B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 6
Author: Mike Mignola
Date: 2023-08-02 04:00:00+00:00
Description: With Hellboy gone, agents missing, and Abe Sapien in a coma, the B.P.R.D are on their own. America's monster problem explodes, society crumbles, and Liz Sherman rejoins the fight, as Nazis seek to bring Rasputin back to finish what he started when he first conjured Hellboy! In this new collection, relive the terror of Hell on Earth as it explores those all too human teams left behind to confront the primordial predators now prowling the Earth. Hellboy creator Mike Mignola is joined by a host of talented writers and artists in this latest volume of the B.P.R.D. omnibus series!
Publisher: Dark Horse Books

ZECTAS VOLUME SIX

The Delusive Realm of Mictlan

This book is dedicated to you,
a constant companion is always better than any gift.

Table of Contents

Chapter 01 – Assembled Reinforcements

Chapter 02 – Insipid Circumstance

Chapter 03 – Different Perspective

Chapter 04 – Swamp Meet

Chapter 05 – War Preparations

Chapter 06 – Grave Misuderstanding

Chapter 07 – Reckoning Day

Chapter 08 – Affected World

Chapter 09 – Delusive Mictlan

Chapter 10 – Paroxysmal Arrangements

Side Story – Adapting Times

Smoke and Sierra's Status Windows

Appendix

Chapter One:

Assembled Reinforcements

A fiery image of a DarkElf began to materialize in front of a well-guarded cave. This was the headquarters of the OrkElf rebels, Diebe Den.

‘Looks like Cynar got an upgrade on their equipment,’ surmised Smoke. He saw young OrkElves, barely in their early twenties, wielding broadswords and round shields. Then, there were the older ones carrying two-handed glaives, their muscles more defined.

Before Smoke could even speak, sixteen of the well-armed OrkElves rushed towards him. Eight OrkElves with shields and swords guarded the ones brandishing the glaives from behind them.

“I’m a friend!” cried out Smoke, and raised both hands. “Tell Cynar that Faux is here.”

The OrkElves lowered their stance, planting their feet firmly in their place. Their weapons still trained at Smoke’s body.

“It’s alright,” said a familiar voice which from within the cave. “You can put down your weapons,” added the voice who was obstructed by the OrkElves.

At once, the armed guards who confined Smoke lowered their weapons and stepped away from him.

Parting their way, Smoke finally saw a Flame Knight donning a silver armor. He easily recognized him to be Blaise, Cynar’s right-hand man.

“Hey, is Cynar around?” asked Smoke. “I have some information that I’m sure he would love to hear!”

“It’s not related to how our captive nobles escaped, is it?” asked Blaise. “Now, that’s certainly something I’m interested in.”

“I can’t believe how you got Cynar to believe in you,” said Blaise. “In all my years of being with him. This is the first time I’ve seen him this hoodwinked.”

“Mm…” replied Smoke, shaking his head defensively. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure! Of course, you don’t,” said an antagonizing Blaise. He walked over to Smoke and angrily pointed at him. “How many years do you think I had to work as a slave for one of those royal nobles? What kind of missions do you think they had me do while I was under their service?”

Smoke did not respond, slightly confused at what the silver Flame Knight was getting at.

“I endured all of that! In order to assure Cynar’s rise into power,” added Blaise. “And now, you, appear out of nowhere and expect Cynar to listen to you?”

“That’s enough!” exclaimed Cynar, who stepped out from the depths of Diebe Den.

With one glance, Smoke recognized that the masked OrkElf Assassin had changed. He had an aura of power about him.

“Blaise, I told you to forget about those children already,” said Cynar. “And can you get over how many times you’ve sacrificed for our cause? Don’t think that you’re the only one who had to suffer to get to where we are.”

The Flame Knight backed off, he turned around while shaking his head in disapproval.

Cynar removed his mask and smiled at Smoke. “Welcome back, Faux!” said the OrkElf Assassin and offered him his hand.

Smoke smiled back behind his Paradox Mask and said. “Good to see you again, but we have to hurry.”

“Huh? Why?” asked Cynar, confused.

“I know where Wertlosvati is,” replied Smoke. “How many of your men can you—”

Smoke was not allowed to finish his question, as Cynar suddenly appeared in front of him.

The OrkElf Assassin pointed a black knife at Smoke’s neck and said. “You better not be joking.”

“I’m not!” exclaimed Smoke. He firmly held Cynar’s arm, preventing the blade to go any further. “He’s attacking Vectas City as we speak,” he added.

Without waiting for any more confirmation, Cynar yelled out a series of commands. “Sound the horns!” he cried out. “Priority one is here! This is not a drill!”

One of the guards standing outside the cave blew on the horn of an ancient bison.

TOTOOOOTT TOTTOTTOOOOOOT TOTOOOOTT TOTTOTTOOOOOOT

Less than a few seconds later, a thunderous galloping sound came from a different side of Diebe Den.

‘Looks like they also improved the cave,’ thought Smoke, grinning at the incoming dirus wolves before him.

From the new exit of the cave, he saw hundreds of dirus wolves come out, each one of them mounted by two OrkElves.

Two unmounted dirus wolves came rushing forward towards Cynar and Blaise. As soon as the mounts got closer, the two OrkElf leaders sprang on their respective steeds.

“Faux, you can ride with me,” offered Cynar. “Tell us where Wertlosvati is.”

“Thanks, but I’ll just lead you from above,” said Smoke. He leaped up and opened his hooded cloak. Without a word, he glided towards Vectas City.

“Faux? You can fly? Since when did you—” called out Cynar from behind him, as the army of OrkElves chased after him.

Glancing below, he roughly estimated three-thousand dirus wolves. Smoke’s current top speed is 210 kilometers per hour. However, in order for the OrkElf army to follow him, he decided to reduce his speed by a fourth.

“Vectas City Location!” called out Smoke while gliding.

An information window instantly popped up.

MAP LOCATION: Vectas City

Coordinates: Latitude: -15°23′ S, Longitude: -11°35′ W

Note: One hundred kilometers away from current location.

‘At this rate, it will take us at least an hour to get there,’ calculated Smoke.

“Hey, Faux!” called out Blaise from below. “Is that the fastest you can go? Because my wolf is already complaining. Hoffart is not used to running this slow!”

“Are you sure?” asked a skeptical Smoke. He observed the horde of OrkElves on dirus wolves and saw that their mounts were not bothered by the pace at all.

“Alright, let’s go!” yelled Smoke, and increased his speed.

They picked up a large cloud of dust, as they traversed the sandy plains with great haste.

Occasionally, there were coalitions of sand cheetahs that tried to attack them, but Smoke casually dug trenches too wide for the sand cheetahs to leap across.

By neglecting any of the incoming aggressive monsters their way, Smoke and the OrkElf army reached the outskirts of Vectas City in only forty minutes.

A relieved Smoke was grinning behind his mask. From his point of view, he saw a city on top of a hill, with its walls still intact and four breathtaking ballistae still installed on top of its walls.

‘Phew! Looks like we made it in time,’ thought Smoke. ‘Vectas looks even smaller than Centzo City,’ he mused, thinking that this was the smallest city he had seen so far inside the game.

“Faux, stop!” called out Blaise, and ordered the army to do the same. “Most of our mounts have already spent half their stamina getting here this quick,” he explained, patting Hoffart’s head.

“You were the one who told me to go fast,” countered Smoke, as he hovered directly above both Cynar and Blaise.

“Alright, let’s focus on where our enemy is,” said Cynar. “Normally, I wouldn’t even defend this city, but seeing as Wertlosvati is here, I’ll make this one exception.”

“So? Where are they, Faux?” asked Cynar. “Where is the Ork Horde? Where is Wertlosvati!”

“I don’t know,” replied Smoke, looking around at all directions. “Maybe, we arrived before they—”

Before Smoke could finish talking, the walls of Vectas City before them crumbled to the ground.

Hundreds of Orks were seen running wild in the city streets. Hundreds of Sonstwelter Merchant stalls laid to waste, as their broken pieces scattered on the ground.

Several of the green giants were busy loading their mounts with sacks. All of which were clearly filled with loot.

Yet, the most disturbing sight of all was that of the captured Zectians. Even though they were in the streets, the Orks began to rip off their clothes.

“Don’t worry,” said Cynar. “We’ll save them,” he said and led a blitzing charge for the broken wall.

With most of the Orks preoccupied with their spoils, Smoke and the OrkElves reached them without being noticed.

SHINK SLINK SHUNK

Numerous broad swords and spears resonated, as Smoke and the OrkElves outnumbered the UrukHai in the area by 6,000 to 2,000.

The OrkElves riding in tandem displayed how well they were trained. Focusing on one Ork, the driver of the dirus wolf engaged from the front, while the passenger stepped on the Ork’s shoulder and clung to the neck, simultaneously stabbing the back.

Of course, the OrkElf leaders would not be outdone by their underlings!

Blaise faced the UrukHais by himself. Equipped with his Salamander’s Tongue, he swiftly took out his flamberge from its scabbard. Thus, revealing its blade to be covered in orange flames. While mounted, he was evenly matched with the height of the green giants. He swung his fiery flamberge across the Ork’s neck, igniting him into flames. After he finished with one, the Flame Knight hurried to hunt down his next Ork.

Meanwhile, Cynar dismounted from his dirus wolf. Moving in a black blur, the OrkElf Assassin slit the throats of all the UrukHais he encountered. He left them to die, with their life bars steadily diminishing, inflicted with the Bleeding and Poisoned status.

On the other hand, a flying Smoke carefully chose his targets. He focused on the Orks who had captured Zectian Elves. Using his Synergized state, he gathered his mana into his palms and created a big whirling flame in front of him. After he finished the ability requirements, he let out thirty-two flame-swords at once. Each one given a simple instruction, to pierce the UrukHai it was set upon.

In less than twenty minutes, Smoke and the OrkElves killed all two-thousand Orks in the immediate area.

Without bothering to pick up the dropped loot by the Orks, Smoke flew upward and scanned the city. Using his Telefax Vision, he saw that the rest of Vectas was in a similar state. Looking further inward, he finally saw the brunt of the Ork Horde. It was surrounding the city’s castle. The Breathtaking Ballistae on the castle walls, let out a continuous volley of green balls of poison at the invading Orks below. However, it proved to be ineffective against them. The interlopers simply stood back up after being hit.

“Wertlosvati is about to break down the final walls of the city,” said Smoke, pointing towards the Duke’s Castle.

“Then, what are we waiting for?” said Cynar. “Men, onward!”

* * * * * *

“Green Prime Wizard, open gates of yours. Allow us entrance to yours!” yelled Wertlosvati at the flying Chrysopelea.

“Why would I do that? When you are about to surrender,” replied Chrys. “As we speak, the Mages inside are creating a powerful spell to kill you all.”

Wertlosvati chuckled loudly. “Kaningi boangi, makatoni patyoni kunin tanir nilar!”

Thousands of Orks laughed after their General explained Chrysopelea’s bluff.

“Guess surrender we better be doing,” replied Wertlosvati. “But, Orks said to be boangi. Oh, sorry, I meaning stupid. Stupid that we fear no death or empty threats of yours.”

“Also, do yours Sonstwelter know how to count?” asked the UrukHai General.

Chrys did not reply but merely furrowed his eyebrows.

“Do yours not see? We are more than ten-thousand Orks here,” said Wertlosvati. “Thousands more ransacking the city now,” the Ork then strongly shook his head. “Why you asking us surrender?” he sarcastically laughed.

Turning to face his UrukHai army, Wertlosvati screamed out. “UrukHai, sakaanir nakamor!”

Without delay, the Orks beside Wertlosvati began to scale the castle walls.

In response, Chrys flew down and braved the thrown mallets and axes at him. He spread his arms apart and created a powerful wind from both palms.

Suddenly, Chrys’ spiraling winds began to merge, increasing its speed even further. Loose rocks and branches flew towards the swirling tornado as they were picked up by the strong winds.

However, only the orange hairs of the UrukHai were pulled by Chrys’ sudden air vortex. Their grips on the castle walls remained firm.

Chrys then yelled out from within his cyclone. “Mages, now!”

FUG VLUG FUG VLUG FUG VLUG FUG

A rain of fireballs, comets, and flame arrows fell down on the climbing green giants. Each fiery attack had doubled its size, buffed by Chrys’ chaotic winds.

One by one, the Orks clinging on the walls were dropped, but this was only for the ones near the tornado. The UrukHais outside the range, steadily continued upward, unaffected by the elemental magics launched at them.

With several Orks reaching near the top, Warrior Guards switched out the place of the Mages. There were less than a thousand of these melee fighters, but they were the city’s last line of defense.

Without warning, the bricks on the walls began to stick out, critically striking the Orks’ faces. Either their eyes, nose, or mouth, whichever part the brick hit, blood was sure to come out.

A flying Smoke hovered a hundred meters left from Chrysopelea’s tornado, manipulating the fragments of the wall to obey his bidding.

The targeted UrukHais lost their grips. Their wanton cheers vanished, replaced only with screams of falling to the ground. Due to their high life bars, more than half of them survived. Yet, the stragglers were only spared 20% of their maximum HP.

“Chrys!” shouted Smoke over to the twister, with the Vectas Prime Wizard in it. “Move to your right!”

“Faux? Is that really you?” asked Chrys from within the spinning vortex. “How in the world did you get here?”

“Never mind that,” replied Smoke. “Let’s just spread out and stop any Orks from climbing over the walls.”

“But attacking them while they’re climbing would allow us to face them at their most vulnerable,” answered Chrys. “I know that you have an impressive amount of mana, but even, you, can’t keep the Orks from climbing forever.”

“I don’t plan to,” said Smoke. “We just have to drop them down so that they could deal with them,” he explained, pointing down at Cynar and his army of OrkElves.

“Where in the… How did you—” babbled Chrys but stopped himself. The troubled expression on his face conveyed the alarming reality. Even with the OrkElf reinforcements, they were still outnumbered.

“Stop hesitating,” called out Smoke. “And just fight!”

“Like we have a choice! Let’s do this!” replied Chrys with gusto, and his cyclone shifted farther the opposite side of Smoke.

Spreading themselves to cover almost 80% of the wall, both Smoke and Chrys sent thousands of UrukHais downward, severely injuring them from attacks and the hard fall on the ground.

* * * * * *

Smoke placed his trust on Cynar, that he would lead his men to finish off the fallen green giants, but the OrkElf Assassin had other things in mind.

“Charge! Charge! Charge! No one stop for anything!” commanded Cynar, riding his dirus wolf at full speed. “Wertlosvati’s head will roll today!” he added with angst.

“Cynar, wait!” called out Blaise from behind. “We might get locked in if we continue with this madness!”

Cynar did not budge. Instead, he increased the pace of his mount’s gallop even further.

“We need to thin out their numbers!” Blaise explained while riding after Cynar.

But still, Cynar continued on, focused on his horrific monster of a father.

“Are you even listening? Going in like this doesn’t assure us of Wertlosvati’s death,” argued Blaise. “This only guarantees us of an early entrance to Mictlan!”

Throwing paralysis darts with astounding speed, Cynar momentarily incapacitated the UrukHai blocking their way.

Blaise unleashed his flamberge. Red flames wildly spewed out from its blade, as if searching for flesh to devour. With a single strike on the backs of the Orks, his salamander tongue slew the green giants. For those who were fortunate enough to survive, they were inflicted with the Burned status. The life bars of the charred Orks steadily depleted. The OrkElves under the Flame Knight’s command synergized with his fiery attacks. They slashed their broad swords at the Orks and opened a path for Cynar to pass through.

As they rode fifty-meters deeper into the throng of Orks, the strength of their enemies exponentially grew. Yet, despite their slower advance, Cynar remained unchanged. It was then that Blaise angrily yelled out. “Cynar, stop! We need a plan!”

Blaise’s flaming sword still held its fury, but his men had lost their fire. Most of them were panting heavily, trying to catch their breath.

Instead of listening to Blaise, Cynar clutched more paralysis darts in his hands. With blitzing hand movement, targeting the Orks blocking his path to Wertlosvati.

“Fine! Run to your own death!” exclaimed an infuriated Blaise. “But you’re not taking my men with you!”

“Inferno Squad, move left towards the wall!” Blaise commanded.

With the silver Flame Knight in the lead, two-thousand out of the six-thousand OrkElves disengaged from the mad charge against Wertlosvati. The sudden shift of their movement, caused the Orks to topple against each other.

Apart from losing their footing, the Orks also became confused. Several of the green giants fell backward, pulling down many of the Orks beside them.

Seeing this, Cynar quickly took advantage of this crack in their defense.

“Forward! These stupid Orks don’t know what to do!” Cynar called out to the OrkElves behind him. “Werlosvati’s head is ours for the taking!” he screamed.

A sudden boost of morale fell over the OrkElves under Cynar’s command.

Cynar then motioned to one of the bulky OrkElves behind him. “Beistand,” he called out. “Take the lead and refill the gap in our formation.”

In less than ten seconds, Cynar’s assault pushed on. Even with his decreased number of men, they still plowed through the Orks with little care for defense. Their life bars slowly chipped away by the attacks they choose to ignore, solely focused on getting to where Wertlosvati was.

After crossing two-hundred meters of Orks, more than five-hundred OrkElves had fallen. Yet, Cynar paid it no mind, as he finally saw a white banner with two double-headed axes crossed against together. The weapons were positioned in a way that the axes formed a “W.”

Paralysis darts, broad swords, and spears pierced through the final wall of Orks, as they forcibly pushed their way to the UrukHai General.

Finally, Cynar and his men arrived at their destination. They were gasping for air in front of a dark green Ork, more than three meters tall, brandishing two double-headed axes.

“Me impressed,” said Wertlosvati, mounted on top of the biggest dirus wolf in the battlefield. He then lifted both his axes and motioned for the Orks to give them some room.

At once, a clearing appeared between Cynar and Wertlosvati.

“You, my weakly son from… Quelle Village?” asked the Ork General, pointing one of his double-headed axes at Cynar.

“Me remembering yours to be thinner,” went on Wertlosvati. “Yours seem to have put on some meat. Plan to take on my straight attacks?”

Cynar did not reply, and only clenched his fists. Looking straight into Wertlosvati’s eyes with an abyss of hateful silence.

“Yours silent making me remembering yours mother,” said Wertlosvati. “She no making sound when me came to her. She no even fight me.”

As Wertlosvati spoke, the Orks continued to back away. An engrossed Cynar failed to notice, that he and his men were now enclosed. The path that cost the lives of hundreds of OrkElves, now vanished.

“That’s right,” replied Cynar, breaking his loathsome quietude. “I heard she didn’t resist you. Do you know, why?”

Wertlosvati guffed. “Of course! Because looking at me? Me am most handsomest of all!”

“Gruk gruk gruk gruk,” came the noise from Wertlosvati’s maniacal laughter.

“Gruk! Gruk! Gruk! Gruk!” chimed in the rest of the Ork Horde.

“No,” said Cynar, shaking his head slightly. “It was so that she could give birth to me.”

“Yours mother wanted my children?” asked an astounded Wertlosvati.

“She did,” replied Cynar.

In a blur, Cynar’s hands disappeared as they went to his quiver of paralysis darts. He unleashed the last ones, targeting the Orks behind his father.

“Yours missed me!” snorted Wertlosvati. “Gruk gruk gruk! Yours weak and cannot be aiming! Gruk gruk gruk!”

Cynar reached deep into his robes and let out a new weapon on each hand. They had a short, wide, triangular blade of forty centimeters in length.

“Them are strange weapons,” said Wertlosvati. “But nothing—”

Cynar stopped Wertlosvati from yapping on, as he screamed. “She had me born to kill you!”

The OrkElf Assassin disappeared from sight.

SWISHK SWISHK SWISHK SWISHK

As Cynar materialized behind the Ork General, a rush of deep stab wounds inflicted Wertlosvati’s back.

“How do you like my katars?” asked Cynar, driving his triangular blades deeper and faster.

Wertlosvati screamed in pain. “Warraah!” He extended his axes as far back as he could reach, forcing Cynar off him.

SWISHK SWISHK SWISHK SWISHK

Sounds of twin katars piercing Wertlosvati’s flesh resonated in the skirmish, as Cynar reappeared in front of him.

“Nagunsair kamori dirah! Atakir!” bellowed Wertlosvati. He stroke down his double-headed axes, and hit nothing but the ground before him. “UrukHais, atakir!” he yelled and commanded the Orks around him to attack.

Without needing for Cynar’s instructions, the remaining OrkElves in the clearing charged forward. None of them showed signs of hesitation, as they plunged into the fray of Orks.

“They may have us surrounded, but we’re now about even in numbers,” said Cynar, as he pointed over to the direction of the Orks on the wall, who were fighting against Smoke, Chrys, Blaise, and the Inferno Squad.

“HOOH-HA!” screamed the OrkElves in cheer, as they brandished their long spears and broadswords at the UrukHais.

With the morale of his men at an all time high, Cynar repeatedly vanished instantaneously. But he always dealt a massive amount of damage on Wertlosvati each time he reappeared.

“Weakling, face me like a man and take my attac—” taunted Wertlosvati, but was silenced when a katar went straight through his mouth and the triangular tip exited the other side of the Ork’s face.

“I knew that I was far below your strength,” explained Cynar, stabbing his detested father. “That’s why I heightened my speed even more.”

SWISHK SWISHK SWISHK SWISHK

Afterimages of Cynar appeared from all side, as he sped up further.

Despite having the advantage, Cynar suddenly stopped. “How do you like me know?”

A bleeding Wertlosvati replied. “You’re more Ork than you think.” The Ork General went down on his knees and dropped both his axes.

Cynar sneered and stared down at his father. “Don’t call me that just because I’m about to kill—” began the Assassin, but was cut short.

In one sudden motion, Wertlosvati raised Cynar up by the neck. Next, the Ork General pried off Cynar’s katars and disarmed him. “No, no because of killing,” explained the smug Wertlosvati. “Yours Ork because yours arrogant and stupid!” he said and began to crush his son’s neck.

* * * * * *

When Blaise and the Inferno Squad broke off from Cynar’s group, they started targeting the fallen Orks near the base of the castle walls.

The arms of the mounted OrkElves swirled fast like windmills, slashing the exposed necks of the green giants.

Despite being injured, the Orks fought back. Using their mighty two-handed swords, mallets, and axes, the UrukHai brought down one out of ten mounted OrkElves to the ground.

The ones who were grounded would not last a minute, as the UrukHai would focus on the tripped riders until their last HP left them.

Abandoning the lead, Blaise turned around and went to help one of his grounded subordinates.

Since there was a wide gap between Blaise and his men, he used one of his flaming flamberge’s active abilities. The salamander tongue segmented into several parts, extending its length to five meters. The flames of the sword became hotter in between the broken blades, burning the green skin off the Orks.

Using a flurry of whip-like strikes, Blaise saved one of his subordinates. However, there were eighteen more of them lying on the ground, dead.

“Suerte, take my mount and lead the rest of the Inferno Squad towards Faux,” Blaise said to the OrkElf he just saved and dismounted from his dirus wolf. “I’ll grab their attention and hold them off here.”

“But, Sir. There are too—” began Suerte, but was silenced with a stern stare from Blaise.

Before the Orks could reach them, the silver Flame Knight hurriedly propped up Suerte onto his mount and said. “Now, go, and don’t look back!”

When Suerte was out of range, Blaise used his sword’s ultimate ability, Incinerator. The segments of the lengthy flamberge broke off from its handle and flew in all directions, stabbing and slashing the Orks within its range of ten meters.

Within seconds, a dome of blades and flames materialized with Blaise at its center. Whenever the Flame Knight moved, the dome of segmented flame blades moved with him.

Only after two minutes, Blaise depleted all of his mana. As the flames of the Incinerator ability died out, the salamander tongue returned to the shape of a flamberge.

Dozens of burnt Ork bodies laid on the ground. Most of them were severed off to tiny portions while a few only had missing limbs.

However, the Orks who were outside the range of the Incinerator had now gathered around the silver Flame Knight.

“Come!” said Blaise to the Orks with bravado. “I’ll send all of you to Mictlan today!”

Despite putting up a powerful front, the injured Orks swelled in numbers as they gathered around him.

Even after the Inferno Squad’s initial charge and Blaise’s Incinerator ability, the UrukHais near the wall still numbered two-thousand. Only half of them were killed.

Trapped, Blaise held his flaming flamberge with both hands. Sixteen Orks came at him at once, from opposite directions. Swinging wildly, he struck two of them and sent them flying back to the throng of green giants.

But the remaining Orks, who got past Blaise’s desperate swings, dealt heavy blows to his body. While he barely dodged a sword aimed at his head, a mallet slammed hard against his back. He received more and more blows, as his life bar displayed (180,000/860,000 HP), and was still quickly declining.

Additional Orks charged towards Blaise, a cloud of dust picked and directed the sand towards the green giants’ eyes. Chrys’ cyclone did little damage to the UrukHais, but it still served its purpose of distracting them.

Smoke stepped out from the dust cloud. He launched several magma-spikes from the ground, piercing the Orks from the back.

At the same time, Suerte and the rest of the mounted Inferno Squad charged for another run at the Orks.

The combined attacks of Smoke, Chrys, and the Inferno Squad left the UrukHai bewildered. Most of them turned their backs and ran towards the flag of the twin axes.

It was then, that Blaise saw Cynar was being strangled to death.

“Faux!” called out the injured silver Flame Knight. “You have to help Cynar!” he said desperately, pointing to Wertlosvati’s banners.

Smoke then turned to the green Prime Wizard of Vectas. “Chrys, I’ll leave this area to you,” he said and glided towards Cynar.

* * * * * *

With the walls free from Orks, the Breathtaking Ballistae trained their attacks on the UrukHai near Wertlosvati. A timely occurrence since the OrkElves under Cynar now outnumbered the Orks two to one. They might hold the advantage in numbers, but it needed two regular OrkElves to fight one UrukHai.

Yet, despite the favorable odds, a disarmed Cynar was suspended in mid-air. He was gasping to breathe, held up solely by Wertlosvati’s right arm.

“Boangi, yours a weakling till the end,” Wertlosvati said to Cynar. “Yours die before me leaving.”

“Aawak, aack, aack,” was all Cynar could reply as he pounded his fists against Wertlosvati’s muscular arm in futility. His life bar displayed (64,000/664,000 HP).

“Goodbye mine weakling,” said Wertlosvati, tightening his grip around Cynar’s neck.

Then, a bright light from the sky made the Ork General pause and turn towards it.

CRASH

Several pieces of rocks flew everywhere, as Smoke used his Comet Crush ability right next to Wertlosvati.

With the Ork General stunned, Smoke used his melded elemental manipulation. Sixteen magma-spikes erupted from the ground and pierced through Wertlosvati’s body.

Smoke focused one of the magma-spikes towards Wertlosvati’s arm, freeing Cynar. The OrkElf Assassin fell down with a loud thud.

“Thank you, Faux,” said Cynar in between breaths, as he gulped for air and massaged his neck.

Meanwhile, Wertlosvati was screaming in agony. The burning magma-spikes inflicted the Bleeding and Burned status on him. His life bar had 25% left.

Smoke gathered magma in front of him, and was about to launch the killing blow, but Cynar yelled out.

“Stop, Faux! I’m the one who’s supposed to kill him!” Cynar said to Smoke, as he crawled to where his katars where. “I’ll kill you if you do!”

Smoke continued gathering his magma and said. “Sorry, but we’ve got to end him now.”

Then, an unexpected notification window popped up.

– WARNING: Killing Wertlosvati would decrease your Intimacy with Cynar.

THWACK

A war hammer struck Smoke squarely on the back. His head skidded on the ground. Fortunately, his pyro mask took most of the damage, but his spine took the full attack. The force of the sudden back attack pushed him down, sending him to skid face first for three meters.

THUD THUD

A green gigantic Ork landed next to Wertlosvati. He pulled on the iron chain attached to the war hammer, bringing it back to him.

“Are you sure you’re fit to be our General?” said the wielder of the war hammer.

Smoke was still struggling back on his feet, but he could understand their Orkish clearly.

“Shut up, Wertlosrauber,” replied the captured UrukHai General. “Just get me out of here already.”

“Stop!” yelled Smoke in Orkish. “None of you are going anywhere!”

“A DarkElf who speaks our tongue?” said the one called Wertlosrauber. “Maybe he really is more powerful than he—” began the Ork Colonel, but was cut short. Green wind-cutters pelted on his chest, which made the Ork parry the attacks with his hammer.

Dozens of Orks swarmed around Wertlosvati and Wertlosrauber, blocking any clear shots at the two UrukHai leaders.

“Faux? You, alright?” asked Chrys hovering from above, flying closer towards him. He then created amplifying casting circles above the UrukHais near Wertlosvati. Shortly after, fireballs from the Mages on the wall passed through them. Debris flew everywhere, as powerful spells rained down on them.

“Chrys, what are you doing here?” asked Smoke. “What about Blaise?”

“Who?” replied Chrys, while attacking the Orks who were about to assault Smoke.

“The Flame Knight I left you with,” explained Smoke, as he fought attacked the incoming green giants with magma-spikes. “What about the Orks near the wall?”

“Most of them were already dead, that’s why the Flame Knight told me to back you up here,” said Chrys, as he fired wind-cutters on the Orks guarding Wertlosvati. “So, that’s the leader, huh?”

“Yeah, we have to kill him now,” said Smoke while attacking the same area as Chrys. He switched to using earth-pillars, as his mana bar was already running dangerously low.

With Smoke and Chrys focusing their attacks on the Ork guards, a half-dead Cynar jumped over the assaulted UrukHais and dove straight into them.

“That suicidal idiot!” shouted Smoke. He stopped attacking with earth-spikes and followed suit. He leaped up and used his Comet Crush ability on the gathered Orks. He hesitated to use it before, as he would have practically no mana left to defend against the Orks at such a close range.

CRASH

Eight Orks near the epicenter of his crash site were blown away. Given the little clearance, Smoke spotted the mad Cynar desperately stabbing his katars at the nearest Orks.

Almost depleted of his mana, Smoke equipped his brown manatl staff. He ran towards Cynar and fought the Orks beside him.

“Where is he? Where is he!” screamed Cynar, while stabbing his triangular blades into an UrukHai’s neck.

“I don’t see him anywhere,” said Smoke, beating an Ork on the head with his manatl staff.

“How could you let him go?” Cynar asked Smoke, flailing his arms everywhere.

Smoke did not reply to Cynar’s idiocy. Instead, he focused on fending off the Orks closing on Cynar’s back, as he was confident that the ones facing the mad Assassin were being handled with his bloody katars. His brown staff did little damage, but it proved to be effective at crowd control, pushing the mob of Orks backward.

After three-minutes passed, wind-swords pierced through the Orks Smoke was fighting against. A flying Chrys killed them, as he drew closer.

“The Flame Knight and his OrkElves are heading this way,” said Chrys from above. “We got them, Faux—” Chrys was cut off, as the sound of loud horns echoed in the battlegrounds.

TOOTTRRROT TOOT TORROOT TOOT TORRROOT

All of the UrukHai immediately stopped attacking and scrambled to escape.

TOOTTRRROT TOOT TORROOT TOOT TORRROOT

“No! Not again!” screamed Cynar. “Someone give me their dirus wolf!” he ordered to his OrkElves.

Cynar ran over to the first dirus wolf he saw.

“Wait,” called out Smoke and blocked his path. “Let’s regroup first. We can’t just—” he was cut off by Chrys’ warning.

“Faux! Behind you!” yelled Chrys.

Smoke turned around and saw Wertlosvati’s double-headed axe heading straight for him. Without a second to spare, he put up a concave manatl in front of him.

TWANG

Wertlosvati’s ax made a loud noise as it smashed into Smoke’s purple barrier.

Smoke grinned, as his manatl stood firm. But his smirk vanished as soon as he saw the Ork General’s second ax flying past him. It was headed directly for Cynar.

With what little HP the OrkElf Assassin had left, Smoke was sure that Cynar would be killed by the ax.

Before anyone could react, Blaise appeared in its direct path. The silver Flame Knight sliced the double-headed ax with his salamander tongue.

Unfortunately, the first half of the ax plunged deep into Blaise’s cranium, while the other penetrated into his chest.

“Blaise! What did you do?” screamed Cynar, as he caught the falling body of his friend. He rested Blaise’s head on his lap.

“Faux, I’m going after the Orks,” said Chrys. Without waiting for Smoke’s reply, the Prime Wizard of Vectas flew towards the broken walls, where Wertlosvati’s banner was escaping out of the city.

Seeing Blaise’s life bar quickly draining to zero, Smoke used his Life Share ability on him.

Small white orbs of light launched out from his palms. They latched onto the dying Flame Knight laid down against Cynar, but his life bar did not increase. The Bleeding damage from the embedded ax segments overpowered Smoke’s poor healing ability.

Using his last bit of strength, Blaise threw his salamander tongue over to Smoke and said. “Faux, take care of Cynar for me.”

A stunned Smoke caught the lengthy flamberge, and a notification window popped up.

+ Acquired unique flamberge: Salamander’s Tongue

“What are you doing?” asked Smoke. “You’re not dying yet,” he said, unconvinced of his own words.

“Shut up, and do my final wish!” exclaimed Blaise.

Blaise laid down with his eyes obstructed by the chunk of an ax in between his forehead. “Cynar, don’t follow me to Mictlan just yet. I hope that you’ll lead our men to—” the Flame Knight could not finish his final words, as the last of his HP drained out of his body.

“Noooo!” screamed Cynar, and mounted his dirus wolf. “Everyone!” he yelled, almost bursting his lungs. “We’re chasing after the Orks.”

Before the OrkElves could mobilize, Smoke hurriedly put up several earth-pillars around Cynar.

“Let me go, Faux!” screamed Cynar.

“Do you want to waste Blaise’s sacrifice?” yelled back Smoke . “You and your men don’t have enough strength to face him today.”

“Let me go, or I’ll kill you!” bellowed Cynar.

“No! No one else is dying today,” said Smoke, reinforcing the barrier which prevented Cynar and the rest of the OrkElves from chasing after the UrukHais.

Then, a notification window popped up.

– Intimacy with Cynar has dropped to ‘Despised Acquaintance’

* * * * * *

Nash pried open his game pod. Dragging his legs over the entrance, he sat there for a few seconds and let out a deep sigh.

With the room indoor wide open, Seth spotted him looking all dejected.

“Hey, something wrong?” asked Seth.

“Huh?” said a startled Nash, looking at his younger brother. “Nothing,” he replied shaking his head. “This game is too real sometimes… still can’t get over the deaths of Zectians that I know.”

“But that’s why you’re heading over to that afterlife place, right?” said Seth. “What was it called again? Mixland? Mechland?”

“It’s Mictlan,” replied Nash. “But let’s forget about that. What about you? How are your advance lessons going?” he asked, trying to change the subject, and also wanting to take an active role in the life of his brother.

“Actually, there’s something I wanted to show you,” said Seth. “If you have some free time now?”

“Sure,” replied Nash, all curious.

An excited Seth led Nash to his room.

Seth’s room looked like it came out of a minimalist magazine; neat, functional, and spacious. His double size bed all made up, his one cabinet all spick and span, even his laundry hamper was empty.

Yet, there was one section of his room that stood out. Near his computer desk, stood a black tower with several racks in it. It had various cube-fans, rams, motherboards, video cards, and other computer parts Nash did not even know about.

“Where did you get all that stuff?” asked Nash, surprised. Right then and there, he made a mental note to check on Donny’s room sometime after.

“I’ve been going to the recycling center near Maine Street,” explained Seth. “And they have tons of useable parts you can pick up, free of charge.”

Nash walked over to the black tower of computer parts and scrutinized it with ambiguity.

“And you made a working computer from just using recycled pieces?” said Nash in disbelief. “You know I would have given you some money if you asked.”

“Nah, it’s more fun this way,” replied Seth, sitting on his desk and booting up his self-built supercomputer. “It has a hexadeca core processor, thirty-two terabytes of ram, and two petabytes for its hard drive.”

Nash looked at his brother more confused than before. “Is that good?”

“It’s not the best,” replied Seth. “But it could already work as a decent server.”

“A server for what?” asked Nash, leaning over at Seth’s screen.

“I’m getting to that,” said Seth, as he showed a website of the Zectas APIs.

“What are those things supposed to be?” asked Nash. “Sorry, if I keep asking questions, all of this just looks strange to me.”

“No problem,” replied Seth. “I was like that at first.”

“These are Zectas’ open APIs,” said Seth. He then scrolled over to an API called biometric-login. “This one here allows the system to recognize the players in the game. Like how you step into your game pod and it automatically synchronizes with your Smoke persona and links your entry into Zectas.”

Nash nodded, but his face clearly conveyed his bewilderment. “I see,” he said and paused, staring at Seth’s screen. “Now, what’s an API, again?”

“API stands for Application Programming Interface,” explained Seth. “These are tools for programmers to make one software talk with another software.”

“Alright,” replied Nash. “And what is it that you wanted to show me?”

Seth grinned, all excited. “Here,” he said, giving Nash his smartphone.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” asked Nash, looking at the phone’s screen with a DNS logo on it.

“Use your thumb for the thumbprint recognition,” instructed Seth.

“Okay,” said Nash, and did what he was told.

The phone’s screen then displayed Smoke’s character profile. His current equipped items, zecs, and other basic information of his in-game persona.

“Whoa!” exclaimed Nash. “This is awesome! What else can it do?”

“Hm, that’s just all for now,” said Seth. “But I’m still thinking about other possible uses that would make players like yourself want to use the app.”

A proud Nash kept nodding his head, and he scrolled through Smoke’s information on Seth’s phone.

“I was hoping you could give me some idea,” said Seth. “What you might want to see or do when you’re offline with your game character?”

“Um. I don’t know,” replied Nash. “If there was something, I think I’d want to see what my personal army was up to.”

“Mm, don’t think there’s an open API for that one,” said Seth. “But I’ll look into it.”

“How about I ask Sherry?” said Nash. “Maybe, she has something good you can use?”

“Yeah, that would be great,” said Seth.

Nash smiled. “I’m sure Mom and Dad are proud of you,” he said to Seth, ruffling his brother’s hair. “And thanks for giving me an easy job as a big brother.”

“Stop that,” said Seth, swatting Nash’s hand away.

“Alright, alright,” said Nash. “I’m going to make a sandwich, want one?”

“Nah, I’m gonna try and look for that API you said earlier. Maybe, there’s something close to it.”

“Okay, I’ll leave you to it, then,” said Nash. “By the way, what does the DNS stand for?” He asked Seth, as he stood in the doorway.

“Right now, it just means Donny, Nash, and Seth,” replied Nash’s younger brother.

* * * * * *

Only two days had passed since Blaise’s death. Smoke tried to go with Cynar to Diebe Den, but the OrkElf Leader did not want anything to do with him.

Upon logging in, a notification window popped up, which informed him that he was summoned by the King.

Doubtful that he could fix his lowered Intimacy with Cynar anytime soon, Smoke went directly to the royal castle. Unlike before, the leather-armored Warrior Guards welcomed him without any problem.

Walking across the castle grounds, he heard someone calling his real name.

“Smoke! I mean, Faux,” yelled an old HighElf.

“Ouragan! Hey, how are you?” greeted Smoke, smiling behind his paradox mask.

“Shut up and come with me!” said a troubled Ouragan, pulling Smoke towards the secluded gardens in the palace grounds.

Smoke did not resist and followed the old Prime Wizard of Vona City. “What’s going on?” he asked, bewildered.

“Hurry, we don’t have any time before we need to meet the King,” said Ouragan. “Let’s sit over there,” he said, pointing to the marble bench in the castle gardens, hidden behind a couple of fir trees.

When the two of them were seated, Ouragan uttered the words. “Verum mendicis!” A casting circle appeared briefly and covered them in a dome of light.

“What was that?” asked Smoke. He looked around and tried to touch the invisible barrier, but his hand went straight through it.

“It’s a sound barrier that modifies our conversation, but that’s not important,” said an impatient Ouragan. “My Shades have informed me, that the King is not pleased with the results of the Ork Invasion.”

“Huh?” asked Smoke. “What does that mean?”

“I guess I’ll start with the city you were in,” said Ouragan. “Vectas suffered a great loss,” began the Beggar Evocati. “A third of their population was killed, and over half of the establishments were destroyed. The total damage cost was estimated at over one billion zecs.”

Smoke unconsciously removed his pyro mask, as he found it hard to breathe with it on.

Ouragan exhaled deeply before he went on. “But the most significant of their loss the city suffered were the deaths of Duchess Cible and Duke Facile.”

“What? Even the Duke of Vectas was murdered?” said Smoke, as he had no idea that the Orks’ invasion killed them.

“Afraid so,” replied Ouragan. “Sadly, Wertlosvati’s invasion coincided with the Duke and Duchess’ usual trip to the city’s orphanage.”

Smoke clenched his fist and lowered his head.

“They never made it into the castle walls, as their priority was the safety of the orphans,” explained Ouragan. “There defiled bodies were carelessly scattered on the streets where they were ruthlessly killed by Wertlosvati and his UrukHais.”

“What about the other cities?” asked Smoke.

“Well, Prime Wizard Trottel spent most of his fortune on hiring Sawtorn Continent’s strongest Mercenaries,” replied Ouragan. “The Kaufen Mercenaries are all OrkElves, but my sources tell me that their fighting abilities are far below Cynar’s specially trained soldiers.”

“Don’t tell me Vlahui City was completely wiped out?” asked a concerned Smoke.

“Almost, but thankfully Trottel was blessed by the great god Tlaltezin that day,” said Ouragan. “The entire city was ransacked and razed. The only thing that survived were the citizens and the things they carried inside the castle walls of Vlahui,” he explained. “The Kaufen Mercenaries may lack training and fighting experience, but they make up for it in numbers. Last I heard, there are over thirty thousand of them who fought against the Orks.”

“And Trottel hired all of them?” asked Smoke, astonished. He gained a new respect for the tiger Lioumerean. He thought Trottel was greedy and rotten to the core, but this made him think otherwise.

“There were even rumors that Cynar tried to hire the Kaufen Mercenaries,” added Ouragan. “But he backed out when he learned how much one Kaufen Mercenary went for.”

“I bet,” said Smoke. “Cynar probably asked them to join his cause for free, promising the death of all the Orks.”

“Most likely,” replied Ouragan in agreement. “But now there are only ten-thousand of the Kaufen Mercenaries left. My Shades tell me that 75% of Vlahui City was destroyed that day.”

Smoke’s face immediately fell sullen. It did not cross his mind that they would suffer that many losses.

“What about Vona?” asked Smoke, concerned. “How is your city?”

“It was a miracle,” said Ouragan with relief clearly seen on his face. “It was practically untouched.”

“As expected,” proudly said Smoke. “That’s why you’re the champion of the Magi Gagnant Tournament.”

The old HighElf smiled but shook his head. “No, I barely did anything.”

“Huh?” said a confused Smoke.

“The great god Tlaltezin also blessed me with good fortune that day,” explained Ouragan. “Sailors and Sonstwelters from Wysteria were the ones who drove off the Orks.”

“Really? I didn’t think that there would be that many,” said Smoke.

“I know, I was surprised myself,” replied Ouragan. “It seems that many of them came to buy pomegranates.”

“And what about the Orks?” asked Smoke. “Did you get all of them?”

Ouragan shook his head and sighed.

“No. Even the Ork Colonel got away,” regrettably replied Ouragan. “It seems he was wiser than I gave him credit for.”

“I see,” said Smoke, exhausted. “Wertlosvati and his Colonel escaped me too,” he added, joining Ouragan’s sigh. “I should have suggested that we bolster the defense of all the cities, instead of leaving only the standing army.”

“Actually, that’s the other thing,” began Ouragan. “For some reason, King Kajou blames you for the Orks’ invasion on the other cities.”

“What!” asked Smoke, startled.

“I know. If it wasn’t for you, who knows what would have happened to the capital itself,” said Ouragan.

“So, why does the King really want to see me?” asked Smoke.

Ouragan shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know,” he said. “All I know is that Magietrois Florissant went over to talk with the King himself. After that, the King then summoned the Prime Wizards and the nobles of the city to the throne room.”

“Now? All of them are there, now?” confirmed Smoke.

Ouragan nodded. “We can expect some form of mad punishment from King Kajou, but I do want you to come see me after this idiocy,” said the old HighElf.

“Why after?” asked Smoke. “Can’t you just tell me now?”

“Well, I can’t very well make you—” began Ouragan, but a middle-aged HighElf with blond hair walked out and interrupted him.

“Prime Wizard Ouragan, Sir Faux,” said the royal court Herald of King Kajou. “It is almost time to meet our King.”

“We better go, Smoke,” said Ouragan. With a flick of his hand, he canceled the sound barrier around them.

“Faux, and I are headed over there now,” said the old Prime Wizard, and waved at the Herald.

Smoke offered his hand to Ouragan and helped him up.

Together, all three of them headed for the throne room.

* * * * * *

Vitzytl Kingdom’s throne room was filled with all the nobles who lived in Votl City. They wore the flashiest robes with matching sparkling accessories.

As he headed for his spot in front, Smoke could not help but scrutinized them.

‘If only half of these Zectians would think about helping the OrkElves outside their walls,’ thought Smoke, peeved at their egocentricity.

Among the nobles, he saw Avilo and Jack. He thought they were good people, but aside from helping the captive nobles in Diebe Den, Smoke did not see them do anything else that was charitable.

‘I should talk to them about the OrkElves,’ he reminded himself, as he walked.

Eleve—the acting 16th Magietrois Florissant, Trottel—Prime Wizard of Vlahui City, and Chrysopelea—Prime Wizard of Vectas were already standing in front of the assembled nobles.

“Finally, took you long enough, Faux,” Trottel said to Smoke.

“I apologize for our delay,” replied Ouragan in Smoke’s place. “But I had something important to discuss with him.”

“Oh, I see,” said a humbled Trottel. “Well, we’re still early anyway. King Kajou hasn’t even arrived yet,” added the Lioumerean Prime Wizard, smiling wryly.

“Faux, come here,” called out Eleve.

At once, Smoke hurried to his Flame Master.

“Did Prime Wizard Ouragan tell you?” she asked.

Smoke nodded. “Don’t worry, I’m prepared to face the consequences.”

TUG TUG TUG

The Herald slammed the bronze metallic staff on the floor, stopping all conversations in the throne room.

“All, bow down before his royal majesty, King Kajou—the brave and Queen Ella— the benevolent!” announced the Herald.

A small hairy monarch walked in, hand in hand with his beautiful wife. The Queen’s long black hair shone even more against her porcelain white skin. As they walked towards their thrones, the King was stroking his prominent brown facial hair, composed of his beard and long nose hair.

Once King Kajou and Queen Ella were seated, the Herald called out to everyone else in the throne room. “You may all be seated!”

“It is common knowledge, that our capital was attacked by the largest Ork Horde any of us have ever seen,” said the Herald. He paused and bowed down before King Kajou. “However, it was not only our capital that was attacked,” he went on. “As you may know, all of our cities were raided by the Orks as well,” he said and unabashedly looked at Smoke. “The King has recognized that this was due to the incomplete Intelligence that was given to him.”

The King let out an exaggerated cough and stroke his facial hair.

Immediately, the Herald stopped talking.

“Such a faulty information caused thousands of our citizens to die,” said King Kajou. “Personally, I wanted to banish such an untrustworthy person out of the Kingdom. But the 16th Magietrois Florissant has enlightened me to do otherwise.”

The King stopped stroking his long nose hair and beard. “Herald, you may proceed.”

“Thank you, your Highness,” said the Herald and lowered his head.

“Despite the Orks horrendous invasion, the Kingdom of Vitzytl has survived,” said the Herald. “And that is because of five individuals.”

The Herald paused and bowed down before the Prime Wizards and Smoke.

“Today, we have gathered to honor the heroic achievements of these individuals,” loudly said the Herald. “To rank their achievement would be truly difficult, as all of them acted as Generals for the defense of our beloved capital.”

“But our wise King has decided on their rankings nonetheless,” added the Herald.

“Sir Faux, please step forward,” said the Herald. “As the General of the invincible Automaton Knights of Florissant, you served as support to Prime Wizard Trottel and Prime Wizard Chrysopelea in the northern and western districts.”

Only a couple of nobles clapped, while the rest erupted into murmurs, discussing the way Smoke defended the city.

“Let it be recognized that Sir Faux, killed the Ork Colonel Vergewaltiger,” said the Herald. “It was because of this that the Orks, who opened the gates of the northern district, were all vanquished.”

“Let it also be recognized that Sir Faux went to Vectas City, and helped Prime Wizard Chrysopelea defend it. Prime Wizard Chrysopelea himself, attested that if it wasn’t for Sir Faux, then the city would have likely fallen.”

“Because of all his achievements, the Kingdom of Vitzytl awards Sir Faux with five million zecs,” said the Herald.

The nobles let out a forced applause, but even then it was still faint.

“Also, he is given the task to wipe out the Orks,” added the Herald. “As such, today will be the last day, Sir Faux will be allowed to enter any of the cities of Vitzytl.”

A stoic Smoke stared at the King, as the Herald went on.

“He will only be allowed to return when the UrukHai General known as Wertlosvati has been slain,” added the Herald.

This time, the nobles clapping became a little louder.

– Intimacy with King Kajou has dropped to ‘Untrusted Acquaintance’

A displeased Smoke bowed down before the King and Queen, before stepping backward to his place.

“Prime Wizard Trottel of Vlahui City, please step forward,” said the Herald. “Despite allowing the Orks to break down the northern gates, you still managed to drive the invaders out of the city.”

The nobles clapped loudly, which made the Herald pause.

“Not only that, but you also rushed to Vlahui City and spent an incredible amount of zecs to defend it against the Orks there,” continued the Herald. “Due to this, the Kingdom of Vitzytl awards you with ten-million zecs and will sponsor the creation of one village that will be under your own jurisdiction.”

The gathered nobles once again erupted into applause, but this time, clearly louder than Smoke’s.

Trottel bowed down before the King and Queen, before he returned to his place.

“Prime Wizard Chrysopelea of Vectas City, please step forward,” called out the Herald.

There was a noticeable difference in the applause when it was Chrys’ turn to receive his reward.

“For successfully defending the western section of our capital, not allowing one Ork to pass through the gates, the Kingdom of Vitzytl awards you with fifteen million zecs.”

“Although you managed to drive off the Orks in Vectas, Duchess Cible and Duke Facile still died during the UrukHai’s invasion.”

The crowd of nobles gasped.

“Unfortunately, the Duke and Duchess did not have an heir,” went on the Herald. “Although, Lord Wayland is next in line, the King has decided to appoint Prime Wizard Chrysopelea as the next Duke of Vectas City.”

“But your, Majesty!” protested Lord Wayland from the crowd. “I’m the one who’s suppose to be the Duke! Unfortunately, I was just here during the invasion and was not able to—” he was cut short.

TUD TUD TUD

The Herald lightly tapped the bronze metallic staff on the floor, calling forth four silver-clothed Warriors into the throne room.

“Guards, please escort Lord Wayland outside,” said the Herald.

At once the silver guards did as they were instructed. They took the hysterical nobles, who was shouting foul words at the Herald.

“I apologize for that interruption,” went on the Herald.

“Prime Wizard Ouragan of Vona City, please step forward,” said the Herald.

The Beggar Evocati nodded before the King and did as he was told.

“As expected of our strongest Prime Wizard, he did not allow a single Ork to pass through the southern gates.”

The nobles gave Ouragan a normal applause, except for a small section, which clapped loudly.

Smoke did not need to turn around to know that the loud applause came from Avilo, Jack, and Mouche.

“And like the other Prime Wizards, you also rushed to your own city to defend it against the Orks there,” added the Herald. “Due to this, the Kingdom of Vitzytl awards you with twenty-million zecs and will sponsor the creation of two villages that will be under your own jurisdiction.”

Ouragan bowed down before the King and Queen, before returning to his place.

“Finally, it is time for our Prime General during the Ork’s invasion,” said the Herald.

“The 16th Magietrois Florissant, please step forward,” said the Herald.

At once, Eleve did as she was asked. She presented herself to the King and Queen, lowering her head before them.

“She is the main reason our capital has survived, rather are entire Kingdom for that matter,” began the Herald. “It was her sound judgment in assigning the Prime Wizards their respective posts, her invincible Automaton Knights which aided the battle, and her long-distance teleportation abilities that allowed all of the Prime Wizards and Sir Faux to defend the far away cities.”

This time, the gathered nobles clapped their loudest.

“Because of this, the Kingdom awards Magietrois Florissant with fifty-million zecs,” said the Herald. “The King has also offered five villages to be under her, but she refused. She instead requested that the money would be funded for the repairs on the capital and the other cities.”

Eleve thanked the King and Queen with a small bow and returned to her place.

“With that, we have finished celebrating the heroes of our Kingdom!” exclaimed the Herald. “We look to them to protect us again in the future!”

As soon as the recognition ceremonies finished, Ouragan pulled Smoke away.

However, before the two Beggars could leave, Eleve blocked their exit.

“Where are you, two, going?” asked Eleve.

“Magietrois Florissant, I have important matters to discuss with Faux here,” replied Ouragan.

“I see,” said Eleve. She then turned to Smoke. “Faux, before you go disappearing on me, I want you to visit me again in the Seminary.”

She walked closer to him and whispered in his ear. “Don’t bring anyone else,” she said with authority. “Remember only a student of Florissant may be allowed to enter the Seminary.”

“I understand,” said Smoke, and bowed down before his Flame Master.

With that, Eleve allowed the two Beggars passage.

* * * * * *

An hour after they left the palace, Smoke found himself inside a small secluded room with no windows. It only had a single door and a platform with an oil lamp on it.

“Let’s be glad that the idiotic King was persuaded by Magietrois Florissant,” said Ouragan. “And only sent you out to kill Wertlosvati instead.”

“I’m not sure about that,” said Smoke. “It kind of feels the same for me.”

“Anyway, there is one other thing that I didn’t tell you about what my Shades told me,” said Ouragan.

“Wait,” said Smoke, and raised his hand. “Before you go on, what exactly is a Shade?”

“A Shade is a power given to us Beggars,” said Ouragan.

After his obtrusive explanation, two pairs of small eyes appeared within the room.

As it moved closer towards the oil lamp, Smoke saw that they belonged to two black house cats.

“And these are my Shades,” said Ouragan. “Rosee and Katze.”

After calling out their names, the two black house cats transformed into two young girls. They wore ordinary Zectian clothes and bowed down before Ouragan.

“A Shade can typically transform from an animal to a person,” went on Ouragan. “And even their type of animals and person depends on how you train them, and your Beggar Level, of course.”

“Awesome!” was the single word that came out of Smoke’s mouth, as he watched Ouragan’s Shades with astonishment and envy.

“Now, that I’ve explained what a Shade is, can I go on to what I was about to tell you?” asked Ouragan.

“Of course,” said Smoke, half-listening. His eyes were still fixated on the two small children, who suddenly reverted back into black house cats.

“Anyway, they’ve informed me that Wertlosvati has left Vitzytl,” said Ouragan.

“Then, that’s a good thing, right?” asked Smoke.

“Not really,” replied Ouragan, shaking his head. “You see, he went into the Thanotl Kingdom.”

“What!” exclaimed Smoke. “What does he plan to do there? His army shouldn’t have already recovered to attack anyone.”

“Precisely,” said Ouragan. “Since his army of UrukHai and MoriHai were almost wiped out, I think that Wertlosvati plans to meet up with the Generals of the OlegHai and the MaduHai.”

Smoke let out an involuntary cough. “More Ork Tribes?” he asked, worried.

“Yes,” said Ouragan. “In recent years, the Ork Tribes divided the Sawtorn Continent amongst themselves, and the OlegHai and MaduHai choose to stay in Thanotl.”

The old HighElf paused and stared at Smoke with pleading eyes. “That’s why you have to stop Wertlosvati before he completes the alliance of all four Ork Tribes.”

“How?” asked Smoke. “I don’t know anything about the Thanotl Kingdom?”

“The cities of Thanotl Kingdom are a mix of Wizards, Knights, and Magical Swordsmen,” said Ouragan. “But I’ll give you some of my books about the Kingdom as well.”

Rosse, one of Ouragan’s Shades, transformed into a young girl and brought over a brown bag filled with books.

“Still, this alone won’t be enough,” said Smoke. “Sure, I nearly beat Wertlosvati when he only had the UrukHai and MoriHai, but with two more Ork Tribes… I don’t know,” he said, doubtful.

Ouragan chuckled. “That’s why I spoke with my superior.”

Smoke looked at the old man, confused. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“The Beggar Quaestor of Vitzytl approved of my decision,” went on Ouragan.

“Oh!” exclaimed an excited Smoke. “He’s allowing you to come with me?”

Ouragan smiled, but shook his head. “No, his allowing me to give you this,” he said and gave Smoke a small black stone.

It took Smoke less than a second to realize, that this was an empty essence diamond.

“I, Beggar Evocati Ouragan, recommend Beggar Smoke to become a Beggar Evocati!” said Ouragan.

+ You gained Beggar Evocati Ouragan’s Recommendation to rank up to

Beggar Evocati.

+ (2/2) Beggar Evocati Recommendations.

> Unlocked Conditions for Job Upgrade: Beggar Evocati!

+ Job Change!!!

You have successfully changed your job into a Beggar Evocati.

Life has increased by 10,000 HP

Mana has increased by 10,000 MP

STR has increased by 20

AGI has increased by 20

INT has increased by 10

DEX has increased by 10

—————————————————

Beggars Information:

—————————————————

* NPCs will either loathe and hate you because of your appearance, or pity you and try to help you as if you were their blood brother.

* Items will appear shabby, even if you use mithril equipment crafted by God Hand Dwarvius.

* Sonstwelters get fame points by spitting on you, or by feeding you, depending on their alignment.

* Players will not turn into ‘Killers’ if they kill you within Kingdoms that promote the killing of Beggars.

* Earning Charisma is twice as hard.

————————————————————————-

Beggar Abilities:

————————————————————————-

Beggar’s Adaptation:

————————————————————————-

Passive

Level: Intermediate Level

* Can bypass job requirement on items/weapons/quests/events

– When using the adaptation ability:

> Can only use LVL * 25% of the weapons damage

> Can only use LVL * 25% of the items potential

Where LVL:

=> Beginner: 1

=> Intermediate: 2

=> Advanced: 3

=> Master: 4

Beggary:

————————————————————————-

Active

Level: Intermediate Level

* Can ask NPC to give gold, information, or food.

* Success of ability depends on charisma, luck, LVL of ability, and intimacy with NPC.

Beggar’s Shade:

————————————————————————-

Active

Level: Beginner Level

* Summons a Beggar Shade to obey your bidding

Note: Beginner level Shades cannot fight

‘The passive increase to the HP and MP are almost negligible’ thought Smoke. ‘But the limiter on items had been increased from 25% to 50% of its maximum potential!’

Smoke was grinning from ear to ear.

Igniz flew out of Smoke’s chest, and surprised everyone in the dimly lit room. For the dark ember sprite, who was but as big as a fist, had grown twice in size.

“Hahahaha!” laughed Smoke. Igniz merrily flew around and made the small room even brighter.

“Thank you, Beggar Evocati Ouragan,” said Smoke.

With an open palm on his left hand and a fist on his right, he made both his hands meet in front of his heart. Smoke bowed down and saluted the equally ranked Beggar Evocati in the manner Darius taught him.

“Beggar Evocati Smoke, there is no need to be so formal,” said Ouragan, chuckling. “Well, why don’t you give it a try?”

“Give what a try?” asked Smoke.

“Your Beggar Shade,” replied Ouragan.

“Right!” said and enthusiastic Smoke.

“Beggar Shade!” called out Smoke, activating his newly obtained Beggar ability.

At once, a small shadow appeared before him. Shortly after, a gray mouse meekly stepped out of the shadow and lowered its tiny head before Smoke.

“A mouse…” said Ouragan. “That’s…impressive.”

“Really?” asked Smoke, clearly not believing the old HighElf.

“I can honestly say, that it’s the first time I’ve seen a Shade take such a form,” said Ouragan. “Anyway, what do you plan to do now? Do you plan to go into the Thanotl Kingdom as Faux?”

Smoke shook his head. “No, I think I’ll go there as someone else,” he replied, and got out Blaise’s salamander tongue.

Chapter Two:

Insipid Circumstance

Alone in the living room, Nash stared blankly at the television. He was watching a beautiful brunette in her early thirties, crying. Apparently, her mother had just passed away, while undergoing an experimental treatment.

Then, a redhead appeared at the center of the screen and said. “She could have prevented this from happening.”

At once, the scene in the television screen changed to that of a white clinic-like facility. It was filled with large silver capsules. The camera zoomed in on them, focusing on the hibernating people housed inside it.

“Happy, peaceful, serene,” said the pretty redhead. “Dream Life! Your assurance for your loved one’s peaceful slumber while waiting for a guaranteed second chance at life.”

TING-DONG DONG TING-DONG

Nash immediately turned off the T.V. after he heard the sound of their doorbell ring. “Coming!” he yelled. Opening the door, he saw an even lovelier young redhead.

“You know, you should try being a model for Dream Life,” Nash said to Sherry.

Her eyebrows met and her nose slightly wrinkled. “And let you leave me even farther behind?” she said, punching him lightly on the shoulders.

Nash quickly pulled her in for a hug, preventing her from getting another punch in. “Come on, I’m only ahead by five levels.”

“Really?” asked a dubious Sherry. “So, you expect me to believe that you’re still at 124?”

He stood straight and raised his right hand, as if about to take an oath, Nash answered. “Honest, I’m still Level 124.”

“Fine, I believe you,” said Sherry. “So, what do you want to do?”

“Actually, I was hoping you could help Seth out,” said Nash. “He’s been working on this mobile app that enables Zectas’ players to check on stuff inside the game.”

Sherry’s eyes lit up. “Really? What kinds of stuff?”

“Stats, money, equipped items, and other stuff,” replied Nash. “Seth says there could be other things we could do with the Zectas open APIs, but I was hoping you could help us come up with other practical uses.”

Just as Nash was explaining their mini-project, he heard Donny’s voice from upstairs.

“Nash! Nash! Nash!” screamed a frantic Donny. “Mima fell out of bed and isn’t waking up.”

At once, Nash dialed 911. “Help! My Grandma fell, we’re at—”

Everything after the call whizzed like a blur. One moment Nash, Seth, and Donny were with their Mima in the ambulance. The next thing Nash remembered, they were already sitting next to her in a hospital bed.

“Nash, I’m hungry,” blurted out Donny. “I haven’t had any breakfast yet.”

“Can you really eat right now?” asked Seth, peeved.

“Seth, Donny, this isn’t the time for that,” said Nash sternly.

The younger Smoak fell silent. Both of them aware of their Grandmother’s uncertainty.

“I’ll go see what I can find in the cafeteria,” said Nash. “In the meantime, just keep Mima company,” he paused and stared at his brothers. “In silence.”

“Gotcha!” replied Donny, giving Nash a salute.

“Pfft,” exhaled Seth, looking at Donny. “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine,” he said to Nash.

After a quick tour at the hospital cafeteria, Nash bought six pieces of granola bars and three cans of soda.

On his way back, Nash overheard a group of three doctors talking to each other in the hallway. They were updating their charts on their individual tablets.

“Poor Mrs. Smoak,” said one of the Doctors. “Her Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome has progressed beyond recovery.”

“I know,” said another Doctor. “Not even an organ donation could save her now. Not with such a severe case like this.”

“Wait, wasn’t there an experimental procedure that’s cured MODS at this level?” asked the third Doctor.

“But the success rate for that one is less than 10%,” said the first Doctor. “I don’t think the children would want to risk those odds.”

“Shh! Quiet, her grandson is heading this way,” said the second Doctor.

Nash stared at the floor, avoiding any eye contact. He walked fast until he got inside his Mima’s hospital room.

“Hey? Something wrong?” asked Donny.

“No, no,” hurriedly replied Nash. “Was just worried you two might have been fighting again.”

“Nah, I already apologized to Seth and to Mima too,” said a smiling Donny, pointing to their awoken Grandmother.

“Mima! You’re awake,” said an energized Nash. He dropped the bag of food on the table and rushed to her bedside.

“Of course! I just fell off my bed is all,” said Daphne.

Looking at his Mima, Nash could see she was in pain. Yet, she put up a tough facade which fooled Donny, or was Donny just playing along as well?

‘Who am I kidding? She had me fooled too,’ he bitterly thought to himself, recalling the times he went past her room without worrying.

“Why didn’t you tell me about your MODS?” blurted out Nash.

“How?” asked Daphne, confused. “So, you already know about that, huh?” She shook her head and patted his hand. “I’ve already lived long enough,” she said. “And Seth and Donny don’t need to hear about that.”

“Mima? I didn’t know you know how to use MODS?” asked Donny. “What kind of game did you use MODS on?”

Their Grandmother only took a few seconds to answer the youngest Smoak. “Divine Light!” she replied with a straight face. “It was a new game Nash had me play. It was sort of fun, but I didn’t like the MODS I was given.”

“Is that an offline game?” asked Seth. “I’ve never heard of it before.”

“Well, it’s an indie game,” added Nash, covering for his Mima as well. “I doubt you’ll even find any information about it.”

“Indie game?” said Seth. “That sounds interesting. Can I play?”

“Count me in!” yelled Donny. “Is it a multiplayer?”

“No! Don’t bother with it. The game’s lousy!” said Daphne with a disgusted face and shaking her head.

“That bad, huh?” said Donny. “What about you, Nash? Did you like it?”

“No,” replied a sincere Nash, looking straight at Daphne. “I hated it as soon as I learned more about it.”

“Forget about that stupid game,” she grumbled and shifted the topic. “Would you look at that,” she said, pointing to the swaying leaves outside her window. “It’s really windy today.”

“Yeah, it’s almost that time of the year,” replied Donny.

“You, Two, might not remember this,” she said to Seth and Donny. “But your Papap used to make you, Three, dragon kites.”

“Really?” asked Seth. “What kind?”

“Long ones,” she replied. “About eight kites in total.”

“Nash, weren’t those dragon kites lovely?” she said.

“Of course, they were,” said Nash. He stepped closer to the window and looked at the blowing leaves. “Bet it would really soar high with winds like these.”

“Right?” agreed Daphne and laughed. “I was just thinking how wonderful it would be to fly those kites again.”

She then patted Seth’s and Donny’s hands and said. “Hey, how about you ask Nash to teach you how to make those kites? And then you three can come back tomorrow and fly them outside.”

“You’re kidding, right?” said Nash, chuckling. “I’ve already forgotten how to make—” he could not finish refusing their Grandmother as Donny had interrupted him.

“Come on!” protested Donny. “Mima wants to see those kites, and I think it would be a great idea.”

“Yeah, I’d like to see one too,” chimed in Seth. “Besides, don’t you want to cheer up Mima?”

“Fine! We’ll make a dragon kite when we get home,” said Nash in surrender.

“Great!” said an enlivened Daphne, urging Nash to come to her. “Thank you,” she said to him. She patted his head and stroked his black hair. They shared a conversation without words. Both agreed that Seth and Donny should not know about her Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome.

After Daphne released him, she called Seth and Donny to join in and hugged all of them at once.

“My three boys all grown up!” she said, tightening her hold on them.

“Mima, I can’t breathe!” said Donny, pulling his head out of Daphne’s embrace.

“Well, I think I’m going to get some rest,” she said and released them. “And you all go home as well.”

“Do we really have to?” asked Donny.

“Yeah, I don’t mind staying the night,” added Seth.

“No. Mima needs her rest, and she can’t do it with you two here,” said Nash.

“Alright!” complained Donny. He hugged her and Seth soon followed.

When it was Nash’s turn, he whispered in her ear. “That’s why you’ve been sleeping most of the time,” concluded Nash. “Does it hurt less when you’re asleep?”

Daphne smiled and sighed. “Yes! Now, go already!”

Nash ushered his brothers out. He waved goodbye to his Mima and blew her a kiss.

* * * * * *

To Smoke, the emergency in the real world had only been over a day. However, almost five days had already passed in the virtual realm of Zectas.

While he was settling his Mima into the hospital, he was reminded of one of her sayings: “The person who gets the farthest is generally the one who is willing to do more and dare more.”

‘Guess it’s about time I do something even more drastic,’ he thought, determined. ‘But what?’

He could not think of anything at the moment. So, he decided to see his Flame Master instead.

A small gray mouse crossed over from his right shoulder to the left. “Whoa, Daga, stop moving around,” he said to his newly named Shade. He named it after an estranged Uncle, who always nibbled at his cheese sticks, which strangely enough he always carried around in his pockets.

According to Ouragan, Shades gained experience and level, as long as they are active. Whenever a Shade is killed or deactivated, its experience and powers revert to its first summoning.

As Smoke stroked the head of the little mouse on his shoulder, his dark ember sprite whizzed above him, fast.

Igniz somersaulted, twirled, danced, just about anything he could think of to grab Smoke’s attention.

“Come on, Bud, it’s not like I’ve forgotten about you,” Smoke said to Igniz. “Now, let’s get going already!”

With that, Smoke leaped into the air, gliding swiftly towards the secluded school in the mountains.

‘Yes, this is exactly what I need,’ he thought, pushing out the image of his sick Mima in the hospital. ‘I’m sure she’ll recover soon.’ He convinced himself of an optimistic outcome.

Even at top speed, it still took him two hours to reach the Florissant Seminary. Looking from above, he found the institute to look smaller, although he knew that the place was over five hectares. He also noticed two Automaton Knights standing outside the seminary doors.

WOOSH

He landed softly, discreetly placing Daga on a rock. “Why don’t you explore here a bit,” he said to his Shade.

Together with an orbiting Igniz, Smoke then walked up to the Automaton Knights and greeted them. “Hey! How’s it going?”

The Knights did not reply. Instead, they stood at attention and raised their swords before Smoke.

CREAK

The sounds of rusted joints echoed, as the two large wooden doors behind them opened.

A red flame floating in the middle of the entrance hall greeted them.

“Took you long enough,” said Eleve’s voice from within the flames.

“Sorry, I had to do something important back in my world,” said Smoke, his discomfort audible in his voice.

“I see,” replied Eleve.

Suddenly, Smoke’s vision blurred, as he was teleported into a different part of the seminary.

When his eyesight recovered, he found Eleve standing directly below the massive phoenix sculpture lined with gold and rubies, which hung down from the ceiling.

“Physically you look okay,” said Eleve, who stood in front of pure white flames. “But I can tell that you are shattered inside.”

“Really?” asked Smoke, surprised that a Zectian would be concerned with events outside the realm of this virtual reality.

“Life’s challenges are paralyzing,” went on Eleve. “But don’t let it,” she said, shaking her head. “Instead, use it to help you discover who you truly are.”

“To be honest, I feel like a selfish bastard who neglected his mother,” replied Smoke. “I should have spent more time with Mima.”

Smoke paused, removed his paradox mask and wiped the tears which flowed out without warning. “I used the excuse that being here was our only way to live,” he added. “It’s my only way of supporting her and my Brothers.”

“I see,” said Eleve and paused. “Wait, I was lying,” she suddenly added. “I don’t see. I can’t claim that I understand what your other world might be like, but all I know is that if you worked hard for her, then I’m sure she has no ill feelings towards you, Faux.”

Smoke stared at her, surprised. “You know, my Brothers told me something similar.”

Eleve smiled and patted him on the shoulders.

“Anyway, let’s forget about my life in the other world,” said Smoke. “Let’s focus on the now.”

As he thought about drastic steps to make up for lost time and the fact that he had been wanting to tell Eleve about himself, he found that it was time.

“Actually, there is something else,” said Smoke. “My name isn’t technically Faux. It’s Smoke and I’m a Beggar.”

“Really?” replied the old HighElf, and she let out a more genuine smile. “I did feel that something was off about you, but I’m glad that you decided to tell me about it, Smoke.”

Eleve chuckled. “Kind of feels strange calling you something else other than Faux now,” she said.

“I’ll still answer if you call me by that name,” said Smoke. “I’ve gotten used to it.”

“So, why did you decide to change your name anyway?” asked Eleve.

“You see, it all started after two of my friends were killed by Burmistrz back in the Chayotl Kingdom,” said Smoke. He began telling Eleve about everything. From his quest of reviving Sharur and Laernea to his quest of liberating the enslaved Avendre Mercenaries, and finally his goal of defeating Burmistrz himself…

“So, that’s why you were looking for a Thaumaturge,” said Eleve, reminded from the time when she first revealed that she was the 16th Magietrois Florissant. “I’m glad that you shared those things with me,” she added.

Then, a notification window popped up.

+ Intimacy with Eleve has risen to ‘Blood Confidant’

“There’s so much I would like to tell you,” blurted out Eleve. “But my lips are currently sealed to a certain extent.”

“It’s no problem. I understand,” said Smoke. “I didn’t tell you those things so that you would open up to me. I just felt that it was the right thing to do and tell you the truth about me.”

“Hm,” said Eleve, nodding her head. “About your list of demanding tasks. I can’t do anything about the Thaumaturge, but maybe this will help with the Avendre Mercenaries.”

Fifty treasure chests appeared out of thin air, all filled with golden zec coins.

“That’s the fifty million zecs reward I got from the King,” explained Eleve. “Take it. It’s all yours.”

+ Received 50,000,000 zecs

“Oh, and there’s also this,” added Eleve, conjuring flames out of her hands. The flames died out, which revealed an ancient leather book. “Here, take it,” she said throwing the old book to Smoke.

+ Received Ability Tome: ‘Conjure Automaton Knight’

As he had fulfilled the ability tome’s requirements, the tome vanished as soon as Smoke touched it.

+ Learned Ability: Conjure Automaton Knight

Active

Level: Beginner Level 1

Experience: (0/1,000)

* Knight’s combat abilities depends on:

> The user’s knowledge of Knight Movements

> The level of this ability

*Current Maximum number of Knight(s)

> 1

Effect: Give life to Automaton Knights

MP Consumption: 500,000 MP

“As you can see, the reason the Automaton Knights are decent fighters is because—” began Eleve, but was cut off by Smoke.

“Because you have an extensive knowledge on Knights,” interjected Smoke, all psyched.

Eleve strongly shook her head back and forth. “No! It’s because I raised the level of that ability to 900. Why would I have knowledge about Knights?”

“Oh, right,” said Smoke. “Sorry, I was just hoping that you did. In that way, maybe I could have a decent army of Automaton Knights as well.”

“Well, I guess you could,” replied Eleve. “You’re supposed to be a Beggar, right? I guess if you had Knight abilities and raised them, then they would be imparted on your own Automaton Knights.”

“Really?” asked Smoke. “Well, that’s good to know.”

Then, Smoke paused and looked troubled.

“What’s wrong now?” asked Eleve. “You just received enough money to raise a village and a rare ability. Can’t you be happy longer than that?”

Smoke laughed, halfheartedly. “I am happy! Of course, I am,” he repeated himself. “But the thing is, I can’t use this ability yet.”

“Why?” asked Eleve, her eyebrows raised.

“I’m kind of a couple of mana points short from using it,” said Smoke.

“Oh,” replied Eleve. “That’s easy. Just train harder and increase your levels.”

Smoke nodded. He knew that it had been some time since he grinded for his levels. “Yup, I’ll do that,” he said, electrified.

“Maybe you can send me somewhere with high-level monsters,” said Smoke. “Something similar to the paradox monster?” he suggested.

“Sure, I can do that,” replied Eleve. “But before you go, I need to know something.”

“Anything,” said Smoke. “Ask away.”

“What do you plan to do when you find a Thaumaturge?” she asked.

“Huh? I already told you,” said Smoke. “I’m going to revive my two friends Sharur and Laernea.”

“What about the other Zectians who died during your war against Burmistrz?” questioned Eleve. “Aren’t you going to save them as well?”

Smoke could not respond. It took him a few more seconds before answering. “I would like to save them, but to be candid, my only priority is reviving those two.”

“Hm. That sounds noble and selfish at the same time,” said Eleve with a distorted face. “But honest,” she added.

Smoke could not respond. He knew that she was right, but he did not care if he was being selfish.

“I’m not judging you,” said Eleve. “I would probably do the same thing as well.”

“Really?” asked Smoke, surprised. “Glad to know that you feel the same.”

“Anyway, let’s not dwell on it,” quickly added Eleve. “Circling back to your mana problem. What about helping out a troubled village?” she said, trying to change the topic. “Perhaps helping them out could give you the needed experience to use the Automaton Knight?”

“Huh? Is it a Farming Village?” said a hesitant Smoke. “They don’t want me to go looking for crops, do they?” he asked, remembering the time he was sent by Franz Briar to fight against a tree ent. He was certain that even a hundred tree ents would not increase his level now.

“Why? Do you have a problem with a farming village? You’re too good for a gathering quest now?” asked Eleve, with a hint of ribbing sarcasm.

“No, no, I didn’t mean it like that,” defensively said Smoke. “It’s just that… Oh, nevermind!”

Smoke shoulders dropped in surrender. “Where’s the village?”

Eleve snorted, trying hard to suppress her laughter. “Here,” she said and handed him a piece of paper.

MAP LOCATION: Nadaya Village

Coordinates: Latitude: 28°16′ N, Longitude: 60°48′ W

Note: Sixty-five kilometers away from current location.

“It’s kind of far,” said Smoke, staring at his updated map with the location of the village.

“Complaining, are we?” said Eleve. “Fine, don’t do the quest,” she said, taking back the piece of paper in Smoke’s hand.

“You know what?” said Eleve. “You were more obedient when you were still Faux!”

“No, no, I’m heading out now!” he said, raising his hands in surrender. “Thank you so much for the Automaton Knight ability and for this quest.”

“Don’t mention it, Smoke,” said Eleve. “Still, feels strange calling you something else other than Faux, you know?”

“Is it?” asked an apologetic Smoke. “Sorry about lying to you,” he said, lowering his head before her.

“Quit repeating yourself,” said Eleve.

“Well, I better get going,” said Smoke. “It’s a long flight to Nadaya Village.”

“Flight?” said Eleve. “I’m going to send you there myself,” she said.

“Really?” asked Smoke, shocked. “That’s awesome!”

“But before you go, let me remind you to finish what you started against the Orks,” said Eleve. “I am confident that something good will come out of it. Maybe even something related to finding a Thau—” she was forcibly stopped by a circular flame tightening around her neck.

“Eleve? Eleve! What’s going on?” asked a worried Smoke.

The flaming noose disappeared and Eleve gasped for air. “Sorry about that, I was trying out a new ability.”

Smoke patted the elder HighElf’s back. “Are you sure you’re okay? Can I get you a glass of water or something?”

“No, no, I’m fine. Honest!” she said. “Anyway, I’m sending you to Nadaya, now.”

“Wait, why the rush? Are—” Smoke was interrupted, as he was already being teleported by Eleve towards Nadaya Village.

After Smoke was sent away, a fiery image of a young girl materialized before Eleve.

“Mistress, I’m really sorry,” blurted out Eleve, as she knelt before the real Magietrois Florissant. “I wasn’t going to tell him about—”

“Stop patronizing me!” screamed Florissant. Her youthful expression turned dark and the lines on her face showed her true age for a moment. “Do you want me to strip him of his Journeyman Emblem?”

“No, no. Of course not!” pleaded Eleve. “It’s just that Smoke finally revealed himself to us. I just thought that you would have wanted to—”

Once again the elderly HighElf was silenced by a flaming noose around her neck.

“Do not presume to know what I am thinking,” said Florissant, she shook her head in great disappointment and disapproval. “Because of what you did, you’ve risked his chance at meeting my elder sister.”

* * * * * *

Goosebumps covered Smoke’s body, as the tingling sensation of being teleported over a long distance lingered within him.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself on the grassy plains outside the dangerous area of a pomegranate forest.

After looking around, he spotted a small village some distance away from him.

‘That must be Nadaya,’ surmised Smoke. He ducked down and hid behind a bush.

However, as he did so, his Cunning of the Dire Fox alerted him of eight monsters coming fast behind him.

Without looking back, Smoke used his melded abilities of Earth and Fire Manipulation. Four magma-spikes sprang out from the forest floor and pierced a charging lemurcat. The lemurcat managed to dodge one of the magma-spikes attacks, but two of the molten points penetrated the armpits of the tiger-like beast. Meanwhile, the last attack perforated its jugular.

The lunging beast cried out in pain, as it was caught in Smoke’s magma-spikes.

After witnessing the sudden counter-attack, the charging lemurcats ran back. They bolted deeper into the forest, with their tails between their legs.

With the other threats gone, Smoke turned around to face his captive. The lemurcat still had 10% left on its life bar. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you suffer,” he said to the beast.

He took out Blaise’s gift, the salamander’s tongue and used its Incinerator ability. The flamberge shattered into a hundred fiery shafts and plunged in and out of the captured lemurcat. It took him less than three seconds to finish off the monster.

“Nice!” yelled Smoke, pleased at the imposing damage of his newly acquired flamberge.

After collecting the pelt, Smoke turned back to face the quaint village.

The late morning sun gave Nadaya Village a certain glow of orange, further adding to its rustic appearance.

Its shabby rock walls were less than two meters high, and its wooden gate looked unreliable.

‘They wouldn’t stand a chance,’ he thought, imagining the worst scenario of an Ork invasion.

“Well, why don’t you scout the place, Daga?” said Smoke to his little gray mouse, He expected to see it on his shoulder but found no mouse in sight. Only then did he realize that his Shade was left in the Florissant Seminary.

“Oh, man!” cried out Smoke, hitting his forehead with his right palm.

He then canceled out his synergized state and released Igniz out in the open air. His symbiote was briskly whizzing through the skies.

“Could you scout the village for me?” he said to the dark ember sprite.

At once Igniz nodded and headed away. But as Smoke watched his symbiote fly further away, he realized that Igniz’s flames had grown far too strong to go unnoticed.

‘Looks like I can’t use Igniz to spy on places unless it’s really bright out,’ he surmised.

“Igniz, come back!” yelled Smoke.

Fortunately, Igniz had not flown that far and was able to return posthaste.

“Well, Bud, looks like I have to re-summon Daga,” lamented Smoke, knowing that his Shade will return to level 1.

Although his Shade had only reached up to level 3, Smoke still felt annoyed that he had to start over.

Looking at the open space next to him, Smoke activated his ability and called out. “Beggar Shade!”

At once, a small circular shadow appeared before him. His gray mouse meekly stepped out of it and lowered its tiny head before Smoke.

“Nice seeing you again, Daga,” greeted Smoke. “Well, why don’t we start earning your experience points again,” he said and pointed his minuscule Shade towards the village.

While waiting for Daga to return, Smoke thought to compare his recently acquired equipment with the ones he was currently using.

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%

He then opened the window for the gloves he acquired from the Ork Colonel Vergewaltiger.

Gauntlets of Orcinol (Gloves)

A unique glove fashioned for the warriors of the Lioumerean God, Xipetotec. It is said that the god disliked ranged fighting and preferred his hands to be covered by the blood of his opponents.

+ 20 Strength

+ 30 Agility

Equipment Ability:

* Panthera Claws (Active)

+ 50 Attack Speed

+ 1,000 Damage

Notes:

– Requires: 50 MP/second

– To activate: User must have no other equipped weapons beside the Gauntlets of Orcinol.

‘That Ork bastard must have raided this from a Lioumerean Village,’ surmised Smoke, after examining Orcinol’s gloves. He stared at both gloves in each hand. “Well, I don’t really need the bonus from the Earth Affinity anymore,” he said out loud and equipped the Gauntlets of Orcinol.

Next, Smoke inspected his ability called ‘Sword Mastery’ which was still at Beginner Level 5. Although he got a hold of this ability fairly recently, he still did not increase this ability’s level as he had no proper weapon to use it with.

‘But not anymore,’ he thought, equipping the flamberge given to him by Blaise.

Salamander’s Tongue (Flamberge)

Smelted from the special metal of firanium, molded in the casts of god hand Dwarvius by his student Dwarven.

Equipment Ability:

* Blazing Flames (Active)

> Covers the flamberge in flames

+ 2 Meters Weapon Range

+ 300 Magical Fire Damage

Notes:

– Requires: 100 MP/second

* Incinerator (Active)

> Scatters the flaming flamberge into several shards and attacks anything

Notes:

– Requires: 1,000 MP/second

– Range: 200 Meters

– Cool Down: 2 Minutes

‘It’s amazing that Blaise could hold the Incinerator ability for that long,’ he thought, considering the high mana cost.

Since the Automaton Knight Ability depended on the caster’s knowledge of Knight abilities and the ability’s level itself, Smoke decided to increase his Sword Mastery with the aid of the salamander’s tongue.

With the massive flamberge in hand, Smoke removed his paradox mask and began donning a most haphazard set. Taking out a black helm with two bent horns pointing upward, he equipped the Gora helm. He then removed the leather pants and replaced it with the black Gora leggings. He contemplated about removing the sable wizard surcoat but decided not to as he liked its increased experience bonus. The same thing happened with his Gora boots. He kept on the serval shoes, despite its orange color and leather finish.

After finishing his wardrobe change, Smoke turned to Igniz and asked. “Well? How do I look? Do I look like Ilad, now?”

The dark ember sprite whizzed around him and let out a low crackling sound with his flames.

“What? Are you laughing at me?” asked Smoke, pretending to be hurt. “Come on, let’s synergize and cover my clothes with flames.”

As soon as he and Igniz melded into one, Smoke let out a low amethyst flame all around his body.

“There! That’s better,” said Smoke, pleased at his Flame Knight persona.

With his disguise finished, Smoke spotted something small scampering across the green plains towards him.

“Daga! You’re back,” Smoke greeted his tiny Shade. “Now, let’s see what you found out,” he said, lowering his palm on the ground for the mouse to nibble on a piece of ancient bison jerky.

They gray mouse bowed down before its master and a notification window popped up.

Daga’s Reconnaissance Report:

>> Nadaya Village <<

Population: 100~150

Spotted Villagers:

120 Adults

– 50 Farmers

– 30 Guards

– 2 Bakers

– 1 Tailor

33 Children

– 15 Boys

– 18 Girls

Village Elder: A man named Buktot

“So, I’ll have to look for this Buktot person, huh?” said Smoke to Daga.

The little gray mouse gave him a quick nod and resumed nibbling on its bison jerky.

Smoke canceled his purple flames, reverting to his mismatched attire. He turned to the gray mouse and motioned for it to move to its hiding place. An obedient Daga ran up to his shoulders and hid inside the flaps of his hooded cloak.

