by John Nest
The chimpanzee Simaivulg walked over to the albino gorilla. She kneeled down and raised her hand to Saru. She performed the Simiavulg bow before him.
Doctus, Tenvis and Meras followed suit. All of the four great masters kneeled down and gave Saru the Simiavulg bow.
Saru's eyes teared up, but he forced himself not to cry. One by one, he touched the hands of the Simiavulgs who were kneeling before him.
Doctus stood up and spoke to Saru.
"Good luck with your life in the outside world, Saru. We know that the great god Cuezaltzin will not forsake you." Doctus said as he offered his hand to Saru.
"Thank you, Doctus, and may the great Saruras village prosper and grow stronger."
Doctus shook Saru's hand. Afterwards, he walked over to the pile of rocks and plunged his black metallic staff into it. The algae-covered bridge submerged in the lake rose up.
Smoke and Saru went onto the risen algae-covered bridge. This time, there were no tentacles attacking the Manatl barrier as they traveled across.
He wanted to help prepare the Simiavulg for his life in the outside world. So, he told Saru various things about it and what he should expect to see on his travels. Smoke told him about the different cities and mentioned his power struggle against Coatl's mayor.
He also told him about the revived village of Verbrannt and the members of his private army. Saru listened intently as he learned about Smoke's life and the life outside of Saruras.
Yet, there was still plenty of things that Smoke couldn't touch upon in the short amount of time that it took them to cross the bridge. When they reached its end, the blue-staff guardians of the village showed themselves and watched the two of them from the trees.
Smoke waved to the village guards, while Saru paid no attention to them. The albino Simiavulg was focused on watching the different animal life forms inhabiting the forest of Mount Yunggo.
Fifteen minutes after they left the village's boundary, a charging lemurcat jumped out from between the gaps of the tall trees. With its two-meter striped body, it lunged at Smoke and Saru. The albino Simiavulg reflexively created a conical barrier to block the monster's path.
'Why didn't my Cunning of the Dire Fox warn me of this monster?'
The DarkElf was taken aback by the lemurcat's sudden attack. These monsters never dared to attack him when he was with Doctus and the other temple masters.
SCHILD SCHILD.
The lemurcat utilized its strong hind legs and leapt over Saru's Manatl barrier. It arched its back in a strange manner and lowered its gaze towards Saru's exposed back.
Thanks to Smoke's battle experience, he anticipated the monster's attack and pushed Saru out of the way. By doing so, Smoke got damaged by the monster's claws for 40,000 points. His life bar displayed (136,250/176,250 HP).
Smoke wanted to practise using his newly-learned Manatl ability, but he still felt more comfortable with his conventional weapons.
Equipped with his weighted chain and sickle, he pushed the two-meter lemurcat backwards as he hit its head with the heavy iron ball.
Aided by his passive ability Beast Monarch, Smoke tripled his damage to the monster and bludgeoned it for 9,999 points.
GRRROOOWWWWL!
The lemurcat growled at the DarkElf as it winced in pain. The lemurcat's life bar displayed (240,001/250,000 HP). Smoke readied himself for another attack, but the beast did not jump.
Instead, it wagged its tail and created a rattling sound. 'Strange. I've never heard that when I first encountered them.'
Ten seconds later, three pairs of yellow eyes appeared in between the trees in the distance. He worried that they belonged to a three-headed monitor lizard, that hunted in a pack, which could prove to be troublesome.
He stared into the unknown monsters' eyes and thought that they looked familiar. Quickly, he faced the lemurcat in front of him and found the same set of eyes.
'I thought lemurcats didn't travel in packs!'
Soon enough, the four lemurcats were circling around them. Igniz tried to break out so he could create a ring of fire or a firewall that would defend Smoke against the agile beasts.
However, Smoke stopped his symbiote. Among the things he mentioned to Saru, he had not talked about Igniz.
He worried that Saru would take it the wrong way if he found out that Smoke was hiding Igniz the whole time. He thought he would tell him only after Saru became a member of his private army.
But what good would it do, if Saru was killed here by these four monstrous beasts?
'I have to secure my Manatl teacher.'
"Saru, I'll distract them while you make a run for it." Smoke spoke with conviction.
"I can't just leave you behind. " Saru quickly replied as he raised his white metallic staff and created a white spherical Manatl that enveloped both the Simiavulg and the DarkElf.
The four lemurcats attacked from all directions.
SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD SCHILD
Saru kept his Manatl barrier up for fifteen minutes. Smoke wanted to attack one of the lemurcats, but couldn't find an opportunity which wouldn't result in having the other three pounce him.
Due to the lemurcats' non-stop attacks, Saru's Manatl started to show signs degradation.
"Normally, I could keep this sphere up for an hour, but these lemurcats are too fast and too strong." Saru told Smoke as they watched the monsters claw, bite and gnash at the white Manatl barrier.
