Zectas Volume V: The Sequestered Seminary of Sawtorn (28 page)

"Can I wear this now?" asked an excited Smoke.
"Of course, Faux, go right ahead," replied Eleve and smiled at him.
Smoke pinned the phoenix-brooch right next to Igniz's metallic orb.
CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE
At once, Smoke heard the sounds of leather burning. He stared down at his clothes and found them on fire.
"What's going on? Why are my clothes on fire?" he asked Eleve. "Is it suppose to do that?"
"Yes, just wait a while," she replied. "Relax, it won't hurt a bit."
The flames traced an imaginary intricate pattern on everything that he wore. After a few minutes, the flames finally died out.
His entire ensemble were all accented with fire-red linings. It was a slight improvement from his tattered beggar appearance, but it was still a visible upgrade.
'I bet this will look great with my Paradox Pyro Face,' he thought, excited to see his new appearance.
"This is amazing!" exclaimed Smoke. "I don't think I've ever looked this great!" he said, pleased that he did not look as bad as before.
"Really? You're already happy with this?" asked Eleve in disbelief. "You know, the brooch is suppose to do more than that."
She walked closer to him with her eyebrows furrowed, and inspected it. "It should make you look like a nobleman, at least. But with you, there's barely any change."
Smoke's shoulders dropped two inches. He knew why the effects of the Florissant Emblem: Journeyman was only by this much. It was because of his low Beggar Level.
"You see, Eleve, I'm not technically an Earth Elementalist," began Smoke. "I'm actually a Beg—"
He was not able to finish his revelation, as Eleve beat him to it. "You're a Beggar, aren't you?"
"You know about Beggars?" asked an astonished Smoke.

