The Smurfocalypse chapter 42: Monster Hunter Part 1
It came to the surprise of none that Hefty so boldly accepted a quest to take on the dragon at this point. After all it wasn't only a threat to the humans. The fact it was flying around the area time to time put it dangerously close to Port Saint Smurf. However the fact that Papa Smurf seemed to support Hefty's first major decision as village leader came to a shock to some. Not only was Hefty planning to set out to take the life of another creature, but it was a dangerous quest for even the strongest of humans. The size difference of the dragon to the average adult Smurf alone is tremendous. Yet Papa Smurf has no objections, and it was definitely out of character for him to not object.
"How could you Smurfs possibly expect to be able to slay a dragon?" Johan asks.
"With Jokey's red and black present box! The explosion it creates is massive I'll bet nothing could survive the blast." Hefty said.
"But all of the boxes I made were in Scientist's lab back at Uncle Smurf's village." Jokey said.
"Don't you have the materials to make more? You can make those ridiculous yellow boxes you love so much." Hefty said.
"The materials I need are in the mountains near Uncle Smurf's village." Jokey said.
"That's a two day journey from here on foot. I'm not even sure I'd be comfortable taking that trip alone at this time, and in these unfamiliar lands." Tracker said.
"Jokey if we were to escort you to the mountains would you be able to find the stuff you need to make more red and black boxes?" Hefty asked.
"I bet you I could!" Jokey said.
"This explosive you create is really that powerful?" Johan asked.
"It can blow up an entire human house!" Jokey said with a chuckle.
"An entire house?! Now that's powerful." Peewit said.
"But would it be enough to slay a dragon?" Brainy asked.
"I'll bet it could. In fact I have the utmost confidence that it could, but these explosives are dangerous and we'll need to be very careful around them." Papa Smurf said.
"I'll handle everything related to my red surprise." Jokey said.
Although he almost killed himself the first time he created it, Jokey is still the only Smurf with knowledge of explosives at this time even if it is entirely by accident. On this quest Jokey would be of great use, and Hefty was waiting for an opportunity to utilize Jokey's invention in a combat scenario since its discovery however Papa Smurf wouldn't have allowed him to do so. As leader Hefty can now experiment with their bran new weapon, and apparently there was nothing Papa Smurf could say or do to stop him.
"Are you sure you're ok with this Jokey?" Papa Smurf asked.
"I trust Hefty. He'll keep me safe while I work." Jokey said.
"Even if it costs me my life." Hefty said with a nod.
"Then we should waste no more time. Let's get the things you will need for the journey." Papa Smurf said.
The Smurfs as well as Johan and Peewit began preparations for the trip to the mountain range near the ruins of Uncle Smurf's village. The very same mountains where the attack was executed that caused the massive character die-off. Those very same mountains are where they were headed to gather the materials they would need to create powerful explosives that Hefty seems to think will be able to give them an edge to defeating the dragon. Chef was able to stock them up with enough food and water that they all would need for the journey. He only had to accommodate the Smurfs though as Johan and Peewit both had their own rations provided to them by their king. The knights fetched their weapons and armor and fully equip themselves.
"Alright, now that everything is ready we should get going." Papa Smurf said.
Hefty raised an eyebrow and stared at Papa Smurf.
"We?" Hefty asked.
"Of course. Your fighting a dragon you're going to need magic." Papa Smurf said.
"Papa Smurf… I can't allow you to risk your life. Isn't there anything I could say to make you stay here where it's safe?" Hefty said.
Papa Smurf shook his head and grabbed his special magic book no other Smurf is supposed to really read, or mess around with but over the years regardless they have somehow time to time.
"If you're serious about slaying the dragon you will need my magic to help you." Papa Smurf said.
"But Papa Smurf…" Hefty said.
"Don't you worry about me, I am a wizard after all. I can take care of myself." Papa Smurf said.
"Handy watch over things for me while I'm gone." Hefty said.
"You got it Hefty!" Handy said.
By the time their conversation and preparations had been complete the rest of the village had returned to work, and all they had to do was hitch a ride with Johan on Bayard. Johan and Peewit basically did all the work while the Smurfs instructed them on where to go. They left the gates of Port Saint Smurf and traveled down the man-made road. Before they knew it they were surrounded by fields. The very same fields the Smurfs made camp in on the way to the port town to settle in it. This was a stretch of countryside that was originally just plains. The humans that lived in the port before them had used this land for agriculture, and there were still barns and farm equipment out and about every so often as they'd pass by a certain place they'd see something along those lines. There was no livestock in the pens though which means domestic livestock could be roaming the nearby lands. This means that somewhere down the road in the distant future of the village that they could perhaps one day have access to sheep's wool even though Wooly is no longer with them. In the past Wooly would travel to Molar Mountain to sheer sheep once a year so the village could have wool. With Port Saint Smurf being the size that it is perhaps they could domesticate sheep themselves if they could find a couple. Papa Smurf wasn't too big on animals being in the village with very few exceptions, but Papa Smurf is no longer in charge.
