by John Nest
“Alright, Yahui it is then,” respectfully said Smoke. “I do have one small request before we begin.”
“Very well, let’s hear it,” replied Yahui.
“If you would be so kind as to hit me first,” said Smoke.
“Really?” asked Yahui in disbelief. “You desire to be vanquished before even getting a chance to strike me?”
“Yes,” answered Smoke with determined eyes. “Except about the being vanquished part.”
The giant turtle studied him. It stared Smoke in the eyes and said. “Very well, I shall grant your request. Get ready for I am about to eradicate you.”
Smoke quickly got out his sacred clay staff. “To be clear, you’re only going to strike me from the front, right?”
“Of course! Yahui never strikes from behind,” answered the ruler of Monstro Blindado.
Smoke gathered all of his mana and put up a Manatl wall in front of him. Then, several more Manatl walls appeared and covered it with a total of eight layers. “Stay close, Vape,” he said, lightly patting the baby wyvern with his sacred clay staff.
Yahui took in a deep breath. With its webbed hands in front of it, an enormous waterball was forming in between them.
All of a sudden, Smoke felt a cold misty air. He slightly turned his head and found that geysers rose out from behind him.
“What!” yelled out Smoke in panic. He gave himself a mental lecture about trusting the turtle to attack only his front.
Then, the jets of water eluded him as they were being sucked into the gargantuan waterball. Like a stream of mighty river, the jet of water continuously flowed towards Smoke’s Manatl wall.
His sacred clay staff glowed as the stream of water pounded on his purple barrier.
CRACK CRACK SHATTER
Three of his Manatl walls were obliterated by Yahui’s water jet attack.
CRACK CRACK SHATTER
This time four more of his barriers were destroyed.
Left with his last wall, Smoke concentrated all of his energy into blocking Yahui’s magic.
CRACK CRACK CRACK
Yet, despite his efforts, he could clearly see the barrier about to give way. Then, without warning, the unceasing stream of water ended.
With a blinding light, his sacred clay staff glowed its brightest.
“Spectacular!” cried out Yahui, grinning with its wrinkly turtle beak. “It’s your turn now. Show me your power.”
Before striking, Smoke bowed down before Yahui. He used his Hyper Jump ability and launched his energized sacred clay staff straight into the giant turtle’s stomach.
BAAAM
Thousands of liters spilled off the floating island as Smoke’s attack shook the Insel.
After striking Yahui, Smoke saw its life bar which displayed (5,000,000/8,000,000 SP).
With his staff drained of energy, Smoke was falling into the coyotl infested lake.
THUD
Smoke fell hard into Yahui’s webbed hands as the great turtle caught him before getting wet.
“Most spectacular indeed,” said Yahui, smiling down at Smoke. “Here, take this,” it said, handing him a black shield with chains attached to it. If it was not for the notification window, he would not have guessed that it was Xolotl’s amulet.
+ Acquired divine amulet: Xolotl’s Vision.
“Thank you, Lord Yahui,” said Smoke, holding the massive amulet tightly. “Now, you’ve truly done something worthwhile.”
“Bah! Your flattery will not work on me,” said Yahui. “Now, I shall return you to where I found you.”
“That would be much appreciated,” said Smoke, bowing his head. The baby wyvern around his neck looked at him and also bowed down.
“But before I do, I’d like to ask you something,” went on Yahui. “How many chaneques have you killed?”
“Oh! I’ve killed thousands!” answered Smoke, instantly recalling the months he had been hunting them in Mictlan. “Literally Massacred them, but nothing’s happened!”
“Massacre? Try a hundred thousand. Now, that’s a massacre,” said Yahui and teleported him back to the Insel he was on.
After the tingling sensation of being teleported faded, Smoke stood there with Xolotl’s shield-sized amulet, a blank expression on his face, pondering on Yahui’s words.
Unexpectedly, Vape hissed its forked tongue at Smoke, as if asking him to build him a kiln to sleep in. His pet had grown accustomed to the times he left for the real world. Indeed, it was time for him to log out. He quickly created a small kiln and placed his precious little wyvern inside it.