“Right, let’s see what we can do here,” said Smoke, as he walked towards Nadaya Village.

It took him less than ten minutes to reach the village entrance. But before he could enter, he heard people screaming and arguing. He proceeded with caution and peeked in from the wooden gate of the village. There, he saw a mob of people surrounding a hunchback man.

As he wanted to know more of the situation, Smoke hid behind one of the log houses. He was not fully concealed as he wanted to see what was going on as well.

“I told all of you! We should have removed him from being our village chief,” yelled a black-haired woman in her late twenties. She held a swaddled baby tightly in her arms.

In the crowd of red-heads, Smoke easily spotted the two black-haired woman next to each other.

“Buktot, we told you we needed better walls!” added the woman carrying a baby. “How many more children do you want the Orks to take, before you take action?”

“Kick him out! Kick him out!” started the second black-haired woman. “Kick him out! Kick him out!”

The angry mob was roused by the second woman’s chant and joined in.

The hunchback raised both his hands, as he tried to pacify the villagers. “Everyone, please calm down. When have you ever heard of Orks attacking a village without wrecking it?” he asked.

Whispers and murmurs resonated within the villagers, as what Buktot was saying made sense.

“I’ve consulted with some of you earlier,” quickly added Buktot, grabbing the division between the masses. “And many agree with me, that this isn’t the work of Orks.”

“Then, who is taking our children?” asked the same woman.

“Yeah! Who is taking them?” yelled somebody else from the mob.

“Well, old man Alam said that these abductions are done by Aswangs,” said the hunchback. “And, Duda, you’ve heard of Aswangs before, right?” he said to the woman carrying a baby.

“Aswangs? You don’t honestly expect us to believe in some old horror story from Thanotl?” replied Duda.

“Don’t try to deceive us!” screamed the other black-haired woman next to Duda. “We know that you’ve been keeping all the zecs for yourself. We know that you’re saving up money to go to Thanotl. You plan to have that lump of yours removed by their Healers!”

“What? I would never—” argued the hunchback but was silenced by the jeers of the crowd. “Hinala, please. You and your sister know me.”

“Buktot, if you weren’t hiding the money, then we should have better walls by now,” added Hinala. “We should have more security. Each night a child goes missing!”

“Yeah!”

“Exactly!”

“Indeed!”

With a mob mentality, the rioters agreed in unison.

“People, you should know that most of our funds are going to our agricultural research,” explained Buktot. “We’ve been developing it to the point where—”

“Lies!” interjected Hinala. “Perhaps you’re the one who is abducting the children? Maybe, you’re selling them as slaves and saving up the zecs?”

“Hinala, please don’t yell out accusations like that!” declared Buktot. “You and your sister are just making matters worse,” he added with a forced smile. “Anyway, I’ve already sent word to Magietrois Florissant and asked for her help.”

“Now, isn’t that convenient?” said Duda. “You’ve asked for assistance from the Magietrois Florissant when I’ve already sent our youngest sister Alay to go look for help in Thanotl.”

“Even though we are nearer to Thanotl, we are technically under the jurisdiction of the Vitzytl Kingdom,” rebutted Buktot. “And we’re not even sure if she will get help. But in the meantime, why don’t we try Alam’s suggestion? Let’s barricade one family at a time, and then we’ll know who the Aswang is—”

“Oh, shut up, Buktot! Who in their right mind would agree to that?” yelled Hinala. “Didn’t you hear my sister? Didn’t you hear any of us?”

“That’s enough,” Duda said to Hinala. “We’ll just gather the needed votes to kick him off as our village chief! Come on, everyone!” she added leading the mob to disband.

As the crowd parted, Smoke was spotted by Hinala. He instantly covered himself in low purple flames. He did this not to intimidate anyone, but to hide his mismatched armor.

“Greetings, I was sent here by Magietrois Florissant to help you,” said Smoke in a forced accent, as he took on one of his alternate personas, Ilad.

“Don’t tell me that hunchback was telling the truth,” said Hinala. She shook her head and paid him no mind, rejoining her elder sister and the angry mob.

Ignored, Smoke decided to walk over to Buktot. The startled hunchback fell on his side, as Smoke came out of nowhere.

He immediately canceled his flames, as a guilty Smoke ran to help Buktot up. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you there. I’m the one Magietrois Florissant sent to help you.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” said Buktot as he was being helped up. “But are you sure?”

“Yes, yes I am,” replied a proud Smoke.

“But aren’t you a Flame Knight?” asked Buktot.

“Huh? Is there a problem?” asked Smoke.

“Not really,” said Buktot. “It’s just that I received a letter saying that she’ll probably send one of her Florissant Journeymen. I thought you’d be an Elementalist or at least some kind of Magician?”

“Oh, right! Of course,” blurted out Smoke, thinking on his feet he said. “Actually, I just got a Job Change. From a Flame Knight into a Magic Knight.”

“Magic Knight? Really?” asked a surprised Buktot. “How is that different from an Elemental Knight?”

He hurriedly took out his brown-colored manatl staff and equipped it on his left hand, and took out the massive salamander’s tongue with his right.

With his two weapons equipped, Smoke turned to Buktot and said. “For one, I have mastery over more than one element.”

Raising his manatl staff, Smoke created an earth-pillar next to the hunchback with his Earth Manipulation. Next, he waved his flamberge with exaggerated movements and activated its Blazing Flames ability, engulfing the sword in fire.

“Whoa!” replied Buktot, cowering before the flames. The hunchback moved several meters backward. “That’s enough! I’m impressed!”

“Thank you,” replied Smoke. He gave him a small bow and canceled the flames and earth-pillars simultaneously.

With the flames died out, Buktot moved closer back to him.

“I’m called Buktot,” said the hunchback. “As of the moment, I’m the acting village chief. The previous one suddenly just moved out…”

“Nice to meet you, my name is Ilad,” said Smoke and shook his hand. “It’s a pleasure. Now, what can I do to help?”

“Um… I don’t know if you heard the villagers earlier,” began Buktot. “But there have been multiple cases of kidnappings in the last few days.”

Smoke nodded as he studied the hunchback explain the situation. “And how many children have gone missing so far?”

“Eight,” answered Buktot. He fidgeted and forcibly stuffed his hands into his pockets to stop them from shaking. “Anyway, my theory is that the Aswangs have returned to the Sawtorn Continent.”

“Um…What are Aswangs?” asked Smoke, curious.

“Oh, you don’t know about them?” asked Buktot. With a raised eyebrow, he eyed Smoke up and down.

In response, Smoke covered himself in amethyst flames, embarrassed at his mismatched equipment.

After Smoke resumed his fiery avatar, Buktot proceeded to talk. “Well let me tell you what my grandfather told me when I was a kid…”

Smoke waited for Buktot to continue talking, but the hunchback stopped. He looked around all paranoid as if someone was eavesdropping on them.

“Let’s go back to my house,” said Buktot, pulling Smoke with him. “Aah!” he screamed, as he was scorched by the purple flames surrounding Smoke.

“Sorry, sorry,” said Smoke, canceling his flames and stepping away from Buktot. “I didn’t know you were going to touch me.”

As Buktot clutched his injured hand, Smoke offered him a roll of gauze and some burn ointment. “Here, this should help with the pain,” said Smoke.

“Thanks,” replied Buktot, allowing Smoke to wrap his hand around it. “Anyway, let’s head on over to my house.”

An obedient Smoke followed Buktot and left a wide distance between them, careful not to hurt him again.

On the way to the house, Smoke spotted a few children near the windows. But all of them had adult companions standing next to them. They held onto them tight. It was as if they would be plucked away from them at any given moment.

The rest of the village was a succession of the first few houses Smoke saw. None of them gave him a welcoming smile. Instead, they gave him the eyes of distrust.

“We’re almost there,” said Buktot, taking a sharp right corner on their supposed market area.

With one quick glance, Smoke could tell that there was nothing there to sell or trade. The place was empty. There were five stalls, but only one of them had wares to sell. The only vendor there sold bread, rabbit meat, and other items accessible to a Novice.

“Here, this is my house,” said Buktot, leading Smoke into a medium-sized home.

It was a modest log cabin. If not for the stacks of barrels outside the house, it could easily pass off as any of the other houses.

“What’s in the barrels?” asked Smoke.

“Oh, those?” replied Buktot, nervous. “That’s just something I’m playing around with. You don’t have to concern yourself with them.”

Smoke stared at Buktot and back at the barrels, but decided not to pursue it any further.

“Well, why don’t we go in?” offered Buktot.

Once inside, Smoke was forcibly ushered to a wooden stool next to the door. Whereas, Buktot himself rushed over to a shelf, where he covered a wooden box with a towel.

“Sorry about the mess,” said Buktot, pointing over to the pile of clothes on the floor. He pulled another wooden chair and placed it next to Smoke as he sat on it.

“No, it’s fine,” said Smoke who gave him a smile, only to realize that his face was covered by his gora helmet.

“You don’t mind if I remove this, do you?” asked Smoke. He wanted to gain the hunchback’s trust, and hiding behind such an intimidating helm would not be the way to go.

“Sure, go right ahead,” replied Buktot, still clutching on to his injured hand.

After removing his helmet, Smoke smiled and gave him a small nod. “Does it still hurt?” he asked pointing to Buktot’s hand.

“Hm… not really,” replied Buktot. “It was my fault anyway. Who in their right mind would touch a flaming man?” he added and gave out a forced chuckle.

“If you’re feeling up to it? Why don’t you continue your talk about the Aswangs?” asked Smoke.

“Of course, of course,” said Buktot. “They’re horrific fiends from ancient times. Some say they are as old as the Magietrois itself, if not older.”

“Fiends? Are they beast type monsters?” asked Smoke. “What do they look like?”

Buktot gave him a nervous laugh. “To be honest, I don’t know. But my grandfather said that they could look like anything.”

“Wait a minute,” said Buktot, who suddenly stood up and walked over to his shelf. There, he picked up a book. “He gave this to me when I was younger, but there are no pictures in it,” he said and handed the book to Smoke.

With his increased Wisdom stat, Smoke acquired the knowledge of the book in a matter of seconds.

Aswangs

Are shapeshifting monsters commonly possessing a combination of traits from vampires, ghouls, witches, or a different species of werebeast.

Yet, their Queen is said to possess the trait of all of them together.

It is the subject of a wide variety of myths and stories, but the most common one of them is how they take the forms of grotesque people and like to abduct children for eating.

Rumor has it that these Aswangs travel from continent to continent. This is one of their ways to avoid themselves from being found.

Susceptible To:

> Flames, Salt, Garlic, or Holy Water

While Smoke was reading the acquired knowledge window, there was a knock on Buktot’s door.

“Excuse me,” said Buktot and went to answer the door. “Yes?”

“Buktot, you need to come with me,” said the villager at the door. “Hinala and Duda are gathering up the other villagers to remove you from your post.”

“What? I thought they were just making empty threats,” said Buktot. He then turned to Smoke and said. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. Can you wait outside my house for me?”

“Oh, sure! No problem,” replied Smoke. He obediently stood up and walked out Buktot’s home.

“I’ll see you in a bit,” said Buktot, running after the villager who called him.

Smoke waited a few more minutes for Buktot to leave. When he sensed that no one was around, he reached his hand for the flaps of his hooded cloak and pulled out Daga.

“Take a look at that box covered by a towel,” he said to the little gray mouse.

Daga nodded and got off his shoulders. It scampered towards the door and squeezed its little body in between the gaps. As soon as it got in, it went for the covered box and opened it, investigating its contents.

In less than ten seconds, Smoke’s Shade returned to him with its findings. He offered Daga another nibble of ancient bison jerky, as he read the report window.

Daga’s Findings:

Box contained the following items:

> 200,000 zecs

> A scroll of the price range for miraculous healing at the Thanotl Kingdom

> A picture of a young Buktot and a beautiful black-haired girl

‘Hm. This looks interesting,’ thought Smoke, motioning for his Shade to return to its hiding place.

After a few more minutes, Smoke heard a scream coming from the direction of where Buktot and the village ran to earlier.

Posthaste, Smoke sprinted towards the source. It took him less than a few seconds to find the Nadaya villagers cowering in one corner. On the opposite side was an Ork, who had a child locked in his arms.

“Your pathetic excuse of a village is perfect for us to kidnap your children!” screamed the Ork.

Smoke reflexively created an earth-pillar to capture the Ork, but he was careful not to make it to tight, so he could avoid hitting the child.

However, this move proved to be advantageous to the Ork.

Before Smoke could react, the Ork released the child and squirmed out of the earth-pillars. The green giant then swiftly ran out of the village. He moved with the same speed as the Ork Colonel Vergewaltiger and disappeared from sight.

Smoke wanted to fly in the air to get an aerial view, but as he was now disguised as a Magic Knight, he decided not to.

With his movements restricted, Smoke focused in on his Cunning of the Dire Fox. Yet, even with his Master Level ability, he could no longer sense the presence of any Ork.

“Is Everyone alright?” Smoke asked the crowd.

He found Buktot in front of the crowd. He was shielding them from the attacking Ork.

Meanwhile, Duda was far in the back. She was huddled together with the other children, her baby held tightly in her arms.

“Who are you supposed to be?” angrily asked Duda.

At once, Smoke turned on his dark flames. However, he quickly retreated some distance away from them. He feared that another villager would get accidentally hurt by his fiery facade.

“The name’s Ilad, the Magic Knight. I was sent here by Magietrois Florissant to help your village,” he boldly replied.

“So, Buktot wasn’t making up stories about sending for help after all,” said Duda. She then turned to the crowd. “Anyone got hurt?”

On the other hand, Buktot ran towards the boy who was held captive by the Ork.

“Biik, are you okay?” Buktot asked the plump boy.

“I’m fine,” replied Biik. “Now, let me go! Before you infect me with your disease.” The little boy then ran towards his mother in the clustered crowd behind Buktot.

“See? I told you it was the Orks who were taking our children!” exclaimed Duda. “Now, what are you going to do about it, Buktot?”

“I’m not so sure,” interjected Smoke. “That Ork didn’t act like any of the Orks I’ve ever met before and—”

Smoke was stopped mid sentence, as Duda shushed him by raising her hand. “Sir Ilad, excuse me,” she began. “But can we ask you for a favor?”

“Right now?” said Smoke confused, as he had just met the woman.

An eager Duda nodded and said. “Buktot was clearly mistaken. As everyone witnessed, we need to defend ourselves against the Orks.” She paused and tilted her head. “Perhaps, you can reinforce the village walls with the earth magic you used earlier?” she asked in a forced sweet tone.

“Sure, I can do that,” replied Smoke with a troubled face. “But I don’t think that the Ork was your usual—”

This time, Smoke was cut off by the interim village chief.

“No use arguing about it, Sir Ilad,” said Buktot. “Come, I’ll take you to the parts of the walls with the least defenses.”

Buktot then leads Smoke to a different part of the village, away from the rest of the assaulted mob.

* * * * * *

Using his Earth Manipulation, an obliging Smoke created sturdy walls worthy enough to defend a small city. Despite having worked for the past hour, he only covered up to 10% of the village.

“You know? I could surround the entire village with a shorter wall,” Smoke said to Buktot. “And it will be quicker too.”

“No, no, this is fine,” said the hunchback, who was sitting in the shade doing nothing but observing Smoke all this time. “This is just to pacify their clamor of upgrading our walls.”

Buktot then stood up and dusted himself off. “Besides, I have a feeling that tonight will be the last.”

“The last what?” asked a passive Smoke, not looking at Buktot. He pretended to be immersed in the creation of the solid fortifications.

“Nothing… was just talking out loud,” replied Buktot. The hunchback paced back and forth before finally speaking again. “Um… I was just wondering,” he said. “But is it true that once you Sonstwelters leave for your world it will take some time before you get back?”

Smoke stopped working on the wall and turned to face him. “You know, you’re the first Zectian to ask me that.”

“Really? I didn’t mean anything by it,” quickly said Buktot. “And you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I was just curious, that’s all.”

“It depends on the Sonstwelter,” said Smoke. “But in my case, it does take some time before I return.”

“I see,” replied Buktot. “Thanks for telling me. Well, I better leave you to it then. I don’t want to cause you any delay,” he said and walked towards one of the log houses.

Smoke watched him leave before he resumed working on the walls. “Follow him, Daga,” he said under his breath, without facing his Shade.

The little gray mouse jumped out from its hiding place and dashed with its tiny feet after Buktot.

“Right, better get this thing built then,” said Smoke to himself.

Sensing no one near him, Smoke raised a full section of the wall straight up from the ground. However, its height was only three-fourths of the one next to it.

‘That’s all I can make at one go, huh?’ he thought disappointed. He wondered how far he was now from Ledur’s level of Earth Manipulation.

He stopped working and stared at the two walls next to each other. ‘Maybe I can cover the entire village if I alternate the height?’ he debated with himself, but stopped as soon as he felt the presence of somebody watching him.

“Come out, I know you’re there,” he said to the log house where he sensed someone.

“Wow! You can even tell, huh?” said Duda, stepping out into clear view. “You are Sir Ilad, right?”

“Yes. I’m just reinforcing the walls as Buktot instructed,” replied Smoke. “Where’s your baby?” he asked, as he noticed that she wasn’t carrying one anymore.

“He’s sleeping,” replied Duda. “My sister Hinala is watching him as we speak,” she quickly added, all defensive.

“That’s good,” said Smoke. “You can’t be too careful. What with all the missing children the past few days.”

“Exactly!” replied Duda. “You know what? You seem sort of reliable,” she blurted out. “And I should know because I’m a great judge of character.”

“Really?” asked Smoke. “Then, you think Buktot is really up to something?”

“I’m not a hundred percent, but something is definitely off about him ever since he became the village chief.”

“So, you think he’s the one kidnapping the children and selling them for zecs?” asked Smoke.

“Oh no! Buktot would never do that… I think,” she said, hesitant. “That was just my sister drawing her own conclusions.”

“I don’t get it,” said Smoke. “I thought you hated the guy? But it looks like you’re defending him.”

“Well, he may not be the prettiest boy on the planet, but he does have quite a few good traits about him,” replied Duda. “In fact, he’s the only one who volunteered to take the on the mantle of the village chief. At first, I thought it would be great. He could do so much for the village, but then he neglected… Anyway, he ran unopposed as most of the villagers already migrated to the Thanotl Kingdom.”

“Is that so?” asked Smoke, investigating further. “Why do you know so much about Buktot, anyway?”

“Um… Growing up, we were different from the other children. Back then, we used to be really close,” began Duda. “We played all day, and even pretended to farm the barren lands outside the village.” She let out a merry sigh, as she reminisced. “But all of that changed when he heard I got pregnant. He even went and became the village chief. It’s just silly really, considering that he’s—” she suddenly stopped herself from talking. “Hahaha,” she forcibly laughed. “Look at me blabbing my guts out to a complete stranger.”

“I don’t mind hearing more,” said Smoke, smiling as he tried to gain some rapport with her. “What if Buktot had some money with him? Would that something to be alarmed about?” he quickly added, as he hoped to acquire additional information.

“If it’s anything over ten thousand zecs, then something is definitely up,” replied Duda. “But don’t mind me, that was just some useless blabber,” she said, apprehensive. “Anyway, what about these walls, huh? I’ve never seen anything like it before. I just hope that they really keep out the Orks.”

“Yes, about that. I don’t think that the attacker was an Ork,” said Smoke. “For one, I’ve never seen one all alone and—”

“Then, he’s a rogue Ork,” interjected Duda. “You can’t deny what your eyes see, and I saw an Ork. Didn’t that monster look like an Ork to you?”

“Of course, he did but—” began Smoke but was interrupted again.

“Then it’s settled, build the wall as Buktot ordered,” she said. “That’s the one thing he’s doing right, or he could just quit being the village chief and return to being more compassionate.”

“Compassionate?” asked Smoke, confused.

She paused and recomposed herself. “Anyway, I was wondering about something.”

“Yes? What’s that?” replied Smoke.

“I heard that you Sonstwelters often leave Zectas to return to your world,” said Duda. “Do you know what time you’re planning to leave today?”

“I usually leave at about six or seven,” replied Smoke, observant on her reactions. “But I make it a point to return before five in the morning, if I can,” he quickly added.

“I see,” said Duda. “Well, thanks for telling me that. My sister was asking about it,” she added. “It was a pleasant chat, but I have to return to my son.”

Smoke waved goodbye. As he watched her leave, he could not help but wonder what was the history between Duda and Buktot.

* * * * * *

After three more hours, Smoke had fortified 50% of the village. Many of the villagers also came to watch him, which slowed down his pace, as he wanted to talk to them about their opinions on the current happenings in Nadaya.

As it had grown late into the afternoon, Smoke was given an empty log cabin to rest in. It belonged to one of the many families who migrated to the neighboring kingdom.

Smoke was resting in the dining area, devouring a bowl of sand cheetah broth. He resorted to using the gamey meat of the fast desert monsters, as his supply of ancient bison was already running low. Despite his Master level Cooking ability, the sand cheetah meat still gave a pungent odor which now filled the entire cabin.

Then, a little gray mouse snuck up behind him and stood next to his bowl.

‘Looks like Daga already gained the Perfect Sneak ability,’ thought a smiling Smoke, as he was now unable to sense his Shade with his Cunning of the Dire Fox.

“Well? Let’s have it,” he said to his Shade, and an information window popped up in front of him.

Daga’s Reconnaissance Report:

>> Target: Buktot <<

10:00 AM

-> Met with a villager named Saka. Discussed the current conditions of the Agricultural Research.

11:00 AM

-> Went home to check on his treasured box, containing previously investigated items.

01:00 PM

-> Met with the family of Biik. Checked on the situation with the boy. On a side note, the boy is still as hefty as ever and is eating even more now.

02:00 PM

-> Went home to check on his treasured box (again!), containing previously investigated items.

02:30 PM

-> Visited Duda’s house, but was denied entry by her sister Hinala.

03:00 PM

-> Went out of the village, bringing his barrels inside a cart. He met with a man near the edge of the forest. Was not able to go any closer as the man had sand cats with him.

05:00 PM

-> Arrived back in the village and is currently resting in his house.

06:00 PM

-> Decided to return to master Smoke, as my stomach was growling and have deemed the target to be inactive for the rest of the day.

‘There sure is a lot of useless information here,’ he thought, peeved. After reading through his Shade’s report, he felt the presence of someone heading towards his cabin.

“Daga, hurry! Come here,” said Smoke, grabbing the little gray mouse and leaping into the small tunnel he had dug earlier.

“Sir Ilad? Sir Ilad, are you still there?” asked a female’s voice. “My sister Duda and I were wondering if you’ve already eaten?”

‘That must be Hinala,’ surmised Smoke.

“Sir Ilad? Are you there?” Hinala repeated. “I’ve bought you a bowl of rabbit stew.”

However, Smoke remained hidden and quiet.

“Hmm… I guess he must have already left for his world,” said Hinala and left.

Five minutes passed before Hinala left his short-term house. His Cunning of the Dire Fox indicated that she was heading towards Duda’s home.

“Igniz, I should have let you out earlier,” whispered Smoke, scratching his head in frustration.

‘Now, I have no idea what’s going on outside,’ he came to realize. He pointed his hand upward and used his Earth Manipulation to conceal the entrance of his tunnel.

“Alright, let’s head for the surface,” said Smoke. He equipped his Digger’s Wand and pointed towards the direction of the nearest wall.

Despite moving at his fastest, it still took him twenty minutes to reach past the premises of Nadaya Village. His delay was caused from a traumatic experience. When he was digging tunnels before, he had almost fainted from lack of oxygen, which was why he always made sure to create breathing holes every twenty meters.

“Right, this should be far enough,” he said to Igniz. “Remember, Bud, you have to dim your flames.”

Despite his reminder, he knew that Igniz would be easily spotted. Yet, he still created an earth-cannon which protruded out of the ground. Without concern for his ember sprite to be discovered, he launched Igniz out of it.

Using his Symbiote Vision, Smoke observed the village from an aerial perspective.

However, he only realized that he could not see anything clearly. The Zectas sun had long set and the quarter moon had not fully risen.

Fortunately for him, Igniz spotted some movement on the opposite side of the village.

Flying at his fastest, the dark ember sprite dove down and followed the source of the movement.

It was then that Smoke saw Buktot running away from the village. He held a sickle and was heading into the forest filled with lemurcats. Not far behind him, Igniz spotted Duda chasing after the hunchback.

Although the Symbiote Vision had a clear resolution, it was only limited to sight. As such, Smoke could only guess what Duda was mad about, as she was flailing her arms at him.

With a wave of his hands, Smoke increased the circumference of his earth-canon.

Taking a running start, he launched himself out of it and glided towards Nadaya’s interim chief.

“Igniz, to me!” he called out.

At once, his symbiote flew towards him and the two of them melded into their Synergized state.

Smoke estimated that it would take him two minutes more before reaching the hunchback.

Then, without any warning, Buktot began to run faster.

Before Smoke could catch up to him, the hunchback disappeared into the lemurcat filled forest.

Landing at the entrance of the forest, Smoke relied on his Cunning of the Dire Fox to pick out Buktot’s general location.

Thankfully, Buktot was still within the range of his sensory ability.

Using his Hyper Jump, Smoke chased after the speedy hunchback. As he pursued him, Smoke felt the presence of ten lemurcats.

‘Better use the serval shoes,’ he thought, hoping that the resulting flames would frighten the lemurcats away. But before he could do so, he noticed something else. Strangely enough, the powerful beasts were already fleeing the opposite direction from where Buktot was headed to.

‘Did the lemurcats pick up my scent?’ wondered Smoke, remembering how these beasts ran away from him earlier.

‘At least I can concentrate on Buktot now,’ he thought, pleased.

After three more Hyper Jumps, Smoke finally saw Buktot’s back. The hunchback stopped in the middle of a small clearing in the pomegranate forest.

“What are you doing here, Buk—” began Smoke, but stopped himself when he saw Hinala in front of Buktot. The hunchback was pointing his sickle at her.

Hinala yelled, as soon as she spotted Smoke. “Stay away from me, Buktot! Sir Ilad, please help us!” she said and indicated that she was carrying Duda’s baby with her.

At once, Buktot turned around and faced Smoke. “Sir Ilad? No, it’s not what you think. She’s the one trying to take the baby away!” he exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at her.

Just then, Duda arrived from behind Smoke. She was panting hard, as she tried to catch her breath.

“No! No! It was Buktot that was trying to take my baby!” she said in between breaths.

“Wait!” shouted Smoke. “What exactly is going on?”

“I was walking home when I found Buktot carrying a sickle. He was chasing after my sister and my baby outside the village,” began Duda. “I’m just glad you were able to run away from him,” she said to Hinala.

“Yeah! Exactly!” said Hinala. “I told you he was trying to sell off the children,” she stammered.

“No!” argued Buktot. “That’s not what happened! I was trying to—”

SLAP

The hunchback was not able to finish his explanation, as Duda appeared in front of him and smacked him hard across the face.

“How dare you!” she yelled. “What is wrong with you?”

“Duda—” began Buktot, but was cut off.

“So, it is true? You really do have a ton of money set aside, huh?” accused Duda.

“I do,” replied Buktot. “But it’s not for me, I’m saving it for—”

“How could you do this?” she screamed again.

“No, Duda, you’ve got it all wrong,” said Buktot, shaking his head in denial. “Hinala is the one who’s lying! She’s the one who—”

SLAP

“Shut up!” shouted Duda. “Sir Ilad, can you please take him away from here?”

“Um…” replied Smoke, uncertain.

Amidst Duda and Buktot’s fight, Hinala ran off with the baby.

However, Smoke caught sight of this and chased after her. Utilizing his Hyper Jump ability, he managed to snatch away the baby boy from Hinala.

“Aaaaagh!” screamed Hinala in retaliation. Her face contorted to that of an ugly monster. Her teeth turned into sharp fangs, her fingernails protracted into sharp points, and her skin turned to pale-gray.

After securing the baby, Smoke instantly felt a lump on the baby’s back. ‘Did she curse him?’ he wondered.

“Stupid Ilad! Why did you have to come here?” said the monster.

“Aswang! Aswang!” screamed Buktot, pointing at the transmogrified Hinala.

With disregard for her safety, Duda rushed over to where Smoke and her baby was. “Is he alright? Give him to me!” she yelled, her hands longingly extended.

As Smoke was about to hand over the baby to his mother. The Aswang charged towards them.

Bare-handed, Smoke pointed his palms at the ground and launched two magma-spikes. The sudden melded elemental attack only grazed the Aswang’s shoulder as it was able to pull back at the last second.

“Hinala! What are you doing?” asked Duda, clutching her baby tightly. She trembled as she hid behind Smoke.

“Fool!” screamed the Aswang. “Your sister Hinala was the first one I ate. She screamed in agony as I devoured her.”

“You monster!” yelled Duda, lost for words.

“Monster? Of course, I am!” replied the Aswang. “But before your sister died, she said something really stupid.”

The Aswang paused, as its long slimy tongue licked the sharp points of its fingernails. “She prayed to Tlaltezin to spare your life, your sister’s Alay, and your son. I bet Alay is already dead. Who in their right mind would send someone so young to another kingdom?”

“Nyak nyak nyak!” chuckled the Aswang. “Isn’t that stupid? Tlatezin is the great god of power and might. He wouldn’t care if I killed you since you’re all weak—”

The voice of the Aswang became muffled as Smoke enclosed it in an earth-dome.

“It’s fine, I got it—” began Smoke, but the Aswang destroyed the earth-dome with one claw strike. It leaped up and stood on top Smoke’s failed trap.

“Was that supposed to keep me in?” taunted the Aswang. “Do you know how many squishy children I’ve already eaten?” it paused as if waiting for Smoke to answer. “Only one more and I would have been powerful enough to become a Manananggal!”

However, Smoke was not listening to the Aswang. Instead, he equipped his manatl staff and flamberge sword.

With his back turned to Buktot he said. “Get Duda and her baby to safety.”

“But what about you?” asked Buktot.

“Don’t mind me,” replied Smoke. “I can handle this monster.”

“My, confident, are we?” said the Aswang. “You know? If you’re so sure of yourself, why don’t you let me the baby? You can fight me after I transform into a Manananggal. So? What do you—”

The Aswang was cut short, as Smoke’s flaming flamberge scorched across its chest. It dealt 30% damage on the monster’s life bar.

“Argh!” screamed the monster, as it leaped backward. “Fine! Looks like I’ll have to kill you first then,” said the Aswang and vanished.

It leaped up and disappeared from Smoke’s sight, but not from his Cunning of the Dire Fox.

As he needed to block the Aswang’s escape, Smoke channeled his mana through the brown metallic staff. He was taken aback at large manatl wall that displayed before him, as he did not intend to create such a massive covering.

‘This must be from my being a Beggar Evocati,’ he grimaced, pleased at himself.

DOOONG

The Aswang’s head smacked hard into the purple force field and sent the grotesque monster falling down, straight towards Smoke.

In preparation for the Aswang’s drop, Smoke created four magma-pillars to capture it. The monster only had 70% left on its life bar.

‘Looks like it really is weak against Fire,’ he surmised.

However, the Aswang’s body stretched into thin sections as it fell down. It escaped Smoke’s trap.

Then, in one fluid motion, it latched its sharp fangs into Smoke’s neck.

– Infliction: Life Drain

Smoke tried to smack the Aswang off of him, but a second warning notification popped up.

– Infliction: Paralysis

Smoke’s arms went limp, lifeless. Both his manatl staff and flamberge dropped to the ground. With his face up close against the slimey Aswang, he could smell the rotten scent of decayed flowers.

Minutes passed and Smoke’s life bar was sapped down to 70%. Meanwhile, the Aswang’s life bar was almost filled to 90%.

‘Maybe I can cancel my Synergized State,’ he thought.

Yet, before he could execute his plan, his little gray mouse leaped out of its hiding place and bit off the ear of the Aswang.

“Aaaahhh!” yelped the Aswang in pain, releasing its fangs on Smoke’s neck.

Freed from his status ailments, Smoke swiftly created magma shackles and strapped them on the Aswang’s limbs.

Even though the monster could stretch its limbs, the molten shackles melted into its flesh and prevented it from escaping.

“No! I’m not done yet!” screamed the monster.

With its arms and legs shackled to the ground, It stretched its head and upper body to its maximum extent.

“Stop it,” said Smoke, quickly picking up his staff and sword. “This is it for you. Now, why don’t you tell me more about the Aswangs?” he threatened, pushing his flaming flamberge against the monster’s neck.

“Pweee!” the Aswang spat on Smoke. “You think you got me? I’m not dying here!”

Small black wings sprouted out on its back and attempted to unfurl.

“More! More!” exclaimed the Aswang. “I’m almost turning into a Manananggal!”

Yet, before its wings could grow any bigger, Smoke’s Incinerator lit up the dimly lit forest.

A sphere of fragmented flamberge shards minced, sliced, and diced the elastic flesh of the Aswang.

“You stupid, Ilad!” screamed the Aswang.

“Nanang Aswang will avenge me!” it screamed, as its life bar steadily dropped to zero.

After a few more seconds, a notification window popped up.

+ You have dealt a fatal blow to the Aswang: Sawi

+ You have killed the Aswang: Sawi

+ You have gained 1,000,000 XP

It was only after reading this that Smoke canceled his Incinerator ability.

After vanquishing the horrific monster, Smoke spotted something within its remains.

+ Acquired forging component: Aswang Tongue

After defeating the monster, Smoke hurried towards the village. He needed to know if Buktot, Duda, and her baby reached Nadaya safely.

* * * * * *

The quarter moon had fallen past its apex, as a worried Smoke circled over the village.

With the aid of his Telefax Vision, he searched for Buktot, Duda, and her baby. Looking for familiar landmarks, he spotted the dozens of stacked barrels outside Buktot’s house. Next to them stood Buktot and Duda. He glided down fast but landed softly in front of them.

“Are you guys alright?” asked Smoke, but was surprised at what he found.

Duda was rocking her baby to sleep as she told him a bedtime a story.

“…So, the scared and witless boy realized that this was going nowhere,” Duda said in a calming voice to her baby. “Until, he meets a beautiful and smart girl… with a passion for music.”

Buktot’s face cringed at Duda’s words. So, he stood next to her and hijacked her story.

“But the boy took an instant disliking to Du— the beautiful girl. Her brash and callous ways that she learned during her years in the Thanotl Kingdom left to be undesirable.”

This time, Duda took charge of her story.

“But an evil Aswang tried to kidnap the handsome prince. Out of all the people in the village, it was only Buktot— the witless boy who came running to rescue the prince,” said Duda. She paused and blushed as her eyes met with Buktot’s. “It was then that Queen remembered how kind hearted the village boy was.”

As the two of them shared a moment, Smoke found it awkward to interrupt them. He tried to walk away but stumbled onto the stacked barrels next to the house.

SPILL

Pomegranate juice spilled out of the barrels. The purple goo made Smoke slip and fall on his back.

“Sir Ilad, are you alright?” asked Buktot, who hurried to help him up.

“I’m fine,” replied Smoke, propping himself up before Buktot could reach him.

“I knew it! I knew Sir Ilad would kill that Aswang in no time,” said a cheerful Duda.

After he wiped off the sticky purple juice, Smoke turned to Buktot. “So, the barrels were filled with pomegranate juice.”

“Hehehe,” chuckled a nervous Buktot. “Yeah. Our agricultural research indicated that the land around the village was hopeless.” He paused and let out a forced laugh. “Since I didn’t want our agricultural research to fail, I had Saka investigate on the potential uses on the fruits that were still thriving. Fortunately, he learned about the process of making pomegranate juice and I’ve been selling it to a Sonstwelter from the Thanotl Kingdom.”

“So, that’s where you got your money from?” said Duda. “I knew there was a reasonable explanation for it.”

“So, are you heading to the Thanotl Kingdom to heal your hunchback?” Duda asked Buktot.

“No, I’m saving up money for another reason,” replied Buktot.

“I see…” said Duda. “You were saving that money for someone else.”

Without a word, Buktot shyly nodded.

Smoke looked at Duda with a raised eyebrow, something had been bothering him ever since his return to the village.

“Duda, I’m glad that your baby is safe,” said Smoke. “But aren’t you sad about your sister Hinala?”

He found it suspicious and wanted to clear the air. He thought about enclosing her in a manatl sphere but decided not to, not until he found a more substantial evidence.

“Of course, I’d be happy,” said Duda. “Hinala is alive!”

‘Oh, looks like she lost it,’ thought Smoke.

“Listen, the Aswang said—” began Smoke but was interrupted.

“That my sister told him something about Tlatezin’s teachings,” said Duda. “But the funny thing is… my sister isn’t a follower of Tlatezin! In fact, she hates him.”

“Huh?” said Smoke.

“That means that the Aswang was just making up stories,” said Duda. “Which is why I’m hoping that you could find her for me? And maybe you could help me bring back my sister Alay too?”

+ Quest: The Search for Duda’s Siblings

Search Quest

Level: B

Duda of Nadaya Village has asked you to help her find her two sisters Hinala and Alay. There are no known clues about Hinala, but Alay’s last known whereabouts was on the road to the Thanotl Kingdom.

Accept the Quest? [YES/NO]

“Sure, I’d be happy to,” replied Smoke.

“Great! Then, it’s settled,” said Duda. “You will take all three of us to the Thanotl Kingdom,” she said, pointing to herself, her baby, and Buktot.

“All three of us?” asked Buktot.

“Didn’t you save that money to cure my baby of his hunchback?” Duda asked Buktot.

“Yes! Yes, I did,” said Buktot. “But how did you know?”

“I have my ways,” answered Duda.

“If all of us are going to Thanotl, then we better not bother Sir Ilad with his search for your sisters,” said Buktot. “I’ll contact that Merchant and secure a safe trip.”

“That’s a great idea,” said Smoke. “Why don’t you take this?” he said and gave him a brown bag filled with 500,000 zecs.

Buktot’s eyes grew wide after he saw what was inside the bag. “Sir Ilad, I can’t possibly take this.”

“Yes you can!” said an encouraging Smoke.

“But I must give you something in return,” said Buktot.

“Hm…” said Smoke, thinking. “Maybe you can help me with this,” he said and showed the Aswang tongue he acquired earlier.

“Ooooh!” exclaimed Buktot. “Agimats really do exist!”

“Agimats?” asked Smoke.

“They’re enchanting materials that can strengthen your current items,” explained Buktot. “They say that only a special type of Blacksmith can fuse these agimats.”

“Really? Do you know where I can find one?” asked Smoke, excited.

Buktot shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t. That’s just some of the stories passed down by my grandfather, but maybe you’ll know more about them in his book,” he said and headed inside his home.

After a few seconds, Buktot came out and gave Smoke a worn out book.

+ Acquired book: A Compendium of Aswangs and Agimats

“Thanks!” said Smoke. “I’m sure I’ll find some interesting stuff here.”

“Sure, no problem,” replied Buktot.

“Well, I’ll leave you three to plan your trip for Thanotl,” said Smoke. “I have to some other stuff to do as well.”

“Thanks again, Sir Ilad,” said Buktot and shook his hand.

“I’m sure we’ll see each other again,” added Duda. “And next time with my sisters.”

“I’ll try my best,” replied Smoke and gave her a sincere smile.

In no time at all, Smoke arrived at his temporary house in the village and closed the doors.

“Daga,” called out Smoke.

At once, the little gray mouse jumped out of its hiding place from within his hooded cloak and stood before its master.

“Keep an eye out on Buktot and Duda,” said Smoke. “Make sure that the Sonstwelter taking them to Thanotl isn’t going to swindle them.”

Daga gave him a small bow and scampered out of the log cabin.

With a smile on his face, Smoke was about to begin his Manatl training for the day.

‘Can’t let my guard down, even if I’ve gotten stronger,’ he thought.

Even with his powers increased from becoming a Beggar Evocati, Smoke knew that a daily focus on training his abilities was the fastest way to becoming even stronger.

But as he was settling in to do his training session, an emergency notification popped up.

It was the first time for him to see such a notification.

EMERGENCY! PLEASE LOG OUT NOW!

-Request prompted by <Seth Smoak> outside your game pod

Less than a second later, Smoke was logged out of Zectas.

* * * * * *

Nash stepped out of his game pod and immediately saw his two brothers standing in front of it.

Donny’s eyes were red and was shaking.

“What’s wrong?” asked Nash, a lump in his throat began to form. “Did something happen to Mima?”

Before he could clear out of his game pod, Donny ran to him and cried out. “Mima’s gone, Nash! She’s gone!” he said while hugging him tightly.

“No, no! Mima can’t be dead,” said Nash in disbelief. “You’re kidding, right? She said she was going to recover. I haven’t even made her a dragon kite.”

Seth shook his head and handed him their cordless phone. “No! She’s not dead. Someone took her from the hospital. The Doctors are on the phone now, and they want to talk to you…”

Chapter Three:

Different Perspective

The only thing darker than the looming summer sky was Nash’s thoughts. Dreadful black clouds filled with malice whisked and riled.

Heavy rain covered everything beyond the street across the hospital. He watched outside the window, hoping for a ray of light to shine.

Then, Nash turned around when he heard the most soothing voice.

“Sorry, it took so long,” blurted a drenched Sherry from behind him. “I rushed here as soon as I got your message, but my uber took a while.”

Despite wearing her long brown trench coat, she was still soaked to the bone. “How are you?” she asked softly.

Nash only shook his head and let out a deep sigh in response. “I think I’m about to lose it,” he replied, almost in a whisper. “They told me that some Detectives are running down the staff and the Doctors, but I bet they’ll wipe their hands clean of this. They don’t know crap!”

Sherry was taken aback by Nash’s scream but understood his frustration. “Where are Seth and Donny?” she asked as she tried to put him at ease.

“I had them stay at home,” said Nash. “In case someone called there or something.”

Sherry let out a deep sigh and embraced him. “Don’t worry, we’ll find her.”

Nash hugged her back and said. “What if this is all my fault?”

“Huh? How could it be your fault?” asked Sherry.

“What if someone found out about me being Smoke? Like Macher or Sagen?” asked Nash, trembling.

Sherry shook her head. “No, no, I’m sure it’s nothing like that. You’re just being paranoid.”

“Then why would anyone want to take her?” asked Nash. “We’re not rich, we can’t afford any ransom. Why would they take her?”

Sherry bit her lips as a tear rolled down her cheek. She shrugged and hugged him even tighter.

Then, two men in their early thirties walked up next to Nash and Sherry. One of the men wore a long brown trench coat while the other wore a blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves.

“Ahem, ahem. Excuse me,” said the man in the blue shirt. “I’m Detective Alonzo Faltoso and this is my partner Detective Ray Malear.”

At once, Nash stood up. “Did you find her? Is she alright?” he asked while shaking Detective Faltoso’s hand.

“I’m sorry, but we haven’t found her yet,” replied Detective Faltoso. “Now, can you think of anyone who would want to take your Grandma?”

“No idea,” replied Nash with a blank expression. “She’s the sweetest person on earth.”

“Of course, she is,” said Detective Faltoso. “But are you sure you can’t think of anyone who might want to use her to get at someone else in your family?” he said, scrutinizing Nash’s reaction. “Maybe, as a form of getting back at someone? You, perhaps?”

“Nash is a good person,” answered Sherry. “All of them are, no one would want to do anything like this to them.”

Nash did not respond and stared at the floor instead.

“Alright,” said Detective Faltoso, backing off. “Detective Malear will give you an update on what we have so far.”

Nash turned to face the other Detective, his eyes quivered with anger and despair, lost in his helplessness.

“As of three in the morning, the nurse doing the rounds in your Grandmother’s floor still found her sleeping in her bed,” began Detective Malear. “But when she came back, less than ten minutes later, your Grandmother was already gone.”

“And no one saw anything?” asked Nash, his voice grew louder. “What about the security cameras?”

“Actually, your Grandmother was never seen in any of the camera’s inside the hospital—” replied Detective Malear but was cut short by Nash.

“What? Are you telling me my Mima magically disappeared out of thin air?” sarcastically asked Nash.

“No, I didn’t say that,” replied Detective Malear.

“Hey, Kid, you don’t have to snap at us,” interjected Detective Faltoso. “We’re already working our butts off here. We haven’t even gone home yet!”

“Al, that’s enough,” said Detective Malear.

Seth and Donny arrived with hot cups of coffee, startled by the raised voices of their brother and the Detectives.

“Nash? What’s going on?” asked Donny, confused.

“What are you two doing here?” asked an angry Nash. “Didn’t I tell you to stay at home?”

“I had the calls in the house forwarded to my phone,” calmly replied Seth, offering him a cup of coffee.

Nash gave him a wry smile and accepted the cup, ashamed for snapping at his brothers. “Anyway, it seems like the police have no idea how Mima got taken,” he explained, peeved. “And apparently, they want me to be calm about it!”

“Yes, please do, that would be the best,” said Detective Malear. “Like I was saying, the cameras didn’t see anything, but I found something strange,” added the Detective quickly before Nash could interrupt him again. “There’s a gap of three minutes missing in the footage from the hallway outside your Grandmother’s door.”

“What does that mean?” asked Sherry.

“It means that someone tampered with the hospital’s security cameras,” answered Seth.

“That’s right,” said Detective Malear, surprised. “I’m having one of our tech-guys come in to take a look, but it’s most likely that the hospital has been hacked.”

“Detective, can you also take a look at the street cameras outside the hospital?” asked Seth. “Maybe we’ll spot something there?”

“Of course, we’re going to do that,” replied Detective Malear. “But that’ll take some time. I’ll have to issue a warrant for the other cameras besides the ones on the traffic lights.”

“I don’t care how long that takes,” said an irate Nash. “Just give us the answers.”

Detective Faltoso looked like he was about to have a heated argument with Nash, but was stopped by his partner.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find her,” said Detective Malear, pulling Detective Faltoso away from Nash and his family.

After the Detectives left, Sherry turned to Nash. “So, what are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know,” replied Nash. “But I’ve already spoken with Mr. Kohle and explained the situation. I told him that I won’t be logging into Zectas anytime soon.”

“What now?” asked Sherry, confused. “And who is Mr. Kohle?”

“He’s the manager in the game center I used to work in,” explained Nash. “He’s the one who gave me my game pod.”

“I see,” replied Sherry. She paused before continuing. “Um, Nash, is it okay if I tell everyone back in Verbrannt about your situation?”

Nash eyebrows met when he faced her. “Why? What for?”

Sherry lowered her head and broke away from his gaze. “Well, I was hoping they could help me pray. I know you’re not into that stuff, but I am. So, please, can I—”

Nash stopped Sherry mid-sentence, shaking his head. “No! I don’t want anyone else to know about this. Just tell them that I won’t be coming back for a while. I’m on a different continent from you guys anyway.”

Sherry’s mouth fell open, speechless.

“But I’d like you to continue praying for her,” quickly added Nash, grabbing Sherry’s hand.

“Don’t worry about it, Sherry, I’m sure we’ll find her soon,” said Donny. “And then Nash can go back to Zectas then.”

“Zectas?” said Nash, incredulous. “Honestly, my mind is far away from that world right now.”

* * * * * *

“What’s up with this rain?” said Sherry out loud. She removed her soaked jacket as soon as she entered her house.

She offered to stay together with Nash in the hospital, but he told her to go home and go back to Zectas. Apparently, Nash was going to the police station after the Detectives were done questioning the hospital staff.

Sherry turned on her television while she prepared a quick dinner. She needed the energy to tide her over for a marathon of gaming.

As she was chopping the lettuce for her sandwich, she suddenly stopped as news about a Zectas player was on the television.

“Vierge Canaille, a level 150 HighElf with a Job of Paladin Lord, has been permanently banned from Zectas as of this morning,” said an alluring Newscaster. She flipped her blonde hair as the screen zoomed in on her face. “Now, as you may all know, Zectas has boasted that their system is impregnable, but this man is the first one to do it. They say he hacked his game pod and added new source code into it, giving him maxed out stats and maxed out abilities.”

Sherry brought her finished sandwich in front of the screen to listen better and nestled into the couch.

“Of course, the Zectas Moderators instantly found him out,” added the Newscaster. “But the player himself was happy with what he did, and we have him here right now.”

The camera then zoomed in on a strapping young man in his mid-twenties, who was sitting next to the Newscaster. “So, Vierge, what do you have to say for yourself? Now, that you can no longer access Zectas,” she said.

“To be honest, I do have some regrets,” began Vierge. “I would love to play Zectas for as long as I live, but my time left here on earth is really limited. You see, I have stage four bladder cancer.”

Vierge then gave her a bright smile, his face shone his contentment. “So, at least I got to experience what it would have been like if I could have played for the rest of my life.”

The screen then turned to the dumbfounded Newscaster. “Uh, um… I’m really sorry, Vierge, I pegged you for something else,” she stammered. “I didn’t know it was something like that.”

Vierge shook his head and smiled. “I don’t mind what you or what the rest of the world thinks of me. I just wanted to express my love for the game and my character, but I would like to apologize to the developers and the creators for my selfish actions,” he said, turning to face the camera.

“What about a second opinion?” blurted out the Newscaster. “Have you already gotten one?”

“Of course, that’s what the first thing my parents had me do when we found out,” replied Vierge. “I think the only other option would have been to get into one of those capsules in Dream Life,” he paused and let out a regretful sigh. “But I’m afraid my family can’t even afford the initial payment, let alone the monthly maintenance fees.”

“I see,” said the Newscaster. “Well, at least you were able to live your life without any regrets.”

The Newscaster then turned to the camera. “There you have it folks, the first player who dared to hack the Zectas game. Even though he was caught less than a few minutes from hacking, the smile on his face still conveys the pride in his decisio—”

Then, the Newscaster was stopped by a man with papers, who rushed to the stage and whispered something to her. Her head shifted backward and her face lit up after she heard what the man had to say.

“Looks like we have a special call on the line right now,” she said with a wide grin. Her nose expanded to the sides whereas her eyes became wider, which turned her pleasant face to something comical.

“You’re live on air, Dr. Lisa Zuckerman,” said the Newscaster.

“Oh, am I on? Alright, then,” said Lisa over the phone. “Your name is Vierge right?”

“Yes?” replied a confused Vierge.

“Do you know who I am?” asked Lisa.

Vierge shook his head. “Um, sorry, am I supposed to know you?”

“Hahahahaha,” chuckled Lisa. “No, of course not.”

“Vierge, Dr. Lisa Zuckerman is the CEO of Zectas,” explained the Newscaster to him.

“Oh, oh! I’m so sorry, Dr. Zuckerman,” apologized Vierge. “Sorry, I’m not really caught up with the current events.”

“That’s alright,” said Lisa. “No problem. Anyway, I called because I’d like to tell you how wrong it was of you to hack our system.”

“I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” said Vierge.

“That’s okay, Vierge, as long as you won’t do it again,” said Lisa.

“Of course! I promise that was just a one-time thing,” said Vierge.

“Good. Now, that that’s settled, I’d like to tell you the second reason why I called,” said Lisa.

The Newscaster and Vierge tilted their heads as they waited for the Zectas CEO to continue.

“I’d like to offer you a complete Dream Life package absolutely free,” said Lisa.

“What? Is this for real?” said Vierge out loud, his eyes grew wide and watery.

The Newscaster herself lost all composure and broke down in tears as she hugged Vierge.

“Thank you so much! Thank you so much! I can’t believe this! Woohoo!” screamed Vierge, as tears dripped down his cheeks.

“You’re welcome, Vierge,” said Lisa. “Now, before you get settled into your Dream Life capsule, I’d like you to visit me in our Zectas main office. I’d like to hear more about how you hacked our system.”

BLITZ

The television screen went black, as Sherry turned it off.

“Now, that’s something you don’t see every day,” she said loudly as she headed upstairs.

When she got to her room, she examined her game capsule and wondered how that Vierge person did it.

Her examination of the capsule took less than a minute since she knew nothing about computers, much less a complicated piece of hardware like this one.

With a shrug, she finished off her sandwich with one large bite. She then stepped into the game capsule to rejoin her virtual friends.

* * * * * *

Sierra opened her eyes to the marble ceiling of her bedchamber. The golden moldings lined in the ruler’s suite were but a fragment of the renovations that were done in Rauch Castle. Her HighElf body lazily rolled off her soft mattress and walked towards the balcony. There, she breathed in the invigorating view of Verbrannt.

Yet, even this was not enough to sate the pang in her heart. “I hope they find Daphne soon,” she whispered to the blowing wind.

Wanting to rid herself of the pain, she focused on the grounds below her. Five Gardeners were working on the flower beds inside the courtyard as they brought back the former glory of Verbrannt’s gardens. Meanwhile, the bustling marketplace just outside the walls was filled with her smiling subjects.

She found some solace in the fact that there were little signs of preparations for war inside the second wall of Verbrannt, the section where the marketplace and the main housing district were located.

Looking beyond that, she spotted the lush green farms stretched out in the third wall of the village. Several acres of land irrigated by Ledur’s canal. The canal itself served not only as the water source for the vegetation but also hastened the transportation of their yield. Boats were docked next to the canals and loaded with their harvested produce.

And even beyond that, a new addition was added to the fourth wall of Verbrannt. Since Sierra and most of Smoke’s core members did not want to completely remove the trees of Anbau, they decided to create homes and workplaces with the consideration of the former wild forest. Tree houses were built within the living trees, with stairs that circled around the humongous trunks.

Of course, Sierra could not see all of this from on top of her balcony, but she could imagine them all as she looked at the horizon.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

“Come in!” she yelled without turning to face the door.

A blond young man in his early twenties entered the room.

“Good morning, Thyrsus,” she said with a forced smile, as she tried to brighten her mood.

“How did you know it was me?” asked a surprised Thyrsus. “I thought you could only know who was who when you were in your Werebear form?”

“I don’t need my transmogrified form to know it’s you,” began Sierra. “You’re always the one who comes to greet me and give me the updates on Verbrannt as soon as I arrive.”

“Ah! Of course. Let me get to it then,” said Thyrsus. “Most of the residents are happy with the changes going on around the village. There’s just some slight monetary issue.”

“They don’t have a problem with our war taxes, do they?” asked Sierra, worried.

“No, no,” said Thyrsus. “It’s nothing like that. All of them are willing to help fund our war against Burmistrz.”

She let out a sigh of relief. “Then what’s the monetary issue?” she asked.

“Um… well, the Cooks refuse to pay the agreed upon price of fishes and vegetables that our Fishermen and Farmers are selling,” replied Thyrsus.

“How much is their difference?” asked Sierra.

“They’re just off by twenty zecs per kilo,” said Thyrsus. “Don’t worry, I’ll sort it out by the end of the day.”

“Great,” said Sierra. “Thanks for doing that.”

“No problem,” replied Thyrsus. “Next, I’m happy to tell you that our offensive power has gone up to 6,194,000, while our defensive power has gone up to 7,204,000.”

“Good, we’re almost at the 10,000,000 mark,” said Sierra. She smiled at him for she could easily know all this information by simply opening the Village Window, but Thyrsus insists on doing this whenever he was free.

“Listen, gather all of the core members in the strategy room,” she said in a serious tone. “I have some sad news I want to share with everyone.”

Thyrsus’ faced became stricken with worry. “Alright, give me ten minutes,” he said and rushed out the door.

Sierra returned to her calming view of Verbrannt and let out a deep hopeful sigh. “Yeah, I’m sure they’ll find her.”

* * * * * *

It took less than ten minutes for all the core members to gather. Sierra sat at the head of the black onyx table, with an empty seat next to her.

“Welcome back, Sierra,” said Espion, as he sat down next to Rear.

Sierra’s Therianthropes Phen, Rear, Ardu, and Vrai sat next to each other, all of them in their human forms.

The Maneators Weise, Stark, Rasant, and Adelige sat down on the floor, as the were too big to sit on chairs.

Thyrsus, Vijaya, Ichaival, and Sharanga sat across from one another, scattered between the Maneators.

Jinggu, Gandiva, and Guro took their seat between Adelige and Rasant, as the two of them seem to have an argument.

Meanwhile, Mamelon, Courant, and Virer sat on the opposite end of the smooth onyx table.

Only Adder and Ledur were absent.

“Is this everyone?” Sierra asked Thyrsus.

“Afraid so,” replied Thyrsus. “Ledur went away with the young Volataur named Neffe, and Adder is still out training his Condortlians.”

“There’s also Smoke and Ilad,” blurted out Mamelon. “Although they are on a different continent at the moment, we mustn’t forget to mention them too.”

Thyrsus stared at Mamelon and gave her a knowing nod. “Of course…”

“I believe Ledur is training Neffe at the moment,” chimed in Espion. “I can’t believe how strong we’ve all gotten. Guro with her trained Lioumereans, and of course everyone else’s Mercenaries are sure to have gotten stronger as well.”

“Why are you so chatty all of a sudden?” Ichaival asked Espion.

“Oh, shut up, Ichaival,” interrupted Sharanga. “Just let him be.”

“I don’t mind,” said Espion. “Just happy about the news I heard from my Da about Smoke’s new achievement, is all,” he said with a proud grin.

“Really? What kind?” asked Courant. “If he got some extra zecs with him, maybe he’d be willing to sponsor my wedding with Aime.”

“Don’t be stupid,” said Virer, hitting the Electro Knight on the shoulder. “We need all the zecs we can spare to fund the war.”

“Oh, come on!” Courant said to Virer. “Don’t be like that just because you got dumped by Cheri.”

“Guys, this isn’t the time or place for that,” reprimanded Mamelon.

“Anyway, we’ve all been gathered here because Sierra has some important news,” said Thyrsus loudly, enough to silence the chatter amongst those seated around the onyx table.

With that, all of their heads turned to face Sierra.

She combed her curly red hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. “Um… I don’t know how to say this… But I guess just saying it straight would be the best way.”

“Absolutely, whatever it is, just say it,” encouraged Vijaya.

“Well, as you all know, we only have a little over four months left until the battle against Burmistrz,” began Sierra. “Now, I know that all of you have put great effort into the preparations for the war—”

“What? Is that no longer happening?” asked Virer. “But I’ve poured out my heart and soul into training my Mercenaries. They could easily take out twice the number of Cavalry Knights thrown against them.” Anger, confusion, and hurt took turns in the Flame Knight’s face. “I even neglected my beloved Cheri for this.”

“Calm down, Virer,” said Mamelon. “And let Sierra finish what she wants to say.”

Everyone around the table stared at the pitiable Virer.

“You know, you used to look like that when you were still chasing after me,” blurted out Sharanga to Ichaival. “But I’m glad that you’re not anymore. Now, that you’re with that Banalite.”

“Sharanga, please. Her name is Sympa,” said Ichaival. “And I thought you liked her?”

Then, Thyrsus raised his voice once more. “Everyone! Please settle down!”

With that, all were silenced.

“Thank you,” said Sierra. “I apologize for being unclear. Virer, the fight against Burmistrz is still on. The news is this. Something happened to Smoke in our world, and he won’t be able to come to Zectas for a while.”

Audible gasps were simultaneously heard in the room.

“When you say your world, do you mean the place you go to when you disappear from here?” asked Ichaival.

Sierra nodded, her face sullen.

“What happened? Is he alright?” asked Vijaya.

“He’s not hurt, is he?” chimed in Sharanga.

“I know we don’t talk about personal matters, but where are you guys from? If you’re anywhere near Marseilles. Maybe, I can help with whatever it is?” offered Mamelon.

“Thanks, but that’s too far away from Michigan,” replied Sierra. “Don’t worry, I’m sure he will be back soon.”

“So, what does this mean? What are we supposed to do with that information?” asked Virer.

Suddenly, the gray Maneator expanded his shoulders, knocking Virer off his chair.

“Hey, watch it!” said Virer, sprawled on the ground.

“This means that we have to step up!” said Weise, offering his hand to help up the fallen Flame Knight. Weise then turned to face Sierra. “Don’t worry. We’ll double, no triple our preparations for war. I hate to admit it, but I have been dependent on Master Smoke for far too long.”

An orange Maneator rapidly stomped his hoof on the floor.

“That’s right, that’s right. We should think about winning this war without him,” began Rasant. “I’m sure he’ll be surprised when he sees how powerful we’ve become when he returns. I bet he’ll be so proud of us, that he’ll decide to throw a party in our honor, and—”

“Stark agrees!” interjected a bulging red Maneator. “Stark has grown more powerful too! And Stark’s men as well.”

“I was already planning on doing this from the start,” huffed Adelige, stroking her golden mane. “You’re just pointing out the obvious, Weise.”

A teary-eyed Sierra covered her lips with her hands, touched by their sincerity and support. As the rest of the core members began sharing similar thoughts, all of them stood up and let out a thunderous cheer, united against Burmistrz.

“Thank you,” was all Sierra could muster, as she remained seated.

“Well, then?” began Thyrsus. “What are we all waiting for? Let’s go and train!”

With that, the Zectians began leaving the room. Virer and Courant followed soon after.

After all of them left, Mamelon, who stayed behind, walked up to Sierra. “Hey, I’m serious about earlier,” she said softly. “If you and Smoke ever need my help in real life, I’ll be there. Just tell me when, where, and how,” she said playfully, trying to cheer Sierra up.

“Thanks, I’ll be sure to tell Smoke about it,” replied Sierra.

The two of them hugged and quickly broke off.

Yet, before Mamelon left the strategy room, she had one more thing left to say to the Vigilantez’s Leader.

“Um… Now, that you’ve mentioned about Smoke not being able to log into Zectas for a while, I have something to tell you as well,” began Mamelon. “It looks like I also have a Sonstwelter who can’t log into the game as well, and this just happened before you called us for this meeting.”

“What? Who? Is it Virer?” asked Sierra. “Is something wrong with him, too?”

“No, no, it’s not Virer,” replied Mamelon, chuckling. “Although something is wrong with him, but he can still log in here.”

Sierra’s eyebrows met, confused.

“I’m talking about Earat,” explained Mamelon. “You know, the little Halfling who always follows me around?”

“Oh! Him,” replied Sierra, after finally recognizing who she was talking about. “Why? What happened to him?”

“He went to the very first Zectacon in France,” began Mamelon. “And leave it to that dimwit, he somehow got himself banned from the game there.”

“No! Did he try to learn how to hack the game pod?” asked Sierra, remembering what she saw on the news earlier.

Mamelon shook her head. “He didn’t do that. Furthermore, I don’t think he has the brains for that.”

“Oh, then why did he get banned?” asked Sierra.

“Apparently, there was a guy on stage showing off the top 100 sexiest female Sonstwelters in the game,” said Mamelon. “And when the guy revealed that I was only number seven, Earat went up on stage and punched him right in the face.”

“And he got banned for that?” asked Sierra. “That’s a bit too much, that’s not even game related.”

“Well, the presenter’s name is Mark Zuckerman,” explained Mamelon. “Nephew of Lisa Zuckerman – CEO of Zectas.”

“Aww, that sucks!” said Sierra.

“I know, right?” replied Mamelon. “Too bad he just got banned now.”

“Why does the timing matter?” asked Sierra.

“Because he would have made history if he had done it a few days earlier,” explained Mamelon. “Now, he’s like that astronaut, Buzz—something.”

“Buzz Aldrin? But he’s famous,” said Sierra.

“Anyway, talking about history,” blurted out Mamelon, steering the subject away. “You know what the forums are saying right now?”

With her eyebrows meeting, Sierra shook her head.

“They say that Tristan is a thing of the past,” said Mamelon. “But I bet he’s just laying low right now. On the other hand, Amahan’s been conquering several dungeons lately. They say that it’s thanks to that Djinn of his.”

“Thanks to a Djinn, huh?” said Sierra. She then looked up at their banners, the grotesque and frightening image of a two-horned Ifrit swaying with the wind.

* * * * * *

A party of eleven people stepped outside the warm and cozy tavern of Gros Porc.

One of them, an Aero Mage, clutched her long thick robe. She was desperate to cover her revealing outfit against the bone-chilling winds.

Meanwhile, the other members were unaffected by the icy weather as all of them wore appropriate clothing. Except for their eleventh member, who were nothing but a thin black cloak and robe which completely covered his face, arms, and hands.

“Magikera, why do you insist on wearing that, anyway?” asked Amahan, with his neck tucked inside his fur coat. “Doesn’t that inflict you with frostbite?”

“It does nothing to my casting time, only reduces my movement speed by 5%,” replied Magikera. “And I’m already slow as heck as it is. Anyway, my viewers want me to wear them.”

Then, a Death Knight in black plated armor stepped up. He had white skulls on both shoulders and rested his skull-embossed shield next to the thick ice. He then turned to his fellow Death Knight and said. “Bato, can’t you put some sense into your sister?”

“Ligon, I already told you, Man, even my parents can’t make her do anything,” replied Bato, placing his skull shield next to Ligon’s.

“Yeah, leave her be,” said the Night Templar named Baskog. He also rested his silver cross embossed kite shield next to Ligon’s skull shield.

Amongst the Decane’s tanks, Baskog was the only one who did not change Jobs into a Death Knight.

“Here we go again,” said Ligon. “The righteous Baskog to the rescue. You know, you’ve literally changed ever since you changed your Job to a Night Templar!”

“No, I haven’t,” argued Baskog.

“Alright, guys, that’s enough,” said Amahan.

The eleventh cloaked member floated over to the Exorcist and asked. “Are you Sonstwelters always like this?”

“It’s nothing, Matz, that’s just how they bond,” Amahan explained to his Djinn, Gahoul Comataz.

“I am already a shell of my former self, and now I have to suffer through this as well,” said Comataz. He removed the hood of his cloak, revealing his falcon head with a silver beak and black feathery humanoid body.

“Don’t be like that,” Magikera said to Comataz. “Instead of complaining, why not join in?”

“You really want me to?” challenged the Djinn. “Alright then!”

A flash of blue light blinded the Decane members. When their sight returned to them, they saw the arguing members Baskog and Ligon, frozen in a solid block of glacial ice.

“That’s not exactly what I had in mind,” said Magikera. “But that works too.”

“Matz, free them right now,” sternly said Amahan.

“What?” exclaimed Comataz, acting all innocent. “I thought you wanted me to raise my Intimacy with the rest of your guild members? Besides, aren’t they supposed to be the strongest of the Decane? Can’t they break a flimsy ice made by a helpless Djinn like me?”

Amahan then rolled up his left sleeve and placed his hand on a tattoo resembling the Djinn.

“Pareo o pereo!” yelled out Amahan as he touched the symbol on his skin.

At once, Comataz fell on his knees and covered his falcon head with his talons. “Alright, alright! I’ll do it!”

Amahan released the emblem and said. “Why do you force me to hurt you?”

“I didn’t! You’re just a sadistic bastard, that’s all,” replied Comataz. He waved his talons across the blocks of ice and both Baskog and Ligon were free.

“You stupid Djinn!” said Ligon, quickly picking up his skull shield and drawing out his death sword. “Do you want me to pluck out your feathers?” he threatened, pointing the sharp edge of his sword on Comataz’s neck.

“Kill me if you wish,” said Comataz. “I would rather revert back to stone and wait for a more appropriate master than the one I have now.”

“Do you want me to punish you again?” said Amahan, touching the tattoo of Comataz on his arm.

“See what I mean, Master?” said a condescending Comataz. “You’re the one who likes to punish me? I was just simply stating the facts and there you go again, bullying me with that infernal seal!”

“Forget about the Djinn, for now, Amahan,” said Atiman, the Decane’s Shadow Priest and strategist. “Anyway, it’s time for Hilot, Tabang, Bato, Puthaw, and Tirador to log off.” He then turned to the members he mentioned. “How long will you be away for?”

“I have a seminar to attend to,” replied the Range Sieger named Tirador. “So, maybe eight hours for me?”

“Don’t know how long I’ll be gone,” said the beautiful Archbishop named Tabang. “But I’ll just call you when I get back,” she added and logged out immediately.

“Typical Tabang,” said the Death Knight called Puthaw. “Put me down for eight hours as well,” he said and gave everyone a salute. “Don’t want to tell you what I’m up to, but I’ll see you all later,” he added and logged out.

“Twelve hours for us,” said Bato, indicating in behalf of Hilot. The Death Knight then turned to his sister. “What about you, Magikera? Are you sure you’re not coming with us to Aunt Maria’s birthday?”

“Nah, I’d rather stay in the game,” replied Magikera.

“Do we really have to go there?” said Hilot to Bato. The HighElf Priestess twirled her long blond hair before she spoke. “Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with your family—”

“But?” asked Bato.

“Um… but not when it’s all of them,” explained Hilot. “Especially not all in one place.”

“Great! Hilot is staying,” Bato said to Atiman. “Wonder if Isa is free for the party.”

“No, no, no, I’m going with you,” quickly said Hilot. “I’m logging out now,” she added. “Pick me up in about thirty minutes.”

Without another word, Hilot logged out of the game.

THWAK

A sudden wind-cutter smacked the back of Bato’s neck and sent his head deep into the pile of snow.

“Pwee, pwee, what was that for?” asked Bato, spitting out the snow.

“Jerk! I know you’re only teasing her, but quit it,” said Magikera. “If you don’t, you might lose her.”

“Fine, I’ll apologize to her when I pick her up,” replied Bato. He shook his head before his body faded out of the virtual reality realm.

“Just can’t log out anymore without some kind of drama,” said Tirador. “Everyone has the right to be stupid, but Bato is abusing his privilege.”

“Hey, you okay?” Atiman asked Tirador. “Is something wrong?”

“I’m fine,” replied Tirador. “Although, pretending to be okay is never easy,” he mumbled to himself. “Anyway, I’ll be back on time,” he said and logged out.

“What’s up with the guild lately?” asked Atiman aloud.

“You really don’t see it?” asked Baskog, picking up his silver cross embossed shield. “Tirador likes Hilot.”

“Huh? But he never talks to her,” said Atiman. “Besides, he knows that Bato and Hilot are going out.”

“You may be a genius at warfare and strategies, but you certainly don’t see the obvious,” Baskog said to their Shadow Priest.

“That’s enough,” ordered Amahan. “Let’s get back to the quest. Where do we head now, Atiman?”

“Not sure,” replied Atiman. “The information said that it’s somewhere in this region.”

“If anywhere is fine, let’s just head north then,” suggested Magikera. “I don’t know why, but it creeps me out when I go south.”

“Alright, north it is,” said Amahan. “Prepare the carriage,” he said to his right-hand man.

With fewer members, Amahan, and his party sat comfortably inside their war carriage. They were being pulled by four stag moose and were driven by two WoodElf Pathfinders whom they hired as drivers.

“Hey, why don’t you ever want us to get some kind of riding ability?” Magikera asked Amahan. “I mean, Smoke and his core members have them.”

“I’ve already told you before, we’re not planning on any large scale engagements,” answered Atiman in Amahan’s behalf. “Moreover, leveling up an ability we barely use would be pointless.”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” retorted Magikera.

“In all the time we’ve been together, what have we been doing?” Amahan asked Magikera with a smile.

“Hunting Dungeon Bosses,” replied Magikera.

“Now, have you gotten bored with that?” asked Amahan.

Magikera shook her head. “No, but I just thought that we could save money if we don’t hire coaches like this one.”

“Do you know how much it would cost to train a stag-moose?” began Atiman. “Plus there’s also the maintenance of this carriage, the feed of those animals, their lodging, not to mention any untoward incidents of their death. We would have to retrain them again and—”

“Alright, alright, I get it,” said Magikera, raising her hands in surrender. “Sheesh, you’re such a drag.” She let out a deep sigh. “I just thought it would be cool to ride a mount, is all.”

“If that’s what you really want, then we’ll schedule a time for you to learn a riding ability, okay?” said Amahan to Magikera.

“But that would just be a waste of—” began Atiman, but was silenced with a wave of Amahan’s hand.

“But let me remind you of who we are,” began Amahan. “We are strong, but only against Bosses and the Undead. We’re not aiming to be mediocre at everything here, remember that.”

With that, their journey continued mostly in silence. Except for your occasional heated repartee between Baskog and Ligon, but that was already a common thing these past few weeks.

After traveling for two hours through the frozen tundra, all they saw were a herd of bighorn goats and a snow lion chasing after them.

“Maybe, we should head for another direction after all,” suggested Magikera, guilty about their unfruitful travel by far.

Yet, before they could change directions, Amahan and his party spotted a young man outside their carriage window. He was lugging a wooden cart filled with Adventurers’ equipment through the thick snow.

“Driver, stop!” instantly called out Amahan.

Curious to find such high-level equipment being displayed in broad daylight, Amahan got off their ride and walked up to the Zectian youth.

“Good day, My name is Amahan,” he began. “And I was just wondering what you were doing here by yourself?”

The young man stopped walking and dropped the handles of his wooden cart. “Nothing much, just collecting my haul for the day.”

“If you don’t mind, can I ask how you managed to get such a big haul?” further inquired Amahan.

“Sure, no problem,” replied the young man. “There’s piles and piles of equipment just lying there, ready for anyone to take them.”

Atiman, who quickly followed after Amahan, asked him. “And where is this place supposed to be?”

“It’s in an abandoned castle just two kilometers from here,” replied the young man.

“What are you planning to do?” Atiman asked Amahan.

“You heard him, right? It’s a castle, why not investigate it?” replied Amahan.

“Don’t know,” said Atiman, shaking his head. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this one.”

“Relax, we got this,” said Amahan. “Besides, if we find trouble then we’ll just come back until we have our whole guild.” He paused. His eyes widened, giving his friend an intense stare.

“Don’t give me that look!” said Atiman.

“What look?” coyly said Amahan.

“The one where you’re already imagining the loot that we’ll be getting,” replied Atiman.

Amahan nodded and gave him a smug smile. “So? What do you say?”

“Fine, let’s do it,” replied a forced Atiman.

“Hey, do you think you can lead us to this castle?” Amahan eagerly asked the young man. “By the way, my name is Amahan,” he said offering him his hand.

“Filou,” replied the young man. “Sorry, but I can’t,” he added and shook his head. “Do you know how heavy this thing is?” he said, pointing at his wooden cart.

“Come on, can’t you help us out?” pleaded Amahan.

The young man crossed his arms and pondered. “Um… I can’t take you there, but I do have a map.”

“Great!” replied Amahan.

“For a million zecs, the map is all yours,” quickly added Filou.

“What? No way!” exclaimed Atiman. “No way am I using the guild’s resources for something as expensive as that!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll pay him out of my own pockets,” said Amahan. He opened his inventory window and dragged sack after sack of zecs into the young man’s cart icon.

+ You have transferred a million zecs to Filou

“Thanks!” said Filou. He then reached into the pocket of his vest and pulled out a map.

As soon as Amahan opened the map, a notification window popped up.

MAP LOCATION: Castillo de la Muerte

Coordinates: Latitude: 11°01′ N, Longitude: 16°73′ E
Note: Two kilometers away from current location.

“Alright, you got what you wanted,” said Filou. “So, if you gentlemen will excuse me. I have a prior engagement.”

With that the young man left Amahan and Atiman on the side of the road, pulling his heavy wooden cart along.

After Filou was some distance away, Atiman said to Amahan. “You know, we could have just searched for it. Two kilometers isn’t that big of a search area.”

“Nah, it’s okay,” replied Amahan. “You’re just too wound up too tight sometimes. Besides, I’m sure I’ll get my money back after we loot that castle.” He then patted the nervous Atiman on the shoulders and said. “Alright, let’s tell everyone our next move.”

Their stag moose drawn carriage traversed through an old road. Tree roots and branches scattered on the ground, forcing them to slow down.

“Sir, I don’t think we can ride through here,” said one of the Pathfinders to Amahan.

“No problem, we’ll go on foot,” replied Amahan. “Everyone, let’s go!”

After he instructed the drivers to wait for them, Amahan and his party members headed deeper into the forgotten road.

“This place looks promising,” said a sarcastic Comataz. His black feathers ruffled as a strong gust of wind came from the end of the road. “I can’t believe I’m forced to be here.”

“Hey! It’s still an improvement compared to that stinky shrine where we summoned you from,” blurted out Magikera.

“Quiet!” commanded Amahan. “We’re almost there.”

After five more minutes, they finally reached their destination.

Amahan and the rest of his party members stopped in front of a natural bridge. It crossed a deep gorge, and across it stood an ominous castle covered in snow. Four watchtowers stood on the corners of the decimated wall, while half of the main castle itself was at the center. The ruined structure showed signs of being a former citadel, protected solely by a rusted gate.

“Now, doesn’t that just cheer you up,” said Comataz.

“Definitely!” exclaimed a cheerful Amahan.

“Has he gone bonkers?” Comataz asked Atiman.

The Shadow Priest shook his head in response. “He’s just glad that his gamble paid off.”

“Well? What are you all waiting for?” asked Amahan. “Let’s go!”

With Amahan in the lead Atiman, Magikera, Baskog, Ligon, and Comataz followed suit and headed for the castle.

CREAK

Sounded the rusty iron gates as Baskog and Ligon forced them open.

“It’s good to see you pulling your weight for once,” said Ligon to Baskog.

The Night Templar only let out a deep sigh in response and held his tongue.

Amahan and the rest of his party members then saw a notification message.

– Entered Castillo de la Muerte

– Once the capital of Maldito City. It is now but a ruined remnant of the mighty city. It is said that a new dark power has taken residence in this place.
– Suggested level for entering this ruin is 300.

After closing the window, Baskog and Ligon then went straight to the main castle. Yet, before they could open the massive doors, Atiman stopped them.

“Just so we’re clear, we will divide all the loot equally,” began Atiman. “Like always, fifty-fifty.”

“Of course,” said Magikera. “You know that’s one of the reasons I joined the Decane guild in the first place.”

“Right, right, equality through and through,” said Atiman. “But before we do divide the loot, I’d like a million zecs worth of items set aside first,” quickly added the Shadow Priest.

“Huh?” asked Ligon. “Now, why would you do that?”

“Well, because Amahan paid for—” began Atiman, but was cut off by their Exorcist leader.

“No,” interjected Amahan. “We’re splitting everything we find right in the middle.”

“Really?” asked Atiman. “Fine! Never mind what I said,” he said distinctly, exasperated.

Amahan then turned to their two Tanks and said. “Be ready for an ambush, we don’t know if this is a trap.”

Baskog and Ligon nodded simultaneously and tightened their grips on their respective shields.

With one coordinated burst, the Night Templar and Death Knight yelled with all their might as they rushed into the castle. Both of them expected attacks coming from all directions.

However, there was nothing there but silence. The only thing that greeted them was a great hall decimated by a blizzard.

“Is this it?” asked Ligon.

“I know. What a letdown,” replied Baskog.

“Wait,” blurted out Ligon. He then began sifting through the snow.

There, he found piles and piles of high-level equipment covered under a thick layer of snowfall. The Decane Tanks rested their shields on the few pillars of the castle atrium, the only things which remained visible above the white snow. With fervor, they dug up the snowfall with their shields, their thoughts were on the bags of precious jewels and other treasures they might uncover.

“Wooohooo!” screamed Ligon, digging his sword deeper into the snow. He quickly stuffed the items he found into his inventory window.

“Shouldn’t you give that to Atiman?” Baskog reprimanded Ligon. “How is he supposed to divide the loot if it’s not in one place.”

“Oh, I’ve placed a label on them,” reasoned out Ligon. “Besides, I’m sure Atiman won’t be able to carry all of this!”

A few seconds later, Amahan, Magikera, Atiman, and Comataz walked in.

“Wait a minute!” exclaimed Magikera. “Are you sure we have to split this equally?” she asked Atiman.

“As always,” replied Atiman, as he began putting items into his inventory window.

As her eyebrows met, Magikera’s face contorted. “Really? Even for the members who aren’t here?”

“Yes, Magikera, even for the ones who aren’t here,” replied Atiman, exhausted.

“Fine!” replied Magikera. “Should’ve logged out when I had the chance, I could’ve been eating Aunt Maria’s cassava cake right now,” she muttered to herself.

Suddenly, Amahan caught a glimpse of movement from behind one of the pillars. It looked like the young man who gave him the map to this castle.

“Oi, Filou, how did you get here so fast?” shouted Amahan from across the great hall.

Without turning to face the Exorcist, Filou bowed down before the pile of snow and treasure then said. “Master, it has been a while but I have brought fresh meat for you,” he said in the most unnerving manner.

The ruined castle rumbled. More snow fell from the cracks in the rough. A black coffin close to two meters arose from the snow.

“Damn it, is that a Vampire?” asked Magikera, peeved. “I hope he’s nothing like that Alucard guy,” she shuddered and said. “I hate how he always tried to take a bite at my neck.”

The door of the coffin bolted off in a flash and flew straight across the great hall.

“Filou, is that what I think it is?” asked the two-meter tall man who emerged from the coffin. He was covered in a black velvet cape.

“Yes, Master, I’ve brought them for your dining pleasure,” replied the young man.

“Mm… Fresh blood!” exclaimed Filou’s Master, licking his lips with his long forked tongue.

“Everyone, get out your anti-Vampire gears,” commanded Amahan, taking out his holy war scepter.

At once, they switched out their items. Baskog, the Night Templar, got out a double-headed ax which resembled a cross. Ligon, the Death Knight, equipped his blood-sucker sword. Atiman, the Shadow Priest, got out an ancient holy book. Meanwhile, Magikera swapped her revealing two-piece set for a black turtleneck jumpsuit that covered her entire body, especially her neck.

“Crescere Vita!” began Atiman, as he started shouting out blessings on Amahan and the rest of their party members. “Vitam Reficio! Medeis Reficio! Ultima Pugna!”

Amahan and everyone else was flooded with minimized notification windows.

+ You’re Blessed with Crescere Vita for the next ten minutes: Your Maximum Life has increased by 25%.

+ You’re Blessed with Vitam Reficio for the next five minutes: Your HP Recovery has increased by 50%.

+ You’re Blessed with Medeis Reficio for the next five minutes: Your MP Recovery has been increased by 50%.

+ You’re Blessed with Ultima Pugna for the next ten minutes: Your most powerful attack will be triggered in the moment of your death.

“Remember, don’t look at his eyes,” shouted Amahan. “He’ll hypnotize you with his Charm ability. That goes for the men as well,” he added, looking directly at the Death Knight.

“Yeah, yeah,” said Ligon. “It was just one time. Who would have known that it works on guys too?”

All of the Decane Members except for Comataz lowered their heads. The Djinn looked straight into the tall Vampire, unimpressed.

“Matz? What are you doing?” asked Magikera. “Do you want to be his slave?”

“Djinns are unaffected by such parlor tricks like Charm,” replied a confident Comataz.

“Whatever!” said Magikera, staring at Comataz’s casted shadow on the icy floor. “Let’s just kill this stupid Vamp and get our loot.”

“How dare you speak to Lord Mosfartu like that!” exclaimed Filou.

“Mosfartu? Why does that name sound familiar?” asked Atiman, recalling. His head still looking down, as he made sure to avoid direct eye contact with the monster.

“Who cares, we’ve already killed dozens of Vamps,” went on Magikera. “Who could keep track of their names?”

“Oh, so you’ve fought other Vampires before?” asked Mosfartu. “By any chance did you meet my younger brother? He’s name is Nosferatu?”

“That’s it!” exclaimed Atiman. “Everyone, remember that one vampire that has a strong paralysis attack with its fangs? I think this one might have something similar—”

Yet, before Atiman could finish his warning, an alarming noise came from the monster’s location.

POOOOOOTTTTTT

Mosfartu let out a puffy green cloud from under his black velvet cloak. He then transformed into a small bat and circled around the Decane members.

– [PARALYZED] caused by Mosfartu’s Egg Bomb

A split second after they read the notification window, Amahan and his entire party succumbed to the odorous green cloud. Their bodies froze, only their eyes remained free to look around with fear and disgust. Even the mighty Djinn – Gahoul Comataz fell victim to Mosfartu’s Egg Bomb attack.

Then, the Vampire Lord reverted back to his humanoid form. He leered at his unmoving victims, as he gave them a malicious look. With a snap of his fingers, all of them fell down on the snow-blanketed floor.

Their life bars were still at full capacity, but what good was that? None of them could move. They were nothing but helpless cows, waiting to be slaughtered.

“I’ve never seen a Djinn this small before. I thought it would be bigger,” Mosfartu said to Filou. “Fetch me one of my corked bottles, I’ll have this Djinn’s special blood age a bit,” he commanded his servant.

“As you command, Master,” replied Filou with a bow, giddily running towards the exit.

While waiting for Filou’s return, Mosfartu took his sweet time examining each one of his victims inside his green veil of stench. Not one of the Decane members could see their comrades, concealed by the repugnant cloud.

“Bet this one will taste bad,” he said as he floated over to Ligon. “It looks like a stick is up his ass.”

The Death Knight’s eyes grew wide with rage, but that was all the movement Ligon could muster.

Mosfartu then drifted over to Baskog. “Pfft, this one looks like an idiotic lumberjack,” he said then shook his head.

“Hmm… this one looks promising. It seems to have that experienced taste,” he said as he hovered next to Atiman. “But he’s a Shadow Priest, ick!” he added and formed a disgusted face.

Suddenly, Mosfartu began licking his lips. “What’s that?” he said, completely ignoring Amahan. “Something smells sweet.” He then floated towards Magikera. “Ah! There you are my dear,” he said to her, as he lifted her up with a mere gesture of his hand.

Mosfartu shivered with ecstasy. “Mm… It’s been a long time since I’ve had someone like you,” he said to Magikera. Tears began trickling down her cheeks, as her eyes pleaded with him. “Don’t worry,” he said innocently. “I won’t make you suffer.” He gave her a winsome smile and a wink. “Besides, I could never stop once I start with someone as succulent as you!”

Without another word, Mosfartu ripped the turtleneck of her black jumpsuit and sank his fangs into her nape.

Magikera’s life bar was drained at blinding speed.

Mosfartu then dropped her spent body on the snowy floor, a few drops of blood dripped down from the side of her neck.

“Now, who should I eat next?” lustily said Mosfartu, tilting his head as he looked at his victims.

WOOOSSSSH

Suddenly, Atiman’s Ultima Pugna blessing on Magikera activated. Her lifeless body floated upward. Then, a powerful gust of wind turned into a tornado and blasted everyone inside the green puffy cloud away. All of them were damage for 100,000 points, but it also dispelled Mosfartu’s paralysis. Finally, Magikera’s body faded out of existence, as she was forcibly logged out of Zectas.

“What the crap!” screeched Mosfartu.

Yet, before the Vampire Lord could do anything, a silver-crossed shield and a skull shield came at him from opposite directions. Mosfartu was squashed and stunned for three seconds.

