Zectas Volume III: Malediction of Veneficatl Valley (40 page)

* * * * * * 

The reunited couple planned to spend the entire day in each other's company. Smoke could feel Sierra's sincerity in understanding his intention behind staying away for so long, and this only made him fall for her even more.
Sharur asked if he could join them, but Sierra told the OrkElf to inspect mount Engrais. Sharur grumbled as he left the two of them alone.
Sierra first took Smoke to meet Ehrlich Buchhalter. On the way to the treasury, they came across a Gnome and a Dwarf standing next to two open crates outside the stables.
The lean Gnome with red hair looked familiar to Smoke. It took him a few seconds before he realized that it was Billig Verkäufer, the salesman from Bestride Stables in Coatl.
The stout Dwarf had long, unruly white hair and a beard to match. They started to raise their voices as their conversation took a sour turn.
"I told you this a thousand times, Billig! You
cannot
have the pups for a lower price, even if you give me zecs off the books." said the Dwarf, "Aardwolf pups are five hundred thousand zecs each and dirus wolf pups are a million. According to my calculations, that'll be twenty million zecs."
"Eh-Ehrlich, what are you talking about? I just said I'd buy them at that price." said Billig nervously as his and Sierra's eyes met, "Oh, Lady Sierra. How lovely to see you."
Sierra greeted him with a reproachful look. "Good day, Billig."
"Well, I better be off. Mustn't keep the customers waiting." said Billig hurriedly as he loaded both crates into his cart.
After the troublesome Merchant rode off, Sierra waved to the Dwarf in front of her and introduced him to Smoke.
"Smoke, this is Ehrlich Buchhalter. Ehrlich, meet Smoke." said Sierra.
The two of them shook hands. "Ah, it's nice to finally put a face to a name, Master Smoke." said Ehrlich.
"A pleasure to meet you as well. I like the way you handled Billig; I can tell that you're a force to be reckoned with." Smoke said with a smile as they continued to shake hands.
"It's the least I could do. You two are doing a very commendable thing here." said Ehrlich.
"Were those pups inside the crates?" asked Smoke.
"Yes, they were. Five dirus wolf and thirty aardwolf pups." answered the Dwarf.
"Wouldn't we have earned more if we grew them into full-grown mounts before selling them?" Smoke thought out loud.
"Oh, this is under Thyrsus' advisement." answered Sierra, "Taking care of pups is really hard. They would most likely die without a Caretaker. The Lioumereans are already aware of this and are looking for one, but apparently, someone with that Job isn't that common in Wysteria."
"According to my calculations, even though we lose 60% of the potential income this way, that is still within acceptable limits. There's nothing to worry about." Ehrich reassured him. "Oh shoot, I forgot to prepare the zecs for Avendre Mercenaries. Well, I'll get out of your way, as I'm sure you two are very busy." Ehrlich gave a small bow and left for the treasury.
"Nice guy. Baldaquin tested him, right?" Smoke asked Sierra.
Sierra sighed. "I already told you about this. Yes, he has been tested, you worrywart. Do you even listen to me when I talk?" she said and gave him a playful punch.
She then took Smoke to the marketplace. They stopped outside of a bakery and watched one of the Bakers make bread. Smoke made a mental note to ask him to make pizza dough.
They passed through various other specialty shops such as the Shoeyou and the Dinehere. The Cobblers and Cooks were very happy to finally meet Smoke as well. He wanted to try out their creations, but Sierra pulled him away before he could.
On the way to the docks, Smoke and Sierra met Thyrsus and Vijaya, who were shopping for fish. "Thyrsus, I'd like to thank you again for the wonderful job you're doing here." said Smoke as he put his hand on Thyrsus' shoulder.
"Well, let's just say that I've lately been even more inspired to make Verbrannt a better place." said Thyrsus and smiled at Vijaya.
The brunette WoodElf blushed and resumed searching for dinner ingredients. Smoke wanted to ask them about the full story on how they became a couple, but Sierra said that they should leave the two lovebirds alone.
A couple of stalls later, they found Ichaival and Sharanga. Ichaival had his hands full with more leather bags than he could carry. Smoke had failed to notice it before, but Sharanga's hair was kept in a small bun, similar to how Sierra did it when she was cooking in the real world.
"Sharanga, since when do you wear your hair like that?" asked Smoke.
"Oh, this. Sierra taught me. She said that it irritated her how I was constantly pushing my bangs to the side because they kept hitting my eyes." she answered, showing a hint of embarrassment.