Before logging out, he opened a window entitled “Monster Kills”, quickly scrolling for the monster he was looking for.
[SAWTORN]
…
Killed Orks: 8,021
…
[MICTLAN]
Killed Chaneques: 89,201
* * * * * *
Stretching with his entire body, Nash’s bones creaked as he stepped outside his game pod. A satisfied smile plastered on his face, recalling his encounter with Yahui.
Riding on this high, Nash sat in front of his computer and hurriedly opened the Zectas Forums. He clicked on his latest post–an edited video of his time in Mictlan. He only showed the parts of entering through the aurora borealis and landing to find the sycophants. To prove that this was Mictlan, he showed off König Mitleid, Sharur, Laernea, and Jeter in their humble town called Rauchburg.
Then, there were the monsters. Other than the sycophants, Nash also included the chaneques and coyotls. But he skipped showing Xolotl, thinking that he could use that for another time if he would run out of other ideas for his next video.
Cracking his knuckles for good luck, it was time for him to check on the number of views, another triumphant grin. He reached over two-hundred million, which meant a check worth $15,000.00.
Although he never replied to them, he found it amusing and relaxing to scroll through the comments.
Incheon: Is this really the fabled afterlife of Zectas? Does this mean I can bring back my fallen Autumn?
Heathrow: @Incheon, I’m sure you saw Mitleid died. Or are you just new?
Gaulle: @Smoke, PLEASE TELL US HOW TO GET HERE! DON’T BE SELFISH! TELL US THE WAY TO MICTLAN!
SmokeDisciple231: Yeah! That’s the way to ask a man a favor! Shout at him! Sure!
Busan: @Incheon, you’re not talking about the beautiful Bard of the Winter Sonata inn, are you? Autumn said she’d wait for me. What happened to her?
DetectiveRonan: No doubt about it, this is Mictlan! I’m almost a Thaumaturge myself, just need three more items to complete the Hidden Job. Tell me, how did you get here? I thought you needed a blood crystal to bring someone back to life. If you have one to spare I’d like to buy it. Name your price!
Catatonic: Well, someone’s chatty. In my case, I thought you needed seven magical balls to bring someone back to life? And a dragon, maybe?
Tritank: Bah! No matter what people may say, we’re not 100% sure if this is really Mictlan. But the war against the Orks is definitely real! I urge you to watch my post on the latest battle for Sawtorn!
Nash had enough after reading Tritank’s comment. He opened his box of all meat pizza and devoured three slices.
Afterward, he collapsed on his bed as he succumbed to slumber, grinning.
* * * * * *
Over six hours had passed (Mictlan Time) after Smoke took an energizing power nap in the real world. Yet, when he opened Vape’s kiln, he still found the baby wyvern sleeping snugly in a tight knot. Gently, he picked his pet up and wrapped him around his neck. Together, the two of them headed for the next grassy Insel.
Enlivened with a new goal, Smoke continued to plow through the floating islands infested with the chaneques.
A proud smile was plastered on his face as he evaluated his stay in Mictlan. The growth of Smoke’s Manatl had proven itself, as it held against Yahui’s attack, even if it did almost break. And all because he needed to hunt the chaneques, he gaine
d three levels, which he invested all into Intelligence.
However, the most significant development came from the baby wyvern around his neck. Truly, it was Vape’s growth that was most impressive. Not in size, but in the strength of its Ponderous Mist. It was still the same snake-like creature, but the power of its cumbersome fog increased. Its victims now had the added weight of four times.
“It’s good that you’re not growing too big,” said Smoke to Vape. “Wouldn’t want to ride you anyway. You around my neck is way cooler than me riding on your back, right?”
Vape hissed its forked tongue, unconvinced of what he was saying.
Although Smoke was hunting for chaneques, he made sure to pick the Insels that would lead them to Monstro Afiado, home of the Cipactli.
Now, that he had gotten used to having Vape around him, his speed in clearing a chaneques’ floating island had significantly doubled.
Through determination and perseverance, Smoke finally saw the notification window he had longed for.
