Hefty cleared his throat quietly and unfolded his arms, taking a bold and heavy step toward the Free Smurfs.
However, he wasn't the first to comment on the actions of the inexperienced villagers.
"Look what we have here. Jokey's style has some serious competitors!" Tuffy snorted with laughter. "Only instead of jumping, these monkeys trip over their own feet! Hahahah!"
Jokey and Chef giggled along with him. The other seven, however, weren't amused by the situation. Vanity felt more and more embarrassed because of Smurfette, and Farmer directed his intense from Sassette to Nat. He was deeply disappointed by the behavior of his younger sister and cousin. Miner didn't look too thrilled to see his younger cousins in the square either.
"Yes. Thank you, Tuffy, for this very important remark," Hefty muttered through gritted teeth, turning his head toward his laughing brother. "You!" He looked back at Smurfette and her companions. "What in the smurf are you doing?"
Smurfette bristled as she folded her arms and stepped away from the block practice machine. She had no intention of backing down now that she had managed to lead her friends into the square. They weren't allowed to practice at home, so they had no choice but to come here. Besides, nothing annoyed her more than warriors strutting in front of the villagers. "We're practicing martial arts just like you. Can't you see?"
"Not really," Tuffy replied in an equally vicious tone. "And you took Snappy with you. What a disgrace! A blot on the honor of our family!"
"Tuffy, shut your yap!" Hefty growled. "You only think you're practicing martial arts, Smurfette. It takes years of intense training from sunrise to sunset to imprint the right movements into your body. And years is a lot longer than the time that is given to little boys to learn the basics. Neither of you are great warriors, and you and Sassette aren't even destined to be."
"I don't give a smurf about that Destiny behind which you try to hide your arrogance and false sense of superiority over us! Destiny didn't save you twenty years ago!"
The Ten shuddered noticeably at the memory of an event from two decades ago. This was one of the weakest points of the Ten Azure Warriors, but also of many inhabitants of the Valley of Peace. Bringing the subject up was, to put it shortly, a very delicate matter for the Smurfs of the Azure Craft Village.
"Someone who is not destined to be a great warrior, and yet practices martial arts thinking that he will become one, disgraces himself, his family, the art, as well as the great warriors, Masters, and tradition of the country," a black-haired warrior muttered in a grave voice.
"You're right, Grouchy." Hefty backed off a bit. "I've heard you're a clever girl, Smurfette. Go back home. None of you will ever be like us."
"You need to have class for that!"
"And style!"
"And the most important thing – Destiny!"
The Smurflings and Clumsy dropped their ears, letting the Ten's words convince them. Miracle was still sitting on the sand, waving his arms senselessly, giggling from time to time. He didn't listen to the warriors at all, didn't pay them the slightest attention.
The blonde stood firmly at the head of her companions. "We, the Free Smurfs Team, have as much right to exercise in the training square as you do! Admit it! Vanity!" she squeaked, turning to her brother. "Won't you back me up at least once in your life?!"
"I'm sorry, little sister." The brown-haired shrugged. "You won't find support in me, and you know it."
"Gentlemen!" Jokey shouted. "Let's show these amateurs what true style is!"
The Ten scattered around the square, leaving only one Smurf in the middle of the square – Dreamy.
The red-haired warrior, dressed in a light blue tunic with a white waist wrap and white pants, bowed with a somewhat absent expression, then took a bent-legged position with his right arm stretched out in front of him and his left arm thrust back. "Ten Azure Warriors. Number ten: Master Dreamy, smooth snake style!" he shouted with a hint of melancholy in his voice, then made a series of complicated movements with his arms, left leg and tail, keeping perfect balance, standing only on his right leg. His limbs were like waves, smooth but quick, and the more you stared at them, the more hypnotic effect they had on you.
Dreamy jumped away from the center of the square, avoiding a jumping Vanity who tried to attack him with a quick kick.
Smurfette's brother took the red-haired Master's place in the center, straightening up stiffly. His half-open light pink short-sleeved tunic with a white waist wrap and white pants didn't budge either. "Ten Azure Warriors! Number nine: Master Vanity, sharp mantis style!" The brown-haired stood with hie legs wide apart and, turning only the upper half of his body, made a few quick strikes with his hands flat, the tips of his fingers directed at the invisible opponent.