"And you look even more beautiful now." said Sierra, "Doesn't she, Ichaival?"
"Of course! More beautiful than the setting sun, more inspiring than a dirus wolf giving birth." said Ichaival with conviction.
"Argh. Carry these as well." said Sharanga as she threw three more bags into Ichaival's arms. "My sister had this bright idea that we have a Hunters' reunion whenever the four of us are together in one place. So I have to suffer being with this fool a bit longer."
"I think a reunion is a great idea." said Smoke cheerfully, "Okay, you guys have a good one."
Smoke and Sierra bid farewell to them and continued walking to the place Sierra wanted to go to most...the docks. There, Sierra showed Smoke a medium-sized rowboat, big enough to carry her in her cursed werebear form.
"I remember you telling Adder that you learned how to row. So I had some of the Carpenters build this." she said.
"This looks well-made." said Smoke as he inspected it, "Well, let's try it out, then."
He held her paw and gently helped her get on board. He got into a comfortable rowing position and started to row away from the docks.
The setting sun gave the Murray river an orange glow. They sat in silence as they enjoyed the scenic view from the water. As the moon and the stars were slowly becoming visible, Smoke sensed some underwater monsters with his Cunning of the Dire Fox, as did Sierra with her Animal Instinct.
Moments later, a  giant alligator snapping turtle lunged out of the river and tried to take a bite out of them. Its one-meter wide mouth was only inches from Sierra when she plunged her claws into the turtle's neck and slashed it wide open.
The river monster desperately retreated with half of its life bar remaining. Sierra was about to go after it, but Smoke stopped her. "Let's leave it be and enjoy a quiet evening." he said. The other nearby monsters learned from the alligator snapping turtle and searched for a different prey.
Fireflies seen on the riverbanks gave their boat ride a serene and intimate atmosphere. Smoke kept silently rowing with a smile on his face. For the first time in a while, he felt at peace.
As they enjoyed this special moment in time, Smoke suddenly felt a searing pain on his chest and let go of the oars.
"What's wrong?" asked Sierra after seeing him clutch his chest.
The X-shaped scar Smoke received in the battle against Crucibelle was emitting a dark glow. "Aaahh!" Smoke arched his back in pain as a black lightning bolt escaped out of his flesh and turned into an orb of electricity.
It swiftly hovered directly above Smoke and Sierra. Recovering from the shock, he immediately equipped his power chainsaw bow and attacked the orb with arrows, but all of them merely went through it.
He quickly switched to his weighted chain and sickle and was about to leap towards it, but Sierra held onto him firmly. Smoke's action made their rowboat rock violently.
"Wait! We don't know what that thing is. Let's move away from it and call for help, just in case." pleaded Sierra.
Yet before they could do any of that, the orb transformed itself into a crow with black electric sparks coming out of its body.
"Nyak nyak nyak nyak! Oi, DarkElf, I can see you..." a sinister female voice was coming out of the crow, "It took longer than expected, but I've finally found you. Oh? And what do we have here? My rogue werebear. Well, who would have thought that I would find two people I've been dying to meet in the same place."
Both Smoke and Sierra froze as they wordlessly looked up to face the crow.
Smoke broke the silence and said, "Based on the electricity, I'm guessing you're Horrabelle?" He racked his brains trying to figure out a way to appease the last Witch of Wysteria.
"How dare you utter my name, you filthy scum!
You
, who killed my sisters!" screamed Horrabelle as her voice was projected out of the crow.
Smoke raised his hands in front of him as he tried to calm her down, "Yes, I killed them, but they left me no choice. I..."
"Silence!" A bolt of lightning came out of the crow and barely missed him, utterly destroying the lower half of one of the oars. "Don't bother telling me your lies. I only have one question for you." Horrabelle paused momentarily, "How do you like your army: burnt to a crisp or raw, with blood and guts coming out of their bodies?"
"No. None of that. Please, can't we talk this out?" begged Smoke, "I've seen the parchment Crucibelle sent and I know your secret."
"Secret?" answered Horrabelle in an alarmed voice, "No! You're just trying to trick me."
"I know that you and your sisters are the Magietrois." stated Smoke calmly.
It took a few seconds before Horrabelle's voice came out of the crow again. "So, you can read Gobberish, huh? I guess the cat's out of the bag. And what do you plan to do with this information, DarkElf?" she asked.
