shouts of praise started to die down.

"Let us commune with the great goddess Fleuve by enjoying each others' company as we eat, and share the blessings she has given us." said the old man. He then told Vex and Brax to release their hold on him. It looked like he would fall, but he managed to steady himself. "The festival may now begin!" he proclaimed and clapped his hands.

After the old man was helped back to his chair, the villagers started stuffing their mouths with fish and vegetables. Loud sounds of several incomprehensible conversations filled the air around the banyan tree.

With the festival officially underway, Vex called Smoke over to him. The old man remained seated in his chair, with Brax and Vex standing at his sides.

"Father, I'd like you to meet Smoke." said Vex, "He says he's a traveller and gifted us this tigerseal meat as an offering for the feast." He then turned to Smoke, "Smoke, this is the village chief of Sans Valeur, Prex Leroi."

"A pleasure to meet you, Prex." said Smoke as he knelt before the old man.

"Please get up, there is no need to be so formal. I am glad that you could join us. It is rare for anyone to come to our village, let alone a DarkElf such as yourself." said Prex.

Smoke appreciated the fact that the village chief wasn't bothered by his scruffy appearance.

"Brax, your decision to open our gates proved to be very effective." he continued while leaning to his right. However, the young man he was addressing wasn't there anymore. "Brax? Oh, where is that boy?" asked Prex as he searched for Brax in the crowd.

"He's over there, Father." said Vex and pointed to Brax being swarmed by children, "I believe he's sharing Smoke's gift with the orphans."

"I can't understand that boy. He's so shy around everyone except children." said Prex in an exasperated voice.

Prex turned to Smoke and asked him, "Well, what brings you to our remote village?"

"I was just traveling along the river and saw your village from afar. Coincidentally, I still had some tigerseal meat left over and thought that maybe I could trade it with your people." said Smoke.

"A single person fighting against groups of tigerseals? I've never heard of such a thing." said Prex in an inquisitive voice and turned to Vex, "Do you think Forte could handle a pack of tigerseals on his own?"

"As our strongest fighter, I believe he would be able to accomplish such a feat." said Vex, "Do you want me to tell him to do so?"

"No, no, of course not. No need to send him on an errand to prove something you already know to be true." said Prex with a smile. "What I would like you to do is go to Brax and tell him that I'd like a small taste of the tigerseal meat." he said and licked his lips.

"Of course, Father." said Vex as he bowed down and went to get Brax.

"Now, Smoke, would you allow me to ask you some questions? I desire an objective opinion on a certain matter, the kind only an outsider like yourself can provide." said Prex.

Smove nodded. "Sure. Go right ahead."

"Tell me, what do you think of Brax?" asked Prex.

"Hm...I just met him, but I think he's great with the kids." answered Smoke respectfully.

"Those children lost their parents to the river monsters. Brax is very kind and thus likes to bond with them. But what's your impression of him as a leader?" inquired Prex.

Smoke scratched his head. "Honestly, I can't tell. He doesn't talk much and just hid behind Vex while they led me here."

Prex drummed his chair with his fingers. "I expected as much. Vex is the one whom all the adults in the village respect, but he is only my adopted son. Brax, my only child, is the rightful heir to the position of village chief."

The old man released a deep sigh afterwards.

"Everyone thinks that Vex should be the next chief. I'm troubled because I'm starting to agree with them. If only Brax would socialize with the adults as much as he does with the kids, I'm sure they'd have more faith in him. The boy's a genius, but I'm the only one who sees that right now." said Prex with annoyance.

'Sounds like he has his daddy-goggles on.' thought Smoke.

Confused about what to say, Smoke only nodded courteously. Both of them fell silent and watched the villagers continue to enjoy the festival.

A few seconds later, Vex and Brax arrived. Prex's hand wiggled with excitement as he was eager to try the cooked tigerseal meat.

"Come on, Brax, stop teasing me." Prex said playfully as his son kept moving the plate with the food around. Smoke smiled at the scene of father and son having fun together. He felt an emptiness in his heart, as he missed his old man. Vex crossed his arms and kept a serious face as he watched them from the side.

Suddenly, a runner came pushing through the crowd. Sweat covered his entire body.

"The Skullcaps are coming! The Skullcaps are coming!" screamed the runner. He tumbled down in front of Brax.

Swiftly, Brax grabbed a jug of water near him and went to help the runner up. "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" These were the first words Smoke heard from Brax since he had met him.

Gasping for air, the runner said, "The Skullcaps...are coming! We have...maybe fifteen minutes...before they arrive." He took the jug Brax offered him and hastily gulped down the water.

"How is this possible? What happened to the Murlocks and Lamias that were blocking the way here?" asked Brax.

With water dripping from his chin, the runner lowered the jug and answered, "I don't know. They're just gone. Maybe a different monster killed them or drove them away, but I can't think of any that can withstand the Siren Song."

Panic spread among the villagers quickly as they heard the whole conversation. They started shouting; some calling the names of their family members while searching for them in the crowd, others demanding more answers from the runner or repeatedly asking him if he's sure of what he saw.

Vex yelled on top of everyone's voices, "Hear me! There is no reason to panic. Everyone who cannot fight, move to the rear section of the village and stay there. Anyone willing to risk his life to protect the village, come with me." He then started walking towards the village entrance.

Forte and three other muscular men followed after him. Brax stayed behind as he helped move Prex and the orphans to safety. Before Brax could leave, Smoke approached him and asked, "Are monsters coming to attack the village? I thought a skullcap is just a type of flower?"

Brax nervously shook his head. "Not monsters. 'The Skullcaps' is what a group of river pirates that sail the Murray call themselves. I heard there's hundreds of them and that they carry swords as big as themselves. They are notorious for pillaging villages close to the river, but they've never come this far before due to Murlocks blocking their path." answered Brax while looking at the children who were running for safety.

Smoke gulped. 'They sound tough.' he thought. He felt a great deal of guilt as he realised that he was responsible for the situation they found themselves in. "I better go help Vex and Forte." he said.

Smoke was about to head to the village entrance when Brax grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"No, you don't have to go. Come with us to the back, you'll be safer there. I can't ask you to risk your life for a village you've only just visited." said Brax.

"Thanks for the offer, but I really think I should help defend your home." said Smoke as he forced Brax's hand off of him and sprinted through the crowd of villagers.

Upon reaching the village entrance, he could see a fleet of ten ships in the distance. He quickly scaled one of the trees in front of the entrance and hid on top of it. Using his Telefax Vision, he looked above a ship's sails and saw a black flag with an image of a skullcap in the center.

Confirming the enemies to be the Skullcaps, he opened his backpack window and crushed a poison pellet before throwing it into his quiver of arrows, coating them with poison. He glanced over the gathered forces on the ground. As Forte held the frontlines, Smoke thought for a split second that he had used an afterimage or illusion-based ability, as the three other muscular bald men who stood by his side looked very much like him. Meanwhile, Vex gathered twenty-four volunteers from the village. All of them were equipped with harpoons.

As the ships got closer, Smoke could start sensing the number of enemies. Each boat had ten men aboard.

'Twenty-nine against a hundred. Well, thirty, counting myself. This doesn't look good.' Smoke thought as he feared for the villagers' safety. He thought about facing the Pirates by himself, but he couldn't risk it without knowing what he was up against. Remembering what Brax said, he imagined a hundred muscular men carrying weapons as big as Adder's BlitzSturm.

Soon enough, he laid eyes on the Pirates standing on the deck of the ship that was closest to shore. Then, three seconds later, Smoke rubbed his eyes in disbelief before continuing to stare at the sight before him.

"They're all Halflings..." he muttered to himself.

Ten ships dropped their anchors and eighty one-meter-tall, unsavory-looking Pirates rode on the dinghies being lowered down the sides of their ships. All of them were wearing black pirate bandanas on their heads. Some were equipped with short swords, while others were dual-wielding dirks. Yet, because of their height, their weapons looked oversized.

'Maybe this won't be as hard as I thought it would be.' Smoke thought, but he shook his head immediately afterwards, 'No. I shouldn't underestimate them just because of their size.'

Before they could storm the village, Smoke heard Vex yell out to them, "Return to your ships and your lives will be spared!" However, Vex's threat was answered with a mean laughter from the Pirates.

Still on their dinghies, one of the Skullcaps yelled towards the flagship. "You heard that, Captain? Methinks we better run for it and change our pillaging ways." said a Pirate dressed in a red jacket and white pants. Smoke observed that he had different-colored clothes from the rest, most of the marauders only wore white overalls, although he was hesitant to call them such, as they were covered in filth.

"Now, now, Mr. Nain. As first mate, you should know proper manners. We shouldn't be impolite to our future benefactors." A female voice came from the flagship. It belonged to a beautiful HighElf who was equipped with a sleek blue jacket, tight white pants, a feathered hat and a cutlass at her side. Her long, straight black hair, rosey red lips and smooth pale skin gave her an eye-catching presence. Her large bosom was clearly disproportionate to her slim figure and swayed with each step.

At once, the Skullcaps stopped laughing and held a serious look on their faces. Even from where Smoke hid, it was clear that they respected her, or at least feared her.

"Good day to you, gentlemen. The name's Snow. Captain Jane Snow. I am the commander of this troubled crew." she said and gave a winsome smile, "Please forgive the rudeness of my men."