=======

Smoke snapped back to reality when he heard the Announcer's insulting voice. "We may not be able to see Ouragan or Faux, but we sure know who's in for a lot of trouble now!"
Hearing this made Smoke grin. He knew that this was the perfect opportunity to show the Prime Wizard and everyone here, his hidden ace.
Tapping on the metallic orb on his chest, he said. "Igniz, let's do this!"
After he Synergized with his dark ember sprite, purple smoke came out of his skin. Wanting to end it quickly, Smoke used his Trailblazer around the ring, and created a red, circular firewall. He then used his increased Fire Manipulation ability, and turned the red flames into dark-purple.
His circular firewall rapidly increased in height, as their dark flames were fanned by Ouragan's tempestuous tornado.
In less than ten-seconds, his dark flames had fully consumed the tornado and took its place in all entirety.
Before Ouragan could fly out of the now black-flame-tornado, Smoke pointed his right hand upward. He enclosed the mouth of the flame-twister with a continuous barrage of fire-spears.
Covered in a wind-force-field, Ouragan tried to fly through it. However, Smoke's fire-spears pierced through the Prime Wizard's wind-barrier with ease.
Then, thirty-two sharp fire-swords protruded out of the dark flames from the fire-twister. The flying flaming swords bashed Ouragan's wind-shield without mercy. All the Prime Wizard could do was to take a nosedive and evade Smoke's flaming weapons.
The jumbovision screen focused on the Announcer's perturbed face. "What's going on!" he screamed. "Faux is cheating! Isn't he suppose to be an Earth Elementalist? Why is he using Fire? How did he turn Prime Wizard Ouragan's Tornado against him?"
The Announcer was cut off, as an official in hooded-black-robes walked up next to him. "Everyone, I've just been informed that Faux has recently learned this ability. As an Elementalist, it is within the realm of possibilities for him to acquire this power."
The jumbovision screen captured the disgusted face of the Announcer. "Ahem. I guess it's a legal move, after all. But don't worry, I'm sure Prime Wizard Ouragan will do something against this underhanded attack."
While the Announcer was raging on about Smoke's Fire Manipulation, Ouragan had dropped mid-way into the flame-tornado. Along his descent, a few fire-spears and fire-swords made direct contact with the Prime Wizard's flesh. His life bar revealed (875,000/900,000 HP).
Forced down to the floor of the ring, Ouragan constructed several wind-shields. With the Wind element being weak against Fire, the Prime Wizard's barrier barely gave any defense to withstand Smoke's powered-up flame attacks.
"It would seem that you really are the one," blurted out Ouragan from his hunched position.
Smoke grinned, pleased at his hardwork and luck for meeting Eleve. It was a strenuous path, but he persevered. Now, his Fire Manipulation ability had grown to Intermediate Level 9.
Suddenly, Smoke got a strange feeling from Ouragan. He noticed that the Prime Wizard did not look troubled at all.
"However, I can't let it end this way," declared the old HighElf. "If I became complacent and stopped improving myself when I mastered the Wind Element, then you might have won," he added. "Unfortunately for you, I am and will always be an eternal student. I have never stopped my journey on the road to learning."
'What is he hiding?' thought a worried Smoke.
Ouragan looked above the mouth of the flame-tornado. Smoke reflexively turned to the heavens as well. There, they found that storm clouds had gathered overhead.
"I haven't mastered this element, yet, but when joined with my Wind, it becomes something else..." Ouragan's voice trailed, as he melded Water with Wind and created Ice.
Slowly, the fire-tornado turned to a solid block of ice, as Ouragan's melded element went spiraling down.
Smoke hurriedly let out several fireballs and transformed them into flame-arrows. He sent all of them flying straight towards Ouragan, but the Prime Wizard simply deflected it with a water-shield.
"Did you know that I took up the ways of the Water because it covered the weakness of my Wind?" explained Ouragan. "Truth be told, my melded element of Ice might have been weak against your flames, if you mastered it."
Undeterred, Smoke let out sixteen flame-swords which bypassed Ouragan's water-shield.
However, a puddle of water discreetly appeared under Smoke's feet. Ouragan then launched several water-lances from below him.
His Cunning of the Dire Fox detected the obstructed attack, Smoke leapt backwards with his Hyper Jump ability, only to be trapped inside a floating bubble of water.
"Sorry, Smoke, but this is the end," said Ouragan.
Smoke could not believe what he heard. How could have Ouragan known about his real name? Trapped inside the floating water, he struggled to swim out, but the Prime Wizard began turning it into a block of ice.
He instantly felt his arms and feet turn numb, as the water solidified around him. Despite being captured, what worried Smoke was that he was running out of air. He drank a few gulps, as his lungs involuntarily made him try to breathe.
Fortunately, Ouragan manipulated the water to push him upward, exposing only his head. "Now, I don't want you to go dying on me," said the old HighElf.
Then, the Announcer's voice boomed from beyond the solid fire-tornado turned to ice. "You see that, Folks? What did I tell you? Prime Wizard Ouragan has this in the bag."
The audience erupted into a loud cheer.
"I'm sorry I can't commentate on what's going on inside the block of ice, but I can assure you that Prime Wizard Ouragan has the upper hand," added the Announcer. He paused and then turned to face the camera rune focused on him. "Oh, and if any of you are thinking that him using another element is illegal, then you better just shut up!"
As the water bubble turned to solid ice, Smoke stared at Ouragan with crossed eyes. He was angry at the old man for hiding this ability, but he was more angry with himself for being over confident.
Now, that he was completely frozen, Smoke tried to let out his dark flames to melt the ice. Yet, his Fire was not enough to thaw his icy prison, as Ouragan constantly replenished the ice. Smoke experienced the bitter taste of his own technique, as he remembered what he did to Xantana.
"Confidence is good, but it could backfire on you if you have too much of it," blurted out Ouragan, as if reading his mind. "Do you concede? Or do I have to drop you out of the ring?"
Smoke knew that he could do nothing to stop the Prime Wizard from dropping him to the ground. Against his will, he nodded in surrender.
The Prime Wizard then turned around, which slightly lifted up his blue robe. It was only for a moment, but Smoke caught a glimpse of it. He wore a belt studded with special stones.
Ouragan then shattered the block of tornado into innumerable pieces, turning them into snowflakes.
As soon as the two finalists became visible, the Announcer's voice bellowed out from the jumbovision screen. "Prime Wizard Ouragan is our Champion! Prime Wizard Ouragan wins! He is the 999th Magi Gagnant Winner!"
"Prime Wizard Ouragan will receive the 999th Magi Gagnant Trophy, fifty-million zecs, one treasure from King Kajou's vault, and a chance to talk with Magietrois Florissant herself!" added the Announcer.
Ouragan waved to the crowd, and walked over to the incapacitated Smoke.
"You've done well, Smo— Faux," said Ouragan as he turned to the trapped Smoke.
"Really? No wonder I'm the one stuck in a block of ice," replied a sarcastic Smoke.
"Indeed. Otherwise, I wouldn't have resorted to using my secret melded Ice ability," explained Ouragan.
"Because of this, you have gained my respect," added the Prime Wizard.
A notification window then popped up.

