by John Nest
Forte stepped aside as Vex, Brax and Smoke headed into the village of Sans Valeur. Smoke saluted Forte as he passed by him, but Forte kept a stern face and just stared at Smoke.
"Now, the children won't have upset stomachs after they eat this, right?" said Vex.
'Does he think that I poisoned the food?' Smoke wondered as he did a quick assessment of Vex.
"It's just cooked tigerseal meat. If they aren't allergic to it, I'm sure they'll be fine." Smoke answered with a sincere smile.
"Tigerseal, huh?" said Vex as he raised his eyebrow, "How did you manage to hunt them alone? Tigerseals swim in the deeper parts of the river and they travel in packs."
"Oh, I traveled by boat and was lucky enough to encounter only a few of them at a time." answered Smoke.
"You must be really lucky." Vex answered back, with a hint of suspicion in his voice.
Although the village appeared to be small, Smoke observed that it actually housed a lot of residents. He noticed several children standing in the doorways of the bamboo houses that were scattered everywhere. He, Vex and Brax were weaving in and out of the pathways between the houses.
"Pardon the tight space." said Vex, "Our village has grown a lot in the recent years and even though the chief told everyone not to build the houses so close to the streets, this is what happened. Maybe things will change once Brax becomes the chief." Smoke could still hear the hint of doubt in Vex's voice.
After ten minutes of walking and squeezing in between the homes of Sans Valeur and the small vegetable gardens cramped between them, Smoke saw a wide clearing with a tall banyan tree in the middle of it. Its broad branches covered the clearing and shaded the entire area.
An important-looking old man, seated on an ornate wooden chair and being carried by four people, moved towards the tree. More and more of village residents were arriving at the clearing by the minute. Adults and children alike were carrying fish and vegetables on wooden plates. They formed a circle around the tree and sat on the ground.
Both Smoke and Brax were being pulled by Vex as he led the way. The three of them sat down in front of the other residents, closer to the tree.
A few minutes passed and they remained seated while waiting for the entire village to assemble. Then, the old man waved over to where Smoke was and made an inviting motion. Confused, Smoke pointed at himself as if to ask if he was the one being called. Brax and Vex then stood up, walked towards the old man and helped him up. They held onto him to help him stay on his feet.
"People of Sans Valeur, I welcome you to our offering to the great goddess Fleuve. May she continue to grace us with abundance and prosperity as she protects our village from harm."
The villagers cheered loudly, and Smoke could feel the intensity of their passion. He cheerfully looked around the gathered crowd and adored the sight of children raising their fists in the air, shouting their praises ardently.
The old man raised his hand. Slowly, the villagers' shouts of praise started to die down.
"Let us commune with the great goddess Fleuve by enjoying each others' company as we eat, and share the blessings she has given us." said the old man. He then told Vex and Brax to release their hold on him. It looked like he would fall, but he managed to steady himself. "The festival may now begin!" he proclaimed and clapped his hands.
After the old man was helped back to his chair, the villagers started stuffing their mouths with fish and vegetables. Loud sounds of several incomprehensible conversations filled the air around the banyan tree.
With the festival officially underway, Vex called Smoke over to him. The old man remained seated in his chair, with Brax and Vex standing at his sides.
"Father, I'd like you to meet Smoke." said Vex, "He says he's a traveller and gifted us this tigerseal meat as an offering for the feast." He then turned to Smoke, "Smoke, this is the village chief of Sans Valeur, Prex Leroi."
"A pleasure to meet you, Prex." said Smoke as he knelt before the old man.
"Please get up, there is no need to be so formal. I am glad that you could join us. It is rare for anyone to come to our village, let alone a DarkElf such as yourself." said Prex.
Smoke appreciated the fact that the village chief wasn't bothered by his scruffy appearance.
"Brax, your decision to open our gates proved to be very effective." he continued while leaning to his right. However, the young man he was addressing wasn't there anymore. "Brax? Oh, where is that boy?" asked Prex as he searched for Brax in the crowd.
"He's over there, Father." said Vex and pointed to Brax being swarmed by children, "I believe he's sharing Smoke's gift with the orphans."
"I can't understand that boy. He's so shy around everyone except children." said Prex in an exasperated voice.
Prex turned to Smoke and asked him, "Well, what brings you to our remote village?"
"I was just traveling along the river and saw your village from afar. Coincidentally, I still had some tigerseal meat left over and thought that maybe I could trade it with your people." said Smoke.
"A single person fighting against groups of tigerseals? I've never heard of such a thing." said Prex in an inquisitive voice and turned to Vex, "Do you think Forte could handle a pack of tigerseals on his own?"
"As our strongest fighter, I believe he would be able to accomplish such a feat." said Vex, "Do you want me to tell him to do so?"
"No, no, of course not. No need to send him on an errand to prove something you already know to be true." said Prex with a smile. "What I would like you to do is go to Brax and tell him that I'd like a small taste of the tigerseal meat." he said and licked his lips.