Eventually the farmland would come to a close as they approached the woods that surrounded the meadow where Uncle Smurf's village once was. This large patch of woods would grow up the first mountain, but stopped leaving behind rocky surfaces. The way this terrain was designed they would have to travel into the woods in order to have access to the mountains where the materials supposedly dwelled. It is said that demons dwell in these woods even though the Smurfs have not encountered any in the area. Dangerous as it was they would have no choice but to brave the woods. Peewit was naturally freaking out about having to enter the woods when they had no idea what could be inside, but nonetheless he powered through it and entered the woods with Johan and Smurfs.
Once the trees surrounded them it was as though they had entered a different world entirely. It wasn't as lively as it would be any other season, but the woods had signs of normal life about it which made them less on edge. By the time they had reached the woods from Port Saint Smurf the evening was upon them, and it was becoming more apparent that were going to have to sleep in these woods tonight provided they somehow could. As they walked down a path Bayard stepped on a tree branch and it snapped causing a disturbance in the trees above them. They had managed to scare the crap out of a bunch of squirrels and they took off in every direction in the typical crazy scared squirrel fashion in response to the group's presence. By this hour it was dark and visibility was poor so Johan has lit a lantern he had with him as they walked. There was a figure in the trees amongst the squirrels that did not scatter however. It was small and almost appeared to be the silhouette of a Smurf from where they were standing, but it was too dark to tell. Before they could react the figure screeched out and jumped down from the trees spear in hand towards Bayard.
Hefty immediately stood to his feet and drew his sword in order to parry the attack. The figure descended from the trees spear in hand and the stone blade clashed with Hefty's much more durable steel sword and the makeshift weapon shattered into pieces. It was at this moment the two of them made eye contact, and Hefty was shocked at what he saw.
"Wild?! Wild Smurf?! You're alive?!" Hefty asked.
The feral Smurf did not recognize Hefty in his full armor, but recognized his voice. Aside from obviously feeling the need to carry a weapon around with him now, Wild Smurf appeared to be doing well for himself living amongst the squirrels just as he had for decades. There was much the Smurfs wanted to ask Wild, but the Smurf didn't possess the social skills to answer any of the questions much to Johan and Peewit's confusion as they had never before encountered this particular Smurf. After trying to communicate with him had gone south Hefty finally asked a question he could answer.
"Do you know a good place to set up camp?" Hefty asked.
Wild Smurf nodded and motioned for them to follow him as he took to the treetops and veered off the path deeper into the woods. The wild Smurf skillfully navigated the treetops climbing and leaping from tree to tree quickly as his friends followed him bellow on the forest floor. There was a small clearing in the woods not too far ahead that they could use as a temporary campsite. The group followed Wild to the clearing. It was a bald spot in the woods so to speak where there were no trees and the terrain was flat which was perfect for pitching tents. Johan and Peewit hitched their mounts and began to set up camp. They each had their own tent the Smurfs however did not have any sort of tents in their kits. On such short notice they weren't going to bother Tailor and Handy who were both incredibly busy and pressure them into making tents at the last minute to satisfy a sudden mission acceptance. Rather it was agreed that the Smurfs share tents with Johan and Peewit. There was plenty of space inside for a Smurf to sleep. What sucked however was that all the wood was wet due very recent snow showers, they were unable to create a fire. Awkwardly enough this found them sharing blankets with Johan and Peewit who had heavy blankets with them just in case this of this very situation.
Hefty felt it his obligation to personally patrol the small clearing his friends were currently staying in. Should they be ambushed and some Smurf namely Jokey or god forbid Papa Smurf were injured or killed because of his carelessness he would never forgive himself. For a couple hours he was joined by Wild Smurf who would occasionally check up on them before retiring for the night. Hefty found himself thinking about the upcoming battle, and felt nothing but confidence about it. Once he had his hands on Jokey's red and black present box it would be check mate in his favor, and the dragon will fall. He was so sure of it in fact that he couldn't possibly see what could go wrong at the moment. After all he was backed by Papa Smurf who also seems to believe the blast will be effective enough to grant them victory. He turned in for the night after one last walk around the clearing, and a period of rest would begin for our heroes for in the morning the hunt continues.