During his display, Smurfette rolled her eyes an infinite number of times. She had seen the sharp mantis style more than once and would be lying if she said she was impressed by her brother's show. Well, her brother was a great warrior, but you know, a sibling relationship is always a weird mix of love and hate.
Vanity was soon joined by his best friend, Jokey, and the two Smurfs exchanged a few punches, Vanity with his sharp hand and foot strikes, and Jokey with his chaotic kicks, punches and blocks with each of his limbs. The harsh shades of warm colors of his outfit contrasted with the pastel colors of Vanity's clothes. Jokey was wearing a yellow vest with a red waist wrap and red pants.
The redhead was jumping over his opponent every now and then, forcing him to turn quickly, until he finally decided to trip Vanity up with his tail. Vanity dodged, did a back handspring, bent his elbows, pushed his hands off the ground and landed away from the center of the square.
Jokey remained in a low position, close to the ground, with one leg stretched to the side. His chin almost touched the ground, his torso hung low on his bent arms, his hands under his chest. "Ten Azure Warriors! Number eight: Master Jokey, jumping monkey style!" the warrior yelled sharply, then quickly moved his stiffly straightened leg behind him, placing it in a straight line with his spine.
The same leg suddenly shot into the air, and with it the rest of Jokey's body, from hips to shoulders. The Smurf pushed his hands off the ground and leaped forward. When he got to his feet, he began a complicated series of jumps, flips, and spins, interspersed with punches and hard kicks to the sides. The redhead laughed quietly, feeling like he owned the place.
Lost in his monkey jumps, he barely dodged a short but sharp object thrown at him. The wide dagger stuck in the ground where Jokey's knee had been just a moment ago. The redhead jumped back toward Vanity, sending an offended look at the other end of the square.
The thrown dagger belonged to Chef. The brunet in a yellow tunic with a white waist wrap and white pants ran into the middle of the square and took a position ready for defense. He held three-pronged daggers with an elongated middle prong in both hands. "Ten Azure Warriors! Number seven: Master Chef, fierce vulture style!" he said with a slight growl. He quickly made several precise strikes and blocks with his daggers while turning his body in various directions. The steel gleamed in the morning sun.
After his brief presentation, another warrior, dressed in almost all black, ran up ti him. Even his hair matched the statement that he was almost a black Smurf. With a serious expression, he challenged Chef with his pose, but Chef backed off, bowed slightly, and ran away from the center.
The new warrior stood facing Smurfette's team, with his hands placed in front of him, quite high, at the level of his eyes and mouth. His fingers were bent, resembling predatory claws. "Ten Azure Warriors! Number six: Master Grouchy, feisty hyena style!" he grunted in a bored tone.
His hand strikes were stiff and fast, similar to Vanity's style, but the wide splay of fingers and the strikes directed from the wrists were what made the hyena's style different from the flat hands of the mantis. Grouchy didn't do many spins or jumps, but he bent and took wide steps to the sides a lot.
No warrior interrupted Grouchy in his brief demonstration of the feisty hyena style. The brunet ended his performance, nodded slightly and moved slowly from the center of the square.
"Just in time, Grouchy!" Tuffy yelled, jumping into the middle. He landed some quick boxing punches. "Ten Azure Warriors! Number five: Master Tuffy, punching gorilla style!"
Tuffy relied mostly on his arms in his style, using his legs for dodging and blocking low attacks. His signature move, the fists of fury, was a move so fast that even a trained eye would have had trouble observing the fast punches.
The brown-haired wore a white sleeveless tunic that was fully unbuttoned, with a black waist wrap and black pants. His wide tunic slipped slightly from his shoulders from time to time.
"I still think your punches are too slow!" Farmer shouted suddenly, jumping up to Tuffy with his spear.
"Oh yeah?! Then maybe you should finally put down that stupid stick of yours!" Tuffy replied, again trying to break through the other brown-haired's block.
The pair exchanged a few punches, and when Farmer found an opening in Tuffy's defense, he tripped his opponent up with his spear and knocked him to the ground. Tuffy rolled on the ground, then jumped back toward Vanity and Jokey.
"Ten Azure Warriors! Number four: Master Farmer, precise crow style!"
The warrior, like Chef, presented some sophisticated moves with the help of a melee weapon. Farmer's style was famous for using many various objects in combat. A dark green tunic with a brown waist wrap and pants matched his given name.