"Of course, Father." said Vex as he bowed down and went to get Brax.
"Now, Smoke, would you allow me to ask you some questions? I desire an objective opinion on a certain matter, the kind only an outsider like yourself can provide." said Prex.
Smove nodded. "Sure. Go right ahead."
"Tell me, what do you think of Brax?" asked Prex.
"Hm...I just met him, but I think he's great with the kids." answered Smoke respectfully.
"Those children lost their parents to the river monsters. Brax is very kind and thus likes to bond with them. But what's your impression of him as a leader?" inquired Prex.
Smoke scratched his head. "Honestly, I can't tell. He doesn't talk much and just hid behind Vex while they led me here."
Prex drummed his chair with his fingers. "I expected as much. Vex is the one whom all the adults in the village respect, but he is only my adopted son. Brax, my only child, is the rightful heir to the position of village chief."
The old man released a deep sigh afterwards.
"Everyone thinks that Vex should be the next chief. I'm troubled because I'm starting to agree with them. If only Brax would socialize with the adults as much as he does with the kids, I'm sure they'd have more faith in him. The boy's a genius, but I'm the only one who sees that right now." said Prex with annoyance.
'Sounds like he has his daddy-goggles on.' thought Smoke.
Confused about what to say, Smoke only nodded courteously. Both of them fell silent and watched the villagers continue to enjoy the festival.
A few seconds later, Vex and Brax arrived. Prex's hand wiggled with excitement as he was eager to try the cooked tigerseal meat.
"Come on, Brax, stop teasing me." Prex said playfully as his son kept moving the plate with the food around. Smoke smiled at the scene of father and son having fun together. He felt an emptiness in his heart, as he missed his old man. Vex crossed his arms and kept a serious face as he watched them from the side.
Suddenly, a runner came pushing through the crowd. Sweat covered his entire body.
"The Skullcaps are coming! The Skullcaps are coming!" screamed the runner. He tumbled down in front of Brax.
Swiftly, Brax grabbed a jug of water near him and went to help the runner up. "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" These were the first words Smoke heard from Brax since he had met him.
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bsp; Gasping for air, the runner said, "The Skullcaps...are coming! We have...maybe fifteen minutes...before they arrive." He took the jug Brax offered him and hastily gulped down the water.
"How is this possible? What happened to the Murlocks and Lamias that were blocking the way here?" asked Brax.
With water dripping from his chin, the runner lowered the jug and answered, "I don't know. They're just gone. Maybe a different monster killed them or drove them away, but I can't think of any that can withstand the Siren Song."
Panic spread among the villagers quickly as they heard the whole conversation. They started shouting; some calling the names of their family members while searching for them in the crowd, others demanding more answers from the runner or repeatedly asking him if he's sure of what he saw.
Vex yelled on top of everyone's voices, "Hear me! There is no reason to panic. Everyone who cannot fight, move to the rear section of the village and stay there. Anyone willing to risk his life to protect the village, come with me." He then started walking towards the village entrance.
Forte and three other muscular men followed after him. Brax stayed behind as he helped move Prex and the orphans to safety. Before Brax could leave, Smoke approached him and asked, "Are monsters coming to attack the village? I thought a skullcap is just a type of flower?"
Brax nervously shook his head. "Not monsters. 'The Skullcaps' is what a group of river pirates that sail the Murray call themselves. I heard there's hundreds of them and that they carry swords as big as themselves. They are notorious for pillaging villages close to the river, but they've never come this far before due to Murlocks blocking their path." answered Brax while looking at the children who were running for safety.
Smoke gulped. 'They sound tough.' he thought. He felt a great deal of guilt as he realised that he was responsible for the situation they found themselves in. "I better go help Vex and Forte." he said.
Smoke was about to head to the village entrance when Brax grabbed his arm and stopped him.
"No, you don't have to go. Come with us to the back, you'll be safer there. I can't ask you to risk your life for a village you've only just visited." said Brax.
"Thanks for the offer, but I really think I should help defend your home." said Smoke as he forced Brax's hand off of him and sprinted through the crowd of villagers.
Upon reaching the village entrance, he could see a fleet of ten ships in the distance. He quickly scaled one of the trees in front of the entrance and hid on top of it. Using his Telefax Vision, he looked above a ship's sails and saw a black flag with an image of a skullcap in the center.
Confirming the enemies to be the Skullcaps, he opened his backpack window and crushed a poison pellet before throwing it into his quiver of arrows, coating them with poison. He glanced over the gathered forces on the ground. As Forte held the frontlines, Smoke thought for a split second that he had used an afterimage or illusion-based ability, as the three other muscular bald men who stood by his side looked very much like him. Meanwhile, Vex gathered twenty-four volunteers from the village. All of them were equipped with harpoons.
As the ships got closer, Smoke could start sensing the number of enemies. Each boat had ten men aboard.