"I'm hoping to appeal to your better judgement. Please, let's talk this out." Smoke said, "Surely, you don't want the army you and your sisters gathered to suffer more losses. Aren't you preparing for the war against the Reptilian race?"
Again, the crow fell silent. This time, it took longer before it spoke. "How can you expect me to trust you, when you've already wronged me beyond repair?"
"Please state your conditions. I will meet you anytime, anywhere. I'll even go alone." said Smoke hurriedly.
"Is that so?" Horrabelle paused once more.
"You should have the blood of Terrabelle and Crucibelle in your possession. I want you to bring it to me.  Come to the plains of Tromperie, by yourself. You have twenty-four hours to comply." said Horrabelle. The crow then turned to Sierra. "I'm sorry, my dear werebear, but I'll have to see you another time."
Smoke paused. He had stayed in the region of Veneficatl valley for almost two months, but he never heard of that place. He worried that he wouldn't be able to make the trip within the given time limit.
Suddenly, a notification popped up.

He was surprised when his map was updated and showed a different route into the valley. If they had gone through here, it would have only taken their caravan half a day's worth of travel.
"Alright, but it will take me some time to get there." said Smoke in his begging voice, "How about three days from now instead?"
"No! That's far too long." It took Horrabelle a few seconds before she said, "Two days. If I don't see you in Tromperie then, expect my army to come and find you. Then we shall lay waste to everyone and everything." stated Horrabelle as a matter of fact.
"Thank you so much for understanding. Don't worry, I'll be there in two days." replied Smoke and bowed to the crow.
"Remember: If I see even a hint of the werebear or your private army, the deal is off." Horrabelle's voice trailed off and the crow suddenly exploded into oblivion.
"You're not really planning on going there alone, are you?" Sierra asked warningly, "You know that she could be leading you into a trap?"
"Yeah, I'm aware of that, but this seems like our only way of convincing her. Besides, what's the worst thing she could possibly do, kill me?" explained Smoke.
 

* * * * * * 

A sudden gust of wind picked up a cloud of dust off the ground of Tromperie and rushed towards Smoke's face. He reflexively shielded his eyes with his hands.
'I really should find some decent eye-protective equipment.' he wished inwardly.
He stood alone in the middle of the lifeless plains. A few minutes later, a vast army came into view.
A pale Witch clothed in a black robe was leading her monstrous army. Her slender figure sat comfortably on a dark elemental mare. Smoke instantly recognized her mount as a Nightmare. He had longed to hunt one for a while, for those elusive elemental mares had a chance to drop intermediate-level elemental stones.
With the aid of his Cunning of the Dire Fox, Smoke sensed that Horrabelle had a little over a thousand creatures behind her. He then used his Telefax Vision to get a clearer picture.
Like her sisters, she possessed distinct, unnerving beauty. Her black curls danced in the wind, exposing her tantalising green eyes.
Smoke looked beyond her and saw hundreds of werewolves whose body sizes matched those of Sierra's werewolf pack. Yet, Sierra only had forty-eight of them, while Horrabelle had almost a thousand. These werewolves were intimidating monsters in their own right, but Smoke's eyes fixated on the larger monsters walking in front of them. He counted six werebears of assorted colors, following closely behind the Witch.
'Looks like she mastered making Therianthropes by herself.' thought Smoke as he remembered Sierra's story of how she was cursed.
He shifted his gaze to the right and smiled at the sight of other monsters in her accursed army. On Horrabelle's left side, she had about eighty Tikbalangs. These red-eyed monsters with gnashing teeth and mane made out of sharp black spines may have looked terrifying to anyone else, but to him they looked like good friends he was about to meet.
However, his smile instantly disappeared as soon as he took a gander at the opposite side. On Horrabelle's right, she had five Gargantuan Goblins.
Horrabelle's army wasn't that large in number, but Smoke could tell that all of its members were high-quality monsters. He surmised that Horrabelle's younger sisters must have sent her their earlier finished products of dastardly innovations.
'All of those monsters will fight with me if I can convince her to join me.' Smoke could feel himself drooling at the thought of acquiring Horrabelle and her monster army.
Smoke called out to her as soon as she was a hundred meters away from him. "Hold it!" he shouted. "I've come alone. The least you could do is approach me by yourself."
His voice carried clearly over the distance. He carefully followed Horrabelle's movements as she looked like she was talking to her army. A few seconds later, she trotted on her Nightmare towards him.
"So, you really came alone." said Horrabelle as she glanced over Smoke's surroundings. She got off her mount and walked up to him.
