Zectas Volume IV: The Salubrious City of Centzo (22 page)

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Under the heat of the scorching midday sun, loud drums echoed throughout Verbrannt as all of its residents celebrated in the village square to share in a communal lunch.
The wandering Lioumereans immediately showcased their strength as they set up tents over the square which covered more than four hundred tables filled with delectable dishes. These were spread all around the square to accommodate Verbrannt's current population of over sixteen thousand people.
It was a perfect setup for everyone to raise their Intimacy with each other. The newcomers mingled with those who had stayed longer and swapped stories and opened business opportunities.
In the midst of the celebration, Smoke wanted to go to a more intimate location with Sierra, but his mind dwelled on the fact that his core members from Nanahuatl felt estranged with one another.
So, instead of a romantic boat ride for two, Smoke and Sierra broke bread with his core members. They sat in a table filled with scrumptious food, but it was dulled by surrounding heavy air of awkwardness. 
To break the silence, Smoke began to tell them of his return to the labyrinth and how he created Adelige. This sparked an interest in his core members as they asked question after question.
After Smoke shared his latest exploits in Zuchthaus, he asked the Hunters on their subjugation quest of Anbau forest.
As soon as they started sharing what happened in Anbau, squabbles of each other's actions erupted. Smoke raised his hand and asked each one of them to tell their side of the story.
Ichaival went first. "When I was assigned to take the northern part of the forest, I wasn't trying to show off when I asked to only have the Banalite Archers. I did that because I knew we would only be facing a few mandrills."
"How did you figure that?" asked Smoke curiously.
"Well, Sharanga had the western side while Sharur and Jinggu had the eastern. I knew that their forces would expand more to the north and cover most of my area. So, I just had the Archers station on top of the trees and finish off the mandrills who tried to escape by the treetops."
The rest of the Nanahuatlanos quieted down and looked shamefully at their food. They knew that each of them had their own reasons for acting out on their own, but at the end of the day they knew that they always had each other's back.
After Ichaival's explanation, the mood of their table grew lighter and merrier. Now, that they've cleared out the air, Smoke asked them to mingle with the other residents.
As Sierra started walking towards the orphans from Mount Foudre, Smoke grabbed her hand and pulled her into an alleyway.
In a deep voice and a forced accent, Smoke told her. "Come with me if you want to live."  
He then took her to the boats stationed on the canals and rowed away with her to the Murray river. He had to take her away from everyone else in order to avoid any further distractions. There was always someone wanting to talk to them.
While rowing out of Verbrannt, Smoke started explaining why he only managed to make one Maneator, Adelige. Also, Darius' explanation on how to make the blood crystals working.
"...Darius told me that the Tenebris sacrificed a thousand Zectians to make one blood crystal, and the one in the Tenebris Laboratory needs five blood crystals. So, it looks like I won't be making any new Maneators anytime soon," said Smoke. He shook his head, disgusted at the idea of killing thousands of people to gain power.
"I think four Maneators is already plenty," replied Sierra who sat across him. "And I'm sure the ones who were sacrificed to make them will be proud of the great work they are doing and are about to do."
Smoke fully agreed as he was already very proud of them.
"But there is one other thing that I gained from my time in the labyrinth," he said proudly. "I finally reached Master Level for my Agility of the Horned Rabbit. I'll show it to you one time, but there's something else I'd like to show you first."
Now, that they were farther out, he placed the oars in the boat and took out a small earth statue from his backpack.
"It's not much, but I made it specially for you," he explained nervously.
It was a small statue of HighElf dressed in a Battle Priestess's armor.
"I was planning on giving you a useful item from the Labyrinth, but there were none useable for Acolyte variations," said Smoke and gave her the HighElf statue.
Sierra carefully took the statue with both her paws and examined it. She couldn't believe the intricate detail done on the armor, but what touched her even more was how Smoke captured her face. It was if she was looking into a more beautiful version of herself.
"I...don't know what to say," said a teary eyed Sierra. "Thank you. I'll treasure this forev—"
Suddenly, they reached a portion of the river that had some rapids, and her Werebear claws accidentally dropped the statue into the water.