“A stick up my ass, huh?” screamed Ligon, drawing his blood-sucking sword over his shoulders. “Let’s see how you like a taste of your own medicine!” he shouted and plunged his sword into the Vampire’s shoulder, draining Magikera’s blood out of his system.

Meanwhile, Baskog bellowed. “You killed her! Now, I can’t see her for another twenty-four hours! You know we only meet online!” He then repeatedly hacked his double-headed ax onto Mosfartu’s right arm.

Then, came Comataz’s turn. He stretched out his black-feathered arms and directed his talons to the dazed Mosfartu. “I maybe a shadow of my true form, but let me show you what a tiny Djinn can do!” yelled Comataz. He then let out an icy blue light and froze the Vampire Lord’s lower body. He left Mosfartu’s upper half exposed, which allowed Baskog and Ligon to hack away.

“Duis Zamia!” yelled out Atiman as he blessed Amahan with double damage on his next attack. “Baskog, Ligon, pull back!” he yelled.

After the Night Templar and Death Knight stepped aside, Amahan bashed his war-scepter into Mosfartu’s cranium. “Interficientis!” he yelled out, dealing 600,000 damage points on the undead. “I’ll teach you not to ignore me!” howled the Exorcist.

Mosfartu’s life bar revealed (3,200,000/4,000,000 HP).

The Vampire Lord then let out another one of his paralyzing attacks.

POOOOTTTTT

Again, a puffy green cloud came out from behind Mosfartu’s black velvet cloak. However, Comataz’s block of ice completely contained the Vampire’s Egg Bomb attack.

With Atiman continuously blessing Amahan with Duis Zamia, and Baskog and Ligon dishing out melee damage with their double-headed ax and blood-sucking sword, the trapped Mosfartu could only last for another two minutes.

Then, Amahan struck down his war scepter for the last time.

+ You have dealt a fatal blow to the Vampire Lord: Mosfartu
+ You have killed the Vampire Lord: Mosfartu
+ You and your party members have gained 5,000,000 XP

“Find his underling!” commanded Amahan, pointing to the direction where Filou was headed to earlier.

After a few seconds, the vanquished Vampire Lord left something in its remains. Amahan picked it up and inspected it.

+ Acquired unique cape: The Egg Bomb

“Atiman, you deal with this,” he said, throwing the black velvet cape to the Shadow Priest.

All of a sudden, a special notification popped up.

† [GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT] Patch <6.29.16> Update:
> Oracle of Aphend will be created in all capital cities of each kingdom.

“Hey? Are you seeing this?” Amahan asked Atiman.

“Yeah, I see it too,” replied Atiman.

“Have you read about this in the forums?” asked Amahan.

Atiman could only shake his head in response, as he kept rereading the global notification.

“Really? That’s a first,” said Amahan. “I thought you knew everything about the Zectas updates.”

“Me too,” replied Atiman. “We better head back to the capital and check this out.”

* * * * * *

Two weeks had passed since the disappearance of Nash’s Grandmother. Every day he traveled to the police station and the hospital. His mind would not allow him any peace, forcing him to keep moving.

Today, on this windy summer afternoon, Nash and Donny were at the police station.

“I’m sorry, but there haven’t been any new updates,” said Detective Malear.

“Nash, let’s go home,” said Donny. “I’m sure they’ll call us when they find something.”

Nash ignored his younger brother and turned to the Detective instead. “What about the compiled videos from the traffic lights?”

Detective Malear let out a deep sigh. “As I told you before, we found nothing on the cameras.”

“Except for the two minutes that went missing,” said Nash.

“Yes, I already told you. The hackers also got to the cameras from traffic lights,” said Detective Malear. “But other than that, I’m afraid we don’t have any other leads.”

Then, a middle-aged man walked into the Missing Persons Division.

“Excuse me, I was told I’d find Nash Smoak here,” said Kohle.

“You mean the regular?” asked one of the Detectives. “The kid’s right over there,” he said, pointing to Detective Malear’s desk.

“You already call him a regular?” asked Kohle.

“He’s been here every day,” said the Detective.

“That’s sad,” said Kohle.

“Hey, it’s still better here than him being in the Homicide Department,” added the Detective.

“Of course,” said Kohle. “Thanks,” he said and headed towards Nash.

“Mr. Kohle?” asked a surprised Nash. “What are you doing here?”

“Your brothers asked for my help,” replied Kohle. “I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult this must be for you, but you have to put it together,” he paused and patted Donny’s shoulder. “At least, do it for them.”

“Yeah,” chimed in Donny. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not giving up on finding Mima, but she would want us to think about our everyday lives.”

“Exactly,” said Kohle. “And I doubt that your minimum number of views will be enough to pay your bills.”

“My video!” exclaimed Nash, as the realization sunk in. “I still have time to submit one for this month, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course, you still have time,” said Kohle. “And the timing is great too,”

“Why?” asked Donny.

“Apparently, they’ve released a new patch,” replied Kohle. “Some new oracle or something? Not really sure what it’s about though.” He then turned to Nash. “So? What do you say? Like Donny said, going back to Zectas doesn’t mean you’re giving up on your Mima.”

Nash reluctantly nodded his head. “Alright, I’ll get back online.”

“Good,” said Kohle with a smile. “How about I give you boys a ride to your house?”

“Thanks, that would be awesome,” said Donny.

But before they left, Nash spoke to Detective Malear once more. “Please, call me when you find something new.”

“Absolutely, you’ll be the first to know,” replied Detective Malear.

“Ready to go?” asked Kohle and ushered the Smoak brothers out the Missing Persons Division.

As soon as they stepped out of the police station, Kohle’s phone went off. He looked at it and formed a disturbed face.

“Excuse me. I have to take this,” said Kohle. “Don’t worry it’ll be really quick.”

After walking some distance from Nash and Donny, Kohle answered his phone. “I’ve already convinced him to get back to the game. So, let me see that she’s alright.”

A picture of Nash’s Grandmother was then sent on his phone.

“Why are you doing this?” asked Kohle.

“Just tell Nash that his Mima is well taken care of,” replied the one on the other end of the call.

Chapter Four:

Swamp Meet

Smoke woke up and found himself in the grassy plains between Nadaya Village of the Vitzytl Kingdom and Tacitl City of the Thanotl Kingdom. He then sent a signal of his arrival, informing Igniz and Daga that he had returned.

‘It’ll probably take some time before they get here,’ he thought and looked around the area.

While waiting for Igniz and Daga to arrive, Smoke thought to call Sierra.

“Hey,” said Smoke.

“Hey! You’re back online!” replied an excited Sierra on the other end of the call.

“Yeah, Mr. Kohle convinced me to,” said Smoke. “I sent you a message on your phone, but I know that you’d still be playing now.”

“Yeah, we’ve been doing this special project,” replied Sierra.

“What kind?” asked Smoke.

“Um. They’ve sort of asked me to keep it a secret,” answered Sierra. “Let’s just say it’s a surprise for when you return.”

“Oh, alright,” said Smoke, intrigued.

“Anyway, I’m really glad you decided to come back,” said Sierra. “Is it okay if I come by your house after this? About twelve hours in-game time?”

“Yeah, sure,” replied Smoke. “Just send me a message on my game pod.”

“Great! See you later,” said Sierra and ended the call.

CLICK—

After talking to Sierra, he decided to look around the plains and breath in the sense of reality in this virtual world.

Farther down, he spotted thousands of horned rabbit foraging through the plains. They were digging up the wild carrots buried underground.

‘That sure takes me back,’ he thought, as he remembered how he detested these adorable monsters when he hunted ten thousand of them.

It took him a few days, but it was all worth the grind. Now, he depended on the two great abilities he got out of it: the Agility of the Horned Rabbit and the Hyper Jump Ability.

However, the horned rabbits’ leisure rummaging for food came to an abrupt end. Sand cheetahs stormed by the hundreds, picking up a large dust cloud behind them.

Smoke created a small dome with peepholes and encapsulated himself within it. Concealed from the monsters, he observed what kind of encounter would happen between them.

As the sand cheetahs drew closer, most of the horned rabbits scrambled for their burrows. Yet, close to half of the horned rabbits stayed behind. The tiny monsters formed small clusters and tensed their long hind legs as they waited for the incoming predators.

CLASH

A loud noise erupted as the two groups met. Each sand cheetah took a horned rabbit by the neck. Sharp teeth gnawed on the furry little creatures who held their ground.

Despite seeing one of their fellow horned rabbits being mauled to death, the other furry monsters grabbed the opportunity and stabbed the sand cheetah with their sharp horns.

The targeted sand cheetahs yelped in pain, and their life bars went down by 15%. Not only that but they also delayed the arrival of the other sand cheetahs, as the one they attacked kept on moving around and blocked the path of its companions. Due to this, the escaping horned rabbits safely reached their burrows.

Yet, the dauntless horned rabbits could not prevent the inevitable. As more sand cheetahs arrived, the attacking furry monsters were picked off one by one.

Smoke already knew the outcome, but was impressed by the valiant effort of those horned rabbits that remained.

Now, less than a third of their original numbers were left.

Moved by their bravery, Smoke destroyed his earth-dome and created deep trenches in front of the surviving horned rabbits.

The sand cheetahs in the back were caught unaware and fell into his trap.

Smoke then created magma-spikes inside the trenches, burning and impaling the sand cheetahs simultaneously. He then got out his Salamander’s Tongue and turned on its blazing flames. Using his Hyper Jump ability, he reached the area where a few horned rabbits still held on.

It only took two slashes from his fiery flamberge to slaughter one of the predators.

Amidst his swordplay against the sand cheetahs, a notification window popped up.

+ Level UP!

You have 10 stat points ready for distribution.
Your HP has increased by 8,200.
Your mana has increased by 8,200.
Fame has increased by 1.

Smoke grinned when he saw the window. He knew that he only needed a few more XP for him to level up.

However, he did not rejoice just yet. He resumed his fight against the sand cheetahs who were not caught in his trap.

In less than three minutes, Smoke had finished off the entire coalition of sand cheetahs.

As Smoke was picking up some of the dropped sand cheetah meat, the horned rabbit survivors huddled together and slowly backed away from him. All of the furry little monsters were trembling. Their wide glistening eyes stared at him, unaware of what was happening.

After placing the sand cheetah meat in his inventory, Smoke gave them a small nod and leaped up to glide away. He could not face the horned rabbits, as he himself had killed thousands of them in the past.

He knew that the sand cheetahs would come back and that the cycle would only repeat itself, but he could not help it. He felt it was the only thing he could do to atone for what he had done to them in the past.

‘Why am I getting emotional over this?’ he asked himself as he flew further away.

There was no one there to answer him, but deep down inside he knew. It was because of his Mima’s abduction that he was so unsettled.

Gliding at the height of two hundred feet, Smoke felt no significant changes in the virtual reality world of Zectas. Yet, it had already been close to two months from the last time he was here. The blue skies and puffy clouds temporarily filled his heart with solace.

Then, a notification window popped up.

+ You’ve detected the presence of your Symbiote and your Beggar Shade.

After reading the window, Smoke landed on a grassy knoll.

Thereafter, a dark ember sprite orbited from above. Igniz was the first one to arrive.

“Hey, Buddy,” he said to Igniz as his symbiote giddily flew circles around him. “Really sorry about not seeing you there for a while.”

Igniz responded by shaking his head, Smoke understood it that his symbiote did not mind his absence.

Shortly, a little gray mouse scampered after Igniz on the ground.

“Oh, and it looks Daga has grown up a bit,” said Smoke offering his hand to his little gray mouse. “Especially around the waist,” he added with a chuckle.

“I beg your pardon!” yelled Daga. “Who are you calling fat?”

“Whoa!” exclaimed Smoke, surprised. “When did you learn how to talk?”

“I’ve learned a few more things other than that,” replied Daga.

Suddenly, the little gray mouse transformed into a gray-haired, thirteen-year-old girl.

Smoke found her face to be eerily similar to Donny if his brother was a girl with gray hair of course.

“How did you do that?” asked Smoke. “And why are you a girl? I thought you were a boy? I even named you after my Uncle.”

“Heck if I know why you think the way you do,” haughtily answered Daga. “Did you forget that Ouragan’s Shades were also girls?”

“Yeah,” said Smoke, his face contorted. “Now, that you mention it they were.”

Daga shook her head, disappointed. “Anyway, I gained the ability when I reached level 60,” she explained. “And I learned how to talk when I was only at level 40.”

“Really?” said Smoke, pleased. “And what’s your level now?”

“Hmmp! It’s 75,” replied Daga. “But of course, it’s only because of big brother Igniz, who was Power Leveling me that I got this far.”

The silent Igniz nodded proudly and turned his purple flames into a shade of warm gray as if to say he was pleased with Daga’s recognition.

“Wow! I’m so proud of you, Two,” said Smoke. He then patted Igniz’s head, but Daga quickly backed away from him.

‘I wonder if I can use my new ability now as well,’ thought Smoke, slightly envious of Daga’s rapid growth.

“Status Window,” said Smoke.

Character: Smoke

Level: 125

Job: Beggar Evocati

Race: DarkElf

Alignment: Neutral Evil – 100

Money: 200,000,000 zecs

Fame: 1,182

Titles: (+ to all stats)
Condortl Savior (+2)
5th Swordsman to Knight Champ (+1)
King of Maneators (+4)

Pet: None

Life: 320,500 HP

Mana: 490,600 MP

DEX: 605(+27)

STR: 145(+47)

AGI: 60 (+637)

VIT: 10 (+144)

INT: 300(+237)

Wisdom: 130 (+37)

Leadership: 280 (+7)

Charisma: 42 (+7)

Luck: 999

Atk Speed:25(+71)

Move Speed:67(+15)

Defense:3,913(1/2 )

Unused Stats: 0

Weapons:

Power Chainsaw Bow: 135-148(1/2)

Attack: 7,888-8,548 (1/2)

Salamander’s Tongue: 350-360(1/2)

Attack: 19,850-21,350 (1/2)

Elemental Resistance:

Elemental Affinity:

Fire:            92%
Dark:          60%
Poison:       48%
Wind:         35%
Water:        25%
Earth:         60%
Lightning: 22%

Fire:           91%
Earth:         83%
Lightning:  50%
Poison:       53%
Wind:         25%

Equipment Effects: (1/2)

*Hooded Cape of Cologus
+20% Earth Affinity
+20% Wind Affinity
+20 Strength
+20 Dexterity*Gauntlets of Orcinol
+20 Strength
+30 Agility*Heart of ReenTe
+30 Vitality*Sable Wizard’s Surcoat
+510 Defense
+10% All Resistance
+15% Bonus Exp* Scorching Serval Shoes
+30 Movement Speed
+20 Intelligence

* 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

* Electromagnetic Golem Offering
+50 Intelligence
+30% Lightning Affinity

* Paradox Pyro Mask
+ 10 Intelligence
+ 10 Vitality

* Florissant: Journeyman Emblem
+20,000 HP
+50,000 MP
+20 Intelligence

*Beggar Belt [2 stones]

Skill Effects:

* Agility of the Horned Rabbit (Agility + 600)

* Cooking (Vitality + 67)

* Acquired Intelligence from Reading
+20 Intelligence

* Dual Wield (Attack Speed + 75)

* Knife Mastery (Knife Damage + 66%)

* Bow Mastery (Bow Damage + 92%)

‘Damn it! Still short on MP,’ he realized, dejected.

“Is something wrong, Smoke?” asked Daga.

Before Smoke could answer, Igniz rapidly flew around the young girl and covered her in flames.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” said Daga, quickly kneeling on the grass. “Master Smoke, I meant Master Smoke!”

“Huh? What’s going on?” asked Smoke, oblivious to the situation why Igniz was mad.

“It was big brother Igniz’s way of reminding me to be respectful to you,” explained Daga.

Igniz nodded and with a stern eye glared at Daga.

“Nah, you don’t have to call me that,” said Smoke.

“See, even he admits that he doesn’t deserve my respect,” said Daga to Igniz.

At once, Igniz turned back into a fiery ball of flame.

“Igniz, stop!” said Smoke. He quickly checked his Intimacy level with Daga and was surprised to see that it was only at the Acquaintance level.

“Daga, have I done something to offend you?” asked Smoke.

“Ha! How can you even ask me something like that?” replied Daga.

“Sorry, but I really don’t know what I did here,” said Smoke.

Igniz shook his tiny purple head at Daga.

“You want me to stop? But he’s asking me what he did wrong,” Daga said to Igniz.

“Wait, you can understand Igniz?” asked Smoke, surprised.

“Of course! Can’t you?” said Daga.

Smoke could only shake his head in response.

“What in the… Fine! I’ll just tell you what’s wrong with me,” said Daga. “For starters, you left saying that you’ll be back after eight hours, but in reality, you went missing for god knows how long!”

Smoke gulped and nodded his head, admitting to his crime.

“Then, you gave us a mission to gather information and to increase our levels without giving us any food rations!” shouted Daga. “What kind of Master does that?” She paused, clenching both her fists tightly. “And when you greet me for the first time, what did you do? You called me fat! Tell me, do you think you deserve my respect?”

Smoke shook his head, speechless.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t have returned if it weren’t for big brother Igniz,” added Daga.

Igniz was about to attack Daga once more, but Smoke stopped him.

“Don’t,” Smoke said to his symbiote. “She’s right. I did neglect you, and I’m sorry for that. But there was really something important back where I came from that came up.”

“Hmmp! Came up with that excuse, did you?” said Daga. “How original.”

“Be that as it may, I can’t promise you that it won’t happen again,” said Smoke. “But I will promise you this, no matter how long I’m gone, I’ll always come back.”

“Yeah, right!” replied Daga.

“As a symbol of my promise, why don’t we have a little feast,” said Smoke, getting out a few stacks of sand cheetah meat.

“Meat!” exclaimed Daga, quickly grabbing a hold of one. She then turned to Igniz and said. “Big brother could you please.”

At once, Igniz cooked her sand cheetah meat to medium rare.

Without waiting for anything else, Daga took a big chunk out of the meat and began devouring it.

+ Intimacy with Daga has risen to ‘Friend’

Smoke smiled as he read the notification window. He remembered how he gained Darius’ Intimacy through food as well.

“Igniz, why don’t we cook the rest of them too,” said Smoke and created a barbecue pit using his Earth Manipulation.

“Hey, Master Smoke,” said Daga in between chewing her food. “I forgot to give you this,” she said and handed him a small piece of paper.

Smoke scrutinized the paper and found minuscule illegible handwriting on it. Thankfully, a notification window popped up after receiving the piece of paper.

Daga’s Findings:

[[The Farming Village of Oro]]
[[Merchant’s Road between the Kingdoms of Vitzytl and Thanotl]]
[[A lake called Wanda]]
[[Abandoned Wizard Tower of Baam]]
[01][02][03][04]…[48]

“Wow! There’s sure a lot of stuff here,” said Smoke, scanning through the window.

“Avhe vein thew meni flayshes,” said Daga, undiscernable with her mouth full. “Sorry,” she said after she gulped down her meat. “I’ve been to many places to gather information. You should thank big brother Igniz for that too. He’s the one who’s been telling me to do it,” she said and resumed devouring the sand cheetah meat.

As he was flipping through the pages of Daga’s findings, Smoke stopped when he spotted a curious entry entitled MaduHai Village.

“Wait, is this MaduHai Village an Ork Village?” Smoke asked Daga.

“Uh-huh,” she mumbled in response, not stopping herself from munching on the steak. “Vut I dibn’t git tho inther der.”

“That’s okay,” said Smoke. “Because that’s where we’re heading after this.”

While waiting for Daga to finish their meal, Smoke decided to call his Flame Master – the 13th Magietrois Florissant, Eleve. He wanted to ask how things were in the Vitzytl Kingdom.

“Hi, Eleve, sorry it’s been a while,” began Smoke. “How are you?”

“Faux, I mean Smoke!” answered Eleve. “Thank Tlaltezin you’re finally here. Listen, King Kajou sent Duke Chrysopelea to the Thanotl Kingdom. You should go find him there.”

“What for? I thought he couldn’t trust me anymore?” asked Smoke.

“The King decided that he wants to make an alliance with them in order for us to wipe out the Orks for good,” replied Eleve. “And Ouragan and I convinced him that Duke Chrysopelea can’t do it alone. So, he decided to lift your ban from the kingdom and reinstate you as one of its Generals.” She paused and mumbled. “Although, five hundred Sonstwelters did join with the Duke on the quest, but still. I would be more at ease if you were there.”

“Alright, give me the coordinates,” said Smoke.

“I thought you already knew where Tacitl City was?” asked Eleve.

“Oh, I didn’t know it was going to be there,” replied Smoke. “Please tell Chrys that I’ll be there shortly. I just have to take a minor detour.”

“What? You can’t go there now?” said Eleve. “Fine. I’ll tell him you’ll arrive tomorrow, okay? You can be there by then, right?”

“Of course! I think I can make that,” said Smoke.

“That’s a good boy,” replied Eleve and ended the call.

CLICK—

“Looks like I’ll have to disguise myself as Faux again,” he said to Igniz and Daga. “And I wanted to improve on my Knight abilities too,” he said and let out a sigh.

“Daga, can you hurry up a bit?” said Smoke. “I’d like to see that Ork Village soon.”

“Sheesh! Can’t you see I’m still eating?” answered Daga, gulping down more meat.

* * * * * *

After gliding for two hours and three snack breaks in between, thanks to Daga’s stomach, Smoke finally reached the outskirts of the MaduHai Ork Village. The swampiest region of the Sawtorn continent itself. He hid himself and his companions behind some white oak trees, covered with green moss and algae. Due to the stagnant waters, he could hear hundreds of mosquitoes buzzing everywhere.

“Igniz, let’s synergized,” he said. He then let out a low flame to repel the bloodthirsty mosquitoes off him and used his Telefax Vision to investigate the Ork village further.

Swamps were generally known for being unproductive land that could not easily be utilized for any activities, other than perhaps hunting and trapping.

However, the village was situated on a large island with parts of the swamp drained to become reclaimed land. It had a simple wooden fence surrounding the front. Huts were made out of monster hide crudely stitched up together.

At its center, stood the largest hut which towered a full two floors above the rest. It had wooden beams protruding out, forming a spiked crown around it.

With a quick glance, Smoke counted only a few male Orks standing guard. Yet, the strangest thing he noticed was the number of Orklings running and playing inside the village.

“Daga, why didn’t you try entering this place again?” Smoke asked the little gray mouse on his shoulder.

“It’s because of those,” squeaked Daga, pointing at the swamp jaguars patrolling from within the wooden fence. These two-meter beasts had green fur, black spots, and golden eyes.

“Oh, this is my first time seeing them,” said Smoke, surprised.

Then, an elderly female MaduHai Ork in long brown robes walked out from the tallest hut. She slowly walked farther away from it with her walking cane in hand.

As she did so, all of the Orklings who saw her ran up to greet her. They kissed her hand and lowered their heads before her. In response, she patted them on the head, as if she was giving them some sort of blessing.

She was shortly followed by six female Orks, all dressed in similar long hooded brown robes.

“She must be their leader or something,” said Smoke out loud.

To which Daga scratched him lightly on the neck. “I overheard that she’s their High Priestess,” she squeaked. “But that’s all I got, I was chased by the swamp jaguars after that.”

“High Priestess, huh?” said Smoke. “Why don’t I go and introduce myself?”

“What? Are you insane!” exclaimed Daga. “They’re Orks! They’ll kill you as soon as they see you! Besides, aren’t we here to investigate their connection with the UrukHai and the OlegHai Orks?”

“We are, that’s why I’m doing this,” passively replied Smoke. “I need to know if Wertlosvati has already been here.”

Smoke grabbed the little gray mouse and placed her gently on one of the tree branches and said. “Wait here.”

“I knew this guy wasn’t right in the head,” Daga said out loud. “He’s way beyond reckless.”

“Don’t worry, I’m in my synergized form,” said Smoke to the unconvinced Daga. “And I’ve already met with a MaduHai Ork once,” he paused as he recalled the time he met the Coatl City librarian. “She was a bit strict but she didn’t hurt me or anything.”

“Hate to point out the obvious, but that Ork librarian and the ones over there are completely different,” argued Daga.

“That’s true,” said Smoke. “In any case, don’t come after me. No matter what happens to me down there.”

After Daga promised to stay hidden in the white oak trees, Smoke began unequipping any threatening weapons. He then took a couple of driftwoods and tied them together with a rope, creating a raft.

Using a long dead wood for a pole, Smoke pushed through the swamp and headed for the MaduHai Village entrance alone and unarmed.

The moment his raft made contact with the muddy shore, wooden spears were pointed at him. Four Ork Guards rushed Smoke.

‘Maybe this was a bit impulsive,’ he thought as he stared at the sharp spears. ‘They look a lot smaller than the UrukHais,’ he observed as he compared them to be only as tall as a regular OrkElf.

“Kinsamir kanir? Nagunirasir kari dirir?” asked one of the Guards in Orkish, which roughly translated to who are you and what are you doing here.

“Akon namilang Ilad,” replied Smoke in the Ork’s mother tongue. “Ishka Magic Swordsman et Vraktis,” he said, explaining that he was a Magic Swordsman in training and was looking for a place to rest.

Slowly, the Orks pulled back their spears but still kept them trained at Smoke. They were taken aback at his ability to speak their native tongue.

“Nganur kavow kair kaig Orkish?” asked the Guard.

Using his rough Orkish, Smoke went on to explain that he met a MaduHai Ork once and that he acquired a book on the Orkish language and taught himself of their beautiful dialect. He stretched the truth a bit, but he was hoping that it was enough for him to build enough Intimacy with this Guard and allow him entry to the village.

Sadly, the Guard was unmoved and refused him.

“Dilir kar gustor magir vhutangi?” said Smoke, asking the Guard if he would like to trade some items. He then began taking out swords and other low-level items he collected but have not yet disposed of.

The Guards stopped and watched the wares Smoke was getting out.

“Muragir migo fuluvi?” angrily asked the Ork. “Igitir kanir imangi vakitar?”

Smoke did not need to know Orkish to realize that they were not pleased with the items he presented.

Due to this, the Ork Guards began to push Smoke farther away from the village entrance, back to his raft.

“Wait!” exclaimed Smoke. “I mean. Tamir usair,” he quickly added in Orkish.

“Kaniir? Vitsin kar gustori makoni?” quickly said Smoke, showing them his rare Claws of Chiropterra.

Every one of the Ork Guards began talking rapidly and examined the rare gloves, all of them enthusiastic.

“Debile! Nagunsar kamur dirir?” asked a female’s voice from behind the Ork Guard.

Immediately, Smoke’s gaze fell upon the old Ork High Priestess and her six female escorts who stepped out from the village gates. All of them clothed in the same long brown robe as the High Priestess.

“Madrir Meneur, vasinshair,” pleaded the Ork Guard, quickly lowering his head before the old Ork High Priestess.

“Oh, vasinshair,” added Smoke, following the Ork Guard’s lead and lowered his head.

“You are not an Ork, correct?” asked the High Priestess named Meneur. “What race do you belong to?”

Smoke was taken aback. He thought his long white hair, pointed ears, and dark purple skin was a dead giveaway of his race. “That’s right,” he replied. “I’m a DarkElf. Have you never seen one before?”

Meneur let out a light laugh. “I have, but it’s been a while,” she said and turned to face him. She glared her glassy white eyes directly at him. “As you can see, I’ve grown blind now.”

“Oh, sorry! I didn’t realize,” apologized Smoke.

“So, what is a DarkElf doing here?” asked Meneur. “You’re not here to steal our secrets, are you?”

“No! No, of course not!” strongly refused Smoke, shaking his head. “I was looking for a place to rest when I stumbled upon your village.”

Meneur scoffed, and slightly shook her head in disbelief of Smoke’s explanation. “Stumbled upon a hidden village in a swamp? Sure!” she said sarcastically.

“Anyway, I have a Quest here,” added Smoke. “And I was hoping that I could stay in your village until I complete it.”

“Hahaha!” chuckled Meneur. There was a delay for a few seconds, but the rest of the Orks joined in Meneur’s mocking laughter. “Sorry, but no!” she added with finality.

“Vasinshair! Tabanginir kir,” pleaded Smoke in Orkish, asking her to have mercy on him.

The rest of the Priestesses behind Meneur let out an audible gasp. At once, they began whispering to each other.

“Why do you have to speak our tongue?” asked Meneur out loud, her eyebrows met and her green nose wrinkled.

“Vilhom! Kavalor kir valuod,” said Meneur as she faced the Priestesses. She then turned to Smoke and said. “As MaduHai Code dictates, it is our obligation to give anyone who speaks our tongue food and water.”

“Great!” exclaimed Smoke, clenching his fist in victory.

“However, that does not mean that you can enter our village,” quickly added Meneur.

“But I need a place to stay for the night,” pleaded Smoke. “I’m confident in my abilities, but I need to rest. Also, I heard the swamp monsters get stronger at night.”

“Not my problem,” replied Meneur. “You shall have some bread and water, then you can go,” she added. “I’ll even allow you to rest on our shores outside our walls, but you need to leave as soon as possible.”

“Please, can’t I stay for the night?” asked Smoke. “I’ll do anything. Look, it’s almost getting dark soon,” he added pointing to the afternoon sun. “You can’t expect me to travel now, do you?”

“Really? You want a blind woman to look at the setting sun?” asked Meneur, sarcastic. She chuckled but shook her head. “I’m sorry, but no.”

Suddenly, one of the Priestesses behind Meneur whispered something to her.

“What! Send him over to the outpost?” exclaimed Meneur, intrigued.

Yet, her astonished face began to change expressions. “Wait here,” she said to Smoke, retreating back deeper into the village.

From far away, Smoke could only guess what Meneur and the other Ork Priestesses were talking about.

‘At least, they haven’t attacked me,’ he thought, hopeful that Wertlosvati had not made contact with them yet.

After a few minutes, Meneur and the other Priestesses returned.

“We’ve talked it through and it appears that it would be a fitting place for someone like you. So, do you want to stay in our outpost?” asked Meneur. “That place does have walls.”

“I would have really preferred to stay in your village, but Beggars can’t be choosers,” said Smoke.

“Great! I just have one condition for you,” said Meneur. “While you’re there, I want you to eliminate any kind of monster that may have taken over the place in our absence.”

A Quest Window popped up as soon as she finished speaking.

+ Quest: Cleaning up the MaduHai Mess
Monster Hunting Quest
Level: A+

Clear the outpost from any kind of monsters.

Accept the Quest? [YES/NO]

“I’ll do it!” said Smoke, ecstatic. “But after I’m done, let me visit your village.”

“I’m not promising anything,” replied Meneur. “But we’ll talk, if you do finish the task.”

* * * * * *

With Daga tucked safely inside his chest pocket and Igniz flying next to him, Smoke was gliding through the skies at top speed. They were headed to the given location of the MaduHai Outpost.

They could see that the swamp was filled with trees below them. Smoke knew that the monsters inside were powerful. They had to be in order for them to stand against the might of the Orks.

He then turned to the setting sun, which gave an auburn glow. “Looks like we’re running out of light,” he said out loud.

“Still can’t believe that the Orks left you alone,” squeaked Daga.

“Same here,” said Smoke with a grin. “Guess it pays to gamble a bit.”

“Don’t know about that,” replied Daga. “Big brother Igniz didn’t say anything, but even he has hesitations about this.”

Smoke looked at his dark ember sprite, who flew slower, evading his gaze. “Don’t worry, Bud. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

After ten minutes more, they finally arrived at their destination. It was on the edge of the swamp. A thick smog covered most of the Outpost, but Smoke could see the same monster-hide covered huts in the areas that were visible.

Learning from experience, Smoke knew to land outside the entrance. ‘Who knows what kind of monsters are in there,’ he thought.

Then, a notification window popped up after they softly touched the ground.

– Entered MaduHai Outpost

– This used to be a sentry post of the MaduHai Orks. However, a wyvern nest occupies this place now.
– Suggested level for entering this Outpost is 300.

Smoke gulped. His Cunning of the Dire Fox did not pick up any kind of creature inside the smog.

“Guys, looks like this was a bad idea after all,” he said.

Yet, before he could say anything else, a spiked gray tail came out from the mist and went straight for his head.

Thankfully, his Cunning of the Dire Fox detected the preemptive attack and he was able to dodge it.

However, his ability instantly lost the presence of his attacker when the wyvern returned to the smog.

“Igniz!” he shouted, equipping his Manatl Staff and Salamander’s Tongue.

Immediately, his symbiote understood what he meant. The two of them melded their energies and transformed into their Synergized state.

With his fiery flamberge in his right and brown-colored staff in his left, Smoke unleashed a barrage of fireballs into the smog.

“Nyooookk!” screamed from within the smog.

Then, he saw two gray wyverns over four meters in height. With one glance he could tell that they were taller than any of his Maneators. They had two horns on their heads and forked tongues which hissed in and out between their sharp fangs.

One of the wyvern’s life bars displayed (1,190,000/1,200,000 HP), while the other still had a pristine one.

‘At least I can hurt it,’ he thought.

Using his Hyper Jump ability, Smoke leaped backward.

Yet, the injured wyvern flew over him and landed behind him.

THUD

Smoke was caught in the middle of the two gray horned monsters.

Then, they began blowing out hot gray smoke out from their nostrils.

Quickly, Smoke was about to be covered in the thick gray fog.

“This really isn’t good,” he said out loud.

Smoke activated the Salamander Tongue’s Incinerator ability. His flamberge lit up into flames before it shattered into a hundred pieces.

As the shards went ablaze, he knelt and created a spherical Manatl around him.

He could hear the screams of the two wyverns.

THWACK THWACK THWACK

Two spiked tails repeatedly came crashing down on his manatl sphere. Smoke searched for the main body of the wyvern but lost all visibility.

Now, that he was completely engulfed by the dense fog.

“I’m guessing this was all part of your brilliant plan?” pipped Daga from within his clothes.

“Of course, it is,” replied Smoke.

“Why don’t you let me fight too?” said Daga.

“No, it’s too dangerous,” said Smoke, unsure of Daga’s fighting abilities.

‘Besides, this is still manageable,’ he thought, as he continued to channel the absorbed damage from his Manatl.

Five minutes later, he canceled his Incinerator ability as his mana bar displayed (110,000/490,600 MP). The powerful attack came at a heavy toll of 1000 MP per second.

‘Gotta save MP,’ he reminded himself.

Smoke stayed in his kneeling position, waiting safely behind his Manatl sphere.

THWACK THWACK THWACK

After a few more blows against his barrier, Smoke canceled his Manatl and his staff began to glow.

However, as soon as he felt the mist on his skin, Smoke felt a heavy weight on his body followed by a notification window.

– [ENCUMBERED] Ponderous Mist has increased your weight by ten times.

‘Damn it!’ he thought, but immediately pushed it out of his head. He kept looking around, searching for signs of the scaly monsters.

“Raaaagh!” roared one of the wyverns, showing its nasty head to him.

Smoke grinned. After blocking all of their attacks, he transferred the energy to his glowing manatl staff. He charged for the wyvern’s head and sped up with his Hyper Jump ability, temporarily bypassing the encumbered status.

TUHOG

A bright flash of light erupted. Yet, as soon as it faded, Smoke saw that what he struck was not the head but the spiked tail of the other wyvern. The sharp spike was forcibly removed from the monster. It cried it out in pain as its life bar now displayed (996,000/1,200,000 HP) but quickly disappeared back into the mist.

His Cunning of the Dire Fox did not sense anything, but he knew from experience that a powerful counter-attack was coming. His head turned left to right, searching for signs of the monsters. As he was about to put up another manatl barrier, a sharp pain suddenly penetrated his stomach.

Reflexively, he looked down and found the spike from the second wyvern’s tail lodged into his abdomen, slowly being pulled out. He was instantly flooded with notification windows and his cursed Decay Aura activated, indicating that he had less than 25% left on his life bar.

Due to the monsters’ Ponderous Mist, Smoke was not able to fly out. He unequipped the Salamander’s Tongue and switched it out with his Digger’s Wand. He dug a tunnel right under him and closed it up the moment he fell into it.

* * * * * *

A half dead Smoke was slowly being pulled out of the escape tunnel by Daga in her human form.

PLOP

Daga dropped Smoke’s body on the ground and squatted next to him. With anger in her eyes, she screamed. “Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! You could have gotten yourself killed and big brother Igniz was still synergized with you!”

“Shut up!” yelled Smoke back as he was desperately putting on some healing salve on his stomach.

Daga fell silent but her quivering remained.

“Sorry,” said Smoke, guilty for shouting back at her. “But I can’t cancel the synergized form just yet.”

“Why?” asked Daga, still yelling.

“I’m not sure if Igniz will get most of the damage if we do disengage,” replied Smoke.

“Oh…” was her only response.

After he finished putting on the healing salve, Smoke got out a bottle of pompom juice and drank it all in one gulp.

“Now, let’s just wait for my life bar to fully restore before Igniz and I separate,” he said to Daga.

While waiting for his HP to recover, Smoke decided to give his Flame Master another call.

“Hey, Eleve, something came up,” he said brashly.

“Huh? What do you mean?” asked Eleve.

“I mean I can’t meet Chrys in Tacitl City by tomorrow,” said Smoke.

“Oh! Might as well,” replied Eleve. “Apparently, Duke Chrysopelea and the other Sonstwelters were enough to convince the King of the Thanotl Kingdom to form the alliance.”

“I see,” replied Smoke, feeling somewhat depressed that his presence was no longer needed.

“Yeah, so don’t worry about not meeting with him in Tacitl,” added Eleve. “In fact, Duke Chrysopelea is already headed back to the Vitzytl Kingdom now.”

“Really?” asked Smoke. “Where exactly is he?”

“Not sure, but I think he should be somewhere near your area,” replied Eleve. “Afterall, it is along the way.”

“That’s great!” exclaimed Smoke. “Can you tell him to make a quick detour to where I am now?” he asked, sending a map location over the call.

“Huh? Why would I do that?” asked Eleve.

“Tell him it’s about stopping the Orks from getting stronger,” replied Smoke.

“You’re being cryptic again,” said Eleve. “But fine! I’ll pass the message to Duke Chrysopelea.”

“Thanks, Eleve! You’re a life saver,” said Smoke.

“Yeah, yeah, just make sure that this isn’t going to be a waste of time on Duke Chrysopelea’s part,” added Eleve. “He’s supposed to start making preparations for war.”

“Relax! Trust me,” replied Smoke and ended the call.

CLICK—

“So? You plan to have Chrysopelea help out with the wyverns, huh?” squeaked Daga, who returned to being a little gray mouse.

“I underestimated them because of their life bars,” blurted out Smoke. “I would have been killed by that one attack if it weren’t for my recent Job upgrade to Beggar Evocati.”

“Told you, you were being reckless,” said Daga.

“Yeah, I was,” replied Smoke. “I should have been better than that, but I’ve called for reinforcements.”

“Are you sure Chrys and the other Sonstwelters will be enough to take on the wyverns?”

Smoke shrugged. “But Eleve told me that he had five hundred of them with him. So, that should be enough.”

Then, a game pod message window popped up.

Hey! I’m here. If you’re not here in ten minutes, I’m heading back home. XOXO

-Request prompted by <Sherry Levine> outside your game pod

“Alright, my life bar is almost full,” abruptly said Smoke and canceled the Synergized state.

Igniz emerged out of Smoke as their energies broke off from one another.

“Hey there, Buddy,” greeted Smoke. “I’m going out for a while, but I’ll be back really quick. Keep an eye on Daga, okay?”

The dark ember sprite bobbed his head and looked at the little gray mouse next to Smoke.

“You’re not going to leave us for days again, are you?” squeaked Daga.

“No! Of course not!” replied Smoke.

With that, Smoke logged out as Sierra was already waiting for him in his room.

* * * * * *

Nash stretched out his arms over his head as soon as he stepped out of his game pod.

His eyes immediately fell on his girlfriend, who was lying on his bed reading a book. Her face turned away from him. So, like any normal hot-blooded male, he enjoyed the scenic view.

“Hey! Got your message,” said Nash.

At once, Sherry turned around and greeted him with the sweetest smile. “Finally! That took longer than I expected!” she teased.

Nash dove into his bed and kissed her passionately on the lips. “What do you mean longer? I rushed here as soon as I read your game pod message.”

After they wrestled in the bed, Nash broke off Sherry’s lips to get some air.

“So? How’s it feel to get back into Zectas again?” she asked.

“Not sure,” said Nash, shaking his head. “I think I’ve kind of lost my touch.”

“Really?” asked Sherry, troubled. “Don’t worry about it, I’m sure you were just overthinking it.”

“I don’t think so,” said Nash. “I felt like I wasn’t my usual self in there.”

“Of course not!” exclaimed Sherry. “Your Mima is still missing, and I’m sure that it’s what you thinking. That’s why I believe that fully immersing yourself in the game is the right choice.”

“You sure?” asked Nash, skeptical.

“Positive,” replied Sherry.

Just then, Seth burst into the room.

“I got it!” he shouted, carrying a tablet with him.

“Got what?” asked Nash.

“I asked for all the video feeds on the street cameras and I finally found twelve routes that the kidnappers might have taken,” explained Seth.

“That’s great!” said Nash. “Let’s go to the police station.”

“Nah, it’s alright,” said Seth. “I already sent it to them online. They told me that they’ll get right on it and update us as soon as they have a lead.”

“And you believed them?” said Nash.

“Well, it’s not like what I did was a sure thing,” explained Seth, hesitant.

“Who cares? At least we’re getting somewhere now!” said Nash. “We need to pester them to do their job.”

“Nash, let’s calm down a bit,” gently said Sherry. “Don’t you think pestering someone is a bit counter intuitive?”

“Actually, I’m with her on this,” added Seth. “Let’s just give them a couple of days and see what the Detectives will come up with?”

“Fine!” said Nash. He then turned to Sherry with a sour expression. “Sorry to cut this short, but I just remembered that I have something important to do in Zectas.”

“What? Right now?” asked Sherry, surprised. “Can’t it wait a couple more minutes?”

“I thought it could, but I just realized that I could fail my quest if I don’t return immediately,” he said.

“I see,” said Sherry, disheartened. “Well, guess you better get back in then.”

“Alright, I’ll send you a message once my quest is done,” said Nash passively and went inside his game pod, sealing the lid fast.

Seth turned to Sherry and asked. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied. “I mean, not really. Who wants their boyfriend to be like that? But at least he’s pissed at me now rather than feeling guilty about Mima.”

* * * * * *

Smoke returned to the realm of Zectas, pissed. He did not even notice Daga and Igniz’s training. The dark ember sprite fired a torrent of fireballs at the little gray mouse, which she easily dodged.

“What does she know!” yelled out Smoke to the heavens. “Who does she think she is, giving me advice on what to do about Mima.”

“Look who’s back,” squeaked Daga. “Hey! You’d have to yell a lot louder than that if you want the wyverns to hear us.”

“Oh, shut up!” screamed Smoke and launched an earth-pillar at his Beggar Shade.

Daga easily dodged it and charged right for him. Smoke launched eight more earth-pillars, but none of them made contact with the little gray mouse.

Then, Daga suddenly lets out a burst of speed. She transformed into her human form and punched him squarely in the jaw, knocking Smoke back.

“How did you do that?” asked Smoke, impressed.

“What do you mean? I just punched you right in the face,” said Daga.

“No, I mean how did you move without me sensing you?” explained Smoke. “My Cunning of the Dire Fox usually senses all forms of melee attacks.”

“Ah, that’s because of my Silent Mouse ability,” said Daga. “Only cat-like sensory abilities like the ones that the sand cheetahs and swamp jaguars have can sense me.”

“I think I can use you against the wyverns after all,” said Smoke. Using his Earth Manipulation, he then created a life-size sculpture of the wyvern.

“We still have a couple of hours before Chrys and the other Sonstwelters arrive,” began Smoke. “Let’s use this time well.”

Smoke gave Igniz instructions on how to attack Daga and together they assaulted her with earth-pillars and fireballs. Her objective was to reach the wyvern sculpture.

They spent the time waiting for Chrysopelea training, only stopping to rest and eat before resuming on the tiresome regimen.

Of course, Smoke logged out to get in his scheduled power nap in the real world but did nothing else there during that time. He quickly went back into Zectas after his required slumber.

Finally, after twenty-six hours of training, Chrysopelea and the other Sonstwelters arrived.

They came in droves of war-carriages, being pulled by dirus wolves and driven by Lioumerean Pathfinders.

Smoke was easy to spot as there was a life-size sculpture of a wyvern near their encampment.

“Hey, what’s up with the wyvern statue?” greeted Chrysopelea. “And why did you want us to come meet you here in the middle of nowhere?”

Most of Chrysopelea’s party members gathered around the sculpture and inspected it. Only three of them walked together with him to meet with Smoke.

“I’ll tell you all about that later,” replied Smoke, disguised in his Faux persona. “Why don’t you tell me about your trip to the Thanotl Kingdom first?”

“Well, because of my Duke title I was able to have an audience with the King of Thanotl,” began Chrysopelea. “Let me tell you right now, he’s a lot better to talk to than King Kajou.”

“What? No nose hair?” joked Smoke.

“Exactly!” replied Chrysopelea, laughing. “Anyway, they also have a group of Sonstwelters leading their army.”

“And when are we suppose to have this joint attack?” asked Smoke.

“Well, they’re still gathering more intelligence on the Orks,” explained Chrysopelea. “But they say that they’ve already confirmed the OlegHai have joined with the UrukHai and the MoriHai.”

“So, they only lack the MaduHai tribe, huh?” said Smoke.

“Yeah, and I think they would be a powerful threat,” added Chrysopelea. “Since most of those MaduHai Orks know healing and offensive magic.”

“Maybe we’ll get lucky,” said Smoke. “Maybe the MaduHai won’t join the rest of the Orks.”

“Who knows?” said Chrysopelea. “Anyway, we’re still waiting on the intelligence report before we could finalize anything.”

Chrysopelea then pointed back to the wyvern statue. “So, ready to tell me what’s the deal with that?”

Smoke chuckled. “I was kind of hoping that you and your friends can help me get rid of a couple of wyverns.”

“Wyverns? Did he just say wyverns?” asked one of the Sonstwelters behind Chrysopelea. “Isn’t that the monsters that wiped out most of the DracoRicco’s guild members?”

“That’s right, that’s the monster that ended thousands of their members on their great expedition to the eastern lands,” added another Sonstwelter. “Why is there a wyvern here?”

“Wyverns aren’t exclusive to one continent you idiots,” said an older looking Sonstwelter. “The name’s Clint, nice to finally meet you in person, Faux,” he said, offering his hand to Smoke.

“Nice to meet you too, Clint,” said Smoke, shaking his hand in return. He then turned to Chrysopelea and asked. “I thought you had around five hundred men with you? I’m sure there’s less than that here.”

“Oh, about that,” began Chrysopelea. “Most of them wanted to stay and explore the Thanotl Kingdom. They just came along for the free ride against monsters. You know, since paying for a teleportation to another kingdom costs a fortune.”

“So, how many of them are left here?” asked Smoke.

“There are two hundred thirty-four of us left,” said Clint, answering in Chrysopelea’s behalf.

“By the way, this is my Uncle,” said Chrysopelea to Smoke.

“You have an in-game Uncle?” asked Smoke, confused. “What are the effects in that? I only heard about the benefits you get from being married but I never heard about this before.”

Chrysopelea chuckled. “No, I mean he’s my Uncle in real life.”

“Chrys, stop telling people that,” said Clint.

“Why? It’s the truth,” said Chrys.

“Anyway, why don’t you tell us more about this wyvern of yours,” Clint said to Smoke.

“Right,” said Smoke. “Well, there are two of them and they have this Ponderous Mist that increases your weight by ten times.”

“Wait, two wyverns?” said the freaked out Sonstwelter.

“Yeah, I’m sure we can handle it,” said Smoke. “How many melee fighters do you have?”

“Fifty?” replied Chrysopelea, uncertain.

“That low, huh,” said Smoke, remembering how the Vitzytl Kingdom was mostly composed of Mages.

“Anyway, why don’t you tell me the exact number of people we have,” said Smoke to Chrysopelea.

One by one, Smoke accounted for the Sonstwelters Chrysopelea had brought with him.

Although he was only speaking directly to Chrysopelea, he just realized that this was the first time he had been with this many Sonstwelters outside of his guild. Since during the defense of the Vitzytl Kingdom he was assigned to be the leader of the Automaton Knights.

After discussing the general plan against the wyverns, Smoke said to Chrysopelea. “Let me fix us all a meal first before we discuss with the rest of the members about our attack plan.”

As he practiced with the Zectians, Smoke cooked food for all of the Sonstwelter members of his party. He knew that it would not raise any Intimacy stat with them, but he thought to do it anyway since he knew that people with filled stomachs were prone to listen more and have broader thinking. This wisdom was taught to him in the real world by his grandmother.

He cooked them a simple sand cheetah stew with five bottles of pompom juice added to the broth. The effects of the stew gave an increased MP recovery for the next hour.

As these were Sonstwelter Adventurers, all of them had their own bowls with them.

Smoke asked for help distributing his stew, which each Sonstwelter finished with gusto.

“This is amazing! Why did Chrys didn’t feed us this when we’re still headed to the Thanotl Kingdom?”

Smoke heard one of them say after slurping down her first spoonful.

“It even has an increased MP recovery effect! Maybe, Chrys saved it for the trip home?”

He heard another Sonstwelter exclaim.

“I’ve never had any meal taste this good outside of a restaurant before!”

Praises of different kinds came pouring down. Smoke felt proud and happy. For a fleeting moment, he completely forgot that his Mima was missing. Instead, he only remembered the happy times and the life lessons she gave him.

After everyone was fed, Smoke and Chrysopelea stood in front of the crowd of Sonstwelters.

“Everyone, I would like you all to meet Faux,” began Chrysopelea. “In case you don’t know yet, he is the first runner up of the Magi Gagnant Tournament and lost only to Prime Wizard Ouragan.”

Half the crowd gave Smoke a respectful clap.

“He is also one of the leaders in the defense against the Ork invasion on Votl City,” added Chrysopelea

Again, the same Sonstwelters gave him a passive applause.

“And he is also the one responsible for our delicious meal today!” explained Chrysopelea.

At once, all of the Sonstwelters clapped loudly. They cheered and some of them even stood up to shake Smoke’s hand.

“Please, please, it was nothing,” said Smoke. “But that meal was just a precursor to what we’re going to do next.”

The crowd fell silent, all of them waiting to hear what Smoke had to say.

“We’re going wyvern hunting!”

“Yeah!”

“Let’s do it!”

“Woohooo!”

With the Sonstwelters all in high spirits, Smoke began to tell them of his plan against the wyverns.

* * * * * *

Smoke together with Chrysopelea and the other Sonstwelters stood outside the smoggy entrance of the Ork Outpost.

“Hey, Faux, you didn’t say this was an Ork Outpost,” said Chrysopelea to Smoke. “And there’s even a swamp right next to it.”

“Don’t worry about it,” replied Smoke. “It’s deserted. Besides, the loot and experience we’ll get from these wyverns should be useful against our upcoming war with the Orks.”

Smoke had not completely divulged all of the information regarding his Quest under the MaduHai Ork High Priestess. Not because he did not trust him, but simply because it would complicate things.

With the Ork Outpost issue over with, Smoke and Chrysopelea began the final review of their attack.

He had divided the two hundred thirty-four Sonstwelters into two groups. With him leading one of them and Chrysopelea the other.

Chrysopelea flew overhead and the rest of his group scattered around the Outpost. Most of his members were composed of Aero Magi. When he was directly above the smog, Chrysopelea began creating a strong circular wind, reinforced by the other Aero Magi from the sides. Together, they created a powerful tornado that cleared out the Ponderous Mist.

“Now!” shouted Smoke, leading the charge into the Ork Outpost.

The two wyverns were surprised and blankly looked up at the clear sky, bewildered where their heavy smog had gone.

Each wyvern faced twenty-five Knights. Their shields smashed up against their scaly skins, but their stunning attacks proved to be ineffective.

Instead, many of the Knights were skewered by the sharp bones of the one wyvern whose tail remained intact.

“Aim for their heads!” screamed Smoke, raising his hands and created a magma-arch around the wyvern with the sharp bony tail. He quickly forced the monster down.

The Knights near the fallen wyvern hurriedly bashed their shields into the monster’s head. Sadly, their attacks were not well organized and many of their stuns overlapped one another.

Thankfully, Chrysopelea followed Smoke’s lead. He created a powerful gust of downward wind and forced the head of the second wyvern to the ground.

Noticing this, Smoke locked another magma-arch around the second wyvern’s neck, trapping the draconic monster to the ground.

Yet, the wyverns would not go down without a fight. The monsters opened their mouths wide and let out another smog of Ponderous Mist.

As the Sonstwelters near the wyverns fell victim to their cumbersome fog, they were sent flying to the wooden walls of the outpost instead. Whereas, the ones near the tails got whiplashed.

As most of them were Magi below level 100, their life bars were less than 200,000 HP. Many of them died in a single attack from the monster, their bodies began to fade out of existence as they were forcibly logged out of Zectas.

“Stay back!” yelled Chrysopelea. “Use your long range attacks,” he added, sending another powerful gust of wind to clear the smog away.

With that, the Magi unleashed a fury of earth, wind, fire, and water attacks on the trapped wyverns.

However, Smoke remained close to the two wyverns. He needed to begin to seal the wyverns movements. He went for the tails, locking them down with more magma-arches, shackling them to the ground. As he was doing so, he noticed a part of the Outpost remained to emit the gray smog. Upon closer inspection, he found a nest filled with four wyvern eggs in them. He could not explain why he did it, but the next thing he knew, he dug a tunnel under the nest, sliding it softly to the ground and sealed the entrance.

When Smoke turned around, he found the wyverns bombarded by spells and swords. Yet, the monsters’ life bars still remained well over 75% of their maximum capacity.

‘It must be because of their thick scaly hides,’ surmised Smoke.

Now, with Chrysopelea and the rest of the Sonstwelters continuing to bash the wyverns in, Smoke was assured that they would probably finish off the wyverns in the next thirty minutes or so.

However, Smoke wanted to finish these monsters sooner. “Daga, get ready,” he whispered into his chest. He then let out an earth-pipe from the bottom of his feet, directly into one of the wyverns’ ears.

His Beggar Shade quickly traveled through the insides of the earth-pipe and entered the wyvern’s ear. From inside, Daga began slashing and biting the wyvern’s ear drum.

The Sonstwelters outside were taken aback, surprised by the sudden increase of damage on the monster’s life bar.

After seeing Smoke’s last earth-pipe attack, Chrysopelea yelled out. “Attack the ears!”

However, the damage on their wyvern’s life bar remained the same.

As the life bar of Smoke’s wyvern began to reach 10%, Daga ran back towards the earth-pipe and hid inside Smoke’s chest pocket.

Desperate, the two wyverns wildly shook their bodies and loosened the hold of Smoke’s magma-arches.

Smoke managed to reinforce the wyvern he was facing, but the other wyvern completely broke off all of its shackles.

Freed, the monster whipped its tails and killed half of Chrysopelea’s team members.

With their tattered shields on hand, only the Knights who were struck remained to stand, while the rest of the targeted Magi on the ground began to fade out of Zectas. Clint, Chrysopelea’s uncle also died during that last wyvern attack.

“Faux! We need your help!” yelled Chrysopelea from above, forcing another powerful gale to push the wyvern down.

Yet, the wyvern Smoke had trapped let out a death shrill, which made the other wyvern escape Chrysopelea’s wind attack.

The freed wyvern went for the place where the nest was but found nothing there.

Finally, Smoke and his team members delivered the final blow on their wyvern and killed it.

The half-dead wyvern looked at the scene below and let out another round of Ponderous Mist.

The heavy smog fell down on Chrysopelea, preventing him from casting the dispelling tornado.

Fortuitously, the other Aero Magi escaped and began to dispell the Ponderous Mist from the sides. When they cleared the smog, Smoke and everyone else found that the wyvern had already flown some distance to the horizon.

“Should we go after it?” asked Chrysopelea from above.

“No! Only you and I can fly and it would take a while before the rest of our members could get to it,” replied Smoke from the ground.

The surviving members could care less what Smoke and Chrysopelea were discussing. They were mesmerized by the dropped loot of the slain wyvern.

Rare swords, shields, armors for many Jobs were scattered on the Ork Outpost grounds.

“Now, why would a wyvern drop this kind of loot?” asked one of the Sonstwelters happily collecting a rare sword from the ground.

“Maybe it used to belong to the ones who attacked it before?” suggested Chrysopelea. “We should gather some of this loot and give them to the ones who died,” he added out loud.

The rest of the party members ignored him. Instead, they proceeded to loot the horde of items on the ground.

Smoke turned to face the looting Sonstwelters. Less than half of them remained, and most of them belonged to Smoke’s team.

“They can have my share!” yelled out Smoke. “It’s only fair. I already got a ton of experience from slaying the wyvern.”

After hearing Smoke’s altruistic speech. Many of the other Sonstwelters followed his lead and began to set aside items to be given to their fallen comrades.

“Thanks, Faux,” said Chrysopelea to Smoke. “I’m sure many of them will appreciate this.”

“Hey, I’m the one who asked for help,” replied Smoke. “It’s the least I could do. Besides, we need them to get stronger for the coming war.”

“So, are you coming back to Vitzytl with us after this?” Chrysopelea asked Smoke.

“No, I still have some unfinished business here,” replied Smoke. “But I’ll meet you there. I think I’ll be faster anyway since I’m flying and you guys are taking your war-carriages, right?”

“Probably,” replied Chrysopelea and resumed gathering the dropped items.

Smoke stood still, looking around the busy Sonstwelters collecting loot. Despite losing many team members, he felt less guilty about their deaths. Unlike the time when he lost his Zectian members. This felt different, for he knew that they would return after twenty-four hours in the real world— four days in the realm of Zectas.

* * * * * *

After watching Chrysopelea and the rest of the Sonstwelters leave the Ork Outpost, Smoke elevated the stowed wyvern eggs from the ground and picked them up. He grinned as he placed them into his inventory window and glided over to the hidden MaduHai Village inside the swamp.

“That sure was mighty gracious of you,” squeaked Daga from inside his chest pocket. “Not taking a single loot from that wyvern.”

“Well, those men deserved it,” said Smoke, truthfully. “I couldn’t have killed those monsters by myself.”

“True,” replied Daga. “But at least you used me during battle. Was kind of afraid I wasn’t going to see any action, and we trained so hard for it too,” she added.

“Anyway, you better jump off the same tree where you hid last time,” said Smoke. “We don’t want the swamp jaguars to find you, right?”

“Definitely!” exclaimed Daga. “That’s one order I’m going to obediently follow.”

Smoke landed on the same spot where he hid his shoddy-looking raft. After putting Daga on one of the white oak’s branches, he began pushing the raft through the murky swamp towards the MaduHai village shoreline.

“Ah! Navalikar Magic Swordsman et Vraktis!” greeted one of the MaduHai Ork Guards.

“Tamir usair,” said the Guard. “Givatavak fari siri Meneur.”

“Okay, Akir magvait dirir,” replied Smoke in his crude Orkish, indicating that he would wait for Meneur in the shoreline outside the village.

Smoke sat on the moist ground, which made him transfer on his crudely made raft instead.

A few minutes later, the blind Ork High Priestess stepped out of the village.

“You’re back, Sir Ilad, Magic Swordsman in training,” said Meneur. “Do you have all of your limbs intact?”

“Would you have preferred it if I lost a leg or two?” asked Smoke.

“Maybe,” replied Meneur, slightly pausing. “At least that would mean that you tried to go fight the wyverns in the Outpost.”

She scuffed and said. “Now, I bet you’re going to tell me some amazing tale of how you barely escaped with your life, no?”

Smoke let out a genuine laugh. “I think I would have really done that if I didn’t manage to finish the task,” he said and pulled out one of the wyvern eggs from his inventory window. It was big at half a meter in size. “Here, it’s my gift to you,” he said and offered the egg to the blind Ork.

One of the Priestesses behind Meneur walked up and helped her receive the egg.

“Oh! This really is a wyvern egg,” said Meneur, excited. “You really did clear the Outpost, huh?”

“Hatagir siyar sair sa emvlemir,” said Meneur to one of the Priestesses.

Smoke received a small emblem with an embossed Orkish head on its center.

Then, a notification window popped up.

Completed Quest: Cleaning up the MaduHai Mess

After dispatching the wyvern nest you are allowed entry into the MaduHai village, but you will only be able to access its public areas.

Rewards:
* Intimacy with the MaduHai Orks has increased by 20
* Gained MaduHai’s Emblem of Entry
* Gained 5,000,000 experience points

“You are the first non-Ork to receive that emblem,” said Meneur. “But that only grants you access to the public places in our village.”

“That’s fine by me,” replied Smoke.

Meneur then handed the wyvern egg to the other Ork Priestess and told her to be careful without it in Orkish.

“What do you plan to do with it?” asked Smoke.

“Maybe keep it as a trophy? Not sure yet,” said Meneur. “Come, let’s head into the place you’ve longed to see.”

“Thank you, please lead the way,” said Smoke.

“Asking a blind woman to lead,” chuckled Meneur. “DarkElves are not that bright, huh?” she said but led the way nonetheless.

“So, what happened to the wyverns that birthed this egg?” asked Meneur.

“I killed it,” bluntly replied Smoke.

“I would have wanted a more detailed story,” said Meneur. “But I guess we could save that for another time.”

As soon as they entered the rustic village of the Orks, many of its residents line up to gaze at Smoke, the first nonOrk to enter their home.

His first impression of them was a far cry from the one he had in mind. Instead of them building weapons or training for war; they were tilling the reclaimed swampland, mending the fishnets and even drying out the caught fish under the sun. Even the Orklings playing on the muddy ground were smiling to their heart’s content.

“Not quite what you expected?” asked Meneur out of the blue.

“Huh? What do you mean?” innocently asked Smoke.

“Fine! Be that way,” said Meneur. “Anyway, as you can see, there really isn’t anything much here in our village.”

“What are you talking about? There’s a lot going on here. I even saw someone making an Ork sculpture out of a willow trunk.”

“Oh, don’t mind him,” said Meneur. “He’ll try to sell you one of his sculptures and even claims that they’re worth a lot, but they aren’t worth squat.”

Then, they passed by the largest structure of the village. He marveled at the intricate craftsmanship carved into the wooden beams protruding out of the hut. Inside, he saw tons of bookshelves stacked against the entire wall of the two-story hut. He also caught a few Ork Priestesses practicing Water Manipulation.

‘That must be what they used to drain out the water from the swamp,’ surmised Smoke.

“Ilad? Did something catch your attention?” asked Meneur.

At once, Smoke could tell that she was not asking a simple question.

“Honestly, just got excited when I saw your stacks of books,” replied Smoke. “I’m sort of a Bibliophile,” he added shyly.

“Really?” asked Meneur, doubtful. “What kind of books have you read?”

“Mostly ability books, but I’ve also read the Ancient History of Zectas, Military Strategies of the Meridianus, The Enigmatic Village of Nanahuatl, and that’s just to name a few.”

“You know about Nanahuatl?” said Meneur, surprised. “That’s one of the rarest books in our village collection.”

This time, it was Smoke’s turn to be astonished. “What? You have a copy of that book here?”

“Certainly!” proudly said the blind Ork Priestess, nodding her head with enthusiasm. “Unfortunately, it is written in Lacerta and I’m the only left here who knows how to read the common tongue,” she let out a regretful sigh. “Didn’t even get to finish reading all of them.”

“But you’re blind now,” bluntly said Smoke. “Who is going to read those books now?”

“What? I’m blind?” asked Meneur, acting all shocked and panicky. “Oh, right… right. I’ve been blind for almost twenty years,” she added and chuckled.

Smoke nervously laughed. “Yeah, sorry about that. Completely forgot about it.”

“Say, do you want to read some of the books written in Lacerta?” asked Meneur.

“Really? That would be awesome!” replied Smoke, ecstatic.

“But I have one condition,” said Meneur. “You can’t ask for any books written in Orkish.”

“Done!” said Smoke without hesitation.

“Indanir, dalair kirig livror nar magir Lacerta,” said Meneur to one of the Ork Priestesses.

Smoke only caught a few words, but he guessed that he was about to have all of the books in their library written in Lacerta.

“I’ll have one of the men bring you a desk,” said Meneur. “Just hope that it won’t rain anytime soon.”

“Oh? Am I reading the books right here?” asked Smoke. “Can I make a desk and maybe even a shed? I’ll destroy it as soon as I’m done reading the books.”

“Hm. Well, if you can build it in less than two minutes, then I don’t see why not,” said Meneur, chuckling loudly at her own joke.

“Ah, I don’t see…” politely said Smoke, laughing dryly. “That was funny,” he added but could not completely drown out the hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“Fine! It wasn’t that funny,” blurted out Meneur. “But it would have been if I said it in Orkish,” she mumbled on about how things are not as funny in a different tongue. “Anyway, you’ve got two minutes.”

Without waiting for the Ork High Priestess to say another word, Smoke created an earth-bench, earth-table, and an open shed with only four earth-pillars to support the roof.

“Wha? What happened?” asked Meneur.

“Oh, I made a shed out of the earth,” passively replied Smoke.

“You have the Earth Manipulation ability?” asked Meneur.

Smoke grinned and nodded his head.

“You need to speak up,” said Meneur. “I can’t see, remember?”

“Yes, I have it,” quickly stammered Smoke.

“Then, would you be interested in improving our village walls?” asked Meneur.

As soon as she finished asking, a notification window popped up.

+ Quest: MaduHai Contract Worker
Village Improvement Quest
Level: D

Improve the current wooden wall structure around the MaduHai Village with your Earth Manipulation.

Accept the Quest? [YES/NO]

“Hm, let me think about it,” said Smoke. “I really want to read the books first.”

He hesitated to take on the quest, discourage by the Level D and the potential rewards that would go with it.

Shortly after, stacks of books were delivered to him. His eyes scanned for a leather tome but sadly found none in the first batch of books that was delivered to him.

“Looks like you’re really excited to start reading,” said Meneur. “I’ll leave you to it then.”

“Thanks!” replied Smoke.

With that, Meneur and the other Ork Priestesses proceeded into the largest hut of the village.

“I maybe blind but I could already hear you salivating all the way from over here,” shouted Meneur before the doors were closed after her.

Smoke paid her no mind. He began to voraciously consume the books. There was one on the philosophies of the Orks on the views of the other races. There was also a book entitled: ‘Why Other Races hate Orks’. However, the book that caught his attention was the one entitled: ‘How to Build your own Dragon Hatchery.’

How to Build your own Dragon Hatchery:

– Can hatch dragon eggs and other Dragonic eggs such as wyverns, wyrms, drakes, and other draconic creatures.

[STEP ONE]
[STEP TWO]
…

As soon as he read the book, Smoke could not help himself but shout. “Meneur! I know how to hatch the wyvern egg!”

Chapter Five:

War Preparations

A hysterical Smoke was screaming for Meneur to step out of the Ork library. “Come on! You need to see this!” he screamed, waving the book over his head.

“Check yourself, Boy!” screamed Meneur, hobbling out of the two-story hut. “What do you want a blind woman to see now?” she added, chuckling.

Smoke ignored Meneur’s antics. Instead, he continued reading the acquired knowledge window out loud. “Dragons and other draconic creatures are normally impossible to train. However, through the process of imprinting: a person comes to be recognized by the draconic creature as a parent or a person of habitual trust.” A presumptuous smirk instantly overcame his face. He could already picture himself using the wyvern against the Orks or any other opposing armies.

“Really? A wyvern, huh? I’ve always wanted one… You know, as a guardian for our village,” stammered Meneur, interrupting Smoke’s own delusions of riding on a wyvern above the clouds.

“Exactly!” exclaimed Smoke, enthralled. “So, what do you say? You want to build a Dragon Hatchery here?”

“Sure! Tell me what the book says and I’ll tell our craftsmen to do it,” replied Meneur with the same enthusiasm.

Smoke bobbed his head up and down. “First we need to gather the leaves and branches from a Dracaena Marginata plant. Next, we need to build a nest at least six meters in diameter from that plant, and then we build a kiln with an area of twelve meters and a height of eighteen meters. Finally, we incubate the dragon egg inside the kiln at 1024° for the next twelve months—”

“Wow! That’s a long time,” said Meneur.

“Wait, there’s more,” added Smoke, disheartened. “The flames must be in constant rotation at the speed ranging from at least three kilometers or up to twenty kilometers per hour.”

“How are we supposed to do that?” asked Meneur, shrugging.

“Not sure,” replied Smoke scratching his head. “Let me read some more. Maybe, there’s a section on how to do that?”

Scrolling the acquired knowledge window with his index finger, Smoke stopped when he saw an interesting section.

“That doesn’t really solve anything,” said Smoke, blankly staring at the window.

“What does?” asked Meneur, confused.

Smoke let out a frustrated sigh. “Just found out that the wyvern needs a shorter amount of time, but it’s still six months!” he said, enumerating the items on incubation section.

Draconic Incubation Periods

Legendary Dragons |———-> 36 Months
Dragons: |——–——–——–-> 12 Months
Wyrms: |——————–——–> 09 Months
Wyverns: |————–————> 06 Months
Drakes: |—————–———–> 03 Months

Meneur clicked her tongue and shook her head. “What good is that? That doesn’t tell us how to make the flames rotate on their own at all.”

Smoke scratched his head, trying to claw out an idea. “Hey! What about a water wheel?” he blurted out. “I know how to build one from scratch. We can attach the wheel to a circular platform and put the flames on top of it,” he said in one breath, excited. “We can even use the white oak trees from the swamp—”

Smoke stopped himself mid-sentence. “Oh, that’s right. There’s no flowing water here,” he said, realizing the stagnant waters surrounding the hidden Ork village.

“Technically, there is a slight motion in the waters,” said Meneur. “And using Water Manipulation we can increase the speed and completely remove the water from our desired land to reclaim.”

Then, it hit him. “Meneur, are you planning on doing any expansion on your village anytime soon?”

“No, not for another two years,” answered Meneur. “But what does that have to do with hatching my wyvern? I mean our future village protector,” she quickly added.

“And how many of you here can use Water Manipulation?” further asked Smoke.

The old Ork High Priestess’ nose wrinkled and said. “Well, all of the Priestesses can do it,” replied Meneur. “And there’s six of them. Including me, that’s seven. But there’s no way we can move the water around for the wheel for the entire six months.”

“Of course not,” said Smoke, trying his best not to laugh.

“Then, why do I feel like you’re giving me a smug look right now?” asked Meneur.

“Because I’m going to build you a dam!” exclaimed Smoke.

“Huh? But there’s no flowing water!” replied Meneur.

“That’s where your Water Manipulation ability comes in,” explained Smoke. “The canal will be built around your reclaimed island. It will also be divided into two parts. The southern section will be lower than the northern section, but the southern section will have a gradual incline as it reaches back to the northern part.”

“So, we use our Water Manipulation to force the water back up into this upper section of yours,” said Meneur.

“Exactly! You got it,” said a smiling Smoke, happy that the blind Ork High Priestess understood his plan. “And I’ll build a floodgate that will control the flow of the water from the upper region, assuring us of the minimum speed for the rotating flames.”

“Yeah, about that,” interjected Meneur. “I don’t know how we could sustain the flames.”

“Leave that to me,” assured Smoke. “For now, let’s just start building the dam and some of your Guards can fetch me the lumber needed for the water wheel.”

“You honestly think this will work?” asked Meneur, staring at him with her glassy white eyes.

“It’s not a sure thing, but we have to at least give it a try,” reasoned Smoke.

“Fair enough,” replied Meneur and called for the village Guards.

After Meneur’s go-signal, Smoke immediately began working on the dam.

* * * * * *

Two days passed and Smoke had already dug the inclined canal around the entire village. He even finished the flood gate that would control the flow of the water from the upper region.

Today, same as yesterday, Meneur came to visit him. They talked about the way of life of the secluded MaduHai Orks. In turn, Smoke told her about the development of the outside world. During this time, he had raised his Intimacy Level with Meneur to that of ‘Trusted Friend’.

“Forgive me for being blunt, but there is something that has been bothering me for a while,” blurted out Smoke.

“What is it?” asked Meneur.

“You are called the High Priestess and there are six other Priestesses that I know of,” began Smoke. “But in all the time I’ve been here, I’ve never seen any temples.”

Meneur chuckled. “You heathens really crack me up. Why do you need to build a structure to commune with the great god?”

“Huh? I don’t get it,” said Smoke.

“Here, we have been taught that the great god Tezcazin exists within all of us,” explained Meneur. “Each of us carries a fragment of his divine wisdom. That is why we live our lives to the fullest. After all, who knows what will come tomorrow.”

“Um… but aren’t you hiding from the rest of the world here in the swamplands?” pointed out Smoke, while still casually working on the dam.

“To you, it may look like that, but to us, it is a place where we can be free from the shackles of conformity,” said Meneur.

Smoke shook his head, confused. “Still don’t get it.”

“This enlightenment maybe too far from your reach right now,” said Meneur. “Just imagine those OrkElves you mentioned. They’re running around everywhere. Asking for scraps in the cities, and these hapless offsprings of my savage cousins are even forced to live in pomegranate forests.”

“Right? Doesn’t your heart break imagining their lives?” replied Smoke.

“Honestly, it doesn’t sound so bad,” said Meneur. “Their problem is, they lack the sense of self. If they knew that the great god Tezcazin dwells within them then—”

“Didn’t you hear what I said?” interjected Smoke, immediately stopping his work on the dam. “These OrkElves are orphans. They only have themselves to rely on.”

“You may think that it’s bad,” replied Meneur. “But the Orks leave them alone, right?”

Smoke was about to argue with her but stopped himself. “That’s true. Why is that?” he wondered out loud.

Meneur laughed. “You’ve fought against the UrukHai and MoriHai Orks, correct?”

“Yes,” replied Smoke, intrigued.

“But you still have no idea how their mind works,” she stated. She walked over to him and snorted out hot air from her nose. “Let me educate you. The UrukHai, MoriHai and especially the OlegHai are parasites. So, why would they bother with the poverty-stricken OrkElves!”

Meneur turned to the heavens and look down then she shook her head in dismay. “They only attack places where they can profit from it. They will ravage and pillage that place until it has nothing left.” She then let out a deep sigh. “I fear that soon there will come a time when they will conquer this entire continent.”

“Did you know that the UrukHai’s General came here and threatened us to join them,” blurted out Meneur. “Luckily, he believed me when I asked for a month to prepare before joining their forces.”

“What? Are you seriously going to join the rest of the Orks?” asked Smoke, alarmed. “What about the things you told me about how the MaduHai have evolved into the lovers of nature and logic?”

“I would have loved to refuse him,” interjected Meneur. “Unfortunately, there’s just no way anyone can beat the United Ork Tribes. Heck, even if the Kingdoms of Vitzytl and Thanotl would unify their forces they would still have a hard time defeating us.”

“That is only if your tribe joins them,” interjected Smoke. “The MaduHai are the smallest of the Ork Tribes, but why do you think does the General of the UrukHai insist that you join them?” he asked in a Socratic manner.

“Simple, because we are the only Orks who have the knowledge of Magic,” answered Meneur. “Without us, they won’t have any healers.”

“There you go!” said Smoke. “Then, don’t join the rest of the Ork Tribes.”

“And what? Incur the wrath of the other three tribes? No thanks!” said Meneur, laughing nervously. “Besides, there isn’t even an alliance of the Vitzytl and Thanotl Kingdoms.”

Upon hearing this, Smoke’s smile grew wide. “What if I told you that there is such an alliance!”

“Ha! Then, I’d tell you that you’re lying!” replied Meneur, intrigued. “But if there was… I would probably join the Kingdoms rather than my fellow Orks.”

“Then, why don’t you?” said Smoke. “I’m willing to submit myself to a casting circle of truth, and prove to you that there is such an alliance.”

“Alright, I’ll take you up on that,” said Meneur.

Without another word, a blue casting circle appeared beneath Smoke’s feet.

“Oh, wait. How will you know that I’m telling the truth when you can’t see the color changes of the casting circle?” asked Smoke.

“Don’t worry, I have my ways,” she replied.

Then, he felt a strange prickling sensation near his feet. Blue freezing water sprang out from the casting circle and began to swirl around him.

“Please tell me your name,” began Meneur.

Smoke gulped. ‘Might have been a bit hasty about this,’ he thought.

“Um… Right, about that,” mumbled Smoke. “It’s a really long story, but my name isn’t really Ilad. It’s actually Smoke.”

The temperatures of the icy blue waters remained the same.

“So, you lied to us about your name and being a Magic Swordsman in training?” asked Meneur, peeved.

Slowly, the water hardened around his feet and began to freeze his lower half.

“Tell me your so called long story, and if it does not satisfy me, this maybe the end of you,” threatened the Ork High Priestess.

Without reservation, Smoke began to explain how he was actually from the continent of Wysteria. How he liberated Centzo City from the evil clutches of Duke Burmistrz, and when they were about to finish off the Duke, how his closest Zectian friends Sharur and Laernea died. Now, he was on a quest to revive them which brought him here, to the Sawtorn continent.

“You could have shortened that a bit,” said Meneur when Smoke finished his tale.

“Well, you asked for the long story,” replied Smoke.

“Too bad you won’t be able to finish your main quest in the Sawtorn continent,” said Meneur.

“Huh?” said Smoke. “What are you talking about?”

“Haven’t you been listening to me?” asked Meneur. “The great god Tezcazin teaches us to live in the now because there is no afterlife. That Mictlan – the land beyond this world, is nothing more than a figment of the other religions’ imagination.”

“No!” exclaimed a half frozen Smoke. “Sorry, but I refuse to believe that.”

“Well, that is your right,” said Meneur. “And I shall respect that, but know that you are welcome to convert into Tezcazinity whenever you realize the truth.”

This was not how he imagined their conversation would end, but despite his icicle state, Smoke remained adamant. He refused to believe her stand on Tezcazinity and how Mictlan was nonexistent.

Then, Meneur let out a deep breath. “By the way, I saw everything inside you when I covered you in ice, which is why it is time to do this,” she said, all mysterious.

“Arrgh!” suddenly screamed Smoke. His body writhed in pain and his arms flailed in the air. “What are you doing to me?”

Smoke tried to put up a manatl, but a notification window popped up.

* Consented Ritual In progress…
– Abilities [locked]
– Items      [locked]

“Why are you doing this?” screamed Smoke. “I thought we were friends? I only lied about my name—”

“We are friends,” interjected Meneur and continued casting her magic.

The blue ice then began to encroach towards his upper body. It rose to his stomach, then to his arms, until finally, only his head remained unfrozen.

“Kill me already!” yelled Smoke.

WOOOSSSHHH

A black cloud spewed out from his mouth, creating a short pillar above him. Small lightning bolts struck out of it, hitting his frozen body.

Without warning, the ice that immobilized Smoke liquefied. It turned into an octopus-like creature and swallowed the black lightning cloud with its tentacles. Next, the creature reverted back into ice, before it shattered into a million pieces.

+ [CURED] Your cursed Decay Aura has been healed by High Priestess Meneur

Smoke slumped down on the muddy ground where the casting circle of truth once was.

“How did you—” asked Smoke, bewildered. “I asked the Healers of the Vitzytl Kingdom, and no one could remove that curse.”

“That’s because they don’t have the great god Tezcazin to help them,” answered Meneur.

At once, Smoke felt a deep pit in his stomach. ‘Mictlan exists!’ he thought with conviction, unconvinced of the teachings of Tezcazinity.

“Now that I’ve removed your curse, I shall tell you the conditions for you to continue staying here,” said Meneur. “You shall stick to your name of Ilad within the village.”

“Sure, no problem. But why does that matter?” he asked.

“Well, I wouldn’t want the others to know that you tricked us,” replied Meneur. “Especially, since I am appointing you as Emissary of the MaduHai Orks!”

+ Quest: MaduHai P.R.O.
Ambassador Quest
Level: A++You have been tasked to assure that the MaduHai Ork will not be targeted by either the Kingdoms of Vitzytl or Thanotl[Quest Forcibly Accepted]

+ Received emissary emblem of the MaduHai Orks

“What’s happening now?” asked Smoke, confused after reading the quest window. “Are you sure about this?”

“Like I said, let’s live in the now,” replied Meneur.

* * * * * *

After spending one more day in the MaduHai Ork Village to finish the Dragon Hatchery, Smoke was gliding at top speeds for Votl City – Capital of the Vitzytl Kingdom.

Finally, after six hours of flight(and only one meal break, care of Daga’s growling stomach), Smoke saw the amethyst city surrounded by the different colored mountains. The three tallest towers of the capital stood unyielding as it watched over the city. Despite the familiar appearance, he knew that something had changed within Votl.

Each colored mountain now had a medium-sized fortress guarding it. Using his Telefax Vision ability, he zoomed in on the fort in the red mountain. There, he saw that the Sonstwelters inside the fortress were being trained by high-level Zectian Wizards with Pyromancy.

“Oh, would you look at that,” squeaked Daga from Smoke’s chest pocket. “They must be getting ready for the Continental Quest.”

“I’m surprised to see so many Sonstwelters,” said Smoke. After their successful wyvern hunt, he was now excited to lead another batch of Sonstwelters into battle.

“I wouldn’t depend too much on those guys,” said Daga.

“Why?” asked Smoke.

“Don’t know, just a hunch,” replied Daga.

After passing through the colored mountains, Smoke began his descent for the main castle. Yet, he could not ignore the changes that the capital itself had undergone.

The once luxurious city had turned into a military zone. The grand stadium where the Magi Gagnant Tournament was held became a training center for low-level Mages. It was a great opportunity for new Sonstwelters who recently joined the game to increase their levels and acquire new abilities.

“Let’s take a quick detour before we report to the King,” said Smoke. “I think we can spare a few more minutes.”

“You’re the boss, Boss,” squeaked Daga and hid inside his pocket.

Smoke landed discreetly behind an alley and walked towards the marketplace. Before he stepped out, he equipped his Paradox Mask and donned his Faux persona.

Instead of seeing fancy trinkets and expensive accessories, he found that the stalls were littered with mid-level magical items. A powerful wind staff was priced at half its usual amount. Upon further inspection, he realized that all of the items were incredibly cheap. Even the pompom juice that he created was discounted at a third of its price.

‘What’s going on here?’ he wondered.

Then, he heard one of the groups of Sonstwelters walking by. They were three Wizards who specialized in Fire, Ice, and Earth.

“Still can’t believe this!” exclaimed the Fire Wizard. “I’ve been stuck at level 50 for almost three months. But with the special training, I’m now already at level 75!”

“Yeah, I was so psyched when I heard Ouragan explain that the city will be releasing several events to increase our levels,” added the Earth Wizard. “It’s a great way for weekend warriors like us to catch up. I even filed for a leave on all the Fridays and Mondays of this month.”

Smoke then sneaked a peek at their faces and found that all of them were men in their mid-thirties.

“Hey, that’s a great idea,” said Ice Wizard. “I think I’ll get some of that action as well. What level was needed again to be a squad leader?”

“Eighty!” replied the Fire Wizard, all smug about it.

“Great! That means you can join my squad then!” exclaimed the Ice Wizard. “Just need to finish the Ice Construct training quest up in the azure fortress, then I’ll become a squad leader.”

“Not if I finish the Flame Make training first!” said the Fire Wizard and stormed away.

“What’s up with Amer?” asked the Ice Wizard.

“Leave him alone, Lyon,” said the Earth Wizard. “Besides, you two are going to be joining my squad anyway. So, stock up on your supplies because my Vantard Squad needs to be ready to go to war with the Orks at any time.”

After witnessing the situation in the marketplace, Smoke decided to report to the palace.

* * * * * *

As soon as he reached the castle grounds, Smoke was led by the Guards towards the royal strategy room.

There, Prime Wizard Ouragan, Prime Wizard Chrysopelea, Prime Wizard Trottel, and Magietrois Eleve were looking over a map of the entire Sawtorn Continent.

Meanwhile, King Kajou and two men Smoke had never seen before were on the opposite side of the table. One of the unknown men was a well dressed Zectian, whom he assumed to be an important aristocrat, and the other was a Sonstwelter who looked like he had some advance form of the Knight Job.

“Faux, finally! Why are you always the last one to arrive? Are you trying to make yourself look important?” asked a smug Trottel, flipping his long orange mane. “We’ve been racking our brains to come up with the best way to attack the Orks, and only the Sonstwelter from the Thanotl Kingdom has been giving out suggestions.”

“Sorry, I thought I was still good on time,” replied Smoke. He then hurriedly turned to King Kajou and lowered his head, careful not to offend the hot-tempered ruler. “Greetings, my most benevolent King!”

Smoke also faced his Flame Master, Eleve. He lowered his head even more so than when he did for the King.

In turn, Eleve gave him a welcoming smile.

As Smoke was about to greet Ouragan, King Kajou’s voice bellowed throughout the strategy room. “Faux! That’s enough with the greetings and face here,” he commanded, stroking his long nose hair and his unruly beard. “By the way, this is Prince Matalim of the Thanotl Kingdom,” he explained, pointing to the mysterious aristocrat. “He is the successor of King Matalas, and he brought an outstanding Sonstwelter with him as well,” he added, patting the unknown Knight on the back.

‘Strange, I’ve never seen the King to be that friendly with anyone before,’ observed Smoke.

“A pleasure to meet you, Sir Faux,” said Prince Matalim, slightly nodding his head at Smoke from across the table. “Allow me to introduce the Duke of Thalzoc City and the General of the Thanotl Kingdom Army,” he added, pointing to the undisclosed Sonstwelter. “This is Duke Tritank.”

‘Tritank? No! Is this the same guy in the forums?’ wondered Smoke, remembering the person who always bad-mouthed him in the comments section. ‘Is it really that easy to be a Duke?’ he wondered, irritated. Thankfully, his contorted face was covered by his Paradox Mask when he turned to face the man in question.

“Hey!” greeted Tritank, nodding at Smoke. He lifted up his faceplate, revealing a young man in his mid-twenties. “Heard a lot of things about you, Faux. Chrys has been really building you up.”

“I see,” replied Smoke, clenching his fists.

“They were clearly exaggerated, though,” replied Tritank. “But I must say, you’re low-level appearance is really tricky. Wearing such crappy items to mask how powerful you are… You’re one crafty player, Faux.”

