Zectas Volume V: The Sequestered Seminary of Sawtorn

by John Nest

  "But the Orks give out insane amount of experience points. In fact, I gained a level after finishing off the remaining ones. Although, I was already at 78%," said Nash.

  "Really? So, what's your level now?" she asked smiling, but the envy in her voice gave out a bit.

  "Level 109, but I didn't distribute any of the points," he replied. "I think my Wisdom stat is pretty decent enough as it is, but I don't know if I should increase my Int or my Strength?"

  "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get the picture," said Sherry. "But what about your bag of gems? Did you get those back?"

  "No," sourly replied Nash. "I've been looking around Cynar's lair, but found nothing that resembles a treasury room."

  "But what about Verbrannt and everyone else?" Nash asked Sherry. "How is everyone back home?"

  Sherry let out a small laugh. "It's not what I expected it to be. Mamelon is still out, and hasn't been back since she left about two weeks ago. At least, all of her Avendre are intact, though."

  Smoke nodded passively. "What about Adder and Ledur? What are the two up to?" he asked with more earnest.

  "Adder took his special unit of Condortlians and Centaurs and went on some special hunting expedition," answered Sherry, uncertain. "He didn't tell me where he was planning to go exactly."

  "Ledur, on the other hand, has broken his vow of silence for countless times now," chuckled Sherry. "He has taken his nephew, Neffe, under his wing."

  "Really? The young Volataur?" asked Nash, surprised.

  "But it's Guro's methods that are bothering me, though," suddenly expounded Sherry. "She's been expanding Verbrannt's land at an exponential rate. I fear that we might not have enough manpower to defend all of it soon."

  "But she isn't neglecting the training of the Avendre under her, right?" asked a worried Nash.

  "They're pretty much on the same level as those under my Druids," replied Sherry. "Oh, and wait till you see them."

  Sherry then paused, and stared intently at Nash. "You will come back to Verbrannt after a year right? I mean three months in the real world."

  "Hopefully I'll find the Magietrois before then. But, in-case I don't find them, yeah," answered Nash with conviction. "I'll be back in Verbrannt before the war breaks."

  An awkward silence passed between the two of them.

  "Jinggu still hasn't returned, huh?" suddenly blurted out Nash, despite already knowing the answer.

  "Yeah, we tried calling him, but he just keeps ignoring us," somberly replied Sherry.

  "The other core members are doing well, though," she quickly added.

  Just then, Maves arrived and brought them their hot tea.

  "Here you go, dearies," she said smiling.

  Donny then pulled up a chair and joined them on their table.

  "Oh, you were with them?" asked Maves, her plump cheeks turned a bright red.

  "Yeah? Why?" innocently asked Donny.

  "Nothing," replied Maves. "Just thought you were alone, is all."

  "Nah, I'm with them. Can you just bring the rest of the sundae here?" Donny asked Maves.

  "Sure, I'll bring it right away," replied Maves, making sure to avoid eye contact with both Nash and Sherry.

  After the plump server left, Donny turned to Nash. "So, I hear a congratulations is in order."

  "Huh? What are you talking about?" asked Nash, apprehensive.

  "About Tristan of course. His guild just got disbanded," answered Donny. "Well, at least one of my friends' brother said so. He says he's a member of the DracoRicco and it isn't out yet in the forums, but it's suppose to be real."

  "Why? What happened?" Sherry asked Donny.

  "Don't know, something about the last of their men dying on another suicide quest, or something?" replied Donny, uncertain.

  "Huh? Imagine that, the first Sonstwelter to get a city and lose it, and now his entire guild is also gone," said Nash out loud.

  "Yeah, imagine that." added a bothered Sherry.

  Nash could tell that Sherry was not concern for Tristan at all, but that she worried for her Verbrannt and their own guild.

  "Don't worry, we're not the same as them," Nash said to Sherry.

  Then, Donny's third sundae was placed in front of him. Maves promptly left as soon as she served the ice cream.

  "Wait, does this mean that it's just Nash and what was the other guy's name again... Amahan fighting for domination?" asked Donny eagerly, in between devouring his sundae.

  "I wouldn't really consider myself in the running, that's just what the people in the forums decided for themselves," explained Nash.

  Suddenly, Sherry's phone alarm went off.

  "I've got to go," she said to the two Smoaks.

  Nash quickly stood up, and finished his cup of tea in one gulp. "Sherry, I'll take you home. Donny, you're alright to stay here by yourself, right?"

  He quickly fished for two hundred dollars in his pocket, and gave it to his younger brother.

  "Oh, and give Maves a generous tip," chided Nash. "I think she likes you."

  "Quit it! I may like older women, but not that old," snarled Donny.

  "Nash, it's okay if you want to stay with Donny," offered Sherry. "I'm fine going home alone."

  "But I can't, I also have a lot of things to work on back in Diebe Den," explained Nash.