"Can you open up the barrier below us? I could dig a hole and you could escape through it. I'll hold them off while you escape. I could glide away too."
"Sorry, but I'm not comfortable running away. If this is my destiny, then I must face it head on." Saru said firmly.
'I didn't know Saru was this stubborn.' Smoke thought while letting out a sigh.
"Don't worry, Smoke. Before my Manatl runs out, I'm sure that I can kill one of the lemurcats. I think you could handle one as well, right?"
"Yeah, I think so. But that still leaves us with two lemurcats." Smoke worriedly said as he wracked his brain for a battle plan.
Saru nodded his head and said. "On my count, then. One... Two.. Three!"
The albino Simiavulg deactivated his white Manatl barrier and charged his white metallic staff with the gathered energy.
CRRRAAAACK!
Saru delivered a decisive blow to a lemurcat's skull and struck it down to the ground. The monster shook erratically as its life bar was being fully drained.
Smoke wrapped his weighted chain and sickle around one of the lemurcats and disabled its limbs. He proceeded to gouge out its right eye.
The lemurcat desperately struggled, but could not overpower Smoke's binding. The two lemurcats who were left unattended leapt up from behind Smoke and Saru and were about to sink their jaws into their exposed necks.
With his back towards them, Smoke swiftly wrapped his chain around one of the trees and kept the immobilized monster at bay. With both his hands raised, he created an earth wall with his Earth Manipulation ability. He immediately created a hole in front of the wall to capture the two lemurcats.
He jumped on top of his earth wall to search for the lemurcats, but found that his trap failed to capture them. The two lemurcats readied themselves on Smoke's sides.
Saru tried to create another full spherical Manatl, but could only form a conical barrier. Smoke then heard a rustling from the trees.
When Smoke saw what was moving above him, he calmly stood still. He grinned as ten horse-faced monsters leapt down from the trees.
Both lemurcats looked up and saw that each of them had five Tikbalangs coming down on them. The Tikbalangs smashed their hooves into the lemurcats' spines and broke them in several places.
GRRRROOOWWWWWLLLL! GRRROOOOWWWWWLLLL!
The lemurcats cried out in pain, but the Tikbalangs mercilessly continued their onslaught. The lemurcats scratched and bit any of the Tikbalangs within reach.
Howeve
r, ten more Tikbalangs leapt down and took the places of their injured brothers. As the injured Tikbalangs patched their wounds with medicinal leaves, the newly-arrived Tikbalangs finished the job and slaughtered the lemurcats with their hooves.
Immediately afterwards, the Tikbalangs went after the lemurcat that Smoke had caught with his weighted chain and sickle.
After making short work of the disabled beast, the Tikbalangs stood in front of Smoke and Saru.
The monsters' red eyes glared and their nostrils flared with steam. Then, a winged Tikbalang approached from one of the forest clearings.
Smoke saw Saru tense up as the Simiavulg prepared himself for battle. "Settle down, Saru. These guys are members of my private army."
The winged Tikbalang walked towards Smoke and shook his hand. "It's been too long, Smoke."
The DarkElf shook Ledur's hoof and pulled him in for a brotherly hug.
"It has. I see that you've trained your Tikbalang brethren well."
"Yes, some of them have regained their Centaur minds, which is why I'd like to give this back."
Ledur took off the Horse Ring of Domination and gave it to Smoke.
"Thank you, Ledur. I knew that your leadership skills would help them remember who they really are." Smoke patted the winged Tikbalang's shoulder.
Smoke then looked at Saru and signaled the Simiavulg to step forward.
"Now, I'd like you to meet Saru. He is a good friend of mine from Saruras village. He is a great Manatl practitioner and he even saved me from a colossal squid." Smoke said proudly.
Saru gave a courteous bow as Smoke kept smiling. This time, he introduced Ledur.
"Saru, this is Ledur. He is the captain of these Tikbalangs. He is actually a Volataur, a winged Centaur. Unfortunately, he and his brethren are currently under a curse."
Ledur offered his hoof to Saru. The Simiavulg shook it without hesitation.
"A pleasure to meet you, Saru."
"Likewise, Ledur."
"Good. Now that I've introduced you two, it's time to hear the updates on the missions I gave you." Smoke said to Ledur cheerfully.
Having a personal army not only enabled him to face stronger monsters and complete harder quests, but it also allowed him to multitask side-quests.
He previously gave orders to Ledur to take Espion with him and find out the whereabouts of the remaining two Witches of Wysteria, as well as to find the temples of Vigilantez.
Ledur immediately answered. "Right. Espion and I haven't found any signs of Horrabelle, but we did stumble upon some of Crucibelle's handiwork. Her last known activity was near the mountains of Vor Eindrigen, so we searched around that area. Espion is currently following faint tracks she left after she decimated the village of Opferntl."