Chrysopelea briskly interjected. “You have to excuse Faux. He isn’t really much of a talker, but he’s one of the main reasons we survived the last Ork invasion,” he said, patting Smoke’s back. “He’s really a powerful Elementalist too. In fact, he would have probably won the Magi Gagnant Tournament if Ouragan didn’t join.”

“Are you for real? I saw their fight on the videos,” said a smug Tritank. “And he was still clearly below Ouragan’s level,” he sniggered. “I even ask myself why it reached fifteen million views.”

‘What! The finals had that many views!’ thought a surprised Smoke, regretting the big paycheck he would have gotten. He wanted to post a video of him fighting Ouragan as Faux, but he knew that he had to stick to his long-term goal. To reveal himself as Faux or Ilad now would only ruin the foundation that he worked so hard to build.

“I beg to disagree,” interjected Ouragan. “Faux was a very worthy opponent. If he had more time improving his Magma ability, I’m sure I would have lost that match.”

“But that’s the thing with ‘what ifs’; they don’t matter. They don’t change the outcome of what really happened,” Tritank replied to Ouragan with the most unpleasant smile.

“I even saw Faux’s name appear on that stupid thread ‘Tristan versus Amahan versus Smoke’,” added Tritank. “If the stupid masses should be talking about any rising star, they should be talking about me!”

It took all of Smoke’s self-control not to attack Tritank right then and there. Fortunately, King Kajou loudly cleared his throat and stroke his long nose hair and beard.

“Enough with the banter!” commanded King Kajou, silencing everyone in the room. “We’re here to discuss the Orks. So, Prince Matalim, please proceed with the Intelligence you have kindly brought to us.”

“My pleasure, King Kajou,” replied Prince Matalim. “To recap, we have learned that the OlegHai Generals Dastard and Snide have joined with the UrukHai and the MoriHai Tribes.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Trottel loudly clicked his tongue, but drawing no one’s attention to him.

“When the three tribes joined together, they elected the UrukHai General Wertlosvati to be their Supreme General,” added Prince Matalim. “Provided that Generals Dastard and Snide of the OlegHai Tribe would be their strategists.”

“Pfft, like having an Ork strategist would do anything for them,” said Trottel.

“Could you just— Shh!” Tritank said to Trottel, signaling the Lioumerean Prime Wizard to shut his mouth with his fingers from across the table.

Normally, Smoke would have sided with anyone who would scream at Trottel, but this time, he wanted to protect him from an even bigger pain in the ass.

“Duke Tritank, please keep your voice down,” reprimanded Prince Matalim.

“Trottel, shut up!” said King Kajou simultaneously.

“I’m sorry your, Majesty,” said Trottel, lowering his head before King Kajou.

“Fine! I’ll be quiet,” replied Tritank to Prince Matalim.

With that, the strategy room fell silent again.

“Now, if everyone will allow me to continue,” began Prince Matalim once more. “Dastard and Snide’s first act as the united Ork’s strategist was that they sent Wertlosvati to recruit the last Ork tribe, the MaduHai Orks.”

Prince Matalim paused and turned to face Trottel and Tritank. The two of whom remained silent and behaved.

“Now, my sources told me that Wertlosvati was successful in this endeavor,” added Prince Matalim with a grim expression. “It appears that our worst fears have come to reality. All four Ork tribes have banded together.”

“Ahem! Excuse me,” said Smoke.

“Faux! You better say something that will win this war or I’ll make an example out of you for interrupting this meeting,” threatened King Kajou.

“Actually, it is,” replied Smoke, taking out his MaduHai Emissary Emblem. “I come here not only as one of your Generals but also as a representative of the MaduHai Orks.”

“What! Are you betraying us?” King Kajou screamed at Smoke.

Tritank, who was nearest to the King got showered with some of King Kajou’s saliva, which he had to wipe off his face.

“Of course not,” replied Smoke. “The MaduHai Orks want nothing to do with the other Ork tribes,” he turned from King Kajou to Prince Matalim, hoping that they would understand the plight of Meneur and her village. “In fact, they’ve decided to withdraw their support to Wertlosvati, provided that the two Kingdoms won’t attack them but protect them instead.”

“Hmmp! Well, isn’t that convenient,” said King Kajou. “Are you sure this isn’t some sort of trap?”

“My thoughts exactly, your Majesty!” chimed in Tritank. “How can we be sure that this is legit?”

At this point, Eleve loudly raised her voice. “Faux, hand over that Ork Emblem,” she said, motioning for Smoke’s symbol of being their emissary.

“Sure,” replied Smoke and gave the emblem to Eleve.

“I could put a casting circle of truth on Faux but this is more direct,” said Eleve. The Ork Emblem then floated on top of her palms and a pure white flame engulfed it. “My King, as you well know, my white flame can destroy anything that is counterfeit.”

“Of course, I have no doubts of your flames, Magietrois Florissant,” replied King Kajou.

“So what if he’s an emissary of the MaduHai Orks,” said Tritank.

“So what?” asked Eleve in the most condescending manner. “Do you need me to spell it out for you?” Without waiting for Tritank to respond she continued talking. “This means that instead of fighting all four Ork Tribes, we now only need to fight three of them. Not to mention that the MaduHai Orks have very potent healing magic.”

“Well done, Faux!” exclaimed King Kajou. “As expected of my General. You may tell the MaduHai Orks that the kingdom of Vitzytl accepts their surrender.”

Then, a quest update window popped up.

+ Quest: MaduHai P.R.O.
Ambassador Quest Updated!
Level: A++[1/2] King Kajou of the Vitzytl Kingdom has accepted the MaduHai Orks’ peace offering

Smoke was pleased with what he had read, but he needed to clarify something. “That’s great, your Majesty but they aren’t surrendering,” he boldly retorted. “They’re simply asking for a peaceful coexistence with your kingdom and the Thanotl Kingdom,” he added, turning to Prince Matalim.

“Fine! Tell them that we agree to their term of us not attacking them,” began King Kajou. “But I won’t be sending any soldiers to protect them either.”

“What about you, Prince Matalim?” asked Smoke.

“I was taught that you can only trust an Ork as far as you can throw it,” replied Prince Matalim. “But let me consider it for the moment, Sir Faux.”

Upon hearing this, Ouragan boldly raised his hand and said. “But, Prince Matalim, once Wertlosvati finds out of the MaduHai’s betrayal they will surely be their next target. We have to act now!” He then turned to face King Kajou. “Your Majesty, we must make our move and send aid to the MaduHai village.”

“Excuse me, Ouragan,” interjected Smoke. “But I agree with King Kajou on not sending any reinforcements.”

“Are you sure?” asked Eleve, surprised. “You do realize that their entire village will be annihilated if we don’t?”

“No! That won’t happen,” replied Smoke, shaking his head. “Because we’re going to strike Wertlosvati and his Orks before they can attack anyone else.”

“And how do you propose to do that?” asked Tritank. “The last known location we have of the Orks is that they’re in the Derobe Mountains. Entering their stronghold would be suicide.”

“Actually, I was planning to attack—” began Smoke but was cut off by Tritank.

“You’re actually planning to do a suicide mission, aren’t you?” accused Tritank. “Your Majesty, Prince Matalim, we shouldn’t do this. The risk is just too high!”

“Of course not,” replied King Kajou, nodding at Tritank. “Faux, you have to think of a better plan than this,” he said as he turned to face Smoke.

“Excuse me, King Kajou, Duke Tritank,” called out Prince Matalim. “But I believe that Sir Faux did not say that we should attack the Orks’ fortified mountain territory. Please, let us allow him to finish.”

Although his face was hidden by his Paradox Mask, Smoke smiled at Prince Matalim. “Thank you, Prince. As I was saying, I propose that we launch an attack one week from now in the valley of Etonner.”

“Why would we do that?” asked King Kajou. “There’s nothing there but rock coyotes, steel sheep, a few horned rabbits and sometimes sand cheetahs.”

Before Smoke could answer, The Vitzytl King stroked his nose hair and beard. “I get it!” said King Kajou. “You’re planning on increasing the levels of our men, but let me tell you right now, Faux. I’ve already thought of that.”

‘I thought Ouragan was the one who came up with that?’ Smoke wondered to himself.

“So, we don’t need to go there to train anymore,” added King Kajou.

“Um… We won’t be going there for training, your Majesty,” said Smoke. “We’re going there because a week from now, the UrukHai, MoriHai, and OlegHai tribes will be there.”

“And how did you come by this information?” asked Prince Matalim.

“I know this because that’s where they’re supposed to join up with the MaduHai Orks,” replied Smoke.

Unexpectedly, Prince Matalim chuckled. “You should have opened with this when you spoke about the MaduHai Orks’ proposal.”

“Why?” asked Smoke, confused.

“Now that we have the upper hand on the Orks, I, Prince Matalim heir to the Thanotl Kingdom accepts the MaduHai Orks’ peace offering.”

+ Quest: MaduHai P.R.O.
Ambassador Quest Updated!
Level: A++[1/2] King Kajou of the Vitzytl Kingdom has accepted the MaduHai Orks’ peace offering
[2/2] Prince Matalim of the Thanotl Kingdom has accepted the MaduHai Orks’ peace offering>>Return to Meneur in the MaduHai Ork village to claim your reward.

“Thank you, Sir Faux!” said Prince Matalim. “Although half of our men are still lacking in training, I think that our two Kingdoms should be able to handle the Orks now.”

With that, the joint strategy meeting swiftly shifted to plan their attack on Etonner Valley.

* * * * * *

After the meeting was over, Smoke, Chrysopelea, Ouragan, and Eleve were left behind the strategy chamber as Tritank hurriedly led King Kajou and Prince Matalim out of the room by himself.

“Guess Tritank has some more stuff to talk about with the two of them,” innocently said Chrysopelea.

“What’s the deal with him anyway?” asked Smoke. “You never mentioned him when we were hunting the wyvern.”

“I know, he didn’t really stand out much when I was talking to Prince Matalim,” explained Chrysopelea, surprised. “I did overhear him mention to King Kajou and Prince Matalim about how he still needs to find a special mount to fully utilize his Hidden Job.” Then, he turned to Smoke as if he recalled something. “He also kept asking about you. I think he’s a fan,” he added, slapping Smoke’s shoulder and smiling at him. “He keeps asking me if you post videos or have a forum dedicated specially for you.”

“And what did you tell him?” asked Smoke.

“Faux? Come on, it’s me,” replied Chrysopelea, shrugging his shoulders. “Of course, I told him that you weren’t interested in any of that and that you prefer to be left alone. I even told him how you don’t have a guild.”

“I see,” replied Smoke. “Thanks, Chrys.”

“Sure, no problem,” replied Chrysopelea. “Tritank seems okay, but there’s just something about him that rubs me the wrong way, you know?”

“I know!” exclaimed Smoke. “Believe me, I know!”

Then, Eleve stood in between the two of them.

“Ouragan, why don’t you take Duke Chrysopelea and tell him about the other tasks that are expected of him,” said Eleve in a commanding tone. “Now, that he has become a Duke and a Prime Wizard at the same time.”

“Certainly, I’ll do that right away, Magietrois Florissant,” replied Ouragan. “Duke Chrysopelea, please follow me.”

“But I thought you already told me about that stuff?” asked Chrysopelea, following after Ouragan.

Before Smoke could do anything else, he was pulled into a corridor. Then, Eleve waved her elderly hands and teleported the two of them into the tallest tower of the capital – the Magietrois Tower. Only a fiery afterimage of themselves was left.

Smoke felt the now familiar tingling sensation of being teleported through the flames.

When he regained his vision, Smoke saw a massive library of books, rows of tables filled with magical items he had never seen, and floating flames which illuminated the room. Smoke removed his Paradox Mask and seconds later he caught a whiff of strong sulfur, like that of rotten eggs but it soon passed him by.

“Wow, this is my first time here,” said Smoke as he observed the massive chamber.

He then walked to one of the tower windows to look at the city below.

“I’ve never taken you here before because of—” began Eleve but her voice was abruptly cut off. She massaged her neck as she cleared her throat. “Anyway, I just wanted to congratulate you on becoming an Emissary to the MaduHai Orks.”

“Oh, that!” said Smoke. “I just got lucky with that one. It was all thanks to this little fellow right here,” he explained and reached into his pocket to pull out Daga.

“Oh, my! How cute!” exclaimed Eleve, tickling Daga under her mouth.

“Hey, stop that!” squeaked Daga. “That feels weird!”

“Oh! It talks as well?” said Eleve, surprised. “But she’s a bit feisty, isn’t she?”

“Yup! I think so too,” agreed Smoke. “Anyway, is that really why you suddenly whisked me away?”

“What? Can’t a teacher want some alone time with her student?” asked Eleve, pretending to be hurt.

“Normal teachers can,” replied Smoke. “You… not so much.”

“Hmmp!” exclaimed Eleve. “Fine! You can just leave then. I really only wanted to see how you were doing.”

Smoke’s eyebrows instantly raised. ‘What game is she playing?’ he wondered. While thinking what Eleve’s angle was, he spotted a large gathering of Sonstwelters on the ground below. He used his Telefax Vision to get a better view and found that they were near a circular-structure made out of marble with Corinthian columns around it. “Um. What is that?” he asked, pointing at the building near the city square.

“Oh, that’s supposed to be some sort of oracle. But no one knows what to do with it,” replied Eleve. “It popped up a couple of days ago. I’ve never seen one before. Haven’t even read them in any of my Master’s books.”

‘That must be the update everyone’s been talking about,’ he surmised.

“Sure would be nice if I could get a look and examine it,” Smoke thought out loud.

“You want to?” asked Eleve. “I’ll tell the guards to close down the oracle for you. Is an hour enough?”

“That would be plenty!” exclaimed Smoke, excited.

“Alright, give me a couple of minutes,” said Eleve. “I’ll teleport you to the oracle once it’s done.”

Without another word, Eleve left a fiery afterimage of herself as she teleported out of the Magietrois tower.

‘Something is definitely up with her,’ thought Smoke.

Left alone, Smoke wandered around the intriguing Magietrois tower. Facing the thousands of books lined up on the shelves, he could not help himself but let out a Cheshire cat smile. He ran his hands through the myriad of books on the shelves as he scanned through the titles.

‘A Kiss to Melt a Frozen Heart’,’Warlords of Sawtorn’,’The Scattered Sisters’,’Mounted War Strategies of the Meridianus’, ‘Listen and Wait – Tricks of a Shaman’, were some of the titles he had not read before.

A slight frown covered his face as the shelves did not contain any ability tomes, but it soon faded as he realized that he was in an all you can read buffet. He chose the ‘Mounted War Strategies of the Meridianus’ and ‘Warlords of Sawtorn’ books to acquire their knowledge first.

Suddenly, he thought he noticed a small figure walked behind him. Smoke swiftly turned around but found nothing there. Nor did his Cunning of the Dire Fox pick up anyone else in the room with him. “Daga, you sense anyone else in here?” he asked the little gray mouse inside his pocket.

“Nope, it’s just us,” replied Daga. “By the way, can you—”

“Give you something to eat,” said Smoke, finishing the mouse’s sentence for her.

“Eh-hehe, if you don’t mind,” answered Daga.

Smoke grinned and gave her a sizable chunk of cheese.

“But it’s really strange. I could have sworn someone was there,” he said out loud, picking up two new books after he put the ones he finished into their proper places. “Must have been just the lights,” he said, pointing at the floating flames that were following him around.

Smoke resumed devouring the books as the blue progress bar of each one in his hands whizzed by. While doing so, he observed the several magical items on the table. He knew that each one of them was a powerful artifact and could greatly increase his offensive power. Yet, he dared not touch any of them as he feared it would upset his Intimacy with Eleve.

After acquiring the knowledge of a few books, a notification window popped up.

+ Your total ‘Acquired Knowledge‘ has increased your Intelligence by 1.

‘Whoa! These books greatly increase my Acquired Knowledge experience bar,’ observed Smoke, placing back both books onto their respective shelves.

After picking up another set of books, he began to explore the Magietrois tower further. While walking around, Smoke found a writing on the wall. “‘Tis not light that we require but fire. ‘Tis not the gentle shower but fearsome thunder. ‘Tis through the ground that we found each other. Only through firestorms, lightning-strikes, and earthquakes do we know what it is to be alive – FMA.” he read out loud.

“I wonder what FMA stands for?” he asked his Beggar Shade.

“How the heck should I know,” squeaked Daga, nibbling on her cheese.

After reading a few more books, the same window popped up again.

+ Your total ‘Acquired Knowledge‘ has increased your Intelligence by 1.

His Intelligence increased two more times while he simply waited for Eleve to return.

CRACKLE CRACKLE

Smoke turned around at the source of the crackling sound and found a fiery silhouette of Eleve, which steadily began to materialize.

“Hey, you didn’t try any of the items on the table did you?” asked Eleve as soon she completely materialized.

“Of course not!” replied Smoke. “Although, I did read several of your books but don’t worry, I put them back in their proper places.”

“Just the books, that’s all?” asked Eleve, unbelieving. “You didn’t touch anything else?”

“Yup, just the books,” replied Smoke with a straight face.

“Good, because I’ll know,” she said. “Anyway, the Guards have secured the oracle for you.”

“Thanks, I really appreciate this—” replied Smoke but was cut off as Eleve had already teleported him towards the oracle.

With Smoke out of the Magietrois Tower, Eleve then turned around and lowered her head. “Well, Master? What do you think?”

A few of the floating flames merged and formed into a young girl and spoke when she fully materialized. “Hm… he didn’t try to take any of the items. But I wasn’t sure if that was because he was honest, or just plain dumb not to recognize their powers.”

“Master, please! You’re talking about Smoke here! He even became an Emissary to the MaduHai Orks,” reasoned out Eleve.

“Fine! He’s got my approval,” said the young girl.

“So, you’ll meet with him?” asked Eleve, hopeful.

“Huh? What now?” asked the fiery young girl, taken aback. “Oh, what I meant to say is that he almost has my approval. He just needs to survive this next trial.”

* * * * * *

Smoke hurriedly put on his Paradox Mask as soon as he materialized in front of the oracle. Yet, he was surprised to see that the city square was completely deserted.

‘Of course, it is,’ he realized as Eleve had the place secured for him for the next hour. He turned to face the white marble circular structure lined with azure designs. Its Corinthian columns were over three meters in height and one meter in diameter, with an equal space of one meter in between them as well. Walking around the edifice, he found that there were no visible entrances of any kind.

“Hey, you think you can help me figure this one out?” Smoke asked the little gray mouse inside his pocket.

“Sure, I need to burn some of the cheese anyway,” replied Daga. She leaped out and scampered around the oracle. She carefully inspected every single detail of the building, but even after ten minutes, Daga still found nothing. “Sorry, Boss. It doesn’t look good,” she reported, twitching her nose along with her whiskers.

“If you can’t find it physically then I’ll try from another perspective,” said Smoke.

Smoke activated the second ability of his Cunning of the Dire Fox – Extrasensory. A surge of mana shifted from within his entire body. At the cost of 90,000 mana points, his eyes turned golden and become that of a dire fox’s. His view became filled with a spectrum of lights. Yet, what was clear to him was the distinct lines in some of the Corinthian columns. He began to shift the lower columns, which revealed a space behind it. Limited on time, he forcibly pushed himself into the tiny opening he managed to create.

“Aaaiiee!” screamed a wide mouthed Smoke as he fell into a cavernous space. He tried to open his cloak and glide, but not before his back smashed into the ground.

THUD

– You received a fall damage of 10,000 points.

Massaging his back, Smoke ignored the damage window as his eyes darted around the cavernous chamber he fell into. The ceiling was natural, made out of stalactites. Yet, the floor was made of the same marble as the edifice above, only that it was covered in sand.

“Boss, you alright?” squeaked Daga from above the small opening he created. “Don’t know why, but I can’t seem to enter this hole.”

“That’s fine. Just stay there. Don’t worry about me. I don’t sense any monsters down here anyway,” replied Smoke. “I think,” he added in a whisper.

After acclimating to the underground lighting, Smoke found another temple in front of him. This time, it was an octagonal-structure with a dome for a roof and a sand covered stairway towards its wooden doors.

Needing better visibility, Smoke was inspired by the lighting in the Magietrois Tower. He launched four fireballs and manipulated them to hover near him. With the underground cavern illuminated, he found a pathway opposite to the octagonal-structure, but it only led to a dead end as a cave-in blocked its path.

Before heading for the door, he decided to try and move the rocks with his Earth Manipulation but found an irksome notification window instead.

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

‘Fine!’ he thought and headed back towards the door. The floating flames gathered toward him as they illuminated his way on the steps.

Smoke leaned into the wooden door as he pushed with all his might.

CREAK

Sounded the rusted joints of the door.

+ Entered Oracle of Aphend

One of the eight oracles of Aphend. These temples were lost during the great war against the Reptilian race. It has been said that it was because of the power of the oracles that the new age of Zectas has come to be.

While Smoke was still reading the information on the Oracle of Aphend, another notification window popped up without warning.

+ Achievement Unlocked!

*** CONGRATULATIONS SMOKE!!! ***

> You are the first Sonstwelter to enter any of the Oracles of Aphend!
> Your achievement has been broadcasted throughout the world!

+ You’ve gained the title: Chilanes
+ You’ve gained the book: ‘Chilam Balam : Chism – Myths of the old World’
+ You’ve gained one level

+ Title Unlocked!
>> Gained Title: Chilanes [Seer]> You are to be the messenger of the gods and speak directly to their people.notes:
> Title grants you +5 to all stats!
> Title will be removed if someone else acquires more Chilam Balam books than you!

+ Level UP!

You have 10 stat points ready for distribution.
Your HP has increased by 9,100.
Your mana has increased by 9,100.
Fame has increased by 1.

He was overwhelmed by the series of notification windows. A beaming Smoke placed all of the windows side by side as he took his time reading all of them.

Then, an ancient leather-bound tome was floating in front of him. Yet, something felt wrong as soon as he touched the book. It took a few seconds for him to realize what it was that was missing – the blue progress bar when he was acquiring the knowledge of a book.

‘Is this thing broken?’ he wondered.

He gathered the four fiery flames to take a closer look at the Chilam Balam. He tried opening it and found symbols written on the book.

‘Hm? I’ll just put this away for now,’ he thought, placing it inside his inventory window.

Suddenly, a bright light from the center of the room blinded him.

– [Blinded] You see nothing but white light!

“Huh?” asked Smoke, covering his eyes with his hands. Despite this, he could still see a strong glare. “What the hel—”

“Language!” reprimanded a female commanding voice. “You shall watch your mouth while you are in here, Young Man.”

“Who is that?” asked Smoke, squinting but seeing nothing but pure white light.

“I am Aphend, the wisdom of this world and a direct messenger of the gods,” answered the female voice. “Which you will also now be!”

“Eh, say what now?” asked Smoke, confused.

Then, a quest window popped up.

+ Quest: Ways of the Chilanes
Global Quest
Level: S+

By the will of the gods, you are obliged to spread their words!

Reward: The Smoking Mirror of Tezcatlipoca

[Quest Forcibly Accepted]

“As the Chilanes, you are compelled to tell the world of what is coming,” explained Aphend.

“What if I don’t? Do I receive some sort of punishment if I don’t finish this quest?” he asked, making sure of what he got himself into.

“Not receiving the reward shall be punishment enough,” answered Aphend.

‘Smoking Mirror? What does that do?’ he wondered, intrigued. “That sounds great,” he said but still slightly skeptical.

“Now, remember these words well,” began Aphend. Her voice became louder and modulated. “Today, the world has become complacent about its situation. It has forgotten the tribulations of the past. Soon, it will experience the terrors that are written in the forgotten books. When the Sonstwelters reign will begin, so shall be the precursor of the end.”

“Huh? That’s kind of a lot to remember,” said Smoke. “And how am I supposed to tell this to the world? And where do I go once I’ve completed this quest? Do I return here?”

“No! Your heart shall tell you whether you have accomplished your divine task,” answered Aphend. “Once you have done so, the reward shall appear before you.”

“That sounds convenient,” said Smoke, his hands still covering his blinded eyes. “What’s next?” he asked, excited.

“Now, I shall return you to the land above,” replied Aphend. “Remember to spread the words of—”

“Wait, wait, wait a minute,” interjected Smoke. “That’s it? Aren’t you supposed to be an oracle? Aren’t I supposed to give you a problem, and you tell me the solution?” he exclaimed, hoping to find the answer that he had been searching for in the Sawtorn continent.

Aphend did not respond. A few more seconds passed and there was nothing but silence.

“Fine! I shall answer one question,” she replied, albeit sounding annoyed.

“How do I get to Mictlan?” instantly asked Smoke, hopeful.

“Ha-ha! Ha-ha! Ha-ha!” chuckled Aphend. “This is my first time talking to someone who willingly wants to go to that place.”

“Laugh all you want, but just answer my question,” said Smoke with a louder voice.

“I do know the answer but it is not my place to tell it to you,” said Aphend. “Fear not. In time you shall know.”

“Pfft! Some oracle you turned out to be,” said Smoke out loud.

“You question my ability?” shouted Aphend. “Let me show you what kind of oracle I am!”

“Sure, sure,” replied Smoke. “But let me tell you right now, you’ll only impress me if you tell me the way to Mictlan.”

“Stop your idiotic attempts of getting information on the land of the obliterated,” commanded Aphend. “Instead, let me tell you how to get rid of that pain in your heart.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?” asked Smoke, confused.

“You have lost someone from your world, correct?” said Aphend.

“What are you doing?” asked Smoke, peeved. “How do you know that? What is this? Is this some sort of joke?” he asked, looking everywhere but seeing nothing but the same white light.

“I told you, I am the oracle, the wisdom of this world!” answered Aphend. “I can see what is in your heart, into your soul.”

“This is bull!” said Smoke, hurriedly accessing the menu to logout.

– Cannot log out during this event.

An error notification was the only thing he could see aside from the white light.

“Aphe— whatever, can you just send me back already?” asked Smoke, irritated.

“I will, but you have to answer my questions first,” said Aphend. “Tell me, can you do something to bring back this person that you have lost?”

Although pissed at how the game somehow managed to read his mind, he remembered how he had been traveling back and forth from the hospital, police station, and their home but all of to no avail.

“No!” replied Smoke, frustrated.

“Does it benefit you or anyone else, for you to continue acting this way?” asked Aphend.

This time, Smoke remembered how he took out his frustration on his girlfriend. How he neglected his brothers and even himself.

“No!” was his reply again.

“Do you think the person you’re missing would want you to act this way?” asked Aphend in a softer tone.

“No…” replied Smoke, falling to his knees. His eyes turned watery.

“Then why do this?” asked Aphend.

Smoke could not utter a single word in response.

“Change. Instead of holding on to this resentment, remember her. Remember the things she has taught you,” went on Aphend. “There is no standing still because time is always moving forward.”

When he heard this, Smoke felt his insides twinged. It was the same thing that his Mima said to comfort him when his parents died.

“How do you know that—” asked Smoke but was cut off as he was forcibly logged out of the game.

* * * * * *

Covered in sweat, Nash stepped out of his game pod all confused but with a wide smile on his face. ‘What was that?’ he wondered. ‘How could the game know all of that?’

He scrambles for his computer and checks his email. Nothing. There was still no updates on finding their missing Grandmother. Yet, somehow he felt lighter, like a thorn stuck in his heart had been removed.

Clicking on a picture of his Mima on his hard drive, Nash said with conviction. “We will find you, and I’ll always practice the things you’ve taught me.”

After taking a deep breath, he clicked on the Zectas website and searched for any videos or anything related to the oracle. As he scrolled through the website, he found a several of them. Yet, all eight sites of the oracles only contained images of the circular structure from the outside.

Then, it hit him. He realized that he left the oracle in Votl City wide open. He wanted to log back into the game but a newly created forum thread entitled ‘Smoke the Seer’ rose to the top of the page straight away.

DetectiveRonan: Okay, okay, so let me share my hypothesis. I think that Smoke managed to get into one of those oracle buildings when that global notification popped up in front of everyone.

DMX: Wow! Great job, Detective! (I was being sarcastic in case you didn’t deduce that!)

Earat: Woohoo! This is awesome news for my guild. Too bad I just got banned from the game.

Emagine: My two cents, I think a new major patch is coming.

DMX: Did you just say patch? You, Sir, have offended me!

Emagine: Oh, shut up, @DMX! And get back to finding a way for us to get into that Longana Cove!

DMX: You have offended me again! @DMX disappears into a corner searching for clues.

FastInFastOut: But what does this mean? I’m sure that Smoke just got an S+ Quest, I just wish he’d share with us.

Atiman: Isn’t it funny that people get offended by everything right now. Like me, I’m offended that Smoke got a global notification while the Decane Guild has never gotten one of them!

Purrfect: Meowk! For the glory of the Lioumerean Race!

Eyerate: Shut up with that cat talk! I told you to stay in your cat forums!

CatatonicKing: Meoow! You have the right to be offended, as we Lioumereans have the right to offend! All Hail the claw!

DetectiveRonan: @DMX, I know how to get to the Longana Cove but I’m not telling you now!

CatatonicKing: Alright, alright. I’ll tell you what that global notification is all about. The next patch is going to be a flood of events especially catered for the Lioumerean Sonstwelters! Ha!

TriTank: Forget about all that crap! Who cares if Smoke got a global notification? What you should all check out are the Sawtorn continent’s Events! I promise it will blow your mind!

…

Nash smirked. He shook his head when he read Tritank’s name. ‘Guess it really is him,’ he surmised. Then, he remembered that Eleve had locked down the area near the oracle. So, he took a few more minutes and enjoyed the sandwich he had prepared earlier. After wolfing down his meal, he drank a full glass of water and stepped back into his game pod.

‘Got to make a video of the oracle after I close its entrance,’ he reminded himself as he closed the lid.

* * * * * *

When he opened his eyes, Smoke saw his worried Flame Master pacing near the oracle.

“Smoke! You’re back!” she exclaimed and hugged him, relieved. “When I suddenly felt your presence disappear, I thought something powerful got to you. I tried entering the oracle you opened up but I think only a Sonstwelter can enter it.”

“Oh, really?” said Smoke, fascinated. He looked around and found the area near the oracle still deserted. Thankful that Eleve had locked the place down.

“Boss! Boss, you’re back!” exclaimed Daga.

Smoke looked around until he looked up and found the little gray mouse on top of the marble edifice. She leaped and landed on his shoulder.

“Good to see you too, Daga,” said Smoke and placed her inside his chest pocket. “Could you give me a second? I’ll explain everything after this,” he said to Eleve and Daga. He moved with purpose as he resealed the entrance to the oracle. He then turned to his Master. “Actually, this building leads to something bigger below. It’s some kind of ancient temple…” he began, and updated Eleve on what the oracle told him, minus the part where Aphend advised him on his personal problem.

“I see. So, you really are a Seer now?” said Eleve, nodding her head. “No wonder your ‘Gahum’ has changed.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, checking the mana flow of his body. “I don’t feel any different.”

Eleve kept nodding her head and said. “You definitely have. In fact, I think you can almost conjure your own Automaton Knight now.”

“Really?” said Smoke. He quickly opened his Status Window and checked his mana bar. She was right. With the ten stat points left over from the last level up, he could indeed conjure his own self-thinking soldier. “Wow! You’re right,” he said and allocated all of the needed points into Intelligence.

“So, what do you plan to do now?” asked Eleve. “We still have a few days before we face the Ork Horde, but does being a Seer prevent you from fighting against them?”

“Don’t think so. If anything, this should give us an advantage,” replied Smoke. “I’m going back to the MaduHai Village, and I think I’ll train my Automaton Knight there.”

“Sounds like a plan,” replied Eleve. Her wrinkled face relieved and smiling. “Well, better get going then. It’s almost time for the lock down here to end.”

“Why the rush? If I didn’t know any better, it sounds like you’re trying to get rid of me,” chided Smoke.

“Me? Get rid of you? Of course not!” replied Eleve, forced. “I am relieved to know that you’re in one piece, but I have some preparations of my own that I need to do.”

“Oh, sorry,” said Smoke. “I didn’t realize. Alright, I’ll see you in Etonner Valley two days before the Orks’ arrival.”

“You bet,” replied Eleve, smiling. “Now, go already!”

“I’m going, I’m going,” said Smoke and leaped away to glide for the MaduHai Ork Village.

As he flew farther away from Votl City, Smoke looked back and replayed what Aphend told him. In his synergized form with Igniz, he smirked and boosted his speed by using his flames to propel him faster.

After two hours of uneventful flight, Smoke’s Cunning of the Dire Fox sensed a monster near him.

‘That’s odd?’ he thought as he was way up in the sky. He looked around but saw nothing.

Then, the monster drew closer from behind him. Smoke turned around and got a clear view of what it was. Its forked tongued hissed at him. It angrily shook its head, pointing its two horns at Smoke. The surviving gray wyvern had come for him and its eggs!

“Hey? Why did you stop?” asked Daga, sneaking her tiny mouse-head out of Smoke’s chest pocket. “Why is the wyvern here!” she screamed, alarmed.

Before Smoke could reply, the wyvern instantaneously let out a burst of speed and was about to ram him out of the sky.

Luckily, Smoke managed to dodge by a hair’s breadth. He fired a volley of fireballs at the wyvern but his attack barely made any dent on the monster’s life bar.

Concentrating more mana into his flames, Smoke turned the fireballs into sixteen flame-swords and sent them flying towards the wyvern who was blitzing towards him.

However, the wyvern braved the incoming flame-swords and continued straight for Smoke.

His maneuverability on the air was limited. After all, he only had his Hooded Cologus Cloak to rely on for flight.

Knowing that the wyvern will get him this time, Smoke created a full spherical manatl around himself.

SCHILD

The gray wyvern’s spiked tail attacked his manatl barrier from above and sent him plummeting to the ground.

As he fell down, Smoke spotted a pomegranate forest patch and tried to fall towards it. He heard the cracking sounds of branches as he broke through the tree line.

THUD

A deep crater formed where Smoke landed. His manatl dispersed without him absorbing the attack into his staff, but it did protect him from the fall damage. Due to this, his life bar remained practically unharmed.

‘This is good. This is way better than fighting that monster in the air,’ he thought as he psyched himself up.

The wyvern let out gray mist from its nostrils as it slowly began to descend, flapping its wings with menace. Yet, it kept some distance away from Smoke.

‘What the— It must have realized the range of my magma-arches,’ surmised Smoke. He launched more flame-swords at the wyvern with great speed.

Restricted by the pomegranate trees, the monster had little room to dodge. However, the damage on its life bar reflected less than 1%.

With the wyvern looming at him from above, Smoke decided to escape on the ground with his Hyper Jump ability.

Unfortunately, the monster had already released its gray smog before Smoke could get out of its area of effect.

– [ENCUMBERED] Ponderous Mist has increased your weight by ten times.

With him inside the mist, Smoke’s Cunning of the Dire Fox lost track of the wyvern’s location.

Smoke hurriedly equipped his Digger’s Wand, but before he could dig a hole to escape into, the wyvern’s bony tail struck him in the arm. Despite the strong gravity of the mist, he was still knocked back by five meters.

That one attack damaged him for 10% of his life bar. Sprawled on the ground, Smoke pulled out his Beggar Shade from his pocket. “Daga, make a run for it.”

“But what about you and Big Brother Igniz? You’re still in your synergized state,” squeaked Daga. “Besides, I’m also affected by this smog.”

“Fine, looks like we’re in this together,” said Smoke.

Needing cover, he started to create a manatl shield, but was forcibly stopped when his left leg was suddenly crushed by the wyvern’s talons. The monster snuck its leg underneath Smoke’s barrier before it could completely surround him.

“Damn it!” he cursed out loud, thinking that this would mean certain death.

Then, the wyvern let out a blood-curdling scream. “Aaagaaayak!”

‘This is it,’ he thought for sure. Seeing nothing but the mist, the seconds before the wyvern attacked felt like an eternity.

Smoke waited for the sharp bony tails of the draconic monster to come down on him. Five seconds passed. Then, eight. Then, twelve. Still, there were no razor-sharp bones penetrating his body.

“Agayaaaaaak!” screamed the wyvern again.

This time, Smoke discerned that it wasn’t a scream of a monster about to attack, but rather of a monster in pain. He searched around the thick smog and caught a glimpse of the wyvern’s gray scales punctured by throwing spears.

Due to the attack, the wyvern stopped producing more of its Ponderous Mist. For a second, Smoke saw outside the smog and spotted the leader of the spear throwers.

On top of his dirus wolf, Cynar shouted out commands. “Attack! More spears! Beistand, take the Inferno Squad and flank the beast.”

At once, a burly OrkElf, riding his own dirus wolf, led a whole division of their mounted soldiers to the opposite side.

After giving out his instructions, Cynar’s arms went into a blur as he attacked the wyvern with his paralysis darts.

“Ayayay!” cried out the wyvern. The monster flapped its wings as it began to ascend out of the pomegranate forest.

“It has resistance to my darts!” shouted Cynar. “Don’t let it escape!”

In response, the wyvern shifted the focus of its Ponderous Mist towards the OrkElf leader.

Fortunately, Beistand and his division reached the other side of the beast. They began attacking the draconic monster with their spears, causing the wyvern to cease its smog attack.

“Raaaayaahh!” screamed the wyvern, before it flew out of the pomegranate tree lines and disappeared.

After a few seconds, the Ponderous Mist grew thin, until it finally faded.

“Thank god you were here,” said Smoke to Cynar as he propped himself up and walked towards him.

However, before Smoke could stand on his feet, he was surrounded by hundreds of mounted OrkElves. All of their spears were menacingly pointed towards him.

“Hey, what’s going on?” asked Smoke, confused.

Smoke heard a swish in the wind then noticed that a paralysis dart had struck him squarely on the chest.

– [PARALYZED] Paralysis Dart has dulled your movement for the next 5 seconds

Cynar led his mount towards Smoke and said. “Didn’t I tell you that I’d kill you the next time I see you!”

‘Oh, right!’ recalled Smoke, remembering his lowered Intimacy with Cynar after Blaise’s demise.

Chapter Six:

Grave Misunderstanding

Two OrkElves hauled a paralyzed Smoke by the armpits. Both his hands and feet were bounded by chains, dragging his boots against the roots on the forest floor.

Since the wyvern encounter, the Zectas sun had already set. The stars had begun their twinkling dance in between the gaps of the pomegranate treeline.

With little control over his own body, Smoke tried looking around Cynar’s men. With a glance, he found them to be more ragged than before and fewer in numbers.

“Boss, I think I can free you from these chains,” squeaked Daga from inside his chest pocket.

“No…” forcibly answered Smoke, groggy.

“Hey, I think the paralysis is wearing off,” said one of the OrkElves dragging him.

“We better hurry, then,” replied the other.

Thirty seconds passed, Smoke was dropped in front of the OrkElves’ warmonger leader—Cynar.

The young OrkElf Assassin held both his hands in front of the crackling orange bonfire for warmth. Behind Cynar were dozens of his battle-worn men including the burly OrkElf named Beistand, who was now the second-in-command.

“Perhaps justice does exist,” said Cynar, staring at the flames. “Tell me, Faux, does the dirt taste good?” he taunted.

The OrkElves behind Cynar erupted into mocking laughter.

Smoke tried to answer but the paralysis ailment made it difficult for him to do so.

“Give him some white flower,” ordered Cynar to one of the OrkElves.

At once, one of Cynar’s men brought a clear liquid vial in front of Smoke and ran it across his nose.

“Whoa! What is that?” exclaimed Smoke after taking a whiff of the potion.

“Shut up!” interjected Cynar. “Everyone, leave us!” he commanded.

At once, Cynar’s soldiers dispersed. Only Smoke and the OrkElf leader were left in front of the warm campfire.

“Tell me, do you still have Blaise’s Salamander Tongue?” asked Cynar, his eyes glaring at the flames.

“Of course,” answered Smoke, trying to sit up. Yet, being bounded by chains proved quite to be a challenge. “Been taking great care of it,” he added as he continued with his struggle to be upright. ‘Although its durability is almost near the danger zone,’ he thought but kept that fact for himself.

“Good, good,” said Cynar, turning away from the bonfire to face Smoke. “So, here’s my proposal. If you’ll give me back the flamberge, I’ll give you a quick death instead of torture.”

“What! Why so violent?” asked Smoke as he finally managed to sit up. “Besides, you shouldn’t take it. He left the sword to me.”

Cynar clicked his tongue. “No, no, no. Blaise and I took on a dangerous quest to get that sword,” he explained. “I almost lost a leg, but Blaise got a large scar on his back from the Salamander King instead.” He let out a regretful sigh. “That sword would be a waste on you.”

“But what good is it to you?” asked Smoke. “It’s not like you can use it.”

“Shut up!” screamed Cynar. “You don’t know anything!”

“Wait. Why are you angry with me anyway?” asked Smoke. “You still can’t be mad at me for saving your life? You know you were going for a suicide charge that day.”

Cynar’s hands began to tremble. He stared at his fingers as if forcing them to stop but failed. Even when he clenched his fists they were still shaking.

“Blaise sacrificed his life to save you,” added Smoke. “And you were just about to throw it all away.”

“See! That’s where your wrong,” replied Cynar, suddenly running to where Smoke was and punching him straight in the face.

The bounded Smoke was easily knocked back down.

“You were the one who squandered Blaise’s life,” said Cynar. “I could have killed Wertlosvati then if you didn’t stand in my way.”

Cynar threw a flurry of punches at Smoke’s face, each one dealing 1,000 damage points on Smoke’s life bar.

“You were the one who did it! Not me!” went on Cynar, as he punched Smoke some more. “It was never me! I didn’t kill him. You did!”

Cynar only stopped when Smoke’s life bar reached 50%. This was the first time Smoke’s face got this mangled.

With his swollen lips, Smoke tried to speak. “He gave me that sword to protect you—” but was cut short as Cynar’s fists met his face once more.

“I supposed you’re going to lecture me about how I recklessly killed not only half my entire army but my best friend as well?” yelled Cynar in between his punches. “You’re the one who killed him. Faux! You’re the one who did it. If only you were faster, you could have blocked Wertlosvati’s second ax… and Blaise wouldn’t have jumped to save—”

Cynar’s voice vanished. He stopped punching Smoke and knelt on the ground. He screamed at the stars above. “Are you judging me too?” He stopped yelling as tears flowed out. “I’m sorry,” he said in a whisper. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, dropping his forehead to the scattered roots of the pomegranate forest.

“Faux, take care of Cynar for me,” spewed out Smoke, along with some of his blood. “That’s what Blaise said when he gave me the Salamander’s Tongue.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Cynar. “Blaise never said that.”

“He did,” said Smoke. “And he told you not to follow him in Mictlan just yet.”

“He really said that?” asked Cynar, unbelieving. “He wasn’t shouting about how I killed him? How I wasted everything we worked for?”

Smoke shook his beaten-up face. “No. He even told you to lead your men—”

“To glory,” interjected Cynar. “So that our names will become legends as the ones who changed the fate of the OrkElves.”

“Blaise never blamed you,” repeated Smoke.

Despite his injuries, Smoke propped himself back up. “A wise woman told me; there is no standing still because time is always moving forward. Let go of this guilt, it will only consume you.”

“When did you become so philosophical?” asked Cynar, wiping the tears from his face.

Then, a gratifying notification window popped up.

+ Intimacy with Cynar has risen to 55

“What you said might be true,” went on Cynar. “But I still want the Salamander’s Tongue back.”

“Seriously? You can’t even use it,” said Smoke, grinning with his puffy face, which made Cynar winced.

“Same thing goes for you,” countered Cynar. “You’re an Elementalist, right? Last I checked you can’t use a flamberge as well.”

“Right, right, right…” replied Smoke.

“Hey, sorry about—” began Cynar but Smoke beat him to it.

“What? This face? Don’t worry about it,” said Smoke. “I’ll be back to normal in no time.”

Cynar gave him a forced smile. “I sure hope so.”

“But about the sword,” said Smoke. “I’m going to give it to a close friend of mine. He goes by the name of Ilad. He’s a—”

“Ilad? You mean the one who rescued Nadaya Village from the Aswang?” said Cynar, intrigued.

“Yeah? But how do you know about that?” asked Smoke.

“Don’t know why I should tell you this,” began Cynar but conveyed his encounter anyway. “I met a young lady on the road. She was alone, heading for Tacitl City. She was sent by her eldest sister to find help. Supposedly, they thought some Orks have decided to taunt their village, picking off a child at a time—”

“So, you helped her get back to her village,” interjected the sprawled Smoke. “That was really kind of you, Cynar,” he added, remembering how the OrkElf took great care of Jack and Daniel.

“Kind? Um… Wasn’t trying to be,” retorted Cynar. “I was there for the Orks! I’ve lost track of them when they passed through Herrenlos Forest.”

“Oh,” replied Smoke. His earlier attempts at talking proved to be futile. So, he kept his answers short as to minimize the risk of lowering his Intimacy with Cynar any further.

“But when we got there, I was surprised to find the village intact, unharmed,” went on Cynar. “And it was all thanks to this Ilad person.”

“I see,” replied Smoke, wondering whether he should tell Cynar that he was, in fact, Ilad and that he was in truth a Beggar. However, he cleared the thought from his mind as Ouragan reminded him to keep their secret society, well a secret.

“So, you really know Ilad, huh?” asked Cynar.

“Sure do,” answered Smoke as he nodded.

“Alright. New deal,” said Cynar. “I’ll leave you unharmed if you and Ilad join me in my hunt for Wertlosvati.”

“I have a counter-proposal,” said Smoke.

“Leave it to you, Faux. Having the gall to do something like that,” said Cynar, shaking his head. “Fine, let’s hear it.”

“Instead of me joining you, how about you join up with me against the united Ork Tribes?” said Smoke.

“No, no, no,” said Cynar. “I don’t want you calling the shots.”

“Alright, but then you won’t be able to take part in the joint assault of the two kingdoms,” said Smoke, hoping it would spark the OrkElf’s curiosity.

“What are you talking about?” asked Cynar.

Smoke began to explain the situation to him. About how they plan to annihilate the Orks in Etonner Valley.

“…Of course, I promise that I won’t get in the way with you killing Wertlosvati,” added Smoke. “So, what do you say? Shake on it?” he raised his chain-bound hands at Cynar.

“I have two conditions,” began Cynar. “Whenever you’re in this world, I need you to stay near me. If you run away, I’ll consider that as a sign of betrayal,” he paused and studied Smoke’s eyes. “Most importantly, you assure me that I will personally kill Wertlosvati. As long as you won’t get in my way then you have yourself a deal.”

“Deal!” replied Smoke with a grin.

Without another word, Cynar removed Smoke’s chains. Then, a notification window popped up.

+ Intimacy with Cynar has risen to 60

“Thanks,” replied Smoke, smiling.

“Stop doing that,” said Cynar, turning away from Smoke’s bloated face.

“Remember our deal, Faux,” warned Cynar with all seriousness. “If you stop me from killing an Ork again, I’ll end you.”

“I would never,” replied Smoke.

“Right, let’s head for Etonner Valley,” said Cynar, helping Smoke up.

“Um… Do you mind if we take a quick detour first,” said Smoke.

“If it’s along the way, then sure,” answered Cynar.

“It is,” replied Smoke, dusting off his armor.

“So, where are we headed?” asked Cynar

“To the MaduHai Ork Village,” replied Smoke.

* * * * * *

Disguised in his Faux persona, Smoke traveled together with Cynar and the rest of his OrkElf army. Despite Cynar’s explanation as to why they were now working with Smoke, he still kept receiving angry stares and rude comments from Cynar’s men.

After riding their dirus wolves for a day, they arrived at the MaduHai Ork Outpost. During the trip, Smoke did his best to raise his Intimacy with Cynar and the rest of the OrkElves. For the most part of the journey it had a positive effect, but then he would sometimes bring up a sensitive topic and lower it again. Smoke was having difficulty raising it over 70, not to mention the heavy downpour of rain that accompanied them along the way, dampening everyone’s mood.

+ Entered MaduHai Outpost

Remnants of a wyvern’s nest are left in this former Ork Outpost. The MaduHai Tribe have not made any attempts at reclaiming this place for the moment.

Smoke led his dirus wolf into one of the abandoned huts. He motioned for Cynar to join him and step out of the rain.

Cynar laughed as soon as he entered the hut. “You sure got me,” he said, shaking off the water from his armor. “For a second there, I really thought you were going to take me to an Ork Village. But it’s just an abandoned outpost instead,” he added with more laughter.

“We are,” replied Smoke with all seriousness. “But you’re welcome to wait for me here.” He peered outside and the rain was showing no signs of letting up. “In these conditions, the swamp is most likely flooded.”

“Have you forgotten our deal? I’m going with you!” declared Cynar. “I’ll have Beistand and the men make camp here. These huts are still livable.”

“Alright, if you insist,” said Smoke. “I’ll start preparing, you better do the same and tell your men about it.”

Smoke grinned. Although Cynar was still grumbling, he was pleased that his life was no longer in danger.

While waiting for Cynar to return, Smoke took out Daga from his chest pocket. “Listen, you stay here and keep an eye on them. I trust Cynar but I want to know what his men think of me.”

Daga nodded her tiny furry head. “You got it, Boss. But I can tell you right now if you want… they hate you!”

“What the—” said Smoke, surprised by Daga’s reply. He exhaled and turned his back on the mouse, expecting her to run out the door.

“Um. Boss, I think you might have forgotten something,” said Daga.

“What? I think I’ve got everything,” said Smoke, double-checking his equipment.

“Ahem, ahem! I meant my nibbles,” squeaked Daga.

“Oh, right!” replied Smoke, putting down a small bag of chopped up jerky. “But that’s all you’re getting for now.”

“Fine, fine,” replied Daga, merrily nibbling on her snacks.

After the rain let up. Smoke and Cynar traveled into the swamp. Due to the heavy downpour, the swamp was now flooded. Fortunately for Smoke, the shoddy raft he built was still in the same spot he left it. The downside, however, was that it was not made to accommodate two people.

“Look at this crappy craftsmanship,” said Cynar as he squeezed onto the raft. “Bet you got this from those Orks, didn’t you?”

“Um. Something like that,” replied Smoke in a lowered tone.

A slighted Smoke rowed his raft towards the reclaimed island of the MaduHai Orks. With the aid of his Cunning of the Dire Fox ability, he avoided most of the monsters lurking from within the murky waters. After defeating four alligators along the way, the two men on board the undependable raft spotted the Ork village.

“Hey!” exclaimed Cynar when he caught glimpse of it. “They maybe bad boat builders but that dam is something else.”

Smoke grinned. “Really? You think so?” he said, proud. He marveled at his own water system while nodding his head, still grinning. The water-wheel and inclined dam gave a great aesthetic boost to the otherwise dreary village.

After docking the raft on the muddy shore, Smoke told Cynar to stay behind and goes to talk to the Ork Guards.

“Can’t believe that there are supposed to be good Orks,” said Cynar with his paralysis darts in hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll jump right in if I sense anything wrong.”

“Relax, they really are peaceful Orks,” said Smoke. “Trust me. I’m sure you’ll change your mind once you talk to their leader.”

“Don’t bet on it,” retorted Cynar.

After leaving Cynar near the raft, Smoke casually approached the wooden village gates. He did not mind the rushing Ork Guards towards him as he examined the canal that he built.

Suddenly, four Ork Guards pointed their sharp wooden spears at Smoke.

“Kinsamir kanir? Nagunirasir kari dirir?” asked the Guard, whom Smoke knew to be called Debile. This roughly translated to who are you and what are you doing here.

“Debile, what’s going?” asked Smoke with his improved Orkish, raising his hands in surrender. “Is something wrong?”

“Great! Another outsider who speaks our tongue,” grumbled the Guard named Raleur. “Is someone out there giving out Orkish lessons for free—” he added but stopped mid sentence. “Wait! Why do you know Debile’s name?”

“Raleur, what are you talking about?” asked Smoke. “It’s me!” he said, pointing to himself.

“Do you know this weirdo?” Debile asked Raleur, to which, Raleur shrugged.

With the Ork Guards not lowering their spears, Cynar stepped into action. He blitzed behind Smoke and pointed his paralysis darts at the Orks.

“Faux, what’s going on here?” Cynar asked Smoke. “Are they really Orks? They’re no bigger than your usual OrkElf.”

When Smoke heard Cynar call him Faux, it hit him! ‘The MaduHai Orks know me as Ilad!’ he realized and smacked his palm across his Paradox Mask. He completely forgot that he was disguised as his Elementalist persona.

Before Smoke could think up of a solution, Debile blew his whistle. In a matter of seconds, Smoke and Cynar were surrounded by more than thirty Orks.

“Relaksir!” exclaimed Smoke in Orkish. “Everyone, just keep calm!”

“Keep Calm? Tell that to the guy with the darts pointed at us,” said Raleur.

“Debile, can you please call Meneur,” begged Smoke.

“He even knows the High Priestess,” chimed Raleur. “Why does he know so many of us?”

“Please, just call her and tell her Ilad sent me,” quickly added Smoke.

“Wait, you know Ilad?” asked Debile, lowering his spear.

“Stop,” called out Raleur. “It could be a trick.”

Smoke quickly rummaged for the Ork Emissary Emblem and raised it high for everyone to see. “Ilad sent me to update Meneur on the special mission she gave him!”

“Really?” said Debile, doubtful. “Alright, somebody call for the High Priestess,” he ordered. “But no one lower their weapons,” he added, still pointing his spear at Smoke and Cynar.

“Just give me a reason!” hissed Cynar in perfect Orkish. “Kayatavar Orks!”

“Just who the hell is teaching these people our sacred tongue!” screamed Raleur. “They’re even teaching them to curse in our words too.”

“What kind of Orks are they?” Cynar asked Smoke. “They’re only as tall as me. I’m sure you and I can take on all of them.”

All of a sudden, a thick fog surrounded them. Goosebumps erupted on Smoke’s arms as the icy mist covered them.

“Evutangir invong magir armasir,” ordered Meneur. She popped up in the middle of the mist, dispersing it.

SNAP SNAP SNAP

The sound of spears being held at bay echoed throughout the muddy shores of the reclaimed island. Even Cynar, who was ready to attack with his paralysis darts, involuntarily lowered his weapons.

“Ah! You must be the OrkElf that I’ve heard some much about,” Meneur said to Cynar in Lacerta—the common tongue.

“Wait a minute,” blurted out Smoke. “You can see him?”

“Of course not, you dummy!” replied Meneur, facing him with her white glossy eyes.

“Then, how can you—” began Smoke but dropped the whole thing altogether as there were more pressing matters at hand. “It’s great to see you again. But do you think you can do something with this crowd?”

Meneur turned her head and spoke to her fellow MaduHai Orks. “Everyone, it’s alright,” she said in Orkish. “He is Ilad’s friend. Sorry for the confusion, it seems I’ve forgotten to inform Debile of their arrival.”

“Ilad’s friends, huh?” questioned Raleur. “That’s fine, but none of them can enter the village. Only Ilad gained the right to do so,” He strongly reminded them. “If they have business with the High Priestess, they should do it here—outside.”

“Hey! You can’t talk to High Priestess Meneur like that,” argued Debile.

“It’s fine,” interjected Meneur, pacifying Debile with a wave of her hand. “He has a point.” She then turned to face Raleur. “Don’t worry, they’ll only be staying on the shore.” She then patted the grumbling guard’s shoulder, calming him as well. “Now, why don’t everyone else get back inside the village while I talk with our guests?”

Groggy, the Ork Guards dragged their spears on the muddy shores and returned as Meneur commanded.

“Well, now that that’s settled, what can I do for you Smok— I mean Faux? Was it?” said Meneur to Smoke.

Before Smoke could answer, Cynar rushed Meneur and pointed his paralysis dart at her. “What did you do to me? You bewitched me! I was just about to attack them but suddenly lost my will to fight.”

A composed Meneur waved her hand in front of Cynar. “Calm down.”

“Tell me what you did to me!” screamed Cynar.

“Strange?” said Meneur. “That usually works.”

“Huh?” asked Smoke as he stepped in between the two of them, grabbing hold of Cynar’s hand and lowering it. “What are you talking about?”

“I sent a mist of tranquility to your friend,” explained Meneur. “It should have removed all his blood lust but it doesn’t seem to be working.”

“So that’s what you did!” said Cynar, pushing Smoke to the side and pointing his dart at her once more. “What did I tell you, Faux? You can never trust these Orks. Bet she used some sort of hypnosis spell on you too!”

“No, she didn’t,” said Smoke, lowering Cynar’s weapon again. ‘Otherwise, I would have seen a notification window,’ he reassured himself.

“Well, whatever it is, she’s still doing something nasty,” said Cynar, pointing his dart at her as he spoke.

“Faux is right,” chimed in Meneur, extending her hand to Cynar. “I mean you no harm.”

The tall and slender OrkElf quickly backed away from the old and blind High Priestess.

Cynar never dropped his darts from his throwing position. “Stay away! You’re gonna do something weird again!”

“Relax, Kid,” said Meneur. “I only want to talk.”

“Pfft! Talk with an Ork, that’s rich!” said Cynar. “All you people know is how to pillage and rape.”

“You think all Orks are like that?” asked Meneur. “What about your kind? I heard some of you steal and even kidnap children?”

“Hey! It’s not like we’re hurting anyone,” countered Cynar. “Besides, we only take those entitled snot-nosed brats.”

“And that justifies your actions?” asked Meneur. “How is that any different from what the UrukHai and OlegHai tribes are doing?”

“Hey! For your information, I treated those kids nicely,” argued Cynar. “Besides, it’s still a far cry from raping and killing.”

“What a hypocrite!” said Meneur. “It’s wrong if the Orks do it, but it’s fine when you’re the one doing the oppression?”

“Stop it, both of you,” interjected Smoke. “I didn’t come here for this.”

“Me neither,” blurted out Cynar. “You can forget our deal, Faux. Sorry, but I don’t have the stomach to trust her. After seeing them, I’m doubtful your plan would have succeeded anyway.”

“What plan?” Meneur asked Smoke.

“Could you just wait,” Smoke said to Cynar. “Just let me talk to her, then we can leave.”

“Fine!” replied Cynar and headed over to the shoddy stitched-up raft.

With Cynar and Meneur broken apart, Smoke summarized the strategy of the joint kingdoms. He told her about their general idea on how to eliminate the United Ork Tribes in Etonner Valley.

As she listened, Meneur kept on shaking her head. “Hm… hm… Nope, that won’t work at all,” she concluded after hearing Smoke’s update. “Snide and Dastard will spot your trap from a mile away.”

“You mean the two OlegHai Generals?” asked Smoke. “You think they’ll really discover this?”

“You don’t know them, do you?” asked Meneur. “General Snide is said to be a calculating genius. They say that he mastered all the war strategies of the Meridianus.”

“I heard that he grew his army himself,” added Cynar. “He personally led his Orks from the front lines and made sure that his men gained experience from each encounter.”

“Sounds like a typical Ork Commander to me,” said Smoke.

“But what’s intriguing is how Snide never took any risks with his men,” explained Cynar. “He always went for the most minimal losses.”

“You’re quite a knowledgeable young OrkElf, aren’t you,” said Meneur, grinning. “Not only did Snide’s men increase their levels, but he also gained the trust of the other scattered OlegHai Orks to join his ranks.”

Smoke faced the young OrkElf leader, afraid that he would overreact for being interrupted by the old Ork High Priestess. However, Cynar remained stoic and listened to Meneur.

“With their swelling numbers, Snide and his men began attacking larger towns,” added Meneur. “Even the mighty town guards of the Thanotl Kingdom could do nothing against Snide’s formations!”

“Bet they were taken by surprise,” said Cynar. “Was their own fault for underestimating them.”

Meneur slowly walked closer towards Cynar. She took tiny steps and did it in the most discreet manner. “That’s partially true,” she added. “But it was also because of Snide’s mastery of the strategies of the Meridianus. That was what paved the way to his bloody road.” She let out a deep sigh. “Countless of towns and villages were laid to waste. His army got more powerful after each invasion. Due to his continuous victories, the Orks have given him the moniker—Valay Fildir.”

“The Undefeated,” said Smoke, translating Meneur’s Orkish.

“But not for long,” said Cynar out loud. He threw one of his paralysis darts on a medium-sized white oak branch and broke it off from the tree.

‘Whoa! When did he get that strong?’ wondered Smoke. “And what about General Dastard?” he asked Meneur.

“Yeah? Who is that?” asked Cynar as well. “Never heard that name before,” he said to Meneur, who was now standing practically next to him.

“A cruel, sadistic man, and he’s probably the sneakiest bastard you’ll ever meet,” she answered while shaking her head. “He’s a lot older than Snide, but only really gained his momentum after he abused the innocent heart of a naive female.”

“Eh? Say, what now?” asked Cynar, taken aback. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I know! Who would have guessed that anyone would fall in love with a wrinkled old Ork?” explained Meneur. “Anyway, the short version is that Dastard gained new insight on battle tactics while the girl’s perception of the world turned forever dark…”

“That’s it?” asked Smoke, disappointed. “That’s what made Dastard into one of the OlegHais’ Generals?”

“Um… Well, there’s more to the story, but just take my word for it, okay?” Meneur said to Smoke.

“Yeah, he doesn’t seem all that threatening to me,” said Cynar.

Meneur let out a sarcastic chuckle, followed by a deep sigh. “Oh, the two of you will know once you’ve faced him.”

“But getting back on the plan, do you seriously think it won’t work?” Smoke asked Meneur.

“As it is now, it won’t,” replied Meneur.

“Bet you’ll know how to fix it, huh?” Cynar said to Meneur but lost his footing, surprised to see her so close to him. “Get back, Witch!” he screamed, threatening her with his paralysis darts.

However, Meneur did not. Instead, she grabbed his hand and helped him up. As she did so, clean water sprang out from the mud and washed the dirt off the OrkElf’s clothes.

“Hey, hey! Don’t want none of that mambo-jumbo,” said Cynar.

“What is better, to be born good? Or to renounce your evil nature on a daily struggle?” she asked him while still holding his hand.

“What?” replied Cynar. “Fight evil, of course!”

Meneur smiled. “Then, why do you hate us?” she asked him softly. “Because our skin is green, does that give you the right to judge us?”

Smoke saw Cynar’s mouth twitch as the OrkElf stared on the muddy shore.

“You of all people should know how it feels to be discriminated because of what you look like,” said Meneur.

“Hate has been the only thing in my heart whenever I see an Ork,” replied Cynar. “In my head, I know that I can trust you. Sadly, it’s my heart that tells me otherwise.”

“Perhaps this will help?” said Meneur. She placed her hand on Cynar’s chest and mist covered the both of them. Sparks of light erupted every now and then.

“Hey! You’re not killing each other in there, are you?” asked a concerned Smoke.

Seconds passed and the mist vanished.

“There, how’s that?” asked Meneur, patting his chest.

Cynar looked at Meneur then at Smoke. “Sorry, but nothing’s changed. I still hate my father.”

“Really?” she asked, surprised. “But that was my strongest cleansing spell.”

“Don’t worry, though,” blurted out Cynar. “Me and my men will stick around and fight alongside Faux.” He returned her smile. “So, what’s this new plan?”

“Just a simple revision really,” began Meneur. “I’ll have twenty MaduHai Orks join you in Etonner Valley.”

“That’s it?” asked Smoke.

“Yes,” replied Meneur. “Now, give me about an hour while I go prepare some stuff.”

“Oh, you don’t have to bother giving me anything,” said Smoke. “The armies from the two kingdoms will have plenty of provisions.”

“Silly, silly, Smo—Faux! I’m packing my things,” explained Meneur, chuckling. “I’m going to be one of the Orks who’ll be joining you.”

“Wait, before you go do that I’d like to talk about the Quest you sent me on earlier,” Smoke said to Meneur.

“Oh, right!” replied Meneur.

Then, a notification window popped up.

+ Completed Quest: MaduHai P.R.O.

You have successfully allied the MaduHai Orks with the Kingdoms of Vitzytl and Thanotl

Rewards:

* Sacred Clay Staff

* 1,500,000 XP

Smoke stared at the earthy looking staff which suddenly appeared in his hand. It was as long as his current manatl staff but had an empty receptacle on its head.

“That should prove more useful than the one you’re using now,” said Meneur and proceeded to prepare for their journey towards Etonner Valley.

Left alone, Smoke inspected his staff at once.

Sacred Clay (Staff)

A simple earthen staff emitting a peculiar aura. The empty receptacle on top of the staff only adds to the mystery.

Durability: (5,000/5,000)

+ 10 Intelligence

Requirements:

– Can only be used by Mage variations

– Level 120

– Strength: 100

– Agility: 100

– Intelligence: 400

Equipment Ability:

*Earth Rod (Passive)

> Increases Lightning Resistance by 20%

> Increases Earth Affinity by 20%

‘Plus ten to Intelligence!’ exclaimed Smoke in his mind. This would give him his much-needed boost to finally use his Conjure Automaton Knight ability.

“Um. Cynar, I need to—” began Smoke, as he was thinking up of an excuse to get away from his renewed OrkElf friend. He couldn’t go into the village because he was not disguised as Ilad. However, his excitement would not be contained. He wanted to see the shape of his own Automaton Knight. “Check on the village dam. Um… Ilad asked me to check it out for him.”

Cynar shrugged his shoulders. “Fine. I’ll just wait right here.”

Without waiting for Cynar’s response, Smoke leaped up and glided towards the dam.

* * * * * *

On top of the dam, Smoke peeked over his shoulder and made sure that he was out of Cynar’s view. First, he equipped the sacred clay staff. With his maximum mana now reaching beyond 500,000 MP, he then activated his long coveted ability.

“Come out, Automaton Knight!” yelled out Smoke with his hands stretched out.

A multi-colored conjuring circle appeared in front of him, followed by a flash of white light. When the light vanished, a faceless gray training dummy materialized before him, bare. A circular cavity etched into its chest. It stood as the same height as him and followed his gaze as Smoke circled the Automaton Knight, inspecting it.

“You don’t look like an Automaton Knight at all,” said a frowning Smoke.

Then, the Automaton Knight’s Character window popped up.

Name: Automaton Knight | Level: 001 | Job: Knight

————————————————–

Life: 20,000 HP Mana: 0 MP

Morale: (50/100) EXP: (0/1000)

————————————————–

Element: <NONE>

Head: <NONE>

Neck: <NONE>

Torso: <NONE>

L-Hand: <NONE> R-Hand: <NONE>

L-Arm: <NONE> R-Arm: <NONE>

L-Leg: <NONE> R-Leg: <NONE>

L-Foot: <NONE> R-Foot: <NONE>

‘Now this looks promising!’ thought Smoke, all enthusiastic. He hurriedly equipped his Automaton Knight with some of the leftover items he had. He gave it a long sword, a skullcap, a chain-mail, and a round shield, dropped items from the skeleton warriors guarding the Labyrinth’s exit.

Sadly, he was greeted by an error notification.

– Level Requirement not met

His old modified pants given to him by James Jackal had no level requirement but needed 330 Dexterity.

“Looks like you’ll have to do with a starter pack,” said Smoke to the faceless Automaton.

He gave it his old novice armor, a beginner’s knife, and the specialized gas mask Howard Hide made for him long ago. When he was done, it looked far from decent but was still a definite improvement from a bare Automaton Knight.

“Good. Now, why don’t we see what you’re capable of,” he said to the Automaton Knight. “Attack me!”

In a mechanical fashion, the Automaton Knight sluggishly moved towards Smoke. It raised its Beginner’s knife and swung it over Smoke’s head.

As a reflex, Smoke put up a manatl shield. However, the barrier he created was far stronger than he had planned. It stretched out in front, knocking his Automaton Knight backward into the canal.

PLOP

He heard a loud splash as the Automaton Knight fell into the moving canal waters. A worried Smoke was about to go jump in after his items. They may have been spares but they were still valuable to him. Thankfully, he spotted a minimized blinking window on the corner.

– Automaton Knight has been greatly damaged:

Do you wish to recall? [YES/NO]

Clicking the option, the Automaton Knight was teleported from the canal and appeared in front of him. It was still fully equipped with the items Smoke gave it. Yet, before Smoke could do anything else, it vanished into thin air, along with his items.

+ Automaton Knight gained 10 XP

With his Knight and items gone, Smoke immediately tried summoning it back again. He stretched out his arms and activated his ability.

– Not enough MP to use Conjure Automaton Knight

‘Right! Forgot about the 500,000 MP,’ realized Smoke. He checked his status window and saw that he needed twenty more minutes before his mana reached its maximum capacity.

Smoke huffed but smiled soon after. It might not be what he had envisioned, but grinding for a more powerful Knight was something to look forward to as well.

* * * * * *

A grinning Nash stepped out of his game pod. Despite the air conditioning inside the virtual gateway, his palms were still covered in sweat.

‘Today’s the day,’ he thought, excited. It was the cut-off day for the tally of views.

Receiving the quest ‘Ways of the Chilanes’, Nash was inspired to make a video of his time inside the Oracle of Aphend. Of course, he did not reveal the secret of opening it. He did, however, convey the oracle’s message.

“Now, remember these words well. Today, the world has become complacent about its situation. It has forgotten the tribulations of the past. Soon, it will experience the terrors that are written in the forgotten books. When the Sonstwelters reign will begin, so shall be the precursor of the end.”

Scrolling down, Nash saw that it had reached 7,500,000 views, enough for him to receive a $10,000 check. Yet, he was expecting it to be more.

A disappointed Nash scrolled down to read some of the comments on his latest video post.

Earat: Anyone here knows what this means?

DetectiveRonan: Probably some kind of Event-Quest requirement. Particularly about the part where the Sonstwelters reign will begin.

Missgaming: IMO, and I know not many will share this, it could have been a better video. Smoke’s cryptic puzzle isn’t for everyone. Sometimes people want a detailed walk-through!

Buffet101: What city did Smoke do this?

DetectiveRonan: He’s supposed to be in the Chayotl Kingdom, so he probably did it in Centeo City.

CaptNemo: No way that’s right. My guild has never lost sight of the oracle in Centeo City, and not once did we see Smoke go near it.

SmoKing: That’s just how good Smoke is!

TriTank: Everyone, just drop this. This just means that Smoke got lucky! On the other hand, you people should check out Faux and Chrysopelea. They’re also rising stars along with me! Stay tuned for the war against the Ork Horde.

BZZT BZZT BZZT

Nash looked down and found a message from Sherry on his phone. As he was typing in his reply he stopped and decided to call her instead.

“Hey! Have you seen the video?” asked Nash.

“It was nice—” replied Sherry, nonchalant. “But I’ll have to watch the unedited version. Didn’t really get anything from the one you posted.”

“Was it that bad?” said Nash. “No wonder the views were that low.”

“Maybe, you should have shown them how to get into the oracle?” suggested Sherry.

“No!” exclaimed Nash. “And what next? Let everyone into the oracles?”

“Not step by step, of course. But maybe you could have added a few more hints,” said Sherry.

“You think so?” said Nash in a calmer voice. “Maybe. But I’ve already posted it and the deadline is up anyway.”

“Perhaps on the next video, then?” said Sherry. “Listen, I know that you’ve had trouble with your views lately. So, why don’t you post about how you’re actually Ilad and Faux. That would make a lot of views and the battles that you did while you were them could—”

“This again?” interrupted Nash. “I thought I already explained why I don’t want to reveal that?”

“Not really,” replied Sherry.

“I’ve only ever interacted with the other Sonstwelters when I was disguised as Ilad or Faux, never as Smoke,” replied Nash. “Because that’s something I only want to keep for myself, and for those few people I’m close to.”

“But you’ve already told plenty of Zectians about your true identity,” pointed out Sherry.

“That’s completely different,” retorted Nash. “They’re Zectians, for crying out loud!”

“Fine, fine, don’t make a video on that,” said Sherry. “Was just trying to help you get more views.”

For a few seconds, no one bothered to speak.

Then, Nash blurted out. “Sorry. I know you were only trying to help.” He paused and took in a deep breath. “It’s just that when I’m Smoke, I feel like I’m being judged as Nash. As my real self, you know?”

“Really? Why?” asked Sherry. “You’re a DarkElf, no one could recognize you in the street if they’ll see you,” she said and lightly laughed.

“See. You think that it’s funny,” said Nash. “But to me, it’s not. Can’t really explain it, but I just want Smoke to have the least contacts with Sonstwelters.”

“The whole time, I thought it was so you could keep a trump card about other Sonstwelters who’ll face us… But this can’t still be about what Tristan did to you, is it?” asked Sherry. “I mean, not revealing that you’re Ilad or is Faux fine. I won’t bring that topic up again. And Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll have better views on your next post.”

“You think?” asked Nash.

“But it would be a lot easier if you could post a video of you leading the army against the Ork Horde,” subconsciously blabbed out Sherry.

“Maybe,” replied Nash, chuckling. “But don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll have better views on my next post,” he said, repeating what she told him.

* * * * * *

Argument after argument, these were the only things that came out of the conversations between Cynar and Meneur. This made an annoyed Smoke steer away from the two of them whenever they began to talk. It had already been two days since all of them traveled together. By now, Smoke assumed that Cynar and Meneur would have acclimated with each other. Sadly, this was not the case. Sure, Cynar had opened up to working with the MaduHai Orks, but he never fails to mention how he hates all Orks in general.

Smoke, Cynar, and Meneur were leading the group of OrkElves and MaduHai Orks from on top of their respective dirus wolves.

“Whoa! What is that!” suddenly exclaimed Smoke when he saw the entrance of Etonner Valley.

In front of them stood two colossal statues opposite each other. Each one was as tall as the mountain they were attached to, but they were covered with grass and moss, clearly neglected. In the middle of the two monuments was the pathway that led to the valley. When Smoke used his Telefax Vision to examine the statues, he found that each one of them wore a crown and each had a royal staff.

“Halt!” called out Cynar to his men after Smoke stopped.

“What’s happening?” asked Meneur, her voice clearly worried. “I don’t sense anything,” turning her glazed eyes in all directions. “Speak up, you two! Are we being attacked?”

“It’s nothing,” said Smoke. “Was just surprised to see two giant statues. King Kajou said that there was nothing here.”

“Oh! You mean the effigies of the past Kings of Thanotl and Vitzytl,” answered Meneur. “This was supposed to be the place where the to Kings would meet and discuss their plans for the peaceful future of their kingdoms. But it seems it was never used for that.”

“Bet it was Snide who thought to use this neglected place,” said Cynar. “It would have been really ironic if the Ork Horde’s invasion started from this point.”

“Really? You think so?” Smoke asked Cynar. “Well, whoever it was is sure to be one sadistic bastard.”

“Sadistic? I wouldn’t say that,” said Meneur. “Anyway, you did say that Ilad was going to be joining us here, right?” she added, clearly trying to change the subject.

“Why would you bring that up?” asked Smoke, bothered to be put in a bind. But he noticed Cynar’s piqued ears. “Of course! Bet Ilad’s already there somewhere in the valley.”

“Good. We better get a move on. Can’t wait to see you and Ilad together in one place,” said Meneur and led the way, striking her heel against the dirus wolf’s belly.

– Entered Etonner Valley

The relatively peaceful land between the kingdoms of Thanotl and Vitzytl.

– Monsters inside this valley are non-aggressive.

– Suggested level for entering this forest is 60.

Passing through the two effigies of the past kings, Smoke and his companions traveled deeper into the valley. There, they found themselves awestruck at the sight of thousands of tents pitched up in the valley’s center. Yet, the number of tents paled in comparison to the number of people gathered outside. There were Magicians, Wizards, Knights, Paladins, Priests, Bishops, and more. All of them were busy preparing for the upcoming battle. Some were having friendly bouts against one another, while others were stocking up on their equipment. Yet, none of them were doing it discretely.

“And you were seriously going to do a surprise attack on the Ork Horde with this setup?” Cynar asked Smoke. “No wonder Meneur thought it best to come along.”

“What? Believe me, this wasn’t what I had in mind,” retorted Smoke. He then whispered into his pocket. “Daga, find out what’s going on,” he said to his Beggar Shade and casually dropped the little gray mouse on the ground.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure there’s a rational explanation for all of this,” said Smoke.

Shortly after, an elderly HighElf flew overhead and landed softly in front of them. “Smo—Faux, you’re finally here,” greeted Ouragan as the dust cleared. “That was cutting it a bit short there. We only have two days left before the Ork Horde arrives.”

“Yeah, about that,” said Smoke. “What’s up with the tents? Why are they out in the open?”

“Oh, those. They belong to the Thanotl army,” replied Ouragan. “But let’s talk about that later. Introduce me to the friends you’ve brought along.”

“Right. This is Meneur—High Priestess of the MaduHai Orks,” began Smoke. “And Next to her is the leader of this OrkElf Army—Cynar.”

“A pleasure to meet you both,” said Ouragan, walking up to them and shaking their hands.

“Where can my men and I rest?” suddenly blurted out Cynar.

“Not sure,” replied Ouragan, smiling. “But don’t worry. I’ll find a spot for you.”

Then, two guards walked up to Ouragan and whispered something to him. They were pointing to a grandiose tent.

“Faux, it seems Prince Matalim got wind of your arrival. He wants to see you,” said Ouragan.

“Great. I’ll take Meneur and Cynar with me,” replied Smoke. “We need to have a meeting about the coming battle.”

“Wait. What about my men? And Meneur’s comrades as well?” asked Cynar.

“I’ll get your friends settled,” said Ouragan. “In the meantime, why don’t the three of you head on over to the Prince. Don’t worry, I’ll catch up as soon as I’m done.”

The two guards escorted Smoke, Meneur, and Cynar towards Prince Matalim’s flamboyant tent.

“Faux! Finally!” exclaimed Trottel the moment Smoke and his companions stepped inside. “Still with the dramatic entrance?” he asked, stroking his long orange mane.

“Sorry, it took longer than anticipated,” replied Smoke. “But I’ve brought an OrkElf army and the leader of the MaduHai Orks with me,” he added, pointing to Cynar and Meneur.

As Smoke looked around the tent, he found Prince Matalim, Chrysopelea, and Eleve next to the pompous Trottel. ‘Where’s Tritank?’ wondered Smoke.

“How many men have you brought?” asked Prince Matalim. “By the way, King Kajou regrets to inform you that he cannot attend the battle here personally, and has sent me here instead to act as the Supreme Leader of this coalition.”

“A little over three thousand OrkElves and twenty MaduHai Orks,” replied Smoke.

Prince Matalim smiled. He turned to face Meneur with a grateful face. “I suppose you’re the leader of the MaduHai Orks?”

“The Prince of the Thanotl Kingdom is talking to you,” Smoke whispered to Meneur.

“I am,” answered Meneur.

Prince Matalim then walked over to her and took her hand to shake it. “In behalf of the coalition, I thank you for offering your services to us. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for you to fight against your own kind.”

“Not really,” replied Meneur, smiling at the Prince. “There’s some bad blood that needs to be spilled.”

Prince Matalim then turned to Cynar. “And you must be the leader of the OrkElves.”

Cynar only nodded and backed away from Prince Matalim when he offered his hand. “You don’t have to talk to me. Faux can answer on my behalf.”

“Very well,” respectfully said Prince Matalim.

“Ahem! Prince, before we discuss anything else. We need to come up with a better plan than what you have going on right now,” blurted out Meneur.

“You think so too, huh?” said Prince Matalim. “Don’t worry we’ll get this settled soon.”

“Well, you better!” interjected Trottel. “Whose fault is this anyway?” he asked Prince Matalim, his eyes glaring. The pompous tiger Lioumerean acted all haughty.

“Once again, I apologize for Duke Tritank’s behavior,” said Prince Matalim. “I honestly don’t know what happened to him.”

“If we’re being honest right now, then let me tell you how wrong it was to give him the authority of your entire army,” harshly added Trottel. “In fact, I demand that we have this all sorted first before we go on any further.”

“Right. Let me just go find Duke Tritank,” said Prince Matalim in a humbled voice. “Sir Faux, why don’t you and your companions take a rest before we continue our meeting.”

* * * * * *

As soon as Smoke led Cynar and Meneur into their assigned area, he called for his Beggar Shade to give her report.

Daga’s Findings:

[[Arguments in the ranks]]

[[Ramblings of Tritank]]

[[Unease of the Sonstwelters]]

His eyes zoomed in on the one entitled ‘Ramblings of Tritank’.

Ramblings of Tritank

– Tritank went on a rampage and attacked anyone closed to him as soon as the Thanotl Army arrived in the valley. He killed off ten Sonstwelters before finally calming down. He then ordered everyone to put up their tents wherever they were standing. Currently, he is on a drinking binge in one of the tents.

“Is Tritank still drinking right now?” Smoke asked the little gray mouse.

“Yup, and from the look of it, it doesn’t seem like he’s going to be done anytime soon,” replied Daga.

“Good. Take me to him,” he said to Daga.

Together, Smoke and Daga discreetly headed towards the Tritank’s tent. It took them less than five minutes to reach it.

“Come on, drink up! Drink up!” slurred someone from inside the tent.

‘Need to have some visual,’ thought Smoke. It had been awhile since he canceled his Synergized State with Igniz, but his Symbiote Vision ability required them to be separated.

A burst of purple light escaped Smoke’s skin as he and Igniz detached from one another.

“Hey, Buddy!” said Smoke, all smiling. “Listen, I need you to turn out your lights and take a peek inside this tent.”

His dark ember sprite bobbed his head and did as he was ordered.

Activating his Symbiote Vision, Smoke saw Tritank surrounded by four passed out Sonstwelters. Amid the drinking session, there was only one other person left awake. It was a middle-aged man who looked familiar to him.

‘They’re really passed-out drunk, huh?’ surmised Smoke, remembering how adjusting the intoxication setting could do exactly just that.

Upon further inspection, Smoke realized that Tritank was talking to Clint—Chrysopelea’s uncle who died when they were fighting against the wyvern. The two of them were holding their copper mugs filled with ale.

“Come on, you can’t be that upset over your brother,” Clint said to Tritank, finishing off his mug after several gulps. “You’re in a game, you should relax.”

“I’m like this because of him!” screamed Tritank. “Did you know that it’s my birthday today?”

“Um, yeah! That’s the reason why you invited us to go out drinking, remember?” replied Clint. “Hey, if you’re drunk, we could stop. I mean, it’s just the two of us left anyway.”

“What? Really?” said a surprised Tritank, looking around all groggy. “Well, whose the better man now?” he asked the passed out Sonstwelters.

“Alright, you’ve had enough,” said Clint. “I’m leaving, and you better stop drinking too. Everybody’s probably looking for you.”

“No. No! Stay, come on!” pleaded Tritank. “Just one more round?” he said, pouring him another drink.

“Fine. I’d be crazy to refuse such an expensive drink that increases your maximum mana by ten!” said Clint.

“Right?” said a grinning Tritank. “Anyway, since it’s just the two of us now. I think I’d share something with you,” he mumbled. “Did you know, that my name isn’t really Tritank?”

“I guessed,” politely replied Clint.

“It’s actually Tristan Maximillion III,” said Tritank.

“Maximillion? Like the one who owns those hotel chains and shipping lines?” asked Clint.

“You must be really old,” said Tritank.

“Huh? Why?” asked Clint.

“You’re more focused on my family name,” replied Tritank, taking a sip out of his mug. “A person in his twenties wouldn’t know about that. Besides, they’d be more focus on the fact that my name is Tristan!”

“Oh, right, Tristan,” said Clint. “Wait! You’re Tristan’s younger brother?”

Upon hearing this, Smoke’s eyes grew wide. ‘No wonder he always defended him in the forums!’

“Yeah! I am,” bitterly said Tritank. “But he was the only one our father ever paid attention to.”

“Come on, now. I’m sure you’re over exaggerating,” said Clint.

“Really? He calls Tristan—Tristan. And what do you think he calls me?” asked Tritank. “He calls me Third!”

“Well, it would be confusing if your dad calls you Tristan too, wouldn’t it?” said Clint.

“That’s not the point!” screamed Tritank. “Tristan always gets the best things in life, and all I get are what’s left over.”

“So, Tristan was mean to you?” asked Clint.

“No. He was worse,” answered Tritank. “For him to do that, he would have to acknowledge my existence first! I’ve been doing everything I could think of to get his approval, but that bastard always ignored me!”

Tritank shook his head and took several gulps of his ale. “You know what he gave me this birthday? He had one of his secretaries give me an e-card.”

“Well, at least he got you some—” began Clint but shut his mouth when he saw Tritank’s piercing gaze.

“And I thought all of that would change when Zectas came out,” went on Tritank. “I thought this was my chance to get close to him.”

“So, you asked to play with him?” asked Clint.

Tritank nodded his head. “Yup. I’m the one who introduced the game to him. Not only that. I’ve been defending him in the forums and video posts.”

“Video Posts?” asked Clint.

“How can you call yourself a Zectas player when you don’t even know about video posts?” asked Tritank in disbelief. “People have been saying crap about how Smoke or Amahan was better than him,” he added, shaking his head. “Can’t allow that. Do you know how much of a bastard Smoke really is?”

“What do you mean?” said Clint.

“Now, this happened about two years ago, before Smoke was even famous,” began Tritank. “Apparently, Tristan and his original guild members were out to get some key from this legendary Maneator. And then suddenly Smoke comes out before they reached the Maneator’s entrance, all dressed in his Novice attire.”

“How did Smoke get out of a city while still being a Novice?” asked Clint.

“Exactly! That’s why Tristan knew that Smoke was up to something,” said Tritank. “I’m not sure what really happened when they faced the Maneator, but Tristan said that they fell for Smoke’s trap and were almost killed. Something about the Maneator being in his private army from the get-go.”

“Smoke has a Maneator in his private army?” asked Clint in disbelief. “And this was almost two years ago? That’s amazing! No wonder his famous.”

“What! That’s what you got from all that?” said Tritank, his speech extremely slurred. “Don’t you get it? Smoke appears to be this mysterious guy who gives out hints on increasing Poison resistance and the rest of his crappy stuff in his videos. But the truth is, he’s a ruthless bastard that picked a fight with my brother because he knows that Tristan is better than him.”

‘What a load of bull!’ The eavesdropping Smoke almost went on a rampage. Thankfully, he managed to pacify his anger by squeezing both his arms tight.

Clint did not reply. He only offered his empty copper mug to Tritank and asked for a refill.

“Hahahahaha!” Tritank suddenly burst out into laughter after pouring Clint another drink. “Smoke was right, though. Tristan is better. But this time, I’ll be able to one-up him. Especially now! My brother lost his guild and his city. There’s practically no news of him anywhere.”

“Well, if we do win this war against the Ork Horde that would be a pretty big deal,” said Clint.

