by John Nest
“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 contr
ol 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 secr
et.
“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.
