Zectas Book II: Heraldic City of Coatl (48 page)

 

 

The barbed poles were activated, the moment the last militia member was within their circle. The barbed wires extended out, and connected with the poles closest to them. They created a barbed circular fence around Mitleid.

 

 

Adder and Vijaya immediately went to free Mitleid from his bonds. Vijaya tried to apply first aid, but Mitleid's 'Bleeding Status' wasn't removed.

 

 

Mitleid's several wounds were beyond help. They needed the healing powers of at least an Arch Bishop to remove his 'Bleeding Status'.

 

 

The militia's pitchforks and spears managed to fend off the black ctenosaur riders, but the Brandal leaders who weren't hit by the OrkElves' poison bolts sprang over their barbed fence.

 

 

Adder had to leave Mitleid's side as he faced one of the Brandal leaders inside their inner defense. Vijaya tried her best and kept on applying bandages to Mitleid's wounds.

 

 

Arrows from the Brandal Snipers were constantly flying in towards them, so Vijaya ordered her six falcons to specifically target the culprits.

 

 

Vijaya trained her ability 'Steel Falcon' to Advance Level 2. Her falcons became immune to most arrow attacks.

 

 

Behind the barbed fences, Laernea and Gandiva kept riding their war carriages in opposite directions.

 

 

This gave the OrkElves an even wider range of picking out the Brandal leaders trying to come back in.

 

 

Thyrsus stayed near the center of their defensive formation and kept a close eye on the militia members who were about to fall.

 

 

With his bird's eye view of the battle, Thyrsus swiftly gave out instructions to support the dying men and women. He quickly replaced them with the uninjured volunteers.

 

 

Thyrsus wished that one of Smoke's private army members was a Priest and had an AOE healing ability.

 

 

Currently, they only had first aiders in the militia. Their abilities were only at the Beginner level. They amateurly applied bandages to the injured.

 

 

Death was imminent to the gravely wounded. The absence of a reliable healer was their militia's greatest downfall.

 

 

Adder scanned around their defensive formation, and knew that it could not last. He shouted at Thyrsus and asked for his best estimate.

 

 

"How long?"

 

 

Thyrsus looked through his falcon's eyes and yelled back.

 

 

"Ten minutes tops."

 

 

Adder blocked an incoming bullwhip with his upgraded double bladed sword, BlitzStrum. He was about to leap over the Brandal leader when he received a call from Smoke.

 

 

The one-armed man tumbled over, and his right leg was caught by the Brandal's bullwhip. Thyrsus sent his falcon to attack the Brandal leader's head, while he targeted the bandit's back.

 

 

Adder answered Smoke's call, as he used his BlitzSturm to free himself from the bullwhip and charged towards the bandit.

 

 

"Hello? Adder? Can you hear me?"

 

 

"Yeah, I'm here."

 

 

"We just got out of the labyrinth. I spoke to Sierra, and she updated me with the situation. Where exactly are you?"

 

 

Adder dodged the Brandal leader's throwing knives and lunged his long double bladed sword into the bandit's stomach.

 

 

"Sorry, can't talk. We're about three kilometers south of Verbrannt castle."

 

 

"I understand. We'll be there in about fifteen minutes."

 

 

"Wait, Smoke! Hurry, Mitleid's dying! Thyrsus said we only have ten minutes left..."

 

 

Smoke wasn't able to hear Adder's last message, as the call was already dropped.

 

 

Adder went to where Thyrsus stood. He rode Thyrsus' war chariot, and yelled at the top of his lungs.

 

 

"Everybody! Smoke's coming in fifteen minutes. We just have to last these next few minutes!"

 

 

Everyone in the militia had heard about Smoke. He was the charismatic leader that assembled their commanders, and made them into his private army.

 

 

That alone made every militia member respect Smoke. Adder's short speech revitalized the militia volunteers. With their boosted morale, they gave out their all defending the barbed fences for the next fifteen minutes.