"She wiped out an entire village? Did you see any strange monsters in the area?" Smoke asked, as he wondered if Crucibelle had the same plans as her dead sister, Terrabelle.
"No, Espion and I didn't see any. All I can tell you is that only ashes were left of Opferntl village."
"Alright, I hope that Espion remains safe. I'll give him a call later. What about your second mission?"
Ledur nodded slightly before continuing with his report. "Together with the help of my Tikbalang brethren, we secured the entrances to two of Vigilantez's temples."
"You didn't enter the temples, right?"
Ledur strongly shook his head. "No, you told us not to."
"Good. I don't know if there are any traps in there and I don't want any of you to get needlessly injured."
Ledur and the other Tikbalangs nodded their heads in unison as they appreciated Smoke's consideration of their well-being.
"What's our next step, Smoke?"
"Before discussing my own plans, I'd like to ask about Saru's." Smoke turned to face the albino Simiavulg. "What do you plan to do now? You know you're more than welcome to join me and help spread Cuezaltzin's justice throughout Zectas."
"Thank you, I'm honored by your offer, but I'd like to explore the unknown world on my own for now. Maybe someday we'll meet again."
Smoke's jubilant expression immediately changed. This whole time, he had expected that Saru would join his private army and be his Manatl mentor.
"But why? I mean, I know that you can handle yourself, but interacting with other people will still be a difficult task."
"The Saru from before I met you would probably agree with you. But you've taught me to face the challenges head-on; to step out of my comfort zone. You've given me the confidence that I had always been lacking. For that, I am thankful, Smoke." Saru offered his hand to Smoke.
+ Your Intimacy with Saru has risen to 'Blood brothers'
'Great, but he's still leaving anyway.'
"I see. Well, if you ever change your mind or need my help, just give me a holler and I'll be there as fast as I can." Smoke shook Saru's hand and pulled him in for a hug.
Smoke became a hugger after he noticed that it slightly raised Intimacy with the hugged Zectian if done correctly.
"Well, I best be on my way. I'm sure you and your men have a lot of catching up to do."
Smoke nodded and silently watched as Saru walked towards the forest clearing.
"So, what should we do now? Head for Vigilantez's temples or search for the witches?" Ledur asked once more.
"Let's head over to the nearest Vigilantez temple after having a reunion party. I want a sure thing. I've already lost a bird in the hand as it is."
Smoke noticed the albino Simiavulg's pace becoming slower as he was about to enter the forest. He saw Saru turn around and wave him goodbye.
With a forced smile on his face, Smoke waved back.
'All that hard-earned Intimacy for nothing!'
Chapter Eight: Goblin Crucible
A sandstorm cleared up and revealed a four-story ruined castle carved out from the side of a mountain. A Paladin Lord looked down from the highest terrace and watched the scorching hot desert in the land of Grand Malodorant Dragonis.
Apparently, Tristan had made it to one of the lost cities created by the ancient Draconian race. The precious treasures once stored in this great castle had long been looted by plunderers throughout the ages.
Despite the castle being a complete ruin, Tristan still had his guild occupy it. The well-designed defenses of the castle stood the test of time. Tristan decided that it would be a fitting headquarters during his stay in the land of the dragons.
To fight on equal ground against the gigantic monsters of these lands, Tristan divided his men into regiments of one thousand members.
For a Sonstwelter, death in this area meant a one-way ticket back to the last checkpoint outside of Grand Malodorant Dragonis: a village situated two thousand five hundred kilometers away from where the ruined castle was located.
Originally, he headed to this challenging land with 10,000 DracoRicco guild members, but Tristan decided to weed out the weaker ones during a battle against four-and-a-half-meter-long wyverns.
This first culling left Tristan with 7,000 members. Yet at this point, the surviving members only numbered 3,203 individuals. This was due to the feuern wyrms.
The feuern wyrms were orange wingless dragons with a length of seven meters from head to tail, but the girth of their body was only one and a half meters.
These blazing orange dragons decimated most of his men and kicked them out of the land of the dragons by sending them to their last checkpoint.
Despite the fact that these dragons were wingless by nature, they could still fly thanks to the ability to transform the flame that spread along their backs into fiery wings.
Within the safety of the ruined castle, Tristan reorganized his men. He assembled the swiftest Light Knights to challenge the flame-winged dragons. He ordered his men to target one of the feuern wyrms that would stray far from its kin.
"Men, you are our final hope of obtaining a Feuern stone. Leave with the knowledge that you're the best of the best. We will confidently await your arrival." Tristan disp
atched the last of his Light Knights with these final words of encouragement.
One hundred fastest mounted Knights rode out of the castle on brown acinonyx cheetahs. They branched out into groups of ten and traveled far until they found a pack of feuern wyrms congregated in the clouds.