Smoke dove in and caught the statue before it sunk to the bottom of the river. He quickly climbed back on board the rowboat.
"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to drop it. It just slipped out of my hands," explained Sierra somberly as she stared at her claws.
"Don't worry about it," said Smoke. He stowed it back in his backpack and held her claws.
However, Sierra instantly pulled them away. "Apart from fighting, it's awkward to do anything else in this cursed form," she said as she stared at herself.
She sat farther down the rowboat.
"Do you know how long I've wanted to try cooking here in Zectas, use the amazing items that we loot, use abilities other than Double Slash...and do other things as well," she said with a hurt voice while staring deeply into his eyes.
Smoke knew that her Werebear form was a nuisance, but he didn't realize just how much it had bothered her. He then forcibly grabbed her claws. "I swear. You won't stay in your cursed form for much longer."
He then pulled her in for a hug. The two of them sat silently in the rowboat, allowing the river to take them wherever its current carried them.
After a few minutes of tranquility, Smoke received an emergency call from his Spy.
"I'm really sorry, but I have to take this," he apologized profusely and answered. "Espion, what's wrong?"
"The Duke is finally well enough to see people, but he won't see me without you," explained Espion.
"But why would he want to personally talk to me?" asked a puzzled Smoke.
"Why won't he talk to you? Tell him that you're my direct representative. Talking to you is just like talking to me," he replied quickly as he wanted to get back to his personal time with Sierra.
Espion's voice cracked. "His adviser told me that if you won't come, then their city will surely be destroyed. At the moment, they Brandals have us surrounded and even I have difficulty leaving the city now. Also, he told me that they have a plan, but it needs your participation."
A concern look appeared on Smoke's face. "Centzo's survival depends on it, huh?"
He caught Sierra's gaze as she smiled at him faintly.
"You have to go. Otherwise, we would have spent the last few months for nothing," spoke Sierra in a hushed voice.
Smoke grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. "Alright, I'll be there as soon as I can."
 

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An hour passed before he received Espion's call. Smoke was now gliding at his top speed towards Centzo. Always vigilant, Smoke considered the possibility that this was a trap which was why he decided to go there by himself.
Before he left, Smoke, Sierra and the rest of the strategists held a brief meeting. They decided that it was best for their main strike force to leave for Mount Vorteil, a mountain five kilometers away from Braucht Hilfe village.
In this manner, they could see everything clearly from on top of the mountain and react in time. They could escape from other directions or commence a full out assault.
With the recent addition of villagers, Verbrannt's population bolstered to over sixteen thousand people. Proportionally, the Vigilantez strike force had greatly increased.
However, the recently added wandering Lioumerean leaders asked that they would be exempted from this battle. As they had only recently joined and his Intimacy with them was still in their low 50's, Smoke could not deny their request.
On the other hand, two thousand of the Ranseurs from Pinagsama, Tatlong and Lugar were willing to volunteer to fight for Centzo's freedom. With this, they now had over four thousand members of their strike force.
Traveling with such a large force would normally delay their arrival. However, Sharanga, Laernea and Gandiva already considered such a scenario, which was why they designed carriage transports to be pulled off by four aardwolves. With the help of Verbrannt's craftsmen, they assembled a hundred of these transports that could carry thirty people.
Their caravan had two-hundred-forty war chariots, a hundred carriage transports, sixty-one mounted Elemental Knights, three war elephants and two war carriages.
Due to this, Sierra and Smoke's core members would make the journey in three days time.
Their forces may have increased in numbers, but Horrabelle and the Brandals still greatly outnumbered them. To compensate for this, they relied on the improved quality of their members and their ability to think on their feet.
On the way to Centzo, Smoke stopped to take a short nap in the real world. He logged out of Zectas and returned four hours laters.
The orange rays of the morning sun greeted him as he glided straight from midnight to dawn. Eighteen hours had passed since his call with Espion, and he hoped that he arrived in a favorable time. He flew above the clouds in order to remain hidden from the stationed Brandals encircling the city.
'I see what Espion was talking about,' he thought to himself as he watched the bandits with his Telefax Vision. From their formation, he could tell that they were going for an all out attack on the city soon.