 

 

 

 

It was ten minutes after Smoke called Adder. He and his group were still hidden inside Otaczac forest, as they watched a sea of black scaly ctenosaurs encroach over the barbed fences of the helpless militia.

 

 

Irritated, Smoke scratched his head. As if he was searching for a solution to come out of his scalp. This was the complete opposite of the welcome back party he was expecting.

 

 

Smoke tried to calm himself down by checking his newly acquired treasures. He was able to use three out of the seven items that the Tenebris' guardian allowed him to take out of their treasury.

 

 

With pride and gusto, the DarkElf looked at his 'Sable Wizard's Surcoat', 'Lunar Gravity Boots', and 'Digger's Wand'.

 

 

The 'Sable Wizard's Surcoat' was a black armor made out of hard leather and chainmail. It had a lower defense than his gora plate, but it had special attributes.

 

 

It gave complete immunity against curses, an increased bonus experience by 15%, and 10% resistance to all elements.

 

 

The 'Lunar Gravity Boots' was made of black leather with silver stitchings. It enabled the wearer to reduce the effects of Zectas' gravity.

 

 

This gave the wearer an increased movement speed of 25% and an increased leaping power of 50%.

 

 

The legendary Lunar Gravity Boots also had an active ability called 'Lunar Eclipse'. Once activated, a casting circle with a diameter of five meters appears on the ground.

 

 

Anyone who stood inside the casting circle receives the boot's passive effects for five minutes.

 

 

The 'Digger's Wand' was a bronze wand with a length of fourteen inches. It increased the wearer's Earth alignment by 20% and had the active abilities 'Tunneling' and 'Trenching'.

 

 

The three treasures were amazing beyond words. However, all of Smoke's equipment looked like they were about to break. This was due to his single stone Beggar rank.

 

 

His worn-out hooded cloak covered his ragged surcoat and tattered boots. His wand, looked like a rusty wand instead of its sleek bronze color.

 

 

When he was disguised as Ilad, the Flame Knight. He used Igniz's dark purple flames to coat his rusty armor. This time he didn't use Igniz's energy in order to keep Smoke and Ilad's individuality.

 

 

Smoke smiled as he finished his battle simulation in his mind. He pointed his Digger's Wand on the space in front of them and pointed it again towards the center of the militia's defensive formation.

 

 

Finally, he activated its 'Tunneling' ability. The muffled sound of moving earth was heard, and a circular hole opened on the ground.

 

 

Smoke then activated his boot's 'Lunar Eclipse' ability, and his four companions reflexively stepped inside the casting circle.

 

 

A blue light engulfed them. After they received the boot's effects, they immediately ran inside the tunnel.

 

 

The DarkElf ordered Igniz to light their path as they pushed on towards the tunnel's exit. Smoke estimated that with their increased movement speed they would be out of the underground passage in less than two minutes.

 

 

Smoke, Espion, and three maneators jumped out of the tunnel. The Brandals broke through portions of the barbed fence.

 

 

There were black ctenosaurs caught in the barbed wire and were trampled over by the other bandits. Dying militia members were scattered on the ground.

 

 

With his increased jumping ability, Smoke leapt to the center near Thyrsus. He soared up to the sky and activated his wand's 'Trenching' ability. He created a circular trench outside of the barbed fences.

 

 

The trench had a circumference of 450 meters. Its depth was four meters with a gap of six meters. Trenches were meant to be used as a defensive countermeasure against the enemy's ranged attacks.

 

 

However, Smoke used it to drop the Brandals out of their defensive formation. The DarkElf looked around, and saw Konig Mitleid dying on the ground.

 

 

One more attack, and the Maneator King would be dead. With his 'Earth Manipulation' ability, Smoke quickly constructed twelve towers from the ground and it skyrocketed upwards.

 

 

The circular towers were scattered inside their defensive formation. The creation of the towers and trench came at a cost, and left Smoke with 5% of his maximum Mana.