“Yeah. If only I found the mount I’ve been looking for,” said Tritank. “What good is changing Jobs if you can’t ride on a w—” he suddenly stopped himself as he went off topic. “You know that I have a city in the Thanotl Kingdom, right?”.

“And?” asked Clint, confused.

“Well, I was thinking that you and Chrysopelea can join my guild and you could move there with me,” explained Tritank. “I’d give you a big house and—”

“Wait. Let me stop you right there,” said Clint. “You do know that Chrys has his own city, right?”

Tritank’s mouth fell open. “Oh, yeah! Hm. Didn’t think of that. Well, you can give it to some other Sonstwelter then.”

This time, it was Clint’s turn to laugh. “Sorry, but there’s no way that’s happening.”

“Really?” asked Tritank, discouraged. “Um… What about Faux, then?

“What? I thought you hated the guy?” said Clint, surprised.

“I do. But I think it’s just cause of envy,” replied Tritank. “I was about to offer him a spot in my guild, but then the forums started popping up threads about him. When they should be talking about me!”

All of a sudden, the same guards who escorted Smoke to Prince Matalim entered the tent. “Excuse me, Duke Tritank, Prince Matalim has summoned you.”

When Smoke heard this, he immediately signaled Igniz to return to him and left Tritank’s tent.

* * * * * *

Summoned into Prince Matalim’s tent, Meneur performed a sobering spell on Tritank. She froze Tritank’s legs and expelled the alcohol from his system.

Only then did they begin to formulate a new strategy for the Ork’s attack. It took them a total of six hours. The delay was mostly caused by Tritank debating Meneur’s proposal. Thankfully, Tritank’s arguments were shut down by Prince Matalim. The Supreme Leader of the joint armies sided with Meneur, as she was the most knowledgeable person against the Horde.

On the other hand, Smoke kept silent the whole time. The knowledge of Tritank being Tristan’s brother percolated in his mind, but he had no idea what to do with this information. So, when they had finally formulated the plan, Smoke begrudgingly obeyed Prince Matalim’s orders. Along with everyone, they began to disperse to their designated positions.

Yet, as they did so, Tritank called out to Smoke. “Hey, Faux! I don’t know what’s going on, but you seem really pissed at me?”

“He just knows something’s wrong with you,” answered Trottel.

“Butt out of this fur-face,” replied Tritank.

Smoke let out a ball of fire in his right hand. The spacious tent immediately felt hot and stuffy.

“Duke Tritank, please do not instigate any unnecessary altercations with our allies,” reprimanded Prince Matalim.

“Smo—Faux,” interjected Eleve, pulling Smoke away and canceling his fireball by crushing it with her hands. “Come, let’s step outside.”

Smoke was rushed away from Tritank and was followed by Ouragan, Meneur, and Cynar.

“What was that about?” asked Cynar. “Is he giving you trouble? Want me to beat him up?”

“Cynar, don’t fan the flames,” said Meneur.

“Looks like found some reliable allies,” said Ouragan to Smoke. “Leaving you here to face the Orks by yourselves doesn’t seem like such a bad idea now.”

“You were worried?” Eleve asked Ouragan. “Faux is after all my student. I stake my title as Magietrois on him.”

Surrounded by four Zectians who were truly concern for him, Smoke’s anger slowly faded.

“Thank you,” said Smoke. “Sorry about that. That guy just rubs me the wrong way.”

“Don’t sweat it,” said Cynar. “You shouldn’t let someone get under your skin like that.”

‘Like with you and Wertlosvati,’ Smoke thought to himself.

“But don’t worry about us,” said Smoke to Eleve and Ouragan. “You guys think about yourselves—”

Before Smoke could say anything else, Eleve slapped him hard on the back. “Don’t get conceited! We’re still far stronger than you!”

Eleve clicked her tongue. “Come on, Ouragan. Let’s leave this smart-ass alone.”

With that, they left Smoke in the encampment. Even with the joint armies gone; he still had Cynar, Meneur, the OrkElves, and the MaduHai Orks with him for company.

Before the Thanotl Kingdom and Vitzytl Kingdom armies left, they were tasked to put up several lodgings that resembled the huts of the MaduHai Orks, as it was part of Meneur’s plan. But mostly it was because she detested sleeping in anything other than an Ork hut.

With only a little more than twenty-four hours left, Smoke asked to be left alone for a while. He pushed the irritating Tritank out of his mind and focused on the upcoming battle.

Inside the privacy of his own tent, Smoke removed his paradox mask. He thought it was time for him to call his dearest Zectian friend. “Hey, sorry it’s been so long.”

“Hmmp! That’s always how our conversations start these days,” replied Darius.

Smoke forced out a guilty laugh. “Anyway, how’s everyone in Nanahuatl?”

“Well the village is getting better and better,” replied Darius.

“But?” asked Smoke. “I know there’s a but coming, so just spit it out already.”

“But my power is steadily coming back to me too,” said Darius.

“Which means the barrier you’ve put up in Giro’s cave is about to give,” concluded Smoke.

“Well, it won’t be anytime soon,” answered Darius. “But yes! This miasma will definitely breakout.”

An awkward silence passed between the two good friends, which was broken by the Beggar Legati. “Anyway, what can I do for you?” asked Darius. “You usually just call when you want something to ask.”

“I’m hurt!” exclaimed Smoke, exaggerating the pain in his voice. “Can’t I just call to ask how you are?”

“Then, maybe it’s better to end this conversation,” said Darius. “I’ve already told you everything’s fine here, relatively speaking that is.”

“But you haven’t even asked how I was doing!” retorted Smoke.

“Fine. How’s the war against the Ork going?” asked Darius.

“Oh. You know about that huh?” said Smoke.

“Of course! I even know you’re a Beggar Evocati now,” said Darius. “Thank you for telling me by the way!” he added sarcastically.

“Hey, I was planning to tell you!” began Smoke. “But things just got busy. In this world and from where I came from.”

“I see.” was Darius’ only reply.

After a few seconds, Darius finally spoke again. “So, how are you doing?”

“Hm, the kingdoms of Thanotl and Vitzytl have joined forces. I’ve also managed to wrangle up an OrkElf arm—” began Smoke but was cut off by his friend.

“I’m talking about the thing that’s going on in your world!” said Darius. “I’m sure you’ve got the fight against the Ork covered.”

“I really don’t want to talk about it,” said Smoke.

“Well, whatever it is. I’m sure that it’s going to be fine,” said Darius.

“How can you be sure?” asked Smoke, his voice slightly rising.

“You know me. Believe me when I tell you that all your fears are unwarranted,” said Darius. “Everything will be fine.”

Smoke could not reply. Yet, somewhere deep inside him, he believed his Beggar friend.

“For now, I suggest you focus on your life here in Zectas,” said Darius. “Don’t you have to train that Automaton Knight of yours?”

“How did you know—” began Smoke but stopped questioning how Darius knew things. “It’s nice. I’ve been training it daily but its level is still really low at the moment.”

“Are you sure you can’t use it against the Orks?” asked Darius. “Remember, imagination is a weapon, those who don’t use it are the first ones to lose.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” asked Smoke, intrigued. He had forgotten how cryptic Darius would sometimes get.

“Anyway, think about it. I’m sure you’ll find your answer from within,” said Darius and dropped the call.

CLICK—

A smiling Smoke conjured his Automaton Knight. The now familiar multi-colored conjuring circle appeared on the floor, followed by a flash of white light. The gray training dummy covered by a gas mask and a skull cap appeared in front of him. He had grown its level to 30 and could now equip better items. The faceless Automaton Knight remained frozen, waiting for its master’s command.

‘Its Level is still too low. What did he mean look from within?’ he wondered.

He had experimented with the Automaton Knight with all the possible equippable items in his backpack. The only promising results were the different elemental stones he placed into the circular cavity at the center of its chest. The Automaton Knight turned red when he placed an ember stone and brown when it was a clay stone, but that was it. It did not increase any of its attributes and reverted back to its gray form when he removed the elemental stone.

“Look from within, huh?” said Smoke out loud. “What do you think, Daga?”

“Don’t look at me? What do I know about Automaton Knights?” replied Daga.

“Good advice,” said Smoke, shaking his head.

“But you know what? We should ask Igniz,” said Daga. “I haven’t seen him for quite some time. You’re usually in your synergized state.”

“Igniz! Of course!” exclaimed Smoke, his eyes wide with excitement. He canceled his synergized state and smiled at his emerging dark ember sprite.

“Hey, Buddy!” greeted Smoke. “Listen, how do you feel merging with the Automaton Knight?”

Igniz looked at Smoke then back to the Automaton and back to Smoke again. The dark ember sprite shook his body as if shrugging. He then flew towards the cavity in the Automaton Knight’s chest and entered it.

Then, an unexpected notification window popped up.

+ Unlocked Symbiote Advancement: Incarnation!

The Automaton Knight’s gray body began to turn a darker shade of purple. Its bald head started growing long white hair, and a face started to form. It was that of Smoke’s own image. As soon as the purple skin covered its entire body, it started emitting Igniz’s dark flames.

“What the—” yelled an ecstatic Smoke. Right in front of him, was a fiery naked image of himself.

The Automaton Knight looked puzzled. It stared at both its hands, examining them with curiosity. Then, it spoke. “Master Smoke? What’s going on here?”

“Igniz?” asked Smoke, the whites of his eyes fully showing.

“Yes?” replied his incarnated symbiote.

* * * * * *

The day of the Ork Horde’s arrival was finally upon them. Smoke disguised as Faux, wearing his paradox mask and sacred clay staff, led the incarnated Igniz. His symbiote let out purple flames as Igniz equipped all of the Flame Knight’s items. Together, they went over to meet Meneur and Cynar.

“A dark Flame Knight. Let me guess, you must be Ilad,” said Cynar, extending his hand to Igniz. “Good of you to finally show yourself. I expect big things from you.”

Igniz shook Cynar’s hand but did not say a word.

“The strong silent type, huh?” said Cynar. “I like that.”

Cynar and Igniz got a long well. However, Meneur was not as welcoming as the OrkElf leader.

“Who are you?” she asked Igniz.

“This is Ilad,” replied Smoke. “He’s one of my best friends.”

“But how can that be?” Meneur asked Smoke. “Ilad is there—and you are there.”

“It just is,” answered Smoke.

“Strange, the two of you share a certain aura,” added Meneur. “But the Flame Knight registers as a Sonstwelter. Why?”

“Never mind that,” said Smoke. “Let’s focus on our positions. Igni—Ilad and I will stay on your right, correct? Cause I was thinking that with Ilad here, he can stay next to me too.”

“Fine,” replied Meneur. “You two stay over there,” she pointed to a place in the center of the huts. “Cynar, you’re already disguised as one of our Ork Priests, right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” replied Cynar, his disgust clearly conveyed in his voice. “But Faux and Ilad aren’t yet!”

“Answer me in Orkish!” ordered Meneur.

“Lagir, lagir!” said Cynar in fluent Orkish.

“Smo—Faux, you and your friend should wear the priest’s robes now,” said Meneur.

“Karonir dayn,” replied Smoke in crude Orkish. He got out long brown robes which concealed them from head to foot.

“Good, now everyone get into position,” said Meneur. “They should arrive soon.”

Smoke, Igniz and all of the OrkElves and MaduHai Orks lined up in front of Meneur.

“Pamagir sair sagahum nair Tezcazin gaer magir,” chanted Meneur in Orkish.

Even though the sky was clear, a light drizzle fell upon Smoke and everyone else.

+ Received Tezcazin’s Blessings

+ 50% MP Regeneration

+ 50% HP Regeneration

+ Protection against Bleeding attacks

Note: All blessings will last for the next three hours

“Karoni lakatir na kamo,” said Meneur.

Everyone moved with urgency and purpose. In a matter of seconds, all the units were in place. With Meneur, Cynar, Igniz, and Smoke left out in the open.

A few minutes later, a group of ten UrukHai Orks arrived on their dirus wolves, which were almost twice the size of a regular mount. They rode fast, uprooting the grass in the valley. Behind them, were thousands of Orks belonging to the tribes of the MoriHai, OlegHai, and UrukHai.

These ten Ork riders broke away from the horde and rushed towards Meneur.

A gigantic Ork with sleek black hair dismounted and walked over to Meneur. Smoke did not recognize the Ork, but his eyes were drawn to the long executioner blade which was well over two-meters. Yet, it looked small as it was placed on the Ork’s back.

“Nindotar makitag valik, High Priestess Meneur,” he began in Orkish. “I’m Colonel Wertlosmorder, in case you might have forgotten me.” His right lower fang broken, which made his mouth twitch as he talked. “Where’s the rest of you?”

“The four of us are already more than enough to greet you, Wertlosmorder,” replied Meneur, turning her ears toward him. “But if you must know, the rest are in their huts preparing your lodgings,” she said, pointing to a few MaduHai Guards stationed outside some huts. “What about Snide and Dastard? I don’t sense their presence with you?”

“Oh, they decided to stay with the main body of the Horde and give the glorious honor of charging in advance to us. And to Supreme General Wertlosvati, of course,” explained Colonel Wertlosmorder. He then pointed to the statues of the former Kings. “I love the irony. The place where they made statues of themselves. A symbol of peace and prosperity between their kingdoms’ will be the birthplace of their demise.”

“Hyuk hyuk hyuk!” chuckled another UrukHai Ork, dismounting as well.

The large war hammer on the Ork’s back made Smoke identify him as Wertlosrauber, the Ork who saved Wertlosvati the last time they faced him.

“Looks like my friend is putting on his charms for you, Meneur,” he said to the blind Ork High Priestess. “But he’s right. You’re one evil genius for thinking about using this place.”

“Ahem!” unexpectedly coughed Smoke, surprised that Meneur was the one who picked Etonner Valley.

“Say, you MaduHai Orks have really grown shorter,” said one of the Ork’s in Wertlosvati’s entourage.

Without warning, a rush of water came up from beneath the UrukHai and covered him and his dirus wolf. The water quickly solidified and turned into a block of ice, freezing the discorteous Ork.

“So what if we’re small? Does anyone else have a problem with that?” hissed Meneur.

The life bar of the frozen Ork was rapidly decreasing until it finally fell to zero which made the block of ice shatter.

“No, no. Of course not!” replied Wertlosmorder, smiling at Meneur. “That idiot deserved it.”

“Good, now why don’t you and Wertlosvati join me in my tent,” offered Meneur. “I’ve got something important to tell you all.”

“General, why don’t we rest while waiting for the horde to arrive,” said Wertlosmorder.

“Don’t order me around!” yelled Wertlosvati, pointing his double-headed ax at Wertlosmorder. “I’ll dismount when I please.”

“General, please. It will take a few more minutes for them to get here,” said Meneur.

Wertlosvati turned to face Meneur. “Why are you suddenly being nice to me?”

“Why?” said Meneur. “Because you’re the Supreme General of the Ork Horde.”

“No! That’s not it,” screamed Wertlosvati. “Check the grounds. I smell something fishy.”

Wertlosrauber and Wertlosmorder, along with the remaining Ork entourage began tearing up the huts.

“What the hell are you doing?” asked Meneur. “My men worked hard to put those up!”

The first three huts that they broke revealed a few MaduHai Guards and several long-robed individuals with them.

“Why are they cloaked?” Wertlosmorder asked Meneur. “I thought you only had a few Priestesses?”

“Oh, they’re not,” replied Meneur.

Then, a loud horn resonated in Etonner Valley. One of the mounted Ork entourage called out Wertlosvati. “General, the last of the Ork tribes have entered the valley—”

“Shut up, Captain Deutlich! I know what the horns mean,” replied Wertlosvati. “But, Meneur, tell me. Why do you have so many cloaked members? Are they still Acolytes? Is this the surprise that you wanted to tell me?”

“No,” replied Meneur, grinning and shaking her head. “They’re the OrkElves who will bring you down!”

A torrent of water erupted from underground and swallowed the remaining mounted entourage. In a blink of an eye, all of them were frozen solid.

However, Wertlosvati was able to leap off of his mount.

“Time to die!” yelled Cynar as he pulled off his cloak and charged for his bastard of a father.

“It’s a trap!” screamed Wertlosvati “Sound the retreat—” but was cut off as over sixteen paralysis darts were flying straight towards him.

CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK

Wertlosrauber and Wertlosmorder jumped in between them and blocked all of the darts.

“Get out of here,” Wertlosmorder said Wertlosvati. “We’ll handle them. Just get to the horde.”

CRASH

The sound of the two mountains rumbling came from the valley’s entrance. The colossal effigies of the past kings crumbled to the ground. The Earth Elementalist stationed on top of the mountains loosened their hold, blocking the valley’s only passageway.

A storm of elemental spells fell from the sky, as the Magi units of the two kingdoms were stationed on the mountaintops. A loud thunderous sound came from the mountainside as the Knights from the Thanotl Kingdom charged down upon the unknowing Ork Horde.

“This is the end of the horde!” screamed Smoke. He tried capturing the two Ork Colonels with his earth-pillars but both of them dodged it with ease.

A massive war hammer came crashing down on Smoke’s head, as Wertlosrauber went after him.

However, it was blocked by Igniz’s flamberge. The incarnated symbiote held the fiery sword with both hands as he stood in front of Smoke.

Meanwhile, Wertlosmorder went after the Ork High Priestess.

Meneur released a torrent of water from underground, but Wertlosmorder’s executioner blade went through it before it solidified. The two-meter blade plunged deep into Meneur’s stomach. The water fell back to the ground as blood gushed out of her mouth.

Chapter Seven:

Reckoning Day

Dark flames covered the flamberge, which blocked the massive war hammer of the Ork Colonel. Its blaze fueled by the incarnated symbiote—Igniz.

Smoke, who stood behind his friend, was taken aback at the turn of events. All of their strategical planning were blown away by the sheer force of the Orks. Except for the collapsed statues, the destroyed ancient monuments kept the Ork Horde within Etonner Valley. Looking around, his eyes zoomed in on the executioner blade protruding out of Meneur’s back.

“Cover me,” Smoke said to Igniz.

He used his Hyper Jump ability and vanished. A split-second later, he reappeared in front of Wertlosmorder—the three-meter Ork, holding the handle of the executioner blade.

Concentrating his mana on the ground, he erupted two pointed earth-spikes from the ground and pushed Wertlosmorder backward. Meneur gasped in pain as the executioner blade was forcibly pulled out of her abdomen.

Smoke quickly created a spherical Manatl shield, securing both him and Meneur inside it.

“Here, drink this,” said Smoke, pulling out a jar of pompom juice and pouring out over Meneur’s mouth.

Meneur coughed out the pompom juice along with her blood. “It’s okay. I’m fine,” she said weakly.

Several waterballs floated up from the ground and splashed themselves on the deep wound in her stomach. Yet, the Ork High Priestess’ life bar remained the same and showed no signs of recovering.

SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD

Sparks came out of Wertlosmorder’s executioner blade as it struck the Manatl. Ever since using the sacred clay staff, Smoke was confident that his barrier had gotten stronger.

“Go, don’t worry about me,” said Meneur.

Ignoring the raving Ork outside his barrier, Smoke focused on the old High Priestess. He could not understand why Meneur, who cured him of Horrabelle’s curse, could not heal herself.

“No,” he replied. “Something’s wrong.”

The sacred clay staff on his left hand glowed as it continued to store the energy from Wertlosmorder’s attacks.

“Truth is, Ork Priestesses have potent healing powers. But we can’t heal ourselves,” confessed Meneur.

Smoke stared at the injured blind Priestess. He then pointed his right palm over her open wounds. Small balls of white light flowed out from his hands towards her lesions and slowly replenished her life bar.

Scanning the battleground, Smoke saw the sky lit up with dazzling lights as various elemental spells rained down from the mountains surrounding the valley.

However, the battle with the main body of the Horde was still some distance away from them. OrkElves rushed out of the huts as they were stabbing their spears into the block of ice were the Orks were frozen. All of them desperate to finish off the Ork entourage. The two MaduHai Priestesses named Sauf and Secours came out of hiding and supported them with their healing.

Smoke also spotted Cynar leading a large group of OrkElves on foot. They were chasing after Wertlosvati, who was running towards the sea of jade giants.

CLANG CLANG CLANG

The sound of a flamberge clashing against a war hammer drew Smoke’s attention. He watched from within the safety of his Manatl while restoring Meneur’s life bar.

* * * * * *

Igniz was awkwardly holding the Salamander’s Tongue with his right hand. He was backing away as he matched Wertlosrauber’s war hammer, blow against blow.

The Ork repeatedly struck down from overhead, beating Igniz to his knees. Yet, the incarnated symbiote persevered and defended with the flamberge. Sadly, his life bar was not as sturdy as his resolve. It now reflected 45% remaining.

Igniz knew that his training sessions with Smoke were not enough for him to master the flamberge, but he faced the Ork Colonel anyway. After all, it was second nature for him to defend his symbiotic partner.

In a defensive kneeling position, Igniz felt each blow of Wertlosrauber’s war hammer as it continued to pummel from above. But then it stopped, as a surprising blow came from below.

As the Ork’s war hammer was about to hit Igniz, he plunged his flamberge deep into the ground. The loud resonant sound of metal clashing echoed. Igniz was pushed back, his sword plowed through the earth.

“Fatyonir tikar!” screamed the Ork, blindly charging at Igniz.

With his sword still stuck in the ground, Igniz’s left palm burst into a dark blaze. He pointed it at Wertlosrauber and unleashed a continuous stream of flames.

The Ork Colonel tried blocking with his war hammer but it was useless. The Ork’s jade skin turned black, charred as it came in contact with the dark flames.

When Igniz finished his attack, the Ork was left with several open wounds where blood was visible. Wertlosrauber’s life bar reflected 50% and was inflicted with the burned status.

For the first time in his incarnated flesh, Igniz grinned. He thought he had gotten the upper hand against the Ork Colonel. But then he got an ominous feeling. Concerned, he turned to face Smoke’s direction. He was confused to find that the Manatl barrier had been canceled and Smoke pointing his palms at him.

Then, Igniz felt the ground he stood on shake. An earth-spike came from behind him. He turned around and found the tip of the executioner blade parried by Smoke’s earth-spike.

However, the second Ork Colonel’s sword still grazed his shoulder, making Igniz drop his flamberge on the ground. At the same time, Wertlosrauber’s war hammer painfully made contact with Igniz’s left arm. All Igniz could do was block it with his left arm, forcing him down.

Falling, Igniz heard Smoke scream his heart out. Then, he saw the war hammer and executioner blade directly above him. The two Ork Colonels were about to deliver their finishing blow.

Convincing himself that this was not his time to die, Igniz reached for the handle of the Salamander’s Tongue and used the sword’s ultimate ability—Incinerator.

CRACKLE

A dark blaze erupted without warning. Igniz’s purple flames merged with the scattered fiery blades of the flamberge. Its minuscule shafts created a massive sphere of burning steel, which engulfed Igniz and the two Ork Colonels.

Both Wertlosmorder and Wertlosrauber were forced to take a defensive stance. Yet, their efforts were all in vain. Blood gushed out of their green skins as each shaft of the Salamander’s Tongue pierced in and out of them.

Igniz remembered how Smoke stayed in its epicenter when he used this ability. It was so that he would not receive an own damage penalty from the broken off shafts.

However, Igniz knew that this was not a problem for him. The incarnated symbiote walked over to Wertlosrauber first. He kicked the jade giant in the back of his knee, bringing him down to his height. Igniz then placed his left palm on the Ork’s face and burned it to a crisp, reducing the Ork’s life bar to zero.

With one Ork Colonel down, Igniz focused his attention on Wertlosmorder. Seeing as the Incinerator ability was about to wear off, Igniz threw the handle of the Salamander’s Tongue at the second Ork. The hilt of the bladeless sword hit Wertlosmorder in the eye. Igniz then ran towards the Ork and jumped on the Colonel’s knees, using it as footing. He choked the Ork by the neck and released the dark flames out from his hands.

At this time, the Incinerator attack ended. With the blazing sphere dispersed, Igniz and Wertlosmorder came into full view of the world again.

Desperate, the Ork Colonel slashed Igniz in the back. It was his last attempt of freeing himself, but the burning sensation on his neck made him drop his massive executioner blade instead.

As the last hit points of Wertlosmorder ebbed away, Igniz released the Ork. His second kill fell on the ground, next to the vanishing body of his fellow Ork Colonel. Igniz’s own life bar reduced to 10% and was steadily withering away.

Straightaway, Smoke appeared next to Igniz and made him drink a jar of pompom juice.

“Here you go, Buddy,” said Smoke, quivering. “You did great! But you almost gave me a heart attack there.”

Daga, in her human form, pulled the recovering Meneur next to them. “You okay, Big Bro?” she asked Igniz, smiling. “Smoke was panicking when you used that flaming sphere thing. But I knew you were gonna be alright.”

“Who wouldn’t?” defended Smoke. “Didn’t you see his life bar? And don’t tell me you weren’t crying yourself. I saw you,” he said to Daga.

“Fine. I was,” said Daga, dropping Meneur and running over to Igniz. “You were kind of pushing it,” she said, taking away the pompom juice from Smoke so she could be the one to give it to Igniz.

“Alright. I need you three to stay put,” said Smoke. Scanning the area around them, he saw that the OrkElves had already killed all of the frozen Orks and were running after Cynar. He then dug a wide crater in the ground and shifted the land where Meneur, Igniz, and Daga were on, placing them inside the hole. “Daga, you’re in charge. Make sure they recover their life bars.”

After making sure he created enough air holes, Smoke sealed them underground.

Turning to face the battlefield ahead, Smoke gulped involuntarily. Despite the onslaught of elemental spells from on top of the mountains, the intimidating war cries of the Ork Horde did not waiver.

Smoke inhaled deeply and released all of his anxiety in one breath. He felt like everyone in Sawtorn was here. He then jumped and glided towards the battle that would decide the fate of this Continent.

* * * * * *

Cynar ignored everything that happened with Faux and the Ork Colonels. His sight solely focused on the escaping Wertlosvati.

His blind rage made him unaware of the battlefield. like the elemental spells that bombarded the heavens. The magical attacks of the allied kingdoms did damage the Orks, but it also enraged them as well. The Ork Horde brazenly charged towards the mountainsides. Heads of dirus wolves flew through the air, as the green giants made contact with the mounted Knights.

“Hurry! Get him before he reaches the Horde!” screamed Cynar. He was unsure how many OrkElves were with him, or if there were even any at all. Regardless, he pursued the Ork at his fastest speed.

When he got closer, Cynar used one of his paralysis darts and aimed for Wertlosvati’s legs.

It only slowed Wertlosvati for a split second, but that was enough for Cynar to make his move.

Cynar used his Spur Step ability. The OrkElf Assassin vanished and reappeared in front of the Ork Supreme General. The instant movement allowed Cynar to land one powerful drop-kick directly on the Ork’s forehead.

The sudden attack forced Wertlosvati downward. However, the Ork swung his double-headed ax as he fell, slashing Cynar’s arm through his chain-mail.

Picking himself up from the ground, Wertlosvati spoke to Cynar in Orkish. “Half-breed, you’re beginning to show signs of being my son.”

“Shut up!” screamed Cynar in the common tongue.

Four after images of Cynar appeared in front of Wertlosvati. The Ork Supreme General could not block his son’s rapid kicks which came from all directions.

Despite the numerous hits, Wertlosvati’s life bar was barely damaged. That was until one critical strike from Cynar’s steel boots struck the Ork under his chin.

As Wertlosvati spat out a broken tooth, ten spears came to attack him.

Cynar’s OrkElves finally arrived to support him.

Regrettably, none of their weapons could penetrate the Ork’s tough jade skin. Instead, the OrkElves were all knocked back as Wertlosvati blasted them away with his double-headed ax.

“Stupid fools! Your attacks only work on grunts!” taunted Wertlosvati in Orkish.

“Use your chains!” commanded Cynar, removing his own chain attached to his belt. He twirled it above his head and threw it around Wertlosvati’s body. Ten more chains were thrown and entangled the Supreme Ork General.

“Gakgakgakgakgak. Fools, it’s my win,” said Wertlosvati, confined by the OrkElves’ chains.

Then, Cynar’s eyes grew wide with frustration. He turned around and finally noticed the tall wall of jade giants that had encircled him and his men.

With one swift motion, Cynar and his OrkElves were pinned down by Orks much taller than them.

Two Ork Grunts then rushed to free Wertlosvati from his chains.

When Wertlosvati was freed, one of the Ork grunts kneeled down and said. “Daking Wertlosvati, provlamir katir. Gitraytor tas OlegHai Generalir Dastard ugi Snide.”

Cynar, whose face was pinned on the grassy knoll, grinned at his bastard of a father. For the Ork grunt had just reported that the two OlegHai Generals had betrayed Wertlosvati. Apparently, Snide and Dastard left him there as bait while they escaped Etonner Valley.

* * * * * *

A powerful surge of wind rushed Smoke’s face as he glided through the air. From up here, he had a great perspective of the battlefield.

After scanning the grounds, Smoke grunted. He found Cynar and a few of his men captured by Wertlosvati and his Orks. Looking farther down, he spotted a group of OrkElves trying to fight their way towards Cynar. Unfortunately, they were up against twice the number of Orks.

Realizing that he could not face Wertlosvati and his Orks by himself, Smoke searched for allies to help him.

“Faux! This is all messed up,” shouted someone from behind him.

“This isn’t the plan at all!” added a second elderly voice.

Turning around, Smoke spotted Chrysopelea and Ouragan flying fast towards him.

“We’ve got the valley blocked,” said Chrys, pointing at the fallen statues of the former kings. “But I don’t think the guys from Thanotl can hold off the Orks much longer,” he added, indicating the melee battle on the foot of the mountains.

“Our Mages need more time to cast the Lightning Tempest,” interjected Ouragan.

Upon hearing this, Smoke noticed a small cluster of white clouds gathering overhead. But it was nowhere near enough the hail and lightning storm that they had discussed earlier.

Smoke nodded. “Let’s buy them some time,” he said, directing Chrysopelea’s attention to Wertlosvati who was stepping on Cynar’s head.

“Is that the Ork Supreme General?” asked Chrysopelea.

“Let’s give it a try,” said Ouragan. “I’ll handle his soldiers. You two take care of Wertlosvati.”

With that, the three of them zoomed towards their targeted Ork.

Ouragan then began to fly in a clockwise manner. The green grass was plucked out from the earth as he created a powerful tornado.

Shortly after, the Ork grunts along with their dirus wolves and hell boars flew up in the air, caught by the turbulent winds.

Ouragan was careful enough to leave the OrkElves outside his tornado’s area of effect.

THUD

Pieces of the ground shattered, molten rocks flew everywhere, as Smoke used his Comet Crush ability and landed on top of the grunt next to Wertlosvati. He then pierced the stunned Ork with his earth-spikes and trapped him on the ground with earth-cuffs, leaving the grunt bleeding to die.

Meanwhile, Chrysopelea let out a strong gust of wind from beneath Wertlosvati. The Ork General flew five meters in the air.

Smoke then pulled Cynar toward him by shifting the ground where the Ork Assassin was pinned to. Then, he launched a large earth-spike and struck Wertlosvati’s spine, skewering him in mid-air.

“You’ve got to kill Wertlosvati now!” Smoke said to the wounded Cynar. His eyebrows furrowed as he noticed that the OrkElf’s life bar was less than 30%. “With his head on display, we might lower the Horde’s morale.”

Just as Smoke finished talking, several Orks fell from the sky as Ouragan’s tornado attack ended.

Yet, even though the windy twister had finished, Smoke still heard a rumbling sound. Looking at the direction of the mountainside, he saw a large dust cloud heading towards them.

CRASH

Leading hundreds of mounted Knights, Tritank emerged out of the wall of Orks. They forcefully carved a path out of the Ork Horde.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you two are doing!” Tritank screamed at Smoke and Chrysopelea. Pointing his hands to the sides, he signaled the mounted Knights with him to fan out and fend off the Orks. “Where’s Wertlosvati! His head is mine!” he asked Smoke, trotting towards him.

“No!” exclaimed Cynar, propping himself up. “I mean… he isn’t the one pulling the strings. The real leaders of the Ork Horde are Dastard and Snide.”

“What?” asked Tritank, surprised. “Doesn’t matter. A General’s head still gives a great contribution to this campaign,” he said, charging his dirus wolf towards the skewered Wertlosvati.

Without another word, Smoke gave Cynar a jar of pompom juice and pushed him towards the bleeding Ork General. Then, the ground rumbled as an earth-dome came out from below and sealed Wertlosvati and Cynar inside it.

“What the hell!” yelled Tritank, as he pulled back his dirus wolf before hitting the earth-dome. “You’d give that prized head to a Sonstwelter? What’s wrong with you?”

Chrysopelea flew towards Tritank. “Never mind that. We’ve got to find those two OlegHai Generals.”

“You go ahead,” said Smoke. “I’ve got to make sure the OrkElves will be safe.”

“Something’s really wrong with you,” said Tritank, looking down at Smoke from his mount. “Let’s go, Chrys,” he said, turning to him. “You better tell Ouragan about the OlegHai Generals too,” he added, pointing at the elderly HighElf attacking the Orks from the skies.

Left behind, Smoke stood on top of his earth-dome and called out to the OrkElves. “Everyone, fight near the dome. I’ll cover you as much as I can.”

Now, that Igniz had been incarnated into a Flame Knight, Smoke could no longer initiate his flame attacks. So, he was limited to use earth-spikes or earth-balls to support the OrkElves.

But then, dark flame-swords came from behind the OrkElves and slashed the enemy Orks they were facing.

With thirty-two purple flame-swords surrounding him, a fully-healed Igniz rushed the Orks with his fiery Salamander’s Tongue in hand. In just a few seconds, he cleared the Orks in his path and stood next to Smoke on top of the earth-dome.

“Geez! When did you get this good?” Smoke asked Igniz.

Igniz did not answer. Instead, he gave Smoke a knowing grin as he killed four more Orks with his flame-swords.

“Where’s Meneur?” asked Smoke.

“She had Daga accompany her,” replied Igniz. “Something about giving justice to her heart.”

* * * * * *

Enclosed inside the earth-dome, Cynar fell into a near pitch-black arena. Thanks to his mother’s Elven eyes, it only took him a few seconds to adjust.

Then, he saw the shape of his detested father free himself from the earth-spike where he was skewered.

“Gakgakgakgak! You think you can finish me off because of this?” provoked Wertlosvati. “Even if I’m half-dead, I’m still stronger than you!” he added while feeling the hole in his stomach. The Ork then hunched on his back as he searched the ground with his hands. He was looking for his double-headed ax.

In absolute silence, Cynar bolted in front of Wertlosvati. While the Ork was still crouching, Cynar landed his steel boots against the Ork’s thick chin.

As Wertlosvati’s head flew back, Cynar kicked away the double-headed ax that was next to the Ork. It slid across the opposite side of the earth-dome.

CLANG CLANG CLANG

The sound of a heavy double-headed ax resonated in the darkness.

“Don’t need no ax to kill you,” said Wertlosvati, planting both his feet on the ground. “Your friend wasted his life-saving you, cause you’re gonna die today!”

Wertlosvati bit his own tongue as he received successive kicks on his kneecaps. Cynar then followed up with a straight kick to the groin and swiftly backed away.

Wertlosvati tried to catch Cynar, but the OrkElf Assassin disappeared before the Ork’s arms could grab him.

“Pesky little rat,” jeered Wertlosvati. “Is that all of you’ve go—” the Ork bit his tongue once more as he suffered another kick to the chin.

Confident of his speed, Cynar continued on his hit and run tactic. Even if the damage was minimal, it still piled on and steadily reduced Wertlosvati’s life bar.

Wertlosvati covered his head with both his arms, only to be struck in the groin again.

The Ork resorted to defending both his head and groin with only one arm. However, this was not enough to stop Cynar’s Spur Step kicks.

“Come on! Is this it? Is this really how you imagined your revenge?” sneered Wertlosvati, blood dripping on the side of his mouth. “Your mother would cry at how cowardly you fight!”

Cynar ceased his attacks. He stopped not because of what Wertlosvati said, but because he was out of breath. Alas, the confined space did not allow him to continue his blinding attacks as he had already consumed most of the breathable air.

Even after the numerous strikes that he dealt, Cynar realized that he did little damage. Although his blunt kicks felt good, he needed to change his technique. He knew he only had one more attack left in him.

Taking out his paralysis darts, Cynar galvanized his resolve. He charged Wertlosvati for a last-ditch attack.

Cynar threw his paralysis darts at the Ork. His specialized training paid off as the sharp points of the darts pierced the thick green skin of his bastard father. Two darts punctured Wertlosvati’s throat while four more penetrated his arms.

Drawing closer, Cynar kicked the darts on the Ork’s left arm. He forced them deeper into Wertlosvati.

The paralysis finally took effect, as Wertlosvati’s left arm fell lifeless on his side.

As Cynar was about to kick the other arm, Wertlosvati grabbed him by the waist and squeezed the OrkElf next to his chest.

“Gotcha!” yelled Wertlosvati at Cynar’s ears. “Tell your mother… you sucked!” he jeered, dislocating Cynar’s arms, squashing the OrkElf with his death-embrace.

Trapped in the arm of his father, Cynar could feel his life being forced out of him. Looking up, he saw the paralysis darts sticking out of Wertlosvati’s neck. He gathered his last ounce of strength and stretched out his neck as far as he could. Cynar headbutted the tip of the paralysis dart and plunged it into the Ork’s throat.

Gradually, Wertlosvati’s death-grip on Cynar eased off.

Cynar forcibly freed himself from the Ork and kicked him behind the kneecaps. Wertlosvati fell face first on the ground.

With both his arms broken, Cynar stood in front of the paralyzed Wertlosvati.

“Think this will fill the hole inside you?” asked Wertlosvati, paralyzed on the floor. “Bet your mom and friend are cryin—” The Ork stopped talking as Cynar’s steel boot kicked his mouth.

“Fuh! That all you got—” began Wertlosvati but was unable to continue as Cynar began stomping on his head.

“Waaaaaah!” screamed Cynar as he unleashed all of his frustration, hatred, and pain with each squashing sound made by his boot. Tears flowed down as he continued crushing the Ork’s cranium. He only stopped when the body finally vanished out of existence.

Then, the earth-dome receded into the ground. Smoke and the incarnated Igniz greeted the moribund Cynar.

“Was worried there for a moment, but I knew you could do it,” said Smoke. “As soon as I sensed that you were—” he stopped talking and rushed to Cynar who collapsed on the ground, next to Wertlosvati’s double-headed ax.

“You got him, right?” he asked one of the OrkElves who also ran for Cynar.

To which the OrkElf nodded.

Smoke picked up Wertlosvati’s heavy weapon and inspected it.

Maniaxe (Double Headed Axe)

Crafted as an offering for insane god Amok. Its bearer was said to feel his head being split in half unless its blades had a taste of blood.

Restrictions:

> Warrior Variations Only

> Level 100

Equipment Ability:

* Disregard Pain (Active)

> Reduce all physical damage taken by 50%

> Gain Immunity to all control-impairing effects

Notes:

– Requires: 100 MP/second

– Max Duration: 300 seconds

– Receive: 10% of accumulated damage after ability ends

* Cleave (Passive)

> Weapon swing range + 300

> Enemies caught in the arc receives 50% damage

After inspecting Wertlosvati’s weapon, Smoke threw it over to the incarnated Igniz. “Wave it around, Bud,” he said to his symbiote. “The Orks need to see their Supreme General is dead.” He then looked at the gathered OrkElves surrounding them. They numbered in the hundreds. “Cynar has defeated their General. Now, let’s rid Sawtorn of all Orks. Everyone, follow me!” he yelled and led five hundred OrkElves against a forest of green giants.

* * * * * *

With the fiery flamberge in his right hand and Wertlosvati’s double-headed ax in his left, Igniz led the charge against the Orks. Using the Maniaxe’s Disregard Pain ability, the grunts’ barely did any damage to him.

Smoke stayed behind Igniz and supported him with earth-attacks while yelling. “Kamuir sunod. Fatay nairs Wertlosvati!” which roughly translated to Wertlosvati being dead and the rest of the Orks would soon follow him.

“Fatay nairs Wertlosvati!” The OrkElves followed Smoke’s lead and chanted it to their enemies. “Fatay nairs Wertlosvati!” It had become their war cry.

The former dark ember sprite, in his Flame Knight persona, proved to be most useful.

Smoke created two walls out of earth-spikes, which turned into a path for his symbiote.

“Sauf and Secours, stay within the safety of the OrkElves,” said Smoke to the MaduHai Priestesses. “Prioritize healing them over me.”

“Same for me,” added Igniz.

Smoke was about to protest but trusted in Igniz’s fighting prowess.

Each one of the unfortunate grunts laid out before Igniz froze at the sight of Wertlosvati’s ax. But before they could attack or fight, the petrified Orks fell victim to his Salamander’s Tongue. All the OrkElves had to do was to finish off the dying the Orks left in his wake.

“We’re heading there!” commanded Smoke, pointing at the flying Ouragan and Chrysopelea.

Smoke could have flown with them, but he felt that he needed to lead the remaining OrkElves or they might all perish.

Dust clouds formed directly below Ouragan and Chrysopelea. Smoke surmised that it was caused by Tritank and his mounted Knights.

As they drew closer, the Orks they faced became stronger and much harder to kill.

“We’re almost there,” said Smoke out loud. “Just stay inside the pathway,” he added, observing some of the OrkElves poke their spears at the Orks. They targeted the grunts who were trying to attack them despite the protruded earth-spikes. “Fatay nairs Wertlosvati!” he screamed, joining the OrkElves’ war cry.

As Smoke’s entire unit moved deeper into the Ork Horde, the Ork grunts took advantage of their rear. They climbed through the wall of earth-spikes where there were no spears to stop them.

“Fubar! Fubar!” screamed one of the OrkElves near Smoke. “Sir, they’re right behind us!”

Smoke could do nothing but watch his men in the rear being slaughtered by the Orks. He erected a third wall of earth-spikes which stopped the Orks from reaching the rest of the OrkElves in the back.

“Stay compressed!” commanded Smoke. “Fatay nairs Wertlosvati!” He yelled again, but it clearly had lost its effect on the Orks as they fought more aggressively against them.

With less than five hundred meters to Tritank’s legion, Smoke continued his time-consuming vigilant pace.

Looking up, he spotted Ouragan and Chrysopelea dive down. Ouragan’s powerful twister sealed a section away from the Ork Horde.

Smoke surmised that they were fighting against one of the OlegHai Generals—the real leaders of the Ork Horde.

“Alright, let’s look for the second one,” said Smoke.

As Smoke looked around the battlefield, he felt something had changed. Then, it hit him. The elemental attacks from above the mountains had stopped.

A fourth of the Horde had broken through the Knights on the mountainside. Thus, the Magical units shifted their focus-fire on the Orks heading straight for them.

Smoke had half the mind to go and support the fallen Knights, but a dark shadow overhead changed his priorities.

A horned gray wyvern hissed its forked tongue. It had returned for Smoke in the most inopportune time. Ashen smog poured out from its nostrils, creating a thick haze of Ponderous Mist. It dove fast towards Smoke.

– [ENCUMBERED] Ponderous Mist has increased your weight by ten times.

By now, Smoke was used to this status ailment. However, the hoary fog had spread wide and affected the Orks as well.

“Graaak!”

“Watda!”

Smoke heard the screams of discomfort in Orkish as the Ork grunts were addled with the Ponderous Mist. He grinned as he watched them move slowly.

“Igniz, I’m counting on you,” said Smoke to his incarnated symbiote as their visibility vanished. Seeing nothing but the ashen smog, he created a complete Manatl around himself.

SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD

The gray wyvern’s sharp talons scratched the purple Manatl, but Smoke’s barrier stood defiant.

Wertlosvati’s Maniaxe was useless inside the Ponderous Mist, but the Salamander’s Tongue’s Incinerator ability bypassed the added weight.

Igniz, who remained outside the Manatl, unleashed hundreds of flaming shafts against the wyvern.

Each fiery shard punctured the massive draconic creature. The wyvern cried out in agony.

Despite the Ponderous Mist, the silhouette of the gray wyvern became clear to everyone. It was covered in illuminating pieces of the Salamander’s Tongue.

The Ork grunts abandoned attacking Smoke and the OrkElves. Instead, they went after the draconic monster which interfered their battle.

Dozens of Ork Grunts leaped onto the wyvern. They plunged their weapons into the wyvern’s thick scales.

Igniz seeing the opportunity, manipulated the flaming shards. The shafts of the flamberge exploded outwards, hitting the grunts. Then, he had the pieces of the sword implode back into the wyvern again.

The Orks were now nailed to the wyvern, both receiving the Burned and Bleeding status ailments.

“Gaaaaak!” cried out the wyvern. It rolled on the ground scraping off the Orks and the shards out of its body. The grunts laid still, as their last hit points had already left them.

Smoke canceled out his Manatl and pointed his glowing earth-staff at the draconic monster.

The wyvern had less than 15% left on its life bar.

Smoke propelled himself with a sudden burst of earth-pillars under his feet.

As he jumped over the wyvern’s head and was about to deliver the finishing blow.

In turn, the wyvern’s talons came rushing from the side, ready to do a dual-exchange.

Smoke tightened his body as he was about to be hit by the wyvern’s claws, but was suddenly kicked out of the way by Tritank. The pompous Sonstwelter came out of nowhere.

“What the?” said Smoke as he fell to the ground, off course from the wyvern. “I don’t need your help!”

Tritank sneered. “Who says I’m helping you.” The pompous Sonstwelter then chanted out loud. “Wyvern Imprint!”

A blue light engulfed both Tritank and the gray wyvern. It took less than three seconds for the light to vanish. But when it did, Tritank was already on top of the draconic beast.

“Finally got my mount!” screamed Tritank, jubilant. “I’ll be back. After this one fully recovers,” he said to Smoke. “Don’t worry if you can’t get the Generals. I’ll do it when I return.”

“Let’s go,” Tritank said to the almost-dead wyvern, which was now under his will.

Despite its injuries, the gray wyvern could still flap its wings and flew up into the sky.

“Here, this should help you a bit,” Tritank added. He patted on the wyvern’s head and the draconic monster lets out another Ponderous Mist from its nostrils.

Tritank saddled Smoke, the OrkElves, his own men, and the Ork Horde with the added encumbrance weight. All of them had to fight it out inside the low visibility mist.

* * * * * *

A howling hurricane blocked a small section of the valley. The Ork Horde could do nothing to enter Ouragan’s powerful twister. But it was slowly losing strength as it had been sustained for more than thirty minutes.

“Duke Chrysopelea, think you can handle a few more grunts?” asked Ouragan, flying overhead.

Chrys looked up and saw that the old HighElf looked winded. “Sorry, but no.” He said, and created a mini-tornado of his own, preventing the grunts from attacking him.

“Then, you better fly up,” said Ouragan, his face pained. “Can’t hold the hurricane any longer.”

“But we haven’t found the OlegHai General,” reasoned Chrys. “I’m sure he’s here somewhere.”

Abruptly, the howling winds stopped. Ouragan fell down, unconscious.

Chrys flew up to catch the old HighElf. “Hey, you alright?” he asked. Then, he noticed that Ouragan’s mana bar had been completely drained and that his life bar was already at 10%. “What happened? I didn’t see you get hit.”

Ouragan faintly opened his eyes. “I used Essence Conversion. It uses my life force and converts it to mana.”

“What? How could you be so reckless!” exclaimed Chrys, carrying the old man by his arms while flying upward. He scanned the mountain top, to where his own army was. “We better return to—” he stopped talking as he spotted a battalion of Knights, Bishops, and Mages led by a flashy tiger Lioumerean.

“Wait, Trottel’s here,” Chrys said to Ouragan. “His healers can help you,” he said and dove straight towards them. He landed next to the Priests. “Take care of him,” he said to one of the clerics. “I’ll leave you here for a bit. I’m just going to see Trottel,” he said to Ouragan and ran off.

In a matter of seconds, Chrys reached the front lines. “Hey, how did you get past the Orks?” he asked Trottel.

“Oh, it’s you,” replied Trottel. “It was easy. I had my army charge down the mountain when I saw the Knights of Thanotl fall.”

“What about my basecamp?” asked Chrys, worried. “Our walls are still holding, right?”

“Don’t know,” replied Trottel, hardly paying any attention to him. “As long as will kill Wertlosvati, we’ll win this war.”

Chrys shook his head. “Wertlosvati’s already dead. Faux’s OrkElf friend killed him.”

“What!” exclaimed Trottel, surprised. “But why are the Orks still fighting? I thought they would surrender once their General was killed.”

“Yeah, turns out it’s the OlegHai Generals we should be after,” replied Chrys. “Ouragan and I spotted one of them in this area.”

Then, they saw the gray wyvern cover an area near them with them Ponderous Mist.

“Is that the wyvern Faux was hunting?” asked Chrys out loud.

“Never mind that,” said Trottel. “We’ve got to focus on the Orks. Faux can handle himself.”

As Trottel was about to direct his Knights forward, twenty Orks with special armors blocked their path. These Orks were shorter than the ones they faced before. All of them were equipped with two knives.

“They’re called the MoriHai Marauders,” blurted out Ouragan, who suddenly landed behind them.

“Hey, you alright?” asked Chrys.

Trottel hissed. “It will take more than that to beat the strongest Prime Wizard.”

“Thanks, old friend,” said Ouragan to Trottel. “But you shouldn’t underestimate these Orks.”

Without warning, the MoriHai Marauders vanished inside the formation of Ork grunts.

“Looks like they ran off,” sneered Trottel. “Guess seeing three Prime Wizards at once was too much for them.”

“I don’t think—” began Chrys but was cut off as two of the MoriHai Marauders leaped up to attack him with their knives.

Chrys blocked them with a powerful gust of wind. One of the MoriHai Orks was blown away but the other evaded it and struck him in the arm.

Ouragan sent a surge of wind, which picked up the MoriHai Ork and sent him hurtling upward. The Ork’s limbs were then severed by wind-cutters in mid-air. “They’re faster than your average Assassins,” he said to Chrys.

Meanwhile, Trottel sent out branches of lightning from his wand and randomly fired at the Ork grunts. He kept firing until his mana bar fell below 30%. “There, am sure I got at least four or five of them.”

Chrys and Ouragan exchanged looks as they watched the fallen bodies of only Ork grunts disappear out of existence.

Then, both Chrys and Ouragan took to the skies. Their aerial advantage gave them a clear sight of the MoriHai Marauders.

Chrys created an Ork-sized poisoned-filled twister and contained four of them. The ones caught in their own personal twister fell down to the ground, convulsing as the poison entered their system. Their life bars were steadily depleting.

Whereas, a fully-recovered Ouragan unleashed ten columns of wind, launching a Marauder on each one. They flew over forty meters in the air. Only to land with their arms and legs dislocated.

“Wait, these guys are just a distraction,” blurted out Chrys as he spotted a conspicuous movement within the Horde. “Over there,” he said to Ouragan. “Think that’s the OlegHai General?”

“Let’s go find out,” said Ouragan. The old HighElf then hovered over the Lioumerean Prime Wizard. “Trottel, take care of the remaining Marauders,” he said and flew after Chrys, who was chasing after the supposed OlegHai General.

From above, Chrys saw two Orks who fit the profile of being the General. One was larger but older while the other wore a similar armor to the Marauders, only more decorated.

As Chrys dove closer, he heard the older Ork call out to the ornate Marauder. “General, escape through the fallen statues. Our men have secured a path for you,” said the Ork in the common tongue.

“Follow me,” said Chrys to Ouragan, who had just arrived.

Chrys created an Ork-sized twister and tried to capture the ornate Marauder.

However, the Ork easily evaded Chrys’ attack. He then took out two wavy knives that were at least a meter in length.

“Is that the OlegHai General?” asked Ouragan.

“Looks like it,” replied Chrys. “Careful, he’s got some fancy knife.”

“That’s called a kris,” replied Ouragan. He then sent out a jet of air but failed to hit the Ork as well.

Unexpectedly, the Ork vanished. Only to materialize behind Chrys. The wavy blades plunged into his back.

Ouragan was about to help Chrys but dozens of Ork grunts had surrounded them. The old HighElf was forced to leave Chrys to fend for himself while he created a powerful tornado around the two of them, preventing the other Orks from entering.

Chrys tried to free himself, but the wavy blades were stuck good. “Fine! Don’t get off me!” he said and trapped himself and the Ork inside his own green twister which was filled with poison gas.

The powerful winds were about to pick the Ork up, but the ornate Marauder wrapped his legs around Chrys’ waists. “Boangi, dilir kar kafildir nakir.” he yelled in Chrys’ ears. He pulled out one blade at a time, only to stab it back in. The twin blades alternated with each other, each strike lowering Chrys’ life bar.

Chrys tried choking the Ork but could not reach him. His punches also did little damage as he focused on Intelligence and magic. Desperate, he activated the wind-cutters within his poison twister and slashed the Ork’s back with it.

It was a struggle to see who would last longer. The Ork kept stabbing him from behind, while his poisonous gas and wind-cutters worked at the Ork’s life bar.

Just as Chrys watched his red life bar go down below 5%, a notification window popped up.

+ You’ve dealt a fatal blow to the MoriHai General: Schaf

+ You’ve killed the MoriHai General: Schaf

+ You’ve gained 3,000,000 EXP

+ You’ve gained a level

Chrys ended his poisonous twister and fell down next to the fallen MoriHai General. He picked up the kris and wondered out loud. “You’re not the OlegHai General? But I—”

Then, Chrys caught a glimpse of the older Ork, who called this one his General earlier. He winked at Chrys as he disappear into the crowd. The sneaky OlegHai General had taken off his ornate armor and hid with the Ork grunts.

* * * * * *

Encumbered by the Ponderous Mist, Smoke launched four earth-spikes, hitting the Orks who popped up next to him. His visibility was limited by the gray fog.

“Igniz, we need swords!” shouted Smoke.

At once, sixteen flame-swords materialized in mid-air. Their orange glow gave some clarity through the murky mist.

Smoke used his Fire Manipulation ability and took control over half the swords that Igniz made.

Since Smoke could no longer use his synergized state with the incarnated Igniz, this was what he came up with in order for him to use flame attacks.

Fighting almost blind, Smoke had the OrkElves form a chain, holding the person in front of them by the shoulder. He led one file while Igniz, who stood right beside him, led the other. The men following Smoke, kept thrusting their spears towards the left side, while the OrkElves behind Igniz attacked to the right. The MaduHai Priestesses named Sauf and Secours scattered themselves in between their two line formation, optimizing their support range.

The Ork grunts, who were also in the dark, only felt the sudden attacks. Whenever Smoke or Igniz heard an Ork scream, they sent their flame-swords to finish the job.

Pushing through the mist with this formation, Smoke spotted a tiny creature which camouflaged perfectly with the gray mist.

“Big Brother Igniz!” squeaked Daga. The little gray mouse scampered through the fog and hopped on the incarnated symbiote’s shoulder.

“Where’s Meneur?” asked Smoke, who felt ignored.

“Oh, right!” blurted out Daga. “I came looking for you because she’s up against Dastard.”

“Damn it! Why is she being so impulsive?” said Smoke out loud. “Where is she now?”

“She’s somewhere west of here,” answered Daga.

Smoke nodded. He then yelled out to his men. “We’re going after Dastard.”

They continued with their two-file line up as they advanced westward. The Orks were more affected by the Ponderous Mist as they were much slower than the OrkElves.

As they advanced farther, Smoke spotted a wide silhouette up ahead. He guessed that it was an army, but did not know whether they were friendly or not.

“Igniz, can you light that up,” said Smoke, pointing at the group in question.

In an instant, sixteen flying flame-swords flew over the unknown division.

Somewhat illuminated, Smoke saw Tritank’s army huddled together in a circle. They were led by a fat Sonstwelter Captain.

“Hey!” shouted Smoke to the fat Knight. “Have your men go westward. One of the OlegHai Generals is there.”

“And who are you supposed to be?” asked the fat Knight, indignant.

“I’m Faux,” answered Smoke quickly. “One of the Generals for the Vitzytl Kingdom.”

“Hmph! Sorry, no can do,” said the fat Knight, shaking his head. “Tritank left Captain Gras in charge of this army.”

“And which one is Captain Gras?” asked Smoke, looking behind the fat Knight.

“Why, me of course!” retorted Gras.

“Eh?” asked Smoke, confused. “Anyway, let’s go. Lead your men out of here.”

“Like I said, no can do!” replied Gras, louder. “We’re staying right here. Tritank said to hold this ground. No one’s gonna make us move, not the Orks and especially not some unknown General wanna be.”

Daga then jumped from Igniz’s shoulders onto Smoke’s. “Forget about them. Meneur needs us!”

“Right,” said Smoke, nodding his head. “Forward!” Not bothering to waste any more time with Gras.

After ten minutes and two hundred Ork grunts felled, Smoke and his men reached the boundary of the Ponderous Mist.

It was then that he saw the grim development of the battlefield. ‘What a mess!’ was his immediate thought. He used his Telefax Vision to get a clearer picture.

A medium-sized twister was in the east. Ork grunts, wagons, hell boars, and dirus wolves were picked up by the turbulent winds. He surmised that Ouragan and Chrys were probably fighting there.

Smoke then turned his attention over to the fallen effigies. The ruins of the former Kings of Sawtorn held firm and blocked the valley’s passage. He could see that the Knights were still holding their ground. Whereas, the Wizards and Priests located above them continued their ranged support. That was probably the only part of the plan that was going well for them at the moment.

Then, a large movement near the mountaintop caught Smoke’s attention. The commotion was near Prince Matalim’s flamboyant Tent. A myriad of elemental spells continuously came out from the Wizards stationed outside the Prince’s Shelter. But thousands of Orks on top of dirus wolves and hell boars were easily breaking through the Knights, Priests, and Wizards who were posted near the barricades protecting the Prince.

Smoke closed his eyes and his eyebrows crossed. He was weighing the option on whether to help Prince Matalim or to go to Meneur.

Then, for once, Smoke was pleased to see the sight of the otherwise irritable Tritank. The pompous Sonstwelter was on top of his newly subjugated wyvern. He was flying over the Orks threatening Prince Matalim’s tent. Tritank then covered the Orks in Ponderous Mist.

“Daga, where to?” asked Smoke, his objective focused.

“That way,” squeaked Daga, pointing over to the section of the Horde near the collapsed megaliths.

Smoke sighted a banner within the Ork Horde and headed straight for it, but was stopped by Daga.

“No, that’s just a decoy,” said Daga. “Dastard is somewhere to the right of that banner.”

Smoke clicked his tongue. “Sneaky Orks,” he said and changed the direction of his OrkElf army.

“Igniz, take the lead,” said Smoke.

Equipped with a fiery flamberge on his right and a dreadful ax on his left, Igniz sliced through the Orks blocking their path. He then used the wide arc of the Maniaxe and created a wide gap in the Orks formation.

“Split into five lines,” said Smoke to his troops. He stood still while the OrkElves got into a square position.

He had the ground he stood on rise upward, creating an earth-pillar at the center of this new formation. Once completed, he then created an earth-spike wall which only left the front open. He had one of the Ork Priestesses cover the OrkElves near the wall, while the other was sent with Igniz in the front lines.

“Forward!” said Smoke and slowly added more earth-spikes to the sides as they did so.

Ten minutes had already passed, but Smoke and his men had only moved a hundred meters.

Smoke, who still remained at the center of their movable-barracks, oversaw the fighting on all three sides. He disregarded the front and entrusted it to Igniz.

Then, one of the OrkElves from the front lines ran up to him. “Sir!” called out the OrkElf. “Excuse me. But Sir Ilad is having a difficult time advancing.”

Smoke looked to the front and his eyes widened. He saw Igniz was up against four Orks wielding massive claymores. These jade giants were equipped with weapons that rivaled those of Ork Colonels— Wertlosmorder and Wertlosrauber.

Thankfully, the MaduHai Priestess named Sauf was good at her job. Igniz’s life bar remained above 75% as she positioned herself behind the incarnated symbiote.

“Everyone, hold your ground!” shouted Smoke. “Fatay nairs Wertlosvati!” he chanted.

At once, the OrkElves cried out their war mantra. “Fatay nairs Wertlosvati! Fatay nairs Wertlosvati!”

Smoke left his earth-pillar and glided towards Igniz. But before he descended he heard Igniz call out.

“Look up ahead,” yelled Igniz, pointing at the cold mist farther away. “Go help Meneur, I got this.”

Smoke checked Igniz’s life bar and found it at full capacity. ‘Yes, Sauf is a dependable healer.’

Suddenly, Daga jumped off Smoke. “Go!” she screamed as she fell. She landed on one of the claymore-wielding Orks and bit his ear.

Grabbing this opening, Igniz charged forward with the maniaxe and knocked all of them backward. Daga sprinted towards the Ork Priestess as Igniz used his flamberge’s Incinerator ability. A flaming sphere of the fiery shards engulfed the four Orks and Igniz.

“Daga, make sure both of you stay alive!” said Smoke as he glided towards the cold fog.

* * * * * *

From above, Smoke could see the Orks who tried to touch the mist were frozen solid. He also saw a shape hidden within it—a mound of ice.

However, there was a small opening at the epicenter of the frozen ridge.

Without hesitation, Smoke dove in. The moment he entered through the hole, he felt his body stiffen. The air was below freezing. He created a spherical Manatl to protect himself from the cold. Before, he would have used flames to warm himself up, but he could no longer do that now.

Inside, he found hundreds of Ork grunts frozen solid. There were even a few hell boars caught by Meneur’s freezing spell. They were still alive, but all of their life bars were below 5%.

At the center of the freezing mist, he found Meneur impaled by a peculiar weapon. She was standing next to a large block of ice twice her height.

“You made it,” whispered Meneur, the mark of dried-up blood left on the sides of her mouth.

“What happened?” asked Smoke, canceling his spherical Manatl and rushing next to her. Upon closer inspection, he found that the owner of the unusual weapon was stuck inside the block of ice.

“That’s Dastard,” said Meneur faintly, pointing at the frozen Ork next to her. “Fumbled—big time,” she added, her eyes whitened.

Smoke sensed that it was not caused by her blindness, rather it was due to Meneur’s life bar which displayed 3%.

He then turned to Dastard and found that the OlegHai General’s life bar displayed (485,000/1,500,000 HP).

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, taking out a pompom juice and forcing the healing drink down Meneur’s throat. “We’ll finish him together.”

“Never mind the drink!” angrily said Meneur. “Hit him now!”

“No, we need to heal you—” began Smoke, but was slapped by Meneur.

“I said… kill him!” she screamed. “While I still have the power to hold him,” she added slowly, her voice wavered.

Smoke stepped back and took in a deep breath to clear his head. He needed an attack that would finish the job but he also had to account for Meneur’s safety.

“Alright. You ready?” Smoke asked Meneur.

“Do it already!” replied Meneur.

Smoke launched a thick earth-spike, with the intent to impale Dastard and simultaneously free Meneur.

However, the moment the earth-spike broke through the block of ice, Dastard’s sword shifted and pulled Meneur along with him. The Ork General had evaded Smoke’s attack and escaped.

As the peculiar sword revealed its true shape, Meneur’s life bar was drained to zero. A thick blunt blade with a hook at its tip, a blade-crescent for its guard, and a metal stake for its hilt.

Meneur’s lifeless body fell to the ground. As it started to fade out to nothingness, the OlegHai spoke. “Thanks!” sneered Dastard. “She almost got me there,” he added, standing up to his full height and revealing a second hook sword.

The OlegHai General towered over Smoke at two and a half meters. Yet, he was lean compared to Wertlosvati. His tusks were also shorter but his hair was longer which covered his face.

“Shouldn’t have underestimated her just because she’s blind now,” said Dastard, who spoke fluent Lacerta. “Anyway, who are you supposed to be, DarkElf?” He paused as if he recognized Smoke. “Oh, wait… I know! You must be Faux! The smartass who thought he could defeat the Horde.”

Smoke immediately put up his spherical Manatl and tightened his grip on the clay staff.

Dastard charged at Smoke and attacked the manatl.

SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD

Sparks flew out of the hook swords as it made contact with Smoke’s barrier. His clay staff began to glow as it stored the OlegHai’s attacks.

Yet, after only four strikes, Dastard stopped attacking. “So, you’re really a Manatl user.”

Dastard leaped backward. “Thought you could hit me with that charged attack, huh?” He laughed. “Sorry, but I’m not an idiot.”

The OlegHai General began to leave. When he reached farther away, he stopped. “See you around, Boangi,” he said to Smoke. “Feel free to stay inside your cozy Manatl while I lead my Orks to victory,” he added and started walking again.

Standing in the same spot, Smoke observed Dastard’s actions. The OlegHai General casually strolled onward, about to exit Meneur’s frozen cavern.

Smoke then stared at the now empty space where Meneur’s body vanished. He took out a jar of pompom juice and finished it in one gulp.

“Fatay nairs Wertlosvati!” called out Smoke.

“Whoa! You know Orkish?” asked Dastard, turning around. “Call me impressed,” he added, pointing his twin hook swords at Smoke. “But Wertlosvati being dead, is a good thing. A Horde with many leaders is fast, but a Horde with one is unstoppable.”

Dastard chuckled. “Heck, now I only have to kill Snide and I’ll be the ruler of the Ork Hor—”

The OlegHai General stopped mid-sentence and dodged backward as Smoke attacked him with two earth-spikes from the ground.

“Tsk tsk tsk. That’s not fair,” complained Dastard. “You get to attack me, but I can’t hit you. Besides, Meneur already injured me badly,” he reasoned farther, indicating that his life bar was already at 32%. “Get out of your Manatl and I’ll fight you.”

Smoke ignored Dastard and launched eight more earth-spikes. But Dastard easily evaded all of them.

“Am not sticking around for that kind of fight,” said Dastard and started running for the exit.

Smoke erected four earth-spikes to block the Ork’s path.

Dastard laughed and struck two earth-spikes with his hook swords. The earth-spikes crumbled as it met the blunt force of the Ork’s blades. He then bounced over the torn-down earth-spikes and was about to leave when he heard Smoke call out.

“Wait!” said Smoke, canceling his Manatl sphere. “How’s this?”

“Hmm… Don’t know,” said Dastard. “You could just put it up again.”

Smoke threw the sacred clay staff near Dastard’s feet. “There! Satisfied?” he asked, tightening his Gauntlets of Orcinol.

“Well, I’ll be!” exclaimed Dastard. “You’re really looking down on me, huh?”

Dastard got off the broken earth-spikes and walked slowly towards Smoke. His twin hook swords made an irksome sound as it scratched against the ground.

Then, when Dastard got closer, the OlegHai General charged at Smoke.

In response, Smoke sent up eight earth-spikes. All of which were pulverized by Dastard’s hook swords.

Needing to create some distance between them, Smoke leaped back as he prepared to launch another attack. But the metal stake at the hilt of Dastard’s hook swords suddenly slashed his left shoulder, sending him sprawling on his back.

Confused at how the Ork cleared such a large distance between, Smoke looked up. He saw that Dastard had linked the twin swords by their hooks, greatly extending the reach of the weapon.

Dastard spun the hook swords around one more time before he grabbed the second one by its handle, holding each blade with one hand. “Looks like I got you there,” sneered Dastard.

Ignoring the pain, Smoke formed a fist with his right hand. Eight earth-spears were crafted in mid-air and flew straight for Dastard.

Leading with the crescent guards, Dastard deflected the earth-spears one by one. He only stopped on the last one and caught it by the hooks of his sword. He pivoted his body around and sent the caught earth-spear back at Smoke.

In response, Smoke simply opened his palms and disintegrated the earth-spear into dust.

Unexpectedly, Dastard popped up in front of Smoke. With one swipe of his thick blade, he caught Smoke’s left leg by the hook. He pulled Smoke towards him and pierced the metal stake of his second sword into Smoke’s shoulder.

Simultaneously, an earth-spike struck Dastard’s groin. The OlegHai jumped backward and avoided from being impaled.

Smoke clutched the wound on his shoulder. He wanted to assess Dastard’s fighting ability and gauge the damage of the hook swords. He thought he had the advantage, what with the OlegHai already being injured. But only after taking two hits, his life bar was reduced to 65%. None of his ranged earth-spikes struck the Ork. Yet, the blunt hook swords packed more punch than he thought. Three more attacks from those thick blades would surely claim his life. Moreover, there was another thing that bothered him. His body was already shivering. It was so cold Smoke could see his breath.

“Oh-ho! What’s this? No resistance to Ice, huh?” mocked Dastard, extending his swords and embraced the freezing wind. “Not to brag, but I’ve been in this situation before,” he added pointing around the ice cavern Meneur created. “And I won last time too.”

Needing to recover both his life and mana bars, Smoke hid inside an earth-dome.

CRACK CRACK CRACK

“Aww. I like this one!” jeered Dastard from outside as he whacked his hook swords against Smoke’s earth-dome. “Won’t you come out and play.”

Smoke gulped down another pompom jar. He only had one left. As he tightened his Gauntlets of Orcinol, the earth-dome crumbled. He used his Serval Shoes’ Trailblazer ability and escaped Dastard’s reach.

“Now, that’s lame!” said Dastard, threatening Smoke with one of his hook swords. “Why would you want to warm up a perfectly cool place like this.”

Without another word, Smoke used the increased movement speed from the Trailblazer and ran circles around Dastard, leaving a wall of flames in his wake.

“What? You just gonna run around?” asked Dastard, trying to follow Smoke’s movement in the flames. “Come on, Boangi. Show me what you go—”

Dastard’s face flew backward as his neck was forcibly twisted by Smoke’s right cross.

Smoke used his Hyper Jump Ability and hopped out of his circular fire wall. Sharp spikes protruded out of Smoke’s knuckles as he activated the gauntlet’s Panthera Claws ability, increasing both his attack speed and damage. His fists disappeared into a blur.

Dastard tried to counter with his crescent guard, but Smoke used the Ork’s stomach as a foothold and leaped back into the flames.

The OlegHai General extended his hook sword into the path of the Trailblazer, but Smoke sprang out to punch him in the face instead. After just two brawls, Smoke reduced Dastard’s life bar from 30% to 10%.

Dastard stumbled back to the center of the circular flames. He connected his twin swords by the hooks and in a circular motion attacked the wall of flames with the metal-stake on the hilt.

Once again, Smoke hopped out and evaded the Ork’s hook sword. However, this time, he was stabbed in the back by the metal-stake. Dastard changed the trajectory of the hilt as he pulled the sword back towards him.

Forcibly flying towards Dastard, Smoke felt the Ork’s crescent guard pierced his chest.

Dastard lifted him up and twisted his sword, inflicting more damage. Smoke’s life bar instantly fell to 50%.

“Got you now, Boangi!” jeered Dastard.

The circular flames from Smoke’s Trailblazer ebbed. A bleeding Smoke looked down at Dastard and said. “No, I got you.”

Smoke used the flames from his Trailblazer and melded it with the earth. A massive magma-hand came out from underneath Dastard and squeezed him to death.

A choking Dastard released his grip on his hook sword, which made Smoke fall to the ground.

THUD

Dastard’s green skin turned black and the smell of burning flesh filled the ice cavern.

Smoke got out a healing salve and applied it on his chest. He looked up and watched as the last hit points of Dastard was crushed out of him.

A notification window popped up and confirmed that it was over.

+ You’ve dealt a fatal blow to the OlegHai General: Dastard

+ You’ve killed the OlegHai General: Dastard

+ You’ve gained 4,000,000 EXP

+ You’ve gained a level.

He walked over to where he threw his sacred clay staff and picked it up. Then, after Dastard’s body vanished, he heard the sound of two heavy objects fall to the ground.

Stowing away his staff he rushed to pick up Dastard’s dropped items.

+ Acquired epic hook swords: Sun and Moon Blades

Upon closer inspection, he saw that one of the hook swords had a gold handle behind the crescent guard. A sun was etched into it. Whereas, the other sword had a silver handle engraved with the moon.

Sun and Moon Blades (Hook Swords)

These swords were said to have been forged for the sons of the great god Cuezaltzin—Tecatl and Tonati. Yet, a tragic accident occurred when the two of them died during a sparring session. Cuezaltzin laid Tonati’s body in the sun and Tecatl’s body in the moon. As a sign of remorse, he had the swords turned into blunt weapons but was given a special property to work well together.

—————————-

Sun Blade

—————————-

+ 200% Attack Damage against Ice-based Creatures

* Solar Slash (Active)

> Consumes all of your MP and transforms the Sun Blade into a ray of Sun. It inflicts your maximum MP x 1.5 of pure Fire Damage

Restrictions:

-Warrior Variations Only

– Needs maximum MP to activate

—————————-

Moon Blade

—————————-

+ 200% Attack Damage against Fire-Based Creatures

* Lunar Force (Active)

> Consumes half your MP and increases the weight of the Moon Blade by 10% of the MP you used.

Restrictions:

– Warrior Variations Only

– Needs half of total MP to activate

—————————-

Sun & Moon Blade

—————————-

* Brothers Reunited (Active)

> Consumes a third of your MP to teleport you from the sun blade to the moon blade and vice-versa.

Restrictions:

– Needs at least a third of total MP to activate

– Maximum Range is 200 Meters

Smoke smiled in amazement, but then he frowned as he remembered that Meneur had been killed by these swords. He walked over to where her body was. The only thing that was left was her long brown robe. He collected it and stowed it away.

With nothing left for him inside the ice cavern, Smoke ventured outside.

He was taken aback at the booming sounds of thunder. Dark clouds filled up the sky as massive lightning bolts struck down the ground. Hailstones as large as a man’s head pelted from above.

Electrocuted bodies of the Orks and their mounts were laid out everywhere. There were even a few Sonstwelter Knights who were unfortunate enough to be caught in the range of their Lightning Tempest.

Yet, despite the expansive attack, Smoke could see a fluid movement from the Orks. They were not running around like headless chickens. Instead, they marched at a steady pace towards ruined effigies of the former kings.

Using his Telefax Vision, he found that the Wizards and Priests defending their trap’s exit had all been wiped out. The majority of the Horde continued to run out of Etonner Valley.

The mounted Knights assigned there abandoned their posts. Instead, they shifted their focus on attacking the Orks climbing the mountainside.

Following the direction of the mounted Knights, Smoke spotted Tritank and his wyvern. They were still defending the place near Prince Matalim’s tent. A massive mist of gray had split the mountain in half. Smoke assumed that hundreds of Orks were still trapped inside of it, remembering how they had almost reached the crowned Prince of Thanotl.

The mounted Knights blocked the escape of the Orks caught in Tritank’s Ponderous Mist.

A torrent of elemental spells continued to rain on the hapless Orks. Some did manage to get out of the mist, only to be skewered by the Knights’ lances.

Then, Smoke spotted two persons flying above him. Ouragan and Chrysopelea rushed towards the valley’s exit. But they were not flying too high up as the lightning strikes also targeted them.

Once the two wind specialists arrived, they began powering up a tornado to block the Orks’ escape.

Chrys and Ouragan’s tornado caught dozens of escapees and sent them hurtling upwards. But there were even more Orks who simply moved to the side and continued to rush out of the valley.

Boulders and earth-walls were also being put up, but the Orks are expert climbers. The ones on foot scaled the earth-blockades like there were carved-out steps on the mountainside. Dirus wolves and hell boars were discarded without a care. Their riders joined their jade-skinned brethren and clambered over the boulders.

A confused Smoke did not know what to do. The Lightning Tempest had finally been activated, but there were barely any Orks left in the valley.

Then, a little gray mouse suddenly scampered onto Smoke’s shoulder. “Snide is leading the Orks to retreat,” she happily squeaked. “Except for the ones caught in the Ponderous Mist, most of the Orks have left the valley and are running for their lives,” she reported proudly.

“That’s bad,” replied Smoke.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” asked Daga. “We won.”

“No,” somberly answered Smoke. “Because we were here to wipe them out.”

* * * * * *

It had been a full day after the joint armies of Vitzytl and Thanotl fought the Ork Horde. They wiped out the ones trapped inside the Ponderous Mist and the grunts left frozen for dead inside Meneur’s ice cavern.

Smoke had just logged back in after his scheduled two-hour sleep in the real world. He opened his eyes and found his bare, modest-sized tent empty.

He wondered if Igniz and Daga had already reached the swamp lands, as the MaduHai Priestesses asked to be brought home. Cynar and the OrkElves offered to lead them there by themselves, but Smoke wanted to Igniz and Daga to join them.

Needing some air, he stepped outside to what he thought would be a now desolate valley but was astounded to find bustling Sonstwelters everywhere.

The once green valley was blackened by their campaign. Craters and scorch marks from the Lightning Tempest were evident. Even though the war against the Horde was over, there were still numerous Sonstwelters in the war-torn Valley. A few of them were scavenging for dropped items that were otherwise unclaimed. Whereas, the ones belonging to a large guild were busy rounding up dirus wolves and hell boars abandoned by the Orks.

Without notice, an elderly HighElf grabbed him by the shoulders from behind. “Thank Tlaltezin you’ve returned,” blurted out Ouragan. “Hurry! King Kajou and Prince Matalim are about to go to war.”

“The King’s here?” asked Smoke, surprised.

“Yeah, he arrived a few hours ago,” replied Ouragan. “He began asking how the battle went and when Tritank and Prince Matalim came to his tent… Well, let’s just say it’s a good thing King Kajou isn’t a Warrior.”

Ouragan led Smoke towards an even more stately tent than the one Prince Matalim used. It could easily fit ten of the Prince’s tents.

“Magietrois Florissant, I found him,” said Ouragan to Eleve as soon as they entered.

Inside the vast tent, Smoke spotted the hairy King trying his best to pull out a sword from its scabbard but was unsuccessful. Chrysopelea and Trottel stood next to the King, both pointing their wands at the crowned ruler of the Thanotl Kingdom.

Simultaneously, Prince Matalim had drawn out his sword. Tritank and ten other Knight Captains had their own weapons and shield at the ready. They stood closely behind their Prince.

“This is bad,” said Eleve to Smoke, worried.

“Calm down,” said Prince Matalim to King Kajou. “It doesn’t have to be like this.”

“Ha! You’re one to talk!” screamed King Kajou, still trying to pull out his sword. “This was our chance to wipe out the Orks for good, but your Knights abandoned my Wizards and Priests. You caused this whole operation to fail, thousands of my citizens died for nothing.”

“Hey!” called out Tritank. “My Knights knew it was a lost cause defending the valley’s exit. It’s not our fault your Wizards and Priests weren’t smart enough to run for their lives.”

“How dare you speak to our King that way!” yelled Trottel, launching a lightning bolt at the Sonstwelter.

Two Knights stepped forward and blocked the attack with their shields.

“King Kajou, I know this is far from our desired outcome” began Prince Matalim. “But there are several merits that we’ve accomplished.”

“Hmph!” scoffed King Kajou.

“Our initial goal was to kill their Supreme General—Wertlosvati,” added Prince Matalim. “We did that. We even killed his UrukHai Colonels.”

“The MoriHai General called Schaf…and the OlegHai General named Dastard were killed too,” chimed in Tritank.

“Wow! What gall to say those accomplishments,” countered Trottel. “Wertlosvati was killed by Faux’s OrkElf friend, Schaf was killed by Prime Wizard Chrysopelea, and Dastard was killed by Faux himself.”

“Yeah? Well… My wyvern and I killed more than a fourth of the entire Horde!” claimed Tritank

“What? You’re honestly going with that,” argued Trottel, exasperated. “If you sent your wyvern to the valley’s exit we could’ve kept the stupid Orks within the reach of our Lightning Tempest!”

“If you’re going to point fingers, then blame it on Meneur!” retorted Tritank. “Wasn’t this her plan? And Faux’s OrkElves could have stalled the Orks from escaping. But I guess they weren’t as dumb as your Wizards and Priests to sacrifice themselves for a lost cause.”

The back and forth arguments between Trottel and Tritank only worsened the situation.

Then, King Kajou finally pulled out his sword from its scabbard and tried to attack Prince Matalim. But the stout King was too far away, hitting only air and stumbled on the ground by himself.

“This is the end of our alliance,” declared King Kajou, sprawled on the floor. “After we wipe out the Orks, we’re claiming your lands next,” he added as he was being helped up by Trottel and Chrysopelea.

Eleve clutched Smoke’s hand and said. “You’ve got to do something. If this happens, then the Horde will win.”

With certainty, Smoke knew that she spoke the truth. It was clear that the alliance was over. Instead, an all-out war would break. The MaduHai Orks and OrkElves would be offered up as sacrificial lambs, reasons why this whole undertaking failed. He could see the Horde running rampant throughout Sawtorn. Especially now that they were solely led by Snide.

Stepping away from Eleve and Ouragan, Smoke suddenly let out a burst of maniacal laughter. “Hahahahaha! You fools did everything I wanted!” Each one of his palms pointed at King Kajou and Prince Matalim. Swiftly, he captured the royals in earth-binds. Before anyone could react, he got out his sacred clay staff and surrounded himself in a spherical Manatl.

A second too late, Tritank, Trottel, and the Knights from Thanotl went to attack Smoke’s barrier.

SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD

But their strikes and elemental magic could do nothing against his Manatl.

“Faux? What are you doing?” asked Chrysopelea.

Ouragan and Eleve both looked at each other, confused.

“Now, listen well. For this thought-out plan is too impressive not to share,” began Smoke, making his voice deeper, acting out his self-imposed role as the villain. “It all began when I successfully infiltrated the 13th Magi Gagnant Tournament.”

“What?” asked Chrysopelea out loud, shaking his head in disbelief.

“During the preliminaries, I searched for Magietrois Florissant and became her student.” He smirked and winked at Eleve. “All I did was play along. With that, I gained her trust and her powers.”

“What are you doing?” asked Eleve in a whisper.

“Just play along,” hushed Smoke. “I intentionally placed second and lost the tournament to win Ouragan’s favor,” he went with a much louder voice. “But was surprised that I also fell in good graces with that snot-nosed imbecile,” he added, pointing at King Kajou.

“Why you little—” began King Kajou, but was silenced by an earth-wrap which covered the King’s nose hair and mouth.

“You see, I was working with the Horde the whole time,” revealed Smoke. “Thankfully, General Snide is a genius. He sensed that something was wrong with the MaduHai Orks. So, he sent me there.”

“How long did you plan this?” asked Tritank. “And to think that I would’ve offered you to join my guild!” he added with disgust in his voice.

An earth-ball struck Tritank in the jaw and knocked him down on the ground. “Shut up!” yelled Smoke. “I’m talking. This is my time!”

Tritank remained silent as he propped himself up.

“I gained the trust of the MaduHai Orks and became their emissary,” said Smoke. “And General Snide was right. Those magical Orks couldn’t be trusted.”

“Wait, so you didn’t kill Dastard?” asked Chrys. “No…” he paused as another realization came to him. “Don’t tell me you were the one that killed Meneur?”

“What of it?” asked Smoke. He gulped as he swallowed his guilt. “The MaduHai and OrkElves knew nothing. They followed me like mindless sheep.”

“And then you told Snide of our plans,” interjected Prince Matalim. “But why did the Horde still enter the valley?”

“Um… Well, that’s because…” stammered Smoke, his voiced cracked as he searched for a response.

“Because Snide didn’t tell anyone else,” concluded Prince Matalim. “This was his plan all along to get rid of the other Ork Generals.”

“And now he has full control of the Horde,” added Chrysopelea. “My King, we shouldn’t fight with the Thanotl Kingdom,” he said to the bound up monarch.

“That’s right!” exclaimed Smoke. “But with the way things are going now, I’m sure that this is the end of this pathetic alliance. Everything for the Horde!”

All of a sudden, Tritank attacked Smoke’s Manatl once again. The Thanotl Knights and Trottel joined in.

Smoke reinforced his Manatl, but after two minutes it showed signs of dissipating. He took in a deep breath and prepared for his death. He smiled at Ouragan and Eleve. If this was what it would take to preserve this alliance, then he was more than willing to make this sacrifice.

Tritank yelled out. “Everyone, let’s kill this son of a bit—”

Was the last thing Smoke heard as he unexpectedly felt a tingling sensation in his entire body. He was teleported away and left only a fiery afterimage of himself.

* * * * * *

When Smoke opened his eyes, he found himself in front of thousands of books, magical experiments, and floating balls of fire. He had seen this place before, it was the Magietrois Tower, a place hundred of kilometers away from Etonner Valley.

A small figure materialized from the flying balls of flames. It belonged to a familiar young girl.

“Flora?” asked Smoke. “I thought you died?”

“Child, that was but one of my Avatars,” she replied. “People used to call me Magietrois Florissant. But I don’t mind if you call me by that name.”

“You’re the real Magietrois Florissant?” asked Smoke, astonished. “Can you help me get to Mictlan?”

“My, my, my, presumptuous, aren’t we?” said Florissant. “Truth is, it’s our eldest sister Magna who is an expert in the afterlife.”

“Then, can you tell me how to find her?” asked Smoke.

“Wow!” exclaimed Florissant. “Ingrate much? A little thank you would be nice. After all, I just saved your life from that mob.”

Eight flying fireballs moved next to Smoke. He then felt dizzy, suffocating. The fireballs around him were sucking out the oxygen.

“Forgive me, Magietrois Florissant,” gasped Smoke and lowered his head to the floor. “Thank you for helping me.”

“Good. That’s better,” she said. The fireballs dispersed and she propelled Smoke in mid-air. “Now, normally, I wouldn’t have bothered with you. But Eleve kept on insisting that you were worthy… that you were special.”

“Eh?” replied a floating Smoke, oblivious of what to say. He now realized where Eleve got her sadistic nature.

Florissant loudly sighed. “You know, I kind of hate you,” she blurted out. “It’s not a good thing to be wrong in front of your student. But this time, I’m sort of glad I was.”

“Um… thank you?” said Smoke, afraid to lower his Intimacy with a real Magietrois. Then, he was gently lowered to the floor.

“You’re acting could use some work, though,” said Florissant. “Putting that aside, that thing you did back there was unbelievable. You do know that you can never step foot in any of the cities of Sawtorn again, right?”

“Yeah, but they needed a common enemy to hate,” replied Smoke. “Otherwise, they would have blamed each other.”

“There were about a dozen more solutions to that problem,” said Florissant. “But the one you came up with was very touching.”

“Um… touching enough to contact your sister Magna?” he asked with a wide grin.

“Definitely!” replied Florissant, nodding her head. “Only problem is… I don’t know how to find her. Both of them for that matter. Magna and Ancienne never respond to my calls.”