Then, as he looked to the horizon, Centzo glowed with golden luster as the sun rays reflected against its walls. The city's capital sat on top of a mountain. Sadly, the area around it had turned into a lifeless desert, as it had been completely decimated from the Brandals attacks. He imagined how wonderful it must have looked if war had not come to this place.
When he was directly above the city, he closed his cloak and dove at a frightening speed. A notification window popped up as he got closer to the ground.
 

He closed the window and concentrated on finding Espion. He opened his cloak only when he was forty meters above the ground.
While he dove, he got a chance to observe the city. Centzo's solid-rock walls were over forty meters tall and ten meters thick. Their houses were well made and mostly reached up to the third floor.
However, what took his attention were the numerous amphitheaters with live plays being conducted throughout the city. He counted at least seven of them.
'It's still this early, but they're citizens are already out watching plays?' Smoke thought curiously as he watched from above.
He continued on his slow descent and finally spotted Espion in front of a tall building, waiting for him. He changed directions and landed softly in front of his Spy.
"Welcome to Centzo," greeted Espion joyfully.
"Hello, how's Centzo been treating you," said Smoke with a smile and hugged his friend.
"It's strangely fun," replied Espion with a confused look. "Anyway, we've got to hurry and meet the Duke in his private theater."
"Theater? Why meet him there?" he asked and followed after a sprinting Espion who entered the tall building.
Four Royal Knights equipped in gold armor met them before they could climb a tall staircase covered in a fine red carpet.
Espion showed them a parchment with a sealed signature, which allowed the two of them to go up. There, they met eight more Royal Knights of the same caliber as the ones below. They were protecting a door behind them. His Spy showed the same parchment and they were allowed to enter the room.
Smoke and Espion walked in on a private marionette show. There were only two people watching the puppet play. A Sonstwelter Priest in his mid twenty's, clothed in gold embroidered Priest robes and a young boy dressed in an extravagant royal clothes.
He guessed that the boy must have been ten years old at most. Smoke concluded that he must be the son of someone important.
However, the Sonstwelter's attire looked like it would be difficult to fight in it. He surmised that it must have been a ceremonial wardrobe, fixed on increasing Charm.
"Who are they?" asked Smoke in a hushed voice.
"Shush! It's getting to the good part," ordered the aristocratic boy without looking at Smoke and Espion.
He and Espion sat down quietly and watched the puppet show.
The puppeteer's voice boomed from behind the large-sized puppet theater.
"...And so it came to be that the two princes of the kingdom went their separate ways," said the puppeteer and moved two identical looking marionettes away from each other.
"Dosadno, the older prince, decided to stay inside the castle walls to defend it. Whereas, his younger brother, Neizvestan, went outside and faced their invaders head on."
The next scene depicted the younger prince battling their enemies and being overpowered.
"But instead of retreating, Neizvestan lured their enemies away to the far horizon. Never to be seen again," said the voice behind the curtains and ended his story.
The young aristocrat applauded loudly. The Sonstwelter Priest beside him, followed suit. Smoke and Espion did the same and clapped as well.
Espion stood up and motioned for Smoke to follow him towards the youth.
"Ahem. Duke Jeune, I'd like to introduce Smoke, esteemed leader of the Vigilantez," said Espion with a small bow and pointed to the DarkElf.
A surprised Smoke quickly lowered his head and greeted Centzo's Duke respectfully. "A pleasure to meet you, Duke Jeune."
Espion then pointed to the Sonstwelter Priest. "And this is Incitant, leader of the Centzo's Sonstwelter Alliance."
Smoke extended his hand to Incitant. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise," replied Incitant in a friendly manner. "I've watched most of your videos. You're very impressive for someone who started a year after most of us."
Smoke smiled politely, but remained apprehensive at Incitant's cordial appearance.
Then, the young duke called their attention. "Now, let me cut to the chase. My sources have told me of your great achievements against the Brandals and Horrabelle."
"What achievements?" asked Smoke curiously.
