Zectas Volume V: The Sequestered Seminary of Sawtorn Read Free Page A

"They're tougher than they look."

"Not really, once you attack their necks, they will fall like flies," explained Colere.

"Is that so?" asked Smoke, intrigued. "Let me try —" but he was not able to finish, as a coalition of twenty sand cheetahs were picked up by his Cunning of the Dire Fox.

"I thought you said they only traveled in a small coalition?" he questioned his OrkElf guides.

"Yeah, this is a small coalition," replied Esper as she prepared her fists. "We don't consider anything to be many unless they reach at least a thousand. Don't worry you'll understand after you see what a real horde is like."

Pretending to be scared, Smoke nodded nervously. "So, you two can handle these monsters, right?" he said in an uncertain voice.

The coalition of sand cheetahs blindly charged at them. Smoke readied himself to save his guides at the last moment, by preparing to dig a tunnel under them and seal them there.

For now, Smoke created a small pillar and stood on top of it. "Alright, I'll stay here and attack some of them with my earth magic."

However, he had no real intention of this as he only wanted to see the two of them in action.

Esper and Colere guarded opposite directions below Smoke's pillar, and faced the sand cheetahs with their bare hands.

The brutish OrkElf grabbed the two nearest monsters by their necks and quickly squeezed the lives out of them.

Whereas, Esper delivered an accurate blow to a sand cheetah's lower jaw, sending it upward. With its neck exposed, she sent several swift blows to the monster's jugulars and killed it instantly.

Yet, while she eliminated one of them, two more sunk their jaws into her calves.

Smoke was about to help Esper out, but she did not look bothered by their attacks. Her life bar was revealed, indicating (238,000/250,000 HP).

Esper casually struck the back of their necks, sending them to the ground. Once she downed them, she proceeded to stomp on their necks, snuffing out the last of their hit points.

Smoke then turned to check on Colere's side, and found a total of four dead sand cheetahs beside him.

Soon after, the remaining sand cheetahs retreated with even faster speed than from when they were charging to attack.

"We should go after them," said Smoke, lowering his earth pillar.

"No, don't bother," replied Colere. "Once a sand cheetah decides to run, it is extremely difficult to catch up to it."

"Yeah, even with a child in its mouth," sullenly added Esper. She then peered over the trapped sand cheetahs in Smoke's trench. "What are you going to do with them? Their pelts do sell for at least five zecs, but they make better roofs though."

Smoke then notice both of the OrkElves gather the loot and stow them into Colere's cart, clearly with no intention of giving any of it to Smoke.

"I think, I'll let you have these four pelts as well," he replied.

"You want us to go down and kill them?" asked Colere.

"No, it's alright. They're already dead," answered Smoke. With his Earth Manipulation, he raised the dead bodies of the sand cheetahs before they faded out of existence. He had pierced them with pin-point earth spikes aimed at their necks while the two were collecting their loot.

"How did you?" ask a dumbfounded Esper. "Wait! If you could have killed them that easily, then were you just testing us all along?"

The female OrkElf huffed loudly and was about to storm off. Colere hurriedly went to his cart and prepared to go after her.

"Esper, you can have all of these pelts as well," called out Smoke.

Instantly, Esper stopped. She turned around and hurriedly collected Smoke's loot. "Why didn't you say it sooner."

After she gathered the pelts, she turned to face Smoke. "So, you ready to go?" she asked politely.

"Lead the way," replied Smoke.

"The sand cheetahs usually don't attack again after another twenty-four hours," explained Colere as they began walking again. "We're not really sure why they do this, but I think it's because their