A cold sweat ran down Smoke's back, as Jane's appearance eerily reminded him of Horrabelle. He quickly dismissed the thought and focused on the approaching Pirates.

"Hold your positions, men. We still need to discuss the terms of trade." she said with authority, as the Pirates had reached the riverbank and started to disembark one by one.

With everyone silent, Vex spoke out, "What kind of trade are you looking for? We only have fish and some vegetables to offer."

Jane waved her hand and asked Vex, "Now, why would I ask for rubbish and scraps when I could easily get something more valuable from your village?"

"But we don't have anything else in our village." replied Vex with all honesty.

"Don't sell yourselves short. You have something we want: children." answered Jane and licked her red lips. "If you give us forty of them," she spoke while standing straight and placed her right hand over her heart, "I swear to you that no one in your village will be harmed."

Everyone looked outraged by the proposition but remained silent as they waited for Vex's answer. "What about five children? Would you leave us alone then?" he asked curiously.

Before any of the villagers surrounding Vex could react to his words, Brax arrived with a short sword and shield in hand and beat them to it. "No! What are you saying, Vex?" he said with a trembling voice while turning Vex around to face him. "There's no way we're giving them a single child!" Brax said loudly, but everyone could still hear the fear in his voice.

"And who might you be?" Jane asked Brax, "Perhaps you're the village chief?"

"No, I'm not." replied Brax as he stared at the ships in order to avoid eye contact with Jane, "But maybe I'm part of the group that's going to drive you out of Sans Valeur." he said, half-convinced.

"Strong words for someone so young. However, they don't change the fact that you're outnumbered." said Jane. "Well, men, I think it's time for us to stop with the shenanigans and collect our booty." she said with conviction and raised her cutlass over her head. She swiftly swung it down and pointed to the village.

Similar to rampaging bulls, the Skullcaps stampeded their way to where Brax and others were. Smoke, who remained hidden, fired his poisoned arrows at the incoming Pirates. He made sure to spread out his attack and reduce the life bars of all of them.

Smoke's rain of green arrows surprised the invaders and caused them to temporarily stop their charge as they tried to defend against his ranged attacks. He relentlessly released more arrows until he hit each of them at least once.

"Belay the siege and attack that tree instead!" bellowed Jane as she pointed to where Smoke was hiding, "These scoundrels have around ten Archers hiding there."

The Pirates barrelled from the riverbank with purpose. Moving towards where Smoke hid, they threw stinkpots made of clay at the tree. They had filled them with fish guts and sulfur.

Repulsive fumes came out after the stinkpots shattered into pieces. Smoke got a whiff of their attack and lost his balance. Luckily, he only fell down to the next branch. He swiftly equipped his customized gas mask. The genius work of Jackal and Hide protected him from this crude form of tear gas, otherwise he would have been puking out his tigerseal meal.

With his footing stabilized, he resumed his attack. He squinted his eyes and carefully observed the life bars of the Pirates. They displayed values between 85,000 to 99,000 HP.

'They more or less have the same life bars as Brandals.' thought Smoke and smirked.

With eighty of them still coming his way, he opened Igniz's orb-like compartment. Before Igniz could fly off, he gently held onto him and hurriedly told him their game plan.

"I'll need your help, bud, but be sure to stay hidden in the tree." he pointed to the pirates below, "Just light 'em up from here."

As soon as he released Igniz, multiple firewalls erupted from the ground in a line right in front of the incoming Pirates. The life bars of ones that were leading the charge started to drain quickly, as they were too slow to react and hurtled straight through the firewalls, taking damage in the process and being inflicted with Burning status.

The Skullcaps that stopped in front of the firewalls stood in place and could only watch as their partners in crime that went through were being finished off with arrows and fireballs. Shocked at the unexpected fire attacks, they looked towards their captain for orders.

Jane scowled at the firewalls and clicked her tongue in frustration. "Tch. Forget the Archers, just break through the front line!" she yelled.

As Nain and the rest of the Pirates charged at Brax and his men, Igniz's fireballs kept hitting their backs for increased damage.

Meanwhile, Smoke set his sights on a different target. He leapt up onto a higher tree branch and took a deep breath. His power chainsaw bow creaked as he pulled back the bowstring as far as he could.

In one fluid motion, he released all the tension in the string and his arrow flew high over the firewalls. It glided through the air smoothly until it finally hit its mark. It lodged itself into Captain Snow's shoulder, staining her blue naval jacket with blood and inflicting her with Poisoned status. Her life bar displayed (245,743/250,000 HP).

"How dare you, you cowards!" Jane looked furious as she yelled and pulled the poisoned arrow out of her shoulder, "Healers, to me! Mr. Nain, kill them all and don't come back empty-handed or I'll personally make you walk the plank!" As she retreated back into the captain's cabin, seven Halflings rushed to her aid.

* * * * * *

Faced against two Skullcaps, Brax surprised his fellow villagers when they saw him fight. His hands trembled while holding the sword and shield, but he held his ground.

Due to Brax's height advantage over the Skullcaps, he threatened one of them with a downward swing of his sword. The Halfling instantly took a defensive stance and parried Brax's attack.

The Skullcap then took a step forward and pushed his sword against Brax's, buying time for the other Skullcap to come at Brax from the side and stab him with a dirk. Brax kicked away the Pirate in front of him and swung his shield at the other attacker, but missed him. He took a couple of steps back and tried to stop the bleeding by clipping the wound with his elbow.

One of the Sans Valeur Fishermen snuck from behind the dual-wielding Skullcap and took him by surprise, skewering him with a harpoon. Brax dashed for the one in front of him and slashed his right hand, making him drop his weapon. Together, Brax and the Fisherman quickly finished them off.

Brax took a look at his life bar, which displayed 85%, and thanked the Fisherman for his timely aid. He then quickly scanned the battleground and found that most of his fellow villagers were struggling, with four of them already dead.

Forte and the three other muscular men were fighting a losing battle. With their focus on raw strength, Forte and his group were significantly slower than the short and agile Skullcaps, and couldn't hit them properly. They managed to land several lucky shots and got some damage in, but it wasn't enough to finish the job. Their life bars were steadily depleting, with Forte having the lowest life bar at (129,278/190,000 HP).

Brax's bravery inspired the rest of the defenders as he and the Fisherman who saved him zoomed en route to Forte. Yet while running, Brax still silently prayed to Fleuve for a miracle to save them as they continued to fight for their lives and the lives of children of Sans Valeur. His prayer was interrupted when a Skullcap leapt at him from the side and dug his dirks into Brax's shield.

THUD

Landing only about a meter away from them, Smoke accurately slashed the back of that Skullcap with his chain and sickle several times. He saw Brax thank him with a nod. He returned the gesture and started fighting his way towards Forte.

Smoke and the villagers defending the village entrance managed to kill thirty-five Skullcaps, but at the price of heavy casualties. There were only sixteen villagers left, and their life bars were at less than 50%.

Smoke clearly stood out among them, expertly dodging almost all attacks aimed at him and cutting down Pirates with relative ease. It didn't take long before Nain recognized him as the biggest threat on the battlefield. Cutting down the villager he had been locked in battle with, he addressed his companions.

"Surround the DarkElf, lads! Send that scallywag to Davey Jones' locker!" he yelled.

Immediately, a group of twenty Halflings went to face Smoke. The ones approaching him from behind hastily threw several throwing knives at him. As his Cunning of the Dire Fox could not detect projectile attacks, he received six knives to the back. He turned around in pain. More throwing knives came his way and he did his best to avoid them.

He then sensed two Halflings charging at him from both his sides. He swung his sickle in a wide arc around him intending to slash their torso, but they reacted quickly to the incoming scythe and one jumped out of its way, while the other blocked it by putting his arms in front of him, receiving only shallow cuts.

'I see why Forte and his men are having a hard time dealing with these guys.' he thought to himself.

The Halflings proved to be tricky opponents for Smoke. Their height forced him to adjust his fighting style accordingly, he had to pay a lot more attention to his footwork because they kept targeting his legs, and he had to use faster but less powerful strikes with his weapon to successfully hit them. He wasn't inexperienced in fighting enemies much smaller than him due to facing Gobble Goblins recently, but the Skullcaps were faster and more intelligent than those monsters.

He couldn't use the deadly Cyclone of Slaughter with villagers all around him, but Smoke was still on top of the task. Albeit taking frequent hits, he began dispatching the Pirates that were coming at him one by one.

Nain felt a mixture of frustration and fear as he watched his fellow Skullcaps perish under Smoke's chain and sickle. One of them that was sent flying towards him stood up, covered in deep cuts, and turned to face him. "That son of a biscuit-eater is too strong. Half of us are dead, Nain. This village isn't worth knocking on death's door." he said.

"Aye, matey, but Cap'n will..." Nain replied before something drew his attention. "Follow me. You two as well. Smartly, lads." he said to the Skullcaps close to him and started moving swiftly across the battlefield, "This could be our ticket out of this wretched place."

After a few minutes, Smoke finally finished dealing with all twenty Skullcaps that had ganged up on him and kept mercilessly attacking him. Panting hard for air and with roughly 40% on his life bar, he lifted his head and looked over the battlefield. The battle was over; the group he was fighting was what remained of the eighty Skullcaps who got off their ships.

Smoke looked to his left and found Forte and the three other muscular men carrying the few surviving and heavily-injured villagers back to the village for treatment. On his right, he saw Vex sitting on his knees at the riverbank, his harpoon stabbed in the ground next to him. The ten pirate ships were gone.

