Zectas Volume V: The Sequestered Seminary of Sawtorn (31 page)

'Should I?' he wondered. He would have preferred to compare both abilities, but there was no way for him to know the information inside the ability tome, unless he acquired its knowledge.
'Well, the current one is still only Beginner Level 8. Besides, it won't take me that long to reach that level again,' debated Smoke with himself.
He then clicked the 'YES' button and a new notification window popped up.

"Yes!" shouted Smoke. He clenched his fist in victory.
'It has twice the MP consumption of my own version, but it also has twice the damage,' he observed, pleased with his decision.
Next, he quickly grabbed the next ability tome. A leather book entitled 'Flame Shield.'
'This must be the barrier that Xantana used,' he surmised.

Eager to see the ability in action, Smoke whispered to his metal orb. "We're going to have to Synergize."
Igniz then let out a faint purple light of acknowledgement.
Purple smoke emitted out from his DarkElf skin, and Smoke extended his right palm as he activated the Flame Shield. A disappointing flat-circular flame with a diameter of less than half a meter appeared.
Smoke's shoulder shrank and he guffed after he tried out the Flame Shield ability.
'This defensive ability can't even hold a candle against my Manatl,' he discerned, as he compared the two abilities.
'But who knows, maybe it will come in handy someday,' he hoped, trying to be an optimist.
He then grabbed the last of the three ability tomes.

"Now, this is what I'm talking about!" he said out loud after learning the Comet ability.
'This should be perfect against mobs,' he thought, as he remembered Crucibelle's own dastardly attack.
He would have wanted to try it out, but that would require him to move farther away from the Warrior Guards.
'There will be other times to test this out,' he thought.
With all three ability tomes consumed, Smoke then called out to Bon. "Alright, let's pack up, and move out."
 

* * * * * * 

After two more days of riding through barren deserts, Smoke and the Guard Warriors spotted greenery.
He expected to see pomegranate trees, but was surprised to see that he was wrong. Colorful yellow flowers that grew out from the thick bushes greeted them into the forest.

Seeing the lack of information about resident monsters or level requirements, Smoke assumed that this was a safe place.
"We're almost there," said Smoke to his party of Warrior Guards.
Enlarging the window of his map, he double checked the direction of where they were headed. "This way," said Smoke, as he lead his party forward.
Without a large sword at his disposal, he asked two Warriors to walk in front of him. He needed them to hack off the thick vines and wide palmera leaves blocking their path.
He estimated that it would take them half an hour to reach the temple, but the abundant plant-life in the forest impeded their advance.
It was a solid hour before they finally caught a glimpse of the temple.
Mesmerized by the three-story monument, Smoke stopped to take in all of its beauty. It was mostly made of pure white marble, but the two golden torch stands, which stood over three-meters, accented the gold linings and decorative etchings on the temple.
'It looks more older than five-hundred years,' observed Smoke. 'Didn't Kajou's Grandfather lived less than a hundred years ago?'
He led his men forward, towards the white building.
As soon as Smoke stepped on its marble floor, another notification window popped up.