Smoke’s eyes widened as the flying fireballs swirled above Magietrois Florissant. In but a few seconds, he could already feel the temperature of the room drastically rise.

“As the youngest sister, they asked me to stay behind,” she said something ordinary, but her anger was clearly conveyed in her tone. “Of course, I obeyed,” she went on. Her frail figure of a little girl slowly changed to that of Flame Giant. She was even bigger than two Gargantuan Goblins stacked on top of each other.

Smoke strained his neck when he looked up at her full height. He steadily backed away from Florissant, feeling her blazing heat. Smoke’s life bar was being depleted. Despite his high resistance of 90% against Fire, he still received the Burned Status. He quickly got out his sacred clay staff and put up a spherical Manatl. Otherwise, he would have surely been killed.

“But after thousands of years… I just wish I could see them again,” she said somberly, slowly reducing in size and flames, reverting back to the little frail looking girl. “Anyway, enough about me reminiscing,” she added and stared at Smoke fully-focused on reinforcing his Manatl. “What are you doing?” she asked, confused. “Why are you so far away?”

Smoke canceled his Manatl and his Burned Status alleviated. “Nothing. Was just touched by your story.”

“Right… So, you want to talk about my sisters again?” asked Florissant.

“No!” exclaimed Smoke. “That’s fine.”

“Oh, alright,” replied Florissant. “Guess talking about old has-beens is kind of boring. Besides, what you really want to know is how to get to Mictlan, right?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” repeated Smoke, hopeful. “If it’s not too much trouble,” he hurriedly added.

“Well, I happen to have a one-way passage there,” said Florissant. “But I’m not sure if you can get back to Zectas once you’re in Mictlan.”

Chapter Eight:

Affected World

Barely anything was moving in the scorching lands of the desolate Grand Malodorant Dragonis. Yet, despite the skin-blistering heat, there were Sonstwelters and Zectians filled with life and gusto. All of them huddled up in one of the encampments left by the ruined DracoRicco guild.

Now, this place had become a way-point for those who dared venture into the land that destroyed the most powerful guild in Zectas. A place for those who wished to make a name for themselves, and claim the title of strongest.

Monster Slaying Quests such as killing aride and feuern wyrms ranged from Levels A to S were prevalent in the region. A formidable opportunity for rising guilds to grow.

As such, there was a cave near the encampment which had grown infamous in these parts.

+ Quest: Put out the Feuern Wyrm Queen

Monster Hunting Quest

Level: A

A Mother Feuern Wyrm was found in the cave of Silok.

Kill the Queen and win the hoard of riches the wyrms have gathered.

Accept the Quest? [YES/NO]

This Quest Window had now been seen by almost all of the new arrivals. As such, the Feuern Wyrm Queen was dubbed as the unkillable beast, hundreds of high-level Sonstwelters still willingly enter the mouth of what was now called the cave of Beguilement—Silok.

Due to this, the famed treasure hoard had grown thrice in value. The hard-earned equipment of those who succumbed to the luster of greed piled on top the now medium-sized hill of bounty.

Today, another set of aspirants were headed for the infamous cave. Five Paladins, four Priestesses, eight Wizards, sixteen Knights, and an Assassin.

“Told you the Ork War in Sawtorn was doomed,” blurted out a Paladin Captain.

“Yeah, good thing you decided not to go there,” added a Priestess, walking closely behind him. “Otherwise, our entire guild could have been wiped out.”

“Well, this cave isn’t a sure thing as well,” replied another Paladin. “Tristan brought his guild here.”

“But not even the mighty DracoRicco guild could take out the feuern wyrm,” added one of the Wizards.

“Correct. Ironically, this was also the place where DracoRicco disbanded,” added the Paladin Captain, acting out like a tour guide.

“Can you just shut up with that DracoRicco talk?” asked the lone Assassin, exasperated.

“Hey, stop being rude,” said a Priestess behind the Assassin and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Don’t forget we were the ones who begged to join them.”

“That’s right,” replied the Paladin Captain, all flustered. “Maybe, you two should just stay outside the cave.” He said, pointing for the Priestess and Assassin to leave.

“Sorry, Captain. He just had one too many drinks back in the encampment,” said the Priestess.

“No!” exclaimed the Paladin Captain. “That’s it! You two are out. You’re not getting any of that treasure.”

“Yeah! We don’t need you two anyway,” chimed in a Knight. “Our Hambog Guild alone is more than enough to take out this wyrm queen,” he added, pointing at the other Knights, Paladins, Priestesses, and Wizards.

“I see,” replied the Priestess, forlorn. “I understand. Both of us are going back up. Again, sorry to have troubled you and good luck with that dragon.”

The kicked-out Priestess pulled the Assassin by the arm and headed outside the cave’s mouth.

“Ha! Those two don’t know jack!” said the Paladin Captain. “She doesn’t even know the difference between a wyrm and a dragon.”

Then, the Paladin Captain laughed hard. The members of the Hambog Guild all looked at each other first before they joined in with him.

After the Assassin and Priestess left, the Paladin Captain led his guild farther into the cave. The Priestesses and Wizards put up illuminating spells to light their path.

“Enzo?” asked one of the Priestesses, tapping on the Paladin Captain’s shoulder. “Are you sure that it’s just the wyvern here?”

“Damn it, Emma,” replied the Paladin Captain. “How many times do I have to tell you to call me Captain?”

Suddenly, skeleton warriors and trolls charged at them from the dark shadows of the cave.

“Then what are those?” asked Emma, taking cover behind Enzo—the Paladin Captain.

“What?” replied Enzo, clearly taken aback. “They’re just illusions,” he said, doing his best to stand his ground. “No one attack,” he added. His hands fidgeted for his sword but did his best to do nothing against the incoming monsters.

“They’re meant to waste your MPs,” explained Enzo. “Trust me, I did my research. I know what I’m doing,” he added, his voice trembling.

Dozens of skeleton warriors and trolls kept on with their intimidating charge. Yet, as soon as the monsters made contact with the members of the Hambog Guild they vanished.

“See? What did I tell you?” said Enzo.

“Way to go, Enz— I mean Captain,” said Emma, stepping away from the Paladin Captain.

“Now, let’s go,” said Enzo, leading thirty-two Sonstwelters to slay the supposed unkillable wyrm queen. “It’s right here,” he said, leading them towards the next corner. “The forums said that the cave could hold at most forty people at once but no guild has tried to do it with more than twenty members.”

Enzo stopped and signaled for everyone to keep quiet. He got out a parchment and checked on his notes. “We’re here,” he said, “Remember, no sudden moves.”

The guild members stretched out their necks to take a peek. There, they found a flaming wyrm, deep in its slumber. It looked peaceful, with its wingless body curled around the treasure hoard.

“It’s supposed to be ten meters long from head to tail,” explained Enzo, checking his notes. “But the girth of its body should only be one and a half meters.”

“No way,” said one of the Wizards. “Your notes must be outdated. That thing should be at least twice that size.”

“My, that’s one big wyrm,” whispered Emma.

“Never mind that,” said Enzo. “Just remember why we’re here,” he added pointing to the treasure behind it.

“And it’s weakness is its head, huh?” confirmed Emma.

“Yes,” answered Enzo. “At least, that’s where most of the guilds dealt the highest damage.”

“Alright, what’s the plan?” asked Emma.

“Let’s go for a sure win,” began Enzo. “I’ll lead the Paladins and Knights at the front,” he paused and turned to Emma. “You stay with the Healers and Wizards at the back.”

With that, the Priests and Priestesses of the Hambog Guild began to cast buff spells on everyone. When all of the members finished their preparations, they readied themselves as they waited for Enzo’s signal.

“Remember, retreat towards the healers if your life bars get below fifty percent,” said Enzo to his fellow Paladins and Knights. He then walked over to his younger cousin. “Emma, make sure to focus your healing on me, got that?”

“Of course,” replied Emma.

“Okay, okay. Looks like everyone’s ready,” said Enzo. “Let’s go!” he yelled out, calling the attention of the sleeping feuern wyrm.

“Roooooaaar!” roared the awoken feuern wyrm.

“Why did you do that?” asked Emma. “Now, it knows we’re here.”

“So that its attention is on me,” replied Enzo, charging forward with his shield. The other Paladins and Knights followed in the same manner.

The Wizards fired their elemental spells at the wyrm’s head, displaying its name and life bar—Truffatore (4,978,000/5,000,000 HP). Despite the torrent of attacks, the monster was barely damaged.

In retaliation, it uncoiled its body from the treasure horde and slithered around the Paladins and Knights. The Hambog Tanks were knocked off their feet, only to be pressed down by the thick body of Truffatore. Their life bars steadily dwindled as they were being squashed by the wingless monster.

“No one stop!” cried out Emma. “Aim for its head,” she called out as she kept casting double damage on the feuern wyrm queen.

Truffatore ignored the ranged attackers. In fact, its mouth opened wide as it let out a deafening yawn. With one flick of its body, the life bars of the Paladins and Knights fell below 10%.

“Emma, it’s too strong!” said Enzo, before his last hit points left him and died.

Enzo’s body vanished under the weight of the massive wyrm. Seconds later, the rest of the Paladins and Knights followed.

Then, the feuern wyrm began sweeping the left-behind items with its body towards the treasure hoard.

“Run!” shouted Emma to the rest of her guildmates, as she sprinted for her life. The other Priests and Wizards close behind her.

As soon as it finished stowing the items away, Truffatore wriggled its massive body out of the hoard and slithered towards the cave’s exit.

Fueled by their companions’ demise, Emma and the rest of the Hambog Guild members were fast on their feet. They could already see the light to freedom.

Yet, as Emma stepped out of the cave, she felt a painful sharp object puncture her foot. She looked down and found a small hooked knife that punctured through her right shoe. “Everyone, be careful,” she said. But before she could warn her guildmates, they had already fallen for the same hooked knife.

“Waaaaah!” screamed her guildmates as they were devoured by the wingless wyrm.

CRACK CREAK CRACK

The sounds of their bones being crushed tormented Emma’s ears. She looked around searching for help and spotted the Priestess and Assassin they had kicked out earlier.

“Help!” she screamed at them as the supposed unkillable wyrm queen drew closer.

The Assassin hunched down and gave her a condescending look. “Why?”

“Fine! I hope it gets you too!” Emma yelled, casting a petrification spell on him.

Before Truffatore’s mouth could devour Emma, she saw the Assassin remain in the same position, immobilized.

CRUNCH CRUNCH

While Emma’s bones were being crushed, a blue casting circle appeared beneath the stunned Assassin and canceled Emma’s petrification.

“Damn! I didn’t think she’d know that,” said the Assassin.

“Oh, shut up, Bones,” said the Priestess who saved him. “You’re just careless.”

Less than a meter away, the massive Truffatore chewed on Emma’s body in front of the Assassin and the Priestess.

“Sue me, Aurora,” replied Bones. “Truff, can you back away a bit?” he said to the wingless wyrm.

At once, the massive feuern wyrm queen obeyed.

Then, a Paladin Lord in shining gold armor stepped out from Silok Cave. “Bones, she’s right. You better shape up,” said Tristan. “Aurora, can you please?” he asked the Priestess.

Healing lights enveloped the supposed wyrm queen, completely restoring its life bar.

“Their items aren’t bad too,” said Bones, examining the scepter Emma left behind.

Tristan scoffed, unimpressed at their newly acquired loot. “You can keep those if you want.”

“Really? You don’t want me to put it with the rest of the hoard?” asked Bones, smiling.

“No,” flatly replied Tristan. “Besides, this will be the last time we’re hunting items.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” asked Bones.

“We’re moving out,” replied Tristan.

“About time!” exclaimed Bones. “You know, Third’s been really making a name for himself,” he went on, examining the dropped loot. “In fact, I think he might be slightly ahead of us. What with him being Duke of Thalzoc City.”

“Just concentrate on your items,” Aurora said to Bones while examining Truffatore herself.

“We ever heading back to Tonaci City?” blurted out Bones. “I know you could easily reclaim your title.”

Tristan did not reply but stared intently towards the southern skies.

“Although, Third is in a bit of a pickle,” went on Bones, laughing. “Sure was lucky he wasn’t kicked out. What with that whole Ork Horde foul up—” He stopped mid-sentence as Tristan forcibly covered his mouth with gauntlets.

“It wasn’t Third’s fault!” Tristan screamed at Bones. “My brother and the allied kingdoms could have easily defeated the Orks if it wasn’t for Faux!”

“Yeah, of course,” said Bones, breaking free from Tristan’s grip. “That Faux character sure was sneaky.”

“Exactly!” declared Tristan. “I thought Smoke was deceitful, but now I think Faux’s even worse.”

“Truffatore, get out of this disguise,” said Aurora, catching their attention and diffusing the tension.

The orange wingless wyrm lowered its head in obedience. A pair of expansive wings sprouted out on its back as crimson flames enveloped its body. Next, came out its arms and legs, with sharp claws on its ends. A set of majestic horns, forming the shape of a crown, popped out of its head, as its neck stretched out and thinned. When the transformation was finished, Truffatore had the spitting image of Valdurath, one of the twelve legendary dragons of Zectas.

“So, where we heading?” asked Aurora.

“Sawtorn. We’re helping Third deal with Faux,” replied Tristan.

* * * * * *

Ominous shadow figures emerged over the ice-capped mountains whenever the afternoon sun outlined the thousands of trees. The potential danger skulking behind every silhouette made most newcomers on the edge. Glacial bears, Undead yetis, and snow banshees were but some of the monsters that concealed themselves in the dark forest. Yet, there were creatures far more eerie than this in the forgotten kingdom of Aquilomentl.

A log-wall covered in snow was the only protection from the dangers that lurked outside the encampment of Ville de Plaisir.

Today, the Zectian watch-guard on duty saw an unusual snow storm come blitzing through the white plains which time left behind.

“Call Sir Salace!” shouted the watch-guard to his comrade below.

As the snow storm drew closer, the heads of two stag moose popped out. They were pulling a heavily armored war carriage driven by a tigress Lioumerean.

In a matter of seconds, they crossed the white plains that stretched over three kilometers. Then, the snow cloud gathered in front of the encampment’s closed gate.

“Whoa, Tulin. Whoa, Bilis,” called out Gandiva, as they revealed themselves to be the source of the snow storm. The tigress Lioumerean knocked on the door before she got off. She rubbed the chin of her stag moose and got out two apples for her beloved mounts. While munching on the apple, the stag moose called Bilis somberly rubbed its face against Gandiva’s. “I know, I miss Laernea too,” she said to her best friend’s mount. “But we’ve only got each other now.”

Then, a male and female Druid in their early twenties stepped out the war carriage. They wore thick warm fur to protect themselves from the icy wind.

“Where’s Mamelon?” asked Gandiva, still petting Bilis.

Ardu shook his head. “She’s still sleeping.” He paused and grinned. “Weird, right?”

Vrai instantly swatted Ardu’s chest. “That’s disrespectful,” she reprimanded. “Do you want people to think that’s what Lady Sierra taught us.”

“Alright, sorry,” Ardu raised his hands and backed away from further beating. “It’s just that I’ve never seen Smoke or Lady Sierra sleep that long.”

Then, from on top of the snow covered log-wall, the posted watch-guard called out to them. “Oi! State your business. Shelter or Trade?”

“Neither! We’re looking for someone!” answered Gandiva. “Vrai, why don’t you go wake Mamelon up?” she added in a whisper.

At once, Vrai did as she was told and disappeared into the carriage.

The watch-guard stared at Gandiva then at Ardu. After a few more seconds of scrutiny, he called out once more. “Who are—” but stopped mid-sentence when he saw Mamelon step off the war carriage.

The well-proportioned Aqua Knight flipped her long blond hair and gave him a winsome smile. “Hi. We’re from the south, and I was wondering if you could help us out?”

“Um… um… um…” stammered on the watch-guard.

Soon after, a middle-aged Sonstwelter dressed in regal Merchant robes stood next to the watch-guard. “Vestal? What’s wrong with you, Boy?” he asked the watch-guard.

All the watch-guard could do was point at Mamelon.

“Oh! Good job calling me Vestal,” he said, grinning widely as he gawked Mamelon. “Newcomers?” he asked sweetly. “The name’s Salace. I’m the head-honcho round these parts.” He declared, motioning with his hands at the snow-covered encampment. “Trade, Shelter, or perhaps some fun recreation?” he added, winking at Mamelon. “Let me guess. Third choice, right?”

“No,” replied Mamelon with a forced smile. “We’re looking for a Sonstwelter named Magikera. Someone told us she’d be here.”

Salace was taken aback. “But who might you be?” he added quickly, resuming his creepy grin. “Didn’t catch your name there.”

“Oh, right,” replied Mamelon, squinting her eyes. “Could you just tell her that Sierra’s friend is looking for her?”

“Sierra? Don’t know anyone by that name,” answered Salace. “Wait. Are you perhaps refugees from Sawtorn?” he asked, sounding all concern. “Heard that the Ork Horde defeated the allied the kingdoms and are now ravaging the entire southern continent.”

“Sawtorn? No, we’re from Wysteria,” replied Ardu, his voiced raised. “Why would a Sawtorn refugee travel all the way up to the Nordland Continent?”

Without a word, Vrai’s knuckles hit Ardu’s chest, hard.

“I suppose you’re right,” replied Salace, ignoring the interaction of the two Druids. “It would be better for them to run to Wysteria or to Ishtar.”

“Anyway, is Magikera there?” repeated Mamelon.

“Sorry, there’s no one here by that name,” replied Salace. “But you’re more than welcome to stay.”

Mamelon shook her head. “Nah, that’s okay. We’ll try somewhere else,” she said politely and rushed towards the war carriage.

“But it’s really dangerous out there,” said Salace. “Just stay for the night.”

“It’s fine,” replied Ardu as he followed Mamelon and Vrai. “We can handle ourselves.”

Salace scowled at the young man. “Get me a glacial horn,” he hurriedly commanded.

TOOOTT TOOOT TOOOTT TOOOT

“What was that?” asked Vrai, worried.

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s not good,” replied Gandiva, rushing to her driver’s seat. “Come on, let’s go!” she said to Ardu, who was the last one to get in.

Before their war carriage could leave, they were surrounded by four massive glacial bears. These carnivores were completely made out of ice. Except for their nose, which was black and squishy. Even on all fours, it was clear that they were bigger than Sierra in her Werebear form.

The glacial bears growled, exposing their sharp canines.

“See?” called out Salace from on top of the log wall. “Told you it’s dangerous out there! Why don’t you come in, and wait till they leave?”

This time, it was Vrai who responded to the creepy Salace. “Thank you. But this is fine.” She then got out of the war carriage and held her Druid staff at the ready.

“Seriously? You really want to fight them?” asked Ardu, annoyed.

“Oh, come on, Ardu,” chimed in Mamelon, stepping off the carriage as well. “This’ll be quick,” she added as she stood next to Vrai with her elegant sapphire lance at the ready.

“Alright, we’ll take one each I suppose,” added Gandiva, removing the tug of Bilis and Tulin which tied them down to the carriage.

An irritated Ardu joined in and said. “It’s okay to go wild, right? I’ll be done in five seconds.”

“Don’t you dare!” warned Vrai. “Remember what Lady Sierra told us.”

“Fine! I won’t use my Werebear form,” replied Ardu.

Without warning, Bilis and Tulin ran off with Gandiva standing on top of Tulin’s back. Equipped with her modified long bow, she stood firm despite the stag moose’s rapid gallop. She pulled her bow and her specialized arrow pierced the glacial bear’s squishy nose.

The monster cried out in pain. With its front ice-paws, it desperately tried to pull out the arrow. Yet, the glacial bear found it difficult as the arrow head had specially crafted backwards-facing barbs, which made it harder to pull out once they’re stuck in.

Grabbing this opening, the unmounted Bilis charged forward and rammed its blade-like antlers into the glacial bear’s stomach, launching it backward.

Yet, seconds later, the three-meter tall monster lunged forward as the second pair of antlers penetrated its spine. Tulin and Bilis locked their antlers together with the glacial bear skewered in the middle.

“Hold it steady,” said Gandiva, who stood on top of Tulin. She then pulled out flaming arrows from the quill. She struck arrows on the back of the monster’s head until its final hit points turned zero, killing it.

Meanwhile, Vrai stood firm in front of the stampeding glacial bear. She pointed her wooden staff at the beast and roots sprang out of the thick snow. The powerful glacial bear moved five more meters until more roots intertwined and held it firm.

Then, Vrai began chanting her spell. “Nature’s Blessing heed my call, decimate this enemy with your squall!”

Tiny green orbs surrounded the captured beast. They then began swirling around it, enveloping the monster in an orb of green light. All the glacial bear could do was cry out in pain as the tiny green orbs pierced through its icy body. The minuscule lights only stopped when the glacial bear was silenced forever.

Simultaneously, Ardu held the same stance as Vrai. He pointed his staff at the glacial bear and roots sprang out in the same manner. He then began chanting the same spell as her. “Nature’s Blessing heed my call, decimate this enemy with your squall!”

However, not a single green orb appeared. He tried again, chanting the spell word for word but still there was nothing.

The glacial bear growled and it began to tear up some of the roots that had ensnared it.

“Oh, to hell with it,” grumbled Ardu. He dropped his Druid staff and ran straight for the glacial bear. He jumped towards the monster’s right side and leaped onto its back. Once on top, he transmogrified his right hand into that of a Werebear. Raising it over his head, he plunged it deep below its thoracic vertebrae and into the glacial bear’s heart. He grasped it with his transformed hand and crushed it. He squeezed it until the life bar of the monster was depleted.

While the Zectian Vigilantez fought their respective glacial bears, Mamelon faced her own monster. Unlike Vrai and Ardu’s fur coat, hers was not as thick which made her shiver in her Aqua armor. Yet, despite quivering in the cold, she held her sapphire lance firm.

Before the glacial bear could draw closer, Mamelon launched eight aqueous spikes from her lance. The spikes glistened as water droplets caught the afternoon sun as it whizzed through the air.

However, all of her attacks left the monster unfazed as the glacial bear looked to be impervious to her aqueous spikes.

“That’s just great,” she muttered as her water attacks were ineffective. She turned to the side and checked on her friends. She grinned when she saw that they had their own glacial monsters handled. “This should be easy,” she said, pumping herself up.

After taking a deep breath, Mamelon matched the glacial bears charge and ran up to meet it. She leaped sideways and smashed her sapphire lance against the monster’s skull.

Sadly, the glacial bear took minimal damage as its life bar displayed that only 5% was reduced from her frontal attack. The monster retaliated with a claw swipe which threw Mamelon into the thick pine trees, breaking some branches with her back.

Despite the pain in her spine, seeing the rushing glacial bear made her stand up. She looked around the abundant trees and found no passable exit within them. Left with no other option, she started climbing up the branches. Fortunately, she was given a few seconds more as the glacial bear still had to break the branches which blocked its path.

Looking down at the monster from the branches, Mamelon pointed her lance at the glacial bear. Realizing that the monster had sturdy defense, she searched for a sweet spot to hit.

But before she could launch her attack, the glacial bear swiped its claws up and broke the branch Mamelon was on.

She fell downward. She pulled her lance close to her chest, pointing it at the glacial bear’s soft, black nose and pierced it straight through the back of its neck. Mamelon took advantage of the critical strike and continued aiming for the monster’s head. She only stopped when a notification window popped up.

+ You’ve dealt a fatal blow to the glacial bear

+ You’ve killed the glacial bear

+ You’ve gained 250,000 EXP

Mamelon grimaced at the experience reward but hoped that the monster dropped something worthwhile.

+ Acquired common item: glacial eye

She let out a deep sigh and brushed the snow off her armor.

Mamelon emerged out of the thick pine trees after collecting the glacial bear’s eye.

“No! You’re supposed to ask for our help!” angrily shouted Salace from on top of the log wall. He grabbed his glacial horn and was about to blow on it.

But before the middle-aged Sonstwelter could do so, Gandiva rode Tulin and jumped on one of the pine trees near the encampment’s walls, landing on top of it. In one swift motion, she then shot the glacial horn with her arrows.

The first arrow knocked the horn from Salace’s hand, while the second one pierced a hole through the horn before it shattered against the log wall.

“Do that again and the next one’s going straight through your eyes,” said Gandiva pointing her arrow at Salace.

“Gandiva, don’t,” called Mamelon from below. “We’re not here to make trouble.”

“Fine!” replied Gandiva, still pointing her bow and arrow at Salace. She lowered her weapon and stared Salace right in the eye. “Don’t scream and I won’t kill you,” she said to him in a whisper.

“What?” asked Salace, confused.

Blocked from Mamelon’s line of vision, Gandiva shot an arrow into Salace’s knee, knocking him down on the floor of the log wall. The Merchant’s personal Zectians did nothing but watch as Tulin threatened them with its antlers.

Gandiva then had Tulin leap off the wall to one of the pine trees and rejoined her comrades.

“What happened up there?” asked Mamelon.

“Nothing,” replied Gandiva, hurriedly hitching Bilis and Tulin to the war carriage. “Let’s go. We still have a long way for the next encampment.”

* * * * * *

Fifty thousand strapping young men and women, equipped with leather armor and long spears, were assembled in the expansive plains of Lehre. The youthful Avendre Mercenaries stood in front of a stone wall over eight meters in height—The outer most wall of Verbrannt. Where they all looked up and waited for the red haired HighElf to speak.

“You must be wondering why you’re all gathered today and have been recalled from your current missions,” began Sierra. “Before anything else, let me just say that I’ve never been prouder in seeing anyone’s growth like you all have shown,” she added, smiling at all of them below. “You’ve all endured the harsh training and even harder missions, but you’ve all survived and grown stronger.”

The Avendre Mercenaries yelled out and cheered at Sierra’s praises.

“In the end, everything that you’ve accomplished today is because of your own effort. And I’d like to congratulate you on that.” She paused and her smile was replaced by a frown. “But the reason you’re all here today is because of our special guest.”

An elderly man in long brown robes stepped forward next to Sierra.

At once, the Avendre Mercenaries fell into an ominous silence, like all of life had been drained out of them.

“Please welcome the leader of the Avendre Mercenaries—Solliciter,” declared Sierra.

The young Mercenaries fell into a monotonous clapping.

“Oh! Come now, that’s not a proper welcome,” said Solliciter, who now blocked Sierra’s view.

In complete unison, the gathered Avendre clapped faster and louder.

“That’s better!” said Solliciter, grinning. “Listen up! I’ve come to see how you’ve all grown.”

Hurriedly, a massive reinforced steel carriage was pulled up at the side of the assembly. It was drawn by two war elephants and was brought to the front for everyone to see.

RATTLE RATTLE

The steel carriage shook violently. The Avendre Mercenaries near it reflexively pointed their long spears at it, unfazed.

Four Mercenaries got off the carriage. They looked up the wall and saluted Solliciter.

“Open it up, Boys,” ordered Solliciter.

The Mercenaries nodded and proceeded as instructed. When they opened it, two caged Orks rattling their steel enclosure were revealed.

“Fatyonir tamir!” screamed one of the Orks.

“Valay maka eskapur!” shouted the other.

“Now, pay them no mind,” said Solliciter. “I want six volunteers to fight these monsters from Sawtorn. If you don’t perform as expected, I will pull all of you out of here and revoke their post as an Avendre Satellite.”

“Wait! I don’t mind being a satellite, but you can’t send just six,” interjected Sierra. “Those monsters aren’t Ork grunts.”

“Um… they maybe stronger than your average Ork,” began Solliciter. “But, they’re still below the level of an Ork Colonel.”

“I don’t care,” argued Sierra. “That’s still too much.”

Solliciter nodded at her. “I see.” He paused and yelled out to the gathered Mercenaries. “Make it four Avendre! Attack now, unless you want me to end your contract with them.”

Before Sierra could respond, four of their personally trained Mercenaries stepped in front of the caged Orks.

Sierra tried to stop them but Solliciter held her back.

“See?” said Solliciter to Sierra. “They’re not afraid. So, why should you?”

Without another word, the steel cage was opened by Solliciter’s men. Both Orks charged out and immediately went after the men who released them. The green giants grabbed them by their necks and broke them like they were twigs.

“Kamunir sundir,” threatened one of the Orks at Sierra’s Avendre volunteers.

At once, all four Avendre scattered. They paired off but made sure to force the two Orks to stand back to back with their synchronized footwork.

Unarmed, the Orks laughed. One of them tried to grab the long spears but the Mercenary pulled it out of the Ork’s reach. Simultaneously, the paired Avendre leaped towards the monster and impaled his spear straight through its throat, piercing the shoulder of the Ork behind it. He grabbed the Ork’s shoulder and pushed his spear farther in. Using both hands, the Avendre Mercenary pushed with all his might, stabbing the Ork with the spear in his throat.

In retaliation, the Ork squeezed the Mercenary with his arms, quickly reducing his life bar.

The Ork in the back cried out in pain, surprised by the sudden back attack. He turned to face the source of its injury, only to have his stomach penetrated with a long spear.

With one of the Avendre hanging on to one of the monsters and the Orks skewered together, both green giants found it difficult to move forward or back.

However, the Mercenary caught in the arms of the Ork only had 10% left on his life bar.

With one Mercenary holding on to the spear stuck in the Orks’ stomach, the two remaining Avendre hurriedly aimed for the Ork who was crushing their comrade to death. Their rapid stabs with their spears drastically reduced the Ork’s life bar. Yet, it was all for not, for their comrade’s life bar was already depleted.

After the body of the Ork and the Avendre disappeared from existence, the battle had become three-versus-one.

The Mercenary holding on to his spear inside the Ork’s stomach persevered. The Ork had taken a few jabs at him with his fists. Fortunately, he dodged most of them and retained a life bar of 65%.

Whereas, the two Avendre remained on the Ork’s back and continued to gorge holes out of the monster’s green skin.

Inflicted with the Bleeding status, the Ork survived less than three minutes against the punishing attacks of the three Avendre Mercenaries.

CLAP CLAP CLAP

The three exhausted survivors looked up and saw Solliciter giving them a slow clap.

“Well done!” said Solliciter. “Alright, everybody’s dismissed for now.” He then turned to Sierra. “My Lady, can I please have a word with you in private?”

“Of course,” replied Sierra. “Please follow me,” she added and led him to their closest strategy room. Where a blonde man and a brunette WoodElf were waiting for them. Sierra had instructed Thyrsus and Vijaya to be ready for their arrival.

Once inside, Solliciter ignored the Hunters. He parted his brown robes and sat down on his own. “Good. Let me get right to it,” he said, putting up his feet on the table. “I’m taking all of the Avendre back.”

Sierra was just about to sit across him but stopped when she heard his reason for being there. “What? What are you talking about?” she exclaimed. “We have a contract and we’ve trained them well.”

“I know and I thank you for that,” said Solliciter. “Which is why I’m sending them to my client that offered thrice their monthly contract here.”

“You’re not going to give them to Burmistrz!” said Sierra, her voice raising.

“Of course not!” replied Solliciter. “Like I told Smoke, I want to see his downfall as well. Relax, They’re going to Sawtorn.”

“What?” asked Thyrsus, who was silently standing in the corner until now. “You don’t mean to have them fight against Orks?”

“That’s none of your concern,” replied Solliciter without looking at him. He then snapped his finger, put down his feet and leaned towards Sierra. “How about this? I’ll send another batch for you to train at half their monthly contract?”

“No,” said Sierra.

“No? But, my dear, they all belong to me,” said Solliciter.

“Not anymore,” said Sierra. She walked towards the door and called out. “Perdant, come here.”

A plump Merchant with gray hair entered. He was pushing a cart full of sacks.

“What’s this supposed to be?” asked Solliciter, intrigued.

“Show him,” Sierra said to Perdant.

“Master Smoke had me do some business on his behalf,” began Perdant. “And this is the money we’ve come up so far.” He opened one of the sacks, revealing that it was filled to the brim with zecs.

“This is nice,” said Solliciter, grinning. “But what’s this for?”

“I’m buying their freedom,” declared Sierra. After we pooled all our earnings from the Avendre Satellite Quests and Smoke’s business enterprises, We’re now finally able to afford all fifty-thousand Mercenaries debts. “The Avendre are staying here,” she added with finality.

“I see,” said Solliciter, picking up some coins and dropping them back to the sack. “This is indeed more than what my client is offering now.” He paused, contemplating. “But that’s because this is a bulk payment. But in the long run, King Kajou’s offer would still be higher.”

“What are you talking about?” yelled Sierra. “This is more than enough to pay for all their debts.”

“I’m talking about their interest rates,” replied Solliciter. “It’s a rookie mistake, but I’m afraid you forgot to factor that in when you were saving for their freedom.”

“But there was never any mention of—” countered Sierra but was interrupted by Solliciter.

“How about this? I’ll give you a fourth of them?” offered Solliciter, smiling. “That’s a fair deal, right?”

“I want all of them,” said Sierra, staring him down.

In response, the leader of all the Avendre Mercenaries shook his head, backing his body away. “That’s just being silly.”

Thyrsus and Vijaya, who were some distance away, began exchanging worried glances.

“Sierra’s got this, right?” Thyrsus whispered to Vijaya.

“Of course,” replied Vijaya.

Without warning, Sierra slammed the table with her palm. “Perdant, take the cart,” she angrily ordered.

At once, the plump Merchant pulled the cart full of zecs towards the door.

“Hold it!” exclaimed Solliciter. “I’m a Businessman. There’s no need to be rash. You can have seventeen-thousand, that’s more than a third. You should be happy with that?”

“We should just kill him,” Thyrsus mumbled to Vijaya.

“You know we can’t do that,” replied Vijaya. “We can’t win against the entire Avendre Mercenaries.”

Sierra let out a deep breath. “It’s all or nothing,” she said. She then pointed to Thyrsus. “Can you help Perdant with the cart?”

With that, Thyrsus and Perdant resumed pulling the cart.

“You can have half,” said Solliciter. “Straight down the middle,” he added, making a cutting motion with his hand. “That’s my final offer.”

However, Sierra did not budge. Thyrsus, Perdant, and the cart full of zecs were nearing the door.

“You don’t want them? Fine!” said Solliciter, adjusting his brown robes near his neck. “Doesn’t really matter to me. After all, they’ll make up that money with their lives in Sawtorn.”

This time, it was Thyrsus who stopped Perdant from pulling the cart. He then turned to Sierra and said. “We should take it.”

Thyrsus’ fiancee blurted out. “What are you doing?” asked Vijaya, surprised. “Don’t interfere. Sierra has the final say.”

“I know that,” answered Thyrsus. “But I can’t send them away like this. We trained them to fight Knights, not green monsters twice their size.”

“But…” Vijaya tried to argue, yet could not find the words to support her.

“Brebis had to die today. Just because this bastard wants to see their improvement,” began Thyrsus. “Now, think about what the ones in Sawtorn will have them do. They’ll be used as meat-shields. Their Commanders will have no regard for their lives.”

No one countered Thyrsus’ truth.

“Even if it’s just half, we should save all that we can,” said Thyrsus, looking at Sierra with imploring eyes.

Sierra looked away and turned to Solliciter. “Thirty-thousand and we have a deal,” she said, offering her hand to the man in brown robes.

“Deal!” exclaimed Solliciter, grinning. “I’ll give you thirty minutes to pick out the men, and I expect the cart to be prepared with them as well.” He got up and left before anyone could say anything else.

“Thyrsus, pick out the strongest Mercenaries,” ordered Sierra.

“Of course,” replied Thyrsus, lowering his head. “Our thirty-thousand Avendre will be the strongest of the ones we’ve trained.”

“No! You’re picking out the ones we’re sending to Sawtorn,” said Sierra. “I believe they’ll survive, and when we have more money we’ll buy their freedom.”

“At once!” exclaimed Thyrsus, lowering his head even farther, hiding his watery eyes. “Sorry, I got in your way.”

“No. You were right,” replied Sierra, walking closer to Thyrsus. “I was too fixated on saving them all that I might’ve messed up that whole deal. Thank you,” she added, patting him on the shoulders. “Now, hurry up. You only got thirty minutes.”

Thyrsus bowed down and rushed outside the door.

“Perdant, you can handle the cart, right?” Sierra asked the plump Merchant.

“Frankly, it usually hurts giving away such a fortune. But this time, I feel lighthearted,” replied Perdant, giving Sierra a small bow and pushing the cart out of the room.

Sierra slumped down on the table, covering her face.

Left alone, Vijaya walked over to where Sierra was. “Like you said, they’re gonna be alright. The strongest Mercenaries are most likely coming from my battalion. So, there’s no need to worry.”

Sierra lifted her head and gave Vijaya a weak smile. “I know it’s strange, we’re training them to fight Burmistrz… So, why does it matter?”

“What are you talking about?” exclaimed Vijaya. “I never once pictured any of them dying under our command, and that makes all the difference.”

A few minutes later, a lioness Lioumerean barged into the room.

“I heard you’re sending my battalion to Sawtorn!” exclaimed Guro. She stared at Sierra with glaring nostrils. “You have one minute to explain!”

“Sit down,” calmly replied Sierra, motioning the seat next to her.

“I’ll stand,” answered Guro.

Before Sierra could talk, Vijaya began to explain the whole situation with Solliciter’s visit and his plan to take all of the Avendre Mercenaries. Vijaya’s explanation took longer than was necessary, but in the end, Guro understood.

“That was a wise decision,” Guro said to Sierra. “But I have one condition.”

“Anything,” quickly answered Sierra.

“I’m going with them,” said Guro plainly. “You want them to live, don’t you?” she added with definition.

Sierra could not respond. She thought about Smoke’s reaction but knew that he would not stop her. Besides, even if they did try there was no stopping a determined Guro.

“Fine. But you have to swear to stay alive,” said Sierra, giving Guro a hug.

* * * * * *

A fidgety Nash drummed his fingers on his desk, almost knocking off the half-eaten sandwich on his table. He was waiting for Sherry to pick up. Soon, he would delve into the unknown realm of Mictlan, and he wanted to speak with her before going.

“Hey, sorry it took so long, I just logged out,” answered Sherry.

“It’s alright. I was gonna log in anyway if you still didn’t pick up,” joked Nash.

“Then you’d better stay in the afterlife,” replied Sherry, laughing.

“Right! Anyway, how are things?” asked Nash.

“Alex still hasn’t returned. But he said that he’s almost found enough investors for our business venture,” said Sherry.

Nash realized that it was close to a year since her uncle had left. “You know you’re welcome to come over.”

“I know, but I like it here,” answered Sherry. “Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with your brothers but I prefer if you come—”

“Got it,” replied Nash. “I’ll visit more often.”

“Yeah, that’d be nice,” said Sherry. “What about Mima? Any news?”

“The Detectives gave me some updates, but there’s nothing exciting,” said Nash. “But I’m not worried. Lately, even Donny and Seth feel the same. It’s not that we’ve given up hope, it’s more like we’re sure we’ll find her.”

“Yup! Me too,” added Sherry.

“Anyway, what about Verbrannt?” interjected Nash, blatantly changing topics. “How’s everybody?”

Sherry paused. She let out a deep breath and said. “Solliciter came…” and told him of their Avendre Mercenaries’ situation.

“That’s okay,” assured Nash. “It’s great that Guro joined too. I’ll have a surprise waiting for them when they arrive in Vona.”

“Sounds good, but you should go,” said Sherry. “I know you’re excited to see what Mictlan is like.”

“I knew I loved you for a reason,” said Nash.

The two of them laughed simultaneously.

“Nash,” called out Sherry, stilling them both. “Bring them back.”

“I will,” replied Nash and ended the call. He finished his sandwich in one bite and stepped into his game pod.

* * * * * *

When Smoke opened his eyes, he found the familiar wall of books. As usual, the Magietrois tower was illuminated with floating fireballs. He took in a deep breath and smiled at the strong sulfuric smell. He had grown accustomed to it over the past few days.

“Oh, you’re here,” said Eleve, annoyed. The elderly HighElf was busy pouring a green liquid into a black cauldron. “Haven’t worked this hard since I was a student.”

“Stop complaining and just pour,” ordered Florissant, mixing four potions at once. “We need to synthesize two more sacred logs for the ritual.”

The youthful-looking Magietrois then turned to Smoke. “You can leave. You’re just an eyesore.”

Smoke was slightly dejected that his trip to Mictlan was delayed, but knew of a great way to pass the time while waiting. “Can’t I just stay and read more books?” he asked with begging eyes. “You won’t even know I’m here.”

Florissant stopped mixing the potions and placed all of them on the table. “You said you wanted to see your dark ember sprite set off for Wysteria, right?”

“Yeah, but they’re already in Vona,” replied Smoke. “There’s no way I can catch—” his voice trailed off as his body felt the tingling sensation of being teleported.

A fiery silhouette of Smoke began to materialize in one of the secluded alleys of Vona City—pearl of the Vitzytl Kingdom.

As soon as he stepped into the street, he was swamped with thousands of Sonstwelters and Zectians alike. Some of them were buying equipment in the stalls but most were listening to the row of recruiters lined against the wall.

“Five hundred zecs a day! Looking for an OrkElf Mercenary!” called out a Wizard Sonstwelter. He stood on top an empty crate to be seen over the crowd.

Next to him, was an Enchantress. “OrkElf for six hundred zecs a day, no level requirements. Need escorts to cross Geparden Plains.”

Forty more recruiters were crying out similar offers.

Smoke smiled. He was happy for the OrkElves. They’ve come a long way from his first time in Vona. He remembered how everyone treated them like lepers, but now they were offered the right amount of zecs for their work.

Looking for Igniz and Daga, Smoke headed for one of the inns near the port. Yet, he was sidetracked when he spotted a familiar name on the largest store in the area.

As he was about to enter, he saw a plaque near the door.

Esper’s Emporium

Great things start from small beginnings. Home of the continent-famous pompom juice. We’re the largest wholesale store you’ll ever need.

We’ve got armors, weapons, maps, and basic supplies. You think it, we’ve got it.

Here at Esper’s Emporium, every customer leaves with a smile and a complimentary pomegranate.

From the window, Smoke saw the young, muscular Esper holding a checklist. For a female OrkElf, her height was somewhat lacking. But she was bossing around a burly OrkElf twice her size. Smoke grinned when he recognized him to be Colere, Esper’s husband.

“Excuse me, Sir, but you’re blocking their way,” said a young OrkElf girl who tugged on Smoke’s cloak. She pointed to several OrkElves holding crates filled with pompom juice.

“Oh, sorry,” said Smoke and stepped out of the way, allowing the OrkElves to deliver their goods.

“Why don’t you step into the store, Sir?” offered the girl. “You’ll still get a pomegranate even if you don’t buy anything,” she said, offering him a fruit.

“It’s alright,” said Smoke. “I’ve seen enough,” he added, smiling.

Despite the huge success of the pompom trade, the two of them were still the same humble OrkElves who guided him in Vona.

“Tell me, you like working for them?” Smoke asked the OrkElf girl.

“Definitely!” she answered with a big smile. “Esper and Colere are awesome.” She paused and stared at the floor. “I used to be bullied. Nowhere was safe, not even our homes. Not a week would pass without a sand cheetah taking one of us.” A tear fell down her cheek which he quickly wiped away. She then looked at Colere and Esper through the window. “Thanks to them and someone named Faux, our lives in the settlement have gotten much better,” she added, but her smile slowly faded.

“What’s wrong?” asked Smoke.

“It’s just that, Colere and Esper are always talking about how Faux helped us achieve all this,” she said, pointing at the store and the other OrkElves who were smiling as they worked. “Would’ve been nice if I could’ve thanked him too.”

Smoke froze. He patted her on the head and said. “Just stay happy. I’m sure that’s what he’d want.”

“Really?” asked the girl, raising her eyebrows at Smoke. “I think I’ll just write a thank you note and ask Esper to give it to him.”

“That could work too,” replied Smoke, chuckling.

“Anyway, here’s a pomegranate,” said the girl, giving it to Smoke. “Even if you don’t go in the store, I’m sure Colere wouldn’t mind.”

“Thanks,” said Smoke, taking a bite out of the fruit. “You take care, alright?”

With that, Smoke headed for the Noel Inn. It took him less than five minutes to reach the festively decorated lodging. Facing the port, its foyer had three occupants. A thin OrkElf Assassin, a young girl dressed like a Thief, and a DarkElf Knight who looked exactly like Smoke were enjoying the setting sun near the docks.

Smoke waved when he saw Daga noticed him coming.

“This is a pleasant surprise,” said the incarnated Igniz, lowering his head before Smoke.

“Don’t tell me you’re coming along too?” asked Daga, who was in her human form. “And here I thought I’d get some alone time with Igniz.”

“No, I just came to see you off,” said Smoke.

Unexpectedly, Cynar walked over and slapped Smoke on the back. “You never told me Igniz was your twin,” he said, laughing. “Of course, it’s obvious when you don’t have masks on.”

“Right?” replied Smoke, catching on. “Anyway, thanks for taking them all the way here.”

“No,” said Cynar, shaking his head. “I’m the one who needs to thank you. If there’s anything I could do, just say the word.”

“Really?” asked Smoke, grinning. “Funny you should say that…” He then began telling Cynar about Guro and their Avendre Mercenaries who were about to arrive in Vona.

“…So, the King’s even asking Mercenaries from Wysteria, huh?” said Cynar, grumbling. “Can’t say that I like King Kajou’s methods, but we’ve got to fight those Orks.”

Cynar offered his hand to Smoke. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep your friends company while they’re here.”

“That’s great!” said Smoke, shaking Cynar’s hand. He then turned to Igniz and Daga. “Now, you two have to help Sierra out. She’s got a lot of—”

Surprisingly, Smoke felt the tingling sensation of being teleported and disappeared before he could finish his conversation with Igniz and Daga.

Smoke shivered as a new prickling awareness enveloped him the moment he materialized. When he opened his eyes, he found himself on a parched clearing with a few patches of dried-up grass scattered here and there. At its center, stood Florissant and Eleve waiting for him. Looking around, he found that a few trees covered the area. But looking beyond them, he surmised that it was the snow-capped mountains that kept this place secluded.

He turned when he heard his name called out.

“Smoke,” said Eleve. She walked over to him and patted his head with her wrinkled hands. “You were a terrible student. But a great friend.” She added, locking his neck with her arms and roughing out his hair even more.

“Thanks,” said Smoke, escaping out of Eleve’s sadistic hold. Taking one step back. “Master Eleve, I owe all of this to you. I’m truly grateful,” he added and bowed before the elderly HighElf.

“And me?” questioned Florissant.

“Of course, everything points back to you, Magietrois Florissant,” hastily added Smoke. “You’re the reason why Eleve is such a great person in the first place.”

“Well, she’s not that bad, but she is a pretty great Magietrois,” said Florissant, smiling at Eleve. “Better than most.”

Suddenly, tears trickled down Eleve’s cheeks. “Mistress, I never knew you thought that way.”

“Wipe those tears,” commanded Florissant. “I taught you Fire Magic, not Water.”

“Right,” said Eleve, happily drying her eyes.

Then, the real Magietrois in her young girl appearance turned to Smoke. “As you have indeed proven yourself worthy, I, Florissant Poisse, grant you the title of Florissant: Red Seal.”

At once a notification window popped up.

+ Upgraded Title: ‘Florissant: Red Seal’

After saving the alliance between the kingdoms of Vitzytl and Thanotl, this title was given to you by Magietrois Florissant Poisse herself. As such, you have earned her trust and are obliged to swear your fealty to the Florissant Seminary.

* +5 to all basic stats

* Intimacy with Florissant Poisse has increased to ‘Trusted Student’

* Travel and continue your path to the title of Florissant: Master

* The title disappears if the Florissant Seminary gets destroyed

A speechless Smoke stared at the notification window. “I… I don’t know what to—” he was cut off by Florissant’s hand, and became silent.

She then pointed at Smoke’s Journeyman Emblem on his chest. “Et crescant in flamma avis!”

TATTING

The silver phoenix with opened wings was engulfed in flames. When the flames died out the phoenix had become golden.

“That is the symbol of your advancement,” said Florissant. “Wear it proudly.”

+ Upgraded unique brooch: Florissant: Red Seal Emblem

A grinning Smoke clutched the ornate brooch and lowered his head.

Without further delay, he inspected his newly upgraded unique accessory.

Florissant: Red Seal Emblem

Made from mithril, goldium, and phoenix feathers. It is the symbol of graduating Florissant’s Journeyman program.

+40,000 HP

+70,000 MP

+40 Intelligence

Restrictions:

– Can only be used by those who have passed the Florissant Journeyman Program.

– Must be at least level 120.

Equipment Ability:

*Xantico’s Inheritance (Passive)

+Endows bearer with the flames of the great flame goddess Xantico.

+All Equipment is blessed with Mortal Flame Resistance [99%].

+Improves basic stat attributes of all equipped items [15%].

+Gains offensive/defensive power on all flame abilities [50%].

Note: Xantico’s Inheritance only applies when the brooch is equipped.

*Xantico’s Flames (Active)

+Ability to create flames based on the MP used.

“Hey! Focus!” commanded Florissant. “Anyway, it’s ready,” she added. She stepped to the side, revealing seven logs stacked up in an intricate manner behind her.

“That’ll only get you there,” added Eleve. “So, you’ll have to find your own way back.”

“No problem,” said Smoke, excited. “What do I do?”

“Wait,” said Florissant. “Remember, this is the first time for a Sonstwelter to enter Mictlan. And even Magna is the only Zectian that I know who came back from that realm. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Positive!” replied Smoke, walking towards them. “That’s why I’m here.”

“Even if it means being stuck in Mictlan… forever?” asked Florissant.

Smoke stopped dead in his tracks. “What do you mean?”

“Can’t really say,” answered Florissant. “I’m not really sure how you Sonstwelters get here in the first place, but I do know that Mictlan is different from our world.”

Instantaneously, Smoke got an ominous vibe, like a terrible warning sign had just popped up without him noticing.

“It’s fine,” he said, somewhat reluctant. “There’s no way the developers would do something like that,” he murmured, unsure.

“Developers?” asked Florissant, confused.

“Just a term we use from where I’m from,” he quickly answered. “Anyway, I’m ready. Let’s do this!” He added with much gusto.

Florissant nodded. She had Smoke step in front of the sacred logs as she stepped away herself. Her hands turned to flames and said. “Fortis ingressus in interitum.”

Then, seven casting circles formed, one on top of the other. They were imprinted around the sacred logs, which instantly turned ablaze. Its smoke went straight up. And beyond logic, turned the afternoon sky into a starry night. Shortly after, a green aurora lit up the heavens. The northern lights and the blazing auburn flames gave Smoke a weird nostalgic feeling of Christmas and Halloween at the same time.

Captivated by the view, Smoke was unaware that he was already floating towards the green aurora. He looked down and saw Eleve and Florissant waving at him before his vision blurred and was sucked into the northern lights.

He felt like his mind was being cracked open, while his body experienced a pummeling like being sucked into a whirlpool. When he tried to open his eyes, he noticed several eyes were growing out of his hands. He experienced overlapping visions as more eyes grew out of his entire body.

In pain, he tried logging out but was met with an error notification.

– Realm Transition In Progress

“Waaaaaaaah!” screamed Smoke in agony, the only thing he was able to do at the moment.

* * * * * *

When Smoke opened his eyes, he found himself in a misty forest. He did not know how much time had passed but more importantly wondered whether he made it to Mictlan.

He immediately tried calling Sierra, Darius, but found it impossible to contact anyone.

Learning from experience, he hurriedly scaled one of the trees to get a better view of the place. Settled on a sturdy branch, he clicked on his map.

– Entered Hellroute

– One of the many dwellings of the sycophants. Only the sycophants can survive here. Escape unless you want to be one of their victims.

Before Smoke could wonder what a sycophant was, he spotted a hovering humanoid gray monster. Its arms reached below its knees and had mantis-like hands, and its head had no eyes, nose, or ears. It only had a wide mouth with sharp teeth.

Smoke wanted to attack it but was bothered by the fact that his Cunning of the Dire Fox did not sense it.

‘Better observe it first,’ he surmised, worried that there would be more of them. He followed from up the trees.

A few minutes later, the sycophant he was tracking suddenly yelled out. “Merde! Merde!”

Seconds later, another sycophant came out and shouted the same. “Merde!”

Up ahead, Smoke heard several voices shouting the exact thing. “Merde! Merde!”

Then, he saw him. A familiar face surrounded by six of the gray faceless monsters. A massive Maneator bravely facing the hovering sycophants.

At once, Smoke got out his hook swords. He leaped down to help an unarmed König Mitleid.

Chapter Nine:

Delusive Mictlan

Six hovering sycophants enclosed the former Maneator King. These gray faceless monsters kept shouting “Merde! Merde! Merde!” while threateningly aiming their long cleaver-like hands at him.

Yet, the unarmed König Mitleid was calm and composed. He turned his head to the left but suddenly jumped to the sycophant on his right. He grabbed both its arms which prevented the monster from stabbing him.

In a swift motion, Mitleid pierced his horns into the sycophant’s chest. He then lifted the monster and threw it to the sycophant next to it. Then, he punched another sycophant right in its jaw, sending it three meters into the air.

Mitleid might have pushed back three of the sycophants but there were still three more ready to attack him.

THUD!

Mitleid and five of the sycophants turned to the source of the loud noise. One of the faceless monsters was knocked down, revealing Smoke equipped with his hook swords.

Smoke used his Moon Blade’s Lunar Force ability, which consumed half of his MP but increased the weight of his blade by 10% of the MP he used.

The unlucky sycophant was sprawled on the forest ground.

“Smoke?” asked Mitleid, surprised. Less than a split-second later, he ran towards Smoke and screamed. “Run!”

Smoke was slightly confused. He had already taken out one of the sycophants but trusted to heed Mitleid’s advice.

Yet, as soon as he lifted the Moon Blade, the sycophant attacked Smoke with its cleaver-like hands and nicked his left leg. That scratch alone damaged 20% of his life bar.

Surprised, he looked down at the sycophant whom he assumed to be dead. The faceless monster’s life bar displayed (4,500,000/5,000,000 SP).

‘SP? What’s that mean?’ he wondered as he reflexively ignored the injury on his leg and parried the monster away with the hook end of his sword.

“What are you doing?” asked Mitleid who was now right next to Smoke. “I said run!” he added, grabbing Smoke by the waist and carrying him away.

Being lifted up by Mitleid as they escaped, Smoke could see all six sycophants getting ready to give chase. The gray faceless monsters levitated half a meter above the forest floor and hovered towards them.

Left with a little over half of his MP, Smoke created an earth-wall at least two meters thick.

However, the sycophants’ bladed hands easily broke through it as if it were paper thin.

“Put me down,” said Smoke. “Run a head and I’ll catch up,” he added, wriggling out of Mitleid’s hold.

“You don’t understand!” said Mitleid. “It’s impossible when they’re this many.”

Smoke stood his ground and pointed his Berserker’s Ring of Flames at the charging sycophants. Instantly, a circular firewall engulfed all six faceless monsters. A casting circle appeared within it. All of the sycophants convulsed uncontrollably. Their bladed hands and legs contorted in a painful manner. Suddenly, they stopped. Each sycophant went after the nearest faceless monster. They were all inflicted with the Berserk status and began stabbing each other.

“Go! I’ll catch up,” Smoke said to Mitleid, still pointing the ring from Crucibelle at the sycophants. “You probably got ten seconds.”

A hesitant König Mitleid nodded and ran ahead of Smoke.

Smoke observed the sycophants fight. Each stab attack damaged its fellow sycophants for 40,000 points. Considering the damage of his Lunar Force, he surmised that these faceless monsters had a much higher defense that himself. But he still wondered what SP meant.

Not wanting to deplete his mana, he only used Crucibelle’s ring for eight seconds. He ended the Berserker’s Ring of Flame ability and used Hyper Jump to follow Mitleid.

While running away, Smoke observed that the sycophants were slightly slower.

“What are those things?” asked Smoke, as he kept pace with Mitleid.

“Not sure,” replied Mitleid. “Heard they used to be souls that lost their essence,” he added in between strides.

“They’re catching up,” said Smoke, worried.

“Run faster,” replied Mitleid. “We’re almost out of Hellroute—” But before the Maneator King could finish, four more sycophants appeared up ahead.

Smoke knew that an earth-wall or a trench would not help. He only had 130,000 MP left. So, he gambled on one attack that would sacrifice some of his precious magnetic rocks and electro stone.

He threw them on the ground and used Electromagnetic Golem Offering. This golem was inferior to his Automaton Knight but it required five times less the mana.

Smoke pointed his silver ring on them and activated its ability. The electro stone flew up in the air, pulling in the black and silver metallic rocks towards it.

One metallic golem stood up and faced the incoming sycophants.

“Good distraction,” said Mitleid, picking up his pace.

While running away, Smoke looked at the sole metallic golem with a pained expression. Now, he only had six electro stones left.

He watched as the golem was shattered into pieces. All ten sycophants swarmed the golem and kept smashing its black metallic rocks.

“We’re here!” said Mitleid, and led Smoke out of Hellroute Forest.

Smoke’s eyes grew wide when he saw that the forest was actually on a floating island.

Further ahead were thousands of floating islands suspended in eternal darkness. Curiously enough, each levitating island gave off a unique radiance. Some of the islands were floating above the one they were on, while others were below. A few of them were purely made out of grassy knolls, while some were barren deserts. Most of the larger islands had forests with rivers turned waterfalls as they kept flowing off into the dark abyss below. All of these islands were connected through bridges which looked to be made out of vines. Moreover, these unstable vine-bridges sometimes swayed violently.

“Hurry,” said Mitleid, running to one of the bridges.

* * * * * *

“So you know where Sharur and Laernea are?” asked Smoke, grinning widely.

“Sure do,” replied Mitleid. “The two of them found wandered around for a while but luckily they found my town and have been living there since.”

“Awesome!” exclaimed Smoke, looking back to face Mitleid, only to almost fall to the side of the vine-bridge.

“Careful,” said Mitleid, quickly pulling him back upright. “They say that if you fall into the void, you’ll come back as a sycophant.”

Walking on the meter wide vine-bridge, Smoke looked down on the side and saw nothing but the complete vastness the void.

“Noted,” replied Smoke, grinning. “But I gotta say, it’s great to see you again.”

“You saw me die, right?” asked Mitleid. “Where else would I be?”

“Right,” said Smoke, still smiling. “But what were you doing in Hellroute?”

“Was refilling this,” replied Mitleid, carefully pulling out a glowing white orb. “Hellroute’s one of the principal islands that connects you to most places.” The massive Maneator stows the orb, etched with mysterious runes, away inside a sling bag then points to the vine-bridge they were on. “This here connects us to an Insel. A smaller floating island, which connects to ten more other Insels.”

“What was that orb for?” asked Smoke, curious.

“I’ll show you when we get there,” answered Mitleid and gave him a wink. “But right now, we’ve got to focus on getting there.” He pointed to the grassy floating island up ahead.

As soon as Smoke’s feet touched the green Insel, a notification window popped up.

– Entered Insel-478322

– One of the millions of grassy islands sheltering the chaneque, the ones born into Mictlan.

When he finished reading the notification window, goosebumps covered his arms as he heard little voices calling out to him.

“Can you hear that?” Smoke asked Mitleid.

The Maneator shook his head. “There’s nothing.”

“There it is again,” said Smoke. The creepy voices became clearer as he walked farther into the lushly matted island.

“Come and play,” said the voice of a child.

“Stay, we’ll have fun,” added another child’s voice.

“You seriously don’t hear that?” asked Smoke.

“No,” replied Mitleid. “But stay close. There are—”

Before Mitleid could warn Smoke, a dozen short imp-like monsters popped out of the tall grass. These red monsters were a little over than a meter tall. Their horns towered over the grass, stepping out they revealed their pointed ears, webbed hands, and webbed feet.

“Come and play,” said the small imp-like creatures as they showed Smoke their sharp teeth.

“That’s the one talking?” said Smoke out loud, peeved.

“Wait, you can understand them?” asked a surprised Mitleid. “What are the chaneque saying?”

“They said they want to play,” answered Smoke.

“Stay and play,” added another chaneque, laughing like a child. All twelve creatures were frolicsome and leered at Smoke.

Smoke turned to Mitleid. “What do you hear when they talk?”

A worried Mitleid looked at Smoke and said. “Nothing. Just the gnashing of their teeth.”

Suddenly, all of the red imp-like creatures came rushing at Smoke.

“Run!” said Mitleid, dashing for the next vine-bridge off the Insel.

As Smoke watched the rushing chaneque with their claws protruded out of their webbed hands, a feeling of wanting to impress Mitleid overcame him. He wanted the former Maneator King to know how much he had grown.

Smoke stood his ground. “You run up ahead,” he said. “I’ll deal with them.”

Mitleid stopped running and called out to him. “No! These creatures are Mictlanders… Wait—” he began but was ignored as Smoke was already charging towards the chaneque, equipped with his twin hook swords.

Smoke aimed for the nearest chaneque with the hook of his sword. But the body of the chaneque blurred as if its body was ghost-like. He squinted his eyes, confused. He was then flooded with notification windows that he had not seen in a long time.

+ Attack miss chaneque. Damage 0.

+ Attack miss chaneque. Damage 0.

+ Attack miss chaneque. Damage 0.

+ Attack miss chaneque. Damage 0.

The chaneque appeared to stand perfectly still but none of Smoke’s attack could hit it. He tried catching it with the hook of his sword but even that passed through.

“Oh, he’s playing with us,” replied the chaneque Smoke attacked, sinisterly laughing. Its eyes grew thrice in size as it exposed its razor-sharp teeth. “Our turn!”

Without warning, three more chaneques swarmed Smoke.

A flood of damage notifications blinded him. Sharp claws scratched his head, arms, body, and legs. All he could do was hide behind his arms, as he couldn’t concentrate to put up a Manatl barrier. His life bar quickly went below 50%.

“I told you to run!” screamed Mitleid, grabbing Smoke from behind and carried him towards the next vine-bridge.

Thanks to Mitleid’s thick defense, the Maneator managed to bring himself and Smoke safely across the Insel.

THUD

Mitleid dropped Smoke on the bridge as he gasped for air. “Run!” he sternly yelled at Smoke. “It’s the one thing we should be doing until we reach Corpos Quentes.” He said in between breaths, as his breathing steadily became normal. “Creatures born in Mictlan are exceptionally agile,” he added with all seriousness.

Mitleid led the way to the next Insel. This floating island was nothing but a barren desert.

“So, even you can’t hit them?” asked Smoke, following closely behind.

Mitleid sighed. “I can, but their more pesky than the sycophants. Just run when you meet the chaneques and their kin. Besides, those red little imps like to stay near their grassy patches and never give chase when you’ve reached the next bridge.”

This barren Insel was connected to three others. One was a grassy knoll, the other had a large pond, and the last one to another desert Insel.

“They just stay in the same area, huh?” confirmed Smoke. He switched out his twin hook swords for his sacred clay staff.

“Yeah? But what are you planning?” asked Mitleid, heading for the barren Insel floating in the darkness.

“Well, if physical attacks don’t work, what about something like this?” he said, creating a cannon-sized fireball on top of his right palm. He thought that this was the perfect opportunity for him to test his newly upgraded Red Seal Emblem.

“Hm… I don’t know,” replied Mitleid. “I’ve seen that Magic here only works against souls.”

“But we’ll never know unless we give it a try, right?” said Smoke, walking towards the next green Insel.

“Come on, what do you say?” begged Smoke. “Let’s try it, just once.”

“Fine!” said Mitleid, dragging his hooves after Smoke. “But be ready to run just in case.”

Smiling after hearing Mitleid’s reply, Smoke propelled his hovering fireball and created a myriad of them in the sky.

Then, the eerie voices of small children became clearer as the chaneques came out of hiding from the tall grass.

“Play?”

“Play? Play?”

“Have you come to play?”

“Stay and play.”

Before the chaneques could come at him, He forcefully shoved his hands downward and a rain of fireballs fell onto the red imp-like creatures.

Standing outside their grassy patches, the chaneques looked up and a uniform smirk formed across their demon faces. They opened their arms wide and a red casting circle appeared between their webbed hands. The fireball that rained down was sucked into the casting circle and vanished. After Smoke’s attack disappeared, the chaneque turned to face him and Mitleid. “Our turn! Our turn!” they chanted. With their red casting circle still out in the open, the chaneques fired out the same fireballs they absorbed.

Smoke quickly put up a spherical Manatl barrier which covered both himself and Mitleid.

SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD

While waiting for the fireballs to stop, Mitleid gave Smoke a knowing look.

“Well, at least we’ve confirmed not to use magic against them,” sheepishly replied Smoke, shrugging.

“Now, that that’s settled, let’s just run for the next bridge,” said Mitleid, shaking his head.

Smoke tried to reason his way out, but found himself lost for words and dejectedly lowered his head. He made the spherical manatl open up below their feet which allowed them to walk to the next vine bridge.

SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD

As the chaneque continued to attack his Manatl barrier with their claws, his sacred clay staff glowed, gathering more of their energy.

“This is nice,” said Mitleid, admiring Smoke’s Manatl. “The chaneques’ claws barely damage me, but something like this is really useful for your type.”

Smoke smiled. He knew the weakness of being a glass cannon was having a poor defense. Fortunately for him he gained this ability during his earlier travels.

“Oh, that’s right. You haven’t seen this yet,” said Smoke proudly. “Yeah, I learned this when I was in Saruras. You know, the Simiavulg village in Wysteria.”

SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD

The sounds of claws against Smoke’s Manatl continued on.

“Really? You found their village, huh?” said Mitleid, sounding impressed. “Listen, I know you’ve grown powerful, but don’t be too cocky.”

Smoke nodded and didn’t reply. He knew he was showboating but he just wanted Mitleid to be proud of him.

Mitleid then lightly punched him in the shoulder. “Just take it down a notch and you’ll be just fine,” the Maneator added, grinning at him.

The two of them laughed and continued telling each other stories during their time apart, completely ignoring the chaneques which were relentlessly clawing the barrier without success.

After safely escaping the chaneque infested Insel, Smoke and Mitleid got on a barren floating island, giving them a chance to catch up.

“… So, you created a female Maneator out of my remains?” asked Mitleid, astonished. “Bet she looks beautiful!”

“Rassant sure thinks so,” replied Smoke. “But let’s go back to the different sections in Mictlan.”

“Well, from what Baba told me. There’s Corpos Quentes, the Reialma, and Incerto,” answered Mitleid. He then looked beyond the Insels running towards the darkness. “Another name for Incerto… is the Unknown.”

“And we’re heading for Corpos Quentes?” asked Smoke.

“Yup. It’s a group of Insels free from sycophants, chaneques, or any other Mictlan creatures,” said Mitleid. “There, souls like myself have taken refuge.”

Suddenly, Smoke’s stomach began grumbling. “Oops! My satiety bar had been pretty low for awhile now. Mind if we rest up?”

“Go ahead,” replied Mitleid. “This Insel’s safe.”

Smoke speedily began preparing an extravagant broth for himself and Mitleid. When he finished cooking, he used his Earth Manipulation and two bowls emerged out of the barren floating island. He filled a bowl with his specially made broth. “Here, have a taste,” he said and offered it to Mitleid.

“Thanks, but I don’t need that anymore,” answered Mitleid. “Souls need a different kind of sustenance.”

“What kind of food are we talking here?” asked Smoke, intrigued.

Mitleid chuckled. “Like I said, I’ll show you when we get there.”

“Oh, right! I saw SPs instead of HPs?” asked Smoke, remembering the different value that displayed on the sycophants’ life bars.

“It stands for Soul Points,” answered Mitleid. “Yup, everything’s different when you’re dead. Even if you tried to slice my head off, it’ll just grow back instantly, as long as my Soul Points don’t go down to zero.”

“Beg your pardon?” asked Smoke, thinking he misheard him.

“It’s like having an immortal body,” went on Mitleid.

“But what happens when you lose all your Soul Points?” asked Smoke.

Mitleid shrugged. “Not really sure. Their bodies just disappear and I’ve never seen one come back.”

“Even sycophants?” wondered Smoke.

“Weirdly enough, no,” answered Mitleid. “They just lay dormant until their SPs fully recover.”

“What?” asked Smoke, taken aback. “So, there’s really no way to defeat them?”

“That’s why I said just run,” said Mitleid, nodding his head. “By the way, you’ve been here for some time now, don’t Sonstwelters need to go back to your world or something?”

Smoke finished the rest of his broth in one gulp. “Actually, I was just about to say that. Mind if you wait here for a while?”

“Sure. No problem,” said Mitleid. “But be quick about it. The time difference here is different from Zectas.”

After dispersing the bowls and the rest of his cooking utensils, he turned to Mitleid and said. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it.”

Smoke’s body vanished out of Mictlan as he logged out to reality.

* * * * * *

Opening the hatch of his game pod, Nash stepped outside, exhausted. He felt like his head was being cracked opened. It had been a long time since he experienced such a severe migraine. The bright morning sun slightly blinded him. Surprised, he quickly closed his curtains. He remembered that he had gone into the game at six in the morning. Thinking that it would be night time, he scanned for the wall clock and saw it displayed eight a.m. ‘No way,’ he thought. He surmised that it been close to twenty-six hours since he logged in.

Then, he felt something run down his nose. He wiped it away and was anxious to see blood. Nash was startled as he had never experienced a nose bleed before. He reached for his box of tissues and stuffed it up his nose. Sitting on his computer chair, he turned on his monitor and searched for a home remedy.

“Sit up straight, tipping your head a little bit forward…”

“Using your thumb and forefinger; firmly pinch the soft part of your nose tight…”

He read out loud and followed each instruction.

“Keep pinching for ten minutes?” he said, surprised. Thinking that it was a lengthy time to wait, he dialed Sherry’s number.

But she did not pick up.

‘Today’s Monday. So, Seth and Donny must be in school,’ he thought as he exited his room, still pinching his nose.

“Hey, what’s up with your nose?” greeted a smiling Seth as Nash walked across his room.

“There’s some blood,” answered Nash with a raised voice. “But what are you doing here? Don’t you have a class to get to?”

“What are you talking about?” said Seth, upset. “It’s still Sunday!” he added, slamming his door.

“Sunday! Are you kidding me? I’d expect something like this from Donny, but not you,” he shouted at Seth’s door.

“What’s your problem?” groggily asked Donny, stepping out of his room.

“School closed or something?” asked Nash, still angry. “Why aren’t you ready?”

“It’s finally happened!” called out Donny. “You’ve lost track of time. I told you Pro-Gamers lose track of what day it is.”

“Stop with the jokes and just get ready,” said Nash, now pissed. He forcibly pushed Donny back into his room.

“Ready for what?” asked Donny, struggling not to enter.

“School, what else!” angrily said Nash.

“Check your phone!” protested Donny, still holding on to his doorway. “It really is Sunday!”

Nash reluctantly released his younger brother and reached inside his pocket. His eyes grew wide, his cheek turned red when he read the date.

“Sorry, I really thought it was Monday,” said Nash. “Sorry, Seth!” He added, shouting at Seth’s now locked door.

“That’s fine,” said Donny. “Told you, you’ll eventually mix up the days,” he said, walking past Nash and headed downstairs towards the kitchen.

A confused Nash walked after Donny. “It’s still Sunday? That means I was only in there for two hours?”

Nash knew that the time difference in Zectas and the real world was only four times. So, he estimated that the difference in Mictlan must have been twelve times. He grinned as he instantly recognized its potential. This meant he could train and explore Mictlan and not worry about their impending battle with Burmistrz. But then he checked his thumb for blood.

“Wonder if my body could handle it?” he asked out loud as he reached the kitchen door.

As he was scrolling his phone with his right hand, three oranges suddenly came flying towards him. Donny playfully threw them at him.

Seeing the oranges almost hit his face, Nash’s pupils dilated. The oranges seemed to move in slow motion. So, he grabbed each one, using only his non-dominant hand.

“Didn’t Mima tell you not to play with food!” scolded Nash, catching all three oranges.

“Whoa!” hollered Donny. “How’d you do that?”

“Do what?” asked Nash, carefully putting down the oranges on the table.

“How’d you catch all three with your left hand?” asked Donny, amazed.

“Come on. You were throwing it slow,” replied Nash.

“No! I wasn’t,” said Donny, shaking his head. “That was my hardest throw. Was hoping the would’ve stung your eyes a bit,” he added sheepishly.

Donny proudly slapped Nash’s back. “This must be what that reporter said on the news? You know, about how Zectas players improve their reflexes?”

Nash smiled at Donny. But deep down he wondered if this was also an effect of his visit in Mictlan.

* * * * * *

Smoke opened his eyes and saw Mitleid kicking sand off the floating barren island. It unceremoniously dropped into the blackness of the void.

“Finally!” exclaimed Mitleid. “Thought you said you’d be quick?”

“How long was I gone?” asked Smoke.

“About six hours!” answered Mitleid. “You know, if you do this again, I’ll just tell you what Insels to take in order for you to reach Rauchburg.”

“Rauchburg? Like Rauch Castle in Verbrannt?” said Smoke. “Is that where you’re staying?”

“Let’s just go. You’re ruining my surprise,” said Mitleid, leading the way to the next floating island.

After traveling through more than a thirty Insels, Smoke finally saw Corpos Quentes. An archipelago of Insels all floating in the same lower level.

On one of the Insels, Smoke saw a large ruby dragon, which he thought he had seen somewhere before.

“That’s Valdurath,” said Mitleid, standing beside him. “He’s one of the twelve dragons of legend.”

Mitleid got on a vine-bridge that descended to the lower floating islands.

“That’s the one Trist—” began Smoke.

“Funny thing,” interjected Mitleid, already chuckling which made the bridge slightly sway. “Apparently, some Sonstwelter boasted of killing him when the truth was that Valdurath was already dying after going against Bakunawa—the monstrous dragon of the sea. Honestly, it was stupid of Valdurath, a fire based dragon, to go against Bakunawa.”

“Really? That’s what happened?” asked Smoke, intrigued. “Didn’t seem like that in his video,” he added under his breath.

“Anyway, most of the Insels here have been formed into towns,” explained Mitleid. “Valdurath named its Insel, Wrathland.”

“And you named your town after Verbrannt’s castle,” said Smoke, getting onto a grassy Insel. “Wait, are there any chaneques here?” he asked, alarmed by the tall grass lands.

“Nope. Only souls can enter Corpos Quentes,” reassured Mitleid. “Relax, this Insel is already under our jurisdic—”

Mitleid’s words were cut short as a group of ten green Krampus appeared out of the grass. Their green fur hid them well in the grass.

“Green Krampus?” asked Smoke.

“One of the abilities they picked up when they got here,” answered Mitleid.

Even with their long goatlike horns, all of the Krampus were slightly shorter than Mitleid. Then, their green fur returned to their natural black. Their cloven hooves lit up with flames. The same as one from their eyes burning with rage.

“Another ability they picked up?” said Smoke, equipping his twin hook swords.

“No need for that,” said Mitleid. “Our brothers have arrived.”

THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD

As the Insel took the abuse of the behemoth Maneators’ landings, the floating island shook violently. A dozen Maneators came leaping from the next Insel. All of the oxen-headed giants towered over the Krampus as they surrounded them.

“Brothers, give Smoke a warm welcome!” said Mitleid.

Grunting, only six of the strength based Maneators moved. Each one grabbed a Krampus by the neck and threw them off the Insel. The Krampus bleated and screamed as they fell into the blackness of the abyss.

Then, all of them Maneators went down on one knee and greeted both Smoke and Mitleid.

“Salutations to the Maneator King!”

A bewildered Smoke turned to Mitleid, as the Maneators were bowing down to him.

“Seems you have forgotten my friend. You’re now the Maneator King,” said Mitleid.

Surrounded by so many Maneators, Smoke’s Asterian Aura took a massive boost. A casting circle appeared beneath his feet and let out a red light. His physical attacks were increased by 100%, and then both the casting circle and light dispersed.

“Arise, my brothers, Smoke is not one for such formalities,” said Mitleid. “Saying hi would have sufficed.”

Suddenly, two green Krampus leaped out from the grass. They tried to escape and jump towards the vine bridge but two arrows pierced the back of their necks, sending them plummeting to the darkness.

Smoke turned towards the source of the arrows. He smiled widely when he saw them. A tall muscular OrkElf and a slender lioness Lioumerean held crude looking bows.

“Laernea, Sharur!” greeted Smoke, running towards them. He came in for a hug, but Laernea hid behind Sharur.

“Smoke, it’s good to see you,” greeted Sharur, extending his hand.

Taken aback, all Smoke could do was shake Sharur’s offered hand. Despite their awkward reunion, he smiled at them. “I’m really glad. Now, I’ve got Mitleid and you two back.”

“We never expected to see anyone again,” said Laernea shyly from behind Sharur. “Is Sierra with you?”

“No,” replied Smoke. “It’s just me.”

“And why are you here exactly?” asked Sharur.

“To bring you guys back of course!” declared Smoke. “That is if we do find a way back.”

“We should ask Baba,” suggested Laernea. “He’d probably know something like that.”

Sharur’s nostrils flared. He turned around and faced Laernea. “What are you doing? I thought that we—”

“No! I was just helping Smoke to get home,” replied Laernea, grabbing Sharur’s arm.

“Fine! If that’s what you want!” shouted Sharur. “Come on, I’ll take you to see Baba.”

“Who’s Baba?” asked Smoke, confused as he followed Sharur.

“Baba’s here?” asked Mitleid, excited. “You’ll love him,” he said to Smoke. “He sings the most interesting tales!”

After traveling through five more Insels, Smoke finally saw the floating town of Rauchburg.

The floating island had a wall of frozen logs put up. There were also two rivers floating off the Insel. The lone vine bridge connected to the island was guarded by twenty Maneators. To which all bowed down when they saw Smoke.

Sharur let out a loud sigh and got on the bridge first.

“Can’t wait to see Baba,” said an excited Mitleid, walking after Sharur.

“Did I do something?” Smoke asked Laernea.

“Don’t mind him,” replied Laernea. “He’s just surprised you’re here,” she added walking fast after Sharur.

– Entered Insel-192432

– Part of the Corpos Quentes Archipelago, this Insel has been named Rauchburg by its Light Bringer—König Mitleid.

Smoke took special notice of Mitleid’s new title. Before he could ask Mitleid, his eyes fixated on the fog at the center of the town. ‘No wonder it’s so cold,’ he thought. Then two kids bumped his legs and continued on chasing after another. Instantly, he realized that the residents of Rauchburg were predominantly children. Generally, the people of the floating island looked happy and content.

“They’re mostly from Wysteria,” explained Laernea. “Victims of Burmistrz’s Brandals.”

“I see…” said Smoke, not really knowing what to say. “What about their parents?”

“Don’t know,” answered Sharur. “Maybe they’ve joined up with other places like this? Mitleid’s the one who found them.”

“Something wrong with him?” Mitleid asked Laernea. “I’ve never seen him like this.”

“He’s fine,” said Laernea, defensive.

Smoke also noticed that the few adults there were busy making arrows out of branches. Among the residents of Rauchburg, a young man with a familiar face walked over to him.

“Sir Smoke!” called out the young man. “It’s me, Jeter Pion!”

Smoke recalled the young Avendre Commander who lost his life when they defended Centzo City against the Brandals.

“Jeter! Can’t believe you’re here as well,” said Smoke, giving Jeter a hug.

“Well, what did you expect? Most people here are people whom you and your men have saved before,” interjected Sharur. “We’re all followers of the great Smoke!” he sarcastically added.

Before Smoke could react, a calming song played on a lute filled the air, and then there was singing.

“Swords and arrows wound the flesh, but hurtful words pierce the heart,” sang a middle-aged DarkElf playing the lute. “Before you say things you may regret, think twice and be clever and smart.”

“Who is this guy?” asked Smoke out loud.

“That’s Baba—Mictlan’s traveling Bard,” answered Mitleid, grinning, thoroughly engrossed in the song.

“So, my friends play nice and do think twice. Burn no bridges, make right choices. And let’s all take part in a communal fart!” sang Baba, finishing his song with a fart.

As soon as Baba had done his deed, the children and Mitleid broke into laughter.

“He actually farted!” chuckled Mitleid, shaking his head, and almost struck Smoke with one of his horns. “Baba’s so funny!” he added, wiping a tear from his eye.

Baba bowed as most of the residents of Rauchburg clapped loudly.

“Thank you, thank you. I’ll be here all week,” said Baba. He then walked over to Smoke and offered his hand. “Always a pleasure to meet a fellow DarkElf.”

“Right,” said Smoke, shaking Baba’s hand. “I’m Smo—”

“Smoke! I know, I know,” interjected an energetic Baba. “Everyone’s been talking about your heroics back in the day.”

“Yes, but before that, I’d like to talk to my friend,” Smoke stopped and searched for Sharur, but both Sharur and Laernea were nowhere to be seen.

“First, tell me how you got here,” said Baba, leading Smoke towards Mitleid and the laughing children. “It’s not every day you see a living Sonstwelter here you know.”

“That does sound interesting, but Smoke wants to know if there’s a way to get back to Zectas,” interrupted Mitleid. “Never thought that such a thing would be possible, but maybe you’d have some information about it?”

Plucking his lute, Baba shook his head. “Nope, sorry. But maybe Lord Xolotl would know?”

“Who’s that?” asked Smoke.

TADADA DING!

Baba plucked the strings on his lute. “The God of Sunset and Gatekeeper of Mictlan,” he sang dramatically.

Suddenly, the cold temperature dropped even further. Smoke turned to the center of Rauchburg as he noticed a parting in the mist. The log walls turned into blocks of ice as a spherical icy fog began to shape around the floating island. The Maneators outside the vine-bridge rushed inside as the sole entrance to the town was frozen solid.

“Smoke? How in the world did you get here?” cried out a young female voice, which came from an Ork who stepped outside of the cold mist.

“Do I know you?” asked Smoke, confused. But something about her felt familiar.

Without warning, the female Ork dispersed like the mist. She reformed her shape in front of Smoke and smacked him hard on the head. “I knew you were disrespectful but this is too much!”

“Wait, wait!” said Smoke, quickly backing away. “Meneur?”

“Physical contact. It always works,” said Meneur, grinning at Smoke.

Astonished, Smoke stammered. “But how? Why are you—”

“Young? Beautiful? Oozing with charm?” asked Meneur.

Smoke shook his head. “Why aren’t you blind?”

Before Smoke could react, he received four blitzing smacks to the head before he flopped on the floor.

Again, Baba’s soothing lute playing was heard. He quickly stepped in between Smoke and Meneur.

“Mictlan makes an image of you when you were at the prime of your life,” explained Baba. “Doesn’t matter if you got blind or even decapitated.” He then turned to Mitleid. “You sure you’re all gathered in Rauchburg because of him?”

Mitleid chuckled and helped Smoke up. “He’s special. It’s his unique way of saying hello.”

“Meneur, sorry,” rushed Smoke, lowering his head before the young Ork Priestess. “I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.”

“Yeah, yeah! Forget about it,” replied Meneur, crossing her arms. “It’s bad enough I lectured you about my religion. Tezcazinism was dead wrong. Look at us. We’re all here in the afterlife!”

Baba comically danced in front of Meneur and said. “Now, now, Tezcazinism wasn’t always like that,” he corrected. He plucked his lute and began playing a slow and solemn tune. “The very first Priests never really said that there was no afterlife. In fact, the basic belief is that you should treat your life as if you’re already living in Mictlan. Indulge in all that life has to offer, as you will be a different being when you’ve transitioned.”

“Fine fine. You can stop your annoying singing,” said Meneur. “Let’s just get on with Mitleid’s thing. I need to get back and form the barrier.”

“Right!” said Mitleid and got out the intriguing white orb he was carrying. “Everyone, gather round. It’s time to feast!”

At once, the residents of Rauchburg assembled into a circle. It did not take long, for there were less than fifty of them. Mitleid placed the glowing orb at the center. It began to spin at incredible speeds until a blinding flash of light came out of it. Flowing white gas entered the bodies of Rauchburg’s residents. It was only then that Smoke noticed that everybody’s Soul Points increased in value. When the orb was depleted of its power, it fell down with a clink.

“Deliverance finished!” called out Mitleid.

“Thank you, Light Bringer, we are forever grateful,” said one of the residents. Similar words of gratitude resonated as other citizens of Rauchburg thanked Mitleid one by one. It took a while before they went about their own thing.

“What was that?” asked Smoke.

Before Baba could answer, Jeter stepped in and spoke out. “Soul Deliverance. Refilling and increasing our maximum Soul Points.”

“What about Sharur and Laernea?” asked Smoke, worried. “Did they get their share?”

“They did,” replied Jeter. “They got their share and left.”

Meneur let out a deep sigh. “Was good seeing you Smoke, but I’d rather do my own thing now,” she said and walked back towards the center of Rauchburg, into the icy mist. After she disappeared in the fog, the frozen sphere that covered the floating island slowly dissipated into mist.

“What’s Meneur doing?” asked Smoke.

“She’s defending Rauchburg,” replied Jeter. “She’s been casting this frozen barrier ever since Sharur found Lady Meneur.”

“Wait, I thought magic doesn’t work in Mictlan?” clarified Smoke.

“Huh? Who said that?” asked Jeter. “Of course magic works! Why else would Lady Meneur be putting up this barrier?”

“Not completely true,” interrupted Baba. “Magic doesn’t work against chaneques and other beings born into Mictlan.”

“Really? Had no idea,” said Jeter. “Maybe, if some people would let me get out more, I’d have known something like that.”

“But more importantly, weren’t you asking me about Lord Xolotl?” Baba asked Smoke.

“I was, but right now I’m more concerned with Sharur and Laernea,” said Smoke.

* * * * * *

Hiding behind children playing, Laernea was tightly hugging Sharur. “You know I’d never leave you. You know I’ve changed.”

“Sure you have,” said Sharur. “But the lovesick kitten returns the moment you saw Smoke.”

“That’s not fair!” declared Laernea. “You know I didn’t act like that.”

“Well, from what I saw, you sure did,” flatly said Sharur.

“How can you say that?” gasped Laernea, hurt. “I thought you knew me.”

“Pfft! You and me both,” said Sharur. “We’ve been here for years now. But you…You’re still pining over him. Don’t you get it? Smoke only has eyes for Sierra!”

“What are you yammering about? That’s already in the past,” reasoned Laernea. “You told me to be with you always! Isn’t that why we trained our ass off to be Light Bringers?”

“Exactly!” screamed Sharur. “But why are you…Merde! Now, look what you’ve done. You got me talking like a sycophant!”

“I’m not doing anything,” said Laernea. “You’re the one acting all crazy,” she mumbled.