Remembering his symbiote, Smoke quickly ran towards the tree Igniz was still hiding in. He leapt up the branches and found his dark ember sprite glowing faintly, concealing itself as best as it could. "Well done, bud." he smiled as he motioned for Igniz to return to his metal compartment.

He then moved next to Vex, who was blankly staring at the river. He assumed Vex was mourning the loss of his fellow villagers, and tried to think of comforting words to say to him. As he was about to place his hand on his shoulder, Vex spoke in a low voice.

"They took him." he said.

"What?" Smoke asked, confused, with his hand lingering in the air.

"I saw them taking him away, but I couldn't get through..." Vex said as he clenched his fists.

"Who did they take?" asked Smoke. Then, his eyes widened as it came to him.

He looked around frantically before asking  a question he already knew the answer to. "Where is Brax?"

* * * * * *

The heavy silence gave the bamboo house a suffocating feeling. Smoke sat quietly in one corner, as he was invited to join San Valeur's council meeting. The silence was eventually broken by Vex.

"We should accept our losses and move on. In the end, the village was successfully defended and that's what matters. We need to fortify our defenses and keep the gates closed at all times." his voice quivered as he spoke.

The bamboo house fell silent once again. Prex let out a deep sigh, turned to Vex and said, "I do agree with you on fortifying our defenses. Let us start making plans for that right away. Also, we need to form a rescue party for Brax."

"I'm sorry, Father, but I'm afraid I have to insist on not saving him." Vex interrupted him before he could continue.

Everyone in the room was shocked by what he said. They stared at him in disbelief.

"What are you saying, Vex?!" Prex said with a raised voice, "He's your brother. He's the next in line to be chief!"

"I know that well, Father. I assure you that, even though we think differently, I love Brax. But how many men do you think it would take to rescue him? Even Forte, our strongest fighter, had a hard time dealing with the Skullcaps." Vex explained as he described what happened in their battle, "Now that there's only a handful of people who are able to fight left, we need all of them here to protect the village. We can't risk everyone's lives to try to save one man."

The villagers averted their eyes downward, knowing that Vex had a point.

"We can't just abandon him!" Prex yelled.

"If I were the one who was taken, I would not wish for you to come and find me." Vex said calmly, "I can't stomach the idea of someone recklessly risking their life for the sake of my own, and I think you know that Brax shares this sentiment."

Prex paused for a moment before sinking into his chair and covering his eyes with his fingers. It was apparent in how much pain he was.

Smoke, who sat in silence up until then, stood up and spoke confidently. "You don't have to send anyone. I alone will go and save Brax."

All eyes in the room were on Smoke. Prex's face instantly lit up as if Smoke had already returned his son to him. Revealing tears in his eyes, he motioned for him to come closer. When he did, Prex whispered into his ear. "It shames me deeply, to have to ask of you to put yourself in danger one more time for the sake of someone you had just met. Please bring my son back to me."

As expected, a notification window popped up.

+ Quest: Steal from the Thieves
Liberation Quest
Level: C

Prex, chief of Sans Valeur village, requested that you liberate his son from the Skullcaps and bring him back alive.

Accept the Quest? [YES/NO]

Smoke nodded and said, "He may get injured along the way, but I'll be sure to bring him back to you in one piece."

* * * * * *

From the sky, Smoke and Igniz surveyed the river for pirate ships. After about six hours of searching, they finally spotted a lone ship anchored near the riverbank. Smoke saw the same black flag with a skullcap in the middle as before.

They stealthily landed on one of the trees within an earshot from the Skullcaps and hid in its branches. Smoke observed eight Pirates on the ground, cooking spined coyotes over a campfire.

"...DarkElves are nothing compared to Captain Vlad." said one of the Halflings, "He was the most fearsome River Pirate there ever was. Whenever he set his sights on a village, you could be sure that there'd be impaled heads in front of its entrance within a couple of days. He ran rampant all throughout the Murray!"

"And yet, he was slain by none other than Admiral P. Shooter." said the other Skullcap beside him, "Now that man made me think twice about becoming a Skullcap. His battles were always a sight to behold. They say he once fought a hundred Pirates at once and didn't even get his coat dirty."

"Vlad, Shooter, those guys can't hold a stick to the Merchant Ryofoi. He took everything from everyone! What he was doing was robbery in plain sight, and the authorities could do nothing about it. That guy was the most diabolical man I knew." said another Skullcap.

"Aye, those three are indeed fearsome characters of the Murray, but I say that Captain Jane Snow is right up there with them." said one of the Halflings as he stood near the campfire, "She gathered the crews of other Pirates in the area and formed us all into the Skullcaps. Heck, I don't even know half the guys we work with these days, but she's got all of 'em eating out of the palm of her hand."

"That's our Cap'n Snow for you. She never fails to send shivers down me timbers." replied the other with a wink and they all burst into laughter.

"But going back to that DarkElf, he was quite something too. I gather he took out almost thirty of our men by himself." said a Skullcap, "I heard that we now have less than two hundred men because of that attack on Sans Valeur."

Suddenly, all of them fell silent at once. Then one of the Skullcaps spoke, "You know, they say that it's bad luck when a merry group falls si..."

THUD

Using his Stunning Landing, Smoke confidently landed on the campfire and extinguished it. He was confident he could withstand the flame due to his high Fire resistance. From his position, Smoke easily went after the two nearest Skullcaps and sliced their throats with his sickle, inflicting the Bleeding status on them.

After the Pirates snapped out of being stunned, one of them yelled for help. "We're under attack! Casser, Nouille, help us!" However, he was instantly silenced as Smoke activated his Cyclone of Slaughter.

The two Skullcaps on board the ship stood on the helm and looked towards the riverbank to see what was going on. They quickly found that their shipmates were being slaughtered by a single DarkElf. Realizing that there was nothing they could do to save them, they hurriedly pulled up the ship's anchor and unfurled the sail.

As they began to drift away, the one called Casser shouted back. "We will avenge your death, Maudit! We'll be sure to tell Captain Snow about this."

"We'll get you for this, DarkElf!" yelled the one called Nouille.

Smoke observed how their ship could not flee fast enough. He switched to his power chainsaw bow and attacked the yelling Skullcap with a volley of poison arrows. His target was caught off guard and took all twelve arrows to his chest.

The Pirate fell on the deck of the ship, inflicted with Poisoned status and his life bar left with less than 45%. Smoke knew that the poison damage would kill him in the next couple of minutes.

'I only need one of them to lead me to where their base is.' thought Smoke to himself as he stealthily followed the fleeing ship, gliding from tree to tree.

After twelve hours of pursuit, Smoke was surprised to see a notification pop up.

+ Entered Port Royal

Headquarters of the Pirates known as the Skullcaps. This area once belonged to a powerful monster until the Pirates turned it into their harbor.

However, he saw nothing but the Murray river until he went past a riverbend. The harbor itself was built in the middle of the river, with a tall, moss-covered cliff far to its right side.  Four rocky islands were connected with wooden bridges held up by long, thick pillars. Numerous wooden shacks were scattered across the makeshift marina.

As he had traveled for quite some time, Smoke decided to take a much-deserved rest and logged out of Zectas in order to get in some shut-eye.

* * * * * *

A moonless night fell over the Murray. Smoke spent some time using Telefax Vision and observing the layout of buildings in the harbor while sticking close to the trees near it. Igniz was placed inside his compartment to minimize his luminance.

'At least their security is lax' thought Smoke. There weren't any patrolling guards, and he could see just two watchtowers on the opposite sides of the harbor, with a single Halfling on the top of each.

The pirates' base had oil lamps hanged on wooden posts along specific shacks. He focused on checking out those places first in search of Brax.

Smoke glided towards the rocky island closest to him. With the current range of his Cunning of the Dire Fox, he sensed that there were one hundred fifty Skullcaps in the harbor.

Sneaking towards one of the lit up shacks, Smoke found a disturbing sight. The Halflings had fully-grown men and women serving them like slaves. They had collars on their necks and shackles on their hands and feet. This shack appeared to be a tavern.

The Skullcaps drank and ate while the captives served them food. Three girls were lined up against the wall, and the Skullcaps took turns throwing their dirks at them. Smoke gathered that it was a contest to see who could hit closest. Suddenly, the girl on the right fell down as a dirk had cut her leg. The other captives were then ordered to take the girl out and mend her wounds.

'The captives should be able to fight them, but they've been broken into slaves and lost the courage to fight back.' thought Smoke sadly.

He resumed his search on the other side of the harbor and found shacks with a similar situation everywhere. Some of the captives were even placed in charge of ship maintenance. He saw them removing barnacles, swabbing the decks and repairing the sails. He wanted to help all of them escape, but his first objective was to get Brax out.

Soon enough, he located his target. Surprisingly, he saw a calm Brax trying to console a group of children. Swiftly, Smoke glided to the shack he was in, landing gently and examining the lock on the door. As he took out his lightning-enhanced short sword to try to pry open the lock, Brax noticed him.

"Smoke! You're here." said out Brax excitedly.

"Shhh. Be quiet or they'll hear us. We have to hurry and get you out of here." said Smoke in a hushed voice.

- Unlocking attempt FAILED. Lockpicking ability of Intermediate Level 6 or higher is required.

Smoke groaned.