There, at the center of the temple, were wide marble steps which led to a blocked doorway all the way to the top of the third floor.
From far away, Smoke used his Telefax Vision to see the golden phoenix embossed at the center of the blocked passage. This structure reminded him of the ancient Mayan pyramids, only smaller and paler.
"Alright, I want a five-hundred meter perimeter check around the temple," said Smoke. "Bon, you oversee everything from the ground floor."
"As you Command," replied Bon and started to leave. "But what about you, Commander? What will you be doing?"
"I'm going to look around the temple," replied Smoke. "You know, so I could check if there are any boobytraps."
"Of course," said Bon, and saluted him before disseminating his orders to the other Warrior Guards.
Free to move around the temple, Smoke ran up its steps and went closer to check on the blocked passage.
The golden phoenix embossed on the marble door looked similar to the brooch he had on.
'Looks like the goddess Xantico, alright,' thought Smoke.
Then, he noticed a writing etched on the lower right corner of the door.
"Your outlook will change when you change your perspective," read Smoke out loud.
'Does this mean change my point of view?' wondered Smoke to himself.
Then, Bon arrived to give the Warrior Guards' update.
"We've done our preliminary search of the area, and found nothing suspicious," reported Bon.
"Very good," replied a slightly startled Smoke. "Why don't you tell everyone to make camp at the foot of the temple."
"Yes, Sir!" replied Bon. "By the way, Commander Faux, what exactly are we doing here, anyway?"
"You are going to defend this place," replied Smoke. "The fate of the entire kingdom depends on your guarding prowess."
"Defend it against what, Sir?" asked Bon.
"Robbers!" replied Smoke, and turned around to study the blocked door again.
"What? But there's no one here?" questioned Bon. "I'd safely claim that we're the only souls here in the forest."
"Then, you and your men are up for an easy job," replied Smoke, and dismissed the Warrior Guard.
Left alone, Smoke returned to his musings on the temple writing.
"Change my perspective, huh?" he mumbled to himself.
Since the Warrior Guards were busy setting up their camp, Smoke thought he could risk taking an aerial view of the temple.
'Besides, I already have over 80 Intimacy with most of them,' he thought with assurance.
Using his Hyper Jump ability, Smoke propelled himself upward and stuck his Claws of Chiroptera to one of the tall trees near the temple.
He thought about gliding, but the forest canopy obstructed his view. So, he settled for hanging on top from a tree instead.
From above, Smoke saw that the temple resembled a phoenix with its wings tucked tight. The obstructed entrance was actually the tail of the magnificent edifice.
'This can't be it,' thought Smoke, examining the the marble structure. 'There has to be something more than this.'
He removed his Paradox Mask and tried to wipe the frustration from his face. Yet, it proved to be ineffective.
Scratching his head for ideas, Smoke decided to study the phoenix temple some more, searching for a connection on what was written on the blocked doorway.
'I have to change my perspective...' he repeatedly thought in his head.
'A change in perspective means to change one's view,' he surmised. 'But what if...'
Using the evolved ability of his Cunning of the Dire Fox - Extra Sensory, Smoke focused all of his mana into his eyes.
It was a costly ability at 100,000 MP per use and additional 10,000 MP per second after activation.
At once, his eyes turned golden and became that of a dire fox's. As he could see the energy flowing out of the temple, it appeared as if the white phoenix came to life. Its eyes twinkled
and he knew that he needed to get a closer look.
Excited, Smoke leapt down from the tall tree and rushed towards the phoenix's eyes. Upon inspection, he realized that the eyes were actually receptacles. He touched it and triggered a notification window.

"What?" asked Smoke out loud. 'Why would Florissant's Brooch be involved in this? Didn't King Gagnant XIII create this temple himself?'
Removing his Journeyman Emblem, Xantico's Inheritance instantly faded out of his equipment. The red flaming luster disappeared from his brown cloak and pants, and now they looked even more tattered. He then placed the brooch into the right eye of the phoenix.
CLINK
Smoke grinned widely after he heard the distinct sound of a perfect fit.
'Now, what in the world is a Nanti Pin?' he wondered.
Putting back the Journeyman Emblem on him, the flames of Xantico's Inheritance reappeared on his worn items.
'I need to learn more about this temple,' thought an excited Smoke. He welcomed the distraction of a new development after his bust with finding the real Magietrois Florissant.
With his inspection of Xantico's Temple completed, Smoke began planning on how to improve the defenses around it.
On the next day, after he fed the Warrior Guards, Smoke created a square earth-wall around the temple. It was four-meters tall and two-meters thick. He made good use of the thick trees and blended his wall well.
Afterwards, he created pit traps with long sharp spikes on the bottom. He scattered it outside the perimeter of his earth-wall.
Completing a day of heavy Earth Manipulation, Smoke scaled the same tall tree and appreciated the fruits of his labor.
Seeing the defenses around the Temple of Xantico, he marveled at his own work and gave out a smirk.
As he planned to leave that night, Smoke rushed back down to start making his final supper for the Warrior Guards.
It took him less than thirty-minutes to whip up a delicious meal fit for royalty. His hundred man party huddled around him as they ate together.
Suddenly, Bon got everybody's attention.
"Commander Faux, in behalf of everyone, I would like to thank you for everything that you've done," began Bon. "I know that we've only been together for a couple of days, but we've never had a more trustworthy Commander such as you."
Then, a notification window popped up.

"No, I'm the one that should be thanking you," said Smoke. "And I hope that your stay here will be peaceful."
As most of the Warrior Guards resumed eating, Bon spoke to Smoke with a lowered volume. "By the way, I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier."
"Huh? What did you do?" asked Smoke.
"I mean from when I met you the first time," explained Bon. "I should have known better than to judge you by your looks."
"Oh, don't worry about it," replied Smoke. "I get that a lot. What's important is that you'll lead your fellow Warriors well."
After settling in the one-hundred Warrior Guards in the Temple of Xantico, Smoke bade them all farewell and good luck. He left Malentendu Forest on foot, and when he sensed that no one was following him, Smoke leapt up and glided back towards Votl City.