"If there's ever anything I can do," said Ouragan. "Please don't hesitate to—"
Smoke did not let the old HighElf finish, as he knew exactly what he wanted to ask. "Take me with you when you go to see Florissant!"
Ouragan raised his eyebrows at Smoke.
"I mean, please, may I accompany you to see Magietrois Florissant," he begged in a more pleasant tone.

* * * * * * 

While Ouragan was up on stage to receive the prize money and trophy, Smoke remained on top of the ring. He was still partially stuck inside the block of ice, as he had not fully melted himself out of it.
Now, that he was immobilized, he expected to see more clay-pots thrown at him. However, there were none, as the crowd had obediently followed Ouragan's words.
Given their special passes, Avilo, Jack, and Mouche walked over to the busy Smoke thawing off the ice.
"Good show, Faux. But just as I said, you can't beat Prime Wizard Ouragan," said Avilo, while patting him on the back.
"If you had the ability to use Fire all this time, why did you just use it now?" asked Mouche.
"I didn't," replied Smoke, as he continued on melting the ice. "I learned it, in order to beat Ouragan. Unfortunately, my training was still not enough."
"Of course!" declared Avilo. "I hope, now, you have learned your lesson, Faux."
Smoke grinned in response.
"Well, I still think your fight was great!" interjected Jack. "I don't know if you heard from the inside, but the entire audience almost gasped when Ouragan used his Ice magic."
"That's true," added Mouche. "By using the wonderful element of Fire, you've forced Prime Wizard Ouragan to reveal his true self."
CRACK
Smoke finally stepped out of the ice-block. "Well, thanks for everything, Guys," he said to Avilo, Jack, and Mouche. "But I have somewhere else to go."
"Where?" asked Jack.
"With him," replied Smoke, pointing to Ouragan who walked up next to them.
"Ready to go?" Ouragan asked Smoke.
"Yeah," answered Smoke. "But first there's a few people I'd like you to meet."
He then pointed to his three Zectian friends. "These are Avilo, Jack, and Mouche. They're a big fan of yours."
"Oh, I've already met Lord Avilo," said Ouragan, shaking the young nobleman's hand. "And Mouche as well."
"I think it's just Jack that I haven't met," added the Prime Wizard, shaking Jack's hand. "A pleasure to meet you, young man."
"The pleasure is all mine, Sir, Prime Wizard, Sir," replied Jack with trembling hands.
Ouragan cordially bowed down to them and turned to Smoke. "Well, are you coming or not?"
"Of course, I am!" exclaimed Smoke, and the two of them headed out of the stadium together.
A bewildered Avilo stared at the backs of the Magi Gagnant Tournament finalists. "When did those two become friends?"
"I wonder if Sir Faux knew Prime Wizard Ouragan's mother?" said Mouche out loud.
"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Avilo.
"I don't know, the thought just popped into my head," replied the old Steward. "Seeing as how they're so chummy now."