He immediately got Igniz out and pointed to the sturdy wooden door. "Igniz, burn the door down."

Igniz created a steady flow of flames and started burning a hole in the wooden door. The moment Igniz's flames touched the door, smoke started puffing out. Smoke checked the night sky and saw that the smoke wasn't that visible. "Good job, bud."

After the hole in the door was big enough for them to get through, Igniz returned to his metal compartment. Smoke expected Brax and the other captives to bolt out of their prison immediately. However, none of them moved and remained where they were.

As he stood outside the shack, Smoke called out to Brax, "Come on. Let's get out of here."

"I'm not leaving without them. These are the children Skullcaps took from villages scattered along the river." stated Brax, "We have to rescue them too, Smoke."

Smoke answered sincerely, "We will, but for now, I have to get you out. We can come back for them later when..."

Brax crossed his arms and interrupted him, "Sorry, but you can rescue me then as well."

"There are at least thirty more people being held captive all over the harbor. You want to bring them all along too?" asked a perturbed Smoke.

It took a while for Brax to answer. "I understand, but we have to at least save the children."

Smoke counted twenty kids inside with Brax. "Fine!" he answered unwillingly. He already intended to send his personal army here after rescuing Brax, but now he was placed in an unexpected predicament.

Smoke thought for a bit about what he should do, then turned to Brax and said, "I'll be right back. Make sure you're all ready to go when I return."

Covertly, he headed for the watchtower nearest to him. He silently climbed the ladder leading to the top of it and took a peek at the guard stationed there. The Pirate was leaning on the ledge of the tower and had his back turned to Smoke.

He quickly sneaked up behind him and wrapped the chain portion of his weighted chain and sickle around his neck to prevent him from calling for help. Smoke then proceeded to stab the Pirate in the back with the sickle several times until his life bar was drained.

From the top of the watchtower, he looked around the harbor and found a ship anchored near the shack where Brax and the children were being kept. His Cunning of the Dire Fox indicated that there weren't any Skullcaps on board. Smoke then speedily returned to Brax.

"Alright, let's leave." he said.

Brax had a hard time convincing the children to leave, but he finally did it. Smoke guided them towards the ship and waited for everyone to get on board.

"I'll create a diversion on the other side of the harbor. When you see my signal, sail out of here. You got that?" said Smoke strongly.

"What is the signal?" asked Brax.

"Oh, you'll know it from the mayhem." replied Smoke. He circumnavigated the entire harbor and stayed out of sight of the Pirate on top of the other watchtower. When he reached the other side, Smoke landed on the roof of the shack that had Halflings playing darts on their captives inside. He let Igniz out of his compartment and said, "Let's smoke them out, shall we?"

Igniz nodded and engulfed the shack in flames. Fifteen Halflings rushed out of the flaming wooden structure. One by one, he blasted them with fireballs.

Smoke jumped high in the air and landed in the middle of them with his Stunning Landing. He managed to stun thirteen of them, while the two Halflings who had been out of range charged towards him with their dirks.

Despite their agility, he easily avoided their attack and knocked them down with his chain. He then used his sickle on the downed Skullcaps and punished them for their crimes. Noticing the fire and commotion, the guard on top of the watchtower raised the alarm. Immediately, more Skullcaps came out of the nearby shacks and were approaching Smoke.

He ordered Igniz to hold his fire and fly directly above him. Once more than thirty Halflings had him surrounded, he gave Igniz the signal and his dark ember sprite started creating firewalls on the outer edges of the mob, trapping them inside a circle around Smoke. Smoke then used his Cyclone of Slaughter and killed all Skullcaps within reach. Despite the Skullcaps' agility, they could do nothing against the afterimages of his chain, iron ball and sickle.

Still within Igniz's firewalls, Smoke used Symbiote Vision and saw that Brax and the children had already sailed some distance from the harbor. As a new wave of Pirates was quickly approaching, Smoke leapt over the firewalls and glided in the direction of the escaping ship together with Igniz.

He was relieved that his plan went off without a hitch. However, this pleasant feeling was short-lived. Just before Brax could turn into the riverbend, Jane's flagship emerged out of it, along with seven more pirate ships. They quickly surrounded the fleeing ship and started boarding it.

Still far away, Smoke had to use his Telefax Vision to make out what was going on the deck. The Skullcaps easily dealt with Brax, who tried to protect the children, and made him drop to his knees after beating him down to 30% of his life bar. They then gathered all the children in one corner of the deck.

Smoke gritted his teeth in anger as he saw Jane walk over to Brax and force him to stand up by pulling his hair. Suddenly, Jane's voice bellowed out. "Stop right there if you don't want me to slit his throat." she shouted while holding her cutlass against Brax's neck. She was looking straight at Smoke.

He was surprised that she spotted him from so far away and in the dark. But then, he realized that it was Igniz's luminance that gave his position away. Cursing his carelessness, he instantly opened Igniz's orb compartment and had him hide inside it.

"Surrender and I won't kill him!" shouted Jane threateningly, pressing her cutlass harder against Brax's neck.

Smoke was gliding in a circle over the ship, at a loss as to what he should do. "Think. Think!" he said angrily to himself.

He needed to stun Jane in order to allow Brax to move away from her. However, he lacked the element of surprise, which was crucial to successfully landing his stun attacks. Jane would see him coming whether he were to use Stunning Landing or charge at her with Armored Armadillo Shield.

Then, he realised he didn't have to specifically stun her. He only needed to temporarily immobilize her somehow.

Smoke donned the jacket and hat he got from the Lamia boss. In any other situation, he would have smiled at seeing his life bar increase by 50,000 points, but right now, his mind was solely focused on rescuing Brax. He started to descend slowly.

"Land on the edge of the ship, far away from of us." instructed Jane.

Without a word, Smoke landed where he was told.

"Tie him up quickly." she ordered and handed Brax over to her first mate. The one-meter-tall Nain stood on a crate and replaced the cutlass against Brax's neck with a dirk.

As Jane was walking towards him with a devious smile on her red lips, Smoke activated Hero's Legacy. His body emitted a shockwave with a purple outline and it spread across the deck. Upon being inflicted with Fear, a look of pure terror appeared on the faces of Halflings.  Some of them jumped off of the ship and started swimming away, while others curled up into a fetal position and shook uncontrollably.

Smoke hastily took a step forward and was ready to make a dash for Brax, but stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes were met with Jane's resolute gaze.

"Mr. Nain, stab the boy." ordered Jane calmly.

While still pressing a dirk against Brax's neck, the Halfling in a red jacket took out a throwing knife from his belt and stabbed it into Brax's side. Brax screamed in agony as Nain twisted the knife and gave him a Bleeding status.

Compared to the other Skullcaps, both Jane and Nain had a lower chance to be affected by Smoke's newly-acquired ability, and had resisted it.

Jane stared Smoke down and said, "Now, I don't know what you did to my men, but if you want this boy to live, you better give yourself up."

With no weapons out, Smoke racked his brains for a solution.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you just yet." said Jane with malice.

He knew he couldn't trust Jane, but he was willing to play along as long as he could secure Brax's safety.

"Mend his wounds and I won't put up a fight." replied Smoke strongly.

Jane gave a signal to her men and a group of seven shuddering Halflings attended to Brax. Smoke offered his arms to Jane and she tied them up tightly with a rope.

* * * * * *

With his hands and feet tied up, Smoke heard the Halflings talking amongst themselves during the short ride back to Port Royal.

"He must be the DarkElf Casser was talking about." said one of the Skullcaps.

"He doesn't look tough at all, yet he had us on the ropes within seconds." said another.

"Silence!" ordered Jane, "This DarkElf is nothing special. Well, aside from being a special dinner guest for our lord, that is."

After the pirate ship arrived in the harbor, Smoke was carried down to a dinghy, while Brax and the other captives were taken to one of the shacks.

"Are you sure you don't want me to tag along, Cap'n?" asked Nain.

"I'm sure. You know how temperamental our lord can be. I'm the only one who is allowed to converse with him." replied Jane flatly.

Nain bowed down to her and stepped aside.

Jane sat on the rower's seat and expertly rowed the dinghy with the tied-up DarkElf on board. As Smoke was wondering where she was taking him, they headed towards a tall cliff on the other side of the harbor.

After a few minutes, Smoke saw a cave entrance with hundreds of skullcaps growing around it. The green leaves and purple flowers gave the cave an inviting atmosphere, as if beckoning for someone to venture inside it. He curiously watched Jane pluck a flower and place it in her hair.

'Who is she prettying up for?' he wondered.

The moment they entered the cave, Smoke's Cunning of the Dire Fox detected a large monster up ahead.

'What is that?' he wondered. He felt anxious as he was slowly getting closer to an unknown enemy.

With only an oil lamp placed at the front of the dinghy to light her way, Jane kept rowing forward. They soon arrived at a piece of soaked land deep inside the cave. Smoke could sense that the monster was only a couple of meters away from them now, but he couldn't see or hear it. With a grin on her face, Jane secured the dinghy to a large rock and pulled Smoke off of it.

As she took the lamp in her hand, Smoke noticed a pile of bones and ragged clothes nearby. He understood that those were most likely the remains of previous 'dinner guests' Jane brought to the cave. Then, as Jane made several steps forward and raised the lamp above her head, Smoke finally saw the monster.

