Zectas Volume III: Malediction of Veneficatl Valley (47 page)

"No! No, no, no, no, no!" the Halfling kept yelling in horror once he saw Jane's cutlass sticking out from among the vines.
While still relatively far away from them, Pates grabbed one of the Pirates near it with its vines and sent him flying into the wall of a shack that was close to Smoke and Nain.
"Why??? Why did you do it, lord Pates?" Nain screamed at the monster, "She...she was...Jane was..." An image of the beautiful Pirate Captain caressing his face appeared in his mind.
As a tear fell on the ground in front of him, Nain gritted his teeth and stood up. Wiping his eyes, he picked up his dirk.
"Skullcaps!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. The Pirates all turned towards him. Nain climbed onto a nearby wooden barrel and addressed his comrades.
"Our lord has betrayed us! He killed our captain. He killed Captain Snow!" His voice was filled with rage, but his teary eyes revealed sadness. "And, cross my heart, we
will
make him pay!" Breathing heavily while the Pirates looked at each other with surprised faces, Nain spoke out once more.
"Remember well the sound of coins, the taste of rum, and everything else your hearts hold dear. Let the fear of death quicken your feet, and vengeance guide your hands. Because tonight, lads, our blades shall make a god bleed!"
He raised his dirk above his head and yelled, "In the name of the great Captain Jane Snow, I order ye: charge, Skullcaps! Chaarrrrge!"
As he brought down his dirk and pointed it at Pates, the group of fifty Pirates went around Igniz's firewalls and rushed straight towards the giant monster, ignoring Smoke and the others.
"Alright, time to make a run for it." Smoke told Brax and the captive children. Igniz extinguished his firewalls and all of them made a mad dash for the closest ship.
As they were running, Smoke glanced at Nain, ready to fight him if he tried to stop them. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw that Nain paid them no mind, jumped off the wooden barrel and joined the charge.
Together, Smoke and Brax made preparations for the ship's departure. They pulled out of the docks in no time at all. After they gained some distance away from the harbor, Smoke used his Telefax Vision and observed the ongoing battle between Pates and the Skullcaps.
The giant monster still had 70% of its life bar, while Nain was issuing orders to around thirty surviving Skullcaps. He surmised that the Halflings would be wiped out soon, but then he noticed that more Pirates were coming to their aid from across the bridges that connected the rocky islands. Now, Smoke was no longer sure which side would win. He had a desire to join in and have a three-way battle royale, but Brax's safety was his top priority.
"You want to go back and fight them, don't you?" Brax suddenly asked him.
"No, of course not." Smoke said and hurriedly shook his head, which made it obvious that he did want to go.
Their vessel speedily sailed through the waters. They had almost reached their gateway to freedom...the riverbend...when two pirate ships appeared out of it.
Smoke groaned and hit his hand flatly across his face. He took a deep breath. Slowly lowering his hand, he said, "Here we go again..."
                                    