"Didn't your guild fight them off on more than one occasion?" asked Duke Jeune. "I even heard that your guild killed the other two Witches of Wysteria. Not only that you are currently at war with Horrabelle. You recently thwarted her by rescuing a group of children and gobble goblins from her black mansion in Mount Foudre. Although, you did destroy Gitna Dam. You also rescued three villages and killed over two-thousand Brandals in the process."
Smoke forcibly closed his open mouth. "How do you know all of that?"
He couldn't believe how the Duke even knew about the number of Brandal casualties from the time he rescued the three villages. He didn't even know how many he killed.
"I have my sources," stated the young Duke calmly. "But of course, Incitant, here has also rendered exemplary service. He has protected this city many times over. I doubt our city would still be standing here today, if not for him."
'How could such a young kid be so profound?' he wondered to himself as he listened to him talk.
"So, now that I have the two Sonstwelters needed to free Centzo. I would like us to hold a strategy meeting," declared Duke Jeune.
"Alright, I'm ready whenever you are, Duke," replied Incitant, giving the Duke a slight bow.
Smoke, who decided to lay back and observe everyone, only nodded in agreement. "Same here."
Duke Jeune motioned for them to sit next to him. "Before we begin, let's wait for my most trusted Adviser."
"Of course, where is he?" asked Smoke as he looked at the door behind them, expecting the adviser to come out.
"He's right there," answered the Duke and pointed to a middle-aged puppeteer, dressed in a long blue robe, who got out from behind the puppet theater.
From the man's appearance, Smoke guessed that he was in his late fifties. Yet, he exuded an air of dignity around him. He was still, however disturbed by the man's clothes. It looked like it had seen better days. They looked to be a bit tattered and worn-out.
"Hello. My name is Prosjak Clandestine," spoke Duke's adviser and offered his hand to Smoke.
"From your robes, I thought you were a—" Smoke stopped himself from saying something offensive.
"A pleasure to meet you, Prosjak," he replied quickly and shook his hand.
Duke Jeune, then pointed to his adviser. "Go ahead, Prosjak, you have the floor." He then motioned for everyone else sit while Prosjak discussed their plan.
"Thank you, your Grace," said Prosjak and bowed before Duke Jeune. "If you have any questions, please feel free to interrupt me anytime."
"My gathered intelligence tells me that the Brandals will attack five days from now," began Prosjak. "While waiting for that day to arrive, Horrabelle is stationed in Braucht Hilfe village. She is having a hard time to strengthening her army."
Prosjak looked at Smoke with a smile. "Apparently, someone released her gobble goblins and she had her Therianthropes hunt them down. They're also waiting in that village for more reinforcements to arrive."
Smoke raised his hand. "Why five days? What happens then?"
Prosjak donned a blank expression. "In five days, Centzo will run out of food."
"We've strictly provisioned our food supply, giving only the minimum amount to survive. Even, Duke Jeune is fasting."
"But I thought you still had plenty of supply left. I mean, there are a lot of performances happening right now," said Smoke, but after closely observing the young Duke, he just noticed the Duke's sunken cheeks.
Prosjak started talking after Smoke fell silent. "When the Brandals attacked, our people huddled inside their homes and lived in fear. Some kept on praying to Cuezaltzin while others fell hysterical," he explained and took a deep breath before continuing. "Duke Jeune was aware of their plight and to empathize with them, he started to fast. He also searched for a way to soothe their troubled minds. In order to clear his own, he asked me to tell him stories of heroes who have slain monsters and emerged victorious."
Prosjak smiled and looked at the young Duke proudly. "During my storytelling, our Duke discovered that he was so immersed in the story, that he forgot the Brandals were attacking. He even forgot that he was hungry. From then on, he ordered Bards, Minstrels, Puppeteers and other entertainers alike to lighten the mood of the city."
Duke Jeune interjected. "That's enough, Prosjak, tell them about our plan."
"Of course, your Grace. I am sorry for delaying any further," Prosjak apologized profusely and turned to Smoke and Incitant. "First, we need to confirm that your respective forces will be able to fight five days from now."
This time, it was Incitant who raised his hand. "I don't think our Sonstwelter Alliance could do that."