 

 

Each tower was made from the hardened mixture of rocks and earth. The dispersed structures had a height of a two story building, with stairs protruding out on its walls.

 

 

Straightaway, Adder added Smoke to their party and switched the leadership of the seven battalions to him. Smoke opened a group call to the entire militia in the area.

 

 

"Everybody, hurry and climb up the tower. The staircases will automatically retract in five minutes."

 

 

The 297 survivors immediately scrambled for the nearest tower for survival. Each tower had less than twenty-five people huddled closely together.

 

 

Smoke created a special tower with Mitleid, Adder, Espion, Thyrsus, and the three maneators on top of it.

 

 

This specific tower had no stairs, and it rapidly rose to the height of a four-story building.

 

 

Konig Mitleid's vision was blurry. Yet, despite his unclear sight he felt a familiar presence. Mitleid called out Smoke's name.

 

 

Smoke went near Mitleid. The DarkElf asked Thyrsus to help him sit Konig Mitleid on the Earth throne that he created.

 

 

"Mitleid, I'm here. Let me have Igniz cauterize your wounds to remove your Bleeding Status."

 

 

“Aagguhh, Aagguh."

 

 

The Maneator King coughed out blood from his mouth as he spoke.

 

 

"Come here, we have to hurry. I don't think I have much time left, and don't bother trying to save me. I'll only get the Burned Status if you do that."

 

 

Konig Mitleid coughed up more blood.

 

 

"I know that my time has come. I deserve this cruel death, but I didn't think the great god, Cuezaltzin, would answer my prayers. He has given me a chance at redemption."

 

 

Mitleid stared at the three maneators behind Smoke. The DarkElf called the three Maneators over to them.

 

 

"I don't know if you've heard, but the Maneators were wiped out by the Tenebris. They were replaced by a new monster called Krampus. These three noble Maneators were the only ones I managed to save."

 

 

Smoke asked the tallest Maneator, armed with his Rzeka glaive to step forward. The bulky red Maneator stepped in front of Konig Mitleid and bowed down.

 

 

"Name is... Stark Rind. Honor is mine to see you... King of Maneators!"

 

 

Next, was the shortest Maneator with Smoke's bullwhip. The orange maneator stood at a height of 2.5 meters. He knelt down beside Stark, and rapidly introduced himself to their King.

 

 

"You're Konig Mitleid! I've been counting the hours that I could finally see your face, and now that I'm here, I see that you're more intimidating than I imagined. Oh, right my name is Rasant Rind. It's a privilege to be in your service."

 

 

Lastly, was the Maneator armed with Smoke's Gora Shield and Flamdius Sword. He got down on his knees beside his two brothers.

 

 

The gray Maneator spoke in a dignified voice.

 

 

"Smoke has told us all of your heroic deeds your majesty. I am called Weise Rind. We three shall live our lives upholding the great name of the Maneators. We shall carry your teachings when you unified the different classes of Maneators."

 

 

"HAHAHAHA! Aagguhh, Aagguh."

 

 

Konig Mitleid coughed up more blood as he laughed hard. Everybody was confused why Mitleid reacted that way to the Maneator's introduction.

 

 

"Forgive me for laughing. I'm just very happy to see that I'm not the last Maneator. Smoke, you've done the impossible! You've freed all the living maneators inside the labyrinth."

 

 

Mitleid changed his gaze towards the three maneators who knelt in front of him.

 

 

"Brothers, please stand. I should be the one kneeling before you, but I'm having trouble just sitting down. When I look at the three of you, I know that I could die in peace. You three will change how the world remembers the Maneators. I'm expecting great things from you, and I know that you won't disappoint me."

 

 

After Mitleid's speech, a notification window popped up in front of Smoke.

 

 

 

+ Level Up!

 

 

The DarkElf was in a daze. He couldn't believe the experience he got from Konig Mitleid's quest. He was about to thank the Maneator when suddenly, Mitleid's voice became serious.