  * * * * * *

  The pungent air of Diebe Den was still something Smoke could not get use to. Even here in the special chamber that only Cynar, Ayert, and himself supposedly have entered.

  He tried integrating his special gas-mask into his earth-mask, but he could not make it work properly. This made listening to Cynar's winded explanation about Orks very difficult to stand.

  Cynar suddenly slapped Smoke's shoulder. "Faux, hey, are you paying attention?"

  "Yeah, yeah. Of course, I was," quickly answered Smoke.

  "Really? I don't think so," flatly declared Cynar. "Perhaps you want to talk about something else? I have been talking on about Orks for a while now."

  Currently, Smoke spent most of his time in Zectas searching for his bag of gems, and for a way to free the children. However, he only had decent progress on the latter.

  "Something else, huh?" asked Smoke, focusing on the reason he was in this continent in the first place.

  "How about the Magietrois? Do you know anything about them?" he eagerly asked.

  "Magietrois? Sure! I mean they're suppose to be the saviors of Sawtorn," began Cynar. "In fact, I heard that if you won the Magi Gagnant Tournament, you'll get a chance to meet them. Or at least know something special about them."

  "Really?" asked a piqued Smoke. "You're not pulling my leg, right?"

  "Pfft. To be frank, I'm not completely sure," replied Cynar flatly. "But that's what I heard from one of my sources in Vona City."

  "Hm," said a grinning Smoke, thinking about how to enter the tournament.

  "You look interested," observed Cynar. "Do you want to be in the Gagnant?"

  "Yeah, I think I do," honestly replied Smoke.

  "Then, what about this. You said you're only here for another day or two, but what if you stayed until we finish off Wertlosvati?" suggested Cynar.

  "How does that exactly help me be in the tournament?" asked Smoke with a raised eyebrow.

  "Well, there are two ways you can join," began Cynar. "First, take part in a city elimination and be a representative of that city. Or, second, help me kill my father, and I'll give you a blank document, stating that you are a part of the contest. Of course, I'm still waiting for my scouts to find the bastard, so, it might take awhile."

  Smoke studied Cynar's expression, he wondered whether there was a catch.

  "I suggest you take the second one, since the last city eliminations has already ended," stated Cynar.

  "And why do you have this special document?" asked Smoke.

  "I've 'procured' it from one of the Wizard's officiating the tournament," Cynar said, while making imaginary quotes in the air with his hands.

  "Alright, I'll
stay, but I hope you allow me to train my abilities and leave me alone during this time," demanded Smoke with authority. "If you can’t agree to this, then I'm gone. Even without your special documents."

  Cynar nodded and offered his hand to Smoke. "I don't have a problem with that."

  Smoke shook his hand, and a notification window popped up.

  + Verbal Contract Confirmed

  > You have joined Cynar's army as one of his Most Valuable Peons.

  notes:

  > You were promised to get a special document for the Magi Gagnant Tournament upon completion.

  > +100 Neutral Evil to Alignment

  Smoke took a double take at the window. He could not believe what happened to his Alignment.

  'I wonder how that will affect other NPCS?' he asked himself.

  "Well, since I'm going to be staying here a while longer, I think I'll take a tour around the place," stated Smoke.

  "You want me to show you around?" offered Cynar. "I've got nothing else to do for the rest of the day."

  "No, no, I don't want to impose," quickly countered Smoke, not wanting to be followed around by Cynar all day.

  "Alright, go right ahead. You're free to go wherever you want," said Cynar. "My den is your den."

  Smoke looked unsure, but said. "Thanks!"

  After he stepped out, the air became even thicker and heavier. He walked past some of the OrkElf children. Then, a curious incident occurred. He passed by Geisel's dungeon, and she instantly shrank back against the wall of her dungeon, the same reaction she did whenever Cynar passes her.

  Already, Smoke despised his Alignment towards Evil.

  Then, Cynar caught up with him from behind.

  "Faux, Faux, I forgot something" called out the masked OrkElf. "If you're staying here, then I think you should have a special-room for yourself."

  "Really?" asked a surprised Smoke. "I guess that would be nice."

  "You know, Ayert used to stay here in the lair as well," said Cynar, out of the blue.

  "Really? I did not know that," cordially said Smoke.

  The masked Assassin's eye twinkled with excitement.

  "This feels just like old times. This way," said Cynar, as he led the way.

  They passed by the dungeon Jack was in.

  "Hey, Jack, you have a new neighbor," said Cynar, jubilant.

  The self-declared King of Thieves then fished for a key to open the cell next to Jack's. Yet, he dropped in right next to Smoke.

  "Here, I got it," quickly said Smoke, making sure to pick up the iron-key. He palmed it for a while, before returning it to Cynar. "Here you go."

  "Thanks," said Cynar and proceeded to open the cell. "This is it," said the masked OrkElf, motioning for Smoke to enter.

  "Wait, I'm not going in there," said Smoke, carefully backing away from Cynar.

  "Oh, sorry about that. Hahaha," laughed the owner of Diebe Den. "I see why you'd be hesitant."