* * * * * * 

Twelve hours passed before they finally arrived at the branch of the river that led to Sans Valeur. Vex, Forte and several other villagers carrying harpoons had gathered in front of the village, as a runner had warned them of an incoming pirate ship.
Vex cheered loudly as soon as he saw Brax standing on the deck. The crowd of defenders lowered their harpoons and joined Vex in shouts of joy.
As the ship dropped anchor, Vex ordered one of the defenders to run back ahead of them and tell the great news to other villagers.
"Brax is back! Brax is back!" shouted the defender as he ran through the village.
Once the dinghies carrying Smoke, Brax and the children got to shore, Vex ran to Brax and hugged him tightly. "I thought you were a goner for sure."
"I'm tougher than I look, Vex." chided Brax.
"Indeed you are." agreed Vex and released his hug, "Listen, I have to tell you something. I asked Father not to..."
"You don't have to say anything, Vex. I understand. And you were right, I didn't want you to try to save me." said Brax as he cut off his brother's explanation.
On their journey back, Brax had already asked Smoke why he was the only one there to rescue him. Smoke explained the reason truthfully and did not change a single word Vex said.
Vex gave Brax a simple nod, as a sign of utmost respect.
Together with the rescued children, Smoke, Brax and Vex headed straight to Prex's home. Along the way, the villagers were lined up on the tight and crooked streets. They were all shouting praises and thanks to their goddess Fleuve. Brax was greeted with a hero's welcome. Rumors had immediately spread of how he had saved the children from the Skullcaps, and was only helped by the DarkElf on occasion. In response to this, Smoke kept a low profile and followed meekly behind Brax. Vex followed Smoke's lead and had Brax lead their way.
Finally, they reached Prex's bamboo house and Brax hurriedly ran to his father, dropped down to his knees and said, "Father, I've returned and with me are..." Brax was not allowed to finish his report as his father hugged him tightly. 
"Praised be Fleuve for her mercy and protection. She really heard my prayers and sent you back to me." cried out Prex and hugged his son even tighter.
Smoke interrupted their reunion as he brought the children in and cramped the bamboo house. "These are the children the Skullcaps took from other villages. Rescuing them was Brax's idea. If it were up to me, I would have wanted to save them another time, when I would have had more people with me." he said with admiration, "But not Brax. He wouldn't leave the place he was kept in unless we brought all of the children along with us."
The old village chief looked at his son. "Brax, you may not have the respect of all the adults here yet, but you already have the loyal devotion of the next generation." he said proudly with a smile and then turned to the children, "I shall have our strongest fighters return each and every one of you to your villages." Prex paused and looked at them sympathetically, "In the unfortunate event that any of them no longer exist, you are welcome to live here in Sans Valeur. We shall build homes for you here and you will be treated properly."
The children smiled and cheered as they hugged each other. Tears flowed down their faces as they finally felt that they were safe.
"Father, thank you for that." said teary-eyed Brax, "But we wouldn't have made it back if it weren't for Smoke."
Prex then turned to Smoke and called for him to come closer. "There are no words to describe how grateful to you I am for bringing back my son to me. If you ever need anything from Sans Valeur, please don't hesitate to ask."
A notification window popped up.

Smoke's experience bar increased by a small amount and was now close to being full. He shook Prex's hand and said, "Thank you for the trust you put in me. I will always treasure my time here."
Prex nodded and smiled gratefully to Smoke.
Brax then tapped Smoke's shoulder and said, "This isn't expensive, but it's one of my most treasured items." He took out a handcrafted toy model of a fishing boat and gave it to Smoke. "It was a gift from my mother. It has no special attributes, but it's what kept me going after she died. I'm afraid this is all I can offer as your reward for your great service." said an indebted Brax.
Suddenly, a notification window popped up.

Smoke was already more than satisfied with the experience reward. He knew there was no way Brax would leave the village and join his army, but he treasured the sentiment. He took the small fishing boat and stored it safely in his backpack window. He then turned to Brax and said, "I have something for you as well."
He took out the purple-colored jacket and hat. "These should help you protect your village if the Pirates ever come back. Be sure to practice your fighting abilities daily. Once you become the village chief, you will need to be strong enough to protect and inspire those around you."
Brax's eyes grew wide with amazement. "I've never seen such equipment. No, I can't possibly accept these. I'm sure they would be very useful to you." Brax strongly shook his head and refused.
"Take them. Consider them my parting gift to you. You'll greatly dishonor me if you don't accept it." said Smoke convincingly.
With his arms stretched out, Brax humbly received the equipment set. "Thank you. You've helped me beyond measure. If I had the power, I would have given you the title of one of Fleuve's saints." he said sincerely and gave Smoke a small bow.
Although the purple-colored equipment proved to be useful, Smoke needed to keep wearing Sable Wizard's Surcoat for its boost to received exp in order to catch up to Tristan and Amahan. And since he wouldn't have access to the set's equipment ability with just the hat on, he decided it'd be best to leave both items with Brax.
This assured him that Brax could survive on his own and protect Sans Valeur until the time comes when Smoke finds himself in need of its residents' help.
Smoke then stood straight and spoke to everyone in the room, "I'm sorry, everyone, but I must go." He then turned to Prex and said, "I'm sure that Brax will be a great successor to you." He gave them both a bow and was about to leave the bamboo house when a runner arrived with some news.
The runner took a deep breath before giving out his report. "Honorable Prex, a group of Murlocks and Lamias was seen heading to the entrance to the branch of the river that leads to our village." he said joyfully while breathing heavily, "With this, we should be protected by their Siren Song from both Pirates and monsters alike."
Smoke continued on his way out of the house, but not before he heard Prex say, "Even without the Murlocks back, I know that our village will be safe with Brax protecting it."
With his back turned to them, Smoke's lips curled into a proud smile. He walked over to where he hid his rowboat and rowed out of Sans Valeur before the group of monsters the runner mentioned could arrive and block his path. He resumed his journey back to Verbrannt with a light heart and a clear mind.

END