'Twenty-nine against a hundred. Well, thirty, counting myself. This doesn't look good.' Smoke thought as he feared for the villagers' safety. He thought about facing the Pirates by himself, but he couldn't risk it without knowing what he was up against. Remembering what Brax said, he imagined a hundred muscular men carrying weapons as big as Adder's BlitzSturm.
Soon enough, he laid eyes on the Pirates standing on the deck of the ship that was closest to shore. Then, three seconds later, Smoke rubbed his eyes in disbelief before continuing to stare at the sight before him.
"They're all Halflings..." he muttered to himself.
Ten ships dropped their anchors and eighty one-meter-tall, unsavory-looking Pirates rode on the dinghies being lowered down the sides of their ships. All of them were wearing black pirate bandanas on their heads. Some were equipped with short swords, while others were dual-wielding dirks. Yet, because of their height, their weapons looked oversized.
'Maybe this won't be as hard as I thought it would be.' Smoke thought, but he shook his head immediately afterwards, 'No. I shouldn't underestimate them just because of their size.'
Before they could storm the village, Smoke heard Vex yell out to them, "Return to your ships and your lives will be spared!" However, Vex's threat was answered with a mean laughter from the Pirates.
Still on their dinghies, one of the Skullcaps yelled towards the flagship. "You heard that, Captain? Methinks we better run for it and change our pillaging ways." said a Pirate dressed in a red jacket and white pants. Smoke observed that he had different-colored clothes from the rest, most of the marauders only wore white overalls, although he was hesitant to call them such, as they were covered in filth.
"Now, now, Mr. Nain. As first mate, you should know proper manners. We shouldn't be impolite to our future benefactors." A female voice came from the flagship. It belonged to a beautiful HighElf who was equipped with a sleek blue jacket, tight white pants, a feathered hat and a cutlass at her side. Her long, straight black hair, rosey red lips and smooth pale skin gave her an eye-catching presence. Her large bosom was clearly disproportionate to her slim figure and swayed with each step.
At once, the Skullcaps stopped laughing and held a serious look on their faces. Even from where Smoke hid, it was clear that they respected her, or at least feared her.
"Good day to you, gentlemen. The name's Snow. Captain Jane Snow. I am the commander of this troubled crew." she said and gave a winsome smile, "Please forgive the rudeness of my men."
A cold sweat ran down Smoke's back, as Jane's appearance eerily reminded him of Horrabelle. He quickly dismissed the thought and focused on the approaching Pirates.
"Hold your positions, men. We still need to discuss the terms of trade." she said with authority, as the Pirates had reached the riverbank and started to disembark one by one.
With everyone silent, Vex spoke out, "What kind of trade are you looking for? We only have fish and some vegetables to offer."
Jane waved her hand and asked Vex, "Now, why would I ask for rubbish and scraps when I could easily get something more valuable from your village?"
"But we don't have anything else in our village." replied Vex with all honesty.
"Don't sell yourselves short. You have something we want: children." answered Jane and licked her red lips. "If you give us forty of them," she spoke while standing straight and placed her right hand over her heart, "I swear to you that no one in your village will be harmed."
Everyone looked outraged by the proposition but remained silent as they waited for Vex's answer. "What about five children? Would you leave us alone then?" he asked curiously.
Before any of the villagers surrounding Vex could react to his words, Brax arrived with a short sword and shield in hand and beat them to it. "No! What are you saying, Vex?" he said with a trembling voice while turning Vex around to face him. "There's no way we're giving them a single child!" Brax said loudly, but everyone could still hear the fear in his voice.
"And who might you be?" Jane asked Brax, "Perhaps you're the village chief?"
"No, I'm not." replied Brax as he stared at the ships in order to avoid eye contact with Jane, "But maybe I'm part of the group that's going to drive you out of Sans Valeur." he said, half-convinced.
"Strong words for someone so young. However, they don't change the fact that you're outnumbered." said Jane. "Well, men, I think it's time for us to stop with the shenanigans and collect our booty." she said with conviction and raised her cutlass over her head. She swiftly swung it down and pointed to the village.
Similar to rampaging bulls, the Skullcaps stampeded their way to where Brax and others were. Smoke, who remained hidden, fired his poisoned arrows at the incoming Pirates. He made sure to spread out his attack and reduce the life bars of all of them.<
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Smoke's rain of green arrows surprised the invaders and caused them to temporarily stop their charge as they tried to defend against his ranged attacks. He relentlessly released more arrows until he hit each of them at least once.
"Belay the siege and attack that tree instead!" bellowed Jane as she pointed to where Smoke was hiding, "These scoundrels have around ten Archers hiding there."
The Pirates barrelled from the riverbank with purpose. Moving towards where Smoke hid, they threw stinkpots made of clay at the tree. They had filled them with fish guts and sulfur.
Repulsive fumes came out after the stinkpots shattered into pieces. Smoke got a whiff of their attack and lost his balance. Luckily, he only fell down to the next branch. He swiftly equipped his customized gas mask. The genius work of Jackal and Hide protected him from this crude form of tear gas, otherwise he would have been puking out his tigerseal meal.