"You told me to come by myself, so I did." said Smoke as he offered her his hand, "I'm serious about making amends and teaming up against the Reptilians."
Horrabelle crossed her arms in front of her and did not shake his hand. Instead, he felt her cold green eyes sizing him up as she stared at him intently.
"I didn't realize the name Magietrois still held this much sway." she stated. "Well, let's see it, then." she said as she displayed her left palm, as if asking for something.
"See what?" said Smoke pleasantly.
"My sisters' blood, of course!" said Horrabelle irritably.
"Oh, that." Smoke reached into his backpack window and took out the two vials containing Witches' blood.
"Give it here." she said as she took a step forward, reaching out for them with her hand.
"Sorry, but not just yet." Smoke pulled his hand back and returned the vials to his backpack window for safe keeping.
He smiled as he constantly tried to build rapport with Horrabelle and hopefully increase his Intimacy with her.
"Let's talk about a peace treaty first, maybe even come up with an alliance. Our goals are the same, after all." said Smoke cordially.
"Bollocks, you're really fixated on getting all friendly with me, aren't you?" Horrabelle leered as she frowned and crossed her arms again.
She paused as she appeared to be thinking things through. "My sisters would never let me hear the end of it in the afterlife if I were to side with their killer. But then again, they might understand that it'd be for a greater cause." said Horrabelle as she kept tilting her head from left to right.
"I must ask to use a Circle of Truth on you before I decide. I believe it's obvious why I have a problem trusting you." she said and looked at him bitterly.
"Fair enough. Cast away." said Smoke as he prepared himself to be asked a series of uncomfortable questions.
Horrabelle immediately began creating a black casting circle around them. As Smoke observed black lines connecting and numerous magical runes lighting up, he thought that her Circle of Truth looked really different from Baldaquin's.
"I'm a Witch, my dear. My Circle of Truth is different from a Light Wizard's." said Horrabelle suddenly, as if she read his mind.
"I don't mind. As long as it lets you know how sincere I am, it's all good." he said amiably.
She gave a small nod and said, "Let's begin, shall we?"
His stomach tied in knots as he heard her say that. "Ask away."
"Did you murder my sisters, Terrabelle and Crucibelle?" asked the Witch.
Smoke gulped before he answered, "Yes, I did, but like I was saying before, they left me with..."
Horrabelle raised her hand and interrupted him, "Silence! The questions asked inside a Circle of Truth need only be answered with 'Yes' or 'No'."
"Yes." he answered.
A white glow appeared around the two of them as numerous runes inscribed in the casting circle lit up.
"Did you take pleasure in killing them?" she asked.
"No." replied Smoke instantly.
Horrabelle's eyes grew wide as the circle produced the same white glow. "Hm. If you didn't take pleasure in killing them, then why kill them at all?" she asked.
"Um, I can't answer that with a 'Yes' or 'No'." said Smoke innocently.
Horrabelle sighed and said, "Of course." She looked displeased. Seconds later, she swiftly moved towards Smoke and grabbed him by his wrists. Smoke pulled back a little as he felt uncomfortable with her sudden closeness.
"Do you truly desire peace between us and have no other agenda?" she asked and stared into his eyes.
Smoke looked back at her with an unwavering gaze. He hoped that his next answer would be enough to finally convince her of his intentions. "Yes." he said confidently.
The Circle of Truth emitted an intense dark glow.
"What? Why is the glow different? I'm honestly telling the truth." he exclaimed.
"Oh, I know you are." she said as her face showed a devious smile.
Smoke looked troubled as her grip on his wrists tightened and her sharp nails started to dig into his skin.
"Nyak nyak nyak nyak. I told Crucibelle that even the dim-witted goblins would have a hard time believing we were the Magietrois. But for the first time, she proved me wrong." she said.
"Not only did she fool the Gobble Goblins, she managed to fool you as well! Nyak nyak nyak!" Horrabelle laughed maniacally and a small mouth suddenly appeared on each of her palms. Their sharp, jagged teeth sunk into Smoke's flesh. She then yelled, "
Ability Devourer!
"
A black progress bar appeared with 'Transmutation' written on it. Smoke tried to move, but he found himself completely paralyzed. Igniz, hidden in his compartment, tried to come out but also found himself incapacitated.
"Interesting. It usually only takes me a second to eat an ability." said Horrabelle while looking at the progress bar.
Smoke could only move his eyes and helplessly watched the progress bar completely filling up after five seconds.
As soon as it did, a notification window popped up.