Incitant turned to face Duke Jeune. "My fellow Sonstwelters and I have already lost several levels defending the city. Those of us still here, now range from levels 80 to 120. In fact, I've been reduced to level 118 myself."
'He's ten levels higher than me,' Smoke thought to himself, and made a mental note while listening to the Sonstwelter Priest. He still wasn't sure if he could trust Incitant or not.
Incitant "Anyway, most of them won't be coming back to Zectas until this whole Brandal fiasco is over. Best case scenario, we're probably looking at a thousand Sonstwelters. Unless—"
"Unless what?" curiously asked Duke Jeune.
"Unless you could promise them with an even better reward than the one hundred million zecs to be divided among us," stated Incitant plainly.
Prosjak answered him instantly. "If you're asking to be Duke, then that's out of the question."
"Prosjak, please be quiet. Let's hear him out," said Duke Jeune with a raised hand, motioning for his adviser to stop. "And what do you propose, Incitant?"
"Of course, I'm not asking to be the Duke," stated Incitant. He stood up and straightened his classy Priest robe. "Did you know that my alliance is composed of more than forty guilds?"
Incitant walked over to a framed map of Centzo hanged on the wall of the room.
The Priest spoke with dramatically slow. "One of the reasons why we continue fighting this uphill battle... is our deep love for Centzo."
"And I appreciate that," replied the Duke.
"But the Brandals have ravaged several villages, and left them in ruins. But due to your quick response, most of our citizens are still alive within our capital's walls," said Incitant as he was clearly praising the Duke. "The other guild leaders and I have talked about this, and we think that even if we win this war there will still be other enemies. We could best stop living in fear by rebuilding the ruined villages into even better than the ones before them."
Smoke could tell that he was buttering him up for the real reason of this winded speech.
"Thank you, Incitant. That's very considerate of you," said the Duke in a neutral tone. "How do you propose to do this exactly?"
"Well, if you make us Lords to forty villages, then I think we could easily make Centzo into an even stronger city." Incitant finally declared his true intention. "We need to be stronger in order to prevent something like this from happening again."
Smoke caught Duke Jeune looking at Prosjak. The Duke's middle-aged adviser cleverly flashed the Duke ten fingers.
"If your intention is to rebuild these villages, then who am I to deny your reasonable request," replied the young Duke. "However, I will only give you ten villages to rebuild. Furthermore, you will pay the city the same 25% tax as before."
Incitant did not look pleased, but quickly composed himself.
The Duke noticed this and quickly added. "Don't worry. If you do well with the ten villages, then I shall give your alliance another ten villages. Does that sound fair?"
Incitant's smile came back. He bowed down before the Duke. "Of course, your Grace. Thank you very much. I accept all those conditions. I shall inform the other guild leaders as soon as we are done with our meeting."
"Now, that we have that settled. Let me ask you," said Duke Jeune as he turned to face Smoke. "What do you want for your services?"
Smoke was taken by surprise. Most quests would have their built in rewards. He quickly pondered on what he should ask the Duke. He thought about asking for a village like Incitant, but quickly dismissed the idea as he already had his hands full with Nanahuatl and Verbrannt.
"I don't want to ask for a village, your Grace," he humbly replied. "I'll only ask two favors."
Smoke smiled pleasantly at Duke Jeune and Prosjak. "First, allow my Merchants to trade with all the villages in Centzo and give them a 75% discount on any tax they might have to pay."
Although Verbrannt technically belonged to Coatl's jurisdiction. Smoke and Sierra did not pay any taxes to Duke Burmistrz. However, he knew that in order for a village to improve, it needed to associate itself with a city.
Smoke keenly noticed Prosjak mumbling with his hand covering his mouth. He guessed that the adviser was thinking what the effects of such a request could make.
"Second, I wish for Centzo to be my ally. I already have places that I want to protect and I hope that I can call on you when I need your help." Smoke ended his request with a respectful bow before the Duke.
Smoke covertly scrutinized Prosjak and saw him secretly give a sign to Duke Jeune.
"I gladly accept both conditions," said Duke Jeune and offered his hand to Smoke.
After the two of them shook hands, the Duke of Centzo officially started their battle strategy for the day of reckoning.