A massive ball of numerous intertwined vines, about three meters in diameter, was floating two meters above ground. If it weren't green, Smoke would have at first thought that the flying monster was made out of giant spaghetti. Jane then placed the lamp of the ground, knelt down before the monster and said, "I bring you an offering, lord Pates."

Smoke was taken aback when two big, glowing red eyes opened menacingly from within the mass of vines. The green monster started moving around.

'How is that thing flying?' Smoke wondered to himself.

His attention was diverted when a deep opening appeared in between the vines.

"WRRRRAAAAAHH"

A loud roar came from what were seemingly the monster's mouth.

"You want me to come closer, my lord?" Jane asked Pates. Using her knees, the pale-skinned Captain moved forward. "Is this close enough?"

The giant monster did nothing in response.

"I see. Praise and glory to you, high and mighty lord Pates." said Jane, "I bring you a delectable sacrifice." she said and raised her head to gaze upon her lord.

The giant monster's mouth opened once again.

"WRRRAAH"

Jane bowed down and said, "Thank you, my lord. I aim to please." She kept twirling the ends of her hair as she spoke.

'Does she really understand it or is she just crazy?' Smoke wondered to himself.

The Skullcap Captain proceeded with her monologue, "What's that, my lord? You want me to entice your appetite with the tale of how I captured this DarkElf?"

'Is this her god or her pet?' Smoke thought and gave her a patronizing look.

Pates did nothing in response and remained floating in one spot.

"Of course, my lord..." said Jane pleasantly and began to describe her first encounter with Smoke.

Still, there were no changes in the giant monster.

'Yup, she's definitely crazy.' concluded Smoke.

While Jane was busy having an imaginary conversation with Pates, Smoke hurriedly asked Igniz to heat up the surface of his metal compartment. Once it reached scorching temperatures, Smoke brought his hands near it and burned through the rope binding him. After he freed his feet as well, he swiftly leapt towards the ceiling of the cave and used his Claws of Chiropterra to hold onto one of the stalactites. He then carefully pointed his Berserker's Ring of Flames at Jane and Pates. A dark red casting circle appeared beneath them.

Jane and Pates searched for the cause of the casting circle. Pates was the first to find Smoke and extended multiple vines in his direction with great speed. However, before its vines were able to reach Smoke, the progress bar for his ability was filled and flames erupted from the edges of the casting circle.

With both Jane and Pates caught inside it, they were inflicted with Berserk status. Their bodies slightly emitted red steam and they immediately started going after each other.

Pates lashed out ferociously with dozens of its green vines. It hit everything around itself, Jane, the ground, the cave walls, the ceiling. Its attacks were strong enough to take out sizeable chunks of the rocky walls.

Despite Pates' numerous whip-like attacks, Jane managed to reach the bottom of the giant monster. She held onto one of its vines to reach its body and stabbed Pates with her cutlass.

Her body then twitched violently, twice, and stood still. The enraged expression on her face was replaced with one of shock. She looked down at her chest and found two wide holes in it. Ever so slowly, her hands let go of both her cutlass and the vine.

But she didn't fall.

Smoke was baffled at the sight of Jane's body suspended in mid-air, with her hands hanging down. He had been vigilantly watching her and Pates while still channeling the Ring of Flames, but couldn't understand what had pierced her body or why she wasn't falling to the ground.

Suddenly, Smoke spotted something bizarre. Blood that was coming out of Jane's wounds trickled down a diagonal line towards the ground, as if painting the air red. Smoke looked in the direction the trail of blood was going and saw holes in the soft ground. It was then that he realised what had happened.

Pates had two invisible vines connected to its body. It had attacked Jane with them, and they went cleanly through her body and into the ground behind her. They were still there, stuck in the ground, and holding her in place.

Jane's body finally moved when Pates brought her closer to its wide mouth. Without hesitation, it swallowed her whole. Nothing was left of her except for her cutlass, which remained stuck in the giant monster's body.

Smoke noticed the blood-drenched tips of Pates' invisible vines move from its mouth down to the ground below it and press hard against it.

'It's not flying.' Smoke thought in a moment of clarity. 'It probably doesn't have just two, but many more invisible vines simply supporting its body from below.'

Berserker's Ring of Flames' duration came to an end and the Berserk status wore off. To Jane's credit, she managed to reveal Pates' life bar, which displayed (542,250/550,00 HP).

'I can't fight it head-on. I need to...'

Smoke's train of thought was interrupted when the stalactite he was hanging off of detached itself from the ceiling. Landing on the ground, he quickly sidestepped the falling spike.

SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH

Behind him, he heard rocks falling into the water.

"...Oh no." he uttered. He quickly turned away from Pates and released Igniz from his metal compartment. "Fly ahead of me as fast as you can and shine brightly!" he told hastily to his symbiote and leaped over the water.

Pates seemed to stagger in the air as it recovered from the negative status effect it had been afflicted by. It looked around for the DarkElf who was offered to him earlier.

However, Pates only caught a glimpse of Smoke's cape as he was leaving the cave.

RUMBLE CRASH RUMBLE RUMBLE CRASH

Pates' earlier thrashing had damaged the structural integrity of the cave. With Igniz illuminating his path, Smoke managed to safely glide out of the cave in time and escape the cave-in, leaving the giant monster trapped inside.

After taking a glance over his shoulder at the cave's entrance, Smoke ventured towards the harbor alongside Igniz. He could sense more than eighty Pirates waiting for him on the docks. The two of them prepared themselves to fight more of the Skullcaps, when Smoke noticed a commotion over at one of the shacks.

With Telefax Vision, he saw Brax and the captive children struggling against seven Halflings. Four of the children fought clumsily with their bare hands, while the rest cowered behind them. Their life bars were at less than half.

Smoke abruptly changed route towards them, with Igniz flying closely behind him. He landed on the roof of the shack and let loose his poison arrows at the Skullcaps who had their backs turned to him, inflicting increased damage to them. One by one, the Pirates were taken out.

"Good job defending them." said Smoke as he jumped down next to Brax.

"I can't take the credit for that. Some of them were inspired by your actions, and realized that they could fight back and reclaim their freedom." Brax replied with a proud smile, but it quickly faded as he pointed to the captives who were shuddering. "Although, there are many who are still afraid."

At a loss for words, Smoke nodded and pointed to a nearby ship. "Same plan as before: you guys board a ship while I cover your escape. Don't worry, Captain Jane Snow won't be waiting behind the riverbend this time." he said reassuringly.

As Brax and the captives headed for the ship, eight Skullcaps ran after them, but Smoke blocked their path.

Coupled with Igniz's fireballs, Smoke killed three more Halflings using his weighted chain and sickle. His Cunning of the Dire Fox then sensed fifty Skullcaps in the direction Brax was headed. He turned around and saw them in the distance. He easily recognized the Pirate leading them as Nain, due to his red jacket.

Caught between two groups of Skullcaps, Smoke quickly gave Igniz an order, "Trap these five inside a fire cage, bud."

Igniz immediately surrounded them with firewalls.

"Finish them off and fly to me as soon as you're done." said Smoke as he glided over Brax and the captives, and landed in front of them.

Upon seeing Smoke, Nain picked up the pace and he and his group were now running towards Smoke, Brax and the children. As they got closer, Nain yelled, "Where's our Captain, you bilge rat?"

"Nain, right?" Smoke asked the Halfling in charge, "Pates ate her."

"Hold your tongue, liar! How dare you speak our lord's name in vain!" replied Nain angrily. "I don't know what you did to Cap'n Snow, but I'll get the truth out of ye one way or another." he said strongly, "Sick 'em, mateys!"

Fifty Skullcaps charged at him at the same time but were met with a line of firewalls that appeared in front of them. The Pirates immediately came to a halt, as they had learned their lesson from before. Igniz came to Smoke's aid in just the right time.

"Listen to me, Nain! Pates isn't a god. It's just a big monster." said Smoke with a straight face.

"Ha! Then how do you explain the agility we possess? The strength? The skill?" countered Nain.

"I don't know? You guys must be gifted fighters, I guess." replied Smoke.

"Nay, DarkElf." said Nain and shook his head. "Cap'n Snow took us in when we were nothing but hoodlums. She trained us day in and day out; told us every day that lord Pates be empowering us." the Halfling described their delusional life, "Those who couldn't last were brought to our lord. Thanks to their sacrifice, our lord transferred their energy to us and we became better, faster, stronger. We are now feared all over the Murray thanks to Cap'n Snow and lord Pates."

"Jane was crazy! She was imagining her conversations with Pates in her head." Smoke said strongly and raised his hand in frustration.

"You think that because you're an infidel! She is the only one who can understand the divine words of lord Pates." replied the Halfling.

Smoke and Nain were still in a heated argument when they heard a loud noise coming from the collapsed cave. Smoke used his Telefax Vision to discover what he already half-expected: Pates had dug itself out of the cave.

It moved surprisingly fast as its invisible vines traversed over the river and headed directly for the harbor. It only slowed down once it reached the docks, and started destroying everything in its path. Pirates and captives alike were being killed as their bodies were picked up by Pates' vines and thrown into the air together with debris and rubble from the shacks near the docks.

"See, this is what I was talking about." Smoke told Nain and pointed to the giant monster that was almost upon them.

"No, it can't be. Lord Pates has never harmed us before." said Nain in disbelief, "We must have done something wrong and incurred his wrath." As Pates got even closer, the Halfling could see it attacking Skullcaps and captives that were running for their lives.