+ Learned Ability: Mictlander’s Eye
Active
Level: Beginner Level 1
Experience: (0/1,000)
After killing 100,000 creatures born from Mictlan, you have learned the secret to slow down time and observe even the fastest of movements.
Effects:
Dexterity + 10
Increased Hit Rate + 25%
MP Consumption: 100 MP/Second
Duration: 2 Minutes
Cooldown: 5 Minutes
Note:
Duration and Cooldown improve as the ability level increases.
“See! What’d I tell you! Told you we’d do it,” he yelled at Vape, jubilant.
After receiving the Mictlander’s Eye, Smoke started looking for the floating islands with ponds and lakes in them.
When he finally found one, Smoke equipped his twin hook swords. Then, he had Vape cover themselves in Ponderous Mist.
Curious at the sight of the heavy fog, the coyotls popped out their heads to investigate.
As soon as one of the coyote-headed frogs entered his mist, Smoke unleashed a flurry of lightning slashes at the unknowing monster.
Thanks to his Mictlander’s Eye, Smoke could now hit a naturally born creature of Mictlan. Even if it was only one out of four times.
After hunting the chaneques for so long, the sight of the red-horned imps dulled his senses. This inspired him to go after the next Mictlander. This time, he dedicated his time in clearing the floating islands overrun with coyotls.
Eventually, he reached the area under the influence of Monstro Afiado. He knew this because he saw his friends waiting for him on a barren floating island. They were all seated, gathered around a white glowing orb with runes on it while Baba was playing his lute.
As he got closer, Smoke recognized it as the soul orb that Mitleid was carrying, as well as Baba’s singing.
“My brother and I often compete.
Not once did one of us retreat.
One day, a new challenge was given.
To see who was more driven.
He told me:
‘You’ll see. You’ll lose not me.’
Then, I replied to my twin:
‘Fine! I give up, you win.’
He got angry, mad and then blew up.
For I won the contest of giving up.”
“Hey! Smoke’s here,” yelled Jeter, enthusiastic to end Baba’s singing. He stood up and hugged Smoke, his savior.
“Finally!” exclaimed Sharur, not bothering to get up. “You know we got to Reialma and back? And listened to who knows how many of Baba’s songs.”
“Wait… So, the two of you are finally Light Bringers?” confirmed Smoke.
“Uh-huh!” declared Laernea, delighted. “Sharur and I finally did it! Um… I meant we did it by ourselves. No, no, I mean—”
“You sure did!” said Jeter, giving Sharur and Laernea a thumbs up. “Was stuck here with Baba and hunted nothing but chaneques and coyotls.”
“So, how’s it fighting with a coyotl?” Smoke asked Jeter, intrigued at his development.
“Um… managed to clear an Insel full of them before we got here,” answered Jeter.
Smoke stared at Jeter, expecting him to laugh and say it was all a joke, but the former Avendre Commander never did. “With Baba playing his lute, right?” he went on.
“Pfft! No! Bastard just stood there and watched,” replied Jeter. “Didn’t even play a tune that would boost my strength.”
“Ahem! Ahem!” exaggeratedly coughed Baba. “If you’re done catching up, we might as well face this Cipactli character. After all, we still have Yahui and the Naguals after this one.”
“Just the Naguals,” said Smoke, taking out Xolotl’s shield-sized amulet from his inventory.
“You’re kidding, right?” asked Sharur, inspecting Xolotl’s amulet. “He’s not,” he added after seeing it. “It’s the real thing.”
“You really must have grown powerful if you managed to defeat Yahui,” said Baba.
“I wouldn’t say that. Was more of a lucky draw,” modestly said Smoke. “But I do have someone to show you.” He patted the baby wyvern around his neck, who remained silent the whole time.
“Aw! How cute!” cried out Laernea, her lioness tail swinging.
Smoke gave them a mischievous grin. “Vape, do it.”
Laernea, Sharur, Baba, and Jeter focused their eyes on the tiny horned wyvern. But before they could examine it, Vape engulfed them in its Ponderous Mist.
