Zectas Volume VI: The Delusive Realm of Mictlan

by John Nest

  “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 cous
in. “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.”