Not waiting for an invitation, next warrior invited himself to the center of the square, attacking his cousin by surprise. He also used a weapon the name of which Smurfette knew – the tonfa. Thanks to the element of surprise, the warrior quickly overpowered Farmer who was forced to drop his spear. One of the tonfas was placed against his throat.
Both Smurfs moved away from each other and bowed, then Farmer took his spear and ran toward Hefty.
His opponent scowled at the Free Smurfs Team. "Ten Azure Warriors! Number three: Master Miner, striking orca style!" he muttered quite aggressively, then showed a few more practice moves using tonfas. Dressed in a dark blue tunic, black waist wrap and pants, the warrior paid no attention to whether he was being watched or not.
At this point, Smurfette had enough. Right now, the Ten were boasting and flaunting in front of her friends. What did they want to prove? That they were better than them? No wonder they were better, they had been training under the supervision of the best Masters for the last one hundred years! Meanwhile, as a girl, she was forced to stay at home, study to get some occupation, and help her mother. And soon her father would order her to search for a husband, and her playful life would be over!
"Ten Azure Warriors! Number two: Master Weakling, knockout aurochs style!"
She didn't pay much attention to the movements in the square and didn't notice when Miner suddenly changed with Weakling until she heard the voice of one of Snappy's brothers.
Weakling, dressed in a mint vest, black waist wrap and red pants, shaped a fighting style that mostly consisted of pressing the opponent with his body weight. Therefore, all his arm and leg strikes were accompanied by characteristic twists of the torso that led to put a force from the weight of the rest of his body into each strike. Quite an effective style, although it lacked speed sometimes.
When the oldest of Weakling's brothers joined him, Smurfette sat down on one of the training machines and looked out of the corner of her eye at Clumsy and the kids. Their large eyes and astonished faces never left the center of the square, even for a moment. The blonde sighed heavily. She knew that, apart from her, no one else cared so much about winning the fight for certain changes in society.
"Ten Azure Warriors! Number one: Master Hefty, kicking kangaroo style!" The leader of the Ten in a red vest with a black waist wrap and pants started his show hoping it would effectively smoke out the girl and her circus troupe.
Where his younger brothers relied on body weight and fists, Hefty focused mostly on his legs. Not that his arms or torso weren't strong. The brown-haired was considered the physically strongest warrior among the Ten Azure Warriors, after all.
After that, the Ten were gathered in the center of the square, their stares sending various meanings at the intruders.
Only then did one of them notice the smallest figure still sitting on the ground. "Isn't that the younger brother of the palace messenger and student advisor?" Weakling moaned, pointing his finger at the toddler.
"Oh no, you're right!" Jokey groaned. "What will we do now?"
"Nothing," Hefty grunted. "Vanity's sister will smurf out of here and take her funny company with her."
The blonde growled, standing up vigorously. She dusted off her white tunic, placed her hands on her hips, and snorted in displeasure. She sent her brother a hateful glare, then walked over to Clumsy and lightly pushed him toward the exit without saying a word. The Smurflings and Miracle also got up and stretched.
Satisfaction was written on the faces of most of the warriors, but then a figure walked out from one of the palace penthouses that connected the palace to the training square.
A figure none of the Ten wanted to see at that moment. "I knew it! You're all slacking again!" he shouted in an unpleasant voice, drawing attention to himself. It was a Smurf their age, a brunet with glasses. He carried several folded parchments under his arm. "The Great Master won't be pleased when he sees that you don't take your training seriously–" The boy fell silent, straining his eyes and adjusting his glasses. His eyes landed on Clumsy. "What on earth are you doing here, dear cousin?" he asked, but before anyone could say anything, the brunet noticed the intricately hidden figure behind his cousin. "Miracle?! You brought my brother here?!"
"I-I-I'll explain everything to you in a moment, Brainy–"
"You!" The bespectacled Smurf pointed to Smurfette. "Are you trying to lead my little brother and my uncouth cousin on an evil way again? I won't let you!"
"Brainy!"
Brainy jumped up and turned toward the penthouse exit. At the top of the stairs stood the current Grand Master of the Crystal Palace. Judging from his furrowed brows and twisted lips, the old Smurf was displeased with something.
The Ten immediately straightened up and lined up in the center of the square in three rows, with Snappy's three brothers at the head. They all put their right hand, clenched into a fist, to the palm of their left hand, and bowed at the waist. "Grand Master Papa Smurf," they muttered in unison.