Blinded and encumbered, Sharur, Laernea, and Jeter scrambled around the murky fog.
“Hey! What’s going on?” screamed Jeter. “My body feels so heavy!”
“Sharur? Sharur? Where are you?” called out Laernea.
“I’m here. I got you,” answered Sharur, embracing her tightly. “Smoke, make that thing stop. Baba doesn’t like being in a fog.”
“Wrraaaaaaaah!” cried out Baba.
Before Smoke could tell Vape to end its Ponderous Mist, Baba released a powerful tornado with his hands. At once, the fog dispersed but the turbulent winds pushed Smoke, Laernea, Sharur, and Jeter off the floating island.
“Baba, we’re falling!” called out Laernea.
“Help! Help!” shouted Jeter. “Save me, Baba!”
Using his Wings of Cologus, Smoke glided towards the barren Insel. He wracked his brain on how to save all three of them.
Meanwhile, Baba blankly stared at his falling friends, motionless.
“Snap out of it, Baba!” screamed Sharur.
Baba forcibly shook his head, returning to his senses.
Suddenly, Baba vanished. Instantly after, three Dark Elf Bards simultaneously materialized next to Jeter, Laernea, and Sharur. They grabbed their falling companions and teleported them back to the center of the barren Insel.
“Thank you, thank you,” said Jeter, patting Baba’s back.
However, Baba ignored him and rushed for Smoke. “Don’t you ever do that again! I swear… I’ll—” He cut himself short and stormed off. He went to the next Insel with a pond on it. There, he began playing a calming music on his lute. Dozens of coyotl heads popped out of the water, but none of them attacked. They were only there to listen to his music.
Dumbfounded, Smoke was about to go after Baba when Jeter stopped him.
“Yeah, better do what he says,” said Jeter. “He has a thing about being covered in mist, fog, or any other hazy stuff,” he explained further. “You know… Once, he almost destroyed Rauchburg when he was caught in Lady Meneur’s icy fog.”
“Mitleid said Baba’s extremely powerful,” added Laernea, her tail wrapped around Sharur’s waist as they hugged, still recovering. “But he doesn’t want to use his true abilities.”
“It’s like he placed a limiter on himself or something?” went on Sharur.
“I see,” said Smoke. Walking fast, he went over to where Baba was.
“Whatever it is you have to say, save it,” said Baba before Smoke could even sp
eak.
“Listen, I’m really sorry. I didn’t know,” said Smoke anyway. “Was just playing around. I wouldn’t have—”
“Yeah! I know,” replied Baba, somber. “You don’t seem like the type of person who would intentionally do that.”
Ashamed of his actions, Smoke stared down at the ground and did not say anything else.
“Guess this means you know my secret, huh?” blurted out Baba, smiling at him.
Returning Baba’s smile, Smoke replied. “I don’t know of any other Job that could use sword, bow, magic, and lute, Brother,” he added, putting a fist against his palm, giving Baba a Beggar’s salute.
* * * * * *
Smoke had thousands of questions about Baba being a Beggar, but Baba would have none of them. He told him it was a life he lived hundreds of years ago.
Baba especially told Smoke not to rely on him. Instead, they should use this opportunity to improve themselves.
Besides, they had something more important to do. They stood in front of Cipactli’s floating island which was surrounded by trees.
At first, Smoke thought that it looked like a sycophant’s forest, but the unnatural stillness of this place confirmed that something far more dangerous than sycophants dwelled here.
Still within the safety of the barren Insel before it, Smoke and his friends stared at the vine-bridge connecting to Cipactli.
Without notice, the silence was broken.
“Enter or perish where you stand!” boomed a voice from within the forested Insel.
“Well? Shall we go?” asked Sharur, heading for the bridge.
“Wait!” called out Jeter. “Maybe, it’ll be better to fight it out here than in there.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” said Smoke.
“Damn it!” yelled Baba. “We got it mad!”
A green meteor launched out of the Insel and landed right behind them.
BWAK
Jerking downward, the entire Insel violently shook. The floating island slowly stabilized as it stayed in its lowered location.