* * * * * * 

When Smoke and Ouragan got out of earshot, Smoke thought to ask the Prime Wizard the thing that had been bugging him for a while. "I never expected to see a fellow 'Verum de Mendicantibus' here in Sawtorn," began Smoke. "How is our Brotherhood of Beggars doing?"
Ouragan stopped walking and faced him. "I'm glad you finally figured that out," he said.
"I am Beggar Evocati Ouragan," declared the old HighElf. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Brother Smoke."
With an open palm on his left hand and a fist on his right, Ouragan made both his hands meet in front of his heart.
Smoke hurriedly bowed down and greeted the higher ranked Beggar in the same manner. He was caught off guard, as it had been a long time since he used the salutation which Darius taught him.
"So, you really aren't a High Wizard?" Smoke asked.
Ouragan chuckled. "I'm much as a High Wizard as you are an Earth Elementalist."
"You know, I was never going to tell you if you didn't realize it on your own," joked the old HighElf and resumed walking. "After all, I have been watching you ever since you got off the docks in Vona City."
"You were?" asked Smoke in disbelief. "Are you serious? I never noticed."
Then, it dawned on him when he was forcibly deported to the island of the clawfuls. "So, it was you who was watching me in Pincer Island?"
"No, that wasn't me," replied Ouragan, shaking his head. "I don't even know where that is."
Smoke scratched the back of his head in confusion. He was sure that Ouragan was the mysterious stalker.
"But I did see you go out of Vona City with a tied up nobleman once," said Ouragan, pointing out the time when he caught Daniel.
"Wait! If you know that, then you know about Cynar!" said Smoke in anger. "I thought the Brotherhood of Beggars was suppose to protect the balance of justice? How could you—"
Ouragan stopped him from going on any further. "Yes, we know about Cynar's operations, but the reason we allowed him to continue was because he was going after the Ork Hordes," explained the Prime Wizard.
"But what about the captured children?" asked Smoke.
"We had two OrkElves deep undercover in Cynar's crew. They were hired to do excavation work on Diebe Den, but they were actually there to rescue the captured nobles."
Ouragan then chuckled. "Unfortunately, their mission changed, as someone else beat them to it." He then patted Smoke's shoulder. "Good job on that, by the way."
"So, you're still keeping tabs on Cynar and Blaise until now?" clarified Smoke.
"Absolutely!" replied Ouragan. "And I'm happy to tell you that Cynar has stopped his kidnapping operations. He's now more focused on increasing his army to fight against the Orks."
As they marched farther in, Smoke thought to do a little chit-chat. It was an attempt to raise his Intimacy with Ouragan.
"So, you've been watching me all this time, huh?" blurted out Smoke.
"Correct. We've kept our eyes on you for a while," replied Ouragan. "But I have to say, we lost track of you, when you and that little flower girl went into that mountain."
Smoke looked confused. 'They didn't find the teleportation circle inside the mountain?' he wondered.
"Was that where you learned your Fire Manipulation?" asked Ouragan.
"Yes, it was," replied Smoke.
Deep within Pulper Arena, the old HighElf and DarkElf continued on towards an underground chamber, which led to several tunnels.
"Smoke, there's something else I forgot to mention," said Ouragan. "I was the one who informed the Beggar Brotherhood about one of the Magietrois being in Sawtorn."
"Guess I have a lot of things to thank you for," said Smoke, grinning behind his Paradox Mask.
"So, is she old?" asked Smoke. "You've met Magietrois Florissant before, right?"
"Of course, she is," replied Ouragan. "What do you expect from someone who is turning ninety-two?"
Smoke pulled on Ouragan's shoulder, stopping both of them. "Wait, what? Isn't she suppose to be at least over a thousand years old?"
"Who told you that?" asked Ouragan with a raised eyebrow. "You didn't believe the legends to be actually true, did you?"
Ouragan let out a deep sigh. "I specifically wrote on my report that Magietrois Florissant was a title passed down from master to student," explained the Prime Wizard. "The current Magietrois Florissant is the 16th one to assume the title."
Smoke unequipped his mask, as he tried to breathe. "If she's not the one from the legends, then she's not the Magietrois that I'm looking for."
Ouragan stopped walking, and turned back to where Smoke stood in a daze.
"Listen, she may not be the same one who fought against the Reptilian Race, but maybe she'll have the answer to what you're looking for?" said Ouragan.
"I guess it couldn't hurt to ask," said Smoke out loud, as he tried to stay positive.
So, the two of them continued treading the floors of the underground tunnel, towards where the current Magietrois Florissant was waiting for them.
"Why do you need to find the Magietrois, anyway?" asked Ouragan, as they dawdled along.
"I need to find the Magietrois who has the power over life and death," said Smoke with conviction. "I need the Magietrois who is a Thaumaturge."
"I see, I've read about them," said Ouragan. "But in all my years here in Zectas, I haven't personally met one. They probably don't exist anymore, or if there is one, he or she might be hiding from the world."
"I know. Darius has been asking about it in the Brotherhood, but even with his access, none of them could find a Thaumaturge as well," said Smoke.
"You know Beggar Legati Darius?" asked Ouragan in disbelief.
"Yeah," said Smoke, and began to tell the old HighElf everything he knew about Darius.
They sustained their talk about the Brotherhood the whole time. From the glorious past until its recent developments. Engrossed by their topic, they failed to notice the simple wooden door in front of them.
"Oh, we're here," said Ouragan and stopped in front of it.
"Smoke, I'll call you Faux behind this door," said Ouragan in all seriousness. "I think that only those in the Brotherhood of Beggars should know about your real identity."
Smoke had already messed that up, as he told Perdant who he really was. Trying to change the subject, Smoke grabbed the door's handle. He tried to open it for Ouragan, but instead of opening, a notification window popped up.