Smurfette froze, staring at the figure of the Master. For the first time in her life, she saw him in all his glory, even though she had had several occasions to meet him. However, he was a Smurf not very accessible to ordinary villagers, and in particular to the fair sex. Even at holiday parades, you had to go to great lengths to get a close look at him. Now she had him at arm's length, less than sixty feet in front of her.
Like in legends, the Grand Master had an aura of unquestionable authority around him. With his hands clasped behind his back, he surveyed each of his warriors, then shifted his gaze to the uninvited guests and raised his eyebrows, clearly curious. But soon his face took on an angry expression. "Why are you not training?" he asked calmly, but with a hint of irritation in his voice.
"Great Master," Hefty began, his voice suddenly small. "We had uninvited guests and–"
"That is no excuse!" Papa Smurf roared furiously. "Great warriors can not afford unplanned breaks, vacations and personal lives! Every unplanned break is a huge step backwards! As the chosen ones, you have obligations to your people, you must be ready for any eventuality. You must always be in top shape to successfully defend your families and friends from potential threats! If you do not understand this, we may soon be doomed!"
The Grand Master spun on his heel and left the square with a visible limp, shaking his head sadly and muttering to himself. The others in the square exchanged glances, scratching their heads and shrugging.
Smurfette frowned and walked past Clumsy, then rushed to the door through which she had led the Free Smurfs to the square earlier.
"Smurfette?" the redhead murmured.
"Smurfette! Wait!" Vanity called after her.
The side entrance to the training square closed behind the Smurfess.
The girl ran along the marble walls, looking for another entrance to the palace. She only hoped that Snappy had been right and none of the entrances were guarded. Her curious and rebellious nature didn't allow her to forget about the disturbing words of Grand Master Papa Smurf.
The Valley of Peace was, well, peaceful after all. The land had no enemies, wasn't at odds with its neighbors. In fact, they had only allies in the country. So where did the threat might come from? The Master seemed serious about it. Had he learned something from the ex-Grand Master's wife?
Grand Master Grandpa Smurf's wife was a medium and could predict the outline of the near future and the potential consequences of certain events. Was Grand Master Papa Smurf trying to hide some terrible secret from his pupils?
The blonde ran halfway around the palace before finding one of the other side entrances, this time leading straight to the residential penthouse. Smurfette opened the door and peered inside carefully. There was no one in the narrow corridor, nor did she hear anyone moving around, so she went inside. She had never sneaked inside the palace buildings before.
The living quarters didn't impress her much, so she quickly walked to where she hoped to learn something interesting. The inside of the Crystal Palace was chilly, empty and quiet. The girl turned blindly into the corridors until she came across a scrap of red tunic disappearing through a sliding door. When the door closed, Smurfette ran to it and peeked inside through a gap.
Bingo! She'd found Papa Smurf!
The Grand Master was kneeling on a mat, his back almost entirely facing the door. The room smelled of strong green tea mixed with burnt olibanum. The old Smurf seemed to be meditating, but heavy and loud sighs convinced Smurfette that the Master was engrossed in too many thoughts to meditate.
Then, in the darkened room, she noticed something odd. The Grand Master held a piece of dark cloth in his hands. In the dim light, she couldn't tell what color it was. In the middle of the cloth was a light circle with a dark border, and within the circle was a symbol of fire, most likely blue.
The Smurfess twisted her lips. If she remembered well the symbolism classes Vanity had taken, the blue flame was one of the symbols representing forbidden techniques. They were called forbidden for a reason, and for centuries they had been successfully eradicated from Destiny, because they had been very dangerous and destructive.
Therefore, it was impossible to use them, only Grand Master Grandpa Smurf knew a few of them, but used them only as a last resort and never in full power. This meant that officially no palace warrior knew the forbidden techniques. So the scrap of cloth didn't belong to Papa Smurf or Grandpa or the Ten.
Unless it was twenty years old!
Smurfette suddenly gasped and quickly covered her mouth with her hand as she realized it. What if the scrap belonged to the one that Destiny had failed to protect the Ten from twenty years ago?
Some family ties shown in this chapter:
– Hefty, Tuffy, Weakling, and Snappy (siblings, from oldest to youngest)
– Farmer, Sassette, Miner, Nat (the first two are siblings, Farmer is older; Nat is their cousin in age between them; Miner is a cousin for all three of them, he's Farmer's peer)
– Brainy, Miracle, and Clumsy (the first two are siblings, Brainy is older; Clumsy is their cousin in age between them)