"Cap'n Snow...we need you! Where are you, Captain?" Nain was panicking and kept looking in various directions while repeating the same question.

The pirate next to him hit Nain's shoulder with the back of his hand. "Nain..." His eyes were fixated on something.

He pointed to the lower part of the monster's body. The leader of the Skullcaps looked up towards Pates.

"No..." Nain let go of his dirk and dropped to his knees.

"No! No, no, no, no, no!" the Halfling kept yelling in horror once he saw Jane's cutlass sticking out from among the vines.

While still relatively far away from them, Pates grabbed one of the Pirates near it with its vines and sent him flying into the wall of a shack that was close to Smoke and Nain.

"Why??? Why did you do it, lord Pates?" Nain screamed at the monster, "She...she was...Jane was..." An image of the beautiful Pirate Captain caressing his face appeared in his mind.

As a tear fell on the ground in front of him, Nain gritted his teeth and stood up. Wiping his eyes, he picked up his dirk.

"Skullcaps!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. The Pirates all turned towards him. Nain climbed onto a nearby wooden barrel and addressed his comrades.

"Our lord has betrayed us! He killed our captain. He killed Captain Snow!" His voice was filled with rage, but his teary eyes revealed sadness. "And, cross my heart, we will make him pay!" Breathing heavily while the Pirates looked at each other with surprised faces, Nain spoke out once more.

"Remember well the sound of coins, the taste of rum, and everything else your hearts hold dear. Let the fear of death quicken your feet, and vengeance guide your hands. Because tonight, lads, our blades shall make a god bleed!"

He raised his dirk above his head and yelled, "In the name of the great Captain Jane Snow, I order ye: charge, Skullcaps! Chaarrrrge!"

As he brought down his dirk and pointed it at Pates, the group of fifty Pirates went around Igniz's firewalls and rushed straight towards the giant monster, ignoring Smoke and the others.

"Alright, time to make a run for it." Smoke told Brax and the captive children. Igniz extinguished his firewalls and all of them made a mad dash for the closest ship.

As they were running, Smoke glanced at Nain, ready to fight him if he tried to stop them. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw that Nain paid them no mind, jumped off the wooden barrel and joined the charge.

Together, Smoke and Brax made preparations for the ship's departure. They pulled out of the docks in no time at all. After they gained some distance away from the harbor, Smoke used his Telefax Vision and observed the ongoing battle between Pates and the Skullcaps.

The giant monster still had 70% of its life bar, while Nain was issuing orders to around thirty surviving Skullcaps. He surmised that the Halflings would be wiped out soon, but then he noticed that more Pirates were coming to their aid from across the bridges that connected the rocky islands. Now, Smoke was no longer sure which side would win. He had a desire to join in and have a three-way battle royale, but Brax's safety was his top priority.

"You want to go back and fight them, don't you?" Brax suddenly asked him.

"No, of course not." Smoke said and hurriedly shook his head, which made it obvious that he did want to go.

Their vessel speedily sailed through the waters. They had almost reached their gateway to freedom...the riverbend...when two pirate ships appeared out of it.

Smoke groaned and hit his hand flatly across his face. He took a deep breath. Slowly lowering his hand, he said, "Here we go again..."

* * * * * *

Twelve hours passed before they finally arrived at the branch of the river that led to Sans Valeur. Vex, Forte and several other villagers carrying harpoons had gathered in front of the village, as a runner had warned them of an incoming pirate ship.

Vex cheered loudly as soon as he saw Brax standing on the deck. The crowd of defenders lowered their harpoons and joined Vex in shouts of joy.

As the ship dropped anchor, Vex ordered one of the defenders to run back ahead of them and tell the great news to other villagers.

"Brax is back! Brax is back!" shouted the defender as he ran through the village.

Once the dinghies carrying Smoke, Brax and the children got to shore, Vex ran to Brax and hugged him tightly. "I thought you were a goner for sure."

"I'm tougher than I look, Vex." chided Brax.

"Indeed you are." agreed Vex and released his hug, "Listen, I have to tell you something. I asked Father not to..."

"You don't have to say anything, Vex. I understand. And you were right, I didn't want you to try to save me." said Brax as he cut off his brother's explanation.

On their journey back, Brax had already asked Smoke why he was the only one there to rescue him. Smoke explained the reason truthfully and did not change a single word Vex said.

Vex gave Brax a simple nod, as a sign of utmost respect.

Together with the rescued children, Smoke, Brax and Vex headed straight to Prex's home. Along the way, the villagers were lined up on the tight and crooked streets. They were all shouting praises and thanks to their goddess Fleuve. Brax was greeted with a hero's welcome. Rumors had immediately spread of how he had saved the children from the Skullcaps, and was only helped by the DarkElf on occasion. In response to this, Smoke kept a low profile and followed meekly behind Brax. Vex followed Smoke's lead and had Brax lead their way.

Finally, they reached Prex's bamboo house and Brax hurriedly ran to his father, dropped down to his knees and said, "Father, I've returned and with me are..." Brax was not allowed to finish his report as his father hugged him tightly.

"Praised be Fleuve for her mercy and protection. She really heard my prayers and sent you back to me." cried out Prex and hugged his son even tighter.

Smoke interrupted their reunion as he brought the children in and cramped the bamboo house. "These are the children the Skullcaps took from other villages. Rescuing them was Brax's idea. If it were up to me, I would have wanted to save them another time, when I would have had more people with me." he said with admiration, "But not Brax. He wouldn't leave the place he was kept in unless we brought all of the children along with us."

The old village chief looked at his son. "Brax, you may not have the respect of all the adults here yet, but you already have the loyal devotion of the next generation." he said proudly with a smile and then turned to the children, "I shall have our strongest fighters return each and every one of you to your villages." Prex paused and looked at them sympathetically, "In the unfortunate event that any of them no longer exist, you are welcome to live here in Sans Valeur. We shall build homes for you here and you will be treated properly."

The children smiled and cheered as they hugged each other. Tears flowed down their faces as they finally felt that they were safe.

"Father, thank you for that." said teary-eyed Brax, "But we wouldn't have made it back if it weren't for Smoke."

Prex then turned to Smoke and called for him to come closer. "There are no words to describe how grateful to you I am for bringing back my son to me. If you ever need anything from Sans Valeur, please don't hesitate to ask."

A notification window popped up.

+ Completed Quest: Steal from the Thieves

You have successfully rescued Brax from the Skullcaps. The villagers of Sans Valeur now recognize you as the helpful DarkElf.

Rewards:
* Intimacy with Prex has increased by 90
* Intimacy with the residents of Sans Valeur village has increased by 40
* 300,000 exp

Smoke's experience bar increased by a small amount and was now close to being full. He shook Prex's hand and said, "Thank you for the trust you put in me. I will always treasure my time here."

Prex nodded and smiled gratefully to Smoke.

Brax then tapped Smoke's shoulder and said, "This isn't expensive, but it's one of my most treasured items." He took out a handcrafted toy model of a fishing boat and gave it to Smoke. "It was a gift from my mother. It has no special attributes, but it's what kept me going after she died. I'm afraid this is all I can offer as your reward for your great service." said an indebted Brax.

Suddenly, a notification window popped up.

+ Your Intimacy with Brax has risen to 'Blood brothers'

Smoke was already more than satisfied with the experience reward. He knew there was no way Brax would leave the village and join his army, but he treasured the sentiment. He took the small fishing boat and stored it safely in his backpack window. He then turned to Brax and said, "I have something for you as well."

He took out the purple-colored jacket and hat. "These should help you protect your village if the Pirates ever come back. Be sure to practice your fighting abilities daily. Once you become the village chief, you will need to be strong enough to protect and inspire those around you."

Brax's eyes grew wide with amazement. "I've never seen such equipment. No, I can't possibly accept these. I'm sure they would be very useful to you." Brax strongly shook his head and refused.

"Take them. Consider them my parting gift to you. You'll greatly dishonor me if you don't accept it." said Smoke convincingly.

With his arms stretched out, Brax humbly received the equipment set. "Thank you. You've helped me beyond measure. If I had the power, I would have given you the title of one of Fleuve's saints." he said sincerely and gave Smoke a small bow.

Although the purple-colored equipment proved to be useful, Smoke needed to keep wearing Sable Wizard's Surcoat for its boost to received exp in order to catch up to Tristan and Amahan. And since he wouldn't have access to the set's equipment ability with just the hat on, he decided it'd be best to leave both items with Brax.

This assured him that Brax could survive on his own and protect Sans Valeur until the time comes when Smoke finds himself in need of its residents' help.

Smoke then stood straight and spoke to everyone in the room, "I'm sorry, everyone, but I must go." He then turned to Prex and said, "I'm sure that Brax will be a great successor to you." He gave them both a bow and was about to leave the bamboo house when a runner arrived with some news.

The runner took a deep breath before giving out his report. "Honorable Prex, a group of Murlocks and Lamias was seen heading to the entrance to the branch of the river that leads to our village." he said joyfully while breathing heavily, "With this, we should be protected by their Siren Song from both Pirates and monsters alike."

Smoke continued on his way out of the house, but not before he heard Prex say, "Even without the Murlocks back, I know that our village will be safe with Brax protecting it."

With his back turned to them, Smoke's lips curled into a proud smile. He walked over to where he hid his rowboat and rowed out of Sans Valeur before the group of monsters the runner mentioned could arrive and block his path. He resumed his journey back to Verbrannt with a light heart and a clear mind.