  Cynar got one of his knives from his pocket and knelt down next to the entrance of the open dungeon. He expertly took out one of the bolts on the cell-door.

  "I used to be a Blacksmith's assistant when I was younger," explained Cynar. "I've had other odd jobs here and there. It wasn't until my sister died of illness that I became a Thief."

  Cynar proceeded to the next bolt and said. "It was then that I promised myself not to become poor. No matter what I do, I'll never be sick or hungry again."

  TING TING

  The last two bolts of the cell dropped on the flattened cave floor, and Cynar left the cell-door on the side of the wall.

  "There," said Cynar. "As you can see, no tricks. I don't plan on locking you inside."

  "Thanks, I appreciate that," said Smoke, still hesitant as he remained outside the cell.

  "Hey, Cynar, maybe you can do the same thing on my door," suddenly said Jack.

  "Jack, always such a riot," sarcastically said Cynar. "Don't worry you're going back to the city soon. I hope today you don't come back empty handed. The last time you did well was that day you got that schmuck's bag of jewels. You really hit the mother-load on that one. I just spent half of those gems and bought five-hundred more dirus wolves."

  Cynar chuckled loudly and playfully punched Smoke's shoulder. The thin OrkElf Assassin did not pack much of a hit, when compared with Sierra's Werebear form.

  "What race did you say he was again?" Cynar asked Jack. "Was he a HighElf?"

  "Yup, yeah definitely a HighElf," quickly added Jack, and kept his mouth shut.

  "Jack? Hey, Jack, why so quiet?" asked Cynar. "No quick comeback? No witty banter? Are you sick?"

  Smoke joined Cynar, in front of Jack's cell.

  "Yeah, Jack, what did you call the one you stole the bag full of gems, again?" asked Smoke. "Schmuck was it?"

  "I didn't say schmuck," Jack said defensively. "I think I said easy-mark, fair-game, or maybe light-weight? Never said schmuck."

  Cynar clicked his tongue. "No, you definitely said schmuck. You even blabbed on and on about how he was willing to take you all the way back to the arena."

  "Really, that schmuck was that gullible, huh, Jack?" menacingly asked Smoke. "I bet if he did know just what kind of kid you were, there's no way he would help you... now."

  "Oh, come on, Faux, there's still plenty of kind hearted people out there," reasoned Jack. "I mean, look at Cynar, he let you into his group and even gave you a special-room while you're staying here."

  "Yeah Jack has a point, Faux," agreed Cynar. "I mean, not to brag, but I have helped thousands of OrkElves already."

  "Okay, okay, I get it," said Smoke, while glaring at Jack.

  "Hm. Cynar, seeing as you're very magnanimous, I was wondering if there was a way for Jack and the rest of the nobles to be free?" asked Smoke.

  "That might be true, but my hatred for the aristocrats are second only to the Orks," explained Cynar. "They're the ones who created a society to discriminate the OrkElves. They're the ones responsible for all the hardships in our lives."

  "I see," said Smoke. He wondered if there was still a way to negotiate with him, but now he was doubtful.

  "Although, Jack is a special exception to those nobles," suddenly spoke Cynar. "I've never felt the scornful eyes that I usually feel when he looks at me. Of course, that may be because he's my captive, but I'd like to think that we're really friends."

  "Of course, we're friends, Cynar." hurriedly added Jack.

  It was time for Smoke's scheduled breaks, and he also needed to get a new perspective on how to free Jack and the rest of the aristocrats.

  "Cynar, I think I'll be taking a quick break," said Smoke. "I've had enough of my new neighbor for now."

  "Oh, where are you going?" asked Cynar. "You want to go on that tour of the lair, now?"

  Smoke wondered why Cynar was this friendly with him. He made a mental note to investigate on this further.

  "No, no. I'm going back to my world for a while," answered Smoke.

  "Ah! I see," replied Cynar. "Alright, just come look for me when you do get back. I'll also have your room modified so that... it will look more like a 'room' when you return."

  "You don't have to do that," said Smoke, waving his hand strongly in dismissal. "How about you take me on a tour of the lair, instead?"

  Without saying another word, Smoke quickly entered his special-room/dungeon and logged out.

  * * * * * *

  Deep inside Diebe Den, within its tight, twisting corridors of a dimly lit cave, an unmasked Smoke was busy wiping off dust on his clothes. He had just returned to his special-room/dungeon, which was now covered with planks of wood over its iron bars, and a curtain for a door.

  The new decor was less than pleasing to look at, but it did serve the purpose of giving him complete privacy.

  Hours had passed since Smoke returned to Zectas, but only minutes in his room in the lair. He had to return for it was time to meet with Cynar, as they agreed to meet at ten in the morning.

  Smoke took in one more deep
breath before putting back his full earth-mask. He double checked his room, and then went outside the curtain.

  "Oi, Faux, you're very punctual," greeted Jack. "Listen, about what Cynar said earlier—"