Sharur got up and headed for the vine-bridge, running outside Rauchburg.

Laernea huffed but quickly followed after him.

After racing through a few Insels, Sharur stopped at a grassy floating island.

“It’s like you’re just with me because you can’t have him,” blurted out Sharur.

“No! You know it’s not like that,” said Laernea.

Suddenly, Sharur stood on the edge and peered down into the abyss. “Would you jump if I jump?”

“Of course not!” said Laernea. She quickly ran to him and hugged him from behind. “I know you’d never leave me in the first place,” she added coyly, sliding down her tail on Sharur’s cheek.

Slowly, Sharur slumped on the grass and laid still. Laernea did the same and rested her head in his arms. They stayed that way in silence.

Yet, their peace was short-lived.

A few minutes later, a sweet tune filled the air. It was Baba with his lute. The DarkElf Bard serenaded them in the stillness of eternity.

When his song stopped, Laernea sat up and threw clumped up grass at him. “Way to ruin the mood.”

Baba cleaned the grass from his face. “Tut tut tut, I haven’t even told you my story yet,” he began and sat down alongside them. “Now, have you heard about the fox and the sour grape?”

“Of course!” replied Sharur, grinning. “Don’t tell me you’ve used up all your material?”

“No. Heck, no!” replied Baba, forcibly shaking his head. “But can you tell me how that story ends?”

“You’re kidding, right?” asked Laernea.

Baba smiled but shook his head again.

“The fox makes some lame excuse about the grapes being sour and leaves,” said Laernea.

“Smoke better not be the fox in this story,” added Sharur under his breath.

“Ah! But that’s not how the story ends,” recounted Baba. “First of all, the fox repeatedly tried its best to jump, but it just couldn’t reach the grape, right? So, it does make an excuse about how the grape must be sour.” He bobbed his head, acknowledging this as fact. “But, it doesn’t give up. Instead, the fox went to another vineyard, where it could reach the sweet juicy grapes in a single leap.”

“Say what now?” said Sharur.

“Guess what I’m saying is, it’s good to know when to stop jumping,” said Baba. “Only then will you find the right vineyard.”

The three of them sat there in silence. Baba looked away, as Sharur reached out for Laernea’s hand.

“By the way, Smoke was planning on going to Lord Xolotl’s domain,” said Baba, breaking the silence. “Thought it’d be a perfect opportunity for you two to test what you’ve learned so far. What do you say?”

Laernea turned to Sharur. “I’ll do whatever you want to do.”

“Let’s do it,” said Sharur, smiling at her. “I got the grapes I wanted.”

* * * * * *

On a barren floating island, Smoke and his friends were marching to a merry tune. Baba led the way towards Xolotl’s domain while playing his lute. Smoke and Jeter closely followed behind, with Sharur and Laernea guarding the rear.

“This is nice!” said Jeter, excited. “It has been a long time since I got out of Corpos Quentes. Fighting against Krampus and Brandals tend to be tiresome.”

“That’s well and good, but remember you haven’t done any training to be a Light Bringer yet,” said Baba. “So, don’t attack anything! The same thing applies to you,” he added, talking directly to Smoke.

Upon hearing this, Smoke wondered why Mitleid allowed him to attack the chaneques, sycophants, and various other creatures they met along the way. ‘Did he think I was a Light Bringer?’ he wondered.

“Too bad Mitleid can’t come,” said Jeter.

“What did you expect?” said Sharur. “You know he needs to refill the soul orb.”

“Shh! Quiet,” ordered Baba. “We’re nearing a few chaneques,” he said, stepping onto a grassy floating island. At once, Baba plucked a more serene song.

Smoke expected to see the red horned imps to jump out, but not one of them did.

“Sleepy… so sleepy,” said a child’s voice.

“Nighty night,” added another.

He heard snoring instead of hearing them asking to play.

“They’re sleeping,” whispered Baba, as if reading Smoke’s mental inquiry.

After several hours, they traversed only through barren Insels and grassy floating islands. Baba especially made sure to avoid the ones with the large ponds in them, and strongly told Smoke and the others to steer clear of them.

Having crossed a grassy floating island, they found themselves in front of an Insel with a massive lake in it.

Suddenly, Baba stopped in the middle of the vine-bridge. “Alright, we’ll rest here. Smoke probably needs to go back to his world anyway.”

“Thanks, Baba. I was going to ask,” replied Smoke. “But I’m good to stay for at least three more Insels.”

“No, this spot is fine,” said Baba. “I also have to get Sharur and Laernea ready.”

“But I want to—” protested Smoke but was stopped by Sharur.

“Please go,” said Sharur. “Don’t worry, we’ll be right here when you get back.”

“Oh, alright,” said Smoke, logging out.

Ignoring his headache and nosebleed, Smoke only spent a total of five minutes in the real world. He only took a piss and drank a glass of milk and immediately logged back in, but when he returned it had already been an hour.

“Welcome back,” greeted Laernea.

“That was quicker than expected,” said Sharur.

“So, we ready to go now, Baba?” asked Jeter.

“Not quite,” said Baba. “Mitleid told me that you could put up a Manatl barrier. Think you could cover yourself and Jeter while we’re on that Insel?”

“Definitely,” answered Smoke, putting up a spherical Manatl around himself and Jeter.

“Good. Let’s go,” said Baba, slinging his lute to his back. Then, he took out two thin strings and carried each of them with one hand.

“What’s that for?” asked Smoke, recognizing them as strings for his lute.

“Defense,” answered Baba. “Coyotls tend to dislike my music.”

Before Smoke could ask what a Coyotl was, he heard the croaking of frogs.

KOKAK KOKAK RIBBIT RIBBIT QUAKEN QUAKEN CROAC CROAC

Then, dozens of coyotls leaped out of the great lake. Their bodies were like medium-sized dogs but had the upper body of a coyote and the lower body of a frog. Yet, the throats of these coyote-headed monsters still ballooned like that of a frog’s as they made their croaking noises.

Carefully walking around the lake, Baba had his spare strings ready while Sharur and Laernea were equipped with their bows.

As they got closer, the coyotls instantly moved with blinding speed. But these coyote-frog monsters stopped when they were less than a meter away from Smoke and his friends.

Instead of attacking with their claws, the coyotls whipped out their long elastic tongues and went after Laernea and Sharur’s legs.

WHIPISH WHIPISH WHIPISH WHIPISH

Baba parried each of the monsters’ tongues with a whip of his strings. The coyotls that were hit immediately retreated backward.

SCHILD SCHILD

Smoke’s Manatl barrier held firm against the coyotls sharp tongues. Protected from the coyotls’ attacks, Smoke and Jeter cautiously followed after Baba, Laernea and Sharur.

After retreating, the injured coyotls came back for another round. But before these monsters could even attack, Sharur and Laernea targeted them with their simple bow and arrows. The two of them waited for the moment when the coyotls opened their mouths wide and launched out their tongues. Their arrows pierced into the coyotls mouths, forcing them back into the lake.

“Wow!” exclaimed Jeter. “The two of them could really hit Mictlanders.”

Upon hearing this, Smoke realized how amazing Sharur and Laernea’s feat was. Despite his numerous attempts, Smoke had never hit any of the Mictlan born monsters thus far.

“Remember, don’t kill them,” said Baba to Sharur and Laernea. “We’re only passing through.”

Yet, even after hearing Baba’s words, Sharur still targeted the coyotls that were retreating. The simple branch-made arrows could not pierce the slimy skins of the coyotls. It only bounced off.

With that, they successfully crossed the Insel with a great lake.

“Damn it!” cussed Sharur, upon reaching the vine-bridge. “Only got half of my arrows left.”

“Here, you can have some of mine,” offered Laernea.

“It’s okay,” said Sharur, shaking his head. “I’ll just be more careful next time.”

“That’s fine,” said Baba. “We’re almost there,” he added, pointing to a floating island with a dark castle on it.

Dried up trees and blackened earth welcomed them when they stepped foot on the floating island of Xolotl. His gloomy castle had a prominent gate with a skull of some unknown monster.

“I’ve never actually entered here before,” confessed Baba. “But we should be fine, right?”

Baba pushed opened the gate and it moved slowly with a creaking sound. Inside the inner grounds, they found large glass windows which surrounded the castle.

“I’ll go alone,” said Baba.

“No, let me do it,” countered Smoke. “I’m a Sonstwelter I’ll be fine,” he reasoned out, as he always did in these situations.

“Fine, but we’ll go together,” said Baba with finality. “Sharur, Laernea, you two be on the guard. We don’t know if Lord Xolotl has some sort of security.”

Sharur and Laernea nodded, their bows at the ready.

“What about me?” asked Jeter.

“You’re on lookout duty,” hastily answered Baba.

So, Baba and Smoke entered Xolotl’s castle. Smoke tried sensing the place with his Cunning of the Dire Fox, but his sensory ability proved to be ineffective here in Mictlan.

Inside, they found a grandiose great hall that was devoid of anything except for a mirror that comprised an entire wall.

“Found the stairs,” said Smoke, cautiously heading up. But he was forcibly stopped in placed.

– [PROHIBITED] Xolotl’s Upper Level is inaccessible at the moment

Baba joined him and felt around for the invisible wall blocking the stairway. “That’s one strong barrier.”

Smoke turned around and searched for anything else, but found nothing. He took in a deep breath and his eyes turned golden, becoming that of a dire fox’s. Yet, even with his Extra Sensory ability, he found nothing inside Xolotl’s Castle.

TAP TAP TAP

They heard the sound of tapping on glass. Smoke found Jeter waving at them from outside the window, signing if they saw anything.

“Might as well let them in,” Smoke said to Baba. “Maybe, they could see something we don’t?”

“Well, I don’t sense any danger,” replied Baba. “Sure.”

Yet, even with the help of Laernea, Sharur, and Jeter, their search still turned up empty.

“Think he went on vacation?” joked Laernea.

“Would be nice if he left a note,” added Sharur.

TAP TAP TAP TAP

“What’s that?” asked Smoke, searching for the source of the sound.

“Probably Jeter,” said Sharur. “He must be outside again. Jeter, quit doing that!”

“Doing what?” asked Jeter coming down from the blocked stairs.

TAP TAP TAP TAP

Again they heard the sound of knocking on glass. At first, they thought it came from one of the windows, only to realize that it was coming from within the full-wall mirror behind them.

All of them scrambled backward. Frightened at the sight of the dog face skeleton before them. A skeleton giant which stood at twice the height of Mitleid. It continued to tap on the mirror.

TAP TAP TAP

“Is someone there?” asked the skeleton. “Speak up! Is there someone in my house?” it added, facing Smoke and revealed its empty eye sockets.

“Lord Xolotl?” asked Smoke. “Sorry to intrude. We’re not here to make trouble.”

“Excuses of a thief,” boomed Xolotl, it tried to grab Smoke but instead the mirror reverberated as its hands could not pass through it.

“Excuse me, my Lord Xolotl,” interjected Baba. “But why are trapped inside that mirror?”

“There are more of you?” asked the blind Xolotl. “Who are you people?”

“Just a humble Bard traveling through Mictlan,” answered Baba. “And with me are Laernea, Sharur, and Jeter. They’re souls living in Corpos Quentes.”

“No! There is one other,” said Xolotl. “Mere souls cannot awaken me from my slumber. Speak up Sonstwelter, and tell me your name!”

Smoke straightened up and looked Xolotl straight in its empty eye sockets. “Oh wise and powerful, Lord Xolotl, I am your humble servant Smoke,” he answered respectfully and lowered his head despite Xolotl being blind. He thought about using Beggary on the god of sunset but decided otherwise. The chances of it working on a god would be quixotic. “Tales of your compassion and understanding are often the talk of those in Corpos Quentes. If I may be so bold as to ask you a question?”

Xolotl’s jaw bone rattled as it laughed. “My, such a respectful Sonstwelter. Smoke was it?”

Smoke smiled, relieved that his flattery worked on a god.

“Normally, I detest such blatant blandishments. But you have piqued my interest,” said Xolotl. From within the mirror, the dog-faced giant sat down in front of Smoke. Its bones creaked and cracked as it did so. “Ask your question, and hope that I know the answer.”

“Thank you, my Lord Xolotl,” said Smoke. “I would like to know if there is a way to get back to the realm of the living.”

“Oh, that!” said Xolotl, exasperated. “Here I thought you would inquire something more intriguing.” It let out a sigh and shook the bones in its shoulders. “Nevertheless, I shall oblige. The answer is yes.”

Smoke’s eyes grew wide with excitement. “Then, can you tell me how to—”

“Wait!” called out Xolotl. “Before you blab on about inquiries of going back to the living. I would like to tell you a tale.”

“Thought Baba was the only storyteller we had to endure,” whispered Sharur to Laernea.

“Silence you fool,” mumbled Baba. “We don’t want to anger Lord Xolotl.”

“It would be an honor to hear one of your stories, Lord Xolotl,” said Smoke with a smile.

“As you may know, Mictlan is ruled by the great god Mictlantec and his wife Micteca,” began Xolotl. “Now, I say this with much respect, but the two of them could care less what would happen here in Mictlan. They are simply enamored with each other and nothing else.”

A grinning Baba was happily taking down notes, and mumbling how great this story would be when he told it.

“The two of them reside in Reialma—the only place in Mictlan that is overflowing with soul energy,” went on Xolotl. It suddenly laughed for no clear reason before it continued. “Now, some souls from Corpos Quentes train themselves to withstand the creatures born in Mictlan. And they manage to reach Reialma to get some soul energy.”

“Light Bringers,” said Smoke.

“Oh, so you’ve heard of them. Perhaps you’ve met one?” said Xolotl. “Or maybe there is a Light Bringer amongst you?”

“No! No, Light Bringers here,” quickly answered Baba.

“I see,” replied Xolotl. “Anyway, the Light Bringers had become so many that they threatened to deplete the soul energy in Reialma before it could replenish itself.”

“Really? That’s weird because now there are barely any Light Bringers left,” blurted out Jeter.

“Of course,” said Xolotl. “Mictlantec and Micteca knew what was going on. They saw the threat of the Light Bringers.” Xolotl discontinued its tale and hugged its bones tightly. “I tried to tell them to leave the poor Light Bringers alone, but they would not listen to a lesser god like myself.”

“What? Mictlantec and Micteca did this to you?” asked Smoke.

Xolotl nodded. “They said that the Light Bringers had to end. So, they turned the ones they caught into sycophants. Beings that would drain out the essence from souls.”

“Wait, I thought you only become a sycophant when your soul points become zero?” asked Jeter. “Your body disappears and you get teleported to one of their forests?”

“No, that is a lie. No doubt spread by Mictlantec and Micteca,” said Xolotl. “What really happens is that the soul gets teleported to one of the primary forests. There, the soul respawns and fully recovers their soul points.” Xolotl ceased talking as its bony hands rubbed its cranium. “But the sadistic Mictlantec and Micteca cleverly placed their sycophants into the very same forests. And as you may know, sycophants can turn souls into parasitic beings like themselves. They only need to drain their target’s soul points completely.”

“Is there a way to save them?” asked Smoke out loud, sympathetic to the cursed Light Bringers.

“Coincidentally, the vindictive being that created them did allow for such a reversal,” answered Xolotl. “It is the driving force why the sycophants hunger for souls. Once they’ve consumed four souls, the sycophant returns to being a normal soul.”

“Well, at least there’s hope,” said Smoke, worrying about Mitleid’s situation.

Xolotl sneered. “But Mictlantec and Micteca are such sadistic beings. Sycophants always travel in packs.”

Sharur slapped his forehead. “So, there’s no way for them to recover, because the moment one sycophant does complete its quota, the other sycophants will attack it.”

“What a bummer,” said Laernea.

“What was that?” asked Xolotl.

“I mean… your story is so sad, my Lord Xolotl,” replied Laernea, laughing nervously. “It has such a sad ending.”

“But I am not done!” declared Xolotl. “You see, as the god of sunset and gatekeeper of Mictlan, I could not stand what was happening. So, I fought against Mictlantec and Micteca. Unfortunately, my actions led me to such tribulation.” It sighed deeply. “Mictlantec took my flesh and stored it in my crown. Micteca took my eyes and placed them in my amulet. But the two of them did not stop there. After they trapped me inside this mirror, they took away my power and sealed it in my staff.”

“So, this isn’t what you usually look like?” asked Jeter.

“Obviously,” snidely replied Xolotl. It hesitated, before calming itself. “One cannot imagine the suffering that I am in. If only the things that were stolen from me would be returned, I could surely make the gates—” the gigantic dog-headed skeleton paused again. “But how can anyone possibly help a powerless god like me?”

“You have my sympathy, Lord Xolotl,” began Smoke. “I’d gladly help you recover those things.”

“Really?” exclaimed Xolotl. “I dare say it is such a demanding task, nearly impossible to complete.”

“I would still like to try,” said Smoke, lowering his head. “It’s an honor to be of service.”

“My, you really are an interesting Sonstwelter,” said Xolotl. “Very well, if you insist.”

Xolotl stopped talking and a blank map window appeared in front of Smoke.

“My crown is protected by the Cipactli,” said Xolotl. “A caiman-headed gorilla. Very powerful and extremely sharp.”

Then, the window was filled with the series of Insels Smoke needed to take to get to Cipactli.

MAP LOCATION: Monstro Afiado

Insel Directions: Insel-516 -> Insel-525 -> Insel-532…

Note: Four Hundred Insels away from current location

“Next, is Yahui—the beast of Mixtec,” went on Xolotl. “It is the one that holds my amulet. A carnivorous turtle with powerful magic.”

MAP LOCATION: Monstro Blindado

Insel Series: Insel-516 -> Insel-525 -> Insel-532…

Note: Six Hundred Insels away from current location

“Lastly, the ones holding my staff are the Naguals,” said Xolotl. “They’re mysterious beings capable of changing their bodies into several monsters.”

MAP LOCATION: Monstro Gêmeos

Insel Series: Insel-516 -> Insel-525 -> Insel-532…

Note: Eight Hundred Insels away from current location

“After hearing about the guardians do you still wish to go and face them?” Xolotl asked Smoke.

“Of course!” confidently said Smoke. “Anything to help you, Lord Xolotl.”

“Good!” pronounced the god of sunset. “I barely have any power left, but I could still send you to a place near Cipactli.”

Without any warning, a black portal appeared in the center of the great hall. The other side showed a grassy floating island.

“Now, go!” commanded Xolotl. “That will take all of you to an Insel near Monstro Afiado. Hurry, the portal will not last long.”

Before anyone could protest, Smoke ushered everyone into the portal. It instantly disappeared when all of them exited it.

“Are you sure about this?” Baba asked Smoke.

“What do you mean?” answered Smoke.

“I mean you can’t possibly do Lord Xolotl’s quest,” said Baba. “Not unless you can hit a Mictlander.”

As they spoke on the grassy Insel, its residents had stood up and revealed themselves. Little red horned imps—the chaneques.

Smoke grinned. “My thoughts exactly!” he said, equipping his twin hook swords.

Chapter Ten:

Paroxysmal Arrangements

“Really? Floating islands in the total darkness?” Sherry asked Nash over the phone. “But how can you see the Insels if it’s dark?”

She wanted him to visit her at home, but with the incredible time difference of Mictlan and the real world, he could only spare less than thirty minutes, or suffer the wrath of his companions waiting for him(supposedly).

“Well, the islands sort of glow,” he answered, trying hard to describe the beauty of Mictlan. “Trust me, you’ll love it when you see it yourself.”

“Says the man who’s still searching for a way out of Mictlan,” she said, laughing. “Anyway, what did Detective Faltoso say again?”

Nash sighed, which carried over their call. “He wants us to visit the station sometime next week. Says there’s some break in the case, but they still need to iron it out. Highly doubt it, though.”

“Hey! What did we say about talking like that?” she asked, as if she was about to give a firm lecture.

“Negative thoughts never helped anyone,” he grumbled. “What about you? You really have an audience with King Adrizol?”

“Right? Can you believe it?” she said proudly, welcoming the change in topic. “The King of Chayotl wanted to personally speak to me.”

“What? He never asked for Smoke?” asked Nash.

“Oh, shut up!” she yelled, snickering.

“Any idea what it’s about?” he asked.

“Dunno. Mamelon got the notice when she passed through Centeo City,” she explained. “Who would’ve thought that I’d get invited inside the castle. I mean I started there as an Acolyte, but I never…”

“It’s not that big a deal,” joked Nash. “Especially when he starts combing his long nose hair with his hands. Yuck!”

“King Adrizol is a far superior king. Especially when compared to the king you met. Bet you haven’t seen a picture of him, have you?” she stated condescendingly. “They say he was coded to look like a movie star.”

“Who said that? Blind players? Or those with no taste?” he replied, matching her tone.

“You sure you want to say that?” she asked. “Remember, I find you handsome too!”

“Let’s just say that you have your off days,” replied Nash, chuckling.

“Whatever!” she retorted. “It’s still better than your cryptic video in the Oracle of Aphend.”

“Right? Couldn’t think of anything else to post,” he explained. “All I had were videos of Orks and places in Sawtorn. Good thing I found that Oracle.”

“So, how many hits have you got so far?” she asked.

“Over five million,” answered Nash, pleased. “I’m really thankful for those faithful subscribers.”

“Exactly! If not for them you’d be dead,” went on Sherry. “That’s why you should post an amazing video in Mictlan.”

“Of course, I’ve already planned the whole thing,” said Nash. “I’m going to start with the view from the sacred logs. You know, the one where it felt like Halloween and Christmas were mashed into one. And then I’m—”

“Anyway, I’m logging back in,” she forcibly interjected. “Can’t wait to see Nenek again.”

“Right. Me too. Was heading for the game pod,” he mumbled. “Sorry bout not visiting again.”

“I understand. Just don’t get ahead of me too much when you get back,” she said with all seriousness.

“I won’t,” replied Nash.

—CLICK

With that, Sherry stretched out her long slender arms one last time, before entering into her game pod.

* * * * * *

When Sierra opened her eyes, she was greeted with a warm campfire and an old Priestess sitting next to it. Her long robes were battle-worn, but her smile was genuine and welcoming.

“If I didn’t see it for myself I wouldn’t have believed it,” greeted Nenek. “You’ve truly done me proud.”

“Wait! Did you just insult me and praise me at the same time?” said Sierra, laughing. “What are you doing here anyway?”

Nenek chortled. “Can you blame me? Took you so long to kill those Witches.”

Sierra shook her head but was still smiling. “Couldn’t wait till we get to Centeo, huh? Where’s Mamelon?”

“She left for your world. Something about having to pose next to a Porsche?” explained Nenek. “By the way, what’s a Porsche?”

“My uncle says it’s just an overpriced Volkswagen,” answered Sierra. “But she said she’ll be back soon?”

Nenek shook her head. “Says she’s heading back to Nordland when she returns. Something about unfinished business? Gandiva’s already waiting for her in Centza City up north.”

“That girl never takes no, huh?” said Sierra. “Ardu? Vrai?” she called out.

“Yes, my lady?” answered Vrai, flapping her thick Druid coat as she bowed down before Sierra.

“You and Ardu and the rest of our men will stay here,” began Sierra.

At once, Vrai was about to dispute her orders but was silenced with a stare.

“We don’t want to let King Adrizol think that we’re warmongers,” explained Sierra. “Relax, Nenek and I will be fine.”

Vrai nodded. “If you insist. Ardu and I will have our men ready if you call.”

“I bet,” said Sierra, pleased. “Well, we’re going now. So, I’ll leave you to it.”

“Take care, my Lady,” said Vrai and bowed down once more.

Sierra and Nenek set off on foot, giving them plenty of time to catch up.

“… Listen, I got a hundred new Acolytes, do you want them?” asked Nenek.

“Of course! All your graduates turn out to be awesome,” answered Sierra, grinning. “But, how come you’ve never taken another Sonstwelter?”

“Ha!” exclaimed Nenek. “The last one turned out to be such a pain in the ass!”

After an hour’s worth of walking and catching up, the two of them finally reached the outskirts of Centeo City. An excited Sierra looked up to see her starting city again. Yet, her smile vanished when she saw the overpopulated capital of the Chayotl Kingdom. Several houses had been built outside the city walls while the walls themselves had large cracks as if portions of the wall were about to fall off.

“What happened here?” asked Sierra.

“Adrizol says it’s ‘Progress’,” answered Nenek, doing air quotes. “After lowering the prices of houses, Sonstwelters began building them to the limit.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” said Sierra.

“You’d think, but I don’t know… Feels like he’s been neglecting his Zectian subjects lately,” went on Nenek. “But not those Knights of his. He loves them alright!” she vehemently added. ” Supposed he trained a bunch of them in secret. They just popped out of nowhere and the city was filled with them overnight. Now, the capital looks like it’s covered in algae.”

Sierra looked skeptical but kept an open mind. As the two of them reached near the city gates, she saw thousands of green Knights patrolling the homes of the Sonstwelters.

“Best not to make eye contact,” whispered Nenek.

“Greetings, citizen!” said one of the Emerald Knights. “Can I offer my assistance in any way?” he asked with a smile.

“Thanks, but no,” answered Nenek. She pulled Sierra’s arm and led the way towards the palace. “They like to make an appearance about how helpful they are. But they just give me the creeps.”

Looking around, Sierra noticed that most of the green Knights were offering their services to Sonstwelters. Some of them were leading the Sonstwelter’s mounts while others were made into sparring partners, both magical and physical. There were even some who were cooking for them.

“They don’t seem that bad,” said Sierra. But then she became aware of the Zectian residents. There were porters looking for work, but no Sonstwelter would hire them because there were green Knights at their beck and call.

There were still market stalls owned by Zectians, but not even flies bothered to visit them. All of the business went only to the shops owned by Sonstwelters.

Finally, Sierra and Nenek reached the inner wall. There, they were politely greeted with another Emerald Knight.

“Lady Sierra, Madam Nenek, please come in. King Adrizol has been expecting your arrival.”

“Yeah, yeah, Sheesh!” answered Nenek.

Inside the courtyard, the garden was well kept and filled with other Sonstwelter visitors.

“Maybe it’s not so special to see this King after all,” mumbled Sierra.

They were led into the throne room. Where an empty throne was waiting for them.

“Please wait here for a while,” said the Emerald Knight.

Seconds later, a handsome middle-aged man stepped out from behind the throne. His green royal robes glittered in the sunlight.

“Ah! You must be Lady Sierra,” said King Adrizol, smiling. “And what an honor to see a living legend in our midst. Welcome, Lady Nenek.”

Both Sierra and Nenek bowed down before the congenial king.

“Greetings, your Majesty,” said Sierra. “You summoned me?”

“Wow, straight to the point. I like that,” said King Adrizol. “Well, it’s about your village. I heard that it has grown so much that it could probably be recognized as a city now.”

“What!” yelped Sierra, surprised. “What do you mean?”

“It’s simple really,” began King Adrizol. “If you would allow some of my inspectors to visit the city, they could gauge if it’s acceptable to pass the standards as a city of the Chayotl Kingdom.”

Sierra’s eyebrows met. “Hmm… Would there be any Sonstwelters involved?”

“No, of course not,” answered the King. “Only the kingdom’s assessors and a few of my Emerald Knights.”

“And what exactly would happen if we become a city?” asked Sierra.

“For one, you’ll be the first Sonstwelter to have made a city from scratch in all the kingdoms of Zectas,” explained King Adrizol. “Also, you’ll have rights to do commerce with other cities. But most importantly, I’d like to put an end to this squabble you have with Coatl City.”

“Say what now?” blurted out Sierra.

“I appreciate the help that you and your partner have done in defending Centzo City,” he went on. “I would have loved to put a stop to it myself, but my funds were lacking and so were my men. However, now that I have enough power. I do not wish to see such a thing happen again to any of the cities in Chayotl.”

A dumbfounded Sierra stood there with her mouth slightly ajar.

“So, if you become a city I’d like to offer you my protection and settle the matter with Duke Burmistrz in the royal court,” stated King Adrizol. “What do you say? Shall you accept my offer and become a city of Chayotl?”

“First of all, let me just say that I’m flattered,” said Sierra. “But I’d like to run this decision with my friends before answering.”

King Adrizol smiled. “Very well, I see no problem with that.”

“Your Majesty, I have one more question,” went on Sierra. “What would happen to Duke Burmistrz if the royal court finds him guilty?”

“Well, he’ll be removed from his post and imprisoned,” flatly answered King Adrizol.

Nenek tapped on Sierra’s shoulder. “Are you done now?”.

“Huh? What do you mean?” asked Sierra, confused.

“Your Majesty, I’d like to voice out some personal concern,” blurted out Nenek, completely ignoring Sierra.

King Adrizol nodded. “Please do, I’m here to help.”

Nenek took in a deep breath. The saggy skin on her neck heaved deeply. “Why is it that you’ve neglected your Zectian subjects? Your men only buy goods from Sonstwelter owned shops. Also—”

“Now, now, wait a minute! I resent that!” interjected King Adrizol. “Neglected? Didn’t I lower your taxes? Didn’t I provide food rations for everyone? Frankly, I have my men buy from the Sonstwelters because they are selling superior products.”

“Then give us better lands to farm, and better boats to fish in,” countered Nenek.

“I’ve already sold them to the Sonstwelters,” answered King Adrizol. “They pay more. You know that, right?”

“But what about us?” asked Nenek, teary eyed. “Are we simply to resign ourselves and accept your magnanimous alms?”

“No, of course not,” he answered, furtive. “What about this? I shall have a council drawn up, and they will be tasked to evaluate how to better the lives of my Zectian subjects. After all, I want what’s best for everyone.”

“Thank you, your Majesty,” said Nenek, enthralled. “I would hope to hear from your men soon.”

* * * * * *

Back in Mictlan, Smoke and Jeter had been running to and from the vine-bridge. Both of them still unable to hit any of the chaneques.

“We’ve been at this for a while now. Maybe, we should do something different?” suggested Jeter, putting down his spear and resting.

“I know,” answered Smoke, preparing a meal for himself in the middle of the bridge. “Let me get some soup while you recover your Soul Points.”

Jeter sat cross-legged on the bridge and concentrated on regaining his SP. Whereas, Smoke pondered on another method. He tried using his Earth Manipulation, poisoned arrows, even his Moon Blade’s Lunar Force failed.

He did, however, make a significant discovery. The chaneques were not completely immune to magic. After which he made a mental note. ‘Not everything that Baba and Mitleid told him was set in stone.’ As the only thing that worked was inflicting the chaneques with Berserk. Unfortunately, he ran out of mana before the little red imps could kill themselves.

Then, Baba, Sharur, and Laernea arrived. They had gone off to a different Insel to complete Sharur and Laernea’s Light Bringer training.

“Any progress?” asked Baba, sitting down next to Smoke.

Smoke groaned. “None!”

“Well, have you tried hitting them from here?” suggested Laernea. “Sharur was the first one who came up with the idea. What with him being a Range Sieger and all. I think they don’t really know they’re being attacked unless an intruder is on the Insel.”

“I see. Now, why didn’t I think of that?” said Smoke, shaking his head.

At once, he stood up and equipped his bow. Knocking the arrow into the string, he searched for a chaneque. But all he could see was the tall grass the horned imps were hiding in.

“Don’t think, just pull with all your might,” said Sharur.

“Alright, let’s give it a shot,” said Smoke. He inhaled deeply and released the arrow.

+ Attack hit chaneque. Damage 8,750.

A red horned chaneque stood up, looking around the Insel, bewildered. Its life bar displayed (246,250/250,000 SP).

‘This could work,’ he thought and went back to eating.

“That’s it?” asked Sharur, impatient. “Aren’t you going to finish it off?”

“I will, right after I’m done eating,” replied Smoke. “Need my MP maxed out.”

Sharur walked to the other end of the bridge, pissed off.

Baba stood up, following the burly OrkElf. “Why did you tell him about attacking from the bridge?”

“I didn’t. Laernea was the one who did that,” answered Sharur.

“But you still encouraged him,” went on Baba. “You know, I could just help them out and we’d be done already.”

“No, I want to see what he does,” said Sharur. “I want to remember why I followed him.”

“Oh, alright. We’ve got an eternity to kill anyway,” said Baba.

When Smoke was done, he stowed away his utensils and equipped his bow and readied his quiver. Standing on the edge of the vine-bridge, he pointed the Berserker’s Ring of Flames at the grassy Insel. The floating island was covered with a red casting circle and flames came out from the inscribed runes. He counted twenty of the red imp monsters stand up. All of them had gone Berserk.

“Play! Play! Play!” said one of the chaneques as it attacked its comrade.

“Weee! Fun! So fun!” yelled another as it did the same.

Smoke was grinning as he heard the chaneques’ voices. They kept chanting the same lines as they continued attacking each other. With his increased mana, he was able to hold the Berserker’s Flames for six minutes.

As soon as he spent all of his MP, Smoke released a torrent of poison arrows, striking the confused chaneques. With the red imps’ life bars halved, he easily picked them off one by one. He killed five of them before the others could hide in the tall grass again. But even then, he continued blindly striking the grass with his arrows. Eventually, he vanquished all twenty of them. Afterward, he ran over to the island to collect his arrows, and loot if there were any. Sadly, the red imps dropped none.

“Wow! Beggars really are amazing,” said Baba, walking up next to Smoke.

“Sharur told you I’m a Beggar?” asked Smoke.

“No!” replied Baba. “Let’s just say I’ve known a few of them, back when I was alive. Besides, I don’t know of any other Job that could use sword, bow, and magic.”

Smoke studied Baba’s expression, but found no malevolent intent. “I see. Anything else about me being a Beggar?”

Baba smiled and slapped him on the back. “Well, because you’re so awesome and amazing, we’re taking Jeter with us to train.”

“What? You’re gonna train him?” said Smoke, dumbfounded.

“Don’t worry. I’ll show you how I’ll train him,” said Baba. “Jeter, go pick up your spear.”

Then, both Baba and Jeter walked into another lush floating island. As soon as they did so, the horned chaneques stepped out from the grass.

JANG JANG JANG JANG

Fervently, the DarkElf Bard played a fast beat song on his lute. At once, Jeter felt energized, but strangely enough, the chaneques also began dancing around in circles.

“Go ahead, attack them,” Baba said to Jeter while playing.

Jeter shrugged his shoulders and mechanically stabbed the nearest red horned monster. His eyes almost popped out when he felt his spear pierced the dancing chaneque.

“Well, finish it off,” instructed Baba.

Despite Jeter’s attacks, the injured chaneque continued dancing as it gnawed and gnashed its sharp teeth. After over a hundred spear stabs, Jeter finally killed his first Mictlander. But before he could attack the next chaneque, Baba stopped him.

“Alright, that’ll do,” said Baba, dragging Jeter away. “Save some for when we really train.”

With that, both Baba and Jeter rejoined Smoke, Laernea, and Sharur on the bridge.

Hurriedly, Smoke ran up to Baba and grabbed him by the arm. “Let me do that too! It’ll be a lot quicker than what I did earlier.”

Baba strongly shook his head and removed Smoke’s hand. “No, no, you proved that you could do this on your own. Besides, they say something worthwhile happens when you do it by yourself.”

“Just stick with it, you’ll be fine,” said Sharur. “Bet you’ll be done before Jeter.”

“Exactly,” added Laernea. “After all, you are Smoke.”

“Let’s meet at the barren Insel near Monstro Afiado,” said Baba, patting him lightly on the shoulder. “Take care of yourself. It’ll be months before we’ll see each other again.”

With that, they left Smoke alone to fend for himself.

“Fine! I miss grinding anyway!” shouted Smoke to them.

While waiting for his mana to recover, Smoke blindly attacked the chaneques left on the second Insel where Jeter got his first Mictlander kill. Even though his MP had fully recovered, he only managed to kill five of the chaneques hidden in the green. He pondered whether to use the Berserker’s Ring again, but detested the idea of waiting for his mana bar to recover.

‘If only that grass wasn’t there,’ he thought, annoyed. Soon after, a mischievous smile crept up on him.

While still standing on the bridge, he launched thirty-two fireballs into the air. Using his Fire Manipulation, he turned them into fiery flame swords, which he sent hurtling towards the green floating island. Yet, his intention was not to attack the hidden chaneques. Rather, his flaming blades scorched the tall grass that kept them from him.

“Hey! Who took my hiding place!” cried out one chaneque.

“No fair! No fair! I like being hidden!” shouted another.

The rest of the surviving chaneques screamed similar words of protest. But Smoke did not stop until all the tall grass of the Insel was burned to ash.

In a daze and confused, the chaneques bumped into each other, complaining where their grass had gone.

Smoke then had his flame swords set to auto attack the chaneques. Once, his fiery blades received their new set of commands, he returned to firing his poison arrows.

This time, Smoke cleared the floating island of chaneques in a third of the time.

“That’s better,” said Smoke. Using his Hyper Jump, he got onto the floating island and collected his arrows.

Hours piled on, and Smoke continued searching for grassy Insels. He always left them scorched and barren. He was not bothered by this, as it only took a day for an Insel to completely recover.

Along the way, he would find vine-bridges connected only to floating islands with great ponds. He dared not attack the coyotls, as they were water based Mictlanders. So, he settled to train on his Manatl barrier and simply passed through them.

Yet, after clearing his tenth floating island, Smoke still felt that he was not fully utilizing the time difference in Mictlan with that of Zectas’.

‘There’s got to be something else I could do?’ he wondered. He thought about planting crops and harvesting them but realized that the return in zecs would not be worth the effort. ‘Something that would otherwise require a long time to finish,’ he thought, adding context to his own mini-project. Then, inspiration struck him. Hurriedly, he opened his acquired knowledge window on ‘How to build a Dragon Hatchery’.

He looked around and searched for a barren Insel. Fortunately, the next floating island was just the place he wanted. Using his Earth Manipulation, he created a kiln according to specifications. He wondered if there would be anyone else that would venture round these parts in Mictlan, but risked it anyway. Sacrificing three of his ember stones, he put them inside the kiln and gently added the three wyvern eggs in his possession. “Time well spent,” he said out loud, grinning. He then ventured to the next vine-bridge in search of another grassy floating island.

For the next couple of weeks(time-based in Mictlan), his world revolved around the barren Insel with his specially made kiln. Despite doing the monotonous and arduous task of conquering chaneque filled Insels, Smoke was still unable to hit the chaneques when he faced them on a frontal melee battle. Although, his Archery and Manatl Barrier did increase, and so did the progress bar on his wyverns from hatching.

However, the weeks had turned into months. The fast moving time of this realm had finally gotten to him. He was almost at his limit. Not even the prospect of getting a wyvern made him smile anymore. ‘Maybe after ten-thousand kills?’ he wondered, hoping it would be similar to when he gained the abilities from the horned rabbit, armored armadillo, and dire fox.

Yet, even after killing ten-thousand chaneques, there was still nothing. Not a single notification window popped up.

Disheartened, Smoke logged out and intended to stay out for awhile.

* * * * * *

A frustrated Nash stepped out of his game pod. He reached for his phone and saw a text message from Sherry. She updated him about Adrizol’s Inspection. Personally, he thought that they could do without Verbrannt becoming a city. However, Mamelon, Thyrsus, and Sharanga were all for it. So, Sherry, who was on the fence, leaned towards agreeing on the visit.

“It’s really up to you,” said Nash out loud as he typed the words on his phone.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

“You ready to go?” asked Seth from behind his door.

“Almost, just give me a few seconds,” said Nash, wiping the blood from his nose. He still had nosebleeds from time to time, but it had lessened over the week of his playing in Mictlan.

“What about Donny?” went on Seth.

“Said he had to do some school work at a friend’s house,” answered Nash, while getting ready.

Seth sighed. “Did you ask for his friend’s number?”

“No,” said Nash, getting out of his room. “Donny’s got his own phone.”

“Bet he just wants to ditch going to the Detectives,” pointed out Seth. “You know Mima always said that you’re too trusting. That’s why you get duped a lot in Zectas.”

Hearing this, Nash’s eyes widened with realization. “Yeah? Well, I’ve been strict about letting people in Verbrannt. And I’ve… also made sure the guild members go through rigorous screening.”

Seth shook his head. “But what about the times when someone asks for your help?”

“Um… well… When is it ever bad to help?” reasoned out Nash, leading the way outside their home. “Besides, my gut isn’t wrong all of the time!”

It took them less than an hour to reach the police station. When they arrived, they immediately walked over to the desks of two lean men in their thirties; Detective Alonzo Faltoso and Detective Ray Malear.

“Nash, Seth, how’re you two doing?” greeted Detective Faltoso, shaking their hands.

Both of the Smoak brothers remained stoic and simply nodded.

“Ray, we got it set up in the media room, right?” Detective Faltoso asked his partner.

“Yeah, yeah,” replied Detective Malear, standing up and leading them to the said room. “Now, listen, it’s not much but we’ve recovered some of the deleted videos off a camera on an ATM.”

With only one whiff inside, Nash and Seth could tell that the room also served as their break room. The rancid smell of nicotine lingered.

Detective Malear had them sit on plastic chairs and got one of the tiny black remotes set on the table.

“It’s just two minutes,” said Detective Faltoso. “But we’d still like you to look at it anyway.”

Turning on the screen, they saw a group of four men going into a subway entrance.

“We were hoping that you could identify any of them,” went on Detective Faltoso.

“What about face recognition? Didn’t you run it through your database?” asked Seth, incredulous.

“Of course we did,” answered Detective Malear, somewhat impatient. “That’s why we’d like you to see these,” he added, putting down folders of sixteen people on the table. Each folder had complete names, address, employment, and other basic information of a person. “Those are the ones that matched up with the program.”

Seth’s cheeks turned red, but he quickly lowered his head and began reading through the folders.

On the other hand, Nash kept watching the two-minute video.

After Seth’s sixth folder, he called out to his brother. “You want to maybe look at this too?”

“Yeah, sure. But I want to know about the white van that suddenly disappears,” Nash said to the Detectives.

“What are you talking about?” asked Detective Faltoso.

“What van?” added Detective Malear.

“The one in the video,” replied Nash, pointing at the screen and replayed the video again.

Seth, Detective Faltoso, and Detective Malear watched it again.

“There!” blurted out Nash, pausing the video.

Yet, the monitor only displayed the same four men heading for the subway.

“What van, Kid?” asked Detective Malear, annoyed.

“Yeah, I don’t see any van,” said Seth.

“Wait, wait, I missed it when I paused,” explained Nash. He kept on rewinding and pausing to the moment where there was supposed to be a white van, but he could never get it in frame.

“Are you sure you saw it?” whispered Seth. After watching his brother try for more than fifty times.

“Detective Faltoso, can I please borrow one of your computers?” asked Seth politely.

“What you need to update your bitter or something?” asked Detective Malear. “Don’t you Kids do that with your phone?”

“No, I’d like to watch the video frame by frame,” answered Seth.

“Sure, sure. This way,” said Detective Faltoso. “Ray, we got that video in a thumb drive, right?”

“Yeah,” sourly replied Detective Malear.

As soon as Seth got in front of the computer, he began installing softwares for image enhancements and video editing. First, he captured the best frame for the for men and enhanced their faces.

“Maybe this will get fewer hits,” Seth said out loud and saved the image. Next, he scrolled frame by frame to the moment where Nash kept insisting on seeing a white van.

“There,” blurted out Nash.

Carefully, Seth proceeded frame by frame but still found nothing.

“You missed it again,” said Nash. “Can you do it slower than that?”

Seth stared at his brother, doubtful. “I can, but…”

“But what?” asked Nash.

“It would mean that you saw it at over a hundred frames per second,” explained Seth. But he did as he was instructed and slowed the frames even farther.

Seth’s mouth fell open at the sight of a white van caught in a single frame. The Detectives both looked at each other with astounded expressions.

“No way you could’ve seen that!” exclaimed Seth.

“Detectives,” called out Nash. “Think you can find out why that ambulance disappears?”

* * * * * *

Refreshed, Smoke opened his eyes to the pitch blackness of the void. ‘Might as well check on those eggs,’ he thought and headed for the barren Insel. He diligently cleared out all of the chaneque plagued floating islands along the way. As he traveled, random thoughts popped into his head. ‘Bet they’re already at Monstro Afiado. Wonder if Jeter’s already done training?’

When he got to the kiln, a flashing green progress bar displayed on top of it. His Dragon Hatchery had done its job.

Excited, he quickly opened it up and retrieved one of the wyvern eggs.

– INCUBATION FAILURE

After reading the notification window, his smiled turned sour just as the egg hardened into stone.

He clicked his tongue and carefully retrieve the second one.

+ INCUBATION SUCCESSFUL

Be sure to imprint on your hatched creature!

CRACK CRACK CRACK

Egg shells fell on the brown soil as a forked tongue hissed out of it. A white slimy creature slithered out of the egg and turned its yellow eyes at Smoke. Upon closer inspection, he saw two tiny horns on top of its head. It looked nothing like its gray monstrous parents.

+ IMPRINT SUCCESSFUL

+ Acquired rare pet: baby wyvern

> Name your pet.

Before he could come up with a name, the little snake-like wyvern slithered its way up to his neck and coiled itself around it.

Smoke choked. He quickly pulled on the baby wyvern’s body and it uncoiled a bit. “Easy there, Pal,” he said, patting it on the head, feeling its bumpy horns. “So, what should I name you?” he asked. The wyvern’s scales felt slimy but in a soothing way. “How about Sly?” The minute wyvern hissed its tongue at Smoke. “Okay, okay. What about Ice?” The wyvern shook its head and let out a gray mist.

– [ENCUMBERED] Ponderous Mist has increased your weight by two times.

“Whoa! Guess you’re your parent’s kid after all,” said Smoke, seeing nothing but the thick fog. Although it was far from the ten times encumbrance, he still felt his body had grown heavy. But it also had a strange sweet scent, smelling awfully like bananas. “Yeah, you really got the pipes for this.” He paused and tried walking out of the Ponderous Mist, but could do nothing as the wyvern kept spewing it out. Then, he remembered a similar experience. “Hey! What about Vape? Think you’d like that?”

Abruptly, the wyvern stopped producing the Ponderous Mist and settled down around his neck to sleep.

“Hm… Vape it is, then,” he said, stroking the baby wyvern on the head.

After naming his wyvern, the ecstatic Smoke picked up the second egg. But as soon as he picked it up, Vape writhed out of Smoke’s neck and flicked the egg off his hands. The egg broke upon contact with the ground.

Then, Smoke remembered the footnote on hatching draconic creatures—survival of the fittest. A guaranteed way of assuring this was getting rid of the competition from the start. The same way sharks eat their siblings inside their mother’s womb.

Smoke had half a mind to reprimand Vape, but it stared at Smoke with innocent eyes. He realized that this was hardwired into its system.

“Let me just put up something for them,” he said, saddened by the outcome of Vape’s siblings.

Using his Earth Manipulation, Smoke put up two statues of adult wyverns and placed the hardened egg and cracked egg under them.

“Alright, Vape, let’s get going,” he said, heading for the next grassy floating island. But as they began to move, Vape let out another round of Ponderous Mist and slowed down his movements.

“What are you doing? I can barely see anything,” he said, frantically waving his hands but the smog still remained. “Vape, quit it.” But the wyvern did not stop producing the mist. His hands, patted around his neck, trying to stop Vape. Then, the wyvern ceased breathing out the gray fog as soon as Smoke stroked its head. “You can’t be serious?” The moment he stopped stroking Vape, the Ponderous Mist came out again. “Fine!” he said, putting his hand back on Vape’s snake-like head.

It proved to be extremely difficult at first, but Smoke eventually got the hang of Vape and its Ponderous Mist around him.

Whenever Smoke reached a vine-bridge with a grassy Insel up ahead, he stopped stroking Vape and attacked the floating island from within the Ponderous Mist. Fortunately, his flame swords and poison arrows were not that affected. But it did take him longer than before.

Despite the difficulties of being with Vape, he had grown accustomed to having the baby wyvern around his neck. Now, that Igniz had been incarnated, he missed having someone around to listen to him blab on.

The baby wyvern did stop puffing out smoke whenever it slept, which was about twelve hours a day. Whenever Smoke logged out, he put up a small kiln and placed Vape in it. Vape did not seem to mind and understood that it needed to stay there until his return.

Days turned into weeks. In his hunt for more chaneques, Smoke reached beyond the area of Monstro Afiado and entered into Monstro Blindado. All the while with Vape always coiled around his neck.

After doing this for so long, Smoke could now attack the chaneques even with his eyes closed, which was practically the case since Vape always covered him in Ponderous Mist anyway.

Suddenly, while he was still firing his poison arrows and slashing with his flame swords, a notification window popped up.

+ Learned Ability: Ponderous Mist Walker

Passive

Level: Beginner Level 1

Experience: (0/1,000)

You gained this ability after being exposed to the Ponderous Mist for 2,160 hours.

Inside the mist you have:

> Clear Vision

> Normal Movement

“Whoa!” cried out Smoke, ecstatic.

Yet, weirdly enough, the moment he gained the ability, Vape also stopped producing the Ponderous Mist.

“Hey? What are you doing now?” he said to the baby wyvern around his neck. “I want to see how this works!”

Fueled by his curiosity, Smoke stepped onto a chaneque Insel rather than fighting them from the safety of a vine-bridge. Equipped with his twin hook swords, he came rushing for the nearest red horned imp.

SWOOOOOSH

As he had hoped, Vape released a thick fog of Ponderous Mist and engulfed the chaneque near him in it. He began attacking it, ignoring the child like chant that spooked him.

Blinded and encumbered, the chaneque could barely attack Smoke but it did get in a few hits. Yet, not enough to make him retreat to the bridge.

He smiled when he finally managed to hit the chaneque once. Ignoring the fact that it took him over thirty swings. “Ponderous Mist for the win!” he shouted.

Before Smoke could continue attacking the chaneque, he felt a tingling sensation… the sensation of being teleported.

* * * * * *

Opening his eyes, Smoke found himself on top of a large lily pad. It was in the middle of the largest lake he had ever seen in Mictlan.

KOKAK KOKAK RIBBIT RIBBIT QUAKEN QUAKEN CROAC CROAC

Instinctively, he covered his ears at the deafening sound of the coyotls. Hundreds of coyotls peeked above the water, their coyote-heads dripping wet, their ballooned throats expanding.

Vape instantly let out another round of Ponderous Mist, concealing Smoke in it.

Then, a notification window popped up.

– Entered Monstro Blindado

– The floating island of Yahui—the beast of Mixtec. Here, it is revered as the lord of the water. It answers only to the rulers of Mictlan: Mictlantec and his wife Micteca.

Closing the window, he searched for a way off the Insel. Looking around, he found a monolithic stone in front of him. While he was devising a plan to reach the stone, it suddenly turned and faced him.

At once, the ear-splitting croaking ceased and the coyotls disappeared into the lake. The stone revealed itself to be the shell of a monstrous turtle.

Despite its behemoth size, Yahui was quick. It blew out of its mouth and dispersed Vape’s Ponderous Mist. Its golden eyes stared at Smoke. “Tell me, is that how you train to be a Light Bringer?”

Cowering in fear, Vape tightened itself around Smoke’s neck. He stroke the snake-like wyvern and tried to calm it down. “I’m not sure,” he replied, amazed at the sheer size of the turtle that spoke.

“But you are here for Lord Xolotl’s amulet, right?” said Yahui.

“I am,” said Smoke, confused why he answered so.

“Bwahahahaha!” chuckled Yahui. Violent waves churned the great lake as its enormous belly shook. “As you are now, there is no way for you to defeat me.” It paused as it pondered. “Cipactli, maybe? If you had more people with you. But not the Naguals,” it mumbled.

Unknowningly, Smoke nodded. Vape hissed out its forked tongue. He quickly covered the baby wyvern’s head, fearing it would piss off Yahui.

“To be honest… I am not completely against Lord Xolotl’s actions…” said Yahui. “But the order of King Mictlantec is absolute.”

“Of course,” replied Smoke, still thinking of a way out of this mess.

“But that’s the very reason why I brought you here,” blurted out Yahui. “I was watching you fight those chaneques—” It stopped talking as it suddenly burst into laughter, making waves of water fall out of the floating island. “Oh, my! You nearly drained my Insel dry with your actions.”

“Excuse me?” asked Smoke, confused.

“Nothing, nothing. Simply found your pathetic attempts hilarious!” chortled Yahui, clearly trying to stop itself from laughing. “Anyway, I brought you here because I was hoping you could do something for me.”

“Ah!” answered Smoke, his eyes widened with realization.

“If you’ll indulge me. I’d like to bounce some ideas,” began the giant turtle. “This is a common question to the ones still living. They question of the gods’ existence. If there is a god, why is there so much evil in the world?”

“But the religions of Zectas—” Smoke cut himself off as Yahui continued speaking.

“It’s a common question, but it is misplaced,” said Yahui, pausing to stare outward, beyond its great lake and into the abyss of the void. “In everything, we must have balance. Dark and light. Evil and good. Silence and sound. Without one, the other cannot exist.”

Remaining silent, Smoke nodded as he pondered on Yahui’s words.

“Now, I am at a crossroads. On one hand, I am for Lord Xolotl’s actions, but on the other, I have to uphold King Mictlantec’s command.”

“Well, you can give me the amulet and no one has to know,” suggested Smoke. To which Vape nodded its tiny horned cranium.

“A soul chooses, a slave obeys,” replied Yahui, shaking its head. “It must be through fair combat.” went on the gigantic turtle. “I suggest that we exchange blows. I will receive your most powerful attack, and afterward, you shall accept mine. If you do this and survive, I shall take it as my defeat and give you Lord Xolotl’s amulet.”

“Eh? You serious?” said Smoke, grinning with excitement.

“Ho-oh! Think you can survive my attack?” said Yahui. “Is that a ‘Yes’ then?”

“I’d be honored to exchange blows with you Lord Yahui,” said Smoke.

“No! Call me Yahui,” replied the gigantic turtle. “The title of Lord should only be given to those who have done something worthwhile… Be it for evil or good.”

“Alright, Yahui it is then,” respectfully said Smoke. “I do have one small request before we begin.”

“Very well, let’s hear it,” replied Yahui.

“If you would be so kind as to hit me first,” said Smoke.

“Really?” asked Yahui in disbelief. “You desire to be vanquished before even getting a chance to strike me?”

“Yes,” answered Smoke with determined eyes. “Except about the being vanquished part.”

The giant turtle studied him. It stared Smoke in the eyes and said. “Very well, I shall grant your request. Get ready for I am about to eradicate you.”

Smoke quickly got out his sacred clay staff. “To be clear, you’re only going to strike me from the front, right?”

“Of course! Yahui never strikes from behind,” answered the ruler of Monstro Blindado.

Smoke gathered all of his mana and put up a Manatl wall in front of him. Then, several more Manatl walls appeared and covered it with a total of eight layers. “Stay close, Vape,” he said, lightly patting the baby wyvern with his sacred clay staff.

Yahui took in a deep breath. With its webbed hands in front of it, an enormous waterball was forming in between them.

All of a sudden, Smoke felt a cold misty air. He slightly turned his head and found that geysers rose out from behind him.

“What!” yelled out Smoke in panic. He gave himself a mental lecture about trusting the turtle to attack only his front.

Then, the jets of water eluded him as they were being sucked into the gargantuan waterball. Like a stream of mighty river, the jet of water continuously flowed towards Smoke’s Manatl wall.

His sacred clay staff glowed as the stream of water pounded on his purple barrier.

CRACK CRACK SHATTER

Three of his Manatl walls were obliterated by Yahui’s water jet attack.

CRACK CRACK SHATTER

This time four more of his barriers were destroyed.

Left with his last wall, Smoke concentrated all of his energy into blocking Yahui’s magic.

CRACK CRACK CRACK

Yet, despite his efforts, he could clearly see the barrier about to give way. Then, without warning, the unceasing stream of water ended.

With a blinding light, his sacred clay staff glowed its brightest.

“Spectacular!” cried out Yahui, grinning with its wrinkly turtle beak. “It’s your turn now. Show me your power.”

Before striking, Smoke bowed down before Yahui. He used his Hyper Jump ability and launched his energized sacred clay staff straight into the giant turtle’s stomach.

BAAAM

Thousands of liters spilled off the floating island as Smoke’s attack shook the Insel.

After striking Yahui, Smoke saw its life bar which displayed (5,000,000/8,000,000 SP).

With his staff drained of energy, Smoke was falling into the coyotl infested lake.

THUD

Smoke fell hard into Yahui’s webbed hands as the great turtle caught him before getting wet.

“Most spectacular indeed,” said Yahui, smiling down at Smoke. “Here, take this,” it said, handing him a black shield with chains attached to it. If it was not for the notification window, he would not have guessed that it was Xolotl’s amulet.

+ Acquired divine amulet: Xolotl’s Vision.

“Thank you, Lord Yahui,” said Smoke, holding the massive amulet tightly. “Now, you’ve truly done something worthwhile.”

“Bah! Your flattery will not work on me,” said Yahui. “Now, I shall return you to where I found you.”

“That would be much appreciated,” said Smoke, bowing his head. The baby wyvern around his neck looked at him and also bowed down.

“But before I do, I’d like to ask you something,” went on Yahui. “How many chaneques have you killed?”

“Oh! I’ve killed thousands!” answered Smoke, instantly recalling the months he had been hunting them in Mictlan. “Literally Massacred them, but nothing’s happened!”

“Massacre? Try a hundred thousand. Now, that’s a massacre,” said Yahui and teleported him back to the Insel he was on.

After the tingling sensation of being teleported faded, Smoke stood there with Xolotl’s shield-sized amulet, a blank expression on his face, pondering on Yahui’s words.

Unexpectedly, Vape hissed its forked tongue at Smoke, as if asking him to build him a kiln to sleep in. His pet had grown accustomed to the times he left for the real world. Indeed, it was time for him to log out. He quickly created a small kiln and placed his precious little wyvern inside it.

Before logging out, he opened a window entitled “Monster Kills”, quickly scrolling for the monster he was looking for.

[SAWTORN]

…

Killed Orks: 8,021

…

[MICTLAN]

Killed Chaneques: 89,201

* * * * * *

Stretching with his entire body, Nash’s bones creaked as he stepped outside his game pod. A satisfied smile plastered on his face, recalling his encounter with Yahui.

Riding on this high, Nash sat in front of his computer and hurriedly opened the Zectas Forums. He clicked on his latest post–an edited video of his time in Mictlan. He only showed the parts of entering through the aurora borealis and landing to find the sycophants. To prove that this was Mictlan, he showed off König Mitleid, Sharur, Laernea, and Jeter in their humble town called Rauchburg.

Then, there were the monsters. Other than the sycophants, Nash also included the chaneques and coyotls. But he skipped showing Xolotl, thinking that he could use that for another time if he would run out of other ideas for his next video.

Cracking his knuckles for good luck, it was time for him to check on the number of views, another triumphant grin. He reached over two-hundred million, which meant a check worth $15,000.00.

Although he never replied to them, he found it amusing and relaxing to scroll through the comments.

Incheon: Is this really the fabled afterlife of Zectas? Does this mean I can bring back my fallen Autumn?

Heathrow: @Incheon, I’m sure you saw Mitleid died. Or are you just new?

Gaulle: @Smoke, PLEASE TELL US HOW TO GET HERE! DON’T BE SELFISH! TELL US THE WAY TO MICTLAN!

SmokeDisciple231: Yeah! That’s the way to ask a man a favor! Shout at him! Sure!

Busan: @Incheon, you’re not talking about the beautiful Bard of the Winter Sonata inn, are you? Autumn said she’d wait for me. What happened to her?

DetectiveRonan: No doubt about it, this is Mictlan! I’m almost a Thaumaturge myself, just need three more items to complete the Hidden Job. Tell me, how did you get here? I thought you needed a blood crystal to bring someone back to life. If you have one to spare I’d like to buy it. Name your price!

Catatonic: Well, someone’s chatty. In my case, I thought you needed seven magical balls to bring someone back to life? And a dragon, maybe?

Tritank: Bah! No matter what people may say, we’re not 100% sure if this is really Mictlan. But the war against the Orks is definitely real! I urge you to watch my post on the latest battle for Sawtorn!

Nash had enough after reading Tritank’s comment. He opened his box of all meat pizza and devoured three slices.

Afterward, he collapsed on his bed as he succumbed to slumber, grinning.

* * * * * *

Over six hours had passed (Mictlan Time) after Smoke took an energizing power nap in the real world. Yet, when he opened Vape’s kiln, he still found the baby wyvern sleeping snugly in a tight knot. Gently, he picked his pet up and wrapped him around his neck. Together, the two of them headed for the next grassy Insel.

Enlivened with a new goal, Smoke continued to plow through the floating islands infested with the chaneques.

A proud smile was plastered on his face as he evaluated his stay in Mictlan. The growth of Smoke’s Manatl had proven itself, as it held against Yahui’s attack, even if it did almost break. And all because he needed to hunt the chaneques, he gained three levels, which he invested all into Intelligence.

However, the most significant development came from the baby wyvern around his neck. Truly, it was Vape’s growth that was most impressive. Not in size, but in the strength of its Ponderous Mist. It was still the same snake-like creature, but the power of its cumbersome fog increased. Its victims now had the added weight of four times.

“It’s good that you’re not growing too big,” said Smoke to Vape. “Wouldn’t want to ride you anyway. You around my neck is way cooler than me riding on your back, right?”

Vape hissed its forked tongue, unconvinced of what he was saying.

Although Smoke was hunting for chaneques, he made sure to pick the Insels that would lead them to Monstro Afiado, home of the Cipactli.

Now, that he had gotten used to having Vape around him, his speed in clearing a chaneques’ floating island had significantly doubled.

Through determination and perseverance, Smoke finally saw the notification window he had longed for.

+ Learned Ability: Mictlander’s Eye

Active

Level: Beginner Level 1

Experience: (0/1,000)

After killing 100,000 creatures born from Mictlan, you have learned the secret to slow down time and observe even the fastest of movements.

Effects:

Dexterity + 10

Increased Hit Rate + 25%

MP Consumption: 100 MP/Second

Duration: 2 Minutes

Cooldown: 5 Minutes

Note:

Duration and Cooldown improve as the ability level increases.

“See! What’d I tell you! Told you we’d do it,” he yelled at Vape, jubilant.

After receiving the Mictlander’s Eye, Smoke started looking for the floating islands with ponds and lakes in them.

When he finally found one, Smoke equipped his twin hook swords. Then, he had Vape cover themselves in Ponderous Mist.

Curious at the sight of the heavy fog, the coyotls popped out their heads to investigate.

As soon as one of the coyote-headed frogs entered his mist, Smoke unleashed a flurry of lightning slashes at the unknowing monster.

Thanks to his Mictlander’s Eye, Smoke could now hit a naturally born creature of Mictlan. Even if it was only one out of four times.

After hunting the chaneques for so long, the sight of the red-horned imps dulled his senses. This inspired him to go after the next Mictlander. This time, he dedicated his time in clearing the floating islands overrun with coyotls.

Eventually, he reached the area under the influence of Monstro Afiado. He knew this because he saw his friends waiting for him on a barren floating island. They were all seated, gathered around a white glowing orb with runes on it while Baba was playing his lute.

As he got closer, Smoke recognized it as the soul orb that Mitleid was carrying, as well as Baba’s singing.

“My brother and I often compete.

Not once did one of us retreat.

One day, a new challenge was given.

To see who was more driven.

He told me:

‘You’ll see. You’ll lose not me.’

Then, I replied to my twin:

‘Fine! I give up, you win.’

He got angry, mad and then blew up.

For I won the contest of giving up.”

“Hey! Smoke’s here,” yelled Jeter, enthusiastic to end Baba’s singing. He stood up and hugged Smoke, his savior.

“Finally!” exclaimed Sharur, not bothering to get up. “You know we got to Reialma and back? And listened to who knows how many of Baba’s songs.”

“Wait… So, the two of you are finally Light Bringers?” confirmed Smoke.

“Uh-huh!” declared Laernea, delighted. “Sharur and I finally did it! Um… I meant we did it by ourselves. No, no, I mean—”

“You sure did!” said Jeter, giving Sharur and Laernea a thumbs up. “Was stuck here with Baba and hunted nothing but chaneques and coyotls.”

“So, how’s it fighting with a coyotl?” Smoke asked Jeter, intrigued at his development.

“Um… managed to clear an Insel full of them before we got here,” answered Jeter.

Smoke stared at Jeter, expecting him to laugh and say it was all a joke, but the former Avendre Commander never did. “With Baba playing his lute, right?” he went on.

“Pfft! No! Bastard just stood there and watched,” replied Jeter. “Didn’t even play a tune that would boost my strength.”

“Ahem! Ahem!” exaggeratedly coughed Baba. “If you’re done catching up, we might as well face this Cipactli character. After all, we still have Yahui and the Naguals after this one.”

“Just the Naguals,” said Smoke, taking out Xolotl’s shield-sized amulet from his inventory.

“You’re kidding, right?” asked Sharur, inspecting Xolotl’s amulet. “He’s not,” he added after seeing it. “It’s the real thing.”

“You really must have grown powerful if you managed to defeat Yahui,” said Baba.

“I wouldn’t say that. Was more of a lucky draw,” modestly said Smoke. “But I do have someone to show you.” He patted the baby wyvern around his neck, who remained silent the whole time.

“Aw! How cute!” cried out Laernea, her lioness tail swinging.

Smoke gave them a mischievous grin. “Vape, do it.”

Laernea, Sharur, Baba, and Jeter focused their eyes on the tiny horned wyvern. But before they could examine it, Vape engulfed them in its Ponderous Mist.

Blinded and encumbered, Sharur, Laernea, and Jeter scrambled around the murky fog.

“Hey! What’s going on?” screamed Jeter. “My body feels so heavy!”

“Sharur? Sharur? Where are you?” called out Laernea.

“I’m here. I got you,” answered Sharur, embracing her tightly. “Smoke, make that thing stop. Baba doesn’t like being in a fog.”

“Wrraaaaaaaah!” cried out Baba.

Before Smoke could tell Vape to end its Ponderous Mist, Baba released a powerful tornado with his hands. At once, the fog dispersed but the turbulent winds pushed Smoke, Laernea, Sharur, and Jeter off the floating island.

“Baba, we’re falling!” called out Laernea.

“Help! Help!” shouted Jeter. “Save me, Baba!”

Using his Wings of Cologus, Smoke glided towards the barren Insel. He wracked his brain on how to save all three of them.

Meanwhile, Baba blankly stared at his falling friends, motionless.

“Snap out of it, Baba!” screamed Sharur.

Baba forcibly shook his head, returning to his senses.

Suddenly, Baba vanished. Instantly after, three Dark Elf Bards simultaneously materialized next to Jeter, Laernea, and Sharur. They grabbed their falling companions and teleported them back to the center of the barren Insel.

“Thank you, thank you,” said Jeter, patting Baba’s back.

However, Baba ignored him and rushed for Smoke. “Don’t you ever do that again! I swear… I’ll—” He cut himself short and stormed off. He went to the next Insel with a pond on it. There, he began playing a calming music on his lute. Dozens of coyotl heads popped out of the water, but none of them attacked. They were only there to listen to his music.

Dumbfounded, Smoke was about to go after Baba when Jeter stopped him.

“Yeah, better do what he says,” said Jeter. “He has a thing about being covered in mist, fog, or any other hazy stuff,” he explained further. “You know… Once, he almost destroyed Rauchburg when he was caught in Lady Meneur’s icy fog.”

“Mitleid said Baba’s extremely powerful,” added Laernea, her tail wrapped around Sharur’s waist as they hugged, still recovering. “But he doesn’t want to use his true abilities.”

“It’s like he placed a limiter on himself or something?” went on Sharur.

“I see,” said Smoke. Walking fast, he went over to where Baba was.

“Whatever it is you have to say, save it,” said Baba before Smoke could even speak.

“Listen, I’m really sorry. I didn’t know,” said Smoke anyway. “Was just playing around. I wouldn’t have—”

“Yeah! I know,” replied Baba, somber. “You don’t seem like the type of person who would intentionally do that.”

Ashamed of his actions, Smoke stared down at the ground and did not say anything else.

“Guess this means you know my secret, huh?” blurted out Baba, smiling at him.

Returning Baba’s smile, Smoke replied. “I don’t know of any other Job that could use sword, bow, magic, and lute, Brother,” he added, putting a fist against his palm, giving Baba a Beggar’s salute.

* * * * * *

Smoke had thousands of questions about Baba being a Beggar, but Baba would have none of them. He told him it was a life he lived hundreds of years ago.

Baba especially told Smoke not to rely on him. Instead, they should use this opportunity to improve themselves.

Besides, they had something more important to do. They stood in front of Cipactli’s floating island which was surrounded by trees.

At first, Smoke thought that it looked like a sycophant’s forest, but the unnatural stillness of this place confirmed that something far more dangerous than sycophants dwelled here.

Still within the safety of the barren Insel before it, Smoke and his friends stared at the vine-bridge connecting to Cipactli.

Without notice, the silence was broken.

“Enter or perish where you stand!” boomed a voice from within the forested Insel.

“Well? Shall we go?” asked Sharur, heading for the bridge.

“Wait!” called out Jeter. “Maybe, it’ll be better to fight it out here than in there.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” said Smoke.

“Damn it!” yelled Baba. “We got it mad!”

A green meteor launched out of the Insel and landed right behind them.

BWAK

Jerking downward, the entire Insel violently shook. The floating island slowly stabilized as it stayed in its lowered location.

Stretching out its arms and tail, the verdant meteor revealed itself to be the caiman-headed gorilla—Cipactli. Its knuckles pressed down on the ground, forelimbs extended, tail slithering behind it. It loomed over them, towering at a height of five meters. Its elongated snout filled with jagged teeth opened. “Visitors should be more respectful,” it said, throwing away a skull that closely resembled to the monster who threw it.

Smoke’s eyes fell on the grounded skull. He recognized it as the same one that hung on Xolotl’s gate. “Of course, Lord Cipactli,” he said, lowering his head before the giant, signaling his companions to follow.

“What are you doing?” asked Baba, following his lead.

“I’m hoping we could convince it to give us Xolotl’s crown,” whispered Smoke.

“Don’t even try using your Beggary,” warned Baba. “Pretty sure it won’t work here.”

With everyone’s head bowed down, Cipactli nodded. It predominantly showed its teeth. “That’s better.”

“Apologies for not introducing ourselves sooner,” went on Smoke.

“Normally, I would’ve devoured all of you,” said Cipactli. “But even this is better than boredom.”

“So, why are Light Bringers here?” asked Cipactli.

“Light Bringers, my Lord?” shrugged Smoke.

“Do not even attempt to deny it,” went on Cipactli, pointing at the soul orb around Sharur’s waist.

“Oh, that!” said Smoke, smiling. “Yes… they just came from Reialma.”

“Where they refilled it with soul energy,” said Cipactli. “I am aware of how it works.”

“Of course,” mumbled Smoke, unsure of what to say next. “Um… Lord Cipactli, we’re here to gather the consensus of the Guardians. What’s your opinion on Lord Xolotl?”

At once, Cipactli’s elongated snout spat out acid saliva, melting a portion of the barren Insel. “I’m grateful for that treacherous fool. If not for Xolotl I would not have become ruler of Monstro Afiado. But who in their right mind would defy the orders of King Mictlantec and Queen Micteca?”

“Right? That’s just insane,” said Smoke, slowly retreating.

“Wait, you said Lord Xolotl,” boomed Cipactli. “You’re here for Xolotl’s Crown, aren’t you?”

“Who said that? No one mentioned any crown,” said Smoke, looking at his friends knowingly, telling them to get ready.

“No! You’re followers of Xolotl!” screamed the caiman-headed giant and lifted both of its massive gorilla hands, only to send it pounding down at Smoke and his companions.

SCHILD SCHILD

Prepared for the attack, Smoke put up a multi-layered Manatl wall in front of them. His sacred clay staff glowed after being pummeled by Cipactli’s knuckles.

Sharur and Laernea sped towards the opposite sides of Cipactli, attacking it with their bow and arrows as they ran farther apart.

Jeter leaped out from Smoke’s Manatl and thrust his spear into Cipactli’s left knee cap.

Meanwhile, Baba leaped backward and began playing a tune that simultaneously increased their power and decreased Cipactli’s.

Smoke would have wanted to fight with his twin hook swords, but he wanted to witness Jeter’s progress. So, he settled with playing support and blocked Cipactli’s attack with his Manatl barriers.

Despite Sharur and Laernea’s inferior weapons, their damage against Cipactli was significant. Their rapid and consistent strikes chipped away the giant gorilla’s life bar. “Bothersome insects!” cried out Cipactli, annoyed at their ranged attacks.

Steadily, they reduced Cipactli’s life bar which now displayed (2,850,356/4,000,000 SP).

Accepting his role as tank, Jeter made sure to aggravate the caiman-headed gorilla more than Sharur and Laernea, forcing the behemoth to focus on attacking only him. He stabbed Cipactli’s big toe. Then, ran behind the caiman-headed monster, rapidly stabbing its legs along the way.

SCHILD SCHILD

Smoke’s Manatl wall rang loudly as it blocked the colossal hands aimed for Jeter.

Jeter switched targeting Cipactli’s legs and even landed a critical strike behind one of its kneecaps, forcing the giant down on one knee.

With things going so well for them, Jeter let it get to his head. He jumped onto Cipactli’s back, aiming for its nape.

However, Cipactli long arms effortlessly reached the charging Jeter. Sadly, Smoke could not defend in time. Massive gorilla hands swatted Jeter away, draining his life bar to less than half.

With Jeter sprawled on the ground, Cipactli was about to finish him off with its palms. “Chupa-mos! You’re mine!”

Desperate, Sharur and Laernea tried aiming for its head but they only got its cheeks, not enough to stop the giant gorilla from pounding Jeter into a sycophant inundated forest.

SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD

Smoke managed to put up a four-multilayered wall in between Jeter and Cipactli’s palms. Yet, cracks quickly appeared on the barrier. His sacred clay staff glowed brightly, indicating it was beyond capacity.

“Baba!” cried out Smoke.

JANG JANG JANG

From his seated position, Baba leaped over Cipactli’s head. Forcibly striking the strings of his lute, he severed the strings. Using one of his hidden abilities, the strings astronomically multiplied and entangled around Cipactli’s arms.

“Smoke, do it now!” yelled Baba from above.

With his glowing staff in hand, Smoke ran up Cipactli’s back. “Vape, Ponderous Mist!” The snake-like wyvern did as commanded and coated the giant gorilla in the cumbersome fog.

“Merda! Dirty followers of Xolotl, show yourselves!” cried out Cipactli as it tried to free itself from Baba’s strings. But coupled with the Ponderous Mist, it could barely move.

When Smoke reached its head, he activated his Mictlander’s Eye and lifted the sacred clay staff over his shoulders, striking its yellow caiman eye with all his might.

A blinding flash of light escaped out of Vape’s Ponderous Mist.

Cipactli’s life bar displayed that it had only 8% left.

From within the Ponderous Mist, Smoke stood on Cipactli’s caiman snout. After releasing the gathered energy, he switched weapons. Equipping the twin hook swords, he was about to strike the remaining eye when the giant spoke.

“You’re fools for believing Xolotl,” snarled Cipactli, twitching the section of its snout where Smoke stood.

“What’s wrong with Lord Xolotl?” asked Smoke. “Even Lord Yahui approves… to some extent.”

“You’ve met Yahui?” asked Cipactli, blindly searching for Smoke in the mist. “Then Yahui’s a fool as well!” it added with disgust.

“It doesn’t have to end like this. Just give me Lord Xolotl’s Crown,” begged Smoke.

“Finish me!” snapped Cipactli. “Before I’ll rip you to shrea—”

“Wraaaaah!” screamed a frustrated Smoke as he delivered the vanquishing blow.

Cipactli’s life bar was completely drained of SP.

+ You’ve dealt a vanquishing blow to Cipactli

+ You’ve sent Cipactli to Incerto

+ You’ve gained 4,000,000 EXP

+ You’ve gained a level

Smoke grimaced. He wanted to know more about Xolotl, but Cipactli only made him more confused.

Cipactli’s body disappeared, transported to somewhere in Incerto, leaving behind a gold crown with feathers, which was even larger than Xolotl’s amulet.

+ Acquired divine crown: Xolotl’s Horns

After storing the crown away, Smoke rushed to where Jeter was. Sharur, Laernea, and Baba were already there helping him sit up.

“Well that could’ve gone easier,” said Jeter.

“Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better,” reprimanded Baba.

“You weren’t bad at all,” said Smoke, patting Jeter’s back.

“Need to use the soul orb?” Laernea asked Jeter, concerned.

“No, no. I’ll recover soon,” said Jeter.

“Told you he wouldn’t use it,” added Sharur, smiling and snatched the soul orb back from Laernea.

Perplexed, Smoke tapped on Baba’s shoulder. “Mind if we talk a bit?” he whispered.

“Sure. We’ll be here for a while anyway,” answered Baba, pointing at the recovering Jeter.

After getting out of earshot, Smoke apologized to Baba. “Sorry, you had to use your other abilities. I know you want us to do this by ourselves, but I don’t think we can.”

“I know,” answered Baba. “I underestimated these guardians myself, to be honest. Don’t worry. I’ll help as best as I can, but you still have to try, okay?”

“Of course,” replied Smoke with all sincerity.

Baba stared Smoke in the eye and said. “But I’ve got a feeling there was something else?”

“What do you think of Xolotl?” asked Smoke. “Are we doing the right thing here?”

“Lord Xolotl, huh?” said Baba, looking away from Smoke and staring into the abyss. “Let’s complete the items first then we’ll see, alright?”

“Might as well. Wonder what the Naguals look like?” thought Smoke out loud.

* * * * * *

After weeks of skipping through the Insels, Smoke and his friends reached Monstro Gêmeos.

“So… Baba, what do you say?” asked Smoke, pleading with his eyes.

“Excellent!” sarcastically yelled Baba. “Let’s see if I can make the Naguals talk.”

“Perfect!” exclaimed Smoke. “Anyway, it’s not like you’ll be using any of your powers. More like you’re showcasing your Bard abilities.”

Together, the five of them stood in front of the vine-bridge that connected them to a floating island with a mansion on it.

“This looks promising,” blurted out Jeter.

“How so?” asked Laernea.

“He’s hoping that the Naguals will be civilized,” answered Sharur. “Considering that they live in a mansion.”

With their weapons hidden behind them, Smoke and his companions knocked on the embellished copper door.

A tall thin jaguar, standing on two legs, greeted them. “Yes?”

“It’s even taller than Sharur,” whispered Laernea, looking up.

“A lot smaller than Cipactli though,” mumbled Jeter back.

Baba stood in front of the group and lowered his head before the jaguar. “A pleasure to see you, Lord Nagual. We were just passing through and wished to pay tribute to the great Nagual.”

“That’s fine, just leave,” said the thin jaguar. “I’m really not in the mood to—”

Unexpectedly, another voice boomed from inside. “Magro, who is it?”

“Just some souls wanting to pay homage to the Naguals,” answered the jaguar, ushering them away.

WITIK

In a blink, another jaguar appeared at the mansion’s doorway. This one was slightly taller but much bulkier… fatter to be more precise. “Magro, where are your manners? Let them in.”

“If you say so,” said Magro, stepping aside.

The flabby jaguar smiled at them. “The name’s Lord Gordo. The better-looking brother of the Naguals,” he said, leading them into an extravagant den.

“More like the fatter Nagual if you ask me,” whispered Jeter.

“Did someone just call me fat?” asked Gordo. He stopped and stared them down.

“Of course not!” quickly answered Baba. “You’re not fat, my Lord, you’re just… easier to see.”

The chunkier jaguar raised his eyebrows. “So, what brings you to our neck of Mictlan?” Gordo sat on a large armchair and placed its feet up on the table. He then turned to the thinner Nagual. “Magro, go get me a leg of a vaca.”

“You can get it yourself,” responded Magro.

In a flash, Gordo stood up and slapped Magro right across the cheek. “Want me to smack you again?”

Fearfully, Magro shook his head. “No, no, I’ll get the vaca leg.” The thin jaguar walked over to a table directly behind them, well within hearing distance.

“Sorry about that,” said Gordo, sitting back into the comfortable chair. “Dumb twin still doesn’t get the concept.”

“My, you must be really close to King Mictlantec if you’re eating one of his special cows,” said Baba.

“You can say that,” said Gordo. “Some even say he thinks of me as his right-hand man,” he added, giving Laernea a wink. But then he paused. Gordo turned to Smoke and his companions, scrutinizing each one of them. “Why are you lot here again?”

“To be frank,” began Baba. “We’re here to deliver a message.”

“Message? From who?” asked Gordo.

“You know Lord Yahui, right?” began Baba. “Well, Lord Yahui told us that Lord Xolotl had already been punished enough and should be freed.”

Gordo scratched his head. “That’s the message?”

“Not quite. Lord Yahui wants to know if you agree with this, Lord Gordo?” explained Baba, completing his made up story.

“No! That old turtle doesn’t know anything,” replied Gordo.

“Sounds about right,” simultaneously answered Magro with his twin.

The two jaguars angrily faced each other, snarling.

“Ah! As always, Lord Yahui was right,” interrupted Baba, bringing the Naguals’ attention to him.

“About what?” growled Gordo.

“Lord Yahui said that Lord Magro is reasonable,” replied Baba, pausing to face the fat jaguar. “And that you, Lord Gordo, are vindictive.”

“What! That turtle says I’m vengeful? We’ll let’s just see about that!” menacingly declared Gordo.

“Don’t be like that,” said Magro, while still preparing the vaca leg. “You know Lord Yahui is—”

“An old fat imbecile?” interjected Gordo. “Of course I do.” He turned to Baba. “I like to finish Magro’s sentences because… my version is always better.”

Unsure of what to say, Baba and his companions simply nodded.

“Let me tell you, Magro’s been repeating the same mistakes in life for so long now, I think he should start calling them traditions,” went on Gordo.

Magro’s chopping of the vaca’s leg became louder and violent.

“Don’t get me wrong. Magro’s got more offensive power than me,” began Gordo. “Even Yahui wouldn’t stand a chance against a single strike from him.” The fat jaguar paused and snorted. “But he’s also very weak. Why, chaneques could easily kill him. Heck! I think even pathetic souls like yourselves could do the job.”

CHOP CHOP CHOP

Sounds of Magro’s cleaver echoed throughout the extravagant den, continuing to viciously chop the vaca’s leg.

“The only reason Magro’s alive is because of me,” explained Gordo, hitting his chest loudly. “Once, we went up against Ahuizotl. That bastard was fast! Well, what’d you expect, with a hand on its tail? Anyway, I took all of its attacks. I protected him. Held down that beast and waited until Magro smashed it in the head with his power.”

“How very noble of you,” said Baba, sardonic.

“Honestly, I’ve wanted to leave my useless twin behind,” went on Gordo. “But as you know, the reward for a job well done is more of the same disgusting work.” The fat Nagual turned around and yelled at his twin brother. “Hey! I’m starving here!”

Finally, Magro finished preparing the vaca leg and carried it on top of a silver platter.

Sighing loudly, shook his head in disapproval. “See what I have to deal with? Complete incompeten—”

THWACK

Gordo’s eyes became white as the fat jaguar fell on the floor, lifeless. His body rolled over, revealing the vaca leg protruding out of his head.

Surprised, all of them stared at the disturbed Magro still holding the silver platter in one hand. Walking slowly, the thin jaguar gently placed the platter next to his dead brother. “Why’d you make me do it?”

“It’s alright,” blurted out Jeter. “It wasn’t your fault. Your brother deserved it.”

With crazed eyes, Magro angrily stared at Jeter. “How dare you! Didn’t you hear him? His the reason I’m still alive!” After saying this, he began shrinking in fear. “That’s right, anyone one of you could kill me now.” He ran back to the table, but even a child could have outrun him. He reached for a long pole and rolled it towards them. “There, take it! That’s Lord Xolotl’s staff. It’s the real reason you’re all here. Take it and go!”

“Look, we’re not here to hurt you,” began Smoke, walking slowly toward Magro. “We just want to know more about Lord Xolotl.”

Magro’s paw glowed with red luster. He punched the wall next to him and pulverized it. “I’ll kill anyone who comes near me. You can probably take me out, but I’ll be sure to take one of you bastards with me!”

“Let’s go,” said Baba, pulling on Smoke’s arm. “He needs to be with his brother before his body disappears.”

“Right,” answered Smoke, walking out of the Nagual’s mansion.

Before they could leave, Magro called out to them. “I believe Lord Xolotl deserves its freedom. But should you really listen to someone who just killed his own twin!”

* * * * * *

Traveling back to Xolotl’s Castle, Smoke and his friends were involved in a heated discussion.

“You know, I was hesitant about Xolotl from the start,” said Jeter, dragging his spear along the vine-bridge. “Just didn’t say anything because you guys looked so keen on his promise of a gateway back.”

“The guardians got to you, huh?” asked Sharur.

Nodding with furrowed eyebrows, Jeter answered. “You bet they did! Do you seriously think a gate to the living realm will open?”

“He has a point,” agreed Laernea. “Cipactli said that Xolotl deserves the punishment and Gordo agrees.”

“Yes, but Magro didn’t,” reasoned out Sharur.

“That’s still two against one,” pointed out Laernea, walking past the burly OrkElf.

“Two against two if you count what Yahui told Smoke,” interjected Baba.

“What about you, Smoke?” asked Jeter, turning to the only living member of their party who was lagging behind.

“Not sure,” sighed Smoke. “Was just gung-ho about getting you guys back with me that I never considered Xolotl to be lying.”

Baba forcibly cleared his throat. “I’ll leave that up to you. But personally, I trust Lord Xolotl just as I trust you’ll make the right decision.”

“Same here,” added Sharur. “Not with trusting Xolotl,” he hastily added. “But with trusting you.”

More talk of Xolotl’s credibility continued until they finally saw the dark castle on the floating island next to them. The dried up trees and blackened earth were as unwelcoming as the last time they were here.

Looking up, Smoke finally recognized the skull that hung on the gate. It was that of a creature similar to Cipactli.

Walking with purpose, they briskly entered the castle adorned with countless windows. They stepped past the threshold of the great hall and stopped in front of the mirror that comprised of the entire wall.

Only Smoke walked closer to Xolotl.

“Ah! You’ve returned,” answered the dog face skeleton trapped in the mirror. “You smell like tomorrow in the morning. If I had my nose that is,” it added wryly. “Well, hurry it up. Push my items into the mirror. You’ve collected all three of them, right?”