END

Smoke and Sierra's Status Windows

Character: Smoke

Level: 104

Job: Beggar

Race: DarkElf

Alignment: Neutral

Money: 5,000,000 zecs

Fame: 1,087

Titles: (+ to all stats)
Condortl Savior (+2)
5th Swordsman to Knight Champ (+1)
King of Maneators (+4)

Pet: None

Life: 176, 250 HP

Mana: 249,935 MP

DEX: 605(+27)

STR: 145(+27)

AGI: 30 (+517)

VIT: 10 (+104)

INT: 140(+137)

Wisdom: 110 (+37)

Leadership: 110 (+7)

Charisma: 25 (+7)

Luck: 999

Attack Speed:25(+71)

Movement Speed:65(+15)

Defense:2,513(1/4)

Weapons:

Power Chainsaw Bow: 135-148(1/4)

Attack: 7,888-8,548 (1/4)

Chain & Sickle of Dasende: 245-257(1/4)

Attack: 11,135-17,348 (1/4)

Elemental Resistance:

Elemental Affinity:

Fire:            90%
Dark:          60%
Poison:       44%
Wind:         20%
Water:        20%
Earth:         40%
Lightining: 22%

Fire:           90%
Earth:         75%
Poison:       50%
Wind:         25%
Lightning:  7%

Equipment Effects: (1/4)

*Hooded Cape of Cologus
+20% Earth Affinity
+20% Wind Affinity
+20 Strength
+20 Dexterity

*Claws of Chiropterra
+15% Earth Affinity

*Heart of ReenTe
+30 Vitality

*Sable Wizard's Surcoat
+510 Defense
+10% All Resistance
+15% Bonus Exp

* Lunar Gravity Boots
+15 Movement Speed

* Wise Ring of  the Dire Fox
+30 Intelligence
+30 Wisdom

* Horse Ring of Domination
+50 Intelligence
+30% Earth Affinity

* Berserker's Ring of Flames
+50 Intelligence
+30% Fire Affinity

*Beggar Belt [1 stone]

Skill Effects:

* Agility of the Horned Rabbit (Agility + 510)

* Cooking (Vitality + 67)

* Dual Wield (Attack Speed + 71)

* Knife Mastery (Knife Damage + 66%)

* Bow Mastery (Bow Damage + 88%)

Character: Sierra

Level: 102

Job: Acolyte

Race: HighElf/Werebear

Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Money: 700,000,000 zecs

Fame: 1,087

Titles: (+ to all stats)
Lady of Verbrannt (+3)
Alpha Werebear(+5)

Pet: None

Life: 387, 433 HP

Mana: 80,700 MP

DEX: 10(+8)

STR: 40(+208)

AGI: 10 (+8)

VIT: 317 (+200)

INT: 30(+8)

Endurance: 623 (+8)

Leadership: 210 (+8)

Charisma: 1 (+8)

Luck: 1

Attack Speed:22

Movement Speed:45

Defense: 3,175

Weapons:

Werebear Claws: 155-208

Attack: 8,888-9,548

Elemental Resistance:

Elemental Affinity:

Fire:            20%
Wind:         20%
Water:        20%
Earth:         20%
Lightining: 20%

Not Applicable

Equipment Effects:

Not Applicable

Skill Effects:

* Werebear Resistance(20% increase to Fire,Earth,Wind,Water,Lightning)

* Werebear Constitution (+200 Vitality, +3000 Defense)

* Werebear Prowess (+200 Strength)

* Lycanthrope Pack Mastery (+30,000 HP, +2% increased attack speed to pack members)

Zectas Appendix

SPOILER WARNING! (Contains names of persons you may have not read before)

note:

Sonstwelter - Real World Player

Zectian - NPC

Smoke (Nash Smoak)

Sonstwelter

Race: DarkElf

Job: Beggar

Titles: King of Maneators, Savior of Condortl - Honorary Chief of Condortl, 5TH Swordsman to

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: Verum de Mendicantibus

Abaven Adder

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Warrior

Title: Commander of Smoke's private army.

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: Smoke's private army.

Note: Formerly next in line to be chief of Condortl. Lost his left limb in order to save Smoke.

Sharur Attrayant

Zectian

Race: OrkElf

Job: Range Sieger

Title: <None>

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: Smoke's private army.

Note: Twin brother of Jinggu. Idolizes Smoke and Adder.

Sharanga Sundara

Zectian

Race: WoodElf

Job: Huntress

Title: <None>

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: Smoke's private army.

Note: Twin sister to Vijaya. Specializes in Traps and other ingenious enhancements.

Jinggu Attrayant

Zectian

Race: OrkElf

Job: Range Sieger

Title: <None>

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: Smoke's private army.

Note: Twin brother of Sharur. Idolizes Smoke and Sierra.

Vijaya Sundara

Zectian

Race: WoodElf

Job: Huntress

Title: <None>

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: Smoke's private army.

Note: Twin sister to Sharanga. Is the only Huntress who has 2 falcons.

Laernea Lowe

Zectian

Race: Lioness Limourean

Job: Pathfinder

Title: <None>

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: Smoke's private army.

Note: Her stag moose is called Bilis.

Ichaival Jackal

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Hunter

Title: <None>

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: Smoke's private army.

Note: Son of James Jackal (Nanahuatl's resident Tailor). He's madly in love with Sharanga.

Gandiva Macan

Zectian

Race: Tigress Limourean

Job: Pathfinder

Title: <None>

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: Smoke's private army.

Note: Her stag moose is called Tulin.

Thyrsus Fishcer

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Hunter

Title: <None>

Guild:Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: Smoke's private army.

Note: Son of Peitro Fischer, Nanahuatl's best Fishermen

Weise Rind

Zectian

Race: Maneator

Job: Guardian

Title: <None>

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: Smoke's private army.
Note: Smoke's first Maneator. Has high Intelligence and specializes in Defense.

Espion TÃªtu

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Spy

Title: <None>

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: Smoke's private army.

Note: Son of Beggar Evocatti Caid.

Rasant Rind

Zectian

Race: Maneator

Job: Assailant

Title: <None>

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez
Organization: Smoke's private army.

Note: Smoke's second Maneator. Has high Agility and specializes in Offense.

Stark Rind

Zectian

Race: Maneator

Job: Guardian

Title: <None>

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez
Organization: Smoke's private army.

Note: Smoke's third Maneator. Has high Strength and specializes in Defense.

Rudel a.k.a. Ledur

Zectian

Race: Centaur/Winged Tikbalang

Job: Earth Meister

Title:Captain of the Tikbalang Corps

Guild:Vagrant Vigilantez
Organization: Smoke's private army.

Note: Smoke's captain of his Tikbalang platoon. He was next in line to be Pferede Centaurs Chief.

Sierra (Sherry Levine)

Sonstwelter

Race: Werebear / HighElf

Job: Acolyte

Title: Lady of Verbrannt

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: <None>

Tristan (Tristan ?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Paladin Lord

Title: Baron of Tonaci, Guildmaster of DraccoRicco

Guild: DracoRicco

Organization: ?????

Note: Currently the only person who owns a main city. Has the largest private army of NPCs at 300 members.

CURRENT MEMBERS

FORMER MEMBERS:

Aurora (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Arch Bishop

Title: Commander of DraccoRicco

Guild: DracoRicco

Organization: <None>

Damien (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Ranger

Title: ?????

Guild: ?????

Organization: ?????

Bones (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Shadow Phantom

Title: Commander of DraccoRicco

Guild: DracoRicco

Organization: <None>

Trisha (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Dancer

Title: ?????

Guild: ?????

Organization: ?????

Veiz (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Wizard

Title: ?????

Guild: ?????

Organization: ?????

Amahan (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Exorcist

Title: Guildmaster of Decane

Guild: Decane

Organization: ?????

Note: Currently the highest level player in Zectas. Currently exploring the uncharted northern regions.

Hilot (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: LightElf

Job: Arch Bishop

Title: <None>

Guild: Decane

Organization: <None>

Tirador (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Tiger Lioumerean

Job: Heavy Cannooner

Title: <None>

Guild: Decane

Organization: <None>

Tambal (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Arch Bishop

Title: <None>

Guild: Decane

Organization: <None>

Baskog (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Palladin

Title: <None>

Guild: Decane

Organization: <None>

Atiman (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Shadow Priest

Title: <None>

Guild: Decane

Organization: <None>

Ligon (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Lion Lioumerean

Job: High Knight

Title: <None>

Guild: Decane

Organization: <None>

Magikera (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: HighElf

Job: Aero Magus

Title: <None>

Guild: Decane

Organization: <None>

Puthaw (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Panther Lioumerean

Job: Melee Sieger

Title: <None>

Guild: Decane

Organization: <None>

Bato (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Cheetah Lioumerean

Job: Fire Knight

Title: <None>

Guild: Decane

Organization: <None>

Macher (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Cavalry Knight

Title: ?????

Guild: ?????

Organization: ????

Note: Helped Smoke get into Coatl city. Proposed to be partners with Smoke in the Mounted Racing event. Revealed to be working for Duke Burmistrz, was promised to own Tonaci City.

Sagen(?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Swordsman

Title: ?????

Guild: Feras

Organization: ????

Note: Won against Smoke's younger brother in the real world. Was defeated by Smoke in the 'Swordsman to Knight Tournament'. Guild leader of Feras.

Mamelon(?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Aqua Knight

Title: ?????

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: ????

Note: One of the leaders of the NAP Smoke created during the mounted race. Joined Sierra's fight against Macher near Verbrannt.

NPCs:

Darius

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Beggar Legati

Title: ?????

Guild: <None>

Organization: Verum de Mendicantibus (Secret Society of Beggars)

Note: Smoke's most trusted NPC. He's the one who gave Smoke's hidden job. Nanahuatl's savior. Currently forced to stay within Nanahuatl.

Kumbaba

Zectian

Race: DarkElf

Job: Beggar Imperator

Title: Imperator of the secret society of Beggars

Guild: <None>

Organizations: Verum de Mendicantibus (Secret Society of Beggars) , Domitor Arva

Note: Was once the strongest mortal alive. Sacrificed his life to save the world from his son.

Giro

Zectian

Race: DarkElf

Job: Beggar Legati

Title: ?????

Guild: <None>

Organizations: Verum de Mendicantibus (Secret Society of Beggars)

Note: Was corrupted by the power of the essence diamond. Turned into a half Demon.

Franz Briar

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Farmer

Title: Former Briar Family Head

Guild: <None>

Organizations: <None>

Note: Gave Smoke the quest on gathering root crops.

James Jackal

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Tailor

Title: Former Jackal Family Head

Guild: <None>

Organizations: <None>

Note: Gave Smoke the quest on liberating Condortl village.

Howard Hide

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Tanner

Title: Former Hide Family Head

Guild: <None>

Organizations: <None>

Note: Gave Smoke the quest on liberating Condortl village.

Peitro Fischer

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Fisherman

Title: Former Fishcer Family Head

Guild: <None>

Organizations: <None>

Note: Gave Smoke the quest on clearing Murray river from the murlocks.

Nenek

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Moon Priestess

Title: ?????

Guild: <None>

Organizations: ?????

Note: Sierra's Beginner guide.

Zauberer

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Alchemist

Title: ?????

Guild: <None>

Organizations: ?????

Note: Sierra's potions guide.

Vico

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Battle Priest

Title: ?????

Guild: <None>

Organizations: ?????

Note: Sierra's mace guide.

Madam Dawny

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Retired Adventurer

Title: ?????

Guild: <None>

Organizations: ?????

Note: Mysterious benefactor of Smoke and his men.

Duke Burmistrz

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: ?????

Title: Mayor of Coatl City

Guild: <None>

Organizations: ?????

Note: Business minded mayor of Coatl. Revealed to be true leader of the Brandals. AKA Ultimo Maire.

Caid

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Beggar Evocati

Title: Boss of Noir Emporiom

Guild: ?????

Organizations: Verum de Mendicantibus (Secret Society of Beggars)

Note: A Beggar that had inherited his abilities from his Beggar father.

High General Lizardo

Zectian

Race: Lizardite

Job: ?????

Title: High General of the Lizardites, ?????

Guild: ?????

Organizations: ?????

Note: One of the leaders of the great Reptilian Race.

Spyteria

Zectian

Race: Lizardite

Job: Assassin

Title: <None>

Guild: ?????

Organizations: ?????

Note: formerly assigned to follow Smoke around.

Alteria

Zectian

Race: Lizardite

Job: Assassin

Title: Commander of the Fecund & Virile Lizard

Guild: ?????

Organizations: ?????

Note: Leader of the Lizardites who conquered Condortl village.

Aquaria

Zectian

Race: Lamia

Job: Ice Elementalist

Title: <None>

Guild: ?????

Organizations: ?????

Note: leader of the lamias and murlocks who almost killed Smoke.

Netteria

Zectian

Race: Lizardite

Job: Assassin

Title: <None>

Guild: ?????

Organizations: ?????

Note: Lizardo's spy for the Brandals.

Ultimo Maire AKA Duke Burmistrz

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: ?????

Title: Supreme Leader of the Brandals, ?????

Guild: ?????

Organizations: ?????

Note: Allies with High General Lizardo.

Indignus AKA Semblant
Zectian

Race: Simiavulg - Orangutan
Job: ?????

Title: Grandmaster of Manatl
Guild: ?????

Organizations:WOM - Ways of Manatl
Note: Strongly despises Smoke. Revealed to be a spy of High General Lizardo.

Doctus

Zectian

Race: Simiavulg - Orangutan
Job: ?????

Title: Master of Pillar Temple
Guild: ?????

Organizations:WOM - Ways of Manatl
Note: Helped Smoke gain entry to Saruras village.

Tenvis

Zectian

Race: Simiavulg - Gorilla
Job: ?????

Title: A Master of the specialized temples
Guild: ?????

Organizations:WOM - Ways of Manatl
Note: Has the Manatl that works against physical attacks.

Castas
Zectian

Race: Simiavulg - Chimpanzee
Job: ?????

Title: A Master of the specialized temples
Guild: ?????

Organizations:WOM - Ways of Manatl
Note: Has the Manatl that works against Debuff attacks.

Meras

Zectian

Race: Simiavulg - Gibbon
Job: ?????

Title: A Master of the specialized temples
Guild: ?????

Organizations:WOM - Ways of Manatl
Note: Has the Manatl that works against elemental attacks.

Saru

Zectian

Race: Simiavulg - Gorilla
Job: ?????

Title: None
Guild: ?????

Organizations:WOM - Ways of Manatl
Note: An albino gorilla assistant to the Grandmaster Indignus.

Sot
Zectian

Race: Human
Job: ?????

Title: Banal Village Chief
Guild: ?????

Organizations: Banal Council
Note: A stout man bald man who sees things in black and white.

Sympa
Zectian

Race: Human
Job:Archer

Title: None
Guild:Vagrant Vigilantez

Organizations: Banal Archers
Note: A young, sporty woman who joined Smoke's guild through Ichaival's introduction.

Races

Immortal Celestial Beings

The first and true rulers of Zectas. There are many stories about the celestial beings, but no one is alive to tell if any of them are true.

Sub-Races

Great Gods

Great Demons

Gods

Demons

Gigantes

The strongest mortal race. The second rulers of Zectas but they had a very small population. They mysteriously vanished.

Sub-Races

Titans

Cyclops

Elementi

Raksasa

Reptilians

At one point, they were the most powerful and plentiful race in all of Zectas. It was rumored that they were the reason why the Gigantes vanished.

Sub-Races

Lizardites

Chameleonese

Crocodilians

Draconians

Humans

Currently the race with the highest population. Is said to be the most adaptive race but is also considered to be the most fragile.

Dwarves

The race said to be the most gifted in handling metal. Most of their cities are hidden underneath the ground.

Sub-Race

Dwerlves

Gnomes

There is a long debate to categorized the Gnomes as a sub-race of the Dwarves but they insist that they aren't. It is true that they are not gifted in metallurgy but their expertise lie in agriculture.

Sub-Race

Gnolves

Halflings

A mixture between two races.  Mostly of Elves and Dwarves, but there are some cases of Elves and Gnomes.

Sub-Races

Dwerlves

Gnolves

Centaurs

The race with the upper body of a man with a lower body of a horse. Their race mostly resides in the southern kingdoms.

Elves

The race with the highest affinity for magic, they also belong to the top 3 races with the longest life spans.

Sub-Races

HighElves

WoodElves

LightElves

DarkElves

ManElves

OrkElves

Dwerlves

Gnolves

Orks

The race with the highest fertility rate. Unfortunately, their thirst for battle starts at a very young age, which makes them kill each other. Only 20% reach to the age of adolescent.

Sub-Race

UrukHai

MoriHai

OlegHai

MadoHai

Lioumereans

The race of the cat-like people. They are natural animal whisperers, and their bodies were built for agility and strength.

Sub-Race

Tigers

Lions

Panthers

Cheetahs

Simiavulgs

The race of the monkey-like people. Their race insist on living a nomadic life style and mostly stay within a transmigration path.

Sub-Race

Gorillas

Chimpanzees

Gibbon

Orangutans

Therianthropes

Said to be a cursed race variation of any races mixed with other animals. Also known as the were-people.

Sub-Race

Werebear

Werewolf

Religions

Cuezaltzinity

Followers of the great god Cuezaltzin.

Doctrine: They believe in universal equality. You receive good/bad things according to the good/bad actions you do.

Tezcazinism

Followers of the great god Tezcazin.

Doctrine: They believe that there is no afterlife. All there is, is now. Mostly value worldly possessions.

Chalchizinity

Followers of the great god Chalchizin.

Doctrine: They believe that death is the true meaning of life. Only in death will they truly live forever.

Tlaltezinism

Follwers of the great god Tlaltezin.

Doctrine: They believe in natural selection. The strong have the right to dominate the weak, and the weak are only there to serve the strong.

Table of Contents

- Chapter 01 - Expanded Horizons
- Chapter 02 - Common Goals
- Chapter 03 - New Posse
- Chapter 04 - Lakeside Adventure
- Chapter 05 - Soul Searching
- Chapter 06 - Unique Indoctrination
- Chapter 07 - Failed Experiment
- Chapter 08 - Goblin Crucible
- Chapter 09 - Forged in Flames
- Chapter 10 - Wishful Words
- Side Story - A River of Emotions
- Smoke and Sierra's Status Windows
- Appendix