“Yes,” said Smoke, taking out all three of its gigantic items. “But first I’d like to ask a few questions,” he added and placed all of the items on the ground in front of the mirror.

“Questions? We don’t have time for that!” yelled Xolotl.

“You’ll answer our questions or we’ll leave!” declared Jeter, walking up next to Smoke.

It exhaled deeply as it quickly recomposed itself. “Apologies, it’s just that I’m really anxious to leave this prison.”

“That’s understandable,” said Smoke. “I’d like to know how sycophants were first created? Can you tell me about that?”

“Well a god takes out the eyeball,” answered Xolotl, doing a scooping motion with his long skeleton fingers. “You know, like the saying? The eyes are the windows to the soul. They then inject the sycophant miasma through the emptied eye sockets.”

Smoke nodded, ever studying Xolotl’s expressions. “But can you tell me again why you’re imprisoned?”

“Because of the Light Bringers,” answered Xolotl, exasperated. “I defended them against Mictlantec and Micteca.”

“Doesn’t really sound authentic to me,” went on Smoke.

“Alright! I’ll tell you,” said Xolotl. “After some lunatic created the sycophants, the number of Light Bringers drastically fell. But there was this lone DarkElf that still persisted.”

It paused and laughed as it recollected the events from long ago. “His method was different from the other Light Bringers. Taking only a small amount of soul energy meant that he had to make the trip several times over. Yet, his meager harvesting did not upset the balance of Reialma. In fact, the soul energy would replenish at once.”

Xolotl gritted its teeth. “My curiosity got the best of me. Watched him for years. Until, finally, he was found out by Tipactl—former ruler of Monstro Afiado. Tipactl and his men caught the DarkElf unawares… Until today, I am unsure what came over me. But I saved him and killed Tipactl in the process. I hung Tipactl’s skull over my gate. Hoping it would ward off its kind from attacking.”

When Xolotl finished speaking, Smoke turned to Baba as if asking him a question only the two of them could understand.

“I’m not convinced,” blurted out Jeter.

“Really?” asked Sharur, his voice raising.

After hearing Xolotl’s story, Smoke quickly came to a decision. “Well, I am,” he stated, pushing all of Xolotl’s items into the mirror.

At once, the mirror rippled like water. Xolotl’s eyes broke free from the amulet and resocketed themselves to the dog face giant. Its flesh tore out from the crown and reattached itself throughout Xolotl’s body. Then, his staff flew straight to his right hand and he was overflowing with sinew. He stepped out of the mirror adorned with his feathered crown and staff, his flesh and divine power fully restored.

“You’ve really done it now,” said Jeter.

Xolotl lowered his head before Smoke and his friends. “You have my eternal gratitude. If there is—”

CRACK CRACK

Everyone turned to face the source of the sudden sound. Xolotl’s doors were busted open. A beautiful woman in revealing clothes and a muscular man with a skull mask stepped inside. Their long black hair covered in their feather adorned crowns. Despite their intimidating auras, the intruders were only as tall as Sharur.

“What have you done!” screamed the woman. “Xolotl served as a monument for all your sins!”

“Mini-Micteca?” yelped Xolotl. Hurriedly, he put up a magical barrier, protecting Smoke, his companions, and the full-wall mirror behind them.

Angrily pointing her fingers, the feathers on her crown ruffled. “Did you know you freed the one who created the sycophants?”

“Under your orders!” countered Xolotl from inside his magical barrier.

All the while, the skull crowned man stood silent, his hands hidden behind him.

“Don’t worry, they’re merely clones of Mictlantec and Micteca,” Xolotl said to Smoke. “They must have activated when you set me free. I’ll keep them busy while you escape.”

“Cease, Wife,” said Mictlantec’s clone. His voice made Xolotl’s entire palace tremble. “A god does not parley with lower beings.”

“Sheesh! These clones even got their superiority complex,” said Jeter.

Without warning, Mictlantec’s clone unleashed a powerful ray of light, aimed at Xolotl, Smoke and his comrades.

Fortunately, the magical barrier of the fully recovered Xolotl held firm as it protected them from the clone’s attack.

“Wait for the portal to complete. It’ll take you to your home,” said Xolotl, tapping the mirror with his black staff. Its surface changed like rippling water. The mirror began to display a picturesque forest with blue skies and green trees. Mount Engrais, the snow-capped volcano near the village they rebuilt, stretched out in the mirror.

“Verbrannt!” called out Laernea when she saw the place reflected in the wavy surface.

“Stop!” ordered Mictlantec’s clone, causing them to shudder. “Before you beg me to turn you into sycophants!”

– [FEARFUL] Mictlantec’s Intimidation Aura delays your reaction time by 10%

Smoke stared into the notification window, but it faded away after Xolotl spoke.

“What happened to not talking with lower beings?” jeered Xolotl, still putting up a tremendous effort to block the ray of light.

After five more seconds, the full-wall mirror had completely turned into a portal to Zectas. Xolotl then turned to Smoke and the others. “Go!” he cried out to them.

But before Smoke and his friends could do so, Micteca’s clone punched a hole through Xolotl’s barrier. Her slender arm got through and grabbed hold of the mirror. Another ripple in the mirror occurred, steadily closing the portal.

Being the closest there, Jeter stabbed the clone’s arm with his spear. A futile effort in terms of damage. But it did hurt the goddess’ clone in a different way, her ego.

“You dare strike me!” cried out Micteca’s clone. She stopped touching the mirror and grabbed hold of Jeter by the neck.

Jeter tried to break free, but there was no way for him to escape the clone’s grip.

Then, the clone’s second arm broke through Xolotl’s barrier. She quickly went for Jeter’s left eye. Using her sharp nails, she easily plucked it out with a single swipe. She then injected the sycophant miasma into the freshly made orifice.

“Vape!” shouted Smoke. Instantly, the snake-like wyvern around his neck unleashed a cloud of Ponderous Mist which enveloped the clone’s hand. Activating his Mictlander’s Eye, he desperately tried to pry off her hands with his twin hook swords. But even his combined abilities could do nothing against Micteca’s clone.

CRACK CRACK

Escalating their troubles, Mictlantec’s clone completely annihilated Xolotl’s barrier.

With his barrier broken, Xolotl decided to face Micteca’s clone. The giant dog face god kicked the human-sized clone and freed Jeter.

Seeing this, Smoke grabbed the opportunity and forcibly pulled Jeter away from the goddess’ clone.

Meanwhile, only an eighth of the shrinking portal remained, wide enough for a person to squeeze through.

Suddenly, Mictlantec’s clone grabbed Sharur and Laernea.

Thousands of lute strings came out from Baba’s hands and prevented the skull crowned clone from taking out Sharur and Laernea’s eyes.

In this dire situation, Baba called out to Smoke. “Go! Take Jeter with you before he becomes a sycophant!”

“No! I’m not leaving without you guys,” answered Smoke.

Micteca’s clone was about to attack Smoke and Jeter but Xolotl grabbed them both and threw them into the almost closed off portal.

“Don’t worry, It isn’t easy to kill those who are prepared for death!” called out Baba as Smoke and Jeter entered the gateway back to Zectas.

At once, Smoke was rushed with excruciating pain. He felt like his brain was being cracked open, with a mixer placed inside it. Multiple visions simultaneously overwhelmed his senses as several eyes grew out of his entire body.

* * * * * *

When he came to, Smoke found himself in front of the forest near Mount Engrais. An unconscious Jeter, with his left eyeball missing, laid down next to him. The baby wyvern tightly hugged his neck. He lightly scratched its horned head. “It’s alright, Vape. We’re home now,” he said to the snake-like wyvern.

Getting up, he immediately looked around. “Sharur? Laernea? Baba?” called out Smoke, but there was no reply.

“Laernea? Sharur?” he yelled again, still the same silent answer.

“What happened?” asked Jeter, getting up, still dazed. He covered his empty left eye socket with his hand.

“We’re back in Zectas, but I can’t find Sharur, Laernea, or Baba,” answered Smoke, checking Jeter’s life bar. It displayed (280,000/500,000 SP). ‘Was it always this big?’ he wondered. “Stay down,” he added. He then got out some healing salve, but stowed them away. He realized it was useless, seeing as Jeter’s life bar still displayed SP. “Can I do something about that?” he asked, pointing to his left eye.

“No, I think I’ll recover in time,” replied Jeter, still covering his left face. “Just see if they made it out.”

“Alright, I’ll be right back,” reassuringly said Smoke.

Using his Hyper Jump ability, Smoke leaped up and glided in the air. He used his Telefax Vision to search for them. His Cunning of the Dire Fox could pick up the stone deer, iron owls, and rabid wolverines in the forest but none of his friends.

Vape happily coiled around Smoke’s neck, seeing the living world of Zectas for the first time gave the baby wyvern pure delight.

Smoke grinned. Then, his eyes caught a glimpse of large movement coming from the plains of Lehre, the grounds outside of Verbrannt’s outer wall. Zooming in, he found thousands of Emerald Knights carrying King Adrizol’s banners.

‘Must be time for the inspection,’ he surmised. He quickly pushed the thought away as he had more urgent matters. He still could not find them.

A few more minutes in the air and there was still no sign of Sharur, Laernea, or Baba. A sinking feeling crept up inside of Smoke. They were left behind in Mictlan.

“Arrgh!” suddenly cried out Jeter in pain from below.

Smoke quickly dove down to see his injured friend.

“What’s wrong? What’s happening?” asked Smoke, kneeling next to him.

Reluctantly, Smoke backed away as Jeter forcibly pushed him to the side. Jeter’s hands stretched out, hardening and sharpening as they elongated. The same thing was happening with his legs. His mouth grew wider and his teeth became sharper.

“Noooo!” angrily shouted Jeter.

Jeter’s hair fell off, his skin turning gray. His bald head grew paler and larger. Jeter was turning into a sycophant!

“Jeter, it’s alright,” said Smoke, rushing back to his side.

“No! Stay away!” he screamed again. “Or I might infect you.” He faced Smoke, his right eye tearful, and then ran into the forest.

Equipping his sacred clay staff, Smoke got up an earth-wall and blocked Jeter’s escape.

However, Jeter easily broke through, using his newly acquired blade-like limbs.

With the earth-wall shattered, Smoke secured Jeter inside a spherical Manatl instead.

SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD

A desperate Jeter tried to slash his way out of Smoke’s barrier. He kicked and punched, but the purple manatl held firm.

“Jeter, calm down,” said Smoke from outside the barrier.

“You don’t get it!” yelled Jeter, sobbing. “Sycophants are insane. There’s no telling what I’d do to you.”

“But I don’t think you’ll hurt me,” said Smoke.

Jeter shook his gray bald head. “No! We can’t take that risk!”

“Jeter, look at me! Look at me!” reprimanded Smoke.

A reluctant Jeter turned around, facing Smoke sideways.

“You’re not a sycophant. Well, at least not a full one,” said Smoke.

“Are you blind?” asked Jeter, waving his blade-like limbs around. “Your wall didn’t stand a chance against my…arms?”

“You know, I think sycophants don’t listen because they don’t have ears,” countered Smoke. “And devour anything near them because they don’t have eyes.”

“So? What does that have to do with anything?” asked Jeter, looking him straight in the eye.

“Well, you’ve still got both your ears and at least one good eye, right?” reasoned Smoke.

“I guess…” answered Jeter, sitting at the center of Smoke’s Manatl barrier.

“Mind if I cancel the barrier?” asked Smoke.

“Are you sure I won’t suddenly attack you?” replied Jeter, skeptical of Smoke’s theory.

Smoke nodded. “We have to find out eventually.”

“Have Vape cover us in that mist thing first,” said Jeter. “At least I can’t see you and it’ll be harder for me to move.”

“Vape, can you indulge him please,” said Smoke to the wyvern around his neck.

The snake-like wyvern puffed out the Ponderous Mist and engulfed them both.

“Do it,” answered Jeter.

Smoke canceled the barrier and slowly walked towards the squatting Jeter. He sat down in front of him, unharmed. “See? What’d I tell you?”

“Um, can’t see in this mist, remember?” said Jeter, lightly laughing.

After they sat there for a few more minutes, Smoke asked Vape to disperse the cumbersome fog.

“Convinced you’re safe now?” asked Smoke.

But before Jeter could answer, his Cunning of the Dire Fox suddenly sensed something.

Powerful hostiles were scattered in the forest. Although, their numbers were less than a hundred.

With his eyebrows raised, Smoke turned towards Verbrannt’s direction. His eyes grew fearful as pillars of black smoke filled the sky.

Alarmed, he quickly opened the ‘Whisper’ window and called Sierra. “Pick up! Pick up!”

It took a few seconds before Sierra could answer.

“Smoke, it’s a trap!” cried out Sierra. “Burmistrz was working for Adrizol all along! I’ve already sent all the villagers to escape. Thyrsus and the others are heading for the escape tunnels in Mount Engrais.”

“What about you?” asked Smoke, worried.

“Courant, Virer, and the other Sonstwelters are staying behind,” replied Sierra.

His eyebrows furrowed. “And Mamelon?”

“She’s still in Nordland,” she replied quickly.

Smoke could hear the loud banging of spells, the clashing of swords and steel in the background.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be there soon,” said Smoke.

“No! Wherever you are, stay there!” commanded Sierra. “We’re done for. But the villagers and the other Zectians need your help. Not sure if the Avendre are enough to stop Adrizol’s Emerald Knights.”

“But I can—”

“Just do what I told you!” screamed Sierra. “I’ll see you in Nanahuatl soon,” she added in a calmer tone.

—CLICK

“What’s going on?” asked Jeter, getting up.

“Verbrannt’s been attacked,” replied Smoke. “They’re heading for the mountain tunnels.”

“But there are intruders in the forest,” said Jeter.

Smoke nodded, staring into the thick verdant trees.

“We better clear their path then,” replied Jeter.

Smoke followed behind Jeter, fearful that Jeter would change during combat.

After running into the forest, Smoke and Jeter stopped. It did not take long for them to encounter Adrizol’s Emerald Knights. Most of them carried green tower shields and long swords.

The Knights stared at them, defensive.

“That’s Smoke!” cried out one of the Emerald Knights. They charged straight for him. But Jeter blocked their path.

Using his lengthy blade-like limbs, Jeter stabbed right through the Emerald Knight’s shield, piercing his stomach. He then lifted the Knight over his head and threw it at the other green Knights. Four Knights fell on the ground, forced down by the thrown attacker.

With his bladed feet, Jeter then leaped over them and began puncturing their emerald armors. Merciless, he stomped on them. Blood gushed out as he pulled up his legs.

An Emerald Knight slashed Jeter’s back. But he countered with his hands and penetrated the steel defense of his attacker. The other Knights who tried to help all met the same fate.

“My new limbs aren’t so bad,” yelled Jeter to Smoke. “It’s like having four spears!”

“Good to know!” shouted Smoke back.

Convinced that Jeter was in control, Smoke leaped over Jeter and his attackers. He rushed forward, facing his own group of Emerald Knights.

“Vape!” called out Smoke, equipping his twin hook swords.

At once, the Knights were engulfed in Ponderous Mist.

Thanks to his Ponderous Mist Walker, Smoke was immune to the cumbersome fog. Stealthily, he walked around the blinded Knights.

“Spread out,” commanded one of the Knights. “Attack anything that goes near you!”

Deprived of sight, the Knights did as commanded. They hacked through the fog, hitting nothing but branches and shrubs of the forest.

Watching this, Smoke found their movements to be sluggish. He wondered if it was because of the Ponderous Mist, but thought that it was something else.

Focusing on clearing the path, he ran in between the separated Knights. Despite piercing their eyes and slashing their necks with his razor-sharp crescent guards, the Knights’ life bar still proved to be hefty. It took him a while to finish a single one.

Yet, despite this, Smoke persevered in the thick hazy fog. He would attack them once and run towards his next target.

It took a while. However, one by one, Smoke finished off the encumbered Knights in the zero visibility fog.

After his Cunning of the Dire Fox sensed that there were no more enemies left, he had Vape disperse the Ponderous Mist.

“You okay?” Smoke asked Jeter, slightly out of breath.

Levitating, Jeter was looking up, his SP slowly recovering. “I’m fine. Just recharging.”

Then, Smoke could sense a multitude of his allies rushing towards them.

A falcon flying in the sky shrieked out.

“Smoke! Thank Cuezaltzin, you’re here!” called out Thyrsus. He was followed by thousands of villagers. “Vijaya’s right behind me. Jinggu, Ichaival and Sharanga should be in the south-east. Weise, Stark, Rasant, and Adelige are in the west.”

Thyrsus panted. “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t help Sierra,” he regrettably added. “She told me to—”

“It’s alright,” said Smoke, giving him a hug. “Good job making it here. Now, head for the tunnels. I’ll make sure everyone’s behind you.”

“There’s something else,” went on Thyrsus. “Igniz and Daga stayed behind. They were supposed to come with me, but Igniz wouldn’t listen.”

Stricken with alarm, Smoke desperately tried to calm down. “It’s gonna be fine. I’m sure they’re fine,” he said, trying hard to convince himself.

Thyrsus nodded and headed for the foot of Mount Engrais.

Although he feared what he might see, Smoke still opened his Friends List Window.

—- Contacts —- Status

…

+ Sierra        [REVIVE IN 95:58:40]

+ Virer          [REVIVE IN 95:55:58]

+ Courant     [REVIVE IN 95:55:53]

…

Sidestory:

Adapting Times

Glistening in the snow, the sunlight bounced off on the quiet white blanketed ground. Two majestic antlers emerged from the winding roads of the snow-capped mountains. The riders of the stag moose paused and breathed in the sight before them, an Aqua Knight and a Lioumerean Pathfinder.

“I love the green trees of Chayotl. But seeing all this white… feels calming,” blurted out Mamelon, breaking the silence. “Too bad Ilad couldn’t come.”

Wagging her tigress tail over her shoulders, Gandiva pityingly shook her head. “It’s awesome and all, but I’m more impressed that you managed to keep up with me on Bilis,” she replied, trying to change the subject.

Mamelon chuckled and patted the back of the stag moose’s head. “Bilis was the one who did all the work. I was just lucky I didn’t fall off… But what about Daga, though? She acts like she’s Ilad’s girlfriend or something. What’s her deal?”

“They’re not like that,” defended Gandiva. “They’re more like brother and sister.”

“I have a brother. But I don’t try to hug him to death,” said Mamelon, scorned

“Too bad we couldn’t stay for Verbrannt’s inspection,” said Gandiva, changing topics. “Would have wanted to be there when the village turned into a city.”

“Me too,” replied Mamelon. “It wasn’t easy convincing Sierra and Smoke to go for King Adrizol’s offer, but this is a good thing. You’ll see!”

“Tsk! Wasn’t really up for it myself,” began Gandiva. “Hated the idea of working under King Adrizol… But after hearing you talk about what’s to come after the war with Burmistrz… Well, let’s just say you got me convinced.”

“Exactly! We could do so much more than just conquering a city,” said Mamelon, pragmatic. “And getting the Decane to join us will greatly improve our overall strength.”

“Now, I’m just wondering what King Adrizol would do with Burmistrz,” said Gandiva. “And when he’s stripped of his power, then who will be Duke of Coatl?”

Mamelon shrugged. “Who knows? That’s why having the Decane as allies will force everyone to recognize our guild’s power.”

“That’s all good, but I’m surprised Sierra and Smoke want to ally with someone like Amahan,” blurted Gandiva. Then, her striped eyebrows raised as if she just came upon a realization. “Are you sure Sierra knows the reason we’re here?”

“Let’s just meet with them,” said Mamelon. “The sooner we’re done, the sooner we’ll be home.” She pointed down at the log-walled outpost below.

Running like the wind, Bilis and Tulin picked up a cloud of snow in their wake.

Stopping in front of the wooden gates, a smiling Mamelon called out for the guards. “Hey! Excuse me,” she said, flipping her long blond hair. “We’re here to see Amahan. I’ve been told that he’s here in Avance.”

Blushing profusely, the Zectian Guard on top the log wall stammered. “Um… Yes, yes. My Lord Amahan is currently staying with us.” He then yelled down at his comrade. “Open the gates! A princess is here to see Lord Amahan.”

Gandiva sniggered. “For once, I’d like to see someone gush over me like that.”

“That could happen. If you comb that hair of yours once in a while,” said Mamelon, smiling sweetly.

“Lord Amahan is staying in the May Flower Inn,” said the Guard, with even redder cheeks. “Please… Allow me to guide you there,” he added, leading the way.

At the entrance of the Inn, Mamelon spotted three unmasked Death Knights. Although they wore the same black plated armor with white skulls on their shoulders, their hairstyles were different. One had a long straight black hair, the other had clean-cut hair but the last one fashioned a lizard mohawk.

“You sure are lucky with Hilot, Bato,” said one of the Death Knights. “She doesn’t even mind that you looking like that!”

“When the notification window asked… I just nodded and it updated my avatar with my current look,” replied Bato, grinning.

“What? You really have that hair in real life?” asked the Death Knight in disbelief. “And Hilot’s still into you? Isn’t she a Bank Economist?”

A conceited Bato was nodding his head. “What can I say? When you’ve got it, you’ve got it.”

Then, a beautiful blond Priestess stepped out of the Inn. “Hon, you ready to go?” asked Hilot.

“Certainly, my Lady,” said Bato, giving her an exaggerated bow. “Ligon, Puthaw, I’ll see you two later,” he said, giving his fellow Death Knights a sly wink.

Speedily, Hilot walked past them.

“Sure wish I’ll meet a blond beauty soon,” said Puthaw.

“What and get married?” Ligon lightly punched Puthaw’s chest.

Puthaw nodded with gusto. “Absolutely, even if it’s just in-game.”

“Forget about it,” chuckled Ligon. “And where do you suppose you’d find anyone round these parts? A beauty like Hilot doesn’t just pop out of thin air.”

Further away, the two lovers continued walking, out of Ligon and Puthaw’s earshot.

“Put your helmet on. I don’t want other people seeing that ridiculous hair,” ordered Hilot, walking ahead of the mohawk Death Knight.

At once, Bato covered his head with his full-face helmet.

Oblivious to what was going on, Puthaw and Ligon stared at them in envy, Mamelon walked in front of them.

Ligon and Puthaw’s eyes zoomed in on the blond bombshell that graced their vision.

“Quick! Say, I’ll get my own Djinn,” Puthaw said to Ligon, pushing him back as he offered his hand to Mamelon. “Hey, haven’t seen you before. Are you new here?”

Without skipping a beat, Mamelon blushed. “Is it that obvious?”

Although she tried to suppress it, Gandiva let out an audible groan.

“I’m Mamelon and this here’s Gandiva,” she said, pointing at herself and the covered tigress Lioumerean next to her. “We were wondering—”

“If we could be your tanks?” blurted out Puthaw, cutting her off. “Most certainly! We’re free right now. I know many great spots to level up… and if you’re looking for rare items, I know them too!”

“Thanks but we’re not here for that,” answered Gandiva. “We’re here to talk to Amahan.”

“Amahan? He’s an Exorcist, plays a lousy support and won’t do well in your party,” reasoned Puthaw, shaking his head and smirking.

“Regardless, we still want to see him,” persisted Gandiva, her tail tightening around her waist.

“Please,” added Mamelon sweetly.

“Wait here,” said Puthaw, reluctant. “I’ll check if he wants to… What’s this about again?”

“Please tell him we’re friends of Sierra and Smoke,” brightly smiled Mamelon.

“The DarkElf and Werebear of Wysteria?” asked Ligon, grabbing Puthaw by the shoulder, preventing him from calling Amahan.

Still smiling sweetly, Mamelon nodded.

“Maybe you should call Magikera first?” said Gandiva. “Heard she’s friends with Sierra.”

“We know,” flatly answered Ligon. “She keeps on telling us.”

Ligon and Puthaw whispered whether or not to have them meet with Amahan. Puthaw kept glancing over to Mamelon, to which the voluptuous Aqua Knight always gave a hopeful smile.

“Fine! Go tell him,” finally said Ligon.

“Cool!” exclaimed Puthaw. “Wait right here, I’ll be back, really quick,” he said to Mamelon, grinning the whole time.

It took more than ten minutes before Puthaw returned. His face sullen but quickly perked up when he faced Mamelon. “Sorry, took longer than expected. But he’s willing to see you now,” he said, leading towards the door with an overemphasized arm.

“Thanks!” said Mamelon.

Both Mamelon and Gandiva headed inside. But Ligon stepped in front of tigress Lioumerean.

“Sorry, no Zectians beyond this point,” gravely said Ligon.

“Gandiva’s not just any Zectian,” declared Mamelon. “She’s my best friend and she’s going with me.”

“Come on, Lig,” pleaded Puthaw on her behalf. “Besides, I already told him about the Lioumerean,” he added, cheeks flustered as he looked at Mamelon.

“Fine! But don’t pull me along if Amahan gets mad!” called out Ligon, leaving the Inn.

“Now, that the sour-puss is out of the picture, let’s go,” said Puthaw.

Letting Puthaw lead the way, Gandiva held Mamelon back. “Thanks for that.”

“For what?” asked Mamelon.

Gandiva’s tail shyly wiggled behind her. “You know… for sticking up for me. And for that, I won’t tell Ilad about you flirting with that Death Knight.”

“Flirting? What are you talking about?” nervously asked Mamelon. “That was just acting. Otherwise, they would’ve sent us away.”

“Right!” said Gandiva, as they followed after Puthaw.

Inside the inn, they were taken upstairs into a spacious room. There, the famous Exorcist sat on a comfortable lounge chair. Two figures stood behind him. Sierra’s Aero Magi friend—Magikera and a robed figure whom Mamelon guessed to be the legendary Djinn—Gahoul Comataz.

“Hey, Guys!” greeted Puthaw, breaking the cold silence. “This is Mamelon and Gandiva. They’re friends with—”

“I know who they are,” flatly stated Amahan. “Just say what you’re here for.”

Gandiva’s furry fist clenched. “What kind of greetin—”

Mamelon quickly stopped her Lioumerean friend from acting out.

“Sorry for intruding,” began Mamelon. “I know you’re a busy man. So, I’ll get right to it. We’re here to offer an alliance.”

“What for?” asked Amahan.

“Wait, this could be a good thing,” said Magikera. “We could get rare items and other stuff from Wysteria…”

“Magikera!” boomed Amahan. “One more word…”

Clicking her tongue, Magikera fell silent.

Amahan cleared his throat. “I’m not completely opposed to the idea. But I’d like to know about the video Smoke posted.”

“What? About Mictlan?” asked Mamelon. “I don’t really know anything about that place.”

“Smoke has a video of Mictlan?” asked Gandiva, oblivious to the Zectas posts on the real world.

Ignoring the Lioumerean, Amahan prodded. “No. Not Mictlan. I want to know what the Oracle of Aphend really means.”

“Oh! Well, we’re not really sure,” replied Mamelon. “But from what I remember… Smoke said that it maybe a new event that requires Sonstwelters to fulfill the event conditions.”

“Are you being serious?” asked Amahan, his voiced raised. “I’m asking for the triggers and what the potential event may be!”

Mamelon playfully scratched her head and smiled at Amahan.

“Fine. If you don’t want to say your theories, I can respect that,” said Amahan. He paused and studied Mamelon’s face. “I’m not sure if you know this. But there’s another Sonstwelter in Ishtar. She got the title of Seer from opening the oracle in Marooc City of the Matotl Kingdom. After she opened one of the oracles herself, she claimed that as a Seer it is her right to be the queen of Matotl, unless they want to be overrun by prehistoric monsters.”

For a split-second, Mamelon’s eyebrows furrowed.

“I see,” said Amahan. “You’re saying that she’s just lying.”

Realizing that he could read her facial expressions, she tried hard to keep a straight face.

“So, what’s the condition?” went on Amahan. “Is it level? An ability? A title? A position?” He paused and stared Mamelon in the eye. “Oh! Position. What kind? In the Kingdom? Like a Duke, perhaps?”

Mamelon’s face contorted. She could not believe he was doing this with simple word queues.

“I was offered to be Duke of Mezco City before. Maybe, I’ll take it,” said Amahan.

In utter disbelief, Mamelon asked. “How are you doing this? I never said anything.”

“You didn’t have to. Anyway, I’m fine being allies with the Vigilantez. But only in name. For us to be ‘friends’, I don’t need items. I need information,” declared Amahan. “If you can give me that, then we can come to an agreement.”

“In name?” questioned Gandiva, but was held back by Mamelon again.

“Alright,” said Mamelon. “Let me just add you to my Friend List.”

+ Amahan has accepted your friend invitation.

An excited Puthaw looked at Mamelon. “You done with Amahan? Want to go raid a dungeon with me? Gandiva can come, of course!”

Mamelon turned to Gandiva as if asking if she was okay with it.

Gandiva shrugged, apathetic.

“Sure,” said Mamelon. “Maybe you want to join us too?” she asked Magikera and Amahan.

“No,” answered Amahan. “We’ve got something else to do.”

A sullen Magikera’s shoulders sank.

“Maybe next time then,” said Mamelon as she was escorted downstairs.

Outside the inn, an alarming ringing rang in Mamelon’s ears.

▲ EMERGENCY CALL ▲: Smoke

“Sorry, I have to take this,” Mamelon said to Puthaw, pulling Gandiva to a far corner.

“Something wrong?” asked Gandiva, worried.

“Emergency call from Smoke,” replied Mamelon, silencing her with a shush.

“What’s the problem?” Mamelon asked over the call.

“We’ve been attacked! Adrizol tricked us,” said Smoke. “Hurry back home. Tell Gandiva to take you back to Nanahuatl.”

Stricken with guilt, Mamelon’s mouth fell open.

“You there? Anyway, just hurry back to Nanahuatl. We need to regroup!”

—CLICK

“So? What’s the emergency?” asked Gandiva.

A teary-eyed Mamelon could only utter. “I was wrong.”

Gandiva blankly stared at her, confused. “About what?”

“Wrong about everything.”

* * * * * *

News of Verbrannt’s destruction spread like wildfire. Zectas forums were filled with developments in the continent of Wysteria. King Adrizol of Chayotl himself declared them as enemies of the kingdom. He also declared Centzo as a rebel city that needed to be reclaimed.

In the war-torn lands of Sawtorn, two Sonstwelter brothers, equipped in a golden and silver plated armor, were respectively riding on a red and gray wyvern. Both of them were busy strategizing their attack on an Ork encampment. The green brutes were about to attack Newt Village—an OrkElf gambling village created by Cynar.

“You sure this will work?” asked Tritank. “Can’t I just dive in with my wyvern? Why do we have to rely on those Avendre Mercenaries and OrkElves!”

“Third, just follow the plan and we’ll be fine,” said Tristan. “Besides, Cynar was the one who begged us to save his village.”

“Tritank! I told you to call me Tritank here. You don’t hear me calling you Junior, right?”

Tristan sighed. “Fine! Tritank, then. But just follow the damn plan.”

“You really liked that Cynar character and Guro too,” said Tritank. “Plan on making them members of your private army?”

“Precisely! And Dad said you’re not perceptive. Easiest way to raise Intimacy,” replied Tristan. “And if they don’t join me, then better thin their numbers a bit. They’re too strong for their own good.”

Tritank nodded, agreeing with his older brother. His eyebrows met in the middle as his eyes stared at Aurora and Bones in the midst of the invading army. “You sure it’s alright for them to always stay together? Aren’t you worried they’d, you know…”

“Bones has been my friend even before you were born,” said Tristan. “And Aurora’s free to do whatever she wants.”

“Over confident prick,” mumbled Tritank under his breath.

“Right, let’s see how Cynar and Guro handle this,” said Tritank. “Truff, let’s go,” he said to the disguised progeny of the legendary ruby dragon—Valdurath.

Both brothers flew in the air on top of their draconic creatures.

“Still can’t believe you found a flame wyvern,” scoffed Tritank. “Personally, I think Dominator’s Ponderous Mist is more useful than fireballs.”

Ignoring Tritank, he used his Draconic Vision, a shared ability between him and Truffatore, to zoom in on the battle below. “Guro’s using the Orb formation.”

“What! You can see the battle from here?”

“Can’t you? Haven’t you learned the Draconic Vision?” asked Tristan.

“Of course, I have! Was just surprised that you could too,” replied Tritank.

“Then you can see Aurora and Bones standing next to her?”

“Obviously! Guess you really want to keep Guro safe, huh?” replied Tritank. “Dominator, fly lower,” he added softly to his wyvern.

“What are you doing?” asked Tristan, bothered. “I thought I told you to stay away from the battle. We don’t need to intervene.”

“What if they’ll need our help?” countered Tritank. “Better prepared, than trust everything to a bunch of Zectians!” he added flying even lower.

At their descended altitude, a zooming DarkElf in green robes came straight for them.

“Chrys? Why are you here?” asked Tritank, surprised. “Ah! You must have heard about my operation. Yup! I’m sure this would lead to the whereabouts of Snide.” He smugly stared at Tristan. “Yes! The men under my city have discovered this plan,” he proudly added, blatantly slipping in his rank as a Duke of the Thanotl Kingdom. “By the way allow me to introduce—”

Chrysopelea ignored him and faced Tristan instead. “I’ve done what you’ve asked. The army of my city is stationed to the western plains. When do you want me to join the attack?”

A bewildered Tritank looked at his older brother and the DarkElf Sonstwelter. “Wait, you two know each other.”

“Not really. I just asked the good Duke if he was willing to help,” answered Tristan. “That’s alright, Chrys. Your men don’t need to move. Injured Orks will run to them shortly.”

Chrysopelea flew closer to Tristan, careful not to go near the mouth of Truffatore. “Honestly, I’m not too keen on working with another Sonstwelter. Not after what happened with Faux.”

“Don’t believe everything you read in the forums,” said Tristan. “Remember how they said that Faux would be competing against me and Amahan?”

Shaking his head, Chrysopelea sighed deeply. “Still can’t believe that Faux did that.”

“Told you something was wrong with that guy. Especially, when he said he knew the Orks were coming,” added Tritank. “Now, the forums will be filled with news of our victory. Hell! Maybe we’ll even cover up Smoke’s big foul up!”

Tristan scoffed. “He deserved it! Who in their right mind would leave for Mictlan when he still has a campaign against a Duke! He’s just greedy is all! That’s why this happened! If it were me, I’d never lose a city!”

“But didn’t you lose…” began Tritank but stopped after receiving a menacing glare from his brother. “Never mind.”

“Must’ve been some quest gone wrong,” said Chrysopelea, not noticing the rift between them. “Now, I’m thinking that if we fail this, the same thing might happen to us.”

“We’d never fail,” boasted Tritank.

“Amahan’s sure is lucky,” went on Chrysopelea.

“Why do you say that?” asked Tritank.

“Nothing,” replied Chrysopelea, dismissive. “Anyway, Cynar and Guro are really impressive aren’t they. Really hoping they’d accept my offer and join my private army.”

“You’ve invited them?” asked Tritank.

“Not exactly. I’m still raising my Intimacy with them,” replied Chrysopelea. “So, how can you be sure the Orks will go to where my men are?”

“Just watch,” said Tristan.

Below them, Guro had her well trained Avendre Mercenaries circle around the Ork encampment with a single opening. This was one of her military tactics called the Orb Formation.

Individually, the Avendre Mercenaries would not stand a chance against the Orks who stood over three meters. Even with King Kajou providing all of them with a better weapon—a halberd.

“I see, she’s leaving an opening for the Orks to escape,” observed Chrysopelea. “Leading them straight for my men.”

“Impressive, I guess you’ve picked up a book or two on army formations?” asked Tristan.

Chrysopelea shook his head. “No. Faux used a similar technique when we fought the Orks together.”

“Ha! He must’ve picked it up from Snide,” remarked Tritank. “You do know that he’s the brains of all the Ork Generals, right?”

Suddenly, a worried expression overcame Chrysopelea’s face as he pointed below. “Guro’s Mercenaries are breaking formation.”

Instead of only one exit, the UrukHai Orks have smashed opened three more openings.

Cynar’s men charged in to fill the gaps. The OrkElves’ battle experience proved effective as they slowly repelled the UrukHai back into Guro’s trap. Yet, due to the sheer difference in brute strength, the progress of rearranging the Orb Formation was time-consuming.

“This isn’t working,” said Tritank. “Told you Guro and Cynar couldn’t do the job.” Without another word, Tritank had his flying mount dive down. Patting the gray wyvern’s head, it spewed out a cloud of Ponderous Mist, encircling the outer layer of the battlefield. Gray fog fell down on the UrukHai, filling the heavy air with a putrid stench.

Remembering their defeat from Etonner Valley, the UrukHai fell into a wild rampage, self-inflicting themselves with the Berserk Status. Filled with rage, their eyes turned red and their attacks grew fiercer. Mercenaries and OrkElves were pummeled to the ground with mere fists alone.

“Idiot!” angrily screamed Tristan.

Tritank’s thoughtless attack turned the tides against Guro’s and Cynar’s forces.

Thankfully, Aurora’s abilities were boundless. Thirty-two Holy Crystals flew around the combat zone. It targeted the few Medics and Acolytes scattered amongst the Guro and Cynar’s men, all of whom were hired by Tristan. Swirling in the air, the Holy Crystals gave them increased mana regeneration and strengthened their defense.

Tasked with the Lioumerean’s well-being, Bones blitzed in between the Orks. Several afterimages of the Sonstwelter Assassin were left behind as he attacked the green giants near Guro.

“Truff, clear this mess!” commanded Tristan.

Ruby flames charged from within the mouth of the disguised legendary dragon. In a single breath of fire, the Ponderous Mist dispersed.

Tristan then pointed to the area which would lead to Chrysopelea’s army. With calculated fireballs, Truffatore cleared the way, killing allies and enemies alike. After that single attack, Tristan and his dragon flew back to a higher altitude.

“Third, Follow me!” he called out to his younger brother.

Reluctant, Tritank retreated upward as well. “Sorry, I didn’t—”

“What’s done is done,” said Tristan. “Now, just stay there and watch.”

With the Ponderous Mist cleared away, a sudden lull overcame the battlegrounds. Not missing this opportunity, Guro quickly took initiative. “Hook their skulls!” she shouted at the top of her lungs. She had the Avendre’s halberds pull down hard, bringing along the heads of the maddened Orks. Inflicted with the Berserk status, the UrukHais’ defenses were lowered. The pinned down Orks fell victim to the stabbing of more halberds.

Meanwhile, Cynar had his men maintain position. He had them plugged the gaps that were created before, leaving only the opening that was agreed upon. Whereas he himself was on look out for his special mission. “Bones, That’s the Ork we want!” he suddenly screamed over the war cries.

Moving with blinding speed, the two Assassins came upon the newly dubbed UrukHai Colonel—Wertlospreis.

With a sudden attack from the back, Bones pinned the Wertlospreis down. He then threw paralysis darts onto the Ork’s limbs, preventing any chance of escape.

Cynar then followed up with his paralysis knives. He attacked the four Ork guards assigned to protect their target. Despite their size, the UrukHais could do nothing against the OrkElf’s speed. Plunging his knives into their legs, he brought them down to their knees. He then finished them off with lightning gashes to their necks.

“Daganir! Eskapur kamur!” cried out the captured UrukHai Colonel. “Biyair akur!”

“What’s the bastard saying?” Bones asked Cynar, while still pinning Wertlospreis’ neck with his knees.

“He’s telling them to escape,” answered Cynar, standing over the UrukHai colonel. “And to leave him behind.”

Bones gave Cynar a surprised look. “Really? That’s mighty noble of him,” he said, stabbing the Ork behind the neck with a paralysis knife.

The two Assassins watched two-thirds of the UrukHai run for the intended gap in their formation. Mercenaries opened the way even further as they retreated to the sides.

Relieved at the chance of escaping, the Orks ran faster as all of them were badly injured.

However, there were still a few Orks who persisted and stayed, fighting for their other brethren to escape.

“OrkElves, stay behind the Avendre!” called out Guro, closing in on the Orks that were foolish enough to remain. Halberds pierced and stabbed the tall UrukHais. As some of the Orks tried to close in, Cynar’s men would jump from the sides of the Mercenaries and push back the Orks with their shield and swords.

Guro and Cynar’s casualty was low, as the critically injured were ordered to stay in the back. There, they were healed by Aurora’s divine light.

As the last of the Orks were being killed, Tristan, Tritank, and Chrysopelea descended from the heavens. They accurately finished off the half-dead UrukHais from above.

With the battle finally over, Chrysopelea said his farewell. “I’ll go ahead. Got to make sure that the Orks will be dealt with,” he said and flew towards his army lying in wait for the UrukHai escapees.

Tristan smiled, proud of the battle’s turnout. “Guro, Cynar, good job you two! Thank you!” he said, smiling at them.

“No. I’m the one that should be grateful,” said Cynar, looking dearly at Newt Village. After Wertlosvati’s death, Cynar found himself driven to protect his people, most of which were staying at the village he created.

“Tristan! Thought I told you to stay out of it,” spouted Guro, menacingly pointing her fingers at him while her tail angrily swayed behind her. “We didn’t need your imbecilic wyverns.”

“Hey! Mind your tongue, Zectian!” screamed Tritank about to attack Guro.

But not before Tristan pulled him back. “Third, be still.” He commanded. Taking a deep breath, he then faced the angry Lioumerean. Tristan lowered his head before her. “I’m sorry. We were worried that they might scatter and destroy the plan. It’s too big a risk to take. We’re lucky that Duke Chrysopelea even agreed to it.”

“You should’ve waited,” said Guro, turning her back on Tristan. “Cynar, mind if I have my men rest in your village?”

“Sure, go ahead. I’ll be right behind you,” replied Cynar. He then turned to Tristan. “So, what’s our next move?”

Tristan gave him a smug smile. “Now, we just wait for Bones and Aurora to get the truth out of UrukHai Colonel. Of course, you’ll need to be there since you’re the only one who knows Orkish.”

“No problem,” replied Cynar, eager to help. “Just tell me when and where.”

“They’re doing it right now,” said Tristan. “They’re set up in the tent over there,” he added, pointing to a large black tent.

“They really needed a tent for this?” asked Cynar, walking towards it.

Barely any sunlight went in the pitched up top, except for a strong beam of light which was focused on Wertlospreis’ face. The Ork was strapped with iron chains to a specially designed table, his arms and legs spread apart.

“Nganuir manir? Nganuir valay paku fatyir?” softly asked the UrukHai Colonel.

“When is that OrkElf coming?” Bones asked Aurora.

“Shh. He’s here,” she replied. “Cynar, glad you could make it. Normally, we’d just do this ourselves. But, unfortunately, we need an interpreter.”

“Right,” replied Cynar. “Tell me what to do.”

“Just translate,” said Bones. “Tell him, that we’ve got ways to make him talk, and that giving him death would be a gift he’d be begging for.”

Cynar nodded. “Kavalor silar maga paigir parar mor storyair kair. Ugh, magaju kanir sair fatyonir.”

“Ha! Boangi rai mair moviliv nilar!”

“He’s saying—” began Cynar, but was cut off by Bones.

“It’s okay. I can guess what he’s saying,” said Bones. “They always say the same thing before it starts.” He then grabbed the red-hot forceps heated over a burning coal. He grasped the thumbnail of the Ork and slowly pried it from its nail bed, tearing it off completely from the Colonel’s finger.

“Aggghhhhhh!” screamed Wertlospreis. “Kanir ranir? Diko mo… Aaaggghhh!” he screamed again as Bones continued with the next nail.

Wertlospreis life bar steadily lowered after each nail extraction. But was not a concern as Aurora replenished the missing hit points with her divine light.

More screams of agony came out from the dark tent until all of Wertlospreis’ fingernails were pried out.

“Now, tell him that we’re about to begin,” Bones said to Cynar.

“You mean we haven’t started?” asked Cynar.

But Bones simply gave him an angry look.

“Karonir maga sugodir nakitar,” Cynar said to the captured Ork Colonel.

A full hour passed before Aurora, Bones, and Cynar stepped out of the torture tent. All three of them walked over to where Tristan and Tritank were.

“So? How was it?” asked Tristan.

“It was…” Cynar was lost for words at the atrocity he had just witnessed. Even when he was keeping children captives, he never hurt them that way.

But Tristan paid little attention to him as he was asking Bones.

Bones gave him a knowing nod. “Says Snide is heading for Vlahui City next. We should have about three days?”

“Good,” replied Tristan and then turned to the OrkElf. “Can you tell Guro that we’re leaving after six hours. And have your men prepared as well.”

“Alright,” replied Cynar.

“By the way, did you ask about Guro’s availability?” asked Tristan.

“Yeah. She said she’s already a part of a private army. Says she’s only on furlough at the moment,” answered Cynar.

After Cynar walked farther away, Tritank whispered to his older brother. “So, Guro and the Avendre will be on the front lines then?”

With a look of disdain, Tritank nodded.

* * * * * *

A day after defending Newt Village, Tristan and his companions arrived in the desert gem city of Vlahui. Near the borders between Vitzytl and Thanotl, it was the proud bastion of its kingdom.

Yet, despite its fortifications, Vlahui city still fell victim to Wertlosvati’s invasion, former leader of the united Orks. Now, the city only had up to fifty percent of its proud defenses.

Tristan shared his theory with his companions. He told them that this was most likely the reason why General Snide was going after this pinnacle city.

“Do we really need to defend this place?” asked Tritank, riding on the massive carriage being pulled by two ancient bison. This enormous transport was carrying his gray wyvern on the back. “Hate that damn Trottel! Hate his stinking guts!”

“He’s a Zectian. You’re really ticked off by an AI?” asked Bones who sat on an identical gigantic carriage. This one carried the disguised Truffatore.

“You know the Zectians are coded to feel like real people,” countered Tritank.

Aurora gently patted Tritank’s back. “Don’t let him get to you,” she coaxed as she rode with him.

“Third, I don’t care what happened between you in the past. But now you should be on your best behavior,” reprimanded Tristan. “I have big plans for this place.”

“Fine!” sulked Tritank.

Aurora whispered in his ear. “I know you’re having fun. It’s always been your dream to play with Tristan, right?”

Shaking his head, Tritank urged the ancient bison to go faster. Marching at a hurried pace, Guro’s and Cynar’s men closely followed behind them.

Entering the city, their eyes immediately fell on the beautiful flying Zectian. Engulfed in flames, her hair looked like it was on fire. Her feet was at least three meters above the city’s five-story wall. Rapidly, she descended to the ground and walked towards them.

“That’s Xantana,” blurted out Tritank. “She was one of the contenders in the previous Magi Gagnant Tournament.”

“Wasn’t she only in the qualifiers?” asked Bones. “Yeah, I remember Faux beating her.”

“Shh! Quiet she’ll hear you,” ordered Tristan.

“Welcome to Vlahui City,” greeted Xantana, giving all of them a small bow. Her blonde Elf hair glistening in the sun. “May I ask why the Duke of Thalzoc City is here?”

Tritank loudly laughed. “Well, you see. I’m here because we’ve learned that Snide is coming.”

“Are you sure?” asked Xantana, clearly alarmed. “Let me get Duke Trottel. Please make yourselves comfortable while you wait for him.” She then turned to a bulky tiger Lioumerean. “Chouchou, please lead them to the strategy room.”

“No problem, Love,” replied the muscular Lioumerean. “When you’re all ready. Please follow me.”

“That’s Chouchou, a Fire Brawler,” whispered Tritank to his Sonstwelter companions.

“I know, and he’s married to Xantana,” whispered back Bones. “Stop trying to make yourself look important.”

“Bones, bring Guro and Cynar with us,” interrupted Tristan.

“Sure thing.”

After calling them, Tristan, Aurora, Bones, Tritank, Guro, and Cynar followed Chouchou into the strategy room. Walking up to the third floor of the castle, they were led into an expansive room that was bare, except for a table with the map of the Sawtorn continent on it.

“Please have a seat. Duke Trottel will be with you shortly,” said Chouchou. When he finished talking, he did not leave the room but waited near the door.

“Tritank! What the hell are you doing here!” boomed Trottel, the old tiger Lioumerean looked ready to pounce.

“Duke Trottel, please forgive our sudden intrusion,” said Tristan in a firm and confident tone. “We’ve respectfully come to offer our assistance.”

“Don’t need your stinking help,” gruffed Trottel. “A back of the knife is what I’ll most likely get from the likes of you people.”

Despite Trottel’s harsh words, Tristan still smiled at him. “Please forgive the incidents of the past. Those are far behind us.”

“Ha! If it were only you, maybe I could so reason,” said Trottel. “Frankly, I’ve heard of your accomplishments. But that brother of yours is—”

Tristan loudly cleared his throat, impeding Trottel. “The King of Thayotl once told me; the weak can never forgive, forgiveness is an attribute belonging only to those who are truly strong.”

“Hogwash!” exclaimed Trottel. “But for the heck of it. Why are you here?”

“Didn’t Xantana—” began Tritank, but was silenced by Aurora’s hand covering his mouth.

Tristan glared at his younger brother, before turning to Trottel. “My great Duke, we’ve come to some knowledge that Snide will be coming to your city.”

“When is this?” asked Trottel. The old Lioumerean looked troubled.

Nodding sympathetically, Tristan replied. “Less than two days from now.”

“Then we must prepare!” boomed Trottel. “Alert King Kajou. We must ask for reinforcements!”

“But, Duke Trottel, don’t you think that you’d gain more glory if you were to defeat Snide by yourself?” blurted out Tristan. “Of course, my men and I will gladly face them on the ground, while your powerful spells rain down on them from above your walls. Don’t you think that should be enough to stop them?”

“Hm… That does sound appealing,” mumbled Trottel. “How many men did you bring again?”

“About thirty-thousand Mercenaries imported from the tough lands of Wysteria,” began Tristan, pointing towards Guro. “And another thirty-thousand OrkElves who survived the previous Ork war,” he added pointing to Cynar.

“A Lioumerean leader is always dependable indeed,” said Trottel, looking at Guro. “But OrkElves… that traitorous Faux commanded the OrkElves,” he added with much disgust.

“My Lord, we never knew what Faux’s dealings with the Orks. And I don’t think that Faux would—” defended Cynar but was cut short.

“That’s enough!” shouted Tristan, regaining control of the conversation. “My great Duke, didn’t the OrkElves fight with their lives on the line. And weren’t they the ones who killed Wertlosvati? Heck, Cynar personally killed that bastard!” he added, proudly pointing at the OrkElf.

“That’s right, he did, didn’t he?” mused Trottel.

Pacing around the spacious strategy room, the old tiger Lioumerean was mumbling to himself. “Fine! Let’s do it! But the plan stays the same. My men and I stay behind our walls, while yours face them on the ground.”

“Perfect!” said Tristan, smiling widely.

* * * * * *

With the news discreetly spread only to the Sonstwelters and Zectians residing near Vlahui city, the preparations were finished but isolated. Nevertheless, the city was prepared as it could be for the coming attack of General Snide and his united Ork tribes.

All of the Sonstwelters near the city were invited for the special quest “Vlahui’s Last Stand” which gave a turn out of over ten-thousand participants. Most of them were Mages and Wizards, but there were some who chose Jobs in the front lines. Hidden Jobs like Pugilists and Bruisers, these were the ones who bathed in blood and glory, hoping to earn favor with the Duke and eventually the King of this Wizarding Kingdom.

On top of the city gates, Tristan, Duke Tritank, Aurora, Bones, Xantana, Chouchou, and Duke Trottel were waiting for the Orks’ arrival. Whereas, Cynar and Guro, together with their respective armies were joined by five hundred Sonstwelters in front of the outer city walls.

With their elite soldiers were scattered, Cynar and his OrkElves were guarding the back gates. Whereas, Guro and her Avendre Mercenaries were right in the front lines. The Sonstwelters and their own private armies were scattered in between the two large Zectian forces.

“Remember, we’ll be closing the gates the entire time,” said Trottel. “So, you and your men are out there by yourselves.”

Casually, Tristan bowed down. “No worries, great Duke, my men are prepared for what’s to come.”

“By the way, what were your Avendre Mercenaries doing the last two days?” asked Trottel. “They only stayed outside the city walls the entire time.”

“I believe they were making hidden earth-traps and excavating ditches. Guro said that they have plenty of experience working with the earth,” replied Tristan. “I’m sure you’ll see their handiwork today.”

“There are no Earth Manipulators with them, right?” inquired Trottel.

Tristan shook his head. “Not to my knowledge.”

“Good. I detest earth magic,” mocked Trottel, his large Lioumerean nose wrinkling. “I take it everything’s already prepared?”

“Of course,” proudly answered Tristan.

“So, what are you still doing in my city?” asked Trottel. “Go and see to your men. Make sure no Ork enters Vlahui.”

“As you command, mighty Duke,” said Tristan. He then gave the signal to Tritank, Aurora, and Bones. Without another word, all four Sonstwelters leaped off the fortified city gates. In complete synchronicity, two wyverns swooped them up as they flew over the gathered Avendre Mercenaries,

On the back of the disguised Truffatore, Tristan and Bones flew over Guro and her Avendre Mercenaries.

Meanwhile, Tritank and Aurora were soaring above Cynar and his OrkElves.

“They’re here!” cried out Tristan from above.

As expected, the desert sands of Vitzytl turned into a sea of green behemoths.

The united Ork tribes surrounded Vlahui city from all four sides. Their main forces aimed at the vulnerable Sonstwelters and their fewer numbers.

Guro and Cynar stayed in their same positions. Unfazed by Snide’s unresponsive strategy.

As the flood of Orks rushed towards them, Cynar’s and Guro’s armies made slight adjustments to aid the Sonstwelters and their private armies.

Yet, before their armies could clash, all of Vlahui’s defenders retreated towards the city’s walls.

Enthralled by the defenders’ retreat, the Orks bellowed their loudest battle cries. Blindly, the Orks rushed on.

However, before the green monsters could even scratch the backs of the retreating defenders, they were pelted with a hail storm of elemental spells. Unceasing, the magical attacks from Vlahui’s walls continued on for ten minutes. This gave the defenders on the ground the chance to regroup and prepare for the Orks next attack.

When the magical spells finally stopped and the dust settled, the fallen Orks scattered on the ground numbered in the thousands. Yet, despite this high death toll, there were, even more rushing towards the city.

Then, without warning, Tritank and his gray wyvern flew around the city. Spewing out the Ponderous Mist, careful not to include the defenders on the ground.

Covered in the cumbersome haze, the magic attacks blindly pelted at the gray fog. The Orks that managed to come out of the mist were already gravely injured and weakened.

Faced with half dead opponents, Guro’s Mercenaries and Cynar’s OrkElves finished off the injured Orks with ease.

On the back of Truffatore, Tristan observed the battle around the city. “It can’t be this easy.”

“Funny, I was happy because it was,” replied Bones, sitting behind him.

Forthwith, Tristan spotted Snide’s banner. “There!” he said, pointing at it.

“But what about that one? Isn’t that Snide’s flag?” asked Bones, pointing at the opposite direction.

Using his Draconic Vision, Tristan spotted the Supreme Ork General under the first banner. “No, that’s probably just a decoy. He’s over there,” he said again, directing towards the Orks in front of Guro’s Mercenaries.

Bones adamantly shook his head. “No. I used my Buzzard’s Sight and he’s right there,” he argued, pointing at the Orks before Cynar’s army.

Dubious, Tristan looked at the flag Bones was pointing at. At once, he spotted the same face he had seen a few seconds earlier. “What’s going on? Think that’s a clone or something?”

“Was thinking the same thing,” replied Bones. “So? What’s our move? Which Snide do we attack?”

“Let’s have Third attack with Guro,” said Tristan. “Aurora will stick with Cynar and stay on the defensive.”

After sending a whisper to Tritank, updating them with their new plan, both wyverns flew towards Guro and the Avendre Mercenaries.

“You think this one’s the real one?” asked Tritank as their wyverns got closer.

Tristan shrugged. “Not sure, but might as well start with this one.”

Flying over the Avendre Mercenaries, the imminent clash between the Orks and Guro’s forces was drawing closer.

“Want me to attack first?” asked Tritank.

“No, wait until they’re actually fighting,” replied Tristan.

“But I’d also hit our men,” said Tritank.

Tristan shook his head. “They’re not our men. They’re just Mercenaries.”

CLANK CLASH CLANK

Sounds of halberds and swords resonated as the Avendre and the Orks finally connected.

Listening to his brother, Tritank waited for both forces to be completely enthralled before attacking.

Now dependent on his wyvern, Tritank always led with the same move—the Ponderous Mist. Flying in the air, he covered everything below him with the cumbersome fog. Steadily, he was making his way towards Snide’s flag. Yet, before he could reach it, a bolt with the width of half a meter pierced through his wyvern’s right leg.

Alarmed, Tristan used his Draconic Vision. he spotted two wagons carrying massive ballistae. They were well hidden among the Ork formations. Then, five more bolts flew out from the sea of green giants and struck Tritank’s wyvern off the air. Tritank’s silver plated armor blended well with the gray mist as he fell into it and disappeared.

“Well, that’s a surprise,” said Tristan out loud. He scanned the Orks near Snide’s flag and found four more ballistae camouflaged among the Orks. “The bastard’s got more,” pointing towards them.

Uncaring, Tristan watched his younger brother fall into the Ponderous Mist, filled with fighting Mercenaries and Orks.

“Should we go and help?” asked Bones.

Without a word, Tristan only glared at him.

“Just kidding,” nervously said Bones. “He knows how to take care of himself.”

Ignoring his brother’s plight, Tristan ordered Truffatore to target the specially designed ballistae.

Glowing like brilliant rubies, the flames from inside Truffatore’s mouth swelled to a fireball. But before it could even hurl its attack, five bolts which struck down Tritank’s wyvern came at them. Fortunately, unlike the gray wyvern, Truffatore was agile and dodge all of them. The disguised dragon was about to fly closer but was stopped by Tristan. “No, Truff, we can’t risk it. I don’t want you getting hit,” he said, patting its head. “Bones, get the location of those damn contraptions.”

“Nothing to it,” replied Bones, using his Buzzard’s Sight to get the exact map location.

While Bones was doing this, Tristan made a call to Trottel.

“What is it?” asked Trottel, impatient.

“Snide has anti-dragon devices,” replied Tristan. “Do you have a spell that could hit a target over a kilometer from the city?”

“Ha! Even if it’s two, I could still do it,” boasted Trottel. “Just tell me where.”

At once, Bones began dictating the specific coordinates of the carriage ballistae.

“You got that?” asked Tristan.

“Whoa! You seem to forget who you’re talking to,” reprimanded Trottel.

“Apologies, my great Duke, was just overwhelmed with the battle,” quickly said Tristan, letting out an inaudible sigh and glared at the direction of Vlahui City.

“Good. Always know your place,” went on Trottel. “Give me a few minutes.”

“Thanks!” said Tristan, dropping the call. He then turned to Bones. “Think he can do it?”

“Doubtful,” replied Bones. “Remember, that old coot lost to someone like Faux.”

Tristan let out an even deeper sigh. “Let’s just give him a few minutes.”

Exactly five minutes later, a melded spell of Fire and Lightning came hurtling down at one of the wagon ballistae. Both arms of the massive ballista came flying off as the rest of its main body splintered into pieces.

Shortly after, a series of the same melded magic struck down the rest of the hidden wagon ballistae.

“Must’ve used a melded magic with Xantana,” blurted out Bones.

Abruptly, Tristan’s attention was taken from the destroyed ballistae and directed towards the voice of his younger brother.

Tritank was yelling directly below him. “What’s going on? What happened to Guro and her Avendre Mercenaries?” he asked, standing next to his injured gray wyvern, which was still nursing the wound from the anti-dragon bolt.

With Tritank’s wyvern injured, the Ponderous Mist dissipated. The battleground previously rife with Mercenaries and Orks was replaced with an empty field, filled with nothing but discarded weapons. The Mercenaries’ halberds and the Orks’ claymores confusingly scattered on the ground.

“Where are they, Third?” asked Tristan. “You better not—” he stopped himself mid sentence when he saw where the Orks were.

The green beasts were almost near Vlahui’s walls. Discarding their weapons, their movement speed increased by a third.

“What’s going on?” asked the grounded Tritank, confused.

Tristan did not reply, instead, he had Truffatore fly straight for one of Snide’s banners. Decoy or not, he was determined to know the truth.

Truffatore’s mouth blazed like the inferno as it targeted the Orks around the flag.

“Bones, you and Truff take care of them. I’ll handle Snide,” said Tristan.

Equipped with his royal golden armor, Tristan leaped down from over thirty meters. He was hoping to catch the Supreme Ork General off guard with his ruby glaive.

THUD

When he landed on the ground, the Ork standing next to the flag was an ordinary grunt.

Laughing hard, the Ork grunt began talking. “Boangi, natiksarin kanir—” but the grunt was silenced with a single stroke of Tristan’s zweihänder.

After seeing the Ork grunt’s head roll down on the ground, Tristan pieced together the situation. Using his Draconic Vision, he saw a swarm of Orks already on top of the walls. Zooming in further, he spotted Snide near Trottel’s command post.

* * * * * *

From on top of the bastion city, Trottel watched Tritank cover the Avendre Mercenaries and Orks in the Ponderous Mist.

“Ha! How predictable!” exclaimed Trottel, his tail waved as he chuckled. “It’s like he doesn’t have any other move.”

Unresponsive, Xantana and Chouchou continued giving out orders to launch elemental spells at the charging Orks on the ground.

“Hey, you two seem to have forgotten who allowed an Elf and a Lioumerean to get married!”

“Hahahaha,” forcibly laughed Xantana, she then punched Chouchou’s chest.

“Great Duke, forgive us for not catching on,” said Chouchou, bowing down before the old Lioumerean. “Our puny minds can’t possibly keep up with your wit.”

Trottel nodded, combing his whiskers with his paws. “That’s understandable. Even King Kajou can’t sometimes understand my humor. Anyway, concentrate on firing those spells.”

At once, Chouchou and Xantana resumed directing elemental attacks at the advancing Orks.

Without warning, Trottel saw a massive bolt strike down Tritank and his wyvern from the skies.

“Hey! That gray wyvern and the idiot just got shot down,” Trottel said to Xantana and Chouchou. A split second later, he got a call from Tristan. “What is it?” he asked, impatient.

“Snide has anti-dragon devices,” hurriedly came out Tristan’s voice. “Do you have a spell that could hit a target over a kilometer from the city?”

“You heard that?” Trottel said to Chouchou and Xantana, muting the call. “The mighty Tristan’s asking for our help. Chouchou, listen in. You might learn something.”

Posthaste, Chouchou moved closer to Trottel, giving him a respectful bow.

“Ha! Even if it’s two, I could still do it,” boasted Trottel, over the call. “Just tell me where.”

Shortly after, Trottel heard the Sonstwelter named Bones give out rapid coordinates.

“You got that?” asked Tristan.

“Whoa! You seem to forget who you’re talking to,” reprimanded Trottel. He then muted the call and asked Chouchou. “You got the locations, right?”

Chouchou nodded.

“Apologies, my great Duke, was just overwhelmed with the battle,” quickly came Tristan’s voice.

“Good. Always know your place,” went on Trottel. “Give me a few minutes.”

“Thanks!” said Tristan and ended their call.

“Xantana, your Comet Strike could reach over two kilometers, right?”

The beautiful Elf stopped what she was doing and walked over to Trottel as well.

“Of course. my Lord,” she replied.

“Good, let’s use a melded spell,” blurted out the old Lioumerean. “You know, to increase its accuracy and power.”

“As you wish, my Lord. Do you want to make the initial invocation?”

“No, no. You can do that,” replied Trottel, squirming. “Chouchou, give your wife the coordinates.”

Nodding, Chouchou began directing out the specific locations. Xantana created massive fireballs and encoded their targets. After she was done, Trottel melded his Lightning magic into the comets and increased their damage potential.

SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH

One by one, the lightning-comets flew straight upward and disappeared from sight.

“You’re sure they’ll hit, right?” asked Trottel.

“Without a doubt, my Lord,” answered Xantana.

A few minutes passed, the lightning-comet balls struck down the first wagon ballistae. As they were some distance away, they could not get a clear visual of the destruction, but Xantana assured Trottel again that their targets were destroyed.

Soon after, the Ponderous Mist that obstructed their view cleared up, revealing nothing but halberds and the Orks’ discarded weapon on the ground.

“Hey! What’s going on?” asked Trottel. “Where are the Orks and the Mercenaries?”

Not a second later, an Ork hand grabbed onto the city’s wall. Snide’s gruesome head popped up. “Well, hello, hello! I’ve come for your life, Old Tiger,” he taunted in perfect Lacerta—the common tongue in Zectas.

“Chouchou, Xantana!” exclaimed Trottel, rattled.

Unfortunately, the two of them were facing four Orks simultaneously.

Being a Mage, Xantana was at a disadvantage at close range. She flew up in the air, getting some distance away from the intruders. But she was focused on her own enemies that she did not notice Snide going after Trottel.

Meanwhile, Chouchou’s fire claws came a blazing. He focused on the Orks still coming up the wall. He figured that they were easier to beat down while their footing was still unsure.

Looking at how busy Xantana and Chouchou were, Snide gave Trottel a sadistic grin. “Looks like it’s just you and me.”

Snide got out two golden gladius swords.

Not waiting for Snide to go closer, Trottel unleashed eight lightning-spears at the Ork.

However, Snide simply parried them away with his golden swords. “You’ll have to do better than that. These were especially made for elemental attacks,” he added, licking the gladius.

Frantic, Trottel covered himself inside a cage of lightning bars. He then created a huge casting circle above himself and Snide. “Just you wait. I’ll get… Ack… ack…” coughed Trottel as a golden gladius struck his heart.

“Sorry, Old Tiger, you were just too slow,” said Snide, twisting the gladius inside Trottel’s heart. “With you out of the way, there’s no way for them to summon the elemental guardian,” he added with maniacal laughter.

Yet, Snide’s evil chuckling ceased. He looked up and found a blinding golden armor falling straight towards him.

THUD

With calculated movements, the Ork General easily stepped backward and completely avoided Tristan’s surprise attack with his ruby glaive.

“You’re the one, huh?” said Tristan, pointing with the edge of his glaive.

From above the air, Truffatore continued to spew out flames, targeting the Orks still climbing the walls.

“That’s right,” replied Snide, ignoring Truffatore. “I’m the one who’s gonna kill you and everyone else in Vlahui.”

Brandishing his twin gladius swords, the Ork winked at Tristan. “Just love killing Sonstwelters. Cause I get to kill you more than once.”

Almost as fast as an Assassin, Snide moved with great agility. All Tristan could do was parry the attacks with the sturdy shaft of his glaive. Yet, despite his defenses, his HP was steadily being chipped away.

In a matter of seconds, Tristan’s life bar displayed 80%.

With both his gladius bathed in Tristan’s blood, Snide backed away and stopped attacking. “Well, this is disappointing.”

“My thoughts exactly,” replied Tristan. “Not really used to this yet,” he added, looking at the ruby glaive. He then replaced it with a two-handed zweihänder.

“Think changing weapons matter?” taunted Snide. He rushed forward again with his twin gladius swords. But this time, the Ork was immediately pushed backward by Tristan’s attack. “Ho-oh! Maybe, you’re not so ba—” the Ork stopped talking as he watched both his arms fly off from the sides.

Tristan had severed them off with his zweihänder. “Disappointing indeed,” he said as he pointed the zweihänder at amputated Snide’s neck.

“Matter of fact, it is,” replied Snide. “Say, what was your name again? I must admit, you’re quite talented for a Sonstwelter.”

“It’s Tristan, not that you’d get a chance to use it,” he said, about to chop off the Ork’s head.

“Oh, but I will,” replied Snide, oozing with confidence. “In fact, my real body is looking at you right now, laughing.”

“Sure you are,” ridiculed Tristan.

Even with both his hands lopped off, the amputated Snide was still grinning. “I’m coming for you next. Just wait and—”

Not wanting to hear the Ork blab on, Tristan decapitated the Ork with one swift swing of his zweihänder. With that, the decoy’s life bar was extinguished.

Tristan was expecting to see the decoy’s body vanish, but left a body part instead.

+ Sacrificial Limb: Snide’s Left Arm

After the death of the decoy, the Orks scaling the walls began to retreat. The Zectians near Tristan all turned to him and he was flooded with notification messages.

+ Intimacy with Xantana has risen to ‘Benevolent Savior’

+ Intimacy with Chouchou has risen to ‘Benevolent Savior’

+ Intimacy with Laquais has risen to ‘Benevolent Savior’

+ Intimacy with Suppot has risen to ‘Benevolent Savior’

Yet, despite this pleasing raised Intimacies, a dreadful feeling suddenly overcame him. Without knowing why, Tristan used his Draconic Vision and zoomed in on an almost empty battleground. To a place where only a few Orks were.

Upon closer inspection of the area, he spotted another Snide, grinning widely towards Vlahui City. But this Supreme Ork General had golden arms and legs.

Smoke Status Window:

Character: Smoke

Level: 135

Job: Beggar Evocati

Race: DarkElf

Alignment: Neutral

Money: 500,000,000 zecs

Fame: 2,264

Titles: (+ to all stats)
Condortl Savior (+2)
5th Swordsman to Knight Champ (+1)
King of Maneators (+4)

Florissant Red Seal (+5)

Chilanes Seer (+5)

Pet: Vape (baby wyvern)

Life: 322,454 HP

Mana: 664,620 MP

DEX: 605(+82)

STR: 145(+73)

AGI: 60 (+647)

VIT: 10 (+167)

INT: 330(+277)

Wisdom: 200 (+47)

Leadership: 143 (+17)

Charisma: 70 (+17)

Luck: 999

Attack Speed:25(+77)

Movement Speed:68(+37)

Defense:4,732(1/2)

Weapons:

Twin Hook Swords: 305-320(1/2)

Attack: 23,231-25,248 (1/2)

Elemental Resistance:

Elemental Affinity:

Fire:            90%
Dark:          60%
Poison:       44%
Wind:         20%
Water:        20%
Earth:         40%
Lightining: 22%

Fire:           90%
Earth:         80%

Lightning:  55%

Poison:       52%
Wind:         25%

*Hooded Cape of Cologus
+20% Earth Affinity
+20% Wind Affinity
+20 Strength
+20 Dexterity
*Gauntlets of Orcinol
+20 Strength

+30 Agility
*Heart of ReenTe
+30 Vitality
*Sable Wizard's Surcoat
+510 Defense
+10% All Resistance
+15% Bonus Exp
* Scorching Serval Shoes
+30 Movement Speed

+20 Intelligence
* 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
* Electromagnetic Golem Offering
+50 Intelligence
+30% Lightning Affinity

* Paradox Pyro Mask

+ 10 Intelligence

+ 10 Vitality

* Florissant: Journeyman Emblem

+20,000 HP

+50,000 MP

+20 Intelligence

* Acquired Intelligence from Reading

+20 Intelligence

*Beggar Belt [1 stone]

Skill Effects:

* Agility of the Horned Rabbit (Agility + 600)
* Cooking (Vitality + 67)
* Dual Wield (Attack Speed + 75)
* Knife Mastery (Knife Damage + 66%)
* Bow Mastery (Bow Damage + 92%)

Sierra Status Window:

Character: Sierra

Level: 125

Job: Druid Archon

Race: HighElf/Werebear

Alignment: Neutral

Money: 999,000,000 zecs

Fame: 758

Titles: (+ to all stats)
Alpha Werebear(+5)

Pet: Ruby Bear(named Rubie)

Life:

Werebear: 524,691 HP

HighElf: 293,819 HP

Mana:

Werebear:  116,700 MP

HighElf: 355,100 MP

DEX: 20(+5)

STR: 60(Werebear+205/HighElf+5)

AGI: 20 (+5)

VIT: 407 (Werebear+205/HighElf+105)

INT: 160(+15)

Endurance: 623 (+5)

Leadership: 210 (+8)

Charisma: 50 (+8)

Luck: 10

Attack Speed:22

Movement Speed:45

Defense: 9,999

Weapons:

Werebear Claws: 308-385

Sierra's Ferule: 180-210

Attack: 22,100 -23,900

Attack: 13,500 – 18,000

Elemental Resistance:

Elemental Affinity:

Fire:            20%
Wind:         20%
Water:        20%
Earth:         20%
Lightining: 20%

Light:          70%

Fire:            20%
Wind:         20%
Water:        20%
Earth:         20%
Lightining: 20%

Equipment Effects:

Sierra's Ferule: + 10 Intelligence

Armored Armadillo Shield: +100 Vitality

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)

Appendix:

note:

Sonstwelters – RWP (Real World Players)

Zectians – NPC (Non Playable Characters)

Smoke (Nash Smoak)

Sonstwelter

Race: DarkElf

Job: Beggar Evocati

Titles: King of Maneators, Savior of Condortl, Fifth Swordsman To Knight Champion, Journeyman of Florissant, Emissary of the MaduHai Orks

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:

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:

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:

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:

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 Lioumerean

Job: Pathfinder

Title:

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: Smoke’s private army.

Note: Her stag moose is called Bilis.

Ichaival Jackal

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Hunter

Title:

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 Lioumerean

Job: Pathfinder

Title:

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: Smoke’s private army.

Note: Her stag moose is called Tulin.

Thyrsus Fishcer

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Hunter

Title:

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:

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: Smoke’s private army.
Note: Smoke’s first Maneator. Has high Intelligence and specializes in Defense.

Espion Têtu

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Spy

Title:

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: Smoke’s private army.

Note: Son of Beggar Evocati Caid.

Rasant Rind

Zectian

Race: Maneator

Job: Assailant

Title:

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:

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 Pferde Centaurs Chief.

Guro Digmaan

Zectian

Race: Lioumerean (Lioness)

Job: Gladiatrix

Title:

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez
Organization: Smoke’s private army.

Note: A Zuchthaus Escapee, was spared by König Mitleid inside the Labyrinth

Adelige Mitleid

Zectian

Race: Maneator

Job: Guardian

Title: Maneator Heiress

Guild:Vagrant Vigilantez
Organization: Smoke’s private army.

Note: Scion of König Mitleid and the fourth Maneator

Sierra (Sherry Levine)

Sonstwelter

Race: Werebear / HighElf

Job: Acolyte

Title: Lady of Verbrannt

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization:

Tristan (Tristan ?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Paladin Lord

Title: <None>

Guild: <DracoRicco>

Organization: ?????

Note: Previously owned the city of Tonaci. 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:

Damien (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Ranger

Title: ?????

Guild: ?????

Organization: ?????

Bones (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Shadow Phantom

Title: Commander of DraccoRicco

Guild: DracoRicco

Organization:

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: HighElf

Job: Arch Bishop

Title:

Guild: Decane

Organization:

Tirador (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Range Sieger

Title:

Guild: Decane

Organization:

Tabang (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: HighElf

Job: Arch Bishop

Title:

Guild: Decane

Organization:

Baskog (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Night Templar

Title: Night Watcher

Guild: Decane

Organization:

Atiman (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Shadow Priest

Title:

Guild: Decane

Organization:

Ligon (?????)
Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Death Knight

Title:

Guild: Decane

Organization:

Magikera (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: HighElf

Job: Aero Magus

Title:

Guild: Decane

Organization:

Puthaw (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Death Knight

Title:

Guild: Decane

Organization:

Bato (?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Death Knight

Title:

Guild: Decane

Organization:

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 Centzo City.

Sagen(?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Knight

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. Has a crush on Ilad(Smoke’s Flame Knight alter ego)

Tirer(?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Flame Knight

Title: ?????

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: ????

Note: A close friend of Mamelon

Virer(?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Flame Knight

Title: ?????

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: ????

Note: A close friend of Mamelon, one of Mamelon’s lieutenants

Courant(?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Electro Knight

Title: ?????

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: ????

Note: A close friend of Mamelon, one of Mamelon’s lieutenants

Flux(?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Electro Knight

Title: ?????

Guild: Vagrant Vigilantez

Organization: ????

Note: A close friend of Mamelon.

Incitant(?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Arch Bishop

Title: Leader of the Centzo-Sonstwelter-Alliance

Guild:????

Organization: Centzo-Sonstwelter-Alliance

Note: Has been promised by the Duke of Centzo to be given 10 villages after they defeat the Brandals.

Chrysopelea(?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: DarkElf

Job: Aero Magi

Titles: Prime Wizard and Duke of Vectas City

Guild:????

Organization:????

Note: Met Smoke in the qualifiers for the Magi Gagnant Tournament, and helped him pass.

Tritank(?????)

Sonstwelter

Race: Human

Job: Dragoon

Title: Duke of Thalzoc City

Guild:????

Organization:????

Note: Met Smoke in the Battle against the Orks in the Sawtorn Continent. Revealed to be younger brother of Tristan.

Zectians (NPCs):

Darius

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Beggar Legati

Title: ?????

Guild:

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:

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. Met Smoke in Mictlan when he was disguised as a Bard named Baba.

Giro

Zectian

Race: DarkElf

Job: Beggar Legati

Title: ?????

Guild:

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:

Organizations:

Note: Gave Smoke the quest on gathering root crops.

James Jackal

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Tailor

Title: Former Jackal Family Head

Guild:

Organizations:

Note: Gave Smoke the quest on liberating Condortl village.

Howard Hide

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Tanner

Title: Former Hide Family Head

Guild:

Organizations:

Note: Gave Smoke the quest on liberating Condortl village.

Peitro Fischer

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Fisherman

Title: Former Fishcer Family Head

Guild:

Organizations:

Note: Gave Smoke the quest on clearing Murray river from the murlocks.

Nenek

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Moon Priestess

Title: ?????

Guild:

Organizations: ?????

Note: Sierra’s Beginner guide.

Zauberer

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Alchemist

Title: ?????

Guild:

Organizations: ?????

Note: Sierra’s potions guide.

Vico

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Battle Priest

Title: ?????

Guild:

Organizations: ?????

Note: Sierra’s mace guide.

Madam Dawny

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: Retired Adventurer

Title: ?????

Guild:

Organizations: ?????

Note: Mysterious benefactor of Smoke and his men.

Duke Burmistrz

Zectian

Race: Human

Job: ?????

Title: Mayor of Coatl City

Guild:

Organizations: ?????

Note: Business-minded mayor of Coatl. Revealed to be the 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:

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:

Guild: ?????

Organizations: ?????

Note: leader of the lamias and murlocks who almost killed Smoke.

Netteria

Zectian

Race: Lizardite

Job: Assassin

Title:

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/Lizardite

Race: Simiavulg – Orangutan
Job: ?????

Title: Grandmaster of Manatl
Guild: ?????

Organizations:WOM – Ways of Manatl
Note: Strongly despises Smoke.

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.

Duke Jeune Souverain

Zectian

Race: Human
Job: ???
Title: Mayor of Centzo City

Guild: ????

Organizations:????
Note: A young ruler, who deeply cares about his city. He listens to the counsel of his advisor, Prosjak.

Prosjak Clandestine
Zectian

Race: Human
Job: ???
Title: Royal Adviser to Duke Jeune Souverain

Guild: ????

Organizations:????
Note: A middle-aged puppeteer who tells the young Duke with heroic tales and guides him through his stories.

Perdant Marchand

Zectian

Race: Human
Job: Merchant
Title: ????

Guild: ????

Organizations:????
Note: An old Merchant originally from Banal Village. He traveled through the southern seas and reached the continent of Sawtorn where he met Smoke and became his personal peddler.

Colere Ecarte
Zectian

Race: OrkElf
Job: ???
Title: Settler Leader of Souer Settlement

Guild: ????

Organizations:????
Note: A burly OrkElf, who Smoke temporarily hired as a guide when he reached the Vitzytl Kingdom in the Sawtorn Continent. He shares leadership with his wife, Esper.

Esper Ecarte
Zectian

Race: OrkElf
Job: ???
Title: Settler Leader of Souer Settlement

Guild: ????

Organizations:????
Note: A petite OrkElf, who Smoke temporarily hired as a guide when he reached the Vitzytl Kingdom in the Sawtorn Continent. Souer is Esper’s younger sister and is the inspiration for the settlement’s name.

Duke Fiable
Zectian

Race: LightElf
Job: ???
Title: Mayor of Vona City

Guild: ????

Organizations:????
Note: A young LightElf who displayed his Teleportation ability during the finals of the 999th Magi Gagnant Tournament.

Avilo Dawkins
Zectian

Race: WoodElf
Job: ???
Title: 9th in line for the throne of Vitzytl Kingdom

Guild: ????

Organizations:????
Note: A young aristocrat, who lives in Votl City and is a big fan of Ouragan.

Mouche
Zectian

Race: HighElf
Job: ???
Title: ???

Guild: ????

Organizations:????
Note: An old HighElf who is the steward of Avilo Dawkins.

Cynar
Zectian

Race: OrkElf
Job: Assassin
Title: Leader of the Diebe Den Thieves

Guild: ????

Organizations: Diebe Den Thieves
Note: Raised an OrkElf settlement into Newt Village.

Blaise
Zectian

Race: OrkElf
Job: Flame Knight
Title: Leader of the Diebe Den Thieves

Guild: ????

Organizations:????
Note: He spends most of his time traveling all over Vitzytl, recruiting OrkElves for their war against the Orks.

Jack Dawkins
Zectian

Race: WoodElf
Job: ???
Title: 25th in line for the throne of Vitzytl Kingdom

Guild: ????

Organizations:????
Note: A young aristocrat, who was captured by Cynar. He also stole Smoke’s bag of gems.

Daniel Dickinson
Zectian

Race: WoodElf
Job: ???
Title: 30th in line for the throne of Vitzytl Kingdom

Guild: ????

Organizations:????
Note: Older brother of Geisel, best friend of Jack.

Geisel Dickinson
Zectian

Race: WoodElf
Job: ???
Title: 100th in line for the throne of Vitzytl Kingdom

Guild: ????

Organizations:????
Note: Younger sister of Daniel. Used by Cynar as a hostage to enslave Jack and Daniel.

Xantana
Zectian

Race: LightElf
Job: Pyro Magi
Title: ????

Guild: ????

Organizations:????
Note: One of the favorites to win the Magi Gagnant Tournament. Mouche has a poster of her in his room.

Chouchou
Zectian

Race: Lioumerean (tiger)
Job: Pyro-magical Warrior
Title: ????

Guild: ????

Organizations:????
Note: Discovered to be Xanata’s lover, was easily eliminated by Chrysopelea.

Paysan
Zectian

Race: OrkElf
Job: Farmer
Title: Settler Leader of Lagraine

Guild: ????

Organizations:????
Note: Peace-loving Farmer, whom Smoke learned to make pomegranate juice.

Ouragan
Zectian

Race: HighElf
Job: Beggar Evocati
Title: Prime Wizard of Vona City
Guild: ????
Organizations: Verum de Mendicantibus
Note: Promoted Smoke to Beggar Evocati

Trottel
Zectian

Race: Lioumerean
Job: Lightning Archon
Title: Prime Wizard of Vlahui City
Guild: ????
Organizations: ????
Note: Was defeated by Smoke during the Magi Gagnant Tournament

Eleve
Zectian

Race: HighElf
Job: Flame Archon
Title: Inheritor of Magietrois Florissant

Guild: ????

Organizations:????
Note: An elderly red-haired disciple of Florissant, caretaker of the Florissant Seminary

Flora
Zectian

Race: HighElf
Job: ????
Title: ????

Guild: ????

Organizations:????
Note: A young red-haired girl, who introduced Smoke to Eleve

Meneur
Zectian

Race: Ork
Job: High Priestess
Title: ????
Guild: ????
Organizations: MaduHai Tribe
Note: The leader of the secluded Magi Orks

Xolotl
Zectian

Race: Divine Being
Title: God of Sunset, Gatekeeper of Mictlan
Note: Stripped of his powers by Mictlantec and Micteca

Yahui
Zectian

Race: Mictlander
Title: Ruler of Monstro Blindado
Note: A giant turtle tasked to defend one of Xolotl’s items

Cipactli
Zectian

Race: Mictlander
Title: Ruler of Monstro Afiado
Note: A gorilla with the head of a caiman tasked to defend one of Xolotl’s items

Naguals (Gordo and Magro)
Zectian

Race: Mictlander
Title: Rulers of Monstro Gêmeos
Note: Twin Jaguars tasked to defend one of Xolotl’s items

Mictlantec
Zectian

Race: Divine Being
Title: King of Mictlan
Note: Enamored by the beauty of his wife—Micteca

Micteca
Zectian

Race: Divine Being
Title: Queen of Mictlan
Note: Aroused by the machismo of her husband—Mictlantec

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 confirm if any of them are true.

Sub-Races:

Great Gods

Great Demons

Gods

Demons

Gigantes

The strongest mortal race and the second rulers of Zectas. Had a very small population. They vanished under mysterious circumstances.

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 largest population. Is said to be the most adaptive, but also considered to be the most fragile race.

Sub-Race:

ManElves

Elves

The race with the highest affinity for magic. One of the top 3 races with the longest life span.

Sub-Races:

HighElves

WoodElves

LightElves

DarkElves

ManElves

OrkElves

Dwerlves

Gnolves

Note: Dwerlves and Gnolves are commonly referred to as Halflings.

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 about categorizing Gnomes as a sub-race of Dwarves, but they insist that they aren’t. Instead of being gifted in metallurgy, their expertise lies in agriculture.

Sub-Race:

Gnolves

Centaurs

The race with the upper body of a man with a lower body of a horse. They mostly reside in the southern kingdoms.

Orks

The race with the highest fertility rate. Unfortunately, their thirst for battle appears at a very young age, often resulting in them killing each other. Only 20% reach adolescence.

Sub-Race

UrukHai

MoriHai

OlegHai

MadoHai

OrkElf

Lioumereans

The race of 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 monkey-like people. They insist on living a nomadic lifestyle and mostly stay within a transmigration path.

Sub-Race

Gorillas

Chimpanzees

Gibbon

Orangutans

Therianthropes

Said to be a cursed variation of any race mixed with an animal. Also known as the Were-people.

Sub-Race

Werebear

Werewolf

Religions

Cuezaltzinity

Followers of the great god Cuezaltzin.

Doctrine: They believe in universal equality. Good/bad things happen to you in accordance with the good/bad actions you perform.

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

- ZECTAS VOLUME SIX

- The Delusive Realm of Mictlan

- Chapter One:

- Chapter Two:

- Chapter Three:

- Chapter Four:

- Chapter Five:

- Chapter Six:

- Chapter Seven:

- Chapter Eight:

- Chapter Nine:

- Chapter Ten:

- Sidestory:

- Smoke Status Window:

- Sierra Status Window:

- Appendix:

- Races

- Religions